Category Archives: Reviews

Escape from Monkey Island Has Appeal

Yes, friends, your old pal Guybrush Threepwood is back for his fourth appearance, but this time he’s in 3-D! Guybrush, now married to the beautiful but dangerous Governor Marley, returns to his old stomping grounds on Melee Island(TM) (all of the islands in the game series are trademarked for some reason) to find most of the pirates gone, and his wife declared dead. You must help save her mansion from being destroyed, and sail forth to try to find lawyers to help your plight. Of course, nothing is that easy, as you must figure out how to accomplish necessary tasks … Continue reading Escape from Monkey Island Has Appeal

Tower of the Ancients is Puzzle Psychosis

Tower of the Ancients is a puzzle game that might be best described as a cross between Tetris and Connect Four. The objective is to line up the blocks that fall from the sky to create horizontal, vertical, or diagonal rows of identical symbols. Get three or more identical symbols in a row, and they disappear. When the blocks stack up too high, you lose. This isn’t the most polished game I’ve ever played; the graphics aren’t terribly sharp, and trying to improve the resolution somehow changed my system’s color settings as well. The game has also frozen up during … Continue reading Tower of the Ancients is Puzzle Psychosis

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Has Girl

Return to the Sea is part of the Disney Princess series of games aimed at girls ages 5 and up. And this is a good game. It isn’t as sexist or simple as some of Disney’s other titles aimed at girls. There is a choice of five games or activities to play in Return to the Sea. Melody, the daughter of the ever-popular Ariel from The Little Mermaid, is the central figure in all the games. Melody’s Daring Dive has Melody diving for gems in the ocean. Girls have a choice of three different ocean scenes and game play has … Continue reading The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Has Girl

Tokyo Road Rage Continues

Tokyo Xtreme Racing was definitely a surprise hit when the Dreamcast launched last year. Granted there was much not variety in courses (there was only one, but it was big). The feeling of racing on the actual streets of Tokyo was quite a thrill. Considering that it reminded me so much of the DC Beltway, I felt quite at home with the first title, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Tokyo Xtreme Racing 2 follows the same formula. There still is just the one course, but it is three times larger than before, involving more offramps to use and more shortcuts. Cars … Continue reading Tokyo Road Rage Continues

Final Fantasy IX Keeps the Edge

The final, Final Fantasy on Playstation is a wonderful reminder of everything that Squareoholics hold dear about the seminal RPG series. Littered with references to previous installments, a gameplay system reminiscent of former FF games and an overall feeling of nostalgia, FF IX is a wonderful trip down memory lane in what will probably be a very different series from here on. While the game, certainly isn’t perfect, it is a tremendous addition to the FF ranks. Sporting some of the most likable and endearing characters the series has ever seen, this band of a charming thief (Zidane), a doubting … Continue reading Final Fantasy IX Keeps the Edge

Majesty is Medieval Mayhem for Mac

Reviewer’s Note: Rarely have I found a game so engaging as I’ve found Majesty to be. I was compelled to finish every level to the bitter end, and finishing some of them was quite bitter indeed. Still, in spite of the absolute obsession I had over Majesty, I do recognize that the game has its flaws. Nonetheless, no matter what bad things I might say about it, know this: I love this game. Feel the Love: Majesty is a wonderful combination of a simulation game (SIM) with artificial intelligence (AI) and a role-playing game (RPG). The mix makes for a … Continue reading Majesty is Medieval Mayhem for Mac

Sheep is Wild and Wooly Fun

Empire Interactive’s game Sheep is a puzzle/strategy game that allows us to pull the wool away from over our eyes and seek the truth. Those seemingly innocent little lambs grazing out on the open fields are exposed in this game as being former genius beings from another planet. The story goes that originally these highly intelligent aliens were sent here in disguise long ago to observe the earth’s inhabitants. Only over time these sheepish aliens lost sight of their mission and made a self-fulfilling prophecy into metamorphosing into the passive seemingly mindless creatures we think of today as sheep. The … Continue reading Sheep is Wild and Wooly Fun

Nightmare Creatures II is Bloody Good

Nightmare Creatures 2 is a single player action slasher game. Adam Crowley, an evil sorcerer, is on the verge of merging with an entity of horrific power. It’s a power that will give him immortality, and entitle him to reign supreme over a new hell on earth. Herbert Wallace was once a prisoner of Crowley’s and subjected to the sorcerer’s torture and experimentation. Well, it’s time for some payback. Players control Herbert as he exacts his revenge on the evil Crowley, and, saves the world. The player guides Herbert through asylums, sewers, catacombs and castles on his quest for retribution. … Continue reading Nightmare Creatures II is Bloody Good

Mushkin Can Revitalize Your PC

I admit that when it comes to computer memory, I don’t know much about it. All that matters to me is that it makes all my programs run faster. However, last summer I was having trouble with my computer. With the old PC100 memory I had installed, I was having trouble getting my brand new Athlon 700 to run properly. Seems that every time I tried to run Windows 98, that hideous blue screen of death greeted me. Fortunately, Colorado-based Mushkin Enhanced Memory Systems came to my aid. Providing me with one of their new PC150 HSDRAM memory chip, I … Continue reading Mushkin Can Revitalize Your PC

Homeworld: Cataclysm is a Stunning Sequel

As a brief disclaimer, I do not play all that many RTS games (the exceptions being the ubiquitous Age of Kings/Conquerors and Starcraft) favoring instead more traditional strategy games. Consequently, I did not play the original Homeworld entry, and will focus solely on the second installment. Homeworld: Cataclysm (hereafter, H:C) has a rich storyline, well set out by the extensive manual. The focus of the game is the single player campaign, of which there is unfortunately only one. As a relatively minor member of a race attempting to rebuild their homeworld (the arrival at said homeworld being the basis for … Continue reading Homeworld: Cataclysm is a Stunning Sequel