Cybergenic Ranger. (computer game) (evaluation)
by Tom Campbell

A massive, state-of-the-art arcade game, Cybergenic Ranger consumes almost five megabytes of disk space, requires at least a 12-MHz machine with EGA video (VGA is infinitely better), and deserves every bit of the pampering you give it.

The story is lovingly detailed in a professionally produced comic book, a comic that also serves as copy protection (you have enter a randomly chosen word from the book before you can start). While the plot is pulp, the graphics are (dare I say it?) out of this world. If you've been waiting for a game whose makers had the guts to leave CGA behind, wait no longer. Cybergenic Ranger features scrolling backgrounds for a true arcade 3-D effect. As you move the character through scenery, objects further back move more slowly than objects near the front. Digitized music plays remarkably well through the PC speaker, though of course the Sound Blaster and Ad Lib boards offer superior sound.

While there are some hohum space battles, interesting travel on the surface of seven different moons and planets more than compensates. Quick-moving, 256-color monsters left me with the impression that I should have been feeding quarters into my 386; Cybergenic Ranger pushes the machine to the limit and is every bit as exciting as a visit to your neighborhood arcade.