Producer: Ariolasoft
Retail Price: £7.95
Language: Machine code
Author: RamJam Corporation

The Panzadrome is an island inhabited by robot tanks of varying levels of viciousness. The mission that's been foisted upon you is to destroy the Panzadrome. Each tank is remotely controlled from a central computer, from which it gets its power. This central computer is powered by a geothermal based energy source. Plasma vents are a central part of the power grid, and they have to be destroyed in order to knock out the computer. The computer is well aware of this weakness, and wherever you find a vent there is also a very hefty guardian force as well. Apart from the tanks, you have to reckon with heavily armed gun emplacements, which spit death at any unknown passer by. You are unknown, so beware.

When you start, the tank that's allocated to you can't really be described as top notch. In fact it's positively sub standard, with a one-shot turret and stone wheels! Fortunately, factory depots are scattered around the island, each specialising in a different type of tank component. Originally placed there to make and repair the robotanks, it's possible for you to sneak in and collect whatever weapon system a factory makes.

Though the robot part stores are not wise to your little suicide mission, and merrily upgrade your tank, the computer run tanks are well aware, and will do their best to blow you away. Three different types of weapon are available to you, though only one is supplied when you power up a single shot turret cannon. Mortars and mines are definitely worth having, but they have to be collected from the appropriate factory.

A Polycrete™ module is well worth collecting. While it's possible to avoid the fire from the enemy tanks by moving quickly, both their shells and yours leave impassable craters in the ground if they hit the deck. With tanks constantly taking pot shots at you it is quite easy to get permanently stuck between a couple of impassable craters. The polycrete module is like having Taylor Woodrow in the back of your tank. The P key lets forth a jet of a cement-like substance that fills in craters beautifully.

The Panzadrome itself is a 64-screen island each screen flicks to the next when the edge boundary is reached. A scanner, consisting of an eight by eight grid, helps you navigate by highlighting the screen you are currently occupying. A short range scanner covers the screen you're on, showing the tanks, which you can see, and the mines, which you can't. Also shown on the status screen is the state of repair of any equipment you may have. If your tank takes too much punishment you can lose the use of peripheral equipment. Only one life is supplied, and if your shields run out a direct hit on your tank ends the game. Status bars depict shield level, plus other handy information like stock counts on the amount of mortars and mines left in your possession.

As you progress through the game and manage to total a few plasma vents, the enemy slowly gets aware of your designs, and the tanks and defences get more vicious still.

COMMENTS

Control keys: CAPS LOCK/Z rotate left and right X/C forwards/backwards, V to fire
Joystick: Kempston, Interface 2
Keyboard play: some people will find the key layout awkward
Use of colour: attractive scenario that's prettily presented
Graphics: blocky, but nicely detailed producing a good effect
Sound: neat rendition of Beethoven's 9th at start but nearly non existent after that
Skill levels: 1
Screens: 64

I'm not overkeen on military type games, but Panzadrome was a pleasant surprise. It's pretty good fun just as a hack round and blast the tanks game, but you soon realise that there's also a greater strategic depth within it. I like the idea of the game a great deal but I do feel it could have been a bit more competently executed. The movement of the tanks slows down horrendously once there's more than a few of them on screen, making retaliation near impossible. The graphics are very pretty and are nicely presented, though the actual tank sprite would not have suffered if it had been a bit larger. Panzadrome should appeal to quite a few people, though I found it a bit dull after a while because of it's sporadic slowness. Worth checking out though.

Being temporarily joystick-less when I reviewed this one at home, I found this game more difficult than it should have been because all the control keys were in the same row - I thought software houses gave that up years ago! I've not no major grouches about Panzadrome: essentially it's a good game but it's spoilt a bit by a few things that wouldn't be difficult to alter. The graphics, with the exception of the rather too small tanks, are superlative, even casting shadows on the streets. The most aggravating aspect of the game, for me, was getting stuck in a narrow street between two craters when I hadn't got any Polycrete™, leaving me no option but to restart. Generally, a very good piece of software, but not quite good enough for me to rave over.

I liked Panzadrome. It's not a classic game, but the graphics are interesting and the gameplay is a bit different. You've got a large playing area to explore, and plenty of things to shoot at (and avoid). The tank graphics are perhaps a little crude, and things tend to slow down a bit when the screen's full, making your tank a bit sluggish when it come to responding to orders. At times the game is really wicked - if you don't watch out it's easy to get trapped, and a fair bit of strategy is involved in playing successfully. When you get the top-of-the-range tank, though, all the effort is worthwhile!

Ariolasoft
£7.95

I'd like to say tanks for the memory but I can't remember if I've seen this in the arcades or not. It's not the sort of game I'd give my ROM 'ell for, but even if wandering round labyrinthine streets isn't totally a-maze-ing there could be enough nasty shocks to scare the panz off you.

A tank game written by those wacky persons The RamJam Corporation, best known for Valkyrie 17, would hardly be expected to clone Tank Battle. No namby pamby 3D graphics or planet surface shoot 'em ups for RamJam. Instead a bird's eye view of the holiday island of Panzadrome where happy little two tracks go to blast the scenery, each other... and just about everything else.

Gunning for a good time you take your Panza out for a spin but compared with the beach bullies you're a mere pansy - a veritable C5 of a vehicle. Still, the island is well equipped with garages just waiting to re-equip you with mortars, mines, mend your shields and replenish your Polycrete, a building material made from dead parrots and used to repair road damage.

Actually procuring the Polycrete is your first aim because until then any enemies you wreck in narrow streets leave uncrossable craters. Run into one at either end of the alley and you're a sitting panther for the dreaded red tanks whose mortars'll make you just another brick in the wall. Never mined (yes, you'll need to collect those too, to leave your own calling cards) if you get to grow up into a big tank you too can hurl shells long range instead of only packing a punch in the clinches. Meanwhile your scanner warns you of impending encounters with the exploding cow pats.

That's not to mention the automatic gun towers, so I won't. After all, if you knew about them it may put you off mapping Panzadrome, and until you've done that and found your first garage your game of hide and seek through the narrow streets is distinctly nervy. It's a novel variation on maze games with some simple but neat graphics and lots of destroy.

Publisher: Ariolasoft
Price: £7.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair

An island full of robot tanks? What do they do there? Who do they shoot at? You of course - since it's your job to destroy all the power generators on the island.

In order to do that you have a tank of your own - the Hell-Tek. It moves in eight directions and fires shells. If all that sounds suspiciously like one of those old tank attack games where you negotiate a maze of buildings while chasing your opponent, go to the top of the class. There are, however, a number of differences which make Panzadrome about the best tank game of that type we've ever seen.

The most important feature is that your tank isn't fully built at the start. You have to explore the landscape to collect tracks, mortars, mines, a special storm turret, and Polycrete - a substance which fills in craters.

It is most important to find the Polycrete first, as without it you can soon get boxed in - many routes in the city are only one tank in width, and if they get blocked, you'll never escape.

The graphics are very pleasing, although the only concession to 3D effects is a shadow from the walls of the city. It's an overhead view, and scrolls smoothly over 64 screens.

Combat with the robot tanks should be avoided in preference for finding safe routes - but your first task is to locate the factories where you can obtain extra parts. That is a very tough proposition indeed. We won't help you by explaining what a factory or generator looks like - that's something else you must discover.

That said, it's also very addictive - after a bit you can see how to achieve your goal but putting that plan into practice is a killer.

Panzadrome is Ariolasoft's first game designed specifically for the Spectrum by the Ramjam programming team - in the past the company has stuck to conversions of American originals which tended to suffer on the Sinclair machine. Panzadrome is a welcome sign of a change in policy, and well worth buying if you want a long-term challenge with plenty of violent action.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: Ariolasoft
PRICE: £7.95

It's a far cry from adventures to an all out "total destruction" shoot-'em-up. But the RamJam Corporation have taken that big leap for programmers - and come up with a winner.

RamJam are better known for that devious and amusing adventure Valkyrie 17. The tutonic flavour remains in Panzadrome - but in name only. The game goes like this...

You find yourself in control of a Hel-Tek robo tank deep inside the enemy Panzadrome. Your job is very simple. Get out there and destroy the 25 reactors dotted around the enemy city.

Once you've loaded the game you see a blue-print of the bits of your tank with a technical specification below it. The computer sticks all the bits together for you and then it's out onto the battlefield.

Your first task is to find the Rolycrete plant. Without a Polycrete module on your tank you can easily get trapped. Craters appear when you get shot at or when you destroy an enemy tank - and you can't cross them unless you've got some polycrete on board to fill the hole! Beginners will find themselves making good use of the quit key!

The graphics are interesting - making good use of colour.