IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT!

 What's the name of the game? IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! What's the basic concept of
the game? IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! And what do you do in this game? IF IT MOVES,
SHOOT IT! Okay, got it?

 IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! is based on a very simple (if timeworn) concept. But
Emerald Software's realization of this classic computer game theme is stunning.
(This review is based on the IBM-PC version of the game.)


 Your ship is positioned over an alien landscape, and very quickly you're
attacked from all four sides by aliens who are firing at you even as they move
toward you. Initially, your ship is armed only with a laser that fires
"forward." It's possible to pick up more advanced weapons along the way...if you
ever get that far. Those advanced weapons may well elude you for some time,
because, simply put, IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! is one tough mother of a game. This
is an action game that will be challenging for experienced arcade players, and
perhaps a bit daunting for those who are less than wizards at this sort of
thing.

 The IBM version is supplied on four 5-1/4" diskettes, which are not
copy-protected. Graphics support is provided for CGA, EGA, VGA, and Tandy
16-color mode. The game will automatically determine your computer's highest
graphic capability on boot-up, although you can force it into a particular mode.
While most modes require 512K of free RAM, I found that the game "died" at the
title screen in VGA mode with 530K free. Everything ran smoothly after rebooting
under a different configuration (with 590K free).

 VGA graphics are indeed of arcade quality here. The smoothly scrolling
landscape is unlike any I've seen in a computer game, reminding me of a more
colorful version of H. R. Giger's designs for the movie "Alien," with a texture
that seems more like an oil painting on canvas than pixels on a computer
monitor. The alien landscape is a swirling mass of dust storms, craters,
mountains, and what appear to be the bones of previous victims!

 The alien ships themselves seem almost unlimited in their variety. The weakest
of them require two direct hits to destroy, while the strongest may need as many
as 100. This is no mere walk in the woods.

 You can play IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! with a joystick or keyboard. Options are
provided to calibrate your joystick, remap keyboard settings, and control the
speed of your ship. High scores can be saved, and -- in an important touch for a
game of this intensity -- if you've lost all your lives after reaching the
second level, the game can be restarted at the current level. (You can only do
this three times per game, though.)

 IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! takes a classic -- perhaps overworked -- theme, and
elevates it to a new level. This game will be challenging for the best players,
although perhaps a bit too difficult for novices. I'm somewhere in the middle,
and a few sessions with it left my heart pounding and my hands sweaty and
shaking. Yet, as I finish this review, I've just got to go back one more time
(or 30 more times!) and try to get just a bit farther.

 IF IT MOVES, SHOOT IT! is published by Emerald Software, Ltd. and distributed
by Broderbund.

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