Long on pleasure short on realism

GAMERS of a certain age will remember their first glimpse of Thunderhawk. Back in the days when a game that came on a compact disc was still a novelty, the original Thunderhawk was a revelation. The concept may have been old fashioned even back in 1993 (a straightforward shoot 'em up) but the presentation and execution was state-of-the-art.

Despite the Mega CD's paltry memory, Core Design was able to create a vaguely realistic three dimensional battleground. Added to some jerk-o-vision spooling full motion video, Thunderhawk became "the game the Mega CD was made for", according to one over-excitable magazine of the time.

Core Design reckoned more than 90 per cent of the people who bought a Mega CD also owned a copy of its helicopter sim. Of course, the Mega CD's power soon waned, and Thunderhawk made the transition to the 32-bit consoles, initially on the Saturn and shortly after on the PlayStation.

The sequel offered more of the same shooting action, but the big news was the truly three dimensional levels. Sadly, limited processing power meant pop up and slow down were still a problem.

Now we have moved on another generation and Core has come back for a third helping. Thunderhawk: Operation Phoenix, published by Eidos, remains resolutely old school.

So the controls are "pick up and play" easy rather than flight simulation difficult. Even gamers new to the franchise will be sucked into the action within a short time. It's instant gratification at the expense of genuine realism.

This time around, the Thunderhawk gun-ship is equipped with the latest in weapons technology, both attack and defence. Night vision brings a new dimension to missions, as does a gun ship sniper and, if you get into real trouble, there's always the old guided missiles stand by.

No helicopter gun-ship operates alone these days. As Thunderhawk's pilot, you are constantly fed new information from an AWACs (Airborne Warning and Control System) plane flying high overhead. The mission changes almost minute-by-minute, adding considerably to the tension created as each level becomes a more desperate race against time. Additional support can be called up in the form of infantrymen, tanks and extra air units.

The brand new 3-D "engine" used for this game has enabled Core to implement time of day settings - the sun rises in the morning and sets at night as your campaign goes on. Core's attention to detail has even extended to the night skies which are modelled on genuine star fields. Feeling cocky? Try navigating by the stars alone.

Weather effects include a cruelly realistic depiction of desert sand storms, rain (which splatters convincingly against the windshield) and even fog which turns Thunderhawk into a convincing representation of an N64 game.

Thunderhawk: Operation Phoenix was never going to advance the games genre in the way something like Metal Gear Solid did for the PlayStation. For all the eye candy at its heart, this is actually a very simple game.

Eidos must have taken a deep breath before releasing this title so soon after September 11. Any war simulation - no matter how cartoon-like - is likely to face a rough ride at the moment and Thunderhawk slipped a month from its original release date of September 26.

Title: Mary-Kate and Ashley: Crash Course. Format: CD-ROM. Platform. PSOne. Price: £29.99.

Mary-Kate and Ashley - those annoying Americans who front a highly successful TV show, called Two Of A Kind, in the United States - are back this week in another slice of PlayStation pre-teen gaming.

This time the tiresome pair have boyfriend trouble. They keep getting notes from secret admirers. Are they a couple of hunks looking for love? Or a couple of sinister stalkers hell bent on destruction?

As Mary-Kate and Ashley's Crash Course is aimed at pre-teen young girls, I think you can guess the answer.

The mini games are quite fun - mini golf is a laugh, although I was hopeless at the cheerleading challenge - and there's plenty to do before the mystery is resolved. Crash Course is also available on the Game Boy Colour, albeit in dramatically different form.

If you're a big music fan, then you'll no doubt have heard about Napster. The website provided a haven for music lovers across the world who could download individual tunes or even whole albums, all for free.

But now it's been shut down. The world's five big music companies objected to the use of their music and took action. Over the past year, the 40 million or so users of Napster have watched in horror as the website was slowly beaten into submission in court by the determined record companies.

So what was it about this innovation that got the industry so scared? Napster was originally a forum for music fans to discuss and swap their music in the form of MP3s, files that can be saved on the hard-drive of a computer.

Napster itself held no music. Users downloaded the Napster software which found music files on a hard-drive and, while you were on-line, listed those files on the website. Others using the site at the time could peruse your files, as you could theirs, and the swapping would commence.

Now, you'll have to pay to access MP3s. Free music file swapping has gone back underground so, if you can't find the websites that are still indulging in this practice, then you'll have to subscribe to websites such as MP3.com.

Napster was started by American computer student Shawn Fanning. Now 20, he is only just getting used to all the attention his venture has brought him. In a recent interview he seemed happy that it was changing to a subscription service.

''Even when I was operating this from a PC in my bedroom I needed to cover the costs,'' he said. ''So I was comfortable with the idea of raising money pretty early on. Napster needs to be business to survive and I think most people using the service understand that.''

Gizmo of the week

DESPITE the attractions of Mini Disc and CD, good old-fashioned radio still has much to offer.

Following the trend for miniaturisation, one North-East company has hit upon one of the smallest micro-radios in the world.

The Mini Auto Tune FM Radio is small enough to fit inside your shirt pocket and runs for hours on two mini hearing aid-style batteries. I tried it out while washing the car (it's tiny enough not to get in the way) and was pleasantly surprised by the quality reception. If only the boffins could come up with a medium wave tuner version - so I could listen to Radio Five - it would be the perfect gadget for the busy exec with small pockets.

Best news of all? It costs less than £10 and includes two free batteries.

To buy a micro radio contact Micol Batteries at Buchanan Lodge, Scorton, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 6EW or call (01325) 378278.

Published: Saturday, November 3, 2001