Previous Next

Hypaball was in grave danger of getting the O.B.E. - Order of the Big Elbow - within a few minutes of being loaded into the Commodore.

First of all, no instructions were sent with the game. All I could tell was that it was some sort of futuristic sports game.

Secondly, on the version sent to me, the colours of the teams were virtually identical. It was exceedingly difficult to tell who was who. I am, however, given to understand that in versions sent to other reviewers the colours were visible.

However, I carried on and in the end found myself playing a highly entertaining and addictive game. It's a sort of aerial Rollerball combined with basketball - only the basket moves.

There are two teams in the game - Hawks and Vipers. You can either play against the computer or another person. Each team consists of three players and you can select these from a group of dicey looking people with names such as Alex Grunt and John Machine. Each has different characteristics such as weight, strength, agility and speed, although I'm not sure whether these are purely cosmetic or if they actually alter the way a player reacts.

Once the team selection has been carried out, the scene switches to the stadium. This is divided by a central column which has a "goal" moving up and down it. The players take up their positions, either on the ground or in the air. A ball is fired into the arena and the players chase after it, pass to one another, bounce it off the sides of the arena and hopefully, shoot it into the goal.

Each team is not restricted to a particular side. They can roam around more or less at will, during the ten minute game.

The ball cannot cross from the left side to the right side of the screen because it will bounce back off the central column. It can - and often does - zoom off from the left and reappear on the right and vice-versa.

The ball cannot be held by any player for more than a few seconds without passing it. If he does, the opposing side gets a free shot.

The other gripe about Hypaball - and it is only a minor one - is that after the team has been selected before the action starts you get a short dance routine by a group of cheerleaders. This is all right to begin with but it becomes a little boring.

The other is price. I think it could have been a little cheaper for what is basically a game with just a few screens.