Previous Next

In days of old, when nights were dark and society was structured very rigidly, there were basically two groups of people. The surfs, who spent all their time on the beach, and everyone else, who argued over who was king. These arguments were settled (democratically) with a fight to the death, each protagonist sitting in the respective castles and lobbing cannon balls at each other, the winner becoming the 'usurper' (look it up!).

Rampart casts you as one of these unpleasant so and sos, aiming to destroy your opponent's castle and declare yourself Lord of all you survey, and better looking than everyone else (That's you out for starters - Ed).

The game can be played simultaneously by up to three players. Each is allocated a castle and must then place two cannons within its walls. Battle then commences, with each player blasting each other's walls - the castle keeps and cannons can't be destroyed. After each exchange you're given the chance to peruse the devastation, and must then carry out repairs to your fortress. This is simple enough in theory. The computer gives you a randomly shaped piece of wall (looking not unlike Tetris blocks) which can be rotated and placed where you wish. There's a strict time limit for repairs, and if your keep isn't fully surrounded by a wall in time then you start again from scratch. In this section, keeping calm is essential but panic really sets in as the timer runs out and the computer refuses to come up with the piece you need to complete your renovations. It's important to encircle as large an area as possible as this is where your guns are placed - more space means more guns!

There are different landscapes for each battle and initially, your only worry is your opponent's castle, but if you survive long enough then in later levels, fleets of ships join the action. The players have no actual control over these, but friendly ones help by bombarding your opponent's fortress. Beware though, at the same time his ships will be giving you a sound duffing!

In one player mode the game's slightly disappointing. Here you control your castle as before but instead of trying to flatten another castle, you must destroy invading ships controlled by the computer. These are a pig to hit yet they seem to hit you with every shot (Were medieval galleons equipped with radar-guided weapons systems? It would seem so!)

Even so, the multi-player mode's a real hit. The head-to-head battle situation's really competitive and certainly puts a strain on each the strongest friendship. When you've got a feeble little castle and a pea-shooter to defend yourself and your best mate's looming across the water with a huge fortress bristling with guns you soon grow to hate him.

Graphics are decent, though very small and things get very hectic with cannon balls raining down on all sides. Sound is also impressive, with a bouncy title tune and good effects.

Rampart is a more than worthy purchase, though it misses a Hurricane Hit due to the less-than-impressive one player mode. Great stuff though, and original too!

I'd have prospered back in medieval days - quaffing tankards of mead, joining buxom young women for hours of merriment, and having the dandiest britches in town! Blowing the turrets out of nearby castles would also be a favourite pastime, perched on my throne, sending armadas to join in the slaughter... ahh what a life.

As strategy/arcade games go, Rampart's one of the best. Devastating your opponent's carefully constructed castle is hilarious (Miles is still reeling after his tenth consecutive defeat), and creating a strong fortress and a fleet of ships add to the fun no end. A simple idea implemented to its fullest, Rampart's worth every groat. Don't worry Miles, it's only a game - don't get so uptight when I conquer. Miles, no, don't do it, not the window... Crrasssh!

I don't agree with Miles when he says the one-player game's hopeless - sure it's more fun with two, but on your own it's still a fair blast!

RampartRampart's a brill game, combining the simplicity and immediacy of Tetris with the brainless blasting of, say, RampartTanx (Anyone remember RampartTanx?) into one of the most playable and original games this year. Perhaps a land-based raiding party with battering rams and scaling ladders would've improved the one-player mode, but this is a minor gripe. Great graphics, great sound... great everything, really!

Presentation 80%
Nifty opening sequence and in-game routines.

Graphics 82%
Tiny, but perfect for the job.

Sound 78%
Great medieval music and boob-boob FX.

Hookability 79%
Very easy to get the hang of!

Lastability 70%
It's not as good in one-player mode.

Overall 89%