Lunar Jetman

User Rating: 4 | Lunar Jetman ZX

A sequel of sorts to Jetpac, this time the astronaut has limited fuel for his Jetpac but can get around with his Lunar vehicle where he also refuels. I never played this game on the Spectrum unlike Jetpac, but I'd imagine this game would have been technically impressive at the time.

It features a side-scrolling level, ability to get in and out of a vehicle, terrain deformation that you can repair, UI showing you your time, fuel, and quest marker.

You start by picking up the bomb and placing it on the back of your vehicle (whilst shooting the enemies and objects that are flying around). You get in and drive the direction indicated in the top right. When there is a ditch which stops you driving, you get out, take an item out of your vehicle and place it on the floor. Get back in and carry on driving. Once you reach the alien base, get out, pick up the bomb, fly over and drop it to blow it up. Then that process repeats.

It's incredibly tough due to how plentiful the projectiles are, and many move a bit too fast. As you destroy alien bases, different enemies are introduced, some which sometimes move straight towards you.

You are safe in your vehicle which means it can be boring just holding a direction and waiting until you come across a ditch. It's only difficult and intense action when you need to get out to grab the bomb, or repair the ground.

When time runs out and the missile is launched, you lose your chance to destroy the base. At that point, you have to destroy the oncoming missile instead. You need to make sure you park up at a safe distance as stopping directly outside the alien base means you have no time to react to the missile. Once safe, you can go to the next base. Losing the vehicle means game over, but Jetman has a few lives if he is hit.

Just like Jetpac, I think this doesn't have an ending which means you just perform the same sequence of actions without the satisfaction of overcoming the alien threat. So although technically impressive, it's quite boring.