ST Format


Power Pack
By Beau-Jolly
Atari ST

 
Published in ST Format #17

Power Pack

Four games to cover just about every taste turn up in this better-than-average compilation.

Xenon II

Xenon II is a vertically-scrolling shoot-'em-up from those programming egomaniacs the Bitmap Brothers. It's actually very polished and very playable, with great graphics and sound. One of the best examples of the genre around.

Bloodwych

Bloodwych, by contrast, is for the more thoughtful psycho... er, player. A bit like a split-screen two-player Dungeon Master (well, a lot like it, actually) wherein you get to load a party of warriors, wizards etc around a maze of dungeons, tackling hazards and killing monsters as you go. Not the sort of thing you play while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, but a game that's achieved cult status among the role-playing fraternity.

TV Sports Football

The Power Pack

TV Sports Football is an entirely different kettle of fish. It's based on the world of American Football, but you get to do more than charge about on the pitch like a 20-stone lemming. Strategy and tactics play a part too, as you work out those crucial offensive plays and even plan your teams for each amtch. The action's a bit remote, but fans will love it.

Lombard RAC Rally

Lombard RAC Rally is another game for fans only. It's meant as an action/strategy sim where you guide your rally car to success both on and off the stages. The driving is done from the car's cockpit and is reasonably effective, but not really arcade standard.

Verdict

These four games are of pretty consistent high quality. Xenon II and Bloodwych are the real stars on paper, but the other two are high-quality sports sims that will go down very well with frustrated Hannu Mikkolas and seven-stone Marcus Allens.