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From: berman@stsci.EDU (Mike Berman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,rec.games.video
Subject: Arkanoid review - Amiga version
Message-ID: <129@obi-wan>
Date: Mon, 7-Dec-87 17:50:23 EST
Article-I.D.: obi-wan.129
Posted: Mon Dec  7 17:50:23 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Dec-87 03:13:45 EST
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
Lines: 61
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.amiga:12093 rec.games.video:532

This game just became available in the stores. Since it is my absolute
favourite arcade game I picked it up immediately.

Arkanoid is the latest and greatest variant of 2D breakout games.
It modifies the basic game by adding different brick patterns,
falling "capsules" which have varying effects (extra man, laser,
bigger paddle, etc.), bricks which take more than one hit, and
bricks which are indestructable.

The Amiga version has its good and bad points. I'll try to be as
objective as possible.

Good points:

	The graphics and sounds are as close to the arcade version as
possible. I might notice differences if the two were side by side, but
it seemed true to my memories.

	There is a pause feature. Essential when the phone rings.

	Initial ball speed is settable. 1 is slowest, 5 fastest.

Bad points:

	The high scores aren't written to disk (!).

	The ball speed increases during play. The rate of increase is much
faster than the arcade version, i.e. you reach breakneck ball speeds REAL
fast. The speed should increase, but not that fast. Even the simplest screens
at the slowest initial setting get real hard to play.

	One of the capsules will slow your ball down. The next time you hit
the back (top?) wall the ball regains its original speed. I don't know if
this is in the arcade version or a bug.

	Some screens are MUCH less forgiving than the arcade version. Screen
3, in particular, is harder to get through.

	Initial game selection is tricky. You move the mouse to pick what
screen (1-20) you'd like to start on. (You start out at zero score wherever
you begin the game). You click the left mouse button to start the game. If
your hand shakes, you may unintentionally start on screen 20! This is
further complicated by

	No way to quit. You have to let three balls go by.

	Initial ball speed is the only tunable play parameter.

	Heavily copy protected. You can't put it on hard disk or a
backup. Since it was done by the same folks who did Marauder, I wouldn't
expect to see it in a future update. They do offer to send you a backup
disk if you send them $3.00.

Overall, I think this is a good game. It will be better when some of these
failings are corrected. Discovery Software has a BBS for registered owners
and they have been pretty responsive in the past.
-- 
Mike Berman           Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
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