Thunderhawk

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 4/10

Sound 2/10

Originality 3/10

Lasting Interest 5/10

Overall 4/10

Steve Mann 4/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K CONTROL: Keys, Kemp FROM: Lyversoft, £5.95 Just stop me if you've heard this before... in this arcade game you are in command of the Thunderhawk, and you are the planet's last line of defence against the fiendish Glaxons who are swooping down on your home planet in the 'almost indestructible' Birdcraft. To succeed in your task and to make the world safe for democracy and xenophobic, alien-destroying software manufacturers, you have to fight through five waves of attacking craft before attempting to destroy the command ship, which is impervious to assault anywhere except its centre. Points are scored on the basis of 100 for each enemy vessel shot before it breaks out of the ranks and 500 for the faster, free-moving aliens, with the occasional mystery bonus. It's not the fastest version of Phoenix I've seen, but the comparatively large size of your defending vessel means that it's all too easy to lose one of your five lives before you've even found the controls. The Kempston joystick option does make control easier, however. The use of colour is somewhat limited although movement is smooth enough and the sound is virtually non-existent. Overall, I found Thunderhawk to be a rather drab and unexciting game. But hardened Phoenix addicts should get a kick out of it.

Crash

Use of Computer 53%

Graphics 58%

Playability 44%

Getting Started 30%

Addictive Qualities 35%

Value For Money 40%

Overall 43%

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Producer: Lyversoft Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code Thunderhawk is a 'Phoenix'- type game with three screens. In the first your ship, moving left and right at the base of the screen, combats seried ranks of hawk-like birds which drop bombs, and occasionally one will swoop down on you. In the second screen your rate of fire is slightly improved to cope with the increased numbers of hawks, bombs and their more frequent swooping attacks. Moving to the third screen, you are confronted with the large-sized mothership, the underside of which must be eroded by your gunfire until a hole can be opened up in the green conveyor belt and it all blows up. While this is happening showers of large bombs drop not only from the mothership but from empty space as well, if you move outside the ship's range. Completing all three screens takes you on to level 2, a repeat with slightly higher odds. COMMENTS Control keys: 4/5 - left/right, 0 to fire Joystick: none Keyboard play: after discovering the keys, simple and responsive but the graphics are quite slow Use of colour: poor Graphics: above average, smooth Sound: poor Skill levels: progressive sheets Lives: 5

A vertiable snowstorm of bombs in Thunderhawk.