Game Description

100 Great Games Vol. 3, also known as 100 Great Games for Windows Millennium, offers a broad selection of sports, puzzle, action, arcade and board games from which players can choose. Most nearly all game styles are represented, ranging from solitaire variations to side-scrolling games and even role playing adventures. Novice, casual and expert gamers alike can find something within the mix that should appeal, regardless of experience.

Most games in the collection are either limited shareware or demo versions and some can only be played directly from the CD. The majority, though, can be installed directly to your hard drive along with information on how to register the game to receive the full version and support. The structure of the program allows you to view a description of each game along with a screenshot and, in many cases, provides links to the developer's website for more game information and updates.

Global Star Software, a leading publisher of collections, is also responsible for the "Top 10" series of games, Moraff Games' Jongg titles and many other genre collections including educational, casino and card games as well as those produced for various platforms (e.g., Linux and Palm Computing). ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

This is a collection of 100 "demoware" and "trialware" games from Global Star Software, one of dozens of similar titles released by them. ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

Some of the games are fun, but they're too hard to find on this collection. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

100 Great Games Vol. 3 seems like it has some good games to offer, but finding them in this collection is made too much of a challenge. The initial screen on the CD-ROM lists them alphabetical order, and the often vague descriptions and poor screenshots don't reveal much except maybe what genre the game falls in. Even if something strikes the player's interest, it's still generally hit or miss since these games are all shareware or demos (with a few exceptions). Most times, even if a game is fun, gamers will have to register it to continue playing. This makes the trouble it takes to find a good game feel pointless.

While 100 Great Games Vol. 3 has a diverse selection of games covering all genres, their shareware/demo nature means many are poorly constructed, such as the confusing logic/puzzle game Chillax, which doesn't include a help file with its installation. Even games that show promise, such as the surprisingly fun Bingo Buddies, are marred by poor graphics. While it's admirable that a lot of these games are amateur efforts, that's not enough to make them worth playing.

With some games, such as The Beer War and Just Shoot the Thing, the titles are more entertaining than actually playing them. But others, such as the neo-classic puzzle game Clickomania! and the difficult but charming Spot the Diff' are good hidden gems in this collection. Unfortunately, too many games, such as the traditional matching game Think-A-Lot and the elegant variation on solitaire Hardwood Solitaire II: The Enchanted Deck are diverting, but bring nothing new to gameplay.

In the end, 100 Great Games Vol. 3 seems like a poorly executed way for a software company to try to make money. The creators of these games deserves better than to have their shareware showcased in such a confusing and frustrating manner. This collection doesn't do anyone any good, and isn't fair to the few good games that are here. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

The graphics vary from game to game. Some games' are much better than others. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Similar to the graphics, the sound varies from game to game. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

A few of the games are great, but mostly, these games stop being fun quickly. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

This collection would've benefited from better organization and more descriptions of the games themselves. ~ Eden Miller, All Game Guide