AirHockey 3D (preview) (PC)

System Requirements Pentium II processor or greater 3D accelerated video card Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP with DirectX 8 or greater installed

As many of you know, air hockey is a high paced classic table game. I personally enjoy it and have to admit that I thought a computer version could not come close to the real deal. But I stand corrected. This game is very fun and quite challenging. Especially when you have to pay attention to 2-3 pucks flying around.

Game Play

There are four game play modes and four difficulty levels (slow, normal, agile, insane). Agile and insane are only available in the full version so I can?t tell you how hard they are. Normal difficulty was pretty challenging though. Here is a breakdown of what?s available and what?s limited in the demo.

Game Modes:

Classic-

Almost like playing the real game! Whoever has the most goals wins.

Arcade-

Same as above except you get multi-goal bonuses and can have multiple pucks!

Tournament-

Think you?re good? Play against the computer as it gradually gets harder. This is the only way to unlock certain tables.

Net Play-

Whoop you?re friends online. Unfortunately this is not available in the evaluation copy so I can?t comment on it.

Graphics

As you guessed by the title this game requires 3D acceleration. The graphics look decent and don?t disappoint. You can adjust the resolution and customize the puck and player sticks (in the full version). From what I?ve sent he background scenery doesn?t change but the playing tables do. The evaluation version shows the classic and high tech tables, I?m curious what the surprise table looks like (again it?s only available in the full version).

Sound

The sound effects are pretty good and sound quire realistic. There is no background music, as that would have made a nice touch.

Appropriateness

A+ here I find nothing offensive with air hockey.

What do you get with the full version?

The full version unlocks all the tournaments and difficulty levels. Most importantly, network play is enabled! You can also customize the pucks and sticks. Finally, your high scores will be saved.

Final thoughts

This game sells for $14.95, which is a fair price. It?s fun and challenging and seems to offer lots of game time, especially with the multiplayer capabilities. Unfortunately I can?t go too in depth since I was only given a evaluation copy to review. But from what I have seen, it seems very promising.