Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can get the complete Heroes of Might and Magic III experience in one value package. This monster bundle will keep players building towns, raising armies, casting spells, and conquering foes for months. Look at all that awaits: 86 standalone missions, 14 campaigns, 38 single-scenario maps, quests for 138 magical artifacts (including 12 powerful combination artifacts), 8 town types to build and conquer, 16 hero classes, 145 combat units, and hundreds of adventure structures, including teleporters, neutral creatures, and special terrains with unique tactics. Missions can be self-contained single scenarios, linked together into multiscenario campaigns, or played as multiplayer scenarios against other human players across a network. As many as eight players can compete or team up via hot seat, LAN, modem, or the Internet. The random map generator lets you create unlimited battle scenarios. Create your own unique battles with a fully functional campaign generator and a map editor, ensuring customization for infinite replayability. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Absolutly Awsome!
This game is so much fun, and one of the mosty addictive games I have ever played, next to Final Fantasy X.At first it takes a while to understand how everything works, but it is worth it.I seriously could play this game for like 20 hours at a time, taking not pee breaks or for food.Buy it!!!

more addictive than... anything
I can play this game for hours on end.If I beat every map, I can just download more that other fans have made using the fantastic map editor.A great day includes playing this game with a few friends while drinking a Sobe and listening to Queens of the Stoneage.

I love it
I first played it at my friends house, me and my friend couldn't find the disc for civilisation 2 so we decided to play heroes 3, i thout it was real mad, now I want it.

One of the best computer games I've ever played
My short list of best computer games I've ever played:
Sims
Heroes III
Roller Coaster Tycoon

I am a 19 year old female who doesn't usually enjoy fighting games, but i do like fantasy. My only complaint for this game is that you need someone's IP address (or vice versa) to do multiplayer, and I've never quite been able to connect and play with someone over the internet. (I always get a message saying it can't connect) Maybe I'm just missing something obvious. But, I have enjoyed countless hours of fun with this game. its a great game to play with a friend or two, or three :) . this is a WONDERFUL strategy game, and has various difficulty levels (great for someone like me who doesnt want to deal with expert level, but doesnt always want it to be too easy). This game is well worth any money I paid for it. I have been playing this game for about four years now, and I still love it. Buy it!! :)

Heroes Of Might And Magic--and Beyond
Heroes III Complete is the best Heroes of Might and Magic game yet.This one has not only the original "Heroes III" (The Restoration of Erathia), but also includes both expansion packs (Armageddon's Blade and the Shadow of Death).

If you're new to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, then here's a quick overview.You start out with only one hero and only one town in a standard scenario.You can also hire more heroes once you've built a tavern.You can build different buildings in your town, but only one per day.Different buildings allow you to do different things, such as improve the fortification of your town, increase your weekly income in gold, learn different spells, and aquire troops for your army.Once you've built up a good army, you can go out and conquer land and other towns!

I like this even better than the Heroes IV game because it comes with a map editor and campaign editor.In the map editor, you can create your own world to play on, customizing everything down to the last little Gnoll Marauder.You can even customize the victory and loss conditions.The campaign editor allows you to string many maps together--custom and pre-made--into one campaign.This is a really good game. ... Read more

Product Description

SimCity™ 4, features new simulation and graphics engines, new regional game play and thenew ability to track the lives of individual Sims as they go about their daily routine, SimCity 4 isthe most realistic, powerful and personal SimCity experience ever. Lay the groundwork for theircities by molding mountains, carving valleys, seeding forests and laying rivers. Build a worldclasscity with stadiums, airports, universities, and real-world landmarks. Feel the rhythm of thecity: peaceful protests and rowdy riots, noontime crowds and nighttime calm. Control everyaspect of your city and see the results for better or worse.

• Sculpt mountains, gouge valleys, seed forests, and bring forth animals to create a world allyour own.
• Summon volcanoes, release tornados, and call down meteors and lightning.
• Build a world class city with stadiums, airports, universities, and real-world landmarks.
• Deploy emergency vehicles and join in the action as they battle blazes, mobs, and more.
• Place your Sims in your city to get the inside scoop on what's going on around town.
• Connect a massive region of SimCities, each sharing and competing for resources.

Features

• Create and control the most life-like metropolis you can imagine
• Take your Sims from "The Sims" into your SimCity
• Dispatch police cruisers to fight crime, send out the Mayor's limo to quell a rioting mob, or cap an erupting volcano threatening your citizens
• Form mountains, carve valleys, plant forests, raise oceans, and more
• From mellow traffic flow to commuter hell, noontime crowds to nighttime calm, partygoers to troublemakers, the movement in your city is ever-changing and unpredictable

Reviews (28)

Should be Crash City not Sim City
I bought this game for my son and I am now spending many minutes a day rebooting his MAC computer. The game locks up the entire system and requires a hard reboot each time. If this was an automobile from GM of Ford the roads would be littered with wrecked cars. Don't waste you money.

Great game, but you need a patch to fix a performance issue
I played all the previous versions of Sim City back in my bad oldWindows days and really enjoy the game.But for some reason this version will paralyze even a fast Mac.I'm running this on an iMac 1.8GHz G5 with 1GB of memory, and after about 10 minutes of play I have to quit and restart the game because the response becomes impossibly slow.Very frustrating.Haven't tried the updater yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

UPDATE (Apr 05): Installed the updater and it appears to have fixed the slow response problem.

Very Good...if it has update!
I have noticed many people have said just how bad Sim City 4 is. The thing to solve these problems is to get the updater It will make Sim City much better!

Graphics not a problem...if you fix them!
Lots of these reviews complain about the graphics on this Mac version.I had the same problems too - unexpected crashes and VERY slow game performance, on a pretty new G5 tower.

Doing two things will fix these issues.In the game's video/display options panel, switch off the page scrolling, and reduce the graphic detail.That's all it took to have this game running great.The manual should cover these quirks but it doesn't.

One final tip - learn the keyboard commands (found on the back of the manual) as it will speed up gameplay hugely, and totally compensates for no scrolling.

Not worth it!
Ok so i was a fan of Sim City 2000 which I found a demo of on a CD I didnt know i had. So I put it in and played Sim City 2000...and played and played and so on so I soon got the full thing. I became addicted to it. When Sim City 4 came out, i wanted it so much but I only had a mac. When it came out I bought like the first day! When I played I was sooooo dissapointed. nothing seemed to work right, the airplanes shadows became square and the streams on the airplanes was stretched all the way across, it kept crashing, and the industrial zone turned white, edge scrolling messed up sooooo slooooow. When I played it on a PC at my friends house, it was beutiful! Not a single bug! I ditched the game and played 2000 again finding it much better. Now I only play for like 10 minutes before getting bored. Seiously on this, NOT worth spending $40-$50 on this pathetic game. Maxis should be ashamed of themselves to take so much care in the PC games then throw it on a mac bugs and all. NOT worth it! Keep your money while you can! In other words, it doesn't take good graphics to make a good game. So get with it Maxis!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Star Wars: Rebellion is a grand strategy game of galactic expansion and domination. At the game's start, players side with either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. They then battle for control of the known Star Wars galaxy (up to 200 systems) through strategic deft and tactical savvy. ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Very Nice Game
This one is an oldy but goody, to be sure. It certainly doesn't possess the technology of today's games (one can still hold out hope of there maybe someday being an updated sequel...), but it is the only Star Wars game of it's kind. This strategy game emcompasses not just one army or one world, but the entire galaxy!

You have to use worlds with high resources to boost your supplies, use diplomacy to gain the support of more planets, and build up armies of space ships to defend your planets and conquor your opponent. The ultimate game of conquest, don't expect to complete this game quick! The first time I played it all the way through it took me a couple months, playing for an hour or so each day! The game requires patience and dedication, but if that's your cup of tea, you will be well rewarded with Rebellion!

Even Todays Technology Can't Put It Down
And that's the truth. Star Wars: Rebellion can still content with the current titles, such as Battlefront, KotOR (I/II), and Star Wars Galaxies (and its expansion, respectively). After 7 years I still find it a title that I won't put down. Unlike most other games, SW:R never seems to "get old". Why?

It's an in-depth game set in the Star Wars galaxy where you can build fleets, organize missions, convert planets, assault planets, and fight in massive tactical battles. The game is incredibly massive in and of itself; and this can be quite intimidating for the beginner. Even on the easiest and smallest level of the game the AI acts the same, but only has a limited amount of starting planets and resources. To be frank, this often makes the game frustrating for the "newbie". However, this is just one obstacle. Once the basics of the game are learned it is actually quite enjoyable. The idea of controlling your own empire per se is a Star Wars fan's dream. You're there and you decide how things will play out.

It is debatable whether the two factions are balanced or not but after many years of playing it seems that both are equal in the long run. The possibilities are limitless and Jedi's even play a role in the game, albeit sometimes minimal (it's by chance that you'll have force sensitive characters, however I find that the Alliance gets more). The game switches between Strategic-Tactical in a manner that flows. There is even a feature to "simulate" the battle in case you're not the type to enjoy the tactical portion of the game.

Overall the game stresses critical thinking, strategic planning, and constant adaptation. It is challenging, and sometimes overwhelming, but always provides fun. Star Wars fan should definitely play this game sometime in their life time. Be aware that this game contains graphics that are completely outdated, yet it is often regarded as inconsequential since they play a completely minimal role in the "fun factor" of Rebellion - unless you're a hardcore graphics gamer.

Addictive... a masterpiece fit for the Star Wars Universe
I first played this game in 1999 and was instantly addicted. Star Wars Rebellion lets you play the role of a supreme commander: you are able to send your minions (Star Wars characters such as Luke for the Rebels or Vader for the Empire) on missions such as recruitment for new characters, diplomacy for one of up to 200 planets, Force Training, espionage, sabotage, and other numerous missions. You also have command over a large fleet. With this fleet, you can attack the opposing side and command your ships in space battles. Resource gathering is crucial; reconniscance is essential. Multiplayer play is great for re-enacting your favorite Star Wars events with a friend or simply defeating your enemy Vader-style. It might seem complicated at first, but once the interface is mastered, Star Wars Rebellion will become a classic game for any gamer.

What a disappointment
This has got to be the worse game I have ever played, although I'm not much of a gamer.The story is that you're in charge of either the Rebels or the Empire (this takes place in the time of the three origanal movies), and you can make plans, move troops, make diplomatic trips to non-Alliance or non-Imperial planets, and conduct espionage missions.You can be any major charactor from Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader.This game sounds good in theory, but the excicution stinks.It is slow slow so very slow.If it is supposed to take a week to travel to a planet, then you'll be sitting waiting for it to happen for a long time.Stay away from this game at all cost.

Control the galaxy, but beware the mouse clicks
Star Wars: Rebellion has been around for a while, and with the neverending stream of Star Wars games being released by LucasArts, it is surely being relegated to the backwaters of Star Wars gamers' consciousness. Its graphics aren't as gorgeous as Rogue Squadron or any of its sequels, and its style (real time strategy) may not be as popular as either first-person shooters a la "Bounty Hunter" or even "The Phantom Menace."

Yet to some strategy-gamers like Yours Truly, Rebellion (known in the UK as Star Wars: Supremacy) does have its virtues. While it is a strategy game on a galactic scale, it does combine elements of roleplaying (players can send major Star Wars characters from page and film on missions)and space warfare at the tactical level (once a player has built a few fleet units, they can be sent from their territory into enemy systems to invade planets or engage opposing fleets).

Players can choose to play as either the Empire or the Rebel Alliance, choose the level of difficulty, and the amount of planetary systems that will appear in the Galactic Information Display. The tougher the level, the more systems will gravitate to the oppposite side.The object of the game, of course, is to control as much of the Star Wars galaxy as one can, with each side having ultimate victory goals that must be achieved.To be more precise, the Rebels must capture both Darth Vader and the Emperor, while at the same time taking and holding Coruscant.

The Empire's mission is similar but trickier.Not only are Mon Mothma and Luke Skywalker to be in Imperial custody, but Alliance HQ must be destroyed. But unlike Coruscant, the Rebel HQ complex (it looks like Cloud City) can be moved from one Alliance controlled system to another.(Those who find the complete Victory conditions to be too hard at first might choose the HQ-only option.)

Things I like about Rebellion:
1. The "main title" sequence. Most good Star Wars games pay homage to their parent media source (the films) by having the "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." card and the title crawl setting up the game's storyline.Rebellion is set immediately after Episode IV, so in some ways the game can be used to imagine alternate timelines and different outcomes to those we saw in the movies.Actual cues from the John Williams scores add that touch of genuine Star Wars atmosphere to this starting screen.
2. The use of characters from books and films.Although Rebellion shows its age by incorporating worlds and characters mentioned in books published up to 1998, I like the fact that the game designers did not limit the cast of "agents" to just the canon film characters.Fans of such Expanded Universe characters as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Talon Karrde, Borsk Fey'lya, Labria, and Pellaeon will find them included here.The one limiting factor is that only a few major characters will have audio cues included in their mission reports (and even those get old fast if you play the game in one sitting), so don't expect to hear the famous Thrawn's musings or Chewbacca's growls.I also like the fact that certain characters have strong Diplomacy ratings (Leia, Mon Mothma, Piett, Jerjerrod, and of course Vader and the Emperor) that only get better with each mission, while others are better at Combat and Espionage.
3. The graphics. OK. The game is not new and it's showing its age, but those fleet battles are still pretty cool.They may not be very varied, and at times it's best to just go to the Results screen if you send, say, a Star Destroyer or two against a system defended by one X-Wing squadron....or a Mon Cal cruiser against a single TIE squadron.

What I don't like:

1. It depends too much on mouse clicks. Another reviewer called this game the Death by 1,000 Clicks (or something along those lines).I have gotten used to this, but getting used to something doesn't mean you have to like it.

2. Team building.Supposedly, you can make a team of various characters to accomplish missions...or send out decoys to divert the enemy. While fine in theory, either the program is faulty or I am as dense as a Kowakian monkey-lizard.It did take me several months just to figure out the basic game, even after reading the manual, but geez...I still can't get the Team thing done.
3. Predictability on Easy level. OK. I don't enjoy pain much so I tend to avoid switching levels on PC games, but I have noticed that the Empire never attempts to build a Death Star on Easy level.It DOES drain resources, and maybe when I play as the Rebels I don't give the AI Empire time to gather raw materials for a battle station, but c'mon...to never try?

For an older game, it is not without its bugs -- it does crash from time to time and some of its features do get annoying, but Rebellion is still entertaining and fun to play.What more can one ask of a game designed in the late 1990s for Windows 95/98....except maybe a Prequel edition or a revamped Classic Trilogy/EU version with new graphics? ... Read more

Product Description

Galactic Civilizations Deluxe Edition is truly an all encompassing game that allows players to feel like they are participating in an epic story that changes each time they play.This Deluxe Edition includes both GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS and the ALTARIAN PROPHECY EXPANSION PACKGALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS You are the leader of the human civilization at the dawn of the 23rd century; and the race is on between the human race and others to colonize, conquer, and dominate the galaxy using whatever m ... Read more

Features

• Full campaign along with 10 built-in scenarios and 10 custom maps
• Galactic Civilizations and Altarian Prophecy Expansion Pack
• Lead humanity in a struggle to dominate the galaxy in Galactic Civilizations
• Altarian Prophecy with 2 new alien civilizations: The Korx and The Drath
• Deep, immersive storyline; multi-threaded AI; multiple paths to victory

Product Description

Atari (26525) Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Expans ... Read more

Features

• Design dazzling laser light water shows — and synch them to music
• Create wildlife spectaculars with performing dolphins, killer whale shows, and customizable aquariums
• Splash, swirl, and “stir up” your park guests with incredible interactive water
• Select more than 50 new rides and coasters for your water park
• Add hundreds of new park enhancements with the Swimming Pool Designer and Waterfall Designer

Features

• In Nancy Drew -The Final Scene, Nancy's friend has been kidnapped and hidden in an old theater. You have three days to rescue before the building is demolished
• Use your wits and stealth to sneak around as Nancy & find clues to this mystery
• Meet with over 20 different characters & figure out which of them has a secret
• In Nancy Drew -Treasure In The Royal Tower, you unravel the riddles in an old ski resort, to learn the secret it hides
• The castle itself seems to be riddle or maze -- explore strange detours, mysterious artwork, and dead-end corridors

Reviews (4)

Great deal=great game(s)
The Final Scene and Treasure in the Royal Tower are both great games. Treasure in the Royal Tower is my favorite out of the five I have(Secrets Can Kill, Stay Tuned for Danger,The Haunted Carousel and, of course,The Final Scene and Treasure in the Royal Tower). I have absolutely no complaints on any of these five games, except for in Secrets Can Kill the characters are very cartoony. In The Final Scene, the culprit was the person I least expected. All in all, I think the Nancy Drew games are the best computer games ever made(along with The Sims).These games are great for kids and adults alike, and if you don't buy at least one Nancy Drew game, you'll be missing out on some major family time. Buy this game, and you won't regret it. I guarantee. You won't regret it, and you'll want to buy more the minute you beat the game.

Loved these games!
Both of these games are very addicting!My 7 year old son and I used junior detective (there is a harder level) and it was fun!Well worth the money you pay!

Great family fun!
My 10 year old daughter and I had so much fun playing this together!I thought she would enjoy it on rainy days but I was just as enthusiastic about playing as she was!
And my 6 year old son loves it!My daughter got stuck a couple of times where I could not figure out how to help her but Herinteractive.com has a great message board for each Nancy Drew game with lots of hints and clues if you get stuck!
A great family activity for a rainy day!

Double Pack
This double pack is really fun except it is hardly ever in stock!!!!!!! i had to wait a month because everyday when i went to look for it wasn't there! but it was definently worth the wait!! at such a good price this is definently the best game of the century!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best Game I Have Ever Played
This is an awesome game. I played with it for hours on end

There is one gotcha
Be aware that RT 3 _requires_ 32 MB of graphic memory. You can't run it on early PowerBooks for example. It also strongly prefers a 2- or 3-button mouse.

A good update, but hardly a new game
After anxiously waiting for a Mac release of Railroad Tycoon 3, I find that it's a much-needed upgrade of Railroad Tycoon 2. However, that's really all it is -- I'd be tempted to call it Railroad Tycoon 2.5 rather than 3. There are probably enough changes to track building and industries to warrant a new version number, but other than that and a few interface changes, RT3 is essentially the same game as RT2.

The most obvious difference is in the graphics. The new 3-D engine is fantastic. You can actually watch the side rods of most of the steam engines go round and round. Tracks are a bit high off the ground, which is a little distracting at first, but overall the graphics are a huge improvement.

Track laying is substantially improved from the previous version of the game, as well. Most significant is the return of tunnels, one of the most maligned omissions in RT2. You can also build a bridge over another railroad or duck under an existing bridge, a feature fans of this game series have long wished for.

Gone is the grid with its limitations of tracks at only eight angles. You can now create smooth, sweeping curves at any angle you please. That said, the gradients could use some tweaking. Particularly annoying are the ramps leading to bridges. It's silly to have a 3% grade just because you're crossing a river. Likewise, I found it very difficult to create a railroad in even slightly hilly terrain that didn't resemble a roller coaster. And don't think this is a model layout design aid, either. It's impossible to force tracks to go where you want them.

Maintenance shops and service towers are now separate elements. You can't place a service tower at a depot and have a locomotive serviced while it's making its station stop. This hurts the game's realism a bit and can be annoying if, like me, you're used to the old style station expansions. The good news is that such facilities can be placed anywhere, even where there's no station, and you can demolish them to save money when they are no longer useful.

The construction and demolition tools aren't all that intuitive. To bulldoze a building, for example, you have to enter the track building interface and select the bulldozer. And industry construction is done from the station building interface. No doubt this was done to minimize the number of tool buttons in the main interface, but it feels klunky -- especially if you're used to the old RT2 interface.

While access to the controls has changed somewhat, most of the core game controls will look extremely familiar to anyone who's played RT2. Building and changing train consists works essentially the same way as in RT2, with a few excellent additions. One major change is the "auto manage" option which autmatically sets the train's consist depending on what loads are available at the station. You can select the minimum and maximum number of cars on each train, and select whether the train will carry any kind of car, just freight cargoes, or just express cargoes. You can also manually control the trains' consists. For more realism it would be nice if passenger cars were always placed together in the consist, but I'll admit that's picking a very small nit.

A couple of very handy shortcuts have also been added to train building, including the ability to copy trains. Mac users will find this process rather klunky and very un-Mac-like, but at least it's there and works. One new feature I really like is the ability to replace locomotives based on their class or age. This comes in very handy for keeping your locomotive fleet current. There's also a checkbox which will make the consist the same at all stations in the train's route. Beware, though -- the change happens as soon as you check the box and isn't undoable by unchecking the box!

The economy and stock market works essentially the same as it did in RT2. You can buy and sell shares of your railroad or your competitors, set your company's dividend, sell bonds, and sell stock. Selling stock is just as useless for raising money as it was in the previous version, even though you're now allowed two sales of stock per year instead of just one. You also still have to have a good credit rating to sell a bond.

I haven't gotten into the map editor yet, but from reading the manual, RT3 seems to have the one limitation I was afraid it would have -- you can't use maps from RT2. With the huge number of user-built maps from RT2, this is probably the biggest disappointment in the entire game. It's understandable, however, given the number of changes made to the industries and track building. Still, some sort of conversion utility would be nice for map developers so we don't have to start from scratch.

All in all, this is a fair upgrade over the previous version of the game. I'm not all that sure that this version was worth either the wait for the Mac port or the $45 price tag, but now that I have it I certainly won't be getting rid of it! ... Read more

Product Description

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

Features

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

Reviews (146)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some nice additions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then mission 4 hits you, hard and heavy.

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

A detrimental mistake!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

Take command of either Confederate or Union troops and command them to attack from the trees, rally around the general, or do any number of other realistic military actions. The AI reacts to your commands as if it was a real Civil War general, and offers infinite replayability. The random-scenario generator provides endless variations on the battles. You can also test your strategic skills against a real-life opponent through a LAN or via the Internet. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

VG game, needs a major overhaul for XP
I love Sid Meier's games.I had never played Gettysburg before but have always been fascinated by the battle.I picked up the Civil War Collection for under $20 the other day and have been both exhilarated and significantly disappointed with it.

First, the exhilarating stuff:

The gameplay is very interesting and can be extremely challenging.I've been playing RTS games for years, including AoE, AoK, AoKTC, Empire Earth, Empires: DMW, RoN, AoM and a couple of others.Gettysburg is refreshing compared these games because your sole focus is fighting (no economy to micro-manage) and the fighting is far more historically accurate than other RTS games in terms of the use of formations, flanking attacks, morale and line of sight.

Take note that another recent review has stated some things that aren't correct: Brigade commanders can move regiments at the Double-Quick simply by pressing "Q" while the Commander is selected, and while the units are already moving to a destination.Also incorrect is the assertion that cannon do not fire "canister" rounds at close range.This element of game design is transparent, but it is noted in the manual that all cannon (especially Napoleon batteries) do more damage from close range than from a distance - in order to simulate the use of canister rounds by intelligent artillery officers, so no need to micro-manage this.

Second, the not so good stuff:

The game is now 8 years from original release, and it shows in ways that are crucial to the player's ability to actually play it.Most players are using Windows 2000 or XP these days, and the Antietam and South Mountain add-on games don't actually work fully on XP.There is no sound for the add-ons, which is a shame because they are actually newer code than the original Gettysburg is.Of course, Firaxis has a "patch" that "allows" the Windows XP platform to run the game, but the patch is incomplete and there are still major issues with the game as a result.For instance, one can't see the name of saved games when trying to reload an ongoing battle!Also, there are issues with map scrolling which cripple enjoyment of the game.Specifically, after loading up the game and playing the first scenario of the day, you cannot continue to the next scenario in sequence because the map will not scroll at all.So you are forced to shut down CWC and restart it to get the scrolling screen back.This is VERY annoying.

I've tested these issues on two completely different XP machines over the last week, and it is a consistent problem with both with a default install of the game (default directories, etc.).The game is broken; perhaps because of a DirectX incompatibility (I have 9.0c (latest version) on both XP systems.

So, very good game with major bugs for XP users.If you're still running Windows 98, go ahead and get it.Sid, please have Firaxis fix/update this game!

Game play and historic accuracy poor
The game play is clumsy.For example, if your units are all bunched together, trying to select a specific brigade is difficult.You may click on a unit of that brigade, but for some reason, it doesn't select the brigade.Secondly, selecting a brigade commander is supposed to allow you to move all units in that brigade at once.That works - except your brigade commander doesn't have the option to move your units 'double quick', so you end up needing to move each brigade separately if you want them to get to their destination quickly.

The historic accuracy of the game might be there as far as the landscape and units available, but as far as how the units were deployed, it fails miserably.For example, in the pickett's charge scenario, the confederacy startsvery close to the union and the union army is not dug in (what happened to the stone wall that protected the union forces which Longstreet used as one of his main reasons not to attack? He reminded Lee that the confederates had one a battle in the past because they were protected by a similar wall).Even in the intro, it says the confederacy needs to march 1 mile to reach the union (this is false - in reality they had to march 2 miles).In the real battle, the confederacy were slaughtered long before they reached the union - part way along the march, they had to get over a fence, which bunched up their forces and made them especially vulnerable to union cannon - none of this is reflected in the game.

By distorting such crucial strategic points, they can not hope to claim that this in anyway puts you in a true historic battle.One may dismiss these descrepencies, but these strategic points are exactly why one side or the other succeeds.

Speaking of cannon, there is very little variety - cannon at the time, if they did any research for this game, would show everything from grapeshot to cannister.The game doesn't offer any options for what to fire.

I don't understand these other reviews that give so many stars to the game.Its clumsy and historically inaccurate.Maybe the other reviewers are so desperate to finally have someone pay attention to their hobby by making a civil war game that they are incapable ofreviewing it critically.

A Patch for Windows 2000 and XP
There is a download available at the firaxis.com website to allow Civil War to run on Win2K and XP.

Excellent Civil War Package!
This set is a must for the Civil War buff and the gamer who likes historically-based games!

With real-time strategy, you are attacking and defending while the computer is doing the same thing.In my humble opinion, this is more entertaining and realistic than the turn-based games.

Both Gettysburg and Antietam offer several scenarios of two categories:historical (your chance to replay and perhaps change the outcome of what actually happened in the battles) and speculative (a chance to play and win "what if" scenarios that did not happen in the battles, i.e.- one Gettysburg scenario has Stonewall Jackson present - an interesting scenario indeed!).

The graphics for both battles are excellent.Since I have visited both battles several times, I was readily able to identify terrain features for both battles.

The player is also allowed to choose either North and South and the level of difficulty - in my opinion, these are excellent features.

Buy and enjoy the set!Highly recommended!

Reply to Trenton NJ
My husband loves these games...but couldn't get them to work when we upgraded our computer.Go to www.firaxis.com, then choose DOWNLOADS at top of the page.There is a download for the civil war games to make them compatible to Windows XP.The Gettysburg game we still get an error message, but if you choose to run it from the Programs menu, it's fine.Good luck! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Ever wonder what happened to the explorers launched into space at the end of Civilization 2? This game has the answer: they landed on a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, and quickly divided into feuding factions, each bent on reshaping the new world according to their particular philosophy or culture. But the human colonists are not alone. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack bundles together the full version of Alpha Centauri with its official expansion pack, Alien Crossfire.

Alpha Centauri employs the same basic game play, rules, and concept as Civilization 2, but features enhanced diplomacy and a new, slicker interface. Players begin by assuming leadership of one of seven colony factions, establishing a base on the unexplored world. Conquering territory, developing technology, expanding the faction's population, and dealing with native life forms are critical priorities that must be correctly balanced for survival. If a faction's military output is low, it may be vulnerable to attacks by others or by dangerous mind worms that roam the landscape. On the other hand, building war machines at the expense of scientific research may result in trying to manage a massive but obsolete war machine or a rebellious population.

Within the game, you can now automate tasks that--in the earlier game--were repetitive and dull. The factions also have a better mix of leaders; three of the seven factions are headed by women. The computer AI for the other groups does a good job of making decisions in accordance with each faction's particular philosophy and world view, and will often surprise a human player with an offer of strategic alliance or a sudden double-cross.

Alien Crossfire, the official add-on pack for Alpha Centauri, expands on the original game by adding seven factions, new facilities, additional secret projects, and new branches to the elaborate technology tree. The pack also provides new enhancements to Alpha Centauri, including play-by-e-mail multiplayer mode, hot-seat multiplayer mode, and numerous tweaks to the interface and unit properties. Alien Crossfire's new factions include cyborgs, drones, pirates, and two sets of alien societies. Factions are balanced by a set of predetermined statistics and characteristics, such as bonuses for particular government and production styles.

This easy-to-learn and thoroughly absorbing game takes the best features of the classic Civ 2 and sets them in a brave new world. The addition of Alien Crossfire's expanded features, missions, and multiplayer capabilities ensures that players will be exploring the fascinating world of Alpha Centauri for a long time.

... Read more

Reviews (21)

The zenith of strategy gaming. kudos to Reynolds.
This game is the only turn-based strategy game one would ever need.
It has everything one would want out of a strategy game and SO much more.
The story is epic. The world is fully realised. The gameplay is deep. The literary references(not only Sci-Fi but philosophical and ethical and social) are many and profound. The factions are compelling. The possibilities are endless.

The including of multiplayer as well as 7 extra factions in the expansion pack only sweetens the deal.

The only (minor) flaws here, which only present themselves to the diehard gamer, is the apparent lack of challenge from the AI, as well as the seemingly lacklustre graphics(but given the budget of Firaxis at the time, the art direction is still amazing).

Get This Game. It's one of those classics which you will keeping coming back for more. Even having owned this masterpiece for more than 5 years, I still play Alpha Centauri every 3 months or so, and it STILL retains its freshness and playability. This one is adefinite keeper.

Also, as a parting word, I want to make it clear that, despite the "Sid Meier" name on the package, designer Brian Reynolds(who has since left Firaxis I believe) was the man behind Alpha Centauri and as such deserves the kudoes.
It is THIS game which deserves the title of "true sequel to Civilization II", and not Civ III which has none of the depth that this game has in spades.

Buy it.

Extraordinary game
This game is probably the best I've ever played, and perhaps the best game I will ever play.It has all of the features you could want in a turn based game.

The automation of funtions is incredible.Based on your wishes, you can designate tasks for units to perform, instead of dealing with the monotony of reissuing the same command turn after turn.For example, you can just say tell a unit to "build road", and it will only build roads... and will do so in places that make sense.Truly amazing AI...

Add to that the rich cultures and philosophies of the characters, ability to customize units any way you'd like, great sci-fi, and you're left with a game that is still a force to be contented with 4-5 years after its release.

However, because of the wide range of possibilities, the game can be quite complex.

If you're not intimidated by having to think, this game is definitely for you.I look forward to a sequel, should they ever develop one.

Still the best thinking person's game
As titled.

The game's other principle designer, Brian Howard went on to do Rise of Nations, a worthy game but without the incredible story-line and in-depth richness of ACAX.

ACAX was a delight not just for the gameplay but for the entire experience: the cultural references, the well-developed factions, the whole mind-worm experience.

One could get immersed in ACX the same way one could in Balder's Gate, Everquest, etc: but at the same time play a Risk/Age of Empires-like military campaign.To be sure, the Starcraft seriesis classic; as well as the first two Myths.

But AC and ACAX, from the same era, set a standard for a total gaming experience that very few strat games since have approached.

Great stuff.I'd love to see a new version with many of the old characters.

Complex, intelligent and don't take your eyes off the domes
There are so many features and so much entertainment to be had I don't know where to begin.It's great that there actually is a story behind the strategy, building, managing, feeding people, keeping populations happy...It's a lot like Galactic Trader, which ranks right up there with this as a time-vaporizer.Warning: this game may cause you to lose sleep and sense of perspective.I actually had to uninstall it...that's how much fun it is.The graphics are terrific.

Don't neglect the supplies to your domes and put in plenty of airponics bays, creches, theaters, tree farms and other amenities.

Get it for less
There are moneygrubbers who are going to kill me for this but for all of you wanting this game for a reasonable price this is for you.

Don't bother buying in secondary market for an overblown price. Pick up the laptop collection by EA games, $20 for both main game and expansion and some other strategy games to boot, some of which are quite good.Save yourself some cash and get some great games. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Birth of the Federation is the first PC CD-ROM strategy game based on the rich Star Trek, universe! Forged from the cultures, time lines, events, and technologies of the hit TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, this turn-based epic emphasizes resource management, combat, and diplomacy. Control one of five major alliances: Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Ferengi, or Cardassian, each with its own set of abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Encounter over 30 exotic races. And beware, there lurks the potential for a Borg invasion--threatening all players! ... Read more

Reviews (35)

good game for trekkers
This game is very good for Star Trek fans.the multiplayer abilities make this game something special.One drawback is the micromanagement and slow speed for larger galaxies.Overall a very good strategy game.

Warning: this game is a time eater!
This game was the first turn-based strategy game I ever owned. My roomate played Master of Orion 2, but I never got into it because it seemed like it had a high learning curve and seemed kind of boring. However, as a Star Trek fan I heard of this game and somehow got a copy of it cheap from an auction site way back when (good luck doing THAT now. My original copy shattered in my CD drive and I was SHOCKED to see how much an original copy of this game is going for. Microprose would do a lot of business by re-releasing this sucker). The learning curve here was steep as well, but the tutorial and a highly-recommended walkthrough on the Internet written by Cadillace helped me to get the hang of it (if you're interested in this game, look this walkthrough up; it is better than the manual or the so-called "official" strategy guide). After that, I was hooked.

The basic plot of the game is simple. You choose one of 5 Star Trek TNG empires; the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans, the Ferengi, or the Cardassians, and TRY TO TAKE OVER THE GALAXY! This is easier said than done, since whichever galactic power you choose, the other 4 will be there with the same aims as you. Each galactic power has its own distinct style and game display appearance, special abilities and weaknesses in both technology, intelligence, research, diplomacy and ships. The game parameters are highly variable, and no one game is the same; thus replay value is pretty high. Overall, it is a tossup between the Federation and the Romulans when it comes to picking the best empire to play as, followed by the Klingons, Cardassians and Ferengi (in that order). The Federation have some of the more powerful ships (and the greatest number of ship types to choose from) with strong shields and armor, good diplomacy with most minor races, great research capabilities and decent starting cash. Their negatives include a really liberal and cheese-eating population, so doing what you need to do to win, like subduing and bombing planetary systems, will piss them off. You'll have to be judicious in massaging their moods, and it won't be to your advantage to subjugate minor races. Also, their initial intel setup is attrocious and will need major upgrading once you meet the Cardassians and/or Romulans. However, with time and maybe a few minor races, you'll be able to hold your own with those guys. The Romulans are very good or decent in all categories, but they don't hold the top points in any. They have decent diplomacy and research but not as good as the Feds; they have very good intel but the Cardassians have a slightly better initial setup; all of their warships cloak and thus have a free attack in any fight where they are cloacked from the beginning; however their warships are also the flimsiest in the game and need that cloak in order to survive. It takes a lot of ships to attack a protected system, but at least you can choose between subjugation or diplomacy, your population doesn't care as long as you're not losing. The Klingons are warlike and have really tough ships, some of which cloak. Declare war often and win, you'll be fine. Intel, research and diplomacy are not their fine points...The Cardassians have the toughest ships with the heaviest armor which can fire from pretty much all directions; however they have the smallest set of ships to choose from and their ships are also the slowest. Don't even try to use diplomacy unless you have a whole lot of money; if you want to play as an evil empire then the Cardies are the ones to use. It may come back to haunt you though...And the Ferengi, although they have the most powerful warship in the game, are still very tricky to play and you don't get that warship until you've achieved much research. What you do have is cash, tons of it, and the sooner you learn to handle it, the sooner you can whack those who underestimate you.

Other factors influencing game play include:
A)Minor races with varying special structures that can aid your empire. You can either sweet-talk/bribe these races to join your mighty empire, or you can swoop in and force them to join your mighty empire. You can play the game without them, but it won't be as interesting. Diplomacy relates your empire to both the minor and major empires.
B) Random events. These can be turned on or off. If you're a beginner then start with them turned off, but once you've gotten the hang of the game they can add a bit more excitement to the game. These events can be sometimes good, mostly bad. Good random events include positive planet shifts say from desert to Oceanic(increasing population and allowing construction of various structures). Bad random events include (but are not limited to) negative planet shifts, earthquakes and plagues, warp anamolies, and various alien creatures wandering the galaxy and interacting negatively with your ships and planetary systems. The worst alien creature you may encounter are the dreaded Borg. A Borg cube can assimilate a system in at least 5 turns, and when a system is assimilated a new cube is formed which begins assilating elsewhere, and so on. You better have a huge fleet to blow them away Admiral...

There are two ways you can win and you choose the conditions at the game's beginning. You can either win by domination (control 60% of the galaxy by yourself, or 75% if you are in an alliance with another major power) or by vendetta (where you have to wipe out two of the major empires who are your blood enemies). Whichever you choose, strategy is quite important. Know when to fight, when to make peace, and be ready at all times. Also, when starting the game, you can choose from 5 technology levels to begin at. Level 1 is pre-warp stage with only your home planet developed and all your research tech levels at 1 (out of 10). The other extreme is level 5 where you have all your tech levels at 8 (out of 10), all your home planets developed, and 2 advanced colonies adjacent to your home system. It is best to play from level 5, it gives you the best chance to win against the computer and your aim is to end up with higher levels anyway.


Issues with the game involve memory hogging, slow and jerky motion as the game progresses, frequent crashing, and the cheating of the computer players.

This game got me interested in other turn-based strategy games, and so far I have Star Wars rebellion (a much steeper curve than this game, i still do not know how to play it), MOO2 (seems interesting, still trying to figure it out) Space Empires IV and MOO3 (haven't gotten to play them yet). So far, i still recommend BOTF. Check it out if you can find it.

Tough to get the hang of
I received this game as a second-hand gift from a friend, who told me he was having too much trouble understanding it. I was able to figure it out, but I've played Civs 2 and 3, so I'm used to this game format. Overall, it's a fun game, though I have yet to actually win. Also, some of the technilogical advancements are pretty bland, with level increases being denoted by number (automated farms 6 as opposed to automated farms 5, etc.) Ship level increases are similarly uncreative (increased with the "II" denominator). Not a bad game, but I'm told it's expensive.

Same Game Different Name
This is a good game, don't get me wrong.I think it is an entertaining game.It is just so much like Civilization, Masters Of Orion, and Star Wars Rebellion.

Slash77
In its day this was ok, but graphics are not really state of the art and in retrospect too complex with little action. ... Read more

Features

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

Reviews (1)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Review

Electronic Arts' Alien Crossfire--created by legendary designer Sid Meier, maker of such landmark games as Civilization and Pirates!--is the official add-on pack for a brilliant turn-based strategy game,Alpha Centauri. The pack expands on the original game by adding seven factions, new facilities, additional secret projects, and new branches to the elaborate technology tree. Fans also receive many new enhancements to Alpha Centauri, including play-by-email mutiplayer mode, hotseat multiplayer mode, and numerous tweaks to the interface and unit properties. Alien Crossfire's new factions include cyborgs, drones, pirates, and two sets of alien societies. Factions are balanced by a set of predetermined statistics and characteristics, such as bonuses for particular government and production styles.

Game play means creating and maintaining a flourishing society on a hostile alien world. Players must juggle dozens of civilization settings--such as government style, unit production, and pollution prevention--and discover the best means of conquering enemies through a powerful economy, research and development, or military conquest. Alternatively, players and computer-controlled factions can become allies instead of enemies and trade technologies and unit designs to further bolster scientific advancements and economy.

With an exciting new story line, dozens of enhancements, and tried-and-true game play that adds hours of life to the original game, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire is a must-have expansion pack for Alpha Centauri fans. Remember that you'll need Alpha Centauri in order to play and enjoy Alien Crossfire. --Doug Radcliffe ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Still fun after all these years!
I was one of the beta testers on SMAC and SMACX and sank far more hours into it than I'd ever want to admit to. Burned out, immediately after the retail release I set it aside for a couple months but came back to it and never left. I've probably spent more time with SMAC/SMACX than any other game and I'm still playing. Why? Because it's truly a classic piece of work--a story within a game and a game within a story. I know of no other game in the genre that is quite like it. And guessing at the amount time, effort and money that went it making SMAC, I don't expect to see another one like it either. If you're a fan of the TBS genre, then for that reason alone you should have a copy of this--its a reminder of just what can be done by a talented, dedicated crew of artists working in pixels and code.

If you've not experiened this game, then there is really only onequestion you need to answer to know if you should get it: do you like turn-based strategy games? If so, then you need to try this one. A few people are put off by the Science Fiction setting but unless that's a fatal flaw for you then find a copy of this and enjoy. Some things you need to know:

* This game isn't new so don't expect state-of-the art graphics and eye-candy. However, the graphics hold up pretty well tho' and they serve the purpose extremely well.

* Yes, it will play on the latest machines running WinXP. At least it does on machines I've tried running P4 processors and Win2000, WinXp Home and WinXP Pro. There are a couple of tweaks you may or may not need available to make it fully compatible and with a P4 processor the game will warn you that 'your CPU isn't supported' but it plays just fine.

* Don't rush through this one. Play the game like you're reading a really good novel--read everything, look at stuff, watch the cut scene videos, etc. There's an incredible amount of 'back story' for the game and its easy to miss just how rich it is.

There aren't many things, much less games, that can be called unique but I think SMAC/SMACX is one of them.

Even with it's flaws it's a great expansion!
Alpha Centauri is such an absorbing game that completely outpaces anything similar that has come out over the last 12 years.The Alien Crossfire expansion adds enough to the game that it surely is worth owning and using.Be sure to get the patch though as the game has a lot of bugs!

The new human factions (Pirates, Drones, Consciousness, Planet Cult, and Datatechs) are fantastic fun!The alien factions are overpowered, irritating, and suck the life out of the game in my opinion.Fortunately you can play without them. Too bad you can only have seven factions max in a game as playing with the 12 human factions would be incredible fun!

The new planetary features are worth having for sure. The Manifold Nexus is mysterious and worth fighting over.The crash site of the Unity spaceship has lots of goodies to dig up, and the borehole fields are nice to build near.

The new technologies add a lot of excitement to the game along with new base installations like the Aquafarm which gives you more food from kelp farms or the Flechette missile defense which gives you better defense from missile attacks.Brood pits make even bigger and more dangerous mind worms, spore launchers, sealurks, and isles of the deep.New Technologies like marine detatchments can be added to ships so you can board and capture enemy ships!Four new secret projects are also made available:Planetary Energy Grid (energy bank in every base - nice!), Cloudbase Academy (air complex in every base - definitely the most valuable secret project!), the Nethack Terminus (probe team bonus - yawn!), and the Manifold Harmonics (nice for extra food and energy but the game is almost over!).

Once you play with the new factions and buildings, it's doubtful you'd go back to playing just the original as much if at all.

It took me forever to find this
This is one of those, 'don't ask us about' it addons.Seems the owner and a head developer when seperate ways.If you really only want to play the game and are not stuck on collecting it, or the box artwork, do a search for 'The Laptop Collection', and just buy the thing for 19.99 along with Alpha Centauri and like 2 other games.If you need to show the box to your friends, or want to resell it on e-bay, you'd better buy it used for like $75 to $125 here.Whatever you need.Cool game.Next time I won't wait so long to get what I wanted.Collectors glut just about ruined getting a hold of this one.Barely made it.Notice, I don't need the pretty box. :)

Great!
If you manage to get your hands on a copy of this, hold onto it as strong as you can!It was discontinued maybe five years back, but it still holds strong with nowadays games.Alien Crossfire gives you a larger diversity in factions, along with the ability to make your own.The only downside is it sells for $$ or more.The new units and technologies, not to mention factions, are great!

A great expansion to a great game
So you thought Alpha Centauri is all there was?Well, get ready for an even bigger game experience.

Most companies just add a few frills to a computer game with an expansion.But the Alien Crossfire expansion not only adds the frills, it adds totally new thrills.In addition to the new human factions and their units, it adds two Alien races to the mix - making this one of the most original colonization / civilization games available.

There are new secret projects to build.There are new units to add to your already full arsenal.There are some new features on Planet that make exploration more interesting.Add to that the alien races - one which is bent on recovering "their" world at all costs, and one that is more interested in working with the humans that have colonized this new world.

My favorite new faction is the Nautilus Pirates.They start with a unique advantage - they build their first city in the sea, and they can very quickly achieve dominance of Planet's oceans.

If you liked Alpha Centauri, it might be worth your effort to try to find a copy of Alien Crossfire.My only dream is that both discs will be released as a single package someday. Still one of my most played discs.One of my very highest recommendations. ... Read more

Features

• New multiplayer game for up to 7 players
• In-depth strategy game covering almost every aspect of real-world business
• Develop your own technology or acquire it from another company
• Choose from over 60 product types to manufacture and market
• Vivid 3D graphics show off a bustling city environment

Reviews (3)

Capitalism 2... It's unlike anything on the market!
I'd rather not bore you with a lengthy, sugar-coated review.If you are into business/tycoon games at all, and enjoy dealing with finances, the stock market, analyzing charts, etc. then this is the game for you!Like I said, when it comes to depth and addictiveness, It's unlike anything on the market, especially for $10!!

Awesome game!
I love this game!Great business simulation with many different ways to play.

Review abstracted by Capalive.com
Professor Thomas Kosnik,
Consulting Professor, Stanford School of Engineering, and Lecturer, Harvard Business School , Technology Today, CNBC-TV Cable
"Capitalism is a world class, hands-on learning experience which I've used at Stanford School of Engineering and Harvard Business School. Gamers not only learn the subtleties of growing an entrepreneurial business but also learn about leadership and team building necessary in any business situation." "Capitalism is very realistic and will allow the dynamics to change depending on whether you're selling a cola product, which is sort of a low tech-branded consumer good, or whether your selling consumer electronics or a PC."

Professor Drew Fudenberg
Harvard University
"This game does an excellent job of modeling many of the key aspects of modern business. Not all aspects of it are realistic, but enough of them are that many sensible strategies are encouraged. In particular it's gratifying to me to see that the game rewards thinking about sources of long-term competitive advantage, be it from brand recognition, low production costs gained from learning-by-doing (a nice touch!), a monopoly on high quality inputs, or a big technological lead."

Businessweek, October 21, 1996
Capitalism isn't just for those who aspire to be the next Michael Dell or Sam Walton. It can be a fun and useful exercise for anyone who wants to test their entrepreneurial mettle without, for once, taking any risk. Players can choose to compete against computer-controlled rivals in four different industries: farming, manufacturing, raw material mining, and retailing. For a truly adventurous and time-consuming game, players can mix and match industries as captains of giant conglomerates. As in the real world, players compete locally, in one city, or fight it out on the global stage.
With so many possibilities, Capitalism is an intense strategy game, much like chess, where players must constantly think ahead. As such, it could easily overwhelm novices. But by adjusting several factors--competency and managerial style of the computer-controlled rivals, for example, can be varied from very aggressive to conservative--gameplay can be suited to various styles and speed. The game even allows a player to hire presidents to manage the day-to-day operations of different divisions so the player can concentrate on the big picture.

Far Eastern Economic Review, September 26, 2002
The mass market isn't the only audience for Chan's games. Like Virtual U, Capitalism has made the leap from game room to classroom. Because of its high degree of realism, the game has been used by professors at institutions like Harvard and Stanford Universities to help students learn basic business principles. Chan is hoping that Restaurant Empire and Hotel Giant will also be adopted for training and education. "Simulation games are a fun way to learn about anything," he says. "They prove that computer games aren't just about shooting things but can also be educational."

CNN - 22nd May 2002
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN Correspondent
Some guys have all the luck. They have the billion dollar market cap, the brand, and the empire, while the rest of us spend our lives toiling away in cubicles with no chance to ever run the show. That is until now. Even the desk jockey can claw his way to the top in "Capitalism," the game.Hong Kong game developer Trevor Chan just released the follow-up to the award-winning original, but the objective is the same. Move your assets to turn an upstart into the most profitable company in the world. First-time players can choose a challenge like, the world in your hands, where you manage a research and development lab out to post annual revenues of $400 million, and as you take on the competition, that's when the real drama begins.But "Capitalism" is no Business 101. Critics call it a deep involving game that could test even the sharpest business document. In fact, it's been used as a simulation exercise for business students at Stanford University. ... Read more

Product Description

Crusader Kings ... Read more

Features

• Play as any of the legendary religious orders -the Knights Templars, Knights of St John, The Order of Calatrava and the Order of Santiago
• Fight in the Crusades to earn rewards from the Pope, defend against the Mongols and make deals with the feudal lords and bishops that rule the various provinces
• Even plays games that were saved & converted to Europa Universalis II -- for gameplay that lasts through the centuries

Reviews (1)

Poor User's Manual hurts a good game
So far this is a very good game, but very frustrating, because the user manual is pathetic.I'm still not sure what some of the information icons mean.This really detracts from the play, since the first three days I had the game, I was still trying to figure it out.
If you don't mind trying to figure out how the game actually works, and you enjoy strategy games, then this is a pretty good buy.

There are several new nuances that are new to the strategy game genre - how to keep your blood lines going during the plague.What happens if your only son is Schizo, or your wife is infertile.

Do not expect to dive into the game and take over the world - It is not a military strategy game.Just like in real life, you aren't going to conquer everyone.It is a game of nuances. ... Read more

Features

• Expansion to Sims 4 allows god-like control over city infrastructure
• Players take complete individual control of roads, rail, air, waterways, and even vehicles
• Choose from modern European or three historical architectural eras
• Introduce new disasters into your city
• For 1 player

Reviews (25)

They will gladly take your money...again.
Since the makers of the original SimCity 4 never actually fully patched that version, they tell you to buy Rush Hour to solve the issues existing with that main version. Throwing in a few additions that could have been made available for download, you must buy this expansion in order for the game to even work with ANY future elements they may provide. Newer building tools or the rare new structure will simply not work with the stand alone version.
But the "situation" even goes much deeper than that-
Problems were not only not fixed, but were actually HIDDEN by the game designers. Observant players of the original SC4 would notice cars driving in circles or driving a highway,leaving and re-entering it at each exit! With Rush Hour, they merely lowered the amount of time automobiles would be displayed so players would think there are no problems. Very sneaky Maxis! Many gamers are none the wiser. It is truly amazing the game developers could get away with such practices... and laugh all the way to the bank.

god like powers
This is the best game since GTA. The best thing to do is name streets and roads and neighborhoods and districts. I wish you could make a ethnic neighborhood then it would be really fun. You can make suburbs like the big city can be very blue collar and crime ridden and bad schools and one suburb can be white collar with mansions and excellent schools depending on what neighborhood you pay most attention to, just one of the best games ever made.

A Must Buy... if your conscious is flexible..
This expansion is a must purchase.It's more than the features they describe, they've refined and improved just about everything is seems from the regular Sim City 4.

My issue however is that there are so many aspects that you get in the expansion that were missing without it (such as say, the ability to click a button to make a certain building historical, which you could do in previous Sim Cities), it really kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth buying this.The ORIGINAL Sim City 4 should have had many of the polished aspects of the expansion.This isn't just a ton of cool new features, this expansion makes the game complete.

Kinda clever.. sell an incomplete game, then make you buy the expansion to get the full product.So it's a must purchase, but I blow my nose at you so called "computer coders", you and all you're silly kinnigits... pbhhhhhtthhh....

Sincerely,

A Frustrated Gamer Who Knows He's Not Going To Be Sleeping Tonight Because of the Darn Game

(or just Graham will do)

A tremendous improvement
I have been waiting for Maxis to improve the transportation features, and finally they've done it!!!I can now control traffic more efficiently in my city by knowing what paths citizens take to and from work.This allows me to determine where I should place new roads, mass transit lines, stations, etc.The monorails allow you to have a much more futuristic city, only you can't build monorail lines over elevated freeways.The surface freeways and elevated trains also make city transportation systems much more realistic.If you have SC4 and don't have Rush Hour, I highly recommend that you buy it now.It is worth every cent.

All the bells, whistles, and sirens a city should have!
After purchasing SimCity 4 and hearing of the Rush Hour expansion, I didn't know what to expect--after all, I just payed $40 for the stand alone version.Yet, to my surprise, RH added a tremendous ammount of gameplay and realism that wasn't available with SimCity 4.While the U-Drive it features are alright, I am extremely impressed with the tremendous addition of ground level highways, (I wanted these for a while now) Chicago-style "el" lines, monorails, and a new slew of roadway tools.Mayors should also take note of the new building sets, greatly improved gameplay performace, and more realistic play.Rush Hour is more than a simple add-on, it's a sequel to a great game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Borg have returned! A starship from the future has materialized to warn of the latest Borg threat. You are in charge of the fleets on Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg ships that will wage this epic battle. Build starships, construct space stations, and research special weapons to lead your side to victory. Along the way, you will survive a Klingon civil war, Romulan subterfuge, and the Borg's search for perfection. The future is in your command.

Star Trek: Armada is the first real-time 3-D strategy game set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe. In various campaigns, the player assumes command of the fleets of the Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg, using up to 30 starships in dynamic ship-to-ship combat as well as overseeing the construction, repair, and staffing of the ships. ... Read more

Reviews (117)

The Best Game Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Star Trek Armada is the greatest game ever.Once you learn how to build and command your troops (I reccomend multiplayer for this) this game just keeps on getting better.In the first mission you just have to distroy a few Jem'Hadar strike crusers,but you have the Enterprise and two akira class ships so it's real easy.Then I was hooked wen the Premonition appeared and told Picard that the Borg were about to return and wipe out the Federation.The you had to sve it from two borg spheres.After you do so you have to hurry off to stop the Borg.Throughout the campaign you will get to play as the Federation,the Klingons,the Romulans,and the Borg.After you beat each race's campaign you unlock the final mission.In multiplayer you can play on the internet or LAN.You can play with all four races in a bevy of maps.Combine all this, great controls ,and a wonderful story to make what I call the best game ever!

Best of the last of Activision
If you are a star trek fan, and like strat. games, and just get a kick out of watching a dozen starships going at it, then get this game.Then get on the intenet and download an even better version of the game made by the fans.I dropped my PS2 infavor of star trek armada modifications.GO MILLENNIUM PROJECT!!!

Star Trek Armada I
When I first started playing this game, it was challenging and I found it quite interesting. I've played this game for about 3 years on and off, and I love it. However, it gets easy after a while, but dont let that keep you from enjoying this game. It's a lot more fun playing it with friends over an internet or Local Area Network connection. Have Fun!!!

Star Trek - Armada
I thought the game was very fun and good. You have the Federation,Borg,Romulans, and Klingons. The Ferengi, Dominion, Breen and Cardassians also make appearances.It has the habit of sometimes crashing but that doesn't happen a lot. One thing I was disappointed with is how short and easy the missions were, even with the setting on hard they were easy. The graphics were good. It has a good multiplayer connection and instant action against the computer. If you are a trekkie it wouldn't hurt you to buy it! Also the game I have does work on Windows XP.

Happily Ever After
I'm a first time buyer from here.I forgot I ordered the game, but was happy when I got.I can't wait til I get off work tonight to play it again.It was exactly as advertised. I'd order from the seller again, no doubts about it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Toga party, anyone? Now your Sims can do that and more withThe Sims: House Party Expansion Pack, which makes it easier thanever for characters from The Sims to make friends and quicklyrise to the top ranks of their professions.

They'll need all the extra money they make from promotions to pay forall the cool goodies included in this expansion. Party themes rangefrom Wild West campfire cookouts to Hawaiian luaus and room-shakingraves, with plenty of objects provided to keep guests entertained.There's a costume trunk to guarantee everyone will be dressed for theoccasion, and it's even possible to hire a caterer to keep the food anddrink flowing. If you're really lucky, a famous star may pop in for aguest appearance. Every party is packed with surprises, and theinclusion of extra neighborhoods ensures there's always a bash to plan.This is one expansion that no fan of The Sims should be without.--T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• More than 100 new objects and characters
• Guaranteed social interactions can really help a Sim's career
• Great music and fun themes
• Plenty of surprises

• Takes time away from real parties

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Party hard with your Sims using a dance cage, mechanical bull, and hookah
• Platform: Windows 95/98/Me/XP

Reviews (197)

Having a big bash!!!
It's cool to have parties when a lot of people come.I have a huge party room where people dance and be the D.J. It's fun when you get a big cake and hire a male or female dancer and they pop out of the cake and do a dance,but watch out because sometimes they come up to you and make out with you or flirt with you.If you don't have this game you should buy it.

House Party!
The Sims House Party is one of the few expansion packs that I can't do without apart from Hot Date and Livin' Large (And to some extent Vacation, and Superstar). It truly enhances Sims' lives by inviting each other for costume or themed parties, but it has it's disadvantages as well.

You want to make sure that your Sims really know the people around you for the party to go well or the dreaded Mime'll arrive. He doesn't do much apart from get in the way and annoy people. While on the other hand, if your party's a success you get a surprise visit from a celebrity! It's never happened to me yet, but then again I've done the sad mistake of signing up with the Talent Agency too quickly.

Also, if your Sim isn't on good terms with any other Sim in the neighborhood, using the phone to declare a house party'll automatically invite them as well. This can get nasty sometimes. In cases like these, it'd be "safer" to use the phone and manually select who you want to invite over. Then of course, you can always buy the turkey and the Christmas tree.

Parties are even divided into adult or kiddy parties, with dance entertainers popping out of cakes for the former but a purple gorilla usually stuns the kids for the latter. Some of the additional items that come along with this expansion pack are DJs, Caterers and costume wardrobes!

Recommended.

Great New Stuff!!!
Want some new skins, objects, walls, and floors for your Sims?Look no further than House Party!There is some great having-fun-potential here!!!Whether you want an entertainer to pop out of a cake or you want to sit around a campfire to sing songs and roast marshmallows (this is so cute... when they sing around the campfire, someone pulls out a guitar and they all sing real melodies but with Sim lyrics), House Party is for anybody!
Don't stay up too late! And go easy on the alcohol! ;)

One of the best expansion packs.
If you love the Sims you'll love this expansion pack. If you want all the Sims expansion packs make sure you purchase Livin' Large first so you don't have to uninstall House Party and any other expansion packs. House Party is the third one in the series. This game is GREAT. It allows you to have a party. Depending on if your party is good or not you may get a visitor. If you party is bad you will get a clown who will not leave you alone but it is fun to slap him. If your party is good than certain celebrities will visit you. I have had Drew Carey visit. The game gives you more options and more neighborhoods. Enjoy the game!

Funest toy ever
It is very fun because you can make people that are fanous,make people that look like you, or just make a stranger. You can also make your dream house or you can marry your crush!
... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Journey to the other side of reality, to a virtual city shrouded in secrecy. Welcome to Chemicus, a land where scientific knowledge from the beginning of time is protected and wields sacred powers. You play as an accidental intruder transported to Chemicus by an ancient amulet. Your unintended presence has threatened the tranquility of this virtual city, and it's up to you--if you dare--to restore harmony before it's too late.

In Chemicus: Journey to the Other Side players gain knowledge and use their intelligence to solve challenging riddles and unlock the city's darkest secrets. Take up the quest for ancient science truths and discover powerful tools; explore science facts and gather essential resources; experiment with chemical elements and discover the ultimate power. Chemicus awaits your return with stunning 3-D movies, riveting animation, more than 2,000 3-D images, exotic landscapes, and mysterious interiors. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Much Better Than Physicus, But...
My wife and I are avid adventure gamers and, to help pass the time until "URU: Ages Beyond Myst" is released later this year, we decided to try "Chemicus". We played "Physicus" a couple years ago and, while we enjoyed it, we both thought that it could have been a much better game if it had tied into Physics a little deeper and if more effort was put into the adventure game design (look for my earlier review).

We just completed "Chemicus" and I can honestly say that this was a MUCH better overall attempt. Nearly all of the puzzles of the game are chemistry-related ranging from the fairly easy and logical to the pretty hard and requiring a hint or two (we peeked into the included walkthrough only a couple of times to get us unstuck).

The greatest improvement over "Physicus", however, was on the game design side. Like "Physicus" the graphics and music are lush and inviting. But, the scope of the game is where "Chemicus" shines over its predecessor. "Physicus" was just a singular environment or location to explore with very few cut-scenes and conveyances to enjoy along the way; both popular elements to a successful adventure game. In "Chemicus", even though the "subway" system was a little on the cheesy and repetitive side, at least it felt like we were transporting between unique locations (thank goodness the space bar forwards you through the animations). Plus, after solving some particularly difficult puzzles, we were rewarded with some nice cut-scenes; the balloon ride over the city being the best one. It wasn't on the same level as the bigger games like Riven and Schizm, but still an improvement.

One thing that "Physicus" did get right and that "Chemicus" fails on, is its link into the "Brain Center", the included chemistry text book. The content of the chemistry text is impressive, although, it looks as if the inclusion of animation and narration of some of the experiments and topics went by the wayside probably due to the added scope of the underlying game. What really annoyed us was the fact that we couldn't follow a link from the particular puzzle we were working on into the appropriate chapters or topics of the textbook. Along the way, you pick up "Knowledge Chips" that add chapters to your Brain Center and I suppose, if you kept up with the reading along the way, the new topics would relate to the new puzzles in the area. But, later on, when we were still working on the puzzle, it was very difficult to find those same topics in the textbook again. Like "Physicus", a link to just the appropriate topics would have been very useful.

Other than that, the game was very well written and designed. The user interface was very intuitive and easy to use. Could have done without the gratuitous, politically-correct diatribes on "greenhouse gasses" and "socially responsible science" that we have come to expect in these games (easy to ignore, though). We just started on "Bioscopia", but it looks as if that one more closely resembles "Physicus" in design and scope, bummer. I hear they are working on a "Chemicus II" game, so once we finish with URU, we will probably give it a go, too.

Education and confusion come together in Chemicus
Okay, okay, I had fun.But I was also incredibly frustrated by the set up and "logic" (or I should say lack of logic) of this game and that truly detracted from my enjoyment. I wanted to learn something from this game, but I didn't get the connections half the time!
This game has so much potential for teaching chemistry, but the set up was lacking logic - you don't know what you are supposed to be doing, and you have to go back and forth between the various "stops", never knowing if you have really done what needs to be done. And because you have to go back and forth so much, you have to wait for each area to load when you go to another stop. I tried skipping the animation of the transport zooming through the tube, but it still took a long time for the stop to load. And you want to scream when you click on the wrong button and have to wait twice!!
One example of frustration for us is that you have to melt the ingredients for solder someplace other than the melting furnace before you put it into the melting furnace... How does that make sense? The logic behind why some ingredients are placed in certain places is very foggy, and sometimes you just don't have enough (understandable) information to figure something out, or the information is there but so obscure that you have to be a rocket scientist to understand it.
So you look for help, and all you are given is a walkthrough, when hints would be so much better... and would help you learn why you are doing things. I have thought of making my own hints to pass on to someone who would like to learn something from the game.
I ran Chemicus on a mac running OSX. It had to run on classic, so there were many times when it lagged. Don't know how it runs on a PC.

Not bad for edutainment!
This is great game but it is NOT easily solved.It has Myst like elements where you find puzzles and solve them to move around.The game has a twist where you keep an inventory of items you will need in other areas of the game.The hints that came with the game were helpful..I hated to use them but after getting stuck and not making progress after a few hours I had to take a quick peek to continue.At first I thought it was too easy but then it got hard.If anyone writes otherwise they are not being truthful.I took many chem classes in college and not everything is intuitive in the game.Infact, sometimes you know what to do but the game only lets you do things in order to perform a task and you think that you are wrong (but you're not).You only switch CD's once ever and then you are done. I copied the help file to my computer so I would not have to reference it off of the disk. The only part I did not like was the navigation.If it had not been for that I would have given it 5 stars..All in all I have zero regrets getting this game.I had just finished playing Myst III and I wanted another same type game.great buy

Very Challenging and Quite Lovely
Your friend, Richard, a Chemistry buff, has discovered a strange amulet that, combined with certain experiments, allows him access to another dimension.You are supposed to meet with him to discuss his findings, but discover he has disappeared.It seems the denizens of this other dimension aren't too pleased!They think Richard's visits have upset the stability of their world and are holding him prisoner.Now you must cross the dimensions and prove your friendship by restoring a mysterious "Transmitter Molecule."

_Chemicus_ is a first person game very much in the style of MYST:you are wandering through a virtually empty world picking up clues and solving puzzles.From time to time, as in the MYST series, you might see another person from a distance or receive a transmission from your imprisoned friend, but there is no character interaction. So the draw of this game is not clever, pun-filled scripting, but using close observation, deduction and sheer brainpower to get from point A to point B.There is not very much more story than is given to you in the introduction;to enjoy _Chemicus_ you have to enjoy solving inventory-based mechanical puzzles.

And the scenery, of course._Chemicus_ is a really gorgeous game.The "Other Side" is depicted as a place enough like our own world to be somewhat familiar, but enough different to give a certain sense of alienation -- again, much like MYST.The buildings and landscapes have a kind of organic texture that I personally find appealing.Unfortunately, there is no 360-degree movement;_Chemicus_ is a slideshow game.That means you're quite limited as to what you can view closely and where you can go.Personally I didn't find that too annoying (my husband hates it!), particularly as this game is so long and full of puzzles.I just didn't feel as put out by not being able to explore more fully as I might have.

Aside from the graphics and the sound -- mainly subtle f/x -- the strength of this game is in the puzzles.Because they are all based on chemistry, there is a logic to them that is often lacking.Some of the puzzles are a bit confusing, but none is arbitrary.It does in fact help to have had a course in chemistry and some math, however.The game provides a "BRain Center" to teach you what you need to know to proceed, but I found that often the information it gave you wasn't quite enough.However, I was pretty astonished at how many of the tasks could be accomplished with no specialized knowledge.In a way, this game helps point out how much we use chemistry in everyday life, without thinking about it.

I had some serious problems running this game, however.Despite having far more than the system requirements and using a full install, _Chemicus_ ran at a frustratingly slow pace.The scene transitions and animations were especially slow;I found them a good place to grab a snack or make a cup of tea.I also had trouble with the game crashing, often when I was accessing the Brain Center.If it hadn't been for those two things, I would easily have given _Chemicus_ 5 stars.

Several other annoyances were minor:games were saved as a list with each game defined by date and time only, so it was hard to tell what each one was.I consider this minor beacuse I don't tend to backtrack much.There was a lot of back and forthing -- inventory was almost never used in the place you found it -- and some of the locations were hard to keep track of.One or two puzzles involved somewhat obscure solutions, aside from the chemistry.

_Chemicus_ comes complete with a PDF walkthrough in case you get stuck.I did have to access this a few times.I didn't really like the way it was set up because, as walkthroughs tend to, it only told you what to do without telling you how.It also presents events in a specific order, which might not be the way you've played, _Chemicus_ being extremely non-linear.And I think it would have been helpful if you could have accessed the help file without totally exiting the game.

Althoughmarketed for "Everyone" _Chemicus_ will probably appeal best to science oriented teens and adults;I don't think it will really appeal to just any adventure gamer.A long game, it took me about 30 hours to complete.

If you like MYST-type games and if you like science experiments, you will probably like _Chemicus_.

I love a challenge!
Beautiful graphics, and really hard. This game is not easy, and that's the way I like it! (If you aren't like me, the makers of the game put a walkthrough on one of the CD-ROMs in case you get stuck.) This game is a first-person point & click in the style of Myst. There is a lot of area to cover and a lot of hard puzzles. It ran smoothly, and was hours of fun. For the length of time this game will take you it's also a really good value for the price. I liked it more than it's two predecessors (also good!), Physicus and Bioscopia. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on Douglas Adams's legendary Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Starship Titanic series puts you on board the greatest spacecraft ever built. Unfortunately, it has disappeared mysteriously in hyperspace. Once on board, you must discover what caused the disappearance, reveal the conspiracy that lies behind the catastrophe, and then repair the ship's intelligence and guide it back home. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I expected a very complex and fun game
That was what I expected.I feel that the game was a let down overall because I kept expecting something really cool to happen, but it pretty much never did.It was kind of interesting at best.I gave two stars because three would indicate that I found it worth while.Most of the puzzles where either easy, or lacking in the ability to be solved without hints. I don't think I could have done it without the strategy guide that came with it. Also, I found that one of the puzzles didn't work in the way the manufacturer probably intended.To be fair, the humor was funny and very PYTHON which I liked. Additionally, I thought the whole concept was very good and I kept expecting some cool things to happen, but ultimately it did not pan out.Good Try.

And now, for something completely titanic...
Starship Titanic is not based on Hitchhiker's Guide, but is very similiar in style.The game is very good, but can be difficult at times.However, unlike most games where dialogue is just something to proceed the plot, inthis game it is actually a funny and entertaining diversion thanks to thegreat dialogue engine and voice acting.Between the funny, but annoyingparrot and the Elevator attendant who constantly talks about his wartimeexploits (what war, we don't know).Buy this game if you want a funny andinteresting ride.Also, buy the book to learn about the story.

Well, he knows how to write good books
The game was quite a bit of a letdown, as I am a big fan of Douglas Adams.Unfortunately, the game is not all that fun as a game.I felt even let down in the humor (or should I say humour) department as well.It did notseem as though Mr. Adams had full control over the project, as bits andpieces seemed to be his sense of humor, and other bits seemed to be awatered down Monty Python attempt.The bits that are funny are definitelyfunny, especially the talking message delivery system things.The look ofthe environs were astoundingly beautiful, but I feel that it lacked a soulbehind it.The game puzzles were at times very easy, and other timesastoundingly non-intuitive and difficult.For instance, there is onepuzzle that simply does not give you a clue that you are doing the rightthing, and you have to do it repeatedly for the game to finally give in andlet you have the victory.I won't say what it is, but it involvessomeone's butt.Overall, the humor was what kept this from getting a onestar review, but even that was a disappointment.

The fun wasn't in the puzzles...
Usually when people play adventure games they do it partially because they enjoy solving puzzles.In this game the puzzles seemed to only be a small part of the enjoyment.It was more fun to play with the message delivery system, tease the parrot, and vandalize the ship... the puzzles were simplya means to do more of this.

If you are a fan of both Douglas Adams andMonty Pyton you will love this game, otherwise some of the jokes might belost upon you.The novel that comes with the game is a big plus, as itexplains things a bit better.

Game play wise the interface is clean andhas a unique feature that allows you to actually type in dialogue thatyou'd like to 'say' to the other characters instead of selecting phraseslike to many other adventure games.There were times when it was somewhattedious to run from one end of the ship to another, but that tends to be agiven for any adventure game these days.

If I were to voice any greatcomplaint, it was that in the end I didn't feel as though I'd accomplishedall that much and kept wondering where the rest of the game had gone.Ithink more time was spent on making the game LOOK neat instead of making ita deep and interesting adventure.It has some really hilarious moments(the parrot is great!) but not all that much more. ... Read more