When InterAct announced the GameShark 2 for the Playstation 2 during E3 2000, a number of additional peripherals were also introduced that would take advantage of the USB ports found on the front of the console. One of those items was a keyboard that could be used to enter Gameshark codes more conveniently and to take better advantage of FPS games that are traditionally played on a keyboard. The result is InterAct's GameShark SharkBoard.

The keyboard is quite simple in design yet highly functional. Made of sturdy black plastics and soft touch keys, the unit accompanies the PS2 hardware nicely. Getting started with the SharkBoard was easy enough, simply plug it into either USB port at the front of the PS2 and it will auto-detect the connection. We were eager to see how it would make entering Gameshark 2 codes easier, and we were pleasantly surprised. The SharkBoard is specially designed to provide handy functions and commands for the GameShark 2 cheat device. Keys traditionally devoted to PC applications have been replaced with GameShark 2 hot keys in order to speed up the process of entering codes even quicker. Inputting codes into the GameShark 2 with a standard PS2 controller proved time consuming and many times inaccurate due to having to constantly look down at a code while trying to manipulate the controller through the cycles of numbers and letters. With the SharkBoard, the process is sped up quite drastically. We entered a whole slew of codes for Code Veronica in under ten minutes. If we had of taken the controller route, it would have taken at least forty minutes. My only complaint now is how slow the GameShark 2 makes saves. Missing is some LED indicators to let you know if Caps are locked or if the numbers are locked. Original design photos had these indicators but we can assume they were removed in order to keep the price very low.

What about using the SharkBoard for FPS games? Unreal Tournament was used for testing purposes and let's just say it was a world of difference compared to using the Dual Shock 2 controller. The ability to move around more freely and accurately use weapons actually made the game more enjoyable. We may have increased the score of the game if we had of had access to a keyboard at the time. Hopefully upcoming releases will take advantage of keyboard control.

In sum, the SharkBoard is a great peripheral and a must have for serious GameShark users and FPS gamers. Add to this a very attractive price makes the unit a very affordable piece of hardware. Sure, some people may want to go out and spend big dollars on some high end USB keyboard, but why bother? The SharkBoard is more than suffice for the job at hand.

Functionality: 9
Value: 8
Features: 6
Overall Score: 8

By Mike Weatherup.