Customer Reviews

Bicycle Board Games

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The game has great graphics but cheats like no body's business. Just when you are ahead the computer will make you loose. It will always roll whatever number on the dice it needs and you can bet the bank you won't. It also has some minor problems that cause some irratation. The old man will say gross things if you are playing as the little girl. I felt the need to turn off the sound it was so gross.

This package contains a good selection of popular board games. The graphics are good, if unexciting. The same applies to the music and sound effects. The controls are simple and intuitive, and there are tutorials for all the games. Installation was straightforward.

The opponent characters are annoying and repetitive, but they can be turned off or muted. An online option would have been nice, but the game never pretended to have one. For me, the biggest problem is the weakness of the backgammon game.

Backgammon is the only game in this selection that I am very experienced at. I've never played in a tournament, but I've been playing on-and-off for most of my life, both in real life, online, and against computer opponents. I consider myself quite a strong player. While I did not buy this package specifically to play Backgammon, the quality of its game was obviously important to me. Unfortunately, you would have to be a very weak player to find it much of a challenge on the highest skill level, 'Expert'. If I played ten games at this level and only won eight, I would think I was having a very bad day. The two supposedly lower skill levels seem to play exactly the same; if you selected the 'Random' skill level option, You would not be able to tell which level you were playing against on a given game. This is a fatal problem, and the graphics and sound simply can't make up for it. If only some of the resources dedicated to the opponent characters were used to improve the opponent AI! There are a large number of superior backgammon games on the market. I would recommend Quick (formerly Geert's) Backgammon, a very small (about 480k installed), no-frills programme that plays a decent game. The graphics and sound are very basic, the controls are not very intuitive (but easy enough to learn), and it would probably still not be enough of a challenge for a very advanced player; but when it comes to gameplay, it beats Bicycle's version hands down.

The other games are fun enough at my skill level, hence the relatively favourable score I've given the package overall. I don't know if I would feel the same if I was more experienced with any of them. I am not familiar enough with similar board games compendiums to recommend any alternatives.

Graphics are great, but the game cheats. It is amazing, you are close to winning and all of a sudden it starts rolling double sixes, while you get double ones (in Batgammon)

I have this game and it does not run on Windows 7 and has not been updated for Vista. It will run on Vista but you have to force it a little. We love these games are disapointed that when we updated our operating system the games quit working and lock up our computer.

The chess game has 3 levels of play including a "random" selection on which level the game plays at. Thing is I haven't noticed a bit of difference in the level of play and the programming is really bad. The game will make the same moves over and over. Another thing, if I can beat any chess game at "Expert" the game is really really bad. Too bad the CD itself wasn't good for something.

This game has no AI at all. sure the dice can be ran through a ramdom number generator on the cross and circles games but not really. What I mean is no matter how many new games you start you always seem to be the last one out of the gate while the other players are well past the start. You would think with an AI it would be like a man that has stragity, but its really if 'x' ='s Y, then it shows you z. For all the possible rolls it says you must have this. Not only does this happen on cross and circles, but on the backgammon board as well. No matter what you roll the computer player always gets a higher number and starts first. Real life my a$$.

This of course goes for the chess game as well. Except maybe for random settings; it is possible to memorize the settings as the program only moves a certian way once you do it. Memorize the moves in chess and you can win every time.

I'm sorry I had to give this game even one star. This game package is so full of programming bugs that it is ridiculous. Don't waste your money. Go buy another game package.