Another 3D Box…
Amaurote is a strange little game. There’s something oddly compelling about it that kept pulling me back, time and again, despite its glaring flaws—like major bugs (no pun intended) that could grind your progress to a halt. And yet, on the surface, it’s not exactly a standout title.
In the game, you pilot a vehicle that, for reasons I can’t quite fathom, looks like a donut sprouting legs. Your mission? Clear 25 districts of a sprawling cityscape overrun by an infestation of insects. The action unfolds from a top-down view—unlike the slicker isometric 3D graphics of the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad versions, which frankly outshine this one. You navigate the urban landscape, hunting down bugs and blasting them with bombs. The catch? You can only fire one bomb at a time. Miss your target, and you’re stuck waiting for it to smash into something—like a building—before you can take another shot. Thankfully, a handy scanner at the bottom of the screen points you toward the next insect. Once you’ve exterminated the lot, your final task is to track down the queen. The F3 key targets the nearest insect, F5 locks onto the queen, and F1 brings up a radio menu with a few lifeline options:
1. Request more bombs
2. Supa Bomb
3. Repair
4. Rescue (Quit)
To take out the queen, you’ll need to call in a Supa Bomb. Fire it at the queen to kill her, and the district is yours—on to the next one!
As I mentioned, I found myself returning to Amaurote a lot when I was younger. Maybe it was the eerie, haunting music by David Whittaker that hooked me, or perhaps it was the simple thrill of cruising through the city, venting my frustrations by blowing up buildings and scenery. Whatever it was, it had a pull.
Did I ever finish it? Not a chance. The game’s plagued by a infuriating bug that spawns insects outside the playable area. If one pops up beyond the perimeter fence, you’re out of luck—no amount of skill or patience can save you. All you can do is quit and start over.
Amaurote isn’t the worst Mastertronic game I’ve played—not by a long shot. It gave me some decent entertainment back in the day. Still, I’d call it average at best—a quirky, flawed curiosity that somehow stuck with me.
