Crash


Olympics

Categories: Review: Software
Author:
Publisher: CRL
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Crash #5

Olympics

In Olympics year, we have already had the subversive, underground version of the noble event from Automata. Now C.R.L. give us the official one! - Olympics is a two-sided game. Side one contains eight events which take place inside the stadium. They are the 100m sprint, 200m, Javelin, 110m Hurdles, Long Jump, Shot Put, 800m and Discus. Side two contains events that take place outside the stadium and are: Cycling, Swimming, Canoeing, Rowing, Yachting and the Marathon, seen in sections between each event.

The computer holds four teams: Great Britain, USA, USSR and the Rest of the World, although these may be customised. In each case, you control the British team, always at the top of the screen. The events are run across the screen and are completed when the winner reaches the right hand side. At the same time, the background is made to scroll slowly, thus apparently extending the length of the race. Your man has 9 units of energy and pressing SPACE causes him to accelerate and the energy to drop accordingly. Each track is lined on each side with spectators, trees, buildings or the background of the stadium.

Results (ie medals) can be re-entered on the second side of the program from side one to keep continuity.

Comments

Olympics

Control Keys: ENTER & SPACE
Joystick: None
Keyboard play: hardly relevant
Use of colour: average
Graphics: small, block, generally fair
Sound: very poor
Skill levels: none
Screens: 14 events

Comment 1

'This must be the most relaxing game I have ever played! And saying this, there is no real point to the game - it's almost as if the computer could pla on its own - you only have to keep on pressing that dreadful ENTER each time a team member has had his go. Once the game has been played you will probably never want to play it again. The graphics are moved by block, are small and undetailed and I cannot recommend this game.'

Comment 2

'One the face of it, a program containing 14 different races of competitions sounds like fun, but the trouble is they are all really alike. This isn't a game in the normal computer sense of the word at all, because the computer does everything really, leaving you only to judge when to use up that quotient of energy. The races tend to be very long winded as well, especially as you are basically sitting back and watching, and on side two, constantly returning to the Marathon, which must take three minutes to get from side of the screen to the other, becomes very irritating. The graphics are small and jerky and on the whole it all seems rather pointless.'

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