Computer + Video Games - Commodore Is Awesome

1 HARRIER 1.mmol „
0 THE FANTASY ZONE
1
Learn from other pmgrammers. I leamt a
lot worlang in house at Elite
Keith impressed the bosses at Elite —
and we think his Spam Harrier is going to
Impress you.
MACHINES: SPECTRUM.
AMSTRAD, C641.28
1. SUPPLIER: ELITE
10- PRICE: ros (Spectrum), f8,95
(Amstrad) A954E14.95 (CM
, VERSIONS TISTED: SPECTRUM'
AMSTRAD
' 128)
Pr. REVIEWER: TIM
There's only one way to play Space
Harrier. That's with the lights turned
down low and some really LOUD music
blasting your eardrums to pulp. That
way you can experience the weirdness
of this game to the full.
It's fast, it's slick and it's the most
fun you'll have with your Spectrum this
year_ Keith Burkhill has done an
astounding job on the Spectrum version
— and the Amstrad and C.64 versions
are equally as awesome.
Space Harrier took the arcades by
storm thanks to spectacular graphics
and the incredible hydraulic action on
the coin-op specials,
OK, so the computers around at the
moment can't capture the graphic
quality of the original or sit you on a
moving seat to reproduce the
movements of a jet-pack trooper.
But they can capture the spirit and
all the fast action of this abstract
shoot 'em-up.
The basic idea of the computer
game and the coin-op is to fly your
)et-powered trooper through fast
scrolling landscapes packed with
creatures which could well have
jumped out of a Sabidor Dall painting.
You have to zap the creatures to
survive. There are rock heads, space
ships, swirling eiephant like things and
of course the huge double headed
dragons.
You get a dragon at the end of each
level which must be destroyed if you
are to progress to the next level. And
you get a real kick out of blasting the
thing — especially as it's probably
knocked YOU down a few times
already. You'll need several well aimed
shots on target to get rid of these
beasties.
The fast scrolling is smooth, and the
impression of moving across the
chequered landscape is near perfect.
Keith has managed to get the tilting
feeling as you move your trooper
across the screen just about right,
Despite the speed of the game the
graphics are almost flicker free.
Because of the graphic limitations of
the Spectrum it's sometimes hard to
tell just what is coming at you. But the
ti4 and Amstrad versions will have
solid graphics.
You score by staying alive. The
numbers roll around at the bottom
of the screen. And there's a nice
scrolling hi-score chart which appears
at the end of each session.
You get eight lives to begin with —
and an extra one at the end of each
zone, Especially when you first load up
the game.
Animation of the space trooper is
Al
nice. He runs and zaps around the
alien skies smoothly.
The only thing really lacking from
Spectrum Harrier is sound. That's why
you need that loud driving rock music
to keep things truckin' right along.
Some other magazine, which should
remain nameless but we'll call Sinclair
tier, reckoned that it was easy to get
through the first few levels. That's *cos
they were playing a preview version
The real thing 'aint easy at all.
Here at C+ VG we can't wait to get
our hands on a finished CCA version
from Elite's Chris Butler.
Space Ham'er is a sure fire smash,
It's a must for made addicts,
ai
Spec Ams
• Graphics 8 9
• Sound 7 7
• Value 9 9
• Playability 10 10
A Keith Burkhill
BURKIIILLS GUIDE TO 11112C BASHNC
Here's a vew tips on playing Spare Harrier
from the man who put it together, They
may help you survive the perils of the
fantasy zone if you're lucky
• Keep Spacey circling and firing all the
time in a clockwise manouvre.
• Trees can be ckstroyed – - but not paws.
• Tr-ads can only be shot when they are
open_ Then they'll be shooting at you_too
• You have ID destroy both halves of the
two headed monsters. Kill one half and the
other becomes more deadly,
• Learn the movements of the monsters,
• Adapt yourself to the changing speeds of
the different levels.
......mgoloolonlimilmanu
ntmontow
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The real thin g! : 1 .
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