Code Masters
£1.99
Reviewer: Duncan MacDonald

What's this strange piece of rectangular plastic I have in my hand? Ah, I know, it's an audio cassette with a game called 3-D Starfighter magically enclosed within. Via Spectrum and telly, this unassuming object should be transformed into a real-time, visuo-tactile, interactive fantasy experience. Or will it, by Jingo? Well no, actually, it won't.

'Digitised Speech Synthesis' boasts the inlay blurb. Unfortunately, the chaps at Code Masters seem unwittingly to have digitised the voice of Lestor Piggott. "Kmmmnn, Ynnng," says the computer, "Gmmmmnn, myuuub, bnnng." Fascinating. Actually this is the high point of the game.

The game's ingredients are one scenario: ten 'space zones'; on challenge: move your sights over alien craft and shoot; one main objective: clear each 'space zone' and move to the next: E102, E434 and edible starch. You're faced with a black screen (ie outer space), on which a myriad of jerky sprites move about. Get the old 'sights' over an 'alien' and fire. Then do it again. (And again and again and...) Oh - I forgot about the 3D 'effect': the alien ships get suddenly bigger (ie nearer you), and then equally suddenly smaller again (ie further away). Clever, eh? I had to chew on one of last week's socks to contain the excitement.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. 3-D Starfighter isn't really a very good game I'm afraid, Spec-chums. It's not very good at all, by cracky. I'd better cheer things up with a joke.

Q: What's small, green and goes up and down 3000 times every second?

A: Eeeerrmm... a small green vibrating thing! Crickey, I'm not very good at this joke 'lark', am I? (No. Ed) Crumbs.

Label: Codemasters
Author:
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

A Big disappointment after the heady excitement of the Oliver Twins' previous offerings Grand Prix Simulator and Pro Ski Simulator. This is a Star Trek-style game in which you travel through different time zones of the universe, shooting up aliens and... er... shooting up more aliens.

At the start of each level you must dock with a mother ship with the aid of your radar scanner. Apart from that, the only gimmick is that your energy levels fall as you shoot, so you must conserve your laser energy and make very sparing use of your shields to ward off careering alien fighters.

Some nice perspective effects as the alien ships and missiles zoom towards you, the usual "hyperspace" sequence, and some nifty voice samples, don't do much to lift 3-D Starfighter above average.