Previous Next

You can prove your prowess with the shotgun against some pretty sneaky eagles with a taste for fresh fish, without prosecution from the RSPB.

The aim of the game may be simple, but it's a strain on the eyes.

You are the game warden of a fishery and from your vantage point in a boat on the lake you must stop the marauding eagles from stealing the stocks of fish around you.

Naturally, the more eagles you kill, the more you have to defend the fish against them as they attack in greater numbers and with increasing ferocity.

There are eight different skill levels to the game. There is no forced progression from one skill to another - the eagles keep coming till they've stolen the five fish they need to end the game. You simply choose which skill level you want to play before you start.

Joystick control is via port two as usual. If you're using the keyboard, it's J for up, L for down, D is right and A is left. I prefer different keys but there's no way of reconfiguring this. The Space bar fires your shotgun and F7 will turn off the sound, if you can't stand it any longer.

In skill levels one to four, using either the keyboard or the joystick, you position the marker so it's either over the eagle you want to shoot or in line with it and fire. For every eagle hit you score 100 points, 200 if it's carrying a fish. Bonus fish are occasionally awarded.

On skill levels five to eight the object is to continue holding the Fire button until the shot is over the target and then release it to shoot the eagle down.

All high scores are recorded and the action can be frozen. Highly useful when going for a high score if you are suddenly overtaken by cramp.

The colours in the landscape are difficult on the eyes and the birds can often hide out in the tree on the left if you have problems distinguishing black from brown.

Despite a lack of any lasting appeal it's an entertaining little game but I remain unimpressed by the variation in skill levels five to eight. I think the time, effort and memory could have been put to greater use with better variations on the original skill levels.