ZX Computing


Ice Temple
By Bubble Bus
Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in ZX Computing #33

Ice Temple

If you've played Bubble Bus' earlier game, Starquake, you're likely to get a touch of the deja vus when you load up Ice Temple, as their latest game is an arcade adventure in a very similar mould.

You control one of those galactic types who dons his spacesuit and jetpack and sets off to explore the caves beneath the surface of some planet or another, searching for useful object and blasting lots of aliens along the way (stop me if you've heard this one before).

This time around you play a character called Nick Razor, who is searching for his speedy Space Cruiser which has been stolen by aliens and hidden away in the depths of their Ice Temple. However, finding the cruiser isn't your sole task for there is a thermionic reactor at the heart of the temple which the aliens are using as a power source while preparing to attack the Earth. So, you leap into your cruiser and start zooming around the caves in search of the reactor.

The temple is pretty extensive, and at certain points along the way there are teleport beams which make a nice 'bwoooiiing sound as they send you off into some far corner of the temple. As usual in this type of game, the moment you enter a cave all manner of bouncing sprites appear out of thin air and if they come into contact with you they'll drain the heat from your space suit until you freeze to death, losing one of your five lives. As you'd expect there are various objects in the caves which will help you on your way - extra fuel cannisters, gems which make you temporarily invulnerable, magnetic cards, smart bombs and the like.

The graphics are colourful and well animated, but there's nothing about the game that makes it stand out from all the others of this type. Bubble Bus have produced good games in the past, but their recent releases just don't seem to have progressed from where they were about a year ago. As a result, Ice Temple is a competent game, but it just seems a bit old hat these days.