PC CD-ROM minimum system requirements: Pentium 90mhz; 16MB RAM; 79MB hard disk space; Windows 95; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; Joystick; SVGA. £29.99
FIRST there was X-Wing, then Tie Fighter. . . now you can have them both all packaged up in one tidy bundle. It's having your cake and eating it. And boy is it tasty!
Lucas Arts is on a bit of a roll at the moment with the re-release of the Star Wars trilogy, and if your appetite has not been satisfied, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter is sure to do the trick. Whether you join forces with the Dark Side or take up the Rebel cause you will, no doubt be left gasping at the magic of it all.
While the single player mode is as engrossing as X-Wing or Tie Fighter. the multi-player mode is where this game really excels. And without a modem or access to a network or the Internet you will be missing out on a lot of fun indeed. Few games have embraced the multi-player concept more thoroughly.
However, even in this day and age it is quite a lot to assume gameplayers have all the requirements for this game to run. For instance, if you don't have a joystick, tough luck. This game just won't run unless you do - and to see it in all its glory, you're going to need some meaty processing power too.
If you have it, you are in for a real treat. Hook up to the net with some mates and fight with, or against, them. Or, of course, you can join total strangers and test out the skills you have acquired in the single player mode. And it is here the game takes on a whole new dimension.
Once you have decided to make the leap forward to the net and take on all comers, you have a host of ways to show off your piloting expertise including Death Matches and full blown strategic strikes.
Nonetheless, if you are only going to play in single-player mode, this version is still better than either of its predecessors. It has improved graphics, stunning soundtracks and smarter computer opponents to compete with in more than 50 missions. You also have the choice of nine enhanced Star Wars starfighters (four Rebel and five Imperial). To make the grade, you will have to fight through the IS attainable pilot ratings (25 in the multi-player mode) and this, as you would guess, is not going to be achieved overnight or on coffee breaks in the office.
Despite the fact X-Wing vs Tie Fighter is for serious aficionados of space combat simulation, it also offers the novice, via the in-game training, the chance to attain the skill and hunger necessary to carry the fight on - for or against the Dark Side.
X-Wing vs Tie Fighter has taken what seems an eternity to arrive on the shelves but, unlike others, this has certainly been worth the wait!
Graphics: 95%, Sound: 96%, Gameplay: 96%