fantasy

I really can't say enough about this package of creative games: Bugdom 2, Cro-Mag Rally, Billy Frontier, Enigmo, and Otto Matic. Each game has its own style and theme; the diversity is outstanding. All of them demonstrate the same quality of graphics, music and versatility of action as the original Bugdom. Since I loved that software, this package wasn't a hard sell for me. Brian Greenstone of Austin, Texas is the owner of Pangea Software which recently incorporated in 1999. He contracts artists and musicians, so it makes sense that some of the products in this package have a distinct look and feel. The background style, weaponry, and action of Bugdom 2 and Otto Matic, are reminiscent of Bugdom, yet the games are different enough that they have an element of excitement, mystery and surprise. I was drawn into each new level of each game with "so, what's going to happen here?!" I love games with a quest and I love exploring new frontiers within each level. All of the games were rated high by the gaming magazines and most have downloadable demos on the internet for folks to sample before investing in the pack. All in all, the total price for each game purchased separately is $115, so the Super Pack is quite the bargain. I can't imagine how many hours of great exploration this package might offer. It would be a great gift for older children on travel with their laptops (ok, with their parent's laptops!).

Bugdom 2 revolves around Skip, the grasshopper (at least I think that's what it is) who loses his knapsack to a bad bug right in the opening scene. On his quest to retrieve his sack he has adventures with snails, friendly talking chipmunks, white rats caught in mouse traps, water toys, and garden gnomes (you know, those ugly little statues in English gardens). There's even more bad and good bugs, but that should give you a flavor for this rich and varied landscape. I had trouble sewer-surfing and still haven't mastered the last few levels, but found this game to be equal to the original in fun and required skill.

Otto Matic is a space nightmare over ten different planets or levels. The Giant Brain from Planet X is determined to take over the universe and the player, in the form of an otto matic robot, of course, is out to save humans and escape in his/her rocket ship (Thanks, Brian Greenstone, for not making this one gender -specific). There are 25 different space creatures and many different weapons in this colorful and action-packed game. The robot tries his/her hand at skiing, riding soap bubbles, bumper cars, and being shot out of a cannon, but that's not all. Very cool game with loads of diverse settings and tasks to master.

Cro-Mag Rally is a series of race courses involving a caveman in different vehicles. He avoids obstacles and picks up weapons like bone bombs and bottle rockets. Two players can be displayed on a split screen; multi-players can play over the internet (but the last is only supported by OS 9 and won't work with OS X). I'm not a race fan, so this one didn't appeal to me that much. Key driven only, this game doesn't use the mouse. I didn't like the voice or music in Cro-Mag Rally either, so I guess it just wasn't for me.

Billy Frontier is different altogether from the games already mentioned. It has a strong cowboy theme and the enemies are space creatures. Maybe it's better to kill a space monster, but the game does involve squirting blood... over and over as the player masters the keystrokes to win. I wouldn't recommend it to kids and was even a little grossed out myself. Target practice involves replicating arrow key sequences within the time allowed. The action is keyboard driven only; like Cro-Mag Rally, there's no mouse here. There's also stampedes, duels, and shootouts requiring different levels of skill and a repeating theme with chili peppers. The look and feel of the game is totally distinct from Bugdom, Otto Matic, or even Cro-Mag Rally, so it offers interest, a distinct change of pace, and a totally new challenge to the player.

Enigmo is still even more different. The action in this game requires logic and experimentation in solving 50 levels of liquid puzzles. Each level involves droplets of liquid (water, oil or lava) and a variety of tools (including bumpers, slides, accelerators and/or sponges). The object of each level is to combine the objects in a manner to capture the droplets in a repository or repositories. It's an amazing challenge given the configuration from "drip" to "bucket." I loved trying to figure out which tools to use where and the variety of combinations that were possible. I'm told that players can even make their own puzzles and post them on the internet or email them to friends. The game includes an additional 20 levels for kids; I could see the educational value right away. Very different and very cool! Excellent exercise in logical thinking for all ages.

Each game has different system requirements, but for all games to run, the user must have Macintosh GS3/400mhz, 256MB RAM, Mac OS 10.2.6, and ATI Rage 128 3D accelerator. Most computers since 2000 meet these requirements, but be sure to check. Pangea is also great in supplying free updates to its products.

This is a good deal on some of Pangea's most popular titles. I'd rate each game like this: 1) Otto Matic -- best game of the bunch, extremely creative, somewhat challenging, though it seems to be written with kids in mind, hence not too tough, great graphics. 2) Enigmo -- fantastic puzzle game, never seen anything quite like it. Very challenging, especially if you try to beat the clock and get the bonus points, great graphics. 3) Bugdom 2 -- also extremely creative, easier than Otto Matic to complete, suitable for kids, great graphics. 4) Cro Mag Rally -- this was ok, I'm not a fan of racing games, but it's very suitable for someone looking for a cartoonish racing game. 5) Billy Frontier -- This game was mediocre and I would've rather see some other game included in the collection instead of this one. Besides average game play, I didn't care for the spewing blood that frequents the Billy Frontier experience and stands in stark contrast to Pangea's record of making fun, yet psychologically sound games. I contacted Pangea, and they said there's no way to turn off the blood effects which makes Billy Frontier, imho, unsuitable for children or anyone with a sense of humanity 8-) --------------------------------------- Overall, it's a nice collection at a reasonable price. Each game ran perfectly at max settings on my 1.25gz G4 Power Mac running 10.2.6 w/ 768 MB of memory. My only other complaint is also part compliment. Of the games I liked, which was 4 out of 5, I found each game a bit short and left me wishing for more. 10 levels on Otto Matic is not nearly enough!