Product Description

An interactive mystery-adventure game, Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch puts players in the shoes of teenage super-sleuth Nancy Drew as she investigates a string of mysterious events on Shadow Ranch and in the desert and canyon lands that surround it. Heres who you'll meet at Shadow Ranch: Dave Gregory If good looks could kill, Dave could easily earn a spot among the most wanted young men in the Southwest. Always polite, somewhat shy, Dave is a man of frustratingly few words. ... Read more

Features

• 2 difficulty settings for both experienced and new detectives
• Play as Nancy Drew in this interactive mystery-adventure game
• 20+ hours of thrilling game play; interview suspects
• New puzzles tie directly to the storyline and give important clues
• Solve the mystery on your own or team up with family and friends

Reviews (30)

Great Game!
I am a definite horse person. Though the game didn't focus on the horses, the whole ranch-y theme was very fun. I played the game all the way through twice. The only problem with the game is the whole barrel-racing thing. It's very hard and it took me a long time to get my horse to go fast enough. Some things (like the puzzle under the rock) are nearly impossible, but there are little cheats to get you through. I've found that all Nancy Drew games are much more easily played when using the help of a hints website. Overall a great game and a GREAT buy!

Excelent
Ii wouldd rate thegame 5 stars becaus it was ery adventures nd interestiing. It was aalso a indapendit game

Better than some
I thought this one was good but i found all of the tasks that the cook gave us took so much time and were really tedious. I really like the ending in this one (i won't tell you who does it) but my favourite one so far is "message in the haunted mansion."

I LOVED IT!!!!
I really enjoyed this game!!! I couldn't stop playing! The End got my heart pounding like CRAZY!! I also really enjoyed the graphics, it was like I was really there! It wasn't all mystery,it had alot of funny parts. I really recommend this game. I also learned alot like, how to pick ripe veggies, stuff about horses, and even a recipe for a cake!!! SO BUY IT ! NOW!

Awesome, Great Game!!!
This is a VERY good game. You're on a treasure hunt in the Arizona desert, which is really awesome. And the graphics are AMAZING! I love this game! If you like this game, my other suggestions are Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake and Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island! (P.S. You get to go to a ghost town, a canyon, the middle of the desert, a shop, and at the VERY end, ancient Indian cliff dwellings!) ... Read more

Product Description

When a mean witch casts a spell that turns Boots into Sleeping Boots, Dora must become a true princess to awaken him! Preschoolers can travel with Dora throughout Fairytale Land, solving colorful puzzles, helping magical friends and saving the day! This PC Play Pack also offers a bonus Dora figure, perfect for kids to take ontheir own adventures!* Valuable skill development for preschoolers:Problem-solving* Exploration and discovery* Understanding numbers, colors and shapes* Creativity through music and art* Y un poco de espa ol tambi n! (And a little Spanish too!)* Popular Dora songs from the TV series perfect for singing and dancing!* Classic storybook tales throughout Fairytale Land. -- SPECIFICATIONs -------------------------------------ESRB Rating : EC for Early ChildhoodGenre/Category : KidsSystem : PCNumber of Players : 1Requirements: Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XPPentium II 300 MHz or higher32 MB RAM (64 MB RAM for XP)100 MB Free hard drive space8X Speed CD-ROM Drive8 MB Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP-compatible SVGA video card*.Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*DirectX version 9.0 (included) or higher www.atari.com ... Read more

Features

• Multiplayer mode included – replay a course with other players
• Compete on 14 different and unique courses
• Ride through 6 different landscapes
• Integrated adventure mode allows you to play through the game while trying to solve a mystery
• Customize your horse with your favorite features

Reviews (8)

Good idea, but too frustrating
I enjoyed everything about this game except for the difficulty of the game play. In order to progress through the game, you need to complete increasingly difficult courses, some in a paddock and some cross-country, within a specified time and relatively error-free. Perhaps it's easier for younger players and it's my slow adult reflexes that trip me up, but I found this close to impossible. The controls are too clumsy to allow you to move your horse around the course at a pace quick enough to beat the time.

Don't consider this game unless you have endless patience, don't ever lose your temper, have lightning-quick reflexes, and are obsessed with horses. Otherwise you'll do what I did: scream in frustration and uninstall.

Totally Great!!!!
This game is the Best!!!! i love it because it is just like taking care of your own horse. grooming can be a annoyning but i sitll love it. doing the hooves takes like forever but thats okay. i love riding in competitions and taking care of the horse. the best horses are the two last ones you get. the horses are better in the competitons. im stuck on the wheel part and ive had the the game for about 3 months. if you buy this game you won't regret it!!!!

Four
I think this game is really great, the graphics are good, but the grooming! every time you go to a show, you get a new horse to look after them on top of your other horses. Also some horses are better than others, for example, the best ones are the palimino, the dark grey (these are the last two horses you get ) and Eclair. The challenges are really tricky and I still havent worked out the wheel one and ive had it for a year!

Fun Fun Fun
This is a really cool game even for me and I'm 16! Yea Its sad I know but I wanted a good horse game, I beat the Barbie Riding Game in less than an hour. So I was happy when I still haven't been Saddle Up and ive had it for almost a month!

The grooming can be really annoying after a while but its alot like real life. Picking there feet takes like 15 mintues the first time. The challanges are HARD! I still haven't figured out the wheel challange and its making me very mad!! But I still love it!

Great Game for Horse Fans Like Me!!!
I love this game. It is fun as well as challenging. The part I don't like about it ,though is the grooming.

It takes like an hour just to pick a hoof, and you keep getting more horses to groom throughout the game! You have to ride and care for each and every horse, even if they don't belong to you! In some competitions, you have to ride you're "friends'" horses instead of your own. (Your horses are a lot better at pacing themselves in the challenges.) I also don't like how you can only save the game in your room. But worst of all, is how much grooming is involved EVERY DAY!!! Hose down the horse, brush him, pick his HOOF (not hooves, thank goodness), shoe him, AND clean his stall and take him to the pasture! All of that is involved before you can go riding!

BUT, I loved the graphics. The only problem is if you wander off course, your horse falls into a white area. It is a great game, though. And the courses and competitions are a ton of fun! The challenges are REALLY CHALLENGING. It takes a while to figure them out, but its fun while doing it. This is an awesome game for horse fans like me. This game shows what its like to own a horse. I think it should be ages 11 and up! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Revisit the world of Myst like you've never seen it before. For the first time, the surreal world of Myst can be experienced in full 3-D. Swaying trees and independently roaming animals add life to the formerly static Myst worlds. The realMYST game includes the complete original Myst game, along with an all-new fifth age, called the Rime Age, which provides a complete ending to the original mystery.

For those unfamiliar with Myst, it is one of the primary reasons your computer has a CD-ROM drive. CD-ROM drives didn't really catch on as must-have components until Myst debuted in 1993. Since then, the game has sold more than 9 million copies and still appears on bestseller charts.

The realMYST game takes place in a beautiful, interactive virtual world. The player must solve puzzles and roam magical realms filled with archaic technology in order to solve an ancient mystery. ... Read more

Reviews (61)

BUYING TIP!!!
This game was a lot of fun but a little short compared to the other Myst games. Riven is perhaps the best of the Myst series but I have yet to play Revelation. You can buy this game new and cheaper just about anywhere. And if you still have no luck, try Ebay. This game also works for Windows XP!!! Some people have had a little trouble with it but just make sure you download the patch which can be found at ubisoft.com. I played RealMyst on XP with no trouble. Good luck and ENJOY!

Very cool game!
I think this version of Myst was awesome! The graphics rock!

realMyst
Not as good as the other two, but definitely worth playing. The Rime age is AMAZING. It makes the whole thing worth playing. The Selenetic Age is another of my favorites. I was also a little disappointed because almost nothing happens at the end, but, thank goodness, there's a sequel. VERY nice graphics.

A nice way to revisit MYST.
You can see all of the other reviews for the details. What I'll tell you is that if you didn't like MYST, there is no reason realMYST will change your mind. Despite a SERIOUS makeover, it's the same game.
realMYST is for those of us who liked the original and want to revisit the game in a new way. The original Myst runs terribly on my newer machine. So even when I feel like playing it, even if to only walk around on the islands, it becoms a pain.
This new version runs great. So if you have a machine that can handle it (by now you prob. do)and liked MYST, I would suggest you get this game .

Good, but not as good as the other 2
I started the Myst games with Exile, and worked my way down to Myst, Real Myst.
I won't tell you the story, (you've probably heard it from all the other reviews anyway) because discovering the story, and whats going on is half the fun!
But i have to tell you that i love, and i mean love Riven and Exile, and i thought that RealMyst would be awesome, but i couldn't help but be dissapointed. Its not the full 3d format, some people would call that annoying, but i don't think its that bad, but its just that the ages aren't half as incredible as in Riven and Exile, and the game in general is just not as good as the sequels. Maybe its just because i basicaly knew the storyline before i played it. But whatever it was i just didn't find it as good as the others.
And by the way to returning Myst fans, the new Rime age is a big dissapointment, its so small!
Anyway, its worth the price, but just letting you know that its not all that.
And if you haven't played a myst game DON'T READ THE STORYLINE! Discovering the story detective like is half the fun. And that goes for all myst games. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

A collection of seven games in the classic King's Quest PC game by Roberta Williams. Also includes several bonus games. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

you can get it cheaper
you canbuy kings quest 15th anniverary with games 1 through 6 much cheaper and then purchase kings quest 7 separately much cheaper

I need help playing my King's Quest on XP
I got the King's Quest Colection Series a while back, only paid 30 bucks for it so I see that I am lucky :-), anyways, I LOVE these games but I just got a new computer with XP and all that and now I can't play the games!! I read in a review below that it is possible to play them, I just have to turn my compatibilty back to Windows 95 but I looked and can not find that anywhere! Someone PLEASE help me with this because I absolutely LOVE these games and want to play them now... Please Email me at kel192004@yahoo.com with any information. Thanks everyone!

Getting Hard To Find
For those of you criticizing the prices here on Amazon for this amazing collection i find it kind of funny. Most of you (myself included) have no problem plopping down 50 bucks for a new game but when it comes to the greatest collection of games EVER released including the first 7 Kings quest games, and a remake of the first 1 - with better graphics only available in this collectionas well as a host of other classic adventure games and other bonuses to numerous to list 100 bucks or so starts to sound like a bargain - and believe me you probably wont save any money on ebay on this one - hard to find is a gross understatement. (Supply and demand)

I have my copy and i love it.

You can run games on XP
I won't bother repeating how wonderful ALL of the games are, because everyone has either said it or already knows it. I am writing this in response to the review that says you cannot run it on XP- you can. You must change the compatibility settings to windows 95. Right click, and go to properties. You will see the compatibility tab.Just change the settings to windows 95 and check all the boxes.

Great ride but not worth the price of admission
The Kings Quest collection is, in my opinion, the best adventure series ever but these prices that the people are selling them at are utterly and stupidly ridiculous! Now as far as the games are concerned, EVERY game in the series is great and awesome there really isn't a bad game in the whole series and the way each game connects from the last is done perfectly and brilliant. I think the best way to describe this series is like playing a awesome novel that always keeps ahold of your attention. Now as far as the price concerns obviously these greedy jackasses are asking for WAY too much. Mainly because these games are meant to be played on older systems, KQ 1-4 are DOS games and KQ 5-7 were designed for WIN 3.1. I have a Pentium II processor and run WIN98SE and I sometimes have problems running KQ 5-7 so I could imagine this collection wouldn't work too well if at all on more modern systems. Even if you do have an older computer and want to purchase this collection you could find it for alot cheaper on ebay (little hard to find but be patient there's usually someone selling it.) So to summarize, Awesome, kick ass, rocking games but overpriced by greedy jackasses so check Ebay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

In the annals of computer adventure gaming, LucasArts' epic The Secret of Monkey Island remains as engrossing today--despite its obviously dated visuals and sound effects--as when it was first released. With its timeless story line and humor, The Secret of Monkey Island shaped adventure games for many years to come.

To the relief of longtime fans, LucasArts finally released the third game in the trilogy: The Curse of Monkey Island. Thankfully, its technical superiority to its predecessors doesn't come at the expense of a delightful and hilarious story line--The Curse of Monkey Island is every bit as good as its prequels.

Players once again assume the role of Guybrush Threepwood, an aspiring pirate who lacks the coordination and muscle tone to succeed as a swashbuckler. After unknowingly slipping a cursed diamond ring on the finger of his longtime love, Elaine Marley, Guybrush finds himself--and the player along with him--again battling wits with the nefarious (and very dead) pirate, LeChuck.

Utilizing a simple point-and-click interface, players guide Guybrush through hundreds of beautifully rendered scenes, meeting unique characters, collecting dozens of objects, and solving puzzles. Interacting with the eccentric inhabitants of LucasArt's comic Caribbean is one of the adventure's highlights; the excellent writing and dialogue make each new encounter even better than the last. The Curse of Monkey Island, with its Saturday-morning-like animated graphics, is suitable for all ages, though the tricky puzzle solutions may be a tad obscure for younger gamers. --Doug Radcliffe

Pros:

• Delightful story line and excellent dialogue
• Colorful, animated graphics
• Simple, easy-to-use interface
• Suitable for all ages

• Some puzzles might be a bit obscure

Reviews (55)

COTI--A new classic
Another step in the succesful Tower Island series,though this misses
the charm of SOTI and TI2KJR,it is still a classic.Ever since the invention of Guybrush and his Magnon Croboys adventures he has been regarded as a computer-game saint.Now comes the next puzzly Nachitov
Croboys chapter.

Great jumping Monkeys! This game still rocks!
The Curse of Monkey Island is the 3rd game in Lucasarts' highly acclaimed graphic adventure series, and finds our hero Guybrush Threepwood tasked with removing a cursed ring that has turned his girlfriend into a gold statue.

My siblings and I dug this game out over the holidays, and (having memorized all the solutions to all the puzzles) went through it in one straight session. This game holds up surprisingly well for being close to a decade old. The graphics look like they were pulled straight from a cartoon, and only the pixelation in the cutscenes will hint at the game's true age. The voice acting is spot-on perfect (Alan Young, voice of Scrooge McDuck, has a hilarious role), with lots of clever dialogue and delivery and occasional references to Star Wars and other Lucasarts games. Puzzles are reasonably challenging without being too obscure, and most gamers should be able to find their way to the end without consulting a walkthrough too much, if at all.

The major strike against this game is that if you're not familiar with the Monkey Island series, a portion of the story and background will leave you scratching your head (such as why Guybrush starts the game floating in a bumper car in the middle of the ocean). The first two installments in the game were DOS-based, and they were old even when Curse of Monkey Island was new. There's actually a huge portion of the game at the end dedicated to sorting out all the various plot threads of the series, and new players might find this a little drawn out. Still, the basic premise of the game is simple enough to follow.

There's no guarantee this game will work on WindowsXP, but I've had no problems running it, so it's worth giving it a shot (a group of fans also developed programs to make the game run smoother, for those having difficulty with it). The Curse of Monkey Island is a classic game in a genre that has been criminally neglected in today's gaming industry.

best ever
easily one of the best point and click adventure games. end of story....

Monkey Island! A review for the obsessed...
I own all four of the Monkey Island games. Of course, they are all very good, but this remains my favorite. Unless you hate funny, puzzling games with good graphics, pirates and ex-cannibals, this is a game you must play. I have to admit that some problems are hard to solve without the cheat sheets (which you can get at cheatcc.com) but if you use them, use them as a guide the first time. After one or two plays you should be able to go through the whole game with no problems. And it is one of those games you play more than once, you have to. I don't know exactly what it is, but this game is the best , I couldn't reccomend better. Gubrush, LeChuck, Lemonhead, and of course the demonic skull Murray keep you in your seat until your done, and then you want to start all over again. It has a good plot, good graphics, and it's not a hard game to understand just one you have to figure out. For those of you that aren't beginners, but obsessed fans, you should know all this, so my message to you is buy them all if you haven't already and keep being a Monkey Island fan!

"YOU FIGHT LIKE A COW!"
Sorry for the title.I figured it was a good attention grabber plus Guybrush says this many a time juring this game...

This is an excellent game!The cartoon graphics are cute, and they work quite well surprisingly.The characters themselves are well drawn and are have very individual, uniquepersonalities.
I love the wit in this game.I found myself laughing out loud sometimes inspite of myself.
This is a very original and clever game, and it is far superior to many I have played.

(P.S. If you like this game, try playing "Escape from Monkey Island"- which isn't quite as good as this one though but still good- and "Grim Fandango" which I highly recommend!). ... Read more

Features

• Discover the shocking truth behind the Devil's Triangle and find the long-lost city of Atlantis
• In Riddle Of The Sphinx, you must solve a series of puzzles -- Unearth sacred artifacts as you journey through eerie labyrinths
• Find the missing scroll using an archaeologists' notes and your own wits, to learn a secret and remove a curse
• The Omega Stone -Riddle Of The Sphinx II takes you on a trip around the world
• Search the ruin of ancient Mayan pyramids to uncover evidence of a lost worldwide civilization

Reviews (1)

Riddle of the Sphinx 1 and 2
I've played both games (although individually, not in this boxed set).They are very, very beautiful-looking games, and it's obvious that the designers did a LOT of research.There are a few minor glitches here and there, but I enjoyed them greatly.

In Riddle of the Sphinx, it's the year 2012, and internationally-famous archaeologist Sir Gil Geoffries has made a startling discovery at the Giza Plateau, where the Sphinx and Great Pyramid are located.He calls on you, his trusted colleague, to come and join him, but when you arrive, the camp is deserted.You have to search the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx to find out what happened to everyone.

The graphics are so detailed, I actually felt like I was desecrating the pyramid, wandering around, looking for clues.The puzzles are very interesting, sometimes frustrating.But the answers are all there.

[SPOILER: Only one thing bothers me - if the lost temple is out in the open like that, why didn't anyone spot it from the air?]

Riddle of the Sphinx 2 picks up moments after the end of RotS 1.Sir Gil has discovered a scroll that contains information linking several sites around the world.You have to travel to Stonehenge, Chichen Itza in Peru, Easter Island and the Devil's Triangle to piece together clues.Again, the graphics are beautiful, even better than in RotS 1. Some of the clues are a bit frustrating (I had to use the online walkthrough a couple of times), but well worth it.

My biggest complaint would be in the CD-ROMS.Yes, you have to shuffle discs.In RotS 1, it's not so bad since it doesn't take long to load.But in RotS 2, it takes a LONG time to load between locations, even when they're on the same disc!

At the end of RotS 2, it's hinted that there's a RotS 3 in the works.I can't find any information on it, though.But it's something worth looking into. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Star Trek: Armada 2 is the sequel to the Star Trek real-time strategy title Star Trek: Armada. An innovative RTS, Star Trek: Armada 2 adds a new level of strategy and realism to the original by allowing players to command from a 3-D tactical view. Set in The Next Generation universe, the game's story unfolds through three single-player campaigns from the Federation, Klingon, and Borg perspective. Additionally, the Cardassians, Romulans, and Species 8472 will join the fray throughout.

The sequel also features more armada than before. Sweeping 3-D gameplay immerses gamers in a universe of space, supremacy, and survival with more ships, longer campaigns, and all-out battles. You can arrange fleets in many different 3-D formations with up to 16 ships, which dramatically affect strategic and tactical decisions. The outcome of every encounter depends on the player's ability to manage resources, crew, and fleets of ships across the galaxy.

Players command the fleets of three different races through three separate single-player campaigns for a total of 30 missions. Additionally, gamers can take control of six separate races in multiplayer mode. Each has divergent combat styles and tactical approaches. Other noncombatant aliens such as the Ferengi make for willing trade partners. Gamers become fully immersed in the explosive battles with the addition of the tactical view mode, a ship-to-ship combat viewer that allows you to control fleets from on top of the action. ... Read more

Reviews (261)

DO NOT BUY FROM VINDOR
this was a waste of money getting this game so far i have had to get this game replaced twice because the cd keys does not work do not buy this game you are throwing away your money

the best game ive ever known!!!!!!!!!
this game is almost the best game ever it all start's when your the federation and you have to beat the borg and find out how they got so deep into the alfa qoudrent without being detecded but when your klingon's you find out that the federation have been atact by the cardasien's and when your klingon it's time that you give them payback but i havent fineshed the game yet i bought it last year it was 50$

STAR TREK: STARFLEET COMMAND 3
Star Trek Starfleet Command 3.Could there ever be a better game?After you play this game, you will answer that question the smae way I did.No.In SFC3, you can play as Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg.From the sleek Soverign class vessel (U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-E) to the massive Borg Cube.Fire a variety of weapons, including Quantum Torpedoes, Phasers, Disruptors, and Gavemetiric Torpedoes.Beam you troops over on hit-and-run raids to disable enemy systems, or to attempt the impossible: take over the entire vessel.
Create fleets of up to five vessels, and gang up on small vessels.Invade enemy territory in missions ranging from Planetary Scan, Assulting defensless stardocks, or taking a suicidal run on an enemy starbase.
Launch Probes, cloak, use an anti-cloaking scan, launch specialized shuttles, an perform eratic manuvers.Manage your sheilds to prevent enemy boarding parties from completeing their mission.Name your ship, and create ships from the shows like the U.S.S. Defiant, and visit noted locations such as Sector 00,01 (Earth), Romulus, Remus, The Borg Homeworld, and the legendary home of th klingons, Q'ronos.
Engage in 4 epic campagins, icluding for all major star empires, The United Federation of Planets, The Kligon DefenseFleet,The Romulan Star Empire, and the Borg Collective.Or, you can just ignore polotics, and go on to conquer the galaxy.
Anyway, you can count on SFC3 being the best STAR TREK game ever.It is not worth the $90.00 it's being sold for, though, so buy it at a computer game store.Good Luck Conquering the galaxy.You can e-mail me if you have any questions about the game at comderbashir@yahoo.comJolan Tru

Star Trek Bridge Commander.
I've been playing Star Trek Bridge Commander for a while now after I purchased the game just a few years ago. The computer graphics are great if you like to take the Captain's Chair. This game requires some stragety and it's often difficult to play. I have to play this game a number of times before I can get through the next level. But if you are a extremely better gamer and love Star Trek this game is for you. If not don't buy this game if you are not satisified.

J'aimerais bien avoir ce jeu
Jai lu que le jeux était discontinué.

Je voudrais quand savoir ou je pourrais avoir ce jeux ... Read more

Features

• For 1-8 players over LAN or Internet
• The 3rd installment of the classic real-time city-building simulation
• Destroy hidden pirate lairs, build new towns and establish new trade routes
• Astutely trade the surplus from one region to those in need
• Grow your small towne into a major trading center

Reviews (8)

Strange Topic, Fun Game
Who knew that being a member of the Hanseatic League would make for a fun game?Anyone who figured out that zoning can be fun (SimCity), or pretending to have a real life can be fun (The Sims) knows that the topic can be unusual if the gameplay is there.In fact, games that aren't clones of other games are a welcome sight.Patrician 3 is a fun game on a topic few would expect to see in a game.

This is a trading sim.You start in Luebeck in 1345, with one ship, and build an empire.You buy more ships, set up trade routes, build manufacturing facilities, and try to keep the people of your hometown supplied with all of their wants and needs.Patrician 3 is probably most like Machiavelli: the Prince (AKA Merchant Prince).

The graphics are fine, once you recognize that their purpose is to present information.There's a map of the North Sea, and a map for each town.The battle graphics are serviceable, but don't look for 3-D like Pirates of the Carribean, there is an overhead map with icons.

Gameplay is what Patrician 3 offers.As one reviewer said, this is an oddly compelling game.If you like the genre, this is a "one-more-turn" experience on the order of Civ 3, though Patrician 3 does not have the replayability that Civ does. You can shuffle what cities are good at, and there is a campaign game, but each successive Patrician 3 game tends to be too similar to be playing it week after week.Nonetheless, you'll have plenty of fun before you tire of it, and you'll come back to it months later unlike so many other games.

Beware, however, that Patrician 3 is not supported on many laptops.I installed and ran the game fine, but when I tried to play again I could not initialize the graphics.Ascaron is very clear that they do not support laptops because of the limited graphics "cards" these typically have.

There are not too many changes from Partician 2, but this is a fine game for any new player who likes trade-and-build games, and any Patrician 2 fan who doesn't need a major overhaul to justify upgrading.

Plenty of new features make this worthwhile
The common criticism of this game is that it is merely Patrician II in some new packaging.Insofar as experienced P2 players will have no problem diving right into P3, I suppose that is true.However, there are more than enough new features in P3 that will challenge even an experienced P2 veteran's learning curve.

In particular, the new version guarantees that becoming Mayor or Alderman actually means something now.A mayor now has access to the town coffers, which means that if you are some sort of Hanseatic Boss Tweed, you can line your pockets with impunity --- that is, until the next election, when the citizens of your possibly bankrupt town may decide enough is enough and toss you out on your patrician behind.If on the other hand you are more civic-minded, the game now allows you (as both a Councillor & a Mayor) to contribute actively to the overall health & prosperity in the town.In P2, being a Councillor was largely symbolic --- you got to vote for Mayor once a year, and participate in the occasional Hanseatic vote, and that was it.As Alderman, strangely there was even less power to wield, so it never really represented a significant improvement of your fortunes.You are also given the opportunity to suck up to the local noble (or antagonize him, if you are so inclined).How you choose to deal with the local Prince can determine whether or not your town finds itself under siege.Sieges have also been tweaked to allow you a more active role rather than sitting by helplessly waiting to see if the attacking army will break through the gates.

Additions of civic buildings like a school & a mint allows you to have an influence on a town's growth, and the inclusion of Hanseatic missions providing for the contstruction of entirely new towns gives P3 an entirely new depth.The missions can sometimes be fairly straightforward, but they can also leave you struggling to provide the necessary resources --- a failed mission will leave you in extremely poor standing with the Hanse, so proceed with caution.

The ability now to save your shipping routes is a welcome time-saving addition.Less welcome (but accurate nonetheless) is the tendency of the northern ports to freeze solid during the winter months.Watch the ports freeze and then watch your finely tuned trading operation unravel all across the map --- what fun!

For those who find endless trading and management of municipal infrastructure to be a bit tedious, P3 now offers you more opportunities to duke it out with the pirates who seem to litter the north seas.Escorting fugitives and other travellers can find you in the midst of a battle with a pirate, and if you play it right, can provide you with a nice hulk for the low low price of a few sailors' lives.Hanseatic missions will also allow you to attack pirate hideouts which can sometimes involve fleets of ships blasting away at each other.The potential for violence and mayhem has vastly increased from P2, but strangely, the sea battle graphics still are rather primative.Anyone who has played Ascaron's "Port Royale II" knows that the sea battle graphics can be much better than what is found in P3.

Other inclusions such as raising a family may not actually improve gameplay, but it does personalize your game character a bit more, and that is a nice detail to be appreciated.All in all, Ascaron's tweaking has resulted in a game that is different enough from its predecessor to make it worth acquiring.Rest assured that the newest "Patrician" entry is still the all-consuming time-burner it has always been.Be prepared to devote a mininum of 2 hours each time you play it.

90% Same Game as P2
Patrician III is not much different than PII, so if you have PII don't buy this game.I enjoy playing Patrician, but the only useful feature this "new" version offers is the ability to save and edit your trade routes.Now for those of you who are new to Patrician games, you should buy this version.

I enjoy the historically based games that merge city building, battles and a touch of RPG all in one.In the beginning you have one ship and no reputation...As the game develops you can easily become overwhelmed in the micro managing of 15-20 different cities,Numerous ships, politics, housing, industry, and just plain old buying and selling of goods.

Many of the other reviews go into the specific historic issues as related to the Hanseatic league, but all you really need to know is you need to make money.Buy low-sell high!That is all you need to know to start.You trade goods from town to town with your ship(s).

As you begin to gain money and status, you will start to learn which towns need certain goods(Which I won't go into here), and then to build industries, housing, more ships, etc.Eventuallyyou become targeted by Pirates.The battle graphics are very basic and controls very low tech.I has hoping for an improvement from P2, but it is the same.Some battles take 15-20 minutes, esp. when you have to chase a badly damaged ship against the wind.Don't buy this game if you are into battles... I think they were an after thought.

My first P3 game is now 40 hours long, and I control 30 ships and have offices in 5 towns.I don't even turn the game on unless I have two hours to spend.I enjoy the game very much and try to automate as much as possible to allow me to keep an eye on the markets and fine tune trade routes for the most profit.My defenses are quite good to cover trading, and when a pirate attacks they are usually sunk or captured... but there goes another 20 minutes.You control the speed of the game, but as slow speed your trade routes will take so long you might look up and the sun is rising!!!

If you enjoy reading historical fiction and sim-city type games, then buy this game, but don't tell your wife... or husband.

You Will Enjoy This Game
For those of you who are looking for a game with depth this is it. It does take awhile to learn how to play the game but once you do you will enjoy it. You start out with a single ship and trade or fight your way to riches. You build up towns that you build offices in by suppling the town with various goods that you can buy in other cities or produce yourself. This is not a process you complete in a few hours. It's like a project that you work on for several nights. Set goals before you begin, such as how many people will be in the cities. I like to start in different towns and see how far I progress in say 10 years. Trying to do better than before. Each city is different and looks great. This game really makes you think and stratigize how to best build up your fortune.

Patrician 3 Not a Good Game
I saw this at a popular mall store and ended up buying it.It looked similar to Caesar 3,Civilization 3 and several other games of that sort. I always start a new game with the Tutorial.
It gives you several modes to play in from Sea Combat to City development and Trade to Political.It doesn't give you any sense of how to maneuver your ship or what reasonable goals would be for a starting player that has never played the Patrician system before.I have to hope that people who have played Patrician 1 and Patrician 2 can make it through it .I'm not sure that that's
enough to reccommend the game.At one point you have to hire a crew and it tells you to hire a crew but there is no hire button.There is also no Strategy guide available for this game.
I'm not talking about a cheat book,I mean a book that says Shift+H = hire .Wait til its in the $5 or less before you buy this. ... Read more

Features

• Non-linear style of game play
• Search for the truth on a dangerous quest for riches
• 20+ mind-bending puzzles with various degrees of difficulty
• Beautifully created, colorfully rich 3D environments
• 8 brilliantly inspired, diverse worlds; built-in hint system

Product Description

TONKA Construction PC Play Pack puts kids in charge of tough TONKA trucksdigging, dozing, dumping and more! 12 Easy to operate TONKA trucks interact with various environments. Make way for new construction with 4 demolition modes. Customize and personalize your very own TONKA city! Create your own buildings - from windows and rooftops, to landscaping - you make it your own! Save your best work and print with pride! Plus, mouse enabled version of Power Tools also included on disc ... Read more

Features

• For kids who like to dig, demolish, and build
• Tonka-Tough experience, plus a real Tonka truck
• Over 100 construction jobs to tackle
• Dozen Tonka trucks and lots of rugged tools
• Build up a town; create cool custom cars

Features

• PC Products
• ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending)
• Adventure

Reviews (17)

It's a RIPOFF!!!!!!!
This game is a ripoff of the MYST games. From the MYSTerious to just the overall game, you're much better getting the phenomenal MYST games. Honestly, don't spend your money on something that's only a small fraction equal to the beauty of MYST, Riven, Exile (well, MYST and Riven beat Exile...), or Uru.

Mysterious Dud!
I have never written a review before but this game is so bad that I wanted to warn people! I am a college graduate and have played a great many adventure games. If you are not a math and game playing geek, I suggest you read the cheat sheets at Gameboomers. Com to see what you will be getting yourself into before you invest anything in Mysterious Journey 2. The puzzles are continuous and so convoluted that you will spend hours and hours doing nothing but trial and error. There is nothing clever or original about any puzzle in this game. The good graphics are wasted. The characters are at best stupid and the story line is mediocre. By the way, if you do not understand base numbers, you probably will not understand even the cheat sheet. If you loved Syberia, than you will be very disapointed with this dud.

Puzzles Are Fun but not Integrated
A much better game than the original Schizm (at least on CD-ROM, I've heard the DVD version was great).Puzzles are challenging, but aren't very well integrated into the game.The storyline is pathetic considering it was written by a "real" science fiction author!Graphics are good, but for some reason aren't as engaging as others in the genre.Good user-interface.As far as the voice acting, let's just say that a certain female in the end destroys anything positive I have to say about the voice acting in this game.She was absolutely the worst voice actress I have EVER heard!!!

If You Have Vertigo forget this game!
I tried to play this game but quickly had to stop, as the beautiful 3d graphics also made me INCREDIBLY ill! I am very disappointed, the game looks very fun and challenging.

Disappointed
After Schizm 1 I had high hopes for this game. Too bad. In my opinion, it just isn't as good. I am very disappointed.

Why? The puzzles. The story. The graphics. I could go on, but I'd just be ranting and this isn't the place for it. I just didn't like it. ... 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 Product Description

Beautiful scenery, haunting sounds, clever puzzles, and a dramatic story secured Myst's place in the top-seller charts for years. Myst was a real phenomenon, the Pok&eacute;mon of its day, and Myst spinoffs such as books, calendars, and T-shirts popped up everywhere. There were even rumors of a movie. Riven: The Sequel to Myst was also a success and expanded the story of the world-writing D'ni and the convoluted family history of Atrus, the old man from Myst. However, aside from a 3-D remake, the years since Riven have been Mystless. That's about to change.

Myst III: Exile is almost complete and is ready to challenge the sales records of its forebears. The story takes place 10 years after the events in Riven. Atrus and Catherine, the danger-prone victims in the first two games, are now living in their new home called Tomahna. They have a baby daughter named Yeesha, and all seems well until the appearance of a new villain, played by actor Brad Dourif. Dourif's as-yet-unnamed character is seeking revenge. Atrus's mad sons destroyed his world and now it's payback time. The game will feature five new ages to explore, and they will be filled with beautiful graphics and mind-numbing puzzles. A new interface and more up-to-date technology round out the advances you'll see when you next enter the enchanting world of Myst.

The limited, individually numbered Collector's Edition copies contain Prima's official strategy guide, the journal of Atrus, a pewter Myst III animal, and a CD-ROM with the game's trailers and a "Making of Myst III" feature. --Andrew S. Bub

Check out our Myst Store,which has more info on Myst III, the complete line of Mystgames, and a selection of Myst clothing, soundtracks, andbooks. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Careful with Windows XP
I didn't carefully review the system requirements before ordering this game. I run Windows XP (home edition), and at first I thought I was not going to be able to get it to work at all. The game seemed to install OK, but it would not run after the installation. However, I was able to get it up and running by downloading the patch (available at ubisoft), and by adjusting the compatibilty after right-clicking on the executable file.

If the above tinkering makes no sense to you, it might be better to not order this edition. But it *was* actually easy to do, following instructions available online.

The game speaks for itself. It's another Myst! And that is good.

Board Games?!?!?!
Well, what can I say. THis game has great acting, good graphics, emursive worlds, and overall good gameplay. The only thing I don't like about it is that the buzzles are to descrete. Its almost as if they were meant to look like they were meant to be puzzles. It can't be something like myst where the puzzles are there for a logical reason, and it can't be like Uru where the puzzles were blended in with the enviroment so the game was harmonic, and it can't be like riven where the puzzles are not puzzles, but problems you had to face that required some brain power. THese puzzles, even though they go with the suroundings, they still are too descrite. I mean, its almost like they were ment for you. THings here aren't what they used to be. The puzzles themselves are quite impresive, but the way that they blend in with the age is like sticking srawberries in orange juice. For one thing, yet another puzzle is actually a puzzle age in itself. Its all puzzle and really seems like it was meant for your presance, not like it had any real fuction outside your enjoyment. Even the plant age has that. Lense flowers that focus the sun's light on large bulbs that hold electic fish and power plant machines. Even thier idea of a balaced enviroment is even more descrete. THe lense flower couldn't've just grown there without there being a purpouse. I mean really, how deep do you want me to get.

Wow!
Exile was wonderful, great puzzles and beautiful worlds.The graphics were great and the puzzles were hard but not too difficult.

can't compare to Riven
I liked Exile but it cannot compare to Riven. Exile has music that was too much like the Middle East and, I'm sorry, I mean no one any harm,BUTI'm just not in the mood for middle eastern stuff right now. The mechanics of the game -Exile- also were just not up to par with Exile's predacessorRiven. It was simply not as mysterious nor as moody as Riven ( especially the music ). While I was in the tree trunk, I did not know where in the heck I was at most of the time and I don't really find that confusion to be fun. Same for the puzzles. Somehow Riven was great and Exile was just O.K.

Myst III is the BEST YET!!!
The dramatic sequel to Myst and Riven is a sure-winner with all REAL gamers. Incredible soundtrack created by Jack Wall, amazing sound affects, and, of course, graphics. I love the 360 degree movement system, allowing gamers to look all around in very realistic worlds. The story is fantastic, introducing Saavedro, a bitter exile, who has been awaiting his chance to gain revenge against Atrus for twenty years, waiting on the Age of J'nanin, the "Lesson Age" that Atrus once meant to use to teach his sons the Art of writing links to other worlds through books. Works great with Win ME. With the collector's edition, you get the amazing soundtrack on CD, Prima's strategy guide, a little "Squee" figure, the making of Exile, plus two desktop themes, the game trailer, the TV commercial trailer, and the theatre trailer.

Gamers have been waiting for Myst III for years. They will not be disappointed. Thank you, Presto Studios! ... Read more

Features

• For 1 player
• Explore the island of Alida, searching for the missing Arin
• Explore beautifully rendered 3-D environments to solve this mystery
• Solve puzzles that range from simple to complex
• The original musical score sets the scene in this entrancing adventure

Reviews (2)

Didn't Like It as Much as I Wanted to...
Fifteen years ago in game history, the Australian band Alida was an international sensation. Their debut album broke all sales records by over 200% and overnight the band members became wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice.They decided to spend the money building an island theme park shaped like a giant, fully functional guitar.As the project neared completion, inner stresses tore the band apart and the whole thing was abandoned.Now, fifteen years later, one of the band members has gone back to the island and disappeared.His wife has asked you to go after him and bring him back.But to do so, you'll have to solve the mystery of Alida.

Rating this game was difficult for me.I had been looking forward to it for a long time and I really wanted to like it a lot.I kept looking for reasons to like it a lot.I've heard it compared both to Rhem and to Riven, both of which I like a lot.But something in Alida didn't grab me.

It's a beautiful game, to be sure.The graphics are very well rendered, if a little dark in places.The soundtrack is appealing, although I have to say I would have liked to hear more of that "brand new music" the band was supposed to have invented.Gameplay was smooth and intuitive.The plot was coherent. Even the installation, which confused some PC-users, struck me as simple and straight-forward.

But the process of the game itself failed to delight me the way I wanted it to, even though the mechanical puzzles featured were the kind I typically like, with elements and clues spread over a wide area.When these puzzles made sense, they were satisfying in a dim kind of way.But often there was some twist to the solution that was not immediately obvious, making a good deal of random searching necessary even when the logic behind the puzzle was clear.I find this incredibly frustrating, and it wrecked a lot of my enjoyment of the game.

The game world also seemed very hollow.It was a big world without much in it and a long way to go between puzzles.I don't mind unpopulated game worlds as a rule, but something about this one really bothered me.It's just, for such a big place, there wasn't a whole lot to see or do.I think the game could have benefitted by a few more in-game movies, more journals, more insight into the people who had allegedly built this place.You got to know two of the characters a little, but the remaining three were an enigma.

Also, I had a problem with the fact that even when you solved all the puzzles, the giant guitar WAS NOT IN TUNE. Please!!!If it was some weird alternate tuning, you should have made that clear!

A lot of thought went into this game, which was pretty much designed by one person. Putting together puzzles of this sort-well, you can see the effort and tell it was a labour of love.I kept wanting to realy, really like it, but I just didn't so much.

Alida took me about 20 hours to play, and I got quite a bit of help, which is unusual for me.There are no timed puzzles, you can't die, and saves are unlimited.The five-disc game installs completely to your hard drive and no disc is necessary for the game to run.From the ending, I believe there will be a sequel.I'll certainly play it, but I may not leap on it as soon as it's released.

A musical Rhem
If you liked Rhem, with its acres of lovingly rendered enigmatic machines set in gorgeous scenery and no people around to fool with, Alida will most likely set your heart aquiver. If, however, you preferred Myst, with the same baffling machines and gorgeous scenery but with an essentially human mystery at the center, Alida might strike you the way it did me: beautiful, but oddly lifeless. "Art and technology," as the cover blurb says, are all very well, and Alida does them extremely well; but without people in it, without human interaction, why bother?

Interface and loading were seamless, though nonstandard. Graphics are stunning, though my 3-year-old machine had difficulty handling water motion in some locations. The problems are difficult, but not insoluble, though a fair amount of backtracking is required, and that can get a little irritating. Many problems rely on sound and music, so if you have a hearing deficit (or are tone deaf) this game will be difficult to impossible for you.

A lovely game, best for those days when you're just sick to death of PEOPLE. ... Read more

Features

• Play as one of 4 teams for a total of 12 playable characters
• Control 3 playable characters at the same time -- use their different abilities to explore massive game worlds
• Multiple paths & missions for hours of great gameplay
• Check out the specialized stages that wait for every unique team
• Awesome environments and all kinds of challenges for every gamer!

Reviews (2)

GREAT GAME... IF SEGA cared about the PC community
This is by far the best sonic 3d game I've played. It is the closest you will get to the golden games of sonic in the genesis. It is fast, some stages like casinopolis are back,the special stage is just like that great sonic 2 stage, and last but not least charachters go back to their original, great roots. Sonic speed, Tails flying does make a difference in this game, and Knuckes, though it can not climb, it is quite usefull for uncovering the different routes, just like in the genesis.
The other teams are just the same, given changes in the degree of difficulty, but in reality the only difficulty you will find in this game... is the lack for a proper Console to PC transfer.

Withouth the analog control, it is sometimes very difficult to manouver arround stages, and you will fall quite a lot.
Also, PC graphics and performance can easily surpassed those in the consoles ... ok grated you have a good gaming desktop... and sega didn't took advantage of this. The only addon I have discovered so far for the PC, are a bunch of wallpapers, really nice by the way, and some mouse pointers, that is all.

If you have a console and an extra $20, probably get the console
But if like me, you give up on console when the DC died. Get this sonic game. It is fun, a different yet familiar gameplay, that will give you some old school Sonic fun. Given the controll issues I'm not giving it a 5.

Simply.....
GREAT!!! And you people out there who have this and is running EXTREMLY SLOW! All you got to do to fix that is the following steps:

1. Insert Disk 1
2. Choose the setup
3. Look at the bottom of the editer
4. You should see the Numbers 10,20,30, and 60
5. Set to 30
6. Look on the next thing above that
7. turn off the shadow's

It is that easy to setup it is also great so have fun playing Sonic Heroes PC! ... Read more

Features

• Action-adventure game with real-time 3D action
• Play as Skip and take on mean enemy bugs
• Swim, jump, fly, and solve puzzles; 10 immersive levels
• Travel across parks, sewers, pools, and more
• Suitable for all ages

Reviews (1)

Wow! This thing is a blast!
I have played the original Bugdom on my PC so much that the CD has become thin enough to read through. The only complaint i have ever had about the original game was that the controls were not as responsive as they should have been. This caused 'wandering'. Sometimes you're trying to go a certain way, and the controls made it difficult. In this game that problem was addressed. Wonderfully! The graphics are updated, the control scheme is simpler, and the controls are very reactive. You can stop on a dime and change views very easily. I have finished the game and found no game-stopping glitches. I did, however, find some 1st level head scratchers. During ONLY the 1st level, i would get booted to the windows screen often. I was about to give up., but i was enjoying the game so much i pressed on. I'm glad i did. The moment i left level 1, the problem never happenned again. This game is everything the original was, and with a lot of tweaks that would've made the first one even better! I would tell anyone i know that they would find this game enjoyable. ... Read more

Features

• PC Products
• ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
• Action/Adventure

Reviews (45)

Writing that makes you wish you were in Soviet Russia
Oh man, where do I begin?First of all, I have never written an amazon review.Reason being that I am usually pretty indifferent, or i should say on the level and feel that the customer can choose for him or herself without listening to my opinion which is many time different from theirs anyway.However, this game was so utterly and painfully terrible that I feel it my duty .... no, my crusade, my jihad, my mission and my ka to warn anyone, ANYONE no matter your usual preference of games to avoid this embarressmet at all costs.Do not take this game even if someone offers YOU 20 bucks to take it off their hands.This curse, this abomination may quiet possibly signal the doom of mankind and any further intelligent thinking on the part of mankind.The writing is terrible on such a level that I felt sick listening to the dialog .... which is impossible to turn down other than adjusting you own speaker volume because this game offers absolutely no game options what so ever.I am one of the few people who still love playing adventure games and i state this so no one gets the imppression that i am a first person shooter who's first forray into adventure gaming was this.I play adventure games for story, writing and thinking .... this monstrosity of a game gets a F in every category.I'm serious, do not waste your money on this game, do not waste your time or even 2-3 days of your life on this game .... go outside and feed bread crumbs to ducks or drill an enormous hole straight through your eyeball, just do not play this game.It is a curse that will stay with you.After witnessing this you will never ever buy an adventure again without first reading 30 reviews at least.After playing this game, which i might add I did not have the stomach to complete, I now no longer believe that mankind as a whole is evolving upwards toward some form of perfection.I now believe that we are de-volving at an unparrelled rate and that soon we will be swinging from trees again or living in caves drawing stick figures of deer and bears and such and calling those stick figures works of unriveled artistry.Please, unless you are considering all the pros of tolitarian censorship, then avoid this game as if it were a rampaging rabid grizzley in heat.

Corny and made little sense to me
This game was just bizzare. I rarely laughed at the corny humor that saturates the gameplay--I usually rolled my eyes. I thought the navigation was illogical and frustrating as well. This is one of those games that I forced myself to finish, and was glad when it was over. Still, it had enough challenge in it to keep me going, so it wasn't a total waste. I've definitely played worse games (like Conspiracies).

Save your money unless they come out with a patch
This game has done nothing but misbehave. First it did not want to load my saved game so I started over again. Second time around it was OK. Then the game blacked out on me at the same point every time, I uninstalled and installed again but the same thing kept happening. The Adventure Company has no on-line help, you have to e-mail them. I could not find a patch either. I am probably going to e-mail them to see what happens but basically I have written it off. I have all the requirements needed according to the box(XP etc.).

The little I played was disappointing and very confusing, the best thing they could do was to give a solution guide along so you can check if you are really just confused or does the game go somewhere?? I never got past the 2nd chapter so who knows?? Graphics are very cartoon like but then I am used to Myst, Syberia and other top of the line games. I could live with that if other features would make up for it, but that is not the case.

Dreadful
Had a heck of a time trying to run it on XP which only added to the unavoidable realization that this "adventure game" is a complete waste of a person's time and energy. I couldn't tell you much in the way of storyline because my computer would freeze up every 10 sec. I gave up trying to go past the 1st chapter. Who needs this aggravation. Root canal is more pleasant.

My Kind of Exploring
This is not for people who like shooters or blowing things up. You can easily get lost in the jungle for a while if you don't keep track of where you have been. Then there are the 6 doors that all look the same. They have a beautiful butterfly pattern on them, but you have to keep track of which door goes to which room. I really like this kind of exploring. I haven't scene a game like this in years. Once you find your way around, then you have to have found the right inventory items and figure out where you need to use them. Some of these are hilarious. You are in for some surprises. Then you can also explore areas out of sequence which adds to the confusion. There are doors in the middle of nowhere that are dimensional portals. Let alone you keep looking for the same guy, well, at least he kind of looks like the same guy. Actually the Doc is different versions of himself in past lives. These can be funny too. One time he is in a gorilla suit, then he looks like a sailor from a corporate office and then he is locked up in something - but I don't want to give that away. If you like taking your time trying to figure out a whacky world this is the one. ... Read more

Product Description

Take a glimpse into the future in Space Colony, a Space Sim from the makers of the award-winning Stronghold.In a groundbreaking combination of a People-Sim and a World-Builder, Space Colony allows players to manage and nurture an unruly bunch of dysfunctional space dwellers.Explore the planet, establish industries, and improve the colonists living conditions in a world swarming with over 20 unique alien species.Get to know your peoples strengths and weaknesses, train them, bring th ... Read more

Features

• Manage your space community - Over 20 unique personalities. They brawl, argue, get depressed, go crazy and fall in love.
• Contend with 20+ alien species - They hunt, socialize and get on with their weird and varied daily lives. But be ready to allocate power to your force fields as they may turn their eyes on you!
• Choose your priorities - Use the many robots and androids at your disposal to establish profitable extraction industries and hi-tech factories... so you can spend more time at the slot machines.

Reviews (12)

Outstanding and Unique Game
If you like sims, this game is perfect for you.Especially if you are a space nut like me.

You get to build and also control the people.Besides building and keeping your people happy, you also have to protect the colony from aliens and meteors.As if that isn't enough, you need to make money all the while.

The game has lots of really unique little things about it that make you want to keep playing just to see them all.One of my favorites is the space golf cart.

If you like these types of games, DON'T pass this one up!!

Another bonus, you can download extra campaigns from the maker and other users...or you can create your own campaigns!!

Good Addition to "Sim Style" PC Collection
This sim type game is very well thought out.It offers four forms of gameplay, all of which run smoothly.The campaign mode is excellent because it does a good job of allowing the user to become familiar with all of the features of the game.If you like the Sims, or any other tycoon style games, this is a must!

Space Colony
This game is great.I only have the demo but I plan to go buy it in just a few minutes.

Would give it 0 if I could
I purchased this game new 3 weeks ago (not from Amazon)and still haven't been able to play it because it's stuck on "create a user".I have been back and forth w/ tech support, tried all their suggestions and have gotten nowhere.I suggested they refund my money, but they haven't acknowledged that.

A nice addition to the sim genre
If you're a fan of "god games," Space Colony is a must-have. It's a great combination of building, resource management, defense, and, well, for lack of a better word, let's call it HR. People management. Social experimentation. You'll find other games that are more sophisticated in one of those areas (like The Sims, for the latter category), but overall Space Colony has a great mix. The building options are varied, though some more options for bio-dome decor would be nice and I'd really like to be able to rotate items. Resources include both raw materials and industrial products that have to be created by trained colonists. Threats to the colony's health come in various forms, large and small. Some are easily overcome (such as illness). Others, like the protoraptors, can be more difficult to defeat. Space Colony probably won't appeal to gamers looking for a really challenging military sim, but for my taste there's just enough to worry about in the defense sphere to add interest to the game.

The characters are one of the best parts of the game. There are twenty characters to get to know -- most important, the protagonist Venus Jones, who's probably the only truly sane character in the colony. Each character has a unique set of skills and liabilities. Tami, for example, is a social pariah and a drinker, but she can sweep floors like nobody's business. Vasilios has either brain damage or a deep-seated psychological problem that gives him a sort of catatonic, shell-shocked quality, but this character will work like a machine at whatever task you set him to. There's a lot to balance in the social management department, especially when you consider that, as in The Sims, relationships can degenerate over time. In other words, your colonists will fight. They'll shove each other, trash talk, and generally give you a real good reason to send them to the counseling robot for some stress management. Overall, the most wonderful part of the social side of this game is how varied the "talk" is. The colonists speak in English, not gibberish. You can overhear their comments on the decor (add some plants and you'll never hear the end of it), their small talk with each other, and even some longer dialogues during their "time outs" to resolve arguments. A lot of the comments are just plain funny, which really ads to the personality of the characters and the game as a whole.

Space Colony compares very favorably with other sim games I've played. I'd put it up there with Tropico 1 & 2 (also a Gathering title), Pharoah/Cleopatra, Civ III, with elements of The Sims thrown in. Actually, the game it's probably most like is the excruciatingly buggy StarTopia, only with more individuality and more social interaction. And many fewer bugs. In fact, I've been pleasantly surprised by how seemingly bug-free the game is so far, especially since I actually installed it on a machine that's slightly less than the recommended system requirements (P3 450 instead of P3 800).

Overall, this is a great addition to the sim genre, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sim games. ... Read more

Product Description

Before J. R. R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, there was The Hobbit. Join Bilbo Baggins in his journey though Middle-earth. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Action/Adventure
• Mission: Lead Bilbo Baggins through Middle-earth in his first big adventure
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (32)

An enjoyble game
From Hobbiton to Mirkwood,this game is really fun. The graphics are great,the music is great, and the quests are outstanding. However, the game doesn't follow the story all the time. The wepons you get are Sting,Stick, and rocks. The enviroments are amazing.

Happy Playing!

luv this game
I love this game.the only problems are that you can only save at specific points, and those points are not well placed.for instance, when you are fighting the spiders, when you get to the only save point, there is a giant spider about to kill you.also, the cutscenes get annoying after a while, and there are only 2 or 3 that you can skip. it takes a while to get used to fighting, but once you do, you can get past anything.what i really didn't like, though, was that the Ring has a meter, and once the meter runs out, you have to take the Ring off and wait for it to charge.when you are in the elven palace, it gets really annoying.overall, it is an awesome game, and i highly reccomend it.

Merely a Poor Console Conversion to make a buck
What the company did here is paid big bucks to get the movie name and rights to the characters, then no follow through.Not trusting the company is the reason for a demo.More demo's please.Recall the game, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"?Is was a beta for this game.Now they have better rendering on the characters, but they forgot to put color on the ground and walls.Everything is black.Super annoying.One player. "How do I get up there?"If you hate jumping games, you'll hate jumping games more that they don't finish making.Keyboard - Extra long jump Left-Ctrl key+direction key+jump key+you can't see because they didn't render the ground or the walls in act 2...it's black.Major design flaw (act1) with invisible barriers - If you push the butter churn to the fence near the hay stacks, standing on it to jump over, you can't jump back.You can physcially jump higher than the fence, but they never thought you'd do that and were using an invisible vertical barrier, so you couldn't get there in the first place.If you liked the book, don't purchase this game or you'll even find the book frustrating.

Good for kids... with some help
I've been playing this game with my six-year-old son.He loves it.He does need a little help sometimes.First, some of the puzzles are impossible for a child to figure out (and even adults, if you're not an experienced gamer.) Second, it can be difficult to know what to do at each level to get through it.What I did was to search the Web for a "walkthrough" -- a step-by-step guide for playing the game.Cheating?Maybe, but my son enjoys it more this way -- we get to be able to finish the game, and he can concentrate on the parts he can do well.

Not a PC game fanatic- but I loved this!
WOW!I am in no way a big PC game person.I prefer to play solitaire or go on cartoonnetwork.com.But when my younger brothers brought this home, I was definitely intrigued by the things you had to do in the game.

As soon as I got to play it, I was immediatly hooked.As an amateur, my brothers had to help me at several points, but I was able to figure most of it out on my own.I'm not a Tolkein freak, I just enjoyed the movies, so I can't complain about the storyline, because there definitely is one in this game.There is no bad language nor is there blood, which was a plus for me, as I am a female and I just don't enjoy those things.Of course you have to defeat villians, but it's not gross.

The graphics are awesome, too.There are excellent details and lots of movement.The look and feel of the levels all vary thus far, which makes it so the game doesn't get boring.

I highly recommend this game to anyone- even if you don't like PC games. ... Read more