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Unfortunately,
Zim Sala Bim, though a brave attempt, was really
pretty dull fare for most adventurers. The parser was
rather limited and the vocabulary wasn't exactly enormous.
Now, Melbourne have once again attempted to break new
ground with a program that claims to be an 'original
comic strip adventure'.
Well,
it's certainly different. There are three picture windows
at the top of the screen, across which comic strip style
graphics flash from right to left. A new development
is pictured in the right hand frame, and then when something
else happens, the picture shunts along one frame to
the left and a new picture takes its place.
What
actually happens depends, of course, on you. You enter
your commands at the bottom of the screen and, if they're
acceptable, the hero carries out your instructions.
The plot is pretty standard comic-strip fare. Kevin
(alias Redhawk) awakes in hospital to find that by saying
the word 'KWAH!' he can instantly change into his superhero
alter-ego, and then fly about the place apprehending
baddies.
There
is a slight strategy element to the program, in that
Kevin must maintain his popularity rating by doing good
deeds, otherwise useful people (like the police) won't
cooperate with him. You also have to keep up your money
supply and your energy rating. The latter diminishes
rapidly while you are in super-hero mode, otherwise
things would really be too easy.
Redhawk
is a better game on the Commodore than on most of
the other micros I've seen it on. The pictures draw
quite quickly and the colour selections are quite attractive.
However, the appearance of the game doesn't really compensate
for the program's main weaknesses. There are a limited
number of things to do (despite an apparently sophisticated
parser), a limited vocabulary, and a limited number
of locations.
The
game is played in 'real-time' with a clock on-screen,
and the main objective is to stop an arch-baddy from
blowing up the city. However, despite the attractions
of your super-hero opponents and the occasional thrill
of arresting a mugger in the park, the Wiz couldn't
get worked up about the game. The fact of the matter
is that comics are popular because they have excellent
pictures and a good script -- Redhawk has only
mediocre helpings of both.
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