Spy Hunter caused quite a stir when it escaped from the arcades in 1985 and landed very successfully on home computers. The Speccy version was a big hit, hugely playable with neat graphics and a pleasing variety of gameplay for a car (and boat) racing game.
Mikrogen thought they'd do their own variant, with a fairly silly name, the following year. Even the load screen is reminiscent of the U.S. Gold title, and also of the Fighting Fantasy book Freeway Fighter. Although to be fair, 1985 also saw the release of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, so they may all ower a debt to Tina Turner and pals. Isn't it time we all got beyond the Thunderdome by now?
Actually Stainless Steel is only half like Spy Hunter. Disappointingly when you start out, assuming you've made it through the rather painful front screen AY music, you're stuck with ol' Shanks' pony. You have to stumble around with your oversized machine gun, taking out helichoppers and angry twirly bots while dodging the invisible bullets. It's rock hard and I don't care for it much. Your radar helps a small amount but even so...urgh.
If you somehow get through it (save scumming, yes) then the game 'proper' can begin. You've got a cute little auto with wings to pilot, shooting helis again and avoiding missiles and angry flashy squares this time. It's faster, so funner, but again rather tough and not exactly Playability City. I got to the end, but there was only a big wall to crash into. I must have missed one heli or square. Or something. NEXT!
Now onto Marauder, a well-received but rarely mentioned Hewson offering from two years later. Alright, it's not massively similar to Spy Hunter and Stainless Steel, but it has a shooty vehicle and scrolls uphill, and I just fancied playing it. "It's my website and I'll be random if I want to".
Oh man, this is so forgiving after stumbling through Stainless Steel. At least you can make some progress without being shredded every few seconds. Your Mad Max Mobile is pretty slow actually, this is no speedfest. You edge your way northwards, taking out enemy gun placements and the odd tank. It's quite sedate really, but the enemies are darn good shots, so you have to keep moving. Especially since if you stay still for 5 seconds or so, an air strike comes over and flames you.
One somewhat leftfield feature is that now and then you can shoot flashy towers, which bestow upon you a random boon or...anti-boon. Yes, you can improve your shields, gain a smart bomb or an extra life, but more often than not you tend to end up losing a life (that's not cool) or having your controls reversed (soooo annoying). I generally leave them well alone as they clearly hate me.
I've managed to blag my way through the first two levels, but stage three is quite the biyatch. Straight after you start, three nasties come and take you from behind, as well as there being mucho gunfire from in front. It's impossibubble. Apparently you need lots of smart bombs. I had one which I fluffed anyway. GAME OVER!
But up to that point it's a lorra fun. There's a cracking AY tune, taking the Sisters Of Mercy's doomy Afterhours and messing with it quite...unmercifully. And it's all graphically smooth and colourful, with well-placed checkpoints, and is quite addictive. So in this battle of the post-apocalyptic blasters, it pretty much blows Mikrogen's contender into the weeds.
THE VERDICT
STAINLESS STEEL 72%
MARAUDER 86%
Top Mad Max stylee artwork too.