Game Zone reviews

PlayStation 2

Can you guess there's a new Lucas epic soon to be upon us? Following on from Star Wars: Starfighter, here's a Jedi version of the impressive space shooter. Brought out just before the latest Star Wars movie, Attack Of The Clones, Jedi Starfighter introduces many of the characters that will be in the new film. Simple to play, it still takes a reasonable amount of time to master the nuances, with the new 'Force Powers' needing to be used at exactly the right moment to be truly effective. Fifteen ample missions are the meat and two veg of the game, each containing various objectives, giving this a chunky lifespan. Though essentially an enhanced version of the original, one feature that is new is the co-operative play mode, which is great fun and a nice extra. From the sizable array of Star Wars games that are out at the moment, this is the pick of the bunch. (NP)

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Virtual Kasparov

Game Boy Advance

I've found the ultimate game for my GBA. It may be one of the oldest ones known to man, but chess is hard to beat. Virtual Kasparov is great for anyone who wants to learn the game, or to find a decent opponent. Though there is a 3-D version of the board, the best way of playing is the old-fashioned 2-D way. In our office, games hater Jo, who played chess for London in her schooldays (a long, long time ago), became so addicted she stole my GBA. So that's progress, of sorts. The best thing about VK is you don't feel like a spanner playing it in public places, as you do with something like Zelda. Look! It's chess! A grown-up game! (NP)

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Sled Storm

Xbox

The original Sled Storm made some waves when it was released on the PlayStation in 1999. Stoked by the recent success of SSX Tricky, makers EA must have thought that this little disc of snow-mobiles might make the same impact. Unfortunately not. Although the concept of the game is foolproof, the gameplay is disappointing. To begin with the sleds are way too small, especially in comparison to the environments you're racing in. Although the game does present the perfect ingredients of no rules, 12 stunning tracks and frenzied racing, the feel of it is rather careless and it just doesn't gel. (HM)

Game Zone reviews archive