Personal Computer News


Magic Micro Mission

Author: Bob Chappell
Publisher: Quicksilva
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Personal Computer News #083

MAGIC MICRO MISSION

Although based on Central Television's new programme, this one from Quicksilva turns out to be just a couple of old rehashed games, neither of which is up to much.

The first is a Buck Rogers type of affair. Looking down a highway towards some distant mountains, you move a crosssight to pot oncoming flying saucers. The highway's moving bands of colour do nothing to give the game a sense of movement or depth. If a saucer gets too close, the screen just freezes.

The saucers are stubby, stylised representations and, look more like shopping baskets than intergalactic vessels. While the sound effects are not bad, six screens of pretty much the same fare is tame stuff by today's standards.

Magic Micro Mission

Movement is a bit stiff on the second game and the maze is smallish and uninspired. Again, the graphics are fairly crude. The idea is to move Zog, your robot, around the channels dodging the RAM chips and resistors that patrol the area.

The title page is splendid but the game selection instructions disappear off the screen before you have the chance to read them. The program is not even crash-proof: pressing RESTORE and RUN/STOP together doesn't, as with many programs, restart the game but plonks you back into Basic.

No amount of typing RUN will get it going again.

Magic Micro Mission

Both games are old hat and look as if they have been written in Basic. They have been done much better elsewhere.

Two for the price of one, even with a splendid title page, is no bargain in this case.

Quicksilva has infinitely superior programs to offer, and it's hard to see why they should want to damage their excellent reputation by pushing this turkey on to an unsuspecting public.

Bob Chappell

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