Computer Gamer


Bridge Head
By Anco
Commodore 16

 
Published in Computer Gamer #27

Bridge Head

As a member of an elite Marine unit, you have been ordered to secure the Bridgehead, the only access to enemy occupied territory. Your unit consists of only eight men and the bridge is well patrolled by sentries, but once secured, the way is open to storm the enemy's headquarters.

The unit has to make its way stealthily. You have only a knife and a limited supply of grenades, which can be used to blow up land mines or the enemy sentries. There are occasional ammunition stores from which your supply of hand grenades can be replenished, but the stores are well guarded.

The enemy, however, is well armed with bazookas and even a new type of homing anti-personnel missile.

Bridgehead

There are five levels - eight on the Plus/4 or the C16 with a 64K RAM pack, and each level has a scrolling background about eight screens in length. The scrolling is bi-directional so you can make 'strategic decisions', which means you can run back and climb up a ladder if a missile is coming towards you. At the end of each level, the scrolling stops and you must clear the remaining soldiers before you can start on the next level, Commando-style. At the end of the fifth (or eighth) sector, there is the enemy headquarters, your goal, and destroying that wins the game.

The game is actually a Green Beret clone but with more levels. Scrolling is very smooth and slick. Here are the eight stages:

Stage 1 is set aganst a mountainous backdrop, with three heights. At the top is a rickety-looking rope bridge. Stage 2 is in a harbour, again with three heights. Stage 3 is superb. It's similar to Green Beret - giant tanks with missiles on top. Three heights again.

Bridgehead

Stage 4 is set against giant purple warehouses. Guess how many heights? Stage 5 is against some buildings with radar on top. Stage 6 is similar but with different buildings. No radar, but instead lookout posts. Stage 7 is set against a giant purple submarine, which is very Russian-looking. The final stage is against the tents, until you make it to the headquarters.

All of the stages show the sea in dark blue and the sky in light. The graphics are extremely well animated and the controls simple. For instance, left and right make you run in that particular direction, up makes you climb, down makes you climb down. You can't jump, but you can duck.

The enemy is easy to recognise - the white figures are commanders, while the dark and light green ones are just patrolling soldiers, but the dark red ones carry bazookas and the dark blue ones fire the lethal homing missiles. Also watch out for the mines, which can only be taken out with grenades.

All in all, a very good game. A must for any C16 owner.