=============================================================================  ASSASSIN ============================================================================= GAME : ASSASSIN PUBLISHER : Team 17 TEAM : Psionic Systems & TEAM 17 REVIEW : Huub Hoogeveen Background: "Dropped by helicopter deep behind enemy lines, you are the Assassin, hired by allied security forces to penetrate the high-tech underground fortress and kill the evil villain MIDAN heavily defended by all sorts of robots, mean dogs, traps, mercenaries and genetically engineered mutants". You're armed with a deadly razor-edged boomerang and limited supply of body armour. You can power-up the boomerang by collecting round items and collect square capsules for special mega-weapons (Robo-walkers, Proxim mines, Heat- seekers, Flamepath- and Flame-storm- Mega-weapons). These capsules can be used by pressing and holding the fire button. When the available Mega-weapon is highlighted simply release the button and watch the result. you can earn bonus lives and to help finding your way through the 1500 screens there's a really excellent "direction speeking" collectable item. A nice boomerang throwing tactic is the "reverse throw" where you throw a boomerang in one direction then jump or duck on it's return, resulting in the boomerang fly- ing off in the other direction usually much further than you can normally throw it. The game has five huge levels and each level has it's own end-of-level guar- dian, each with a weak spot to be discovered and you better save your Mega- weapons for these big nasties. You can choose your own skill level: Rookie, Arcade or Ultimate for the Arnold Schwarzeneggers among you. You can also select the number of lives that you start with , but starting with more lives results in less bonuses (and there are also hidden bonuses). Plus-points: - Sound effects - High score table - Playability - Graphics - Original Mega-weapon system - View mode to view the area Negative points: - No password system - Not possible to throw the boomerang diagonally - Not very easy to use the mega-weapons quickly TEAM17 (also responsible for the highly successful "ALIEN-BREED" and "PROJECT-X") have managed to create another masterpiece. the graphics are excellent as well as the sound-effects, sometimes the game is challenging hard but with a little practice you can beat them!! First I had some trouble with those bloody dogs eating me alive (where did I leave that dog-wistle again) but later on I did remember an Assassin doesn't have dog-anxiety. For short it's another addictive TEAM-17- winner. Addictiveness 95% Originality 89% Sound 90% Graphics 98% Playability 96% Lastability 95% ------------------ Total mark 94% =============================================================================  ASSASSIN =============================================================================