It is debateable whether it is more fun to play this game or load it. Skyline Attack not only leaves the screen on while loading, but also plays a simple game, Ssnake, an hors d'oeuvre for what is to follow. Ssnake is fun and very playable.

The scenario in Skyline Attack is not new. Earth is being attacked by aliens, and you must shoot them down to save the world. This is a Defender-type game with the landscape scrolling both ways and many of the major cities are represented. You start in London where Tower Bridge is constantly raising and lowering. When you shoot an alien there is a chance that it may drop a fuel pod. In order to survive, you need to catch as many of these are possible. If you shoot a fuel pod, there is a 50:50 chance that it may turn into a crystal.

To visit other cities, you must collect crystals. A counter at the top of the screen tells you how many you need. Some of the cities are very spectacular: at the North Pole a polar bear stands on a mint and nods his head, and elsewhere the Sphinx wags its tail. The game is fast and furious in a Minter-kind of way, which is a shame since you don't see all the graphics - still, saving the world was never an easy job.

S.R.