Highway Patrol II

Correct me if I go wrong willya?

I recall this game as one with a cop hunting criminals first with car and the inside building
using either a gun or a net to capture.

If I am wrong what is this game?
Where can I download it?

[Tim Janssen]

The game you describe could be Technocop by Gremlin, 1988. It is a very violent game with gallons of blood and gore.
Read the Zzap! Technocop review for more info.

It was a great game, you had to race to the point where the criminal was. After the first level your car was equiped with a gun to help you race to the scene.

The walk through levels were good as well but a bit anoying as you didn't know exactly where the lifts went so it was a bit "trial and error" but it was good when you found the criminal, you had the option of turning him into goo or capturing him with the net. HQ didn't really like the former choice and they'd let you know.

I think it was aimed at adults more than kids because the levels had "ladies of the night" leaning against the walls in the walkthrough levels and people who were shot turned into entrails.

A Quality game.

[Amiga1992]

I never played Technocop, it sounds pretty interesting, I might give it a try!

Keystone Capers meets Chase HQ?

[Tim Janssen]

Technocop is one of the ancient games I inherited a couple of months ago. I have not spent many time playing the game.
Gibby, thanks for the information about the purpose of the game. This weekend I will try to play it a bit longer than 5 minutes.

What attracted me to the game was the fluent transition from one gamegenre into an other. You start driving a souped-up red car with a large rocket launcher attached to it. The scene is viewed 3D into-the-screen (like in Lotus Turbo Challenge 1, 2, 3). After dodging some vehicles and tracing the enemy your car slows down. The door opens, the hero walks to the right, enters a building and the game turns into a horizontal scrolling action game. Shooting enemies into bloody goo is also hilarious: they scream, wave their hands in the air and then turn into a bloody heap. Definitely the most bloody Amiga game I have in my collection.

[Twistin'Ghost]

Yes, in my early Amiga days, I spent inordinate amounts of time affixed to this wonderful game! The gore was quite ahead of its time, but it was in no way lacking in involving gameplay. I may even have to dig up this classic again and have another nostalgic go at it myself. Might ease the tension of such a horrid work week. I can pretend I am apprehending my boss...which means no net.



I feel better already...

[Burge]

I too loved this game many eons ago. It seemed so realistic and scary. Damn it was hard. I loved the way you could use a gun or a net to catch people like Houdini and other type villains. But alas, my copy got corrupted and have only started playing it again through WinUAE. An all time great.

P.S. Anyone know how to change your weapon to net in the emulated version?

this was permormed
by pressing Space key.

You do happen to know what space-key is don't cha?

[Tim Janssen]

Hi Muzkat,
Yes, the Technocop review in Zzap! is quite offputting. But then again that magazine is notorious for slagging off games.
I too think they were a bit harsh and it deserved better. The game has its faults, though. I think the timelimit is too tight and our cop is not so responsive to joystick controls.

You wrote you got up to Level 8. -Now that is quite an archievement :gamer. I doubt many people got that far.
I have tried to play this game but I find it very difficult to finish a level. Everytime I enter a building I waste too much time shooting all punks into bloody pulp. Meanwhile the criminal I am chasing at has left the building. Soon (after taking the occasional damagepoint) I get the 'Game Over' message on my screen. I have to admit I am not good at this game.

[Muzkat]

I'm not sure if it was exactly level 8, but it was around that mark...one day I'll play the game again on my old Amiga 500 and tell you about it. I love creating excuses to play computer games!

As others have said, due to the STRICT time limits imposed, the game becomes very trial and error-ish on the platform levels. There is usually one path which leads to the criminal, and you have to find it. That means that you don't have to kill every villain in the building- catching the level boss is the objective.

A good point in the game is that you don't have to actually catch these bosses in order to continue- if s/he gets away, you can still proceed to the next level. But it's advisable to try to make the arrest, as you will be awarded with extra lives, energy, and car weapons, such as auto fire, turbo charger and pnuematic rams.

If you find yourself taking alot of hits, I always found it useful to fire while crouched- even if an enemy is right up to you, this will help. You have to figure out other strategies for the level bosses though.

Hope that helps!

[Tim Janssen]

Crouching and then pressing the fire-button? Why don't I have come up with that before? I think this will be a very good strategy indeed. I will try it out this weekend. Many thanks.

[Muzkat]

I just downloaded Highway Patrol 2, and it looks like an O.K game. I have one problem though.

How do you find the crim you are chasing? There are two sets of information at the top of the screen, with numbers and compass directions. I guess it has something to do with them?

[Amiga1992]

That game looks like a ripoff of the newest ChaseHQ game (can't remember its real name, I think it was named Super Chase HQ on the SNES)

[Muzkat]

I never played that Akira, but I once saw a brief review of it on an Aussie video game reviewing show called the Zone. They thought it was O.K. The difference in the new Chase HQ was that you played from inside the car, instead of outside it.

PS I still like giving Chase HQ 1 + 2 a run on my A500. The first is practically arcade perfect!