Cheap Hot Wheels Jetz (Software) (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me) Price

Put simply, Hot Wheels Jetz is a game that allows players to fly combat missions that pit toy against toy inside a simulated home. Taking off from a child's bedroom, players blow up rogue dump trucks and missile launchers, and attack blimps, tanks, and other hostiles. Along the way, they dodge couches and kitchen furniture, working ever closer to their targets and homing in on bonus rings. Flying through a ring can earn players a plane repair, a brace of missiles, or even new aircraft for use in later missions.

With only 10 missions in its gaming campaign, Hot Wheels Jetz is a game that adept flyers will finish quickly. It stresses simplicity over variety--the house never changes, and once gamers have the mechanics of flight worked out, the milieu is very forgiving. Hitting a wall or other impediment causes the plane to bounce rather than to crash outright, and targeting enemies does not require pinpoint accuracy so much as a willingness to expend lots of ammunition. In these respects, it makes an excellent game for kids interested in an introduction to combat flight simulators: it is easy to play and moderately paced. Even so, players already familiar with this type of game will find it too simple, and experienced pilots should look for their next combat fix elsewhere.

Flight simulator newbies and kids especially fond of action toy stories will enjoy Hot Wheels Jetz, though, with its combat-inside-the-home concept, clean graphics, and straightforward battle premises. --Alyx Dellamonica