God help America!

Speedboat Assassin logo

YOU aren't often given the opportunity to play "the other side" in games with a Middle East flavour, but in Speedboat Assassin you, too, can be that fervent Iranian revolutionary.
Yes indeed, capitalist pigs around the world require killing as they revel in their decadent harbours, protected by the warships and mines of Satan himself.

I, revolutionary brother Mohammed Evans, have been charged to destroy the imperialist forces of evil and fight to my last breath for the Islamic Revolution. My gunship has dropped me into the harbour of New York, home of the unholiest pigs of all. I weel destroy them.

Hayeee! But what is this? Those sons of Satan have laid mines across the entrance to the harbour. With God on my side, surely I can navigate my way through the winding channel, deadly mines hovering on either side.
BOOOOMMMM! Urk...
Cough splutter. Quick, Ishmael, speedboat number two.

Ha! It seems I must go at the pace of a snail to avoid their deadly clutches. And here I am in the open and ready to teach the Yankee pigs a lesson. But what is this? Ishmael, you fool! There are no weapons on this speedboat!
Quickly, bring the helicopter and drop them down to me.

Fab, with all this delay the Americans have spotted me and are sending their own speedboats and warship to intercept me. But I, Mohammed Evans, is more than their equal to the task. Take tha...
BOOOOMMMM! Urk...
Cough splutter. Those accursed Yankees are as treacherous as sin. Ishmael, the third speedboat.

Yaaeeyy! This is more like it. All four towers destroyed and now I escape to bring further glory to the revolution.
But what is this approaching? God protect your servant Mohammed, a fat Yankee battleship is blocking the exit! All its guns is firing. Oh no, and there were another three capitalist harbours to destroy as well...

BOOOOMMMM! Urk...
Cough splutter. Ishmael, kindly be telephoning Virgin Mastertronic that its simulation of revolutionary revenge is far too hard. The detection of the sprites also sucks like a camel.

Speedboat Assassin logo

Da haben feindliche Mächte doch glatt Deine Lieblingshäfen besetzt! Macht aber fast gar nix: Für knapp 20,- Märker kann man mit "Mastertronics" neuem Low Budget-Game in ein bewaffnetes Rennboot hüpfen und den Gegnern Zunder geben.

Zu Beginn jedes Levels wird das adrette Schiffchen von einem Hubschrauber zu Wasser gelassen, wo man es zunächst durch einen dichten Minengürtel dirigieren muß. Dann brausen auch schon feindliche Boote, Wehrtürme und weitere Minen heran; um sie abzuballern muß aber erneut an dem Hubschrauber angedockt werden, der den Spieler dann mit einer Bordkanone und zwei Smartbombs versorgt.

Der Heli kommt cirka alle 30 Sekunden wieder, um Nachschub (Doppelschuß, Torpedos etc.) zu liefern - wer das Andock-Manöver verpaßt, muß eben sehen, wo er bleibt. Gegen Level-Ende taucht ein großes Schlachtschiff auf, wer auch das erledigt, wird in die nächste Spielstufe befördert.

Grafik und Sound sind nicht gerade berauschend, aber das kann man für den Preis schließlich kaum verlangen. Was man aber sehr wohl verlangen kann , ist saubere Programmierung: Speedboat Assassins hat jedoch die Eigenheit, alle paar Spiele die feindlichen Sprites durch die Luft fliegen lassen!

Auch ist die Kollisionsabfrage derart ungenau, daß die vorzügliche Joystick-Steuerung hier mehr Schaden als sonstwas anrichtet. Unter dem Strich bleibt ein knapp durchschnittliches Actiongame, dessen größter Vorzug der günstige Preis ist. (ml)


Speedboat Assassin logo

Amiga
16 Blitz

Speedboat Assassin is one of the first in a new range of budget games that promises you the cheapest quality 16-bit software this side of a CU coverdisk. To be honest, I think they've blown it already, because this is a pile of crap right from the word go, apart from some rather natty scrolling.

Played in the vein of Live and Let Die, you pilot a speedboat through a rapidly approaching barrage of mines, missile firing towers and enemy speedboats. TO begin with you're unarmed but as you emerge into New York harbour you're greeted by a friendly helicopter, which ever so kindly leaves you a gun. Sadly, after that the game gets really tedious.

As I've said, the scrolling is fast and smooth, and some of the sprites are huge, but the 3D update is pretty average, and the collision detection is appalling. The sound is dull and the game is one big yawn from start to finish. That still makes it poor value for a fiver.

Speedboat Assassin logo

16 Blitz/£4.99/ST & Amiga

Four of the world’s harbours have been occupied by enemy forces, and it is your duty to liberate each of the four harbours in turn. To do so you will first have to guide your motorboat through a highly hazardous minefield. If you make it, then you can go ahead and destroy the four towers defending the harbour but you must make good your escape.

This isn’t actually as easy as it sounds ‘cos defending the towers are loads of other boats, all armed with a seemingly endless supply of missiles. You’d have a better chance of flying a kite on the moon than escaping from this lot, if it weren’t for your supply helicopter.

Every 30 seconds or so, this helicopter will hove above you, and your boat needs to dock with it in order to upgrade the weaponry available to you. First you get a cannon, then a double firing cannon, before working your way up to smart bombs which make life a lot easier.

Overall this is quite an addictive little game. The graphics are all huge and get huger as they scroll towards you at an incredible rate of knots. They are solidly coloured, and the scrolling really does give a feeling of speed as you belt along the water. There’s plenty going on in the ol’ joystick mashing department: dodging bombs as well as launching your own at the myriad of enemies should keep the most eager blaster happy. Another budget winner, and a lesson to all prodcing crap at 20 quid.