"Videogames" Radio Electronics April 1983 The article is an excerpt from the VIDEOGAMES column by Danny Goodman, contributing editor. "ASTROCADE'S THE INCREDIBLE WIZARD for ASTROCADE" Life for the ASTROCADE (formerly BALLY ARCADE) console and its owners has not been too easy of late. For one thing, there have always been pretty slim pickings when it came to cartridges. For another, the manufacturer's (Astrocade. Inc.'s) precarious financial situation, which has become common knowledge in these past few months, has put the future of the machine in doubt. However, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of its death may have been greatly exaggerated. The company, at press time, was undergoing reorganization and is hopeful that it can continue producing the console and even introduce some new cartridges in the near future. In any event, most of the cartridges that do exist are of high quality, owing largely to the vast graphics and sound resources of the ASTROCADE console electronics. One such cartridge is THE INCREDIBLE WIZARD, Astrocade's home version of the mildly successful Midway arcade game, THE WIZARD OF WOR. The game can be played by one or two persons. In the game, your warrior descends through many different mazes, battling three different kinds of creatures. The farther you get in the game, the faster and more numerous the creatures become, Some of the creatures are invisible unless you're in their line of sight (when it may be too late), so a radar screen without maze walls indicates the approximate locations of the unseen menaces. When all of the creatures have been blasted by your "concentrated unified-field-disturbance rifle" the flying Worluk appears. You've got to shoot him before he either runs you down or escapes through one of the side escape doors. If you get him, the next maze scores double point- values. At random maze levels, the hooded Wizard will appear, racing about like crazy, hurling lightning bolts. If you are good enough to shoot him, you'll experience a fantastic light and sound show as the dungeon trembles, and your next maze will be worth quadruple points. At higher levels, mazes show up that have no visable walls. As in the arcade game, those are called pits. Graphic detail is fine enough to see that your Warrior is suited up in a helmeted space suit with a back pack. When he shoots, the kick from the rifle blast sets him back on his heels for a half second. A diverse sound package adds to the appeal of the cartridge. The chirp- like sound of some of the creatures, the rifle blasts hitting a target, the disorienting sound of the trembling dungeon, and musical interludes all help to keep things interesting. In many respects, including Astrocade's rather nice hand controller, THE INCREDIBLE WIZARD is much more enjoyable than its arcade ancestor. Chart: Graphics 8 Good Sound 9 Excellent Ease of learning 7 Good Challenge 9 Excellent Value 9 Excellent [Compare that to their July '83 rating of...] CBS Video Games' WIZARD OF WOR for Atari 2600 Overall: "Excessive Flicker" Chart: Graphics 4 Fair Sound 6 Good Ease of learning 6 Good Challenge 8 Good Value 5 Fair [Transcribed by Richard Degler]