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Risk has always been an addictive board
game. I still remember my first introduction
to the horrible little entertainment. It started out at college with a few simple games
with some friends. Wed move the
plastic pieces around the mapboard, drink a few beers, and collect a few cards.
Eventually, one of us would take over the world and the others would sulk. But slowly,
insidiously, we found ourselves playing more and more.
We developed little strategies that expanded into grandiose plans. We
learned where the chokepoints were and started counting cards. We developed deeply-held
grudges. We drank more and more, too, and our beer-fuel imaginations spawned increasingly
complex Risk variations. Eventually, we
started linking two, then three boards together. We made up rules that included
paratroopers and amphibious assaults and atomic weapons. We began to drink even more. Long
story short, we all flunked out of school. Helluva game. Since Risk is both an elegant and simple game, youd think
that it would be a snap to port it to the PC. Unfortunately, the original attempt to
translate Risk was a failure. The AI was barely in evidence, and the awkward interface and
buggy code conveyed none of the fun or strategy of the board game. Fortunately, Hasbro
decided to give it another go, and Risk II not only does the classic game justice, it even
throws in its own variationSame-time Riskthat is an excellent game in its own
right. If you just want to play classic
Risk, youll find that Risk II gives you a dead-on facsimile of the real thing. From
the beautiful world map (which gives you a bevy of viewing options) to the game cards, youll
feel right at home. Even better, the AI plays a better-than-decent game of classic Risk.
Some adversaries are programmed to be more aggressive than others, but they rarely make
blatantly stupid moves, and will usually give you a run for your money. Surprisingly, playing against the AI was a lot
like playing against human opponents. And
Risk II even throws in some new dimensions to the old classictheres a neat
diplomacy component and a nifty battle resolution sequence during which your armies are
represented by miniature Napoleonic figures that fight it out over the specific terrain
youre contesting. Its a hoot.
Dice explode, soldiers take gut shots, generals fall off their horses. I know, it sounds
kind of dumb, but it really looks quite cool and is so seamlessly integrated into the game
that I never tired of these sequences. Id be happy if Risk II were
nothing more than a competent port of the board game, but theres moreSame-time
Risk is based on the original, but it has enough tweaks and additions to make it a
different game altogether. First of all, Same-time Risk has a bunch of new land areasit
includes such places as the Falkland and the Phillipine Islands, as well as much more
fragmented continents. You can forget the old tried-and-true strategiesclassic
chokepoints are easily circumvented now. Same-time
Risks game mechanics will take a while to get used to as well. Instead of each
player taking a turn in order, Same-Time Risk progresses in phases. Each player plans his
or her turn, and then moves are revealed all at the same time. This can make for some very
nasty surprises, and when combined with the diplomacy option can make Risk a lot like
Diplomacy on caffeine. Combats are resolved in a new way as well. Instead of the standard
six-sided dice, Same-time Risk uses a collection of five twelve-sided dice, ranging in
strength from white to the mighty black die. The stronger your army, the stronger the die
you roll, and since you can attack from two or more continents at once in Same-time Risk,
a couple of powerful armies can smash through even fairly strong defenses in a very short
time. It makes for a very aggressive game, and Im still figuring out its subtleties. Even within the two games, there are an
awful lot of options. You can choose from several different victory conditions, and you
can choose several different ways to set up at the beginning of the game. There's even a
tournament mode that challenges you to play a series of classic and Same-time Risk games.
The replay value of Risk II is very high indeed, and even made even higher since it has
all the usual multiplayer options, including hotseat and support on the MSN Zone. Overall, I give Risk II a very hearty
recommendation. I had some problems hooking up with players on the Zone, and the AI can
sometimes make goofy moves, but this is an excellent port of a classic game. Until now,
Hasbros track record in translating its board games to the PC hasnt been all
that superb, but Risk II changes all that. If you like strategy games, pick it up. And try
not to flunk out of school. |