I've always wanted a convertible, and for less than $20 I got one. In fact, I got to choose its color out of a palette of 6 colors, and off I was to enjoy LIFE on CD-ROM.
In this light-hearted board game brought to your PC by our good friends at Hasbro Interactive, the character of the original game is maintained, and there are quite a few silly animations and other features that have been thrown in to jazz it up a bit.
Installation is easy, and a high-powered gaming PC is not required. From the initial menu, you may opt for the Classic Game, which involves collecting life tiles for every "Life" square you land on and are in turn redeemed for cold, hard cash by the time everyone retires, or you may choose to play the Enhanced Board Game, which affords you the opportunity to play "Life's Little Games" to win some extra cash or lose some when you land on the "Life" spaces. In any case, both versions are fun and depending on how the wheel spins, may prove to be a tad challenging for you fierce "must win" competitors out there.
Once you've selected your mode of game play, you get to select whether or not you'd like to network with someone to play against you, whether you'd like to play with the computer, or whether you'd like to share the computer with friends or family members within your arms' reach for some head-to-head (and they are out of proportion heads at that!) competition. You are then given the option of which car color you'd prefer, which avatar you'd like to represent you along with your handsome or beautiful chiseled mate, and voila! You are 18 and ready to begin LIFE!
As you travel from college or career level to marriage, the yellow brick road leads you to the joys of home ownership, possible parenthood, past multiple paydays, through bullish stock markets and through time as your cars evolve with each passing decade. Players also risk paying taxes, living through a bearish stock market, paying doctor bills, suffering penalties for not carrying insurance, or paying $5000 speeding tickets for spinning a 10 if there is a seasoned cop among your opponents.
The graphics for the game are colorful and simple. The characters are comical with their oversized heads, perfectly coiffed 'dos, Ultra-Brite smiles, and pointy noses and chins. One option allows you to turn off your driver's point-of-view each time a player spins to allow you an overhead view of the persons in play. Each time they pass one another, they give a friendly honk. To date, I have not experienced one hint of road rage or a mean gesture from any of my computer opponents. You may also turn off all the silly one-liners that have been thrown into the game when you land on certain squares. They were novel the first time or two I played the game but grew pretty old after a while.
The music for this game is very well-suited. For each decade you enter, a theme song or 2 accompanies your journey (doo-wop for the 50's, beach tunes for the 60's, a Thomas Dolby ripoff during the 80's, and some spacey club tunes for the 21st Century). I will admit that with a total of 12 looped songs and an average 6-player game lasting 30-40 minutes, those grow old, too.
Overall, like the board game, the PC version is quite fun and entertaining, and is great for family members of all ages. It's also a good one to put down and pick up later on, but for end-on-end playing, it makes me weary and ready for my own Countryside Acres retirement.
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