SECURITY ALERT

  SECURITY ALERT is a strategy/arcade adventure written by Mike Livesay,
published by First Star Software, and distributed by IntraCorp, and it
offers fine graphics and animation, excellent sound effects, three
difficulty levels, five scenarios, joystick control, and copy protection.
The Commodore 64/128 version is the basis of this review.

  ALERT lets you play the role of a master thief, and it does so by way of
nicely-integrated strategy and arcade actions, an easy to use point-click
interface, a variety of screen views, and a fine array of sound effects. To
be successful, you'll have to outwit robot guards, use tools, crack safes,
rewire circuits, and make off with the loot. SECURITY ALERT is a nifty and
suspenseful piece of work that fits perfectly into the Commodore 64.

  ALERT features five buildings, and the goal of the game is to break into
each one, search its rooms, grab the goodies, and get away before the
guards catch you or the timer runs out, which is the same as being caught.
From the Jewelry Store, you must heist the diamonds; from the Museum you
must steal the King Tut exhibit; the Bank has gold; the Research lab has a
secret formula; and the foreign Embassy has war plans.

  Some buildings have more than one level; all have robot guards that
patrol the corridors; all have some kind of detection device: heat, sound,
motion, and weight sensors, cameras, and infrared beams. Along the way,
you'll find money (for additional points), useful tools, and memos that
reveal dangers and provide useful information. Doors might have standard
locks, electronic locks, or special number-coded locks. Tampering with
doors or devices might set off alarms. Attempting to rewire a circuit might
or might not disable it.

  Once you've taken the treasure, you must find a large gold key, which is
the only key that can open the exit door. Both treasure and key must be
found before the timer runs out or the guards will grab you and put you in
a police van, which signifies the end of the game and the beginning of
incarceration.

  From the Assignment Screen, you can select any of three difficulty levels
(Novice, Intermediate, Expert) for any of the five buildings. Regardless
which difficulty level you choose, though, the Jewelry Store is considered
easy and the Embassy is considered most difficult, which makes for a
variety of gaming challenges. The difficulty level affects the number and
speed of the robots, as well as the items you start the game with.

  The Game Screen comprises six areas: Main Window, Close-Up Window, Tool
Boxes, Map Display, View Controls, and Memo Pad. The Main Window is a view
of the corridors and rooms, through which you move your character; the View
Controls toggle between top and side views. The Close-Up Window lets you
zoom in on and manipulate objects, such as safes, detection devices, and
control circuits; the Tool Box holds the items you'll need (six is the
maximum you can carry); the Map Display keeps tabs on your location and the
movements of guards; and the Memo Pad holds timer and coordinates, passes
along messages and clues, and informs you of the items and loot you've
found.

  As you move your character in the Main Window, the building scrolls to
reveal new areas; your location is updated in the Map Display as well. When
you reach an object and click the joystick button, the object will appear
in the Close-Up Window; you can then grab a tool from the Tool Box, move it
into the Close-Up Window, and manipulate the object. Opening a safe, for
example, might provide tools you'll need later, such as drills (for
electronic locks), mirrors (to fake out cameras), other keys and key cards,
screwdrivers and hammers, infrared goggles, alligator clips, wire cutters,
flashlights (for unlighted rooms or corridors), dynamite (to blow holes in
walls), and even a spray can that will cool off heat sensors.

  There are four levels of alert, which rise as you tamper with devices and
set off alarms. If you're detected by a security device, an alarm will go
off. Although the guards are always moving, as indicated on the Map
Display, they will, depending on the alert level, patrol randomly, respond
to alarms, or chase you. Their speed, line of vision, and whether or not
they enter rooms also depends on the alert level. Alarms can be shut off by
taking an appropriate action, such as moving out of range, making less
noise, or even by smashing the device with a hammer.

  ALERT is controlled with a joystick. The stick moves the character in all
directions; button presses followed by stick actions set movement to any of
three modes: walking, crawling, or jumping. Crawling and jumping are useful
for cutting down on noise or bypassing certain devices. Button presses
examine objects and grab and use tools. Moving the pointer from the
Close-Up Window to the Main Window constitutes a return to movement.
Keystrokes can be substituted for certain joystick functions, but the
Spacebar-invoked Pause feature and the numbers that select its Abort,
Replay, and Resume options are really the only keystrokes you'll need.

  The SECURITY ALERT package comes with one double-sided disk that's
copy-protected, an instruction manual, a map of the Jewelry Store and a
template for making more maps, and a code card that's used for
documentation checks. The length of time for a scenario depends on the
scenario. There is no save option. The manual explains all facets of the
game, and gives clear examples of cracking a safe and rewiring a control
circuit.

  The graphics and animation for ALERT are fine on the C64: colors are
bright, objects are distinguishable, everything moves smoothly and without
flicker or breakup. Sounds are not only effectively-used but extremely
useful: the Map Display tracks the robot guards but if you're busy cracking
a safe, paying no attention to the Map, the mechanized hum of the guards as
they pass close by will catch your attention. As for the many detector
alarms, well, I think they heard them down the block. When you wear the
goggles, you can see horizontal and vertical infrared beams, which can then
be avoided by using different views and specific movements.

  With Novice, Intermediate, and Expert levels, five buildings, 1400 rooms
(according to the package back), SECURITY ALERT provides many games of
varying difficulty. Each game is tense and suspenseful, what with the time
limit and the need to avoid detection, and the Close-Up Window really does
give the impression of safecracking and circuit-jumping, just like the
movies do before Rambo steps in and blows everything to smithereens.
SECURITY ALERT is a cool game that's also a lot of fun.


  SECURITY ALERT is published by First Star Software and distributed by
IntraCorp.