Bioscopia

Rating:
Summary: Worked for me and was way cool.
Review: Bioscopia worked on my computer running Windows XP.....I don't know what happened with other people....This game is awesome! Such cool graphics and totally fun to play.

Rating:
Summary: Beware Windows 2000 and XP users
Review: I have purchased Tivola software and it will not work on any other operating system then the ones listed. So if you are still running a Microsoft Wintendo OS then go ahead and get it.

Rating:
Summary: Just Skip This One and Go On to 'Chemicus'
Review: My wife and I, unfortunately, played the three existing 'science edutainment' titles from Tivola, 'Physicus', 'Bioscopia', and 'Chemicus', out of order from their release sequence. We first played 'Physicus' and enjoyed it but felt that it could have been much better. We then played 'Chemicus' and felt that it truly was a much-improved game over 'Physicus' in nearly every aspect (see my two reviews of these other games). Then we went back and played 'Bioscopia', which is actually the middle game of the triumvirate. We now wish we hadn't gotten spoiled by jumping to 'Chemicus' first, because 'Bioscopia' is a whole lot more like its predecessor 'Physicus'.

'Bioscopia' is a graphical, first-person adventure game (a la Myst, etc.), with an intended educational value added in by way of incorporating principles of Biology to its puzzles and game play ( with Physics and Chemistry obviously being the scientific genres of the other two games). 'Chemicus' did such an outstanding job of basing most of its entire game play around all facets of Chemistry. 'Bioscopia' (and the earlier 'Physicus') barely attain that same distinction. Most of the biological tie-in for this game is realized with an on-going requirement of keeping your 'key card' charged up by answering multiple-choice Biology questions. This key card is then used to gain access to many of the large labs that encircle the game's main environment. Other than that, there is really only one main Biology puzzle to the entire game, which is to eventually create an antidote that will cure the stricken heroine of the story.

The graphics of the game are about its only redeeming virtue. The designers obviously spent a great deal of time and effort in realizing a lush and intricate environment to explore. But, like 'Physicus', the environment seems fairly closed. You're basically just exploring one large segmented fortress where you have to find successive keys to gain access to new areas. This type of game design only works if the new areas are different enough to keep the player interested. Here, the new areas aren't all that different. 'Oh, gee, look! Another large, weird-looking building to go into.' And, the paths leading to and from the buildings are just a waste of time.

One other key element to any successful adventure game, which is missing here, is rewarding the player, when he completes a particularly key or difficult puzzle, with some type of 'nugget', usually a visual cut-scene that advances the main story along. The only cut-scene found here is the game's finale, which is really pretty lame once you finally reach it.

The user interface also leaves much to be desired. There are way too many different directional icons for the navigational pointer. They are so confusing that it affected our ability to solve several of the puzzles in the game. The 'look down' and the 'turn around' icons are virtually the same and are both typically in the same area of the screen. Plus, there is one icon, an open hand, which is meant to signify that some activity can be performed here. Only, there are several places where you have to perform an activity, yet the pointer does not change to this hand. This is just a result of very sloppy programming and testing, but leads to a frustrating and unplayable game. We needed to peek into the supplied walk-through on several occasions just to see what we missed because of the poorly designed interface.

If we had played this game prior to playing 'Chemicus', then I might have been a little more forgiving. Now, I just wish all three of these games could have been on the same level as 'Chemicus'. At least, they are learning from their mistakes as they go. So, any future games (I hear they have a 'Chemicus II' in the works), will hopefully keep getting better and better. For now, if you are doing these games in order, just skip this one and go on to 'Chemicus'.

Rating:
Summary: Just Skip This One and Go On to �Chemicus�
Review: My wife and I, unfortunately, played the three existing �science edutainment� titles from Tivola, �Physicus�, �Bioscopia�, and �Chemicus�, out of order from their release sequence. We first played �Physicus� and enjoyed it but felt that it could have been much better. We then played �Chemicus� and felt that it truly was a much-improved game over �Physicus� in nearly every aspect (see my two reviews of these other games). Then we went back and played �Bioscopia�, which is actually the middle game of the triumvirate. We now wish we hadn�t gotten spoiled by jumping to �Chemicus� first, because �Bioscopia� is a whole lot more like its predecessor �Physicus�.

�Bioscopia� is a graphical, first-person adventure game (a la Myst, etc.), with an intended educational value added in by way of incorporating principles of Biology to its puzzles and game play ( with Physics and Chemistry obviously being the scientific genres of the other two games). �Chemicus� did such an outstanding job of basing most of its entire game play around all facets of Chemistry. �Bioscopia� (and the earlier �Physicus�) barely attain that same distinction. Most of the biological tie-in for this game is realized with an on-going requirement of keeping your �key card� charged up by answering multiple-choice Biology questions. This key card is then used to gain access to many of the large labs that encircle the game�s main environment. Other than that, there is really only one main Biology puzzle to the entire game, which is to eventually create an antidote that will cure the stricken heroine of the story.

The graphics of the game are about its only redeeming virtue. The designers obviously spent a great deal of time and effort in realizing a lush and intricate environment to explore. But, like �Physicus�, the environment seems fairly closed. You�re basically just exploring one large segmented fortress where you have to find successive keys to gain access to new areas. This type of game design only works if the new areas are different enough to keep the player interested. Here, the new areas aren�t all that different. �Oh, gee, look! Another large, weird-looking building to go into.� And, the paths leading to and from the buildings are just a waste of time.

One other key element to any successful adventure game, which is missing here, is rewarding the player, when he completes a particularly key or difficult puzzle, with some type of �nugget�, usually a visual cut-scene that advances the main story along. The only cut-scene found here is the game�s finale, which is really pretty lame once you finally reach it.

The user interface also leaves much to be desired. There are way too many different directional icons for the navigational pointer. They are so confusing that it affected our ability to solve several of the puzzles in the game. The �look down� and the �turn around� icons are virtually the same and are both typically in the same area of the screen. Plus, there is one icon, an open hand, which is meant to signify that some activity can be performed here. Only, there are several places where you have to perform an activity, yet the pointer does not change to this hand. This is just a result of very sloppy programming and testing, but leads to a frustrating and unplayable game. We needed to peek into the supplied walk-through on several occasions just to see what we missed because of the poorly designed interface.

If we had played this game prior to playing �Chemicus�, then I might have been a little more forgiving. Now, I just wish all three of these games could have been on the same level as �Chemicus�. At least, they are learning from their mistakes as they go. So, any future games (I hear they have a �Chemicus II� in the works), will hopefully keep getting better and better. For now, if you are doing these games in order, just skip this one and go on to �Chemicus�.

Rating:
Summary: An adventure with a little more...
Review: Unlike most titles that have educational content, this game is really fun! Beware it is not easy, and will take a considerable amount of time to complete, but for those who like a challenge, this is a great title! The graphics and music are super, and the puzzles are hard enough to keep regular gamers and even science-minded adults occupied for hours and hours. (There is a helpful pdf file with graphics located on the disc 1 that will help you if you get stuck.) Similar adventure titles cost much more, and Bioscopia has the added bonus of making you feel like you learned something. I recommend this title, for anyone who likes adventure games, or has an interest in biology.