Computer Gamer


Express Raider
By U. S. Gold
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Computer Gamer #26

Express Raider

The talents of Billy the Kid and Frank Bruno are required to play this latest coin-op conversion from US Gold.

It is set back in the days of the Wild West when men were men and fell nicely into two categories - goody and baddy. Guess which one you play?

The action takes place either or on top of or alongside one of eight trains and the idea is simply to reach the engine. Do this and you are rewarded with two bags of gold for your efforts.

Express Raider

All this involves you thumping your way past a collection of assorted desperados: the bar room brawl has been transferred to the top of the train. As you dispose of each baddy, your main automatically leaps to the next carriage, the speed of his leap being sufficient to blow out the fuse of a bomb placed between carriages! Your progress in a fight is easily gauged as a sliding bar shows your progress. Combat ends when the bar reaches either end.

This first part of the game proved too easy for me at least. A few rapid presses of the fire button was usually enough to dispose of the enemy. But the posts long the track were a problem as these can do untold harm if one inadvertently attempts to headbutt one!

The second part of the game - which involves even-numbered trains - was a lot trickier. You find yourself riding a horse alongside the train trying to shoot half a dozen bandits before they shoot you. You can dodge left and right as well as use the old Injun trick of sliding down behind your horse to avoid the hail of bullets and bottles! There are bonuses to be won though - birds carrying sacks of gold or clerks hurlking the same out of carriage windows. Aiming your gun, which comes with an infinite supply of ammo, involves moving your horse in and out of the screen and judging where your bullets are going.

There are four different skill levels to choose from with this game, plus a practice mode - you get over thirty lives instead of the usual five. Also, if you die, you can, if you choose, re-start the game where you left off rather than start again. Graphics and sound? I didn't find either particularly impressive, neither was the game varied enough to sustain my interest.

Definitely a game of limited appeal.