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For our first 'Flash Back' Chris Weatherley looks back at Vortex Software's TLL (Tornado Low Level) a game that was praised for its super fast scrolling, but also erevered for its unforgiving gameplay...

You are the pilot of the supersonic Panavia Tornado, tasked to destroy enemy targets of unknown origin. Cruise the landscape, find the marks, drop to bombing level and... Boom! The title describes the game pretty much on point.

Story? Pah, no time for that, there's destruction to be done. Flying over the land and sea, avoiding the buildings and the frequently annoying tall masts, your swept-wing aircraft can reach incredible speeds, but also a light touch on the controls is required to pinpoint the targets, navigate to attack and remove them from existence. And remember, you have a limited supply of ammo and fuel, so you have to perfect your landings to replenish and plan where to go next.

Tornado Low Level is a showcase in speed and scrolling, a test of practice, patience and fine control, and it was a successful venture by Vortex Software. It spawned the well-known sequel Cyclone on the ZX Spectrum, which sadly never came to the CPC. As a result, TLL went very much under the radar (no pun intended), but a retrospective look at this somewhat impressive achievement is something all 8-bit fans should consider.

Scrolling at this speed on an Amstrad can seem unreal, but this is an early example of that, with effort and some graphical shortcomings, fast and mostly smooth scrolling could be achieved during the system's infancy.

Flying over the landscape is a pleasurable experience, both in fast and slow modes, as the CPC scrolls wonderfully.

The controls are tight, and they have to be, as fine adjustments have to be made frequently. At high speeds, avoiding the tall buildings is paramount, but it's flying low when the real skills come into effect.

Hitting the targets is satisfying, but sometimes they can become almost impossible to hit.

The graphics are simple and repeat continuously, but everything moves very impressively. The military style map and mission briefing screens are nice also.

The engine sound is good, but can become more of a drone after a while, but the decent spot FX are welcome.

TLL's real strength is its replay ability. You are tested with the RNG of the target, and seeing that plane move so fast is always something to admire.

Presentation 74%
Nice cover art, neat, tidy and no-frills military-like displays.

Graphics 70%
Scrolling is hugely impressive, but at the cost of a Lego-block landscape!

Sound 65%
Appropriate SFX are varied and frequent, engine sound can be whiny.

Addictive Qualities 80%
Feels great to control and satisfying to get another target. A good challenge.

Lastability 85%
Random generation of levels makes you come back for more, with the aim to get the ACE mission.

Overall 82%