Acorn User


One Last Game

Author: Roger Gammans
Publisher: Bevan Technology
Machine: BBC/Electron

 
Published in Acorn User #029

A cross between Space Invaders and Scramble, One Last Game from Clemoes is unusual in allowing the joystick option on the Electron (with Plus 1) to be used with a cassette.

Once loaded, a tune is played which I imagine sounds good on the Elk as it uses the cassette motor relay for the drum. There are six different types of aliens to fire, named Slimey, Rapier, Zit, Rammer, Invulno and Vogon. A list of these is shown when the game is loaded. At the bottom of the screen it tells you how to start and how to display the control keys.

To play you use A and Z to go up and down and RETURN to fire. As the one program runs both on the Beeb and the Elk you can increase the speed of the game with SHIFT, which of course adds to the 20 different levels. When playing you face five rows of aliens to shoot at. Two or more alients leave the rows depending on the level and come foward shooting, trying to kill you by running into you if you evade their fire. If you let them pass they will rejoin their ranks, so you can have another go at shooting them (stupid aliens!).

One Last Game

If, when the game finishes, your score is high enough to get into the high score table you are given a rating: poor,a verage, etc. (I confess I haven't done better than average yet!)

The 20 levels are lettered A to T and by entering the correct letter after SPACE/Fire/M you can start at any one. The ground alternates between buildings and hills as the levels change.

One Last Game operates on a mixed control format. Apart from the usual keyboard or joystick choice, a third option allows direction control from the joystick and fire from the keyboard. Although you can start with M or the Space bar from the keyboard, if when you've first loaded it M followed by A is used to start the game, it appears to default to the joystick controls for directions of your ship, although you still seem to be able to fire with RETURN.

The graphics on this game are of reasonable quality and well laid out.

I found this an interesting game with the excitement of a lot of the oldies such as Space Invaders and Pacman.

Roger Gammans

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