Previous Next

"Your specialist chosen subject is - gameshow catch-phrases. You have thirty seconds to list as many as you can, starting now!"

"Come on down; I've started so I'll finish; What's your catchphrase?; Nice to see you to see you nice; Eat this, scumsucker..."

Hang on, that can't be right... unless you're watching Smash TV.

Smash TV is the gameshow of the future, a future in which television is the dominant force in a violent and aggressive society. In this hybrid of the best of The Krypton Factor and the worst of the Vietnam conflict, the prizes are phenomenal but the stakes are high. Succeed and you carry away anything from toasters to houses and private jets, fail and you're pushing up daisies!

The game's played over a number of levels, each consisting of several static-screen rooms. Within are all manner of unpleasant thugs, robots and mechanised death devices. Try to avoid the landmines when running round killing things, and look out for Mr. Shrapnel too - if you don't kill him quickly, he explodes of his own accord, possibly taking you with him!

It's so refreshing to happen across a C64 game that compares favourably to its 16-bit counterparts. Okay, so the graphics couldn't hope to be as impressive and the action's not quite as fast and frenetic, but there's a goodly amount of baddies on screen (without any appreciable slowing down), giving more than a little strife. The controls are well thought out too, giving you a choice of move/fire methods including the arcade-faithful two joystick option.

If it's intellectual stimulation you're alter, Smash TV is a serious disappointment; the gameplay is thinner than a console owner's bank balance. If, on the other hand, you're a gung-ho death-or-glory mercenary-type whose idea of a game involving brainpower means spreading the said cerebral organ over the walls then look no further. Decent sonics and endless browntrousers action mean that despite unimpressive visuals, this is right up any blamfan's alley!

What do you get if you cross Sale Of The Century with The Running Man? Well, you could end up with Nicholas Parsons behaving even more psychotic than usual, or maybe the result would be Smash TV, a futuristic game show where the only limitation on winning is how good you are with your trigger finger. It's unbelievable what you go through to pick up prices.

I repeatedly charged through a barrage of mutants, guns blazing, just to snatch a toaster! No matter which awards are littered around, it's the challenge to collect them unscathed that sets Smash TV aside from other gun-toters. The two-player mode is bitterly missed, but if unashamed violent deaths appeal, buy it!

Presentation 88%
No multi-load and plenty of little touches

Graphics 65%
Slightly bland, but adequate

Sound 80%
Okay splat noises, atmospheric theme tune

Hookability 80%
Simple opening screens ease you into the action

Lastability 72%
Mindless blasting can get repetitive

Overall 85%