New look at invaders
A FAIRLY novel variation on the Space Invaders theme is Cosmic
Kidnap by Superior Software, in which you are the Autoguard in
sole charge of a space jail.
Your captives are the three most important aliens that ever
existed and your aim in life is to prevent your precious guests
from being rescued by their alien comrades.
The game is simple in concept. There's the normal laser base
(your blaster), which you can move left and right at will, dodging
between the shields. In the centre of the screen is the jail,
enclosing your charges.
The aliens steal in from the edges of the screen, rapidly removing
the building blocks of the jail, at the same time dropping bombs
on you.
If any alien gets to a captive and manages to remove him you
explode and lose a life - in addition to any you have lost by
being bombed.
At regular intervals the alien mothership zips across the top
of the screen. You hit it for bonus points.
My only criticism of the game is the ear-splitting shrill whistle
that the ship makes as it travels across the screen. It really
is oppressive, although I suppose if you got deeply involved with
the game you could ignore it after a while.
On clearing a screen you are met by a new swarm of aliens intent
on rescue, and in later stages additional enemies appear presenting
new problems.
If you think the Space Invader genre is dead, try this one.
It's an unusual version that kept my kids enthralled for hours.
Alan Sergeant
