The Strangers

Strangers the first CD-Rom title to be released by Vulcan Software and this is indeed a significant moment in the Amiga's history. The only thing is whether Strangers will be just as momentus.

Strangers is easily loaded with it being on CD and upon loading there is a very nice rendered Intro sequence of car chase through the city which ends in disaster with the head of the Mafia escaping from justice once again. In Strangers it's your job to hunt down the Mafia Boss who has caused so much violence. To do this you have to fight your way through 8 levels against over 30 different fighters of varying skill, some armed.

The menu for most beat'em ups is pretty simple but Strangers has various types of fights. You can choose from four in all - Action, Gangwars, Deathmatch and Practice, and in this game you need all the Practice you can get.

The Action section is were it is up to you or even a friend to go up against the Mafia Boss and his gangs and as recommended in the manual, this is for experienced players and I would avoid jumping into it straight away without some practice. Fighting through the levels and completing them will give you codes, once you have got a code you can start from there instead of at the very start. It also means you start with all your lives intact.

The Deathmatch section allows you to go up against up to 6 six friends, and your friends can choose the character they would like to be out of 24 possible. It is up to you to be the last man standing, this is an excellent opportunity for training. Make sure you are the first to get a weapon or it'll be quick ending for you. The Gangwars section also can have up to six players with the only difference being that you and your friends are spilt into gangs and it's the last gang standing that wins or the one with the most points. Off course you got to be careful of not injuring your own gang members.

Weapons which should be in every beat'em up are in plenty supply, in fact I would say that it has one of the largest collections like Hockey Sticks, Chairs, Hammers, Swords, Axes, Baseball Bats, Chains etc. With weapons like these, you should knock out your opponent, it gives you the advantage but this can actually be turned around with the other fighters able to use the weapons as well. There is also some objects like a oil drum which can kill them in one go by throwing it directly at them but make sure your friends aren't nearby or they'll get injured.

The best way of defeating the enemy is by one person distracting the rest while your other player picks them off one by one. If this doesn't work

This leads us to a very important part of the game, stilling Alive. During the heated action your life fluid will eventually go down the more you get whacked so try to pick up the bonuses that will fall from your victims. You can pick up a Drink, to receive more energy, a Bottle to give you more strength, even new Shoes to jump bigger, and a First Aid kit is the best as it'll give you an extra credit.

Strangers is no push over and unfortunately I found One Player too tough to handle at times. The problem simply was the fighters ganged up and I had no chance of picking them off. I would not recommend Strangers for people who want to play alone as you won't really get far and therefore it'll loose it's addiction compared to playing it with friends, although if you are excellent at beat'em ups then buy it.

Playing Strangers with friends is like playing a whole different game, especially the Action section in Two Player. Although still tough I found it a whole lot easier and it was really good watching your friend get a Death move done on him, the best point was being able to get further on in the game. Playing Gangwars and Deathmatch was just as good giving you the chance to go up against your friends to get more practice. And playing with friends is the best way to enjoy Strangers.

Graphics 86% - "Detailed and funny Death move graphics" Playability 90% - "Easy to play with plenty of moves to master" Sound 81%- "Full of samples, music and plenty of atmosphere" Addiction 65% - "Loses it's addiction in one player" Lastability 68% - "With friends it will last for ages but not by yourself" Overall 78% "Tough in One Player but good playing with friends"

If you want to get the game check Vulcan Software's web site for full details or you'll find it in the shops:-

• Vulcan Software

> Back to the Review's Menu <


^{Amiga Flame©1997}