Several of the games in this issue rely on design elements from the classics. For example, Adventurer: The Island Chronicles combines elements of the very first role-playing games with others from the classic strategy game Archon. Super Miner is a 2D action game with levels that borrow from earlier puzzle games. And Shark Attacks underwater combat scenes borrow elements from SubHunt and other horizontally-scrolling shooters.
Adventure: The Island Chronicles (A-)
Adventurer: The Island Chronicles is an action-based role-playing game that has the elements of a good Pocket PC game: its fast-paced, simple, and can be played in long or short sessions. you're goal is to rid the Kalesia islands of the evil dragon Stynnaferras and her nine children. Along the way, you'll collect potions and treasure, and fight a variety of monsters as you become more powerful and defeat the dragon conqueror of each island. Combat is the simple hit-and-run variety found in classic games like Archon and Telengard. Although the game doesn't involve a lot of strategy, its simple attack-and-move-on mentality makes it well-suited to the Pocket PC.
Adventurer's combat system is crude, but keeps the game moving along at a fast pace.
For more information, visit the Pocket Adventures Web site (http://www.pocketadventures.com/adventurer.asp). Adventurer: The Island Chronicles supports all Pocket PCs. A demo is not available, and the full version can be purchased for $14.95.
G-Prime Extreme (A-)
G-Prime Extreme is an update of the original G-Prime, with new levels, new enemies, and new weapons. This well-rounded and highly addictive vertical shooter is based on the arcade classic Galaga, but different enough from it to make it a worthy game in its own right. One nasty tactic the enemy has involves setting up a black hole, which allows an entire levels worth of enemies to teleport in and attack. When you purchase the game, you also get a desktop PC version of G-Prime Extreme, which looks and plays even better than the Pocket PC version.
Simple graphics and intelligent enemies make G-Prime a surprisingly good shooter.
For more information on this game, visit the Brain Drain Web site (http://braindrain.com/2.0/index.html). G-Prime Extreme supports all Pocket PCs. A demo is available, and the full version can be purchased for $9.99.
Obulis (A-)
The goal of this study in physical motion is to get the colored balls into like-colored pots. Obulis is played by cutting chains, which causes the ball attached to it to swing and/or drop. If you time things right, all your balls drop into the pots and you can move on to the next level. The game has strong level design, great graphics, and a good physics model (i.e., it does a good job of simulates the physics involved with swinging chains and dropping balls). Some of the levels are a bit too easy, but overall, its a challenging game.
Obulis relies on swinging chains and dropping balls to tease the brains of gamers.
For more information on this game, visit the IonFx Web site (http://www.ionfx.com). Obulis supports Pocket 2002 and newer devices. A demo is available, and the full version can be purchased for $7.99.
Spot! (A-)
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