Developer: InterAct
Distributor: Take Two
Website: GameShark.com
Once known as the Game Genie, InterAct's GameShark program has been helping people out since the early days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It became the GameShark when the Playstation arrived and made it its business to swoop in and save stuck people everywhere with multiple game titles. To say it was worthwhile is an understatement when you consider, pre-internet, you pretty much had to rely on strat books and $1-a-minute tip lines to get yourself through tough games in a pinch. Certainly worthwhile back then; of perhaps lesser value now that info is more readily available, but if you want to cheat, I mean really do anything in a console game, GameShark is your friend. Now it's arrived for the PC and its worth is… well, questionable, at best.
What GameShark does provide is easy-to-use-and-install trainers and codes for any game in its database. That's over 200 at current count and that number is inching upward on a daily basis, it seems. These codes unlock every aspect of the game; provide tools like unlimited ammo, invincibility, extra lives or money (if apropos), etc. If a game is in the database, you'll be able to beat it six ways from Sunday with the help of this product. The only problem is that fan-made trainers, mods and cheat codes do the same things for free. But they can be, admittedly, significantly harder to use in practice.
You'd think a program like this would use an AutoUpdater similar to the one found in most Anti-virus programs, something that would let you find what game profiles you lack and then pick and choose which to download. It doesn't. You have to search for the game you want, then download it. An AutoUpdate system would also handle installing the codes, wouldn't it? Yes, it would. This doesn't. You have to find them, you have to download them and you have to install them. How's that for convenience?