Producer: Insight
Retail Price: £7.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Mike Follin

The scenario that lies behind the second game from Insight bears more than a passing resemblance to Tron. Tron the film, that it, not Tron the game. You have been transported to a weird 'sub-spatial' dimension, and find yourself inside a computer at the helm of a fighting machine equipped with an energy shield and the obligatory Plasma Blasters.

Vectron is a game split into four sections. The action begins in a maze, displayed on the screen using vector graphics from the viewpoint of the pilot of the ship - in a similar way to Buggy Blast. You are at the controls of a craft that is incapable of stopping and moves around at a constant and very fast speed. As you approach the end of a corridor in the maze, it's necessary to change direction very rapidly to avoid an energy-sapping collision. Up and down move a sight vertically over the screen while left and right govern the way your craft shifts at a junction as well as moving the sight horizontally. The laser, or plasma blaster, fires a pulse towards the centre of the gunsight and delivers a burst of energy that'll zonk any enemies in view.

To clear the first section, all enemy craft must be destroyed. The maze is patrolled by sinister Randomizers - sort of inverted U shape craft that patrol the corridors. The randomizers tend to inhabit the border areas of the maze, flying around the edge section enclosing the maze. In the inner reaches of the maze lurk the fireball spitting tanks. Unlike the randomizers, they can shoot at you, though if you approach them from behind they'll be unable to swivel their turret fast enough to total you.

While you're whizzing about, if you wish to see where the enemy craft are, a stab at the bottom row of keys calls up a full screen representation of the maze. Displayed with character blocks of colour, the normal screen display still functions in the background and you can plan your route on the head-up map while continuing to drive through the maze. Upon the enlarged map your ship is shown as a white attribute square, randomizers are red, and tanks appear as magenta blocks.

Only one life is supplied, and your craft begins with a limited amount of energy. Bashing into walls or enemy craft depletes your energy status drastically. Extra energy, displayed as cyan squares on the map, is available. Unlike the enemy they stay stationary and to collect the life force you must shoot them. If, by accident, you fly over an energy globe, the globe disappears and you'll be a bit nearer to death.

Once the baddies in the maze have been zapped, you have to return your ship to the portal located in the middle of the maze. As you approach it, a sort of stargate whizzes into view and zaps you into the second screen. Here you have to blast at the Rom Robot's eyes with the laser as they flash. The robot, superimposed upon a starfield, spits globules of death at your spaceship. The energy shield remaining from the first screen is carried forward but the globes fired by the robot deplete it badly.

During the second phase, the ship's map computer is destroyed and when you return to the main maze for phase three of the game you're on your own, mapless. The idea is to reach the warp in the bottom right hand corner of the maze, through which you can make good your escape. The trouble is that the ship is placed randomly within the maze and some keen navigational skills are needed to suss out where you are. Two randomizers fly around the maze, just to make life more complicated.

The last screen is the escape section, displaying a rear view as you try to shoot the pursuing Randomizers and Tanks that are thrown at you while you try to run away. Zap them and you're free, fail and it's back to the title screen.

As well as your energy limitation, there is also a limited amount of time for your escape attempt: the time remaining is constantly shown on a countdown timer on the bottom left of the screen, and you'd better make good your escape if you want to fly again.

COMMENTS

Control keys: definable
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Cursor
Keyboard play: very responsive
Use of colour: excellent
Graphics: incredibly fast, and cunning
Sound: fab - great when amplified
Skill levels: gets harder as you go
Screens: four different sections to the game

Vectron is just about one of the best games I've seen for the Spectrum for eons, it really is a classic. Even the first screen alone would have made Vectron a classic for me but there are four very different sheets, each presenting a considerable challenge. The graphics are exceptional, the speed they move at really amazed me. Recognizers move in a truly outstanding way, keeping definition however close they get to you. Using the attribute file to overlay, a map of the maze was an inspired idea. Mike Follin and Insight should go a long way with such a high standard of product.

If you want a first class Tron game-of-the-film then look no further than this. Although diverging slightly from the main storyline of the classic computer film Vectron has many of its elements, like the baddies and the maze sequence. The sheer speed of the program is well impressive and the 3D graphics are THE best I've ever seen. Vectron is pretty hard, but is that sort of game which keeps you coming back for more. A real classic which should definitely appear at the bottom of your Christmas stocking.

To begin with I wasn't all that keen on this game, but after a few hours of practise I really started to get into it. My only gripe, apart for the initial difficulty of the game, is the fact that there isn't a high score table or anything similar to tell you how close you've got to the end of the game. The use of graphics is very good, as is the use of sound - the tune is excellent. I greatly enjoyed playing Vectron, although I'm not sure it would offer much to the games player who likes to use his brains as well as his quick reactions. A first-rate shoot em up, though.

Insight
£7.95

Insight's Vectron's not a game for the faint-hearted. I'd only recommend it to those of you with fingers that move like lightning and whose quick reactions haven't been dulled by playing too many adventure games.

Inside a massive computer, you control a fighting machine and it's your task to manoeuvre around a maze of corridors, blasting plasma bolts at the various nasties you find there. Movement around the corridors is conducted at a terrifying pace - it's an exhausting process lining up one of the enemy Randomizers or Tanx in your on-screen sights in time to blast it to smithereens. More likely, you'll find that you've bumped the fighting machine into a wall at the end of the corridor and you're careering off in the opposite direction!

To help you, there's the option to view the whole affair from above - by pressing one of the keys from the 'B' key to the Space bar - but this can be just as confusing as you can see the on-screen map from above superimposed over the view out of your fighting machine. The map depicts the Randomizers in red, the Tanx in magenta, the energy units in cyan, and your fighting machine in white - and try taking that lot in when you're shooting around the maze at what seems much faster than any sensible speed limit! The idea is that once you get near to one of the enemy, you quickly switch to the normal screen and zap them with your plasma blasters.

For those with the faith that you can get past the first stage - by destroying all the alien nasties - there are three more stages that look just as tricky as the first, especially if you have an aversion to killer robots, fireballs and all sorts of other traumas.

Overall, a great idea for a game, but it may prove to be just a little bit difficult to play. Still, if you reckon yourself as a hot arcade games player, Vectron might be the one you've been waiting for - if this doesn't keep you quiet trying to finish all four stages, then nothing will!

Firebird
£7.95

The more attentive of you may be experiencing a touch of déja vu as you read this... that's because Vectron was first launched by Insight and was checked out in the first issue of YS.

For those who've forgotten the tale, your ship is trapped in the subspatial dimensions of a computer and, using your UD Cannon and shields, you have to search out the exit to a maze. Only then the trouble really begins!

Up on-screen, you have it - 'Destroy all enemy craft'. Not exactly the most comprehensive instructions I've ever seen, but the phrase does seem to cover all the angles. Indeed, once you're playing the game - directing the cross-hairs of your UD Cannon around the 3D maze at 90mph! - it's difficult to remember even to fire at the enemy as you try desperately to manouevre round a corner without ending up as a nasty stain on the wall.

The screen has the usual array of control panels but things go so fast that it's best to keep your eyes glued to the action. More useful is the maze map that can be superimposed over the view out of your craft - at least then you've some idea of what's coming up around the corner!

Overall, a pretty good game and one guaranteed to keep your attention. The graphics are good and fast, and the 3D effects are pretty realistic. My only criticism is that the game might be a little too difficult for casual arcade players - but who's going to admit to being one of them?

Publisher: Firebird/Insight
Programmer: Mike Follin
Price: £7.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Cursor

Brilliant or downright awful? A game of lightning reactions and great speed Vectron takes you back to the days when vector graphics and 3D mazes were the in-thing.

Vectron is one of those good old games in which you dash through the tunnels of a maze at top speed, trying vainly not to crash into walls, fireball spitting tanks, randomizers and anything else which crops up in your path.

If you are one of those sensible people who run off to make a cup of coffee while the game is loading, you are doomed to failure. The instructions are scrolled across the top of the screen while the game is loading. If you miss them, your only message is: Destroy all enemy craft. Travelling at a constant brain-numbing speed round the maze, you'll have to learn to take those corners to avoid hitting the walls. Should that happen, you'll lose energy and travel in the opposite direction. That can be a useful tactic as you can turn to approach the enemy from behind.

Your aim is to make your way through four screens and defeat the deadly Rom Robot before making your escape from the matrix. In the first screen you destroy both the randomizers and tanks and then pass on to the centre of the screen, through a gate which transports you to the second stage.

To avoid whizzing blindly around, a map of the matrix can be superimposed over the playing area by pressing any key on the bottom row of the keyboard. Although a good idea, it is very difficult to see where you're going - you have to use the map to let you know when to turn. The map also identifies randomizers (red attribute squares), tanks (magenta squares), energy units (cyan squares), and your craft, a white square.

You cannot fire while the map is in view, but as soon as the enemy is in your sights, get rid of the map and blast away. The cyan energy squares are stationary on the map, and your cursor has to be at the top of the screen to shoot them. Very tricky.

In the second screen you have to shoot the Rom Robot's eyes as they flash. You'll need to be deadly accurate and hit the eyes more than once before it is destroyed. At the same time it spits bombs at you which will severely drain your energy. Once it has been eliminated, you will be transported back to the main maze and from there must make your way to the escape hatch at the bottom right hand corner. Unfortunately, your map has been destroyed and you have no directional help.

The final section is the escape screen. Blast the pursuing randomizers and tanks and try to get away within the time allowed.

One feature which is noticeably absent is a high score table. Although your score is displayed while you are playing, due to the game's high speed there is not much chance to take note of it. You end up not knowing how appallingly you played.

I found the incredibly fast vector graphics very tiring to play with - they have an almost hypnotic effect as you charge round. Vectron is also very difficult to play, even with the help of the map. I found it most unenjoyable.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: Insight
PRICE: £7.95

Hang on a minute! Everything's moving too fast! Just let me catch my breath a second and might be able to write this review...

This is the second game we've seen which is based around themes from that terrific Disney movie Tron.

You and your Spectrum have been transported to a maze like complex where lurks the deadly ROM Robot. You must find your way around the matrix, zapping tanks and randomisers - those awesome two-legged spacecraft featured in the Tron movie - in order to find your way to the Central Complex and the ROM Robot.

The many corridors of the complex will have you baffled unless you call up the map which overlays the main playing screen. So if you're REALLY clever you can leave the map up and see what's going on outside. Not really advisable for beginners however as you'll find the game SO fast that you're going to need your wits about you.

At first you'll find yourself bouncing off the walls and attempting to make fast turns. Practice makes perfect - but then you'll have to work out how to take out the tanks and Randomisers.

Fortunately the loading sequence includes scrolling instructions - the bad news is that you can't call up these instructions during play.

The sound - especially the opening theme - is great.

The graphics are a mixture of vector and solids. The tanks and Randomisers are drawn as solid looking craft.

The best way to take out the Randomisers is by blasting one of their legs off causing them to spin and smash into the sides of the maze.