PROJECT FIRESTART

 PROJECT FIRESTART is a science-fiction action adventure from Dynamix and
Electronic Arts. It offers cinematic graphics, fine animation and gameplay,
simple joystick control, and a save option. The Commodore 64/128 version is the
basis of this review.

 Like many graphic adventures released these days, PROJECT FIRESTART owes much
to the movies. The game has a cinematic structure and uses film devices: zooms,
close-ups, fades, special effects, and a musical score. FIRESTART breaks no new
ground -- in storyline, visual appearance, or interface -- but it certainly is a
blast to play. Although I shuddered for weeks after playing the previous
Dynamix/EA release (CAVEMAN UGH-LYMPICS), I feel comfortable reporting that
Dynamix is back on the right track.

 The plot of FIRESTART concerns a genetic experiment gone horribly awry. Funded
by the System Science Foundation, PROJECT FIRESTART began aboard the research
ship "Prometheus." Its goal was to produce strong laborers to mine titanium and
iridium deposits on moons and asteroids.

 Something went wrong, and the genetically engineered laborers mutated into
flesh-eating horrors. The "Prometheus" no longer responds. Your mission is to
enter the ship, search its four levels, find out what happened, set the destruct
mechanism, then leave.

 The "Prometheus" is a maze of hallways, doors, rooms, scientific equipment, and
elevators. You'll have to access computer terminals, watch "vidtapes," find
security passes, avoid radiation leaks, and kill the mutations. The mutations
are a sneaky bunch; they seem to come out of the grillwork. You begin with a
pulse laser, but it doesn't last all that long, and the mutations are tough to
kill. You'll have to replenish your weapon periodically, as well as repair the
damage the creatures wreak on your health level.

 To make matters worse, there's a time limit: If you haven't completed your
mission and escaped within this limit, the United System States will destroy the
ship for you, which means you're expendable. What's more, there are survivors,
one of whom rests in cryogenic sleep.

 The C64 screen display consists of single scenes aboard the "Prometheus." As
you go through a door, take an elevator to another level, or move to the end of
an onscreen hallway, a new scene loads from disk. The wait is short and adds to
the general tension.

 FIRESTART is controlled with a joystick and four keystrokes. The stick moves
your character in the cardinal directions, and the joystick's button fires the
pulse laser. Approaching a door, a computer, or a piece of shipboard equipment
prints a message at the bottom of the screen. Pressing the button selects the
current choice and reveals the second option.

 The letter "P" toggles the Pause feature; "I" tells you which weapons you're
carrying and their power levels; "C" lets you change weapons; and "D" brings up
the Disk Command menu: Format, Save, Load, and Restart.

 The PROJECT FIRESTART package comes with two double-sided disks and a Command
Summary Card. The Card has maps of all four levels on the "Prometheus." A full
instruction manual is unnecessary because the controls are simple and the story
unfolds onscreen.

 The graphic displays look very good on the Commodore. The animations of the
characters and the mutations are nicely done, and all screen action flows
smoothly. The film devices are effective maybe two or three times. The first
time around, some of the sudden close-ups (accompanied by appropriate music) are
startling. The joystick and the four keystrokes make the game a snap to play,
even though the mission is not a snap to complete.

 PROJECT FIRESTART is a nifty game, filled with gore and tension. The time limit
is bad enough, but with much of the "Prometheus" deserted, the tension lever
rises even higher. The mutations emerge arbitrarily from here and there;
sometimes it seems they have been waiting for you. It takes at least four shots
from the pulse laser to kill one, and your health level drops even if they
aren't chewing on your flesh.

 Many of the areas of the "Prometheus" are filled with dead bodies, which you'll
have to search. Blood is all over the place. An opening "mini-film" sets the
stage and gives pertinent information about your mission.

 Dynamix, which hit rock bottom with CAVEMAN UGH-LYMPICS, has more than redeemed
itself with FIRESTART; in fact, I've even forgotten about the Mate Toss event.
FIRESTART is nerve-wracking fun. It looks, sounds, and plays wonderfully, and it
definitely deserves your attention.

 PROJECT FIRESTART is published by Dynamix and distributed by Electronic Arts.

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