Converting a classic game to a computerized version is like adapting a great novel to film: it seldom goes smoothly and often too much is lost in the translation.
However, Hasbro Interactive has had its share of winners; earlier this year its versions of Monopoly, Scrabble and Risk won great acclaim. Now, Hasbro has released a bevy of new conversions that already are proving to be big sellers. But do they deliver the goods?
Star Wars Monopoly (IBM; $49.95) is the latest in a line of spin-off products that have made George Lucas richer than Monopoly’s Uncle Pennybags. The gimmick here is simple but effective: keep the same basic gameplay as in the classic boardgame, but spice it up with full-motion movie clips, sound effects, 3-D graphics and characters all taken from the Star Wars Trilogy.
So instead of meandering from Baltic Avenue to Boardwalk, you teleport from Yoda’s Swamp to the Imperial Palace. Instead of building hotels, you’re constructing starports. Serving as the avuncular banker and host is none other than C-3PO himself, who instead of announcing “Go directly to jail,” intones, “I am afraid you are going to spend some time in a detention center.” Rating: (star) (star) (star) (star)
Pictionary (IBM; $29.95) is a disappointing effort that offers “six new ways to play!” but none of them has the appeal of the original, where the fun lies in the sometimes clever and sometimes unintentionally hilarious sketches players create. Here, though, most of the drawings are pre-packaged ones done by the PC. Only one version allows players to use the mouse to draw, and the process is so painful and tedious that you’d be better advised to turn off the computer and just use pens and paper instead. Rating: (star)
Boggle (IBM; $29.95) is a delightful conversion that offers Classic Boggle, the familiar 3-minute find-the-word game. But it also offers four other new ways to play, including Breakaway Boggle, a 3-D version that is, well, mind-boggling. Extra bonuses include multiple skills levels and a multi-language dictionary that allows play in Spanish, French, German or Dutch. Rating: (star) (star) (star) 1/2
Frogger (IBM, Playstation; $39.95) is a different sort of conversion of a classic: Here a legendary arcade game of the early 1980s is updated and improved. Once again, players maneuver their frog across lanes of traffic, but this time around there are eight new worlds to conquer, from swamps to deserts to caves, and new abilities, such as the Power Croak and the Heat-Seeking Tongue. If there’s a joystick jockey–or a Budweiser Frog–on your Christmas list, this would be a good choice. Rating: (star) (star) (star)
Battleship (IBM; $39.95) was originally released last spring, but the version was so buggy that it’s been redesigned and repackaged. This time around the game works smoothly enough, and it offers three variations of the classic game and 20 different scenarios. Still, why pay $40 when you can play basically the same games with pencil and paper for free? Rating: (star) (star)
MATCHING WITS ON-LINE
One of the appeals of on-line gaming is the opportunity to match wits with opponents who are usually much more clever than even the smartest computer artificial intelligence. In addition, on-line play puts back some of the social interaction that helped make these classic games so much fun in the first place.
Currently, six Hasbro titles can be played on-line through the Microsoft Gaming Zone. They are Battleship, Boggle, Monopoly Star Wars, Pictionary, Risk, and Scrabble. Frogger will debut on the Gaming Zone in a couple of weeks.
To play on-line, you’ll need your own copy of one of these titles. Then you connect to the Gaming Zone through your Internet provider. Once on-line, you hook up with one or more opponents from around the country. The address of the Microsoft Gaming Zone is www.zone.com
Other on-line sites are dedicated to individual games, including www.monopoly-starwars.com, www.frogger.com and www.pictionary.com
