SOFTWARE REVIEW: REDALERT
MANUFACTURER: SOFTSYNC, Inc.
REDALERT is one of the best arcade type games available for the Timex-Sinclair 1000. This game is written in machine code providing some very fast action graphics. The cassette comes in an attractively packaged box with excellent instructions, including some tips if loading problems are encountered. The game requires the 16K Rampack. Once loaded the game is self-starting. I recommend that you read the instructions prior to playing the game for the first time. The numeric keys 6, 7, 9 and 0 provide the movement controls for the ship as well as the fire controls for missiles and bombs.
The game starts with the ship appearing on the left hand side of the screen, the ground scrolling form right to left to give the illusion of movement. As you “fly” along fuel dumps (graphic H), enemy missiles (letter A), and enemy fighters ( ) appear as targets for your missiles and bombs. You can burst fire five missiles or drop three bombs at a time. Enemy fighters can also fire back at your ship. So be careful.
You are allocated three ships and 1000 units of fuel. The game continues until all three of your ships are destroyed or you run out of fuel. There is no provision for getting extra ships or fuel. Once a ship is destroyed, there is a brief pause, then the game continues.
Initial impressions of REDALERT are very good. There is none of the blinking effect noted in some of the previous ZX/Timex games. The small TS keyboard does require some getting used to, but after several games you can easily manuever your ship and zap the enemy targets. The game loaded the first time without difficulty. There is a provision to save the game with variables to keep track of the highest score.
Included in the instructions are some addresses to change game values; for example, the number of ships, fuel dumps or enemy fighters. This information is useful for increasing the difficulty of the game.
This has to be one of the best TS games I have seen on the market. The fast action graphics make the game interesting and exciting even after several hundred games. REDALERT is well worth the price of $15.95. I can highly recommend it to those who want a challenging game.