Gauntlet

Copyright : Micropower | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

From the depth of space come the hostile Reegs. Fly X15 over the desolate landscape to protect the cannisters from the attacking forces.

A CPC conversion of Micropowerâ??s big BBC hit, based itself on the arcade classic Defender.

Graphics

Although unexciting to look at, still screenshots do absolutely no justice to this game which moves at a cracking speed and maintains its smoothness throughout. Honestly, for a game with so little in terms of detail it does a fantastic job of giving the impression of moving at speed.

Granted, thereâ??s not much to look at and the detail is a little rough around the edges (the people at risk of kidnap - altered to canisters by the programmers who have least understood their shortcomings! - are a little feeble) but it does capture the essence of the original arcade and at the time, and even now, if your wanting to play Defender then you want something close to the original and this is as near as your going to get playing on an Amstrad emulator.

Sound

Pretty bog standard arcade noises that fit well enough into the context without ever taking the breath away. The pings and explosions are all part of the experience and even if they are a little lightweight, they are extremely functionable - doing their job with aplomb

Gameplay

If youâ??ve ever played Defender, youâ??ll be right at home here. Pitched perfectly in terms of difficulty, Gauntlet is as close to playing the arcade classic on your CPC. The blistering pace and the pinpoint accuracy are what sets this game apart and after only a couple of tentative shots, you will soon be zooming over the landscape and blowing seven shades out of the alien attackers.

Thereâ??s not much else to be said really - the challenge is simple in itself and is far from ground-breaking in terms of mission or design but the game is virtually flawless for what it is.

One drawback for emulator users without a compatible USB joystick or joypad - the game doesnâ??t feel right using the keyboard and particularly the key choice of the programmers which is too cluttered and uncomfortable to give you the quick reactions that youâ??ll soon need.

Putting it bluntly: If you like Defender, youâ??ll love Gauntlet. If you donâ??t then I wouldnâ??t bother playing because there is absolutely nothing else to it.