THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE PANZADROME PUBLISHER Ariolasoft AUTHOR YEAR 1985 CATEGORY Arcade strategy CONTROLS Keyboard, Kempston Joystick controls are recommended for this game! KEYS : Rotate left - CAPS LOCK Rotate right - Z Forwards - X Backwards - C Fire - V Use Polycrete (TM) - P INSTRUCTIONS The eponymous Panzadrome is an island inhabited solely by robot tanks of varying viciousness. You have been given the task of destroying all the robots on the Panzadrome... Each robot tank is remotely controlled from a central computer, from which it gets its power. Plasma vents are a central part of the power grid, and they have to be destroyed in order to knock out both the computer and tanks. The computer is well aware of this weakness, though, and wherever you find a vent there is also a strong guardian force as well. Apart from the tanks you also have to cope with heavily armed fun emplacements which fire on any intruders. Due to budget restrictions, you have been given a very sub-standard tank with a one-shot turret and stone wheels! Fortunately, factory depots are scattered around the island, each specialising in a different type of tank component. You can visit these factories and collect whatever system a factory makes. Though the robot part stores are unaware that you are an intruder, the computer's tanks will recognise you immediately and try to destroy you. Three weapons systems are available to you, although at the start you only have the worst - a on-shot turret. The others are mortars and mines, both of which must be collected from the appropriate factory. A Polycrete (TM) module is almost vital to have. Although you can avoid the enemy tank fire if you are quick enough, their (and your) exploding shells leave impassable craters in the ground. This means that it can be quite easy to get stuck between a pair of impassable craters. The solution is to use Polycrete (TM) - press P to squirt it into the crater to fill the hole. The Panzadrome itself is a 64-screen island, each screen flicking to the next when the edge boundary is reached. A scanner helps you navigate by highlighting the screen you are currently on. A short-range scanner is also shown, displaying the tanks (which you can see) and the mines (which you can't). As well as this, the status screen shows the state of repair of any equipment you may have; if something is too badly damaged you will lose it. You only have one life, and if your shields run out a direct hit on your tank will destroy it. Status bars depict shield level and other counters show the amount of ammunition. SCORES RECEIVED "A very good idea that is let down a bit by the execution." 77% (CRASH #24, January 1986) GENERAL FACTS NOTES