Amazon.com

Bust-A-Move 4 proves that Dreamcast games don't necessarily needflashy graphics to be fun. This puzzle game has been around in one form oranother for years, and still offers enough charm and gameplay to deserve a spoton the shelf of any fan of the genre. This incarnation adds a mixed bag of newfeatures and enough play modes to keep you busy for a few weeks.

Gameplay is simple. The play area contains balls of various colors, and playerscontrol a cannon at the bottom of the screen that shoots one colored ball at atime. The cannon is immobile, but can be aimed left or right, and launched ballsstick to those that are already on the playing field. If three or more balls ofthe same color are touching, they are cleared from the board. These simple rulesoffer more strategic possibilities than you'd think, and the fact that perfectaim is required to place the cannon shots where they're needed adds to thefrantic action that ensues each time a game is started.

Bust-A-Move 4 incorporates a new combo system that makes spectacularboard-clearing shots possible, but also decreases the difficulty of the gamesignificantly because the combos happen far too often. The game is still fun intwo-player mode, but the developers oddly left out the superior four-playerabilities for which this game is famous. Still, with hundreds of puzzles tosolve, arcade-perfect graphics (which isn't saying much), and a decenttwo-player mode, Bust-A-Move 4 serves up plenty of entertainment value.--T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Crisp, clear graphics
• Hundreds of puzzles to play through

• No four-player mode
• New supercombos are lame

Reviews (13)

Lovely and fun puzzle game
With its several variations, and its charming Pokemon-like creatures, this puzzle game will bring hours and hours of entertainment. Think of it as an upside-down Tetris, but with many more ingredients to it: you have to burst bubbles above you by shooting more bubbles of the same color, until you reach three bubbles of the same color side-by-side. If you're good enough, you can rip out entire blocks of bubbles with a few moves. It's already very fun to play solo, but even more fun to bring in friends and do a two-player challenge. I have to say this game and Bomber Man are starting to make me a bit of an addict to puzzle games.

Excellent puzzle game, rivals Tetris
Being a huge puzzle game fan, I remember spending quarter after quarter on this game during my college days. Imagine my surprise when I found this available for the Dreamcast at a price that's a fraction of what I've spent at the arcade!If you're a puzzle game fan, you'll love this.The underlying concept of the game is as simple as the classic Tetris game, with different levels and types of gameplay that allow for varying degrees of challenge.One new feature that's different from the arcade version is the introduction of pulleys in the "puzzle" modes, which operate under a combination of the laws of physics, and color clustering.I found the head-to-head player vs computer gameplay hilarious, being somewhat modeled after the Mortal Combat-type games, which rewards numerous wins with new characters in the game.

Bust or Move
This game was alot of fun to play, but you might get too addicted to it. It shows that the most simple games made are the most fun, like tetris, dr. mario, pacman, and this game.

One of the Puzzle Gods lives on Dreamcast
Bub and Bob bring their wacky super-Japanese influenced puzzle mania to Dreamcast and there should be nothing stopping you from buying this game right now, inviting someone over and playing for 8 straight days. My only gripes with this game are the lack of multiplayer options such as 4 player (get B.A.M. '99 for n64) and online play. Still...it cannot be beat

Bust-A-Move series still going strong
Cutesy and shrill, some players may initially be turned off by what Bust-A-Move 4 has to offer. However, those players will be missing some mind-boggling single player fun, not to mention head-to-head action that heats up really quickly.

Graphically, Bust-A-Move has never been really splashy. Simple character drawings and animations are complemented by mono-color orbs. As the orbs are broken and fall, the characters run, jump, and yell in Japanese accents.

Sometimes this is a bit annoying, however, as some of them are so loud they distract from the game itself. One robot character even lets out a giant laser beam which causes a cascade of loud explosions to ripple across the bottom of the screen. It's kinda annoying when it happens over and over again.

The tutorial mode seems to have been translated from Japanese by three chimps. The English explanations are choppy and odd. But it won't matter much, since the game is fairly easy to pick up and play right off the bat. The variety of modes, difficulty levels, and puzzle combinations will make this a welcome addition to any enthusiast's Dreamcast collection. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great gameplay for puzzle fans
Wetrix is a cool Tetris-like puzzler game with a three dimensional twist - you're stacking shapes in order to form pools, to hold in water!

With so many games out there involving mayhem and slaughter, it's great to find a game that really catches your attention that involves logic and strategy. In one sense, this is a game similar to tetris. Shapes fall from the sky - Ts, lines, hollow squares - and you arrange them as they fall. But you're arranging them onto a 3D grid and they stack to form mountains and valleys. Then, interspersed with those falling shapes, you get falling water to form lakes, or fireballs to dry up your lakes, or other special events.

It does take a little getting used to to think in three dimensions, and I can see where some people might be challenged by this. But it's really not that hard once you get the hang of it, and it is really cool to watch the mountains stack up, forming a landscape of your construction. You need to balance your growth though - if you get too high, an earthquake will happen. This is a reasonable balance - if you built your mountains 80 stories high, how could you possibly view the gameboard any more :) So the trick is to lower sometimes, raise at other times, and keep your lakes intact to hold in the water.

The sounds aren't great on this one, but really, they are not great on most puzzle games. I might even suggest you turn down the volume on this and get your stereo to play some of your favorite music while you play. It's the strategy and mind-challenge you're getting here, not a classical sonata for the ears :)

Highly recommended, this is the time of game that really tunes those little grey cells of the brain!

Addictive, Strategic Experience
Recent reviews of this game have not given it the proper credit it deserves.You may first believe this game is dull, but it grows more and more complex as you play.The gameplay takes a few attempts to understand,but eventual mastery of the game takes hours, if not days.I love Tetris,and this game is a lot like Tetris in the fact that the biggest challengeis beating yourself.And with that, the higher you raise the bar, the moreentertaining and challenging the game can be.And I believe the Amazon.comprice for this is now ....How can you go wrong with that?

A reason to own a Dreamcast
The game is excellent. Seemingly quite simple, it is chock full of subtlety as well as fun. The graphics are primo, especially in the higher levels, and the audio is superb as well. It is very difficult to pullmyself away from this one.

Different, But The Novely Wears Off Quick...
With so much content being put into games these days, it's going to take more than a tetris-like game to give a game player true value. The game is different, and challenging. However, the novelty wears off after a littlewhile and you're left with a so-so game that begins to gather dust.

I would have to agree with the 1 star review
I too found this game to be very dull.

Being a huge fan of Tetris, I was pretty interested in picking up this title.With all the good reviews it received I figured it would be a sure hit.Actually, it isn't.

Fromthe poor graphics (very Nintendo-ish), to the irritating robotic voice-over(sound effects do NOT show off Dreamcast abilities), I soon found myselfbored with building walls to hold in water.The weak graphics and soundmight not be too bad if the interface was better (it is a puzzle game afterall), but placing your walls in the position you want as they descend fromthe top of the screen is near impossible.The controls really are thatbad.Try moving one slot over and you will usually end up moving way toofar or moving the wrong way.And trust me, it's not poor hand-eyecoordination on my part.

My suggestion, you better rent this one beforeyou buy or you may be kicking yourself for wasting your $$.I know Iam.

If you don't like it after playing a few times, most likely youaren't going to, and then, of course, it'll be too late. ... Read more

Product Description

EyeToy is best enjoyed by groups

Online gaming has arrived on the Dreamcast! Chu Chu Rocket is the first \ game to fully utilize the Internet connectivity of the Dreamcast. This simple (but very addic\ tive) puzzle game is strongly reminiscent of the traditional "cat-and-mouse" game. Your goal is to herd some \ intergalactic rats (the strangely-named Chu Chus) into a rocket, while avoiding some whacked-out space \ cats (a.k.a. Kapu Kapus) that are in fast pursuit.

While the bare-boned graphics won't win any design awards, Chu Chu Rocket does offer an impressive online gaming experience. In addition to the solo mode, the game let\ s you connect with gamers from around the world for true multiplayer madness. Whether you compete against\others or tag-team to solve the puzzles, Chu Chu Rocket provides an exciting entry point into \ the emerging world of networked gaming. (Note: Online features require players to have an existing IS\ P connection, sold separately.) ... Read more

Features

• Addictive action puzzle game
• Help mice escape the menacing cats
• Over 75 challenging levels
• Design your own puzzle levels

Amazon.com Review

Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness takes the original formula and updatesit for the new millennium. The most striking change is the game's new 3-Dorientation. The play is expanded, but it is largely based on the original.Maze Madness involves a weird story of gems being scattered throughoutPac-Land. A witch is after the gems, so you must find them all before shedoes.

Maze Madness is a bit of a misleading title, because while the game doesinvolve mazes, it's the puzzles that will stop your progress. Most of thepuzzles aren't that hard, but a few will stump you for a bit. There are blocksto push, TNT to explode, and springboards that propel you upward.

Players are awarded stars for completing different tasks, such as finding allthe fruit in a level, munching all the pellets in a level, or beating the levelin time-trial mode. Initially, earning one star per level will get you to thenext stage, but you must go back and earn more stars to unlock later levels.

Maze Madness' graphics are smooth and crisp, but they aren't verydetailed. The game has the look and feel of a cartoon's minimal lightingeffects. Ms. Pac-Man herself is just a round polygonal sphere with sometextures, arms, and legs glued on. There are a few particle effects in the titlethat look very good, but Namco didn't do too much else to tax the Dreamcast'sgraphics abilities.

Where this game excels is in the level design. A puzzle game like this is madeor broken on the ingenuity of the levels. Also, Maze Madness featuressome multiplayer options, which, combined with its simple, family-friendlygameplay, makes it an excellent choice for a party game. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• Extremely simple yet addicting gameplay

• Graphics are a little too simple

Reviews (8)

Clean fun for the family and a dying breed of games
There should be more games like Ms Pac Man out there. Its clean fun and a great game. If you want a good, challenging and most of all FUN game then its made for you.

Go get it you won't regret it and pick up Frogger 2 while you're at it, they're both mad fun

Great graphics, great sound and challenging (you gotta think to beat this one)!

Fun for the Whole Family
I bought this game, wondering if it was similar to the retro-Centipede.It was better in many ways.Like Centipede, you can play either the classic version or the new.Personally, I like the new game better.The music is superior, the graphics are good, and the adventure theme makes the game more challenging than the "antique".
The object of the game is to eat all the dots and collect all the fruit.This isn't an easy feat.There are several gadgets you have to work to get around in the levels.Those are easy to learn, thanks to the tutorial in the first level.Not only do you have to avoid/eat the ghosts, but there are other nasty creatures as well, such as exploding bottle rockets (in the China Town level), feral cats (in the Ice level), and guard dogs (in the Haunted House level).When you complete each level, you have the option of playing a bonus game or moving on to the next level.What's more, you can either play the Quest level or the Timed level.The latter involves getting Ms. Pac-Man through the maze in a minute or two.For experienced gamers, this isn't a problem.For novice users, it will prove more frustrating.
The haunted house level was my favorite.There were so many monsters and pitfalls that it kept me entertained for hours.I found that if I kept going in full circle, I was able to collect everything.What frustrated me in the other levels was that I couldn't get to all the dots and fruits, which is needed to earn a star, which determines whether or not you can go to the next level.I learned that there were secret doors, but sometimes I couldn't access them.Then there was the issue of the controls.The slightest push could send Ms. Pac-Man to her doom.There were many times where I lost a life because I had moved the controller one way, but went the other.That didn't matter because you can go back to the previous level and collect more health/life icons.By the time I finished the game, I had collected more than 150 lives.
Despite the frustrations, this is a very good game the whole family will enjoy.Highly recommended.

Fun and Addictive
I thought this game was the best! If i could i would have played it for hours on end-though some of the puzzles can be annoyingly hard-that gives the game texture. Along with the fact that there are many different courses to go alonge the maze. For retro loves there is also the first one and fun multiplayer games.

fun to play
Fun and simple gameplay, with complex moves to make and puzzles to solve.You must journey to save the Princess while on your way face mindless enemies.Rather than a fixed map, you can traverse the many lands and secret chambers in 3-d perspective, up-down-sideways etc.Collect items and power pellets, replenish your health with hearts, and defeat the evil Wicked Witch.The breathtaking soundtrack, cinematics and mini-games will make your twenty-bucks seem worth it.This game is great for all ages, but there's only a one player mode.I give a 4.5 star rating.(that rounds up to 5, oh well)

A true classic!
Even more fun than when I was a kid.It does have multi-player capability which is nice, but the solo adventure is good for hours of fun. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

This game rocks!
This game is the best game in the world! but it needs more bugs!

Dust collector
This game was great,for about 30 minutes. After that it loses its appeal quickly.You will get very board with it after about 30 minutes. Its replay value is very low,rent this first. This is just my personal opinion.

BORING
What a waste of money on this. Boring, Stupid.

The magic is gone.
This is a waste of a game.While the graphics are neat for a bit the control is pretty horrible and it butchers what was a classic arcade game.Stay away...

Centipede classic fun
Well I decided to order on the off chance that it was fun.Surprise its an addictive shooter just like the original arcade version also included on the gd-rom.Both are great fun the adventure mode is addictive as there are 35 levels.Probably more fun for adults who remember the aracade original.Although I could see young gamers enjoying it as well just not the blood thirtsty teenage gamers of america.Anyway enjoy its a fun game two player or alone. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

WAY to easy... but its da bomb
For those of us who are sick of the dark natured games coming out lately would truly apprecieate a game like Frogger 2. It is great! With lush graphiics that are great for this type of game and a toe tapping soundtrack you can't lose. My only disappointment is that it is to short and way too easy but a great purchase altogether. I am a huge adventure fan and I love it, you must get it.

Brings back good old memories...
Back in the eighties in the time of the first video game arcades Frogger used to be one of my favorites. Now this 3-D version, with several variations of the same theme, comes back. I have to say though (maybe it's because things have evolved) that I was not so thrilled to play it as I thought I'd be. But still it brought good old memories.

Frogger is pretty fun, but WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY, TOO EASY
frogger is pretty fun.i rate it badly, though.The case lies.It said that there are 30 new levels, referring to the fact that it has old levels, about 5.So 35 levels were supposed to be in there.Really, there are only 17 unbelievably easy levels in it.That's 48% of what it was supposed to be!Now, the reason to believe me is because really, i am a school GENIUS.when i get home, after completing my A+ homework, i play my dreamcast.I am a total fan of adventure games and almost nothing else.Frogger 2 is adventure, and i would know if it's good orn not.NOT GOOD.it is just a little bit of fun.But i will recommend you some very good adventure games.They include: Sonic Adventure 2, Super Magnetic Neo, Ms. pac man, 102 dalmations, and rayman 2.They Rule with a huge capital R.Buy them instead, i urge you.

The best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You will not want to leave your computer until you finish all the levels!We played this game for hours and hours. After you get alll the coins on levels a new arcade style game will open, and with some of the higher levels an extra will open like being a mini frog or feeding frenzy which you can use to eat almost everything that comes in your way!Frogger 2 is Da' bom
FROGGER 2 IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!!

This game has some hop!
Frogger is a real lot of fun.I played the original arcade game many years ago...it's unbelievable how far things have come.This game has a lot going for it.

First off, the game contains all the original frogger games in a retro area.For purposes of nostalgia, or just variety, it's fun to try these retro Froggers.

But Frogger is by no means resting on it's past glories.The new stuff just rocks.The soundtrack is fantastic.The video sequences are funny.And the game play graphics are fantastic.Their are 10 levels or soto work through, and it's difficult, but achievable; you won't get stuck on level 2 and be unable to proceed, but it takes several months to work through the levels.And their is good variety between all the levels...one level might be "Frogs in Space"...another level is "Spooky Frogs"...and another level is "The Ancients".

This game is a lot of fun.Give it a go! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A solid Tetris Incarnation
I can't say that my experience with the "Next Tetris" has been afflicted with any of the flaws witnessed by my peers -- it hasn't. It has, in fact, been the single most satisfying Tetris experience that I have ever had the joy of... experiencing.

With a wide variety of play-modes, a compelling soundtrack and online play, even a Tetris novice can fritter away hours in a single sitting.

What else can I say? It's Tetris.

Avoid It
Although it has a few good ideas (3d gameboard rotation and breakable pieces), this is one of the worst Tetris incarnations I have witnessed.Here are it's problems:

1) There just isn't much to it - nothing to unlock, no special features, etc.It has almost no replay value, especially for a single player.After an hour or two, it's useless.

2) It is slow and buggy.There is often noticable lag between controller input and onscreen action.I have witnessed at least 3 separate bugs during the 4 times I have played it (and it wasn't worth playing more than 4 times).

3) It is limited to 2 players.Also, the Classic Tetris that it provides is only single-player.

4) The speed and difficulty advance far too quickly.Plus, since it saves each player's level, you are forced to play at the level at which you left off.Essentially, you hit a wall after a few games and cannot proceed.This "feature" does do a good job of allowing players of different skills to compete, but it was taken too far.

5) It has lame music and lackluster graphics.

For a great version of Tetris, see "The New Tetris" for the Nintendo64 - it's absolutely wonderful.

This game is a buggy mess
Do not buy this game!!Here is why:

1)Neither Sega nor Crave have any mention of the game on their respective web sites and neither does ...the site mentioned in the instruction manual.They aren't too proud of this one.

2)I have found several bugs in the game including:

a)random changing of names on the players list to blank spaces or a single square box

b)on 2 seperate occasions a falling piece has fallen through one block to rest on a block immediately below where it should be

c)while playing a 2 player game, the player 1 controller started to control both games being played (happened 2 times in a row)

d)sometimes at the beginning of a round an extra second ticks of the clock before pieces are allowed to move

e)when playing somebody with lower rank, the lower rank player can move their blocks a fraction of a second sooner than the higher rank player.

3)I have rarely found other people online to actually play against

4)There are much cheaper (and probably less buggy) versions of this game available for playstation and PC.

If you never played tetris you are not a gamer
Whatta ya want! Its Tetris with flashy graphics a gajillion modes of play and the ability to challenge your block stacking skills against a slew of random tetris fans via your dc and its modem.I think its better than it has ever been even though this game is meant for short spurts of gameplay you will find yourself wasting hours on this one.If tetris ever captured your attention you should buy this one it will bring back fond memories and provide countless new ones. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

arcade trills for free
Greatest Arcade Hits is a very thrilling with six really cool arcade games.Every single one of the games is multi-player and full of manydifferent exciting levels!My brother and I spent very long periods oftime playing multi-player on all the different levels.My favorite one outof all the games would have to be ROBOT.I thought that because I like thechallenge and the interesting characters as you move on through the levels.

Relive the Humbling and Challenging Classics
For anyone who spent their tuition on Defender and Robotron 2084, lost sleep over Joust, and was haunted by Sinistar, this is a must-purchase.The games are emulated seamlessly and bear a finer, more distinct resolution than the playstation equivalent package.You'll be calling insick to work, and all the old nostalgia will bring everyone at thewatercooler to your place, sans quarters.Let's keep the classics coming;they should live on every new console because of their timeless gameplayand innovative designs which are largely mimicked to this day.

No more than what it claims to be
It's difficult to justify being disappointed by a suite of games which are exactly duplicated from their previous life as stand-alone arcade games, but somehow I still expected a little more than what I got.

I used tospend hours at a time at the local arcade playing Defender, Sinistar, andthe like, and though I was able to jump right into the games again as if notime had passed at all, the presentation was definitely lacking something.The menu system is cludgy and difficult to navigate. The configurableoptions really aren't that helpful. Also, even though the original graphicsand sound are preserved through the emulation, there seems to be aninordinate amount of flickering and blurring, making a couple of the gamesdifficult to see well and play even on a 27" television.

So if youonly want to play the old games you love without having to make constanttrips to the change machine, this game is a good start, and you will indeedhave fun playing them. Be forewarned, though, that you'll probably end upwith the same feeling that I had -- that Midway took advantage of thesegames to release a quick, inexpensive, and poorly tested product, whichbegins to wear upon your game-playing patience after only an hour or two. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Atari, this anthology showcases 12 of the greatest arcade games to come from the industry's first bright star. The games are Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Battlezone, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, Super Breakout, Tempest, and Warlords. This compilation also includes a collectible Atari sticker, featuring the famous "Fuji" company logo. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

What can I say?
Brings back some good memories of my childhood. I remember fighting over the atari w/ my siblings =).... Trust me, its a must buy, and I would like to thank DC for commin' out with it.

So So Fun for Classic Enthusiasts
What do you get when you take great Atari arcade games from the late 70s and early 80s and bring them into the year 2000?You shall know when you play Atari Anniversary Edition.The only games that are really playable are Crystal Castles, Missle Command and Battle Zone.Other than that, everything else plays so horribly with the standard DC control pad that you'll wonder why these games had such an impact on a young game industry.The archive is really cool, but like every other classic collection, it feels pretty sparse.In the end, AAE is a neat little collection of games for people who wondered what it was like before Mario and the likes; just don't expect to spend a lot of time with it.

Atari Anniversary Edition
This game is very boring. Maybe it's too old. Objects are so tiny that it's very hard to play. Very disappointed after trying all the games. waste money. If you want to get old games, get the Smash pack. It's much much more fun & all games are great.

Fantastic!
What can I say. Words cannot describe how well Infogrames have compiled this classic Atari collection. Hasbro did not know what they were doing. What a waste of time they were! Infogrames are already bringing back the glory days for Atari. In England peopleare very much aware of the quality of old and new games and we're all wearing the T-Shirts too! Even some of our Soccer Teams have the Atari Logo on their Shirts! This Games package is outstanding, it will make your day.

Atari Paradise
This is Atari lovers paradise. Twelve great games to play until your heart is content. Reminds me of the good old days when I was a teenager at the arcades. Fantastic game! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great New Spin-Off From Classic Game
This is a great new adventure for fans of Q*Bert.Although some of the sound effects are awkward, all of the original characters are there, plus more of the ones that never appeared in the classic game.Game play is still adictive, and the layout changes with each board.
Definitly recomended to those who like classic games, and don't mind seeing new worlds and stories for classic characters.

Q Bert
I will call this game simply odd. Odd but fun. This game is suitible for all ages but I think that the younger ones will like this game most. This game is a simple game that turns out to be fun at first but like many games gets boring fast. Recommend to kids 6-10 only. Others will get bored fast. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you're the type of gamer who'd rather lay down cards than blow uparmies, Sega's Caesars Palace 2000 might be the payoff that you've beenanticipating. With a wide variety of games, which range from card games to tablegames like roulette and craps to video and slot machines, Caesars Palace2000 offers something for the gambler in just about everyone.

Graphically, Caesars Palace 2000 takes full advantage of the Dreamcast'scapabilities, with tables so sharp you can feel the felt, excellently animatedshuffles and deals, and authentically marked chips and cards.

The odds at this casino were verified by math analyst William Bertram, and areas realistic as in any physical gambling hall. For this reason, if you don'tusually leave Las Vegas overflowing with winnings, don't expect to be winningevery hand at Caesars Palace 2000. On the other hand, this realism makesthe game a perfect practice ground for gambling in the real world. The game'stutorial advice, although offered usually only after a goof, is accurate andprecise--a perfect primer for learning new games.

The only major drawback to the game is its speed. As devotees of computersolitaire know, the beauty of card games on a video system is that there's noneed for shuffling or actually dealing the cards. That said, Caesars Palace2000 maintains realism by showing shuffles and deals, but these detract fromgameplay by slowing the time between hands. This slowness is particularlyobvious in the slot machines. --Benjamin Reese

Pros:

• Highly realistic casino gambling environment
• Realistic odds, verified by math analyst William Bertram
• Excellent graphics and sound
• High replayability

• Realistic animation slows game pace, sometimes to point of boredom

Reviews (5)

BAD
This game stink's - If U want a GAMBLING game then I would BUY Royal CASINO alot more to this game

RETURNED FORA REFUND!!
I was really excited when my husband surpised me with the game, but became disappointed as I continued to play.I would not consider myself a professional gambler but I do enjoy gambling and frequent the casinos in Lake Tahoe and Reno. I was able to get a refund and exchange the game the following day.

for casino gamblers, real and otherwise...
Caesar's Palace 2000 is not a game that will be appreciated by the casual video gamer. It will, however, be very much appreciated by those who are familiar with and enjoy genuine casino gaming and the casino environment. It assumes a basic knowledge of the numerous casino games included in the release. These are Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Pai Gow Poker, Spanish 21, Mini-Baccarat, Red Dog, Casino War, Slots, Video Poker, Video Poker Challenge, and Video Keno.

The manual does list some basic rules for the numerous games, and offers a help-as-you-play kind of assistance, but Caesar's Palace 2000 will not teach you casino gaming. Not by itself.

To appreciate Caesar's Palace 2000, you will have to have been familiar with the casino environment as well as the particular game you are playing, or you seriously want to become familar with them. And by casino environment, I mean *playing* environment. No scantily clad cocktail servers, neon signs or flashing lights are to be had, but the tables and machines are dead on. As real as any I've ever seen, outside of an actual casino. Caesar's Palace 2000 is a serious casino simulation, for those interested in serious casino gaming.

The value in this title for the single player is a realistic training environment for casino gaming. But you will need other instructional aid, such as some of the the numerous gambling tutorial books and videos widely available. If you're armed with some of these, Caesar's Palace 2000 will prove to be an excellent teacher for two reasons. One is, the mathematics, or 'odds', for the various games are verified as accurate by William Bertram, Ph.D. And reason number two is, the game puts forth a very realistic 'feel' to the casino gaming simulation. But you can only appreciate it if you've actually sat at a roulette, craps, blackjack table, or played another casino game. If you have not, you will miss the subtlety of the 3D rendered tables and gaming areas, and the associated background noise and voices. Everything in this game is designed to maintain the players' focus on actual casino gaming of the serious variety (and when money is at stake, what other varieties are there?)

This game will also have very high value as a party game, because it supports up to four players. Of course, the four players will need to be familiar with actual casino gaming for most of the games included. It should be noted that there is a very strict warning during the game's intro that this product is not to be used for gambling in any way, and that it is highly illegal to do so. But I also have to state that with the accurate math and the authentic tables and machines included, it certainly could be used for gambling.

In fairness, though, Caesar's Palace 2000 does have a lighter side, with an almost-normal video game aspect to it. This is done via a levels-based money and wagering system, where the player must attain a certain degree of proficiency in any particular game before he is able to bet larger amounts.

All of the graphics, equipment, and game rules are authentically Caesar's Palace based, and as such they are quite classy. The animation is flawless, and the voice-overs by the dealers and croupiers are very realistic. The background noise and the sounds of the cards and machines are dead-on. In particular, the lighting of the several table and card game layouts is fantastic.

This game is a winner for the more serious casino gamer, or for anyone who would like to train or play in an authentic casino environment. Anyone else, though, will probably want to pass this title by.

Caesar's Palace Is Not a Clunker!
General/Summary: For a game that was ripped to pieces on every notable game review website all I have is one question...which game were they playing? I admit that I tried to cancel my order after reading all the bad things said but it was too late. When I received it I had planned to simply return it but decided that the hassle wasn't worth it so I played it. I was VERY surprised just how much I liked this game. The graphics are very sharp and are excellent adaptations of each game. The only thing missing in my opinion was a lack of ambiance. To be able to actually walk the casino would have been fun but if the end point is simply walking up to a game and playing anyway it probably serves no point. Also poker games should have been included instead of just video poker. To omit this to me was a poor decision. There is a nice variety of other games however. Gameplay: Gameplay is pretty simple. There are "speed bets" if you simply want to bet or play the same strategy on each turn. It would have been nice if you could save the amount of each bet per game instead of having to re-enter it each time but you can save all other options per game, which is nice. The "coaching" function is very helpful. I really have learned alot about odds, rules and straegy and it has helped me play better. Once you get the hang of it you can simply turn off this function and play withput interuption. Playing the machines is a little clunky but not horrible. There are also some "speed" settings for them such as entering multiple coins instead of one at a time. Not all machines clearly show "credits" which is a little frustrating.

Graphics: Tables and machines are sharp and really quite impressive. No slowdown is noticed at all. As mentioned earlier it would have been nice to feel like you weren't alone. Each game is just a black void around the actual game. Even if you just saw carpet below when you are looking down at a table or people standing around cheering you on in Craps, as an example, would have been nice.

Sound: The dealers sound very good and use the actual catch phrases for each game. Craps is especially fun to hear. There is however some redundancy and most of the voices sound staged instead of spontaneous but are in no way bad. There is also variety in that it's not always the same voices assigned to games. It can vary from male to female each time you come back and there also are differences in dialect such as a British voice for example. The machines however sound too much the same to me.

Beautiful
Beautiful graphics, variety of different dealers, authentic sounds.If you are a gamble-gamer kind of person, this is the game to get.This game will give you your gambling fix so you don't have to lose your real money!! ... Read more