''Action Force: International Heroes'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

released by

Virgin Games Virgin Interactive Entertainment (later renamed Avalon Interactive) was the video game publishing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group. It developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwoo ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

and Commodore 64, and in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

for the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...

. The game is set in the world of the

Action Force Action Force is a brand of European action figures released in the 1980s that was based on the ''Action Man'' toyline. It was also used to introduce '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toys to European markets. Several publishing companies have ...

(

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

) toys by

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...

. The ZX Spectrum version of the game differs notably from the Commodore and Amstrad versions.

Gameplay

Cobra have launched a surprise attack on the island of Botsneda. In the panic of the evacuation, classified information has been left behind in the eastern sector. An Action Force team must cross to the eastern side of the island in a modified A.W.E. Striker to retrieve the data. Their path must be safely cleared of enemies and obstacles. The player controls a helicopter which must clear the path for the Striker and its occupants across a dangerous landscape. Rivers may be crossed by picking up pontoon sections and moving them to create

pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses floats or shallow-draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maximum load that they can carry. ...

ZX Spectrum

The Striker contains

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

Lady Jaye Lady Jaye is a fictional character in the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books and animated series. She was originally created as a character for the ''G.I. Joe'' animated series produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Produ ...

and

Quick Kick In gridiron football, a quick kick is any punt made under conditions such that the opposing team "should not" expect a punt. Typically this has been a kick from scrimmage from a formation that is, or resembles, one usually used other than for pu ...

, while the player controls Snake Eyes, who is equipped with a helipack and an

automatic rifle An automatic rifle is a type of autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally select-fire weapons capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic firing modes (some automatic rifles are capable of ...

. The Striker will automatically stop when it meets an obstacle, and will begin moving again when the path is cleared. There are no enemy aircraft but missiles and aerial mines must be avoided or destroyed.

Commodore 64/Amstrad CPC

The Striker contains

and Crankcase, while the player controls Wild Bill and

in an XH-1 helicopter. The XH-1 is equipped with missiles and bombs. The Striker will not stop when it meets an obstacle and will crash if the path is not cleared. The player must fight off hostile Cobra aircraft.

Sequel

A sequel, ''Action Force II: International Heroes'' was released by

for the

home computer.

Sequel gameplay

Cobra has taken a number of innocent citizens hostage and it is up to

to rescue them. They are being held in separate groups atop various urban buildings. Each block must be scaled by

while

Airtight A hermetic seal is any type of sealing that makes a given object airtight (preventing the passage of air, oxygen, or other gases). The term originally applied to airtight glass containers, but as technology advanced it applied to a larger categor ...

covers him from the helicopter. As with ''Action Force'', the player must shepherd a character across a dangerous environment, however the game is otherwise completely different. The player controls the crosshairs of Airtight's weapon, and must shoot enemies that appear before they injure Quick Kick as he ascends the side of the building. Quick Kick also loses energy as the level progresses; it can be replenished by shooting the U.S. flags on the walls of some screens. When Quick Kick reaches the roof the hostages are released and make their way to the rescue helicopter. At the end of each level Airtight may switch weapons; he can choose between a

machine-gun A machine gun is a automatic firearm, fully automatic, rifling, rifled action (firearms)#Autoloading operation, autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as Automatic shotgun, a ...

bazooka Bazooka () is the common name for a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among the ...

or bio-gun, each of which has different advantages and drawbacks. Every two levels the player must defeat a tank by shooting it a certain number of times within a time-limit.

Background

Martin Wheeler, one of the developers

I think ''Action Force 2'' was the game I was happiest with. We wrote it with instant arcade appeal in mind, deliberately playing on the tastes of the games reviewers who slated DD2. They gave it the 'Smash' we thought ''Dan Dare 2'' had deserved.

Reception

* ''

Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...

'' on ''Action Force'':

The programming was done by the same people who did ''Rebel'' for Virgin, and it shows. ''Rebel'' looked big, bold and sharp, and so does ''Action Force''. It's one hell of a good game.

* ''

'' on ''Action Force II'':

Hey! This game is brilliant... After a bad patch Virgin seems to have regained its former glory. ''Dan Dare'' was brill, ''Dan Dare 2'' was exceptional and ''Action Force 2'', well it's transcended!"

* ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History T ...

'' on ''Action Force II'':

''Action Force 2'' is full of wonderful little touches: bullet-holes appear in the brickwork, torches on the walls burn, your gunsight judders as you hold down the trigger. Quick-Kick expires convincingly if the enemy manages to shoot him or drop weights on his head. If you remember to shoot the dustbins, keep blasting the flags to restore energy, and keep your cool against the tank, the early levels are fairly straightforward. But as it gets harder and harder, ''Action Force 2'' just gets better and better.

References

External links

*
''Action Force''
at Lemon 64 * * {{G.I. Joe 1987 video games Amstrad CPC games Commodore 64 games G.I. Joe video games Helicopter video games Virgin Interactive games ZX Spectrum games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Single-player video games