Previous Next

Is this the best Design Design game yet? Could be. It's certainly the slickest-looking and easiest to get into - unless you are totally bored by the squillions of Ultimatish 3D arcade adventures that have come your way since the Sabre Man discovered the Spectrum.

The game comes with a long background blurb about a space war between Earth and the Andromedans which seems to go on forever. If you're into that sort of sci-fi babble and need it in order to get the most out of a game, you'll probably enjoy reading it.

It all boils down to the fact that you have to prevent a mega-super-fab-totally-awesome weapon falling into enemy hands. This weapon is called Nemesis and it's hidden in bits inside the N.E.X.O.R. complex and your job is to find and collect bits of the device in order to actually make one of these mega-super-fab-totally-awesome weapons which will end the war against the Andromedans for all time.

Heard that before somewhere, haven't we?!

You have to find the blueprint for one weapon and bring them to safety.

All the time you are searching the complex - and it is big - for these bits and bobs, the Andromendans are filtering into the many rooms. This makes your life - or lives, you get eight - much more difficult.

Some of the nasties look strangely like Mrs T. I've always had my suspicions that She was some sort of creature from outer space.

Other things suddenly grow legs and scuttle around - so watch what you start pushing around! Yes, you can move things to help you jump up to seemingly impossible doorways and ledges. Lifts and bubbles also help transport you about the vast maze of a game.

The puzzles are what you'd expect from this sort of arcade adventure - nothing out of the ordinary here. In fact, the game itself isn't vastly original. But it is good to play, addictive up to a point, and pretty to look at.

When you first start the game - and I really enjoyed this bit the first few times - you can step off into nothingness and fall, keep on falling, and fall a bit more, down a long shaft. Just as if they wanted to show how big the game really is...

Both Spectrum and Amstrad versions have good looking and stylish graphics. The Amstrad version must be one of the bst looking games around for this machine. Great use of colour and very pleasing screen design.

The alien beings you encounter - like the Maggie head - are jokey creatures, well animated.

The only thing missing from both versions is sound. No tunes and minimal sound effects. But this is a minor gripe. Overall, N.E.X.O.R. is a polished and playable game.

Ironic, isn't it? When everyone was playing Knight Lore clones, Design Design were turning out unfashionable super-fast shoot-'em-ups like Dark Star. Now that everyone is playing super-fast shoot-'em-ups, Design Design has produced a 3D Filmation game. Funny old world...

Graham Stafford and graphic designer David Fish are to be congratulated on producing a solid - if not startling different - arcade adventure.