Producer: Domark
Boba Fett's Reward: £9.95 cass, £14.95 disk
Author: DP Rowson, D Howcroft, D Kelly
EWOKS LIKE A MAN, FIGHTS LIKE ONE TOO
The destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars embarrassed the Empire and gave hope to the Rebels. The Empire Strikes Back saw the destruction of the Rebel base on Hoth and Han Solo's capture, but the majority of the Rebel forces remained free. In Return Of The Jedi Darth Vader has set a trap with a second Death Star, falsely rumoured to be vulnerable to attack once the shield projected from Endor is destroyed. After freeing Han Solo the Rebels take the bait...
No sooner than a Rebel scout team land on Endor than they're in trouble with an Imperial patrol. Princess Leia steals a speeder bike and diverts the patrol into a high-speed chase through the forest. This is the first stage of the game, with the trees smoothly scrolling at 45° across the screen. The player controls Princess Lela, with numerous enemies in hot pursuit. These can be destroyed by being shot, bumped into trees and lead into collisions or Ewok traps. The latter consist of two logs slammed together by the furry Ewoks and ropes strung between trees. Be first through a trap and you get a bonus as well as setting the trap, if you're second you're dead.
If you survive this section you arrive at the Ewok village for celebrations. After that the action switches (except on Level One) to a split-wave effect. At first you control Chewbacca in a Scout Walker on its way to the bunker projecting the Death Star's shield. Rolling logs and catapulted bombs must be avoided. After a few seconds of that the game moves to Lando Calrissian in the Millenium Falcon with two X-wing escorts. In the midst of the Imperial trap, with Star Destroyers on all sides, Lando must survive long enough for Chewbacca to destroy the bunker. The action flips between the two until you either die or succeed.
The final stage has the Falcon flying into the Death Star to blow up the reactor. Various barriers .must be avoided while a TIE fighter on your tail adds extra hassle. As with the other two games you can choose to begin on Levels One, Three or Five.
While I thought Jedi marginally the least of the films, I think it's made the strongest Spectrum game. Rather than use boring vector graphics this has an off-beat, Zaxxon-type perspective and some original gameplay. The Speeder Bike and Walker stages are particularly good: hard but fair with great graphics. The space scene isn't quite as good, bullets are very hard to see against the star field, but it isn't bad, and the final entry into the Death Star is perfectly respectable. With all this compacted into a single 48K load Return Of The Jedi is an irresistible buy.
STUART [92%]
THE ESSENTIALS
Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: effective, diagonally-scrolling 3-D
Sound: good title tune and adequate in-game effects
Options: three skill levels
Return Of The Jedi has tried to be as faithful to the arcade machine as the previous two games. The graphics are all excellent with smooth diagonal scrolling and fast, fliickerless sprites. All the level are different graphically but they each use the same scrolling routine, making the game slightly monotonous. The main play area is smonochromatic, sound is pretty good though, with tunes at the end of each level (on the 128K). Return Of The Jedi is good fun for a while but the diagonal 3-D can get confusing, making you crash (wimp - Stu).
NICK [80%]
Domark have certainly used the Force here. The excellent Speeder Bike section is totally addictive and a great game in its own right. The other sections, although similar in appearance, all require different skills. The sprites are well-drawn, although Leia's Speeder Bike moves rather jerkily. But this is a minor quibble and doesn't affect the immense playability. As you progress through the levels, new features are encountered, such as the mad hang-gliding Ewok whose bombs are more of a menace than the Death Star. With three skill levels and a great 128K soundtrack, this is an action-packed shoot-'em-up well up to the standards of the previous two games.
PHIL [86%]
Domark
£9.95/+3 version £14.95
Reviewer: Duncan MacDonald
First it was Star Wars in which a war was carried out against a backdrop of stars, then it was The Empire Strikes Back in which The Empire, er, struck back and now it's Return Of The Jedi in which (Yes we know, in which the Jedi come back again. Now get on with it or you're fired. Ed). Eeeer. Oh dear. Um, anyway, we now have the third part of the trilogy, so without further ado let's have a meatshop.
If you were expecting something in the same vein as Domark's two previous Star Wars (vector graphic shoot 'em ups') then you'd be wrong. This one's a scroller. A diagonal scroller to boot (like Alien Highway and Highway Encounter). There are various different stages to the game, so let's start with level one (and why not). It's a diagonally scrolling (top right to bottom left) forest of Endor. You play Princess Leia on a speederbike and you have to avoid both the trees and the Imperial Stormtroopers (also on speederbikes). Both would be easy one their own, but together things are decidedly tricky. Keeping out of the way of the Stormtroopers taking you out unawares from behind (oo-er). If you get to the end of this stage you'll be treated to the sight of a band of Ewoks doing something that will make them go blind, or at least that's what it looks like.
The next stage is the Death Star, where you're in control of the Millenium Falcon with the task of blowing up the central reactor. Again it's a diagonal scroller, and the object is to avoid the dangerous protrusions jutting from every wall as they scroll inexorably towards you. Avoid enough protrusions, blow up the reactor and it's onto stage three, which is really more of stage one, bit with more trees and Stormtroopers. Stage four is more diagonal scrolling, only this time you in charge of an Imperial Scout Walker, and you've got to avoid/shoot oncoming logs and boulders.
Graphically the game is quite neat. The scrolling is fast and smooth, and the sprites are nicely animated. The control response is very good too. In fact it's all quite addictive - but the real problem is substance, or rather lack of it. If you're looking for something to while away a bit of time then you could do worse than Return Of The Jedi, but if you're looking for something a bit more 'special' then maybe this isn't for you. It's not awful by any means, but then again it ain't brilliant either.
Ho Hum.
Time to catch up with our 2 favourite barg hunters, JON PILLAR and RICH PELLEY, as we fix on our helmets and drop down deep...
BARGAIN BASEMENT
Hit Squad
£2.99
Reviewer: Jon Pillar
"Use the force, Luke!" "Here they come!" "You mean the girl I've been trying to snog for the last two films is my sister?" - Yes, it's The Return Of The Jedi! Having done vector graphics to death with Star Wars and Empire, Atari plumped for a new diagonally-scrolling 3D routine that translates spookily well onto the Speccy. Although all three levels are of the advance-through-area-dodging-obstacles-and-shooting-Imperials type they're sufficiently different to repulse the dreadied snoozies. Best is the one where Leia escapes through the Endorian forests on a speeder bike, bashing the pursuing bikers into trees or leading them into fiendish traps. Next up (or down, if you see what I mean), follow Lando as he pilots the Millenium Falcon into the new Death Star, blows up its reactor then races the explosion to the exit! Last, and least, you're either Chewie in an AT-ST dodging rolling logs, or Lando (again) blasting through the Imperial Fleet. Presumably to emulate the cross-cutting action of the picture, the game flips you between the two (but before you can get the hang of either). Overall though, it's a nifty conversion - fast and (if not exactly furious) reasonably spirited. Warp Factor 9 (Oh, drat! That's Star Trek!)
Label: Domark
Author: Consult Software
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins
Another case of May The Farce Be With You. It's a bit late to convert the coin-op of George Lucas' third and least good Star Wars film - the coin-op itself hasn't been seen in the arcades since the year dot but being untopical has never bothered Domark. After all, Live and Let Die is ten years old. Never mind, perhaps the licenses are cheaper that way.
Still and all, as Darth Vader used to say, ROTOJ is a pretty good conversion of the coin-op, which abandoned the vector-graphics style of Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back for a more conventional solid-sprite concept. This was all well and good a few years ago, but it doesn't make for a machine-stretchingly radical conversion.
There are three sections to the game, each of which is basically a diagonally-scrolling dodge-and-shoot exercise, each featuring a famous sequence from the film. The first features a chase on speeder bikes, in which the furry, loveable Ewoks help you avoid the imperial stormtroopers; then there's a bit of a giggle with a Scout Walker, and a chase through the insides of the Death Star in the Millenium Falcon. In all three sections, the diagonal scrolling is good, but the graphics are completely unremarkable and the action is tediously predictable.
In part one, the speederbike chase you can barge your imperial pursuers into trees, or manoeuvre your way behind them and shoot them out of the saddle. The Ewoks lay traps into which you can lead the enemy; trip wires, hang-glider bombers and log traps which allow you through, but catch your pursuers. You can gain bonus points for braving these traps or shooting through the hollow logs. Pity you can't score points for bumping off the horrible Ewoks.
Part two, the flight through the Death Star, sees you pursued by T.I.E. fighters. You can't shoot them, so your only chance is to manoeuvre through the gridworks and pipes, hoping the imperials will smash themselves to bits before they shoot you down.
Reach the reactor and knock it out, and you flee the exploding Death Star just in front of a wave of fire.
The final phase involves a Scout Walker making its way through the forest, jumping over log traps and avoiding rolling boulders. This is perhaps the least good of the sections, because there's something wrong with the perspective of the Scout Walker's design.
There are three levels of difficulty, but no real excitement or challenge to make you want to carry on to the highest levels.
Overall, I think there are two things to be thankful for; one, there aren't any more games in the series; two, Domark doesn't have the licence for Ewoks: The Battle for Endor... YET!
Label: Hit Squad
Price: £2.99 48K/128K
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins
A long time ago in a galaxy far away, Atari churned out a series of coin-ops which in due course Domark converted for home computers. The first two, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, were 3-D vector graphic jobbies which stand the test of time fairly well. The third, Return of the Jedi, doesn't fare so well.
The three diagonally-scrolling episodes in the game are based vaguely on episodes from the film; in the first, speeder-bikes ski through the forests of the Moon of Endor, defending themselves from Imperial attack by bumping stormtroopers off their bikes or less-than-imperially shooting them.
In the second, Chewbacca pilots a scout walker through the forest, avoiding Ewok booby traps; in the third Lando Calrissian steers the Millenium Falcon through the Death Star II's internal bits (yeech!), avoiding columns and guntowers to reach and destroy the reactor by putting a high tech firelighter down it's shute.
There nothing you can put your finger on which is actually wrong with any of these routines; graphics, animation and sound effects are all fair. But there isn't a great deal of excitement and the action's pretty predictable. It's probable that only committed Star Wars fans our omourous Axeminsters after a piece of Wookie would consider The Return of the Jedi an essential purchase.
MACHINES: ST, Amiga, C64, Spectrum, Amstrad
SUPPLIER: Domark
PRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 cass £9.95, C64 disk £12.95, Spec/Ams disk £14.95, ST/Amiga £19.95
VERSION TESTED: Atari ST
A long time ago in a galaxy far away, a powerful regime known as the Atari Corporation produced a series ofmassive coin-op games - Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. Meanwhile, in far off Wimbledon, a small revolutionary outfit, Domark, managed to infiltrate the Atari HQ and escape with the home computer licences for these games. Over the past year Domark has successfully converted the first two - but now can it pull off its third and most difficult mission, making a good job of Return Of The Jedi, and thus makes the universe a safer place?
The first section takes place in the forest of Endor, where you (as the Princess Leia - no sexism here buddies) races along a diagonally scrolling pathway on a high-tech speederbike avoiding the copious forestry and keeping your eyes peeled for the Imperial Stormtroopers who wait behind the trees like evil speed cops.
The scrolling is super smooth and the sprites and backdrop are good enough, but this section is et down by a couple of little faults. First of all the joystick control is sloppy, making controlling the speederbike into a little too fine an art for my liking, and second the action scrolls by at a fixed speed - pushing forward rushes the player towards the top of the screen, but once there the action returns to its normal pace. But for all that this is a compulsive enough task, finishing only when Princess Leia reaches the Eowks' base camp to be greeted by an ecstatic R2D2 and C3PO.
At this point your body changes dramatically. You grow by about three feet and develop a nasty body hair problem - that's right you're Chewbacca the Wookie! Things aren't going too well for old Chewie, as he's at the controls of an Imperial Scout Walker and attempting to take it to a bunker to relieve a pretty desperate Han Solo.
Once again the background scrolls diagonally (although this time it's from the bottom right to top left) as Chewie attempts to avoid or destroy oncoming logs and boulders. During waves two and three a 'split wave' effect comes into operation, with the action switching at crucial points from the forest to the Death Star where Lando Calrissian is taking the Millenium Falcon on a do or die mission to destroy the central reactor.
Lando also has to battle along a diagonally scrolling landscape, with Imperial fighters in hot pursuit and dangerous protrusions jutting from every wall. The action gets a touch hectic at this point, as you have to keep a close eye both in front of the Falcon for obstacles and behind for the enemy.
It's difficult to decide whether Jedi is a good finish to the Star Wars series or some kind of space turkey.
The presentation is up to Domark's usual high standards, with a choice of three difficulty levels, demo mode, high score table etc.
Return of the Jedi is probably not as good a game as either of its predecessors, but it is a good conversion and an adequate game in its own right.
Hit Squad
Spectrum £2.99
The third in the trilogy, Jedi differs from the other two insofar as it uses a Zaxxon-style viewpoint rather than vector graphics, but even so, this Speccy conversion of the Atari coin-op is dull, repetitive, and not a whole lot of fun. Recommended to fanatics of the films and the coin-op only.
Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £9.95, Diskette: £14.95
Amstrad CPC Cassette: £9.95, Diskette: £14.95
Commodore 64/128 Cassette: £9.95, Diskette: £14.95
Atari ST Diskette: £19.95
ENDOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
The Empire has been giving the rebel alliance a rough time of late. Following their victory in the battle of Yavin against the Death Star, and subsequent defeat on Hoth, Luke and his buddies regroup to strike against the heart of the enemy - a second Death Star. Orbiting the moon of Endor, Death Star II, when complete, may prove the undoing of the alliance, it must be destroyed before it's ready for action.
The alliance divide forces: group one sets out to destroy the Death Stars shield generator on Endor, clearing the way for group two to fly in and destroy the reactor.
Split into four stages, battle takes place on Endor and in space, as the two groups take on the Empires might. The first scene features Endor, where Luke rides through the forest on a speeder bike - Imperial bikers give chase, firing lasers as hunter and hunted race through the trees. Cuddly Ewoks make a potentially helpful appearance, holding up ropes and pushing tree trunks together after a speeder bike passes through - make sure you get through first though!
The second phase on Endor has Han and Chewbacca in a stolen AT-ST, rampaging through the forest towards the shield generator. If not for logs rolling toward you and totally confused Ewoks throwing rocks, this section would be a doddle.
LOOK NO HAN
In true cinematic style, the action switches between Endor and the space battle where Lando flies over Star Destroyers as he takes on TIE Fighters. Alternating between Endor and space continues until the AT-ST nears the bunker and, with a casual lob, throws a grenade in - up it goes.
With the shield gone its time for a final assault on the Death Star - Lando flies the Falcon into the battlestation. With his superior flying skills and the fastest heap of junk in the galaxy, Lando avoids pillars and TIE fighters as he races to destroy the reactor - and get out without being cooked.
Potential may have been missed by not using vector graphics, as in the previous two games, but the new approach is natural for most home computers. The resulting game is very playable across ail formats.
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