Previous Next

Street Hawk has finally arrived from the people at Ocean. After what seems like years and years of waiting with baited breath, the SU team finally got to play the game. Unfortunately, it's not up to much.

In the game, and the Saturday-afternoon-round-about-lunchtime TV show on ITV, the hero is one Jesse Mach, who's made the man responsible for testing Street Hawk, a bike with all the abilities of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, but with half the number of wheels.

You begin in the centre of a light blue road, standing at a complete halt, with cars, bikes and trucks over-taking you. Yup, you've gotta move your butt if you don't wanna be splattered all over the street.

The snag is the graphics scroll down the screen smoothly but at anything but 'turbo' speed. It's difficult to distinguish between the snails' pace (but legal) 55mph and the ridiculous max of 285mph. The bike isn't very responsive, either.

Fortunately, you're saved from many collisions by the Jump facility. Pressing Space will cause your bike to leap into the air, allowing you to clear vehicles in a single bound.

After riding for a little while, or shooting a certain amount of bad guys, you find yourself at the scene of a robbery. Funnily enough every time a robbery takes place in the game, it's Joe's Joint that gets hit. Poor old Joe must be getting pretty sick of sluicing his doorstep down because, as the masked raiders leave the shop, you must gun them down.

You control a crosshair sight. Line it up on the fleeing villain before delivering a stiff dose of justice.

The real problem with the game is that it is simply too simple. It could be defined as a Spy Hunter/3D Shootout. Were it a budget title. Street Hawk would be nice, but it's not.

Label: Ocean Price: £7.95 Joystick: various Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Jim Douglas

***

Although entertaining for a brief time during the shoot-out, it doesn't have an awful lot to offer. On ya' bike.