ST Format


Licence To Kill

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Gary Barrett
Publisher: Domark
Machine: Atari ST

 
Published in ST Format #1

Licence To Kill

Britain's number one secret agent is back with a vengeance, well he's back for vengeance in fact. James Bond has a licence to kill and Domark have a licence to the film. The result of which is a simultaneous release of the game with the national launch of the film.

As with all Bond movies, there are as many young ladies as there are bad guys, unfortunately though the game concentrates on 007's daytime activities as he tries to defeat a drug smuggler by the name of Sanchez.

The game is split into six different stages which starts with Sanchez escaping in a jeep and you have to pursue him in a helicopter, avoiding his henchmen who are being paid good money to blast you from the skies. Scene two switches to a Commando-style game of hunt the henchman while trying to find your old mate Sanchez after which you return to the helicopter. Sanchez has opted to leave the country and head for Cuba in his plane. Not being the sort of person that lets the bad guys get away you decide to chase him in your helicopter. Your CIA buddy, Felix, guides the helicopter through the cloudy skies while you dangle from a rope and try to drop on the tail of Sanchez' plane. If you succeed then you can force the plane down and the action switches to scene four, fail and you'll get a Stinger missile up your bottom and have to try again.

Licence To Kill

In scene four you interrupt a drugs drop and have to swim for your life as divers and boats come gunning for you. Eventually a seaplane lands and you have to fire a harpoon into the floats. Hit the plane and scene five begins with you barefoot waterskiing your way to the plane. Boats and rocks get in your way as you try to get to the plane. Finally you catch up with Sanchez' drugs convoy which is stored in a fleet of 18-wheel oil tankers. Your first task is to land on a tanker and take control of it, from then on you have to knock the other tankers off the road and once that's over with you can go around again.

Effects

The sound effects are a bit on the tinny side, but they're adequate and there are some good tunes on the title screen and in the game itself. Sprites are both large and colourful and the background scenery scrolls quickly and smoothly.

Conclusion

Plotwise it's not what you'd call an original concept, but the game is presented well and has enough addictive qualities to keep you busy and frustrated for a long time.

Licence To Kill is the best of the Bond games to date and I'm sure that when Timothy Dalton next dons his 007 hat, Domark will be in there after the licence to sell. Let's hope they keep up the good work.

Gary Barrett

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