Zzap


Silkworm
By Mastertronic Plus
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #69

Silkworm

Heavily-armed terrorists threaten the world again, so it's up to you (and maybe a friend) to save the day. A unique feature of this operation is that it's both land and air-based, consisting of a jeep and a attack helicopter against massed enemy forces. Many an argument has raged over who has the chopper, but getting far demands close cooperation between players.

In single-player mode you can choose whichever vehicle you want, but the odds are lengthened. Enemy forces such as missile launchers, jets, bouncing helicopters (!), tanks and large end-of-level baddies aren't reduced merely because you can't muster a full attack group! Then there's the mid-level super-copters which are formed out of smaller components before your eyes. Should you destroy this war machine then pods are released, one per player, allowing you to upgrade your vehicle with speed-ups and extra missiles.

Originally an okay Tecmo coin-op, superb conversions by The Sales Curve and Random Access for the C64 and Amiga respectively made for a pair of Sizzlers. Matt praised the programmers for "coaxing the utmost out of both machines to portray the action to the best effect", while Kati loved the "all-action, fast and furious gameplay." Indeed, while Silkworm doesn't have much in the way of originality it is extremely playable, and pretty tough too! It's certainly one of the best two-player games around, and on your own the jeep or chopper offer distinctly different ways of playing the game. The Amiga game is virtually arcade perfect, and boasts a small extra alien as well. The C64 game is no less technically impressive, with some okay sprites and top-notch backgrounds. For playability, either version is hard to beat.