Sea War is another excellent fast action graphics game that was a hit at the Microfair.
The game starts by scrolling from right to left a very impressive “title page” asking for the number of players (the limit is 2). A rather large ship then travels across the surface of the water and drops your submarine into the water; then the action starts. You are now in a submarine just below the surface of the water, and you have to destroy U-boats, warships, and helicopters, all of which are capable of destroying you. The water surface is constantly moving, and, of course, enemy shots are constantly assailing you.
Five keys provide the controls—up, down, forward (you drift back if your finger is off the key), fire up, and fire across. You must destroy the helicopters by firing up, the warships by either firing across or up, and the U-boats across. Helicopters count 100 points, warships 50 points, and U-boats 20 points. You begin the game with three subs, and you can get additional subs when your score reaches 1000, 4500, and various scores on up.
The use of graphics in this game is astounding. The action is quite fast (it is all machine code) and a little difficult to get used to. This is a sign of a good game—you cannot get bored easily unless you are also easily frustrated. Later in the game the attackers, mainly the subs, practically cover the screen with shots, and this is when the game gets very hectic.
This game is best played with a full keyboard, but the Sinclair keyboard is adequate. The only major problem with this program is that every now and then the program crashes (and it seems that this is always during the best game!).
In conclusion, this is the best “shoot ’em” game that I have seen for the ZX81. It is a fast-paced game which keeps the player’s interest. The graphics are, as I have said, astounding. The most notable features are the helicopters and the player’s death scene. I strongly recommend this game to any arcade game fan who likes a challenge, and the price is nice at $10.
SYNC Software Profile
Name: Sea War
Type: War game
System: 8K ROM; 16K RAM
Format: Cassette
Summary: Fast-paced, astounding graphics; the best shoot ’em game I’ve seen for the ZX81
Price: $9.95 plus $2 s&h
Manufacturer: Panda Software, 51 Elgin St. Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2RD, United Kingdom