Roketz is a great multiplayer space combat game from Bluemoon Interactive, makers of celebrated classic Skyroads. First released as shareware for the Amiga, the game is notable for the excellent balance between playability and realism (i.e. gravity physics). The official description says it all: ”Roketz was a 360-degree scrolling shooter featuring gravity and thrust-and-turn gameplay similar to Thrust, Virus, and SubSpace. Just like that last one, Roketz was an excellent multiplayer game. The fast-paced dogfights quaranteed high levels of adrenaline for countless hours.” The game boasts very nice ray-traced graphics and a wide variety of weapons to choose from. The gameplay itself is simple: after fitting your “roket” with various weapons and upgrades, you are transported to a battleground where you can race the marked track for best results and/or shoot down your opponent, either your friend (in split-screen mode) or a computer-controlled adversary. The winner is the last survivor. Each battleground has different obstacles: gun turrets, pulsating force fields, etc. And of course, a gravitational pull constantly dragging you down, so you will need both precise piloting skills and reflexes to succeed. The locations are nicely varied, although most of the action takes place in old production facilities rather than open space (making the game more challenging because you have to avoid colliding into walls and other “background” graphics). Overall, if you enjoy classics like Thrust or Gravity Force, Roketz is well worth your time. Two thumbs up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |