Previous Next

He's big, he's bad and he said he'd be back. From Conan The Barbarian to a Terminator with a heart of gold, he's a deadly foe. And the big man of the silver screen now stars in a C64 game... Hang on, it's not that Arnie at all, it's another big-muscled psychotic killing machine. Mark "No Problemo" Caswell says "Hasta la vista baby" to the marauding enemy troops.

My, my. What an original plotline. I'm sure this one was around when Koses parted the red sea (sarcastic, moi?). A lone mercenary thinks he's tough enough to take on a bunch of macho gun-toting enemy soldiers (who are probably so 'ard they eat shredded wheat, box and all, for brekky).

Yer archetypal mad dictator is threatening the world, so our rock-'ard, square-jawed hero is dropped into the danger zone by chopper (he fell on his head, so he should be okay). He's initially armed with an Armalite AR-15 rifle: this is the least powerful of the weapons available but it still causes loadsa damage.

The welcoming committee is already at the landing site, the only problem is they greet you with a hail of lead rather than a red carpet. But don't just stand there looking brave, press the trigger of yer gun and spray some slugs around. The enemy attack from all sides, so follow the arrows around the scrolling 3D play area to find your final target (the dictator's HQ).

Many of the soldiers are dressed in brown uniforms (very quickly turned red by you), but some wear a fetching little pink number. Blow these guys away to reveal more powerful weaponry, including an M-60 machine gun, an RPG rocket and a wicked flamethrower. Ammo for these mega-weapons is limited, though, and once it's been exhausted the Armalite reappears.

All these weapons come in handy as you yomp through the mad dictator's base, because along with troops come various other hazards. These include homing-missile-firing choppers, low-flying aircraft, armoured vehicles and fast-firing sentry guns.

One of the best things about this game is the fact that there's only one level; no annoying multi-load. But don't start moaning that one level isn't a lot, 'coz it's huge! There's plenty of enemy ordnance between you and the end-of-game congratulation screen.

The graphics are another plus point, they're small but by gawd are they detailed! Arnie and the enemy troops are all wonderfully animated, and the death sequences for both are hilarious. Arnie turns into a pile of bones, while the enemy perform their own version of the 'dying fly' dance (made famous by a certain Saturday morning kids show).

Even though the title is slightly misleading for Arnold S fans, at a budget price Arnie is a must buy. 85%

My first reaction to Arnie was "yeah, yeah. Been there, seen this, done that" but, after just one go, my opinion changed (a little). Okay, so it's not *the* most original concept for a game but addictive it certainly is.

Graphically the game compares well with many full-price releases: clear, easily identifiable sprites move realistically against a detailed background, while the scrolling is both swift and smooth.

I hope Zeppelin don't run into any kind of copyright problems with the title though. I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.

Anyway, the game's a riot! Taking out one of the choppers before it gets a chance to launch any missiles is stupendously satisfying, and the difficulty level is set exactly right. My only gripe is that it could have been bigger. A lot bigger. Oh sure, it'll take long enough to complete, but another couple of levels - not difficult to program once the initial stage has been coded - would have pushed it into another league entirely. Arnie chance of a sequel, guys? 81%

Presentation 80%
Single load with a high-score table make this cool!

Graphics 86%
Small sprites thunder around colourful backdrops.

Sound 70%
No title tune, but adequate sound effects.

Hookability 84%
As soon as Arnie starts blasting you're hooked.

Lastability 80%
You won't stop until the mad dictator is dead.

Overall 83%