Producer: The Power House
Retail Price: £1.99
Author: Grant Jaquest

A consignment of priceless crystals has been stolen by Silas Maximillian, the most wanted man in the galaxy. Only Lutherlrontooth has any chance of retrieving them from Maximilhan's headquarters on a far-off, dead planet.

The crystals are held in three storage vaults deep in a labyrinth of corridors. Two vaults are readily accessible, but one is locked, and entry to it can only be made by finding and using five keys.

Irontooth teleports down to the planet clad in full battle armour - here he's able to move left, right, up and down. However, once moving, momentum keeps him going until he hits an obstruction, or uses his blaster-pack to change direction. Luther possesses nine freeze bombs to help him avoid the lethal embrace of vicious robots.

Created in the form of jellyfish or flop-eared bunnies, they're simply programmed and only move in basic patterns- but particular care needs to be taken in the two open vaults, as the guard robots move a lot faster than Luther. Using a freeze bomb gives Luther five seconds in which to dodge the stunned robot and continue on his way.

Remaining freeze bombs are displayed on screen, along with Luther's score.

Diminishing energy puts a time limit on the quest, and Luther's energy level is also shown on screen, with one of four lives lost when it reaches zero.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q up, A down, O left, P right, M Freeze Bomb
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2
Use of colour: reasonably clash free, if a bit tasteless
Graphics: small characters and jerky scrolling
Sound: varied spot effects
Skill levels: one
Screens: three scrolling screens

This takes me back. Some time ago most Spectrum games were similar to this - playable enough then, but not now. Did the graphics have to be as simplistic, undetailed and uninteresting as they have turned out? The sound, too, is well below average with no tunes and generally dull effects. Even with the addition of a free game this represents poor value for money.
BEN

Budget games are all the rage this month, so Cyrox has a lot of competition. Run-of-the-mill graphics offer fairly smooth animation, a few nicely drawn characters and lots of tasteless colours. However, despite Cyrox's many primitive aspects, I quite enjoyed playing it for a while. POWER HOUSE have had a good go at producing a decent shoot 'em up, and they're providing as much as you can expect for £1.99.
GARETH

Power House
£1.99

Yep, it's another multi-screened, get-the-bits-you-need-and-get-out-alive-game. You are Luther Irontooth (!), droid bounty hunter, and you're after the Cybor crystals,
stored under heavy security on the planet Cyrox. It's fast, and at first, it's confusing. I tried all sorts of intricate manoeuvres to try and escape from the first
screen without being zapped by the marauding meanie. Then I found that if I pressed fire the screen froze and escape was suddenly a cinch! I'd discovered the infamous
freeze bombs, your only weapons in this bitter battle. However, with perseverance I finally got to explore the planet further (mind the feet!) There are components to
collect as you whizz round that'll allow you to enter the vaults, collect the Cybor crystals and then teleport back to the beginning for another go.

The upper part of the display shows the status line. There's all the usual stuff, such as energy units, how many freeze bombs you have available, how many men are left
and, of course, your score. The main part of the screen gives you a view of the vault you're in. You have left, right, up and down movements, but I couldn't help
thinking, as I trundled round, that I'd been here before.

If you're into these types of game, you'll get some pleasure out of Cyrox and it's worth the two quid you'll pay. However, it is a leetle bit out of date, so if you've
moved on to higher things, you'll probably not want to bother.

Label: Power House
Price: £1.99
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Andy Moss

Cyrox is a game of such abject mediocrity that, frankly, even to try to see the entertainment value is beyond me.

OK its a cheapie Big deal. Twelve months ago I would have said you get what you pay for. Today it's a different ball game the quality of budget software has risen dramatically, and no longer can price be the only mitigating factor.

Cyrox looks dated, plays dated and the only saving grace its got is the rather pleasant introduction sequence which takes you through the instructions displayed in an eye-catching variety of colours £1.99 for an introduction? Not on.

It's a platform variant with a slight difference. The crystals you need are located in three vaults, however, one is behind a closed door which needs five different components to unlock. You also have some freeze bombs which last around five seconds each, but careful, as there are a limited supply.

That's it really. Old hat stuff. The inlay says 'stupidity leads to death' - wrong. Stupidity is buying this game in the first place!