GameSurround Fortissimo II Score: 90% Developer: Hercules

Function: Every PC gamer knows that to really enjoy a game, you have to hear it. Most of today's motherboards come with an on-board sound chip. While highly convenient, the on-board chip is usually not very effective in bringing out the full 'aural colors' of today's hard-hitting games and music. Center Stage: The Hercules GameSurround Fortissimo IIsound card that boasts a low price tag (69.99) with tons of great (though not too well documented) features.

Performance: The GameSurround Fortissimo II was subject to ZD AudioBench 99 benchmarking available from www.zdnet.com. The Fortissimo II performed higher than the Soundblaster PCI512 which is its equivalent for features. It proved to be hardly any strain on the CPU, even when running higher-end music software that uses 'MHz's' like I use Qtips. It sounded absolutely lush as I put it through the battery of tests. The sound orientations are as clear as glass, as sounds behind you lap through the rear speakers as effortless as ever. The sound from the front speakers and subwoofer sounded as real as anything my human ears have ever heard. I also was thoroughly impressed at how the Fortissimo II handled sound shifting from the front to the rear speakers. How's 'flawless?' There were no blips, blinks, boinks or biddles. The sound ebbed from behind me to in front of me and behind me again. I used a few of the programs that came with the sound card (a huge definite plus), and they all sounded great. With MIDI, line and digital ins, you can bet that any thing you need to record will go into this sound card and come right back out in perfect 4.1 sound. (I tested the Fortissimo II with Creative Lab's 4.1 speaker system.) Another great thing is that the interface is a breeze to use. It is very user-friendly with its ease of navigation. I was able to test my speakers and impressively equalize them with hardly any effort. Of course the real test comes with games and music. I paired the GameSurround Fortissimo II with a variety of first person shooters like Serious Sam 2 and Max Payne. It sounded great. Never have I heard sound so good. To hear is to believe. I heard and I believed. Thank you powers above. I also played my guitar through the card. I heard something as good as curried chick peas. Yum. Guitarists are real particular with their guitar sound (and a bit skeptical when running through a computer, I might add). It can handle overdriven distortion, creepy flange and hall-sized reverb. I played some of my favorite CD's. Ed Harris came to life as I adjusted the equalizer to Jazz. Pantera touched aggressive as I made Rock the default. I was very impressed with how the GSFII sounded and how it performed over and over again

Features: A dedicated headphone, mic, or 4-speaker (front and/or back) connection for amazing 3D audio experie 1 Hercules specific cable for connecting analog devices such as headphones and speakers Cirrus Logic audio processor for gaming hardware acceleration and high quality audio SensauraT 3D engine for an immersion-like experience with most advanced 3D audio games Digital optical in & out allows easy connection for MP3 players and MiniDiscsT systems Line-in for stereo or other audio systems MIDI or accessory Game port (MPU 401T compatible) Great software package Includes Hercules' intuitively designed control panel

Drawbacks & Problems:: With every good comes a bit of bad. Apart from the fact that the manual is painfully short on features and specs, it's just a boring read. 8 pages is hardly a read, and most of those pages were screenshots. Nice I know, but if I wanted screenshots, I'd review for a video game site. Another thing that is definitely hard on the GameSurround Fortissimo II is it price range (notice, not the price tag). The Soundblaster PCI512, which it outperforms, is still 20 dollars less than the Herculescard. It's price is actually comparable to the Soundblaster Live 5.1 which has a monster array of features and not only supports 4.1, but 5.1 as well. This little gap between competitors can definitely be rationalized with the amount of software that comes with the GameSurround Fortissimo II; Great little synthesizer programs, PowerDVD and anything that a multimedia guru would love. I did also have a little issue getting it to install on Windows XP Pro . As a counter to that though, it installed perfectly on Windows 98 and Windows 2000 Pro. The XP issue was resolved after I went to www.hercules.com and downloaded the XP drivers. (This is another great testament in that Hercules keeps their driver database almost-excruciatingly updated). Riot Rundown: I had a blast testing this card. It sounded great, and I can't get over the easy to use interface. Though I haven't officially tested the Soundblaster Live 5.1, I've heard it at my friend's house, and I think that the Hercules card keeps up quite well with it. The only thing it seems to lack is the 5.1 support. Of course, I would've liked more specs from the manual (I'm a technical nut!) I loved the software that came with it. Was I happy with the product? Yes, I was impressed to say the least, but I think that any hardcore gamer might take his 69.99 and buy the Soundblaster Live 5.1 because it's the same price and offers more speaker support and features. But, if you want a very high-quality card with a lot of bonuses towards gaming and music, then definitely weigh your options with the GameSurround Fortissimo II.

-Sydney Riot, GameVortex Communications AKA Will Grigoratos

Minimum System Requirements: WindowsT 95, 98, 2000, Millenium Intel Pentium II / AMD K6 & higher, compatible PCI 2.1 slot, 32MB RAM CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.   Test System: Windows XP Pro, AMD Athlon Duron, compatible PCI slot, 320MB RAM, CD-ROM.