Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising

The Good
Been an old fan of Blake 7, and having Avon and Soolin in it was the major attraction for me. Hearing Tom Baker again to was a treat.

The game play is pretty good. Getting a hang of controlling units is tricky at first, and not for morons who can't handle it. It's innovative. A good plot and Paul Darrow does a great job of putting it across.

The other characters add inspiration to the feel of the game with their little quotations. eg, Koralev, Mother Russia would be proud. Borden. I love demolition.

Graphics are original and ok for me. Great maps and models. Great cut scenes and cinematics. The idea of giving units orders and been able to take control yourself at any time is a great idea. Plenty of objectives in levels, and at least one other way to go about it. More games should have this in mind.

The Bad
I have'nt been clever enough to give orders outside the war room which it says can be done.

The manual is not much help.

I would have liked it if you could have had some control over Antaeus itself in the levels.

Strategy at times could have been better. All you have to do to win is knock out the enemies resource production. The alien units could have been a little more imaginative, because there just spidery looking things and big grubs.

Even with Glynis Barber giving you a good rap in the end, it's a pity you have to die, leaving not much room for a sequel, for your crew anyway.

The Bottom Line
Definitely not for beginner gamers, as the controls can be hard for some, though I had no problem. Not for those who don't like sci fi. Not a bad blend of strategy and first person action.