Strike while the Iron (Helix) is HOT



Author: Kevin M. Savetz

Date: November, 1993

Keywords: Spectrum Holobyte software game review program CD-ROM CDROM
Helix 

Text:
Iron Helix is my first CD-ROM game. Although I found a ''good deal'' on
a CD-ROM drive, it didn't come bundled with any software. Luckily, I
received the drive the day after a SMUG meeting, so I had something to
pop in to test out my new toy. Iron Helix went in, and I was not
disappointed.

Your goal in Iron Helix is a lofty one: save the world. Well, not this
one, but a peaceful, earth-like planet named Calliope. A fleet of space
war ships is about to perform target practice by destroying an
uninhabited planet. Inexplicably, one of the ships breaks off and heads
straight for Calliope. Naturally, you are the only one with the ability
to intervene. Using a robotic probe, you must wander the halls of the
renegade spaceship looking for clues to stop its progress. The plot of
Iron Helix includes a couple of nice twists, including an evil
''defender'' robot intent on smooshing your robot probe, and an unknown
virus that caused the death of the entire crew of the wayward ship.
The graphics and sound are first rate. QuickTime movies and digitized
sound effects combine to create a fine game with a cinematic feel. The
QuickTime windows are relatively small, but this provides for
smooth-scrolling animation that doesn't detract from the experience of
the game as a whole. (The CD contains a whopping 513 megabytes of
graphics, sounds, QuickTime and program code!) The user interface is
simple although system response time can be agonizingly slow. Of
course, this depends on the speed of your computer and CD-ROM drive. I
find the controls annoyingly pokey as I try to scramble away as the
defender robot bears down on me. Eep!
As with many high-quality CD-ROM games, Iron Helix demands a spiffy
computer to play it on. It requires a Mac LC, Color Classic, II series,
Performa, Centris or Quadra model with at least 4 megs of RAM (5 is
recommended,) 256-color capability, 6.5 megabytes of free hard disk
space and a CD-ROM drive. Helix works with all CD-ROM drives with the
exception of the NEC CDR-25 drive will not work with Iron Helix. (The
way this particular CD-ROM drive buffers and caches data is
incompatible with Macromind Player, the software used to run Iron
Helix. No fix is planned.) The program is easy to install. The
installer comes in two flavors - regular and ''minimal'' for systems
with less memory (4 megs) or less computing power.
The 30-page manual is nicely done, combining game instructions, hints,
and material that, although not essential, adds to the ''feel'' of the
game. Although the beginning of the manual states ''Play now - read
later,'' you may have to read the manual sooner than later to
understand how to control the game as you maneuver the probe through
the halls of a dark and sinister spaceship.
Iron Helix has five difficulty levels, which vary the speed and
intelligence of your nemesis, the Defender robot. If you're like me,
you won't need (or want!) to explore beyond level one. That's tough
enough, thank you.
Spectrum Holobyte
2490 Mariner Square Loop
Alameda, CA 95401
510-522-1164. To order: 800-695-GAME

Copyright © november, 1993 by Kevin M. Savetz