Once again a clone game, this time on Scramble/Skramble. This Moonraider review gives us a glimpse on this clone on the Acorn Electron.
Like all classics this game begins with high expectations as we all have played similar versions in different names.
Unfortunately this clone of Skramble is far away from my favourite. You have the key components of the game in there, the fuel,, the enenmy and the tricky passages to get past. But, they don´t fit together. The fueling becomes stressful and the tricky passages are like blocked and limited in sections – in the versions I prefer the rock cave is tricky more or less over the wholes scenery.
The movements of the spaceships that we met are also poor and limited. This is not a favourite and I would suggest you to find a different version if you want to play a great game of Skramble.
I would recomend it on the C64 connected to an old fashion TV on the original hardware – nothing beats that,
In the Magazines
YOU are the commander of a squadron of three fast and highly manoeuvreable space attack craft ordered to raid an alien base on the Moon. The aliens, understandably miffed at this, set up a series of defensive zones, each more difficult than before, which you must negotiate. The first three screens depict hilly landscapes, thickly populated by radar stations, anti-aircraft batteries and missile silos.
Also dotted about are enemy tankers vital to your mission for by hitting them with your bombs you gain a much needed boost to your fuel reserves. This is necessary to enable you to reach your own tanker, which is sited between stages. Beware of the space mines that surround your tanker, these aliens don’t miss a trick. Stages two and three have flying bombs and fireballs just to keep things interesting. Stage four takes you over the highlands, sown with missiles and not an enemy tanker in sight until the very end.
If you miss this, it’s curtains! Refuel once more and you’re through to the final obstacle, a long winding cavern with sharp bends and vertical shafts. No problem with fuel here, because flocks of enemy tankers block your path. Having said that, none but the very skilled will make it through the cavern. The enemy base lies tantalisingly beyond, though some may never see it. Good graphics, a limitless supply of laser bolts, bombs and poachable fuel make this a satisfying and compulsive game. Skillful use of the faster/ slower key makes evasive action easier.
Use of this key while refuelling means that you can take on more fuel. and its use is vital while flying through the caverns. One of the nice features of the program is you can skip stages by selecting games one to five and set the difficulty by selecting A to D.
A good value game, crammed with action and needing skill to test the most ardent arcade fanatic. A recommended version of the old classic.
From Electron User Vol 1 No.6 1984 by Adam Young
Your Game Covers
Your mission is to raid an Alien base to destroy its Central Nucleus. Firstly, however, there are several stages to overcome. You command a highly manoeuverable assault ship equipped with a rapid-fire laser cannon plus a limitless supply of Tryex bombs. Keep an eye on your fuel level which is constantly decreasing. This can be replenished by blowing up the enemy fuel dumps. Points are scored for destroying the radar scanners, rockets, ack-ack batteries and bouncing space-mines.
You start with three spacecraft but bonus ships are awarded for every 10,000 points scored. You can jump to any stage in the mission by pressing the corresponding number. Also the level of difficulty can be selected by pressing the corresponding letter. For further details see the instructions included in the program.
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