TITLE		: CANNON FODDER
TYPE		: SHOOT "EM UP / STRATEGY
REVIEWED	: SPIRIT
DATE		: 13th December 1993.
 

	At last, Cannon Fodder has finally been released, but is it as good
as we expected???.

	Cannon  Fodder  is  essentially  a  shoot-em-up,  but  it  also has
strategy  elements  included.   The game starts with a rather good piece of
music which includes digitised singing.  This is a great start to the game,
and now it's off to the battlefield where we shall start the mission.

	Basically  the idea of Cannon Fodder is to shoot everything.  Which
includes  enemy soldiers, enemy huts and anything else that can be shot!!!.
You're  army  of  men  consists of three at the start but it gradually gets
higher  and  you  can  control  over  25 men at a time.  There are in total
twenty-four  missions  but  each ones are set into phases so in total there
are  seventy-two  missions  in  total.   Cannon  Fodder  is  a  not  just a
shoot-em-up  you  definitely  have  to  use  the old grey matter to get you
through each level.

	After  you  have completed each mission you get a screen that comes
up  to tell you the amount of people you have killed and the amount of your
men they killed.  It is humorously set out in Home and Away scores!!!.  The
actual  game is great fun, as you run through the wilderness trying to take
out  an  enemy  sniper.  Speaking of the enemy they are very clever as they
come  from  all directions trying to shoot your men!!!.  Not to mention the
enemy  bloke with the rocket launcher who has no hesitation in blowing away
your  bloke with a rocket!!.  All three men walk together but sometimes you
have to split them up, because you may need to take out a certain bloke and
taking  one  man  saves the rest of your teams bacon, because that way only
one  man can get killed.  Hopefully though he will do his job and return to
the clan.

	The  actual  game  is absolutely fabulous as the saying goes, it is
mind-numbingley  addictive  because  once  you start you just can't stop!!.
I'm  still  playing  it  now  because it has a useful save option so as you
don't have to go through the pieces you have already done.

	Cannon  Fodder is also highly original, in it's own sense, i.e.  it
has  certain elements which are not in standard blasters.  Cannon Fodder is
without  doubt  the  best  game that has been released in ages.  As you can
imagine each level gets bigger as the game progresses, the first few levels
are  simple and involve shooting just a couple of men.  But as you get into
the  game  it  gets  absolutely  massive, you can call up a map at any time
during the game which shows you pieces that you may have missed, i.e.  Huts
etc.   You  can  use hand grenades in Cannon Fodder to take out the huts as
that  is  the  only way to destroy the huts.  Sometimes you can shoot a man
but  he  just  lays  there dying slowly and you can blast him again till he
dies!!!.

	I  can't  really  recommend  Cannon  Fodder  enough, it has all the
qualities  we've  come  to  expect  from Sensible Software and it really is
great.  You don't just go around shooting people you have to play this game
strategically  and if you are a bit brainless you'll be pretty crap at this
game.   You  certainly  need you brain if you're going to get anywhere.  As
I've  said  this is one hell of a game from the boys that brought us Wizkid
and  Sensible  Soccer,  and all I can say is BUY IT.  Keep up the good work
lads, I just can't wait for Sensible World of Soccer (Sensible Soccer II).
 
Summary
 
This  really is one hell of a game, as the slogan so rightly says War has
never been so much fun!!!.  Don't miss this game at any cost because you'll
really be kicking yourself hard if you do miss it!!!!.


Graphics       -92% 
Sound          -93%
Playability    -95%
Lastability    -97%

Overall        -97%

Bonzo says " I agree !!!!!  the best game of 1993 and 1994 so far !!!!!"