.38 Ambush Alley

About

.38 Ambush Alley is a shooter simulator designed for the Action Max console. You watch a VHS tape on your television while holding a plastic gun attached to the screen. A sensor reads your movements to count hits or friendly fire as you play through a police training exercise. The story places you as a rookie officer in a mock city where you must shoot mannequin targets while avoiding civilian figures. This title stands out because it turns passive video watching into an interactive test of accuracy. You cannot change the footage yourself, but your score depends entirely on how well you react to the scenes playing on screen. The first few minutes serve as a calibration routine before the actual training begins at the academy. It is a strange mix of film and hardware that feels more like a practical exam than a traditional video game.

Storyline

The first three minutes of the video, as with all Action Max tapes, is a calibration routine, and instructional video. Gameplay begins at a police academy, with the player in the roll of an unnamed rookie. The officer in charge explains that the toughest test a trainee will face is at "a little place called Ambush Alley". Ambush Alley turns out to be a mock city, where trainees must shoot humanesque targets, and avoid shooting civilian targets. The trainees eventually progress to an area consisting of mannequins, rather than paper targets, with the police officer in charge instructing the player on where to shoot, pantomiming a real-life police combat situation. The tape ends with credits, and previews of other Action Max titles.