Sinclair User


Zenji

Author: John Gilbert
Publisher: Activision
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Sinclair User #34

At One With The Elements

Zenji

Zenji is a strange game but one which has become a cult in the United States. It is an Activision import which has been hurriedly translated to the Spectrum.

In order to become a master you must rely on your intuition to feel the forces flowing through the game's maze. Your playing piece is a face which revolves as you move the joystick or the keypad defined on the keyboard.

It starts at a central element and you must move it round the corridors and connect it to other elements which lie at the nodes of the corridors. If you hit a connection then a power wave is started between the original and new element and a link established. Part of the maze lights up with the radiance that those sources give off.

Zenji

The higher levels of the game involves mazes which fill the whole screen and creatures which will only be too happy to feed on the energy that propels your character. If you bump into one then you will lose a life.

You will find that you will get better at the game and reach the higher levels but in Zenji experience is gained through insight and not mental reasoning. There is a way to beat the game at all its levels using logic but that spoils the excitement and we do not intend to reveal the answer.

Ultimately, Zenji is a test for two players. When you have enough mastery over the mazes then you should find a friend to pit your wits against.

John Gilbert

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