Bug-Byte
£2.99

A supercomputer gone wild is the starting point for Bug Byte's two-part S.T.I., the mighty machine AROC has been attacked and damaged, and in response sets up a series of defence systems around itself.

Even an incompetent washing machine repairman ought to be able to get through and mend the mutilated microchips - but an improbability storm has left AROC with premature senile dementia, and getting through to this computer's confused systems is going to be no easy task.

The repairman's mission begins in a plane. Items such as a locked briefcase, a golden key, walking stick and parachute can all be picked up. But what should be taken and what should be left to ensure a safe jump?

Once on terra firma, the mechanic hero must wend his way through countryside and streets, gathering the equipment he needs as he goes - and avoiding menaces such as werewolves. The final challenge is to actually repair AROC.

S.T.I., is an example of how original presentation can transform an above-average game into an excellent one. There are loads of locations to explore, and a wealth of humorous, informative text enriching them. It's a reasonably complex game, with plenty of objects to collect and puzzles to solve, but basically it's in a straightforward adventure format - though none the worse for that.

The vocabulary is good, and S.T.I. is very quick to respond; it has an interesting scenario and is brilliantly cynical. Bug Byte brands this 'such a vulgar, lowclass adventure', but it plainly isn't!

Label: Bug Byte
Author: Roy Stead
Price: £2.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: None
Reviewer: Tony Dillon

What do you do super computer goes haywire and promises World War 3? No, it's not a song title, it's the plot of STI, the latest from Bug Byte. What you do is you take your gear and go and fix the computer, and the only reason you do it is because you get promised a lot of money. Some people.

The game is quite large, with a large vocabulary, and the locations are varied and interestingly written, though the 'humour' (I use the advisedly) is thin and generally a kind of one-on-one between the programmer and the punter, it's written chatty, but not actually funny. The game has no flow to it. and as far as I can see, the only way anyone is to complete it is more or less by complete luck. Plainly, I don't like it very much and I can't see anything that would keep any adventure player hooked.