ALCON 

 ALCON is a port of an arcade game from Taito Corporation. It offers
decent graphics, vertically-scrolling landscapes, joystick control, 
and copy protection. This review is based on the Atari ST version; 
Commodore 64/128 version notes follow. 

 Not only is ALCON an arcade game, it is also another clone from the
ZAXXON vat. This translation to the Atari ST looks okay, but as
you'll read in the C64 version notes, it doesn't stand out. ALCON is
geared toward immediate frustration, although this can be overcome
by repeated play. Then again, the game itself is the definitive
statement for repeated play, so no matter how you look at it, you'll
be doing the same thing over and over. 

 ALCON is an acronym for the Allied League of COsmic Nations. Since
it's in danger of being overtaken by alien hordes from Planet Orac, 
ALCON's Supreme Commander orders the experimental SW475 Starfighter
into action. As the pilot of the SW475, you must withstand the
lethal defenses of Orac and neutralize the master computer. 

 The Atari ST screen display consists of vertically-scrolling
landscapes over which you guide the SW475 Starfighter. Alien defense
mechanisms appear ahead of you or come from the edges of the
screen. Certain mechanisms, on being destroyed, become glittery
yellow stars. When you fly over the stars, additional enhancements
and weapons become available to your Starfighter: speed, side
shots, ship size, bombs, lasers, homing missile, and shield. 

 Speed can be enhanced up to five times; ship size can be chosen
three times; the bomb enhancement lets you target explosions. The
most useful weapon is th homing missile, which destroys all visible
targets. The most useful enhancement is the shield, which provides
invulnerability for a limited amount of time. The current
enhancement is highlighted below the action screen. 

 Enemy defenses include ground crawlers, tanks, cannon
emplacements, and missile silos. Points are earned for destroying
them, and for picking up the yellow stars. At 50,000 points, you'll
be awarded an extra Starfighter. 

 ALCON is controlled with a joystick and the spacebar. The stick
maneuvers th SW475 around the screen; the button fires the current
weapon. The spacebar selects the current enhancement. 

 And that's about it. 

 Graphics on the ST are fair, legible, and reasonably clear -- if
slightly washed-out. Notwithstanding the constant movement you'll
need to survive, the game plays well. 

 ALCON aims at instant frustration; there are no easy levels. This
can be overcome somewhat by constantly moving the SW475 around the
landscape, much as you had to move the Lee Brothers all over the
alleys in DOUBLE DRAGON. You can be neither stationary nor languid: 
Stay in one spot and you're dead meat. An enemy will shoot at you
all the time, even as it's disappearing off the bottom of the
screen. 

 The constant movement and the repetition might have been good for a
few quarters at the arcade; it's better for no quarters at home, but
even then, ALCON quickly becomes tiresome. 

 COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES 

 The Commodore 64 version of Taito's ALCON is a near-perfect
duplication of the Atari ST version (or maybe it's the other way
around). The graphics look more or less identical to those of the
ST, right down their washed-out appearance. The C64 version couldn't
actually _be_ the ST version, could it? If it is, then you'll have
to mentally substitute "C64" in the Atari review, and mentally
substitute "ST" in these version notes. 

 The only difference I could detect was in the general speed of the
game: The C64 version seemed to operate faster, and it seemed
smoother overall. This might have been an illusion. In any case, 
both versions look and play the same, which is to say, they're both
tiresome. 

 ALCON is published and distributed by Taito. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253