Maelstrom 1.4.1
Andrew Welch
Ambrosia
PO Box 23140
Rochester, NY 14692
Shareware Fee - $15.00

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO RESULT IN ADDICTION, INCREASED STRESS LEVELS AND A SHARP DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY. CASES OF THUMB CALLOUSING, MUSCLE SPASMS, RETINA BURN AND INSOMNIA HAVE BEEN LINKED TO THIS PRODUCT.

Rochester, N.Y. -- March 31, 1994 --Today Ambrosia Software, Inc. announced the release of the latest version of Maelstrom 1.4. Developed by prolific Macintosh programmer Andrew Welch, Maelstrom 1.4 is a marriage of the venerable Asteroids concept with new digitized sound effects, 3D graphics and high resolution 256 color animation. “With fantastic art and graphics by Ian Gilman and Mark Lewis, Maelstrom does for the tired old Asteroids-style games what the Mazda Miata did for sporty roadsters...” says Ventana Press’s The Mac Shareware 500. With detailed graphics, fluid game play, and a $15 price tag, this is a commercial program disguised as shareware.

Maelstrom 1.4 has been given a 4.27 out of 5.0 in Inside Mac Games’ player satisfaction poll. This puts Ambrosia’s feisty $15 shareware program among the top ten ranked games, with expensive retail titles such as Hellcats Over The Pacific, Myst, Sim City 2000, and F/A-18 Hornet. Maelstrom 1.4 also received a four mice rating from MacWorld, won the Shareware Industry Award for Best Mac Program, MacUser’s Shareware/Entertainment Software award, and MacUser UK’s Best Entertainment Software Award.

When action begins, you are at the helm of a United Planet Border Patrol reconnaissance craft. Although little more then an inter-stellar postal jeep, your ship does come equipped with plasma cannon, thrusters, and force shields. With your navigational system on the blink, you have strayed into the dreaded Hormel asteroid belt, more notoriously known among your fellow Recon pilots as “The Maelstrom”. 

In order to survive this tempest of deadly space debris you must be skilled enough to blast the asteroids to space dust before they crush your tiny spaceship like an aluminum beer can at a Sunday picnic. Careful though, Shenobi fleet ships seem to appear at the most inconvenient times. These alien warships, bristling with enough weaponry to vaporize a small moon, weave through the asteroids with reckless abandon, bent upon your destruction. Even more dangerous are the persistent and seemingly indestructible steel asteroids. These are easily identified by the tell tale “clink” they emit when fired upon, similar to the sound of a `75 Ford Pinto rear ending an M1 Abrams main battle tank. 

Other hazards include exploding super novas, lethal Shenobi autonominous mines, and vortexes hungry for naive space jockeys such as yourself. An encounter with any of the above is enough to drive even the most seasoned space cowboy into a nerve wracking fit of nail biting. Luckily, the powers that be saw fit provide opportunities to beef up your score, and extend your life. Targets of opportunity include comets, score multipliers and ACME supply canisters (yes, the same folks who sold insane amounts of dynamite to that wacky coyote...). Of course you are also responsible for rescuing any fellow Recon patrol ships which may come whirling your way, for as a sworn Border Patrol Recon Pilot it is your duty to scoff at danger and imminent destruction in order to help others. 

The detailed full color animation and fast play action quickly lead to addiction. “Maelstrom features outstanding color graphics, animation and sound. It’s generally regarded as the best shareware arcade game for the Mac and it’s instantly addictive” says ZiffNet Mac ‘s online catalog. This combination of low price, high quality and player satisfaction enables Maelstrom 1.4 to successfully compete with more traditionally distributed gaming software that retails for several times Maelstrom’s $15 price. 

Ambrosia Software, Inc., located in Rochester N.Y., is a small aggressive development company, dedicated to bringing high quality programs to the Macintosh market. Founder Andrew Welch believes in combining electronic art and the Macintosh’s digital audio capabilities with computer animation to give Ambrosia’s entertainment programs the edge in achieving player satisfaction.

Ambrosia Software, Inc. distributes Maelstrom 1.4 and other programs as shareware. Maelstrom 1.4 requires a color capable Macintosh with at least a 256 color monitor, and either System 6 or 7. Maelstrom 1.4 is available on America Online, CompuServe and AppleLink, or it can be ordered directly from Ambrosia Software, Inc. by writing to:

             Screen shot and description taken from Maelstrom press release

     Last night I stayed up and played this game for one straight hour.  Addictive?  I would have to say that the cleanness and completeness of this game are the factors that make it so addictive.  The game is your typical asteroid game with a few twists.  On varying levels different things occur that will either help or hinder your play.  I would have to say that this is the best game in this article, so get yourself a copy and get lost in the addictiveness.

DAVE'S RATING  *****