Galactic Trooper

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

ZX81 SOFT SELECTION There's still '81 software being produced, and you can rely on Nick Pearce to hunt it out. GALACTIC TROOPER Romik Software Galactic Trooper is a fast moving arcade game. The landing craft of the galactic attack force are in formation in columns at the top of the screen. You move your craft along the bottom trying to destroy as much of the force as possible before the inevitable happens and you are obliterated. A mother ship services the galactic force; if you destroy it you gain 500 points. There are three skill levels, but whatever skill level you select the difficulty of the game increases as you play. The action is good, and effective use is made of the ZX81 graphics for the display. Once you get the hang of the game it is possible to build up a high score. The computer keeps a record of the best score. A good game from Romik Software. Romik Software Ltd is at [redacted]. The cassette retails at £2.99.

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

THE ZX81 SOFT SELECTION Nick Pearce looks at some new releases for the ZX81. GALACTIC TROOPER Romik Software Galactic Trooper is another fast moving arcade type game from Romik. The landing craft of the galactic attack force are in formation in columns at the top of the screen. You move your craft along the bottom of the screen, trying to destroy as much of the force as possible before the inevitable happens ie you are obliterated. A mother ship services the galactic force; if you destroy it you gain 500 points. There are three skill-levels available, but whatever skill level you select, the difficulty of the game continues to increase as the game goes along. The action is good, but it is difficult to build up a high score. A fairly good game from Romik Software. Romik Software Ltd is at [redacted].

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 6/10

SPACE GAMES TO KEEP YOU FIRING Memory: 16K Price: £4.99 Recent releases from Romik Software all seem to follow roughly the same well-tried shoot-them-before-they-shoot you formula. Galaxy Jailbreak for the 16K ZX-81 features a prison somewhere in space. You have captured some evil alien generals whose soldiers are trying to free them by nibbling away the walls of the jail. You control a stellar base which fires five missiles at a time and can attempt to shoot the soldiers before they get the generals out; if they get out, the generals start dropping bombs on you, making your life much more difficult. Another mysterious law of outer space also decrees that if you shoot a general, he turns into five soldiers. You score 50 points for hitting a general, 20 for hitting a soldier. Although the concept is not brilliantly original, Galaxy Jailbreak is enlivened by some fast action, and easy-to-use control keys - half the bottom row moves you left, the other half moves you right - are an additional bonus. Make sure you read the opening instruction screens carefully, as the game does not give you a second chance to see them without reloading. Galactic Trooper, also for the 16K ZX-81, is in a similar vein. Again, you must be careful to read the instructions, as the graphics are a little confusing and they will not be explained again once the game has started. The idea is to amass as high a score as possible by destroying a galactic attacking force and prevent it landing on earth. If a landing craft touches down, you lose your firing base. The screen display shows the enemy mothership, worth 500 points, ranging back and forth above the ranks of drones; drones give you 20 points if you shoot them before they drop, 40 points if you catch them in mid-air. A mystery score is attached to the saucers, otherwise known as landing craft. You receive an extra ship if you reach a score of 10,000 points. Unless you are an experienced player, you may not find that easy. Although it is easy to increase your score quickly at the start - just keep firing - stopping the saucers landing and putting an end to your activities is a good deal more difficult. Again, not a strikingly original game, but one which should appeal to addicts of the fire button. Other games for the 16K ZX-81 from Romik Software include Bubble Bugs, which entails firing spiked missiles at enemy bubble bugs to burst them before they destroy you with their bombs. Bank Robber, for a change, does not take place in space - or does it? - but involves removing as many money bags as possible from the bank and getting them home, while avoiding the meteorites, bricks and pills some unexplained force is hurling at you. The game also features open and closed doors to negotiate, and you can choose the number of meteorites and speed with which you would like to be confronted. All the games are available from Romik Software, [redacted].

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 7/10

Sound NONE

Ease Of Use 6/10

Originality 3/10

Lasting Interest 6/10

Overall 6/10

Steve Cooke 6/10

MACHINE: ZX81 + 16K JOYSTICK: NO CATEGORY: Arcade SUPPLIER: Romik PRICE: £4.99 Stopping the aliens from landing on the earth is hardly an original theme for a computer game, but nevertheless such games keep appearing on the market. Galactic Trooper is the latest 'blast the alien' offering from Romik software. If you accept the graphic limitations of the ZX81 together with its lack of sound then Galactic Trooper will offer a fast and skillful invader type of game. The aliens (letter Vs) are deposited in columns, by a very realistic mother ship. When a column is full the V's begin to rain down on your laser base. If you are hit you lose one of your lives. Not only do you have to avoid the aliens as they fall, you also have to avoid the explosion they make as they hit the ground. There are three levels of play to the game and at the highest level the game does get a little fast. You are so busy concentrating on the falling aliens that you usually get killed by the explosion of one that has already crashed. If you haven't had your fill of ZX81 space games already then Galactic Trooper is a good game.