Amstrad Computer User


Roland Ahoy!

Publisher: Amsoft
Machine: Amstrad CPC464

 
Published in Amstrad Computer User #2

Roland Ahoy!

A rip-roaring tale of daring-do, set in the Caribbean. The good ship Falcon must be manoeuvred around the various sea hazards (including a genuine sea monster), to dock at Powder Key to get munitions to blow up the boom that protected Treasure Key from marauding pirates such as the ubiquitous Roland and his motley crew.

Roland Ahoy! is notable for some of the fastest machine code graphics yet seen, and when you dock to collect the cannonballs and powder you'll see why, since the defences don't leave much time for the old sea dog to dash from his ship to the dockside before the cannonfire catches up with him.

Once provisioned, it's back to the high seas to blow a way through to the treasure by firing at the boom. It'll take you more than one trip to Powder Key to get enough ammo on board. You must dock and grab the treasure before the defences can blow you or the ship up - and then its heave-ho to the treasure island to unload in the pirates cave.

The nasty to avoid here is a particularly unpleasant spider - but if you are successful, then it's time to break out the brandy and prepare for the next sortie. A nicely presented game with enough originality to see it through. The screen shots illustrate the excellent use of colour graphics to raise the game to a standard that underlines the limitations of lesser computers. The sound support could have been a little livelier, John Line and his bloodthirsty crew would doubtless have keelhauled our senses with a rip roaring sea shanty or two.

One final thought, shouldn't 'pieces of eight' be called 'bytes'??