Zorro

Zorro is yet another lackluster game by Capstone that wasted the opportunity to leverage a well-known literary figure, in this case the handsome renegade Spanish hero. In this outing, you must help Zorro navigate the California wilderness as he races to stop the evil Don Cortez from discovering an ancient treasure.

The best way to describe the game is probably to call it "Prince of Persia without the finesse": the game clearly was 'inspired' by Jordan Mechner's classic, but it has neither the excellent controls of the Arabian prince, nor the devious level design. Zorro comes equipped with a whip and a sword, but the controls are so irresponsive it's almost impossible to use the sword effectively. You can barely block the enemies, and sometimes even the most simple stabbing requires repeated keystrokes. Fortunately, you can use the whip instead, which is not only more effective than the sword, but also elicit funny responses in the game (for example, you can drop the enemies' pants by whipping them from a distance).

The graphics are drab compared to Prince of Persia, with most of the palette dominated by different shades of brown and black. The CD-ROM includes clips from the Zorro movie, but they are quite grainy and not quite related to the game's plot.

Overall, fans of the masked hero in black will have to wait for a game that truly captures the hero's daring exploits -- this below-average game isn't it. And if you're interested in the film clips, ask your nearest video store instead.

Review By HOTUD