Commodore User


Cobra

Author: Chris Cain
Publisher: Ocean
Machine: Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Commodore User #42

Cobra

Crime is the disease, and apparently you're the cure. In yet another film tie-in game, you become the hero. This time it's Marion Cobretti, or Cobra.

Ignoring the silly paragraphs in the manual about Zombie squads and people who only relieve themselves after 10pm, I decided to load the game up and give it a go.

Having read the instructions, I hit the fire button and was set for anything. Or so I thought. The aim of the game is to rescue a model, who has been kidnapped by a nasty character with a funny name. This plot is fairly standard and I thought the game would be as well. How wrong can a guy be?

Cobra

As soon as I started the game, I found myself in the middle of a city street. The next thing I know, I'm being made into a sieve by a psychopathic knife thrower.

After punching the guy in the solar plexus a few times he ceased fire and flashed several different colours before finally giving up the ghost. Why, oh why, can't the villains just drop dead like real people?

Having lost a large part of my hamburger, I quickly raced to the right in order to find some replenishment.

Cobra

You probably won't understand, so let me explain. As daft as it may seem, your energy level in this game is measured by a hamburger in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Every time you get bashed, a piece of burger disappears until you've no more left, then you lose a life.

Now having explained that, I'll get back to the game.

Progressing through the city, you will come across all kinds of weapons which help you in your quest. First there's the knife, which you can throw at anything that moves, well almost, the 'almost' stands for the civilians who will undoubtedly get in your way, but messing with one means death.

The other weapons that can be collected include grenades (a little better), a pistol (pretty handy), laser-sighted machine guns (deadly) and also a large picture of Des O'Conner (devastating!) Once a new weapon has been found, it can be used instantly or saved for a more tricky part of the game.

If you get past all the axe-wielding maniacs, terrorists and other general inhabitants of New York which attack you, you get to Ingrid and take her back to her car.

Once again the Slasher takes Ingrid and hides her in a derelict factory so you're off once more. Although you do get a change of background.

If you manage to complete the rural area, you did better than me, and maybe you should write to the Guinness Book of Records as it sure is hard.

As for the graphics, well the city is better than the rural one, and that's bad enough, the scrolling is first class though, and cannot be moaned about.

The sound comes in the form of a tune which may be from the film - having never seen it I don't know - but it can be turned into weird sound effects by pushing run-stop.

All in all, Cobra is pretty boring.

Chris Cain

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