Tunnels of the Underworlds is a fun multiplayer 'caveflier' from the lands of cavefliers: Finland, of course :) Developed by a small group who call themselves GigaMess, TOU boasts excellent, hi-res SVGA graphics, smooth animations, dozens of weapons, and virtually unlimited levels to keep you deathmatch-ing long into the night. TOU is one that will raise the bar for freeware cavefliers with the incredible amount of features. There are four hand-drawn levels, millions of generated levels with six hi-resolution themes, seven deathmatch styles, over seventy special weapons, and over ten basic weapons. Most of the weapons are unique and a lot of fun to use, mainly because they are not direct-fire types but require more sneaky tactics to be useful. For example, turrets and bombs are effective only when you place them at strategic spots and activate them at the right moment. You can also drop cute little helpers including troopers, cars, and teddy bears (yes, teddy bears) that will go out on their own to destroy your enemies' units. Any terrain you destroy stays damaged for the rest of the game, and excellent sound effects make the game even more immersive. Cavefliers are designed with multiplayer mayhem in mind, and TOU does not disappoint: up to four players can play on a single computer, although the game does not yet support LAN or TCP/IP modes. If you can't find friends to play with, you can fight against a pretty decent AI with five difficulty levels. All in all, TOU is an excellent caveflier that should entertain every fan of the genre – and it's freeware to boot. Two thumbs up, way up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |