MORE REVIEWS! --------------- This is the section of the mag where we'll review anything that doesn't fit into any of the regular categories such as books, videos etc. Usually, records and soundtrack albums will be in their own section, but as there's only one, it's here this month. BRENT SPINER - OL' YELLOW EYES IS BACK ---------------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe -------------------------- This album is a personal project by Brent Spiner, featuring a selection of 12 of his favourite songs that he grew up with as a child, most of which will be totally unknown to the average Trekker! All the pieces have been arranged by Dennis McCarthy, who, along with Ron Jones, has composed the majority of the music for THE NEXT GENERATION. Surprising, and unlike other TREK actors to release records, Brent can actually sing! He's appeared in countless musicals on Broadway and it definately shows. He hasn't got the greatest singing voice in the Galaxy, but he IS a good singer. I have found myself listening to this constantly! Normally, I listen to Heavy Metal with the only diversions from this being Jean Michel Jarre and TREK soundtracks, so to find this enjoyable came as a pleasant surprise! The tracks vary in styles from up-beat tunes, to the slower romantic tracks but they are all done with respect to the original artists. Well, maybe not all! One of the best tracks is called "It's A Sin" and I think this was arranged more for the fans and not as a serious piece. Why? Well, it features backing vocals from a group called THE SUNSPOTS - Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Michael Dorn! With saying that, it's quite funny to listen to, especially Patrick's solo in the middle! One nice touch was on "When I Fall In Love" (the classic by Nat King Cole). At the end, if you listen carefully, you can hear an acoustic guitar version of the STAR TREK fanfare by Alexander Courage! Overall, if this type of music appeals to you, or if you're a dedicated Brent Spiner fan, then buy this! If not, it will only appeal to Trekkers as a collector's item. With saying that, give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The only real disappointment is that is it a bit on the short side (34 minutes), but you can't have everything! It is released on the Bay Cities label, ref. no. BCD 2004 and retails for around £12 (CD) or £8 (cassette). It will NOT be released on vinyl. STAR TREK TALKING HAND-HELD L.C.D. GAME ----------------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe -------------------------- This is a new game, made obivously to cash in on the 25th Anniversary, by KONAMI, better known for their arcade games than for their hand-held machines. This is a fairly simple, 3 level, two-stage game. The first stage involves you, in control of the Enterprise (what else?), under attack by a number of Klingon Birds of Prey. In this stage you must control the Enterprise's deflector shield to deflect the incoming photon torpedoes, and fire the occasional shot back. To fire you must let the power for the weapons increase to maximum and then... let rip! However, after each shot, you need to recharge which is done automatically. The aim of this section is to destroy a certain number of ships (it increases with each successive level - 1 on level 1, 3 on level 2 and 6 on level 3). One nice touch about this section is that the damage indicator tells you what part of the ship is damaged when you are hit (up to a maximum of five before you go nova!) - ENGINE, BRIDGE, WEAPON, SENSOR and SHIELD. Normally, this is just cosmetic, but depending on which areas are damaged, different effects can be found. If the ENGINE is damaged, it takes longer to charge up the weapon, if the BRIDGE is damaged, control of the shield will be slower, if the WEAPON is damaged, the photon torpedoes won't always fire when you want them to (just like any episode!), with the SENSOR damaged, some of the Klingon vessel will be invisible so you'll have to guess where thay are and finally if the SHIELD is damaged, the size of your shield is reduced. The second phase sees the Enterprise orbitting an alien planet, where you have to rescue a certain number of humanoids there by locking onto them with the transporters (positioning the Enterprise over the marker on the planet) and beaming them to safety. All this is while avoiding the bombarment of photon torpedoes the planet is launcing against you! You can either beam one or two survivors at a time, depending on how much power the transporter has available. You need two units per person and the power level increases throughout the stage, although you lose all power if you are hit. All this is played against a time limit. As with the first section, you can survive for five hits, but this time it is overall damage. At random points during the game (both stages), Spock's head will appear in the corner, and by pressing up very quickly you will be able to restore one unit of damage - on the higher levels you will need it! Once you have beamed your quota aboard, you set off to do the same thing all over again, this time harder! I found the game surprisingly playable for a hand-held. I think part of that is because it manages to capture that STAR TREK "feel". The graphics are up to the usual standards in LCD games - detailed, single colour but quite varied. The games opens with an intro sequnce of the Enterprise flying off at warp speed, there is a small transporter in the corner, and there is a reasonable likeness of Spock! However, the icing on the cake has got to be the sound. As well as the usual clicks and appaling music (!), STAR TREK features a large number of sampled sound effects and speech! There are several phrases such as "Warp Speed", "Orbit the Planet", "That's not Logical", "Fire Photon Torpedoes" and more including the controversial "Beam Me Up Scotty!". As well as this the sound effects include engines, photon torpedoes, explosions, the red alert klaxon and, of course, the transporter. It is quite clear and VERY load - great to annoy people! Finally, it has a good 'Game completed' sequence that actually makes it worth playing, and worth playing to try and see it again. Now, how many Amiga games can you say that about? Overall, this is a superb game and at long last you can enjoy TREK games wherever you are! The retail price is approximately £18 and it needs 2 AA batteries to operate it (they last quite a while). Well, what are you waiting for? Go and buy it!!! STAR TREK - FRANKLIN MINT ENTERPRISE REPLICA ---------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe -------------------------- No doubt that many of you (in the U.K. at least) saw the adverts in magazines either last September or early this year for a limited edition, hand crafted, 10-inch long Pewter Replica of the Enterprise (Constitution Class) made by a company called Franklin Mint. The only thing that was off-putting was the price - a staggering £195! Well, I wasn't put off, so for those of you who didn't buy it, was it worth it? Read on.... To start, at that price, you expect detail, and I have to say that this is probably the most accurate model of the Enterprise you will EVER see short of looking at the actual model Paramount used! The model has been created using Gene Roddenberry's original blueprints so it looks IDENTICAL to the one in the episodes apart from the fact that the model is not white - instead they have left the pewter unpainted. The model comes complete with a stand designed in the shape of the Starfleet insignia, with a small plaque on the underside of the base. Although it doesn't look it, the model is quite heavy, so it has to be handled with extreme care. The advert for the ship boasted about the deflector dish being plated in 22-carat gold. With saying that, for it's size (less than 2cm in diameter), who cares!! As well as the model, you receive a certificate of authenticity with a brief history and details of the Enterprise. The signature of Gene Roddenberry is only a print, but it's still a nice touch. The best way to really appreciate the detail is when watching the old episodes. The day after I receivd my model, I was watching an episode and I happened to glance across at the model - big mistake! I ended up spending the next 10 minutes looking between the two - I was amazed at the quality. Finally, the burning question. Was it worth £200? A reserved YES! The advantage is that they alllowed payment in 10 instalments so you don't really notice the actual cost. The only problem you have is that if any friends see it, you become very paranoid when they walk even within 10 feet of it! The only annoying element is that the American price for this model is $195, which works out at around £130 - £140. Why should there be a difference when Franklin Mint are supposed to be an internationally-based company? As a footnote, Franklin Mint have just announced a NEW Enterprise model, this one is 15" in length and is a die-cast replica, this time in the actual colours used on the show. Again, the deflector dish is gold-plated, but the real difference is that you can remove part of the saucer section to reveal a VERY detailed version of the bridge and the shuttle bay slides open to reveal a miniature Galileo!! The retail price is a staggering £245 and it will be released at the beginning of 1992. Expect a full review in issue 3. Next issue: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Soundtrack album and 25th Anniversary Silver medal by Franklin Mint reviewed.