Tech

Title		Tech
Game Type	General Action
Players		1
HD Installable	Yes
Compatibility	All (But will need degrader with AGA)
Submission	Angus Manwaring Profiled Reviewer

Review
The only reason I came across the game Tech was because of my gratitude to
Bert Jahn; author of the fantastic game patching utility, WHDLoad. I`d
asked Bert if there were any original games he wanted me to try to track
down for him, and, as it turned out, Tech was his only request. Although
the game is available for legal download, I've never been able to find it
for sale as an original, but I've not given up yet.

Tech is clearly inspired by the lightcycle sequence in the film Tron. This
could well be why I've not come across an original copy of the game: It
would have been an obvious candidate for a law suit if it was unlicensed.
For those of you that have not seen Tron and know nothing of lightcycles,
what I’m referring to is a variation on the Snake game theme that used to
be so popular on the 8-bit computers. Still none the wiser? Okay then, in
Tech you control a motorbike, from an overhead viewpoint, that you must
drive around an arena, trying to avoid being killed by other
motorcyclists. This sounds straightforward, but what makes the game so
tricky is that each vehicle leaves a continuous trail behind it (from its
starting position) that forms an impenetrable barrier that neither you nor
your opponents can pass through. You can imagine that very soon your
freedom of movement becomes extremely restricted as each party tries to
cause the other to get boxed into a smaller space. Attempting to penetrate
the barrier causes instant death, and as a side effect, the collapse of
the victim’s barrier. This last point clearly makes no difference when you
only face only one enemy, because play stops immediately, but in the case
of a second opponent, it can be a lifesaver, enabling you to suddenly
escape from impending  disaster.

To bolster the gameplay, the arenas become gradually more tricky with a
greater amount of obstacles and, in the later levels, areas of the arena
are suddenly closed off to you, forcing you to drastically change your
travel plans. The opponents also become more cunning and skilled as you
progress, providing you with some serious competition. The longer you can
survive during a game the higher your score will be, and to increase your
score further, running over the starting point of a deceased opponent nets
a worthwhile score bonus.

That probably doesn't sound like very much, but Tech is another one of
those games that needs to be played to be appreciated. The hypnotic sound
effects with the Tron-like drone of your light cycle and the often
repeated cheer whenever a vehicle turns, the one-more-go gameplay, the
needle-matches that can develop when you have a two player game with a
friend, it all just somehow works, and manages to be, despite its relative
simplicity, a really fun game.

Alphabetical list.