Computer Gamer


Death Wake
By Quicksilva
Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Computer Gamer #11

Death Wake

The Allies are losing the war. Not only that, but the Enemy has almost completed its research into developing the atomic bomb. Aircraft raids and commando raids have failed to take out the research plant. It is just possible though that a sea attack might, just might, get through and it has fallen on your shoulders as Captain of the Undaunted to try.

The plot is a mixture of the films Heroes Of Telemark, Guns Of Navarone and the game Beach-Head.

Before you start the action sequences, you are presented with a map showing the position of your forces and the Enemy's and you can target your aircraft on some of their installations. In the early stages, it is best to try and knock out their airfields. When you have selected your targets (by moving a cursor) you scramble your aircraft and the results of the attack are displayed - a shaded square and the base is out for one phase and a black square meaning two phases.

Death Wake

The scene now switches to an overhead view of the Undaunted and two accompanying mine sweepers. The first attack wave is torpedo planes with subsequent ones featuring minefields, torpedoes, patrol boats and destroyers before you're allowed a crack at the factory.

When fighting the planes, if you keep your finger on the button, you can move your sights and fire automatically. If you take your finger off the button, you can move your ships and try and dodge the torpedoes. This is quite an art and takes some practising. Your mine sweepers can only take one hit before sinking whilst you can survive three - just! (99% damage)

The planes are reasonably easy to shoot down with three ships, difficult with two and practically impossible with one. I don't know how many you have to shoot down to get on to the next wave as one of the few occasions I reached sixteen hits, the game took me straight into the high score table. Incidentally, it is extremely unrealistic to require a specific number to be shot down. An opposing force would send in say 36 torpedo planes and when they have all fired their weapons, that would be it.

Overall, this is not one of Quicksilva's better games. It lacks the excitement of Beach-Head and you can't help but feel that you've seen it all before.