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Reviews
Selected for the magazine's 101 Free Games ("the best of the
best")
A
collection of puzzle-based board games, this shareware package
is the perfect thing to run in a window that you can easily minimize
should your pinhead boss wander by.
-- Computer Gaming World (December 2003 - pg. 102)
Hot
Pick of the Day
The World Village, September 2, 2002
"if
you do like chess, Nine Men's Morris, or Shogi, then you are in
board gaming heaven."
An online
review by Gamer's Pulse (where Zillions of Games received
the Editor's Choice Award)
Those
who have ever enjoyed a game of checkers, chess, reversi, or most
any other classic-style board game can now rejoice at the arrival
of Zillions of Games.
-- Gamer's Pulse, July 2002
"Zillions
of Games represents one of the greatest computer game bargains of
all time..."
A
review in PC
Today: Notebooks, Shareware, Internet Service Providers
It
comes with nearly 300 board, logic, and puzzle games, but that’s
just the beginning. Since the game’s adaptive AI “learns” rules
that are created for it, it is possible to easily add new games
to Zillions. More than 100 user-created games are already available,
and more are released every month. There’s something for everyone
in this package.
-- PC Today & Smart Computing (March 2001 - Volume 9, issue
3, pg. 95)
An
online
review in German by
the German magazine,
Computerschach und Spiele,
dated September, 2000.
"Highly
recommended."
An online
review by kickstartnews.com
Board
games? Not murder-death-kill? Go-Moku, Chinese Checkers and complex
puzzles? Not First Person Shooters? No! Board games. Good ones.
Nice graphics. Online play. Lianne likes this sort of thing and
the new version from Zillions does not disappoint. -- kickstartnews.com,
by Lianne Reitter
"Zillions
of Games is a great collection..."
An archived
online review by ZDNet (where Zillions received 5 out of
5 stars)
The suite includes 48 basic games, with variants on each so that
you may be getting close to zillions of choices. -- ZDNet, February
2001
Selected
for the THE ELECTRONIC GAMES 100
Zillions
is neither an anthology of shareware nor a collection of familiar
chestnuts; what it *is* is an entirely new system for playing
and creating an astonishing array of abstract board and puzzle
games.
-- GAMES Magazine, December
2000 (pg
55), Thomas L. McDonald
Reviewed
in Personal Computer Magazine (Dutch)
While
the article is in Dutch (the scanned page can be viewed HERE),
here is an approximate translation:
Zillions-of-Games
is a must for the lovers of boardgames. Chess fanatics will be
very charmed by the many predecessors, and variants of the game
as they can be found in Zillions, and inventors of games will
fall directly in love with the ease with which you can develop
something new yourself.
-- Personal Computer Magazine, May 2000 Issue
"Zillions
is a truly remarkable piece of software..."
A review by GAMES Magazine
Zillions
is a truly remarkable piece of software for the board game and
puzzle enthusiast. No collection of classic games has ever approached
its sheer scope, quality, and flexibility. Zillions is neither
an anthology of shareware, nor a collection of familiar chestnuts.
It is an entirely new system for playing and creating an astonishing
array of abstract board and puzzle games... It is truly an embarrassment
of riches, particularly for fans of relatively obscure games and
variants. At least 58 chess variants are included (Shogi alone
is worth the cost of the software), as well as Reversi (22 versions),
Tafl (9), Alquerque (4), Checkers (5), Morris (11), Go-Moku (8),
dozens of solitaire and logic puzzles, and more! It's as though
someone took R.C. Bell's books on the history of board games and
made a computer game out of them.
-- GAMES Magazine, by T. Liam McDonald, May 2000
"And
The Bang For Your Buck Award Goes To..."
You're
tired. Your investments have tanked. Quicken just informed you
that your entertainment budget for the year is $20. What do you
do? Buy Zillions-of-Games. It's
a strategy-game engine that has the ability to immediately know
how to play a game once the rules are established. Tell it that
you want all pawns to move like bishops in chess, and it'll immediately
come up with tactical plans using those rules that will crush
most opponents. Think of it as the Folgers Crystals of AI: Add
rules, stir, and you have a fully-caffeinated opponent that at
least reminds you of the real thing. Minds sharper than mine create
new games for this engine all the time, from slide puzzles to
mind-bending chess variants. It's also easy to find new graphics
for existing games, like Western-style Shogi pieces. If you like
abstract strategy games and don't have the brainpower of Deep
Blue, Zillions-of-Games and its brainiac fan base will render
time meaningless.
-- Inside Gaming, by T. Byrl Baker - Computer
Gaming World Magazine (April 2000 issue, pg 122)
"Bottom-line:
All ages and genders will have countless hours of fun with this
winner."
An
online review by SuperKids Educational Software Review
Our
parents editor wrote that, "Zillions of Games is one of those
delightful staples every parent should have on their home computer."
No faint praise, given the number of programs SuperKids' editors
see! "...Zillions of Games was rather addictive." The
presentation venue is colorful and appealing. ...Although Zillions
of Games does not have the gimmicky superficial hooks and fluff
many children-oriented software programs hypnotize kids with today,
once cajoled into exploring its countless offerings, all our young
testers were hooked.
-- SuperKids.com
How
does it stack against Harry Potter? Zillions rates the highest
score given in every category.
Zillions
in Maximum PC...
"...Zillions
is based upon a rich custom rules language that enables anyone
with rudimentary HTML skills to code their own boards and game
rules. It's really a sharp little title, particularly for laptops.
Check it out..."
-- "Game Theory" Maximum
PC Magazine, March 2000 (vol 5, issue 3, pg 35), (T. Liam
McDonald)
In
March 2000, there was a detailed review put up by a Russian
web magazine (in Russian). You can read it HERE.
Winner
of GameDepot.com's "Must Download" Award
An online
review by GameDemo.com and GameBites.com (where Zillions
received a "Must Download" award)
Here
is an example of how a game can be low in '3D Graphics' but high
in fun. Game Depot awards 'Zillions of Games' our 'Must Download'
Award because of it's combination of games, clean interface and
the FUN to Files Size Ratio.
-- GameDemo.com, February 2000 (Kevin Carney)
"Definitely
a must-have for all puzzle / board game afficionados"
An online
mini-review by Home of the Underdogs (where Zillions received
a Top Dog "shouldn't be missed" rating).
Touted
as the world's 'first infinitely-expandable board gaming system,'
Zillions of Games actually lives up to its lofty claim.
-- Home Of The Underdogs, February 2000
"This
game is far better than any Windows-type game compilation CD-Rom
I've seen yet!"
An online
review by GameGirlz
I'd
rate this game an 8.5 out of 10. Its good gaming fun for everyone
and this isn't a game you'll play through and toss into a pile,
simply because you'll have so many new things to add to it (for
free!). This game is far better than any Windows-type game compilation
CD-Rom I've seen yet! Its a perfect game for your home computer,
and it would make a great gift for family and friends who use
a computer. With 292 games to start with, then additional free
downloads... it really adds a very high re-playability factor
to the game, and makes it well worth the money to buy it!
-- GameGirlz.com, January 2000 (Vangie "Aurora" Beal)
"If
you like classic board games, this is Zen."
A review by Games Weekly Magazine (where Zillions received an 8.4/10
overall rating)
A
good board game system with a theoretically endless amount of
games with quite a lot of games and variations already (sic) to
hold you off until it reaches the "Zillions" limit.
-- Games Weekly Magazine, January 2000
London
Calling: Zillions in The Observer...
"The
engine...contains various generic routines for calculation that
enable it, once given the rules, to play most board games -- and
play them frighteningly well."
-- The Observer, December 26, 1999 (GM Jon Speelman -- former
British chess champion and World Championship semi-finalist)
"This
is a great game for that person that can't make up their mind on
what to play."
An online mini-review by Tucows (where Zillions received a 5 Cow
rating)
Would
you like games? Here's the one for you all wrapped up in one package.
Play over 48 games with the demo! Over 300, with the option to
build your own games, in the full version. This is a great game
for that person that can't make up their mind on what to play.
You have the option to play games such as; Reversi, Checkers,
Cylindrical Chess, Blobs, Vertical Tic-Tac-Toe, Mini-Go, Chinese
Chess, Dodgem, Jungle, and many others!
-- Tucows, December 1999
"Zillions
is probably the most surprising CD, and I do mean pleasant, to grace
this reviewers desk this year..."
A review by Serious Gamers
Sound familiar, another bunch of simple games with no imagination,
AI and no skill needed. Wrong! Zillions is probably the most surprising
CD, and I do mean pleasant, to grace this reviewers desk this
year. A multitude of games, skillful AI and addicting play are
a few of the characteristics of Zillions that should make it a
hit with classic games lovers and with the casual gaming public.
-- Serious Gamers, December 1999 (Terry Peters)
"I
would certainly buy and recommend this software to anyone."
An online
review by Kids Domain
I
thought that the variety of games was wonderful. The games were
very colorful and eye appealing, and there is definitely something
for everybody on this CD. ...I would certainly buy and recommend
this software to anyone. It provides hours of fun and challenges!
-- Kids Domain, April 1999 (Rose Barbour)
"If
you like board games and card games, youll love this diverse
collection."
A
mini-review
by FamilyEducation.com, May 2000 (Tom Nelson, Mary OConnor)
"'Zillions
of games in one, low system requirements, and online play? Sounds
like our kind of game..."
A review by MeccaWorld
--
The Games Database, December 1999 (Malcolm Michaels)
"...this
is the nearest you're going to get to paradise."
A review
by CHESS (the biggest selling chess magazine in Great Britain)
Don't
call us for the next couple of years please.We are glued to our
pc's... We have just acquired Zillions of Games. If you're into
chess variants, and we are, this is the nearest you're going to
get to paradise. ...Wow!
-- CHESS Magazine, Addict's Corner, April 1999 (Mike Fox)
"A
zillion games for 33 bucks? Well, yes."
A review
by CompuNotes (now Kickstartnews.com)
"As
if the fun you'll have playing over 300 games that don't crash
your computer and don't empty your wallet isn't enough, Zillions
is also educational, with a brief history and background of every
game, not to mention exercising and pumping up your brain through
the use of logic, strategy, clarity of thought and memory."
-- CompuNotes #146, March 26, 1999 (Bruce Darken)
"This
is really cool!"
A review
by Future Games Network
...young
and old alike will be absolutely astounded at the sheer number
of games available with this title. Zillions of Games presents
a UI that is easy to understand and use right out of the box.
...If you enjoy strategy games (read chess, checkers, and son
on), then you are in for a treat with this game collection. ...Zillions
of Games will definitely entertain you for many hours.
-- Future Games Network (Ed Hurta)
Rated
"Outrageous"!
An online
mini-review by RocketDownload.com
While
this program doesn't exactly feature zillions of games, it comes
closer to that number than virtually any other download.
-- Rocket Download (Nick Smith)
"This
software seems to be the ultimate answer to our wishes."
A review
in "Variant Chess", the journal of the British Chess Variants
Society.
"This
sounds like a dream, but it actually works. ...the achievement
of this "universal gaming engine", as the authors call
it, is undoubtedly a much closer step towards artificial intelligence
than the widely publicized Deep Blue win against the world chess
champion."
-- Variant Chess, Spring 1999 ,Vol. 4, Issue 31 (Fabrice Liardet)
"Wholeheartedly
recommended!"
A review
on the Chess Variants pages by Hans Bodlaender. Also on this
site is a review
of Grand Chess, a single-game (chess variant) product produced
with our Zillions technology.
"Zillions
of Games is a program that I really enjoy and value. It is great
in use, and brings so many possibilities for playing all kinds
of strange or not-so-strange chess variants... Wholehaearedly
recommended!"
-- Chess Variant Pages, Feb. 3, 1999 (Hans Bodlaender)
"I
highly recommend this game."
A online
review by Dan Becker.
"Zillions
of Games is Great! The computer program is great, as is the concept
of providing an engine for creating, implementing, and playing
games. Not only is it a great game player, it also provides many
hours of enjoyment implementing new games and variations!"
-- Dan Becker, correspondence April 4, 1999
From
our Users
"I
give it a big thumbs up"
Posts and threads on the Internet
newsgroups
"This
is honestly the best collection of Board games the internet has
to offer ...three thumbs up..."
"all the 'board games' are fantastic"
User review postings from winsite.com, Jan/Feb 2001
"You have a definite winner on your hands as far as I am
concerned."
Zillions
is the first product that I have seen that really addresses the
needs of a true strategic gamer. For myself, well over 50% of
the pleasure of gaming comes from the creation and testing of
new game ideas and/or variants of existing games. The Zillions
system allows free reign over all aspects of strategy game creation,
while removing the drudgery of coding in a standard programming
language like C/C++, Pascal/Delphi or Visual Basic. I am also
sure that it will encourage the free interchange of ideas for
games between talented gamers who haven't spent years "at the
programming keyboard". Thank
you so much for such a really splendid product at such a reasonable
price. You have a definite winner on your hands as far as I am
concerned.
David Gwillim
Programmer/Analyst and Ardent Strategy Gamer (E-mail comment:
April 2000)
Newsworthy
A
Zillions Games in One
Press coverage from Wired
(also carried by newspapers like The
Boston Globe)
(Japanese)
First
Universal Board Game program released
Press coverage from PC
Game World
New
Software Learns How To Play Chess On The Spot
Press release reported by InternetWire
"Zillions
of Games" Demo Allows Board Games Enthusiasts to Play 48 Games
- FREE!
Press release reported by Yahoo!
News (Dec. 14/99)
If you know
of a review on another site/magazine, please let us know! |