The Game Player, #17  -- Vol. 6, pg. 43, March 30, 1984
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THE GAME PLAYER jumps over pits and climbs vines in. . .

1)  ADVENTURE and NIGHT BOMBERS
    Astrogames, Tape A2

     The second release from the new Canadian software company Astrogames is
a pleasant departure from the usual game fare.
     ADVENTURE, which is actually a multi-adventure game, is similar in concept 
to PITFALL, a popular game by Activision for the Atari unit.  The second game 
on Tape A2, NIGHT BOMBERS, is a more traditional "shoot-'em-down" type of
game.  Both games are for one player only.
     The object in ADVENTURE is to maneuver your man from the left side of
the screen to the right.  The first part of the game is called "The Forest," 
and each screen presents a new and different set of obstacles to hurdle.  The 
joystick is used to move left and right, climb and jump.  There are no 
"creatures" to avoid or beware of; however, your man must jump over crevasses, 
climb hanging vines, jump from stone to stone, and land on the occasional
moving stone, which will then transport him to the other side.
     The player is allotted 1,000 seconds to play in the Forest, during which 
there is no limit to the number of new screens he can challenge.  The quicker 
the player is at completing each screen, the more points he will have at the 
close of the 1,000-second Forest sequence.  Sometimes, bonus-point treasures 
will appear, hanging from the vines.
     After completing the Forest, the player will begin a new adventure,
called "Maze A-Changing Walls."
     In this adventure, you will be faced with maneuvering your man from one 
side of the maze to the other, with the added element of a constantly changing 
formation, or positioning, of the maze walls.  Most of the time, you are simply 
walled in, unable to move.  Fortunately, you are permitted seven "eats."  That 
is, by pulling the trigger, the wall to your man's right will open.  Points are 
awarded based on the amount of time used to complete the maze.
     Upon finishing a couple of these mazes, the third and final adventure 
begins.  This one is called "Maze B-Invisible."  This maze game is like the 
other one, except that you cannot see the walls.
     Overall, our players enjoyed ADVENTURE.  It is challenging, though not 
really too difficult.  Most felt it was relatively easy to play.  We all felt 
that the graphics in the Forest segment were somewhat ordinary, and that an 
attempt should have been made to animate the "man."  On the positive side, the 
sound effects were nicely done, and the music during the first tape load was 
excellent.
     Astrogames used the multi-load method for ADVENTURE.  In other words,
the tape is loaded at three different times into memory.  However, you only 
need to :INPUT; RUN GO once, at the beginning.  The computer will print out
commands at the appropriate times to push "Play" on your recorder.  Using the 
multi-load method does require one to rewind the tape and start over for a 
replay of the game.
     NIGHT BOMBERS is the other game on Tape A2, and comes in easy and
hard versions.  "Easy" gives the player five lives, while "Hard" gives him only
three, plus faster game action.
     This is a fairly routine sci-fi game, in which bomber planes fly overhead
and periodically drop bombs onto your city.  You, the player, control a missile 
launcher and try to intercept the falling bombs.
     We cannot, in all honesty, describe NIGHT BOMBERS as a terribly exciting 
game to play.  Young players, aged 10 and under, would probably be most 
satisfied playing the game.  Sound effects are minimal, but fair in quality.
     Five hits on the city and the game ends.  The knob controls the angle at 
which your missile is fired, and the joystick guides it.
     The hard version is extremely difficult to play.  We do not like the fact 
that the missile is so tiny that you lose track (sight) of it as it rises.  It 
needs to be much larger.
     Tape A2 is selling for $9.00, which is an appropriate price.  Most players 
will find ADVENTURE an interesting game, and the more enjoyable of the two.  
There is a lot that could be done to enhance ADVENTURE if it could be
released in an EXTENDED BASIC version, or, better yet, on a cartridge!  It's a
pretty neat game, and we think most of you will like it, too.

     MAIL BAG: Craig Conner writes to say that he thinks "the (GAME
PLAYER) column is great, and I enjoy reading it.  It helps in making future
choices."  Craig's favorite tape is LOOK OUT FOR THE BULL. Herb Matthews
writes to say, "Thanks for the consistent high quality and informative nature 
of your monthly reviews. They have definitely influenced my software 
purchases." Herb loves SUPER SLOPE and feels that it would be terrific as a 
cartridge.  Joe Adams reports that there might be a program flaw in COSMIC 
RAIDERS. At the 50,000-point level, the score starts back at zero.  Does Joe 
have a defective cartridge?  If you know the answer, please drop us a line.
     Well, I think I've taken up enough of the space in this month's ARCADIAN.  
I'll save some letters for next month.  'Bye.