DEVELOPER: Bethesda Softworks

PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks

SYSTEM: Microsoft Xbox 360

PRICE: $59.99

ESRB RATING: Mature

REVIEW RATING: 5 (out of 5 stars)

The Cold War may be long over, but that doesn't mean humanity is past the threat of nuclear war. Bethesda Softworks embraces this concept and takes it to the extreme with the much-anticipated action RPG, "Fallout 3." You see, in the world of Fallout, there is no longer any threat of nuclear war because it has already happened.

Players begin their epic journey by creating a character and emerging from an underground fallout shelter to see the post-apocalyptic wasteland for the first time. Oddly enough, there is an unmistakable beauty to be found in the destruction, and the attention to detail is simply astounding! Now it's up to the player to begin the search for their father, explore the countryside, take on quests, fabricate weapons, and make friends or enemies. The best feature of this title is it's open-ended nature.

With each new level the player attains, they can assign points to core skills and also choose a Perk, which is a special ability like Commando or Demolition Expert. Using these methods, promising adventurers can customize their character in a nearly infinite number of ways. For example, my current mercenary employs small weapons and stealth to attack from the shadows, rewarding me with a critical hit every time.

Engaging enemies combines real-time combat and an innovative turn-based mechanic called V.A.T.S., which freezes the action and lets the player queue up several attacks before resuming. V.A.T.S. offers several advantages such as an increased chance to make a critical hit as well as the ability to target certain body parts. Believe me, that Super Mutant will have a hard time shooting you if you knock the weapon out of his hands first. However, players can also choose to ignore V.A.T.S. if they want.

"Fallout 3" does have a few minor flaws, but they are easy to overlook when the rest of the game is so outstanding!

'What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver' Is a Little Underdone

DEVELOPER: Keen

PUBLISHER: Atari

SYSTEM: Nintendo DS

PRICE: $29.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 2.5 (out of 5 stars)

Most Americans have never heard of Jamie Oliver, but the quirky chef/TV star is as well known throughout Europe as Emeril Lagasse is in the States. Now he extends his culinary creations worldwide in the form of a virtual cooking simulation called "What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver." Unfortunately, the designers couldn't decide whether to make it a game or an interactive cookbook.

This unusual title contains an extensive library of 100 recipes created by Jamie Oliver himself including: snacks, stir-frying, quick meals and salads. Players can only make 25 recipes in the game, but they are all available for reference whenever someone makes a meal. On top of that, players can create electronic shopping lists from the included recipes, add or subtract ingredients, and then take their DS to the market.

In the virtual realm, "Cooking Mama" is like eating at a four-star restaurant while "What's Cooking?" is more like dinner at Denny's. They may have similar ingredients, but the latter title's final product just doesn't deliver. This is because there is hardly any game play at all beyond timed cooking challenges.

It is nice to be able to create recipes in the game, but there aren't any advantages to having them stored on a memory file as opposed to being written on paper. What is cool is being able to share recipes wirelessly with friends.

"What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver" boils down to little more than an electronic recipe book with a few novel ideas. Skip this title if you're idea of a serious cooking problem is deciding whether to boil or microwave a pre-cooked meal.

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must Have

4 stars = Pretty Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don't Bother

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

To find out more about Jeb Haught and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.