

On my 120 Pentium machine and all of the graphics options on, I found the frame rate to be tad slow. Hellbender uses the latest graphics technologies and the results are impressive - if you have the power. Spotting enemy ships is much easier when they are in your line of vision. From chase mode you get a much larger view. Hellbender includes a variety of views to fly the ship from and I found that the "chase" mode made flying much easier. Things can get quickly out of hand when you find yourself flying upside down and trying to shoot enemy ships.

Hellbender is different than Doom-type games since you are flying a spaceship and there are three dimensions to worry about.

The things in Hellbender include radar installations, enemy ships, missile bunkers, troop transports and energy depots. Like Doom-type games, you explore worlds and shoot things. Hellbender is a little like Doom or actually more like Descent. After a while I picked up on Hellbender's vibe and the more I played it, the more I like it. It's not really the many commands to memorize or the ship controls but what to do. I found that Hellbender takes some time to get used to. Hellbender also supports multiplayer aerial combat with up to eight competitors over a LAN, four over the Internet or two via a modem. Hellbender supports Direct 3D technology and 3D accelerated graphics cards. In the 24 missions or levels of Hellbender, it's up to you to stop them. Like Star Trek - The Next Generation's Borg, the Bions are trying to annihilate humanity. Managing your ship's resources and weapons, your goal is to destroy enemy robotic invaders, the Bions. In Hellbender, you pilot a "Hellbender" prototype attack spaceship. Terminal Reality, makers of Fury 3, serve up another action game for Microsoft's game line.
