R-Type

Copyright : Electric Dreams | Reviewed by : Scooby1970

R-Type is the quintesential side-ways scrolling shoot-em-up. A game so mind blowingly simple, yet so addictive in every way. You control your R-Type 9 Specification space ship, and you have to scroll sideways through the laberinth of enemy infested out-space landscapes and enemy territory. Things soon get frantic, as you enter the glory-fest-shoot-em-up with knobs on, known as R-Type

Graphics

The game kicks in with a glorious loading screen, Mode 0 colourful graphics, that look very impressive. This is followed by a credits screen, again with the promise of great graphics... And then into the main game. The title screen and the scrolling text look like you are playing a ZX Spectrum port! Hold on a minute? Surely not... Hit any key and get into the game!

Yes! This looks like a slopy Spectrum port, the game screen has only four colours in use, and they?ve even added the colour-clash for authenticity! Although in almost mono-chrome, the graphics are very detailed, and the scrolling is not that bad. Theres a nice multi-parralax scrolling starfield behind which also gives the impression of greater speed.

The animation is great, and the whole control system just feels.. "right". This combination of detailed graphics and fluid animation and a great control system makes you forget about the Spectrum-esque graphics.

Sound

There?s no title screen music, and when the game starts theres no background music. However what you do get is some great little explosions and the sound of your gun going off. So much more could have been added in the sound department!

Gameplay

Well, the graphics might not be the most colourful, and the sound may be basic but behind these small faults lays a stunningly beautiful shoot-em up. You can fire single small shots, or you can keep your finger on the button to build up a super shot, which you can use to great effect.

Also, the game allows you to have a whole host of great power-ups which attach themselves to your ship, making you almost invincible! The whole layout of the maze that your craft can take is also great, and you really have to think on times about how you are going to get through certain sections.

Add to this the incredible pace the game plays at, plus the fact that you can continue from where you left off when you loose a life or three, then what you have is one of the finest shoot-em-ups on the CPC.

The graphics may not be as good as the C64 version, but they are better than the Spectrum version, and what?s more, the gameplay is great, even if it does get a little hard on later levels.