It is really cool to do all these reviews for all these BBC/Electron titles like this Swoop Review.
I keep on finding titles that I have never played and on machines I never owned, and they are really giving that genuine experience you felt as a kid when playing that game for the first time.
Swoop is a Space Invaders clone and really one of those clones that get you hooked at once. Instead of noticing deviances you enjoy the well thought design. What is specific for this Invaders clone is that if an alien creature lands it creates a mortal barrier for a while. Beware of touching it as it will destroy you. This add a difficulty to the game as you in som occasions really get cornered and need to shoot for your life.
New aliens appear in every third level, and the variation is cool. What really stands out and that shows that this is a really good game design is the precision when aiming and shooting, it is really smooth and exact.
I´ve spent a full day on this game and I will spend some more time after finalizing this review.
Swoop them out!!
In the Magazines
HAVE you ever had one of those nightmares where hor-rible creatures swoop at you out of the sky? Try as you like, you can’t get away from them. With Program Power’s exciting new game Swoop you get the chance to get your revenge using your Electron. You do this by controlling a laser base at the bottom of the screen. The birdmen are hovering in formation at the top bombing you. Not content with that, they peel off and strafe you. All you can do to escape is either to blast them with your laser or dodge out of the way by moving left or right. Even if you do avoid them they still cause problems because on landing they lay eggs which turn into landmines. Run into these when you’re dodging left and right and BANG!
Happily you do have three lives — and you need them! And if you manage to shoot enough of the birdmen the eggs they’ve laid fade away. The trouble is that as soon as you’ve shot down one formation another one takes its place. And they start coming at you thick and fast. It’s a great game, enhanced by good graphics, nice sound effects and easily used con-trols. Fast and furious, it needs skill and good reactions to avoid the swarms that come at you as the game progresses. It’s addictive — and a lot more fun than the nightmare.
From Electron User Vol 1 No.3 1984 by Peter Bibby
Your Game Covers
The objective in Swoop is to rid the space lanes of the homing, swooping Birdmen. They come in 8 phases, each more difficult than the previous one. In the most difficult you have to combat two birds at once, with a total of eight missiles raining down on your laserbase. If a Birdman gets past you he lays an explosive egg on your laserbase track, thus restricting the room to manoeuvre. All is not lost as this disintegrates after a while. You can select the level of difficulty at the options menu. Mission:
Select:
A Slow-moving formation with standard-speed Birdmen.
B Slow-moving formation with fast-moving Birdmen.
C Fast-moving formation with standard-speed Birdmen.
