he spice must flow. That is the dictum of humankind and the crux of Westwood's game Dune 2000. The Padishah Emperor Fredrick IV--ruler of the known universe (who rules the unknown universe anyway?)--has issued a challenge. Whichever of the three great houses--the noble Atreides, the evil Harkonnen or the powerful Ordos--mines the most spice on the planet Arrakis (a.k.a. Dune) will be granted governership of the planet and therefore control of the spice.
But Arrakis is not an easy planet to control. A desert's desert, the entire globe is covered by hot, shifting sands that are baked in ultraviolet rays and swirled by 200 kph windstorms. Godzilla-dwarfing sandworms ply these oceans of sand, rising to the surface to snack on men and machines alike. It would be a worthless planet were it not for the spice. But Arrakis is the only spice pit in town; hence the Park Place value.
Dune 2000 is the "update" to Westwood's original real-time strategy game, Dune 2, which is based on Frank Herbert's famous Dune novels. In the game, players lead one of three houses as they battle to mine spice, build buildings and produce military units. The interface is stereotypical real-time strategy. Players view the battlefield from a three-quarter overhead vantage. A left-click selects a unit, building or function. Another click directs units to a location or enemy. Most missions center on the production of spice or the destruction of an enemy base.
Enough is enough already
When Dune 2 was released in 1993, it was universally hailed by critics and gamers alike. Here was a new, fast-paced take on strategy gaming. Fast forward to 1998. It's now five years and five million real-time strategy clone releases later. Do gamers really need one more?
No doubt Westwood has made an update that would do Paramount pictures proud. The cut scenes are movie-theater real and the acting--especially Musetta Vander as the Bene Gesserit Lady Elara--is convincing. Nor did the Las Vegas-based publisher skimp on new artwork for the buildings in the game. The 16-bit high color graphics lend these structures--from Wind Traps to Refineries--a shiny, detailed appearance. Problem is, that's as far as the upgrades go, and this isn't a movie, it's a game. The units--such as troopers, trikes and carryalls--look nearly as pixelated as the original Dune 2 combatants. And that's not the only disappointment.
The game engine itself is downright archaic. Now that's fine for gamers into a retro-ride, but it's less than fine for those looking for a good 1998 real-time strategy feast. The engine has a distinctly Command and Conquer feel: Building units has the same fill-in-the-pie timer, the interface has the same main-screen with a right-hand administrative panel, and many of the units--especially the infantry--look the same.
Dune 2000 has little in the way of gaming innovation. No way to queue unit manufacture, no way to set multiple waypoints and only the most rudimentary unit orders such as Guard or Retreat. Although each house has an occasional unique warrior--such as the stealthy Fremen--most combatants are cookie-cutter clones available to any side.
In short, this is vintage real-time strategy. It is, however, vintage real-time strategy based on one of the classic strategy games of the '90s, and it plays just as well. So, if this is a gamer's first real-time endeavor, they may like it. Unfortunately, experienced real-timers won't find much to keep their attention.
