Amiga CD32

Captive II: Liberation

Godzock! At last, a tittle solely developed for the CD32, and you can tell. Great graphics, smart sound and a depth of play seldom achieved in computer games. If you own a CD32 buy this game, if you don't yet, then Liberation's certainly one to put the proverbial cat amongst the metaphorical pigeons.

This game is massive, and more to the point does not make you feel like you are being inevitably forced down a one way street to the solution. So what are the bad points? Well the graphics are not quite up to scratch, the range of colours used in particular being awful. But what really lets Liberation down is the awful control system. Not Liberation’s you understand, but the CD32’s. The joypad is just not designed for this kind of game. Fortunately, Liberation can be played with a mouse, you just plug it into the spare socket on the side of your CD32 and away you go. It makes your life so much easier, in fact I would say it was essential for full enjoyment of this quite staggering and original game.

It is a pleasant duty for me to tell you that as CD-based games go, this one is steaming along at a more than acceptable rate of knots. There is a ton of depth to it, enough to justify the not outrageously OTT price-tag (well done Mindscape for not cashing in on the CD format). And aside from the niggles about the controller, it must be said that Liberation makes a fine Captive 2. Yup, it is a goody.

The storyline will keep you hooked even when you feel you are stuck for what to do next. Even then you won't be stuck for too long – something will turn up, if not a clue then a hulking great cop droid intent on spilling your coolant. Liberation is a game and a half. It is long, deep and satisfying – a bit like a good cigar (what else did you think I meant?). In fact, the only question left on my mind is 'Will you marry me?'.

Tja, unbeschadet der genannten tiefschwarzen Flecken hat das englisch angeleitete Liberation also alles in allem doch wenigstens eine hellgraue Weste an – und ist für CD-Fans somit zweifellos eine nähere Bekanntschaft wert!

Grundidén i Liberation är bra, men spelet snubblar någonstans halvvägs och når inte riktigt fram till de riktigt höga betygen. Man kan nästan tro att tillverkarna tröttnade efter att de hade gjort introduktionen.