Previous Next

Kamikazi (box), Kamikaze (screen title) or Kamie (filename) is one of the new breed of Electron games. You perform the role of a ship's gunner blasting away at waves of aircraft which break off from the ranks and dive galazian style at your gun base. The planes are not very good at chasing you and merely hold their diagonal course (Kamikaze-style I suppose).

You don't have to destroy all the aircraft to move onto the next stages which involves helicopters and bombers which you have to shoot down more than once. Bullets freeze in mid air when they hit each other and it is fairly easy to dodge oncoming bullets since the whole display movement slows down somewhat when you move your base to the side. This means that you have to be more careful about running into bullets from the side than being hit head on. When bullets freeze at the end of a screen they do not disppear from the display but continue on their way as soon as the next screen begins. Hard luck if you happen to be in the way.

Similarly unlucky is the way your base can get stuck beneath an attacking aircraft (usually in the left hand corner of the screen) at the end of a screen. Your three lives don't count for much in this situation. You may as well press ESCAPE and return to the choice screen. This use of ESCAPE is nowhere documented and this could prove frustrating to those new to such games and unaware of some of the conventions of games programming.

There is an attractive high score table which scrolls up the screen. Whether you get to put your name on it is a different matter. The right handed key option is Z, X and RETURN. Obviously as the 'Game Over' message appears you are still blasting away on the fire button, which is RETURN. Since A&F have not bothered to clear the keyboard buffer you go shooting through to the hi-score table but without the chance to enter your name. We then get the message 'Ready to try again'. The slightest touch of the keyboard, even a N for 'no thanks', gives you another game.

The options screen gives you the choice of left and right handed combinations of keys and a Slow/Fast option. There are a few features which detract from the overall value of the game but it is fun to play, colourful and noisy. I think I could sit happily in front of Kamakazi for a number of hours but a more professional attention to detail is to be expected from an established company.

Dave Reeder