Dune 2

Title           Dune 2
Publisher       Westwood
Game Type       Management Sim
Players         1
HD Installable  Yes
Compatibility   All Amigas
Submission      angus@angusm.demon.co.uk

Review
Firstly, for those of you who don`t know, Dune is an epic SF story by Frank
Herbert, that has been made into a film, and has spawned several follow up
books. It is a signifigant work, and you can prove this by checking the
amount of SF books that try to compare themselves to it; �"Not since Dune
has such an engrossing work been written"� etc. etc.
The basic story is of a Duke and his House who are forced by events to
take over control of the planet Arrakis (or Dune as it also known) The
planet is a worthless desert of a world, save only for one thing: It is the
only place in the galaxy where the drug that enables navigators to travel
through hyperspace exists. This drug is valuable beyond price. The spice is
actually produced by giant sandworms, hundreds of meters long.
Okay, back to the game. Dune II allows you to choose between three houses
to serve under. They each have their own strengths and will develop
different equipment. After choosing your House, you are presented with a
top down display of the desert, showing your workshop, your men and
vehicles, and the immediate area. Outside of this area there is only
blackness, but this is swept away as your units explore further afield.
Your workshop enables you to build all sorts of useful things; one of the
first you'll need is a spice refinery which is your only means of revenue.
As you earn more money you'll be able to strengthen your base, and buy
better vehicles and troops. This is a jolly good thing too, because in
Dune II you will be going to war. Most of the missions are aboout purging
one house or another from an area of land, and as you progress through the
missions, you'll get more advanced kit, and better means of supply.
If you look at any of the Command and Conquer games, you'll know that it
started with Dune II. Okay, the graphics have had a facelift, but very
little else has changed. Westwood tapped a rich vein and have stuck with
it. The graphics are a little basic by today's standards, although the
music is spot on. It's an extremely compulsive game and unless this sort
of thing doesn't appeal at all, you should definitely have it in your
collection.

Alphabetical list.