[{"TitleName":"ACE 2088","Publisher":"Cascade Games Ltd","Author":"Alan Z. Jones, Andrew Tuley, Damon Redmond, John Cassells, Nigel Pritchard, Sean Conran","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0000061","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 64, May 1989","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1989-04-27","Editor":"Stuart Wynne","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Stuart Wynne\r\nAssistant Editor: Phil King\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nContributors: Ian Cull, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Paul Evans, Robin Hogg, Ian Lacey\r\nEditorial Assistants: Caroline Blake, Vivienne Vickress\r\nEditorial Consultant: Dominic Handy\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nSenior Designer/Illustrator: Wayne Allen\r\nDesigners: Melvin Fisher, Yvonne Priest\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nProduction: Robert Hamilton, Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Oliver Frey\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Director: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nSales Executives: Sarah Chapman, Lee Watkins\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\nGroup Productions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group. Distribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop the Sticky Solutions Department a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1989\r\n\r\nISSN 0954-8661\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Cascade\r\nAndrew Tuley\r\n£9.95\r\n\r\nOkay, okay, I know long-winded intros aren't usually tolerated these days in the hallowed halls of CRASH, but stay with me - this is very interesting (alright it isn't but it's necessary, so there!). Man has come a long way from his first faltering steps on Earth's moon, and he has now colonised several galaxies. One of these, M1771, has been attacked by some very unfriendly neighbours. But Jason and Kylie aren't among them - these are horrible, yukky, slimey little swines who enjoy destroying all of Humanity's achievements. (Hmm... then again maybe they are!)\r\n\r\nI'm the skipper of a battered old pace ship called Deliverance. It's my job to travel around star systems destroying alien invaders. For this the Deliverance was originally equipped with seven Ziegler II Assault Craft, but after numerous dogfights there's just three now. The ZAC's aren't as fast or manoeuvrable as enemy craft, but thankfully have far superior weapons. They are capable of carrying eight 'fire and forget' missiles, four fusion bombs, an anti-matter torpedo system and enough shielding to withstand the sort of treatment the like of Mike Smith would give it!\r\n\r\nSelecting and warping to one of 32 star systems, I can see at a glance which planets are friendly and which are hostile. It is down to these alien-infested ones that I must fly a fighter to bomb a variety of targets. Of course the resident meanies aren't going to welcome me with open tentacles: a decidedly unwelcome welcoming committee rises from the planet to greet me. But with a combination of lasers, torpedoes and missiles I show the swines who's boss.\r\n\r\nOnce a planet is within sight, the onboard computers take over control of the craft. This is to ensure I have a fair chance of avoiding land-based laser emplacements. It's then on with the bomb-aiming sights to deliver a message from mankind that the alien scum will never forget. When all of the targets on a planet have been destroyed, the fighter automatically returns to the Deliverance. There are 118 colonies to rescue, so go to it hero!\r\n\r\nAce 2088 is certainly easier to play than Cascade's last offering, DNA Warrior (reviewed last ish). Sadly it's too damn easy: after a couple of goes to familiarise myself with the controls, my third game convinced me that it was child's play to destroy both the attacking enemy aircraft and bases. Indeed this game lasted for well over half an hour, selecting a star system, warping to a planet, knocking the crap out of aliens and so on, and I quickly found myself getting bored stiff. Why can't Cascade games be like their Liz Sandey, their PR girlie (ie lively and interesting)? Ace 2088 is for inexperienced joystick wreckers only I'm afraid.\r\n\r\nMARK 53%","ReviewerComments":["Ace 2088 is a very slickly produced and attractive game to play. The graphics are all very nice to look at but there is one glaringly huge and infernally annoying problem; the game is terribly boring! Liberating systems of planets from the yoke of evil oppressors has a distinctive appeal, but unfortunately it's all so easy thanks that the initial playability wears off after three or four hours. Once the game gets about through it has very little appeal…\r\nMike Dunn\r\n58%"],"OverallSummary":"Pretty and well programmed, but the basic game concept is lacking.","Page":"18","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"53","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"58","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"A trio of aliens swoop in for a close encounter of the unfriendly kind."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"47%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"56%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]