Previous Next

Vertical scrolling is employed to good effect in this implementation of a Caverns Of Mars-type game.

Under joystick control, the player's cruiser continually descends through canyons, running a gauntlet of firepower spat out from enemy tanks and cannons embedded in the canyon walls.

By skillfully positioning the cruiser above obstacles, the player can blast them sky-high with two onboard laser cannons. Timing is essential though: scrolling is forced whatever the situation.

There are four sectors to navigate. As you venture further down, indestructible forcefields and shielded weaponry will be encountered.

In the fourth sector, dead ends are an additional hazard for the unwary. Four lives are allowed.

Scoring is problematic. The instructions only tell you a new cruiser is awarded every 10,000 points. Presumably it is up to you to work out how to go about getting one. And having your score constantly scrolling sideways at the base of the screen, together with the title credits, doesn't help.

T.A.