MY VIEW
Games: 'AtmosFear — The Gatekeeper'

By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Platform: DVD board game.

Developer/publisher: Pressman Toy Corp.

Number of players: 3 to 6.

Rating: Ages 12 and older.

Availability/price: Amazon.com, $39.99.

Gameplay: In this interactive DVD board game, you have 49 minutes to race around the board and collect six different colored keys. As you play, the Gatekeeper will periodically interrupt the game to prevent you from winning while verbally abusing the players. It's done in campy style, all in fun.

If you don't answer the Gatekeeper correctly, fail his tests, or are in the wrong place at the wrong time, he will banish you or make you return your keys. Time and Fate cards, the roll of the dice, and the random disruptions from the Gatekeeper all bring a sense of unpredictability to the game as you make your way to the Well of Fears in the center before the time runs out.

The good/bad: The incorporation of the DVD brings a unique twist to an otherwise average board game in that every game offers a different experience because of the Gatekeeper's random interjections. However, there is not quite enough variety in the Gatekeeper's actions to keep people's interest after multiple playings, and the novelty wears off.

The situations that don't have you rolling the dice were the most interesting, such as having someone do an impersonation of a zombie, or making someone leave the room in order to play a prank on him. And while on the subject of the Gatekeeper — the guy is so unbelievably cheesy and his dialogue is so lame, it's actually funny. If his job was to be humorous, mission accomplished. Hey, it doesn't make a difference that we're laughing at him and not with him.

I initially found it difficult to keep track of what was going on in the game because of the frequent interruptions, and at times we had to improvise our own rules because some of the instructions weren't clear. But the hectic pace actually works well near the end of the game, forcing players to hurry to collect all their keys. With the time dwindling, players would actually put aside their rivalries and work together in order to thwart the annoying Gatekeeper.

My take: A board game like this would be great for a Halloween party or when the group is in the mood for something campy. And although it may try to appear scary, it is definitely not. Is the game appropriate to play with children and the rest of the family? I think so, although the constant insults and verbal abuse from the Gatekeeper may not be something parents would want their young ones to mimic.

While fun in the beginning, the novelty of the DVD grows thin soon after, and what you're left with is a pretty average, overly elaborate board game.

Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Ho-nolulu Advertiser, including Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance, and other games.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Upcoming releases

Playstation 2

• Sept. 20: "Star Wars Battlefront"; "Def Jam Fight For NY"; "NHL 2005"; "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005"
• Sept. 21: "Katamari Damashi"; "Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia Expansion"; "Yu-Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament"; "Headhunter: Redemption"; "Dance Dance Revolution Extreme"; "Mega Man X Command Mission"; "Second Sight"; "Blood Will Tell"; "Red Star"; "Monster Hunter"; "Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Bundle"
• Sept. 22: "X-Men Legends"
• Sept. 27: "Shark Tale"; "Shadow Hearts Covenant"
• Sept. 28: "TriggerMan"; "Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee"; "Rocky Legends"; "Crash: Twinsanity"; "Growlanser: Generations"; "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne"; "Armored Core: Nexus"; "Growlanser: Generations Deluxe Pack"

Gamecube

• Sept. 20: "Def Jam Fight For NY"; "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005"; "NHL 2005"
• Sept. 21: "Mega Man X Command Mission"; "Second Sight"
• Sept. 22: "X-Men Legends"
• Sept. 27: "Shark Tale"; "Donkey Konga"
• Sept. 28: "Intellivision Lives"; "TriggerMan"

Xbox

• Sept. 20: "Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders"; "Star Wars Battlefront"; "Def Jam Fight For NY"; "NHL 2005"; "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005"
• Sept. 21: "Yager"; "Headhunter: Redemption"; "Second Sight"
• Sept. 22: "X-Men Legends"
• Sept. 27: "Shark Tale"
• Sept. 28: "TriggerMan"; "Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee"; "Colin McRae Rally 2005"; "Rocky Legends"; "SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom"; "Crash: Twinsanity"
• Sept. 30: "Dead or Alive Ultimate"

Gameboy Advance

• Sept. 20: "F-Zero: GP Legend"; "Fairly Odd Parents Showdown"
• Sept. 21: "Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force"
• Sept. 22: "Animal Snap"; "Backyard Basketball"
• Sept. 27: "PokÚmon GBA Video: Beach Blankout Blastoise / Young Meowth"; "Pokemon GBA Video: I Choose You / Squirtle Squad"; "Shark Tale"; "Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy"
• Sept. 28: "Archer MacLean's 3D Pool"; "Stadium Games"; "Monster Bass Fishing 2"; "Pinball Tycoon 2"; "A Sound of Thunder"

This list was provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and in the Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com for more information.