" The best choice so far for any Monkey who chooses not to suck. "

   Title: GM2 Action Pad by Saitek

   Format: PC Controller

   Reviewing Monkey: Dungapult

   The Hype: The latest and greatest fad in PC controllers is the custom designed First Person Shooter controller. Though not actually limited to FPS’, the GM2 combo mouse and game pad is Saitek’s foray into the genre.

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Ergonomics: The GM2 features a dome like construction that is in the rough shape of your extended-finger hand. This is designed to make it as comfortable as possible for long hours of fragging, and in short, it does so wonderfully! Easing right into the palm of just about everyone that tried it, we have put countless hours of gaming into ours and have never cramped or lost sensation in our little Monkey paws…Which is nice. Actually, after you’ve used it for a little while, you’ll totally forget it’s there it feels so natural- which is a great feature in a controller. The only real disadvantage to it is that it is strictly for right-handers…, which while not a huge deal keeps it from a perfect score. 4.5 out of 5

   Performance: Fan-Frickin’-Tastic! Response time is high, buttons work like they should, and we have had a zero error rate in our use. What’s more, once you get used to it (which takes about a half hour), your game play is almost guaranteed to improve. You never realize how much of a hindrance reaching around the keyboard for controls is until you don’t have to do it any more, but once you see the difference you’ll never go back. Fast, easy, and smooth, the GM2 earned a place in the heart of every Monkey that regularly games in our office. 5 out of 5

   Features: By the Great Monkey, does this have it all! The pad itself is designed with 8 buttons, 1 hat, and a scroll wheel. The mouse it comes with also has 2 buttons, a scroll wheel, and a hat. When you add all this up, including shifted controls, you end up with what can be an almost unlimited supply of commands (okay, 36 if you want to be technical). If you decide to use the controller "normally" (with the hats and scroll wheels functioning as hats and scrolls) you get 16 buttons, 2 hats, a mouse wheel, and a free moving scroll wheel that is perfect for strafing or peaking. More than enough to give you every single command you want without having to take your hands off the GM2. What’s more, the pad is fully customizable and can easily be used as a throttle for flight sims, a quick reference pad for adventure games, an easy command interface for surfing the net…Literally anything you want. It’s enough Monkey Lovin’ Goodness that now one of the first things I think about when a new PC game comes in is how I’m going to configure the GM2 for playing it. 5 out of 5

   Installation: With an easy USB hook up, installation was a snap. Plug it in, let it get auto detected, and go to work. No worries at all. Keeping it from getting a perfect score, however, is the relatively piss poor instructions it comes with. Setting up certain features, especially the scroll bars, is not nearly as easy as it should be- and we had to get Saitek’s help to figure out how exactly to do it. 3 out of 5.

   System Compatibility: We plugged it into several machines and never had a problem. The mouse also becomes a standard secondary mouse, too…which is a nice bonus. 5 out of 5

   How it Compares: While, granted, there are not a lot of other "action pads" on the market, the GM2 sure as hell stands tall among them. It’s the best, and one of the least expensive ($40), I’ve seen on the market- and I’ve seen a lot of ‘em. It’s the one I always end up coming back to. 5 out of 5

   The Verdict:

       With a swingin’ tree full of controls, a Monkey pleasing feel, universal usefulness, and a cheap price tag this controller goes straight to the top of the list. The best choice so far for any Monkey who chooses not to suck.

   The Good: Nice ergonomics, wide range of options, inexpensive, and it’s a mouse and pad combo.

   The Bad: Not for lefties and tough to program.

   The Overall Ugly: It’s the edge you need to finally start spankin’ other Monkeys the way you should be. Go out, get one, start ass kickin’.

   What it's Worth: Market