System Requirements CPU 700MHz 128MB RAM 990MB HDD GeForce or ATI 8500 or better Video DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Windows 98, 2000, XP

StoryGeniu$ takes place in the 1800?s and you are a young entrepreneur starting out in a bike factory. With a scientific background you will correspond with the likes of Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Ferdinand Braun etc. With your knowledge and contacts, you will help develop many great inventions and turn the start-up company into a multi-national corporation. Not to mention experiencing history in the making!

Game Play

Geniu$ is an Edutainment game in disguise. My first impression was that it was just another Tycoon game. Then when I started to play it, it had an Age of Empires feel to it?that was until I was being asked various physics questions to solve problems within the factories. The game play is fun and challenging, the physics questions will require whipping out some paper, calculator, and jotting down formulas. Fortunately in the game you subscribe to a science periodical that you can use as a reference when solving a problem. You will still need to know algebra to get through many of the problems.

What will I be asked?

There are five categories that you will be tested in. The categories are Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Optics, Electricity, and Astronomy. Many of the answers (or formulas needed) are found inside the scientific periodicals and correspondence letters, so read them! Some questions are easier than others and the harder ones are worth more points. You will be asked about the aggregate states of water, order of the planets, how to calculate the distance of a storm by timing lightning and it?s impact and much more! If you get a problem wrong it will question your answer the first time, and if it?s wrong again there will be a consequence and your boss Mr. Hoffman?ll scold you.

Graphics

The game movies are low resolution and the quality deteriorates at higher resolutions. The in-game graphics are 3D and look pretty good but they could use some more detail and color.

Sound

The voice acting is pretty good; there are no annoying voices. The background music and sound effects are well done. Sometimes the characters will repeat what they say but that?s more of a glitch than a sound issue.

Bugs/Glitches

This game has a few areas for improvement. This game must have been a German import because I saw some German in the installation and in one of the scientific periodicals there?s a section in German when the rest of the magazine was in English. (Needless to say that I now know the names of the planets in our solar system in German). This game gave an error every time I exited from it. It ran fine during game play though.

Appropriateness

This game is rated E and it?s a pretty clean game but I wanted to mention that in the game intro it flashes a famous Da Vinci drawing of a male with no clothes on. Other than that I have nothing bad to say about the game.

Final Thoughts

I would highly recommend this game for any Physics and strategy game lover. The game play itself is challenging and the physics questions will help you learn or refresh your memory on Physics. I keep loading the game up for more challenges. Be sure to save early and often, or jot down your answers for the next time around, but the problems are random so you never know what you?ll be asked to solve next time!