Area 51

"Silent Scope is the best, but this comes in second for the light gun title."

''BANG'', goes your loaded Beretta .45 automatic. ''THUMP'', crashes the dead alien. ''Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...'', you say to yourself. Silent Scope was a better Arcade shoot 'em up, but this one is great, too. Here's the whole scoop:

STORY: 8
Aliens have invaded the top-secret military research center in Nevada and are killing the soldiers and scientist staff who work there. You and your group of other SWAT operatives must infiltrate the facility and gun all of the aliens down. You can use a handgun or two, if you wish to handle these baddies. For even better satisfaction, team up with a buddy and blast the mutants' heads open together. This is one fun light-gun.

GRAPHICS: 7
Go ahead and laugh at me, but I'm an oldie. I find more satisfaction in aging arcade games such as this. Area 51 is four or five years old now, I think, but its visual power remains strong. One word of warning to younger players or their parents: The level of violence in Area 51 is quite strong and may not be suitable for your little one(s). When you blast a baddie, a large red cloud appears in front of him for a moment. It's not nearly as bad as certain other arcade shooters such as House of the Dead and House of the Dead 2, though. The level of surrounding detail on the screen is very high and looks quite realistic. A word of advice to all: Don't die unless you want to see yourself mutate painfully.

SOUND: 9
You have got to love that classic feeling of hearing your weapon make a loud BANG noise when you fire it. Aside from that devilish bit of satisfaction, all of the other bits and pieces of sound are great, too. As in Acclaim's Armorines: Project SWARM, enemies make a bloodcurdling screech when they feel the impact of a .45 caliber bullet colliding with the flesh that makes them up. Frequent voice action is heard during game play, too. It's normally your mission commander screaming something over the intercom.

LASTING APPEAL:
Area 51 promises to be a true coin-muncher, folks. You can't eat just one triscuit ... you can't play just one round of Area 51.

OVERALL:
Graphics: 7.7/10.
Sound: 9.1/10.
Lasting Appeal: 9.5/10.

CLOSING STATEMENT:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, that wraps it up! The next time you're in an arcade with your buddies, see if you can't find Area 51 for some Alien-blasting action! To give your thoughts on my review, ask a question, or just say ''hi'', e-mail me at DrDoak2001@aol.com. Your feedback is appreciated.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/01, Updated 05/30/01