Lee Seitz @lkseitz
Reviews
MicroLink Push Your Luck (DOS)
Simple graphics and sound, but great gameplay!
The Good
Options, options, options! Play with the keyboard or mouse. (Or let one player have each to avoid changing chairs every round.) Play with pips or numbers on the dice, choose which prompts appear, turn the sound off, use fast mode to skip the dice-rolling animation, view online help at almost any point. You get the picture.
Speaking of the picture, the graphics may look simple, but they're certainly more colorful than CGA. They do fine for a game of this kind. And there's an option for monochrome monitors, too.
The best feature of all is that it tracks your top ten scores. If you don't have someone to play against, see if you can beat your own high score. (I've been tracking my scores for eight years now.) And it's free unless you feel like making a donation! (There is no "registered" version. You get a fully playable game.)
The Bad
Hindsight is 20/20, and unfortunately, while this game plays fine on faster 286s, the animations and sound are too fast for Pentiums. The game plays just fine, things just go by almost as fast as in fast mode all the time. (Unless you use a program like Moslo.) I find it best to just turn the sound off in these cases.
The Bottom Line
This is an addictive dice game. Playing on the computer means you don't have to do the math yourself or chase errant dice. You'll learn the agony of watching your score go into the hundreds on a single round, only to suddenly roll all blockers and watch it go back to zero. Argh! Obviously, you'll have to try again. 8)
By Lee Seitz on September 1st, 2000
Empire Deluxe (DOS)
A great update of a classic computer game!
The Good
There are so many good things about Empire Deluxe, it's hard to remember them all. First, you can pick from the three different game types (basic, standard, advanced) to play as complicated or as simple a game as you want. The computer AI is very good (sometimes a little too good) and definitely provides a challenge. The graphics are colorful and easy to make out. And there are so many options for ways to play against others (modem, e-mail, etc.)!
Perhaps the best features are the game editor and map options. You can create your own maps and scenarios. Or, if you don't want to design a map you can have the computer randomly create one for each game. For the games above basic, you can even set the dimensions of the map and whether it wraps east to west, creating an entire planet to conquer.
The Bad
Okay, there are some downsides. Each type of unit has it's own little musical tune. The problem is they're very short and repetitive, so you'll probably end up turning off the music.
This game was made when companies considered copy protection of some sort a must. However, they reached a nice compromise with this game in that you don't have to go to the manual each time you play, just each time you change the options (screen resolution, sound, etc.). So even this minus is a plus for the time it was written.
There is one real problem with the game, however. You can easily cheat during play by (e-)mail games by replaying your turn over and over until you get the results you want and then sending it to your opponent. Keep this in mind if you play such a game and your opponent(s) seem unusually lucky at winning battles.
The Bottom Line
This is perhaps the best version of this classic computer strategy game ever written. You're doing yourself a great disservice and missing out on a lot of fun if you've never played it.
By Lee Seitz on June 20th, 2000
Empire II: The Art of War (Windows)
Good for wargamers, but it's lost it's charm.
The Good
Empire II was obviously designed with hardcore wargamers in mind. It has numerous rules for terrain, fatigue, moral, and even weather. Plus, you can create your own maps, scenarios, and even units! In other words, it's highly detailed and very customizable.
The Bad
Although it's part of the Empire line, it's lost much of the charm. I think this is mainly because of the lack of exploration required. In Empire and Empire Deluxe, the fact that you have to explore the planet/area you're conquering plays a big part in the game. That's lacking from this version. You always see the complete map, it's just a matter of being in range of sight of enemy units.
The Bottom Line
If you're an avid wargamer, you'll probably enjoy it. However, if you've heard great things about Empire and Empire Deluxe and think this will make an acceptable substitute, think again.
By Lee Seitz on March 5th, 2000
Tempest 2000 (DOS)
Overall, a good update of a classic arcade game.
The Good
One word sums up this game well: intense. But you probably want more than one word, huh? Okay.
There are numerous enemies, both old and new. The game starts out slowly, but quickly builds so that there's a constant stream of enemies is coming at you. It'll take all your skill and reflexes to keep them from overwhelming you.
Also, the graphics still have a vector graphic style to them, but with added affects like fill effects on the "webs" of each level. There are also several options that allow you to customize the graphics to your taste.
Then there's the powerups. These go against the pure simplicity of the original game, but some of them are just too cool! In particular, there's the ability to jump OFF THE BOARD! This lets you avoid the enemies that you didn't manage to stop and gives you a fighting chance (assuming you've earned this powerup on the current level). The AI Droid is also particularly helpful, basically letting you be in two places at once.
The Bad
Well first of all, Tempest just isn't Tempest without a spinner control. In Tempest 2000, you're forced to use the keyboard or a joystick. With some practice, I've managed to do quite well with the keyboard.
The other problem is they decided to have text messages come towards you from a point in the center of the screen. This can obscure the gameplay and is very distracting. You get used to it with time, but it's a very questionable decision.
The Bottom Line
If you like intense action or are a fan of the original game, check this one out. I never really cared greatly for the original Tempest, but this game I like!
By Lee Seitz on March 4th, 2000
Asteroids (Windows)
A classic update that doesn't loose the hectic feel of the original.
The Good
Activision's new Asteroids still plays like the original, but the graphics and sound are more current. Although it's still mostly you against the rocks, there's now a variety of asteroid types and enemy ship types. This game requires all the fast reflexes of the original. If you hesitate, you will likely die.
The Bad
The game is a little too complicated. In the original, it was rotate right, rotate left, thrust, fire, and for emergencies, hyperspace. Now you have all those, plus shields and "flip," which instantly flips your ship 180 degrees. While they're all interesting features, there's just a few too many buttons for me to think about when I've got five asteroids and a UFO coming at me from six different directions.
Then there's the power-ups: all 16 of them. Thirteen of those are "wildcard weapons" that you can use to help destroy stuff. That's all well and good, but it's hard to remember which is which, particularly when they all tend to look alike. Granted, there's never more than one or two per level, but I don't want to pause my game just to see if it's a weapon I might like.
The Bottom Line
This is an intense action game, just like the original. Each zone starts fairly easy, but the final levels of each are tough. Add to that the number of buttons and different power-ups to keep track of and you have a game that's probably not for beginners. Thirty-somethings who were kids when the original coin-op came out 20 years ago may be able to keep up, but fifty-somethings who were thirty-somethings then might have a hard time.
By Lee Seitz on December 28th, 1999