The Collection Chamber: CYBERCON III

"One day intelligent machines will take over the world..."
H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

"I have!"
Cybercon III (2011-?)

You have bravely volunteered to execute 'Operation Nemesis'. To neutralize the merciless Super Defence computer gone mad : Cybercon III.

Equipped with your enhanced power armor salvaged from the wreckage of Cybercon III's onslaught, you must penetrate the defence complex protecting Cybercon III's brain stem and deactivate it.

Cybercon III is a game of epic proportions and features:

Real World - The ultimate 3D environment containing the fastest, smoothest scrolling 3D graphics ever seen.

Battle and puzzle your way through a huge complex of over 400 unique locations.

Intelligent defences that react to every move you make.

Sampled sound fx.

Unique 'Picture in Picture' mode. Allows you to monitor enemy movements.

Over 1/3 million lines of code compressed into this program!

~from the back of the box

It may shock some of you, but there were plenty FPS's before Wolfenstein 3D came along in 1992. A year before that, Cybercon III came to the Atari ST and Amiga with an improved DOS port the next year. The simple polygonal visual style still holds up to this day but underneath all of that is a richly complex classic.

I don't use those adjectives lightly. The deceptively rich cyberpunk story has you infiltrating the corridors of a building-sized computer that has taken over the world. The complex gameplay mechanics are some of the most convoluted I've seen, but they aid in a game that much more about puzzle-solving than non-stop action. Combined with some simplistically pleasing 3D graphics and you have a game that cannot be anything other than a classic patiently waiting to be rediscovered.

Originally designed to help humanity, the world-destroying AI named Cybercon III now holds society captive under its own arbitrary rules like the darkest outcome of Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics. Somewhere in its cybernetic innards is its brain stem and you have to get there and destroy it by way of obtuse puzzle-solving and complex - bordering on convoluted - combat.

You know you're in for a complex game when the

back of the box goes into minute detail about the HUD.

The HUD has a number of icons and options with which to interact with the game world. There's so much to get to grips with that even the back of the box has a detailed description of the game screen. It can confuse first-time players who didn't take the time to read and memorise the manual but once you get it, it becomes an intensely involving experience.

Out of the Amiga and DOS versions, I found the latter to be the better experience. The Amiga is uncracked, meaning you'll have to keep the Codewheel handy every time you come across a locked door. The DOS version, on the other hand, allows you to enter any code to get by thanks to an ancient patch already applied to it. That, and it looks far better makes it the one to play. You'll still need to use these icons (which span across the entire keyboard or cycled through using the < and > keys) in other areas though.

The rest of the controls are outside of the norm too. Change the icons at the top into glyphs and one of them will act as a weapon of sorts. Couple this with the slippery movements and you'll be scrambling at the keyboard each time you play.

Cybercon III is not for everyone. It's a slow, thoughtful experience that requires a lot from the player. It's puzzle design, combat mechanics and user interface all take a lot of getting used to but if you have the time to get into it, there's a lot to recommend.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the PC version to modern systems and FS-UAE to emulate the Amiga version. Manual, Addendum and Online Codewheel included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 23.52 Mb. Install Size: 45 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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