SOFTWARE REVIEW
 			
  
                                                              Name - Star Wars
                                                              Version - 1.0
                                                              Type - Game
                                                              Company - Broderbund
                                                              Requires - Mac, joystick recommended
 
 




					Star Wars was perhaps one of the greatest movies of all		time, but Broderbund's version of Star Wars is certainly not one	of the great computer games.  It is based around the arcade		version of Star Wars.  There are three different scenarios used.	The first is in space around the Death Star, where you battle tie	fighters in your trusty X-Wing fighter.  The enemy tie fighters		shoot back, but their shots can be neutralized by your own lasers.	All tie fighters are destroyed with a hit except for Darth		Vader's, which is invulnerable, but still gives you points if you	shoot it.  From there you proceed to the surface of the Death		Star, mitigated by a digitized recording of Luke Skywalker saying,	"My God, look at the size of that thing!"  Depending on the level,	there are either cubical ground emplacements or towers.  Both		shoot fireballs at you, the same type fired by tie fighters.  The	ground emplacements can be destroyed, but only the tops of the		towers can be destroyed.  Bonus points are given for destroying		all towers.  The final scenario is the trench of the Death Star.	Fireballs are shot at you from the sides of the trench.  Upon		entering the trench, Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice bids you, "Use the		Force, Luke".  Using the Force in the trench means dodging all the	fireballs, thus receiving bonus points.  At higher levels,		barriers are placed which you must fly over or under.  At the end	of the trench you must shoot the target on the bottom of the		trench, and if successful, the Death Star explodes in a less than	spectacular fashion , and you move on to the next level, receiving	bonus points for the amount of shield points you have left.

					The Star Wars theme of the game may excite those who have	never played it but have experienced the superb arcade version;		however, this game is hardly worth stimulation.  First of all, the	sound effects are horrible.  The firing of the X-Wing's lasers is	the standard old computerized laser sound.  The explosion of the	Death Star is no better.  There are a few digitized sounds for the	voice sequence, but they are of bad quality.  This game totally		ignores the immense sound quality of the Mac.

					The graphics were about as bad as the sound.  They were		the same wire frame graphics as the arcade game, but the smaller	screen of the Macintosh does afford the simple graphics the same	magic as on the large arcade screen.  The explosion of the Death	Star is pathetic at best.  Even though this game was based around	the arcade version, it could have only benefitted from utilization	of the impressive graphic capabilities of the Macintosh.

					Moreover, the game is redundant.  The three same scenarios	are, for the most part, unchanging.  Destroying tie fighters		becomes a flog.  Destroying fireballs becomes a flog.  This game	becomes boring very quickly.

					The Verdict:  Star Wars is a spud.  It is not what one would		expect from Broderbund, who has created such hits as Ancient Art	of War, ShufflePuck Cafe, and the incredible SimCity.  If you're	thinking about getting this game, don't.  Go to an arcade and		spend 25 cents instead on a Star Wars game that is really worth		playing.
	
																																																							
																																													            THE SCARECROW