f the
four disrupter pulses until its energy runs out; this will cause you to
jump to another grid and leave an energy crystal. Collect this before it
burns out your other crystals, then head for another disrupter until you collected all 10. You then enter a warp gate and have to fire into a hyper-warp to go to the next grid (avoid hitting the wall and obstacles).

CONTROLS

Move the joystick and press Fire

plus4world.powweb.com/groups/CRL_Group_PLC

The splash screen looks cool; pressing RUN takes you into the game, I
suppose it's a bit like Tron, but with more gameplay added (and) not as
cool graphics as the TV version.

You move your ship around trying to shoot at things and collect bonus items along the way. Don't crash your ship into the sides, as you will lose
energy and eventually die.

On the right of the screen is a top-down map of your location, a map of
where everything is. Various items are colour-coded, and on the left is a
more blown-up version of your current location. In the top-middle is like
a driver's view of the landscape, bottom-centre are your stats, energy left crystals collected, etc.

Graphics and music are basic at the best of times in this game; it does
have that one more go, and although it looks a little primitive, there is a
lot going on. The game could be seen as ground-breaking but it's hardly earth-shattering in its design or implementation.

SCORES

Sound: 3/10
some blips and white noise
Graphics: 4/10
functional
Gameplay : 5/10
it does get going
Overall: 5/10
interesting in its design


*************************************
REVIEW: BERKS [C16]
*************************************

plus4world.powweb.com/software/Berks

There is a collection of these games with Baby Berks, Berks, and Berks 3
(Baby Berks was re-released on the Alpha house CRL budget range). Anyway,
they all are very similar so I just reviewed Berks, which looks a little
like a stripped-down Robotron: 2084 game.

SYNOPSIS

Berks are everywhere, protected by their drones that you can't destroy (although you can stun them). Clear the area of Berks to move to the next level. Each level gets progressively harder; don't let your energy run
out.

You will have seen similar games, and maybe it's not the best variation on
the idea, but it's a nice game in its own right. You have X amount of
Berks to kill (the amount is shown on the top right of the screen).

You start in the centre of the screen and fire in the direction you are
moving.

You have to kill these:

While avoiding these:

Bit-hit either and you will be zapped of energy.

Oh this is you!

But be warned: the game is very difficult, even on level 1. I think this
is what kills the game; it's just too hard, the level curve is just too
steep, and you find yourself giving up before getting to grips with the
game.

SCORES

Graphics: 5/10
functional
Sounds: 4/10
spot effects
Gameplay: 5/10
its just too hard
Overall: 5/10
average, but does have a strange
pull-back for the player


*************************************
REVIEW: LAND OF NEVERWHERE
By Commodore Free
*************************************

Released in 1987 under the "Powerhouse Publishing Ltd" for the price of
£1:99, the game managed only a very dismal 59% score in ZZap 64.

The tape cover says:

"The year is 2086 after the great
battle of Thang, huge defensive
silos have been placed around the
seas of home base terror. Mankind's
only hope was to send you - like a
fool you volunteered but then what
was left after what the sharks did
in Canada"

This game sees our hero, with your mission to rescue 8 kids (one is in-tow) from the moon base terror. You must move from the moon base to your space ship. It says you will encounter images of disk jockeys and must not let
these touch you or the kids!

The game itself looks quite nice, (with) lovely scrolling scenery and some great character animation, although at times touching on the psychedelic
and full of screen candy effects. The music is (sadly) just about
functional, and (also) sadly the game itself suffers from being just too "samey"; you just seem to be running about shooting, and things soon get a little boring. Nothing here grabs you, and I'm not sure what it needs, but
it desperately does need something added.

SCORES

Graphics: 7/10
good animation and eye-candy
Sounds: 6/10
Gameplay: 5/10
a bit "samey"
Overall: 6/10

Just needs something to spice it up a little. Yes, not all the games can
be classed as mould-breaking or "classics", but as I stated earlier, they
are CRL titles I remembered. It could be the graphics, sounds, or game
play which triggered me to write about them.


*************************************
REVIEW: ROCKY HORROR SHOW
By Commodore Free
*************************************

Possibly one of the most recognizable musicals/ films for people in their
40s, I know personally that I have watched it an unhealthy number of times,
and when I purchased my first car and installed a cassette player, it was
for some time the "tune of choice" for personal cruising. In fact, I
played it so much the tape stretched and so was unusable - I later bought
the CD of the said show. I have attended the live show twice and all I can
say is, if you haven't been then it's "an experience."

The game was released for the Commodore 64 and later enhanced for the
Commodore 128. It was later released on a budget label as well.

The rights to the film were purchased by CRL and its creator, Richard
Briers, over-saw the production at CRL. Its not know how much input he
had, but as it was his intellectual property, he guarded it quite loosely.
With clever marketing Rocky Horror became an underground smash! To think
it's still running somewhere now shows how successful the show actually
was.

Not sure if the game would excite non-fans, but...

The release on computer was a classic piece of licensing; it featured all
sorts of strange items, drugs, trans-sexually horror sex (in fact I don't
think there was anything it didn't feature).

Don't dream it. play it...

Enter at your own risk to the domain of Dr. Frank N. Furter Your beloved
- Janet or Brad! has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Frank who has
activated the diabolical Medusa machine to turn her or indeed him into
stone. Frank, however, has dismantled the De-Medusa (the only machine that will reverse the petrification process) and has scattered the parts around
the castle. Frank knows that you will attempt to save your partner, and it amuses him to watch your efforts as you collect the pieces and attempt to activate them Time is of the essence as the castle is really a disguised
space ship and is on final countdown!

SCORES

Graphics: 6/10
Sounds: 6/10
OK versions of the tune (lets do
the time-warp again)
Gameplay: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

It just lacked the magic of the film.


*************************************
REVIEW TAU CETI
By Commodore Free
*************************************

This game is science fiction-based, and while originally released for the
ZX Spectrum (as with most CRL titles), it was converted to several other platforms, and if you're a fan of the C64 version you really should check
out the other versions! Designed and programmed by Pete Cooke, many
considered the game ground-breaking because of its 3D graphics (not to
mention the gameplay).

PLOT

Humanity has spread and colonised nearby star systems, a plague in 2150 led
to the colonies being abandoned and left to automated robotic maintenance systems. several of these colonies have been re-inhabited, the colony on
the planet Tau Ceti III has been uncontactable since a meteor smashed into
the planet. A mission to Tau Ceti III in 2164 landed but broadcast a
mayday message followed by silence. Experts decided that the planet's
robots were running amok as a result of the meteorite impact. The only
chance, of successfully stopping the defence systems wi

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