Dreamcatcher has sent yet another adventure game our way, this time with an age-old story. Lands players smack in the middle of the sands of the desert planet Arrakis, the only location for the all-important spice. Frank Herbert's Duneis an action game with some adventure. Having played American McGee's freaky version of Alice, the animation does not compare.

However, this game has a much stronger storyline and will please both action/adventure fans and Dune fans alike. The player is cast as Paul Atreides, also known as Paul-Muad'Dib to the Fremen. The Fremen are the natives of the dusty planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Spice, the most valuable commodity in the universe, can only be found on Arrakis and is necessary to fuel ships and many other functions. At the start of the game, the Emperor of Dune, Duke Leto Atreides, has been murdered by the evil Baron Harkonnen. His wife, Jessica, and his son, Paul, escape and take refuge with the Fremen. As Paul-Maud'Dib, the player journeys through the desert sands on several missions in order to regain his fathers throne.

There are five missions total, along with visits to the Sietch, the Fremen headquarters. Each mission has certain objectives that must be met in order to progress. The game is linear, but a great deal of exploration is possible within each mission. During the game, the player will travel from the Sietch to various locations on the planet Arrakis, including heavily guarded military installations and the palace itself. Frank Herbert's Dune has a lot going on. From allusions to a romantic storyline between Paul-Muad'Dib and Chani, a young Fremen woman who is working on a way to bring paradise to Dune, to Paul's sister, Dame Alia Atreides, who at age 2 holds the spirits of her ancestors within her and, as such, is mature far beyond her age. These underlying elements to the game enhance the main plot -- finding a way to control the spice on Dune.

Having never read any of the Dune books does not take anything away from the intrigue in this game. In fact, if anything, it greatly increases enjoyment and brings a great interest to learning more about Dune. The interface is relatively simple and will be familiar for anyone who has played American McGee's Alice or other action games of that type. The mouse controls the direction in which Paul looks and the arrow keys control movement. There is an option to snap the camera angle automatically, but it really doesn't work very well.

Enemies are targeted with the right mouse button and the weapon is used with the left mouse button. Paul will automatically back against a wall when moved close enough and it is possible to peek around the corner without being seen, using the shift and arrow keys. Also, it is possible to roll across open entryways, although rarely necessary.

Frank Herbert's Dune Review. It's a poorly designed 3D action-adventure game that actually has precious little to do with the source material and equally little to. Download Frank Herberts Dune (RIP) • Windows Games @ The Iso Zone • The Ultimate Retro Gaming Resource.

On Dune, water is life. As such, water can replenish life. In most missions, Paul has a reserve of water that can be used to restore life force that he loses. There are two gauges that indicate the life and water level. Water can be restored in two ways, through items that are placed in various locations throughout the mission or by neutralizing an enemy with a Krys. The Krys is a specialized weapon that can be used on an enemy to disable them with one stroke, when the enemy is taken by surprise. Every time Paul is able to use his Krys on an enemy, he regains water.

After the first couple of missions, Paul learns about the Voice. The Voice enables him to survive and immobilize enemies for five seconds when he is close to death. The enemies will not remember his presence after five seconds, so if he simply wants to make a quick escape, that is possible. It is also good for using the Krys to regain water and disable an enemy or two while they are stunned.

I often found myself purposefully allowing Paul to be close to death in order to use the Voice and, hence, the Krys, in order to conserve ammunition in some levels. In addition to the Krys, Paul gains access to various weapons throughout the game. One particularly dangerous weapon kills enemies with one shot. Another shoots laser beams, but if the enemy has a shield, can end up backfiring and killing Paul. As Paul progresses through the missions, he will happen upon ammunitions and other items that can assist with completing missions. There are a few puzzles in this game. All the puzzles are very easy to decipher, like discovering the code to open a door. Sansui Mp208 Manual on this page.