Previous Next

Regular readers of 2000AD will know well of the feud between Torquemada the grand master of Termight, and Nemesis the Warlock. For those who aren't keyed in so well to the events of Tharg & Co. Nemesis is a warlock dedicated to stopping the genocidal urges of Torquemada who dabbles in the unfriendly habit of killing aliens by the hundred. Their hatred is increased because Torquey killed Nemesis' wife. Nasty piece of work, isn't he?

The game charts one of Nemesis' many attempts to finish once and for all the terrible reign of Torguemada. Evil as Torquemada is, he is not stupid enough to leave himself unguarded, for protection he sends out his personal army, the Terminators. You, as Nemesis, must fight your way into the heart of his domain and at last defeat the evil Torquemada... but remember, the lives of fellow aliens are in your hands!

The game is basically a shoot-'em-up with platform tendencies, although the platform element does not have too great a bearing on the game. Each screen is set out with five or six floors, from which you can jump from one to another. From his control centre Torquemada sends down Terminators by the dozen. Nemesis can either hack about the Terminators with his notoriously tested sword Excessus, or he can pick up one of the few ammunition cartridges to be found around each screen, which will enable him to fire twelve shots from his gun.

The way to complete each screen is to kill the required amount of Terminators shown in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Once this is done, Nemesis must then search for an exit, which can be found anywhere on the edge of the screen. Once this is done, he will then be transported on to the next screen to pursue his quest for Torquemada still further. All the screens are similar but with a different arrangement of platforms and yet more Terminators to be slaughtered.

The Terminators may seem like they are all you have to defend yourself from at first, that is until one goes into labour and watch a zombie pop out of its stomach, in true 'Alien' style. The zombies, though few, are a grave danger to Nemesis as they take far more shots or stabs to kill than the wombs from whence they came. There is but one more way of disposing of the Terminators which is by spitting acid, yes spitting accurately is another of Nemesis' seemingly never-ending qualities, although he can only gather enough sulphuric phlegm to do it once per screen. When you do resort to acid-gobbling, you will realise that even the zombies are no match for this disgusting habit. Imagine what Nemesis can do when he catches a cold.

Despite its many appealing qualities (gobbing?) like the pretty graphics and atmospheric theme tune, Nemesis The Warlock clearly reminds me of Melbourne House's (rather iffy) Knuckle Busters or even their other 2000AD licence Judge Dredd. It has the same pretty presentation, but after a short while playing proves to be a game with no depth, which totally shatters your motivation, and gives you no other incentive to play other than to get your money's worth from the readies you just forked out. For those of you with your heart set in Torquemada-bashing, it ain't too bad but don't expect anything new