Doctor Who
Dalek Attack
As one of three incarnations of the Doctor (only Patrick Troughton,
Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy are offered), and with the option of a
second playing assuming the role of either Ace or an unnamed (and
yet somehow familiarly mustachioed) UNIT soldier, you must navigate
various environments from the sewers and streets of London to the
Dalek-conquered ruins of once-proud cities like Tokyo and New York,
defeating the Daleks and their allies to remove the evil scourge
from Earth. Ogrons, hideous monsters, Dalek-possessed Robomen and
ninjas, and - perhaps most terrifying of all - robo-sumo
wrestlers will try to prevent you from completing your mission.
(Alternative Software, 1992)
The first Doctor Who video game marketed for
anything even vaguely resembling a modern PC (though other versions were
available for such then-still-common platforms as the Amiga, the Spectrum
Holobyte and even the Commodore 64), this straight-shooting scrolling quest
game unashamedly goes straight for the classic arcade jugular, with game
play and eye candy worthy of such all-time classics as Super Mario Brothers. It
also displays a loving reverence for Doctor
Who old and new, which is enough to tug at the heartstrings of
the most cynical fans.
Granted, part of me cries foul a little bit at the thought of the
Seventh Doctor riding a Dalek hoverbout (of which more in a moment)
and blasting away at Daleks and Dalek-controlled combatants in any
setting; whatever incarnation of the Doctor you're talking about, in
the strictest sense of the series continuity, the Time Lord is much
more likely to be engineering a revolution from behind the scenes,
manipulating the humans into remembering that they are capable of
rising up and taking control of the situation again. This is a thread
that goes straight back to the
very first Dalek story in 1963 - but, admittedly, doesn't make for
much of a game. Just this once, I'll let them get away with it. And
besides, it's cool to don the pixellated persona of Sylvester McCoy -
complete with hat and question-mark sweater vest - or the other two
Doctors, and go on a little adventure.
If anything, Dalek Attack draws heavily not from Doctor Who
mythology itself, but from the mythology of such legendary 1960s comics
as the TV 21 stories featuring the Daleks - stories which have
also inspired such recent developments as the Doctor-less Dalek Empire audio drama series.
Hoverbouts (allowing normally earthbound Daleks to fly), Slyther
monsters, Ogrons...all the trappings are there. One wonders if anyone
thought of adding Abslom Daak (the famous Dalek Killer who appeared in
his own comics in the 1980s and 90s) as a third sidekick option. The
comics references as further reinforced by Dalek Attack's
intermission/game over "cut scenes," expressed in comic book
panel style. Despite the game's age - it was distributed on floppy
disk and required only 640K and a VGA display - the graphics are really
quite good, though the Dalek voice samples can get a little bit old.
Joystick control is a bit dodgy, so keyboard controls are
recommended, though someone's going to get stuck with the stick
in two-player mode. Anyone who's spent a bit of time reliving the arcade past with MAME will
quickly get the hang of it, though.
Dalek Attack was a lovely little slice of Doctor Who's past,
combining engaging game play with a more-than-adequate number of
tributes to the show's history (which, in the year prior to Doctor
Who's 30th anniversary, was almost a prerequisite). And if you've got
an itchy trigger finger that won't be content with the extended,
Doom-like quest of Destiny Of The
Doctors (released four years later by the BBC's fledgling
multimedia arm), Dalek Attack will certainly satisfy your
urge to exterminate some pesky pepperpots.
Four quarters - a couple of minor irritants, but mostly a compelling and
addictive game.
