STAR RANK BOXING II

 This is no ordinary match. The seats are packed, and they've even managed to
get Don King to introduce you. The papers are promoting the event. The weeks of
training go quickly, and before you know it, you're here, sitting in your
corner, squinting through the glare and the smoke at the ugly, misshapen face
sneering back at you from across the ring. You wonder if maybe you should've
trained for another week or two. The bell rings, you bounce to your feet, step
out to take your punishment...and give back some of your own.

 STAR RANK BOXING II from Gamestar (a division of Mediagenic) gives you a good
clean fight; nothing below the belt. But the competition is fierce in the
computer boxing game, and STAR RANK II loses a few points here and there. It's
gonna be a split decision, 'cause STAR RANK II isn't quite the knockout you were
hoping for. (This review is based on the IBM PC version; Commodore 64/128 and
Apple // version notes follow.)

 All right, enough cute boxing analogies. STAR RANK II offers several nice
features that separate it from the competition; however, it lacks two important
features the competition does have. By "competition" I mean Sierra's
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, the only other boxing program available for PCs and
compatibles. (There are other boxing games for other systems, like Accolade's
FIGHT NIGHT.) You'll want to compare before you decide on one of these programs.

 The manual is no-frills, but complete and very understandable. There's a small
section on game strategy that you should read several times before and after
you've played the game. It will definitely help you learn to control your boxer
more effectively.

 Initially, the program offers you several options: Tournament play, Exhibition
play, Manager, and Demo. The Demo, as expected, pits two computer-controlled
pugilists against each other in an endless series of bouts. The Manager option
lets you permanently retire one of the boxers you've created in order to make
room for others on the disk. Exhibition play provides practice against the
computer -- or another live player -- but does not compile your stats at the end
of the game. Tournament play matches you against the computer in a regulation
bout, and your player's stats (wins, losses, and division ranking) are updated
on the disk. If you get good enough in Tournament play, you can eventually go up
against the computer's champion boxer.

 You may create and save up to 18 of your own fighters on a disk, six in each of
the three weight classes (heavy, middle, and welter). You can't use another disk
to store additional fighters, but you can install the game on a hard drive. This
permits you to save all the fighters you'd like, theoretically filling your hard
disk. You choose the fighter's name, his race (black, white, non-human, elf, or
dwarf), and his weight class. The program then generates the character and
displays all his stats. You decide whether or not the character meets your
standards, then accept or delete the character. The computer also has its own
six fighters in each weight class.

 The computer's set of fighters is one of the disappointing areas. There's
nothing particularly wrong with these characters, but Sierra's CHAMPIONSHIP
BOXING has something I think appeals more to a true boxing aficionado: a working
roster of over 50 authentic boxers from boxing history, at their prime and with
their actual stats. You can fight them yourself, or match other past champs
against them, influencing the outcome with your strategies. Having been spoiled
by the wealth of opponents in CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, STAR RANK II's list -- though
a formidable bunch of guys -- seems paltry.

 On the other hand, STAR RANK II goes a bit further with its fighters' stats. It
allows for "ranking" your own character, and you can't cheat here. The only way
for your fighter to get better is to keep him fighting, and he'll surely
improve. You can train your men in four ways: on the speed bag (increases
agility and accuracy), on the heavy bag (increases strength), sparring (affects
all areas), and running (affects endurance, strength, and, secondarily,
agility).

 Before each game, whether it's a tournament or exhibition, you get six weeks
worth of training. You have to pick one area in which to train for each week,
and you can experiment with different combinations. For example, before a big
fight, you might train your boxer in sparring for three weeks, running for one
week, and light bag for two weeks, for a total of six weeks. This permits a
somewhat greater degree of individuality in your fighters, a situation not
possible in CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. However, with CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, you can
simply alter your stats anytime you like (which, I suppose, simulates fixing a
game).

 In CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, you've got three modes: simulation, strategy, and
arcade. STAR RANK II has only one mode: boxing. There's no "strategy" mode; no
hanging by the ropes to provide encouragement between rounds. You have to go out
there and fight every time, controlling the boxer's movements completely from
the joystick or keyboard. The moves aren't difficult to learn: There are five
punches (jab, left hook, right cross, uppercut, and the ever-popular body shot)
and three defensive moves (ducking, leaning, and covering-up); you can also
weave right or left. And if you're about to go down for the count, you can
sometimes "shake it off" by backing off a bit.

 Each player has a large square in the upper corner of the screen. The square
changes color to reflect the corresponding fighter's condition from moment to
moment. This is an adequate but crude indicator, dividing the scale into five
degrees of vulnerability.

 The sounds heard in STAR RANK II are a lot of fun. The original music is
ambitious and amusing; the "roar" of the crowd doesn't sound like a real
audience, but it's impressionistic and stylish, as is the swish of the punch
that misses its mark. The opening sequences and credits are presented
sensationally, in an appropriately broad humor.

 The graphics strive for excellence, but fall short on the PC. STAR RANK II has
two possible outputs: 4-color CGA mode for IBM PCs and compatibles, and 16-color
for the Tandy and PCjr (it does not support 16-color for an EGA- or VGA-equipped
PC). The majority of PC owners will be using the 4-color mode, and although the
graphics are humorously detailed, they're just plain hard to see.

 The actual game graphics feature a screen divided roughly into thirds. The top
third provides the aforementioned status boxes. The lower third shows the timer,
the bell, and the count (when a knockdown occurs). The center third shows the
ring surrounded by an audience, and the fighters. This portion is also strangely
striped or striated, so it's difficult to follow the boxers, who are small to
begin with. What they're actually doing with their arms is sometimes difficult
to see.

 The boxers are smoothly animated, more so than Sierra's boxers. But the
combination of their small size and bizarre striping makes them hard to look at
for long periods of time. Sierra's characters are much larger, more detailed,
and come in four varieties instead of just two. The graphics are where STAR RANK
II lost it for me. As much as I wanted my boxers to rise in the rankings, I
couldn't stand to watch their amorphous images flailing at equally
poorly-defined opponents.

 This situation, however, is probably different on other systems. The
aggravating striping is typical of IBM CGAs. On other systems (even a PCjr or
Tandy) the picture is, no doubt, more pleasant, and the boxers' shapes and
positions are very likely more visible. Therefore, if you have something other
than a PC with a CGA, I urge you to take a look at the game screen before
dismissing STAR RANK II. It may be perfectly acceptable -- in full color,
perhaps a clear and pleasant display. However, for CGA users, STAR RANK II is an
invitation to a major headache before the first punch is thrown.

 Were it not for the poor quality of the CGA graphics, STAR RANK II would be
close contender for the position of top cat in the computer boxing arena. In its
favor: smooth animation, amusing characterizations, and interesting statistical
handling. Against it: the lack of historical players, as desirable as real
baseball teams in a computer baseball program. You'll need to judge which
features you find most important.

 COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES

 The Commodore 64 version of STAR RANK BOXING II, while not as humorous as
Accolade's FIGHT NIGHT, is well done. The Softworks Factory and Scott Orr (wh
knows his sports, as we've seen before in ON-COURT TENNIS, ON-FIELD FOOTBALL,
and 2-ON-2 BASKETBALL) have put together a competent and accurate boxing
simulation.

 The animation of the fighters is smooth and reasonably realistic. Putting
possible statistical limitations aside, the fighters are easy to control, and
notwithstanding Joshua Mandel's comments on the graphics problems of the IBM
version (and the fact that the legs of the fighters are somewhat jagged), the
screen action of the C64 is fast and furious, bright and cleanly detailed, and
easy on the eyes.

 Sound effects came across as strange: Crowd noise, most apparent after a
knockdown, reminded me of the ominous winds that arise from the void moments
before the hideous creature appears; missed punches were too loud and whooshy to
be realistic. Most amusing were the noises of knockdowns and of the blows that
landed on an opponent: A rapid flurry of punches sounded like Haitian voodoo
drums, while a body hitting the canvas might make your favorite heavy-metal
drummer reconsider his sordid lifestyle.

 I hasten to point out that my impressions of the sound effects do not diminish
the game at all. Once I'd entered the ring, either to accept or dish out gloved
punishment, the sounds were obliterated by the action. They are still there, of
course.

 You can create up to five boxers (as opposed to six in the IBM version) in each
of the three weight classes. They will be saved on the game disk, and the
various skills of each fighter will be updated as each moves (or doesn't move)
up the ranks. Results of tournament bouts are stored on the game disk as well

 The joystick controls punches and defensive moves: jabs, hooks, uppercuts,
crosses, and body blows, each of which is progressively more tiring. You can
also move your fighter left or right, and duck, cover up, or lean back from the
punches of your opponent. Defensive maneuvers take some practice, for certain
defenses work better against certain attacks.

 Once you've selected an opponent, you are allowed a designated number of weeks
for training; however, unlike FIGHT NIGHT, there is no actual training. You
allocate time to each facet, exit the training screen, and head for the ring.

 For Exhibition bouts, you can select the present weight-class champion to fight
against your opponent (not a good idea!). For Tournament matches, you'll have to
move up through the ranks in a methodical fashion.

 If you are hoping for finesse and strategic depth, you'll have to look
elsewhere. If you merely want to go head-to-head with progressively tougher
fighters, the C64/128 version of STAR RANK BOXING II is a winner.

 APPLE // VERSION NOTES

 The Apple // version of STAR RANK BOXING II differs in both minor and major
ways from its IBM and Commodore 64 counterparts. The minor differences are just
that; the major differences are so major, SRB2 all but self-destructs. SRB2
tested fine on an Apple-compatible Laser 128, so, presumably it'll work on an
Apple system as well.

 You'll need a joystick for a one-player game. In two-player mode, the second
fighter must be controlled from the keyboard. In the IBM version, you designate
keyboard commands before play; in the Apple version, the key commands are listed
on the Command Summary card. The slight alterations in joystick functions are
also indicated on the Command card.

 You can create and save boxers, but the Manager screen (from which boxers can
be deleted) has been combined with the Choosing Your Fighter screen.

 The major differences which short-circuit SRB2 are the graphics and sound
effects. The graphics of the Apple version are hideous. The crowd looks like
something a 6-year old child might have created on a really bad day at the
easel, which is not to say the Apple screen display has any artistic value. The
fighters seem to have been latched together from special-effect body parts l
over from "Evil Dead Part 2," although they move decently enough around the
ring.

 The problem here seems to stem from a crummy selection of colors, not from
crummy graphics. Switching to composite mode from RGB made the display even
worse by smearing what colors there were. It doesn't take long, in either mode,
for your eyes to blur.

 Sounds are all but non-existent. In fact, the only available (punching) sound
seems blunted, as if the sound channel, upon entering its routine, couldn't
decide whether to continue or give up: Usually it gave up.

 Assuming your eyes can handle the gnarly screen display, the Apple // version
of STAR RANK BOXING II plays all right. Other than that, however, the game has
nothing to recommend it.

 STAR RANK BOXING II is published by Gamestar and distributed by Mediagenic.

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