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Almost Adventure
We occasionally like to recommend games to our readers that are not adventure but feature some related element that would interest the adventure gamer. An eclectic mix of strategy, RPG, simulations--one never knows what we might be hooked on at the moment, but rest assured that even though we neither grade these games nor review them in-depth, their inclusion in Almost Adventure is our highest recommendation to the adventure community.
Adventure
Pinball: Forgotten Island
Developer: Digital Extremes
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
Platform: 
Jeez Louise, now we're reviewing a pinball game, for gosh sakes. I can just imagine that some of our more "mature" readers (i.e., old farts) are right about now shutting off their state-of-the-art P166s in disgust (adventure gamers are nothing if not five years behind the times hardware-wise), while some of our younger, more fanatical readers are lighting the torches in anticipation of flaming Just Adventure for having the audacity to review anything other than a 2D point-and-click LucasArts ripoff.
But hey--Electronic Arts is advertising Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island as part adventure, part pinball, and who am I to dispute its judgment? I can honestly admit that I have profusely hated every single computer pinball game that has ever been developed. For me, there is nothing that can equal the visceral experience of mastering a real steel and glass Bally (I will pause here so that those of us who are old enough to remember can sing a phrase or two of the Who's Pinball Wizard), and I am not ashamed to admit that in my younger, more halcyon days, I spent more than a few hours in bars and arcades mastering the silver ball. Computer pinball has in the past attempted to duplicate this experience--one company even went to the ludicrous extreme of creating a gadget that transformed your keyboard into a rocker panel that could tilt your game--but failed miserably. There is just something about the flashing lights, the dinging bells, the adrenaline rush when you make an impossible save with your flippers that can't be duplicated onscreen.
But, for an easily explained reason, playing Forgotten Island has been a blast, for it succeeds in disguising its pinball origins. A paper-thin plot, saving Ooga and the other prehistoric inhabitants of Forgotten Island, is used to propel the player through nine different levels or tables. Each level has specific goals that must be accomplished--escape from dinosaurs, reroute a water supply, help the cavemen obtain food--before you can advance to the next level. These goals, instead of the usual accumulation of millions of useless points, are what fuel a continued interest in the game. There are also, of course, secret levels and ball power-ups, but the 3D scenery does such a wonderful job of disguising typical pinball must-haves like bumpers and flashing lights that you do at times forget you are playing a game of video pinball. The Unreal engine powers the splendid graphics and the huge dinosaurs that populate the game will have you roaring with delight. So if the shady characters who hang around the pinball arcades--like me--have cut into your playing time, then you might want to take a trip back in time to Forgotten Island.
System Requirements:
Win
95/98/00/ME
400 MHz PII
64 MB RAM
8X CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
16 MB 3D
video card
DirectX 8.0
Developer:
Pop Top Software
Publisher: Take
2/Gathering of Developers
Platform:
I am usually not a big fan of strategy/simulation games (in fact, at the moment, I am bored to tears by Black and White), for I get enough real life in my real life, but the irreverent tongue-in-cheek humor and jaunty soundtrack of Tropico are very appealing, especially if you are a fan of Woody Allen's classic comedy Bananas.
Tropico imagines that you are the newly installed dictator of a remote Caribbean island and as such must oversee all political, military, and population aspects. At the time of your appointment, Tropico is mired in poverty, civil unrest, and infighting (if by now you have not guessed the country that Tropico is meant to represent, then maybe you shouldn't be playing strategy/simulation games). You must attempt to guide your county through a period of economic growth by building banana groves, cigar factories, casinos, rum distilleries, and other structures indigenous to the tropical setting in order to ignite the economy. But if you are not diplomatic and fail to pacify various internal and external factions, then you will find yourself declaring martial law to quell the political uprisings.
Most interesting, though, is that character's attitudes and actions are determined by their socioeconomic status and personal biographies, including their educational level, age, and gender. In many ways, Tropico plays like a scaled-down version of The Sims. Your island can host 500 people of more than 45 different character types, and they are often the impetus for much of the game's humor. Though the island's inhabitants can eventually perish, you, as dictator, are ageless. What is most humorous, though, is that there are flaws that can adversely affect your dictatorship. Some of the available flaws are alcoholism, womanizing, or flatulence (surely caused by that potent combination of too many bananas and warm coconut juice).
A casual sim/strategy player, like me, will find Tropico to be a cool breeze on a muggy day, while still offering a full-flavored experience to those who crave a more robust smoke.
System Requirements:
Win
95/98/00/ME/NT4
200 MHz PII
32 MB RAM
820 MB free disk space
8X CD-ROM
drive
Lego
Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge
Developer: Silicon Dreams
Studio Ltd.
Publisher: Lego
Media
Platform:
I
had an extremely hard time playing this game. Why? Because over a two-week period,
every single time I decided to give it a try, either my eleven-year-old son Jacob
or Jacob and a group of his friends were already at the computer exploring Lego
Island. So truth be told, I have spent more time watching Lego Island 2 being
played then I have spent playing it myself.
In a world populated by Legos, one would think that there would not be much variety, but The Brickster's Revenge is a nice balance of puzzles, action, and just plain old-fashioned fun. The mischievous Brickster has escaped from jail and is deconstructing all of the buildings on Lego Island. Once you have rebuilt the structures, you must then travel to Castle Island, where you will joust with the Dark Knight, and Adventure Island, where you will uncover the secrets of the Mummies' Tomb and Ogel Island (get it?) for a final showdown.
Since
you are a skateboarding pizza-delivery boy, you will find it easy to navigate
the island ala Tony Hawk, but what to do when it is time to island-hop? This is
where the game shines, as you can then drive a Lego car, pilot a Lego plane, sky
dive, scuba dive, and even ride on the back of a pterodactyl. For the directionally
and, occasionally, like me, intellectually challenged, there is an information
center to help out the stumped gamer, and for those times when it just isn't convenient
to visit the information center, a holographic link-up will allow access to the
Infomaniac, the island's source of all things Lego.
Lego Island 2 is a great alternative to a glut of preteen console games that offer nothing more challenging than jumping and running. Now if I could only spend some more quality time with the game ...
System Requirements:
Win
95/98/ME
266 MHz PII
64 MB RAM
4X CD-ROM drive
8MB 3D video card
DirectX
8.0