Borzak

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 6/10

Sound 5/10

Originality 6/10

Lasting Interest 4/10

Overall 5/10

Martyn Smith

Peter Walker

Richard Boniface 5/10

Robert Patrick

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K CONTROL: Keys, Kemp FROM: Channel 8, £9.95 Are you a frustrated freak? Do you enojoy that tensedp-up feeling? If so, Borzak is the game for you. It's not that each stage is so hard (they're really quite simple) it's just that they go on for so long that sooner or later you make a mistake, either through lack of concentration or, more likely, through boredom. Thus you can play for ages without getting anywhere at all. As Borzak, the amazing bug-eyed beastie from Betelgeuse, your aim in the game is to travel through the six screens to reach your intergalactic craft. The reason why you have fallen to Earth is that while travelling in space you made a small mistake and got sucked into the Earth's atmosphere. With dismay you realise that you are 85 Zorgs (85 whats?) away from your spacecraft and this is where the game starts. You control Borzak and you have to get back to your ship. On the first screen there are holes which eat you up if you jump into them - so don't! To complicate the matter further there are flying objects (I think they're birds) which I have an uncanny knack of cracking my head open on. Next the second screen and now you are being attacked by mutant frogs which are beautifully drawn. The third, fourth and fifth screens have obstacles such as pools of water and brick walls (risky), dragonflies and snakes (or are they worms?). The sixth and final screen is the real killer. At first it seems similar to the first screen with holes and birds, but a huge steel claw emerges to drag you down. The game has some nice options - for example, you may play on any level. Colour is well used and graphics are jerky but well designed. Overall, not very exciting.

Borzak the amazing bug-eyed beastie.

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

WE LOOK AT THE LATEST SPECTRUM RELEASES TO DISCOVER JUST WHAT JACK WAS DOING UP THAT BEANSTALK. BORZAK Borzak from Betelgeuse reporting. Am now making my way back to my spaceship over rough terrain and marsh. Leap the crater, and the next, switch on the anti-gravity device, float along there, end of level one. "Starting level two now. Aaaargh, a giant frog. Speed up, leap, and over. Now another one, speed up, leap and... It moved, unfair. Back to the beginning, defeated by the frogs again. "Sneaky level selection allows me to skip to level three. Over the hurdle, over the crater, anti-gravity over the next three hurdles. Splat, into the next crater. "Switch to level four. A dragonfly! Duck, then leap the snake. Under, over, under, over. Phew. Now, over the stepping stones, over the leaping fish and under the spiders. Only level five to complete now." Guiding Borzak through all five levels, back to his ship will be a challenge for all but the most experienced arcade enthusiasts. The keys are simple to use, but knowing when and where to jump, duck or speed up is a skill which needs weeks to perfect. Borzak is produced for the Spectrum by Channel 8 Software, [redacted] and costs £6.95.

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

BUG-EYED BEASTIE There has just been a very good party on the planet Garulon and, unfortunately, one of the party-goers called Borzak didn't quite get his route home worked out right... he crash landed on earth. Borzak is a new release from Channel 8 Software for the Spectrum and Commodore 64. It's a fast action, arcade-style game where Borzak is trying to get back to his under-maintained space ship. The journey is divided into six sections and, for practice, any section can be selected for a starting point, but full points are only awarded for players starting at level one. Borzak can be made to run, jump, duck, dodge and even do a limited number of anti-grav. assisted jumps with either keyboard or joystick control. Borzak, the amazing bug-eyed beastie from Betelgeuse, is available on cassette and costs £6.95 including VAT.

Personal Computer News

Bob Chappell

SPECTRUM SPILLS The thrill or the chase gripped Bob Chappell in these action games for the 48K Spectrum. INFERNAL COMBUSTION £5.95 Strange Loop, [redacted] Fighting raging fires hasn't figured in many games I can recall so this may be the first. The scene is the inside of a multi-storey building, each floor joined by ladders. Scuttling around the uppermost floors are the occupants who appear to be in a bit of a flap. No wonder - fire has broken out on several of the floors. Down on the ground floor, standing quite fortunately midway between a tap and a bucket, is our little hero. Grabbing the bucket and pausing only to fill it from the tap (this boy is no fool), he has to sprint around the building hurling water at the outbreaks. The idea is to extinguish all the fires and proceed to the next tougher screen where the arsonist has struck again. While you are busy firefighting, the occupants try to make good their escape by fleeing, in their own haphazard, panic-stricken way, down to the ground floor exit. However, they can't get past any blazing area nor through any locked doors - you must help by opening doors and all this while nipping back and forth to refill your bucket. The sample tape lacked a cassette inlay (still at the printers), so I don't know why strewn around the floors were several cans marked with an F, and other odd objects. Possibly for bonus points? From time to time, what appears to be a pink elephant cavorts across the top floor, but for what purpose I am unsure. Should you come into contact with the flames, you are immediately turned into an angel, a fitting reward for your heroic efforts. Despite having no instructions for play, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. Movement of the hero was just a trifle stiff in one or two places, but that apart, the animation and effects were of a pretty high standard. Quite addictive, too. This original and entertaining arcadde chase is well worth seeking out. BORZAK £6.95 Channel 8 Software, [redacted] A funny-looking purple alien with a proboscis that Cyrano De Bergerac would have gasped at, Borzak is a stranger on a strange planet. The creature has to stroll along the surface, dodging various vagaries of nature as he goes. There are six levels of play, all much the same except for the hazards. Borzak has no defence systems and can only jump or duck to avoid oncoming traffic as he moves. At ground level, he must avoid holes, large speckled frogs, snakes and grasping hands. Above are flying ducks, dragonflies and dangling spiders. The game is quite good fun but difficult to complete without skipping levels since the hazards are generated randomly, often resulting in a combination that Superman couldn't beat, let alone a pacifist with a big nose. It's worth buying - Borzak's a lovely character. STOP THE EXPRESS £5.95 Sinclair Research, [redacted] Chasing games have a habit of taking place either in a maze or somewhere dank and dismal underground. Bringing fresh air to this species is Stop the Express. An express train has been hijacked by the Redmen (no, this isn't cowboys and Indians). Your job is to make your way along the carriages, unlock the motorman's cabin and stop the train. You control a cute, ginger-headed lad who starts out on the roof of one of the coaches of the moving express. Hang about too long and the first of many Redmen (similar to our hero but beetroot coloured) appears on the scene and hurls a knife. Fortunately, not only can you duck down but also run, jump and (your trump card this) release a snakebird. With a bit of luck, the latter will knock any pursuing Redmen off the train to earn you a respite. You run along ten coaches, leaping gaps, dodging birds and tunnels, until you can safely climb down inside a carriage. Stage two has the Redmen as before, aided and abetted by strap-hanging nasties and bouncing objects. You can also do a bit of swinging on the straps. I never survived this stage and so didn't reach the driver's cabin. The only drawback is that there are nine keys controlling your hero (each with an alternative) - playing with a joystick (ZX II interface only) makes it easier. Graphically, the program is superb. The train's headlong rush and the animation of the characters are delightful. Sound effects are minimal but with such an original environment and exciting action, this has to be among the top chase games. ORIEN £5.95 Software Projects, [redacted] That's enough wind through your hair; now down to more familiar territory with Orion. Back in maze country, you control a small rocket-car which has to roam around 25 caverns in search of stolen androids. Each cavern is an aerially-viewed maze, populated by creatures and four of your androids. Green meanies must be avoided as they are lethal on contact unless your shields are activated. White meanies are quite nutritious but gobbling one up causes your scanner to malfunction, making the wall of the maze invisible. A simple game with decent graphics and sound, it won't set the world ablaze but offers a good chase, nonetheless.