Mission Critical - Legend Entertainment Company

                      Reviewed by Sue

Two huge spaceships swing into orbit around a planet. The front
one is a light cruiser called the Lexington, the rear is a science
ship called the Jericho. Their mission unknown at present, we
watch as they send messages from one ship to the other, confirming
an echo from the planet's surface and launching a lander.

Suddenly there is contact from the other side of a planet. One,
two, no ... more like a dozen ... United Nations battle drones
speed to attack. Battle stations! Weapons are fired, some drones
destroyed, but some remain, too many to fight. The captain of the
Lexington surrenders to the captain of the UN space ship, and asks
that he, his crew, and those on the Jericho, be treated as
prisoners of war, and the opposing captain agrees, giving them
short notice to leave their ship and transport over to his.

The captain's second in command is incredulous that he could
surrender so quickly, but he explains his plan to her. They will
install a nuclear warhead in the shuttle that they use to go over
to the UN ship, and it will detonate when it enters the ship. They
will all die, but that's war!  One person will be left behind on
the Lexington, unconscious, hopefully overlooked. The plan is that
he will complete their mission.

You are preparing to leave the ship as ordered when the captain
comes up behind you with a hypospray. The next thing you know, you
come round, the only survivor with vague instructions for
completing this still unexplained mission.

This is the start of Mission Critical, and the rest of the story
unfolds gradually as you play, with briefings being given at
certain points in the game and an explanation given of the
on-going war between the United Nations and the Alliance of Free
States (the good guys).  Your first task in a game like this would
ideally be to explore the ship and get your bearings but the
computer immediately informs you of an air leak. Apart from
anything else, until the leak is repaired, you won't be able to
leave the deck of the ship that you're on. Fortunately the
materials you need are easily found and the repair quickly made.

Now the ship is yours to explore ... well, mostly. An explosion
has ripped up the flooring of another deck so a few rooms are
still out of bounds. Before you can consider tacking this problem,
however, the computer contacts you again. Some urgent repairs are
needed in the engineering section where the reactor is
overheating. Even getting there isn't straightforward; there's a
radiation leak in part of the reactor spaces, so you'll have to
find a safe route through (thank heavens for Geiger counters!)

So, the reactor problem solved, now can you explore? Well, not
quite. The main computer needs repairs (once you've cleared some
wreckage which blocks one corridor) and someone, presumably the
traitor who was on board the ship and informed the UN of the
ship's movements, has set a bomb. You have to find it and disarm
it. Then there's the little matter of the comms systems which also
need repair ...

At last, the ship is yours and you can settle down to some serious
exploring. There are six floors, most of which have several rooms,
personal quarters, the computer room, the medical center, weapons,
the bridge etc. Mapping and orientation is easy due to a basic
on-screen mapping facility which updates as you move from floor
to floor using the elevator.

Of course, you know the bad guys will turn up sooner or later,
especially once you send off an emergency message to your own
side. It's time for a space battle, with you controlling the
robotic drones which are the fighting force of your ship. Though
you have a surprise weapon of your own up your sleeve, as it were,
and will have tried various scenarios in a mock-up which is
available, these fight sequences are not easy. You can slow down
the speed, but it's still tricky. Luckily the difficulty level can
also be adjusted and I put mine right down to the easiest setting
which effectively means that the fights play out automatically
with you as the victor!

At last the time comes when you're ready to transport down to the
surface of the planet. Your shuttle crash-lands but, don't worry.
You won't need it again as you won't be going back to the
Lexington the same way. I won't say any more than that except to
say that from here the whole mood of the game changes from a basic
SF story into a much more surreal plot with a convoluted
storyline. The ending was excellent and the game was enjoyable
from start to finish.

Mission Critical is an old game now (1994) and though it hasn't
got the realistic graphics of more up to date games, it holds up
well.  Movement is step-by-step from one location to another, and
you can also turn and change your viewpoint within certain limits.
There are also a few cut scenes with live actors, one of whom is
Michael Dorn, Worf from Star Trek.

Generally the puzzles are quite easy. Objects usually have a
fairly obvious use though some are used several times for
different purposes. The game is very atmospheric and I found
myself completely drawn into it. It's certainly one of the most
enjoyable games I've played recently, but then again I have always
been a big fan of the Legend adventures.

Sadly the game isn't widely available now, and I'm sure it's only
a matter of time before you'll be able to find it on one of the
Abandonware sites. If you see it at a boot fair, computer fair or
bargain bin, grab it. You won't regret it.












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