NIGHT SHIFT

 Over the past dozen years, George Lucas's employees have been busy working
overtime, churning out (among other things) cute little robots for movies,
amusement park rides, and computer games. Where do all these come from? We
thought it was ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), but what do we know? It turns out
they come from IML (Industrial Might and Logic), all stamped out by one
humongous machine affectionately named "The Beast." Someone has to keep The
Beast running day and night -- and now it's your turn! (This review is based on
the IBM-PC version of the game.)

 In NIGHT SHIFT, you can choose to be either Fred or Fiona Fixit. At the
beginning of your shift, stop in at the boss's office to find out your quota for
the night, and then get to work! In the early rounds of NIGHT SHIFT, your job is
simply to keep The Beast running. Plugs come unplugged, bolts get unbolted, and
fires go out. Ride the bicycle to generate power and make certain that all of
the conveyor belts are running in the correct directions. With each round,
something new is added to The Beast -- usually a process that was previously
automated is now tacked on to your task list. So go ahead and paint the robots,
pack them, ship them off.

 To aid you in your job, you have a toolbox, your "Toolie." Some tools are here
in unlimited supply (such as your hand!), but others run out, and you'll need to
find more, which randomly appear all over The Beast. Learning the fastest routes
up and down The Beast is a task in itself. There are no ladders or clearly
marked paths, and some landing places are not immediately apparent. Jump from
conveyor belt to various ledges or onto pieces of equipment to get around. If
you're in a rush, you might find an umbrella (for going down) or a balloon (yep,
for going up) in your toolbox.

 All of this is sounds frenetic enough, but there's even more. You see, there
are lemmings. Lemmings are sort of gremlin-like. They love to loosen bolts, but
more than that, they love you! They'll grab on to your legs and hug you, slowing
you down to a crawl. Lemmings can be kicked away (it's really painful to have to
kick these loving little tykes, too), or can be dealt with more permanently
using venus flytraps and vacuum cleaners (again, both are in your toolbox). As
the levels progress, your boss will also be running after you. If he catches
you, he'll stun you by bashing you over the head with his diploma! (And that's
one of the wonderful things about this game -- you get to kick your boss! A
lot!)

 There are no "lives" to lose here. Each round is timed, indicated by a burning
candle. After every couple of rounds, there's a charming intermission scene,
where you can see what your character has done with his earnings (Mr. or Ms.
Fixit buys a house, buys a car, fixes up the house, etc.). Of course, if you
haven't met your quota, your boss has no heart: You're fired, out on your
keester, and the game is over. You can play a practice, untimed round on the
first shift, to get the hang of things.

 While NIGHT SHIFT might sound vaguely like the classic "Hard Hat Mack" game,
what's clear is that a lot of imagination went into this. The Beast is a
wonderfully unique, um, beast. Part Rube Goldberg contraption, yet also somewhat
reminiscent of those giant gears that Chaplin dealt with in "Modern Times." I've
managed to advance to the 15th level, and each level has added something new --
like the Quality Control device (a TV set and a giant boxing glove), or the huge
fans for drying the paint.

 In a nice touch, each level beyond the first has its own "security code," which
remains the same for every game. If you keep track of these codes, you can
re-start at whatever level you'd like. That's good, because NIGHT SHIFT is the
kind of game where once I've "conquered" a level, I feel little desire to go
back. I want to see what's coming up next, and figure out how to deal with it. I
should admit that I'm also the kind of player who, once things get too frenetic
(as they're starting to become by the 15th level), tends to tire of playing and
thinks about moving on to something else.

 NIGHT SHIFT comes on three 5-1/4" diskettes (two 3-1/2" diskettes are available
separately), and an install program is included for setting the game up on your
hard drive. NIGHT SHIFT uses a code wheel for protection. The game can be played
with a joystick or from the keyboard, and this is one of those rare instances in
which I found using the keyboard worked just fine.

 Graphics support is provided for EGA, MCGA, VGA, and Tandy 16-color modes; note
that no support is provided for mono or CGA. I guess that's because The Beast is
so highly detailed that too much of the game would be lost at CGA resolution.
The rear of the game box shows a VGA screen and, believe it or not, the actual
VGA graphics are better than depicted -- brighter and sharper, and more colorful
than the dim little photo would have you believe. AdLib and Sound Blaster cards
are also supported.

 NIGHT SHIFT is a great arcade-style game for all ages. It's inventive and funny
enough to charm adults, while parents will appreciate the fact that this is not
one of those shoot-'em-up games that make you fire at anything that moves.

 NIGHT SHIFT is published by Lucasfilm Games and distributed by Electronic Arts.

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