It's nostalgia time, folks! We've already seen a return of Breakout, Defender and Asteroids - and there's even a Space Invaders revival just around the corner. But for now, it's Battlezone's turn...
Stellar 7 (Dynamix)
What is it about the Earth that makes it so desirable for invaders from other galaxies? Were we listed on the Arcturan Galactic Estate Agents' files as a perfect fixer-upper without being told? Is Gir Draxon sending down an invasion fleet to blow everyone to bits, or is it just his way of making a downpayment?
Whatever the reason, we're under attack again and - as always - the powers that be feel that the best way to repel the intruders is to send one man against them. Why we can't just launch a couple of surplus nukes is beyond me...
To successfully tell the aliens that Earth is already spoken for, you're armed with the latest in modern ground warfare - the Raven Assault Hover-tank. Your mission takes you over seven different planets on the way to Draxon's flagship, each currently being patrolled by the Arcturan forces. Destroy a patrol and the Warp Link to the next planet opens, allowing you to further your journey.
Like most American products, Stellar 7 is superbly presented... but lacking in depth. The opening and between-level sequences are stunning (even if one of the characters does sound like Arnie doing an impersonation of Sly Stallone) and the actual in-game screens are almost excellent - because things tend to be a bit on the slow side, from disk accessing to animations.
This is probably because Stellar 7 was planned and conceived on the IBM PC and while it moves like lightning there, here on the Amiga things are a little bit different. There are plenty of good points throughout, the enemy acts very realistically (setting up its own devious tricks as well as falling for yours) and the difficulty has been set just right. It's difficult to know just where to place Stellar 7: it's well worth taking the time to play, but you wouldn't necessarily want to keep coming back.
1st June 1991
