75 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
75 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
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BLOCKOUT
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Originally designed by Kadon Enterprises, Inc. as a 3-D game using hardwood
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blocks, BLOCKOUT bears an uncanny resemblance to WELLTRIS, Alexey Pajitnov's
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recent innovation on his original TETRIS design. Since both products have shown
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up relatively recently, gamers will be hard put to choose which incarnation of
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this type of game they'd prefer to buy. It's a real toss-up.
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Like WELLTRIS, the object of the game is to move blocks displayed by the
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computer so that they'll interlock seamlessly at the bottom of a 3-D pit. Each
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block presented can be rotated through all three of its axes until the player
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decides the block is in the proper position for dropping. There is a time limit
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that starts to count down as soon as the block appears, which puts pressure on
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the player to make a decision quickly.
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The blocks offered at the start of a level vary in complexity. The more complex
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each block, and the more various the block-set for a particular level, the
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greater the challenge (and the higher the score).
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Levels also vary in terms of the dimensions of the pit. There's an option at
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the beginning of the game to select your setup; the Choose Setup menu includes
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three pre-defined setups, three different kinds of block sets (Flat, Basic, and
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Extended), and the ability to set rotation speed. The dimensions of the pit can
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also be configured: Depth can be set from three to 16 layers, and width and
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length can be set from three to seven blocks wide or long. Once configured, the
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setup represents the initial conditions you'll encounter when starting a game.
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Setups can be saved to disk for future use.
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Eleven difficulty levels are available in the game, the first ten of which are
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user-selectable. You start at whichever level you feel comfortable with, and
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progress to the next one after a certain number of cubes have been played.
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Difficulty increases from level to level, both in terms of the complexity of
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each block shape, and the shape and size of the pit. The numerous levels and
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multiple setup options offer BLOCKOUT players a great variety.
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The graphics and sound are all they need to be for a game of this sort; unlike
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WELLTRIS, there's little in the way of atmospheric background included in the
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program, but the gameplay is just as challenging and addictive. Since the blocks
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used are three-dimensional, they always appear first as wire-frame objects,
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making it easier for the player to determine their true position. Once dropped,
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they are filled with color and matched with the other blocks at the bottom of
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the pit. If the block dropped does not fit completely into the current layer,
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its extruding parts are colored in a hotter color, thereby reminding the player
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that the next level up from the bottom of the pit is being entered. The menus
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and windows in BLOCKOUT look much more "Amigatized" than their equivalents in
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WELLTRIS, which generally seem flatter. This is due mainly to the proper use of
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shading to give the game a solid 3-D feel throughout.
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One of the nicest things about BLOCKOUT (which sets it apart from WELLTRIS) is
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the inclusion of mouse control for block manipulation. Like its sister game, the
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keyboard can be used for block rotation, but once you get used to the mouse,
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it's much easier to handle the blocks quickly -- important at the higher levels.
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The mouse also provides a more tactile connection with the manipulated block,
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making it easier to pick up the pattern of positioning. Odd (but interesting)
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that this simple eye-to-hand coordination should play such a significant part in
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what otherwise looks like a game dedicated entirely to the intellect!
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BLOCKOUT comes on one copyable disk, and uses a clever combination
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block-and-color-key schema in the manual for protection. Copy protection using
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this technique is effective and unintrusive. There is no mention of hard-disk
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installation, unfortunately. The game will run on A1000s, A500s, and A2000s.
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If you are a fan of this sort of puzzle game (and who isn't?), you won't want
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to miss either BLOCKOUT or WELLTRIS. They both present variations on a similar
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theme, one whose origin (as BLOCKOUT's documentation notes) lies with the
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mathematical puzzle known as the Soma Cube, invented by Piet Hein. Readers of
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN from way back will no doubt recognize the influence from
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Martin Gardner's columns about the Soma Cube.
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BLOCKOUT is published by California Dreams and distributed by Electronic Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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