BBC Microcomputer System

Zarm

Zarm was published by Micro Power (aka Program Power) for the BBC Microcomputer. When the game starts, your craft is situated inside the mothership, which glides from one side of the screen to the other above the orbiting asteroids. Press the 'Release' key to open the airlock to release your craft and start you on your descent to the planet below. Weave from left to right to dodge the rocks, pressing the 'Thrust' key to slow your descent. Land gently on one of the five landing sites to collect a stranded astronaut. Press 'Release' to launch from the pad and use the 'Thrust' key to keep the rocket jets burning. Dodge the planet's automatic defences and approach the mothership which will stop when you reach a certain altitude. As you line up underneath it, the airlock will open to allow you to re-dock. Bonus points are achieved for the speed of rescue and also the amount of energy used up. Both are indicated at the top of the screen. The 'Release' key also makes you invisible during a flight, but you still continue to move in the direction you are travelling. This feature should be used carefully as it uses up a lot of fuel, thus reducing your bonus. You can only use each landing pad once, and there are different hazards to negotiate on each return journey. When all of the scout party have been rescued, you return to level one but with a higher gravity.