Name: Super ZX80 Invasion (1K and 2K)
Type: Fantasy Game
System: Sinclair ZX80; MicroAce
Format: Cassette
Language: Basic
Summary: Best action game we have seen for the ZX80.
Price: $14.95 plus $1.50 shipping
Manufacturer: SOFTSYNC, INC., P.O. Box 480, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY 10156
A cult has grown around the game of Space Invaders. Individuals with glazed eyes and pockets full of quarters have been known to haunt arcades for hours, sending countless rows of aliens to a laser death. Now, Sinclair owners can experience the same mania in their own homes. Using an active display to produce true animation, Softsync has given us Super ZX80 Invasion for the Sinclair. The tape comes with both 1K and 2K versions of the game. Let’s start with the 1K program.
The player has a ship (or laser base, depending on your interpretation) at the bottom of the screen. The ship can be moved left or right using the arrow keys. The 0 or 9 key is used for shooting. Above the player, rows of aliens rain down missiles. The aliens move slowly across the screen, and the entire group moves closer to the player on each pass. If you shoot them all before being hit five times, you are rewarded with another screenful of aliens. That’s basically it. The 1K version doesn’t keep score, so you have to remember how many frames of aliens you have destroyed. Your ship contains a number telling you how many ships are left. When the number reaches zero, the game starts over. There are three skill levels available in the 1K version.
The program is fast, which introduces a problem. You have no chance to get set. As soon as it starts, the aliens are shooting at you. You can lose two or three ships before even touching a key. When your last ship is destroyed, there is no pause. The game starts again. If you are down to one ship and one alien, it can be hard to tell who hit who.
The 2K version does keep track of the number of frames completed. It also allows for fifty different skill levels, more aliens, and extended play for each frame completed. Unfortunately, there is no way to stop the game and change skill levels. Once it is running, you can only stop it by pulling the plug. To go to a different skill level, you have to reload the tape.
Despite these problems, the game is fun, assuming you aren’t easily frustrated. It is probably the best Sinclair game to hit the market so far. The programmers have to be congratulated for putting so much into 1K of space.