007: Licence to Kill

Mr 'shaken but not stirred' is out to find the man who turned his ex-CIA chum Felix into shark food. On the PC two disks are provided, one CGA the other EGA. In EGA mode the game's very colourful, and sound - for the PC - is rather good, especially the 'alternative' (as it has been dubbed) Bond theme tune on the title page. It's a pity that it falters when the computer flicks between the high score table and title screen.

The Spectrum game - unsurprisingly monochromatic - has well defined sprites. All in all Licence to Kill is full of the action Bond fans have come to expect over the last 37 years of his active service.

Yeah, it's good. Not as good as Sean Connery, but better than George Lazenby. And it's streets ahead - towns, even - of Domarks previous Bond releases. As Q would say, "Now pay aitention. 007..." (Eh? Ed)

A nice plastic box but the free poster is titchy. The disk accessing between goes is annoying. Nicely detailed graphics, but not impressive for the Amiga. Slightly flat intro tune, adequate sound effects but no in-game music. A relatively easy first level draws you into the game. Six different levels, but once completed there is little incentive to play again. An excellent movie souvenir and a good game too.

On the CPC the scrolling's a little on the jerky side, and the porky sprites aren't quite so well defined as on other versions.

The 8-bit version of Licence to Kill comes complete with spectacular gun fire, explosions, and generally a better soundtrack than its Amiga counterpart. Also features the famous “following gun-sight” which opens every Bond film, and the game has an altogether “pacier” feel.

Domark seem to have fought shy of adding their own creative input. Witness the final sequence, where you pilot a crop-duster plane over a convoy of trucks. The skills required are identical to those for the previous aerial stunts. Licence to Kill is a tough game but it does lack variety. Which brings me to the final point. Licence to Kill is OK, but it is a game that rests on the laurels of its big name attraction. Pretty to look at, it has a high energy Bond-style soundtrack interspersed by acres of noisy playing time with machine gun fire. Licence to Kill is worth it if you want an average game and you like the film; otherwise I would say that this is pretty standard fare. No Oscars for this licence, I am afraid.

Lo Spectrum si comporta bene difronte a questo tie-in e in fondo le situazioni più interessanti del film le trovate tutte.

It is easy to say that with Domark’s monopoly on the Bond series, it does not so much have a licence to kill but a licence to make a killing. To be fair, Domark now seem to be relying not so much on hype but more on decent coding to sell its wares. Gameplay has improved to the point where the nostalgic among you mentally intone “I think I got the point” in a fake Scottish accent as a baddie gets harpooned. A definite improvement on earlier tragedies.

Game is surely worth a try. Actually, if you want to try it, then you should finish it. Various levels will be interesting to every action fan and, off course, any Bond fan. Unfortunately, after you finish it, you'll hardly want to play it again (which is not the case in other versions), especially if you are experienced action player. So, this game can't get more than 2 out of 5. If it is a bit harder, it would be at least average if not a very good action game like other versions.