Science Reviews

Modeled after the choose-your-own-adventure theme, Star Trek: Borg gives you the chance to revisit Wolf 359 and stop the murder of your father and the destruction of the USS Righteous. Throughout the interactive video, Q leads you through the action and helps you meddle with fate--all the while dispensing not-so-helpful and definitely cynical advice. At the climax of each scene, Q gives you two choices in a usually do-or-die situation. The decisions you make change the course of this interactive movie and the future of Federation history.

The graphics of Star Trek: Borg are exceptional, although jerky if the system is not configured for the recommended requirements. The movie follows the Star Trek themes of saving humanity, facing your fears, and enforcing interplanetary morality. This interactive package focuses more on the continuous video than on game play and interaction, appealing to those willing to witness and not experience Wolf 359. --Madeleine Miller

Assuming the role of interplanetary gun-for-hire Valdemar, you find yourself in the middle of a great mystery involving warring empires, mysterious "allies," and a chase after a mysterious superspaceship known as the Red Sun. As Valdemar completes missions, he earns money that can be used to upgrade weaponry needed for each increasingly difficult mission. Red Sun serves up an impressive array of weapons, including lasers, missiles, shields, and other countermeasures. Acquire enough cash and you will want to upgrade to a better (read: faster, sturdier, more expensive) spaceship in which to carry on the fine fight. Red Sun's sense of variety and customization ultimately makes this title one of the better space-combat games available on any platform.

As with the other Colony Wars games, impressive in-game movies help advance the story line. Still, we found these interstitial segments to be way too short to be truly effective. Also, while space jocks will love the spectacular explosions that enemy crafts leave behind during their demise, we found that many enemies are too easy to beat (which makes those explosions just a bit less impressive). It's hard to get too excited about a hollow victory. Perhaps the simplicity is due to complaints that its predecessor Colony Wars Vengeance was too hard (which indeed it was). We couldn't help feeling that many enemies were flying their fighters with their eyes closed.

Red Sun really doesn't add new gameplay elements that haven't already been seen in the first two games, but then again why fix what's not broken? Still, some innovation would've been nice. Despite the flaws, Red Sun is still a class production that pushes the (rapidly) aging PSX hardware as few other titles do. This game is worthy of your time and credits. Even if you missed the first two chapters, Red Sun's ease of gameplay during the initial levels makes this the most accessible title of the series. No doubt about it, even if you think the best space dogfights took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, you shouldn't miss Episode 3 of the Colony Wars series. Colony Wars veterans and newbies alike will find that Red Sun, despite some issues, could make even Luke Skywalker green with envy. --Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Beautiful graphics, sounds, and music deliver the feel of a Hollywood space opera
• Wide variety of ships and weapons to purchase and sell when needed
• Appealing to both fans of the Colony Wars games and those new to space combat

• Many enemies not very aggressive until late into the game
• Cut scenes are very brief
• No real revolutions in gameplay

There is a caveat to this software, though: players need to have a good sound system, since the answers that the other computer-sponsored players provide is only by voice, not in text. If you're taking this game on an airplane, for example, make sure your headset can support the volume you need, or you're likely to wind up frustrated, wondering who was the third emperor of Japan?

Unlike a game such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Jeopardy plays it straight. So upstanding, in fact, that the other contestants have voices like the kind you hear making announcements at the airport or while you're waiting on hold on the phone. The overall tone matches that of the television show, since the contest questions are of a highly challenging caliber and Trebek is known for his straight-laced, college-professor delivery. The software seems to acquiesce just a tiny bit to the present day, providing questions on recent rock lyrics, for example.

To that end, we did wonder why there were so many questions concerning celebrities. In a matter of only a couple of rounds, we had three answers whose questions were: "Who is Madonna?" It seems a subtle way of making new players feel better about their intellectual muscle, since, let's face it, we missed the question on Genghis Khan.

Educational and of a high caliber, Jeopardy deserves a spot on the shelf of every game show enthusiast and show fan. Parents and kids can spend time together, all the while learning about the myriad subjects this show has covered since its inception in 1964. --Jennifer Buckendorff

In this game you play Maken, which is best described as a futuristic sword that has the power to possess people. The characters you control run around the graphics-rich levels, slashing their way through countless bizarre enemies as the plot unfolds. As the game progresses, Maken can "brainjack" some of the other game characters, and that ability to possess others and play the game from their viewpoint is Maken X's real draw. Another strong point is the game's capacity for multiple endings. The conclusion is determined by the character that you choose to follow, which allows you to play through the game several times without the gameplay feeling stale.

Characters are very easy to control, which is a big plus given that most combat takes place within sword range of an enemy. At times, it feels like the game would play better from a third-person perspective, but the first-person gameplay is easy to get used to. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Beautiful graphics that are free from slowdown
• Multiple endings
• Unique gameplay

• Horrendous voice acting