Scorched Earth

The Good
Scorched Earth is a suped-up version of the old game that could be found on many CGA computers. The old version has 2 tanks that shoot projectiles at each other. Adjust your turret angle, velocity of the projectiles, take into account for the wind, and blast away.

Scorched Earth takes that premise to the Extreme. And the key word that describes this game is "Customizable"

Basically, you select the number of players (from 2 - 10), number of rounds (from a quick 5 to a staggering 1,000 rounds), and the computers AI Type (which range from a tank that takes a shot then determines the correct changes, to a ruthless AI that only takes 2 or 3 turns before it zeroes in on your tank)

As you play, you win money, the amount of which is determined on how long you last through the round. Between rounds, you have the opportunity to buy weapons and defenses. Weapons range from Tracers to Nukes, and from Rollers (if you hit a slope, the projectile rolls down and damages a tank below it) to Dirt Bombs (It releases dirt above the targer, then buries it). As for defenses, you can buy Parachutes (handy if the ground below you is destroyed) to Shields.

You can set the Economy of the game (interest rates for money, cash each player has at the beginning of the game), the physics (air viscosity, gravity), and even the effect of the missile hitting the edge of the screen. The map can wrap around, random (missile go in a random direction), rubber (accelerates on the rebound), padded (rebounds but looses energy), even concrete.

So as you can see, the possibilities are astounding.

The game is a DOS VGA game, but the graphics are outstanding, even by today's standard.

The sound is PC Speaker, but then again, sound isn't really needed in this type of game.

Another interesting feature is "Talking Tanks". Two editable files are included that have one-liners that appear when a tank fires or when a tank dies (Similar to Hasbro''s Sorry! where the pieces chat with each other, but on a text basis). Since you can edit them, you can put some fun stuff out there, and it's fun to watch.

The Bad
It may be a little TOO customizable for the average gamer, and that can be overwhelming at first.

It doesn't not run too well under the Win9x operating system, and is better played using a Boot Disk. A Windows verion of this game would do well.

The Bottom Line
If you've ever played any of the Worms! games, then this will be very familiar to you. If you like physics, the game is a good educational tool dealing with air viscosity and wind speed. If you're looking for a game a bunch of friends can play at the same time, you'll love it.

Final Verdict: A Superb Game.

The Good
You can play for hours, great to play with friends, lots of weapons and plenty of options.

The Bad
The graphics weren't great but the game didn't really need good graphics. Stupid sound effects, too.

The Bottom Line
Tank game where you set the angle of your shot and the power and try to blow the other tanks up.

The Good
Scorched Earth is fun. Plain and simple. Personally, I've always liked games involving ballistics (doesn't hurt that I can adjust my aim quickly). But the first time that I played Scorched Earth, I was blown away. There was just so much to change, and buy, and avoid. The initial options are fairly complex, as you can change the entire physics of the game, but once you start playing, it's pretty straightforward.

One of the things that really got me when I first started playing, was that if you chose a tank, you could move. Is the enemy closing in on your position? Get the heck out of there! Though some of the AIs are smarter than that, moving can be a good move. Also, the list of weapons and items is very long. There are several different types of weapons, with at least two versions of those. For example, missles range from your basic pea shooter, to a nuke that can take out a sizable chunk of land. As for miscelaneous equipment, there are shields (boy do these come in handy!), guidance systems (iffy at best), parachutes for those long falls, and even gasoline (you did want to drive around, right?).

Along with all of that, you can play with up to 9 opponents, all of which can be human beings. Trust me, add alcohol to this mix and things can get very fun.

The Bad
I only have a few gripes, first of which is the AI (for when I don't have nine friends lying around). The AI seems to be either stupid, or a genius. There is very little in between despite the fact that you can choose about 10 different intelligences. The other problem is that there are a few glitchy weapons, though once you figure out which ones those are, you can avoid them.

The Bottom Line
All in all, this is a must play, particularly with a group of people (alcohol optional). Plus if you have a degree in physics, you'll make a killing!