RoboCop

A new type of community policing.

Producer: Ocean
Spare Parts: £8.95 cass, £14.95 disk
Author: Mike Lamb and Dawn Drake

The future of law enforcement arrives simultaneously on video and Spectrum with some pretty slick effects for both. The film begins with OmniConsumer Products (OCP) backing a big, walker-like droid called ED209 as the ultimate cop. But when a malfunction results in it accidentally machine-gunning someone an alternative project is proposed - a cyborg mix of cop and machine called RoboCop. The first cop to be murdered while on duty is Murphy and OCP rebuild him, Frankenstein fashion.

The computer game is composed of three loads (one for 128K owners) and opens with RoboCop on the beat of a horizontally-scrolling section, shooting snipers looking down on him, kung fu kicking villains and chainsaw psychos. RoboCop starts off with four lives and an energy level, the latter can be replenished by collecting baby food jars. Ammunition is strictly limited as well but there are extra magazines lying around, as well as three special weapons. If all the bullets are exhausted then RoboCop can use his fists, if they fail and he dies he goes back to the start of the section.

While on patrol RoboCop is called to the scene of an assault where a woman is being held hostage. Switching to a first-person perspective you must shoot the criminal without hitting the woman. As on all the sections there's a time limit and a life is lost if you exceed it. After that it's back on patrol in a different part of time with bikers coming after you. Here you also encounter Emil, one of Murphy's murderers, hiding out at a petrol station.

Meeting Emil awakens memories in the cyborg that was once Murphy and RoboCop goes to the police's photofit library in load two. Eyes, ears, chin, nose and hairstyle must be matched to the picture on the left - not easy in the time limit. Once Emil has been identified information is provided leading RoboCop to a Drugs Factory (Issue 58's demo tape). Another horizontally scrolling section, this ends with RoboCop learning the leader of the gang which killed him - Clarence Botticker - was employed by an OCP executive. RoboCop heads for the OCP tower and is attacked by ED209. Survive that and load three has you desperately trying to escape the tower in a horizontally/vertically scrolling section. If you do escape then it's on to the junkyard, where Murphy was killed, for a confrontation with Clarence. Kill him and you must then rescue the president of OCP who's being held hostage by the executive who employed Clarence.

The first thing that strikes you about RoboCop is the character's animation which is probably the best ever seen on the Spectrum - it really is that good. Scrolling is perfectly smooth and sound is great, with sampled speech saying 'RoboCop'. Playability, as far as we've got, is great. Going back to the start of sections is frustrating, as is the ammunition limit, but since the enemies always follow the same patterns this forces you to get really good. Other sections, such as the ID stage, are surprisingly effective as well, making this an instant Spectrum classic.

STUART [94%]

THE ESSENTIALS
Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: well-animated sprites fight it out on detailed, horizontally-scrolling backgrounds
Sound: a nice bit of sampled speech and some catchy 128K ingame music to complement good shooting effects
Options: definable keys, music on/off

Crikey, I remember when policemen wore silly helmets, rode bicycles and kept saying 'Evening all', but this RoboCop chappie is a bit more like a badge-wearing Charles Bronson! He mercilessly blasts criminals, but even though he's made of metal he ain't so great. A hail of enemy bullets soon finishes him off, while turning in a crouch makes him stand up! At the same time, care must be taken not to waste your limited supply of ammunition - if you run out, you're dead meat for should that be circuitry?). With all these problems, RoboCop is initially very hard, but as you learn the patterns of the enemies (they appear in the same places every time), you soon work out a strategy for success. And it's definitely worth persevering to see the detailed backdrops and nicely-animated enemies. Thankfully, RoboCop doesn't just rely on the usual shoot-'em-up theme; it mixes several varied sections together, each requiring different skills to complete, to make a truly excellent package. Fans of the film and arcade buffs alike, will not be disappointed.
PHIL [91%]

Without doubt this is one of the closest translations of a movie ever achieved in a computer game, making this unmissable for all RoboCop fans. The extra sections written by Michael Lamb and Dawn Drake to improve the basic coin-op are really good and add a lot to the game. The result is a conversion that's genuinely superior to the arcade. Ingame music is really good on the 128 with some nice gunshot effects as well. Admittedly progress is tough, until you learn the attack patterns it might seem impossible, but with ED209, the junkyard scene and the OCP tower still to save I can't stop playing it. One of the best films of 1988 had made one of the best Spectrum games as well, congratulations Ocean.
MARK [90%]

Ocean
£8.95 cass/£14.95 disk
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

Have a go at Robocop, they said. What? Alone? I'd rather go three rounds with Mike Tyson. Fortunately they just meant the game. Otherwise you can bet your unemployment benefit that before I knew it, eight out of ten owners (who expressed a preference) would be saying that their cats prefer me.

You've got to hand it to Ocean. There can't be many spankier licences to get your paws on than Robocop. And where Ocean really got it right was to snap it up ages ago - before, in fact, the arcade licence had even been put out to tender. So, the Manchester-based megagamesters had a hand that, too, and they ended up spending months and months putting the whole package together - computer game, arcade game, 8-bit, 16-bit, the works. They've even bunged in a poster as well.

So why is it all rather unexciting when you actually load the thing up? Perhaps it's because our expectations of Ocean's product over the past year or two has just become a little too statospheric. (Open those dictionaries) Operation Wolf? The new Batman? Brilliant games, superbly designed and implemented on the old beermat. But Robocop just isn't in the same league. Not that it's bad, don't get me wrong. It's just not the earthshattering blasterama I somehow expected it to be.

Anyway, enough of this whinging - let's get down to the game. You, natch, are Robocop him(it?)self, striding along the city streets in Detroit. My the streets are tough. They all look rather similar, too. And, blow! there goes your colour reception, 'cos the whole cityscape's in good ol' black and white.

So long you stride. You have fifty bullets to start with, but these soon get frittered away as you fire at the numerous baddies who attack you. And are there lots of them, or are there lots of them? It's worse than Frinton on a Saturday night, and what's more some of these thugs carry chainsaws, the latest hip accessory down Detroit way. These blighters need more bullets than the others, although if you start picking up those flashing whatnots of ammunition, you might get something a little more powerful than you wee bullet-ettes. Alternatively you might pick up some baby food to give you more energy (impregnated with Castrol GTX, no doubt).

Go on further and you'll find even more useful things like three-way bullets, but of course the nasties get nastier, shooting out of windows from above and other dirty tricks. In the film, bullets would have little effect. In the game, they do inflict a wound, and there's a limited number of wounds you can take. So be careful - there are nine levels to get through yet.

Level one, then, is downtown Detroit, (remind me not to go there.) On level two, you come across a woman being attacked by some crazy. Here you're looking straight at the two of 'em through your viewfinder, and you have to hit him without hitting her in the process. For level three it's back to Detroit with more and harder criminals - a little like the Bronx on a Saturday afternoon.

Level four's a break from the monotony. Here you have a photofit to piece together, using the computer and your own memory banks. Get this right and you'll find who it was who topped Murphy (the geezer you were before you became Roboclot). Hint: it's not Jeremy Beadle.

After that it's more shooting and running about, as you steadily work your way through the film's plot and kill everyone who needs killing, not including, sadly, Jeremy Beadle.

Don't sound too enthusiastic, do I? Well it's all a little samey, and a touch too much like lots of other zappy sideways scrollers set in warehouses and the like. What? Did someone say Rolling Thunder? Well, precisely, though curiously enough (since the film has an 18 certificate) I think the game will appeal greatly to younger gamesters.

The whole package, though, is nicely presented, with neat and well drawn graphics and no complaints about speed or playability. But I wasn't totally convinced. By the time you read this, I bet a good few Spec-chums who got it for Christmas will be wondering what all the fuss was about.

By the way, why doesn't anyone try a can opener on him?

REPLAY

Whiffy, spiffy, tiffy and thoroughly nifty. Prey gentle molluscs, take your seats for the great YS roundup...

The Hit Squad
£3.99 cassette
Reviewer: Jon Pillar

Take Dixon Of Dock Green, spray-paint him silver and give him a dangerously big pistol. Now stand back, and stay out of trouble. It's true. Robocop, the bobby who inspires everyone he meets to say, "Please stop pointing that dangerously big pistol at me," has finally deigned to join us on the pages of Replay.

Set amid the picturesque rubble of futuristic Old Detroit, this bullet-ridden game sets you a stiff challenge. The police are on strike, there's war on the streets and criminals are running Rife - a disreputable nightclub. (Groan. Ed) Only one man can tame the city, but unfortunately Judge Dredd is advertising consoles so you have to take control of Robocop instead.

Following the plot of the film closely, the game has you stomping about menacingly, obeying your inbuilt orders to make the streets safe for Detroit's innocent citizens. In addition, you gradually piece together evidence exposing the head of the gang that has been terrorising the city. Simultaneously, you manage to rescue a hostage, clear out a drugs factory, eat some baby food and shoot lots of people. You also skilfully discover the identity of this kingpin of crime. Why, it's none other than Dick Jones, your kindly old boss! (Curses.) Unfortunately for truth, justice and the end of the picture, the scoundrel escapes. Thinking quickly, you get Jon North to hack into the system, allowing you to leap forwards and snap on the cuffs. Hurrah!

I have to admit, this first adventure of the electric flatfoot is one of my favourite games. Its presentation is immaculate, with particularly knee-slapping animation. Sound is sparse but crunchily effective, and the gameplay itself is crammed with variety. The nine levels avoid repetition by alternating between eight-way scrolling and Op Wolf shootouts. with each scrolling level bringing a new feature such as the bikers of Level Two and ED209's appearance in Level Six. The identikit subgame which is thrown in for good measure, has to be the best puzzle interlude of them all. It's a real eye test as you feverishly assemble the face of your wouldbe assassin. Let's be honest though - Robocop is an easy game, and this has annoyed a fair number of people. However, there's a lot to be said for passing a few hours completing a game as opposed to spending them stuck on the first level. Buy it, play it and just have fun.

WHAT A BARG!

Summertime, summertime, summer, summer, summertime! Hurrah - summer is here! And what better way to celebrate the advent of sunny, carefree days than by locking yourself in your bedroom and playing a load of Speccy games? With the seemingly unstoppable spread of budget software, we here at YS thought it would be quite a wheeze to sort out the brass from the dross. So take your seats and upset your neighbour's popcorn as JON PILLAR whisks you with shameless bias through a roundup of the best £3.99ers around.

SHOOT 'EM UP GAMES

5. Robocop
Hit Squad/Issue 75
Reviewer: Jon Pillar

Forget the follow-ups (please, forget the follow-ups) - the original game is brilliant. Super-smooth 8-way scrolling and a silky spread of gameplay types add up to a stonker of a game. Maybe a bit easy, but immensely satisfying and loads of fun. And the Robocop movement is so right.

Label: Ocean
Author: Mike Lamb, Jonathan Dunn
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Tony Dillon

'Robocop. Who is he? What is he? Where does he come from?' asks the pretty young news presentress, in Robocop the movie. Well, you silly woman, he's one PC Alex Murphy, killed whilst on the trail of the unofficial crime boss of old Detroit, Clarence Boddiker. He is the world's first and only cyborg cop, built on the remains of the aforementioned Murphy, after he has most of himself mercilessly blown away. He also happens to be in the latest action epic from Ocean software.

Robocop (or is he really the tin man from the Wizard of Oz?) takes you through seven levels of pure violent action, much in the mold of the film. 48K owners have to suffer the indignity of multi-load (three loads), while 128K owners (you lucky people) get the whole caboodle in one huge megaload. You get great sound too.

The first thing I've been asked to say is that Robocop is NOT a coin-op conversion. While Ocean were writing the game, the coin-op was being developed, so a direct conversion would have been difficult. Mike Lamb was told to 'Take the good bits from the coin-op, and put in some extra bits.' This he has done, and the lad's done good.

The first level has Robo out on patrol, walking the streets happily blowing away all the punks, chainsaw wielders and general ass-pains who lean out of windows and take pot shots at our hero.

Our hero can't blow away too happily, however. Ammo is limited, and there's a lot to shoot, so it's best to aim first, or even better, get close and let off a powerful punch. Ammo can be found on the floor, along with baby food (replenishes lost energy) and extra, more powerful, better weapons. These include double powerful bullets that can rake through an entire crowd of nasties and then some, a three-way firing bullet that can take out both enemies above and below you, as well as the one in front.

After his romp through the streets, Robocop hears a cry for help from a nearby alleyway. Keeping with his programming, he turns and bowls up the street, stopping face to face with a frightened woman, and more importantly, a rapist standing behind here with a knife at her throat. At this point the view changes to a first point perspective and the familiar crosshairs implemented in the film come into use. The rapist moves left to right and back randomly, always keeping the woman more or less in front of him. Occasionally he will step out a little. It's at these times that you must shoot. The idea is to kill him without harming the girl. Every time you hit the girl, you lose energy., The funny thing is, if you've got a lot of energy, you can blow the girl away and survive, making it a lot easier to kill the rapist.

Then it's back to the side-view for another patrol jaunt. This one has Robo battling against Emil (one of the guys who killed Murphy) outside a petrol station. Blow him off his motorcycle, and it's into the second load.

The first level on the second load has you truing to put together a photofit of Emil on the police computer in a certain time limit. On the left is a picture of Emil. You have to cycle through all the possible eyes, noses, hairpieces, chins, ears and mouths, select the ones you think are right and then put them together. Get them right, and you are told all the details about Emil, such as his companions in crime, and that includes Clarence Boddiker.

The next bit sees you in Clarence's drug emporium, in which you blow away all of his staff as you climb the maze-like building. Make it to the top, and you find out that Clarence actually works for Dick Jones, No 2 at OCP, the company that runs the cops. Robo heads directly to Dick's office, only to discover that his mysterious fourth directive is that he can't arrest a senior officer at OCP. He is then disarmed (well, he goes all spasy and drops his gun as he loses control), ED 209, the original plan for a robo-cop is then brought in. This is the only bit in the entire game that I felt could have been better. ED 209 launches streams of bullets at Robo. You have to get Robo close enough to... no, watch the film to find out what to do.

After that, it's off to the steel mill, where Robo was killed, to finish off Clarence once and for all. I have to admit it, I've still not managed to get past this bit yet, however, I have seen the last section.

In the final level, the view goes back to first person. Robo has gone back for Jones. Jones, on seeing Robo, grabs the top guy and threatens to kill him unless he gets a helicopter to escape in along with lots of money, a fast car and a signed photograph of our very own Alison Skeat (eurgh, yuk, spew - the whole SU team). Immediately, the old guy fires Dick, which instantly cancels directive four. Robo has to blow Dick away, which is pretty difficult.

It's quite a long game, and a pretty difficult one at that, but pretty fab as well. Robocop is Ocean in the finest hour. It's hard, yes, but not enough to put you off the game. Plus the fact that all the levels are different, which makes you want to get to the later levels, just to see what you're missing.

The graphics are unbelievable. The animation is unspectrumly smooth and Jon Dunn has got the look of Robo perfect. Hell, he even walks the same, and it's worth getting the game, just to see Robo walk up stairs.

48K sound is almost non-existent, which is a shame, but 128K sound is g-r-e-a-t!!! Lots of really great tunes, a continuous in-game tunette, lots of explosion effects and sampled speech. At the end of each level, and at the end of the game, a voice exclaims 'Robocop' (and not Applecart, as our Jimbo first thought).

I had to fight to get this review, and funnily enough, it was worth it. Robocop is one of the most entertaining and addictive games I've seen this week. I can't wait to see the 16-bit version.

Label: Hit Squad
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99
Reviewer: Big Al Dykes

Robocop dominated the charts for so long the whole software industry wondered if he'd ever be toppled from the charts and, although the successor Robo 2 was a good game, it didn't quite have the same appeal as the original.

It's a long difficult game that takes place in the horizontally scrolling world of future Detroit where violence and crime rule the streets. Shoot up the punks on the streets, maul the end of level rapist in a difficult target practice exercise, match a photo-fit, destroy a drug manufacturing plant... there's certainly lots of variety to this game. And all of a violent, shoot 'em up nature.

The graphics are superbly detailed and motion is smooth. Sound is also very impressive. It's simple, if you haven't already got this classic game, go right out and get it now!

GARTH:
Don't move creep! Unless of course it's to go out and pick up a copy of Robo!

Part man, part machine, all Ocean.

It's not often the launch of a new computer game coincides with the launch of a new coin-op machine. But that's what has happened this month with Robocop. Data East have just produced the coin-op machine (see Future Cops in the Arcades Section this issue), and now Ocean are poised to launch the computer game.

Obviously, both versions have their roots in the film, but Ocean - having seen early versions of the Data East game - had a choice. They could either do a straight coin-op conversion, or leave the coin-op alone completely and concentrate on turning the film plot into a playable game - something they had done previously with Platoon. In the end they decided to combine the two.

The game breaks down into nine main sections, each section based on sequences from the film. The first stage has the player controlling Robocop as he goes about his daily business of serving the public trust, i.e. shooting baddies. This horizontally-scrolling part of the game is heavily inspired by the coin-op. Baddies appear on street level and from first floor windows and most of them are armed with pistols or chainsaws.

You have to shoot the baddies (each baddy takes at least two shots before he dies) while avoiding their shots. To make life easier there are four types of extra weapon to pick up including three-way shots and super shots that allow you to take baddies out with one shot. The Manta Gun that is used at the end of the film also makes an appearance towards the end of the game.

You have a limited supply of energy, and every time you take a hit the meter drops a little. Fortunately, extra energy capsules can be collected, but allow the energy to drop too much and you lose one of the initial three lives. Other parts of the game include a target-shooting sequence where the player has to shoot a baddy who is holding a woman hostage - hit the woman and your health meter suffers severely (Directive Number Two: Protect the Innocent). There is also a photo-fit ID sequence with 40 seconds available to match up pieces of a face and build up an Identikit picture for the face shown on screen. Finally, there are shoot-em-up sequences in the drugs factory and the junk yard.

Combining elements from the coin-op with the Ocean interpretation of the film has worked well. There's plenty of shoot-em-up action, and the other sequences capture the feel and flavour of the film.

Reviewer: Andy Smith

RELEASE BOX
Atari ST, £19.95dk, Imminent
Amiga, £19.95dk, Imminent
Spectrum, £8.95cs, £14.95dk,Out Now
Amstrad, £9.95cs, £14.95dk, Imminent
C64/128, £9.95cs, £14.95dk, Imminent
IBM PC, Under development

Predicted Interest Curve

1 min: 85/100
1 hour: 88/100
1 day: 90/100
1 week: 75/100
1 month: 50/100
1 year: 0/100

GAME OF THE MONTH

MACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64/ST/Amiga
SUPPLIER: Ocean
PRICE: Spec £8.95 cass, AMS/C64 £9.95 cass, ST £19.95, Amiga £24.95
VERSION TESTED: Spec

Robocop is undoubtedly the hottest video release this Christmas, and Ocean are hoping to cash in on its phenomenal success with their computer adaptation of the blockbusting film.

The scene is Detroit, some time into the future. Crime is rife, and the police force, now privatised and owned by the omnipotent OCP Corporation, is pushed to their limits. Body armour and full-face visors are mandatory, and a policeman's life is cheap.

When the central character, Murphy, is gunned down in a particularly grisly incident, his body - declared clinically dead - is requisitioned by OCP for use in their Robocop project. The result is Robocop, an unstoppable and emotionless cybernetic law enforcer that's half man, half machine and, to coin a phrase, all cop.

At first all goes well, but when Robocop malfunctions and begins to remember Murphy's memories, he embarks on a mission to track down and destroy the gang members who shot him. And this is where the game starts.

There are nine levels in all, each one recreating a scene in the film, Because there are so many levels, the game is multiload, although Spectrum +3 owners have the luxury of the whole game loading in one go.

The first sceneis a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up with Robocop walking along a street taking potshots at the hordes of hooligans who are marauding around. The return fire, which reduces Robocop's energy meter if he sustains hits. If his bar is diminished entirely one of his three lives is lost.

Ammunition is limited, rounds remaining shown numerically at the bottom of the screen, but there's extra ammunition dotted around the landscape. There are also extra weapons which can be picked up and used against the enemy - my favourite is the mega-bazooka which blows away dozens of villains!

When Robocop has walked far enough, he turns into a side alley and the second level begins, which is seen through the eyes of Robocop in first person 3D. At the end of the alley is a thug who has to be apprehended - but he's using a woman to shield himself. By using Robocop's crosshair sights, the player has to shoot the thug several times as he moves left and right. Shooting the woman reduces Robocop's energy bar severely. I particularly enjoyed this sequence, as it requires split-second reflexes and timing to get in that crucial shot - the graphics and feel are also superb.

Next is another scrolling shoot out, with motorcyclists entering the fray, followed by a photofit session. Here the player has to match the picture of a felon with identical photofit components: eyes, ears, hair, nose and mouth, within a 30 second time limit. It's quite tricky, as all the bits look very similar, and failure results in loss of a life. Just to make things more difficult, there's a pool of faces, and the computer chooses one randomly. It's a neat idea, and breaks up the blasting perfectly.

More shooting next, this time with vertically scrolling sections as Robocop climbs the steps of a warehouse. Next comes a confrontation with Dick Jones, the evil Senior President of OCP. and his robotic killing machine ED-209. More shooting follows as Robocop escapes from OCP Tower, followed by even more blasting in a junkyard. The game reaches its climax with the final showdown between Dick Jones and Robocop - who will win?

Robocop is one of my favourite films. and Ocean's tie-in captures its atmosphere perfectly - I don't think they could have done a better job. The fabulous graphics certainly help, and there's even digitised speech from the film, although it's a bit scratchy. The gameplay is tough, but it's very addictive, and there's plenty of variety, with straightforward shooting, a reflex test and a puzzle game to test the player.

The game is also brilliantly presented, with an introductory sequence straight from the film - when Robocop is first powered up - and the multiload is swift and painless.

This is definitely the best film tie-in to date, and is an utterly superb game in its own right - don't miss it.

Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £8.95, Diskette: £14.95
Commodore 64/128 Cassette: £9.95, Diskette: £14.95

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COIN-OPERATION

Near-future America: crime is rapidly becoming the biggest profession. To combat this undesirable situation and bring law and order to Old Detroit, the privately-owned police department turn to high-tech manufacturers for a solution.

The first idea, a bi-limbed patrol droid named ED-209, goes wrong, with fatal results. A second protect is put into effect for which a body is required to support a titanium robot shell.

Cop-on-the-beat Murphy, is gunned down by bank robbers and it is his body that becomes the experimental model for the robotic machine. The result is part man, part machine, all cop RoboCop, who sets out to clean up Old Detroit to make way for new development.

Criminals are everywhere. Gun-toting punks appear at windows, martial arts experts kung-fu the lawman and chainsaw warriors try to turn him to scrap metal. As RoboCop clanks his way through levels, energy (in the form of baby food?), extra ammunition and other weapons are made available.

Once the street has been cleared, RoboCop moves on to a first-person 3-D combat scene where a criminal holds a woman hostage. Use your gun cross hairs to lone up the punk and let him have it. Not only is time of the essence but Murphy's energy level drains away each time the hostage is hit (as does hers!).

The action switches to another street, where RoboCop takes on all corners, including a gang of Hells Angels. Much carnage ensues until the futuristic Harry Callahan reaches a garage where Emil, one of Murphy's murderers, is spotted. At this point the human memories of the future cop emerge and he sets out to hunt down those that left him for dead.

SHOW NO MURPHY

In pursuit of the gang, Murphy uses the Detroit police computer to match up Emil's face. The sequence takes the form of an identikit, as RoboCop tries to reconstruct the face of Emil. Played against a tight time limit, it is made all the more difficult by the minor differences that separate face parts available for choice.

Based on data gained by matching Emil's face, RoboCop moves to a drugs factory to arrest the gang and continues by going to the OmniConsumer Products (OCP) building to arrest the high-ranking executive behind the gang of bank robberies - and meet a deadly opponent.

The final battle reverts to a 3-D combat section, this time RoboCop faces the corrupt executive who is holding the OCP president hostage.

RoboCop follows the movie plot closely, recreating its key points. Violence is paramount, and RoboCop goes overboard in providing it.

Gameplay and ideas behind RoboCop are well used, but what makes it a winner is the way it expertly utilises the straightforward, simple carnage of shoot-'em-up action. This is interspersed with equally playable sub-games such as the 3-D sections.

Other than its familiar game style, there's very little to find fault with RoboCop. Constant attacks by the generally unhealthy criminal fraternity keep demands and interest high.