mxdx .?i)iiy$1$jp - Bombjack.org

WORLD GAMES
Epyx
600 Gatveston Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063
Summer Games, Winter Games, and now
World Games. Will we soon see Galactic
Games! WG is my least favorite of the
series. Slalom Skiing (pictured Ieftj_ is
the best of the eight new events. The
other seven are: Cliff Divine, Sumo
wrestling, Bull Riding, Barrel Jumping,
Log Rolline, Weight Lifting, and the
Caber Toss (when was the last time you
paid money to see world-class Log
Rolling???) Epyx does such a nice,
consistent job of execution, tho, that
it's hard to take off too many points
even for such boring material. ' -BD
SPINDIZZY
Activision
2350 Bayshore Frontage Rd
Mountain View, CA 94043
This is a hot little number with much
of the appeal of Marble Madness, but
with faster action, more player
freedom, greater variety of playfields,
and jewels to hunt for. Yep, it's a
winner. Guide your spinning 'top'
(which glides and spins seductively
across the tiles) from screen to screen,
and collect all the jewels before time
runs out. The maze aspect (how do I
get there from here?) adds still more
interest and challenge to this game. For
one player only. Recommended. -BD
ALIENS
Activiaion
2350 Bayshore Frontage Rd ••••
Mountain View, CA 94043
The movie isn't even out on video tape
yet, but you don't have to wait to see
Ripley and the gang, 'cause the movie
has already made the jump to computer
game! There are six complete game
sequences in Aliens including 'The Drop
Ship', 'APC Rescue' (pictured),
'Operations Room', 'Air Duct Maze,
'Newt Rescue', and 'One on One' (where
you are Ripley strapped into the power
loader locked in mortal combat with the
Queen Alien!) The aliens are
appropriately creepy, and each sequence
is well done & plays quite differently
from the others. -BD
.osomnnimmi "*" ""'■""'"" """'—■—""'"
INDOOR SPORTS
Mindecape
3444 Dundee Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
Here's an unusual and mixed bag of
computer games: Air Hockey, Darts,
Bowling, and Ping-Pong! All four of
these sports are nicely rendered in the
computer medium by the authors, and
they are all quite enjoyable (I found
the air-hockey to be especially fun and
well-done). All the games allow player
vs. player or player vs. computer play.
The ping-pong game is unique with
paddles that float in the air, and move
quite articulately in response to your
joystick. It's unusual titles like this
that keep us fascinated with computer
gaming year after year! -BD
MARBLE MADNESS (64)
Electronic Arts
1820 Gateway Drive
San Mateo, CA 94404
A noble attempt, but Marble Madness
for the 64 is just a shadow of the
arcade original and the excellent Amiga
version (see pa^ge 90). I don't know if
it's a case of just asking the 64 to do
more than it is capable of, or if the
programming was not up to EA's usual
snuff, but the end result is a visually
convincing lanscape with marbles that
handle like intoxicated turtles. The
marble noticably oversteers, and then
(perhaps to compensate) doesn't fall off
the track until you have gone way over
the perceived edge. Especially
frustrating with 2 players. -BD
HACKER II
Activision
2350 Bayshore Frontage Rd
Mountain View, CA 94043
• ••*
A superior sequel to the original, and
very popular, Hacker. Hacker II gets
very involved with some complex audio
visual equipment and the services of a
remote control robot (by the time you
have fully mastered the video controls,
you may find yourself qualified to
work as a studio engineer for a major
TV network!) An engrossing and
challenging espionage game (has the
flavor of the old Man from U.N.C.L.E.
and Mission Impossible shows. The
documentation is fun, and filled with
all kinds of detailed techno-babbel,
schematics, etc. -BD
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