Review: Deluxeware’s Hockey World Championship

Deluxeware is a relative newcomer in the PDA software market, yet in a short span of time, they have quickly developed an impressive stable of games and utilities for a multitude of platforms. Since the company’s inception, I have noticed that they have maintained a high standard of quality products and strive to take it even higher with each new release.

Deluxeware’s Hockey World Championship is a game like no other. Not only is it a fun game to play, but, Hockey WC is the first and only hockey game of its kind on the Palm OS gaming market today. Truthfully, I’m not much of a hockey fan. In the west coast of the United States where I live, our major sports are the Big Three: Football, basketball and baseball. Even though I’m a bit handicapped by my lack of knowledge with hockey, I can honestly say that Hockey World Championship has helped me grow in interest and enthusiasm for the sport.

Over the years, Deluxeware has had a reputation of producing professional-grade games that bring challenge and excitement to their games. Hockey WC has a slick interface that a newbie to the sport can follow. Moreover, there is a cool tutorial to assist users in the finer movements of the game. Once you’ve finished the tutorial, get ready to rumble!

The menu allows users to choose from a list of countries who normally participate in the real-world Hockey World Championship. The field of play includes a 5 on 5 match-up in an ice rink filled with referees, fans and players. Deluxeware has even put the names of companies/corporate sponsorships on the ice, just like in the real game. Everything from the scuffed ice, to the actual physics of the players’ movements across the ice and the trajectory of the puck is painstakingly detailed to bring as much realism to the game as possible. The crowd even roars its approval when your team scores a goal!

Hockey World Championship is a great addition for anyone who loves to play games on their PDA’s. Users can play a quick, single game or they can test their mettle in the championship rounds. The crisp, clean 3D graphics and the exciting game play of Hockey World Championship are great examples of Deluxeware’s commitment to creating awesome, quality games and utilities for the PDA market. If gaming is in you, this game’s for you!

You can test drive the demo here!

-Kevin Agot, Carmichael, CA, USA