Your Sinclair


Return Of The Jedi

Author: Duncan MacDonald
Publisher: Domark
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in Your Sinclair #37

Return Of The Jedi

First it was Star Wars in which a war was carried out against a backdrop of stars, then it was The Empire Strikes Back in which The Empire, er, struck back and now it's Return Of The Jedi in which (Yes we know, in which the Jedi come back again. Now get on with it or you're fired. Ed). Eeeer. Oh dear. Um, anyway, we now have the third part of the trilogy, so without further ado let's have a meatshop.

If you were expecting something in the same vein as Domark's two previous Star Wars (vector graphic shoot-'em-ups') then you'd be wrong. This one's a scroller. A diagonal scroller to boot (like Alien Highway and Highway Encounter). There are various different stages to the game, so let's start with level one (and why not). It's a diagonally scrolling (top right to bottom left) forest of Endor. You play Princess Leia on a speederbike and you have to avoid both the trees and the Imperial Stormtroopers (also on speederbikes). Both would be easy one their own, but together things are decidedly tricky. Keeping out of the way of the Stormtroopers taking you out unawares from behind (oo-er). if you get to the end of this stage you'll be treated to the sight of a band of Ewoks dong somehting that will make them go blind, or at least that's what it looks like.

The next stage is the Death Star, where you're in control of the Millenium Falcon with the task of blowing up the central reactor. Again it's a diagonal scroller, and the object is to avoid the dangerous protrusions jutting from every wall as they scroll inexorably towards you. Avoid enough protrusions, blow up the reactor and it's onto stage three, which is really more of stage one, bit with more trees and Stormtroopers. Stage four is more diagonal scrolling, only this time you in charge of an Imperial Scout Walker, and you've got to avoid/shoot oncoming logs and boulders.

Return Of The Jedi

Graphically the game is quite neat. The scrolling is fast and smooth, and the sprites are nicely animated. The control response is very good too. In fact it's all quite addictive - but the real problem is substance, or rather lack of it. If you're looking for something to while away a bit of time then you could do worse than Return Of The Jedi, but if you're looking for something a bit more 'special' then maybe this isn't for you. It's not awful by any means, but then again it ain't brilliant either.

Ho Hum.

Third of the Star Wars games, and a total style departure from the previous two. Not a bad little diagonally scrolling avoid-'em-up, but then not a particularly brilliant one.

Duncan MacDonald

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