Producer: Virgin Games
Memory Required: 48K
Recommended Retail Price: £5.95
Language: machine code
Author: Mark Kirkby

This is Virgin's best shoot 'em up game yet. You're the latest type of robot and you must survive in an arena filled with hostile enemies. There are Swarmers and Speeders (which home in on you) Launchers which also move about but randomly, second the Launchers fire missiles and which also home in on you. And then there are the Electrons, which are not small BBC type computer, but a rather nasty form of robot which leave virtually indestructible electronic fences behind them.

Your robot, Spectron, assembles in the centre of the screen after the nasties have been rapidly dotted in. It can move and fire in eight directions - move and fire being the operative words, since it only fires when moving.

GENERAL

The control keys are sensibly placed being, Q/A for up/down and V/B for left/right. There is no fire key, as firing is automatic in the direction of movement. No standard joystick option has been provided.

COMMENTS

Keyboard positions: sensible
Joystick options: none provided
Keyboard play: very responsive, 8-directional
Use of colour: very good
Graphics: excellent
Sound: excellent
Skill levels: how many can you manage?
Lives: three

This is a no-win type game, where it's obviously impossible to beat the computer. Although there are only nine levels, the increasing speed and electronic fence factors really make this into a multi-skill level game.

There's good use of colour in the detailed and realistic graphics, and the sound is excellent. I got as far as being able to count 216 enemies on the screen at one time, so getting a bonus score is no easy task. This is a well thought out game that will never be beaten. Fast reactions needed. Brilliant.

I noted the little instruction which tells you the program will "self-destruct" if the BREAK key is pressed. Are they trying to hide how much of the program is in BASIC or what? Anyway, I have only one gripe. The automatic fire is all very well and allows you to concentrate on moving, but it doesn't have a very fast fire rate considering how many damned enemies there are, and as it only fires when you're moving, you are often forced to kill yourself off (nice border explosions when you lose a life). Otherwise this is a fast and furious, well put together game.

Control the 'Spectron fighting robot' and avoid the various obstacles while blasting the meanie robots to bits; and all this takes place in an area that's contained by an electrified fence.

Mark: This variation of Berserk is fairly fast, but doesn't seem to live up to its boast of having been written in 100 per cent machine code. And it doesn't make much use of colour or the Spectrum's graphics capabilities. 4/10

John: This program's best feature is the instructions which appear on-screen at the start. These explain clearly how to play and, should the user forget, there's always the cassette insert. 4/10

Tony: The idea behind this game is a variation on a simple theme, but is made more complex by having several different enemies. It's a pity only simple block graphics are used. 5/10

Producer: Virgin Games, 48K
£5.95 (1)
Author: Mark Kirkby

Probably Virgin's best shoot 'em up, probably their best game in fact. This is a no-win 'Berserk' type game that demands fast reflexes and a sixth sense to get very far. One reviewer was able to count as many as 216 enemy robots on the screen at one time. Enemies include Swarmers, Speeders, Launchers and Electrons (which leave indestructible electronic fences behind them) Your robot fires automatically when on the move and control Is 8-directional. Well thought out, with detailed graphics, very good sound, no joystick option but well placed control keys. Overall CRASH rating 77%. Recommended. M/C

Producer: Virgin Games, 48K
£5.95 (1)
Author: Mark Kirkby

Probably Virgins best shoot em up, probably their best game in fact. This is a no-win 'Berserk' type game that demands fast reflexes and a sixth sense to get very far. One reviewer was able to count as many as 216 enemy robots on the screen at one time. Enemies include Swarmers, Speeders, Launchers and Electrons (which leave indestructible electronic fences behind them) Your robot fires automatically when on the move and control is 8-directional. Well thought out, with detailed graphics, very good sound, no joystick option but well placed control keys. Overall CRASH rating 77%. Recommended. M/C

FIGHTING ENEMY ROBOTS CAN AFFECT YOUR HEALTH

The arena is filled with hostile robots as you, the Last of a race of fighting robots, battle for your life. In Spectron, for the 48K Spectrum, your laser gun is on automatic and will fire as you move. With luck - and just a hint of skill - you should be able to destroy the enemy and prepare for the next battle.

The game sounds simple so far but in playing you have to take account of a number of factors which will affect your health, such as energy. You also have to tolerate a potential score which seems to get higher and higher.

Virgin Games, the manufacturer, has some accurate figures on the statistics of the game. You can have up to 54 robots and missiles on the screen at once, which is not good news for the lone survivor of a race of tin cans. It is, however, surprisingly easy to pass the first levels without too much trouble but after that the evil robots could gain the upper hand, or claw.

If you play the game for long enough you will become addicted. It is simple but you will always want to reach one level higher every time.

Spectron is produced by Virgin Games and can be obtained from Boots, Menzies and Dixons. It costs £5.95.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
JOYSTICK: No
CATEGORY: Arcade
SUPPLIER: Virgin Games
PRICE: £5.95

If machines had emotions, the robot in Spectron would have a persecution complex. 'Spectron' is actually the name of the the robot that you control in this fast-moving descendant of the arcadde game Berserk.

The screens shows the arena where the action takes place, lightly peppered with electric blocks that can sizzle you on contact. 'Spectron' can be moved only by the keyboard, but the keys are well chosen, and movement produces fire in the direction of motion, including diagonally.

There are four sorts of enemy androids after you, starting with the red swarmers, whose one object is to head for you and destroy one of your three lives on contact.

The first wave has 10 of these, and more appear on each successive level. A few waves on, green speeders appear, who are like swarmers but quicker.

Both have a habit of queuing up behind you as you flee, making convenient massacres possible when you turn back.

On higher levels, you'll meet launchers, cunning devils who launch missiles shaped like Iron Crosses, which home in on you.

Finally, electrons build lines of electric fences, sizzling and almost impassable. Imagine if Acorn got their Electrons to do the same at Sinclair Research.

All four types appear by wave 8.

There are 9 skill levels all in all, each starting 10 waves above the last. Getting through early waves intact is soon mastered, but by wave 10, sheer weight of numbers takes its toll.

Theoretically, you could blast your way right through to wave 99, but that's a pretty tall order. The waves come on thick and fast, the enemy androids multiplying like babies in a Bombay slum.

After each wave, you score is calculated on-screen. Apart from points per kill, there's a big potential time bonus as well as an efficiency bonus.

The calculation of the bonuses is accompanied by sounds like a crazed electronic cash register during a Harrods sale. Then the next wave is itemized before being let loose on you.

Spectron is as addictive and challenging as games come, and is of true arcade quality.