TRAX is a Pac-man-type game for the 48K Spectrum. The maze is a railway track and the Pac-man is a train. The ghost is played by a white killer train which will do its best to destroy you in a collision. The other obstacle is a tunnel which you must enter at the correct end, which is left, or your train will be derailed.
You may be where the power wondering pills have gone - you cannot have a game of Pac-man without power pills. They are represented by passengers who are waiting beside the track for the train to pick them up. You score points for each passenger who gets on board.
The game contains machine code but, surprisingly, that does not increase the speed of the trains and does not provide a smooth run of action during play.
The sound effects are impressive. When your train moves along the track it makes a chugging noise and when you are caught by the killer train the explosion and fire is effective.
Trax is an original and entertaining game. It should be popular with children of all ages, especially those who never owned a train set.
The package costs £5.50, which is expensive, and it can be obtained from Soft Joe's Software, Business Centre, Claughton Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside L41 6ES.
14th August 1983
