"AWESOMELY COMPREHENSIVE: RACE GAMES O PLATFORMS ADVENTURES SPORTS SIMS  BEAT-EM-UPS. SHOOT-EMUPS O RPGS O ARCADES ONLY .25 PUTER ANS COMPUT Ridoc DEO GAMES ISSUE 149 APRIL '94 168.00 ASCH DM 12.50 $$ 13.50 $5.95 1000L FOOTBALL FRENZY! KICK OFF 3! FIFA ON SNES! RIAN GIGGS AND MORE! 32-BIT MADDEN TOUS:] DOWN WITH THE MOST AMAZING SPORTS GAME EVER! WIN! ,000 WORTH OF SURROUND-SOUND TV! ISSN 0261-3697 04 > RIDGE RACER! THE ,000 COIN-OP WONDER REVIEWED! 9770261\"369062\" "


"NOW YOU CAN PLAY THE MOST EXCITING ARCADE GAME OF THE YEAR IN YOUR OWN HOME ORIGINAL GUN ACCESSORY INCLUDED IN GAME PAR LET ENFO 000042 CREDIT ZP 900949  CREDIT PRÉSS STORE RELOADYOUR GUN 100 12_000000 CREDIT CREDIT 2 KO "


"CHINN RESTAURANT RAGARS REALISTIC COPS-ON-THE-STREET ACTION SO INTENSE YOU'LL WONDER WHERE YOUR PAY CHECK IS AT THE END OF THE WEEK! TEST YOUR SHOOTING SKILLS AGAINST ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM THE MOST DANGEROUS CRIMINALS IN TOWN, IN A FAST MOVING, MULTI-STAGE BATTLE FOR JUSTICE,  MEGA-CD NAMI . maddenVD SEGA KONAMI (UK) LIMITED TELEVISION HOUSE 269 FIELD END ROAD EASTCOTE MIDDLESEX HAL ILS "


"PRINTED IN THE UK COMPUTER FE CON VIDEO GAMES EDITORIAL COVER STORY EDITOR: PAUL RAND SNES DEPUTY EDITOR: GARY LORD STAFF WRITERS: DENIZ AHMET RIK SKEWS 34 MEGA MAN X One of Capcom's flagship characters makes his debut on the SNES. 66 VOTOMS Could this be Mariocart with robots, well turn to 66 and see... 66 ACCELE BRID More anime type robots in a head-on shoot-'em-up. MANAGING EDITOR: STEVE JAMES DESIGN 70 SUPER CHASE HQ Race and chase, and this time you're actually inside the car. ART EDITOR: JULIE HEAP DESIGNER: PETREA DOYLE 72 CLAYFIGHTER The funniest beat-'em-up we've ever seen. But can it match Streetfighter's gameplay? ADDITIONAL LAYOUT: WENDY MARTIN CHRIS CYPERT AILEEN O'DONNELL CLARE COULTHARD 28 ELECTRONIC ARTS AND 3DO If you're having second thoughts about the 3DOdon't! Electronic Arts is pushing the system to its limits. CVG previews the first batch of games from the formidable EA. 37 SUPER PINBALL The SNES has a hi-resolution graphics mode, but is pinball the best the use for it? 44 HUMANS Oh no! More Lemmings that look like cavemen. Does the addiction still hold? YOB ILLUSTRATIONS: STUART HARRISON SPECIAL FEATURES 53 TURN AND BURN Is this the flight simulator everyone thought it would be? 16 ATEI SHOW REPORT The 50th arcade trade show is the place to look at all the latest games you'll be playing in the arcades this year. CVG investigates what's new. 61 PINK GOES TO HOLLYWOOD Another cartoon licence and this time it's that eponymous panther. 74 PINBALL DREAMS It's been a top game on other formats, so what's the SNES version like then? ALONE EN PRO FULL SCALE MEGA DRIVE 41 REN AND STIMPY If you like the weird, surreal style of the cartoon then you'll love this. ADVERTISING MANAGER: Simon Hamer GROUP AD MANAGER Melanie Roberts MARKETING DIRECTOR Marcus Rich MARKETING MANAGER Karen Williams PRODUCT MANAGER Sarah Ewing PUBLISHING DIRECTOR David Kelly MANAGING DIRECTOR Terry Pratt SUBSCRIPTION BACK ISSUE ENQUIRIES: CVG Subscriptions, Tower Publishing, Tower House, Sovereign Place, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9ES. 0858 468811. Rates: 12 issues UK: . AIRMAIL EUROPE . AIRMAIL REST OF WORLD ZONE 1: 252. AIRMAIL REST OF WORLD ZONE 2 . REST OF WORLD SURFACE: . BFPO: . EIRE: . EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING: CVG TOWERS, Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU. TEL: 071-972 6700 FAX: 071-972 6701. PRINTED IN THE UK BY: Kingfisher Web Ltd, Fengate, Peterborough, COLOUR BY PrePress, London EC1. DISTRIBUTED, BY BBC Frontline. COPYRIGHT COMPUTER & VIDEO GAMES 1994 ISBN: 0261 3597. CVG DISCLAIMER: CVG cannot be held responsible for errors, omissions, misprints, mistakes or any other cock ups. 36 PRINCE OF PERSIA Heaps of gore and top platform action, finally arrives on the Mega Drive. 42 BARKLEY: SHUT UP AND JAM Can this possibly exceed the standards set by NBA JAM? FOOTBALL FRENZY Kick Off 3 'nuff said. Plus, a look at Ryan Giggs' Champions. 44 BUBBA 'N' STIX A delivery man with an alien stick. Sounds like a platform game. 48 MUTANT LEAGUE HOCKEY Standard EA hockey fayre, but with creatures and gore. 77 SKITCHIN' Road Rash but with a new angle and some Californian dudes. "


"TENTS AMIGA ARCADE CD-I ISSUE 149 APRIL 1994 REGULARS 6 NEWS An Amstrad CD-i machine? CVG is 54 KETHER first with all the gossip. A strange French game with Silpheed influences, and silly speech. 32 WORD UP Rand speaks again and oh, Right said 56 SPACE ACE Fred and the crew. 46 WINTER OLYMPICS 64 ART OF FIGHTING 2 NEO GEO Possibly the Streetfighter II beater you've been waiting for. 88 CHEAT MODE Stuck in your favourite game? CVG always pulls you out. 82 RIDGE RACER Some of the best racing graphics ever created, and with a real Mazda car too! 106 YOB'S MAILBAG If you're brave enough to write in, then prepare for the worst! Stunning graphics and sound, but is it just a smart demo? 84 CYBER SLED Basically, battlezone with two simultaneous players. 112 NEXT MONTH If you want to know a secret and promise not to tell, then take a peek. HAND The official conversion of the event so is it as good as it should be? 50 DARKMERE A typical RPG offering a tale of dragon slaying. Um... 68 SIMON THE SORCERER Monkey Island-type point-'n'-click . adventure. Good as the rest? 85 MORTAL KOMBAT II You've never seen graphics as violent as these before. Here's the CVG verdict. 47 WINTER OLYMPICS Do sports games actually work on a small screen? Turn and find out. 86 VIRTUA FORMULA Meet Virtua Racing with better graphics and vibrating seats. 78 BART VS THE WORLD A puzzle and arcade blend of challenges starring Mr Pants himself. PC 79 ZOOL There's no avoiding this character, can his game convert to any format? PREVIEWS 94 SKELETON KREW AMIGA 96 BANSHEE AMIGA 96 DARK STONE AMIGA 98 SPECTRE SNES 99 MEGA RACE PC 100 BRETT HULL HOCKEY MEGA DRIVE 101 HOTEL MARIO CD-i 102 ISHAR III PC 103 MADNESS MEGA DRIVE 104 HEIMDALL AMIGA 105 SUPER METHANE BROS. CD32 114 FIFA SNES 38 MICRO MACHINES 60 BLOOD NET An RPG tale of vampires all set in a cyberpunk world. 80 ROBOCOP 3 Big hefty metal carnage, or small girls game? 71 MORTAL KOMBAT Virgin appears to have delivered the best conversion on any machine! 81 CJ ELEPHANT: FUGITIVE As if you didn't have enough cute platform characters! Small car racing in a miniature over-head world. COMPETITIONS 38 UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS A heavy fisted American footie clone. An unnecessary addition to the genre? 14 WIN SUPER EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ON SNES PLUS T-SHIRTS. JVC is giving away its latest game. We loved it, and you can win it. 52 WIN A COMPACT STEREO SYSTEM WITH GREMLIN. Gremlin are still chuffed with Zools success. They say thanks with a kicking Hifi system for grabs, plus games and stuff. 62 WIN ,000 OF SURROUND-SOUND TV FROM IMAGINEER! You readers are so lucky! We have to play our games on a 14-inch TV. 58 TERMINATOR RAMPAGE Another 3D blast-'em-up. But can it hope to better Doom? 75 PINBALL FANTASIES And ditto for this it's the best conversion of the lot and it's on PC! "


"|| the usual new games news, NEWS AND plus Amstrad's venture into the CD-i market, the latest on JVC launching a rival to the Mega Drive, games certification and a chance to win Empire Strikes Back from JVC! FREE 4-WAY MEGA DRIVE PLAY FOR MICRO MACHINES 2! AMSTRAD SET TO BOOST CD-i PHILIPS hilips' CD-i format is set to receive a massive boost later in the year, when Amstrad launches its own version of the machine. Nothing has been confirmed by either party yet, but CVG understands that Amstrad is particularly keen on the notion of the interactive CD market and has been looking for a way in for some time. Rather than develop a completely separate technology of its own, which is both costly and time consuming, it will licence the technology from Philips and manufacture a machine bearing the Amstrad brand name. The firm's director of international marketing, David Hennell told CVG: \"We're a firm believer in the notion of the magic black box under the television that plays games, videos, music etc. It's a market that interests us a great deal and there are a number of routes we could take -3DO, CD32 or CD-i and others as well. Most importantly, it's not the greatest idea to go out with your own standard. It's very costly and you can't do it quickly because you have to drum up support from the software houses and create a buzz surrounding the format. \"I definitely think we could make a market, certainly in Europe and Australia, with the reputation and brand that Amstrad has got for making stuff that goes under TVs.\" The talk is that the firm will be able to produce a model that would sell for as little as . Such a price point would suddenly make CD-i technology a much more attractive proposition, providing it with a much needed boost, just when the market has reached its most competitive level for some time. fter the success of the Game Genie, Codemasters is planning another Mega Drive hardware coup-games with built-in multi-player adaptors. The new J*Carts, as it calls them, have an extra two joypad ports built-in to a standard sized cart, so up to four players can get to grips with a game at once. Best of all J*Cart games won't cost a penny extra, with prices starting at .99. The first release will be Tennis AllStars which is pencilled in for May. But best of all, later this year, we can look forward to Micro Machines 2, which promises to be every bit as good as its predecessor, but with the added benefit of a fourplayer mode. CONTACT: CODEMASTERS 0926 814132 COMPUTER SOFTWARE TO BE CERTIFICATED t's been discussed on and off for almost 10 The certification debate was first sparked off in years now, and at last games are to get movie 1984 when Palace Software released its licence of style certificates. Depending on the content, Evil Dead. Admittedly the latter game's content games will either be getting 0-10, 11-14, was actually about as frightening as an Andrex 15-17 or 18+ certificates. puppy, but more recently, for Ages. Pour Ages  Para Aos e fr Jahren Unlike movies, which have to after public pressure, Sega be passed and certificated by 0-10 11-14 has decided to the British Board of Film award one of Classification, games certifiits own titles, cates will be decided by the Nighttrap on manufacturers themselves COMMIGHT 1993 ROPEAN LEISURE SOFTWARE Mega-CD, a 15 under a voluntary code. certificate. CONTACT: ELSPA 0386 831223 POSTOS SOLUTION GRTS RESERVED "


"AMSTRAD UNVEILS LATEST BUDGET PCS Truck Records Inc 11S Windkw Works WINDOWS t seems as though the failure of tion is hardly remarkable, Amstrad the Mega-PC hasn't put Amstrad also says its machines are fully comoff the personal computer market. patible with Intel's new high-spec Upholding its reputation for low-cost Pentium 586 processors, which is computing, it is gearing something many existing 486s lack. up to release a range of cheap 486 The packs start at .99 excludmachines which it claims are com ing VAT and ,249.99 for the CDpletely upgradable and should run all ROM version, which comes bundled the latest power-intensive games. with a multimedia encyclopaedia The PC9486 series will include SX and LucasArts' Rebel Assault. Best and the newer DX2 machines which of all, the machines are going to be clock in at up to 66Mhz. The packs manufactured in Britain, so you include SVGA card, an accelerator don't have to go too far to complain card for Microsoft Windows, 4MB when they go wrong. RAM a choice of 130, 214, or 340Mb hard dri O CONTACT: AMSTRAD ves and colour monitor. While 0277 228888 this specificaSPEED FREAKS PARAMOUNT GOES MULTIMEDIA CRAZY Accolade is set to boost the already bulging Mega Drive driving game market with the launch of Speed Racer. It's a twoplayer split-screen race game, in much the same vein as Lotus, only much, much faster. Fast times over a series of laps earn you cash which can be spent improving your car with new engines and better suspension. It's due for release later this year. CONTACT: ACCOLADE 081-877 0880 ilm and TV giant Paramount Communications has become the first of the major movie companies to plunge head-long into multimedia. Spearheading its releases will be its top TV shows Star Trek: TNG and Deep Space Nine. Deep Space Nine takes you aboard the space station as either a Bajoran, Ferengi or Federation officer to solve a mystery which changes every time you start a new game. Naturally there's plenty of FMV footage and dialogue from the show. Star Trek, on the other hand, is going to be technoheaven for Trekkies as it's actually the Enterprise Technical manual that you'll get on the disc. Basically it lets you wander throughout the Enterprise playing with everything from the phaser controls to the dilithium crystals. Both discs are due for release in the US this autumn on Mac and PC CD-ROM MGM MOVIES TO BE RELEASED ON CD the deal, the compatibility between M-PEG formats means CD32, PC and 3DO owners will also benefit from the new CD movies. (c) PARAMOUNT SONIC SPRINTS hilips' CD-i promotion al juggernaut continues to thunder on with the announcement of a deal with Metro-GoldwynMeyer and United Artists to release 30 of its biggest films on CD. While it has yet to decide what the 30 will be, the choice is immense. Philips has access to all 16 James Bond movies as well as classics such as A Fistful of Dollars, Rocky, Raging Bull and newer films like Thelma and Louise and Benny and Joon. Definitely on its way is Sharon Stone's Sliver, which Philips is gearing up to be its biggest release this year. Even though Philips has signed ever let it be said that Sega and Nintendo are above 'borrowing' ideas from each other. Currently under the development microscope is Sonic Drift, a Game Gear cart starring the spiky one himself and all the other heroes and villains from the platform games. The bad news is that Sega currently says it has no plans for a Mega Drive or Mega-CD version, but we think that it'd be such a big seller, it's almost certain to appear on the 16-bits. O CONTACT: SEGA 071373 3000 "


"| boost m promotion & rel ade ade: d They manage couldn't aces unsettled player buying & selling Forget Fantasy League. SNES This is for real. out now PC & AMIGA available mid march PLAYER tv negotiations MANAGER gives you team, managing the the chance to show your club's finances, wheeling skills on and off the and dealing in the transpitch. It combines the fer market, spotting new pace and the gameplay of talent, even designing the legendary Kick the team kit is down to Off with the tough world you. The buck stops with of football management. you, the board and fans Planning the right tac expect results, fail tics, boosting team them and the boot morale, picking your best beckons! ima gineer ANCO PC compatibles: VGA min, 386 min, hard drive installation required, Min 1 MB RAM Amiga: 500/600/1200/2000 Min 1 MB RAM Super Nintendo version published by Imagineer (UK) Ltd, Unit 16, Progress Business Centre, Whittle Parkway, Slough, Berks SL 1 6DQ Tel: 0753 671686 Fax: 0753 671682 "


"pgation unsettled KEVIN KEEGAN'S it..tics SPILAR contract p zizarage He can. ransfer requests Will you? count \"A blinder of a game» CVG E5 % \"Best ever football management simulation\" NMS 89% linary problems \"Soccer mayhem second to none\" SNES FORCE 90% 2-5900 no smo se PC compatibles and Amiga versions published by Anco Software Ltd, Unit 7, Millside Industrial Estate, Lawson Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 5BH meno di de les Garme Tel: 0322 292513 Fax: 0322 293422 "


"NEWS X'EYE-MENT MOUNTS AT JVC AS WONDERMEGA HITS US SATURN SETBACK ord has reached our ears that Sega's new super console, the Saturn, isn't to appear in this country until Christmas next year. However, we've also heard that the machine is due for a simultaneous world-wide launch. And, as the general opinion in Japan is that the machine is to be released early '95, someone, somewhere is telling porkies. Another rumour we've picked up on our substantial grapevine is that Sega is already working on a portable version of the Saturn, provisionally called the Jupiter. If this is true it's likely to appear 6-12 months after the Saturn machine itself. The machine has been re-christened as the X'Eye for the US, something which often happens to machines when they are launched into different parts of the world (as we know, the Mega Drive is called Genesis in the US). It retails for $499 and can play audio CDs, CD+Graphics Karaoke, Electronic Book, CD-ROM, Mega-CD and a selection of Mega Drive games. Although there has been no announcement as to when, or if, the machine will find its way into Europe, this must surely be a sign that the firm has designs on the bigger picture, and with the European video games market currently worth close to  billion it would be hard, if not foolish, to ignore it. VC's Mega Drive compatible Wondermega took a step closer to a European launch when it was announced that the machine will become available in the US in April the first time it has been on sale outside the Japanese market. GUNHED VIDEO FOR UK BRITAIN A BRITAIN A TROLL ARMY NATION OF COMPUTER SADDOS unhed, arguably one of the most successful Japanese sci-fi creations since Godzilla, is set to appear on video over here in June. Basically Gunhed's are giant super robots, similar to the Hunter Killers of the Terminator movies, only far larger and much more dangerous. The film has overtones of Aliens, with a group of futuristic troops infiltrating a deserted base, only to come under attack and be helped out by two children. The effects are decent, the action enormous and we think it's ace. If you can't wait until summer, you can check it out when it hits these cinemas: March 18-24 A recent Key Note survey has found that just 21% of British adults reckon that computers are easy to use. Meanwhile 68% think kids spend to much time using computers. Considering the average under-18 year-old has practically no trouble using the latest computer technology, maybe its time the 79% of adults who struggle with computers took a lead from the youth they accuse of spending too much time at the keyboard. ametek is changing direction somewhat following the monumental success of Frontier. It's next release will be Trolls for the SNES, a licence of those little placcy creatures with the big hair. It'll be predominantly platform-based, with some puzzle elements, which are based around you controlling one of four Trolls, each of which have different powers. If the game sells anything like as well as the trolls do, it's bound to be a massive success. Other versions are planned, and we'll bring you more news of them as, and when, we find out. April 2 April 9 April 15+16 April 23 April 30 May 7 May 14 Prince Charles Cinema, London Cardiff Odeon Robins Hyde Park Cinema, Leeds Birmingham Odeon Manchester Odeon Glasgow Odeon Edinburgh Odeon Robins 051 Cinema, Liverpool CONTACT: GAMETEK 0753 553445 O CONTACT: PARTRIDGE & STORES 081-747 9080 VIRGIN CAPTURES SENSIBLE ndisputed champion of the footy sim, Sensible Software, has tied its colours to the mast of Virgin Interactive for the foreseeable future. Sensible has signed a long term deal with the publisher and as a result the first title to surface is likely to be Sensible Golf on PC and Amiga towards the end of the year. Console versions of the game will follow in 1995. Virgin has also clinched Sensible's Amiga hit Cannon Fodder, scheduled for release on SNES and Mega Drive before we hit 1995. CONTACT: VIRGIN 081-960 2255 LOW PRICE FOR SANYO 3DO Sanyo's version of the 3DO is due out in Japan in April priced around . This makes it cheaper than the Panasonic machine, although there are still no details on a UK launch or price. It's also been rumoured that the Panasonic machine has undergone some minor hardware changes to overcome the problems of slow access and hardware crashes that the early models suffered from. "


"SEGA MEGA DRIVE A spine tingling, blood curdling 6. level living nightmare from hell. astlevania The New Generation STOKE os As John Morris the whip wielding vampire hunter, or Eric Lecarde, master lanceman, you'll chase the demonic vampiress Countess Bartley across Europe to prevent her resurrecting the master of all evil Count Dracula. KONAMI Konul Klima Konami House 54a Cowley Mill Road Uxbridge Middlesex UB8 2QE "


"HMV KNOW HMV KNOW OAMES KNOW HMV KNOW GAMES MEGA DRIVE SNES Clearly there's no mad March hares out there this month as the majority of software on offer is of a surprisingly high quality. See for yourself... 1 GROUND ZERO TEXAS (Sony) It may be a CD game, but Ground Zero Texas has been blessed with great gameplay. 1 SUPER EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Bandai) SESB is keeping two excellent games off the top spot, but that's no surprise is it? ALL-FORMATS 1 SIM CITY 2000 (PC/Mac, Mindscape) WWWRVI <HRITIDITETET 2 ETERNAL CHAMPIONS (Sega) 3 ALADDIN (Sega) 4 SONIC SPINBALL (Sega) 5 TOE JAM AND EARL 2 (Sega) 6 FIFA INTERNATIONAL SOCCER (Electronic Arts) 7 MICROCOSM (Psygnosis) 8 SENSIBLE SOCCER (Sony) 9 ZOMBIES (Konami) 10 STREET FIGHTER II CE (Sega) 2 SENSIBLE SOCCER (Sony) 3 TURTLES TOURNAMENT FIGHTERS (Konami) 4 MARIO ALL STARS (SNES) 5 STREET FIGHTER II TURBO (Nintendo) STRIKER (Elite) 7 SUPER MARIO KART (Nintendo) 8 MORTAL KOMBAT (Acclaim) 9 LEGEND OF THE MYSTICAL NINJA (Konami) 10 SHADOWRUN (Bandai) HMV KNOWMV KNOW OAMES KNOW MY KNOW OAMES PC AMIGA 1 CANNON FODDER 1 SIM CITY 2000 (Mindscape) (Virgin A PC/Mac game is the number one game on the all-formats chart. Is no-one buying carts or what? Virgin is releasing some cracking products on the Amiga at present. Expect to see Cool Spot in the Top 10 next month. 2 SUPER EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (SNES, Bandai) 3 GROUND ZERO TEXAS (Mega CD, Sony) MICROCOSM (Mega CD, Sony) 5 FIFA INTERNATIONAL SOCCER (Mega Drive, Electronic Arts) ZELDA: LINKS AWAKENING (Game Boy, Nintendo) 7 SKIDMARKS (Amiga, Acid Software) 8 SENSIBLE SOFTWARE (Mega Drive, SNES, Game Gear) Sony TURTLES TOURNAMENT FIGHTERS (Mega Drive/SNES, Konami) 10 FRONTIERELITE 2 (Amiga/PC, Gametek) 2 FRONTIER ELITE 2 (Gametek) 3 JURASSIC PARK (Ocean) 4 ALIEN BREED 2 (Team 17) 5 MORTAL KOMBAT (Virgin) 6 SKIDMARKS (Acid Software) 7 PREMIER MANAGER 2 (Gremlin) 8 WINTER OLYMPICS (US Gold) 9 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS (Ocean) 10 RYDER CUP (Ocean) It was going to need a quality game to knock Alone in the Dark 2 from the top and boy is Sim City 2000 that game. 2 ALONE IN THE DARK 2 (Infogrames) 3 SAM AND MAX (US Gold) 4 REBEL ASSAULT (CD-Rom) (US Gold) 5 STAR TREK: JUDGEMENT RITES (Interplay) 6 FRONTIER ELITE 2 (Gametek) 7 INDY CAR RACING (Virgin) 8 CREATIVE WRITER (Microsoft) 9 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS (Ocean) 10 RYDER CUP (Ocean) "


"THE.. WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE! Take the HOTTEST bike sim ever... toss-in a lethal off-road race track... add enough hard-hitting action to satisfy the bloodthirstiest gamer... then trash the rule book. MASTER SYSTEM RASHI What've you got? Violence at 150 m.p.h It's you against 16 psychos on superbikes in a race to the grave. These \"Rashers' are out to kick, punch, club and hack you to bits. (That's when they're being nice.) You? Your practising a few moves of your own to leave these guys spread across the track. First past the post gets the ARTS US GOLD GAME GEAR DOSH to buy a meaner machine. RASHERS Do some damage, get some speed. GAME GEAF Licensed by SEGA ENTERPRISES LTD.foro & SIG SEM SISTEMA SEGA US GOLD Master System Game Gear BUY ROAD RASH TODAY! EXPERIENCE THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE! Road Rash and Electronic Arts are trademarks of Electronic Arts. 1991, 1993 Electronic Arts. All rights reserved. Licensed to US Gold Lid. 1993 U.S. Gold Lid. All rights reserved. U.S. Gold Ltd. Units 2/3 Halford Way. Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX! Tel: 021 625 3366, US Gold is a registered trademark of U.S. Gold Lid. Unauthorised copying, lending or resale by any means strictly prohibited. \"SEGA\" is a trademark of Sega Enterprises Lid. \"Licensed by SEGA ENTERPRISES LTD., for play on the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, MASTER SYSTEM II and MEGA DRIVE with MASTER SYSTEM CONVERTER and for play on the SEGA GAME GEAR SYSTEM "


"NEWS TOMMY THERE HAS TO BE A TWIST... BECOME A GAMES MASTER OF ARTS or those of you who fancy being the next Archer Maclean, you can now hone your talent and spend three years down the pub at the same time by enrolling for a university course in games design. The course has been put together with the help of Sega, Domark, and Ocean and offers both a Bachelor of Arts and Master's Degree in 'The design and production of interactive games'. The first course starts this September at Middlesex University with other faculties expected to follow suit. eople try to put 'em down you know, just because they 9-9-get around, but rock dinosaurs The Who continue their sell-by-date defying antics. Now it looks as if the band is set to appear in a console version of their Seventies 'rock opera' Tommy. US development team R/GA Interactive is currently working on the game which is being produced in conjunction with the band's Uberlicksmeister supreme Pete Townsend. Quite what they'll do with it is still unknown, although our money's on a straight pinball game with a Who soundtrack. After all, no one under the age of 30 can make any sense out of the film anyway. MINDSCAPE HULKS OUT DIZZY DOES THE TREBLE andanas and baby oil ahoy! The Software Toolworks/Mindscape has picked up the rights to Thunder in Paradise the latest venture from Hulk Hogan. Described as a cross between Baywatch and The A-Team, the series has been running in the US since March and is set to hit British screens this summer. It's not yet clear which channel will take the series, but you can bet your life it ends up in that 5.15 Saturday evening slot on ITV. Work has already begun in the US on a SNES game of the series which is expected to be available in November. Other formats will also follow later in the year. odemasters' lovable... erm... egs type thing, Dizzy, can now claim something of a first, featuring in what is, apparently, the first original triple game cartridge available from a Sega publisher. Released this month (April), on Mega Drive, Master System and Game Gear, Excellent Dizzy features Dizzy the Adventurer, Go Dizzy Go, and Panic! Dizzy which itself features three puzzle games within — Shape Shifter, Dizzy Dice and Picture Puzzler. In addition, the firm has been ever so nice to your pocket and announced a range of new Sega titles retailing from a meagre .99. The line up includes CJ Elephant Fugitive on Game Gear, Dino Basher on Game Gear and Master System and Archer Maclean's Drop Zone, also on Master System and Game Gear. Titles on the Megadrive are at the slightly higher .99 price point, but still cheap, the first one being Captain Dynamo in October. CONTACT: MINDSCAPE 0444 246333 O CONTACT: CODEMASTERS 0926 814132 WIN EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! WIN EMBARK! t long last Super Empire Strikes Back is coming out officially, and to celebrate the launch JVC is generously giving away five copies of the game plus strictly limited edition T-shirts. We awarded the game a whopping 94% in our November issue and we reckon that it's one of the best film tie-ins ever. It starts with Luke on the ice world Hoth, and he must fight off the snow beasts before tackling Imperial AT-ATs and heading off to Dagobah, where Yoda teaches him a bit about using the force. Finally it's off to the Cloud City to rescue his pals so everyone can live happily ever after, except Han, who doesn't get rescued until the next film. All you have to do is tell us what Darth Vader's name was before he took to wearing black plastic outfits and joeboying for the Emperor. Answers must reach us by 15 April 1994, or we'll feed them to our eco-friendly recycling unit. Send entries to: Leave Them to me, I will deal with them myself compo, CVG, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1. Guess what? This compo is not open to employees of Emap or JVC or to the Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith. The editor's decision, as always, is final. Super Empire Strikes Back 1993 LucasArts "


"LMP (GAMESTER VIDEO GAME ACCESSORIE GAME BOY LIGHT MAGNIFIER RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK COMPLETE WITH MAINS ADAPTOR FOR GAMEBOY FOR GAMEBOY WeGAME BOY. ALLOWS YOU TO PLASTOUR GAMEBOY IN THE DARK MAGNIFIES SCREEN, MAKES PLAY ACTION BIGGER. BRIGHTER AND-BEFTER  ERMGLICHT ES IHNEN. VOUS PERMET DE JOUER MIT IHREM GAMEBOY AYEC VOTRE GAMEBOY IMDUNKELN ZUDANS L'OBSURITE. SPIELEN. AGRANDIT L'ECRAN ETREND BILDSCHIRM UND VERGRBERT DEN LE JEU PLUS GRAND PLUSVERGROBERT, ERREUT LUMINEUX ET ENCORE PLUS UND VERBESSERT DIE PASSIONNANT SPIELAKTION 1 LMP ] LICENSED BY LICENSED BY A GAMESTER 2 Nintendo GAMESTITE ACCUMULATEUR RECHARGEABLE COMPLET AVEC ADAPTATEUR SECTEUR POUR GAMEBOY WIEDERAUFLADBARER BATTERIESATZ KOMPLETT MIT NETZADAPTER FR GAMEBOY CE SUPER ACTION CASE: CARRY CASE COMPLETE WITH LIGHT MAGNIFIER, POWERPACK AND MAINS ADAPTOR, (Gameboy and Games not included) SUPER NES CARRY CASE: (Console and Games not included) LMP LMP GAMESTER VIDEO GAME ACCESSORIES THE RANGE OF VIDEO GAME ACCESSORIES. NOW AT A GAMES STOCKIST NEAR YOU! STONEMASON'S HOUSE, 75 RAILWAY STREET, HERTFORD, HERTS. SG14 1RD TELEPHONE: 0992 503133 FAX: 0992 503061 "


"SHOW REPORT ARCADE ACTION THE 1994 ATEI he European arcade trade show (ATEI) helps determine what coin-ops are going to fill the arcades of 69 different countries from around the world. It's the biggest exhibition of its kind in Europe, so CVG was there to look beyond the paraphernalia and to ask \"Where have all the new, good and original coin-ops gone?' Namco's Air Combat has managed to attract plenty of dealer interest, which is hardly surprising since it puts home versions of flight sims to shame because because of its realism factor. The lure of free coin-op games is enough to tempt any arcade pundit to the Arcade Trade Exhibition International, but more importantly is whether once the free play switch is flipped to pay are the punters going to be enticed back into the arcades. Certainly, this year's ATEI show has looked far more promising, mainly because it has moved to the spaciousness of Earls Court 1, and with it have come over 230 exhibitors. Even so, there seems to be very little on show to be impressed with. Sure, there's Virtua Fighters, Mortal Kombat ll and Ridge Racer (reviewed on pages 85 & 82), which are without doubt the most desirable games around at the moment, but the fact remains that most decent London arcades already had these machines before the show. So there are no big games debuting at ATEI. AIR COMBAT This time last year It was a different story last year though, especially with the exclusiveness of Virtua Racing and Streetfighter || Championship Edition. Perhaps the industry has squeezed itself dry. Too many coin-op developers are playing it safe by sticking to established game genres, and the result of this is that improvements tend to end up purely in the cosmetic department, with additional enhancements, like wide screen and digital surround sound. What the industry needs is a revolution in game design not an evolution, and that could come from something as simple as more creative programming. Virtual Reality is still a long way off from being the industry saviour some speculated it would be. The enhanced hardware route is one area where Capcom at least has plenty to shout about with its new CPSII hardware platform (see opposite), predictably shown-off with a convoy of Super Streetfighter Il machines. Two new CPSII games have also received a showing in the shape of Eco Fighters and Dungeons & Dragons. Virtua Fighter, Sega's graphical masterpiece has wowed the crowds, but the gameplay is worryingly slow and shallow. Another graphics feast from Sega, but Jurassic Park looks like a run-of-the-mill Operation Wolf clone gameplay wise. Bigger than life Art of Fighting 2 from SNK is a damn sight better than most of the sad Streetfighter II and Mortal Kombat II rip-offs that are doing the rounds at present, thanks to heaps of special moves and combos. (AOF2 on the Neo Geo is reviewed on page 64.) The best stands at the show however, belong to Namco. Its Ridge Racer setup shows three different machine configurations from the standard single screen cabinet to a life-size projected version which must be at least 20 feet wide! Air-Combat and Cyber Sled also seem to have received a lot of dealer interest plus also on show has been the familiar looking Suzuka 2. Arguably the most visually impressive graphics at the show have been at Sega's stand. The Daytona demo certainly is a real crowd puller with its startling vector-based graphics. But what has failed to impress is Sega's Jurassic Park game, which just looks like another mindless Operation Wolf clone with up-to-date graphics. Virtua Fighters has also been attracting the crowds to the Sega stands, with its awesome graphics, which look stunning on the deluxe large monitor version. Still, once the crowds actually start to play the game their interest wanes when Virtua's shallow and slow gameplay becomes apparent. We've even discovered the special moves, but believe us, these don't do much to enhance gameplay either, and are frustrating and difficult to pull off. "


"THE EASIER WAY TO BIGGER AND BETTER GAMES Capcom's CPSII hardware encloses the PCB mother board in a case which enables new games to be slotted in with ease much like a cartridge. Apart from being more economical, the hardware also provides protection against pirate PCB boards. The CPS II has communication abilities for link-ups, and with its enhanced chip-set offers a faster CPU, better image resolution and the exclusive QSound 3D audio system. The unit itself is about the size of a video player. The games shown here are a result of that technology Dungeons & Dragons is a Golden Axe type game for up to four players offering an awful lot of healthy hack-and-slash action for your money. Another of the new CPS II games. Need we say more? SAS24/4. Oh dear. Although groundbreaking at the time this Hard Drivin' style of game from Atari doesn't cut the mustard any. more. Airborne's graphics are slow and lacklustre compared to other racing games like the sexy Ridge Racer. The first Suzuka game was a deserved top seller for Namco with its brilliant handling, but this sequel is much of the same, but is good fun. Who said originality was dead? Namco obviously. Eco Fighters is a predictable shoot-'em-up with an environmental stance. Quite good fun but hardly inspired. Boxing clever The most unmissable stand at the show has to be the huge Virtuality stage though, where visitors have been playing some much improved, but still simple looking, games. Best of all being VR Boxing. So that's ATEI for 1994, and although CVG has been lucky enough to play everything on 'free play' we haven't forgotten that these games are increasingly costing too much to play. Coin-ops seem to be turning into an over priced luxury rather than an inexpensive extravagance, just look at the deluxe version of Ridge Racer with its genuine strapped-on Mazda sports car as a prime example. Essentially, novelties like sitting in a real car to play a racing game does not a good game make; especially not a long lasting one that will keep arcade addicts high on their addiction. And sadly there doesn't seem to be a new coin-op that's going to generate the income that SFII and Virtua have managed to over the last year. At the end of the show the sentiment seems to be: 'less gimmicks more gameplay'. Hyper Dunk is not a cheesy game but it's sadly lacking in the gameplay stakes compared to Midway's NBA JAM. Much the same could be said of the home conversions too. Konami's arcade products in general have been disappointing and not a patch on the many classic games they've released on console over the last year like Tiny Toons, Turtles Tournament Fighters and Rocket Knight Adventures. "


"SHOW REPORT 31 04/13, 434 he ultimate arcade driving experience is what Namco and Sega are aiming for with their Ridge Racer and Daytona racing games, but can the gameplay match the impressive arcade machines and stunning graphics? RIDGE RACER NAMCO Custom hardware, top notch graphics, explosive sound. Ridge Racer is a dream for your average technophile. 38 072133 21 Certainly the highlight of an otherwise disappointing ATEI show has to be Ridge Racer, since its graphics just ram the competition off the road. Based on Namco's new System 22 3D-CG board, it's a 32bit CPU running a custom Namco texture mapping graphic engine. With awesome draw speed calculations System 22 has blessed Ridge Racer (and will no doubt bless future releases) with Gourad shading and depth cueing for every polygon on screen. There's a very realistic steering wheel with positive feedback, (none of the silly vibrating effects you usually find), six-speed manual gearbox plus clutch, accelerator and brake of course. The game comes in the usual sit down version but far more impressive is the Full-Scale system which incorporates a real Mazda MX-5 and a curved 20 foot screen, which is reminiscent of Namco's other biggie FULL SCALE machine Galaxian 3. Ridge Racer offers all the usual playing modes for beginners to experts and the game itself takes the familiar route of requiring checkpoints to be reached for the game to continue. (Turn to page 82 for the full review in Arcade Action.) 16\"SSY namco is 26 The attention to detail in Ridge Racer is stunning. As the game progresses the sky darkens to represent the march of time. You could be forgiven for thinking this was a photograph if it wasn't for the on-screen dials and information, eh? DAYTONA SEGA The only other racing game from the current crop that can match Namco's beast in the graphic stakes is Daytona. At present this game is only about 70% complete and the version we saw was simply running from videotape, so comparisons with Ridge Racer are unfair. However if Sega can get the finished game running anything like the speed we've seen it running here, and with the same breathtaking graphics, not to mention some gameplay then this could be the one to watch for. Daytona, Sega's graphically awesome racing game is shaping up to be something special. Watch out for more news soon. 18 "


"VIRTUALITY Donning his headset Rik Skews launches himself into Virtuality's latest arcade experiences The Virtuality stand at ATEl has been showing off three new gcoin-ops. These look a heck of a lot more interesting and detailed than other VR games in the arcades which is probably due to some major advancements in the hardware being used. Those ugly head-sets have also been slimmed down they're a more comfortable and compact size. The new buzz word for Virtuality at the moment though, seems to be 'immersive'. This word is supposed to convince you that virtual reality has finally reached the stage of interactivity, which it was supposed to offer at the outset. Even so, the gameplay on all machines still seems annoyingly sluggish and rather mundane; which begs the question: can the VR approach offer enough of a tease and excitement. This is particularly true with the Virtuality Boxing game. The problem with punching into air is you get no sense of impact, which makes it difficult to judge how much effort you should be putting into your punches. Anyway, the moves available are plentiful and there are some nice effects like swollen lips, bent noses and flying gumshields. Looking to lower your credibility rating? Then try wearing one of these VR helmets. Check out the realism of the hills in the background. VR games are rapidly losing their polygon look. VANY Although the graphics and The most playable game has to be speed of the new generation Zone Hunter, a futuristic commando of machines has been improved dramatically it's still type affair where you battle through a \" city in search of a genetics laboratory hard to believe you're there where you have to dispose of mutatwith a ton of plastic and glass ed life forms. This game has a very on your head. nice feel to it, and there are hefty weapons to be discovered too. What seems a bit unfair however, is that there are set time limits in the game, which could be frustrating when you're paying a lot of money for each go. The last machine we managed to climb aboard, X-Treame Strike, is a Star Wars type game where you fly across a planet surface taking out defences and other craft en route to destroying a core reactor. You're given unlimited firepower but you'll spend a lot of time searching for fuel. This game is smooth and fast with its graphics handling, but some of the terrain could be a bit more detailed, VIRTUALIT) Look at the detail on the face. Makes Virtua Fighter look pretty tragic don't you think? 19 "


"CONSOLE CONNECTIONS TEL/FAX 0736 331131 USED TITLES ADVERTISERS INDEX Konami.... ..IFC,3,11 IBC97 Imagineer... .8&9,25 ...........CALL MEGADRIVE + SNES TITLES AS FOLLOWS 9  EACH . SEGA MEGADRIVE 2 (UK) SEGA MD 2 + CD 2 (UK) SALE PRICE .99 SEGA MEGADRIVE (UK) + ROAD AVENGER 279.99 Aladdin.. .99 Lotus 2 .99 Asterix..............................99 Mutant League Football.........99 Blades of Vengence ....... ,99 NBA Jam. BOB .99 NHL 94. .99 BR Robotnik Mean Bean Machine......99 Ranger X .............99 Rocket Knight Adv ...........99 Chuck Rock 2 ...................99 CATEGORISED E A Soccer ......................99 Sensible Soccer ...............49 Eternal Champion ......... ...99 Shinobi 3.. ..99 Sonic 3 .99 F1 Racing ........................99 CATEGORY 1Sonic Spinball ...99 F117 Night Storm ............99 Street Fighter 2 .......... ..99  EACH General Chaos ................. .99 Techno Clash.. .99 Greatest Heavyweights.........99 CATEGORY 2Toe Jam & Earl 2............. ...99 Gunship ........... ............. ..99 Turtles Tournament Fighters .......99 Gunstar Heroes ............ ..99 Zombies... .49 James Pond 3.. ...99 Zool.................................99 CATEGORY 3Jungle Strike ... ..99 SF II ............ ............99 Lethal Enforcers........... .99 6 Button Pad...................99  EACH IF IT'S NOT LISTED PLEASE CALL CATEGORY 4 EACH SNES USA CONSOLE (SCART) .99 SUPER NINTENDO UK CARTS USA CARTS PLEASE RING Aero the Acrobat............ .99 American Gladiators ....99 Aladdin.. ... .99 FOR A Asterix ......... ..99 Battletoads... ..99 Bomberman ..99 Bubsy............ ..99 CURRENT LIST Claymates. Cliff Hanger ......... ..99 Robocop V's Terminator ....99 OF TITLES IN Daffy Duck......... ..99 Doomsday Warrior ......99 EACH Empire Strikes Back Strikes Back.............99 F1 Pole Position .............. ..99 Fatal Fury ....................99 CATEGORY Flashback ..99 Final Fight 2 ................ .99 James Pond Crazy Sports.... .99 NHL 94 ..99 Lawnmower Man ................99 NBA Jam............... ...CALL John Maddern 94 ........99 Jurassic Park... ..............99 Tazmania ..99 Major Title ...... ....50 Meglomania... ...99 Tom & Jerry. .99 Might & Magic 2 ..... ...99 Aladdin ....... .99 JAGUAR Mystical Ninja ..................... ......99 Rock & Roll Racing. ... ....... ..Call Sensible Soccer ...... Pro Adaptor ..... ..99 Sunset Riders ........... ...99 Top Gear II... ..99 Troddlers ....................... .99 Standard Adaptor ..........99 Wolfenstein ................... ..99 RETAIL & MAIL ORDER: CONSOLE CONNECTIONS, UNIT 2, OLD BAKE HOUSE LANE, CHAPEL STREET, PENZANCE, CORNWALL TR18 4AE 10AM 5.30PM SAME DAY DESPATCH .50 GAMES E6 CONSOLES VISA ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE FROM AN ESTABLISHED SHOP US Gold... LMP Argos. Gad Games. Silica Shop Infomedia Services...... Console Connections Alextom. Games Exchange....... C.I.C. Midland Bank. Games 4U ............ Game Zone ......... Loaded.. Console Exchange. Games Unlimited Incredible Limited. Atlas .............. &&&& Call ............ ATARI ......Call & SOFTWARE PLEASE CALL ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE WIN A 64 BIT GAMEBOY TOP 10 GAMES JAGUAR 0891 OF YOUR CHOICE 0891 221 810 221 816 0891 221 817 SNES & SEIL WIN  WIN A 3DO 0891 0891 MULTIPLAYER 0891 221 813 221 812 221 811 NEO GEO PC ENGINE MEGADRIVE 0891 & CD ROM 0891 & MEGA CD 221 814 221 818 0891 221 815 Win Win Win WIN A SUPER NINTENDO CALL: 0839 993 309 NOW! WIN THIS GAMEBOY Become The Best With This AWESOME PRIZE! CALL: 0839 993 309 NOW! Go For It! Calls cost 36p/min cheap rate 48p/min all other times. Calls 4-6 mins: max cost .88. Multiple Choice Competition. For further information and list of previous prize winners write to C.I.C PO Box 1650, B3 1LHI Closing date 30/4/94 ASK YOUR PARENTS FOR PERMISSION u r year        . Calls last a maximun ol 7.8mins. Mex.Possible cost 43.68. Calls oost 39p/min choap & 499/min other times.No rules & winness Ramos ploRSO sond 8.A.D. to ATX.Box33.M64GY Competition olosos 30/06/94.Multiple choioe questions plus tie-brealer, MEGA CO, MEGA DRIVE, GAME GEAR, MASTER SYSTEM, SNES, NES, GAMEBOY A O A THE Games Exchange MEGA CD. MEGA DRIVE, GAME GEAR, MASTER SYSTEM, SNES, NES, GAMEBOY K » The Original, the Best, the BIGGESTII POST TO: The Games Exchange, 24 LANGTON CLOSE, HUCCLECOTE, GLOUCESTER, GL3 3AZ. SWAP ANY GAME FOR ANY OTHER GAME OF YOUR CHOICE. TEL: 0452 611550 BEATS PAYING  FOR A NEW ONE!!! NAME WE DO NOT CHARGE EXTRA FOR POSTAGE, WE DO NOT USE A POST BOX NO. WE ADDRESS. DO NOT CHARGE MEMBERSHIP FEES, BUT WE DO DELIVER BY 1ST CLASS SIGNATURE OF GUARDIAN RECORDED POST!!! WE CHARGE ONLY .00 (TOTAL) PER GAME EXCHANGED. WEI (IF UNDER 18). CARRY A LARGE UP TO DATE STOCK OF GAMES. TOO MANY TO LIST OUR 1ST CHOICE MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS HAVE RISEN TO WELL ABOVE 3000! MAKE YOUR CHOICES 2ND CHOICE OF A SIMILAR MAGAZINE RATING AND VALUE AS THE ONES YOU SEND. FOR THEIR 3RD CHOICE .00 SAFTEY, SEND GAMES IN PADDED PACKAGIONG AND BY RECORDED DELIVERY. 4TH CHOICE (TOTALL USE A COPY OF THE FORM OPPOSITE OR A SEPERATE SHEET OF PAPER IF YOU GAME ENCLOSED. DO NOT WISH TO CUT OUT THIS COUPON. GAMES ARE USUALLY DESPATCHED BY: AMOLINT ENG AMOUNT ENCLOSED  ... RETURN OF POST PLEASE ALLOW A MAXIMUMOF 14 DAYS FOR DELIVERY. ONLY CARTRIDGES THAT ARE BOXED WITH INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES OR P.O's PAYABLE TO: WE ALSO BUY AND SELL SECOND HAND GAMES AND CONSOLES. The Games Exchange "


"LOCAL BUYERS GUIDE London W12 Surrey GAMES4 THE OFFICIAL NEO GEO CLUB FOR THE UK (4 Pavilion Parade, Wood Lane, London W12 OHQ) SALES HOTLINE: 081 961 9343 Introducing the official Neo Geo Club for the UK, we can offer club members an amazing 10% discount on all new software purchased and can boast the biggest selection of used software in Europe. Most impressive our prices are: NAME RRP NAME RRP Fatel Fury Special 145.99 Three Count Bout 159.99 Samurai Shodown 159.99 Fatel Fury II 159.99 Viewpoint 159.99 Super Sidekicks 159.99 World Heroes II 159.99 Sengoku II 159.99 We also provide a comprehensive and friendly information service for our members informing them of all the latest news on forthcoming SNK products, including Neo Star. So if you own a Neo Geo or are looking to buy a Neo Geo then why not give us a call on: 081 961 9343 YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A CLUB MEMBER TO GIVE US A CALL 14 DAYS 90% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (IT IS CHEAPER THAN RENTING) 100's OF NEW GAMES IN STOCK PART EXCHANGE WELCOME TRY-B4-U-BUY (SHOP CALLERS ONLY) ALSO MANGA VIDEOS IN STOCK Open 10 am 7pm Mon-Sat Games 4U, 3 Dean Parade, Camberley, GU15 4DQ (600 yards from the A30. Take Caesars Camp Road, then left at College Ride, and after the filling station and shops at Berkshire road you will see the Shoppimg parade.) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PHONE 0276 681 864 Inverness Kent SEGA & NINTENDO & JAGUAR Here SAFE SERVICE SICK OF WAITING FOR YOUR GAME TO ARRIVE FROM SOFTWARE HOUSES? WE WILL HAVE YOUR GAME ON YOUR DOORSTEP WITHIN 2 DAYS OF RECEIPT OF YOUR ORDER! BUY-SELL-EXCHANGE ALL OUR NEW GAMES ARE AT DISCOUNT PRICES INCLUDING ALL THE LATEST TITLES LARGE SELECTION OF SECONDHAND GAMES & CONSOLES PART EXCHANGE WELCOME Opening hours: 11am 7.30pm MON-THUR (9pm FRI) 9am 5.30pm SAT FREE CAR PARK Fast & efficient Mail Order service available Send SAE for list of new and used prices (please state which console) GAME ZONE SNOWDON PARADE, VINTERS PARK, MAIDSTONE, KET. ME14 5NS TEL/FAX 0622 766220 MOBILE 0850 013171 (For mail order enquiries out of shop hours) MegaDrive CD Master System Super NES Game Gear-Gameboy OVER 350 GAMES Console Exchange IN STOCK Tel: 0463 221173 25 Greig Street, Inverness, IV3 5PX Kent Co. Durham TEL/FAX: 0474 321838 32 BIT MACHINE SPECIALISTS LTE AMIGA CD NOW IN STOCK  NEO GEO  TURBO DUO   3DO IN STOCK SOON   SEGA & SNES MAIL ORDER  SECOND HAND GAMES BOUGHT & SOLD   PART EXCHANGE WELCOME  WANTED FOR CASH UK AND USA MEGADRIVE GAMES BUY BACK LINE 0891 516980 * NOW IN STOCK LARGE SELECTION OF SECOND HAND NEO GEO GAMES Children under 18 must get permission of the person responsible for paying the telephone bill before calling. Calls charged at 36p per minute cheap rate and 48p per minute at all other times. Maximum possible cost of call .60. Send your games to: GAMES UNLIMITED, 3 SANDERSON STREET, CORNFORTH LANE, COXHOE, CO DURHAM DH6 4DG Advertising Information IF AN ADVERT IS WRONG, WHO PUTS IT RIGHT? TO ADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL BUYERS GUIDE CONTACT NICK JACKSON ON 071 972 6700 We do. The Advertising Standards Authority ensures advertisements meet with the strict Code of Advertising Practice. So if you question an advertiser, they have to answer to us. To find out more about the ASA, please write to Advertising Standards Authority. Department X. Brook House. Torrington Place, London WCIE 7HN. This space is donated in the interests of high standards in advertisements. "


"WORK IN PROGRESS SNES, MEGA DRIVE, AMIGA, PC, JAGUAR TBA MAY RELEASE by ANCO/IMAGINEER 80% COMPLETE KICK OFF Three years since the launch of one of the best soccer games ever, Anco gets ready to release the third incarnation of the title that set the precedent for footie games! (SNES) A real battle ensues as the French try to bring the fleet-of-foot Irishman to a halt. GOAL! (SNES) A crunching tackle from the Argentinian number 11 on the unfortunate Italian. ENGLAND GERMANY (Mega Drive) Germany advance on goal, but the keeper looks to have it covered. 3:46 (SNES) Eire score another goal, and dance a jig in celebration! 22 "


"Kevin Keegan's Player Manager, Anco is gearing up for the launch of its most hotly anticipated game yet Kick Off 3. Dino outdone? Argentina win the corner. GERMAN DODO 0303 (Above) More Mega Drive action. (Right and below) The Jaguar version is coming on well look out for it in a couple of months. Choose a set play. PLAYER ER MANAGER ensible Soccer. FIFA Soccer. Super Soccer. Virtual Soccer. Everybody knows the names of these fine football simulations. But there's one game which shall stick in the minds of all who have played it and loved it, and it doesn't even have the word 'Soccer in the title Kick Off. Released in 1988 by a small software house called Anco which had before then made its coin from such niche products as strip poker games Kick Off became one of the biggest selling floppy titles ever seen, notching up figures of To be available on most popular formats, Kick Off 3 has been in production for over 12 months, and has been the topic of rumour for some considerable time too, the most popular piece of hearsay being that the game would never appear after the departure of Kick Off 1 & 2 programmer, Dino Dini, from Anco to Virgin. As it happens, the finished product bears almost no relation to any of Dini's previous football games, including the VIE-published unofficial Kick Off sequel, Dino Dini's Goal!. As you can see from these ouch! hot screenshots, taken from the beta test versions of the game given exclusively to CVG, Kick Off 3 has undergone some serious cosmetic surgery in comparison to its prequels. Whereas the originals were vertically scrolling, bird's-eye view affairs, Kick Off 3 is depicted in horizontally scrolling, pseudo 3D, very similar to the Manchester United games of four years back. That, however, is the only similarity between the two titles Kick Off 3 promises to be one of the biggest names in the computer football arena. hundreds of thousands. A phenomenon was born, as was a string of follow-ups Anco brought out a management game based around the Kick Off engine, followed by the now-legendary Kick Off 2 and an array of expansion disks to complement the product. Since then, Anco has jumped into bed with massive Japanese firm Imagineer who released Kick Off on SNES, NES and Game Boy, and they also sold the Kick Off licence to US Gold who promptly put out versions of the title on Mega Drive, Master System and Game Gear. Now, fresh from the successful SNES launch of Rough tackling on SNES. (SNES) Not so lucky this time, as the Argie goalie makes a relatively simple save in the six-yard area. Sliding in on the goal. ANCO Play the game A loose ball run for it! Produced by Steve Screech, who was also heavily involved in all of Anco's previous football titles, Kick Off 3 is geared for release just before the World Cup finals in July this year, and the game will have a World Cup tournament in which all the teams that actually qualified for the event will appear. Unlike other soccer games however, which usually field sides that bear no relation to their real-life counterparts, Screech has devised a system that allows the computer to play in styles very similar to those which international teams ENGLAND GERMANY-0 (Mega Drive) The KO3 crowd on Mega Drive is more advanced than its SNES counterpart, but has yet to be animated. A great stop. 23 "


"COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU! Floppy disk versions of Kick Off 3 are still in the relatively early stages of development so there's nothing to show you as yet, but just so's you don't feel left out, here's a shot of Kevin Keegan's Player Manager. Converted from SNES, this fine football management game endorsed by the Keeg himself was a cracker on cartridge, and there's no reason why it shouldn't be at least as good on disk. Completion times willing, we'll be reviewing Kevin Keegan's Player Manager next month, so make sure you don't miss the May issue of CVG! A yellow card for the naughty German. (Mega Drive) And it's a goal! England walk the ball over the line, while the keeper just flaps on the floor. MD Kick Off 3 should be out at the same time as the SNES version, so Anco tells us. actually play. 'Playmakers' have been included in the sides, and these lads behave very differently to the normal, run-of-the-mill Johnny Scorer. 2 (CCT ES LIGHT A nice knock-on. ANCO UNITED MAKE VERY HEAWY WORK OF A WEAK OPPOSITION THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL SQUAD HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED Kevin Keegan's Player Manager is nearing completion on Amiga and PC look out for the reviews soon. The keeper throws out. England 1 Germany 2 When a playmaker takes possession of the ball, he won't just knock it on to the nearest player. What he does is look at the position of the boys up front and attempt to open up play by making a telling pass, with a view to a goal being scored. This is not only a revolutionary concept in itself, but these types of players aren't ten-a-penny in the real game, so don't expect Kick Off 3 sides to be jam-packed with them. England, for example, has Paul Gascoigne controlling the play from midfield, so you'll find the Kick Off 3 version of the team will have its playmaker in a similar position to that which Gazza plays in. And we know that England didn't qualify for the World Cup, but Screech says he's putting them in anyway. Germany, on the other hand, has two playmakers who, unlike England who pass the ball out to the wings, prefer instead to pass straight forward in order to break quickly. Brazil has three playmakers to accentuate their flair play, while the South Koreans, who try to play in a similar style to Brazil's but end up sorely lacking, have no playmakers. Because they're poor. 3190 Sounds smart on Jag Of the versions we've seen, the SNES game is the most complete. All the gameplay is in there, and in fact all that needs to be added is the sound, as well as a few little cosmetic tweaks such as the inclusion of an animated crowd and the like. Penalty to the Irish! We'll be bringing you a full review of the game in a very short while as it stands though, it looks like an absolute winner especially as the game is being released before EA's SNES conversion of FIFA International Soccer. On the Mega Drive front, things are moving at a fair old rate; the graphics are completed and the gameplay is similar to the SNES game, although there are a few bugs lurking around which still need to be ironed out before release. Floppy disk versions of Kick Off 3 are still in the early stages of development, but perhaps the most exciting version has to be on Atari's 64-bit monster, the Jaguar. Using a similar but souped-up engine to that used in the other versions, Kick Off 3 on Jag will feature stunning, almost photorealistic player sprites and incredible CD-quality sound effects and because of the data compression technique used on Jaguar cartridges, there should be much more in there than you'll find on the current crop of consoles. Oh yes it's also set to be the first Jaguar release from a third party software company, which is a bit of a coup in anybody's book. D BODODO 0002 An obvious freekick, there. DS     VCR-like replays feature. (SNES) The action replay shows a simple tap-in on the part of the Italians. You can tailor the replay to show the action at a variety of speeds. 24 "


"OUT NOW A MASTERPIECE IN SEARCH AND DESTROY. FLOOR SCORE ITEM HEALTH AHHO 100%. 299: TECHNICALLY IT SPITS OVER THE 3D SECTIONS OF JURASSIC PARK Deniz Ahmet Computer Video Cames-Dec 93 FLOOR SCORE ITEH HEALTH  9 2-4 4500 1 1007. 9 ITS A BIG GAME AND A SOLID CONVERSION OF THE PC\" Deniz Ahmet Computer + Video Games-Dec 93 FLOOR SCORE ITEM HEALTH  2-4 4500 1 100%. 299 \"OOZES ATMOSPHERE AND LOTS OF BLOOD\" Chris BuxtonTOTAL MAGAZINEJan 94 Copyright 1993 Imagineer Co., Ltd. Published by Imagineer do., Ltd. under licence from a softwares ILLUSTRATION YOSHIAKI KASHIWAZAKI SICER DITENDO SOFTWARE L011 eer ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY IMAGINEER (UK) LTD. P.O. Box 1982, SLOUGH SL 1 6DQ TEL: 0753 671 686 FAX: 0753 671682 "


"WORK IN PROGRESS FORMATIONS SNES/MEGA DRIVE 33 22 22 5 7 by ACCLAIM BRZ 4 4 5 1 onsole soccer games are like the proverbial buses aren't they? You wait ages, watch loads of American Football buses drive past and then, just when you're getting switched on to NBA basketball buses, you get a trillion soccer buses all at once. Or something like that. TBA MAY RELEASE Claim 75% COMPLETE And those football games keep coming! Here comes the Acclaim team with its shot at soccer glory! TO 63 The Colombians versus the Brazilians. Well, we can expect some 335-WEEKNESSES WATCHE fireworks tonight. Those Brazilians ENSEET THE know all about fireworks, of course. This sports presenter's really They're regularly used in their Mardi boring. We want Alan Partridge! Gras festivities. To us, that's Shrove Tuesday of course, when we replace the fireworks... with pancakes. CHAMPIONS OD The Spanish striker steals he Brazilian's watch but the thief is tackled by a heroic goalkeeper. up all the team statistics in the midst of the Graham-Taylor-Is-Crap crisis. We're witnessing a spate of South American tumbling down pitchside. Highly exciting! Anyway, Acclaim's entry into the field is this little number, programmed for them by Canadian programmers, Park Place (of John Madden/EA Hockey fame), and endorsed by the Manchester United winger, Ryan Giggs. It takes the form of a pseudoWorld Cup competition between 24 international teams, very roughly based on their real-life counterparts. So the Germans are poised for world domination, while the 'Great Britain' team (which should really be the England team) aren't really up to much the programmers obviously set Common view The game takes the scrolling grandstand view of the action, with you controlling one of your lads at a time. Slide tackles, shots and passes are all a button-press away, along with newer moves such as jinking to dodge defenders and putting on a burst of speed to outrun the defence. Naturally, there's a player radar on screen, so you can tell whether the keeper should boot the ball straight up the centre or lob it off to the wing, and there's an instant replay function which lets you run through those impressive saves and see all the frames of animation on the detailed player sprites. There's nothing very new here, but will the touch of 'The Giggster' bring football fortune to this title? We'll be taking the game out on the field for a good kickabout next month, so join us after the break. OD BD Action replays are absolutely tremendous, aren't they? Here we can see how the Brazilian goalkeeper destroys his team's chances of winning by his ineptitude. That's all the evidence we need to condemn him to a long spell in Football Prison. Good riddance to bad rubbish. 26 "


"LEVEL INTO Y4OTOS SONIC CAT. NO. 364/3433 CAT. PRICE .99 NOW IN! LATEST TITLES GAME POWERS ovat NEW NOW OVER 160 TOP GAMES AT ARGOS SUPERSTORES! "


"FAS 32-bit O Sampler CD Hectronic Arts is one of the major players in the intermaritionall Sofinare market, so who heller to get support the Real DO Multiplayer. We talke am exdusive look of the 32-bit wonders from John Madden fo Theme Park, coming your way soon... be Road Rash uses a full cast of real actors. The making of a gamelights, camera, action; luvvie It's early days for 3DO, and if the software situation picks up things will be looking very rosy. As Hugh Martin, Chief Operating Officer at 3DO explains: «Never in history have so many companies committed to developing software for a platform in this early stage of its consumer availability.\" But then again, quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality. Watch this space. The new generation of interactive games can soak up some of the biggest budgets. Many of the games EA is working on use expensive movie production techniques, and so the company is currently investing heavily in this area. For Road Rash, EA had to bring in professional stunt directors to choreograph the crashes, which were then filmed and incorporated in the game. While in Shock Wave, actors had to be filmed against blue backgrounds, scanned into a development machine then dropped in against computer-generated backgrounds. Once you filter out the computer graphics, the FMV sections in these games work out as one long series of special effects. That kind of stuff doesn't come cheap. ffering real life in a box'. That's Electronic Arts' way of introducing the 3DO, the 'wonder' machine they're pouring so much time and money into. It started with their founder, Trip Hawkins, forming The 3DO Company in 1990; in pulling together giants in the media and electronics industry, Hawkins vision was to establish a universal hardware platform, reflecting the success of one of its partners, Matsushita, in pioneering the acceptance of VHS in the film industry. EA has over 10 years of software experience, and if they can't get it right the future's not going to look healthy for 3DO. As EA's European Marketing Manager David Wilson points out: \"There's been a lot of people misinformed about 3DO. There's no way it could have lived up to its media hype, but now it's time to get some real games out there.\" This year alone, EA is estimating to release an ambitious 35 3DO titles with its affiliated label partners. Hopefully, we'll see some top games in there, which is essential if 3DO is to compete in a market which will soon be seeing the likes of the Jaguar, Saturn and Sony PlaystationX. In fact, the Jaguar's delayed UK launch has come as good news for the 3DO. Ear to the ground, EA's David clarifies the advantage of 3DO over other consoles: \"It's likely that by the end of the year there are going to be four different 3DO machines on the market, offering choice and price preference with full compatibility with each other.\" preview JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL Software counts Four years later, and the hardware is with us in the shape of the 3DO Real Multiplayer. But software sells machines', so where are the discs? Well, there may not be much on the shelves, but the figures on paper look good. Currently there over 219 titles being developed among some 500 3DO developers worldwide. That alone should signify healthy competition and so, better standards. Yet, most people will be looking closely at what EA has to offer. Possibly the strongest sports title on the 3DO, this new version benefits from exceptional digitised graphics. There are different weather conditions to contend with which effect the play and there's lots of attention to detail; like the colour of the sky changing to indicate the state of approaching weather. In replay mode you can now take control of the cameras and zoom about or even lock on to a specific player to follow his tactics. There are will be over 100 plays to choose from and 1,300 plus player ratings. To brush up on your opponents there are over 100 video clips from the 36 NFL teams in the game, which should be enough to keep every NFL nut happy. While you play you get a useful running commentary from Madden First and last? EA accepts 3DO is the first of its kind, and when you're as successful as EA, the industry takes you seriously. The 3DO is not dead, and with rumours going round of a potential 3DO deal with Capcom, plus a big price drop, this isn't something you can write off. 28 "


"E & 3DO Ufile: Teflon Mike Coht 215 bs. position: Certifiably tiszy Vess and unpredictable. atbike 500 Road Rash on 3DO features plenty of character details. There are eight riders, and a lot of them are female. Real stunt.men were used in Road Rash. himself, and the animation of the teams on field is top notch with no slow down. Atmospheric, playable and almost certain to be a smash. preview ROAD RASH mub the lach ID All the characters offer different approaches to the gameplay. You make selections before the race. Shiny, happy-looking people aren't they? While this follows the same format as its Sega cousin, the 3DO version has been totally redone to include texture-mapped roadsides and digitised characters. The various courses are now crammed Tida with with smoothly updating hills and the feeling of speed is excellent. New to this version is the function to switch weapons while you race, and you can also take time out of racing to play chicken with pedestrians. Basically there's a lot more to do, see and avoid. It's not clear yet if you're going to get any more weapons beyond your club and chain, and EA is considering dropping the on-screen dashboard. The action is very fast however, and the racing aspect is now more challenging. EA has also signed a deal with A&M records to use music from a selection of six indie e. Pearl Liti bands in the game, whose videos will letture, te also be included on the disk at no extra cost to you. Woo. TOP: Lots of detailed action in this 3DO version, using digitised characters. BOTTOM: You can also control the camera views. 29 "


"EZ -bil TripA , preview Build a ride and then climb in! FIFA This is a very, very early version of the game. So early, in fact, that it uses the player sprites from the Mega Drive version, not the neat digitised players that will appear in the finished item. Even so, it still looks blindingly good. Gameplay wise it's just like the Mega Drive version, but on the 3DO you get control the cameras too. So, you can play from any angle, zoom in and out, and actually take the perspective down between the players to get a view from behind them. Theoretically, you'll be able to follow the player with the ball as he dashes for the goal. Given this, you get an incredible sensation of space on the field, it's a bit like watching the game from the referee's viewpoint one who isn't blind though. Another nice touch is the addition of the players' shadows which actually animate and reposition depending on where your view point is. Highly realistic and the best shadow effects in any sports game to date. As could this turn out to be the best American football game anywhere, until the almost inevitable Madden's 95, of course... FIFA on the 3DO is sooo smooth. preview THEME PARK improbably large roller coaster just for yourself. Of all the 3DO games we've seen, this promises to have the most depth. Still, this is also coming out on 16-bit machines, so it's hardly at the cutting edge of the new technology. One of the few games to offer real death and strategy in its gameplay. You really have to think to play Theme Park. Enter the Theme Park and take control of its management and design in this strategy-based game. You compete against the world's top 40 amusement parks, who'll try and buy you out at every stage of the game, especially when you're doing well. And only you can stop them by buying up your own shares and creating the world's greatest park. There will be plenty of tricky decisions to make, like selecting the sort of shops you want in your park; if for example you put a hot dog stand near a roller-coaster people will eat before the ride and get sick, which will damage public relations. You get the idea. Not only do you get to build the rides in the 3DO version, you also get to try them out. So you can build the world's most IW(260) The players have been fully digitised v 30 "


"IT & DO EA & 3DO up to date on the situation by the Global News Network. The version we played only had one finished level, and that only contained straight shoot-'em-up action. Textures have been applied to the scenery to gradually introduce changes in the terrain. So sea melts into land, then on into mountains. cities and even pyramids as you zoom across the numerous countries. Your ship is outfitted with ultraresponsive lasers which make blasting baddies satisfying. The seek and destroy gameplay works better than you might expect, especially when you take the game's speed into account. Excellent Dolby Surround Sound caps off what is a very promising game. preview SHOCKWAVE: INVASION EARTH 2019 This is EA's first big-budget interactive movie. It's a science-fiction tale of alien invaders descending on Earth, while plucky young heroes such as yourself are all that stand between freedom and earthlings becoming an extra terrestrial's main course, The multitude of missions have you engaging in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat as you fend off the alien armada. There are loads of superb CinePacked film sequences and you're kept preview brain the size of a beachball to play it. Of all the EA stuff, Twisted offers the best quality FMV and sound, as well as some impressive hardware effects. Extra real textures have been applied. is a TWISTED EA's attempt at a comedy actually comes off rather well. Twisted is basically a gameshow with up to four human contestants, where the action's set on a spiral staircase with each step being a puzzle or dangerous hazard. The show's host rattles on throughout and there are plenty of neat visual gags. As well as beating the show, there are eight computer contestants out to thwart you and grab your prizes. When you land on a challenge square, one of the opponents will select your task which is usually the hardest one. Still, you can get your own back when you choose their challenge. The puzzles however, are very simple like matching up pictures, zapping commercials and slide-square jigsaws, so you don't have to have a Played as a gameshow this is really full of abstract humour. Puzzles are a bit on the simple side though. e lots of FMV and itha special FMV add-on! 1201200 preview PGA TOUR GOLF This classic title is set to be the most engrossing golf game yet. FMV graphics have been used for the golfers with realistic animation and overwhelming detail. Expect a better control interface as well as more speciality shots. Four courses have been digitised in 24-bit colour and plenty of shadows and backlighting have been included. You'll be teeing off against 60 pros, all digitised and there's even a blurred effect on graphics in the distance. And best of all is that you get a round ball, not the blocky thing you smack around in other versions. vith detailed and complex animation. "


"WORD UP WITH PAUL ast month it was the monopolies commission, this month it's certificates and censorship. If anything, all the recent media attention only goes to prove how large the computer industry really is. But now the issue isn't price, it's preventing you from buying games. If you've already flicked through the news section, you'll see that a set of movie-type certificates are being imposed on new games. Anyone over 18 can buy any games, but 17 and below will be split into three categories: 0-10 11-14 15-17. The worry for me is that some games might be treated unfairly. Mortal Kombat II, for instance, is pretty bloody, so can we expect to see a 15 certificate there? If so, it seems a bit pointless that home versions will be restricted while anyone can pop down to the arcades and play the real thing, blood 'n' all. At the end of the day, certificates are a good thing. Games like Voyeur on CD-i aren't really suitable for younger gamesters. However, the whole certification system is voluntary, all it takes are a few of the big companies to pull out and the whole thing falls apart. Whatever happens, you can be sure of keeping up to date with the latest news by getting your copy of the galaxy's greatest games mag every month. SPOT THE SHOT! COMPETITION Groove on people. It's that crazy part of the magazine where you can win a game just by recognising a jumbled up game picture created on our power sucking Apple Macs. It's Spot the Shot yeah! Anyway, want to know who won Spot the Shot last month? Hold your breath no longer, the lucky person is Robert Ruck from Boston in Lincs. A Game Gear game should be blasting its way towards you as we speak. Nice one Robert. So you think you know what game the picture's from then? Then stick your answer down on a postcard along with your name, address and the machine you own and send the whole caboodle to: Spot the Shot 149, CVG, PRIORY COURT, 30-32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON EC1R 3AU. Please make sure your entry reaches us by 14 April 1994 or Rik'll eat it. 32 "


"MEET THE CVG CREW: STAR WAS LATE! PAUL Friend of the stars Rand is waiting for the film scripts to start rolling in after his recent appearance on the BBC1 national news. Rand pretended to chat about the regulations on video games but what you didn't see was his edited and rather desperate Elvis rendition in the hope that it would be seen by agents and managers nationwide. hat's right. Because of traffic congestion in west London, top star Deniz was late in his meeting with his pop idols Right Said Fred. Although the Freds were disappointed at having to wait so long to meet De smiles all round as the Freds proudly displayed their new single (previously a big club hit) that's been remixed to tie-in with the new Sonic 3 Mega Drive game. Music whiz Deniz proclaimed it to be 'monster, a surefire hit!' and made sure he had two signed copies of the single before he left. One of these he's stored away safely while the other one is being worn out in the office where Deniz makes an effort to impress everyone in the office on a daily basis with his boogie skills. GARY Gaz has started something of a health kick at CVG. He's been trying to encourage everyone to drink herbal teas which have exotic names such as 'Raspberry Rendezvous' and 'Orange Dazzler' Gary's also been running to work in the mornings and insists on doing 50 press-ups before turning on his Mac. Is the pressure of sorting out Rik and Deniz's crayon scrawlings too much we wonder? RIK It's been a quiet month for burger munching champion Rik. Having finally moved out of his Gran's house, he's now to be found in a swank flat with ex-CVG slaves Steve Keen and Paul Anglin. Living with his Gran has obviously had an unfortunate affect on Rik since he keeps offering to make Steve and Paul cups of tea and tuck them in at night. DENIZ Deniz has been looking sad and miserable this month and it's had nothing to do with his hat getting shrunk in the wash. No, the problem is that he hasn't managed to blag anything. Amazing isn't it? Not even one solitary computer game has entered his stripey swag bag. Has the master lost his touch? More news as we get it. Justas Deniz walked in to meer Body Baldy and Ugly Me caught the tu reading CVG. Weld coinci dence or what? Just to prove they are big Sonic fans here are the Right Saids with the mighty Blue One. JULIE Burp maiden Julie continues on her never ending 'top secret mission' this month, so it's been hard to gather any information about her. The boys have been using all their journalistic skills to try and find out what's she's up to but keep getting stopped by burly minders. If you want a big clue though you could turn to page 112. PETREA With Julie involved on a 'top secret mission' Petrea's tasted power this month. She's been in charge of the gaggle of freelance designers who've been trying to keep things flowing smoothly on the design front. Rumours of her eyes glowing red while wielding a whip and laughing maniacally are strongly denied. STEVE -Like Gary, Steve's clearly aiming towards starring in his own fitness video. After a marine issue crew-cut he's now turned his attention to eating salads and other frighteningly healthy foods. And he's done all this despite the best attempts of the CVG crew, wafting his beloved pasties in front of him at every opportunity. 33 "


"I REVIEW SNES by CAPCOM  Out now. Contact Machine Shack (081-769 6401) for information. A MEGA MAN Eight years down the line, and Capcom's original flagship character finally makes it to the SNES. Is this 16-bit revamp any good then? from earlier Mega Man games have been include, like acquiring the weapons and powers off each of the bosses. STAGE MAP riginally a NES game in 1987, Mega Man (or Rockman as he's known in Japan) was followed closely by eight sequels, occasionally delving into Game Boy territory too. For his SNES debut Mega Man is again offering more of his well-thought through platform action. Here in fact it spans across eight levels with some incredibly smart graphics and adventurous platform layouts, reminiscent of the coin-op classic Bionic Commandos. Elements Looks can kill So there you are with a broad selection of weapons, but unlike some games, it's not just a case of picking the best looking shooter and sticking with it for the remainder. Each weapon has its own particular use, and there's sufficient difference between what's available to make making the right selection an intricate part of the game. All your weapons are also capable of being charged up to intensify the damage they cause. You can start on any of the eight levels in this game. When you defeat a boss you get their weapons. HAVEN'T WE MET BEFORE? VERDICT Before Streetfighter had even been thought of by Capcom, Mega Man was its flagship tile. So when the first game appeared (surprisingly titled Mega Man) back in the late Eighties on the NES its phenomenal sales ensured a hefty flow of cash for future sequels and merchandise like sweets and toys. Since then there have been nine more games in fact, making it one of the longest running game sagas ever. Here's the catalogue: 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Mega Man Mega Man 2 Mega Man 3 Mega Man: Willey's Revenge Mega Man 2 Mega Man 3 Mega Man 5 Mega Man 4 Mega Man 6 MEGA MAN X NES NES NES NES GB GB NES GB NES SNES This is not just another platform shoot-'em-up. Oh no, the graphics are well structured, practical and good looking. Your power-ups are varied and you'll find weapons from one stage useful in another. Mega Man's main drawback though is lastability, which isn't helped by a password system which remembers your weapons and order of stages visited, plus you can start on any stage... These gripes aside though, Mega Man X is lavish and cunning while it lasts, and well balanced throughout. 1994 DENIZ AHMET 34 "


"SNES VERDICT PER Famicom I've nothing against platform shoot-'em-ups, but I'm more than a little disappointed with this. There aren't that many original features, especially when you compare it to Super Contra, and Gunstar Heroes on the Mega Drive. I particularly despise the way you can play any level right from the start. What's the point? There's nothing to look forward to if you can see every level at the touch of a button. I don' want to take anything away from what is a decent platformer, it's just that there's not much lasting appeal. PROS: Great graphics and well thought out levels and weapons. CONS: Fairly straightforward and lacks an incentive to carry on RIK SKEWS Shoot aliens as soon as you see them or they will suddenly charge at you, leaving you no chance to attack effectively. Some nice parallax effects and great animated sprites with detail. The problem is that Mega Man's eight levels really don't present much of a challenge. None are larger than the usual platform game length, and more to the point, most are fairly straight forward. There are tactics to be learned like going back over easier stages to recharge energy and weapons, but you can start on any level and play in a non-linear fashion, which doesn't give you an incentive to play on. Obviously, this destroys the graphical pull of the game because you can see it all at the out set A bit shallow and lightweight given the action, but not annoying. It's what you look for. Tense, dramatic and heaps of hectic fun. Never stay on a moving ramp for very long because it will run out of track. Always shoot when you jump off too, then you'll avoid dangers like this. Fresh faced Mega Man X retains your attention because it's lovingly crafted with real challenges and no silly stuff like having to re-kill baddies you've already disposed of. It's also fresh to see power-ups which can alter your approach to a level. For example, one stage may have you doing the usual awkward negotiation of platforms, but load-up in the prof's capsule and you can dash and leap through at ground level, which will allow you to avoid many dangers and collect a nice bonus from left over time units. Nicely done. Eight levels isn't a major challenge, but they're crammed full. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 101 TITUTUL ONWU ml Visually very smart, but this level is repetitive in structure, 30 @ @ @ OK 85 Never walk into a baddies with a spikey ball or this will happen. Use fully charged weapons against these opponents. Any weapon can be charged up R-Type style. 35 "


"MEGA DRIVE by DOMARK .99 Out March. Contact Domark (081 780 2224) for information. PRINSE OF PERSIA The original gore game comes to the Mega Drive in a splat of excitement g e is obviously locked. Book for or loose floor slab to penutup rince of Persia was one of the most successful cross-format conversions ever. The SNES was the best of the bunch, but this Mega Drive version is just as detailed, minus some colour and sound. complex puzzles in search of his princess imprisoned in the tower. Prince of Persia pioneered the technique of 'human' animation which has since been used in games like Flashback, and this is still the best use of the technique, given that the levels are about as platform-based as you could possibly get. As such, each screen is a mini puzzle with the challenge being to get from one side to the other. Such puzzles essentially take the form Here's a scene from the introduction which tells you the plot and save having to read the manual. of stunts, for which you'll have to climb, leap, avoid loose floor slabs, hang from ledges, tip-toe past touch sensitive hidden spikes, crawl under gates and even fight your own reflection. Dealing with new dangers, and discovering some You can jump through both blades, but it's safer to fotoe! really gruesome ways to die is focal to Prince of Persia's appeal. The gnashing metal jaws for example will split your body in half with puddles of blood. You also fight with the Sultan's guards and skeletons, who It's best not to run onto a new gradually gain intelligence and will screen or this can hapiben chase you. Matrimony Your quest is to rescue the princess before the Sultan takes her hand in marriage, and so, the time limit is central to the gameplay. Prince starts off in the dungeons and has to negotiate his way up through 20 stages of GRAPHICS SOUND The challenge is to make it through the 20 levels which take you to this palace. The clock is ticking and the princess awaits. GAMEPLAY The sword fighting scenes are well done, and baddies gradually get more intelligent. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 VERDICT Pas replenish energy and gry pedal powers. Some will bol you learn by colour. -NWAO COCO This plays just like any other incarnation of the game, and fortunately Prince of Persia has always been a top game. While the rather slow paced progression won't appeal to everyone, it will captivate some players since it's a totally engrossing experience that is both highly realistic and tense. The amount of gore is quite shocking in places and the gameplay develops with a superb difficulty curve. The only problem is that you might not realise until the last few levels that you're not going to make it in time, which means starting from the very beginning. IIIIIIIIII TIIT TTTTTTTTT 84 Sometimes guards chase you ng different screens. You an also lure them into traps. DENIZ AHMET 36 "


"SNES OUT ON IMPORT .69 Out now. Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for information. LREVIEW Super Dinua BLACKBEART. ANGIRONMEN 319.890 specific to each table as most of the bonus-type effects are the same whatever table you're on. You'll also find that there's never more than one set of flip pers either, which is a bit old fashioned. A tilt option is to be! found however, and repeated use will sound the alarm and disable the flippers till you lose your ball, so do be careful. Each session will support up to four players and that really is the way to play pinball because hi-scores is what the challenge is about. Not mdnyames use the SNES hiresolution mode, but Super Pinball does, and to great effect. But how does it play? VERDICT of physics and rarely drops straight down between the flippers and you have a fun and realistic pinball sim. Tickled pink fall the pinball games across all formats, why has no-one considered a method of allowing players to hit the ball with varying degrees of strength. Now don't build your hopes up because no, Super Pinball doesn't have such a facility, but it does have amazing graphics, with a perspective which feels highly realistic if a tab detached. Add to this the fact that the ball behaves like it should under the laws Saying that though, It's a shame that more thought hasn't gone into what's on the three tables. The ball really doesn't have much in its path, and there are few desirable bonus spots to aim for. Also, there isn't anything This is one of the most attractive looking SNES games around. Shame that it only offers a simple version of pinball. There are only three tables and there are no options to configure their angle or number of balls for example. More over, there is actually little happening on each table, with few surprises to target. The realistic perspective allows the whole table to fit on a single screen so there's no scrolling during play. However, it can be difficult to spot the ball sometimes. Um, Jaki Crush Pinball is still the best on the SNES. JOKEP DENIZ AHMET 9589 SOUND GAMEPLAY GRAPHICS 100, DDD 724 STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Unfortunately, there isn't much for the ball to hit on each table which makes it boring. 10 2 8 O-NWUOVO 60 Hi-res graphics provide an immediate pull. Shame there's only three tables to play on. The entire table fits on one screen so there's no scrolling! "


"PC by CODEMASTERS .99 REVIEW Micro Machines bouge The breakfast table is fraught with danger. Nip past the oranges, leap over the Cheerios and nimbly dodge the marmalade dollops. losing malarkey Frantic desktop racing or another bad PC conversion? Time to regress ack to your childhood... OQUO fter six months in the pits, Micro Machines has finally made it off the mark and on to PC. If you've never played the game before, it's based on those dinky little cars, trucks, tanks etc that you raced round your living room floor Nudge, nudge. In one player mode you can race against a single opponent or battle it out against three others in the race challenge. The multi-opponent race is straightforward simply charge around the track, dodge the obstacles (pool balls, dollops when you were of marmalade, glue), wee. In either one nudge the other cars or two-player out of the mode you must way and race round a numwin the ber of different race. tracks, ranging from a pool table to a kiddies' sandpit. Er, and that's it. Winning is the most important thing, none of this politically correct Choose your opponents from a frightening array of drivers. The mighty Walter, the dangerous Cherry and the lethal brutality of Dwayne. Scary huh? NUOUW Micraldachines Challenge DRAKT FLYTAU CITRAY WHO DO YOU WANT TO RACE Micro Machines features a wide variety of vehicles. Here I'm slamming around a sink in a dinky little powerboat. PC by ACCOLADE .99 LREVIEW UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS OH WHAT A LOVELY VIEW Like most American football games on the shelves these days, Unnecessary Roughness (which takes its name from a personal foul) boasts a wealth, in fact an absolute plethora of game views. Pressing the keys 1-9 you can view your NFL team from a variety of viewpoints ranging from the normal 'behind the team view' to a quarterback view and a distant 'Olimp view'. These are all very pretty in SVGA (especially the far-off views) but do tend to get a bit blocky when viewed close up. Of course you can also re the pitch 360 degrees, zoom in, zoom out and tilt the view up and down. 42, 29, 38, HUT, HUT, HUT. Once again America's favourite sport has muscled its way over the Atlantic. First Down! had reached the Superbowl but also the fourth time they had lost it. And this time it was Thurman's fault. And he's wide open. Surely noone can stop him now, just a quick 65 yard dash to the end zone. The poor old Buffalo Bills. If you watched the Superbowl you will have witnessed a tragedy. Thurman Thomas wanted the ground to open up and swallow him into a hole so big not even six JCB diggers could dig him out. Why? Well because this was not only the fourth time the Bills Tell us about the game What's this got to do with the review? Well nothing apart from that it's about gridiron, and so is this game.  EPLI P LI?uita 11/rus tilid  FOOTBAL *** TO OOOOODI Choosing the plays is a simple matter of flicking through the pages of the playbook and pushing the joystick to select the play. STOP 38 "


"VERDICT Out now. Contact Codemasters (0926 814132) for information. Bonus In the headto-head game, simply drive off the screen and hey presto a bonus! Gimme a point. I loved Micro Machines on Amiga and well, it's a shame the PC version can't match it. I've been looking forward to this for some time but the scrolling is jerky, the sound is sub-standard and the whole shebang is so slow it's like the cars are driving through treacle which would be excusable on the Kitchen table track, but this is the case throughout. If you're a Micro Machines fan you're going to be disappointed. Another bugbear is that the PC isn't a good two-player machine. Get a joystick splitter cable and it improves, but not by much. GRAPHICS ONDOS CAMEPLAY VALUE VALUE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES GARY LORD It's better with 2 In two player mode the game comes into its own. Instead of opting for split-screen action, the action is full screen. Each player has four points which he/she must increase by driving 6 5 off the screen or by knocking the other car off the track. If red gains a point, blue loses one and vice versa. The game is won when one player gains all eight points or if after the three laps you have more points than your opponent. If the points are equal, the game goes into sudden death and whoever claims the next point wins the game. o — N a 2 0 0 1 0 a SWAP MY PC FOR 2 GAME GEARS, NOT ME Well actually I would because Micro Machines on the Sega handheld is better than this version. This is the fourth sub-standard conversion 1 have seen in the past four months. Sensi Soccer was a pale imitation, Alien Breed suffered from more bugs than a Royal telephone call and Streetfighter II was a big pile of poo. Sadly Micro Machines isn't stunning either. In the garage you've got to power around avoiding nails, screws, oil and glue. VERDICT Out now. Contact Accolade (081-877 0880) for information. I've got mixed views about Unnecessary Roughness. On the one hand it gets a big thumbs up for having SVGA and all the correct player names, but on the other I find it is just too damned easy. Like Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football before it, this game has one long offensive play that can regularly noich up 40-50 yard gains. It works every single time and against any team. In contrast I'm still playing Coaches Club Football and on the hard level I still haven't managed to beat it. SIIHDWHO QNNOS AVTdJINVA 80 STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES PAUL RAND Just when you thought you were getting good, God throws deep snow and icy winds at you. Try having a running game now... Accolade's Unnecessary Roughness follows MicroProse's Coaches Club Football. In full SVGA glory, you can pick your favourite team, design your own plays, and rush, pass, tackle and go 'hrrrumph' as your players are hit by bigger and tougher opponents The major difference in this football sim, though, is in the graphics and the digitised speech, with the voice of commentator Al Michaels talking you through the action after every play ONO UNO UITNO Ouch! How about some aspirin? If you're feeling really ambitious try playing from the Quarterback angle, a brilliant viewpoint but tactically stupid. Like Coaches Club and FPS Pro Football, Unnecessary Roughness also has comprehensive play and league-design options and Accolade has crammed in everything the gridiron fan could ask for, but at the end of the match it's just another US football game. O CERERT HPLW PLCW STATUS CHER SUBJECT Enne Rdumice FOOTBALL RECORDED 39 "


"FREE Send away for the SOCCER SUPREMOS Introduction Pack worth over E5,00 OFFER SU GAD SOWENANs de DOS PLAY BY MAIL It's the fantastic way to play football by post. All you need is a rule book, pen and a stamp. With our beginners guide you'll soon be making all the decisions that give you control over your club. Promotion, fame, fortune or relegation it will all be in your hands! HOW DO I START? With your FREE introduction pack you'll immediately be given a game position and first weeks results. Using the turnsheets provided you select your team and tactics for each weekly game. Then, send in the turnsheet to us before the deadline when your instructions are processed by computer. We mail-out your club's results straight away, alongside a new turnsheet for your next fixture. WHY SOCCER SUPREMOS? Besides being the biggest and best play by mail game in the world, by sending in this coupon YOU WILL RECEIVE: A full colour comprehensive rulebook, including a beginners guide to postal football management, worth .00 An immediate game position, worth .00. Your club's week results, worth .65. A free 24hr phone hotline and fax line to contact the team of professionals that referee and run your matches! Reasonable weekly results prices at only .35 or .65. Regular newsletters and news sheets. Over 10 graphically laser printed pages of results every week. An extremely realistic and detailed game system, that contains everything you'll ever want from a game, plus much, much more! GAD GAMES, 20A BELLE VUE, BUDE, CORNWALL EX23 8JL Please send me a free SOCCER SUPREMOS intro pack worth over | .00. I understand I am under no obligation to play. Name...... .......... Tel no.... | Address.. GAMESMASTER LINES A unique service for personal callers for advice, updates, results and much more. Calls are welcome even out of school times. Open all week Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am -12 noon. SEND COUPON NOW TO: Games GAD GAMES 20A Belle Vue, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8JL Your guarantee of value Allow up to 7 days delivery GAD ..............Post code........ Favorite Clubs............... "


"REVIEW MEGA DRIVE by SEGA .99 Out now. Contact Sega (071-373 3000) for information. for special moves. It's easier in oneplayer mode since you don't have to spend half-an-hour coordinating your moves with a friend. Cheerful, cheerful! This isn't your run-of-the-mill platform game though. There's stacks of variThese hippos are a right pain to get past. They either submerge under the water or open their mouths and knock you off. The powdered toastman will rescue you if you fall off the screen, though it'll cost you. They're weird, but are they wonderful, and can they make you happy, happy? en & Stimpy are the latest pretenders to the weird cartoon throne. Although fairly unknown in Britain, they're huge in the States, hence they've turned up in their own game. Unfortunately the game's plot isn't as weird and wacky as the programme's: Stimpy (the ety here. Just when you think you've conquered a level up pops a surprise. For instance, on the zoo level there's a 'float-'em-up' section where Ren & Stimpy are inflated with an air pump and get around by blowing air out from their... well i think you can guess which orifice we're talking about. And on the outside level it's bike time, only it can fly Ren powers the bike with bellows while Stimpy steers. Yes it is as unsafe as it sounds. Ren & Stimpy is packed with variety. Just when you were getting bored with standard platform action this fast scrolling chase sequence appears. cat) has invented a machine which tums garbage into grub. But greed rears its ugly head and Stimpy forces the machine to convert too much rubbish, and it explodes and scatters all over the town, so Ren (the chihuahua) and Stimpy must track down the pieces, put them back together and live happily ever after. Or something. GRAPHICS SOUND SO Watch out, those coals are as hot as they look! Joy, joy! GAMEPLAY Although you can play the game with a friend, even in one player mode you control both characters, with one leading while the other is used STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES The speed on this downhill section is excellent and on par with anything seen in the Sonic games. 10 VERDICT ONWAUOVO IIIIIIIIIII MULTI Initially Ren & Stimpy scores highly. The graphics are detailed; there's heaps of variety; lovely parallax effects; wonderful sound and the wacky tunes complement the action perfectly. Gameplay is initially strong as there's little standard platform action and lots of new ideas. Unfortunately though, first impressions wear off. The game is too easy, primarily because there's little going on onscreen. A shame really because with the amount of original ideas here Ren & Stimpy deserves to be a classic, sadly it isn't. 14 Slap this monkey to stop him throwing energy sapping bananas at you. RIK SKEWS 41 "


"MEGA DRIVE by ACCOLADE -.99 Out now. Contact Accolade (081-877 0880) for information. BARKLEY ate your power by shooting a three point basket Four's more fun The game does provide full support for four player adaptors and this obviously makes it more challenging. However, the main thing in Barkley's favour is that there are no refs, so anything goes on the pitch, subsequently you can punch and kick your opponents to the ground and steal their ball. It certainly makes a change from normal hands off basketball. Playing basketball without a referee may sound like a heap of fun, but does Barkley offer sufficient scope for bad behaviour? BESES E SEEISS Left: Make it to the end and you get to play in front of a crowd. SPORT HOUSE The backgrounds are quite pleasing but the action on court is a bit dull by comparison. These fancy moves look nice, but they often seem to have a few animation frames missing. Some are also tricky to perform and it's difficult to judge their working distances. GRAPHICS ONDOS 7 There are no rules on court so you can punch opponents to the ground. The computer opponents do it all the time which is annoying. of slamming home the ball, but you can't edit them to your liking. Like NBA JAM there is a power meter which you activate to enable you to run faster, jump higher or initiate super dunks. Obviously this wears out after a while, but you can regenerThere are a variety of dunks' possible. Like NBA JAM, you have a power bar to activate variations. GAMEPLAY VALUE 84 If you have a four-player adapfor then the game is much more fun and playable. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES, 10 VERDICT cclaim's NBA JAM (last issue) has already set the standard for other basketball games to follow. So when something like Barkley comes along so soon afterwards to challenge it you wonder if it's a rushed job. If Barkley arrived before Acclaim's NBA JAM there would be a reason to buy it. However, it hasn't and NBA is the better game. In Barkley the animation is slower and you occasionally have to wait for the screen to scroll and show you where the ball has landed. This is clumsy, but basically the promise of a more fun game thanks to the lack of real sport rules hasn't been lived up to. Yes, it's got fancy moves like NBA, but it's difficult to get a chance to use these since your opponents are always knocking you to the ground. ONWAGOVO Shut up and tell us about the game For a start, the game is slower on the move, and the animation appears to have the odd frame missing when it comes to slamming home the ball. There are 16 players to choose from, each of which has their own strenghts and abilities and methods DENIZ AHMET "


"A FULL MONTH DOESN'T NEED TO PASS BEFORE YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON A BRILLIANT SEGA MAGAZINE! SEGA m A G A ZINE BRITAIN'S ONLY OFFICIAL SEGA MAGAZINE FOR MEAN MACHINES READERS WHO CAN'T STAND THE AGONISING WAIT OF A MONTH FOR THEIR NEXT EDITION, HERE'S THE PERFECT SOLUTION! FROM DECEMBER 10th WE'LL BE PRODUCING BRITAIN'S ONLY OFFICIAL SEGA MAGAZINE. AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH TWO WEEKS AFTER MEAN MACHINES, THE SEGA MAGAZINE WILL FEATURE THE LATEST IN NEWS, PREVIEWS, REVIEWS AND INSIDE INFO DIRECT FROM SEGA IN EUROPE, JAPAN AND AMERICA! THE SEGA MAGAZINE. .25 monTHLY — FROM THE MAKERS OF MEAN MACHINES SEGA. "


"SNES by GAMETEK .99 DISCOVER Crazy cavemen come to life on your Super Nintendo! When you complete a level, you get a little animated sequence, such as this one, where the human has stood on the spear, smacking it into his mouth and knocking his teeth out. The ste emmings was one of the most popular puzzle games ever, combining tricky problems with fast gameplay. Many companies have attempted to copy its formula, one of them being Mirage, the firm currently producing the graphically stunning beat-'em-up Rise of The Robots. The rights for Mirage's first release, Humans on the Amiga, have been by CORE DESIGN .99 Here you can see one of the many uses for Stix. He's been inserted into this convenient hole which allows Bubba to reach the higher platform. 000000 ou'd imagine life as a delivery man would be a fairly ordinary existence and offer little surprises right? Me too, and on most occasions we'd probably be right. But for simple delivery man Bubba, things were about to take a turn out of the ordinary Bubba and Stix get on the conversion bus and take an enjoyable trip to Mega Drive land 031700 Just like that On one of those days when it would probably have been better for Bubba to stay in bed, a spaceship on the look out for alien species Hmm... Bubba can't jump that high, so how's he going to get by? Perhaps that boulder holds the answer. 44 "


"Raquel Welch Out now. Contact Gametek (0753 553445) for information. THE SPEAR GRAPHICS INNOS For example, finding the spear allows you not only to throw it about but also use it as a pole vault. It's not just a matter of waltzing along the platform, picking up the invention and nipping off to the next level, though. For some reason, these lads can't climb up on to ledges, so you have to climb on to the shoulders of your mates and use them as a ladder. As you only get a limited supply of cavemen per level, you have to plan your route exactly, otherwise you run out of men and have to start all over again. 22 He Humans are obviously gagging to rt finding those top new inventions. GAMEPLAY STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES They're not the sort of creatures to mess with, tyro. nosaurus rexes, as an unfortunate human finds to his cost. 10 6 snapped up by Gametek, who bring us the game on SNES. VERDICT Doug Mclure It's a simple affair, in theory. You control a tribe of cavemen who are on the road to homosapienism. It's your task to teach them how to make fire, how to throw spears, that sort of stuff. You do this by leading them through the platform-based levels (there's a surprise, eh?) to the various new inventions which can be used to complete tasks on later stages. ONWAY COCO When Humans was on Amiga, we thought it was a jolly enough game, but it didn't really offer anything that Lemmings had not already delivered. While fun in the short term, Humans soon becomes repetitive walk along the platform, climb on a caveman's back and grab the invention, and that's about it. If you're a puzzler fan then you might go for this game, but you'd be better off checking out Lemmings and seeing whether you can handle the fiddly controls on this format, because it is the better game. IIIIIIIIIII Climb on to your mates' shoulders to reach higher parts of the stage and various objects. PAUL RAND the head by Stix, a stick-like creature that fell with him. Anyway, enough of that. Out now. Contact Core Design (0332 297797) for information. GRAPHICS ONNOS Tell me more The game is a horizontally scrolling puzzle adventure which is based around Bubba's attempts to return to Earth with only Stix to help him. Apart from being used as a weapon Bubba's planky pal can also be used as a lever, a snooker cue, a tightrope balance, a javelin, a baseball bat and a platform to walk across. Although his main aim is to 04100 Stix can be used to swipe baddies with.. LAV TEINDE VALUE get back home Bubba also has to avoid being recaptured by Waldo, a rather fat alien STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT FOON Leave Bubba alone and he'll go through all the usual expressions and also play Stix! Bar the lack of colours and the slightly inferior sound FX and music, Bubba 'n' Stix on Mega Drive is as near a conversion of the Amiga classic as you could possibly hope for. To be honest I'm not a great fan of puzzle games, but this held me captivated for ages thanks to logical puzzles, brilliant control and the sheer range of things that Stix can be made to do. The Mega Drive is lacking in decent games which require more than the movement of your index finger and as such it comes highly recommended. MUUU111 ONO passed above Bubba as he was delivering some animals to the zoo. Bubba and the lorry were promptly beamed into the spacecraft. Something went wrong however, and not long after Bubba had been kidnapped he was ejected from the craft along with all the other aliens and fell to the planet below. Before he could recover Bubba was hit on 85 RIK SKEWS 45 "


"REVIEWS AMIGA by US GOLD .99 Out now. Contact US Gold (021-625 3366) for info. o Wimte 3 Here we are at the start of the Games. Will I get a Gold Medal or get busted for taking those dodgy pills? foc It's time for a thermal joystick as US Gold gather together a collection of favourite winter sports in one wholesome Olympic collection... Lillehammer 4 4 KM 1994 Olyr SE RIK 0:10:48 Here I am going for gold and remarkably there's no sign of Henry Kelly. s I write this people outside are seizing up and turning blue as snow tumbles down. To say it's cold would be like saying the Pope's religious. Add to this the fact that the Winter Olympics have started in Norway and it seems like the ideal time to check out US Gold's official tie-in. Winter Olympics offers you (and up to three friends in the Amiga version) the chance to compete against each other as well as, or with up to 15 computer opponents in the following chillsome events. YE OLDE OLYMPIC GAMES The earliest recorded date given for the first Olympics is 776BC, although historians, large brains that they are, believe the games started long before then. Staged during midsummer at Olympia, the festival became a regularly scheduled event in pre-Christian Greece. They were held in honour of Zeus, the most important God in ancient Greek mythology and all wars would cease during the contests. Like an England football match it must have been rather unexciting, as records suggest the first games consisted of just one event, a 183m foot race. competitor who has the fastest aggregate time after two runs. Last of the ski-based events is ski jumping. Two jumps are required, with points being awarded for style, technique and distance achieved. You want slow, tedious and very boring gameplay? Then try the downhill event on the Amiga. Cor, bit chilly! Biathlon's first, a combined sport of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, it takes the form of a link event between the other games. The downhill event is based on one of the world's toughest downhill courses with the winner being whoever completes the course in the fastest time after one run. You can continue to complete the course, but no result will be given. Super-g is another alpine event and set on a shorter track than the downhill. Again the winner's decided after one run. On the giant slalom the winner is decided after two runs with the lowest overall time winning. Slalom's much the same, other than the victor is the Ooh, isn't it cold! Bobsleigh next. Expect to push your competitors to 4G as you hurtle down the course's 1,365 metres. Coming in to the home straight and we greet the luge. This is where one or two people hurtle around the track bobsleigh-style in a light toboggan (unless you've got a Game Boy 'cos it's not in that version), the winner being the person who has the best aggregate time over two runs. Lastly (for Amiga owners anyway) there's short-track speed skating, where you hurtle around an icy track with a group of similarly clad skaters. The Game Boy's last event is the strangely titled freestyle moguls where you bounce off snow mounds in an artistic way for points.  AIR 0:12. 9 138 KPH The speed and sound FX on offer in the Amiga bobsleigh event combine to make an enjoyable and highly realistic section. 46 "


"Keep those skis (bottom right) straight and you'll gain both speed and distance. Once in the air it's a case of keeping the skis straight otherwise you'll come a cropper. GAME BOY by US GOLD TBA Like the Amiga version the bobsleigh event is certainly strong on gameplay. Feel that speed! With strong graphics and gameplay the biathlon is the best event on offer in the Amiga version. VERDICT GRAPHICS LAY Hmm. On the one hand this is like Epyx's classic Winter Games, which will please nostalgia heads; on the other games have come a long way in 10 years and joystick waggling affairs are not really acceptable any more. The graphics and sound are OK and all the events are playable, especially the biathlon and bobsleigh. The downhill can become boring though. Don't expect classic gameplay here, but it is the sort of game that you'll regularly return to for a quick sortie. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 4 RIK SKEWS The skiing events are just as boring on the Game Boy. ONWAO WOOCO IIIIIIIIIII GRAPHICS INDOS GAMEPLAY Note the trail left behind. You don't get that in the Amiga game. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT Speed skating is the most difficult event to master, but it's worth persevering with as it's fast and great fun, especially with a friend. Game Boy Winter Olympics throws up no surprises either. Graphics are OK and are blur free. There's also a rather decent ski track effect left by your skier which isn't on the Amiga version. Sadly the biathlon event is nowhere near as good as the Amiga's, but events like the bobsleigh and speed skating benefit from the Game Boy's small joypad and allow for some serious speed to be built up. It's good fun and like the Amiga version this is hardly essential but I've found myself coming back for more and I suspect you will too. ONWAO Un Here's the Amiga's closing ceremony. There's an opening one too, as there is on the Game Boy, but to be honest it's rubbish on the handheld version. 75 PAUL RAND 47 "


"REVIEW MEGA DRIVE by ELECTRONIC ARTS .99 Out now. Contact Electronic Arts (0753 549442) for information. NOUGA BENCH. WH Dmi mm WE that SECTING S PACE AT 00 W PLR PTY PLR PTY : 25 Players have strength bars which start off yellow and turn red depending on how much damaged they've suffered. Each stadium has its own built-in disaster, like this shark lurking under the ice ready to pounce. Some of the players simply fall to pieces if they're hit too much. Mutant League Hockey Not so jolly hockey-sticks in EA's extremely gruesome interpretation of an already violent sport 50:25 If a competitor falls through the ice you can see their shadow drifting along very Omen Ilesque. Sick but funny, R GRAPHICS ANNOS . ormal hockey's violent enough, that's for sure. Compared to Mutant League Hockey though, it's like a Sunday tippy toe through the park when the summer flowers are in bloom. Want to know the rules? To be honest there aren't many, as bribing the ref, killing other players and melting the ice is thought of as quite acceptable gameplay. hockey) and features playoffs, penalties and, of course, regular matches. There's an option to use EA's 4-Way Play adaptor, but most interestingly the violence level can be set from 'rough' to 'total annihilation'. Add to this a variety of stadiums to play in, each of which has their own trips and pitfalls, and you've got a whole heap of fun. GAMEPLAY IL This skeletal figure drops the puck down to you. While waiting for the puck to fall hit the opponents to weaken them. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT Nasty boys So how do you win? Well by scoring points, and also by killing so many of the opposition that they'll not be able to field a full team! That's an awful lot of slaughtering to do if you're to be champion. There are two divisions you see, each of which contains 10 teams of varying ability (check out their skull ratings). If you add to this two all-star conference sides and the all-league Galaxy stars and you've got, well a lot of hockey teams basically. O-NWAGON IIIIIIIIII Although Mutant is heavily based on the NHL Hockey game engine, it does have new features. Most importantly the violence has been retained from the original EA Hockey, and it's a right laugh watching players fall to pieces, or see them float under the ice. Sound is good too, with some crunchy FX. The main problem, though, is it's difficult to keep track of which player is under control, making it tricky to score. Even so it's worth buying since it's such fun, but play with a friend cos the computer's very defensive and boring. UM Pleasure and pain The game plays much like NHL Hockey (in other words just like real RIK SKEWS 48 "


".99 12. SLOW GAME COMMANDER II Original Nintendo Seal of Quality it & Sleer START SELECT ITS A JUNGLE OUT THERE FIGHT BACK Imagine e r Imagineer GAME COMMANDER I  Carries the 'independant' Nintendo Gold Seal of Approval your gaurantee of quality  Micro-switched buttons for silky smooth action. Avoids the 'sticking button' problem of lesser joypads O Six independant auto-fire settings COMANDA SUPER NINTENDO Original Nintendo Seal of Dual auto-fire mode (semi-auto and hands-free)  Slow motion control for beating the most challenging games ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM Available from Dixons, Ruture Zone, Game and all good retailers For further information contact Imagineer (UK) Ltd, Unit 16, Progress Business Centre, Whittle Parkway, Slough SL1 6DQ ima gineer "


"REVIEW AMIGA by CORE DESIGN .99 Out Now. Contact Core Design (0332 297797) for information. Larkurere Grab your sword, polish your armour and look mean and moody in Core's new arcade adventure. Grrrrrhhhh his is an isometric 3D arcade adventure cum RPG, so have a quick guess about what angle the plot is going to take? An environmental stance perhaps, or maybe something about the current unemployment situation. No of course not it's all silly names and evil demons once again. destiny. Time passed. Years later Gildom had grown old but had taught his son Ebryn to fight and given him the mighty blade. Quite handy really, because since Gildorn had grown old there had been nobody to keep a check on evil and as such it had taken a grip on the land. As heir to Gildor's throne it As tempting as it is to chop up the bunnies, it's not advised as the sword will drain power from you for being evil. Ebryn, son of Gildorn In Darkmere you're Ebryn, son of Gildom the Elven king. For many years the villagers have been plagued by a fate worse than an Elvis CD stuck on continuous play they have been terrorised by a dragon called Enywas. Despite Gildorn's pleas, the Elven council refused to help the people of Darkmere. Eventually Gildorn couldn't stand it any longer and after a quick chat with his mentor (the unusually stupidly named Malthar the Mage) got hold of a mighty blade from him. Here's where you start the adventure. Spooky huh? Malthar the Mage Anyway, to cut a long story short Gildorn wasted the dragon but was banished from his own race for interfering with human There's some highly realistic sounds like bird noises to be found on this level. VERDICT I'd be lying if I said I liked arcade adventures but Darkmere goes a long way towards changing my mind. Graphically this is a treat and reminds me of Heimdall, Core's classic arcade adventure. The detail in the backgrounds creates an intense atmosphere, as does the superb music, the sound FX are a little disappointing though. There's a lot to do in this game and although it's unlikely to convert anyone to the arcade adventure genre, as the reviewing cliche goes 'if you're a fan of the genre then you'll love this'. PAUL RAND To be honest the fight sequences are a little disappointing and it can prove difficult to line yourself up with an opponent. 50 "


"VERDICT AMIGA INTROMATION The game's introduction tells the complete story behind Darkmere, a time when darkness hung over the kingdom until Gildorn banished Enywas, the evil dragon. It then goes on to tell how the darkness reappeared as Gildom got old. Now it's down to Gildor's son Ebryn to clear the evil that has spread over the land again. Is Enywas behind it once more? That's up to you to find out... Darkmere's presentation is great and similar in style to the excellent Heimdall, but more gloomy. Martin Iveson's score adds further to the game's mystical kick and thankfully the gameplay matches up to the audiovisuals. There's a double-whopping amount of stuff to explore and solve. It never becomes frustrating thanks to the decent control method and logical puzzles. Gripes? The fighting is rather hit and miss and there are few new ideas, but overall it gets a swollen OK from me. PROS: Superb attention to detail and classic gameplay. CONS: Nothing particularly new here, and there are a few control problems. High crop the cras hocaCOLOGO bears na si Leg Sogoa Choe has cercange ho L . 100 oath be a Llane. RIK SKEWS BEWARE YOUR BLADE IS GLOWING ORCS ARE NEAR! GRAPHICS Like Heimdall, and you can't really ask for more than that can you? High atop the cras tho cacao Gibe. seorang Silent i encac tako oviL that has agerconge tho LON2. 8ooath the Oil Lage, Moody soundtracks, but the sound FX lack realism. w Wall St When you're near an orc your blade glows as a warning. looks like it's up to you to uncover the curse of Darkmere... Larry the lamb Easy to get into, great control and plenty to explore. GAMEP What this involves is Ebryn wandering through an isometric world interacting with people and objects he meets. The interface, which can make or break these games, is smoothly handled and movement is achieved by pointing to the area you wish to move to on-screen and clicking. Combat takes place by standing near a baddie, pressing fire and moving the joystick different joystick combinations give different attacks. Although there are only three levels, each of them contain over 150 screens so you should be kept busy for a while. It's not cheap but there are 600 screens for you to make your way through. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Lenny the lion Examining objects and interacting with people is simplicity itself. You simply click over the desired item and a range of options are presented to you; examine, eat, that sort of thing. One slightly irritating point is that all the things available to interact with on-screen appear at the same time. While this is fine the first couple of goes, it can be irritating when you know what you're looking for and have to scroll through a large list. Still it's only a minor gripe as you'll see from the verdict section... KONWU VOO 1111lulllll MISS OK HIT! Tolk fon 51 "


"THE GREAT ZOOL HI-FI GIVEAWAY? Yes combine two pleasures in one play Zool on your Mega Drive whilst listening to your new trendy stereo. Both of which you can win right here... ool the Ninja of the Nth dimension, is Gremlin's flagship character, and his blend of hi-speed platform and bash-'em-up action has won the Zool game critical acclaim from us media types, and you readers have no doubt thought the same because you've taken it to numero uno in the charts. So why is CVG discussing the merits of this product? Well, Gremlin would like to say thank you to CVG readers for their support, and because words alone are not enough, they are giving away a foot stomping stereo system. And fortunately it's not the one that Zool is holding aloft but is in fact a Panasonic compact hi-fi system which is pictured at the bottom of the page. It boosts all the top features like MASH technology on the CD deck, twin tape decks, and full remote control with motorised volume. But does it end there? Well no, as the first prize winner will also get a copy of the game and some Chupa Chup lollies. Five more runners up can also expect a copy of Zool on the Mega Drive, a T-shirt and yep, more Chupa Chups. Answer these three questions and pop your answers on a postcard please (not the insides of cornflake packets) and send to us at: Zool backwards spells Looz, and I don't want to! CVG, Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU Q1:IN THE GAME, ZOOL IS THE DEFENDER OF WHICH DIMENSION? a) 407589219558 b) Nth c) The one sung by the Prodigy. Q2: WHICH POPULAR LOLLIPOP IS FEA TURED IN ZOOL? a) Something foreign and not from Spain. b) The one held by the traffic lady. c) Chupa Chups Q3: ZOOL HAS TO TRAVEL THROUGH MANY WORLDS IN THE GAME. IN WHICH WOULD YOU SEE A HI-FI? a) Planet Hollywood's kitchen b) Music world c) Deniz's technology emporium. Make sure your entry reaches us by April the 15 this year, and good luck. If it doesn't we'll eat your banana flavoured Chupa Chups. Oh and anyone (and their friends and family) from the companies involved can enter this compo, but they can't win anything, so there. KENSIO Yes, we're only teasing. If you win you'll receive this Panasonic stereo, and not the rather old and crumbly one that Zool's holding aloft. They are so kind those people at Gremlin, not only will they send you a copy of Zool if you win, but they'll send it to you in a nice little box like this. 52 "


"LREVIEWSNESI SNES OUT ON IMPORT .00 Out now. Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for information. You need to land on your carrier when it's necessary to refuel your plane. Quite easy actually. You need to destroy a number of jets to complete a mission. AWG-9 TWS Go for a spin Of course it makes sense to use your radar, that's what it's there for, and you'll use it a lot to line yourself up for attack before the enemy is actually visible. Strangely enough, the enemy has a habit of following your right-hand side, so panning to the left will bring them round in sight. This is your map screen; handy Mess around too much, and for looking for your ship. you'll have to go for a refuel by landing on your carrier. With new levels, the enemy becomes more intelligent and aggressive, launching homing missiles and attacking you in groups from either side. Your options at such times are limited to launching flares (which isn't much use) or going for fancy air manoeuvres, like rolls and loops. A Take off is very simple and is an autocamera will even record mated process unlike real flight-sims. your skills. Mechanics aside, there is little more to extract from this game. 0 0 LAUNCH 545 It's not often that a game gets converted up from a Game Boy to a SNES. So can this pretend flight simulator turn your head? GRAPHICS ONDOS his game doesn't deserve to be termed a simulator not by a long shot. Sure, it appears to behave like one, complete with mission briefings, various head-up displays and in-flight twiddly bits. However, you soon guess that this is going to be a simple shoot-'em-up ! the moment you launch off your carrier, having done little more than crank up your speed: since when has a true flight sim made it easy for you to take off? the other limiting factor is that you're stuck with one type of aircraft, and likewise the same weapons for each mission. And they're very limited of course, which can leave you flying round like a prat when you've just wasted 10 missiles trying to lock-on to one enemy plane. GAMEPLAY STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Explosions are nice if you get chance to see one. 6 VERDICT O-NWAGON Comparisons with Super Air Diver are inevitable here. The action is the same sort of simplistic dog-fight affair, with the usual weapons to select and either night and day missions. Unlike Air Diver, the action is viewed from inside the cockpit, which makes it far more responsive, realistic and easier to target opponents. The Mode 7 horizons create a superb illusion of speed and you can even look over your shoulder. However, it is dreadfully repetitive and the view gets boring quickly and it's very similar to G-Loc in the arcades. IIIIIIIII 59 In flight you can look over each shoulder to check on baddies which attack from behind. DENIZ AHMET 53 "


"CD-i by PHILIPS .99 Qurtunow. Contact Philips (081-781 8251) for information. BEST OF FIVE To complete your quest you must finish the challenges in five different! The challenge is structured in a and variously difficult temples. You way which requires you to travel can start on anyone that you wish, through five space temples gathering but you must visit all of them to finfive items of symbolic relevance ish the game. Below are the temples which are then grouped together to in order of difficulty: complete your mission. 1 Dodge-'em-up You can start on any of the temples so there's no linear route to follow. First thing you do is fly through a 3D maze course which is a dodge-em affair. This is easily the best part of 1. TEMPLE OF HOCHMAT Kether shows that the GD-i doesn't need an FMV board to offer a decent game. But how well does it handle action without one? Apart from the linear gameplay the other problem with CD games is that your craft never seems to be part of the action. Instead it always seems more like a cardboard cut-out. 2. TEMPLE OF GEBOURAH ether is a strange game, as you would expect from a French company. It merges fancy flying sequences, which look like something out of Sega's Silpheed, with puzzle tests and maze levels. RIGHT: Is it us or does this pass more than a slight resem blance to Star Wars? 3. TEMPLE OF NETZACH BELOW: One of the many impressive scenes from the intro sequence. I wish you could hear the voice that accompanies this section. It really is tragic stuff. 4. TEMPLE OF HOD 12 Despite the impressive background scenery the bullets' graphical effects are disappointing. 5. TEMPLE OF MALKHOUT 54 "


"ILLULIIIIII VERDICT The dialogue in Kether is hilarious, unfortunately I don't think that was the intention it sounds like something out of a school play. The dodging flight sections are stomach churning, but it is still good fun in a Silpheed kind of way. Unfortunately, the other elements like puzzles and mazes spoil the game and aren't challenging enough. However, I do like the way you can start on different stages since this gives the game some depth. All in all though, it's another typical CD game with decent audiovisuals but fairly shallow gameplay. Kether plays like a cross between Microcosm and Silpheed. This tunnel sequence is very similar to Microcosm. RIK SKEWS One of the baddies. Blast him quick or you'll die! If you make it through you then have to crack a simple puzzle. It's not always clear what to do, and the clock is against you, but you can ask the computer for help if you need it. Seek and you shall find maybe Finally, you enter the labyrinth of that temple. It's here where you have to seek out five stone symbols, find the exit and receive a message about Kether which is important to your quest. If you pass all of the tests you can exit the temple and return to the galactic map, where you head for another temple to continue the quest. GRAPHICS SOUND Despite the fact that Kether runs without the FMV board there are some quality graphical touches to be found. GAMEPLAY STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT Although Kether succeeds more than most CD products, gameplay wise it's still too linear. You'd never choose the dangerous routes that the computer forces you through in this level for example. . What a strange game. There's lots of smart graphics as you'd expect, and the flying sequences are quite fun, however, these are the same each time. But what makes you laugh is the over acted Doctor Who-type voice of the computer commentator which never seems to shut-up. The puzzles you face are too easy to be challenging and the maze sections really let the game down. Why these don't scroll is beyond me, and the creatures in them are rubbish. Even so, at least it doesn't need an FMV board to run ONWAUOVO TTTTTTT the game, but it's damn hard to steer through because the control pad isn't very responsive. Try and collect green pods while you're flying as these replenish your energy, though you lose it quickly when objects bash into you. The clever bit is that you can fly anywhere and hit anything, which isn't usually the case in games like this. 75 DENIZ AHMET 55 "


"FIREVIEW .99 Out: March. Contact Philips (081-781 8251) for information. CD-i CD-i by PHILIPS by PHILIPS .99 Don Bluth presents ACE Having misjudged your move, you receive a new animated sequence showing your death. Problem is, you never know if you're doing the wrong thing until you've done it.. Visually, It's the most action packed game around. But the gameplay seems to be the complete opposite. Eh? What's a bit of a waste, is that there are more animation clips for the wrong moves than the right ones. No doubt because the game is hard. You become stronger as Ace. -ROM may be being hailed as the interactive saviour, but Space Ace is no more g interactive on CD-i than any other format it's appeared on. The prob lem you see, is inherent in its design.  As a coin-op game it was designed to turn heads and lure you into haying a go for curiosity's sake. child form at some very awkward moments. Should you miss the chance to energise, gameplay continues but you have to follow a more challenging route. Certainly, it pulled the crowds, but gameplay wise it was no winner. What you get is a story, a cartoon which unravels in scenes where you have to make well-timed predictions or it's curtains. The problem is that you never really know when you should be playing or watching. Given this, the gameplay becomes highly experimental and each puzzle is a matter of trying each of the five possible reactions on your part. Size isn't everything In Space Ace there's no choice of difficulty levels and your three lives run out drastically, plus it's frustrating with when you die at the end of a scene and have to restart. There's also a slight delay in registering your moves from pad to software which doesn't aid the interactive feel of the game, especially during those hectic flying scenes. Big boy The firebutton can be used to for shooting and to metamorphosise the wee Dexter into defender of the world Ace: a muscular handsome sod who can wrestle with creatures and perform heroic acrobatic feats, plus he's a darn good shot to boot. Just be prepared to revert to your  1993 Philips Interactive Media Intemtational Limited.  1993 Don Bluth Limited. Licensed exclusively to Superclub. VERDICT While you may have seen Space Ace on other formats, you perhaps won't have clocked it in the arcades as it first appeared in 1984. The laser disk version wowed the punters with stunning cartoon graphics, but annoyed them with almost no gameplay whatsoever. The CD-i version is the same the Digital Video cartridge shows off the visuals perfectly, but no attempt has been made to improve on the simple reaction-test gameplay. Good to show off the DV cart's capabilities, but ultimately a waste of money. Flight sequences are always tricky. Be impressed if you get it right first time. PAUL RAND 56 "


"CD-i VERDICT For what it set out to achieve, which is an accurate conversion of the coin-op, Space Ace has come out admirably. The introduction is fully engrossing and it's certainly a lot more feasible than buying a laser disc player to get to play the game in full. For the on-looker, Space Ace looks brilliant. The sound and graphics are outstanding and it all moves smoother and faster than any other CD-based game. However, nothing has been done to improve the gameplay from the coinop it originates from, and so you're left with a game that involves pushing the joystick a few times each minute. Once you've learnt the combos, the game isn't going to take more than a couple of hours to complete. A superb conversion of a dull coin-op. PROS: Stunning graphics and sound. CONS: Gameplay is non-existant DENIZ AHMET It's not always obvious what to do. However, as there are only five possibilities, try 'em till one works. GRAPHICS Awesome use of digital video and brilliant definition. Loads to see SPACED OUT Excelent synchronisation and crisp stereo sounds. Funny too. The bike is just one of the few machines our pal has to use. This fast, so harder to jusge. GAMEPLA Child's play. Shallower than a paddling pool As you probably know, Space Ace is the sequel to Dragon's Lair. When first released, Dragon's Lair was yonks ahead of the competition in terms of technology, and remains one of the few games to run off a laser disc. Predictably, it's also one the first game releases on the American LaserActive consoles. Despite the fact that Dragon's Lair and Space Ace presented an identical gameplay interface, and got criticised for it, creator Don Bluth went on to produce yet another coin-op to follow on from Space Ace. Entitled Super Don Quixote, punters finally received a more real and playable game with more options and paths open for progression. Unfortunately, few arcades invested in the final instalment and so Super Don Quixote remains something of a best kept secret. How about digging it up, Philips? There's no game here, but it's a good conversion; hence, some marks. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 MONWOOD IIIIIIIIIII MISS OK! HIT 57 "


"REVIEW P C by US GOLD .99 Out now. Contact US Gold (021-625 3366) for information. TERMINAT The year is 2029 and mankind is being slaughtered by the machines. Can you stop the brutal terminator rampage? TARGET. ID Time to kill Rampage is the sequel to the old flick-scrolling shoot-'em-up Terminator 2029 and the plot is as tangled and tortuous as the movie. Set after the events of Terminator 2, John Connor and the rebels won the war against the machines by destroying the Skynet Orbital Platform. However, just as it exploded Skynet cleverly launched a modiTONS OF TERMINATORS TO Even the top-of-the-range Terminators are no match for an Uzi 9mm and some gritty determination. Look what those machines did! Not only do they hate mankind but they hate flowers and bunny rabbits too. amage, mindless violence and big guns have always been good ingredients for a computer game and with Doom currently the hottest, bloodiest slaughter-fest on the PC, Bethesda has come up with Terminator Rampage, a smoothly scrolling 3D shoot-'em-up with violence, robotic death machines and loud explosions in generous abundance So, you're a Terminator fan huh? You want to save mankind and battle indestructible robots against overwhelming odds with little more than a peashooter? Well you got it. Apart from Terminator Rampage here and the original Terminator 2029, the Terminator nuts among you can also get your future-fix from Virgin's T2, a faithful coin-op conversion that has everything bar the cabinet-mounted Uzis. It can get a bit dull and repetitive after a while, but the two player version is a hell of a lot of fun. Ah the shotgun. It reloads with a satisfying click and blows holes the size of manhole covers in anything metallic. SPAS 12 fied Terminator, called a Meta Node, back into 1984 to the Cyberdyne Laboratories to alter the time-line and neatly avert its own destruction. You have been sent back in time to stop the Meta Node interfacing with the Cyberdyne computers and to save the future of mankind. Got all that? Good. Let's move on. "


"VERDICT Rampage is a highly atmospheric game the 3D graphics technology and the sound are pretty darned good. Sadly, however, the gameplay is a bit dull and if you're a Doom fan like me, you may find the whole thing a bit too slow. Although Rampage can certainly be fast and furious, there isn't enough ammo' dotted around to make staying and slugging it out a really viable option. But despite this, Terminator Rampage grew on me in a big way. It's an awesome challenge and will take you a hell of a long time to beat. PROS: Superb, speedy graphics and very tough to beat CONS: It's been done before, and better, by Doom. GARY LORD Morality? Pah! GRAPHICS Superb 3D routines but still not a patch on Doom. Using a variety of weapons including your humble handgun, the M-16, the Uzi and a rather impressive minigun, you must prowl the corridors of the Cyberdyne Labs searching for 16 gun pieces that will enable you to construct a huge ultra cannon and thus destroy the Meta Node. Yes, what it all boils down to is three main things: walk along dark, moodily lit corridors; shoot robots and search rooms; and finally construct the gun, destroy the Meta Node, torch the building and escape heroically through the nearest window. Simple really The Terminator theme tune pounds away and the guns go bang. SE PISINE GAMEPL It's involving but sometimes there aren't enough enemies. It's a very difficult game which won't disappoint Terminator fans. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES If you grab hold of the minigun you can cause A1 havoc. On the later levels you need it, believe you me. 45 LOL.ESLIDE  Check out the superb 3D Gouraud, er, light-source shaded corridors. WIMMITT VERDICT ONWA MSS OKHIR Rampage is one of the toughest games I've played in a long time. OK I admit it, I'm a Terminator fan, but Rampage is not only damned difficult it's beautifully presented with great music and light-sourced, texture-mapped corridors that are incredibly detailed. You really must have a top-notch 486 machine for this one, and if you want to get the whole experience try playing it in the dark with the sound cranked up. It's not a Doom beater, but it's a much harder game and I think you'll have a lot of fun with it. Eat lead and die If you're familiar with Doom, Wolfenstein or even Ultima Underworld you'll have an idea of how Terminator Rampage moves. It's silky smooth and highly atmospheric; the corridors are eerily empty and the Terminator 2 theme tune plays along in the background. If you ever get bored with Doom (!) or if you're just a rampant Terminator fan, Terminator Rampage is a challenging shoot-'em-up and, apart from Doom, it must be the most atmospheric 3D game around. PAUL RAND "


"REVIEW PC by MICROPROSE _.99| Out now. Contact MicroProse (0454 326532) for information. A futuristic vampire blast, but is it an RPG, graphic adventure or some where in-between? BLOODNETE Watual succumb to your greatest enemy math. IT'S CYBER BloodNet draws its inspiration from cyberpunk. Pioneered by William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer, cyberpunk is a place where chaos, poverty and disease are rampant and street gangs prowl the street. All information and business is carried out electronically in a computer generated world known as 'Cyberspace' and hackers use sophisticated equipment to break in and steal it. If you fail to cure Stark, or get killed by a street punk, you'll end up looking like this. You're still attractive but only to other vampires. The world of Cyberspace is a gateway to information, confacts and most importantly al vital source of clues. he future is going to be bleak. Take New York in 2094: society has collapsed and street gangs, computer hacking and drug abuse is rife no change there then. In the midst of this urban nightmare wanders Ransom Stark, a one-time computer hacker with a brain disease brought on by too much time spent in virtual reality. you can only visit a limited number of locations, but as you piece together the complex plot, new ones will present themselves. Your quest won't just take you around Manhattan either; Stark can also access or 'jack into Cyberspace, a computerised world of VR. Oh and there's combat here too, both in the real world and the cyberspatial one, along with puzzles, sub-plots and red herrings. It's like Blade Runner right? No, it isn't quite like Blade Runner, but if you've seen the movie you'll have an idea of how BloodNet looks and feels. There's a whole world to explore and somewhere in the middle is the cure for Stark's vampirism. But be warned, to stave off the disease you'll have to feed on human blood. This ain't nice so if you've got any concrete morals put them back in the cupboard next to your copy of Syndicate. BloodNet is brutal. Someone doesn't like Stark and he's started telling him by leaving messages in er, blood. Vampires & GRAPHICS ANNOS With the aid of a brain implant Stark can live a normal life, but he is being stalked by Van Helsing, an undead vampire lord. This is where the game begins and where you have to guide Stark across the city, searching for a way to cure the disease. Although BloodNet looks like a graphic adventure, it is more like a role-playing game. At the beginning GAMEPLAY VALUE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Getting into Cyberspace is a simple matter of hooking your head up to a 'deck'. 10 VERDICT The city in BloodNet isn't the most scenic place in the world. BloodNet is stunning. With its dark, oppressive mood, combat, puzzles and cyberspace sequences, it's one hell of a challenge. But it must be said that this game isn't going to appeal to everyone. Remember it's more of an RPG detective game than a graphic adventure, and at times it's so weird and complex I just haven't a clue as to what is going on. But hey, if you fancy a challenge and you don't mind a bit of gratuitous killing and bad taste, then pop out and buy BloodNet. It's simply superb. ONWUOVO IIIIIIIII ||||||||||| TTTTT PAUL RAND Combat is resolved on a turn basis and is far from easy. 60 "


"REVIEW S NEST OUT ON IMPORT_ Out now. Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for information. TES oo Extra items of clothing, like this head scarf, will protect you for at least one attack. TINE: 2.99 4 D * Link goes to HOLLYWOOD Slap-stick humour and lashings of pink infest your SNES in this spoof licence The paint gun is with you throughout the game. One squirt will dispose of baddies fairly swiftly. GRAPHICS SOUND the exits to the other levels. Not unexpectedly, you do encounter exits which are beyond your physical reach and for these you must find coins to insert in a slot machine. Doing so activates a bridge, crane, magic carpet or umbrella to get you that step closer to completing the game. Do everything logically, and the initial high difficulty curve soon retracts and the game becomes a joyous romp. CAMEPLAY 69 STRATEGY SKILL ACTION ou'd think that the Pink Panther would be an ideal culprit for a game, especially for a character who doesn't need to talk but relies on visuals gags to cause a chuckle. Looking at it like that, Pink certainly makes his mark in this 14 level spoof of Hollywood movies. Titles like Honey I shrunk the Pink, Pinkin Hood and Pink Beard, all provide familiar environments for our friend to get through. While offering nothing in terms of platform originality, Pink somehow manages to capture the feel of his character precisely. The first thing you notice is the rather large and brilliantly done panther himself. Even that expressionless, casual stroll has been perfectly animated. That alone doesn't make the game, but Pink can sprint and spray his limitless supply of Pink paint at the few infesting creatures that are on each level, or sling a movie prop from a safe distance. If all that fails you can always jump on their head (yawn). REFLEXES There are secret platforms to be found everywhere. VERDICT Good structure in a platform game is vital, and what's also important is that there's plenty to do. Pink scores on the former but not on the latter. And if that doesn't annoy you the suspect sprite detection will, or the fact that there's no restart points. It is easy progress through though because the baddies are always in the same place and lack any sort of intelligence, which is unforgivable. The only saving grace for Pink Goes To Hollywood is that it is actually a quite funny game, but gamers can't live by humorous platformers alone. ONWAGOVO TIILITIILIT M 69 Pink panic Progression isn't strictly linear as it's from the first stage that you hunt out DENIZ AHMET 61 "


"WIN A SURRC TV SYSTEM W Imagineer is so pleased with its new SNES titles, Wolfenstein 3D and Space Ace, that it's come over all generous and decided to give away, to one very lucky CVG reader, a fabulous, right-at-the-forefrontof-home-cinema-technology Hitachi 25-inch Surround Sound TV! With its four external speakers placed around your room, sounds will appear as though they're coming from all over you'll hear bullets shoot from left to right; planes will fly right over your head; it's a truly amazing piece of kit. So answer the questions opposite and get your entry in! JOR L-5 SCORE ITEM 4900 OK HEALTN AHMO 9 100% 287 "


"UND SOUND ORTH ,000! WITH IMAGINEER AND CVG! 1. Who played in goal in the movie, set in WWII, 'Escape To Victory' was it: And when you've got those answers, then complete the following tiebreaker in not more than 12 words: What do you have to do to win this terrific prize, worth nearly ,000? Well, as we're all rather large fans of war movies, we thought we'd get you to answer the following war film questions, as a loose sort of tie-in to Wolfenstein: A: Bruce Grobbelaar? B: Sylvester Stallone? C: Mel Brookes? I COULD SORT OUT BORF MUCH BETTER THAN SPACE ACE COULD BECAUSE... 2. Who, out of the following, did not star in 'Where Eagles Dare'? Once you've done all that, write it all down on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope, add your name, address and age and post it to: A: Clint Eastwood? B: Richard Burton? C: Mel Brookes? 3. Who played Adolf Hitler in the film 'To Be Or Not To Be'? GOTT IN HIMMEL! DIE SURROUND SOUND TV IST VEHR GUT!, CVG, PRIORY COURT, 30-32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON EC1R 3AU. A: Arnold Schwarzenegger? B: Jack Palance? C: Mel Brookes? 4. Which of the following other people called Mel have also starred in a war film? FLOOR SCORK ITEM HSALT  1007 273 A: Mel Tormé? B: Mel Gibson? C: Mel Smith? This competition is not open to employees of EMAP or Imagineer, or the friends and families thereof. Please ensure that your entry reaches us no later than 14 April 1994, otherwise we will have you clapped in irons and thrown in Colditz. Then again, we might just consider your entry invalid. Good luck! 63 "


"NEO GEO by SNK .99 Out now. Contact DGM on (081-965 8199) for more information. Do we really need another beat-'emup? Does it really matter if it's as good as this?  low he original Art Of Fighting was one of the most popular Neo Geo carts ever, so SNK has really pulled out the stops for the sequel. And it shows. The initial spec is one of the most impressive yet for a beat-'emup on this system. With 12 characters, each featuring at least three special moves, full camera-style zooming when the fighters get in close and new backdrops, AOF2 clocks in at an incredible 130 plus megs! plenty of fireballs and near-dragon punches, but this is offset with lethal rapid fire punches and kicks, the likes of which have never been seen in a combat game before. Some of the joystick combinations for the special moves haven't appeared in combat games before, so it takes hours of practice just to master just one character. In truest Streetfighter style the winning character rubs it in with a suitable unfunny, and often badly translated from Japanese, quote. cue Ryo's (the hero) sis new bad guy in the second game, ter, Yuri, who was held the dreaded Mr Big, the world's hostage by Mr Karate. In a most dangerous slap-head, and the plot-twist worthy of the Neighbours man you must defeat. award for writing excellence, Mr Unlike most combat games, the Karate turns out to be Ryo's and special moves aren't total Yuri's dad. This leaves room for a Streetfighter rip-offs. Sure, there are Kill! Death! Maim! In the original AOF you had to resRage OEOT RYD VERDICT against FMJIN the In my opinion AOF2 is easily the best beat-'em-up to appear since Streetfighter II first hit the arcades in fact I'd say it's much better than most of the new versions of Capcom's classic. Apart from the stunning graphics and excellent action it's also very, very difficult. Fighting your way through the last four characters takes nerves of steel and the kind of reflexes you get from drinking coffee by the bucket load. If you don't have a Neo Geo, get down to your local arcade now for the greatest combat experience of '94. machine One feature unique to Art Of Fighting is the Rage gauge Power it up with the psyche but tons and the fighter starts to glow while making worrying growling noises, then they'll execute a special move which causes even more damage than usual, DENIZ AHMET Repeat-hit moves like this one do loads of damage. 64 "


"VERDICT NEO GEO NEOGEO NIO SNK It sounds strange talking about a game which, to all intents and purposes, is actually better than Streetfighter II. Art Of Fighting 2 has everything in its favour, amazing graphics, stunning special moves and a difficulty level that's enough to stump most beat-'em-up fans. The story element makes the single-player game almost as playable as the two-player mode. What more needs to be said, other than I hope we get some good conversions soon. JACKANORY A particularly original feature of the one-player is that it actually follows a storyline. The characters are still thrown at you in a random order, but as the game unfolds you find out more about Mr Big's evil empire and that there might be a thirteenth fighter lying in wait for you. As you progress your character also learns super-powerful special moves, which are essential since the game is incredibly difficult from the seventh round onwards. PROS: Easily the best beat-'em-up around. It's got the lot. CONS: It's only on Neo Geo and coin-ops, so not everyone will get to play it GARY LORD Loads of excellent animation and smooth scaling. GRAPHICS : MOVBE SHOULD HAVE BECOME TEACHER. GETTINO BORED The power of the special moves depends on how powered-up the character's rage gauge is. the downside, though, is that you can't block while psyching. Battles are settled mainly with special moves, this means the battles tend to last a lot longer, so if you're playing the game in the arcades you get good value for money. Like the first game, the screen zooms in when the fighters come together, although this time the effect's a lot faster a smoother, so it doesn't detract from the action as it did before. Decent soundtrack, but excellent, over-the-top effects. The excellent Manga-style graphics make for some of the best visuals seen in any coin-op. Who needs polygons when you've got sprites like these? Simply the best Neo Geo beat-'emup that you will ever see. Probably. A bizarre multiple hit which does vast amounts of damage. A bit pricey as Neo Geo games go. THE CHALLENGERS Art Of Fighting 2 now boasts 12 characters, including the original heroes and villains. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES LEE PA/ LONG 10 THE MOSTEOUS ANA GUY EIJI KISARAGI THE TEAGIC FUIST RUN MICKEY ROGERS KONWO000 IIIIIIIIII THE DECATE DESTRONER TEM JIN III THE KING OF CABAI TAKUMA SAKAZAKI MISS DK HIT! I THE MOESTEK TRE MUSCUEHEAD JACK TURNER YURI SAKAZAK/ THE SHEN-SHOCKED ANCHO JOHN CRAWLEY THE ULTRA SOIHISTICATED KICK BOXES IME KULEP CARCIME DIME MR BIG 65 "


"SNES OUT ON IMPORT -69 REVIEW VOTOME Some sections have fixed scrolling. These are usually where you encounter the endof-level boss. LLLL be done well. Mario Cart, Exhaust Heat Il and Pilot Wings are the best examples. Votoms unfortunately, isn't. For starters it uses a DSP chip which should make it smooth and fast, but it doesn't it just bungs up the price. That's besides the point though, because the main problem with Votoms is shallow gameplay. Armoured Troopers enter the arena of Mode 7, DSP chip action. Could fast hectic action be ahoy... ode 7 on the SNES is a pretty effect. It can let you put lots of nice colours on a flat surface, then rotate it or zoom in and out on it. You see it in a lot of games, especially as an effect on bosses. However, when it's used as a main part of the game it's got to Heavy metal Shoved inside an Armoured Trooper you land on a Mode 7 map where you have to destroy others like yourself. The task is the same on each level, but the opponents get progressively REVIEW S NES OUT ON IMPORT -70 ACCELE BRIDE Can the anime style characters lift this head-on shoot-'em-up past the first level? he Japanese have a thing about huge robots which transform into different kinds of attack vehicle. It's been used untold times in all that anime stuff that floods over for your left and right arms. Having done that you decide if you wish to be able to morph into an attack or defence flight craft. The benefit here is that one is faster, and the next more durable. Do all that and it's into the game proper. The two weapons you've chosen can be charged up to allow for repetitive fire, so while you can use both at once, it makes sense to switch between the two at intervals. However, you can also punch and kick baddies and release the odd smartbomb, and you collect tokens for points and power-ups. With these points you later get a chance to move to a better attack craft, and so it goes The object is always to try and survive for the length of each course. The question is: is that really worthy of you? here, and now it's increasingly appearing in their games. Accele Brid is the latest tale. Here you essentially have a shoot'em-up which takes place in various sorts of repetitive forward scrolling tunnels with you zooming around taking pot-shots at anything coming in the opposite direction very much like Space Harrier. Armed to the teeth Now while that's all you're ever asked to do, there are plenty of options to make it all a bit more involving. At the outset you get to configure your armoured craft. For this you have a certain number of points which can purchase weapons 66 "


"VERDICT Out now. Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for info. R Votoms tries to blend elements of Mario Cart with Cybernator into an action-packed blast-'em-up. Unfortunately, the end result is a repetitive dash around a series of dull Mode 7 landscapes. The speed and smoothness of the graphics is well below standard for a Mode 7 game using a DSP chip. But worse still is the awkward control system which uses the L and R buttons to steer your character like the overhead sections of Super Probotector. Two player mode handles well with its split screen, but those sprites are just too jerky. GRAPHICS A power-up token awaits. There isn't many to be found. aggressive and you start to encounter land mines camouflaged in the scenery. Occasionally, the game switches to a head-on face-off against a boss. INNOST GAMEPLAY . ISR VALUE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Effective disposal DENIZ AHMET 4 When you complete a stage you receive a new weapon. There are only three of these to be gained, (but yes, there are more than three levels) and each is varied enough to provide a dab of strategy in switching between them to dispose of opponents more effectively. In two player mode it's quite fun, and you get to choose which trooper you want to play out of five basic models, change their colour and select the terrain to fight on. O-NWAGON IIIIIIIIII TUTTI ABOVE: Punch baddies to death if you get a chance. Hardly gripping stuff. 65 LEFT: In dual mode you have to destroy opponents in a headto-head battle. VERDICT Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for info. GRAPHICS ANNOS WEAPON SELECT SETUP I LEFT  The shallowness of this game is shocking. The graphics are reminiscent of the C64, the tunnels loop endlessly, sprite animation is poor and the whole thing just lacks any imagination. Not only this but the game is just too hard it's difficult to aim at anything successfully; sometimes baddies approach from behind, but you can't move forward so you have little chance of avoiding them. The radar should help you out, but it's just too small to decipher at a glance. The only good feature is the atmospheric music. PAUL RAND  - FIEND-VOLCON GAMEPLAY HEND-MESNON STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 Select your weapons before you enter combat. ONWAGON IIIIIIIII PAUSE! The Mode 7 backgrounds are the most repetitive we've seen for ages. Your robot can change into different shapes, none of which are any cop. "


"AMIGA ADVENTURE SOFT .99 (.99 A600) Out now. Contact Adventure Soft (021-325 0847) for information. VERDICT Simon 2 & the sorcerer 'Strewth', I thought as the nine disks fell out of the box, this is going to be unplayable.' Boy was I wrong. Simon's been lavished with care and attention and the first place it shows is in the lack of disk swapping. Adventure Soft has ensured that adjoining scenes are on the same disk whenever possible. A nice touch and there's plenty more. Graphics are fantastic, even on the base machine. Gameplay's where it's at though, and it's funny, challenging plus the control is fantastic. Heck, even the manual's worth reading it's that polished. RIK SKEWS Here's where the adventure starts. What lies ahead for Saucy Simon? The two-headed shopkeeper is more interested in arguing with himself than selling you anything. Even on the A600 the graphics are of the highest quality. Watch out LucasArts. and other would-be adventure kings, here comes Adventure Soft ready to steal your crown An animated intro starts the game off nicely. Simon uses a point-and-click interface. GRAPHICS 90 INNOS land of wizards must beat the bad guy and save the kingdom GAMEPLAY STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES) This troll's looking for satisfaction. But what could he mean? This wise owl resides in the middle of the forest. He could have the answer to your problems. 10 Jigsaw puzzle Simon the Sorcerer is an adventure-type game and the interface is the standard point-andclick type, with commands at the bottom of the screen. For instance, you can TALK TO characters on screen or CONSUME something. When you talk to characters you're given a number of possible replies to choose from, which range from downright sarcastic to sickeningly crawly. Unfortunately it's hard to resist the sarcastic option. I suggest you try because you won't get far in the game otherwise! he first thing that strikes you about Simon the Sorcerer is that it makes you laugh. Now call me an old cynic if you like, but few things manage to these days. Because of this I've even forgiven Adventure Soft for using one of those classically cheesy plots. You know the sort of thing. A streetwise teenager who gets sucked into a TIILIITTI ONWAUOVO 10 UM A good service One of the major put-offs with adventure games is that they can be very difficult. You come across a puzzle and it takes a fortnight to solve it, which can prove very frustrating. To solve this you can talk to the people directly behind the game by telephoning 021352 0847 every day between six and seven Customer service or what? adventure sort 86 68 "


"REVIEWS: The Maze Streetfighter? Swap the 'f' for 'sh' and you're nearer the truth Crystal Maze Who said 32-bit games had to be good? Check out this awful Archie effort! BLOOD SPORTS on a Spectrum. They do, however, look out of place on a 32-bit RISCbased computer. This is an atrocious title which serves no purpose other than to make you turn off and load up an educational game. e may be doing Hula Hoop ads now, but Richard O'Brien became a star on Channel 4's cult game show, in which the contestants played a number of different games, the object being to collect crystals. These were then transformed into seconds in the Crystal Dome. Once the contestants reached the Dome, they had however many seconds they had accrued to collect as many gold tokens as they could to win a prize. AZTEC OCEAN OCEAN FUTURISTIC MEDIEVAL Sonya Blade rip-off attacks Ken copy, while Ryu look-alike merely watches. Not only do the sprites look rather poor, they're hideously animated, too. Two for the price of one. Bristol Maze That's the idea, and it converted into a quite-jolly SWP coin-op which coughed up a fiver if you collected 50 or more gold tokens. Now it's on the Archimedes. And what a waste of resources it is. There are hardly any games to play, and the majority of them wouldn't look out of place It would be a-maze-ing if anyone harboured any thoughts of buying this woeful title. lood Sport is, yes, you guessed it, a Streetfighter clone. In fact, it's a Streetfighter clone with little bits of other beat-'em-ups thrown in. GRAPHICS SOUND UNNOS MEPLAY GRAPHICS GAMEPLAY VALUE Bloody hell This is a shockingly mediocre piece of software, containing some of the worst graphics and gameplay I've seen. The sprites, while bearing a vague similarity to their 'real counterparts, look like they've been put through a shrink-wash and hit with a mell-hammer. And as for the game itself? Well, any beat-'em-up these days has to have a unique selling point, and Blood Sport's is its complete lack of any redeeming features whatsoever. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 VOC Who needs 30 frames per second Gouraud shaded polygons when you can catch marbles in a drainpipe? ONWAGON ITTTTTTT O-NW A ITITIITTO TIT 10 Any of these lads and lasses look familiar? What can we say except 'Eeurgh! Out Now. Contact Sherston (0666 840433) for info. ARCHIMEDES by MATT BLACK TBA ARCHIMEDES by SHERSTON  TBA 69 "


"SNES OUT ON IMPORT 55.70 Out now: Contact Console Concepts (0782 712759) for information. 27 N12345 Super ASR HO 11312610 BIBIRU 2  PLAYER INI2345 DISTANCE THERE THE 2 MPH NI2345 DISTANCE CRONINKL IN D IT OO Here's the villain. Bash into the back of his car until he decides to pull over and give up. Yet another SNES game with the word super in front of it. Is this cop game worth another chance or what? In this later stage, stay in the right lane or you face head-on traffic. Crashes waste time. 80 SCORE 72468O 61 Fine, so there's a stack of courses to go through before you catch the entire gangster mob, but you'll find yourself giving up long before that. There's more fun to be had in crashing into the trees and tunnel walls, just to see the silly expressions pulled by your driver in his mirror. MPH PLAYER NI 2345 DISTANCE DRINSI GRAPHICS 8. SOUND GAMEPLAY VALUE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 he good thing about Chase HQ Il was that you got a gun to blast! the baddies with. So why has Super Chase HQ got rid of the gun? Probably because you now take a backseat view of the chase, and this certainly gives the whole affair a more dramatic feel to it; but it also makes the gameplay area small and the graphics outside poorly defined. Once again, the gameplay is about apprehending a series of criminals. You dodge in and out of cars When this happens, you known you've won. The quickest way to win is to use your turbo boosts for added impact and damage. for a minute or so, then your sirens go off and you have to bash into the crims' car and force it to pull over Chase HQ Il is something of a classic (originally), so Super Chase HQ before time runs out. This can take shouldn't have ended up like this. Apart from the interior view-point ages, but the nitro turbos speed and that you're lacking a shooting comrade, things up and keep you close to the there is no difference in this to any of the baddies. Usually, the n'er-do-wells other games. The graphics are fast, and the lean out of the car and start shooting car handles well, but everything else is at you too. Damage to your bonnet showing its age. The time limits are very tight and their car indicates how close you and on some later levels you'll swear you've are to making an arrest. got no chance. Apart from the changes in scenery each chase is utterly repetitive in Take a-resi play and so becomes tedious. Avoid. Having made one arrest, it's time to do it all again on a different course as DENIZ AHMET you chase after an elusive drugs smuggler. And that is all there is to it. VERDICT ONWU IIIIIIIIIII MULTIT 50 "


"TIREVIEW PC by VIRGIN .99 Out now: Contact Virgin (081-960 2255) for information. MORTAL KOMBAT The last machine to receive the Kombat treatment looks like it's achieved the best conversion yet... Having frozen Sonya, Sub can attack without fear of attack. Sub Zero is the most efficient and potentially powerful character in the game. VERDICT onsidering that there's little cen sorship of software on the PC it's strange that a decent beat-'emup has yet to arrive on that format. Could this be because of the unsuitability of PCs for action-based games? Well Virgin's latest PC beat-'em-up puts paid to that argument. EXCELLEH 100,000 Streetffighter Il on PC raised questions about the machine's ability to handle heavy action games. Kombat on a 33mhz 486 PC though, is faster than on the SNES, and it is more than a match for the coin-op if you have Local Bus graphics too. Unlike other conversions, the difficulty level is much harder here and you can't get away with using one move to beat everyone. Admittedly, it's a bit unresponsive at times and fiddly to play with the keys, but it will support two-button joysticks. A fan tastic conversion for a PC. Bonus stage: tap the keys and smash different materials. Packs a punch Mortal Kombat on a 486 PC is a superb coin-op conversion blood and death moves' an' all. The gameplay has been carried over well too, as coin-op tactics are fully useable. The best thing about the PC version however, is that it has corrected the problem found in all the other conversions one character being able to beat the others by using just one move. DENIZ AHMET Intelligentsia Here your opponents fight a more intelligent fight, so it becomes more playable as you progress and it's even equal to the coin-op on the hardest setting. Graphically, MK is excellent for a PC action game. Some magazines have criticised the game because it slows down in Local Bus graphics mode. This isn't the case with the finished product though (earlier reviews were probably pre-production copies). The finished version is as fast as the coin-op and wipes the floor with the console versions. GRAPHICS GAMEPLAY TELE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 COCO 0-NWAU The PC version is arcade perfect in every way. he opponents are just as fast and the gore is fully intact. But best of all, the opponents now have better intelligence so you can't always win with just one move. 86 71 "


"REVIEW SNES by INTERPLAY  Out Now: Contact Interplay (0865 390029) for information. Can a humorous approach to beat'em-ups be taken seriously? CLAY TIME There are eight different and unique characters to play with or against in Clayfighter. So what can they do exactly? The blob character has som However, it takes a while tog when you play, it all comes together well. Point of view Each character has a range of special moves which gives the game those vital combo possibilities. The controls are the same as Streetfighter BAD MR FROSTY: Not very agile, but Frosty can launch a hefty barrage of snowballs at opponents. Strong, but has limited reach. BANG! TAFFY LIKES = SHEETS ou'll no doubt remember the Electricity Board's 'Creature Comforts' commercials, with those Aardman created plasticine bears, turtles, parrots, cats and dogs. Yeah? Now, although being animals, they had human like characteristics which made them both funny and believable. So why am I telling you this? Basically, because Clayfighter has very much the same appeal with its pliable characters. Clayfighter takes the mickey out of beat-'em-ups with its comedy violence. The eight characters you can select for combat cover the most unlikely and mismatched range you could possibly think of. Yet, HH cu Ac Oz D. o HUSZZ HELGA: She's a hefty lass and tends to scream in your ear, which is not a pleasant sensory experience. Occasionally, she'll lunge towards you; mind that helmet! L-AZH LUNCH ZO A very nice character selection screet very different at first, but in play, the ICKYBOD CLAY: Pumpkin head blasts you with bits of his soggy head. His arms have an unpredictable reach and may even try to hug you to death. Worst of the lot. 72 THE BLOB: Blob can morph into a boot, fist, or hammer and he spits gunge too. When angry will swallow his opponent or chop them in half. Our favourite. TAFFY: A piece of candy who looks like a rubber band. As such, Taffy has a long reach and can wind himself up to spin across the screen. Fast, unpredictable but a bit weak. TINY: This guy is actually huge, and while limited to an unspectacular dashing punch, spin, and belly splat he's strong and durable, so he's a good all-rounder. "


"VERDICT Clayfighter tries to impress, but it's a bit clumsy, which is mainly due to some iffy sprite detection. Essentially, the game doesn't feel right since everyone moves with suspect momentum, and Tiny is stronger than anyone else. On 'easy' you can clock the game in about 15 minutes without a single death, while 'hard' is like level six on Streetfighter II. Also, there are more stages than challengers so you have to fight some characters more than once. Even so, Clayfighter is very funny and enjoyable, just not spectacular. This is the fighting map. Each character has their own place, and here you see the last lot. DENIZ AHMET VERDICT me wonderful morphing abilities. to get used to his striking distances. moves, and each character doesn't necessarily do the same thing with each key. A hard kick by Blob for instance would be a leg sweep by Mr Frosty, so there's quite a lot of player tactics to learn, which increase the game's lastability. Unfortunately, when it comes to the interaction between opponents, something isn't This game has been attracting interest for ages on import mainly because of its graphics. Indeed the backdrops are great, but it's the sprites that grab your attention. I don't think I've seen anything quite as well digitised as is on offer here. Sound is equally excellent, with crazy FX and some excellent vocal effects. The game itself comes as something of a let down. The moves are Streetfighter rip offs, but you don't have much of a feeling of contact and the game is too easy in one player mode. It's fun, but a bit of a disappointment. RIK SKEWS Grabbing opponents is a difficult act to perform, but it drains their energy quickly. GRAPHICS 92 COMPUTE quite right. Unlike Streetfighter II, opponents in Clayfighter don't often react intelligently, and this means you can get away with the unforgivable tactic of relying on one move to kill everyone. On harder settings, all opponents seem to do is block more often so the problem still exists. In two-player mode Clayfighter is a strong product and players can handicap each other for added lastability. Streetfighter II it's not, but Clayfighter has tried to offer something different to the genre and Special moves use Streetfighter type controls, so it's easy to get the hang of. on that has to be a good thing. GAMEPLAY R2 STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES ed this. All characters will seem thy are well balanced. CO O-NW A TIIIIIIII 79 BONKER: No rude jokes about names here. Bonker slings custard pies and head-butts with his spring mounted neck. His feet are also large and unavoidable. He's fierce. BLUE SUEDE GOO: OK, so it's Elvis. Shouts things like 'Wowa momma' to make you laugh while his telescopic hair stabs you senseless. Silly, but a tough opponent. MR BOSS: Boss is made from a chain of balls which can stretch and contract into a few shapes. He's a doddle to beat, just stand in the middle and punch quickly. 73 "


"SNES by GAMTEK .99 Out March. Contact Gametek (0753 553445) for information. Play the silver ball in this Amiga-toSNES conversion! TRA BALL CHARTS SINGLE WIDEO JACH POT EUROPE tonition MEGA HIT SINGLE @ @ @ USA CHARTS Light the three lights to spell Nightmare and get a bonus. Beat Boo FLIP ME, THERE'S FOUR! Follow the arrows to boost the jackpot amount. inball, eh? That's what we were playing before video games' turned us into a lower order of life. What could have been more lifeshaping than shoving sixpences (predecimal currency, worth two-and-ahalf pence in today's money, which went into the pintables of my local cafe in 1980) into the coin slot of a flashy table with all manner of noises coming out of it, then realising you've missed the school bus and you'll be getting the cane (violent form of corporal punishment, whereby the headmaster attaches long, thin pieces of softwood to your buns Ed) once you tum up at 9.45am. DREAMS Pinball Dreams offers a quartet of pinball treats. Beat Box is based on the pop charts, with the ball being used to push you up the US and European music listings. Nightmare is a spooky affair, and is the best of the four since it has the most features. Steel Wheels takes the player back to the Wild West, with above average gameplay and some good samples, while Ignition is set in space. One feature in the SNES game which doesn't appear in the others is the inclusion of The Munch Bunch animated characters based on fruit who advertise yogurt who appear at the start of each game and morph into the pinball. One question why? Drop down all three top channels for a bonus multiplier. Jos GEE Bcal each with its own special features. You can play on your own or with up to seven friends (of course, if you don't fancy starting up again when you die, you could always choose eight-player mode anyway and get 24 balls to bang about). 1000K 250 ONDOS 67 GAMEPLAY GRAPHICS R Tommy Pinball Dreams is a cartridge version of that very pastime, minus the sixpences. Converted from the 21st Century Entertainment Amiga version, Pinball Dreams gives you four tables, 841/ Bounce the ball between flippers for the best bonuses STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Uncle Ernie Many features found on real pintables are included, such as jackpots and extra ball bonuses, which come in very handy when you're trying to beat your high score which, after all, is what the point behind playing pinball is. There's only one other pinball sim available on SNES — Jaki Crush and that's a bit of a star. How does Pinball Dreams compare? VERDICT It seems you can't move for pinball sims on console. Take Jaki Crush, hidden extras all over the place. SNES Dreams, though, skimps on table quality by going for quantity, and it doesn't work. The tables are basic, and the ball doesn't move well at times. If you're a pinball fan who can't find Jaki Crush, Dreams will keep you occupied, but it's a game which could have been a whole lot better if the programmers hadn't stuck so rigidly to the Amiga original. And whoever decided to put The Munch Bunch in should be shot. FONO IIIIIIIIII 70 PAUL RAND Twice round the Wild West track nets you a cool million. ZA "


"PC by 21ST CENTURY ENTERTAINMENT .99 Out now. Contact 21st Century Entertainment (0235 851533) for information. PINBALL FANTASIES The definitive PC pinball simulation has finally arrived You'll need more than a cheesy grin to win the Billion Dollar Game Show. LOCAO POWER his game should come with a government health warning because once you start playing it, you just can't stop, no matter what happens. A nuclear warhead could land right next to your chair and you'd still be glued to that screen trying desperately to beat your score. Yup, it's that addictive. Pinball Dreams was 21st Century's first attempt at creating a pinball sim, and it was pretty damned good. Pinball Fantasies is even better. The sound is miles better, the tables are more interesting and the scrolling is All the tables are fun to play, though Partyland is my fave. EHTRA F CASH Coutt PRIZE 85 DO Multiball? The controls are fairly standard: the shift or control keys act as the flippers, space tilts the table and the cursor key fires the ball. Unlike Dreams, you can now alter the tilt of the table, the smoothness of the scrolling and the screen resolution. Normally each table is three screens high and scrolls with the ball, but by changing the resolution from normal to high you can alter it so that the table is two screens high and you can see more of it at once. It's an easy game to play, though scoring the big points takes practice. The only thing that's missing is a multiball feature. much, much smoother this time around. Unlock the Tower for big points in Stones and Bones. 3-RD 14:TH Go ballistic 5TH GITH 7TH 8:TH ONDOS 35 19: There are four different tables to try. Partyland is all about fun fairs, big dippers and making yourself sick; Speed Devils has a race driving theme; Billion Dollar Game Show is loud, tacky and has more ramps than is commonly decent on a pinball table and Stones and Bones is similar to the Nightmare table in Pinball Dreams, with lots of spooky graveyard action. GAMEPLAY GRAPHICS 90 VALUE 2 Don't get stuck in the pits in Speed Devils. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT III TIL Pinball Fantasies is the best pinball simulation I've seen on the PC. The ball and flipper action is pretty accurate, and there's a great selection of tables. It's both smoother and faster than 21st Century's previous effort, Pinball Dreams, and runs well even on a humble 20MHz 386SX. You might think that .99 is a lot to pay for a pinball game, but you'll more than get your money's worth and it's the sort of game you can keep coming back to. This game is hellishly addictive you'll play it until your fingers bleed. ONWAGON IIIIIIIIIII 88 Loads of ramps and targets make Partyland a lively and challenging table. GARY LORD 75 "


"THERE IS ONLY THE ONE CONE BRITAIN'S BIGGEST AND BEST THE December 1993 .95 DM 20 Lire 12,000 lear MAGAZINE hoices in life can sometimes be a bit complicated. Unless, of course, you're an Amiga owner, AMIGA because there is only one clear GAMES choice when it comes to an Amiga games mag THE ONE. THE ONE gives you the games and entertainment info you want in a fresh and entertaining format aimed at you, the discerning Amiga gamer. We'll get you the best Amiga exclusives, the hottest news, the most in-depth previews and reviews. Not only that, we'll get you the best demos in the business. So, if you're looking for the best in Amiga gaming, there is only THE ONE! 2 AM GA DISKS! Can't wait for Alien Breed 2? Then play our demo NOW! Wh We're Amig magaz 132 What, no disk? Ask the newsagent! LIBERATIO the world's first CD32-only game is he Read all about it in ou FOUR PAGE review! OUT WITH A VENGANCE ON TH228TH OF EVE "


"MEGA DRIVE by ELECTRONIC ARTS .99 Out now. Contact Electronic Arts (0753 549442) for information. 00:49 BERTO Hang on to your hat (or cap), and the nearest car, as you skitch through the streets of America... OK, so I'm eleventh, but I've got eight kilometres to play (as Henry Kelly would say) 'Catch up'. Checking your rear-view mirror is a good idea, otherwise you end up, well sort of like this really. TREVOR GRAPHICS 655 ould you venture into the middle of a busy city road, grab hold of a passing car, truck, or Number 7 bus, and propel yourself through the rush hour traffic while wearing a pair of rollerblades (Yank equivalent of roller skates)? Well no, you wouldn't would you. But in sunny Califor-l-A. (where such an activity is known as 13: 21 TBTT skitchin') they would, When you come first, which is easy to but luckily you can do in the first few levels, your sprite enjoy the thrill of the performs this irritating little dance. aforementioned sport without running the risk Win your races and you can afford to replenOnce you've skitched, of ending up as flat as ish your skatin' gear from Honest Joe (or gather some speed and a waif-like supermodEugene as he's known, probably) here. then let go! el's chest with the help of EA's Road Rash clone Skitchin'. SOMETHING'S GOTTA HOLD OF MY CAR Baby rash Now the beauty of skitchin' is that, unlike the similar sport of hitchin (method of transport favoured by the financially challenged), you are not The principle difference though is the at the mercy of a discerning driver who hopefully might pick you up. Here rollerblades have replaced the you do the picking up and there are different vehicles you can attach motorbike, and to accelerate past yourself to; your common-or-garden sedan, a tricky to get hold of motoryour opponents you have to skitch bike and the worth-loads-of-bonus-cash-but-very-illegal police car, STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES on to passing traffic. This manoeuvre is tricky, since you have to check your 10 rear-view mirror (built into your helmet) and at the optimum moment press button A and move towards the vehicle you want a lift off. The idea is to finish the race in the first Has EA released, albeit covertly, Road Rash 3? Well yes and no. The five, the higher you finish the more principal's the same but the method is quite different. The crux of the cash you receive, which comes in gameplay is to master the control method, handy for paying for new skating gear which can be fairly tricky. The levels don't and hospital bills. offer a great deal of variety cars get faster As in Road Rash your competitors and more difficult to hold on to and your felare thoroughly unscrupulous, and if low skitchers more violent, plus the scenery is you're skitchin' the same vehicle as rather lacklustre. A novel approach to an them they will try and give you a dis existing formula which will hook you in and courteous shove. The best way out of propel you through the levels fairly briskly. such a scenario is to slingshot yourself forwards out of trouble. Remember to try and jump any ramps that appear as extra cash can be earned GARY LORD this way, plus it adds an extra element of gameplay, ie it's more fun. GAMEPLAY INNOS KRE VERDICT ONWOOD ILIULUI 82 77 "


"TIREVIEW GAME GEAR by ACCLAIM .99 Out now. Contact Acclaim (071-344 5000) for information. BART WORLD Bart's back on the case but not to solve anything, just to shut it as he's off round the world Find the map icon and you'll enter this sub-level. At the end of this is one of Burns' cronies. rikey! Bart Simpson's won a Krusty the Clown art contest. And he's won a pretty decent prize too. It's a family Krusty the Clown Treasure Hunt trip round the world. Sounds too good to be true huh? Unfortunately yes, because the contest was fixed by sponsor and judge C. Montgomery Burns, Springfield's dodgy nuclear power plant owner, so he could rid himself of the troublesome Simpsons once and for all. of his family at each stop on the tour to cut short the Simpsons' fun. Despite these problems Bart is intent on getting through his global treasure hunt because waiting for him at the end of it all is the grand prize a guest appearance on the Itchy & Scratchy Cartoon Show. reward Bart with a special section at the end of the game, should he get them all. As well as the platform levels, each world area has a couple of single screen puzzles to complete, and a small scrolling level which ends with Bart having to confront one of Burns' relatives. The interceptor Treasure hunt Burns has been losing millions of dollars ever since he hired Bart's dad, Homer Simpson, to work at the plant. Burns has placed a different member The platform-based action takes place over four world areas, China, Egypt, Hollywood and the North Pole. Bart can defend himself with a replenishable supply of firecracker balls and can also collect souvenirs for extra lives. Each level also contains an art object which, although not essential, if collected will thes 12 If you gather up these little thingies you can replenish your firecracker balls supply. 9 GRAPHICS 60 INNOS DOM HE 190 GAMEPLAY 55 VALUE STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES Another of the sub-games. I don't think I need to explain this do !! Gameplay is fairly boring because there's very little on-screen at any one time. VERDICT It doesn't say much when the sub-games are better than the main one does it? Well, that's the situation in Bart. There's loads of brilliant puzzle games involving lots of strategy, skill and reflexes. Presentation in general is smart too. but it's the main platform part of the game that's a disappointment. It's not that bad, it's just drab and uninspired. There's little in the way of baddies to encounter and never more than a couple of them on the screen at a time. Unless you're a giant fan of The Simpsons there's not much here. ONWAY ILIULUI |||||||| 1111||| 55 RIK SKEWS Fide these up to be invincible to 78 "


"REVIEW GAME GEAR GAME GEAR — by GREMLIN by GREMUN .99 29,99 Out now. Contact Gremlin (0742 753 423) for information Here's Maxie the Robot the metallic guardian from Toy World. Remarkably, Zool's found another format that he hasn't saved the world on. Not for long though... Collect these green Zs for some extra points. ook hard enough down your local shops and you'll probably find leisure products bearing the Zool logo. A nice little eamer is Zool. Still, Gremlin deserves it, having created a computer megastar. Now he's tumed his attention to Sega's dinky handZool can collect an held. Zool's ic LOONS icon allowing him to mission is jump higher, so the same as there's no need for it has been him to climb walls. You can alter the amount of lives available to you from one to five. Zool can grip walls, which is dead useful as it stops him falling off them, which is the problem you have with some other platform characters. on any other score but if you're quick you can format but grab the heart that's sometimes what the heck, released and keep your strength here's a quick up. recap of the story if you're new to him. Milky digestive Each level is sub-divided into subCocoa time zones, all of which are played It's platform time once again, as you against the clock. The game also guide Zool through five worlds; features plenty of hidden rooms, Sweet, Music, Fruit, Toy and bonuses and all those other things Fairground. Each level is full of all the that you'd expect to find in a platthings you've come to expect in a form game these days (apart from platform game: baddies, bonuses Sonic and Mario of course!). And and end-of-level beasties. Killing there's plenty of well spaced restart baddies will not only increase your points to avoid any of those feelings of déjà vu. GRAPHICS ANNOS LAY 174 STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES VERDICT See that 'Z' symbol? Run over it 'cos it's a restart point. ONWOOD IIIIIIIII Bar a couple of levels missing, Zool on the Game Gear is much what you'd expect. In other words it's a solid and challenging platformer with decent graphics and those wonderfully irritating tunes and sound FX. Zool on Amiga is excellent, but on console it doesn't quite beat the formidable competition. However, there's been few decent platform games on the Game Gear recently (ignoring Cool Spot of course), so if they are your particular cup of hot chocolate you will enjoy this distinctive game. TTTTTTTT CHEM Hey Zool, it's no good 'hanging around', there's a strict time limit don't you know. RIK SKEWS "


"LREVIEW GAME GEAR GAME GEAR — by ACCLAIM .99 Out Now. Contact Acclaim (071 344 5000) for information. ROBOCOP 31 Old tin head returns to the Game Gear after an escapade with the Terminator in THAT other game. Back on form or not? Itt titu who is ducking, Robo also has a worrying tendency not to be able to kill them. Yet, the overriding grievance in this is a lack of variety which most players should spot instantly Step between each ball incredibly carefully. There isn't a pattern to learn here. ell it's 1999 and the neighbourhood has gone bonkers. Street gangs are trashing the area known as Cadillac Heights and someone needs to do something. In other words, it sounds like a good plot for a Robocop game. Now Robo must be marched (because he can't run) through six missions, grouped into three phases, which ultimately take you to the showdown at OCP headquarters. maximum number of lives and continues. You'll need them since Robocop 3 is way too difficult. The problem is that the Robo sprite moves slowly, and all the hazards come at you thick and fast. Quite often this also means coping with attacks from three different directions, which is tough in the extreme. Such problems are supposed to be compensated for by the fact you have four weapons available, but you have to find them first. And the thing is that better weapons will demand more ammo. Hence, the three-way pistol uses up your ammunition three times faster. When right up against a baddie UWA 10nnnn Get loaded The first thing to do is go to the options menu and give yourself the WUIT *** You snuff it far too quickly in this game. Those little squares on the right are power-ups. * Juli Licit: S. ONNOS GAMEPLAY GRAPHICS VALUE 50 This baddie takes a few shots to kill if you're only using a basic gun. Of course, you can always jump over him. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES 10 VERDICT 5:16 This is a simple game with predictable elements, but what lets it down is Robocop himself. Firstly, he walks like he's wearing high heels, and secondly he animates nothing like his movie cousin. All this is due to poor animation, and the lame graphics. Looking at this as a Mega Drive conversion, it's faithful, but unfortunately that was crap in the first place. The difficulty level is quite unforgiving and there are no restart points, which doesn't please anyone. I'll admit it's fun to begin with, but is too flawed to be playable. ONWAGON IIIIIIIII ||||||| 6:10 Always blast baddies from a distance. A bug in the game means you can't hit them when touching. It's best not to stand up when shooting either. 49 DENIZ AHMET 80 "


"GAME GEAR by CODE MASTERS .99 Out In March. Contact Code Masters (0926 814132) for information. Beware the typical Englishman's deadly flying brief case. Hey, Egypt! You can tell it's Egypt because the screen is full of pyramids and mummies. CJ runs into this speedy soldier boss at the end of the England zone. Three easy bombs finish him off. CJ. ELEPHANT FUGITINE Who can she be, this dusky maiden of The Mysterious East? Falling from great heights presents no problems to our trunky pal, who comes fully equipped with his rainbow-striped umbrella-parachute. Cute Jumbo comes jumping, cavorting, comically jiving... er, that's enough C and J words. Let's just get on with the review... R GRAPHICS QNNOS ETTRAPERICE Loxodonata Africana Fortunately, CJ is able to protect himself by blowing peanut projectiles out of his trunk, a couple of shots being enough to cause foes to explode into a pile of bonus-points fruit. Better still, the diminutive oos, yeah? They're, like, a bad thing, because it's just not natural to capture wild animals and keep them locked up in cages for people to gawp at. Well, if you think so, Columbus Jumbo the baby elephant would certainly agree with you. There he was, locked up in a zoo in rainy, snowy, windy England and homesick for the savannahs of Africa. Enough was enough, and disguised in a stolen baseball jacket (XL size of course) CJ has made his bid for freedom. GAMEPLAY VALUE Snails? The Eiffel Tower? But of course it's Paris! Loxodonta Africana also carries a bag full of bouncing bombs which are even more effective when it comes to dynamiting the enemies of elephantkind out of the way. STRATEGY SKILL ACTION REFLEXES! 5 VERDICT There's hardly any originality on display here, but what really crocks CJ: Elephant Fugitive are annoying features like his peanut-firing ability, which isn't worth spit, because he shoots a quarter second after you've pressed the fire button. Also, the fact that the baddies sometimes take three hits to kill and other times one is confusing. Surprise deaths are common, which is presumably why the programmers give you nine lives to play with, but I'm afraid they just prolong the agony. Bring back Micro Machines. ONWAGON TITUTIIL Cosmopolitan elephant Lacking an air ticket, CJ has to walk (and jump) from London, through France, across the Alps, south to Rome, then across the Mediterranean and down through Egypt, before finally reaching his herd in Kenya. That works out to 18 levels of platform-type action, throughout which CJ is beset by elephant-hating armies of pigeons, rats, the Mafia, yodelling girls, mummies and witch doctors. 55 GARY LORD "


"ARCADE ACTION RIDGE RACER You'll never make it with only one second to go. 02/02 BY NAMCO RACING 1 PLAYER  PER PLAY e RIDGE namco TRIDGEBAC You've heard all hose with their heads stuck in the sand for the past six months will know little about Ridge Racer, the arcade machine sporting revolutionary graphics and a top-ofthe-range car: yes it's an actual Mazda MX5 sports car which you sit in and drive! That's the version we've been playing, costing a whacking  a time! Yes it's expensive, we know, but when you take into account that the machine costs — wait for it ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND talk. You've perhaps seen a couple of screenshots. You might even have read a bit of blurb by some one who looked at the machines for 20 seconds. But CVG, as usual, was the magazine invited to spend a whole afternoon playing not only Sega's sequel to Virtua Racing (see page 86) but also the only full-size Ridge Racer coin-op in the country, before it was even opened to the public! namco namco Here's the course layout for Ridge Racer. Actually, this is split into three to cater for all the different tracks. "


"743 07/13,00 RECORD IS THIS THE ULTIMATE IN ARCADE REALISM OR WHAT? DIG DUG CS You're ready to rock on the starting block that girl had better get out of the way soon! Slow down on the tight corners, otherwise you'll run the car right into the crash barrier. Here it is the only full-size Ridge Racer coin-op currently in Great Britain, seen here being put through its paces by CVG Ed Paul Rand at its test site at Fun Land in London's Trocadero. Costing a thumping ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS, this version POUNDS then you can imagine how long it would take to recoup that kind of cash were it 50 pence a throw. There are four levels to tackle in Ridge Racer Novice, Advance, Expert and Time Trial and two different courses to drive on: which one you attempt depends upon the level you select. While the first three levels are difficulty settings basically trickier-to-pass cars and the like the Time Trial option puts you on the open road and lets you thrash round the course, attempting to beat the current fastest finishing time. smoothly as you could imagine, and the cars and roadside objects are equally stunning they don't look quite as real as some would have you believe, but they're not far off. Sound, too, is brilliant, and because you're enclosed in what is almost a big box with a car inside, the noises resonate around you as opposed to blasting out past your ears, making for an infinitely more 24 12 realistic experience CONGA of the machine incorporates a real Mazda MX5 sports car, which is wired to the projection screen and which you 'drive', using all the actual features of a real caraccelerator, brake, clutch even the radio and the various dials work! For the price Namco is Real Racing By using System 22 graphics technology Namco has managed to make the courses highly detailed. They scroll as charging, you expect something a bit special and you aren't disappointed. The huge screen fills the whole windscreen, arcing round so that, wherever you look, you can see what's going on around you. An amazing machine. 2 10/1967 Graphics the likes of which you've never seen are what make Ridge Racer so unique. VERDICT GRAPHICS There's nothing like a quiet drive by the seaside. And this is nothing like it. PC 50 13/365 SOUND 05 Ridge Racer is far and away the most realistic arcade game ever seen, but it does have its drawbacks, and they do take the shine off what is otherwise a superb (if expensive, ride. The screen can be relatively devoid of cars at times and the sensation of speed really isn't there when you're blasting along at 160km/h, although when you enter into a sideways skid it really does feel as if you could total that expensive car if you're not careful. Plus the car seems to lack any hydraulics. Still, this is an experience which everyone should try at least once, if only to get a look at those gorgeous graphics and sit in the Mazda! E GAMEPLAY 80 OVERALL 80 Coming up to the suspension bridge, there's a tight bend which can scupper you. PAUL RAND 82 "


"ARCADE ACTION KCYEER SLE) TIME ITEM REDOM WIN If you want a comparison I'd say this is like Battlezone. FIRST FIGHTER V TV STRZA VIL SMOBDBERATES CYBER SLED Namco turns the clock back with its BY NAMCO latest blaster, inspired by the age old BEAT-'EM-UP Battlezone coin-up 1-2 PLAYERS Each competitor has their own strengths and weaknesses so choose someone to suit you. LYCER SLED SYGER SLED) cult, but realistic first-person perspective. Each of the six available sleds has its own strengths and weaknesses; so choose one, strap yourself in and go for it. Just remember not to overheat those guns! T'S OU ands up! Yeah, hands up all those arcade veterans who, like my good self, remember a cracking arcade game called Battlezone? Well if you do then Cyber Sled, a maze-type battle affair set over twelve, 3D polygon worlds, will remind you of the former game's control method in that you have two joysticks to control movement. The objective is to battle, in your cyber sled, against other players (or computer controlled opponents). tage over your enemy, including extra missiles, a special shield, extra shield power, and a computer to jam enemy missiles and radar. There's two distinct viewpoints on offer. There's also an interior view available for experts. Cybermorph There's all the usual power-ups and stuff to find to give you an advanCyberJobe Beginners can view the battlefield from behind their cyber sled, while more advanced players can use the viewpoint button for a more diffiHere's a chart of the most played coin-ops at Fun Land... 1. RIDGE RACER Namco GRAPHICS 82 VERDICT Pea17_10/13, SOUND 76 Yeah, I like Cyber Sled, and t's managed to sneak up without the usual hype. The graphics are clean, detailed and reminiscent of the Atari style and they create a convincing and thoroughly believable futuristic atmosphere, without resorting to the usual dark and murky cyberpunk style. Like most things in life, Cyber Sled is most fun when played with a friend. You get seriously tense flying around the maze avoiding enemy gunfire as you desperately search for the missiles needed to kill your opponent. An enjoyable coinop, and it makes a welcome change for a game to rely on gameplay rather than some new technical advancement. GAMEPLAY BY 2. VIRTUA FIGHTING (Sega) 3. SUZUKA 8 HOURS II (Namco) OVERALL 4. ALIEN (Namco) 5. MORTAL KOMBAT II (Midway) RIK SKEWS "


"SO MINS 00 WINS KII-6. Scaly reptile reappears in Mortal Kombat II and this time you can control him. MORTAL KOMBAT It's here! The only true rival to BY MIDWAY Streetfighter Il returns in a sequel that BEATEM-UP bites the head off the original 1-2 PLAYERS KINS OR WINS 13UNG WINS OD NINS URILOR Lui Kang's excellent kick is one of the few original moves that remain. lands of The Outworld. Two sisters, Kitana and Mileena, have also entered the fray along with Kung Lao (who has a steel rimmed hat that is reminiscent of Oddjob's head wear from Goldfinger). Reptile and Shang Tsung also return, but this time you can choose them as characters. t's a bad time for bad guy Shang Tsung. Not only has he been humiliated by being defeated in battle, he's also got the @ apparent death of Goro hanging heavy on his shoulders. Now Shang Tsung's returned to The Outworld to beg forgiveness CHDOSE YOUR FIGHTER 4 from the Jungle Book sound-a-like Shao Kahn, With all the specials and combos on offer why supreme bother with the normal moves? ruler of the Mortal good and evil have returned along with a whole Kombat must once again host of new characters. battle be decided. Major Jackson Briggs (Jax) is the arena. Shao Apart from Kano leader of a top US Special Forces Kahn's obviand Sonya, all Unit while Baraka has been recruited ously a the favourites by Shao Kahn from a nomadic race Nineties kind Meet the gang in all of mutants who live in the wasteof guy and their gruesome promptly glory. forgives Shang Tsung. Together they conceive a new and even more diabolical plan to lure the With Mortal Kombat II, Midway has got a machine which is better Earth's mightiest warriors to a tourna than Capcom's classic in many areas. Sound is especially stunning ment where the balance between thanks to a Digital Compression System which plops all over QSound. Unlike most of the all-singing nodancing games about today, Mortal 00 WINS 83, WINS Kombat Il backs up the impressive audiovisuals with excellent long lasting gameplay. If there's one fault it's that some of the special moves are ridiculously difficult to pull off (by my maths one of Raiden's fatality moves requires 11 combinations), but all in all I reckon this is as good as Super Streetfighter II. Your ball Capcom. Bossa Nova Boss wise there's Kintano who is reminiscent of Goro and also Shao Kahn himself. Apparently Kano and Sonya are also in the game somewhere, as are all manner of other secret bits and pieces including about a zillion or so special moves which you'll find out more about in this month's CheatMode (see pages 88-90). VERDICT GRAPHICS QU (GAMEPLAY 92 QVERALL Shang Tsung doesn't appear to be having much luck in any of these pictures does he? RIK SKEWS 85 "


"ARCADE ACTION VIRTUA FORMULA Race side by side in the atmospheric multiplayer cabinets... ...so if you lose you can always thump your opponents. VIRTUA FORMULA Do BY SEGA BEAT-'EM-UP 1-2 PLAYERS E3 PER PLAY just like you can with a real F1 car. And as well as the other human racer (if you are playing a two-player game), the coin-op throws up some pretty stiff opposition as well, who don't think twice about slamming you off the course. Sega overtakes the opposition and then goes up a gear with its latest high performer... positioned above the cabinet (which, incidentally, costs around ,000, according to the people at Fun Land blimey!) and the four different driver views as seen in the original. Formula doesn't have the dropdead stunning graphics seen in Ridge Racer, but it's got the vital ingredient that makes or breaks games of this genre a heart-pumping sense of speed. Take it for a spin as soon as you can. !G SEGA Hydraulic hi-jinks hen we get the big coinops, do we get the BIG coin-ops! Not content with grabbing THE review of the Not much difference, you might think. And game wise, you would probably be right. Cabinet-wise, however, it's a whole new ball game. Not only is Virtua Formula now a four-player game, but now the cars are hydraulically controlled and the back axle actually slips out when you skid! There is also an on-air camera facility that flicks through each racer in turn, showing his or her facial expressions on a monitor courses, each picked out in ultrafast polygons, with the object being to beat the other racer (it's a two-player cabinet) and finish the race within the allotted time limit. You have the choice of either automatic or semi-automatic gear changing choose semi-automatic and you change gear by nudging either of the finger-controlled gear switches attached to the steering wheel, FORMULA Fun Land is the only place you can play Virtua at the moment. WAITING FOR CHALLENGERS OTTON WORKS IN RACING Get ready for what is the ultimate arcade driving experience at the moment. VERDICT GRAPHICS 89 only full-size Ridge Racer coin-op in the country, we also go one better and review the only Virtua Formula coin-op there is in Europe, which has just been introduced to the Fun Land arcade in London's Trocadero! SOUND 91 Formula is one of the most exciting arcade drives around, and its new features add a whole new sense of realism to the game, especially the hydraulic control. You really do feel as though you're flying along at 300km/h) plus you get buffeted around in the cockpit something shocking, to the point that your muscles ache when you get out of the full-size F1 car! Admittedly it doesn't have the drop-dead stunning graphics that Ridge Racer (see page 82) has, but it's got the vital ingredient that makes or breaks games of this genre a heart-pumping sense of speed. Take it for a spin as soon as you can. GAMEPLAY 90 Race 'n' chase Shunting aside the massive Galaxians 3 cabinet, because it takes up so much room, Virtua Formula is, surprisingly enough, the sequel to Virtua Racing. Sort of The game itself is the same as before. Jump into your racing car and burn around any one of three OVERALL 90 PAUL RAND 86 "


"FREE! 64PAGE AMIGA GUIDE FROM SILICA THE UK AIVI FREE! FROM Chaos TA FROM SILICA THE UK's No1 AMIGA SPECIALISTS AVAILABLE NOW CONTACT US NOW FOR YOUR FREE COPY AMIGA 600 | AMIGA 600 | AMIGA 600 HD AMIGA 1200 PACKS + HARD RRIVE + HARD DRIVE OPTIONS LEMMINGS PACK WILD, WEIRD & WICKED EPIC + HARD DRIVE RACE 'N' CHASE DESKTOP DYNAMITE NIGEL AMIGA 1200 na: FROM SILICA SA VERSION VERSION FE.PICHARD DRIVE UMIGA 1200 INCLUDES HARD DRIVE RAM 0005 RAM 000 45. RACE When you buy your Amiga from Silica, at our advertised prices, we wil give you one or more free gifts. The gifts include the new Chaos pack. GFA Basic & Photon Paint II Check this ad to see which gitts come with each Amiga from Silica. An enhanced AGA version of Chaos that takes full advantage of the SOFTWARE PACK AA Chipset will be sent with A1200 & A4000s CHAOS ENGINE ........... .99 SYNDICATE ...... .99 PINBALL FANTASIES .99 NICK FALDO'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF .99 CHAOS PACK .96 GFA BASIC 13.5. Powerful Basic Programming Language.. .00 PHOTON PAINT II Powerful Graphics Painting Package ... .95 TOTAL VALUE: .91 NEW! Laos NEW! PACK GFA BASIC YEAR ON SITE AT HOME WARRANTY ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS FREE DELIVERY PACK INCLUDES  2 Amiga 1200  Deluxe Paint IV AGA  Dennis Wordworth V2  Oscar Wordworth Print Manager FREE FROM SILICA (See Top Left) DESKTOP DYNAMITE GFA BASIC Baos PACK GFA BASIC YEAR ON SITEJAT HOME WARRANTY ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS GFA & FREE DELIVERY PACK PHOTON PACK INCLUDES 1 YEAR ON SITE AT HOME WARRANTY  2 Amiga 1200  Nigel Mansell's ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS Trolls AGA World Championship AGA FREE DELIVERY + FREE FROM SILICA (See Top Left) PACK INCLUDES: RACE 'N' CHASE 1 AMIGA 600... ..........99  BUILT-IN 1 DRIVE & TV MODULATOR Blue HARD DISK .00 INC VAT-ANC UN EPIC ASCIFI ADVENTURE ..... .99 ROME ROLE PLAYING ADVENTURE MYTH STOP THE SPREAD OF EVL. .99 TRIVIAL PURSUIT. POPULAR OUZ .99 FREE FROM SUCA (See Top Lot .... ,91 PACK VALUE: .86 PACK SAVING:  86 SILICA PRICE: .00  1 YEAR ON SITE AT HOME WARRANTY ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS FREE DELIVERY O PACK INCLUDES: to AMIGA 600 ....99  BUILT-IN 1M DRIVE BUILT-IN TV MODULATOR DELUXE PAINT III .99  LEMMINGS .99 FREE FROM SILICA (See Top Len .96 TOTAL PACK VALUE: .93 LESS PACK SAVING:  SILICA PRICE: .00 PREVIOUSLY Base INC VAT AMC 1745 PACK 1 YEAR ON SITE AT HOME WARRANTY ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS FREE DELIVERY PACK INCLUDES:  AMIGA 600 ............. 2199.99 BUILT-IN 1 DRIE & TV MODULATOR  DELUXE PAINT III .99 MICROPROSE GRAND PRIX .99 SILLY PUTTY .99 PUSH OVER .99 FROM SILICA (Soe Top Lot .96 TOTAL PACK VALUE: .91 LESS PACK SAVING: E293.91 SILICA PRICE: .00 PREVIOUSLY Begg 0: $299 2an 0: 2 802. 2. 80 26 127  2 127  2200  | 25 2002. 2. 340  2 3402  9199 RAM 2 Internal De Drie Options INC VAT AMC 0964 INC VAT AMC 0666 PREVIOUSLY SRO INC VAT AMC 0649 PREVIOUSLY 99g WORTH  Mb AMIGA 1200 SPECIFICATIONS 53020EC Pocessor 149 Cock Sped . 32-01 Achtecture Chip RAM  Amiga DOS / B TV Modulator  A rio Set/16.3 Colours  1x32 BCPU RAM Expansion Slot  PCMCIA San Card Slot 96 Key Keyboard with Numeric Keypad HARD DRIVE OPTIONS Approved Z5 Hard Drives Fitted correctly below metal safety Shield does not validate warranty Covered by Commodore's Official 1 Year On-Site Warranty Look for Special Official Upgrade sticker RAM 85 OVER RAM INC VAT AMC0666 RAM 0605 INC VAT-AMC 0849 RAM 0605 INC VAT AMC 0985 AMIGA 4000 SPECIFICATIONS AMIGA 4000 CONFIGURATIONS 22229 CDTV ADD-ON STEREO MONITOR NEW! FOR A500 or A500PLUS FOR ALL AMIGAS  Part FREE DELIVERY FREE SOFTWARE SEE BELOW AMIGA CD2 Wow V2 Point Manager The Amiga 4000 030EC, 040LC and 040 SCSI Tower are available in several RAM/Hard Drive options from Silica (please see below). All are fully configured and approved and carry Commodore's full one year on-site warranty RAM upgrades are also available from Silca. Due to current fuctuations in the market, please call for upgrade prices. 25 MHz 68030EC DESKTOP GEROUS STREETS PACK NOW WITH FREE TITLES DANGEROUS STREETS WING COMMANDER DIGGERS OSCAR PLUSI LEMMINGS CD noA EXTRA 1 YEAR ON SITE AT HOME WARRANTY ON ALL CONFIGURATIONS FREE DELIVERY MIPS RATING 18.7 Million Instructions Per Second FREE FROM SILICA 28 130 4999 4 130 || rander time i ako secondo 6. 214  6 x 540  A570 UPGRADE WINNER AMIGA GOLD AWARD 91  Clips to side expansion port  Enables your Amiga 500 10 tun CDTV software  Plays normal audio CD discs  Storage capacity equal to 600 floppy disks . Transfer time 153Kb/second ble with CDG and CD-MIDI formats  Compatible with ISO9660 standard  Some old A500s need modification FREE FROM SILICA NORTH 249 HUTCHINSONS ENCYCLOPEDIA RRP .99 CDP01 inc FRED FISH 600 Public Domain Titles RRP .99 FREE DELIVERY NEW LOW PRP $4933 PRICE 10845 42mm Dot Pitch 1 Colour Screen 600 dots x 285 lines Resolution 157500  Analog RGB Ditiga TTL and Composite Video  External Controls: Volume, Brightness Contrast Colour Horizontal and Vertical Centering Height Anti-glare Screen CABLE REQUIRED FOR 2012  Headphone Socket CAS 5235 03.95  Stereo Sound FREE DELIVERY & FREE AMIGA CABLE FROM SILICA FMV MODULE INC VAT AM 3546 DISC 25MHz 68040LC DESKTOP  10845 MONITOR INC VAT MON 4186 6 214  6. 540  C APPROVED CDTV 299 \" 25MHz 68040 SCSI TOWER The A4000 runs at up to 21 times the speed of the A600. GRAPHICS: 15.7 MILLION COLOURS RESOLUTIONS UP TO 1280x312 and 800 600 OPEN ARCHITECTURE: The A4000 has been designed for maximum Sexty providing plenty of room for memory & peripheral expansion 1532-BIT ZORROW SLOTS (TOWER 5 . 3PCAT SLOTS (TOWER4 NEW!  1x24 VIDEO SLOT (TOWERI 2 POWER : 173103 FLOPPY DRIVE CHIPSET INC VAT-OCD 0570 Silica are a fully authorised Amiga dealer. We can upgrade Amiga 600 CDTV SOFTWARE or 1200's with hard drives, for new or existing owners without affecting SPECIAL OFFERS Commodore's official on site warranty. We offer other upgrades SAVE UP TO $25 PER TITLE! and repair service for A500 and CSA2 A BUN FOR BARNEY .99 ASOOP computers CS HEATHER HITS HONE RUN .99 UPGRADES & REPAIRS  Latest test equipment a .99 LEMMINGS  20 trained technicians cu un MOVING/STOMACH ACHE* .99  1.000s of parts in stock CSW MUD PUDOLE  FAST 48 hour service .99  We can collect (VAT) CSS 1 SCARY POEMS/ROTTEN Kos* .99 FREE return courier CST 201. THOMAS SNOWSUIT* .99 All work guaranteed COMPATIBLE ALL PRICES NCLUDE AT CALL FOR A PRICE LIST 6x 214  6.525  6 10b LINEAR COUPATIBLE  PLUGS INTO THE BACK OF THE COM  ALLOWS YOU TO PLAY VIDEO CDS Full screen full motion films & Music Videos CD-1 LINEAR COMPATIBLE Allows you to play CD-films & music videos  PERFECT FREEZE FRAME  INSTANT TRACK SELECTION  SUPERB CD QUALITY SOUND FREE DELIVERY A FULL RANGE OF GAMES, FILMS & MUSIC VIDEO TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR CO 2 . CALL FOR A PRICE LIST 32-BIT POWER The worlds first CO-ROM console to use 32-t technology. 4 xaster Thana 68000 CPU 2 RAM CD QUALITY STEREO SOUND  16.8 MILLION COLOUR PALETTE GAMES FROM BELOW E20 PLUGS INTO A TV OR MONITOR PLAYS MUSIC CDs DUAL SPEED Transfers data almost twice as fast as ordinary CD-ROM drives MULTI-SESSION Recognises ALL data on CDs, even if the information was added after initial pressing 11 BUTTON CONTROL PAD COMPATIBLE WITH 26 CDTV TITLES TOP RENTA  FULL SCREEN VIDEO-CD Optional extra FMV module which allows you to watch films on the CD32 compatible with the latest Video-CD standard, endorsed by JVC, Matsushita, Philips and Sony (see lent) CDLINEAR COMPATIBLE Wth optional FMV module, will play CD! Sims and music videos 5 FREE CD TITLES DANGEROUS STREETS OSCAR WING COMMANDER DIGGERS PLUS FREE FROM SILICA LEMMINGS CO WORTH  99 FREE DELIVERY CD 32 + 5 FREE CD TITLES INC VAT-CCO 3200 | WWW 5 . AA  RAM UPGRADES CALL FOR PRICES 171518024 SILICA SILICA THE AMIGA SPECIALISTS 1978 E66 SERVIC MAIL ORDER: 1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Rd, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 4DX Tel: 081-309 1111 Order Lines Open: Mon-Sat 9.00am-7.00pm (Sat 9.00am-5.30pm) No Late Night Opening Fax No: 081-308 0608 CROYDON SHOP: Debenhams (2nd Floor), 11-31 North End, Croydon, Surrey. CR9 1RQ Tel: 081-688 4455 Opening Hours Mon-Sat 9.00am-6.00pm Late Night Thursday 8pm Fax No: 081-686 4658 LONDON SHOP: 52 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1P OBA Tel: 071-580 4000 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9.30am-6.00pm No Late Night Opening Fax No: 071-323 4737 LONDON SHOP: Selfridges Basement Arena). Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB Tel: 071-629 1234 Opening Hours Mon-Sat 9.30am7 pm Late Night Thursday pm Extension 3914 SIDCUP SHOP: 1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Rd, Sidcup. Kent, DA14 4DX Tel: 081-302 8811 Opening Hours Mon-Sat 9.00am-5.30pm Late Night Friday 7pm Fax No: 081-309 0017 ESSEX SHOP: Keddies 2nd Floor), High Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1LA Tel: 0702 468039 Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm Sat 9.00am-8 cpm) Late Night Thursday 7pm Fax No 0702 468039 IPSWICH SHOP: Debenhams (2nd Roor), Waterloo House, Westgate St. Ipswich, IP1 3EH Tel: 0473 287092 Opening Hours Mon-Fri 930am-5 30pm (Sat 9.00am-6.00pm) Late Night Thursday 8pm Fax No 0473 287092 SHOWROOMS: We have demonstration and training facilities at all our stores. THE FULL STOCK RANGE: All of your Amiga requirements are available from one supplier FREE CATALOGUES: Will be mailed to you, with special reduced price Amiga offers, as well as details on all Amiga software and peripherals PAYMENT: We accept most major credit cards, cash, cheque or monthly terms (APR 29.8% written quotes on request). CE TO TO YOU Before you decide when to buy your new Amige computer, we suggest you think very carefully about WHERE you buy it. Consider what it will be like a few months after buying your Amiga, when you may require additional peripherals or software, or help and advice. And, will the company you buy from contact you with details of new products? At Silica, we ensure that you will have nothing to worry about. With our unrivalled experience and expertise, we can meet our customers' requirements with an understanding which is second to none Complete and return the coupon now for our latest FREE literature and begin to experience the \"Silica Service\" COMMODORE APPROVED UPGRADES: Official Hard Drive upgrades with ICL on-site warranty FREE OVERNIGHT DELIVERY: On all hardware orders shipped in the UK mainland. TECHNICAL SUPPORT HELPLINE: A team of Amiga technical experts will be at your service, PRICE MATCH: We match competitors on a \"Same product Same price basis ESTABLISHED 15 YEARS: We have a proven track record in professional computer sales PART OF A M A YEAR COMPANY: With over 200 staff We are solid, reliable and profitable  CORPORATE & EDUCATION DIVISION: Volume discounts are available. Tel: 081-308 0888. To: Silica, CVG-0494-104, 1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 4DX PLEASE SEND A 64 PAGE AMIGA COLOUR CATALOGUE Surname:..... SIUCA Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms: ....... Initials: ............. Company Name (if applicable): Address: PHINE 081-309 1111 Postcode: Tel (Home): .......... Tel (Work): Which computer(s), if any, do you own? ............. E&OE Adverised prices and spec fications may change. Please return the coup .. 104W on for the latest information "


"CHEAT ) = umper, that's the word to describe this month's CheatMode, and we're not talking about car fenders here. We mean 'bumper' as in BIG. So without any further ado (apart from to say send all your cheats, hints and tips to CVG CheatMode, Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London, ECIR 3AU) we'll let you feast your eyes on this month's cheats... MORTAL KOMBAT II ARCADE — MKII Here it is! None of the half-finished, no good, good for nothing codes that some mags seem to have published. No way, this is the definitive round-up of all the Kombateer's moves from the arcade version. Thanks to everyone who wrote or phoned in, but especially Ben Linney (and his fax machine) and Daniel Boutros for managing to get there first. One important thing to remember is that to do the Friendship or Babetality moves don't use either punch button in the last round! KUNG LAO SHANG TSUNG Shang Tsung's clearly done a 'Neighbours' and been replaced with another actor. Looking like Oddjob from Goldfinger, Kung Lao is a nasty piece of work make no mistake. Blessed with amazing control and technique you'll not want to be on the receiving end of his razor sharp hat (unless you like being chopped up into itsy Bitsy teeny weeny pieces that is). Use the Spin Shield on players trapped in a comer for ultimate cheese potential. 1 Skull B,B, HP. 2 Skulls B, B, F, HP. 3 Skulls B, B, F, F, HP. Babetality B, F, D, HK. Friendship Hold Blk, B, B, B, D, B, Release Blk, HK. Hat Toss B, F, LP. Teleport D, D, U. Spin Shield Hold Blk, U, V, Release Blk, LK Fatality 1 Hold Blk, HK, HK, HK, HK, HK. Fatality 2 Hold Blk U, D, U, Release Blk, LK. Fatality 3 Hold HK for three seconds. To morph Shang Tsung into other characters: Pit and Spikes F, F, F, HP. Babetality, B, B, F, F, LP. Friendship B, B, F, F, HK. Fatality 1 Hold Blk, F, F, F, Release LK. Fatality 2 B, B, F, F, D, D, HK + Blk+LK. Fatality 3 Hold Blk, U, U, LK+HK. Fatality 4 Hold Blk, U, U, U, U, LP+HP. Johnny Cage B, B, D, LP. Scorpion Hold Blk, U, U. Sub Zero F, D, F, HP. Kung Lao B, D,B, HK. Reptile Hold Blk, U, U, D, HP. Kitana Blk, Blk, Blk. Baraka Hold Blk, D, D, LP+LK+Blk. Lui Kang B, B, F, F, Blk. Raiden D, F, B, LK. Jax D, F, B, LK. Mileena Hold HP for three seconds. 88 "


" Kitana and Mileena are twin sisters (in other words they're played by the same actor). Her fans are something best! avoided by foes and allow for excellent combo potential in true Super Streetfighter II tradition. RAIDEN Raiden's back and with all his old moves too. Not only that but he's been blessed with a rather dangerous electrifiying grab. DO Charge B, B, F. Teleport D, D, U. Shock Grab Hold HP for three seconds. Lightning D, DF, L, LP. Air Stun B, B, B, HP. Fan Throw B, B, (LP+HP). Sonya Jump D, DB, B, HP. Pit and Spikes F, D, F, HK. Babetality D, D, D, LK. Friendship D, D, D, U, LK. Pit and Spikes Hold Blk, U, U, U, Release Blk, HP. Babetality D, D, U, HK. Friendship D, B, F, HK. Fatality 1 Blk, Blk, Blk, HK. Fatality 2 Hold LK, F, F,D, F. Fatality 3 F, F, F, B, B, B, LK. Fatality 1 F,F,D, B, F, HP Fatality 2 Hold LK for four seconds, Release LK, Blk+LK. Fatality 3 Hold LK, D, D, F, F, Release LK, LK, LK, LK, LK, LK. BARAKA It'll take more than skin cream to make Baraka's complexion as smooth as a baby's butt, still combat wise he's a real stunner; be careful that his long blade doesn't slice you into mincemeat. REPTILE He's lean, he's mean and he's a rather unfashionable shade of green wouldn't you say? Yes, he's the reptile and unlike the first game he doesn't have the moves of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Ginsu Chop B, B, B, LP. Whirlwind D, DB, B, LK+HK. Fireball D, DB, B, HP. Blade Swipe B+HP. Slide DB+LK+LP+Blk Venom F, F, HP Bomb B, B, HP+LP Invisibility Hold Blk, U,U, D, Release Blk + HP Babetality F, F, F, HK. Friendship Hold Blk, U, U, F, F, HK. Pit and Spikes D, D, F, F, Blk Babetality D, B, B, LK Friendship B, B, D, LK Fatality 1 Hold Blk, B, B, B, release HP. Fatality 2 B, F, D, F, LP. Fatality 3 D, F, B, D, F, HK+LK. Fatality 1 B, B, D, LP MILEENA Mileena, not only does she have some schwing potential, but she also knows how to deal with unwanted come ons! Just check out her well impressive speed which aids her to cut down her opponents. Use this to your advantage against the other slower players. Her sai allows for good combo moves too. SCORPION The arch rival to Sub Zero is back, looking like he just wants to rave all night. All of his moves are decent but nothing compares to the teleport which allows him to attack twice in the air. 0 Teleport D, DB, B, LP Spear B, B, LP Air Throw Blk while attacking in the air Leg Trip D, DB, B, LK Sai Throw Hold HP for three seconds. Roll B, B, D, HK. Teleport Kick F, B, LK. Pit and Spikes D, D, F, F, Blk Babetality D, B, B, HK Pit and Spikes F, D, F, LK. Babetality D, D, D, HK. Friendship D, D, D, U, HK. Friendship B, B, D, HK Fatality 1 F, B, F, LP. Fatality 2 Blk, HK, HK. Fatality 3 B, B, B, F, HK. Fatality 4 Hold HK for three seconds. Fatality 1 Hold Blk, U, U, Release Blk, HP Fatality 2 Hold Blk, D, D,U, U, Release Blk, HP Fatality 3 Hold HP, D, F, F, F, Release HP 89 "


"LUI KANG CHEAT 1 = Everyone's favourite character is back and this time he's got some decent fatality moves too! ARCADES MORTAL KOMBAT II Low Fireball F, F, LP. High Fireball F, F, HP. Flying Kick F, F, HK. Bicycle kick Hold LK for five seconds. Pit and Spikes D, B, F, F, LK. Babality D, D, F, B, LK. Friendship F, B, B, B, LK. JACKSON BRIGGS (JAX) Jax has more cheese combos than Burger King. Watch out 'cos these energy sapping grabs can be done after most moves. Fatality 1 D, F, B, B, HK. Fatality 2 F, DF, D, DB, B. Fatality 3 D, D, T, D, T, D, B, HP. Air Blade D, DB, B, HK. Earthquake Hold LK for four seconds. Grab F, F, LP. Babetality Hold Blk, D, U, D, U, LK. Friendship D, D, U, U, LK JOHNNY CAGE Fatality 1 Hold LP, F, F, F, F, Release LP. Fatality 2 Blk, Blk, Blk, Blk, LP. The arrogant poser from Hollywood is back and looks meaner than ever. Watch out for his Streetfighter like dragon punch. SUB ZERO He's got the least moves, but who cares when they're as good as this. Check out the excellent ground freezing ice puddle. Shadow Kick B, F, LK. Shadow Leap B, D, B, HP. Low Fireball D, DF, F, LP. High Fireball D, DB, B, HP. Ball Breaker LP+Blk. Slide D+LP+LK+Blk. Freeze D, DF, F, LP. Puddle D, DB, B, LK. Pit and Spikes D, D, D, HK. Babality B, B, B, HK. Friendship D, D, D, HK. Pit and Spikes F, D, F, F, HP. Babality D, B, B, HK. Friendship B, B, D, LK+HK. Fatality 1 D, D, F, F, LP. Fatality 2 F,F,D, U. Fatality 3 D, D, D, T, T, D, T, HP. 3 Head Fatality F, F, D, U, D+LP+K+Blk. Fatality 1 F, F, D, F, F, HP. Fatality 2 Hold Blk, F, F, B, B, Release Blk, HP+LP. Fatality 3 (1st) F,F,D, HK. Fatality 3 (2nd) F, D, F, F, HP. MEGA DRIVE ROBOCOP VS TERMINATOR SECRET CHARACTERS JADEOn first round before you get to a question mark, beat your opponent using any kick, but without blocking. SMOKE Watch for a digitised picture of one of the programmers to appear at bottom left and quickly pull down and press start. PONGFancy a game of the arcade classic? Then 'simply' reach Battle 250! AMIGA ZOOL 2 You can't really go LIFE: QO22760 wrong with this if you're after a big chunky shoot-'emup. Still if you're picky about which weapon you trash the enemy with then try this weapon select. Pause the game and press: B, A, C, CC, A, B, A, C, C, C, A, B. If it works you should hear a burst of machine-gun fire. Unpause and press A, B and C and UP or DOWN to change the Terminator's weapon. Office opinion is divided on whether this is 'excellent' or simply 'good', but whatever your opinion you'd have to agree that some of the levels are labyrinthinely huge, which isn't easy for anyone to say. To skip through levels at will, type in BUMBLEBEE on the options screen and when playing the game simply hit RETURN to skip a level. Simple huh? 90 "


"GAME TIME WIN! JAGUAR STAR TREK PRIZE PACK! WIN! 0839 406063 Includes: Starfleet Academy Jacket Videos-6 movies in original widescreen version Captain's Log the full story of the Enterprise voyages! Star Trek watch tell the time in space! Plus alarm clock, caps and more...! WIN! World's first 64-bit console, hot from the USA! 0839 406056 SUPER NINTENDO 4 game of your choice 0839 404097 WIN! SON TREETFIGHTER I turbo +SEGA MEGADRIVE 0839 406052 + Super Nintendo or Megadrive il 0839 406061 SEGA MEGA CD + CD games 0839 406062 AMIGA A1200 + game of your choice 0839 406064 AMIGA CD-32 + CD games 0839 406068 WIN WIN  WORTH OF GAMES! 0839 406066 WIN! PLAY DIATORS PLAY THE QUIZ! Win  worth of 0839 406069 Gladiator Goodies! ALADDIN CAPCOM JURASSIC PARK All these lidmes and more Or the games of your choice up to ! Calls cost 36p per min cheap rate 48p per min other times. After 31.3.94 calls cost 39p cheap rate 49p per min other times. Max possible cost ,68. Please be sure you have permission to make this call. Competitions close 31.5.94. All competitions have six multiple choice questions and tiebreaker. Nintendo/Sega/Amiga/Gladiators/Jaguar & Star Trek are all registered trademarks of their respective companies. We are neither related to nor endorsed by them. For rules and winners' names please send SAE to Info Media Services Ltd, PO Box 28, Northampton NN1 5DS. Images to "


"MEGA DRIVE HSAT SHINOBI 3 MEGA DRIVE ZOOL A game that's starting to creak gently, but it's still good enough despite its age. If you want INFINITE SHURIKENS, go to the options screen and set the number of shurikens to 00. Whistle for a bit and an infinity symbol will appear. Play the game and huzzah, infinite shurikens are yours my friend. Now for a cheat that could have been thought up by staff writer Rik who, it must be said, does like his game music. Play each of the songs on the sound test in the correct order, and you should find old Joe-ninja boy completely invincible. Blimey, I wish I'd thought up the idea of this ant, sorry I mean ninja, from the Nth dimension, but as Nirvana once said, 'Oh well, Nevermind'. Anyway this list of cheats will make all you Zoolies happier people, believe me. When punching in these cheats hold down the START button while you press the following combinations: D, U, L, L, A, R, D: Extra life SNES SNES C, R, A, B, B, A, L, L, A, D: Level select. Release start and the first two numbers are alterable. Change them to alter the world and level numbers. Once you've selected a level hit A, B and C together. The game should abort. Restart the game and you should find yourself on the level that you selected. SUPER EMPIRE STRIKES BACK WING COMMANDER: THE SECRET MISSIONS R, A, D, A, R, B, L, U, R: Rewards you with 240 energy points (although you'll only be able to see three). This will also set the timer to 999. That's all folks. SNES HPSE THE LAWNMOWER MAN This game is a fine tribute to the film. It can prove a trifle sherry difficult at times though. To swing the odds in your favour try this sassy little cheat. While playing the game press and hold Y, B, X, A and DOWN. Keep holding them and press START to access a sound test screen. Press START again to return to the game and then do all the above once again. If you've done this correctly then you should notice that the message under the sound test words has changed. Now, by entering Y, Y, Y and Y on the title screen you'll be able to rotate the Empire logo by pressing the Land R buttons. A much more useful cheat though, is achieved by holding X, Y, A, B and X on the title screen. This will give you seven credits. Oh, by the way, tum the machine off and on to get these cheats to work. Going against tradition of tuming good films into mediocre games those talented perkins at the Sales Curve produced an excellent game out of a mediocre film. Anyway enough of this idle banter. To access the cheat mode, start the game, pause it, and type B, R, A, SELECT, SELECT, Y, A, B, Y, A and B. Then simply unpause the game. To access the cheat menu screen, PAUSE the game again, and type A, L, L. Unpause the game and you should now be presented with the menu screen. For infinite lives, PAUSE the game and type R, A SELECT and y. Unpause the game and you should now find that you'll be invincible. To skip through a Virtual World, PAUSE the game while inside it and press A. Unpause and if everything's fine and dandy you should find yourself whisked to the exit. SCORES SABE This conversion is a bit of a sad attempt at emulating the legendary PC original, but that's by the by. Anyway if you've bought the game here's a cheat that should allow you to access a hidden options screen. Press L, R, SELECT and START on controller two. If everything's worked the music should drift away into nothingness and in its place you should be presented with the aforementioned options screen which allows you to become invincible, choose missions and fiddle with the sound. 92 "


"AMIGA WE NEED YOUR CUES AND 'EHs Yes, we do because next month we're starting a special Q&A (that's questions and answers for the acronymally challenged) section, which is going to be divided into two. Q&A (Games) will help you if you're stuck in a game or if you're after a particular cheat, whereas Q&A (General) will throw light on any technical posers you have or if you want to know what the best shoot-'em-up is on the SNES is. So send those quezzies in now! ELITE 2: FRONTIER MEGA-CD MEGA DRIVE SONIC CD CHUCK ROCK 2 Bit of a learner in Elite 2 huh? Well here's a tip that should make you Elitist. Start trading and saving your money until you can afford a passenger cabin. Pick up some people and go to the BUY and SELL section and take a gander at the new and used ships. Keep looking until you find a ship with a minus figure in the part-exchange column and attempt to sell your ship by pressing 'buy'. A message will inform you that you can't sell a ship with people on board, but you'll still be given the trade-in value. Then simply set your firebutton to 'auto', repeat the process and you'll have enough cash to pay Gillian Taylforth's legal bills! Here's that long sought after level select that loads of you have been phoning up enquiring about recently. On the title screen simply press UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, B and START. Have fun! The original Chuck Rock game did a heck of a lot to zoom Core into the big time and this decent sequel will no doubt do very well too. To advance a level pause the game and press B, A, RIGHT, A, C, UP, DOWN and A. Restart the game, pause it again and PRESS A and RIGHT to advance a level, or A and UP to skip the zone entirely. SNES SNES TURTLES TOURNAMENT FIGHTERS Despite having the pick of the games industry's finest in front of us all day, every day, there's some carts that we just can't help going back to, and Turtles Tournament Fighters certainly is one of them. It also fits into the 'hmm, it's all a bit Streetfightery isn't it?' department too. And not only that but Konami has also included a turbo speed option just in case you were thinking of buy ing SFIl instead! MEGA DRIVE On the title screen use the second control pad and press UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A. You should hear an aggressive cry and find that there's now a third speed setting on the option screen. MICRO MACHINES A big slap on the back is I think due to Codemasters for proving that you don't need decent graphics to sell a game, just decent gameplay. To make the game even more excellent however, why not try these crazy cheats while playing the game: MEGA DRIVE MEGA DRIVE GOLDEN AXE 3 Press UP, DOWN, A, B, LEFT, RIGHT, C and START to speed up your car. RANGER-X Press A, UP, B, DOWN, C, LEFT, START, and RIGHT to increase your car's traction. Press LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, START and DOWN to make your opponents really tough. Finally, press C, UP, LEFT, RIGHT, A, B, A and C to dish out mega damage to opponents when you crash into them. Good graphics for sure, but I thought this one was overrated. Still, if you liked it and are looking for extra levels then you've come to the right place squire. Now not a lot of people know this but there's a level select on this game. EIS Go to the options screen and press A, B, C, A, B, C, A, B and lastly C. Select EASY level, start the game and hey nonny nonny, a new area is all yours. Simply go to the character selection screen and place the cursor over your character then press A four times, START and then C six times. Easy when you know how. DURNAME SINGLE RACE 93 "


"MEGA DRIVE/A1200/CD32 by CORE TBA PREVIEW JUNE RELEASE Core's designers have let their creative juices flow with these backdrops. Stage of Development Are you after a shoot-'em-up par excellence to fill those summer months? You may have to look no further... 65% Complete ooking for a well-hard blast to satisfy your craving for death and destruction on a grand scale? Well Core reckons you'll have to wait no longer than June, by which time it should have released Skeleton Krew, one of the best-looking shooters we've seen for some time. SKELETON KREW Kookie krew First the plot. It's 2070, and Moribund Kadaver, head of DEAD Inc, is creating hideous cryogenic mutants to take over Monstro City. The military has produced a squad of undead agents the Skeleton Krew — to battle its way through to DEAD Inc's cryo-plant to slaughter the Psykogenix. coin-op. The player can choose his character from the trio which is the Skeleton Krew: Rib, Joint and Spine. Each character has a special weapon Spine's Pulverax Plasma Beam, Rib's Tri-blast Trasher and Joint's Krash 'n' Burn Blaster Krew will have 18 different zones to make your way through... Krew's missile Killing krew What this tale converts to is an 18zone isometric shoot-'em-up, the likes of which hasn't been seen since Domark's Amiga conversion of Tengen's Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters A one or simultaneous two-player game, the Krew must shoot their way through five levels, broken up into a number of zones. Your characters can swivel their bodies and guns to fire and walk in up to eight different directions independently of each other, depending on ... and it's going to have a polished isometric feel to it. 94 "


"BE 3 Yes, even in the year 2070, seatbelt laws are still in force. i P8 48386 Por 8108 Skeleton Krew is going to be pure shoot-'em-up action. jumping on to speeder bikes and jet-skis and storming through stages packed to the brim with ramps, walls and a selection of sadistic Psykogenix, to reach new parts of the game. Skeleton Krew, as you can see from these screenshots, looks very impressive indeed, with big, meaty sprites and highly detailed backdrops, and it's the sort of gun fest shoot-'emup that'll keep you up until the wee small hours while you waste a few more mutant mothers, if the version we've played is anything to go by. There's still quite a bit of work to be done the later levels have to be pieced together, and the enemy logic has yet to be put in place, but believe us Skeleton Krew is one that's going to be hot game. Expect the full rampaging review in a couple of issues time. The Krew's sprites are still receiving the finishing touches. ON.co* Opponents are going to be meaty 100% pure beef in fact. 360 degrees, whereas the other two are limited because of their spines. which of the Krew you control Joint, being more robot than human, has a torso totally unattached from his legs so can spin through the full Krew kut When the Krew aren't blasting away ar Kadaver's creations, they're . so se One of your motley Skeleton Krew in early development. 95 "


"Olde worlde of objects to pick up and use, and a full cast of characters to talk to and glean information from. This is a simple yet useful excuse for giving this vertically scrolling shoot'em-up a look similar to the Victoriana used in The Chaos Engine. You (and a friend, if you desire) take to the skies in your Banshee fighter plane and blast your way through six levels of adrenaline-pumping action, taking on nuclear submarines, huge aircraft carriers and, of course, an array of airbome adversaries. There are the usual icons to collect which will give you power-ups such as special weapons, fuel and extra lives, and there's a big boss baddy at the end of each stage to take on. DARKSTONE AMIGA CORE ETBA Zelda-style RPG is coming to the Amiga! PREVIEW urrently one of the busiest software houses around, Core has over a dozen different titles in production at the moment. Darkstone is just one of them and it's a role-playing game in the Zelda mould, in which you play the part of either Aelphric or Freydian in a quest to find the Crystals of the Bright Trinity in order to rid Midworld of the scourge of Myrdir, the Great Dragon. It's a big 'un At present there are four huge levels planned, but when we spoke to the programmers of the game at their Derby headquarters, they were pondering over whether to include a fifth stage, which would be set on a giant ship that takes you over to the dragons' base. This kind of adventure game is usually guaranteed to have players burning the midnight oil for some considerable period of time just ask SNES-owning Zelda fans and by the look of things, that should be true of Dark Stone. We'll be keeping a watchful eye on its progress, and reviewing it in the near future. The skull and crossbones insignia indicates that this gunboat docking yard isn't on the friendly side. 144042 BANSHEE A1200 ONLY  CORE  ETBA A reworking of an old arcade favourite, courtesy of Core n this reworking of the 1942 coinop formula, the world has evolved differently to that which we know. The two World Wars never happened and technology has been slow to appear; indeed, people still sit and stare at black-and-white TVs. That's until Blardax Maldrear, leader of the Styx Republic, decided to take over Earth and, in the space of five years, devised an assortment of frighteningly powerful war machines. And invented colour telly. Sauted soldiers With 1994 shaping up to be a year of blasters, Banshee looks perfectly placed to take its share of the spoils. Graphically it's great, with touches such as fog effects that make your enemies more difficult to spot adding to the already excellent stylised visuals. Worth a special mention are the patrolling soldiers who die in various different ways our favourite has to be when they catch fire they run around frantically, engulfed in a ball of flame. Looking something of a winner, check out the review in CVG soon. Inside one of the houses, this old crone could well be stirring up trouble for you. Adventuring ahoy you get the general idea. Dragon Stone is in the relatively early stages of development, but Core hopes to have the game ready in time for a June release. Travel through forests, towns and cavems, hunting for the crystals which, when joined together, will banish the dragons from Midworld and allow you to live in peace and harmony. There's a variety Step into my parlour, said the spider to the bloke with the rather large sword. The effect of the submarines rising from under the ocean is particularly impressive. That cruise missile you've just launched would have made short work of the tank. Had you got it on target, that is 96 With Chaos Engine-inspired graphics, Banshee is a little different to your run-of-the-mill vertical scroller. If this is Stonehenge, where are the hippies and Rizlas? "


"TEENAGE MUTANT HERO From Michaelangelo's Fantasy World... to Donatello's Futuristic City, the Turtles transcend time through to another dimension, in this, the ultimate confrontational fighting game. 18hTERS ESRA $0 0.0208 S SOU000 HT 1UP 200880 RAY FILLET ZUP 000000 KRANG'S ANDROID 1UP 829588 LEONARDO NEGR DRIVE KONAMI SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM Konami (UK) Limited Television House 269 Field End Road Eastcote Middlesex HA4 9LS Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and the distinctive likeness thereof are registered trademarks and copyright 1991 by Mirage Studios exclusively licensed by Surge Licensing Inc. "


"SNES Level Score: Damage:Ammo: Bonus: Lives: by GAMETEK Around .99 PREVIEW JUNE RELEASE There are lots of levels in this game but they all look very similar, just with different colours in the main. Rama   $ Fors: 8888+ Stage of Development 100% Complete Damage Anno WI sore: 3338+ Dam398: Roma? 36 ore + 7 1 Even though there isn't much happening on the screen at any one time, the action is very addictive. In split-screen mode there is no slow down of the fluid graphics. Players can also jump over their opponents. STRONE SPEEDY This isn't a Nineties Battlezone surely? Nope, it just looks like it BALANCE CUSTOM SHIELDS S SPEED 6 Ayo 4 ere in the CVG offices, members of staff are often found grunting and cursing from behind their Macintosh computers. Usually it's because their tea and coffee tastes like radioactive waste (we've got a new machine you see), but otherwise it's because everyone is networked to play Spectre. Unfortunately, the SNES version isn't going to support more than two simultaneous players, but it will offer the same 3D action and skilldemanding gameplay. and your play area. On this you'll find your tank and loads of other enemy tanks. So, using your radar you'll enter into a kill or be killed battle. Geometric shapes are randomly distributed on the grid, and you can use these to hide behind but so can your enemy. There are two different games, one where you play for points, which requires more trigger work, or you can seek to capture your enemy's flags which are scattered about. Energy and ammunition will be limited, and to replenish these you'll have to glide over a supply of special coloured squares. Your choice of tank will dictate how dependent you are on these squares, since they A WELL BALANCED MACHINE, GOOD FOR ARENA OR BASE RAID. have varying shield, speed and Above: Each craft can be conweapon stocks. figured. What's unique to the SNES ver Below: Objects are used tactision is the ability to jump, which cally to hide and shoot from. will be useful for peeping out from behind hiding points and avoiding enemy fire. There's also a two-player split-screen mode which makes up for the fact that the game can't be networked like our Mac version. Watch out L I for the review soon. Can't keep still What you will get though, is a stack of stages which consist of a flat grid 98 "


"PC CD-ROM by MINDSCAPE Around .99 PREVIEW MARCH RELEASE Stage of Development 75% Complete This is typical of the graphics in this game. The images are not as sharp as they are in 3DO's Crash 'n' Burn, but they work better here. That's Crash 'n' Burn on the 3DO isn't it? Actually, it isn't but it looks damn similar and word has it that this is going to be outstanding The actual game looks like this. Power-ups will be found scattered on the course. Some tracks even rotate through 360 degrees! D-ROM junkie, Mindscape, is looking to launch its most stunning PC product to date. Making a pleasant change to its usual educational stuff, Megarace is essentially a racing game where you get to blast street gangs on live TV. Your goal is to score masses of points by driving as fast as possible over a gorgeously ray-traced set of 14 tracks in five cities. The story unfolds as you take the role of a contestant who takes on increasingly brutal challengers who try to slam them into those walls and gun them into submission. Along the tracks you'll find icons in abundance, and these are power-ups and powerdowns, so some will make you faster, others will make you explode. his vehicle and weapons for the next bout. By the end you should've amassed a total of eight cars, including the three you started off with. The early version we've seen has a stunning FMV talkie introduction from the presenter Lance Boyle, and there's over 20 minutes of the stuff too. The tracks are blindingly well defined, there's plenty of them it's nice to see companies making good use of CD storage. We'll be reviewing Megarace in a forthcoming issue. Mile end At the end of each stage you'll have to challenge the gang leader and if you defeat him you'll be blessed with the FMV introduction is the best quality yet seen on the PC. Your car will sustain damage during each race session. What you need to do is go for the best vehicle for each course. 99 "


"MEGA DRIVE SEAS ESTEUROHAST HERE! GREAT   YOLBARSENA by ACCOLADE Game Stats Plauer Stats Main Menu TBA PREVIEW REMEMBER SLOPPY DEFENSE WILL ALWAYS COST YOU THE GAME APRIL You want lots of options in any sports game, and here you certainly have them. Everything is also up to date for 1994. You also get comment on your performance. Stage of Development 100% Complete seen with ease. However, we have noticed a possible problem in that when you're shooting up the field it's more difficult to aim at the net because it appears to be far smaller BRETT HULL HOCKEY Great looker The momentum on characters handles excellently and the 'feel' is spot on at present. It's also nice to know that you'll be able to control the goalie too. We'll be giving it the full treatment next issue. Accolade is looking to challenge EA's classic NHL series with an extremely comprehensive alternative... 16 RW ccolade has put an awful lot of time and money behind Brett Hull Hockey in a bid for this to be the comprehensive hockey simulation; and on paper it sounds impressive... Naturally, you get Brett himself, but there'll be over 600 other real NHLPA players too. Accolade is also aiming for Brett Hull Hockey to be the only hockey game offering a full 84-game season and complete 1994 team rosters and match schedules Michaels. A range of customisable facilities will be included to enable players to select such aspects as skating speed, stick handling and aggressiveness to name but a few. Players will also be able to engage in fisticuffs when the opposition starts to get a bit lairy. Perhaps the most inviting aspect of the game is the well animated graphics. These are very detailed, but they still allow the puck to be Some of the tackles can be quite complicated. The scrolling always keeps up with the puck and this makes quick decisions and reactions feasible. CORCH TEAM Behind you The action is set to be played from a behindand-slightly-above perspective, which has been made to work really well, thanks to some well timed scrolling. During play you'll be accompanied by a running commentary from the famous US TV broadcaster AI Full team statistics prove valuable in setting up a fair game. the perspective is one of the best features in this game. It's always easy to see the puck, which isn't the case in some hockey games. 100 "


"CD-i by PHILLIPS TBA PREVIEW MAY RELEASE Stage of Development 90% Completed HOTEL STAGE MARIO X TIME 1965. Oxna 820 CD-i ventures into classic territory with its licence of Nintendo's Mario Bros characters. Can Philips do a better job than the plumbers' creators? Close all the doors before the times runs out. New levels don't necessarily bring more doors just more baddies coming out of them. ou don't need me to tell you that this is going to be a platform game that's what Mario is famous for. But this isn't destined to be the usual platform type of thing, instead Hotel Mario is going to have a puzzle-based theme. What's apparently happened you see, is that Bowser has gained control of all the hotels in Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped Yoshi. Controlling Mario, you'll rush around each hotel front closing all the doors to complete the stage. It's against the clock so the time will be against you, and So will all manner of woodland creatures who pop out of their rooms to see what all the fuss is about. GE MARIO X S TEME 185 3790 route through each floor. Of course, Mario will be able to perform his head stomp on opponents which is crucial to clear a path to those doors. But you'll have to watch out for baddies on the floor above when jumping or you'll hit them, and that spells instant death, not shrinkage. As you dash around the 85 stages you can collect coins for extra points, or discover secret shortcuts. Also, Hotel Mario isn't going to require an FMV cartridge to play its animation sequences and well produced music and effects. Although childishly simple, Hotel Mario seems quite addictive, although it could well turn out to be a bit on the repetitive side. You'll just have to wait for the review to find out. Test of time The key element of the game will be timing. Some baddies move fast, some slow, while others go round opening the doors you've just closed. Hence, the challenge will rest in forward thinking to work out a safe The doors with arrows on take you up and down the floors. Be careful when you exit, as baddies chase you immediately. 101 "


"the Sever Cales of Iptimit AMIGA,PC,ST by SILMARILS AROUND .99 SPETO A BOA BOAB MO AC E PREVIEW LIFE LIFEE LIFE LIFE APRIL RELEASE I aranr i farghan moigo akorh s heeld In the town, in the country, in a stinking underground labyrinth, waist-deep in sewage. Who knows where you'll find yourself in Ishar 3. It's just a nutty kind of game. Stage of Development 75% Completed Dragons, dungeons, an evil wizard called Shandar. The latest instalment in Silmarils' Ishar trilogy has it all ooks pretty, this, doesn't it? It's Ishar 3, which will be entering the 3D role-playing game fray some time this spring, going toe-totoe in a savage, swords-and-sorcery, blood-and-snot battle with the likes of Ultima Underworld. Let me take you back... Appropriately, the story follows on from Ishar 2, which, as you no doubt remember, culminated in the destruction of Shandar, an evil wizard who He even Gates was making trouble on the planet of Ishar. Well, Shandar's back, or at least his soul is, and it's looking for a new body to infest so that it can resume its quest for Ishar domination. Trouble is, he wants to return in the body of Wohratax, the last survivor of the Black Dragon race who, apart from being immortal, is also the single hardest creature roaming the world of Ishar with excellent fighting abilities as well as magic. Which explains why Shandar's after him. There's still time to stop Shandar before he takes the dragon's form. The only way to do it, though, is to travel through monster-packed scenery looking for time gates which take you and your gang of mystical mercenaries back in time to kill Wohratax before the start of these shenanigans. 100 characters, all with different abilities and personalities. The game uses a 3D viewing window (which flicks like Eye of the Beholder's rather than scrolling) to display indoor and outdoor locations, and as in Ishar 2, you get day and night-time lighting effects. It also features animated film sequences and real-time fights always preferable to those dull, old, combat-by-rounds systems. It certainly sounds good, but with so many similar RPGs knocking around and good ones they are too we can't help but wonder whether all these features will be enough to lure us away from the likes of Underworld. We'll find out, as will you, next month when we get our hands on a review copy. Ad. BA BA BA BA. LIFET LIFET LIFE LIFE I aranir marghan Trolgotakort Sheet Honestly, officer, there we were, innocently collecting truffles, when we were mugged by this red-eyed maniac with a big sword! 102 Ishar's army Ishar 3 is certainly feature-packed. You can select your team of five adventurers from an army of over "


"MEGA DRIVE es, this is a game based on The Nutty Boys (as they were known circa 1984) who made themselves famous with the likes of House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, It Must Be Love, Night Boat to Cairo and One Step Beyond, to name just a few of their classic tracks. Let's hope that this is not the slippery slope, though, to less reputable bands signing up games licences, ie Bad Boys Inc the videogame! by GREMLIN TBA PREVIEW The reflections on this tower are a graphical feast I can tell you. OUT TBA Stage of Development 65% Complete Here's one of the typical guardians you can expect to come across. They're not exactly difficult to beat. Watch out for this baddie, 'cos he won't stay in the bubble long! My name is Michael Caine Madness House of Fun stars a character called Mr Smash (who is based on Carl from the group), and is another platformer with the key feature being a large selection of the tunes which are supplied by Suggs and Co. There are 14 levels, each with its own set of enemies, puzzles, powerups and hidden rooms, played out against what are shaping up to be some decent looking backdrops. A clue system has been woven into the game to hopefully prevent novices getting frustrated by not being able to progress through the game. HOUSE OF FUN Some of the later level graphics are particularly well detailed. Night Boat to Cairo Game veterans will recall this game is based on an old Amiga platformer called Harlequin. Despite being a decent game at the time, it didn't sell well. The game on offer here is essentially Harlequin with Madness based sprites. Keep an eye out sometime around the middle of the year to see whether the game reveals its age or not. Can the Harlequin game return with the same vengeance that Madness managed to a couple of years back? SEGA Not exactly a subtle piece of sponsorship, eh readers?! You'll need to discover a nearby pick-up to breathe in the water. Like Cool Spot, some of the points are invisible. Make sure you run everywhere to gather them all. 103 "


"AMIGA/PC by CORE TBA PREVIEW You can play either Heimdall or Urshua, a female warrior. APRIL RELEASE Stage of Development 30% Complete It's not just the main graphics that are sumptuous, check out those backgrounds. Throw the roll at the rat and it'll pull the lever, releasing you from jail. Into the Hall of World fleste If you can solve an earlier puzzle then one of these chaps isn't as dead as he appears. CVG manages to avoid any 'Core blimey' intros as it takes a peek at the impressive looking sequel to Heimdall Simply walk over objects to add them to your inventory. fter the enthusiastic welcome the original Heimdall received by journalists and punters alike, a sequel was just a matter of time. Well, fans of Core Design's brilliant graphic adventure will no doubt be pleased to know that there isn't that long to go until the release of the imaginatively titled Heimdall 2. Hit are loads of incidental background animations and 'nice touches' popping up all over the place, giving the game a unique cartoon feel. Combat will also play a huge part in the game, meaning this shouldn't just appeal to RPGers. Keep an eye out when it's on the rampage around Easter time. Simon Byron Here's someone's daughter who needs to be rescued. This is obviously not one of the more complex puzzles in the game... or is it? ry that you were capture Erik the Viking Once again Loki, the first game's villain, is up to his old tricks. Since his original run-in with Heimdall, he's been walking the land, building up an army of vicious Hakrats. Fortunately the gods have learned of a special amulet which is powerful enough to trap the evil god but surprise, surprise — this weapon has been spilt into six segments which have been scattered throughout the land. So Heimdall has been called upon to reassemble the shattered amulet and capture Loki, while avoiding the general traps and defeating the hideous creatures most self-respecting heroes take care of before breakfast. All in a day's work, really makes Heimdall 2 substantially different from its prequel is the background animations and smaller playarea. Although there are significantly fewer locations in Heimdall 2, there are more puzzles so there won't be lengthy periods of wandering around, looking for something to do something which the first game was occasionally criticised for. There Pippa Longstocking Good story, huh? Like the original game, Heimdall 2 is an isometric arcade adventure. But what really Interaction with other characters is not that good. Here, for instance, you've simply got to sit and listen to the king waffling on. 104 "


"CD32 by THALION REVIEW TBA tour, when suddenly... SPRING RELEASE The opening to the obligatory CD32 intro. Crumbs! A veritable horde of nasties just itching to be given the gas but it's not the sort that'll make them laugh. Stage of Development 90% Completa It's back to the heady days of cute coin-op action with Thalion's first CD32 title! as though it has farting connotations, but you'd be wrong. The two main characters, Puff and Blow (whoever came up with those names remembers the Seventies a bit too well Ed), are stars when it comes to firing gas clouds at baddies from their special methane guns, and they put their skills to the test over level-after-level of arcade action. The idea is to blast the enemies with your gas guns, catch them in the cloud of methane, pick them up and throw them against a wall, at which point they'll release a stack of goodies which you can pick up. Clear a level of nasties and you'll move on to the next, more difficult level. Quack Bubble Bobble and Parasol Stars were both hits and Super Methane Bros derives much of its gameplay style, and look, to those two classics. More and more quality product is being released on CD32, so let's hope Super Methane Bros keeps up the tradition when we review it soon. More introductory shenanigans abound. Could we have another Bubble Bobble on our hands? .the bus hit a large rock, and with a crash and a bump they were catapulted from their seats Puff fires a blast of methane it's just a pity there's nothing around to be caught in it! Select a one or two player game it makes things a bit easier if there's a pair of you taking on the terrors. just a tad to the Bubble Bobble/ Parasol Stars type of gameplay? ith the imminent introduction of the classification system for games, doubtless companies will be now attempting to tone down the content of the software they produce, as opposed to slapping in a few gory bits to gain a higher certificate and play on the 'can't have so must have' mentality of Joe Punter. And what better way to conform to the ELSPA directive than to release a cutesy caper that owes Parp Super Methane Bros from Thalion, the company which brought you the excellent No Second Prize and Lionheart (which, are both appearing on CD32 in April at a scandalously reasonable .99 each), may sound 105 "


"rea New Kak PWOOOAAAAARRR? What's that foul aroma rising up from beneath my desk? Is it a dead rat? How about a six-month old pile of puke? No, it's another pile of pap otherwise known as letters to the one and only YOB'S MAILBAG! Luckily Yours Truly is on hand to send sad people packing with my good humour, refined manners and legendary knowledge of everything. If you reckon you can match the wit and wisdom found hiding somewhere on these pages, or you just want to know about games, then this is the place to be. Remember to open your eyes, grasp the pen firmly in your left or right hand, take a deep breath, make sure you're sitting in front of a piece of paper and fire off your shambolic scribblings to: LOOK, IF YOU WANT MY ADVICE DON'T BOTHER TO DELIVER THIS BECAUSE IT'S A STEAMING PILE OF OLD JOBBIES, YOB'S GUTBUSTINGLY GLORIOUS MAILBAG, CVG, 30-32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON EC1R 3AU. 14 na 106 "


"SORRY SCOUSE SCRIBBLINGS Dear YOB, I am writing to complain about your rating system. When you review games that are sequels, such as Streetfighter 2 and Super Streetfighter 2, why don't you give two ratings? The first one would compare it to the first game, so people who bought it can tell if it's worth getting the follow-up, and a second rating for all those who don't have it. This way people would know if they were being ripped-off by a game which is essentially the same as one they already own. Anyway, answer my questions. 1. When will the Jaguar be coming out in Britain? 2. Will there be any Streetfighter games coming out for it? 3. How much will the Jaguar cost? 4. Have you got any news of Akira on the Amiga? 5. Why did you suddenly raise the price of your mag? PAUL DONNELLY Wirral, Merseyside PS Keep up the good work. PPS Who does all the great pics on the letters page? PLEASE GIVE ME MY 15 MINUTES YOB: Yeah, right. Then we'd get loads of letters from sad-cases going 'I think you reviewing system's too complicated' or 'why to did this game get 60% and 90% on the same review?' Games should be reviewed on their own merit, and if we think they're too similar to a previous incarnation we'll say so. 1. There are some import machines available at the big games stores. 2. Nope. 3. A little bit more than a little bit less. 4. Nope. 5. Because Paul Rand needed the cash for the solar-powered haemorrhoid ointment applicator recommended by his GP. With the price of batteries these days, it's the only machine worth considering for long-term use. PS Of course. PPS Some bloke called Stuart we found hanging around Farringdon Lane tube. Dear YOB, I have written to you two times before and both times you didn't print my letter. Why? DAVID MARCHANT London E4 (ACID!! 11 lll 1 32003! GRUNK! YOB: Because your mum wrote to explain that it's all part of your therapy and if I printed your sad shambling efforts it could set back your remedial course by six months. CRUMBS, HOW ORIGINAL OLD Dear YOBYKINS, !TIBBAR YNNUB SSELBON ETELPMOC A ERA UOY JOHN HERDMAN Devizes, Wilts NEW EZE PILE. YOB: How many members of the Herdman family does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: all of them. (One to change the bulb, the rest to stand around with their thumbs up their backsides.) THANKS AWFULLY. ) 107 "


"A LESSON IN WASTING NATURAL RESOURCES I KNOW NOTHING Dear YOB, Why is it all the letters have print are from abusive, small-minded twerps; I mean these seem to be the only people who write to you. If this is the case though, I'm in trouble. Now please answer the following as best you can. 1. What happens to carts that don't get sold? 2. What's going to happen when there are more systems, with more bits than there are games and gamesplayers? 3. How do you change the petrol pump on the old Metro 1.3? 4. How do you kill the mad scientist at the end of Crackdown? See you in the funny papers. JON PENNY Scotland Dear YOB, I am writing and hoping for answers. 1. What's the best game on the Super NES at the moment? 2. What's the best console out? 3. Will Streetfighter II come out for the Game Gear? 4. How come CVG is so fab and cool etc (etc)? 5. What's the most expensive console? 6. What's the future of the Nintendo? 7. How come you are so cool? 8. Why are other computer mags so crap? MICHAEL SANDERS Nuneaton PS Say hello to my bessie friends and my brother. YOB: 1. I get all the software companies to send them to me and if I'm feeling generous I give them away to my friends. If I'm not I just throw them away. 2. Congratulations. This is the most pathetic question I've been asked all month. 3. Drop a lighted match into it and see what happens. If nothing occurs, the pump is empty and safe to change... 4. You could try shooting him. Better still, you could try shooting yourself. THE SADDEST PERSON IN THE WORLD YOB:1. NBA Jam. 2. At the moment, it's technically the Jaguar, but that's not exactly out yet, is it? 3. The day you achieve conscious thought. 4. Because I run the entire mag, and the rest of the 'crew' are part-time models hired in from the agency. Gary Lord is in fact a milkman from Harrogate, Steve James a chartered surveyor from Dulwich and Paul Rand a red-haired Lancastrian bog-breath who pretends he's blond and comes from Durham. As for Rik and Deniz, well they just appeared one day and beg every morning to be allowed to keep working for the galaxy's greatest mag 5. NAA do a pretty nifty one, knocked out from their Houston factory. Price: $6 billion plus VAT, but you can't get Streetfiahter Il for it. 6. A tall dark stranger bearing gifts, a chance meeting and a child around June. 7. It's one of life's great secrets I'm afraid, known only to The Few. 8. Hey, don't be so hard on them. So what if they're not as good as the world's greatest games mag? I'm not having a go at you just because you're so completely inferior to me, so leave them alone. Dear YOB, I think Cammy is best out of Chun Li and her. Could you draw a picture of me snogging her? MICHAEL CARTER Cirencester YOB: How about a picture of me knocking your sad and depraved head somewhere into next week? 03-0-Uk CONTRAS KiLLiNGS  Ook 3 my O SAINTED SAUNT! SENSIBLE? OR SPECIAL PRAT? DELIVERY FOR MR. HARDMAN Dear YOB, You are a stinking pile of cow's muck. You are a disgrace to the end Doc human race. I mean just look at yourself. You're a tramp. Why don't you get yourself a proper job and do something decent with yourself? You are a complete waste of time. I could do a much better job than you could ever imagine. And I've got some advice for all you idiotic fools that write to this braindead scrotbag. DON'T. You are a stupid mugI have to say to you is that you better send me that  or I'll get my mate Nick the nutter to come round your dustbin of a house and chop you into little pieces with his chainsaw and feed them to some rats. I bet your mummy doesn't let you watch Neighbours because you'll crap your pants with horror. Just answer me one question: Why are you so ugly? HARRY THE HARDMAN Croydon, Surrey FA-cute HAD THE YOB: Are you by any chance a useless blob of detritus? Have you by any chance stuck the wrong end of the thermometer up your bum again? Is there any chance that you might be capable of saying something sensible in your entire lifetime? I won't be holding my breath. 108 "


"BROWN TONGUE CENTRAL MACKAM MUTTERINGS Dear YOB, I am just writing to say how great your replies to the mailbag are. You get cackholes for letters, yet somehow you make hilarious quotes out of them. You can completely take the mick out of my letter, but I know it's your job and that you're great at it. Anyway, what do you think of Nintendo's ad campaign? Cack ain't it! THEO HERDMAN Devizes, Wilts PS Please could you print my letter to show off to my friends. Dear YOB, I think CVG is an excellent magazine. I get it delivered every month. I read Yob's Mailbag before I read the rest of the magazine. Please could you answer these questions? 1. Will there be a Tuff E Nuff 2 on the Super NES? 2. Will World Heroes 2 be coming to our consoles? 3. Are there any plans for a colour Game Boy from Nintendo? 4. What game is your favourite: Streetfighter II Turbo or Turtle Tournament Fighters? 5. Are there any cheats for Terminator on the Super NES? If so please could you print them? 6. Will FIFA International come out on the SNES? 7. Is Striker better than FIFA? 8. How much do you think the 64-bit SNES will cost when it comes out? 9. Would you buy Tournament Fighters or Empire Strikes Back on the SNES? 10. Could you please put some cheats in for George Foreman's KO Boxing on the Super NES? Please, please, please... ANDREW BOAD Washington, Tyne & Wear nimi YOB: Dear Theo's friends, Does he creep up to you all the time as well? Why not tell him where to ( go to teach this little twerp the error of his ways? Oh go on, Pll be your best mate... Se Br mine: OH! C+VG! LQA SUPERB! GREAT! AT I LOVE IT! SO FUNNY! MARVELLOUS! Hititt YOB: 1. It's possible, but no details yet. NHL20. elcy 2. Yup. It's coming to Super Nintendo soon — and may appear on Mega Drive as well. 3. The very latest word from my highly placed Nintendo sources is that development work is continuing on the Colour Game Boy, but it won't see the light of day until Nintendo can release the machine at an affordable price. Remember, once again you read it here first! 4. Turbo. 5. Why on earth you'd want cheats for this steaming load of old dog's dollops I don't know. If you want my advice, open your bedroom window and hurl the bloody thing as far as you can. 6. Yup. It'll be out just before the World Cup. 7. Nope. 8. Nintendo claims it'll sell Project Reality for less Oo.. than . Pigs will fly first. 9. I'd buy Tournament Fighters tomorrow. I wouldn't give you a mouldy scab for Empire Strikes Back. 10. Who do you think you're talking to? Patrick bloody Moore? bloosoo  SO BORN AGAIN SENSIBILITY IS JAP GREAT OR PAP? Dear YOB, You were right. I have been spouting claptrap about the Neo Geo and I apologise Is it true that CD-ROM software on the Neo will be as little as ? If so, will it overshadow the existing cartridges? STEVEN PIERRO London N9 YOB: Don't worry. A saddo LEIBFRAUwho admits it has some hope MILCH at least. Which is why I'll pass on this juicy titbit of inside info: the latest Dear YOB, rumours I hear are that older Why are the mountains so Neo titles will be supplied on high? CD, sometimes with more DENNIS AND ROY than one game on them. Koln, Germany There are even rumours that up to seven games may be included on one CD and sold YOB: haven't you off for around , but I'll noticed that the counbelieve that when I see it. try you're in doesn't have any? Dear YOB, I am writing to complain about that sad git of an A level student called Richard Moulton in Issue 146. He is such a boring old fart who thinks he knows it all. Never mind. Would you please answer my three questions? Ta. 1. What's the best basketball game on the SNES? 2. Please could you put these in order of slowest to fastest: UK SNES, US SNES, JAP SNES. 3. Why is CVG such an ace mag? SHAWN TILSED Poole, Dorset PS Did you hear about the duck? He didn't! PPS Please print my letter or I will sick my head down a bog. YOB: 1. NBA JAM. 2. Slowest: UK (50Hz), joint fastest US and Jap (60Hz). It's a depressing state of affairs, but you might be pleased to hear that most of Nintendo's own games like Mario Kart are specially adapted for use on 50Hz machines. 3. Why not? 109 "


"DON'T BLAME ME, I ONLY ANSWER THEM RANT! RAVE! SIGH Dear YOB, Please answer the following questions WITHOUT any of your crap. Thank you! 1. My friend said to me that Dhalsim on SFII is as much use as a chocolate tea pot. What do you think? 2. Does Lost Vikings for Mega Drive look any good? 3. How does SFII SCE compare to SFII Turbo? 4. Please say to my sad friend that the Mega Drive is better than the NES as he won't listen to me. 5. Will there be a sequel to Fatal Fury on the Mega Drive? 6. Why is the Lynx so cheap now (Rumbelows ) and the Game Gear so expensive (!) 7. Give Sega a good THRASHING from me and tell them to get SFII on CD today, if you please! 8. If the Jaguar is going to be , will the Mega-CD be cheaper also? LEE CHESHAM Melksham, Wilts. Dear YOB, The price for computer games are cack. Well some are. For instance Streetfighter II for the Mega Drive.  is a load of crap. Sega is really sick. They haven't made a decent game yet. I should know because I have a Game Gear. I can complete all the games. I completed Streetfighter II for the Mega Drive the first time I played it. The other thing that bothers me is that some games are going to have certificates which makes me really mad. I think they should stick to 16-bit graphics platform and beat-'em-up games. STEPHEN HUTCHINSON Carlisle SEGA HOT m YOB: 1. Your mate is about as much use as an eggy fart in a submarine and he's talking out of his backside as usual. It so happens that the winner of the 1992 Capcom World Streetfighter Championships in Japan used Dhalsim throughout the contest. 2. It's OK. 3. They're basically the same, although Turbo on the SNES is harder to complete. SCE was so-called to get around Capcom's Turbo contract commitments with Nintendo. So there you go. 4. Why should I? The Mega Drive may be technically superior, but if you want my opinion the NES has better games. Ooh, controversy! 5. Highly likely. 6. Because nobody bought the Lynx. Forty quid is a bargain, and I'd suggest you buy one now. Then get Klax if you know what's good / SEGA UH-HU... for you. 7. I called Sega on the special Yob Inside ial Yob Inside ( THE MESSAGE is Hotline number known only by myself, and they asked me to pass on this personal mes'SOD OFFS sage, specially for you: Sod OH. THANK YOU. 8. If Melksham was blown up, who'd care? M HELLO... YOB: Er... fine. Glad we cleared that one up. Show this copy of CVG to the doctor and he might knock a couple of months off your treatment programme. Then again, he may add a few... 2009 MOST POINTLESS QUESTIONS EVER? Yo YOB, I think your idea is cool. I have been dying to ask you some questions. 1. Which computer costs the most? 2. Which is the best computer game? 3. What is the best fighting game? 4. Is Mario better than Sonic? 5. Which computer is the best? 6. What is your favourite game? 7. Which game got the biggest rating? 8. What was the first game made for the Jaguar? 9. What was the first home computer named? 10. What is is worst game? 11. What is the most funny game? 12. What is the most expensive game? Please give me the money because I want to buy all the CVG mags aso that I get to see your cool comments. Thank you for listening. RICHARD SANDERS Somewhere remember CVG once rated Chessmaster on the Game Boy at 98. However, that doesn't really count. 8. Cybermorph was the first complete game. 9. The first affordable home computer was the ZX80, a black-and-white machine built by Clive Sinclair, which came out about 1980. You bought the thing in a kit which you had to build yourself with a soldering iron, the entire machine boasted 'Ik of memory and by today's standards it was completely and utterly crap. (Today's Game Boy cartridges have about 2,000 times more memory). A year or so later Sinclair came out with the ZX81 (still 1K) and in 1983 built the Spectrum the computer which kickstarted the video games world as we know it. Here endeth the history lesson. If you lot want to know more about the (quite boring really) history of computer games, bung me a letter with your questions and I might even bother to answer them. 10. In my opinion, the Worst Game Of All Time is a complete draw between three games. The Great Space Race on the Spectrum was megahyped and sold squillions on its release before punters realised the whole thing had been written in BASIC and was a steaming great turd. More recently, Dark Castle from Electronic Arts lifted the crown of crapdom on the Mega Drive thanks to its absolutely appalling playability, graphics so bad they defied belief and baddies that went Nee Nee Nee Nee' like demented dwarves with piles. Lately, though, the honour of Worst Game In History goes to Ferrari Formula One on NES and Game Boy with its unique 'road moving steering system. The game is so bad it defies belief. 11. Dark Castle. 12. Virtual reality games which can cost FOUR QUID a game probably take the biscuit. What a rip-off. YOB: 1. It's probably the one that leaves you with the least change, but that's an educated guess. 2. Which one? 3. Samurai Shodown on the Neo Geo. 4. Depends. He's not as fast, but he's better at filling his trousers. 5. What a stupid question. 6. At the moment it's NBA JAM in the arcades. 7. Can't remember offhand. Probably Super Mario World, which would have got about 96 per cent. However, I do 110 "


"Issued by MIDLAND BANK plc 1992 GREED. Steve 17 wasted all his cut-price cinema tickets in blundering attempts to impress his sister's friends. Sue 14 CORRUPTION got one of our free Megadrive systems then charged her kid brother a whopping  an hour to use it. took full advantage of our halfprice Sega games offer. Now leaves his room only for meals. Joe 15 ordered his \"Pizza for a penny\" pizza and then deceitfully asked his girlfriend to pay half the normal price. MIDLAND LIVECASH DEAL Can you handle 11? Opening a Livecash account will bring you many things. Free gifts, competitions. Big money off Sega, Nintendo and Amiga. But it can also bring out the worst in you. You have been warned. Find out more by sending us the coupon, or by asking at your nearest Midland branch, or by calling us on 0345 180 180. Lines are open 8 am 8 pm, Monday to Friday. All calls charged at local rates. Livecash is available to 11 18 year olds. NAME (MR/MISS/MS) 0345 180 180. ADDRESS MIDLAND The Listening Bank member HSBC group POSTCODE COME SVID GAMES "


"NEXT MONTHL NEXT MONTH E | CVB WILL AND EVEN From next month the UK's best games magazine will have  More reviews  More previews  More hints and cheats  Every new game rated and compared 100% INDEPENDENT "


"LLLLLLLLLL BE BIGGER BETTER! COMPUTER NEW LOOK LOGO! VIDEO IS NEW EVERY NEW GAME REVIEWED AND RD LOOK! GAMES GAMES ON SALE APRIL 15th SINED THES AB OVEM OVER 25,000,000 READERS SINCE PLAYERS.... HP 1982 AND IT'S STILL THE MAG 1133 "


"SNES PORTS by OCEAN/ELECTRONIC ARTS .99 PREVIEW JUNE RELEASE \"Well, David, yer boy takes the corner, it's a long, low ball to the far post, lan Wright's in position, and then the Israeli secret police storm the stadium and the game has to be abandoned. Is that right?\" Stage of Development 100% Complete new player animations for disappointed goalies and strikers, who now fall to the ground, bashing their fists or follow a missed sitter by burying their heads in their hands. There are slow-motion and reverse-angle action replays and the sound is improved, with 'StadiumSound' (TM) \"Well, David, yer boy runs out, tries to narrow the angle and gets savaged by killer clowns.\" \"Er, no Bill.\" Football, football, football. If you've got a SNES it's everywhere Kick Off 3, Ryan Giggs, and now EA's conversion of its Mega Drive topseller, FIFA Soccer and 'The Audience is Cheering' (TM) which comprises 30 crowd chants and digitised effects. Also, there are Man of the Match awards and, if you have a Hudson Soft Super Multitap, up to five people can play in 2 vs 2, 4 vs 1, and 5 vs the computer modes Though it's been programmed and playtested by EA, Ocean is doing the marketing, so watch out for it on its label in June. ERNATIONAL SOGGER \"Well, David, yer man looks down, finds there's a white star on the turf around him, and realises he's not a real person.\" f you've never played the Mega Drive version of FIFA you probably won't have realised that the reason for its success was the speed of play, the stunning graphics and the realistic ball control. Well, the SNES version has all this and more. The major gameplay difference, though, is the new perfect pass power meter which builds up as you hold down the button, indicating exactly how far the ball will go. Other additions are cosmetic. Things like "


"This is what platform games should be about... amazingly good fun.\" \"... a superb platformer which really shows off the SNES. RBA boasts some of the best graphics I've ever seen,\" Nintendo Magazine System \"Challenging, playable and utterly hatstand. Eat your heart out sonic.\" \"Lovely to look at, great to play and bags of fun. Buy it\" Total! Dopa TwinBee RAINBOW BELI ADVENTURES \"A bit of a must buy, anless you're criminally insane or terminally stupid.\" \"Korami have once again proved that they can consistently provide highly charged and diversified game play.\" Gangsmaster 00802600 SOME CO ROBE ONLIXDI MP3 SUPER NINTENDOK ONAMI ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM Konami (UK) Limited Konami House 54a Cowley Mill Road Uxbridge Middlesex UBS 2QE Telephone: 0895 853000 Fax: 0895853003 "


"creating a world of difference > <ICK ITU Seconds before the 1994 World Cup final was due to begin an alien of the cup-collecting kind swoops down and steals the World Cup trophy. TM SOCCER KID The careless alien collided with an orbiting asteroid and the top trophy was smashed into five pieces which are now scattered around the globe. Join football crazy Soccer Kid in his quest to recover and reassemble the World Cup. Prepare to meet all manner of madcap characters in dozens of lush, detailed locations ranging from England, to the Italian Riviera, through Russia's frozen forests. Take a ride on Japan's Bullet Train and end up on the rough and tough city streets of the U.S.A. It's awesome arcade action all the way with a blistering soundtrack to match. my EB LICENSED FROM KRISALIS SOFTWARE LTD. Ocean ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM OCEAN SOFTWARE LIMITED 2 CASTLE STREET  CASTLEFIELD MANCHESTER M3 4LZ  TELEPHONE: 061 832 6633 FAX: 061 834 0650 "

