Back in the early days of gaming it wasn’t uncommon for games to have different kinds of gameplay for each level. The games that used this formula the most were games that had a movie license and they tried to relfect some key moments in the movie. As far I know the Vindicator doesn’t have a movie license but it does have three completly different styles for each it’s three levels.
The first level is a mix of action and adventuring, you have to search a base for keys which will unlock the computer and enable you to leave the base. It won’t be easy though because the base is swarming with aliens but you cannot avoid them because some of them drop key items once you take them out. You can also collect four different kinds of ammo to help gain you some firepower. The levels are shown in a 3D view with the character facing towards you, this view is a bit awkward and it’s difficult to tell where you are so it adviseable to make a map of the mazelike base.
The second level is a vertical scrolling shooter in which you first fly a plane and later you drive a jeep. You have an unlimited supply of machinegunammo and a limited number of bombs at your disposal. The jeep part is more difficult because the screen does not stop scrolling and if you get stuck behind the scenery you will get instantly killed.
The final level is a sidescrolling shooter in which you walk around on platforms shooting aliens. You have to use lifts and avoid traps that open unexpectedly and close up afterwards.
Three levels might not sound like a lot but each level is pretty hard so you won’t be able to finish them easily. There are however things that make the game rather annoying and the one thing that bugs me the most is that you will die instantly whenever you get hit by a alien or weaponsfire. This type of game is definately better when you have a healthbar or something similar. The constant scrolling in the second level is also a pain especially because the jeep can easily get stuck behind something and you’ll lose a life. On the third level the most annoying thing are the traps that open without any kind of hint or warning and they close up afterwards so you’ll have to memorize the exact location they are on. These problems make the game somewhat below par even though it could have been pretty good with only a bit of tweaking. The first level is definately the best but the other two are pretty standard and combined they make for a below average game.
Overal rating: 5/10
| Amstrad CPC | Released in 1988. Game has been tested but not completed with winAPE v2.0 A6. |
| C64 | Released in 1988. Game has been tested but not completed with CCS64 v2.0 win. There is no option on the title screen to type in a password to go the next level but instead you just have to type them in when the highscore appears, pretty weird. This version also has tons of trainers included so if you |
| ZX Spectrum | Released in 1988. Game has been tested but not completed with emuZwin v2.5. |
| Date added | Jan-04-2005 19:57 |
| Name | Vindicator, the |
| Developer | Imagine |
| Publisher | Ocean |
| First released | 1988 |
| Genre | Action |
