ARMOR ALLEY (IBM VERSION NOTES)

 I played ARMOR ALLEY on a 16MHz 386 IBM PC equipped with VGA and
SoundBlaster cards. The ARMOR ALLEY packaging states that the game requires
DOS 2.11 or higher and 640K of memory. It worked fine with DOS 3.3 and 570K
of free memory. It also worked with DOS 5.0.

 I found ARMOR ALLEY unusual right from the start. Most of the IBM games
have several different screen shots on the packaging attempting to depict
the superlative colors. ARMOR ALLEY only shows two pictures on the back of
the box. One shows two people playing against each other using a Mac and
IBM while the other shows a Mac screen shot. Both are very small and
aren't very enticing. Impulse buyers should be relatively safe!

 Actually, color is one of the chief differences between the IBM and Mac
versions. Although the game supports CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA, Tandy, and
Hercules, no one bothered to state that it is also in 256 colors when using
VGA. That little fact was buried deep in the user's manual. Every other
game that sports 256 colors has the fact plastered across the front of the
box.

 Even when playing with 256-color VGA, there isn't much color on the screen
(although the unit icons appear attractive). The Mac version permits a
choice of several backgrounds (white, mountains, scrolling mountains) but
the IBM version has no options at all. It is simply black. This isn't a
big factor, but ARMOR ALLEY would have been much more visually pleasing with
some type of background, especially since high-resolution VGA is supported.

 My other complaint is that the icons used for the game units (tanks, vans,
infantry, helicopters, and missile launchers) are tiny. Infantry are no
more than 1/8 of an inch high (they appear to run though). The other units
are sized relative to the infantry being approximately 1/4 x 1/2 inch in
size. Once again, this isn't particularly bad, and may have been necessary
for displaying the correct amount of detail for game play. But it does seem a
waste of color and resolution.

 ARMOR ALLEY supports both the SoundBlaster and AdLib sound cards on the
IBM PC. I tried the game with and without the SoundBlaster. As with most
programs, the SoundBlaster adds significantly to the enjoyment of the game.
There isn't a lot of sound effect variety, but what is available is quite
effective. The sounds range from _loud_ explosions as units are destroyed, to
the soft "snick" sound of a missile being launched. It's best to pay attention
to "snicks"!

 This isn't a game for arcade players who depend on superb hand-eye
coordination and quick reflexes to win. The game actually moves at a rather
ponderous pace. Units are bought and form a single file moving towards the
enemy. The column is viewed from the side only. There is no ability to
rearrange units or change speed. The helicopter is the only unit under any
control. It is used to attack the opponent's forces (as described in the Mac
version review in TEG). The helicopter can be controlled by either the
keyboard, joystick, or mouse. I found the mouse to be by far the most
effective.

 If the above comments appear to be leading to a negative assessment of the
game, that's not intended. I liked ARMOR ALLEY! It's just that there seems to
be so much that could have been improved to make it even more fun to play.

 Since I have two IBM PCs sitting side by side, I couldn't resist the
option to direct connect the PCs and play against another person.
Connection was simple using a null modem cable, and I had several battles
with my 8-year-old son (I won't say who won). Each PC user must have
purchased a separate copy of ARMOR ALLEY to play a full game, otherwise
you're limited to a helicopter war. ARMOR ALLEY doesn't support network play
or multi-user play in the PC version. It does support both direct connect or
modem-to-modem play. This is a _great_ feature and should be mandatory for
all games!

 A addendum to the manual describes how to play ARMOR ALLEY on CompuServe in
the Modem-to-Modem Games area (GO MTMGAMES). Once I get to the point where I
feel more confident, I plan to give this a try. It really looks like fun. The
addendum also points out that Three-Sixty Pacific provides online support in
CompuServe's GAMPUB Forum.

 ARMOR ALLEY is not copy protected and can be played directly off two
floppies or a hard disk. A simple DOS COPY command is all that is required to
install on the hard file. As in the Mac version, each player must register
their adherence to Three-Sixty's license agreement before play. Although I
have the 5.25 inch floppy version (two diskettes), the box includes an offer
for 3.5 inch disks (costs $5.00). The manual is the same for both the Mac and
IBM. It is written primarily for the Mac and has exceptions listed for IBM
users.

 ARMOR ALLEY is an enjoyable game with excellent play features. There could
have been more bells and whistles included, but that wouldn't have really
enhanced the play value. ARMOR ALLEY is simple to play, but hard to master,
especially if you select one of the higher play levels (Armageddon is
tough!). Other than the differences noted, game play is exactly the same in
the IBM version as on the Mac.

 ARMOR ALLEY is published by Three-Sixty Pacific and distributed by
Electronic Arts.