Written By: Brian Clair
Published: February 24, 2003

Master of Orion 2 was one of the first games ever reviewed on the Adrenaline Vault, which gives you a strong sense of how long MOO fans have been eagerly awaiting a sequel to this mesmerizing franchise. When Microprose closed its doors several years ago, the prospect of ever seeing another title in the series all but evaporated – that is, until Infogrames announced the development of Master of Orion 3 by Quicksilver Software. Is this the game MOO fans have been waiting for or a pale echo of a noble turn-based epic? ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Clair
Published: October 30, 2001

The Civilization series carries with it the unique distinction of being one of the first non-FPS reviews ever published at the Adrenaline Vault; back then we warned readers that “Civ 2 is highly addictive.” Now over five years later, Infogrames and Firaxis have teamed up to renew one of the most legendary turn-based strategy games ever created in Sid Meier’s Civilization III. Given the vast lapse of time since Civilization was last seen, we must ask if Firaxis has managed to recreate the addictive qualities of the series, without compromising the gameplay to meet modern expectations. ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Clair
Published: May 31, 2001

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to rule your own island? To have absolute power, making your peoples’ lives better or worse at your whim, just to suit your own fancy. It’s a dream that many simulation fans have had at one point or another, and PopTop Software has been only too helpful in making our fantasy into reality with their latest release, Tropico. ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Clair

In the stunning sequel to Wing Commander III, civil war threatens to engulf the Terran Confederation as your one time allies, the Border Worlds, turn against you for power. Having retired to a desert world far from the worries of modern politics, Blair is now a farmer. Unfortunately, his retirement is to be short lived as Maniac appears to reactivate him to active duty. Returning to Confed HQ for a meeting with Admiral Tolwyn, Blair learns of the horrors which have been occuring since he retired. A threat just as deadly as the Kilrathi now threatens the Terran Confederation, a threat which may cause a bloody civil war.
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Review by: Brian Clair

It has been a long time since I’ve played the original Master of Orion – one of the most addicting games ever made (Microprose seems to be good at that). Now, at long last, Master of Orion 2 has been released sporting all new graphics, sound, technology, races, a virtual plethora of gaming delight. There’s is a great deal of information to relay in this game so let’s get to it…

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Review by: Brian Clair

The sequel to the bestselling strategy game, Civilization, Civ 2 brings players to a higher level of addiction. Unlike the original, Civ 2 was designed only for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 — and makes use of Intel’s Indeo video drivers and the new Microsoft DirectX extensions for 3D games. Let me just warn you now that Civ 2 is highly addictive. The games are also much more advanced and take longer to play.

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Review by: Brian Clair

Journey back to the days of swashbuckling on the high seas when pirates raped the seas and powerful nations volleyed for control of rich land. This is the world you enter in Admiral Sea Battles, the new naval strategy game from Megamedia. You begin the game by listening to a narrative from one of your nation’s Admirals, which is accompanied by a movie sequence. This introduction tells you about some of the game’s background and relates a story of one of the great battles to you. There are also introductory movies for each campaign in the ( read more… )

Review by: Brian Clair

Animal Planet takes it’s name from the new cable channel from the Discovery Channel and is not a game. Animal Planet is more of a multimedia encyclopedia which contains detailed information over 1,100 different animals. The program uses video for windows to create an active “world” for you to explore. You manuver your eagle cursor over a part of the landscape and when you click on your mouse you “swoop” down to take a closer look. This brings you to a close-up screen from which you can then click on the moving world before you to get information on that animal.

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Review by: Brian Clair

Anvil of Dawn, like Stonekeep, uses a 3D interface to create a unique role playing experience that will keep you enthralled for hours of gameplay. Anvil of Dawn takes place on the world of Tempest, a magical world where the gods long ago through the secret of “making” created humanity from the warring elements of the universe. Through this creation, mankind grew to have an innate understanding of the language of the elements, which gave birth to magic. All was well and at peace, even the gods went elsewhere thinking all was well, until a great lord of battle arose, “a paragon of ruthless evil.” This great lord created an army and with the power of his dark god used the secret of “making” to make his army invincable. Nations rose up to fight him and died in the attempt, now the last bastion of hope are five heroes, who must seek out the secret of making and steal it away from the warlord.

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Review by: Brian Clair

Blood & Magic is the latest installment in TSR’s popular Forgotten Realms series of computer games. Staying true to it’s fantasy roots, the game presents you with a wide range of creatures and a rich magical background. The game itself plays like a storybook, you choose which “story” you wish to play and then the game presents you with background and missions to complete. Between each mission, the story unravels a little more and each piece is presented just like a set of “flipping pages”. Unlike other games, success isn’t required – its just a branch in the story, so if you lose a mission, it’s nothing to worry about and you get to choose which side to fight for at the start of your story (effectively doubling the missions in the game).

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Review by: Brian Clair

I had always wondered what the fascination was with Red Alert. It had to have been the most anticipated game of the year and, having never played the original, I just couldn’t figure out why it was so popular. Well, having played the game for about a week, now I know. Combined with an intriguing storyline, Red Alert must be the most tactically involving military game this year. While Microsoft’s Close Combat provided a world of pure strategy and tactics, Red Alert goes one step further providing the ability to not only command but to create.

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Review by: Brian Clair

Connections is one of the first games to come from The Discovery Channel. Based on the critically acclaimed television series with host James Burke, Connections gives players not only an in-depth learning experience but an involving game as well. In Connections, you enter a world where someone has begun to create chaos in the timeline by breaking down the connections between historical events. So for instance, you appear in what appears to be Europe in the 1400′s but because the timeline is mixing together there are telephones, electric lights, matches, pencils, televisions, etc.

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Review by: Brian Clair

Conquest of the New World Deluxe Edition places you back in the 16th century to explore new lands and expand your mother country’s empires! Don’t think that this means the game is fully historically accurate, it’s not and the manual comes right out and says it (I just love excessive honesty, or is it modesty?). What the game does do is put you in a randomly generated world with the technology and conditions of the 16th century. So, your main job is to explore the world for resources, landmarks, and other important discoveries; build colonies for new citizens while watching out for other nations; and if possible, establish trade with the natives.

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Review by: Brian Clair

CyberJudas puts you in the role of a newly-elected Shadow President. You rule the United States through a high-security virtual reality chair and computer network aided only by your cabinet. There is no Congress, no gridlock, no partisan bickering, just you and, the CyberJudas. One of your cabinet members is a traitor who wants to destroy you for an unknown reason. Well hidden within the Shadow Network, the CyberJudas has managed to take control over some presidential decisions such as assassinations.

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Review by: Brian Clair

One of the first things they teach you about in business is to do most things adequately and to do some things very well – you can’t be all things to all people. Such is the case with Daggerfall, a game I think may be the most in-depth RPG ever made to date but which lacks many of the finer features that would make it awesome. Daggerfall is literally packed with fantasy RPG elements and features; and I must say, HUGE. This game has got to have the largest game world I’ve ever seen before so don’t think you won’t get your money’s worth with this game.

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