Beat The Clock

Copyright : Amsoft | Reviewed by : Malc Jennings

The object of Beat The Clock is to make a crossword using 13 random letters, obeying normal crossword rules, but there is a time limit and it gets shorter as the game progresses. In short it?s another of those board games we all love/hate that has been ported over to your home computer to "increase interactivity", find out how good or bad it is by reading below.

Graphics

In spite of most board games looking less than impressive it appears the "Beat The Clock" is one of the better games to appear on your Amstrad CPC. Sure it?s a long way from being action packed and full of colours but we here at the zone are used to seeing board game conversions with little detail and very basic screen layouts. Your playing area is nice and large which helps make it easier to understand what is going on, a very large clock graphic with animated hands ticks the time remaining for each board away, your words are drawn onto the board depending on what direction you choose (accross or down) and there are a few other nice bits and pieces on offer. At first glance the game looks less than impressive with MODE 0 (chunky-vision) welcome screens and dark colours but give it a chance to load the board (it takes a while by the way) and you?ll soon change your mind.

Sound

Sound is on top form also, we have some excellent music at the front of the game, perfectly adequate and not over the top in-game sound effects for the game itself (limited to a few bleeps here and there), a nice alarm clock sound for when your time runs out (you need to be awake to play this game or you might reach for your real alarm clock) and the added bonus of playing "Congratulations" at the end of each board you win almost makes the game worth completing. A very nice attempt indeed with great detail and not going over the top.

Gameplay

Gameplay is nice and simple, create a crossword (sticking to the standard rules) and then challenge the Amstrad CPC to try and find the words and complete your puzzle, the more mistakes it makes the higher score you get. The score you wish to achive can be set at the front of the game, we recommend something in the range of 100 to 120 and no higher or the game becomes overly difficult to complete and isn?t really worth bothering with.
While it sounds very dull and boring we were actually surprised at the addiction the game offers, obviously when you win the first match you ever play against the CPC your confidence is boosted and you find yourself become more and more cocky as you try to "beat the clock". The timer does rapidly get less and less as you move through the stages so it?s a good idea to get your words entered and have a fast acting mind.
Those who love traditional crosswords (and this doesn?t include me by the way) should certainly give this game a run through your emulator as we are sure you?ll love it. For those that just can?t stand puzzle or board games it worth avoiding.