" ...But has major problems with many Gateway and Compaq computers. That includes a whole lot of people! "

   Title: Bleem!

   Format: PC Playstation Emulator

   Reviewing Monkey: Simi N.

   The Hype: Play Hundreds of Playstation games on your PC! ...If you're too cheap to buy a Playstation.

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Usefulness: In concept this program is very useful. I mean why pay a whole bunch of money on a Playstation, when you can just play them on your PC instead? Yeah, it’s a good idea, and I really would like to have seen it work out. Unfortunately, Bleem! Does not come close to being able to duplicate the job of a Playstation. The biggest problem with Bleem! is that it is compatible with a decidedly few number of games. And of the few blockbuster games it does work with, it often times still has problems running them. And for those games that use a lot of FMV (full-motion-video), as most games do to an extent, it is quite disappointing. The reason for this is that, to put it bluntly, FMV looks crappy on Bleem! Not only that, but it often runs these sequences slower. 2 out of 5

   Compatibility: As I mentioned above Bleem! is not compatible with a large number of games. And many of the games that it will run will only run well when you turn off some of the settings (like music, sound FX, 3D acceleration, etc.). So if you aren’t going to buy this program instead of a Playstation, you’re going to buy it because it will make some of the games you have for the Playstation look better right? Don’t be too sure. Just because a game works with Bleem! doesn’t mean Bleem! can make necessarily make them look better. And as far PC compatibility, Bleem! works pretty well with a lot of systems, but has major problems with many Gateway and Compaq computers. That includes a whole lot of people! 2 out of 5

   Performance: Bleem! runs some games really, really well, while making them look even better. But there are a whole lot of games that either won’t work with Bleem! or won’t work well with Bleem!. So the performance depends on the game. But Bleem! does have a list of games that it works with on the box when you buy it. So considering that this is all Bleem! claims it will work with, it is only fair to judge the performance on those specified games. However I personally don’t own all of those games so I am basing my rating on the games that I have that are listed on the list. Thus while this rating is as accurate a rating as I can give with the resources available to me, it may not concur with conclusions drawn by others who have more games that are supposed to work. So having said that…. 3 out of 5

   Installation and Real System Requirements: The installation of Bleem! is quick and easy. It only takes a minute or two, and the instructions tell you exactly what you need to do. The minimum system requirements are as follows: Pentium 233 MMX or higher, Windows 95/98, DirectX 6.1 or higher, 16MB RAM 3MB free disk space, Sound Card, CD-ROM drive, Recent full-featured 3D accelerator card required for D#D enhanced graphics. This certainly isn’t asking too much. 3 out of 5

   Instructions and Learning Curve: The instructions that come with Bleem! are pretty easy to understand. And if there is something that isn’t covered in the booklet, you can always get more information online at bleem.com. Learning how to use Bleem! is also very simple, although figuring out exactly which settings to have to optimize game performance can take awhile. 3 out of 5

   The Verdict:

       By and large a big disappointment. Bleem! works, but only with a very small selection of games, and it works well with even less. I would be surprised if Bleem! ran more than a sixth of your game library well.

   The Good: Make Playstation games look better, and play them on your PC!

   The Bad: Is not compatible with many Gateway and Compaq computers, doesn’t run a large number of Playstation games. And a bunch of the games that do work with it look and play horribly.

   The Overall Ugly: Probably not what you expect. If you want an emulator for your Playstation games, this isn’t it. But if you still want it be sure to check the game compatibility list before you buy it.

   What it's Worth: Ten Bucks.