Crash


Droidz

Author: Phil King
Publisher: Silverbird
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2

 
Published in Crash #56

Droidz

Far in the future man has created convenience robots, trendily called Droidz, so that he can go off and have a good time in Benidorm, Mars, while they do all the menial tasks. Not surprisingly, the individually unintelligent robots are a bit peeved at this (all work and no play makes Jack a dull droid) so they've grouped together in protest to form a collective intelligence - not unlike us reviewers at Crash Towers.

Droidz have taken over the Holographic Recreation Centre, hoarding all the high technology they can get their robo-grips on. Driving a reconditioned Mk III battle walker into the complex, you must destroy the revolting droidz and retrieve as much technology as possible in the procezz.

The action is represented by a plan view, Gauntlet-style, as the battle walker, equipped with gun, strides around the screen which scrolls accordingly. Contact with a robot reduces your energy; the game is over when this reaches zero. The mazes are populated by a variety of coloured and fairly simply animated sprites. Progress is relatively easy - until the energy level starts getting low, when it becomes a mad dash to find a battery for recharging.

Droidz

Scattered around the levels (multiloaded in sets of three) are various useful items including flashing globez which give extra zmart bombs to destroy all droidz on the screen. In some mazes, there are literally hundreds of droidz after the battle walker's circuitry, so the smart bombs are extremely useful. Find the exit and you're granted accezz to the next stage.

Despite various useful objects, there is still a terrible lack of variety-most mazes just contain massive amounts of robots and little else. Strategy doesn't come into it-all you can do is zap droid after droid after droid. Avoidz.

PHIL … 26%

The Essentials

Joysticks: keyboard only
Sound: simple spot effects

Rk … 10%

This game is little more than a horribly glitchy, thinly-disguised Gauntlet clone. Guiding the Mk III battle walker around the maze of flickery screens, shooting at the gaudily coloured droids isn't exactly my idea of fun. The whole process bored me witless in a matter of minutes. Even a £1.99 price tag can't compensate for repetitive gameplay and the absence of any lasting appeal. Unless you're addicted to tedious games, I strongly advise you to steer well clear. You've been warned…

Phil KingMark Caswell

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