Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required
Company: Humongous Entertainment
Estimated Price: $24.99
http://www.humongous.com
Age Group: 5 -10

Another exciting adventure is in store for Spy Fox fans. Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required, is here and Spy Fox is in need of help to save the world from S.M.E.L.L.Y. There are some old familiar characters and a few new ones!

Moving about in this game couldn't be simpler. Command keys are used to navigate the program, but what child (or parent for that matter) wants to spend valuable playing time remembering keys? OK, problem solved. Move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and there appears the "Spy Watch." Clicking on it will allow you to quit, save, or load and receive messages from Command Central. On the left side of the screen there are several other icons. These are items that Spy Fox has "up his sleeve." These are items that you have to collect throughout the game (you can hold up to four gadgets) and his note book.

As with all the other Humongous games, there are arrows to help guide you on your journey. There's a small hollow arrow that means there is nothing there to be activated. A small solid arrow means 'click on me for a surprise!' And the large arrows means you can move in that direction. When you arrive at the Command Center, Professor Quack (he invents all the gadgets) will explain the gadgets to you and how to get them. You will also meet the lovely Ms. Monkey Penny. Remember, click on everything!

Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required has so many adventures inside that it would take me all day just to begin to tell you about them. So let me choose just one and take you through the adventure with me. I will do the very beginning so as not to give away too many "secrets." My first gadget that I receive is a pair of dehydrated skis in capsule form. I am then immediately chased by the men of the Evil LaRoache. Dropping capsule in water, I escape on the skis to begin my adventure. I am first faced with choices of which way to ski; after an exciting run downhill, I fly off a ramp and into a plane that happens to be "going my way." Inside I talk with Mr. Big and begin my assignment. This is where the real adventure begins.

There is an old-fashioned arcade game within Spy Fox. The object of the game is to shoot as many robot ships and asteroids as you can. You can use a variation of controls: mouse, computer joy stick, or your keyboard. The graphics are easy to follow and the screen is easy to understand. Your current weapons are displayed on the left side of your screen with colored lights to indicate power. These colors correspond with colors on the screen that you need to collect. Collecting these colors give that weapon more power. Scores are located on the upper right side of the screen. You complete each level to gain bonus points. If you do not complete the level you lose all of your bonus points. There are twelve levels. The levels get harder as you progress towards the twelfth level. It's really fun! I find it to be a child-level version of one of my favorite old games, Asteroid.

What you get
Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required comes with a CD-ROM, Humongous Stickers, a Junior Activity Guide, and when you register you are entered to win a complete Humongous Library! AND that isn't all! For the parents there's a mail- in rebate for $5.00. Not only do you get a rebate, but this automatically enters you in a contest to win a trip to the World Expo 2000!

Requirements and Installation
Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required requires Mac OS 7.5.3 or greater, a PowerPC (90MHz recommended), 16 MB RAM, and at least a 4x-speed CD-ROM drive. There is no installation. At the first launch of the program it will check to make sure that your video and CD speed is up to requirements. (It's a dual platform CD-ROM, which mean the disc can be used with Windows98/95 and a Pentium PC.)

Summary
And they said it couldn't be done! Humongous has been able to produce another Spy Fox adventure to give your child hours of educational fun. Your mission is, if you choose to accept it, to stop the sinister and evil LaRoache's plan to unleash a 1100 foot DogBot to help him to take over the world. How can we do this? There is an off switch to the DogBot. The problem is, LaRoach has hidden it somewhere at the World's Fair and we must find it before it is too late! You must collect as many objects along the way to get you to the final end: the deactivation of the DogBot and the capture of LaRoache.

Spy Fox is a mixture of 007 and Maxwell Smart rolled into one!

I found this game to be challenging and fun. Although I had the "cheat sheet," I didn't peek at it because I wanted to be able to tell you that it's fun and easy to learn. I hate to play games that I get so frustrated at that they lay on the shelf forever. This, however, is not one of those. I would recommend that you take time to sit and watch (or even play) this with your child.

I would highly recommend this program to all of you with children between the ages of 5 to 10. The graphics, games, and the adventure can hold the attention of both a boy or a girl. There is also an added feature with this game: you can add to the Spy Fox adventures, just by visiting, http://www.humongous.com/channels/channel_spyfox.asp I have been there and I found that there are all kind of exciting things happening there for your child. For example, you can build your own Spy Fox secret agent to foil LeRoach's evil Plans, and/or you can download the new Spy Fox screen saver and coloring pages.

This game can be found in the IBM section at Electronics Boutique. But the reason I mention them is that the good people at Electronics Boutique have taken the time to make finding these games easy for us Mac users. On the box of each dual platform program they've placed a sticker stating, "ALSO FOR MAC OS!" Well done, Electronics Boutique! Your intelligent salesmanship means you'll be getting the cash sales your competition misses.

MacMice Rating: 4

Lyn Price
lyn@mymac.com