#05 29 февраля 1996

Part 8 - Classic reviews - Cybernoid.

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* PART 8  - CLASSIC REVIEWS - CYBERNOID *
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Evil    pirates    have    ransacked   the
Federation's   storage   depots,  stealing
valuable minerals, jewels, ammunition, and
the  latest in battle weaponry. The player
take  the  part  of  the  brave Cybernoid,
picked  to retrieve the valuable cargo and
destroy the pirate horde.
Apart    from   human   adversaries,   the
Cybernoid  also  has  to  battle  his  way
through  the planetary defence system that
the  dastardly  pirates  have activated in
order   to  stop  the  hapless  hero  from
completing  his  mission.  Add to that the
time  limit imposed on returning the cargo
for  each  level,  and  it can be seen why
only  the  brave  -  or  the  foolhardy  -
volunteer  for  these tasks. The cybernoid
isn't  entirely defenceless, though; apart
from the standard lasers, his arsenal also
consists of bombs, mines, shields (used to
provide  limited  invincibility), bouncing
bombs, and heat-seeking missiles. Needless
to  say  that  stocks  of  these items are
limited, although collection of the yellow
canisters  occasionally  dropped by pirate
ships  increases  the  currently  selected
weapons stock by one.
Other  items that may be collected include
the  Federation's  stolen  booty,  objects
that  alter the appearance of the player's
craft and extra external weaponry that can
be  used on the more difficult screens. As
the  Cybernoid travels through the pirates
flick-screen  territory, he is hampered by
their  activated  defence  systems.  These
take   the   shape   of  gun-emplacements,
missile  launchers  and  so on - tricky to
pass, but easily eliminated with the extra
weapons.  Once  a level has been completed
and  the  cargo  collected,  the Cybernoid
then  heads  for the level depot, where he
is   informed   whether   or  not  he  has
collected  enough  cargo  to warrant being
given  a bonus. If not, one Cybernoid ship
is  lost, and the player is transported to
the next level.

JOYSTICKS : Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
GRAPHICS  :  Cybernoid is so colourful and
detailied  you'd  be forgiven for thinking
it was an arcade version.
SOUND  :  An amazing 128k in-game tune, as
well as some impressive spot effects
OPTIONS : Sound On/Off
GENERAL  RATING  : The formula may be old,
but  everything  else  is new or improved.
Raffaele  Cecco's  best  game to date - if
only it were bigger!

PRESENTATION - 93%
GRAPHICS - 96%
PLAYABILITY - 95%
ADDICTIVE QUALITIES - 96%

OVERALL - 96%

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