Computer Gamer


Jeep Command
By Bug Byte
Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer Gamer #19

Jeep Command

As plots go, this one is one of the simplest. You are driving your jeep into enemy territory. End. Finito. No blurb on the cassette inlay giving details of the impossible mission to save the world that you have volunteered for, improbable though that mission is, but which gives reviewers something to write about in their opening paragraph. Just you are driving your jeep into enemy territory.

The game, though, is not quite as straightforward. To start with, you are under attack. That is probably why they are described as the enemy, but I digress. Little green bombs float in front of you or bounce towards you, but you soon get the hang of destroying those with your two machine guns - one forward and one backward firing. It is the falling yellow bombs that are the problem for unless you shoot them before they explode, two very fast, very vicious fireballs hurtle towards you. Then there are all the craters in the road. Falling down one of these also results in the loss of one of your five lives. The solution is simple though. You jump over them. You didn't think that they would send you deep into enemy territory in just any old jeep, did you?

Timing your jumps is crucial, as is judging the speed at which you take them, for you can accelerate and decelerate as well. To give you some leeway, you can make minor adjustments to your speed in mid-air but somehow it never seems to be quite enough. The problems come when you are so busy bouncing up and down, trying to shoot the bombs that you get the jumps all wrong for obstacles and vice versa. As you progress in the game, so there are also platforms, ramps and tunnels to be negotiated.

Graphically, the game is nothing to shout about and in gameplay it looks like a cross between Loco and Bumping Buggies, but it is very addictive and you always want to have just one more go. One nice touch is that if you score over 50,000 you can start your next game from where you died in the previous one, thus allowing you to explore more of the system. A simple, frustrating, fun game at a nice price.