BUTCHER HILL 

 BUTCHER HILL is an arcade/action game written by Imagitec Design, 
published by Gremlin Graphics, and distributed by Virgin
Mastertronic. It offers good graphics, three scenarios, joystick
control, and copy protection.  

 The plot of HILL concerns the taking of Butcher Hill. It's divided
into three phases: the River, the Jungle, and the Village. In the
River scenario, you must guide an inflatable dinghy along a river, 
avoid water hazards and enemy strafing, collect supplies, and dock
at one of the three jetties. Doing this leads into the Jungle
scenario, where you must make your way through dense vegetation, 
eliminate enemy forces and supply depots, and locate the Village, 
which lies at the base of Butcher Hill. In the Village, you'll have
to kill enemy soldiers and destroy all the buildings. When you've
done so, you'll be King of Butcher Hill. 

 The C64 screen display consists of the landscape of the current
scenario: The River scrolls vertically; the Jungle is maze-like, 
with many screens; and the Village scrolls horizontally and has a
time limit. Below the action screen are score counter, stamina bar, 
timer, and number of bullets and grenades. The number of grenades
you have when you reach the Village will depend on how many you
collected in the previous scenario. There is a compass to be found
in the River scenario, and if you do indeed collect it, it too will
be displayed below the action screen. 

 The River twists and turns and has rocks and mines (which will
destroy the dinghy); enemy planes strafe the water and Allied planes
drop first-aid, ammunition, and supply packs, which are collected by
guiding the dinghy over them. Pull up at one of the jetties, and the
Jungle scenario loads. 

 In the Jungle scenario, there are paths to take through the
vegetation. The manual points out that the Village lies somewhere to
the northeast, which makes the compass useful but not strictly
necessary. In the jungle clearings you'll find guarded supply depots
that, when eliminated, yield extra ammunition and stamina. 

 The joystick controls HILL. The stick steers the dinghy in the
River, moves and turns through the Jungle, and moves left and right
in the Village. Holding the button down controls the gunsight and
fires; in the Village, pushing the stick forward throws a grenade, 
while holding the button and pushing the stick forward throws the
grenade and adjusts the range. 

 The BUTCHER HILL package comes with one copy-protected disk and an
instruction sheet. 

 At first glance, BUTCHER HILL is much like Taito's OPERATION WOLF: 
an arcade/action war game in which you kill bad guys. Basically, 
that's what it is, but the Jungle (which isn't as straightforward as
offing bad guys) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Moving along
twisty paths, especially without the compass, makes things a bit
tougher than merely aiming a weapon, and serves to upgrade the
game, if only infinitesimally. 

 The graphics are similar to those of OPERATION WOLF; actually, 
they're better, most likely because WOLF was translated from a
coin-op game. In HILL, they're more in line with the machine, and
there was no flicker or breakup. The joystick worked well as a
controller, and the game played easily enough. BUTCHER HILL won't
send the gaming world into a swoon, but it looks and plays just
fine. 

 BUTCHER HILL is published by Gremlin Graphics and distributed by
Virgin Mastertronic. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253