The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

CITY DEFENCE

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade Shoot-'Em-Up

Author             : Trevor Hall

Standalone Release(s)   : 1984: CITY DEFENCE, Bug Byte, £9.95

Compilation Release(s)   : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron, BBC B, B+ and Master 128

Supplier            : BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, LONDON W1R 7DB

Disc compatibility     : ADFS 1D00, CDFS 1D00, DFS 1D00

Instructions

You are under attack. Deadly missiles are approaching your ground bases, from above. Each missile is capable of totally destroying its target. Your duty is to defend your cities from the waves of missiles by firing rockets from your three bases and steering them towards their targets. You may have up to five rockets in the air at once, but beware - you can only direct the last one fired, and you only have a limited number of rockets available for each wave. Luckily, between waves of missiles you get a chance to reload! To stay in the game, you must preserve your cities.

Game Controls

Five keys are used to control the game:

J     -  Launch rocket from left base

K     -  Launch rocket from centre base

L     -  Launch rocket from right base

FUNC  -  Steer last rocket fired to the left

Q     -  Steer last rocket fired to the right

A bonus is awarded for every 1500 points scored. There is on-screen scoring for one or two players, and the program also keeps track of the high score.

Instructions' Source   : CITY DEFENCE (Bug Byte) Inner Inlay

Review (Electron User)

As sole defender of a group of cities you have to fight off deadly missiles using the almost inevitable laser base. You have four cities to defend and three bases from which you can fire. Sadly there are only ten rockets available in each base. When your supply is exhausted, the enemy continues to attack ruthlessly until your planet lies in ruin.

After you've seen off each wave of enemy missiles your supply of rockets is replenished. Provided you have managed to save at least one city from the preceding screen, away you go again.

Extra cities are awarded for every 1,500 points, and other features include a two player option - very welcome when your friends play for hours - and a hi-score facility.

All in all I was impressed with City Defence. The instructions were concise yet clear and appear on screen as well as on the inlay card. The sound was good and did not become annoying as often happens. Indeed the sound produced by an attacking wave of missiles was really quite tuneful, although it could not be turned off if it did become tedious. The use of graphics was fair, if not exactly startling.

Perhaps a hardened arcade fanatic might be a little disappointed at the absence of one or two features present on the original - for example there are no spaceships appearing from time to time. Having said that, to most people this game will provide a good deal of entertainment and is great fun to play.

Steve Yarwood, ELECTRON USER 2. 2