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Awesome, but don't buy used
I highly recommend the game, but it when you register it it's locked to a single user account on Steam. So if you buy it used, you won't be able to register, and can't play!

The beginning of a gaming empire
Simply great. Works on many older PCs. There are tons of associated titles and mods available. And you cannot seriously plan on playing the HL2 episodes unless you have played this game. The story alone would make a great book or movie. The game is the best and is already a classic!

Doesnt meet with all the hype.
Ive heard so many people say "oh, HL2 is hands down the best game ever." give me a break. I had more fun with other Valve products like Sin Episodes: Emergence.

I guess my biggest gripe was the game itself, instead of the installation problems. I mean, it had awesome graphics, cool weapons, but the important things weren't there. First off, the story was kind of bland. The ending wasn't all that great either. I guess the ending sucked because it was leaving it open for the following 2 episodes of HL2. Anyway, the story wasn't all that in depth. It was alright, but not as great as other games, like Sin, Halo, or Far Cry.

The game play was alright. You spend quite a bit traveling in the stupid airboat and car. Both of which, are a pain in the a$$ to control and you always have several people shooting at you or a gunship on your butt. I spent much of the time on these levels saving and reloading just to progress. I really wished they didn't have these levels. The car wasn't fun at all. It never wanted to go where you were turning the wheels and you always had a dozen antlions chewing your head off or something throwing you off the cliff. If they did without the vehicle levels, it would have been so much better.

A lot of the weapons were good, but there were a couple that were just crap. Mainly, the grenade and the rocketlauncher. Neither one were all that great unless you hit the enemy directly with either one. Got a room full of enemies? dont bother with a grenade. You may get half of them if youre lucky and they manage to congregate on the grenade. Other than that, its just easier to shoot them up with a rifle or something.

Good game i guess, if you like having your a$$ handed to you all the time. After a while it just gets tedious. Shoot, jump, shoot, save, get hurt, shoot, die, reload. Thats how it was for me the whole time i was playing. Either that you had some enemy, that you never seen before, that somehow managed to sneak up behind you and waste you away. I only struggled through this to see what the ending was like, and that was about it. Granted, the graphics were great, the engine was great, but these annoyances can really kill a game. There are several other games out there worth playing more than this one. Sin Episodes, Far Cry, Halo, any of these would be better. Dont get me wrong, i play several games, but this one definitely didn't live up to all the hype i kept hearing. If it wasn't for the graphics and engine, i would have given it only 1 star.

Still the Best PC Game Ever
I just started recently playing HL2 again because I put together a new rig, and I have to tell you it is far from showing its age. What a phenomenal game and engine this is. This game has one of the best storylines and endings ever. The fishbowl game Bioshock has nothing on this.

The graphics are still amazing by today's standard. And when you install the FakeFactory Cinematic Mod v4, the only game that will surpass this visually is Crysis. The facial and mouth animations are still unmatched. The engine could use an update with new and more advanced shadowing, but that's it.

Also, I think steam is great. A couple of my HL2 CDs have become unreadable, but thankfully the cd-key is registered to my account so I am able to download this as many times as I want. Very convenient.

buyer beware
All the reviews bitching and moaning about Steam? They're spot-on. Steam simply ruined this game for me. It was HOURS from the time I unwrapped the box to the time when I could actually PLAY it. And the trouble never stopped. For weeks I stubbornly kept playing, in spite of system freezes, interminable delays between maps, and frustration with one of the damn dune buggies, which was terribly difficult to drive because the graphics kept jumping and stuttering (in spite of my pretty decent system, well above minimum requirements). And all this for the single-player game?!?!

I would say that I was playing the game maybe 50% of the time I spent trying to play it. The other 50% was spent waiting for a map to load, waiting for Steam to authenticate me, and rebooting my damn PC every damn time the game brought it to a screeching, frozen halt.

And then one day, I had an epiphany. The game play was pretty good. The puzzles were pretty good. I really liked that gravity gun. But it just wasn't worth the hassle. And it certainly wasn't worth relinquishing control of my system to that invasive Steam app. So I stopped playing. I uninstalled it. And I never looked back. I've not even been tempted this year to reinstall it and see if maybe some of the early bugs have been worked out.

I'd give the game away or sell it, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone with whom I'm on speaking terms -- or even an unwitting stranger. And I will NEVER, EVER buy another game that uses Steam or its ilk. I was shocked when I installed the game to see what kind of control I had to hand over to Steam in order to run the single-player game. I crossed my fingers, ignored my instincts, and let it run anyway. Dumb, dumb, dumb. What a terrible precedent to set in the PC software world. I won't succumb again.

Pretty boring
I have played a lot of other Barbie games and so I got this one since it had some good reviews. I found this game pretty boring and very easy though I think I'm a bit older than the age it is supposed to be geared for.
My younger sister who is the right age did not find the game interesting but she has liked other barbie games such as Barbie diaries: High School Mystery, and Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper which are fun games were you can dress up barbie and make her do all the sorts of dress up things most little girls like to do.

this was awful
ok, 4 words: don't get this game. The controls are confusing, everytime you die, you have to start ALL OVER. I didn't like it.

Barbie Explorer for PC
Hi, I'm StoryMaker. My older sister, Russian Blue Witch, gave me Barbie Explorer (for PC, a.k.a. computer) on Christmas. I started playing it today. OK, I've only started it, so it's a little early to review it...but hey, I love reviewing SO much, I guess I couldn't help it.

First of all, I'm not a really big fan of Barbie, but the Barbie movies and computer games are very entertaining! In this game, Barbie finds out about a mysterious treasure known as the Mystic Mirror. According to a map, she must go to the mountainous Tibet, the sandy Egypt, the leafy African Jungle, and the, um, existent Babylon, to find the pieces. (With specific country, continent, etc. names, it's almost educational!) The back of the box says there's 4 levels, but actually, it's more like 4 environments with 4 levels each. Go through the levels, collecting treasure, getting past caverns, and trying not to bump into absent-minded animals. LOL!

Remember: to find out the game's controls, PLEASE go to the VR Training. This game comes with NO user's manual. The VR Training is basically a place where you collect the question marks to get demo-videos that tell you all the controls you'll need. This is the only way I know of to find out the controls for the game, so please look at it before playing. Oh, and, to give you a head-start here's the basics: arrow keys to run & space bar to jump. VR Training will tell you the rest.

It would be better if you typed in your name instead of selecting the letters using arrow keys/enter, but heck, it's also for the PlayStation, so it could be expected. I also would be much happier if you could save any time or it automatically saved. You can only save every time you finish a level, so if you forget...you've got another level to finish.

This game is very fun to play, complete with large 3-D levels and all different types of obstacles & goodies. The main problem with the gameplay is that some areas require very good timing & speed, even on the Easy level (the one I'm on). You start off with 40 lives in each level, but it's still VERY hard to do some of those things. My older sister Russian Blue Witch is great at video games, but sometimes, she ended up draining my lives trying to get past some parts. I'd say that it's probably too hard for younger kids. It's probably best for ages 7 & up.

Graphics: Not perfect, but pretty good. 7/10
Gameplay: Very fun, but a little hard. 7/10
Storyline: Far from super, but could be PLENTY worse. 6/10
Overall: It's no-doubt fun enough to be worth the money. 8/10

I think this game is worth it. It's better for older kids due to challenging parts, but nonetheless, it is a VERY fun game. Check out other Barbie software! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

Great Fun!
Lot's of easy verbal instructions for the younger kids-but holds the interest of the older ones. No educational value except for listening and following directions-and confidence in using a computer. My 4 and 6 year old girls love it!

I love this game!
Hi,this is BARBIE LOVER and I really like this game. I finished Tibet and Egypt areas and I played African Jungle area,but on the Native Village level I am stuck. When I get to the door,it won't open. I try turning back and tracing my steps,but I soon die. :-( Could anybody help me? anyway,the graphics are good,the sound is great,and I have had lots of fun playing this game! Please vote on my review! PS I haven't finished the game,but I heard from a reviewer that at the end it says "to be continued". I wish Mattel would make a sequel,they haven't for 6 years! BARBIE LOVER

FITS ITS PRICE PERFECTLY
This game fits its price perfectly! It was so much fun and definately worth the full (asin:B000R2QSXY).01 I paid for it.

A sysrem crasher!
I bought this game for my grandchildren. They had seen the movie, and this looked perfect for them. I loaded the software with no problem. I started the game and played it for a few minutes to test it, but suddenly my screen froze. I could not shut my PC down, I could not restore it to an earlier state, NOTHING!It was dead in the water! I had to call tech support, which took an hour. The rep advised me to re-load the operating system (Windows XP) with his help. But finally, he managed to have me restore to an earlier state with some manual commands.
This was an expensive game, and an elaborate one. I would have expected the manufacturer to have tested it thoroughly before releasing it. It caused me a lot of grief and expense. And, my grandchildren never did get to play it!

Do NOT buy this game, you could be sorry.

Golden Compost...
First, save your money! The PC version of this game is atrocious...the user's manual omits mention of important aspects of game play, and the program itself hangs in several places in an irreversible manner, requiring a crash-and-burn exit, thereby losing prior progress. The excellence of the books apparently drained all quality out of the game, leaving nothing, nada, nichts behind except for the pain of having spent .99 of good US currency for it.

Horrible. The Worst.
The graphics on this game are HORRIBLE. It is inexcusable that such a shoddy piece of programming is tied to an excellent story. I couldn't even get this to load on my older computer (2 years), and it barely runs on my new computer. Do not waste your time or money. First review gives all the details.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE MOVIE, DO NOT THINK YOU WILL ENJOY THE GAME TOO...
By tradition, games under license from blockbuster movies fail miserably. There have been notable exceptions of course (JAMES BOND: NIGHTFIRE springs to mind) - but THE GOLDEN COMPASS is far from being such an exception. In fact, of all the movie-based games, this one is very close in taking the cake of the WORST ONE EVER!

Where should I start: this is a console game atrociously ported to PCs under a rush order to make it to the pre-Christmas market - with all the awkward controls and unpolished graphics to prove it. The camera placement and movement will hinder your view and movement more often than help you. And I thought the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS camera to be bad...

Graphically one could offer solid arguments this being aimed at children not much older than their 5-year old computers: low resolution, oversimplified models and awful animations. To compound the visual failures, there are a great number of moments when pixel-blinking and unfinished edges totally ruin any gaming immersion.

I would comment on the gameplay if there was one worth mentioning. What this game consists of is a uncoordinated jumble of ThirdPerson action, simplistic puzzles and balancing mazes. All badly executed.
There are far better ThirdPerson action-shooters out there. And even if there were none other,I would still NOT be able to recommend this to anyone.

To those of you who have not already read the book (or watched the movie) the story will prove almost impossible to follow from the game alone.
Don't even get tempted.

Even if you are a fun of Philip Pullman's books and loved the movie stay away from this one: it will greatly disappoint you.

WHAT A SHAME!!!
This game will crash and ruin your computer no matter how many phony "updates" the morons at Atari put on their website! This game ran well for 8 minutes and that's it! It looked like a great game but my computer has more value than taking a risk and ruining my computer trying to get it working. BEWARE, back up your computer like I did before installing this game.

Graphics are not the best but gameplay is very good
So the graphics are not great but, who said that is all in a game? I find this game pretty fun to play. Hand to hand combat is very fun as you can make many combo moves that looks just as cool as in the movies. Sound is good too. The reason this game takes so many space of hard drive must be because it has many edited cuts from the 3 movies of the matrix.

My only complain about this game are the controls, because the keyboard is needed to make many moves what is a little hard to manage.

I paid 20.00 for this game and i don't regret it. So, if you want to be the ONE, or at least feel like him, get this game.

Buggy-Buggy, Crash-Crash, Your PC go BOOM!
Its always a bad sign to buy a game, take it home and find a card inside the package directing you a website containing two big patches for the game. Path of Neo is a cool concept that got the rush-rush-rush treatment in my opinion.

After applying the patches, the game got a little further along before it crashed and burned, taking my PC with it. Cool, the game comes with its own version of Agent Smith! The game would also freeze if I changed controller options, oh DEAR!!

This is a trend in PC gaming - releasing games that are not ready for prime time then patching up the code later. Unfortunately, the patches for Path of Neo don't seem to work. Oops.

The upside is that I did not pay full price for The Buggy Path of Neo, but paying anything for a broken game is too much. Buy it at your own risk..

If I were a person...
that payed full price for a game I would have purchased this the day it came out, but with two young children at home I don't have alot of extra room in the budget for games. Luckily I found it a Target on clearance for , and I'm glad that I purchased it.

Could the game have been better? Yes. ANY game could be better. I think the problem most people had with this game is the HIGH and somewhat unrealistic expectations Matrix fans have for anything associated with the franchise. I personaly have enjoyed every moment I have spent playing this game. The game does start a little slow, but I think it is necessary to set up the story. Neo didn't start off with his "superpowers" right away in the movies, and the game is based on his story within the Matrix. The melee combat is just tremendous. Every move Neo used in the movies can be reproduced in the game. The sword fighting is impressive due to the moves that can be accomplished, and the sounds the swords make. They sound just like the scenes from Reloaded where Neo is fighting the Merovingian's "henchmen". The gunfighting can be frustrating, but like I alluded to earlier, no game is perfect. The game is difficult in spots, but that is part of what I want in a game.


If you are a fan the Matrix movies, and if you can see this game for what it IS not for what you WANT it to be this can be one of the best games you play this year. If you are not a fan of the movies, but you are looking for a great PC fighting game please consider this game.


My ratings-

Gameplay 5
Fun 5
Sound 5
Graphics 4
Difficulty 5

Please tweak this engine!
This matrix gaming franchise could truly be the pinnacle of action gaming entertainment if it would get itself in gear and fine tune all of those nasty issues that mire the great gameplay. Fans will be delighted to see many restorations from important scenes, plus new scenarios not from the movies, but the game's abrubt jump to the finale from the middle of revolutions was a cruel blow!

worth the adventure
this is a very cool game, good puzzles,cool story,i enjoyed it...there are those boring puzzle games and there are the insane puzzle games and then you get games like ...black mirror,tunguska,next life,moment of silence,runaway,and so on....these are what makes us keep fighting for the adventure game experience.....buy it

Know what to expect
I really wanted this game to be good. Sexy spies, villians, codes and exotic locations...sweet.

The graphics were good with detailed locations. The interface was straightforward and the inventory easily managed. It's a linear game with limited pathfinding so you generally just had what you needed.

There were numerous puzzles throughout which were on the difficult side but were varied. They could be interesting but oddly timed, destroying any tension there might have been.

Holding conversations in enemy hallways was common. Transmitting reports over the open air using the real names of everyone unfortunate enough to have met you was ridiculous. Adventure games require you to suspend belief, but this could have been done better.

Opening scenes and clips disappointingly had no subtitles, which are available for the playing part. There was a lot of dialogue, but while it was required to advance, not a lot seemed to depend on anything you learned from that until later into the game.

It wasn't a bad plot to start with but the implementation went awry. You had no idea why you didn't get shot. Frequently. And why anyone with a brain would bother helping you. I found a walkthru was essential. In the end, a so-so B-movie with decent mechanics, graphics and a little style. For anyone who can get over expecting something better, has a sense of humor and a walkthru, it would be worthwhile. I've certainly played worse.

It ran fine on my midline gaming system with no technical difficulties.

Undercover : operation wintersun
Undercover : operation wintersun

This is a traditional point-and-click adventure set in Germany during WWII. The plot is reasonably believable which contrasts with the characters. The main protagonist is an intellectual professor who maintains a flat sarcastic output throughout which did not endear himself to this reviewer. Remaining characters are more lively, but not much and very stereotypical. The graphics are good. Movement is good. Background music is unobtrusive, which is fine. You can die within the game but you are given a second chance automatically. Such games rely on the puzzles. These are mainly inventory based. There are a couple which I believe are "not fair". These come early on in the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute when trying to open different containers (safe & desk). I was forced to a walkthrough for the solutions.

The interface I found clumsy and counter-intuitive. Single click to describe, double click to use (or go). Most games use these commands the other way about. This led to a few occasions when progress was halted until the confusion was sorted by redoing all actions within the scene. The inventory objects vanish back to the inventory after use, successful or not. Several times I wanted to see a close-up of the problem area to determine the likely nature of the required article but one was not available.

Several times the main character made pronouncements which later were negated ("I don't want to board the aircraft", "There are useless bits of paper on the desk").

Overall this is a short game. The ending came abruptly.

Verdict, could have been much better, an average game very much let down by it's flaws.

I played the European version of this game. I have no reason to suppose the US version is any different.

More adventures in the vast world of Morrowind.
I bought the first Morrowind for my kids a few years ago. They have really enjoyed it and this year they used their own money to purchase this expansion. I have not personally played, but my two teens have spent many hours in Morrowind and enjoy the game immensely. Morrowind is a vast world you can spend many hours exploring.
One note, Morrowind has "issues" with Windows Vista. There are fixes available on the web if you search for them but all are a little difficult and gameplay may still be effected. It took us several days of tinkering to finally get things set up so the game was playable. Don't be suprised if you can't play this on a Vista PC.

Total Immersion
I could not be more happy with this product. The Game of the Year edition includes not only the original game, but the two complete expansion packs that really add so much. Where many expansion packs merely add new areas to explore, these add so much more - including the ability to turn into a vampire and conduct vampire-specific quests!

Bethesda has broken so much ground with this gorgeous game and has managed to make, in essence, a single-player MMORPG. The graphics are beautiful and draw you into the game seamlessly, the quests and fun and challenging, and the plot is griping. In addition to all this, there is a wonderful treasure trove of player-created content online that builds off the Morrowind foundation and provides new levels of depth and wonder. Even today this "dated" game is one of my favorites and I still sink dozens of hours into it on my weekends.

Good but lacking
In brief; the game is wonderful and in itself should get a 5/5 stars, but this purchase does not get it. I don't know if others have similar problems to mine, but I can't get the bloodmoon disc to work no matter how much I try. It will install, but as far as running the game won't even start up unless you disable the bloodmoon expansion.

There is most likely a way to fix this, I just haven't been able to find it. And it is still a good bargain! The price is hard to beat for both the original and tribunal.

And there is always a problem with learning how things are done. If you have never played before be prepared for being annoyed with learning how to do a lot of the little things in the game, but know that it is more than worth it.

FITS ITS PRICE PERFECTLY
This game fits its price perfectly! It was so much fun and definately worth the full (asin:B000R2QSXY).01 I paid for it.

A sysrem crasher!
I bought this game for my grandchildren. They had seen the movie, and this looked perfect for them. I loaded the software with no problem. I started the game and played it for a few minutes to test it, but suddenly my screen froze. I could not shut my PC down, I could not restore it to an earlier state, NOTHING!It was dead in the water! I had to call tech support, which took an hour. The rep advised me to re-load the operating system (Windows XP) with his help. But finally, he managed to have me restore to an earlier state with some manual commands.
This was an expensive game, and an elaborate one. I would have expected the manufacturer to have tested it thoroughly before releasing it. It caused me a lot of grief and expense. And, my grandchildren never did get to play it!

Do NOT buy this game, you could be sorry.

Golden Compost...
First, save your money! The PC version of this game is atrocious...the user's manual omits mention of important aspects of game play, and the program itself hangs in several places in an irreversible manner, requiring a crash-and-burn exit, thereby losing prior progress. The excellence of the books apparently drained all quality out of the game, leaving nothing, nada, nichts behind except for the pain of having spent .99 of good US currency for it.

Horrible. The Worst.
The graphics on this game are HORRIBLE. It is inexcusable that such a shoddy piece of programming is tied to an excellent story. I couldn't even get this to load on my older computer (2 years), and it barely runs on my new computer. Do not waste your time or money. First review gives all the details.

IF YOU ENJOYED THE MOVIE, DO NOT THINK YOU WILL ENJOY THE GAME TOO...
By tradition, games under license from blockbuster movies fail miserably. There have been notable exceptions of course (JAMES BOND: NIGHTFIRE springs to mind) - but THE GOLDEN COMPASS is far from being such an exception. In fact, of all the movie-based games, this one is very close in taking the cake of the WORST ONE EVER!

Where should I start: this is a console game atrociously ported to PCs under a rush order to make it to the pre-Christmas market - with all the awkward controls and unpolished graphics to prove it. The camera placement and movement will hinder your view and movement more often than help you. And I thought the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS camera to be bad...

Graphically one could offer solid arguments this being aimed at children not much older than their 5-year old computers: low resolution, oversimplified models and awful animations. To compound the visual failures, there are a great number of moments when pixel-blinking and unfinished edges totally ruin any gaming immersion.

I would comment on the gameplay if there was one worth mentioning. What this game consists of is a uncoordinated jumble of ThirdPerson action, simplistic puzzles and balancing mazes. All badly executed.
There are far better ThirdPerson action-shooters out there. And even if there were none other,I would still NOT be able to recommend this to anyone.

To those of you who have not already read the book (or watched the movie) the story will prove almost impossible to follow from the game alone.
Don't even get tempted.

Even if you are a fun of Philip Pullman's books and loved the movie stay away from this one: it will greatly disappoint you.

Waste of money!
This game had nice graphics and looked like it would be fun to play. Boy was I wrong. The keyboard controls were so akward, and even after reconfiguring many times, it was still near impossible to control the characters flight and driving. After numerous tries, we gave up and trashed the game. Buy at your own risk!

The Bee Movie
The movie would not work. I sent it back and I am still waiting for a refund.

Very fun Game for Both Boys, and Girls
This game was very fun for my seven year old daughter. This is the only game she will play for awhile without getting frustrated. You can adjust the level to easy if need be. I also like the fact it is not to violent, the bees can fly, and it looks like your in the hive. The only thing that bothers me about this game is the tennis player guy who has the loud annoying voice. Other than that it is fun to pollinate the flowers, and fly the bee around. It is like you are the bee. The only downside to the Bee Movie is that it probably would appeal more to kids who are into playing with rubber bug toys than the typical trains, Barbie and princess items. That is why my daughter enjoyed this game, and movie alot. Unfortunetly the bees are really disappearing, and I hope kids think about them with this movie, and people find out what is really going on.

Scratches: Directors Cut comes with a virus as a bonus
Well, I wish I could provide a review but both copies I have received had a virus. The first copy I sent back for an exchange. Same thing with the new copy, a virus. They also promised that this one would work. It's not even worth my time to send it back again. In the trash it goes.

It's probably just the rats...
"Scratches" is my first horror game and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if I like it. I hoped I would, but hoping doesn't make things happen. "Scratches" takes place in England during three strange days inside an old house. You take on the role of a writer who becomes intrigued with the strange stories surrounding the place.
When I first started playing, I was disappointed. I didn't think the game was scary. You were exploring an old house where you found dark accounts in some diaries. I didn't think it was much of a horror game. But now...
A little about the house. There are some strange...and downright evil...pictures on the walls (and some more in an old room.) It also began to have a strange atmosphere. Spooky...maybe...but that's not all. Whatever it is, it can be uncomfortable.
The first day is a bad start, because nothing really happens and it doesn't give a good first impression of the game; especially if you're looking for something scary. The first night is when you first hear scratching. However, the scratching wasn't emphasized enough in the game. [WARNING! Spoilers ahead!] Inside, the game focuses on an evil mask. A word of warning; near the end of the game, you must make an amulet out of some ingredients found around the manor. I had a problem with this since it seemed sort of like performing witchcraft; so if that's going to bother you, don't buy the game. To finish it, you must make the amulet.
The "scare factor" depends on what kind of atmosphere you play in. If you're playing in a room with other people during the daytime, the game will have a different effect on you then if you play it alone in a dark house at night. There are a couple surprises in the game that make you jump, and sometimes you're afraid of what might be coming next. It isn't a gross-fest, it's more physiological. If they had added things like doors mysteriously slamming and getting locked in rooms at just the right moments, that might have made the game scarier.
By the way, if you're going to buy "Scratches" you might want to get the director's cut version. There is a bonus "short" called "The Last Visit" which explains more of went on in Blackwood Manor. If I hadn't seen "The Last Visit" the ending would have been very confusing. And even then, there are unanswered questions.
One thing I don't like about most adventure games is trying to find objects to advance. This can be frustrating, and I'll generally go just to a hint site and find the answer. I like more obvious "puzzles" like the one in the greenhouse where you have to wash something out of a grate. In this game you didn't have to look for many objects but you had to complete "puzzles" that could be a pain, such as trying to figure out how to let down a rope so you could get through a window. I like how the creators of Titanic - Adventure Out of Timedid their game. Yes, there are some things in it that are unobvious, but it's a very unique kind of adventure game.
I didn't find this game terrifying, but it deserves to be classified as a horror game. But if you want to be scared, turn off the light and play alone in the dark.

Highly dissapointing
When I bought Scratches, I had very high hopes of it, for I enjoy adventure games. It was highly recommended due to my love for the Nancy Drew PC games, and with a very similar game engine and gameplay, I was very excited over playing it.

However, unlike the NancyDrew games, Scratches became a major dissapointment.

In Scratches, you play as a horror writer living in an abandoned Victorian House your real-estate agent got through not-so-legal means to find your next inspiration. When you hear scratches at night, instead of being sane a high-tailing it out of there like a normal human being, you decide to stay to uncover the mansion's secret.




(SPOILERS)
However, the simplicity of the story line is thrown away once a cursed African mask comes in, throwing the game onto its back when you hear voices, see figures, and eventually come face to face with the cause of the scratching sounds - an ungodly, cannabalisitc humanoid creature whose place seems more fitting in an H.P. Lovecraft story.
(End SPOILERS)




While the plot is so farfetched it's unbeleiveable, the engine also failed to deliver; half of the objects in the game you cannot touch or read; you can open draws and not take or use anything inside them; you cannot advance in the game unless you do EVERY SINGLE THING you have to do for that 'Day', which makes the game frustrating, and without any hint system, can become quite difficult to enjoy.

Another complaint is that some things you have to do are almost impossible to discover, such as crawling through a human-sized furnance to uncover a shadow in order to advance to the last Day in the game. It is hard to understand how one could figure that out, and why one would want to do it.

The story's timeline of events is jumbled, leaving more questions than answers at the end of the game that not even it's sequel within the Director's Cut can answer. The movement is not fluid, at all (I find that the game is SLOWER when exploring the exterior of the house and much faster inside it), and some puzzles are just too vague, which makes the need for a walkthrough almost mandatory.

Possibly the only advantage to Scratches is that the music by Cellar of Rats is chilling, but even that can't make a horrible game good.

In short, you can do much better than Scratches. If you want a fun game with a simple engine and some added chills, pick up Nancy Drew and the Curse of Blackmoor Manor or Legend of the Crystal Skull and just avoid this game; it's really not worth the time and effort to play.

Creepy, dark, and flakey...not in a good way...
Know that I love to watch people play point and clicks because I love the graphics and like the feel of the game being like a movie. I buy point and clicks so that both my wife and I can enjoy them. We also like a game that has a good mystery and a jump factor like any good thriller should. In scratches we were very pleased with the graphics, music, & overall mood of the game. There are two major drawbacks though. The first was that even though we had a screaming PC to run the game on, we still had several crashes that taught the meaning of Save-Try-n-Die. The second problem was the clues and content that would allow the game to move forward. Had we not found a walkthrough to assist with the overwhelming puzzles & clues, this game would've been a complete bust. On the positive side of things, we loved the dark content and turned off the lights for this game. A storm was brewing outside one night and we found ourselves jumping with several scenes - great creep out factor and a wonderful scare factor. Horror enthusiasts - need not apply; this game is for sure dark, but not a game that will make you jump. Just turn up your speakers and get ready for the creepy audio. A nice feature that was also displayed was the ability to mandate whether the player wishes to use the director's cut version or the standard version - very nice and thank you to whoever setup the game in such a way!

Here's how I conducted my start rating:
1) Scripting & dialog was mediocre; however the ambient & background sound track is excellent
2) Graphics performed well; see next item though
3) Overall performance was less than good; several crashes. Be sure to keep saving after each accomplishment, this was a topic that lost a star for my review
4) Storyline was good and will keep you guessing.
5) Clues, hints, and adaptability basically will require a walkthrough this aspect also lost a star in my review

Know that this game is way worth the and the game play options listed in the beginning are heaven sent; did I happen to mention how cool that option is and that other game companies should model after that?...anyway...good creepy game, the crew just needs to work on stability and playability.

Be Aware of the Game Requirements
Be aware of the technical requirements for Scratches Director's Cut. The game requires a graphics card that supports Open GL. Not all graphics cards do. In fact, I know of very few that do. Without an appropriate video card, the game is virtually unplayable. I did not find the tech specs here on Amazon, so I only saw them once the box arrived. Nucleosys has posted several workarounds on their site. They may word for you, they didn't for me.

The Open GL requirement only exists, as far as I know, for the Director's Cut version of the game. The original should play well on almost any card. But you won't get the bonus material.

Slight Confusion
the Platform listed says WindowsXP Home Edition but the one i received is the Xbox version. now that would be fine but i dont have an Xbox. also i chose the cheapest used one so its not even worth sending back.

Great GTA title
Vice City is a very well done game. From the period correct clothes and music, to the way people act and the cars, an excellent spoof on Scarface and Miami Vice. If you haven't played an open world game before, buy this one and you will love it.

grand theft auto:vice city
i'm sorry i didn't write this review before now,thought i did.seller sold me exactly as described.love it.shipped fast.will definitly order again from this seller.again sorry for not reviewing the seller.i am very happy with purchase.100% satisfied.thanks again.

jay cramer

the best GTA game
GTA Vice City is my favorite GTA Game i have played though i have not played Vice city Stories or GTA IV yet

the map in the game is small in comparison to Liberty city and San Andreas but there are still places i have not been with over 70 hours of playing time

This game rocks!!!!
This game rocks especially on the pc some people may disagree but the graphics look so much better. Not only does this game rule over the Ps2 version you can modify it easily, like add new cars in the game, make new textures, download new places and add on to the game, and much more. I like Vice City better than I do San Andreas for some reason its such a masterpiece.