Previous Next

They don't make 'em like this any more! A down the line shoot-'em-up. Slapfight is fast, colourful and mighty difficult to beat. It has a neat power-up system, and absolutely masses of aliens to kill.

The scenario couldn't be simpler. Cleanse the good planet Orac of all the low-life scumbag alien filth that's currently in residence. To do this you get a squadron of Slapfighters, and your own native cunning.

Flying in over the planet surface you've no control of height, just left or right as the screen scrolls down relentlessly. The blaster at the front's pretty poxy, but that can be altered later. Now, all you have to do is stick and move.

Sending certain (well, most) of the aliens crashing down in flames causes them to leave power-up stars behind. Swoop over these, and the firepower potential of the Slapfighter is dramatically increased.

Unlike most shoot-outs, the powers the stars bring don't come into effect automatically - you can either use them immediately, or bank them. One star gets you extra speed, two stars more firepower, seven stars a shield etc. To bring them into action, just stab the Space Bar at the appropriate time. This has the benefit of tailoring the game to suit each individual player. Rather than getting certain powers when the programmer feels you need them, now you can call in the artillery when you wish, helping to offset the weakness in your own style of play.

The small screen is slightly intimidating, as are the near-invisible shots of the aliens. The backgrounds, though, are clear and the speed of the ship reassuringly high.

Slapfight may just be another upwardly mobile shoot-em-up, but it's a darned good one.

The enemy bullets can be a bit hard to see, but the weapons selection system adds depth and gameplay to an already above-average shoot-'em-up.

Those bullets don't get any easier to spot.

Graphics 77%
P. Packed backdrops.

Sonics 55%
N. Average sounds.

Grab Factor 81%
P. A strong shoot-'em-up hook.

Staying Power 69%
P. Fine in small doses.

Overall 69%
Fun for all the family - if they're alien-bashing psychos!