What is The Bottom Shelf? It’s where the older Mac games are usually found at your local software store. The games reviewed in this section have been released for some time now but are still selling, so you should get the Inside (Mac Games) Scoop.
Can’t Keep a Good Game Down
by Robert Lewis
A while back, Casady & Greene released the now classic Crystal Quest. It was the first arcade to take full advantage of the Mac II color ability. Then they added a screen editor and made a great game into an excellent one. Since that time Casady & Greene has lived up to that quality with a release of fine line of entertaining games over the years. Regrettably, some of their games did not survive as the Mac and its operating system evolved. Sky Shadow and Mission Starlight were two such games that met such an untimely death; that is until now. Through some miracle both these games have just been re-released and the action has never been so good.
Sky Shadow (Originally released in 1991)
Your cities have been devastated by the dreaded Razoropers and all has been laid to waste except for your home city and landing strip. You are the only one left who can stand off the evil Razoropers and restore peace to your land. At your command is the mighty one-man combat spaceship Sky Shadow. Sky Shadow is a fast paced, shoot-em-up, Defender style game. Your ship comes complete with 30 bombs, 3 smart bombs, and shields. Besides fighting and protecting your ship from the enemy, you will have to bomb enemy cities for bonus points as you maneuver your Sky Shadow. Bonus points for bombing the enemy are awarded each time you land your ship on your runway.
The graphics are great whether you play on a B&W (earlier version) or color screen. There are also over 500k of sounds. Sky Shadow has the same type of user interface as found in Crystal Quest and allows for two players. I also found the use of a joystick greatly enhances the playability and feel of the game.
There are all sorts of surprises hidden throughout the game just waiting for you to find and use. Each time you think that you have mastered all the nuances, a new one pops up to remind you that you have not. This alone helps to maintain the freshness of the game. Just wait till you hit 100,000 points and enter the Mega Mode. This is a classic Mac arcade game that does not know how to wear out it’s welcome.
Mission Starlight (Originally released in 1991)
Adolph Blitter has taken over the Procyan solar system. On your home planet a rebel alliance grows. Through covert activities you learn that Blitter has placed a power plants on each of the five planets in Procyan solar system. These power plants generate the power needed to run Blitter’s force field and evil space station. A plan of operations develops. It is found that a single ship has a better chance of slipping through Blitter’s defense grid than a group. You have the most experience hopping from planet to planet. The mission is simple; fly your ship to each planet and knock out the generators and then destroy Adolph Blitter’s base of operation. The plan of operation is given the code name Mission Starlight and you are the guinea pig.
Mission Starlight was and still is a unique entry into the Mac arcade library. It combines elements from the classic arcade games Gyrus and Buck Rogers. Unlike most arcade games, this has an ending giving you the ability to beat Blitter at his own game. This is not just another shoot-em-up. You can also save your game as you fight your way from planet to planet and eventually to Adolph himself.
 
My favorite part of the game is when you fly between planets. This is where you pick up the bombs needed to blow up the power plants on each planet and earn bonus points. There are also other types of power pills to eat during this phase of game play that will help you in your quest. One tip: avoid eating the transfer pills.
Once you reach each planet, you will then pilot your ship through the atmosphere and fly your craft close to the ground. This is one of the more difficult portions of the game. Once you destroy all the power plants it will be up to you to go head to head against Blitter and his awesome arsenal of weapons. Just make sure you have enough bombs for this portion or you will never survive. A first person perspective option would have been more interesting than just the over the shoulder angle you are given.
As with Sky Shadow, Mission Starlight was written for the Mac. The graphics are sharp whether you play it in color or B&W (earlier version). Mission Starlight also comes with over 500k of sounds. You will find the addition of a trackball or joystick will increase your chances of surviving your mission. Do you think you can stand up to Adolph?
Pipe Dream (Originally released in 1991)
Pipe Dreams by LucasFilm Games was their first entry in the Macintosh game library. It had (and still does) the right combination of intensity and relaxation to make a good stress-buster. The premise of the game is simple. You are a plumber at a factory which produces a substance called flooz. The production machines have gone crazy and the factory is making flooz faster than they can store it into their tank cars. It is your job to stay ahead of the flooz by building an emergency pipelines and prevent your factory from going down in a sea of flooz.
Pipe Dream consists of 36 different levels and three modes of play. There are seven pipe shapes and special one way and bonus pipes at higher levels. These shapes are generated in random order. At higher levels you also have to deal with different types of obstacles and reservoirs. The reservoirs helps to slow the progress of the flooz. Each time you complete five levels of play, you are rewarded with a bonus round.
 
Another great aspect of this game is that it is not an IBM port. It was completely redrawn for the Mac. The music and sound effects really enhance the game. There is also a unique two player mode. You can either compete with the other person or put your heads together and work as a team to beat the flooz.
This is a great laid-back type of game. It also helps to develop (or sharpen) your spatial ability in planning future placement of your pipes. Who would expect anything less in quality when it bears the name LucasFilm? So grab your plumbers tools and see if you can stay one step ahead of the flooz.
