It has been a long time coming. When released for the PC a couple of years ago, Quake didn't disappoint: it was so good it took over Doom's mantle as the best shoot-'em-up around - until it was superseded by the even better Quake II. In the Nintendo version, Midway Home Entertainment hasn't completely forgotten the multi-player option which has PC owners playing Quake over the net. Here, though, it is only for two players (there are seven Deathmatch levels) and frame rates can suffer when the action heats up.
The same cannot be said for playing the game solo. Here, you get the whole shebang. All the levels available on the PC are included and the gameplay is just as good. The graphics, however, do not quite match those on the 3D-accelerated version on the PC - though it triumphs over its PC counterpart with the Rumble Pak.
GoldenEye is currently the jewel in the Nintendo crown and the primary difference between it and Quake is that GoldenEye requires more brainpower than brawn. In Quake your task is simple - kill or be killed. While seasoned aficionados might find the game a little disappointing, for the uninitiated it just might be earth shattering.
Graphics: 89%, Sound: 89%, Gameplay: 90%
