If the PowerBook has revolutionized the way we work, it’s had an even greater effect on the way we play games. Terms such as battery life and ghosting take on new dimensions when you start to consider different types of games to bring on that fourteen-hour drive to Miami. In this month's column I will mention some games that work particularly well on the PowerBook; if any PowerBook users out there can think of any other notable games, please send them in c/o IMG, and we can print them in an upcoming issue. You will notice that many excellent games exist as shareware or freeware, which you can download from America Online, order from your nearest user group, or find on the IMG CD-ROM (see the back of this issue to order). Try them out on your own PowerBook, and if you like the way they run, follow the author's instructions on registering the game!
I should probably point out that these factors are more relevant for the black-and-white PowerBooks, and will probably become less relevant as Apple moves closer and closer to the “fold up your desktop computer, stick it in your pocket, and go” concept. I think most PowerBook owners, though, might find at least one nugget of advice in the following paragraphs.
Probably the biggest factor when considering a PowerBook game is, “Does it run”? You may laugh, but some games stubbornly refuse to run on a black-and-white machine. Other games have been optimized for color, and don’t look too good in black-and-white. Although such a game may run on a black-and-white PowerBook, it won’t do you too much good if the object of the game is to chase the blue squares while avoiding the red ones.
Assuming a given game runs on your PowerBook, there are a number of other factors to keep in mind: “ghosting” of images, ideal screen size, and the “fuel-to-fun ratio”, or how much bang you get for your battery. Most significant of these is probably the phenomenon of “ghosting,” so we'll start there.
On PowerBooks with passive matrix screens, such as the 100, 140, 145, 160, 165, and the 165c, the LCD takes a little longer to refresh. As a result, animated objects may appear to leave a slight trail, or may even disappear completely (sometimes referred to as “submarining”). What this means is that many arcade games that feature fast-moving sprites and other animated effects just don't work all that well on a passive matrix PowerBook. For example, although Spectre (Velocity) runs just fine on a PowerBook 100, it’s not particularly fun to play since moving objects such as projectiles and the outlines of obstacles and other players tend to blur or disappear as you move around. Kind of like trying to open the medicine cabinet with a severe hangover. But I digress.
One notable exception to this phenomenon is Prince of Persia (Broderbund), which works surprisingly well even on a PowerBook 100. Prince of Persia features textured backgrounds which stay put while your character moves across them, so the "ghosting" effect isn't too bad at all. Oxyd and Oxyd Magnum (Dongleware Publishing) look great on a PowerBook for the same reason; the backgrounds stay put while your marble rolls across the screen.
Contrast these with games like Creepy Castle (Reactor Inc.), which is a side-scrolling arcade game: the backgrounds move across the screen keeping your character in the center. As a result, the background tends to blur, making the game more difficult to play. However, one good thing about Creepy Castle is the entire game was designed in black and white (even on a color Mac) so if you have an active matrix PowerBook like the 170, Creepy Castle is a beautiful game.
Another factor to keep in mind when choosing a PowerBook game is the intended screen size. Many games and multimedia presentations were designed for a 13" 640 x 480 screen. Except for the newest generation of PowerBooks, earlier models (including the color 165c) have a 640 x 400 screen, which means that on certain games the bottom is chopped off. This can make things very difficult and introduce a new challenge to some of your games; in Virgin Games' Monopoly, for example, you will never be able to buy a house on Oriental Avenue. Gametek's Jeopardy! provides players with a startling surprise; you face Alex Trebek's scorn while fumbling for the response to a Final Jeopardy answer that ends up cut right off the bottom of a PowerBook screen.
A good PowerBook game will adjust its screen size to fit the machine; on some PowerBook games, you are able to do this for yourself. Spaceward Ho! (Delta Tao) is a favorite PowerBook game, since the game has b/w picts built right in and you can adjust the size of the play window yourself, to take up as much or as little of the screen as you desire. PGA Tour Golf II (Electronic Arts) not only adapts wonderfully to the PowerBook screen size, it also contains some thoughtful features especially designed for PowerBook users, such as the ability to adjust the size of the ball. In addition, the graphics are clear and distinct, and the Virtual Frog and Cricket sounds are so realistic they may even have you prying up your keyboard in search of the little critters.
A final category is how much space a particular game takes up. PowerBook users are often especially concerned about conserving precious drive space (then again, isn't everybody?) and enormous games that contain color data and b/w data within the same application can take up a large amount of unnecessary space. If you are concerned about saving as much space as possible, look for games that only install color resources on a color machine, or ship with a separate color graphics file, like Spaceward Ho! or PGA Tour Golf II. But perhaps the most incredible bang-per-byte award goes to Space Junkie (shareware by Tuan Huynh). This amazing game is reminiscent of those classic arcade games like Space Invaders and Galaxian, it works in color or grayscale, it fills the screen completely, and yet it only takes up 70K; that's right, 70K. This is a game that just has to be seen to be believed.
In the problem-solving category of PowerBook games, the arcade classic Tetris is a sure winner. From seat 21F your 640 x 400 PowerBook screen will look positively enormous next to that GameBoy in 20A, and it even has a backlight. Although Super Tetris (Spectrum Holobyte) is a fine version, Tetris Max (freeware by Steve Chamberlin) features great music and bigger blocks that show up better on a PowerBook screen. Other great PowerBook-friendly games include Jewelbox and Diamonds 2.0, by Varcon Systems. (An IMG hint: You may be able to find the earlier shareware incarnations of these games around; although they aren’t as feature-filled, they will give you a good taste of what the commercial game is like.)
For arcade games, try Prince of Persia (or Prince of Persia II: The Shadow and the Flame, when it is released this spring). Oxyd looks great on any type of PowerBook, since its icons have all been customized for a b/w display. However, you will not be notified when your battery starts to run low; in fact, since Oxyd hides the menu bar during gameplay, you will not have any indicators of your battery power. This is a decidedly un-PowerBook-friendly aspect of the game. Macman Classic Pro (shareware by John Butler) is a faithful rendition of the original Pac Man arcade game, even including the “intermission” movies between levels. It runs in b/w or color, and takes up very little disk space.
Strategy games abound for the PowerBook gamer. Since most strategy games don’t involve a lot of animated objects, the ghosting effect is not as much of a problem. Look for games that allow you to see all of the screen. Super Mines (Callisto Corporation) is a terrific variation on the “minesweeper” theme. The game pieces are clear and simple, but the gameplay is profoundly addictive. Another favorite strategy game of mine is the original Risk! by Tone Engel. This freeware game is a gem; it’s small yet far more playable than its commercial cousin (Virgin Games). Eric’s Ultimate Solitaire (Delta Tao) comes replete with customized b/w graphics, fun sounds, and smooth card-flipping animation. (Another IMG hint: Eight-Off (one of the solitaire variations included in EUS) is available on America Online as a fully-functional demo.)
Finally, battery life is an issue for every PowerBook user. Since your battery drains a bit every time you access the hard drive, a game that loads itself completely into memory and allows you to spin down the drive will conserve more battery power than a game that constantly writes to a game file on the drive, such as Spaceward Ho! (I get around this by putting the game on a RAM disk.) Eric’s Ultimate Solitaire, on the other hand, is easier on your battery. I once played 20 straight games of Eight-Off all the way across the Atlantic without spinning up the hard drive once.
This is just a small sample of the games that are out there, although I did choose to mention these games because they have been particularly enjoyable for me on everything from a PowerBook 100 to a 165c. When you look for your own games for that long flight from Bangor to L.A., consider the factors of ghosting, screen size, and battery life. If you can, see if you can play the game on a PowerBook before buying it. Are moving images easily distinguishable against the background? Can the entire game window be seen? Does the hard drive constantly spin back up again as you play the game? This “try before you buy” strategy is the reason why shareware games can be very valuable to us mobile gamers. Find out how happy you are with a game’s performance, then pay the shareware fee before getting on the plane with your newfound treasures.
And make the kid with the GameBoy in 20A turn green with PB-envy.
Ordering Info: all prices are street price unless otherwise noted.
Macman Classic Pro 1.0 (John Butler, $10 shareware fee)
Space Junkie (Tuan Huynh, $15 shareware fee)
Risk! (Tone Engel, freeware)
Oxyd, Oxyd Magnum (Dongleware Publishing, 617/497-1130, $45)
Creepy Castle (Reactor inc., 312/573-0800, $32)
Tetris Max (Steve Chamberlin, freeware)
Super Tetris (Spectrum Holobyte, 510/522-3584, $28)
Super Mines (Callisto Corporation, 508/655-3311, $30)
