Amazon.com Review

The Diablo Battle Chest is the complete Diablo saga in one box. Itincludes Diablo, Diablo II (the fastest-selling PC game of alltime), the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction expansion pack, and theofficial Diablo II strategy guide from BradyGames. The combined retailvalue of everything in the Diablo Battle Chest is more than $70.

The Diablo Battle Chest makes the perfect gift for someone new to the action-RPGphenomenon, or for the hard-core Diablo fan that wants the complete series inone big collectible box. ... Read more

Reviews (105)

THIS IS FUN
I was struck dumb with awe when i friend showed me this game. IT is the koolest game i have ever played on the computer. You are a hero who tries to defeat the ultimate evil Diablo. You can choose from 7 classes in the expainsion. Assisain, druid, amazon, barbarian, padilin, and my fav sorceress. When you first start out u have no armor and weak weapons but when u kill monsters you will gain exp and sometimes they drop weapons or armor. This is a 3rd person game and its real time. The animations are wonderful and the cutseens are really well done. The cap lv is 99 and when u lv up u can choose to up str or def or something else. You can also get speical attacks or magic. Like leap attack if ur a barbarin or something like nova which is an attack that realeses energy and goes out of u in the form of a cricle. This is the best game i have played in a long time i it has a high replay rating since u can play online and theres so many iteams to collect. The secret cow lv is really fun and funny. I hope u enjoy this as much as i did

Back in my buddy's Rec Room
Firing up Diablo II takes me back to my early days of D&D. I recently recevied the game from my cousin who has been a hardcore Diablo fan since Day One.

The Battle Chest is a great value. Although I've been slashing my way through D2, I just found out that a friend plays D1 online at BattleNet. Lucky for me, and others who've discovered the Battle Chest, I've got both games.

As many others have pointed out, the interface is rather intuitive. I've played D2 online for the most part. Starting out is a real challenge. If you're killed with no backup weapons back in town, you need to trudge out and reclaim your posessions barehanded. And the fiends who inhabit the Diablo landscape aren't going to make it easy for you.

As characters develop, they really do take on their own personality. As you "level up" you decide where skill points will be distributed. Will you focus on lightning skills, or become the master of two handed axe wielding ? Its up to you. Lots of todays teens will easily get drawn into the adventuring, to be sure. But for for the old-school adventurers who yearn to dig out their 20-sided die one more time, give Diablo a whirl.

Award Winning Action Packed Gift Set!
This my friend, is an award winning gift set collection for any hardcore gamer. Novice or expert, with Diablo and it's following titles this is a great buy for your money's worth! You get the first-ever action-packed Diablo game, it's following ancestors, Diablo II and Diablo II:Lord of Destruction, and you also get Diablo II and Lord of Destruction Strategy Guide, and a cool poster all for currently twenty dollars! Don't miss out on this awesome gift set collection. In Diablo, you are destined to slaughter the lord of terror, Diablo. You get lots of fun filled quests with an epic story line, challenging bosses, great weapons, lovely items, and good graphics. In Diablo II, the lord of terror returns and again, you must go out and hunt Diablo. Diablo II has more items, weapons, better graphics, four acts, and great new challenging monsters and bosses that will keep you playing. Then, after you beat Diablo II, you must install Diablo II:Lord of Destruction. Diablo II:Lord of Destruction is the expansion pack for Diablo II. In Lord of Destruction the lord of terror doesn't return, but you must seek and destroy a new enemy, Baal. Baal is the big boss, the lord of destruction people say. In Diablo II:Lord of Destruction you get thousands, not hundreds but thousands, of new items, lovelier weapons, lots of new monsters, tons of great big bad bosses, and a brand new act to complete, to seek and destroy the lord of terror, Baal. If you have trouble you can always turn to the Diablo II Strategy Guide that comes along with this great gift collection, and who knows, you may learn something new. Diablo Battle Chest is a great gift collection for anyone who loves Blizzard's other award-winning titles, novice or expert, all non or current Diablo fans will love this gift collection. Why? Because it has the first award-winning title that started it all, Diablo, then Diablo II and Diablo II:Lord of Destruction, two manuals, one big fat Diablo II Strategy Guide, a cool poster, and most important of all, addictive hot sweet sweet sizzling non-stop action that will keep you riveted. So for your average gaming buck, it's not a bad deal, so I say buy this item now, or you'll regret it! :)

Lost in transit
I loaned this game to a friend before summer of '03 when his brother loaned it out to someone who left the state. He is just now recieving my game after it was ordered around January and is going to give it to me tommorrow (May 18 2004). This was a wait of 5 months to recieve this product. but having played it before I am very pleased with this game. I find such a wait worth it.

One of the greatest games ever made. Period.
I cant even estimate how many hours Ive spent playing this game on Battle.net over the last few years. It is just that good.

Logging onto Bnet and playing this game with tens of thousands of people, 4 years after its release, shows you just how great the game is. If any game can put up these numbers years after its release then its got to be doing something right.

Pick up this game now if you havent already. Youll be hooked for a long time... ... Read more

Features

• A massive conflict between Jedi & Sith has left the Republic weakened. Into this chaos steps a young Jedi on a mission. His mission will determine the outcome of this colossal galactic war - and your destiny as a Jedi
• Lead your group of freedom fighters across the galaxy -- you can choose from humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies and more
• Recruit other to your cause & train them in exciting mini-games like racing swoop bikes or manning turret guns
• Travel to ten unique world in the Star Wars galaxy, from the Jedi Academy on Dantooine to the Sith homeworld of Korriban
• Customizable and evolving characters keep the story fresh and the gameplay interesting -- especially when you have to choose between the Light & Dark Sides of The Force

Features

• All-new arenas and battlefields -- choose to play in planet-bound mayhem, or shoot up the cold vacuum of space
• New land, air and space vehicles - from lightweight attack craft to behemoth tanks, for more and better destruction
• Live chat over LAN and Internet with 3D audio (on supported cards), using a microphone and headset (not incl.)
• Fast-paced sports-style combat
• The powerful Skaarj return as a playable race for better, crazier combat

Reviews (5)

Just Amazing
As a HUGE ut2k zealot, I have always loved the games. With the latest installment, they one-up the previous with the amazing vehicles. The new arenas are pure joy,, and the mods make it worth every penny.

This game Destroys Halo Online
Okay the only FPS that can compare to UT 2004 is Halo. Heres how UT 2004 stacks up: Halo takes the single player catagory barley because in halo theres an actual story line UT is more just levels in a tourney. Halo takes a less powerful computer to run but if u want halo in all its glory u should probabley use a 1ghz processer same for UT 2004. The graphics are pretty much equal. The guns and vehicles are better in UT and there are more guns and vehicles. UT destroys Halo online, UT has better games u can play,more of them,less lag,more players per game. I vote UT over Halo. Also even though UT requires a better sustem i found that UT ran better on my eMac G4 1.25 GHZ 1 mb of RAM 140 GB and a ATI Radeon 9200

It's a DVD
Unreal has always been my favorite of all the 1st person frag fests. This game has everything that was good about about the previous games like the pumped up announcer and varied weapons each with 2 different modes. And it adds on even more incredible features like vehical combat, adrenaline combos, an a really fun basketball type game. It plays great with all features turned on with a Radeon 9800 - the best card available on Macs.

Also, unlike the PC version which is like 6 CD-ROM's, this is a single DVD. It makes for a very convenient install and storage.

very very fun to frag- compliments of UT2k4!
It took this game to pull me off of Halo multiplayer! Sure it looks better than Halo (on my setup), but, to my surprise, it looks and plays better than UT2003 as well. Its obvious that all of the original maps were redone for 2k4- especially my old UT fav- Facing Worlds... shweeet (I believe it's called CTF-FaceWorlds Classic)! Really, when I first joined a game with this map I spent the first moments looking around like a tourist in Times Square for the first time- sometimes you guys look too easy to rob! lol Actually, it's not funny, I've seen tourists get mugged for not paying attention.

Anyway. My setup is a single CPU FW800 MDD 1GHz G4/1GB RAM/OS X.3.3/Radeon9000Pro OEM/64MB VRAM (yes, I'm one of the few buyers of this model) and I must admit that this game performs quite admirably on this system. I'm running at 800x600@32bit color/textures and all other options turned on and set to Normal (textures/details, etc.- except for Coronas that, although they look nice, they ultimately obstruct one's view when encountered). Don't underestimate the Normal settings, either, this game is beautiful at these settings! I find this a perfect balance of performance and real time graphical beauty although we all love to play at as high a resolution as possible- I'll readdress this after I get my tax refund because I KNOW I'm going to get an ATi Radeon9800- even though I shouldn't (Amazon should sell these...).

One of the only caveats I have is questioning the option of enabling dynamic net speeds. For awhile I thought my firewall (I use Firewalk X if anyone cares to know) was slowing things down and pressing F1 (which reports scores, info, pings, etc.) would show that I'd a disgustingly high ping- deselecting 'dynamic netspeed' dropped me back down to my regular cable modem pings. I can only imagine that this would only benefit modem users (if it's intended for that so be it- we don't need no steenkin manual!), aka "HPBs" from the QuakeIII days. Another small caveat would be that the game requires the game disc be in the drive- no biggie, we all have to get used to this one.

Although I happily accept the inclusion and heavy utilization of vehicles I kind of wish Epic had borrowed from Bungie as far as their control- but I'm sure its just something we have to accustom ourselves, to- especially as this setup is more useful (again, AFAIK) with using the gun turrets which are on most vehicles.

I also adore the novel idea of getting $10 for buying this if you already own UT2003 (if it's not novel in the game software world please feel free to correct me)- and it's a really good price even if you're just buying into Unreal Tournament, AFAIK.

Well... frag ya L8R!

Mental note: Don't end posts with a cornball remark...

Great game with a few tech problems.
Oh, how I was hyped for this game. I waited and waited for it. I couldn't wait to rip open the package and pop it in my iMac. And you know what? (Now at this point, I'm sure you're expecting me to say "Well it sucked" or something like that. Not quite.) UT2k4 lives up to the hype!

This game is fast online FPS fun at its finest! Not only do you get all the UT2k3 maps, you get the official bonus maps and 45+ plus new maps as well! Naturally, servers only put a few in rotation, but you'll still find a great variety. Even better, if you enter a server using a new Windows-only official map, you download it automatically. In addition to new maps, you get all those great vehicles in Onslaught mod. If you liked the first two UT games, you'll freak over this one.

UT2k4 runs fairly well on my standard 17-inch iMac. Lag spurts are few and far between and occur mainly on overcrowded onsluaght maps. However, you'll definitely want to upgrade your RAM (or do whatever you need to for making your comp faster) if you're into Assault mode. Most Assault maps are completely unplayable, and the Single Player FMVs are a little jittery when played on "normal" settings.

Yeah... and then there are some negatives. Guess what? Whenever you try to use a microphone (built into iMac or plugged into G4/G5 port) the game freezes. Whoops! Macsoft screwed up big time. Hopefully, they'll release a patch. Hopefully. Until then, you have a keyboard. But what kept me from giving this exhilerating game a solid five stars is the fact that Macsoft neglected to tell first-time UT buyers (like me) that THE UNREAL EDITOR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE MAC VERSION OF UT2K4!!! Got it? Well, I certainly didn't. I shouldn't have to do research to find out Macsoft didn't even attempt to put it in their port. C'mon Macsoft! At least give us an editing pack or something!

Well, with all of that said, I really enjoyed UT2k4. Long story short: Like FPSs? Have a Mac? Buy this. ... Read more

Features

• Dungeons and Dragon-based Internet-enabled fantasy role-playing game
• Set in D and D's-based Forgotten Realms world
• Choose what skills and abilities you will develop as you voyage though Forgotten Realms
• DM Client allows nearly unlimited control for running your own adventures
• For 1 to 64 players (multiplayer requires Internet connection)

Reviews (9)

adicting
This is the first game I bought for my Power Book and I love it. After finding out the only game that comes on a Mac is Chess I decided I needed to get a real game. My brother sugested Neverwinter to me and so I got it. Since then I have hardly been able to set it down. A I play, I find that as I achive one goal all of a sudden a different chain of events happen. I knew there was a lot of playing time but I never imagened to get so much of my moneys worth out of it. That may be bothersome to some people but the box does say that it has 60+ hours of game time.Before I bought this game I was not familar with the rules of D&D, I don't think I quite still understand all of it. I find it rather relaxing to be able to leave my computer to fight with it's self. I have to admit that at sometimes I wish I could contol my character to be able to decapitate my averitary's head.

excellent engine for endless gameplay!
Overview: Don't think of NWN as a single game, but as an engine that allows you to play graphical role-playing games by yourself and with others. It's your way to access thousands of modules written by other NWN fans, each one a separate adventure. It's easy to find these modules online at the BioWare website. (You can download whatever style module pleases you -- from ones that emphasize roleplay to ones that are pure hack-and-slash.) It's also very easy to join multiplayer games online. (Mixed results with these. If you adventure with a standard group of people that you know, it feels like an intimate pen-and-paper role-playing session. If you join a random game and hang out with random people, it feels much more like a MU*.) The game ships with a single long campaign, which is well-written and enjoyable.

Of course, I'm just repeating what hundreds of PC players of the game have said -- go and read their reviews for that version of the game.

For Mac users: In my experience, NWN runs without a problem on an 800 MHz G4 iBook with 640 MB of RAM and 32MB of VRAM. It opened but ran unbearably slowly on a 500 MHz G3 iBook with 576 MB of RAM and 16MB of VRAM.

As is often the game, Mac gamers are treated as second-class citizens -- although it's not too bad in this case. Here are some specifics:

* We don't get the toolbox that allows us to write and customize modules, which is the biggest disappointment for me.

* The expansions (which are necessary for many of the downloaded modules) haven't been released for the Mac, and won't be anytime soon. [Edit, 7/5/2004: the expansions have now been released, finally! I'm leaving this part of the review in, because it illustrates how Mac users haven't been a top priority. Then I'm going to go order the expansions!]

* BioWare claims that MacSoft is responsible for providing support for the Mac version of NWN. MacSoft's attitude toward support is minimalist.

Bottom line: Five stars for the concept and the game. Minus one star for the Mac adaptation of it.

HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT
I Had never played a D&D computer game before...hell i had never even played D&Ds hell i hardley knew anything about it but this game really wasnt what i expected...maybe i was expecting more of D2 game
Cons:
Too many sides quest which made that game too long.
I HATE the hole thing where it takes like 5 seconds to hit an enemy
The Graphics arent that good
The storyline kinda blows

Pros:
not worth listing
DONT BUY THIS GAME IT SUCKS

Do Not Bother - Worse Than Terrible
Do yourself a favor - play Diablo 2 instead of wasting your money on this absolutely worthless, frustrating, terrible game. Yes, it may be 3D, but the character control is show-stopper terrible - unplayable - especially in combat.

Also, regardless of how many people are playing together, there is only ONE main prize-weapon. This has two game-ruining effects - first, only ONE player in the team gets rewarded FOR THE ENTIRE QUEST!!!! Second, because everyone knows this, at the End-Main-Battle, no one is trying to defeat the boss, but rather are all fighting each other for the main prize weapon.

Stupid story, blah 3D graphics, show-stopping game quirks, horrible interface. Gaming does not get any worse than this - avoid at all costs!!!

Doesn't live up to it's billing......Yet
The game has received rave reviews and I bought it based on experience with Baldur's Gate I and and II. THe game is much to linear with the built in storyline. Not nearly as challenging as the prior games. A major problem is that it follows the newest Ad&D rules and they are just a little to wierd for someone who started with the first edition and only grudgingly moved to the 2nd ed. I quickly lost interest in the built in scenario and have not gone back to try out any custom games.
This game runs fine on a G4 400mHz with 896MB RAM and 64MB ATI video card. ... Read more

Features

• You are the commanding general in this strategic realtime game of modern day warfare
• 3 sides to choose from: USA, China, or the GLA terrorist group
• Tons of modern warfare vehicles, equipment and weapons
• Each side has unique characters, weapons, and vehicles
• For 1 player, or multi-player over Internet

Reviews (5)

runs ok for me
Bought it after playing the demo. it runs well even on my eMac 700, but i do have it maxed out. 160GB Hard Drive and a Gig of memory. note to anyone with same type of machine/processor who wants to buy this game, set all the graphics to the lowest settings. you still get decent eye candy, but i did notice that with the factory setting, the building construction seems cooler on highest and lowest settings. also, when you use the ultimate weapon for either team, you don't see the Big explosion, but for me on loss. I bought it for the amount of thinking you need to do.

Way too High!
Well... while C&CG is a solid game... it has major faults, the first being the requirments being far too high. My 800 Mhz can barely run it (yes, technicly the game needs 1 Ghz.. but that is insane, as the 800 i have is still a top notch machine), and my dads 1 Ghz machine is not much better (and is less than a month or two old).
As for the game itself... while the graphics are nice, gameplay solid, the AI sucks... not even providing a challange for me on the highest settings. However, multiplayer is a redeming factor, saving the game.

Demo review, be warned
Might be slow. Be warned, I played the Demo on my Power book G4 12 inch (with 1Ghz processor and 1.25GB RAM). It ran fine, just slow. Also, the graphics aren't as good as Warcraft III. I think you would need a G5 to play this and enjoy it, so perhaps this is one for the Hard Core C&C fans out there.

"The Best Game Ever"
This game is the best game I have ever played. I played it on the PC and It is great. I can't wait for this game to come to the mac. I love war games and I played a lot of war games and this is my favorite war game ever.

Should be called "Age of Generals"
First off, the reason it should be called "Age Of Generals". The older Command and Conquer games, for the PC, had a very unique gameplay type and interface that is hard to explain, while Generals is more like your average strategy game, such as Age Of Empires or Warcraft. Also, the money system has changed from the older games.

Now, to the reviewing. WHile it is different from the older Command and COnquers which i lvoe so much, IT IS BETTER THAN ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've played it for PC and it may turn out a bit different for the Mac, but it would probably only be visually different. Choose form 3 unigue armies; The United States of America, The People's Republic of China, and, my favorite, The Global Liberation Army.
the GLA is my fav because I love their cheap disposable units ((i like big armies :) )) and the fact that they don't need power for the buildings.
Another new feature introduced in Command and Conquer: Generals; general abilities. Similar to the God Powers in Age of Mythology, each army has a different set of unique abilities; these abilities can upgrade or battle-harden units,give you new types of units, give you special super weapons, and special sneaky attacks((like China's artillery strike or GLA's Ambush)). Here is 1 example of a General ability from each army:
-USA: A-10 Strike; Up to 3 A-10 THunderbolt II fighters unload their air-to-ground missiles on a target area, devastating everything in that area.
-China: The Red Guard veteran ability gives all Red Guard units battle-hardeness, making all of those units produced start out with Veteran status.
-GLA: The Anthrax Bomb ability lets you send an old bomber to drop an anthrax-filled bomb on a large target area every 4 minutes. The bom does virtually nothing to medium-to-heavy armoured units, but instantly destroys and infanry units. It also leaves behind some disease for awhile.

Another new thing introduced is the Super weapons each side owns.
Multiple ones can be built and each fires the weapon in different amounts of time
USA: The Ion cannon is a classic of the Command and COnquer series. It is a concentrated laser beam that does damage to a small area and you can move around. Takes 2 minutes to charge.
CHINA: A nuclear missile. Thats all you need to know. Decimates everything in a large area and leaves behind a bit of radiation. Takes 5:00 to load a new missile
GLA: The SCUD storm. Fires several anthrax-loaded SCUD missiles at a target area and does medium damage to structures, kills most armoured units and all infantry. Leaves behind anthrax for a long time.
Takes 4 minutes to charge.

Command and COnquer will be the greatest thing to happen to Mac gaming ever. You guys won't know whats about to hit you. Can't wait until April 22. Peace out. ... Read more

Product Description

Homeworld 2 ... Read more

Features

• Online and LAN multiplayer option for up to 6 players
• Sequel to the groundbreaking 3-D real-time space strategy game Homeworld
• Enhanced visuals, richer tactics and strategic gameplay
• Fight amongst nebulas, dust clouds, drifting space hulks, asteroids, and debris
• Build your fleet and engage in 3-D space combat

Reviews (4)

Plot is Weak, But Gameplay Is Unique
I'm an RTS (Real-Time-Strategy) fan, and am quickly getting bored of the same old games being rehashed as either a StarCraft or Age of Empires clone.But to my delight I found Homeworld 2 a very unique gaming experience: 3-D!I downloaded the anemic demo, and was surprised to find that the game is more extensive, although not extremely hard.The hot-key and mouse (my best purchase for my Mac was a two key mouse--you should get one anyway!) input has a high learning curve, but once you get it, you'll find it was worth the wait.
The disadvantage is that there are few HW2 games posted on GameRanger...I hope to see that change once the word gets out that Homeworld 2 is a refreshing game in a genre that is full of "copycats."

Does not work on Mac OS X 10.4
Great game! Unfortunately it does not work on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and there are no patches available from Aspyr yet (as of May 2005). I had to set up a second partition on which I installed Mac OS X 10.3 just to play this game. However, HW2 is totally worth it. I played the original Homeworld back in 1999 and also Homeworld Catalyst. Homeworld 2 boasts a new in-game menu interface which does not look as nice as I would have expected from Relic but is easier to use and more effective than the menus in the original Homeworld. Missions are more difficult now. This can be frustrating at times but also makes sure you play the game for a long time.

Good Port Solid Game
I would first like to commend ASPYR for their awsome port over to Mac, with some of their games I find they didn't do a good jo or left things out, not in this case. The graphics are top notch and the enviroments are absolutly gourgeous. As for the story it could do better and the gameplay does get a little repetetive but the way the engine works is absolutley awsome. Another problem with the gameplay is(and I know making a 3D universe for a RTS is difficult) I found the camera angles to sometimes get a bit annoying and often made me use the sensors to play the game (sensors are kinda like the mega map). Overall though it's a top notch title and a top notch port.

Review for the Alaska Apple Users Group
Homeworld 2 is sequel to PC Gamer's 1999 Game of the Year, which was never officially released on the Macintosh (...). Like it's predecessor, Homeworld 2 is a stunningly beautiful strategy game driven by an enthralling and moving story. The innovative 3D approach inspired a series of similar games for Windows, but this is, fittingly, the first to make it to the Mac.

Long after the events of the first game, the Hiigaran people find themselves once again in a prophetic war of galactic-scale. The plot is captivating and does a phenomenal job of tying the individual missions together. The story unfolds through smoothly integrated scripted action with in-game dialog and complementary cut scenes between missions. The latter do not detract from the atmosphere either - they are uniquely artistic with simply animated grayscale visuals.

There is no overstating it: this game is stunning. The nebular backgrounds are lit by nearby stars, fighters leave elegant trails as they maneuver, engines glow ominously, and stylish ship hulls are dramatically lit. Even the violence of weapons, fire, and explosions are stunning.

It even sounds as good as it looks. Homeworld had an award-winning soundtrack and the sequel has a great one too. Sound effects are high quality and active stereo makes you really feel a part of the action. Orders from fleet intelligence and fleet command are well acted and the responses from your ships are varied enough to prevent annoyance.

You command the fleet to victory from the mothership with few allies and a determined foe. The basic mechanics of the game are like most strategy games. You have to harvest resources in order to research new technologies and build more ships to help you achieve victory. The sci-fi environment and plot tie-ins even make that model seem more natural and less tedious than in most strategy titles.

Unlike other games in the genre, the action unfolds in true 3D space. You can - and must - maneuver vertically as well as laterally. This makes battles much more interesting. There is still "terrain" to be exploited in the form meteors that can provide cover and clouds that can be harmful or hide from the enemy. All of this makes the tactical play very unique.

As difficult as the number of units and 3D environment could be to control, Homeworld's approach made it pretty simple and the sequel is even more so. By automatically forming squadrons of fighters, for example, you don't have to worry about banding dozens of individual units. The interface makes selecting ships, assigning formations, and issuing move and attack orders easy. A tactical view makes seeing the big picture a snap and moving vertically is as simple as holding a single key.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get started you're likely to be hooked for a while. Even after completing the single player missions (which should take some time) you can replay them to improve your fleet or try a different tactic.

Though multiplayer games are a lot of fun, they are restricted to other Mac users only, since the Windows version uses GameSpy. That also leaves the Mac version without a built-in game browser. Though supported by GameRanger (...), not a lot of people are playing online yet. You also have the option of playing multiplayer games against one or several computer controlled fleets just to test yourself. Realistically though, most of the replay value comes from repeating the campaign missions.

Homeworld 2 is an impressive game. Missions load very quickly and performance is great even near the low-end. Despite it's level of detail I was able to turn the graphics all the way up on a machine that drags Halo and Battlefield 1942 through the dirt without suffering a performance hit until literally hundreds of spacecraft were visible.

Homeworld 2 is a must have for any strategy gamers out there. I highly recommend it for anyone with an attention span longer than ten minutes and an interest in space, science fiction, or who just wants to see something beautiful on their screen. But as Lavar Burton says, "you don't have to take my word for it." (...) ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Arthur's Computer Adventure helps children (ages 3 to 7) to develop reading, math, vocabulary, and other important skills. Through following Arthur through his interactive world, get hooked on his favorite computer game. Arthur's Computer Adventure lets you play to learn important facts and skills. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lasting entertainment
My two boys (currently 6 and 4) have enjoyed this game for 2 years now....and still do! It's the only good "deep dark sea" adventure I've found that captivates them. Plus, the other little games are good and educational too.

My daughter LOVES this game!
My 9 year-old son and my 3 year-old daughter both love this game. They play it together taking turns with different parts of it. My daughter still needs help in the store making change to buy the different clothes and some times will get frustrated when adding ingredients to make the recipes, but luckily her big brother helps her with this part. It isn't difficult, but you need to be able to count things out. The recipes ask for 3 eggs, etc so all you need to do is find the group of eggs (and there is exactly the amount the recipe asks for) and drag them into the mixing bowl. This game has several different things to do in it, both fun and educational. It is also set up like a story book so you go through different pages and click on certain objects and they do funny things. The kids LOVE that!

Quality Learning and Laughing With Grandchild
My Grandchild has this marvelous game. While visiting we spent several hours playing and interacting. I was impressed with the amount of information and most of all, the fun she enjoyed while using this computer game. The characters are cute and have enough naughtiness to entertain a child. There is positive reinforcement as each level is reached. Oh, how I wish that I had been able to have the wonderful tools to use when my own children were growing up. I must add.....How important it is to have the parent's interest and interaction, as well as the toys. So very important..! gramma Char

Top-quality game
We've looked at most of the popular software for our four-year old daughter. For the most part, the selection and quality has been disappointing. "Arthur's Computer Adventure" was a welcome departure from the poorly produced Macromedia Director numbers that other companies are selling out there. The entire product was enjoyable from start to finish. The best feature is the play while you read portion of the software that allows the kids to follow-along while the book is read, then interact with the many amusing clickable areas of the pages. Captivating, well-designed, and at the top of my recommended list. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The most popular MOG comes to the Mac
After a few years of the Macintosh gaming community yelling at Verant, now SOE, Sony has finally released EverQuest for the Macintosh. The game is a direct port of EQ, with the exceptions of repaired NPC player models which did not function correctly under the new engine. Mac only servers are being created for the game, so all users will begin on an even playing feild, a refreshing change as compared to most MOGs. Fewer servers will be created inorder to ensure a better play enviroment, and with more than a few years experience under their belts, SOE should be able to create a more realistic world for Mac users. If nothing else, Mac users get the added bonus of receiving every expansion released for EQ at once.

Great game, poor support
The game is excellent. What frustrates us Mac users is the poor support and utter lack of responsiveness from SOE. Even on a dual pumped G5 with a gig of RAM, you cannot long play the game with sound on. SOE acknowledges the problem but after repeated inquiries on the official support board, they refuse to disclose when the problem may be fixed or even confirm that they intend to fix it. They merely state that they are 'aware of the problem.' Considering that they have been aware of the problem for 10 months, many of us despair of ever seeing a fix.

There are scads of complaints from players that petitions to the game manager are never acknowledged and that requests for zone resets and other technical fixes do not receive attention for days or weeks. In the last two months, I have never once seen the Mac GM logged

Higher level players are frustrated that the Planes of Power expansion is only partially implemented. Some PoP quests and flags are not available.

EQ is a great product. It could be THE Mac MMORPG if SOE made a reasonable effort to support it.

Come back!
Sony has Started actual darn support on this game. After the Summit meeting Khama has talked to Smedley and they hope to fix all of the bugs as time goes on. With Sound and Planar Access being the most important. However this will take anywhere from weeks to 4 months because they need to hire people who know something of Macs. Some bugs will be fixed quickly though. and A test server will be attached. The game will be Up to date as far as PoP and will actually be a worthwhile game to play. PIck it up. Join the community at EQmac.com and have some fun!
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Mystique N'Identity
Voidripper Life'Reaver
Members of Shortbread army. Al'Kabor.
Slizarus lvl 65 Arch Lich (Firiona Vie)

Great game, but flawed execution
EverQuest for Macintosh in its current form is somewhat flawed. While the core of the game is intact, there are serious technical problems with sound. Most people I know play with sound completely turned off to prevent bugs from cropping up. Those bugs can range anywhere from severe frame rate problems after playing for a while all the way on up to kernel panics that bring the whole operating system down.

The most troubling aspect of all of this is not that the game was released with bugs. Quite frankly that is to be expected to some extent. The troubling part is that these bugs do not seem to be getting any attention from Sony Online Entertainment.

If you're willing to play without sound it might be worth it to you, otherwise until they fix the bugs my recommendation would be to avoid this title.

A Good Port and a Great Price
If you're familiar with Everquest PC, you probably already know almost everything you need to know about this game. You know all about losing sleep, the XP grind, making friends (and enemies), and exploring this huge world. But is it a good port?

I'm happy to say it is, and the wait is over for everyone who switched to a Mac but kept a PC around for EQ. If you're willing to start over, ditch your PC and pick up EQ Mac. It runs well, it looks as good as EQ can, and the only problems you're likely to see are spots of lag and the occasional disconnect.

This is a really good value, since it includes all of the expansions up to and including Planes of Power (Ykesha is supposed to come out eventually, as well). It's also a great value to play on a fresh, balanced server. You won't see as many twinks as you will on an established PC server, and I've noticed there are slightly less grief players.

If you really need EQ in your life and on your Mac, this is a safe bet. If you're a little burnt out on EQ, this fresh start MIGHT renew your interest. Even if it doesn't, you're not out much for what you get, and you're sure to enjoy your free month, at least.

Recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Nearly any fan of Dora the Explorer's TV show will enjoy this structured "adventure" in which players help the program's intrepid heroine achieve the noble goal of returning her library books on time. While not exactly suspenseful, the program is ideal for children ages 3 to 5 who are just learning how to use a computer. Over a soundtrack of catchy Latin music, the player helps Dora and her perky friends overcome a series of seven obstacles, and collects sticker prizes along the way. The program is unlikely to hold the attention of more computer-savvy kids as it is very predictable, structured, and slow paced. But its emphasis on teamwork, and opportunities to practice color, shape, and number recognition--not to mention learn a little Spanish--make it worthwhile.

Only a minute or so into the program most adults will find Dora's incessant cheerfulness a bit old as she shouts out a steady stream of encouragement. But for kids, this aspect may not be so hard to take. Dora's pack of friends from the TV show all appear in the program, along with the Fiesta Trio, a dancing frog-snail-and-bug band.

The seven games that make up the plot of the program emphasize basic skills and concepts. They include locating Dora's books by color, sorting through her backpack for objects, and solving simple pattern-recognition problems. There are three levels of difficulty--each varies according to how much Spanish is used and how advanced the number and pattern problems are. One drawback is that if a child gets stuck there is no way to ask for specific help or hints. A useful feature, however, is the ability to stop and start the program where the player left off, and save individual programs for up to three different players.

While kids used to more fast-paced programs may quickly get bored, young children--especially those who are already fans of the TV show--will have fun developing their mouse skills and putting their problem-solving abilities to the test. --Molly Masland ... Read more

Reviews (60)

My 2 year old LOVES it. Great fun!
My oldest daughter loves Dora and took to this game immediately. She loves to sit on my lap and play and our father-daughter time is often spent on the computer. She can't get enough.

The 3 levels offer a nice change for children that are getting bored with the game. Some puzzles she plays at level 1 where some puzzles she plays at level 3.

The game is VERY educational and fun and it follows the same format as the cartoon does. She'll turn 3 soon and she still loves it.

I'd also recommend Dora's Backpack Adventure (they make a trip to the library), Little People Discovery Airport, Winnie the Pooh (where Pooh gathers all the friends for Eyores birthday party) and Mickey Mouse (where Mickey and Minnie stop off at Goofy's gas station / Daisey's diner).

Average at best game; Dora only redeeming feature.
Do not buy this game if you are used to the better quality games Humongous software has produced for NickJR characters in the past: Humongous was sold to Infogames, and well, if this title is indicative, much was lost.

This game is saved only by the appearance of Dora. I really feel the two star rating is generous. My daughter is Dora crazy, and even she shows little to no interest in this game (and she loves edutainment computer games).

The program is not well executed, and there is little asttention to detail. One my daughter noticed was that at the begining of the game Dora collects 5 books to return to the liebrary. When she returns the books at the end of the journey, the colors of the books which come out of the backpack don't match the ones put in, prompting my daughter to ask "what happened to the books we put in Dora's backpack...

Dora the Explorer takes you a short and boring journey
My 4 year-old daughter completed this game in less than a half-hour. The short-length of the game actually caused her too cry! I was shocked at the lack of depth in the game given that it weighed in at over 250MB for the install.

She's crying as I type this. "I don't like this game!"

Atari must really hate paying customers!!
Well I would give this more stars if Atari support weren't so terrible!! The only reason I give it 2 stars is because my daughter loves Dora and likes playing this game because there are plenty of activities to try and places to go. HOWEVER, Atari seems to want to force you (due to their prehistoric copy-protection scheme) to keep the CD-ROM in the drive at all times in order to play the game! How ridiculous! Even though I paid good money for this game and it installed on my hard drive, it does not let you run it from your hard drive. Atari told me that you need to have the CD-ROM in to play it and they "cannot help me get around the copy protection". Well I don't know about anyone else's toddlers, but my 2 year old just loves to open the CD-ROM and take discs out to play with. So this leaves me out of luck if the disc becomes scratched after she's done with it! I think Atari should trust their paying customers a little more and allow them to install the game FULLY to their hard drive... if for nothing else to protect their investment! I will never buy another game by Atari because of this. They have no regards for their paying customers.

Boring!
I have a 3 year old, and after a week, she is already bored with this game. For $20, there should be more to do. It constantly repeats itself, and has no real direction. Very limited number of activities available, and really no variety. I would not recommend this game at all. I am currently reading reviews to find something much more interesting. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you haven't yet been charmed by the adventures of Max, then Maxand the Magician will surely charm you silly. It's a game with asurprisingly simple premise, and you can tell the creators put more thought intodelighting kids than they did into coming up with a complicated story line. Andthat's fine by us.

The plot is simple. Max, the dog with the precocious little boy's Englishaccent, is sent to deliver a package to Mervin the Magician by his Uncle Pong. However, when Max arrives at the castle, he discovers that Mervin has beentransformed into a toilet brush by the vindictive witch Hagabelle. It's your jobto find the pieces of the spell that are hidden around the castle--once puttogether, Mervin can turn back into his normal self.

Like most Max adventures, the immediate task is only a small part of the fununearthed in the program. As you move from room to room in the castle, clickingon various objects to find the spell pieces, you'll uncover some amazing things:cackling witches, a chest full of magic brooms, transforming walls, and aspell-casting machine. And pointing and clicking is made especially easy for kids. Forexample, when you move your cursor over a clickable object, the small Max iconturns into a hand; when the cursor is over an object on which you can cast aspell, a magic wand appears. The game also lends itself to repeat play--eachtime you play, the pieces to the spell are hidden in different places.

Once again, Tivola has created a great Max game for young kids. Though it movesslowly at times, it has an appropriate pace for kids of this age group, whoappreciate a simple task coupled with whimsy and a sense of discovery andaccomplishment. (Ages 3 to 7) --Ara Jane Olufson ... Read more

Features

• Traverse the haunted Paths of the Dead, defending Minas Tirith from thousands of Sauron's minions as one of 8 characters
• Play as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam, and Frodo with voiceovers provided by the films? actors
• Twelve interactive levels players will challenge you to swing from ropes, fire catapults, kick boulders, as you face Sauron's hordes
• Fight vicious foes including Shelob, the Witch King, the Dark Lord Sauron, and many more
• Team up with a companion in all-new Multiplayer mode -- fight side-by-side to defeat Sauron and ensure the destruction of The One Ring

Reviews (3)

Take you back to the middle earth!
Frankly I never play any other LOTR video games before, and this one really take me back to the middle earth! Footage from the movie perfectly combine with the games. (In one shot you are still enjoying the footage from the movie, the other shot game is start!) Great character detail, great atmosphere - sometimes you are in a situation that you wanna say "OH my god, how can I get through this?!" (I especially like the path of ARgole finding the dead king...) But when I said that I didn't mean to be a tough game, but just VERY exiciting and get you high... often it is so high that after the section is finish, i feel really satisfy and really wanna play again!

Bad side. Checkpoint are far far away and you can't really stop in the middle and play it next time... You had better change the keyboard control and like me, get a mouse more than one button... And I hate the way the camera working in this game... it doeen't like other FPS that the view point is control by the mouse, the game decide, so often when you walk around, the view point constantly change and your hand have to adopt it quick... and too bad it ask for 2.2GB for installation. I think the movie can be load from DVD?

And so sorry for anyone who find it constatly crash... I never crash.

I am running it on a Powebook 15" 867Mhz 1GB ram... It's okay to be run in 1024x768 but i am afarid it will slow to death during scene that contain a lot people... so I run it in 800x600; but still it look nice and I beleive it should run excellent on modern macintosh :)

At last, if you love LOTR you got to buy this game!

This Game is great!
I only got this game last sunday but it rocks! The Helm's deep level is cool at the end and so is the road to isengard. I won't spoil it. The ups of this game:
The controls are easy to remember if you change them a bit

This game has cool scenes from all three movies

All the levels I've played are fun (exept pellenore feilds)

The Downs:
The path of the hobbit is really hard

Pellinore fields is hard once the mumakil start coming

Minas tirith:the top of the wall is very confusing

You still can't replay levels with as character who beat the level until you beat the game

Apart from that, this game is very good. I was on for 2 hours straight one day. I would reccomend this game to anyone who likes lord of the rings and who can stand being frustrated a bit.in The king of the dead level, the king is the easy part. after you beat him, thye paths of the dead cave in on you! in the last part of this level, you have to fight three dead champions (the guys wits the healt bars over their head) at the same time! In helm's deep, first you have to fight off a few orcs, which isn't to hard with gimli's help, then go through a gap in the rocks created by a firey boulder to help legolas fight off a few archers. After that aragorn needs your help clearing the path to the inside of helm's deep. just fight off a few orcs and fire three ballistas. one of them hits a bucket of explosivs. once this happens, you win the level.

Anonymus, out

Great game -- big problems
This game is great, but it continually crashes on my system, rendering it unplayable. I'm using a Powerbook G4, 1 gig processor, and it easily fits within the range of compatible systems. But at certain points the graphics disintegrate into a huge mess.

So I'm forced to return a game I was very much looking forward to playing. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Join Scooby-Doo and the gang in Egypt as they visit Velma's Egyptologist cousin, Thelma. While visiting the pyramids in Giza, they find Thelma is missing and a mysterious mummy is frightening all the tourists away. It's up to the gang to find Thelma and wrap up the mummy for good. Kids help Scooby-Doo and his friends by telling them what to do and who to talk to. Along the way, they'll encounter ghosts, puzzles, and hair-raising adventure.

Kids must solve more than 10 different puzzles and activities to solve each mystery. The adventure is never the same. The mystery changes each time you play, with new clues and a different villain and outcome. Turn up the gameplay and the challenge with three levels of difficulty: Spooky! for ages 5 and 6; Spookier! for ages 7 and 8; and Spooktacular! for ages 9 and 10. The game builds thinking and problem-solving skills by utilizing research skills, deductive reasoning, and logical analysis. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Zoiks!
My kids ages 5 and 8 loved this game. It flows just like the cartoon show on TV, as we follow Scooby and the gang as they search for clues to solve the mystery. My kids had it completely solved in an hour or so, then played it a few more times to see the different clues and villains, and now they're done with it--not 24 hours since we brought it home! They want to play the next two Scooby games now. "If it hadn't been for those meddling kids..."

Not as good as I expected.
As crazy as my children are about Scooby Doo, I expected this game to be exceptional. Although my 7 year old has played it quite a bit [and I probably got my money's worth] he quickly leaves it to go back to other software games like: Train Simulator, Oregon Trail, Lionel's Trans Con, and Mission THINK. The game advances slowly and the graphics are flat like watching the cartoon. Guess I was expecting more educational basis to this software, but find it's really more like watching the show on TV.

Thank goodness it was a gift!
I wouldn't buy this for my kids. Thankfully it was a gift for my 8-year old daughter. She tried to play it on her own at first and couldn't really figure out what to do, I guess she didn't read or listen to the instructions. The instruction file was enormous and complicated to follow for the specified age group. I played it on my own later to see what in fact this was all about. I solved the mystery and actually enjoyed myself, then my daughters(4&8) played it and the mystery was exactly the same for the next 3 times they used it. Maybe I haven't found how to change the level of difficulty, but I felt that everything was too obvious and not really a "mystery". I felt the kids were being humored and this game was really dumbed down. We haven't picked it up again since then, it has been a couple of weeks now. They'd much rather stick to "Clue Finders" and other such programs or the written word than play this game. They may give it another shot soon. Bottom line, this game just doesn't suit our tastes.

Not as good as I suspected.
This game is rather easy an does not contain many challenges for my 4-year old. The game was very easy to complete. The game becomes boring rather quickly at times because you had to keep going back and forth from place to place to solve the game. Sometimes you get stuck and am not sure where to go next until you explore some of the places again because the scenes change as the game progresses. The game has excellent graphics and sound but a mediocre story. The game needed more action.

OOOOOOO IS THIS BAD! RATHER EAT DOG FOOD
AWFUL AND NO EDUCATIONAL VALUE FOR YOUR CHILDREN ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Disaster takes Mia and her family by surprise when her home catches on fire. By the time the mouse clan can make its escape to safety, the whole house is doomed. Now Mia has only one chance to restore order: Sam Squirrel, who once designed a time machine. If Mia can build the device on his blueprints, she might just be able to go back in time to prevent the fire.

Mia's Math Adventure is a role-playing game merged with a healthy dose of mathematics practice for kids ages 6 to 10. As Mia roams the area surrounding her scorched home, she encounters a plethora of characters who are out to help or hinder her. Players must solve logic puzzles just to help her get from one place to the next. Then, perhaps as things are starting to seem simple, a basic math drill will pop up and gameplay can only go forward after players supply the right answers to the computational questions posed.

This is one of those educational games that strives to offer children everything: top-notch entertainment, solid educational content, good characters, and unique, engaging animations. And where many games fail in this quest, Mia's Math Adventure delivers--for the most part. Some kids may find guiding Mia through the backyard and other game environments a bit of a chore, as the real-time navigation feature is clunky. The process of learning to get around can frequently trigger unneeded advice from the ever-helpful mouse. This is the sole complaint that can be made, however, about a game that is both a genuine learning experience and plenty of fun. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (6)

This Is Not Boring!
My four-year-old daughter is almost through level one now without my help. She complains that it is gboringh but then keeps playing it for more than an hour after her complaint. I think her frustrations come from being unable to easily and quickly navigate around Miafs world. Sometimes when I come to help her because she is stuck, I see that she has clicked on everything too quickly while trying to find what she needs to do next, so the game cannot properly respond. So far the math in level one has been no trouble at all. The difficult part was the days of the week, which she is now learning thanks to this fun, educational program. I look forward to seeing level two soon! The Math Rabbit program we had before this was truly boring for her. This is a welcome addition to our CD-ROM case.

fabulous!!
This is a GREAT program. I use it for homeschooling my son. The graphics are gorgeous, and there are lots of math games to play-- you can either play them in the sequence of the story, or just pick and choose the math games from the "options" menu. The math itself is on the easy side, my six year old can play level two on most games and up to level four on others. I am a math phobe myself, though, and I wish I could have used this program as a child. So I would especially recommend it for parents with math-phobic kids, of any age!

Good Game
This game covers a wide range of difficulty. My 5 year old son plays on level 1, and he can answer the questions himself (he is very smart). My 7 year old son (also very bright) chooses difficulty level 2, and the questions are challenging for him. They have spent many hours playing Mia, and they have enjoyed it so much that we just purchased Mia Science and Mia Reading. Way to go Mia!

Superb graphics - my daughter loved it!
I bought this game to help my 6 1/2 yr old get up to speed on math. She really hates math and is very impatient when I try to teach her. Anyway, she loved playing this game and asked for it every day until she completed it (at level 1). Days later, she is still talking about her favorite parts of the game.

As to the learning of Math, it was not as much activity as I expected... however, the activities that are there are good quality. I did need to sit and help her the first time figure out what to do with each activity (The calculator was particularly hard to figure out how to get the results to display on the right hand side).

I am still searching for math software that actually teaches math, not just queries kids on what they already know. Mia is more of the latter than the former, however, I would buy it again. It is a quality product with superb graphics that my daughter loves. I will be purchasing the other MIA products (Reading and Science).

On Target for age group
The pictures in this package are fascinating and my 7 year old daughter, who loves math,has played this exclusively for the last month. The math is just the right level to provide a doable challenge. It is rather short (or else we are missing something), but my daughter has played it over and over and enjoyed as much each time. It does have a level adjustment, but we have not used that yet. (Note: I like this better than Math Blaster 6-7). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hours of fun with this game!!
I did Where in the USA .. Carmen Sandiego at school and it's way way better than this one!! But this one is fun too. Since this is a two pack, I like the Where in the World .. Carmen Sandiego better than the Carmen Sandiego Chase Through time. In the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, you get to go like every country!! At first, I thought it would be hard that you have to find her somewhere in the "world", but after the first case, I got used to it and it was very fun. My brother was watching, he's only five and he caught on to it!! AMAZING!! This game is for ages 8-12, and the Where in the World one is for windows:95/98/XP, was I glad that they had it for XP!! Oh and this is for macintosh too. Except, the Great Chase through Time one doesn't work well for windows XP. I didn't buy this at Toysrus though, I got it from CompUSA check their website and see if this is available in your nearest CompUSA!! They usually tell you if it's in stock or not, the one where I went to, I got the last copy!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I loved MOHAA & Spearhead...but, this is only ok...
This expansion has some clever additions, new weapons and vehicles, new terrains and all...I was really looking forward to this, but I gotta say, it was buggy, froze up at a couple of points where I had to enable the 'maps' cheat to advance beyond...had to crank down the visuals to baseline to succesfully run it....very disapointing (I am running a single proccesor G4 @ 1.25 mghtz and over a gig of ram, not the biggest out there but no slouch either.) 10 bucks for the pc is one thing, but 25 bucks for the mac...put it this way, if I had to do it over again, I would get Call of Duty for twice as much and I think, enjoy more gameplay for the dollars. I will have to think long and hard about buying any future additions to this franchise.

More of the same...
... which isn't exactly a bad thing. I loved Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Spearhead was short but fun, but with this the second expansion pack, the game play is looking and feeling a bit dated. (One look at Ghost Recon and you can see how behind MOH is.) The enemies are very stupid and, at some point, you begin to wonder how you have single-handedly plowed through hundreds of Nazis and Italians. I've been playing on the hardest level and you have to conserve ammo in a big way. There's just barely enough to do the job.
The addition of the multiplayer "liberation" game is nice. But my frame rates are lower with this expansion.

Ausgezeichnet!
I played a Beta version of this game and, true to the Medal of Honor form, it is wonderful. I mostly played it on a LAN network with about 10 people, and didn't get to sample the missions much, but from what I see, it looks great! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Good, clean (or bloody), fun...
I very much enjoyed this game. The graphics are great, the gameplay is fairly linear--a drawback for some, but I *like* linear--and the story and dungeons here are both inventive and challenging. I have tried Icewind Dale (tedious and aggravating) and Neverwinter Nights (complicated and, once again, aggravating) for the Mac, but Dungeon Siege is better than either of those games, in my opinion.

I don't want to give up half my life just trying to figure out how to play a game and then spend the other half resolving arcane puzzles that you have to get a clue book to help you with. Geeze. Unless you're a professional gamer (or college student [yeah, I still remember those days!]), who's got time for that? Just a bit of hack and slash adventure is all I crave, with an assortment of challenges (not all of them battle oriented) with a few good digital companions at your side (I found Kroduk, Gloern, and Merik to be particularly helpful). What more could you ask for?

Dungeon Siege is good fun for someone who doesn't want to waste a lot of time trying to figure out character stats and complex rules of engagement. Moreover, while there are a couple of minor side battles here (and one major one that which I missed my first time through), I still found the game entertaining and replayable. I like the idea of fully realized companions that join up with your team along the way (if you want them to and/or can afford to hire them). These are not just mindless drones but as controllable and accessible as the primary character that you create at the beginning of the game. I also like the way characters' abilities are enhanced based on the way you choose to play them; if you have a character use a bow, for example, then they gradually increase in that particular skill.

The music is great, the various levels are seamlessly woven together, and the "gore level" is adjustable, as is the game difficulty level. All in all, this game was just what I was looking for: fun, "winnable", and not irritatingly complex.

I highly recommend Dungeon Siege for Mac owners who enjoy this sort of thing. I haven't had this much fun with a Mac game since the Wizardry, Bard's Tale, and Might and Magic series of long ago. And, yes, I know how old that makes me!

A sight to behold
I was never a big fan of Diablo because all in all, the game is somewhat repetitive and you only controlled one man. I mean, come on, how realistic is that? Dungeon Siege is a nice break from the norm were you control a group of adventurers, which you control. How they level up and what they are good at is mostly up to you, and the classes are all fairly varied. The game's major strong points lie in the fact that there is only one load screen in the very beginning and after that there are seemingly flawless graphics and amazing gameplay. The voice acting is none too shabby, and the controls are incredibly easy to get use to. The drawbacks are that the games system requirements are somewhat steep, and I wouldn't advise anyone leaving too many other programs running at the same time because it'll slow down the game. My system is the best iBook out and it still lags at times when other programs are running. Luckily other soundtracks don't need to be implanted, because the music is wonderful to listen to.
Enjoy!

Good RPG but with some problems
I bought this game a few weeks ago even though the game is a little out of date. The story line is pretty good even though it is simple to complete. I Like RPGs which have a deep story line, take some skill to complete but the characters, items and skills are easy to get the hang of. The obvious answer? Diablo 2..but i already owned that and people admit it there arent any up to date rpgs with the things i said above...heck macs have a shortage of RPGs even availible. I bought NWNs and i thought it was okay but it was too complicated and i didn't like how if took 5 seconds to roll and hit an enemy. So i looked for other RPGs to buy and DS seemed like a good choice, it quenched my RPG thirst for about 3 weeks but then i beat it and the game wasnt really one u could beat again and have fun. On this i disagree with the other reviewists is the issue of graphics, D2 i thought had better graphics but was released earlier that this game was....If u have Mac and u like RPGs i would buy this game...but other RPGs to consider(if u have no problem buying out of date games) are D2 Baulders Gate 2 and Icewind dale...overall this was a fun game but i think is DS2 is going to be realeased for mac it will be much better.

Fun while it lasted
With a enjoyable single player campaign, Dungeon Siege is a solid game, but sadly is rather hadicapped. The campaign is far too short, rather simple, and not very replayable. Multiplayer is extremely lacking, needing a centralized server to be of any use.

An great game, with limited appeal
I agree with many of the other reviewers on this page. I am talking exclusively about the single player campaign, which I have managed to get a third of the way through. Dungeon Siege does a number of things very well - graphics and simplified character creation - while sacrificing character depth, interaction, and basically everything else that makes a roleplaying game special.

Good stuff: (1) There were points at which the graphics made me pause to admire the landscape - in particular the trees swaying in a light drizzle and fog falling off the walls of ice caves. All of this requires some hardware of course. I bought the game when I had a 600 mHz iBook with 256 MB RAM and a 16bit graphics card, but recently had it replaced with a 933 mHz iBook (I love the things) with 640 MB RAM and a 32bit card. On the first computer I turned everything to low resolution and got rid of the object detail and particle effects and the game was doable. On my current computer, I've maxed all the settings and the game consistently stuttered only during a snowstorm, where I guess all the falling snowflakes pushed the limits. Considering that the graphics are a major draw, if your computer can't handle them you might want to think twice about buying this game. (2) The system of character creation is simplicity itself. At the beginning you decide what your character looks like, and the game starts. Your three abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence) and four skills (Melee, Ranged weapons, Nature magic, Combat magic) all start at the same low level. They are raised by doing related things, so regularly casting a fireball raises Combat Magic, which in turn raises Intelligence, and higher intelligence gives the character more mana points to cast spells. It's so simple that it quickly fades into the background of the game, and makes Dungeon Siege approachable especially for players who don't want entire lists of abilities, skills, and derived charts to worry themselves with. (3) No upload time! Wherever the characters go there is a never a pause while the new area is uploaded, which makes gameplay one continuous experience. Big "Oooooh!" factor here. (4) Great inventory control. With a single click, the computer will organize the inventory of a character. There's a spell which turns an item of loot into gold, at a slight cost. And the best innovation of any game ever - mules! Honest to the maker four footed mules that you can load with all the loot.

Bad stuff: (1) Almost entirely linear play. There are a few side areas to wander into but the game is mostly (journey during which you kill everything in sight) followed by (safe place where you can buy and sell supplies/companions/mules) followed by (another journey of death), etc. (2) Simplified characters. I'm one of those people who likes the sub-charts of derived scores as part of my character, and finds the decision about whether or not to raise my Blacksmithing skill gripping. There's not enough detail and control of your character. (3) Storyline essentially disappears early on. The game starts with a quest to tell the authorities about a new danger, but the plot is quickly abandoned for a combat free-for all. Despite talk about your character being the hero of the land, it is possible to dismiss your character and replace him/her with a hired mercenary!

I'm not against combat-fests and I really enjoyed Diablo, but I think what makes this game particularly uninspiring is its puzzling lack of attitude, or what might be called soul. Even really bad games, which Dungeon Siege is not, usually have someone who was inspired to make it and the maker's enthusiasm comes through somewhere in the game. I don't know if the speculation about it being because it is a Microsoft product are correct, but in the end there doesn't seem to be anything to this game except pretty images, good programming and killing stuff, which may be enough for some players. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

It's not easy being a child of a god. Your character quickly comes tothis conclusion after being imprisoned and tortured by a wizard with anunhealthy interest in your parentage. So begins Baldur's Gate II: Shadows ofAmn, an ambitious role-playing game based on the Advanced Dungeons &Dragons game.

Shadows of Amn is not really a sequel to Baldur's Gate. Instead,Baldur's Gate was merely a prelude to Shadows of Amn. Shadows ofAmn develops the plot lines, characters, and events introduced in the firstgame into a mature, genuinely interesting fantasy tale. Players who thought theoriginal game shallow will be pleasantly surprised by Shadows of Amn'sbold story arcs. Major events are afoot, and the characters' choices have a realimpact on the Forgotten Realms.

In the same way, Baldur's Gate served as a proving ground for the refinedgame mechanics evident in Shadows of Amn. The game's artificialintelligence has been vastly improved, and players have many more choices forNPC AI scripts and party communication. Keeping with Shadows of Amn's moremature theme, the party interaction even includes possible love interests foryour character.

Those who played through the original Baldur's Gate can import theircharacter into Shadows of Amn, or can choose to create a new character.Character kits such as the Mageslayer and Swashbuckler add variety, and the gameeven includes the Monk, Sorcerer, Barbarian, and Half-Orc options from the newDungeons & Dragons 3rdEdition rules. Whether you import an old character or create a new one,you'll begin the game as a fairly advanced character--unlike most RPGs, youwon't have to spend hours slaying puny critters and instead are plunged into ahigh-stakes plot against powerful foes.

A strong plot backed by strong technology makes Shadows of Amn stand outas one of the best RPGs we've ever played. Fans of AD&D will love the classicAD&D feel, and fans of the popular Forgotten Realms setting will delight in thepeople, places, and politics found in Shadows of Amn. --MichaelFehlauer

Pros:

• High-level power gaming
• Quality voice work
• Improves the already great Baldur's Gate interface
• Character kits and D&D 3rd Edition races and classes add variety
• Advances the plot begun in Baldur's Gate

• Based on obsolete AD&D 2nd Edition rules
• Character animations are stiff
• Player's character starts out less powerful than other party members

Reviews (9)

Greatest of the Great
Now that Baldurs Gate 2 is out, I have built another temple in my backyard in which to place it at night. By day i sing praters and hymns in the temple and then at noon i begin my most pleasureful pastime... Baldurs Gate Baby.
On a more serious note. I've been a DM for fourteen years and this is the closest thing to heaven for a RPG buff. I put it up on my TSR/WOTC game shelf next to Eye of the Beholder, Dragon Strike, Legends of Valor, The Summoning and Veil of Darkness (NTW if you know and have played all these games. U ROCK!)
This game unlike Final Fantasy is what RPGing is all about PERIOD

Not made for X
This game is incredibe, although it's game-play is a little slower than Diablo II, the story is rich and you have many choices, but be warned! When you play this USE OS9, NOT OSX. On OSX the movements become choppy and can slow down because this game was made for 9, not X.

As good as it gets ...
It had been a long, long wait for the original Baldur's Gate to come to the Mac, and when it finally did come, it proved to be a fine RPG, albeit with a few too many more or less empty areas to traverse (unless you consider killing wild dogs and wolves highly thrilling). However, where the game truly disappointed was in its buggy performance--unexpected quits were frequent before the first patches arrived, and during the exceedingly long save & load times you could basically go to the kitchen and fix yourself a sandwich (and eat it, too).

All of this has changed in BG II. Loading & saving is swift--if you are in a tough battle and have to try different approaches (or avert disaster), you will find frequent reloads fast and feasible. If you have enough hard disk space to perform a full install, these processes will execute even faster. The game is also blissfully stable, at least in Mac OS 9 (I was able to run it well enough in OS X, but didn't like the screen resolutions it offers for this game). Also nice is the option to play BG II at 800x600 resolution, making for a nice, wide view of the areas or battlefields. As far as gameplay is concerned, one very noticeable improvement is in the pathfinding--characters will now squeeze past their fellow party members to get to their destinations. No longer will your frail mages who happened to end up in the front line get pounded in tight spots, while the burly warriors are stuck in the back.

The game offers a very involved plot with plenty of subplots (although the availability of some of these depends on the kind of character you play), and the main storyline progresses a little more tightly than in the first BG. A very nice touch is the strong interaction with--and among--your party members. They will bicker, flirt, and even fall in love with you or one another. This is no mere atmospheric touch--when a character really doesn't get along with the others, you may have to consider sending them off on their own way because the infighting can get pretty ugly. Anyone who has had Viconia, Jaheira, and Aerie in their party will know what I mean. Alignment matters here in more than one way, as well: evil characters may have spells available that will specifically target good creatures (and they will in turn be harmed by some 'good' spells), so if you maintain a mixed bunch, you may have to avoid using certain magicks or some of your party members may get hurt more than wicked enemies!

Some quests are initiated by characters approaching your party members (in friendly or unfriendly ways) rather than you, although whether to accept the tasks involved is up to you--just be aware that some characters will leave if they have truly pressing business to take care off. The dialog and voice acting is superb throughout. All of this enhances the feeling of immersion in a complex world that happens all around you.

Magical items, including weapons, armour, rings, scrolls, and more, are by far more numerous than in BG II (but not as ubiquitous as in Diablo II), and after a while, your characters should have collected a choice selection of equipment.

What truly amazed me about this game is how many different ways often present themselves to deal with certain situations ... from clever magicks to brute force to diplomacy ... more than once, mercy and compassion are rewarded more than quick arrows, swords, and fireballs--making battle altogether unnecessary.

For those who feel that having equipment repaired by blacksmiths in Diablo was already a tedium, BG II may prove too fussy as far as character maintenance goes (not to mention that combat is also a pretty complex affair--the space bar, which pauses the action, will become your best friend) ... but if you think micro-managing a diverse party of adventurers with widely different talents is to die for, BG II will have you in a swoon. Oh, by the way, it looks pretty as the night sky in August, too!

A Fantastic Game, So Many Possibilities...
Baldur's Gate 2 by far is one of the best games made to date. The game is so amazingly in-depth, you character can actually fall in love and almost every action that you do has a reaction, granted there is only one real path in the game. There are so many little variations in the way you can play the game. Also you have the choice to be good or evil, which is fun because you can do things in the game that you wish you could in life (kill those annoying people). However, I didn't give this five stars because I had some problems with the application, it was slow on certain areas and sometimes quit for no apparent reason. I am almost sure it is not my computer because I run Baldur's Gate 2 on Mac OSX on a Quicksilver G4, 867Mzh with 1.5 Gb of Ram (I did find out something very interesting; My main party was on my G4, with OSX. And I created an evil party on my laptop which was running with far less Mhz and Ram but it was using Mac OS9 and it ran perfectly. So I would recommend that if you buy this game you use OS9). I even went to the point of allocating over one gigabyte of memory to the application, and it made little difference. Over all this game is quite amazing, it has so many possibilities, I was sad to see it end. It is well worth the money, over 50 hours of great game play!

The game is slow in more than one way
After playing a lot of Diablo II, I was looking for something that might require a bit more strategy and skill. (I used to play lots of RPGs.) While you will find this in Balder's Gate II, I found the pace of the game very slow. Perhaps Diablo II has conditioned me to expect a faster paced RPG. Just be forewarned. Also, Balder's Gate II was supposed to address some of the player's complaints about the slow pace of Balder's Gate I, but little has changed with Balder's Gate II.

Note, I've been playing Balder's Gate II with OSX 10.1.1 on a G4-450 with 384 MB of RAM and a 32 MB Radeon. The game is very sluggish, even when reducing the game resolution, etc. ... Read more