Game Review: 180 (ZX Spectrum, MAD)

Darts Down the Boozer

180 is set within a pub barroom environment.  After selecting your control option, you can choose from four options.  These are Tune Up, Game On, Two Player and Oops!

Tune up is against the clock where you need to need to hit all 20 board segments on the board within the allotted time.  This is good for target practice as not only does it improve your aim, but you also get to learn and where the numbers are around the board too.

The Oops! option is a great idea.  If you accidently selected the wrong controller type (such as the wrong joystick or decided, you wanted to use the keyboard instead) then pressing 4 returns you back to the starting menu screen.

Playability

The players’ animated hand is constantly moving over the face of the dartboard in diagonal directions.  The controls have been cleverly thought out, as by moving diagonally, it means that you can reach your desired target more quickly and realistically that if it’d had just been designed with just a horizontal and vertical aiming mechanism.  At first that may feel slightly strange, but you’ll soon work it out.

The fire button then allows you to throw the dart, and you’ll see it travel from your open hand in a lifting and lowering action followed by a cross on where you aim went.

The Suspense!

There are eight opponents with the final always played against Jammy Jim. Just like a real game of darts though, you never know when your opponent is going to hit the right target.  You’ll see at the bottom of the screen what your computer opponent is going to try and aim for, and it’ll tell you which part of the board they hit.  As the game progresses, the opponents improve and get better.

The exception is Jammy Jim who will always throw the perfect 9-dart finish.  The only way to beat him is to throw the 9-dart finish before he does (as you throw first by what is known as “having the darts”).  If you miss of course, you know you won’t win the match so aim perfectly!

Graphics and Animation

Straight from the loading screen, the game looks quality.  I know they say never judge a book by its cover, but I can safely say you can here (in a metaphorical way).  The scene is set with three darts that have landed perfectly in the Treble 20s.

When you have aimed your dart, you’ll see it neatly draw up in chalk the score on the left-hand side above the opponent that you are playing against.

The graphics for 180 are very good and have that little bit extra.  By that, I mean that some nice (and sometimes humorous) touches have been added.  From time to time, you will see the barmaid pulling a pint as the glass then slides across the bar to the punter.  The humour comes occasionally you will see a dog at the bottom of the bar and after the round of darts have been thrown, it will walk along and have a wee up against the side of the bar!

My only minor criticism is that each player wears a magenta-coloured shirt.  To give the plays a bit more personality, it could have been a different colour for each player’s (but this is a very minor quibble).

Sound Effects and Music

Every time you score a 180, you will hear the darts announcers sampled voice shouting “180”.  This gives the game some lively atmosphere.

There is no music or sound effects on the main menu at the start when choosing which controls you wish to use.  Sound otherwise is limited on the 48K version to a few sound effects when you throw a dart, hitting the board or the 180 sampled voice.

In 128K mode, there is a reasonable tune during the game and when you beat an opponent in a match, there is a brief piece of short music.

The Inlay Card

Each game needs to either with the final dart hitting a double or the bullseye. Printed on the inside of the instructions is a table of the scores which can be thrown with treble, double and single scores per dart.  The highest out that you can get is a 170 with a treble 20, treble 20 and Bull.

A few numbers are deliberately missing as these numbers can’t be scored to win a game (so no double or bull can achieve these numbers), These are what are known as the bogey numbers which you can’t checkout on, namely anything between 171-180, 169, 168, 166, 165, 163, 162 and 159.

Retro Darts

It must be said that when coming back to review 180, I was really looking forward to playing this gem once again.  180 is a game that lives in a retro gamers memory and remember back in the 80’s playing this my friends in two-player mode.  This puts both players under pressure and gives it that extra competitiveness and fun.  Afterall, there is nothing better than throwing a few 180’s if your mate is having a bit of a nightmare at the oche!

Personally, I am a darts fan and love watching it on the television.  The only thing missing is all the fancy dress in the crowd and the player and walk-ons (but that wasn’t ever going to be on here on 180) and therefore doesn’t affect my score of this review.

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