OFTWARE 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