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Fitznik
 This puzzle strategy game is a variation on an old theme. I recall first playing an early EGA version called Sokoban, and it has had an assortment of reincarnations and names since. Of course with this version it's now been well and truly updated in the graphics department as well as having more obstacles to progress, so it's almost evolved into something new and is twice the fun.
If you haven't played any of this type of game before the general idea is to make your way through an obstacle course and collect items or treasures along the way. In Fitznik you need to collect both gems and keys and each game screen has a side bar at the left that indicates how many of each are collectable in that particular game. Once you have collected up all the items a gate then opens to the next level.
Of course, whilst collecting the items and making your way to the gate there are all the obstacles to get through or evade. Instead of pushing around boxes that block your path as in the older games, Fitznik has boulders in the outdoors setting. Keeping in mind that the pathway must be kept clear and that some boulders must stay manoeuvrable, they might have to be pushed into water to make a bridge or used as a barrier to stop snakes spitting and sending you back to square one. The boulders can also trap spiders that have a lethal bite and in this game they have something more deadly than their bite ... they explode if they are tightly trapped. The exploding spiders are very useful because sometimes crucial pathways are blocked and you will need to use them carefully and wisely to open the way.
 Suffice it to say, there's some fun to be had playing this game if you like this sort of challenge. There are about sixty-five games in all and you have access to all of them first off. The first few are simple but don't get too relaxed, you'll have to discard your complacency before too long because they increase in difficulty. Thus far I've come across a couple of games that I swore were impossible until I finally saw the light. A couple of others I've been given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to complete even though I'd missed one gem. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't accept such a peace offering but I wanted to move on and see more games for this review. Fortunately, for fussy players like me who like everything sewn up perfectly, these near perfect games are marked as such. You can easily identify them to go back and get it right next time. There's also a cheat code (perish the thought) to help out if all else fails :-)
Fitznik is keyboard controlled (you move the character, Fitz, around on screen with the arrow keys) and specific keys will restart the game or quit to the menu where can also use the mouse to make selections. The main menu gives access to the game options and also has a link to the Dexterity Website where you can download the demo and purchase the game online.
Copyright © Rosemary Young 2001.
All rights reserved.
System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP or better
DirectX 5.0 or better
Pentium 166mhz or better
32 MB RAM
10 MB hard drive space
DirectX-compatible 16-bit video card (65,000+ colors at 640x480)
DirectX-compatible sound card
Microsoft-compatible mouse
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