Laser Darts is a new version of darts played not by throwing darts, but by firing lasers. The main aim of the game though is the same as darts: to get your score down to precisely zero (but not below it) before your opponent.

The two players fire their lasers from opposite sides of the screen. In the centre of the screen, between the two players, there are reflectors which reflect your laser beams. You must try to work out a path through the reflectors to get as many points as possible. Each time your laser beam hits one of the reflectors, the energy in the beam causes that reflector to burn up and disappear. The number of points that you are awarded after your move depends upon where your laser leaves the screen. This table shows the scoring system:

If you hit the top, there is also a 1 in 3 chance that the reflectors will be changed. If you hit your opponent, you will also get a new set of reflectors, to avoid a situation where the two players are continually hitting each other. When you hit your opponent, not only do you receive 500 points, but your opponent loses a life. This means that if you hit your opponent four times, you automatically win, even if you do not get your score down to zero. If your score goes below zero, you will hear an alarm and your score will return to its original value, before it went below zero.

On the title screen, you may select one of two playing modes: one player, which is described as "Human/Elk" (if you want to play against the computer), or two player, where you play against another person. If you decide to play against the computer, a counter will count down to zero in the top right hand corner of the screen to tell you when the computer will move.

In both modes, the keys A and Z are used to move the players up and down, with RETURN to fire a laser.

Dominic Ford, EUG #28