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SKYJET
Mastertronic,
£1.99 cass, joystick or keys
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O Exciting shoot-em-up at
a low, low price |
The
Mastertronic range of games is continually growing,
and improving immensely. Skyjet is no exception.
The
game is a horizontally scrolling shoot-end-pick-em-up
spread over several screens' length and five levels.
Supply
bases need to be built and nasties are to be disposed
of. Only you, in your super-sleek futuristic helicopter
can rise to, and accomplish, this challenge.
In
order to build your supply bases, you must collect a
number of supply pods (marked ET for identification
purposes, and no, I don't know why either) from around
the landscape, and drop them over a designated building
area (with an accurate press of the fire button).
The
landscape is around four screen lengths long and scrolls
smoothly from side to side as you go. On the first level
there are islands and 'oceans'. Pods are to be found
on the islands, and ships and submarines in the water.
On the next level there is a similar scene but with
tanks patrolling the land.
Your
chopper is carrying a building block having just
released a three-pronged burst of fire. The ships
below are setting off explosions which start as small
dots and end as whacking great balls of fire.
Control
of your wobbly helicopter is unrealistic but doesn't
affect the game-play badly in any way. Simple four-way
joystick movement moves the helicopter in four directions.
Pressing the fire button fires missiles horizontally,
and holding down the button drops bombs.
There
is a form of gravity acting upon your 'copter that will
pull you down if you don't counteract with a push in
the upward direction.
Should
you come crashing down, or get hit by anything hostile
(including the landscape), you will weaken your helicopter's
shield. The strength of your shield depends upon the
skill level chosen, and once it runs out one of your
five lives will be lost. Unfortunately there is no indication
of your shield's status and thus how close to death
you really are.
The
explosions are reasonable, as are the rest of the graphics.
Sprites have a cartoon-like appeal to them and landscapes
are simple areas of colour. Sound comes in the form
of average WHEEs and BOOMs and little else.
The
instructions aren't exactly amazing, but they do give
you enough information to get going. In-game presentation
gives you options for skill level, sound filter control,
restart, and pause. The filter control option is good,
and some great rumbling explosions can be achieved through
it. However, it's annoying to have to go through this
option every time before play.
GP
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