Airball Construction Kit

Reviewed by John Davison jnr

 

Issue 31

Jan/Feb 88

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Microdeal
£19.95


After the enormous success of the original game, author Eddie Scio and graphic artist Pete Lyon have got together to produce an extremely comprehensive game creator, enabling you to create your own customized versions of the classic game.


Inside the fairly large box you will find a short but helpful manual and the single Airball Construction Kit disk. Included on the disk are two programs, the game designer, and a customized version of the original Airball game.


The designer program is GEM based with several pull down menus at the top of the screen with options to edit objects and various other details. You can also examine rooms which have already been created. The whole thing seems rather daunting at first however, once you have got the hang of the many functions and options, the program is quite simple to use and you will soon be knocking out versions of Airball in no time!


The graphics, as in the original game, are very impressive and once you have filled a room with objects the screens begin to look really quite professional. The editor is very comprehensive and powerful, not only using the pull down menus, but also several keyboard commands to scroll through the hundreds of different objects at your disposal. All of the details of the original game are available to you, including the different statues, the skeletons, coffins, snakes, candles, trees and many others. They're all there, and only a few keystrokes away.


The manual suggests customizing the game which comes on the disk before progressing with any ambitious projects of your own. Having changed this version, you can place the vital objects anywhere you like in order to make the game as difficult or as easy as you please.


Overall I think that the Airball Construction Kit is absolutely superb, and it is great value for money at a price of £19.95. If you liked the original game, and you are feeling creative, then I would imagine that you will thoroughly enjoy using this excellent piece of software. It is definitely one of the better releases to be made available for the ST in recent months.

 

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