US Gold/Arc Developments
£9.99 cass

In the far future mad bio-engineer Dr K creates an army of robotic stormtroopers with which he plans to take over the world. Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker must infiltrate then) levels of K's fortress, destroy each level as they go and put down Dr K.

They're armed with a rocket launcher, a machine gun and a supply of smart bombs. All armament is limited, so accurate aim is in order, and a beady eye for the boxes of ammo lying about: run into them to replenish flagging stocks. If caught in the embarassing position of zero ammo, dazzle the droids with martial arts prowess.

To destroy each level (and thus move on) you must watch out for the crosses on the floor (X literally marks the spot). Run over these to plant the bombs to blow up the section: when all explosives have been planted - run like hell for the exit. The backgrounds change from level to level, so one minute you may be in a scrap yard and the next in a huge warehouse. And apart from the drones and other assorted mobile menaces, many traps and pitfalls await the unwary warrior.

Although Crackdown is tough, it's certainly worth the effort to struggle through. The coin-op atmosphere has been translated very well, with the ability for both characters to be on the screen at one time its main feature. And unlike Gauntlet, Ben and Andy move around the screen independently. A great blast-'em-up extravaganza from a recently rather quiet US Gold.

MARK [89%]

What ? You mean this was actually a Sega coin-op? I'm sorry, Crackdown may be a brave try at a conversion and maybe the Speccy just isn't up to the intricate gameplay graphics involved, but it sadly hasn't worked. I played it and played it until I was almost pulling my hair out by the roots. I bet you're wondering what is wrong with the game? Well, the graphics are well below par. The sprites are badly drawn and seem to change shape when you turn a corner (?!). Each level is a different colour monochrome, which means that when a few enemies, the background and you are all in the same little space you can't see what the hell is going on. Any potential game thrill is just swamped by this one handycap. Maybe it's my eyesight, as Mart obviously loves it, but sorry chaps, Crackdown is a big disappointment. I'd rather play US Gold's E-Motion instead.
NICK [48%]

US Gold
£9.99 cass/£14.99 disk
Reviewer: Kati Hamza

Cripes! One minute I'm playing on a huge Crackdown machine in my local arcade and the next I'm plonked in front of the Speccy doing exactly the same thing. Is this a vision or a waking dream? Nope, its the latest snappy coin-op conversion from US Gold. Phew! Quel relief, I thought I was a gonner there.

So what's the game about exactly? Well, it's all got rather a lot to do with an evil little fella called Dr K. Laughing like a lunatic and twiddling his waxed moustache, he's out to create an army of biogenetically-engineered humanoids which he's going to use to set up a lawn mower factory. Oops. Sorry. I mean take over the world.

Aha! But there are two factors the dastardly doc forgot - Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker, efficient FBI agents with a cunning plan. (Well, with a couple of names like that they couldn't have run a funeral parlour, could they?) Bazooka in hand, shades at the ready, these cool dudes (or just one if you haven't got any friends) run like the blazes straight up to the scientist's secret hideout. Blimey! Its a huge 16-level fortress inhabited solely by the sinful surgeon's android buddies and these sinister synthetic subordinates aren't afraid to die, no siree. Basically, you've got to plant three detonation devices on each split-screen level (X marks the spot) and leg it out of there before they explode. You're helped in this task by a map at the top of the screen which gives a rough idea of where you are (although you only appear as the weeniest pinprick so you might need a magnifying glass) and there's also a table to show how much ammo you've got left.

Talking of ammo, each of the lads has three potential weapons - a rocket launcher (big flashy number), a gun (naff pea shooter) and a superbomb (wipes anything in the vicinity off the face of the lab). But don't panic if you run out. Extra supplies are lying about the place in handy pick-up packs. Hooray!

If you don't come a cropper by walking into poisonous pools of acid slime, there are plenty of kamikaze androids about out to get you too. And by crikey there's no stopping this lot. Every time you walk past a monster generator it spits one of the vicious chappies out - and they don't always play by the rules. For a start, they've got collision detection on their side. Very crafty. If you graze them with a bullet it won't do them the slightest bit of damage, but if they touch so much as the hairs on your ears, that's it, finished, kaput, another life gone. Not exactly cricket, is it?

As a conversion then, Crackdown is a birrovalright. All the levels are there, they've included the maps and most of the coin-op's in-game features, but there's something missing - any really snazzy, exciting gameplay. It might look a bit similar, but it's no Gauntlet, and while you could reasonably level the same criticism at the arcade original, at least that's got fantastic graphics and a corker of a soundtrack to keep you interested when the action flags a bit. On the monochrome Speccy its a tad difficult to distinguish some of the graphics, the map is hopeless and the aforementioned collision detection is a bit of a pain. It's not bad as such, but it's difficult to get into a lather over it- haven't we seen enough games already that boil down to just a bit of shooting and collecting? A perfectly smoothly programmed bit of shooting and collecting admittedly, but nothing more than that. If you like your games vindaloo-hot (and who doesn't?) then you might be disappointed.

Label: US Gold
Author: Arc Development
Price: £9.99
Reviewer: Garth Sumpter

It's fast and furious and as it emerges blinking into the light of day, we bring you this exclusive review of Crackdown, the conversion of the hit Sega arcade game that allows two players to explore each level completely independently of each other.

Crackdown has one or two players playing the roles of two futuristic mercenaries, Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker whose job it is to infiltrate and destroy the headquarters of the maniacal Dr K who is a dribbling lunatic thanks to his do it to yourself experiments in genetics. Unfortunately he's not enough jam butties short of a picnic to have built an army of Replicants who will take over the world unless our beefy heros can destroy them and their cracked creator.

Each of the 16 levels is viewed from above with each player taking up half of the split screen. As you move around the play area, a map above the action screens shows each players position but due to the condensed size of the arcade version this only serves to show you your way and where the X's are.

Andy and Ben must lay time bombs at each of the allocated positions before they can exit to the next level. X's mark the spot and walking over each one will place and activate the time bomb. Once they are all positioned you must exit at speed. If you don't make it out before the timer hits zero you'll loose a life and have to start the level from the beginning but on leaving each level you'll have to load in the next level. Oh no! A 16 level multi load all you 48K owners cry. "Na na, di na na, should've got a 128K Spectrum" taunt all the designer Speccy owners. Well pooh to them too 'cos they'll have to load each level too! Luckily each load is only 8K so you won't have to wait too long and all the designer Speccy with 128K will have continuous music with the game.

The game is in monochrome due to the complexity of the graphics but can be a little messy in some places. This is probably due to trying to get as near to the arcade as possible adding the unenviable task of cramming in lots of animation frames. Players can hug walls, fall down holes or even get washed away by torrential stretches of water.

The sound FX are okay and the music adds to the flavour of a game that shows the obvious progression to Gauntlet, giving players a Gauntlet style of game but increasing the freedom of the individual players.

If you prefer to simultaneous two player games then Crackdown should take a worthy place on your software shelf.

JIM SEZ: 79%Complex plan view action a little heavy on the eyes.

Label: Kixx
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99 Tape
Reviewer: Paul Rand

Ben and Andy are as hard as rocks - they have to be in their line of work. Not everybody can become a Crackdown agent: how many of you lot could stand a training schedule that involves having a heavy metal object dropped on your parts from ten feet in the air?

Anyway, the object of this rigorous training is to get the lads prepared for battle with the Replicants - a race of cyborgs which have found their way into this game from the movie Blade Runner. They've taken over a large block of buildings and, under the instructions of their leader, the infamous Doctor K, are prepared to fight to the death to to hold on to their lovely new abode. What they want with an old block of flats is anyone's guess, mind you, but that's life.

Somehow, a load of un-primed explosives have also found their way into these buildings and Ben and Andy's mission is to infiltrate the Replicants hideout, set the timers on all the bombs and get out before the place goes up.

Sounds easy? It would be, were it not for the fact that the Replicants are heavily armed and rather dangerous. The boys start their mission with a machine gun and a cannon which has a limited supply of ammo, more of which can be found by opening handily-positioned weapons caches around the high rise. The Crackdown duo only have a couple of minutes to set the bombs, before moving to the next building. Take too long and you're dead.

Crackdown comes as something of a disappointment. The characters tend to merge into the backdrops, making for annoyance and frustration when you walk right into a baddy who promptly blows a large hole through you. The levels start off simple and don't ever really get challenging enough, The three-year old coin-op upon which this title is based didn't do great things - expect the same from the computer version.

ED:
Never one of my favourite games. Crackdown is better fun in two player mode when you have to shout at your friend to hurry up.

Spectrum Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99

Originally reviewed: TGM029.

Monochromatic sprites abound (no surprise), but the Speccy version is just as playable as the other versions reviewed. In all, Crackdown is excellent.