Most addictive game I've run across in a while

Summary: A good old-fashioned bug hunt. The game's not perfect, but damn if it isn't fun! It's well worth the $19.95.

I've now played Space Hack through to completion, neglecting various other work and household chores. I've never played Diablo (no, seriously), but I've certainly played some other RPGs that follow the same format: kill monsters, level up, distribute points among attributes (in this case, IQ, ST, DX and endurance), get nicer weapons and armor. Along the way, find energy cells (= money and/or power for weapons), weapons, armor, high-tech items that allow you to carry out certain actions (teleport, freeze, mind control), and other items that boost your characteristics.

So, what makes Space Hack so addictive? First, the user interface works very smoothly and, for the most part, stays out of your way. Most of what you do is point -and-click, and that one action moves you forward, attacks, or picks up an object -- in short, about 90% of the game. There are some keyboard commands as well; most are equivalents of what you can do with the mouse, but several are not and are quite critical:

• F5: does a quick save -- you'll find yourself using this often, particularly in the later stages of the game
• Space bar: freezes all action, but allows you to carry out certain actions -- for example, you can bring up your inventory panel and switch weapons
• Shift: keeps you from moving -- this allows you to stand your ground and fire without accidentally moving forward
• Caps Lock: when enabled, labels items on the ground and shows health bars for monsters

Second, Space Hack does a good job of escalating the pressure. The mix and strength of the monsters varies on a given level; while many of them can be easily killed, if you let them swarm you at the same time a more powerful monster attacks, you'll die. Puzzles never rise beyond the find-the-key-to-open-the-door level, for which I'm grateful -- I hate trying to read the designer's mind.

Third, the bad English translation of NPC dialog is sort of endearing. This appears to have been developed in Eastern Europe (Poland? Hungary?), and the attempted translation into colloquial English keeps things interesting.

The game's weaknesses are typical of the genre, most notably that it gets a bit repetitive and tedious towards the end...but not enough to keep me from coming back to the game and playing it to completion (and success). The third-person UI can get a bit awkward when your character is walking next to a tall building or wall, and I've got a few other quibbles, but they're minor. Also, the majority of the armor and weapons available for purchase tend to require higher attribute levels than you (the player) have at the moment, though that may be due to my effort to keep the IQ, ST, and DX levels roughly equal so as to try out different weapon types.

It's hard to beat the price, and Space Hack certainly delivers value. I recommend it without reservation to anyone who enjoys this genre. ..bruce..