Science Reviews


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Buyer reviews for "Science" sorted by average review score:

Meteor Rocket Kit
Made by Scientific Explorer
Age Group: 11 years and up
    Amazon base price: $19.99
    People have been fascinated by rockets since the first ones were launched in China almost a thousand years ago. Now your kids can observe the principles at work behind rocketry with the Meteor Rocket Kit from Scientific Explorer. The kit contains everything rocketeers need to build a rocket and send it shooting to heights of 100 feet. Rather than using gunpowder or liquid fuel, the Meteor is powered by baking soda and vinegar, so it's safe and can be launched again and again. A specially designed fueling module lets kids experiment to find just the right vinegar and soda mixture. The informative guide gives detailed instructions as well as information on rockets, chemistry, and suggestions for experiments. This Scientific Explorer kit is a 1999 Parents' Choice recommended toy. --Lisa Whipple
    Average review score:

    No reviews found for this product.
    it is ok
    the rockets i usually launch go about 1500-3000 feet inthe air so this to wasn't as good ,but then the rockets i like have fire come out of the bottom and are more fun yet the get lost to easy you have to go a big place to luanch them and the engines are sold separtly. Then again this has to do with house old items and is cheaper.

    Room for Improvement, but still a good toy
    Our 9-yr old son is a baking-soda-and-vinegar nut, so this rocket was a must-try. We did find it a bit picky to put together, but we haven't had any durability problems. Clearly, one is paying for the rubber stopper/plastic tube design, which certainly could be improved (I agree it's hard to get the wing nut to tighten properly), but still is the only one I've seen that gives a real rocket-sized blast. Our trouble has been getting it to stand upright for launching -- we had quite a few horizontal launches before we found a just-right sized plastic cup to stand it in. All in all, we're pleased.

    A Welcome addition
    This toy is one of the better toys I have found. My son (7) with a little assistance put the kit toghether. It flew first time much to the amusement of the family. The fins bend easily but if reinforced with some extra foil they keep the rocket upright for launch. This is an intresting'family' toy.


    Echelon
    Made by Bethesda Softworks
      Amazon base price: $14.99
      Used price: $21.99
      Buy one from zShops for: $27.79
      Echelon is an outer-space shooter in spirit, only it doesn't take place in outer space at all. It takes place in narrow twisting canyons, where you fly futuristic fighter jets. The story essentially concerns a single planet and the aerial war to control it. The Velians are the bad guys, and you fly for the good guys, meaning you pound the heck out of radar and other base installations, and fight in-canyon dogfights reminiscent of pod races from Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace and the particularly thrilling canyon chase in Independence Day.

      To that end, developer Buka has given the game an admirable physics engine to make flying feel more realistic. If you drop a bomb or fire a missile, it affects the way your craft flies. Same with damage--the game really gives you a good sense of how much you're hurting simply by how the planes fly. But as admirable as this system is, it feels out of place in such an arcadelike game.

      Part of the problem is that while you're subject to the whims of gravity and physics, the enemy is not. You can blast an enemy ship to 90-percent-plus damage, and you'll note no degradation in his or her maneuverability. Another problem is the control scheme. There's too much information on the screen (and a lot of it seems useless), and the mouse combat probably should have been scrapped, as it feels overall unresponsive. This is a joystick game and the box should say so. Also, the missions suffer from a certain sameness and a lack of inspiration: navigate canyons, dodge antiaircraft guns, kill bad guy fighters, repeat.

      But that's also the bulk of the game's charm. It's a fun arcade shooter, and the graphics are simply stunning to behold. Explosions are thrilling and the low-altitude aerobatics induce an adrenaline rush. It's genuinely fun to turn and burn through a narrow gap in a wall in order to lose a missile on your tail, and, thankfully, you'll have to do that a lot. Sure, there have definitely been deeper and more intelligent flight shooters in the past, but that genre is neglected these days. This is the one you can buy right now. For adrenaline junkies it's a smash hit and a hell of a ride, but it won't please the simulation crowd it also seems strangely aimed at. --Andrew S. Bub

      Pros:

      • Beautiful graphics
      • Great physics
      • Intense, nonstop action
      Cons:
      • Somewhat awkward controls
      • The physics don't seem to apply to the bad guys
      Average review score:

      Great graphics, challenging gameplay
      I have been playing this game all weekend, Echelon very addictive and I am having a lot of fun playing it. It's not perfect and gamers should make sure that they have updated their video card drivers before playing this game; you will encounter serious clipping problems if you don't do this.

      Controlling your fighter is very challenging, you have to keep one eye on your target and another on your HUD (Heads Up Display). Ships don't handle like X-Wings, which I liked; you have to give them time to respond to joystick commands. This time factor varies depending on the type of plane you are flying. Fighters handle differently from Interceptors. My main beef with the game is that it does'nt let you pick your fighter for every mission. There were a few missions where I was forced into an Interceptor (good speed but useless overall) when a simple fighter would have been a better choice.

      Weapons are pretty standard with few exceptions. I liked them but I was surprised that ships were not equipped with some missile counter-measure. Well, at least the damage and blast effects are pretty awesome.

      Beautiful game
      This game is really hard to learn to control, and you need a joystick. It is so easy to get shot down or to collide with the ground, but the graphics are AMAZING!! This game is so worth getting just to show off the capabilities of the PC. Whenever there is a break in fighting I switch to one of the external cameras, sit back and take in the scenery (and I only have a Pentium II 400 MHz). The explosions are great with burning debris from destroyed craft falling to the ground. Water effects are amazing, and so are the dust, clouds, and fog. As your craft flys low it leves a trail of dust on the ground, and similar with water. Sound effects are quite good, except for the communications between craft -- too much static and too hard to understand what is being said -- so you have to keep reading the log all the time. There is a variety of 14 craft you can fly, with each feeling quite different, plus over 30 missions -- though all quite similar. The options menu is quite good and you can customize the game and eye candy quite well, even incuding unlimited ammo and invincibility -- so no need to "cheat".

      Somewhere between Falcon 4 and WC: Privateer
      First of all, forget everything you've learned about how a fighter plane responds. This is closer to flying a helicopter. You thrust forward and are kept in the air by a seperate hover mechanism. It will take the ship some time to stop moving in one direction and start moving in another.

      Enemy AI is basic: try to get far enough away from you to turn around and take a good firing run. Some will fire missiles as soon as they can. A hard turn to one side will fool some missiles, but a more foolproof way is to put a hill between you and the missile.

      I only have the demo, so I can't speak for the single-player missions, but the Instant Action is entertaining by itself. It's definitely worth a look, and as old as the game is, it's usually worth shelling out the bux for.


      Rampage World Tour
      Made by Midway Entertainment
      Age Group: 13 years and up
        Amazon base price: $19.97
        List price: $49.99 (that's 60% off!)
        Used price: $5.99
        Rampage World Tour is a fun remake of the old 1980s arcade classic. You are a mutated human who has grown to colossal size by an experiment gone wrong at the highly dubious Scumlabs International. In your newly formed mutated state, you play the part of one of three Godzilla-size monsters: Lizzy the Dinosaur, Ralph the Wolfman, or George the Gorilla. Your task is to eat as many civilians and to destroy as many cities as possible while on a rampage of revenge against Scumlabs.

        As you travel around the world, climbing and smashing buildings, leaving destruction and carnage in your wake, the only thing standing between you and a festival of urban demolition is a paltry bunch of tanks, rocket-pack soldiers, and police cars. Even if these guys manage to take you down, they pose no real threat--the game offers unlimited replays.

        What makes Rampage World Tour so addictive is the fun of punching holes in buildings, downing planes with a single kick, and cannonballing though the roof of the local courthouse. In two-player mode, you can also fight other monsters, but the main fun of the game is still to be found in unrelenting destruction of high-rises, hot dog stands, hospitals, and every other kind of building imaginable. In short, the game revolves around quick-and-dirty mass carnage.

        The graphics are true to the original game's style while being a strong improvement over previous versions. The game interface is easy to learn, and phony news reports and the antics of Scumlabs scientists provide a humorous intermission between levels. So if you have ever wanted to grind the major landmarks of the planet under your heel and stomp out to sea, Rampage World Tour is for you. Allen Stewart

        Pros:

        • Fun, cartoony, movie monster mayhem
        • You can work with or against a friend
        • Unlimited replays keep the focus on just having fun--not on winning levels
        • Punch through a wall, and screaming occupants or other treats may be revealed
        Cons:
        • Gameplay is very repetitive
        • The cities tend to look alike
        • Very little plot
        Average review score:

        A fun game... for the first 20 minutes!
        This game was quite... what's a nice word for it... bad. I don't completely remember, but I think this game was given to me for a birthday present or something, so I do feel bad for whoever it was who gave it to me... what a waste of good money. Sure, at times it could be addicting, but it's way too repetitive and too long.

        I think I'll sell it the first chance I get. I don't care what kind of games you like, don't get this one at all.

        A fun Game
        In this game you get to eat people. Trasha destroy major cities like new york. One of those few games you can beta with out using the cheats. I own this for playstation. Have not played it for a while.

        Might play it a while since I will make progress on it then i did on Kingdoom of hearts. If you enjoy this game I recomend Rampage 2 Universal tour and Rampage Warp through time

        okay
        For the first 20 levels the game is better fun. All you do is destory buildings and eat people. Its a good game to play with a friend. The bad part is the game has over 150 levels. So that can get boring if you don't have a menory card.


        Fighting Force 2
        Made by Eidos Interactive
        Age Group: 13 years and up
          Amazon base price: $9.98
          List price: $29.98 (that's 67% off!)
          Used price: $2.49
          Buy one from zShops for: $29.98
          Similar to Syphon Filter from 989 Studios, Fighting Force 2 puts players in the role of a cyberenhanced cop of the future. You are trained to infiltrate evil research and development facilities, destroy their work, and clear out any and all opposition.

          Fighting Force 2 is filled with massive levels, giving lead character Hawk Manson the opportunity to explore multiple floors, smash through walls, and break almost anything in search of keys to new areas. Levels are filled with enemies whom Hawk can defeat using any of 20 weapons (including rifles, knives, and sledgehammers) that can be obtained by destroying cabinets, soda machines, and crates.

          Fighting Force's graphics are on par with Syphon Filter's, but controls are far simpler. As a result, it is fairly easy to dive in quickly to the action. While simplicity is the key to Fighting Force 2, this game does lack the substance and theatrical style that characterize Syphon Filter and other offerings. --Robb Guido

          Pros:

          • Huge levels and loads of weapons
          • Rarefied controls compared to Syphon Filter's
          Cons:
          • Levels may be a little too big
          Average review score:

          This game is borring and stupid!
          This game is so borring it's funny. I played the first level of this game and new this was going to be a stupid game. All you do is run around through anormous borring, stupid levels and shoot guys. Fun huh.

          It's cool
          This game is what I expected and little bit more but there is one thing I can't understand:why is this game so much like TR? right down to the way he runs everything is reminisent of TR, but I do like graphics. This is the only strong part of this game, rent for a weekend, if you can tolerate it.

          Absolutely fantastic
          good.But too many levels.And camera is not consistent


          Star Wars Masters
          Made by LucasArts Entertainment
          • 3-D fighting game set in the Star Wars universe
          • Excellent backgrounds and settings
          • Tons of cool special moves and Force powers
          • Multiple gameplay modes
          • For 1 or 2 players
          Amazon base price: $16.99
          Used price: $8.69
          Buy one from zShops for: $34.87
          Average review score:

          No reviews found for this product.
          Fighting Frenzy
          I rented this and thought it was an awesome game, and is. All I can say really is that over time, it gets boring. If you really want to play it, rent it, don't buy it. If you own a Tekken game or something and never get tired of it, go ahead and try to purchase. The graphics are fair, and gameplay is great, but controls are confusing.

          Classic example of "great idea, terrible execution"
          In the mid-late nineties, Lucas Arts decided to try something new and unique with their Star Wars license - a fighting game. That's not a misprint - they actually released a Star Wars fighting game. But was this new venture a good idea for Lucas Arts and for the Star Wars franchise? Read on and find out for yourself.

          PROS:
          -Let me start by saying the variety of characters you can choose from is pretty good. You've got lesser-known characters like a Tusken Raider and a Gamorrean, and the wildly popular characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. The game also introduces at least one new character.
          -The game also has secret characters - a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, Jodo Kast, and an alternate version of Princess Leia.
          -Every character has his or her own unique weapon. Some characters always have their weapon equipped, others must have a motion entered in order to draw it.

          CONS:
          -The graphics for this game are downright terrible. As stated above, they look like they were made a year before the game was released.
          -The control, what I feel is the most important thing in a video game, is just horrible. Not the button placement, but rather the fighting engine. In other words, adjustingthe controls isn't likely to make your day any easier. The primary challenge from this game comes not from what difficulty you select, but rather the bad fighting engine.
          -The secret characters are just regular characters in different outfits (The Stormtrooper has the same moves as Han Solo, and the alternative version of Princess Leia has the same moves as the normal version of Princess Leia.)
          -The characters are horribly imbalanced in terms of their fighting strength. A Tusken Raider is a better fighter than Han Solo? I find that a little hard to believe.
          -Star Wars games are always either a "hit" or a "miss", and this one is a "miss", sadly. Too bad, because this was actually a great idea.

          OVERALL:
          Pass this game by. Not only is it out of production and extremely tough to find now, it's also not even worth finding. Do not buy this game unless you're the kind of Star Wars nerd who can't live without every Star Wars game ever made. There are much better fighting games out there, and there are much better Star Wars games out there. Trust me, you're better off imagining these fights than actually playing this game.

          Great game
          This is is very, very good fighting game. Though the graphics could've used some work. It's really good that you can play as good characters. But there are secrets too. Like swithching costumes. If you switch Luke's costume, you'll switch to his Jedi Master lightsaber, too! Buy or rent. Rent first, then buy though.


          Star Trek: ConQuest Online
          Made by Activision
            Amazon base price: $9.99
            Used price: $1.43
            Buy one from zShops for: $0.99
            In Star Trek: ConQuest Online, gamers assume the role of a Q, an all-powerful being who is anxious to reign most clever amongst a bevy of other Qs. By utilizing collectible pieces from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the player manipulates the galaxy, hoping to outwit the competition and emerge victorious.

            Players start off with a predetermined set of pieces, constructed from a group of more than 150 characters, weapons, and ships, each with varying abilities and value. Players use their pieces to gain control of the planets in their quadrant, as well as to attack and fend off their opponent's pieces. A player wins by seizing control of the challenger's home planet and capturing the Q or by holding off an opponent long enough to rack up the necessary points.

            Average review score:

            AWESOME! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to download
            AWESOME!!! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to download.

            AWESOME!!! I'm gonna give it a try after I do homework! AWESOME!!! (...)Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.

            "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.

            Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.

            The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online. (...)

            AWESOME! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to download
            AWESOME!!! I'm gonna give it a try after I do homework! AWESOME!!!

            (fill any spaces in the html link, Crankyland bug)

            http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879

            Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.

            "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.

            Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.

            The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online.

            http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879

            AWESOME!!! Star Trek: Conquest OPEN BETA available to downlo
            AWESOME!!! I'm gonna give it a try after I do homework! AWESOME!!!

            (fill any spaces in the html link, Crankyland bug)

            http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879

            Activision's new online Star Trek game, "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is at the Beta testing phase and Star Trek fans can get first crack. The open beta of the game is available for download.

            "Star Trek: ConQuest Online" is a turn-based game in which players assume the role of a member of the Q Continuum to try to accumulate galactic real estate by taking over planets, and whoever ends up with the most planets wins.

            Choosing from three types of game pieces (Ships, People and Items), players have to construct offensive and defensive forces to take over new planets and protect the ones they already control. Turns are broken down into three phases, Deploying pieces, Moving pieces and Attack/Defend.

            The game is played online, with players going head-to-head from their own computers. Ultimately, once the testing is complete, the game will be available in stores featuring bonus pieces not available online.

            http://www.startrek.com/news/productnews.asp?ID=111879


            Lightbringer
            Made by Dreamcatcher Interactive
              Amazon base price: $14.99
              Used price: $2.50
              Buy one from zShops for: $10.09
              Prepare yourself for an exhilarating 3-D graphic adventure. Your mission is to travel to the Cydonia region of Mars to survey the planet for the prospect of human colonization. But your mission takes an unexpected turn.
              Average review score:

              Choppy and annoying game play, may not work with XP Home
              I purchased this product without having gone to the Dreamcatcher website first to check XP compatibility. Unfortunately they describe this software as being NOT compatible, and there is no form of patch available at the time of me writing this review.

              Despite this, I installed the software, and began playing the game. Although swapping the 5 CDs becomes cumbersome very quickly (there needs to be an option to load more on the HDD to eliminate the swapping and choppiness caused by frequent cd access, but there is not), the colours and images seem crisp, though all pre-rendered. When characters talk, their mouths just do a random open close motion, but that really wasn't a big deal to me.

              You can't interact with a lot of the environment, and wide open spaces that you'd think you can move towards aren't available. There are three major zones of interest for your character, and I had no issues with exploring two of them, with no game play issues. Every so often, the game will "zoom out" and show your actual character doing something, like getting in or out of the hovercraft, or running across the desert. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, other than to add a little cut-scene to the game. You can't play the game in 3rd person like that.

              The puzzles are mostly easy, and do not provide brain killing challenges like those in Schizm for example. Ringing gongs in a certain order based on translations of the martian text using your in-suit computer was interesting. I like the concept of the in-suit computer, it's got a dictionary, translator, mission logs and archives, as well as real data from the NASA programs.

              The showstopper for me, which I've yet to find references to on their website (because XP isn't supported), was when i went to the third location and used the remote arm to remove the top of the capstone, allowing me down into a chamber to perform an incredibly tedious process to get a translation disc.

              After performing the same process 9 times to get the pieces of the disc, i wanted to leave the building and move to the next phase of the game, unfortunately, my hovercraft, which had no problem climbing up the mountain to get to the capstone, is now stuck on top with no way of moving. Therefore, game over for me. My character can't walk down by himself, and since the hovercraft won't move, it's all over.

              Another issue is that when you use the jumpers in your hovercraft, the craft spins to the right because the mouse is so close to the right of the screen, it thinks you want to move right.

              If you want a Dreamcatcher game with better graphics, get schizm on DVD...the graphics are very crisp, but the gameplay is disappointing and the puzzles are too einstein-esque for me. Perhaps they will come out with a new game that blends good dvd imaging and gameplay with an actual lengthly storyline and indepth characters. Unfortunately, this one isn't it.

              As an addendum, I tried the website recommendation to set win98 compatibility mode on the program. This did not change the gameplay, or allow my game to continue. Nor did installation of the patch (the patch actually caused my game to crash, as you apparently must start a brand new game to use it).

              Pretty good for Dream Catcher
              I own several of the Dream Catcher games and this one is by far one of the best. The rating is more 31/2 than a four, however I enjoyed the graphics and the story line. The puzzles were challenging but not to hard. Further, the game wasn't hampered by continual technical problem like some of Dream Catcher's products. The game was boring in places, and the game could have used more dialogue. Over all, I thought it was worth the investment.

              A refreshing change...
              I have played several adventure/action games in my time, but Lightbringer is by far the most innovative and unique. I usually refrain from using superlatives to describe most of today's games, but I was extremely intrigued and impressed by this game. My wife and I spent several hours of fun playing this game and trying to figure out its puzzles. The fantastic story line is well supported by excellent graphics and integrated puzzles. I will recommend this game to all of my friends.


              UFO: Aftermath
              Made by Cenega
              • An alien invasion devastates Earth and only you can save the world
              • Purge the planet through skillful global-resource management and small-squad tactical combat
              • Research new technologies to develop incredible weapons and devices
              • Unique combination of real-time and turn-based combat
              • 20 available soldiers whose skills evolve throughout
              Amazon base price: $24.99
              Used price: $15.95
              Buy one from zShops for: $19.89
              Average review score:

              Terrible Dissapointment
              I was very excited at the prospect of playing a game similar to the original X-COM games. The X-COM series has forever been my favorite strategy game. So, when I heard about this game, I had to order, even though I saw many negative reviews on it.

              I must tell you, that I have had this game for over a week and I still have yet to play it. I installed it straight out of the box and it instantly crashed. I was prepared for this, as I had already read the reviews. I then downloaded all the patches, bringing my game version up to 1.3. Guess what? It still crashes and my computer greatly exceeds all the recommended system specifications.

              A LITTLE RANTING: I have never played a game by Cenega before and I probably will think twice before buying another. This game certainly doesn't speak well for them. If I went to a car dealership and bought a NEW car, I would expect the engine to be in it and be able to drive the car off the lot. Cenega should ensure its games are complete and playable before they release them to the market! Even if it means pushing the release date back.

              BOTTOM LINE: I can't recommend this game, I haven't even played it! You buy a game for enjoyment and trying to fuss with multiple patches and still not have the game work is NOT enjoyment.

              Definitely a must have for fans of X-COM Apocalypse
              UFO: Aftermath is quite the addictive game if you prefer real-time tactical strategy games. It's story is similar to the original X-Com game with playstyles imported from the third of the X-Com series. Aftermath blends crisp graphics with some truly challenging missions.

              Gameplay:
              As I said, this game plays exactly like X-Com: Apocalypse. You have up to seven soldiers per mission and you can have each specialize in a certain mode of attack (handguns, rifles, launchers, throwing, psi, or marksmanship). In the missions you have certain objectives from rescuing downed pilots, performing reconnaissance, capturing UFOs, to invading enemy bases. Outside of the missions, it's your job to expand your territory on earth with the acquisition of bases. Now unlike X-Com, the worldview is much more simplified. Rather than building bases piece by piece, your bases come pre-built and you can change them whenever you see fit with only 24 hours of downtime. Your basic base options are military, scientific and engineering - with one other kind opening up as you progress in the game. Though diehard X-Com fans won't like the macroness of this approach it does allow for much more bases than they might be accustomed too.
              The research and manufacture trees are one of my favourite aspects to this game. Not only is there a huge selection of earth technologies to begin with, but you will be finding new old-tech toys to the end. In terms of new alien technology, you have your standard laser and plasma technologies that you would come to expect, but rather than just researching the alien techs, you now have the ability to synthesize alien - human weapon hybrids that add a little flare to the game.
              The story is on par with what you would expect. Both endings are quite lacking, but one of them is being expounded upon with Cenega's planned release of UFO: Aftershock in Q3 '05.

              Graphics:
              Very crisp - and the specialized locales are a nice touch. The outdoor levels seems a bit too small, but they way the transgenants tend to swarm you, you hardly have to move in the later levels so I might just not have had the chance to sight see. My only problem came with the alien architecture. It's just plain hard to figure out where you can and can't go within the ufos. However, that's more of a design issue than a graphical one. The creatures are kind of bland, but odds are you won't be zoomed in as you need to keep an eye on other approaches. Yet, all in all, the graphics are very clean and no needless eyecandy that would make the game inaccessible to less fortunate gamers.

              Sound:
              Make sure you patch the game up to 1.3 as soon as you get it or else you won't be able to hear the aliens. Now, they aren't anything special, but it's nice to judge how one battle is going if you have to have your attention elsewhere. The sound in the worldmap is nice, but again nothing special elsewhere. Individual unit sounds get quite annoying after a while, but if you make sure all your units have seperate portraits, it can help you to see how other parties might be doing.

              Overall:
              I had this for a while before I sat down and really played it. But once I cracked down, I was drawn in. If you are a super fan of the first 2 X-Coms, this might not be quite your cup of tea because making it real-time changes the romance. However, if you liked X-Com 3, then this is exactly what you've been waiting for. It's a great game that follows in the tradition of X-com and adds to it in its own way. And for $20 how could you not buy it?

              UFO Aftermath is a OK X-COM like game
              UFO aftermath was ok, it is just like a X-COM game just a few differences since the makers of X-COM didn't let them do some things.

              Graphics- The graphics where pretty ok, the animations are good and each gun looks different when they use it in the field. The units though are pretty basic and the terrain is somewhat good. The earth is also very detailed, the earth looks so real, every aspect is there, the cracks in the earth in the ocean are also noticable! They over did themselfs on the earth but thats a good thing for us :)

              Gameplay- The game is pretty fun when you play it, it's pretty easy at first but as soon as you get deep in the game it starts getting really hard and you choose from easy medium or hard. Some things could of been better like the world around them, In X-COM Apocolypse the walls and other obsticles fell like they would in real life, you shoot the bottom, it breaks off, and the whole top just falls down. The weapons also dont blow up, when you shoot a rocket at someone, wouldn't their weapon explode or break? they dont in this game. Most things you cant get rid of too, like walls of buildings, street lights, and more, you should just be able to go straight through the level with the help of like 35 grenades. The missions are good and fun though.

              Sound- The sounds are ok and the music is good. The way the soldiers talk can sometimes get annoying lol and the aliens and mutants make no sounds at all.

              overall- the game is good, it coulda been better in a few more months of development but it is still fun to play, it brings back the memories of X-COM and how fun it was, i give this game 4 stars out of 5.


              Xtreme Ant Farm
              Made by Uncle Milton
              Age Group: 6 - 10 years
                Amazon base price: $14.99
                List price: $24.99 (that's 40% off!)
                Average review score:

                No reviews found for this product.
                A Sad, Sad day.....
                I have to say, when we first recieved this 'toy' it was exciting for my son to think of and research the ants. We ordered the supplies and ants and then waited... they arrived a few weeks later (that was a long, "Are they here yet" experience) and the bonding began. It was a very fun and exciting time when they arrived and started buliding their little tunnels, my son is 5 and he was enthralled with them, and to be honest I too found it fun to watch and keep track of their building progress etc. But now for the unfortunate part of this story... my son woke today to find little black ants had invaded the dome through the air holes and wiped out our red ant colony! It was a VERY sad expereince, I have NEVER seen my son more distraught in his life. He sobbed and cried for the entire time Mommy was trying to get the little ones out of the enclosure. When all was said and done there are only 3 big red ants of ours left standing... they are tending to their fallen friends and we are trying to figure out how we can keep that from happening again! We have never had any indoor ant issues and this took us by surprise indeed. We live in California, so if your up for the whole ant farm experience please be sure to take into consideration the 'little' ant problem. Like I said, it was the worst day of my sons life when he found the invaders killing his 'friends'. My heart is just broken for my son and I too sat and cried with him over the loss... I called the company and asked why the 'skate park' would be designed that other ants could get in and why it did not have a warning in the informational book about that possibility. They said because, though they have had calls before about this type of thing happening, it does not happen too often. I wish I had been warned, I could have at least been prepared for that possibility. Anyway, be aware, because of the food and such for your big ants, it WILL bring little ants and the little ones CAN wipe out the big ones. It is all very sad for this broken hearted Mom and son.

                No reviews found for this product.
                They Don't Smell!!!
                I was looking for a simple pet to add to the family. We had fish but they were too much work.....We tried a bird......I think we returned it the third day due to our cat. Hamsters smell....Dogs are too much work, etc. etc. etc. Then I thought of an ant farm...perfect!! They are little mantinence and my son loves them. He is only 2 but he loves watching them...even kisses their little dome and says bye and goodnight. It is really neat to watch the ants make their little tunnels and bring sand way up from the bottom to the ramps and bmx park. I'm certain it is educational for him to watch how they thrive, and as he gets older he will be able to learn even more about them. And I don't have to listen to a single bark or chirp....and of course there is no mess!! Yay. I recommend this product over the other boring ant farms, and who can resist those ants on skateboards....

                No reviews found for this product.
                Better Than Fish
                This is a great toy! My son received this for his 6th birthday last year. The coupon to send away for your ants is included, and they arrived pretty quickly. However, by the time they arrived in the mail, last October, we had misplaced the instructions on what to do when they got here. I emailed the customer support people (info at unclemilton dot com) and they quickly emailed us back some basic instructions, which got us going.

                Looking at the tube, we did not see a frenzied, angry mob of impatient ants as we expected. Rather, they were all pretty quiet. Too quiet. We tipped them into the ant habitat, and they lay there in a heap. Two eventually struggled to their feet and staggered around a bit and drank some water. We phoned Uncle Milton, and the customer support folks at Uncle Milton were great. It's almost like talking to actors in character because they seem to really care about their ants and even anthropomorphize them a bit. Could they really love the ants this much? I couldn't tell for sure, but they sure were convincing. Anyway, they told us that sometimes the ants are a bit listless at first, but to give them 12 hours. If they were indeed dead, then the living ants would "see to their burial."

                Twelve hours later, it was pretty clear that most of them were dead. The two living ants moved all the dead ants into a pile in the center of the central part of the habitat, then they themselves expired shortly thereafter. We rang the folks at Uncle Milton back up, and they were extremely solicitous about our ants having "passed away." (I just love these people.) They sent us a coupon to order a new tube of ants.

                Fast forward six months and we got around to ordering a new tube of ants. They arrived a few days ago. (Uncle Milton only ships certain times of the year, and they check the weather reports for the route before they ship.) These ants were all alive and active. We stunned them with a 15 minute visit to the refrigerator then dumped them in the habitat and they set to work reshaping the landscape, after an initial confusion over the rock climbing wall (they all piled up at the bottom for a bit, but figured their way out soon enough). They moved the dead pile of ants from the first batch to the BMX biking arena (the lower portion down the road). This area we have termed "the mortuary." About twice a day they might move half of the ants around in here, perhaps from one trough between the motocross jumps to another, or bury them with sand and then unbury them. Most of the dead ants are kept down here. Two are kept in the upper part of the habitat and moved around almost continuously, somewhat like the Olympic torch.

                Of course, you need to read all the directions and never let your kids touch the ants. (You probably don't want to either.) My kids (ages 4 and 6) are really good now and won't try to carry the ant farm around, although the 4-year old did carry it once when we first got it and received a lecture about how it would make the ants carsick to be moved around like that. We just leave it on the kitchen island for everyone to watch and enjoy. I don't think you need to send away for any of their extra things, like food. They are happy with a few drops of water, plus a tiny crumb of bread damp with water, a pinhead-size piece of apple or other fruit, a tiny bit of hard-boiled egg white, a drop of honey mixed with water, a single dead fly, or a tiny piece of hamburger. They don't need much.

                They are bringing us much enjoyment. We love to go back and check-up on them and see what they've been doing, or follow one ant's activities for a while. It's funny when one ant is on some sort of mission ("must carry this piece of sand downhill") and another ant bumps into him, he seems to forget where he was going or what he was doing, drops his sand and starts on a different project. Then, of course, there's Flik's tunnel within a tunnel project...


                Aquasaurs
                Made by Uncle Milton
                  Amazon base price: $19.99
                  Average review score:

                  No reviews found for this product.
                  Hazardous Water
                  I will leave the flimsy plastic tank, the need for spring water, extra short lifespan, and very little hatching to the other reviewers. As a preschool teacher the thing that bothered me the most was all of the warnings about the water containing germs. With all the hand washing warnings I first thought that it was for the aquasuars safety...however, it is for your own safety. This was not on the outside of the box, but the instructions warn about water germs over and over again. On top of that, they NEVER let on to what these germs are and how harmful they are....just that you can get real sick. With young kids in my program, they could not touch or really be involved with the project, and it was a waste of money....not to mention another set is out there that sells them under the real name (tri-something) along with what we know best as sea monkeys sorry the real names of both escapes me now)...that set was $12 for both sold at Michaels of all places!

                  No reviews found for this product.
                  Mystical
                  Uncle Milton has produced yet another miracle with Aquasaurs, the miniature, underwater dinosaur home breeding grounds and observation panel. Each Aquasaur egg is millions of years old, dating back to a time before mankind to the Mesozoic Era, age of the dinosaurs: a time of strange and steamy jungle environments dominated by those reptile-like animals of prodigious size and longstanding prominence in the imaginations of our youth.

                  The secret to Uncle Milton's Aquasaurs is an unparalleled and entirely natural self-preservation technique that enable eggs to reach a state of permanent inactivity prior to immersion in water. Once hatched, Aquasaurs reenact millions of years of fantastic prehistory. Step 1: representing the Triassic Period, Aquasaurs hatch and grow proportionately to the quantities of Aquasaur food deposited into each day into the habitat. Step 2: the Jurassic, during which your Aquasaurs reach their maximum size of 2 inches and, with a little luck, reproduce a new generation of the ancient beasts. Step 3: the Cretaceous Period, where a combination of intragroup competition, climactic change, and unexpected natural disasters bring the decline and eventual extinction of all Aquasaurus specimens. Imagine over 300 million years of special diversity metaphorically preserved in an easy-to-order, easy-to-assemble kit. Such will your child see when he looks through the plastic barrier into his Aquasaurs underseas domain.

                  No reviews found for this product.
                  Fun!
                  My son, who is 5, has had so much fun observing these little creatures. The instructions are very clear. I bought this kit (...)and really didn't expect much from it, but have been very surprised how everything has worked exactly the way the booklet states! My son tells all his friends at school each day about his fish and they all are very much in awe that these fish are from "dinosaur times". One of the better birthday gifts my son has received -- educational, easy directions and fun!


                  Related Subjects: Educational-Child-Toy Animals Archaeology Astronomy Bugs Chemistry Creative_Kit Dinosaur Electronic_Book Electronic_Kit Geography Geology Globe Insects Microscope Physics Reptiles Robotic_Kit Sea_Life Telescope
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