Previous Next

Far into the future, a mad scientist called Professor Brainstorm (P Brain for short) created a system for cloning any living creature. Generally, the idea went down none too well and led to P Brain becoming a recluse on a desolate planet, deep in the centre of the universe.

In the best tradition of mad' scientists, he built a castle where he could continue his weird experiments. The creation of a 'warp tunnel' allowed him to capture creatures to experiment on. Of course, also in the best tradition (this time the one to do with The Fate of Evil Men) the professor's experimental results turned against him. They ate their creator, once they realised there wasn't a burger bar for several thousand light years. As time passed, they grew bigger and weirder and generally had a lot of fun romping round in the professor's castle. Oh yes, they grew hungrier too. Important point, that.

This is where you, Robin Banks, come in. You happen to be passing by, when the ancient but still active warp tunnel sucks you inside the castle. As far as the other creatures are concerned, Supper's Ready! And very, very late. To avoid becoming the futuristic version of a quarter-pounder, escape from the castle is imperative. That implies a lot of searching . . . for keys to open doors and the appropriate weapons to destroy Eight Guardians.

There are twenty eight different kinds of potential 'consumer' and although some of them bare a rather unnerving resemblance to cart wheels, they are all just as deadly. The screens flick-change, rather than scroll, and various nasties are sure to materialise soon after you enter a new screen. You travel 'Jet Pack' style, laser handy and one good shot dispenses with most unwanted company.

There are also eight guardians to be dispensed with. These vary from a snake head, to such things as a teapot. To get rid of these guys, special weaponry is needed. There are sixteen special weapons lying around for eradication of guardians, but eight of them are useless. To make things that bit more complex, the correct weapon for each guardian must be found and used to zap it.

It's only possible to carry one special weapon and up to three keys at a time. Objects carried are displayed at the bottom of the screen alongside two gauges. One gauge indicates the damage you've sustained as a result of collisions with clones while the other displays your energy level. Energy can be used to repair damage, but if you run out of energy then the laser packs up. If you suffer too much damage, then you lose a life. Both Energy and Damage readings can be improved by collecting damage repair and energy pods, and the odd extra life can be found.

Control keys: Q up, 0 left, P right, pick up/drop A, any key on bottom row fires laser, 1-4 or H-L to repair damage, ENTER to pause
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Cursor
Keyboard play: no problems
Use of colour: average, not wonderful
Graphics: unremarkable
Sound: poor
Skill levels: one
Screens: 650