Brighter Child’s Invention Highway is an educational game billed for 9-yr. olds and above. It certainly lives up to the billing. Even as a jaded 38-year old, wanna-be computer geek, it took me a few minutes (and honestly even a peek or two at the answers, all peeks with the goal of time saving, of course) to solve a couple of the puzzles. All in all it’s a high-quality educational tool. Invention Highway is designed around a principle of education developed by one of its founders that identifies four different methods for “thinking techniques.” In the introduction to the game … Continue reading Invention Highway is a road to childhood success→
Isn’t it amazing how much hype accompanied the arrival of the year 2000? The fact that a simple flip of the calendar page could cause such mass hysteria seems a little silly in retrospect, doesn’t it? As usual, all that was needed was a little perspective, something the real-time strategy game Pharaoh provides by the pyramid-full. With missions taking place from around 3200 to 1350 B.C., this game demonstrates that success involves thinking in the long-term. Sure, a worldwide computer meltdown could have caused problems, but that pales in comparison to trying to create and maintain an entire civilization. Egyptian … Continue reading Y2K A.D. meet Y2K B.C.→
I was walking through Staples a few weeks ago and I saw a demo running of what looked like a really cool game, and I was thinking to myself that it looked like something I would like to try out. A couple days later the Corkscrew Follies expansion pack and the original Rollercoaster Tycoon were plopped onto my desk. This tells me never to go shopping for office supplies with my editor ever again. Since GiN never reviewed the original game, I thought I would try something a little bit different with this review. I am going to review the … Continue reading Roller Coaster Tycoon is an E-ticket→
Ay Toni? Check dis kid out. Eh-eh-eh-eh. The little squirt says he wants ta be a mobsta. Eh-eh-eh-eh. So ya’s think bein’ in the mob is a slice of pie do ya’s? Well ya got it all wrong kid. Mobbin’ ain’t easy. Dere’s rules to da game kid. Rules to da game. Ya gotta have connections. Ya gotta have charisma, style, and class along with nerves of steel. Ya gotta be tough as nails. Don’t take no crap from anybodies! Eye for an eye. Someone steps on your toes? You step on dere’s back! There ain’t no room for softies … Continue reading Mob Rule is an offer you can’t refuse→
First player combat games can be challenging enough when it’s just a matter of controlling your own character. Naval Combat is the stuff legends have been made from. In Man of War II you are a Captain, Division Commander or Admiral in charge of one ship or a fleet. I haven’t played Man of War I, so everything about Man of War II was new to me. The graphics are pretty good. There is a lot of detail: water and sky textures, smoke from the cannon fire, and as you move about the deck you can see the damage to … Continue reading Man of War II: Chains of Command will capture your free time→
A world of high fantasy and adventure awaits you in the Age of Wonders. You are the supreme ruler of the race of your choice ( Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, High Men, Azracs [desert dwelling humans], Frostlings [cold dwelling goblin like race], Humans, Lizardmen, Dark Elves, Goblins, Orcs or Undead ). Your goal in Age of Wonders is to lead your race to supremacy over the others (your choice of computer and / or Internet opponents ) in this turn-based city centered simulation of the times of wizardry and warriors. Players of the Warlords series will notice a similarity when they … Continue reading Age of Wonders is still somewhat of a question mark→
Ok, let me get this out in the open. I’m a closet hunting simulation fan. There, I’ve said it. That out of the way, if anyone thinks this makes me soft, you can find my e-mail at the bottom of the page if you want to challenge me to a game of Half-Life. I know these hunting games are mostly aimed at the non-traditional gamer and perhaps I am a bit of a 3D environment freak, but I have in the past enjoyed stalking virtual mule deer in Texas and bringing home a nice computerized 12-point buck from the woods … Continue reading Carnivores 2 takes a bite out of hunting simulations→
If I could envision a box of family fun, this would be pretty close to what I would imagine it to be. The Lego Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit is a seamless marriage of tactile exploration and computer enhancement. The computer component of the product does not get in they way of the building phase, but instead is used to enhance the overall experience. When you first open the box, there is going to be a moment looking at the hundreds of small pieces where you wonder what the heck you have gotten into. I mean teams of scientists at laboratories … Continue reading Lego Mindstorms Droid Developer Kit is pure family fun→
The beauty of Asheron’s Call is difficult to describe. Having been a devoted fan of the reigning champion of online-only games, Origin System’s Ultima Online, for years, I was used to a somewhat lower standard. Play Asheron’s Call just once or twice and you will never want to go back to Ultima. Asheron’s Call was not the first online-only game to use a first-person interface, which until recently was nearly impossible due to bandwidth constraints as well as the difficulty of programming a fully interactive 3D environment. That honor goes to Sony’s EverQuest, which we reviewed just before it went … Continue reading Gamers will answer Asheron’s Call→
Anyone who has seen the movie Wild Wild West, or been a fan of the television series, can appreciate the wonderful action-packed nature of this game, and how it couples both humor and puzzle solving to make an excellent package. Those of you who are unfamiliar with either the movie or the show can still enjoy this delightful title, but it may take a few scenes – what the game calls chapters – to get a feel for the game world. The setting for Wild, Wild West: The Steel Assassin takes place a few years after the Civil War and … Continue reading Wild, Wild West: The Steel Assassin is on target→
