Xybots is my favourite arcade game, no iffing or butting about it - I love it. I have hazy childhood memories of pumping many a ten pence into that machine. So you could imagine my camp delight when the Spec version of Xybots thunked through my letterbox. Rapturous joy!
    And what's so special about Xybots? I dunno exactly, it's just one of those unpretentious, out and out, no strings shoot 'em ups that you can't help but dribble over.
    You play the brawn-no-brains brothers with the unlikely (and probably quite embarassing) names of Major Rock Hardy and Captain Ace Gunn. Together they're pitted against the legions of rebelling robots and anarchic androids who are striving to take over the world from their vast underground base.
    Equipped with the skimpiest of weaponry, you (and a pal, if in dual player mode) are teleported into the maze-like complexes, populated (cue alliteration) by marauding, mechanical morons, cunning, computerised cyborgs, er, roving robots and er, devious droids. And these aren't your friendly R2D2s or cute spindly geezers from Short Circuit - oh no! These are your deadly, death-dealing, destructive droids, fresh from the "rather plasma bolt you than give you time of day" finishing school in Switzerland.
    The bottom of the screen is in two sections, providing a 3D view of the maze for each player, while a panel above the playing area provides a plan-view of the current level. The good thing with this system is that each player can go their separate way without hassling each other. Some robots home in on you, some can only be shot from above, while others hang in the background running fireballs into the foreground. You scurry about, trading laserbolts, occasionally summoning enough courage to make a charge down the corridor.
    Your energy is constantly draining away, and contact with enemy fireballs bites huge chunks off it. Luckily, extra energy pods and coins lie around the corridors. The coins can be collected and traded for extra supplies at the end of the level. These include things like better shields, enemy nappers, extra shots, zap power and slow energy drains. Occasionally, the big cheese himself, Mr Master Xybot, makes an appearance, and must be defeated before you can advance to the next level.
    Xybots' graphics are quite faithful to the arcade, move well and are very detailed. Colour is a bit of a taboo subject where arcade-to-Spec conversions are concerned, but the monochrome in this game is fine. Gameplay is medium-fast but unrelenting, and the multiload quick. But the system of turning around corners (the fire button and direction) is a bit of a pain in the thick of a firefight - you can often end up turning through 90° without wanting to. But that's life. The two-player feature adds to the addictiveness, and I reckon Xybots is as good a conversion as anyone could expect.

Arcade version screenshot...

Click here to view all 5 pics

Ratings given by other magazines

8/10      7/10

Info supplied by the SPOT*ON database

YS Cross-references
		Xybots/Domark	YS42	PRE
		Xybots (in The YS Complete Guide To Shoot-'em-ups Part II)	YS56	UNR
		Xybots (in TNT)	YS58	78
		Xybots/Hit Squad	YS71	92
Some info from Sinclair Infoseek+SPOT*ON