Then there are the stranger commands, like copy, future, twonext, pump, secret, snip, etc.... I won't describe all of them, because I added the link to the game on the links page for a reason. So I wouldn't have to describe all of them. Anyway, to the game itself...

Clans is a fun game. A really fun game. It involves twisted ways of thinking and forethought... "If I copy his two attacks, he can copy that, creating an infinite number of attacks against me. Ah, but if I pump, and he copies, I can do more against him witha pumped copy! The day is mine..." I enjoy games like that.

Also, it's two players. Almost all my favorite non-computer games are practically designed for four players or up. While it can be fun to get around with a lot of friends and play some Illuminati or The Big Idea, often it's just me and my roommate, or me and the one other person who shows up to the Gaming club on sundays. So a good two-player game is always appreciated.

That said, it is annoying in that it takes a while to become a good player. So it's not like I can hand someone a copy of the rules, and expect an instant worthy opponent. I'd go easy on them long enough for them to learn the game, but they never seem to want to take that offer. So finding someone to play against can be hard. My roommate still scoffs at best whenever I mention the game, or the possibility of playing.

It has an interesting idea via status points that I've never really explored fully. It would be nice for long-range playing, but it has the problem of making it even harder for a new player to break into an established and practiced community of Clan-players, having less Clan powers and all.

Anyway, I approve of this game. You should too. Go learn the rules from the links page, and give me a challenge via email, or something. If you're new, I promise to go easy on you till you learn the rules. ;)

For a game as old as it was, it's surprising hard at some points. Not hard as in "infinite swarms of monsters raining down upon you", but a kind of diabolic trickyness most modern games should take note from. Anyway, it's a refreshing challenge compared to other old games like, say, "Jill of the Jungle".

The first few levels do a stellar job of teaching the basics, while after that it quickly escalates so more experienced people don't get bored spending five hours each time they play learning how to shoot flying venom-spitting piders. The first level is very simple, in fact impossible to die on, but you can still finish it quickly. The second level has a few potential pitfalls, but nothing serious. Once you hit the third and later levels, however, things begin to get a lot more problematic.

My biggest problem with the game would be that you can't save it at any point. While it does add to the sense of accomplishment when you aren't able to fall upon the old "save after each challenging bit, load if you fail", having to go through all the old levels just to get to the point I was at before falling into the death-pit or whatever gets somewhat annoying.

And, as might be expected from a game that old, the graphics won't exactly blow you away. Fortunatly, it doesn't rely on graphics to replace great gameplay. And you can recognize things for what they are supposed to be without help, as is the case in, say, Pyro [another fun old game, even it's graphics are about as recognizable as public school cafeteria food]. You can tell what's supposed to be a tree, what's supposed to be a gun, what's supposed to be a blazing inferno of death... etc.

Anyway, all in all, it's a pretty cool game. Considering you can download it for free (legally, too!) it's definitely worth it. I'd say everyone should waste away at least one day playing it. Preferably one where they didn't have any other obligations like work or school, but then, that's just me. ;)

• The various WoD RPGs
• Diablo II
• The various Cheapass Games
• Space Empires IV
• Deluxe Illuminati
• Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Clans
• Anything else that comes to mind