A Quick Look At ...

                           by Sue

SimCopter - Maxis

The latest in Maxis' Sim collection lets you fly a helicopter
around Sim'd streets. It comes complete with 3D cities and missions
but you can also import your own SimCity 2000 creations into the
program where they will be rendered into glorious 3D.  How better
to appreciate your own skills (or lack of 'em!) at city building?
At first your `copter is a poor affair but as time passes it will
be upgraded. You will have to complete scenarios to progress,
dealing with riots and sorting out traffic jams.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pyst - Palladium Interactive

Now, what does THAT title remind you of? Yes, that's right, Myst.
When I saw this game for sale in a local computer fair, I thought I
was seeing things, especially when I saw that the star of it was
John Goodman. For various reasons, I didn't buy it, and now I'm
glad I didn't because, from what I've heard, it sounds absolute
rubbish.

For one thing it isn't an adventure, it is billed as "an
interactive CD-ROM and Online Comedy". What it means is that, on
the CD are about 12 spoof postcards with hot spots which call up
effects which are meant to be humorous but fail. John Goodman plays
the ruler of Pyst Island. I hope he was well paid!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Toonstruck - Virgin Interactive Entertainment

I'll review this excellent game in full next issue but for the
moment here is a brief run-down of the storyline. Drew Blanc,
cartoonist and creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show, gets
sucked into his TV set during a storm and finds himself transported
to Cutopia, a cartoon land, in company with Flux Wildly, another of
his cartoon creations. The two of them must save Cutopia from the
evil schemes of Count Nefarious, ruler of the Malevolands, The
count is using a machine called the malevolator to transform
Cutopia and its inhabitants into twisted, evil parodies. At the
start of the game you, as Drew, have to collect 12 items to make a
cutifier machine which will reverse the effect.

The art work for the game is very impressive, being in true cartoon
style, only Drew Blanc himself, played by Christopher Lloyd, is
a live human character. Other well known voices help out - Tim
Curry, Dom Deluise, Dan Castellanata and David Ogden Stiers. Full
of humour from both the characters (such as Jim the
Arnie-sound-alike bulldog who runs the nearby Zanydu gym, Fingers,
a cynical octopus, and the carecrow, a really ditzy character) and
the situations, Toonstruck is a joy to play - and not too hard!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nemesis : The Wizardry Adventure - Sirtech

Yes, that's right, Nemesis (not to be confused with Infocom's game
of the same name) is an adventure, not an RPG as we would normally
associate with the Wizardry series. However, there are some RPG
characteristics - you start as a peasant and work your way up
through the ranks, increasing your skills with weapons and spells
and collecting better weapons and armour.  The view is first person
in SVGA and the game contains a wide range of different areas,
through the 15 levels, to explore with lots of rendered cut scenes.
Maybe not surprising, then, that it comes on 5 CDs!















                              - o -