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Airheart (Adventure Arcade)
Compatibility: 128K Apple IIe, IIc, IIgs
Requirements: One disk drive, joystick
When Marinus, Lord of the Sea, realized that his kingdom would soon fall to merciless invaders his final arrangements were to protect his only son. Locked in suspended animation and surrounded by robot defenses, the prince may only be awakened by one brave and skillful enough to pass four great tests. For only with such a one at his right hand can the prince hope to free his people-- only with the hero to be known as "Airheart"!
As the challenge begins you are seated in a small, jet-powered one-gun skimmer craft in mid-ocean between the two "Home" islands. On each stands a solemn guardian; as one, they point to the open sea: "Bring us the sword", they command, and then vanish. If successful, you will subsequently be directed to recover a goblet, a harp, and finally the prince himself. Each item retrieved earns an extra life and adds to your score. Losing your last life ends the game; however, you may still qualify for High Score honors (saved to disk).
All of the tests follow the same format. You must track your way (above or below the surface) to the "Treasury" island, defeat the robot defenders, board the island to retrieve the object, and return to the Home islands. Since your craft is vulnerable to being shot out from beneath you, on the way back there is a brief robot-fighting contest to win an extra skimmer.
The higher the task, the tougher and more numerous the defenders. These include seven types of buoy-shaped machine that can bump you, fire bullets, suck up your skimmer, and send out suffocating bubbles, among other talents. Knocking out robots takes a bit of practice, since you must control shot distance by tilting your craft; and, naturally, the robots are always in motion. Finally, even after potting one of these turkeys, you have to quickly scoop up the leftover "pod"; otherwise, the robot regenerates!
This is the first double-hires arcade I've seen; so the colorful, detailed, smoothly animated graphics were something of a surprise. Add good sound, and the result is a very attractive presentation; just watching the demo sequences is a treat. The acid test, of course, is to tackle an actual mission. With good speed and responsive controls for tilt, up/down motion via jets, and full-circle horizontal motion, the skimmer is fun to fly and fight. Brought to you from the creators of "Choplifter", Broderbund's "Airheart" is a solid arcade challenge sure to become a classic.
Available from Broderbund: 17 Paul Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903. (415) 479-1700. $34.95
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