We've had games on our site for years, but on occasion we also review games
as well. We have a panel of game testers that runs the gamut of age, gender, and gaming likes & dislikes:
Your Webmaster, a "mature" woman who loves
puzzle-type games, crosswords, logic problems, and other brain teasers;
The Director of Pegasus Technologies,
a similarly mature man who enjoys relaxation games including the Lara
Croft series, but only if there is some degree of puzzle-solving involved;
a 20-year old guy who loves the electronic shoot-em-ups
and has the fastest mouse finger this side of the Mississippi; and
an 18-year old girl who likes the quieter, more
contemplative type of games, especially ones with interactive graphics.
So, if you Game Creators have a game you'd like our opinion on, please contact us at
. We can't always promise quick action (work and schoolwork interfere with playtime), but when
we can we'll give it a try, assign a personal opinion rating from 1 to 5 stars,
along with some things we particularly liked (or disliked) about the game, our opinion on suitability for
various audiences, and contact information for the game.
Dexterity Software has a lot of good games,
and this is one of the best. Kind of an elegant 3D Pong game, you play as a cute
little astronaut riding a small wake board, pushing meteorites into bricks to get enough
fuel to beat the level. You also get a variety of weapons to break blocks, such as
lasers or an electrical pulse device. The graphics are as good as the game play, which is
spectacular. Each level is original with new challenges and everything handles well.
Note: The 6.61 MB demo version is free.
The full version includes more levels and more enemies, and costs
$19.95. Download from Suricate Software.
Requires Windows 95 or later, a Pentium II 300mhz or better, 32MB RAM, and a 3D video card.
A very fun game reminiscent of one of my old-school favorites, Raptor.
You play as a single ship with the universe out to get you. The ship can be
equipped with any two weapons and it comes with shield/enemy bullet reflectors.
The graphics are 2D and a bit outdated but still very pretty. The game play is
intense and repetitive. This game makes for a very good stress reliever -- especially
the Organic Level -- but that level could also make you lose a good dinner.
Note: The 6.5 MB demo version is free.
The full version includes more levels and more enemies, and costs
$14.95. Download from Topshareware.
Requires 233 MHz Pentium or higher, 16 MB RAM, 4 MB disk space,
Video card capable of displaying 800x600 & 256 colors; a
SB compatible soundcard, and DirectX 6 or higher
I didn't like this game too much -- it was cumbersome and boring. It's a 2D puzzle game,
where you play as a little miner (archaeologist?) scrambling away from mummies to get
little hunks of gold. You pick up items along the way to help dig or fight mummies.
My biggest problem with this game is that you can't hold two items at one and you can't
jump while holding an item. There are several places where if you make the wrong move it's
the end ... and it isn't your fault. The graphics are so-so and the music gets incredibly
annoying after a while. The controls are cumbersome -- you use the arrow keys to move and
the spacebar to jump and to use items -- which makes the game play tedious. Still, some
of the puzzles are fun, and if you're not into fast action it is probably a pretty good
game. My Mom liked it just fine!
Note: The 4.88 MB demo version is free.
The full version costs $19.95 andincludes more levels, cheat codes, a puzzle solver feature,
and a level editor so you can design more levels.
Download from Ancient Soft.
Requires Windows 95 or later, a Pentium 200mhz or better and 16MB RAM.
Now this side-scrolling shooter is a fairly good game. You lay as a super
ship fighting against ... you guessed it ... the universe!! You blast through
hordes of baddies while receiving weapons upgrades. The coolest thing about
this game is the shield feature. You can turn it on for a limited amount of time
(which recharges fairly quickly) and use it to render yourself invulnerable to
bullets or use it to ram the enemy. The action is fast paced and can be difficult
at times. Definitely a challenge! This game is fairly similar to XOP,
but I think it's slightly better because of the pretty graphics and music.
Note: The 9.0 MB demo version is free.
The full version includes cheat codes, and costs
$12.95. Download from CNET Downloads.
Windows.
I was impressed with the hippy-like, rainbow menu ... but it all went downhill from there.
This game is a remake of Lode Runner, whatever that is -- but it's also identical to Jumping
Bean. You know, the ancient DOS game. Yah, that one. You play as this little guy, who looks
like he was drawn on the Paint program, and you run around collecting golden donuts while
being pursued by similar characters who are after your donuts. This game couldn't have
taken more than a month to make and it shows. The graphics are nothing short of horrible,
and the game play is boring and oh so repetitive. I liked Mad Data's
Green Face, but this one is a loser. Better luck next time.
Note: The 4.7 MB demo version is free, and so is an additional 3-level add-on.
The full version has more levels (total of 100), more bad guys, buried donuts, and costs
$14.95. Download from Mad Data.
Windows.
This game is a classic side-scrolling shooter. You play as a little spaceship fighting
waves upon waves of enemies, to save the universe (of course) from the evil Mon Saar.
There are six gorgeous worlds and a secret, bonus seventh, plus lots of great enemies
and neat weapons. You can get power-ups and point bonuses to increase your score. Each level has a
different "boss" and these can be really tough till you figure out their
weakness.
The graphics are beautiful and very realistic -- you can get dizzy from the scrolling
starfield -- and each ship is very detailed. Game play is fast and crisp and fully
mouse activated. I recommend this game highly for anyone who likes the fast paced old school
shoot-em-up games. I loved it! However, some of the levels got a bit repetitious after a
while. Mom says I'm just growing up.
Note: The 8 MB demo version is free. The full version has more levels and a saved game mode,
and costs $14.95. You can download either version from
Midnight Synergy.
Requires Windows 95/98/Me/XP, DirectX 7 driver.
Man, I couldn't stand this game. Maybe I just didn't understand it, but it left
me really frustrated. The graphics are ho-hum, the game play was pointless, and
the menu screen was way too slow even though I have a pretty zippy computer. It's
gotten some awards and high ratings from other people, so give it a try, you
might think it's the best game you ever played.
You play as something called a "Shifter," which changes shape randomly into
one of 4 different shapes. You must guide Shifter through each environment and try to
reach the goal within the time limit. There are 27 levels with puzzles to solve, 7
different environments (including snow and ice, caves, haunted houses, etc.), potions and
weapons, and a variety of enemies. Gameplay changes with each different environment.
Movement is controlled via cursor keys, and the space bar shoots fireballs straight
ahead in the direction you're moving.
The shifting part is what really drove me crazy. If Shifter changes to a fat
shape while you're in a narrow place, you get stuck or crash into the wall and shatter. I
couldn't find any way to control this, and no pattern to when it happens, so just
as I got pretty far along in one of the mazes, I would die. I don't like it when death
is random and out of my control!!!
The demo version is all I played, so maybe the full version is better -- but the
demo sure didn't make me want to spend any money to find out!
Note: The 2.1 MB demo version is free. The full version has more levels and a saved game mode,
and costs $7.50. You can download either version from
Addictive247.
The game requires Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or XP; a
Pentium 200 or higher;
3MB Hard Drive Space;
32MB RAM (64MB Recommended); and a
16-bit sound card.
A very odd puzzle game from Dexterity Software. You're a 60s guy on a summer
internship as a stockboy in a big warehouse (isn't that just how you want to
spend your summer?). Each day of the week you have a different objective.
On one day, for example, you might have to put colored barrels on matching
spots. Another day you might have to roll balls around to specific locations.
And then the next day, you might have to blow everything up, or do a combination
of barrel pushing and ball rolling. In the meantime, you have to dodge, of all
things, multicolored radioactive piggies and other creatures, including some called
fluffies. Lots of different game elements, all of them weird....
On the puzles, there is some thought involved, but not much in the shareware version
which was easily mastered. It was kinda fun, but it didn't leave me aching to buy
the full version. Yes, this game is original -- but there's a reason for that....
Note: demo version is free. The full version, which has 150 levels,
costs $19.95. You can download either version from
Tucows..
Mad Data Inc.: Greenface, The Virtual Reality 2.01
by Ryan Pearce
August 14, 2002
A puzzle/action game reminiscent of Boulderdash, Pacman and Bomberman!
In this very different game, you're a green face. You run around trying
to collect little golden things called "infotrons." On the way,
you navigate through mazes filled with circuitry which vanishes as you "
eat" it, thus allowing bombs and other objects to drop which squish you
or free monsters.
At first, I couldn't see the point of this game. I kept trying to find a
plot, and there just isn't one. Once I realized it's just all about figuring out
how to get all the infotrons on each level, it got a lot more fun. Levels get
more complex and can be quite challenging. The graphics are mostly 2 dimensional and
the face is controlled with arrow keys.
Note: The 3.4 MB demo version is free. The full version, which has more levels,
costs $19.95. You can download either version from
Mad Data, Inc..
Requires Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP.
Another winner from Dexterity Software! In this game, you're the Hand
of God, and you move brightly colored blocks of ice around with your
cursor to free seals, Eskimos, penguins, etc. and get lots of points.
Even though it sounds kind of silly, there's a lot of thought involved to
solve the various puzzles, and each level gets progressively harder.
It's real easy to learn. My mother, father, and little
sister are seriously addicted to this game. Nice bright colored graphics,
silly but cheerful music, no time pressure unless you want it, and fabulous
reflexes not required -- a great way to unwind.
Note: The 2.94 MB demo version gives you only three games and irritates you mightily
with constant reminders to "BUY NOW!!!" The full version, which has more features and
no irritating nags, costs $19.95. You can download either version from
Nuclide. Requires Windows 95 or
later, a Pentium 166mhz or better, and 32MB RAM.
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