Elite Darts

Overview

Elite Darts is a fun and simple game for all generations about (you guessed it) darts. You can select from three different games and choose to play in four different locations. There is not a whole lot to this game, which I found to be an appealing aspect, making it simple to understand and play.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

Try your skills and luck with three types of games, four different boards and locations, play against the computer, over the Internet, network or modem. In Cricket the object is to be the first player to "close" all of the active numbers, 15-20, and bull’s-eye and to have or be tied with the highest score. The ’01 game starts the score with 101, 301, 501, 701 or 901, the object is to be the first player to hit 0 without busting. And then there is Baseball, which is scored based on who has the most runs at the end of nine rounds or "innings." The locations where you can play these games are in the basement over the washing machine, in the Pool Hall, Sports Bar, or English Pub with background sounds and conversations. There are five styles of darts, each with different colors, that you can select during the game. The controls on this game are a plus because they are so simple to use. A transparent arm will appear that can be moved back and forth, side to side, by using your mouse. The arm will hold and release the dart. A meter will appear when you are ready to shoot that indicates how much force is being used as well as the angle in which the dart will be going. With each turn you get three darts. Once you have thrown the dart it will either stick to the board, hopefully supplying you with points or, if you don’t throw hard enough or miss, it will fall to the floor. There is a scoreboard located on either side of the dart board that is clearly marked so you can see how well you and your opponent are doing. All the dart boards are made of different material and so the sound as a dart hits each one will vary.

Graphics

Since most games out there these days have high system requirements and require a 3D card, going back to the simple type of software rendering that almost any system can support is a nice change. It shows that great games can still be made and that fun can be had with these simpler games. The transparent arm is the best feature to this game. The arm does not interfere with viewing the dartboard. The detail of the dartboards allow for easy viewing and are also very realistic. It is easy to forget that you are playing on a computer.

Audio

In a nutshell, the audio is realistic. Along with the graphics, it gives the impression of being at that particular location. The individual sounds such as people talking in the background while you are at the pub or the cars driving by outside while you are playing in the basement makes each location unique. At the sports bar a computer voice tells you which player is currently up and how many points were scored on the last throw. And of course I cannot forget (although sometimes I wish I could) the sound of the darts as they hit the ground because I did not have enough force in the throw.

System Requirements

This game will run on both Windows-based or Macintosh PCs.

Windows 95/98 Minimum: Pentium 75 MHz; 8 MB RAM; 1 MB SVGA; Sound Card; 15 MB free hard drive space

Windows 95/98 Suggested: Pentium 166 MHz; 16 MB RAM; 2 MB SVGA; DirectX compatible sound card; 70 MB free hard drive space

Macintosh Minimum: System 7.x or better; Power PC CPU; 8 MB RAM; Sound Manager 3.0; 15 MB free hard drive space

Macintosh Suggested: System 7.x or better; Power PC CPU; 16 MB RAM; Sound Manager 3.0; 70 MB free hard drive space

Reviewed on: Intel Pentium II 300, 64M SDRAM with a 32X CD-ROM drive, Graphics Blaster 3Dfx Banshee

Documentation

It comes with an easy to read, 27 page manual, with good tips on how to throw the darts and play the various games. You will want to look through it before you play. Once you get the hang of the different games you can put it away and enjoy the game.

Bottom Line

This is one of those games that you can play any time and anywhere, such as a quick game while waiting for your friends to pick you up, while on that boring business call, or even 20,000 feet in the air. This is just like the real thing, a lot of fun and a game for everybody. Sometimes it is hard to see where the dart has landed and how many points were scored, but after playing this game for hours at a time you will adapt to it and figure it out. Overall, I don’t have many gripes about the game other than wanting a larger variety of games.