Stand by to be hunted down

Hunter logo

Publisher: Activision Price: £29.95 Release date: Late August

When you hear that a dictator backed by a huge army has invaded a small territory you may start to think, uh oh, they didn't take long to make a game out of that! Indeed, it does sound very similar to what a certain person did to a certain country not so long ago.

But before the accusations begin about cashing in, let me say that Hunter was formulated way before anything happened out in the Gulf. Hunter comes from the revamped Activision. This month sees them staging a comeback the likes of which would make even George Foreman think twice.

Just a matter of months ago it looked like Activision were to be a name of the past, another of the glory boys who couldn't quite hack it. Well just to prove everybody is wrong, they've returned. With The Disk Company in France at the helm, Activision are back in business and out to impress.

In Hunter, a small but strategically important group of islands has been invaded by an army of some considerable strength. Your commanders do not want to risk a full-scale military counter-attack just yet as the casualties would be unacceptably high.

So they decide that intelligence gathering, sabotage and small attacks are the way to weaken the enemy, enough before attempting further escalation. This is where you come in. You are one of a new breed of soldier, trained in undercover work and all forms of combat.

Chosen to undertake the missions deep in the heart of enemy territory, you find yourself working alone behind enemy lines where you have to keep your wits about you to survive, let alone complete your mission and make it back home. Before you start the mission you are given a briefing by your superiors in which they tell you what you have to do and how long you have to do it.

This ranges from a couple of hours to a couple of days - not real time I might add. After that you'll have to pop off to the stores to fill up your kitbag and away you go.

One of the things which makes Hunter so damn addictive is that regardless of which mission you are on there are no restrictions, apart from time, over how you do it. You can use whatever transport or equipment you like. This sense of freedom allows exploration and experimentation over transport and equipment mixes.

For example a typical mission could go like this. Fill up kitbag and grab ammo, ump in the car and head to the church. Nick the vicar's bike and go to the boat. Sail over to the next island and jump in the helicopter. Then fly over to enemy territory.
Land and raid some enemy buildings. Wear an enemy uniform and start talking to enemy soldiers. Nick an enemy's car and run him over. Then find your mission objective, blow it up and still be home in time for tea and Neighbours.

Or it could be completely different - that's the beauty of Hunter, so long as it's within the time limit anything goes. There are heaps of different modes of transport but each has its own problems - just try controlling the helicopter when it's at maximum thrust!

On completion of a mission you are awarded a bounty for your efforts - but if you don't like chocolate they'll give you money instead.

Hunter is very addictive with tons of missions, each requiring different skills and each like a game on its own. Try the last mission where you have to assassinate the enemy leader and bring back his head - great fun.

You can do the job quickly and wander about the islands for a while sight-seeing. Everything you do has a knock-on effect. If, for example, you blow a radar tower in one mission it won't be able to detect you on any later missions and any solders you take out stay dead.

The graphics are 16-colour solid 3D with the game viewed from an independent perspective, and the controls are easy to master.

If this is what we can expect from Activision in the future then it looks like they're back with a vengeance. Just watch this one zoom p the charts when it's released at the end of August.


Hunter logo

Activision * £24.99 Joystick/ mouse / keyboard

Picture a solid 3D game hero who roams around a 'real' environment, who can search buildings for life-saving kit, commandeer vehicles and also be killed by the local wildlife. Hunter is just such a hero, letting you experience an espionage battle between the heroic greens and the evil reds, at first-hand.

The Hunter you control is a polygon guy: a Max Headroom figure with legs. The joystick sends him scuttling around a 3D landscape simply by pushing it in any direction. Then, using a mouse-summoned menu, Hunter can gather any useful kit that he finds, be it a map, satellite reconnaissance, gun, cash or food.

Islands in the sun
Vehicles and buildings litter Hunter's island home. These mold the action, arcade style, of wandering destruction with more traditional adventure modes. Hunter can talk and give any recovered objects to the folks that he meets to buy information about where he should head next.

When Hunter discovers a vehicle, all he need to do is walk into it and push the joystick forward to start the engine. Hunter then drives the vehicle wherever you want him to go. Jeeps, helicopters, tanks, hovercraft, rocket-boats, bikes and sailboards can be found all over the world. Some are vital components in the missions he has to fulfil, some are superfluous, but still fun.

Breaking and entering
Buildings provide the game with adventure overtures. Hunter's main mission requires the location of special objects in a certain sequence, which once retrieved are either given to characters or used to complete a specific task. All these are hidden in buildings scattered throughout the land. Others must be destroyed.

To enter a structure Hunter just walks up to the doorway and appears inside. No blank polygon rooms here, each has a theme; churches have altars and houses occasionally feature working washing machines. The objects are always obvious and easily retrieved by walking into them. Automatically stored in the inventory, they are then used by accessing the menu.

A neat world full of exploration with a 3D 'sprite', does not essentially make a great game. Hunter backs up its construction with three different styles of play: action, missions or the main Hunter adventure itself.

Action randomly scatters vehicles, buildings and folks around the map with Hunter set loose on a destructive points hunt. Missions set Hunter one specific task which he must fulfill inside a time limit. The main Hunter game is a developing story that is initiated with the order to bring back 'one general's head'.

The main mission is a long contrived trial, with many twists and turns. Leads have to be followed, their locations noted in the log, the correct munitions collected and Hunter kept alive. Enemy uniforms are vital if Hunter is to avoid being shot, although this doesn't help him run the gauntlets of missile launchers in both aircraft and boats.

Death is fatal(!) at sea as all of Hunter's possessions are lost. If he croaks on dry land however, then a graveside visit retrieves all he collected. The success of Hunter is initially dependent on the 3D system, if it didn't stand up then the game would inevitably fail.

Block wars
Occasionally routes are 'invisibly' blocked, but they are never sealed off. Getting out of vehicles does prove irritating as a wide berth is required so as not to accidentally re-enter it. The advantages of the vehicular movement easily outweigh these slightly longer walks; it's fun leaping from tanks to hovercraft and to choppers. And as a games system, Hunter is strong.

The effectiveness of the Hunter 'engine' means the plot becomes the focus for the player. It's complex, filled with clues all pulling in different directions, and Hunters' most prioritise them using hindsight and guesswork. The character interaction is limited because you have no power over what is said. This is neatly bypassed with the introduction of trade to the conversations. Some people only tell you what they know when you have met the right people, in the right order, given them the right object and are wearing the right uniform.

Incoming!
The clues are only part of the story, because getting where you want to go can prove a major problem. Boats are fast and manoeuvrable but prone to off-shore missile attack. Helicopters are dangerous beasts to land and fall victim to anti-aircraft fire when flying low. Laziness can cost a Hunter his life, as walking and swimming is far more secretive than taking the car.

Hunter is very, very different; supplying a fresh gaming perspective. But the world, for all its curious contents, is small - albeit different for the three styles of game. A brave Hunter can have visited, if not fully surveyed, each island group in a few hours.
The puzzles may not have been solved, but the surprises are spoiled.

Hunter is a bold step forward. The graphics are blocky and the animation occasionally dubious, but these are necessary evils in such a 'game engine'. Hunter is both a fun exercise in 3D frolics and a challenging adventure game. It does exhibit some rough edges, which hold it back, but the freshness of the approach and the humorous design make Hunter a game well worth checking out.


GREENS ARE NEVER OUTGUNNED!
Hunter is certainly not a dull wander-about-em-up. You get to shoot people too! Hunter is always armed with his trusty gun which curiously, but effectively, fires from the centre of his chest. But, and this is a big but, he gets many more exotic firearms with which to injure himself and others. As many of the action missions only deal with the demolition of different enemy installations, he is forced to use a lot of big-bang material.
  • Missions - pick them from the menu, drop them with the fire button and run away as fast as possible. They destroy most things except, strangely, washing machines. So next time nuclear holocaust threatens hide yourself away in a Zanussi!
  • Action - these little doozies require a vehicle, tank, helicopter or whatever. They are shot or dropped on the enemy, clearing a path for later exploits.
  • Hunter - these are inaccurate, but pokey, and can total buildings with ease. To fire just point the big 'H' in the right direction and let it go.

Hunter logo Amiga Joker Hit

Generäle erlegen und zwischendurch ein paar Öltanks in die Luft jagen - Topagent einer militärischen Spezialeinheit müßte man sein! Läßt sich machen...

Ausgestattet mit perfekten Kenntnissen in Informationsbeschaffung, Sabotage und Sprengstofftechnik darf der Held von Activisions aufwendigem Actionadventure eine Reihe unterschiedlich schwerer Geheimmissionen absolvieren. Schließlich hält der Feind eine strategisch wichtige Inselgruppe besetzt, was unser Brötchengeber gar nicht gerne sieht!

Der Arbeitstag beginnt, indem man sich einen der zahlreichen Aufträge herauspickt; davon gibt's grundsätzlich drei Sorten: die eher strategischen, die actionreichen und die ganz knüppelharten (Strategie & Action im Doppelpack, gewissermaßen).

Von Natur aus vorsichtig , entscheiden wir uns erstmal für eine leichtere Übung, beispielsweise die Sprengung eines bestimmten Öltanks. Nach einer genauen Einweisung geht's auch schon ans Eingemachte - binnen 13 Stunden muß man die Ausrüstung zusammenbekommen, zu der betreffenden Insel reisen, störende Wachen beseitigen, den Tank mit einer Handgranate hochgehen lassen und schließlich rechtzeitig ins Hauptquartier zurückkehren. Wenn das einfach ist, wie sehen dann die schweren Aufgaben aus?! Na, jedenfalls so, daß man etwas mehr Zeit für ihre Erledigung bekommt...

Damit das Agentenleben auch in der Praxis so spannend ist, wie es sich in der Theorie anhört, haben die Programmierer für Hunter eine komplexe Abenteuerwelt auf die Beine gestellt: Die 3D-Insellandschaften bestehen aus Bergen, Bäumen und Flüssen, man kann sich mit der örtlichen Bevölkerung unterhalten, und in den sehr abwechslungsreich gestalteten Gebäude findet man Landkarten, Pistolen und Waschmaschinen.

Zum Vorwärtskommen stehen (unter anderen!) Schnellboote, Lkws, Jeeps, Hubschrauber, Fahrräder und sogar Surfbretter zur Verfügung, man kann im haiverseuchten Meer schwimmen, mit dem Fallschirm aus Flugzeugen hüpfen, in den (Waffen-) Geschäften einkaufen und schier unzählige Gegenstände aufsammeln und benutzen - 007 würde bei diesen Arbeitsbedingungen glatt vor Neid erblassen!

Nicht nur was die spielerischen Möglichkeiten angeht, auch optisch ist Hunter eine Klasse für sich: Die 3D-Polygongrafik ist trotz ihres Detailreichtums (selbstverständlich mit Tag- und Nachtwechsel!) unheimlich schnell, besonders die Zoom-Effekte kommen gut rüber.

Titelmusik und Sound-FX sind zwar an sich nur Mittelmaß, es gibt aber erstaunlich viele verschiedene Geräusche, und sie passen auch immer perfekt zur Handlung.

Die Steuerung per Maus oder mit dem Stick klappt einwandfrei - hier gibt's einfach nichts zu meckern.

Hunter ist ein "strategisches Actionadventure", das weit über den Rahmen herkömmlicher Games hinausgeht, und hat sich somit die Hit-Trophäe mehr als redlich verdient! (C. Borgmeier)



Hunter logo

The excellent titles just keep on coming from the resurrected Activision, this time in the form of an epic multi-vehicle arcade adventure.

I've always kept myself to myself, hardly any chums at school (no-one seemed particularly interested in my collection of washing machine barings 1955-75) and my best friend's a gerbil. They even abolished telephone chatlines shortly after I started ringing they up. That made me an ideal candidate to join the secret service. I'd be able to sneak behind enemy lines completely unchallenged, and I wouldn't be missed at home for months on end. My first mission was a bit of a failure, though. The beautiful blonde spy I was supposed to be seducing didn't take too kindly to meeting Conan (my Gerbil, who'd gone along for the ride) and did a runner. They didn't ask me back.

HE'S A MAN WITH A MISSION
Hunter gives you the chance to slip into the shoes of a man with a mission. And that mission is to make life as tough as possible for the enemy who, for unspecified reasons, have taken control of most of the map.

A quick perusal of the screenshots will reveal that the chap in question (he's the one in green) is a blocky, 3D sort of character. As well as walking about he can also swim, although his talents as an all-round, secret agent sort of guy aren't realised until he comes across some 'wheels' (or, indeed, 'rotors') (or a 'hull'). The place is littered with cars, lorries, tanks, boats, helicopters and all sorts of other forms of transport, all of which he's perfectly capable of driving. Handy, that, when you consider the distances concerned and that fact that the map consists of lots of little islands with water between them.

So we've got some fairly corking 3D graphics, a huge map and plenty of ways of exploring it. What next? Well, there's a selection of missions to be tackled, so the best thing to do is pick one and go on it.

The exact nature of the mission depends, really. There's the main one, which is an all-singing, all dancing action adventure in which you'll have to apply your brain cells as well as your trigger finger, and then there are a series of subsidiary ones (practice missions if you like) which will be of more appeal to military minds.

Whichever you choose, taking the right equipment is a must. Happily, all the essentials, like a map, a radar unit, a clock and a range of weaponry, can be found fairly close to the HQ where you start, while your supply of ammo can be topped up from the stores before you leave. You've a formidable range of kit at your disposal, including a hand gun, grenades, a bazooka and some timed explosives (which you can fix to things and run away). If all that's not enough, climbing aboard a tank or helicopter will give you access to even more.


There's masses to do and heaps of things to discover

MAKING (NOT SO) SOCIAL CALLS
If you begin to run low on anything you'd better start sticking your head round a few doorways. The landscape is packed with buildings of all descriptions: houses, power stations, lighthouses, hangers, you name it. If you're lucky you might hit upon a stash of enemy equipment, or perhaps someone with something useful to tell you (although you might have to bribe them first).

Opposition comes in the form of everything from foot-soldiers (who are best squashed) to tanks and helicopters, backed up by anti-aircraft guns and missiles. Some pretty heated battles can ensue with, for example you taking out a fuel dump with a helicopter, getting shot down, crash-landing, leaping into a nearby armoured car and nipping off with a couple of tanks in hot pursuit.

And then there's the puzzle solving/strategy side of things. For starters there are puzzles of the information collecting type. Then there are other things - wearing an enemy uniform will let you sneak about much more safely. A transport is always a concern. For example, your boat is running low on fuel, and you haven't got any spare. Do you risk going in search of more, or abandon the boat in favour of a helicopter? The trouble then is that you might get shot down and stranded somewhere, facing the very daunting prospect of a long and slow swim home.

And all this time the clock's ticking away. There's a real sense of urgency to some of the missions, and they might take quite a few tries to complete within the deadline, possibly with only seconds to spare. Another thing to watch out for is nightfall. Once the sun's set it's a lot harder to find your way around, unless you either launch flares, which provide a few seconds' respite, or turn the brightness on the telly up a bit.


There's a real sense of urgency to some of the missions

DOING THINGS NAPOLEON SOLO
I know this has been a bit of a factual review, but Hunter's a game that's hard to fault. (And, believe me, I've tried.) It's not quite top notch, but has no serious failings. The only pinpointable thing I noticed (and even this is a bit vague) is that it has a weird sort of 'lonely' feel to it, especially considering the battlefield conditions the action's supposed to be taking place under. You're almost grateful to see a bull charging towards you out of the distance at times, and verbal interaction with other characters is limited to them saying something and you, well, just listening.

Apart from that everything is just as it appears, rendered in fast, smooth 3D graphics. There's masses to do and heaps of things to discover. Be prepared for a slight feeling of anti-climax when you've explored everywhere and tried everything out, but things should pick up again once you start tackling the puzzles. In case you're in any doubt, then, it gets a thumbs up from me. Well worth buying.


THINGS TO DO
Once you've explored Hunter's possibilities a little, and found out what's what, it's time to start earning your keep. There are three broad categories of job to be done, each with its own map:
  1. Missions
    You're given an objective and a deadline. You've got to reach the objective, take it out and make it back to base within the allotted time. You're then given a new target, slightly harder to reach, and a new deadline, slightly tighter. Off you go again - with the clock still running from last time! It's like an episode of Treasure Hunt, only with Annabel Croft (more's the pity).
  2. Action
    Pretty much the same sort of thing, only you're given a long list of targets, scattered around the map, and a couple of hours to wipe them all out. You'll need to get a route planned, and it might be worth playing a quick practice game beforehand to work out where all the fuel dumps are hidden and the vehicles parked.
  3. Hunter
    This is the game proper, and you've got a single objective: 'Bring back one general's head'. That presumably means 'Kill the chief baddie' and could also be taken to include 'Oh, and blow up as many baddies as you can while you're at it'. So off you go on a sort of adventure-style mission, collecting clues and trying to track down the general.



Hunter logo CU Amiga Screen Star

Ever sat down to watch a blood'n'bullets movie and found yourself screaming at the hero to single-handedly take on the combined might of the enemy forces with his pop gun, wipe out their impregnable installations with a single grenade, free the hostages, and save the day? Hunter, the long-awaited 3D epic from Activision, puts you in this one-man-behind-enemy-lines cliché and allows you to run riot where Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Chuck Norris fear to tread.

The Hunters of the title are an elite band of troops who make Lee Marvin's Dirty Dozen look like a bunch of wimps. A Hunter's job entails going deep behind enemy lines, blowing up strategic installations, assassinating key military figures, and causing general mayhem. As one of these super-troopers your mission is to take on a powerful invading force, single-handed by using whatever equipment you can get your hands on.

Each mission starts off at HQ, where you're given your orders. After this it's off to your hut to collect a map, a log book to keep track of mission targets, and a couple of Aerial Observation units. When activated, the latter zoom a couple of hundred feet into the air and beam back a map of the surrounding area including positions of vehicles, buildings and people.

Most buildings are civilian bungalows which contain little of importance. Hangers, on the other hand, often contain vehicles and assorted supplies. And, as with the real thing, powered transport requires fuel, and without a couple of cans of four star you could find yourself without a ride.

Enemy vehicles are often the most convenient way to attack a target, especially the tanks which have large 80mm guns which can destroy anything with just three shots. Naturally, the enemy are wise to your appropriation of their equipment and many islands are littered with tank traps, land mines and computer-controlled rocket batteries. Even your helicopters aren't immune to enemy defenses, and tracer guns blast hundreds of bullets into the air every minute whilst the deadly SAM batteries are always active. Control of land vehicles is very simple, using the forward and back directions of the stick to accelerate and brake, and the respective directions turning the vehicles. What is lacking, though, is a reverse gear, which would be very useful for faster evasive action. Also, control over the choppers is made slightly harder with a combination of forward and fire increasing lift, and a reduction in thrust needed before the beast can start moving and killing.

Points are recorded in the form of credits, and every time an enemy soldier, vehicle, or installation is blown up you get paid for it. However, if you blow up civilians, their property, or wildlife (yes there's flora and fauna in the shape of flowers, bulls, rabbits and birds), a fee is deducted from your account.

The graphics are consistently good throughout. They're colorful, contain a nice amount of detail and don't slow down when the screen becomes cluttered. A few more frames of animation would have been nice for the main character and some of the animals, but this probably only noticeable to haggard old computer journos.

Throughout the game your ears are assaulted with a barrage of sampled explosions, growls and the odd seagull squawk, which is easily silenced by well-aimed helicopter rotor blades. Apart from being big, Hunter is also incredibly absorbing. Although the missions have time-limits there are no constraints as to how you must complete them, and this flexibility is severely lacking in past attempts at accessible 3D games. If this had to be categorized, I suppose I'd call it a thinking persons 3D shoot 'em up. Whatever it is it's good and you should definitely check it out.


MOTOR-VATION

There's nothing stopping our hero from walking everywhere (apart from on the occasional river) but its time consuming and very tedious to watch. To speed things up, a variety of vehicles are included. Cars, jeeps, lorries and ambulances are all fast and you can roll down the window to take pot shots at enemy troops. Guaranteed to deal with traffic jams are tanks, which come in two varieties. Also, if you can't be bothered to change from boat to wheels when you hit dry land you could try finding a hovercraft, which can go over any terrain. Finally, fly bouts can try helicopters while environment freaks can settle for push bikes and windsurfers.

DON'T PUSH ME!

Do you ever get the urge to strip down to your boxer shirts, smear your body with animal droppings and take on the entire army of some third world country? No? Well, some people must judging by the success of action films such as Rambo, Commando and Missing In Action. The Rambo films were written by, and starred, Sylvester Stallone. The first had him up against corrupt cops in America's deep south, in the sequel he took on the entire Vietnamese army for breakfast and rescued American PoWs in his lunch hour.

The final film saw Stallone, his bazooka and baby oil taking on the might of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger was rescuing fair maidens in Latin America (Commando) and battling alien creatures on his days off (Predator). Veteran crumbly Chuck Norris ran riot in 'Nam (in his attempts to rescue PoWs that Rambo forgot) in a film which grossed $26,000,000 but never made him a megastar. It just goes to show that you don't need an army - just a hero with more muscle than brain, no conscience and 500 extras who don't mind labeled 'gooks' and taking dives to make Mr Muscle look good.


Hunter logo

Who could forget the traumatic developments in the Crossroads Motel when David Hunter got shot? David Wilson thought he'd never get over it, till he got hold of a copy of Activision's Hunter, that is.

Are you a free spirit? Do you rage against the confines of totally linear gameplay? Do you rebel against the dictates of the one-way scroll? Then how about one of those games where you have complete freedom of a little 3D vector world? A world with over half a dozen modes of transport at your disposal - a world populated by rabbits, sharks, bulls, ducks and sea gulls (as well as bad guys) and a veritable arsenal of weaponry with which to kill 'em! How does that sound to you? And do you like games from Activision that begin with the letter 'H'? If so, then you'll love Hunter.

Not only is it one of the incredibly tantalizing bits of this month's cover disk - under the subject of a two page Under Wraps back in January's ZERO - but it also happens to be pretty dashed fab..

Within your 3D world of islands, Hunter offers three separate game types. There's the Mission Game which consists of a series of single missions of increasing complexity; an Action Game which gives you a list of enemy thing to blow up and a set time in which to do it (hence assuring you loads of er... action); and finally the Hunter Game itself, which includes elements of both other games.

In the Mission and Action games you've got one life and a time limit in which to complete your objectives, whilst in the Hunter Game you'll have several men at your disposal. (Quite useful if you're a shandyman).

In every game you must first pick up your log book - a sort of 3D vector Filofax that's indispensable in your missions - before hopping over to the Stores to tool up with weapons. You can either pick the weapons you need manually, or avail yourself of the user-friendly 'Auto Arm' option.

Oh, and if you're playing the Hunter Game and your lead chap gets killed, you start again near your home island - in other words, you have to find his grave so you can collect all the items he was holding before you can go any further.

Amiga review

David: From the moment I saw Hunter, I knew it was my sort of a game. It reminded me at once of the classic Carrier Command. I loved the idea of controlling your character with freedom to travel around the various means of transport and going into buildings without so much as a 'by your leave'. Hunter definitely fulfills this promise. Although, the pace isn't exactly frenetic, the challenge is there in various different forms.

In the Hunter game, the theme is of an adventurey nature as you find different people, bribe them, and/or follow their directions to other contacts or items - which in turn may come in handy when it comes to convincing them to talk to you. (Whatever happened to a loaded Magnum .44 pressed to the temple?) Although there's a save game option, I found it rather frustrating that if you accidentally destroy a contact or item, you more or less kiss goodbye to your chance of success. Still, you learn by your mistakes.

Though the sound isn't brilliant, it still manages to be quite effective - for example, when you jump out of a moving vehicle and it motors off into the distance. The graphics are rather nice as well, if slightly flawed. There are several glitches and frequently your character or his vehicle seems to be suspended in mid-air. Mind you, this can actually work in the game's favour on occasion, for example when your car is racing over hilly terrain and it seems to bounce off the ground - fine, till you come to a halt and you're still two feet above terra firma!

There are many features of Hunter which make it a special game - the different means of transport, the way you can outfox the bad guys by leaping from moving vehicles, or even by wearing an enemy uniform! But ultimately, though I like Hunter a lot, it's not as slick as Battle Command, and consequently suffers. Still, it's a commendable effort and well worth checking out. Stop


THE CAPTAIN'S
LOG
Ever fancied yourself as the Log Lady? (Whaddya mean, you don't watch Twin Peaks?!) Anyway, you'll need one of these rather corking designer organisers. It incorporates a map highlighting your position and a list of locations. Click on one of these and it'll be shown on the map. In the full-blown adventure game, you won't actually be told your ultimate objective. Instead, you'll be given the location of a contact. Make your way to him, bribe him if necessary (it usually is) and he'll tell you the coordinates of your next contact or useful item. Now you can input these into your log using the 'Add Item' function. Oh, and when you return to the game screen, you can superimpose the map with both your location and your destination highlighted.

PRINCE PHILIP: HUNTER
Hunter: Prince Philip
Hello, I'm Prince Philip. Although I'm chairman of the WWF, I quite like shooting things. (It's okay as long as you eat them). Let's take a look at the sport in the Hunter archipelago...
Hunter: Duck
1. First off, we've found some 'quacks quacks'. (Ducks. Ed.) Not much sport, these blighters - not endangered enough. Still, if you want to get your eye in, they make good practice. And if you want to save ammo, why not drive over them in a motor cycle ahead?
Hunter: Rabbit
2. Equally useless on the endangered scale, the bunny's solo redeeming feature is the satisfying way he explodes when hit with a bazooka shell. Tricky to hit but a handy tip is to hop into the water and shoot from 'sea level'.
Hunter: Bovine
3. Though still nowhere near endangered enough for my liking, bovines add a nice element of danger to our notable sport, because the ones with horns are liable to charge at you. For an extra skillful bag, why not exploit this tendency by leaving land mines in their path before enticing them to charge? Rare rump steak, anyone?
Hunter: Sea gull
4. Tricky blighters, these sea gulls. Mainly airborne, they pose a bit of a stickler for your ropey gun elevation. Still, as they say, "what goes up, eh?" As soon as they alight, why not try a few well placed rounds? They'll never dump on Royal headgear again?
Hunter: Shark
5. Right, now what else is there for me to bag? Ooh look, there's a shark! Let's run it over in me old boat. Gadzooka! The tin tub seems to sprung a bit of a leak... er... looks like I've taken an early bath... nice sharkey...