Amstrad Action


Phazer Games

Author: Sarah
Publisher: Trojan
Machine: Amstrad CPC464+/GX4000

 
Published in Amstrad Action #98

Phazer Games

There's nothing I like more than a little target practice before breakfast [I prefer about 10 hours sleep - Ed] and with these two Phazer games there's less blood to clean up before the rest of the world wakes up and finds out what I've been doing.

To be honest, the Phazer was a gimmick that never really took off; it's a gun that you connect to your CPC and use to blast away at things on screen. You can still get hold of them new for £20; the main problem is that there were only ever two games designed to be played with them. You get Skeet Shoot when you buy the gun, while The Enforcer is available separately.

Skeet Shoot

Skeet Shoot is clay pigeon shooting the American way. But so you don't get bored you travel around the world, taking in the delights of places like Bavaria and Mount Fuji. Can you imagine telling your careers advisor or the local job centre that you want to see the world while destroying plates with a shotgun? Maybe if you owned a country estate and had no chin they'd take you seriously.

Unlike most shooting games, there's no blood, even if you shoot the goose that flies around, all he does is shed a drop of bonus-laden liquid. The addiction factor is pretty high, with extra points awarded for spot-on shooting and hitting bonuses.

The Enforcer

The Enforcer is straight out of The Untouchables. As an FBI agent, you are all that stands between the gangsters and their illegal beverages. You have to kill the smart-suited baddies and protect innocent citizens from stray gunfire in a pop-up gangster street. Kill enough wrong-doers with your limited supply of bullets and your reward is a bonus level. Here you have to shoot bottles of whiskey out of the hands of the mob.

It sounds simple enough but this game's a lot harder than Skeet Shoot. Those baddies just keep on coming and the good (and apparently very stupid) citizens of Chicago keep getting in the way. The pitifully small supply of bullets doesn't help much either; extra ammo is found by shooting the "stick of dynamite-type things" which occasionally appear when you kill a wrong 'un.

Frankly, I wouldn't spend £30 on the Phazer; neither game is worth shelling out that much dosh on. But if you see a Phazer going second-hand at a decent prize, check it works, buy it and you've got access to two unusual and entertaining games.

Sarah