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Game Review - Operation Blockade

Operation Blockade is Mindless Fun

Operation Blockade is the type of game that I don’t normally like. Basically you are charged with defending a bunker against waves and waves of enemy troops. Its kind of like a shooter, but you don’t move from your position. You can spin around and look up and down, but you don’t go anywhere. That said, I played this game from start to finish, and whenever anyone in the test lab was walking by and happened to see it, they all asked if they could play. In the past games of this type suffered from one major flaw, and that … Continue reading Operation Blockade is Mindless Fun →

Game Review - Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Means Never Bored

I am impressed with Neverwinter Nights, but I did not start out that way. I guess it’s just a matter of perception. Given the long development time and the many, sometimes conflicting press releases and various other information I read about the product, I really did not know what to expect. Some people thought, and based on the feedback I get from our readers still do, that Neverwinter was a massively multiplayer game in the realm of Ultima Online or Asheron’s Call. Its not, though you could hardly blame gamers for thinking the wrong thing. Basically, the development of the … Continue reading Neverwinter Means Never Bored →

Game Review - Patrician II

Patrician II is a Rich Game

Patrician II takes you back to Europe in the 1300’s, where sea trading was really starting to take off, and a veritable fortune could be made if a trader was clever enough. The most resourceful sorts of fellows could even reach positions of power in a town or even a seat on the fabled Hanseatic League. As with any economic strategy game, the concept of "buy low, sell high" is a must to master. However, it’s not exactly simple to determine what is in low demand in one town, and more difficult to predict what will be in high demand … Continue reading Patrician II is a Rich Game →

Game Review - Civilization III

Civilization III: Yet Another Wonder of the World

Sid Meier’s Civilization III is the latest strategy game from Sid Meier (what, you were expecting Dani Bunting?) and which, in the grand style of its predecessors Civilization, Civilization II, and Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, calls upon the player to take control of some poor group of villagers and turn them into a nation-state that will change the fate of the world. If you’re interested in turn-based strategy games, but have never played a Sid Meier game, then don’t bother reading beyond this paragraph- just get a copy of Civ III. Sid Meier is a legend in his field because … Continue reading Civilization III: Yet Another Wonder of the World →

Game Review - Blue's Art Time Activities

Blue is an Artistic Dog

Blue’s Art Time Activities is the latest offering from Humongous Entertainment in conjunction with Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. It features the popular characters from Blue’s Clues. The game is for children 3 to six-years-old and teaches the basic tenants of art while providing several areas for different types of creative play. The overall theme of the CD-ROM is that Blue is having a really big art show and the child needs to help various characters finish their pieces in time for the show. The child can, of course, create his/her own works for the show as well. Steve, Blue’s live human … Continue reading Blue is an Artistic Dog →

Game Review - Carnivores 2

Carnivores 2 takes a bite out of hunting simulations

Ok, let me get this out in the open. I’m a closet hunting simulation fan. There, I’ve said it. That out of the way, if anyone thinks this makes me soft, you can find my e-mail at the bottom of the page if you want to challenge me to a game of Half-Life. I know these hunting games are mostly aimed at the non-traditional gamer and perhaps I am a bit of a 3D environment freak, but I have in the past enjoyed stalking virtual mule deer in Texas and bringing home a nice computerized 12-point buck from the woods … Continue reading Carnivores 2 takes a bite out of hunting simulations →

Game Review - Tonka Raceway

Tonka Raceway takes the checkered flag

Hasbro Interactive has driven car racing games to a new level of fun and complexity for the younger crowd. And this game offers a variety of options entertaining enough to keep the attention of youngsters’ speeding minds. Not only does the player get to race, he or she gets to modify vehicles, change the race tracks included in the game, and even design their own race tracks. This game offers the player three different racing scenarios: racing alone in Time Trial, 2-Player Racing against a friend, and the opportunity to race against the game’s own personal racers. The player is … Continue reading Tonka Raceway takes the checkered flag →

Game Review - Backyard Soccer

Backyard Soccer scores with young gamers

Humongous Entertainment has developed a game that will surely give young soccer enthusiasts a kick. Backyard Soccer takes players into realistic neighborhood soccer competitions with a variety of great features that any sports fanatic (young or old) will enjoy. This game is marketed for kids from ages five to ten years old. This game has a number of clever player-controlled, customized features. The game allows players to choose from a group of thirty neighborhood children to build their teams. The designers of this game made sure to give the neighborhood children a touch of realism by making the children each … Continue reading Backyard Soccer scores with young gamers →