Base Invaders

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

Computer war games are meeting more and more opposition from within the software industry. Death and destruction are giving way to thought and ingenuity. Base Invaders by Magination is probably the first attempt to set up a peace game to challenge the war games. The scene is Greenham Common and it is the player's aim to run through the undergrowth, dodge the slow-moving policemen and snip through the wire surrounding the air base. Once the fence has been cut in one place the player returns to the start, a procedure which is repeated until the whole fence has been destroyed or the player has been arrested three times. The game serves a variety of purposes. It puts across a message to its player, provides entertainment, and raises money for the Greenham women. It does not reach the professional standard of other commercial games but is more comparable with some of the longer games published in Sinclair Programs. It is slow and the screen layout is simple but the concept is original. Magination has added a new dimension to the world of computer software. Base invaders costs £3 and is available from Magination, [redacted].