Producer: Atlantis
Retail Price: £1.99
Author: Graham, David and Adrian Shaw

The evil leader Rogorf is causing havoc on the planet Cerius. In a dastardly attempt to get the necessary iron are to make his army of Phibiatrons even more powerful, he has enslaved the planet's peaceful people and has forced them into the mines. Not surprisingly, you are the planet's only hope.

You enter your armoured Avenger V4 and set off on your journey through Rogort's complex. The series of flickscreen platforms and walkways is divided into different sections each of which is guarded by a particularly fierce Phibiatron. These guards must be defeated to gain a letter of the scrambled code which gives access to the next level. Meanwhile other Phibiatrons fly in from the left, firing missiles. Each direct hit or collision reduces power points. Once power reaches zero the game is lost.

The player's tank is equipped with an initial armoury of 40 missiles and one bomb. Entering ammunition pods boosts weapon supplies while other pods increase the tank's equipment or provide extra energy.

At the end of each level, which must be completed within a given time limit, the screen prompts you to enter the appropriate code. Unscramble the letters you have collected, type them in and you're well on your way to Rogorf's lair.

COMMENTS

Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: very colourful with intricate detail on all characters and scenery
Sound: above average title tune and spot effects

If I ever imagined an Exolon-looking budget game then this would be it. Just like Exolon, Cerius is very attractive (although contains less variation) and smartly presented. Initially the game is quite puzzling, but after a few games, with a bit of planning, you can easily complete the first few levels. It's sad to see such a small play area but the scrolling is smooth and the graphics colourful. After a rest, Atlantis have come back to the market with a great little game.
PAUL [70%]

Apart from the fact that the playing area only takes up about a quarter of the screen, Genus is enjoyable and competently presented. The graphics are colourful, the Phibiatrons are carefully drawn and the gameplay is complicated enough to keep you playing for more than a couple of hours. In the end, though, it probably won't be much longer than that. Very much like a watered down version of Exolon, Cerius doesn't present that high a challenge and your Initial enthusiasm is more likely to be wooed away by one of the faster, more demanding games on your shelf. Still - it's fun while it lasts and, for £1.99, definitely worth a try.
KATI [68%]

BARGAIN BASEMENT

And down in the basement this month, it's Nat Pryce - himself available at 20% discount on alternate Thursdays. Any offers?

Atlantis Software
£1.99
Reviewer: Nat Pryce

I'll bet you're expecting me to fill this review with Cerius/serious jokes, but I won't, Ceriously (whoops!). Instead I'll tell you about the plot (rustle of cassette inlay)... oh, there isn't one. That puts a stop to any witty first paragraph, I suppose. (Get on with it. Ed)

It seems that you must drive your Avenger V4 tank through loads of screens of Exolonesque landscape, blowing things up, shooting things down and generally revelling in all out wanton destruction. Most of the familiar features from Exolon are here - teleporters, flying aliens, missile launchers and add-on armour. There are a few new bits - you must collect codes to complete each level and solve four-letter anagrams (brain blending. I'm sure!). And you can go back to screens you've already completed, something you do quite a lot, as useful items can only be reached by quite torturous routes.

The main downer in Cerius is the size of the playing area. Someone got into the record books by writing the Lord's prayer three hundred times on a postage stamp or something, and it looks like Cerius has got a good chance of beating that record. I'm sure that there's some good technical reason for programming it this way but it does detract from the playability a little.

Apart from the size of the screen, the graphics are neat and the sprites move smoothly with only the lightest attribute clash. The keys are responsive and all the sound and other effects are first class. What's really lacking is any long term addictiveness. You see, Cerius suffers from the same problems as its big brother Exolon; sure, the game is hard to beat, but the action soon becomes repetitive and boring - the screens all require similar strategies to complete and the alien attack styles never change.

At a penny under two quid, Cerius is worth considering, but only if you like, or haven't already got, Exolon.

Label: Atlantis
Author: David Adrian and Graham Shaw
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Erk alors! Donner und Blitzen! Hoots mon! Imagine my surprise to see that a game as good as Cerius was a) only £1.99, and b) from Atlantis, who are, how can I put it, not normally noted for the thrillingness of their games.

Cerius owes a good deal to the recent spate of horizontally-trudging-man-in-a-spacesuit games, like Exolon, Yeti and Northstar. It manages to cram in decent background graphics, sophisticated gameplay and reasonable sound, and still leave enough change out of £2 for a penny chew.

The game takes place on a series of multi-level screens which are split up by impassable obstacles. You find your way through this maze using the available transporters, which will always move you to another, specific, location.

As you move around you have to deal with enemy ships, either blasting them with your tank gun or by using one of your precious smart bombs. Energy and ammunition can be replenished by finding specially-marked podules.

On each level your aim is to find and eliminate four robot carriers, each of which yields a code letter. At the end of the level you are prompted to rearrange the letters to form a word, and this lets you on to the next level.

Level two is even better than level one, I thought, with finely-designed backgrounds which are so well thought out that there isn't a hint of colour clash - full-price games programmers please note.

At certain stages you'll find yourself unable to proceed any further, because the platforms are laid out in such a way that you can't shoot one of the code carriers. To solve the problem you have to find an ARMOUR podule, and grab hold of a sort of extension thingy which sits on your shoulders, and enables you to pop off the offending robots. It also doubles your firepower.

So who are these chappies who have created such a spiffy game? And when are we going to get some more from them? Personally I can't wait; Cerius is one of the best budget titles I've seen, and if it were completely original it would deserve a great big floppy kiss.