Something Different ...

                  Wolfenstein and Doom
           (On SynTax 410 and 688 respectively)

         Reviewed by James Judge on a 4meg 486sx-25

OK, techy stuff before I get into the review.

Wolfenstein needs 4megs and a VGA monitor to run. Also it benefits
from a sound card (all the major ones are supported). It needs to
be run on a 386 16Mhz at least.

Doom is far more greedy. It needs 4megs (but prefers 8) and VGA to
run. Running it on a 386 is jerky, so a 486 25Mhz is preferable
(and the higher the processor, the better). It is complimented,
also, by a soundcard.

Both games can be controlled by either the keyboard, joystick or a
mixture of both (although I prefer the keyboard).

WOLFENSTEIN
-----------

I got this, because I was told by many people that this was THE
game to get for the PC - good graphics, violence galore and damn
difficult.  Great, I thought so, borrowing a coverdisk from a
friend I hurriedly installed it onto my HDD and played it for
three days on the hardest level. Then I deleted it from the HDD as
I had completed it. Great, me thought, good game - honest!

What the game entails is you taking control of a character who has
been imprisoned by the Nazis and you must guide him around the
prison, going up levels to freedom, collecting new weapons and
shooting the Nazi scum.

Before I get all of the BNP members on my front door I'm not going
to tell you how much I enjoyed shooting the living daylights out
of hundreds of Nazi guards (or whether I did or not...) but
instead look at other aspects of the game...

As you wander around the prison (which shouldn't pose too much of
a problem for the RPGers among us. If you aren't used to finding
your way around enclosed spaces you may find this a tad difficult
(maybe adding to the games appeal?)) you will come across two
types of guard (one toting a small single-shot pistol and the
other carrying a sub-machine gun), a few Alsatians and then there
will be a big baddie at the end of the game (he gets a full level
to himself!) who is carrying two automatic weapons and, unless you
are quick on your feet, you won't be able to kill the sucker!

Also in the prison are, as I said, weapon upgrades. You start off
with the bog standard pistol and knife and then progress to a sub
machine gun. After that it is on to an automatic weapon and that
is it. There is only one type of ammo to worry about and this is
in abundance - both dropped by the guards and left just lying
around in corridors (no wonder they lost the war, if this is the
way they go around their business...).  Also there are
collectables that will boost your health rating which is displayed
as a percentage and as a face that gets more bloody and bruised
the closer to death that you come. The health boosters are first
aid kits, plates of food and dog food - yummy!

And that is about it, wander around the prison, shoot the guards,
eat the dog food, collect some ammo, a gun and then find a few
secret passages that lead to even more ammo and dog food.

The graphics are quite good - nothing that really caught my eye,
though. The graphics are 3D texture mapped and so look pretty good
when compared to ST games, but from RPGs that I have seen on the
PC, they aren't wonderful - even with the good piccies of Hitler
and banners scattered around the walls. Sound is also mediocre
from the ratatatata of guns to 'uuurghs' and shouts from the
guards. The blokes who are carrying the sub-machine guns also cry
something in Deutsch when they spot you - I haven't figured what
it is, though, and the same thing goes for when they kick the
bucket.

The end of game scene is pitiful, just panning away from you and
you see yourself jump and go 'hoorah!'. Then you are told to go
and buy the other three episodes - fat chance, I said and quitted
to DOS and deleted the folder.

Not very good at all - something that doesn't present a challenge
even on the hardest level (there are four of these) and after a
while it just gets downright boring. If you play it for an hour
every evening for a week, you should have it completed in time for
the Antiques Roadshow.

DOOM
----

This is another 3D texture mapped game in the same style as Wolf.
This time, though, you are a commando who, after being sent to
Phobus for being a naughty boy, is then called (along with the
rest of your new platoon) to investigate goings on from the
near-by lab that is investigating teleportation.

What has happened is that all of the 'volunteers' for the
experiment have disappeared and the scientists just keep on
sending the fools through. Anyway, one night the thing backfired
sending 'things' back, instead of taking people away. The
scientists sent out garbled messages that 'they keep on coming,
uuuuurgh' and so the nearest platoon was sent to investigate.

When the platoon arrived you got the job of waiting outside of the
complex, just in case any door to door salesmen showed up.
Sitting down with a can of Pilsner you flick on the radio and
listen to all of your mates getting blown to bits . Doing nothing
until the last shot has been fired, you then decide to either wait
here for the things to come and get you, or go in and get some
yourself. Being a Bruce Willis/Arnie Schwarzenig....
Scharzeneg.... Schwarzenegger... you know... you pick up your one
shot pistol, load it with 50 shots and enter the base ready to
kill some alien scum.

Entering the base you come across the bloody corpse of one of your
mates. Suddenly you hear a terrible scream and then some unhuman
chittering - they know you're here!

And so the game starts with you in the start of the complex with
nothing but 100% health and a single shot pistol. You must guide
your character through the different parts of the complex (nine in
all on the shareware version, 27 on the full version. What, I hear
some of you say - I thought that there was only eight level per
encounter. Well, you're wrong there - I know that there are two
secret levels so far, and I' sure I'll find another in the third
encounter, so there!) collecting weapons and other items, shooting
alien butt and making sure that you aren't killed.

This sounds all too Wolfensteinesque for me, but there is a great
deal more to do. More enemies (I've counted eight so far), more
weapons (seven in total) and lots more collectables, from armour
to packs that make you go into a berserker rage or give you
invulnerability for a limited time.

Apart from being quick on the old trigger, you must use your bonce
quite a bit because if, like in Wolfenstein, you go charging
around a corridor with guns blazing one thing is sure to happen -
you'll die. This will either be through running out of ammo,
facing too many enemies, running across some lava (which isn't too
good for your bod) or some other trap getting you. Normally,
though, they all happen at once.

Instead you must plan your attacks carefully, finding places where
you can hole up and wait for the enemies to come to you (hopefully
putting you at an advantage).

There are two different version of Doom, the first is shareware
which consists of the first scenario (Knee Deep In The Dead) and
the full version consists of all three scenarios - even the first
has been re-vamped in some respects, making it harder and more
playable.

Apart from Doom being far more playable than Wolf, there are a few
more things that set it apart. The first is the tension. With the
brilliant VGA graphics, spooky sound and overall 'in the game'
feeling, I find myself being drawn into the game so that I become
the person. I've been told that while playing I move my head from
side to side so that if my character was moving around a pillar,
I'd arch my neck as if I was peering around it - the game is that
good! Anyway, back to the tension. When you are moving around one
of the many mini-mazes in the game that have very poor lighting it
comes as quite a shock to hear a scream, followed by a grunt and
then your health being drained away. Where do you fire?  Anywhere
is the standard procedure as each shot lights up the room for just
a brief moment - giving you that little bit more info as to where
your enemies are.  Whoops, selected the rocket launcher - rockets
explode beside me, killing me in one foul swoop. Reload.

There is such a lot to this game I could go on for ages, but I
won't. If you want to experience this game (and it is an
experience) shell out the œ25 and get the full version from
Special Reserve.

One warning, the game is violent. Not Mortal Kombat piffle
violence, true violence with blood and guts splattering
everywhere, heads exploding and the look on your face when you are
near to death and repeatedly firing your gun is evil - there is no
other way to put it.

CONCLUSION
----------

Doom is, by far, the winner with better graphics, more realistic
sound and a great sense of being there. It may be a bit too
violent for some people, though, and so if you want the cutesy
version, get Wolfenstein - you won't be horrified, scared or
surprised, just bored.










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