Dimension Destructors

Crash

Overall 68%

Producer: Artic, 48K £5.95 (2) Author: J Ritman 3D Combat Zone in space describes this game quite well. The pyramidal-shaped enemy craft form in clusters and swoop towards you in very effective hollow 3D. You line up the onrushing enemy in your sights and blast them to kingdom come with your twin-firing lasers. The graphics aren't very colourful, but they work very well and the ship control is pin-sharp in its responsiveness. Top marks for the Star Wars like intro and titles. Exciting to play but perhaps not massively addictive. Reasonable control keys, joystick: Sinclair 2, Fuller, Kempston. Gets progressively harder the longer you play, rated above average to good, overall CRASH rating 68% m/c.

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ZX Computing

Lasting Appeal 80%

Graphics 90%

Originality 70%

Playability 90%

Use Of Machine 80%

Value 90%

James Walsh

Dimension Destructors was written by the author of Tank Battle, a 3D Tanks game, which rather suffered from a severe lack of speed. These 3D techniques have been harnessed in a more adventurous project in Dimension Destructors. Apparently, you are in the lonely but peaceful reaches of the vast unexplored regions of outer space. Suddenly, a dot appears on the scanner screen of your flight craft. As you thrust forward the dot grows until it is a 3D space craft. With nowhere to run and some unexplained reason for believing that the occupant wishes to destroy you, you can either move to avoid it or attempt to hit it with your laser. These alien ships are reasonably tame - they only try to collide with you head-on. As time goes on, more vicious aliens which actually fire at you join in the fight. Dimension Destructors is compatible with Sinclair, Kempston and Fuller joysticks which is a definite bonus as a joystick greatly enhances the game. Why it is called Dimension Destructors I do not know - where are you destroying time or any other dimension? Nowhere in the instructions/story does it say why the aliens want to exterminate you: aliens do seem to get a very rough deal as far as computer games are concerned! If we are not careful someone will start an ALF, Alien Liberation Front and go around letting all those poor green monsters out of Space Invaders machines! Verdict: The 3D graphics are some of the best I've seen (bar those of Rommels Revenge and QS's new Tank Battle game). They are fast and reasonably smooth and the whole game is definitely hectic. Though easy to play at the outset, it gets harder and harder as your ability increases. The concept of the game is simple and slightly similar to one or two of the Atari games but overall it is excellent. Dimension Destructors is highly addictive - a game which must be played "just one more time" and very good value.

Crash

Use of Computer 73%

Graphics 69%

Playability 64%

Getting Started 70%

Addictive Qualities 61%

Value For Money 70%

Overall 68%

Unknown

Unknown

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Producer: Artic Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code Author: J. Ritman Suddenly from the outer reaches of space, a dot appears on the scanner of your fighter craft. As you tear forward, the dots grow until you can clearly see them in 3D form. Prepare for combat! Your trembling finger reaches for the firing button. You pull across to avoid an enemy fighter as it whistles past you in its kamikaze attack. The inlay intro for this game is quite prosaic in comparison with many, and becomes justified when you see the graphics. Dimension Destructors is a sort of 'Battle Zone' game in space, and employs three dimensional graphics very reminiscent of Artic's earlier 3D Combat Zone. The object is quite simple, use the directional keys to line up the approaching enemy fighters (hollow pyramid and diamond shapes) in the central cross hairs and then zap them with your laser. This fires twin bolts of energy which converge a distance ahead in the cross hairs. The title card is very bright, well drawn, and the credit card and points/hiscore table is very effectively done in scrolling letters which run off into the distance in perspective, rather like the titles for Star War movies. COMMENTS Control keys: QWERTY up, ASDFGH down, O=left, P=right, bottom row fires Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Fuller Keyboard play: very responsive and easy to control Use of colour simple Graphics: effective 3D, good title cards Sound: reasonable and continuous Skill levels: gets harder Lives: 4 shields, 5 lives

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 6/10

Sound 3/10

Ease Of Use 6/10

Originality 8/10

Lasting Interest 4/10

Overall 5/10

David Janda 5/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Optional CATEGORY: Arcade SUPPLIER: Artic PRICE: £5.95 This one has an amazingly unoriginal theme. You control a space ship and your aim is to destroy attacking alien craft before they hit you. But don't switch off just yet. The novelty here is that you're presented with a view from the cockpit and you actually see the alien ships getting bigger as they zoom towards you. Now that 3D is all the rage, Dimension Destructors isn't a bad effort. It takes a while to get used to, but you do eventually start to feel you're inside a space-craft. I found myself ducking once or twice when the attackers flew a bit close overhead. However, the amount of memory needed to simulate 3D imposes considerable constraints. The attacking craft are simple line drawings and you don't get anything like the variety of attack waves possible in 2D games. Verdict? it's different, but I think you could get bored with it fairly quickly.

Personal Computer News

Lasting Appeal 4/5

Playability 4/5

Use Of Machine 5/5

Overall Value 4/5

Bob Chappell 4/5

NAME: Dimension Destructors SYSTEM: 48K Spectrum PRICE: £5.95 PUBLISHER: Artic Computing, [redacted] FORMAT: Cassette LANGUAGE: Machine code OTHER VERSIONS: Note OUTLETS: Mail order and Spectrum dealers. DIMENSION OF DEATH Three dimensional games seem to be all the rage at the moment. Artic, having already published a very good tank battle program, throw another 3D hat into the ring with Dimension Destructors, an impressive 'coming-at-you' space saga. OBJECTIVES Accustomed as you are to boldly going where no-one has gone before, you are not surprised to see dots appear on your scanner. As your ship hurtles onward, the dots grow larger until they are plainly visible as alien spacecraft, bent on destroying you. Swooping and soaring, they grow ever larger as they rush toward you. IN PLAY The opening title and credits roll up and away into the distance in Star Wars fashion, thus getting you into the appropriate mood for battle against insuperable odds. Against a star-filled backdrop, several yellow spots appear, weaving in and out of a white, hollow, centred X; your laser cannon sight. While the aliens are far off, they appear as small wire-frame triangles, swiftly expanding in size as they race toward you. Firing your cannon sends a burst of laser beams toward the centre of your sight, destroying any enemy craft caught in it. As the enemy get nearer, their dimensions expand realistically and alarmingly. By diving, rising or swinging your sight around, you might be lucky enough to see the enemy go hurtling past, above, below or to one side of you. Make sure you're sitting on the floor when you play this game - on several occasions. I nearly fell off my chair while trying to pull hard to port to evade a rapidly approaching space ship, so realistic is the three-dimensional effect. Polishing off the yellow pyramids only serves to annoy the aliens. Soon, more traditionally styled space fighters are on their way, together with more pyramids, though these are a different colour to the first lot. If your ship is hit, one of the shields is destroyed; this is manifested by what appears to be, anachronistically, a cracked windscreen (Earth technology at its best). When all your shields have been hit, your heroism is at an end. VERDICT Realistic, perspective graphics which make for an exciting space romp. Health warning: wear a seat belt while playing it.