Zzap


Licence To Kill
By Domark
Amiga 500

 
Published in Zzap #53

Licence To Kill

In Licence To Kill, Bond is on the trail of Sanchez, a ruthless drug dealer aiming to corner the world drug market. The game follows Bond's hunt for the elusive criminal through six vertically scrolling sections in the air, on land and at sea.

Bond starts the hunt on boat a Coastguard helicopter - Sanchez is the prey, racing along in his jeep, protected by machine gun-wielding guards which take pot shots at the copter.

Dropped off by his chopper, 007 then pursues Sanchez on foot through a boatyard but there's the small matter of dozens of henchmen to take out first. Equipped with a Beretta Pistol Bond can rotate in all directions to aim at the enemy, hide behind oil drums, and collect vital extra ammunition.

Licence To Kill

For level three the action moves back into the air as Sanchez tries to escape in his prop plane. Bond hangs down from the helicopter with a rope to latch onto the plane's tail and capture it. Sanchez is only two minutes away from escaping and weaving all over the place, with inertia and time against him Bond is really put to the test.

Once again the slippery Sanchez escapes, but Bond is not far behind as he takes to the water scuba diving through unfriendly waters filled with Sanchez's hench-divers and dinghies. Dive to avoid bullets and stab the divers but don't forget to pick up the bags of cocaine floating through the water.

In the fifth section Bond begins to draw near Sanchez's seaplane and fires a rope onto a pontoon. Bond is towed along behind the plane and must draw in the line to reach the plane whilst avoiding rocks and buoys in the water.

Licence To Kill

Finally, Bond manages to catch up with Sanchez as the criminal tries to cross the border accompanied by drug-carrying tankers - this time Bond's in the air again but only momentarily as he leaps out onto a tanker, takes command of it and races after Sanchez. Bump the other tankers off the road and be prepared to dodge the Stinger missiles.

Phil

Out of the two I must say I prefer the C64 version which is more challenging and makes better use of the machine; the graphics on the Amiga game being effective rather than dazzling.

However, both versions are certainly very playable with six varied levels which follow the plot of the film well. My only gripe is that none of the levels are outstanding - the appeal of the game lies in the sheer number of levels, and once you've completed it you may not return to the game too often.

But having said that, Licence To Kill is definitely the best Bond game yet and well worth a look.

Robin

I'm surprised as to how Quixel has managed to cram so much into a one-load C64 version. The first few levels may seem a ittle dull to look at on both machines, but the graphic quality and sprite detail is very good indeed, more so on the C64.

Despite a very tough second level on both versions, Licence To Kill has the variety and playability to keep you playing for some time even if the Amiga game is a little easy. The C64 version proves a better challenge with hence better lastability.

Verdict: C64

Presentation 84%
Same box as the Amiga and no multi-load!

Graphics 81%
Dull backgrounds but some beautifully detailed sprites.

Sound 65%
Nice intro tune and good spot effects.

Hookability 80%
Instantly playable and very addictive.

Lastability 80%
Six varied, challenging levels.

Overall 80%
Finally a Bond game worthy of the film.

Verdict: Amiga

Presentation 76%
A nice plastic box, but the free poster's titchy. The disk accessing between goes is annoying.

Graphics 79%
Nicely detailed, but not impressive for the Amiga.

Sound 60%
Slightly flat intro tune, adequate sound effects but no in-game music.

Hookability 80%
A relatively easy first level draws you into the game.

Lastability 73%
Six different levels, but once completed there's little incentive to play again.

Overall 77%
An excellent movie souvenir and a good game too.