95 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
95 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
|
||
|
||
PLATOON
|
||
|
||
PLATOON is an arcade game from Data East that's based on the film of the same
|
||
name. It has six sections, each of which offers a different type of arcade
|
||
action, making gameplay very engrossing. Although I usually don't enjoy arcade
|
||
games (at least not on my computer screen), PLATOON is challenging and fun,
|
||
thanks to a diversity of game styles. (This review is based on the IBM-PC
|
||
version.)
|
||
|
||
The first two sections display a man going back and forth on the screen,
|
||
jumping, ducking, and shooting Viet Cong as he progresses through the jungle on
|
||
patrol. You have to find some explosives left behind by a previous patrol, and
|
||
use them to blow up a bridge after crossing it. Then, the men must search a
|
||
village for useful items and a tunnel entrance, being very careful to avoid
|
||
shooting any civilians. During these sections, the platoon is made up of five
|
||
men, each of whom can be wounded four times before dying. By carefully
|
||
alternating among the men as they become wounded, and by using the various
|
||
first-aid kits you find in the jungle, it's possible to complete these sections
|
||
without losing a man, which naturally is very good for your score.
|
||
|
||
The next section takes place in the tunnel you discovered in the village. Using
|
||
a torch and map (also found in the village), you must explore the tunnel system
|
||
and locate secret documents and enemy supplies -- not to mention the exit.
|
||
Again, there are medical supplies and ammunition in various parts of the
|
||
tunnels, but it's very easy to shoot too much and run out of ammo when you need
|
||
it most. At least there are no innocent villagers in this section, so anything
|
||
moving can be shot.
|
||
|
||
The fourth section takes place in a bunker at the exit of the tunnel system.
|
||
There are a certain number of flares (which you found in the tunnels), and the
|
||
Viet Cong are attempting to overrun your position. Accuracy is a must in this
|
||
section, or you'll run out of ammo before dawn arrives.
|
||
|
||
Both the third and fourth sections use a crosshairs gauge that's moved around
|
||
with the joystick, everything being displayed from your point of view. The
|
||
problem here is that you only have two men, even if all five survived the first
|
||
two sections and reached the village. And if you make it through the tunnels
|
||
only to die in the bunker, you have to start at the beginning of the tunnels
|
||
again.
|
||
|
||
The fifth section shows your man again, running from the bottom to the top of
|
||
the screen while under a hail of fire. At the same time, he must avoid the
|
||
various obstacles and land mines dotting his path. There's a two-minute time
|
||
limit, in which you must get through a certain number of screens before an
|
||
airstrike hits the area. Again, there are only two men (each of whom dies on the
|
||
fourth wound), but at least you only have to go back to the beginning of the
|
||
section when you start over.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately, I've not managed to reach the end of the fifth section yet, so I
|
||
am unable to determine what sorts of commands are used in the final section. But
|
||
this is part of the game's appeal: The varied challenges involved in mastering
|
||
the different styles of arcade play keep things interesting.
|
||
|
||
PLATOON requires 512K of RAM, a single floppy of either 5-1/4" or 3-1/2", E or
|
||
CGA graphics, and an optional joystick. The instructions say the joystick is
|
||
"highly recommended," but in reality, it's a must: The keyboard controls are not
|
||
well laid out, and they're very difficult to use.
|
||
|
||
The startup disk is copy-protected, so you need to use the original disk every
|
||
time you play. An install program is included on one of the disks, however, so
|
||
that you can place the game files on your hard drive. PLATOON can only be
|
||
installed once, so an uninstall command lets you remove the game from your hard
|
||
drive, as well. Of course, if you hard drive crashes without warning, this won't
|
||
be much help. This game also eliminates the usual advantage of having two floppy
|
||
drives: PLATOON only runs from the default drive, and won't load the data disk
|
||
from the second drive.
|
||
|
||
The graphics are well done and very detailed for CGA. They don't offer the same
|
||
richness and detail available in higher resolutions, but they're some of the
|
||
best IBM graphics I've seen.
|
||
|
||
The instruction book is short and to the point, with loading instructions for
|
||
Commodore, MS-DOS, and Apple all included. Everything is clear and to the point,
|
||
and tips are provided for each of the sections, as you progress.
|
||
|
||
One problem with PLATOON occurs in the first section. You're supposed to be
|
||
able to switch between members of the platoon by using the function keys, in
|
||
order to distribute first-aid boxes to those who need them most. But this
|
||
feature doesn't work the way it should. The only time you can switch members is
|
||
right after one is wounded. This means you reach first-aid boxes when your men
|
||
are unwounded, and later have no way to heal the wounded. My only other
|
||
complaint is that high scores are not recorded on the scoreboard. Perhaps it's
|
||
because my copy wasn't installed on a hard disk, but if so, it's not fair to
|
||
those who have only a floppy-drive setup. It'd be nice to know how much I'm
|
||
progressing without having to write down the scores myself.
|
||
|
||
If you enjoy arcade games, PLATOON will be one you'll want to get. And if you
|
||
don't enjoy them, pick this one up anyway: It's so good, it'll surprise you.
|
||
|
||
PLATOON is designed by Ocean Software and distributed by Data East USA.
|
||
|
||
*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
|
||
|