DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT 

 DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT is an extraordinary achievement. I must
admit that with a name like DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT, I was a bit
skeptical; it's somehow rather dated, sounding more like a '50s TV
series than a piece of 1989 high-tech computer entertainment. But
DW:SA is one of the most impressive, user-friendly, and fast-moving
games I've ever seen. It's as if the folks at Dynamix took the name
"Cinemaware" (which belongs to another company) and decided to do it
justice. (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.) 

 Unlike a Cinemaware game, there's no strategy in DW:SA. It's an
action game, or more accurately, four small action games set in the
framework of a James Bond movie. And this is one game that truly
makes you feel like you're playing inside of a movie! It begins with
a short setup, then goes into the slick opening credits, in which
the six main characters are pictured along with their names and
roles. Then the story begins in earnest, as our hero David Wolf
(Greg Sheid, looking a bit young and nice for a suave spy) takes to
the skies in a new, high-tech hang-glider. This is the first of the
arcade sequences, and it involves shooting down a number of enemy
hang-gliders. 

 Provided you survive that sequence, you move on to get your
assignment from Director Marsh (Ben Taitel) at Peregrine HQ, your
base of operations. It seems that an advanced stealth fighter has
been captured by the operatives of VIPER (the nasties), including
your former compatriot Garth Stock (Duayne White), the vicious and
slimy VIPER chief Bruno Vasto (J.J.), and his right-hand man Tom
Boor (Kevin Dahlstrom). Along with the stealth fighter, they've also
kidnapped the fighter's creator, Dr. Kelly O'Neal (Angela Clement). 
Your mission is to reclaim the fighter, and -- if possible -- rescue
the beautiful Doctor. 

 The ensuing action sequences are: a couple of car chases with a
typical "spy" car (missiles, machine gun, and oil slicks); a
two-part parachute sequence; and a climactic battle in the stolen
stealth fighter itself. The parachute sequence (shamelessly lifted
from one of the James Bond films) has Wolf free-falling from a
booby-trapped plane, wresting the unopened single parachute from the
pilot (who jumped out moments before you did), and then landing on
top of a moving truck. 

 The stealth fighter involves a hair-raising missile evasion in
which you must maneuver the fighter through an open-ended hangar, 
and battle several of VIPER's heavily-armed jets. The sequences are
beautifully animated and quite exciting, though none of them is
nearly long enough to qualify as a game by itself. 

 In between the action sequences are periods of explanatory and
dramatic scenes, in which the characters interact and move the plot
along. Depending on how well you perform the arcade portions, the
dialogue and scenery may change to reflect your situation. For
example, Wolf may end up injured but not dead after the hang-gliding
sequence, in which case there are scenes at the hospital. If Wolf
dies, there's a wonderful animated shot of the stolen stealth
fighter bombing an important national building (I won't reveal which
one). On the other hand, Wolf may die in the stealth fighter, or he
may survive and complete his mission, each scenario resulting in
different endings 

 The actors do a wonderful job: Except for that slight baby-faced
look of Wolf's, they're all well-cast and fit their familiar roles
to a T. The pictures themselves -- all 400 or so -- are remarkable. 
They're scanned in 16 colors (four colors with CGA) at a resolution
of 320x200. They're sometimes grainy and skin tones are oddly
mottled, but not disturbingly so. But best of all is the way this
game combines two technologies to produce some of the most startling
3-D effects yet devised. 

 What Dynamix has done is created a system they call "3Space." 
3Space looks like the familiar solid polygon graphics used in flight
simulators, and games such as Mindscape's THE COLONY and
Cinemaware's DARK SIDE and TOTAL ECLIPSE. However, 3Space seems
significantly smoother and faster than other polygon graphics. All
of the action sequences use 3Space to great effect: Helicopters take
off, missile launchers rotate and shoot, all with a great sense of
detail and realism. But as if that weren't enough, regular
bit-mapped graphics -- and the digitized photos -- are used
simultaneously on the same screens. So, for example, in what I
thought was the single most remarkable little scene in the whole
game, you get an animated, digitized photo of David Wolf running
across a landscape built in 3Space, which scrolls smoothly as Wolf
runs. The net effect is the closest I've ever seen to an actual
character in a totally 3-D environment. (To see this, you'll have to
correctly complete the parachute drop onto the moving truck.) 

 The aforementioned scene in which the stealth fighter swoops down
over Washington is another example of the dramatic possibilities of
the 3Space/photographic combination. The stealth fighter itself is a
highly detailed 3Space construction, while the Washington scenery is
photographic. Another startling example occurs when Wolf boards a
prop plane. Against a gorgeous photographic sunset, the plane takes
off from a very complex, detailed 3Space airfield. 

 There's another significant addition to the game: the VCR
Interface. A pop-up menu allows you to manipulate the game in
numerous ways, all of which make the game less frustrating than
other action games. You can control the speed at which the
non-interactive screens move by -- at regular speed or fast
forward. You can adjust the difficulty of the action sequences, the
speed at which text changes, and the amount of detail in the 3Space
scenes...all on sliding scales. And you can skip to any of the
action scenes, so you can practice individual sequences without
having to go through the whole game each time. Note that if you use
the "skip" feature to play through the game itself and survive, 
you'll get a less exciting ending. In order to reach the most
satisfying ending, play the game from beginning to end without using
the skip button in that play session. (It's well worth it!) 

 The slider that controls the amount of detail in the 3Space worlds
is a feature meant mainly for those with slower PCs. 3Space
resembles other polygon graphics: the more detail, the greater the
demand on the CPU. Thus by scaling the detail down somewhat, you'll
get a more satisfactory animation effect in the 3Space scenes. 

 The only flaw -- if this can be called a flaw -- is that the game
lacks a save feature; however, I'm not certain the game needs one. 
Using the fast forward button, the game can go by very quickly. And
with judicious use of the difficulty slide, there's no reason you
can't master each of the arcade sequences with just a little work. 
Still, there were times when I'd complete an arcade sequence
perfectly, and I would have liked to be able to preserve that
"thread" and return to it. 

 A word about the documentation: It's very clear and concise. 
There's a manual, a quick reference card, a few odds and ends, and a
DAVID WOLF poster which -- given my favorable feelings about this
game -- may actually end up on the wall. 

 DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT requires 512K on IBM PCs and compatibles, 
and 640K on the Tandy TX, SL, and TL. It supports VGA, MCGA, EGA, 
Tandy 16-color, and CGA. But take note: The VGA/MCGA version in 256
colors is not included; in fact, it doesn't exist yet. According to
a Dynamix spokesperson, it's due to be released in March of 1990. 
The VGA/MCGA version will be free to registered owners. So when you
install the game (a very easy procedure, thanks to Dynamix's "Smart
Start" installation routine), don't be misled by the presence of the
VGA and MCGA choices on the installation menu. The game comes on
five 5-1/4" disks; 3-1/2" disks are available for an additional
$10. However, the game comes with no copy protection of any sort, so
transferring the files to 3-1/2" disks should be easy if you have
access to a system with both formats. Because the game is very
graphics-intensive, Dynamix recommends a hard drive, and I agree. 

 The program also supports the Ad Lib Music Synthesizer board and
the Roland MT-32 Sound Module. I tried it with the Roland, and the
score, although repetitive, is very theatrical and helps make the
game a truly exciting, cinematic experience that can really raise
the blood pressure! Joystick and mouse are supported. I found the
joystick to be the controller of choice. 

 I could rave on even longer about this game. It's one I'll play
over and over, increasing the difficulty of the action sequences a
bit each time. Not only is it a superior product in every aspect of
its execution, but it proves that Dynamix is truly on the leading
edge of computer gaming. 

 DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT is published by Dynamix and distributed by
Mediagenic. 

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