QIX

 QIX is a port of the ancient arcade game. Written by Alien Technology Group and
published and distributed by Taito, QIX features good graphics, simple gameplay,
a two-player mode, "V-Max! fastloader," joystick control, and copy protection.
This review is based on the Commodore 64/128 version.

 Taito calls QIX (pronounced "kicks") the "computer virus" game. While I don't
recall the arcade version being so described, I suppose it makes sense, viruses
being trendy and all. It's better than saying, "QIX? Oh! there's this bunch
lines that kinda twists around, and ya gotta fill in 65% of the screen with
squares that get filled in." No matter how you say it, this version is a
faithful translation of an odd and frustrating game.

 The Qix is a spinning, whirling bunch of lines (a simulation of a virus) that
hides within the dark confines of your computer. Booting the game brings Qix to
life, along with its sub-viral assistants, Sparx and Spritz. Your goal is to
build a "vaccine" by filling in sections of computer memory, thus preventing Qix
from infecting the system.

 To accomplish this, you control a marker that moves only in straight lines and
turns only on 90-degree angles. Each time you create a square or rectangle (of
any size), a fill is generated; each fill is worth a percentage of the screen.
To complete Level 1, you must fill in 65%. The required percentages increase as
you move up in levels.

 You start with four lives. Termination of a life occurs when the Qix touches an
incomplete line, if your marker is hit by Sparx (a cluster of dots), or if your
marker is hit by the Spritz (a star-like object that follows you). You should
also be aware of the Fuse: Stopping in mid-draw lights the Fuse back at the
start of the current line; when it reaches the marker, a life is lost.

 The Commodore 64 screen display consists of a large square -- representing a
section of memory -- within which Qix twists and tumbles and spins about in a
random fashion. To the right of the square are: percentage needed, percentage
completed, current level, and the Sparx timer. The Sparx timer is a red line
that shrinks by increments as the game progresses; when it disappears, two new
Sparx are created.

 Your marker is a movable screen pixel that's controlled with a joystick.
Pressing and releasing the button, then moving the stick in a cardinal
direction, draws a line: This "fast draw" earns a certain amount of points.
Pressing and holding the button, then drawing a line, is called a "slow draw"
and it earns twice as many points as a fast draw. Each percentage of the screen
you fill over the needed amount earns 1,000 bonus points.

 There is a Practice mode and a two-player mode. The disk is copy-protected.
V-Max! is a speed demon of a fastload utility that doesn't waste time either
booting the game or loading new levels.

 If nothing else, QIX is different. It's a simulation, perhaps only because
Taito says it is, but it's unlike the simulations you're used to. The elements
are few and play is deceptively simple. The manual claims that the Qix gets
smarter, having learned something from previous levels. I don't know if it gets
smarter, but it definitely gets faster and more unpredictable.

 Graphics on the C64 are good, clear, and understandable -- though primitive by
today's standards. QIX has great potential to become addictive. It's not
necessarily fun, due to its high frustration factor, but you'll find yourself
playing it anyway.

 QIX is published and distributed by Taito.

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