Dungeon Keeper 2, PC CDRom, £34.99
Being a hero and saving princesses from the clutches of the bad guys is one of the great videogame roles. Dungeon Keeper 2, like its predecessor, requires the opposite. The goal is to build a dungeon full of devilish creatures powerful enough to invade King Reginald's Sunlit Kingdom of Heroes.
The player has to feed, train and entertain the creatures to be loyal minions. Although most of the game is viewed in third-person perspective, the player can possess one of the creatures, and view the dungeon from its perspective. Mobility in this mode depends on the type of creature possessed; the bloated Bile Demon isn't very quick-footed while the Dwarf is excellent for creeping around. This ability to possess creatures is both fun and useful - a similar facility in Sim City would be very nice.
Technically Dungeon Keeper 2 is very impressive and unlike almost any other game apart from its predecessor. The most significant improvements in this release are its visuals and the AI of the creatures. The characteristics of different creatures are also better defined. This well executed game provides so much entertainment that being this bad has never been so good.
[Recommended: Pentium 266/64MB/Win 9x]
Bugs Bunny: Lost In Time, Sony PlayStation, £34.99
The only odd thing about Bugs Bunny appearing on the PlayStation is that it took so long. His debut is a 3D platform adventure that sees him lost in time, in a place called nowhere. The player controls Bugs and tries to get him to somewhere.
Blocking his way are familiar enemies including Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian. Bugs can run, jump, sneak, kick, bounce, manipulate objects, use his ears helicopter-style to hover, and dive into rabbit holes to go underground.
Other mini-games provide variety in the game-play as the player progresses through five eras, from medieval times to the Roaring Twenties.
Lost in Time is a respectable effort, amusing in places, but if it wasn't Bugs Bunny it would not stir much interest. His name may help to sell it, but the game doesn't live up to his name. That's all folks!
Microsoft's Flight Simulator (FS) and Looking Glass Technologies's Flight Unlimited are among the most popular "games" available on the PC. Wilco Publishing (www.wilcopub.com) seems to be after a niche in the same market with its forthcoming game Hangism. As a light-aviation simulator, Hangism puts you in control of hangliders, microlites and other light craft. The list of add-ons for Microsoft's Flight Simulator '98 continues to grow. The latest is FS Clouds - honestly! FS 2000, expected in the autumn, will utilise the Jeppesen NavData navigation database and approach charts used by real pilots.
To give its new Dreamcast console every chance of getting a hold in the European market, Sega will have 10 titles (including Sonic Ad- venture Sega Rally 2 and Virtua Fighter 3tb) available from the day the Dreamcast goes on sale in September. It expects to have more than 30 by Christmas.
More than one "new" console (Atari Jaguar, Panasonic 3DO) has failed to get off the ground because of a lack of software within the first few months of its release. Sega does not want to make the same mistake. The Dreamcast will cost about £229, and Sony may drop the price of the PlayStation and release a few big games to try to upstage the upstart.
games@irish-times.ie