Dune





You are probably wondering why this predecessor to the world-famous Dune 2 is placed under the Adventure heading. Well, for starters, this game's concept is completely different from that of Dune 2.

You play the character of Paul Atreides (made to look like Kyle MacLachlan, who played him in the motion picture). The game starts in your base castle, located on planet Dune. As you probably already know, Dune is famous for being the only source of "spice melange" which is the most-wanted substance in the universe because it enables interstellar travel. The planet's natives are called Fremen and are dispersed around the planet in small tribes.

Your task will be split into two parts. Firstly you will have to make friends with all of the tribes and get their troops at your disposal. Some will join you instantly, and for others you will have to prove yourself worthy. After successfully convincing everyone to join you, you will have to strategically position the troops around the planet. Your goal is to beat the opposing evil house Harkonnen that is also after the spice.

The game is basically a fine blend between adventure and strategy, and both aspects are very well balanced. As for the graphics, they are beautiful and very well done. I give it a mark of 4 only because it can get a bit tedious at certain points throughout the game.

Also, it works just fine under Windows XP. One last thing - you may find yourself cursing because you don't know how to save, load or exit the game. Well, here's how: at the starting screen, after talking to your father go straight (up arrow) and then look at the mirror. Enjoy!