Product Description

This is a whole new ballgame! Knock the dirt off your cleats in the first season of MVP Baseball, the all-new reengineered baseball franchise from EA SPORTS. MVP Baseball 2003 incorporates a new pitcher/batter interface, giving players the opportunity to be more strategic with their pitching and batting, and an all-new "picture-in-picture" on-base view to create an added dimension and strategy to baserunning. Realistic stadiums and highly detailed player models and animations bring the baseball ... Read more

Features

• Revolutionary New Pitcher-Batter Interface: Instead of just choosing pitch location and type, you feel like you're controlling the actual pitch with wind-up, power, and release point. Batting offers more control, giving you the chance to react to the pitch and hit 'em where they ain't.
• The Most Lifelike Players and Animations: Player models, movements, and reactions are ultra-realistic and believable.
• New Franchise Mode: Get deep into the action with the most fun and interactive franchise mode found in a baseball video game.
• New Picture-in-Picture Baserunning: Run the bases like a pro with on-base view and runner control. Get the perfect angle to judge whether you can stretch that single into a double, or steal home while another player is caught in a run-down.

Reviews (25)

tHE BEST GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN
This is the game of the year. I enjoy playing this game so much. It has great graphics and the rosters are the same as the 2003 baseball season and that is the best thing ever and they also have a pitching bullpen just for the home tam and the vising team<br />

Great game
I LOVE this game!!!The only problem (and it's not really that bad) is that I cannot figure out how to save a game in progress.The graphics and wonderful and the game is easy to play once one gets used to the controls.I play at least one game a day and enjoy every minute!

Good game, but too easy...
This game is great if all you want to do is win. I mean everyone wants to win, but when all your pitchers are 20 game winners and all your hitters are batting over .300, it kinda takes some of the fun out of it. Granted, my team is the Yankees, but they're not as good as that, haha. One thing that I find extremely hard is base stealing. I haven't been able to pull it off yet! The only stolen bases my players have is when I sim the games. I could see if Pudge Rodriguez was catching it would be harder to steal, but Piazza?!?! And while Posada has gotten better at throwing guys out at second, he didn't get everybody, but in this game he has. It seems that whenever a player steals, the guy at the plate takes a called strike which isn't very realistic.

The graphics are good and the ballparks look great. The players look pretty good, though some look better than others. For instance, Giambi doesn't look much like Giambi, but Pettitte looked just like Pettitte. Right down to the chin cleft. Also, the pitchers pitch just like they do in real life. It's especially fun when you have a pitcher that has a distinctive style. I laughed out loud when I played the Angels and Ben Weber came in to relieve the starter. He does that same jerky thing with his glove before he throws a pitch!

I did like the fact that you can download updated rosters and even brand new players like Matsui and Contreras. One thing I don't like about the rosters is that when players are traded, they wear the same numbers and there is no way to change them. That is frustrating not only because of retired numbers, but also because you might get 2 or more players with the same number.

Another thing I like is they actually have umpires and you can see them make the calls, though you can't argue the calls. I think they should have included base coaches too.

All in all this was a fun game, but they could've made it a little better.

Brilliant!
EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2003 is the best baseball game I have ever played. I'm not sure how they are going to make a better game next year. The pitching and batting interfaces are ingenious. The graphics are amazing, the best I've seen of any of the games I've ever played - and that's a lot.

The game has four different modes (besides "Play Now") - Franchise, Season, Tournament, and Home Run Showdown. I think Franchise is the most fun because in Franchise you are the manager. You are given a set of goals you must complete within a 5-year period. Your team has a budget and payroll, and the players have contracts. Your team may not go overbudget. You will learn this when you first try to trade a half-rate mediocre pitcher for Barry Bonds. The currnecy is in "Points". For example: A-Rod is about 8,000 of 40,040 points the Rangers have. Also when you create a player they are given point values depending on how good or bad you make them. When you sign free agents, they will want a certain amount of money, and if you can't give it to them, they will become angry and refuse to negotiate. Only play Franchise mode if you are an experienced gamer, who plays fair and is experienced in economics. You are graded on your managing skills (F-A+), good grades increase your anual budget.

Season mode is for those who like to stack up their own teams and blow all others out of the water. You can create a mass of elite soldiers and simply add them to your team. And this is where you can trade a half-rate pitcher for Barry Bonds. There is no Payroll of Budget, and you are not graded.

There is really nothing to say about Tournament mode, except that there is pool play or playoffs.

Home Run Showdown is different from a derby, you set a distance, and the first one to reach that distance with all your combined hits (homeruns, flyballs, groundballs) wins. It is a lot of fun.

This game is wonderful for the baseball fanatic. Most of the players' faces are edited to look like them in real life. And there are many signature batting stances and pitching motions (that you can assign your created players.)

The controls in this game are your basic number pad controls.
For pitching and defense: When you pitch, you control how fast the pitches will be and how much movement is on them. Any pitcher may have up to 5 pitches, and Pitch Types are rated on a scale of 100. There is a pitching meter that will tell you how much speed and movement is on the ball. And finaly, there are different types of curveballs and sliders, some sink, some move across the plate, and ect. Controling your fielders is difficult at first but you will adjust quickly. Use the arrow keys to throw to a base. You can also contol how hard your fielders throw by holding in the key.

For Batting: All you realy need to know is CTRL is swing. But you can control if you will hit a fly ball of groundball by using the arrow keys.

For Baserunning: Use the arrow keys to control which base you want them to run to.

This game is excellet. If you love baseball, you will love this game.

The only thing was - When I first got the game and installed it, there was too much choppiness to play. I was very fustraited. I soon realised that the feature "Live Big Screens" was on. I turned it off and the game worked fine. all the feature is, is a screen on the score board showing the exact same thing on the monitor. It really makes no difference.

Overall Presentation: Brilliant. Menues, Gamplay, Graphics, all brilliant.

Graphics: The best I've ever seen on any console.

Gamplay: Outstanding. Will not take up much time, the games seem to be long, but when you look at your clock you realise it's only been about 25 minutes.

Sound: Excellent quality sound. Commentators can be repetative (but who isn't) but they will keep you in the game.

Lasting Appeal: This game will last you a long time. Once you are done with a season, play another one, you won't get tired of it.

Difficulty: Not too difficult. Rookie, Pro, and All-Star. Rookie is increadibly easy, you will soon move on to Pro and All-Star.

If you ever read a negative review about this game, DO NOT LISTEN!!!! This game is a masterpiece by EA Sports.

Very Impressive... but with a few problems
I love MVP Baseball 2003.I am not a very skilled player when it comes to computer games, so I am not put off by the lack of you having to aim your bat as well as get the timing right.Stealing bases is pretty hard, and sometimes I feel the spectacular catches are a little too common.In addition, I wish the game had the bullpen warmup system and it would also be cool if the pstchological side of baseball ( anger at getting hit by pitch, frustration on a missed play, would show, but maybe that'll be in MVP Baseball 2004.

Overall, the game was great. ... Read more

Product Description

Prove yourself the smartest trivia-whiz on the block in this digital version of the classic Trivial Pursuit board game. Features fantastic graphics, exciting animations, brand new gameplay styles, hundreds of multimedia clips and clues and thousands of celebrity read questions. Hop online (requires Internet connection) for anytime brain battles against thousands of players. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Puzzle/Board
• Mission: It's Trivial Pursuit like you've never seen it before with brand new gameplay styles and thousands of questions!
• Platform: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Reviews (2)

Lots Of Fun!
This is the first Trivial Pursuit P.C. game I've played, and I enjoy it very much. This game includes the classic trivial pursuit, as well as the unhinged version. The first version I tried in this game is the classic. I was immediately addicted! A few days later I tried the unhinged version, and found it even more fun and addictive. The reason I give this game 4 stars instead of 5 is that at times during the unhinged game, it can be difficult to hear and understand what the "host' is saying. Furthermore, in the unhinged game, it is not possible to play solo.

One Giant Step Downward
Okay, the best point of reference from which to view this game is from the perspective of someone who played Trivial Pursuit Millenium Edition (TPME) for the PC until it literally ran out of new questions. That someone, is me. I really loved TPME and was looking so forward to this Unhinged game blowing me away, but like most modern games fot the PC, this game is all show and no go. Let me explain.

First off, while the game advertises *thousands and thousands* of questions, I really find that at least 1/2 of these questions are the same questions from the Millenium Edition rehashed. Second, the interface is counterintuitive with the gameboard bobbing up and down like some cork in the water. The color scheme and the fonts make it hard to see exactly which direction you should be going in at any given time. The statistics keeping system (the one that tells you exactly how may questions you got right in each category in ME) has been replaced by stupid bar graphs that leave you guessing which categories you are doing well in.

However...the biggest slap in the face has got to be the lack of explanations after the questions. The original TPME produced by Hasbro Interactive was extrememly thoughful in this aspect. Almost everytime you got a question right, the narrator of the game would explain it to you. Somtimes, there would even be a very funny cartoon to illustrate the answer. VERY THOUGHTFUL and moreover, something that added to the educational value of TPME!!! Instead, in Unhinged, more often than not the only supplementary commentary you will get on a correct answer is playful banter (ie: Whoopi telling you things like *the wedgie is your's the wedgie is yours!).

However, I suppose that Atari thought they couldn't go wrong. Instead of having no-name narrators in this game, the questions are read by a team of celebrities including Terry Bradshaw, Brooke Burke, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, John Ratzenberger, and Bill Nye (the Science Guy). Since I like all of these celebs, I was looking forward to the game being perfect. Instead, Atari just messed up a good thing and now I find myself wondering, what if...instead of paying these celebs to read the questions, they would have invested the discretionary funding into hiring a better software design team....hmm...

Anyway, I don;t think that the game is totally without merit. If you haven't played TPME, you might like it a lot. However, fans of the Millennium Edition will certainly be dissapointed on many levels. ... Read more

Product Description

Save the day the TONKA way!

Join the ranks of brave police officers, firefighters and rescue workers in exciting search and rescue missions. TONKA JOE needs a tough hero like you to answer the call to fight forest fires, break up traffic jams, save people stranded by floods and rescue boats lost in a storm! Plus, when you’re not saving the day, there are lots of important jobs to doclean rescue trucks, load equipment, and even drive cool TONKA rescue vehicles!

Features

• Fire, Police, Mountain and Water Rescue
• 12 random rescue missions + activities + driving practice
• 13 cool vehicles and lots of equipment
• Save the day, then use construction trucks to rebuild
• Printable certificates and award medals
• TONKA JOE is always there to help

Features

• Join Tonka Joe in cool rescue missions
• Become a hero with police officers, firefighters and rescue workers
• Drive 13 cool rescue vehicles including a rescue boat
• 12 random rescue missions, activities and driving practice
• For 1 player

Reviews (1)

hours of fun
I bought this for my 3 year old son for his birthday.He loves it!!What more couldlittle boy want??!!You've got fire trucks, police cars, rescue, helicopters, etc.There are all kinds of assignments that require "urgent attention" like put out fires, rescue animals, direct traffic, paint vehicles, upright wrecked vehicles, etc."Tonka Joe" walks your tike thru the game, which is action packed.My son really loves it!Actually my 5 1/2 year old girl has been playing it a lot & loves it as well!She of course can burn thru the game for the most part, but still has fun.No issues so far running on Windows XP. ... Read more

Features

• Play any position - your choice of North, South, East or West
• Select the form of bridge you're most comfortable with - ACOL, 5 Card Major or Standard American
• Advanced bidding system for easier play
• Browse the database of over 100 bridge hands, for playing hints
• Special option for beginners - Choose to see any card face up

Reviews (5)

Misleading
The description on the back of the box reads "Omar Sharif Bridge II offers a game of intricate deliberation, skill and chance for the novice and expert".

I can't decide whether they were talking about the game or the interface to the game.With each click, I hoped that something may happen in the game, but the program just dumped me back out to Windows.The 3D-interface is non-intutive, and overkill for a simple card game.

The box reads "Master card champion Omar Sharif shows you how to improve your game and takes you through the bids."For having a world bridge experts name on the box, one would think that the game would come with a tutorial on how to play the game or an interactive helper but the game fails to provide even this.

inflexible
This game is high on video effects but low on player flexibility..I found it difficult to set the game to my playing style and difficult to review a game once playedbeyond the chart given at the end of the game.This inflexibility, along with meager explanations of conventions used, makes it hard to learn from. Besides this, the cards for the dummy are small (in perspective across the table) and in a shadow, with spades and clubs frequently adjacent (as with hearts and diamonds) so that it is easy to misplay -- and there is no way to correct misplays.The tremendous need for computer power is also a problem. I am ordering Bridge Baron.

Specification warning
From the first review item for this product, I can see that they had a problem running the game satisfactorily. The minimum spec for this game is a 700MHz PIII with a DirectX 16meg video card. With this spec, or better, it runs very nicely. This game is designed to combine the latest AI with within a full 3D environment, with fully rendered rooms, cards and 3D lighting. In this respect it is outstanding. If you do not have a PC with this spec, then you should buy a different product. I notice that Gamespot fail to give the minimum requirements. Anyone who bought this product and found their PC did not meet the minimum spec must be entitled to return the product, as Gamestop failed to give the minimum spec (a complaint has been issued to them).

Powerful new 3D interactive game
This 3D game is terrific on my new XP machine with a wonderful set of rooms to play in. There is a comfortable home room, aspacious club hall and a championship venue - all quite realistic. Best of all is that the game can be tailored to play at a variety of levels, with different characteristic play styles, so you don't get board with the same old computer play style that other games have. There is also an internet play option, so I can play my club friends. I would have given this 5 stars, but it seems you can only play one other person on the internet version with the remaining 2 seats occupied by the computer characters. It would have been better if all 4 seats could be played by humans.
You need to watch out for the minimum computer specification as its quite high, requiring a 800MHz machine and a decent graphics card with 16MBytes, however my son laughed at this and said that the spec was so low that cavemen had better computers!
Overall I am delighted with the game and it has given me hours of pleasure.

OMAR SHARIF BRIDGE II
Unless you have a new, very fast and powerful computer, this game either won't load or will play so slowly, you won't want to play it.Gamestop will not allow a return on already opened games, either.It seems the graphics take up so much memory, you can do much better buying Bridge Baron, which I later purchased and am very happy with it. ... Read more

Features

• Actual SeaWorld attractions and rides; free play or challenge mode
• Play as park manager and design the entire theme-park layout
• Construct and maintain new attractions; hire and fire staff; collect admissions
• 1,000s of options including roller coasters, water rides, and shows
• Animal browser with information on animal habitat, feeding habits, and more

Reviews (1)

Not as fun as I thought
I expected this to be a lot of fun, but it isn't.There's no real guide to the game, so a lot of the little details (how to raise the beauty rating, park rating, buildings broken down, descriptions of different buildings--what they do, etc) has been left out.Freeform is kind of nice, but you can't practice raising the beauty rating.Scenarios are ok, but the intermediate scenarios are a lot harder than they should be.If you really like a challenge, this is for you.But I was expecting a little more. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Possibly the best game ever.
Heroes of Might and Magic Compendium was a genius idea by 3DO.For a small price, you can relive the beginning of an incredible series.Although the gameplay may seem simple, you go into extreme depth in storyline and gameplay.You'll find yourself playing hours on end just to beat one game, just to go on and spend countless more hours just to beat the next in the series.After you buy this and play it to death, I recommend buying the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 series, as it continues the storyline and engulfs more of your life.

Bad graphics, slow gameplay
When I first got Heroes of Might and Magic, I thought it would be a greatgame. But when I installed it, I was very frustarted. The game had badgraphics, and slow battles. The creatures were huge, and battles slow. Andwhen the creatures died, they poofed away in a cloud of smoke. Uh huh, thatwas realistic!The best thing I can say about this game is that it can bevery addicting. Even thought I disliked it VERY MUCH, it got addicting. Itwas something that was cheap and I could play quickly, even though it wascheezy.I don't think this game is very hot, but if you want a cheap gameto addict yourself on with poor graphics and a funny story line, go ahead!

Greatest ever
This game is probably the best of the Heros of Might and magic series. ... Read more

Features

• Play 12 different versions of solitaire
• Unlock new card backs and enjoy rich graphics
• Relax to a soothing soundtrack
• Earn tokens you can use online for the chance to win cash and prizes

Reviews (19)

Great Game
It's a great game, great graphics, works great even with DirectX 9.0, the only thing I can complain about the install code, if you lose it, you have to e-mail NovaLogic and wait for an e-mail with the code, personally, I prefer getting the code off of Google search. All in all great game, now you may be wondering "if it's such a great game, why only 4 stars?" well thats because I find it can get boring after you play it for a while, it's not one of those games with infinite re-play-ability, but don't let this scare you off, it's just the single player missions that I find boring after 4-5 times, and, it's a looong time before you exhaust all missions, plus their is always multi-player mode, which I have yet to find boring.

WARNING!!!!!!!READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY
This game is LOADS of fun Awsome graphics, easy controls,cool music,fun missions,and virtualy bug free,(plus nukes,lots of fun)

So why one star you ask?INSTALLATION CODE

this game comes with a long code of number/letter mix DO NOT LOSE THIS!!!!!!! I just did and now i can't play the game.

I don't even know why NovaLogic made this dumb code.

Bottom line - buy this game save the jumble of numbers and letters on the lower left hand corner of the jewl-case

this game rocks
the graphics are near real. the weapons are near real. you can have your autopilot take off, land, follow a target, and fly to your next waypoint. the opposition is very good (MIG 29, MIG 31, SU 28, F4 Fantoms, TU T160 Blackjacks). you can drop nuclear bombs. You can use joysticks. the missions are great (you can escort B2 Spirit bombers)THIS GAME ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I compared this game to others
I bought Lightning 3 and loved the game the first time I played it. I have lots of flight sims but this one is my favorite. I was looking for a newf-22 game and checked the reviews for all on Amazon. I found that the reviewers thought that TAW was the best F-22 flight sim. I don't know what game these guys are playing. I bought TAW and I am very disappointed in it. The graphics are that of Jane's flight sims. So far nothing I have ever played beats the realism of Lightning 3. However, it could use a few extra features, but let's hope for better. In the mean time, I can't stop playing this game.

F-22 Raptor 3
I realy like this game. I like playing others online. I think it could be better and a bit more realistic. It is user friendly. It needs better graphics and the plane has very few wepons to use.The camera views are awsome! I would recommend buying it because for the price you get what you pay for. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Star Trek: Federation Compilation contains an award-winning collection of Star Trek titles based on the original-cast Star Trek series. Contained in this exclusive collection are three original Interplay titles: Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Star Trek: Judgment Rites, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Cadet Briefing. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Interplay's Classics!
25th Anniversary is the BEST game ever!!! My mom and I played it with the walkthrough and even though the graphics were not that good, the story plots are good! I think that the Elasi pirates are funny.
Judgement Rites- I have not ever played judgement rites but would like to.
Starfleet Academy- I have this game at my house and I do agree with some of the other reviewers. Basicaly, Ijust play this game for creating missions. (E.G. Klingon Ship vs. Romulan Ships). I do not actually play the game levels. I think it is stupid that you cannot play Spock, Bones, or any of the other characters. You have to play a stupid Cadet, much like other Star Trek Games (E.G. Bridge Commander, Elite Force I and II). But the space combat is pretty fun. I like to play a Romulan ship and I also like to shoot friendly ships.

Another monument to the gilded age
If you were a PC gamer before the incarnation of the internet, you will remember a time when PC games were thoughtful and catered to a target audience of intelligent gamers who were looking for intellectual stimulation and an escape from reality.Star Trek: 25th anniversary and Judgement Rites provide just such an experience to the gamer.

Both of the orignal games are role-playing adventures.Each game contains seven "original" episodes based on the old series characters (to which all of the actors were kind enough to lend thier voices).To get through each episode, you have to solve puzzles, which are very thoughtfully crafted, and are accordingly rated on your performance by starfleet.

When I bought these games (on DOS diskettes) back in the early-90's, there was no speech, but I still found the episodes very engaging.Only recently, did I disover "the Federation Compilation" had restructured both games for Windows and thought I would give it a try.Much to my suprise, I had forgotten the solutions to many of the puzzles and with the voices added, I'm having a great time playing both games again.

My biggest apprehension in buying the Fed. Compilation (which has been discontinued by Interplay), was the idea that the games might not work under Windows ME since they are so antiquated. I bit the bullet and took a chance and bought them from a private seller. Have no fear, they work wonderful and smooth on my boss Pentium 4 monster machine under Windows ME.Get them if you can!

The only problems with the games now were the same problems back in the early-90's.The graphics are somewhat pixelated.This is technically only a problem when you can't see an item on the screen that you need to solve a puzzle (spoiler: look for the dismembered klingon hand in the first episode next to the dead kilingons).But, hey, if it's a tradeoff between playing a thoughtfully constructed "old game" with antiquated sounds and graphics versus playing a repetitive modern first person shooter with dynamite graphics (which is all companies seem to be releasing nowadays), I'll take the old over the new.

Old Games of the PC
The Star Trek: Federation Compilation, made by Interplay, whose long line stretches about 20 years of history. Some of those games were Star Trek PC games.Big successes were Starfleet Command, Klingon Academy, 25th Anniversary and Judgement Rites(both are here in the Federation Compilation).25th Anniversary, the first game for the PC by Interplay was made, and soon it was successful after its release in 1993. 1995 rolled around. Interplay made another hit game, Star Trek: Judgement Rites.The game was made approximately six months after 25th Anniversary was released.The game was so successful that people buyed a CD with voiceovers for Judgement Rites.Now, here comes Star Trek: Starfleet Academy- Cadet Briefing.It's just a demo for 1998's Star Trek: Starfleet Academy- Strategic Command. 4 levels for the game are here.

Great Product
The first to games are the best. The graphics are a little out-dated, but the storyline is excellent, and challenging. A must buy for any Star Trek fan. My only problem was with Starfleet Academy. Basically, it was Wing Commander, only Star Trek style.The video and graphics in it are great, but I was hoping for a little moreadventure than plotting courses to intersept enemy Klingon ships.

Butdon't let this stop you. I would highly recommend this game pack to anyTrek fan. It's a great deal for what you get.

Two great games, one okay game
25th Anniversary, Judgement Rites, and Starfleet Academy--well, I loved the first two, and the third was okay--I say but it!;>Seriously, the two adventure games are some of my favorite ever--proof that not all StarTrek games suck!If you haven't put yourself in the shoes of one of thecrew yet, you're missing out! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Erathia is in turmoil following the murder of King Nicholas Gryphonheart. Would-be rulers have divided his once-peaceful kingdom, warring against each other for gold, supplies, and--above all--power. All this and more takes place within Heroes of Might and Magic 3,an easy-to-play game clearly designed for serious fantasy gamers.

With a huge roster of heroes, monsters, and artifacts, you control your personal corner of Erathia. The heroes go out to accumulate treasure and wipe out monsters on your behalf. In the meantime, you improve your land holdings, further strengthening your tactical position.

Quick thinking and shrewd tactical judgment are required to come out on top in this intrigue- and danger-filled world. Like many current strategy games, players do not have to settle for merely besting a computer. Network and online play are available for those wishing to test their mettle against a live opponent.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is accessible to less serious gamers (those who don't wish to determine whether an orc can beat a power lich), but it provides combat statistics and a wealth of information to hard-core number crunchers. This admirable flexibility makes it a game that will appeal to anyone interested in sword-and-sorcery gaming. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Heroes Of Might And Magic 3
This game is very fun but definetly is old. If you want the newest game out there then this is not for you. I Loved this game scince i got it in 1998!Very Fun.
Great Game.

Watta Game
I found this game to be very excellent.Howeveer, I must warn you that it is very addictave and will kep you up until the wee hours of the morning. Considering how fast the game movves on computers, I find that its graphics are very sophisticated an dthroughly enjoy every aspect of the game! I love the turn-based part because it allows you to multi-task and to play as a familly. I highly reccomend it!

Happy with Game
The game was unavailable in stores, but I bought it online from this seller.I am very happy with it.Good service.

best game in the world
best game in the world but you need to know how to play great game for ages 7 and up

Hard, enjoyable game play
I always have have mixed feelings about the 'Heroes' games. They are a combination of 'Civilization' and RTSs like 'Starcraft' with a turn-based combat engine thrown in, I really enjoy the building and exploration parts. However when I get ready to start conquering, most times I find opponents who are ten times more powerful than I am. Most Herons maps require either a quick rush or a 'build combat force only' tactic. This is especially true on Large and eXtra-Large maps. If loved previous Heroes installments this one is more of the same. If you've never played Heroes before it's harder to recommend since the gameplay is monolithic. Fortunately you can pickup other editions such as Heroes III dirt-cheap. I encountered no technical issues playing this game. ... Read more

Product Description

In-Fisherman™ Freshwater Trophies™ blends realistic graphics with expertise from the editors of In-Fisherman magazine to give you the most authentic freshwater fishing experience ever created. A fully 3D camera takes you above or below water. Cruise the lake, cast in your line and watch as a perfectly modeled, animation-blended bass grabs your lure during any of the game’s many high-stakes fishing tournaments. And, all of this is made even more real through a unique Pro Tips virtual library of the best angling info from the editors of In-Fisherman magazine.

• Highly realistic graphics combined with In-Fisherman’s 3D sound gives you a very lifelike virtual fishing experience.
• In-Fisherman editors have been involved in all steps during the creation of In-Fisherman Freshwater Trophies, from choosing the lakes to ensuring correct fish behaviors and appearances. In addition, a special ProTips feature gives you the best angling information from the annuals of In-Fisherman.
• Compete as a pro in the In-Fisherman Bass or Walleye tours or design your own tournaments for Catfish, Musky/Pike or Panfish. 10 different freshwater multi-species lakes, ranging from Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods to South Carolina’s Santee-Cooper Reservoir.
• 30 different species of North American Game Fish including bass, walleye, northern pike, catfish, trout, and salmon.
• Fish with 70 fully rendered lures and live bait on four customizable rod, reel, and lure combinations.
• Challenge yourself with varying weather conditions based on season and time of day, including fog and rain, dawn/day/dusk effects, clear and overcast skies and varying water conditions including clear, stained, murky and muddy water.

Features

• For 1 player
• Fishing simulator
• 3-D camera shows the sport from above and below the waterline
• Take part in high-stakes fishing tournaments
• Pro Tips virtual library contains info from the editors of In-Fisherman magazine

Reviews (3)

In Fisherman Freshwater Trophies
A good basic game on fishing.
Good quality graphics.
Not much difference between experience levels.
Is helpful for a novice or beginner in teaching about the basics of fishing.

Excellent game for children who are interested in learning to fish.

More options for things such as rigging, and techniques would have made it much more realistic and challenging for the experienced fisherman.

For example the use of weights is absent.
And even though there are no weights associated with any of the plastics they drop to the bottom very quickly and stay close to bottom the whole time.

It's a fun but very basic game.

In Fisherman - Freshwater Trophies
In Fisherman: Freshwater Trophies is a great fishing game.Being able to fish for other freshwater species besides bass is a big plus.Fishing for walleye, northern pike, muskie, carp, sauger, lake trout, etc. is a blast.This game even features online fishing tournaments for added replay value.

This game does have its flaws, but not as bad as other fishing games I have played through the years.

5 stars for fun.
4 stars overall.

Disappointing
I was looking forward to the release of this game. Not too many fishing sims have need released lately. Trophy Bass 4 is four years old, and it plays better than this game. The fish graphics are jerky and the fins sometimes disappear when passing in front of a rock or weeds. The look of the game is beautiful, but the play leaves something to be desired. It looks like 2004, but plays like 1999. The lure selection is limited compared to other games. The only high points are the 360-degree lure cam, and the fact you can use live bait (something other games do not offer). ... Read more

Reviews (17)

One of the very best
I first played this game back in 1998, and recently dug it out and played it again. It is still one of the best of this type, if not the best. I could say a lot more but, just buy it. you will be glad you did. This game i believe will be timeless i think people will still be playing this as long as there are machines to run it.

Chris

Best pc game I've ever played
Black Dahlia is (1) the best pc game I've ever played, (2) the ONLY pc game I've played from start to finish with no breaks except for food and sleep, (3) the pc game with the most logical but challenging puzzles of any game I've ever seen; it rewards careful thought but is never irrational, (4) it has good acting and a fabulous noirish ambiance.BUY IT!! PLAY IT!!Just be careful when you're doing the stained glass puzzle.Save frequently because there's a bug at that point.It's not a big deal but save frequently there and download the patch if you can find it on the web.EVERY pc game has a bug or two, though, so this is no big deal.

Also, Black Dahlia works on just about any pc operating system from Win 95 through Win XP.

Jimbo!
Minor bugs... Won't work in XP.

But Jimbo is such a lovable character. :D

I have that entire game memorized to a T.

Loved it!
Fantastically produced game all around (minus a few bugs which are easily overcome - I played it with Windows 98 se). I kept a notepad next to me - geeking out and getting into character is easy to do with this game. Be sure to make Jim spin in circles.

Jim Pearson, what a hottie!

Pilgrim-A Perfect and True Adventure Game
Well here goes.I have never written a review before.Black Dahlia is a must for Adventure gamers.It takes place during the second world war.Our hero is trying to find clues to what is happening in the game.It is very linear, but not difficult to follow.I did, however, need a walkthrough.The first puzzle of difficulty is a stained glass window that has been broken.It is one of the best in the game.I loved it.As you go through the game it will prove very intriguing to you and it is also very scarry.The game is six discs of pure adventure gaming with puzzles that are very original and very satisfyingwhen you complete them.Towards the end you find yourself in a tomb underground looking for the Black Dahlia, which I am told, was a real object in the second world war.The game moves very quickly and I found that the dialogue was not overly done.For the most part, situations are presented to you and you must use your knowledge and basic intelligence to get to the end.I believe it deserves five stars and I must admit that it was the first adventure game I played when I got my new computer.Since then I have another computer with the highest possible attributes.So for what it is worth, the game will play on almost any system and it is very good exerience for adventure game lovers to get in so deep, you will not want to come out even for you dinner. Everyone is looking for a good adventure game that will play on their new machines.Black Dahlia could be the ticket.If you have not had the pleasure of playing the game, try to get your hands on it.You will not be sorry for one minute. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Strategical Genius
If one is looking for a compelling strategical plethera of Colonial battles during the days of Colonial Empires; this would be th game for thee.Choose between three different settings, numorous different army's,and countless different strategies because the entire game can last and keep one entertained for decades.Whether one is looking for a hard or easy challenge this is the game to fight over.I absolutley adore it.

I love this game
I really enjoyed this game, I had left it in a hotel while travelling a year ago, and I have not been able to locate it until today.Now I just re-ordered it and can not wait to start playing it again.I definately recommend this game to anyone who likes the board game.There are two version, the classic risk rules we are all used to, and the new computer rules.Basically more than one of your territories can attack making the game more strategic.If you can locate this game, get it then and now.It took me 2 months to finally find it.Amazon.com discountinued it, and so did everyone else.A reseller posted it on here and I grabbed it that minute!

Too much fun
I have owned this game for a year now and find it to be very fun. I own many war games and this is my favorite. I play alot on-line too at MSN games. Lots of great times!

The fun doesn't last
I bought this game as a Risk fanatic expecting a whole new game with new exciting challenges. It was not. Although the game was still fun because it's Risk and it had great graphics it wasn't enough to keep my intrest too long. It's just normal Risk with the add-on "Same Time Risk" which isn't very fun, just confusing. If you haven't already bought a Risk CD I strongly recomend buying the origonal because of Ultamate Risk which can keep your eyes glued to the computer screen for mounths.

Like the board game, but more
The Risk II computer game is a lot like the original board game (same map, same rules, etc.) but there are even more option.You can add territories and add conections between territories.You can play by yourself, against the computer, or over the internet.One thing I liked about playing Risk II on the computer was that things go a lot quicker than if you're playing the board game (i.e. you can practicaly fast-forward the computer vs. computer battles).Another thing about playing onthe computer is that you can learn the rules really quickly if you've never played before because the computer will prompt you as to what is going on and what you have to do.The only problem I have is that your computer enemies can be a bit erratic, and you never know what they will do.Of course this also adds a little something to the game as well.But overall, if you like the board game you'll love the computer game.If you've never played the board game you'll love the computer game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Silent Hunter II brings the World War II epic underwater struggle to the PC. Players command a German U-boat with orders to stalk and destroy American and British naval convoys throughout the Atlantic theater. Use sonar and tactical skill to evade antisubmarine patrols, convoy escorts, and enemy aircraft. The adjustable difficulty and realism levels challenge even the most experienced gamers. A multimedia presentation contains interviews with U-boat commanders and an interactive sub tour. Technical consultants include Erich Topp, a commander in the German Kriegsmarine. He commanded the U-57 and U-552 (the Red Devil Boat), sinking 14 ships during the course of the war. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Silent Hunter 2 Is AWESOME!!!!!!
I've been playing SH2 For a few months and I have to say It is really great. You can fight a custom mission and choose your submarine map and encounter (sub,convoy,or warship). You can also fight any one of the missions at any time or you can do a campaighn filled with challenging missions. You can choose from an array of submarines including The type 21, (my perssonal favorite)The true silent hunter. The controlls are easy to use (I would Know I'm Only 12) and gameplay is simple. Enjoy this pimped game

Silent Hunter 2
I found the game quite challenging. I have found numerious enhancments to increase the screen resolution, improved torpedo wakes, oil slicks, and better secondary explosions. I joined the Wolfpack league and there are a multitude of enhancements that out there to improve the game and game play. I find it quite a "sweating" experince. Nothing like being "pinged" by a DD or DE that is really out to get you.

There are also a multitude of add on single player missions, and multiplayer missions out there, and they keep the action level up. I also have modded the rain and storm problem with another add on all long with improved scenery. I am having a blast with the game. I bought it at the same time I got Destroyer Command, and I enjoy them both.

Marvin

Realistic, Sneaky-like, yet difficult
This is a great realistic submarine perspective.When you sit at your computer you feel like a true German sub commander.I always liked games where stealth is involved.I like patience too.If you have patience and if you like difficulty, you will most likely really like this game.I must admit, it is very difficult, and takes some time to finally understand the simple basics of this game.I had to read through the manual a number of times to get everything to where I understood.But when that is all worked out, you will have yourself a blast.I give it 4 stars, the difficulty involved to start out with is its only downfall.

Unseaworthy
Ah...the WWII U-Boat; it instantly conjures up memories of classic movies such as Das Boot. Imagine the terror of a depth charge attack, the thrill of a successful torpedo attack, and the repugnant stench of forty-four sweating sailors stuck inside a steel cylinder no wider than a city bus...

Well there's none of that here. If Ultimation and Ubi Soft were aiming to create a highly realistic and enjoyable simulation of WWII submarine warfare, they missed. If they intended to create a poorly-coded, antiquated and historically inaccurate pile of unstable hacks, then congratulations. Without a doubt, this was one of the most disappointing games I have ever played, with glaring faults and bugs that should have easily caught by QA.

The graphics are mediocre at best, a fact made worse by SH2's maximum resolution of 800x600. Remember the famous storm scene in Das Boot? Well, in SH2, there are two types of weather: sunny and cloudy. There is no rain, no sleet, no spray in your face, nothing. To SH2's credit, the ship and aircraft models are nicely done, but the pyrotechnical effects are severely underwhelming. While the ship's control stations look decent, there is no control view room. Admitedly this is a quibbling point, but a control room would have made you feel as if you were inside a real U-boat, not just gazing at static displays.

Which wouldn't be so bad if those stations were actually USEFUL. Everything, navigation, rangefinding, attacking, it can all be done from the map view. This is rarely, if ever, any reason to visit the other stations. Particularly useless is the sound station, in which the game automatically marks down contacts, their bearing, and the type of vessel, so all you get to down is simply turn the dial and listen to the sounds of their engines. Speaking of sound, the game's audio is severely lacking. When I hit an oil tanker with a torpedo, I want it to sound as if I am bringing about the end of humanity itself, not a tinny, stock "boom" that I have heard in countless games before.

I have never captained a naval vessel in my life, but I am sure such a vocation includes concepts like "do not run into other ships" and "do not run into ground." Unfortunately, the AI of Silent Hunter 2 seems to have not taken notice of these basic martime rules. In one mission, I was tasked with sinking two British battlecruisers, so I quietly slid into their midst and unleased all my torpedoes against the lead battlecruiser. Shortly afterwards, the trailing battlecruisers gleefully rammed into the flaming hulk of the first battlecruiser, allowing me to pick it off with ease. The nearby destroyers would have been a threat to me had they NOT ALSO RAMMED EACH OTHER AND SUNK coming to attack me! Another time I avoided the H.M.S Ark Royal's destroyer escorts when they ran themselves aground on nearby islands. To add insult to injury, the beached vessels were sticking out of the ground at a 90 degree angle like giant lawn darts. While the AI can be monumentally stupid, it can also pinpoint your exact location 100 meters under the water WITHOUT THE AID OF SONAR and drop depth charges upon your hapless submarine with unerring accuracy.

With the possible exception of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000, this has to be one of the most poorly coded simulations I have experienced. While I was successful in running the game under Windows XP, I could rarely complete a mission without a crash to desktop. Other bugs are numerous; sometimes I would lay one waypoint on the map, and the game would lay down 100 waypoints right on top of each other. The pitch of the engines would often remain unchanged, even when I increased speed to flank from a near crawl. It is impossible to play through SH2 without wondering if the developers flunked all their computer science classes. For example, for reasons beyond my explanation, Silent Hunter 2 and vehicle viewer are two seperate programs, so to keep the user from (heaven forbid!) seeing his desktop when switching between the programs, the game actually has a "SH2 Screen Blanker" to blank your screen! Such inexplicable programming practices points to a lack of experience on the developer's part.

Even if the game were eventually patched up, I still could not recommend this game. Don't let the current dearth of submarine simulations part you from your hard-earned money. Go play a real WWII submarine sim, like the original Silent Hunter or Aces of the Deep.

Play dual boot
This is a very good sub simulation game for me. For those of you who have Win XP problems, install a dual boot system on a seperate partition. I play games on Win ME at C and do my work on Win XP at D. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Jane's Combat Simulations continues their tradition of highly detailed air combat simulators with USAF--United States Air Force. USAF strikes a welcome balance between dogfighting action and precise realism by allowing players to customize gameplay settings such as artificial intelligence levels and difficulty of landings, aiming, and targeting.

You'll first notice, especially if you're new to the air combat simulation genre, the beefy manual packed with information for both beginners, such as explanations on the basics of flight, and hardcore flight enthusiasts, such as pages of historical information about the U.S. Air Force and its operations. Thankfully there's as much depth in the game as found in the manual--USAF offers computer pilots over 60 missions.

Computer pilots can select to fly through the training missions, engage a pre-scripted single mission, begin a full campaign game, create and fly a customized mission, or compete with others on Jane's online multiplayer service. Eight flyable aircraft, including the A-10, F-15, F-16, F-117, and MiG-29, are offered.

The visual effects impress, but require a powerful computer (and a Direct 3D accelerator) to maximize terrain and plane detail. Whether you're new to air combat sims or a veteran, USAF's diverse missions, plentiful options, and mix of action and realism provide hours of flight and combat enjoyment.--Doug Radcliffe ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Must BUY for any flight simulator lovers...
i have has this game for about a year and i still love it!!!... this game is one of those games that you never get tired of.Further more the models of the plane are very acurate.In short buy a good joystick and get this game.

Great When It Works, Maybe My PC Is Junk...
Seems cool, graphics were very nice. Although I experienced MASSIVE load time. Consequently, I lost interest. Control is pretty much the same as Israeli Air Force, but everything is MUCH better looking. Again, I can't say much, as my low-budget, no-name, brand-goes-out-of-business-as-soon-as-I-buy-it computer is too s--l--o--w when it comes to this one. Although, I must say the Vietnam missions in the F-105 Thunderchief were a gas, and blasting the poop out of Iraqi armor in A-10 Warthogs gave me a giggle or two.

Great game!
USAF is one of the best Jane's/EA games.There are some shortcomings though.

The Good:Excellent graphics (maybe not as good as Free Space 2), AI is pretty good, awsome explosions and smoke, very realistic cockpits.

The Not-So-Good:The User Mission Editor mission builder is great, but you can't choose where the airfields are.It's a leap forward from the F-15 builder, but it doesn't have some of the nice features such as the abillity to put down jets ANYWHERe on the airfields.

great game
this is the best air force game there is.Great graphics and eight hot planes.This game lets you be two stealth planes, the f-22 and the f-117.With training modes ,missions ,and instant action where you hop right in to war this is the best game.I play it every day.This lets you create missions and has a refference. Now to tell you whats wrong with the game NOTHING the best game you can getbuy it

THE BEST GAME EVER
THIS GAME I LIKE BECOUSE OF THE REALISTIC SCENERYS. AND THE BEST ARE THE PLANES IT FLYES SO REAL SMOOTH AND NOT FAKE BUT JUST REAL. AND THE CAMPAIGNS AND MISSIONS ARE ALSO VERY REAL. AND I LIKE TO LOADE THE WEAPONS,AND MAKE MY OWN MISSION. I COMPLETED THE GAME AND I AM NOT BOARD OF IT.AND I GOT OTHER GAMES AND EVEN THOW THIS IS HARD BUT I STILL LIKE THIS BETTER THAN THOSE EASY GAMES. I PLAYED A LOT OF AIR SIMS LIKE ISRAEL AIR FORCE F15 MIG 29 F18 AND THIS IS THE BEST.BUT I STILL DONT SAY THE OTHERS ARE TERIBLE GAMES JUST THIS IS MORE EXSITING GAME. I JUST FEEL ITBUT I DONT LIKE OTHER GAMES THAT THAY SAY IT IS REAL AND WHEN U GET IT IT IS STUPID BUT THIS GAME WAS WIRTH IT A LOT. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Meticulously detailed trains and buildings might make Railroad Tycoon 2 Gold look like a simulation aimed at model railroad aficionados, but don't be fooled. The real heart of the game is its detailed business simulation that allows for hours of fun. At the beginning of a scenario or campaign you form a railroad company, and it then becomes your job to meet the expectations of your shareholders by supplying the goods and services demanded by the game's cities and industries.

It isn't easy. Those pretty trains chugging across the bucolic landscape have to be maintained, repaired, and replaced regularly or you run the risk of experiencing an expensive breakdown or crash. As the years tick by you also must adapt to historical demands. New industries spring up while others become less important. The passenger and mail routes that generate so much cash at the beginning of the game don't even cover your expenses once the automobile steals the show. The availability of new trains (the game models over 60), the fact that demands wax and wane over time, and the inclusion of a fully functioning stock market simulation that allows for hostile takeovers add up to a game where players always have something to do.

This Gold version of the game includes both the original Railroad Tycoon 2 content and the expansion pack Railroad Tycoon 2: The Second Century along with 12 bonus scenarios and an electronic version of the strategy guide. It's enough to keep fans of business simulations and strategy games occupied for months. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Accurate yet fun business elements
• Always something to do
• Nice graphics and a terrific blues soundtrack

• Micromanaging cargoes may be too tedious for casual gamers

Reviews (2)

Who'd have thought I'd like a Train sim?!
I've played quite a few sims in my day and this one crept up on me. After logging dozens of hours on a friends Windows version, I suddenly realized that I loved this train sim.

Great immersive background sound add with awesome (totally customizable for system performance) animated graphics of trains, cities, trees, industry, mountains, and more to make a train enthusiast out of anybody.

My only problem with this game is that I do not enjoy the modern-day scenarios. I enjoyed shuttling around passengers, grain, cattle, and food in the 1800's but don't enjoy the convoluted bauxite->aluminum->goods->port->whatever routes in the late 1900's and 2000's.

In summary, don't think you need to know or even care about trains to massively enjoy this game. You don't even need to be a sim fan as the objective oriented campaign play prevents it from being a never ending train "sandbox." This game is sure to waste many hours of your life!:)

it's pretty cool
this is a pretty cool game, but you have to like simulation games. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

BEWARE of hidden shipping prices
This might be a real cool game, but I won't be buying it from
amazon.com.They ship via a third party, J&R Music and Computer
World, that charges $16.50 just to send this software to your home.I'll look elsewhere to buy.

Many years of fun
I have enjoyed Rat Poker for years since it appeared in a test download from the NY Times(I think).It has many twists and turns and many ways to philosphize about winning.Several others are ok but it by far the most fun for whiling away the hours and testing your brain.

Additing !! as in Betty Ford !!
You will never get tired of this collection. It is definitely for puzzle/logic lovers. Chance does affect the outcome, but if you're good, you'll find yourself battling to increasing your score. It may not take forever to learn all the rules, strategy or any names ( which I appreciate ), but you could spend forever perfecting your skills - and every once in a while going back to it because you just enjoyed one of the games.

Not packed full of entertainment
There were only onw or two games I found to keep my attention. It lacks a bit of excitment and I'm not hard to excite.

A nice time killer, but lacking in real depth
After having this game for several months, I regularly play only one of the games. Several of them are quite confusing, even with the pop-up hints. Some are just too cute for their own good.

If you're looking for simple,short games, this software will do fine. If you're a serious puzzle person,get Pandora's box instead. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Create player and nonplayer characters and update them using the rules in the Player's Handbook or Skills & Powers. Many rules can be overridden to support the many special cases that occur in real-life AD&D games.

MapMaker II has been redesigned from the ground up. View overland, city, and dungeon maps, then print them in full color, flat color for ink and bubble jets, grayscale for laser printers, and black and white for dot-matrix printers. Maps can range in size from one piece of paper to a massive five-foot-by-five-foot poster.

Character sheets have been redesigned to be more paper efficient. Customize character sheets to specific user requirements. Create custom races, kits, psionic powers, spells, weapons, armor, equipment, magical items, monster, and more.

The interface to the program has been redesigned, taking user feedback from the first Core Rules CD-ROM into account. Directly access specific screens in character update.

Extensive online help is available at the touch of a button. Simply right-click on almost any item, spell, ability, or race to bring up details. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

It could be better
For those of you us who owned version 1.0 of the AD&D Core Rules CD-Rom, a revision is a long time in coming. Version 1.0 was a mess, with inconsistencies, broken programs, and a general feeling that TSR rushed it out as soon as possible without a whole lot of quality control (not an uncommon theme with TSR pre-WOTC takeover).

I'm happy to say they fixed a few problems. They also created a few more.

There are some staple elements that make you wonder why you ever bought any rule books. There's no less than nine of them, even more than version 1.0. Of course, that led me to wonder where the other ones were. Where's the Complete Book of ? The Wizard's Spellbooks? It doesn't matter. That's for Version 3.0.

Something seems to have happened to the Monster Manual, however. The pictures are no longer neatly displayed next to the descriptions. Instead, they're crammed into the RTF documents like the rest. Who wants to look at a monsterful of naked text?

What you will find is a hand-dandy number crunching program that allows you to make sense of all those Player's Option rules. I actually enjoyed this system, even if it was a bit awkward, because the Player's Option rules can make creating a character a much more complicated process.

Then there's the database. This database allows you to customize various objects, from magic items to monsters to encounters to kits. Which is neat. But only kits, and kits in the Players Option sense. Which means the kits are very weak. Also, there's a bit of confusion between giving a kit a bonus to a proficiency, a free proficiency, a preferred proficiency, and a required proficiency. Forget customizing classes -- THOU SHALT NOT TOUCH THE CORE RULES! Okay, so it's not THAT customizable.

I forgive all that. Having the cash equivalent of over $100 on a CD makes it worth the investment, especially if you're fond of hacking up the rules and want to insert your own house rules. To me, one of the biggest benefits of having AD&D rules in electronic text is what you can do with them.

What I can't forgive, however, is the mapping programs.

They tried. They tried very hard by including the Campaign Cartographer, which proved to be exceptionally dense and not particularly effective in mapping anything at all. I suspect it can be used by someone capable who wants to sit down and read the instruction manual, only there is none that accompany the CD. But that's not all! There's also another mapping program, the original mapping program that came with Version 1.0, Map Maker II.

That collective groan you're hearing in the background is from anyone who ever bought the first version. The reason they're groaning is because that sorry excuse for a mapping program didn't work. The good news is, it works now.

That's about it though. Worse, it's not exportable to any useful graphics format. No .pds, .bmps, .gifs. or jpgs. What good is this map? It works, but it's not even compatible with the Campaign Cartographer on the same CD!

Ultimately, the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Core Rules CD-ROM 2.0 does what it's supposed to do: it's a solid reference that would make a valuable addition to any Dungeon Master's collection. But it could be better.

A Good Idea but NOT user friendly
I got this product a couple of weeks ago because I am not converting to 3rd edition D&D rules .I found it useful.However, it has a lot of bugs and requires a lot of time if you want to specialize your gameany.

First the good things that this product provides: *access to thehandbooks is nice especially if you don't have one of them. *charactergeneration is quick *ability to make maps on the computer *speeds upmonster encounter creation

Now the many drawbacks! *NO KITS; which is what makes 2nd Ed so fun theversiblity. The product does have some kits but I don't know how they gotthem. The kits provided are not class specific (i.e. not from the completehandbooks) and turn out to be pretty useless.What's worse it is extremelyhard to create kits that work correctly because the program is vary limitedin adapability. *Specialty priest are a pain to set up. Program won't allowweapons not normally allowed to priests and sphere conflicts. *basically ifyou don't want a core character straight out of the player's handbook youare in for a real nightmare; however, it is possible given time. *becareful buying equipment. There is a bug

*The mapprograms are not easy to use.It is probably better to do them by handunless you will be adjusting them and reusing them (i.e. campaign atlas orregional map) *monster creation can sometimes gooff up. But the results canbe changed and the tables are adjustable (again if you have the time it canmake your life easier in the long run) *when making treasure it just rollsgp values.It does not create art objects you still have to do that.

ICOULD GO ON AND ON. HERE ARE THE KEY FACTS. IF YOU ARE NOT CONVERTING TO3RD ED IN AUGUST THEN THIS PRODUCT IS STILL USEFUL (IF YOU HAVE THEPATIENCE TO CUSTOMIZE A LOT OF STUFF) HOWEVER, I HAD THE SAME FEELING ASTHE LAST REVIEWER.

THIS PRODUCT SHOULD DO MORE!

5 Stars with a lot of qualifications
After deciding to get back into D&D after a long layoff I went to a store to see if there were any new books I might want.I got this (AND the expansion) instead.As a DM, I can't get over how much time it saves me.It is great for generating NPC's and encounters, as well as maps.Sinceall the basic D&D books are available, looking up stuff (if you knowwhere to go) is handy.And maintaining characters and printing out newrecords after going up a level (or other significant changes) is reallywonderful (especially for my kids who aren't so good at keeping records). I am able to develop and maintain a much more detailed adventure world in alot less time.And another big plus - there are quite a few web sites withstuff that can be downloaded and imported (npc's, monsters, magic items,maps, etc.).Doing it is easy.

Now for the drawbacks: First, it ispretty buggy.I downloaded the latest patches and upgrades from the web,and that helped a lot.But there are several places where it crashes, ordoes dumb things (like generate 2000 mind slayers for a randomencounter).

The documentation is pretty useless.Most of the stuff is sostraightforward that documentation is hardly necessary, but not so forCampaign Mapper.I can now say I like CM, but it took quite a bit ofexperimenting and correction of mistakes to get the hang of it.

This isNOT a game.It is simply a tool, primarily for DM's.

There aren't enoughcharacter portraits.You can add your own, or perhaps find some on the webto download.But given that most characters start young, there arescarcely any portraits of youth.

I have this vague feeling that it shoulddo more.It doesn't really do anything that I can't do without a computer. But it sure does it faster and neater!

For quality, I'd only rate this 2stars.I'd have been pretty embarrassed (I'm an applications developer) toput something out with this many bugs.I'm going to be checking their website with some regularity for patches (and upgrades, hope, hope).But asto overall value to me as a DM, definitely 5 stars.It could be a lotbetter though, so if there were competing products I'd probably have torate it 3 to 4 stars.

Signed, Karen's hubby

If you are a DM this is a must have.
The Core Rules CD-ROM is a great utility for DM's. If you are a player, most of the stuff contained in it will be practically useless, except for the player creation and the books. If you are a player, the best thing to do is show this to your DM because it will be a bigger help to him thanyou. Actually, having your entire gaming group pitch in for this, so the DMcan have a copy would probably be the best idea. The player creation isgreat. It simplifies the sometime long procedure of creating a character.And if you'd rather roll up your character with pencil, paper, and dice,you can still enter your character for a hard copy rather than having thecomputer roll it up for you. The map making utility is practically useless.The maps don't look that good, and there are too few icons. The DM toolssimplifiy the DM's life a lot. NPC's, random encounter tables, and the likecan be created in a matter of minutes. The books that it comes with arenice to have, but they will never replace the original hard-bound paperversions. Who wants to go to their computer to look up a rule in the middleof a game, when they can have their book right there on the table withthem? Not me. If you are new to D&D, don't buy this as a replacementfor the books. Buy the Paper version of the Players Handbook. If you are aDM and are looking for a time saver, like I was, this is the thing for you.

If you are into d&d don't think twice on buying this.
This is a must have if you are into d&d. t is great with or without the expansion pack. You can look up just about anything, and the mapmaker is a lot better then it used to be in version 1.0 . The graphics arebetter, and the charecter creation is a lot easier then before. But forthose of you who are not very good at using computers you might have sometrouble at first, but as you use ut more and more it is a lot better. Mostpeople would say it is out of date, but I waited 20 days for this presentfrom christmas of 1999 and it was well worth the 20 days of boring waiting ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

For expert and novice puzzlers alike, Dell Crosswords offers variety, challenge, and fun for the whole family. New for 2001, Dell Crosswords includes a combination of 1,200 crossword puzzles from Hoyle Word Games, as well as a fresh new assortment of puzzles from Dell Magazine's crosswords. Also included is Webster's New World College Dictionary, a quick reference tool for when you're stumped on the meaning of a word.

There are 1,200 different puzzles with tons of options, including the ability to play head-to-head against a friend. You can select your skill level--easy, medium, or hard--or you can let the computer mix and match the difficulty level for you. Need help? Let the computer solve a word, a letter, or the entire puzzle for you. The mistake alert option notifies you when an error has been made. Use the puzzle timer to challenge yourself or a friend and keep track of your statistics. ... Read more