Crash


Buccaneer
By Firebird
Spectrum 48K/Plus

 
Published in Crash #33

Buccaneer

Alien faces are seeking to take control of Earth and have invaded in great numbers. It's one fighter plane against a myriad of alien craft... a pilot's lot is not a happy one. Wave after wave of nestles come towards the lone plane, determined to zap you out of the sky. Survival depends on swift reactions and deadly aim.

The screen scrolls from right to left, your fighter plane staying near the left hand edge of the screen so that there's a clear view of the alien forces and time to try and dodge their lethal missiles. The action takes place over a broad blue river on the far bank the scenery changes from mountains to cities to forests and back to mountains again.

The nasties come in a variety of forms and colours and dance about as they approach. Not only must their missiles be avoided but a collision can also cause your plane to explode. Fortunately, you are equipped with limitless missiles and powerful shields which together provide formidable protection. Your fuel supply, however, is not limitless the amount left is shown in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Buccaneer

Once all the aliens in a wave have been killed, the game proceeds to the next level. Sometimes, no missiles are involved at all and it's a matter of weaving and dodging your way through a barrage of rota-droids and meteors. Most lethal of all, however, are the heat-seeking Mutile missiles which are very accurate.

Periodically, a mother ship appears and a successful docking restores fuel and shield power. This makes it possible to proceed to even higher levels and pit wits with even swifter and more deadly alien swarms. Should the docking fail, then you are forced to move on to the next level with less protection and less energy, making your chances of survival slender. The docking procedure must be very accurate if you're slightly out and miss the jaws of the mothership, then the plane explodes.

Eight points are awarded for shooting an enemy craft: twenty five, fifty, or seventy for a Mutile and more for successful docking. Bonus points are awarded for docking and completing waves. The score, lives remaining and shield power are all Indicated in the status area at the base of the screen.

A high score guarantees you a place in the Buccaneer Hall Of Fame so it's possible to see how you fare against the best. Time to save the world from alien invasion again, pilot!

Comments

Control keys: redefinable: pause, abort, up, down, fire
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2
Keyboard play: reasonable
Use of colour: quite good, but clashes occur often
Graphics: flickery sprites, but nice parallax scrolling
Sound: limited to spot effects
Skill levels: one
Screens: scrolling levels

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