Minesweeper. If you have any form of Windows, then you own this game. But when a person sees Minesweeper under the games section of his or her computers applications menu, that person might be prone to ask is this game Christ-friendly before daring to run it. Im here to answer that question with a review that isnt so much meant to advise whether you should buy Minesweeper (since you already have) but whether you can play the game while still adhering to the morals taught by Jesus Christ. Also, I think a computer game review database is incomplete if it doesnt include one of the most widely-owned games of all.

Game play:

Minesweeper is a very simple puzzle game. The player is presented with an array of gray squares. The goal is to find which squares hide deadly bombs which end the game once clicked on. When the player left-clicks a square, and it doesnt house a bomb, a number appears on the square that informs him or her how many adjacent squares are bombs. The player should then be able to deduce which squares are safe to click on and which are dangerous and should be marked with a red flag icon by right-clicking. Once all of the safe squares are discovered the player has won the game. Like most puzzle games, Minesweeper is infinitely repayable. The puzzles are randomly generated, so no two games are alike. There are three difficultly levels plus a custom game option that lets the player personalize the height and width of the puzzle as well as the number of bombs. The single player possibilities are near-endless, but there is no multiplayer built into the game. The only ways multiplayer can be obtained are if two people take turns clicking on the squares or (more commonly) if one person plays while the other looks over his or her shoulder and points out what the player should or should not click on. The controls are pretty good too. Using a mouse is the best way to go, but if your computer has a touch pad then you can use that as well. I wouldnt recommend the touch-pad though, because if your finger slips you might click on the wrong square with deadly consequences. The game benefits from good stability as well. My computer has never crashed due to playing Minesweeper and the frame rate is amazingly consistent. Minesweeper is a masterpiece of logical puzzling. One of its only flaws is that it might get boring after a few hundred games. There are no levels or powerful bosses to defeat, so somebody who is looking for a grand adventure might want to pick up God of War instead. But for those of us who might want to kill a few minutes sweeping mines either during a lecture or at work, this is perfect. Just dont be bringing your laptop to a funeral to play Minesweeper. Its disrespectful. Another issue is the first click of a square at the beginning of a round is a total guessing game since there is no way of knowing which ones are bombs and which are safe.

Graphics:

This game was originally developed in 1981, so the graphics are quite dated. The plain gray field of squares overlooked by a yellow smiley-face isnt the most interesting thing to look at. The bombs look like little black spheres with sticks through them, even though a nuclear warhead might have been a more exciting depiction. There isnt much animation other than the faces smile transforming into a frown if the player loses or suddenly donning sunglasses when the player wins. How cool would it have been if, when the player set off a bomb, the playing field exploded into a burst of color and flames, sending the little gray squares flying across the desktop But no. The only cool graphical effect available is the option to turn the color off, thus turning the gray squares intowell, grayer ones.

Sound:

If the player turns the sound on from the options menu, then two sound-effects are available. One is the clunking of the games timer once play has begun, and the other is a satisfying kraboom! when a bomb goes off. I like the explosion sound, but the timer noise is infuriating. Im giving this a low score for [its two] sounds.

Appropriateness:

Violence (-0) Though the players death might be implied by the setting off of the bomb, any concept of violence is probably to abstract to offend anyone. Concerned parents might notice the little Xs the smiley-faces eyes turn into after a bomb is set off, but they can just tell the kids that the face is sleeping. Language (-0) There is no dialogue in this game, so there isnt any cursing. I havent read the entire help index, but I can only presume it does not contain any profanity. Sexual Content (-0) The yellow smiley-face isnt wearing any clothes, but since it is only a head nothing is exposed. Occult/Supernatural (-0) The player might be presumed to have psychic abilities that allow him or her the ability to supernaturally detect the number of mines touching a given square. Then again, it could be some sort of technology that is giving the player this knowledge. It isnt clear, but matters of the soul never are. Cultural/Moral/Ethical (-0) I cant even think of a joke about this one. Give me a break, its 12:17 AM right now! Wait! Why arent I in bed? In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that a Christian need not worry about the appropriateness issues in this game. Since youve already bought and paid for this game with your computer, not playing it would be economically irrational. Go, play minesweeper. I command it!