Zzap


Shark

Publisher: Players Premier
Machine: Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #58

Shark

Contact has been lost with Atlantic Five, an undersea mining complex, Fire-Fish HQ has chosen you to pilot the super-secret Shark submarine into the depths, searching for the truth. It doesn't take long to discover the Snake Brothers, with plenty of friends, have invaded the base. You must drive them out, by first destroying three reactors. Then, on the next level, you must find the entrance to the Snake Bros' lair to trigger the automated final attack sequence.

Your sub's main armament is an extremely wimpy laser, but by pressing fire and pulling down you can scroll through a range of much more powerful, if limited, weapons. These include a chain of bouncing balls, homing missiles and many more besides. Obviously the sub owes much to the Cybernoid design, and the two games share other similarities, from flick-screen scrolling to the design of some baddies.

But whereas the screens in Cybernoid required quick thinking as well as fast reactions, Shark is simply a maze-game with lots and lots of baddies to shoot. There's no sensation of being underwater, and while on the whole it's attractively presented this is ultimately disappointing.