ACTION PAK BRAINBLASTER 

 Beware, arcade fans! ACTION PAK BRAINBLASTER will blow you away! 
Well, not really. But Spotlight Software's "two games for the price
of one" is a hit, and one of the best values we've seen in a quite a
long time.  

 It seems that the 8- and 16-bit dedicated video game machines are
all the rage these days, but extremely well-done products like the
two included in the ACTION PAK are proof that the home computer may
still provide the finest platform for serious arcade gaming. 

 ACTION PAK includes the game XENON 2, which looks, plays, sounds, 
and feels a lot like the arcade classic BLOOD MONEY. But XENON 2, 
which will support up to two players, is much easier to play, with a
resume feature that allows you to pick up where you left off just
before being blown to smithereens. 

 Remember that breathtaking opening sequence in BLOOD MONEY where
the computer asks again and again, "Where is the money?" XENON 2 has
an opening that is nearly as stunning, with the computer crying out
in full stereo, "Hey, turn it up, turn it up. Play money! Play
money!" 

 There is more to the game than a hot soundtrack. You are a Galaxian
Megablaster pilot, going to war for the first time in 1000 years
with the evil Xenites. Your mission is to use your craft to blast
through an obscure planet, removing dangerous time bombs the enemy
has secretly stashed. Along the way, you must battle various
creatures and life forms, not at all unlike some of the menacing
villains who appeared in BLOOD MONEY. 

 As was the case in BLOOD MONEY, some of the creatures spit out
money after being zapped, and the cash can later be used at the swap
shop to buy more powerful weapons or other gadgets. 

 The action is fast and furious -- so quick that before long your
trigger finger may start to frantically signal for a timeout. That's
okay, because there is a pause feature, and the game is fairly
forgiving. There are five levels of play, and each level has six
restart positions. You don't have to start all over after being
wasted; the game allows you to resume where you left off, as long as
you haven't been wiped out for the sixth time. 

 The graphics, vertically scrolling animation, sound effects, and
music are all first-rate, and so is the design of the second game
included in the package, BOMBUZAL. It is a simple but interesting
one-player game. You find yourself on a mini-map of floating tiles
littered with bombs and mines. Your job is to explode all the tiles
without blowing yourself to pieces. Great graphics make this game a
winner, and it's a nice addition to the ACTION PAK. 

 XENON 2 and BOMBUZAL run on A500s, A1000s, and A2000s with 512K of
RAM. (The manufacturer does not report having tested the games on
the A3000.) The XENON 2 diskette is copy-protected, so you won't be
able to make a backup; BOMBUZAL, on the other hand, is not
copy-protected in any way. 

 ACTION PAK is published by Spotlight Software and distributed by
Electronic Arts. 

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