C&VG


Double Take

Publisher: Ocean
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #66

Double Take

Two worlds - the mirror image of each other, touched in space through a time-warp.

One is positive, good, familiar - our world. The other is negative, evil - yet unnervingly familiar.

Their interface is a time window through which objects and being can pass; contact has resulted in the beginning of exchange.

Double Take

Restore our world - stop the invasion, but do it now, for as the exchange accelerates, the time windows grow larger, domination is at hand!

This is the storyline which accompanies the game's advert which has been causing quite a stir lately. It also states "Startling action: Innovative Gameplay: State of the Art graphics". I have to agree with all of these, especially the graphics. This game must include some of the best graphics seen on a Spectrum.

You take control of an overcoat that someone forgot to wear. Your objective is to travel around the numerous locations, and find objects in the wrong place and return them to where they should be. On the lower half of the screen a red light will turn green if the object you are carrying belongs in the room that you are in. To travel to different rooms whirlwinds are used (these act as doors), but to travel to the other world to replace or find an object you will have to use the sparkling cloud. When using the cloud the object you are carrying will stay in the same state, whereas if you wait for the worlds to change on their own, the object's state will be altered. The cloud only travels along the central complex, so this means using the whirlwinds a lot to find it.

If you do not manage to find the cloud in time and the object is altered, then do not worry as all is not lost. You are able to change the objects state by shooting the aliens that sap your energy. The aliens appear in the now well-used Ultimate style, but adds to the atmosphere of the game. Due to the use of a lot of colours, the old Spectrum problem of attributes creep into the program. Sound may be limited but is once again another old Spectrum problem. The sound that there is has been used to very good effect.

Overall the game turns out to be one of Ocean's best releases ever on the Spectrum, and will probably be the most imaginative and innovative game of the year. This is certainly worth considering if you want a game that strays away from mindless shooting, and will keep all the arcade adventurers happy for some time. Full marks to Ocean on this one and hope they can produce the same quality for Short Circuit and other future releases.