Frag Master game controller, £29.99
Flight simulations and driving games have special controllers which make playing easier and more fun. A steering wheel can certainly make a driving game feel more realistic and a good joystick and throttle beats tapping on the keyboard while trying to land on an aircraft carrier.
It's no surprise then that a dedicated controller has appeared for the very popular first-person shooters such as Quake, Duke Nukem, Half-Life and Unreal. The Frag Master claims to make moving within the game easier, more intuitive and ultimately more accurate.
Strafing from side to side or in circles is a common move in these games (to avoid incoming rockets or to circle an opponent while keeping them in the sights). This can be difficult on a keyboard, unless the player also knows how to play the piano. With the Frag Master, this kind of movement is infinitely easier, but unfortunately that is all it is good for.
It works with grips that slide on the base of the unit. Push forward to move forward, pull to go backwards, or left and right to strafe. This sounds good in theory, but in practice it is cumbersome and (despite much practice) aiming accurately is nowhere near as good as with the old keyboard/mouse combination. The Frag Master is relatively cheap, but it also feels cheap. Its auto-calibration is practically useless - and the hassle-free set-up claimed, isn't. The Frag Master has at least tried, and maybe its shortcomings will be rectified. Until then, steer clear.
MechWarrior 3, PC, £39.99
While Starsiege allows players to pilot a 100-ton Mech, afficionados of such action have being enjoying MechWarrior 2 for some time now. Starsiege may be eminently enjoyable and perhaps more accessible, but it looks like a training run for this latest offering from Microprose.
In MechWarrior 3 the terrain is richly detailed - people scurry away and buildings collapse like matchboxes as the player pounds towards another target. Customising the Mech, by choosing ammo and armour, is an important part of the game.
MechWarrior 3 is reasonably complex. The busy player can, for example, flush the coolant system, jettison ammunition, give orders to Lancemates (team mates) or invoke jump jets. But the learning curve is easy, the training is good and the game is so enjoyable that the complexity will hardly be noticed. Even a casual observer will be impressed by MechWarrior 3, but its beauty is more than skin deep.
Recommended: Pentium 200/64MB/3Daccel/Win 9x
World chess champion Garry Kasporov today takes on the rest of the world in a global match over the Internet. After his defeat in 1997 by IBM's Deep Blue computer it may be that playing against all the people on earth is easier.
Players of all levels from rook to king are invited to join the world team by registering at the MSN (www.msn.com) gaming zone. Kasparov will make an opening move as white today and four expert analysts will then offer various moves in response. Those who sign up for the world team can vote for the move they deem best.
The most popular move will be played and 24 hours later Kasparov will take his next move. The match is expected to last all summer and, while democracy doesn't seem like a winning chess strategy, its unpredictability may make things difficult for the single-minded champion.
Last week Maxis made the building architect tool (BAT) for Sim City 3000 available for download from www.simcity.com. This utility enables players to create their own buildings for use within the game, so those bored with worrying about taxes, crime, pollution, fire safety, education, recreation, healthcare, water and waste management should be kept amused for a little while longer.
games@irish-times.ie