Graphics: The graphics in the Dark Hour interface all look great and are well done. The textures look very good and are put to good use. As for the levels themselves, I haven’t had time to download any other levels off of the ‘net, so all I have to compare the Dark Hour Levels to is the original Quake. Most of the levels are dark in the same way that the original is, but there are a few that use some brighter textures and more lighting to give it a less moody atmosphere (the Office Hell level comes to mind).




Interface: The interface into the new Quake levels is excellent. Installing and uninstalling the levels is a breeze. All the help is online and there are “Quake Tips of the Day” throughout. The only minor point about the interface is that the links to sites could have been “live” URLs so that you could click on them and launch your browser or click on a Quake server and launch a Quake session on that server. There are also a few more resources on the CD that you could not get to from the menus. Live site links, live Quake server links, and incorporation of the “extra” info on the CD would have given Dark Hour a perfect five stars for Interface. The gameplay is the same as the original Quake, so the rating here is for the Interface only.




Sound FX: – N/A – There are no new sound FX in the Quake levels themselves. There are sound FX in the menu interface and while they are very good, there is not enough of them to warrant a rating for them to factor into the game’s rating.




Musical Score: – N/A – The only music is the battle tune that plays while checking out the Mission Briefing. It sounds very good, but as I said in the Sound FX category, there is not enough to warrant a rating for it to factor into the game’s rating. Since there is no new music to listen to while playing Quake, pop in your favorite ogre-killing music; either the Quake CD or your own personal favorite.




Difficulty: I usually play Quake on normal skill level, and the difficulty is just right for me. The Dark Hour levels are HARD! Many monsters and tricky levels, I had trouble finishing almost all of the levels. For example, the “Dogring” level starts you in a small cage with four exits and two knights to keep you company. If you can get out of that alive, the cage is surrounded by about a dozen dogs, six grunts, a couple of ogres, and one vore. OUCH!




Overall: As I said before, I’m only comparing this to the original, but I think Dark Hour has some very good levels. The new textures are very good and the levels seem very well thought out and show some innovative level design. If you’ve mastered all the Quake levels already and are looking for a challenge, Microforum’s Dark Hour may be just what you need.