Back in the day I can remember looking at my first Steve Jackson pocket box, back when I first got into the hobby, and was still weaned on the TSR production values (OK except for AD&D first ed!) and remembering how chap I thought the game (GEV at the time) looked, It was in a cheesy pocket box and didn?t come with dice or anything (hey I was 12 sue me!) well I grew out of that and soon learned to love the myriad of pocket boxes Steve Jackson had produced, from Undead, to Car Wars to, Ogre (hell I even have a metagaming copy of Rivets floating around somewhere!)

But then one day I heard the news that Steve Jackson wouldn?t be making any more of the famous pocket box line that had spawned such hits as Illuminati, I was bummed, but I got over it and then one day I aw it in my local game store, digitally-remastered according to the cover, but it was the same game none the less, Steve Jackson had an all new line of pocket games Yee HAW! I had lost my original copy of Awful Green things from outer space, so I picked it p immediately, and here is what I found.

O.K. The price has shot up to about TWICE what they used to be. The original pocket boxes sold for about $7 if memory serves and I put down $14 for the new edition, but honestly I am not griping, sure it was more expensive, but to his credit, there is also more in the box. The box itself is actually a videotape case (the kind without the mounts for the tape on the inside, and each game comes with a cardboard slipcase with all the pertinent info, allowing the art to go around the whole box (as opposed to the old sticker method!) The box also comes with an expanded version of the rulebook (with new rules) new counters (for said new rules) and coolest of all, 5 funky green dice to play the game with I was in hog heaven.

For those of you not familiar with the game, it is a very cute send up of the old ?alien? Scenario. On player plays the awful green things that continue to multiply and cause trouble, while the other player plays the crew, tying to contain the alien menace. The original Tom Wham art may not appeal to everyone but it?s grown on me and I don?t know if I could see the game redone with different art. One of the unique mechanics in the game is the weapons as the crew player uses the ships supplies as weapons, a random chit is drawn to find out how it affects the aliens, which means sometimes the most mundane item can be the most effective while the most logical weapons may become the worst choice!

My only real complaint with this game and most of the games in this line is the continued use of flat counters, yes they are cheap and efficient but they are also a pain to pick up and move. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the games of today, but eve if they were more like Steve Jackson?s cardboard heroes it would be a help. Hell why no one thought of doing a ser of Ogre Cardboard heroes I beyond me! If you have never played it before I?d say give it a whirl it?s a great little beer and pretzels kind of game, and it makes a great 2 player game on those rainy days when everyone is sick of Magic or Mage knight! The new packaging is worth the few extra bucks and after all I think you can blame most of the price hike on inflation!