Computer Cover

Sinclair User

Overall 79%

Graham Taylor 79%

ONE JOYSTICK'S THE SAME AS ANOTHER ISN'T IT? NO. WHY? BECAUSE GRAHAM TAYLOR SAYS THAT'S THE WAY IT IS! Well you just yank it don' you, I mean sometimes you stab it wiv your fumb as well but das about it reely. Is there such a thing as a cool joystick? What particular piece of plastic will most perfectly set off your Georgio Armani lime green California casuals. If Crockett and Tubbs bust aliens instead of cars what would be the piece of plastic for them? When it comes to joysticks there are as many opinions as there are frazzled aliens. Ain't nobody gonna be damn fool enough to pretend that it's possible to do some sort of definitive/objective analysis. So what we have here is a mixture of fact and faction. Actually reading between the lines will probably reveal some deep-seated and dodgy details about the reviewer. THE RATING SYSTEM KILL FACTOR: A general purpose term implying how responsive the joystick is to your slightest movement. Responsive equals alien deaths. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS: Can the thing take the strain? Is it going to fall apart in five minutes if the going gets rough? LOOKS CAM KILL: Is it stylish? Is it easy to grip? If it were a car would it be Ferrari Daytona or a dumper truck? This section is almost totally biased. OVERALL COOL: The lot totalled up, fiddled with, adjusted and generally mutated to give a definitive overall impression of the total joystick concept. WIZ CARD Hey where's the big sticky up thing? This one looks like credit card. Two small fire buttons, no autofire. What is this thing? KILL FACTOR Pretty good, multi-directional control via a sort of swivel turntable on one end. It is quite easy to slide your thumb over the turntable and change direction quickly. Fire button timings equally good and responsive. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Should last, there isn't much physical movement involved so no mater how hard you hammer away at it it ought to keep going through thick 'n' thin. LOOKS CAN KILL I quite like the credit-card look. It has the kind of elegance Bang and Olufson give their hi-fi gear. Smooth and sophisticated. However, there are problems. It may look OK but actually your thumb gets pretty tired pretty quickly, the fire buttons are nowhere near big enough and I can never decide which way around to hold it so that it makes the best sense. OVERALL COOL Not bad. Very cheap. Looks pretty good and responds well but tiring to use. PRICE: £8.95