''Zzoom'' is a

computer 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, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

developed by John Gibson, Mark Butler and Steve Blower for the

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 ...

and released by

Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20. The company rose quickly to prominence and was noted for its polished, ...

in 1983. It is a

combat flight simulator Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and mili ...

in which the player controls an aircraft to protect

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s from enemy forces.

Gameplay

The object of the game is to protect a series of refugees from enemy

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s and

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s. The player's view consists of a

crosshairs A reticle, or reticule also known as a graticule, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an optical device such as a telescopic sight, spotting scope, theodolite, optical microscope or the screen of an oscilloscope ...

upon a simple ground and sky horizon, with an

altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. The m ...

, a shield indicator and a

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

. Refugees walk along the horizon, and the player must fire his guns at enemy units to prevent them from killing the refugees. Score is gained by destroying enemy units, and for refugees crossing the screen safely. However, due to a bug in the score calculation for refugees, should the player not allow any (or very few) refugees to survive a stage he will be rewarded with a bonus far in excess of what would be scored had the refugees been saved. To achieve this the player invariably has to shoot the refugees himself - which although not the point of the game can be just as challenging, as whilst doing this the enemy will still be launching missiles and shooting at the player.

Reception

''Zzoom'' was received well by the video game press when it was released in 1983, and it remained among the top twenty best-selling games well into 1984. ''

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 ...

'' called it "a very memorable game and excellent value for money", whilst ''

Personal Computer Games ''Personal Computer Games'' was a multi-format UK computer games magazine of the early/mid-1980s published by VNU. History ''Personal Computer Games'' was launched in July 1983. The magazine was part of VNU and had its headquarters in London ...

'' described it as "one of the all-time greats in a very competitive market".

References

External links

*{{WoS game, id=0005894, name=Zzoom 1983 video games Europe-exclusive video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games ZX Spectrum-only games