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HOLIDAY GAMES FOR YOUR MAC

With all the hoopla about the Playstation 2, Nintendo Game Cube and Microsoft Xbox, let us not forget the power of the ultimate game machine you may already own, namely your computer. And given the wide variety of game titles in just about every category, you may be wiser to invest in a better graphics card and piles of new game software titles rather than buying a stand-alone game system.

While pouring over untold numbers of games available for Windows based computers, I felt it was important to point out some of the new offerings available for the Macintosh. Aspyr and MacPlay offer two new exciting games just in time for the holidays. Both Otto Matic ($39.95) and Aliens versus Predator, Gold Edition ($29.99) are action shoot-em-up games and they both encompass state-of-the-art graphics and sound.

In Otto Matic, you take the role of a cute little robot who must battle everything from aliens to mutated vegetables. Drawing from those old B-movie Sci-Fi films from the fifties and sixties, Otto Matic makes you wax nostalgic with it's corny spooky music that was typical throughout the films of that genre. In fact, the game looks like it was inspired by director Tim Burton's film "Mars Attacks." The aliens have transparent heads with a visible brain, ray guns, spinning saucers descending towards Earth and once again, there's that music. Only thing missing was Jack Nicolson who starred in the Burton film. But although the theme and styling of Otto Matic may be campy, Otto Matic's graphics are cutting edge and take advantage of the latest Macintosh graphic hardware and software. The brilliant colors, 3D graphics, textures and sounds make your mission to rescue Earth and prevent humans from being abducted a pleasant one.

MacPlay's Aliens versus Predator, Gold Edition is another first person perspective game but adds some interesting twists. You can choose to be a good guy Space Marine or a bad guy Alien or Predator. I chose to be the good guy. The game's accuracy to the Alien series of movies will make any Aliens fan fall in love with this game. Everything from the rapid-fire sound of the automatic rifles to the screams of the aliens are extremely accurate. I'd be willing to bet the authors of this game were fans of the movies. The dark and dreary tones and colorings of the game are the same as the movies it depicts. In fact, playing this game in the dark with its movie sound track playing in the background is sure to make pulses quicken in even the most jaded of players.

By the way, Harry Potter fans will soon have the game "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" available on the Macintosh. Although it won't be ready for the holidays, it's just around the corner from Aspyr so keep an eye out for it. Preorders are being taken at the Aspyr web site. $29.95.

www.aspyr.com www.macplay.com