POWER UP!

THRILLS ON TAPE

Where to find your thrill power!

Greetings! Another month and another action packed CRASH with the fourth Power Tape, jammed pack with games and Pokes to keep you going until.., next issue! And on the subject of Power tapes, a heeeeugge thank you to everyone who has been sending in their own programs for inclusion on the tape. If we haven’t contacted you about your submission — hold on! It takes a lot of time to play through all the arcade adventure, strategy, shoot-em-up and adventure games which have flooded the Power Tape Dept. And DON’T STOP sending your programs in, we’ll reward you with unbelievable riches (well, reasonably unbelievable...) Look out for the first selection from the Power Tape Dept next issue, until then — enjoy!!

Rocks

ROCKMAN

Mastertronic

Meet Rockman — an underevolved little Troglodyte who likes a good gobble! (Fnar!) And he likes nothing more than gobbling mushrooms, and lots of them. The mushrooms proliferate throughout the network of caves that Rockman lives in — a pretty idyllic lifestyle, all things considered, except for the smiling faces. Though of a jolly grimace, these vaguely intelligent spritettes spell death for Trog if they touch him. After all, smiling faces have to eat too, and they don’t like mushrooms, so Troglodytes have to do as munchies for the faces.

No death-o-zap laser gun for Rocky, because living in the Stone Age all that has been invented is the hammer. Bashing any of the rocks with his mallet causes them to instantly crumble or fall to the ground, depending on what is beneath. If Troglodyte eats all the Mushrooms on one screen, he’s instantly transported onto the next screen where another feast of mushrooms is laid before him, which he just has to eat.

With spritely vigour he can run along, and drop off, the ledges of rocks that make up the majority of the maze. Also part of the cave interior are the vertical red zoom tubes, which allow him to scamper up and down between levels.

Though some people like to take time over their lunch, Rockman doesn’t, and actually needs to consume all the mushrooms on screen within a time limit.

Rockman features 20 levels, and after completing five you’re given a password. So, when you begin a new game, you input the password and skip the five levels. Five lives are given to Rockman to stuff himself silly, one being lost for every ill encounter with a cave nasty.

ROCK AND (CONT) ROL

Rockman is controlled by the user-defined keys or Kempston, Cursor or Sinclair joysticks. And to get you started, here are four clues to the four four-letter passwords. If you can solve the clue, you’ll know the passwords!

  1. A gemstone with black and white bands
  2. A Hindu or Sikh religious leader
  3. A Herb with grey/green leaves and purple, white or blue flowers, could also be a wise old man
  4. A slender, sharp, curved nail on an animal’s toe

GRUMPY GUMPHREY SUPER SLEUTH

Gremlin Graphics

‘Are you free, Mr Gumphrey?’ I’m free!! Welcome to Mole Bros Department Store, a store of huge proportions, and in which Grumpy Gumphrey: SuperSleuth works.

Poor old Grumpy Gumphrey is definitely the department store’s dogsbody. Apart from the fact that he is supposed to be guarding the shop’s stock from marauding thieves (he is the Store Detective after all), Grumpy is also set a whole variety of tasks by the mean and moody manager. In between shooting mad, rampant ducks on the ground floor, Grumps has to make tea for his ungrateful boss and cope with a whole host of minor and major emergencies in the store.

GRUMPY’S CONTROLS

Keys are:

Alternatively Sinclair and Kempston joysticks can be used.

Each task has to be completed within a time limit — gametime is relentlessly ticked off by a digital display at the foot of the screen. Failure to complete a task in time, results in a summons from the manager. Once summoned, Grumpy has to make his way to the Manager’s Office within half an hour to receive a warning letter. If he fails to arrive in time, he gets the boot.

The store is crowded with shoppers (and the odd toy soldier), who mill around, manically getting in Grumpy’s way as he tries to complete his tasks. If any of the characters other than the harmless hippy bump into him, Grumpy is pushed about and may be knocked off his feet — in which case he sits down.While he is sitting down, Grumpy gets closer to his next warning letter.

A bar at the bottom of the screen indicates how close Grumpy is to his next warning — as it gets shorter another missive gets closer. Four letters, and he’s out of a job.

A horizontal message area at the bottom of the screen displays the latest order from on high and is used to remind Grumpy of the next task he needs to complete in order to survive the day.

There’s a variety of objects scattered throughout the store which can be used to help Grumpy in his chores. To pick up an object, Grumpy has to be moved up to it and the pick up key pressed, whereupon the object is transferred to his pocket — area at the bottom right of the screen. Once an object has picked up it can be dropped, or knocked out of Grumpy’s hands by jostling shoppers.

And for all budding Sleuths out there, here are some tips to get you started: You can get the tea cup in the canteen by collecting the box and putting it in front of the table where the tea is. Then walk forward (ie: up) onto the box to pick the tea up. If you find the skateboard, Grumpy can use it to get around the store faster.

Adventure Challenge! The Ket Trilogy Part 2

TEMPLE OF VRAN

Curse fate! Blast the man who framed you with a murder you never committed! And above all may hell swallow Bran Verusbel and Delphia (although that’s your job...)!

If they didn’t send their armies into the lands of Ket, killing and plundering, you wouldn’t be on this mission. Mind you, the executioner would have got you. Undertaking this mission to kill the Priest King Vran and his High Priestess Delphia is the only hope of life the Lords of Ket have offered, so you volunteered. They don’t entirely trust you though, do they — why else attach an assassin bug with poison fangs on your neck? Yes, little Edgar is going to make sure you remain the hero. He’s been quite helpful too, full of information on all you’ve met and more.

Exhausted, you’ve made it to the far side of the Mountains of Ket. You’re weighed down by all you’ve collected on the way: a suit of armour, sword, and a magical ring. Passing the final guardian, that huge Zombie would have been impossible without them, and the wand of course. But that’s gone. Just as you were making that last dash towards the chink of daylight and freedom, the Zombie snatched it, and rolled a huge boulder into the tunnel behind you. No way back...

TEMPLE OF VRAN

Your mission now is to reach the Temple. Once there you will hopefully succeed in destroying its evil occupants. You’ve been told the Temple is found somewhere to the east, although probably not on a direct route. Again, many items you come across on your travels should be of help. Better not waste any, or bitter regrets will follow. But then, you know that already...

PLAYING THE ADVENTURE

When entering commands use a Verb/Noun combination. You’ll be told if your command is not understood, or if you’re trying something impossible. Here are a few sample commands: Get sword, prepare sword, throw cane, climb down, go east. Additional special commands:

Commands may be abbreviated: Inv: Inventory, N: North, U: Up, etc..

Your statistics measure your current condition: Prowess, Energy and Luck. These are used in combat. You’ll be told your statistics at the beginning of the adventure, and they may be checked at any time using Stat. The higher the better...

HOW TO FIGHT

To enter combat you must have a prepared weapon. Find out by typing Inv. If you have, one of your weapons will be inverse video, this is your prepared weapon. To change weapon type Prepare XXX (whatever weapon you want).

If you get into a fight a special combat screen will be displayed. It shows your abilities and (thanks to Edgar) those of your foe. Combat is split into a number of different rounds, ending when one of you dies or flees. Each round your prowess and that of your opponent is compared. The higher of the two has more chance of hitting your opponent, but even low prowess may hit! A hit decreases the opponent’s energy, and total loss of it means death. You get a chance to dodge, but Luck is needed. Don’t let it run out!

SAVING AND LOADING

You may save your present position at any time to continue later. Enter SAVE, type in a filename and start record. Press a key and the game will save in two short parts. To LOAD a previously saved position, LOAD the main program, type LOAD (enter), then play your data tape. You’ll be told when loading is complete, and off you go from where you were!

PLAYING THE TRILOGY AS A WHOLE

Although you can play each part separately, there is the added thrill of solving the quest as a whole. Complete part one, then simply insert the next tape into your player and press play. The computer will preserve your current condition to take with you into this next part.

HINTS

Don’t leave anything useful in a different time zone — you may not be able to return! Draw a map as you go.

SCEPTRE OF BAGDAD

from Atlantis Software

Ah, those Arabian Nights, eh? Genies, flying carpets, silly pointy slippers and other Turkish delights; you’ll find them all in this amazing cartoon arcade adventure from Atlantis.

Sultan Caliph is having a spot of bother. On the first day of each year he must wave the ‘Sceptre of Bagdad’ at the local peasants to remind them he’s the boss, and anyone who disagrees gets their head lopped off.

However, this year the Caliph has woken early, feeling decidedly strange. After a quick bodily perusal he discovers that he has shrunk to tiny proportions. Desperately, he climbs from his bed and clambers up to the Magic Lamp sifting upon his dressing table, and consults the Genie.

Genie tells Caliph that he’s the victim of a spell, cast by a wicked wizard. The Caliph’s home has now been turned into a puzzlesome palace of shark infested rivers, burning deserts and seemingly impenetrable barriers.

The Sceptre is at the far end of the palace, and if it is not reached within the ordained time the Caliph’s reign will come to a premature end.

The corpulent ruler can move left and right, jump upwards and pass through doors and other entrances. Objects found en route are collected by simply walking over them. Only two objects can be carried at once, the last acquired being displayed at the bottom of the screen. An inventory of items carried is accessed by pressing the space bar.

Sections of the palace and its grounds can only be crossed if the Caliph is in possession of certain objects — the coconut is needed to cross the desert, but the sling and pearl are first required to get the coconut!

If all of this wasn’t bad enough, the poor Caliph finds that his palace has been infested by vicious creatures and monsters. Should these beasts touch him, the podgy ruler’s life force is diminished until he eventually loses one of his three lives.

A reincarnation potion is hidden in the palace, saving the player’s position when drunk. This position can then be returned to by selecting the ‘Old Game’ option on the main menu.

CALIPH’S CONTROLS

Keyboard controls are definable; you need left, right, up, down, and a select key. If you’re happier waggling a stick of Bagdad then you’ll need a Kempston, Cursor, or Sinclair.

DELIGHTFUL TURKISH TIPS

This should get you approximately one quarter through the game. Nick will print further tips in future issues. Won’t you Nick?

First of all, take the FLUTE and leave the HANKY in the starting room, then keep going left until you reach the Air Bagdad platform. Jump onto this to fly across the river. Then go to the tower, enter, walk to the pile of rope to go up. Go right and jump up to the bird which ends up in a nest. Leave the FLUTE, pick up the WINGS and jump up across the nest until you are on top of a balcony. Keep on walking and allow the bee’s nest to fall. TI bee does not harm you.

You should now have a MINERS HAT AND SEVERAL WINGS. Take the WINGS across the river and go left until you get to a statue of an archer. Jump up the steps until the statue flies off. Return over the river to pick up the KEYS and leave the WINGS there. Take the MINERS HAT to the room with the BEACHBALL and KEYS.

Jump up the stairs and turn right. When you’re inside, walk right and keep on going right to get rid of the nagging lady and to open the wardrobe. Slide down the banister, jump on the table and grab the ALI-BABA BOOK. Go back up the stairs and grab the FIRE RING, leaving either the HAT or the KEYS. Don’t drop the BOOK. Go left, press the key used for going through doors, slide down the banister again, go left to Air Bagdad, fly to the other side, go where the statue used be and jump to the top.