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Show --r 14KV The Salt Lake Tribune Thursday March 10, 1983 Ram It Offers Video Gamers a Stylish Derivation of Breakout ' By Michael Blanchct Tribune Company Syndicate Inc Ram It, a stylish derivation of Breakout, is the best effort to date from Telesys, a small but innovative California software company Ram It is a war fought in two fronts. The player is represented by g a Ramroid, which is on a line runsuspended like a ning down the middle of the play-fielStacks of bars rest on both sides of the Ramroid When the game begins, the bars start growing at random. The object is to repel the growth of the bars before the bars on the east side meet the bars on the west side in the center of the screen This is done bv firing at them stick north and south, so yo-y- o d responsive DiscWasher Pointmas-teYou only have to move the joy r custom maneuverability Each advancing bar is shortened, one section at a time, by the Ram-roid'- s laser blasts. It takes a number of shots to clear the entire board, but don't worry about hand fatigue. The Ramroid has rapid fire capability Just hold down the fire button and it will send out a constant stream of bullets Each of the 32 hostile bars plays a different musical note when hit. This haphazard sound track is cute and provides a welcome relief from the morbid sound effects generated by most games Three Game Lives A complete game of Ram It can be lengthy once the player learns the tricks necessary to clear the board. At the outset of each contest, the player is given three game lives laser-wieldin- Since the bars grow on both sides of the board, you must shift your attention from one side of the screen to the other. Since the bars are generated at random, the element of something not found in surprise is preserved many video games Joystick Used A joystick is used to pilot the Ramroid along the central axis Much to my surprise, I found the standard Atari joystick better suited for playing Ram It than the super a joystick offers no edge in shoot-'em-u- p If all the bars are wiped out in any one round, the player receives an additional game life Each life will last a total of 50 seconds This period is monitored by the bonus timer at the bottom of the screen, which be100 point gins at 5,000 and shrinks by increments To buy additional time (and points), the player can shoot a flashing bar Once hit, a flashing bar disappears completely The bonus timer value is simultaneously credited with anywhere from 400 to 1,300 points, depending on the size of the bar in question. Frequently, the bar opposite the freshly killed flashing bar will suddenly spring out toward the center of the playfield. This occurence is referred to as a "ram it" in the instruction booklet Little Too Easy My only complaint is that the most difficult settings of Ram It are too easy. I, a gamer of only average ability, had little trouble reaching 100.000 points a feat that took a good 15 to 20 minutes to accomplish. I managed to score over 50,000 points consistently, after playing the game only twice Not that this game isn't challenging it is. It is also entertaining and a true treat for the senses But the serious gamer may max this one out a little too quickly. A I do recommend Ram It to the younger audience, since it is easy to learn and I SOLD AN OLD TRICYCLF AND GOT WHAT I ASKED FOR IT rfi V' It Jt JUj Cmj WANT-AD- S 237-200- 0 Now Odyssey Two Owners Can Enjoy Classy Demon Attack By Michael Blanchet Until recently. Odyssey Two owners missed out on something that Atari and Intellivision owners have games enjoyed for a long time designed by independent software companies. Demon Attack. Imagic s first Odyssey Two compatible cartridge. changes all that Demon Atn tack, a major hit in Atari and outcompatible cartridges, classes anything currently offered by NAP Consumer Electronics, until now the sole source of Odyssey games The idea behind this game is simple destroy or be destroyed. Unlike Space Invaders or Galaxians (two games that are similar to Demon Attack), the action unfolds in an unpredictable manner The player controls a ground-base- d bunker His job is to dodge enemy fire and position the bunker to shoot back at the demons Dev ious Dancing Demons The demons are a devious lot Instead of creeping across the screen, these guys dance around, bobbing to and fro as they hover over you Only demons will appear on two the screen at a time, but if this sounds easy to you, guess again. As the game progresses, the demons DEMON xm'-- Intel-livisio- DEMON D: D LASER CANNON full-size- d get faster and smarter With each round of play, the demons change their shape and mode of attack In round five, for example. Service Expansion Rejected Cottonwood-Height- s Salt Lake County commissioners said "no" recently to expansion of the Cottonwood-Height- s Service Area that operates a spa at 2700 E tered voters in the area are opposed to the proposal a greater percentage than state law requires to kill such a proposition 7500 South Twenty-fiv- percent of the regis- - e The proposal called for annexation of four district areas, ex plained Mike Mazuran. attorney for the service area There little or no opposition from the northeast area 6600 to 7700 South between Foothill and lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service Why not approve that s corner for annexation' asked a large demon will split m two when hit The smaller demons are elusive targets, and darned good shots to boot. They will move nonchalantly around the playfield, then suddenly one or both will dive toward the bun- ker. Kamikazee style There are six game variations in the Odyssey Two Demon Attack, but until you get the hang of things. I recommend the basic game or the basic game with tracer shots. The tracer shots feature allows you to control the flight path of a shot after it has been fired Just move the bunker left or right and the shot will follow Devious Demons Seasoned players may want to try the advanced game, in which everything moves a little faster. But there's one problem with the adthe Demons tend vanced version to blow up the replacement ships the instant they materialize. To prevent this, push the joystick to the left or right the minute you lose a bunker This way. the reserve bunker won't be a sitting duck for Demon fire. Demon Attack also has a special p version, in which two players alternate control of one laser cannon. Every four seconds, control of the cannon switches. Although the plavers share a common supply of bunWsj. each player tallys a sepa ' If your partner is so un fortunate as to lose a game life.' you'll be rewarded with a 500 point bonus. Unlike most Odyssey Two games. Demon Attack is high by Odyssey standards. Instead of the single digit scoring used by most Odyssey Two games, Demon Attack awards dpu-bleven triple, digit figures for kill-in- g a demon. Logically, this rate score. e, shouldnt make any difference, but hefty point totals are good for the ego. Visually, Demon Attack sets a new standard for Odyssey Two games. If you owrn an Odyssey Two game system, find out what millions, of Atari and Intellivision owners alImagic's Demon, Atready know tack is one heck of a game (C) Tribune Company Syndicate. Inc. . . 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