Emergency: Fighters for Life WizardWorks Tired of games where you kill people mercilessly? Where the body count equals the score and where the blood and guts fly? Well, me neither, but if you change your mind, WizardWorks has a game for you. Imagine a game where the object is to save people and preserve property. That's the idea behind "Emergency: Fighters for Life." You control the fire department, police department, and hospitals on a series of missions to protect and serve. There are thirty different real-life scenarios, from handling EMT and-fire fighting duties at a car race to fully involved building fires. You've got to bring each situation under control and make sure no one gets hurt. The idea is refreshing, but the execution just isn't there. You might be faced with a burning building with people trapped inside and gawkers standing in harm's way. You need the police to chase bystanders away from the scene, firefighters to rescue the people inside, and medics to tend to them once they're out. However, you can only do one thing at a time. Often, each squad is housed in a separate facility, and you have to go to each one and dispatch personnel individually, including loading up each individual vehicle. Thus, your success depends on how quickly you can go through the motions. Adding to the problem is the fact that scrolling is incredibly slow, and the vehicles don't seem to be in too much of a hurry to get anywhere. There is a lot of down time on some missions waiting for the correct personnel to arrive, which can be awfully frustrating during time-based missions. There are some plusses that help make the game worth a look. The settings are colorful and varied, even if the action is rendered a bit small. Each mission is inventive, and, yes, there is some novelty to an RTS where you don't build an army to pound friends and enemies into pathetic goo. "Emergency: Fighters for Life" folds under its own good intentions. Maybe we'll see "Emergency: At it Again," and WizardWorks will address the problems. Until then, you'll just have to settle for the CHiPs reunion. -Nick	Home   Viewfinder   Presswire   Spotlight     Sounds   Films   Dead Trees   What Bytes     About Us