• Sega £24.95

I've become a big Vigilante fan since the PC Engine version arrived in the offices last month — and I've been awaiting the Sega version with anticipation. However, when I finally played it I came away with mixed feelings.

If you didn't read last month's C + VG (naughty, naughty), you won't know that Vigilante is a five-level horizontally scrolling beat 'em up in the same mould as the ageing arcade game, Kung-Fu Master. The objective is to walk through each level, kicking and punching a variety of thugs and the big end-of-level baddies, and rescue your girlfriend Madonna, who is bound to a crane on the final screen.

If you manage to beat the aptly-named Mr Big on the last level, you can rescue her — fail, and she's doomed.

The arcade game is one of the fastest beat 'em ups around, but unfortunately the Sega version has speed restrictions. The controls are sluggish, which makes the game quite tricky, and the collision detection is very finnicky — sometimes your kicks and punches seem to go through opponents, which causes immense frustration.

A flaw, which incidentally also applies to the PC Engine version, is that it's too easy. There's a continue option, which means you can easily go all the way through the game — I did on my first go!

Vigilante is nonetheless an enjoyable game — it's just a shame that it's marred. The graphics are pretty good — the backdrops are colourful and the sprites are nicely detailed, if a bit flickery at times, and the soundtrack is a note-for-note rendition of the aracade music.

Fans of arcade violence should enjoy Vigilante — but I don't think it'll appeal to anyone else.

JULIAN RIGNALL

GRAPHICS

81%

SOUND

81%

VALUE

57%

PLAYABILITY

69%

OVERALL

67%

Rating

67

Reviewer

CVG magazine

Region

UK

Scans

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