trap Commodore 64 game

"Trap" is set in a distant future, spanning aeons, where the ultimate deterrent could lead to the destruction of life as we know it. As the pilot of an Intergalactic Hyper Hearse, your mission is to defend your home planet against a once-peaceful ally that has become a threat. The challenge lies in navigating through a place where human life struggles to exist.

Your life-endangering mission unfolds in three parts, each testing various aspects of your skills. The first section challenges your maneuvering and reflex capabilities in flight. Nasty forces have unleashed volatile space mines, forcing your battle cruiser to either avoid or obliterate them using the latest high-powered space blasters.

Having survived the mine shower, you find yourself flying over the Zarkab Valley, a landscape complete with rivers and rapids—a test of courage and intelligence. The second part involves destroying invading meteors, alien craft, and lasers, with fuel depots providing extra power when bombed. Brown and black aliens are troublemakers but can't be destroyed.

The final part of the test places you far from your craft on a distant plain, testing your stealth and determination on foot. You battle through undergrowth, collecting spherical objects that are future currency called Orbs. With enough Orbs, you can buy a more powerful space craft to aid your ongoing quest.

Your score is displayed alongside the playing area, indicating the number of lasers, boats, and aliens that need destruction. As you progress, the game questions whether aggression and mindless violence further the cause of peace you're trying to restore.

Review: "I like this. It's certainly not the best shoot 'em up around, but it's enjoyable and great fun to play. There are plenty of nice little touches about the program like the cargo catching, the way you have to shoot a set amount of targets, and the Commandoesque bonus bit at the end. The hidden demo program is also superb; it really livens up the whole package. The game requires a fair bit of playing before you can get anywhere with it, and doing so is enjoyable and worthwhile. The graphics are fine, and the sound is great. If you're into shoot 'em ups, then check this one out."

"There does seem to be a spate of shoot 'em ups infiltrating the 64 market at the moment, and I am happy to say that Trap is one of the better ones. The game itself is fun to play, and a mention must go to the atmospheric accompanying music, which is very impressive. As well as a game, there is a neat demo mode, which features a bloke playing a tom-tom while watching a screen on which a science fiction film is presented. The graphics are fun, the sound is super, and overall it's a jolly good package for hardened shoot 'em up fans and beginners alike."

"I admit that the graphics are all very colorful, and the sound is fairly good too—but the game? Where is the game? All Trap consists of is your basic shoot 'em up, and what a basic idea it is. I felt that however far I got, there was no actual difference in the game, only in the amount of baddies or the screen. The whole of the game is very Commando-ish, and just a case of progressing over the same landscape again and again. But if you don't like the game, you could always watch the demo, which must be one of the best-presented I've seen on the Commodore. But a program shouldn't consist of pretty graphics and flashy demos alone!"

Rating:

• Presentation: 96% Interesting documentation and many neat touches such as the demo.
• Graphics: 80% Big, bold, and on the whole well-defined, although somewhat lacking at times.
• Sound: 96% Stunning soundtrack and lots of good, muffled spot FX.
• Hookability: 82% Weird, but addictive.
• Lastability: 79% Ten tough and demanding levels to keep you going.
• Value For Money: 81% A neat demo and lots of good solid blasting for your money.
• Overall: 82% A good shoot 'em up with many attractive features.