Earthlight (computer game)

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Earthlight
Slaatn's ship (left) is approached by hostile forces (right)
Developer(s)	Nexus Productions
Publisher(s)	Firebird Software
Designer(s)	Pete Cooke
Release date(s)	1988
Genre(s)	Action game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum
Media	Cassette tape
Input	Computer keyboard, Kempston, Interface II or Cursor joysticks

Earthlight is a computer game published for the ZX Spectrum in 1988 by Firebird Software. It was written by Pete Cooke.

The player takes the role of an alien explorer from the star-system of Arcturus, called Slaatn, who has been drawn off-course by a beam of energy from Earth and has had to make a landing on the moon. Slaatn must neutralise the box-like transmitters and thus eliminate the force field.

The game is a straight foward shooter, similar to Uridium in gameplay, but features Pete Cooke's trademark 3D graphics and presentation. Each object in the playing field casts an accurate shadow – a graphically impressive feat for the ZX Spectrum but also aids the player in determining objects height and depth positions.

[edit] Critical response

CRASH awarded the game 90%, with the reviewers impressed with every aspect of the game, particularly the 3D shaded graphics and the sound effects^[1]. Your Sinclair reviewer Jonathan Davies gave the game 8/10^[2], describing it as a polished game but without the depth of Pete Cooke's previous releases.