Please login to submit a screenshot

Battle of the tanks

IT WOULD have been better if Atari had not given its permission to Quicksilva to produce Battle Zone as the game is no better than the original arcade version. Many companies at least try to add a new element to such games or put something extra into the graphics.

If by now you have not heard of the game the object is to move your tank around a landscape in which other tanks, space craft and flying saucers are on the prowl.

The bare instructions, found in the game and not on the cassette insert, tell you to hide behind objects which are littered around so that the enemy cannot see you before you make your move. The movement of your tank is difficult to master as the tank is on tracks. If you press the left-hand side of the keyboard the left track moves forward shifting the tank right, and if you push the right-hand keys the tank moves left. Time to reach for the Kempston joystick.


Forward movement shows the clumsiness of the 3D graphics which are inferior to the original. Outlines crack up, objects jerk when they move and missiles on target do not always score a hit.

BATTLE ZONE Memory: 48K Price: £6.95 Joystick: Kempston Gilbert Factor: 5

BATTLEZONE
Quicksilva / £6.95

Ross: This is the Atari approved version and as such, is a very competent copy of the original. Quicksilva must be on its knees praying there's still someone left who's waited for the 'official' Battlezone, but after all the copies there've been, there can't be many!
The game itself contains all the features you'd expect, including some very clever missiles. You get to control a tank, trundling across a flat plain that's occasionally littered with large cubes and pyramids. A radar at the top of the screen shows the position of approaching enemy vehicles, and messages pop up on the left to let you know when an enemy is in range (although they'll probably send you an explosive reminder!).
The controls take a little getting used to; they simulate the two-level controls as used by the arcade game, rather than the standard joystick layout. The line drawing of the graphics is, as Quicksilva claims, fast - and this is probably the best version I've played on the Spectrum. Honest! 3/5

Dave: Well, if you haven't already got a copy of this game, this is the one to get. Not only is it the 'official' Atari version ... but it's as good as any I've seen! 2.5/5

Roger: Quite a reasonable training aid for both Panzer crews and London's taxi drivers. Definitely a hit. 3/5

Dave 2.5/5
Ross 3/5
Roger 3/5

Dave Nicholls, Ross Holman, Roger Willis