Spectral Panic

Crash

Graphics 20%

Use of Computer 15%

Playability 20%

Addictive Qualities 15%

Value For Money 10%

Overall 16%

Matthew Uffindell 16%

HEADBANGERS - PANIC GAMES Armed with little more than a trusty spade, nimble fingers and wilting joystick, our two arcade playing reviewers, CHRIS PASSEY and MATTHEW UFFINDELL, enter the dusty platforms in search of monsters 'Panic' games involve climbing ladders to various levels within the screen, digging holes in the floors and letting the monsters fall into them. When you trap a monster in this manner, there is usually a short time in which to reach it, bang it on the head so that it falls through to its death, filling in the hole as it goes. Failure to kill it in time will result in the beast escaping and becoming a super monster. The more super a monster becomes, the more holes it must fall through in one go, which means digging holes in a vertical line. You have an ever-diminishing supply of oxygen, so speed is important. This selection contains some close copies and some slight variations on the theme. SPECTRAL PANIC Hewson Consultants Memory Required: 16K Retail Price: £5.95 (We only have one reviewer on as Chris Passey was unable to see the game at the time.) Five platforms, skinny ladders and poorly drawn moving characters make this game a bore to look at. But the key positions make it a tangle to play. They are placed in a joystick-like cross with dig and fill way over on the other side of the board - out of reach - just impossible. One screen gives the game poor playability. Knocking a monster through one of the platforms only causes another to appear at the bottom of the screen. Use of colour, sound and graphics is very poor and it is a badly thought out game. Some of Hewson's recent games have been very sophisticated and playable, so all I can say about this one is that if it helped them get going (it is quite old now) and up to where they are now, then that's the best thing about it. MU

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

FRANTIC FUN WITH MONSTERS! Don't Panic! Just keep digging holes for those monsters and watch them tumble into the traps. Then bank them on the head with your pick axe and you are safe! Well - not quite safe, as some of these monsters are tougher than others. The easy ones can quite easily be buried by making them fall through one level. The really tough old boots will just get up and walk away if they only fall through one level and must be made to crash through several. Sounds familiar? Arcade fans will recognise this game as the early classic coin operated game - Alien Panic. The game has now been converted for home use by Sinclair Spectrum owners. Spectrum Panic is the latest game from Hewson Consultants - the authors of Nightflite. It runs on the 16 or 48K machines, and is in the shops now £4.95. Also new from Hewson for confirmed computer pilots is an air traffic control simulation which enables you to try your hand at the nail biting job of controlling the comings and goings at a busy airport. Adventure enthusiasts have also been included in the latest batch from Hewson in the shape of a 48K graphic adventure called the Quest. The program is available now at £7.95.