Amiga Power


Quattro Fighters

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Stuart Campbell
Publisher: Codemasters
Machine: Amiga 500

 
Published in Amiga Power #11

Quattro Fighters

This is the second attempt from Code Masters to launch their 'Quattro' compilation series (hugely popular on the 8-bit machines) on the Amiga. They tried it at the beginning of last year, but at the price point of £12.99 for four old games, the packs stayed firmly on shop shelves in a manner which suggested they'd been nailed down. This time around the Codies have stuck with the original concept behind the series (a four-game collection, all previously released, for the price of one original title), so Quattro Fighters gives you Mig 29 Soviet Fighter, Kamikaze, SAS Combat Simulator and Guardian Angel in one box for £7.99. At less than £2 each, then, these games are cheaper than a lot of PD. But are they better games?

Well, the short answer is 'Yes', but that's a bit too short, so here's a slightly longer one.

Mig 29 Soviet Fighter

Mig 29 Soviet Fighter is an Afterburner clone, which is to say that you're piloting a plane which flies into the screen and shoots at lots of other planes and stuff. Complicated it's not, technically amazing it's not (in fact, it only just reaches 'competent') but it is tricky and surprisingly addictive.

Kamikaze

Kamikaze is a SWIV-type vertically-scrolling shoot-'em-up, not up to the same standards as the Codies' own Violator and Sky High Stuntman, but decent enough all the same. It's actually very close to the arcade game Flying Shark, and if you fancy a slightly harder (especially if you don't use the simultaneous two-player mode) version of that, you'll be well catered for in Kamikaze.

SAS Combat Simulator

SAS Combat Simulator is one of the Codies' earliest 16-bit games and it shows, but it's still a passable Ikari Warriors clone. There's not a lot else to say about it, really (other than there are two distinct types of gameplay in it, the Ikari Warriors multi-directional-scrolling bit and a horizontally-scrolling Kung Fu Master-style sort-of-beat-'em-up bit), so I'll move swiftly on to Guardian Angel. Which could be a bit of a mistake, actually, as Guardian Angel is so simple as an SAS Combat Simulator review looks like War And Peace by comparison. A very basic horizontally-scrolling-beat-'em-up (not at all unlike the similar section from SAS Combat, actually), Guardian Angel is distinguished by some lovely touches of humour, but not very much else. It's probably the weakest title in the compilation, but it's still good for a few hours fun.

Verdict

All in all then, a respectable collection of games, and it's at a truly remarkable price. Which makes it, I guess, something of a bargain.

The Bottom Line

A varied collection of simple arcade-orientated games, none of which are astonishingly good, but none of which are horrendously bad either. Don't expect world-beating stuff, but do expect a good deal of no-nonsense fun. Very good value for money.

Stuart Campbell

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