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31-05-2K:The first thing that hits you, as the site's main page loads in is how cluttered everything is - there are just far too many overly large graphics. What's the problem? Well they take up so much space that a vertical scrollbar is introduced, obviously this is fairly part and parcel of web browsing but on a title page it just smacks of poor layout. On the plus side the graphics are fairly nice and have that cartoony worms style that we have become accustomed too over the years.

On the main page you get a multitude of options - visit the W:A page for PC or Dreamcast or PlayStation or N64 or Gameboy…then on top of this there are sections for The Armageddon Collection, Worms 2, and Worms Pinball. The amount of options here just seems a little over the top, who is really interested in Worms 2 any more, or Worms Pinball for that matter? I doubt many people are, so it would make more sense just to concentrate on W:A which is after all the current "flagship" of the Worms series. Certainly if I was a new user visiting here I might find it all just a tad overwhelming, I mean all I'm looking for is information on the new game I just bought.

Anyway, from here I visited the console pages for W:A first, it is immediately apparent that there isn't much in the way of information about the game - just some promotional crap to get you all "exited" about the game's imminent launch, just shows you when these pages were last updated. Most of the promotional stuff is either going to be on the back of the box or is going to be covered in better detail in the manual, if you own a console version of W:A there is nothing here for you. There are some links to reviews of the game, which might be of some benefit to those of us who are considering getting a console version to act as a sort of "social" substitute for the real game, but again if you've bought the game already you know what its like.

Onto The Armageddon Collection page - again this is just some promotional stuff telling you about the features of the pack. I really don't get why this is still here, the pack has been out for ages and anyone who wanted to buy it will have. Information like this is only useful pre-launch and should be taken down shortly after, either to be replaced by a proper homepage for the pack or by nothing. The general feeling you get from all these pages is that Team 17 really can't be bothered with this site, nothing has been updated in ages - it reflects badly and all of it should be taken down as quickly as possible.

The Worms 2 site has a bit more meat to it, there is an awful lot of content here - then again there should be considering the game is what? Over two years old at least. Once the page has loaded in you are confronted with a horrid hybrid interface - a kinda of mix between the Allotment and the old W:A site. It doesn't work, that is clear straight away - it is pretending to be something its definitely not, this is an official site not a fan site after all.

There is lots of good information about the game, but again it seems too be more promotional guff spewed out by the T17 PR Department two years ago. There are a few screenshots to go along with the info but it strikes you again - why is this all still here? No one is going to buy W2 any more, so what is the point in stuff like this? Oh, and if this is a Worms 2 site then why is it using the graphics set that was developed for W:A? Time saving measure I guess, the kind of thing I'd expect from a fan site but not from the official page - these people get paid to do this kind of thing.

Looking about there is a demo of the game to download and the patch - excellent instructions are provided as to why the patch is required and how to install it. There are links to reviews of the game and interviews with the people responsible for creating it, none of this is new however and has been there since the old days of worms2.com. Aside from this you can get gaming tips, look at a weapons guide (don't they tell you about the weapons in the manual?), download wormy art - all stuff that might interest a newcomer to the game but since the remaining W2 players are probably not newbies its all a bit worthless.

The Worms Pinball page is just another lot of promotional rubbish; I've said all I'm going to about that.

Onto what we are most interested about - the PC Worms: Armageddon page. Unfortunately that hybrid Allotment/old official site style is back again (it also looks surprising like the Worms 2 page) - guess that is the Sniper influence then. The guy had a great thing going with the Allotment but from what I've seen so far he hasn't made the transition from fan site to official site that well. An official site is mainly about providing new users with info about the game and cheats etc. I really don't think they want to know about his "e-mail woes" or the like. It is just far too unprofessional, it works well on a site made for fans by fans, but that isn't what the official site is for in my opinion. Also if he is going to do it that way then he has to update it more regularly than once every few days, he did that at the Allotment when he was doing it in his spare time - surely it isn't too much to ask now that he actually gets paid that he should keep that level of contact up?

Again there is lots of content, game info, screenshots, demo download - which considering people are probably still buying W:A is just about excusable. The patch is here with instructions on why it's necessary and how to install it but I would think those with first edition W:A will have already updated and by leaving it here you are just confusing new American users who don't need the patch. There is information on how to get all the "cheats" and interviews with the creators of the game, along with a FAQ. A lot of this stuff has been there since the W:A site opened in late 1998, it could do with updating.

A links page provides an escape route for newbies so that they can visit other worms sites, however it hasn't been updated in a while either - the March-April site of the month is still there. Rounding everything off is an excellent trivia section where hardened wormers can test their knowledge of the game.

The official Worms site is a mess, there is far too much stuff around that is way past its sell by date. What is required is a really good clean out, but with WWP just around the corner I doubt whether it will get it. Once you have visited it once there really isn't any need to come back (except if they ever release the long rumoured update…) - Sniper seems to be trying to do a one man job on the place (whether this is true or not I can't say) and I reckon it is just that bit too much for even him. He's trying to recreate the Allotment, it just isn't going to happen - if I was him I'd scrap everything and ask if I could work on the WWP site. Seasoned Wormers know they are far better served elsewhere.

Grade: 4

//agi. [agi@fsmail.net]