Nightmare
Roadshow Home Video
Video Board Game • No Solitaire
Low Complexity • 3-6 Players

Not since Trivial Pursuit has a game drawn so much attention from the mainstream media as Nightmare.

This game was first introduced in Australia in 1991, where there alone first year sales reached an unprecedented $4.5 million.

In eighteen months, over a million copies were sold in seventeen countries and seven languages. With traditional board games turning over a mere 5,000 to 20,000 units their first year. Nightmare is a definite success story.

Nightmare is a unique combination of video cassette and board game, creating interactive television. All you need is a VHS video cassette recorder and you are ready to play. Included in the Nightmare game are a sixty minute VHS cassette, a graveyard game board, 256 Time, Fate and Chance cards, thirty-six Keys, ten Nightmare cards, six molded tombstone playing pieces, six numbered discs, a drawstring bag, dice, a pencil, rules and a coin.

Once you press the play button, you are not allowed to stop, pause or rewind the tape.

The object of the game is to stop the tape before the hour is up. But before you can stop the tape, you must collect all six of your character's keys and then make your way to the center of Nightmare Square. Once you have arrived on the Nightmare Square, you must draw a Nightmare card and face what might be your greatest fear.

Nightmare has something of a cult following in Australia. Popular nightclubs host "Nightmare" dance parties and a song inspired by the game soared to number one. The enormous international success of Nightmare led to the creation of several sequels. Each sequel comes with a new VHS tape and cards, allowing owners of the original game to use the same board and components. Watch out - there are even rumors that a Nightmare movie is in the works.

Most board games can expect a successful run of three to five years before the hype begins to diminish. After three years, Nightmare is still going strong and is poised to begin breaking records. Other companies, including TSR, have already taken notice of interactive video board games so expect to see more of them hit the shelves.

I was a little skeptical when I pulled this game out of the box. I've seen video interactive games before, and was never impressed. Nightmare, however, is a great party game.

The Gamekeeper character is hilarious as he insults, teases and taunts the players. At one moment in the game the Gamekeeper asks a player what his middle name is. When the player answers the Gamekeeper laughs and says, "That is a funny name you little maggot!"

Whenever the Gamekeeper appears on the screen and calls out a player's number, the player is required to yell, "Yes, Gamemaster!" If the player isn't fast enough in responding, he is banished to the black hole. It is the resulting yelling and interaction with the television character that makes Nightmare such great fun.

Unlike many video board game combination, Nightmare uses a unique card system that ensures each game plays differently. The Gamekeeper becomes a moderator and players concentrate on playing the board game, pausing only when their host appears on the screen and following any directions he might have.

If you are looking for a great party game that is easy to play and big on laughs, buy this game.

Joe Harper

Brilliant Lances
GDW
Starship Combat • No Solitaire
Average Complexity • 2+ Players

"... space is vast, and the distances which must be defended are so large that the passage of light itself is measured in seconds. At these distances, opposing ships are invisible to each other; an entire planet appears only the size of a thumbnail.... Like ancient jousting knights, the warships of the 57th Century seek to serve the crucial first hit that will put the enemy at a decisive disadvantage. To do this, they send powerful bolts of pure energy - relativistic particles and bundles of coherent photons - sizzling into the vast darkness These bolts, silent but blindingly bright, strike the enemy hulls with mathematically perfect violence, piercing and rending them like brilliant lances."

The above passage is from the introduction to the Brilliant Lances rulebook and best describes what this game is all about. Brilliant Lances is GDW's new starship combat game, designed to be played alone or in conjunction with Traveller: The New Era.

Brilliant Lances is a boxed game and includes two rule booklets, three 22" x 31" maps, two sheets of die-cut cardboard game counters, two two-sided reference cards, a pad of forms to be used in the game, two six-sided dice, and twenty-sided die.

The first rulebook, appropriately entitled Rules of Play, is a thirty-two page book which presents the necessary rules to play the game, as well as several scenarios. The other booklet, The Technical Booklet, contains rules that players can use to design their own starships. These are the same rules that were used to create the starship designs for Brilliant Lances and other Traveller: The New Era products. The back of The Technical Booklet lists the ship data profiles for all of the ships used in Brilliant Lances, providing ship statistics and ratings.

The three maps have a star background which portray deep space and are over printed with a hexagonal grid which is used to measure distance and movement. Each hex represents 30,000 kilometers or 1/10 of a light-second.

The ship counters included with the game do not have any statistic or game values printed on them - you will find only an ID number which is used to identify the ship during play. The lack of stats on the counters is due to the fact that Brilliant Lances is basically a miniatures game. Devoted players, no doubt, will want to dispense with the counters and purchase the new line of Traveller: New Era miniatures that will soon be available from RAFM.

Combat data and statistics for individual ships are recorded ad tacked on separate data profile/control panel sheets.

GDW has done an admirable job of presenting a very detailed combat system without it becoming an exercise in cumbersome rules. The control panel sheets are brilliantly (no pun intended) organized, making for smoother record keeping and play.

These rules cover a broad spectrum including such topics as gravity, sensor drones, boarding parties, surprise, damage control, and full integration into Traveller: The New Era.

I highly recommend this game, regardless of if you are a simple miniatures buff or an avid Traveller fan.

B.A. Felton

Superchess
Green Island Games
Strategy • No Solitaire
Low Complexity • 2-4 Players

There have been numerous attempts over the years to develop a chess derivative in which more than two players can match wits. The problem is that they have attempted to use a standard chess board. The resulting games were an exercise in colliding Pawns and board congestion. Finally, someone has taken a unique approach to the problem, and come up with a very playable and enjoyable twist on an old game.

The designers of Superchess, wisely left the basic game mechanics of chess alone. Veteran chess players won't have to learn any new pieces or movement connections. The most obvious difference is the bizarre board which is laid out in a diamond configuration.

Another big change from standard chess is the setup of the pieces which resembles a wing formation rather than the conventional linear front.

The game is played with partners. The light-colored forces (white and tan pieces) confront the dark-colored forces (black and brown). Partners sit across from one another. The first side to checkmate both opposing Kings wins the game.

Superchess has unlimited possibilities and comes with a twenty-page booklet of basic and variant rules. These include two, three and four player games. You'll also get a large vinyl board and four sets of chess figures.

If you love chess, then it's a given that you will fall in love with Superchess. There are also rumors that Green Island Games is working on Superchess II which features a larger playing area, allowing Queens and Bishops greater latitude.

One thing that I discovered by playing Superchess is that it helped me to become better at conventional chess. With more opponents to contend with, as well as a wider range of movement options, Superchess forces players to think and abandon old strategies.

You can get a copy of Superchess at your local game store. If they don't carry it, you can order direct from World Superchess Headquarters, Green Island Games, PO Box 17450, Seattle WA 98107. The $28.95 price includes postage and handling.

You can also order the rulebook separately for $2.95 if you'd like to read up on the game in greater detail before ordering.

Scott Johnson