Castle Infinity
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Starwave

Age Group: Age 8 and Up Type: Arcade Price: $ 39.99 US

PC version requires:
P90 8 MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM, Windows 95, 640x480x256, Gamepad, Joystick, Mouse, Up to 2 via TCP/IP, modem/serial.

Mac version requires:
Not available.

Description:

Castle Infinity by Starwave, is an extremely ambitious project aimed at giving kids a safe, fun place to explore and make friends on the World Wide Web. The idea is that a few dinosaurs are holed up in Castle Infinity, hiding out from the monsters who want them extinct! Your part is to rumble with the monsters - be sure to bring along plenty of air freshner, you're going to need it. Your contact, Stella, will appear now and then to help you along the way. There are rules for behavior in the Castle, which include treating others courteously, no bad language, etc. The idea is that by working together, kids can solve the mysteries of Castle Infinity, save the dinosaurs and have a great time with their teammates.

Unfortunately, there are few problems in the Castle: for one, parents who don't have unlimited access to the Net are going to get an ugly surprise on their next bill. Second, the game should have an offline practice mode. Third, there doesn't seem to be any organized effort to welcome new recruits and get them onto a team.

My fourth objection is actually based on personal preferences: no waffle-stomping. It is a well known, documented fact that waffle-stomping can be fun and profitable, especially when dealing with monsters, dinosaurs and the like.

Features:

• Wacked out dinosaurs who need your help.
• A complicated login most adults wouldn't be able to maneuver.
• Great music.
• Cheeee-zowie! (That's a very cool mode of transportation.)
• Rules for behavior.
• Reminders not to give out passwords.
• Automatic updates.
• When playing CI, kids can NOT jump to other websites. They must exit CI first.

Reactions:

Castle Infinity is a hoot to play! But beware those system requirements: we found that 8M of RAM on our P100 was intolerably slow, and after adding 16 M of RAM, we could actually PLAY the game. This title is nicely packaged, and is a great effort that's ahead of its time. It's obvious that much work and detail went into building the CI game and website. Unfortunately, without an offline method of play, its appeal and market is quite limited.

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