Welcome to another edition of The Game Guys. After much planning, Mike and I have decided to switch over to a “true live” format. That means that what you are reading is our actual conversation/review of the game, uninterrupted. This new format makes it much easier for us to complete a review, and we really enjoyed using it. As always, we welcome any feedback. (We are actually known to beg for it at times). Without further ado, our first game reviewed with this new format is Slithereens, from Ambrosia Software.
Slithereens 1.0
Company: Ambrosia Software
Shareware: $20.00
http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com
Mike: Ambrosia Software has a big reputation in the Mac shareware world for turning out games that are commercial quality but making them freely available and affordable. The folks at Ambrosia have struck gold again with their latest offering, Slithereens.
Adam: Mike, would you please bless us with the storyline of the game?
Mike: I’d be honored, Adam. You play the part of Luther, a snake who has been subjected to genetic experiments and is now trapped in a garden, along with many other genetically-mutated snakes. As a result of the experiments all of the snakes are segmented and can gain and lose segments without penalty, as long as they keep their heads. Segments are gained if the snakes eat other animals, and segments are lost if the snakes lay eggs or get eaten. The snakes are now prone to eating their own species, too, so Luther had better watch out! The only way out of this snake-eat-snake world is to eat all of the other snakes yourself, thus passing the levels and eventually escaping from garden.
Adam: From the minute you launch the installer, you can tell Slithereens is an Ambrosia game. Installation is straightforward, and you can start playing right away. No restart necessary.
Mike: Slithereens is very snappy and responsive during game play, too. Using the keyboard was easy (you only need to control your snake with the arrows or numeric keypad), and using a game pad or joystick was also simple and responsive.
Adam: Slithereens was very fast and stable on my G3, and I thought the graphics, sound effects, and especially the music were topnotch.
Mike: I thought so too, Adam. I also ran Slithereens on a G3, and the animations and graphics were very fluid. The digitized sound effects and spoken comments were exceptional too, and often hilarious!
Adam: Agreed, Mike. I loved the comments. They really added to the overall experience of the game. I couldn’t help myself from playing the game every time I turned on my computer. Horribly addictive.
Mike: Absolutely! It was so bad that I considered putting an alias to the game in my Startup Items folder! I really appreciated the fact that Slithereens takes advantage of Apple’s InputSprockets technology, so setting up your Game Pad or joystick is exceptionally easy.
Adam: Definitely. InputSprockets are also returning to the Extensions folder in Mac OS 8.6. It’s wonderful to see quality software adopting that standard.
Mike: The documentation in Slithereens was straightforward and helpful, but to be honest, I didn’t refer to it all that much. Slithereens is very easy to play and also easy to get started, and I found that the excellent tutorial at the beginning of the game was all I needed.
Adam: That tutorial was one of the best things I have ever seen from a shareware game. I am always one to skip the documentation, and when I started playing, I was a bit confused. Luckily, the helpful 2-minute tutorial was included right in the main menu. After watching it, I had no trouble playing Slithereens.
Mike: Slithereens even offers a two-player option, and you can work competitively or cooperatively to complete each level. Unfortunately, you do have to both be using the same computer, because there is no option for network play.
Adam: True, network/modem play would be awesome. Hopefully Ambrosia will consider it for a future version of Slithereens.
Mike: Like most of Ambrosia’s recent games, Slithereens costs $20 to register. Given how polished this game is, I consider that a steal!
Adam: It is a steal! You get to play 7 levels with the unregistered version, and when you register, you get 44 (I’ll check on that). Exceptional Value!
Requirements/Availability
Slithereens requires a 68040 or higher processor, Mac OS 7.1 or later, a 13″ color monitor, and 12MB of RAM.
You can download Slithereens from the Ambrosia Software/Slithereens website, at http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/Products/Slithereens.html, or from download.com, at http://www.download.com.
The Summary
Mike: Our minor complaint about the lack of a network game play aside, Slithereens is a near-perfect shareware game. It should come as no surprise that Ambrosia has yet another winner on its hands. Any Mac gamer should check Slithereens out as soon as possible! It’s a blast!
Adam: Ambrosia Software has always had a reputation for high quality, low cost shareware games. Slithereens further strengthens that reputation. If you enjoy nonviolent, fun, addicting games, chances are you’ll enjoy Slithereens. Highly Recommended by The Game Guys.
Download Slithereens 1.0
Mike Wallinga
mikew@mymac.com
Adam Karneboge
webmaster@mymac.com
Websites mentioned:
http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com
http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/Products/Slithereens.html
http://www.download.com
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