Category Archives: Game Review

Play with the ABCs Makes Letters Friendly

ALPHABET: Play with the ABCs, is exactly what it says. It is an opportunity to play with each letter of the alphabet in its own unique way. Based on the art of Czech artist Kveta Pacoska, letters float and fade in and out on the screen. The child can double click on one which will take him to a screen of just that letter. Then he/she has to figure out how to effect the letter, sometimes blowing into the microphone will ripple the letter. Sometimes it’s a matter of moving the mouse so that a letter like "G" will eat … Continue reading Play with the ABCs Makes Letters Friendly

World at War Has Got You Covered

Steel Panthers: World At War V6.0 (SP:WAW) is the latest iteration of the long-running Steel Panthers series of tactical simulations, and by far the most comprehensive. The game covers land warfare from the colonial wars of the 1920s to the end of the Second World War on a tactical scale. Typical battles range dramatically in scale, from company to regimental-sized engagements. Map size also varies, and can be customized. The largest maps are truly huge. For a game that traces its origins to a 1995 SSI release, SP:WAW has aged extremely well. Perhaps aged isn’t the right term; Steel Panthers … Continue reading World at War Has Got You Covered

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance Serves Up Hot Revenge

Ever have the desire to take command of a BattleMech? Never heard of a BattleMech? In either case you owe it to yourself to check out the latest installment of the MechWarrior line. Yep,this is a continuation of the games based on the FASA board/miniatures game called BattleTech. In case you were wondering a BattleMech is, roughly speaking, a 35 to 50 foot tall, 80 to 100 ton mobile suit of armor capable of speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour and with enough firepower to take on a small city single handedly. Got your interest yet? I should … Continue reading MechWarrior 4: Vengeance Serves Up Hot Revenge

GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever

Maybe I should take back what I said in my commentary a few months ago, and my initial regrets for the PlayStation 2. Granted when it came out there were very few high quality titles available, save perhaps Madden and SSX. But in the last few months I have noticed the quality of PS2 games improving greatly. ZOE, Red Faction, Starfighter, FIFA 2001, and the MGS Demo (remember Breeden, it’s only a DEMO, there will still be more in the final release!) are just a few of the many great titles coming out, and from what I’ve seen at E3, … Continue reading GT3 Could Be the Grandest Racer Ever

Nancy Drew Sleuths Out a Winner

In the mood for an interactive mystery adventure? HER Interactive then can fill your order with Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion. This is the third game in a series of 3D Nancy Drew interactive mystery games that HER Interactive has produced. There is a new one about to come out, but in the meantime I figured I would take a look at this title. Message in a Haunted Mansion is recommended for players ten and up. In this adventure, Nancy finds herself in an old Victorian mansion in San Francisco helping a friend with the renovations of the … Continue reading Nancy Drew Sleuths Out a Winner

Tropico Will Rule Your PC

We have all been dictators of a sort in simulation games before, but now is your chance to be a True Dictator. You have just been ‘elected’ President of Tropico, a small third world island nation. Will you be a kind ruler, someone the people love and respect, or a total despot, hated and feared by the people? Tropico is a welcome change from some of the games I have been playing lately. I knew from the moment I saw the box that I could not wait to play the game. And for once I was not disappointed by the … Continue reading Tropico Will Rule Your PC

Darkstone Comes Up a Bit Short

Any person who has played a lot of fantasy, role-playing games has heard plenty of tired game storylines similar to this one; "The evil Draak has acquired an incredible power and has transformed himself into a dragon and now has plans to destroy the world. You must journey across the lands to find seven ancient magic crystals which will help you defeat the villainous Draak." That is the opening sequence to Take 2 Interactive’s title Darkstone, an action/fantasy role-playing game for the Sony Playstation. Darkstone is part of Take 2’s $9.99 line up of games. Players in Darkstone choose from … Continue reading Darkstone Comes Up a Bit Short

Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously

Four games and several years ago, the Baldur’s Gate saga was born in this fine nation. The original game caused a revolution in the way people, especially PC gamers, thought about role-playing games. It was probably the first RPG to sell over a million copies, and it did it in less than three months. The follow-on pack, Tales of the Sword Coast, was not met with the same critical acclaim, but none-the-less added something to genre, namely the now popular "super-huge-you-can-play-for-weeks-inside-dungeon." Then came the actual sequel, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. All these titles were fun to play and … Continue reading Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously

Emperor's New Groove is Not So Groovy

Disney makes movies children love, but unfortunately they don’t seem to spend the same kind of time and attention in their game division, which results in uneven game packages based on movies. Most children will want the games because of whatever movie characters are displayed on the box, but often the game is discarded shortly thereafter because it just isn’t good enough to hold their attention. The Emperor’s New Groove: Groove Center is just such a game. It has one good game, one really weak game, one mediocre game, and a ridiculous so-called creativity center. The game opens with Evil … Continue reading Emperor's New Groove is Not So Groovy

Eye-Trek is a Visual Feast

Not too long ago, I was watching Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals. However, when I watch my TV, I am unfortunately stuck with a small 13-inch screen. For a big event like Game 7, this would not suffice. I needed to have something bigger. I could have made a trip to Rent-a-Center and loaned out a big screen TV but, who can afford that? Thank God for Olympus when they sent me one of their Eye-Trek face mounted displays. Claiming to be able to simulate a 52" screen from 6 feet away, I decided to give it a … Continue reading Eye-Trek is a Visual Feast