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From: dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Color game reviews - Pipe Dream and Crazy Cars
Message-ID: <1990Jan21.215048.11691@smsc.sony.com>
Date: 21 Jan 90 21:50:48 GMT
Reply-To: dce@smsc.Sony.COM (David Elliott)
Organization: Sony Microsystems Corp.
Lines: 54

Pipe Dreams is a new game from LucasFilms.  The object of the game is
to put together pipes to route slime through them as far as possible.
Random pieces of pipe are supplied, but you must use them in order.  As
the levels increase, you are challenged with directional pipes and
other special items.  I've heard favorable comparisons to Tetris, and
I pretty much agree.

The game uses color pretty well, and to its credit it works fine with
any screen depth, though it could be a little less drab.  It works with
MultiFinder.  It does bother me that it blacks out the menubar instead of
using a centered window, but the program doesn't conflict with anything
by doing this.

Copy protection is provided in the form of a code wheel.  It's a pain,
but doesn't hinder operation of the program.  I just leave it running
under MultiFinder.

Crazy Cars is a game from Titus that doesn't rate nearly so highly.
The game itself is interesting and has good graphics.  You drive
a Mercedes 560 (other cars are used as you improve) in a cross-country
race with other sports cars.  The scenery is well-done, and driving
is fairly easy.

The problem with this game is that it's simply a port from other
machines.  When I started it up with my monitor in 8-bit mode, it
turned the screen white, told me to switch to 4-bit mode, and then
left my system font screwed up until after I played the game.

The game controls are strange.  To accelerate, you can use S, 8, or
the mouse button.  Braking is done with X, 5, or 2.  Left and right
are handled using 4/J and 6/K, respectively, so the mouse is only
useful if you put it on the floor for a gas pedal ;-).  To the credit
of the game, the controls are very responsive.  The other strangeness
is that to quit you type a 0 when the race starts.

The scoring mechanism is stupid.  You have to use the mouse or keyboard
to move letters under an arrow.  Come on, folks, the Mac has a perfectly
good keyboard; why not let me use it?

The game has no copy protection, which is nice.  It does not conflict
with MultiFinder, but you can't switch to another application while
running it.  It just doesn't use the menu bar.

I'm definitely recommending Pipe Dream.  At $25, it's a good value.
Crazy Cars, which I got for $30, is probably good enough to keep,
though Titus will get a note from me pointing out the flaws.  I think
the main reason I won't return it is that at least they made an
effort.

-- 
David Elliott
dce@smsc.sony.com | ...!{uunet,mips}!sonyusa!dce
(408)944-4073
"Never call a crazed psychotic a crazed psychotic."