Into The Eagle's Nest

'Allo 'Allo!

Into the Eagles Nest is an overhead Gauntlet-like shooter set within a castle, heavily occupied by hundreds of Nazi soldiers. Our orders are simple: infiltrate the castle, rescue three allied soldiers, and then detonate the hidden explosives. Well, leaving without blowing the place to kingdom come would just be rude!!

As soon as the game begins, the battle is on against an onslaught of soldiers who eagerly patrol the dingy corridors. Sneaking into the enemy's lair was the easy part; now we've gotta blast through, guns blazing, to rescue our fellow Allied soldiers before General Von Klinkerhoffen orders their execution (geddit?).

The overhead perspective works a treat, especially for the first screenshot...

Look for keys, health and ammo because you never know what's gonna happen next!

Search, Shoot, Kill

As you explore, look for anything that may assist: the health packs help repair hits you've endured. An ammo stash will replenish your Nazi-killing abilities. Of course, elevator keys need no explanation, but don't be quick to use these because you should fully explore the current level (more than you might realise).

Don't forget to disable the messages telling you what item has been collected... so annoying!!

Sometimes it pays shoot less and think more. For example: use door keys wisely. These unlock parts of the map out of limits, but some doors were bought from Ikea and need a little gun love to bust open!! Not all the enemy wander the corridors looking for trouble; some soldiers have had too much beer and fallen flat-out cold drunk. An easy target or unnecessary if low on ammo? Remember to watch the status panel because you can withstand 50 hits, which sounds a lot, but even Rambo would die without a careful tactical approach.

Enough reading as it's time for another screenshot, so brace yourself...

Shoot the barrels and make your way to a secret area with items to collect.

Aesthetics

The graphics are superbly 8-bit. Everything is clunky and big, and the backdrops are gorgeous, representing the castle perfectly. However, it's the objects and enemy sprites that steal the show, from the soldiers and discarded items of food, gold, etc/etc. However, best of all, those guys slumped out drunk!

As for the audio, the title screen music is flunky, but good. I'm more of a chip guy, but I still liked it. In-Game sound effects are all samples and really nice too, but I miss a background chippy tune if I'm honest.

I hope you're enjoying this, Mr ST Nutter? If not, why are you still here? Oh, for the screenshot...

Sneak by and pinch their food [oddly on the floor]. Hang on, they're asleep? BAM BAM BAM!!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a classic game that’s easy to rate because it’s an excellent thinker-shooter with loads of covert action. Pure enjoyment, that's challenging, and utterly engrossing for the most determined players.

Stop reading this review and play the game. Yes, right now.

Grab this cracker on a floppy or hard drive.