''Tomcat'' (also known as ''F14 Tomcat'' ) is a video game published in 1989 in the UK by

Players Software Interceptor Micros, also known as Interceptor Software and later as Interceptor Group, was a British developer/publisher of video games for various 8-bit and 16-bit computer systems popular in Western Europe during the eighties and early nineti ...

. The game was released on the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro,

Commodore 16 The Commodore 16 is a home computer made by Commodore International with a 6502-compatible 7501 or 8501 CPU, released in 1984 and intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was ...

, Commodore Plus/4,

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

, Amstrad CPC, and

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 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 t ...

as a budget title. It was also on a ''

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 The ...

'' magazine cover tape. ''Tomcat'' is a vertically scrolling shooter in which the player takes control of an F14 Tomcat fighter aircraft, shooting at both air and ground targets whilst flying over four levels.

Plot

The game is set in the future, some time after the first half of the 21st century. Materials science has progressed such that human civilisation has found a way to cheaply build many artificial islands. The game is set on one such island, called ''ARTROCK 6'' which is a completely automated defence installation. Due to a freak storm damaging the controlling software, the island has turned against its own side and has started attacking local shipping. The player's task is to fly in and completely destroy the rogue island.

Reception

Reviews are generally negative, citing a slow running speed, an overly high difficulty level and a lack of originality. Reviewers independently agree that the game has a major flaw in that the enemy bullets are incredibly difficult to see, being the same colour as the background graphics in many versions. The game has also been criticised for having a weak aeroplane theme as it's simply a fixed-speed vertical scroller which could just as easily have a spaceship or any such sprite in its place. The game scored 24% in ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' magazine.

References

External links

Gamebase 64 entry for Tomcat, showing Commodore 64 screenshot

Commodore 16 / Commodore Plus/4 screenshot at plus4world

YouTube video featuring Commodore 64 chip-music from Tomcat by Jeroen Tel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomcat (Video Game) 1989 video games Amstrad CPC games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games Commodore 16 and Plus/4 games Commodore 64 games Vertically scrolling shooters Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games