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Despite the title, I can't find anything very silky (or wormy for that matter) about this game! It's a perfectly normal scrolling shoot-'em-up, in which you have to clear 11 levels of super-'ard pasties to liberate the planet and bring peace and by to the universe etc... etc...

To complete this 'awesome' task, what mighty ship are you given? An interplanetary battle cruiser with multimega laser cannons and hyper warp drive? Not quite. Instead, you get a helicopter and a jeep. Can't you see those alien meanies quaking in their boots? No, nor can I! Still, along the way, there's a multitude of extra armoury to be collected; including rapid fire, bonuses and shields. When the kill counter reaches zero the bits of the 'goose' helicopter fly on screen. Shoot them before they assemble, and you get an extra bonus item (if you're too slow, you only get one item).

As destruction games go, Silkworm is fine. It's definitely a bit easy (I completed it after a dozen goes), but if you find the normal level of blast-'em-ups too difficult, this one should be rewarding. The two-player option is brilliant (one takes control of the jeep and the other the helicopter) and increases the addictivity.

Nice graphics and excellent playability make this a good choice for the non-expert game player!

MIKE

'What can I say about Silkworm that you can't tell from the screenshot? It is another shoot-'em-up in the same style as 11-Type. All the graphics are nicely drawn and animated but there is a distinct lack of colour. Armoury's not that great either, you can only build up your weapons to double lire (wow!). There are some big nasties which help the addictiveness, but there's little variety. The two-player option is the game's best aspect, allowing real cooperation for advancement. Sound effects are of the bang-bang variety, with a military-style lunette on the front end. Silkworm is a decidedly average shoot-'em-up, with a primitive addiction that will only appeal to poor arcade players.'