¢CANNON FODDER¢A Jaguar Review by Michael Clatworthy¢¢ Owners of the Atari ST will know that this game has been around for two years now, and in that time it has received high acclaim from computer owners and magazines for it's originality and playability. The game is the creation of Sensible Software, who are now starting to produce games on the Jaguar, with this title and Sensible Soccer currently available.¢¢ The conversion of Cannon Fodder to the Jaguar is very good. Having played the ST and Amiga versions I can say that the Jag has the best version around. There are little extra touches that have been added to the presentation and sound effects that make the Jaguar version a cut above the others.¢¢ For those who haven't seen the game, the basic idea is to complete 24 different missions, each mission having a maximum of six phases. You start with 15 men, all of whom are conscripts eager to join the army. It is your job to control them through the missions, killing enemy soldiers, destroying enemy buildings, rescuing hostages, capturing enemy leaders, protecting civilians and returning captured civilians to their homes.¢¢ The game screen is made up of a high level view looking down on your men and the surrounding terrain. The terrains are: Jungle, Artic Wastes, Desert, Moorlands and Underground Base, all of which are well detailed with water, trees, ice, buildings, huts, quicksand, bushes, igloos, chasms and cliffs, bridges etc.¢¢ Your men appear as small characters on the screen, and all have a name just to make it more personal. You control the men by moving a crosshair to where you want them to walk, then pressing the relevant button. To make them shoot at the enemy (they all carry guns) you point the crosshair in the enemies direction and press the relevant button again. They can shoot whilst walking, so you now see why the control system of using a crosshair to move the men is used. With credit to the progammers, this method works very well, and in all honesty the joypad has turned out to be the best controller to use for this game. The mouse on other versions can be a little difficult to use when you need to move men one way and shoot in the opposite direction.¢¢ As you progress through missions other weapons become available such as grenades and bazookas. These are used to blow up buildings and dispose of tricky enemy troopers, such as the snipers. Once again to throw a grenade or launch a bazooka, you use the joypad to point the crosshair at what you wish to destroy. Be warned! You can blow up your trooper with a bazooka if you launch from behind a tree or building, as the explosion will kill him off!¢¢ Other items of interest are the vehicles which you get to drive in later missions. Vehicles available are the jeep, Skidoo (for the Arctic), tank and helicopter. There is also a fixed turret, used to destroy bunkers etc. Driving the vehicles is great fun and they can be used to run over the enemy. Watch your own troopers though, and watch for grenades thrown by persistent enemy troopers!!¢¢ On some missions you will find weapons around the terrain, i.e. boxes of grenades and barrels of bazooka rockets. Thes can be picked up for use against the enemy, although some have been placed in particularly nasty places where a trooper is risking his life to pick them up.¢¢ Most phases involve at least three troopers, some even having five or six. They can be split up into separate troops (up to a maximum of three) named snake troop, eagle troop and panther troop. You can decide whether grenades/bazookas are split between the troops or whether one troop has all the weapons. Splitting up troopers is a good idea as it allows you to employ pincer tactics on particularly difficult enemy troop positions. When troops are not under your direct control (you cycle between the troops using the number pad), they dig in and provide cover for the others. This can be dangerous though, because if you leave them with grenades they may use them against the enemy, which could leave you high and dry without weapons and unable to complete a mission! Fortunately there is a get-out clause by surrendering and starting the phase again.¢¢ When a trooper dies, he is replaced in the next phase/mission with a fresh conscript, and he is remembered on the roll of honour. He also has a gravestone on Boot Hill, which is the screen you go to before each mission.¢¢ The roll of honour features at the end of a mission once all the phases have been completed. If a trooper has survived all the mission he will receive a promotion and become a better soldier. It should be noted that the higher up the ranks a soldier is, the further the range becomes on his machine gun... very useful on those difficult phases with snipers and crack enemy troopers. You can feel quite sad when you lose a trooper who has survived a few missions!¢¢ Cannon Fodder is an excellent game, and although the graphics seem 32-bit-ish, there is no real way you can complain as they serve the purpose of the game pefectly. The sound effects are very good with shouts from troopers, wind whistling across plains, running streams and rivers, jungle noises and realistic gunfire/explosion sounds. Also, when driving a vehicle in water, the sound of the engine gurgling is wonderful.¢¢ The humour involved in the game can seem sordid. For example, if you shoot a trooper and his injuries aren't fatal, he lies there screaming out in agony until you put him out of his misery, On phases which have been winding you up you can be obliged to leave them to suffer! Very ungentleman like.¢¢ Watch out for natives (they throw spears), and look out for traps, such as trip wires and hidden spikes in the ground. If a trooper is impaled you have to go and put him out of his misery. A terrible way to die!¢¢ Overall, a very good game. The controls are reasonably simple and download time is fast. The title music is very good, with the song being "War...it's never been so much fun!!!". The sampling is superb. Cosmetically, the title pictures are well drawn, with good use of colour, and in the game itself the detail is very good, with birds flying over periodically, and native Eskimos and tribesmen on some screens. The vehicles even have exhaust fumes.¢¢ I was impressed by how you are eased into the gameplay. The first phase involves shooting two enemy soldiers (very easy). As you progress you have to start planning moves and be very careful where you tread.¢¢ Other enjoyable features include the use of a save facility at the end of each mission, the ranking system (which adds a personal touch to the game), and the variety of weapons and vehicles available.¢¢ If you haven't been too impressed with the Jaguar range at present, try this game out. You may be pleasantly surprised.¢
