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S the Sega Magazine - Issue 03 - United Kingdom Magazine

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Region of origin	United Kingdom
Scan of	Magazine
Typical Dimensions	1024×1287
Average File Size	205KB
Contributor	BKK
Languages	1: English

See full-resolution scans at http://segaretro.org/File:StheSegaMagazine_UK_03.pdf

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S

THE SEGA MAG

100% DEDICATED TO BRITAIN'S BEST-SELLING CONSOLE

ISSUE 3

February 1990

£1.25

GALAXY FORCE

THE COIN-OP MEGABLAST!

PLUS Psycho Fox - The best game ever made for the Master System?

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BEEP!

Ohhh, Isn't life dull.

What we need is a Sega...

That's a games console.

Plug me in and things will really liven up.

You can get loads of Sega games like "Outrun," "Double Dragon," "Shinobi," "Ghostbusters."

And you can buy extra bits like these... 3D. You look weird.

OK? Do us a favour. PLug me into a Sega.

Now let's resume notmal service shall we? Ill get back to sleep.

"DO ME A FAVOUR... PLUG ME INTO A SEGA®"

SEGA® from Virgin

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM R.R.P. £79.95 SEGA GAMES FROM R.R.P. £14.95

DISTRIBUTED BY VIRGIN MASTERONIC LIMITED, VERNON YARD, PORTOBELLO ROAD, LONDON W11 2DX. TELEPHONE 01-727 8070

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INSIDE

Welcoemm to 1990 and the third issue of S. Hopefully, you've still got some of that Christmas cash handy, because we've got some real corkers for you this month! In fact the Master System is really coming into its own as THE games machine in terms of good games available, and numbers of units in the country.

Things are definitely hotting up on the Sega front, with mammoth pre-Christmas sales across Europe, and plenty of hot product Just waiting to be released. With the imminent release of the Mega Drive, 1990 looks all set to be the year of the Sega. And S is there all the way - so stay tuned!

Enjoy the issue

Steve J

The Big Reviews

4 - PSYCHO FOX

Catch our mega three-page review of this amazing platform game. Mario - move over!

(Image caption) Psycho Fox springs into action!

8 - DEAD ANGLE

Play CIA agent in this conversion of Fabtek's arcade shoot 'em up.

12 - GALAXY FORCE

Sega's huge coinop gets the Master System treatment - and it's a good 'un!

(Image caption) Get to grips with Galaxy Force!

18 - DYNAMITE DUX

Meet Michael Bin: he's blue, feathery and packs a meaty punch!

20 - BASKETBALL NIGHTMARE

Sporting action with an unusual twist. Time to comb your face, sharpen your fangs and make like the Harlem Globetrotters!

GamePlay

24 - A LITTLE BIT OF SLY HELP

Sylvester slithers into action again to conclude his Phantasy Star players' guide, and offer some winning tips on SEVEN of your favourite carts!

29 - SLY HIGH SCORES

If you fancy a challenge, why not take on some of the high-scoring heroes in Sly's hall of fame!

Specials

22 - ESWAT PLAYERS' GUIDE

Tony Takoushi gets to grip with Sega's Cyber Police and provides you with the results of his arcade experience.

Regulars

7 - WHAT'S HAPPENIN'

News from around the world of Sega: what's happened, what's going on and what to look forward to!

10 - SCRIBBLINGS

More questions and answers on all things Sega, plus another bargain basement batch of readers' ads.

14 - SEGA CLUB

Info, offers and TT's challenge - especially for all you hardcore Sega supporters.

30 - SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

The easiest way of getting hold of S each month!

ISSUE 3 FEBRUARY 1990

EDITOR

Steve Jarratt

ART EDITOR

Sally Meddings

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Tony Takoushi

ILLUSTRATOR

Wayne Allen

PUBLISHER

Chris Anderson

All enquiries and correspondence should be addressed to:
S The Sega Mag
Future Publishing Ltd., Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2AP PRINTERS Redwood Burn Ltd., Melksham, Wilts

COVER ILLUSTRATION

Jeremy Pyke

MANY THANKS

to Harry and Simon

This magazine is a fully independent publication. The views expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of Sega Enterprises Ltd., nor of Virgin Mastertronic, their UK distributors.

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GAME TEST

PSYCHO FOX

This quick brown fox Jumps, runs and punches!

If you ain't ever heard of software company Aimo, join the club! However, you might well look out for the name from now on, since they have just produced one of the best games for the Master System - ever! Based upon the jovial exploits of a small fox and his split personalities, the game takes you on a journey across seven strange landscapes, which the fox has to negotiate on his way to coming muzzle-to-muzzle with the evil Psycho Fox himself!

Each landscape is made up of three separate levels, whose scenery consists of multilevel platforms, chasms, slides, conveyor belts and collapsible bridges to trap the unwitting fox, while a variety of crawling, bouncing and flying enemies patrol the landscape.

You have to guide the fox through each level as he runs and jumps from platform to platform, aided by bouncy bumpers, air-jets and springy flagpoles which catapult the poor animal through the air.

You have to take care, though, for if the fox falls into a river or spiked pit, or touches an enemy creature, then it's back to the start of the level. When the fox loses his third and last life, a continue option allows you to carry on from the last level you made it to.

The fox's main means of defence comes in his amazingly un-vulpine ability to punch, plus his bosom buddy, a small black bird (looking like a cross between a penguin and an owl), who rides on the fox's back and gets hurled at any oncoming enemies. There's a brief pause while the dazed bird gets his act together, then he whizzes back to the fox like some feathered boomerang!

Extra assistance comes in the shape of shields, smart-bombs and a 'transformation stick'. These are revealed by punching and smashing eggs which lie around the place, or occasionally by duffing up an enemy beastie. The three gadgets are collected simply by walking into them, and are activated using an option sheet brought up by pressing the pause button.

TRADING PLACES

As if you hadn't guessed, the shields offer temporary protection against contact with enemy creatures, while the smart bomb-style whizzy gadget makes the screen go all wobbly (great effect!) and sucks up any enemies in the area. The transformation stick allows the fox to become a hippo, monkey or tiger, each of whom have different abilities and are used to master specific sections of terrain.

Some locations also hold invisible platforms and blocks which can be smashed using the bird to reveal a hole. Jump through this and you end up in a special room, with warp gates for instant access to later sections of the game.

At the end of each landscape (every third level) there is a large meanie which has to be destroyed by jumping on their heads or by activating the different bits of hardware which appear (for instance, a large bug has to be destroyed with a spray can, and a multi-sectioned owl has to be shot - one piece at a time!). And at the end of the final stage, you face the iightning-spittin' Psycho Fox in a battle to the death (probably yours!).

VERDICT

If you've ever sat and wished you had a version of Super Mario Bros for the Sega, then Psycho Fox should be right up your street. Okay, it isn't SMB exactly, but Aimo's little gem boasts some amazing gameplay, plus some features of its own which even put Nintendo’s multi-million seller in the shade!

For instance, the fact that your quest takes place across a huge horizontally AND vertically scrolling play area offers some very unusual action: you get a real stomach-churning sensation when you fall off a ledge - not knowing what's beneath - and rapidly drop about four screens before hitting the deck!

The control is really sensitive and has some vicious inertia, which varies for the different characters. Similarly, you have to watch out for changing surfaces, like slippy ice or sluggish sand, and the air jets which blow you off-course! Guiding your character around the screen proves a real test of your reactions, timing and dexterity!

Brain-poundingly addictive and wonderfully challenging - if you only ever buy one cartridge, make sure it's Psycho Fox!

S RATINGS

GRAPHICS

92%

▲ Ultra-smooth eight-way scrolling

▲ Heaps of big, bright and colourful scenes with plenty of variety between landscapes

▲ Animation and movement of all the characters, collapsible bridges, springy poles etc, is great

SOUND

88%

▲ A series of unbearably jolly tunes bounce along during play

▲ Plenty of good arcadey sound effects to enhance the action

DEPTH

90%

▲ 21 different levels to battle through

▲ Each level can be completed in a number of varying ways

▲ Plenty of tactical thought called for in use of different characters, shields and smart bombs

ADDICTION

94%

▲ Amazingly good fun - it's very difficult to drag yourself away!

▲ Dreaded continue option for "just one more go..."

▼ Returning to the start of each level on death is a bit frustrating

▼ Slight pause between goes breaks up the flow of the action

S-FACTOR

93%

Utterly brilliant platform beat 'em up. The Super Mario Bros of the Sega System - buy it now!

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INFO

WhAT's HaPPeNin'

SEGA RUMBLES ON AND ON...

The latest high street retailer to fall under the weight of Sega's progress is Rumbelows. Just prior to Christmas, the giant electrical retailer decided to stock the Master System in 250 of their high street outlets, joining Comet, Menzies, Dixons, Toys 'R' Us, Woolworths, Hamleys and Virgin as retailers of the console. Sega's large profile in these high street electrical retailers plus a strong national press and TV ad campaign has prompted strong sales of machines and games - specifically the plus and super packages - which are going down a storm. It's possible that this is due to the 3D glasses being featured in the TV ad, but good sales of the peripherals could mean better support from Sega in the shape of more 3-D and Light Phaser games (hopefully!).

The Master System's continued success also extends across Europe and specifically to France where mega sales have been recorded.

Virgin are now on target to increase their user base to 200,000 by the end of Jan 1990, and Virgin Mastertronic's Marketing Manager Philip Ley is cautiously predicting a doubling in the console market as a whole during the coming year - and that means another 200,000 Master System sales by the end of 1990! Which can't be bad!

COMPLETELY RENTAL?

Virgin Mastertronic recently struck an amazing deal with RCA/Columbia Video UK, allowing customers to rent a Master System and games from any one of RCA's 1,200 video rental outlets!

Packed in a special carrying case, the console and carts can be hired out, enabling people to have a taste of Sega gaming before deciding whether to rush out to buy their own.

Video dealers are also selling the system and a selection of games taken from the top 20, so why not get on down to an RCA video store and check it out?

COMING SOON

There are loads of hot new carts queuing up to hit the high streets, and the next two titles you'll see are both based on Sega coin-ops, with the hack 'n' slay Golden Axe and vertical scrolling shooter, Scramble Spirits (below).

Full reviews of both games should appear in our next issue - and speaking of which, just what can you expect to find in S4? Well, how about the first part of a complete players' guide to the mammoth Wonderboy III? Not only that, but we'll also take a look at the new hand controller (we couldn't get hold of one for this issue) plus all the latest news and reviews for your fave games machine!

STATESIDE SNIPPETS

Most of the US news concerns the continuing rampage of the Genesis through the American gaming world. There are currently over 500,000 machines in American households, with an avalanche of new cartridges in production. A slurry of new Japanese Mega Drive titles have been announced, including Curse from Micronet; Heavy Unit from Toho; Atomic Robo-Kid and Omega Fighter from Toleco; Air Diver from Asmik; Fiery Violence from KHB; New Zealand Story from Taito; Super Fantasy Zone from Sun; Felios from Namco; Raynos from Messiah; plus Basketball, Pea-Cock King III, Super Stealth, Golden Axe, Moon Dancer, Dream island, Thruxton, Galaxy Force, Power Drift, Turbo Out Run, Monster Lair, Gain Ground, Last Survivor, Dynamite Dux and After Burner II all coming from Sega (phew!).

Rumour has it that the line between consoles and coin-ops grows ever smaller, with the suggestion that the Genesis/Mega Drive hardware could crop up in coin-op cabinets, and that Sega engineers designed the Mega Drive so that their latest coinop games can be ported straight over. In this case, it's no coincidence then that one of the latest Genesis titles is their amazing coin-op Super Monaco Grand Prix...

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GAME TEST

DEAD ANGLE

Take on the might of the Mafia in a shoot-out to the death!

Back in '31 George Phoenix took on the whole of the Mob single-handed and put Big Boss Robert King behind bars - but not for long. Released on a technicality, King has now taken his revenge by kidnapping George's girl, Jane. The only thing keeping them apart are hundreds of Mafioso henchmen and the very high probability that George is going to end up looking like swiss cheese. But as a CIA operative with a grudge and a machine-gun, George Phoenix makes a pretty formidable opponent!

As if you hadn’t already guessed, you play hard-man George as he attempts to rescue his gal. All you gotta do is blast your way through the ranks of the Mafia, and extract information about Jane's whereabouts from each of the 'family' Godfathers.

The trail starts in sunny Italy, where you face the wrath of the Enrico family on the streets of Napoli. George's outline appears in the middle of the screen with a floating gun sight, and as the sight is moved to left and right, up and down, the screen scrolls with it, revealing the surrounding scenery.

To reach the head of the family, you have to shoot a set number of gunmen who appear from behind buildings, at doorways and leaping from windows. Now these guys shoot first and don't even bother asking questions later, so it's best that you waste 'em before they waste you.

Whenever you fall into the line of sight of a gunman, your outline turns red showing that you're in imminent danger of getting blasted. Time to move away, or take evasive action (known as 'ducking' in the trade) by pressing button 2.

Each time George cops a bullet, his life-meter gradually fills up with fatal red segments. If George fails to clear the level before the four minute countdown timer reaches zero, or his life-meter turns completely red, he croaks with a digitised "Ouch!" and the screen turns blood-red! But like his namesake, the phoenix, George can rise again from the ashes of the gunfire (in other words, he's got three lives).

Occasionally, you get some help in the shape of a first aid kit or machine gun symbol, which are collected by shooting them. The first aid kit reduces your wounds, while the machine gun gives you 300 rounds of rapid-fire blasting.

As long as all the hoodlums are despatched within the time limit, you are automatically placed in front of the level Boss who has to be liberally filled with lead before he finally gives in and spills the beans. As you progress through the six levels, you have to shoot more and more men on each stage and also face tougher Bosses, who lob hand grenades and throw knives.

This bloody trail continues through New York and Chicago, finally ending up (if you survive that long) in the plush mansion of the Robert King - head honcho of the whole Mafia operation. Kill him, and Jane is yours once more. Aaah...

VERDICT

Compared to the likes of Taito's Operation Wolf, Dead Angle wasn't a terribly fab coin-op, but the simple gameplay makes it perfect conversion material for the Master System - and a damn good conversion it is too! The graphics are well impressive, and although the backdrop is jerky character square scrolling, you don’t notice it much in the heat of battle. The large mob gunmen are nicely drawn and move well as they leap from windows, and execute rolling dives in the best shoot-out tradition.

The gameplay is a subtle blend of mindless blasting and quick wits as you attempt to nail the enemy AND avoid the hail of gunfire, through seven challenging levels.

Although it looks like a Light Phaser game, play is made comfortable by responsive joystick control and a gunsight which can be moved quickly and accurately. Ferocious all-out action and good looks - Dead Angle is a great conversion and very smart game.

S RATINGS

GRAPHICS

77%

▲ The backdrops are huge, very colourful and nicely detailed

▲ Enemy characters are large and adequately animated

▼ Jerky background scroll

SOUND

79%

▲ Gunshot effects are good 'n' beefy

▲ Nice bit of sampled speech on death

▲ The six different 30's-style soundtracks add some period atmosphere

DEPTH

34%

▼ Six levels, but the gameplay remains much the same

▼ Fairly straightforward shoot ’em up stuff

▼ Limited room for strategy or tactical play

ADDICTION

68%

▲ Frenetic non-stop shooting action keeps the adrenalin flowing

▲ Six increasingly difficult levels to challenge your trigger finger

▲ Constant lure of "What does the next level look like?"

▼ Repetitive shooting action is the ultimate interest-killer

S-FACTOR

71%

Dead Angle is good-looking blaster and a terrific conversion. Definitely one for the trigger-happy Sega owner's library.

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MAILBAG

Write to our NEW address:

Scribblings, S, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon, BA1 2AP

SCRIBBLINGS

OUT RUN ADDICT

Dear S

I’m an arcade junkie! I desperately need to get hold of a cassette of Out Run arcade music or I’ll start getting withdrawal symptoms! And seeing as you're the only kind-hearted and considerate people I know, I think you can help me out. Ooh... aah... the pains are coming on already!

Philip 'The Junked-Up-Sega-Kid' Smith, Huddersfield

Ah. Well... er... yes, you are in trouble aren't you? It seems that you have a bad case of whatever it is the Japanese suffer from, since they are quite happy to buy arcade soundtracks on CD over there. However, unless you have some friends in Japan, I can only suggest that you take a cassette player into an arcade, play the Out Run coin-op and tape the sounds coming out of the box. Or see a doctor.

SJ

SEGA MASTER COMPUTER?

Dear S

I am a sega user and I would like to know if you can attach a computer to the Sega game console, like the Atari XE that is both a game console and computer. My son has the Atari XE, and as I am very interested in computers I also own an Amstrad CPC 464 and am in a computer club. But the graphics on a Sega are 80% better than on the Amstrad. Is there any way a computer can be connected to a Sega games console like the Atari XE?

R M Crowley, Cardiff

In a word, no. The difference between a computer and dedicated games console like the Sega is that a computer has open architecture while the console's is closed. In English, this means that the computer has loads of input and output ports which can 'speak' to other devices, like printers, modems, disk drives and so on. The Sega Master System has no such input/output ports - just input ports for the joysticks, glasses, gun and cartridge. Of course, you could always take night courses in electronic engineering and machine code programming, and access the inner workings of the Sega via the circuit board itself...

SJ

EXTEND YOUR BITS

Dear S

Can you please ask those people at Sega if they could think of designing an extension for the eight-bit console so it can play 16-bit games. I realise this is difficult to make, but I haven't got enough money to buy the Mega Drive and there's no question that the eight-bit games will be phased out.

M J Evans, Reading

I'm afraid you’re stuck. The only way to build an extension for the Master System so it can run 16-bit software is to include all the hardware that sits in the Mega Drive - and it doesn't take a genius to suss out that the adaptor would cost almost as much as the Mega Drive itself. Don't be so quick to write off the eight-bit console! There are at least eight brand new carts under production for the Master System at this very moment And why would Sega stop producing games for a machine that is outselling all other consoles - and many home computers - right across Europe? That would be just stupid. Enjoy your eight-bit games and bide your time until the Mega Drive 1) is in this country and 2) comes down in price (it’s bound to eventually!).

SJ

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN?

Dear S

I have some questions:

1. Will there be Sega club discounts on Wonderboy III, as I am saving up for a Mega Drive when they are released in the UK (will Virgin Mastertronic be the UK distributor?).
2. Will Sega launch a hand-held console like the Gameboy or Lynx?
3. Will there be a Mega Drive CD-ROM unit? If so, will it play normal CDs like the PC Engine's?
4. Is the graphics tablet being sold in the UK? If so how much is it and where will it be sold?
5. When the Mega Drive is finally released, will there be money off the games?
6. How much will the eight-bit Mega Drive adaptor cost?
7. Will there be any comic strips in S, for instance The Adventures of Sly?

Paul Clifton, Swindon

1. It's unlikely that the Sega club will give a discount on Wonderboy III just yet, since it has only been on sale for a few months. And yes, Virgin Mastertronic will distribute the Mega Drive when it appears sometime later this year.
2. There are rumours suggesting that Sega have a hand-held planned that can play Mega Drive games, but how true this is I don't know. Guess we'll just have to wait and see...
3. There is a CD-ROM unit under development for the Japanese Mega Drive at the moment, but if it ever goes into production you can bet we won't be seeing it over here for ages. All CD-ROMS are able to play music CDs (which makes them a more useful proposition to people who have music systems).
4. The graphics tablet is very much a working prototype only so you shouldn’t get your hopes up. Like the CD-ROM, any add-ons for the Mega Drive have to do well in Japan and America to stand a chance of arriving in Britain - so don't hold your breath!
5. Eh? If you mean will the games be cheaper than they are at the moment, then yes - a bit. The Mega Drive games available at the moment are shipped over in small numbers by 'grey' importers, who then have to charge plenty of ackers to recoup their expenses and make their profit. When the Mega Drive is officially distributed in this country, the games should cost less, but no prices have been fixed as yet.
6. The adaptor sells for $40 in the states, which works out at about £26. However, it could be more expensive than that by the time the thing appears in the UK.
7. We have thought about a comic strip in S, but it would take up space which might be more usefully devoted to news, tips or reviews. What do the other readers think?

For your thoughtful questions, you get this month's Scribblings prize of a brand spanking new white Sega sweatshirt. Generous or what?

SJ

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MAILBAG

SMALL ADS

FOR SALE

For sale. World Soccer, Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars and Time Soldiers. For details, ring John McCarthy after 5pm at Newry (0693) 65361.

For sale, Wonderboy In Monsterland £15. Also Enduro Racer £12. 021 772 8365.

Sega games for sale. All sold for half price. Over 40 to choose from. Also Light Phaser half price. Ring Nick after 6.00 pm on 0494 31363.

Miracle Warriors game for sale, price £15. Original price £32.95. Fantasy Zone for sale, £12. Original price £24. Telephone (0734) 479732.

Games for sale: Wonderboy, After Burner, Thunder Blade. All three for £25. Write to Jon King, 9 Porthminster Terrace, St. Ives, Cornwall TR26 2DQ.

Gorgeous games for sale. Cards £5, 1 Meg cartridges £10, 2 Meg cartridges £13. Including Rambo III, Out Run, Space Harrier, Choplifter, Wonderboy, World Soccer, GreatGolf and More. Ask for Stuart after 7pm (0272) 677464.

Sega game for eight-bit Sega: Quartet. Extremely good condition arcade game. It cost £22.95 brand new. Now for sale at only £17. Ring Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset 784401.

For sale, Sega Light Phaser with three games, £25. Also Thunder Blade for £10 o.n.o. Ring Jason on 051 339 5057 after 6pm please.

Light Phaser plus five games for £55 o.n.o. If interested please contact Luke Nash 49 Dock Road, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7DB.

My Hero Sega card. Sell for £8 or swap for any other game. Good condition with instructions. Contact Gary Strachan on 0563 42523 after 4.30 pm.

Sega Master System, Light Phaser, control stick and eight games including Out Run, Space Harrier and After Burner. Will sell for £130. Call Anthony on Amman Valley 95 824304 after 4pm.

PEN PALS

Disabled osteoarthritic lady, 50's, would like to correspond with similar situated lady in time to meet for ’combat'. Can accommodate. Call 0563 35308.

GOODS WANTED

I know it's a bit early to ask for new releases, but is there anyone who wants to sell Vigilante or Altered Beast for a reduced price? Call 021 784 5825

Can you please help. I want the Sega Light Phaser but I can't obtain it. Please help. Call Loughborough 236810.

I am looking for anyone who is willing to sell any decent Sega games cheaply. Will pay cash. Any type of games wanted. Please contact me on (0580) 212073.

Send lists for game swaps. Mine are Space Harrier, Rambo III, World Soccer, Captain Silver and more. Contact Jason Smith, 186 Boulton Grange, Randlay, Telford TF3 3AJ. Go on, please.

Any Sega goods wanted at a reasonable price, preferably games such as sport or role-playing games. Call (0532) 821285.

Wanted - Sega cartridges with instructions. Pay £10 if required. Phone 01 871 9398 or write to Mr S. S. Alg, 312 Wandsworth Bridge Road, Fulham, London SW6 2UA.

Sega games and 3D Glasses wanted please. Fair price paid. Contact James Smith 104 Legsby Ave, Grimsby, Humbs. Phone Grimsby 354658.

Wanted, World Soccer. Also wanted, help on Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Stuck on last room. Phone Andrew 041 776 5214. Or write to 11 Laburnum Grove, Lenzie, Glasgow G66 4DF.

Two-month old Choplifter game for sale. Good condition £10 only. Please contact Paul Hopkinson 27 Chesters Landen Park, Horley, Surrey RH6 8BP. Telephone Horley 775014.

Eleven new games for sale for £100 o.n.o. or separately for £10 each. Games like Rampage, Shinobi, Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars, Vigilante, Bomber Raid. Contact Patrick on 01 229 5220.

Cheap Sega games wanted willing to pay from £5 to £15. Please help me. Write to me or ring NOW! Paul Stevens, 6 March Place, Clare, Sudbury, Suffolk C010 8RH. Clare (0787) 277073.

HELP WANTED

Please could you give me help on The Ninja because I don't know where the green scrolls are. Could you tell me please. Oliver Connolly, St. Clement, Jersey 27691.

Could you please help me with some tips on the following games: Fantasy Zone 1 and 2, Wonderboy 2 and 3, and Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Call Brierley Hill 73563.

Please can you tell me an easier way to try and complete Ghost House? Call 061 483 2959.

Please could somebody phone me or write to me and tell me where I could purchase a copy of Great Ice Hockey for the Sega. Thank You. Gary Stepney 8 Lawn Close, Chatham, Kent ME4 5DP. 0634 401813.

Could somebody who has got Black Belt tell me how to beat the boss called Oni Chapter 4. Please help or tell me how to continue. Call Tim Rowe on Wombourne 897970.

MISCELLANEOUS

'Sega Mode', out now. Great new newsletter. Approx 20 A4 photocopied pages. Send A4 SAE to 6 Albemarle Road, St. Ives, Cambs PE17 6UN for a pilot issue. For details, tel (0480) 64639.

I will swap my games for yours: I have Out Run, After Burner, Alien Syndrome, Vigilante for nearly any other game. S. Brown 13 Hillcroft Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4JE.

I will swap my Shinobi or Vigilante for any of the following games: Rastan, Spy Vs Spy, Y's, Rampage, Captain Silver or swap both games for working Light Phaser. Call 0724 845718.

Got Wonderboy or Wonderboy II? If you have, I will swap both for Out Run, Golf, Soccer. If willing to, phone Neil on 0482 653008 after 4pm.

To swap: Alien Syndrome for Double Dragon, Shinobi or Thunder Blade. Also Quartet for Black Belt or The Ninja. Other swaps considered. Call Rick on (0482) 650116.

Don’t forget to send your ads to our new address on the page opposite!

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GAME TEST

GALAXY FORCE

Classic coin-op thrills in this spaced-out shoot 'em up!

Deep within a distant Galaxy, the villainous Forth Empire have invaded the once-beautiful Junos system and generally made a mess of the place. Junos itself has been reduced to ashes and is now a construction site for the Empire's huge battle fortress,.from which they intend to oversee their domination of the Galaxy. Gosh!

Faced with this impending doom, the rest of the Galaxy's inhabitants call upon the Space Federation to do something about it. The result of much scratching of heads and controlled panic is Galaxy Force - a one-man attack craft of alarming potency, with you in the driving seat. Taking your fate in both hands you select a starting planet from the four worlds of Junos, and blast off to face the enemy (cue stirring Star Wars-style music).

To defeat the might of this evil Empire you have to fly across the surface of each planet (well, except the first, where you have to blast through space), penetrate the Forthian defences and destroy each of the four outpost fortresses. Only once these have been wiped out can you take on the giant enemy fortress and rid the Galaxy of these evil doers once and for all. Ha!

BATTLE STATIONS!

The Galaxy Force ship fires two types of missiles: small red psychopathic seeker missiles come complete with a lock-on target and home in on the enemy automatically, while large, forward-firing laser bolts just hit anything that's in the way (basically, just fire like crazy).

Enemy ships approach from in front and from the sides firing homing missiles of their own, and there's also danger in the shape of natural obstacles like asteroids, whirlwinds, meteors and huge plumes of fire. Contact with any of these reduces your shield strength, and your current level of impending doom is shown by a tastefully colour co-ordinated indicator. Starting from a pulsing cool blue, it gradually fades through the spectrum of colours, hitting glowing red as you're about to eat vacuum.

Surviving this initial onslaught sees you enter the planet's Forthian fortress where you have to fly along a twisting corridor, avoiding the walls and blasting the gun emplacements on floor and ceiling.

A direction indicator shows when the tunnel is about to make a vicious left or right-hander, so you can ready yourself for the turn.

After a time, the tunnel straightens out and your ship whizzes off into the distance. The screen then switches to an exterior view as the Forthian fortress explodes, taking the rest of the planet with it.

You then select another mission from those remaining, continuing until all four fortresses have been destroyed. Only then can you battle the remaining Forth baddies, and face their final brutal battle fortress.

VERDICT

Sega have taken quite a few liberties with this coin-op conversion, since the horizon doesn't move, you've no speed control and there are no power-ups. But rather than try to copy all the visuals of its mega coin-op parent, Sega have gone for playability - and Galaxy Force is one hell of a blast!

At first sight it does look like Sega have taken on too much in trying to convert the arcade version. Using the same character block graphics as Afterburner and Space Harrier the screen tends to looks a bit messy when things get heavy, but you soon start to get in tune with the images, and after a while you can follow the action, no problem.

Even the tunnel sequence - where the Master System is working overtime - provides a decent feeling of speed and movement, and really gets the adrenalin flowing.

The visuals are of a really high standard with smooth(ish) frame updates and plenty of gorgeous graphics - check out the mammoth spaceships, huge towers of flame and the giant whirlwinds!

It isn't too difficult to finish the first four stages using the continue option, but completing the final mission should keep you blasting away for some time. Even after the game has been completed, you should still find yourself coming back for a taste of this heavy duty action. Galaxy Force is a real belter - go for it!

S RATING

GRAPHICS

83%

▲ Loads of beautifully detailed enemy sprites and characters

▲ Great starfield backdrop Amazing flame effects on the second scene

▲ Nice level select screen

▼ Feeble planet explosions are a bit naff

▼ Launch sequences could be better

SOUND

56%

▲ Good renditions of the arcade soundtracks for each level

▼ Weak explosion and enemy gunshot effects

DEPTH

45%

▲ Five fierce levels to keep you going

▼ Shallow shoot 'em up gameplay with few frills

ADDICTION

85%

▲ Frantic blasting guarantees that you'll keep coming back for more

▲ Tunnel sequence is a real test of the nerves and adds some variety

▲ Final tough mission provides a lasting challenge

▼ Blasting action does grow tiresome eventually

S-FACTOR

87%

Pushes the Master System to its limits - and is one of the best zappers you can lay your hands on!

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THE OFFICIAL SEGA® CLUB

Welcome!

I hope you have all fully recovered from those extra portions of Christmas pud! 1990 is set to be a very busy year for Sega club members with a host of new 8-bit titles arriving and that amazing new 16-bit Megadrive to look forward to.

On the software front there is Psycho Fox, Basketball Nightmare, Dynamite Dux and Dead Angle, with Scramble Spirit, Golfomania and Spellcaster due early in the new year.

Those of you calling in and arranging for a Sega User Group meeting will have been priviliged to see most of these arranged immediately, and for those of you who have not set up a Sega User Group, you can go away sit in a corner and DROOL!!

The current favourite game amongst Sega members is Wonderboy 3 (surprise surprise!) and you have been calling in and telling us that you have cracked this mean piece of silicon. Congrats to you all with a special mention to Martin Duggan who was the first member to finish this game. In his letter to us Martin claimed he was the Sega Adventure Champion. Well Martin there are an awful lot of HOT Sega players out there and you will have to crack quite a few other games before your claim to fame is recognised!!

Alex Kidd in High Tech World is also very popular and a regular problem on the Hotline is how to get the travel pass in the village. Just go to the church and pray 100 times (now how come you didn’t think of that?).

This month’s competition is for the new Sega Hand Controller. There are three to be won in an exclusive Sega Club competition (check it out later).

The Sega Hotline has been busy with calls from you asking when the Megadrive is coming and whether you should buy the unofficial imports. Our advice is steer weil clear as we have had calls telling us of poor quality displays and of machines overheating. The imports are JAPANESE MODELS FOR THE JAPANESE MARKET. When they are imported into the UK they are converted for use on UK power supply and UK video. If you do decide to buy these machines and something goes wrong WE CANNOT HELP YOU. You will have to try the shop or mail order company to rectify any problems.

You will be able to get a sneak preview of the Megadrive shortly before its launch if you set up a Sega User Group and arrange for a visit. The people attending do not all have to be members of the Club but there should be at ieast four people to make the visit worthwhile. You can see the latest goodies from Japan and there will be some freebie t-shirts, badges and games.

To arrange a visit have one meeting, ring the club and a date can be arranged. We will soon be starting a national map showing just where these groups are and their contact telephone number so you can find out where your nearest Sega group is. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN....!

TONY TAKOUSHI

SEGA® CLUB USER GROUP SECTION

This months visit took me to Balham in south London. Kuldeep Chopra had set up a Sega User Group with a few friends from college and school. The other members of the group were Moshood and Razak Boussari (16) who have had a Sega for two years and who long for the day that Golden Axe comes out on the Mastersystem! Steven Wong (16) is a fan of the Sega classic Shenobi. He also battled in a head-to-head shoot out with me (more later). Others present were Jason Keane (14) and the men themselves Kuldeep and Kulbushan Chopra (23 and 21 respectively). Both Kuldeep and Kulbushan are avid games players and they have a very big library of Sega games (around 50!). Their favourites include Shinobi, R-Type and Wonderboy in Monsterland.

They are also fans of the light gun and 3D glasses (Space Harrier 3D is the best game for the glasses they assure me, who am I to argue?).

I took along a good selection of prototypes hot out of Japan for them to play. Scramble Spirit (a Sega coin-op from 1988); Dynamite Dux, a cutesy arcade adventure with cartoon quality graphics; Wanted, a wild west zap’em if they move; Casino Games, a classy game of chance; Dead Angle, the cult Fabtek game with more than a touch of zapping and Basketball Nightmare, one of the slickest, fastest and funniest sports games on the Sega. Everybody had their own favourites. Basketball Nightmare had everyone laughing. Moshood and Razak were hooked on Casino Games and joypads had to be physically removed from Jason and Steven who were heavily into Scramble Spirit!!

Dynamite Dux is from a Sega coin-op and raised a few laughs with the cartoon animation and fight sequences. Kuldeep found it quite easy to play and got well into the high levels. Wanted and Dead Angle were both quite popular with Wanted slightly out in front. They both offer plenty of action for those of you with itchy trigger fingers.

I decided to challenge Steven Wong to a game of Scramble Spirit (this was not a wise choice!). Steven likes zapping games and he took to Spirit like a duck to water. He soon had me working hard and at the final bell he clinched a good victory!

It was great talking to such dedicated Sega men. If you have set up a Sega User Group then do ring in and arrange for a club visit. It is first come first served!

COMPETITION TIME

Up for grabs this month we have a brand spanking new Sega Hand Controller!

You can be the proud owner of the latest in Sega Control Technology (That’s joystick to you). All you have to do is answer a simple question:

Where is Alex Kidd trying to get to in his latest game?

SIMPLE! Now put pen to paper and write in to: Virgin Mastertronic at the usual address, not forgetting your membership number and expiry date.

The winner will be announced in a future issue of S Magazine.

CONGRATULATIONS

Winner of last months competition The Winner of the Limited Edition hand painted Sega is:

LUKE THOMAS OF CROWBOROUGH, SUSSEX

The Answer to the question “What is the name of the cross that Wonderboy is looking for in Wonderboy III?” is of course “The Salamander Cross”.

SPECIAL OFFERS

THIS MONTH’S OFFERS - Two classic games for the Sega, the arcade smash Thunderblade or the classic Vigilante.

Normally £24.95 each

Available to club members for only £19.95

A saving of £5 on each!

SPECIAL OFFER

T SHIRTS / SWEATSHIRTS SPECIAL OFFER Here is an offer you cannot refuse!

You can now buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt with the exclusive Sega logo on it from Virgin Mastertronic.

These have been designed specially with the character from the Sega TV commercials as the star. The front has the Sega motif and on the back there is a tasty piccy of the Sega TV character with the message, “Do me a favour... plug me into a Sega”!

The T-shirts and sweatshirts normally sell for £5 and £10 respectively. BUT to you, T-shirts are £2.50 and sweatshirts only £5 pounds!

To take advantage of this offer simply send a postal order or cheque, made payable to Virgin Mastertronic, to:

SEGA CLUB, VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC 2-4 VERNON YARD PORTOBELLO ROAD LONDON W11 2DX

And don’t forget to state your size (small, medium or large)!

JOIN THE CLUB!

S magazine features a special Sega Club section in every issue where members can get the latest gen on club events and special offers. The Club is a total backup service, and the benefits include: Sega Hotline: A telephone service where members can ring in and get tips on the latest games, info on hot new Sega products, leave high scores and try to reach that elusive MASTERBLASTER status.

User Groups: Sega owners are setting up User Groups all over the country. All you have to do is get five or more Sega users together and hold a meeting. Once the group is established simply call in to arrange a personal visit from THE CONSOLE MASTER, Tony Takoushi. He will bring along the VERY latest prototype games straight out of Japan for you to sample. And if you should fancy your chances you can take on TT in a head-to-head battle on one of the latest games (the winner is immortalised in S magazine, butTT hates to lose so beware...). There will also be an ample supply of freebie games and Sega merchandise to be handed out.

Sega Merchandise: Club members are entitled to special Sega merchandise available only through the club. Items include T-Shirts, posters, badges, stickers and caps.

Sega competitions: There will be exclusive competitions with VERY exclusive prizes. These will be held through the club and at special venues through the year.

Sega Promotions: These will be special events held throughout the country, with plenty of Sega goodies on display and a chance to meet the faces behind Sega in the UK.

Remember, All club facilities and special offers are only available to fully paid up members of the official SEGA club. To join, all you have to do is fill in the form below, including a Cheque or Postal Order for £19.95 made payable to the SEGA CLUB.

Your £19.95 entitles you to one year’s subscription of the Sega Club with 12 monthly issues of S, plus 2 FREE issues of the mag.

Send to:

VIRGIN/MASTERTRONIC 2-4 VERNON YARD PORTOBELLO ROAD LONDON W11 2DX

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GAME TEST

DYNAMITE DUX

Explosive action with Sega's duck hunt!

Sega's cutesy coin-op conversion Dynamite Dux (or rather Duck, since there's no two-player option) follows the tale of Michael Bin and his friend Lucy who receive an unexpected visit from Achacha The Great - a small but incredibly evil troll-type being. Suddenly, and without any real explanation, Mike Bin gets turned into Bin the blue duck, while poor Lucy is shoved into a bubble and whisked off to Achacha's lair.

Well miffed by the disappearance of his girlie chum, and the fact that he now has yellow webbed.feet and enjoys eating the green gunge out of ponds, Bin sets off in waddling pursuit of the big A.

Between his bill and a final confrontation with Achacha, Bin has to traverse six scrolling levels full of weird and wonderful creatures who generally get in the way and have to be sprayed, shot, blasted or plain beaten up. Bin carries a pretty mean punch, though, and while a jab of the fire button results in a right jab, holding the fire button down sets his arm whirling windmill fashion as he winds up for a meaty right hook!

Along the trail, there are also a range of weapons which can be picked up and used, including a rock, bazooka, water jet, single shot gun and Spy Vs Spy 'Christmas pudding'-style bombs.

The enemy creatures vary in shape, size.and overall weirdness, featuring swarms of rats, snapping dog heads, sausage deer, gophers with shades, Sumo pigs, cross-eyed wolves with rocket launchers - you name it! Not only that, but there are strange mid- and end-of-level bosses, like fire monsters that spit flames, and swirling clouds with lightning bolts. These beasts usually have a central 'head' which controls the spinny bits, so you can attack and destroy the outer sections one at a time, or go straight for the head. As the head dies, so the outer sections gradually disappear until the creature is no more.

Once each level boss has been thrashed, a door opens up transporting Bin through a wild space vortex (like heavy, man) onto the next level. And eventually - as long as he doesn't get turned into duck soup - Bin meets Achacha himself in a battle to the death.

You get three Bins to complete the mission, although a continue option allows you to restart your mission from the beginning of the last level entered.

VERDICT

Sega's latest conversion is beautifully executed, with gorgeous backdrops, wonderful cartoony sprites and super-smooth multi-way scrolling. The soundtrack too, is good, with boppy tunes and decent sound effects. Unfortunately, the gameplay is pretty straightforward: ail you have to do is walk, punch and shoot, and not much else. It's also very easy, and the inclusion of an irresistible continue option means that you can finish the game easily in one sitting without really having try very hard.

This is a flippin' shame, because Dynamite Dux is a beautiful conversion (probably the best to date) and real good fun to play. It's perfectly suited to younger players, but if you're a bitchin' hard Sega fanatic, you'll be able finish DD in one go and won't really want to go back to it again.

(Hint: try getting someone to threaten to break your fingers if you use the continue option...)

S RATINGS

GRAPHICS

94%

▲ Wickedly smooth multidirectional scrolling

▲ Main duck sprite is excellent in every detail - especially his wind-up for the big punch!

▲ Superbly colourful and detailed cartoon-style backgrounds

▲ Brilliantly weird enemy characters - beautifully detailed and well animated

SOUND

83%

▲ Terrific versions of the original soundtracks for each stage

▲ Plenty of suitably comical arcade spot effects

DEPTH

37%

▲ Five long levels to play through

▲ A variety of different creatures* and Bosses to contend with

▼ The action's all pretty simple stuff, with limited movement and no real strategy

ADDICTION

71%

▲ It's amazingly good fun!

▲ You'll want to keep playing if only to see the next level's graphics

▼ Continue option is useful, but means that you can finish the game in one go

▼ Once Achacha has been defeated, the appeal wears right off

S-FACTOR

64%

Probably the closest conversion EVER for the Master System, Dynamite Dux suffers only from being far too easy to finish. Great for young gamers and anyone who is completely poo at playing games, though!

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GAME TEST

BASKETBALL NIGHTMARE

Balls, baskets, boosts and bad dreams!

Time to face-off on the basketball court - except this is no ordinary game: not when the first team you play in the league are pink werewolves! Here your dribbling talents are put to the test against some weird 'n' wacky teams, over a six-round nightmare challenge. Spook!

But in case all this is too much for your weak heart, Nightmare Basketball also offers a fairly normal one-on-one game. This straightforward two-player contest takes place on an open air court in a forest setting, and each team consists of five relatively normal kiddies. Having selected your team's nationality from the seven on offer, you can choose to play a 15, 30 or 45 minute game (thankfully, game minutes are only about 30 seconds long).

One player is constantly under your command during play - signified by a big arrow sticking in the top of his head - while the remaining teamsters rush around under computer control. The nominated player is then guided around the court until you want to use another player. Pressing button 1 switches the arrow from player to player until you control the right one.

BASKET CASE

Whenever you gain possession of the ball, your remaining players flash on and off in turn, and tapping button 2 allows you to pass the ball to the player who is currently flashing. As long as there isn't an opposing player in the way, your team member catches the ball and carries on under your control.

You can attempt to throw for the basket anywhere on court by pressing button 1 twice to jump and make the throw. The ball is automatically guided towards the basket, but whether the ball goes in or not depends upon the distance and timing of the shot - plus a few random factors! If you go for a slam-dunk right next to the basket, the screen switches to a close-up of the action where a huge animated figure flies past the backboard and tries to put the ball through the hoop.

The more reclusive gamers can decide to play against the computer - and this is where things start to get a little strange: the aim of the one-player mode is to win all six games of a nightmare league. At the start of the competition the six venues are shown Alien Syndrome-style and you simply have to win each match in order to progress to the next venue. If you lose, a continue option lets you play the victorious team once more.

The first round takes place in the same forest venue as the normal two-player game, and while play follows the same method as before, this time your opponents are wolfmen. Cute and cuddly pink ones, but wolfmen all the same! If you manage to beat these lycanthropes, the competition continues with water imps, little cyclops, vampires, witches and finally long-nosed goblins as your opposition! Weird or what?

VERDICT

Well, this is certainly an unusual twist in the sport sim line, and is definitely a good looker. The court graphics are nice, but the slam-dunk close-ups are terrific (just look at the piccies)! The court is a teensy bit jerky when it scrolls, but ball movement is nice and realistic - even down to wobbling in the hoop, or running around the rim and falling out again!

However, play can get frustrating since instead of having automatic player selection (where the computer gives you control of the person nearest the ball), you have to select them yourself. This often means having to hit button 1 three or four times to get the arrow above the player you want, and when all the sprites are together and flickering like mad (which they often do), things can get very confusing.

Not only that, but the rest of your team are a bunch of dummies when left to their own devices - they don't attempt to hassle an opposing player on the break, and can't even pick up a loose ball. Also, if you have one player in a good position and want to control him, as soon as you attempt to swap players, the stupid dolt scurries off up the other end of the court! Groan.

When you get used to the these annoying niggles, the two-player mode offers a pretty decent game, although the teams often seem mismatched - like one team being able to score a basket from miles away, while the other can't even slam-dunk the ball!

Single players do at least have the wacky nightmare teams to play against, but we soon managed to win all six venues and finish the league. Basketball Nightmare doesn't really offer a lasting challenge, but it's a fun sport and OK for the occasional game.

S RATINGS

GRAPHICS

78%

▲ Amazing action close-ups with huge animated characters

▲ The six different courts are nicely presented

▲ Player sprites are small but very neat

▲ Good ball movement

▼ Mucho sprite flicker often makes it difficult to see what's going on

SOUND

47%

▲ Up-tempo backing track is a pretty decent tune

▲ Nice whistle sound

▼ Just the one soundtrack for all the different games

▼ Tatty white noise effects for the ball bouncing and scoring a basket.

DEPTH

39%

▲ Six different nightmare teams to be beaten

▼ No real tactical play available

▼ Lack of options to alter the game set-up

ADDICTION

60%

▲ The nightmare league provides a target for the solo player

▲ A continue option lets you replay lost games

▼ Simple basketball action gets repetitive

▼ Too easy to defeat all six nightmare teams

▼ The two player games are often strangely biased toward one team

S-FACTOR

53%

An unusual and attractive sport sim spoiled by simple gameplay and a league which is too easy. Reasonable fun as a two-player game and for the part-time dribbler!

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COIN-OPS

ESWAT - CYBER POLICE PLAYERS' GUIDE

Following last month’s preview of the latest Sega coin-ops, Tony T goes completely cyber over ESWAT in this extended review-cum-players' guide.

Running on Sega’s 16B cabinet (which also boasts Altered Beast, Passing Shot and Golden Axe) this horizontal scrolling shoot 'n' beat ’em up takes place over 15 levels of urban decay and underground complexes.

The initial aim of the game is to get promoted from boring flatfoot to the elite status of Cybercop - complete with powerful exoskeleton and heavy artillery, but then you go on the trail of an evil boss...

LEVEL 1

Starting with just a hand pistol to defend yourself, your cop character has to be guided along a street scene, contending with zippy skate boarders (stay alert and ready to fire), sneaky assassins who appear at upstairs windows, and heavies who simply walk on from right and left. There are no real problems with this stage: just keep blasting and make sure to collect all the ammo stores en route.

The first end-of-level boss is a huge fat guy who scrunches up into a ball and rolls towards you. It's best to jump over him as he approaches and then turn and shoot or punch him as fast as possible. When he is dead, you earn your first promotion from Captain to Assistant Chief and then get sent onto the next mission.

LEVEL 2

Collect as much ammo as possible as soon as you enter this level. You will have to duck and shoot to make any real progress since enemies attack fast and furious from both sides. They also lob grenades, which bounce a few times before detonating. These have to be jumped over, so this is a good chance to get your timing right. You also watch out for open doorways since more villains appear at them as you approach.

The final boss is a mean lanky dude who holds a young girl hostage and throws a boomerang at you, and it takes good reactions and timing to duck or jump these spinning weapons. You then have to get in as close as possible and shoot or punch the boss (if you don't get close enough, you end up hitting the girl). Defeating this guy is rewarded with a big hug from the girl and promotion to Chief.

LEVEL 3

Time to get athletic on this level, since there are loads of fences to jump over as you collect the ammo.

More straightforward ducking and shooting, but there are trucks which come in useful: you can avoid much of the heavier action by jumping up onto their roofs. The boss-man wields a huge chain with a razor sharp sickle on the end, and the best technique to defeat him is to leap onto the roof of the garage and walk over the top of him, drop down, let him have it and jump back up again.

Finally doing over this baddie sees you reach the status of ESWAT where you are armoured up like robocop with a bazooka and back-packing a special flame thrower or multi-way bullet spray.

LEVEL 4

You are dropped into the action by helicopter and immediately face the machine-gun wielding opposition. Every hit sees a piece of your armour go flying off, until your exoskeleton finally explodes, taking you with it!

As you progress through the scene, there are floating icons which you have to jump up to to collect. These arm your special back-pack weapon, and are worth saving until you really start to hit trouble!

The end-of-level shoot out consists of a couple of villains above who shoot at you, plus several brown armoured baddies and their big purple leader. Take out the bad guys upstairs with a couple of well-placed shots, and then deal with the armoured guys. Stay clear of the punching purple boss, and keep blasting. After a few hits, his exoskeleton disintegrates and the weedy guy beneath runs off...

LEVEL 5

You begin this level by chasing the bad guy onto a decaying housing site, who then promptly disappears. As you work your way through the desolate buildings, watch out for enemies with flame throwers - keep blasting and try to keep your distance wherever possible.

You can also collect and use the multi-way fire on this level, so wait for the screen to fill up with baddies and then let rip!

LEVEL 6

Moving onto the top of a building, you then have to follow the baddie down through the levels using the lifts - but beware of the meanies coming up! On reaching the bottom floor the baddie pushes a plunger to detonate a charge and brings the building down around your ears. You have to move to left and right as it collapses and stay beneath the gaps in the floors - other wise you get flattened! And keep pumping away at the fire button to deal with all the baddies who come sliding down with the building!

When the building is finally levelled you can arrest the bad guy and move onto the next mission.

LEVEL 7

Once the police car has driven you in, collect the multi-way fire to make life easier. Again, you are faced with hoards of flame throwers, so keep your distance, duck and keep firing.

The level boss comes in the shape of a fierce tiger, while meanies shoot at you from windows above. Take out these snipers ASAP or else you'll get caught in the middle. In dealing with the big cat, timing is essential: try to stay out of its way and then blast it after it has leaped toward you.

LEVEL 8

After being chauffeured in by police car again, you have to get athletic when faced with somersaulting purple-clad Chinese girls. Don't back off: stay your ground and then blast them when they jump near to you. More snipers at the upstairs window - zap them pronto.

The boss is an extremely large hairy ape who throws barrels (Donkey Kong perhaps?) and then stomps towards you and thumps with his big fist! The best tactic is to move to the far left hand side, kick the barrels and then shoot in between. If you run out of ammo, then simply get in close and give him a good kicking!

LEVEL 9

On this level you have to beat back a series of Bigfoot-style trucks which appear from the side of the screen, firing at you and carrying hoards of nasties. You can prevent the dropping of villains by quickly going up to the truck as it appears, jumping up onto the top and then punching the main man on the back. The truck should back off and you can then move forward.

A super-duper truck rolls on at the end of the stage where you have to contend with grenades, bullets and the truck trying to ram you. Keep firing as fast as possible, and watch the vehicle for its ramming movement, so you can get out of the way in time.

LEVEL 10

Collect the extra ammo as soon as you can, and there's also a multiway fire up for grabs - if the baddies let you get anywhere near it!

As you walk through this level, there are vertically sliding guns which fire laser bolts diagonally. Again, its a matter of timing: suss out their firing sequence, get underneath and fire up to destroy them. Don't hang around too long, though, since their laserfire can get pretty intense.

LEVEL 11

Down in the docklands, the tumbling Chinese girls are back again (only dressed in green this time). Watch out for more grenades and keep firing to left and right to give yourself space to move on.

Evil-looking men on hover bikes fly overhead and there are two mounted flame thrower droids which must be avoided. Take out the bikers first to give yourself room to breath, and then jump onto the right flame thrower, turn and take out the left thrower. You can finish off the right flame thrower at your leisure.

LEVEL 12

There is a flame thrower power-up to be had at the start of this level so keep an eye open for it. Your main opposition are the gun emplacements on the platforms above you. To destroy these, the best technique is to simply leap up and keep firing at the same time.

At the end of the level, there are two big metallic droids (like the walkers in The Empire Strikes Back) which come on with guns blazing. Use the 'duck and shoot' technique, to avoid the fire and blast these machines. Once they have been destroyed, an inner skeleton emerges from the wreckage and must be blasted again, so get ready!

LEVEL 13

There are plenty of droids around on this level, so beware of bullets and don't mess around when they are close to you. All through this scene there are conveyor belts which try their best to drag you back so keep moving and jumping to make progress.

Collect the multi-way fire when it comes up, and this should safely see you through to the blob lobber at the end! This boss is an overhead gun which drops glowing blobs onto a conveyor belt. You have to leap over the blobs, fire up and avoid being dragged back into blobs behind you.

LEVEL 14

After taking the lift down, you must zap laser emplacements on the ceiling. Keep blasting or kicking walls down until you find yourself in a computer room. There are flying metallic skulls to avoid and the big boss is a huge metal tank - so save any back-pack weapons for this mean vehicle, and don't hesitate to use them!

LEVEL 15

Here you finally reach the mastermind of all your troubles. A lift takes you down into his lair where a map shows his plans for world domination. Destroy the ceiling based laser emplacements and pick up a flame thrower icon to help you.

The final encounter pits you against the boss' droids which drop from the ceiling to attack, while streams of laser fire shoot around the room. Stay clear of the droids, and watch the path of the laserfire so you can avoid being caught (and keep some extra coins ready to continue!).

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GAME PLAY

A LITTLE BIT OF SLY HELP

Watcha dudes! Ssuppose you've come crawling for ssome more help on all those carts you can't play. Well, you're in luck. This month I've been kind enough to bring you the second part of the Phantasy Star solution, the definitive tipsss for Space Harrier, and a large dose of SOSs! But first, it's back into space to battle against the Bydo empire...

R-TYPE

Following on from the my mega R-Type tips in the first launch issue here's another method for increasing your stock of R-9s. To sstart with, get your 12 credits and then get killed. When the continue option appears, roll the joysstick anticlockwise to bring up the ssound check. Press and hold button 2 while pushing left to select effect number 95. Now press button 1 and then push left again, to select number 94. Presss button 1 and press left again - and continue this all the way back to 00.

Presss button 1 again to rejoin the restart countdown and rotate the pad clockwise again - lo and behold, more credits! If you repeat this sssequence you can earn up to 99 credits, but be careful, since the lives counter zeroes itself!

Now, if even 99 lives aren't enough - and I doubt that they are - what you bozos need is invincibility. To become extremely hard, plug in both control pads before switching on the Sega. Hold the joystick on control pad one diagonally down and right, and hold control pad two up and left while keeping button 1 presssed down. Turn on the machine and your R-9 will be as hard as ssnakeskin when the game startss. Now isn't that wonderful?

SPACE HARRIER

Here's ssome odd things to do with your Space Harrier cart (which is really kickin' and you should rush out and get it now - unlesss you've got it already, of course!).

Bring up the ssound test (push right, left, down and up on the title screen) and sselect sssounds 7, 4, 3, 7, 4 and 8 in that order. When you select 1 to exit, a new sheet comes up where you can set the level of difficulty, choose normal or reverse controlss and even become a jet!

As well as the three continues given in the manual (push diagonally down, left and presss button 1 after your lasst life has gone), you can continue up to another six times by pushing up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, down, up, down and up when the 'Game Over' sign appears. The game restartss with three Space Harriers each time, giving you a grand total of 27 lives! That should be enough, even for you uselesss bunch!

And just to give you ssomething to do with all those new lives, Matthew White from Oldbury in the West Midlands has written in to proffer this little gem: when (if) you reach the bonus stages on level 5 and 12, try to miss all the bushes, trees and Inca poles. At the end of the stage, when Space Harrier dismounts form 'Euria' you'll receive an extra man. A bonus jet then appears which you have to shoot down before it disappears. Successsfully destroying the jet resultss in a further 10,000,000 points and another extra man for cracking the 5,000,000 mark. Repeat this on stage 12 to receive yet another 10,000,000 points and one more man. Well there y'go...

FANTASY ZONE

Here's a quickie for that hippy shoot 'em up, Fantasy Zone. To get heaps of cheap lives, power up the game and wait for the opening demo sstory to sscroll up the screen. Waggle the joystick up and down at least 50 times, then press start.

Build up as much dosh as posssible during the first round and then go to the shop. You should now be able to buy heaps of Opa-Opa's for only $1000 each!

WINNERS

Matthew White and Daniel Jeavons make off with the top prize thiss month for the Space Harrier tips and level select cheat for Choplifter. A copy of Wonderboy III will be falling onto your respective doormats sssoon!

SOS

GANGSTER TOWN

Poor old Paul Arthur of Surrey wanted some help with the shooting game Gangster Town. Well, the single best tip for anyone having problems with Light Phaser cartss is to buy a rapid fire unit, hold down the trigger, hold the gun about a foot from the sscreen - and practise!

Just in case you haven't bothered reading the manual (there are plenty of good hintss in it, by the way), you do have a ssingle continue option. When your agent's hat gets blown off during the Game Over sequence, shoot it once to blow it back onto his head and carry on from the same point that the game ended. Using rapid fire and the continue option, it's fairly easy to finish Gangster Town in one go. If you can't afford a rapid fire unit, er... you'll have to do finger exercises... or ssomething.

Anyway, here are a few tips to help out; during the downtown sequences, you can shoot the support bars from the 'Casino' sign. If it falls on a gangster, he gets sssquashed! Generally, whenever a boss appears go straight for him and keep blasting - don't worry about trying to hit the other men. On the final ssequence shoot at the second mooring post on the left for a life refill. That'ss yer lot I'm afraid - unless anyone out there knows different?

CHOPLIFTER

Waqar Shah from Derby wanted some help on the classic Broderbund shoot 'em up Choplifter., and fortunately for him, Daniel Jevons of Somerset, Damon Shaw of Essex and Ralph Croucher of East Sussex all sent in the resultss of their Choplifting experiences...

On the first title sscreen press up, down, left, right and then button 1. Do the same on the following screen and a level select sheet appears, slowly cycling through level numbers 1 to 6. Simply presss button 2 to sstart on whichever level you want.

On level 1, shoot the first misssile silo repeatedly to make Superman appear! The prisoners now run twice as fast, and you can repeat this again to make them run even fasster.

On level three, fly backwards through the cave to guarantee that you won't get hit by volcanic eruptions. Just beware of sstalagtites and ssstalagmites.

When resscuing prisoners, every few seconds or so touch the joystick up to do a little jump - this stops the tank or gunboat from entering.

Shoot at the hulls of your ship on levels 2 and 5 to make Jaws appear! (Pointlesss but fun!)

When you’re shot down, keep jabbing both buttons together to release a hostage on jet-packs, who then flies back to base for 1 safe hosstage.

Anyone else out there got more Choplifter features, hints or cheats?

ROCKY

Here's ssome more help for Waqar Shah: Jason Smith of Telford ssuggests that you use a rapid-fire unit during the exercises and fighting. You'll then find that Drago is no contesst...

However, if you want to win on skill alone, Richard Morris of Sheffield reckonss that when you face Lang, jab three times to the body and then let the big punch go to his head.

With Drago, you nave to missss with two jabs (if you don’t qualify in training, then you'll need three jabs and thiss tip won't work) and then time it sso that the big punch goes to his head when he approaches, knocking him back. Continue doing this and when his energy is below half, he'll go down!

Miracle World

Jim Hacking from West Yorkshire has written in to plead for some help with the later stages of Alex Kidd in Miracle World. I've no doubt that there are quite a few people ssstuck on this one, so here are a couple of useful tips to help defeat that old scumbag, Janken the Great.

• To beat Gooseka at the end of Lake Fathom, choose stone then sscissors.
• To beat Chokkina at the end of Mount Knave, choose scissors then paper.
• To beat Parplin at the end of the Bingoo Lowlands choose sstone then scissors.

On reaching Radactian Castle, run right across and straight up the ladder to avoid the ghost which immediately appears.

There's also a strange bug which allows the game to be completed without having to defeat Janken. Save the Cane of Flight then when the Princesss first appears use it straight away. You can fly up to the ladder in the corner where Janken cannot touch Alex.

To continue the game, you must have at least U400 when the 'Game Over' sscreen appears. Push up on the joystick and hit button 2 eight times - you can then carry on from where you lasst died!

When Alex reaches Lake fathom, kill the first octupuss by punching him in the face (a bit tricky, this). When he's gone, put Alex's stomach on the bowl which the octopus sssat on, and pull down. Alex will passs through a secret passage to another water world, which then leads to a hidden bonus level with lots of money and a free man!

If you're having trouble in the casstle, the diagrams here give you a floorplan and how to use the strange symbols on the floor.

I've had loads of people write in to ask for some help finding the fifth, green scroll in The Ninja. So anyone out there want to spill the beans? There's a prize on offer for the best tipss for this tricky beat 'em up cart!

Send your tips, maps, cheats or letters to me, Sly the Magnificent at our grand new address: A Little Bit Of Sly Help, S, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon, United Kingdom BA1 2AP.

PHANTASY STAR

Thiss is what you've all been waiting for! The concluding episode of my Phantasy Star players' guide.

By now you should be in possession of a hovercraft and wondering jussst what the hell you do next. Okay, return to Palma, and make your way to the bottom left corner of Gothic. At the dead end with the ssingle tree, use 'Search' to find the Flute.

Go ssouth from Scion to the coastline and use the hovercraft. While you're in the water, head down and to the right. A floating island should come into view: go to it, enter the city on the island and find the dungeon. Here, you can find a shop where you can buy the ever-so-useful Gas Shield.

Return to Motavia. Head up and to the left to the poison gasss field which surrounds the city of Sopia (you should be alright now that you have the gas shield). Find the leader and he will tell you about the Mirror Shield which is used against the Medusa. To collect it, leave Sopia and head left to the lake. There you'll find an island with one antiion and a few cacti. From the antiion, head south to the first cactus: sit on it (eeek!) and 'Search'. You will receive the Mirror Shield. Ta-daa!

Go back to Palma and return to Gothic. Exit the town and head south to the mountains. Left of where you found Dr Luveno is Medusa's Tower. Make your way to the top of this tower and fight Medusa to receive the Laconian Axe.

Return to Scion and use the hovercraft. To the right of Scion in the water is a floating tower. Hunt through the tower until you find a treasure chest containing the Laconian Sword.

Go to Skure on the planet of Dezoris. Make your way through the four Snow Cave tunnels until you arrive at the village of Zis. Here, you can buy the Ice Digger, which can only be used at two locationss to dig through the ice: one is at the Altiplano Plateau where the Laerma nut tree lies. The other is found to the left of the entrance to Sssnow Cave tunnel 5.

Follow the mountain range to the left and head ssouth. Use the ice digger to hack your way through to the Lone Ice Cave. Here you'll find the Prism.

After collecting the prism, head back north until you find the Gauron Morgue (you'll know when you are in the morgue, because you are faced by nothing but zombies!). Acrosss a pit trap in the morgue you can find the Laconian Armour.

Head south down around the mountains to the left from the morgue and you find Snow Cave tunnel 5. Head through this, and follow the mountain range to the left until you reach Dezoris Cave. Sssearch through the cave until you find the Laconian Shield. Head northeast to the Corona Tower, and climb to the top. Here you will find a Dezorian who trades your Amber Eye for the Torch. Proceed to Altiplano Plateau and 'Use' the torch on the laerma nut tree. You will receive the Laerma Nutsss.

Return to Motavia. In the mountains south of of the lake where you previoussly obtained the Mirror Shield is a cave. Find Tajim (Noah's teacher) and fight: you receive the Frad Mantle (as long as Tajim doesn’t do you over, of course).

Return to Scion. Fiead north to the Baya Malay tower, which is surrounded by a wall. Enter the guard tower with Noah's ’Open’ magic. Answer ’No’ when the Robot Cop asks if you have your pass, then kill him. When you exit the tower, you will be on the other side of the wall. Head left and up to the cave. Move through the cave until you reach a lava pit. Use the hovercraft to crosss the pit and then go southwest to reach the Baya Malay Tower.

Take the stairs in number sequence (on map - next issue guys!) and locate Damor, the ssooth sssayer on level 5. Answer ’Yes’ to all the questions until he asks if you believe everything he has said, and then say 'No'. When he asks if you are calling him a liar, say 'No' and he gives you the Crystal (doesn't sound too bright, does he?). Note: the crystal cannot actually be used as a weapon.

Make your way to the ssecond level and collect the Miracle Key. When you finally reach the top of the tower and sstand on the roof (blue skies, forest etc), 'use' the prism and then feed the nuts to Myau and you will fly to Lasssic's Castle. Simply follow the path and take the stairs until you have found and defeated Lassie. You must then return to the Governor, so keep Myau alive or have a transfer so you can return to Palma.

When you enter the mansion, you will fall through a pit trap, follow the corridors and fall through two more pit traps. You then find yourself facing a two-way hall. Head to the right and go around two more corners. Take three ssteps and face the wall on the left - a ssecret door reveals itsself. Enter and follow the corridor around to a magic door. At this point, heal yourself with any burgers you have collected. When you enter the doorway, you are faced with the last enemy: Darkfalz. Possible techniques to defeat him are: Alis - 'Fire', Myau - 'Help' to Noah, Odin - Attack (equip with laser gun), Noah - 'Wind'.

Best of luck, sssaps - you'll need it! And by the way, since the crummy old Ed only gives me sssix pages, you'll have to wait until next issue for the rest of the maps ssso you can finish the game. Sssorry, but that's the way the wookie rumbles...

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GAME PLAY

HIGH SCORES

Welcome to my high ssscore hall of fame. These are the names and numbers to beat if you're a high-score junkie! Don’t misss this great opportunity to get your name in print and have a good gloat!

AFTERBURNER

27,062,800

Robbie Ellmore, Gloucester

10,001,060

Darren Paul, Cheltenham

9,794,700

Paul Arthur, Surrey

ALEX KIDD AND THE LOST STARS

77,600

Simon Bunford, Birmingham

71,200

Mark York, Northhants

ALEX KIDD IN MIRACLE WORLD

98,000

Michelle Hines' Mum, Dorset

97,410

Lee Reynolds, Cheshire

73,200

Mark York, Northhants

ASTRO WARRIOR

1,114,800

Darren Paul, Cheltenham

974,000

Tony Fry, London

370,200

Steven Rush, Tyne & Wear

BANK PANIC

810,850

Paul Arthur, SurreyBLADE EAGLE 3D

225,400

Robbie Ellmore, Gloucester

BOMBER RAID

2,440,500

Maxwell Jebson, W Yorkshire

1,416,020

Tony Fry, London

CHOPLIFTER

658,600

Tony Fry, London

116,100

Timothy Lyons, Clwyd

67,500

Lee Reynolds, Cheshire

DOUBLE DRAGON

215,660

Paul Arthur. Surrey

125,000

Alan Cormack, Scotland

124,350

Tendal Devera. London

ENDURO RACER

Time 7:06.67

Anthony Hoult, Walsall

FANTASY ZONE

1,237,300

Rhodri James. Dyfed

FANTASY ZONE II

7,294,000

Michelle Hines' Dad, Dorset

1,834,300

Paul Riley, Runcorn

GANGSTER TOWN

528,200

Russell Freeman, Essex

179,150

Paul Arthur, Surrey

GHOST HOUSE

954,400

Michelle Hines' Mum, Dorset

GLOBAL DEFENCE

541,160

Anthony Hoult, Walsall

HANG ON

3,042,540

J M Pitman, Bath

2,725,190

Paul Arthur, Surrey

2,133,080

Steven Watson, Selby

KENSEIDEN

60,400

Mark York, Northhants

KUNG FU KID

37,570,100

Maxwell Jebson, W Yorkshire

1,674,800

Lee Reynolds, Cheshire

1,154,200

Mark York, Northhants

MY HERO

10,778,160

Steven Conreen, Manchester

1,128,240

Stuart McLaren, Stroud

OUT RUN

70,150,890

Darren Paul, Cheltenham

64,330,720

Paul Arthur, Surrey

56,796,250

David Hughes, Co. Durham

POWER STRIKE

4,500,140

Steven Watson, Selby

4,447,980

Anthony Hoult, Walsall

3,564,730

Kelvin Clark, Runcorn

QUARTET

1,990,240

Darren Paul, Cheltenham

1,166,500

Steven Watson, Selby

232,700

Mark York, Northhants

R-TYPE

1,003,700

Jason Naidu, Burton-on-Trent

391,000

Simon Bunford, Birmingham

383,300

Gary Heron, Scotland

RAMBO III

49,050

Robbie Ellmore, Gloucester

43,000

Neil Smith, Preston

RAMPAGE

852,600

Steven Conreen,Manchester

851,600

Steven Branch, Norwich

699,900

Alan Cormack, Scotland

RASTAN

491,890

Tony Fry, London

RESCUE MISSION

574,300

Paul Riley, Runcorn

429,700

Paul Arthur, Surrey

SECRET COMMAND

1,293,000

Anthony Hoult, Walsall

SHINOBI

957,840

Steven Branch, Norwich

713,140

Paul Arthur, Surrey

555,350

Mark York, Northhants

SPACE HARRIER

29,238,130

Steven Conreen,Manchester

26,998,420

Paul Arthur, Surrey

24,722,210

Tony Fry, London

SPACE HARRIER 3D

14,125,890

Jason Naidu, Burton-on-Trent

THE NINJA

263,350

Simon Bunford, Birmingham

THUNDERBLADE

5,832,900

Simon Bunford, Birmingham

4,569,000

Rhodri James, Dyfed

3,697,500

Paul Arthur, Surrey

TIME SOLDIERS

207,700

Steven Watson, Selby

VIGILANTE

199,800

Elian Matheson, Scotland

99,900

Simon Bunford, Birmingham

69,600

Alan Cormack, Scotland

WONDERBOY

2,892,312

Robert Newson, Bristol

1,198,760

Darren Paul, Cheltenham

976,950

Peter Smith, Abingdon

WONDERBOY IN MONSTERLAND

8,925,670

Paul Arthur, Surrey

2,401,600

Tony Fry, London

1,954,600

Alex Wild, Harbourne

ZILLION

2345,400

Alan Cormack, Scotland

191,000

Neil Smith, Preston

I'm sure you've all managed to get a high score on your favourite game (WITHOUT the aid of any cheats or special devices!) why don't you send it in to me? If it's good enough to make the top three, end up in my high scores table, with your name in black and white to the envy of everyone else. Jusst write them down on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope (I'm sure even you can manage that) and on the other side sscribble: Sly Scores, S, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2AP. And why not include some tips to explain how come your score is so big?

Come on - I'm waiting!

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SUBSCRIBE

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