GALACTIC CONQUEROR

 Titus Software's GALACTIC CONQUEROR is an arcade game for the masses -- an
ego-bloating joyride that offers excellent graphics and animation, joystick or
keyboard control, and huge point totals. This review is based on the Atari ST
version.

 The instruction manual tries to get you to believe that GALACTIC CONQUEROR is a
game of strategy. It definitely is not: The very first time I booted, I
accumulated over two million points in less than 30 minutes. You can play wit
your eyes closed, and I mean that literally, because I've done so. The only way
to lose is to not play at all. If GC doesn't seem boring already, it will
definitely become so after your score hits seven figures. Boredom isn't the
issue, though. An ego boost is the point: When was the last time you turned a
game off because you were winning?

 The background story of GC concerns Gallion, the interplanetary military base
of the Stellar League; a large force of power-mad rebels; and Thunder Cloud II,
the ultimate weapon -- or rather, _another_ ultimate weapon. The goal of game is
to protect Gallion from the rebels by doing battle with their attack forces
(which are numerous, to say the least). Destroying rebel forces goes against the
teachings of George Lucas, but then, he doesn't hand out the points.

 In Siberia in the year 2008, you played a game called OFFSHORE WARRIOR, from
which you emerged victorious. You are now the only pilot capable of handling
Thunder Cloud II, a hopped-up descendant of Thunder Cloud, the "magnetic
sustentation MV module with a firepower of 117 Gigawatts per second," which made
its first public appearance in FIRE AND FORGET. OFFSHORE WARRIOR and FIRE AND
FORGET also come from Titus. This intimate gaming relationship adds up to the
radical point totals of GALACTIC CONQUEROR.

 Thunder Cloud II has been upgraded by League technicians: Its firepower is now
ten thousand times greater, and it has been equipped with a "negative ionization
ultra-sensoriel protection shield." The original Thunder Cloud didn't have this
shield, so it was it less amusing.

 Best of all is the offer from the Stellar League. If you, the current OFFSHORE
champion, agree to rid the galaxy of the enemies of Peace, you'll receive $10
million. I urge you to accept. It'll be the easiest $10 million you'll ever
make.

 The Atari ST graphics display consists mainly of two screens: map and action.
On the map screen, against a starry background, the planets of the Stellar
League are indicated by bright blue dots; planets in rebel hands show up as
bright red dots. Selecting any planet with the crosshairs enlarges it. Selecting
an enemy-held planet sends you to the action screen.

 A Mother Ship of the Stellar League transports you to the enemy planet you
selected on the map screen, and it is here that you begin your point-scoring
sojourn. The battles of GC happen in three stages: a ground-based fight against
mines, probe-robots, missiles, and meteorites; an aerial fight against ships of
the enemy's Space Army; and a space fight against more Space Army ships. After
each tri-phase battle, the Mother Ship will pick you up. If you happen to lose
your shield, the Mother Ship will recharge it. In either case, you'll be
returned to the map screen to view the overall strategic situation, and to
select a new enemy planet to visit for more points.

 There are 416 planets in the interstellar group, any of which can fall into
enemy hands. Gallion and its four moons occupy the center of the map screen;
when they turn red, the game ends, and point scoring ceases. It's not something
over which to lose sleep. You can sleep while you're playing.

 GC can be controlled with either a joystick or the keyboard. The arrow keys
move Thunder Cloud II left and right, and up and down; the "Help" key brakes;
the "Undo" key accelerates; and the spacebar puts all those gigawatts of
firepower to work. Joystick or keyboard, it doesn't matter: Either control is
effective. No control at all would be effective.

 During aerial battles, Thunder Cloud II doesn't bank left or right; it spins on
its longitudinal axis. Holding the button down while in a spin is an alternative
to actually steering the ship and aiming your shots. Perhaps you can invent new
scoring methods. The continual movement of the counter will produce thrills (for
a while), or boredom (eventually); a hypnotic trance is another possibility.

 The GC package comes with one copy-protected, mini-floppy disk, and a humorous
instruction manual that's more than just poorly written: It attempts to be
serious about strategies that are completely unnecessary.

 GC looks very good on the ST. The Mother Ship that drops you off at the Point
Store is brightly-colored and highly detailed. When Thunder Cloud II takes a
hit, it is surrounded by a yellow halo. The enemy fighters, doomed though they
are, sometimes go into wild attack spins. There are lots of screen events going
on at one time -- meteorites, large mines, and enemy fighters attacking, probes
and robots taking off, and myriad explosions -- all of this occurring without
visual glitches.

 GALACTIC CONQUEROR is so ridiculously easy it's great. Short of turning your
computer off, or letting the rebels take over Gallion, there is no way to lose.
If you've never been any good at arcade games, now's your chance. If TETRIS,
TOWER TOPPLER, or JUG have been giving you fits, GALACTIC CONQUEROR is just the
sedative you need.

 GALACTIC CONQUEROR is published and distributed by Titus Software.

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