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"Five Average Games For the Price of One!"

Games like 5 in One Fun Pak always have to be looked at with a little skepticism. I may be stereotyping but when games decide to go and put more than one game on a cartridge we usually end up with x amount of mediocre games rather than one brilliant game, and for the most part, 5 in One Fun Pak is no exception. It's not that the games included here are bad, but they are all just basic board games that we've all played before, and there is little content to keep your attention for very long.

The games included in this “Fun Pak” are Checkers, Chess, Reversi, Backgammon, and Yacht, which, is just a variation of Yahtzee. If you have any experience playing these games before you will find it very easy to pick up the game and start playing instantly. Most the games are played by only using one button and the interface of each game is very simple and easy to understand. I never once found myself confused while playing any of the games, which, is very important when adapting games that are as familiar to the player as these are.

The biggest problem with 5 in One Fun Pak is the computer AI. After playing through each game against each of the three skill levels I found myself only losing once to the highest skill level in Reversi. I don't even play any of these games very regularly and I found myself easily defeating the highest difficulty in almost every game. I can't speak for everyone but playing checkers against a computer opponent who provides no challenge whatsoever does not seem like a entertaining way to spend my time. Also, when playing on the higher difficulty settings the computer takes much longer to take each turn as it is supposedly “thinking”, but usually ended up making the same mistake it would make on lower difficulty settings. I'm tempted to think that the computer may have it's mind on something else rather than what it's next move should be.

Luckily, the developer has decided to include a two-player mode that only requires one system to play on. Without this I probably would never have played this game again after my initial play testing. Your live opponent may be just as dumb as the computer AI but at least you can destroy a little of their self-esteem for every time you beat them. You can't get that kind of satisfaction playing against the AI. The two-player mode isn't the most amazing thing I've ever played but it does give 5 In One Fun Pak a little more reason to exist in the Sega Game Gear's library.

My final small complaint is the sound. From the moment you turn on the game the same exact song plays constantly in the background. No matter what game you pick this song will be playing and it starts to grate instantly. For sound effects there are just simple little beeps that happen for every action in the game. I rarely played this game with the sound on at all and when I did have it on it was only to inflict severe discomfort and pain upon myself and those around me.

Overall, 5 In One Fun Pak is a game where you know exactly what you're getting before you even play it. Each game is faithful to the versions most of us have played before and the interface is simple and intuitive. The AI is below average and takes away most of the enjoyment of playing by yourself but thanks to the two-player mode this can be fixed somewhat if you have someone to play with. The sound is not worth mentioning and feels like it was created as an afterthought, but this doesn't hurt the game too much. If you're looking to play some board games on your Sega Game Gear than get this game, if not, than your obviously looking at the wrong game.

6/10


Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/06