C&VG
27th August 1991Fantastic Voyage
Anyone seen a smart Sixties film called Fantastic Voyage? Here's the plot: a crazed scientist has perfected the technique of miniaturization, but an unexpected illness causes a blood clot in his brain. The problem with the shrinking process is that it wears off after an hour.
The scientist knows how to stop this happening, but he's at death's door! You, a team of doctors and a submarine are all to be shrunk and injected into the scientist's, then make your way to the blood clot and destroy it.
Thing is, you have to get in and out within an hour, otherwise you'll start growing again inside the bloke! Get to it!
Fantastic Frills 'N Spills
Fantastic Voyage bears more than a passing resemblance to the likes of R-Type and Salamander. You have to find your way to the poor old bloke's brain, passing through all the sections of his body - even the 'orrible bits.
There are two main problems though. One: There are tons of evil critters infesting the body. Two: You need certain weapons and medicines to destroy obstacles. Can you do it in time?
Blood 'N Guts Galore
All the baddies in this game are revolting. The first things you come across are flying red blood cells and very realistic they are too.
You'll also encounter massive cancer cells, all whirly legs and oozing pustules. There are really nasty things in there though, like lice-shaped parasites, which at this scale are about the size of a blue whale. You also have to watch out for the body's defence systems, it may think you are a virus and send out gangs of antibodies to get you!
We All Live In A Tiny Submarine
The blokes in Proteus (the submarine) only have an hour to perform the life-saving operation and get out. To escape from the body, they have to drive the submarine into the tear ducts of the patient and pop out of his eye.
If they don't do it in time, they'll rapidly expand, crushing themselves and ripping the patient apart in the process. If this happens in the head it's all over for everyone involved, but if they make it to his bottom, they might just escape with their lives!
Frank
What an unexpected treat! Fantastic Voyage is a smart variation on the staid shoot-'em-up genre, with an ingenious plot and some brilliant special effects.
In style it's a little like Atomic Robo Kid, a mixture of exploration and frantic blasting action. It's a great deal more exciting though, with a real sense of suspense as the clock ticks away and the baddies creep up on you.
There are extra weapons galore and very necessary they are too. Graphically this is a treat and a half. The organic feel is brilliant, really slimy and icky! The spotlight effect on the ship as you drift through the body looks superb.
Music is good, but you'll only hear it if you have a one meg machine. The game is only as big as a human body, but when you're less than a nanometre in size, that's a lot of area to cover. A smart addition to an otherwise lifeless genre!