Z Commodore 64 game

Z
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Rino Software, £9.95 cass, joystick only
Chris Butler, infamous author of Hypercircuit, makes a welcome reappe arance on the 64 with what must be the shortest name for a com- puter game ever. Zed (or Zee as the Americanism has it) is also the first release from Alligata's newly established label, Rino Software. So where does such an unusual title come from?
In the farthest reaches of the galaxy there is planet, so advan- ced it has a powerful defence system that is totally computer controlled. For many years things ran smoothly with multi- tudes of aggressors being suc- cessfully repelled on a number of occassions. Until one fateful day when something went dreadfully wrong. The computer malfunctioned and was longer capable of distinguishing between allied and enemy craft. Now someone must destroy the system before it's too late. That someone is you... Codename Z.
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The computer is housed within a control ship some- where in the fourth dimension. This can only be reached by firstly battling through three other dimensions, inhabited by all manner of computer controlled nasties. Well, friendlies really as they were on your side before this little mishap occur red. There are three ships at your disposal and each has a limited energy supply that is depleted on ramming or hitting anything hostile.
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These sort of 3D games are all the rage at the moment, and I love them. Ever sine Time Pilot 84, Starforce and Nova hit the arcades there has been a distinct bias towards the 3D bas- relief effect on anything possi- ble. Z itself has brilliant graphics and plays very similarly to Hyper Circuit. The only realy moan about the game is the lack of extra lives. This shortens play considerably and also cuts down on those massive scores. Apart from that it's ace and will definitely take several sessions to crack. I'm really glad shoot em ups are coming back into fash- ion (if they ever went out) and Z is certainly one of the better ones.
The zones consist of a multi- directional, multi-screen, wrap- around playing area with a central transporter unit. This device is used to teleport to the next zone, but first the surrounding protective barrier must be penetrated. Energy Pods are occasionally released and cont- ain capsules that when collec- ted, form bombs capable of holing the barrier, thus allowing access to the teleport and further levels.
Initially there are many Defence Ships that attempt to hinder progress. Each follows an individual movement pattern

I was a great fan of Chris Butler's previous work, Hyper- circuit, which con- sisted of little more than mindless, but enjoyable, blast ing. Z is of a similar ilk with a few similarities in play and is as much fun as its predecessor. Graphic- ally the game is of near arcade standard with some brilliant backdrops, especially the lunar surface in the third dimension. The sound effects are suited to the game and add to the atmos- phere of a fast, frenetic, high quality shoot em up such as this.
and frequently release mines. On the second level there are evasive Flying Saucims to contend with as well, while on the third the aptly named Big Mothers make an appearance. These require ten hits to destroy them and have the nasty habit of releasing homing mines that cannot be disposed of and must

This shoot em up is immediately impressive. Press fire and before you know it you're zooming smoothly over an extremely pretty backdrop. Well to be accurate I suppose the backdrop's moving under you, seeing as how your ship stays central. Although the attacking aliens are exceedingly vicious, they too are of a very pretty nature. The game is great fun to play and the excellent inertial control of the ship makes things very realistic. Z is virtually flawless in its execution and Chris Butler looks like someone who's going to go far.
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be evaded. Meteorites common to all dimensions and follow a predictable pattern, making them easy to destroy. The Control Ship itself though, has to be shot with five energy bombs before it is eradicated for good. And even then the planet will only temporarily be at rest as the whole thing starts over again, only at an increased level of difficulty.
Presentation 92% Few options but excellent demo/instructions feature within the program

Like having an arcade machine in your own home, only considerably cheaper.