SCANNER
PC PREVIEW Braveheart
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The most promising thing about Glasgow-based Red Lemon Studios’ Braveheart is that it was never planned as a movie license. These cash cows are usually terrible, but this was originally called Tartan Army, a game in which you had to gather together a group of 13th Century bare- arsed warriors and kick English butt.
Since the addition of Mel Gibson’s Saltired face, however, the sheer size and depth of the game has increased immensely. Beginning as the leader of a small clan, you must persuade neighbouring villages to join you in your quest to free Scotland from the villainous clutches of Edward Longshanks. This is done in a style similar to Civilization, with a 20 map representing your local region, Scotland as a whole, and finally the entire United Kingdom. This map is accurate to 50 metres and theoretically allows a character to walk from John O'Groats to Land's End. The management of your growing power base can be controlled manually or switched to automatic depending on how involved you wish to become. Whether you use fair means or foul to unite the clans is entirely up to you, but hopefully you will quickly gather a sizeable group of warriors with
which to reclaim your homeland.
Here, the game changes into a glorious 30 battle simulation with rolling hills, charging horses and hundreds of men destroying each other in pitched combat. The battles are depicted as bloody, toe-to-toe hack and slash affairs, accurately mimicking the horrendous mayhem of the movie. There are tactics and weapons aplenty, and the in-game graphics and animation are second to none. However, unlike William Wallace, your ultimate goal is not only to free Scotland but wage war in England’s green and pleasant land and eventually capture the throne of Britain.
Braveheart promises to be massive in both playing terms and general appeal. Eidos missed a glorious opportunity by not releasing this simultaneously with the Scottish Parliament elections, but at least you now have a month to stock up on blue woad. (lain Davidson)
I Brat/enearr is re/eased on Eidos in mid-lune, around £40.
Picts meets pixels: Braveheart
PC Lands Of Lore Ill
(EA/Westwood Studios) £34.99 * it i it
There once was a game called Might And Mag/c, which had role players hunched over their Atari STs for night after glori0us night Its 3D pOint-of- View adventuring defined a new style in role playing games and, if Lands Of Lore //l is anything to go by, not too much has changed since those heady
days. Blocky, sharp cornered dungeons,
now real-time shaded and beautifully textured, must be conquered by your intrepid character as he gains in experience and skill.
For every enemy vanqwshed and magical item gained, a fresh chapter in y0ur quest becomes clear, presenting
you With yet more dungeoneenng. The stories are complicated, With a great number of sub-plots and mini-quests, and the Interaction between player and non-player characters is not a case of simple question and answer.
Lands Of Lore III has a fun story, some great magic, a menagene of scary monsters and four discs-worth of playing time. Lose yOurseIf in some tip top old-skool adventuring. (ID)
REVIEWER THIS ISSUE Iain DaVidson
STAR RATINGS
g a t v. i. Unmissable
w * t t Very ood
at i a. Wort T a shot
t rt Below average
it You've been warned
Totally Wired The weird world of the Web. Singalong-a-Captain Kirk http://209.68.1.93/emotionp/ singalong/kirk.htm|
It was the end of the 605. PeOpIe had flowers in their hair. William Shatner, however, had an entire b0uquet. Firmly belieVing he had Single- handedly created a new art form, he released 'The Transformed Man’ — an album of now cult status. Available to listen to here (assuming you have
RealPlayer). You’ll never hear the lyrics of ’Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ spoken With so much sincerity. Both very funny and vomit-inducmg at the same time. But remember — it's difficult to laugh when you're bIOWing chunks.
Subterranean Glasgow
http://www.stormshadowco.uk/subway/
Underground, now, to Glasgow. Anoraks on, as we take a look at the hidden train lines and tunnels that now he as ghosts beneath the surface of the City. Stuff of trainspotters? Who’s ever felt tempted to sneak into the vast tunnel under KeIVingrove Park, or to creep about the ghostly station in the Botanic Gardens? Me — but they’re JUSI too damn scary A great photo JOurnaI that captures everything about the secret tunnels except The Famous Five who were
too busy chasing smugglers.
Railtrack Timetables http://www.railtrack.co.uk/travel/
Virtual Missile Base Tour www.xvt.com/users/kevink/silo During the Cold War, underground nuclear missile Silos were oft talked- about, ultra-secretive places of which we c0u|d only guess their location, Two men risked their lives (and were ultimately arrested) breaking into a decaying, and still possiny radioactive, bunker. Both exhaustively document their trip With photos of every room in the bunker, now covered in graffiti from preVious break-ins. The missile- firing bay is particularly eerie.
Last of the train stuff, lest | start drinking weak diluted lemon. Does everyone know this site? Very simply it’s a complete timetable of all Railtrack's serVices up and down Britain. Type in start, destination and time of travel, and you get a list of all serVices With connections. There’s even an option to 'Av0id London', which is always useful when travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Wacky.
Spy On The Police
http://wwwpolicescanner.com/ policestm
Hands up who haven't tuned their radio to the police band and listened to their incomprehensible babblings. Well, I can't see any hands, so maybe yOu'll all be interested in this site. You can hear live police radio streamed
from five major cities in the US. Very powerful, until you conSider they can probably do the same listening to you. But then there's probably a Website where you can hear them listening to you listening to them. Or something.
All-Music Guide
http://www.al|music.com
One of the best online databases for music on the Net. Search the entire database by artist, album or song, and there are numerous essays available on all music genres. The great thing is it's interactive and you can contribute your own feelings abOiit albums and they Will be taken into conSideration for future amendments. There is an American bias, but there are JObS gomg if y0u feel like
contributing.
Daft Place Names
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/2l9S/daftness.htm|
Just that -— and all apparently legitimate: Bell End, Wankie in Rhodesia, Twatt, Catbrain, Slap Bottom, Sanity, Interc0urse, Conception Harbour, Superchicken Highway. Crinkley Bottom? Noel Edmonds ~ get outta here. (Steve Blair»
13~27 May i999 ms usr 101