89: Laser Squad

Number 89
(66.4 points)
Laser Squad
1991: 25 (7.6)
1992: 55 (9.2)
1993: 37 (25.6)
1996: 77 (24.0)

This ageing turn-based strategy game got a boost in my ranking by returning for the final list in 1996 after a two-year absence. Clearly there is something here that brought the Amiga Power crew back for more.

Looking like a ZX Spectrum game with some more colours - because, in a way, it is - Laser Squad sees you guiding a squad of laser-toting soldiers, hence the name. They do have a selection of weapons other than lasers, however, but the game behaves very much like a tabletop wargame, such as Space Crusade or Warhammer 40,000. You have a set number of action points for each of your squad, the amount of which depends on a range of factors, and you can spend these points to move, turn, pick up items and, obviously, shoot things. There are a range of scenarios to choose from, and careful strategy is needed to win the day.

I had mixed emotions when playing this for the first time: the fact that it's just a Speccy game doesn't bother me, as the genre works fine in any case. But as people started getting gunned down, my two remaining soldiers started panicking and constantly dropping their guns, while the last remaining enemy was loose somewhere in the building. Eventually I stopped moving them, thinking this game was for me, when suddenly, the enemy appeared, I shot him, and won the game. There are nice touches here, such as only seeing where the enemy is when you have line of sight to them, but in general it feels much like Space Crusade (featured earlier in this list) but a bit more limited in the types of scenarios you can play. Well, if you like tabletop wargaming like that, then I would still give this a try.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Laser Squad (1989)(MicroIllusions)