 RASTERSCAN

 Mastertronic 1987



 CONTROLS : Keyboard, Cursor, Kempston

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 AIM : Rasterscan, a large damaged spaceship, drifts uncontrollably

towards a nearby star. The craft can be repaired and flown away from

the star, but the only means of doing this is using a maintenance

droid, also damaged, called MSB. The droid has a broken brain and is

now only capable of repairing toasters; it has no knowledge of how to

operate a space ship. This is where you come in...



 GAMEPLAY : You control MSB and can move it through a labyrinth of

coloured power cables and piping. A display at the bottom left of the

screen shows MSB's position within the ship. Once repaired, the droid

can plug into and operate the ship's machinery and instruments. Every

piece of equipment has a function, and once repaired it can be

connected to the ship's power supply and reactivated.



 MSB's passage through the ship is not unobstucted. Locked doors block

certain sections of the ship. By manoeuvring MSB into the jaws of

upturned spanner heads, logic puzzles are revealed, differing from

lock to lock. Once solved, the door is opened and MSB is free to

bounce on its way.



 The bridge contains a scanner, showing the ship's position as a

flashing point, the star to which it is being drawn, and several

planets. The scanner is triggered by flicking on, in the right order,

a series of three switches contained in a locked room close to the

bridge.



 MSB can pilot the craft from a control room near the scanner. Here

four indicators show the speed of each engine, and a central circular

display gives the Rasterscan's direction and relative speed.



 COMMENTS : "An unusual concept which has been done justice in its

execution."

 RATING : 75% (CRASH #40, May 1987)



 NOW : A peculiar game which is alternately good and frustrating.

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 KEYS:  Up    - Q               }

        Down  - A               } Joystick

        Left  - O               } controls

        Right - P               }

        Fire  - SYM/SHFT        - Joystick fire