Mega-lo-Mania & The First Samurai - UbiSoft
     ('God game'/beat 'em up twinpack for Amiga and ST, RRP
       unknown but Special Reserve price is œ13.49, games
       available individually at RRP œ34.99/œ30.99 on PC.)

               Reviewed By James Judge on an STe

Megalomania - a mental disorder involving an exaggerated idea of
one's own importance; a passion for grandiose schemes etc.  Well,
that's what it says in the dictionary (reminds me of someone I
know but I will not mention any names, will I, James Jillians?)
but really Mega-lo-Mania is a God/Strategy game with miniscule
graphics.

So what's the plot?  Well, apart from a still frame introduction
that waffles on about a "great globe in the centre of the Universe
that creates new worlds. Some of these worlds are uninhabited but
some have intelligent life on them", the basic plot is that you
and three other would-be-gods have got to battle it out to obtain
total supremacy over a world.

You can choose who you want to be out of the four gods and then
take a race of your people through different stages of evolution
from caveman to Victorian people and on into the future.

The game is split up into twenty eight islands. The first twenty
seven are split up into groups of three with each group being a
different epoch. The higher the epoch the more advanced your race
is.  Island twenty eight is where the 'Mother Of Battles' will
take place with the remnants of your race pitted against the
other three gods' races.

The mouse is used to control the game and the control system is
very easy to use once you're familiar with it. There is also a
help facility which can be turned on and off just in case you
can't absorb all of the manual at once.

The screen you see throughout the game consists of a view of the
sector you are looking at (each island is split into different
sectors), a map of the island and the control system.  The basic
idea on each island is to evolve your men as far as possible while
inventing new offensive and defensive weapons then launching
attacks on the enemy/enemies, taking over new sectors and getting
more materials for the construction of your weapons.

To actually build a weapon, whether it be offensive or defensive,
you will first need to research it. Researching something takes
time and the amount of time depends on the number of people you
put into researching the item.  Then you must have the correct
materials and if you don't you'll have to start from scratch in a
different sector. You can then build your weapon which takes time
and the time depends on how many men you use.

All the while you're researching and building, your enemies are
doing exactly the same. On any one island you can face up to three
other gods but you can, if you're up against more than one god,
form alliances with one or two others.  It gets quite interesting
when two other gods get together and you and the last god do the
same.

As I said before, the graphics are small with a capital 'S'.  The
men are only a few pixels high but, just like the infamous
Lemmings, they are wonderfully animated.  Each stage of evolution
has its own graphics with the cavemen wearing little loincloths
and the present day people are wearing a suit and tie!

The sound in Mega-lo-Mania is superb with sampled voices at every
stage of the game. Each god has his or her own voice and every
time you design something you hear a wimpy voice saying "The
design is weady". If you pause a game you get someone telling you
they're "Putting you on hold"!

All in all a very good game that keeps you enthralled.

                        First Samurai

Your master has been killed by an evil samurai but he fled into
the future when, with his dying breath, your master called forth a
powerful magician.  You and the magician then got together and
sent you into the future to avenge your master's death.  The game
unfolds over ten big levels from countryside to a sewer and the
city above.

You start off with only your hands and feet to kill the enemies
that come flying at you at every given opportunity but, after a
bout of monster mangling, your mystic energy has gone up and you
receive a mystic samurai sword.  As you go along the levels you
will come across other weapons to add to your arsenal ranging from
throwing knives to grenades.

You will also come across bells with which you call forth the
magician to aid you. He helps by making impassable obstacles, such
as walls of fire and yawning chasms, passable.

The only other items you will come across are food hampers which
replenish your strength, treasure chests and chests mean points
and the odd special item. You must collect four special items and
a bell to be able to advance to the obligatory end of level
guardian (snooze).  Other than that it's just walk, slash, hack,
duck, walk, slash, slash, next level.

The graphics and animation are quite good with the sound being
passable.

It would have been quite a good game except that it's just a bit
too slow and far too easy. I haven't played this for ages now but
when I was playing it I got up to the ninth level without losing a
life and the minimal difficulty. I just gave up after that.

                        Overall

A good game and a not so good game that go together to form an OK
package. When you're so angry at Mega-lo-Mania, bung First Samurai
on and take your frustrations out on the joystick and when you've
calmed down load up the better of the two games.

A worthwhile addition to your collection.