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Earthshock
8th Day £3.99 Jul 1987 YS19
7
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Mike Gerrard
As a fan of almost all previous 8th Day releases, I'm sorry to say that this one disappointed me just a little, especially as it's announced as the first in its new Grafix! range of games. It's a particularly inappropriate one to start off with, as graphics in this are few and far between. I kept typing PICTURES to call them up, but nothing happened till quite a way into the game when the first rather ordinary illustration popped up.
    The text side of things is very well done, with lengthy and well-written descriptions, and an eight-page booklet comes with the game to set the scene for you - pity that also pushes up the price a little too.
    I won't try and condense the several pages of story into two sentences, but it's to do with robot cities, dusty plains, deep mineshafts and being sent on quests. There's nearly always something different about an 8th Day game, and this one's no exception. After you've solved the first few fairly easy problems, you're captured by tribesmen and invited to choose one of three objects - a key, a hoop or a sword. Each will lead to a different sub-quest within the game, although the outcome will be the same - in each one you'll find an object you need if you're to continue the main adventure. It does mean, though, that even when you've finished you can go back and get in a bit more adventuring for your money.
    8th Day games are often fairly complex and tricky, too, but another disappointment was the way in which it seemed quite easy to get a fair way into the adventure. I'm sure it gets tougher later on, and if you're an 8th Day Adventurer, as opposed to a 7th Day Adventist, you'll probably still want to buy this latest, though it certainly isn't one of the greatest.

Ratings given by other magazines
   CRASH  7/10    Sinclair User  9/10   
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