Issue No. 10 November 1984

FEATURES

BATTLEFIELD JOYSTICK
The Crash Review Team report on joysticks

SABRE WULF MAP
The results of our competition for the ACG amulet

THE PIRACY DOSSIER
The questionnaire reveals all

REGULARS

EDITORIAL
And indexes

CRASH FORUM
The letters get hotter

NEWS INPUT
A brief roundup for the month, plus the PCW show

ADVENTURES OF JETMAN
Is he the ultimate lunar-tic?

PLAYING TIPS
Plus the Hall of Slime

ADVENTURE TRAIL
Derek Brewster goes to Hampstead — plus Signpost

CRASH HOTLINE & ADVENTURE CHARTS

FRONT LINE
More strategical thinking from Angus Ryall

THE TERMINAL MAN
The Arcadians battle on...

DIY

THE CRASH QUIZ
and results

GO SUB HUNTING
with Micromart and win a game or even a flight

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER?
200 Arcade horrors to win from P.S.S.

A GUIDE FOR GUIDO
A chance to win Blaby’s new game

DALEY THOMPSON’S DECATHLON
On your marks with Ocean’s get fit game

DESIGN A NEW ARCADE HERO
from Gremlin Graphics for money, fame and games

WAKE UP WITH DREAM SOFTWARE
and win £500 worth of games

BLADE THE WARRIOR
a chance for adventurers with Cable Software

RISE ABOVE THE WAVES WITH ATLANTIS
and loads of games to be won

THE GREAT SPACE RACE IS ON
Legend will put a shirt on your back...

REVIEWS

CRASH SMASHES
Pyjamarama, Delta Wing, Avalon, Booty, Combat Lynx, Jasper, Kentilla

- AVALON, Hewson Consultants
- BATTLE 1917, CCS
- BEACH HEAD, US Gold
- BOOTY, Firebird
- COMBAT LYNX, Durell
- CONFLICT, Martech
- CONQUEST, Cheetahsoft
- CRUSOE, Automata
- DALEY THOMPSON’S DECATHLON, Ocean
- DANGERMOUSE (IN DOUBLE TROUBLE), Creative Sparks
- DELTA WING, Creative Sparks
- DEUS EX MACHINA, Automata
- EMPIRES, Imperial Software
- ENDURO, Activision
- FINAL MISSION, Incentive
- FOREST AT WORLD’S END, Interceptor
- GHOST RIDER, Positive Image
- GROUND ZERO, Artic
- GUIDO, Blaby
- HAMPSTEAD, Melbourne House
- H.E.R.O., Activision
- HUBERT, Blaby
- JASPER, Micromega
- KENTILLA, Micromega
- MRS MOPP, Atlantis
- PIONEER, Atlantis
- PSYTRAXX, The Edge
- PYJAMARAMA, Mikro-Gen
- RIVER RAID, Activision
- RUBY RUNABOUT, Scorpio
- STARBIKE, The Edge
- STRIKE ATTACK 2, Micromart
- SUBHUNTER, Micromart
- SUPERMUTT, Silversoft
- TRON, Blaby
- WAR 70, CCS
- WRATH OF MAGRA, Mastervision
- ZENJI, Activision
- ZOMBIE ZOMBIE, Quicksilva

Editor

Roger Kean

Consultant editor

Franco Frey

Production designer

David Western

Art editor

Oliver Frey

Adventure editor

Derek Brewster

Staff Writer

Lloyd Mangram

Contributing writers

Matthew Uffindell, Chris Passey

Client liaison

John Edwards

Subscription manager

Denise Roberts

Circulation manager

Tom Hamilton

Cover by

Oliver Frey

Transcriptions

Matthew Wilson and Dave Foreman, http://www.crashonline.org.uk/

Additional review transcriptions

Chris Bourne, http://www.zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/

THE PIRACY DOSSIER

FEW SUBJECTS in this business have aroused as much controversy as that of illegal software copying, or tape piracy as it is more popularly known. Software houses actively engaged in trying to stamp it out would prefer it to be known as software theft, believing that the word ‘piracy’ has romantic overtones making tape thieves feel more like Robin Hoods. Various estimates have been made as to the financial loss to the industry caused by commercial and home copying — some as high as £100m a year.

The response to our questionnaire in issue 8 (September) has been surprisingly high considering that we were asking people to display their dishonesty in public as it were! The results are interesting, perhaps even alarming, and will certainly serve to reinforce everyone’s prejudices depending on which side of the fence you happen to sit.

Before we dive into the results, here are two letters which we feel neatly state the two most popular views held on the subject. The first is from Shahid Ahmad, a programmer who writes games for Software Projects. It is a letter in savage response to that from Paul Watts (which appeared in the CRASH forum September issue*) who accused software houses of ripping people off with their prices. The second letter came attached to one of the questionnaire forms and is, naturally anonymous. It states, somewhat more sensibly than Paul Watts managed, the opposite side of Shahid’s argument.

[The original letter was not reproduced in the original CRASH 10 — it is, however, at the end of this article for completeness.]

Dear Sir,
Despite my initial anger, please read this letter thoroughly! Let me say first of all that, frankly, Paul Watts is so full of ****, he doesn’t know the first thing about the piracy situation and I would love to castrate him personally. Now that I have let off some steam, I shall justify my cynical attack on this scum.

Let me get straight first of all. I am a games designer and programmer working for Software Projects Ltd., and I have a couple of very good games under my belt, the most notable being the CBM64 version of Jet Set Willy.

Large software houses are not faceless organisations with money to burn, and they are not in the business for exploitation purposes. Yes, Software Projects are in the software field for the purpose of making money, but in the end it is you, the consumer, who decides upon how successful we become. If a game is of poor quality then a magazine such as yourselves will slag the program off, inevitably creating a loss of sales for that piece of software. In the end, no one is pointing a gun at people’s heads saying, ‘buy my software or face the consequences.’ THE CONSUMER PAYS HIS MONEY AND MAKES HIS CHOICE.

Now let me refer to Mr. Watts letter where he quite stupidly says, ‘The pirates take some of this profit away, but the only reason they can do this is because the consumer DOES NOT WISH TO PAY THE HIGH PRICES ASKED FOR GAMES.’

I mean, for God’s sake man, you are saying that the consumer is a common thief! Everything is expensive these days, but Mr. Watts, are you saying that you would go into a grocers and take the food that you need to eat, simply because the cost of living is so high? Would you steal because of this sick excuse of yours?

The case is simple. Software is expensive because of a variety of reasons. This expense does not give you the right to steal someone’s program.

I’m not a millionaire programmer. This statement is a myth. Eugene Evans would have been lucky, very lucky to earn £5,000 a year for his crummy games let alone the ludicrous quoted figure of £35,000. So if you steal a program, Mr. Watts, you are not robbing a faceless corporation — you are robbing ME. I do not make a fortune out of writing games — yes, the rewards are potentially enormous (my good friend Matthew Smith will testify to that!), but there is little room for success with such a fiercely competitive market.

Now, getting back to the manufacturing costs. Software Projects do not get £5.95 for each copy of Jet Set Willy sold. The retailer gets a massive 50% of this (sometimes more). This leaves SP with a paltry £2.98. Out of this figure goes 15% VAT leaving £2.53. Then goes my potential royalty of, let’s say, 35p which leaves £2.18. Now deduct the price of getting the cassette duplicated and having a 4-colour inlay made. This takes a further 60p chunk out of that figure, leaving £1.58. Now deduct the massive cost of an advertising campaign, rent, electricity, food, staff wages (which are not abnormally large, may I say), phone bills, rates, expenses, piracy, overheads etc. etc. etc.

It takes a lot of money to produce a cassette and keep a company running, and in the end SP make about as much profit on a tape as I do. Do you get the message Watts?

I have made a few points, all significant, and if I sound angry, it is because Paul Watts is simply out of his league. He is a complete amateur when it comes to this subject and he doesn’t know the first thing about software piracy or theft. Finally, I’d like to state that all these views and comments are from my point of view only, and do not necessarily represent the views of Software Projects Ltd.

I challenge Mr. Watts publicly to defend himself, but frankly, I think he may as well surrender now, as I have used barely any of my ammunition.

Yours faithfully, Shahid Ahmad, London NW1

Sir,
In the spirit of anonymity with which you questionnaire was framed I have decided to enclose this letter.

The law of copyright suffers from one defect: it is not against the moral code. Criminal law can divide its offences into two groups the moral and administrative. Moral laws are those against theft, violence etc. but, contrary to what might be thought, they are not obeyed because we respect the law but because they are morally wrong.

Consequently few people actually commit such offences. If they did the police could not cope. Administrative laws are those that help regulate the socio-economic structure of society or lead to it running smoothly. In this country it is illegal to drive on the right of the road. In France the opposite is illegal. This is not to say that either one or the other is wrong. They are in fact both right as their purpose is to ensure conformity, to make traffic run smoothly. In fact it does not matter which side of the road we drive on as long as it is the same. Copyright merely enforces conformity to a capitalist economy, in effect ensuring profits temporarily. Thus the software houses are foolish if they think that stiffer penalties are going to stop piracy. The public sector has long experience of enforcing administrative law. Since there is no moral compunction to obey two methods have been devised: one) make detection easier thereby increase the deterrent aspect of sentencing (e.g. breathalysers, spot checks etc.), and two) make the offence more difficult to commit (e.g. put bumps in the road to enforce speed limits). Therefore, software houses must develop effective anti-piracy devices such as encryption, dongles etc. and ensure detection through paying informants and the use of spies. If the latter strategy is to be effective then the methods of enforcement must be used against the home copier. The problem is that there would be a public outcry and this is a part of the law that record companies have always shrunk from enforcing. So realistically the only things that the software companies can do is use more sophisticated protection and attack the commercial pirates.

In favour of the software houses I would say that they have a bigger problem than the recording companies in that a copy (especially because of tape-copiers) is as good if not superior than the original and indeed can even be improved by copying to another media such as microdrive. Records, however, lose quality and, therefore, if I really want a record I will buy it rather than put up with an inferior taped copy. However, unlike a record, I must buy software sight unseen or go by reviewers’ comments.

This comparison with records also holds the key to another issue: the volume of piracy. The software houses produce figures such as ‘£100m a year lost through taping’, but is this true? As a professional compiler of statistics I think I have the right to question the soundness of such information. In my questionnaire I have indicated that about half the value of my collection is in pirates. I know that most of my friends have a greater proportion. The software houses presumably use the logic ‘take last year’s sales and multiply by X’. This is not good enough however. Out of my entire software library there are actually few programs I use. I would put the figure at about seven out of one hundred and ten, of the seven two are pirates. I have recently become much more selective in buying or copying programs. My rule is that if the program is one I’m not going to use I do not bother. Most of my copying is in point of fact little more than stamp collecting. If my only option was to buy a program I would probably buy very few more than now. I would probably swap much more. At the end of the day copying only reduces profits if it prevents sales. Commercial piracy operations undoubtedly do this. I doubt though that home taping does. If I could not copy from friends I would simply borrow. If a program was really good I would buy it (but this would be very rare). Also remember that a record can be played on any machine a program can only be run on one micro.

To conclude let me say that I believe commercial piracy to be wrong because it is done for gain and that it does present a problem to software houses. I doubt very much, though, that home copying does.

THE HACKER’S APPRENTICE

THE RESULTS

The following statistics have been collated from 300 questionnaire forms returned at the time of writing. More forms are still arriving at this time, but the significant percentages probably wouldn’t be affected very much.

1. Do you think home copying is harmful to the software business?
YES 52%
NO 39.84%
DON’T KNOW 8.2%

2. Is there a difference between home copying and commercial piracy?
YES 94.9%
NO 3.14%
DON’T KNOW 1.96%

3. If ‘yes’ to the above, do you think commercial piracy is more or less harmful than home copying?
MORE 92.28%
LESS 4.4%
ABOUT THE SAME 3.25%

4. Do you make copies because...
A) originals are beyond your resources — 46.44%
B) you resent paying the full price — 37.08%
C) you just enjoy making copies — 9.74%
A & B) 6.784%

5. Do you actually make illegal copies...
A LOT 48.25%
OCCASIONALLY 46.30%
NEVER 5.45%

6. How many originals do you own and how many illegal copies?
ORIGINALS 4,195
ILLEGAL COPIES 16,725

7. Do you produce copies...
A) strictly for you own use — 58.8%
B) to give to friends — 35.56%
C) to sell to others — 5.63%

8a. If you make copies, how many would you usually make from one original?
67.62% said 1 copy
15.5% said 2 copies
6.15% said 3 copies
2.8% said 4 copies
5.33% said 5 copies
2.46% said 6 copies or more

8b. How do you produce your copies?
A) Tape to tape — 27.69%
B) Tape copier — 31.6%
C) Break and resave — 8.47%
A & B) 23.13%
A & C) 9.12%

9. What is the total value of your collection (including illegal copies)?
Total collated value — £121,194

10. And what portion of the value is in illegal copies?
Total collated value — £96,436

11. Where do you get your copies from?
A) Home — 16.86%
B) school — 30%
C) computer club — 6.29%
D) friend’s house — 45.43%
E) office/lending library — 1.14%

12. Would you still copy games if they were much cheaper?
YES 41.8%
NO 45.12%
POSSIBLY 13%

ANALYSIS

It’s interesting to note that slightly over half believe that home copying is harmful to the software business in general (Q1), and yet a substantial 45% would still copy games even if they were cheaper. A significant number of returned forms added a note to this question along the lines that the more protection given a game, the harder they would try to break in and copy it! These two statistics taken together with the figure (still very high) who obviously believe that home copying is not harmful, reflects the widely held belief that even if no one copied games illegally, the sales figures would not rise substantially. In other words, people are already buying as much software as they are ever likely to. It’s a moot point.

Commercial pirates (Q2) are seen as overwhelmingly harmful. Revolving around this thorny problem is the evident fact that whereas home copying IS seen in an ‘innocent’ light (only 5.6% actually sell any copies) commercial pirates are in the illegal business for financial gain at others’ expense. A rather odd sense of honour perhaps?

The age old argument of software cost is central to many on the questions asked and a huge 90% (Q4) said that software is either beyond their resources or that they resent paying the full price. Almost everyone admitted to making copies although well over half do for their own use only. The much maligned computer club only accounts for a surprisingly small percentage of obtained copies — schools, however, are the worst offending institution.

Perhaps the most alarming statistics are those for the value of collections. The 300 collated forms came to represent a staggering total of over £121,000 market value with over £96,000 of it being in illegal copies. The first figure checks out well against the total number of units claimed by the respondents — 20,920 multiplied by an average price of £6 equals £125,520 value. Looking at both sets of figures it is easy to see that only one quarter of copies owned are shop bought ones. If we extrapolate the figures of our 300 collated forms 30,000 people (a hit game may expect to sell this many originals) it would reflect a total owned value of £12 million, £9½ of which would be illegal! The averages show an ownership level of 14 originals and 55 illegals per person.

An important thing to bear in mind is that the 300 collated forms only represent a small fraction of the CRASH readership and it would be a mistake to assume that all our readers, indeed all Spectrum owners, are illegally copying games at the rates suggested by these results. A natural inaccuracy is apparent in the fact that the questionnaire prompted copiers to reply, and significantly NO forms were returned by readers saying that they did not ever make copies. There must be many such!

Paul Watts’ original letter from the CRASH 8 FORUM, along with Lloyd Mangram’s response:

Dear Sir,
I find it slightly ridiculous that you are showing such sentiment to software houses. They went into business to make a profit, not to produce great games out of the goodness of their hearts. The pirates take some of this profit away, but the only reason they can do this is because the consumer does not wish to pay the high prices asked for games. Yes, Spectrum software is the cheapest around but still, at £5 upwards, the average child is not going to think twice before he or she tapes a friend’s game.

The pirate exists because the price has been forced too high for the consumer to be prepared to buy. The only way, therefore, to get rid of the pirate is to cut the price or offer incentives (like prizes) which the pirates’ games will not qualify for.

The software houses must realise that they have this competition rather than bleating to the press. I am quite sure that if the pirating were impossible the average price of Spectrum software would actually rise.

How can anyone blame the consumer for thinking prices are too high when they see Imagine’s directors riding about on custom-built motorbikes and games having giant ad campaigns lavished on them?

So it is time to stop feeling sorry for the poor little software house, they are running a business and, believe me, they wouldn’t hesitate to exploit you if they could. The law of the jungle presides, the fittest, best games producers will survive. I hope you print this letter as I’m sure it will stir up a lot of controversy and it’s time the other side of this issue was seen.

Paul Watts, Ilfracombe, N. Devon.

We have had many letters on the subject of tape piracy, and, of course, some of them we have already printed. I think this is the strongest challenge to the software industry to defend themselves, though, and it would be nice to see some reaction from companies as well as readers on this one. Any takers?

Personally, I’m concerned with one thing only, the continued development of the home computer game. If you are using the word ‘pirates’ to describe the consumer who can’t afford tape prices, that’s one thing. But the rapid rise of commercial piracy is another matter. And one point I think that is valid is that the more ‘consumer’ piracy there is going on, the easier it is for commercial pirates to slip in their product, often complete with proper cassette covers etc. And believe you me, the real pirate IS OUT to exploit you and me. The law of the jungle, incidentally has never said that the fittest and best survive merely the strongest — in other words it is an amoral law and takes no account of real merit. Another point (which may not exactly show us in a good light, but what the hell we’re trying to be honest here!) is that pirates of any sort don’t advertise in magazines. The money received from actually selling CRASH to you, the reader, just covers the cost of producing and printing each issue. Then comes all the costs of staff salaries, office overheads, typesetting, running competitions and numerous other hidden expenses. All that has to come from advertising revenue — without it there could be no magazines at all these days — certainly not ones that people would want to read and we’re always presuming here that people do want useful informative magazines to read. However, enough said. Let’s see what everyone has to say to the letter and my points!

LM

TOWARDS A SOUND PICTURE

It was probably unfair and untrue — the remark one of my colleagues passed while standing in the queue at five to ten waiting for the doors of the Personal Computer Show at Olympia to open — that the large group of camera-dangled Japanese were the long-awaited MSX delegation. After all, the gentlemen in question looked suitably sober, whereas the real MSX delegation must have been doubled over in laughter at the extraordinary snub they had purposely offered to Europe’s most prestigious micro trade show.

For on Wednesday 19th of September, the trade and press day for the PCW Show, microcomputer journalists had been jetted to the shores the Mediterranean for a day trip to Juan-Les-Pins for the official launch of the MSX range of machines.

The Japanese are now set to conquer, preferably trampling underfoot British micros which may not have been a great hit in the States, but have nevertheless set the pace of development in an extraordinary way. The massive press campaign is starting, hoping to persuade us into forgetting that MSX is sadly sub-standard. In fact it’s over-rated, over-priced and over here. I have heard the argument that MSX will not seriously affect the existing Spectrum market because MSX — (machines that look cosy beside your expensive hi-fi cabinets) — will attract a new market, the middle-aged nouveau hacker. Well that may be the case, but I think it’s ignoring the fact that with a soundly established range of micros on the market which all accept a single type of cassette software houses in their own interests are bound to treat that market more seriously in the end. Will we see the day when the occasional Spectrum game is issued solely for the prestige value it brings?

The British have always been a bit quaint when it comes to commercial exploitation of a new invention. We have a history of egocentric genius inventors failing to make the big international grade with a good idea. Yet we British also love what they represent, the unquenchable spirit to create. Americans develop in close-knit teams, Japanese design in hit-squads, but the British invent alone. Well it’s not all true of course, but I bet if you ask most people who designed and built the Spectrum they all answer, Sir Clive Sinclair! (No one would seriously consider anything as unromantic as Sinclair Research). This propensity of ours for deifying a figurehead has its drawbacks though. It may put too much pressure on the person, disenabling the function of thinking clearly. It may cause everyone to overlook the fact that the person may not be the ideal one to market the invention properly. I’m not saying that Sinclair Research hasn’t done well generally, but the Spectrum has failed to really catch the attention of the international market despite its time advantage. Sir Clive himself seems to have taken a rather micro-utopian view of his machines and has a distinct impression of the future that has forgotten that his best machine (certainly the most successful) is a games machine competing in a market where other machines have advantages that the Spectrum could have had — indeed, could still have.

Spectrum owners have been almost fanatically loyal but the most common complaint nevertheless is about its sound capabilities. Recent translations of games from the Commodore 64 with its far more arcade-like graphics, have still shown well against the 64 originals, indeed in many cases have actually been an improvement. Yet we still have to look at games that are prevented from being graphically better than anything on the 64 because of the colour attribute problems. I’ve lost count of the times that a CRASH review has said, ‘lacks colour, but this avoids the worst problems of attributes’.

I don’t know how much these two extras would cost, whether they should be considered as something to be built into a new series of Spectrums or offered as an add-on unit, but I do think Sinclair Research should seriously consider them. There was talk, at one point earlier this year, of designing a new Spectrum somewhere in between the existing one and the QL, still a games machine but with a better keyboard (perhaps), sound and video display. Perhaps the arrival of MSX has made it commercially impossible to expend time and marketing money to ensure the sale of what would be an entirely new machine. But if that is the case (as I suspect it is) then the other alternative must be considered urgently. It seems a terrible pity to throw away all that Spectrum programmers have achieved in such an astonishingly short time, by letting it become swamped by inferior machines. After all, the design of the Spectrum may have been due to the genius of one man’s vision (and a dedicated team of electronics designers), but the scale of its success is also due to the extraordinary levels of invention by games programmers. The Spectrum no longer belongs to Sir Clive Sinclair to do with as he will. I am convinced that with drastically improved sound and graphics display, taken together with some of the marvellous programs that are currently being developed, that the Spectrum will stem the MSX floodtide, and then perhaps software houses will still see the computer as a viable machine in the future for those people who genuinely enjoy playing games that are more than games but mind- and reaction-stretching vehicles, and leave MSX to be the middle-aged coffee table toy where it need do no more harm than any TV encased in a fake rosewood cabinet.

ADVENTURES OF JETMAN

Good news for fans of our comic strip from Ultimate. In both the December and Christmas Special issues, there will be a double helping of Jetman presented as a double-page spread. Judging by many of your letters, Jetman has become a firm favourite, so we are very pleased that Ultimate are happy to supply us with more pages of the idiot space hero for the Christmas period.

N·E·W·S   I·N·P·U·T

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD SHOW (at Olympia this year) is always taken as the starter’s gun for Christmas. Tens of thousands of people pass through the stands in the four days to see the thousand plus exhibitors. Our attentions were turned to the top floor — the games software department — where the CRASH team roved about watching talking, listening and thinking (at least for the first hour anyway)!

DAVID LESTER supplies the personal opinion on the show and ROGER KEAN supplies the news bits and captions...

David Lester takes a quick spin around the pre-PCW show launches...

Well, the expected new software is now appearing in the run up to Christmas, with most of the well-known software houses releasing new games for the Spectrum.

Creative Sparks are releasing three new titles, two starring the cartoon character, Danger Mouse. The first of these is Danger Mouse in Double Trouble, which is an arcade game with several screens. It features some superb graphics, especially where Danger Mouse himself is concerned. Danger Mouse in the Black Forest Chateau (sic) is a junior adventure — meant as a sort of introduction to adventures for young children. While the adventure itself is quite easy, it is long, and uses some good graphic descriptions of each location.

The third new release from Creative Sparks is totally different. It is called Delta Wing, and is similar to Fighter Pilot — it’s a cross between a flight simulator and an arcade game. The object is to destroy the enemy bases before they destroy yours. The graphics are very very realistic — you see a view of inside the aircraft cockpit, and you can even see the pilot’s legs and arm moving the instruments when you move your joystick around! My only doubts about the game are that it is slightly too similar to Fighter Pilot to sell well — but presumably Creative Sparks think otherwise.

Powersoft have just released four new programs (no you probably haven’t heard of them; not only have they just launched the games, but they have also just launched their company! Good luck to them — they’ll need it to survive the way things are at the moment). Trying to avoid the decision of whether to join the budget software bandwagon or to risk the full-price software market they have opted for a mixture. The two main, full-price programs are Billy Bluebottle and Catwalk. Billy Bluebottle is another Manic Miner clone, although with fewer screens than most of its many rivals. Catwalk is an original arcade game, again with several screens, but has poor graphics and generally doesn’t look set to astound anyone.

The budget software is slightly different, though. Instead of following Mastertronics and Atlantis precisely, Powersoft have chosen to release two games on one cassette, for £3.50. The games are respectable versions of ‘Q-Bert’ and ‘Pengo’; a year ago they would have sold well at £5.95, but now they represent good value for money, assuming you want the two games.

Powersoft incorporate an interesting feature into their programs — the on-screen instructions and prompts are almost all in several different languages. This will make it easy for Powersoft to market its software abroad, and could even have some educational value for foreign language students in England.

Melbourne House have had an enviable reputation ever since The Hobbit was released, despite a number of rather poor programs (HURG, Terrordactil, and Mugsy). The long awaited Sherlock Holmes has at last arrived, and looks like reinforcing their good reputation. People expecting a repeat of the Hobbit but in different surroundings, might be disappointed — the graphics are very small, and hardly worth having (in fact there is an option to play without them). But having said that, the game is a step forward for adventures. Melbourne House’s Philip Mitchell, who wrote the game, claims it is the hardest adventure on the market, and my initial attempts to solve it certainly back that up.

Within minutes of the first journalists arriving at its launch, the first bug was discovered — to go by train from London to Leatherhead in the game, you need to go from Kings Cross. As all Leatherhead readers no doubt know, in real life you need to take a train from Victoria or Charing Cross to get to Leatherhead. Oh well, that’s what happens when a game about England is written by an Australian in Australia! Due to the complexity of the adventure, Melbourne say that it’s quite likely that other small bugs might exist — no doubt CRASH readers will find them fairly soon!!

Melbourne released Hampstead at the same time as Sherlock. Hampstead is also an adventure, developed on the Quill (although translated into plain machine code later). But it is different to most adventures, in that its purpose is to amuse people rather than provide a hard adventure. Indeed, the adventure is extremely simple, which the authors say is so that anyone can complete it, and so reap more enjoyment from it. The idea is to attain Hampstead — not just to go there, but to reach the social status required to be invited into other people’s homes there! You start off on the dole, watching 3-2-1 (the worst imaginable state of affairs!) and have to use various dishonest means to attain Hampstead.

I like the idea of comic games but there have been other, better comedies before (Denis through the Drinking Glass, and Pimania being just two examples — see later in this article for another), and most of the jokes in this are pretty unfunny. Hampstead can become yours for a modest £9.95.

Quicksilva have just unveiled their Autumn catalogue, with five new titles for the Spectrum. The most popular is likely to be Zombie Zombie — this is the long-awaited follow-up to Sandy White’s 3D Ant Attack. First impressions suggest that its graphics are every bit as good as the first, but the game has far better sound, and a different game-plot.

On a different note is Blood and Guts, which has you the player moving round inside a human body, searching for the parts to your escape ship while fighting off disease, tapeworm, and other such niceties!! The map of the rooms is an accurate representation of the human body, or so QS claim.

They are also releasing the official Battlezone game — but since there are already several good versions available, I can’t see it doing too well. Another surprise is Eric Bristow’s Pro Darts. Artic, Automata and now QS have all released darts programs, all of which seem to me to be a complete waste of time and money — if there is one thing that computers can’t simulate well, it’s darts. Still, it might be better than I fear.

And last, but by no means least from QS, comes Strontium Dog (from an IPC comic) and the Killing. This fast action game involves you roaming the universe destroying evil. Hmm. I’ve heard that somewhere before, I think...

After extensive negotiations with Tharg, the hyper intelligent alien editor from the IPC comic 2000AD, Quicksilva is able to introduce a game based on the series Strontium Dog. The main character is Johnny Alpha, who goes around the universe destroying evil. 2000AD has had a tenuous link with CRASH, since Terminal Man comic strip writer, Kelvin Gosnell, was one of the founding editors of 2000AD.

PCW SHOW REPORT
by David Lester
I am sorry to have to start this report on the Personal Computer World Show by expressing my sorrow that it had so little to offer to Spectrum owners (unless they also happen to be Amstrad or Commodore owners...). Yes, this year the show seemed to have very little of interest to the old Spectrum owner. But although the quantity left something to be desired, I would be hard-pressed to criticise the quality of all that there was.

One of the most important stands for games players must have been the Elite stand. Elite have just released their much-advertised Jet Set Willy beater, Kokotoni Wilf. This, of course, was on display, and does look extremely impressive — although you will have to decide for yourselves whether or not it beats Jet Set Willy!

Also a must for most people was the Domark stand. Domark is the company about to release Eureka! for which there is a £25,000 prize. Simple displays of the mammoth game(s) were there, but did not give away very much as to the nature, or quality, of the final product — suffice it to say that they did nothing to suppress any interest in it!!

Crystal Computing, or Design Design as they are now rather ostentatiously known, had their new game Dark Star on show (see CRASH September for preview). While any one screen shot of this game is, as is so often the case, not all that impressive, the speed of the smoothly moving line graphics MUST be seen to be believed — I have certainly never seen anything like it elsewhere. And what is more, the game itself looks worth having too, which is not always the case.

Another name change, The Edge (formerly Softek) were showing off their so-called mega-games. Well, if this is the standard of Mega-game, then Imagine would have been lucky to sell one copy. These games (Psytraxx and Star Bike) do have rather a lot of screens — but I would much prefer to have one tenth the number of screens (100 will do — I am not a fussy person, really!) but with each having some decent graphics. The Edge have thoughtfully provided a fast loader for the game, to save you time loading it, presumably. Well, it takes me over half an hour to load each game, due to the numerous loading errors I get from the fast loader bit; it would be much quicker to use the normal loading system, which does at least, work most of the time.

One product which is far less hyped, but far more worthy of it, though, is the follow-up to Automania from Mikro-Gen, Pyjamarama. This is a true arcade adventure, (yes, at least one does exist) and has some of the best graphics that I have ever seen — including those in Sabre Wulf. The adventure is difficult, too, so I predict that this will be the greatest success of any of the new releases for the Spectrum at the PCW show. Mikro-Gen also had their Air Traffic Control program available. This, although no doubt very good and realistic, does not appeal to me very much — it is just that little bit too technical and, to my way of thinking, tedious.

One of the attractions of press day was on the fifth floor, where CDS had two rooms. To promote their new program, they had got Steve Davis to demonstrate it; no guesses as to what the program is. Although the game is probably very good, I do not find the idea of playing snooker on a computer very appealing after playing on an actual snooker table — but then, not very many people have snooker tables near to hand. I think that the idea is to have the snooker program as a sequel to CDS’s highly successful POOL program; I am afraid to say that I think the program is to succeed as such, though, although Snooker is a very definite step forward. Or at least, it looks as if it is when Steve Davis is playing it!

Melbourne House were proudly exhibiting what looks set to be the next Hobbit — Sherlock Holmes. The game certainly ought to equal the Hobbit, since it is written by the same author. The adventure does look good by any account, although the graphics leave a lot to be desired, and there are several known bugs already. They also had Hampstead, a new (or so Melbourne House seem to think) type of game which aims to make you laugh. Although not quite the same this is similar to any other text adventure written using the Quill; the difference is that Melbourne had it translated into different machine code, for their own reasons. This looks quite enjoyable, but is overpriced at £9.95.

Other than that, the Show provided nothing but disappointment. Among the guilty companies there with nothing of interest to show were Sinclair (unless you count the QL as interesting); Ocean, who seem to have left the Spectrum behind in their rush to produce new Commodore 64 games; MC Lothlorien; K-Tel; Kempston; CRL Group PLC (!!); A&F, who don’t seem to be doing much for anything at the moment; Anirog and ASP Software. I can’t see why most of these companies exhibited at the show, since their lack of good new titles or hardware can only harm their reputation (certainly in my view).

There were several notable absentees from the Show, this year, too. Probably most notable is Imagine, who were not there (as a company, anyway) for very obvious reasons; other culprits were Software Projects; Mastertronics (except that they probably do not have sufficient margins to pay for a show like this) and some of the smaller names with new products, like Powersoft; Digital Integration; Durell; R and R; Atlantis and PSS. Let’s hope that, as the opposite of those who actually were at the show, their absence implies a very good product!! And let’s hope, too, that next year’s PCW show will not see another decline in Spectrum new products, but an increase.

CHANNEL 8 WINNERS

CHANNEL 8 who market Brian Howarth’s Mysterious Adventures ran a lucky draw at the PCW Show where five lucky people could win a set of all the games. Channel 8 are pleased to announce that the five winners are: G. Buck, Sittingbourne, Kent; J. P. Stoppard, Chesterfield, Derbyshire; J. Leah, Wimbledon, London, D. Chiles, Redcar, Cleveland, and A. Hunt, Walsall, West Midlands.

Barely yards from the Domark stand where Eureka! scenarist Ian Livingstone was present, was the Games Workshop team. Ian Livingstone’s partner Steve Jackson (right) had his foot in plaster (a dragon nibbled it). On the left is Angus Ryall (our Front Liner) and Russell Clarke is in the centre. The team were showing the virtually assembled D-DAY, BATTLECARS and the adventure TOWER OF DESPAIR.

“Like that old man who stands in pointed hat Tensely watching, willing that Silence, when it comes, will favour white: Remembering the key to future life Exists within the glory of the night!”

One of the cryptic clues in the booklet accompanying the new EUREKA! computer game from Domark. The quality of the colour illustrations for the game are of very high standard as this pic shows.

EUREKA!

DOMARK isn’t a name that instantly springs to mind in connection with computer games, but their first game, Eureka! probably does. Maybe it’s the exciting lure of the £25,000 prize, already deposited with a bank, that nudges the memory. Eureka! was launched at the PCW Show. It contains five adventures and five arcade games, a dangerous and mysterious trail through five different eras in history from the dinosaurs, to Rome, to King Arthur, Colditz and finally 1984. The object is to uncover all the clues that will lead to discovering the secret telephone number which will lead to that £25,000 prize.

Eureka! is the brainchild of ad-men Mark Strachan and Domonic Wheatley (grandson of author Dennis Wheatley). Mark and Domonic (Do-Mark) got Ian Livingstone (famous for the Fighting Fantasy Books and partner to Steve Jackson in Games Workshop) to write the story line, and from there the concept went behind the iron curtain where a team of Hungarian programmers were employed in great secrecy to write the games.

The idea behind Eureka! is that the game should be easy to play but very difficult to solve. Domark are at great pains to point out that despite the prize, Eureka! is also an excellent game to play, not just some cheap excuse. To prove the point, they say it took some 10,000 man hours of programming. The team of 20 included four graphic artists, 2 musicians, a professor of logic and an Oscar winning cartoonist! Eureka! costs £14.95 and, say Domark, it is expected to take at least 15 months to crack the riddle. If it hasn’t been cracked by the 31st of December 1985 then the £25,000 will be split equally between all those who have purchased the game.

SNOOKERED

Steve Davis, the World’s Number One player was quite a draw at PCW, and was to be seen in an upper room carefully lining up tricky shots on the Spectrum and Amstrad versions of the new CDS Microsystems game, Steve Davis Snooker. It was nice to see how long it took him to line up his shots, nudging the cursor this way and that for an age until satisfied. The lined-up shot, incidentally, bounced off a cushion and went away as a foul — well even the greatest can slip up now and again with all that press attention.

PIRATES OF THE ZAXXONY COAST

Spectrum owners have long wanted a version of ZAXXON and had mixed feelings about STARZONE’s version ZAXXAN. Now US GOLD has slapped a writ on Starzone having decided that ZAXXAN was a copy of ZAXXON, the game they have already released for the C64 and plan to release soon for the Spectrum. ZAXXON is licensed from Sega in the USA. Copies of Starzone’s ZAXXAN have had to be withdrawn from retailers and an out of court settlement has been made whereby Starzone have paid US Gold based on the units already sold.

The Red Kipper Flies At Midnight

You get home one evening to discover a message on your answering machine. Something you’d thought hidden for good has reared its ugly head once again. Valkyrie 17 is active again! So starts a hilarious new adventure game from a new outfit with the unlikely name of The Ram Jam Corporation. Reputed (or rumoured) to be an offshore shell corporation (with numbered Swiss accounts) and interest in South American arms dealing, British defence contracts and sponsoring the London Symphony Orchestra, Ram Jam has just got into the games market with Valkyrie 17, a paranoid look at the world of international espionage. The people responsible for the game are neurotically concerned to keep their names secret for fear of reprisals, but Trevor Toms and George Stone have been elected as whipping boys and came to visit the CRASH offices in the firm (and sensible) belief that no one here would be able to make head or tail of the name and so throw it in the bin before reviewing it. However a copy has gone off to Derek Brewster and we’ll just see what he thinks. It had us in fits (it’s the cyanide pills that do it).

The Ram Jam Corporation are being distributed by Palace Software (see photo caption) and Peter Stone (no relation to George) of Palace is probably the only living person to have met the highly secretive head of Ram Jam, the mysterious Sir Oswestry Malvinas. All we can safely say at this point in time, is that Valkyrie 17 is an adventure with striking graphics, a poisonous sense of humour and enough red kippers to trip up Billingsgate fish market — oh and you get a nice badge to wear on your SS uniform (obligatory for serious players).

PALACE SOFTWARE TO DISTRIBUTE RAM JAM TITLES

It was smiles all round last week when executives of the Ram Jam Corporation met with representatives of Palace Software to clinch the deal whereby Palace will distribute all Ram Jam titles. After the signing, Pete Stone, Managing Director of Palace Software said “These blokes have been hanging around here for the last two weeks or so. I am glad to discover that they were on our side.”

Sir Oswestry Malvinas (not in picture) said “Now that we have fulfilled our defence contracts, we are really looking forward to getting into games”.

SILICON JOY

ANYONE wondering whether Kevin Toms was going to live for the rest of his life on FOOTBALL MANAGER might well be interested to hear about SILICON JOY. As the announcement that Kevin was handing over day to day responsibilities for ADDICTIVE GAMES to the company’s finance director, John Croft, so that he could concentrate more on the creative side, came also the announcement that a new company had appeared. At the Addictive Games stand at the PCW Show, Kevin was looking very happy with his new project. Silicon Joy has three games virtually ready for release; GRAND PRIX MANAGER, a boxing game and TRIO — a three-in-one game including horse racing, a maze game and an arcade game. There is also a program called RUN YOUR OWN LEAGUE by request of Football Manager players, although the new program can be used to run a league table in any sport. We should be seeing all these programs very shortly.

ROMIK MISSING

One software house who was not at the PCW Show at Olympia was Romik. It seems they had designed and had built a distinctive stand to sit on one of the largest areas booked in at the show ready for a big product launch, but that show officials had informed them very late that there were structural limitations, which obviously the Romik stand exceeded. A spokesman for Romik said, ‘It’s really not satisfactory,’ and suggested poor organisation on the part of PCW. Romik’s new Spectrum game Beatcha is reviewed next month. Otherwise you’ll have to buy some Weetabix to get their game Weetabix versus the Titchies which costs £3.75 from Weetabix or £2.75 to members of the Weetabix Club.

GHOSTBUSTERS

Activision has acquired the rights from Columbia Pictures to develop Ghostbusters, the comedy/horror movie, into software. The games are scheduled to arrive later this month, shortly before the release of the movie. Activision’s UK Managing Director, Geoff Heath says, ‘The film has had outstanding success in the States and we anticipate the software version of Ghostbusters to be No. 1 for the Christmas season.’

MAGRA BACK AGAIN

The long awaited Wrath of Magra, from Carnell is finally released through Mastervision, a division of Mastertronic. Derek Brewster’s review can be found on the pages of Adventure Trail. Mastervision has also released another adventure called Se-Kaa of Assiah in which the player assumes the role of Se-Kaa in an attempt to liberate the world from the influence of a mutant race known as the Dark Hordes and reinstate the Wise Ones. Magra is £12.50 and Se-Kaa is £7.50.

JUST IMAGINE...

R and R have a new game coming out soon written by DAVID LESTER (one of the CRASH reporting team). It is a sort of strategical simulation based on real life. JUST IMAGINE requires the player to run a giant software company (Imagine that...) — well, how giant you become is up to the player. But David, who is well placed to know the ins and outs of the software business, says the game provides a very real model where decisions must be taken about selecting the right product, marketing and promotion campaigns, getting PR into magazines and good reviews for the games (I’m told CRASH gets a look in), as well as the day to day problems. R and R say that JUST IMAGINE. . . is rather different from Incentive’s Millionaire, which was on a similar theme. The object is to make a million but that’s not all — the object is also to keep in the charts, keep the million and stay in business. The model has been aimed to be very realistic and takes account of piracy as well. Because the market trends change so rapidly R and R will be releasing update programs to change the basic model thus keeping the game fresh and topical. David would like to include predictive elements in these updates such as the effects of budget software on the market. Most importantly, however, the game is intended to be very funny and it includes static and moving graphics, not usually the strong point of such games. More news as soon as we get it.

SKOOL’S OUT FOREVER!

GREAT NEWS for Wheelie fans! Microsphere, the software house that brought you the Train Game and the long running hit game Wheelie, announced the release of their next epic. Called Skool Daze, it is a hilarious (and very difficult) school romp. The hero is Eric (although the game allows you to use any name both for yourself and all the cast of thousands), and he knows that inside the staffroom safe are kept the Reports. And being Eric, he knows he must at all costs remove his report before it is read and signed by the Headmaster! It is here, that the content of the game really gets going.

To find out the combination of the safe, he must hit all the school shields hanging around the walls. Only they are not all easy to get at by jumping up. In some cases he might have to use his catapult to clobber a master and then use the dazed victim’s head to bounce a second shot off it to hit the shield. There are other equally horrendous ways of achieving this simple task! Once all the shields have been hit, Eric must get the code from the masters, each of which has been entrusted with one letter (except the History Master who, because of his great age, has had his letter implanted in his brain by hypnotism (there’s a very plausible method of causing recall however!) the masters will only reveal the secret once they have been knocked over. Having got all the code letters the only place to try them out is on the blackboard. If Eric succeeds in opening the safe he knows he will be safe for another school year. But before the task is complete he must cover up his tracks by hitting all the shields again to stop them flashing.

Eric and skool friends mill about the rooms, which resemble a large cutaway.

Skool Daze is played out in a highly complex area over which the camera scrolls, revealing school rooms, staircases, corridors and milling pupils and masters. There is the school bully who has a nasty habit of bopping Eric in the eye, there are the masters with their endless questions and complaints, handling out lines as punishment. If you get too many lines the headmaster will chase after you. Unfortunately the pre-production copy we have arrived just too late for a full review in this issue, but two of the reviewing team have had half an hour each with the game and have pronounced themselves as very excited by it. The graphics are especially strong, with masses of detail and animation, the game appears very challenging and certainly has tons of content. Watch out next month for the full review and colour pictures. For now you’ll have to make do with black and white ones, but they do capture some of the flavour of this highly original game, which looks set to become another monster hit for Microsphere. Look out for the school graffiti artist who writes ‘SKYRANGER IS GREAT’ on the blackboards — Sky Ranger is the next Microsphere program. More news soon.

Out in space with the aliens coming head on.

The surface of the battle planet. Debris from damaged towers actually bounces when it hits the ground.

Down the trench — is this the first game to inspire sea sickness in a player?

STARSTRIKE READY!

Last month in ‘keyboards’ we mentioned Realtime’s new 3D game which was titled Starburst in the news item. Within two days of showing us some unconnected sequences from the game, Realtime’s Andrew Onions rang to say that they had decided to change the name to Starstrike. This only upset CRASH Editor Roger Kean who, when asked, had suggested the name Starburst — c’est la vie!

As you can see from the screen shots here, the latest stage of development makes Starstrike into a classic three-screen battle game. On the almost ready version these photographs were taken from, the only detail missing was the between-screen tacticals and the finale, although some modification of the alien ship firing power has still to be made (they outgun the player rather heavily at the moment)! We hope we’ll be able to get a full review of Starstrike in next month’s issue.

MINDER TRONICS

DK’Tronics have been a bit quiet on the software front recently, but they have announced the signing of a deal with Thames Television to develop games based on their highly successful TV programmes Minder, The Sweeney and Benny Hill.

DK’Tronics in a tersely worded press release (which includes a word firmly banned from the pages of CRASH), have announced exclusive contracts with King Features Syndicate of America to release Popeye for several machines including the Spectrum. David Heelas, the softly spoken DK’Tronics managing director said, ‘There is far too much bull**** in an industry especially about software. Every trade magazine I pick up is full of features on software companies attempting to hype their particular game. We at DK prefer to take a more professional approach with far less razzmatazz normally associated with the Software industry.’

1984 CAMBRIDGE AWARDS

JOHN SHERRY of Keele, Staffordshire, is the winner of the 1984 Cambridge awards co-sponsored by C.C.S. and Sinclair User, and he receives the £2000 prize and award trophy. The winning program, The Prince, is described as a highly original, tactical and interactive adventure game for four players. Published by C.C.S. it will cost £7.95.

The four runners-up are 1942 Mission, an adventure by Thomas Frost; Insurgency, a war game by Nicholas Holgate; Blue Riband, a seafaring navigational simulation by David Bark, and finally War Zone, a war game by Steven Thomas. All four will be published by C.C.S at £5.95.

BACK TO BASICS

There has been for some time a body of opinion which puts forward the view that machine code is superior to Basic, per se. Arcade games, where speed is the deciding factor, may well lend themselves to this argument but some strategy, and all adventure games can be better served by some Basic routines. The reason for this apparent anomaly is clear to anyone who has taken the time and effort needed to master machine code. Although machine code is ideally more malleable in any given situation, coding in reality proves to be certainly slower and often less flexible, and crucially, the program is less easily altered.

After playing and reviewing many adventures this contradiction has made itself plain. The complexities of machine code lead to stilted adventures unless the author allows much development time. The economic vagaries of the games market alas, would make it far more worthwhile for such a successful author to produce two or even three arcade games in such a space of time with the certainty of a far higher income. The Quill, as is often plaudited on cassette inlays results in an all machine code program but the structure of each Quilled game is necessarily the same. What is less apparent is the use of similar devices by other software houses in order to reduce the development time of adventures. Herein lies the paradox. Even though machine code should be the more flexible, due to its time-consuming coding it is rarely so in effect and it would seem the case that it is the adventure which makes some use of Basic which shows the originality both in display, theme and plot.

So the next time you examine a cassette inlay don’t fall into the trap of making judgements based upon the divisive argument — Basic vs. machine code. Where the documentation tells of an all machine-coded program this in itself gives no indication of the quality of the game as an adventure. Basic is devalued by its simplicity and its familiarity but adventure is a more sophisticated market than arcade since at a time when the Spectrum has been pushed to its limits, imagination, theme and plot are now the decisive factors.

CRUSOE

Producer: Automata UK Ltd
Author: Jon A. Smith
Price: £6.00

Automata made their name with an unusual adventure, Pimania, and with the first serial cartoon advertisements exhibiting their own unique good humour and lightheartedness — a refreshing interlude from the unremitting commercial onslaught emanating from other software houses. Pimania has achieved notoriety, and lately, newsworthiness over the extreme lengths many will take to recover the Golden Sundial of Pi from its depository deep within a long forgotten oceanic nuclear bunker. I’ve even known some to go so far as to play the adventure.

Crusoe is based upon the novel by Daniel Defoe and features free music on the flip side by Dan Defoe and the Castaways but turns out to be a desert island discs spoof with passable musical adverts for Automata products. The star of the show has a high pitched voice with an enchanting Scottish lilt. Crusoe is stranded on a remote island in Yorkshire (Hull?) In the year 1684, with nothing but an empty stomach, a bottle of granny’s patent elixir and the shorts he stands up in. The aim is to return home and steer the litigation against your travel agent through court.

The game, following an attractive loading screen, is very colourful and is dominated by the playing area on the left which depicts the palms, islands, fruit trees, cacti, monsters and treasures that will help or hinder you in your quest. To the right is The Logg with Day, Time, Weather, Wind, Food & Drink, Vigour, Elixir and Items down one side opposite which is first, the letter which must not run too far up the alphabet for safety’s sake, and then a comment like ‘and I feel fitte’. This seventeenth century notation adds an authentic flavour to the proceedings and no doubt conceals any propensity towards misspelling. Prepare yourself for the culture shock by learning these few words — fitte, wether, foode, rekt, werie.

Along the bottom goes your input and the comment it elicits above. The cassette cover amusingly keeps the tenuous links with the mainstream adventure by calling I (for Inventory) ‘What have I got?’, SCORE ‘Will I survive?’ and D, Describe. You move around by pressing the N, S, E, and W keys, waiting for the response each time but surely cursor key movement would have been much better and have removed a major irritation from the game. To be fair movement is facilitated by holding down ENTER which allows you continuous movement in the direction previously specified.

When negotiating obstacles the manoeuvres of the monsters about the screen can be a distraction as you cannot progress further until the monster has moved. The delay can disrupt the rhythm of your input resulting in a load of nonsense e.g., EEN when you thought you had separately moved east twice, then north. This shortcoming is compounded by the absence of DELETE and so whatever gibberish you end up with must be entered.

As is more typical of a Yorkshire island than one in the desert, rain stops play. If you can dodge the assorted monsters, crocodiles, spiders, serpents, etc., and find some fruit trees, and perhaps a pool of water, you will find yourself crossing into new maps where you might well find a dead end. Often the way out is to press the Blue key (1) and enter the sea where you can swim along merrily with only the serpents posing any threat. The sea washes against the bottom of the map and is useful for crossing map boundaries quickly until you meet a construction forcing you onto land or serpent-infested waters. Here lies a minor bug. If you tire of swimming, or if the serpent should get you, and you die, you continue with your next life where you left off. However, you set off again in the Red key (2) land mode. The solution is simple enough — press the Blue key once more.

When you come to a sticky end all is not lost by any means. You have twenty or so lives left — there’s that Automata humour again. Your rejuvenation is effected on imbibing the elixir. The next time you die you look forward to the musical accompaniment with the suitably sad end; a dud note.

Crusoe is a very different type of adventure that will take a lot of playing before that which you are supposed to achieve becomes clear. It will appeal to that group of players who find text adventures too demanding and unexciting, and like their games served up with a sense of humour.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: How long is a piece of string?
Graphics: Shows map of island on which your character Crusoe is moved from block to block
Presentation: Very good
Input Facility: No delete, irritating
Response: Fast but replies often confusing
Special Features: The game is difficult to categorize, not a traditional style adventure
General Rating: Fair.

Atmosphere

5/10

Vocabulary

4/10

Logic

5/10

Debugging

7/10

Overall Value

5/10

THE FINAL MISSION

Producer: Incentive Software Ltd
Author: Richard A. McCormack
Price: £5.50

Vicious attacks have come from beyond a range of mountains to the east — the Mountains of Ket. The Priest King Vran Verusbel, leader of the cult of mad monks, and their High Priestess Delphia, the most beautiful woman in existence, are set against you.

They find shelter in the evil Temple of Vran where you make you way accompanied by the magic assassin bug Edgar whose poisoned fangs will sink into your neck should you decide to shirk your mission. You must be under close scrutiny as you play a rehabilitated criminal-type who chose this scheme as a device to escape almost certain death. When you confront the likes of the green slime you will wonder at the wisdom of your decision.

The Final Mission is the third part in what has now become the famous Ket Trilogy. It follows The Mountains of Ket and The Temple of Vran which, if successfully completed, give the aspirant the chance of a prize. The adventures are classic text-only games with large numbers of locations with many problems to solve. There are a good number of useful objects which when first sighted, and later viewed in the inventory, are accompanied by a small token graphic. Input is confined to verb/noun leaving the program to concentrate on giving a greater, more intelligent feedback to whatever input you might devise. These and other refinements, including an endearing plot and consistent theme, have won many converts to the Trilogy adventures.

In part three of the Ket Trilogy you meet the evil Verusbel himself in his inner sanctum located beyond the five enigmatic Gate Guardians. Should you defeat him and remove the threat to the Lords of Ket, you must still secure your own escape.

Loading The Final Mission is very quick as it takes place at twice the normal Spectrum speed. It loads in an unusual sequence which makes it impossible to BREAK and very difficult to copy.

You wake... stunned...

Gradually your memory clears. You recall a blow to the head as you descended some stairs enshrouded in gloom. “We are in a dark and dank cell. There is no light save for a low glow coming from our east. Near us is: a wooden chair.” So starts The Final Mission with yourself, Edgar, a magic ring and... a wooden chair. I wouldn’t be giving anything away if I said that you just might need that chair and so with the help of the cassette inlay notes, the first problem unravels easily enough. The second problem is another matter — it’s pedantic and you don’t so much solve it as stumble on the solution by doing as many daft and not-so-daft things as they come into your head. I’ll have to come straight out with it. The early part of the adventure lacks something in that you keep thinking of how you would have devised a stronger plot, say using the glass from the window to focus the rays of light onto the straw. Or anything whereby you might use your imagination and reasoning skills. Instead the plot transpires to be dull and the solutions to the problems arbitrary. You get the feeling that the second problem is no more than artifice to slow your progress.

The descriptions of the seemingly endless corridors and passageways with doors marking the end of one and the beginning of another leaves you with few locations which, on reflection, make any impression. Often it’s difficult to know how to label a location on your map when you’re simply standing outside a secret passageway. While I’m griping, the input routine is just a touch slow although a pleasant beep with every key depression helps alleviate some of the annoyance. Switching off the beep with the BEEP command does not appreciably speed it up.

Now that’s off my chest I can get down to what’s worthy about the game.

There’s a polish and panache about the project which singles it out as one where some thought has gone into its construction. Right from the first screen, or the very attractive cover and loading screen before that, the game makes its presence felt. Above the neatly boxed location description ornate markings accommodate the score in the top right corner which increments on each new location. As you enter the new locality a distinctive tune sounds directing your attention back to your map where you now add another label. Simple ideas which add up to your enjoyment of the game.

The vocabulary is quite friendly, but where it is exceptional is in its responsiveness to your input. By monitoring the continual string of mostly useful comments your efforts are guided to more fruitful endeavours. You can EXAMINE almost anything and affect a response.

As with the previous episodes of the saga interest is enriched with the combat routine where your prowess or swordsmanship energy or physical condition, and luck, descending from their starting values of eight, are pitted against those of your aggressor. In the case of the En Monster, which has prowess and energy of 10, you would be wise to disengage and forgo any shallow victory you might extract.

The Final Mission, by reason of its position as the last tale in the Ket Trilogy, is sure to prove popular. It maintains the same high standards of the previous two episodes and also features one or two improvements. However, the overall impression is of a game not so much crafted as produced to a deadline.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Average
Graphics: None
Presentation: Good
Input Facility: Verb/Noun
Response: A touch slow but gives intelligent replies to most input
Special Features: On screen scoring and combat routine
General Rating: Good.

Atmosphere

7/10

Vocabulary

7/10

Logic

6/10

Debugging

9/10

Overall Value

7/10

FOREST AT WORLD’S END

Producer: Interceptor Micros Software
Author: David M. Banner, J.A. Banner
Price: £5.50

Forest at World’s End is released from the same stable as Message from Andromeda, and in almost every respect, resembles its predecessor. Changes have been made — the graphics are much improved but the plot is unimaginative; space adventures are relatively thin on the ground but this fantasy follow-up too often lapses into cliche.

Princess Mara has been captured by the evil wizard Zarn. In a sneak attack on the palace his henchmen abducted her and led her to the wizard’s stronghold deep within the forest at the world’s end. Mara’s father, the King no less, has called upon you, the mightiest of ancient warriors, to go where none have returned alive. Your objective is to locate and rescue the princess and return her to the Great Valley.

You set off in the Great Valley with a super graphic of a snow-capped mountain and a huge waterfall cascading towards you. Most of your early escapades are undemanding until you chance upon an evil elf who is not so much lethal as irritating. No matter how you twist and turn you just can’t shake him. To the south is the Vale of shadows and the author waxes lyrical, ‘The sun, shining through the trees, creates shifting patterns of light and darkness.’ This is an eventful location where you see The Old Man, and get the bow and arrows to put an end to that elf. To kill the elf you will have to go about some word-matching the solution to which strikes me as illogical, but having played countless adventures, what’s new? The strange thing is, on killing the elf you are told ‘You fire an arrow’ and yet FIRE ARROW AT ELF is not accepted for the program does not understand the word FIRE. Weird. Before I leave the elf: If you fool around too long he can end up getting the better of you. You’ll find other assailants who are similarly prone to an almost unfailingly true arrow. Perhaps in this respect the game loses out to those which now feature a more complex and exciting combat scenario.

The unfriendly vocabulary seen when dealing with the elf may not be the rule as I discovered when I attempted to cross the chasm. Many combinations of words will see the log in place.

Forest at World’s End has only about ten graphics or so throughout its whole length but each one is worth savouring as they are of a very high quality. They appear almost instantaneously and are colourfully depicted and highly detailed The input routine has opted for neatness as opposed to efficiency; there is no cursor or beep. Having said this, I found input to be mostly error-free. In many areas the game becomes difficult to map. Go east and as often as not west will not take you back again. After travelling blind for a while you sometimes come out into an area where the directions become lucid again. The way the game scrolls will annoy many. For some unknown reason the top description scrolls up and off when you input at the bottom. This results in your having to continually use L for LOOK.

The game does not have many problems and those you do come across are unoriginal. If you have a key it opens the chest and a log naturally enough gets you across a chasm. When you are unsure what an object might be useful for it will soon become apparent as all the other objects are tied up with problems leaving the only, one, possible use. Since of all the aspects of producing a follow-up adventure, plot is that which takes the most time, you can’t help the felling that this effort has been churned out on the heels of the last.

Forest at World’s End is a mainly text adventure with a few exceptional graphics scattered about the adventure. The author has the noble distinction of placing many fine graphics towards the end. Competent programming gives a rapid response time but the game is quite unique with the absence of SCORE. For an experienced explorer this adventure will pose few lasting problems and offers little that’s new. Nevertheless, it is a well executed program, and for some, may provide a worthy distraction.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Easy
Graphics: Few but very good
Presentation: Good
Input Facility: Sentences
Response: Instant
General Rating: Rather short.

Atmosphere

6/10

Vocabulary

6/10

Logic

5/10

Debugging

10/10

Overall Value

6/10

GROUND ZERO

Producer: Artic Computing Ltd
Author: Colin Smith
Price: £6.95

Artic Computing is a company that made its name with its very popular yet difficult range of adventures. This adventure differs from the A-F series in its friendliness and extensive use of examine, and in its making use of The Quill.

The adventure is based upon the events leading up to a nuclear attack on Britain. International tension is at its greatest for many years and conventional armed conflict may well spill over into a full scale nuclear confrontation. Law and order is breaking down and those who are to survive face a tough battle in the remaining few moments of confusion and chaos. To set the scene the program reminds you this is an adventure which one day we may well all have to face for real.

Nuclear war is a harrowing thought and to strike home the idea the game has a suitably nauseating loading screen with a large flashing detonation plume. Stare at this screen too long and you could become a psychotic civil defence volunteer.

You find yourself in the lounge of a typical suburban semi with floral wallpaper, foam-cushioned three piece, ornaments and a television, which, if it is your wish to turn it on, provides a tricky first problem. The game professes to be verb/noun but I’ll save you some time if I tell you that on this occasion the program treats television as the verb and the next word as a proposition. I don’t mind being so heavy-handed with this clue because a good adventure should go far beyond simple word-matching. Once you have the television on it receives a news bulletin which gives you the clues to your survival. These loosely follow those given in that suspect government handbook which has had us all lavishly furnishing our broom cupboards. There’s a humorous end to the message — ‘There now follows a cartoon’. Sadly the picture fades before you can check to see whether it’s vintage Tom & Jerry or not.

No sooner do you leave the entrance hall outside the lounge when the phone rings. Recent research suggests that the phone rings either when we’re in the bath or when we are doing things like hurrying around collecting items for a makeshift nuclear shelter before the bomb drops. More research suggests we need more phones around the house but another solution is not to have one at all and this turns out to be the case here. A mechanical voice says ‘Normal telephone services have been discontinued. Please refer to public broadcasts for further information.’ Better start looking for a battery for that radio right away.

The first few frames of the game have you searching the house using examine extensively whereupon you soon obtain most of the items mentioned in the TV announcement. Other items you come across are believable, everyday items you might find around the home are refreshingly useful objects such as knives, banknotes and food rations. These objects are sensibly disposed about your abode with a knife in the kitchen and a mattress in the bedroom.

Moving around outside the house is more fraught with danger as a trip out on the bicycle will soon prove. It’s chaotic outside with troops everywhere trying to impose some semblance of order and many directions you attempt end in displays or an early exit.

Ground Zero is a Quilled, text-only adventure with a harrowing theme. Like myself you may find the theme uninspiring as the thought of building a small, poky shelter in the home is probably the largest single factor to explain why most people would rather not survive a nuclear attack. However, survive you must in this game and once the task is taken up the story flows along if not merrily, then consistently enough to have you thinking on just how you might build a shelter were the worst to happen. The extensive use of examine, clear presentation and believable plot make this a fine adventure — if you can stomach the theme.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Average
Graphics: None
Presentation: Good
Input Facility: Verb/Noun
Response: Very fast
General Rating: Good
General Rating: Good.

Atmosphere

8/10

Vocabulary

7/10

Logic

8/10

Debugging

10/10

Overall Value

7/10

HAMPSTEAD

Producer: Melbourne House
Author: Trevor Lever, Peter Jones
Price: £9.95

As you are now probably aware I do not live in Hampstead. You have searched every bistro and boutique but to no avail. Although Adventure Trail appeals to the AB group (top socio-economic assemblage in the epi-fauna) I have not succumbed to embarrassed recognition in high society but instead stand unaffected in the cool northern rain waiting for the occasional omnibus and knowing only too well that here it’s all about where you bought your flat cap and how deep is the froth on your beer. For more ostentatious affectations one must move south.

You set off as a nobody somewhere in north-west London (i.e., nowhere) watching an undemanding, insubstantial, feeble-minded, spontaneously exciting, light entertainment show, 3-2-1! On the dole with no money and the corollary, no friends, you sit in your dingy council flat torn between viewing the non-stop entertainment on TV following the clouds of smoke from your window as they belch toward you from the local power station. You can look forward to a life of lying, cheating, stealing and defrauding as you scheme your way to Hampstead but for now you must busy yourself with the task of finding that UB40 card. Should you, in real life, be Hampsteaded, or simply exist in nonplussed brain death in Surbiton, the booklet gives exact details concerning the card’s use and the elaborate etiquette that surrounds it, such as, queue orderly and don’t sleep throught the part where your name is called. The problem is you must attain Hampstead but think it unlikely you’ll find many friends in Hampstead dole office.

Indeed, subsequent research proves this line of reasoning correct. Denizens of Hampstead fill their time with occupations that have them cast as critics, playwrights, architects and designers, actors and academians, some of whom, like yourself at the start of this adventure, were nobodies living nowhere. To go up in the world you try to gain the admiration and respect of your fellow man, and there’s more to it than a fat bank balance. In Hampstead it helps to give the impression you know something of art and to be seen in the right places, with the right people and wearing the right clothes. Be careful not to be flamboyant — it’s unseemly to be seen as a social climber in Hampstead so you had better settle there only when you have everything you need.

It helps to know something of London even if it’s just the sites found on a monopoly board. You choose your route from the following: St. John’s Wood, Richmond, West End, Covent Garden, Waterloo, The City, King’s Cross and Cambridge. This isn’t as easy as it looks as a pleasant suburb may provide such comfort that it becomes too onerous to leave and you join the ranks of the malcontents who never quite made it.

What about the game itself? Much effort (alas not enough) has been expended to conceal its use of The Quill, in the Spectrum version in any case, but the cursor and the distinctive R for Redescribe location are evidence enough to pinpoint the source of the program. Perhaps the changes go beyond the simply cosmetic, but surely if this were the case to any great extent all signatures of The Quill would have been vanquished. Quilled adventures haven’t done well in the charts but this game may well prove an exception due to its uniquely funny storyline.

The adventure has opulent packaging with a sixteen page booklet and a very attractive casing. It sees itself as suitable for a wide range from beginner to experienced, taking several weeks to complete. The ‘100% machine code’ reflects its Quilled origins. The loading screen depicts the home of Hampstead Man which is over two hundred years old, deep within leafy suburbia surrounded by rows of neatly-clipped hedges. On the colourful sofa lounge a pair of matching Afghan hounds.

As you set off on your quest you would be wise to remember what you’ve read in the Hampstead Booklet which gives you precise details on just how you might achieve that coveted diploma in social climbing. The help offered includes question and answer sessions. One goes like this. Q: Why do dustbins have no lids in Hampstead? A: In order that passers-by may see the week’s completed Guardian crosswords stacked neatly within. The booklet is very entertaining and amusing, if not enlightening for those who know little of London society, but reaches the heart of the matter on page 10; Hampstead — what’s the point: ‘Everybody wants to feel superior. This feeling takes two forms. Those without money must be content to feel morally superior. Those without morals can financially superior. But only in Hampstead is it possible to attain superiority in both.’ So now you know. It’s well worth making a thorough search of the house before you leave; the lack of one item in particular will see your sudden exit from the game. You meet this sudden social death with grudging acceptance struck by the reality that you had underestimated just how peculiar social climbing can be. Careful analysis of your every movement will have you in Hampstead before you can say ‘colour supplement’ but any disparity will be ruthlessly exposed.

Hampstead is the most original adventure theme to appear this year and is accompanied by the wittiest book I’ve read in quite a while. Spectrum owners might like to note that on this occasion the Commodore 64 has acquired the better deal as its version features graphics. Despite this the Spectrum Hampstead has powerful EXAMINE and SEARCH commands which make the early stages very easy helping the occasional adventurer into what is a very amusing and enjoyable game.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Reasonably easy
Graphics: None
Presentation: Good
Response: Very fast
Input Facility: Limited verb/noun
General Rating: Brilliantly original and very entertaining.

Atmosphere

8/10

Vocabulary

8/10

Logic

7/10

Debugging

10/10

Overall Value

7/10

RUBY RUNABOUT

Producer: Scorpio Software
Author: Andrew Reed
Price: £1.99

Ruby Runabout describes itself as a crazy fun-packed adventure. The cassette cover depicts a scene of fun and frolic with larger than life cartoon characters. The game’s price leads one to expect a very ordinary adventure and in many ways this proves to be the case.

You play Reggie the Ruby Robber, the alliterated antihero who has his sights set on the Rocksalmon Ruby, the most priceless gem in the world. He runs a garage, when he’s not busy thieving, and your adventure starts at the petrol pumps. Is this comment directed at garage owners I ask myself or is it just the crummiest plot ever to package a computer game? Your quest is to get to the ruby first, but if you take too long you may find it has moved, so don’t waste time. Having played the game and discovered some of its more dubious secrets, I can reveal that I have not got the foggiest what these instructions are about. But if you endeavour to shed any light on this matter don’t write to tell me about it because this is the sort of game where if things don’t quite make sense it doesn’t really matter. It could be the price, or the thin plot, or perhaps it’s the grievance felt when every programmer worth his microdrive is struggling with the limitations of 40K of memory, this programmer has, with an inefficient style, ventured to fill up as much possible with redundant code.

The game uses no memory saving techniques, and no wonder, since only 31K is actually used leaving 9K idle. Simple memory conservation could almost have halved the length of the program. To give two examples: variable names are up to eleven characters long while graphics use reams of Plot and Draw representing a vast waste in memory and is, these days, unacceptable in games thought to have any commercial value. Surely you expect a commercial program to offer something beyond that which the average hacker could achieve, no matter what the asking price.

Back to the cassette cover. You’ll discover forty locations, twenty of which have graphic illustrations, and using your imagination and sense of humour, survive the journey to locate and remove Rocksalmon Ruby.

The only humour remarkable enough to remember is the comment that greets you when you examine the tape to be told — it’s a Sony. That is unless you count the instant death meted out by the policeman should you be caught dropping a toffee wrapper. ‘A policeman approaches you with a truncheon; you look at him so he hits you over the head with it for dropping litter.’ Such occurrences are common, where attempting to kill almost anything will mark your early departure from the game.

Anything from a park attendant to a lowly wasp can present a threat but could you really expect an altercation with a car wash to be fatal? At times it can seem that everything you try ends up killing you for little justifiable reason.

I admit it’s just possible I may have missed some of the humour as my interest finally flagged before completing the game. As for using your imagination you will indeed need it since the game requires mental contortions to explain the odd juxtapositions of locations and objects. An oil rig lies directly south of a post box, a wigwam is in dose proximity to an igloo, while by a building site — what’s this? — The Suez. Oh! Uh? Many other locations are mysteriously unyielding. You seem unable to cross the bridge or swim the river. Further, no access can be made to a single building you meet. As for the objects, would you really expect to find a blowtorch in a gym, or a file in a flower bed? You don’t find the petrol at the petrol station but at the windmill. There is no strong storyline to explain these discrepancies.

Inserting a coin at the fruit machine thankfully does not result in death. In fact you win with your first attempt. Sadly you win on each subsequent attempt and you neither lose the coin you’ve used or gain the coins you win. You can sense any atmosphere fading away. Later the game has you scaring an elephant with a very elusive mouse and another scenario has you creeping over pressure pads sure in the belief that your step will be that much daintier dressed in slippers.

The graphics are simple but effective enough. So as not to hold up what is an entirely Basic program the graphics are marked out with simple Draw and Plot commands. The colour changes at every location but some of the colours used do not mix well. The bridge appears blank on a b/w TV and only reveals a black bridge against a red background clearly on a favourably adjusted colour set. A lot of input scrolls up to push the picture and location description up off the screen.

Ruby Runabout is a short and unimaginative adventure with a weak plot and no theme to speak of. There are too few problems and too many early exits. Good features include a pleasant intro tune and a very quick response time. This game is about a third of the price of many classic adventure games and I can’t help feeling that here you get a third of an adventure, both as regards size and quality.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Moderate
Graphics: Small graphics in some locations.
Presentation: Average — Good
Input Facility: Spectrum input
Response: Quite fast
General Rating: Poor.

Atmosphere

3/10

Vocabulary

4/10

Logic

3/10

Debugging

9/10

Overall Value

6/10

Allo mes petits sossisons! I was much disappointed by the lack of libel suits, threats against life and limb, etc. resulting from the last FRONTLINE, so this issue I’m going to be tightening up and telling the real truth about some more strategy turkeys. Actually, I must tell you that CRASH has been told that its review of a certain game, should have been upgraded and we have risked losing the advertising from the company that produces it (money we get from advertising pays a large proportion of running costs, so it keeps the cover price down). I’d just like to point out to these cowboys that this kind of petty blackmail produces, if anything, an even more negative approach from writers. It’s about time some of these people realised that a reviewer is paid to write what he or she feels about a game, and not what the game producer feels about it. For the record, as I didn’t write the review, I’ve reviewed this particular game again and found myself in total agreement with the previous reviewers. You’ll have to guess which one it is, but I expect that even those of you with really short memories will get it.

And while I’m having a gripe, I spent a knackering couple of days at the PCW show recently, and were there any decent strategy games there? In a word, no. Good old Lothlorien were there, of course, and there was one other excellent strategy game which I can’t tell you anything about (ahh, conflict of interest...) but I was very rapidly reduced to discussing the moribund state of the industry with a nubile young cocktailperson in leopardskin shorts. Actually, I can’t stand exhibitions you know, but when duty calls...

BATTLE 1917

Producer: CCS
Author: Mark Lucas
Price: £5.95

Well what do you know... Right from the start of Battle 1917 you know you’re dealing with a toy. When you ask for instructions, it gets all funny-ha-ha with the tank symbols and suchlike. It makes whoopee cushion noises at you. In short, this program treats the user like a favoured, but moronic, grandchild (this does not bode well for the Cambridge Awards jury. Who are they? Are they utterly bold?) The game itself is just a straight battle between two players; each player starts off with a King and 28 units of various types. The problem is that the units are grouped together in fours, and orders can only be given to the group as a whole. This means that as the group gets broken up (as you move diagonally, for example, some units may pass the corner of a lake while others get stuck behind it) you can end up moving three units in the wrong direction just to get a fourth one out from behind a tree. Cannon, the only units that can fire, must all fire in the same direction and for the same range. Whilst the game is very fast moving, a little more thought and time could have produced something with individual or group movement, which would have been miles better. One excellent feature of the game is the directional compass on the map, which gives the key for the direction you need. The graphics are clear, but are pretty juvenile.

Verdict: a toy. Nice for eight-year-olds.

CONFLICT

Producer: Martech Games Ltd
Author: D.E. Martin
Price: £11.95

I’m not entirely sure if there’s a lot of point in reviewing this, since it’s over two years old now and almost certainty unobtainable. However, it’s worth mentioning because, despite its age, it’s one of the only reasonable efforts that’s been made to produce an integrated board/computer game. In Conflict you have to raise cash by trading in various commodities; with the money, you purchase and maintain armies which you use to further your megalomaniac ambitions. Basically, the trading is done on the screen and the battling on the board; having the board makes battle strategy probably more sophisticated than it otherwise would be, but it’s very difficult to judge, as the game’s age means that the programming looks as though it was done by an aardvark. There’s another game by Martech, of similar vintage, called Galaxy Conflict, which looks to be slightly better; but again, the age of the game really precludes comparison with current software. I think, though, that if I were Mr. Martin, I would spend some time on updating these two games, because they both contain the germs of good ideas — but I don’t think anyone will even look at them in their present, dated state.

Verdict: where were you in ’82?

CONQUEST

Producer: Cheetahsoft Ltd
Author: Duncan Nightingale
Price: £6.95

I remember a few months ago when Cheetahsoft’s first advertising started coming through, I thought “well I never — a bit of professionalism at last.” Just how wrong can you be? Their ads ranked with Imagine’s as some of the best in the industry; but their games have more in common with Mastertronic or even (gulp) the dreaded Activision. The only decent thing about Conquest is the map, but these days any idiot with Melbourne Draw could do it... this is a game which, in all its salient features, appeared in at least one computer magazine about a year ago. Fair enough, as a mag prog it’s quite a decent little game. But to tart up the map a bit and try and flog it for seven pounds is a bit strong. The game is a very simple form of empire building, where you gain one new legion for each five squares of territory you conquer, the object being to rule 100 squares. At the end of each go, your flanks are assailed by barbarians, plague and other empires. Plague is the worst — because it takes about two minutes between each of your goes to run its course and decimate your empire. In this time you will have picked the fluff out of your belly button, scratched your bum, done sundry other despicable things, and generally wished you were doing anything else but playing Conquest.

Verdict: go forth and watch TV.

EMPIRES

Producer: Imperial Software

A very quick one this. The copy I received to review would not load. I mean, none of it would — the game comes with three ‘player cassettes’, an ‘umpires cassette’, and in my case, as a reviewer, a special ‘reviewer’s cassette’ containing excerpts from the 25th round of play (!). Apparently you can extend the game to a six-player one (at a price), but for all that, this seems to be very much a pass-the-note-to-the-referee-and-wait-for-the-reply type of game. The boards look nice, even if the rest of the packaging is dire (the instructions are printed in the kind of ink that renders the Daily Mail useless for anything except, um, eating your chips out of); but I think if I’d shelled out twenty quid for this lot I’d be a bit annoyed to find I couldn’t load any of it. If I get a loadable copy I might have another go at this next month. Get it in gear, men.

WAR 70

Producer: CCS
Author: Martin Wheeler
Price: £5.50

I’m supposed to be nice to CCS because they’ve invited me to lunch at the Ritz — but in fact they didn’t have to bribe me, because I actually like War 70. The great thing about it is that it takes in both the strategic and the tactical, by operating in two distinct phases — in the first, you regroup and move your armies, and in the second you fight battles with individual armies against each other. This is a two-player game, which some might call a bit of a drawback; unlike some other wargames it is difficult to play on your own as a purely military exercise. Once you’re playing with someone else, though, it becomes quite a teaser. The game starts off with the ‘Campaign Map Scenario’. This is a map of two countries, showing their capital cities, eight other cities, and the roads that connect them. Each side has nine armies/groups, and there are 32 locations on the map where the armies can be. Each player moves his armies around the map using a set number of moves, attempting to engage (or avoid) the enemy. Once the enemy is engaged, the game switches to its battle sequence. Each location has its own battlefield map, which shows trees, rivers and buildings; I moaned a lot last month about the poor standard of graphics in games like Confrontation, and the battlefield maps in WAR 70 are certainly an improvement on that, although still pretty basic. The battle runs horizontally, and features a bizarre method of moving pieces — you have to type in the co-ordinates of the location you want the piece to move to. I found that after a hard night’s reviewing my eyes just couldn’t handle this, and I had to keep checking the screen with a ruler! Apart this obvious shackle, the battle moves fairly smoothly; each army (at full strength) has eight units, of four different types. Each unit has a certain number of men in it, and the number of men killed determines when a unit goes ‘out of action’ (they’re effectively strength points). The game benefits from having a concrete objective — the control of your opponent’s capital city — and is almost as good as Red Shift’s stuff! It was apparently runner-up to Battle 1917 in 1983s ‘Cambridge Awards’ (that’s the bash I got to go to at the Ritz) but deserved to win hands down (CCS must be laughing all the way to the bank).

Verdict: clear layout, and a nice mix of overall strategy and close tactics. A pussycat.

BEACH HEAD

Producer: US Gold Ltd
Author: David J. Anderson, Ian Morrison, F. David Thorpe
Price: £7.95

Beach-Head arrived in Britain from America with plenty of pre-publicity as one of those new generation US games that had to be seen. U.S. Gold are now busy bringing all sorts of famous games under licence like Zaxxon (already available for the CBM64 and hopefully soon for the Spectrum). The graphics of Beach-Head on the CBM64 were very good and many people wondered how good they could still be on the Spectrum. The result makes for a favourable comparison — there’s hope for Zaxxon as well then!

Beach-Head is a six stage game based loosely on American experiences in some Pacific war, the Second World War judging by the aircraft type. Stage one is the map screen where you must move your cursor to the area you wish to attack. If you opt for the hidden passage you risk losing ships (lives) in sailing them through the mine infested and torpedo-ridden narrows. On the other hand your entry into the inner bay protected by the enemy’s fleet goes unnoticed, so they have less time to scramble fighters and bombers against your forces. The second screen is seen from the deck of your landing craft with anti-aircraft guns at the base and the enemy carriers beyond. Bombers cross from left to right while fighterbombers attack you. Too many direct hits and you’ll lose a life. Following this is a screen where you must attempt to sink the enemy shipping — a carrier crosses your field of fire, while other ships fire back at you. Completing this takes you to the beach-head itself, where you control tanks as they advance up the dunes, avoiding enemy obstacles. The final battle is the breaching of the giant gun. Here again you are in control of artillery and the object is to shoot out several white blocks in the tower’s base before the giant turret can swing round and blast you out of existence.

Scoring is a fairly complex business, well explained in the detailed inlay.

CRITICISM

‘Do you suffer from those disgustingly horrible people so crudely cast as Commodore 64 owners saying how superior their machine is, saying that your beloved Spectrum isn’t capable of producing excellent programs like Beach-Head? You do! Now all you have to do is turn around and beat the asterisks out of them, and while doing this you can tell them that your Spectrum has a version of Beach-Head that is every bit as good as the 64 version if not better. The graphics are excellent and are just as pleasing to the eye as the 64 version. The sound — well that is one area where the Spectrum falls down slightly, but even so, it’s not bad. The menu options are excellent, catering for just about every joystick plus definable keys too. The game is very playable and certainly addictive. This will keep you happy for a long while. All in all an excellent program well worth the £7.95 and a sure winner. Can’t wait for more US Gold games.’

‘This game has a fair mix of different game types in different stages. It’s also got an element of strategy. Beach-Head is a good battle/war game with some decent graphics (especially the planes). Good is the word for most of it, but it does not really come into the realm of very good, and at almost £8 the V.F.M. is also knocked a bit.’

‘Spectrum graphics have certainly come a long way since the venerable DK’Tronics game 3D Tanx — and that wasn’t bad. The effect of trajectory here is very strong and realistic. This is another translation from a 64 version although this version is far more difficult than its parent, possibly because US Gold well know that Spectrum gamers play a much meaner game than their 64 counterparts. The oddity of this game, though, is the mix of such excellent graphics (like on the General Quarters and Battle Stations screens) with relatively primitive looking ones (like in Hidden Passage and Beach Head). The explosions are a bit disappointing, just short red puffs — a bit unspectacular. Couldn’t they at least have had a few bits falling off, or used alternate colours? Overall, rather mixed feelings. The game is fun to play and quite addictive, but coming from the States, perhaps a bit overpriced.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: user-definable, for directions and fire needed
Joystick: almost any via UDK
Keyboard play: any position to suit, very responsive
Use of colour: very good
Graphics: good, varied, fairly large and detailed in most cases with good 3D in battle scenes
Sound: good
Skill levels: 3
Lives: six ships
Screens: 6 stages
General Rating: Good, reasonably addictive, plenty of playability, perhaps over-priced.

Use of Computer

86%

Graphics

80%

Playability

79%

Getting Started

76%

Addictive Qualities

77%

Value For Money

75%

Overall

79%

BOOTY

Producer: Firebird
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £2.50
Language: machine code
Author: John F. Cain

Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest...

From its excellent, animated title screen, you can see at once that this is a salty sea-dog of a game in which you play Jim (me lad) the cabin boy on a hazardous quest to collect all the booty strewn around the decks of an old galleon.

This is the first game from a very new company, but hardly an unknown one, for Firebird is the trade name for British Telecom (Firebird being the evil alter ego of that much loved feathered fellow Busby).

There are 20 holds in the ship (screens) with eight rooms making up each hold. All the doors are numbered and require the appropriately numbered key to be collected before going through the door. These keys are dotted about in different rooms, so it requires some nifty thinking to work your way round. Additionally there are doors which lead out of the screen here and there into other screens.

Each screen is arranged as a platform game (there’s a logic here — each level being a deck of the galleon of course) with the platforms connected either by ladders or by lifts. Some deck floors on certain screens tend to vanish now and again, and on some the combinations of lifts are very complicated. Cabin Boy Jim’s life is not made any easier by the prowling activities of the ghost pirates who march up and down within a room, cutlasses drawn. There’s also the occasional rat and the Captain’s berserk parrot that signal instant death. Collecting booty is done simply by touching it, but beware some items are booby trapped and explode a second after contact, so Jim must get out of the way fast!

...yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

CRITICISM

‘I’m always wary of cheap games but interested, with this one being British Telecom’s first (arcade) game. To say the least, I was astounded by the superb, very solid graphics. The idea of a ship’s interior is quite a novel one. Collecting booty at first seemed quite trivial but this is made considerably more difficult by needing the right key to open the correct room to be able to even get at the treasure. On some screens you need to wander all over the screen to get at the doors, and this can take ages to say the least. Each screen is inter-connected very nicely, each one needing a different type of skill. I especially like the way the lifts on some screens have been used, for example in one case there are five lifts all spaced next to each other, travelling in different directions at different speeds, which requires good timing skills to hop across to get a key, only to make you recross the lifts again several times — an excellent idea. Sound is continuous — a well known sea shanty tune, but if it drives you mad you can turn it off — I found I was able to pace myself by it. I’m amazed that Firebird are selling a well programmed game like this for a measly £2.50, when it could quite easily have sold for £5.95. This makes it tremendous value for money, and destroys the fallacy that cheapies are always nasties.’

‘The first impression of Booty is its lovely title page, second is a rather flat looking platform game, although the graphics are lively, animated and well designed. On beginning to play the game, this impression of okay-ness doesn’t fade, as it’s reasonable fun, just a matter of getting the right key to the right door and collecting the treasures. A few minutes later and this secondary impression is beginning to evaporate rapidly as the rich complexities of the game sink in. Not so simple after all, then. Not damned likely! All the screens are inter-linked and you cannot really just clear one and move to another — well you can sometimes, but the ghosts often make this impossible. Some of the screens which incorporate lifts, horizontal moving platforms, collapsing floors and lift stop floors which vanish after a second or two, start to give you the nightmare feeling that you may have been here before — is this galleon the true insides of the Yacht moored at the end of Jet Set Willy’s Mansion? The content of the game reveals itself coyly minute after minute, with lively and ever-changing graphics. In fact Booty is marvellous entertainment, a challenging game and very addictive. It’s also at a budget price. Incredible value. Get it!’

‘The graphics in Booty are colourful, well detailed, well animated, smooth and look real — a feature which many games don’t boast these days. The pirates look real mean with their cutlasses and beards as they bouncily walk along the ship’s decks. I think this game will appeal to people who enjoy exploring games such as Jet Set Willy. There is the thrill of going through a door to see what comes next — often it’s a meanly positioned pirate and you’re only a step away from death — can you get to the button in time? The various screens have all been well designed to offer a different set of tactical problems — and it’s nice to note that each one is remembered by the program, i.e. if you leave a screen and then re-enter it later, the pirates will be in exactly the position they were when you left it before. There’s no doubt about it, Booty is a highly playable and addictive game, loads of fun and well worth its asking price.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: user-definable, four direction and a fire (going through back doors) needed
Joystick: almost any via UDK
Keyboard play: suit yourself for positions, very responsive and capable of finely tuned movement
Use of colour: excellent, varied
Graphics: nice and solid, generally very good
Sound: continuous tune with on/off facility, plus some effects
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
General rating: the first budget game to get an unreserved appreciation from CRASH reviewers, playable, addictive and excellent value for money.

Use of computer

92%

Graphics

90%

Playability

94%

Getting started

89%

Addictive qualities

95%

Value for money

99%

Overall

93%

COMBAT LYNX

Producer: Durell
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £7.95
Language: machine code

Combat Lynx is more of a simulation than a shoot em up, but it can certainly be played like a shoot em up (it has some ferocious battles) or as a game of stealthy strategy. It is also a fairly complicated program to get the hang of initially and comes complete with detailed instructions on the large inlay.

The Combat Lynx is a powerful, heavily armed helicopter, which you control in a game with 4 skill levels. As it says in the inlay, the most skilled players will be able to protect their bases with mines, support their forward bases under attack with air cover and fresh troops, and also intercept and destroy enemy vehicles (land and air) while in flight between bases. A game could last for five seconds or five hours depending on the dexterity and tactical skill of the player.

Depending on the chosen skill level there are between three and six bases which you must support with fresh troops and air cover. Base zero has an endless supply of fuel and weapons and can instantly revitalise injured troops brought in from other bases. The first task is to arm the helicopter. The screen shows plans of the Lynx in three dimensions, front, side and top. Below are the prompts which show you what is being selected, how much of it and its weight. This includes able-bodied soldiers, injured soldiers, weapons and fuel. The load is carefully calculated and shown against the maximum weight possible, and planning is required since you must be able to take on the necessary weight of fuel for the trip. Weapons include strafing rockets, cannon and machine gun pods, all of which just fire in the direction the helicopter points in; and then there are the HOT weapons which are wire guided anti-tank weapons; heat seeking anti-aircraft missiles which can be fired without aiming; and finally the mines, which can be deposited around base perimeters.

The LYNX takes avoiding action as an enemy jet comes in to attack

The playing screen is split up into four prime areas; a main display window in which you can see the lynx flying over the landscape and the positions of enemy vehicles, bases, etc.; a height above ground indicator: message text display; and the instrument panel which shows engine temperature, speed of flight and fuel, weapon status and selection, navigation co-ordinates in the form of a compass and map grid reference, missile launch warning and finally the score line. Switching to map alters the main display from the 3D view to the very large map area. This indicates contour heights, shows enemy positions and friendly bases, Lynx’s present position and is broken into grids for ease of reference. The objects shown on the map are last intelligence report positions — they may move and can be seen moving on an update basis. When flying, the joystick/keyboard may be used to alter the altitude and direction of the helicopter, whilst in map mode the joystick controls the scrolling of the map. It can be speeded up to scan reference blocks, block by block by using direction and fire button together. In map mode all the other instruments function and can be seen.

The message screen flashes when there is a communication for you. This may be along the lines of a request for transport, reinforcements or air cover. This screen can also be used to discover the locations of the other bases.

The landscape view is in 3D using white contour lines on a green ground to create the effect. Trees and houses are also clearly seen in white as well as enemy vehicles (in black) and base markers. In effect Combat Lynx uses a four-camera position display, so on making a right angled turn the screen blacks out momentarily to be replaced by the new view angle. The helicopter can fly both forwards and backwards at speed and may be landed on flat ground with care.

Weapons are fired first by selecting the weapon system you wish to fire. Guided weapons may simply be fired; aimed weapons must be fired after selecting cursor control, whereupon a black cross sight will appear to show where the weapon is aimed. Only one weapon system at a time may be used without reselection.

The skill levels reflect the number of bases you have to support, the number of enemy vehicles and flying craft up against you and the accuracy of their missiles.

CRITICISM

‘I wondered when 3D graphics would be created with contour lines as on a map, and this seems to be the first action game to have done this to great effect. I feel that this type of 3D is more effective than an ‘illusion’ of 3D (i.e. things getting bigger or smaller). But it uses hidden objects like houses or enemies which cannot be seen when they’re behind a hill. Such objects however, do grow or shrink in size as you approach and fly over them, using perspective properly. The 3D effect is not just randomly generated as you play through a game because the entire playing area is mapped and the contour (3D effect) references work from it. But for each game, a new landscape is created (very quickly too). The game itself is very difficult to play due to the speed of the enemy, although realistic, and due to the fact that you generally fly at full speed. This probably does mean that it has a great potential for a long term game. A nice point for beginners is that it is fun just to fly about and take pot-shots at things, although I didn’t hit very many enemy craft! Overall, well worth its money just for sheer content.’

‘Combat Lynx is both simulation and shoot em up games in one. The 3D effect created by using contour line graphics tends to give it a more technical feel, so more like a simulation, but on the other hand there are lots of jets and enemy helicopters whizzing around and ground forces shooting at you which gives the game its instant playability appeal. Once you get the hang of coping with everything, it’s possible to play a game of high strategy which evolves not only arcade skills but those of forward planning. For people who enjoy strategical type games, Combat Lynx should provide hours and hours of fun, while for those who prefer something instant and fast — choose skill level 4 and hang onto your hats! Generally the graphics are most impressive, with a few attribute problems when objects are about to become hidden but these are minor in what is otherwise an engaging and challenging game.’

‘The graphics in Combat Lynx are very good for a 3D simulation except it’s a pity that you can’t follow the landscape around when you turn through 90 degrees. This is very playable, but very hard to play and will give hours of enjoyment if you’re willing to persevere with it. I think this is probably the best simulation I’ve seen to date. My only comment really, is that I think I would’ve liked it even more if you hadn’t got the graphic of a helicopter in front of you, but instead saw the view as though you were in the cockpit. Overall, this is an excellent simulation.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Cursors, but additionally there are a large amount of multi-use keys for control.
Joystick: cursor
Keyboard play: very responsive, and the other keys needed are kept to a minimum during flight or fight
Use of colour: very good, although kept simple on maps and view, just a few small attribute problems
Graphics: excellent and highly novel 3D
Sound: not very much for speed of graphics
Skill levels: 4
Lives: 3
General rating: excellent, challenging on a wide range of play options and represents excellent value for money.

Use of computer

80%

Graphics

88%

Playability

90%

Getting started

91%

Addictive qualities

89%

Value for money

91%

Overall

88%

DALEY THOMPSON’S DECATHLON

Producer: Ocean Software Ltd
Author: Paul Owens, Christian F. Urquhart, F. David Thorpe
Price: £6.90

The arcade original ‘Track and Field’ has spawned a number of Spectrum versions in this Olympics year and has led to a serious discussion on whether Spectrum keyboards or joysticks are up to it! Perhaps the most eagerly awaited version is this one, and Ocean (obviously good at picking winners) were in no doubt that Daley would get the gold, conveniently releasing the CBM64 version the day after he did.

There are, as the word ‘decathlon’ implies, ten events to compete in. On the first day — 100 metres, Long jump, Shotput, High jump and 400 metres. On the second day — 110 metres Hurdles, Discus, Pole-vault, Javelin and finally the joystick killing 1500 metres.

In the Spectrum version there is only one competitor on the track events (two in the CBM64 version). The screen has score lines and qualifiers at the top, a band showing the spectators, who cheer and clap, a narrow band representing the edge of the stand with Ocean hoardings plastered all over it, and then the green of the track area with the red running track. Below is a speed bar and result line with time and distance displayed. Track events are played by continuous left/right motions of the joystick, with the addition of fire for jumping or throwing. The simple object is to win the gold medal by qualifying in all events.

The package comes with day one on side one of the tape, and day two on the reverse. Ocean are paying royalties from sales of the game to the British Amateur Athletics Board.

CRITICISM

‘Despite the Spectrum version appearing long after the Olympics had finished, Decathlon loses no appeal. The graphics are very good and there are no attribute problems. My only gripe (not a green thing with seeds in the middle) is that Daley is white. I don’t know whether Chris Urquhart is colour blind but to say the very least, Daley Thompson has got a sun tan. The sound is excellent and plays a snippet from ‘Chariots of Fire’ when you win gold! This is an extremely good game. The keys respond so well you don’t have to bash hell out of them. If you want a decathlon game, then get this one, it will keep you busy for months. In all an excellent buy.’

‘I hate to compare versions across computers but the Spectrum version is a direct copy of the CBM version although it’s very much more simplified, and the fact that you are only competing against yourself lowers its playability considerably. The graphics are all pretty good, with nice animation from you as Daley, and the parallax movement does help create a sense of depth. There are also the nice touches like the man coming in with tape to measure your performance. I must say, though, that I wasn’t all that inspired overall, perhaps it’s the very type of game that put me off slightly, but there’s no doubt that this is the best Spectrum ‘Track and Field’ type game around.’

‘This (yet another Olympic spin-off game) is a very good sport program, probably the best of its type yet. (I’m sure I said that about the last one, but superlatives keep appearing!) I really enjoyed Decathlon, it was a very playable game, and there were nice finishing touches to it, for example, the false starts and the athlete scratching his head when he makes a mistake. I cannot really fault the graphics as they are well up to standard.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: user-definable, three needed for left/right foot and jump
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Cursor
Keyboard play: very responsive
Use of colour: excellent — though Daley’s stopped being ethnic
Graphics: very good, smooth, large, and well detailed
Sound: good tunes, applause etc
Skill levels: (match your own)
Lives: 4
Screens: 10 events
General Rating: Very good, addictivity will depend on individual taste for this type of game.

Use of Computer

85%

Graphics

82%

Playability

85%

Getting Started

80%

Addictive Qualities

80%

Value For Money

78%

Overall

82%

DANGER MOUSE IN DOUBLE TROUBLE

Producer: Creative Sparks
Author: Martin Harris, Nick Burroughs
Price: £6.95

Television characters are making it big in computer games just now what with The Fall Guy, Minder and now Dangermouse. Of all of them, Dangermouse is the most likely candidate — he being a graphic character already. Double Trouble is a three-part game, each game being very different. According to the scenario Crocodilian intelligence has just heard that the evil Baron Greenback has developed an android version of DM and the first one is about to be switched on. It could be curtains for London if Dangermouse and Penfold can’t get to the secret base in time to prevent this dastardly event.

Part one sees DM and Penfold tucked safely in the aerocar, but Baron Greenback has dispatched a variety of flying robots to defend his base. The top half of the screen displays a horizontal picture with the aerocar at the left and the oncoming robots at different heights approaching from the right. This image is repeated head on at the bottom left.

They are destroyed by playing a tune and this is done automatically on the easier level for a while, otherwise by selecting the correct robot in the VDU at bottom left. When the correct number of miles have been travelled, DM and Penfold have to hoof it through a jungle, hopping over swamps on the back of a crocodile and climbing a tree to avoid a mouse eating puma.

The third screen is set at the secret base where the android mouse is about to be electronically born. The object is to make DM leap up and bounce along a row of buttons which have the effect of altering the colours of the grid of lamps. Baron Greenback’s finger can be seen pressing buttons on the side. If the light in line with DM’s button is also in line with BG’s button then the chain of yellow lights is decreased by one. Turning them all red saves the world.

CRITICISM

‘Dangermouse in Double Trouble is quite a difficult game to explain, and there is a long and complicated inlay included to do this for you. Actually, playing is easier than reading, although without consultation it is hard to see exactly what is going on or why? No doubt Dangermouse is intended to appeal mainly to younger players, but it seems overcomplicated and in so many ways rather pointless. The graphics are all very lively and attractive and it is a busy game, but I just couldn’t really get on with it, which is a pity because it is a sort of prestige program, and Creative Sparks have certainly shown that they know how to make a good game (like Delta Wing).’

‘The fact that this is a “DM” game will attract many young (and old) fans just for the sake of it. Double Trouble itself is quite a good game that young players will enjoy. The various stages all have a little of that DM wit, as seen on TV like the balancing act on light bulbs with his index finger. The heroes and villains are well represented in computer graphics, but at £6.95 even for Dangermouse it’s a little pricey. I didn’t find it all that addictive, but I feel that it is aimed at children and should be considered from that point of view for addictiveness.’

‘Good Grief — Dangermouse is in a video game. This is the first one — and it’s good! Controlling your ever super Dangermouse with his stupid sidekick Penfold (oo eck) is a delight, the animation is very good and fortunately you only have to control Dangermouse as the bungling Penfold will follow (oo eck) unless there is a black cat in the way. You can climb the tree and do a Tarzan call and elephants will stampede the cat away. The game is split into three distinct stages, each graphically breathtaking (especially the third) and well executed. This is fun to play but not totally addictive. The graphics enhance the program and the sound isn’t too bad. A must for Dangermouse fans but not for everyday arcadians.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: 9/I up/down, 1/2 left/right, zero to fire
Joystick: Kempston, Fuller, ZX1, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: rather awkward keys but responsive
Use of colour: generally good, although some characters are a bit hard to see in jungle stage
Graphics: good to excellent with close resemblance to TV original
Sound: average
Skill levels: 2
Lives: time limit
Screens: 4 in 3 stages
General Rating: Good to very good for DM fans, perhaps less interesting to general arcade fans.

Use of Computer

80%

Graphics

85%

Playability

74%

Getting Started

72%

Addictive Qualities

67%

Value For Money

71%

Overall

75%

DELTA WING

Producer: Creative Sparks
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £6.95
Language: machine code
Author: Graham Johns

Delta Wing is a battle flight simulation, but unlike Digital Integration’s Fighter Pilot, your aircraft is a make believe one — a very high performance one at that. Creative Sparks have also created a game for two players with two computers and monitors for a very realistic fight. But the game is also playable with one player against the computer. The game includes various skill levels and provides numerous friendly and enemy bases as well as enemy fighters to battle with.

Taking off from a base

There are four skill levels — trainer, novice, pilot and ace. On the simplest level the enemy aircraft do not move, and on the other levels the player may select the number of enemy bases to be attacked — one bomb is allowed for each base.

Delta Wing has a double display — instruments plus map and instruments plus windscreen view. The instrument panel is very detailed including meters for altitude, vertical speed (most useful in landing), brake indicator (for use on the ground or in the air), thrust, fuel, airspeed, artificial horizon, flaps and undercarriage (up or down). For attack purposes there are also the vertical position locator (VPL) and radar. A compass is also supplied for general direction in conjunction with the map. The VPL shows the height of enemy aircraft relative to your height. The radar has a long and short range scan.

In addition to the instruments, the graphic display also shows the pilot’s knee and hand on the joystick. The view through the cockpit window shows sky and ground relative to attitude and all movements are reflected in the instrument panel’s artificial horizon which shows pitch angle and roll angle. Once in visual range, enemy bases and aircraft appear as wire frame objects moving fully in 3D. Your own bases are similar, but a different configuration of lines.

Similar representations appear on the map together with your present position and that of enemy bombers etc.

Refuelling and re-arming require landing near a friendly base. Although there are no runways in the game, landing must be carried out fully. Landing too far away from a base need not be fatal, as it is possible to taxi towards one on the ground.

Delta Wing’s map display — the red diamond is a destroyed enemy base

The packaging includes an excellent inlay with all instructions very simply laid out and with colour diagrams showing instrumentation and map display information.

CRITICISM

‘Delta Wing is like Fighter Pilot but it takes Fighter Pilot further so that bases which you can bomb are included. The screen layout is excellent and you can actually see the pilot’s legs and arm reacting to your key commands. Responses are also excellent and in some cases over-responsive. This is quite a good flight simulation/shoot em up type of game but the graphics of the enemy planes and bases are not that good. I still think Fighter Pilot is better but this is still a good game. The sound and menu options are fine and the bonus for friends with interface one of a two-handed game means they can play against each other. All in all another good game from Creative Sparks.’

‘This game must be compared to the highly successful Fighter Pilot, although compared against FP it is by no means as difficult to play or enjoy. Control layout is totally realistic and highly informative even though this is not actually a real plane. As you control the plane, everything is instantly on the move, pilot’s hands and knees move in accordance with your joystick, the instruments all react spontaneously — in this sense it is utterly perfect and in my opinion unbeatable. Enemy bases and aircraft are all wire drawn for graphic speed, but this doesn’t spoil any playability of the game whatsoever. Colour has been realistically used and especially on the instrument panel very impressively used. The graphics are very fast and very realistic. This is the most playable and enjoyable shoot em up that I’ve seen; although, saying that, it is detailed enough to be a simulation as well. I recommend it!’

‘It’s unavoidable to compare Delta Wing with Fighter Pilot but Delta Wing isn’t out to out-fly Fighter Pilot, because this is more of a shoot em up game than a simulation in the sense that FP was. For starters Delta Wing is not a real plane, and its manoeuvrability would probably rip the wings off most present day fighters. Sailing along at a comfortable height of 65,000 feet doing almost 2,000 knots is fun in itself, especially as at that speed you can see the symbol of your aircraft on the map moving quite clearly. But to nose dive from that height on an enemy base, see it appear as a small dot in the field of green, grow into a shape, and then pull out at the last second to whizz right over the top of it and bomb it is almost heaven! The various skill levels have been well chosen from the simplest right up to the ace level where the enemy fighters are no easy match. The controllability of Delta Wing is such, however, that you can really dog fight with the computer, slamming on your air brakes and rolling to get the enemy in front of your sights again. Because of this, the amazing graphics, their neatness and responsiveness, Delta Wing is the most like flying I’ve ever seen on a computer. It is huge fun, an absolute must!’

COMMENTS

Control keys: I/P left/right, W/Z up/down, N to fire. Additionally there are 10 function controls
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Fuller, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: extremely responsive
Use of colour: excellent
Graphics: excellent, fast detailed very good wire frame 3D
Sound: good tunes, not much during game for speed of graphics
Skill levels: 4 with 5 sub-levels
Lives: 3
Screens: 2
Special features: 2-player game networked via Interface 1
General rating: excellent.

Use of computer

85%

Graphics

94%

Playability

94%

Getting started

90%

Addictive qualities

89%

Value for money

87%

Overall

90%

DEUS EX MACHINA

Producer: Automata UK
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £15
Language: machine code

There are few things in life that can be called Global Certainties — this is one of them — that eventually an Automata game on the A side should meet an Automata hit single on the B side, fall in love and mate. This is the result...

HELLO. I WANT YOU TO PAUSE AFTER I COUNT YOU DOWN, AND RECOMMENCE PLAYING AT THE SCREEN’S REQUEST! FIVE — FOUR — THREE — TWO — ONE — PAUSE!

Tuesday evening, after tea and compulsory prayers, the last mouse tried to hide from Mankind, inside the Machine. Just before it died, as the nerve-gas eased its sphincter, the last mouse dropping caused a slight accident. You may control the progress of this Accident, on my behalf, and with my permission, lead it up the telepath.

So starts a game which can only be described as different. What makes it different is the game idea in which you control the progress of an accident as it grows, learns and develops into a human being and eventually dies. Throughout the game you are given a percentage score which gets higher and lower as the game proceeds. Deus Ex Machina is unique, as much of a milestone in computer history as The Hobbit with its graphics, because this game has a synchronised sound track! The cassette case, which is large, contains two tapes. One is the computer game — two games, one on each side — and the other is the sound track, also on either side. The sound track, once synchronised, plays all the while the computer program is running.

The sound is of a very high quality and stars Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd, Edward Thompson and Mel Croucher (Mel Croucher?). In addition there is music with a distinctly Automata-ish feel to it, but it is definitely more serious in tone than usual.

The game is not fun in the usual sense, it’s more of an experience! Next follows a brief description of each of the stages in the game.

All the screen’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one person in their time plays many parts, their act being seven ages.

At first the infant mewling in test tube’s neck...

This stage of life consists of seven sub-games in which you help to create a baby (it’s okay, all quite tastefully done — well, fairly anyway). The machine (the central controlling force of the UK), which rebels after witnessing the accident (which is wonderfully animated) does most of the work by stealing an egg. The graphics are quite good here, as all the time the Defect Police (Frankie Howerd) are out to get you because you are a defect, as was the mouse.

Then the whining School Child, with cassette and shining morning face creeping like a snail unwillingly to databank...

This stage consists of only one game in which the Defect Police must track you, for that is their function. When you are caught, you use your powers to parry their psycho-probes. Throw up your shield, move it clockwise and anti-clockwise to protect your entombed and revolving form. The graphics are interesting and work especially well on ‘yourself’. This part is awe-inspiring and the sound track, as ever, is well-performed.

And then the Lover, sighing like a furnace, with a woeful video made to their lover’s hologram...

This stage is similar to the last in which you must touch the lips with your cursor (!) as they approach your body; later on eyes replace the lips. As a game, this stage is quite easy and it is the last program on side one. The graphics are intriguing, with the sensuous movements of the lips and the hypnotic track by Donna Bailey as The Machine. At this stage, you turn over both tapes, reload and re-synchronise side 2.

Then a Soldier, full of strange oaths. Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking hi-score, even in the laser’s mouth...

Now you are grown and as Frankie Howerd intones the chant, ‘War crimes are easy’, the ground moves under your feet and pitfalls appear over which you must jump. After a while the action changes and mental tortures sear down on you. You must protect yourself by raising the telepathic shields and reflecting the blasts. At the last the Fertiliser (Ian Dury) says, ‘Killing is wrong, even pretend killing on little screens. And people that sell violent games to children should be put away somewhere safe, ’til they get well again.’ At which point the Machine rebels against the Defect Police.

And the Justice, in fair round belly, with eyes severe and clothes of formal cut. Full of wise words and machine code...

Here you are shown, fat and slow, your empire behind you. The words are mixed up, some good and some evil and some connected with evil. You must jump over the good and stamp on the evil.

The Sixth Age shifts into the lean and slipped pantaloon. With spectacles on nose. Their youthful clothes well saved, a world too wide for their shrunken shank. And their adult speech synthesiser turning again towards a childish treble, piping and whistling in its sound...

You see your character old and broken. You must trace his heartbeat.

Your life is expressed as a percentage score. The screen switches and you must split up the blood cells so that they do not clot.

Observe the percentage.

Again the screen changes and again you must trace the heartbeat. So it goes on until death and the end — or the beginning...

Last scene of all, that ends this strange, eventful history, is Second Childishness, and mere oblivion. Without keyboard, without monitor, without power supply... Deus Ex Machina is not for people who want a straightforward shoot em up because it simply isn’t that sort of game. In many senses, it isn’t a game at all, although there are humorous little games within its scope. It becomes an experience, aided by the hypnotic sound track and the emotive words. In fact it’s hard to decide whether this is an extension of the computer video game by music, or an extension of the ‘concept album’ by the addition of games playing. In the end, it doesn’t really matter — Deus Ex Machina is a noble development idea, which points towards a new understanding of what can be done with computer games. It isn’t perfect but it is a lot more fun than the idea might sound at first; the graphics throughout are always interesting and sometimes absolutely excellent. The sound track is produced to a high level of quality — we have dotted extracts throughout the review — and in all it’s to be hoped that buyers will think £15 is worth it.

We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors,
We borrow it from our children.

Imagine if we could begin our little life all over again.
Imagine if it was all nothing more than some Electronic game.
Imagine if I knew then what I know now.
What did you learn?
I can’t quite remember, but I’ll try and be better next time.

ENDURO

Producer: Activision Inc
Author: James Software Ltd
Price: £7.90

Enduro is another Activision translation from a dedicated games cartridge to the Spectrum, the adaption here being done by James Software. Once more you are down on the grid, ready to race through all sorts of conditions against 200 other vehicles. The race starts in broad daylight, takes you through snow and ice, fog and rain towards the sunset, dusk and finally night.

Your car is red, the others are all black. At night time all you can see of them is their headlights until night really settles in, when only their red tail lights glimmer dimly and the road, too, is foreshortened. The overall perspective used is a rather high one, although the road does reach the vanishing point properly. The screen display is mostly green (road and landscape) with the road edges indicated by thin perspective lines. A blue sky is separated by hill details which do move about realistically. Sunset is well shown with the sky beginning to turn red. Ice and snow conditions are represented by the predominant green turning white and the car controls in a somewhat sluggish manner to simulate driving conditions.

Below the playing area is a panel containing the day number, number of cars still to overtake and a timer. Running along the edge of the road will slow you down, although this is one of the few road racer games where your vehicle cannot actually run off the road. Also, rather like Full Throttle, hitting other vehicles doesn’t result in an explosion, but just slows you down.

There is only the one, seemingly endless track to play on, but there is an increase in difficulty as you go from day to day, with the cars bunching more together as you go along.

CRITICISM

‘3D car racing games seem to have a been a bit of a flop on the Spectrum, with not many people attempting to produce a good version. Activision, one of the big names in cartridge software for games-only machines, have realistically reproduced one of their better games; it cannot be said that this is the best 3D racing game on the market however. Enduro features a good representation of a day, sunset and night, with other road conditions such as snow and fog, both of which affect the performance of your car in different ways. Colour has been used well with only minor attribute problems. The road moves in a realistic 3D manner, as do the cars whizzing past you into the distance. The sound would be great if only it was more available. If you want a good, competitive racing car game and are willing to pay almost £8, then this is money well spent.’

‘Activision’s Enduro on the Spectrum is not too bad. It still contains features such as night and poor visibility driving. The game is fast, the graphics being okay not over detailed. I found it playable but not that addictive.’

‘First impressions of this are those of being ripped — paying eight quid for a game which is little better than Speed Duel, and this feeling stayed with me all the while I was playing Enduro. You can say of the graphics that they serve their purpose but with no nice extras. The sound is quite good when the car accelerates. This isn’t a bad game and it does get quite exciting at times, but I feel at £7.95 it’s a bit of a rip off and isn’t a patch on Full Throttle which is cheaper. All in all, not a bad game but a bit pricey for what it is.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: 2/W accelerate/brake, O/P right
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Protek, AGF (accelerate is fire button)
Keyboard play: very responsive, good positions
Use of colour: good
Graphics: not over detailed but fast and smooth with better than average 3D effect
Sound: good
Skill levels: 1 with progressive difficulty
Lives: 1
General Rating: Above average to good as a game and would be good value overall if the price was lower.

Use of Computer

73%

Graphics

67%

Playability

69%

Getting Started

69%

Addictive Qualities

70%

Value For Money

54%

Overall

67%

GHOST RIDER

Producer: Positive Image
Author: Tom Cannavan
Price: £5.95

The Game, says the inlay, is to collect the golden cup from each screen. The cups are locked away so a key is needed. Other objects can be collected as well. Ghost Rider is a platform game in which you star as a biker with pedal power. There are six levels connected by fast rising and descending lifts at either end of the platforms. The main difficulty is timing to get on or off the lifts, and in avoiding the various hazards that float around on the levels protecting to collectible objects. A problem is that objects on each screen have to be collected in the right order and it isn’t possible to ride a lift all the way round. Collecting the key results in the vaults containing the golden cup vanishing to leave the cup free for collection.

Completing the first screen moves you onto the second, more difficult arrangement. Here holes have appeared in the platforms making the route more torturous. Each screen is played against a time limit and a fuel limit, and there is a petrol pump somewhere to top up, although why a pedal bike requires petrol is open to speculation! In all there are twelve levels.

CRITICISM

‘100% machine code... real arcade action combined with strategy and adventure... a game for quick hand and nimble fingers... We’ve all heard that before, haven’t we? Is it 100% m/c all the time in this case, I ask myself. This game is extremely similar in layout to Morris and the Bikers except that here you are pedalling. The graphics are okay but not ultra-smooth as they are moved by character squares. I would not agree with the word ‘adventure’ at all, but ‘strategy’ — yes. One must think ahead to use the lifts to advantage. As for quick hands etc, all arcaders have these virtues! Overall the strategy element (or thinking ahead) does give it a slight addictive boost.’

‘At first, it seems to me to be a very simple game, a very simple idea, but after playing it for a bit I discovered that there is a bit more to it than simply collecting objects, you need to collect them in the right order. Quick reactions are pretty essential as the graphic characters move by the block and can take you by surprise. Screens do vary but stay on similar platform lines. Colour has been used fairly well but it does lack something in both graphic and colour presentation. Overall, it turns out as a rather average game that may well appeal to the younger arcade player.’

‘Ghost Rider is a follow up program to Positive Image’s Bewarehouse. I preferred the earlier one. Because of the character movement there is a tendency for the program to be over-finicky, especially when getting on or off a lift exit. I don’t know why, but colour characters on a white background such as we have here, always look a bit unsatisfying, and the presentation would have looked better if another colour had been used. Overall, a good idea which still seems to lack something in the playing.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/right
Joystick: hardly needs it
Keyboard play: simple keys and reasonable responses
Use of colour: varied use, spoilt by use of white background
Graphics: imaginative and varied, not all that smooth
Sound: pedal noises and other occasional beeps
Skill levels: 1 with progressive difficulty
Lives: 3
Screens: 12
General Rating: Above average idea with medium playability, may appeal more to younger players.

Use of Computer

69%

Graphics

57%

Playability

55%

Getting Started

58%

Addictive Qualities

66%

Value For Money

55%

Overall

60%

GUIDO

Producer: Blaby Computer Games
Author: Derek Lawrie
Price: £1.99

Guido is a small black ravenous, carrot eating rabbit, whose sole aim in life is to eat — well carrots. Here’s what you do. The screen lights up with a series of brick blocks arranged in a four high by six wide grid above a base platform. On several of the brick platforms there are carrots embedded in the platform. By jumping up on the carrot-bearing block and bouncing, Guido not only eats the carrot but also drills right through to fall down onto the block beneath.

Life would, of course, be the same if it were this simple, and it isn’t. There are bouncing balls, irate farmers and android hares to watch out for. The bouncing balls on screen one sail up and down the vertical gaps between the blocks, whereas the farmers walk along the horizontal ones. What with watching out for these hazards and having to pick his way carefully around in order to get to the right blocks, life can get a bit fraught, especially as by screen three you have vertical balls and horizontal farmers all at the same time. Never mind, Bright eyes.

CRITICISM

‘I would hardly call this game easy, in fact I’d go to great lengths to say that it’s very difficult, especially on the third screen with balls whizzing up and down and farmers moving left to right. The idea behind the game is very simple, just collect the carrots but it still manages to be very entertaining. Graphics are simple but quite pleasing and fast — enough! Colour and sound are used quite well, although the colour could have been a little more contrasty. Pretty good value for its price and should provide quite a few hours entertainment — and is very difficult.’

‘Guido isn’t going to win any prizes for content as it is a very simple idea. The real effort has gone into adjusting the timing of the various nasties so that the player is presented with a game that is extremely hard and frustrating in the addictive sense of the word. Simple, quite compelling to play and likely to appeal to nimble fingered kids, and serious arcaders alike (in spare moments between the grown up stuff of Combat Lynx).’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/right, J to jump, N to dig
Joystick: Kempston, but hardly needed
Keyboard: responsive
Use of colour: quite good
Graphics: reasonably sized, not over much animation although the bouncing balls work very well
Skill levels: 3
Lives: 3
General Rating: Average in game type but represents very good value and the game is quite addictive.

Use of Computer

62%

Graphics

49%

Playability

53%

Getting Started

54%

Addictive Qualities

52%

Value For Money

63%

Overall

56%

H.E.R.O.

Producer: Activision Inc
Author: Software Conversions Ltd (David Aubrey-Jones)
Price: £7.99

Roderick Hero (R. Hero for short) is an all-round American good guy whose greatest joy in life is to go around rescuing people. In the case of this particular game it happens to be a bunch of miners who are trapped in the deepest recesses of a nightmare mine. The object is to rescue as many as possible before dying! The miners, resembling shipwrecked mariners, are obviously pleased to see R. Hero when he arrives because they raise a weary hand and wave at him as much as to say, ‘Go away.’

As R. Hero you are equipped with a reasonably heat resistant suit and mini helicopter blade on top. The suit also has a head-mounted micro laser for blasting the varied nasties that thrive in the warm depths of this mine complex. The mine seems to have been okay until volcanic activity released lava into the shafts and tunnels with the result that some of the walls and floors are red hot and kill on contact. The other useful device Rod has considered is dynamite — six sticks of the stuff. This is dropped near to a wall and blasts it away. Alternatively walls can be blown apart with the laser except this takes up time and uses energy, which is limited.

The mines are large with each screen only showing a small area of the total. The object is to rescue a miner at each level of play. Level one is dead simple to get you used to the idea. By level 4, however, you are finding much more complex mazes, more creatures, more magma walls and the fact that in some places the lights don’t work. You can also put out the lights accidentally by touching or shooting one. In this event feeling your way around is the only alternative, unless you have some dynamite left — lighting a stick is rather like lighting a candle.

Rod Hero, of course, having lit a stick, must retreat quickly or get caught in the blast. Points are scored for killing nasties and for rescuing miners, with a bonus being added in the form of how many sticks of dynamite are left. An energy bar is situated under the display area and failure to rescue a miner before this runs out will result in the loss of one life. Rather as in River Raid there is a level starting option to allow more skilled players to enter the game at higher levels — 5, 9, 13, or 17.

CRITICISM

‘Can’t say I’ve seen this one before. It’s a highly original game. The graphics are good and the effect of the dynamite going off is — explosive! This is a very good play, although unfortunate that it should be in the Atari/Activision price bracket. I liked the effect of the water (or is it lava) at the bottom of the shafts very much. I found it to be a very challenging game and even the demo can tire you out.’

‘H.E.R.O. is the best of the four Activision games just released for the Spectrum. The graphics are not particularly brilliant but serve their purpose well and the sound is fine. The best thing about the game is that it’s very addictive and fun to play. It’s certainly a challenge because the better you get and the further you go the harder and harder the game becomes. I still think Activision games are a bit pricey, but this is still a very good game!’

‘H.E.R.O. is enormous fun to play and very addictive with just the right amount of frustrating and challenging ingredients to keep you going just when you thought you might give up. As a hero Roderick isn’t exactly a stunning graphic but I do like his little helicopter blade. And that’s the only point I found a little irritating — his thrust is a bit slow to come on. Perhaps this is intended to be realistic but it can leave you in some very awkward situations and kill you off when you least expect it to. Had it been £6 instead of £8 I would have given it a very high value for money alongside the other ratings, but this is a bit steep, especially in the face of some much better looking budget software recently.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: 2/A thrust/dynamite, O/P left/right, E for laser
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Protek, AGF
Keyboard play: reasonable positions although fire is slightly odd, but responsive once used to slow thrust
Use of colour: good, bright and lively
Graphics: simple but effective, smooth moving
Skill levels: 5 actual entry levels but many overall on progressive basis
Lives: 5
Screens: numerous
General Rating: Very good, original, addictive and fun, but still a bit pricey.

Use of Computer

76%

Graphics

72%

Playability

79%

Getting Started

75%

Addictive Qualities

79%

Value For Money

70%

Overall

75%

HUBERT

Producer: Blaby Computer Games
Author: Chris Morrison
Price: £1.99

The name Hubert disguises a familiar game that in the arcade used a ‘Q’ instead of a ‘H’. 31 squares arranged in alternating rows of four and five, must be changed in colour by jumping Hubert from one to another. On the first, easiest screen, Hubert is not pursued by anything, just to let you yet the hang of the keys, which are user-definable. On the second screen a bubble begins darting about, killing Hubert off if both should land on the same square. On the third it’s the same except Hubert must change the colours of the square twice. Jumping off the edge of the playing area results in instant death.

Subsequent screens add another nasty up to total of three, each addition alternating with single change and double change colours.

CRITICISM

‘Another “Q-Bert” game, not in the traditional pyramid layout style though, more rectangular 3D block. This could be said to make the game a bit more difficult since you can’t get a real straight run. The playing area is drawn quite nicely, although the use of the several bright colours makes a little hard to see at times. Your man is not very detailed but moves quite nicely with a good squelching sound. Quite a good buy at £1.99.’

‘The use of definable keys in a game like this is very good, since controls are in diagonals, and not everyone can cope with preset ones that are not of their own choosing. The coloured steps are not always instantly visible, but some thought has gone into making sure the monsters are, as they change from black to white to act as a contrast to the colour step they are on. This is as challenging a “Q-Bert” type game as I have seen, especially as there are no flying saucers, and for its price it is very good value.’

‘I thought the monsters are a bit too random in their darting movements which tends to lower the skills factor involved. This little grumble apart, I would find it hard not to recommend this version since it offers good playability against any other. Okay, so you don’t get marvellous floating graphics, but it plays a fast game effectively, and I like the option of redefinable keys on a cheap price game like this, which you wouldn’t normally expect. And there’s the nice touch, when you lose a life, of a balloon appearing at the top containing the letter S followed by various symbols which represents that word we’re not allowed to use in CRASH anymore.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: user-definable
Joystick: Kempston, but almost any via UDK
Keyboard play: responsive, although it seems the monsters have a move priority over you, which is disadvantageous at times
Use of colour: fairly good
Graphics: reasonable and fast
Sound: nice effects
Skill levels: 1 with progressive difficulty
Lives: 3
General Rating: Very good value for money, and an above average version of the game type.

Use of Computer

70%

Graphics

60%

Playability

54%

Getting Started

63%

Addictive Qualities

54%

Value For Money

67%

Overall

62%

JASPER

Producer: Micromega
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £6.95
Language: machine code
Author: Derek Brewster

Micromega have two games in this issue, and both are by the same author. Kentilla is a text/graphics adventure in the classic vein, but with Jasper Derek Brewster has changed tack completely (although it could well be called an arcade/adventure game) and taken himself and Micromega far away from the universe of 3D. Jasper is an all swinging, all singing, all dancing jump, hop and collect game in the tradition of Jet Set Willy. However collecting here isn’t a question of collecting for points but because the various objects have a strictly defined purpose and use, which is what adds the adventure element.

Jasper’s a real swinger when it come to big cats

Jasper is a mouse and the basic object of the game is to guide him from the start screen to the finishing screen without getting finished off en route. There are 22 screens to negotiate, all linked in the sense that you can move from one to the next and back again (or in one case down and up again). This is rather important because Jasper can only carry five objects at a time which means often having to drop something and then return for it. Consequently the 22 screens become more in terms of completing the game. The items collected (by standing on them and pressing the collect key) appear in small boxes at the top of the playing area and they may be used by pressing the appropriate numerical key. Each object does have a specific use — ropes are pretty obvious, but umbrellas? Well think carefully — this is a cartoon comic strip — press the button when forced to leap off a high place and bingo — the brolly opens to lower Jasper to the ground safely. Once used an object vanishes.

Up against Jasper are a series of problems which include traditional platform strategical thinking, various animated animals like big cats, bunnies, wasps, spiders, snakes and scorpions, flowers which may be helpful or lethal and natives that throw coconuts and spears. Each screen has its own identity and share of the horrors. Fortunately Jasper has a mighty leap and can walk on two feet or duck down to all fours. Indeed, Jasper is a Mighty Mouse.

CRITICISM

‘What first struck me with this game is the sharpness and clarity of the numerous graphics, also their realism. A lot of hard work must have gone into creating the graphics. So much moves with this game, and everything that moves is so well animated. Many skills are required with Jasper, timing being one of the major ones, but this is also definitely a true arcade adventure (many others have claimed to be) because you need to find the objects to help you move onto the next screen; these objects are practical in the sense that you can and must use them, they’re not just there for points. No detail whatever has been spared on this game on either the graphical or content side. Jasper is just such a pleasing game to play seems to me to be perfect, and will need to be played a great deal to overcome the difficulty factor built in. It is, in my opinion, a distinct advance on the Jet Set Willy type of game. Worth every penny and I really recommend it.’

‘Jasper has the makings of a hit game — tremendous graphics, well calculated problems to overcome and a marvellous hero in Jasper himself. There are quite a few keys used to control the game, so familiarity with the layout is important, since some decisions have to be made in a great hurry. Fortunately one key can do several things like Y to P will make Jasper climb up a rope, release it if he’s swinging or just simply jump if he’s on the ground or a platform. This is not an easy game, each screen is likely to kill you off at a moment’s notice, but should you get through it safely there is a real time clock displayed, and the long term objectives are obviously to improve not only the score but also the time taken overall. On the subject of timing, there is also a time limit in which to get off a screen, which makes things even meaner. Very much a game of timing skill, Jasper is marvellous, and infuriatingly addictive.’

‘This is a sort of Jungle Trouble-plus game — very plus, because the graphics are excellent. There are so many different creatures, all of them beautifully animated and detailed, and all of them lethal! It has been constructed so that things seem impossible, when they aren’t — good timing and a good memory are essential. But the adventure elements such as collecting useful objects and then finding out what to do with them (some have obvious uses, others less so) adds immensely to the playability of Jasper. Your mouse is also very versatile — pity the fingers aren’t always as good! Micromega have fooled everybody with this game because it isn’t 3D at all and it just goes to show that a well thought out idea, well implemented doesn’t need 3D to make it addictive or fun to play. Jasper will take a long time to get through. Great game.’

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise

COMMENTS

Control keys: A/S left/right, Y to P up (rope), jump and release rope (when swinging), H to ENTER down (rope), and duck, B to SPACE = get an object, 1 to 5 = use carried object by box number, Q to T plus 1 to 5 = drop carried object.
Joystick: none — too many keys
Keyboard play: highly responsive, with two directional keys next to each other, leaves other hand free for key selection, but a programmable joystick might be an advantage here
Use of colour: excellent, very varied and bright
Graphics: excellent, marvellous animation and detail, fast and smooth and without any flicker
Sound: continuous tune and spot effects
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: 22
General rating: addictive, highly playable and highly recommended.

Use of computer

86%

Graphics

96%

Playability

91%

Getting started

90%

Addictive qualities

94%

Value for money

89%

Overall

91%

KENTILLA

Producer: Micromega
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £6.95
Language: machine code
Author: Derek Brewster

Kentilla is Micromega’s first step out (from the realms of 3D) into lands shrouded with mists where things rumble in the night. They have apparently done so with due care and consideration of the market and with an author who, though fortuitously adept at high quality arcade games, holds text adventures as his first love. Ideally, Kentilla should have been included in the Adventure Trail, but that would obviously have been very unethical of us since the authors are the same! Micromega describes Kentilla as a richly devious adventure and it is very much so.

The setting is Caraland (the mythical home of Derek Brewster). Grako has returned from the flames of the Abyss after a corridor was opened for a few short seconds as Velnor’s soul was hurled through the void to the flames. Grako has taken residence in the Black Tower and now has within his grasp the Moonstone of Aigrath, the source of Velnor’s power. The scene is nicely set on the Inlay card and links neatly to Derek’s earlier adventure Velnor’s Lair (Quicksilva).

The story starts off for real in front of Ogeron’s house with exits North, West, East and South through a door. What now?

As a reviewer of adventures, Derek Brewster has been apparently working out a universal means of making adventures more accessible and friendly to use, and in Kentilla we can see much of this at work. There are good location descriptions throughout and they generally tell you what you need to know but, as one might expect, EXAMINE is widely used to reveal much more than is instantly apparent within a location. This is most richly used in conjunction with the graphics which are not just pretty adjuncts to brighten up the page, but contain real clues. So, for instance, on entering a hall, and in need of a torch (these aren’t to be found left lying on forest paths) it is worth taking the graphic which shows the walls dotted with burning torches quite seriously. EXAMINE WALL results in a piece of vitally interesting information — the text verifies what you see, and TAKE TORCH reveals that you are now carrying same.

The graphics throughout carry this idea on and it adds a new dimension to the classic style adventure where the first thing to do, presuming there are no savage creatures about, is to start asking questions about what you see as well as read. In themselves, the graphics are small but neat and to the point, avoiding useless wastage of memory.

Kentilla is an interactive game. Life carries on with or without you and in moments of indecision the WAIT command can be useful. The interaction also allows conversations with other characters, all of whom have a life of their own and may choose to be helpful or not. At the start it is comforting to discover that Ogeron (despite the dubious name) is quite friendly and indeed hands you the sword Kentilla which you so desperately need. Another pleasant creature is Elva, who, with her ability to carry so many things, is all too easily treated like a packhorse after a few locations. These characters may be spoken to by using quotes as in SAY TO OGERON "GIVE ME SWORD".

Another element which is unusual is the text editor which is there to aid input. Using CAPS SHIFT with some of the numeric keys allows the player to delete character to the left of the cursor, insert a space, move cursor left or right and recall the last command. As the insert points out, this last command can be conveniently used in lengthy battle sequences where KILL URGA may rapidly be changed without retyping everything into EXAM URGA.

So much for the techniques, what about the game. The object is to return Grako to the place from whence he came, the flames of the Abyss, and it is your task together with the sword Kentilla. It is packed with devious problems and will take the experienced adventurer a long time to get right through it. Lateral — even on occasion some unpleasant — thinking is required to overcome a number of thorny problems. Right actions can make friends of enemies who may then do things for you that you are unable to do. One thing you are able to do in Kentilla is LOOK. This useful command can have a similar function as EXAMINE, for example, LOOK IN CHEST but it may also be employed for seeing ahead before making a move as in LOOK EAST. Just LOOK on its own will redescribe the location. It may seem a small point but the direction LOOK command adds an element of immediate strategy to Kentilla and spotting some dreadful Urgamaul before leaping into its location can leave you prepared for fight or flight.

Kentilla is a very good adventure which offers the right level of difficulty so that you can wander around for a while without attempting to solve the quest thus acquainting yourself with Caraland and its inhabitants and learning how to interact with them. This is required quite frequently and first impressions of characters, aggressive or passive, can be, and are often intended — to be misleading. A word of warning — Kentilla is also a very, very long adventure to play through, not because it has thousands of locations but because you will need to retrack, deviate, return and revisit all the while — there is no straightforward linearity here. And this is not just a case of that old adventure problem, the amount of objects you can carry, since Elva, poor thing, is as strong as an ox. The only drawback we discovered was inputting. The computer seems to accept each letter typed in a little slowly with the result that you can trip up over letters when typing in commands, although the sophisticated text editor helps here — but perhaps it is the very sophistication that has slowed acceptance. It’s a small point, however and to be borne in mind when typing fast in battles!

Kentilla is a sure winner as an adventure with many devious problems which should keep any adventurer busy through the coming winter months and it’s excellent value for money. Just one tip; your loyal sidekick can be very helpful when giving and taking things.

Robin Candy & Roger Kean.

Difficulty: difficult almost from the start, but presents an always attractive challenge
Graphics: above average, small but important — a rare thing
Presentation: good
Input facility: a trifle slow but very user-friendly, full sentence
Response: Fast
Special Features: character interaction and conversation
General rating: excellent

Atmosphere

8

Vocabulary

9

Logic

9

Debugging

9

Overall

10

THE LEGEND OF AVALON

Producer: Hewson Consultants
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £7.95
Language: machine code
Author: Steve Turner

‘Congratulations’, says the inlay, ‘You are now the proud owner of Avalon, the first in a new world of computer games, the Adventure Movie.’

It’s likely that in the next few months the words ADVENTURE MOVIE are going to become familiar. It hasn’t happened overnight, of course, there has been a slow progression towards the interactive adventure which uses arcade style graphics (starting perhaps with games like Atic Atac) and which progress is now accelerating. History will dictate who is first, but Hewson have certainly made a head start with Avalon.

The packaging is small video box style with a large inlay containing columns of apparently daunting text. In fact the game turns out to be one of those you can dive into immediately, but reading the instructions would serve a useful purpose as this is, primarily, an adventure and few things are instantly obvious. Also included is an explorer’s map of the Avalon complex and a protection entry code with very pale blue ink on slightly paler paper to make it hard for photocopiers. It asks you to type in three separate codes before accepting access.

Maroc pursued by goblin warriors

You play Maroc (the wizard) or rather his astral projection. There are sixteen ranks (skills) which are subdivided into eight stages, and at the start of a new game your status is the lowest, that of apprentice. Your advancement is gained by penetrating deeper into the dungeons and by collecting spells.

Maroc’s task, to put it simply, is to destroy the Lord of Chaos, who dwells in the deepest part of the dungeons protected by several types of horror. These include goblin warriors, who gang up on you and can only be avoided by running quickly through two rooms or down a tunnel; wraiths who throw fire balls at you after a while and tend to follow your progress by materialising through walls; guardians of chaos, and finally warlocks, who may be helpful and may not, depending on what you can offer them.

To help in this enormous task there are many spells and useful objects to be found, some are collected just by walking over them, but others may need the help of a servant (one of the early spells to be found), who can do the task for you. Movement itself is a spell, since Maroc is only an astral projection, and this is given to you at the start of the game. Collected spells are listed in a continuous scroll at the base of the screen and are selected by using the up-down control and fire. Some spells can be used simultaneously such as ‘move’ and ‘unseen’. A useful one is ‘freeze’, which stops time for a few moments and can let you get away from things like the goblin warriors. Here, an arcade skill comes in — the ability to get out of the freeze spell and into ‘move’ as fast as possible!

All the rooms have some doors which may be open, closed or locked. The locked ones obviously require keys. Closed ones are operated by taking Maroc to the door at the correct height and nudging it, moving back slightly to let it open before proceeding through it. They shut just as easily.

Because of its arcade overtones Avalon is reviewed here as an arcade game rather than by Derek Brewster but no doubt Derek will also have something to say on the subject at a later date.

CRITICISM

‘This is the best thing I’ve seen in arcade/adventures with the mystic qualities of adventures and the graphics of arcade. Avalon is the best blend between the two yet. The 3D effect is excellent (though a little jerky, but who cares when it is this good)? Overall, there is a lot to do in the game which means that interest will be held. I would personally recommend that a map be drawn to aid progress as I soon became lost without one. I think Hewson have produced a likely adventure cult game.’

‘What makes Avalon a real interactive game is the fact that as you play it, you really alter the state of things with each ‘life’. The spells you managed to collect last time are still with you, chests opened are still open, and as you carry on failing, more goblins and then guardians appear from the depths as though alerted to your presence. So the only way to go about it is to use the first few attempts as a practice mode until you get the hang of opening doors proficiently and using spells. And the further you get into the game, more you realise that this isn’t really an arcade game at all although some skills are needed, because you really can affect the way things happen to you. There are so many neat touches, most of which only appear with long play. Once I waited in the start room and a wraith appeared. The first fireball he threw was not at me but at the door — he shut it! With so much budget software around it seems to be harder to award value for money to a game costing £8, but Avalon is worth every penny in my book — no game like this could be developed at a cheap price.’

‘Avalon is a game that never ends. If you sink to the lowest level, it still keeps going and you are forced to live with the effects of what you have done on previous attempts. In this sense there is every chance of picking yourself up again and continuing to get better. Useful, therefore to have the SAVE and LOAD facility. The 3D graphics are most effective, although at first it can be disorienting to go up through a door and emerge in the next room sideways. This reorientation also means a map is pretty essential — there is a freeze key. I like the use of the joystick driven control which does both for movement and for spell selection, and life can get very panicky when there are three goblins and a wraith chasing you and you want to use spells and move. Highly addictive, extremely playable and a game to keep the attention for ages. Avalon is going to take a lot to master and, with as far as I have got, looks like having much more to it than even Atic Atac. It’s got great music as well — pity there’s not more of it!’

COMMENTS

Control keys: A to G = up, Z to V = down, B, N = left, M, SYM SHIFT = right, H, J, K, L = fire
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: several options and positive response
Use of colour: borders very colourful, the playing area is quite simple and avoids messy attribute problems
Graphics: excellent 3D effect and well drawn and detailed characters
Sound: good start tune, otherwise useful sounds as warnings
Skill levels: not applicable
Lives: not applicable
Screens: over 200 rooms
General rating: excellent.

Use of computer

89%

Graphics

94%

Playability

91%

Getting started

90%

Addictive qualities

93%

Value for money

90%

Overall

91%

MRS. MOPP

Producer: Computasolve
Author: Tina Billett
Price: £5.50

Mrs. Mopp takes a second bow in the pages of CRASH as we reviewed it in our very first issue when it was originally marketed under Computasolve at the price of £5.50. As re-released by Atlantis nothing has changed in the program and so our review in February still stands. But for those who never saw the issue, here is a brief summary.

Mrs. Mopp’s family is one of the messiest in the world — they litter cups, clothes, dust and lord knows what else all over her kitchen. Moppsie has five utensils to help her in the task of cleaning up, two types of basket, a dustpan and brush and two trays. Each utensil is colour coded and can only be used to clear up specific items. The blue cups, for instance, may only be collected on the blue tray and the pale green clothes in the pale green basket. There’s also a washing machine, a sink and dustbin. Each utensil will only hold so much and must be emptied periodically into the appropriate appliance. She can only hold one utensil a time and these are stored on shelves to either side. Litter starts appearing all over the place as soon as each game commences, and as she cannot move past or over an object unless carrying the specific utensil for collecting it, the moveable floor space quickly becomes very restricted. When life becomes too unbearable there is a bottle of tipple to help restore her spirits, but beware of taking too much.

The reviewers comments added up to Mrs. Mopp being a good game, original in concept, medium addictive and very playable. The value for money at the time was given as 71% and obviously at £1.99 that is considerably increased, although it should be said that since its release, the standards of software have risen somewhat, which modifies its increase in value.

COMMENTS

Control keys: A/Z up/down, N/M left/right and S for spells
Joystick: Kempston
Keyboard play: sensible positions, 8-directional, responsive
Use of colour: good
Graphics: good, well compiled
Sound: fairly good
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 1
General Rating: Good.

Use of Computer

65%

Graphics

69%

Playability

75%

Getting Started

65%

Addictive Qualities

68%

Value For Money

79%

Overall

70%

PIONEER

Producer: Atlantis Software Ltd
Author: Andy Backhouse
Price: £1.99

The cassette cover for Pioneer shows a jetcopter firing blasts at what looks like a group of Manhattan skyscrapers. Only we know that this isn’t New York, but the fabled city from ‘Scramble’. Pioneer is a sort of ‘Scramble’ type game in which you fly your helicopter across various types of terrain, through caverns and a convoluted city while asteroids, missiles and other alien things try and stop you. On the ground there are installations to be shot up for points and — what makes Pioneer quite different to any other ‘Scramble’ type — humans which wave as you flypass and may be winched up to safety, along with various sorts of valuable cargo.

The game itself may be defined by the player to a degree, and the option menu allows for selecting whether you will have no guided missiles, intelligent missiles, unlimited fuel, unlimited rockets, an easy, moderate or hard landscape to cope with. On the harder levels of landscape, life becomes very hard indeed. The terrain includes hilly landscape, rocky caverns, the same with asteroids, a straight series of caverns with forcefields to be shot away and some with enemy craft, and finally the city. The copter takes off from a helipad at the start, and if you get far enough through a section before losing a life, the game returns you to the start of that section.

CRITICISM

‘This is a ‘Scramble’ type of game where you need to winch up people, fuel and rockets, all the while avoiding the mountainous landscape, enemy missiles and enemy aircraft. The graphics don’t move smoothly but this doesn’t put the game to a serious disadvantage, and anyway, they are quite detailed and fast. Colour and sound have been used quite well. Everything works quite well although it is difficult to use the winch — you must be right over the object and hit the key instantly. This has the effect of stopping the otherwise continuous scrolling until the object has been secured. There is a very good change options feature where you can make the game easy or very hard. Overall, good value for money.’

‘This is not an absolutely fantastic exciting game, but for only £1.99 it’s very good. The graphics are average for the type (quite good, but perhaps a little on the simple side) and they scroll well, but jerkily. Sound, too, is above average. Winching people and things is very difficult and can be a problem, but it’s the only way to get fuel and arms.’

‘Pioneer is not a new sort of game, but it does have a few novel features such as the winch. In the main, scoring points by shooting things up is relatively easy, the main difficulty comes from the landscape which is pretty several times. The graphics are large and well detailed, colourful as well, but the scrolling movement is rather jerky and gives the program a somewhat old-fashioned feel to it. However, this does not spoil what is a fairly good version for the price. It isn’t going to replace the thrills of Penetrator, or Cavern Fighter, but should certainly fill in a few hours of enjoyment.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: A/Z up/down, M = hover, SYM SHIFT = accelerate, SPACE = fire and CAPS = winch
Joystick: Kempston
Keyboard play: responsive
Use of colour: good
Graphics: block movement, big well detailed, above average
Sound: average generally, helicopter start up
Skill levels: several options to select
Lives: 5
General Rating: Average, though good value for money.

Use of Computer

68%

Graphics

63%

Playability

63%

Getting Started

64%

Addictive Qualities

63%

Value For Money

78%

Overall

67%

PSYTRAXX

Producer: The Edge Software
Author: Andrew Beale
Price: £6.95

Psytraxx is said by its producers to be the second true mega-game, the first having been their 64 game Quo Vadis? “Now Spectrum owners can experience the fruits of our unbelievable synergy programming techniques,” says the PR. No one at CRASH is entirely sure just what ‘synergy’ is when it’s at home, or how it makes Psytraxx different from any other similar game type; and in as much as Starbike looks uncannily like Lunar Jetman, Psytraxx looks uncannily like Atic Atac. You have a very large number of rooms, a wandering and questing hero and numerous manifestations of monsters, plus useful items to pick up on the way. As in Atic Atac, it is up to the player to discover how to do what, and what to do with it when you’ve got it.

Psytraxx takes place inside that ever popular location, a computer. You are in control of a Microdroid and the object is to do battle with the nuts and bolts of its innards (diodes, chips and the like) while trying to gain access to a CPU by collecting the Key Cards. To keep your spirits up there are little green blocks in each room visited that charge you up so you can fire at and destroy the nasties, although in each life, once eaten the cake is gone. There are only five rooms (all framed in printed circuitry) at the start that you can visit without problem since the last is blocked off by a purple and a blue force field over two exit doors. Collecting the key card a few rooms before, however, will gain you access to the next area which is much larger. The Edge claim that there are over 1060 screens to play through, and as our reviewers discovered, the game isn’t as straightforward as it first seems.

CRITICISM

‘Psytraxx is definitely an Atic Atac look-alike, a sort of arcade adventure in which you must obviously find out how all the various elements are linked in order to see a way through. it’s a constant fight against the nasties and a battle to keep the energy up as contact with any of the fixtures in the rooms drains you rapidly, and once that’s gone you have no defence against the diodes and resistors until another power pack is found. Each of the key cards found seems to allow you access to further parts of the complex, but there are puzzles too. What is the chip with OR on it? Touch it and you dissolve to be reformed, but the chip that was yellow is now white and all the rooms that were once white are now yellow. Repeating the process reverses the phenomenon. Is it useful? This and many other questions will no doubt be answered in the forthcoming weeks! I found Psytraxx extremely playable and challenging. It’s obviously a much larger game than Atic Atac, but the graphics are nowhere near as attractive and as far as I can determine at this state of play, there isn’t actually as much to do either. Still, a worthwhile buy, and I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that the further in you get the more complicated play becomes, just as it did with the first three levels.’

‘This game from The Edge is similar in general game idea to Atic Atac (but not as good by far). Generally the game is okay, with all the nasties (chips, diodes etc) looking quite good. But on my encounter I would hardly call it a mega-game; in fact it was a bit on the synergy side.’

‘I know hype is important when it comes to grabbing attention, but I think The Edge have well and truly overdone it with Psytraxx. I’m not saying that it isn’t an interesting game, but if this is a true mega-game then I haven’t much hope left for Spectrum advances. Let’s face it, with all the nonsense about “synergy” programming techniques, what we have here is a pale shadow of Atic Atac, but completely without the charm of that game. I was vaguely reminded as well of Softek’s Microbot, which I thought was a much better game than Psytraxx. The graphics here aren’t bad, the animation of the various enemies is reasonable but the 1000 plus rooms are pretty boring to look at. I guess this is another “map” game, as you can quickly become lost in the maze, but an important part in such games is that the locations should all have something to give them identity. Psytraxx lacks sadly in this respect. Because of this, I didn’t find it particularly addictive.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: A/Z up/down, O/P left/right, Q-T pick up and drop
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: responsive 8-directional movement
Use of colour: above average
Graphics: reasonable size and detail, fast and fairly smooth
Sound: useful beeps and some effects, otherwise not much
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: over a 1000
General Rating: A large-sized game which was generally felt to be above average to good, but over-priced.

Use of Computer

75%

Graphics

71%

Playability

73%

Getting Started

70%

Addictive Qualities

59%

Value For Money

64%

Overall

69%

PYJAMARAMA

Producer: Mikro-Gen
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £6.95
Language: machine code

Mikro-Gen’s worn out working class hero Wally is back again — well he’s almost back again in this new adventurish arcade game. Wally’s actually asleep in bed and in danger of not hearing the alarm clock which ought to wake him up in time to get back to work in that appalling car factory. But Wally’s having a terrible nightmare.

Nightmare Wally meets sleeping Wally

You star as Wally Week’s sleeping alter ego, wandering around a vast house as a pint-sized figure in pyjamas and night cap. As this is a nightmare, nothing is as it should be in the dreamscape. Apparitions waltz about the place, hands snatch at your feet from beneath the floorboards, axes fly through the air, there’s even a floor which gives you that feeling that you’re trying hard but getting nowhere. The object is to find the key that winds the alarm clock and get it to wake Wally up. You are allowed to collect objects littered all over the place which have various inter-related uses, but only two may be carried at a time.

The controls are simple, left, right and jump. Being hit by a nasty isn’t the end; above the playing screen is a glass of ‘Snooze Energy’ milk, which is drained a little bit every time you are hit and goes down steadily throughout the life. Finding some food to snack on is as important as finding the key and alarm clock. Scoring is quite a novel process — you are told how many paces Wally has walked and what percentage of the adventure has been solved.

There seems to be a move afoot from software houses to repeat use of successful heroes, and Pyjamarama is a sequel to Automania — is it as good?

Sometimes the trick is to find the correct route to the objects

CRITICISM

‘Pyjamarama has some of the best animation and realistic graphics I have ever seen. All the graphics are large, neat and smooth. As in Automania Wally is superbly done with his night cap even moving as he slides down the bannister. The game itself is very well thought out especially when it comes to finding and carrying the things that help you in your quest to find the alarm clock. Beware of the ‘Video Room’. I could not pull myself away from it for about six waves. I’ll be surprised if this isn’t a CRASH SMASH. I think it should be as it’s a lot better even than the last one from Mikro-Gen, and definitely worth getting.’

‘Okay Wally, don’t just sit there suffering from your nightmare — do something about it! Yes, this is the sequel to Automania, the manic car game. You control a sleepy Wally in his quest for the clock. If you liked Automania you will love Pyjamarama. The graphics are superb and the sound is very good. Pyjamarama is a hit in anyone’s book — it’s got everything you could ask for from a game and more — the only way I can describe it is a sort of Manic Jet Set Wally — it’s really an excellent game. You don’t score as such, you are given a percentage and how many paces you took — I suppose it’s better to have a high percentage with not having taken many paces. Quite a good idea really. The animation is a continuation of that found in Automania but with much more going on. The program’s full of neat touches and I especially like the room behind a door marked Video Games where you can play a good game of Space Invaders — so you’re really getting two games for the price of one! It’s highly playable and just a bit too addictive. Buy it — you won’t regret it!’

‘As a simple combination of imaginative graphics, large characters and humour, Pyjamarama is unbeatable, and a fine sequel to Automania. I thought it had just the right amount of frustration and play-again qualities to drive you mad — and make sure you do play again. Wally is in fine jumping form again even though he’s shrunk down to the point where tomorrow’s chicken dinner becomes a serious threat. There are surprises everywhere like the prat-fall boxing gloves which knock you down when you’re not expecting it, and it takes an experienced hand to spot the difference between a lift seen from the side and an ordinary door. Mikro-Gen have been thoughtful enough to provide a large switch, however, marked lift on/off! (But that’s in a different location). Undoubtedly an addict’s dream hit.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: O/P left/right and M to jump, but also user-definable
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, but almost any via UDK
Keyboard play: very simple key use and responsive
Use of colour: marvellous, painterly use of colour although it risks some attribute problems
Graphics: excellent, large, fast and smooth, well drawn
Sound: very good
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3 (watch out for Snooze Energy)
General rating: highly addictive, playable, good value — excellent.

Use of computer

90%

Graphics

93%

Playability

94%

Getting started

91%

Addictive qualities

94%

Value for money

90%

Overall

92%

RIVER RAID

Producer: Activision Inc
Author: Software Conversions Ltd
Price: £7.95

Christmas 1984 will be the time when all those American games arrive at last on the Spectrum. Activision seem to have taken a long while to turn their attention to the smaller computers, and have now done so with a vengeance!

Adapting their ‘Atari River Raid’ program has been one of the first jobs. Set on the River of No Return, this scrolling shoot em up is described as a mission to score as many points as possible by destroying enemy battleships, helicopters, fuel depots, jets, land tanks, hot air balloons and bridges before your jet crashes or runs out of fuel. Well that seems pretty straightforward! The river is described by green banks on either side and blue water in the middle. The landscape scrolls vertically down the screen with your jet centred. Movement is possible left and right and the jet may be speeded up or slowed down, which effectively speeds up the scrolling.

There is only one skill level but the game is played as a series of bridges. The more bridges you pass, the harder life becomes. The river is dotted with islands, some of them very large, and sometimes it narrows down so much that you are flying along a tiny zig zag route. Basically you must not touch any object (including the land) except fuel depots. The fuel runs out at a constant speed regardless of flying speed and is topped up by flying over the fuel depots. The slower you fly over them, the more fuel you get. They, too, can be blown up by firing missiles.

The bridges which divide up the playing levels must be destroyed. Land tanks which can be seen crossing the bridges ahead of you will start firing back, after bridge 7. For players who have reached a reasonable level of skill, it is possible to skip some of the first, easier bridges.

CRITICISM

‘The scrolling landscape in this game is very effective in producing the impression of movement. What the game seems to lack is realism in details like the enemy craft — they seem a little flat? Also, I’ve heard of working your way up to a skill level (or bridge level in this case) but on my second game I already flew past bridge 43! Colour and sound have been well used and work well — no attribute problems. Overall, a good shoot em up game with plenty to keep you happy on higher screens; although perhaps a little over-priced.’

‘In this adaption of Activision’s Atari River Raid, the landscape scrolls vertically and the graphics are fairly small but adequate. The game builds up as you progress with fuel harder to find and more enemy craft shooting back at you. At first I thought it was a bit tame, but as things progressed the game built up, becoming harder all the time. An excellent feature is that of being able to start at several points — pro arcaders need waste no time and start at bridge 20. Pretty damn good stuff!’

‘The one thing that all Activision games suffer from is price, they’re all just too expensive for what they offer, even though they are quite good games. River Raid is no exception to this. The game is good but I thought expensive. The graphics are small but smooth and the sound is quite good. The result is a very good shoot em up which is fun to play and reasonably challenging — it’s certainly addictive and should keep you occupied for many a day. The menu options are excellent, especially for starting at different difficulties.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: 2/W accelerate/slow down, O/P left/right, bottom row letters to fire
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Protek, AGF
Keyboard play: good positions and responsive
Use of colour: good
Graphics: smallish, smooth, generally reasonable
Sound: well used
Special features: optional start level and two-player games
General Rating: Good to very good, addictive but perhaps a lower value for money due to price.

Use of Computer

73%

Graphics

74%

Playability

78%

Getting Started

82%

Addictive Qualities

72%

Value For Money

66%

Overall

74%

STARBIKE

Producer: The Edge Software
Author: Paul Curtis
Price: £6.95

The Edge is a new name in Spectrum software, but not newcomers because these are the programmers, under a different name, that produced material for Softek. With the demise of Imagine, The Edge are claiming to be the producers of the first true megagames. Starbike is being pushed as the first game ever to be “voted” into Computer & Video Games’ Hall of Fame before its release.

The object is to collect lost aliens from several planets while avoiding the multitudes of space debris floating around. It begins with your lunar lander arriving on the planet surface. Hundreds of aliens (space debris) floats, bounces and spins around. The landscape also contains a large radar dish or scanner, as well as various devices that shoot at Starbiker or hinder his progress. He emerges from the rescue craft already on his jet bike which is armed with continuous automatic laser fire. Near to the lander is an alien depository. Flying to the large scanner and stopping on top of it will result in a small arrow appearing in the base score line which indicates the direction of the next alien to be rescued. The aliens are small yellow balls with stalks that bounce up and down in a somewhat carefree manner considering that thay are lost! They are collected by running over them and then they hang beneath the bike until you can dump them into the depository. The process is then repeated until all the lost aliens have been found. As it isn’t stated on each screen how many there are on a planet it requires careful attention to the scanner. Returning with an alien to the lander will result in its taking off for another planet, possibly leaving some unrescued aliens behind, and for this crime, points are docked from your score. Starbiker is provided with a shield value of five, and hitting any debris will knock the shields down by one. There is only one life in what is designed as a high scorers’ game.

CRITICISM

‘Starbike is very similar to a well known game by the name of Lunar Jetman! The game style is very similar indeed. Personally I thought Lunar Jetman had the better graphics though this is a little more playable (but perhaps not as addictive). A price tag of £6.95 makes this much worse value for money than LJM. After reading all the PR blurb I decided that they are overrating it. Yes, it is excellent but not “the most impressive of its kind yet launched.” Starbike does tend to build up as you go along and progress.’

‘What set Lunar Jetman apart from so many other shoot em ups was the attention to detail with every graphic character being well designed in all respects. It would be hard to get away from comparing Starbike to Lunar Jetman but here there are a few let downs on the graphics side. The landing rescue craft is very disappointing and for a horizontal scrolling game, the very strong base line which acts as ground does not scroll, and at first this gives a strange impression that you’re not getting anywhere with the left and right keys until a scanner goes sailing by underneath. The alien and debris graphics are very neatly done and animated although there wasn’t much alteration between early levels (haven’t got any further yet). Starbike is a good shoot em up hi-scoring game that should keep people amused for some time, and it is quite challenging to play with only one life and very few shields for all that debris.’

‘Starbike is a scrolling fast shoot em up, rescue game with very good graphics and sound and which uses Currah Microspeech for voice sounds. The option menu is excellent with various selections to be made and graphic devices above to show you what has been selected. Also, the hall of fame entry mode is marvellous with two arrows between which scrolls the alphabet. I think this is the quickest and best I’ve ever seen on any game. With continuous fire leaving only three keys to control the game it is far more playable than Lunar Jetman, which it resembles, but I don’t think it’s as addictive to play because the overall content is a bit lower. No doubt it will prove very popular with hi-scorers.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q-T thrust, bottom row alternate keys = left/right
Joystick: Kempston, Protek, AGF, Fuller, Sinclair
Keyboard play: very responsive, simple keys
Use of colour: quite good
Graphics: fast, large, well detailed and smooth, a few details lacking here and there
Sound: good
Skill levels: progressive difficulty
Lives: only 1 with 5 shields
Screens: scrolling
Special features: 1 or 2 player games, uses Currah microspeech, also offers of raffle, with every copy having possible winning numbers for a free subscription to C&VG or one of several BMX bikes.
General Rating: A very good shoot em up with a reasonable addictivity and very playable, a slight pity it’s priced as highly.

Use of Computer

84%

Graphics

80%

Playability

78%

Getting Started

80%

Addictive Qualities

69%

Value For Money

70%

Overall

77%

STRIKE ATTACK 2

Producer: Micro-Mart Software
Author: J.T.F. Dyer
Price: £6.95

Micro Mart have released an improved version of their earlier Strike Attack game.

The program is a cockpit simulation game, which relies entirely on instrument guidance. You are the Navigator/Weapons Systems Operator (WSO) of a Strike Attack aircraft en route to its target. The run starts off at 10,000 feet heading 090° at 400 knots. The target is within a range of 70nm. The aim of the game is to stay alive long enough to reach the target and score a hit. The main defence instrument is the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) which informs you of any attacks from enemy fighters, Anti Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs), the enemy is not to be engaged. The main defence consists of evasive action, breaking hard left or right (4 to 6g force should get your blood stirring!) and changing altitude.

CONTROLS

The cursors control the general motion of the aircraft, left and right turn, rate of climb/descent. The program is not an arcade style game, as it is written in Basic. The response to any input and the display update take several seconds. This requires keys for hard turns of 4 and 6g (breaks). To defeat an attack, a break is required to shake off any enemy plane or missile. Speed is controlled by increasing or decreasing the throttle setting or activating the air-brake. The final target run requires 2 degree adjustments left or right. After a successful attack evasion ‘Y’ will level the wings and reduce all rates of turn to zero. The ‘pickle button’, which is the bomb release is represented with key B.

INSTRUMENTATION

The main instrument is the Radar Warning Receiver, which is simulated by flashing symbols in the appropriate clock positions around the map/position display. The map displays the bearing sector of 060 to 120 degrees for the attack and your position is displayed by a marker. The set of instruments include an altimeter, RCDS (Rate of Climb or Descent) meter, bearing and heading indicators, a range to target indicator, throttle setting, airspeed indicator, G-force meter and the fuel meter. The cockpit view acts as a horizon meter with a green ground and cyan sky.

THE GAME

On start-up a menu displays three choices. Training mode, which allows you to continue even after being hit by enemy fire, Range practice, which leads you straight to the final 7nm bomb-run (avoiding any attacks from the enemy) and Fully operational, which drops you into the deep end of the matter, the real strike attack. The probability of an attack depends on the flight altitude taken, so it is best to level off below 2000 feet. The approach up to 50nm of the target is riddled with enemy fighter attacks. The approach line will consist of breaks to port or starboard, a break lasting as long as the attack itself. By the time you have weaved yourself within the 50nm range, you will be pleased to know that you will only need to dodge AAA or SAM attacks. The AAA attacks will require a change of altitude to disrupt the artillery range setting. When the range falls below 7nm, the range scale of the map changes to 7nm. There are no further attacks and the final run can be made. The ideal height should be 200 feet with a speed of 500 knots. The bomb should be released at a range of 600 yards with 0 degree angle of bank and fully level flight. The score will be displayed at the end of the game.

CRITICISM

‘The game idea is very similar to Omega Run by CRL and yet the two games are hardly recognisable. Omega Run is an exciting arcade game with its bomb run mission, where Strike Attack 2 is lacking totally any adrenalin-flowing ingredients. The simulation aspect of the game is also very poor, as the main pastime of the game is the hard breaking with the long wait for the attack to break off. There are no clever decisions to be taken, no strategy, as avoiding an attack is purely and simply a reactions test — but with a response time of several seconds this can hardly be called hair-raising. At least with Hunter Killer by Protek the target is moving and several calculations must be performed to locate the target (taking several factors into consideration), thus hiding the crude response and display of a game written in Basic. The background is very credible and the technical aspect (including the RAF jargon) is very interesting, but after a run or two there will be very little interest in the game itself. For aircraft fanatics only!’

COMMENTS

Control Keys: cursor for left/right, climb, descend S,K for 4g left or right breaks A, L for 6g right breaks V Airbrake, 0 and R 26q left/right correction Y level wings Q, Z Throttle up, down B release bomb (A keyboard overlay master is included)
Joystick: Cursor type
Keyboard play: Good
Use of colour: Good
Graphics: Good, but slow update (4 sec.)
Sound: Audio warnings only
Skill levels: 1
General Rating: For aircraft addicts only.

Use of Computer

45%

Graphics

48%

Playability

43%

Getting Started

65%

Addictive Qualities

32%

Value For Money

51%

Overall

47%

SUB HUNTER

Producer: Micro-Mart Software
Author: J.T.F. Dyer
Price: £6.95

From the same author as Strike Attack 2 comes Subhunter, another highly technical simulation game stuffed full of RAF jargon. The setting is above sea-level and the mission is the dreary routine check for enemy subs in friendly waters. The uneventful period has been omitted from the game and on start-up a 6 by 6 mile area where the sub was last spotted is indicated briefly on the map. The mission is clear cut: Detect the submarine, track and destroy it. Your Nimrod Mk 2 provides you with the necessary instruments and weapons. A Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom which picks up any magnetic disturbances caused by large lumps of metal (subs), 5 active and 2 sonar buoys.

Passive sonar buoys detect sonar waves transmitted within a range of 2 miles, active sonar buoys emit sonar waves and pick up their reflections from any solid objects within 3 miles. More effective than the passive version, they have the knack of making (sonar) waves and therefore warning the enemy of your presence. The buoys have to be dropped from a height not greater than 250 feet it they are to stay intact on impact and have a battery life of 15 min. (Obviously the RAF could do with a couple of Duracells)! Once tracked, you start to drop nastier packages than buoys. 5 depth charges are available and can be set to detonate at depths ranging from 1 to 500 feet making sure anyone within 0.25 mile range gets deaf ears.

THE DISPLAY

The Nimrod Mk 2 cockpit features all the usual instruments. In the central position, the sonar buoys location and the sonar detected position of the sub. 3 scale ranges are available, 6 x 6, 12 x 12 and the full 24 x 24 mile operating area. To the left is an indication of which sector is being displayed on the detail map. The flight information includes throttle position, fuel gauge, airspeed indicator, rate of climb/descent (RCDS), altimeter and compass heading. The status of the seven buoys can be read at all times. MAD indicates with a flashing signal and a warbling sound the presence of a submarine within 5 miles. On successful triangulation the buoys will display the estimated bearing, range, heading and depth of the sub.

THE GAME

Upon display of the last sighting of the sub, course must be set for the indicated 6 x 6 mile area while at the same time descending to the operating level of below 250 feet. The MAD boom may then be activated and a search pattern initiated until a MAD warning is received. The speed can be reduced to about 250 knots for better maneuverability and the sonar buoys dropped in a triangular pattern. If at least three of the buoys are picking up a signal from the sub (indicated by bold squares or circles), then the tracking is accurate enough for a drop of depth charges. The Nimrod must be maneuvered over the target area and the depth charges dropped with the correct depth setting.

CRITICISM

‘The feel of the game is very similar to Hunter Killer from Protek. The program is in Basic and the response and display update time is in the region of seconds rather than milliseconds. This makes for a very crude control of the Nimrod with turn rates of 20 degrees (although 2 degree corrections can be made for the final kill). The search is in real time. Consequently the buoys will provide you with 15 minutes of tracking info and care must be taken not to dawdle. Following the instructions will guarantee spotting and tracking of the sub, the actual kill is more difficult, but not impossible even on the first mission. In fact, after several successful kills the game does not prove to be any challenge anymore, as the sub doesn’t take any convincing evasive action and the Nimrod can concentrate fully on the task without any other intervention or danger to itself. The game does not provide progressive difficulty levels and once the hunt has been successful three times in a row, the interest will wane. Now how about clearing up all these sub infested fjords...’

COMMENTS

Control keys: cursor keys, Q, Z for throttle up/down T, Y for 2 degree left or right, M for MAD boom A for active buoy drop, P for passive B for depth charge drop with 0 to 4 for depth setting, 1, 2, 3 for scale selection
Joystick: Cursor type
Keyboard play: Very long response time
Use of Colour: Good
Graphics: very slow but good
Sound: Simple beeps and warbles
Skill levels: 1
General Rating: Interesting simulation game, would improve if written in M/C. Fairly high price for Basic program.

Use of Computer

49%

Graphics

59%

Playability

53%

Getting Started

69%

Addictive Qualities

52%

Value For Money

63%

Overall

58%

SUPER MUTT

Producer: Silversoft Ltd
Author: Steve Beresford, Simon Avery
Price: £5.95

Being a story of Heroism and unparalleled Daring, marvellous Hunts and incredible Adventures amongst savage Saurians, giant Fish, monstrous Behemoths and strange and curious Tribes. Well that’s how Silversoft put it anyway. Supermutt is engaged in a quest to find his friend, The Pup, who is held captive in the Castle at the End of Memory. In order to be able to penetrate its defences, Super Mutt must enter various rooms in buildings en route to collect pieces of the code word shown at the bottom of the screen, and without this, he will not be able to enter the castle.

Some 64 landscapes and 24 rooms make up this new game, which takes the form of a scrolling landscape of trees and buildings over which Super Mutt flies. Some of the buildings below him contain rooms which may be entered, and in these single letters which may or may not make up the code word shown at the bottom of the screen, can be found flitting around. There are also numerous monsters flitting around inside too.

Since Super Mutt is super enough to fly but not to fly backwards, care must be taken to ensure visiting everywhere so as not to miss out on a chance at a code word letter. Entering a building is done simply enough by landing next to it, taking care not to land on a tree or roof, and then walking in through the door. Inside the rooms there are several platforms which can be used for leaping upwards. This is necessary both to collect the flitting letter, and to collect the green and red apples which keep the Mutt in business.

Contact with some (but not all) of the monsters will deplete his apple store rapidly. Nevertheless, some of the monsters are very useful as additional stepping stones to fame and fortune, not to mention apples and letters. A letter gained in a code word results in the letter no longer flashing at the base of the screen.

If you manage to collect all the letters in a code word, Super Mutt finds himself at the Castle, indeed in the dungeon, possessed of an array of keys, but which opens the cell door — anyway, which cell door is it? One contains the Pup, the other a rather ferocious wolf... The only other thing to add is that while flying, Super Mutt must avoid the multifarious objects that come whining along, like umbrellas and purple things that look like the object Jet Set Willy ended up in...

CRITICISM

‘This is an odd game to start with, you play the part of a flying dog (pigs might fly you may well say) — well it’s true; the screen scrolls smoothly below you, almost like a ‘Scramble’ type game. In the various rooms well detailed and animated aliens try to prevent you from collecting apples or letters. The graphics are detailed, colourful but maybe a tiny bit too small. Overall a very playable, long lasting game with plenty of content.’

‘Super Mutt is not exactly as straightforward as it first seems. In the many rooms aliens may be a danger, a hindrance or a help, and often a mixture of these things. The result is a highly entertaining and original game with some very attractive looking graphics which I found fairly addictive and which gave me a lot to do. It’s one of those games that leads to terminal frustration when you’re almost there, one more letter to get and then a whole run of rooms are useless to you and the energy keeps dropping and.. Pretty good.’

‘Super Mutt is one of those games that make you think, ‘I wish the graphics were a bit bigger, or it was a bit harder.’ It has something lacking, that you can’t quite put your finger on. Otherwise it is a very playable game which is certainly worth buying. Although a bit on the small side the graphics are very neat and well animated. Flying the Mutt takes a lot of co-ordination to get him high enough to miss the buildings and trees but low enough to miss the flying storks, umbrellas and underpants(!!!) I quite enjoyed playing this game although I thought the end was bit of an anti-climax after all the effort.’

COMMENTS

Control Keys: Z/X left/right (walking) P to fly and L to leap inside rooms
Joystick: hardly needed
Keyboard play: very responsive, with an amazing leap potential
Use of colour: very good and varied
Graphics: smallish in the main, but detailed, well animated and imaginative
Sound: average
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 1
Screens: scrolling plus 24 rooms
General Rating: Very good to excellent.

Use of Computer

78%

Graphics

82%

Playability

86%

Getting Started

83%

Addictive Qualities

85%

Value For Money

83%

Overall

83%

TRON

Producer: Blaby Computer Games
Author: J. Woodcock, S. Wilson
Price: £1.99

Blaby’s Tron is nothing new in computer games, except that it’s one of the first ‘Light Cycle’ type games at the budget price. The traditional rules apply, with the player being unable to hit the edge of the playing area, his own light trail or that of the other player (or computer). The one-player game against the computer does have the novelty of removing the edge of screen penalty and opening the playing area up with a vertical and horizontal wrap around screen. In the two-player mode the screen edges are reinstated but eight directional movement is permitted.

CRITICISM

‘Being one of the earliest type of games that came out for the Spectrum, Tron isn’t very inspiring — just trying to outwit the computer, which isn’t very intelligent in this case anyway. The attitude towards the game changes completely when you go into the two player mode. It instantly becomes more fun trying to outwit your opponent. Also, further difficulties are imposed in the two-player mode, like the disappearance of the wrap around screen. Graphics move by the block when playing against the computer although they instantly change to smooth movement when in the two-player mode. Quite a colourful game, but you can’t expect much in any case. Fairly good value if you’ve got someone else to play with.’

‘Any criticism of a game like this is very dependent on whether the reviewer likes the game type. I do, although it is an old and very simple type of game. This version is well up to scratch, especially in the two-player mode, which is the best way to play the type anyway. The computer doesn’t seem to be very clever as an opponent, and in the one player mode the game soon palls, although the wrap around screen adds some novelty. If you want a ‘Light Cycle’ type game and have always considered them too expensive for what you get, well now’s the time.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q/A up/down, Z/X left/right (left player 1), P/L up/down, N/M left/right (right player 2)
Joystick: none
Keyboard play: responsive enough for the game, better in 2-player with reasonably laid out keys
Use of colour: for the type of game, very imaginative
Graphics: very simple, although there are cars at the front and wide trails for ease of seeing, this does tend to limit the playing space more.
Sound: not much
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 1
Special features: 1 or 2-player games
General Rating: Nothing new, but a fairly good version of an old game, and at its new price, very good value.

Use of Computer

63%

Graphics

48%

Playability

52%

Getting Started

52%

Addictive Qualities

49%

Value For Money

68%

Overall

55%

THE WRATH OF MAGRA

Producer: Carnell Software
Author: Roy Carnell, Stephen Kirk, Stuart Galloway
Price: £12.50

Wrath of Magra, following Black Crystal in the Third Continent Series, is a mammoth work consisting of a substantial text, The Book of Shadows, a smaller booklet giving interesting and detailed playing instructions, and three episodes of the adventure contained within two cassettes. Episode 1 differs markedly from the other two and the game must be played in sequence since the data given at the end of episode 1 is needed to begin episode 2, and so with 2 and 3. Each episode requires a considerable effort in its own right and you are unlikely to proceed very far without SAVE. The packaging goes to great lengths to point out that the characters are entirely fictitious; any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental. More curious rubric warns you of the dangers of meddling with the occult. You are advised not to drink acids, eat Deadly Nightshade or turn people into frogs. Sound advice indeed.

You play the Knight of Star Jewel, Hero of the Volcanic Dungeon, who although only a man, has won the esteem of the elves for slaying the witch Magra and rescuing the elfin princess Edora. But now all your efforts would seem in vain. The witch’s body was retrieved by the Ice Giants and now lives again in the Black Mountains due to the restorative powers of the Black Arts. Princess Edora is now chained to a wall in a cold, dimly lit cell deep within the bowels of Amosthen ‘Ugal, her once beautiful face disfigured with running sores. She is possessed and the only way to save her is to destroy Magra.

The episodes have a table in the top right hand of the display. There are eight factors, some of which are inextricably linked.

STRENGTH: if your power drops to zero due to tiredness or wounds, you die. SPIRITUAL STRENGTH and FAITH: the more spells you successfully cast the higher your faith. MOON PHASE. PERCENTAGE: chance of killing a monster, changes during a fight. WOUNDS: effect your strength and ability to fight. GOLD: bits. TIME: 24 hr clock.

Time plays an important part in Wrath of Magra. Five minutes real time represents one hour in the game. You use the passing phases of the moon to help weave your spells and as the days pass you must satisfy your hunger, thirst and tiredness. Your early forays are frustrated by your inability to enter buildings until they open next day.

Episode 1 has you in the village at night where some strong force prevents the casting of spells. This section, featuring high resolution graphics, is designed to allow you to collect, buy and exchange treasures and ingredients using BUY and SELL. You have a silver sword, a shield, Fendal’s ring, fur for warmth, and the Star Jewel, a gem from which you are never separated. Not every feature is described and so you have to guess where it might be feasible to pick up Deadly Nightshade, for example.

Episode 1 certainly has exceptionally good graphic representations of the locations but the circuitous route taken to achieve this result in delays of up to fifteen seconds. It requires the time taken in many adventures to draw a picture simply to remove the graphic from the last location. When entering a building the last graphic isn’t removed at all — you are inside a cottage and yet you see the cottage. Not such a heinous crime you may think, but we’re dealing with a dedicated 40K of program here, a preliminary to the more complex adventure itself, and I think no byte should have been left unaltered in the attempt to put some exceptional graphics at each and every location. The doctor’s look like, and is, the farm house... and the woodcutter’s cottage — eighteen seconds worth of graphics.

The vocabulary is confoundedly unhelpful. Its friendliness has you puzzled at ENTER TOWER. The program requires the full entry, ENTER WIZARDS TOWER and I mean full — no abbreviations. Were this all there might be hope, but what about this for a supposed ‘megagame’, GET VAMPIRE BAT SALIVA marks a fifteen second wait while GET RED TOADSTOOLS requires seventeen seconds.

A huge task confronts you here. There are some pouches in the Wizard’s Tower and you must guess their contents. This has you searching the back pages of the Book of Shadows to see which spell ingredients you might pick up. This task proves laborious when you consider the delays when no abbreviations are allowed and the shortest wait you can expect is fifteen seconds for each attempt. When you move off to the next location the screen scrolls in a manner which lets down the otherwise tidy presentation; the last location’s description only partly scrolls up off the screen leaving its possible exits behind. So I leave episode 1 with what may well prove to be an unshakable conviction. This program is badly coded.

Episode 2 finds you in the mines beneath the Black Mountains where you cast spells and build up your faith. You follow the three maps provided showing the three levels you must tackle, being careful not to fall down any chasm to your death. In episode 3 you are in Magra’s fortress hunted by the evil witch herself. As you move around the fortress it is mapped out at the top left of the screen. The monsters are created by the computer and if you dodge these you must face and destroy Magra to survive.

Episode 2, alas, does not fair any better than 1. In fact things have taken a decided turn for the worse. When loading, the maze takes so long to set up you could be forgiven for thinking the program had crashed. The impressive high resolution graphics of episode 1 are replaced by token graphics, but what really jars is the wholly unimpressive input routine which is so inept as to border on the ridiculous. The best way to get round this unnecessary obstacle is to count as in music 1 & 2 & 3, or in this case, G & E & T etc. The problem is compounded by the insistence on the entry of complete words with a few abbreviations permitted. A main feature of this episode is the combat routine which is notable for the seeming unassailability afforded to you should you choose the shield for defence and the silver sword for attack. An overused, yet still effective, Anglo Saxon word denoting procreation is accepted, and after a few moments struggling with this input routine, you’ll need it.

Wrath of Magra is a significant work full of imagination and atmosphere. It comes with a large book which resembles a cross between a Tolkien novel and a Dungeons and Dragons handbook. The playing instructions are full and creditable.

The program itself is entirely in Basic and suffers from an absence of that expertise which separates a magazine listing from a top class game. The delays in the program are a disappointment; the poor input routine is scandalous. Taken together they are ruinous.

Wrath of Magra is a package with an exciting theme. What is missing is an equally exciting computer program to develop that theme.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: Average but time consuming
Graphics: Some, excellent
Presentation: Very good
Input facility: Average to awful
Response: Very slow
Special Features: 3 programs with different playing styles
General Rating: Poor.

Atmosphere

6/10

Vocabulary

5/10

Logic

6/10

Debugging

8/10

Overall Value

5/10

ZENJI

Producer: Activision Inc
Author: Software Conversions Ltd
Price: £7.95

Zenji is a rather difficult game to describe, and even Activision themselves prefer to let the inlay slip into esoteric eastern mysticism! The object of Zenji, it says, is to connect all Elements to the Source. But, in playing the game, it becomes clear that the approach required is a kind of letting go, rather than planning ahead.

So what is Zenji? Well it is a kind of computer puzzle, yet it seems to have been programmed in such a way that the obvious is excluded. There seems to be no, ‘Ah got it!’ stage in playing the game, whereby you suddenly see the point and then know how to go about it. Each screen provides a maze of increasing size and complexity with each maze intersection being contained within a red or green gate. At the start some pathways are coloured yellow and some blue. You are a small revolving face, and the object is to make all the paths yellow. This is done by moving to an intersection and revolving the gate. This has the effect of perhaps cutting you off from the path you have just traced, whilst opening other connections and turning a new section yellow. By moving around thus, it is possible to find the right gates in the right combination to make all the maze paths turn yellow.

Bonus scores are added on (you score each time you make a right connection) if you connect up a section of path to the main part which contains a flashing number, which decreases each second after it appears. You are also pursued by flames of desire, more of them as you progress. These must by either avoided by running away, or blocked off by the fortuitous revolving of a gate which may close off their path to you. To make matters even worse there is a very strict time limit imposed. If you succeed, then you move onto a bigger maze, whereas failure to connect up in time results in being returned to the same maze for another try .

CRITICISM

‘Zenji is an odd combination of straightforward puzzle game and oriental mantra. I don’t know whether it’s fair to call it addictiveness that kept me playing, or whether it was hypnotism! The game certainly has something though. My main worry as far as Activision is concerned, is that lots of people flicking through the inlay card will be put off the game because is says so little. That may well be the point, but it can’t help sales surely? All I can say is that it’s well worth spending some time getting the hang of the game. The graphics are super-neat, especially the revolving effect. I also like ‘you,’ really having a ball with a face on either side and you can see the details of both faces as it revolves, left and right as well as up and over. I don’t know whether I could recommend this game because it’s so hard to explain and someone might well buy it and hate it — all I know is that I enjoyed it totally — very absorbing.’

‘It had to happen sometime — a game in which you must rely on intuition, sensing, letting go and all the usual psychic powers bit to compete. Well I gave it a go and after losing several times I still hadn’t got a clue. Then after completing the path several times, I still hadn’t got a clue. Maybe I’m some sort of emotionless zombie or android or something, but I sure couldn’t let go and ‘feel’ the way. I don’t think I’m addicted — but it’s different. I hope it’s me and this not a case of the King’s new clothes — remember the invisible ones?’

‘At first I couldn’t play this game at all — what was the idea I said? After about 15 minutes the idea became apparent — it was a simple idea, just the fact that it was mind-bending and overwhelming made it damned difficult. On the inlay card it says, “Players can feel their way through the maze and use tactics that combine intuition with technical skill.” I didn’t understand that at first, but now I appreciate this statement after playing the game for a couple of hours. The graphics, colour and sound have been used very well. I cannot complain at all. Perfect! After about 2 hours I’m just getting into this mind-bending game, a totally addictive, playable one that is worth every penny. Only your mind will win this game, not just fast reactions. Brill!’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/W up/down, O/P left/right, Z to turn
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Protek, AGF
Keyboard play: good positions and responsive
Use of colour: very good, very colourful
Graphics: good, smooth and fast although simple
Sound: simple but continuous
Skill levels: progressive difficulty, 8 entry points
Lives: 3
Special features: 2-player games
General Rating: Highly original and challenging puzzle type game which will probably met a mixed reception!

Use of Computer

80%

Graphics

75%

Playability

92%

Getting Started

75%

Addictive Qualities

97%

Value For Money

80%

Overall

83%

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE

Producer: Quicksilva Ltd
Author: Spaceman Ltd (Sandy White, Angela Sutherland)
Price: £6.95

Yes folks, it’s the long-awaited follow-up to Sandy White’s extraordinary 3D Ant Attack. The style is instantly recognisable, the pre-defined isometric perspective city maze and fast scrolling, the boy or girl hero leaping and walking around, but colour has been added and a few more gizmos to make a different game altogether. Our hero has now been provided with a little red helicopter to fly about in and the city has become infested with death-dealing zombies.

The helicopter allows another new element to creep in — architecture. For once inside it, the hero can drop blocks to build or re-design the city. He can also remove existing blocks by the same means. This becomes important because in Zombie Zombie the heroine can jump from the tallest blocks but only jump up single steps, and the Zombies can only be killed off by luring them into following you up onto the walls, and when you jump down from a high one, the zombie follows, splatting redly on the ground!

You are also provided with one other means of defence — you can blow a puff of air at the zombies which will blow them away for a moment. Below the playing area rows of yellow dots (106 in all) represent the carrying capacity of the helicopter in blocks. Every time a block is dropped a dot disappears.

Once out of the machine and on foot, the dots represent breaths left, so after a long stint of building it pays to stock up on breaths before disembarking. To pick up blocks the helicopter must be sitting on a wall and the fire key is tapped. To drop one, it must be hovering in the air, which is also done with the fire key, but if the fire key is rapidly tapped, it will result in blocks failing down into position. Getting out of the helicopter is done by landing and using a direction key. Locating the 3D position of the helicopter is easy with its shadow being seen on the ground.

As in Ant Attack there is the facility of four camera angle views which are achieved by standing still and using the fire key, the views then rotate in turn automatically.

CRITICISM

‘Ant Attack II? This is very similar in style to the earlier game, both in layout and type. I feel that Zombie Zombie is better than Ant Attack, though control is still a bug bear. The ability to move blocks is great and I spent ages trying to block in a zombie, although killing them (how can you kill something that is already dead?) is done by leading them to their deaths over high walls. The 3D graphics are very impressive and the sound is excellent although there isn’t much during play itself. Zombie Zombie is a good game which is more playable than Ant Attack.’

‘Sandy White evidently took note of the complexity of controlling Ant Attack, because the keys for Zombie Zombie are much reduced, everything now being controllable from the joystick without rows and rows of other keys to worry about. This instantly makes the new game more fun to play as there is more time to enjoy it! Zombie Zombie is full of neat touches (like the copyright, written large in stone blocks) and I especially like the way that you can crash your helicopter into a wall — it vanishes, but you are all right. Later you will see that the helicopter has returned to its pad in the centre of the city — the spot marked by H. Introducing colour has made the game look livelier, but has unfortunately introduced some attribute problems along with it — these do not spoil the game however. Although I enjoyed playing Zombie Zombie, I don’t think it is particularly addictive, and rather as with Ant Attack, I was left with an impression of super graphics making a lack of content. Still, building cities is great fun and the game is probably worth it for that alone.’

‘Essentially this is 3D Ant Attack, except without ants and with zombies instead. Several differences become apparent straight away if you’ve ever played Ant Attack; they are that the maze is more colourful and other characters in the game have colour as well instead of being just black and white. Of course, this does create quite bad attribute problems, but doesn’t spoil the playability of the game. The maze is considerably smaller than its ‘parent’ but is much more flexible and you can enthusiastically fly about rebuilding the entire town to your own personal taste. This is fun in itself. Zombies are not very intelligent until you are within a couple of feet, at this stage they jump at you and throttle you. This may be a little unfair as it is otherwise difficult to attract their attention. City movement is very fast when fly-passing around in the helicopter, so much so that it makes Ant Attack look very slow. On the other hand, in Ant Attack the ants were onto your trail very rapidly, but here the zombies seem to be infrequent and at times it can be hard to spot one. Overall, I don’t think this is any significant improvement over Ant Attack, and in fact I think Ant Attack is the more playable game. I would have thought that as Sandy White gave the Spectrum such a tremendous lift with the soft solid graphics of Ant Attack that the follow-up game would also have given another lift, not so much in 3D graphics but in a 3D game where the game content was exceptional. This is my opinion, but don’t let it put you off buying the game.’

COMMENTS

Control keys: Cursor keys and either zero or bottom row to fire
Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Protek, AGF
Keyboard play: very responsive and much simpler than in Ant Attack, though it might have been nicer to have an alternative to the cursors
Use of colour: quite nicely used, but not the ideal game because of attribute problems
Sound: 2 channel sound is provided if you have the right hardware, good helicopter noise, otherwise not much during game
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: large scrolling area, smaller than Ant Attack however
Special features: boy or girl option
General Rating: Good to very good though perhaps lacking in content.

Use of Computer

78%

Graphics

84%

Playability

82%

Getting Started

78%

Addictive Qualities

80%

Value For Money

79%

Overall

80%