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Desperados (PC)
by DooYou
Ride 'em high cowboys! And of course cowgirls - this is one real-time strategy game that is riding into town, shooting from the hip and getting the girl. Time to swap your line dancing and Dolly Parton records for showdowns and banditos! Time to join John Cooper and his posse.
You play John Cooper, a square-jawed hero, who is ... a nomadic bounty hunter - a sheriff he ain't. His first task is to track down and free the other members of your outlawed gang. Doc McCoy is a sharp shooting, rooting tooting cowboy who has gas tubes and a keen gun skills. Kate O'Hara is notorious card shark who knows how to get her way by flashing her garter and using her mirror trick. Sanchez, nicknamed Grizzy, is the muscle of the gang who is also the leader of some Mexican gangsters. Having Samuel Williams on your side means you have an explosives expert to call upon and last but not least is Mia Yung who is an angelic little feisty fighter with guile and a monkey friend called Mr Leonne to help her out. What a team and together you get to explore 25 of the Wildest of the West mission and all its dustbowl backdrops, canal filled, gun slinging, bullet flying... yes you get the picture.
The feel to the game is great. Comparisons to Commandos 2 can be justified as Desperados uses the 'squad-based strategy' technique, but with one radical departure - there is no set way of completing missions. Each level is highly detailed and set with beautifully rendered graphics. Take a walk through the cities and you can hang out in saloons, shops, stables, blacksmiths, churches and even barbers' shops. On your lasooing travels you will swan (or horse?) into ranches, cotton field, canyons, gold mines, waterfalls and camps, all accompanied by authentic background music.
Your enemies have the added advantage of improved hearing so they take note of your movements and of the noise you make. Running everywhere isn't always the best way to kill a man. If you wish to take someone down, then sneaking up behind them quietly and then quietly stabbing them is the best tactic. It's these subtle elements that add to the overall gaming pleasure.
Desperados will get you slapping your thighs with joy as the gameplay is a big enough challenge for the more hardened of gamers and easy enough to learn for all you Clint hopefuls. Grab your guns, grab your ten gallon hat and get riding! Yeeeeeeeeehhhaaaaawww!
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Civilization 2 (PC)
by evyarad
Civilization 2 must rank as one of the best computer games of all time and is certainly about the best strategy game ever made. It builds on the strengths of the original, groundbreaking game and adds better graphics more variety and improved gameplay.
The game begins in the bronze age and your first task is to use your single ... settler unit to found a city in a suitable place. You then commence your journey to modern civilisation (and beyond), conquering your rivals, researching new technology and building wonders of the world. It is simply fascinating to watch your cities and troops gradually upgrade as you develop and your borders push further afield. The aim of the game is to either become the only civilisation remaining or by building a spaceship and reaching Alpha Centauri. Upon doing so the game grades your efforts and, in a nice touch, gives you a title such as "the magnificent" or "the pitiful" (if you haven't done so well!).
One nice touch is that you can consult your advisers each turn. These offer advice on different areas of your dominion such as military, economics, diplomacy etc. and are represented by little videos offering tidbits of info on the current state of affairs. Their continual demands, bickering and catchphrases do a lot to add humour to the game.
Civilization 2 has been installed on at least one of my computers since it's release in the late nineties and when I fancy some retro gaming it us one of the first I go to. It remains great gun to play, with no two run throughs ever being the same and an active community still churning out new maps and scenarios. While I have played the sequels I have found them over reliant on flashy graphics and new gameplay gimmicks without having the charm of this rdition.
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RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (PC)
by bettyboop2002
WHAT IS ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON?
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 is the follow on to Rollercoaster Tycoon, in the game you are given various scenarios in which you have to build a theme park, or improve an existing theme park, meeting certain criteria to pass the level. You are able to select a level to play from different categories and do not ... need to complete one to unlock the others which is good if you want to select a short game.
GAME INFORMATION
This game was first released in 2002 by Infrogame for PC. There are a couple of versions available for different systems, the most common systems the game is available for are Vista, XP, Windows 95, 98, 2000 and Me.
The game is now available on Amazon from £2.49.
The age guide on this game is 3+, I think many levels are too difficult for young children to understand and think it would be better for those a bit older who understand what you need to do to increase profits etc.
SCENARIOS
There are different difficulty levels and types of scenarios to choose from. A tutorial is available to learn how to play and get the hang of things. There are beginners parks, challenging parks, expert parks, real parks and other parks. The real parks are already built up and running theme parks which you have to run and improve to meet the goals. The other parks are the same layouts as the real parks but you are to build your own. The basic layout, scenery and footpaths are in place and you need to build your own rides.
A scenario editor is available where you can change scenario options such as how much cash you start with and if there are time restraints on the scenario but I prefer to try the scenarios as they are to start with.
BUILDING YOUR PARK
There are lots of options when it comes to building your park, you can place decorations, litter bins, seating and trees as well as the rides and shops. Other features include TV's for your queue lines which stop your guests getting impatient whilst queuing. Entertainers can be hired who also improve your guests happiness.
There are lots of shops and facilities to choose from. Some are available straight away and others you need to wait for them to be researched before you can build them, this also goes for the games. You can place food and drink stalls, souvenir shops, a first aid room (near the big nauseating rides), toilets and cash machines. You can change the amount you charge in each of these to increase your profits.
There are plenty of ride options to choose from including transport rides, water rides, gentle rides, thrill rides and rollercoasters. Many of the rides you can design the layout yourself or select a design already created. You will need to hire maintenance to test your rides and repair them when they break down. On some scenarios you can change the price of ride tickets, on others you charge an entry fee to the park and the rides are free so remember to adjust the entry fee as you build more rides.
GOALS
Some of the levels require you to reach a certain park value. You increase park value by building rides and some of these levels can take quite some time whilst you wait for enough cash to build new rides.
Other levels require you to attract a certain number of guests by a set date. You can attract guests by using advertising campaigns, guests will leave if they run out of money or it's too crowded so a building a cash machine and placing plenty of seating is helpful for these levels.
On most of the levels you must have a certain park rating as well as other criteria to complete the level. You need plenty of handymen around to clean up litter and vomit as any mess will bring your park rating down.
OVERALL GAME EXPERIENCE
I've had this game for a few years now and find myself going back to play it now and again. It's an enjoyable game but I found a lot of the levels are just too long. Some of them could take days to complete, others I still haven't managed to complete and I think this game would be much better if you could speed it up as I often find myself waiting a long time for new rides to be researched or just waiting for the target dates to come around. It can get a bit repetitive as well but I really enjoy it and think it's one that all the family could enjoy. If you can pick it up for a few quid, it'sdefinitely worth it as it is a lengthy game and you can get weeks of gameplay out of it.
MORE GAMES
A third Rollercoaster Tycoon was released in 2004, which I am yet to try. For Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 there are some add-on/expansion packs available called Wacky Worlds and Time Twister. Also players can share their own scenarios and custom rides on the internet for others to download and play with.
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