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SEASIDE
SPECIAL
Taskset,
£6.90 cass, joystick only
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O 2 screen action on a political theme
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The
idea of throwing radioactive seaweed at Tory politicians
had never really crossed my mind until I played this
satirical new release from Taskset. The 'Polytikians'
have landed and have taken over the cabinet. Only you,
Radium Rodney, know about this and so you rush down
to Rotaway beach. Once there you collect the radioactive
seaweed washed up by the waves and take it back to 10
Downing Street to throw at the politicians.
The
game itself consists of just two different screens of
action: the beach and 10 Downing Street. Collecting
the seaweed at the beach is fairly easy at first but
increases in difficulty rapidly on higher levels. There
are rocks and clams for you to dodge, but they're the
least of your problems.
A
guard has been posted on the beach and fires whenever
you get near him while vicious jellyfish attempt to
sting you. Later there's a rather persistent seagull,
crabs to nip your toes and some devious sandpits to
sink into.
Rotaway
beach. The tide is out and there are seven
pieces of seaweed near the top of the screen to collect.
Watch out for the armed man on the right.
Meanwhile
the tide keeps coming in and after a while this causes
the sandpits to become invisible. The sea itself is
radioactive, as is the seaweed, and contact with either
for too long proves fatal. Staying to collect too much
seaweed takes it's toll as the radiation level, shown
on the dosimeter, climbs to a dangerous peak.
After
collecting at least ten pieces of seaweed, you can move
off the bottom of the screen to Downing Street.
In
this scene you must throw the previously collected seaweed
at the various members of the cabinet. This bit is basically
a simple shoot-'em-up. The politicians' faces (nicely
drawn - see panel) appear at one of the Downing Street
windows, and you have a short time to move underneath
and fire, while dodging cruise missiles, banana skins
and various other objects hurled at you.
Radium
Rodney stands in front of the door of number 10.
At bottom left window is Nigel Lawson, at bottom right
Norman Tebbit. But who's that at top left?
Each
one of the five Polytikians must be hit five times,
and then 'Maggie' appears. If you can get hit her five
times (which isn't exactly a doddle), I'm afraid it's
back to the beginning, with no apparent differences.
What's
more, if you persevere through to the second demise
of 'Maggie' and co, the program decides you've done
well enough and stops the game, revealing your score
and how many Polytikians you killed.
The
graphics in general were good, if a little fuzzy around
the edges. The backgrounds were superbly drawn and even
though the sea made realistic wave noises as it moved
in and out, graphically it didn't move me. The sound
was sparse apart from the rushing of the waves and clips
of 'Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside' when, and
if, you die.
GP
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