ZX Spectrum

R-Type

I did have my doubts about the Spectrum version of R-Type, but Electric Dreams has coped admirably, and the end result is fantastic!

So it's arrived. The Spectrum conversion of one of the arcade's best looking coin-ops. Well it was bound to be disappointment wasn't it? But wait a minute, what's this? Colourful, well-drawn sprites in an absolute orgy of violent action, that's what! Okay, so there's quite a bit of colour clash, and sometimes it's hard to see what's happening, but all the same R-Type is amazingly playable and deviously addictive. The stunning range of weapons featured on the coin-op is available here too, preserving the coin-op's strategic aspects. After collecting a few extra weapons, your ship becomes an absolute fortress of weaponry with heat-seeking rockets, lasers and plasma bolts. And believe me you need all the armaments you can get to combat the constant barrage of varied, multi-coloured enemies. As for the massive, end-of-level monsters... All these features go to make R-Type a truly excellent and challenging shoot-'em-up.

Making excellent use of the host machine, this version is a sight to see with its incredible use of colour, minimal attribute clash, masses of aliens to blast and frantic gameplay. A small point for complaint is the slow scrolling - hardly noticeable as you are too busy killing and avoiding. This game blows away almost other shoot-'em-up on the Spectrum to date.