Super Cobra

The Good
Scramble and Super Cobra by Konami/Stern are two of my all-time arcade favorites and I've been picking up a lot of ColecoVision stuff lately, so I was very anxious to try out this game. I've never played the Atari 2600 (looks terrible) or 5200 (looks good, controls terrible) versions of SC, but I have the arcade version on Konami Arcade Classics for PSX. Though it's a far cry from the arcade version, this one plays fairly nicely.

In terms of graphics and sound, they're decent, but don't expect anything special. There is a fairly nice rendition of the arcade music upon start-up. The graphics are somewhat drab and are simpler and less colorful than the 5200 version (or even the similar Cosmic Avenger), but the game certainly doesn't look bad. The scrolling is surprisingly smooth for a CV game.

The Atari 5200 version had major control issues, but thankfully that's not a concern here as the controls are perfect. The joystick is extremely responsive and your chopper is easy to maneuver. The left fire button is used for guns and the right is used for bombs. Firing both at once is no problem, and you can hold either button for continuous fire.

Gameplay-wise, this version differs slightly from the arcade version. For one thing, navigation is much easier due to the fact that your chopper is smaller and the caverns are wider and nowhere near as windy. Fuel drums are abundant. I rarely found myself dying due to crashing into walls or running out of fuel (very common occurrences in the arcade game). While your gunfire doesn't travel as far as it does in the arcade version, your bombs actually seem to travel further. They actually travel forward at an angle and move very quickly. They behave more like missiles than bombs, and you can only fire one at a time, so your timing must be perfect.

The Bad
The main problem with this game is the fact that the levels are very repetitive and only certain enemies attack you in any given level. The enemies attack in very predictable patterns and most are easily defeated once you get the hang of the game. The action doesn't seem to really pick up at all until the later levels, and unfortunately there is only one level of difficulty. Like the arcade version, you can continue when your game is over. Unlike the arcade version, you are given five lives to start with (instead of three). You also have unlimited continues, and this diminishes the challenge further.

The Bottom Line
The arcade version of Super Cobra was hard as nails (maybe too hard). I love this game, but I just found this version far too easy. It's still an enjoyable game, but the challenge and replay value of the original just aren't there. If you found the original too difficult and frustrating, you should probably try this one out. ColecoVision fans of Cosmic Avenger and Looping also may like it. Like the ColecoVision versions of Gyruss and Time Pilot, it's just an average port of a great arcade game.

Overall Grade: C