Galaxy Jailbreak

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

THE ZX81 SOFT SELECTION Once again Nick Pearce voices his opinion on some of the new releases for the ZX81. GALAXY JAILBREAK Romik Software Galaxy Jailbreak is another good game from Romik. In this one, you control a missile base at the bottom of the screen. You can move left or right, and of course, you can fire. The game starts with a number of evil generals in a walled area near the top of the screen - the 'jail'. Alien soldiers attempt to free the generals by hyperspacing onto the screen and hitting the jail walls, removing bricks in the process. Once on the screen, the soldiers bounce between the screen walls and the jail, removing more and more bricks as they go Once freed, the generals drop bombs on your missile base. If you shoot a general, he explodes - turning into three soldiers! Points are gained for hitting soldiers and generals, and the game ends when you have lost your three lives. The game can get very frantic at times, and in common with other Romik action games, this one offers a freeze-frame option to give the harassed player time to compose him/herself. A high score feature is also included, but only one level of play is available. However, the game gets increasingly difficult to play as it progresses. Comprehensive, on-screen instructions are included. Another good-quality action game from Romik Software. Romik Software are at [redacted].

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 7/10

Sound None

Originality 6/10

Lasting Interest 6/10

Overall 6/10

David Janda 6/10

GAME: Galaxy Jailbreak MACHINE: ZX81 + 16K JOYSTICK: Necessary SUPPLIER: Romik Software PRICE: £4.99 Galaxy Jailbreak is a sort of cross between Galaxians and Breakout, and it's not a bad combination. The scenario is this. You've captured some alien generals and put them into your prison where you're guarding them with your stellar missile base. The generals' soldiers are bent on freeing their leaders, so they hyperspace on to the screen and start bouncing around. They try to free the generals by bouncing onto the walls of the prison which slowly begins to crumble. You have to stop them by firing at them with your missile base which can unleash a salvo of five missiles at a time. But the real trouble starts when a general gets free, or when you hit a soldier. Once a general is free, it starts bouncing around like the soldiers, and if you hit it, it turns into three soldiers. No problem, you might be thinking, hit the soldiers. But when you hit them. they turn into bombs which start falling downpossibly on you. Points are scored for hitting just about everything th at moves except the bombs, You can hit the bombs if you wish, but high scoring is only achieved by zapping the generals. In play, things get quite confusing after a while, with lots of blobs bouncing around the screen. I resorted to moving left and right and spraying missiles as I went. This works for a while, but in the end, things get so cluttered that your three lives get used up rather fast. Regardless of your inevitable doom, Galaxy Jailbreak is good fun. There's lots to watch out for and it should keep most trigger-fingers occupied for quite a while.

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].