They're Back: 81

Strap:
There are many ways to introduce a budget section. They're cheaper than before, but not as new. That was the literal one.

Review 1:
Tomb Raider III - The Lost Artefact
Eidos Premier Label
Price: £15

What can be said about Lara Croft that hasn't been said before? Are there, in fact, any puns left that have so far gone unused?… Checking MSWord's thesaurus for humourous alternatives to "breasts", it only suggests "breast", which is not exactly that wild a variation. Further checking on "breast" reveals the intriguing appearance of "thorax". So, with this in mind, here we go with the only original comment you are likely to hear on Lara's stature until she gets old and saggy:

Yes, everyone's favourite pixelated babe is back, with a thorax to make a queen ant jealous.

Ho hum.

Lara's third adventure sees her racing around the globe in search of four lost artefacts for use in the… in the something anyway. That's not really the point of these things is it? The point is the platforming fun of leaping from ledge to rock, backward jumping over a ravine, while spinning, grabbing a ladder, and then falling to your death to do it all over again.

This third incarnation sees Lara at her most brutal, the victims of her bullets being not only the usual array of innocent endangered species, but this time semi-naked tribesmen bearing only sticks and loincloths. If you can get passed the guilt of massacring an entire tribe for the sake of stealing some objects that aren't rightfully yours in the first place, then there is some fun to be had within.

If you've played both TRI and II, then there isn't really a lot more on offer here that will dazzle your eyes. The India, Antarctic, and Pacific Island levels present very little that hasn't been seen before, though London and Nevada do have some nice twists and interesting challenges. It is perhaps best thought of as a mission pack for TRII, but with much nicer graphics.

In the tradition of Eidos' budget releases of the Tomb Raider series, TRIII comes with five brand new levels, picking up where the previous story left off. Although shadowed by the recent "Last Revelation", for fifteen quid this is a good bundle, well worth a play if you never have before.

81%

Review 2:
Blade Runner
EA Classics

It was to be the game to revolutionise the adventure. It was to be the turning point of the genre. Gone would be the "click the eraser on the gerbil to open the blue door", gone would be the 2D locations and appalling acting. Blade Runner was the way forward for adventure gaming.

Uh, something seems to have gone wrong then.

Blade Runner promises more than it can deliver, but when you promise the world, delivering a few continents instead is still more than enough. The incredibly crafted cityscapes, loyally recreated from those in the movie, provide an exceptional backing for the tale of McCoy, a Blade Runner, investigating a series of crimes seemingly involving Replicants.

The most exciting aspect of BR is that each character in the game exists separately of your interactions with them. This means that you could bump into them at any location that they choose to visit. It also means that events can happen while you are somewhere else. For instance, you could arrive at the scene of an explosion and discover a dead body, but had you visited earlier, you could have rescued said person before the bomb went off.

Such complex dexterity was always going to be a hard one to pull off, and Blade Runner gets half way there. The random nature of characters can lead to frustration, and sometimes dead ends. But the ability to revolutionise the direction of the game by the decisions you make is a remarkable feat, making "half way there" a damn site further than any other adventure has reached.

90%

Review 3:
Alpha Centauri Classic
EA Classic
Price: TBA

My goodness, is it really a year already? A YEAR? A whole year since the battle of the Civ II sequels raged within the hallowed pages of PC Gamer. In fact it was March '99 when we saw Civ: Call To Power aim its cannons at Alpha Centauri's laboratories. Time passing so quickly can only be attributed to the speed at which an evening can be chewed up and spat out by Civilization and its various siblings.

Any who have played the games will know how you can sit down at the computer for "just twenty minutes" before getting on with "it", and then wake the following morning with the impression of the numpad perfectly replicated in reverse on your face.

Alpha Centauri is Sid's own "sequel" to Civ II (probably one of the greatest games ever in the history of time), but the first of the series not to take place in the history of time. Fnarrrrr.

Firaxis' take on things starts you where Civ II should have finished, had you not kept going back a thousand years just to try to beat the Aztecs to building that thing this time. On Alpha Centauri you take control of one of the seven ethical, economic or religious factions, and then do the Civ thing.

Although narrowly losing to Civ: CTP, Alpha Centauri is an exceptional and engrossing monster of a game, and first to win the race to the Land of Budget.

91%

Review 4:
3D Pets 1
Sold Out
Price: £5

The Japanese may be the most innovative nation upon the earth. They may be responsible for all the most useful gadgets and gizmos that we like to play with. But they are also responsible for the birth of the virtual pet. It seems reason enough to start a war. Who's with me?

It all began with those repulsive little Tamagotchi things. Children, and the child-like, across the world could be seen fiddling with stupid little plastic blobs, proclaiming that they "have to, otherwise it will die". A poor argument indeed. Then came (I hope you can detect the bile in my voice) the Furby. Bastard little things. It's a cuddly toy, but one that demands your attention and talks rubbish to you all day. That's what Kieron's for.

So of course their had to be PC equivalents (Not of Kieron, of the virtual pets. A PC version of Kieron would never get passed the BBFC). There are a few out there, each as annoying as the last. This one is being hawked by Sold Out for a fiver, and comes with not one, but two little animals for you to throw pretend balls for, to give pretend food to, to have a pretend life with.

Splat The Cat, and PC Pup will distract you for five minutes, until it suddenly occurs to you that cleaning up dog piss from the carpet is not the stuff that games are made of. Good grief.

40%

Review 5:
Need For Speed 3
EA Classics
Price: TBA

I think now is the time to reveal my exclusive new idea that will revolutionise the gaming industry. It's called Traffic Warden 2000. You play Martin Cress, new recruit to Swindon's branch, where you must work your way up the ranks, eventually becoming Chief Traffic Warden of the Swindon District. Using an enhanced version of the Quake III engine, you must walk the streets, ticketing any illegally parked cars, and avoiding angry words from the parents of school children. Expect it on your shelves later this year.

But in the meantime, you may want to consider Need For Speed 3. The third (no, really) in the series from EA, this version includes the new "Hot Pursuit" feature, that really is the main selling point.

Instead of just the usual array of tracks and cars, races and competitions, and all the rest that you expect to get from your average racer, NFS3 allows you to done the grubby jumper of a car thief, and pit your driving wits against the police. You must complete courses with no more than two tickets from the coppers, using your on-board radio to listen for police communication, in order to avoid roadblocks and the like.

What has this to do with your brilliant idea at the top though, you ask. Well, in NFS3, you can also play as the police, stopping all those naughty speeders, and writing them out a ticket for their crimes. A dream come true for every gamer I'm sure.

77%

And The Rest:
There's yet another crop out from Sold Out this month. All the following for a mere five pounds. Or half a pint if you're from the South. Broken Sword 2 (80%) is a good quality adventure, set in various locations around the world. It's a little frustrating in places, falling into the usual trap of mad puzzles, and lengthy dialogue, but is over all a satisfying play. Championship Manager 2: Euro Leagues (??%) is obviously out of date, the majority of the players involved are either playing in England now, or advertising shampoo.

Worms, and Worms Reinforcements (60%) are both out separately are both older than this magazine, which probably says a lot. They are as fun now as they were then, but there are prettier, more recent versions out on budget already.

As well as the others on the left, this little lot are due out from EA Classics. The scamps haven't thought up a price yet, so you'll have to guess. (But shops won't except guessed amounts for price matches - Watchdog) Sim City 2000 (SE) (85%) is incredibly old, and has been on budget over four hundred times already, but despite it sagging graphically, it's still a blindingly good game.