KAT'S
RECOMMENDED
GAMES
I am not much of a player of
computer games though I do have a few that I really like.
Red
Alert & Red Alert 2
Westwood's Red Alert is
basically a war game. You might wonder why I like it as I'm not exactly the war type but
if you've played it once you'll understand why. This game is totally addictive. I spend
hours building a base then figuring out how to satisfactorily defend it so I can go and
knock out my computer opponent's base. I'm fine playing against the computer but if I
attempt to play Doddie I get my backside kicked all over the map. Needless to say I don't
play him very often. <vbg>
In this game you own a cargo
ship and travel between planets buying and selling goods to make a profit. The object of
the game is to have the most money. You can also invest in each planets' stock markets to
try and amass your fortune quicker but beware..markets can go down as well as up. You play
against 5 or 6 computer players of varying degrees of intelligence. This game can engross
you so completely that you forget to check the time. I once spent 8 hours playing
Gazillionaire and couldn't believe where the day had gone. <g>
Is more lighthearted and can
be played a three levels of difficulty. There are approx 10 levels to complete the game,
each getting harder as they go. You control the budget of the hospital, who to hire/fire,
what equipment to purchase and how much cash to budget for research. There are a large
number of humerous ailments that people suffer from which need all kinds of different
treatment.
Electronic Art's Sim City
2000 is quite a challenge when you first play it. You have a budget to build a city and
get it thriving as quickly as possible. Balancing the right amount of residential areas to
Industry and Commerce takes a bit of getting used to. This probably doesn't sound like the
type of game that could give you hours of enjoyment but believe me it can.
The Sims
The Sims is the latest addition to
Electronic Arts' Sims games and what an excellent addition it is. One step further down
from Sim City, you actually control a residential neighbourhood, moving people into
houses, designing your own characters and instructing them in their daily lives. Choose
home decorations, jobs for your sims and even their relationships, it is very easy to lose
track of hours on end playing this game.
Business Tycoon
Hasbro's Business Tycoon is another
new game I've been playing that I find particularly addictive. Build up your business by
determing how many staff to employ, how much research projects to get underway and how
many countries to dominate in. The only problem I have with this game is that it sets a
standard to win the game and the user has no way of changing the standard ie: 55% of the
market. This can make the game time a bit short for me as I would prefer to play to 100%
of the market! :-)
