The GamePad Pro's long 8-foot connecting cable gives you plenty of room
to take a step or two back from your PC while gaming. The gamepad also
features hot swapping so you can plug and unplug various USB peripherals
without having to reboot or turn off your machine. In Windows 98, the
gamepad uses the driver for an "HID Compliant Game Controller," so you
can start playing right after installation, without having to calibrate
the pad. Upon installation, you can also immediately access the Test
area of the Game Controllers function to make sure the gamepad is
connected properly.

The GamePad Pro's basic layout should be familiar to anyone who's ever
played a console game (in fact, it closely resembles the standard
PlayStation controller). It has a thumb-controlled directional pad on
the left for movement, four action buttons on the right, and four
flipper buttons on the top of the pad to handle additional game controls.
If you're one of those folks who'd rather manage movement with a stick,
the GamePad Pro also features an attachable joystick that screws into
the middle of the D-pad. However, the pad can feel a bit small for users
with sizable hands.

The GamePad Pro works well for sports games (it was perfect for NFL
Blitz 2000) and action games, but is limited by the number of buttons
for more involved games, such as first-person shooters.

In addition to quick installation, the GamePad Pro also boasts a nice
sticker price. If you're looking for an easy-to-use gamepad to handle
basic controls in your games, the GamePad Pro should do the trick. --J.
Curtis

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Nicely priced

Cons:

• A little small for larger hands
• Very basic