Mangled Fenders- Armored Combat Edition, freeware, copyright 1995 by Peter W. Storonskij, is an AMIGA demolition Derby game with a twist. The game uses a 64 color palette and can pe played on either PAL or NTSC systems. It is hard drive installable and works well on my un- accelerated A500. The basic premise of the game, like most demolition derby's, is very simple; you must use your car as a battering ram to beat, pound and pummel a bunch of other cars in a confined area, inflicting the most damage on them while protecting the important bits of your own vehicle, namely the engine. Unlike most County Fair crunch-fests however, these cars are equipped with missile cannons and armor shielding. The game can be played by anywhere from 2-6 combinations of players, whether they be human players via joysticks and keyboard controls, or any number of computer controlled cars. Once selecting your 4 wheeled implement of destruction and mayhem, and how many losers, er, I mean other players to go up against, you then proceed directly to the power-up screen. Here you use your limited currency to purchase things for your vehicle ranging from overall repairs, to ammunition, to faster engines. Once your money is spent, players then take to their cars and ready themselves for battle.
The game now randomly loads up 1 of 6 different terrains: parking lot, soccer field, golf course, dirt track, intersection and even... the moon. By the end of the round these lovingly crafted and beautifully rendered screens will be torn to shreds with tire marks. Game play is simple, two to six cars careen around the lot bashing and shooting each other into auto oblivion. Random power-ups will appear on the game screens from time to time, with things ranging from a full repair to a cash award for future purchasing rounds, to complete and total indestructibility. The round ends when only one car is left running, with the winner getting the biggest cash award, all the way down to the unlucky chump who gets knocked out first, and consequently the cash equivalent of squat. After 10 rounds of mayhem and destruction, the game ends.
The game is fun to play and easy to get the hang of, yet there are a few shortcomings. First off is the ending. The game, after 10 rounds, merely exits you back to the game set-up screen. It would have been nice to have some kind of payoff, even a simple screen announcing player number whatever as Grand Champ Poobah of the Universe. Another shortcoming is the destroyed cars. The condition of the cars goes from perfect to smoking to in flames which is nice, but upon total destruction, the cars explode and are taken from the ring. I would have liked to see the mutilated cars remain on the screen, getting in the surviving cars way and becoming obstacles to steer clear of or be damaged. These also would have been nice to use as shields from oncoming cars. You know, let the other guys take the beating while you drive away unharmed, laughing all the way to the next round.
These few nit-picky things aside, Mangled Fenders- Armored Combat Edition, is a fun little time waster. If you've ever wanted to arm your vehicle with cannons and take out frustrations on other drivers, then this is the game for you. Just remember, that guy bearing down on you in the rear-view mirror has got the same idea, eager to send you exploding in frustration to that great big scrap yard in the sky.
Dr. Torgo
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