[MarkMoxon]

I've always felt that calling Lander a "demo" was harsh. It's a fully featured game in itself, and has features that Zarch doesn't (such as falling rocks and hover mode). Yes, Zarch was the result of continued development of Lander, but Lander stands on its own, and to me, that makes it a game in its own right, not a demo.

It's also a lot more relaxing to play. There's nothing more chill than flying over the bucolic landscape of Lander - no aliens or viruses in this version!

[amiga386]

It's a demo because Braben called it one!

It's technically a game; there's no win condition but there is lose condition (3 lives) and a scoring system.

But I don't think most people play it as a game (aiming to get a new hiscore), they play it as a toy, slowly become more adept at the controls and meander the landscape, the points don't matter.

[MarkMoxon]

OK, I guess if Braben says it's a demo, then it's a demo - fair point!

I still think it's a harsh term, especially when Lander has features that Zarch doesn't, and a really different atmosphere.

Ah well, me and Lander will be hovering here in the corner, throwing rocks at Zarch and all its fancy features. ;-)

[unwind]

Thanks! My memories of "Virus" was that it was super-mega-difficult, but of course it was the late 80s and games were not afraid of having a bit of a learning curve to them. :)