A Quick Look ... By Sue Entomorph:Plaque of the Darkfall - SSI From well-known RPG specialists SSI comes CD-based Entomorph which is set in the game world of Aden. A plague known as the Darkfall has fallen on Aden and the effect it is having on the local populace is to turn them into giant creepy crawlies. You play Squire Warrick and are searching on the island of Pharos for your missing sister when you come across the first infected village you have seen. Unfortunately, as a result, you also get infected ... you have a limited amount of time to save the world from the plague before your transformation is complete. Entomorph is more action-oriented than the last Aden game, Thunderscape, with an overhead view and real time combat, enhanced by SVGA display and audio tracks for each island you visit. You control just one character but will gain extra abilities (due to your transformation) and spells as the game progresses. The puzzles are allegedly tough with tricky riddles which can only be solved by listening closely to conversations. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bad Mojo - Pulse Entertainment We've played lovable characters, we've played sleaze-bags. We've played men, women and been transformed into animals. But in Bad Mojo, you play every one's favourite insect, a cockroach. Hm-mmm ... Transformed by an amulet from an ill-fated (in more ways than one) character called Roger into the afore-mentioned cockroach (still called Roger, I guess!) you must explore the seedier areas of San Francisco. The story unfolds as you play, by you picking up clues from letters, discarded newspapers and other items which reveal video clips. There are several possible endings according to how you play the game and put the information that you've gleaned together. The puzzles sound fair but tricky and are related to, and made more difficult by, your small size. The game is mostly viewed from above and you move the cockroach about using the cursor keys. Though the area you cover is relatively small (a six-room bar on SF's waterfront) it allegedly covers over 700 high res screens and runs under Windows 3.11/95 from CD. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Robot City - Byron Preiss Multimedia This CD game is based round Isaac Azimov's well known Three Laws of Robotics and, as Azimov fans will have encountered in some of his stories, deals with a murder on a world containing robots. You and two others are the only humans on this robot-filled world and when a visiting robotocist is murdered, guess who is the main suspect? Yes, congratulations, it's you! Since you are inconveniently suffering from amnesia as the result of a crash, you don't know who you are though you are convinced of your innocence. Discovering both your true story and the real murderer will also help you to save Robot City itself. The storyline sounds predictable to me and the fact that the structure of the city changes as you play makes it sound like a giant maze. The graphics look on a par with those from the Legend games. It also sounds a very linear game with many pointers for your next move - good for beginners or those who want an easier game to play. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sim Isle - Maxis The latest Maxis sim is set in the threatened environment of the rainforest, purporting to show the immense number of factors, on both sides of the political coin, that affect its survival. 24 islands are set up, each with its own problems which you have to solve with a limited amount of money and a gaggle of agents, each with his or her specialties at your disposal. Every scenario requires at least some management and construction, being the lesser evil than all-out deforestation and destruction. The display is in 3D SVGA with full rotation and zoom, and all objects marked and easily identified. Agents are moved from one area to another as their skills are needed to solve the current problem. Message bars tell you what skills or items are needed and graphs can be accessed to show various factors in operation. If you complete the scenarios, there is a random island option to keep you amused. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Caesar II - Sierra The original Caesar was a very popular strategy game and the authors have paid attention to players' comments when devising the sequel. Caesar II is very much olde worlde Sim City with combat! You are a governor of a small Roman province and must manage it well enough to be noticed by the Emperor and get promotion to a larger province. Eventually you aim to become Caesar. As with Sim Isle's islands, each province has its own pros and cons which create a fairly specific problem to solve. Buildings, roads and whatnot must be constructed SimCity fashion to keep your populace happy, with the added complication of barbarian attackers who must be kept in check. The fighting can be computer controlled if you wish so can be seen as an extra feature rather than a big part of the game - whichever you prefer. This being ancient Rome, you must also build structures such as market places, bath houses, coliseums, temples and aqueducts to keep the people happy and prevent riots due to mismanagement. Caesar II sounds my kinda game and I have no doubt I'll buy and review it soon. Feel free to beat me to it though! - o -