Android Two

Sinclair User

An impressive 3D arcade adventure game which relies more on looks than plot. The robot hero must stop the advance of the Millitoids, a race of centipedes, while avoiding the robot guards such as Hoverdroids and Bounders, all the while moving around land mines. There are three zones in the game - the maze of death, the paradox zone and the flatlands. It is unlikely that many players will reach the second phase of the game let alone the third. The game, brought out in late 1983, was one of the first to generate a random maze bigger than the screen and which scrolled in all directions. Position 27/50

Crash

Lloyd Mangram

Matthew Uffindell

Use of Computer: 80% Graphics: 96% Playability: 92% Getting Started: 90% Addictive Qualities: 90% Value for Money: 89% Overall: 90% Android 2, a follow up (no surprise) to Android 1, was a CRASH SMASH in issue 2 getting 90% overall. How's it stood up? The 3D effect on Android 2 works very well and is still one of the leading 3D maze style games. It's attractive, colourful and boasts good animation. Playing it today, it's still difficult which in a sense makes it challenging. In the original review, one of the bits used was mine, I said that this was a good game in itself with great graphics like Ant Attack, but a better playing game than Ant Attack. I haven't changed my mind! The demo and instructions are some of the best seen. MU Considering the difficulty of getting through the very complex maze with all its hazards, this is still a very playable game with plenty of challenge and a lively, full, colourful screen. I always liked the graphics and the 3D effect and no one has really challenged Android 2, in my opinion, if one is looking at maze type games. In truth, I don't think it has dated at all. LM (Matthew) I'd drop the graphics by 10% down to 86%, playability down 13% to 89% and addictive qualities down to 70%. (Lloyd) I disagree! I wouldn't drop the graphics a bit, nor the playability because I think this is still enormous fun to play. However, it is hard to get through, which might lower its addictivity a mite, say down to 85% from the original 90%. For my money this is still a game which, if it came out today, one would buy and enjoy as entirely up-to-date.

Crash

Overall 90%

Producer Vortex, 48K £5.95 (2) Author: Costa Panayi A sequel to the successful Android 1, this is a vastly improved game in both looks and playability and was one of Issue 2's Games of the Month. Android 2 is a superior robot equipped with a head mounted laser. He must walk the maze of death, survive the paradoz zone and overcome the dangers of the flatlands. In so doing he must stop the advance of the Milllitoids, long entipeded creatures. Other hazards include land mines (loads of them), Hoverdroids and indestructible Bouncers. The playing area is vast, the maze alone is bigger than in most other comparable games, and everything is seen in a solid 3D perspective from above. Every detail of this game has been polished - the graphics are excellent, colourful and well animated, the sound is also good. It has beautiful instructions, is difficult to play and addictive. Good control keys, joystick: Kempston. Excellent value for money and highly recommended. Overall CRASH rating 90% M/C.

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Big K

Overall 3/3

Richard Burton 3/3

THIS D IS REALLY 3 MAKER: Vortex Software MACHINE: Spectrum 48K FORMAT: cassette PRICE: £5.95 When the history of 3D-effect maze games comes to be written, Android Two will be marked down as a classic of its kind. A superb attract mode that sweeps you across the maze field gives the first taste of the stunning hi-res graphics and brilliant colour that makes this game so distinctive. When play starts the maze comes to life with bright, bustling objects - there's movement everywhere! Game object is to guide your android through three increasingly difficult zones and bump off five ferocious Millitoids in each. Hazards come in the form of Hoverdroids, Bouncers a landmines, all of which are fatal to the android. The screen shows a section of the maze a scrolls smoothly in any direction as the android moves around. Action is fast and challenging, thanks to the 100% machine code programming. There are full on-screen instructions plus joystick option. A thoroughly professional presentation and a must for any library.

CrashCrash Game Of The Month

Use of Computer 80%

Graphics 96%

Playability 92%

Getting Started 90%

Addictive Qualities 90%

Value For Money 89%

Overall 90%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Vortex Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code Author: Costa Panayi In the film industry they tend to say that sequels are never as good as the originals, whereas in computer games the opposite seems to be true. If you bought and played Android 1, then you may be in for a shock with Android 2 - it's not only better, it's staggeringly better! A lot of recent releases have featured wonderful graphics and it's unfair to compare one with another when the graphics often have to do different things, but overall our reviewers thought Android 2 had just about the best, possibly as good as any other game for the Spectrum to date. The story is as old as the Spectrum itself - stop the advance of the Millitoids, survive the maze of death, rationalise the paradox zone, overcome the dangers of the flatlands and achieve all this before the departure deadline. No problem! Vortex describe this as a mind-blowing action game and deservedly so. It's hard to describe the screen display, because the area is huge, part massively convoluted maze, part open space within areas of the encompassing maze. The view is solid 3D, seen from well above and slightly to one side. The attract mode scrolls at a furious pace in a diagonal direction across the playing area, and gives a frightening idea of what is ahead of you. The object is to destroy five Millitoids in each of the three zones. These otherwise pleasant creatures require three shots to the head. In carrying out this mission you must watch out for the numerous land mines, Hoverdroids (one blast), and Bouncers which are indestructible but very predictable. Android 2 is equipped with a head mounted photon blaster of unlimited power - he needs it! Good luck! COMMENTS Control keys: 1/Q up/down, O/P left/right, bottom row = fire Joystick: Kempston Keyboard play: very responsive Colour: excellent Graphics: excellent Sound: excellent Skill levels: who needs 'em? Lives: 5 Screens: continuously scrolling

Android 2 - the a-mazing superior Robot.

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Personal Computer Games

Graphics 9/10

Sound 5/10

Ease Of Use 8/10

Originality 7/10

Lasting Interest 8/10

Overall 8/10

Steve Cooke 8/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Optional CATEGORY: Arcade SUPPLIER: Vortex PRICE: £5.95 Android One was a competent but uninspired variant of Berzerk, Android Two is something quite different. You control an android as he steps out of his transporter capsule into a three-dimensional maze of vast proportions. Only a part of the maze is visible at any one time and if you move to the edge of the screen the display scrolls appropriately, bringing a new sector into view. There is a very comprehensive status display, featuring score, hi-score, time elapsed, targets destroyed, lives remaining, and an attractive but (in practice) unnecessary radar screen. Using the 1, Q, 0 and P keys you must avoid landmines, Bouncers, and Hoverdroids as you scour the maze for the elusive Millitoids. There are five of these caterpillar-like beasts, and each may be destroyed by three well-aimed blasts from your laser. This weapon is of limited range but can be conveniently fired using any of the bottom row keys. You have five lives and lose one of these every time you bump into something nasty, which in this games means almost everything. If you succeed in finding and destroying all five Millitoids in the allotted time you may then be transported to the next zone - always provided that you manage to find you way back to the transporter capsule. There are three zones, each with a different scenario. Android Two is excellently documented with no less than five screens of instructions, which you can skip if you want to. The 3D effects and graphics are also very well produced.

Sinclair User

3D MAZE IS NOT FOR THE BEGINNER Striking 3D graphics are the outstanding feature of Android 2, a complex arcade adventure for the 48K Spectrum from Vortex Software. The game starts as you swoop over the Death Maze in your space transporter. As you land, you are confronted by a host of hazards such as millitoids, hoverdroids, bouncers and land mines which can remove your five lives. Your objective is to kill all five millitoids before returning to your transporter, which will then take you to the Paradox Zone and finally to the Flatlands where your mission ends. This well-presented game is definitely not for beginners. The millitoids have to be blasted three times before they disappear and there is only a limited amount of time before your transporter takes off without you, so that getting out of the maze and on to the next level is a challenging task. Skilled players, however, should derive some satisfaction from the game, which features a scrolling screen and a great deal of fast action. Your score, and the number of lives you have remaining, are shown on the right of the screen, where there is also a grid showing your exact position in the maze, as well as a gauge telling you how much time remains before your transporter takes off. Android 2 is produced by Vortex Software, [redacted] and costs £5.95.

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