Producer: Ariolasoft
Retail Price: £8.95
Author: Andrew Green and Jeff Philip
Something is wrong with Tujad, a sophisticated Control Computer. One of its circuits has blown, making it behave in a most anti-social manner. Instead of controlling the Security Systems in the complex, Tujad has turned them against everyone, making the place a virtual No Mans Land. The only hope left is to send in Gen 19, the most efficient Combat Droid ever created. Hopefully it will be able to repair the broken circuit in Tujad, as the other maintenance workers can't get within a stone's throw of the complex without attracting hoards of nasty security droids, all lusting after their blood.
This mission is slightly different for Gen 19 - it has to fight its own kind; fellow machines. In other circumstances, Gen 19 would find no problems in performing tasks set for it to complete, such is its programming. This time, however it's machine versus machine and a whole army of security droids are at Tujad's command. These droids are programmed to do only one thing - KILL INTRUDERS!
The only way that Tujad can be brought under control is by locating 50 new parts of the circuit and replacing the old ones. These can be found wound the 100 rooms of the complex and Gen 19 collects circuit boards by simply walking into them. The circuits are then displayed automatically on the main circuit board so that the player can see how many sections have been found so far.
The biggest problem which Gen 19 has to overcome, predictably enough, is the problem posed by the Security Droids - the complex is absolutely crawling with them. At the beginning of the game Gen 19 has three lives, and these can be lost in two ways. Gen 19's energy depreciates with every encounter with the security nasties in the building and when the energy meter reaches zero the hapless droid loses a life. Some of the larger security droids are instantly lethal. These kill Gen 19 with a single touch and can't be destroyed with the conventional laser like the other droid minions.
Gen 19 has three weapons in its arsenal. Three missiles, three grenades, unlimited blasting on the laser and 3 alien destroyers are available. Obviously, this collection of weapons is not going to last very long when you're up against some of the most sophisticated security droids ever invented. Luckily enough, Gen 19 can top up the weapons store by collecting replacement ammunition along the way.
To save undue wear on the old footplates as a result of legging it around, Gen 19 has been supplied with a hover platform which is very useful for travelling upwards or over any undesirables and makes the robot very manoeuvrable. When Gen 19 reaches solid ground, the floating platform automatically retracts and it's back to traditional footwork. Lifts link pairs of locations in the complex, and represent hand shortcuts.
The status area shows how many of each type of weapon Gen 19 has left in his arsenal, and weapons are selected by flipping through the inventory. A robot figure indicates the number of lives Gen 19 has left, while a lightning bolt shows the amount of energy left in the battery pack. If this is looking particularly low, extra energy can be collected around the complex to give the heroic droid an extra lease of life in the battle against the Security droids and the schizophrenic Tujad.
COMMENTS
Control keys: Q-P up, A-L down, Z, X, C left, B, N, M, right, SPACE change weapons, ENTER pause, 1-0 fire
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor
Keyboard play: responsive
Use of colour: pretty
Graphics: neatly done
Sound: spot effects
Skill levels: one
Screens: 100-ish
I must confess that I didn't expect much from this, after seeing the ORPHEUS logo on the loading screen, which brought back nightmares of The Young Ones. Though not nearly as bad as That Game, Tujad isn't the most thrilling game I've ever come across; for one thing, it's too easy, with extra men and weapons liberally splashed all over the place. The graphics are prettily animated, but the whole quality of the sprites seems to lack polish. Owing to its easiness, I don't think Tujad is particularly addictive, despite a reasonable level of playability. Not a bad game, but one let down a bit by its lack of originality, and its rather boring style.
Tujad is a real improvement on the last game written by ORPHEUS and definitely worth a twiddle at. I found the game quite attractive at first, but after a few games it became apparent that there wasn't much to it at all. Any competent arcade player would get far in the game with no trouble at all. The graphics and animation are well up to scratch and very attractive to look at. I found that the game was just a case of remembering where everything was: once mapped the game is too simple to last long in anyone's tape recorder.
There isn't really anything here that I haven't seen before. Even so, all its little qualities have been put together in such a way as to make the game, as a whole, very playable. The graphics are nicely done, the characters range from fairly large to small and the backgrounds interesting but some of the use of colour is a little suspect. The sound is awful - there is no tune and only two different effects. The game is fun to play for a short while but I can see it being much too easy to complete.
Ariolasoft
£8.95
Ariolasoft, having bought this game from Orpheus, has produced a competent if not scintillating cosmic mazer. Tujad is yet another crazed computer that threatens to dominate space. In the guise of Gen 19, a cocky combat droid with a neat line in wasting aliens, you have to find the fifty circuit boards missing from Tujad's sub processor so he can be returned to hi-tech tranquility of mind.
Gen 19 has four lives but as you wander around the hundred plus rooms of the maze you've plenty of chances to find a few more. They're signified by what looks like the Robertson's golliwog but you've got to be jammy to find them. There are also weaponry and energy sources that'll lengthen your life span - very useful since all the chips you'll need won't be found in one quick whizz around. Mapping would be useful, though hardly crucial - you'd be better to work out a strategy plan of what your priorities are.
Most of the aliens are of the puff ball variety (every one's a fluffy one) that simply drain your energy rather than kill you instantly. The big bad nasties that chomp you up are easily avoided but not generally zappable - and they always protect that crucial piece of board. How to circumvent them isn't always obvious, which is where the rather natty transporters come in useful as they can whisk you off to far flung parts of the maze and otherwise inviolate parts of the cosmic rose.
On screen info includes the part of the maze you're searching, state of weaponry, number of lives and how much life spark you have left. Info scrolls on a sub-screen, though it's a bit gratuitous - being told you're destroyed when you've already seen yourself obliterated on-screen all seems kinda pointless.
You'll have seen plenty of alternatives to this and Tujad brings nothing new to the market but on the other hand it brings nothing bad either. Of course, if Tujad had been a Speccy, it would never have gone doo-lally in the first place and left poor ol' Gen 19 with all the bizzo to do...
MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: Ariolasoft/Orpheus
PRICE: £8.95
Humph! Another mad computer. Faulty circuits. The very future of space is at risk unless... I bet you all know what's coming next... unless you can repair the rogue machine.
The computer is called Tujad and you control Gen 19, supposedly the most advanced combat droid ever built.
The droid must be manoeuvred around 100 rooms of the computer to collect 50 pieces of circuit board and rebuild the faulty Sub Processor Element which has caused Tujad to throw a wobbler.
Energy sapping aliens abound but extra lives and weapons can also be acquired.
Tujad , which has been licensed by Ariolasoft from Orpheus - is a tediously standard maze game with nothing particular bad about it, except the loading screen which is awful. You've probably played many games very much like it.
It's also overpriced.
ONE COMBAT DROID, A COMPUTER TO REPAIR, OVER 100 ROOMS - A SIMPLE RECIPE FOR AN ADDICTIVE SHOOT 'EM UP WITH JUST A SMATTERING OF STRATEGY.
Ariolasoft/Orpheus
£8.95
Every now and then a game appears which contains familiar elements and, on paper, sounds less than startling, but once you start of play, it exerts a mystifying hold which is difficult to explain. Tujad is just such a game.
The game play has a touch of deja vu about it. You control a Gen 19 combat droid who must repair the computer system, Tujad, by collecting 50 pieces of circuit board strewn through over 100 rooms. The computer however, treats your droid as on intruder and despite your good intentions will try to vaporise your mechanical Samaritan.
Along with the circuit board segments, three types of weapon, extra lives and extra energy can be picked up as you negotiate the maze. At the beginning of each game all these items are re-situated making a definitive route difficult to plot. As your convincingly animated robot walks and hovers around he is beset by small flying nasties who sap its energy, and at the gates of some rooms are aliens who destroy you on contact. These can be neutralised by selecting the correct weapon from your stored armoury of collected weapons. Pick the wrong weapon and you'll waste valuable ammunition and be unable to gain access to other parts of the complex. As all your weaponry is fired from the same button be sure to reselect each time you need to fire because you need all the available firepower to get close to finishing the mission.
At various points there are transporters which will materialise you elsewhere within the system and these, unlike the collectible elements, are in the same positions each new game.
The graphics are bright and well detailed and the droid itself is enjoyable to steer. The strategy element is just enough to raise it above the norm. All this doesn't really explain why Tujad is immensely compulsive to play. The answer may be in its simplicity. After just a couple of hours I'd managed to complete over 50 per cent of the game.
That might put off those who judge value for money in relation to the wasted hours they spend before they get anywhere, but should encourage those who don't enjoy frustration to try it.
I would thoroughly recommend Tujad for anyone who wants a satisfying and simply enjoyable game.
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