PIPE DREAM

 Never have I seen a more blatant case of false advertising! Lucasfilm Games is
the guilty party. Lucasfilm claims the following: "PIPE DREAM is the perfect
desktop stress-buster." Stress-buster, they say? Hah! PIPE DREAM is driving me
nuts!

 An action/strategy tour de force, PIPE DREAM was designed and programmed by
Akila Redmer and Stephan Butler; the IBM-PC version (reviewed here) is by Peter
Lincroft. The object of the game is incredibly simple: to speedily lay a
pipeline that will divert a relentless flood of green sludge ("flooz"). Stay
ahead of the flow, and your score will climb.

 Did I say "simple"? Well, maybe so. But the program generates a random
assortment of pipe shapes, and you must select from what's available. Here's an
example of the problem: That yucky goo is coming straight for you. You need to
direct the sludge to the right, but all you can put down is a straight pipe. At
the same time, you must determine where that straight pipe might come in handy
later and place it there. You hope that the particular pipe you need will appear
next. Fortunately, you can see the first pipe as well as the next several pipes
you'll have to use, but you're scrambling and thinking ahead with every move.

 PIPE DREAM offers three modes of play: basic single-player, expert
single-player, and two-player competitive. Additionally, for arcade klutzes
(like me), there's a practice mode that slows down the flow of sludge. The game
has thirty-six levels, each more advanced than the previous one.

 PIPE DREAM for the IBM PC and 100% compatibles requires 256K and supports CGA,
MCGA, EGA, VGA, Hercules, and Tandy 16-color graphics. CGA looks a bit drab: The
sludge isn't green, it's brown. EGA is the best you can get with this program.
(MCGA, EGA, and VGA all look the same.) With EGA, the graphics are good, and you
can easily see what is going on.

 The sound is what you'd expect from the little IBM speaker. There's no mention
of any sound card support. The game is supplied in both 5-1/4" and 3-1/2"
formats. You can use the keyboard, joystick, or mouse to control movement of the
pipes. Copy protection consists of a code wheel; you must match pipe pieces and
colors on the screen to shapes on your "Pipe Fitters Guide" wheel. The program
installs easily on a hard disk.

 Whether or not this game busts stress, it's certainly a lot of fun. Fans of
TETRIS will also appreciate PIPE DREAM.

 PIPE DREAM is published by Lucasfilm Games and distributed by Electronic Arts.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253