ATARI 2600            ODYSSEY 2            INTELLIVISION            COLECOVISION            COMPUTERS

RELEASED: 1983 PROGRAM: Patrick Schmitz FORMAT: Cartridge - EXPERTS CLUB SCORE - 25,000 Points

Many of Imagic's game releases for the Intellivision console ended up being exclusive to the system. They are also the titles that have gained quite a reputation over the years of being some of the best games Imagic ever released. While Ice Trek is a very solid and unique game, it doesn't quite reach the level of quality found in the top tier of Imagic Intellivision titles. In Ice Trek, you take on the role of Vali the Avenger and you must make a trek across the frozen tundra in order to reach the Ice Palace of Kalktron the Terrible and put a stop to his plans of creating another Ice Age. The first level has you skiing through a stampeding herd of Caribou. If you are forced to shoot one of them in self defense, you'll have to deal with the wrath of the Wildlife Goddess. In the next sequence you'll have to use your hook to grab onto the ice blocks, floating across the lake, in order to build a bridge across it to where the Ice Palace resides. Once you're at the Ice Palace, you'll have to toss your fireballs up at it, while avoiding the falling spikes, in your attempt to melt the Ice Palace and stop Kalktron the Terrible once and for all. The visuals and sound effects in Ice Trek are top notch and do a wonderful job of creating a realistic feeling of being out in the frozen landscape. The control is really the only area where the game dips a little bit in quality, as it can be somewhat frustrating to control during the frozen lake level. The other levels control fairly well, but the high level of difficulty, while you're building the ice bridge in the lake level, really brings the entire experience down a couple of notches. Ice Trek is a good game and definitely worth trying out, but it's obviously not going to appeal to just anyone.

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