Previous Next

3D Tank Zone by Dynabyte Software is a derivative of the vector graphics tank simulation Battlezone found in the arcades. Let me quote from the inlay card: "As weapons commander you must, with the aid of radar, scan the terrain surrounding the city and missile silos for marauding enemy tanks and destroy them before they get you. Watch out too for waves of incoming jets and helicopters on the horizon. To aid you in your task, you have at your disposal a direct fire anti-aircraft cannon and an anti-tank missile launcher..."

3D Tank Zone differs from its arcade cousin in that you can not move about. Instead you just rotate left or right and shoot at the enemies. You have to control the sights for the two weapons. The whole thing is monochrome (green on black), just as in the arcade game but the animation is simply excellent. When you blow up an enemy it actually explodes instead of just disappearing as in many games. The game gets progressively harder as more and more enemies appear on the screen at once and when you finally get blown up, the windscreen cracks and the screen is slowly cleared to leave a totally red screen!

The usual features such as sound on/off, freeze are present but unfortunately, there is no high score table. Meticulous attention to detail such as the rotating rotors of the helicopters and planes makes this game a joy to watch as well as play. Overall, a very enjoyable game.

Dave Reeder