Commodore User


Starship Escape

Publisher: Sumlock
Machine: Commodore Vic 20

 
Published in Commodore User #12

Starship Escape

According to the cassette blurb, this is "a compelling and exciting real time graphic space adventure game" - and they're right - it is!

You are a lonely little pilot of a Federation scout ship, travelling through an unknown sector of the galaxy, when you come upon a gigantic starship which proceeds to draw your craft into its cavernous interior. Your craft is then disassembled and the parts distributed in various rooms about the ship.

Your unenviable task is to search each room for the parts, overcoming the dangers that await ou, and bring each part back, one at a time, to the airlock. When you have retrieved all the parts of your craft, you then have to re-assemble the ship and make your escape.

That megatask is not made easier by the alien occupants whose chief role in life is to catch you and return you to the airlock. The starship is in the malevolent power of the Force Cloud Entity (second cousin to the Editor) whose purpose is unknown to the human race (again somewhat like our Editor!) except that they capture any earthship in their path and imprison its occupants.

Your attempts to collect the parts of your ship are made harder because the Force Cloud may appear at random just as you are about to collect a part from a room. If you're not quick enough it may take your part away from you; or worse still, catch you and put you back in the airlock. It cannot be killed so you have to manoeuvre out of its way.

But you do have a faithful companion curiously called K9. He helps to attract aliens away from you, so that you can get on with the business of collecting the bits of your spaceship. He will disappear when you leave the room to lose himself again in the ship. To find him, and to show you where you are, there's a Map/Time Stop facility which shows you and your K9's position. In all, good value for money, and should keep you occupied until well past your bedtime.