C&VG


Rescue On Fractalus

Publisher: Mastertronic Plus
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #94

Rescue On Fractalus

A bit of software history, no less. Not only Lucasfilm's first game, but also the first game with "realistic" fractal graphics, which are used here to display the hostile mountain ranges of the planet Fractalus. You have to dodge enemy fire and flying saucers to hunt down and rescue downed pilots then take them back to the mothership.

It's beautifully done, but really there's not a whole lot of variation in the gameplay, and the fractal mountains are a little too jerky to be really convincing. Day and night flying, alien pilots bashing on your windshield and other neat little touches keep you playing long enough to get your money's worth though.

Amstrad

Atmospheric search and rescue game which suffers a bit from awful sound and samey gameplay.

Spectrum

A successful conversion, very similar to the Amstrad one, with the same things going for it.

C64

Gameplay is almost exactly the same as the Amstrad version - maybe a tad faster. Improved sound really makes the difference.