CD-Rom -- ''The X-Fools''
"The X-Fools" Mindscape, Parroty Interactive www.xfools.com Windows, Macintosh $19.95
If you like "The X-Files," you might want to check out "The X-Fools," a paranoid, paranormal CD-ROM parody of the popular television series.
"The X-Fools" was developed by Parroty Interactive, the makers of "PYST" (a parody of "MYST," the best-selling CD-ROM game in history) and "Star Warped," a parody of "Star Wars."
The interactive MAC/PC hybrid spoofs "The X-Files" by introducing two ultraparanoid ex-FBI agents, Mully and Scudder, who invite you to become an "agent trainee" and be subjected to a deprogramming regimen of interactive games, trivia and multimedia vignettes.
Among the comical and covert activities:
-- Conspiracy Computer - Zoom in on historical and cultural photos, as Mully unveils the previously unseen elements of a conspiracy. For example, a close-up of the Lee Harvey Oswald shooting reveals an alien.
-- X-Cam - View seemingly everyday video, with paranoid commentary by Mully and Scudder detailing the devious conspiracy behind the clips.
-- Deviant Dossiers - These expose "the truth," with spoofs of famous villains from "The X-Files."
-- Abduct This! - Roles are switched, as players fly the saucer to try and beam up everything from "Men in Black" to cows.
-- Run, Agent, Run! - Users navigate through one of four possible mazes and try to elude aliens and "The X-Files" villains. Players can pick up ammunition and turn the tables.
-- Trust No One - Fans of "The X-Files" can test their trivia knowledge.
-- X-Fools Online - Owners and nonowners of the CD-ROM can access "The X-Fools" Web site - at www.xfools.com - to play more games, post their own conspiracies and e-mail "X-Cards."
-- Evidence Locker - View evidence Mully and Scudder have borrowed from the set of "The X-Files."