Alien Highway

Alien Highway: Encounter 2 is an isometric action game released by Vortex in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It was programmed by Mark Haigh-Hutchinson and is the sequel to Highway Encounter.

Developer(s)	Mark Haigh-Hutchinson
Publisher(s)	Vortex Software
Platform(s)	Amstrad CPC ZX Spectrum
Release	1986
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Gameplay is similar to Highway Encounter, with the player controlling a "Vorton" robot in its attempt to deliver a bomb to an alien base at the end of a highway. Various enemies and obstacles lie in its path.

A notable difference is that the player has a single Vorton with an energy meter, instead of five lives; accordingly, the bomb must be pushed by the player, whereas in the previous game it was pushed by the player's spare Vortons.

Development

Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, the developer of the game:

After Highway Costa [Panayi] wanted to come up with something completely different again. Since I was now working full-time for Vortex it was decided that I should write Alien Highway whilst Costa developed his new ideas. I had previously written Android One for the Amstrad CPC (in my spare time at University) and then converted Highway Encounter to the CPC in 8 weeks after graduation. Alien Highway attempted to retain the essence of the original game yet expand the gameplay and introduce a random element into the game. It was also considerably faster than the original.^[1]

Reception

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
Amstrad Action	89%[2]
Amtix	80%[3]
Crash	88%[4]
Computer and Video Games	33/40[5]
Sinclair User	[6]
Your Sinclair	9/10[7]

Awards

Publication	Award
Computer and Video Games	C+VG Hit[8]
Your Sinclair	Megagame[9]

Alien Highway received positive reviews.