C&VG


Space Harrier

Publisher: Encore
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K/+2

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #100

Space Harrier

Enter the Fantasy Zone, be the doer of derring and generally get up to all sorts of jet-packin' fun in the first of this month's two re-releases from Elite's budget label. The world of the Space Harrier is a first-person perspective 3D landscape, where weird and wonderful fauna and flora patrol the checkerboard pastures - and they've gone berserk. So power up your jet pack, load your photon cannon and defeat the beasties before they take over the Fantasy Zone.

What made this game a hit in the arcades was the hydraulic chair and, as it's notable by its absence in these conversions, the game doesn't have the same appeal. Especially when you consider the fact that all gameplay consists of is shooting assorted baddies.

Spectrum

Monochrome graphics, although detailed, tend to blend into each other making it difficult to follow the action. Apart from that, Space Harrier offers enjoyable play in the short-term.