Computer + Video Games - Commodore Is Awesome

Ilo• MACHINE: C64/SPECTRUM
Po SUPPLIER: NEXUS
Po VERSION TESTED: C64
Ito PRICE: E9.95/E7.95
it- REVIEWER: TIM
Wham-boom•bla m I If it's a
shoot-'em-up you're after, then
look no further than Hades
Nebula— the latest, and
possibly greatest, from Nexus.
Nothing new here, even a hint
of Slap Fight here and there, but
the game remains a tough
challenge for zap addicts.
The basic idea is simple. You
pilot a vertically scrolling
spaceship over planet
landscapes, giant ships and
through space — blasting as
you go. The final encounter is
with a giant alien mothership —
but it will be weeks, even
months before you get that far.
Why? Because Hades is well
hard,
Don't whatever you do, don't
36
▪ MACHINE: SPECTRUM/CBM
64/AMSTRAD
▪ SUPPLIER: HEWSON
PRICE: £7.95 ISPECTRUM), 0335
ICBM/AMSTRAD)
10. VERSION TESTED: SPECTRUM
REVIEWER: PAUL
Zynaps is the work of Dominic
Robinson, the wizard behind
the Spectrum conversion of
(Iridium — the game nobody
thought would make it to the
Speccy. The job he did was
nothing short of brilliant.
And so to Zynaps. Well, it
looks good, plays well but it
won't break new grounds for
originality.
What you've basically got is
450 screens of sideways
scrolling shoot-'em-up set in
deep space, packed with aliens,
rockets, missiles and all the
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get too trigger happy, otherwise
you'll end up blasting your
extra bits as they emerge from
the zapped pods.
If you destroy them it's a long
wait till another chance comes
along. Your craft will lose all its
add-ons if YOU get zapped by a
nasty.
There's not much else to say
about this— except that it
features neat graphics and
sound by none other than the
WE Music team. The credits
also say that Tony Crowther
had a hand in Hades as well.
Spectrum and Commodore
versions are different — not
traditional .hgredients.
Ultimately, you've got to reach
the alien stronghold.
You fly a Mark One Scorpion
Attack Fighter, equipped with
the ability to find and pick up
additional weapons and scoop
up fuel from wrecked craft.
The Scorpion's main drive
units operate at four power
levels ranging from low power
for delicate control in tight
spaces, to a maximum setting
for high-speed combat in deep
space.
Weapons available are
Pulse lasers— good for
heavy-duty alien blasting.
These wing mounted lasers
also have for power settings.
Plasma bombs— Two
independent bomb throwers
provide awesome destructive
only in graphic presentation.
Paranoid Software, the people
behind the ngame,
have decided
to write up to the capabilities of
each machine instead of
attempting n to produce an
identical copy on each machine.
The Spectrum • version
doesn't suffer from colour clash
problems, has fast smooth
scrolling and could give the
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power against ground-based
targets.
Homing missies— These
self-propelled missiles carry
scaled-down planet-busting
warheads and, once locked
onto target, will destroy almost
any large alien craft.
Seeker missiles— The
ultimate in intelligence
weaponry. Seeker missiles
carry automatic target
acquisition circuitry designed to
lock onto any target they are
able to destroy.
The fuel scoop— provides
the power to activate the
Scorpion's main systems.
I must admit I found it a little
annoying on the first level to get
a decent way into the game,
then getting killed and then
having to start again right back
at the beginning, Frustrating. I
understand, however, that this
does not happen on all the
levels.
Apart from that I can find little
wrong with Zynaps. It's a nifty
little game.
GRAPHICS
SOUND
II. VALUE
Po PLAYABILITY
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Spoctruni UtidiuM a o r its
money in the playabi . ,takes.
It's fast, it's furious and it's
fun_ Probably the most
addictive shoot-'am-up of '87 so
far. Get it.
Ivo GRAPHICS
Po SOUND
VALUE
Do PLAYABILITY
9
9
9
9
7
8
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