Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: May 27, 2003

Quality racing titles on the personal computer have been few and far between, making every new release worthy of extra scrutiny. In late 2002, Codemasters (makers of such fine racing games as the TOCA and Colin McRae Rally series) released a hot PlayStation 2 racing title named Pro Race Driver (known as TOCA Race Driver in Europe), incorporating a storyline as well as exciting driving. Now this offering has finally migrated to the PC, with online play added to the mix. So does it win the checkered flag?

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Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: May 14, 2003

Space shooters are about as venerable a type of electronic recreation as you can find on the personal computer. Often they are pure arcade twitch-fests, placing a premium on quick reflexes and not much else. However, British developer Moonpod in its first game, Starscape, has attempted to revive this genre by adding resource management and strategic planning to the mix. Nonetheless, despite this innovative combination of elements, there is clearly a retro feel to this new release. Amazingly, Starscape was completely developed by just three people – Mark Featherstone, Darren Griffiths, and Nick Tipping. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: April 28, 2003

Ubi Soft’s Rayman series is without question the outstanding platform franchise on the personal computer. What with the first 2D Rayman appearing back in 1995 and selling over four million copies, and the 3D Rayman 2: The Great Escape emerging in early 2000 to great critical accolades, everyone has come to expect a ton from this hero with helicopter hair and no arms or legs. The magnificent cinematics, incredible polish, and imaginative design has set this series apart from the rest. Now Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc has finally been released, but is it the sequel we have all been anticipating? ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: April 15, 2003

In 2000 a major adventure title, Riddle of the Sphinx, emerged from a tiny husband-and-wife development team (Jeffrey and Karen Tobler). Though by no means perfect, it revitalized the genre in showing a level of attention to detailed elaborate pensive enigmas and a textured storyline that pleased fans and critics alike. Transcending the focus on the Sphinx and Great Pyramid on the Egyptian Giza Plateau, The Adventure Company has released a sequel, The Omega Stone, by the same developers that begins right where its predecessor left off, even using some of the same outside scenery. It promises to combine mystery and adventure into an absorbing virtual treat. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 31, 2003

While most computer adventure games are stylish, few exude the look and feel of classic film noir. This is true in part because this atmosphere is very hard to replicate effectively within the confines of the virtual screen. However, the French company, Microids, has taken a stab at achieving exactly that mood in its recent release Post Mortem published through The Adventure Company. Already successful in Europe, this title is a mystery adventure with supernatural overtones looking to be directly inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: March 17, 2003

Edutainment has always had a bad rap among veteran computer gamers. The common assumption is that titles in this category have terrible graphics, shallow stories, little replay value, and shoddy production values. Into that stereotyped niche Tivola Entertainment has released a series of games of this type — Physicus, Bioscopia, and the newly issued Chemicus. Claiming to entertain at least as much as it educates, this first-person point-and-click adventure takes you on an incredible mysterious journey. Can Chemicus erase the negative stigma associated with most edutainment? ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 28, 2003

Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes detective novels, there have been spin-offs galore in every type of entertainment medium. Now the Ukrainian based, Frogwares, has developed for The Adventure Company (part of Dreamcatcher Interactive) a new virtual escapade revolving around this stalwart sleuth, The Mystery of the Mummy. Like many computerized adventures, ancient Egyptian artifacts serve as the basis of the mystery. So can this title distinguish itself and in the process revitalize the first person point and click adventure genre? ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 14, 2003

What would it be like if all of us could fly our commuter vehicles in the air, relieving the escalating congestion on modern city streets? Some may remember a preview of this in The Fifth Element, Luc Besson’s 1997 science-fiction film in which there was a remarkable high-speed chase through the aerial roadways of a futuristic New York City. Apparently inspired by these cinematic origins, along with similar preceding computer game releases such as Midas Interactive’s B-Hunter and Psygnosis’ G-Police, German developer Similis has created Beam Breakers, a racing experience set high above the ground in a city transformed by as yet emerging technology. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 4, 2003

In recent times computer pinball releases have become scarce, and several long standing series, such as Sierra’s 3-D Ultra Pinball and Empire Interactive’s Pro Pinball, have bit the dust. True, there have been a few quality titles emerging in the last couple of years, such as Digital Extremes’ Adventure Pinball and LittleWing’s Jinni Zeala, but they have been the exception rather than the rule. So it is refreshing that a new developer, Texas-based RoundHouse Entertainment, has entered the fray with its own creatively designed pinball release (the company’s very first game), cleverly titled Attack of the Silver Ball. But can this new game match the quality of the best in this fast-paced software niche? ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: January 20, 2003

Amidst a flood of complex strategic computer combat offerings released of late, have you ever wished for a pure 3D arcade shooter where reflexes are king and you blast away at everything in sight? Have you ever gotten frustrated with all the resource management, role playing, or multifaceted tactical decision making you have to tackle in so many of the current slate of computer releases? Well, Russian developer Divo Games has developed a new title, Air Strike 3D: Operation W.A.T., that appears to fit the bill exactly. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: January 6, 2003

Just as Disney Studios has a reputation for family movie entertainment with an emphasis on children, so Disney Interactive has been known for releasing games for the same audience. So it comes as somewhat of a surprise that Barking Dog Studios, known for developing Homeworld: Cataclysm, has created Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon, an action-strategy offering, for Disney Interactive. Based on both the great Robert Louis Stevenson novel, “Treasure Island,” and the newly released Disney film, “Treasure Planet,” this new game has quite a colorful backdrop. What you see also calls to mind SSI’s Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace, released in 1992. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: December 23, 2002

The MechWarrior franchise has been one of the most influential in the history of PC gaming. The series’ intense combat among large mechanized units has presented a riveting experience, requiring you to balance heat tolerance, firepower and speed to achieve your goals. This new title, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, is basically a sequel to the 2000 release, MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, although it brings to mind the breakthrough 1996 release, MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries. Set in 3063, you play a mercenary with experience in the civil war between the Federated Commonwealth and the Lyran Alliance. As in today’s world, mercenaries are the dogs of war, soldiers of fortune who work for anyone who’ll meet their price, and in the Inner Sphere, mercenary military power is dominant. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: December 9, 2002

Earlier this year DreamCatcher Interactive published Galilea Multimedia’s The Cameron Files: Secret at Loch Ness. Unlike many offerings in the adventure genre, it combined a puzzle-oriented quest with detective work. Now the same developer and publisher have released a sequel – The Cameron Files: Pharaoh’s Curse. There’s no need to have played the first game before the second, even though the general tone is highly similar. This latest release continues to allow you to use a first-person perspective while exploring your surroundings in order to solve an important enigma. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: November 26, 2002

Have you ever fantasized about driving a heavily armed vehicle into battle and shooting everything in sight? I have, and precious few personal computer releases have allowed me to play out this fantasy. Movies like Road Warriors, and games like Mobile Forces and Wild Metal Country, came close but never did the trick. Now Swedish developer GRIN, creator of the lightning fast racer Ballistics, has released a title that, at long last, directly addresses my dream. Their new offering, Bandits: Phoenix Rising, is a third-person shooter on wheels where you ride around in a cannon-enhanced combat car, and it offers the kind of briskly-paced arcade action that gets my juices flowing. ( read more… )

Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: November 12, 2002

When originally released back in 1999, RollerCoaster Tycoon changed my life. Before that, I had little interest in construction simulations, feeling that they involved more work than recreation, but its clever design and alluring gameplay sucked me into many hours of frenzied amusement park design. Pleasing park visitors and keeping everything running not only achieved scenario goals, but also raised one’s sense of self-worth. The title thus sold like hotcakes and rose to the top of bestseller lists. Now, after two expansion packs (Corkscrew Follies and Loopy Landscapes), developer Chris Sawyer and publisher Infogrames have released RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 – but can a good game be made even better? ( read more… )