The sequel to the original NetWars, Advanced NetWars is a late nineties release by Caldera, created only for the DOS format. It is a fairly straightforward first person shooter with some simulation elements. It features a nice science fictions theme and has a very futuristic feel to it.
Like the original, Advanced NetWars puts the gamer inside the cockpit of a standard space fighter. Sent to the far reaches of the galaxy, the shooter needs to use his wits, reflexes and massive arsenal to blast his enemies and stay alive.
The gamer has plasma guns, missiles and turbo boosters available to help bring down enemy fighters. The user will also find him or herself relying heavily on the three-dimensional radar screen within the ship’s cockpit. This useful tool will tell the gamer his relative position and will also indicate how far above or below the ship the enemy fighter ships are located.
Caldera has basically upgraded the original game from Novell that was bundled with its Person NetWare Program and given out as freeware. This latest installment features much better graphics and more superior game play. Six players have the capabilities of simultaneous play in the newer version. With one AI controlled player for each user, the total number of ships in a single game was
upgraded to twelve (although they can be disabled using an icon in the options menu). The multiplayer mode also features an extremely exciting and challenging “Shoot Out” mode, where all the users begin the game at the same time, and play until there is only one ship left standing. There is no joining in the middle of the game, or rejoining if the ship is crashed. It is a very fun and fair mode of play. Advanced NetWars adds a shape editor, so the users can design their own ships. The players can access external views of the ships they create (or standard ships) at any time during the game play by pressing F1. There are also graphic and sound card enhancements, as well as joystick support.
In summary, Advanced NetWars is a very straightforward first person science fiction shooter. It features many improvements over its predecessor, most of which come in the form of new additions to the multiplayer format. There were also improvements in technical aspects and overall game play, making it a much more satisfying play than the first NetWars. It comes recommended for fun, high speed addictive play, especially in the multiplayer role.
