Hydra

Tengen did a great job with this game. The graphics are very clean and fluid. The control of your boat takes a long time to get used to, but it can be mastered. This game should keep almost anyone busy. Check this one out before you buy it, though.

Hydra is a fun twist on boat racing. If the idea of having to constantly steer for power-ups annoys you, then it's not for you. But if you're an action game fan and are interested in the premise, it will reward you for your purchase.

Hydra is a good game, based off the arcade I believe. It's not terrible addictive, but provides some fun. No ComLynxing with this one.

I've seen quite a few boat games in the same ilk as this and none of them has managed to impress me, or anyone else. On an initial inspection the game is quite nice with fairly nice graphics (even if they are a bit repetitive) and quite good sound, but when it comes down to it the gameplay leaves more than just a little to be desired. It becomes boring very quickly and there is hardly any variety to the product. Hydra isn't one of Domark's better games, and not one I would recommend.

A fun racing shoot-'em-up but the constant fuel shortage soon bumps up the annoyance gauge

Actionlastige Bootsrennen gibt's nicht allzu viele. Hydra schließt die Lücke auf dem Lynx. Ihr steuert Euren Flitzer durch Amerikas Wasserstraßen; eine heiße Fracht an Bord, eine Laserkanone am Bug. Hindernisse werden weggeballert, Extras eingesammelt.

The graphics look as though they're only half finished (if that) and are pretty jerky. All the sprites are blurry and indistinct (except for your boat up at the front of the screen), and there's no attempt to reproduce any kind of river effect. (In fact, it may as well be a road - Hydra plays very much like a cruddy version of Roadblasters.) As for any sense of speed and danger, well, that really is in short supply. The game seems to end when you run out of fuel which means it hasn't got the edge to keep you really involved, and certainly the first couple of levels are a cinch to get through. Nope, there's simply nothing to recommend Hydra. For all it cares, it may as well have come out in 1985. (And the Speccy's progressed an awful long way since then.) So, er, let's just keep our fingers crossed for Thunderjaws, eh?

Unfortunately, this lacking conversion simply doesn't deliver. The graphics look like grainy replicas of the arcade original and seem quite pleasing in static screenshots but slow, jerky 3D scrolling completely ruins the effect. The sound isn't bad, but Matt Furniss' tunes are pretty uninspiring and the sound effects stunningly mediocre. If you're a fan of the coin-op check it out, but in my view buying this is equivalent to flushing 25 notes straight down the loo

"Hydra" kann spielerisch auf Dauer nicht überzeugen. Das Boot ruckelt und zuckelt recht langsam über den Bildschirm. Kein Wunder, daß bei so einem lahmen Kahn die Gegner ständig die Oberhand behalten. Die Kollisionsabfrage hätte ungenauer nicht seien können: Ausweichen ist reine Glücksache. Die im Hintergrund auftauchenden Gegner sind erst im letzten Moment von den wichtigen Energiekristallen zu unterscheiden: Einmal falsch gesteuert und die Hydra ist hin. Bis auf wechselnde Hintergrundgrafiken ähneln sich die Missionen wie ein Ei dem anderen. Eine Automatenumsetzung mehr, die enttäuscht.

Although technically impressive, Hydra does stumble in the gameplay department. First, you need to hold the control pad down to accelerate, which is more than a little awkward. And then there's a problem with the difficulty. I could play the easy skill level all day, but the medium difficulty is terribly frustrating, with hard-to-avoid missiles and a fuel tank that always seems to be on empty. When all is said and done, it's pretty much a wash. I did find it amusing that the hero's close-up image looks exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger with a mullet haircut.

Unfortunately, this lacking conversion simply doesn't deliver. The graphics look like grainy replicas of the arcade original and seem quite pleasing in static screenshots but slow, jerky 3D scrolling completely ruins the effect. The sound isn't bad, but Matt Furniss' tunes are pretty uninspiring and the sound effects stunningly mediocre. If you're a fan of the coin-op check it out, but in my view buying this is equivalent to flushing 25 notes straight down the loo

Un shoot-them-up qui ne restera pas dans les annales.