Jupiter Probe

MICRODEAL
576 S. Telegraph
Pontiac, MI 48053
(313) 334–8729
Low resolution $24.95

Yet another space shoot-'em-up is Jupiter Probe, brought to you by the fine people who gave us Goldrunner (though MichTron is now using the MicroDeal label for their entertainment software). This game is not as graphically exciting as Goldrunner, but due to digitized voices, a rousing musical score (or at least as rousing as you can expect from a three-voice computer), player-controllable shields, and Ultra-Sonics (which, with one exception, destroy everything on the screen) it is a little spicier than the previously reviewed Phobos.

However, like all software, there is a toss-up. The animation here, while acceptable, isn't as impressive as Phobos's. Also lacking are ground targets. (Well, there are these little stars that, when you go over them, give you extra shields or Ultra-Sonics, but you can't shoot them, and wouldn't want to anyway.)

On board your ship is a battle computer that warns you, in a digitized voice, of an advancing enemy, as well as telling you when you've earned an extra shield or Ultra-Sonic. Your enemy may appear in one of three forms: Enemy Fighters that do not fly in formations, though they do appear in groups; Mutations, which are the Fighters' mother ships, take several hits to knock out and are unaffected by Ultra-Sonics; and Formations, which attack in a closely knit group. All enemy ships are capable of firing back at you, so you'd better plan on some fancy maneuvering to make it through to the next level. And, of course, as the levels go up, so does the difficulty. This quickly becomes one tough contest.

Like most arcade games of this type, you can't win against Jupiter Probe. Going for the high score is the objective here. A minimum score of 50,000 is required to make it onto the high scoreboard, so you better plan some late-night zapping if you want to impress the neighbors.

Even though this is a step down graphically from the impressive Goldrunner, it's a fun game that'll keep your trigger finger active for many an hour.

Recommendation: For shoot-'em-up fans only.