Tengen (Domark)
£9.99 cass, £14.99 disk

Essential plot element one: The Xybots (zibots) have invaded a nearby moon and constructed a vast, multi-level base.

Essential plot element two: Two heroes, Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn (no doubt trying to live down their parents' horrendous taste in names), have infiltrated the base and are out to eliminate the Master Xybots, driving all the minion Xybots into an uncontrollable panic and preventing system-wide invasion.

Designed as a two-player game, though a single person can select a character and play on his/her own, the screen is split into three main parts. With the score, lives, bonus attributes and a map of the mazes level at the top; the action is viewed from two windows, split vertically at the bottom. Both windows independently show a 3-D isometric view of the corridors from behind the appropriate player character.

Rock and/or Ace move (and slide strangely) around the maze and can shift their viewpoint through 90 degrees. A standard blaster takes care of the Xybots (some more easily than others) and a limited energy Zapper can freeze them for a while; damage taken from them can be restored by collecting pods. Keys open up previously inaccessible areas.

In-between levels, extra equipment can be bought with coins pocketed from the corridors' floors (the lift doubles as an international armoury, apparently).

At intervals between the evermore difficult and complex mazes, a duel with a Master Zybot is a tough and unpleasant experience.

Tengen have produced a highly accurate conversion of a playable coin-op. The game is approximately a 3-D Gauntlet (but with the futuristic robot-blasting of oldie Berzerk) with the advantage in the two-player version that you can both do whatever you like rather than the restrictive following of one another - although team work can provide fun itself.

The graphics are fine - though the bright white corridors can strain the eyes a bit. Apart from that the small space for action has been used in the best possible way. Great blasting fun all the way, check it out as soon as possible!

RICHARD

The 3-D environment adds tension and realism to the maze game format; Gauntlet was exciting but being able to see who and what was going to attack you, and when, provided no surprises. Though it's clichéd in concept and fairly simple in execution, Xybots generates a good atmosphere and its gameplay is addictive. It's a bit tricky (sometimes frustratingly so) but it's the sort of direct action which has you coming back again and again. Even if you're no Gunn or Hardy (cue lively but immature summary), go and grab hold of this - before the Xybots grab you!'
OLI

Domark
£8.99 cass/£14.99 disk
Reviewer: David McCandless

Xybots is my favourite arcade game, no iffing or butting about it - I love it. I have hazy childhood memories of pumping many a ten-pence into that machine. So you could imagine my camp delight when the Spec version of Xybots thunked through my letterbox. Rapturous joy!

And what's so special about Xybots? I dunno exactly, it's just one of those unpretentious, out and out, no strings shoot 'em ups that you can't help but dribble over.

You play the brawn-no-brains brothers with the unlikely (and probably quite embarassing) names of Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn. Together they're pitted against the legions of rebelling robots and anarchic androids who are striving to take over the world from their bast underground base.

Equipped with the skimpiest of weaponry, you (and a pal, if in dual player mode) are teleported into the maze-like complexes, populated (cue alliteration) by marauding, mechanical morons, cunning, computerised cyborgs, er, roving robots and er, devious droids, fresh from the "rather plasma bolt you than give you time of day" finishing school in Switzerland.

The bottom of the screen is in two sections, providing a 3D view of the maze for each player, while a panel above the playing area provides a plan-view of the current level. The good thing with this system is that each player can go their separate way without hassling each other. some robots home in on you, some can only be shot from above, while others hang in the background running fireballs into the foreground. You scurry about, trading laser bolts, occasionally summoning enough courage to make a charge down the corridor.

Your energy is constantly draining away, and contact with enemy fireballs bites huge chunks off it. Luckily, extra energy pods and coins lie around the corridors. The coins can be collected and traded for extra supplies at the end of the level. These include things like better shields, enemy nappers, extra shots, zap power and slow energy drains. Occasionally, the big cheese himself, Mr Master Xybot, makes an appearance, and must be defeated before you can advance to the next level.

Xybots' graphics are quite faithful to the arcade, move well and are very detailed. Colour is a bit of a taboo subject where arcade-to-Spec conversions are concerned, but the monochrome in this game is fine. Gameplay is medium-fast but unrelenting, and the multiload quick. But the system or turning around corners (the fire button and direction) is a bit of a pain in the thick of a firefight - you can often end up turning through 90° without wanting to. But that's life. The two-player feature adds to the addictiveness, and I reckon Xybots is as good a conversion as anyone could expect.

REPLAY

More fun than a bouncy castle, better looking than a double cheeseburger. It's JON PILLAR and RICH PELLEY!

Hit Squad
£3.99
Reviewer: Jon PIllar

Back in the early days of arcades, there was a two-player maze game called Wizard Of Wor. In it, you and a pal trogged around the screen, ducking behind corners and blasting nasties. And now someone's done it all again in 3D and called it Xybots. Spook! As Ace Gunn (chortle) and Rock Hardy (guffaw) the two of you have to zap your way through each level, collecting keys to open doors and coins to buy extra weapons. What lifts this above the usual two-player shoot-em-up is its 3D viewpoint. The graphics are nothing more than adequate, but the head-on display gives a new twist to being ambushed! The only prob is that the scenery doesn't scroll towards you, but flicks as you approach. Early levels are straightforward enough, but later mazes get seriously twisty and, as bullets zoom along until they hit an obstacle, you can get into trouble from miles away (if you see what I mean). Part of the fun is of course the co-operation between Ace and Rock (splutter) - the usual tactic is for one player to amble on ahead as bait, with the other popping the bad guys as they're drawn out. Each player can zap the other so, if you find a quiet stretch of corridor, you can have a brill shoot-out! Overall, this is about as good as no-frills blasting gets. Simple design, snappy execution and enough playability to frighten the electricity meter. Just like Wizards Of War in fact. Progress, eh?

Label: Tengen
Author: Tecque
Price: £9.99/£12.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Xybots. What do I think about the game?

It's OK. If you detect a little lukewarmness in my wheedling tone, it's because at first sight Xybots doesn't look vary impressive - especially compared to the original Atari coin-op.

Fortunately, if you persevere you'll find that most of the playability has been retained in Tecque's conversion, and especially in two-player mode, the challenge of Xybots will grip you despite the dubious graphics.

The main gimmick of the coin-op was the 3-D perspective maze shown from two viewpoints at once. The players could either team up, or fight it out for honour and glory. The plot's a bit like the ancient video game Humanoid - make your way through a series of mazes fighting off hostile robots. The main difference is the 3-D view, but since a map shown at the centre top of the screens gives away the position of the offending androids, and a big arrow marked DANGER appears pointing them out even when they're off-screen, there's not much suspense.

The two protagonists - Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn, if you can believe that - scamper up the screen a bit, then it flips on to the next section. They can also move left and right, which is handy because the hordes of robots open fire as soon as they come within range.

To turn to face the fire you move the joystick while holding down the fire button. Your position indicator on the map also shows your orientation, so it shouldn't be possible to get lost, although I did find myself heading the wrong way into the complex on a couple of occasions.

Once you reach the end of a level, there are usually two options; Mister Softie's, where you jump straight into the transporter to the next level; or Mr Hard's, where you have to fight off killer machines before reaching transporter going to a MUCH higher level.

Tokens you collect along the way allow you to buy extra shields, bigger guns and better maps to bash the heavy-duty security droids on later levels.

Excellent 12SK sound and a boppy musical theme put the finishing touches to what is a surprisingly enjoyable conversion. I don't know if it would have been possible to do a better job of the graphics, but Xybots scores high for gameplay, so think about buying it.

Label: Hit Squad
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99 Tape, N/A Disk
Reviewer: Steve Keen

No other coin-op emptied my pockets as fast as Xybots did. Even to this day I'm not quite sure why. Graphics were average, sound minimal and there wasn't much new on the playability front. However it had a feel that no other coin-op had.

The Spectrum conversion stays very faithful to the original indeed. The object of the game's to guide one or two space mercenaries through a vast underground complex combating the robotic droids that patrol the 3D corridors whilst scanning for any nasty humans to exterminate.

The screen is split into two halves with the option of simultaneous play. Depending on which half you're looking at your view will be from behind your player looking forward with your companion in the same view in this mode the action can get pretty complicated, especially in later stages, as the players are not easily distinguishable from each other.

Some of the droids drop energy pods when they are shot or just leave them lying around. These are the life's blood of mercenaries and must be used scrupulously. Weapons are also randomly dispersed and are compulsory for survival. Some of the corridors are linked by warp gates and all levels finish with a warp to the hardware store where you can spend your collected credits on low energy loss, second shot, and a host of power up items.

Controlling the space commando is often frustrating as to turn left or right you must hold down the fire button and then move the joystick, very tough if you're in the middle of a laser fight and you're suddenly facing a brick wall with 15,000 watts up your bum.

Xybots is still great fun and progressing through the levels a challenging business. Few people will live to see the king Xybot (without a cheat), but I recommend that you all try.

Domark prove two's company when you're robot-killing.

It's a good thing that the names of sprites aren't crucial to your enjoyment of computer games. Xybots' protagonists answer to the unlikely monikers of Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn. With handles like that they just had to grow up as heroes. And their heroic, not to say suicidal, mission is to clear an alien Hampton Court of deadly Xybots.

You get the picture? You run around the scrolling corridors of a maze, seen in split-screen perspective, massacring every metallic monster you encounter.

En route you pick up useful objects and you'll need them, because some of these "bots are a real pain in the bot". Luckily, you've also got a zapper to, er, zap 'em. That's Xybots-speak for that old favourite, the smart bomb, which temporarily paralyses the opposition.

It may all sound mindlessly familiar, but the zap and map elements are well balanced and produce a game with that special once-again factor. You've got to try again because you just know that next time...

Then there's the two-player option. Tackled solo, the subterranean city may lose its appeal fairly quickly. But dredge up a friend and start co-ordinating your efforts to deal with some of the nastier nasties, including the Master Xybot, and it gains a whole new depth.

Quite some thought's gone into the mazes, which allow you to develop basic strategies. And the different Xybots have their own, individual, attack patterns, giving the impression of an intelligent enemy.

Not that it's all co-operation between players. Sometimes there are healthy bonuses for the first player to take an elevator to the next maze, so there can be an undignified scramble for the lift. As it descends it stops off at the local hardware store where, depending on the coins you've collected, you can tool up with extra shields, fire power and the like. This adds another strategic level, and extra interest.

So far so good. Unfortunately, Xybots seems to suffer from one or two monstrosities lurking in its machine code. The first is common to all versions and is a question of control. The original arcade machine possessed two fire buttons and a dial for shooting, zapping and changing direction. Your everyday joystick has just four directions and fire.

Domark's compromise was probably the best available in the circumstances. Pulling back while firing works well for zapping, but a sideways movement with fire to turn can cause problems. In the heat of battle with three big red robots coming for you, you don't want to find yourself performing a nifty 90 degree spin. Even when you're used to the system you'll find yourself facing the wall from time to time.

The other problem concerns versions. While the ST Xybots is superb, the two 8 bit versions appear to be asking too much of the machines. Of these the Spectrum is the better, though necessarily monochromatic, while the Amstrad version is less good.

On the ST Xybots is a novel and entertaining blaster, particularly when played with a friend. Spectrum owners should be satisfied with their versions, but give the CPC version a try before you buy.

Reviewer: John Minson

RELEASE BOX
Atari ST, £19.99dk, Out Now
Amiga, £19.99dk, Imminent
Spec 128, £9.99cs, £14.99dk, Out Now
Amstrad, £9.99cs, £14.99dk, Out Now
C64/128, £9.99cs, £12.99dk, Imminent

Predicted Interest Curve

1 min: 75/100
1 hour: 77/100
1 day: 77/100
1 week: 75/100
1 month: 60/100
1 year: 40/100

Domark
ST, Spectrum
Spectrum £9.99, ST £19.99

Xybots is the second release of Domark's five-game licensing deal with Tengen that was signed at last year's PC Show; Vindicators being the first of the series, and Toobin, APB and Dragon Spirit yet to appear.

The Xybots arcade machine wasn't exactly a smash, but, it's a good game nevertheless. One or two players take control of a pair of space commandos and have to make their way through first-person 3D mazes packed with killer robots, which open fire on the player whenever the opportunity arises.

The game utilises a split screen display, so each player can wander off in a different direction - a useful tactic which prevents the commandos getting pinned down by gangs of marauding androids.

Above the two main screens is a map of the entire level, showing the location of the players, all robots, walls and the exit - very useful, so you can see exactly what's around the next corner.

Each commando has an energy total, which ticks down during the game, and also gets depleted whenever he sustains a blast from a robot. Extra energy capsules are dotted around the maze (their whereabouts displayed on the map), and in two-player mode there's always a rush to grab them first. Extra weapons to supplement the one-shot hand-held plasma rifles are also found, as well as coins. When both players reach the exit, items are displayed and can be bought with the coins - goodies include shields, extra shot power, wall mapper, robot mapper and danger indicators. If you're feeling particularly generous, you can even give coins to your partner!

As the players progress through the game, mazes get bigger - some levels are so vast there are teleporters to take you from one side of the map to the other - and the robots get more aggressive and more numerous. The going certainly is tough!

Both the ST and Spectrum versions of Xybots are absolutely brilliant renditions of the coin-op, and have all the features of the original.

The only criticism I've got - and it's the same reason why I never played the coin-op for great lengths of time on my own - is that there isn't a lot of variety on higher levels, and the gameplay gets a bit tedious in one-player mode. Two-player mode is a great laugh, though, and is far more exciting than playing solo.

Highly recommended to fans of the coin-op, and to those who have a partner handy for a two-player blast. Single players are advised to give it a go before shelling out their dosh.

Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99
Amstrad CPC Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99
Atari ST £19.99
Amiga £19.99

ROCK 'ARD ROBOTICS

Way back in TGM003 (February '88, where Platoon was the top reviewed game), our then-resident arcade expert Robin 'mad scientist' Hogg enthused in ringing Welsh tones over this high-tech maze game. It's taken a long time in the conversion but now, following anticipation, Domark have come up with the goods.

It's hardly a dazzling and in-depth plot, though: an army of robots and cyborgs called the Xybots have invaded a nearby moon and constructed a vast, multilevel base. The heroes, Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn (trying to live down their parents horrendous taste in names), have volunteered to infiltrate the base and eliminate the Master Xybots, thus transforming the Xybots into an unorganised rabble and preventing system-wide invasion.

Designed as a two-player game, a single person can select a character and play on their own. The screen is split into three main parts. The upper half gives the score, lives, bonus attributes and so on for both players, plus a map of the maze level. The lower half is divided vertically, both sections independently showing a 3-D isometric view of the maze-like corridors from behind the appropriate player character.

Rock and/or Ace move (and slide strangely) around the maze and can shift their viewpoint through 90 degrees. A standard blaster takes care of the Xybots (some more easily than others) and a limited-energy Zapper can freeze them for a while; damage taken from them is restored by collecting pods. Keys open up previously inaccessible areas.

In between levels, extra equipment is bought with coins pocketed from the corridor floors (the lift apparently doubling as an international armoury). Increased shot speed and power, laser cannons, guard monitor for the map, extra speed, stronger armour and increased Zapper energy can all be acquired if you have the necessary cash.

At intervals between the ever more difficult and complex mazes, a duel with a Master Zybot is a tough and unpleasant experience. Not beating around the bush, Domark have produced a highly accurate conversion of a playable coin-op. The game is approximately a 3-D Gauntlet (but adds the futuristic robot-blasting of oldie Berzerk), with the advantage in the two-player version that you can both do whatever you like rather than the restrictive following of one another - although team work can provide fun itself.

The 3-D environment adds tension and realism to the maze game format; Gauntlet was exciting but being able to see who and what was going to attack you, and when, provided no surprises. Though it's cliched in concept and fairly simple in execution, Xybots generates a good atmosphere and its gameplay is addictive. It's a bit tricky (sometimes frustratingly so) but it's the sort of direct action which has you coming back again and again. Even if you're no Gunn or Hardy, go and grab hold of this - before the Xybots grab you!