November 9, 1998 by Misha Sakellaropoulo SRP: $14.95 (CD),   $9.95 (unlock trial version) Cajun Games Food Chain Download Trial Version System Requirements: 68040 or PowerPC, 5 MB RAM, 9 MB HD Pros: unqiue, addictive, nice graphics/animation, inexpensive, high score contest Cons: none significant

   Food Chain is the first product to come from Cajun Games, a new face in the industry. Food Chain is strategy/puzzle game and uses an interesting idea that makes it one of the most unique games of this genre to come along in years.

   The object of Food Chain is to score the most points by having creatures eat each other. It's more of a food ring than a food chain, though, as only one kind of creature can eat another kind, and only one kind can eat it. Sounds confusing? It can be at first, but a wonderful tutorial is included with the game which makes it very easy to learn.

   A creatures can only eat another if it's facing in the correct direction, so beyond the four different kinds of creatures you'll also be given items that rotate a creature. Each creature also has its own unique ability, from being able to fly over others to feed on its prey to feeding on grass to survive.

   The game ends when a species becomes extinct, be it by eating all of one species or by letting the species die off. Interestingly, time plays a very small role in this game. Unlike most puzzle and strategy games which require you to think fast, Food Chain emphasizes thinking wisely and planning ahead. A creature starts off with 20 life points, and only loses one life point once you've played a turn, so you can take as much time as you need to plan your move. The life points of a creature go back up to 20 when it eats another creature.

   Food Chain is one of those games whose experience cannot be duplicated in writing. Thankfully Cajun Games has a trial version which lets you play the game ten times before paying for it. You can then unlock the trial version for $9.95, or pay $14.95 for the CD version which includes 25 of the company's favorite shareware games. Either way, it's a small price to pay for an addictive game that's sure to bring you hours of enjoyment for all ages. If that's not enough, Cajun Games also features a high score contest for Food Chain with plenty of prizes to keep you glued to the game.