5th Quadrant

Copyright : Bubble Bus Software | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

Galactic Survey Vessel ORION is on a mission to map and explore the Hercules Cluster. The crew are deep in hypersleep when the ship is overun by a force of strange mechanical beings – ZIMEN. When they awake they find the shipÂ's systems terminated and altered – they must work together to free themselves from the ZIMEN.

The crew, in this case, take the form of four robots, the control of whom you can flit between during your mission by pressing numbers 1-4 on your keyboard. The robots apparently have individual skills that youÂ'll need to take advantage of if youÂ're to deciphyr the strange symbols that have replaced the computer terminals and start to work out how to get home.

A simplistic vertical scroller using a faked 3d perspective, 3D Quasars is a tough and ultra fast shoot-em-up that requires quick wits and reflexes.

Employing an ismoetric 3D viewpoint, Fifth Quadrant throws you straight in at the deep end with little or no explanation of whatÂ's going on and what you can do about it! Moving on to the next room will see you suddenly hounded by some of the Zimen, a series of whom will stream out of a door opposite or behind you AND will have absolutely no bones in chasing you into another screen should you try to escape.

Moving too quickly too soon will see you virtually swamped by the Zimen and as your ammunition is limited, so to are your chances. Unfortunately, moving too quickly is the one thing that you are guaranteed to do as your robots are virtually uncrontrollable. YouÂ'll spend your first few plays zooming through screen after screen with the Zimen going just as fast as you, stripping some of your vital energy as you go. You can try shooting at them but all that happens is another fresh batch come in and take their place. Meanwhile, if you stand still and donÂ't career into the next room, youÂ'll find that your energy slowly depletes anyway!

The difficulty level is further compounded by the fact that there is absolutely no indication of what youÂ're supposed to be doing or where you are supposed to be going and even if you did, the speed at which you are dispatched by the enemy would make it nigh on impossible to reach there!

On the positive side, The Fifth Quadrant looks good and it has clearly been well coded thanks to some good graphics and detailing. The robots themselves look the part and have been well animated as you zip up and down the screen. There are no slowdowns at all, even when there are a number of enemies on screen at the same time. True, it might have been beneficial in this case, but it is still impressive to see a game move at this pace with no problems at all.

Mention also has to be made of the Blade Runner-esque theme tune on the menu screen which is a good piece of music in its own right and uses a clever fading technique making the loop difficult to notice until youÂ've heard the entire piece two or three times. Unfortunately this tune is replaced by some static noise that isnÂ't quite as engaging as the music (well thought and logical though itÂ's use and execution may be!)

The sound is probably the best thing about the programme to be honest, and itÂ's a real pity that the music wasnÂ't attached to a better game as it deserves to be appreciated by a larger audience.

Playing The Fifth Quadrant is a really rather depressing experience as the only thing more disappointing than a truly terrible game is a good one that has been hampered by the sum of its parts and hasnÂ't had the chance to shine because of errors made in the development and planning stage. With a little re-writing of the code and a clearer set of instructions, the Fifth Quadrant couldÂ've been an entertaining and engaing puzzle/arcade hybrid, instead itÂ's a frustrating mess.