ST Format


Robo-Squash

Author: Andy Hutchinson
Publisher: Atarisoft
Machine: Atari Lynx

 
Published in ST Format #41

Robo-Squash

Here's a puzzling game. It's a 3D version of squash with a difference - it's not played against a wall, but against either your Lynx or another player at the other end of a ComLynx lead. You move a bat around the zone trying to knock bricks out of a wall that lies midway between you and your opponent.

Of course, no game can be complete without a bevy of power-ups and Robo-Squash has a rather tasty batch of them. For example, if you hit the right brick you're able to enlarge your bat or slow down the ball. This adds to the excitement a bit and makes life considerably easier. There are amusing touches within the game too - when you miss the ball, it splats paintball-style on to the screen obscuring the screen a bit, making the next return even harder. The gameplay is surprisingly fluid. It's quite easy to judge where the ball is going from the shadow it casts on the walls. It's also possible to direct the ball in much the same way as you do in Arkanoid - you can either let the ball clip your bat or you can move the bat as the ball hits it.

Because there's no long-term goal to complete in Robo-Squash, its appeal should be fairly enduring. It's one of those games you can dig out whenever you fancy a quick blast, although it's infinitely better in its two-player incarnation. Robo-Squash is like a Mars bar - a bit dull after a few years, but still satisfying when all you want is a quick bite.

Andy Hutchinson

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