Superman's Playing Circus Games

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Since October 1988, David Crofts of Tynesoft has promised me Superman and Summer Olympiad 'in two weeks'. Now I've finally got a copy of each - so linked in my mind that I almost think of them as one game, hence the double review this issue.

In Superman, you must guide the man of steel through several missions each prefixed by a page from a comic book, with speech bubbles outlining the task ahead. Each mission permits certain superpowers to be used, and in the first flight, infra-red vision, super punch and super breath are all available. The object is to battle through 'parademons' to meet 'the professor'. From there the superhero must rescue Lois Lane and Governor Lee from the terrorist-stricken Atlantis, anchored in Metropolis Harbour. Numerous nasties oppose you, but you can shoot a flashing ball of fire at them and sooner or later they disintegrate.

Other missions involve guiding a space shuttle through an asteroid belt, persuading a bunch of mutant robots that your intentions are honourable (by shooting them), protecting a satellite from an asteroid field, and finally destroying the UFS (Unidentified Flying Satellite) by corrupting the geo-disruptor.

The graphics aren't the best I've seen, but are perfectly reasonable in portraying Superman as he flies. And there's something else I liked - the viewpoint is different for most missions, and I found the tasks themselves varied enough to keep me interested.

Sam Greenhill