Sim Copter

pc CD-ROM minimum system requirements:

pc CD-ROM minimum system requirements:

Pentium 75mhz; 16MB RAM;

15MB hard disk space;

Quad speed CD-ROM drive;

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Windows 95; SVGA.

£29.99

WHEN will it all end. First we had Sim City, then Sim City 2000 and, because of the success of these quite excellent games, a host of other Sim related games. These ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous - Sim Ant, Sim Tower, Sim Farm, Sim Isle and Sim Life, among others. Now there is Sim Copter. Sim City 2000 stands alone as the best by some margin.

Sim Copter is a little different from what has gone before in that it can be integrated with Sim City 2000. Cities created in Sim City 2000 can be imported into Sim Copter so you can get a 3D helicopter view of your own masterpieces.

Sim Copter is a game in its own right - the idea is that you are a helicopter pilot and, when the need arises, you help the local emergency services or whatever. For example, if there is a fire in the city you can drop your bucket into the local lake and take water to quench the flames. You get paid for this and can buy more equipment or better choppers.... and so on.

Apart from that, there is little else - and if this is a sign of what Maxis (the publishers) has in store for us, they had better think again. The shoddy graphics don't do the game any favours either and it needs plenty of favours. Still, it's innovative.

Graphics: 55%

Sound: 70%

Gameplay: 61%

Playstation price cut

Sony is to drastically reduce the price of the Playstation, from 199.99 to 129.99, to coincide with the launch of the new Nintendo 64-bit machine, which will cost about £229.

Sony has also released a compilation of classics called The Platinum Collection, which will retail at 19.99 - all other Sony developed games will be reduced to around the £35 mark.