Reviews Fighting the thrust of gravity
RAIDER
Impressions
I
ife in space isn't a bunch of roses at the best of times. With the general lack of oxygen, a ten-month wait for mail and no chance of holidays, life could be considerably better. They could be rosier for the Empire too. The Imperial Border Navies have rebelled and taken command of eight planets. and vital pods needed to keep powerplants running on each planet have been stolen — cue a combined meltdown set to vaporise the Empire and leave no trace. To save the Empire, you are sent in a combination combat craft to destroy all resistance, recover the powerplants and replace them in their reactors. Protecting their own interests with gun emplacements, the rebels have also hidden each pod from view with cloaking devices. Only by destroying the guns can you locate the pod. pick it up and thrust away to the next planet. Guns are often hidden deep in caverns and underground corridors — dextrous thrusting and judicious shield use is all there is to keep you from scraping the rocky surfaces or running into bullets. And with the constant pressure of a rapidly decreasing energy supply, picking up fuel pods at every opportunity is a good idea. Once four pods are in the ship's hold, you can enter a powerplant and tame the meltdown. By travelling to the core and inserting the pods the powerplant comes
back on line, but it's best to make sure you aren't in the reactor when it does spark back into life. There are four planet types, changing from normal to inverted gravity and limited visibility dark zones' on later levels where a hi-tech torch' is provided. A password system allows for play to continue from the last successfully restored powerplant. Thrust, the ancient coin-op Gravitar and Oids come to mind; all are satisfying^ simple and highly playable games. Raider is similar, but sadly it doesn't expand enough on them, preferring to rely too much on differing planet conditions to offer the challenge — and it's not enough to hold interest. Raider falls between stools, lacking Oids's sparkle and involvement while missing the chance for greater commercial success at the pricing level of Thrust. Fans of the former programs may well revel in Raider's ideas, but interest quickly wanes once all eight planets have been visited..
R a i d e r s : some new ideas Oids theme, but lacking
on the sparkle
The diflerent planets incorporate excellent detail a n d g r a p h i c quality but the c o l o u r i n g and presentation isn't as s u b t l e o r c l a s s y as in Oids. S o u n d effects c a n never help m u c h In t h i s t y p e of g a m e b u t the detail in the c o m bat craft a n d g u n s c o u l d have been better.
OTHER FORMATS A n Atari ST v e r s i o n at the same price is e x p e c t e d s o o n .
There's a grisly scene awaiting you at...
BUTCHER HILL
Gremlin Graphics
E
very war has a 'hill' — Edge Hill (Civil War). Pork Chop Hill War (Korea) and Butcher Hill (Vietnam, according to Gremlin) and there must be others... Hills are there to be taken for no other reason than they're there and the enemy don't want you to have them. The enemy camp on Butcher Hill's the target, but first you navigate a jungle river in a dinghy, grabbing canisters of extra ammunition, energy for the flagging status meter and free bonuses. Hitting the riverbank, river rushes, lurking mines (though a swift jab of the fire button soon clears a path) or getting strafed by enemy planes loses lives. Arriving at the end-of-level jetty, you plunge into thick undergrowth where the occasional enemy soldier or landmine is encountered — both fatal, but at least you can blast the soldier. If you picked up a compass on the water section you should be able to find your way around. In clearings enemy soldiers pop out of buildings and trees, and bonus ammunition and stamina are awarded to sharp shooters who dispose of them all. At the base of Butcher Hill the camp can
54/108 TGM TX019:6-89
be tackled by lobbing grenades into huts. But don't let any of the enemy escape because given the chance they leg it off and call in some reinforcements. With only three sections, Butcher Hill may give the impression that it's a doddle to complete, but don't bet on it. Unless you collect the compass on the river section, for example, you find yourself completely lost in the jungle.
£19.99 Pictured above: apart from the jungle section, which looks rather atmospheric, the graphics are dull and lifeless (mainly greens and browns), which puts the dampeners on game enjoyment. It isn't quite as playable as the Spectrum version.
Colourful, but with occasional flicker and clash, especially on the river section. The gameplay isn't hampered too much by the annoying loading system.
OTHER FORMATS Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64/128 versions priced £9.99 cass and £14.99 disk will be available soon, with an Amiga version to follow at £19.99.