by Jay Winchester

                              Empire Interactive, $30. Requirements: PowerPC, 10MB RAM, System 7.1,
                              CD-ROM. Contact Empire at http://www.empire.co.uk
 
                              To say that Empire Interactive’s Timeshock, the company’s latest entry in
                              its Pro-Pinball game series, is a digital pinball game is equivalent to saying
                              Einstein’s theory of relativity is a mathematical equation.  Both statements
                              gloss over the fact that a lot of critical thought, creative inspiration and
                              determined energy went into establishing both enterprises.  This is not to
                              say that playing Timeshock is as difficult as figuring out Einstein’s equation. 
                              But solving this arcade wonder is, in its own way, just as challenging as
                              tackling the great equation.
                              
                              What draws arcade fans-and pinball players, especially-are the challenging
                              ramps, the circular orbits and the mesmerizing combination of gleaming
                              chrome, polished wood and neon-bright lights.  Playing the game is simple: 
                              The player hits the plunger, sending a spinning chrome ball out onto the
                              playing field where, through the skillful application of side flippers and
                              table nudging, the player steers the ball through a dizzying maze of pre-
                              determined paths, scoring points all along the way.  Play continues until
                              either the player maxes out the points (good luck making that happen…does
                              the phrase "repetitive motion syndrome" have any meaning for you?) or the
                              balls all exit the playing surface (called "draining" in pinball parlance). 
                              That’s the essence of the game.  But again, it understates the game’s
                              brilliance, because Timeshock is really a role-playing game masquerading
                              as an arcade attraction!  No, really…you read that right.
                              
                              Every aspect of Timeshock has been lovingly and skillfully constructed
                              around the following scenario:  A scientist discovers that the nature of time
                              is crystalline, meaning it flows from the future as liquid, crystallizes in the
                              present and becomes solid and immutable as the present becomes the past
                              (okay, nobody said the game had any basis in real science…it’s a game!! 
                              We’re all in this for the fun, right?).  Unfortunately, crystal can be
                              shattered.  And it’s the discovery that his work on the future has released a
                              temporal shock wave of anti-time that drives the scientist’s quest.  And just
                              what is his quest?  To find the Holy Grail…no, wait..that’s another game
                              entirely…It turns out that, on its journey to the past, the wave is crossing
                              our present.  The only way to stop it from continuing to the dawn of time and
                              destroying history is to reach that era before the wave arrives.  Once there,
                              the scientist can gather together the crystalline elements of the future and
                              create a counter-shock  wave.  
                              
                              Unfortunately, time travel requires a time machine.  Fortunately, the
                              scientist has one (although he’s apologetic about its rather crude
                              construction…he must be a British scientist, because only the British are
                              mannered enough to apologize for the appearance of a machine that might
                              very well save the world).  Unfortunately, it takes two people to fly the
                              craft-one to pilot and one to navigate the time stream-and his assistant is
                              missing.  Fortunately, you’ve just bought Timeshock, loaded it into your Mac
                              and discovered that your love of pinball makes you an ideal candidate to
                              replace the missing assistant (see…we told you it was a role-playing game). 
                              Together, the two of you must travel through four different time zones in
                              search of the crystal fragments.  Of course, in order to unlock the time
                              zones, you’ll need to explore several continents, accomplish Herculean feats
                              and survive terrible dangers to find enough Tachyonium (a rare metal) to
                              unlock the zones.  These explorations and time travel scenarios include:
                              • Chariot racing in ancient Rome.
                              • Battling futuristic robots in South America.
                              • Escaping stampeding herds of dinosaurs in the distant past.
                              • Climbing the face of Mount Rushmore.
                              
                              These are just four of the tasks awaiting game-players.  The successful
                              completion and/or survival of these various explorations and scenarios is
                              predicated on the player’s ability to complete the different series of shots
                              and orbits each requires.  Activating these time and travel zones, as well as
                              ringing up the high point totals and collecting the random awards attached to
                              them, is totally dependent on the player’s skill.  As with any game, a certain
                              amount of luck is involved, but in Timeshock, skill is the dominant success
                              factor.  As one might guess, this all must be accomplished with a limited
                              number of balls (at first) and against a ticking clock.  As the player’s score
                              rises, opportunities for extended play are offered.  Along the way, it’s
                              possible to collect an assortment of random awards.  Save them.  Although
                              what you collect may or may not appear to have any useful connection, you
                              might be surprised.  And the developers have sprinkled a generous helping of
                              Easter egg surprises throughout the game.  Just be aware!  Finding the cow
                              may not be as easy (or as simple) as it seems to be.
                              
                              Gameplay is possible in four modes:  Novice (guaranteeing a minimum two
                              minutes of pulse-pounding action while making some of the more advanced
                              features easier to reach); Regular (the game being discussed here);
                              Challenge (a multi-player level so innovative, the company refuses to
                              discuss it); and Tournament (the master level; no extra balls or random
                              awards allowed). 
                              
                              Looking at the pinball table itself, which is really the one and only
                              component you need to play Timeshock, it’s tempting to find one’s self
                              thinking, "Yeah, right.  Where do I accomplish this quest?  And how do I see
                              what’s going on?"  Those are two good questions, which the developers have
                              solved with one good answer.  Like most any modern pinball game, Timeshock
                              comes equipped with its own Dot Matrix display, found at the far end of the
                              table.  The action involved in the explorations and time travel scenarios in
                              this game within a game are all projected here.
                              
                              The display can be set in several optional modes.  The player can make it
                              appear solid, which makes for better viewing of the information and action,
                              but screens out any pinball action which might take place during the game.  A
                              second option allows the screen to become partially transparent.  In this
                              mode, the player can see both the information or action on the screen as well
                              as any balls passing behind it.  Lastly, the display can be set to automatically
                              come on when any event of importance is underway.  If you don’t want to see
                              the display until you have to see the display, you can have it your way.
                              
                              Timeshock offers an extensive menu of audits and controls, enabling players
                              to track their progress, gather statistics and alter some of the features that
                              have been pre-set by the factory.  If a player wants to know what percentage
                              of his flipper strikes have taken place using the right flipper, he can find
                              out by chasing that stat through the menu’s branching structure.  The
                              operator’s menu also allows players to "service" their tables by testing the
                              lights and solenoids which enable much of the game-play.  Lastly, the menu
                              allows players to examine in-depth the quality construction and artistic
                              merit of the board itself.  Timeshock’s playing surface is a work of art, each
                              chrome tube, wooden panel, and decorative accessory lovingly and
                              painstakingly crafted by master designers.  In fact, the design and
                              mechanisms behind Timeshock’s table are so authentic that real-world table
                              designers have used blueprints of its structure in building actual pinball
                              machines.  This isn’t a game put out by some software-enabled dweebs in the
                              hope of cashing in on a big pay day.  Timeshock is a game designed and
                              developed by people who care, actual pinball owners who delight in sharing
                              the wonders they’ve discovered with others.  During gameplay, the table can
                              be viewed from any one of four possible viewing angles.
                              
                              Even the sounds come across as authentic and carefully crafted.  Transmitted
                              in Dolby Surround Sound, the audio portion of the game is crisp and clear. 
                              The game’s musical score features over 30 digital audio tracks, composed
                              and recorded by Bruce Foxton and Jake Burns (of The Jam and Stiff Little
                              Fingers fame).  Now there are those pinball purists out there who insist that
                              music is mostly a distraction for players.  But this score adds another layer
                              of enjoyment, enhancing and enriching the gameplay experience.  Heck, it’s
                              great music to drive by, much less play by. 
                              
                              Included in the packaging are two beautifully rendered and concisely-
                              written manuals.  The Table Manual describes the game scenario, the table
                              features and the various paths and orbits players must follow in order to
                              save time itself.  There’s even a section on tips for better gameplay, written
                              by Jonas Martinsson, Worldwide Grand Champion of Pro-Pinball, The Web,
                              Empire’s previous arcade offering.  If you’ve always thought that pinball
                              was nothing more than flipping little chrome balls around while the machine
                              eats your money/tokens, read it.  You’ll be shocked at all the strategy and
                              subtlety you’ve missed.  The Technical Manual describes the table’s in-game
                              options, details its graphic compositions and resolutions, and offers
                              configuration and technical support information.
                              
                              If you’re into pinball, get Timeshock and see just how far this game will
                              push your skills.  If you’re not into Pinball, get the game anyway.  Its
                              addictive nature will have you hooked in no time!  And your friends and
                              family see how much you love to play Timeshock. they’ll be singing this odd
                              little tune under their breaths whenever you’re around:  "They call him
                              Flipper, Flipper…."