Cruising on Broadway

Crash

Producer: Sunshine Books, 16K £4.95 Author: Jeff Naylor The graphics don't portray the famous streets around Times Square in New York as the title suggests, they could be any streets that the grid represents. You're in your car when a cop pulls in behind, you decide to make a getaway. If he catches you then the game starts from scratch. You score points by the length of line travelled before capture. Your only weapon is the facility to create a temporary block in the road and hold up the cop. Clear the frame and more chasers join in or you get a more complex grid to traverse. A simple, effective and highly addictive no win game. Joystick: Kempston (and Softlink II).

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Crash

Producer: Sunshine Books, 16K £4.95 Author: Jeff Naylor The graphics don't portray the famous streets around Times Square in New York as the title suggests, they could be any streets that the grid represents. You're in your car when a cop pulls in behind, you decide to make a getaway. If he catches you then the game starts from scratch. You score points by the length of line travelled before capture. Your only weapon is the facility to create a temporary block in the road and hold up the cop. Clear the frame and more chasers join in or you get a more complex grid to traverse. A simple, effective and highly addictive no win game. Joystick: Kempston (and Softlink II).

Crash

Producer: Sunshine Books, 16K £4.95 Author: Jeff Naylor The graphics don't portray the famous streets around Times Square in New York as the title suggests, they could be any streets that the grid represents. You're in your car when a cop pulls in behind, you decide to make a getaway. If he catches you then the game starts from scratch. You score points by the length of line travelled before capture. Your only weapon is the facility to create a temporary block in the road and hold up the cop. Clear the frame and more chasers join in or you get a more complex grid to traverse. A simple, effective and highly addictive no win game. Joystick: Kempston (and Softlink II).

ZX Computing

Documentation 3/5

Addictive Quality 4/5

Use of Graphics 3/5

Programming Achievement 2.5/5

Value 3.5/5

James Walsh

PRICE: £4.95 MEMORY REQUIRED: 16K The idea of Cruising is to get round a course, which is a single pixel line, without being caught by the computer's opposition car. The initial course is a double figure of eight, whilst the subsequent courses, which you get onto once the previous one has been completed, are far more random (there are four in all). Initially, the game is disappointing with only coloured squares as cars and a single line as the track. Also, you only have one life per game; therefore, the game can be rather short. If you get past the lack of initial impact you should find yourself enjoying this simple game. This game is good in its addictive quality, but lacks the substance really to be sold on its own. If there were two games of equivalent standard to this on the tape, then it would be better value. Apart from this, you can not take away the fact that it is quite definitely fun to play.

Personal Computer News

Lasting Appeal 3/5

Playability 5/5

Use Of Machine 4/5

Overall Value 4/5

Roger Tiplady 4/5

NAME: Cruising On Broadway SYSTEM: Spectrum, 16K PRICE: £4.95 PUBLISHER: Solarsoft, [redacted] FORMAT: Cassette OUTLETS: WH Smith COPS AND ROBBERS The Lullaby of Broadway this game isn't. It is a cops-and-robbers style chase that screams down that New York thoroughfare - depicted in the stylised form of different patterns of lines. Cash prizes are up for grabs for the highest scores notched up this year. OBJECTIVES The game, actually called Cruising on Broadway, is for one player, who has to race along various different sets of lines in the shortest possible time. At the same time you avoid a little square chaser. Your only defence is to create a temporary gap in the line. This holds up your pursuer. You score points for the length of line you manage to cover and the time you take to do it. Each time you complete a frame, you get either a more difficult one or an earlier one with extra Chasers. Although the game is unbeatable, you can enter your high score on a points table and print it out at the end of the game to claim a prize. FIRST IMPRESSIONS There's nothing sophisticated about the graphics or sound in this game, but despite this it is gripping and exciting. It comes as a cassette with a set of straightforward loading instructions, complete with a portrait of the author, and I found no problems in getting the hang of it. IN PLAY Your 'car' tears around a geometric racetrack, changing the colour of the track as it goes. You pause only to press a key to drill a hole - which quickly disappears - in your pursuer's path. The game is written in machine code, and is fast. There is no time-limit within which you must complete a frame, and you can earn a time bonus if you are quick. The game cannot be PAUSEd or SAVEd, so make sure you avoid interruptions. If the chaser catches you, the game must start all over again at the first frame. No second chance is given, and the frustration of losing everything just as you approach a new high score could be terminal. VERDICT 'Cruising' is proof that the simplest ideas are often the best. It is simple and fast, and I found it highly addictive during the weekend I played it. I don't really see where Broadway comes in, since the graphics are nothing fancy, but I suppose it sounds more impressive than 'Cruising on Lime Street'. All in all, despite the player only getting one chance in a game, I found it both good entertainment and good value.