It's an addictive, well-rounded game that is balanced, challenging, and, most of all, fun to play. If you're speedy, on the quick end it'll take around 40 or so hours to complete.

At first glance, the game looks like it's moving faster than the old-school arcade version. But in reality, the game is very slow-paced. The robots never seem to get close enough to pose a threat. I went through 40 of the game's 200 levels before losing one life.

You'll actually feel a loss if (and when) your star monster passes on. You might start to relate better to your monster than to actual people.

Artificially lengthening games by making you do the same thing over and over again is my vote for the worst trend in gaming … even though this is a much better game than Kart 64 ever was.

Most of Tomb Raider II's improvements are cosmetic, and even those aren't really anything special.

It's sad but unsurprising that the game's look pretty much duplicates the original PC game. While texture-mapped scenery looks a little better, all monsters, items, and basically anything changeable in the environment are implemented as sprites - essentially, sets of still pictures that show the same character in different perspectives. It's not very vivid.

Plotline aside, Colony Wars delivers the real experience with its spectacular cinematic graphics.

It's "Circle of Blood" with new characters, a new storyline, a new threat to world harmony, and a few omissions and additions that help to streamline the adventure.

Like its predecessors, Curse has all the makings of a classic: great gameplay, fantastic graphics and music, challenging puzzles, a complex plot, and hilarious dialogue.

It's a leisurely paced, all-encompassing, mentally challenging experience. If you enjoyed "Myst," you'll thoroughly enjoy Riven.

When you combine the excellent multiplayer support, the great graphics, and the dramatic gameplay improvements offered by the 1.1 patch, you get a truly remarkable real-time strategy game.

For the record, chicks dig PaRappa too, so if having a cute game means you can convince your otherwise game-loathing girlfriend to pick up a controller, "it's all good."

The designers have done a commendable job of creating an immersive environment and have come up with what is arguably the best single-player first-person shooter since "Doom."

Fallout's detailed graphics, compelling plot, and intuitive gameplay should deservedly broaden its appeal beyond the hard-core role-playing game audience. Put simply, Fallout may be the best role-playing game to be released in years.

Quite possibly the best 2D action side scroller ever.

The lack of longevity in the single-player mode and the simplistic multiplayer options make Postal a moderately fun ride, at best.

This game is about as solid as the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. It has all the right ingredients to please Civil War buffs, hard-core strategy fans, and maybe even some casual gamers adventurous enough to try something new.

The system can go very far with some fine-tuning, but as it stands it seems downright schizo. Is it a simplified "Civilization" or a modestly beefed up "Warcraft"? It's almost as if the designers started out to create one game and ended up with another.

Playing now will give you a sampling of the game's potential, but unless you are incredibly patient, can tolerate constant lag and design changes, and you have the time to devote considerable attention to your characters, chances are you will simply find Ultima Online extremely frustrating...In its current form, Ultima Online is a major disappointment. [17 Dec 1997]

Hard-core fighting-game fans should consider Bushido Blade a welcome breath of fresh air; it's a vastly different combat experience that makes for one of the classiest, most serious fighting games ever.

The Extreme Contest can get pretty fast and furious. Again, the Extreme G gameplay is much different from similar-looking racing titles. The bikes are firmly planted on the ground, and the game is as much about battling opponents as it is about racing, giving it a very competitive feel in more ways than one.

Cavedog has done a commendable job of taking the basic mechanics of real-time strategy and using them to create something new: A game that relies less on constant mouse-clicking than careful planning and strategic thinking.

Abe's really is the ideal platformer, balancing its action and puzzle elements perfectly to make the game intelligent, engaging, and, best yet, fun.

Never before have technology, playability, and narrative combined as well as in Final Fantasy VII.

The type of game N64 owners have been waiting for since they finished Mario 64. It has outstanding graphics and sound, and contains a certain depth in its gameplay that really entices you to finish it on all three difficulty levels.

Sure, there are a lot of levels, but most of them are very easy. The result is a great game you'll be done with in about two days.

Star Fox 64 is the kind of game you will spend many sleepless nights with - even after you finish. An instant N64 classic.

Both action hounds and graphic-adventure fans will find plenty of satisfying challenges here, and the music and audio effects will help all but the most hardened gamers suspend their sense of disbelief and become wrapped up in the mysteries and dangers that await.