Omeyad
(UBI Soft, 1989)
Reviewed by Guillaume Chalard

This text and graphic adventure takes place in mediaeval Arabia. You're Saad, an inhabitant of Omeyad City. You must meet several characters who will give you missions to complete. Of course, there are many useful items to find around the city and many places to explore (which means a lot of loading from disc, too!). The graphics are really good, and the face of your character in a window shows his health and feelings. Each time you meet someone, their face appears on the screen. There are too few sound effects but the game is interesting, with characters who seem to live a life of their own in the city. You'll sometimes feel lost, but the plot is deep enough to keep you trying to progress.

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8

Both snooker and pool are on offer in this game. You can play either the computer or a friend, and it's also possible to practice on your own. The computer can play at one of three skill levels - novice, average and expert - but even on the novice level, you'll probably have some trouble beating it. Aiming the white ball correctly is tricky, and if you're playing snooker, inaccurate. Of course, the computer's aim is a lot better, although it makes the occasional foul as well. The graphics are reasonably good for this sort of game, although the pool balls are very blocky indeed. It's a shame that it's rather difficult to play a proper game of snooker or pool.

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5

You have been flown to the planet Andromadous, where eight Ramboids are running amok in a maze. You have to guide at least four of them, in the correct order, into a teleporter where they can be transported to Earth. To do this, you control a droid, which can also drill tunnels. If you manage this, you can go to the next level - and there are 20 of them. It's an original concept, and the music is good, but I found it far too difficult (I've never been able to complete the first level!), and the colours are very depressing indeed.

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2

Darts fans will instantly recognise what this game is about - the oche is the line on the floor from where the players throw their darts. This is one of the earliest darts games for the CPC, and it certainly shows. It's written entirely in BASIC, complete with crude graphics and sound effects. Most darts games use an erratically moving hand to aim your darts with, but in this game, you move two pointers at the bottom and right of the board in order to aim. To make things less predictable, the dart will often land some way off where you intended it to go. The problem with this approach is that winning the game becomes almost entirely a matter of luck rather than skill. You also can't play against the computer; you have to find a human opponent to play against. This is definitely a game to be avoided.

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2

On the Run
(Design Design, 1985)

Within a huge maze lurks six flasks containing toxic chemicals. You have to find all the flasks within one hour, but there are mutant monsters which are also out to get you! Unfortunately, the flasks are in different places in each game, which makes things even worse, and they drain your energy very quickly if you touch them. There are various other things which can be collected, such as mushrooms, smart bombs and bonuses, and while the graphics are colourful, the game is too difficult to warrant any long-term interest.

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5

Eight members of an assault team are trapped on an enemy island, and it's your job to rescue them in your armoured helicopter. Some of them are easily found, but the rest are hidden in buildings which you must bomb in order to rescue them. Each one has to be lifted into the helicopter and returned to base, one at a time. Of course, there are enemy tanks, boats, guns and helicopters out there to stop you! The graphics are absolutely excellent and the music and sound effects are good too, but it's the scrolling which slows the game down and spoils things a bit.

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7

The evil dictator Lee Ho Fook has invaded a neighbouring country. If he is not stopped, he will also take over your country. You are an officer in your country's army, which recently overthrew the previous dictator who ruled it. From the moment you see and play this game, you will immediately notice that it has been heavily influenced by Operation Wolf. Both the graphics and gameplay are extremely similar indeed, and this game is almost an exact clone of it. Just shoot everything which appears on the screen while trying to conserve your ammunition! The music on the menu is disappointing, but the graphics are colourful and well drawn and the pace is quite hectic. Even though it's rather easy (if you don't bother shooting the 'planes), it's still a great game.

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8

Operation Hormuz
(Again Again, 1989)
Reviewed by Ninja Wonderboy

Tension is mounting in the Middle East and several important oil bases are at risk, so the US Naval Air Force have initialized Operation Hormuz - sending you in your fighter jet to take out several enemy missile bases. It would be a tough job in real life, but it's even harder here! As soon as you start, you're bombarded from all sides by enemy fire, and must have the reflexes of Superman to get very far! Your jet has four different weapons to take out enemies on the ground, on the sea and in the air. To be honest, it's all a bit too much for my little brain to take in, especially at the speed this game plays at! The graphics are good, and the sound effects are also good (there's an excellent tune on the options screen) but it's basically just Harrier Attack with knobs on.

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5

Operation Thunderbolt
(Ocean, 1989)

More hostages have been kidnapped, but this time they're being held deep in the African jungle. Firstly, you have to travel to the enemy's ammunition depot before going to the hideout where the hostages are being kept. Next, you must get into your boat and sail to the enemy HQ, where the final confrontation awaits. The game features a novel restarting system, where the number of continues you get depends on how well you're doing, although I'm not sure this is entirely a good thing. It is a difficult game with more enemies on the screen at once, and worse, you can't see who you're firing at! The scrolling isn't very good either, and the graphics on the normal CPC version are horrible at times. A cartridge version of the game is also available.

See also: Operation Wolf.

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7

Five hostages are trapped in a concentration camp deep in the jungle, and you must rescue all of them. Your journey starts at the enemy's headquarters, before going into the jungle to the ammunition dump, and then on to the concentration camp where the hostages are then flown out. The screen scrolls horizontally and you just shoot at all the enemy soldiers, helicopters and tanks, but make sure you don't run out of ammo! The graphics are brilliant and there's lots of explosions to be heard, along with a little tune. It's all action and it's an excellent game.

See also: Operation Thunderbolt.

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