BEACH HEAD
Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only
Game Type : Arcade; Classic Invasion Game
Author : Peter Johnson
Standalone Release(s) : 1984: BEACH HEAD, US Gold, £9.95
1988: BEACH HEAD, Americana, £2.99
Compilation Release(s) : None
Stated compatibility : Electron Side A/BBC Side B
Actual compatibility : As stated. Electron version works on BBC.
Supplier : U.S. GOLD, Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, BIRMINGHAM B6
7AX. Tel: 024 356 3388
Disc compatibility : CDFS E00, DFS E00
Instructions
"BEACH HEAD is a multi-screen action game which requires different skills and provides new sequences as you progress through the game. You will encounter secret passages, squadrons of enemy planes sheeling fron enemy ships, an almost impenetrable enemy held beach and a fortress with a huge cannon that never misses! If you feel you are up to the challenge! Joystick or keyboard."
Choose skill level 1-3 by typing appropriate number.
AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
Manoeuvre your fleet using the joystick. Choose between the Hidden Passage, on the outer edge of the peninsular, or a Frontal Assault through the main channel.
THE HIDDEN PASSAGE
Here use the joystick to turn left or right, push forward to increase speed and pull back to slow down. Avoid the mines and torpedoes and you may surprise the enemy.
GENERAL QUARTERS
Use your joystcik to ain anti-aircraft guns. Pull back to raise and push forward to lower sights.
NAVAL BATTLE
Joystick now controls your heavy guns. You will be told how far long or short you are in metres, each degree of elevation is 200m.
BEACH HEAD
Each ship you navigate to the harbour carries two tanks. Once landed you must avoid the obstacles to reach the fortess of Kuhn-Lin.
KUHN-LIN
You must land ten shells on the fortress to destroy it. However, only one target is vulnerable at once. Also the fortress is defended by a cannon that will destroy your tanks.
Game Controls
Select joystick by pressing fire or keyboard by pressing SPACE.
The keys are:
Z - Left, X - Right, : - Up, / - Down, <RETURN> - Fire
<DELETE>/<COPY> - Pause/Restart, <ESCAPE> - Abort Game
Instructions' Source : BEACH HEAD (Americana Release) Inner Inlay
Review (Electron User)
It's time to get your tin hats out and lead the assault on the enemy territory in BEACH HEAD. This is one of the first conversions of US Gold's legendary Commodore 64 software, and it's great!
By moving the cursor which represents your forces, you can select one of two
opening scenarios. In the first you must guide your fleet through a narrow
channel which is mined and is constantly criss-crossed by enemy torpedoes. You
score for every ship successfully negotiating the channel, but you inevitably
lose a few ships.
The second option is to skip this section and proceed with a full complement of
ten ships to the anti-aircraft game. This part of the game is great fun - enemy
aircraft dive at your ship with guns blazing.
You now take on the role of gunner, moving the gun up, down, left and right,
pumping out shells at wave after wave of fighters. Speed and accuracy are
essential here, as with each hit from the enemy your damage points increase.
Each time the total reaches 20 damage points, you lose another ship. The enemy
places defeated, their fleet now comes into play.
My first attempts at lobbing shells at silhouettes of enemy vessels were
disastrous. I then noticed a small notice on the display informing me of how
long
or short was - aren't computers wonderful?
Having survived this melee, the surviving ships head for the beach and land
their cargo of tanks - the number of tanks landed being proportional to the
number of surviving ships. The tanks must be guided through a tortuous maze of
tank traps and gun emplacements.
Finally they reach their target - a huge gun mounted on top of a hill. The hill
is protected by numerous guns which must be eliminated before the large gun is
destroyed.
The graphics are excellent, and the fact that your performance on each level
determines your fire-power on the next is a great idea.
James Riddell, ELECTRON USER 3. 3