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This side-scrolling action game puts you into a submarine, in which you fight your way through an underwater cave. Simple, fast and challenging gameplay is usually a good combination for this type of game, if the ingredients are mixed in the proper quantities. In this case, CGA graphics and PC speaker beeps are clothing a very hard and challenging shooter which may be irritating at some points. You are forced to learn and practice all the dangers ahead in order to make any progress. Unless you are a shoot-'em-up vet, you might need quite some time.
The submarine can shoot missiles horizontally and vertically, using the two corresponding fire buttons. Pressing those buttons at the same time will destroy everything on the screen but also consume a certain quantity of air. In addition to many destructible and indestructible dangers on your way, you will also reach checkpoints (a short flashing of the screen notifies you of this) and air canisters. Touching an air canister will fill your air reserves to the max. Losing a life, however, will replenish no air at all. This makes the game very hard. If you lose a life just before a new checkpoint, that means you already consumed a decent quantity of air and have to play the entire section again. If you run out of air, it's game over for you. It can be very irritating, and having five lives does not make the game any easier. Knowing this, you will hardly ever use both fire buttons at the same time.
On the other hand, the game is far from boring. Both your movement and firing skills are tested, and danger changes its face constantly without long and repetitive parts. Also, here and there you need to figure out what to do, not just memorize everything. The gameplay is decently fast, which can make you angry, but on the other hand it is exhilarating. Among the things that may be irritating, you may see some bugs or, to put it another way, "some buggy things", but not often.
For a PC shooter, old as it is, it can only leave a positive impression regardless of whether you actually like it. The gameplay is interesting enough, may provide some fun, and will probably make you sweat a little. With the focus on the challenge, less experienced action players may feel put off, but experts should probably give it a try.
The game may work in WinXP, but too fast. It works fine in DOSBox, and you can lower the cycles to get the proper speed.
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