

                Game Review Definition of Terms

   This article is to give game reviewers a concise definition
terms on the Game Review Sheet so that both readers and 
reviewers do not missunderstand each other.  It is a standard
to follow that insures uniformity for all games and reviewers.

                 System Requirements / Support             

   CPU:  This is the minimum recommended CPU someone should/can
have to run this game.  Since there are some lamers out there
that still use a 286-12 (like the publisher of DREADLoC), it is
rather imperative to know what this requirement is.  No one 
likes to spend 1.5 hours downloading an eight-disk release than
uses DOS4GW and runs in protected mode when they have a 286.

   MEMORY:  Once again, this is the MINIMUM base, EMS, and XMS
RAM that is required to run the game.  Keep in mind that not 
everyone has a 486-33DX with 4Mb RAM.  Knowing what the minimum
is pretty important, especially for those who pay for their
phone calls.

   VIDEO:  I don't really know of any games that are written for
the PPV, CGA, or EGA games anymore, so I only included VGA and
SVGA.  This is intended for support purposes more than a
requirement.  Since most games run (at least) in VGA mode, 
simply check which video is supported by the game (some newer
ones are supporting SVGA).

   SOUND:  Once again, this is for support.  Sound cards have 
NEVER been a requirement for a game.  Boxes checked should
indicate which sound boards are supported by the game.
Support for the GUS will only be checked if the game supports
the GUS in its native mode.

  DEVICES:  This is for support of peripheral input devices as
well.  The keyboard should always be supported, but some games
require the use of a mouse.


                       Ranking the Game

   INSTALLATION:  Most games now come with install and setup
programs due to a wide array of support they offer.  However,
there are still some weird installs for games out there.  This
rating is to show how easy it was to install the game. 
Unfortunately, there are times when a release is missing a file,
forget to tell you something, etc that cause installing the
game quick a pain in the ass (like the recent "Return to Zork"
from Infocom). 

   An "Average" install is one where everything is straight
forward, in a menu-driven program that makes things simple and
headache free.  An "Operational" or "Shitty" install rating 
would be one that does not function properly, is difficult
to use, or that takes several attempts at setting up and running.

   I really don't think there are any better than average
installs; however, there could be.  To get this rating, the
installation should be exceptionally easy to do (don't worry 
about disk labels, drive specifics, etc) or could possibly have
a notable feature.  An example would be the Dark Sun install; 
it allowed you to drop to DOS at any time during the installation
process.

   STORY LINE:  This a rating as to how much thought went into
the storyline or history provided.  Unlike the "Install" rating
which is an absolute rating, the "Story Line" ratng is a 
relative one.  For a "Shootem' Up" or "Street-Fighter" style
game, not much story line is ever needed or given.  In these
cases, it would be difficult for them to do anything other than
average because not much history or design goes into the 
story line.
 
   However, in a RPG or adventure game, the story line is usually
crucial and a big part of the game.  The best way to describe the
story line rating is through examples.  An "Epic" story line is
that of the "Ultima" series.  It has a rich history with a 
great amount of detail surrounding it.  An "Operational" or
"Shitty" story line would be the "Might & Magic" series where
the story line is provided as more of a nuisance than anything
else.  The best example of an average story line would be SSI's
first D&D Trilogy with "Pool of Radiance", "Curse of the Azure
Bonds", etc.  While the background was not very extensive, the
developing story fit together as a whole.  Remember, the story
line rating is not how much fun the game is to play; it is how
well the game has been thought out and how well it follows the
story.

   GAME PLAY:  This is how well the game plays or how fun it is
to play.  For an RPG, this rates good the battle's are and how
challenging the puzzles are to solve.  For a shootem-up or
SF type game, it is how fun it is to play.

   If in an RPG you spend too much time just walking to places
you need to go (rather than solving puzzles/fighting battles),
the game play would be rather poor.  In an action game, if the
enemies are lame or too easy to beat, that would be considered
a poor rating as well.

   GRAPHICS and SOUND:  These should be rather easy to rate.  If
the graphics and sound are good or bad, it is very easy to tell.
This is a simple comparison to other games that you have played
in comparison to their graphics and sound.

   If a game doesn't support (very unlikely) a sound card, has
limited support (like PC Speaker, Covox, and Tandy for example),
its sound rating should suffer.  If the there are only limited
graphics supported (like CGA only), there are problems with the
video (incompatability with a video card causing weird results
on the screen), or the graphics just plain suck, this rating
will suffer as well.

   OVERALL:  This is your overall impression of the game
combined.  If you have trouble visualizing this rating, think of
it was your likelihood of purchasing the game given the previous
six ratings (assuming that you actually WOULD purchase a game).
 
   In all reality, I can't tell you what "poor", "average", and 
"epic" ratings would be for games for two reasons.  One, I don't
really play games all that much; so, I am not really aware of
what the newest definition of "good" and "poor" are.  Second,
the games that I enjoy are old games that (by today's standards)
would be considered lame (like SSI's AD&D series, The Wizardy 
series, etc).  I am not all that impressed with the newer games
like "Legend and Lore", "Quest for Glory", etc.
 
   These ratings are your subjective opinions; don't try to place
quantatative evaluations upon these games.  There are no
equasions, theorums, or formulas that you can use to guage how
good or bad a game is.


