Robocop

Finding a coin-op conversion that's better than the original arcade is about as likely as finding a Pork sausage at a Jewish wedding. But, call me a Bratwurst if I'm wrong, I've found one! Ocean seems to have gone and done it with its conversion of RoboCop. But what's even more spooky is that Ocean secured the licence way before the coin-op company did, so it's been beavering away on the game for ages. And even weirder, the coin-op company actually had to secure the licence from Ocean.
    As far as I could see the arcade original only has a streetfighting scenario, whereas Ocean has managed to pack an amazing nine sections into the Speccy version which all go together to re-tell the films storyline. If you haven't seen the film (look out for the vid this Christmas) here's a quick run down of the plot:
    A young Detroit cop has just been blown away by a gang of vicious drug dealers but the Concepts Security Department can rebuild him and has! Now the poor devil's trussed up like a sardine, but boy does he pack a mean punch. RoboCop, as he's affectionately named, is the city's new law enforcer and he's programmed to wipe out the city's crime. Unfortunately a computer malfunction means that he starts to remember his former life as a human cop and he begins a vigilante mission to exterminate his killers.
    In RoboCop the game you play the tin man himself and your aim is the same as in the movie - kill the bastards who saw you into a metal coffin in the first place!
    You begin the game by roving the streets looking for villains to put away, this streetfighting section is rather like Green Bert with the baddies firing from both the windows and ground level. Apart from blasting everything that moves you must also pick up useful bits and pieces like extra firepower and new weapons. Once you've done this you progress to the other sections, though as yet the programmers aren't sure which order they'll go in. In the Warehouse section, which is basically a platform type shoot'em up, you'll find the drug dealers amassing their wares. Here you must enter into yet another bloody fray.
    The Identikit section is based on the part in the film where RoboCop plugs into the Police computer and identifies his killer. This is exactly what you have to do by matching the ears, eyes, nose and mouth of various mugshots until you come up with the right man. Once you've done that you must go out and get him! The graphics here are excellent and I found this part an entertaining diversion from all that blasting!
    The other levels of RoboCop take place in Concept Security's offices, where you must battle it out with a tin mongrel called Ed 209, and in an alley off the main street where a girl has been kidnapped.
    If all that sounds like fun remember it's only a taste of what's to come. What I saw of the game was extremely well programmed and a real blast to play It won't be out until the video release in December which means the programmers have plenty of time to add the finishing touches. I for one can't wait to play it! Until then why not try making your own RoboCop suit out of tin foil, cardboard boxes and a can opener?

Arcade version screenshot...

Click here to view all 5 pics

Ratings given by other magazines

	9/10		9/10
	Crash Review		---

Info supplied by the SPOT*ON database

*YS Cross-references*
	Robocop/Ocean	YS34	FUT
	Robocop/Ocean	YS39	8
	Robocop/Ocean	YS45	NEWS
	Robocop (in The YS Complete Guide To Shoot-'em-ups Part II)	YS56	83
	Robocop (in Hollywood Collection)	YS60	85
	Robocop (in The YS Official Top 100 Part 1)	YS70	No.94
	Robocop/Hit Squad	YS75	93
	Robocop (in The 50 Best Speccy Games Ever!)	YS94	No.40
**Some info from Sinclair Infoseek+SPOTON***