Amstrad Computer User
1st June 1988
Publisher: Imagine
Machine: Amstrad CPC464
Published in Amstrad Computer User #43
Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh
The original Arkanoid was a great success, and was certainly one of my favourite games. Now we have a sequel.
Revenge Of Doh is really a version of Breakout, however, has an incredible number of extra features.
The bat has been transformed into a spaceship called Vaus, and the ball into an energy bolt. You can make the bolt fly off Vaus at different angles, depending on where the ball bounces on it.
The bricks have all sorts of different properties, depending on their colour and design.
Some need to be hit several times before they are destroyed; others disappear and reappear at the most awkward moments; yet others, on being hit, uncover canisters which fall and which you can pick up by letting them hit Vaus.
The canisters bear various letters, signifying different effects which take place when you catch them.
There are also aliens which move around randomly. They are usually hemmed in by bricks, and are only freed when the bricks are destroyed.
They can't kill you, but they are a nuisance as they can deflect the energy bolt away from Vaus. You can get rid of them by hitting them with Vaus or shooting them with the laser (if you have it), but more keep coming all the time.
Wonderful stuff - the controls are easy to master (just Left, Right and Fire using keyboard or joystick), and the game is horribly addictive, It'll keep you up to the small hours. No problems with a green screen.
Nigel
A terrific game. The graphics are extremely colourful, as are the screen backgrounds, just like the original Arkanoid.
Revenge Of Doh is much tougher - I could dash through the first three levels of the original in a few minutes, whereas this takes much longer and has a lot of twists and turns.
It's faster too, and there are far more canisters waiting to be picked up.
Liz
If you thought Breakout was an old, clapped-out idea, you will be very surprised when you see Revenge Of Doh. The graphics are colourful and flicker-free, and Vaus is easy to control, which is good news for butter-fingers like me.
One word of caution, if you clear a few screens there will be pauses as the later screens are loaded from tape during the game.
Colin
Lovely loading screen, very colourful title screen (with some clever colour effects), a good high score table and a great game. Revenge Of Doh shows you that the simplest game plots are often the best.
The only slight quibble is with the sound - the tunes are noisy rather than melodious, and the only sound during the game is a strange echo effect when you hit a brick.