Bomber Command, Questron II

BOMBER COMMAND

Bomber Command is basically an ST conversion of the arcade hit Xevious. You are piloting a maneuverable Mosquito bomber here. You dogfight oncoming fighters and drop bombs on ground-based enemy units. The graphics are very well done, with lots of different land-based and airborne adversaries to blast apart.

The joystick control is usually fast and responsive, although it tends to bog down when the screen is filled with several moving objects. This slowed down and simplified the gameplay--not that Bomber Command was easy. In fact, it's very challenging, but only for a time.

The program is too easy to master and become bored with. A save game feature lets you accumulate astronomical scores, saving your position each time you achieve another bonus game. Unfortunately, the passing landscape began rerunning like the background of a cheap cartoon after about two hours of play and 10,000 points, and play was downhill from there.

This was a shame, because the game was fun while it lasted. I would love to give Bomber Command my highest rating, and with a little more variety--perhaps larger and more complex enemy installations to level--I could have done so.-STEVE PANAK

$42.95. color. Mars Software Development, Inc., P.O. Box 70947, Pasadena, CA 91107. (800) 541-0900 (orders); (818) 351-6224.

QUESTRON II

A heroic Quest! Demons to defeat and monsters to slay! And in the end, an Evil Wizard to send back to wherever Evil Wizards come from! This is the stuff of which SSI's Questron II is made. Unfortunately, it's the same old stuff we've seen in nearly a dozon ST releases, including SSI's Phantasie series.

Although Questron II adds nothing new to the genre, in all fairness its storyline is the first prequel to an adventure game. In the original Questron, the Book of Evil Magic was recovered from the hands of Manter. Now it turns out that it cannot be destroyed. So your wise mentor, Mesron, sends you back in time to prevent the book from being created.

As in most role-playing games (Phantasie or Ultima series, etc.) you start off as a lowly peasant with not much to defend yourself besides you wits. By traversing the countryside and defeating a managerie of legendary creatures, you gain wealth and experience, allowing you to acquire spells and improved weaponry. Questron II spans two continents, as well as the requisite tombs, castles, and dungeons.

The graphics are good, since the ST translation was handled by Westwood, the same people who converted Phantasie III. The one new feature is a list of commands on the left side of the screen. Pointing and clicking can be used to avoid keyboard input.

In short, if you are a role-playing diehard who simply must have every new fantasy release, go for it! For the rest of us, Questron II is simply the same song, next verse.-HARVE BERNDTIEN.

$49.95, color. Strategic Simulations Inc, 1046 N. Rengstorff Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043. (415) 964-1353.