Crash


Pandemonia
By CRL
Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Crash #5

Pandemonia

It is the year 2000 and the world has been overcome by a bunch of out-of-town aliens who have set up their HO on top of the CRL skyscraper (bit of wishful thinking here). Your task is to climb the skyscraper (inside - this isn't a Kong game!) and destroy their heavily fortified base atop it.

The CRL skyscraper is shown with an arrow pointing out where you are at present. As soon as the game proper starts you realise that what we have here is a 'Panic' game where holes must be dug for monsters to fall into and where they can be banged on the head and sent to their death. Depending on the type of monster you must shove them through one, two or even three floors.

What makes this game different from most 'Panic' types, is that most of the ladders have a door at their top, and, while shut, these doors keep the monsters at bay or trapped between two levels of the six on each screen. Opening a door will reveal a monster ready to pounce down the ladder on to you. This means a strategy for killing them off has to be worked out before a door is opened.

Pandemonia

Subsequent screens are varied, with ladder positions changing and the numbers of monsters increasing, their speed as well. More of them become white and then purple.. Your man can dig holes and fill them, he may also jump down one level through a hole.

Comments

Control keys: Z-V left, B-M right, second row for up and third row for down, also fill and dig respectively. The cursors may also be used
Joystick: Kempston, ZX 2, Protek, AGF
Keyboard play: responsive and good key positions
Use of colour: good
Sound: good
Skill levels: 1 but progressive difficulty
Lives: 4

Comment 1

'This is definitely a 'Panic ' game, but with so many frills added that it becomes much more than a 'Panic' game, requiring forward planning to get through a screen. I notice that there is just enough oxygen to get through a screen, which makes timing exceptionally important. Screen layout is very clear with large smooth moving characters. I like the way CRL have set the action inside a skyscraper where you must clear all the floors of aliens. as it does give you an incentive to get to the top. The various elements of this game combine to make it one of the most difficult 'Panics' ever. Colour and sound have been well used and it is a hard, addictive game to play. '

Comment 2

'One of the best "Panic" games for the Spectrum as far as the graphics go. They are large and well animated, fast moving and fun. However, I found the game too difficult to make it very addictive, even when a strategy for opening a door has been worked out '

Comment 3

'Looking at all the floors of the CRL skyscraper is a bit daunting, especially when you then encounter the ground floor with all its ladders and doors. This is an extremely fast 'Panic' game which demands quick and accurate reactions if you're to survive very long. "The keys have been well laid out and used, only four being required as dig and fill are also the up and down keys. This is just as well with the speed needed. Good graphics and sound all added up to an addictive game as far as I was concerned and definitely one of the better "Panic" games around.'

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