Cheap Martian Gothic: Unification (Video Games) (Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98) Price

The use of three characters is Martian Gothic's hook. Since they can't get near one another, puzzles revolve around using one character to help the progress of their colleagues from afar. This is accomplished by using vacuum tubes to send items to distant locations, accessing computer systems that disable security in other areas, and radioing important information to the others. If one character dies the game ends, so you must shepherd each character through the various traps and monsters scattered throughout the base.

Unfortunately, we had a hard time dealing with the game's awkward interface, which is more suitable to a console system like the PlayStation than to a fully equipped PC. The mouse isn't used at all--instead the designers decided to force users to move their characters, interact with the environment, and rummage through their inventory using only keyboard commands.

Moving around is much harder than it should be. Characters should at least be able to outmaneuver a shambling zombie, but frequently that isn't the case. We wouldn't have minded so much if the game could be saved at any point, but in another concession to console game standards players can save only a limited number of times, and only when they access one of the computers in the game. If you can live with those faults, Martian Gothic serves up some unique puzzles wrapped in a fairly compelling plot that should entertain for quite a few evenings. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Decent voice acting
• Interesting story with an interesting gameplay twist
• Creepy environments

• Control is terrible
• Interface is awkward