Amstrad Action
1st October 1985
Categories: Review: Software
Publisher: U. S. Gold
Machine: Amstrad CPC464
Published in Amstrad Action #1
A combination of air, naval and tank battles which forms a six-stage attempt to destroy a fortress called Kuhn-Lin. You begin on a map of the coastline, not far from the fortress.
You control a cursor and have a choice whether to navigate a narrow sea-passage or attack an enemy naval fleet head on. If you tackle the passage you have to guide ten ships from the bottom right of the screen to the top left, avoiding mines and torpedoes that randomly cross the channel.
Once your ships are passed or sunk you progress to the air attack stage that you would encounter if you engaged the enemy fleet, the difference being that the battle is shorter if you use the passage. Aircraft approach from the horizon to attack your ships and have to be shot down with your ship's twin cannon. The planes drop bombs and you lose a ship if enough damage is done.
If you survive the air-attack the enemy fleet that was present on screen starts to shell you. Your gun now has to find the range of the ships by changing the elevation and then sink them all. The enemy salvoes may cause you to lose more ships but a healthy bonus is awarded for destroying the escaping aircraft carrier.
You now move onto the beach-head itself where you are given two tanks per surviving ship up to the number of eight. These must be driven through a right-to-left scrolling screen of obstacles and defences. Most hazards are static but the occasional gun-emplacement or tank will pop up in your path to fire shells at you and will have to be dispatched by your own gun-turret.
The last stage is the fortress itself which is displayed with a large cannon on top and ten windows in the side. These light up one at a time and you have to shoot them with your tank gun. You have to control both its position along the bottom of the screen and its elevation.
The cannon swivels to face you and will always destroy your tank unless you have hit all ten windows. This means that several tanks are needed to destroy the fortress and if losses were too heavy early in the game you won't have enough tanks to do the job. Success sees the cannon explode and a white flag waves at you from the shattered remains.
The Enemy
PASSAGE Torpedoes: Cross channel at random - but there are one or two safe spots. Mines: Never move and aren't hard to avoid.
AIR ATTACK Fighters: Approach over the horizon and should be shot before they drop bombs. Reconnaisance: Fly across screen and are worth good bonus points.
NAVAL ATTACK Aircraft Carrier Tries to escape and scores massive bonus if sunk. Battleships: Very dangerous and should be sunk next. Other ships: Less dangerous but still need to be dispatched quickly.
TANK STAGE Obstacles: Can't be shot and must be carefully driven round. Gun emplacements: Sit still, usually in middle of screen, and fire one shell at a time. Tanks: Move up and down screen and fire one shell at a time.
FORTRESS STAGE Windows: Ten to be shot with a slight drift to the right on shells. Cannon: Never misses your tank but there is time to hit three windows with one tank.
Good News
1. Different stages of action. 2. Good graphics on all sections. 3. Testing gameplay throughout. 4. Random element keeps you constantly under pressure. 5. Fast, blasting action.
Bad News
1. Sections can become repetitive. 2. Navigating the passage can be too unpredictable for comfort.
Second Opinion
It's good to see this very enjoyable multi-blast on the Amstrad. There are lots of different tasks, some straightforward, others pretty tricky. The ship and air-attack sections are very classy, although the tank-attack suffers from the machine's jerky scrolling. Overall, it's very good value.