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Pokemon Snap, command and conquer and Tarzan By Chip and Jonathan Carter Tribune Media Services POKEMON SNAP, FOR N64 -- If you just can't get enough Pokemon, here's your chance to grab some more. Well, actually, this time around you're not grabbing anything! Professor Oak's planning to publish the definitive guide to Pokemon, but to do that, he needs photos of every last one. You, being such a Pokexpert, draw the job of heading to Pokemon Island to catalog them all with your trusty camera. Not just any photos will do, however. You've got to get good shots -- preferably head on, and maybe even with more than one Pokemon in the frame -- or the Prof will send you back. So how are you going to track down all these elusive critters? Fortunately you have a supply of Pokemon food as lures, and other items -- like gas-filled pester balls -- designed to flush them out of their hiding places. Your journey will take you through jungles and up rivers in an amazing craft that's equally adept on land or in water. You've got your work cut out for you -- this one's not gonna be, um, a snap. But if you're a real Pokemon fan, you're more than ready for the challenge. JONATHAN SAYS : I miss the challenge of training Pokemon and competing with other trainers. The safari's fun, but I'd like to see it go even further. A-. CHIP SAYS : The fighting part of Pokemon was what I found to be a yawn. The collecting angle, which drives this one and the new Pokemon Pinball for Game Boy, I find interesting -- and addictive. A. RATINGS : A -- BUY IT FOR AGES 6 AND UP COMMAND AND CONQUER, FOR N64 -- Here's a chance for N64 owners to get their hands on one of the all-time great strategy combat games. The C and C series has made a sterling reputation for itself on the PC and PlayStation, and now you'll get to see what all the fuss is about for your N64. You can play as either the good guy Global Defense Initiative (GDI) or the evil Brotherhood of Nod. In either case, you're given a handful of missions, the units to carry them off -- and some good luck wishes from the brass. You give commands to each individual unit in every level, searching the terrain map for enemy units, the best places to deploy, and other clues to completing your mission. You start off with small jobs -- maybe take a squad of infantry and a couple of light tanks in search of an enemy base where vital information's being held. Eventually, you'll wind up with massive missions that include building weapons factories, airports, barracks, and even making use of remote air strikes, ion cannon and limited nuclear devices! The action and strategy mix are superb. All the original PC missions are included, and there are a handful more that were developed just for the N64. There are a couple of problems with the port-over from PC to N64, mainly slowdown when the processor's trying to handle too much at once. The N64 processor's very powerful � more powerful than the PlayStation � but without a disk it has less memory space. That means more compression of data is required and you might get slowdowns in the action as the info loads. It's never enough to glitch things out or make you wait -- it's like, for instance, a fleet of helicopters moving slowly across the screen when they should be zipping. If you have a memory expansion pack and opt for the high-resolution graphics mode, it's even worse. This is a minor annoyance, but one you should be aware of. The audio's astonishing, if gruesome in places. The anguished cries of dying soldiers mix with awesome gun, missile and bomb sounds to create an aural tapestry of mayhem. C and C's never been about graphics in the first place, and this version's no exception. The units are still tiny and not particularly detailed -- but they do blow up real good. Which is, after all, the whole point of this one. JONATHAN SAYS : I could play this game for years. Hmmm, since it's been available for PC and PlayStation for a while, I guess I have been! And I still like it just as much, even though the missions are mostly the same. A+. CHIP SAYS : My vote for the most sickening sound ever in a video game? The squishy pop infantrymen make when they�re run over by a large vehicle. I could also do without the screams, which border on turning classic and classy military strategy into simple savagery. A hint, guys, Spielberg used the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" to set the stage for the rest of the movie, not just to show some guts and gore. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is an awesome and original mix of everything from electronica to breathy synthesized pop that adds real depth to a fantastic gaming experience. A+. OVERALL: A+ -- BUY IT FOR AGES 12 AND UP. TARZAN, FOR GAME BOY COLOR -- Here's a surprisingly good title for Color Game Boy. You can play this one as any of four characters: young Tarzan, adult Tarzan, Jane, or Terk the ape. Whomever you choose, get ready for a wild ride through crocodile-infested rivers, lush jungles, and, of course, on that crazy vine network that somehow manages to connect the whole jungle. Mankind has returned to Tarzan's jungle, and that creep Clayton is looking for Jane. You'll have to work your way through 23 levels, swimming with the crocodiles, exploring the jungle and swinging from the vines, to put an end to the menace. This one's great fun. The graphics are stunningly good for the small screen, and the action's addictive enough to keep you coming back for more. If you're gonna go ape over a Game Boy side scroller this summer, we're betting this is the one. JONATHAN SAYS : Please don't tell anyone I played this game. I'm 13 and I have a lot of good years ahead of me. If you do tell somebody I played this one ... don't tell them I liked it � a lot. A. CHIP SAYS : Hey, what happened to Tarzan's chimpanzee Cheetah? Did I miss class that day? Terk? Who the heck is Terk? Did I watch all those old black and white movies and Saturday TV shows for nothing? Man, they weren't that good. I do like this game though, Cheetah or no. And it's definitely no. A. RATINGS: A -- BUY IT FOR AGES 5 AND UP. TIPS AND TRICKS WCW NITRO, FOR N64 -- Think you've beaten this one every way you can? We've got tips for all the hidden rings and wrestlers. At the title screen, the options screen, or the menu select screen, press left-C, the L button, right-C, the R button, then Z, and you'll unlock 17 new screens. To get all the hidden characters, press right-C four times, left-C four times, R button four times, L button four times, then Z. Chip & Jonathan Carter are a father/son gaming team who've been twiddling their thumbs professionally since 1990. For more tips, tricks, reviews and news, check us out on-line at http://vgames.webpoint.com/vid/ecol/mainpage . Or e-mail us at [email protected] . Got a question? An inside tip you'd like to share? Write to Chip and Jonathan Carter in care of this newspaper. While they cannot respond individually, they will answer questions of general interest in their column. (C) 1999 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA