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3-D Cube Hopper By Pam Gleichman Tribune Media Services 3-D Cube Hopper is an update to the classic arcade action game. The goal of the game is to clear the board by jumping a big-footed character from block to block. As he jumps on a block, it changes its color. In order to win, you must jump on every block, while avoiding boulders, frogs and other obstacles. You must also be careful not to fall off the edge of the blocks. You move the character around with the mouse or arrow keys. There are 20 levels of play and five different scenes. 3-D Cube Hopper is fun, yet it can be very frustrating. Many of our testers quit after playing for a few minutes. The whole game consists of jumping the character from cube to cube; thus, unless you take to the game quickly (and enjoy it) or have a persevering personality (and just won�t quit until you can play the game well), you are likely to quit within a short period of time. Even many good players found the game monotonous. Titles with multi-games, such as After Dark Games (Berkeley Systems) or Sierra�s Board Games offer more variety. Publisher : Galaxy Software RomTech, Inc., 2000 Cabot Blvd., Suite 110, Langhorne, Pa. 19047, (215) 750-6606, http://www.romt.com . Category : Entertainment. Age Bracket : 7 to adult. Installation : The program installed without any problems. Each time we put the disk in, however, the program began the installation process and we would have to cancel it and access the program from the start button. Use : 3-D Cube Hopper is easy to use, but it takes skill. Some of our testers liked using the mouse, while others preferred to direct the "big-footed character" with the keyboard. Graphics : Pretty good. Written Materials : There are no written instructions. None are really needed. Tested Version : Windows 95/98. System Requirements : Pentium 133 MHz, 32 MB RAM, Windows 95 or 98, 8 bit sound card or better, 256 color display, CD-ROM drive, DirectX 5.0 compatible video card and drivers (included). Minimum requirements for Galaxy Online Play: 16 MB RAM, 40 MB HD space, 32-bit Internet access, 28.8 modem recommended. Cost : $19.95. Rating : Three stars. 3-D Cube Hopper is a fun, mildly addictive game for those who enjoy arcade games. DEAR PAM : I read your column " Computing for Kids" in "Arab News," an English daily published in Saudi Arabia. I am a new user of the Internet and after reading various news items on on-line stock trading, I would be very grateful to you if you would kindly advise me on the following. Is it possible for me to participate in on-line stock trading from Saudi Arabia, if so what are the requirements? I would be using my credit card to carry out the transactions. How secure is it to toss around your credit card number on the Internet? Is there any secure way of doing it? I am interested in buying a few shares of Information Management Associates. Do you know about them? It is quite a lengthy inquiry, but I would be very thankful to you if you could spare a few moments for advice. DEAR READER : I use and recommend E-Trade ( www.etrade.com ). You can go to their Web site and request an application by mail. Upon opening your account, you will make a deposit by check or money order. They will send you deposit slips with your statements and you simply mail the funds to them. I would not recommend using your credit card on the Internet. Some sites are more secure than others are. I am not familiar with Information Management Associates, nor am I qualified to give advice in this area. Good luck! WEB SITE OF THE WEEK BACK-TO-SCHOOL RECIPES http://www.allrecipes.com/all_back2school.asp Spice up your children�s lunch box with these recipes. Categories include: Lunch box treats, brown bag lunches, fit for a thermos and "Care Package". RATING KEY : ***** � Outstanding; **** � Very Good; *** � Good; ** � Fair; * � Not Worth Purchasing. Pam Gleichman welcomes questions/comments from readers. Write to Pam at Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Send e-mail to [email protected] . © 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright © The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA