Computer Gamer


Koronis Rift

Publisher: Activision
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Computer Gamer #27

Koronis Rift

Techno scavenging isn't an easy way of making a living, particularly when you are scavenging in the guardian-infested Koronis rift. The rift is packed full of empty hulks, once the space fleet of the ancients. Now they're prey for scavengers like you.

Your mothership drops your surface rover into the rift, from then on it's up to you. Using your instruments you can track down the hulks and send out a robot to loot the ship. Not all hulks contain loot but some could give you a better laser, shields, generators, a more advanced radar - that will find hulks you'll miss - ECM equipment to make you harder to spot or a new drive to give the rover a better chance of survival in the hazardous rift.

Such devices will be stored in the rover's hold until you return to the mothership where your analysing robot can assess their worth. This will decide whether you will use them yourself or sell them.

Koronis Rift

Until you destroy their base, on level 20, you will continually be attacked by the guardians whose ships can rip you apart if you don't blast them first, so you have to plan your tactics so that you can loot the hulks and get back to the mothership before you come across one guardian too many.

Eventually you will collect enough ancient equipment to prepare your rover for the bombardment of later levels and the battle for the guardian's base. Then, at last, the rift will be yours!

The screen display has banks of instruments and displays and a 3D view of the rift that scrolls ever so smoothly as you trundle around the planet.

The game is a mixture of arcade shoot-'em-up and exploration with a helping of strategy.