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CODENAME MAT II
Domark / £8.95

Ross: As I suspected, this game is a near clone of Codename Mat I. It's time to get your spacesuit out and join the Star Trek league of alien-zappers again.
The scenario is a few ions different from the original - you'll be protecting the 24 satellites that are circling the Mines of Vesta. (So that's where they get the curries from? Ed.) Maintaining your satellites is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge as the nasty little Myons keep trying to destroy at least one satellite out of each group of four, so you must keep repairing them without letting the links between groups break down. Circles of boredom, perhaps?
Your craft is well equipped to feed you with info about your status, etc. As for fighting back, you've got a choice of lasers or energy bolts to attack with. The lasers are faster but deprive you of more energy into the bargain. You must control the temperature of the lasers, speed, shields and all - which leads to not only a complex game but a wonderful tangle of fingers too! And I thought computers had done away with such mundane tasks ...
If you've played Codename Mat I then there's no real surprises for you. If not, then take a look. 7/10
Dougie: Better than Codename Mat I it may be, but it ain't as hot as Starion, Elite and games of that ilk. 6/10
Rick: I never played Codename Mat I, and I'm not sure whether I should have bothered with the sequel. 3D space wars are a bit dead unless you can do them well. 5/10

In this sequel to Codename: MAT (the original never appeared on the Commodore 64) you once again take the role of Mat, now the pilot of the Centurion II as he battles the Myons once more.

In the Terranya war it has been discovered that the planet Vesta is full of the most precious substance in the galaxy, Karillium, which with one drop can turn a desert into a jungle. The planet orbits around the star Calest deep in a Myon zone, but the Earth managed to invade and capture the planet with unmanned ships. With the planet full of Karillium mines powered by an energy grid which in turn is powered by Calest, the Myons have decided to destroy the energy grid which will shut down the mines and the miners will leave the planet. Under the rules of war, only one manned ship can defend a inhabited planet and Mat has been lucky enough to be chosen.

The game is viewed from a 1st person perspective as you look out from your cockpit into deep space, with your gun in front of you. Using a Quadrant chart, you can see rows of satellites that power the mines which also shows your locations as well any Myon ships. You are able to control your speed as well as direction and if you need to move larger distances then you can warp as long as you input your direction. As you progress through the game you will find the Myons damaging the satellites and these need repairing by two droids on your ship who can also repair your ship.

Your ship also contains various scanners as well as a manual or automatic targeting system. Once you come across a wave of Myon ships you must destroy them with either your laser or plasma while using the scanners for they position. Once a wave is destroyed then you can repair any damaged satellites or your ship if needed. To help protect yourself from attack your ship has shields with decrease when hits are taken. You cannot be destroyed though because when you are close to destruction you teleport away from the planet. The game is over if the power to the planet is stopped by a damaged row of satellites.