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 | In 2049 Andre Thelman, one of the world�s three richest men, died ("Eh? But it's only 2003, how do you know that?" "Shut up, it's sci-fi."). During the final years of his life he had a maze built into the gardens of his home, however, this is no Longleat House here, oh no. This maze, called the SNARE, is formed of 20 independent areas floating in a void, linked by teleports and guarded by robots. The surfaces of these areas are covered with pressure-sensitive tiles of various types, but with different effects. And you're the one stuck in it. Great. |  |
 | Thelman was the only one that knew the route through each maze, and all the solutions to the SNARE. It would have been nice if he'd left some clues, but no. Rumour has it that before he died he entered the SNARE one last time, taking one of his most valued possessions to leave hidden there. Many have wondered what this item might be, but none have found out, as nobody who has entered the SNARE has ever returned. Will you be the one to overcome the challenge - or will you be SNARED? |  |
 | The game consists of 20 levels. These levels are grouped together into sets of four, each loading separately (you'd think they'd have worked a way around multi-loads by 2049....). Your ship hovers over the scrolling floor, but is destroyed if it falls down the gaps. Apparently you can't hover over thin air. All turns are made instantaneously, snapping the screen 90 degrees about the ship. You can leave a solid trail behind (or failing that, a trail of vomit, from all that snapping), which has its uses. Your objective on each level is to find the final teleport - two linked, flashing circles. If you lose a ship, the area you are currently in will reset itself to the beginning, and if you have any ships left a new one is teleported to the start. If not, you're not stuck, however, you are given the chance to replay that set again, starting in the first area of the set you�re on, with the lives you had initially, and scoring from zero. How generous Mr. Thelman was. |  |
 | To keep away visitors Thelman incorporated puzzles into each area of the SNARE. It seems that he was hooked on Changing Rooms in his dying days, as the floor of each level is elaborately tiled, and these tiles have different features, most prominently the teleports and switches. Oh, how could I forget, there are the robot guardians too. Each level contains up to four local teleports, which relocate you somewhere within that level, leaving your speed and direction unaltered. |  |
 | There are also four possible switches which transform part of the playfield, and have an on and off state. If you find and pass over a switch, you will activate it, but the ever lurking robot guardians can and will de-activate them. Sneaky sods! Some tiles occasionally transform into energy vents for a short time. Energy can be collected from these by whizzing over them, and if carried out of a level will give you a bonus. The energy in a vent fluctuates and sometimes inverts. Pass over it then and it will remove any bonus charge from your ship, so watch it. Your ship is a sensitive craft, so before each new set of levels you will be informed of any system failures due to the new environment. OK, Mr. Thelman, give me your best shot.... MOZ |  |
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