by Fox Interactive
Platform:
Windows 98 / Me / 95, Mac
(21)17 used & new from $1.75
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In Virtual Springfield, the metropolis throbs from the diligent employees at the nuclear plant to the all-night wonders of the Kwik-E-Mart and the eager students of Springfield Elementary. Explore every nook and cranny with over 50 locations. Listen to original cast members such as Phil Hartman, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Pamela Hayden, and more. In addition, view all-new Itchy and Scratchy cartoons at Krustylu Studios, attend the premier of the latest McBain movie at the Aztec theatre, and even channel-surf through Homer's favorite TV shows.
It's finally here. Those fluffy clouds, those rolling hills, those...nuclear cooling towers. Rip through the package faster than Barney sucks up a sixer of Duff, pop in the CD-ROM with the vigor of Homer devouring his morning donut, and discover a disc that would make even Ned Flanders dang-diddly-darn disappointed.
The gist of the CD is to wander around Springfield visiting about a dozen Simpsons sights - such as their church and house. Collect things and play games along the way. Have a good time.
But it's not going to happen. Movement around town is restricted to block by block. See something interesting along the way? Too bad. However, take a nice long pause at every corner, where the game stalls for 10 seconds to load from the disc. Meandering from site to site sometimes requires walking a dozen or more blocks - stopping and loading, stopping and loading.
Granted, once there, the actual places are a little better. The graphics are dead-on, and the jokes are OK. But after the material runs, you're back on the stop-and-go path. As Homer would say, "Lousy no-good rotten disc."
The Last Words:
Mark: This Springfield consists mostly of facades and false fronts. There's no there there.
Judy: I was looking forward to really getting to traipse about Springfield - and have been left on the bus. I am saddened even further by the gravely missed opportunity to create wonderfulness. Shame on you, Fox.
Joe: The 23-page introductory book was hilarious, which made the disc all the less bearable. As a resident of Springfield, Illinois, the reputed home of the Simpsons, I'm having a cow, man.
Rating: 2/4
©1999 MacAddict