EveryBodys Golf 2 Sony PlayStation £34.99
The name of the game is in its title. Its predecessor sought to make the game of golf accessible to everybody, and it was successful in doing so, as the game became a surprise hit.
Everybody's Golf 2 is visually more impressive and the terrain is more realistically modelled. It retains its cartoon sense of humour and there are 13 new characters to choose from.
Although hard to fault, it has not got quite the same charm as the original and, for some strange reason, the Crazy Golf mode does not make it into this otherwise worthy sequel.
Rating: 89%
International Track and Field 2 Sony PlayStation £34.99
IT could have been called "tap the buttons quickly 2" because that is what you'll find yourself doing on a regular basis while playing this game. The 100m sprint (among other events) requires you to tap two buttons on your gamepad rapidly for the duration of the race, and the faster you tap the faster your onscreen character runs.
There are 12 events to compete in, including the Hammer Throw, Diving, Cycling, Weightlifting and Canoeing. To be fair, some of these events do require critical timing elements and don't necessarily require you to tap the buttons rapidly at lightning pace for relatively long periods.
Strangely enough, it is great fun and trying to beat world records or a friend can be particularly addictive. Those of you who remember button bashing in a similar game that was once very popular in arcades will obviously enjoy it immensely. Just be careful you don't get any RSI-related injuries.
Rating: 83%
Need For Speed - Porsche Challenge PC CD-Rom £34.99
The Need For Speed series of games have, since their inception, become one of the most popular driving games. Porsche has been known to build a few decent cars over the years, so the marrying of these two products would seem to make commercial sense.
It is obviously aimed at boy racers and/or Porsche aficionados and in that respect it certainly delivers. You can drive 80 Porsche models from the first 356 (built in 1950) to the new 2000 911 Turbo. "Evolution mode" is a drive through the history of Porsche, as you progress, so does time and hence more modern cars become available. In "Factory Driver Mode" you are "employed" by Porsche for testing cars and you are required to succeed in increasingly difficult mission-based challenges.
You can, of course, just jump in and have a quick race. The graphics are excellent and the game also features nine European open-road courses plus five purpose built tracks. Die hard motor racing fans will love it but casual gamers should steer clear.
Rating: 87%
Recommended: Pentium 400mhz/64MB/3D card/Win 9x/
Westwood Studios have announced a sequel to the all-conquering (over 3 million sales) Command & Conquer. Red Alert 2 will use a version of the Tiberian Sun game engine although bigger battles will be shown without causing a substantial frame-rate drop.
In the game, the Soviets can engage in psychic warfare, wield nuclear weapons and fry opponents with Tesla technology. Allied forces can teleport using chrono technology, conduct covert operations with the help of gap generators, and rain down lightning bolts through weather control. There will, of course, be conventional weapons also.
LUCASARTS have announced that the fourth in the Monkey Island series of games should be available on PC before Christmas. The swashbuckling adventures of perennial pirate-wannabe Guybrush Threepwood will again be the focus of the game, and, if the previous three games are anything to go by, it is certainly to be recommended.