A fine variation on Defender... got a bone to pick, Atarimania! It should be part of that genre. That genre called "Shoot 'Em Up! - Defender." I mean, there it is, right at the top... oh wait, that's Crypts of Plumbous... oh, right. I like it now. I like my new, hacked version of it. As for Dropzone, well... technically, it's a masterpiece, probably one of the slickest games ever made for the Atari, but I dunno... I mean, the best part of the game is when your character dies! Isn't that ultimately wrong?
But Aquatron is a pretty unique game. I can't think of another game where you fly a ship that can handle being in the air and then underwater. No, "Spy Hunter" doesn't count; you have to pass through a thing to switch to boat mode. There's even Hyperdrive if you go all the way to the top of the screen... ultimately, it doesn't save much time. But it's still kinda nice! The game play reminds me of Repton, only a little better. Another aspect that makes Aquatron unique is that you've got your "home base" in the game. A giant blimp will occasionally drop care packages for you. You have to be careful not to shoot "home base;" otherwise, you destroy it... I'm not sure if it's permanent. The game also keeps careful track of when you eliminate a particular class of enemy. You got your choppers, your ... sea boats, eliminators? Guess I better fire it up again. You get a bonus for catching care packages that the enemy planes drop; when they land in the water, they turn into mini U-Boats you have to destroy. The bonus isn't terribly worth it. Still, fast-paced fun. Can't believe I didn't post about this one already! Shame on me. Not even in my "Short Reviews" sections. Now all I gotta do is play "Threshold" and "Marauder," and I've got all five Sierra On-Line games under my belt. "Crossfire" is probably the all-time champ (for me) in terms of sheer game hours logged.
Aquatron's home at Atarimania.com
Aquatron at Mushca - Disk 143
