BattleTech - Infocom œ24.99

Okay, Infocom, confuse me! First you say you will never produce
games with graphics, and you release Beyond Zork which had
on-screen mapping before going on to bring out other games with
more intricate graphics; Journey and Zork Zero.

You also said that you weren't going to support the ST any more;
and what should appear, without any warning, but BattleTech on
the ST. The style of the game is a further surprise because it
is an RPG. This is a great step for Infocom, but is it forwards,
backwards or just sideways into another area of adventuring?

The basic story behind the game is this - you are Jason
Youngblood, newly arrived at the Pacifica Training School for
BattleMech warriors. You started your MechWarrior training at
the age of 9 but now you are 18, your education will begin in
earnest.


You come from a famous family, your father being Jeremiah
Youngblood, who is honoured in the Hall of Legends in the
Citadel (the centre of the Lyran Commonwealth operations on
Pacifica) because of his heroism during the latest of the
Succession Wars. He is the most accomplished MechWarrior alive
and saved the life of Katrina Steiner, the ruler of the Steiner
House, in 3016 and is now Pacifica's chief of security.

The Succession Wars have been fought for the last thousand years
between the five houses of Davion, Steiner, Kurita, Marik and
Liao - hence the need for 'Mechs, mechanical fighting machines
manned by warriors and equipped with weaponry.  At the training
school, you will take part in 12 missions, each of which will
make you proficient in different aspects of 'Mech operation.

The school is quite large and there are several places you can
visit in between missions: the Citadel, mentioned earlier, where
you can visit the Hall of Legends or make an appointment to see
Katrina, the Barracks where you can catch up on your sleep
after your gruelling training, the mechit-lube where the 'Mechs
are serviced and repaired, the weapons and armour shops where
you can buy equipment, the Lounge where you can meet your
friends and relax.

Money is important on Pacifica but luckily you start off with a
small number of c-bills (the local currency) and your generous
parents will send you small amounts of money at regular
intervals. But in order to make your money grow enough to pay
for your purchases and training to use all types of weapons, you
will have to invest in one of three stocks available at Comstar
(DefHes, NasDiv and BakPhar). One is a safe investment, one is a
bit more risky and the third will make or break your fortune so
be careful how you spread your money about!

When you go to take part in a training mission, you will first
have to pass a short quiz on the construction of a 'Mech by
identifying three parts of the machine. Luckily the guide that
comes with the game gives all the required information. The
first training mission is very simple but they rapidly become
more difficult.

Certain of the missions will put you into mock battle
conditions. You can choose to let the computer fight for you in
most of these situations which is certainly quicker than doing
it yourself (at least, it was for me). You can pick verbose or
brief descriptions of the fight and also whether or not you have
the battle graphics displayed.

During one of the later missions, you realise that the 'Mechs
you are fighting are not ones supplied by the training school;
they are controlled by Kuritans who have invaded the Citadel!
Soon, you are on the run trying to save your life. There is only
one thing to do. You must try to reach nearby StarPort and find
your father (if he is still alive) and then try to get off the
planet.

Outside the school, the countryside is bristling with enemy
troops and mercenaries but the fighting skills learnt in your
spare time (you did remember to train, didn't you?) will help
save you. Some armour will come in handy too. But, clearly, the
game will not end when you reach StarPort - you are going to play
a key role in the fight against the other Houses involved in the
Succession Wars. Your mission will become easier once you gain
some allies.

So how does BattleTech look and play?

The screen is in three sections. The right side shows an
overhead view of the area, the bottom left shows your status
(stamina, dexterity and charisma) plus how many c-bills you have
and the top left shows your direction movements, some messages
and any incidental graphics that may be displayed during the
game. The whole game can be played using the mouse.

The main graphics are fairly good, certainly up to the standard
of most of the RPGs about at the moment. The incidental graphics
have a cartoon-like quality and are more effective, having a
limited amount of animation. The sound effects are minimal and 
are mostly restricted to the odd bang or zap.

Sadly, there seems to be a certain sparkle lacking in the game.
The battle sequences, which should be the most exciting part of
the game, are pretty tedious and letting the computer fight for
you is an easy way out. The most exasperating part of the game
is waiting around for your money to grow. I found the easiest
way was to leave the ST powered up and log on to Prestel using
the spectrum and do my mail, then come back later to see how my
cash was doing. Not exactly the most enthusiastic way to play a
game.

I certainly didn't get the same feeling of involvement with
BattleTech as I have with other RPGs. The storyline is good but
I'm afraid I wasn't too impressed with the gameplay.

                                            Sue