June 2000 Volume 81 Number 6 "serving the protectors"
By Mike Horsfall

CAREFUL - THIS ONE SHOOTS

A new Kodak innovation called the PalmPix attaches very discreetly to the very popular Palm Organizer and allows the holder to take instantly 24-bit colour VGA pictures.

PalmPix includes a 2X digital zoom (VGA 640 x 480 mode only) and images can be saved, manipulated and e-mailed as standard BMP or JPEG files, or “beamed” to another nearby Palm Organiser within seconds. It is extremely easy to use and the holder has the ability to steal a shot almost undetected. Should you come across someone pushing buttons on his or her organizer, look very carefully. The Palm IIIc Colour Organiser and the PalmPix are available in stores at $899 and $349 respectively.

AGE OF WONDERS

A war between good and evil has risen in the Valley of Wonders. On one side are The Keepers - protecting all, including those who have sinned against them in the past. Opposing them is The Cult of Storms - the evil elves who prey on human foes and only live for total dominance.

Players can choose to enlist in either side while in a Campaign. Should the Scenario mode be selected there will be 12 different clans to choose from.

Like all turn-based strategies there must be aggression and battle, but Age of Wonders goes further, allowing the player to zoom in and take control of each individual unit in the attacking party. During all missions, the player will venture the game map conquering all and gaining allies by money or force. As well as sustaining the army, the player must also take control over conquered towns and manage resources.

The lasting appeal of this game is not a question with 23 maps to explore and dominate in single-player scenarios alone. Those who get bored or think every task has been completed (which is very unlikely) have the ability to play online via TCP Internet, IPX LAN, by e-mail or in a multi-player mode at http://www.heat.net

Age of Wonders is gloriously detailed in all aspects of sound, graphics and gameplay - those with a high-end machine can choose resolutions as high as 1280x1024. It is an excellent example of a well-produced turn-based strategy game with great in-game balance and rates eight out of 10.

Minimum system requirements for Age of Wonders are a multimedia PC with a Pentium 166MHz, 32MB RAM and 350MB HD space. Recommended requirements are a Pentium II 266MHz and 64MB RAM.

AGE OF EMPIRES II - THE AGE OF KINGS

The original Age of Empires allowed one to play a real-time strategy game that produced non-fictitious characters. It proved to be very popular as did the add-on, The Rise of Rome. This success has now led to the release of the sequel, Age of Empires II; The Age of Kings (AOE2).

Commencing at the fall of the Roman Empire, the player must lead the civilization from the Dark Age to the Imperial Age and then ultimately reign supreme. Using an authentic historical backdrop, AOE2 features 13 different civilizations to control, including Britons, Vikings, Turks, Celts and Saracens, all with their own units and technologies.

Players will also be required to manage resources and tactfully deploy their armies in an effort to conquer the opposition. For the beginner, a learning campaign has the player helping William Wallace defeat the British. From there, it is up to the individual to choose what and how to play. In single-player mode, there are four different campaigns and random maps. In multi-player mode a variety of choices includes Internet play at www.aoe2.playnow.com.au

Gameplay is enhanced by very good graphics and excellent unit animation. Some of the new units include kings, heroes, female peasants and cannons.

AOE2 is very addictive and has great sound and visual effects. A database is also included containing historical information about each of the civilizations. In all, the complete package comes highly recommended and is arguably one of the best real-time strategy games so far.

System requirements for AOE2 are a P166, 32 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM, 300 MB HD space, Win 95/98, 2Mb video card, sound card and a mouse. At $89.95, Age of Empires II will deliver many hours of entertainment.

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