'Diablo II' Devilishly Good; 'Clue' Clueless

By AARON CURTISS

July 27, 2000 12 AM PT

Really good evil never stays dead for long. So it was only a matter of time before the awesome adventure game “Diablo” was resurrected. “Diablo II” for the PC and Macintosh drops players into a dark fantasy world that is every bit as cool and addictive as the original.

I have friends whose lives were consumed by “Diablo” and its creepy catacombs crawling with Hell’s finest. More than a simple dungeon slasher, “Diablo” let players use their brains as well as their steel to track down and destroy the source of all evil.

“Diablo II” by Blizzard Entertainment delivers action that is at once familiar and new. The view is top-down, and anyone who can click a mouse can navigate characters through the game’s bogs, caverns and moors and will be dispatching zombies, skeletons and wraiths in minutes.

Players begin “Diablo II” in the camp of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. They’ve been kicked out of their ancestral home and are fleeing a force that has laid waste to nearby towns. Add to that the fact that they think monsters are massing for an attack on their barely fortified encampment.

With that, players launch themselves into the surrounding world--first on a mission to prove valor to the Sisters of the Sightless Eye and later to face evil itself. The game unfolds logically, and players build their skills as they learn more about the story. Because this is an adventure, expect lots of dialogue from nonplayer characters. Some talk too slowly, but it’s wise to listen to their ramblings because they often contain vital information.

“Diablo II” contains countless levels of detail, all of which are managed with efficient pop-up menus that allow players to swap weapons, buy new armor, stash potions and spells and figure out which way is north.

It’s all so elegant that it makes “Diablo II” the sort of game with which even novices can feel comfortable in just a few minutes. Once they settle in, though, the world of “Diablo II” is likely to keep them riveted for weeks.

On a PC, “Diablo II” requires a Pentium 233 with at least 32 mb of RAM and 600 mb of available hard disk space. Multi-player action requires 64 mb of RAM and 900 mb of available hard disk space as well as a 28.8 Kbps or faster Internet connection.

On a Macintosh, “Diablo II” requires System 8.1 or higher operating on a G3 or better with at least 32 mb of physical RAM plus Virtual Memory and 600 mb of available hard disk space. Multi-player action requires 64 mb of physical RAM plus Virtual Memory and 900 mb of available hard disk space as well as a 28.8 Kbps or faster Internet connection.

‘Mary-Kate & Ashley Get a Clue’

Half of me wants to pinch the cheeks of the too-cute Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, and cheer them on in their ever-expanding realm of self-promoting business enterprises. The other half of me wants to wolf down a cyanide sundae to get rid of that first half.

I came to this conflicted epiphany because the two teenage multimillionaires flung themselves into my little world with a Game Boy Color game called “Mary-Kate & Ashley Get a Clue,” a simple puzzle game based on “The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley” series of books.

“Get a Clue” is a very bad game--apparently designed more to feed Mary-Kate and Ashley’s omnivorous marketing machine than to entertain the little girls whose parents buy all the Mary-Kate & Ashley branded albums, videos, books and dolls. In fact, the 24-page game manual includes no fewer than eight pages of offers to buy or join various Mary-Kate & Ashley products or clubs.

The game allows players to control Mary-Kate, Ashley and their dog, Clue. Each has a distinct set of skills that comes in handy to solve the various puzzles. For instance, Mary-Kate can jump high, Ashley can flip switches and Clue can swim. The game revolves around choosing the right character for the right job.

A neat idea, but it’s executed poorly. The graphics are miserable, and the puzzles are way too easy.

“Get a Clue” represents part of Club Acclaim, a push by Acclaim Entertainment to lure more girls and families to games. Acclaim is best known for more pointedly masculine fare such as “Turok: The Dinosaur Hunter” and “ECW Hardcore Revolution.” While it’s great that game publishers are trying to attract new audiences with gentler games, they can do better.

‘NGEN Racing’

“NGEN Racing” for Sony PlayStation puts players behind the stick for some over-the-top jet aircraft racing. This surprisingly exciting game takes racing to new heights--literally.

Players choose their jets and then take off through some nicely drawn courses. It’s a real thrill to slip under the leader to capture first place, and keeping the lead requires paying attention to every bit of space around the jet.

The control is dead-on, and players can choose between simple arcade controls or a more sophisticated mode that requires managing the pitch, roll and yaw. My only beef with “NGEN Racing” was that some of the courses are incredibly easy.

Aaron Curtiss is participating in a management training program, in which he currently serves as assistant to the senior vice president of advertising. He has no financial dealings with the companies he covers. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

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Essentials

Diablo II

* Platform: PC/Macintosh

* Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

* ESRB* rating: Mature

* Price: $30

* Bottom line: Devilishly addictive

Mary-Kate & Ashley Get a Clue

* Platform: Game Boy Color

* Publisher: Club Acclaim

* ESRB rating: Everyone