If you haven't seen it in the arcades, Area 51 is a first-person 
perspective shoot 'em up in similar vein to Sega's Virtua Cop series. 
As such, it has the distinction of being the latest in an ever growing 
number of games to utilise the Virtua Gun. As in most first-person 
perspective shoot 'em ups, Area 51 has you following a predetermined 
route inside and around the Area 51 complex. Therein you'll discover 
hoards of screaming aliens who ought to be gunned down in a violent 
fashion with points being awarded for each kill. Extra points can be 
earned by shooting consecutive targets without missing, known as 
streaks and are essential for racking up a high score. In addition, 
much of the background scenery is destructible, which when shot 
reveals secret weapons and power-ups within, not to mention secret 
rooms. The inclusion of a cowboy mode is most welcome too, whereby 
those people with two guns can play with them simultaneously. But then 
I always did that anyway. 

The kind of game you can put on for a ten minute blast and enjoy, but 
as along term investment it falls short of the mark. With the 
exception of the Cop games, Area 51 is the best of a bad bunch.

reviewed by
Toby Barnes