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Blind Panic
Martech May 1988 YS29
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Average platform game that suffers from being a little too tricky to get into, and a highly irritating siren.
Nick Humphries
Ever had that sudden sinking feeling that something terribly, terribly bad has happened? You know the sort of thing, you're walking around your home, accidentally knock something and think nothing of it. The next thing you know, you smell smoke. Then you get that feeling, then the urge to be about a million or so miles away from where you were right then. If it triggers a gas explosion, then that urge might very well be fulfilled. Blind Panic puts you in a similar situation, only this time it's the whole planet that's about to blow up. Although no one has been blamed for this (everyone is too busy rushing to their spaceships to spend time doing that), you ought to feel ashamed of yourself.
    You're an engineer on a planet that is currently having its buildings dismantled, and whilst you're in one of its deepest caverns, all the sirens go off telling you that the planet's about to explode (coincidence? You decide), and that everyone better leg it fast whilst their legs are still attached to their bodies.
    It's a platform-and-ladders romp, with doors scattered about the place, some opened by switches, some by keys, and some by key cards. Aliens pop into existence around you all the time, each one introduced by an annoying siren. Shoot them before they can sap your energy, and they'll die. Run out of energy and it's the end of the game.
    Find your way out of the complex and to your spaceship, and you've saved your life. You haven't saved anyone else's, mind, because you're a selfish bast who probably caused all this in the first place (have you no shame?!), but zoom away from the planet, enjoy the fireworks, and then try and think of a way to handle your next job interview ("So, Mr Wibble, 'Reason for leaving last job: Planet exploded.' Care to take us through that one?").
    The graphics are colourful, so they have plenty of colour clash all over the place. It's a tricky game, and isn't one for the impatient as you tend to die a lot to start with, but keep going and draw a map, and you should get some enjoyment out of it. The sound effects are bog standard, and the siren that introduces each alien irritates you to the extent of picking up your television and throwing it down the stairs. Still, it's quite playable, and should let you pass away the odd rainy afternoon.

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