Action Force

• Title — Action Force • Developer — The Gang of Five • Publisher — Virgin Games • Designer — Martin Wheeler Link Tomlin • Released — 1987 • Genre — Puzzle, shoot 'em up • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC

Cobra have launched a surprise attack on the island of Botsneda. In the panic of the evacuation, classified information has been left behind in the eastern sector. An Action Force team must cross to the eastern side of the island in a modified A.W.E. Striker to retrieve the data. Their path must be safely cleared of enemies and obstacles. The player controls a helicopter which must clear the path for the Striker and its occupants across a dangerous landscape. Rivers may be crossed by picking up pontoon sections and moving them to create pontoon bridges.

The Striker contains Flint, Lady Jaye and Quick Kick, while the player controls Snake Eyes, who is equipped with a helipack and an automatic rifle. The Striker will automatically stop when it meets an obstacle, and will begin moving again when the path is cleared. There are no enemy aircraft but missiles and aerial mines must be avoided or destroyed.

The Striker contains Lady Jaye and Crankcase, while the player controls Wild Bill and Flint in an XH-1 helicopter. The XH-1 is equipped with missiles and bombs. The Striker will not stop when it meets an obstacle and will crash if the path is not cleared. The player must fight off hostile Cobra aircraft.

• Title — Action Force II • Developer — The Gang of Five • Publisher — Virgin Games • Designer — Martin Wheeler Andy Green • Released — 1988 • Genre — Puzzle, shoot 'em up • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — ZX Spectrum A sequel, Action Force II: International Heroes, was released by Virgin Games in 1988 for the ZX Spectrum home computer.

Cobra has taken a number of innocent citizens hostage and it is up to Action Force to rescue them. They are being held in separate groups atop various urban buildings. Each block must be scaled by Quick Kick while Airtight covers him from the helicopter. As with Action Force, the player must shepherd a character across a dangerous environment, however the game is otherwise completely different. The player controls the crosshairs of Airtight's weapon, and must shoot enemies that appear before they injure Quick Kick as he ascends the side of the building. Quick Kick also loses energy as the level progresses; it can be replenished by shooting the U.S. flags on the walls of some screens. When Quick Kick reaches the roof the hostages are released and make their way to the rescue helicopter. At the end of each level Airtight may switch weapons; he can choose between a machine-gun, bazooka or bio-gun, each of which has different advantages and drawbacks. Every two levels the player must defeat a tank by shooting it a certain number of times within a time-limit.

Martin Wheeler, one of the developers said: I think Action Force 2 was the game I was happiest with. We wrote it with instant arcade appeal in mind, deliberately playing on the tastes of the games reviewers who slated DD2. They gave it the 'Smash' we thought Dan Dare 2 had deserved.