| ★ AMSTRAD CPC ★ GAMESLIST ★ COMPILATION: 10 GREAT GAMES 2 (c) GREMLIN GRAPHICS ★ |
Computing with the Amstrad |
IF you've ever fancied a good games marathon, you can't do much better than take advantage of this impressive collection of 10 games from Gremlin. However, perhaps Six Games Good, Four Games Distinctly Average may have been a better title. The first is a rather sick little escapade into the world of street violence, more of a splat-'em-down than a shoot-'em-up. Death Wish 3 takes you to New York, where it's your task to rid the streets of crime. Muggers, hookers, defenceless old ladies... all the stereotypes are there. Somewhat predictably, all this hoodlum splatting becomes a little monotonous after a while. Still, your search for weapons and ammunition keeps the game alive. If playing the vigilante isn't your idea of escapism, you can always zoom off to outer space. In Final Matrix, you've been asked by the Biopton government to rescue hostages from the Craton network matrix. First you must travel to the matrix of your choice, identified as a small blue square. This part of the game is not all that exciting as it's simply a matter of getting the matrix in your sights and pressing the appropriate key. Once you're on the matrix, however, things are much more difficult. Each one consists of a 3D network of levels patrolled by spider-like guards. Not only do you have to get past them, but there's also a range of obstacles - mines, black ice, energy loss squares - and on top of that a time limit. Some idea of the variety within the compilation can be seen in Samurai Trilogy. Here you are a martial arts trainee hoping to graduate as a samurai warlord. To do this you must prove your excellence in three disciplines, karate, kendo and samurai. Before each bout you are allowed to train and plan your attack and defence strategies taking into account your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. The animation is good, the music superbly oriental, but the action lacks real oomph. Something more humorous is provided by Jack the Nipper II in Coconut Capers. The mischievous nipper finds himself in the jungle with his father and a host of unfriendly natives, all ready to give him a good spanking. Still, there's ample opportunity for him to practise his Tarzan impressions on the dangling creepers. There are also plenty of coconuts which, unbeknown to modern science, have plenty of zapping power. As in most platform games, this one provides lots of puzzles. The graphics are colourful and the jingles suitably humorous. This is certainly a game with lots to do and see. Basil the Great Mouse Detective is similarly humorous. being a spoof on the Conan Doyle stories. In this case your friend and accomplice. Doctor Dawson, has been kidnapped by a nasty little rodent named Ratigan. Armed only with a magnifying glass, you have to collect five clues from various jars littering each screen. Some, however, contain false clues while others are empty. Any mousetraps you pick up r along the way can be dropped in the path of Ratigan's henchmen, while cheese will give you added energy. The graphics are colourful, but the sound is relatively weak. One problem with the compilation was the difficulty I had in loading certain programs, particularly Samurai Trilogy, Basil, and the next game, Mask. In this you must locate five missing agents and their masks. But before you can locate an agent you must assemble a scanner from four security keys. Graphically, Mask is quite good, but as in the previous game the sound effects are rather bland. For its speed and sheer insanity, Thing Bounces Back comes out tops. As a Zebedee lookalike you gather various parts of a computer program scattered about a toy factory. In this way you will be able to destroy the toys manufactured by an evil goblin, which now run amok. Ultimately, this one lacks sophistication and although very playable is not for long sittings. Finally, Auf Wiedersehen Monty is another platform game. Monty the mole dreams of settling down on the exotic Greek island of Montos. But before he can do that, he must raise enough cash. This objective in mind, he takes off to Europe, where France, Italy and Germany, he believes, will provide all the traveller's cheques (not his of course) he requires. There are tickets to be found, which you use to fly from country to country. As in the other platform games, in this compilation, the display is colourful, the animation brisk, and the tunes lively. Except for two uninspired games I haven't mentioned yet - Convoy Raider and Duct - this compilation offers excellent value. Tony Flannagan, CWTA
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Page créée en 097 millisecondes et consultée 2713 fois L'Amstrad CPC est une machine 8 bits à base d'un Z80 à 4MHz. Le premier de la gamme fut le CPC 464 en 1984, équipé d'un lecteur de cassettes intégré il se plaçait en concurrent du Commodore C64 beaucoup plus compliqué à utiliser et plus cher. Ce fut un réel succès et sorti cette même années le CPC 664 équipé d'un lecteur de disquettes trois pouces intégré. Sa vie fut de courte durée puisqu'en 1985 il fut remplacé par le CPC 6128 qui était plus compact, plus soigné et surtout qui avait 128Ko de RAM au lieu de 64Ko. |
