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T his is a game without a story. There are no aliens to conquer and no riches to be made. Deflektor is an out and out puzzle game.
It takes place on a grid containing a laser emitter and collector. The collector is blocked by some kind of obstacle, which is only removed once all the round ‘cells’ in the grid have been destroyed using the beam. It’s deflected by a series of rotating mirrors and sent through a series of objects (converters, refractors, etc).

Whatever you do, don’t let it overload by reflecting into itself and watch out for the gremlins!

Zzap, Issue 48, April 1989, p.30

I'm the first to enjoy a good puzzle game (well, that is if Kati and Maff don’t get there first) and Deflektor gives the impression that it’s going to be a cracker. The graphics are very tidy indeed filling the screen with colourful sprites, but the sound could be better – it seems to go on and on. The game itself is easy to pick up thanks to the obvious objectives and well implemented control method, but the thing is that it stays easy. I managed to plough through too many levels too quickly. Hard luck, Gremlin, but in my view Deflektor is just that bit too boring.


Here we are with another of my weaknesses – puzzle games. We’ve had our fair share of decent puzzles recently, what with Oops and Bombuzal. Now, after a long wait Gremlin have converted Deflektor to the Amiga. The action is fairly straightforward and easy to get into, with nicely defined and coloured graphics. The sound is OK, if a little repetitive (you can’t turn it off) but the real problem is that it’s just a bit too easy – I managed to get to level 43 on my first go. It is still a great puzzle game, though, and definitely deserves the attention of puzzle fans.

PRESENTATION 61%
Good layout and a great control system, but little in the way of options.
GRAPHICS 75%
Clear and concise with nicely coloured sprites and borders.
SOUND 33%
A boppy tune which very quickly becomes annoying.
HOOKABILITY 87%
Very easy to get into and compulsive for a while.
LASTABILITY 46%
Should not take too long for experienced puzzlers to complete the game.
OVERALL
68%
Not a bad puzzle game, but it shouldn’t be as easy as it is.

Title Deflektor
Game Type Puzzle
Publisher Prism
Players 1
Compatibility OCS (WHDLoad patch available)
HD Installable No (WHDLoad patch available)
Submission Tom Waddington (tom@waddie.org.uk)

Review
Deflektor is one of the oldest, creakiest-looking, sub-Atari ST ports that
the Amiga has ever seen. It looks almost identical to the C64 version,
it's full of the kind of metallic graphics that were popular in the days
of Red Sector Demo Maker and the sound is pitiful. Fortunately, the
presentation doesn't get in the way of the gameplay.

The idea is to rotate various mirrors scattered across the screen so that
a beam of light is deflected from the starting point to the end point
before your energy runs out. There are walls and various other objects
which hinder this task and other objects that the beam has to cross for
the level to be complete.

Now, normally I hate puzzle games, particularly games like this that at
first glance seem too overcomplicated to be enjoyable. After all, the best
puzzlers (Tetris, Atomino, Puzznic and so on) gain much of their
playability from the myriad possiblities that can be created from a
handful of easily understood concepts. A game like Deflektor, which
constantly throws up new things for you to deal with, would appear to have
messed with that formula too much.

Thankfully, that is not the case. The game has been well thought out, so
that each puzzle is made up of many smaller puzzles (in much the same way
as Lemmings, say). This means that you have a constant sense of
achievement even within a single level as you get that bit closer to
directing your beam towards the goal. Of course, on later levels what you
think is the next task often takes you in the wrong direction, encouraging
lateral thinking.

Rather than overcomplicating the game, the occasional new element has you
bouncing your beam off it just out of curiosity, then trying to fit its
behaviour into your strategy. The early levels are simple, but challenging
enough to whet your appetite and before you know it you're addicted.

Best of all, since I bought it as a re-release on the Prism Pocket Power
label, it only cost 2.99. I've bought PD games that cost more than that.
Fantastically addictive and a bargain into the, er, bargain.

Admittedly, Deflektor is no Tetris or Gem'X but it's a damn fine little
puzzler none the less.