Alien Breed 3D 2: The Killing Grounds review 2

"AGA Only"? In fact, let`s make that "AGA only, much faster processor highly, highly recommended", because AB3DII is so slow that I defy anyone with anything less than 030-50 to even attempt to play it in a small window, let alone full screen. AB3DII is a doom clone, but was the first on the Amiga to demand a very fast processor. The only problem that I can guess happened whilst Andy Clithero was programming this monster of a game was that if it seemed slow on whatever machine he used, he said to himself "oh well, it`s designed for fast machines, maybe it`ll be playable on an 060" instead of taking the time to optimize the program even a little. DoomAttack can be run full screen on 030-50, in about 15 fps. This worked at about 1.5 fps, and that is no joke.

It doesn`t look bad, a little better than Doom, and it has more weapons. Shotgun, plasma, rocket launcher, mines, they`re all there, and all have their uses in the game. However, there are two inherent problems with the game. Well, there are more, but two biggies. Firstly, because the game has such high spec requirements, a cut-down version was made which is designed for 020 machines. And, slow though that processor is, this game makes a mockery of it. Texture mapping is non-existant in this version, it plays in 2x2, and in a window about 4" x 3" on a 14" monitor. The bigger version can be played full screen, in 1x1, with full texture mapping, light sourcing etc., but even on an 060 it`s too slow. On my old Blizzard A1230/IV, the fastest 030 on the market, I had to keep it on the smaller window, maybe 5"x5" to be able to run it reasonably in 2x1 with texture mapping. 1x1 was out of the question.

The second problem is the difficulty setting. Boy, it is hard. From the second level onwards, you`ll know what I mean. I played this game a lot, but was unable to progress past level 6. The game has 20 levels. I have played games for years on my old C64 and Amiga, but this is up there amongst the hardest games ever. The fact that the screen jerks about a lot doesn`t help matters much.

There are other faults as well. The installer is bugged, and a manual installation was required. The codebook is an atrocity - VINYL letters on a BLACK page. By the time the code had been typed in, I had a headache and couldn`t even be bothered to play it. Why make us, the games buying public, suffer?

But, in it`s favour, it has lastability, with the game being coded with the devil in mind, the difficulty level so high. And there is a reasonable scope for tactical play, because the aliens apparently have "special" intelligence which means they apparently team up on you or run away or whatever, and every weapon does have a different effect. There are quite a few aliens. And let`s not forget about the "editors" - These let you create your own monsters, levels, sound, etc. But they`re coded in, of all things, Amos, the bane of the Amiga, are impossible to use, poorly documented, and buggy, so it doesn`t count as a plus point at all.

So, to summarise, then. Avoid this game unless you fall into the following criteria.
• You are an expert programmer, and can recompile the C source code (kindly put out as freeware by Andy C) into a reasonably speedy form
• You don`t mind playing in a teeny window or making cups of tea in between frames
• You have an 060 + gfx board. You lucky devils can use an 060 + RTG patch available on aminet which makes the game quite nippy, and may yet yield some pleasure out of it. Until you finish the game, see the incredulous excuse for an end sequence, throw your Amiga out of the window in frustration, and ask yourself why you wasted your time doing this (Thank god I wasn`t dumb enough to play it to see what the end sequence was like, I was clever and got a cheater before selling it).
• You enjoy playing games which are not fun in the slightest.