Amiga

Infestation

There are some places in the universe that you don't go alone. Acheron is one, Xelos is another. Over four billion light years from Earth, this moon has been colonized so scientists can study CS.D3a - an ice-covered world they suspect has intelligent life lurking below. Contact, it seems, has been made and aliens detected within the Alpha II research colony. The last message from Xelos was a frantic plea for help. Many have been murdered, some by the malfunctioning automatic defence systems, and eggs laid throughout the base...

What? No ‘free’ T-shirt? Oh well, with a game this good who needs a T-shirt? Infestation is all about a small space colony that has been invaded and destroyed by a band of marauding aliens. You, Captain KAL SOLAR (to be pronounced in a big booming voice) have to travel alone to the colony, get inside the underground system, seek out the eggs, destroy them and then atomise the planet by setting the nuclear power source to critical mass. Well, there is no harm in making sure none of the nasty little critters get away, is there? What is a mere planet in this day and age?

Ever since Aliens hit the scene there has been a whole host of games featuring races of Extra Terrestrial beings that hatch from eggs to take over the universe. Even those that do not stick to the original plot have graphics inspired by Giger’s eldritch creations. Infestation draws its inspiration from the film in both claustrophobic atmosphere and storyline, telling of research station Alpha II on the moon of Xelos.

Infestation lack originality in both design and execution, but this has little bearing on the content and value of this exciting arcade adventure. A lone, brave soldier tentatively exploring unfamiliar territory, knowing that there're foul aliens hiding somewhere in the shadows, maybe just around the next corner, is an old idea. An arcade adventure giving first-person perspective in 3-D, with things to shoot and objects to collect and use, is an old idea. But in Infestation, the plot, graphics and gameplay form a cohesive, quality product of high entertainment value.

Very Alien-esque atmosphere. Watch that blood pressure rise! Harder to get into than an Ingmar Bergman film. Persevere and you'll find a pretty top-notch 3D adventure.

Das Spielprinzip ist so reizvoll wie das Liebesspiel der afghanischen Termite im Morgentau. Das Ganze findet in halbwegs flotter 3D-Grafik statt, aber spannend wird dieser Aliens-Aufguß dadurch nicht. Die bösen Insekten sehen zudem recht lachhaft aus: Statt Grusel regiert Langeweile.