C&VG


Red Hawk

Publisher: Melbourne House
Machine: Amstrad CPC464

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #57

Red Hawk

After their success with Mugsy, Melbourne House are putting another comic-strip adventure onto the market, in the form of Red Hawk.

In this offering, you play the role of ordinary Kevin Oliver, a typically typical person.

Things begin to veer from their typical course when Kevin wakes up in a hospital corridor, unable to remember why, or how he got there. Still, not being the sort to jump to conclusions, Kev starts plodding around the hospital grounds, until... "KWAH" flashes into his mind!

Red Hawk

What can this mean? Hang on just a tick... If we read "KWAH" backwards, we get "HAWK" Phewee! Right. Armed with this piece of info, we can change into superhero Red Hawk with the simplest utterance of said word.

Nothing particularly amazing as yet, eh, folks? However, if you - as I - tire of fighting the Good Fight eternally, the game allows you to become a super-villain, and indulge in a life of crime - much more fun!

Stumbling across a hapless policeman. I proceeded to metamorphose before him (guaranteed to unease even the most hardened cop!) and kick him around the street.

The screen is adequately presented, with the lower half allowing space for text and commands to be typed, and some variable indicators. These show some vital information, such as how strong Red Hawk is feeling.

The response and speech is written in boxes in the cartoon strip itself. This is a little disturbing at first; it's easy to find yourself staring at the lower half of the screen when, in fact, the machine has already responded with a "[input] confuses Kevin".

It's an enjoyable game, and presents scope for exploration.