Wannabe hero Captain Quazar is on-course to annihilate the criminal underworld, exploding everything in his path. This aspiring character mascot from Studio 3DO has the player controlling the titular dunce in 10 seek-and-destroy missions across an isometric landscape. Albeit lacking a sense of diversity in its levels, Quazar exhibits high-quality graphics with its in-game spectacle as well as its cartoon cinemas. Watching baddies shrivel up, get toasted, and/or combust into a million pieces will satisfy all those searching for the next peak in gratuitous graphical displays of gaming violence. Pretty much all you see, including buildings and vehicles, can be blown to smithereens.

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Tons of power-ups are at your disposal from various weapon types to defensive shields and invisibility shrouds. In-between stages, any cash or gems you find can be spent in the Armory for stronger equipment. Control-wise, things can get tiresome fast. You can move Quazar in eight directional angles along the playing field, making it extremely tricky to properly line up your shots or avoid enemy fire. To make matters worse, these "bullet-sponge" foes spring back to life almost instantaneously. Be sure to pick up tons of extra ammo! The close-up screen view (un-alterable unlike Loaded) is restrictive, too. This is not a major flaw, but it ruins any joy to be had from 2-Player mode and can make some of the more chaotic levels more, er, chaotic.

Printed in Issue #34, February 1996