Tornado: Low Level Review

By Peter Parrish Published 24 October, 2007

Just wing it.

Version tested: Retro

Amongst this Top 50 you'll probably stumble across a fair few instances of reviewers hailing spectacular graphics, the staggering use of 48K of memory, or acts of maverick genius. Well, add Tornado Low Level (T.L.L.) to the exulted selection of games which exhibit all three, because here comes some incredulous praise.

Alright, it's based around flying a hi-tech aircraft and attacking targets on a map - nothing amazing to report there. Except the map is vibrantly colourful and the world is portrayed three-dimensionally with eight directions of travel as well as horizontal and vertical axes. And it effortlessly scrolls at speed without any slow-down. That, my friends, is incredible.

After fuelling up on the runway (or excitedly taking off with no juice and instantly crashing if you're, for example, an idiot), your task is to zoom around the nearby region and pick off a series of targets by flying really low over them. Really, REALLY low over them. So low that the pilot could reach out and grab a handful of grass if he felt like it.

'Tornado: Low Level' Screenshot 1

In a truly 3D world this is a keen test of skill. Almost every part of the map is a dangerously inert opponent. Hills, pylons, buildings - they may look pretty, but they're all out to ensure that your plane becomes a fiery, plummeting tomb. It takes a deft hand and considerable practise to pick off the objectives which lurk between some telephone wires and a prosperous spinney.

Gorgeous, absorbing and, despite the subject matter, surprisingly non-violent; to this day it seems astonishing that T.L.L. can be run with the modest power of a Spectrum.

9 / 10

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About Peter Parrish

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Comments (8) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • William #1 4 years ago

    IIRC, the usage of 48K memory was not so much for the game itself, but to prevent standard copying programs from being able to load and then save the game; it left no RAM for these copying programs. TLL used 48K by including a loading screen as part of the taped' file, and loading the full 48Kbyte from 0x4000 onwards.
    This mechanism could easily be defeated by loading the game a few KB lower ("on top of the ROM";), and placing a copying program high in memory.
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/07 @ 22:05

  • steellam #2 4 years ago

    Interesting, I think most of my copied games were done with 2 casette players wired together tho ?

  • tomdominer #3 4 years ago

    I cannot believe that they could review this and leave out cyclone? Idiots.

  • CatWeazle #4 4 years ago

    Android 2 was pretty good too

  • Blerk #5 4 years ago

    Vortex really knew their Spectrum, that's for sure. I like Cyclone better, though.

  • moggsy #6 4 years ago

    This was a brilliant game. As has been said though Cyclone was better...

  • Matfink #7 4 years ago

    Yer - wasn't all this technical wizardry released quite early on in the Speccy's life cycle too?!
    Fooking ridiculously hard game though... :o

  • Carpathian #8 4 years ago

    I seem to remember that some of the targets were absolute bitches to get at - they were possible, but certainly a serious challenge. At the time it was quite a title to show off to your mates......