Unfaithful Klingon Academy makes you do all the work
It’s a problem I have had with Star Trek games for years. Now you would think someone would solve it by now. I was asked to take a look at Star Trek: Klingon Academy this week. This six-CD game takes Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and justly moves it to the Klingon Empire. Wait, did the […]
Odium is all about eye candy
Odium may be defined as hate coupled with disgust, but when it comes to the game Odium, my feelings lacked such passion. In fact, I was left with profound indifference. Following the thoroughly playable Septerra Core, Monolith has released TopWare’s Odium — and some unsuspecting gamers might be duped into buying the new title. It’s […]
At its core, Septerra Core rocks–leisurely
Septerra Core arrived at GiN headquarters with a special request: Let Michael Cheek review it. I don’t think this was an example of "Let Mikey review it; he’ll review anything." You see, I’m not the role-playing game reviewer. I look at DVDs and puzzle games for the most part, and Septerra Core is neither. In […]
Pandora’s addictive box is worth opening
Jigsaw puzzles never had an equivalent on the PC until Pandora’s Box. With an understated environment and compelling puzzles, Pandora’s Box might be nirvana for those with obsessions for visual brainteasers. In Pandora’s Box, seven mythical tricksters have escaped to wreck havoc on the world. The player must capture the seven one at a time […]
Amerzone usurps the ultimate adventure game

Too often, adventure games compare themselves to the reigning God, Myst. And too often, new games perform far below Myst — far worse in fact. Some might be inclined to declare Amerzone a good game in the Myst vein. I’ll go one step further. Amerzone takes first-person adventure gaming to the next level and could […]
Reah gets lost in the translation
You wouldn’t understand it, it’s a Polish thing. What the folks at Project 2 Interactive are calling "Riven for everyone," the adventure/puzzle game Reah turns out to be less Myst inspiring and more difficult to understand, furthermore solve. You play an obnoxious journalist who somehow gets transported to a reality full of idiotic characters and […]
Hasbro helps WinCE gaming grow up
So you’re an adult. But secretly, you’ve wanted one. A Nintendo Gameboy. But you just cannot bring yourself to buy one. It’s for kids. The games available focus on kids. So you’re relegated to secretly playing solitaire under Windows CE on your palm PC during the morning commute. Not anymore. Hasbro Interactive has released four […]
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Lucas Arts’ Grim Fandango already earned some lauds from other gaming publications and I hate to be the one to tarnish what may become another Myst. Grim Fandango does contain a captivating atmosphere with a certain film noir meets Antonio Banderas quality. My primary complaint stems not from the remarkable interface or the ambiance or […]
Virtual Pool 2 takes all the breaks…
Virtual Pool 2, an "enhanced" DVD-ROM game from VR Sports, tries to take the billiard amusements to higher levels with this 3D simulator. But the only existence of the DVD is for tips and tricks from some of today’s professional pool sharks. Quite honestly, I tried to watch the movie training sessions. But if I’d […]
Monolith’s Captain Claw DVD game not quite perrrrfect
To win Captain Claw, a player must be a god–or at least play like one. This scrolling adventure game long descended from Pitfall, follows the journey of a ship-commander cat and his attempts to piece together a map and find the Jewels of Nine Lives. From Monolith Studios, the game spins off a DVD-ROM. But […]
