Zzap


Deflektor

Publisher: Gremlin
Machine: Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #40

Deflektor

The plot of Deflektor has the player debugging a computer which uses laser beams rather than wires to transmit information. Each screen has a laser generator and a receiver which have to be connected by deflecting the laser around obstacles which absorb light and cause the generator to overheat.

Rotatable minors are scattered about the screen and the player uses these to bounce the beam onto destructible spheres. When all the spheres are destroyed, the receiver's optical sensor is unblocked and the screen can be completed. Further on into the game, bugs appear which sit on the mirrors and twist them to completely the wrong angle.

This is a very well presented game with a strikingly good concept behind it - the more leisurely pace leaves greater room for collected thought than some of the other games we've looked at. However, even though there are many different screens, after a while the action becomes frustrating because instead of the mirrors moving totally smoothly, they jump several degrees at a time, causing the beam to miss an object which looks within reach.

For the most part, the game insists on the player finding the single route through the screen, and the resultant loss of flexibility is sorely missed.