textfiles/games/REVIEWS/blckhole.rev

 BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE 

 The Software Toolworks is creating games for a very eclectic and
somewhat sophisticated audience. First there was CHESSMASTER 2100, 
one of the top chess programs. Then there was LIFE & DEATH, a
relentlessly graphic and fascinating surgical simulation. Most
recently, they released CRIBBAGE KING/GIN KING, a superb combo
platter of card games. Now they offer their most bizarre game to
date: BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE, which is part PONG, part BREAKOUT, part
IQ test, and -- believe it or not -- part 3-D comic book. (This
review is based on the IBM-PC version.) 

 The package and manual give you almost no idea of what to expect
when you play BTBH. Despite the brief science-fiction plot described
on the back of the box and in the documents, this is no sci-fi
adventure. Rather, it's a series of puzzles (35 in all) played on a
7x7 grid. Each puzzle is unique, and ranges from elementary to
fairly difficult. For example, there's a chess problem, a
sliding-tile puzzle, a game of concentration, a round of
scissors-paper-stone, and a little session of hangman. However, many
of the puzzles are totally unfamiliar. What are you supposed to do
with those seven ducks? And why in th world are those nine eyeballs
staring at you? 

 While most of the puzzles are easy, solving even the simplest of
them requires patience and a keen sense of spatial relations. That's
because your only implement for manipulating the pieces of the
puzzle is an orb. The orb is _always_ in motion, bouncing between
two paddles ("Abrams Rebound Fields") located on either side of the
screen. You control the paddles, which move in sync (a la PONG), 
making sure the orb stays in play. 

 Now, this is no ordinary orb. Strap on your Grenovision 3-D glasses
and you'll see that the orb doesn't simply bounce back and forth; 
it's in orbit around the grid, getting smaller and smaller as it
appears to recede behind the grid and somewhere into the depths of
your monitor. It rises to the "surface" of the screen just in time
to bounce off the paddle (if your timing is right), and then it
continues the ellipse in front of the grid, seeming to rise off the
screen and into your face. 

 At any given moment, you hit the space bar (or mouse key, or
joystick button) and the ball immediately plunges or rises. As it
does, it almost invariably collides with a puzzle piece, causing
that piece to move, or mutate, or spin, or do any of the dozens of
weird, unexpected, kicky things these puzzle pieces do. The object, 
then, is not only to solve the puzzle, but to figure out what the
puzzle _is_, and then to maneuver the orb so that it lands on the
right pieces in the right sequence. Sound confusing? Although my
description may leave you scratching your head, it all becomes clear
in the first minute of play. 

 There are complications. The orb has a limited amount of fuel. That
fuel is consumed very slowly, except during dives, which require
greater fuel expenditures. Also, should you let the orb wander
off-screen, it's returned to you at a cost of nearly half your
fuel. When your fuel becomes low, it's time to refuel...and that
means a trip to Vern's. 

 Vern's is one of my favorite sequences in the game. A refueling
base floats in space, and the base has seven irises. To maneuver the
ball through these irises calls for precisely-timed dives. Each time
you pass through an iris, you gain back some fuel. The irises begin
to close on their own, so you must act fast. When all seven are
closed, you automatically head back to the black hole (the puzzle
grid). Also, each bit of fuel costs you some of your points. If you
don't have enough points to pay for a refueling, you can activate a
credit card, but the payback terms are tough to meet. And each time
you refuel, your paddles shrink. That makes scoring enough points to
pay off your credit even more difficult. 

 When performed just right, the 3-D effect of diving in and out of
those seven holes is positively poetry in motion. The orb swoops and
dives and looks like a zero-gravity ballet. 

 The other hazard is a Fuel Pirate. This is a renegade puzzle piece
that changes shape and chases the orb. If the orb is caught, a chunk
of fuel disappears. If the orb evades the pirate, the pirate
eventually turns into another orb, and you have what pinball fans
call "multi-ball play." 

 Enough about the plot. The 3-D effect worked beautifully for me, 
although it's a little disconcerting to have one eye darkened. This
is not the anaglyphic (red/blue) 3-D of comic books and Three
Stooges shorts; this is full-color Grenovision. Vaguely reminiscent
of the 3-D used for the 1989 Superbowl halftime show and Coca-Cola
commercial, Grenovision relies on constantly moving objects to
produce the 3-D sensation. The speed of the objects and the
brightness of the room also play a part in the effectiveness of the
illusion. 

 If your machine runs significantly slower with EGA graphics than it
does with CGA, you might want to install the game for CGA to enhance
the 3-D. Conversely, the game can be played just as easily without
the glasses (a real necessity, since not everybody will experience
the 3-D effect perfectly). On my 7.14 MHz XT, the game ran a bit
slowly in EGA (particularly when a fuel pirate was onscreen), though
the 3-D was still quite effective. Those with an 8 MHz AT (or
better) should have no problem whatsoever with the more colorful EGA
graphics. 

 Speaking of graphics, BLACK HOLE's are pretty good. The puzzle
pieces were cute, cleverly animated, and a delight to watch. The orb
is very smoothly animated (necessary for the 3-D to work). Even the
sounds are commendable. On the IBM's primitive speaker, most games
emit sounds that are downright annoying. In BLACK HOLE, the audio is
used judiciously and imaginatively; I was never even tempted to shut
it off. 

 There's a provision for one saved game, though the implementation
is unusual. You may save when you quit the game, or you can save
when you _lose_ the game by running out of fuel. Restoring the game
in that case will put you back to whichever level you last attempted
to complete, with half a tank of fuel. A saved game can be loaded
either from the command line or during a game in progress. There are
several other handy command line options, including sound and speed
toggles. 

 The manual is about as barebones as you can get. It describes the
installation procedure, keystrokes, refueling constraints, and the
"plot." It leaves the player to discover what's really required, 
which I found initially disturbing because of the difficulty of the
opening puzzle. In version 1.02 and later, the first puzzle is much
simpler and serves as a better introduction to the game. Also
included are a pair of Grenovision glasses, a compact but
fascinating guide to the history and lore of 3-D, and a pair of
anaglyphic 3-D glasses to view the 16 3-D pictures and photos in the
guide. 

 The copy-protection scheme is Software Toolwork's laudable
arrangement. The master disks are copy-protected, but the installed
game is not. Thus, once your game is installed (onto floppies or the
hard drive), you may back up your installation, move it to another
floppy or subdirectory, and so on. No key disk or document check is
required to boot the game. However, should you change your hardware
configuration, or if you wish to change graphic modes, you'll need
to create a new installation, since the installed game memorizes
your system setup. 

 General requirements for the MS-DOS version: an IBM PC, XT, AT, 
PS/2, Tandy or compatible; CGA or EGA/VGA (VGA cards will show EGA
graphics); 512K of RAM. A mouse or joystick is optional; I found the
keyboard perfectly suited (particularly since there are keystrokes
that cannot be duplicated using the mouse or joystick). Both disk
formats are included in the package. 

 My complaints with the game are as follows: I think a second pair
of Grenovision glasses would have been appropriate. The game is a
one-player game only, but even so, most people would love to have a
friend watch along. Software Toolworks will sell you another pair, 
but they're expensive (for cardboard glasses). A little
experimentation with punching one lens out of an old pair of
sunglasses might be worthwhile. Or perhaps you have a pair of
Grenovision glasses left over from the Superbowl. 

 I also wonder about the game's replay value. I was able to finish
most of t game in just a few (admittedly, concentrated) evenings. 
Granted, I could go back and learn to do a _lot_ better at solving
the puzzles efficiently, and I will. But the game relies heavily on
the 3-D novelty and the variety of puzzles. Once you've seen and
played them all, you may not be driven to play them again. Yet this
is one of those games you'll love to hook your friends on, because
it's both easily learned and impressive. 

 I think BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE is terrific. It's an action game that
doesn't insult the player's intelligence, as most action games do. 
It's full of endearing graphic touches and novelties. And it's like
no other game you've ever played. In a world full of "me-too" 
computer games, BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE is a welcome, whimsical breath
of fresh air. 

 BEYOND THE BLACK HOLE is published by The Software Toolworks and
distributed by Electronic Arts. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253