Capcom/US Gold/Tiertex
£9.99 cass, £14.99 disk

Straight from the arcades comes one acrobatic hero's attempt to rid the world of Lord Eurasia and his evil minions: Strider Hiryu is his name, and the year is 2048. The first of five increasingly testing levels has him dropping from a hanglider type craft onto the rooftops of Moscow to face vicious guards, laser spitting domes and powerful robots.

Strider's only protection is a laser sword and his uncanny ability to leap where mere mortals fear to tread, but as he hacks and slashes his way through the enemy bonuses are collected: extra energy, weapon power-ups and remote guardians.

Just as well. The end of level horror looms, where Strider finds himself in a chamber full of officials. Not very sinister, until they leap out of their seats and all join together to form a huge caterpillar creature!

On level two Strider is in the Russian Steppes attacked by dogs, until he enter a large underground complex to be faced by a huge robotic gorilla, more death and mayhem in the large power station (well that's what it looks like to us). Strider moves ever upwards through a hail of parachute bombs and skeletons of helicopter to a floating ship to fight off guards, ballet dancers (!) and gun turrets and reach level three's lush jungle.

Time for boomerang throwing wild women, jumping piranha fish and a couple of very nasty dinosaurs. The end of level nasty here is a big (and we mean BIG) laser spitting robot dinosaur.

Battleship Balrog must be taken out next. Cue more mayhem, and onto level five and Lord Eurasia himself.

Strider (originally tilted Falcon) in the arcades is great, and the Speccy version is every bit as good. The graphics are monochromatic, but they don't half shift. The speed with which Mr Hiryu slices the meanies to shreds whilst performing a double backflip has to be seen. Sound is only a few effects, but this doesn't detract from the sheer playability.

MARK [91%]

I first saw this when I was nosing around in The Games Machine offices. It was on the Atari ST and it looked quite good. It was when I tried to play it and found out about the impossible control system that I suddenly went off it. This version is just the same (except for the graphics and sound), that terrible control system is still there. Using a joystick is extremely annoying: if you push to the left and just tap the up direction, the character does a stupid leap onto the thing you are trying to kill instead of tip toeing left. The sprites are average and the monochrome doesn't help them much. As for sound, all I could hear was a stupid slurp effect when I fired! Strider doesn't hold anything new, but if you think you can stand the controls and are up to an arcade shoot 'em up, take a look.
NICK [62%]

US Gold
£8.99 cass/£12.99 disk
Reviewer: Matt Bielby

I dunno, it seems like I only reviewed the coin-op of Strider a couple of days ago. Where's that back issue binder? Strider, Strider, Strider... yup. here we are - Strider. It got a Corky Coin-Op only (rustle rustle) four issues ago, and we've got the Speccy version already! Ber-limey!

In Strider the game, like Strider the coin-op, your task is to infiltrate the Russian Red Army and return enemy secrets to your superiors (so much for the thawing of East/West relations eh?). You've got to battle your way past five levels of Russian nasties before you face the Grand Master of the Red Army. And then it's a battle to the death, on which the future of the western world depends Yikes!

Strider - The Man Himself
The star of Strider is... um... Strider. He might not look like much when he's standing still, but watch him move! A bit like the big eyed, pointy chinned heroes of Japanese TV shows and comic strips, he's never content to walk when a triple back flip with reverse spin will do. He can run, jump and crouch as well as anybody, and he can also do vast somersaulting leaps, claw his way up walls, hang from overhead gantries and perform sliding tackles. He comes armed with a laser sword too, which is upgradable on later levels for more slashing power. And as all of these moves are easily accessible from the joystick, there's no faffing around with the keyboard or anything. Hoorah!

LEVEL ONE

We first meet Strider, hang-gliding into Moscow. It's a pity we don't get all the onion shaped towers in the background that we had in the coin-op, but at least it means that for most of the time we have a nice clean black background against which the white sprites are very clear indeed.

Strider's task is to make his way into what looks like the Kremlin Politbureau, though first he has to climb, jump and fight his way across the rooftops, dodging gun emplacements, guards and laser beams. Flying robots drop crates that release little droid doobries when slashed. These droids are pretty useful too, 'cos they circle Strider constantly, and each time you fire they release little circulating smart bombs which wipe out everything they hit.

There are two big set pieces on this level. The first comes about two thirds of the way through when Strider must fight a giant muscleman, then dodge out of the way (up the wall Spiderman-style or under a platform) before a ceiling of flame burns down.

The second is even more spectacular. Strider enters the parliament chamber, and all the Politbureau members transform into a giant, hammer-and-sickle-waving snake! Yikes! Unfortunately the rather nice transformation scene has been taken out through lack of space, so you just get to encounter the monster in its final form. You'll have to do some nifty manoeuvring to get rid of this one!

LEVEL TWO

This is set in the snowy Siberian wastelands, populated by more Russian guards, robot dogs and other nasties than you've had hot dinners. This is much more platform and laddery than the last level, harder and perhaps more playable.

Baddies on this level include a gigantic mechanical gorilla that lumbers up the screen early on (but isn't too hard to kill) and a final section incorporating waves of bombs that parachute slowly down on top off you. These are quite tricky to avoid, but the end off level encounter is a bit of a disappointment. It consists of a bunch of manic Bolshoi Ballet members who high kick toward you and are easily wiped out.

LEVEL THREE

Ah, this one's a bit different. Quite how it fits in with the plot I'm not sure, but suddenly we're out off Russia and into the Amazon rain forest. At least, that's what it looks like. The platforms are this time made out of trees and vines and such like, and are heavily populated by boomerang tossing warrior women. Blimey!

This is one of those bits where you have to do a lot of running and jumping blind, hoping there'll be a platform to land on somewhere in the inky blackness.

Later on, this level reveals such delights as leaping piranha fish and rampaging dinos. And in one of the rare instances where it's not quite clear what's happening a handful of mini triceratops (about rhino size) lumber across the bottom off the screen, and instead off a nice black background you've got a slightly confusing shades-of-grey leafy jungle floor type backdrop. So there's a spot of guessing going on.

LEVEL FOUR

Eek! Next up you're on a big, floating enemy battleship thingie. Watch out you don't fall down the holes in the bottom (it's possible to since you're only hoping there'll be a platform to land on half the time). There are yet more guards, trillions of platforms and corridors to explore and a couple of big baddies near the end to cope with. The first is a giant floating satellite thing covered in what look like camera lenses. Get rid of that monstrosity and a hole opens up beneath you. Drop down and there's a giant geezer with a big sickle to cope with. Yikes!

LEVEL FIVE

You're back in Moscow for the final level, running along a weird set of high tech roof tops, swarming with guards. Drop down a hole and there's another big satellite to get past. Lumme! And another giant!

Like the coin-op, Strider the game is about twice as good as Forgotten Worlds. Yep, I know everyone thinks Fog Worlds is the bee's knees, but I've never got the hang of the loopy control system. Strider is similarly individual but much easier to play - about 60 trillion times easier. And the little hero sprite is just about the jumpiest and somersaultiest in Spec history. The arcade machine must be one of Capcom's biggest money earners this year, and I reckon it's safe betting this'll do the same business for US G.

So there we have it. Maybe the levels are a bit short (there are only five of them), and the difficulty level could possibly be pitched a bit higher. And though the big set piece monsters all look pretty impressive, they sometimes seem a little easy to kill - once you've sussed it. But what is here is really good, so I'm going to give it a Megagame. It's a nifty piece of programming, one of the cleanest, best looking Speccy games I've ever seen, and some of it plays like a dream. Just bear in mind that once you know your moves that's it. You've done it. Our Jack is bored of the game already.

SUPER GAME GUIDE

Following on from last month's frollicking funderland of fabbo games still available for the Speccy, Mark 'Cor Blimey Guv' Patterson gives us the lowdown on another batch of game greats from the pages of the world's most SU-per Speccy mag. The sheer number and variety of games is bewildering but since bewilderment is Marky's lot he's definitely the best man to give 'em a go...

STRIDER
Label: Kixx
Memory: 48/128K
Price: Tape £3.99
Reviewer: Mike Patterson

Strider is a real blast from the past. This coin-op conversion dates back years, but it's as good as now as it was in 1989. Basically you control the acrobatic Strider who's out to destroy a mysterious geezer who's kidnapped his missus.

The graphics are detailed but monochrome, and there are some massive bosses.

Label: US Gold
Author: Tiertex
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Garth Sumpter

Remember Battle of the Planets, the cartoon show involving a lot of slightly over-thin heroes leaping around like nobody's business and doing battle with an ever more technical alien force? Fab.

Strider is like Battle of the Planets with all the naff bits out. You've got a lot in common with the heroes of the telly show; : the enemies you face would see most normal mortals through several underwear changes. There are huge mechanoid nightmares, fantastic robot warriors and bio-machines of horrifying oddity. And they all need their butts kicked.

The aspect which sets Strider apart from most of the runny-jumpy combat games of the moment is the freedom of movement. If you're stuck down a pit, you can somersault out of it. When the bad guys have you in a tough spot, you can use the metallic architecture of the surroundings to good effect: grab hold of a scaffold, hoist yourself up to a vantage point and let the enemy have it.

Like virtually every game in the world at the moment you are presented with a number of power-ups which will transform you from weedy (though valiant-hearted) soldier into a laser-powered nuclear killing machine with super sword power to boost your boomerang-a-laseraxe. There are also soppy droids which hover above you in especially fraught times. When shot, these release a mini robot which will follow your movements and bump off the bad guys.

As I said, the freedom in the game is incredible. You can vault around to your heart's content, smashing the alien swine and liberating their allies from their worthless lives. However, if you're going to make much progress, you will need to follow an onward and upward pattern which will guide you through the levels, through increasingly mean baddies until, awk! - the End Of Level Bad Guy.

Strider is a gem to watch. All the animations have been meticulously coded to look fab. No question of a dodgy conversion here. This is quality programming. The detail of the panels and features on the robots by far outweigh the lack of colour. There's a lot going on at once, too.

Can you instantly prioritize whether it's more urgent to make a fatal impression on one of the advancing enemy droids, collect your servo-pack or find yourself some safe ground? If you can, you're a better combatant than me.

As you find yourself moving deeper into the game, as well as facing more and more bizarre enemies, the surroundings will become gradually more hostile. From clean steel walls, through barren wastelands to downright hostile, trap-ridden environments. There are crushing walls of fire, deadly laser pods and other nasty tricks the US Gold boys have put up their sleeves. The laser pods are my favourite. They stand guard over vital access tunnels, firing out slow moving tracking lasers. These continue in the direction which they were fired until they hit a surface. Then they bounce off at a vaguely predictable trajectory and continue until they either run out of steam, run off the screen or hit a soft object (you). Laser pods seem to take an absolute age to kill, so you'll have to negotiate a number of laser beams before you can dive down the chutes they protect.

The coders' smarts really come into their own when you're dealing with a number of aliens on the screen at once. Nothing slows down. The aliens follow their patterns and gradually sap your strength as you kangaroo around all over the place and everything rockets around at a hell of a lick.

The better you get. the tougher and bigger the aliens become. Thankfully, it's easy enough to get a fair way into the game before you meet a thoroughly tooled up baddy.

So. We're talking a seriously blinding conversion of an ace arcade game. US Gold are pulling off a consistently high quality stream of conversions. It makes a welcome change from the iffy days of 4x4 Racing etc.

Label: Kixx
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99 Tape
Reviewer: Big Al Dykes

Hiiyaa!!! Put on your lycra cycling suits, do a few thousand press-ups each day and invest in a super power up-able ninja sword. Then, simply go out and save the world. Sounds like a good deal to me, how much does the job pay?

Yes, Mr. Strider is the kind of chap Tina always manages to go out on a date with. No-one knows where she finds them, but wow, she's been getting really fit recently! The game basically involves beating the stuffing (and the sauce) out of an invading alien horde using Strider's incredible climbing and jumping prowess, allied with his even more incredible alien carving cutlass, a jolly fine weapon which can be powered up along the way, making it even more devastating.

Graphics are monochrome and backdrops are virtually non-existent but the main sprite and an his crawling, walking and flying enemies are so well animated and move with such amazing speed that the game is still very impressive. Other touches such as the power-up guardian robot who assists Strider at difficult moments really do make this game an outstanding beat 'em up. An SU Classic when first reviewed, nearly two years ago.

GARTH:
If I was as fit as this man I think I'd go out end save the world too! Strider has sooo much speed and playability, it's still a corker.