Rocket Mania

 

Uncomplicated is my gaming preference on the PalmOS platform. A game that is simple, does not require a forty-page manual, can be controlled with the stylus alone, and is innovative in its presentation will catch my attention. I continue to be a fan of lame apps like Scrabble, backgammon, breakout-style games and solitaire. So, when given the opportunity to give Rocket Mania from Astraware a run, I was skeptical about its complexity and being just another game I would try for a day and delete from my handheld. (Figure 1)

 

Well, folks, I am here to sing the praises of the developers of Astraware. Rocket Mania is an addictive game that is simple to understand, has many levels of complexity to challenge the most possessed gamer, can be controlled with only the stylus. It is presented with fantastic graphics and great audio. It took less than fifteen minutes to understand the concept of the game play and continues to be a game I play daily.

 

Figure 1

 

 

Essentially, you have to connect a fuse(s) from the left side of the game field to a rocket(s) on the right side of the screen (see Figure 2). Each section of fuse rotates clockwise or counter-clockwise (configurable) by 90 degrees on each tap of the stylus. The object is to fire off enough rockets to advance to the next level. It is rather easy to connect one fuse from the burning fires on the left side of the screen to the rocket on the right, but points can be scored more quickly by trying to create a fuse that can launch several rockets at once. The most rockets I have been able to launch at one time were seven, a real rarity in this game.

 

There are two modes of play. Classic mode can be played as Easy, Medium and Hard. Game play in Classic mode is frantic. The other mode is Strategy mode, also with Easy, Medium and Hard, plays is a bit more relaxed and has a limited number of matches that you can use to light fuses so this is more about strategy than sheer points.

 

In addition to joining fuses to launch rockets, you can earn extra points for burning fuses that have coins or gems on them. For every 10 coins you collect, one of your rockets will be upgraded by one step, from the standard rank 1 to the mighty rank 10! One useful icon that appears on a fuse looks like a face of a clock. If you can burn up one of those, you get extended play time on the screen you are in. This is very helpful at higher point levels like +600,000.

Figure 2

 

Game play is very fast. As you advance to higher levels, don’t stop tapping you stylus as any hesitation at higher point levels will do you in. If you run out of time before launching the required number of rockets at each level (see upper left corner to see how many more rockets need to be launched), the game is over. All along, you have complimentary sounds to keep you focused on the game. There is a sound for each 90 degree rotation of a fuse, the rockets launch in a glorious whoosh when you complete a fuse and a nagging rooster alerts you that you are nearing then end of your allotted time. The time left on each screen is visually displayed as burning lanterns along the top of the playing field. As the time winds down, lanterns go out. If they all go out before you launch all the rockets, the game ends.

 

To give you an idea of the length of the game play, figure on earning a score of 100,000 points in five minutes, 200,000 in ten minutes, and so on. Within a few days, an average gamer could likely be scoring over 500,000 points a game. As you keep playing, it becomes extremely difficult to hit the 1, 000,000 mark. Why? Because of short fuses.

 

Yes, Astraware has a surprise as you advance to higher levels. Fuses that are duds. If you do not find ways to connect them to another fuse and clear them off the game screen, you become limited in your ability to fire rockets. Too many short fuses and you may be paralyzed. Remember, hesitation will trip you up.

 

Size

 

Rocket Mania is a large application. The main app is 867K and the audio file is 283 K. To produce the spectacular graphics and audio, the files need to be this big. This game can be stored on an external card and started from any launcher program. I am using Rocket Mania on a Sony Clie NX80 and use JackFlash to run the game and the audio DB from Flqash memory.

 

Cost

The price for Rocket Mania is $19.95. Is it worth it? Well, I look at it like this. If I play this game every day for one year, it costs me $.05 per day to play this game. Quite a bargain since I also have a $100 Sony KB-100 keyboard that gets virtually no use at all. You can’t beat good entertainment value at $.05 a day.

 

Support

 

This is important to me as it is to any other owner of a PalmOS handheld. Astraware is very responsive to bugs and receptive to suggestions. I uncovered two problems with version 1.00 of Rocket Mania and the developers were quick to respond and programmed a fix within a week. Ray and Kieren at Astraware continue to offer outstanding customer support.

 

Comments

 

The only problem I have encountered with Rocket Mania on a Clie NX80 is a rare corruption of the audio. If it happens to you, you will understand my comment. If you exit the game and do a soft reset, the problem disappears. This is likely a problem caused by the proprietary audio Sony built into this machine. It is not debilitating, but may happen.

 

Conclusion

 

Rocket Mania is a great game. Support is equally as good. You will play this game often and continue to be challenged to break 1,000,000 points. I have no clue how high a score one can earn, but I will continue to try for years to come. At least give the trial a full run through and determine if Rocket Mania is a game you cannot live without.