The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

SWAG

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade With Two Player Option

Author             : Dave Herbert

Standalone Release(s)   : 1984: SWAG, Micro Power, £6.95

Compilation Release(s)   : 1986: 5 COMPUTER HITS, Beau Jolly, £9.95

                    1987: PRES GAMES DISC 2, PRES, £9.95

                    1988: MICRO POWER MAGIC, Micro Power, £7.95

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron. Electron version Electron version plays fast on

                    BBC.

Supplier            : MICRO POWER, 8/8A Regent Street, Chapel Allerton, LEEDS

                    LS7 4PE. Tel: 01532 683186.

Disc compatibility     : ADFS 1D00, CDFS 1D00, DFS 1D00

Instructions

"A two player game of dexterity set in Hazard County. Beat your opponent to the jewels and gold with the help of your band of cronies. Includes police cars and one player practice option."

You are out to steal £250,000 in diamonds before your rival. You accomplish this by collecting the heaps of diamonds which appear on the screen, and taking them to the cache in your house. Unfortunately the other robber is not your only problem. There are several killer droids, employed by one of the insurance companies, to try to apprehend bandits such as yourself and recover the swag. There are two types of droids, Henrys and Percys. One type will try to catch you, the other your opponent. You can "convert" one which is following you by shooting it. You can also shoot the other player's man, and if caught by a droid or shot, you will drop your swag and be returned to your house. Naturally you will soon use up all the ammunition in your gun, but you can get more by depositing gold in the bank. The other way to convert droids is to move onto a DH, which changes all Henrys to Percys, and vice versa. Moving onto a Smiley has the effect of sending your opponent back to his house. If you shoot a police car it will follow you around the screen, which gives points to the other player, though you can stop this by drinking a car of beer (the sort which refreshed the parts other beers can't) and shooting them again.

Game Controls

                             Player One:          Player Two:

             Up                        A                    O

             Down                      Z                    L

             Left                      X                    +

             Right                     C                    *

             Fire                      V               RETURN

f0/f1 - Sound On/Off,   f2/f3 - Pause/Restart,   N -  Unlimited Bullets

P - Player One, Practice,   F/G - Headstart Player 1/2

Instructions' Source   : SWAG (Micro Power) Inner Inlay

Review (Electron User)

SWAG is a rarity in arcade style games - it is a genuine two player game with the option of the second player being the micro. The aim is to acquire jewellery to the value of £250,000 by moving your man to randomly placed jewels and returning with them to your house.

If that sounds easy, then don't forget that your opponent is after the same treasure as you and is quite prepared to shoot you to get it. You may also have insurance company robots on your trail. Any collision with them means a quick, empty-handed return home. Of course you have the same advantages as your opponent. There is a different type of robot after him.

Robots can be converted from one kind to another by shooting them or by travelling to a special symbol which occurs on the screen from time to time.

Attempting to keep order in this lawless area are the police. There are three police cars which score points for your opponent if you go near them.

If you shoot one, it relentlessly follows you until you drink a can of beer and shoot it again. You can use that to your advantage by stopping the car near your opponent's home.

With all this shooting you will probably run out of ammunition, but they sell it at the bank, provided you've got gold.

Regrettably, in translating this program from a BBC Micro version, one or two things have been forgotten, The instructions give a most unsuitable group of keys to player two, but fear not, the actual keys are O (up), L (down), + (left), * (right) and <RETURN> (fire). More seriously, you do not seem to be able to redefine the keys as you might wish.

The game is provided with many options: Sound on or off or a start for either player.

I personally worry about the glorification of theft and violence. Is this what we really want for our teenagers? The trouble is that like so many of these games, it is addictive.

Rog Frost, ELECTRON USER 2. 4