Death Star

The Good
If you saw the first “Star Wars” film, you probably would have remembered the infamous trench battle that took place at the end of the movie. Now, courtesy of Rabbit, you get to relive the experience. A pseudo 3D-shooter, Death Star is a refreshing change from the inferior arcade knock-offs the company had put out in the past.

Nine levels feature in this game, all of them selectable from the options screen. No matter which one you select, the object is the same: guide your Ford Prefect 2174 down the trench, shooting Quasar Star Fighters that approach you. Some of them fire plasma shots at you, which you need to avoid. If you’re unfortunate enough to get in the way, you lose one of your three ships. The level you select determines the speed the Fighters travel at. If the level is set at one, the Fighters will move slowly down the trench. The ninth level causes them to reach their maximum speed.

The FP2174 is able to move in all directions, but cannot touch the sides of the trench or move too close to the floor. A nice touch to the game is the shadow below the ship, which you can use to determine whether you are too close to the sides. Touching any side will also result in a loss of life, and the game ends when all lives are lost.

Unlike Rabbit’s early offerings, the title screen is colorful, showing a smooth animation of one of the Fighters zooming past Earth. This is accompanied with some nice organ music. As far as the actual game is concerned, I like the way it opens up; you touch down on the Death Star and lightning bolts give way to the FP2174, which is massive compared to the Fighters. It’s nice that it is more detailed than the Fighters, which have the same color. The trench itself is not totally gray; black lines located on the floor start small from the horizon, but get larger as they approach you. Finally, stars that serve as the background give the illusion that you are fighting somewhere in space.

The Bad
Everything on the screen remains the same size regardless of its position. The Fighters could have started small when they first appear at the end of the trench, but get bigger as they come down toward you. Likewise, the shadow under your ship could have gotten smaller when you are close to the floor, but get bigger when you move farther away from it. Also, the Fighters are able to travel down the sides of the trench, but you can’t?

The Bottom Line
If you fancy yourself going down a trench battling Star Fighters, this is your opportunity. Sound-wise, the organ music on the title screen is excellent and the sound effects are your standard battle sounds. As far as the graphics are concerned, the title screen looks excellent, but the rest of the game could have been better. The repetitive gameplay and lack of variety meant that I put this game back down after a few goes.