" And … well… it really looks … weird. "

   Title: Saitek P120 Gamepad

   Format: PC Gamepad

   Reviewing Monkey: Simi N

   The Hype: 6 independent and assign-able buttons (4 buttons and 2 triggers), fast and responsive 8-way D-Pad, a removable mini-joystick slots.

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Ergonomics: Simply put, this is the best feeling controller I’ve used since the Dual-Shock (my favorite) for Playstation. The button placement is optimal, the handles are well molded to fit your hands, and there is even a cool little switch to pop out an arcade-like joystick that can be attached to the D-pad. Your hands will never get tired when you’re playing with this controller. 5 out of 5

   Performance: This controller performs very well. The button response is nice and crisp. Although with the D-pad, it can be a bit too quick. Sometimes with this controller it can be hard to move just a tiny bit in any direction. Another problem is that this controller doesn’t have the best driver support. When setting it up, the two trigger buttons are set as a third axis. The problem with this is that a lot of games, and programs don’t accept this type of configuration. 4 out of 5

   Features: The features with this pad are about what you might expect, nothing too dazzling, but not real lack either. This gamepad features an eight direction D-pad, optional joystick, four top buttons, and two trigger buttons. It uses a 15-pin connector rather than USB, and even has a nifty built in hiding place for the joystick when not in use. 3 out of 5

   Installation: The installation of this pad is very simple. The box it comes in contains a little piece of paper that has typed on it clear directions on how to plug in and setup your controller. As long as you follow these, you will be playing in no time. However if you don’t like to read directions, and find yourself frustrated when you can’t get it to work right, don’t expect me to sympathize, the instructions are made for a reason. 4 out of 5

   System Compatibility: It worked with my computer. And that says a lot, my computer can be one picky son of a bitch. But I installed the controller and played my games with little problems. Some of my programs didn’t want to accept the triggers as buttons, but other than that it worked great. I would think that you might have trouble installing this on a system used Widows 3.x but if your computer is running on that, why are you buying peripherals for it? 4 out of 5

   How it Compares: The Saitek P120 is definitely not the worst gamepad you can buy, but it also isn’t the greatest. There are plenty of gamepads out there that feature more buttons, better D-pad response. But if all you’re really concerned about is how it feels in your hands, you should definitely give this one a try. 3 out of 5

   The Verdict:

       Not a bad controller, nice feel, simple to use and install, but it doesn’t have very good driver support. And … well… it really looks … weird.

   The Good: Great feel, simple installation

   The Bad: : Poor driver support, odd-looking

   The Overall Ugly: If you want a controller that feels really nice, and you don’t mind having only six buttons, then you should try this one, but otherwise, you can definitely find better gamepads out there.

   What it's Worth: I would pay up to $10.00 for this pad.