really can't help but think of the venerable game,
Minesweeper. Included on virtually every PC in
existence, Minesweeper is a simple but addicting game
that requires a lot of thought and a little patience.
Adam: True, Minesweeper is an addicting game, but its bland interface and lack of exciting features can bore users who have mastered the game. Manic Minefields is a wonderful implementation of Minesweeper that includes loads of bells and whistles to keep even the most experienced players on their toes.
Mike: For those of you not familiar with the game of Minesweeper, here's the game's premise. You are faced with a rectangular grid of squares. Underneath some of these squares are mines, while the other squares are either blank or contain a number. The numbers under each square represent the number of mines that are touching that square. Your job, using critical thinking, reasoning, and a little bit of luck, is to uncover all of the squares that don't contain mines, and to mark, or "flag," all of the squares that do.
Adam: Controlling the game is a cinch! You simply click on a square to uncover it, and use the option key along with a click to flag a square that you think contains a mine. If you are unsure about a certain square, you can turn the question mark option on, and option-click twice to place a question mark on the square.
Mike: This is another example of how a multi-button mouse is intuitive and easier to use! If you don't have one to use with contextual menus, then you should get one to play this game! :-)
Manic Minefields contains a number of playing fields, which gives the game a lot of variety. There are grids that have space-related and alien themes, military themes, dinosaur themes, pirate themes, and more. Plus, each theme does a lot more than just change the background of the playing field—the mines, the symbols and numbers used underneath the squares, and the phrases that Manic Minefields uses in the game are all specific to the type of theme that you have chosen.
Adam: Manic Minefields can easily adjust to any skill level by setting the size of the grid. Using the "size" menu, you can set the grid to small, medium, large, or extra-large sizes. The larger the size, the more mines you have to mark, and thus, the harder the game is to play.
I do, however, have a few complaints. The way information is presented on the screen leaves a lot to be desired. It scrolls slowly, and the font is hard to read. Furthermore, Manic Minefields requires that you have at least 16-bit (thousands) of colors and a PowerPC processor, so you can forget about playing it on that old Performa.
Requirements/Availability
Manic Minefields requires a PowerPC processor and a monitor that can display at least 16-bit (thousands) color.
You can download Manic Minefields from the Addiction Interactive website, at <http://www.addiction.se>, or from download.com, at <http://www.download.com>.
The Summary
Mike: It doesn't take long to become addicted to this type of game, and Manic Minefields does a great job of giving Mac users an addicting version of Minesweeper of their own. If you're a fan of puzzle games or games that require you to use your head, you should definitely give Manic Minefields a try.
Adam: Manic Minefields is a well done game that's worth a look. The game play is smooth and the graphics are beautiful. Overall, it's a well-done game that all Mac gamers should try. Recommended by The Game Guys.
•Mike Wallinga• <mlwall@iname.com>
•Adam Karneboge• <webmaster@mymac.com>
Websites mentioned:
<http://www.addiction.se>
<http://www.download.com>
 
<http://www.outpost.com>
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