This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Not included here: There was also a version for the MSX Gold Medal: Atari 8 Bit & Commodore 64 (44)
and PC Booter as well.
Once again we have a tie, but in this close race, all 4 ports are
Have Nots: Apple II (41) great to play.
My first reaction was Atari 8 bit
- the sound would
keep it off the medal My first reaction is,
stand. Sure enough here‘s another one
both the internal- we‘d love for the 5200.
speaker sound and This was the first home
missing a few of the version made and is
sound effects makes great. The Controls
the Sound only fair are perfect (10) and
(5). The other 3 the pause is the Atari 8 bit screenshot Courtesy of Atarimania
Apple ][ screenshot Courtesy of Moby Games versions are all very <Esc>. Available on
good (7), with many nice effects and audio cues, but no actual disk or cart, but semi-rare in both formats.
music. The background noises do add a lot to it, but not quite
the same as a musical score. The Gameplay is complete and Commodore 64
all versions are identical and equally superb (9). A feature
unique to the AP2 is that in the 2 player option, players can My first reaction was
select differing skill levels. The Addictiveness is wonderful (9) how much I loved
on all versions. The gradual increase in skill, a pause button, playing this on disk-
and choice of three starting levels (Unleaded, Regular and ette back in its day,
Premium) help to challenge you to play again until you com- then later to be
plete all screens in each level. Witness the completion of your thrilled to add the cart
refinery and the congratulatory screen - ―Stock Certificate – (albeit only uncom-
1000 Shares Oil‘s Well Refinery‖. No, this victory celebration mon) to my collection.
Commodore 64 screenshot Courtesy of Lemon is not that spectacular, but it is a very rewarding goal, and The Controls are per-
64
achievable if you are a decent VG player. The AP2 pause but- fect (10) and the
ton is the <Esc>. Likewise the Graphics are outstanding (9) pause is <F7>.
on all versions, with some fast action (12+ enemies at once)
and the well done graphics of the Drill Bit & Pipeline. There is I‘m certain that ―Oil‘s Well‖, ―Anteater‖ or ―Ardy the Aardvark‖
great color variety and graphical variety, and good displays would all make a great remake on modern consoles, or home
and scores. There are only a few places where the graphics brew – like for the 5200, 7800 and INTV. With considerable
detract or hide things visually. The Controls score a (9) as the effort, a semi-decent (playable) version may be achievable for
analog Apple II sticks make for a tough steering job. Even the Vectrex, 2600, Vic 20 & O2. Special thanks go to Tom
after much PT, you‘ll probably make more controller mistakes Zjaba for my first copy of the CV cart & manual, Stephen Knox
on this version than the others combined. The primary fire for the Atari 8 bit version, and Tom McLaren for the Apple 2
button is not used, instead the harder-to-use (unless you‘re a port. Where would this column be without these friends.
lefty) secondary fire button is used. Hmmn. There is no key-
board control option, and it‘s only available on diskette. Alan Hewston has been a staff writer for almost 10 years with
the Retrogaming Times and now the Retrogaming Times
Bronze Medal: Colecovision (43) Monthly. He hopes to submit these old reviews to be seen
again by new readers here in the Video Game Trader Maga-
My first reaction - too zine. The Many Faces of reviews are limited to games and
bad this excellent game systems from that ―Joystick Era‖ which stops about the time of
came out late in the life the Crash of 1984. We have purposefully excluded the NES,
of the system, and didn‘t the MAC and the PC as they then completely replaced the
spread to other con- older systems. He can be reached at hewston95@stratos.net
soles. As mentioned
earlier, the sound is very This review has been edited from its original format back in
good (7) on all ports. issue #68 of the RT.
Plenty of effects, but not
a lot of music. The Con- This was a great review at the time as it got read by the origi-
trols scored a (9) as Colecovision screenshot Courtesy of Moby nal arcade programmer, Chris Oberth, who eventually gave us
they were just a bit Games a full interview.
harder to use the CV controller for maze games. The cart is a
bit rare.
21 | Video Game Trader Magazine | June 2008 | www.VideoGameTrader.com
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