AGH Atari 2600 Review: AIRLOCK by Data Age In Airlock, you're in command of a crippled nuclear submarine that has come to rest on a ledge perilously close to a gaping hold in the floor of the ocean. Battered by currents welling up from deep inside the earth, water has begun to creep into your vessel in its lowest levels. Your objective is to retrieve the hatch keys on each level and get the heck out before the compartment floods. You also have to avoid the torpedoes which have shaken loose. You'll lose valuable time if you allow them to cross your path. The hatch keys must be recovered in proper order (each key is a different color, the orange one must be retrieved first) and then you make your way to the elevator. You'll basically be doing nothing more than running, jumping and collecting the keys. The keys are slightly out of your reach, so you must move your player directly underneath it and press the fire button. Jumping is also used for avoiding the torpedoes that are constantly in your way, and to move your player over the barriers on each level. If you're struck by a torpedo, you'll be temporarily stunned for a brief period until the player recovers his senses. Airlock is fast moving, and it's quite enjoyable for quick play sessions. You have only ten seconds to complete each level -- what other game do you know of that forces you to finish a level that quick! Fortunately, any unused time at one level is credited to the next. Ironically, this makes completion of the first level far and away the most difficult procedure in the game. Graphics are drab in typical Data Age fashion, and sounds consist of nothing more than blips and beeps. On the other hand, it's one of the better efforts by one of the first casualties of the classic videogame era... although that's not saying much. Title Airlock Publisher Data Age System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 5 Sound 4 Gameplay 5 Overall 5 Reviewer Keita Iida