 MAILSTROM

 Ocean 1986



 CONTROLS : Keyboard, Kempston

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 AIM : You must complete a post round in an area where the customers

 are VERY fierce and the conditions distinctly strange!



 GAMEPLAY : Before you get anywhere in the game, you must collect

 various items from the post boxes along the route. However, you don't

 have the keys for them, so you must use your own iniative - the bombs

 found in the road will be very handy for this! Amongst the items are

 upgrades such as anti-personnel rockets to blow open post boxes and

 control the locals, and a super-pursuit mode which gives the post van

 (called SKIT for some reason) a turbo-charged engine.



  The objective of the game is to exchange postal sacks for letters to

 be delivered. When you visit the sorting office, house numbers will

 light up along the bottom of the screen. The number of these houses

 will depend upon how many sacks you have deposited in the "in" chute

 of the sorting office. You must then deliver each house indicated to

 deliver the mail.



  All the game controls are icon-driven. Pressing fire when in or near

 the van will call up a menu with several options on it. Although

 there are few options available at first, as you collect objects the

 options increase.



  The local inhabitants are very aggressive and will frequently attack

 you. You will suffer damage from these attacks and if this damage gets

 too much, a trip to the hospital will be needed. You can get rid of

 your attackers by running over them in the van. However, if an

 innocent civilian gets killed, points are deducted and you get

 arrested by the police. Running over a policeman or getting arrested

 too often means Game Over.

 

 COMMENTS : "Nothing to keep any game player attached for any length of

 time."

 RATING : 59% (CRASH #35, December 1986)



 NOW : Quite a nice idea, but the game is unfortunately rather dire.

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 KEYS : Up	- Q to P

	Down	- A to L

	Left	} Alternate bottom

	Right	}    row keys

	Fire	- 1 to 0