1st February 1984
Introduction
3D has often been misnamed in computer games, sometimes only meaning a shape has a shadowed edge to it, but Postern's space game actually employs stereoscopic vision to create a real sense of depth. To play the game you must wear the bicoloured spectacles provided with each cassette.
The object of the game is very simple: you command a ship which travels vertically on the extreme left of the screen and you must blast the alien space craft which travel towards it from right to left. There are various types of alien and you score points accordingly.
The novel control key is the 'zoom' one. This sends you deep into the screen, or brings you back out. The aliens are all travelling at differing depths across the screen, front or back, and your laser only has any effect if you are at the identical depth to the alien. Similarly they only hit you if you are at the same depth as they are.
Criticism
It takes ages to fiddle with the tv colour, and then it does not quite work. The excellent cassette box and instructions have a lot of detail describing how to set up the tv (only colour ones work with this game) but the 3D images fail to work properly. The graphics are reasonable and the movement of the enemy drones is very smooth, but the game itself is unexciting and grossly overpriced.
The cassette box is impressive, the insrtuctions detailed, but I couldn 't get the 3D effect to work at all. The separation of the stereo image seems too extreme. They tell you it works between 4 and 8 feet, but if doesn 't. If you stand really far back it just begins to happen - but then you're too far from the computer and screen to be able to play. A good idea if it works, but too much effort went into the gimmick and not enough into the game, which is quite boring.
You can play this game without the spectacles by estimating the depth of the advancing space ships by the degree of left/right image separation. Playing this way saves the headache! I'm sure the packaging and the spectacles must make it expensive to produce, but for what the game is, it's over the top moneywise.
Comments
Keyboard positions: Difficult to control with 6 keys
Joystick options: None
Keyboard play: Responsive
Use of colour: Red, blue and yellow
Graphics: Simple and smooth, 3D if it works
Sound: Average
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 1
General Rating: Poor
Screenshots
