Producer: Mirrorsoft
Retail Price: £7.95
Author: Mr. Micro

Something strange is happening in the depths of Loch Ness - and it's got nothing to do with Nessy. In true 'Stingray' style, the loch has become infested with potentially dangerous alien creatures - and you have been chosen to eradicate the source of this alien threat. So, in the comfort of an ageing diving bell, you are lowered to the lake's bed and your mission begins...

The screen displays a view from the glass viewing screen of the diving bell - beneath this is a series of switches used to control the craft, adjusting its speed and direction. Moving the joystick left or right causes a hand to move across the controls, which are then activated by pushing the joystick up or down.

Attached to the top of the craft is a spotlight, used to illuminate your surroundings, and oxygen is circulated via a hand-pump. Energy is in short supply, so every so often you have to turn a wheel (situated at the bottom right of the screen) to boost your energy level - at the expense of a loss of fuel. A limited supply of spears is also kept on board, along with two bombs - the fire button is used to launch either weapon.

Amongst the harmless fish swimming around are aggressive aliens, which must be eradicated. The spears can be used to destroy these aliens, and more importantly stop them clinging to the edge of the diving bell. Electrifying the hull disposes of any aliens that make it through your defences.

When your supply of spears is exhausted, or energy is low, you can call up to the supply ship for more supplies by using the klaxon - two blasts for fuel, one for ammunition. Supplies are sent down to the bell's current location, which means you have to stay put. However, a stationary craft attracts the attention of a ghastly creature which tries to attach itself to the bell. It can be detached with an electric shock, but if it is left there too long your craft is destroyed.

Following the fish leads you to the source of the alien power - which is where your two bombs come in handy. If things get too hot to handle though, you can always resurface and replenish supplies, before descending once more into the dark depths...

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/right, M/K up/down, Space to fire
Joystick: Kempston, Interface 2
Use of colour: monochrome playing area, brightly coloured instrument panel
Graphics: nice newspaper, but otherwise pretty average
Sound: helpful FX, nothing stunning
Skill levels: one
Screens: scrolling underwater lochscape

Terror of the Deep can be described in one word - odd! What a wonderful scenario, and what a weird control method. It took me a fair amount of time to find the game hidden amongst all the strangeness, and I'm not sure that it was worth the effort. The action is infrequent (and not particularly testing once found) and searching around the seemingly endless stretch of water is less than interesting, this leads to tedium and eventually apathy. I can't recommend this, it isn't addictive and it certainly isn't any fun to play.
BEN

The programmers of Terror of the Deep certainly have a good sense of the original. I was enthralled by all the features contained in the inlay, which made the game sound so interesting. The program itself is a great let down though. After being built up by the terrific scenario, the product turns out to be very boring and shallow. The instrument panel is easy to use once you've sorted out what is what - in fact this is about the only pleasing factor. Terror of the Deep is essentially very basic, and contains little to do.
PAUL

I'm not keen on this at all. The graphics aren't very good, and while it's nice to be told exactly where you went wrong when you die, I think the necessity for the newspaper at the end highlights the fact that it's difficult to keep tabs on everything that's happening during the game. As far as addictiveness is concerned, I would be compelled to play it longer than I actually did if I'd bought it, but that's only because it costs so much. Overall, I don't think there's enough actual content in Terror of the Deep to make it worth considering.
MIKE

Mirrorsoft
£9.95

In the inky depths of Loch Ness, something stirs. Locals talk of strange creatures rising from the murky waters. Could they be connected with the glowing meteorite-like objects that fell from the skies so recently?

Mirrorsoft has coined the term 'adventure simulation' to describe Terror of The Deep. Adventure, because you're looking for whatever's been putting the wind up the locals kilts. Simulation because doing so is every bit as involved as it would be in real life.

Real life? Well, not really, because the game is closest to those century-old fantasies of Conan Doyle, HG Wells, and above all, Jules Verne. Like Lucasfilm's The Eldolon, you are presented with a piece of Victorian sci-fi equipment to conduct your investigations.

The eccentric Scottish engineer, who developed the primitive submarine capable of patrolling the icy waters, chose an inopportune moment to go to the great haggis ranch in the sky, leaving you the dubious honour of ringing out the old in his diving bell.

Using a cursor you choose where you want to be dropped by your surface vessel. While you're descending you might like to read the last words of the engineer, reprinted from his yellowing diary in the game's instructions. Pay attention, because they contain some valuable clues.

The first problem, when you hit rock bottom, is that there's no signpost saying, 'This way to the strange phenomena.' The diary does drop a hint on how to find your way to the strange pods that the engineer describes though. Set off immediately, because hanging around leads to unwanted attention from strange creatures.

As you patrol, fish glide by. Turn your chair to look through any of the submersible's windows and you can watch them go. Don't spend too much time spectating though 'cos you must generate power - and that swivelling seal eats up the amps - and oxygen.

You can turn, dive or surface, or choose weapons, so that you're always prepared for any unpleasant encounters. If you begin to run low on fuel cells or spears, simply ask the ship to drop more. And if there's no sign of monsters, surface, relocate and try another site.

Terror Of The Deep is a clever game, with nice graphics, and it can be quite atmospheric, especially if you play it in a darkened room, away from all distractions. There's even a version for 128 owners, with enhanced sound, on side two of the tape.

But fishing for the Loch Ness monster isn't the sort of activity for a Saturday afternoon. You'll spend a lot of time wandering around in the dark if you're to locate anything, and many people may find that boredom sets in before the not-so-wee, timorous beastie arrives.

Maybe more landlocked deduction, to help you locate a likely location, would have added variety. As it is, for patient players in search of a decidedly different type of adventure, this is ideal, but arcade freaks may prefer it to sink without trace.

Label: Mirrorsoft
Author: Mr Micro
Price: £9.95
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K (enhanced)
Reviewer: John Gilbert

Meet the devils of the deep blue sea - well Scottish Loch, anyway in Mirrorsoft's latest software vehicle.

It's set at the close of the 19th century when Victorians first looked to the skies and saw weird UFO's and to the seas where wee timerous beasties, such as Nessie. hid in the black depths.

What's the connection between Nessie and UFO's? Well, according to eye-witness reports, a large number of meteorite like objects have fallen from the skies above Loch Ness. These hunks of molten rock brought strange creatures to the loch's surface which threatened the local fishermen and may have had an adverse effect on the monster itself. She hasn't been seen for a while and you've got the opportunity to investigate these happ'nin's.

It's an insane escapade. An eccentric Scottish engineer who lives close to the Loch has agreed to lend you his new fangled bathosphere - a sort of early submarine - to take a dip in the deep.

If you're still willing to investigate climb aboard the craft, select your drop place within the loch using the cursor pointer on the map - all mod cons here - and switch to dive mode.

The main, submersible, screen displays a bewildering array of switches, sticks, dials and indicators. The cassette insert says 'by dint of logic you deduce what they are...' Logic? You need to be a minor genius to work out which instrument does what within the cramped display. Admittedly, Mirrorsoft has provided information about the controls - left to right - but they're not easily memorised and, when you're under attack from horny-eared toad creatures, you're not likely to have time to glance from the screen to your scrap of highly glossy insert.

If you hang around too long in one place you'll be attacked by puny looking yellow monsters. The best way to avoid them is to dive, but remember that you'll constantly need to keep the oxygen pumping and keep supplies and weapons coming down more frequently by using the Klaxon a specified number of times.

As you go deeper all the supply problems get more serious.

Also, as you sink, the monsters get larger and more dangerous. At first they look like harmless guppies but soon you start to get bug-eyed creatures which would be at home in an Ultimate game and many-tentacled terrors which glide up from the bottom of the sea window. They'll approach from more than one direction so when you hear the banging on the hull, move your vantage point around to find where the destruction's about to occur.

Talking of banging noises, there's a 128K/+2 version of the game on Side 2 of the tape. It includes some very nifty sort-of-sampled sound. The oxygen pumps thud and hiss, water bubbles around the sub, and, the weapons - of course you'd have some means of self defence even in this tub - make all sorts of zinging and kat-chowing noises.

The three types of weapon you've got are spears, which are singularly ineffective, an electrical field which drains energy if used too much, and a bomb. The bomb's the most impressive weapon - it makes the most noise - but you've got to drop it, prime it and, when you've escaped, detonate it. Not something I wanted to do an awful lot.

OK, I admit it. While I was turned on by this game's unique mode of transport at the start I floundered a bit with the controls and soon became bored with the oh-so-similar monsters. Although some of the monsters were pretty big, I longed for a shoot 'em up I could really get my teeth into.

If you've got the odd half a day, you like watching bubbles gurgle up the screen and enjoy shooting things now and again - and it's very now... and... again - you'll give this your own Classic. Me? I just couldn't.