Microsurgeon

Intellivision

Review by Joe Santulli

Imagic

Action/Strategy

Graphics: 9

Sound: 7

Gameplay: 8

Overall: 9


An unbelievably unique game, Imagic really had a winner here, but Microsurgeon was NOT destined to become a classic. Why? It could be that the thought of moving a tiny probe around the interior of a diseased human wasn't the most appealing theme to gamers. Zapping cholesterol buildups and brain tumors might have hit too close to home for the adult player, and the potentially biological background may have scared a few of the youngsters away. Not me, though. I bought Microsurgeon the day it came out, and whenever I dust off the Intellivision for a little pre-Nintendo competition, you can be sure this one is going into that slot.

By now, you get the general idea. You're the doctor, and in a much-welcome two-player version, your buddy is a medical technician. You steer the tiny vehicle through mazelike veins and swampy guts as your cohort fires ultrasonic rays, antibiotics, and aspirin at all types of deadly diseases. There are several difficulty levels (a total of 197 different patients) which increase with the severity of your patient's condition. You can pick an easy mission where you might just have to clear out some tar deposits in the lungs (show this to a smoker and they'll quit for sure), or a difficult mission where EVERYTHING is in critical condition. There's even a random option if you're really up for a challenge.

The graphics are excellent. The playfield looks like a color biology book, supplemented by the manual which provides an overview diagram. The heart pumps, the lung expands, even the eye dilates. There's a creepy feeling you get here - like you're playing "ducks and drakes" with the very existence of your patient. Lucky for my patients they're only video simulations or I'd be serving time for malpractice right now.

Sound plays a part here, too. Listen, and you'll hear the heart pump louder as you draw near. Cosmic "whooshing" sounds accompany your travels through the lungs. Oooooh, eerie!

If you get the opportunity to purchase Microsurgeon, don't pass it by. It's sure to be one of your favorites in your collection of Intellivision software.

TIP: Although white blood cells will attack your ship when you try to take a shortcut through the black "guts" areas, most often the time you save is worth the hassle.

ANOTHER TIP: Aiming your shot can be tricky. It's easier to hold down the "fire" button and THEN press the direction than the instinctive method, which would be the other way around.

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Last updated: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 02:28 PM