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From: taylor@limbo.intuitive.com (The Moderator)
Date: Fri, 27 Dec 91 16:07:48 PST
Subject: Digital Games Review Digest, #36
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                        Digital Games Review, Number 36
 
                           Friday, December 27th 1991
 
This issue we look at:
 
SNES: 	   Super Tennis
Genesis:   Road Rash
TG16:      Ys III
PC:        Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football (2 reviews)
           Patton Strikes Back
Lynx:      Awesome Golf
           Tournament Cyberball
           A.P.B.
           Ishido: The Way of Stones
           Robotron: 2084

[Sorry about the delay in getting this issue out.  Holiday madness.
 The good news is that CES is coming up in just a few weeks and as
 usual, Digital Games Review will be there!  We'll be wandering the
 booths, talking with vendors, and getting early copies of the 
 latest hot game titles for review.  Stay tuned, and as always, if
 you've a game you're excited about, why not review it for us all?

 Also, in this issue we announce a collaborative effort with the 
 European "Portable Addiction" newsletter, where we'll be joint
 publishing reviews of games for the GameGear, Lynx, and GameBoy.

 Finally, Happy New Year, everyone!		    -- Dave Taylor]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 91 18:46:17 MST
From: tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com (tim clinkenpeel)
Subject: SNES: Super Tennis

Synopsis

Tennis.  Two players simultaneous (singles or doubles/competitive or
team) or single player vs. computer (choice of opponent or circuit play).
play on grass, clay or cement.  Password resumption for circuit play.

Graphics

Nice.  Rotating/scaling utilized very well with the roving perspective.  
characters are more cartoony than anatomically acurate.  character
sprite set seems rather small (not the smoothest motion), probably due to
the fact that there are 20 (10 male, 10 female) characters to choose from, 
each with a unique appearance and play statistics.

Sound

Good variety of clean samples of ball sounds,  and what little music there is 
is pleasantly energetic.  Limited (appropriate) speech.

Control

Definitely takes time to master, but this is not a complaint due to the variety
of strokes possible:  slow & fast serves, light & strong volleys, flat, lob,
slice, smash and top spin, as well as the ability to add spin to the ball via
holding the left or right button.  Following the ball position & altitude and
timing your stroke is very difficult at first.  I found that playing vs. a
human opponent was a good way to build play skills.

Gripes

The change court sequence, although amusing at first, becomes tiresome quickly
and is not abortable.  The password resuming is ridiculous:  passwords are 52 
characters long!  Entering that from the control pad is very tedious.  'they'
should have sprung for a battery backup, even if it would cost the consumer 
an extra fiver.  Also, when receiving the serve from the bottom half of the 
court, the screen 'viewport' position is very poor; such that it is nearly 
impossible to return a long serve with a lob (see below diagram).  Fortunately,
the screen shifts whilst the ball is in play.
                                 -. 
       ____________________       |
      / serve              \      |
     /                      \     |- vertical screen position.  note service
    /=======n=e=t============\    |  side view extends beyond top boundary,
   /                          \   |  whereas receive side is cut off. 
  /                receive     \ -'
 /______________________________\

Summary
If you like sports games, this game is a good pick (although i hear john
madden's football is excellent).  if you like tennis, this game should be
a welcome and enduringly entertaining addition to your game library.  If
the limited variation of sports gameplay rapidly becomes boringly monotonous 
to you, you will probably want to avoid this title. 

	Rating: 7

Super Tennis, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

------------------------------
 
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1991 09:41 EDT
From: V058L789@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
Subject: Genesis: Road Rash

 	Yeeeeeeee Ha!  This game is great!!  It is fairly life like as far
as handling goes especially on the higher levels.  Graphics are pretty good, 
sound is good except that the bikes sound like two strokes instead of the
four stroke motors that they are- but who am I to bitch!  The rest of the game 
pretty "cool" except for the fact they you survive all of the head on 
collisions with trees.  I'm sorry, but Homey don't play that in real life.  

 	Like I said the handling is pretty life like.  I had a GS500E over the
summer and learned quite a bit about how bikes slide.  As far as the game goes 
the slides are pretty life like and so are the recoverys with the exception of 
one thing -when you get a bike completely sideways on a slick surface (like 
grass or sand in the game) you AIN'T gonna bring 'er back!  If you think you
can talk to Wayne Rainey's sponsor AFTER looking at his crash picture in 
one of this summers Motorcyclist magazine articles.

 	As far as racing games go, it is real good!  It is far better than 
Super Hang On.  If you ever had trouble getting the banks right in SHO like
I did because it was to slow, you problem will be the reverse with this Road
Rash.  It steers real quick, sometimes to quick when you make a panic move
at over 140mph.  But still, it DUSTS SHO.  But then ECA throws in this little 
twist of being able to cuff people as you blow by at 160MPH-  this is the game
for me!  

 	I knocked a guy off his bike (the character named Biff) last night 
and got on the brakes and let him slide in front of me.  I waited for him to 
get up and start for his bike and then I nailed the throttle (kinda like on 
the first Mad Max movie) and CLOTHSLINED 'EM.  It was great.  A classic move.

 	Interesting points of the games also included crossing intersection
where cars ocassionally pull out in front of you (it is NOT a pretty crash)
and catching air, sometime a LOT at the tops of hills.  However, coming down 
in the path of a car is not pretty.  Cops tend to get pretty nasty on higher
levels too.

	The game also throws in witty comments from other riders and cops
between races- just to daunt you into wanting to knock 'em into next Tuesday!

 	This game is GREAT.  'nuf said. 
 
	Graphics     8.5
	Sound FX     8.5
	Music        8.0
	Lifelikeness
	-Handling    9.5	
 	-Recovery    7.0
	Control      8.0
	Fun         10.1!

	Overall Ranting (I mean rating!) 9.2
		There are better games, but I ain't got 'em!

Super Hang On, for the Sega Genesis, 47.99 at Electronics Boutique

------------------------------
 
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 91 13:56:31 -0500
From: ccastbh@prism.gatech.edu (Brad Hamlett)
Subject: TG16: Ys III

The wait is over!  Ys III -- Wanderers from Ys is out for the TG16.
Unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to its predecessor.  The
graphics are better and the music is flawless, but the game is just
way too short.  The combat has been slightly refined and takes
place from a side view instead of an overhead view.  The voice
acting doesn't quite stack up to the first game though it is far
better than the voices for games like Last Alert and Final Zone II.

Story:	It's been 3 years since Adol defeated Darm and Dark Fact
bringing peace to the lands of Ys.  Boredom sets in so Adol decides
it's time to go looking for adventure.  The first stop is the town
of Sarina, Dogi's (Adol's travelling companion) home.  When Adol
arrives, he learns of an accident at a local mine and goes to
investigate....the rest of the story unfolds from there.

Opinions:	The graphics are top-notch...better than the first
Ys.  The music, likewise, is improved.  The gameplay has changed
significantly from the first.  Getting used to the side view took
a while and after getting used to it, I decided that I liked the
top-down view better.  The top-down view of the first game allowed
the world to seem 'bigger'.  The side view forces the game to be
more linear.....there was never any question of what 'had to be 
done next'.  The new approach to combat shows promise....Ys III
lets you perform flying leaps, crawling jabs, overhand slashs, etc.
which makes combat more fun...but it sacrifices the complexity of
the world to explore....there's no real mazes (like Soloman's Shrine
in Ys II) or puzzles to solve.

Overall, Ys III is a worthy sequel, but it just doesn't quite live
up to the first one.

 		Graphics:	9.5
 		Sound/Music:	10   (Perfect...it doesn't get any better!)
 		Narration:	7
 		Gameplay:	7.5  (Need more length and complexity)
 		Manual:		7
 		Overall:	8
 
Ys III -- Wanderers from Ys.  For the TG16 CD ROM, $60 at a Babbages.

------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 91 08:31:30 mst
From: Chris Miller <chris@hpfela.fc.hp.com>
Subject: PC: Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football

First off let me mention that I have played John Madden Football, Fourth
and Inches and John Elway's Quarterback.  The installation of this game
was easy, I'm not sure how much disk space it took, but the game is
shipped on one 5 1/4 floppy, so I doubt it's much.

The game supports keyboard, keypad, mouse, and joystick.  Normally I
hate using a joystick for applications like this where the menu's were
obviously implemented for use with a mouse.  Not true for this game,
they have done a good job of making it easy and fast to use a mouse or a
joystick.  In fact, I think that the joystick is actually better than
the mouse, even in the menus.

The main menu has the following options:  Single Game, Season Play,
Playoffs, Construction Set, Resume Single Game, Practice Drills, and
Demo.

The single game is just what it sounds like, you play a single game with
the team you select against the opponent you select.  Good for practice
or the occasional game against a friend.

Season play is where you choose a team and guide it through a 17 week
season.  If you qualify, you'll make the playoffs including wildcard
games through the "Superbowl".

Playoffs are the same a season play without the regular season.

The construction set allows to modify almost anything about the teams
from shirt and pant colors to the tackling ability and/or speed of your
left cornerback.  This can be done to any of the teams so if you find
the game easy, make your opponents better (at least that's the theory, I
don't know how well it works, yet).  Here is also where you alter the
teams playbook by entering your own plays.

You can save any single game, this is where resume comes in.

Practice drills allow you to practice (Duh!).  It seems that this is
really for Punting and Kicking since the method to accomplish these are
different than other football games.  It's really not needed though,
since the new methods are easy enough to learn in a game.  Anyone who
has played Mean 18 or Jack Nicklaus Golf will adapt very quickly.

Demo is self explanitory

There are several options that you can select for set for each game and
they are:

Play/Coach/Both:  If you select play, the plays will be called for you.
Subs will also be handled automatically.  If you coach, you will call
the plays and handle subs, but will not be able to affect the plays once
they start.

Fatigue, Injuries, Penalties, Fumbles, and Quarter Length are self
explanatory.

Passes:  You can choose Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Pro.  The
differences are pretty subtle.  I can't imagine any experienced football
player wanting any setting less than Advanced.  I'll explain the
differences shortly.

Game Play:

Running the ball:  This is a very strong point for this game.  Nice
graphics make it easy to see a hole opening, or an offensive lineman
taking his man to the ground so you can run right by him.  Nifty moves
however are not really factored in.  You can't juke a defender out of
his jock so he misses you.  Tackling or being tackled depends on your
running attribute and the defender's tackling attribute.  This still
seems to work pretty well.

Passing the ball:  A new concept here, I'm not sure whether I like it or
not, yet.  Each quarterback has a passing skill attribute.  The higher
the attribute the better he will be at throwing the ball to a flashing
ring that appears once the passing "mode" has been initiated.  You can
not move the ring although on the pro setting, you have to guide the
player to the ring.  The ring changes position for each receiver
(obviously).  The key to passing is picking an open receiver.  One
really neat function is that if you are cycling through your receivers
and the one you want is off the screen (happens alot) a little window
pops up and you see an isolated view of that receiver along with his
immediate surroundings (defenders).  I like this alot!  To summerize
passing:  the trick is not how to lead the receiver when throwing it's
more of simply picking an open receiver.  You can choose the difficulty
you want to pass by by using any of the following:

Beginner: All action stops when you press the pass mode. You can then cycle
          through all receivers and pick the one that seems to be the most
          open. The receiver will automatically run the flashing ring.

Intermed: Same as beginner except that you automatically gain control of the
          receiver as soon as you pass the ball.

Advanced: Live action. You must cycle through receivers will the rush is still
          on. The receiver will automatically run to the flashing ring.

Pro:      Same as advanced except that you gain control of the receiver as soon
          as you pass the ball.

Defense:  The defense is pretty standard.  You control one player of
your choice, the rest of the defenders go about their assigned routes.

Kicking/Punting:  I like the new system, in fact I have thought of it
before being an avid computer golf player and I think it was done well.
My one complaint is that it is a little too easy to get near perfect
execution.

Plays:  On offense, you have 8 formations with 8 plays each.  Each play
can be reversed.  You can create your own plays.

On defense, you have 8 formations again, but you only have four "plays"
from each set.  The "plays" are Blitz, Medium, Long and MantoMan on each
set.  This is a definite weakness in my opinion.  There are no nifty all
out blitzes or stunts or anything.  You can't alter the defensive
"plays".

Overall impressions:  By far the best graphics and sound.  Jim Tunney
(Longtime NFL umpire) recorded all of the referee calls.  It's very nice
to have a football game where you can differentiate your players from
the other players, even in a crowd.  Because of the graphics, the
running game is also the most realistic of any of the games that I've
played.  The passing game is a different story.  I tend to like having
complete control of my passes (ala John Elways QB arcade version).  This
version is different enough that it will take me awhile to decide if I
like it or not.  My initial impression on the passing is:  "eh, it's
ok".

The play design functionality would be great, if you could get it to
work.  Designing the plays takes very little effort and is very
intuitive.  The only problem is that every time a try to run one of my
plays, the program locks up.  I have to re-boot every time.  Too bad
(again).

If the problems are worked out, I think that I will really like this
game.  I am going to call Accolade and see what the status is on bug
fixes.  Until then, I'd wait on the game unless you are purely
interested in game play and no play design.

(NOTE: These ratings are relative to other football games, NOT all other games)

	Graphics: 		9
	Sound: 			7
	Playability/Fun: 	8.5
	Quality of simulation: 	6.5    (prob. 8.5 or 9 once bugs are fixed)
	Bugginess: 		4
	Overall: 		7.5

Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football, from Accolade, for DOS. $44.95

System played on: 386/33 64K cache, Diamond Speedstar SVGA graphics 
   with 1 meg (very fast), and a Soundblaster card.

------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 91 20:30:59 -0500
From: David T Yu <dyu@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: PC: Mike Ditka's Ultimate Football

	In general I don't play too many sports games except for the odd
one with really good gameplay (Lakers vs Celtics for one) and in the
case of football there were none that really seemed to play well for me,
that is until Joe Montanas Football came around.  That was the first
football game that really appealed to me and I think Mike Ditkas
Football (MDF) is superior in enough respects to get me to switch.

	If you are a pure statistical freak then MDF is not for you.
Like JMF, all the teams are present in the provided league in Mike
Ditka's however they use city names and things like LA National and LA
American.  Likewise the players on the respective teams do not have real
names, their stats however from what I've seen are fairly approximate of
the real players and you can edit them to suit you (I renamed many of
the players to their real life counterparts).  The stats provided are
Speed, Skill, Strength, and Reserve.  All of the stats are static with
the exception of Reserve.  That will vary in a game should you choose to
enable the fatigue option.

	One nice thing is the variety of viewpoints provided.  The
default is telephoto which can be difficult especially in pass
protection situations however it is easily changed to wide angle.  You
can generally play using any of the four cardinal directions (North
South East West).  The replay feature also gives you the vantage of
multiple viewpoints.  Unfortunately you cannot save the really cool
events like you can in JMF.

	The passing game is in my opinion one of the strengths of the
game.  It can be easy or difficult depending on what you set the option.
If it is set on beginning mode then when you go to pass all actions
freeze and the screen zooms in on the receiver and his surroundings.  If
you choose to pass the computer will handle the receiving.  In the
intermediate mode it is essentially the same except you must guide the
receiver into the receiving spot.  In advanced mode the action does not
stop although the receiver will automatically run to the receiving spot.
In Pro mode you must keep the QB away from the pass rush AND guide the
receiver when you throw the ball.

	Running the ball is fairly easy with the default viewpoint
behind the offense.  Kicking is also very easy in this game.  Defense is
fairly straight forward in that you can choose any defensive personnel
seen on the screen.

	I have not gone into the play or league designer.  However you
can create multiple leagues and the game includes the capability to
design your own plays.  All the players are also editable.

	This game has single game/seasonal play/championship playoffs.
Two people can play although they will be on opposing teams.  In the
case of two player seasonal games, the second player will be the
opposing teams (different every week of course).

	The game contains digitzed photos of the refs (which can be
disabled) as well as digitized voices and sounds.  The music is fairly
minimal but that's ok for a game of this type.  You also have the
capability to just coach the team in that you choose the plays and let
the computer execute them.  However going for that 47 yard bomb on 3 and
10 is half the fun :-).

	There are some down sides which mar the greatness of this game.
The most frustrating to me was the inability to change pre-defined keys
for the keyboard/keypad.  The keypad uses the + and INS keys as action
keys.  I tend to hit the ENTER key when I'm excited rather than the +
thus causing me to not tackle the runner/receiver.  Also the game has
tendency to lock up on some machines.  On a 386-25 with a DTK bios and
DOS 5 it will lock up after 10 min every time.  On a 386-33 with AMI
bios and DOS 5 there are no problems.

	I like this game because of the ability of the runner to shed
multiple tackles.  In JMF it was almost impossible to return kicks for
major yardage.  In MDF it's also very difficult but I have been able to
return a punt for 67 yards (wish I could have saved that).  The passing
game has several levels of complexity which is good in that I play at
the lowest and should I feel unchallenged I can go up to a harder level.

	Graphics:		7
	Sound:			8
	Playability:		9
	Fun level:		8
	Overall:		8

Now to the technical parts, Accolade the publisher recommends 10MHz AT
class or faster.  Only VGA/MCGA/EGA is supported and a hard drive is
required.  You must also have 570 of the base 640K available.
SoundBlaster is supported, that is where I heard the digitized sounds.
I do not know if it is available for any other platforms.  It uses
off-disk copy protection in the form of a codewheel.

------------------------------
 
From: mmarkowi@pepvax.pepperdine.edu (Mike Markowitz)
Subject: PC: Patton Strikes Back
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 91 13:45:27 PDT

"War games have always been hairy monstrosities, staggering under
rulebooks that read like contracts for corporate mergers, bristling with
abstruse numeric  information, exploring strange new worlds of user
hostility..." says designer Chris Crawford.

In Patton Strikes Back, he set out to design a wargame that could be
enjoyed by normal users. He was willing to make any
compromises with "realism" that would make the game more playable.  The
game  is still surprisingly realistic -- good tactics usually win out, but
victory is very difficult for the Germans .

The subject is one of the best-known battles of the 20th century. (Most
wargamers know the  geography of the Ardennes better than the street map
of their own neighborhood.)  In December, 1944, as the Allied armies
approached the German border, Hitler conceived the idea of a  bold
counter-attack through the rugged Ardennes Forest (in Belgium and
Luxembourg),  where his Panzer divisions had made a decisive breakthrough
in  May, 1940.  Elite SS and armored units were secretly concentrated
opposite a quiet sector of the front, catching the Americans by surprise.
Severe winter weather grounded  Allied airpower, as the Nazi attack rolled
on  to surround the key town of Bastogne.  An epic stand by US paratroops
held the crossroads until George Patton's Third Army arrived.

The colorful map covers an area of about 50 by 80 miles. Units are
divisions and brigades (roughly 3,000 to 17,000 soldiers) and the time
scale is hourly. The game begins on the morning of December 16 and ends
at 6 a.m. on the 28th (the battle actually raged on into January, but the
result was no longer in doubt.)

There are no "turns" -- the action is continuous and you intervene
whenever you want to give a unit new orders. A unit will mechanically
follow a string of orders, so you have to watch carefully to be sure you
are not moving into a trap, or attacking into thin air. Patton is designed
as a solitaire game -- you can play either the  Allied or German side
against the computer. There are five levels of difficulty, and you can
select historical or random weather and reinforcement schedules.  The
display uses very simple unit symbology --  a thick arrow for attack mode,
a circle for defense mode, a thin tailed arrow for mobile mode and an X
for shattered mode.  When you click on any unit its identity, strength,
and readiness level appear in the text line (DOS version) or a floating
window (Mac) at the bottom of the screen.

If a unit is not shattered, you can give it orders to change mode or  move
(north, south, east and west -- the game uses an invisible square grid
with no  diagonal movement or attacks permitted). You can  nornally only
see enemy units that are in contact with your troops, but if the weather
clears,  Allied air power  provides a complete view of the board.  In the
Mac version, you can zoom in to a more detailed view, where the size of
the  unit symbols indicates their relative strength, but memory
restrictions kept this feature out of the MS-DOS version.

Patton Strikes Back is a huge game.  The MS-DOS version takes up  over 3
Megabytes of disk space, and the Mac color version needs 5 Mb.  The Mac
version was compressed onto four disks, using DiskDoubler.  An unpacking
utility is included.

The masive storage requirement stems, in part, from the games "newsreels"
-- small, fuzzy animations digitized from  WWII documentary film that pop-
up whenever a significant event occurs in the game.  When you make an
airstrike, for example, you see footage of a dive bomber.  You can
terminate a newsreel with a mouse click, or turn them off entirely.
Anecdotes drawn from an extensive on-line History Book pop up during the
game, or you can simply browse through them off-line. You can also request
advice -- a GI will pop up in a window to offer suggested actions.

The copy protection scheme requires you to type in a word from a 32-page
manual when a dialog box  asks "Are your papers in order?"  On the Mac
version, My IIci occasionally crashed at this point -- turning off the
sound seemed to solve the problem,

I was disappointed by the sparse documentation --  most previous
Broderbund historical games had well-researched, lavishly illustrated
manuals. I would have liked some references or bibliography. The only
other criticism I would offer is the display -- the Summer  green color
scheme fails to convey the feel of a snow-covered battlefield, and the
lack of unit ID on the symbols can be confusing.

Nevertheless, Patton Strikes Back sets a new standard of excellence for
military history games. The list price seems high, but you get good value
for the money -- something distressingly rare in entertainment software
these days.

	Graphics: 	7
	User Interface: 9
	Documentation: 	7
	Play Value: 	9

	Overall: 	8

Patton Strikes Back, for the IBM PC and compatibles, from Broderbund.
   Designed by: Chris Crawford, expect mouse, EGA or VGA graphics, and
   1MB RAM for monochrome, 2MB for color.  List price: $59.95

------------------------------
 
From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert A Jung)
Subject: Lynx: Awesome Golf
Date: 4 Dec 91 06:20:18 GMT

    Forget those 5:00am tee-offs, with AWESOME GOLF you can now play the links
on the Lynx. This is a fully loaded golf game, offering three courses filled
with obstacles, and enough challenge to keep you busy. Chipper the chipmunk
will be your caddy and scorekeeper, so pick your club, and please replace your
divots.

    You can play on one of three imaginary courses, for a 9-hole or an 18-hole
game. Up to four players can ComLynx together, practice on individual holes,
or work on a driving range. Each hole beings with an overhead map, where you
can aim your shot as well as scroll and zoom as desired. Fourteen clubs are
available: three woods, eight irons, two wedges, and a putter. Finally, you
take swing, hopefully staying on the fairway and avoiding the hazards.

GAMEPLAY:
    AWESOME GOLF is a straight, no-nonsense implementation of the game, with
many features and game options. A game can feature three different wind
levels, while the properties of terrain and the slope of the green must be
kept in mind. Distances to the hole are always available, and each club's
range, usage, and effect on the ball are accurately duplicated. Strokes are
done with a power bar using three button presses: The first press starts the
swing, the second press sets the strength, and the third press determines hook
and slice. Finally, you can select the clothing, race and sex of your video
duffer, though the only major effect is that women golfers tee off closer to
the hole.

    There's not much else to be said -- AWESOME GOLF plays golf, and plays it
well. As in real golf, the key to winning is a good strategy and a good
technique. The game is helpful without being pandering; players can set
individual handicaps, hints on clubs and aim are available to beginners, and
the driving range reports statistics on your swing. The only gripe is with the
multiplayer option. You must ComLynx to play against other people, though the
game could have been designed to support multiple players on one Lynx. It's a
trivial point, but one worth mentioning.

GRAPHICS/SOUND:
    Graphics on AWESOME GOLF are a combination of detailed realism and light
humor. Shots are seen from behind your player, and the ball's flight is viewed
from overhead, all done with quality animation, detailed backgrounds, and
smooth scrolling and scaling. Finally, cartoon stills highlight events such as
bogeys, penalties, and birdies. On the sound side, AWESOME GOLF is fairly
quiet, using short chimes to indicate selections and decisions. To spice
things up, Chipper's high-pitched voice is peppered throughout, congratulating
good strokes, laughing at blunders, and making remarks everywhere.

SUMMARY:
    Between CHECKERED FLAG and AWESOME GOLF, the Lynx is shaping up to be a
serious video sports system. This game captures the intricacies of the sport,
while offering enough extras to enhance its appeal, though playing with
friends can be a hassle. If golf is your game, AWESOME GOLF should not be
missed.

                Gameplay:        9
                Graphics:        9
                Sound:           9
                Overall:         9

AWESOME GOLF, from Atari Corp., for the Atari Lynx, 1-4 players, 
   horizontal game, $29.95.  No stereo.

------------------------------
 
From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert A Jung)
Subject: Lynx: Tournament Cyberball
Date: 7 Dec 91 06:43:46 GMT

OVERVIEW:
    As mankind moved into the 21st century, the task of keeping people
entertained started to become a problem. The sports and games of yesteryear
seemed boring and tame as the new generation wanted more action and danger.
Since murder remains illegal, the solution fell to robots, who could offer the
violence that the audience demanded while preserving human lives.

    Welcome to the era of TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL, the explosive sequel to the
CYBERBALL arcade game from Atari Games. This is a futuristic sports game with
very close ties to American football. Two teams of robots play on a 100-yard
field, trying to move a ball into the opponents' end zone. The ball heats up
over time, so the offensive team must carry the ball far enough to cool it
down, else face an explosion that destroys nearby players. Cheap mass-produced
replacements are available, but smart coaches save their winnings to buy the
better model players.

GAMEPLAY:
    On the surface, TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL appears to be a decent adaptation.
Up to four players can play, either against each other or versus one of four
computer coaches. The defense has a fixed selection of moves, while the
offensive choices are picked by the game from a larger pool, according to the
situation. On the field, each player controls a robot, and are responsible for
making the passes and blitzes needed. During the game, you earn money for
specific scoring actions, such as interceptions and scoring. The game lasts
for six periods, with opportunities to buy enhanced players throughout the
game.

    Scratch the surface, however, and the problems appear. There is no
apparent difference in abilities between the teams, and the team-unique plays
from the original are gone. Robots cannot be damaged, though an explosion will
destroy the ball carrier. Handoffs are unpredictable, reducing the value of
running plays, and while passes are effective, it's difficult to intercept the
computer's throws. Opportunities for enhanced players appear throughout the
game, but reduce the number of plays available until you accept. The pace of
the game is a little too fast; more time to decide and choose plays would be
welcome, and plays start as soon as all players are in position. These and
other flaws reduce a great idea into a frustrating experience.

GRAPHICS/SOUND:
    The graphics in TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL are passable, though little more.
The robots are distinctive, but are otherwise nondiscrept, and appear a bit
too small. The three-quarters perspective scrolling and the play selection
screens are done well, but are nothing to shout about. Sound effects are of a
similar nature, either using similar versions of the arcade sounds and music,
or omitting them all together. On the plus side, some of the digitized voices
have been preserved, though hearing "Three... six... hike!" on every play
becomes irritating after a while.

SUMMARY:
    TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL on the Lynx could have been a quality conversion;
other Lynx titles have shown the potential of the system. This game seems to
have been written by someone with little familliarity with the original, and
the shortcomings show through. In the final analysis, the many fans of
TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL should skip this conversion and stick to the arcade
machine instead.

	Gameplay:        5.5
	Graphics:        7
	Sound:           7
	Overall:         6

Tournament Cyberball, from Atari Corp., for the Atari Lynx, 1-4 players, 
   horizontal game, $39.95, no stereo.

------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 91 18:13:38 +0100
From: tjerk@nikhef.nl (MEGAJERK: via Portable Addiction Newsletter)
Subject: Lynx: A.P.B.

Everybody knows A.P.B.  from the arcades, and now the Lynx version has
finally been released.  The Lynx version is not only fun, but it has
also great speech.  About half of the 256K card is used for the speech!

Officer Bob drives his car through the city to keep it safe.  Each day
he has to meet his quota, the quota consists of various violators, like
litterbugs and murderers,but he also has to give hitchers a lift,
avoiding getting demerits.  You get demerits for bumping into things.
There are nine different violators,each with their destinctive sounds.
While you chase them, you have to eat donuts for extra time, and you
have to stop at a gas-station for fuel.  At some gas-stations there are
shops where you can get free upgrades every other day.  You can buy
things like extra speed, better brakes and guns.  You'll need the speed
and brakes on higher levels to catch the A.P.B.s.  There are a fifteen
different A.P.B.s on sixteen to thirty levels (The posters don't say how
many levels there are, but there are different reports.  I haven't
finished the game yet, so I don't know, but it will be in the next
issue.), so you won't finish this game in one night.

The controls are very easy and direct.  The joypad is used to steer, B
is used to give gas and with A you can arrest the crooks.But the game is
too sensitive for collisions, especially when you touch another car.

The graphics are nice, the cars are detailed and the screens with the
chief are fun.  I like the part when you get pulled out of the car when
you have too many demerits the best.

The sounds are really impressive, the voices are not as good as the Klax
voices but they are good (better than the voices in RoadBlasters) and
there is a bigger variety of cries and yell's (Who me?, Get lost, Yes
sir, Where's the gas-station?  etc.).  Even the mumbling of the chief is
well done.

So far the game has been great, but ofcourse it has some flaws too.  You
have to start all over when you get fired, well I haven't found a
restart yet.  That is another thing, the new games have got posters
instead of booklets (Yes, now Dutch Lynxists will fall victim to the bad
manual syndrome too!!:-).  Everybody agrees with the fact that the
posters lack information, they are not very detailed.

At least I found out how you can speed up the screens between the
levels.  Press button A, and the screens will pass at double speed,
press B and they will pass at triple speed, for quadrouple speed press A
and B at once.

          Graphics    - 7.5 : Distinctive cars, no blur.
          Sound       - 8.7 : Good speach, various sentences
          Playability - 6.8 : Logic controls, game has good 
                              speed. 
          Lastability - 8.0 : Not too hard to get in to, and 
                              keeps the difficulty level up
                              during the game.
          Overall     - 8.5 : A perfect blend between good 
                              sound, addictive gameplay and
                              it won't be finished fast.

------------------------------
 
From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Subject: Lynx: Ishido: The Way of Stones
Date: 27 Oct 91 04:01:37 GMT

    Once again, the Lynx travels to the Orient to get inspiration for a
strategy game. This time it is ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES, a conversion of a
home computer title. You are given a set of 72 tiles, each marked with a
specific color and figure. The stones are presented one at a time, and you
place them on a board with 90 slots, next to other matching pieces. The more
matches made, the better your score. If you play good enough, the Oracle may
appear and impar some of its wisdom.

    ISHIDO's rules are simple, yet not immediately obvious. The basic idea of
matching tiles is enhanced with restrictions on the types of matches possible.
But in return for learning the rules, ISHIDO offers a deeply complex and
challenging experience. Tiles are matched by color and figure, with the
elusive four-match being the best play (match two by color and another two by
figure). The game is "won" by making the highest score possible, but you will
quickly find other goals to achieve, such as using all the tiles or scoring
four-matches around the starting board.

    ISHIDO also offers several variants and options. Scoring can be either the
"ancient" method, where only four-matches have value, or the "modern" way,
where all matches score. Games can be played solitare, alternating with a
computer or human opponent, or as a tournament against any number of players.
During the game, you may take back moves, ask for legal moves, and view the
stones remaining. Other options allow you to select the tile set to use, and
set a time limit for moves.

    An interesting extra is the Oracle of the Stones. Make a four-match, and
the Oracle will offer a piece of "ancient wisdom". These are excerpts of
insightful thinking, similar to the writings of the I Ching, and the player is
asked to apply them to his innermost questions. In the end, it is harmless
fun, though you can turn the Oracle off if it proves distracting.

    The graphics and sound in ISHIDO are total contrasts. Visually, the game
is stunning, with beautiful imagery everywhere from the opening fireworks to
the glimmer of a four-match. Sounds are also appealing, but are at a minimum;
the primary game sound is the click made as each tile is placed.

    ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES is proof that a game does not need many rules to
be sophisticated. The concept is simple, yet each new move offers a wealth of
possibilities to be explored, making this a perfect entry for the
deep-thinking strategist.

                Gameplay:        8
                Graphics:        10
                Sound:           7
                Overall:         8

ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES, for the Atari Lynx, from Atari,
   a horizontal format game, $39.95.  No stereo.

------------------------------
 
From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Subject: Lynx: Robotron: 2084
Date: 10 Nov 91 05:56:10 GMT

    Shadowsoft, a newcomer to the Lynx development scene, takes video gamers
back in time with their first release. The destination is 1984, where Williams
Electronics' ROBOTRON: 2084 is taking arcades by storm. In a plot reminescent
of the movie Terminator, you play a laser-firing mutant who must save the last
humans of Earth from extermination by the mechanical Robotrons. Destroy all
the Robotrons, and you travel to the next stage, with even more dangers.

    Williams' video games were respected as true challenges, with no mercy
for the weak, and Shadowsoft's version is no exception. ROBOTRON on the Lynx
is just as fast and tough, with absolutely nothing missing nor abridged. The
action is viewed from overhead, and you must navagate around each level,
saving humans while keeping yourself alive. The difficulty can be set to one
of five levels, though even the easiest is a challenge.

    Anyone familliar with the original ROBOTRON will know that the controls
will present a problem. In the arcade, two joysticks were used, allowing you
to move and fire independently. In response, Shadowsoft has provided three
different control schemes, using different methods of aiming and firing. This
is an acceptable substitute, and each player will find a setting that works
for himself.

    ROBOTRON's faithfulness goes down to the smallest detail, as the sights
and sounds of the arcade machine are duplicated exactly. Game elements are
distinctive enough, though their may be some confusion in the heat of the
battle. All other visuals are copied as well, right down to the storytelling
attract mode. Similarly, the sounds of the original have been rendered
exactly, down to the last zap and explosion. Most of the game is played in
mono, though the moody title tune and the effect when you die are done in a
subtle stereo.

    ROBOTRON on the Lynx loses none of the intensity of the classic title.
Though the controls are a minor sticking point, they can be worked with,
leaving this a game of intense non-stop shooting action. If Shadowsoft's
future works are as good as this, Lynx owners are in for a lot of fun.

                GAMEPLAY:        8.5
                GRAPHICS:        8
                SOUND:           8.5
                OVERALL:         8.5

ROBOTRON: 2084, for the Atari Lynx, from Shadowsoft Inc.
   1 player, horizontal game, $34.95. Stereo.
-------------------------------------
 
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