GALAXIAN This
remains a firm old time favorite of mine. It's basically Space Invaders with
the added excitement of swooping aliens that drop bombs on you. I always
thought that it was unfair that the aliens could drop multiple bombs whereas
your lone rocket could only have one missile on the screen at a time, but never
the less the high score catch remains the main hook. Your ship sits alone at
the bottom of the screen, moving left or right while the rows of aliens line up
above to take it in turns to bomb the hell out of you. When a screen is
cleared....up pops another. You can pick off the aliens as they nest on their
line or collect the bonus scores by picking them off in mid-flight with a top
bonus for picking off the two red aliens and the yellow mother ship, in that
order.
Ms. PACMAN PacMan was probably the most played arcade game
during the eighties and still holds its ground on the home systems in the
nineties. Steer a safe course around the maze, eat all the pellets while
avoiding the four chasing ghosts to proceed into the next round. By chomping a
power pellet, Ms PacMan can eat the ghosts while they remain dark blue and the
more ghosts you eat in succession, the more points they are worth. When fruit
treats appear they can be munched for bonus points. You can't fault straight
forward addictive gameplay.
POLE POSITION 2 Back in 1983 when this
game hit the arcades, the queues were ever present and it probably created a
reaction similar to that which received Formula 1. These were the next
generation graphics of the eighties but the stunning looks were accompanied by
an over responsive control that in all honesty, sucked. Still every dog has
it's day and although you may be tempted to try out a lap or two, you best leave
Pole Position well alone and stick with the memories. For those tempted, there
are four different race tracks with each featuring a different background. To
enter a Grand Prix you must first qualify by producing a fast time in a one lap
time trial. If successful, you will be given your starting position for the
four lap main race. The course has a number of checkpoints that must be reached
in the allowed time while a collision with another vehicle, or an off course
signpost, will see your racing car burst into flames leaving wheels littering
the course.
PHOZON I don't remember this one but I became absorbed
with the gameplay for an hour or so. It is one of those 'just one more try'
puzzle games that would cost you a fortune playing it over and over again in the
arcades. The aim is to move the chemic around the screen and catch the floating
molek. There is a shape in the centre of the screen that you must copy to reach
a win status. If a molek attaches to your chemic in the wrong position. it can
be jettisoned away by pressing the fire button and if that all sounds confusing
then how about the Alpha rays that destroys three pieces of molek when touched,
the Beta ray that will destroy one piece and a contact with the Atomic will end
the game. Look, just match the pretty shape in the middle to win.
DIG
DUG This was a massive hit in the arcades and was found to be quite tricky
at certain stages. The player controls Dug as he tunnels beneath the ground,
avoiding and destroying the enemies by pumping them up until they burst or,
quite simply, dropping rocks on them. Bonus points are awarded for eating the
vegetable treats which appear if you drop two rocks during a round. The game
plays quite fast and it plays like an underground PacMan.
THE TOWER OF
DRUGA This game is the oldest of the collection and by God it shows. The
game speed is ultra slow and you can see which direction your character should
head but it takes an age to get there. You begin in a maze as a knight who must
pass by a selection of enemies to retrieve a key that will unlock an exit. To
kill the enemies you have to charge through them and double back a couple of
times with your trusty sword drawn. There is a treasure box that will appear on
each floor if you perform a certain action or sequence of actions but I wouldn't
bother as it will only extend the game.
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