When the cost of a prohibition racket is the lives of innocent people, it's time for the law to get tough. Enter, please, Mr. Elliot Ness and his team of Untouchables, a group of guys who have the power to do whatever they want in the cause of civilian safety (so long as what they do is vaguely legal, that is). The Untouchables, the game, deals with Ness's battle against that most famous of Godfathers, Al Capone.
Based around the critically-acclaimed film starring Sean Connery and Kevin Costner, The Untouchables puts you through six levels of hoodlum hassling.
Stage One, a multi-directionally scrolling platform shoot-'em-up sees you in the derelict warehouse which Capone's gang use as their base. Here, you must gather together the evidence required to move in for the kill and break up Capone's empire. It's just you against the best (or worst!) of Chicago's villains.
Further levels, all of which are taken directly from scenes from the movie, include a second-person perspective 3D shootout in a dark, city alleyway; another second-person perspective shootout, but this time set on a bridge, with your team rolling around the floor, wasting baddies and trying desperately not to be shot; a madcap chase down a long flight of stairs as Ness attempts to rescue a runaway baby, complete with pram, while removing any threat from hoodlums, and finally a gun battle across the rooftops with a pistol-packing bad-lad.
Ocean seem to enjoy producing multi-event film licences, what with Robocop, Batman and now this. As with the other two, The Untouchables is a cut about the usual movie-based guff which we're constantly subjected to, combining relatively simple gameplay with a high level of presentation to produce a great game.
Perhaps the programmers have gone just a little too far on the aesthetic side of the C64 version though; sometimes, because of the large quantity of colour on-screen, it's difficult to make out who's shooting who. Apart from that one minor gripe (don't worry, it's more an annoyance that a detriment to the game's enjoyment).
The Untouchables is a well thought out package which will find a niche in most people's software collections. It won't be as big a hit as Ocean's two earlier movie games, but those who buy it won't be disappointed.
C64
An absorbing mish-mash of game styles make The Untouchables a great film tie-in.
While the gameplay is virtually identical to the C64 version, monochrome graphics ensure that the on-screen action is easier on the eye, as well as giving the player the feeling of watching a 50s black and white film. Brilliant.