The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

STAR WARS

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade 3D Wire-Frame Machine Code Battle

Author             : "Vector Grafix"

Standalone Release(s)   : 1987: STAR WARS, Domark, £9.95

Compilation Release(s) : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron Side A, BBC Side B

Actual compatibility    : As stated

Supplier            : DOMARK, 22 Hartfield Road, LONDON SW19 3TA

Disc compatibility     : CDFS E00, DFS E00

Instructions

At last the most famous coin-op Arcade Game and one of the most successful films of our era come together in this Domark publication!

Faithful to the original, the home computer version of STAR WARS should win first place in any game player's collection and will always be the one you go back to time after time.

The first scene is the Space Attack, with waves of hostile space-craft attacking your lonely but powerful ship. You battle to the Death Star, and once there fly close to the ground in a daring attempt to blast the space towers and flying stars, steering your way through the barrage.

Finally, you emerge in the trench, jumping and ducking the stretch barriers and shooting the missile emplacements fastened to each side of the death defying walls. There are many levels to the game with stirring music and fast and furious action is guaranteed throughout.

The Game Structure

You take the place of Luke Skywalker, steering your X-fighter space ship from one attack wave to another, in order to eliminate the Death Star.

Each attack wave consists of three sequences:

Sequence 1 - Dogfight In Deep Space

Approaching the Death Star, you must shoot down the defending Empire's Tie-Fighters, while avoiding their deadly missiles.

Sequence 2 - Through The Towers

After reaching the Death Star's surface, you have to survive the attack of various laser towers, which grow up from the ground.

Sequence 3 - Down The Trench

At last, you dive down into the trench searching for your final aim: the exhaust port. Hitting the exhaust port causes the Death Star to explode and your mission has ended successfully.

At the beginning, you start out with a number of sheild points. Each hit by an enemy missile, or collision with a Tie-Fighter, Laser Tower or Laser Barrier will decrement the shield strength by one point. At the end of each wave, you will get extra shield points, and bonus points for each remaining shield.

If you lose all of your shield points, your X-Fighter explodes and the game finished.

Scoring

Hitting and destroying the various targets increments your score during the play. Here is a list of the different values:

Missiles ...................... 33 Points

Tie-Fighter ................ 1,000 Points

Laser Tower .................. 200 Points

Trench Turret ................ 100 Points

Exhaust Port .............. 25,000 Points

The ten best players are recorded in the highscore list.

Choosing The Level Of Difficulty

At the very start of each new game, you have the possibility to choose between starting at wave 1, 3 or 5 with a different starting score of 0, 400,000 or 800,000 points. (Beginners are recommended to start at wave 1)

To choose the starting wave, you simply point with your cursor at the appropriate icon and press the FIRE button.

Game Controls

Your spaceship will be steered by moving the joystick; the lasers of your X-Fighter are fired by pressing the FIRE button. See keyboard control instructions on the screen.

Good Luck, and may the Force be with you! Always.

Instructions' Source   : STAR WARS (Domark) Back And Inner Inlay

Review (Electron User) - "Use The Force, Luke!"

Several years ago Atari released a coin-op arcade game based on that most famous of films, STAR WARS. Employing fast moving vector graphics, it was an instant success. Domark have now released a version for the Electron.

As in the original game, the action is divided into three scenarios - dogfight in space, through the towers and down the trench. These scenes are repeated with increasing difficulty as you proceed through the game.

Scene one is based on Luke's dogfight in space en route to the Death Star. The Empire's Tie-fighters zoom in at high speed, launch laser bolts, then veer away. Using the four direction keys you steer the fighter's gunsights over the laser bolt and fire. The same tactics also work with the fighters, but the bolts must be your main priority. Each hit you sustain destroys one of your shields - you begin the game with six. Lose every shield and the next hit will destroy your fighter.

If you survive the dogfight you are transported to the surface of the Death Star (though not on level one). Here you begin a strafing run through a forest of laser-firing defence towers. I found this to be the easiest of the three scenes. By swinging your sights slowly left and right while pressing the fire button, you can destroy all towers and laser bolts in your path without sustaining a hit.

The final scene is set in the trench. To destroy the Death Star you must travel its full length and accurately blast the exhaust port at the far end. Success is rewarded with an exploding Death Star.

On level one the only hazards in the trench are laser bolts - you can avoid these by flying high and left, only venturing down into the trench at the very end to zap the exhaust port. Unfortunately, these tactics don't work on the higher levels, where the trench is criss-crossed by barriers - these must be flown over or under.

Unfortunately although STAR WARS sounds attractive, the graphics are chunky (Mode 5) monochrome and at times, poorly defined. The gameplay is very sluggish and the controls are slow to respond. On top of this you have to sit through a 20k loading screen before the game starts to load.

All this adds up to a pretty dull, unexciting fare. I would advise you to try before you buy.

Sound ........................... 3

Graphics ........................ 4

Playability ..................... 5

Value for money ................. 5

Overall ......................... 5

Nev Astly, ELECTRON USER 5. 4