The all-inclusive, super value, four-in-one cart squeezes onto the Game Gear! Four different games offering variety and excitement without the burden of carrying separate carts. Portable plea-
The four games are a Columns variant, a penalty shoot-out, tennis and a rally racing game.
The Columns-type game’s very similar to the classic GG puzzler, except that columns now have to be four or more adjoining shapes. Not as tricky but more frantic?
The penalty shoot-out needs little explanation! Select the direction of the ball, height and power, take a run up and... LINEKER!!Re-live the agony and the ecstasy of the 1990 World Cup! After your scoring glory, take control of your goalie and stop their number nine blasting the ball into the back of the net.
Tennis doesn’t take much explaining, either! Choose the skill of your opponent and the length of the game then its onto the centre court. Lob, drive and spin the ball all over the court but don’t upset the umpire. He’s a certain blue hedgehog — would you want to be on the end of a super-spin attack?!
The last game’s a rally across a continent, in the OutRun vein. Race to each checkpoint through scenery like forest, desert and city. Watch out for sharp bends and rival racers — mistakes cost time! And time, as they say, costs money.
Choose your game and go!
Sega have gone for a mixed bag and it’s only half paid off. What have they done to Columns?! Why didn’t they just include the original? The alterations make it totally unplayable. Yeuch! There’s nothing worse than a dull puzzler. The penalty shoot-out’s another raspberry. It reduces the beloved game of football (Albion! Albion!) to a series of options! You don’t do that to football, no way! So, onto the games that make this bundle beautiful.
Tennis is pretty smart. Selectable difficulty level and set length coupled with good, flowing gameplay — a must for racket freaks (like me!).
Last, but by know means least, the rally racer. Very smooth car and road movement and a tough challenge make this one of the best GG racing games I’ve played.
Graphics and sound on all games are above average, so at the end of the day it’s playability that counts. Two out of four ain’t bad!
PAUL 70%
Question: Do you buy a four-in-one cart for just two games? Answer: No, you flickin’ well don’t!
The best of the bunch Is the racing game, but even that’s a poor man’s OutRun. The graphics are fine, the scrolling’s good, but there’s nothing new and I’m sure most GG owners have already got OutRun or something like it in their collection.
The tennis game’s not bad. Nice to see Sonic does something other than collect rings! The computer opponents are good and controls are pretty easy. Change the speed and direction of your shots with the D-pad and buttons. Graphics are what you’d expect from a tennis sim and animation’s pretty good.
The football game’s crap! A penalty shoot-out and that’s yer lot. The whole caboodle goes on forever. Waste of time!
The Columns variant adds a little to the tried and tested formula but I’ve had my fill of these puzzlers for one year.
Some of the games on 4 in 1 have been available on import for ages so check you haven’t already got ‘em in your collection.
Not one I can recommend.
ADE 57%
Two games let it down badly. Think seriously before buying
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