115 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
115 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
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TETRIS
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Detente lives! At least in the form of Spectrum HoloByte's TETRIS (The Soviet
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Challenge). TETRIS, which has been described as the "Rubik's Cube" of computer
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games, is brought to us through the combined efforts of AcademySoft in Moscow,
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Andromeda Software Ltd. in London, and Spectrum HoloByte in the USA. This review
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is based on the Macintosh version; Apple II/IIgs and Atari ST version notes
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follow.
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One might very well suspect our Russian comrades of ulterior motives in
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releasing this game to the West, because its addictive properties were enough to
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make my brother forgo his weekly fix of "L.A. Law" in an effort to beat my high
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score. Quick fingers and a quick mind are required to succeed at TETRIS.
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You could call TETRIS something of an animated jigsaw puzzle, but it's much
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more than that. The parts of the puzzle are little four-square pieces that range
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in size and shape from 2x2 squares, to 1x4 rectangles, to more complicated
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configurations. As the game begins, these pieces fall from the top of the
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screen, one by one. Before they reach bottom, you must manipulate them so that
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they interlock without leaving any gaps. Using the keyboard, you can rotate the
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pieces and move them to the left or right in an attempt to fill the remaining
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gaps.
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Whenever you succeed in filling an entire row without gaps, that row drops off
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the bottom of the screen. As soon as you have completed a certain number of
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rows, you advance to the next level. Should you fail to fill any rows properly
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(or fail to fill them quickly enough), the pieces will continue to descend until
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there's no space left on the screen for new pieces to fit. At this point, the
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game ends.
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As you see, the premise of the game is fairly simple, but this rather dry
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description fails to convey the true tension and challenge of the game. As your
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level increases, so does the speed at which the pieces fall. By the 10th level,
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you're pretty much at a loss, unless you have the manual dexterity of a
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professional pianist. Speaking of music, the Russian folk tunes and compositions
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that accompany each level are incredibly well done. (Listen to them through an
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external speaker to fully appreciate the music!) As your speed increases, so
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does the tempo, which definitely adds to the fast and furious pace of the last
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few levels.
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The background graphics are painstakingly detailed, and a wonder to behold on
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the Mac II's color screen; even on a plain Mac Plus they're terrific. The
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alternating scenes depict various aspects of Russian life, from farming and
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hockey to the manned space launches.
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There are a number of game options that offer more challenging variations, such
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as Advanced Mode, and the ability to increase the number of rows present on the
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opening screen. In addition, there's a Tournament Mode, in which the computer
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keeps track of the exact sequence of falling shapes so that each competitor can
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play under equal conditions, with the exact same pieces.
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The game package also includes a TETRIS desk accessory. Although the DA lacks
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sound, background graphics, and a few other features, the puzzle is identical in
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all other respects. Now you can play a quick game of TETRIS while...ahh, waiting
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for your...um, spreadsheet to...uh, let's see...recalc! (Yeah, that's the
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ticket.)
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During gameplay itself, I could detect no bugs. However, there were a few times
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when the scoreboard would "forget" certain high scores I had previously entered.
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I tried to get Spectrum HoloByte to comment on the anomaly, but as of this
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writing, they hadn't responded. This is a rather minor problem, though, and it
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doesn't in any way interfere with my enjoyment of the program.
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TETRIS is a great game for anyone who enjoys addictive puzzles, excellent
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graphics, fast-paced arcade action, and Russian music -- not necessarily in that
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order!
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APPLE II AND IIGS VERSION NOTES
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Spectrum HoloByte was extremely considerate: They included versions of TETRIS
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for all Apple II series computers in one package. The 5-1/4" disk comes with a
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hi-res version for the old II and II+, and a double-hi-res version for the 128K
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IIe and IIc. The 3-1/2" version is for the IIgs.
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The lower resolution versions lack sound; otherwise, all Apple versions play
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exactly like the Macintosh program, with one addition: You can use a joystic
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Personally, I preferred the keyboard.
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TETRIS on the IIgs makes me glad I have my computer. Wonderful music, superb
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background pictures, and adherence to "human interface" standards result in an
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outstanding game -- it's addicting!
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A word of caution: The IIgs version I received had some bugs. The game wouldn't
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support desk accessories, occasionally crashed when "Quit" was selected, and
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crashed spectacularly when the Tournament option was engaged. One other
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difference: There is no TETRIS Desk Accessory in this version.
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Overall, this game is as good on a IIgs as on a Macintosh (in my humble
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opinion). Give it a 9 out of 10 and a permanent place on my hard drive --
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especially since it's not copy-protected!
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ATARI ST VERSION NOTES
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Although the Atari ST version of TETRIS differs in minor ways from other
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versions, one thing remains unchanged: the game itself. The Russian music and
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the graphic pictures of Soviet life are fine, but are so completely unnecessary
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that they vanish. All that matters is TETRIS, which is one of the most addictive
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puzzles you're going to find...in any country. The game is so incredibly easy to
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grasp and becomes such an obsession, that it simply _must_ be a subversive trick
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of _glasnost_.
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There is no desk accessory in the ST version, and the disks are File and
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Options Menus, which can be effected with keystrokes. The keystrokes needed to
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control the game are but a handful, and they work perfectly.
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The ST version runs on any ST with 512K (including the Mega series) and a color
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monitor. A second disk drive is supported. Although the bells and whistles are
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useful for nothing more than a price increase, ST owners cannot afford to bypass
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TETRIS. It's too good to miss.
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TETRIS is published and distributed by Spectrum HoloByte.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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