No Stock - No Joy

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Star Warp from Superior Software was a great disappoint ment. But for once this is not solely the fault of the game. Let me explain.

The object is to defend your homeworld against alien attack. This is of course just an excuse to get you up in a spaceship zapping aliens.

As the game starts, a pair of sliding doors open to reveal the sector of space through which you are speeding. Alien space craft appear, darting around the screen and firing an occasional energy bolt in your direction. Every time a bolt hits you, a level is knocked off your defence screen.

Your task is to knock out as many ships and bolts as possible before your screen is destroyed. This is done by centring them in the cross-hairs of your laser before zapping them.

Below the viewscreen a display shows the state of your defence, laser temperature, score, and screen number. As the game progresses you find yourself whizzing the laser sights all over the place in an effort to keep up with the enemy, and this is where the program falls down.

The laser is controlled by the usual keys: Z and X for left and right, * and ? for up and down.

Try as I might, I just couldn't get enough accuracy using these keys. The game can be played with a joystick if you have one and for my money this would be the only way to be accurate enough.

There are a couple of other minor points that turn me against the game. Firing is done with Return, which has to be hit with the little finger, and I find this awkward. It's much easier with the thumb. Also as the game progresses, little new happens. It gets harder, but that's about all.

Sound and graphics are OK, although not spectacular. Overall, if you have a joystick you may quite enjoy the game. If you haven't - be warned. You'll be fed up after one evening.

James Bibby