ZX Computing


Big 4

Publisher: Durell
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in ZX Computing #34

Four top notch games for the price of one from Durell

Big 4

Four of Durell's best known games are now available in a single twin cassette pack. Now, for the price of one game, you can fly a deadly Lynx helicopter in Combat Lynx, drive a Turbo Esprit in a city centre car chase, infiltrate an enemy security base in Saboteur and disable an antimatter plant in Critical Mass.

Combat Lynx

The action begins on the launch pad as you arm your combat Lynx helicopter for the mission ahead. Your job is to protect and ferry troops between a maximum of six bases (depends on game level) while fighting the planes, helicopters, tanks and gun emplacements of the enemy forces.

Through your controls, you must plot the positions of the bases and the approaching forces and defend the ones most at risk while keeping the others fully supplied.

This isn't an easy game to learn, with over 30 key controls to perfect, but it it still one of the best combat flight simulators.

Turbo Esprit

Driving your Lotus Turbo Esprit around one of four city centres at 150mph isn't easy, especially when you're supposed to be the good guy and avoid moving down pedestrians and other drivers. Meanwhile, the bad guys are operating a drugs ring and you must find and catch the armoured supply car before the hit cars find you.

Unfortunately, you must stop at traffic lights and observe other driving laws while the drug dealers will shoot anyone in an attempt to get away.

Tracking down your targets is easy using the scanner that reports their position which you can follow on your map but look out for warnings about hit cars approaching you. These try to gun you down from behind so if you get a warning you'll need to perform a speedy manoeuvre to get behind them!

An excellent car chase game but don't be surprised if your penalties (for crashing, running lights, shooting innocent people) are greater than your score.

Saboteur

As a change of pace, Saboteur has you creeping around a warehouse that the villains are using as a central security station. Your mission as an ace mercenary is to infiltrate the warehouse and find a disk that contains the names of all the rebel leaders.

Naturally you're an expert martial artist as the game was released when kung-fu games ruled.

Now it is looking a little dated but has survived mainly due to the size of the warehouse you must explore and the choice of weapons you can find and use on the patrolling guards. The guards also have dogs that constantly snap at your heels and drain your energy.

Eventually, you should make your way to the roof where a helicopter waits to rescue you.

Critical Mass

My pick of the bunch is Critical Mass, that gives you just ten hours gametime to travel through the five zones to reach the power plant before it explodes.

Naturally this isn't going to be easy as the enemy that invaded the planet and caused all the trouble attempt to destroy your rocket-propelled hovercraft. This is protected by a force field that is weakened by any collisions with the rocks that are strewn over the surface, or by enemy fire. If this gives way, your ship dramatically explodes around you leaving you hovering above a pile of rubble.

If you're lucky you can hover to a replacement pod and get another ship to continue your mission. If you're unlucky you'll be eaten by one of the Dune-style giant worms that rear out of the planet to chomp you.

Should you manage to reach the base, you then have to find a way in past the fused mines, disorientation clouds and protective wall before you can have a shot at the energy concentrator to close down the reactor.

Each game separately is well worth playing with; my favourites being Combat Lynx and Critical Mass. With four hits for the price of one, it just has to be a monster hit.