Moby Dick

The Good
Moby Dick is a twist on Depthcharge, a game cloned by various arcade manufacturers under different names. It was quite an addictive game back at the time of release, with you controlling a ship which must “depth charge” passing submarines before times runs out. I reviewed a version of it for the Commodore 64 a while back, and it is very good.

Another company called PSS not only saw Gremlin’s game, but decided to add some interesting game mechanics. The ship moves from left to right on its own, and you can release the depth charges with the fire button, and move the joystick left or right to control the ship’s speed. Swimming alongside the submarines is Moby Dick. If you destroy this protected whale, its owner appears on the screen and rams you with his boat. As well as this, a helicopter flies overhead, dropping bombs at you. Destroy it and save its pilot for extra points.

On the title screen, the waves move at an insanely fast rate, but their movement slows down during the game. The subs also move at a much slower rate, making it easier for you to nuke them. All the sprites are drawn properly. The sonics are quite good, although the game lacks a sonar sound.

The Bad
There isn’t anything bad about this game.

The Bottom Line
Moby Dick is a good game and would appeal to people who like Commodore’s own version. There are a few noticeable differences between the two games, with added dangers and the lack of a time limit. Graphics and sound are quite good, and the game should be addictive enough.