Dick Tracy review - Sega Megadrive

Big Dick's in town! Sworn to eradicate crime, the vigilante Private Investigator has decided to meander the environs in search of mendicants, panhandlers, and buskers. Well no, he's actually after Big Boy, Flattop, Itchy, and other crooks with silly names in order to clear the city of their evil presence (and appalling body odour).

A horizontally scrolling game, Dick Tracy is set over 18 levels of action, starting outside the police station and progressing to the underground HQ at the end of the game. Dick walks along, and is able to punch or shoot the villains in his path, as well as spray bullets from his tommy gun at those foes in the distance. Other levels have our hero standing on the running board of a car, trying to survive the hail of lead coming in his direction.

Bonus stages appear from time to time, where Dick shoots pop-up targets for extra points - providing he doesn't hit too many good guys! This also gives a welcome break during the eighteen levels.

Although he has unlimited bullets in his revolver, Dick only has up to three magazines for the tommy gun. So accurate shooting is needed if the man in the yellow mac is going to triumph over the forces of evil.

What the Mean Machines staff thought

If you read my comment on the Sega version in issue 5, you'll know that I was fairly unimpressed. But it's great news to find that the Megadrive game is so much better! The graphics really suit the style of play, and the controls are easy to use. The difficulty level is fine, but my major criticism is that the gameplay is still very samey. Having said that, it's true for so many games that it's hardly worth repeating! So grab Dick if you're in the moos - it's a quality product.

I liked the Sega Master System version of Dick Tracy - it's an excellent reaction-testing shoot 'em up that's heavy on the action. The Megadrive version is basically the same, except that it sports even better graphics (the sprites are beautifully drawn and animated, and the backdrops are very reminiscent of the film), a better control method and even tougher gameplay! It's very challenging, and it certainly takes a lot of practice before you can go all the way through the game in one go, giving this plenty of lasting appeal. If you're after a shoot 'em up that doesn't feature lasers and alien space ships, Dick Tracy is a must.