49 lines
2.5 KiB
Plaintext
49 lines
2.5 KiB
Plaintext
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PIPE DREAM
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Never have I seen a more blatant case of false advertising! Lucasfilm Games is
|
|||
|
the guilty party. Lucasfilm claims the following: "PIPE DREAM is the perfect
|
|||
|
desktop stress-buster." Stress-buster, they say? Hah! PIPE DREAM is driving me
|
|||
|
nuts!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
An action/strategy tour de force, PIPE DREAM was designed and programmed by
|
|||
|
Akila Redmer and Stephan Butler; the IBM-PC version (reviewed here) is by Peter
|
|||
|
Lincroft. The object of the game is incredibly simple: to speedily lay a
|
|||
|
pipeline that will divert a relentless flood of green sludge ("flooz"). Stay
|
|||
|
ahead of the flow, and your score will climb.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Did I say "simple"? Well, maybe so. But the program generates a random
|
|||
|
assortment of pipe shapes, and you must select from what's available. Here's an
|
|||
|
example of the problem: That yucky goo is coming straight for you. You need to
|
|||
|
direct the sludge to the right, but all you can put down is a straight pipe. At
|
|||
|
the same time, you must determine where that straight pipe might come in handy
|
|||
|
later and place it there. You hope that the particular pipe you need will appear
|
|||
|
next. Fortunately, you can see the first pipe as well as the next several pipes
|
|||
|
you'll have to use, but you're scrambling and thinking ahead with every move.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PIPE DREAM offers three modes of play: basic single-player, expert
|
|||
|
single-player, and two-player competitive. Additionally, for arcade klutzes
|
|||
|
(like me), there's a practice mode that slows down the flow of sludge. The game
|
|||
|
has thirty-six levels, each more advanced than the previous one.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PIPE DREAM for the IBM PC and 100% compatibles requires 256K and supports CGA,
|
|||
|
MCGA, EGA, VGA, Hercules, and Tandy 16-color graphics. CGA looks a bit drab: The
|
|||
|
sludge isn't green, it's brown. EGA is the best you can get with this program.
|
|||
|
(MCGA, EGA, and VGA all look the same.) With EGA, the graphics are good, and you
|
|||
|
can easily see what is going on.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The sound is what you'd expect from the little IBM speaker. There's no mention
|
|||
|
of any sound card support. The game is supplied in both 5-1/4" and 3-1/2"
|
|||
|
formats. You can use the keyboard, joystick, or mouse to control movement of the
|
|||
|
pipes. Copy protection consists of a code wheel; you must match pipe pieces and
|
|||
|
colors on the screen to shapes on your "Pipe Fitters Guide" wheel. The program
|
|||
|
installs easily on a hard disk.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Whether or not this game busts stress, it's certainly a lot of fun. Fans of
|
|||
|
TETRIS will also appreciate PIPE DREAM.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PIPE DREAM is published by Lucasfilm Games and distributed by Electronic Arts.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
|
|||
|
|