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Does this sound like Mission Impossible? The Anti-Nuclear Party has reprogrammed your favourite reactor's robots to attack all humans, meanwhile the radioactive rods are set to meltdown in just thirty minutes. This synopsis will self-destruct in ten seconds!
Presumably the silly plot is somebody's idea of political satire. Still, it provides a hook on which to hang a fast moving arcade and maze game, whichever side of the nuclear power fence you should choose. (I prefer the lead-lined one, away from the reactor, myself!)
It could be that your radiation suit lacks real designer flair or maybe you really are as bland as you look, but the central sprite is unbelievably blocky and monochrome. At least you're armed with a machine gun and a jetpack, and you'll need them both to avoid the android perils of the power-plant.
The building has seven storeys, each linked by lifts and holes in the floor, which let you drop back towards the vault, into which you have to kick the rods. If you're really skilled you can float across the pit and release them as you go.
Meanwhile your radiation level increases every time you're hit by a robot or when you push an isotope. There are decontamination showers on every level, but as you have to clear the place in half an hour you can't afford to stop for a sing in the bath!
That's basically all there is to the game. It's just a question of mapping, shooting and dodging, all against an incredibly tight time limit. Though the rooms themselves are interesting shapes and pleasantly uncluttered, there's nothing really exciting about the graphics.
If you're into maze games this should provide some fun, but anybody else may find that it looks rather old-fashioned.

Gwyn Hughes

'Get in the middle of a Chain Reaction'.

Arrgh! Not Diana Ross please. As a matter of fact this game has nothing to do with Diana Ross at all, it's about nuclear power - had you fooled though, didn't I? (Pah! - Ed)

The Anti-Nuclear Party are real gits. They have reprogrammed all the robo-equipment in the power station to empty the containment vault and attack all humans. This not being enough to satisfy their evil hunger, they've scattered 18 canisters of radioactive fuel rods around the seven-storey building and you have to recover them all! You're helped only by your radiation suit, armour piercing machine gun and jet pack. This is a race against time as well as radiation because you only have 30 minutes to recover the canisters. To help you along the way there are decontamination showers dotted around the building. Taking a quick dip reduces your radiation allowing you to continue safely.

Chain Reaction is one of many 3-D style games where you move the character around then push forward. I could never get used to this type of control method and here you don't get any choice. This type of game can now be made simply by using the 3-D Game Maker, as we've found out with the many Powertapes you've sent in!

All the graphics are well drawn with lots of robots to do battle against and other objects around the building like computers, nuclear canisters etc. Colour in the game itself isn't anything special, but on the menu screens and Game Over message it will really impress you. Stripes of colour scroll up the text in a very convincing way, with no clash at all. Chain Reaction is let down by it's lack of sound: there's only the odd beep, and no tunes or jingles anywhere.

While this style of game has been copied over' and over again it still provides some challenge to those who didn't catch it first time round

CRITICISM




Overall 63%