Reviews

Breakout clone with a vertical bat moving up and down the left-hand side of the screen. Levels are varied as you keep the ball (or rather snoball) in play whilst making your way towards "hell". Your single-speed "bat" is actually a "snoball battle tractor" which looks like a sort of tank or mobile gun turret. It can fire missiles which are needed to repel advancing waves of various enemy sprites.

Graphics are actually pretty good and colourful and each level has an interesting if blocky design.

The game features the usual power-ups, such as those affecting ball speeds and one that immediately kills you (ta very much). But on seeing the small size of the numerous bricks on the first level and realising the potentially long playing time, you'll really be looking out for the crucial "Go to next sector" bonus.

I kinda like this game as I originally got it from a second-hand shop for about 20p (Atari ST version). But on playing the speccy version, the 8-bit port seems virtually identical. After all, it's an 8-bit game at heart.

The whole playing experience is a bit clunky and for a budget title it almost has a shareware or PD feel about it, although I have fond memories of playing this game and really getting into it for a while.

Overall, worth a look for fans of the Breakout genre as it's a bit of a quirky title, but certainly bettered by Krakout & Arkanoid etc..

Simply put there are better Atlantis games than this and better Breakout games than this, Thro' the Wall from 1982 being one of them. This is pretty much Krakout but with no fun in it.

1989 Atlantis Software (UK)
by Jim Gardner

Another Breakout clone with a twist.
In fact this is a Breakout clone mixed with Space Invaders.
You control a tank with shooting powers and the ability to bounce a ball. There is no further need in explaining the game, because everyone knows at least one version either of Breakout or Space Invaders.
The game is fairly addictive, like all games of this two genres usually are, it plays well, it's fun, but could have been a little better done, the controls for instance, sometimes seem slightly stuck or maybe the movement is just not fast enough, either way it's a rather enjoyable breakout game with a shoot 'em up element to it.