[{"TitleName":"Laser Zone","Publisher":"Quicksilva Ltd","Author":"Chris Clark, Jeff Minter","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0002817","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 3, Apr 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-03-16","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":128,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nEditorial [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studio, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Plymouth Web Offset Ltd, [redacted].\r\nDistribution by Comag, [redacted]\r\nAdditional setting and process work by The Tortoise Shell Press, [redacted].\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH MICRO unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Quicksilva/Salamander\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £6.95\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: Jeff Minter (of Llamasoft)\r\n\r\nLaser Zone is an insanely fast shoot em up with a difference. This is more of a shoot em up 'n' across. Instead of the usual left/right moving laser base at the bottom of the screen you have, in addition, a vertical laser base on the right hand side of the screen as well. Both bases are controlled independently although there is only one fire control for both.\r\n\r\nBecause this is an exceptionally fast game, a training mode has been provided, which allows you to get the hang of firing without being attacked. It's a bit like one of those tricks where you have to pat the top of your head with one hand and rub your stomach at the same time with the other - not easy!\r\n\r\nThe assaults come in attack waves (a time-honoured tradition with aliens), and should any of the various aliens reach either laser base axis, they will simply crawl along until they reach a base and that's one life gone. Later assaults contain pods which form on the screen and stay there a short while. When these blow up, any laser base opposite will be destroyed. Some alien ships will swoop down and then sideways along an axis, and the only way to deal with them is to fire diagonally from the unthreatened laser whilst avoiding shooting yourself! Electro bolts may be fired along the cannon tracks to destroy landed aliens, but there are only three with another gained for each wave destroyed.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Q/W = left/right, 0/O = up/down, SHIFT or SPACE = fire, X or M = electro bolts\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Sinclair 2\r\nKeyboard play: fast and responsive\r\nColour reasonable\r\nGraphics: good, although quite small\r\nSound: good\r\nSkill levels: a massive 32!\r\nLives: 5\r\nFeatures: Individual or cooperative firing, 1 or 2 players","ReviewerComments":["Firing diagonally takes quite a bit of practice before you get the hang of it, and I'm afraid you need to do it constantly! The graphics are fairly simple yet smooth and the game is a highly original one. It's highly addictive, and makes an excellent two-player 'co-operation' game. It's the originality and simplicity of idea which makes it an excellent game. I hope Jeff Minter does more software for the Spectrum, his games being in the main, very addictive.\r\r\nUnknown","For players who like shoot em ups and have become bored by the usual 'Galaxian' or 'Phoenix' format, this game should prove a winner. The very speed of play makes it difficult to master, before one even goes on to talk about controlling two different lasers at once. The keys are a bit of a handful, no doubt why the two-player working together facility is included. It obviously won't appeal to those who prefer a slower or more contemplative game, but it blew my mind!\r\r\nUnknown","This game offers lots of combinations for defending yourself, like the laser bases can 'wrap around' to escape landed aliens for a little longer while the other base tries to pick them off - but is there the time to think and act? The sequence between lives is perhaps a little too long, although after a few hours playing you become grateful for the break! If you like shoot em up games, this is triff.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Very good, highly addictive for shoot em up fans.","Page":"20","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Laser Zone - insanely fast, pure arcade action shoot em up and across."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"72%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"94%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"81%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 26, May 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-19","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nManaging Production Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nProgram Reviewer: June Mortimer\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Brian King\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nProduction Assistant: Dezi Epaminondou\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nManaging Editor: Nigel Clark\r\nAssistant Managing Director: Barry Hazel\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User and Programs\r\nECC Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe will pay £10 for the copyright of each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1984\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nPrinted and typeset by Cradley Print PLC, [redacted]\r\n\r\nDistributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, [redacted]"},"MainText":"MINTER QUALITY\r\n\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nPrice: £6.95\r\nJoystick: Interface Two, Kempston\r\n\r\nSoftware written for other machines usually loses some of its essence in translation to another machine. That is not true, however, of Laser Zone for the Spectrum. It is by Jeff Minter and was written originally for the Commodore machines.\r\n\r\nThe game revolves around a grid, called a zone, on which are mounted two laser turrets - one on the X axis and one on the Y. They can be used by one or two players to kill the exotic aliens which stream across from the left-hand side of the screen.\r\n\r\nThe laser turrets are powerful but on the higher skill levels you must watch for random laser bolts which flash across the screen.\r\n\r\nThe game is enjoyable and extremely addictive. The graphics may not be so good as on the more powerful machines which support sprites, but it is essential for any arcade fan who wants something different to fire at for a change.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"33","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]