It ain’t "Diablo II," but it’s in the ballpark, and frankly, that’s a pretty sweet deal.

Unspectacular graphics only serve to accentuate the game’s myriad physical and visual shortcomings.

Genuinely fun – for the first 10 minutes or so, before it gets repetive. [Holiday 2001, p.68]

It’s exactly the kind of cookie-cutter movie spin-off we could easily survive without. [Holiday 2001, p.88]

Trade Empires simply isn’t much fun. It’ll appeal only to fans of maddeningly dense economics sims "with a twist."

Undoubtedly an excellent game, with its strengths far outweighing its weaknesses. My central frustration, though, is that it doesn’t allow you to play a deliberate, defense-oriented, puck-control style of NHL hockey.

Any Spidey freak will have a blast, and comics fans will delight in Spider-Man’s right-off-the-page super-powered antics. If you want the PC’s best superhero game, this is it.

As far as looks go, Red Faction is more like the cute girl next door than a hot fashion model from the Upper West Side: It’s pretty, but it won’t make a man drop to his knees and thank God for giving him sight.

A pleasant five-hour distraction, but nothing more.

No quarter has been spared in delivering one of the most detailed and complex representations of modern sub warfare ever for the PC. [Holiday 2001, p.88]

A good value-priced game saddled with a clumsy interface. [Mar 2002, p.72]

True, few games let you play as a soldier, tank commander, and pilot in the same sitting, but in order to enjoy yourself you must be able to feel comfortable with your controls and navigate the in-game menus intuitively.

My problem with I-War 2 is its vertical learning curve...Combat is brutal and fleeting — some dogfights ended in my destruction just scant seconds after the first shot was fired.

If you can’t find something to love about this game, dump your computer in the garbage right now. Arcanum epitomizes what people like you and me love most about PC gaming.

Battles are almost always won by veteran troops – which means it all comes down to who’s willing to log in epic amounts of playtime. [Holiday 2001, p. 82]

Undoubtedly fun for the run-and-shoot fans, but a low-impact port all the same.

Mixing a mostly tried-and-true formula with some interesting new ideas, Conquest succeeds as a competent new entry in the genre.

Now this part’s whack. Carson isn’t even in the game! Ohmigod, they so totally got this other MTV himbo, Brian McFayden, to do the talking. And you don’t even see him. What is up with that, y’all?

A tiny bit of truly awful combat has been thrown in when it should have been thrown out, and this may be the last third-person game in existence that doesn’t support the mouse in any way.

This may well be John Tiller’s masterpiece. For dynamic, white-knuckled intensity and fine-grained realism, it comes closer than any previous PC game to replicating the spirit of that legendary boardgame classic "Advanced Squad Leader."

Unfortunately, this ambitious new step for gaming turns out to be dead on arrival. [Feb 2002, p.60]

Much deeper and more complex than it looks to be on first acquaintance; it could be a real sleeper in the wargaming community.

All you get is a well-polished strategic wargame that offers a ton of depth, unique scenarios, and historical accuracy.

After just a few of the 10 missions, it becomes painfully evident that the Myth II engine was simply not designed for the task of modeling modern combat.

If you’re looking for a great thrill ride, an interesting story, and bleeding-edge technology, Max Payne delivers all of them.

A must-own for Worms virgins, less important for all but the most devoted Worms fans. [June 2001, p.74]

This game has it all: Newtonian mechanics, intricate programmable logic, applied physics, and every other reason I decided to drop out of electrical engineering to become a film major.

New life for the Myst franchise, but the non-believers won't be convinced. [July 2001, p.62]