Wrecked

Fancy yourself a modern Robinson Crusoe? Here’s your chance to prove it. In Wrecked, you’re stranded on a 3D desert island where humans, leopards, and other creatures run rampant. Three meters for energy, thirst, and hunger show what resources you need to stay alive, though it isn’t always clear how to get them. We figured out how to supply ourselves with energy (sleeping) and water, but obtaining food proved nearly impossible. The help files–which, incidentally, aren’t built-in–were a bit vaguer than we would like. They do explain that you can perform activities such as building structures, making weapons, and starting fires, but since the help file is a hard-to-read text document, many users may prefer the trial-and-error approach. The demo allows only three launches, so you’ll need to learn quickly. We like the graphics and sound effects (though neither is up to the standards of major commercial games) and the abundant options. Players can reconfigure the keyboard controls, turn off blood and gore, enable atmospheric effects, and adjust the music volume. Wrecked requires patience, but it’s worth the effort. We wouldn’t vote this absorbing shareware title off the island.