Are Ricky and Mary the new top pop sensation? Well, they’ve been known to have a bash on the Karaoke now and again but their day job sees them rescuing hostages from alien-infested ships!

Just like Sonny and Cher, Peters and Lee and Simon and Garfunkel, Ricky and Mary are crap singers! Which is probably why they went into the rescuing business! And boy is business booming!

Four ships and their occupants need your services. You’d better get to it quick ‘cos their lives are in real danger, thanks to an alarming increase in the alien population! Choose tricky Ricky or (airy Mary and blast off!

To help guide you on your way, call up the map to locate the hapless hostages. And if your puny pistol ain’t enough, weapons pods containing a variety of guns and things are found on the spaceships’ walls!

Aliens home in on you and chase you round the ship, slowing you down and leaving little time to do your job before the ship explodes.

Oh, didn’t we tell you? The ships are wired up ready to blow so you’d better be quick or there’s no more Sunday morning football for you!

Ade sighs... ‘THE FIRST LEVELS EASY’

Phew! I Advance Played this ages ago, In Issue 6. It’s starting to show its age but nevertheless its fun to play.

Graphically, Alien Syndrome’s above average. The two main characters are well drawn and move at quite a pace. The aliens themselves are pretty basic, but there’s plenty of variety so who’s complaining? The theme tunes are nothing Richard Clayderman would be envious of but add a certain amount of atmosphere.

Gameplay isn’t altogether tricky at the start — the continues see to that. The first level’s a bit of a doddle and as there aren’t many stages, this is another GG release you could finish in a couple of days. However, it makes a change from the usual shoot-’em-up fodder.

I’m sitting on the fence as far as Alien Syndrome’s concerned. For all its good points, there are plenty of downers to balance them out. Think carefully before buying.

ADE 75%

Paul grins... ‘NOT BAD AT ALL!’

Flippin’ aliens! Give ‘em an inch and they take a galaxy! It’s a good job Alien Syndrome lets you get your own back — and in some style, I might add.

This old blast-’em-cum-flnd-’em has done the rounds and finally come to rest on the GG. The graphics are nice, big and clear, and it’s one of the few GG games that has speed without the all-too familiar blur. The sound’s a bit farty but does its lob.

The time limit gets you rushing around the levels looking for your hostages and really panicking! The aliens are semi-Intelligent and pose a challenge, especially on later levels.

Moans? Only four levels means lastablllty takes a nose dive, but the difficulty level means it’s not a total pushover. A two-player game via the datalink socket would’ve been nice.

But all in all, not bad at all. And it’s one in the eye for those smart-arse aliens!

PAUL 83%

SF Rating

Presentation

71% - Nice title screen, no options but you can play Ricky or Mary

Visuals

74% - Nice throughout, colourful levels and disgusting aliens, especially the end-of-level bosses

Sonics

68% - Adequate FX and tune, though they can sound bloody awful when mixed together

Playability

79% - Simple controls and gameplay make this very accessible!

Lastability

72% - Only four levels - accomplished gamesplayers will find it easy. Level bosses are no pushovers!

79%

Good Game Gear release, showing off the machine’s capabilities

Producer

Sega

MD

n/a

MS

n/a

Memory

128K

Players

1

Price

£29.99

Rating

79

Reviewer

Sega Force magazine

Region

UK

Scans

Sega Force - Issue 13