Page 20 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #8

avoid is a constant buzzing comparison. Finally, even if
noise, as if the programmer
POKE'd a test value into the
sound register and forgot to
clear it, hoping that the rest of
the game's meager sound
effects would drown it out.
They don't.
Sword q u est Seri es
Yes, there are fans of this
series, but they've deluded
themselves into thinking they
are playing actual games. Each
entry in the SwordQuest series
is no more a video game than a
scratch-off lottery ticket.
Not that there is anything
wrong with using a game for a
contest or for promotional
purposes, provided that the
game itself is compelling. But
there ought to be a reason to
play the game after the contest
is over. That's where Atari
definitely dropped the ball on
the SwordQuest series.
Through trial and error,
players were required to find
numerical clues by placing
items in rooms with a vague
theme. However, it was also
possible to find the clues and
submit a valid entry just by
reading the comic book
enclosed with the game. As the
proper location of items
followed neither rhyme nor
reason, critical thinking or
puzzle-solving skills were not
required. Crosswords, Sudoku,
and even Brain Games require
more use of one's gray matter.
The handful of game sequences
are so brief and
inconsequential that mini-
games seem like RPGs by
of red squares surrounding
you were persuaded to
purchase what was essentially a
sweepstakes entry, you weren't
able to finish the story: Atari
never released all four games in
the series. To the eventual
winners of the $25,000 gold-
encrusted talisman and chalice,
$39.99 might have been a
small price to pay. For the rest
of us, it was a colossal rip-off.
Sssn a ke
With an edgy name -- note the
extra two letters -- and a label
showing a guy battling a giant
snake wrapped around what
looks like playground
equipment floating in outer
space, how could this game go
wrong?
For starters, the title and
concept seem to have little to
do with the actual gameplay,
which involves shooting
enemies from inside a small
playing field in the center of
the screen. Unfortunately, your
shots can only travel through
small openings between dozens
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you. The enemies, however,
slither right through these
barriers.
Although your cannon can
shoot in all four cardinal
directions, you cannot quickly
change position. If you are
facing south and a new enemy
appears at the top of the
screen, you can't just turn
around. Instead, you must
head into one of the lower
corners of the playing field and
move upwards. Only when you
reach the top can you slide left
and right, firing towards the
top of the screen. Of course, by
that time, the enemy has
overtaken you.
Imagine Centipede with
mushrooms that are
impervious to damage. Now
confine the shooter to the
outside edges of a 5" x 5"
square in the center of the
screen, and then require
players to hit the exact corners
of the square to change
direction. Oh yeah … remove
the spider, eliminate the
interesting sound effects,