Label: Gremlin
Author: In-house
Price: £7.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Tony Dillon
Well I guess that no one should be surprised that what with all those people running about taking steroids at seul, er sole, um seule it's not very surprising that we should be seeing a fair few sports simulations at the moment. Next up is Supersports The Olympic Challenge, a collection of sports most of which are not found in the Olympics at all. Still can't blame Gremlin for that I guess and, more importantly, the program is very well done. The quality of the presentation is such that I can hardly believe this is the same company that gave us dire Alternative World Games. So, forget all that Olympic stuff and have a laugh.
There are five events in all and each introduced by a commentator guy who says things which are almost as inane as David Coleman. Loading each section is, of course, interminable, but that's not anyone's fault. The wait is worth it.
THE EVENTS
Crack Shot
Nicely detailed graphics depict an alleyway. Objects get thrown into the air, target appear - shoot them for points. Don't shoot the occasional cats that appear (how sound). It's pretty fast - you get 90 second to make the hits and that includes reloading time. Nifty.
Dare Devil Dive
Highboard diving... sort of. Climb a high board, Pick one of three ???? more dangerous heights. The longer you fall the more time you have to perform clever twists, turns and other moves - fine - except that you also have longer to miss your target at the end of the dive. Once crumpled diver.
Slate Smash
My least favourite. It looks like some Ninja game when you load it up but actually it's all about smashing slates with your bare hands and feet. It's clever with a lot of possible moves but with no proper adversary I found it just isn't the same somehow...
Cross Bow
Shoot at a target with your crossbow - an insert shows how much tension you have on the string, pick the right amount, line up your sights and fire. Right? Wrong. You also have to take account of the varying wind direction. This adds something to the game but, despite this and despite excellent graphics, this doesn't add up to much long term interest.
Under Water Assault Course
This one is so bizarre I could almost believe Gremlin were working on another game and decided to incorporate it into this at the last minute. Either way it's fab.
Guide your diver through an obstacle course of rocks, tyres, jelly fish, Octopi (?) and other aquatic hazards. Collect coins from the sea bed as you go and remember to come up for air lest you drown. Great graphics, lovely animation, weird idea. Still, who cares?
OK it's a bit of a hotch potch, some sections are better than others, but mostly there is a lot to admire about Supersports. Decent music, far better than average graphics (at least Daley Thompson quality) and a few new ideas. Well done boys.
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