Reminiscent of the classic 1980s-1990s point-and-click adventures, but with a forgiving design (it's impossible to get into a scenario where you have to reload an old save). The dialog can be a little slow and corny, but the puzzles are never too off-the-wall. My daughters love it and have since they were about five years old.
I always thought that NightDive loved and respected the original games that they remake, but they somehow shipped this without any way to map keyboard keys to the turn left/right actions. Whether you're an old-school player or not, this makes the game virtually unplayable on a laptop without an external mouse (or for the real ones, a Thinkpad-style nub).
This is basically the same game sold elsewhere as "Uplink: Trust is a Weakness" or even just "Uplink", but: - "Hacker Elite" is the version distributed in the U.S. by a publisher called Strategy First, who are no longer making the required royalty payments to Introversion Software, the developer. (Do an internet search on these terms to learn more.) In other words, if you buy this version, you're supporting corporate malfeasance instead of the team that actually made the game. - Recent "Hacker Elite" builds have been modified so they are no longer compatible with third-party mods. Shame on GOG for doing a deal with Strategy First instead of Introversion.
Bought this because I fondly remembered the NES port; this is the original arcade version that plays similarly but has better graphics and a higher top vehicle speed. The gameplay is fundamentally a side-scrolling shooter in the mold of Gradius or R-Type, but since it's set on the ground you also have a jump button to dodge obstacles. Your vehicle is constantly moving, but you can adjust the speed, which acts as a built-in difficulty setting. This version keeps the one-hit-and-you-die mechanic common to many 1980s games; thankfully, you get unlimited coins and continues, but it still feels dated and unnecessary--- a "training mode" where you can take two or three hits would make it less frustrating and save a lot of repetition. The arcade emulator provided in this package is serviceable but doesn't have any bells and whistles beyond key remapping. It will scale the screen resolution, but the game itself stays within a rectangle with a forced 4:3 aspect ratio, with fat borders on a typical modern screen. There are no special graphics or audio options, rewind, save states, etc. I initially had problems with both the Galaxy and standalone installers, then realized that this is one of very few classic games on GOG configured as a 64-bit binary only, and I (and the minigalaxy client) was by default trying to install in 32-bit VMs and WINE prefixes. I can confirm that it runs just fine in a 64-bit WINE prefix or Virtualbox session.
The gameplay is delightful, with a sandbox approach, numerous ways to eliminate each target, and a compelling ladder of challenges all creating high replay value. However, the always-on DRM requirement, and frequent game session interruptions when you momentarily lose your connection to IOI's servers, make it frustrating to play at home, impossible to play on the go, and completely at odds with GOG's general commitment to smooth, DRM-free experiences. If you want a good stealth game, play Styx or Aragami instead, and support those indie developers. It's a shame that IOI's transition from Eidos to employee-owned wasn't enough to make them feel comfortable with ditching the anti-consumer DRM.
The game's CD check is not patched out, and fails on more recent DOSBox installations (I'm on r3833). I'll try a couple of forks and report back if I find a good combination, but just be warned that (a) GOG didn't actually remove all of the DRM from this one, (b) most of the user reports are from older DOSBox versions (or perhaps running native/FreeDOS), and (c) GOG's technical support is not helpful for this game.
