1st February 1989
Return Of The Jedi
There can't be many people reading this who haven't seen the film Return Of The Jedi, so we won't go over the whole story of the film now. Suffice to say, the rebels have landed on the Empire-occupied moon of Endor.
In the first section, you're Princess Leia racing through the forest on her speeder bike pursued by Imperial soldiers. Ewoks hidden in the trees trap passing riders; you dismount enemies by shooting them, knocking them into obstacles or into an Ewok trap.
Next comes the assault on the imperial bunker - this time you're Chewbacca controlling an imperial scout walker. Another level, which has you in charge of the Millenium Falcon on its approach to the Death Star, appears intermittently.
Reached the bunker? Lando now flies the Falcon into the heart of the Death Star and destroys the energy converter which starts a chain reaction, destroying the Death Star and so winning the battle. Hurrah!
GH
Domark are renowned for their conversions of the "Star Wars" series of arcade games - unfortunately, this one's pretty mediocre.
The graphics are poor, but the most irritating element is the loose control method, which makes you zoom off in totally unexpected directions - not a factor guaranteed to keep me clinging on to my joystick.
I'd only recommend this to die-hard fans or those who've got the other games and want to complete the set.
ME
I always look forward to the C64 versions of the Star Wars arcade games, but I'm always disappointed. Star Wars was too slow, as was The Empire Strikes Back. Now we come to Return Of The Jedi and we have yet another disappointing release.
The game captures little of the atmosphere of the coin-op original; rubbish sound, bland graphics and unappealing gameplay. When are Domark going to get some brilliant programmers in to do their conversions? This is just another average blast.
Verdict
Presentation 51%
Disjointed level switching, dull attract mode and an overall shabby appearance.
Graphics 60%
Range from quite nicely defined to gaudy and blocky in both sprites and backgrounds.
Sound 43%
Very weak effects and dull renditions of the film tunes.
Hookability 67%
Many will be attracted by the name...
Lastability 49%
...but once played a few times, the appeal will wear off quickly.
Overall 61%
Certainly not the game it could have been.
Other Reviews Of Return Of The Jedi For The Commodore 64
Return Of The Jedi (Domark)
A review by Tony Dillon (Commodore User)
Screenshots
