Producer: Martech
Retail Price: £7.95
Author: Ian McArdle and Malcolm Smith

Intelligence reports have shown that the enemy's CK23 orbital interceptor is now operational! The CK23 is a masterpiece of machinery. It can take off and land like any ordinary aircraft, but it can escape the earth's gravitational pull and obtain geostationary orbit wherever it wishes.

Staying in orbit for weeks, maybe months on end, it lies in wait till an enemy ship dares enter its territory. Then the CK23 blasts back into the atmosphere to intercept and destroy the intruder using highly sophisticated lasers and missiles.

Your mission is to find the site where CK23 is being developed, hidden in a top-secret military complex in the mountainous area of a small island. The heathland around the complex has been planted full of mines, deadly dangerous high-voltage electric fences and surveillance cameras. Armed military vehicles and foot patrols guard the base.

Once inside the complex, you must steal the plans, set a time-delay bomb in the nuclear reactor and get off the island as fast as possible. It's difficult, but there are a few items to help you in your 3-D vector-graphics mission.

A special shuttle service was once built so the island's inhabitants could get from place to place faster. Only the main shuttle routes have been included in your map, but if you can find the connecting routes you can get around very quickly.

Dotted over the island are derelict houses and buildings. Many have been sealed up by the military forces, but some are still open. If a door is present, then the budding is open to you. Inside the buildings are supplies of ammo, batteries for a mine detector and explosives for making bombs.

Included in the screen display is a dangerometer that goes up and down according to peril you're in; there are, a host of surprises around every corner in Catch 23 so it's vital you stay alert. Don't just sit there, grab that gun clip and go get them plans!

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z left, X right, P up, L down, ENTER to fire
Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Use of colour: black-and-white playing area, some colour on displays
Graphics: rather slow wireframe, but nicely-detailed figures
Sound: 128 tune, otherwise simple beeps
Skill levels: one
Screens: a very large map area

Catch 23 is a marvellous piece of programming but a pretty unaddictve game. It has two very different elements - there's thoughtful exploration and mapping, and then suddenly member of the opposition will pop up from nowhere and you're plunged into a quick-on-the-draw scene. This continual switching is irritating and, in practice, doesn't add any atmosphere. Catch 23 may attract some attention, but most of it will be short-lived - the game didn't hold my interest for than a few hours.
RICKY

Lately, Martech seems to have come up with a different kind of me in every package it releases. This is a great, brave policy - there are bound to be a few bad eggs. The idea of Catch 23 is strong, but it's let down by some very slow-moving graphics (probably the computer's fault and not the programmers'). All the buildings are well-designed, and the atmosphere is involving - but Catch 23 lacks fast action. If you must get this to keep you busy till Mercenary, do it. But don't expect anything nearly as good.
PAUL

Catch 23 has quite impressive graphics, but their appeal wears off after a few minutes. The high price is off-putting, and the game isn't exactly def.
MIKE

There are twenty three good reasons to buy Martech's new game according to Gwyn Hughes. He's well and truly caught!

Wire frame graphics. Patrols of enemy tanks. Minefields. Shooting. It sounds like Battlezone, right? I was hoping for a nice cosy tank turret. That's when I discovered the catch.

The catch is that, in this game, you're on foot, trudging the enemy occupied island in search of the CK 23 orbital interceptor - a piece of kit capable of shuttling from the atmosphere into space then dropping back to knock out enemy missiles. A weapon so terrifying Ronnie Reagan already has two dozen on order!

It takes a hero to tackle a problem of this scale which is why they chose you. So stopping only to pick up a parachute and don your Dr Scholls size eleven army boots, you drop onto the island. It's ten at night and you check in at the first of the many ghost towns.

Plenty of time to complete the mission, you may think. Catch number two - eight hours is barely long enough to complete a game of this complexity. Catch number three - you'll probably be killed within minutes. A major military installation like this is thoroughly guarded, by foot soldiers and armoured vehicles.

Your objective is to search and destroy. Find the heart of the complex, discover the secret documents and steal the design for the CK 23, set a time bomb in the reactor... then scarper. Couldn't be simpler could it? The brains back home even gave you a map. Time for another catch though. The cartographers were far from complete so you'll have to do the detail work as you go.

Hot on the heels of catch four comes number five, namely the resistance. The resistance was formed by seventeen heroic scientists who were abducted to work on the project. They escaped their labs and took refuge in the deserted buildings of the island, communicating by computer. If you can find the houses containing the terminals, you can access them for information... but only if you can discover the Logon code words.

To give you a little help, intelligence has provided you with brief biographical sketches which may contain clues. But catch number - err, six - is that they've only identified sixteen of the scientists, and it could take some time to break the security system, even with the information that you've got. After that, it's plain sailing!

So there you are, standing in a deserted main square in one of the island's 14 sectors and a quick look at your status panel tells you which one you're in and your direction of travel. But it also indicates that this is a high risk area and sure enough, every game starts with a bang as an infantryman pops out of nowhere in front of you.

At times like this there's only one sensible course of action - shoot first and ask questions later! Sure enough you're now controlling a gun sight.

Survive your first encounter and you can search further. Most of the buildings had their doors sealed by the enemy, to stop snoopers like you, but in their haste they missed a few, so when you find a door it's time to slip into Investigate mode.

Once you've inside you may just find empty shelves, but there could also be more ammunition, explosives or batteries for your mine detector. Of course, if it's a scientist's house, there'll be a terminal, and an object to give you a clue to its owner.

Out into the township again and it's time to search for a shuttle. The island is equipped with a complex system of transport and your map indicates the principle routes, but there are plenty more to discover. A good trick is to set a bomb on a time fuse then get out fast, so that troops will come rushing from your destination to investigate the explosion.

It's hard to do justice to a game of this scale. Learning to play it takes long enough, success could take months. But I've never seen anything quite so large or complex before. Its main failing is that the wire-frame buildings don't feature 'rub-out', so that all their walls are visible. This can be confusing until you're accustomed to it, but eventually you'll sort it out.

The final catch is that the size and complexity of Catch 23 could turn it into a cult... but I reckon it will be a sizeable cult amongst people who don't have complexes about getting deeply into a game!

Label: Martech
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Tamara Howard

We're talking 3D here. Battle Zone style vector line graphics gone haywire in Martech's Catch 23. That's the style. Now the plot: a mixture of Mission Impossible, The Avengers and Thunderbirds.

You get parachuted down on to a deserted island to go and blow up some new weapon - the CK23 - and put out of action everyone on the base.

Catch 23 is a complicated item. You can tell this primarily from the large instruction booklet that comes in the box. So you have at least some advanced warning of what you're up against.

Normally I'm not a big fan of 3D line graphic games. I like things that are solid, and if there's a nasty surprise around the corner, well, I'd rather not see it through the walls of a deserted farmhouse. Know what I mean? But Catch 23 is slightly more appealing, I think. Mainly because it's all so well done, and you know where you're at with it. There's no faffing around, trying to turn cuboids or dodecahedrons upside down and inside out.

If you come across anything interesting as you move around you switch to Investigate Mode All-purpose, multi-use, incredibly exciting and convenient. Press I and a magnifying glass will appear, which you can position over the object of your choice.

Being a 3D vector effort means every step you take (there's got to be a good opening for a song in that line) updates the screen one pace towards you, accompanied by the gentle tap, tap of your footsteps. The movement is, as you'd expect, a bit jerky but not annoyingly so and the buildings do have this tendency to wobble slightly.

It's also, curiously, possible to walk into the buildings through the walls. Once you're in though, getting out is a bit of a problem. Every way you turn seems to be marked 'Way Blocked'. At this point it's best to thump the joystick and just keep going round in a circle, and the way out will eventually open itself up to you.

Apart from buildings, the landscape features some rather old trees, but not a lot else.

Certain objects are vital to the success of your mission, whether it be a question of avoiding them or picking them up. First off on the avoiding front are the enemy guards. They can only be shot in the chest, and refuse to be affected when shot anywhere else. There are two types of guards, one quite far away, and one standing slap bang in front of you with the muzzle of his rifle straight up your nose. Not a pretty sight. Still, stay cool and shoot him, he'll go away pretty fast.

There are one or two nice bits, like shuttles which you can board, which take the leg-work out of exploring the island. And you can pick up the and bit of spare equipment here and there and make the odd bomb.

The graphics are truly impressive. Malcolm Smith has, says Martech, managed to move more things around the screen in 3D than ever before, and I'm inclined to agree. You might imagine that the 3D black and white line graphics could get boring after a while, and to an extent they do, but the potential tedium is broken by the arrival of the guards who are a trifle on the solid side.

And despite the complex instructions, when you get down to playing the simple controls mean that you're not always left referring to the instruction leaflet for the how and why as to blowing up the base whilst someone's letting off a mine in your direction.

Altogether, I found Catch 23 more than a little addictive. Nice one Martech.

MACHINES: Spectrum/C64/Amstrad
SUPPLIER: Martech
PRICE: £8.95 (Cass), £12.95/£13.95 (64/Amstrad discs)
VERSION TESTED: Spectrum

There's only one catch in Catch 23 and that's the fact that you need plenty of spare time to play it. Catch is BIG!

Martech have come up with a complex strategy/action game that will appeal to wargamers and fans of vector graphic adventures like Elite and Cholo.

Intelligence reports and satellite pictures have confirmed the worst - the enemy's CK 23 orbital interceptor is operational. Able to take off and land like any conventional aircraft, the revolutionary CK 23 is also able to escape the earth's gravitational pull and then achieve geo-stationary.

There it can lie in wait, for weeks at a time, ready to blast back into the atmosphere at frightening speed to intercept and destroy enemy missiles or aircraft with its sophisticated missile and laser weaponry.

The CK 23 test development site is the most secret military complex on earth. Hidden somewhere on a mountainous and now deserted island, it is surrounded by deadly minefields, high voltage electric fences and surveillance cameras. The island itself is bristling with military activity, from armed foot patrols to roaming lethal armoured vehicles.

It is your mission to explore the island and find the heart of the development complex. Once there you must steal the design of the CK 23 and then set a time delay bomb in the nuclear reactor. The explosion which follows will devastate the entire island.

At the start of the game, you have just been dropped by parachute. Where you actually land will depend on the prevailing wind. The time is 2200 hours. Sunrise is at 0600 hours. This give you just eight hours to complete your mission.

Whilst the enemy were building the military complex, the villages were occupied by the civilian workforce. To assist in rapid transport, a shuttle network was built which still criss-crosses the island.

The shuttles run automatically from one location to another. By switching shuttles, it is possible to cover large distances quickly, but unfortunately your map shows only a few of the principal shuttle routes.

There are a large variety of building types. Most of the buildings have been sealed by the military, but not all. It is still possible to enter and explore those which have been overlooked. Buildings which you can enter will have clearly visible doors.

Once inside a building it will be possible for you to identify its contents. You may also find batteries for the mine detector, explosives for making bombs and spare ammunition clips. It is worth making a record of buildings which can be visited to obtain fresh supplies of these vital items. There are other things for you to discover about some of these buildings.

Once inside a building it will be possible for you to identify its contents. You may also find batteries for the mine detector, explosives for making bombs and spare ammunition clips. It is worth making a record of buildings which can be visited to obtain fresh supplies of these vital items.

Armoured Vehicle Patrols have set patrol routes. They will not deviate from these routes unless they spot an intruder. Your image enhancer allows you to see armoured vehicles from a distance from which they are unable to see you.

Foot Patrols are armed and, like you they have been equipped with capable image enhancers. If you run into a foot patrol and they see you it is too late to think of running away. Being accurate and quick on the trigger is the only way you will survive the inevitable shoot out.

The island has a number of areas which have been mined. You have been equipped with a mine detector which, if the batteries are not flat, will relay a signal to you head-up display. Any mines in your field of vision will be clearly visible to you.

The parachute drop has been scheduled to coincide with a moonless night. You have been equipped with an advanced image enhancer which shows an accurate 3-D representation of your 'world' as you move within it. The SIE also has a sophisticated head-up-display which provides you with a constant update on your status and situation.

You can also carry a maximum of three bombs. You have an unlimited supply of detonators and timers, but to make replacement bombs you must find buildings which contain explosives.

Your Compass Direction indicators display the direction you are facing. They can also be used to lock onto the location from which radio transmissions are being made. The direction to the transmitter you have detected will be displayed in red.

Your Dangerometer displays a measure of the danger associated with you current location. If it is high, the likelihood of your encountering a foot patrol is also high. For example, if you set off a bomb in a particular area, soldiers are likely to rush to investigate what happened.

However, if you are elusive, and keep a low profile, soldiers are less likely to patrol your immediate area.

Keeping a close eye on your Dangerometer and trying to discover what affects it, is of immense importance.

As well as the civilian workforce, the enemy recruited a large number of technicians and scientists to help with the development of the CK 23. Very few of these people were recruited willingly, most having been blackmailed, threatened or even kidnapped whilst attending a bogus conference.

Unknown to the enemy, seventeen of these scientists organised themselves into a highly effective resistance movement, determined to sabotage the enemy's plans. Unfortunately they were discovered and were all evacuated. Their whereabouts are not known.

However, intelligence sources have discovered that each of the seventeen found a deserted building and turned it into their base. To enable them to communicate with each other in secret they installed a computer terminal and transmitter in each location.

You have been provided with a brief description of sixteen of the seventeen scientists. The identity of the seventeenth scientist remains a mystery. This information will help you recognise which hideout you have located should you come across a computer terminal/ transmitter. Being able to correctly identify whose hideout you have discovered may be a matter of life and death.

Computer Terminal-Transmitters can be found in the hideouts of each of the scientists. To LOGON to the system network you must enter the correct password.

Once you are into the system, there are useful clues to be discovered, if you can crack them.

You can save the game to tape or disc, but only from a safe House. If you find the word SAFE written on a wall, enter investigate mode and identify the lettering.

My only complaint is that it could just be too big, it takes a lot of time to explore the game and discover its secrets.

Catch 23 is a good looking, well produced and thoughtful game.