Desert Burner

ZX Computing

Graphics 4/5

Addictiveness 3/5

Overall 4/5

Creative Sparks £2.50 As leader of a small band of freedom fighters your task is to deliver the plans of a new weapon to another underground group. Your means of transport is a powerful motorcycle called 'Desert Burner' which is capable of over 200mph. By itself this is a pretty simple task, but what the instructions do not tell you is that you have to emulate Evil Knievel in jumping over various obstacles whilst avoiding bombs dropped by helicopters. You can attack the helicopters by firing at them via the space key. Controls are simple, Caps Shift to accelerate and Z to jump. As with many games of this simplicity it has an addictiveness out of proportion to the action, it may not be particularly sophisticated, a few flickers, a few attribute clashes, but H is pretty good value for the money. A nice touch is the slowly sinking sun and the moon appearing at night. A high score is kept, but no hall of fame.

Your Computer

Overall 3/5

Spectrum Creative Sparks Shoot-em-up £2.50 Another implementation of the ever-popular moon-buggy genre. You have to leap over various obstacles whilst keeping an eye on the various things flying around chucking things at you. However, this version combines this with speed control which varies the length of the jump. This makes the process of jumping over things a great deal more fraught. Too fast and you won't come down in time for the next jump, too slow and you won't get over. All in all a good little pot-boiler.

Crash

Use of Computer 52%

Graphics 37%

Playability 45%

Getting Started 65%

Addictive Qualities 41%

Value For Money 50%

Overall 48%

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Producer: Creative Sparks Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £1.99 Language: Machine code Author: R Poole and T Murray Desert Burner, we are told, is a code name for a very hot motor bike. Not only can it travel at speeds greater than 200 mph but it is also equipped with forward-firing twin cannons. The reason for the existence of this beast? Well, you as a member of a 'small but highly organised band of freedom fighters' are going to need it to deliver secret plans to another secret group and so help bring about the downfall of a very nasty and generally oppressive government. You are given a side view the road on which you are riding the bike, and the road itself runs along the bottom of the screen with the desert sloping off behind, into infinity. There are two modes in which to play this game. The simplest only requires you to guide the bike away from the multitude of aggressive helicopters, dodging bombs they drop. If you manage to shoot a few down then all well and good, because you'll get a few points for your trouble. The hardest way to play the game is with your 'detection system' disabled, which means that all of the obstacles on the road, be they dead trees, cars, buses or just great potholes, must now be steered round or jumped over. They present no problem with the detection system enabled, however! Control of the bike is simplicity itself. It can be made to accelerate or decelerate by moving the joystick left or right, and the speed at which you are moving is shown at the top of the screen. If you want to jump, then accelerate and push the joystick diagonally right. A jump or a wheelie will give you a 'nose up attitude' which, if timed well, should allow you to blow a few choppers out of the sky. The road is repeated endlessly with the number of laps and the number of points scored being recorded on the top section of the screen. COMMENTS Control keys: Caps shift to accelerate, Z to jump, space to fire Joystick: Sinclair 2, Kempston and Cursor Keyboard play: better than joystick Use of colour: bright but graphics clash a lot Graphics: jerky, poorly designed and generally bad Sound: poor Skill levels: two Lives: 5

The world's longest and most dangerous Ring Road, in DESERT BURNER. Round and round and round you go, popping off the odd nasty while the sun grins down mercilessly.