VCA Interactive breathes new life into the virtual sex market with the release of Chasing Stacy. This DVD takes interactive porn and fleshes it out with all the features missing from other titles in the same genre, adding more content and flexibility. VCA Interactive's catch-phrase is Fantasex, which is simply their improved version of existing virtual sex simulators (like Digital Playground's FantaVR and Pixis's TFUI). Whatever you want to call it, it's really cool and exploits the capabilities of my DVD player quite nicely. And it doesn't hurt that the lovely and personable Stacy Valentine is at center stage making this all possible.

Choosing 'chasing stacy' from the main menu let me follow Stacy through what could be a typical day in her life. She goes to VCA's office, works out at a gym (followed by a sexy shower), goes to a coffeshop, drives around in her BMW, goes shopping and tries on kinky outfits, and puts on suntan lotion by the pool. On several occasions you are given the opportunity to "ask her out" and if you hit the button at the appropriate time, she just might say yes. What's more likely to happen is that you'll be treated to seeing her complain to someone on the phone about your tactless pick-up style. If you are lucky enough to score or if you wait until this section ends, you'll get to go out with Stacy. If you're not up to this pointless challenge, then don't fret because you can jump right into any section from the main menu.

When you get Stacy's attention without getting rejected, your 'virtual date' with Stacy begins in a chill restaurant with her facing you most of the time. The camera takes occasional voyeuristic glances at Stacy's pantyless nether regions, clearly exposed by her short dress. This segment is ridiculous because she answers imaginary questions. I would have preferred that instead of her pretending to respond to you that she just sit there and talk about herself or offer choices as to what questions to ask her.

After simulating typical first date small-talk for a little while, Stacy's conversation segues into one of the three extra sex scenes, this one depicting a threesome with Peter North and another girl. The next scene is on the beach and features just her and another guy who is semi-hard for the majority of the time. There is a third scene earlier during the 'chasing stacy' section, where Stacy has sex with a Mark Wahlberg-lookalike (maybe it was the real Dirk Diggler). All three scenes are mainstream pornography taken from previous films (Eternal Lust, LA Lust, and Forever Night respectively) and are decent at best. They each end with a facial and two include anal.

As the virtual date progresses, Stacy talks and acts very sexually and honestly. She doesn't pretend to be someone else; you feel like you're dating Stacy the porn actress and not some virtual caricature.

When the date ends, or you choose 'Fantasex' from the main menu, you are presented with several choices on how you want to proceed with virtual sex. First you decide where you and Stacy will be getting it on: Stacy's place, the office, or in public. These different settings are neat but nothing more than different backgrounds behind the same footage. They did a good job of making it look like she was there each time however. Next you select the music that's to accompany these scenes from three different styles. Additionally you may choose no music at all, which is great because I've seen so many otherwise great porn scenes that were ruined by terrible or inappropriate music (like hillbilly music). But the music is all fairly well done here; I didn't find it obtrusive or monotonous.

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Fantasex, like other similar technologies, gives you three main approaches to take with the model: Fourplay, Oral, or Sex, which you can jump to at any time using a thin menu interface on the left. This menu is jam-packed with options that give you total control over the action. During foreplay you can fondle her breasts, finger her or use a dildo on her and during sex you may choose from three positions. DP's Virtual Sex products may give you four positions for sex, but VCA's Fantasex outperforms DP's FantaVR in other areas. Fantasex has a heat option that has three settings that may be applied to all areas, ranging from slow and romantic to fast and noisy where Stacy moans like a banshee. The middle choice is a perfect balance between the other two. She has two orgasms, one that happens both for foreplay and oral, and one incredible earth-shaking orgasm during sex. Her entire body shudders and sweats and she seems to be really cumming during the best onscreen orgasm I've ever seen. And of course you may choose to cum on her face.

Throughout the DVD, Stacy Valentine looks very pretty and each scene portrays a high level of professionalism. Filming interactive scenes requires more attention to detail than conventional porn. With the latter, shooting several takes is not only less necessary, but unrealistic; and it seems as though porn directors/crews approach filming interactive DVDs the same way. However I get the impression that Stacy takes the initiative herself to shoot extra takes until the results are just right.

Multi-angle is included and used effectively. Other options on this DVD give you different styles to "play," such as 'Speed start,' where you dive right into the action at a random point. Another is 'auto play,' where you put down the remote and just watch the scenes progress in one of four different ways, depending on how fast you want the action to go. There are 'advanced options' that let you shut off the menu bar during Fantasex and instead use the keypad to enter your commands. There are instructions for each section as well. Finally there's the least impressive of the bunch,'eye candy,' which is a slideshow of still images.

My only real complaint is that it takes longer to load between scenes than in other DVDs, probably because of the enormous amount of content stuffed on to one disc.

Chasing Stacy won me over with high production values, a myriad of cool options, and Stacy Valentine herself, whose great personality shines through clearly. She connects to the viewer very well and I never felt as though she was faking it. Tera Patrick will always have a special place in my heart, but I think I found a new virtual girlfriend in the sweet and tasty Stacy Valentine.