12-12-01 This
special series of Holiday
Buyer's Guides is dedicated to the holiday shoppers that
also happen to be terminal procrastinators. Every day through
the 21st, we will post a new guide covering gift ideas from
a variety of categories and price ranges.
Today, we take a look at several games with a non-violent
bent. While we admire the graphics found on Some of the "first
person shooter" style games, we have no appetite for
the actual content. Fortunately, there are plenty of titles
that feature great gameplay & graphics and tend to stimulate
the imagination rather that the trigger finger...
Most of these games need a fairly fast machine and decent
graphics card to run smoothly; be sure to read the system
requirements for each game and take them seriously...
Notable Quotes
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (Classic & OS X)
"Aspyr's port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is so incredibly
fun - not to mention addictive and consuming - that it will
have you seeing, hearing, and dreaming about perfecting your
technique for grinds, ollies, and nosegrabs for more hours
in a day than any psychologist would deem healthy." —
MacAddict
"The gameplay is phenomenal in THPS2. Not only is it
fairly easy to pick up as a beginner but it will keep you
entertained for hours even when you have mastered it."
— MacGamer
"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is what skateboarding would
be like in a circus. Even more dangerous and full of action
than real pro skateboarding, Pro Skater presents unbelievable
stunts in exciting levels." — macHOME
"The big bonus with the Mac conversion is the addition
of network play: THPS2 supports local area network play and
Internet play using the GameRanger network. ... With a gamepad,
this is a sweet conversion from the PlayStation hit, providing
speedy fun for skate fans and pedestrians alike. And you won't
hurt your knees, either." — MacUser
UK
Myst III: Exile (Classic & OS X)
"If you're not impressed by beautiful graphics, mesmerizing
music, clever puzzles, and a captivating story line, and you
live and breathe by the hard-core gamer's mantra, "kill
everything that moves," you won't enjoy Exile. However,
if you thrive in puzzling situations and enjoy being whisked
away to other worldly locales, Myst III: Exile is one thrilling
ride." — MacAddict
Sim Theme Park (Classic only. Not compatible with
nVidia GeForce series graphic cards)
"SimTheme Park has four parks in total - two are accessible
immediately, but you must earn keys to gain access to the
others (you win keys by running a park successfully). Although
the game sounds complex to learn, it's actually not - you'll
get the hang of it pretty quickly." — MacAddict
"Visually, Sim Theme Park is quite well done both artistically
and in design. The scene of your park is neither cluttered
nor hard to navigate, despite being packed to capacity with
buildings, items and people. The various inhabitants of the
theme park are full of life and autonomous behavior, which
makes the overall panorama of your kingdom that much more
enjoyable to survey." — MacGamer
"Sim Theme Park offers players the opportunity to build
and control their very own amusement parks from the dirt up
-- master the park's design, employees, and the happiness
levels of its visitors. The gorgeous graphics and extra imagination
-- you won't likely find these eccentric rides and attractions
in the real world -- will engage players for hours."
— macHOME
For additional Game
reviews click here
If you are more interested in reviews of Educational software
for children, try this
link
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This
special series of 
