I had heard of this program before the Timex Computer Corp. had gone bust. So when Quicksilva announced that they would not be producing this program for the TS 2068, I was greatly disappointed. Now that my 2068 is modified to run Spectrum software, like so many other owners have done, obtaining quality software for my computer is no problem. In fact Quicksilva has just come out with 18 Spectrum programs only previously available in Great Britain.
I must confess that arcade style games don’t really do much for me, except that I am constantly exploring this type of program, to see how the art of computer graphics and animation has evolved to where it is today. One particular arcade game of note, that is not available for Sinclair computers, is ZAXXON. It has fantastic 3D graphics. Ant Attack is also a 3D game.
Not only are there instructions inside Ant Attack’s standard cassette packaging, but also a short lavishly imaginative story. For any newcomer to Quicksilva’s games, this is standard fanfare on all of their software. (who thinks up all of those names anyway?) The instructions themselves were rather brief. The controls are four lower row keys for movement, four “grenade” firing keys in the next higher row, and four other keys for 3D view scans. The game is not joystick compatible.
The game opens up with the hero at the front gate of a huge desolate ancient city. The hero can either be boy or girl, the user has to select (no chauvinism here!). He or she must rescue their opposite sex counterpart who is trapped inside the 3D city, which is similar to a maze. You must rescue the victim before time expires, and escape back through the city gate without getting “ate alive” by the ants. To aid you in your rescue, you are supplied with 20 grenades that you can throw down at the ants, after climbing (using “jump” key) up on one of the many structures. There is also a box in the lower right-hand corner that flashes when you are headed in the correct direction of the person to be rescued. Each person can withstand 20 ant-bites before they die. The score, time expired, grenades left, and how many bites sustained are constantly displayed.
The city maze is the same in each game that is played. It is a large city, but certain landmarks become quickly recognizable. The person in distress is placed randomly in a different spot for each game. However, for the first game [illegible]hat is played, the victim is almost always placed right in plain view. It gradually gets more difficult. Sometimes the person is tucked away in some little nook that is barely visible. When the hero reaches the victim, the screen flashes the message “my hero, take me away from all of this!” I have found that you must stay right with the rescued person or your escape from the city will not work, and possibly you might get seperated.
Quicksilva calls the 3D buildings “Soft Solid” graphics, and has applied for a patent for this process. There are some interesting designs within the city. Pyramid and “sand castle” type construction is most predominate. The girl and boy are rather small figures, but have natural movement, especially when jumping. The ants are somewhat fat like a beetle, but are perhaps the most interesting part of the program. Their movement is sporadic and sometimes frenzied.
There are a couple of “bugs” in the game (besides the ants themselves). First, the screen can occaisonally scroll out of view of the hero, which can cause some problems seeing where you are going. To remedy this, you have to use the scanning keys to bring the hero back in sight. Secondly, the grenades that you throw down at the ants, are not accurate at all. You could throw one directly on an ant without destroying it, while at the same time an hit nearby could kill several of them in the same vicinity. One other bothersome feature, is the awkward controlling of the hero with the movement keys. It is quite difficult to master a smooth traveling hero, and takes some practice. A joystick feature would be ideal.
I must say that it was worth the long wait to obtain this interesting game program. While other computer games might hold my interest as far as playability for longer periods of time, this one intrigued me with its original concepts and remarkable graphics. I am especially fond of the sophisticated 3D buildings some of which have intricate tunnels, doorways, and stairsteps. The ants were quite a hit also. This Spectrum software has also given me an exceptional appetite to indulge in other Spectrum software.
price:$19.95 (U.S.)
available from:Quicksilva, Inc., 426 West Nakoma, San Antonio, Texas, 78216.