"Prepare to hack your brains out!"

Uplink: Hacker Elite was Introversion's first game, and a solid start to their game designs. Uplink is innovative and deep, though it requires some getting used to and is tedious at times.

---Story---
8/10

Sadly, Uplink does not have the greatest story. It left me feeling removed from the Uplink world, with that “I'm done, now what?” feeling. The actual story, while in it, was fresh and new, and gives the right feeling for the game.

---Replayability---
9/10

You'll probably want to play it at least twice, once for each side of the storyline. Plus, you can try different things and play different ways. Also, you will probably be forced to restart your game several times, as explained in gameplay.

There is some modability, but you have to buy another CD for it, which isn't very appetizing for most people. There are a few mods floating about if you want to try them.

---Gameplay---
8/10

Uplink is one of the games where you can really get drawn into the gameplay. It is relatively intuitive, very unique, and requires very little skill to master.

The largest complaint is that you are unable to create save file. If you are disavowed, you start over. Be careful, or you could lose hours of work. If this didn't happen, gameplay would easily rate a 9.

The other complaint is that Uplink is incredibly unrealistic. According to “real hackers”, hacking is much more time consuming, boring, and knowledge intensive than Uplink makes it seem.

So, though the gameplay is good, don't try to hack a computer with your Uplink hacker knowledge. It won't work, I assure you. Be ready to repeat your own gameplay, and to repeat the same steps over and over again.

---Sound & Graphics---
9/10

The graphics and sound are both original. They fit Uplink perfectly, especially the crisp, cool blue of the interface. Sometimes you may have to turn the music off, if you need to concentrate it can be bothersome.

---Overall Recommendation---

Get Uplink if you enjoy thinking about problem solving, or if you like hearing your heart beat loudly in your chest. Some of the situations are tense enough that you'll even break out in a sweat! Though not the greatest game you'll ever play, Uplink will bring you happiness for at least a few weeks.

Also, don't play if you don't like the color blue. 95% of the game is in either in blue or black!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/21/06