Galaxy

The Good
If you were around in the late Seventies and made a trip to the arcades, chances were that you would stumble across a game called Namco’s popular shooter called Galaxian. It was a game where you have to shoot aliens and motherships that swoop down at you. It was so popular that a few years later, its sequel Galaga was released, containing all the features that made the original great while adding new features, with the most important one being the aliens' ability to unleash a tractor beam that will suck your ship up if you go anywhere near it.

While the game got official ports to home consoles, Namco was not interested in catering to early 8-bit computers such as the Apple II or Commodore 64, so it was up to the task of companies such as Kingsoft to deliver an excellent clone of the game that will keep players glued to their TV screens. Kingsoft’s attempt was called Galaxy, and it is indeed excellent. It may not feature an attract mode, but at least it displays the score advance table and gives you the option of selecting the number of players and the control scheme.

The front cover is well designed. I like the way the name of the system is designed like the Anirog logo. The back cover contains the story and the instructions on controlling the game. Galaxy can be played by either joystick or keyboard, with two sets of controls for the latter. Like most early C-64 games, I find it much easier to use the joystick.

Upon starting the game, the screen is divided into two sections, with the first reserved for the necessary readouts. The restricted playing area is on par with the vertical display of its arcade parent, and your ship is well designed. The aliens that appear before you remind me of those flying insects I have in my garden. Sound-wise, a single beep indicates the start of the stage, while four indicates a bonus stage. The lasers, tractor beam, and the swoop sound are great. I like the way there are multiple swoop sounds of different pitches; it’s like music.

The Bad
Nothing is bad about this game.

The Bottom Line
Galaxy is a perfect clone of Namco's arcade game, complete with great graphics and sound. When it comes to the gameplay, it is even faithful. Definitely one for shoot-em-up fans.