The Industry itself is worth a lot of money, & I mean a lot! Pick up any Computer Games Magazine & you'll find any number of Games or Multimedia Software being Reviewed, Tested & / or Advertised. Not only do I have to find Unbiased Advice on Software it also has to suit what I would like.

My Words of Wisdom are;

There are a couple of Types of Games that you'll not find here. It's worth stating that now so as to prevent future Disappointment, & some wasted time - Primarily Flight Simulations & Sports Games, I do make an exception for Space Adventures or something along the Lines of  a Team Management Game - that's as far as it will go though.

Of the Games shown here; Claw, Wing Commander IV (both on DVD) & Pod, came as part of the Software Package given when the Computer was bought, the rest have been Chosen, Given or found their way into my Possession somehow.

Whilst I'm on the Subject of DVD, the market is now starting to pick up Big Time. More Games (& Videos) are now appearing in the Shops, etc. With faster DVD ROM's available, some with Decoders built in, now is probably as good a time to get out there & buy one.

Anyhow on to the Games...

Solving the Puzzles & getting to grips with the Controls proved to be trickier as Abe progresses through the Levels, rescuing his fellow People.

I haven't got the Co - ordination for this sort of thing, although at times I thought I might just about getting the hang of it...

Sniff... sniff... What's that smell?

Takes a delicate touch, so that rules me out then, it can seem a bit frantic & a bit like a lost cause. There is a Patch File (upgrades to Version 1.2) which Tweaks a few bits & gives a few Extra Lives. An Essential if you want to Survive long enough to reach the End.

It took some time to get the Graphics to an Acceptable Level, although there are still a few Glitches. Handling was a little easier with the Joystick Programmed to suit my Preference. Unfortunately the Joystick was damaged & this made things a little more difficult.

That aside, it is easy to see why this a Popular Series of Games. The Size & Scope of the Game is Awesome. If there's anything I can add about this Game I'm unable to think what it is, so I'll not even try.

At times it feels like its going around in circles, which it is, much like the TV Series in the build up to the End. This has taken Hours & Hours of my Time & there's still seems to be no light at the end of the (underground) tunnel.

Converted to a DVD Format, it is a Mission - Based Space Adventure which includes Video Clips & Stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in Star Wars) & Malcolm McDowell (too many Films to mention).

It also offers the Player Decisions at certain points & depending which one is Chosen dictates the Flow of the Game. These Decisions go right up to the End & the Player can Blow It right at the Last Minute.

Some of the decisions are easier to work out than others & I have tried several different ones to see the effect. I did choose most of the correct ones when First Finishing the Game, Honest!

I found that the best way of getting past an obstacle, if bumping into it 20 times doesn't work, is to bump into it some more. If that object is a rather annoying Character who keeps trying to kill you, then try & get someone to sneak up behind them. I know this would seem to be a tad cowardly in nature, it gets the job done, especially when your responsible for the Lives of up to 6 Characters & the Rest of Civilization.

The road is definitely long!

It requires DirectX 7 which I've had some difficulty with in the past (click Here for more that) although it generally seems to be Running ok.

A more constructive idea than Risk (see above) building up a City from scratch & maintaining it thorough all sorts of problems; natural disasters, alien swarms & dissatisfied citizens (you can decide which is worst ;-)

Initially Sim City's quite tricky to get going. I had two disastrous attempts before getting the hang of it - including getting Fired! For my more successful Third Attempt you can Click Here to see how far I've got - you will need your own Copy of Sim City 3000 Installed (& the CD in the Drive) to view it though.

The only negative on the horizon is that once you get to around a Million Citizens the Game gets a little Repetitive. The need for continually build more & more Utilities (power, garbage disposal, etc.) takes over a bit. There also seems to be a Glitch with the Water Supply every so often.

The best hint I can give is not to let your Taxes go too low no matter how much the People ask you too. If I had I would have never have got the 4 million Simoleons (cash) needed to Redirect the River.

The Advantage of the DVD Version being that it is all on One Disc rather than Five, although the Game's Software does allow for Multi - CD usage (how many of us have more than One Drive though - don't answer that other I might just go out & buy another ;-)

It is basically has some of the Best Images I've ever come across. The Game would probably benefit from a slightly faster Computer than I have at the moment- another excuse for an Upgrade!

I've also Read the Book, by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame - don't look at the back page!) I still had to read the Official Strategy Guide to Solve some of the more Difficult Puzzles (that's my excuse & I'm sticking to it ;-)

Unfortunately another Victim of the DirectX / Graphics Card Problem. Since the Upgrades have been done I've been unable to Play It. Not that this is too much of a worry.

I remember Playing the Board Game when I was Younger & unfortunately they haven't Updated it to include Cohabitation, Single Parent Families, Divorce, etc. & not using the Car.

The Original looks very much like I would expect, some of the Animated Graphics are quite Amusing, although the Novelty soon wears off & Boredom can set in.

The Star Wars Version has a Complete Overhaul, Street Names, Characters, Chance & Community Cards have all been replaced & some of the Rules have been Adapted. It includes Video Footage from the Films & some of the Animations are a bit dodgy. With all the Extras Switched on this Game can Last a very long time.

The Trading Systems of Both took some getting use to, I managed to give away Money & Properties before sussing it out. The Counter Offers bit is still hard to get to grips with. The Star Wars one was particularly Tricky although it Wins Overall as the Original Version is a bit Antiquated by Today's Gaming Standards.