Rocket Man

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

THE ZX81 SOFT SELECTION Nick Pearce, our ZX81 expert, pass Judgement on the latest batch of releases. ROCKETMAN Software Farm As regular readers of this column may recall, I was very favourably impressed with Forty-Niner, the first hi-resolution game from Software Farm. Rocketman is their followup, hi-res game and it is even better. Once you're up and running there can be little doubt that you will be transfixed for hours. The game takes time to master, but that doesn't seem to matter at all. Rocketman is a slightly misleading title. This is not a 'star wars' type game. The object is to collect five diamonds which rest on ledges on the left of the screen. Your man starts on the right hand side of the screen on a system of platforms and ladders. You have to hurry round these collecting fuel cans which appear at random positions. Once you have sufficient fuel, you get your rocket and with this strapped to your back fly off across the expanse of sea to the ledges to get those diamonds. Of course it's not that easy. Any slight misjudgement as you jump from platform to platform and climb up and down the ladders, and you end up in the drink. There is a "bubloid" whose sole object is to chase and catch you. The hi-res display is very good indeed, even down to the realistic splash as you fall to your death in the sea. If you can get through this first easy (?) section, you are faced with a more difficult stage in which you have to collect enough legs of lamb to feed your vulture in order to fly over to the diamonds. I don't think I've seen a better game for the ZX81. Superb. Rocketman costs £5.95p from Software Farm, [redacted].

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 7/10

Chris Bourne 7/10

JET-PROPELLED ACTION Memory: 16K Price: £5.95 Diamonds is where your future lies, diamonds sitting on little platforms above a hostile sea. Why they are there nobody knows, but it is your job to get them. Unfortunately you are some distance from the diamonds, and have to reach them by using a rocket pack which has no fuel. To obtain the fuel you must leap around a series of platforms and ladders dicing with watery death and avoiding the menacing bubble which pursues you, like something out of The Prisoner. When you have enough fuel you can fly using the rocket pack, but the bubble will still chase you. It is difficult to amass the required quantity of fuel - you must judge for yourself how much you need - but the bubble seems almost unbeatable when you are flying. At higher levels a touch of the Manic Miners sets in, as your rocket pack becomes a vulture and the fuel legs of lamb. Never mind that the vulture looks more like one of those exotic seabirds which frequently appear performing their mating dances for David Attenborough. Do not ask yourself what ready-carved legs of New Zealand's finest are doing on platforms high above the ocean. Enjoy the game, and avoid awkward questions which might threaten your sanity. For Rocket Man, the second in a series of high-resolution ZX-81 games from Software Farm, is indeed worth playing. For once the high-resolution boast is true, and the game is sufficiently difficult to hold the interest while not being so impossible at the beginning as to discourage you from continuing. The game is not the fastest, but given the apparent intelligence of the deadly bubble, that is probably a blessing. You should be more concerned with working out economical routes and safe tactics for moving round the ladders and platforms than worrying about sheer speed. Rocket Man is attractively presented and fun to play. While the scenario shows signs of an erratic rather than inspired imagination, at least there is an attempt at inventive whimsy rather than a reliance on the old standbys of laser cannon and dragon breath. On the strength of Rocket Man, Software Farm is to be congratulated, not least for its loyalty to a machine which few professionally minded software companies are seriously considering. Since the game is the second in a series, and a series would seem to imply more than two games, we hope it will be not long before the next is released. Rocket Man can be obtained from Software Farm, [redacted].

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

HERO FORCED TO WATERY GRAVE BY EVIL BUBBLES ZX-81 owners were astonished by the high-res graphics in Forty Niner. Rocket Man takes the ZX-81 one step further. Very, very rarely a product appears on the software market which is an absolute must for everyone who can use it. The Hobbit was one such program, Jet Set Willy was another. Until now, though, ZX-81 owners have had to sit on the sidelines and try not to be too disappoint ed with the programs produced. Now Software Farm have produced Rocket Man; complete with high-resolution graphics, animated characters and multiple levels. Eat your heart out, Spectrum users. The graphics are astounding. "Why are you running the Spectrum on a black and white television?" was the question asked of the Sinclair Programs reviewer while Rocket Man was running. The game involves collecting fuel packs from the various platforms on the right of the screen by running, climbing and jumping . When sufficient have been collected you can jump into your rocket and jet to the left of the screen where there are diamonds to be collected. The main problem is the bouncing balloon which chases you, with the sole intention of drowning you in the sea below. Once all the diamonds have been collected it is possible to move onto the next level. If you only buy one ZX-81 program in your life, this is the one to choose. Rocket Man is produced by Software Farm, [redacted] and costs £5.95.