Desperados - Wanted Dead or Alive

Requires: Pentium 266 MHz+, Windows 95/98/ME/2000, 64 Mb RAM, 4xCD-ROM

Description:

Desperados - Wanted Dead or Alive is a Wild West adventure game, in which you have to collect and manage a team of up to six bounty hunters, and assorted animal companions, including a monkey and a snake. Start as John Cooper in 1881 El Paso, near the Mexican border. Your mission is to put an end to train robberies in the area and to capture the leader of the banditos responsible for them - but there are hints that the bad guys might be getting insider information. Can you handle the assignment and catch El Diablo?

An introductory video shows a train robbery (rather like a Western movie, but minus the blood when the villains shoot), and John being hired. Start by meeting an old acquaintance, and competing in various events at the town fair - these provide good practice in movement and use of weapons. This section, and others later, give tutorials on needed techniques. Each level has a goal that must be achieved and you are guided to it with comments like 'This is a great opportunity to throw a firecracker at them.' Weapons include knives, guns, dynamite and rattlesnakes, but success also requires use of tricks and distractions to fool the enemy.

There are plenty of characters to meet, bad guys and civilians, and they have lots to say for themselves, helping to develop the story. There is also a mission briefing, with a movie, at the beginning of each level. That and leading comments from characters encountered, make it clear what you have to do to beat the level. Over time John gathers together his team of helpers - Samuel, Doc, Kate, Mia and Sanchez (Mia, who quotes Confucius, was my favorite). Locations vary across the old southwest, ranging from homesteads and silver mines to ghost towns, cotton fields, and a desert army fortress. Weather is changeable, shadows are handy to hide in, and there are both day and night scenes.

Features:

• 25 levels
• Over 20 different enemies
• Over 35 in-game civilians
• 6 tutorial levels
• Replay movie sequences
• 49 page user guide

Technical Aspects:

Report and Conclusions:

I had a few reservations, to do with some of the language, the violence and stereotyping (especially of women). I chatted with the kids about these issues and about the ethics of horse stealing, even if it is from a thief. However, if you don't take it too seriously, the game is tremendous fun and I could understand its appeal. When you play it, remember to keep your head down and, whatever you do, don't shoot the piano player!