Pure old time shooter
For the truly old-school shooter lover, the kind of person who truly digs the simplicity and purity of Space Invaders, Galaxian or Galaga, then Round 42 will likely prove to be true excursion into gaming Nirvana. While it lacks the visual flash and myriad of upgradeable weapons that populate the likes of R-Type and Raiden, it makes up for this with wave after wave of alien blasting antics that might just keep you hooked if you are attuned to this old fashioned way of doing things. As you might have guessed, it's a simple enough shooter, very much like Space Invaders, where the player must simply face off against forty two rounds of alien nasties who have one thing on their mind: your explosive destruction. Each round contains a different set of enemies, each with their own distinct movement and firing patterns to keep you on your toes but to help you in this rather uneven battle, you have two weapons at your disposal. The first is an auto-firing cannon and the second a single shot targeting laser, the former with unlimited ammo while the latter can be restored through the successful completion of a round. That's pretty much all there is to the game and if you are looking for a straightforward enough little blaster to wile away the hours, you could do worse than this. There's little point to it other than being a pure exercise in high score attainment but its simple-minded approach to action is refreshing and strangely compelling. The graphics are of course little to write home about but controls are solid and responsive so if you like it old-school, then go head to head with Round 42.
