Console: | Commodore 64 |
TV Standard: | PAL |
Country: | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Publisher(s): | Virgin Games, Ltd. |
Release Date: | 1987-01-01 |
Players: | 1 |
Co-op: | No |
ESRB: | Not Rated |
Type: | Shooter |
When man first invented time travel, he did not realize the full extent of the dangers which would accompany it. To counteract these dangers, the organization known as TIME was established to watch over the time-lines and the people who used them.
Usually, TIME agents patrol the time-lines, making sure that no one interferes with events or alters the course of history. On this occasion, however, the player's mission is to track a renegade agent whose purpose is to cause disruptions in the space-time continuum by patrolling the time-lines and switching artifacts between different zones. If left unchecked, these chronologically misplaced artifacts can cause massive disruptions through time, resulting in the large-scale destruction of the time zones, as well as having dire consequences for mankind.
As a time lord, it is the player's responsibility to reverse the damage caused by the TIME agent and end his plans by finding and replacing the offending artifacts. For assistance, the player has the use of a space craft known as the "Falcon's Wing". Partially controlled by CAIN (Cybernetic Artificially Intelligent Nexus), it performs different functions that include giving out information about the residents and artifacts to be found in a given time zone, and noticing any disturbances that have been detected. The ship is also used to travel to these time zones. The player can leave the ship having arrived at the destination time zone.
Equipped with laser gun and a jet pack, the player explores the time zone while searching for any artifacts. When found, these can be picked up by walking over them and pressing the fire button. Only one artifact can be carried at any given time, so whatever is being carried must be returned to the correct chronological period.
In each time zone, the player is constantly under attack by the inhabitants of that era, but they can be destroyed with the player's laser gun. Extra powers can be gained by collecting tokens that randomly appear. There are two types of these. "Power of Will" immobilizes inhabitants for a few seconds, and "Thinkstrike" endows temporary invisibility.
The player only has a limited amount of time in each zone, which decreases upon getting hit by an inhabitant, and when the stamina level is severely depleted, the player is returned to the Falcon's Wing and a time penalty is incurred. The mission ends when the player's stamina is reduced completely, or when the time limit for the mission has expired