60 | RETRO GAMER
The many sprites you’ll encounter on
the dusty highwayThTheemamanynyssprprititesesyyouou’llllenencocoununteter
PIXEL PERFECT
COMMODORE 64
■ This is an all-round excellent
conversion that looks great, sounds
fantastic, moves at a decent clip
and features all of the gameplay
elements from the coin-op. The
cassette loader is a well-known
pain, but on disk (or indeed under
emulation) it’s a real charm.AMSTRAD CPC
■ A clear cut above the Spectrum
version, although it too runs in
an unwelcome window (nice
border mind). Full-colour sprites
and smooth scrolling are definite
positives. On the downside the
game runs at a sedate pace, and
there’s a lack of in-game music.PC/DOS
■ The PC version, developed for
the US market by Mindscape, looks
ver y similar to the ST version (in
EGA mode at least). Obviously the
sound is inferior, and it’s preferable
to play in silence. It does include
an option for mouse control which
works surprisingly well.ZX SPECTRUM
■ Probably the weakest version.
The Speccy’s colour doesn’t lend
itself to the game and the action
takes place in a small window,
presumably to necessitate
scrolling. This cramped field makes
the game extra difficult. Just about
okay as a compilation filler.ATARI ST
■ This version benefits from 16-bit
performance and is unsurprisingly
close to the coin-op, even if the
sound lacks punch and the colours
are a little off. The parallax scrolling
effect has been well implemented
and overall this is the most faithful
version outside of the arcade.NES
■ Arcade ports for the NES often
play loose with the source material- not here, though. This is a ver y
faithful version that stays true to
the coin-op original in pretty much
ever y way – although Wile E Coyote
does like some guy dressed in a
wolf costume.
CONVERSION CAPERS
How did the home versions measure up?» [Arcade] The shor tcut is a novel continue feature, allowing you to travel to the last stage you reached.» [Arcade] Wile E’s devious trackside cannons claim another life.Road
RunnerDinner Time
Wile E Coyote