ZX Computing


Star Firebirds

Publisher: Firebird
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in ZX Computing #30

Star Firebirds

I well remember reviewing this game when it was sent to us by insight and saying that it was a good game but overpriced. Either they harkened or sold out to Firebird.

It remains a good game and more realistically priced at £1.99, so much so that I have no hesitation in recommending it to zap-'em-all fans everywhere.

You may have gathered from the above that this is a game in the "if it moves, shoot it" class, and so it is. Forget the insert blurb, the game consists of wave after wave, each comprising of fifty "birds", of aliens attacking you and you have to zap them quickly as they circle, swoop and dodge. As you progress through each wave the action gets faster and other problems occur, such as scatter bombs!

Star Firebirds

The animation is simple but effective, the birds appear and get larger as they follow their patterns and you move left and right and blast away at them as fast as you can.

Just to make life that extra bit difficult they will sometimes appear from beneath you or fly along the bottom of the screen making the task of avoiding them awkward, if not impossible.

Of course, they are not helpless sitting pigeons, they drop bombs at you and contact with one is fatal, your five lives are soon depleted. Sound is limited to a few burps during actual play and a respectable intro tune, colour is bright, clear and doesn't clash, and movement is smooth.

A range of options including joysticks and starting levels is provided and a full high score "hall of fame" is included. It is very easy to beat the scores which start the Hall of Fame, but no problem, your own sets can be saved and reloaded if you wish.

A nice unpretentious mindless killing game, and I'm not knocking it, after a day of reviewing the latest mind-stretching arcventure, it's just the job to finish off with before going to my well-earned rest.