The most recent articles from What PC?

Creative Labs 3D Blaster 4 Titanium 4400

Cliff Joseph — 2002-06-10T15:47:35.000Z

Cliff Joseph, What PC?, Monday 10 June 2002 at 15:47:35

The Titanium 4400 offers excellent performance at a reasonable price.

Things are getting a bit confusing with nVidia-based graphics cards these days, as demonstrated by Creative Labs' range of 3D Blaster cards.

The 3D Blasters are all based on nVidia chips. At the low end of the range are two GeForce4 MX cards at around £100. The next step up, rather confusingly, is the £200 GeForce3. And, at the top of the range, are the two Titanium models, the 3D Blaster 4 Titanium 4400 and 4600.

Our review unit was the Titanium 4400, which costs £279.99. That's a lot of money, but it's still cheaper than the hefty £350 for the 4600 model. We were pleasantly surprised, however, by the card's performance which suggests that it can give the 4600 a real run for its money.

The 4400 has 128Mb of DDR Ram that can handle a massive 8.8Gb of graphics data per second. That's about 20 per cent slower than the 10.4Gb/s speed offered by the 4600 but, in practice, we found that the 4400 was only about five per cent slower than some of the 4600 cards we've reviewed recently.

Running Quake III at a resolution of 1024 x 768 in 16-bit colour and without any anti-aliasing (a programming technique that smooths the jagged lines often produced by computer graphics), the 4400 produced an impressive rate of 183 frames per second (fps). That figure barely changed when we increased the colour depth to 32-bit, holding up at an equally impressive 181fps.

Performance dips as you increase the anti-aliasing settings, but the card still manages 98fps per second with maximum anti-aliasing and 32-bit colour.

Specifications:

AGP graphics card based on GeForce4 Titanium 4400 processor
128Mb DDR Ram
AccuView anti-aliasing technology
nView software supports multiple monitor set up
DVI and VGA interfaces
Video output, with cables
Bundled copy of Incoming Forces (£279.99 inc VAT).

Minimum requirements: 200MHz processor; AGP slot; Windows 98 or later.

Contact: Creative Labs

uk.europe.creative.com

Microsoft Xbox

Riyad Emeran — 2002-04-10T13:41:57.000Z

Riyad Emeran, What PC?, Wednesday 10 April 2002 at 13:41:57

Can Gates give Sony and Nintendo a run for their money?

With the introduction of the Xbox, Bill Gates has taken a step closer to getting a Microsoft-based machine into every home.

There's no doubt that this particular launch is a brave move. The video game console market has been dominated by the Japanese for many years, and established brands like Nintendo and Sony have loyal followings. But Microsoft has enough marketing muscle to take on almost any company, as it has proved in the past.

People have already accused the Xbox of being a stripped-down PC, and the base specification does little to prove this opinion wrong.

Boxed in

The main processor is an Intel 733MHz. This may not be fast by traditional PC standards, but it's the fastest in a console by a long way.

Add to this a graphics chipset from nVidia, an 8Gb hard disk and a 10/100 Ethernet adaptor, and the PC in a box argument gains strength.

But chances are those who write the Xbox off in this way have never actually used one, because if they had, they'd realise that it could be the next-generation console they've been waiting for.

There's no denying that it was a smart move going to nVidia for the graphics solution. Anyone who's into video games has heard of the company, and nVidia has moved 3D graphics forward an incredible distance in the past few years. Inside the Xbox is a derivative of the successful GeForce3 chip, but this version has a big advantage over the ones used by PCs.

No driver

In a PC the system has to communicate with the graphics chip via driver software, which slows things down and can cause an endless amount of problems, as new drivers may have to be loaded to play the latest games.

The Xbox doesn't use a driver model, which eliminates the need to update graphics drivers and means the system can communicate faster with the graphics engine.

With a core clock speed of 233MHz, the graphics chip is no slouch but, strangely, there's no dedicated video memory. Instead, the graphics chip shares the 64Mb of system memory.

Great graphics

Although unified memory architecture always results in slow performance when used in a PC, the Xbox shows no signs of performance overheads. The graphics capabilities of the Xbox are, quite simply, staggering, with all the effects that we've seen in demos on the PC actually being utilised in games.

The water effects are incredible, with realistic reflections and refraction, while spectral fogging and lighting add the kind of atmosphere gamers have been longing for.

The quoted maximum resolution for Xbox's graphics is 1920x1080, but this is way above the capabilities of a standard TV - 640x480 is more like it. That said, the Xbox will output a High Definition TV (HDTV) signal, but unfortunately Europe has not adopted the HDTV standard.

Although Microsoft does not support VGA output, there are already third-party accessories available to pump the video to a computer monitor for crystal-clear gaming.

Dolby Digital

Complementing the graphics are superb sound effects. Sound is produced by another nVidia chip, called the Media Communications Processor, which also provides Ethernet network capability for potential multiplayer malarkey and more. This is a similar setup to that seen on some recent PC motherboards.

The chip can generate up to 256 channels of sound, or 64 in a 3D environment, but the real jewel in the crown is the ability to do real-time Dolby Digital effects.

The Xbox is the first games console that can create a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital sound stage in real-time and the result is truly amazing, providing you have the required amplifier and speakers.

Real-time Dolby Digital effects take video games to a new level. Playing a first-person-shooter game like Halo is a joy, with all the sounds accurately placed, letting you know exactly where everyone or everything is coming from.

Unfortunately though, you can't enjoy the joys of Dolby Digital sound straight out of the box since, unlike the PlayStation 2, the Xbox doesn't have a digital sound output on the system itself. To hook your Xbox up to your Dolby Digital amp, you'll have to fork out for the advanced AV cable.

DVD remote control

Another hidden cost to be aware of is that the Xbox can't play DVD movies straight out of the box either. Unlike the PS2, which uses the gamepad to control DVD playback functions, the Xbox requires an optional remote control. Again this is a little annoying, since Microsoft is forcing you to pay extra for something that the machine should be able to do without.

However, if you do cough up the extra cash, you'll find that the Xbox makes a pretty good DVD player, better than the PS2 and better than some dedicated DVD players. As well as being able to output via high-quality component video, the Xbox can also produce a progressive scan signal for a top-quality non-interlaced picture. In short, it gives a cracking picture.

Hitting the big time

Like the machine itself, the Xbox controller is quite simply huge. Unless you've got pretty big hands, you could find it uncomfortable to use for extended periods. This is obviously something that Microsoft has realised, since a completely redesigned, smaller controller is shipping with the Japanese Xbox. Unfortunately, the UK is going to have to suffer the larger American model.

The controller sports two excellent analog joysticks, a digital direction pad, eight buttons and two analog triggers. There are also two slots for peripherals such as memory cards.

See how they run

Another issue for UK buyers, particularly hardcore gamers, is the speed of the games. Our test system was a US model, which outputs an NTSC video signal running at full-speed 60Hz. UK TVs and consoles traditionally run at 50Hz, which slows down the action and can result in 'squished' images.

The good news is that the UK model should allow you to select the 60Hz mode from its 'Dashboard' setup screen, and game developers plan to support this feature. That said, it's also worth pointing out that for the casual gamer who just accepts things as is, the whole thing is a bit of a non-issue.

Microsoft's inclusion of a hard disk was criticised by many, but in use it has a lot of advantages. First, you don't need an additional memory card to save your games and, with 8Gb of storage, you probably never will.

Second, the hard disk can be used to cache data so that you don't have to wait for levels to be loaded from the DVD drive. And third, you can transfer or 'rip' music from your CDs to the hard disk.

It's a rip

Music ripping may seem a strange feature for a console, but a lot of Xbox software has been designed with this in mind. Project Gotham Racing, for example, allows you to play your own music while driving, which adds masses of appeal to the game. Unfortunately, you won't be able to rip music from any compilation that you've burned to CD-R. The Xbox flatly refuses to read CD-R or CD-RW media.

Microsoft has also made sure that it doesn't make the mistake Sony made with the PS2 by releasing a new machine without decent software to support it. The launch line-up for the Xbox is strong and it's worth buying the machine just to play Halo.

The Xbox may not be cheap, but it definitely represents the next step in video games.

Contact

Microsoft: 0845 700 2000 www.xbox.com/uk

Logitech Cordless Wingman Gamepad

Frank White — 2002-03-20T12:34:27.000Z

Frank White, What PC?, Wednesday 20 March 2002 at 12:34:27

A great gamepad at a good price.

If you're looking for a new games controller, prepare to discover that there's almost as much variety in the selection of sticks, pads and paddles as the games titles themselves. Logitech is hoping its new Wingman Gamepad will stand out in this already overcrowded market. How exactly? The company has cut the cord.

The latest Wingman is Logitech's first wireless gamepad and uses 2.4GHz radio technology to 'talk' to your PC. Response to button-pressing and controller movement is immediate and we thoroughly enjoyed using it.

We expected that we would have to pay a premium for a cordless gamepad but, to Logitech's credit, it comes competitively priced at £40.

This is even more impressive considering that no other major bases have been missed. The device has effective vibration feedback and 11 programmable buttons. The Cordless Wingman's need to carry four AA batteries renders it a little heavier than most but we found this to be no bad thing.

It would have benefited from a rubber finish but this is a minor quibble and overall the Wingman is very comfortable to use.

What's more, the unit's a cinch to set up thanks to the thorough on-screen instructions which lead you by the hand through software installation, hardware detection and calibration. However, do remember that although the device is cordless you still need a spare USB port to connect the small receiver.

Those keen to play against mates will be delighted to hear that up to eight of the devices can be used with one PC, thanks to channel-hopping technology used by the Cordless Wingman. The company also claims that this will reduce the risk of interference from other radio-controlled devices, such as cordless phones and baby monitors.

SPECIFICATIONS

2.4GHz radio technology
Six-metre range
50-hour battery life
USB connection
Includes radio frequency receiver
Two-year guarantee
Uses four AA batteries

Minimum requirements

300MHz PC, Windows 98/2000, 16Mb of RAM, 15Mb hard-disk space, DirectX 7 or later

Contact

Logitech: 020 7309 0127 www.logitech.com

AAA Games Aussie Rules Coach

Nick Pickles — 2001-05-16T23:00:00.000Z

Nick Pickles, What PC?, Wednesday 16 May 2001 at 23:00:00

There are plenty of football manager games on the market, some good, some dreadful. But the superlative sales figures of the better ones have prompted developers to expand the sport management genre to disciplines other than the national game.

Cricket and Formula 1 are two that have done okay. The thing is, there are plenty of cricket, footy and Formula 1 fans to buy the games, but how many fans of Aussie rules football do you know?

The intro and interfaces of Aussie Rules Coach are fairly slick, although the pre-game control screen is a bit confusing. That's because there is simply so little to do.

You can exit the game, meddle with your match day squad or go to a game. If you are overwhelmed by the massive lists of tweaks and options that heavyweight sports sims such as Championship Manager have, this game will be a breath of fresh air.

Australian Rules Football is played with an oval ball on an oval pitch with 18 players on each side. In Aussie Rules Coach, the teams play in a fixed formation, and with the hints in the handbook you'll soon have your players standing up for themselves.

Whichever of the fictional teams you choose, a team is picked and ready to go immediately. Played over a single season, there are no options for training your players to improve their skills and there is no transfer system, meaning the players you have are what you're stuck with.

That means all your achievements are down to tactical ability and not simply getting your mitts on the mightiest players and having them win every game for you.

The strength of Aussie Rules Coach, according to AAA Games, is that it lets you watch the game, changing tactics on the fly. The names of all your players are listed down the side of the game screen and changing the playing priorities of the team is a simple matter of selecting the player's name at the side of the screen and choosing which aspect of his game you want to adjust.

These aspects are listed as tabs along the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the tabs reveals a sliding control, and moving the slide changes the player's reaction. You can choose to change things one player at a time or grouped together.

But this simplicity is less a strength than a weakness. Although it's nice to see your team progress purely due to your coaching, the lack of transfers or opportunity to improve player skills makes the game very one-dimensional.

The fact it concerns a sport no one cares about means there is little motivation to persevere.

CONTACT: AAA Games: 0208 591 1125

www.aaagame.com

Ubi Soft The Settlers IV

Ian Colwell — 2001-05-16T23:00:00.000Z

Ian Colwell, What PC?, Wednesday 16 May 2001 at 23:00:00

The focus on building and resource management rather than fighting makes The Settlers IV more like SimCity with a dash of regrettably necessary violence, and it's a formula with strong appeal.

Its three races - the Romans, Vikings and Mayans - all have three scenarios of gentle conquest to complete in their respective campaigns. Plus there's a campaign against the sinister Morbus and his Dark Tribe, who together aim to render Earth a far less green and pleasant place.

Military conquest plays a relatively small part of the game, partly because there is little variety in each race's armed forces. Resource management, on the other hand, is complex and involving, making it a real challenge to develop a thriving economy.

Miners, for example, require bread, meat and fish to work efficiently, but harvesting and processing these resources isn't always that simple. To produce bread, you need a baker, who in turn needs flour from a miller, who needs corn from a grain farm. More complex still, sheep and goat ranches also need grain, so you have to decide who gets what.

Then your workers need the right tools before they can begin work - the grain farmer must have a scythe, and the tool smith requires wood and iron to make a scythe, eventually taking the system full circle back to the miners. In short, if you mismanage one aspect of resources you can find yourself stumped.

Much of this will already be familiar to veteran players, so what extra does The Settlers IV offer? Apart from added depth to some elements of resource management, the answer lies in its appearance and interface.

Hardware settings for the graphics mean they stand up to close inspection, and the mouse wheel-controlled zoom permits rapid examination of the whole empire right down to the tiniest detail.

The clutter of terrain, wildlife and settlers, however, makes finding individual specialist units a frustrating task. Scrolling is still painfully achieved by holding down the right mouse button, so moving about the screen is slower than necessary. Right-clicking for other elements compounds the frustration.

A competitive mode allows players to compete against each other to achieve scenario goals, and a co-operative mode allows players to act together to accomplish tasks that cannot be completed alone. These elements will be the selling point for many existing Settlers fans.

CONTACT: Ubi Soft: 020 8944 9000

www.ubisoft.co.uk

Delta Force: Land Warrior

Andy Gordon, What PC? — 2001-04-27T23:00:00.000Z

Andy Gordon, What PC?, What PC?, Friday 27 April 2001 at 23:00:00

Globe-trotting fun and games as you arm yourself to the hilt, creep up on nasty people, and shoot them.

This first-person-shooter has you doing your bit for the free world as part of Delta Force, the United States' version of the British SAS.

The original Delta Force was one of the first games to take the first-person-shooter genre out of labyrinthine buildings and into the great outdoors. Since then, the formula has been successfully copied, most notably by the excellent Rainbow Six and Half-Life: Counter Strike.

Reality bites

As with its predecessor, DFLW places an emphasis on reality so there are no thermonuclear water pistols or health packs to pick up. All of the weapons are real, and one shot in the right area has you pushing up daisies. The amount of kit you can carry is limited to a couple of guns, a knife, explosives and grenades.

The other main idea of the Delta Force series is that you are part of a team. In one-player mode, the computer controls your colleagues, who generally shirk their responsibilities and let you take the lead.

The real fun begins when you play the game over a network, with your friends taking the role of the other squad members.

Globe-trotting, gun-toting fun and games

The fundamental formula of DFLW is no different from the original and the only significant improvements are cosmetic. There are five new characters to choose from, you can appropriate the weapons of dead rivals, and travel to crises all over the world. Settings include the Giza pyramids, a North Sea oil rig, and a Mediterranean island fortress.

All this will excite fans of the series, but there is nothing to fundamentally revitalise mission-based, reality-centred first-person-shooters.

If you enjoy creeping up on people, foiling terrorists against the odds and running away, then DFLW will do the trick, but don't expect any surprises.

Contact

Novalogic: 020 7405 1777 www.novalogic.co.uk

Sony slashes UK PS2 supplies

What PC? — 2001-01-10T24:00:00.000Z

What PC?, What PC?, Wednesday 10 January 2001 at 00:00:00

Sony's eagerly awaited PlayStation 2 console has finally gone on sale, but don't expect to be able to buy one anywhere.

Sony's eagerly awaited PlayStation 2 console has finally gone on sale, but don't expect to be able to buy one anywhere.

An initial UK allocation of 200,000 of the next-generation games machines has been slashed to just 165,000, practically guaranteeing a complete pre-Christmas sell-out, and a lot of very unhappy customers.

Sony introduced a PlayStation 2 pre-order system earlier this year, with units being allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Now, it seems that 35,000 people won't be served at all.

There is a little festive cheer, though. Sony has benevolently decided to throw in a copy of the YA-Basic coding language with European PlayStation 2s, allowing tinkerers to create their own programs and games.

But it's not an entirely altruistic move. Sony hopes that the inclusion of programming tools will convince Customs & Excise that the PlayStation 2 is a computer rather than a video games console, which will enable it to avoid paying two per cent import duty on the devices.

Violent video game stirs controversy

What PC? — 2000-11-22T24:00:00.000Z

What PC?, What PC?, Wednesday 22 November 2000 at 00:00:00

Video game violence is under fire again with the planned release of Hooligans: Storm Over Europe. Produced by Dutch developer The Thirteenth Production, the game allows players to control a gang of football thugs.

Video game violence is under fire again with the planned release of Hooligans: Storm Over Europe. Produced by Dutch developer The Thirteenth Production (TTP), the game allows players to control a gang of football thugs.

The RTS game, premiered at the ECTS trade show, was first reported by website football365.com. Since then the controversy has grown, along with tabloid interest.

TTP's Jason Garber said: "I don't think it will encourage people to become hooligans. There are loads of violent games out there but violence is an educational and political issue, not one for computer games. I don't think it's in poor taste. We got bored of games where you fight trolls and just thought it was a nice, topical idea."

However, the Home Office and the British Board of Film Classification have expressed concerns about the game, with the former saying: "We condemn anything that seeks to glorify hooliganism."

TTP claims it received favourable responses at the ECTS show.

3dfx Voodoo5 5500

Chris Cain — 2000-09-10T23:00:00.000Z

Chris Cain, What PC?, Sunday 10 September 2000 at 23:00:00

Will 3dfx's VoodooMac graphics card cast a spell over Mac users?

While the world of PC graphics cards is fiercely competitive, it's a different story when it comes to the Mac. ATI practically has the market to itself - its Rage 128 and 128 Pro chips are supplied as standard by Apple, while users of older machines are offered ATI upgrade cards. However, all could be set to change as 3dfx attempts to work its magic with the VoodooMac 5500 PCI.

Designed with fast 3D in mind, the 5500 boasts 64Mb of SDRAM and two of 3dfx's VSA-100 processors running at 166Mhz. These chips work in parallel using a system known as SLI (scan line interleave), which splits the display between the processors for faster performance. The board runs so hot that each chip has its own fan, and the card needs to be plugged into the Mac's power supply for extra oomph (a cable is provided).

As well as fast graphics the Voodoo 5 is the first card to bring full scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) to the Mac. This eliminates unsightly jagged lines on screen, and the 5500 features both 2x and 4x over-sampling. Even better, 3dfx claims FSAA will work with any Mac 3D title.

FSAA is just one of the features offered by 3dfx's latest T-buffer technology. Other offshoots include the ability to create motion blur, depth of field focus, soft shadows and soft reflections. The 5500 supports all major Apple 3D APIs (Rave, Glide and OpenGL), has QuickDraw and QuickTime acceleration, and is the first Voodoo board to give 32bit colour.

In tests on our G4 with Unreal Tournament, the improvements using FSAA could be clearly seen, providing much smoother images without blurring. There is a slight drop in the average frame rate using the 4x option, but at 800 x 600 the game remained playable with an image quality normally associated with higher resolutions. Pushing the resolution further the results were still noticeable, but we had to stick with 2x to keep a healthy 30fps.

Quake III saw less improvement and frame rates plummeted to practically unplayable levels. Even running without anti-aliasing we didn't see a huge leap over Voodoo 3 cards here - you can run these older PC cards on the Mac using unsupported beta drivers from the 3dfx website. Starting at £69, they provide a much cheaper speed boost and come in both PCI and AGP flavours.

All that said, the VoodooMac 5500 PCI was clearly faster than the AGP Rage 128 Pro in our G4 when used with the latest version 1.0.1 drivers. In fact, the biggest problem with the 3dfx card is that there's isn't an AGP version.

(20th Sep 2000): 3Dfx announce an AGP version of the VoodooMac 5500. More details available from the 3Dfx Web site (link below).

Contact

3dfx 01753 502800, www.3dfx.com

Microsoft steps into game console arena

What PC and Software — 2000-05-04T23:00:00.000Z

What PC and Software, What PC?, Thursday 4 May 2000 at 23:00:00

Microsoft has shaken up the video games industry by lifting the lid on its top-secret console, codenamed X-box.

Microsoft has shaken up the video games industry by lifting the lid on its top-secret console, codenamed X-box.

Due for launch in 2001, the machine is set to challenge Sony's recently launched PlayStation 2 and at first glance appears more powerful.

The X-box's specifications centre around a 600MHz Pentium III processor, with 64Mb of RAM and a 4x DVD-ROM drive. Graphics are provided by an NVidia chip, which can draw around 300 million polygons/sec for ultra-realistic graphics. Sony's PS2 peaks at a 66 million. The X-box OS is based on Windows 2000.

The unit will also include Ethernet and USB ports, and an 8Gb internal hard disk. The latter has raised questions as to whether software will need to be installed, as on a PC, defeating the idea of an easy-to-use games console. Microsoft claims the drive will be used for things such as saved game data or extras downloaded from the Web.

Sega Dreamcast

Chris Cain — 2000-01-01T24:00:00.000Z

Chris Cain, What PC?, Saturday 1 January 2000 at 00:00:00

Dreamcast's graphics are stunning and the games are superb.

Dreamcast boasts graphics capabilities normally found only on PCs, and allows for Web browsing, email and the possibility of online gaming action straight out of the box. Players can compete against other gamers online, but as yet no titles support this feature.

The Internet service is provided free by BT. To register you simply insert the supplied Dream Key software, plug the console into the phone line and follow the prompts.

Using the standard controller for online activities can be laborious, and we would recommended splashing out on an add-on keyboard to make things easier. Sadly, the Dreamcast browser is limited to a 640 x 480 pixel display, but this should look fine on most televisions. The browser also supports Javascript for animations.

Other peripherals available include a steering wheel, a lightgun and a so-called Visual Memory Unit, which is a tiny Gameboy-like device used to store saved games.

In tests, Dreamcast games were easily up to the standards we expect from today's PCs, and titles such as Power Stone, House of the Dead 2 and Soul Calibur from Namco are superb.

Sega has worked with Microsoft on a version of Windows CE for Dreamcast, which should make it easier for developers to produce Dreamcast versions of best-selling PC games.

The first Windows CE title is called Sega Rally and a video of this along with playable game demos is supplied.

Contact Sega Europe 08456 090090

Star Wars DroidWorks

newmedia newmedia — 1999-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

newmedia newmedia, What PC?, Tuesday 31 August 1999 at 23:00:00

Continuing our Star Wars theme, DroidWorks casts you as an agent for the Rebel Alliance on a mission to discover the principles of science.

Disguised as a Jawa and based on the planet Tatooine, you must become a Master Droid Builder, building robotic droids from the 87 available parts. These droids must then complete 29 missions, investigating and applying the laws of energy, force, motion, light and magnetism.

After a quick tour through the droid workshop, the idea is to work out what type of droid to build to best complete the set mission - for example, whether it will have treads or legs. However your machine ends up, you can view the finished model on the holographic design grid that allows for 360-degree 3D viewing.

Once a droid is constructed and customised, it's time to test it in the Sandcrawler training facility. This section familiarises you with your droid; for example, how it moves and how much power it uses. It also introduces learning possibilities, with observation opportunities to see, for instance, how light reflects. Animated sequences featuring R2-D2 illustrate the principles, while questions enhance understanding. The successful completion of each real mission earns you a step up the ladder towards the rank of Master Builder. Additionally, you get the opportunity to increase the amount and variety of droid building components.

The educational value in this game lies not only in what knowledge children can glean, but in the fact that they are expected to make their own choices based on (straightforward) data and their own investigation. A well-designed Star Wars spin-off.

- £29.99 (inc VAT)

- Ubi Soft: 0181 944 9000

www.droidworks.com

STAR WARS DROIDWORKS

Overall *****

Minimum requirements: Windows 95/98, 100% DirectX-compatible PC, Pentium 133MHz, 16Mb of RAM, 34Mb of hard disk space, 4x CD-ROM, PCI graphics card, 16-bit sound device.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (U)

newmedia newmedia — 1999-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

newmedia newmedia, What PC?, Tuesday 31 August 1999 at 23:00:00

Every saga has a beginning ... And unless you've been hiding inside an asteroid for the last few months, you'll have heard that a new Star Wars film is taking cinemas by storm. Based on events before the original trilogy, The Phantom Menace is the first in a series of prequels that detail the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. To coincide with the release, and make even more cash for creator George Lucas, LucasArts has launched two new games that allow you to join in the action.

Loosely following the plot of the film, The Phantom Menace is an arcade adventure that initially casts you as the young Obi-wan Kenobi. Following your mentor Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi master, the idea is to help negotiate the peaceful end to a trade blockade around the planet Naboo. Of course, achieving this straight away wouldn't make for much of a game, and so before long you're waving a lightsaber at a horde of deadly battle droids.

Fight your way past these (you can pull off some spectacular moves) and it's off to the swamps for a swim, followed by a trek through a forest with more droids in hot pursuit. You'll also run into the overly-animated Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan from an underwater city far below the planet's surface. Make friends with him and your aquatic adventures continue as he leads you into the depths of Otoh Gunga.

Later points in the game cast you in the roles of Qui-Gon Jinn, the Captain of the Royal Guards and even the Queen herself. You'll travel to other worlds including Tatooine, and meet up with other major characters including C-3PO, Anakin and the dreaded Darth Maul.

Graphically Phantom certainly captures the essence of the film, and there are clips at the beginning to get you in the mood. Cut scenes that ape the film are also used throughout to maintain the atmosphere. Characters are detailed, and the animation is good - although not up to Industrial Light & Magic standards. Sounds and music from the film are also used, with the ignition and swish of the lightsaber being a particularly satisfying noise.

Gameplay is a mixed bag. While it's great to take on the role of Jedi, deflect lasers and use The Force, the action can be somewhat repetitive.

LucasArts has also fixed the viewpoint at an awkward angle, which prevents you from seeing too far into the distance. But there's enough adventure to keep most gamers hooked and plenty of secrets to be discovered.

Star Wars fans who fancy themselves as Jedi masters in the making will find that The Force is strong with this one. Just don't play it before you've seen the film!

- £39.99 (inc VAT)

- Activision: 01268 531 222

www.activision.com

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM Menace

Overall ***

Minimum requirements: 200MHz Pentium, Windows 95/98, 32Mb of RAM, 4Mb PCI or AGP Direct 3D Graphics Accelerator, 16-bit sound card, 4x CD-ROM, keyboard, DirectX6.1.

ELSA 3D Revelator

newmedia newmedia — 1999-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

newmedia newmedia, What PC?, Tuesday 31 August 1999 at 23:00:00

Make the flat earth round again, says ELSA in its promotional bumf - what heresy could this be from the German graphics gurus? Everything becomes clear as soon as you sample your first taste of 3D gaming through Revelator-clad eyes.

The Revelator glasses are based on two LCD shutters - one for each eye - that flicker on and off around 140 times per second. At the same time the PC's graphics card is generating two, slightly different, versions of the onscreen image. The theory is that the flickering glasses trick your brain into combining these offset two-dimensional images into one 3D scene. The principle is much the same as those old Disney 3D viewers that showed scenes from The Jungle Book, which abounded in '70s playgrounds.

In practice, most previous attempts to recreate the trick on a PC have been dogged by poor image quality or slow software. The Revelator is the first successful effort we've seen, although there are a few caveats.

We looked at the version that connects to the PC via a cable - a model with an infrared link is also available. Setting up the equipment was easy enough, with just a few software tweaks here and there, although you do need to have an ELSA graphics card in place. These start from around £80, which more than doubles the overall cost if you don't already have one.

Firing up a few classic games, including Half Life, we were impressed with the quality of the three-dimensional image - the bad guys really did appear to reach out and touch you - and there was little or no delay evident in the game speed. But, a higher level of concentration is necessary to keep everything in focus, which can prove tiring.

The 3D Revelator glasses produce outstanding results, which make gaming even more fun, although the cost may be prohibitive if you don't have a compatible graphics card.

SPECIFICATIONS

3D gaming glasses

Creates 3D images in any game based on Microsoft's Direct 3D

Infrared or cable link from glasses to PC

Flicker-free images

Multi-player capability

Suitable for some 3D-design software packages

£55 (inc VAT)

Force 2 Int: 01844 261872

www.elsa.com

ELSA 3D REVELATOR

Ease of use ***

Build quality ****

Performance ****

Value for money ***

Overall ***

Minimum requirements: Windows 95, Pentium II processor, ELSA 3D graphics card, monitor capable of 120Hz refresh rate.

Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D (U)

newmedia newmedia — 1999-08-31T23:00:00.000Z

newmedia newmedia, What PC?, Tuesday 31 August 1999 at 23:00:00

The evil Empire is up to its old tricks in Rogue Squadron. Luke Skywalker's valiant attempts to vanquish the heavy-breathing Vader by destroying the Death Star have failed, and the elite Rogue Squadron is called upon to redouble efforts to crush the Dark Side.

Under the command of General Rieekan, you are to undertake 16 missions.

You have the best craft the Rebel Alliance has to offer at your disposal. A, V, Y, and X-Wing fighters, along with Airspeeders, are all employed against the Imperial forces, but even the most seasoned gamers might have a tough time reaching the final mission as this is no beginner's game.

On one level this is a standard space-based scrap, but for fans already salivating for the latest Star Wars fix, it's a must - giving you yet another chance to live out your Luke Skywalker fantasies onscreen.

- £39.99 (inc VAT)

- Activision: 01268 531 222

www.lucasarts.com

STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON 3D

Overall ****

Minimum requirements: Windows 95, Pentium 166, 32Mb of RAM, DirectX 6.0, 3D graphics card, 2x CD-ROM.