By DEBBIE WOLFE, MATTHEW WAITE and JEANNE ROGERS
Published November 24, 2003
Space Colony is a blend of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lost in Space and SimCity.
Space Colony
System: Windows
Company: Gathering
Price: $39.99
Lay in a course for a time riff somewhere beyond Earth, then direct TV's Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Lost in Space crews to meet on the other side. The result is a computer game called Space Colony, a "manage-as-you-build" settlement that takes SimCity, well, to a higher level.
Multispecies and intergallactic colonists require your supervision to be happy and productive while dealing with tourists, trade and pests such as super termites known as Stripper Insects.
Not everything is about work or danger.
There's golf, a hot tub and sauna, a luxury bar and slot machine for entertainment.
A detailed printed guide book includes strategy hints for the game's multiple layers and the CD begins with a "survivor level" tutorial to help new managers get acclimated to biodomes, colonist need meters and general space maneuvering tactics. If you prefer to "go solo," just skip these to see how far you get. Multiple skill levels will keep even veteran managers engaged.
The Windows-only game rated for teens along with adults who remember some of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition and "Danger, Will Robinson" is new this fall and users already are exchanging tips and tricks in an online forum at: www.indywebs.com/sc/ A free downloadable demo is available at the official site: www.spacecolonygame.com (click a flag for your language choice). Both sites offer backgrounds on the various colonists along with screen shots.
- DEBBIE WOLFE, Times staff writer
Homeworld 2
System: Windows
Company: Sierra
Price: $44.99
Don't, for the love of sleep, install this game on a school night, the night before a big meeting at work or any time when you need to sleep. Homeworld 2 is one of those treasured and cursed games that you start and the next thing you know, the sun is coming up, your legs are numb and boy are you hungry.
I really didn't expect this when I started looking at the game. I hadn't played the original Homeworld, and have only a lukewarm appreciation of space combat games. After installation, I started the tutorial - you really need to go through the tutorial, which is very good - and before I knew it, my wife was asleep and tomorrow was today.
The story line, while good, isn't as important as the game play. You play as some peace-loving group of underdogs who face off against an evil tribe of expansionists. Typical space war game fare.
But how 3-D space has been rendered in Homeworld 2 is just fascinating. It takes some getting used to, but once you can zoom and pan and scroll your way around, controlling the game is easy.
Each ship, from the big mothership to the large capital ships to the small attacking craft, has been beautifully rendered, and you can zoom in on them to any level of detail you want.
The game is not a first-person shooter (you don't get to pilot the ships) but more of a strategy game. You have to harvest resources, use those to build ships and have enough ships to first fend off your attackers and later mount an offensive.
Having the macro- and the microstrategy to worry about is what pulls you in, as does the mounting game play. There isn't a break in the game. And, if you don't pick up on the winning strategy very quickly, the game mercilessly unleashes an unbeatable armada on you and wipes you out. Being quick on the uptake helps.
That kind of pull-you-along game play is what makes Homeworld 2 the time-sink that it is. If you like real-time strategy with a mix of Civilization-style nation building, Homeworld 2 is worth the time.
- MATTHEW WAITE, Times staff writer
Little Bill Thinks Big
Systems: Windows/Macintosh
Company: Scholastic
Price: $19.99
Ages: 3-6
The original Little Bill characters were created by Bill Cosby. Stressing early math skills and critical thinking, the Little Bill software will charm you as you move through the four seasons playing games that stress number recognition, counting, patterns, and matching. With Little Bill and his family, users enter Little Bill's household and are able to go room by room on an adventure of finding items needed for the particular season. Choosing Fall, for example, we were looking for items needed for a scarecrow in Little Bill's back yard.
Putt Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise
System: Windows
Company: Atari
Price: $19.99
Ages: 3-6
Cheerful music and cute characters will enchant and entertain your child as Putt Putt plans a surprise birthday party for his friend, Pep. There is limited interactive play, but this software gets high marks for engaging youngsters in decisionmaking.
Blues Clues: Blue Takes You to School
System: Windows
Company: Atari
Price: $19.99
Ages: 3-6
This early childhood product has three skill levels that will aid your child in developing listening skills, memory and creativity. Join Blue as he attends school. His teacher, Miss Marigold, has an interesting classroom that includes various centers, such as art and music. Go to school with Blue and meet Giggles the class pet.
