Recommended only for sports fans who don't care anything about the way the game actually plays.

NHL 97 is one of the most downright exciting sports titles I've ever played.

The Settlers II is one of those brilliant little strategy games that mixes a bit of economics, a bit of combat, and a whole lot of watching cute little men stroll around the screen hitting things with various implements of destruction.

Strong graphics, solid sound, and good gameplay make this the best of the bunch for now.

Fight the best martial arts masters with over 700 precision moves! Unleash hair-trigger punch/kick combos, throws and crushing stomps! Each warrior has a personal fighting style, attack strength and special moves. Rapid, realistic 360-degree combat with 3D polygon graphics. See the fighters from all sides! Fluid animations look just like real fighters. Get totally wrapped up in the action!

So who is haunting the schoolhouse, taking the toys and practically scaring the scales off all the guppies?

If you've been looking for a solid title with replay value that keeps you coming back, Deadlock is definitely worth a look.

TeamFortress is a new QuakeC mod which radically changes team games. It provides far more incentive for teams to actually work as a team. Each member of the team has unique weapons, items, and abilities, and style of play. Class Descriptions SCOUT The Scout is the fastest moving class of all, and the lightest armored. He can wear a maximum of 50 green armor. He only carries the axe, single-barrel shotgun, and the nailgun, and has a low ammo-carrying capability. His grenade types are Flash and Concussion, both not very useful for damaging enemies, but useful for escaping from enemies. He is the ideal class for swift recon and flag capturing, and his grenades are a good way to sow confusion among enemy ranks, allowing for easy kills from supporting teammates. A scout can disarm detpacks by simply running over them, although it does take a couple of seconds. A scout can also detect undercover enemy spies when he comes into contact with them. SNIPER The Sniper class moves at a medium speed, and wears as little armor as the Scout: a maximum of 50 green armor. He carries the axe, nailgun, and Sniper Rifle. His grenade types are Hand and Flares. His sniper rifle makes him the ideal class for long-distance defense, but his lack of close-range weaponry means he's got trouble if the opponent should get within range. SOLDIER The Soldier class is the basis of a TF team. He moves slower than most classes, but makes up for it with the weaponry and armor he carries. He can wear a maximum of 200 red armor. He uses the axe, the shotgun, the super shotgun, and the rocket launcher. His grenade types are Hand and Nail. A versatile class, the soldier has no real specialisation... but he's the core of any offensive or defensive squad. DEMOMAN The Demolitions Man moves at medium speed, and wears an average amount of armor. He can wear a maximum of 100 yellow armor. He uses the axe, the shotgun, and the grenade/pipebomb launcher. His grenades types are Hand and Mirv. At close range, the demoman is particularly dangerous... his main weapons are his launcher and hand/mirv grenades, and with them he can clear rooms in seconds. But at long range, he's in trouble. Due to his speed and weaponry, he's a good offensive class... but with his pipebombs and mirvs, he's often used as the last line of defense. COMBAT MEDIC The Combat Medic is a medium speed class with average armor. He can wear a limit of 100 yellow armor. He uses the medikit/bioweapon, the shotgun, the super shotgun, and the super nailgun. His grenade types are Hand and Concussion. A good class in most situations, the medic is good at close or medium range, and packs enough punch to kill any of the lesser-armored classes. A good addition to offensive teams, and an even better addition to defensive groups through his use of the medikit. A great class for clearing out snipers that are pinning a team down. HEAVY WEAPONS GUY The Heavy Weapons Guy is the slowest moving and most heavily armored class. He can wear a limit of 250 red armor. He uses the axe, the shotgun, the super shotgun, and the assault cannon. His grenade types are Hand and Mirv. An almost purely defensive class, the heavy weapons guy can kill any fully armored enemy with a few seconds of concentrated fire from the assault cannon. Mainly effective in open areas, he can be killed by weaker classes if they've got plenty of cover, due to the time taken for the assault cannon to spin up and down. PYROMANIAC The Pyro is a medium speed, well armored class. He can wear a maximum of 150 yellow armor. He uses the axe, the shotgun, the flamethrower, and the incendiary cannon. His grenade types are Hand and Napalm. A good support class, the Pyro often finds it hard to kill enemies on his own. Given time, most enemies burn to death, but in that time the Pyro's probably been killed. Due to his ability to knock chunks off the enemy, the Pyro is a great first line of defense. Any enemy getting past him will almost certainly be half dead. SPY The Spy is a medium speed, fairly lightly armored class. He can wear a maximum of 100 green armor. He uses a knife, a tranquiliser gun, the super shotgun, and the nailgun. His grenade types are Hand and Hallucogenic. A fantastic infiltration class, the Spy can often get inside incredibly well defended bases. His limited weaponry make him a weak fighter if the enemy is aware of his presence... but if they're unaware, he can kill them before they can blink. ENGINEER The Engineer is a medium speed, fairly lightly armored class. He can wear a maximum of 50 yellow armor. He uses a spanner, a railgun, and the super shotgun. His grenade types are Hand and EMP. A good defensive class, the engineer works primarily as a support class. With his ability to repair armor, create ammo, and build structures, the engineer increases the strength of a group of defenders tenfold.

From Evil the Cat's'Circus of the Scars' to the planet of Meat, join Jim on a madcap chase across the galaxy. Saving cows, thwarting lawyers and outsmarting Psy-Crow are all in a day's work for Jim. Are you up to the challenge? Can you handle the awesome new weapons? Excellent! Then stop reading this. Try it now! Trust no one, play it yourself.. or EAT DIRT!

If you spent any time blasting meteors and aliens in Asteroids, you'lldefinitely experience some degree of deja vu playing this action game.

If a game does one or two things very well, and other things not so well, is that game a success or a failure?

Mindscape's fantastic new adaptation of the classic can teach you how to play, how to improve your game, and how to gracefully get your butt kicked over and over by a computer.

Devo has gone digital and the result is utterly devastating.

Free Enterprise is a SimCity wannabe that doesn't come close to achieving itslofty goal.

Gender Wars is a solid arcade strategy game that doesn't require lots of concentration, and has enough depth to keep things interesting.

If you can look past the lack of sound and graphics, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Kingdom isn't a ground-breaking or brilliant game, but it's surprisingly fun.

Touting many new features and improved graphics, the box would have us believe the game offers a state-of-the-art gaming experience, however, this is not the case.

What makes NHL Powerplay '96 remarkable is its terrific computer artificial intelligence, both in your teammates and in your opponents.

Return Fire may have wowed the button-pushers who bought 3D0 machines, but for PC gamers it's much too little, way too late.

Honorable in victory and gracious in defeat, Robert E. Lee, leader of the Army of Northern Virginia, commands universal respect. Now you can recreate Lee's war years in a campaign spanning six of his most critical battles. Fight any of the historical battles as either North or South; you can even play head-to-head via modern or serial link! Explore alternative history with a final fictional battle for Washington Crisp, exquisitely detailed graphics, rich period music, and top quality re-enactment film footage combine to bring the Civil War experience to life like you have never seen it, or played it, before!

The story is based on a novel by Aaron Connors, and turns out to be a surprisingly entertaining experience.

A deadly virus has invaded the military's top secret super computer. Its catastrophic time-warping effects now threaten to overtake the computer systems of the world. If you cannot restore core memory in time, the growing virus will cause the world's collapse. You must journey through the corridors of history to stop this technological demon. But vicious warriors await with lethal purpose. Instinct will be your only ally. All-out combat, your only choice. [Activision]

Offensive is a sorry, half-baked, dumbed-down, perplexingly incompetent game.

Alley 19 Bowling features the fun of real bowling! Up to 4 bowlers can play at a time. Use your mouse to roll your ball. Original 50's soundtrack and graphics. Challenging computerized opponents.

MADNESS, MUTATION AND AFTERNOON TEA The British Empire: guardian of morality; bastion of all things decent and proper. The World is being taught some manners, with Her Majesty's troops ever on hand to deliver a sound thrashing to anybody daring to bare their ankles. Yet whilst Victorian England revels in the glory of steam engineering and cucumber sandwiches, an evil plot is being hatched. Hideous screams echo from the bowels of the Earth as a deranged scientist toys with his vile creation: the Gene Machine. Soon he plans to unleash its terrible powers upon mankind... Is there anyone out there who is gentleman enough to save the World? Is your upper lip stiff enough for the challenge?

A typical day at the beach: the sand under your feet, the roar of the surf... and the ripping sound of German machine guns as they cut your troops to pieces.

What starts out as a challenge turns quickly into the almost impossible as Puzzle Pits goes from being a nice, friendly, mental exercise to an excruciating and mundane mental torture session.

Dive in to help Freddi Fish and Luther keep the ocean from draining and save the sea creatures.

With this update, Links LS can rightfully reclaim its status as the king of golf sims.

While WCD should be applauded for breathing new life into decathlon titles, it is ultimately undermined by shortcomings in gameplay and challenge.

Seeing how nations are affected under your command is a very enthralling affair.

This game may be one of the rare sports sims that's more fun when you are not playing.

From the exceptional graphics to the innovative driving model, Grand Prix II sets new standards in almost every category.

Hoyle Blackjack is a full-featured blackjack simulation that captures many of the elements of gambling in a real casino.

If you're looking for an adventure game that'll deliver your money's worth, you ought to check this one out.

Perhaps in the future BPMC will expend more energy on gameplay and less on frills, finally giving this niche the treatment it deserves.

Once you get past the moronic plot and insulting characters, the actual gameplay is fairly entertaining.

Although Maxis' latest SimMutation was not developed to give you the network carnage-fest experience of a WarCraft II or a Command & Conquer, you'll still have your chance to raise a little hell in the land of Sims.

The Elk Moon Murder is a full motion video adventure game. Assume the role of rookie detective with the Santa Fe police. Anna Elk Moon, a famous native American artist, has been murdered and you have five days to solve the mystery before "the big boys muscle in", as your chief inspector tells you.

No PC baseball game has ever offered the level of batting control that you experience with this title.

It is up to you to piece together select bits of the meta-intrigue and prevent a murder.

If you've never tried a PC pinball game before, or if your PC isn't up to the chore of handling higher-end sims like Hyper 3-D Pinball, then Total Pinball 3D might be just the ticket to get you started with the genre.

Tracer is definitely a game to pick up if you thrive on planning your moves well in advance and don't mind the pressure of something creeping along after you.

Rage through 32 single player levels and 6 deathmatch levels of sheer terror and fully immersive sound and lighting. Arm yourself against the cannibalistic Ogre, fiendish Vore and indestructible Schambler using letal nails, fierce Thunderbolts and abominable Rocket and Grenade Launchers. [id Software]

Longbow is a fabulous piece of work, full of attention to detail and countless features. No serious sim fan with the right hardware should miss it.

Good graphics, a good interface, and gameplay that keeps you coming back for more are this product's strengths.

While the Battleground series has always featured solid gameplay, this new title adds a grace of play and significant style to the table as well.

Chronicles of the Sword takes a classic approach to a classic story—and manages to accomplish very little in the process.

The final chapter in the legendary Doom series. This is it. The end. The end of the undead Marines, the acid-drenched hallways and hell-spawned hordes. Its 2 new, 32-level episodes (complete with new stories, The Plutonia Experiment and Evilution) let you finish what you started. Final Doom. End of story. -Frighteningly realistic graphics, spectacular lighting effects and a pulse-pounding score. -More chain gun zombies, revenants, hell knights and cyber-demons than any other DOOM in history. -Over 64 new finger-twitching levels to play, including the foul recesses of hell, Egyptian ruins and UAC bases.

This game is no Galaga, but it was enjoyable to say the least.

As the old saying goes, as a PC game, this makes a great console game.

The laundry hasn't been done, the bills haven't been paid, and it's all because of this terribly engrossing game.

While the realistic driving model is unquestionably IndyCar II's greatest strength, it is, at the same time, the game's greatest weakness.

The sweat that the first Lemmings produced on your brow may not be there, but die-hard Lemmings fanatics may still get a kick out of this new edition.

Micro Machines 2 hearkens back to a kinder, gentler era of electronic entertainment.

This bizarre new title pits alien against alien in a contest where the extra-terrestrial with the greatest understanding of frivolous earthling knowledge will win the right to call Earth home.

Sierra has taken a basic, turn-based strategy game, added some beautiful graphics, fantastic sound, and great network play, and set it into their expansive Earthsiege universe.

Ocean of America's Sea Legends has painstakingly reproduced almost all the elements that made Pirates! so popular, and injected just enough new material to qualify it as a unique experience.

Strife mixes elements of stealthy espionage with ever-satisfying bloodletting to serve up one of the tastiest concoctions in the 3-D shooter market.

The War College attempts to provide the wargame fan with a system that can recreate the greatest battles in history—a good idea, but it needs more work.

Wizardry Gold takes the classic story line from Wizardry VII and "enhances" it with all new graphics, sounds, and interface.

Return to the apocalyptic world of the post-nuclear future...But this time you won't be going in alone. Now you can join in and kill everything and everyone in the ultimate multiplayer death match over LAN or the Internet. Leap across rooftops to lie in wait, ambush from the rear in your captured jeep, or attack from the sky in an HK fighter! SkyNET -- No limits! As a member of the Resistance movement, you are sent on a reconnaissance mission to infiltrate a special robot complex. What you find there leads you on a break neck series of missions, each one more critical and deadly than the last. SkyNET gives you the best of bother worlds; intense single player solo missions that push your skills to the edge and the most explosive multiplayer combat ever created!

News flash: The PC version of Battle Arena Toshinden isn't as good as the PlayStation version.

A repressive government regime has enacted city-wide bans on all vices - alcohol, cigarettes, sexual expression, music, dancing... just about everything worth living for. Enter Chaos Overlords, criminal masterminds who have exploited citizen resentment to overthrow governmental authority and establish a reign of terror. As one of the elite Overlords, your goal is to outsmart your rivals, spread your influence, and make a power grab for ultimate control of the city. Mercenary gangs such as the "Suicide Squad" and "Pain, Inc." are your chief tools of conquest. [HotGames]

Gamers new to fantasy adventuring will be disappointed by the graphics and playability, and hard-core role-players will be quickly frustrated by this game's inherent limitations.

The combination of wacky sound effects and silly character renderings harksback to the twisted trailers of Tex Avery.

If you were a big fan of the early eighties Nintendo adventure games, check this one out.

Allow Rayman to take you on an unbelievable adventure through cartoon-like landscapes packed with goofball characters and absurd opponents. As you enter this blissful, action-packed world, strange phenomena begin to occur and suddenly reality seems far too lame. Take a thrilling trip into this fantasy game and help Rayman rescue the Electoons to re-establish order in his world - if you can.

The acting isn't Oscar-quality, and it's got a few rough spots around the edges, but if nothing else, The Dame Was Loaded proves that a game can be built around full-motion video and still be fully interactive

The fortunes of Tony La Russa may have taken a turn for the worse (hello, St. Louis), but each installment of his namesake game just keeps getting better.

If you're not careful, a game like Total Mayhem might just make somebody use some of that grey matter.

Argos Gamesware's Ungaria doesn't really possess any of that nail-biting intensity that its puzzle-game ancestors had.

Even the most jaded Orc or Human will be challenged by the new scenarios.

Arthur's Reading Race centers around everyone's favorite Aardvark. Arthur is trying to teach his little sister, D.W, to read. However, she insists that she already knows how! After a heated conversation, Arthur challenges D.W to read ten different words with a promised reward of ice cream! Will D.W be able to read all ten words for the ultimate reward? Since it's first release in 1997, Living Books' rendition of "Arthur's Reading Race" has been enjoyed by countless children. Step-by-step, the reader will find the story is full of surprising encounters with many of their favorite Arthur storybook characters, providing new ways to interact with the book again and again.