he truth is out there, and Absolutely X-Files can help fans of the SF series The X-Files find it. X-Philes hitting this fan-created, non-commercial site will find detailed reviews of each episode of the show's first five seasons. Every review includes statistics about the episode, an overview, a rating of 1-10 and a brief personal note. Reviews are submitted from a variety of volunteer contributors who may or may not include nit-picking comments.
There is plenty of Files news and gossip in the news section, which is updated on an occasional basis. This section tracked the behind-the-scenes melodrama of the series' move from Vancouver to Los Angeles and delved into rumors that David Duchovny was leaving the show, and it looks to have more succulent tidbits in the future.
Absolutely X-Files also offers a range of interactive features. The opinions area includes charts ranking each of the episodes from the first four seasons based on votes submitted by visitors. Polling is still open for the fifth season--visitors can vote for their favorite episode, character, story type and the series' "sexiest" star.
Quizzes let visitors test their X-Files knowledge and, in some cases, compete against their fellow fanatics. Those who answer the quizzes--which require a browser capable of handling forms--for the first four seasons can submit their results to the editor. The winners are then placed on the leader board. There's also an "X-Philes poll" that tests people on fifth-season trivia. Finally, there's a JavaScript-driven quiz on the "War of the Coprophages."
The site has merchandise-related links that are currently under construction--only the one to the videos works. A collection of hand-picked links to other X-Philes sites rounds out Absolutely X-Files.
The truth is in interactivity
Fan-driven sites can be an aggravating adventure. On one hand they provide a welcome alternative to the polished, perfect and sometimes boring corporate approach to official sites. On the other hand, they're fan sites. That tends to mean they have a few bits of important information buried in a swamp of bad links, slow-loading pages and typos.
Absolutely X-Files defies that trend. The site loads quickly and features crisp, good-looking graphics. It makes extensive use of frames, which may turn off some visitors, but it always warns people when it's about to spring a new technology on them. The quality of the episode reviews varies depending on the contributor, but on average most are quite good.
What really sets the site apart from the others is its interactivity--something Fox's own X-Files site would be wise to emulate. Die-hard X-Files fans who think they know every twist and nuance of the show's conspiracies and villains will be humbled before the sheer toughness of the site's quizzes, while the polls are just plain fun.
The site does have its faults. Spelling and grammatical mistakes can be found scattered throughout some of the reviews. And some of the forms are a bit buggy; those using Internet Explorer 4.0 with Schedule 97 may encounter problems submitting their polling results. Also, it is impossible to quit the JavaScript quiz once it's been started.
These are only minor problems, though, and they don't detract from the sheer volume of information presented by Absolutely X-Files. It's an impressive accomplishment, and its various interactive components make it more than a one-click wonder.
