Producer: Anco Software
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £2.99
Language: Machine code
Author: Richard Wright

As its name implies, Zapper is a simple alien zapping game, a sort of 'Galaxian' on its side. Your laser base sits on the left of the screen and can move vertically. 60 attack waves of aliens zig-zag towards you and any 'landing' on your base axis will result in a loss of one life. There are 12 aliens in each attack wave, and before each wave the sprite is blown up enormously (like something out of H.U.R.G.) so you can see what it is. Each attack wave features its own animated alien.

As you shoot them, and the screen has to handle less graphics, they speed up considerably, making the last few quite hard to hit. There really isn't any more to it than that.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q to T/A to G up/down, H to ENTER for fire
Joystick: hardly needs one, one reviewer using programmable reports that keyboard is better
Keyboard play: sensible positions and responsive
Use of colour: excellent
Graphics: smooth, varying and detailed
Sound: good
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Originality: hardly

The idea of this game is very, very simple - just zap the aliens. Easy? Well the aliens do speed up to make life more difficult. They are very well animated and detailed, there's a good choice of colour which also helps to show up the detail. Keyboard play is very easy and responsive from well laid out keys. One of the addictive things about this game is that you just want to see what the next wave of aliens will be like. Otherwise Zapper isn't really very addictive. Overall, a good, brainless zap em up game.

You can't actually say all that much about Zapper! I mean it is simple. On the other hand, it's rather fun to play and all the aliens are so jolly - I can't think of a better word to describe them! Better played on the keyboard than a joystick as the controls are simple, because there isn't continuous fire, so the fire finger gets a bit tired because of the speed needed. Probably appeal enormously to younger players, especially at the low price.

Zapper is honest, to say the least, for it's nothing more than a mindless shoot em up. It's pretty fast, though, and the graphics are amusing and well done. I can't say it held my attention for very long as there is no content to speak of, but for a while waiting to see what alien will pop up next retains the attention. Fast and rather pointless, but fun for a while certainly.

MAKER: Anco Software
FORMAT: cassette
PRICE: £2.99

Give your micro a lobotomy with this endearing but decidedly mindless one-dimensional shoot 'em up. Sixty waves of aliens are marching toward your laser base. You must total them before they total you. There's no original frills of any kind here, as you might imagine, just rapid fire gonzo action. Boredom, though, is unlikely due to both the ceaseless challenge and some nicely drawn aliens, including a swarm of faulty television sets and attacking pocket calculators. My guess is that you'll need digits honed by weeks of Track and Field to be able to stay the distance and defeat all sixty waves. My pinky had pretty much expired come the attack of the Turning Keys (eek!) It's all stunningly unoriginal I know, but passable for those of us with only half a brain. If they knocked a quid off the asking price it would be well worth buying.