Kraft Joystick

Sinclair User

Overall 85%

Graham Taylor 85%

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. KRAFT Small and square. Microswitches, one fire button and unusual 4/8-way converter. KILL FACTOR Very good, the short shaft responds quickly and the microswitches click effectively. The special switches on the base of the stick which allow a choice of 4 8-way movement may be useful in some games. DEFENSIVE SHIELDS It's been around a while now and seems to last well. The short joystick means there isn't much strain when you perform those 180° turns... LOOKS CAN KILL It'll never be cool. Not unless the cubist look comes back into fashion - a square box with a thin stick in it, what else can I say? Stick ergonomics quite good but as ever - it's a personal preference - base mounted fire buttons are tiring and I found the square base difficult to hold. OVERALL COOL Functional only. Sturdy and very cheap for a microswitch stick PRICE: £9.95