Computer + Video Games - Commodore Is Awesome

many ernbarrasing questions toanswer about just how this wasallowed to happen.Botsneda's closeness to themainland is of great strategicadvantage to the enemy. Cobracannot be allowed to consolidatethefr position, nor must theyhave the time to retrieve andanalyse the classifiedinformation left behind ori theinstallation.iy771010I. MACHINES_ CM/SPECTRUM,AMSTRADSUPPLIER: VIRGIN GAMES▪ PRICE: 17_95 (Spec) ES.% lAms19.95 1064/• VERSIONS TESTED CMdSPECTRUMREVIEWER: TIMThis is, quite simply, Virgin'sbest release since Dan Dare, Andit comes as no surprise that, likeDD, Action Force has been puttogether by The Gang of Five.Its based on the comic toys ofThe small island of Botsneda,just off the mainland, washeavily populated by civilian andmilitary personnel. A ruthlessattack by COBRA, the enemy,meant the evacuation of civiliansfrom the tourist resorts ofBotsneda.The military istallation was notso lucky. Despite the latest earlywarning systems guarding theinstallation, they only realisedthey were being attacked after itwas too late to retaliate.The only sensible option wasTime is of the essenc4butconventional forces cannot beused because their planning anddeployment will take time.The easier sector of themilitary installation was a spybase which collectedinformation about COBRApersonnel and tactics. The maindatabase is on hard disc attachedto the computer,Gun-happy Dreadnoks may•= ,in7998the same nem, that bput uyou t of i tkedThErndercats,o n 'also reviewed thisish, the game stands up in itsown t right as a good, solidblaster, l etBut there's a bit of arcadeadventure and strategy thrownin for good measure - makingAction Force one of the fewgames around right now that willlast beyond the first few plays,True to form Gang hasput together two completelydifferent games on the Spectrumand 64. OK, so some of theelements are the same - but ifyou've got a 64 don't expect tobe able to beat the game on yourmate's Spectrum.Meanwhile on with the review.First we'll take a look at thescenario.1.11E1011f:5F,to withdraw, which was carriedout swiftly. However, the alliedforces destroyed much of theinstallation to prevent it fallinginto enemy hands. The easternsector of the installation couldnot be destroyed during theattack as there wasn't time, andcertain classified informationmay now be in the evil clutchesof COBRA! The allies will havewell have destroyed it, but therisk cannot be taken, If theenemy studies the itelligenceinformation they will know howto change their tactics anddefence systems to defeat theallied forces, Alas, theinformation will take years toreplaceA crack squad is needed tomount an immediate raid to getback the information lit it is stillintact) and get Out again.The Action Force squad willland on the western sector of theisland, cutting straight throughenemy defences. A.W.E. Strikerand Dragonfly are to carry outthe raid.The AU Weather andEnvironment Striker hasfour-wheel drive and is capableof speeds of 60 MPH crosscountry. Roll bars protect bothpassengers. Its biggest assestsare its manoeuvrability, speedand smooth passage over roughterrain.A.W.E. Striker carries delicatetapping equipment necessary toretrieve the classifiedinformation from the hard disc.Graphics vary in all versiens.The 64 version has jets,mini-copters, energy barriers allon a background of iron girdertype constructions.The Spectrurri version hasdetailed buildings and tanks andgun emplacements - whichreminded me a bit of GreenBeret, although the game istotally different.The Striker and the Dragonflychopper look different in bothgames, although the basicprinciple of protecting the Strikerby flying the Dragonfly aroundblasting a clear path while at thesame time moving bits of bridgearound are the same.I found the C64 easier initiallyfor although the Spectrumversion is more challenging ittakes more time to get into,You have to move quick i nboth versions dodging enemyfire white making sure thebridges are in place for theStriker to cross.There are eight challenginglevels to complete - each withdifferent hazards and enemies toovercome, lots of tactics to belearned and plenty ofopportunities for all you tipstersto be learned and plenty ofopportunities for all you tipstersto get you maps and tips printedin ideas central!Great presentation, with infoscreens appearing betweenlevels giving details about thenext set of enemies you'llencounter, nice hi-score charts,nice sound effects the works!Great to see Virgin come upwith a winner after so manydisappointing games this year.SPEC CMI. GRAPHICS 9 9Pi• SOUNDaVALUE 9 910- PLAYABILITY 10 10