Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Hyperbowl

Hyperbowl is a one-on-one futuristic sport viewed from above, with a small amount of the rectangular pitch visible at a time. Each player controls one of the 10 available spaceships, each with their own subtle strengths and weaknesses in terms of speed, inertia and fire direction. A scanner shows the positions of both ships and the ball, so that things don't become disorientating. The aim is to guide the ball either into a 'goal' in the middle of each end (scoring 2 points) or onto the goal-line elsewhere (scoring one point). The ball can be steered either by hitting it with the ship or by shooting at it with your craft's beam (which does not injure or impede the opposition craft in any way). In either case the ball moves in a semi-random direction similar to the one you directed it in, but can rebound off the plus-shaped divots in the wall unexpectedly. The game lasts for 5 minutes, or until a player reaches the winning score of 9. Each of the three skills levels is a 5-tier tournament of increasing difficulty.