Features

• Cockpit design alike actual car models
• Original FIA GT Series cars and courses
• Real racing teams featuring more than 70 racecars, including the Porsche 996, Viper GTS-R, BMW Z3 M, and Ferrari 550 Maranello
• Car physics based on actual racecar telemetry data
• Sounds recorded from actual racecars

Reviews (3)

Best racing sim on the market
This is, without doubt, the best racing sim on the market. Models are outstanding, physics are tops, sounds are awesome, support is excellent, and the 3 new add-ons are definitely meant for the American market: the creators of GTR have already added 3 ovals to satisfy left-turn-itis... You have 3 levels of difficuly: Arcade, Semi-pro, and Simulation. Simulation is very difficult, while Arcade is quite easy. Lots of cars, lots of tracks, lots of options. Have fun!!

drivers heaven !
this is the best experience i have ever made in racing game !
forget about gran tourismo 4. i am now on the game since 1 week and playing it nearly 12 hours a day. my opinion now, this is the most realistic and hardcore game of all categories...

and i love the porsche`s in it... :-)

GTR FIA GT Racing Game PC
If you have any interest in racing games, and you own a PC, then this is the game for you. Two words: Incredibly Detailed. You can customize nearly every aspect of the game.For example, want to drive in the cockpit view but can't see over the dashboard? No problem - use the hotkeys to adjust the drivers seat. You can even tell the game to add driver head movement so you can actually look through a turn the way real drivers do.You can adjust every part of the car to make it handle exactly how you want it to handle.
The graphics are fantastic.You can adjust so many graphic settings that it should run on most computers.The car detials are exact, though most of the race car sponsors are unfamiliar to me.The cars have different paint schemes and customizations.Even the cockpits are exact replicas of the real sports cars.
The gameplay is near perfect.That is, you can modify the game to make it as hard as you want it to be.The cars all exhibit real physics with down forces and tire wear just to name a few.The game gives you three modes to play, from Arcade mode to Simulation.Remember, this game is designed as a simulator, so the game has a steep learning curve.I recommend a good two analog stick game pad to get the most out the game. And practice changing the setting to make the game comfortable to play.
Overall, the game is fun and deep, with excellent graphics and sound.What more could you want in your race car driving simulation?

---Update: For a game with so many settings, you can't adjust the number of laps in the arcade mode.Seems like they should have added that.Also, the game is very hard.I have spent most of my time playing in Arcade mode.Just be prepared to practice, ... Read more

Product Description

The Star Wars universe is expanded and enhanced in this action-packed game. You'll interact with droids, Wookies, Jedi and more as you battle across the galaxy. Travel to a total of 10 awesome worlds—both familiar and new. May the force be with you. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• Mission: The ongoing battle between the Jedi and the Sith rages on. Your actions determine the outcome of this colossal galactic war—and your destiny as a Jedi
• Platform: Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (206)

Play tester anyone?
I couldn't give this game a "fun" rating, because you have to be able to play a game to know if it's any fun.I ranked it a 1 because I certainly didn't have any fun with this product.

KOTOR didn't allow me that opportunity.

When I loaded the game, the framerate was something like 5 frames per second, and that was just the main menu screen.Once I got into the actual game, it ran at about 2 fps.

It's not like I was playing this on an overclocked 486 either.This was on a brand new computer that I had literally bought the week before I tried to play this game.

My specs:

Compaq Presario 4012 notebook
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor
512MB of RAM
ATI Mobility Xpress 200 graphics card

I spent three days mucking about with Bioware's tech support forums before I got an email back from Bioware's tech support that told me that ATI graphics cards in the family that my graphics card is in are incompatible with this game.If I wanted to play it, I'd need a card from NVIDIA.

Gee, that would have been nice to know before buying the game.Maybe they could have put something in the system requirements (Far Cry, for example, lists the compatible graphics cards in the system requirements)

Furthermore, that doesn't explain the fact that the reviewers at Gamespot (who for some inexplicable reason gave the game an 8.8 ranking) noted that they game flat-out wouldn't play on three of the four systems they tried it on.These are professional game reviewers.Surely, if a system exists that could handle this game, they would have more than one.(And one that it crashed frequently on, I might add)

The review is here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarsknightsoftor/index.html?q=knights+of+the+old+republic


It's obvious that Bioware developed this game for one hardware configuration, and didn't playtest it on anything that didn't match that configuration.Bioware is currently blaming ATI for faulty drivers-- adbicating any responsibility they have to release a product that actually works as advertised.



Here's a word of advice:Before you buy this game-- or any game from Bioware-- make darn sure you contact their tech support staff and ask them if the game will work with your specific hardware setup.And don't accept a "should work" answer either.Otherwise, you might just wind up with a very expensive set of shiny coasters.

GREAT GAME
THERE IS NO PS2 VERSION!! FOR THE PERSON THAT SAID HE HAS THE PS2 VERSION OF KOTOR. ONLY PC AND X-BOX.

Awsome Game
One of the best games i ever played, great story, really 2 different games choosing light or dark sides, highly recommend to anyone, even not star wars fans, great game.

PlayStation 2 version
I have this game in the PlayStation 2 version.It's a great game.I would like to sell it if anyone is interested.

the best video game of all time!
if that doesnt say it all,i will elaborate.this is a star wars role playing game.you pick this dude,gather droids,a wookie,some soldiers,some jedis and such then travel many planets and getting into all sorts of high adventure!you can choose from a long list of force powers to have.there are weopons practicly falling out of the trees.unlike older rpgs,you have control of your characters during battle.you can even customize weopons with all sorts of cool upgrades.theres a lot of stuff to do but it is highly unstructured.you could pay very little attention to the actual story and still become powerful just fighting monsters.then theres a few more cool things.one is you can coax just about anybody into a fight.you remember the old days when a king just told your guy off and sent him on a perilous journey then screwed him out of his money later?well now,if he tells you off,you can dismember him and if you dont want to do the job,you dont have to.if he screws with you,more often than not you can force choke him or blast him.so no more putting up with mouthy npc authority typeson a power trip!the other really cool thing is you dont have to be a good guy either.now you can go to the dark side if youd like.every decision you make can ultimately lead to a dark or light side point being gained.here are some examples of bad things that can get you dark side points.............using the jedi mind trick to force a wookie to kill his best friend,or using it to make someone commit suicide,refusing to pay docking fees,smuggling,killing witnesses,going to sith school.the story even changes for whatever style guy you run.but ultimately,you fight the same last boss,just under different circumstances.this is definately worth checking out! ... Read more

Product Description

This game lets you customize your character by choosing species, gender, clothing, and more and then create a custom light saber to do battle against the forces of Darth Vader. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• Mission: Learn the true ways of the Force from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker
• Platform: Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (92)

firebrand, your pc is a load of rubbish
hey, last time i checked "P4 3.0 Ghz, 512 MB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon X300 SE with 128MB of Video Ram" is NOT a "powerhouse pc". it wasnt even a powerhouse pc 1 year ago. most pc's have been running a gig of ram for over a year. and last time they checked, they had to overclock a 3.6/3,8 ghz p4 processor to like 5ghz to match an fx55, so your processor is crap. 3.4ghz has been the standard for over a year now in most new pc's.
most gamers also use 256mb cards.

also your graphics card is also the cheapest, lowest range card ati do since yours is x300 and they go right up to x850,lol.
plus its a dell, which shows how ignorant you are about "power computers".
so yeah, dont moan and say u got a powerhouse pc, because all u got was a really rubbish spec'd pc, no doubt for a very cheap price from dell.

I CANT WAIT TO GET IT
I want this game so much it sounds like fun espically the plot. Im looking foward to playing out my favorite battle in the series the battle between maul,qui gonn,and obi-wan!!I WANT THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

best internet play ever!!
this games play is good.i was just finished with another game and board so i looked through my games i came acrose jedi academy i thought hmm could be good then i saw the multiplayer option and i was hocked!!! i ended up playing loads this game is ot only fun i realised it was also addictive.starwars fans or people who like slashing people with light sabers this is for you!!!!!!!!

Fun, awesome star wars action, one complaint
first the complaint.I just bought myself a Dell Dimension 8400 with P4 3.0 Ghz, 512 MB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon X300 SE with 128MB of Video Ram.This is a powerhouse computer.

I played Call of Duty, which graphically is a more advanced game than Jedi Academy, and finally had it play perfectly smoothly.It was such fun to do so.I then popped in Jedi Academy to test its performance in a faster environment (before I had a P4 2.0 Ghz, 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 4, and 256 MB of RAM), and I was disappointed.I put the highest settings (1024x768, 32 bit color, high graphics) and the game ran choppy!I put it on "normal" settings, and the game STILL ran choppy.How is it possible that Call of Duty runs perfect, but Jedi Academy runs choppy?It doesn't make sense...

Anyway, you can set the graphic settings to the lowest (which is what I did), and it will play smoothly, but you won't get any of the graphics benefits.The game, however, is fun.

What happened?!!!?
This game was my introduction to Jedi Knight series. The only Star Wars game I had played before this was Knights of the Old Republic (which I loved). After finishing it I was excited about more Star Wars gaming and I tried Jedi Academy.

The game seemed to be a mixed bag: there was some great things like ability to customize your character and choosing between saber styles. The acrobatics were fantastic. But these alone were not enough to save the game: some of the graphics looked really bad especially outdoor environments. In general everything felt like it was made in great hurry: the textures, lightning and everything felt unpolished. Quake III engine is capable of much better when levels are planned with artistic vision. Character animations in cutscenes looked clumsy and unfinished. But the biggest problem with the game was the story (or the lack of it). Overall the game feels like you had different fan made maps put together.

I know a lot of people probably wanted more lightsaber combat. Well you certainly got that with this game. The problem is that it gets VERY repetitive after a while. In movies the saber fights were used sparingly and always connected to major turning points in the plot. Now it is just endless repetition (didn't I beat this guy already? Like 100 times!!!)

I recently tried Jedi Outcast (the previous game in the serie) and I was SHOCKED to realize just how much better it was in almost every way: the graphics, the plot, the missions all had real touch of quality in it. It seems Raven tried to improve some elements in the game and totally forgot everything that made Jedi Outcast such a classic. Or more likely this product just had to be finished with a real tight deadline. That just how it feels like: an unfinished product which COULD have been great if they had maintained the quality of previous game. I truly recommend Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Outcast over this. ... Read more

Product Description

FLIGHT SIM 2004 CENT/FIT WIN32 EN DVD BOX CD ... Read more

Features

• Dynamic weather system based on realistic atmospheric physics, with true three-dimensional clouds that form and dissipate, and automatic real-world weather updates when you're connected to the Internet.
• Weather "themes" that generate a wide variety of stunningand challengingflying conditions with just a few clicks of a mouse
• Enhanced interactive air traffic control (ATC), including traffic at all airports around the world (including non-towered airports), altitude changes en route, pop-up IFR clearances, and precision and non-precision approaches to multiple runways
• Interactive 3D "virtual" cockpitstune radios and operate key aircraft controls and avionics by pointing and clicking in the virtual cockpit view.
• Scenery improvements, including taxiway and runway signs, enhanced auto-gen 3D objects, more high-detail airports, and improved lighting and sky effects

Reviews (101)

The best FS till date!
I've had MSFS2004 for the last 3 months and there's not a single day that I haven't played it. Its just that absorbing! Some reasons for this are much improved GPS navigation, more interactive ATC and ofcourse, the new airplanes.

But I'm not a huge fan of classic aircraft, and I fly my favourite plane, the 737, all the time and it is an absolute joy to fly it on MSFS2004 with the new GPS system. Its accurate to the T for precision landings. The detail paid to accuracy is mindblowing, specially runways and airport layouts. I live in a relatively smaller city of India and I was stunned to find that the airport layout is almost exactly the same as the real one here!

I do face some problems with the game, mainly with screen resolution which flickers when I have the game on high or ultra-high display settings. Also, external scenery transition isn't smooth with high display settings. Microsoft could also have done a better job with the aircraft paint jobs - the orange scheme of Soar Airlines is disgusting.

PROS:

- New additions like GPS and interactive ATC are excellent
- Airports are accurately detailed (there are almost 25,000 of them!)
- Good value for money

CONS:

- Doesn't work smoothly with high display settings. Images are not crisp
- Cockpit graphics are substandard

TIPS:

- If you're looking for some real challenge alongwith great scenery, try flying the ILS approaches into Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten, Madeira in Portugal, Male in the Maldives and Osaka Kansai Airport in Japan (built on an artificial island)
- Try flying the polar route and check out the Northern Lights at night! Eg: Taipei-Anchorage, Moscow-New York etc.

Also, I have a question which I hope readers can help me with. I'm unable to turn the aircraft left or right while on pushback. I've tried using the numbers 1 and 2 key as mentioned in the handbook, but it doesn't work. Can somebody help me with this? I would really appreciate the help.

Enjoy this game!

Item Good Seller NOT
I don't have a problem with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. As expected it's good. The store that is selling this particular item is the problem!

I've seen where many customers have had good experiences when they get what they ordered from this company but those of us that didn't get what we ordered have had nothing but problems.

Don't believe the advertised Limited Edition Tin box. It isn't! When trying to contact customer service: The first time the gentleman on the phone was nice and said a manager would reply the next day. The manager didn't. After a week I called, waited on hold for 22 minutes, the lady on the phone argued with me that the manager did reply by e-mail, although my inbox showed nothing from this company other than the original purchase verification. When I asked if it could be re-sent she said no. When I asked to speak to a manager, she said he was in a meeting. Her overall tone was rude and not at all helpful!

When I finally received a return authorization number, I prepared the item for return and then wanted to make sure shipping would be reimbursed also. After e-mailing Gamestop 3 times, I finally got a reply and stated only the price of the item would be refunded. (Wow their e-mail actually reached me this time!)

This company has no customer service as demonstrated by the false advertising, the rude associates, the difficult customer-company communication, and the fact that when they advertised a product and didn't deliver it as advertised, they feel that they are the ones who shouldn't live up to their promises. The $29.99 price is higher than even Amazon because you think they are selling the Limited Edition. Don't be fooled, save $5 and buy somewhere else.

Bottom line: DON'T SUPPORT GAMESTOP OR PURCHASE FROM THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK! I know I'll never buy anything from them ever again!

best sim so far
I OWN TWO PREVIOUS VESIONS MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 95,98 AND NOW 2004 A CENTURY OF FLIGHT.IN MY OPINION MICROSFT HAS DONE A BETTER JOB WITH THE 2004 VERSION,MORE AIRCRAFT TO FLY A REALY GREAT FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ROD ,IMPROVED ATC,ONE THING THOUGH LETS HOPE THAT WHEN 2006 COMES OUT(IT'S ALL HUSH HUSH AT MICROSOFT HQ)THAT THEY WILL AT LEADT ADD NEWER AIRCRAFT MY FAVORITE BIENG THE AIRBUS A321 WHICH I FLEW TO EUROPE ON,AND THE CITATION X BY CESSNA.

Good Sim, But Remember the "Sim" Part!
I have been using flight simulators since MS Flight Simulator 4.0, and have more diverse experience than only Microsoft's offering to call upon.While any simulator can be made quite realistic with the latest hardware and enough money, it is important to note that Microsoft's offering is no different - you cannot, as they say, make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.This means that if you're running an underpowered system, you will not be able to run the simulation optimally.

Published system requirements:
* Pentium 450 or greater processor
* 64 MB RAM for 98/Me, 128 MB RAM for 2000/XP
* 8 MB/3-D with DirectX 7.0 or later videocard
* 1.8 GB hard drive space

My recommendation:
* P4 2.x GHz processor; the faster, the better
* 512MB RAM, with ideally 1GB under the hood
* 128MB / 256MB AGP video card that pushes TONS of pixels - the more, the better
* At least 5GB free hard drive space - You'll want to do a full install, and that comes in just under 3GB (2.88GB, I think)

I run on:
* P4 3.0GHz processor
* 1GB RAM
* Windows XP PRO (SP1)
* 256MB 8xAGP GeForce 5700 series NVidia video card
* Sidewinder joystick (soon to go, thanks to some pedals and a yoke I ordered!)
* On-board surround sound processor

The software itself is practically infinitely extendable, with software and hardware add-ons supported.A quick look around in the flightsim community will support my assertion that the software is CHEAP compared to what can be done to augment it.Add-on packages are available to augment FS2004's admitidedly weak "ground mesh" mapping - flying through Norway's waterways and coasts with the default scenery is nothing next to the real thing, and pales in comparison to some of the add-on packages (both for photo-texturing and mesh-building) out there.But of course, these things cost money (sometimes), as does building and maintaining a system that can fully take advantage of the software.

This is a SIMULATOR, remember - a dozen years ago something like this with a set of pedals and yoke would have been a BIG deal and far out of the reach of the home consumer.Now, as the bar of admission lowers, it is important to realize just how MANY numbers are being crunched every second (most of those in graphics routines), and spec a system appropriately.It might not be a multi-million dollar prospect to own any longer, but to adaquately run the simulator and get something "real" out of it, it is certainly not unheard of to run multi-head (throwing many monitors onto a machine) for a partial panoramic view - but, of course, realism comes at its price.

Excellent tool
This verison is better than ever and a great tool for learing to fly IFR. The dynamic weather is amazing to say the least.

For fans of the other versions this is a must have. ... Read more

Product Description

After Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, a new threat rises throughout the land and it's up to you to defeat it. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Experience a vast new chapter in the epic Warcraft saga
• Platform: Mac OS 9.0 or higher, OS 10.1.3 or higher; Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (88)

Great addition to a great game!
When I first went to my friend's house to play Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, I had lots of fun! I didn't enjoy the normal maps too much, sadly, and I wasn't really looking forward to buying the game.

Then, I went online with my free Battle.net account and downloaded a player-made map. I really loved the map, so I decided I'd save up and buy Warcraft 3. The game kept me entertained on and off. I'd play it for hours on end, then I'd stop for about 2 weeks, then go back to play it again! New maps are made almost every week, as players love to find fame. I, myself, have made a number of maps.

Anyway, when my friend got the expansion pack, I played a few Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne maps at his house. WOW! They were great! I couldn't stand having the game without the expansion! So, I got my allowance, and bought the expansion!

I recommend this to anyone who likes RTSes (real-time strategies) or even people who DISlike them, because the game could be called an "Action\Adventure Role-Playing Strategy Sports Driving Sim" or something! It's a multi-genre!

good stuff
this is definatly a good expansion set, just like the regular Warcraft3 itself. if you beat the first one, i suggest you buy this. graphics improved, more gameplay, and more fun. online action is great, including 1 new hero per race. i love this game and so does everyone i know who owns it.

1 year of frozenthrone playing and im not yet tired of it
Alright people that think this game is boring and it should have a Naga race and a Drenei race is stupid. I mean it would be pretty fun, but it would take lots of balancing and stuff so...no. Humans, nighrelves, undead, and orc are enough and the game is fun enough with out those other 2 races. I mean u can still play as adrenei or naga in the single player...and even on custom games...i was playing open rpg islands and i was a naga and i was swimmin anround shootin things with the naga seaweitch. The game really isnt that hard to play when u get used to it. Heros make everythign so intense and exciting which is why when ur fighting the enemy you really should take out the hero then work on the units.

The thing that i kinda hate about warcraft frozen throne and warcraft roc is the blademaster...cheap crap. he just got cheaper in this patch i mean now he can run through my units. Im always undead...and if youve been undead race u know what im talking about. Death to that dam blademaster. BUT finaly, they just got 2 new heros in a patch a alchemist and a firelord. I am very impressed with the alchemist he can take on the bladeamster pretty well.Anyways, people been saying how starcraft is better then warcraft and im like why? they say because its too shiney. I'm like ok...period over gotta go to enxt epriod...get this game ur kids will liek it buy it!! wee!!!!!!!!!!!Sinferno rulez!!!

Tried and true style of game works yet again
There really isn't much original about the Warcraft 3 game, and its expansion Frozen Throne campaign.It's yet another clone of itself/StarCraft/Ages Of Empires, etc. etc. etc. where you build, upgrade, build some more, upgrade, start sending your forces out, upgrade, replenish your forces, upgrade, repel enemies that may be attacking your base(s), start wiping out major concentrations of enemies, replenish your forces and complete any upgrades not already made, and finish off all your enemies.This has been done a hundred times before, and I'm sure it's not the last strategy game which will use the same method.The hero unit in Warcraft is cool, though.

The game is really easy to start, and gently eases you into the game.The cutscene movies are incredible, the best I've ever seen in a game.It's hard to say which campaign was the best, but I'd have to say it's a toss up between the Orc and Night Elf ones.I didn't like the Undead campaign, but the summoning of buildings was kinda neat.

I did get tired of hearing "Frostmourne hungers" everytime I moved my Undead hero, though.

the beast at this game beassssssssst
Warcraft is my favorite computer game. It has a lot of fun especially when you kill your allies. I'm level 100 because I play every minute of my life except for now and when I'm at school. When I play nobody messes with me. I'm the best person you could find on the game except for my brother. You should definitely buy this game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Train Simulator takes the obsessive realism ofMicrosoft's best-of-breed Flight Simulator games down to earth. Sixreal-world rail lines are included from throughout history, includingthe Flying Scotsman line of 1920s England and the modern OdakyuElectric Rail commuter line in Tokyo. Attendees at the National ModelRailroad Association's August 2000 convention marveled at the game'spainstaking attention to detail. But this game is not a model railroadgame; it simulates the real thing. The game's developers traveledacross the world with cameras and microphones in order to authenticallycapture the trains in their natural habitats. Train Simulatorlets you experience the world's greatest trains in all their glory.

Train aficionados can drive the train, run the rail yard, or dive inwith the terrain editor and create the rail lines of their dreams. Oryou can just sit back, relax, and admire the beautiful scenery anddreamy click-clack of the tracks. --Andrew S. Bub ... Read more

Reviews (143)

Great game for train lovers!
If your a train lover you will probally like it alot! IT allows you to be right up with the controls of many locomotives, it has superb graphics and great sound. If you are looking for realism this is the game for you. The sounds of the trains are exact and there is doppler effect. For those who don't know how to drive a train there is tutorials that teach you how to operate steam, electric and diesel locomotives. If you don't feel like driving you can take a train ride and be the passenger. The scenery is fantastic it looks just like it would in real life. The passenger trains are very fun to drive, beacause you on a tight shcedule and there are many hazards along the way such as animals on the track, wheather, damaged track, broken signals and more. It also provides the challenge of freight trains. Also there are hundreds of downloads and add-ons for it! So if you like trains and realism I highly recomend this game.

Bad, bad, bad
Unless you need something to put you to sleep, you can skip this one.Given, It was originally published in 2001, so the graphics could be much better, but in the end this is just a very boring game.Essentially, you get to drive a range of different trains, but there is none of the strategy you find in something like Rail Road Tycoon.

Great fun
I purchased this game a couple of years ago, after the initial release. For one reason or another, I ended up getting rid of it. But I just had to re-purchase this game. It was a little cheaper this time around, considering the game has been out some time already.

My decision to purchase this game, twice, should reflect how much I enjoyed this game.

I personally like to play a "free" activity, and my favorite is to take the steam engine on the Northeast Corridore tracks. When driving any of the trains, play with full manual controls for the best effect.

The steam engine has a slightly steep learning curve, but it's definately worth it. Twisting the valves, opening the firebox, shovling coal, all these things (when done manually) can lend a great sense of realism to the game. To the point where I can imagine myself sweaty and grimy, sailing ~60mph trying to keep this infernal contraption from derailing! And yes, make sure you turn derailments ON, and switch to an external view as you realize, with horror, that you just cannot make that curve...

Superb Experience-Gotta love Trains
I totally agree with the Customer from Idaho and others - it really gives you a real life experience, and can bean"addictive" experience
I run it on Windows 2000 and have no problems of downloading and crashing.I hesitate to say but have the impression Windows XP doesn't have enough "steam" for it.Also you need a good graphics/video card.My real joy is driving the steam trains - Deisels don't have the same degree of difficulty - !!!! Ever slid back down a steep gradeor gone nowhere with a Deisel.

Train Sim.
I really enjoyed this game. When i first bought it i had a little problem installing it but that was on behalf of my computer. The game is very realistic, it clears your mind, and helps relax you. There are some challenging parts but what game is fun when you can beat it in the first hour you play it. I gave this game 5 stars because i really like the softwear Microsoft makes. So if anyone is interested in Trains then this is one of the best games on the market money can buy, and not to mention this game is cheap. ... Read more

Product Description

Take advantage of enhanced visuals, richer tactics and strategic gameplay as you build your fleet and engage in 3-D space combat. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Lose yourself in the sequel to the groundbreaking 3-D real-time space strategy game Homeworld
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/XP/2000

Reviews (146)

Very good game
This was one of if not the most fun strategy game i have played. It has an amazing story, unbelievable graphics, and an interface that once you learn it is relatively easy to use.
Tbe only reason i didnt give it a 5 is because it is so hard as to exclude this game from some of the less hardcore stategy gamers. The game does take a hit as well from not being able to order your ships into formations (an important part of any space strategy game) but it is more than compensated by just generally being alot of fun. Now i am a fan of space stategy games and i thought that the toughness of the game was an asset because insted of just building a huge fleet and crushing your enemys (satisfing but doesnt take much brain power) you could manipulate the battlefield leaving your enemy crippled and unable to fight back (buy controlling recource spots ect.) I do have to admit i went through a few mouses because i broke a few in sheer frustration. So in conclusion i highly recomend this game to you if u enjoy a tough but satisfing game and your not one of the "gamers" who like to boot up warcraft and put in all the instant build cheet codes. This game is well worth $20 and it was worth it to me when i pre ordered it in 03 for $60. BUY IT PEOPLE!!!

Fun?
I just have one thing to say: this game is as fun as you can throw it underwater with your wrists chained to some wall.Also, the interface and mere gameplay feels like an act of congress (looking up how to do things in the manual!)To be frank, don't by this game even if they would give you money in return!

Loss of The Real Concept!
Look, I've been a Homeworld fan ever since I bought it when it FIRST came out, it was beautiful, the graphics were just delightful, and the stradegy was complex to a portion where I can sit in a room, for 20 hours of non-stop harvesting and planning of an attack with a lil' math and algebra on the side.

When I started to play Homeworld 2, I was hyped, and ready to complete the saga in my world of stradegy gaming other than StarCraft, WarCraft, Age of Empires, and all those other fun stuff.

I began by downloading the Demo from Sierra, and I was full blown by the new graphics it had, though my video card was really acting kinda messy since it was the summer time. (Yeah seasonal changes make items work slower or faster.) Anyways, when I started to play the demo, I used the mechanism of the keyboard and controls of what Homeworld 1 had, lemmie tell you this, TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I can't believe my eyes of what I felt and seen! Everything; the whole concept has changed, the keys and etc. Then I saw that the stradegies have changed, and there were only 3 formation patterns I could only choose for my fithers, I'm like, WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING!? I really wanted to bust a few chops with my strategic mind... so then I thought to myself, eh, not bad, lemmie get the whole game and see what it's really worth...

Bought it, it's totally the same concept, doesn't relate to Homeworld 1, doesn't relate to ANYTHING LIKE HOMEWORLD AT ALL! I thought that they would stick to their story, but the whole thing changed... I was really mad about it.

The game-play suddenly became boring, just traveling with no real dog-fight, "Some destiny this is..." ok, maybe a few dog-fights, but the game just gets harder and harder *like any other game* But I'm looking at it, I swear to you, I would've beaten all these fools if I had all those formation patterns. This game has less stradegy in mind, and the shipmaking, is just build in bulk, something that a gamer would NEVER LIKE. Listen, usually, it's always great to build ONE AT A TIME... WHY!? BECAUSE HAVING THAT FEELING TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT WAITING FOR THAT SPECIAL OBJECT TO BE BUILT REALLY SHOWS THAT IT'S A GREAT GAME. This however, was truly dissappointing... No wonder it was 20 bux. Not many people like it! For God's sake even Diablo 2 is 20 times better than this and the graphics can be as horrible as they want, but their game play is just completely mind blowing as well as the story line.

For all kids that love graphics, I suggest this game as a STARTER, but for gaming stradegy and story lines, I suggest that you should TURN BACK, THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE BUT A GAME THAT TAKES 20 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE JUST SITTING AND WAITING FOR NOTHING, BUT RUNNING AWAY FROM YOUR ENEMIES.

Even Homeworld Cataclysm is better than this. I wouldn't call this game trash though, but would've worth a lot of money if they knew how to bring back the story line as what they were before, but spiced up, with more allies and enemies, and probably if Sierra was lucky, deception.

Wonderful Game
Before I start, I would suggest anyone who gets this game be sure to download the patch that has been made available.This balances out units a little better (not too much, but a little) and also decreases the difficulty of several of the missions (they are possible to beat without the patch, but they are hard).

This game builds wonderfully over the orrignal Homeworld.It has made several improvements in how things are handled and also polishes up things in general.In addition, unlike the orrignal Homeworld the different sides have very different strengths and weaknesses that are readily apparent when playing them.

Some nice additions:

You no longer build single fighters, but rather build fighters in wings.So long as a single fighter in the wing survives you can send the fighter group back to a carrier or mothership or shipyard and have the unit returned to full strength.This makes fighter units much more useful and practical then the frail things they were in Homeworld.

Resource collection at the end of missions has been automized.You will no longer have to sit around for hours after missions sending harvisters out to collect resources for you.Once all enemy units have been defeated all resources in the map are automatically collected and added to your resource pool.

Subsystems.You can now build subsystems that give your ships interesting capabilities as well as target enemy subsystems.Large ships (such as battle crusers, carriers, motherships) come with some standard subsystems that cannot be completely destroyed but can be dammaged to the point that they no longer function.This makes hit and run type attacks much more useful then they were previously since you can use them to dammage enemy capabilities or cripple enemy ships, while allowing access to some nice abilities should you chose to build some of the more unique subsystems.

The ability to capture any ship in the game has also been added.That is right, capture ANY ship in the game.Including motherships.In addition, the units which capture enemies are much less flimsy so while they do still need an escourt they can be counted on to not die immediately.

Fleet formations have also been added.While there are really only 3 choises for fleet formations, they really do make it easy to use ships of different classes together.When used properly these formations are extreamly powerful, however you need to learn when to use a formation and when to break it up.

There are a few things I am less than satisfied with however.It is for these reasons that I am only giving it a rating of 4 out of 5.

The first major thing I was disapointed with was the reduction on the number of formations.I remember that with the orrignal Homeworld there was a large number of fomrations to chose from.I kept wishing I had access to some of those, particularly the claw and the sphere.While it may be argued that the addition of fleet formations makes up for this change, I couldn't help but wish that I had access to many of the old formations.

The interface is something I am not 100% satisfied with as well.While I will agree that it is definately a step up from what was used with Homeworld, it does feel somehow cumbersome.I guess it is a function of too many menues when it comes to building units and researching.Even in this respect it isn't too bad though.

Also, the 3D nature of space has largely been ignored.This problem still existed in Homeworld, though it was a little less noticable there since they did fairly often launch surprise attacks from above or below.Homeworld 2 largely just uses the horozontal plane when it comes to combat.Units controled by the AI simply will not try coming from strange directions, but rather take a head on approach.Thankfully I was able to find a group of people to play with online who were not burdened with this problem.

My final real problem with Homeworld comes with the addition of a new unit: the shipyard.The reason for this has to do with multiplayer where its importaince overshadows even that of the mothership once it has been built.It has more subsystem slots than the mothership.It is the only unit which can build battlecruisers.It has all the capabilities that the mothership has and more.From a stand point of game ballance I can see why this may have happened (the game designers didn't want players skipping ahead in the research tree right to battlecruisers), however I cannot help but feel that if anything the shipyard should be more of a smaller mothership with more limited capabilities.Somewhere between a carrier and the mothership.

All that said, the game is still a wonderful game.It contains almost all of the orrignal Homeworld's good points, and gets rid of many of its bad ones with the introduction of few flaws.If you like the idea of controling an intergalatic battle fleet then I would definately suggest that you pick up this game.The campaign alone would be worth it, but multiplayer is where this game really shines since that is where you will see interesting tatics that can be used once the pesky notion of 2D is forgotten.

Visually stunning but shocking game play
In light of completing Homeworld 2 twice, the review is a brutal truth of what the game is---a game so challenging, so hard, it just simply isn't worth your bother. Ordinary gamers will derive no enjoyment from this. In a manner of words: this is a game with spectacular graphics, breathtaking naval fleet warfare, all hampered by arduous game play.

Fifteen missions long, the average player will find themselves struggling by just the fourth, if you finished the third by the skin of your teeth. Rapidly changing mid-mission objectives, wave after wave of enemy forces, you'd better be up to the challenge of preventing your shipyard from hostile takeover to graduate to the real fun.

Then mission 4 hits you, hard and heavy.

Players are simply not prepared so early in the game, after such breezy missions, for one of such difficulty. Continual enemy attacks never leave you alone, never giving you a breather, to collect resources, to replenish your ragtag fleet. Don't grin that smile yet, that massive frigate assault will wash it away. There's no time to get a feel for ship classes, what works best against which enemy unit, to experiment on new technologies. Took a stunning number of weeks to beat that mission alone. Just concentrate on bombers and pulsar corvettes and she'll be right mate. Homeworld 2, it seems, is one heavy mission after another, broken up by occasional missions so quiet you could sleep through them. Those restful missions would be ideal to build your fleet to full strength and maximum unit numbers.

A detrimental mistake!

An unbelievable attribute of the game---the stronger you are, the heavier the next mission's enemy forces will be. The astounding stupidity of this is simply shocking. Try full unit limits from the tenth mission onwards, when enemy forces are already considerable, you'll see. This isn't so bad, really, but it makes hill into mountain.

Homeworld 2 is a RTS game of its own, nothing like Starcraft-type games. Even the hardest Starcraft mission gave you time to rebuild a weakened army, fix your base up. You could explore the darkened map, tease the enemy from different sides. H2 won't let you do that. This game demands strict obedience to the mission objectives. You play to fulfil them, not your own agenda.

Even more absurd, whatever forces you have left you begin with next mission. Scrape a mission too finely, and what are your chances of survival, really, when come the enemy hordes, and come in numbers they will.

What H2 steals from you is enjoyment. This is for the determined player. Who doesn't want a challenge in a game? But it's not fun. Move! You can't sit idle at any time; you can't split your fleet up, to feint at an enemy base from different angles. You want to live, keep all eggs in one fleet.

The menu controls are shocking. Mouse scrolling doesn't work in H2. It takes valuable time to position and drag the tab down the page. You can't even press ENTER or ESCAPE keys, only mouse commands. Such is the Idiotic Intelligence of the developers, that you can't authorise commands with an ENTER tap. The screen panels where you click to load or save games are so slim you really have to position your mouse precisely over them.

The method of saving is a joke. Strict alphanumerical order, the starting letter or number determines its placement in the list. It's better to save games chronologically, like Starcraft and Jedi Outcast. In-game auto-saving works against you; replay a mission, and you might re-save over it.

Where in the game booklet does it say docked strike craft automatically repair? A tiny offhand mention in the Vaygr Battlecruiser. How would you think to dock your fighters when you need them active at all times?

Absurd to target warship subsystems (engines, weapons, etc) when destroying the ship takes just as long. Absurd to capture an enemy ship, not only from your strict unit numbers, but the ship will always target your marine frigate. Played game twice, still can't get cloaking technology.

Like viewing a sphere of blinking red and green dots all game long? You'll spend considerable time looking at your radar screen; it's the only way to see enemy units and positions, and easier to select targets.

Graphics are awesome, ship details commendable. Mouse-wheel scrolling permits easy panning and rotation of the camera angle. Fun to follow a bomber group on their attack runs, or zoom right in at besieged warships about to be missile volleyed. High comp system will avert the occasional slowdown when camera-close to a ship going nova; exploding capital ships are cool.

Mid- and inter-mission cutscenes are simple but satisfactory. Fleet Command voices sounds too similar; Makaan is chilling as the Vaygr warlord, smooth and polite.

Game music will become repetitive. Only two tracks stand out: the oriental Hindu-like music of the Keeper missions, and that brief heavy battle track in missions 9 and 12. Hammered by endless Vaygr fleets, your heart pounding as you brawl for survival, why the damn hell did they finish after two minutes? Superb and haunting, they rapidly faded back to that mundane battle music.

There is nothing special about mysterious Sajuuk, the one hope of your homeworld. Can't spoil you here, but the game designers are criminal fools to make the guy just that. And if that doesn't inspire your outrage, behold the short, simplistic final cutscene of the game.

This is Homeworld 2. Visually stunning, rigid game play design. You'd do well to think long and hard before sampling this farce of fun. All fine and fancy to spout rave reviews and the shine the five-star flag, but honest and informative feedback goes a long way to whisper the truth. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

A long time ago, an awesome real-time strategy game set in Earth's pastnamed Age of Empires II was unleashed on an unwitting public. Almostimmediately, it took its place among the best games of its genre. GalacticBattlegrounds takes many of the elements that made Age of Empires IIso good and gives them a complete Star Wars makeover. The gameplay is sosimilar, it's hard to recommend it to anyone with a copy of AOE II.However, if you haven't played AOE II, or you're a hard-core StarWars fan, you might just find this game to be strong in the Force.

Battlegrounds offers you the chance to become a leader in deciding someof the most important battles of the Star Wars mythology. As in otherreal-time strategy games, you'll concern yourself with such things as keepingyour troops fed, advancing technology, and trade. And, of course, keeping yourbase from getting completely wiped out is generally considered a plus.

Among the few enhancements Battlegrounds makes to the Age of EmpiresII engine is the bigger technology tree (more stuff to invent and play with)and air and anti-air units (TIE fighters, X-wings, etc.). Most of the favoriteraces, machinery, and characters of the films are also well represented.Wookiees, Jedi, the Trade Federation, Darth Vader, Luke, and the rest of thegang (including Jar Jar) are all there for you to command in the campaign mode.Those looking to wage war in the battles seen in the films might be somewhatdisappointed, as many of the missions, while no less important, take placeparallel (and usually very close to) those shown in movies.

Thankfully, a few of the better-known skirmishes have been incorporated in thegame--just don't expect to significantly alter Star Wars history. Forexample, when controlling Imperial forces in the Battle of Hoth (the snow battlefrom The Empire Strikes Back), you lead your troops in an effort toannihilate Rebel scum before they can flee the planet. Can you change theoutcome of the battle seen in the films? Aside from losing your commander andimmediately losing the game, no. But the stories behind the skirmishes depictedthroughout Battlegrounds do fit well into the Star Wars myth andare usually fun. There are also quite a few standalone missions, a random mapgenerator, and tools for creating your own battles. It's enough to keephard-core Star Wars fans ignoring their earthly responsibilities for a good longtime.

Battlegrounds is, at its core, a modification of Age of Empires IIand it plays about as well as can be expected. Fortunately, despite its somewhatoutdated graphics, Battlegrounds' famous characters and locales add justenough Star Wars flavor to help make it a solid game in its own right.

Pros:

• Puts you in command of AT-ATs, stormtroopers, and Jedi
• Familiar Star Wars locales, characters, and music
• Uses the familiar (and very good) Age of Empires II interface
• Interesting main campaign that spans the films and goes beyond Return ofthe Jedi

• Outdated graphics lack definition and are rather flat
• AT-ATs too small, TIEs and X-wings hover instead of fly

Reviews (127)

Star wars galactic battlegrounds is awsome!!!!!!
Star wars galactic battlegrounds is awsome!!!!!! the game has good grafics and is fun to play. they teach you how to play in the menu.
to make it better you should get an expantion like star wars galactic battlegrounds the clone compainion.

Great game, but lacks a certain something
Let me preface my review by stating that I am an enthusiastic Star Wars fan, and bought this game because of it. The gameplay is fun and interesting and the SW locals are great; however, when compared to AOE II (the game from which this is derived), there is a slight lack of cohesion and balance. It is harder to find unit combos that work seamlessly together, and there are too many top-heavy units (AT-AT and the rebellion tank, for example) which don't cost enough to make (it is VERY easy to build 15-20 AT-AT's and steamroller across a map). The flying units are a mere annoyance, lacking any real power when faced with anti-aircraft, and a sheild generators and towers make uber-strong defensive combos that take eons to remove, especially in the face of defensive siege weapon emplacements.

To summarize: This is a good game, but if you are playing someone who has a similar skill level, prepare to be playing a LONG time.

Good game
I had a lot of fun playing this game. There really was only one problem. This would be that it is a total clone of Age of Empires 2. It is the AoE game engine set in a Star Wars galaxy. The units are exactly the same. For example, there is a unit in AoE that is called the ram, it is resitant to arrows and destroys buildings. In Star Wars there is a unit called a pummel. It is resitant to lasers and destroys sturctures. This sounds pretty similar, right? I suggest that you buy Age of Empires, and you love it, to buy this game. You should try AoE out first.

wonderful
I am an avid RTS gamer, and of course I fell in love with Starcraft the first time I played it. But SC does have its faults, namely the biggest one being it was too limited. I always wanted to load up with 100 or so carriers and raid someone's base. But alas, unit limits keep you from doing such a thing. But then I discovered Battlegrounds, and was satisfied. It has an even more detailed tech tree then Starcraft, and of course the unit limits were more forgiving, so I was able to take 150 at-ats and raid bases at my whim. Of course, its challenging to keep your base going long enough to do this, so the difficulty I had at playing SC never really left either. Of course, you could sit around and complain that the graphics arent 3d, the story mode doesnt have Starcraft's excellent cutscenes, well, to that I say, hard cheese. If you like Starcraft, Star Wars games, or just strategy games in general, this is worth the cash.

A good RTS with a star wars twist
this game is overall good, although it's hard to play the random battle mode well. the CPU's are either dumb as rocks or hard to beat but never in between. also it has easy to access online gaming but limited players unless you have the expansion. in the end, this game is a great star wars RTS but is very limited with out the expansion. ... Read more

Features

• Explore rich environments from the colorful Burrow to the dark reaches of the Forbidden Forest.
• Master new spells including Expeliarmus, Diffendo, and Skurge.
• Overcome dangerous foes from Aragog to the Basilisk.
• Take flight to play improved Quidditch.
• Interact with new characters from J.K. Rowling's world, including Dobby, Lockhart, and Ginny Weasley.

Reviews (89)

The Chamber Of Fun!
This game is one of the best games I have ever played.

>Every hidden corner can be explored.
>Each spell is very creative.
>The surroundings in the game are very well detailed.
>It is more fun to collect wizard cards in this game than in
any other because the cards unlock many secrets.

From Arigog in the Forbidden Forest to the bascilisk in the Chamber Of Secrets this game is great fun. It is a must play!

Great Game, Great Graphics
I've had trouble finding computer games for my daughter that are age appropriate.Most games labeled "for children" are really for kindergarten & under, and thus too easy & childish."Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets" is just perfect!This is a wonderful game, challenging without being frustrating; great graphics; low on violence; and just plain fun.

geting better
This game is better than the first harry potter but don't get me rong I liked the first also.this is another must have for harry potter fans.

One great game
This is the best of the 4 Harry Potter games. The graphics are good,the music is good,and the gameplay is great. The spells you learn are really creative. This is the hardest Harry Potter game I've played. However,you have to restart the game to acsoss the Main Menu.

A great game for all ages!
Harry Potter and the Chamber Of secrets is a very fun and interesting video game. You start out having to save Ron from the Whomping Willow. On the Whomping Willow there will be a sign that means you may cast Flipendo on it and save Ron. When you arrive at Hogwarts, you're first day you will have a lesson with Proffesor Lockhart on the Third Level. You will have to hit an arrow key on the keyboard as a wand makes its way around it. This is called Rictusempra. It stuns many unusual creatures. It is useful in this game, though. You will then go to the Rictusempra Challenge. When you arrive in a room that has three boxes where you can cast Flipendo on it, look at the doors. On each floor level there will be a picture of Proffesor Lockhart. Cast Flipendo on the blocks until you have the three bottom level doors unlocked. Then unulock the left door and go into it up into the next level and so on. Then when you arrive in the last room You have to hit the creatures into the pit where they belong. Then go up to get the Completion Star, and your time will become your new personal record. What I like to do after I complete the Rictusempra Challenge is go to the Dueling Club and duel other members. After you beat levels, the courts change. Then finish all of the other challenges. When you arrive at the Chamber Of Secrets, I have barely any advice. The only advice I have is that when fighting the Basilisk in the second round, only hit him when his mouth is open. Before you fight the Basilisk, you must gain a lot of health. After you defeat Tom Riddle and the Basilisk, you end up in Dumbledore's office. Go up to the top of his office and look for a Wizard card. Then, when you are finished, do not i mean DO NOT go to the feast. First, you must make sure you have every Silver Wizard card to advance to the Gold Wizard card Challenge. If you do not have every Silver Wizard card, I would duel people and buy cards from sellers. That is all the advice I have. And I recommend to purchase Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Plunge into a world unlike any dreamt possible before. From the makers of the original Myst and Riven, this groundbreaking adventure beckons players to uncover the elusive secrets of the ancient D'ni civilization. Follow Yeesha, eccentric daughter of Atrus, to discover Linking Books, encounter descendants, and solve puzzles as you venture through visually stunning environments.

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Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is the next chapter of the Myst franchise and the most immersive and ambitious Myst experience ever created. The game is bigger, better, and more innovative than any of the previous Myst adventures. Players can move at their own pace, spending hours discovering visually stunning, real-time 3D worlds, solving a large variety of mind-challenging puzzles, and following an epic storyline. Players can continue to discover new areas of D'ni by downloading new maps, worlds, and puzzles.

The Story of Uru

The story of the D'ni civilization began when they established their underground empire on Earth some 10,000 years ago. While living beneath the Earth's surface, the D'ni practiced what they called the "Art of Writing," which enabled them to create links to incredible, alternate worlds of fantastic variety called "Ages," to which they could travel through "Linking Books."

The D'ni people thrived for thousands of years, but later met with a great catastrophe that all but ended their civilization. Their vast cavern was left uninhabited, and their Linking Books and Ages seemed lost forever.

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Then, in the late 1980s, a few humans from the surface discovered that cavern. One of these humans was Elias Zandi. He devoted the rest of his life to exploring and, eventually, restoring that ancient city in the D'ni cavern, preparing to one day reveal their discovery to those who were suddenly feeling irresistibly drawn to the cavern.

When he passed away in 1996, his legacy was divided between a foundation that he set up and his only son, Jeff Zandi. The foundation came to be known as the DRC (D'ni Restoration Council). As their name implies, they took on the task of physically restoring the ruins of the D'ni cavern. If you choose to visit the cavern at some point, you're sure to run into them.

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Jeff Zandi, on the other hand, was interested in learning why the D'ni civilization fell in the first place. He continued studying the teachings of Yeesha, by far the most talented of all the D'ni writers, and daughter of Atrus and Catherine. After years of learning, the younger Zandi is finally comfortable bringing others to an uru (a D'ni word meaning "large gathering" or "grand community").

On your way to the cavern, if you decide to join us, it might be a good idea for you to learn some of the great teachings of Yeesha. Experience the adventure of a lifetime, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.

Game Features

• Experience a new freedom of movement, a first for the Myst franchise: Explore each unique age in real-time 3D, moving your character effortlessly through the world without pointing and clicking.
• Create a realistic character: Choosing from a wide variety of facial and clothing features, you will be able to create a male or female avatar that you will use to explore the world. The range of character options allows you to appear the way you look, or the way you want to look.
• Explore the mysterious and graphically intense world of Uru. Uru's work-of-art style graphics will immerse and captivate you like never before.

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• Follow an epic storyline: At the request of Yeesha, the eccentric daughter of Atrus, you'll journey through a variety of different ages, and discover the lost civilization of the D'ni people. As the story unfolds, you'll be drawn deeper into the D'ni civilization, and if you choose to download new content, the journey expands even further. You can explore new ages and areas of the D'ni civilization, unravel new mysteries, and adventure in a world that continually changes and expands. Exciting new content will be downloaded regularly, providing an adventure experience that is fresh and ever-changing.

Features

• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Adventure/Puzzle
• Mission:?Single-players?move at their own pace, spending hours discovering visually stunning, real-time 3D worlds, solving a large variety of mind-challenging puzzles, and following an epic storyline.
• Platform:?Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (237)

A major disappointment
When I heard that the makers of Myst had created yet another adventure game, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Taking into account that I had thoroughly enjoyed all of the other Myst games, I expected that Uru would be no letdown. Wrong!!! As it turned out, Uru did not even work on my computer; the game merely allowed me to view the introduction before requiring some advanced graphics card and stopping dead in its tracks. This game was such a disappointment! I had been so fond of the Myst series until this little party pooper came around. I had basically exchanged 50 dollars for Uru's cover art and a fruitless 30-minute installation! Anyway, if you plan on buying this game, be aware that it requires a computer that was probably invented seconds before the game's completion.

Brilliant & Appreciated
i felt this game had enough challenge & atmosphere to credit the team that worked so hard to build it..(!) i dont understand why this game was knit-picked so badly. i thought the moving objects were really interesting especially with the way they mimicked actual objects. i've played games with stick-figues for graphics that took *hours & dozens of tries* to position. Having a little effigy of yourself running around on the screen is adorable. All the different camera features with total surround was brilliant. The only reason this game didnt get 5 stars was because it does need a patch to run on XP.

It doesn't stand out
When I first heard that Uru would allow the user to make their own character and place him/her into this world, I was very excited. However, once I got my hands on the game itself and learned how troublesome it was to simply move this person around the worlds, I was very disappointed. My father and I have been playing these games since Riven and have loved them immensely. Every year, right after Christmas we begin to play them and usually continue nonstop till we have beat it. However, it has been about a year since Uru has first come out and it is just now that we are actually beginning to go through it again and finish.

The past games had problems that could have been solved by using clues spread throughout the world. But I find with Uru that you just have to play guess and check a lot which I have never found to be the way when it came to Myst.

Now I am usually a patient person but the loading time between worlds is unbelievable. This game requires a lot of linking I have found and some of the problems are timed (I am thinking of the Paths of the Shell expansion pack on this comment), so you really start panicking when your computer takes a good 5 minutes before something actually shows up. And then to actually get the player moving without being all jolty, it takes another minute to load. Sigh. Very disheartening.

I have found that with Uru and even Exile the quality has come down. Riven seems to be their own real achievement currently but hopefully Myst IV will redeem them... if only I could get it to load on my computer. Sigh. These games have it in for me and my computer, I tell you.

SO disappointed...
I was a bit suspicious of this game at first.Wasn't the Myst Trilogy supposed to stop with three games?I was rightfully cautious.It's been about a year since I've had this game, and I finally figured out that I don't play it because it is no fun!I had the problems with system requirements too, but after updating my graphics driver, things finally started working.I had been stuck in the desert you get dumped into first because whenever I approached a certain journey cloth, the game crashed.The driver update solved that.However, once I could go to any of the worlds in the game, I noticed how bad the game was.

My first complaint is that MYST DOES NOT NEED AVATARS!I enjoyed being able to click and proceed to the next screen.I DON'T NEED TO WATCH SOMEONE WALK AROUND.If I wanted to do that, I would be a stalker!Like other reviewers have said, the slideshow was so much better.

Second, the controls of the other games were SO MUCH EASIER!Clicking, moving mouse, clicking again.There is elegance in simplicity.None of this <insert bad language here> that is thrown into Uru.If it can't be done by clicking the mouse and using your head (Ubisoft - please don't take that literally - I've heard the horror stories of kicking rocks), it shouldn't be in a Myst game.

Third, I am not interested in a Myst online game.Games like Myst, Riven, and Exile do not belong in an online environment.I admit that I haven't tried Uru online, but I have no desire to do so.If the game comes out, it should be GOOD ENOUGH to make me want to play it online.

In short, this game is not well developed.I prefer DOS games to this!It overworks my computer and it is NO FUN TO PLAY.Cyan and Ubisoft, please do not try anything like this again.Myst fans, stick with Myst, Riven, and Exile, the real Myst trilogy.

URU:Too much hype
This age of myst was one the really dissappointed me. Upon getting the game, it wouldnt play on my system because of the video card, so i had to buy a new card to play it. But the game itself is really boring, you spend all your time searching every inch of the screen to find things. All the other myst series had it alot easier to see when you had something to look at or click on, but not this game. If you are not in the exact right spot, you will miss something that you need to continue the game. I never finished playing URU because you are not sure what you are looking for, also you almost need a PHd to solve a few of the puzzles. This game was a big waste of my money, and i hope that they go back to the drawing board on the next installment they make. Get back to some of the old myst, newer isnt always better! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force is as close as we've comeso far to actually being able to participate in an away team mission.The plot of this first-person shooter is pure Star Trek: during abattle with an alien ship, the badly damaged USS Voyager istransported by mysterious means to a strange spaceship graveyard. Itisn't long before the Voyager crew members discover they aren'tthe only abductees trying to patch their vessel together and escape, andthe adventure begins. As a member of Voyager's newly formedhazard team, it's your job to secure required repair materials, gatherinformation about the other survivors, and ultimately enableVoyager to resume its long journey home.

Frequently there are two or more team members with you (includingfamiliar faces like Seven of Nine), which lets missions play out morelike episodes from the series than a solo firefight that just happens totake place in a Star Trek setting. Other team members willdisable security fields, analyze data, converse with you as the missionprogresses, and add some much-needed firepower in the tough battlesequences. Elite Force uses the Quake III engine to goodeffect, serving up some beautiful environments, colorful specialeffects, and smooth frame rates. Our only gripe is that all the missionstake place inside various spacecraft, but the architecture used by eachrace is unique so that it isn't too repetitive.

Elite Force stays very true to the source material, as wediscovered the first time we beamed into a Borg cube and watched theinhabitants march by as if we weren't there. We shot a passing Borg tosee what would happen, and the massive environment sprung to life as thethreat was detected and dozens of angry Borg converged on our position.The cast of the TV series provided the voices for their characters inthe game, and the artists painstakingly modeled the interior ofVoyager. It all lends an authentic flair to this fun game thatbelongs in the collection of any Star Trek fan. --T. ByrlBaker

Pros:

• Almost like participating in an episode of the show
• Better than average voice acting
• Authentic environments, visuals, and sounds add to the experience

• Somewhat boring weapons
• Plot-driven story line forces linear mission design

Reviews (110)

A Star Trek Game at the Climax!
This is the best Star Trek game ever made! The graphics and lip-syncing (excuse my spelling) are great even though the game is 4 yrs. old! I have not beat the game yet, though I have gotten pretty far. I really like this game because it has all of Voyager's cast members lending their voices to the game (except Kes of Course, who left more than 2 yrs. earlier) The story is good too! Activision hired good writers for this game. If you are thinking about buying Star Trek: Elite Force II unless you are very daring. I will give you a hint, No Voyager characters except Tuvok and Barclay. There even is only one TNG character which is Capt. Picard.

generic shooter in star trek wrapper, w/ some goodies n btw
Unlike a lot of other good story-driven FPS games around like Half-Life, Thief (not an FPS, but whatever), XIII, NOLF, and the like, I found Elite Force to be highly disappointing given the fact that it took place in the highly intelligent Star Trek universe.All the away mission levels had basically the same pattern: walk about 20 feet, fight off a horde of baddies, walk another 25 feet, fight another group of baddies, and so on.Raven even intelligently replaces the mindless key hunt in so many other old games with the mindless control panel hunt, as so well shown in the Etherean and Borg levels.And speaking of the borg, they were portrayed horrendously, they never run and you, they always slowly trudge toward you but always corner you and get you as in the show, and in the show more than one can always trounce you.While I admire the effort of the developers, it just ended up feeling like Doom with Borgs when a good 20 borgs were on my tail on I was mowing them down with the shotgun-like I-Mod.But the implementation of the Borg adapting to other guns (dying first, then others adapting) was great.Also, the stealth mission on the Scavenger ship, while an admirable attempt, was laughable after playing such stealth-based masterpieces as Thief and Splinter Cell, and even stealth missions in games such as XIII are much, much better.
The end really sucked.Unlike Half-Life's haunting movie-like cliffhanger, you end up encountering this giant slug who tells of how the ship you are in (it has some special name, I forgot it) will enslave the universe.When Munro tells him/it that the ship is about to be destroyed, he laughs and tells them that it can multiply!HAHAHA!Then who comes to save the day but the mysterious Etherians, who quickly blow up a nearby panel, destroying its multiplying capabilities!What a twist!The slug is a boring-a$$ boss too.
I'm not saying this game sucked, I liked it, but it didn't live up to the Star Trek legacy.Blasting the baddies was fun, especially the repair droids (good explosions), but repetitive and unintelligent.Also, while character interaction lacked during away missions, it was outstanding on Voyager, where you could watch off-duty teammates playing poker, listen to Chakotay and Paris discuss their plight in the mess hall, and even practice gunplay in the holodeck.The rendering of Voyager was great and the interaction of other NPCs in the background was very Half-Life like (in other words, awesome).Unfortunately, it was very linear exploration.Most of the doors on the ships were locked, which really, really sucked.
In short, buy this if you'd like a short shoot-em-up in a Star Trek universe and if you'd like to do a little exploring on Voyager itself, this is the game for you.But be warned:this is not the best Star Trek game ever, as said.Most people saying that are Quake fans who hate Star Trek and other Star Trek games for being too "geeky."It's their loss, older Star Trek titles such as Generations, A Final Unity, 25th Anniversary, and others are much, much truer to the Star Trek universe. (I should know, I'm a ST fan).Generations (which was panned by most critics by the way....) even had FPS styled portions but they were coupled with graphic adventure-like environment interactions, making it a much fuller experience.

Awesome game and a great buy
I bought Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force about a year ago, and I still play it every now and then.To put it simply, Elite Force is just one of those games you can really get into and have a lot of fun playing.
For starters, it sets itself even with the competition with standard features that every FPS should (but sometimes dont) have, such as instant save, completely customizable controls, etc...
The graphics, while not top notch, are still running off the tried and true Quake III engine and add to the excitement of the game.Character models are decent but to be honest, graphics are not my main interest.Generally, I care about the gameplay (or lack of) and Elite Force has plenty of fast-paced exciting action.You start off immediately in the middle of a mission inside a Borg cube and the gameplay takes off from there.There are plenty of weapons, each with a secondary fire to choose from and the environments are extremely fun to fight in (my favorite is running through the halls and cargo bays of Voyager).In hostile territory the battles are fast and furious, requiring good choice in your combat skills.Little things like the mini-Holomatches or the occasional non-violent assignment make the game enjoyable.
Another awesome option is the Holomatch, which also has the same fast-paced fighting in the game, against not-so-terrible bots too.Again, the maps are well-designed and the weapons are awesome.
Finally, I think any aficionado of FPS's would definitely like this game for its gameplay and graphics: but if you like or watch Star Trek too, you'll like it even more.Even though its rather ironic how in most episodes the crew shoots at most 3-5 aliens and you kill 3-5 aliens in 3-5 seconds, I was almost giddy at being able to run through Voyager at psuedo-will and shoot bugs at the same times.In summary, buy this game, its worth the money and lasts a long time.

A real Star Trek game
Ever since I first read about it, I knew I had to have it.This is one of those games you don't get tired of.If your a Star Trek fan, the idea of shooting Borg should be appealing enough to you.

A real Star Trek game
Ever since I first read about it, I knew I had to have it.This is one of those games you don't get tired of.If your a Star Trek fan, the idea of shooting Borg should be appealing enough to you. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Midtown Madness 2 is the exact opposite of the typical racinggame. Instead it's the simple racer for which PC speed freaks have beenpraying.It looks and plays better than most console racers, and while it is definitelyan arcade racer and not a full-on driving simulation, that doesn't mean youcanplay it with your brain in park. The only people who might have a gripe withMidtown 2 are those who played the original to death, as the sequel isonly slightly improved from the original. As in the original game, Midtown2 features wild racing through busy city streets complete with multicarpileups and citizens diving for cover.

This time the action takes place in the streets of San Francisco and London.Asexpected, San Francisco sports its many landmarks and famous rolling hills,which offer plenty of chances to build up speed for ludicrous stunts. Keep aneye open for the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. London'stightturns and twisting streets put the emphasis on driver skill rather thanflat-outspeed. Landmarks include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square. Ofcourse, the secret to success in the Midtown games is to findunconventional shortcuts that can bring about a quick victory.

For the most part players will be racing in standard circuit and checkpointraces. Interestingly, you must unlock most of the 20 cars in the game byfinishing a series of races or completing the two in-game driving schools. Youcan't drive our favorite car--the Aston Martin DB7--until you finish Britishcabby school, but once you do get it, you'll be a terror on the highways. Weonly wish more automobiles were available right from the start, as theperformance of the cars varies as wildly as their makes and models.

While the cities are interesting to look at and many of the structures containshortcuts and other secret passages, the overall look of the game is morecartoony than realistic. While the graphics don't stand up against the Needfor Speed games, they are more than adequate in their own right. However,you will need a fairly powerful machine to see them in all their cartoonyglory.--Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Fast-paced driving action
• Easy to play with a wide variety of cars
• London and San Francisco look just enough like their real counterparts to be worth exploring even when not racing

• Too many vehicles need to be unlocked by completing various tasks
• Graphics, while decent, aren't the most up-to-date
• If you've played the first game, there really isn't a lot here you haven't seen already

Reviews (74)

GREAT online
i got this game a while back, played it a little, then forgot about it. sure, its fun to destroy the crap out of everything, but you can only do that so much. a couple months ago, i stumbled on it again. i was looking at the box and saw it had online gameplay, something i had overlooked before. i started playing it and got online. a whole new world was opened! this is much more fun online, so if you have it go online i wanna play you if you dont have it go get it and play online. my nickname for the msn gaming zone is El_Bub.

Almost as good as the original.
I own Midtown Madness 1 and 2, and enjoy them both quite frequently.(Nothing's better at the end of a stressful day than sitting down and bashing the snot out of a Panoz GTR-1.)This is Good Stuff, to be sure.

When I purchased MM2, I admit I had preconceived notions of what to experience.Most were fulfilled.

The graphics aren't necessarily better than in MM1, but that actually works quite well for me.The game hitches and freezes and takes forever to load if I set it on the highest graphics possible.The same happens with sound.(Maybe I should get a more powerful computer, huh?!)The two cities are fantastically built and wonderfully conceived.I had a _blast_ running up and down San Francisco's streets and going airborne.

The cars are _awesome_, man!MM2's car selections include an Aston Martin, and Audi (my favorite), a Mini Cooper, a fire truck, all the cars from the first game, and more.These are the cars I didn't know I was missing out on in the first few years of playing MM1.

In San Francisco, the races in Amateur mode are easy.Way too easy.And in Pro mode, they're incredibly hard.In London, I found myself just ripping through all the races with little or no difficulty, even in Pro.In MM1, the Checkpoint races were a challenge because they asked you to find the best route.In MM2, they're basically Blitz races.A clear straight line with little deviation from the path.This was really disappointing.I remember in MM1, North River Run was a lot of fun because I got to find a new way of running the race - the checkpoints were more scattered.

The stunt driver courses, while innovative, are disappointing as well.The London Cabbie course requires you to drive a cab - no surprise.However, that cab is the most difficult vehicle of them all.It's sluggish, heavy, and slow.I found myself just giving up and not trying to unlock the Aston Martin (that's the prize at the end of the course).And while the San Francisco course was better, with a Fastback, the course requirements were either too demanding or way too easy.Overall, very uneven.

The map was a pain in the neck.I could never see a whole image of the map at one time.When I enlarged the map, it was distorted.The colors on the map were also all very pale and hard to see, whereas in MM1, everything was very clear and well-contrasted.

Also, you can't boot MM2 without the source CD, and that's quite irritating.If I spent thus much money on a CD, I don't want it to get scratched.Ever.And if I have to take it out of its sleeve each time I load the game, there are that many more opportunities for it to get damaged.

Still, Good Stuff.

Overall, ****/*****.

An Outstanding Racing Program
Overall:
Microsoft Midtown Madness 2 is an excellent racing game.I consists of detailed scenery and a wide variety of cars.There are specific landmarks in both London and San Francisco.I definately reccomend buying this software.

City Scenery:
Midtown Madness 2 has specific landmarks form both London and San Francisco.You can drive through the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or around Trafalger Square in London.

Commentary:
It is interesting to hear the Midtown Madness 2 commentary.Some of the commentary voices are against urban racing.They feel like it disturbes the city.Other voices, though, are enthusiastic with urban racing.

Physics Realism:
The physics in Midtown Madness 2 are not realistic.You can drive up to the top of one of San Francisco's tall buildings, and then drive off.You will only have light damage.You can flip other cars upside down and not hurt them at all.But it is fun, you can do things you could never do in the real-world!

Car Selection:
In Midtown Madness 2, there are a wide variety of cars you can drive.It ranges from a London Double Decker Bus to a Panoz GTR-1!There are three Volkswagon New Beetles, two Mini Coopers, a fire truck, and a city bus, and a Cadalac Eldorado along with a lot of other cars.There are creative paint jobs, such as a Bathtup Floural London Cab, which is yellow with flowers and a smile!

Compatability:
Midtown Madness 2 works on almost any computer above the standard Windows 95.A 3d accelerater card will improve its performance, but a non-accelerater card works great too.The software also works good if your computer is right on the minimum requirements.

Conclusion:
Midtown Madness is not very fast paced, but its creativity makes up for it and does what many racing games do not do.

Okkkkkkk.
The game is great. One question though, why does the green paint job for the fire truck never come unlocked?

Great, in depth, semi-accurate game!
Midtown Maddness 2 is just about the most fun racing game I've ever played!Contray to some more negative reviews, I think microsoft did a great job on this game.First of all, the statistics:this game boasts a grand total of 88 races, not to mention that 64 of those become more difficult if you choose the "professinol" level of racing, as apposed to the "ameatur".There are 10 blitz races(races against the clock), 12 checkpoint races(races against several computer cars), and circut races(similar to checkpoint, except there are a certain amount of laps that you most complete), in each city.Also, there are 13 London cabbie and 13 SF Stunt Driver "crash cources", which include 3 midtermes that you must take, and 1 final exam.Now to run these many races, there are 20 differant vehicles to choose from:everything from the racecar that can do around 205 mph, to the city bus which does 0-60 in 1 hour as I like to say.Now on to the reasons why this game is fun to play!

Midtown Maddness 2 is a great, classic arcade game.In the game, you can ram into as many cars as you want, and still keep going! Yes, you will see smoke start to some out of the engine, but eventually the computer will restart your car so you can keep on road ragin!Another thing is that the cops never get out of there cars, so the game is never delayed by them trying to acually arrest you like in the Grand Theft Autos.Don't get me wrong, thats a fun game, just a little too realistic for me.So anyway, the cops will still chase you and try to stop you, even to the point where the wheels go flying or rolling off their cars!Next, both maps are so emensly big that I've had the game for almost a year and a half now, and I think I finally saw absolutly everything there is to see.

The only unrealistic part of the game that has always stuck in my mind is the "underground" or subway in London.I've been to London 3 times now, and the only thing realistic about this is that the stations are fairly accurate in apperance, not nessacerily in location.The tunnels are about 3 times as wide as they need to be, and the trains are doing about 90 or 95 mph in the game, when in reality, they really only do about 30 mph.So if the game could have just one improment, I would say to have the "underground" more accurate.It was a good idea, but needed a little more attention then it was apparently given.

Overall, I strongly recommened this game to anyone, from beginers to pros, that are a fan of street racing.If you are questioning the game, I would say go for it, you won't regret it! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

SimCity 3000 is back, and it's bigger than ever! Maxis pulled out all the stops for this new version of the bestselling game, adding enough new customized graphics to re-create cities from around the world. The new European and Asian building sets serve up hundreds of new buildings that match the architecture of these diverse environments. From the Great Wall to the Berlin Wall, it's in there. Of course, you can still mix and match--freedom to run a city as you choose has always been the name of this game.

No addition to the SimCity family would be complete without some new methods for destroying your creations, and SimCity 3000 Unlimited has four more devastating disasters than the old version. You can re-create the movie Armageddon by unleashing large chunks of flaming space debris, smite your populace with a buzzing swarm of locusts, destroy seaports and coastal developments with a whirlpool, or uncork some toxic clouds.

The Building Architect, formerly available as a free download, is now packed on the CD-ROM. This 3-D architectural program lets users create the buildings of their dreams, from dilapidated outhouses to towering skyscrapers to works of modern art that are intended for pure decoration. Don't worry if you don't feel like using this powerful tool to create things yourself--the game comes with dozens of new ways to make your cities unique, and you can always head to the SimCity Exchange to download imaginative add-ons created by other users. The infinite expandability and infinite replayability of this game should keep would-be mayors completely occupied until they move to the suburbs of The Sims. ... Read more

Features

• All-new Asian and European building sets with hundreds of new buildings to choose from
• 13 challenging scenarios or create your own custom, goal-based adventure
• 4 new disasters to inflict: plague of locusts, toxic cloud, space junk, and a whirlpool
• 23 new landmarks: Helsinki Cathedral, Japan's Himeji Castle, and more
• Customizable terrain with scores of new options, such as snow, rolling hills, and a desert

Reviews (124)

Very Addictive
I find this game very addictive, and considerably better than 2000. I really like the News Ticker, which gives you great advice on how to run your city. It does take up a lot of memory, though, so it's a good thing my computer has so much. I've heard that it tends to destroy your computer, so if you don't want that to happen, here's my advice: Don't take out the CD until the program is done being exited, don't install it if your computer can't handle it, and when you do take out the CD, be sure to press Ctrl, alt, and Delete and close all tasks that sound anything like "SimCity."

My only complaints are this: it makes your computer run slowly, and when locusts hit your town, the sound effects don't ever go away.

Happy playing!

Great game in its day; rather old now.
This was a great game back in its day. However, it is old and dated now. It was a vast improvement over SimCity 2000 and the original SimCity, offering larger cities and maps and improved graphics and other details.

For all the reviewers who are being so negative, look at the system requirements. This game was designed for Windows 95 and 98, not 2000 or XP. Most games like that will not run properly under 2000 or XP (if at all). For those of you with 2000 or XP, I recommend SimCity 4 (Rush Hour or Deluxe Edition) instead.

Technology marches on, and it is critical to verify that your system meets the requirements of the software programs (and understanding that old programs may no longer work on newer PCs and operating systems).

4 stars for win 98, 0 for others
Like other reviewers, I've had problems with this game on both Win 2k and Windows XP. On 2k, the game installs and loads, but stalls on the first screen. On XP, the game installs but does not load.
I originally bought this in China (legally) and thought that this may be the reason. I used to play it on a Windows 98 machine until that machine crashed, and I had to upgrade to 2k, and have not played it since.
I also contacted EA Tech Support who insisted that this game is/was designed for Windows 98. They suggested I run the compatibility wizard but this was a failure.
Why they're still selling this game escapes me. Maybe they've corrected things on later versions though.
If you can get it to run, this really is a fun game. There are plenty of improvements from Sim City 2000 that I enjoyed, especially the more logical traffic and crime patterns, and the huge increase in map size.
All in all though, don't buy this.

simy 3000
this game is a city.you build roads etc.How is it that no one likes this game anymore?duh!the next one.It is sad that this game is not enough for people anymore.it should be.

Computer Problems
Do not buy this game. I was really, really excited when I bought it, but when my dad and I tried to install it, it didn't work. It just, instead, sort-of-ruined our computer. That made me and my sister not able to buy any more Sims games, which really stinks. Do not buy this computer-breaking game! I'm hoping that this reveiw will save your computer from Sim City 3000 Unlimited's horrible software (when I say horrible software, I mean horrible software). ... Read more

Features

• Over 750 authentic Rapala lures and you actually controls the rod for increased realism
• 11 species of highly detailed fish with realistic AI
• 2 gameplay modes: Freedom Fishing and Tournament
• 20 unique tournaments to enter in Tournament mode for realistic trophy fish action
• Tournaments include unlockable Amazon and Danube Delta levels

Reviews (3)

Disapointed!!!
I had the same trouble as Budster. It locked up on both my computers. I have the same complaint, it only has Rapala lures. Nothing against Rapala, they have been very good to me over the years. This game needs very serious updates.

Worked GREAT for me!
Can't explain why Budster had problems.I tried Pro Fishing on my homebrew 3 GHz / 2 GB RAM box using an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro at 1280 X 11024 BPI. It looks perfect and played like a dream.

Rapala Pro Fishing is far, far ahead of Bass Pro (at least in its trial version).The near photo quality of underwater scenes is something to behold, and topside for us air breathers is great as well. Just wait until you see the big fish swimming up out of the weeds to hit your bait.AWE-SOME!

The only small distraction I have is that this program, of course, only has Rapala lures.If we could only create a user editor to add Gary Yamamoto's Senkos and other great plastics, plus a few buzz-baits, spinners, etc. it would be almost as good as being there.

FYI, I loaded it briefly on my wife's 800 MHz Dell that has an ATI 9700 card and it worked OK at 640 X 480 BPI with shading set to 16-bit, but a bit jerky due to the slow speed and only 256 MB of RAM.

If you like to fish, get this one!I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Wish it worked
This is a fun game but it locks up my pc.I have a p4 2.8 with an ati 9700 pro card.It also locked up my other pc-- I hope thay can get the bugs out of game or an update to graphic drivers.Seems like they might have beta tested this or something.At least i got a free rapala lure with it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition is the latest version of Microsoft's highly realistic aviation simulation--the top-selling PC flight simulation ever produced. FS 2002 Pro introduces many exciting features, including interactive air traffic control (ATC) and auto-generated scenery, plus challenging new aircraft and stunning visual enhancements that truly make Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition "as real as it gets."

Flight Simulator 2002, Professional Edition includes a wide variety of aircraft for you to fly--from a new Cessna 172S single-engine trainer and a Caravan floatplane to the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet. You can splash down in a lake, hover in the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter, or practice aerobatics in the Extra 300S. FS 2002 Pro includes 16 aircraft, four more than in the standard edition.

Features exclusive to the professional edition include tools for creating your own planes and buildings, and a multiplayer "instructor's seat" capability. The most dramatic new features common to both editions are the interactive air traffic control system, crowded skies, and auto-generated scenery.

The interactive air traffic control feature adds a new dimension to Flight Simulator. Now you can ask for takeoff clearance, get vectors for an instrument approach, and hear other traffic as you fly. In fact, the "other traffic" is itself a new feature: a new artificial intelligence system generates air traffic around and between airports.

It'll be hard to pay attention to the air traffic, however, as the scenery in FS 2002 Pro is so attractive. As you fly above cities, towns, farmland, and dramatic landscapes, Flight Simulator adds buildings and vegetation appropriate to the terrain below. Office buildings, factories, homes, farmhouses, and trees smoothly blend in on the horizon and fill the entire area with detail that adds unprecedented depth and reality to the game.

Other features include more than 21,000 airports, multiplayer capability, improved weather effects, a moving map and GPS system, in-depth flight analysis, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (145)

cool as
this is got to be the coolist came around its like the real hting and my favourite plane is the boeing 747 they are so cool if you dont have this game and you like planes you got to get it i rate this game 100000000000000000000000000 millone stars yheah cooooool aaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssss

from Joshua Huntley

-Junior Pilot
- To Fly is all i have wanted since i was little andgame was right for me. Last christmas i got this simulaor and a sidewinder joystick. This game is so real i find myself yelling in my room because im doing barrel rolls in the extra. i play this simulator every day when i get home from school till i go to bed.You never will get tired of this simulator

There are so many things to do on this simulator including:

-Select a flight-where you choose a flight already made.
-Create a flight-you can choose your own plane, choose anywhere in the world you would like to fly and all the conditions of the flight
-Learn to fly-take lessons from instructor,Rod Dimacho, and earn your private, instrument, commercial, and airline transport Licenses.
-Multiplayer- Fly with other aviators online
-Library- You do not go to the local bookstore anymore! Get your charts, Ground school handbooks, and many others.

The only bad thing about this simulator is that the graphics arent the best.You may be thinking that if you fly off in your town that you can see your house but thats not true. Also you cant get the exitement of crashing out of this simulator, all it does is stick the plane in the ground and if you do not want to crash just turn that setting off and you will just bounce off things.

If you dont have enough money tot ake lesson or you just want to practice this simulator is for you.My uncle is a pilot and he is amazed on how i can fly just by playing this simulator.

Hope you liked my review!

However, this is NOT a game:
http://www.x-plane.com/

So, either play, or go buy a REAL simulator, licenced by FAA to be used in a simulator setting. Loggable!

the best flight sim even as it is older
the newer versions can not come close to this version

Woohoo!I ran this game on a 500mhz PIII PC!!!
I have a hp pavilion (most idiotic pc ever created by mankind) pc with 500 mhz p3, 64mb riva TNT graphics card and 128mb of ram and I was still able to enjoy this game.Yes, I had to shut down every single program to let this game eat up my system resources, and yes it was so slow that I could practically count the frames on the screen as I flew the cesna over a night shot of las vegas.But the intensity! the magic!!woohoo! this game rules!@!@! ... Read more

Book Description

Law & Order: Dead on the Money is an exciting 3-D game based on an original, complex murder case created by a Law & Order TV writer. You'll step into the dramatic world of criminal investigation when you're called to a crime scene in Manhattan's Central Park. You and your partner, Detective Lennie Briscoe (actual voice of Jerry Orbach), will work to uncover the identity of the victim, gather evidence, track down witnesses, and identify viable suspects. Once you've got enough evidence to make an arrest, your supervisor, Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (actual voice of S. Epatha Merkerson), will sign off on your warrant. Once you have the killer in custody, the focus shifts to the criminal courts. You'll work with Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn (actual voice of Elisabeth Rohm) to build a compelling case that will convince the jury to return a guilty verdict and convict the defendant. ... Read more

Features

• You are a Detective:
• Crime Scene: You and your partner, Detective Lennie Briscoe, arrive at the crime scene. Scout the entire area for clues and collect all the relevant evidence.
• Map: Use the map of Manhattan to get around town. Throughout your investigation additional locations will appear on the map as you develop new leads.
• Witnesses: You'll encounter many witnesses during your investigation. Pull out your notepad and fire away with your questions. Ask the right questions, get closer to the truth. Ask too many wrong questions and it's back to square one.
• Case File: Evidence and witness testimony you collect will appear in your Case File. Use the forms to order a lab test, surveillance, background checks or a psychiatric evaluation. You can also request search warrants and arrest warrants.

Reviews (56)

Would be fun if it didn't have a time frame
There is way too much stuff to be picked up and sent all over the place for testing and researching and whatnot. Unfortunately, some witnesses are only "unlocked" after you submit the right item, so unless you're quite fast picking up stuff etc. you can't solve the case within the allotted time frame.

This game would be very interesting and entertaining if they didn't cut off the investigation after a week (that's gime time, not real time).

Law & Order: Dead on the Money
This game is fun.This game makes you look and listen real good.If you like the show, you will love the game.

Good but needs improvement
I am a Law & Order addict and was thrilled when I came across this game.I couldn't wait to get it loaded on my PC, only to find it was frought with problems!Even after upgrading my memory, installing all the patches from the software manufacturer, and cleaning out my hard drive, I still had problems running the game.The speed was quite slow and I had difficulty getting from scene to scene because of this.Despite this, I was very interested in the game and the more difficult the "investigation" proved to be, the more I wanted to see what happened next!After many times failing, I finally made it through the "investigation" and on to "the courthouse," only to have the game freeze up when I was very close to solving the case!I was livid!I am in the process now of replacing my PC system and resolved not to play the game again until the upgrade is complete.

Despite all the problems, the game is quite interesting and the character roles are really close to the actual TV ones.I did have to use the hints on the manufacturer's website quite a bit, as I found the game quite challenging!After patrolling the same area several times, I finally wised up and went for the hints!Another reviewer stated that frequent saves are a must in case the game locks up and I agree completely with that statement.Saving your progress ever so often would prevent having to repeat the same parts of the game over in the event of a freeze-up or botched investigation.

I am looking forward to finishing the game and will purchase the second Law & Order game that is now available.I just hope it will have less technical issues than the first.

Best Game Ever!
It is a good game, interesting like the show. It's bad because it has a short time limit and freezes up every once in a while. But I would recomend it to Law & Order fans.

Yes, 4 stars...even w/ the bugs
I have to admit that at first this game seemed ridiculous. Going through weird pieces of evidence at the crime scene seemed like a waste of time to me and I didn't find the right thing for awhile so I was stuck. I felt a little silly sending cigarette butts to the crime lab. LoL. But once I got the hang of it, it was great. I was lucky to be able to check this game out for free at a local library. Otherwise, the bugs would have really bothered me. One other problem...for a game that stresses logic, the gameplay at time lacks it. I just thought it was odd that when something about a piece of evidence revealed something new about other evidence, the Researcher made no connection when you asked him for analysis again. Other than those things...and of course, the common error of the game freezing sometimes, it is well worth playing. Playing again? Maybe. It might be better to play the game in secret from another person, then have the other person play the game and you monitor their progress. That might be fun to see who solved it faster. ... Read more

Product Description

The best courses, the finest equipment and the coolest players as well as the ability to play as yourself make this golf-simulator a hole in one. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Sports
• Mission: Play as or against the Tiger himself in this high-stakes battle for the championship title
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (15)

Good interface, if you pick the right one
When picking whether to go with this title or its rival (I'll omit the name), one big factor was the courses being featured and the overall deisgn. I liked the idea that a person had to develop their character, and build him into a champion, rather than simply setting stats and running.

The one thing a person needs to look out for is in regards to which difficulty level is selected. On either the novice or expert settings, making a good swing with the mouse (pulling it back and pushing it through along the same line) is important, but novice only lets you hit the ball strait. There is little challenge, and little chance of the occasional whoopsie that accompanies a real round of golf. I played the game on novice close to the end, but it got completely boring when my golfer could hit the ball 330 yards in a strait line every time. The challenge of the game was gone, and so my interest.

On the other hand, if you start on expert and work with it, the game adds the element of not only your personal performance, but also shotmaking. With novice you have to really do something weird before you hit the ball bad, but on expert it takes a better touch with the mouse on top of the possibility that what you thought was a strait shot may have had a little sidespin on it that will take it off course... or strait at the hole.

Being able to hit draws and fades greatly increases the interest in the game, as you then have a huge number of options besides just picking the club you think you can hit the fairway with. The choice becomes "which club can I hit with just the right amount of draw spin to get it down the fairway in just the right place?" My advice is to play on expert from the start and just get used to everything.

Graphics wise, the game is OK, and apparently vastly improved with 2005. If your machine can't handle the new version, or you like the older courses better, going with 2004 should still be satisfying.

The only things I really wish the game included are more detailed equipment adjustments and selection (the ability to build custom clubs... why not?), and an expansion pack of courses. Naturally, there is probably a little matter of royalties for the courses in the game, but one or two extra wouldn't hurt, would they?

Highly overrated
Players are not different enough cause you only get Tiger.

I dislike how putting is done.

Too many arcade elements for a "sim" game.

CPU AI is not worth playing against.

Recommend a 128MB Vid Card
This game is EXCELLENT, IF a person has a decent Video Card. I tried it before I upgraded my Video Card. Liked it but once I installed the upgraded Graphics card, and checked all the options in the settings. The GAME CAME ALIVE! The trees move; the grass flows with the wind; and the water ripples; shadows look great; reflections on water... Great test on the performance of a PC.

BEST GOLF SIM EVER MADE
If you want the definitive golf simulation for Windows XP, look no further than this title.This game will knock your socks off folks.Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is the best out there.

Really Disappointed
I rented Tiger Woods 2004 for xbox and fell in love with the game.Best golf game ever.Only one problem, no online.So I bought the PC version with great excitement.I must tell you it is junk.The graphics are horrible.Your player looks like he is pasted on the course.There is no interaction between the ground and the feet.The sound is awful, you make a shot and the announcer gives the wrong response.Your putt drops in the hole without a single sound.By the way your ball looks square as it is rolling around. The game play depth is very limited and uninspiring.Compared to the console game you really have very little options.The controls to aim and putt are difficult and time consuming. To be honest I could go on and on with the things that dissapoint.It is a cheap port in form the console.Get the PS2 version go online and have a blast.It is hard for me to understand why so many rate it high.Maybe I am missing something.I have been gaming on computers for 5 years and this is one of the worst game I have seen. This one is rough. YUCK!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Sid Meier's SimGolf puts you in charge of your very own golf resort. You'll get to play the roles of course designer, CEO, and resident pro as your try and grow your business from a small, public pitch-and-putt to a five-star resort complete with private memberships, airstrips, and luxury hotels. To do this, you'll need to design courses that are fun and challenging and manage your resort's resources to satisfy your guests' growing needs. You'll even have a chance to test your course and golf skills when your Sims challenge you to a round.

You can create the world's most challenging and outrageous golf courses in a variety of different environments, including woodlands, desert, tropical, and Scottish links. Then you can build an entire golf resort from the ground up around your course. Hold tournaments, sell memberships, and entice the rich and famous to build homes at your resort. But make sure you manage wisely. Modify your course and resort so you can respond to the needs and interests of your Sims guests.

The skills test against your Sims is the penultimate challenge. Players can bring their existing Sims characters into the game with a user-friendly import tool or create their own Sim golfer from scratch. Customize and play your resident pro against other pros for a big cash purse you can use to upgrade your resort. ... Read more

Reviews (54)

Great.... but falls short.
I think SimGolf is a great game. For the people who gave this game a 1 or 2 star rating... you're just jealous. You couldn't build a better game (unless you know games). The championships that you can hold are pretty cool, but too easy, which isn't a dissapointment, but it could get in the way of some buyers. The game has good course options, such as pot bunkers, waste bunkers, and some course options you know already (if you play or watch golf). A few dissapointments... there's not enough land on the sandbox (no money-hassle) mode. You can buy land on normal mode (but only a little), and it's still not enough to give you a good course, and like some reviewers said, there's not enough buildings, which is kinda dissapointing. For golf and sim fans, buy this game! Or borrow it.

so fun .................. with cheats
This game is great .... with the cheats. In the game you only start off with $2000- $6000. I'll give you a cheat. for more cash hold shift with = for more cash.

ADDICTING & FUN
As an admitted hater of computer games, I have to admit that this is a very fun & addicting game. SIM GOLF combines the strategy of money management with the fun of competition. Build a good golf course and the members will flock to your resort. But beware, the more people that become members translate to the more employees you need to hire to compete with their demands. Make your members happy and they spend more money.This is a fun game for a rainy day as you can lose track of time and play for hours.

Sid Meier has yet to disappoint me!
I'm a big fan of Sid Meier's previous games - Civilization and Civ II being some of my all-time favorites!I can't even count the number of hours I've spent playing those two games - probably well in to the hundreds.Anyways, I normally would never pick up a golf game, I don't usually play sport-type games, but since it had Sid Meier's name on it I decided to give it a try.I was not disappointed!

It plays like most other Sim/Tycoon games - you start with your basic empty plot of land and build it up to a huge golf course.You build golf holes, hire staff, get different buildings and attractions (driving range, etc).One feature that I really enjoyed was selling plots of land to celebrities - they're a lot of fun to watch!You also can play in a tournament against another golfer, which is pretty easy.I am not skilled at golf games, so I enjoyed it a lot because it was not too complicated.

Another fun feature is to watch the patrons of your course.. because sometimes they'll start on a funny story.If you watch them the entire time they're golfing, they'll keep going on with the story.If they finish (a sign of a good course I guess!) then you get a special prize (some kind of decorative item usually).

I was surprised I enjoyed this game as much as I did.I played it for several days exclusively, but haven't played it since.It doesn't have the longevity that some other games do (namely the Sims for me), but it did keep my attention for many hours over the course of a few days and for the price, I say its worth it!

The Best "Tycoon" Simulation I Have Ever Played!
In short, this was the best simulation of a real life "tycoon" sort of game I have ever played.The game allows people who do not play golf to enjoy the exiting aspect of it, and actually play in-game tournaments and matches agaisnt pro's

At first, the most appealing thing of the game to me as a pre-teen was the "Sim" name in the title.Once I started playing, I couldnt stop.I loved the challenge of pleasing my members, the real life golf things like the hazards, and I enjoyed the actual golf games and skills you had.

In short, I loved this game, and I can see why "Sim" is still a leading producer of excellent simulation games! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Close Combat: Invasion Normandy is the fifth game in the highly acclaimed Close Combat series. Play as the Allies or the Germans in the World War II's most dramatic battle. Sneak attacks, stalwart defenders, spies, and saboteurs are among the surprises available to both sides. The improved campaign system allows movement of multiple battle groups on a scrolling strategic map of the Cotentin peninsula. An all-new battle-group screen allows you to not only customize your own battle groups but your enemy's as well. The option to play with historical conditions extends even to the weather and its effects on air and naval support availability. Track the progress of your men from battle to battle, as they improve their combat skills and earn medals. With dynamic map tracking, the shell holes, trenches, and vehicle wrecks you create today will be there tomorrow. Tactical successes and failures will have a direct impact on strategic play with extended continuity from battle to battle. Create your own battles, operations, and campaigns with the scenario editor. Review the action in-depth on the improved battle debriefing and soldier screens. Play head-to-head via TCP, UDP, serial connection, modem, or the Internet, with free matchmaking services. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Not For Action, But For Strategy
This is a game that you will probably find yourself playing many, many times, depending on whether or not your intentions for purchasing the game are for action or strategy.
Historically, I felt it did a great job of duplicating the scenarios of the real invasion of Normandy.Hedgerows were a major nuisance for the Allied forces and it was that way in Close Combat 5, as well.It makes it hard to put the tanks into some sort of effective use, without the help of supporting infantry.Sometimes the amount of troops allowed to fight in a battle were actually too large to be historically accurate, when considering the scattered drops of the U.S. airborne, and that made offensive moves in this game too easy, but it really didn't take away much from the game.In all honesty, it wouldn't have been much fun to lead an attack with only a group of men the size of a few squads.
Strangely enough, an entire division is lost if it's involved force, in a battle, loses every man.Although not the entire division participates in the battle, the entire division will no longer exist, as if the rest of it is disbanded.
Overall, the game was much fun for me.I was interested in learning more about Operation Overlord, and the involvement of the U.S. in World War 2, and found this game to be very helpful, although I could still tell which historical aspects were true, and which were inaccuracies due to the game itself.
I read a review that described that, in the beach landings, there weren't enough bullets whizzing in the air and that it basically seemed too tame.But this game focuses on Utah Beach, not Omaha.Utah WAS much tamer, and had much fewer casualties, so don't expect a slaughter.Besides that, the "Atlantic Wall" that the reviewer talked about being climbed was not the Atlantic Wall, but a simple sea wall.This game is much more realistic than you may have been led to believe.And, yes, sometimes the aim of the soldiers was horrible and humorous at the same time, but the cons are outweighed by the pros.Strategy is definitely the way to go in this game.Don't expect to win battles by charging the enemy head on.

close combat : normandy
I think that C.C.I.N is great unlike C.C. 1 & 2 This one has better graphics,experiance and fun! i would say anyone who liked C.C. the russian front would like this A+++++ 5 star class!

Ironically, the name shows where the game fails most.
I loved the series when it debuted - primitive, yeah, but fun nonetheless. CC2 moved the series a step in the right direction - music to the ears of fans of the genre. Fast forward to Invasion Normandy, and it's honestly hard to see what's worth playing anymore.

Gameplay: terrible. For a series which prides itself heavily on AI, this game has little, if none. Units will often hold their fire, even if an inferior enemy unit is cleary charging right at them. Line-of-sight problems plague the entire game, with areas of identical elevation and free of obstacles sometimes being impossible to fire at - it's sometimes even impossible to fire at an elevated position, which is otherwise visible.

Another thing - unit worth and accuracy. Units such as snipers, mortar teams, etc. are basically useless. You would think a sniper could easily pick off a stationary target, not hidden behind cover, at a distance of 50 metres - not so. Mortars seem to land in random locations, and, even if it graphically appears as though it would have taken out a whole squad, they're left miraculously unharmed. There are many instances where I will have an enemy scout unit surrounded by an entire platoon, and, although the maximum distance will be 30 metres, the enemy will be on an area of no cover (i.e. middle of the road), the nearly one hundred bullets per second raining down on them will fail to hit - and this pathetic little squad will STILL manage to take out enemies while under massive suppression. Not only that, but AT squads are nearly useless as well, since they have a tendency to miss 99% of the time, and the 1% where the round would hit, it will instead land on the other side of the tank - which is physically impossible, since in reality, rockets go in straight lines, and this isn't duplicated properly. The tedious 20-metre engagements between whole platoons for 10 minutes is so ridiculous, I feel like I'm fighting on a battlefield full of Gomer Pyles.

Still, passing the game is incredibly simple, ... and, somehow, inferior German forces. I found it hilarious in the invasion scenarios that there wasn't even any gunfire raining down on the beach, and that the Atlantic Wall could easily be climbed by the average person - STRAIGHT OUT CLIMBED.

I'm getting pissed off at this game just thinking about it. The last thing I need is to play a game where everyone's aim is about as good as an extra in a Schwartzenegger movie...

Storm The Beach!
I have always been a close combat fan since the series came out. The game is fun overall, but can get dragging at times. I do like how the game is focused more on the infantry, rahter than heavy armor. Sounds are great, graphics are great, game play is great, but my only complaint is that there is no zoom in button. I know other CC games had them and I don't know why this one shouldn't have one. But that is ok. The planning feature of the game is intersting too. You are in control of what forces you are sending in as back up. The game is fun, especially if you are a hard core CC fan. There isn't much of a huge improvement over any of the other CC games, but like I said it is still fun to play. I hope they come out with more theaters of combat in future installments.

Invasion Normandy returns to Close Combat's roots
Close Combat: Invasion Normandy is probably the best recent title in the Close Combat series.It returns to Normandy, the battle ground for the first CC title.You are commanding either the US divsions invading at Utah Beach or the Germans trying to stop them.No Tommies in this one!Personally, I would have liked to have been able to control British troops as well.Invasion Normandy puts the emphasis back on infantry and returns the armor to its support role.For those of you who thought that The Russian Front had way too much armor in it, then you will be happy to know that in Invasion Normandy most of the missions have no more than two armored vehicles to each side.Of course at times there are more, but for the most part this is an infantry strategy game.In some of the battles between the airborne divisions there isn't any armor at all!

Game play is still pretty much same as compared to previous CC titles.During campaigns, you can now control your different battalions movements on the overall strategic map.This lets you move your battalions forward to take a new section of the Cotentin Peninsula and assign your mortar barrages, naval bombardments, and air strikes to battalions that you think will need them the most.It adds another dimension to the game and makes you think a little more. And sit back and enjoy the show when your naval bombardment comes from the 13in guns on a battle ship!!!

The graphics have been improved slightly since The Russian Front.I haven't played Battle of the Bulge, so I don't know how the graphics compare there.The AI is still...well the usual CC AI.The infantry AI has never been that all that bad.The armor AI has improved some in this game, but you still end up wondering, as you watch tank after tank get destroyed by some stupid blunder, if maybe the tank commanders aren't really Nazis at heart!

There are a few minor bugs in the program, but nothing catastrophic that I have seen. All in all this is a well rounded, real time strategy game, that is historically accurate and a whole lot of fun to play.This game ranks right up there with Age of Empires II as one of my favorite strategy games.It is definitely one of if not the best WWII strategy game out there right now.SSI made a smart move in aquiring the rights to the series as it fits right into the genre of games they produce. ... Read more

Product Description

Command historically accurate civilizations ranging from the Medieval Age up to the World War II era. Choose a country and a time period, and lead your nation to world dominance. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Lead your nation to dominate the globe
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (23)

Ordered game 2nd day and received a copy of Old Yeller
Some dumb hillbilly in Kentucky placed a copy of Ole Yeller instead of the game I ordered in my shipment box.
Now I find out Amazon.com has no listed phone numbers to call to rectify this problem.
So, thanks to Amazon.com ignorant staff, I have no game to rate !!

Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
This game, Empires Dawn of the Modern World, is one of the best in RTS gaming history. However, I do not say "the best," only "one of the best." The game has strong points and some flaws.

In this game, one advances through ages, just as in many other RTSes. The ages are Medieval, Gunpowder, Imperial, WWI and WWII. Although these are good choices, there is one drawback: When advancing into WWI, the player has to change his/her's civilization to a more recent one. It is easy to accept the fact that the Franks (one of the civilizations available) had changed somewhat from 1500 to 1914, but the US (another civilization) was around before 1914. In fact, it was around during the middle of the Imperial age. Also, China (a pre-WW civilization in this game)played a major role in WWII, and is still one of the most powerful nations on earth!

The gameplay in this game is almost exactly like the gameplay in Age of Empires. One builds a base and a couple of barrackses, tank factories, stables, or whatever, and then launches an attack on the opponent's base. However, with the addition of some special abilities for units, buildings, and even wonders, this game improves on Age of Empires. Also, every unit in this game is unique to its civilization, even townspeople. While not going as far as such RTSes as Rise of Nations or Rome: Total War, the game does have its allure.

If there were a graphics rating availabe, this game would get 5 stars. Not isometric, this game has beautifully programmed 3D graphics and in-game cinematics.

Empires: Dawn of the Modern World is definitely recommended for first time RTS gamers as a good all-around RTS, but longtime RTS gamers might find this game a little repetative.

Okay, but needs a lot of improvement
This is an okay game. There are some ideas that make it interesting and enjoyable to play, but otherwise the game is not worth buying. There are different countries represented at different epochs, and you have to chose which country you want to be as you progress through the game. I think this is an innovative idea and makes gameplay interesting. The three campaigns let you use some different strategies besides collect resources, build an army, attack, rinse, repeat. Also, each team has strengths and weaknesses, although other games have touched on this, E:DOTMW brings it to a new level. Each team has completely different units and technologies. This makes the game very interesting, and playing each team is a unique experience.
Despite the positives, there are many more negatives to this game. Although many people tout the graphics as innovative, the graphics in AOE II were pretty much the same. The AI is pretty stupid. For example, workers will sometimes get trapped between some buildings and the "edge" of the map or a group of trees. Mistakes like these were almost non-existant in AOE II. The campaigns need some serious story-line revamping. They start out interesting, but it seems like the story writers ran out of ideas and so just ended the stories without really resolving them in the same exciting fashion they started them in. The "random map" feature and multi-player ability is just like every other RTS on the market. Build up an army as quickly as possible and fight with it, rinse and repeat. The game is also lacking on units and entire countries. For example, Japan is not included in the World War I or World War II eras. Navies have no option to build destroyers to battle submarines. The USA does not have Iowa battleships during the World War II era. I'm sure that these "oversights" were done on purpose to make room for an expansion, but until there is an expansion, it is a serious lacking in the game. This is an addictive game, but has little substance. My recommendation is to go out and buy AOE II used and play that.

There are better, but this is worth getting
I have played many Empire-esque games and I view this as one of the better ones. It is, unlike it's predeccessors totally based around war and that is very good as that's all you ever want to do anyway.
I'll just give you this advise, get it if you like this genre as there are few better, but for someone buying the first of the genre I advise you shop around for a better starter game as this one rather assumes the buyer is familiar with the genre already (I'm using the word genre a lat aren't I?)
Anyway, have a look at some of the other review for contrasts of opinion...
I hope I've been of use, Toodle Pipskie (is that how you spell it?)

Empires Dawn of the Modern World
Empires Dawn of the Modern world is a great game. The
gameplay is easy, the graphics are very good, the sound/music
is just perfect. The campaign is very fun and very nicely made.
There are three campaigns in the game, about the life of Richard
the Lionheart, Captain Yi Sun-Sin, and Gernal George Patton.
Each campaign is different and each they are set in a different
age. Richard the Lionheart's campaign is about the english and
the french battling in a war for the french throne. Captain
Yi Sun-Sin is about the Japanese invasion of Korean. Gernal
George Patton's campaign is about the how the US fought in the
European front in WW2. All is very fun and is historically base.

The mutiplayer for the single or online is very fun. In the
single ramdom map, you choose a civilization, an age, the map,
and either action or empire building. Action is fast and is all
about military. Empire building is longer and you must build
large empires or you shall see enemy unit in your base. You can
also choose to have a deathmatch which you are given alot of
resoures is a all out attack upond your oppenent. You can build
wonders (one olny) and protect it until time runs out. Online is
the same but olny the host do all the stuff I saided. It is
better becaues you have tactics, and coordinates attacks. I have
never played online, but I seen it with my friend playing it.

The ages is the olny thing that I have a camplain about.
There are five ages, medival, gunpowder, imperial, WW1, WW2.
IN the imperial age, when you go to the next age, you have to
choose a different age because that civilization is not a majar
power in the WW1 and WW2 age. It should be change.

Overall it is a good game to play for RTS gamers. Buy it!
... Read more