REVIEWS COURTESY OF ZXSR

Rapedes
by Kevin J. Bezant, Phil Davis
Visions Software Factory Ltd
1983
Crash Issue 4, May 1984   page(s) 124,125

Producer: Visions
Memory Required: 16K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Kevin Bezant

If you have read the review of G-Force by Euro-Byte, you will have noticed that we said the other Euro-Byte program was Pod, but that it is being marketed by Visions under the name of Rapedes. However Pod is written by Boris Baginekl, whereas Rapedes is written by Kevin Bezant. Are Bezant and Baginski one and the same? Both programs under their own names are availble and a quick glance at the graphics will convince anyone that these two are one and the same program - even if the authors are not! There are a few minor differences which we point out before the Criticism.

Rapedes is in fact a classic 'Centipede'. Your ship may more left and right as well as up and down to about one-third the screen height. There are green mushrooms which erode with four shots, a large spider and snail, red mushrooms and, as the level of play gets higher, falling centipede segments. The centipede itself is made of alternating blue and yellow circles.

The principal differences between Rapedes and Pod (apart from the names of the author) are that Pod costs £6.45, has only one speed (fastish) and a different key layout - a rather awkward one which uses G/H left /right and Y/B up down with T/N/V/U for the diagonals. It does, however, have continuous fire, which Rapedes does not. For collectors of the unusual we would recommend buying both versions!

COMMENTS

Control keys: Sinclair keys, 6/7 left/right 8/9 up/down, 0 to fire. Eight-directional movement
Joystick: Kempston, ZX 2
Keyboard play: very responsive, although awkward to use
Use of colour: good
Graphics: simple, but effective with detail and fast
Sound: average
Skill levels: 5 speeds
Lives: 3
Features: 1 or 2-player games


This is not a bad "Centipede" version but control is difficult (on both). The graphics are nothing special, although okay. I preferred Pod because of the autofire, especially as this is a long centipede!


The key responses are very good, but poorly placed keys don't help. The graphics are very fast block movement and detailed, and there is good sound. I thought the copy was a good one and accurate to the original with plenty of addictive quality.


This is a good game which could have been much better if the keys were better positioned. They are hard to get used to because they are all in a row. The graphics and detail for the Hall of Fame are also good.

Use of Computer52%
Graphics63%
Playability64%
Getting Started64%
Addictive Qualities62%
Value For Money61%
Overall61%
Summary: General Rating: Above average to good.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Personal Computer Games Issue 4, Mar 1984   page(s) 99

MACHINE: Spectrum 16/48K
JOYSTICK: Kempston, Optional
CATEGORY: Arcade
SUPPLIER: Visions
PRICE: £5.95

Average version of Centipede - clear if unambitious graphics a choice of game speeds, and a nice fat spider is easy to hit.


REVIEW BY: Chris Anderson

Graphics4/10
Sound4/10
Ease Of Use3/10
Originality1/10
Lasting Interest2/10
Overall3/10
Transcript by Chris Bourne

ZX Computing Issue 12, Apr 1984   page(s) 101

Rapedes, or the Centipedes Revenge, is a copy of the age old arcade game, Centipedes. The scenario is as follows: a centipede is moving across the screen one side to the other getting closer to you all the time. The screen is scattered with mushroom type objects through which the centipede cannot go so it has to come a step closer to you instead. These mushrooms can be shot at and destroyed by your laser if required.

The aim of the game is to shoot every segment of the centipede. As a segment is destroyed, it turns into a mushroom whilst the other segments move towards you independently. Once a centipede is totally destroyed, a new and more vicious one will appear. The scenario is good, as seen by the success of the arcade version, but is it not rather outdated?

Verdict: The graphics are nice but every movement is so painfully slow. If and when a spider appears to wreak havoc, it is so slow and predictable that it is hardly worth worrying about. The explosions are little better and in some cases far worse. An old theme has been copied poorly with obvious programming shortcuts which highlight a less than brilliant game. The potential is there, as can be seen from Artic's version of Centipedes, a version which is fast, furious and very exciting. What a shame this one is not.


REVIEW BY: James Walsh

Lasting Appeal50%
Graphics50%
Originality40%
Playability50%
Use Of Machine50%
Value50%
Transcript by Chris Bourne

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