THE BIGGESTSPECTRUMSOFTWAREMAGAZINE...OVER 400

- GAMESREVIEWM

MICRO GATES A

BRITAIN'S FIRSTPHONE-INTOP SOFT CHART'

g A C , , FOR THESTAR ZONEProfile on STARZONE &Hewson programmer STEVE TURNER

Kong games-we compare versions

CLIP ON- SPEAK OUTCurrah uSpeech& cursor joysticks

PL A TRIP TO IMAGINE; NEWS; & MUCH MOREARCADE • ADVENTURE • STRATEGYSI MULATKI N• EDUCATOON• UTI LI TI ES

THE MON 1 tatSPE TRUMSOF 'IRE

Choosing which game to buy from the mountain available is a difficult job,especially when everyone claims to produce the best on the market. But how can

you tell the best from the rest?. To help you decide, read on.

THE DUNGEON MASTERLet your Spectrum be your guide in a totally newdimension in adventures in t he t rue spirit oftraditional role playing games where YOU designthe scenario."I have been a Dungeons and Dragons fan forseveral years..,.The package provides excellententertainment for all fans of the cults and shouldprove a good introduction to the game".

....Sinclair User."Highly recommended for its versality, originalityand quality. Detonately well worth obtaining"

Comput ingZX Spectrum 4111K £ 7 . 5 0

Written by Graham Stafford.

INVASION OF THEBODY SNATCHASI

At las t, a v er s io n as fast and furious and as

frustratingly addict ive as t he arcade originalLanders, Mutants, Bombers, Pods, Swarmersandmuch muc h more c ombine t o produc e t heultimate space game!ZX Spectrum 48K E 6 . 5 0Written by Simon Brattel and Nell Mottershead.

Please send SAE for our latest catalogue anddetails of our forthcoming softwareCatalogue FREE with every order. P&P included.Please add C0.50 per item for overseas orders.Please make cheques/PO's payable toCRYSTAL COMPUTING2 ASHTON WAYEAST HERRINGTONSUNDERLAND SR3 3RX

What thereal critics say.

Very rarely havesoftware titles producedsuch universal acclaimas 'Halls of the Things'

and 'The DungeonMaster'. Now, with three

brand new programs.Crystal continues to setthe standard of software

excellence. Thedifference is obvious -

the choice is yours;

The Best or The Rest.

THE ISLANDThe ult imate test of logic and deductioni Can yousolve the hidden mysteries of the South PacificIsland on which you have been stranded a n descape alive' A brilliant classic style adventuregame to facinate and trustrate you for months'ZX Spectrum 48K E 7 . 5 0

Written by Mart in H. Smith,

HALLS OF THE THINGSA stunning multi-level maze 'arcade adventure.'Excellent and dangerously addictive • couldchange t h e S pe c t r um g a m e s s c e n eovernight". . . . . S i n c l a i r User.''Spectacular - One of the best games rye seen,finely ba l anced be t w e e n simpl ici ty a n daddictiveness - superb graphics and colour - ICAN'T RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY ENOUGH".

...Popular Computing Weekly.ZX Spectrum 48K E 7 . 5 0Written by Neil Mottershead, Simon Starlet and

Martin Horsley.

ROMMEL'S REVENGEA brilliant interpretat ion o f t he mos t -v i s u a l l ystunning arcade game of all t ime. Superb highresolution 3D graphics with full perspective plusa host of new and exciting features makeRommel's Revenge the most spectacular gameever produced for your Spectrum!ZX Spectrum 48K E 6 . 5 0

Written by Mart in Horsley,

DEALERS! For details of our excellentdealer di scounts (i ncl udi ng expor t)ring Chris Clarke on 061-205 6603.

PROGRAMMERS' Wr i tten a n y goodsoftware? send it to us for evaluation anddetails of our excellent royalty scheme.

Please Supply:Invasion of the Body Snatches 0

Rommel's Revenge 0 Th e IslandHalls of the Things E l T h e Dungeon Master 10

Catalogue (please enclose SAE Sin. x Bin.) 0I enclose cheque/PO forNAME

ADDRESS

ENCE

BRIENThe year is 2934. Di-Lithium crystals arehumanity's most prized possession because theyare the energy source of every space cruiser, TheSeiddab. humanity's enemies, have an enormousstock of crystals in vacuum vaults, buried beneaththeir military HQ. The crystals are held instructured arrays, guarded by laser-armed Dropending their transfer to an invasion fleet,You have been smuggled into the vaults with alimited oxygen supply_ Your orders are to LIFT thecrystals before the Droids cut you down. . .7 screens. 3 lives, high score table, arcade quality,fast machine code action, choose your own keys,Kempston Joystick compatible. For the 16K or48K ZX Spectrum.

FANTASIA

LIFT

The magnificent Fantasia Diamond, heirloom ofyour household has been stolen and taken to animposing fortress. You called on the services ofBoris the masterspy, but he has been caught andimprisoned by the Guardian, who patrols therooms and corridors of the Fortress looking forintrudersNow you must go and retrieve the Diamond andrescue Boris. On the way you will meet manycharacters, some evil and some friendly. You willhave to learn to elicit the help of the friendly onesin order to complete your task, but remember theyhave their own lives to lead, so they may notalways do as you ask.A most enjoyable and challenging graphicadventure for the 48K ZX Spectrum.

DIAMOND

E195

0 Are you looking for a publisher for your programs? If so,why not drop us a line or better still send in a sample ofyour work, for fast evaluation and prompt reply.

Mail order to:HEWSON CONSULTANTS60A ST MARYS STREETWALLINGFORDOXON O M OEL

MGMDRIVERI'm late, I'm late, I have got to get there. Just putmy toot down and hope. What a bend, I ll nevermake it Up the kerb - that's s lowed me down.I'm off the road completely now. Nice sceneryaround here. Pretty fl owers and a lake. What am Idoing? I must get back on the road. Oh, this ishard. n e v e r do it.Steer your car round a tortuous circuit of roads,braking and accelerating as you go. Avoid thekerb, islands and parked cars Learner andprofessional levels. Kempston joystick compatible.48K ZX Spectrum only. E5.05

1 )0614 , 411.6

I

Selected titles available fromW.H.Smiths, I.Menzies and all A i ;' o d computer stores. :41„ , , , ali a a

aler Enquiries we lcora th i l ipi l l ? P i

....dm.All games just £5.95 tux VAT and P&P t 0

1111 K-s o f t L t d, L on do ntH ou s e—, 71P/P13 King St,

W 0 1 1 W 6 4..O r 1

1 ,

NEW!! FREEZI BEES (48KPenguin Pulvirizin!

NEW!! SAM SPADEThe Fastest Digger around.4- -NEW!! ROBOT RIOT (48K)Metal Mayhem at theACME ROBOT CO.

TERMINATORt of the ROBOTRONS

AfEDDONt y o r Apocolypse NOW

N DAMAGEed out CPU.

EditorRoger KeanDesignerOliv er FreyConsultant editorFranco FreyStan writersLloyd Mang ramRod BellamyAdvertisement managerJohn EdwardsProduction designerMichael Arient i

c_•• 1984 Newsfi eld Ltd.

Crash Mic ro is publishedmonthly by Newstield Ltd.PO Box 10. Ludlow,Shropshire SY8 108Tel: 0584 5620

No material may bereproduced in whole or in partwithout writ ten consent f romthe copyright holders.

Mono print ing, typesett ing& finishing byFeb Edge Litho Ltd.3-4 The Oval, London E2.Colour print ing byAllan-Denver Web Offset Ltd_Northfield, Milton Keynes.Colour originat ion byScan Studios, 44 Wallace Rd.London NiDistributed byWells Gardner, Darton & Co.Faygate, Horsham, W. SussexTel: 029383 444

Subscriptions: 12 issues £9.00UK Mainland (post inc luded)Europe: 12 issues E15 (postincluded).Single copy: 75p

II you would like to cont ributeto CRASH please send art ic lesor ideas for projects to theabove address. Art ic les shouldbe typed. We cannotundertake to return themunless accompanied by astamped addressed envelope

Cover illustration: Oliver Frey

75194

42

97

PARDON ME. I l i SAY THAT AGAINFranco Frey interfaces with the CurrahMicrospeech unit.

922

119

E 2570

us THMAIIPITilikNE US STARSProfi le on Starzone.

d on Steve Turner.

FLYING HIGH!We look at c omput er retail out lets. In this, the fi rstof an occas ional series, the CRASH team checksout W.HSmith

EDITORIAL Et YOUR LETTERSPlus Advert isers Index and Reviews

LEARNING AT PLAYWe begin an occas ional look at educat ional soft-ware and some reviews.

NEWS INPUTA brief roundup for the month.

RUN IT AGAINIn our second comparison we ROLL OUT THEBARREL and take a look at KONG games.

THE TERMINAL MANComic Strip exc itement as shipwrecked Arca-dians discover the true ident ity of Cross

t i i- A NT AS YI CR AS H SUPER QUIZ

H HOTLINE CHARTS

, art

est y

e phones have been buzzing! This month webl s o f t w a r e

is compiled f rom voles.QUIZ

h Britain's fi rst ever top selling s o wa r e

our knowledge of Adventure games

OGGYck of the month f rom among the established

at are available

1REVIEWS IN THIS ISSUEINCLUDE GAMES FROM Ult imate, Imagine, Silver-soft, Mik rogen, Rabbit . Microsphere, Sof tware Pro-jects, Mic ro , , and many, many others.

NEXT MONTHIssue 3 (April) will be on sale f rom Friday 16th.March.

CRASH READERS TALK TO SINCLAIRRUN IT AGAIN takes command of missile command.CRASH Readers Questionalre — your chance to tell us how to do It!Plus the news roundup, reviews, articles and guide.

A Newsfi eld Publicat ion 5

A Newsfield Publication

So many good games seemed to qualify thismonth, to avoid open warfare in the officewe decided to award the five contendersequal status...

CAN YOU HANDLE THE ULTIMATE?THE MOST AMAZING PROGRAMMES, THE SMOOTHEST

ACTION, THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION GRAPHICS?ALL ULTIMATE GAMES ARE ARCADE STANDARD,

.mL/Neloo *tit L.erit

Cookie 1 6,1 8 K Z X S p ec t r um

rr41111.4rIghtitik

401

' • ' . . e . "q , ' ..e •

PfSSi 16/48K Spectrum

'Franz Am teo48K ZX S p e c t t u r n

lunar Jetman 4111( Z X Spectrum

lintwf‘cPik -NEw1 ' 10

Atte Atec 48K / X Spectrum

FEATURE PACKED, 100% MACHINE CODE,AND PURE ADDICTION.SO WHICH WILL BLOW FIRST - YOUR COMPUTER OR

YOUR MIND?

O N L Y E . 5 0 E A C H Avedee le from W H Smith Boots. JohnMecums. Spectrum Centres. large departmentIAN games joystick or s t o r e s and all good Sewer e retorters (Jr send the coupon direct

keyboard contrelt W e l l pack end post your order is you absolutely tree in the U K

Okay, I dote take my computer to the edge of meltdown. Send me the Following,11 Lunar Jetmon P s s s t T r a n z Am111 Jet Pac - Expanded VIC 20 A t i c Atac

CookieJet Pcx

I I enclose cheque/PO for EAddress

Send to:'Ultimate Play The Game,The Green,Ashby de la lauch,

Name

C o d e 1ta t i r-tv i t ir z l

T H E UIRV INAlir; 1Jet Pet 16148K ZX Spectrum I Leicestershire.Of BK Expanded VIC 20

Ultimate Ploy The Game is a trade name of Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd., The Green, Ashby de b Zooch, Leicestershire, Tel10530) 411485. Dealer enquiries welcome.

LUNA CRABSBy M.J. ESTCOURT

Trade EncpliresPRISM 01 253 2274,,WEBSTERS SOFTWARE4)486LIGHTNING RECORDS ANDMICRO DEALEFMIKIII081- A

Iffi IO FIENNEMElmommo

For any SpectrumALL TITLES E6.95 INC VAT.SELECTED MICROMEGA PRODUCTSTHROUGH: BOOTS, GREENS, ASDA,JOHN MENZIES, LASKYS, WIGFALLS.RUMBELOWS, HMV, SELFRIDGES,WH SMITHS, SPECTRUM SHOPSEVERYWHERE AND ALL OTHER GOODSOFTWARE STOCKISTS

K BREWtible

N M .

NEW SOFTWARE FOR A NEW DIMENStd 230 Lavender Hill London SW11 1LE

orazi ;1

BACK AGAINFirst of all may I take thisopportunity to thank everyoneof you who has written toCRASH to say how much youliked the launch issue of themagazine. A magazine likeCRASH relies so heavily on thegoodwill of its readers and thesupport of the softwarehouses. I can already see thatwe are going to get a lot offeedback from you, and youcan be sure that we shall doour level best to Incorporateany ideas you may have. But Ishould also like to thank thesoftware houses who havebeen so generous with theircompliments.

A magazine is a living entity— a kind of three-waypartnershipbetween publisher,reader and advertiser. After all,the advertiser is the one whoproduces the games that youwant to buy. What themagazine has to do is act as aforum for information — andthat's what we intend to be_That is a major reason for theCRASH HOTLINE (which isobviously proving very populartoo)! It offers the reader anopportunity to tell us (and Inturn the software houses) whatyou enjoy. There may be someteething troubles with theHOTLINE because it hasexceeded our expectations, soyou may find It constantlyengaged! We apologise for anyinconvenience, and suggestyou use the write-In coupon ifyou have problems. We aredoing our best to make furtherarrangements to expand thephone system to cope. Butkeep it up!

Along the same lines ofsussing out what you like, weare planning a CRASHOUESTIONAIRE for issue three_The more people who fill thisin, the better and moreaccurate the results will be. Itwill help us in presenting

Information in a way youprefer, and we hope it will be ofbenefit to the softwareproducers too. So look Out forthat next month.

THE TERMINAL MANrd like to thank readers for allthe nice letters that we havereceived already (as I writeCRASH issue 1 has Only beenon sale for a week) and quite anumber of you expressed aninterest in our comic strip THETERMINAL MAN. So to satisfyyour curiosity, here a fewdetails about the two peoplewho make the strip possible.

Artist Oliver Frey, who Is alsodesigner for CRASH Magazine,has been drawing comic stripsfor longer than he cares to

• remember starting off withIPC's War Picture Libraryseries of which he did overtwenty. Some are beingreprinted even now. He hasalso done a lot of illustrativework for the old Look & Learnand drew that publication'sstrip The Trigan Empire for overa year before the comic wasstopped_ He had a close brushwith Superman too. If you'veseen the film (the first part thatis), perhaps you remember atthe very beginning, the littleboy reading his Supermancomic that then turned into thetitle sequence? The wholecomic book was only twospecially drawn pages whichOliver did for director DickDonner to use in the film.

In recent months Oliver hasbeen busy with several DanDare strips for the Eagleannuals, and has also drawnthe weekly version in thecomic. In The Terminal Man,Oliver has been partlyresponsible for planting theseed of the idea in the writer'smind.

ADVERTISERS INDEXF Software 3 4 3 5

Abacus 3 6Arcade Software 8 3Blaby Computer Games 4 9Camel; software 3 3 f 7 8 / 7 9C a s e CO M P ti l l i t & M I M I lone 9 1C D S MicrosystemsCrean Micro Games ActionCrystal ComputingCurrati Computer ComponentsM ote l It5gTa90ti

J.,— SoftwareCioric SoftwareFantasy SoftwareGames MachineGilsontiewson Consultants

1763

3,82

Imagine 3 0 0 1 0 5Incentivefriftware 8 9Lotus-Soft 4 4liticsomenie 1 8Micromega 8Microapbere 2 5New GenerationPerfection Sot [ware 1 7Procom 3 2Chacksitra 1 1 2Severn SoftwareSilsersoft 4Software Prolects 3 3Starzone 6 4Timescape 5 8Ultimate 7Vortex 1 1

Oliver Frey poses for a CRASHMICRO publicity still.

Author of the The TerminalMan is Kelvin Gosnell. Kelvinwanted to be a pilot. Twophysical drawbacks thwartedthis ambition: less than perfecteyesight (medicallyundesirable) and a propensityto throw up during aerobatics(undesirable for cleaners ofcockpits). He thereforeresigned himself to a non-aeriallife many years ago and wasdelighted, shortly afterwards,to discover that he not onlyenjoyed writing about flying butthat people were willing to payhim money to do it.

His writing career started onthe comic Action in 1975,scripting a World War 1 talecalled Suicide Club. A longenthusiasm for science fictionwas rekindled when he realisedthere was no SF comic in theUK. The result was the verysuccessful 2000 Al) Comiclaunched in 1978 and a topseller today. Kelvin became Itseditor.

Since then he has handled anumber of strip characters,from Dan Dare In the UK toStorm in The Netherlands. Hecontinues to handle featurework, particularly in aviation,since he discovered this getshim free flights In anassortment of flying machines.He cannot decide what hasbeen his best aerial experience— playing at the Battle ofBritain In a Tiger Moth vChipmunk dogfight over Kentwas good, but so was being'target for the day' for an RAFrescue Sea King In Norfolk_

A terrified Kelvin Gosnell hangsbeneath an RAF rescue Sea Kinghelicopter.Photography by Ian Kennedy

ER ATA -In last month's issue we gavean incorrect price in the reviewfor GRAND PRIX DRIVER byBritannia. The price of E5.95quoted should have read E6.95

Also, in our Guide sectionthe review JUNGLE TROUBLEshould have ascribed the gamefirmly to Durrell Software, theproducers of the game, asMarlech are actually Durrell'sdistributor and have no hand inthe writing or producing of thegame. We apologise for ourerror.

A Newfield Publication 9

Each month ( ' II be choosing the best letter from thepostbag, and, as well as publishing it, I'll send the writer El2worth of software of his or her choice (it can be two cassettesas long as they come within the E12). I've had to grovel onbended knee to the editor for this, so you'd better be grateful!

Send your letters to Lloyd Mangmm, CRASH Forum, POBox 10, Ludlow, Shmpshlre SY8 1DB. I can't prolnise to printeverything that comes in because space is precious (I'm told)but d o my best.

DOOMSDAY CASTLE. KNOCKOUT. Mikrogen 70ALCHEMIST, Imagine 1 3 Fantasy 26 KRAKATOA, Abbex 70 PUNCHY, Mr Micro 14ANDROI D 2. Vortex 1 3 EARTH DEFENCE, Attic 37 LASERWARP, M i

k r o g e n41 THE PYRAMI D, Fantasy 25

APPLE JAM. OK Trinic3 7 1 ENERGY 30,000, E.L.N. 12 MAGIC MEANIES, C.D.S. 90 ROBOT RIOT. Saversoft 100ATI C ATAC, Ultimate 3 7 FIGHTER PILOT. Digital MICROBOT, Sof tek 16 ROBOT RUNNER, Longman 98BATTLE 1917, C.C.S. 8 8 Integration 93 MR. WIMPY, Ocean 76 ROMMEL'S REVENGE,BIRDS & BEES, Bug-Byte 4 0 FREEZ'BEES. SlivrtioIT 101 MOUNTAI NS OF KET. Crystal 75THE BIRDS, Rabbi, 3 8 FRENCH IS FUN, C.D.S. 97 Incentive 100 SCUBA DIVE, Durrell 88BUBBLE TROUBLE, Arcade 7 1 GAMES DESIGNER. 1984, Incentive 104 SPECIAL AGENT, Heinemann 98BULL TABLES. Lotus-Soft 9 9 Ouicksilva 40 OMEGA RUN, C.R.L. 89 SPEED DUEL. OK Trintcs 100CASTLE BLACKSTAR. THE GUARDI AN, P S.S_ 39 PAINTBOX, PF int 'n• Plotter 72 STARCLASH. Micromega 104

S.C.H. 1 0 3 HOUSE OF THE LI VI NG PARATROOPERS. Rabbi t 101 STONKERS, Imagine 102CHUCKIE EGG, A&F 1 4 DEAD, Phipps Assoc 38 PATHFI NDER, Widgit 99 SUPER SNAILS, GamesCRUISE ATTACK, Mikrogen 7 3 HUMPTY DUMPTY MYSTERY, PAT THE POSTMAN, Machine 15DIMENSION DESTRUCTORS,

Art icWidget

HUNCHBACK, Ocean9773

MikrogenPI -E YE D. Automata

7473

THRUSTA, Software ProjectsTRI AD, Amba

3975

DODGE CITY, Phoai l l , r m IN SHOCK, Attic l b POTTY PAINTER. Rabbit 17 WHEE LIE. Microsphore 25

I am shocked to see just howmany letters we have receivedalready. Don't get me wrong,I'm not complaining — butaren't you all supposed to bebanging away at thatcollapsing keyboard orsomething? Stilt. I guess It'sonly lair that after us boringyou hal f to death, you shouldbe able to get your ownback. . .

Seriously though, thank youfor the letters. Dune a lot havemade the CRASH team blush

VIAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BEits( of all, congratulations on your

new magazine. If further issues liveUP to the first, I am sure it will be asuccess. Reading your criticisms. Iwould however like to make a point_

There are basically two types ofgame — fantasy and reel tits.Fantasy games, arcades, mazes,dungeons etc. are ail all figments ofof vivid imagination. Nobody knows.how safely Horace can cross the4oad or how easy it will be to laser

alien space crall. Accordingly.peed is immaterial — the games

1designer can program me game asfast or slow as he wishes. In ellthese gz.mes the criticism that it Is,perhaps, too slow can be valid.On the other hand the real life1),ames must be as realistic as,possibie. Yes. motorbikes can travel

tquickly• aircraft land at speed and

elecidents happen fast whether theflight is simulated or not.

But please remember one thing— as an ex-R N rating I can assureyou that submarines do dive asslowly as Hunter•Killer works,

' I have been a table-lop wargamerfor some years and Hunter-Killer'seems to me to be the first real, and=computgiterar game in the

ant nite toda llthe ve nni T h u . I n

my mind, is a 'real-ilfe' game, athe speed of the sub, the contrthat need using etc., are excellenTorpedoes do run that slowly, andthat agonising wall that the realsubmarine Commander goesthrough is ideally represented here_

It you want fast action, buy either.a fantasy game or a real•ilfe game of

a last subject. Please do not dockpoints Irom Protek for beingamazingly accurate.

W H. Ashton, Hilton-on-Lune,Lancaster.

Thank you for your kindcomments, Mr. Ashton. This Is thekind of reaction we want to heattrom readers. Of course, you areright about Hunter•Killer. I'm afraidI'm a poor judge as I am not by anymeans a dedicated waegamer, sothe slow simulations tend to leaveme cold Unfortunately. a lot of ouryoung reviewers at the moment arededicated arcade players and Igiven to the joys of more thouprovoking games perhaps Hothe Reviewers' Competition In thelast Issue will arouse someadventurers and war•garners Intoaction on our l i ps h a t i a b e h a l f 'SOON TO BE

ETTERS111 /111191111n)

I have just bought the first edition ofCRASH and I cannot wait for thesecond one to come out, Although Iam not yet a Spectrum owner, I hopeto be one soon, as I have had one onorder lot the past three weeks.

I have also bought a number ofother magazines and softwarereviews, hut none of them go Into $O

INDEX TO REVIEWS IN THIS ISSUE

10 a Newstield Publication

to the roots of their dyed hair.There are some that if weprinted them would makepeople believe I made them up.In the event it was a tough taskto pick out a winner, especiallyas some cute cookies offeredme bribes in the form of flattery(It'll get you nowhere. 7 ) Aftersome reflection I thought thisplea from Mr. Ashton to treatthe simulation game with morerespect was the best of somevery good letters.

much detail as CRASH. Thismagazine will certainly help me andI hope many others in choosing thebest programs to buy I also likedthe article on interfaces andjoysticks and I hope you continue toinclude items like this each month.'All in ail. 75p_ well spent? Keep upthe good work.

D.M. Markiille, Marshall Road,Cambridge.

HACKERS

Just thought I'd write to say what agreat mag you're writing. Does thatget me the 12 quid? No?? Ah well,we always live in hope! Anyway, atlast us Spurtocratic Hackers(Spectrum users with an affinity tomoderns, alternative databases.shooting many a green man andloud noises) have got a decentmagazine that deals specificallywith the Spectrum Many readersmay not know it but the best add-onfor the Spectrum in my opinion isthe Prism VIX 5000 modem. It'sgreat tun. Especially using Micronet— all that sofware with no postaldelays!

Aa for my favourite sottware, thathas to be Lunar Jetman, Atic Atac(completed). Ant Attack andChequered Flag.

Oh well, I suppose I've saidenough, do I get the E12? grovel,grovel!

Stephen Lacey aka The MadHacker.

keep up this unbridled quality ofletter writing, Stephen, and youcould earn yourself a fortune in notime? —

I own a 48K Spectrum, with which Iam very pleased. but I'm already fedup with the keyboard (aren't we all)!I have thought about buying a Fit ItYourself keyboard. but fitting theseinvolves opening up the computerwhich makes the guarantee invalid_ Iwas wondering whether anyonemakes keyboards for the Spectrumwhich just fit on top of thecomputer. Or a plug-in keyboard,currently available for the 2X81.

Also I am planning on buying areconditioned or second-handcolour television to use with mySpectrum Do you think this is wise?Please could you give me someadvice on buying colour televisions.I am currently using the family setwhich is a Phillips 3745 Teletextcolour set and it gives a very goodperformance. Do Teletext TVsgenerally give b much betterper

think CRASH Mag is brilli Andhaving a phone-in chart is fantastici

Karl Flaschke, Wembley, Middx.

Kart, our technical dept. will bewriting soon regarding F.I.Y•meantime, I have a Teletext too butit gives no better result then mylittle portable colour TV. LM

A LONG READI've nothing earth-shattering to sayabout games as I am very new to thescene, but I would like tocongratulate you on your superbnew magazine. Please don't alter it,II is just perfect the way ills. I'venever known a magazine to take meso long to read, not because it wasboring but because there was somuch information crammed into it.The reviews were the finest and

most complete available and are theonly ones I'll be reacting in future todetermine whether or not I buy agame. Even though I only had mySpectrum for Christmas, I spent theprevious couple of months buyingand reading computer mags todetermine which I would continuewith once L had my micro.

I thought I had seen the best untilseeing your (delayed but worth it)meg. which forced me to change mymind. Keep up the excellent workand best wishes for the future.

Ian Foster, Uttoxeter, Staffs_

Thanks for your comments; Ian.Sorry about the delay toot We hadan issue lined up for November 18last, but there were so many newtitles due out before Christmas thatthe news trade asked us to delayuntil after the holiday. By the timewe knew of this delay it was MO lateto pull out those two ads thatappeared with the &artier dare.LM

NO LISTINGS

Thanks for the new magazineCRASH_ It's just what the majority0 Spectrum owners have beenwaiting for. I hope you don't losesales because of the name CRASH.I think SPECTRUM should havebeen part of the title_

Please review utility programs.I'm glad you haven't clutterred upthe pages with program listings,which never compare with thecommercial games. I don't likecomic strips. I'll look to the BEANOfor those_

R.J. Hammond, Pickering, N.Yorks.

Some interested newsagents havesaid the same about CRASH too butwe think people will get to know Mename soon enough, Utility programswill have an increasing area ofCRASH as we go along and willsoon be appearing in the GuideSection I'm told. Program Listingswere never, ever on the agenda forCRASH! There's lust not the roomanyway. Sorry about the comic,mind you you won't find somethinglike THE TERMINAL MAN in Beano.The overall plans for the story areextremely interesting — it's going tobe quite mammoth. You might arguethat it doesn't look though It'll havemuch to do with computers, but infact it will, in an indirect way. Butmore importantly it's intended as apiece of entertainment withstrategy, adventure and arcadeovertones. I don't see why onlyQuicksilva should be allowed to getaway with the Faiuvian Empire!LM

Your Letters continue on page 92

A NEW DIMENSION IN EXCITEMENT FROM VORTEX SOFTWARE.Stop the advance of the Millitoids. Survive the maze

of death, rationalise the paradox zone and overcomethe dangers encountered in the fladands

Achieve this and return to thetransporter capsule before the deadline.But beware. There are lethal Hoverdrolds.Bouncers and land mines everywhere.

3D full colour graphic effects, ymachinecode fast action and multi-screenwraparound zones make Android Two amindblowing action game.

SEEK OUT ANDROID TWO ATALL THE BEST DEALERS

(-50FTWARE-0

TPLEASE RUSH MES P E C T R U M 48KKEYBO AR D / J O YST I C KOPTION

E l ANDROID TWO(S) E 5 , 9 5 EACHTOTAL VALUE

NAME

ADDRESS

C M T I

Enclose POlcheque payable to VORTEX SOFTWARE

Send to mad order addressI VORTEX SOFTWARE 280 BROOK LAN DS ROAD MANCHESTER M2 3 9HD

DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME

Vortex are always seeking exciting new programs. Contact us or send sample.A Newatteld Publication 1 1

720,ew'

Use of computer 6,80/0Graphics 60%

Playability 80 %

6"

„ . . . _ . . . . ,

- 0 •1 • • • • • • • • •

Addictive qualities

, a• l k,r

70%Overall 73%

- -

, - - - • .

. . . . . . . .2 1 , .,

o • - • - • • A1 , , ,

„..

Use of computer 6,80/0Graphics 60%

Playability 80 %Getting started 63%Addictive qualities 95%Value for money 70%Overall 73%

Energy 30,000Producer: ELMComputersMemory required: 48KRetail price: E4.90Language: Machine codeAuthor: Paul Braithwaite

The cassette inlay explainsthat i t i s the year 30,000(that's a long, long way off)and you have been recruitedby Or. Minestorm who hasdiscovered that Pink Tar leftover in the old mines of the20th Century can be used asan a l t e rn a t i ve f u e l t oUranium, which is runningout. Your task is to mine thePink Tar by using a bulldozer(bang up to date in the year30,000). This is done by driv-ing the bulldozer down ontothe t ar and moving awayquickly with i t to the fuelstore. Ten chunks will fill thequota for that mine, and workthen moves onto another.

The mine is infested withcreepy crawlies (show us amine that isn't these days),and if the bulldozer runs intoone — it's kapoom

The screen i s dividedhorizontally b y four mineshafts (floors really) with avertical shaft down the cen-tre. There is also a bottomfloor. The rock floors actual-ly resemble Pirel l i t y remarks, and are made up ofnumerous little black rocks,with the occasional pink one.Your bulldozer can crawl leftand right, descending o rreturning by the shaft. Thescreen is wrap around.CRITICISM

'This i s a n ext remelysingle minded g am e —either you ' l l l o ve i t , o ryou' ilhate it. If you like it, it'llprobably drive you mad! Thebulldozer moves very quicklyand positively, so it requireslightning refl exes an d amastery of techniques. Whatthey don't tell you in the inlayis that i f you so much asbrush a black blob of rockyou olow up, an d i f youmanage to drop down (at thatspeed) accurately on a pinkblob, the second you havegot it , where it was turnsblack and — bang! So youlearn to get the bulldozer justabove the level of the floor,wait for a pink blob and thenhit the down and forward keyalmost simultaneously. Sosimple, so maddening and12 A Newstield Publication

utterly addictive.''The graphics are nothing

to write home about, verysimple and quite small, andthe game idea is very simple,but because of its speed andthe accuracy i t demandsfrom the player, I'm sure thisis going to appeal to a lot ofsnappy arcade players.'

The least o f your pro-blems a r e t h e c reep i ecrawlies, although just whenyou're one chunk away from

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4 1 .,144 1,4% ,q tPotty Painter

Producer: RabbitMemory required: 48K

'Retail price: E5.99

Language: Machine codeAuthor: J.F. Cain

Potty Painter is an 'Armidar'paint the squares copy withthree screens. The screen isdivided u p in t o 2 4 rec-tangles, six columns of fourshapes all defined by dottedtines. Each box contains ascore figure, 100, 300 or 500depending on its area. Youmust w a lk your monkeyalong the dotted lines until asquare has been surround-

. ed, when it changes colourand you get the points. Asthis is going on there are twonasties chasing you. O n

a quota, and sailing back upthe shaft, you can be sure awretched thing will snakeOut and wallop you. Ever sofast, and requires hair triggerresponses, which fortunate-ly the keys provide, but thefingers don't always! Goodvalue.'

COMMENTSControl keys: ZiX left/right,I/J upidown, well laid out

One of the blurs is your bulldozer in fast, addictive Energy 30,000,

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completing the screen thescene cuts to a bonus screenof grids where you must get ateddy b ear , w h o sl id esdownwards, t o slide downthe correct p o le t o h i sbanana.

The third screen is verysimilar t o the first exceptthat you are a paint rollernow and the chasers are twoteddy bears. Another meantrick is that there is a timelimit which eats away thevalue of the rectangles, soit's important to complete asmany as you can in the leastpossible t ime. Completingthis screen takes you back tothe start screen again butwith three chasers this timeround. I n s o m e v isu a lrespects this game lookssimilar t o Romik's ColourClash.

Joystick: KempstonKeyboard play: highlyresponsiveColour averageGraphics: fairly small,simple and perfectlyadequateSound: goodSkill levels: gets impossibleafter being hardLives: 3General rating: Maddening,addictive, good value.

CRITICISM

'This isn't a particularly at-tractive lo o kin g g a m e ,although that is more thefault of the game type thanthe program, which uses anice mix of colours. Just thatthe dotted lines tend to makeit look like a job centre formto fill out! Overall I found itvery playable, but it wouldhave been better if there hadbeen some speed selections,which might have given it alonger life; and some soundwould have helped.'

'The game is a fair copy ofthe original, with reasonablegraphics, t h e nasties es•pecially so. The sound israther sparse, just a beepwhen you're caught. T h egame is mildly addictive, it'snot original, but if you like ar-cade copies, then it is ade-quate.'

A classic painter but a bit pony.

'For someone who hasnever played this type o fgame in the arcades, I think itwould have been better tosay more about it in the inlaythan it actually does. On thewhole I thought this was areasonable copy of what is

now a fairly old arcade game— not bad, not wonderfuleither. T h e user-defi nablekeys are a great help.'COMMENTS

Use of computer 68%Graphics 55%Playability 58%Getting started 60 %Addictive qualities 57%Value for money 59%Overall 60°/0

Use of computer 80%Graphics 96%Playability 92%Getting started 90 %Addictive qualities 90%Value for money 89%Overall 90%

Control keys: cursors, oruser-definable, 4 directionsrequiredJoystick: AGF, ProtekKeyboard play: responsiveColour: reasonableGraphics: average to goodSound: poorSkill levels: gets hardereach roundLives: 5General rating: average, butreasonable addictive

Android 2Producer: VortexMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Costa Panayi

In the film Industry they tendto say that sequels are neveras good a s the originals,whereas in computer gamesthe opposite seems to betrue. I f y o u b o u g h t a n dplayed Android 1, then youmay be in for a shock withAndroid 2 — it's not only bet-ter, it's staggeringly better!A lot of recent releases havefeatured wonderful graphicsand it's unfair to compareone with another when thegraphics often have to do dif-ferent things, but overall ourAndroid 2 — the a-mazing superior Robot.

reviewers thought Android 2had just about t h e best,possibly a s good a s anyother game for the Spectrumto date.

The story is as old as theSpectrum itself — stop theadvance o f t he Millitolds,survive the maze of death, ra-tionalise the paradox zone,overcome the dangers of theflatlands and achieve all thisbefore t h e d e p a r t u r edeadline. N o p ro b lem !Vortex describe this as amindblowing action game,and deservedly so.

It's hard to describe thescreen display, because thearea Is huge, part massivelyconvoluted maze, part openspace within areas of the en-compassing maze. The viewis solid 3D, seen from wellabove and slightly to oneside_ T h e at t ract m o d escrolls at a furious pace in adiagonal dir ec t ion ac ros sthe playing area, and gives afrightening idea o f what isahead of you.

The objec t is t o destroyfive Millitoids in each of thethree zones . These other-wise pleasant creatures re-quire three shots to the head.In carrying out this missionyou must watch out for thenumer ous l a n d m i n e s ,Hoverdroids (One blast), andBouncers, w h ic h a r e i n -destructible but very predic-table. Android 2 is equippedwith a head mounted photonblaster of unlimited power —he needs it! Good luck!

CRITICISM

'If you have seen 3D AntAttack then you will knowthat the graphics are greatbut that the game itself is notso good, well Android 2 is agame with great 3D graphicsand is also a good game initself. The animation is good,a well laid out screen, andgenerally a great shoot'emup game.'

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194524.02ee

'Every detail of this gamehas been polished, even theinstructions are beautifullydone. The sound is excellentand very characterful. It ' ssuch a massive undertakingthat I'm sure people will beplaying if for ages withoutever getting anywhere nearexploring all the maze. Youhave to watch out for meanlandmines, especially i npassages where the floor isobscured by the perspectiveview. Addictive because ofthe 9ame idea and the fan-tastic graphics.'

'The g a m e i s v e r ychallenging, in fact I found ithard and good to play. Goodgraphics, with lots of move-ment and good value fo rmoney.'COMMENTS

Control keys: 1/0 up/down,0/P leftfright, bottom row=fireJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: veryresponsiveColour excellentGraphics: excellentSound: excellentSkill levels: who needs 'em?Lives: 5Screens: continuouslyscrollingGeneral rating: excellent onalmost all counts, highlyaddictive and first ratevalue for money. Highlyrecommended.

AlchemistProducer: ImagineMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: Ian Weatherbum

This is Imagines first step in-to the mist-shrouded worldof t e rro r a n d m yst ery,Warlocks an d monsters,Wizards Et.nd spells. I t stillIsn't a proper adventure,much more of an arcade typegame, but with adventureovertones. You, t h e mostskilful Alchemist on Earth,have been summoned to do

battle with the- Evil Warlockwho is terrorising the Land.You must enter his dreadcastle, find the four sectionsof the magic scroll, whichwill enable you to render theWarlock powerless by usinghis own Spell of Destructionagainst him.

Playing the game is quite acomplicated mat te r . T h eAlchemist can wander aboutas himself until he reaches adrop or a steep hill, and theseobstacles may be overcomeby transforming in t o a neagle, which is made to flybyflapping its wings. The dreadcastle i s f u l l o f rooms,caverns, passageways andstairs, fi lled with a w idevariety of monsters, usefulobjects a n d m ino r s pellswhich may be used once,and of course the four piecesof t h e mag ic s c roll. T heAlchemist is only allowed tocarry one object at a time(and he's the most skilful!)so a strategy element creepsin.

Any type of movement, orbumping in to objects, o rtransformations, depleteyour stamina. This is main-tained by passing over foodpacks (if you were an evilwarlock keep ing ski l f u lAlchemists a t bay, wouldyou leave food packs lyingaround your castle)?

The t w o weapons youpossess, hurling lightningbolts or casting spells if youhave found one, use up yourenergy, which is replenishedonly b y t ime. Encounterswith mons ters a ls o dr ainyou, though this depends onwhether y ou a r e carry ingsome useful objec t like anaxe or a sword. So there it is,0 Skilful One — care to havea go?CRITICISM

'On your mission you willencounter many problems,like fi nding a key to open adoor, and many Guardianssuch a s lobs ters , ghos ts ,brooms, skulls, bats, evil but.terf lies, swords which attackyou, s na i ls , c ater pillar s ,bones, axes, a boulder andmuch more. The presenta-tion is very good, with a highquality title screen and ade-quate instruction, although abit more advice would not goamiss! The graphics are verygood and so is the sound,with a rather spooky organtune which sets the scenewell. In playing, the game isextremely good, fun and veryaddictive. Definitely another

A Newslield Publication 1 3

Time is running Out for the Alchemist. . . .

Use of computer 80 %Graphics 85%Playability 90 °/13Getting started 68 °./0Addictive qualities 89'/DValue for money 95%Overall 85°/0

winner for Imagine. Oh, bythe way — don't pick up thetrap thinking you can use itas one — it will explode dur-ing t h e game, destroyingyou!'

'The Alchemist i s a noriginal game which is fun toplay, not only because it isdifficult, but because it alsohas exceptional graphics,lots of them, all well design-ed and animated. Controll-ing t h e game requires ahandful of keys which takesome mastering, bu t theyseem quite well laid out. Thegame is not unlike Atic Atacin feeling, and has about thesame level o f playability.Although it couldn't be call-ed a shoot em up, i t stillmanages to be very addic-tive, since it is so easy to loseyour one life.'

This is a game which isfun and has so much detailto explore in t he massivecastle that it makes you wantto keep playing. That said, Ididn't think it was terribly ad-dictive, although Ill probablywant to go back after sometime and have another go.Excellent g r a p h i c s-a n d u s e

Chuckie EggProducer: A & FSoftwareMemory required: 48KRetail price: E7.90Language: Machine codeAuthor: N. Alderton

A & F have added t o themythology o f the PlatformGame with their ChuckleEgg. which contains some ofthe bes t sc reen combina-tions s ince the or iginal a r ;cade vers ions o f 'DonkeyKong'. The aim of the gameIs simplicity in itself. You area little yellow — well chickenit looks like, but probably a

'ol farmer boy , w ith awide brimmed hat, and youmust travel t he wide plat-1 4 A Newslieid Publication

of colour. An Imagine-ativegame and obviously worththe money.'COMMENTSControl keys: seven keysare used to walk/fly left andright, transform, cast aspell/hurl lightning, flapwings, pick up/drop objectsand pick up/drop spells. TheQuit key (1) seemeddangerously near the otheraction keys.Joystick: Kempston, FullerColour: very goodGraphics: excellentSound: very goodSkill levels: 1Lives: 1Screens: continuousscrollingGeneral rating: excellent

forms collecting eggs, whilstavoiding the understandablyagitated chickens . Depen-ding on the screen, there arevarious c ombina t ions o flong and short platforms atdifferent heights, connectedwith ladders and/or lifts.

As y ou g o through t h escreens s o t h e s e t u p sbecome more diffi cult, withmore eggs t o collec t andmore h e n s c has ing, a n dmore piles of — hen manure,to put it politely, to avoid.CRITICISM

'This g a me has a verygood u s e o f colour , verygood, bright graphics, neatlyanimated and detailed. It hasyou c limbing ladders, jump-ing over holes, jumping downfrom one level to another,riding lifts, and generally col-

Eggs is eggs in Chuclicie Egg but

Punchy

lecting eggs like a maniac. Ifound It fun and addictive! Itals o g i v e s y o u u s e r -definable keys and gamesfor up to four players.'

'This is hardly a new gametype, but it's certainly an ex-cellent addition to the collec-tion o f holejumpinglad-derclimbingnastyavoidinggames f o r the Spectrum.What makes i t addictive,apart from the very goodgraphics and sound, is theconstruction of the variousplatforms. These soon get tobe very complicated, and likethe best arcade originals,you must plan your w ayround carefully. The controlkeys are highly responsive,your man jumping beautiful-ly, even reversing direction inmid-lump if you time it right.Very addictive an d nicelyfrustrating.'

'I had a lot o f trouble atfirst getting my man to climbor descend ladders, but thisis a trick of the program. He'svery difficult t o centre i fyou're being careful aboutlining up , whereas i f y oudash at a ladder and have theascend/descend key alsopressed, he whizzes straightup as desired. What must beremembered i s t o changedirectional keys while whizz-ing, or he may end up goingin the wrong direction at the

Producer: Mr. MicroMemory required: 48KRetail price: E6.90Language: Machine code

Punch & Judy shows pro-bably still exist at the Britishseaside, b u t there' s n olonger any need t o travel

top of the ladder. One kind-ness iS that he can withstandsome tremendous falls fromone level to another. An ex-cellent arcade game, withhigh addictivity built in. Butit's very expensive at almostE8 — the one drawback.'

COMMENTSControl keys: user-definable, 4 direction andone jump needed.Joystick: Can be set up tocope with most and workswith Fuller anyway.Keyboard play: highlyresponsiveColour very goodGraphics: very goodSound: continuous andgoodSkill levels: gets harder withevery screenLives: 5Features: speechvocabulary with Fuller Box,and 1/2/3/4 player gamesGeneral rating: highlyaddictive, and very good.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

watch out for the chithens.

9C) 0 /080%85c/078%80 %65%80%

afield to see a show. Mr.Micro can now bring you allthe glitter and sand, right athome o n your Spectrum.This game has s imilar itieswith Hunchback, but it is allcouched in proper Punch &Judy terms — and it speaks!

The playing area is a veryexpanded and colourful pup-pet stage which makes up 16screens, at the end of whichPunch has Judy locked up.You are the hero, Bobby, and

_

Use of computer 91%Graphics 85

1 )/0

Playability 90 %Getting startedAddictive qualities 87%Value for money B5%Overall 88%

Knocked out by a custard pie, hero Bobby bears the horrible laughterof the theatrical mask above — That's the way to do itt

you mus t rescue Judy byjumping ov er o r duc k ingunder r o t t e n t o m a t o e sthrown by Punch, leap overgaps, use the fl ying carpet,swing from the angels' tailsand avoid the back-attackingcustard pies, whils t leapingover gaps fi lled with soldiersand clubs. Every once in awhile J udy w i l l t h r o w asausage. I f Bobby catchesthree of these they can be us-ed i n a n emer genc y t otransport h im t o t he nex tscreen without harm.

A scanner above the stageshows Bobby 's progress .Each screen i s t imed f o rpoints and each one com-pleted awards a policeman'shelmet. F o r ev e r y fi v ehelmets collected, a bonus isadded. A neat feature is thatwithout any added hardware,the program talks — 'That'sthe way to do It,' or, morefamously, 'Rock t he baby,rock the baby.'CRMCISM

'It's a very long load, butwell worth it . The graphicsmust be among t he mos teye-searingly bright I've seenon a game! A l l the s tatusdetails a r e c onta ined I ndecorative scrolls, written ingothic text. I really liked theevil l i t t le theatr ical mas k'face' that appears i n theclouds and laughs when youlose a life. The game itself Isreasonably diffi cult to play,with timing an essential part,and i t gets extremely dif -fi c ult w h e n t h e r e a r etomatoes coming from onedirection and cus tard piesfrom another! Bobby jumpsvery well, although it takes abit of practice as this is avery la id bac k hero! Ver ygood value.'

'The unique thing aboutthis game is that it speaksunderstandable Eng lishwithout hardware. The use ofcolour is excellent and thegraphics a re smooth an dvery good. Apart from thespeech there are very goodtunes_ T h e w h o le th ing

comes very nicely packagedtoo, with good instructionson the inlay and on-screen.You can see the task aheadof you with the very gooddemo. It really is great. Justbuy it!'

'Nice s imple keys to con-trol Bobby , and a diffi cultgame. Perhaps it gets a bitrepetetive after a while, butit's certainly amusing to playand the graphics combinedwith t h e speech mak e i talmost w or th t h e moneyalone.'

I'm In ShockProducer: ArticMemory required: 16KRetail price: E4.95Language: Machine code

So this was what we werereturning to; a scarred bat-tlefi eld a n d as hes . We ' dtravelled across the universeto save the Earth, we'd seenoff the invaders and sufferedthe casualties, only to find ithad all been a decoy.

So I'm In Shock sets thescene for this grid/shoot emup game_ You can move yourlaser bas e le f t a n d r ight ,while s h o o t in g u p . T h escreen is div ided in to onecharacter squares by greengrid lines with you (and the

COMMENTSControl keys: 6/7 walkleft/right, zero = jump, 8 =sausages!Joystick: Kempston and willwork with Sinclair ZX 2Keyboard play: positive,though jumping takes somepracticeColouc excellentGraphics: very goodSound: excellent speechand tunes, though a littlebare during a screenSkill levels: 1Lives: 3 (1 more after 60,000points)Screens: 16Features: programmedspeechGeneral rating: excellent

aliens above) s itt ing in thesquares. T h e number o faliens depends on how manywaves you have k illed o fThey move about randomly,very s l o w y des c end ing .Should one reach the bottomthe g a m e i s over . So mesquares have diagonal linesfi lling them, wh ic h c aus eyour s hots t o rebound a tright angles , whereas t h ealiens can fi re through themquite happily. This requiressome strategical thinking touse the shields to double re-bound and thus s till h it analien. Every 3 screens. a com-mand s h ip , resembling aspider, c r awls ac ross t h escreen h a l f w ay up , a n dscores a bonus if you hit it.CRITICISM

'The graphics ar e qu iteWide frozen shrieks of laughter — I 'm In Shock• no•men•mmomm memsommmo

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small and s imple and thekeys a r e over-responsive,making it very hard to moveto an adjacent square. Thegame i t s e l f i s q u i t ereasonable, bu t somethingof a n an t i - c l imax a f t e rreading the intro on the inlay

"The moon was the colourof w ide frozen shr ieks o flaughter, the frost ran downthe window — I'm In shock."See what I mean.'

'I thought t he graphicsand colour were generallyrather poor, and the game,though an original idea, doestend to get repetetive and isvery easy to play.'

'I l ik e the energy reflec-tors, they added a dimensionof strategy to an otherwisevery ordinary shoot em up.But the alien craft could havebeen a bit more energeticallynasty, i t would have madethe game more interesting toplay. Very diffi cult to controlsmall mov ements o f t h elaser base too.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: very simple,CAPS — V left, B — SPACEright, H — ENTER fireJoystick: noneKeyboard play: fast andover-responsiveUse of colour poorGraphics: average, small,l-character sizeSound: goodSkill levels: 5Lives: 3General rating: fair toaverage, but reasonablevalue for money.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

Supersnails

58%47%52%62%50 %58 %55 %

Producer: GamesMachineMemory required: 18KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: David HayDespite a story about DoctorVan Wink elhof f w h o h a sgene t ic a l ly e n g in e e r e dsnails Imported from WestAfr ic a i n t o a b r e e d o fSupersnails who leave super

A Newat iald Publicat ion 1 5

glue trails behind them, andare n o w t r apped i n h i slaboratory try ing to escape,this game turns out to be a'Light Cycle' grid type gamemade famous byu the movieTroll

The aim of the game is totrap your oponent and k illhim or her off by forcing himInto a wall, your trail or hisown trail. I f you succeed inthis, a hole opens up in thewall a n d a l lo w s y o u t oescape. There are four direc-tional controls for your snail,and in common with othergames like it, hitting reverseof the direction in which youare currently travelling Is ins-tant death.

Superglue trails in the lab.

CRITICISM

'The thing that mos t im-pressed me about this gameIs that two players can playagainst eac h other a t t hesame time, o r two playerscan play agains t the com-puter as well as one playueragainst the computer. The in-lay card explains all this verywell, and i t is repeated inmenu form on screen. It is asimple idea, but that makesit all the more playable on thelower speeds. At the highestlevel t h e speed mak es i tunplayablel

'This game has the mostsimple graphics I have everseen — just white lines on ablue ground. it's simple but itis highly addictive,'

'If you buy games as muchfor their colour and graphics(as anything else) then youmay a s w e l l f o r g e tSupersnalls. If, on the otherhand, you enjoy a fast, utter-ly single-minded game, thenthis is about the bes t ver-siuon around. The lines moveextremely s mooth ly o n l ypixels after all) and I think I'mright in saying that this is theonly 8-direc tional vers ion,which opens up the game'stactics quite a bit.'

COMMENTSControl keys: player one,Q/A up/down, Z/X left/right:player two, PR_ up/down,1 6 A Newslield Publication

M/SY M. SHIFT leftlr ightJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: veryresponsiveColour sparse!Graphics: extremely simplebut very fastSound: continuous but poorSkill levels: 9 speedsFeatures: 1 or 2 playersagainst each other or thecomputerGeneral rating: aboveaverage to good, addictive.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive quiltiesValue for moneyOverall

Microbot

• 7 1 %34%70 %68%74 %60 %63%

Producer: SoftekMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Lang uage: Machine codeAuthor: Andrew BealeAndrew Beale has done anumber of games for Sottekand this one will probably beaccounted a s among t h ebest. It has similarities in itsscenario with the 'you're in-side this computer' school.In t h i s , p o s s i b l y y o u rmillionth re-incarnation now,you a r e a m ic r o b o t , aminiaturised robot, whos etask is to enter the electronicbrains of proper-sized robotsand repair damage to them.The scenario points out thatyou wanted to be either aBrain Surgeon o r a truc kdriver, and as y ou c ould'tpossibly meet the necessaryspecifications, y ou had t o

Broken pipes and brain damage in Microbot.

become a Brain Surgeon!A nic e touch about this

game is that the ins ide o fthese highly advanced bu tsomewhat brain-damagedrobots resembles the base-ment o f s ome huge a n drambling Victorian mansionwith unlagged heating pipes.There are two types of pipe— purple ones and greenones (scenario explains thedifference, but it's all far toohigh in technology to repeathere) and there are variousbugs w h ic h a r e c aus ingdamage to the delicate elec-tronic brain_ Despite theirvaried shapes they come intwo hues — blue and yellow(this is important, but waitfor it).

Your job as microbot is toprowl around ar med w i t hrepuisa blobs and fi x t hepipes. T h e repuls a b lobskeep the nasties at bay for amo, but lying around in eachbrainy chamber are blue andy ellow fi x - a - t iv e b lo b s .Touching one turns microbotinto that colour, and i f hefires a blob of the correct hueat a nasty of the same colour,the blob will destroy it. Butdespite a l l thes e fun andgames, the true nature of thecoloured blobs is to fix thepipes. When fired close up ablue blob will fix a damagedpurple pipe, and a yellowblob fixes a green pipe. Onceused the fix-a-tives are in-stantly replaced ready fo rpicking up again.

The b r a in c ons is ts o ftwelve chambers, and can beseen to the left of the playingarea in plan form. This scan-ner a ls o in for ms y o u o fwhere the worst damage isbeing done by colour coding.It's frightening!CRITICISM

'Fixing holes in the pipes

made by the nast les is not soeasy. I found that this onlyworked i f you bumped intothe hole several t imes andthen fired the fix-a-tive ball atpoint b l a n k r ange . T h egraphics are very good with anumber o f animated bugs(there's a yellow Pac Man onlegs in there somewhere) thegame is fine, but there wassomething a b o u t i t t h a tmade i t not as much as itcould be. Just a feeling, it'sstill a good and interestinggame and highly original.'

'Graphics i n Spectrumgames have got to be sogood in the last few monthsthat it's easy to forget howprimitive t h ey w ere on lyrecently. I n Microbot t h escenery i s mostly angledpipes on black, quite simple,yet they are very good pipes.You wouldn't have seenpipes like those only a yearago! The creepies are good,too, a n d w el l animated.Microbot h imself movesswiftly, but getting the hangof t h e g am e techniquestakes some time, and couldhave been explained better. Ishall certainly go back andget better.'

'Nice large graphics andvery smoothly moving_ Nottoo sure about the overallqualities of the game — i tgrew on me with playing. butI get the feeling there aren'tquite enough objectives in-volved to make it very addic-tive, although it is fun to play.I got a bit irr itated with thefinickiness o f fi x ing holes,and it seems a pity that theblue and yellow blobs canonly be fired sideways whenthe damned bugs move allover the place. An or iginalgame.'COMMENTSControl keys: AiZ up/down,01P left/right, M fi r eJoystick: Kempston,Sinclair, A U , ProtexKeyboard play: responsiveColour: goodGraphics: goodSound: very goodSkill levels: 1Lives: 3Screens: 12General rating: very good

Use of computerGraphicsPiayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

73%80%70 %65 %68 u/oso rya73%

ZX SPECTRUM SOFTWAREODYSSEY

A very exciting 1 0 0 % M i C game totest your skill, concentration and abilityto the ful l S hoot the sound-sensitiveMutons, only to be followed by the Astroheel and missiles, which then unleashthe pterodactyl-like monsters.Features include: Pause Function. BonusMan, and much, much moreFor the 16K and 48K ZX SPECTRUM,

ONLY E 5 . 5 0 incl. p & p.

P g a

B a r r q t:

4> wowAt last — a game truly for all the family.Select between 5 and 20 random wordsto be displayed on the screen Find themhidden on the word grid Wor d cross-offand full cursor movementFeatures include: Word Editor, Load andSave your own Words. Give-Op Func-tion, Print-out Option (to take your WordSeeker on long, boring Journeys). Lotsand lots of funFor the 16K and 48K ZX SPECTRUM.

ONLY E 4 , 5 0 incl. p. & p

•

FORCE

F-OkLL ',3t-11-ER

If y o u e nj oy ar cade *shoot-em-up•games, this i s the game for you. 1 5sheets o f fast-action graphics. Thril lsgalore. Be the Commander of Star-StrikerFORCE FI GHTER pursuing the enemythrough its defence system.Features include! Bonus Man. SpeedBonus on every sheet, Hi-Score Record-ed, Freeze Frame, Joystick Control ,Smooth-Action Graphics a nd l ots ofsmooth, a rca d e a ct io n .For the 16K and 48K 2X SPECTRUM.

ONLY E 5 . 5 0 incl. p. & p.

1 CHURCH VIEW TY LO RS TO WN • FERNDALE D E A L E RRHONDDA • MI D GLAMORGAN • CF43 3NE E N Q U I R I E STEL: FERNDALE (04431 730325 W E L C O M E D

THE FABULOUS WANDAAND THE SECRET OF LIFE

THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHINGtor COMMODORE fidAn actutt fantasygenie with Arcade Action

You are travelling tarfrom home looking for good

„a...ie.** times around the Universe

when you are interceptedtry the evil Brutus 01 the Federation

Brutus forces you to go and see), the Secret of Life,the Universe and Everything - known only to theFabulous Wanda, a hostess in the Spaced Out Inn inHighsville on the planet COPUS, You ate telepodeddown to Hog hsville where the Customs mandemands money tor Teleport Tits The re Is a videogame in the Terminal with 3 credits le ftNow you are on your own and you mu al decide howto proceed to lirghsville M a in-st re e t t o f e e l t h e

various establishments to enter ants

OGLES f o r Ba C tliDesigned with people 01 all a9es in mind thisprogramme provides an audio learn and matchcolours as well as being very entertaining Notonlyhave colours to be matched in sequence bifft co.ordination skills can be developed by moving thecorrect colou red OGLE to match a pattern displayedon the screen Interest and a mount-te nt a r e p r o v i d e d

by you as Gordon having to control your pet clogFlash by guesting him to collect the matching OGLE.carry it back and to drop it at the correct positionThere are Iwo levels ot PloyAn easy level for the younger personA professional level for the older person with playagainst the clock and Hall of FameOGLE COMPETMONS ARE RINI E S 95

.Please add 50p to cover post and welting

I enclose a cheque P 0 payable to GAMES MACHINE LTDor debit my Access Barclaycard account no

Signature

NAME

ADDRESS

DEALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS REQUIRED

AVAILABLE AT ALL SPECTRUM SHOPS, HMV. SELFRIDGES. JOHN MENZIESLEISURE ZONE AND ALL 0 0 0 0 COMPUTER SHOPS

DEALERS PLEASE CONTACT US FOR THE NAME OF YOUR NEARE T DISTRIBUTOR

NEW RELEASEAAANOMI CONDOR for Commodore 64

100% feet action mac nine code Avoid theobstacles and havarda to clone, the mountain torem h the Spear Then slay the Condor Wo re dcomet your bed Orr

BARRELDROPi tor 4SX SPECTRUMPoor Gordon, H i s d r a i np i p e s a re b l oc ke d aga in and

the Only way to clear them is to drop barrels downthem Gordon stands on the top of his tool with 5barrels Whe n the tome starts he'll roll one downMe root Pre ss SPACE to drop it through the roofaccurately Into the centre of a drainpipe and you lbscore the number of points in the pipe. which willtitan to Ilast.. and Gordon will get the barrel back foranother go The bane, w i l l b e l o s t i t t h e d r o p i s

inaccurate, or into a pipe already tilled. but Fle shtne dog ,son ba ndit you know you re going to losethe barrel and you call see Flash peeping out fromthe bottom•rrght corner press band Hash will savedi Once you clean all 5 pipes, you will get a bonus.but there's a surprise in store before you get the nestser of pipes to fill M S S

SUPERSNAILS f o r I 6 K or rISK SPECTRUMSuails specially imported hum West Attica arebeing kept in Dr Va n Winklehoftss laboratory forgenetic wipe! iments The DoctoF has turned theminto a super breed of snail who now leave behind atrail o t iu p r otre that will trap any snarl touching itTwo of the snails, continually moving andcontrolled by the players. escape from their pensinto the taboratory. Unfortunately. only one of thesnails can escape from here into the outside worldwithout raising the alarm You must therefore trapyour oppotient Cod their try to escape through thesmall door which will then appearFeatures • Fa st Acton te C ro Machine Code

- N in e levels of difficulty(5 9 5 • Ke yboa rd or Joystick Control

for t

C O Wmuluoti

QTYINANDABAR. PIE

OGLES

EGBERTSUPERSNAILS

ARITHMETICC M TOTAL

r o eC BM 64 N e w Release SM I L EYS

414,

a:pm-7k-af 7-1 1'1" ;

9

GBERTfor COMMODORE 641

A fast Arcade Action Gametoo a il the family to play

Written in 100'ii MachineCode tor superfast actroniEgberl works on Meproduction line al t E YSPACEIt was a comfortable life untilthe invasion of the TEBBITESfrom the planet TOR. Egberl's union hasbeen este r...na iad and the Tetibilts have left theirdeadly Pets running wild in the workplace As if thatwasn't enough, the evil invaders have forced Egbertto take care of an Egg damaging the Egg will havefatal consequences fur poor Egisen Egbert is nuwon piecework • can he earn a decent wage? Can heeven Survive ' WARNING! You ma y get an ulcer byplaying this genreSIX LE V E LS OF SKILL ANY BODY WHO CAN DOLEVEL 6 SHOULD WRITE AND LET US KNOW'

ARITHMETIC FUN. TIME f o r 1199Elementary ace:Idiot, subtraction, muitipreationa n d d i vi si o n e xe rc i se s p ro vi d n g val u ab l e p ract i ceand drill for young children who are developingtheir basic mat hemalieal skit ISUses Coloui graphics and sounds to give a goodpresentation with the sums appearing in largelettets on a blackboardThe Computer plays back sums which the child hasdifficulty with showiag the child the correctsolutions U se s the basic, T1919 console C S 9S

Games Machine Ltd Busine ss & Technology CentreBessemer Drive, Stevenage He ds SGI 2DX

Telephone 104,39, 3 1 6 5 5 1SEND TO

GAMES MACHINE LTD,FREEPOST,STEVENAGE.HERTS SG1 27H.

GAMES Alyt EDUCATIONAL in A W E S VS AN I R) FOR ANY HOME COMPUTERS

7.20

A Newslield Publication 1 7

Brrii Deep in the confi nes of thefrosty blue maze Pengy is pushinghis way Out of trouble Pengy's fro-ten wasteland is a random mateconstructed o f b lu e ic e bloc k sraided by the dreaded SnobeeS.The sno-bees s ling is deadly, butPengy can retaliate by squashingthem wit h the ice blocks that hePushes around P engy is basedon o n e o f t h is y ear 's arc adesuccesses, a n d t h i s v e r s i o ncaptures all the action and addic-Non of the Original Packed full.offeatures, super smooth graphics,lashing and bonus blocks, doublescore bonuses. dizzy bees , a n dhours of enterta,nmentl

ANY SPECTRUM

CYBOTFOR

T ita re e ssi . nneatnent o ro .it stt00.1-0U1 g o n e e ve r F latu te011 l e t ovec te game that m ade Defecoet leo& lar r ec v a l r e c e r a e wo ssie ix to b e at —met, we e d end si ecan We e vte.1 P.orr the criacec elbots Peceed Ni t Dileetwors Four wow. 01 Newts Combs esere-cloectoorwPIOMMI Is m s , t e SO Ca:oboe s age, 100% eactenoCOOP, a g ame M at we l le g Ve e r nuichorks to O w In A N YS p E Ct Hu la keyboard only operation

1 8 A News lield Publicat ion

49K sPtcrRum oNLy—Thetreasures o f TUTANKHAMUNare awesome—but so are thecreatures t h a t g u a r d t h e mExplore t h e pharaohs t ombwhich el, a very large -.Ames otscrolling males separated bylucked d o o r s Y o u h a w e alimited lime to unlock the doorswith the keys. and escape withthe tre a sure L u ckily yo u a rearmed wit h lit ters and smartbombs as you will have to facea horde o f guardian cobras,spiders, situfts, monste rs a n dmummies TUTANKNAMLIN iswhat you'd expect from MicroI n a r e a—la m , f u ri o us a rcade

action packed f u l l o f arcadefeatures 1 0 0 ' . machine codetest, s moot h . h u e s arc adeaction, t o m b i s o v e r 4 0"Icreetts- t o n g. o pe n in g i lo Or S,

k ova. t r e a s u r e s , m a p s . l e v e lselection s o u n d e f fe cts a r id

SPECTRUM100ie ma c h i n e c o d e , f as t ,smooth, h ires arcade action.Kempston, cursor key, joystickor keyboard operat ion. Gamesavailable d i r e c t E5_95 i n c .p. + p. 24 HOUR DESPATCH,or f rom good sof tware outlets_Trade enquiries inv ited. Goodprograms always wanted_

MICROMANIA14 LOWER HILL ROAD, EPSOM, SURREY KT19 8LT

AMES GHOST'SREVENGE

ANY S eez Tno ta a r c a d e : l e a f a g e r e a n s t r , mteSingtour coloured ghos ts dot and power pods. eery e l e g e mchasingirunrceg gnos ts e a t fl u e gNosts Ir a foc us es ,runnel, normal or INVISIBLE m az e 1 0 chiserent seiect-Mae le vift 100% rotirth011 code action, excellent lawgranters sound enacts Mod hrws

DORIC COMPUTER SERVICES PRESENT

THE ORACLE'SCAVE

The Oracle's Cave is an exciting adventure game containing a uniqueblend of HIGH RESOLUTION ANIMATED GRAPHICS and text which hasbeen designed especially for the

48K SPECTRUMIts many features include:

* Continuously displayed high resolution graphics* Time limit of five 'days on every adventure* Completely new cave layout, monster position and event sequencegenerated for every game* All monsters, articles and locations depicted to a level of detail thatpushes SPECTRUM graphics to the limit

The closest yet to a true animated graphics adventure ex c ellent value tor money' PopularComputing WeeklySuperb high resolution with smooth scrolling w i t h the nights drawing in this program shouldgive you plenty to think about' Mic ro Adventure Dec 83'The graphics are smooth, s tart ling and exciting They show the way for the development Of thegraphics adventure in the next year' Sinc lair USW Annual 84Each quest is selected by you at the beginning of the game and you will have five game days inwhich to complete it The t ime factor is exceptional in adventure games' Sinc lair User Dec 83

Available from W H SMITH, selected A l s o available direct at E7.95 (Postage andbranches of BOOTS and J MENZIES and p a c k i n g free) from:other leading retailers. D O R I C COMPUTER SERVICES, 3 THE OASIS,Trade Enquiries welcome A m i i i i G L E N F IEL D, L E I C E S T E R L E3 8 0 STelephone 0533 314345

Ever since Mario lost his girl to the clutches of KingKong, there 's been troub le u p a t t'Empi re Sta teBuilding! Quite how the particular story l ine for theoriginal game emerged is now lost in the mythology ofwhat the arcades called Donkey Kong or Krazy Kong,Their popularity in the arcades was probably due totheir non-violence and perhaps because people hadbecome fed up with shoot the invaders games.

The simple object of the game is to reach the top ofthe screen and 'rescue your girl from Kong's clutches.

CHRIS PASSEY Et MATTHEWUFFINDELL revisit some old favourites(and some new versions) in our second

Game Type comparisonsTo do this you must run along several levels o f plat-forms and cl imb ladders while Kong rolls barrels andfireballs down on top of you. This recipe should ideallycontinue for several screens of increasing difficulty.There are several versions for the Spectrum rangingfrom bad to very good, and the selection here (which isvery representative) contains two ti tles which mas-querade as something else, but are sti l l Kong typegames really.

A Newat ield Publicat ion 1 9

KONG (Ocean)

FGODZILLA & C P 12 20 1

020 15 5.95

THE MARTIANS M U 0 0 0KILLER KNIGHT C P 23 50 19 30 Ato 5.95

MU 20 20 10 20 20KONG (Anirog) C P 60 78 50 70 75 5.95

MU 60 65 46 34 50KILLER KONG C P 80 90 90 100 90 5.50

MU 70 70 60 60 aoKONG (Ocean) C P 92 100 100 97 100 5.90

MU 100 100 100 100 100KRAZY KONG C P 75 90 95 95 90 5.95(P.S.S.) M U 90 90 98 95 90

Ocean's Kong is a closecopy to the original. It startsoff well with Kong makinghis entry, c limbing to thetop, then stomping andcausing the girders toslope. Now the ape startsthe barrels rolling. They gosideways down the laddersKiller Konces seemed tofavour falling throughholes). There are a total offour screens, featuringfireballs and elevators aswell. The graphics in thisgame are the best of all,and are large (terrifyinglylarge barrels), well animatedand fast. The man jumpswell, in fact he goes so highhis head passes throughthe next floor up. The keysare well laid out, it's Kemp-ston compatible and there'sa training mode.CP

It takes a long time to load,but it's worth the wait. Ascreen appears with five op-tions, keyboard, Kemps tonjoystick, Quickshot and Pro-tek interfaces, demo modeand training mode. All four

KONG OceanKILLER KONG Biaby

GODZILLA & THEMARTIANS Temptat ion

KONG AnirogKILLER KNIGHT Phipps

AssocaitesKRAZY KONG P.S.S.

2 0 A News latici Pub]'cat ion

screens are identical to thearcade original — even thedetail of the ape smashingdown the girders into dif-ferent angles at the start.Graphics are big, bright andsmooth with just the rightamount of ladders. Even thehammer on the second plat-form is there, to enable youto smash the barrels forbonus points. None of theother games has thisfeature. Tunes are played atthe start and end of ascreen, and at the start itsays, 'How high can youget?' — just like theoriginal. I think this Kong isthe best one.MU

KILLER KONG (Blain)I thought this was a goodversion. Here there are fivescreens to complete — allare difficult. It requires themost sk ill in timing becausethe last bit of the topsection is too low forjumping barrels. The gamehas good graphics on thewhole, but they aren't super-smooth due to 'characterposition movement' beingused as opposed to pixel

type. This game, however,has the best sound.Keyboard play could beimproved — the keys are allalong the top row. There arebonuses for getting greenburgers and also a timebonus. I would recommendthis version.CP

Killer Kong is a version withmany ladders and is not atall like the original really. Itis just a miss-the-fireballgame, though I found it veryplayable. The jumps need tobe timed right (like Anirog'sversion) because thegraphics aren't smooth. Ican say the sound is greatand the colour is well used.It's much more addictivethan Anirog's version andhas more joystick options.MU

GODZILLA Et THEMARTIANSThis one has the mostoriginal title and also theclassiest packaging, but itis also the worst of thebunch, primarily becauseit's written in BASIC, whichimmediately limits theprogram's capabilities (it'salso the only 16K version).The idea is to run along andjump over the martians(resembling invadingbarrels) which move fromside to side. There are alsoladders to c limb on yourway to the top and holes tojump. (Godzilla, meanwhile,is protecting your girl — not'holding her). Only onescreen and only one life.The graphics are jerky, andjumping is a hit-and-missaffair_ On the whole. veryunaddictive.CP

This version barelyresembles the original at allexcept in the ladders,platforms and rescuing 'thegir l of your dreams'. Jump

We asked our tworeviewers to ratethe games comparedon a scale from 0 to 100.A — Use of computer

B — Graphics

C — Playability

D - Addictive qualities

E V a l u e for money

F - Retail price (in E)

KONG COMPARISON TABLE

control Is very bad,unresponsive — jus t up,over and down — terrible.The graphics are limitedand the .k e y s p o or l y

positioned. Sound andcolour are also poor (all inBASIC), no joystick optionsand generally well belowtoday's standards.MU

KONG (Anirog)A different story here —this is more of a Kong copyand quite reasonable. Itcontains quite goodgraphics and is possibly themost colourful. The keys arewell laid out, making it veryplayable. Four screensfeaturing barrels, fireballs,lifts etc. Bonuses areavailable in the form ofumbrellas and handbags,and there's a time limit todeter waiting around. Thejumping is rather quick andneeds careful timingthough.CP

This version doesn't startoff too well — no screenpage, and the inlay saysnothing about joystickoptions although onceloaded it informs you thatit's Kempston compatible(sigh — unplug computer,fit interface and reload). Ademo autoruns after 30seconds. Screen 1 lookslike screen 2 of the arcadeoriginal except there are noconveyor belts. Screen 2 isvery much like screen 1 butwith more ladders leadingup to the next platform.There are lifts on the thirdscreen, but only the fourthscreen looks like theoriginal, where you mustpull blocks out of the floorand watch Kong fall. Thedemo had nice smoothgraphics, but the gamedidn't. I found the jumpdisappointing — you mustjump when a fi reball is r ight

against you, or you'll landon top of it. The colour andsound is well used, and afair game can be played onthis version, although Ithink An/tog have overdoneit on the ladders,MU

KILLER KNIGHT

Apart from Krazy Kong, thisIs the only version with aloading screen picture. Thegame itself is a variation onthe Kong theme — rescueyour girl from the clutchesof the evil black knight.There's the usual barrelsand holes to jump andladders to climb. Also ahandy umbrella to breakand accidental fall (once).The game is very fast,probably the fastest of thelot, but the graphics arerather small and colourless.Jumping is sudden andcontrol generally is diffi cultdue to speed and poorkeyboard layout. Ladderclimbing is automatic, sothere's no going back! Thisis a difficult game to play(not a bad thing), but withits uninspiring graphics andlack of playability, I didn'treally enjoy it.CP

I found Killer Knight verydifficult to play becausejump control is verydifficult. I know I've said thesame 9bout the An/togKong and Killer Kong, buthere there seems to be no'feel' to the jump, perhapsbecause it happens soQuickly, Poor sound andeven worse colour dropsthis game's value. I also getthe feeling this is compiledmic t h e poor blockgraphics with uninterestingUDGs make it not worthconsidering if you are aftera real Kong game,MU

KRAZY KONG (PSS.)This is quite a close copy ofthe arcade Krazy Kong andincludes barrels, fireballs.conveyor belts and lifts. Thebarrels drop through theplatforms randomly as wellas descending the ladderson top of you. The man iswell animated and jumpsvery generously (whichdoesn't mean it's easy)! Ididn't like the key positions— all on the top row. ThereIs a time limit for a bonusand water buckets forbonuses. Nice loadingscreen which matches thecassette inlay. Four screensin this version with wellcombined hazards.CP

Next Month: Missile Command

P.S.S.'s version, which hasonly just come out, is verylike the arcade original.Your man is well animatedand walks smoothly on hisway to rescue the girl. Allthe characters are a bitsmall but nothing tocomplain about, and,theman jumps very well. Thegame is colourful, tunefuland very playable s e c o n dto Ocean's Kong in fact, Allthe keys are well positioned— could be used withSinclair Interface 2 but notstated anywhere (Kempstoncompatible), Ocean'sversion comes out withflying colours, closelyfollowed by this one.MU

A NeVeStie ld Pu b lica t io n 2 1

SINCLAIR TALKS TOCRASHDetails have just been arrangedfor Alison Maguire, SoftwareManager for Sinclair, to be In.terviewed by three CRASH

ABACUS ARCADE PACKThe multi-digited gamesters.Abacus. have lust released afour-game pack under thename Space Odyssey. The fourgames are Sentinel, Fire/lash,Avenger and Proteus, and theyall form a continuing arcadestory. Avenger sold 40.000copies, while Sentinelremainded in Smith's top tenfor months. Fire/lash received

The Quill Drips GoldGilsoft, whose adventurewriting utility The Quill hasbeen responsible for helpingmany authors produceAdventure Games across arange of software houses inrecent months, haveannounced a series ofAdventure Games for the 48KSpectrum.

The series is called The GoldCollection and contains eighttitles. One is yet to beannounced, but the others areMagic Castle and DiamondTrail. which have been out forsome time, land were the firstto be written with The Quill),2 2 A Newatialc l Publicat ion

E i r i i I i r- reviewers and readers. By the

t ime you read this, the inter-view will have taken place onthe 9th February at Sinclair'sLondon Offices. The Interviewwill be published in nextmonth's CRASH.

a rave CRASH review in lastmonth's issue. Author KevinFlynn has recently completedProteus, which unfortunatelywe can't review until nextmonth due to pressures ofspace. Abacus are still sellingthe game separately at E5.95each but you can buy all fourgames in the 'arcade pack' foronly Mt . % — a saving ofalmost £9.

Africa Gardens, TheAdventures of Barsak theDwarf, Spy Plane, Devil's Islandand Mindbender.

Africa Gardens by TomDavies takes Its name from thehotel featured in the game andis set at the turn of the century.It has graphics and displaysThe Quill's versatility withVDG's and block graphics.Bersak the Dwarf Is written byP & V Napolitano You musthelp Barsak collect ninetreasures of his forefathers and"It" is set in a mythologicalunderworld. Spy Plane Nis byD. Brammer, has an unusualsetting for an adventure in asmuch as the game takes place

in the plane and over thelocations. You're flying overlocations set in the Arzelansea, gaining militaryIntelligence. It should berealistic as the author is a pilotand used to be in the RAF.Devil's Island by Colin Smithposes you the problem ofescaping from the infamousFrench island prison. You mustface the prison guards, thejungle and unfriendly natives,find a boat and escape to themainland. Mindbender by B.Jenkinson has you suddenlyt ransported by aliens us ingsome mysterious ray to theirunderground base. You havethe mental power to resist andescape, and your task Is tolocate the source of the rayand destroy ii. This game startsoff, apparently, with adescription which includes adesk with a Quill sitting on it!

All titles in the GoldCollection will be availableindividually, priced E5.95 eachand Gi!soft hope to have themready for release sometime inFebruary this month in theirown distinctive packaging.

MICROMEGA SCREENS INBOOTS

Shops are normally too busy tobe able to demonstrate gamesto their customers, butsoftware house, Micromega.are making attempts to alterthat. They have recently set updemonstration stands in two ofthe larger Boots stores wherethere are large computers ec t ions ,

The demonstrations havetaken place at Boots' branchesIn Portsmouth and Slough, andInvolved two members of staffwith six Spectrums andscreens, A spokesperson for

tkilicromega told us that theidea had proved popular, andthat In discuss ions with Bootsthere had been an informalagreement to expand theservice to other stores acrossthe country.

Boots carry all fourMicromega products, HauntedHedges, Luna Crabs, Starclashand, of course, the fabulousDeathchase. Micromega seethe demonstration stands as apart of company support fortheir games as they do no mallorder, Only supplying retailOutlets directly and throughdistributors like Websters. Thecall for games has beenenormous. Only the Thursdaybefore Christmas Webstersasked for several thousandcopies of Deathchase andMicromega made a superhuman effort and was able todeliver them before lunch thenext day.

The next game from thecompany, as we reported inlast months issue, is anotherDerek Brewster title, which hegave a working title of invasion2000. At the moment,Micromega haven't decidedwhat to call it, but they told usthat it is going to be a bigseller,

JET SET FROLICSAfter a visit to deepest WooIton(Liverpool) we can report thatthe errant Jet Set Willy is aliveand well, if a trifle late inemerging from that SurbitonMine of his. Author MatthewSmith told us that the mainreason for the delay was due tothe builders who have not

Reclusive programmer MatthewSmith makes a rare appearance torthe CRASH camera betweenrnanically mining.

finished work on decoration ofWilly's enormous new mansion.The size of the house is arather daunting, as It contains64 rooms, and is thereforesome three times bigger thanthe mines below! Each room isIn an indescribable messbecause when Willy's newfound fair-weather friends havea party, do they have a party!

Alan Maton of SoftwareProjects had hoped the gamewould be released beforeChristmas and plannedaccordingly. But the sheer sizeof the game, the amount ofanimation in it, and the factthat it is intended to be a bigimprovement on Manic Minerhas caused Matthew the kindof headaches that Willy himselfwould appreciate. Anotherweek should see the programwork finished, we were told.The inserts are already printedand waiting — so, come onMatthew, get off your Eugene'sLair and back to the surface!

FAILIVIAN REPORTOuicksilva have just launched aclub members only magazine

called The Game LordsMegazine_ It's eight pages ofgame hints, news on thecompany's products, a chartand competitions. There's alsoa report on the Faluv ianEmpire, which someone atQuicksilva had threatened towrite a novel about . I hope thisisn't a cheapskate way out ofwriting the real thing — don'tthey know how many Spectrumowners are saving up to buythe Chronic les of the Faluv iaoEmpire when the trilogy ofnovels are released? Whetheryou're an Xxicraan Raider or amere earth-bound alien-zapper.details on the club areavailable from ()Woks'Iva, TheGames Lords Club,13Palmerston Road.Southampton.

ROLAND MOVES HISWARRENSof tware house Rabbit haverecent ly moved f rom theirpremises in Harrow to a newhome in Weaids tone — in factit's called The Warren' and is asuitable name as Roland

Rabbit appears to be breedinggames faster than a hamsterfed on oysters. At the samet ime 18 year old Terry Granthas been promoted to the postof Sof tware Director. Terry hasworked at Rabbit for sometime, and has been respons iblefor the product ion of 15 gamesnow. Rabbit consider the

concept of a software directorto be a new one, and they feelthere is a need for such a job.Terry, who studied computerscience before joining Rabbit ,feels that a detached v iew of agame will of ten produce morerealis t ic results and that it 'svery easy for a programmer toget t oo far ins ide the game. Hisrole is to ensure that Rabbitgames have consistently highlevels of playabilit y and willmaintain the interest of playersfor longer periods.

Tony Gnot Rol l i n Wilmot drain,.

1I1111 ,11=

rOMNICALC (48K SpectrumF1

The best Spectrum spreadsheetyou can buy. Writ ten in machinecode to be faster, t o give youmore s pac e f or data, a n d t oallow mo r e f ea t u res t o b einc luded, i t i s g u a r a n t e e duncrashable* 9 9 columns or 250 rows.* Ful ly prompt ed input* Ex tens ive repeat facilit ies.* S u p p o r t s A L L S p e c t r u m

funct ion&* Unique iterat ive facility.* Totals/Sub-totals.

+ many more.I f more programs shared thequality of OMNI CALC then wemight see more Spec t rums inoffices"Home Comput ing Week ly3/6/83"It is ideal f or s omeone whohas just found the spreadsheetconcept, but i t is als o a verypowerful t ool for anyone whohas used one prev ious ly"Sinclair User June 1983

Complete with comprehens iveLmanual. £ 9 . 9 5, A

Mhnoroc ip 11-11, I- 72 H( '••1 tir/0 HOAD :LOPIDOPiI I l i t . I M A J t r i c i : i t t ( ) N f ' • fl1-8A394i

L V P -

6." 41;101111r,

" 4- 0111,11"1110 ,

- ••• ;1 .e.:

4, WHEELIE (48K Spectrum) Take the motorbike

Air i n your Spectrum for a burn-up Survive humps,4 0 ' bumps and lumps as you seek the elusive ghosInder

i r e — and then your problems really start. Crash helmetsadvisable, E 5 . 9 5

Ev ourrooN148K Spectrum) Tyrannosaurus Rex. Stegosaurus,Podopteryx. Brontosaurus are some of the creatures on the

, f a s c i n a t i n g tourney f rom the start of life t o man Educat ionaland tun, this adventure look 3500 million years the first lime it was

played C a r t you do it quicker? — just £e.95'- CREVASSE/HOTFOOT (Any Spectrum)Canyou make it across the ice-cap

- wh i l s t chasms open and close all around you o r help a hungry rabbit in ahostile world 2 original games on one cassette — only £4.95

THE TRAIN GAME lAny Spectrum) The game that starts where model railways leftoftFull graphics leaturing passenger. goods & express trains, tunnels. stations iumlabte

bonus games; irate passengers. collisions derailments: and everything else you expectfrom a maior railway! — Superb value £5.95

A Newstield Publication 2 3

i t i la-0-

0 **%t ir

The CRASH roving camera 'bumps'Into Ocean programmers Urquhartand Pierpoint on the train from Liver-pool to Manchester — interested loOur review ol their game Transver•Won,

COMCON TAKES OFFIn last months joystick article,we reported on aprogrammable joystickinterface called Comcon andmade by Frei Ltd. CRASH isalways interested in any smallcompany making a debut withan item of interest to gamesplayers, and it's doublypleasant when the companyturns out to be a closeneighbour in little old Ludlowitself. A Frei spokesperson hasnow informed us thatproduction models of theinterface will soon be available.It features a matrix boardrepresenting the Spectrumkeyboard, and is said to be thesimplest method ofprogramming a universaljoystick so far. Anyoneinterested in further detailsshould write to Frei Ltd. 1Hockey's Mill, Temeside.Ludlow, Shropshire SYS 1PD.

2 4 A Newstield Publication

IMAGINE-ATIONKnown colloquially as the 'GlassTower in micro-softwareconscious Liverpool, imagine'snew headquarters office in Sir.Thomas Street is actually abeautifully renovated four.storey building of red brick.Appropriately enough, it issituated only a short distancefrom the site of whereLiverpool's famous CavernClub used to be. Appropriatebecause there are someuncanny parallels betweenimagine-ation andBeatiemania.

When Brian Epsteindiscovered the Beatles playingIn the Cavern they wereunknowns. Epstein was anaccountant running a recordbusiness. Imagines Director ofOperations is Bruce Everiss. Inthe late 70s Bruce Everissstarted up a unique shop calledMicro Digital, one of the firstshops in the UK to sell homecomputers over the counter toan unsuspecting populace. Theshop was a great success, somuch so that Mr. Everissattracted the attention of thehigh street giants, andeventually the business wasSold to Laskys. Like Brian Epstein's record shop in the early60s, Micro Digital was a hot bedof young talent — in this casenot musicians but softwareenthusiasts. Among theemployees were names later toemerge like David Lawson andMark Butler. After Micro Digitalwent to Laskys the variousenthusiasts merged theirenergies into what becameB u g-B y te , but with so many

young, go-ahead talentsinvolved it was not surprisingthat they should want to gotheir separate ways. Lawson

CRASH UMW, Roger Kean. Imaoine's Director ol Operations, Bruce Everts's,and PA, Jenny

Arcadians Mark Butler & David Lawson.

and Butler founded Imagineand released Lawson'sprogram Arcadia.

The Infant company was aphenomenal success andwithin months had earned Itsfirst six million pounds sellingSpectrum games. With growthhad to come planning soLawson and Buller did theobvious and asked BruceEveriss to come and run thecompany.

Ian Weatherbum (Alchemist) back at work.

Today, just a year after itstarted Imagine is a companywith over 100 employees, ahead office block, twowarehouses and a ContractProgramming Building. Thefounders are worth anestimated E30 million and themanagement live and work infine style.

Bruce Everiss showed usaround the main office block.The company's affairs are run

from here and it also includesthe sales team and gamesprogramming department. Anarea for six programmers is setout on a lavish scale, backedup by a computing powerwhich is quite staggering, anda Technical Support Areawhich can provide theprogrammers with whateverresources they require As wewalked about Ian Weatherbum,authot of Imagine's latestgame Alchemist, was alreadyat work at one of the desks onanother project. A lot of theother programmers have been

continued on page 92

12evWHEELIEProducer: MicrosphereMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeMicrosphere seem to havedone it again, following uptheir excellent Train Gamewith another wholly original,beautifully p u t togethergame in Wheelie. You havejust taken delivery o f theult imate t w o - w h e e l e dmachine t h e four cylinderfuel-injected turbo-chargedZedexaki 500. While you'reOut on the road trying it out,you see this sign saying'Private road — n o speedlimit to brave riders'. All ex-cited, you enter the driveway,the gates slam shut behindyou, and you are trapped inNightmare Park. Your onlyway out now is to find theghostrider, who's dozingsomewhere off to the right,wake him up and then racehim back. The park is full ofwildlife, all trained in karate,so bumping into any is not sogood for the health.

The screen display takesthe form o f four 'roads'stacked o n e o n another,almost like a cross sectionthrough caves. There are notalways four visible, and anyroad travelled may well gosteeply up o r downhill t oanother level. There are thin'up/downhill' l ines acrosssome, and the bike will traveldown a level if the down keyIs pressed, and the same foruphill.

Apart f rom t h e viciouswildlife (Includes leapingkangaroos a n d g i a n thedgehogs getting their ownback for truckers) there areother problems t o b e en-countered. Humps i n t h eroad can only be got over byaccelerating rapidly at thelast second and doing a'wheelie' — f ront w heelriding u p a n d o v e r .Sometimes you have to jumpover a bus! There's also iceon some roads, which mustbe taken with caution. Runn-ing into a dead end will killyou off if you don't brake intime, and going downhill toofast can also be rather fatal!Gas stations are few arid tarbetween, s o i t s w o rt hbacktracking for them. To bepromoted to a new level re-quires completing the oneyou're on, when you'll b egiven a code to let you enterthe next one up. Good riding!

r I P MFUE LS . . . 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 . 1 1 1R P M

- c.p ft e. o alltt Ti--4P4:pET -v20003

,

Become Eddie Kidd for the day — Microsphere's wonderful Wheelie.

CRITICISM'When I first saw another

reviewer playing 'Wheelie', Ithought that it was totallydifferent and looked good.Then I got round to reviewingIt and my impression that itwas a sort o f 'Scramble'game faded! It's much, muchmore! Revs are importantwhen jumping c a rs an dbuses — too fast and thebike cartwheels, flinging therider off, too slow and youwon't make it. Once you getto the end of the complex youmeet the ghost rider, a tuneis played, and the race backbegins. You must beat him,but he has a distinct advan-tage h e can travel in astraight l i n e across t h escreen, but only at about athird of your top speed. Allthat I can say is that I spentabout three hours playingbefore I remembered I wassupposed t o w r i t esomething ab o u t i t ! Adangerously addictive game,Great, Brill, Fantastic —super words fail. Just buy it!'

'The makers boast thatWheelie has some o f thebest graphics you're everlikely to see on a Spectrum.I'd like to think that there'sstill room for improvementas time goes by, but certainlythese a r e except ionallygood. Smooth, very detailed,with loads of animation. Thespills the biker takes are allquite varied, depending onthe type o f mischance hehits. It's all quite realistic. Atfirst you might assume thatyou can memorise the layoutof the caverns, but I'm afraidnot, each game they change.All in all, this is one of themost enjoyable games I haveplayed for a long while, andI'm sure it's going to keepplayers en t ert ain ed f o rhours.'

'If you're playing with thekeyboard, it has a very sensi-ble layout, b u t there's amenu for selecting Kemp-ston or cursor type joystickas well as a routine for set-ting up other joysticks via

user-defined keys. Ve rygood. As for the game, well itis p re t t y g o o d . L o ve lygraphics, very, very difficultand challenging. Excellentvalue.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: left = bottomrow left, right = bottom rowright (these act asaccelerate and brake),second row = down, thirdrow = up and top row =freezeJoystick: Kempston, AGF,Protek and user-definablekeysKeyboard play: veryresponsiveColour: goodGraphics: excellentSound: good (excellent onbike effects)Skill levels: severalLives: 4Screens: new regenerated,and scrollingGeneral rating: addictive.generally excellent, goodvalue_

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

The Pyramid

89g/086%90 c1/095%99%99%93%

Producer: FantasyMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor Bob Hamilton

In essence The Pyramid is asimple game, as all goodgames should be. Your herois Ziggy, who sits in a littlebubble capsule equippedwith a 'highly effective phas-ed plasmic laser' with whichhe can atomise any of the 60weird aliens that live inside

the Pyramid. This structureconsists of 120 chambers on15 levels, 1 chamber on thetop level, 2 on the second,three on the third a n d soon. The object of the game isto reach the exit on level 15 inas short a time as possible.

Each t im e t h e capsuletouches an alien its shieldpower is depleted. When theshield has evaporated, Ziggyis vulnerable and will die if heruns into an alien. There aretwo e x i t s f r o m e a c hchamber, protected b y aforce fi e l d . T h e s e a r eneutralised b y cryst alswhich drop from the top ofthe chamber after a certainnumber of aliens have beenatomised. The crystals havethree states — white, theydestroy anything touchedand deplete t h e capsuleshield — yel lo w , t h e ybecome vu l n erab l e t odestruction by aliens but arestill too hot to pick up a n dwhen blue they can be col-lected and used to neutralisethe exit force field, althoughif the capsule is hit by analien a crystal will still bedestroyed. With each levelthe force fields require an ex-tra crystal t o neutralisethem, so on level 3 it takes 3crystals, level 4 needs 4crystals a n d so on.

And basically, that's i t .Scoring is done by giving you9999 points when you enter achamber a n d aw ard in gwhat's left when you exit.Points over 30,000 are codedand may be sent to Fantasyfor publishing in their top1000 scores every 6 months.CRITICISM

'At first I thought this wasgoing to be an adventure, butno, it's a very unique arcadegame and well worth buyingwith 120 screens, each onemore difficult than the last. Itwill t ake a long t ime t omaster_ Another bonus is thegraphics which are very good— l i ke Ult imate's style,smooth, action-packed anddetailed. G ood keyboardpositions too. A Very addic-tive game.'

'This g a m e i s n ice lypackaged an d presentedwith excellent instructions,In playing i t ' s enjoyablebecause all the colours areused, t h e graph ics a r esmooth and very detailed,each character having it sown movement and anima-tion — there's even a recoileffect on the laser, The gameis g r e a t f u n t o p l a y ,

A News lield Publicat ion 2 5

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• ' U M R OME EMI NOW 'A M I N M I MB MO I = BM

6111111•1111 UM UN N E I NIB OS INNU N A mammoth undertaking — The Pyramid. n o l

M a n EN O N MIN MEMill1111111111111111111 NM M I =

M I MB MN OM NM MB MIIIIIIIIIIIIMIEBB1111111 IIIMI= B M 111111111=111111111 111111111111111111111111=1111111 M E

frustrating when you start toget down a few levels, die,and have to go back to thestart. Very challenging. I Ilk-ed it ! '

'Pr es en ta t ion a n d graphics are excellent andthe range of control key posi-tions and joysticks that maybe used all add up to verygood v a lue f o r money . Ahighly addictive game:COMMENTSControl keys: 3 options —Q/A up/down. OW left/right,bottom row fire; or — toprow up, 2nd row down, A-Gleft, H-1_ right, bottom rowfire; or — Z/SYMBOL SHIFTleft/right, X/M up/down, C Nfire_Joystick: Fuller, AGF,

DoomsdayCastleProducer: FantasyMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: Bob Hamilton

Doomsday Castle Is the se-quel t o The Pyramid. Oftenfollow-ups lack the fl air o fthe original, but in this casethe same excellent graphicshave been used and addedto. The scenar io has als obeen enormously expanded,and the cassette is accom-panied b y a long, h igh lyamusing and informative in-lay o f ins truc tions whic hclearly explain the variousroles of the 5 different alien.creatures you will encounter,the layout of the castle hallsand passageways.

It's a long scenario, but inbrief, it seems that the Elves,ever hopeless a t k eepingtheir m a g i c r i n g s a n dcrystals, have allowed the in-fi nitely e v i l Sc ar thax t o2 6 A N e w sfi e ld Pu b l ica t io n

Protek, Kempston, •MikrogenKeyboard play: veryresposiveUse of colour very goodGraphics: excellentSound: goodLives: 1Screens: 120General rating: addictive,playable and excellentvalue for money.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

85%82%81%78D/083%91%83%

house 6 large elfin stones inDoomsday Cas t le, wher etheir dangerous power canbe harnessed fo r h is ownnasty ends. Super hero Ziggyhas been sent in to find thestones a n d es c ape w i t hthem. So m e hope ! Ea c hchamber is filled with Urks,Garthrogs, a Googly Bird,Nuc leoids a n d O rphac s .Ziggy, in his by now familiardefence c aps ule, h a s t olaser Urks to death to keepup his laser power, which heneeds to blast away one ofthe four red exit doors. Mostof the time these doors areprotected by the Garthrogs,who s ail up and down onlifts , s hoot ing b l ind ly a tanything. Only when a Gar-throg is 'up' can Ziggy get ina shot at a door. When thedoor i s s u f fi c i e n t l ydestroyed, Z iggy w i l l b es uc k ed t h r o u g h . E a c hchamber has an anteroomwhich may contain a crystalor o n e o f t h e 6 anc ientstones. Only these 6 give youscoring points, which are be-ing eaten away the longeryou remain i n t h e cas tle.High scores are coded andmay be sent to Fantasy for

Ntoll3

publishing in their list of top1000 scores every 6 months.CRITICISM

'What makes th is gamefun to play, is the complexrelationship between all thecreatures. Googly Birds onlywant to sleep, for instance,but Urks keep trying to wakethem up and make them flyabout, so it becomes as im-portant to shoot Urks to pre-vent th is happening a s i tdoes to shoot them for laserreplenishment. Added t othat, ther e a r e numerousroutes through the castle butnot a l l a r e a s us eful a sothers, so there is an adven-ture and s trategy elementthrown in. Mind you, copingwith the furiously fast ar-cade element i s quiteenough for me!'

'The g r aph ic s a r e ex -cellent, s mooth, detailed,animated and amusing. Notonly must you survive in ahall, shoot out the door, getthe crystal and move on, butyou get shut in a passagewith a t ime- loc k ed door ,where you mus t survive foras long as possible againstthe Orphacs before beingreleased into another hall todo ba t t le again. A gr eatfollow up t o The Pyramid,and another challenge t oUltimate's great game name.

All I can say is BUY ITP'Fantasy certainly seem

determined to drive peoplenuts w i t h immensely longgames at impossible odds.Not that this is unplayable,quite the opposite, it's greatfun, with good graphics andgood sound. To offer any realcriticism one would have toplay for months! Excellentvalue.'COMMENTSControl keys: 3 options —see review for The PyramidJoystick: Fuller, Kempston,AGF, Protek, MikrogenKeyboard play: veryresponsive — Ziggy floatsdownwards under his ownsteam, so you have to workhard at this one.Use of colour: excellentGraphics: excellent

Beset by alien enemies, Super Hero Ziggy battles against overwhelmingodds.

Sound: goodLives: IScreens: 25 halls, 49passagesGeneral rating: addictive,playable, very good value.

Use of computerGraphicsFlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

85a/090%88%)78%86a/092 %87%

100 DoomsdayCastlesto be Won!Don't niss out on this excitingcompetition, which offers you thechance to drive yourself mad withone of the best arcade games around...

If you enjoy a hard and fast actiongame that also has masses oflevels to play through, thenFantasy's The Pyramid andDoomsdey Castle are probably foryou! Now's your chance to win acopy of the latest release,Doomsday Castle — a highly ratedmind-blower. In association withCRASH, Fantasy are offering 100copies of Doomsday Castle to thefirst 100 correct entries to theQuestions below. Easy? Well,perhaps, but playing DoomsdayCastle is no easy task!Fantasy was formed early in 1983by Bob Hamilton and Paul Dyer.Bob, it seems, gets his games ideaswhen running over the Welsh hills,which might explain why he thinksgames players should have to workhard tool They are both softwareprofessionals from the defenceindustry with experience in real-time assembly languageprogramming, and a real-timefascination with sci-fl• This putsthem in a strong position to writegames software.

The company's original namewasn't Fantasy to begin with, andbefore it was changed, they broughtout two very popular games with a'space' theme. But Bob and Paulwere keen to develop a 'space'theme game which was new. "It'salmost impossible to come up witha completely new concept," saysPaul, "but we think with ThePyramid and Doomsday Castle wehave come up with two gameswhich are very different from all therest."

CRASHIFANTASY COMPETITIONI Wha t was the company*, original name

before they changed it to Fantasy?2 I n last months issue of CRASH, what was

the name of the dying space ship in THETERMINAL MAN comic?

3 Na m e the super-hero of The Pyramid andDoomsday Castle.

4 H o w many chambers are there in ThePyramid?

5 Na m e the two 'space* theme gamespreviously released by Fantasy (whichwere also under the original companyna mo!q.Name any two monsters you mightencounter in Doomsday Castle,

1 Na m e the artist who painted the CRASHcover Illustration for the last issue andthis Issue.

e Count up the program entries in thismonth's Spectrum Guide Section(excluding the Game of the Month on page451, divide the result by 3 and give us theanswer,

Name, address and answers in a letter or on a postcard please, toCRASH/FANTASY COMPETITION, PO BOX 10, LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE SY8 1 DO

The first 100 correct entries drawn out ofthe bag will each receive a copy of

Doomsday Castle. Competition closingdale is last post on ifith. March 1984.

Fantasy do extensive marketresearch amongst schools to findout the essential ingredients of agood game, and the results point tothese being: fast action, excitinggraphics and as much colour andsound as possible. The otherimportant factor is complexity — afeature very evident in DoomsdayCastle. "It's vital that as the skilllevel of the player increases, so thedepth of the game increases withthem," says Paul.

Difficult high — score gamesnaturally lead to a sense ofCompetition amongst players,which Fantasy are keen to promoteon a nationwide basis. This adds anextra dimension when any playercan compare his score against thevery best scores nationally. Toachieve this the games haveembedded in them a scorevalidifier, so that a 12 letter codewill appear whenever a new highscore is achieved. Fantasypublishes the top 1000 best scoresevery 6 months In their FantasyMicro Club newsletter. Top scoreswill also appear in alternate issuesof CRASH.

Now all you have to do is get theseludicrously simple questions right,whip them into us as fast aspossible and you, too, could Jointhe throng of people driven to utterdistraction by the awsomeproblems of surviving the action-packed Doomsday Castle!

A Newatiald Publication 2 7

CURSE THE CURSORSCYAN

415 iy51CLOSE

YELLOW

6MOVE API-

laps WHITE7 1;;IERASE

8 !I•

poiN,

So many games now use the cursor keysanything to make life easier is a welcomeIn our last issue we took a look at joystickclosely at the joysticks themselves ma fu-neat attachments which will take some

The serious problem withcursor keys for playing is

that they are just notergonomic. I t is quite

natural for the brain to interpret dir-ection quite physically — in otherwords, for up a n d down control tobe in that configuration, and left andright similarly.This is why key positions like CM andN/M are sensible. Q/A and ZiX are notso good because the two sets of keys,one for each hand, are too close.Directional keys that come i n astraight line are poor in comparisonbecause in the heat of play, the braincan become confused as to which setis which, Now if, on top of that, youadd the factor of the peculiar layout ofSpectrum cursor keys, which is left-down — up-right, you can see thatyou have what might be called splithand control.

A fairly new idea has been t odevelop joysticks which simply clipover t h e t o p o f t h e Spect rumkeyboard and mechanically depressthe cursor keys. The movement istransmitted by means of levers ac-tivated by a joystick. This means thejoystick can be moved left to createleft movement, right for right move-ment, and so on, just as you would ifyou used a programmed joystick.

The obvious advantage t o th issystem is its cost. There are no elec-tronics involved, no wires, no edgeconnectors and n o hardware pro-gramming. The obvious disadvantageis that the joystick will Only controlthe cursor keys, and by no means allgames on the market opt for them.Nevertheless, a great many gamesdo, or have user definable keys, ormake provision increasingly for cur-sor type joysticks. Obviously i f agame does offer user-definable keys,then its no problem at all to set up fora clip-over joystick.

E.E.C. Ltd. have brought Out such aclip-on cursor joystick called Spec-trum Mechanical Joyst ick. T h iscomes as a one-piece clip-over unitwhich press fits over the shoulder ofthe Spectrum. Slightly off-centre (totake into account the position of the

2 8 A Newslield Publicalton

cursors) is the raised box containingthe levers. From this rises the joystickItself. Below the box surface thejoystick, which can rock in all direc-tions, is fixed to a shaped cam whichIn turn activates the four levers.

A disadvantage of this system isthat the pressure on the key pads isuneven, so that in play it requires dif-ferent pressures for different direc-tions, a n d t h e transmission o fpressure seems quite uneven when itis used f o r 8-directional control.Overall the construction is strong —almost too strong, which means youhave to hold the unit in place whenplaying fast and furious games. Itsmain advantage is that it clips onquite quickly and without any fuss.

Another contender for the clip-oncursor joystick is the Spectrum-Stickfrom Grant Design Ltd. This onecomes in three pieces, and so packsinto an amazingly small box f o rposting. The central unit is a closedbox a mere three inches by oneand three-quarters and aninch high. TwoZ-shaped armsare attach-ed to

this bymeans ofwhite plasticbolts. The ad-vantage of thissystem is that thebolts can be well tightened onto theshoulder of the Spectrum, and whenin place the unit has no tendency toslide or wobble in play. A useful touchis that the hidden cursor key symbolsare all reproduced on top of the unitso that you can still use them.

The joystick Itself i s extremelypositive in action — in fact so muchso that I'm sure it's the best "feel"

5 - 6 - 7 - 8 for directional control thataddition to the game player's equipmentcontrollers, and we will be looking moretura Issue. In the meantime, here are twoof the sting out of the cursor curse.

LiC's Mecham* Spectrum Joysed

joystick I've used, and compares on equal terms with anyof the more famous names.It rep ro d u ces 8-directionalmovement w it h perfect accuracy,and Is so light to handle that thereIs no risk o f computer movementor even of joystick damage throughover-ardent playing!

These clip-on cursor joysticks are aworthwhile investment, I think, even ifyou have another type (unless o fcourse its already a cursor interfacejoystick), And both makes mentionedhere, do leave the rest of the keys freefor use. Of course you don't get a firebutton with them, but then, quite a lotof fast games use two or even threeeffects keys and you can't cope withthat on any joystick at the moment.So, from now on, Its not only plug inand turn on but also clip on.

Saw 06111p4 i f fl i t .2moceuv-Slick

The Spectrum Mechanical Joystick Ispriced at E9.95 (incl. p + p) from E.E.C.Ltd., 1 Whitehouse Close, ChalfontSt. Peter, Bucks SL9 ODA.The Spectrum-Stick is priced at E9.95(incl. p + p) from Grant Design Ltd.Bank House, Repham, Norwich, Nor-folk NR10Both joysticks should be availablefrom good computer retail outlets.

SOFTWARE - .1The battle could be yours.. • • •

1/11a% • ... .but it won't be easy!bo

, °111

THE PYRAMIDTHE PYRAMID is an arcade style game which has a very adventurous

feel to itThe Pyramid contains 120 chambers on 15 levels, In order to get from

one chamber to another you must fight off the indigenous aliens tocollect an energised crystal which will neutralize the force field guardingthe two exits.

The Pyramid is inhabited by a total of 60 weird and exotic alien types,all of which are beautifully animated You will meet a whole variety ofdemons, droids. insects and monsters, with a sprinkling of the moreunusual, the extra-terrestrial tweezers, galactic strawberry, cosmic clawmutant eye. plus a whole host of entities that defy rational description.You'll no doubt invent your own nicknames,

You proceed to explore the pyramid from top to bottom with thedifficulty generally increasing with the depth of level Depending on thechoice of exit from each chamber you are likely to have a different gameeven/ time you play

Apart from the challenge of trying to achieve the highest scorepossible the pyramid contains a number puzzle to solve The morechambers you successfully visit the more information is gathered toenable you to discover the secret numbers of the pyramid. The puzzlewon't take you days to solve. it will probably take you a few months

• • • • • •

Is 'ZIGGY', shown above, in his expih a true representation of the o n - s c i graphics.

capsule

DOOMSDAY CASTLEDOOMSDAY CASTLE consists of a labyrinth of 74 complexly Inter-

connected Halls and Passages where you will meet a whole host ofadversaries serving the infinitely evil Scarthax. the Garthrogs, theOrphacs. the phenomenally nasty Googly Bird and the !Irks whichmanifest themselves in over fifty unbelievably weird and wonderfulguises.

Scarthax has scoured the Universe to bring together the six ancientstones of Ideforce. United in Doomsday Castle they are being used towield an irresrstable power over the cosmos, emanating waves ofcorruption through every galaxy.

To save the Universe, you must battle your way through the Castleto find and collect the six stones and use their force against Scarthax todestroy Doomsday Castle. hopefully escaping yourself before the finalcataclysmic explosion.

The task is not easy /saving the Universe never isll and it will takeyou many games to unfold the structure of Doomsday Castle anddiscover the locations of the ancient stones

The addictive arcade style action will keep you corning back to playbut the overall challenge should still keep you occupied for months

FANTASY SOFTWARE is available from W.H.SMITHS, JOHN MENZIES, BOOTS, LASKYS, GREENS,RUMBELOWS, SPECTRUM GROUP, COMPUTERS FOR ALL and all other good software retailers.

The Pyramid at E5.50 and Doomsday Castle at e6.50 fromFANTASY SOFTWARE, FALCONBERG LODGE, 27A ST GEORGES ROAD, CHELTENHAM, GLOS GL.50 30T

despatched by return first dass post together with free membership and current newsletter of the Fantasy Micro Club.Trade Enquiries welcome - telephone 0242-583661.

5 Sir Thomas StreetLiverpool, Merseyside LI 6BWD e r Enquiries ContactCclin Stokes on 051-236 8100(20 lines)

FROM CARNELL SOFTWARE

"THE WRATH OF MAGRA"A THIRD CONTINENTSERIES ADVENTURE

•!Jam has been destroyed Th e1-i•,rystal of Beroth has been banished.

the , of Evil has been defeated by the

aimie, L o r d Fendal S o ends the Third6 Age. Nov. we invite you to write your name

in the history of the Fourth Age of the Third11 continent.

You will meet friends and enemies, old andnew, in the long awaited sequel to VolcanicDungeon Using high resolution graphicsand combining the best qualities of •'BlackCrystal" and "Volcanic Dungeon'', we willallow you to become part o f this tale o frevenge.

"The Wrath of Magra" comes as three, 48Kprogrammes on cassette, boxed with in-struction manual and book detailing the his-tory of the Third Continent and the manyspells you wi l l b e using throughout thelame For the 48K Spectrum @ £12.50

NOTE: r he Wrath of Magra•• is a completeadventure Y o u need not buy 'VolcanicDungeon" or -B l a c k C r y s t al " t o p l ay it

Available from Feb '84

C A R N E L L S O F T W A R E L T D

THE FIRST IrlMIMIC PACKAGES

FROMPROCOM

TAP 1This is a character designer with a difference * Full screenanimation of sprites * 27 functions including spritehandling 96 characters which can be saved on tape to usein your own programs * Easy methods of includingcharacter designs in your own basic programs * Noknowledge of machine code needed * Screen saving *Sprites may be treated as super large characters (4)(4). Thelist is endless. You will be able to design literally thousandsof different characters from Pac Men to space men or spaceships to battleships.TAPE 2This is the ultimate utility for composing hi-res graphics onyour Spectrum. As well as essential hand draw cursorcontrols (or joystick) there are many advanced features,such as fast fill and rescale.There are in all over 50 commands. A constantly updatedstatus display.Generated prompts are fullydisplayed. Now you can designscreens as good as the softwarecompanies_

PROMLSOPTWARE

309 HIGH ROADLOUGHTONESSEXTel: (01) 508 1216

HOW TO ORDERTelephone orders(01) 508 1216Credit Card Holders lAccessiaarclaycardonly) Can purchase by telephone, Pleasegtve card no.. narne, address and itemsrequired, and your taller will be despatchedthe tame dayBY POSTI m p ly * rit e your requirements in thecoupon provided enclose o u r cheque'Por use your Access or Barclaycard Pleasemake cheque payable to, PPOCOMSO F I WARE and post to address below/she* 7 days for deliveryIN PERSONvivt (atrr premises, a t the address belay, fora great setection - • we will be delighted tosee you

Dealer inquiries to Prism (01)253 2277

WHAT IT ISWhether you are a beginneror an experiencedprogrammer it will make nodifference with theDYNAMIC GRAPHICSpackage from Procom. Youwill be able to programprofessional lookinggraphics on your Spectrum.DYNAMIC GRAPHICScomes in two cassettes atthe price you wouldnormally pay for one. But donot let the low price put youoff. DYNAMIC GRAPHICSis by far the most uniqueand much needed softwareaid on the market today.

toor AtooekPAW f 10R r /4/ff14•95 6/4W A/ 50W'

Inc V AT and P IO d ow y A o l y i p de

1 DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING2 DYNAMIC ANIMATION3 DYNAMIC SOUNDS4 DYNAMIC FILING5 DYNAMIC EDITOR

Et ASSEMBLERITEMS ABOVE WILL SHORTLYBE AVAILABLE FOR MOSTHOME COMPUTERS

EASY TO USEDYNAMI C GRAPHICS is the onethat everybody will understand, Theinstruction manual is simplicity itself.No more strained eyes — the manualhas large10 x 8 pages with plenty ofdiagrams to make it easy for you.

YOUR TICKET TO RICHES?Use DYNAMI C GRAPHICS to makeup your own program, and if it's goodwe will market it for you and maybemake you rich.

BONit P IUS- P R o

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Post to PRO CO M SOFTWARE, 309 HIGH ROAD.LOUGHTON, ESSEX.

Please NrnrY rn • t o R o vo r t g

L i D YN AM I CGRAPHICS for the ZX Spectrum

I enclose my cheque,'P.O. for fI prefer to pay with my ACCESSSBARCLAYCARD

(Deiefv wNchevet rug .vo licable)Card N o .Signa tureNa m eAddre ss

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loin orces to stop Willy to get the treasure.

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,&40

of games frOm the creators of Avenger/ Sentinel)Protector and many other superb programs.

716 Ilangyfelach Road, Swansea. 5A5 9ELTelephone (0792) 799193

DEALERS ENQUIRIES WELCOME

Games available at seiecte r a n c h e s ofW.H. Smith, John Menzies Rumbeiows,

Greens and all good computer stores.

K fl/I have enclosed cheque/P.O. for F

Please send me cassette/s ticked below. •

LI Firs t lash for DC Spectrum E5.95 •Galactic Warr iors for ZX Spectrum £5.95

0 Proteus for ZX Spectrum €5.95 •0 Sentinel for ZX Spectrum E5.950 Munner y's Mer gatr oi ds for ZX Spectrum 48K f5. 950 Av enger for ZX Spectrum and ZX8 I £4. 95o Super Di gger for ZX Spectrum €4.95o Moon Lander for ZX Spectrum £4.95D Protector for TM I £4. 95LI Bug Battl e for VIC 20 £4.95 •

• Prices include p&p

name

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p o s t codea

signedAbacus Programs,

716 Ilangyferacn Road. Swansea. SA5 9E1 ICassettes despatched wi thi n 24 hours

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 •1 1 1 1 E MO I MI I I I MI I MBO I NE E MMO MMI I I MO I E S

Atic Atac

Use of computer 62 %Graphics 64 %Playability 60 %Getting started 68 %Addictive qualities 62 %Value for money 64 %Overall 63%

Use olcomputer 90%Graphics 95%Playability 95%Getting started 85%Addictive qualities 93%Value for money 95%Overall 92

12/o

Producer: UltimateMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeIn last month's Issue we pro-mised a fuller review of AticAtac as our review copies ar-rived too late to do it fulljustice. It turns out to be dif-ficult to do full justice to thisprogram anyway! There'ssuch a lot of It. You're stuckIn this castle which containsfive floors with lots of roomson each fl oor, T h e totalnumber of rooms, staircasesand passageways is a sub-ject of argument, althoughthe best est imate we'veheard a b o u t f r o m o n ereviewer (who's been busymapping t he place) i s 4 0rooms per floor, making atotal of 200.

The rooms are seen in asort of splayed perspectivefrom above so that all fourwalls as well as the floor arevisible. Put simply, the ob-ject of the game Is to find thekey, which comes in threepieces, open the main doorand escape. You can do thisas three different characters— knight, wizard o r serf,each h a v i n g d i f f e re n tweapons and knowing dif-ferent secret passages.

Very like Lunar Jetman.Ultimate have provided littleor no instruction as to howthe game is played to yourbest advantage — the entirething i s a learn ing e x -perience, like life!CRITICISM

'There's real ly nothingmuch t o b e sa id aboutUltimate's graphics t h athasn't already been said.Just marvellous. Bu t t h edetails of events is also fan-tastic, like when you lose alife, a cross marks the spot,but it stays there until theend of the game. From thisyou learn that if you pick up)an object, and then put i tdown somewhere you'll beable to recognise which wasthe room from rediscoveringthat object. This becomesthe best way to map out therooms. I f you aren't nutsalready. Atic Atac is likely tobe the turning point.'

'Atic Mac is in no way atrue adventure, but neither isIt a shoot the baddies game.

Tit Tme, who's there?

But it is one thing — FAN-TASTIC! There a re .manytypes o f baddies, ghosts,spiders, ghouls, pumpkinsand guest appearances fromFrankenstein's monster,Dracula, Devil Witch an dMummy. You certainly getyou money's worth from con-tent alone! It's fast moving,fun to play and its originality,graphics and addictivenessmake it excellent value formoney. This is one of thebest arcade games I haveseen in a long time.

'A drawback with complexgames is that the controlkeys can g et difficult t omanage. A t ic A t ac u sesUltimate's favourite layout,but the keys are a handfuland it's not possible to getfull value from the game'spotential i f y o u u s e ajoystick. Definitely a gamefor t h o s e w i t h n i m b l efingers! Otherwise — justexcellent. Ult imate h avedone it again.'

Earth DefenceProducer ArticMemory required: 16KRetail price: E4.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Donald Campbell

'Missile Command' gamesfor the Spectrum must rapid-ly be coming up for a com-parison art icle — almostevery major software househas now had a go at a ver-sion, one of the most recentbeing Artic. In Earth Defenceyou are given the usual 6cities to defend with yourthree missile bases. In thisversion only the middle oneactually fires, the other twosupplying missiles. I t alsofeatures a moving cross hairsight like other versions, butwhen the fire key is pressed across Is left until the missile

COMMENTSControl keys: 0 = left,

m• right, E= down, R = up,T fi re , Z or SYMBOLSHIFT= pick up and dropJoystick: Kempston, AGF,ProtekKeyboard play: highlyresponsive, 8-directional butneeds practice!Colour: very goodGraphics: excellent withmasses of detailSound: goodSkill levels: just generallyimpossible!Lives: 3General rating: excellent

arrives, leav ing y our mainsight tree to dash off to thenext In co m in g e n e m ymissile trail. Since the gameIs well known there's littlepoint In describing it further.CRITICISM

'The graphics are fairlysimple with nice explosions,

All seems lost as Earth's defencescrumble_

but with only one of the threebases firing it's difficult tocope, especially with t h epoor control key layout pro-vided. The original used atracker ball f o r controllingmissiles, an d unless youhave a compatible joystick, Iwould not personally recom-mend this game.'

'I thought the use of colourwas good, the graphics aresmooth and the sound isalso good. A very addictivegame.'

'It h as simpler lookinggraphics than some of theother versions, but the explo-sions are about the best I'veseen. All three levels are fast,the highes t being v ir tuallyimpossible without a greatdeal of practice. Pity aboutthe silly control keys though— it 's not an arrangementfor what is a very difficultgame to play.'COMMENTSControl keys: poor, 617leftiright, 819 upidown, zeroto fire. These are keys forthe Sinclair interface 2, andan alternative should havebeen providedJoystick: Sinclair,KempstonKeyboard play: responsivebut diffi cult to control wellColour average to good,changes with screensGraphics: simple with goodexplosion effectsSound: reasonableSkill levels: 3Lives: 6 citiesGeneral rating: aboveaverage to good.

37

g ai le vt 6A

The House ofthe LivingDead

Use of computer 56 %Graphics 50 D/oPlayability 45%Getting started 60 %Addictive quilties 40%Value for money 40%Overall 49%

Use of computer 56%Graphics 66%Playability 70 %Getting started 60 %Addictive qualities 47 %Value for money 54 %Overall 59%

Producer: PhippsAssociatesMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine code

With another t it le soundinglike a n adv enture game,Phipps offer The House o fthe Liv ing Dead. This is asimple maze arcade game, apost-Pac M a n v ar iant . I tseems your travel agent hasbooked you into a rather oddkind of hostelry, where youwake up in the night with abat fl itting above your head.This no is ome happeningalerts you t o the fac t thatyour other room mates are allghouls and mons ters andcreeping severed hands. Nota pleasant sight!

Fortunately, hav ing seenmany cheap Dracula movies,you are aware that if only youcan collect the four pieces ofthe cross from the room'scorners and bring them all tothe centre, t h e l i f e for c ewhich w ill emanate from i twill kill the nasties off and letyou progress to the next levelwhere ther e w i l l b e evenmore horrors awaiting you.Serves you right for opting totak e a c h e a p h o l i d a ypackage.CRITICISM

'It's an extremely s implegame to play, just move yourman a r o u n d t h e u n -complicated maze and col-lect the four L-shaped bits ofa cross. In the centre is a redsquare. If you are carrying apiece of the cross when youtouc h i t , t h e p i e c e I sautomatically loc ated a n dyou c an go after the nex tpiece. There ar e four dif -ferent types of monster, star-ting off with one on screenone, two on screen two andso on. With each level youjust get more monsters t ocope with. On that bas is I tdoes get lobe quite difficult.'

'This is quite a good game,with reas onable graphic sand it is fun to play, but notvery addictive. A n or iginalversion o f what is now anunoriginal game. F or whatit's wor th, y our l i t t le manresembles Morph off the TV38

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scee• t a t e* A M U 1a a n a l a t i l l g e t t e t a a a a a S ,a1 1 2 p i r e s a a a n a l i

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Wet, clammy bat wings — House of the Living Dead.

— at least my cousin thinksso.'

'The animat ion o f y ourman is good, but there's notmuch to the game really. Itworks on the attrition princi-ple of just wearing you downby numbers . A bet ter ar -rangement o f keys wou ldhave helped too, the cursorsnever func t ion w e l l w i t hfingers. Quite good sound; Iwould think a good, toughgame f o r y o u n g e r a g egroups i n preparation f o ralien-zapping.'COMMENTS

Control keys: cursorsJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: averageColour reasonableGraphics: goodSound: averageSkill levels: gets harderLives: 4General rating: average withmore appeal to youngerplayers.

The BirdsProducer: RabbitMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.99Language: Machine code

The Birds is a s imple andstraightforward shoot em upmore i n t h e t r ad it ion o f'Galaxians t h a n 'Phoenix '.Your laser base can moveleft and r igh t wh ile threetypes of bird hover, fl ap andsweep down on you. Pointsscored relate to the bird hit.Each of them drops bombs,and you can score points forhitting those. Additionally, a

duck fl ies across the top ofthe screen from time to time,and you get most points forhitting that. Most of the birdshave a habit of turning into afalling bomb when hit, whichmakes it necessary to have agood *getaway' technique.CRITICISM

'The colour is reasonableand graphics quite good, if abit jerky. The bird charactersare animated by two framesand m i g h t h a v e lo o k e dsmoother with three. There'splenty of sound too. the chat-tering of birds, but it is all abit d i c k y . T h e r e ' s n o tenough to it to be really ad-dictive.'

'I w ou ldn ' t r ec ommendthis game to anyone who hasa decent collection of shootem up games, because It isonly average. This s or t o fgame has been done t odeath and done much better.

Still shooting em up in The Birds.

Only the trick of dead birdsturning into bombs makes iteven playable. The programitself is quite adequate, butthe game and its details areso out of date now.'

'I didn't think this was par-ticularly challenging. You'vegot to be much more originalwith the plot twists today ifyou want to put out a 'Galax-tan' type game, and this onejust doesn't have any newangles at all. It's fun to playfor about four minutes.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 617 left/right,zero for fireJoystick: Sinclair 2Keyboard play: reasonablyfastColour: reasonableGraphics: just average, bitjerkySound: reasonableSkill levels: 1Lives: 3General rating: not enoughgoing on to make it reallyworth the money

The Guardian

Use of computer 75%Graphics 59 °APlayability 680/

0Getting started 66%Addictive qualities 72%Value for money 67%Overall 68D/0

Producer: P.S.S.Memory required: 48KRetail p, ice: E5.95Language: Machine code

The scene is set: you are atthe gateway t o t h e ant i-matter wor ld o f Migon. Doyou dare enter, will you sur-vive? Well of course you dareenter, but whether you w illsurv ive i n t h i s m e g a -lightspeed g a m e i s q u i t eanother mat te r , o r a n t i -matter in this case.

The s imple object o f thegame is to speed your ship ineither direc t ion ar ound asquare which is superimpos-ed on a space background. Asmaller s quar e i s o f f s e twithin the bigger, and linesradiating Out from it createsegments. Your ship Is a sortof picture hook shaped thingthat r u n s o n t h e o u t e rsquare. F r om t h e c entralsquare four enemy ships flyoutward in three successivewaves. Y o u c a n c e n t r eyourself on an occupied seg-ment and shoot the enemywith y ou r las er , z ipp ingaround to get the next, andso on. If an enemy reachesthe outer square while youare stationary on that seg-ment — you're dead. The se-cond s c r e e n h a s n osegments , b u t m e t e o rshowers radiate Out at a highspeed. The third screenreturns to the radial grid andthe enemy ar e bac k w i t hanother danger, a V shapedenergy th ing ie t h a t z apsaround the edges try ing toget you.

Your only other weapon Isa Star Smasher that destroyseverything in the square. Butyou only have two of them.The more screens you get

through, t h e mor e enemythere are. As you can see,holiday package tours keepwell clear of M

CRITICISMliked this game, one of

the best yet from P.S.S., butcan imagine that i t has aspecialist appeal. I t I s In-sanely fast! The ship zoomsround the grid at astonishingspeed, so avoiding an enemycan take you uncontrollablyinto another . Defi nately agame which develops split-second timing skills.'

'The 9raphics are very sim-ple, being mostly gr id linesand small sprites, but thereis a good use of colour evenso a n d every thing mov esvery smoothly. The graphicson t he Star Smasher lookquite exciting. I found play-ing the game was too fast formy taste, but i t should ap-peal to those arcade addictsthat like hand and eye co-ordination games.'

'A good, hard, fast game. Ithought the asteroid sheetswere a lit t le of a let down,since you can get through byjus t s i t t i n g s t i l l , b u teverything else is madness. Iwonder whether these spaceshoot em ups have had theirday — there's something abit 'quaint' about The Guar-dian — but it is an Improve-ment on the earlier asteroidgames . I f y o u w a n tsomething simple to play butexceptionally fast, then thiswill probably go down well.'COMMENTS

Control keys: an ampleselection — Y/U/1/0/P =fire, A/S/D/F/G = left,H/J/KAJENTER = r ight,B-SPACE = Star SmasherJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: lightningfast responses

Your picture hook zips round the base of the grid in The Guardian.

Colour simple but wellusedGraphics: very simple butvery fastSound: goodSkill levels: gets tougher bythe screenLives: 3General rating: specialistarcade appeal, fast andmedium addictive.

ThrustaProducer: SoftwareProjectsMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: PatrickRichmond

The screen has nine redbrick bins at The base. In thefour on either s ide s it theyellow alien eggs and fromthe c entre o n e t h e a l ienguards issue forth to do bat-tle. These resemble c rosswing fighters, although theydon't fi re at you. Above thebins, or nests, are a series offour platforms with holes inthem at staggered intervals— actually, more holes withplatforms in them. On the topone your ship appears a n da boulder. The ship can movein four directions and tire atthe guards w i t h i t s las er(though not at the hatchedout aliens). The object is topush the boulder along untilIt drops through a hole to thenext level, drop down andpush it again, until, fi nally itdrops r igh t d o w n o n t h ealiens and crushes them. Allthree sorts may be crushed.

If y ou g e t through t h isscreen, in the next the alienshatched o u t m u c h m o r evicious and eager to get you.CRITICISM

'I must say, that Thrusta Isa unique type of game, and a

Thrusta I drops a boulder on a hatching alien — but the others arecracking open. . . .

You would think that it is get-ting diffi cult to come up withan original idea for an alienshoot em up game, but withThrusta, Software Projectsseems to have done it. This isnot only a shoot em up, it 'salso a crush em down!

Your mission takes placeon the planet Spectra (whereelse?) where you and yourspace ship Thrusta 1 mus tdestroy alien nests, whoseeggs ar e rapidly and con-tinuously hatching. Not onlyare there the hatching aliensto contend with, but there arealso guar ds w h ic h k eepwatch over the eggs.

very good one. It takes quitea while to complete a screen,nudging y ou boulders th isway and that while dodgingthe damned aliens. As youprogress to higher levels ofplay, the screen begins to getvery crowded. There's plentyof colour, all well used on thelarge and smooth graphics.Definately abov e averageand very playable, good for16K users as well.'

'I thought t h e graphicswere very neat with all thoseloathsome eggs wobbling,cracking, t o reveal an uglyalien in each, and Thrusta 1looks good too — a r eal

39

space ship at last! This turnsout to be a difficult game andplayable with it, each levelharder than the one before.'

'Thrusta has an excellentkeyboard la y o u t , w h i c hmakes play ing very easy ,while the game makes w in -ing very hard! It looks simplewhen you first start, but get-ting those boulders down iscomplicated by the availableroutes and the aliens buzz-ing a ll over you. I found i thard to judge its addictivity,but it's very playable.'COMMENTS

Control keys: ZIX left/right,SPACE = up, ENTER =fire. The ship sinks by itselfJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: veryresponsive, takes time toget used to the 'gravity'effect on the ship!Colour very goodGraphics: very good, niceand bigSound: continuous, aboveaverageSkill levels: harder byscreenLives: 3General rating: playable, funand generally good

Use of computer 88 %Graphics 90 %Playability 80 %Getting started 75%Addictive qualities 80%Value for money 83 %Overall 83%

Use of computer 75%Graphics 70%Playability 75 %Getting started 75 c'/oAddictive qualities 72 %Value for money 69 %Overall 73'%73

The Birds andThe BeesProducer: Bug-ByteMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5_95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Adrian Sherwin(Graphics: MatthewSmith)

As a game type, The Birdsand The Bees is a sort of'Scramble' c u m 'Defender 'with 'Cent ipede' c onnec -tions. It's all about Boris Beefrom Birkenhead, who hasdiscovered a fabulous fi eldfull of flowers, and draggedhis hive into the field ready tostart collec ting nectar. Un-for tunately t h e r e a r e a40

•

-vo

Boris Bee from Birkenhead behaves badly, buzzing back and forthbetween bunches of flowers,

number of problems. For astart off the birds aren't toohappy about the bee's intru-sion, and the more nec tarBoris collects, the more theychase him. Centipedes alsoappear, and a bear, whichtries to steal the nectar fromthe, or rather the honey beingmade in there. Towards theend some wasps make anappearance. Bor is 's l i f e ishard!

The screen display showsthe b lu e s k y a n d gr eenground. The sky is fu l l o fclouds, s ome raining, andthe s un. I t ' s a ls o f u l l o fvarious birds which fly backand for th. O n t h e groundducks waddle about, cen-tipedes a n d c a te r p i l la r scrawl up and down, and ofcourse there are the flowers.If Boris manages to land pro-perly on a flower, it opens upand r eleas es i t s nec tar .Below the main display is abar code which shows howmuch nectar Boris has col-lected o n h i s t r ip . Therecomes a point when he is ful-ly loaded and must return tothe hive t o depos it it . Themore fl owers he visits, theslower he flies, and the morebirds home in on him. Thereis a ls o a 'Scramble' s ty leradar screen whic h showsBoris's pos ition and that ofother creatures. The playingarea is totally shown on thisscreen w ith the landscapescrolling back and for th asBoris fl ies about.

The game is compatiblewith the Currah Microspeechunit, wh ic h enhances t h esound enormously, as wellas prov iding spoken c om-ments like 'Nectar' when aflower i s touched, o r 'O hdear' when a bird is run into.

CRITICISM

'With a micro speech uniton, the sound is very good,but I tr ied it without, and it'sstill very good. The title tune,'Flight o f the Bumble Bee'of course, sounds m a r v -ellous. A t fi rs t I thoughtthe controls were soggy, butIt becomes apparent t h a tthis is done on purpose, andsimulates r ea l l i f e better .Boris has to s low before hecan turn, and before he canchange height. T h e mor enectar he has on board themore s luggish he gets, s ofl ight tactics and radar wat-ching become very impor-tant to honey production! If itlooks a litt le s imple at fi rst,don't be misled, it turns outto be very diffi cult to play,and satis fy ingly frustratingt o o . '

'The graphics, a s o n emight exp ect o f Ma n i cMiner's author, a r e verygood. T h e b ee i s n icelyanimated, legs and wings onthe go, so are the ducks andother birds, and the flowerswhen they snap open. Everycharacter is big, and drawnwith lots of detail. The gameIs a lo t o f fun t o play,because of the graphics, andbecause the basic idea isquite original. I think it willprove to be quite addictivetoo.'

'This isn't one o f thosemassively complex games toplay, but the problems aresufficient t o make i t in -teresting and the graphicsare powerful. It takes a bit ofgetting used to the way Borisis controlled, but once youcan fl y him about, you canget to be clever at avoidingthe birds until they all gang

up on you:COMMENTSControl keys: sensible, 0/Zup/down, UP left/right, Bdrops nectar to speed Borisup in an emergency •Joystick: Kempston, Protek,AG FKeyboard play: responsivewhen used to itColour very goodGraphics: excellentSound: very goodSkill levels: 1 gets harderLives:5Features: CurrahMicrospeech compatibleGeneral rating: Very good,addictive, recommended.

GamesDesignerProducer:OulcksilvaisoftwareStudiosMemory required: 48KRecommended retailprice: E14.95Language: machinecodeAuthor: John Hollis

If y ou're t ir ed o f ac tuallyplaying games perhaps youmight lik e to have a go atdesigning one yourself? Ofcourse a lo t o f Spec trumowners are not programminggeniuses. so Ouicksilva havenow b r.o u g h t o ut a p ac ka ge

which at least offers controlover the various features ofsome s t a n d a r d a r c a d egames. I n a w ay it ' s t h ecomputer equivalent of thechemistry kit.

Games Designer comespacked in a neat betamax-sized video cassette box, andcontains a detailed bookleton the program. On loadingthe program the fi rst thingyou are offered is a mainmenu w it h a l is t o f eightoptions: Play Game, Selec tNew Ga me , A l te r Sprites,Configuration, Mov e me nt,

Attack Waves, L o a d f r omTape, Save to Tape.

At a n y t im e , pr es s ingENTER returns y ou to themain menu. Selec ting PlayGame allows y ou t o p laywhichever is the 'current' ofthe e ight dif ferent gamesincluded i n t h e program.Control keys may be alteredto s u i t t h e u s e r s o w npreferred layout. The secondoption, Selec t N ew Game,lets you choose between anyof the other seven games.The eight titles are: Attack ofthe M u t a n t Hamburgers ,Cyborg, Reflecttron, Turbo-Spider , T a n k s a L o t .Halloween, Sptat and Obix.

Having play ed thes e asthey ex is t, y ou may fancyredesigning t hem. O p t ionthree allows the sprites to bealtered and a menu tells youwhat can be done. This in-cludes t h e shapes o f t h ealiens, ships or laser bases,missiles and bombs. stUeldsand explos ion sequences.Their c o l o u r s c a n b echanged as well. Having sel-ected the sprite type to bealtered a sprite editor fills thescreen, showing all the pix-els that make up the sprite.These can then be manipul-ated from the keyboard with-out difficulty.

Configuration, the four thoption, allows y ou to alterthe way t h e game tak esplace You can change thegame format, control keysand joys tic k opt ions : t h ebackground and foregroundcolours m a y b e a lter ed:special e f f e c t s c a n b echanged: and there are fourclasses o f s o u n d e f f e c twhich can be played with.miss ile s o u n d s , b o m bsounds, ship explosions andalien explosions. Selec tingone of these keys brings thesound editor in t o play , avisual d is p lay o f f ade r sc ontrolling t h e o v e r a l lfrequency o r pitc h o f t hesound: the speed a t whichpitch increases; or decreases:length of sound.

Option fi ve is Movement.This controls t he patternsand pattern movement o faliens/ objec ts /ships e tc .Again an editor is used withvisual display so that you cancreate almost any pattern ormovement you like.

Option s ix allows you toalter the attack waves of thealiens , i n c l u d i n g t h eanimation, points awardedfor each destroyed, patternunder whic h they s tar t agame, numbers of aliens ineach attack wave, whether or

Addictive qualities 80 %Value for money 80 %Overall 77 %

not they drop bombs, andalso what pattern of attackwave follows the 'current'one.

The last two options allowyou to save your redesignedgame or reload it.

Obviously this is a verycomplex program, w hichallows great flexibility andoffers enjoyment o n t w olevels, bo t h playing an ddesigning. T h e instructionbooklet i s w e l l des igned,very c lear, and inc ludes atechnical appendix w h ic hmay be of interest, as well asvarious tables to aid gamesdesign. They have also beent h o u g h t f u l e n o u g h t oprovide blank pages at theend f o r t h e player 's o w nnotes.

Any c o m b i n a t i o n o fcontrol keys or joysticks maybe a c c o m m o d a t e d a sdesired.CRITICISM'Excellent pac k aging a n dinstructions. The eight pre-programmed g a m e s a r equite simple but thegraphicsare o f g o o d quality , andanything can be redesigned.The variations and experi-ments are endless.'

was disappointed by theactual games pre-program-med. w h ic h were a l l verysimple. But then, hall the funis redes igning every thing,and it ' s poss ible t o mak esome v er y bloody -mindedand hard to play games fromthis little package.'

'The graphics are excel-lent, a n d I ' m n o t ta lk ingabout the game graphics butthos e o n t h e v a r i o u smenues. T h e lit t le 'fader'type visuals are wonderful.'

'The p r og r am i s us er -friendly so you don't have tobe a n ex per t i n mac hinecode programming. Even atC- 15 Games Designer

represents good value f o rmoney.*COMMENTSKeyboard positions: up toyouJoystick options: up to you!Keyboard play: positiveUse ot colour: up to you!Graphics: excellent andthen up to you!Sound: up to you!Skill levels: up to you!Lives: uo to you!General rating: HighlyrecommendedSince t h e r at ings ha r d lyapply t o th is program w easked the reviewers to givean overall percentage. II was92%.

LASERWARPProducer. MikrogenMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: C. HInsley

Mikrogen claim t hat th isgame has it all. it certainlyhas quite a lot anyway! It is avery simple shoot em u pwhich has you in control of alaser base while every knownelectronic a l i e n i n t h euniverse is falling on you,swooping at you and hurlingIndestructible missiles of allshapes and sizes a t you.'Paranoia' might be a moreapt title!

The v a r i o u s a l i e n s(depends on the level of playchosen) each have differentmovement characteristicsand drop different types ofmissiles, including verymean, red-coloured h eatseeking missiles which veertowards the laser base asthey g et lower, followingslightly as it moves away.

Surviving ten attack wavesleaves yo u f ac in g ' T h eMaster' who sounds like anasty piece of work. Shouldyou destroy him, he returnsstronger t h an ever. T h euniverse was never an easyplace..CRITICISM

'The game works quitewell as a shoot em up, andlike the idea of many alienson screen at one time. Thedownward scrolling s t a rbackground works n icelytoo, an d i n general t h egraphics are good. It has wellused colours although Ithought they seemed a little

dull (dark).''A very busy screen, which

keeps y o u c ons tantly o nyour toes. Strong graphicsand p l e n t y o f t h e m ,reasonable sound and a verylively shoot em up. Two od-dities though, the inlay saysuser-definable keys, b u tcouldn't fi nd any, and thegame hardly requires themanyway. A ls o t h e ins truc-tions on screen say NIL =Fire, w h e n a c t u a l ly i t ' sENTER. St il l, a very goodgame with a straightforwardappeal.'

'Laserwarpis t h e la tes tand greatest shoot em upgame. It 's highly addictiveand fun to play. This mayeven challenge Imagine's Ar-cadia as the best ever Spec-trum shoot em up. Extremelygood value for money If youlike arcade games. Only oneniggle — the laser base firesrather slowly.'COMMENTSControl keys: SiD left/right,ENTER = fireJoystick: noneKeyboard play: responsive,but laser can only have oneshot on screen at a timeColour: varied andreasonableGraphics: very goodSound: goodSkill levels: 5Uves: 3Screens: 10 waves plusmasterGeneral rating: very good

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting started

88%85%78%50 %

Laserwarp — such a fast game the camera fails to capture the speed ofthe alien hordes.

1

42

'PAR N MEgmc,

Mi. SAYTHAT AGAIN!'

FRANCO FREYtakes a NOISSSY lis ten to the

A

Ever had your mother con-stantly nagging at you whilep lay ing s o m e t h i n g I n -teresting? Well, now you canimprove the situation by hav-ing t h e Spec trum d o t h esame. Impossible? Not anymore with the Microspeechunit. The only difference isthat the voice will sound likea Dalek rather than a Siren(your mother) and that youcan switch i t of f wheneveryou feel like it (Try that withyour mother)!

Considering the power ofvoice, the unit is very com-pact and installing it is kid'sstuff. You also gain a beepamplifier, because the sound,Is directed through your TVspeaker The detailed Pro-gramming M a n u a l a n dDemonstration Tape displaythe whole 'voice Spec trumat your disposal and if youcan't get to grips with it, trylistening to your mother nowand again.

Technically the unit is anallophone s y s tem, w h ic hmeans that like you and I itdoesn't c a r e a b o u t t h ewriting o r s pelling o f t h ewords, but simply speaks byc onc a tena t ing s p e e c hsounds (allophones). To thispurpose the s tr ing variables$ has been reserved, whichcan be assigned by a LET

lp SIPIE EICstatement:.

LET s $ = "ssaavEE":PAUSE 1 and on pressingENTER the unit w ill detec twith the PAUSE period the s$and the inbuilt allophone in-terpreter w i l l conver t t h eallophone s y mbols w i t h inthe s tr ing into speech codeand place this into a FIFO(first in fi rst out) buffer. Thecode i n t h e b u f f e r w i l lautomatically be output t othe speech chip, while theBASIC program continues.

The FIFO buffer residesnear the top of memory bet-ween RAMTO P a n d UDGarea and depending on thelength of the buffer RAMTOPwill have to be lowered with aCLEAR s t a t e m e n t . T h espeech unit initialises RAMTOP on start-up to allow for a256 byte buffer (RAMTOP =65111 on a 48K machine) butthis can be increased to thedetr iment o f t h e BASI Cmemory area. There are 64a l lophone c o d e s a n dtherefore 64 allophone sym-bols to choose from.

A o n e s t e p in tonat ionfacility is provided (Daleksalso get exc ited and raisetheir voices!) by using uppercase letters (adds decimal 64to the allophone code). Youcan create a word or phraselibrary b y ass igning s tr ing

variables consecutively t othe r es er v ed s $ s t r i n g(always with PAUSE 1 in bet-ween), o r y o u c a n c on -catenate indiv idual s t r ingvariables to form a A morecompact solution is to use astring array and concatenateand even slice the individualarray elements.

If y o u d o n ' t m i n doperating w i t h a l lophonecodes d ir ec t ly , y o u c a nbypass the interpreter andoperate directly on the FIFObuffer by POKEing the codesdirec tly i n t o t h e b u f f e rmemory area. Once loadedyou set the stack pointer toone below the last item in thebuffer to be voiced by POKE-ng the stack pointer and —

bedlam! Y o u r Spec t r umbecomes a n ins tant par tykiller! Loading the buffer canbe executed w ith a s mallBASIC loader program eithervia INPUT command or v iaDATA statements:

10203040506070ao100

LET a 6 5 3 6 1READ bt LET x bFOR n I TO I x - 1 /1 READ bPOKE a .bLET a a - 1NEXT nPCRE 65365, 255POKE 65364. (65361 - a )DATA 21.41 .19 .24 .24 .24 .37 .1 .16 .20 .41.19.53.3.19.55.3.34.14.20.13.55

10 L ET a • 653612:3 n e u r -n o i r - ; ( 6 53 6 2 - a) ;

". CODE " ; b : I F b 0 THENGO TO BO

30 PEKE a . b40 L ET a • - 1SO 0 0 TO 20100 FOR c 6 5 3 6 1 TO (a • 11 STEP -1110 PRINT c. PrEK c120 NEXT c130 PRIM- a , 6 5 36 1 - a: P RI NT ;

PRINT "FUSS a TO mur140 I F INKETS • ' V ' minq 00 TO 200150 GO TO 140Pao 1 6 5 3 6 5 . 255210 POKE 65364. (6536) - a )

Whatever way you choose,always make sure your stackarea does n ' t d r o p be low

1

•i;

RAMTOP or your BASIC pro-gram w i l l c r a s h . . . I n asimilar w a y t h e mac hinecode affi cionado can (man)handle the FIFO and stackpointer d i r e c t l y f r o massembler o r nat iv e c odeand so incorporate voice intohis silent Dalek game. Mindyou, in space nobody c anhear ev en t h e Spec t r umscream!

If all this is softwearingyou down and you are 'fi rstand foremost' a game player,have n o fear : T he CurrahMic rospeech i s r a p i d l ybecoming an industry stan-dard add-on a n d t h e l i s tbelow gives a h in t o f t hegames w h ic h alr eady in -clude v o ic e fac i l i t y . B u tbeware of using the speechunit in combination with nonc ompat ib le p r o g r a m s :BASIC and mic programs willundoubtedly c r a s h o rdevelop u n w a n t e d a n dpotentially dangerous s ideeffects due to the clashing ofthe FIFO buffer area with theprogram's own stack or pro-gram a r e a ( P l a yDEATHCHASE o r A T I CATAC and you'll know what Imean).

If you're wondering whereto plug in your joystick inter-face, be ready for a surprise:Neither KeMpStOn nor Pro-

tek, o r mos t o f the otherjoystick interfaces make pro-vision for an extension edgeconnector except AGF Cam-bridge and Sinclair (InterfaceII). It would appear that mostof these companies rely onthe fact that they are the lastlink in the add-on chain andcan p r ic e t h e i r pr oduc tsmore competitively due t othe c o s t r educ t ion. A n dsince Currah would appearto have been think ing alongthe same lines, it will be up toyou the games player to sortout the bottleneck: The onlysensible solution is a 56 wayflat cable loom which plugsvia a 28 position doublesided0.1' I D C e d g e c onnec torsocket to the Spectrum withtwo or three IDC edge con-nector p l u g s a l o n g t h elength of the loom, so thatthe various add-ons may beconnected u p together ( Amotherboard w i t h severaledge connectors ports w il lalso do) . Cer tainly n o t acheap solution. Consideringthe fact that a games playerwill almost certainly requirea joys tick and the speechunit, this is definitely a hugedrawback.

Throughout the usage ofthe Currah Microspeech youwill bec ome inc reas inglyneurotic a n d p a r a n o id ,

believing to hear each andevery w o r d o r t h o u g h trepeated b y a n inhumanvoice. Be fo r e c ons u lt ingyour psychiatrist, try enter-ing LET keys = 0 and youwill fi nd immediate remedyand abs o lu t e t r anqu i l i t ywhile you key in your latestsoftware creation: This com-mand will disable the voicingof a l l the BASIC keywordsand printable characters andyou will instantly be able tohear yourself think again

CRITICISM

Simple and small unit. Alsoac ts a s o n l y a s o u n damplifier by diverting BEEPsound t o T V loudspeaker.Easy pr ogr amming f r o mBASIC and mic as the unit istotally independent. I t onlyrequires feeding of a stackand s e t t in g o f a s t a c kpointer . B u t , a s s t a c kpointer and flagbytes residein top of Spectrum memory:A) in BASIC, RAMTOP has tobe moved down t o protectthis area; B) in mic games,this area may already be us-ed and system will crash orgo funny. Fortunately moreand more software housestak e t h i s i n t o a c o u n t .Allophone set is limited, but

works w e l l ( f o r Eng l is hlanguage). Intonation limitedto one step only. Various buf-fers may be used, switchingbetween them by changingthe stack pointers.Price: High for a Spectrumadd-on, but considering thec omplex ity o f t h e u n i t(speech c hip controlled byallophone s y mbo l in t e r -preter/microprocessor) asmall m ir ac le . T h e u n i tcomes packaged in an at-trac t iv e c a r d b o x w i t htransparent window, c om-plete w i t h demons trat ionc as s ette, p r o g r a m m in gmanual a n d a l l necessaryconnections. May be usedwith either 16K or 48K Spec-trum. Price E29.90.

JENAN U l t i m a t aMASTERMIND M a r t e cnBIRDS 4 SEES Bu g - Byt e

RoaikSMARR ATTAOK B a t i kiDte:MTER CHASE RomikVDICZ CHESS A t t i cTIE COLLO SATON D i g i t a l FAMAMIATIC TIME M i l l * D i g i t a l FantasiaARAN DE DEATN 1 D i g i t a l FantasiaARlical Of DEATH I t D i g i t a l FantasiaFIREBIRDS L y v e r s o f tLIPAR M O E L y v e r a o f tPUNED-RIT g u i c k a l i v aGRAND M I X DRIVER Br i t a n n i aGUI M r . M icro

43

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SHOOT Vet UPEggs fall on parachutes. "watchthem h a t c h M u t a n t B i r ds .Fiendish Hawks, Laser, Missiles.1004re machine code. Progres-

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Graphic 1 s i m ul a t i on o f s h epopular game of bow is. Watchthe ba l l swer ve tow ar ds t hejack. But have you chosen theweight and angle correctly?

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Fun-tim e educa ti ona l ga m e .Full feature arithmetic. Do yoursums quickly or the bull wi l lescape. A l s o — N i n e L i v e sCandy man.

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TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME

at;

Crash Guide Game of the MonthOur reviewer Matthewliffi ndell delves into hissoftware library for thismonth's reappraisal as hehops onto FROGGY, themost engaging Frogger forthe Spectrum, a game byD.J.L. Software.

As long as you can goalong with the fact thatfrogs drown if they fall inthe river, then as a gametype •Froggers• have a lotgoing for them. The objectof the game is to guideyour frog across a busyroad without gettingsquashed under thevehicles, and then acrossthe river on logs and turtlebacks without falling off,getting eaten by crocodilesor run off the screen edge,and so into a frog home onthe far bank.

On the road in thisversion, there are trucksand much faster hot rodsto leap between. The riverhas four lanes alternatingbetween logs and rows ofturtles, each moving in theopposite direction to theother. You must hop fromone to the other withoutfalling into the river. Theturtles have a nasty habitof submerging, and if thishappens while you areriding on one, you will losea life if you don't jumpacross to a log in time.

Once onto the last lane

(logs) you must jump neatlyinto one of the five froghomes. A miss-jump losesa life — a successful oneresults In a large smilingfrog in his home. Every nowand then a baby frogappears, fl oating down theriver on a log and cryingout for you to rescue it. Todo this you must jump ontothe log carrying him and letit leap up onto your back. Ifyou get him safely home abonus of 200 points isawarded.

As the game goes onmore hazards appear, suchas aligators in the river andsnakes on the bank of theriver. The game will also

TWARE

speed up as each screen iscleared, until the maximumspeed is reached on screen7. Turtles also get scarcerand the logs get smaller insize. The entire game isplayed against the clock —about 25 seconds isallowed to get a frogacross and home on screenone, but this reduces witheach screen. There is alsoa demo mode and a hall offame.

This game is a very goodcopy of the arcade originaland is very well produced.When I first saw it I thoughthe character blockmovement would spoil thegame, but I was provedwrong. It is very addictiveand enjoyable to play. Thismust be the best T roggeraround and I wouldrecommend it to anyone.The game plays with aKempston joystick (loadone side of tape) or cursorkeys (load other side oftape) and so cursor keyjoysticks like Protek andAGE Use of colour andsound is excellent as arethe instructions andgeneral presentation.Matthew Illtindell

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This i s t h e h eart o f t h e magaz ine! A perpetuallyupdated guide to Spectrum software. It is intended as abrief but comprehensive listing for ready reference andnot as a detailed criticism of the games (although wewill always reflect the original reviewers' comments inthe entry). You will find detailed reviews of newer pro-grams in previous issu es, the number of the issuebeing indicated in brackets after the retail price.

The mammoth task of ensuring that every programfor the Spectrum gets reviewed in brief for this sectionstill goes on as we go to press, so certainly for the nexttwo o r t h ree issues T h e L iving G u id e w on ' t b ethoroughly complete.

Programs are listed under convenient headings (alist of the headings is given below). Under each head-ing, programs are listed alphabetically by title, we thenshow the software producer's name, memory requiredto run the program, its recommended retail price and,where known, the author of the program.

Reviews indicate what loystick option has been pro-vided by the producer, if any. Programmable interfacesmay obviously b e u sed w it h almost a l l programsregardless of joystick options. Please note that the useof the word joystick invariably refers to the type of joy-stick interface that can be used.

INVADER/ GALAXIAN/PHOENIX

Space Invaders begin It all and themore sophisticated Catalan andPhoenix games conlinued It. Thegames listed under this heading areamong the oldest available for theSpectrum. Consequently someversions have not stood the test of timeis well as others. In Invaders seriedrinks ol varied aliens jiggle across thescreen gelling lower and lower.Galakians attack in lesser numbersbut make up for It by swooping all overthe place in an unsportsmanlikemanner. Phoenix games are similar.but the aliens are birdlike, there areeggs to hit often meteors as well, andfinally a mothership to destroy. In themain most versions are very alike andIt comes down to a matter of personalchoice.

ArcadeInvader/Gelatin /PhoenixAsteroids and Space GamesSeri mble/Delernfer/Mitslie DelanoCockpit GamesMize GimesGhost GobblingPlatform GamesCreeole-criottlesNagar*Grid GamesPaintersIntik lesMlicellantous

Sports SimulationSimulationsStrategiesAdventure Games

46

ARCADIAProducer: imagine, I6K 4.5.50Generally considered to be the bestshoot 'em up game around Alienscome in droves from the right, eachwave more suicidal than the last.Continuous fire and thrust (to hallthe screen height only) with goodkeyboard positions. Excellent hi-ressmooth graphics. Joystick:liCempsion (and softl ink II) or Fuller.Addictive and difficult to master_

ASTRO BLASTERProducer: Quicksilva, 16K E4.95Author John EdwardsOuicksilva's go at galaxianiphoenixis creditably fast and difficult tomaster, featuring five attack waves inthree phases — Cybird. Meteor andPlasma, each of which have theirown characteristics. Oddly enoughthe first wave is the most difficult.You're given live shields. Graphicsand sound are neat. Joystick:Xempston.

COSMIC GUERILLAProducer: Cryslal, 16K £5.50This game is a copy of an arcadeshoot ern up and almost makes acategory of its own. Aliens stand inseveral vertical columns on eitherside of the screen. The centre blockis a stack ol humans and your threespace ships (and lives). Your shop isat the base, firing up Aliens zipacross to the centre, grab a humanand abduct him to the side.Eventually they can get at the threeShips and steal those. For each onethey get to the side you lose a lifeToo rapid fire shortens the range soit's better to be accurate than fast,Features last motherships that zipalong the base just above your headarid fire at you, rapid mutants and sixdifficulty levels. Joystick: Kempstort.Recommended

FIREBIRDSProducer: &Ma k 16K 9 5Author: Graerne DevineA classic phoenix Fire rate andleft/right movement are the bestwe've seen. Beautiful graphicsfeaturing red Firebirds, blue

Bombers. and white Weavers ii) anintricate dance of death_ 100 percentmachine code Very difficult to gel tosee the mothership. but worth it!Highly recommended.

FIRERAWKSProducer. Postern, 16K £6.95 (1)Author D Hoskins C DaviesFirehawks is literally a Phoenixgame but practically it's an Invadermutation. Your mission is to defendyour planet from the deadlyFirehawks of the title. They come insearch of energy, and should one beallowed to land it turns into a giantPhoenix and flaps away — end ofgame. The birds line up at the top ofthe screen and you fire up with yourlaser beam I n the way are plasmascreens which resemble decorativebreeze blocks The birds have to getround them and you must shootthem away to get at the birds.Graphics are quite large but there'sno animation, and despite the 15skill levels and 15 speeds it doesn'tadd up to much and is overpriced.No joystick option, poor Control keyresponse, good sound. generallyfair, Overall CRASH rating 51%BASIC • some code.

GALACTIC ABDUCTORSProducer; Anirog, 16K f5. 95This version features large animatedgraphics. The aliens weave fancifulpatterns when attacking and havethe cute habit of eating yourpopulation when you're not looking,only throwing back their skulls. 100percent machine code. Hi-score.Joystick option.

GALACTIC TROOPERProducer: Romik, 16K 15.99Author: Ian MorrisonHalfway between an invader andgateman type, this three skill levelgame offers reasonably attractivegraphics and plenty of them, you'reat the base firing up at ten bombracks containing five aliens per rack_Above them a molhership floatslazily from left to right and backagain. To hit it you must blast Out allfive aliens from a rack so you can firethrough the gap. Aliens reproducefast! For more points there are a fewsaucers that venture out, but they'reeasy to hit The aliens drop bombson you but the screen is so full thatthe dropping distance is small andthey are hard to dodge. Shill doesn'tappear to be a factor, rather luck. Hi-score. Joystick. Kempston orSinclair, machine code, only averagevalue for money.

GAIAKZIONSProducer Mikrogen, I6K 0 , 95One of the weaker games with threeskill levels aad attackers moreresembling invader aliens thananything else. The rate otcontinuous lire is wrong for the slowattack patterns. robbing the game ofany excitement. Works withMikrogen II joystick. Machine code_One or two player games

GALA XIANSProducer: Attic, 16K E4.95A good copy and a classic versionwith nine levels of play, hi-score.personalised scoring. one or twoplayere games. Features swoopingGalaxoans and heres explosionsJoystick: Kempston. Machine code.Very good value for money.

HAWKSProducer: Lotus-Soft, I6K E5.50 (1)Author: Derek JonesThis is a pretty hefty shoot em upwhere you're pitted against waves ofhawks which drop eggs These eggshatch Out in the ground and becomemutant hawks which form up forlater attacks. You are in control of anold Asteroid Mining Vehicle whichcan lire missiles at the birds andPalling eggs, a laser and also layMines over the downed eggs These

also blow up the vehicle if they go oftunder it. There are a large number ofcontrol keys so speed and reliesesare ot the essence. Good Coloursand graphics, plenty to do andexciting to play Good control keypositions and reasonable sound,multiple skill levels. General rating, -good & addtctive. overall CRASHrating 75%, 100% MiC.

HEADBANGERProducer: Llernesoft, 48K E4.Liamasoll is one of those companiesthat got famous fast. though lookingat this game one wonders why TheSky is raining hammers (makes achange from ravening aliens Isuppose) and Chico must carry bagsof money from one side of thescreen to the other under the penislshelter of four blocks which arebeing eroded by the fallinghammers. In between the sheltersChico can nut the hammers forpoints, but after ten he gets aheadache and must then out a redaspirin hammer. Hammers hittinghis body instead 01 his head lose alife. Getting a money bag acrosssafely restores one shelter Badlyput together and rather pointless.

INVADERSProducer; Artoc,16K f t 95Although this is a standard and closecopy of the original, the hi-resgraphics stand up quite well to thetest of time. Nine levels of play andfour variations of alien.

INVASION FORCEProducer. Arric, I61< (4.95Artic's engaging and addictivephoenix game has the mothershlpprotected by a force field hoveringabove your base Should yourmissiles hit it they are returned backas three! The mothership is Onlyvulnerable in its control centre.There are loads of bomb-droppingaliens flapping around Three lives,two skill levels and harder screens.Neal touch — if your b e is hit theArtic lorry rushes Out to repair itbetween lives. Generallyrecommended

KAMIKAZEproducer. it&F, 16K 15.75Basically a galaXiall game_ Pit yourwits against wave after wave ofsuicidal fighter aircraft which swoopdown on you dropping bombs. Cleartwo Screens and you get a bonusscreen against easy-to-hithelicopters before returning to themain feature_ Graphics are attractiveif a bit flickery and the mushroomshaped explosions are goodContinuous sound of attackingaircraft unless you drown them outwith the sound Of your continuousfire Hall of lame, no joystick option

SPACE INTRUDERSProducer: Quicksilve, 18K E4 95A close copy of Invaders with rathersmall graphics that work incharacter blocks. Fast but out ofdata

SPACE RAIDERSProducer. Psion, 16K E4.95Another close Invaders copy withbetter graphics than SpaceIntruders. but s lower and notparticularly addictive to play

SPACE ZOMBIESProducer: Mtkf ogen. I6X C5.95One critic thought this was pathetic.another liked it. Certainly a 'quaint 'game. You're at the screen basefiring up at a bunch Of highlycoloured alien zombies which chugabout the scteen like a train. gett inglonger with each screen. Thegraphics are big, there's continuousfire, a nice moving star background,and Me main feature is the erraticand highly unpredic table movementolthe aliens Three speeds, one ortwo player games, plenty of levels (atleast six before I got k illed off),Joystick: Mik rogen 11, good valuebut not terribly addictive.

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TERROR DAKTIL 30Producer: Melbourne House, 48K03.95Not, you might think by the title, agataxiarvinvader type game, but it isreally There's a 30 landscape and20 massed Daktils In the distancemoving isut like space invaders. Tohit them you must gel thedimensional trajectory of your'battered' cannon correct.Frequently one will swoop down onyou in very good animated linedrawing You get more points forhitting the swooping ones, but it'ssafer to dodge them. Not up toMelbourne House's usual standardand the sound — what happened toIt?

THE DETECTIVEProducer. Arcade, 481< £550Another game which sOundsunlikely as a gateman typecontender, but then, we couldn'tquite fi gure what the tit le had to dowith the game. But it Ise good gameanyway. Nice packaging as usualfrom Arcade and refl ected in thegraphics. Avoid the falling objectswhich change charactenstic by levelor shoot them for points. Tyres (7l)form up like thunderc louds and fallon you, a wretched dog keepsstealing your points. Avoid him byusing the wrap-around screen. 25levels Joystick! Kempston and AGFor Prolek. Good value

WINGED AVENGERProducer, W o r k / c u m 1 6 K £ 5 .0 0Something of a cull among galaxianfans, with two options (2-part load)for the 'brave' and 'also-rans S ixskill levels laser, forcelield barrierand simple but effective graphics.This is a last game for the expertS —novices might not even realisethey've lost all their lives.Disappointing graphics andultimately not of lasting appeal

ASTEROIDS/SPACEWith some exceptions. Asteroid typegames tend to be less colourful thanmost arcade programs — some arevirtually black and white, but thecategory Is still one ol the mostpopular. Also Included under thisheading are 'space' games which havevery little to do with asteroids,CONFUSIONProducer: Bleby. 58K £4.95There's something of a 'f roggee feelto this ultra-last game. Alien shipszip along parallel tracks which youmust traverse, shooting them forpoints. Imposs ible without a joystickand diffi cult with, goes withKempston or AGF or Protek.Generally less than one expectsfrom the usually excellent Blabypeople

BLACK HOLEProducer Fantasy, 161< £5.50Centre screen is the Black Hole,From which emerge three types ofalien craft. Two of your weapons aredefl ected by the force of the BlackHole, which makes aiming diffi cult,and the third weapon has a limitedrange Indisc riminate shooting leadsto loss of power, and the aliens fi reback, To make matters worse thereis space debris to avoid on the left ofscreen, the area to which you'reconfi ned. Cont rol in eight ditec tiona,but too many keys make this gamehard to enioy, and there are toomany for a joystick to handle

BLOCKADE RUNNERProducer: Thorn EMI. 16K C6_95 (1)Author: Graham JohnsJust when you thought they had runOut of reasonably orig inal deepspace zappowhem games, alongcomes Blockade Runner. You're inthis supply ship, running theblockade of earth by some nastyaliens and there are 5 layers ofdefences to get through Firs t adense shower of meteors which canbe dodged or shot, then a layer ofvertical laser barriers which youmust dodge, then tractor beam unitstry to pull you off course, fi nally afleet of alien ships try to blast you tok ingdom come. Should you survivethis frenetic gauntlet, you must thentransfer your cargo pods to an earthship Cont ro l response is trIghtenlylast and v iolent—it has lobe tododge the laser beams. Pity the

control keys are laid out for theSinc lair joystick—they're veryawkward. A popular game for shootem up addicts with plenty ofplayability , but maybe lacking ingreat lasting appeal. Joystick:Sinc lair, Kempston. 6 skill levels. 5lives. CRASH rating: fairly good.overall 83% M/C.

COSMIC DEBRISProducer: Attic, 481< £4.95An archetypal 'asteroids' game withhardly any colour at all. Hollowoutlineo for the asteroids whichshatter into smaller fragments whenhit. Rotate, thrust and hyperspaceand typically nasty fl ying saucersthat appear when you don't needthem. Two speeds (last and suic idal— and they mean w i t h bonusships for points A game this lastshould have continuous lire fac ility .but doesn't. No popular joystickfacility. Good value for asteroidaddicts who like a fast game

DEEP SPACEProducer: PSS, 481< 05.95A standard version of asteroids withrotate left and right, thrust,hypetspace and lire, wrap aroundscreen and alien ships Can'tcomment on the game's qualitysince none of our three reviewcopies would load.

JETPACProducer.' Ult)mate, 161< £5.50There's not much can be said aboutUlt imate that hasn't already beensaid Graphics and presentation areof the highest standard in Jelpacyou must get your spaceman toassemble a rocket and fuel 11 stealas many gems as you can and avoidthe irate aliens or k ill them with thelaser When assembled the rockettakes off for another planet toplunder Re-assemble the ship afterlive planets Five levels of differentaliens Joystick: Kernpis ton One orTwo player games, continuous lireand movement in eight directionsHighly recommended,

KOSMIC PIRATEProducer: B feby, 48X E4,95There's a factory below on the planetwhich you must plunder, guidingyour ship through the heavy alienspace traffic. deceptively s implylook ing game with good graphicsand sound and really a 'f roggervariant M/C. Joystick: Kempston.

METEROIDSDK Tronics, 161< E4.95In a way its as well this game is inthe cheaper bracket because it 10'1a very good program. Thegraphics are jerky in movement andthe relative speed of craft toasteroids is too slow. Worst of allyou can only use one function at atime so you can't fi re while rotatingor thrusting There lea useful'redefi ne' function which allows youto change keyboard options andalter the way in which the gameplays. No joystick facility, unlessredefi ned to cursor keys to use AGFor Protek,

METEOR STORMOuickailva, 16K EA 95Merc ifully . Ouicksilve have provedtheir originality in the games fi eld bygoing onto games which make thisone look as s illy as it is. It you likeasteroid games then this is prettylast. Simple Outlines hover in a blankblack space Ship orientat ion is ineight directions us ing all the numberkeys which means you can'tconcentrate on the game

MISSION IMPOSSIBLEProducer: SlIversoft. 76X E5 95(1)Author Jeremy BrownThis Is a Lander type game whereyou must guide your craft down to aplanet's surface and rescue strandedastronauts or miners ot somethingand return them to the mothershipabove. To get down to the planet youmust dodge your way through themasses of asteroids, and then returnthrough layers of enemy shipping.Controls provide a retro rocket forbraking, important when landing asan inaccurate or last landing resultsin death O n the return iourney theretro becomes a gun to shoot at thealiens. On higher levels there is alsoa force held as a added hazard.Throughout, the graphics are verygood and move smoothly. Thus is avery diffi cult game and bound to beaddictive. Takes t ime to gel good atit Sens ible control keys, joystick:AGF. Protek or Kerripston. 3 play ingspeeds. over 50 screens, generallyrecommended Overall CRASHrating 80% M/C.

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PLANETOIDSProducer: Ps)On, 16K £4.95A very good copy and a classicversion with the best graphics Of thelot Nic e bright yellow asteroidswhich shatter satisfy ingly A bitslow, although the shatteredfragments change direc t ion andmove faster A lien ships are welldefi ned graphically Us ing Z/X forrotation and SPACE/ENTER forfi re/thrust is quite good. but H forhyperspace takes some getting to inan emergency. No skill levels, whichmeans the addic tiv ity rating is low.but good value at the price. NoJo yst ick o p t io n

SCHIZOIDSProducer Imagine, 16K E5.50imagine come up with some of thebest games — this isn't one of them,You're supposed to c lear the spacelanes of c iv ilisation's debris bybulldoz ing il into a black hole in thecentre of the screen. The graphicsare black and while, though nicelydrawn but the game is confusing.Joystick: Fuller

SENTINELProducer Abacus, 16K E5.00Prevent the enemy from attackingthe live Sentinel space stations withyour four ships, Careful though —your three remaining ships (lives)are docked with the station so if yourprotective screen isn't effective youcan lose lives before you've even hada chance lous e them! Enemy comesin various forms and meteroles makelife imposs ible at times, Yourweapons are laser and a guidedmissile so you have to contend withlef t / right rotation, thrust, laser fore,missile fi re and two controls forguiding it, which makes Sentinel agame for the four-handed player!Oh, and there's a force fi eld for thestation — fi ve-handed playertAgood fast and furious game. Goodvalue No ioystick option.

SHUTTLEProducer- 8 4 0, 4 8K £ 5.9 5

Take your shuttle craft from themothership and descend to twospecially created landing spaces onthe planet's hilly surface to rescuethe stranded astronauts, whichstand on the hills ides waving theirarms frantically You can only lakeone at a t ime and landing results inthe nearest dashing to your craft andpartial safely. Unfortunately the skyis c rowded with bi-direc t ionalmeteors The graphics are cute andthe sound very good, but theinlaycard suggests you can fee atsomething when you can't. Avoidingthe meteors is s imply done bydodging them (a sort of frogger)Not the most addictive of Blaby'sgames, but still very playable.Joystick • Kempston, AGF or Protek.SPECTROID STORMProducer A horse'. 48K £4.95A very new asteroid game and one ofthe most colourful with a prettypacked screen Wrap around actionand mult i-shaped objects. Goodacceleration and brak ing butrequires a tender touch as the actionis quite v iolent Hyperspace, nodiffi culty levels. It looks good but itneeds more playabilify to put it in thetop rank Joystick: Kompston,AGFor Prolek

3 DEEP SPACEProducer. Postern, 16K L7.9511)Trims is the, by now, famous real 3Dgame which uses red and bluespectacles to create a threedimens ional feeling. Sadly the effectdoesn't come off at all, with fewpeople report ing any success withth•m e ' t e c! O n t o p o f tha t , t a e g a m e

48

itself is not suffi ciently exc it ingenough to be worth the very highprice asked. Bas ically you shipmoves vertically at the left of screen,confront ing the alien ships whichmove from right to left. You can'zoom' in and out of the screen tomatch the depth of the attackingvessels 6 control keys, no joystickoption, smooth movement but notcolourful and only average sound.Overall CRASH rating M/C.

VIOLENT UNIVERSEPro d u ce r : Fa n ta sy, 1 6 K £ 5 .5 0This game has an essentialdifference — instead of fi ring ahead.you lay gas clouds behind you todestroy the aliens. The aliens aremade of anti-matter. so as they rushneedling into your vapour c loudsthey 're anihilated You must score1000 points within 40 seconds to getto the next level, an idea whichmakes this game extremely addictiveto play. Wrap around screen, 8-direc t ional movement in a veryc rowded screen. Hiding ins ide oneof your vapour clouds is a sneakyway of avoiding death. Joystick:Kempston, AGE. Protek, Fuller orMik rogen It G ood value

SCRAMBLE/ DEFENDER/MISSILE DEFENCE

Fel many arcade enthusiasts defenderand scramble games are the kings offlying. shod 'orn ups. They requirequick reflexes and excellent hand/eyecontrol. Of the home computer theydemand programs with sensiblecontrol key layouts or joysticks forgood results. In scramble games youEly a mission against a hidden enemybase, whereas as in delendar gamesyou must rescue humanity al the sametime. In either case the game is playedin profile, showing the topography ofthe ground over which you are flyingMissile defence is simpler, showingmissile traces descending on yourcities. You must guide the antimissiledelence by sighting crou hairs at theleading points of the enemy missiletraces.

ARMAGEDDONProducer. Ocean. I6K (5.90This version is a classic miss iledefence game with excellentgraphics, especially the sunburstexplosions The miss ile traces splitinto several traces, coming thickerand faster with each wave. Theavailable number of missiles in yourarmoury for each wave is shown atthe base of the screen and abovethat are your six cities which you areprotecting. After each attack wavethe program updates your score andcities left Nic e title graphics and'end' card. Recommended.

ARMAGEDDONProducer: Silversoft, I6X C5.951 / )Author C KmghtSilversoft's version of the much-copied 'Miss ile Command' arcadeOriginal is well up to scratch withgood use of colour, and averagesound. The graphics are s imple buteffective with very nice explosionsand a suitably disgusting fry ingsound to accompany them Featuressix cities, three miss ile bases,aircraft and bomb-droppingsatellites.a nd heat sensitive missileswhich hover above a detonat ion untilit's safe to descend further Getsincreas ingly fast, medium addictive.sensible control keys and Kempstonloystick lima a 2-part load). OverallCRASH rating 68% M/C

COSMIC RAIDERSProducer: Mrkrogen, 16K £5 95'One of the few times an arcadegame has been improved upon,' saidPersonal Comput ing Today Thar

might be a bit exaggerated, but thegraphics and control response arevery good indeed You must raceacross the planet and destroy thealien master ships in the lair. Thecityscape beneath is denselyPopulated and green grabbers keepabducting the humans. Knock Outthe aliens with smart bombs, butthen you must catch the fallinghumans before they seta/. Hosts ofother Mein fi ghters threaten you.Features long range scan, reverse.Long range shows the wholedistance to travel. Keyboardpos it ioning is sensible. whic h is aswell, as this game does not have ajoystick facility.

DEFER OARProducer: Mikrogen, 48K £5.95Author: C Mos leyThe Me says it all, and it turns Out tobe a pretty classic look ing •Delendeegame with the familiar zig-zagout line landscape, wav ing humans.and assorted alien craft. There is theradar screen at the lop as wellControl is quite good with sensiblekeys allowing for thrust, reverse,laser and smarthomtes as well as ahyperspace facility But there issomething lacking in the feel endplay. Perhaps its the speed whichseems s low compared to otherversions combined with the fact thatit seems quite easy to play Inlaystates user-defi nable keys, but therearen't any Good, bright graphicsand reasonable sound Ov erallCRASH rating 63% M C

FIREFLASHProducer; Abacus, 16K £5. 95 ( /)Author: K FlynnThis is a very superior 'Miss ileCommand' style game and a gamesdesigner in one — another from theSpecialists on games for eight-fi ngered players Your base has 4miss ile launch pads supplied byunderground tunnels, and 2 laserbases at either end of the screenIncoming alien missiles split intosmall and hard to he warheads if notdestroyed quick ly Y o r must select

the launch pad required, fi re themissile, guide it to its target anddetonate it at the correct moment. Ifthat's not enough, low fl ying aliencraft bomb your installations I f youlike a fast, diffi cult to master game,then this is for you. But many factorscan be modifi ed by the clever POKEfacility which allows you to redesignthe game to suit your own taste Onthe reverse side is a free game called'Destroyer' Uses 6 control keys, noJoystick option, excellent graphics,recommended CRASH overallrating 78% M/C.

GROUND ATTACKProducer,' Silversolt, 16K £5.95This is s imilar to 'Penetrator' byMelbourne House, but is nowhere asgood a program It 's the sister gameto 'Orbiter' Here you must attack thealiens in their underground cavernsWeapons are bombs and laser andthere are fuel dumps for points.Thrust and decelerate and nine skilllevels (different speeds of play) withthe cursor keys and 9 and 0 fordirec t ion and fi re, which is not thebest arrangement No joystickfacility. There are better value gamesaround of this type,

HARRIER ATTACKProducer: Martech/Durrell, 16KL'6. 95This game seemed to upset a lot ofmagazine reviewers because of itsunstated reference to the FalklandsWart Bad taste perhaps? In anyevent, a completely daft reason togive an excellent game a poorreview. You must take off from anaircraft carrier, dodge guidedmissiles fi red at you from an enemyship, then fly over a heavilydefended island, bombing the anti-aircraft guns, avoiding the enemyfi ghters and shooting them down,Keep your speed up or you'll run Outof fuel before reaching the c limacticbombing run on the town (PortStanley perhaps?) Then it's back tothe aircraft carrier to land. Fastresponses and fi rst rate graphics(the sun on the sea is part icularlygood) Fiv e skill levels. Keys arecursor (pity) with zero to fire, nine tobomb and SPACE to eject. JoystickProtek or AGF on the cursorsHighly recommended

: MODEN CITYProducer: Sylewell, 16K E5. 95Good. smooth graphics and threedifferent frames make this a veryplayable game. No bombs here onlya laser and a quickly used up fuelsupply. The first part makes you Ilyacross a plain towards a vertical cliff.Enemy missiles attack Isom the floorand from the cliff I t you enter the

m a ic a ve at the base at the cliff the

second frame scrolls across,presenting a maze containing fueldumps. On surviving this there Is a'scramble' cavern with missiles andfloating mines, and then the city todestroy_ Six difficulty levels, invisiblebarriers and time warp_ Joystick.Kempslon

P'N'ENRJAFIBLABY COMPUTER GAMES'PROGRAMSNOW FOR SPECTRUM AND DRAGON SOFTWARE

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SPECTRUMCONFUSIONYou ern ?tottery contused anti a tebeing attacked from both w i n bythe most nostiest Aliens known in theUniverse M K LUC E4.95

004.0 ce001111Ova yoot way through the Mine andlond the Gold Nuggets, but kee l)awsy front the 'Nugget CnaetteraAOK M C t4 95

CHOPPER RESCUEscenes's ore being entombed underRadio Active waste. van you e s •Helicooter Pilot rescue them a ll inUtmost M o'C C5 50

KOSPAIC PIRATEGuise ycsior Pyat. Vessel through themassive fleet at Spice Croft that hasencircled the Planet Veto. end try tosteal you, e a se n t ia l n ee ds .

ISK skt EIS 50

DRAGON 32PLANET CONGUISTLend you., S t eg n er S hi p L oi eb e and

then you m a y return t o your ne x tSolar System (s5 . levels e tc)(595

0 0 0 0Stirring Dodo and the Snow Bess -You are Otto test surviving bead o fDodos a lone . n t h e Antercttosurrounded by Ice Slacks end SM .,.Boos SW* the Ice Slacks onto theSnow Sem or etectrrfy the wills lctoll them l ' 5 96

INVASION OF THE NOY SNATCH ASProducer: Crystal, 48K t6.50 (1 )A word of warning — this game(indeed all new Crystal programs)has a special loader which makesyou think it Isn't loading properly I tis a classic copy of the famousarcade original and featuresLanders. Bombers, Mutants,Swarmere arid Pods. There is anexcellent radar screen. one you canreally use for lining up shots, andspectacular explosion graphicsSadly unless you own a Fuller Box.the game is totally silent As usualwith 'Defender' games, there is notmuch colour, but the graphics arefast and smooth All in all probablythe best version for the Spectrumyet. Rather awkward control keys.ZIX left/right and WM up/down, A toG lire laser, H to ENTER smartbombs. Joystick: AGF. Protek,Kempstom Fuller CRASH rating,playable and addictive, overall 70%M/C.

BARMY BURGERSSPECTRUM 118K

SLAW COMPUTES CAMPS

BARM Y OUROERSSops Burge r' Cheese and Lettuce- they am on there. oti you have Irt

do is put them together I t soundseasy doesn't it. but not when vOubong chased by a hoed E gg a ndSousognst r I S K M t't C5.93

HIGHRISE HARRYFeaturing Harry ?lightest, a nd theRust Bugs - Guide Harry the Painteralong the Getters. u p the Laddersonto the Lifts, but inrnd the Slidesrove Whecky StnilenSSBOt M C 5 0PLUGGITYoung Percy Pluggot must get bockto he Cecud Board in tune, please

ORBITERProducer: S ol ver s0,1 , 161( E 5 . 95

This is a much better game thanSilverSoft's 'Ground Attack' and is agood version of the classic'Defender of arcade lame Theanimated graphics are neat and thesound amusing. Control keys aremuch better placed than in GA aswell. Climb, dive, thrust, reverse,hyperspace, smart bombs and laserall help yoi.rprotect the humanoidsfrom the marauding alien craft.Features an excellent long rangescan. No joystick facility. w p.

PENETRATORProducer' Mettourne House, 48K46.95Probably the definitive 'scramblegame for the Spectrum Four rings ofdefence surround the alien base.each with its own problems oflandscale Missiles take offcontinuously guided by radar units(excellent animation) which getmore accurate If you fail to destroyenough of them. Special featureallows you to reprogram the game tomake your own landscape and alterthe enemy's defences. Highlyrecommended Joystick: Kempsoft I

REPULSARProducer: 60110(.18K E8,98Author AndrowBee09ThiS IS Soffek's version of missiledefence and ills a close copy of theoriginal. It's graphics are nowehrenear as good as Ocean's'Armageddon' O n the other hand itdoes have the extra feature of plentyof enemy planes buzzing around todestroy as well as the missilesthemselves and the explosions aresatisfactory. It is also faster to playthan Ocean's version. but somehowless fun O ne side of this tape is forthe keyboard (with a dreadtullayout) and the other side is for theKempston joystick The inlay card

8COTCHAff

SPECTRUM o w

SLAV CONPUTIP GANES

help hen to find the right kepi.ARK M C CS SOGOTCHAAfter escaping from the local Nick.Ernie ts soon bock up to his old tricks

(5 50&gem.DODOStarring Dodo and the Snow Sees -You are the taw surviving breed o lD u d i a • s a l o h a i n t h e a n t a r Ct i Csurrounded by ice Blocks and SnowBees Slide the Ice Blocks onto theSnow. Bees or electrify the watts to

113K M 'C ES 50soll themLASER RUNFly th e mulch to destroy the L Elighters Th is genie os shown in 30is 95eienret rive

DEPT Cm M A S T COMPUTER GAMES CROSSWAYS HOUSE w i TE Rw oRtH ROAD BLAST • LeiCESTERTEL OL13 773044 TELEX 34125 JRHHO

DEALERS PiCASE ASK ABOUT OUR VIDEO TAPE WHICH CONTAINS OUR FULL RANGE OF GAMES

doesn't tell you that keyM is for fire. E i ghtdirectional movement,generally okay, but not asplayable as Armageddon

ROCKET RAIDERProducer: C-Tech, 151< 1595This is the poor men•s•Penettator•and no mistake The inlay blurbpromises a long range scan — butnothing appears on it except theextremely limited landscapeavailable to fly over. Fly Is hardly theword — you only move if the thrustbutton is held down, and when youdo that nothing else in the game •moves except the lowering fuelgauge. Hitting the fuel tanksreplenishes your tank and anyonecan knock them off without difficultybecause the missiles are easilyavoided and the flying saucers don'tdo anything. There's no danger, nothrills and no skill needed Keyboard'positione are fine and the end of lifeexplosion is the most imeginallvegraphic in the game_ One or twoplayers, poorly compiled machinecode, no joystick option The inlaycard states that pressing key '2' givesyou 'up' and 'reverse' They mean 'Z'gives you reverse.

SCRAMBLEProducer. Miktogen, 18K (5.50IhtS is an enjoyable copy of thearcade original and a flexibleprogram as you're given a 4-optionmenu i - missiles. 2 , UFOs, 3Meteors. 4 - Fortress) which meansyou can leap from part to part as youchoose, or fight your way throughthe correct sequence if you're ashowoff Three speeds with thegraphics a bit shaky on fast Usuallasers, bombs, fuel dumps. missileswith 8 neat 2-option on returning tothe next life where you left ott, orchanging landscape each time. Themeteors are too difficult to be

KILLER KONGSPECTRUM a8K

z

KHASI KONGFeaturing 'hive screens o f a r c a deaction - Deviators - K ong - M e r yRanee. Ha mburge rs - and we nMono's Gel 4 8 1 C M'CCS 50

S W I M "Guide your Shublectiph down to thesurface of Kline Neson re lcue theMended Spe c. Patrol and returnthem ono by one to two safety of theMothershe M f a 96

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motor softwareoutlets

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enjoyable, and the sound isn'tamazing No toystick opt ion and thekeys are a bit of a handful 12 = down,4 - up. 6 r brake, 7 = thrust, 0 l a s e r iand all lower row are bombs. All inall fun to play and good value.

ZAXXANProducer; Starzone. 48K (5.50 (1)Author.- N M ar c /o n

With a change of one letter, thegame everyone has wanted to geltheir hands on has reached theSpectrum at last and caused a stir atthe 9th ZX Mic rofair where it was tobe seen on the Crash Mic ro stand forthe fi rst time. The compiled machinecode graphics are surpris inglysmooth, cons idering how muchdetail has to keep sc rollingdiagonally across the screen Theobtect is to take your attack fi ghterthrough the increas ingly densedefences and destroy the Zaxxantort Features gun emplacements.fuel dumps, enemy aircraft, laserbeams and walls with force fi elds —and of course the shadow 01 yourfi ghter on the fl oor. Colour is wellused and the sound is fairly good.Good control keys and KempstonJoystick. Good value for money,addictive to play and a must for'Zak son' fans Overall CRASH rat ing74% M/C

COCKPIT GAMESThere are now a number ofprograms which give you a forwardview through the space ship's screen.enough to make a category ol theirown. We've decided to call these'cockpit' games, This section does notInclude any of the *Trek' games. whichoften have a viewscraen simulation, asthey come under their own heading.THE BLACK PLANETProducer: Phipps Associates, 48K15.95Author B G CornhiitA mammoth game for wet Sundays.You'll need a printer or a nob e pador a good memory , for the complexof ins truc t ions are on one s ide andthe game on the other Y o u r task isto rid the space lanes of pirateswhose home is on the Black Planet,which is inv is ible unt il you fi nd theKey, whic h has been broken intoseven parts and dis tributed onseven dif ferent planets, whic h eachhave a dif ferent arcade adventure,welch each has dif ferent keyinstructions, whic h means you'vegot to know it ell backwards! Thatsaid, it 's tons of fun Th e cockpitview with mov ing stars is verygood A n Ins trument panel tells youwhere you are in space, where thestar base is or the planets on whichyou must land. Nav igat ing is quitediffi cult, but if you get it right thesight of a planet looming up is veryc imenatic Y ou can land manuallyor use the auto-dock ing feature.Between planets you may well beattacked by the pirates who k nowyou are after them, in whic h caseyou are into a furious dog fi ght I t 'snot a game for a Pew moments.Excellent value and highlyrecommended

COSMOSProducer Abbas, 16K E5,95The keyboard layout looks s implebut is confus ing to play with Th eview screen shows your convoy,which you must protect. EnemyShips infest space and so doasteroids. You have two lasers withcontinuous lire Mov ement adjuststhe fi eld of v iew to quite an extentbut without a long range scan it-sdiffi cult to antic ipate properly , The50

colours are fi ne. sound rather poor,but nevertheless, a game with goodptayability Joys t ick Kempts on

GALAXY ATTACKProducer. Sunshine Books, 48KC5. 95This is a real zaparoony of a gamewith loads of playability , but bewarned, y ou need to be an alienwith three hands or a 15-digitI t ruggian for keyboard control Th eprogramme comes in three parts, inspace as you approach theItruggian's planet, you mus tdestroy their waves of fi ghters bycentering the s ight cross hairs:then on the planet's surface, whereyour landed shop is surrounded bywalkers and fi ghters, and then thefi nale attack on the orbit ing mothership Con t ro l response is good,colour and sound excellent, andthe s imple response is good, Colourand sound excellent, and thes imple 3-dimens ional aliens workwell Rec ommended N o joystick.TIMEGATEOuicksilve. 48K 16,95Excellent mov ing star backgrounds.in 3D give a real space feeling tothis 5-sk ill level game Long rangescan shows you where the enemyare and you jump through space tothe correct sector Mov ementcontrol is instant and keeping theenemy in your sights is a loughtask helped by a joysticklKemps tont I t you're successful atc learing the ent ire galaxy you canland on the aliens planet to refuelbefore jumping the limegate toanother infested galaxy. Fulldamage status readouts High lyrecommended

3D SPACE WARSPro d u ce r ' H o w so n Co n su t t a n t s, 1 6 KE5.95(1)Introduc ing a new race of aliens —the Seiddab I baddies speltbackwards), this game is as traightforward zap em which doesnot boast the complex it ies of a StarTrek game, but is at least la thepoint. The minute it starts the baddySeiddies are there, etched atainst arealis tic mov ing star background.Below, your instruMenIS are easy toread, bar codes for fuel and speedTwin lasers fi re from the visible nosecone of your craft and are asatis fy ing effect. Line up the cross

hairs on the enemy and tire away!The Seiddab craft are well drawnand move neatly in 3 dimensions,fi ring back when they want Thereare refuelling points in space whichyou must reach in t ime before yourpower runs out. Positive movementand smooth graphics, quite goodSound, joystick ' AGF. Protek andKemps lon Overall CRASH rating68%. recommended as good value.MiC,

30 SPAWN OF EVILProduces DK Tr a n i , 16K E4.95It's a bit Of a cheat—to keep theprogramme in 16K the very long-winded instructions are on one sideof the Cassette and the game on theother, which is irritat ing al fi rst Th eviewscreen works well with starsdefi ning movement, but control isexceptionally s luggish and hit t ingthe alien swarm is a bit like try ing tok ill ants with a pogo stick. In the enda s low and confus ing game with no

MAZE GAMES

Maze games come in all shapes andsizes (this section excludes Pacmanstyle games however'. Some of thoseIncluded here might not even seem to111 the category, but on reflection youwill see that in fact they are reallymaze games (at least, you might if youtry hard'.

ZZOOMProducer: imagine. 45K E5.50We wailed long enough—probablythe most famous and wanted non-available game. probably a cleverploy on Imagine's part: But it wasworth the wait. Viewscreen showsyou a road over which you are Hyingwith lit t le humans on the horizonwhom you must save from theenemy bombers, These come inwaves from the left, some justcontent to wipe out humanity, otherswhich turn and fi re at you, wearingdown your shield. If you survive twowaves without gett ing destroyed orcrashing into the ground, there's adesert infested with tanks, and thesea with submarines and S c r o l l i n ggraphics for the titles all help tomake this a very memorable gameand excellent value for moneyJoystick: Fuller & Kempston.

ANDROIDSProducer, Sunshine Books, 48K£5.95Androids boasts a vast mazepopulated with homic idal robots andis Sunshine's version of'Frenzy/Panic ' A rmed with a laser(fi res on the direc tion you'rePointing) and five lives, you mustfind the hidden exit to the next levelSpecial panel's replenish your forcefi eld and laser power. It's a 'no win'game for points The graphics aregood, nice animation and machinecode makes for high speedmovement, Good value for moneyand very playable

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ANDROID 1Producer Ifortert. 16K 1;5. 95What we have here is is well thoughtOut arid addictive rape of the robots:Fraezy/Bersertr game with five skilllevels and copious screens. AndroidIs a superior robot and he has to

boast his way through the walls of theComplex towards what ') ( A r e a c t o ractually, but who cares, it s thegetting there that's tun) His enemiesare several types of unattractivemutants (attractive graphics)iocluding Groupies (in groups).Wanderers (luny tomes). Skaters[slithering around and h a d to hit)and Bouncers who land on yourhead when you're least expecting it.Joystick. Kempston. Recommended.

BEDLAMProducer; MC Lothlorton, 161( C5. 95

A very fast shoot em up game inwhich the maze is not a centralproblem, but the infestation ofbeautifully animated creatures areIts supposed to be an asylum planetand you're the only sane inmate (soyou think)! Equipped with your twin-fi ring photon bolt. it's quite a task tokeep the ravening monsters at bayThey move faster and faster as theydash at you and there are also'saucerous guards* nipping about.fi ring at your The one drawback,perhaps, is that the creatures take avery predic table path towards you,but it's still all extemely fast Cou ldhave had more variation to heightenaddoctivity User-defi ned controlkeys. so AGF or Protek paystiolis areusable. pretty good value for moneyand an overall CRASH rating of 78%M C

BRAIN DAMAGEProducer Solversoll, 16K £5.95Morrison & D Anderson

Youae in charge of a tank deepinside a bored and dangerouscomputer which sees your presenceas a bit of tun to enliven its drearylife of computing. Hot on your tailare Electron Panzers. Marauders.Centurions and Rogue Programs.each smarter than the last Th eoNed, quite simply, is to hit one ofthese and promote to the next levelBut it iSh t as easy as it soundS It 'Smeasure of how last the game canbe that even with only one hit toconcentrate on it remains a verydifficult zap game to play O n ly oneblast at a lime but the laser beamricochets (beautifully ) A complexarray of control keys allow for 4-directional movement and turretrotation. Neat, smooth graphics,good sound, joyatick• Kemptson.AGF or Prolek 3 control keyoptions. 3 skill levels, mult iplescrews, pretty addictive one you getthe hang. Overall CRASH rat ing 69%M;C.

CORRIDORS OF RENONProducer: New Generation. 48KC5,95 ( P)A 3D Maze game which demands'Master Code sk ills and numericsequence recognit ion from theptayer Deceptive in that it seemsvery ordinary at fi rst but rapidlybecomes unstoppable Bas ically youmust thread your way through theconcentric c iruc lar maze to fi nd thecentral control room for the evilcomputer of Genon and destroy it.Doors cut the corridors intosegments and connect betweenadjacent corridors. These areopened and shut by the computerand you can open them by punchingin the correct code leach set ofdoors has its own numericsequence) Wit h your ESP at highlevel the screen displays the nextdoor's code_ but there's a nastymonster cailed Bogul chasing youEach time he bogulises you, yourESP goes down and more doorshave blanks which you must workout before the door opens or shutsfor you The ingenious touch lies inthe excellent sound track ot Bogurs

thudding footsteps as he chases upbehind you — turn around and you'llsee him. Neat,solid graphics andunusually playable Curs or keys formovement in comunc t ion with 9keys (used with an overlay) for codebreaking. Joystick: Kampston, AGFor Protek. Overall CRASH rating72%, excellent value for money ifyou enjoy a bit of fi guring. M/C.

CRAZY BALLOONSProducer: A&F, I6K E5. 75A s imple maze made up fromcrosses is only Just big enough to letyour waggling balloon through inplaces Elsewhere you must useprec is ion and t iming to squeezethrough without touching the sidesExtra points for us ing the narrowestpassages. Perhaps too s implis t ic formost, but still not as easy as it fi rstlooks. There is a t ime limit.

CYBERTANKSProducer: Star Dreams. 16K £5.95(1)Here the maze actually representsthe streets and buildings of a city.You're in command of a tank,surrounded by the cyberlanks whichyou must shoot Out of existencebefore they get you You can blastyour way through the maze walls toget at your enemy i f you c lear thelirs t screen the second sheet hasmines lit tered around which destroyany thing that touches them All in allit becomes very repetitive and ourreviewers thought it reasonable butonly average fun to play Thegraphics are quite small, althoughnicely designed and move smoothlyenough — the title card is brilliant.Two sets of control keys, wellplaced. toysticK• Kemston OverallCRASH rat ing 58% WC

DO DOProducer: Biaby, 48A £5.50Not at fi rst s ight a maze game, butthis is one where you make your ownmaze for protec tion from thedreaded Snow Bees which infest theArctic ice wastes where you, the lastliv ing Do Do. fi nd yourself s tranded(beat that for a scenarioe Thisinnovative game from Blaby hascharming graphics and good soundBasically you must shunt the iceblocks around to escape the bees ofcrush them. II you're clever you canelectrocute them against the wallsJoystick; Kempsion. Recommended

EMBASSY ASSAULTProducer;ICL/Soncle,r. I 6 K ( 4 9 5

As the nation's top secret agent yourmiss ion is to acquire top secretcedes from the code room of aforeign embassy. Actually all youhave to do in this dreary game iswend your way through a 30 maze.Lip and down stairs and fi nd theroom, then get Out, all t imed againstthe clock No thrills no spills andvery few frills Each move meanswailing interminably for theCorridors to s lowly build up Ninelevels with the simplest tak ingseconds.

ESCAPEProducer: New Generation. I6K(4,95Perhaps the most beautiful look inggame yet for the Spectrum. Escapepits you against a 3D maze seenfrom s lightly above so the horizontalpathways are obscured by thehedges Somewhere in there is thekey to the exit As you enter amonster shoals in and homes in onyou inexorably. Get the key and hespeeds up. Get out and you're backwith a maze and two monsters Fiv elevels and a 'no win' s ituation I t 'sdepressing! One of the most panickygames we've seen Joys t ick.Kempsolt II Recommended.

ESCAPE-MCPProducer: Rabbit, I6K £5 99The Z80 processor bites back. Yesyour Spectrum has gone berserkand you have been de-atomisedYou must escape through nine levelswhile the MCP homes in on you andtries to destroy you Escape-MCPfeatures a series ot s imple but (asbecomes clear when you play)fi endishly laid out mazes.tepresenting the logic paths of theprocessor You start top left andmust fi rst reach a key and then anexit to the next level S lowly andinexorably the MCP sight homes inon you and the trick is to move alongthe paths in such a way that youleave yourself enough t ime to makethe key and exit. Not at all easyCursor keys and user-defi ned. soalmost any joystick can be used Anaddictively infuriat ing game andexcellent value

ETXProducer.- A b b ox , 1 6 /4 8K £ 5.9 5

In 48K ETX speaks, though mostlywhat he says after the locquaciousintro is 'Ouch,' E T i s s t r a nd e d on

Earth searching for odd bits withwhich to construct a phonehomeThe bits are hidden in numerouswells He's pursued by a madprofessor and a nasty from MIS (or 6or something). Only 'young' Ernie isnice The game is charming to lookat but a lit t le puzzling to play since itseems imposs ible to excape thewretched professor Programcontained on both sides of thecassette Joystick: Kemps ion

FRENZYProducer.' OutcksiNa. 16K £4 95Almost every software house has itsversion of the arcade favourite.'Berserk', which pits you against everobots in a complex of s imple mazes.representing the different rooms ofsome alien HO Lif e in these placesmust be hell because all the walls areelectrifi ed, k illing you and the poorold robots Ouicks ilva's version isvery good of its type. with s imple butsmooth graphics. You lose a life ilyou collide with wall robot orexploding miss ile Av oiding Memissiles can be done by leapingMrougn an exit into another room,but as you do hordes more robotsappear The keyboard positions are

rather odd, direc t ion and fi re beingcontrolled by keys 6-0 which makesIt diffi cult to use a joystick.Moderately addictive but not bad forthe price. •LAST SUNSET FOR LATTICAProducer- A r c ad e , 4 8A £ 5.5 0

Arcade seem to specialise inobscure titles. Lattice is a complexmaze with over 100 locations andthree levels populated wan androids.The walls are electrifi ed so you mustavoid them or lose one of your lourlives. The aim is to discover thelocat ion of a bomb which willdestroy the entire planet when itexplodes. and defuse it. murderingthe androids on your way. Thegraphics are very good and richlycoloured (you're a sort of 'Horace'-like creature) Joys t ickKemps ion/AGF or Protek and cursorkeys Eight direc t ional movementGood value

LORO HARRY & LADY HARRIETProduCer: LOros-Soft. I6K (4.95(1Author' Derek JonesThe tit le indicates that if you want alady hero you can load side 2 insteadof side I for Lord Harry Theinebriated Lord is lost in his friend'sornate garden the morning after thenight before He must wander round.eating mushrooms to keep alive,whils t t ry ing to fi nd the secret exit.T here are four interlinked gardensall lull of puddles and trees inaddit ion to mushrooms The treesbar his way, the puddles lose a life —and to make matters worse there aretwo guard dogs chasing around afterhim, In one of the gardens there is apoisonous mushroom which. it LordHarry eats it, is the end of him unlesshe finds the exit within 99 secondsReasonably well laid Out controlkeys attrac t ive use of colour, butperhaps more aimed at the youngerplayer rather than the arcade freak.Joystick: Kempslon. Good value formoney. overall CRASH rat ing 63%M C

MAZE DEATH RACEProducer: PSS, 48K (495You're in your car, lost in thisendless maze av oiding the hazardslike rock falls, ice, oil slicks and themaniacs in their evil cars. Collec t theflags for points and watch Out forfuel dumps — the thirsty car needsthem frequently Cont ro l is fast andpositive, good graphics andscrolling from screen to screen iseffective A good, fast gameUnfortunately you can't alterbetween the three skill levels onceselected, and the instructions don'ttell you that it's the cursor keyswhich operate. No Joystick Optionbut it will work with AGF or ProtekMachine code. moderately addictive

MAZIACSProducer DX Trontcs, 48K E5 95 (IAuthor. Don PrtestleyThis pure lind-your-way -through-a-maze-a nd-escape game is amongthe best ever from OK. Simple inconcept, its placability lies in Melovely graphics and as speed of playThe aim is to enter the maze anddiscover the gold, which will be atleast 200 moves away Embedded inthe walls are many useful items likeload and swords. Keep yourstrength up by eating and use Meswords against the dreaded Matiacs_T here are prisoners also embeddedin Me maze walls and they will tellyou the shortest route to the gold bymark ing the path in yellow This onlylasts for a few seconds however Th eswords only last for one attack. andwithout one an awful Maziac wiltsurely k ill you off Onc e you'vefound the gold your problems reallystart as you can't cairy both goldand a sword, Salt makes sense to k illas many Maziaes as you can on

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the way in. The playing area showsone fiftieth of the total maze, but theVIEW facility Shows you a twelfthExcellent graphics and animationwith plenty of detail User-defi nedcontrol keys, joystick: Kempstonand cursor joysticks via user-define4 skill levels. randomly generatedmaze each game. CRASH rating•highly recommended, Overall 82%M/C.

PLUSGITProducer: Blaby. 48K £5.50Author. Rob JonesThe hero, Percy, is a little IC chipwho has become unplugged fromhis Socket You must guide burnthrough the maze of circuitry inside'Uncle Clive's' computer and plughim In again. There are two keys tofind which, when used on the correctdoor, will unlock them, but theymust be done in the right order. Themaze is full of resistors, diodes andcapaciters which are chasing Percy,and his energy, which starts at 1200units, runs down very quickly. Toadd to his problems, the wells of themaze are electrified. The onlyweapon is an energy beam whichtires in the direction of movement.Only a small part of the total playingarea is visible on screen. Goodgraphics and smooth compiledmovement. Auto start and cursorcontgrol keys are a slight drawback.CRASH rating • a worthy maze gameif not quite up to Blaby's addictivestandards. Overall 83% CompiledM/C

QUETZALCOATIProducer V,rgm Games, 48K 0 . 9 5(1)Author: Gareth BriggsOuetz is one of four Aztec Godsyou'll meet in this 3D maze whichrepresents the interior of an Aztectemple with lour floors Ouetz is thenicest and provides glass beads foryou to collect and gives you a map ofthe floors when you bump into him.The map disintegrates with use, souse it sparingly. The other gods allpresent different problems toovercome on their particular floorsThe floors are connected by shafts,mostly black and a few blue ones. Ifyou use a black shaft, it destroys thebeads you have collected Thelonger you lake to find a blue shaftthe more black ones will appearShould you find the exit safely, thanthe beads you have found can beused to barter with the natives foryour life I t is a playbale game, withquite good 3D graphics and 6 skilllevels, but not much sense of realdanger Average. CRASH rating 56%M C

RAIDER OF THE CURSED MINEPrOducer: Arcade, 48K £5.50This is only a maze game in a verygeneral sense The game wasrecently upgraded to have 30 levelsto play through. Each level shows across section through a mine withseveral floors visible and three lilts.Your miner (nice animation) must

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walk through the mine, using thelifts, and collect all the diamondslittered about whilst avoiding thespiders, ghost and boulder-throwingtroll When all the gems have beenc ol le ct ed a lamp appears at bottom

left which must be collected beforeprogressing to the next level Not afast game, and at first it doesn't seemaddictive either, but the ease withwhich you progress is matched bythe ease with which you seem to loselives Getting to the 30th levelrewards you with a picture of thesurface Nice graphics and sound,the clever player lines up all his liftsfirst.

ROBBERProducer: Virgin Games. 48K 13.951

Author: Keith MitchellThis is a 3-part game In the firstsection you must cross a room to 2cupboards and collect a doorkeyand a stethoscope. A guard movesabout with a torch and you arecaught if you appear in his beam.There is also a sale key hidden in theroom Getting through this dumpsyou onto a collapsing bridge withspikes beneath The third part is amaze where you must swim underwater. avoiding fish and get Outbefore your oxygen runs out, thencross an invisible maze avoidingman-eating birds, get throughnarrow passages avoiding thebouncing balls, and lastly a mazewhich disappears as soon as you'veseen it Sounds exciting but it isn't.This is a good sketch for a muchbetter game The inlay instructionsare incorrect and the game has atendency to freeze terminally al oddtimes Primitive graphics andunresponsive control don't help.Poor CRASH rating overall 48%.Compiled M/C

ROBONProducer. Softer, I6K .105. 95Ati ihar Andrew BealeThis 'Frenzy/Berserk' game, unlikemost of Solleit's other programs. isnot very good. At the slowest of thenine skill levels it's a bit boring, andat the fastest it's quite meaninglessThe usual format is followed;electrified walls, robots. unkillable'Raboks' which leave explodingmines behind. Four directionalmovement with unanimatedcharacters 100% machine Code,three lives, hi-score, no joystickoption. Oddly the control keys arecursor with nine to fire, so you coulduse AGF or Prolek joysticks for themovement but not for firing

ROBOTICSProducer' Ocean. 16K £5.90The name was changed from'Frenzy' to avoid contusion withOuicksilva's game of the same name.As usual the walls are electrified. Butthe graphics are much better thananyone else*s version, bigger andbetter animated Only the robots'heads are vulnerable, and theirfloating leader is invulnerable You

can only escape him by jumping intoanother Settor The game Speeds upas you clear sectors,And more robotPatrol appear Move and fire ineight directions Joystick:Kempston. Good value

ROBOT PANICProducer Soft Mill, 16KYou're the robot sent into the spaceship hold to kill off the escapednestles. A time limit imposed by thecargo hold walls moving in to crushyou does not give this game enoughImpetus lobe exciting The graphicsare limited and not smooth and thenestles remain static. Five differentsets of creature. Only one tile makesIt irritating as O u must wadethrough the Setting up each time.Low playability. Cursor keys, so youCould use AGF or Protek joysticks.

SPLATProducer: Incentive. 48K 1 : 5 •50 ( 1 )Author tan Andrew & tan MorganPut simply, Spiel is dangerouslyaddictive! The hero. called Zippy.must move round a large maze,eating clumps of grass, invisiblegrass, and plums, whilst avoiding theSpikes, water and the edges of themaze. This would be child's play if itweren't for the fact that the mazescolis all by itself, in any direction itfancies. I tZippy gets trappedbetween a wall of the maze and thewall surrounding the edge, then it'sSPLAT! Escape is on level 7 but witheach level cleared the next becomesmore difficult and the maze scollsfaster. Panic sets in at a moment'snotice. When you get through ascreen the computer yells Out'Yippee!' Simple, effective graphicssmooth movement. user-definedcontrol keys, loystock: Kempston,AG F and Protek. Highlyrecommended, overall CRASHrating 82% M/C

STYXProducer Bug-Byte. 16KYou must move your man throughthree horizontal areas, top, a simplemaze infested with spiders to get to adoor into the middle section, whichis the river full of prahnas, and thento the beach, to pass through thelower area where the dead spiritslurk. If you make it through, the exitis guarded by a shrouded figurewhose touch is death, It's a simpleset up and would not be interesting ifit weren't for the fact that its noteasy The screens are always thesame but with more denizens as yougo along. Keyboard positions aregood, the graphics neat andexcellent eight directionalmovement. No joyStick option.

TOBORProducer: Ellin, 48K I7.95The title frame promises excitement,but the game doesn't deliver. Poorgraphics and movement make youwonder why it needed 48K in the firstplace Basically you must take onsome robots on a simple outlinemaze. Keyboard positions areirritating and there's a poorresponse. No joystick option. Notreally worth the very high price, andcertainly not as much fun as even',lime which they did and handedover to OK Tronics

30 MONSTER CHASEProducer. Romok, 16K £699Author: Dave NoonanThis is a 30 'corridor' type game.The maze Is on three floors and yourmission is to find the missing keysand return them to the start positionThen you must find a bomb anddefuse it before it detonates (againstthe clock) To make the task harderthere are monsters moving about themaze that can be killed by one ofyour limited supply of grenades, Tohelp you the monsters can be menon a radar screen The 30 graphicrepresentation is very good and easyto visualise The keyboard positions

are well thought out and a loystickmay be used. The monsters appearvery suddenly in front of you for asecond before you lose your life —like a scene from Alien! Five skilllevels and an absorbing game. Goodvalue for money.

30 MAZE Or0010Producer: Grisolt. 16K 115.95Author: T GfibertsThis is a maze without monsters orrobots. The maze is seen from eyelevel in 3D blocks, so it's a game oforientation and geography The aimis to wander the maze, collectinggold bars which lie on the floor andget to the level's exit quickly beforethe value of gold you are carryingfalls to zero! This is no easy task, apencil and pad would help. Thereare ten levels of play from 0(impossible) down to 9 (villageidiots) I tried village idiots — andbelieve me, they have lobeuniversity graduates anyway! Tohelp, for levels 4-9 you can select anoverhead plan view whenever youwant which shows you your positionand heading, the exit and positionsof all gold bars left to collect. Itdoesn't show you the walls of themaze — that would be too easyWhen you return to the maze itself adisplay tells you the value of the goldyou have collected (falling all thewhile of course), moves made so farlevel of play and a compass with amoving north For thecontemplative, an excellent gamewith loads of playabilty. Cursor keys,joystick: ACP or Protelt.

TUTANKHAMUNProducer- M t c ro m a ni a , 48K 1 5• 95 1 I )

Author Dominic WoodTut was an Egyptian despot whostored his worldly goods in a largetomb. Your job as archaeologist orgrave robber, is to wander the fivetombs and collect as much treasureas you can You may start at tomb 1oral a later stage if you wish Themaze scrolls left arid right andvertical tunnels wrap around lop tobottom. What makes this gamedifficult is the ferocious speed of thebeasts that inhabit the tombsMonsters include mummies, cobras,Spiders and skulls You are providedwith a continuous Hong laser, but itOnly works horizontally, whichmakes you vulnerable in the verticaltunnels, There is also a smart bomblobe used once per tomb or life, butits effects are very short-livedindeed At the lop is a map of theentire complex. Doors block thetombs from each other. Livelygraphics, speed and good keypositrons all combine to make thisvery playable and addictive OverallCRASH rating 72% M/C amaze/zap game with a different feel

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VOLCANIC PLANETProducer. Thorn EMS, 16K C6.95(1)Author: Nick BurroughsIt is your task to destroy the evil raceof Zerans, who live on a volcanicplanet. To do this yOu must makeyour way through an undergroundcomplex to the depths of the city andplace a bomb on the volcanic plugand then make your escape before itgoes oft. 5 skill levels prov ide a citywith between 3 and 15 fl oors Thescreen only shows a t iny part Of thewhole with a small map of the entirefloor you are on. Floors areconnected by lifts which only trays!between 2 fl oors. The Zerana areequipped iwth blasters and hugecrushing slaves. Dotted about aretool repair kits and spare oxygenbottles, but the Zerans will take themfirst if you're not quick Your armourand life support is eroded by Zeranattack The graphics are very good,especially the wonderful blastereffect and all in all this is anexcellent maze game with plenty ofpotential Lots of control keys.joystick Sinc lair and Kempston O nedrawback — poor sound. Apart fromthat, a very good game. overallCRASH rating 69% M C

THE WARLOCK OF FIRETOPMOUNTAINPrOducer Purim Books, 48K C6.95(1Aut hor N Mottershead & S Braila;Put together by Crystal for Puffi n,this is a s impler and more playableversion of Hall of the Things, andadapted from a successful book.You must enter the labyrinthbeneath the crags of FiretopMountain to get the Warlock'streasure. This is guarded by Orcs.Spiders. Slime Mould and otherhorrors. Your weapons are a swordand a bow. To get to the treasureyou must collect 15 keys Mos t doorsopen and shut at command and themaze scrolls smoothly as you moveAs in HOTT there are a lot of controlkeys — 18 in all, and practice isessential to stay alive G ood look ingmonsters, which home in on you assoon as they spot you. loads ofspeed in the lights, and for the priceyou get a copy of trie book as wellPuffi n have a winner with this oneOverall CRASH rat ing 73%M/C

THE WIZARD'S WARRIORSProducer: Abersolt, 48K (4.95This is a robot/maze game. but acons iderable improvement on the'Berserk' type The complex ishaunted by robots which fi re awayblindly at anything, and which youmust destroy The earlier ones areprety.clumb. but later addit ions gelharder to hit and are better at hit t ingyou, some are even inv is ible (use theradar to spot them) Mac hine codeJoystick: Kempslon. Addic tive andg o o d v a l u e

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GHOST GOBBLINGSince its Introduction Pacman hasprobably been the most enduring ofthe arcade games. For Spectrumsoftware companies it has also beenthe most imitated, with lust aboutevery producer having a go. As aresult there are numerous versionsavailable w ith very l i t t le t odistinguish one from the other, Someol them will be the subject ol a CRASHComparison i n the near future.Meanwhile we list them here verybriefly, only making points wherethere is any point lif you 'see what Imean). For anyone who has never seen• pacman type game Icon there beanyone?' you are presented with asimple maze, often connected left toright by a wrap-around tunnel. thepassageways of which are litteredwith regular dots. Your gobbler mustwend his way round eating up everydot like a good boy before he canprogress to the next level of difficulty.To make life hell there are severalghosts which zoom around trying togobble your gobbler. Four power pillsper level may be eaten which thenallow you Co gobble ghosts for a shortwhile. It's all terribly enthralling and ajoystick can be useful.

EGG FARMProducer Lasersound, 15K C5.50'I'm a real mean chicken.' says thecover in this game where the dotsare eggs and two enraged hens areafter you for eating them. The hens'sadvantage is that they can movediagonally when you can't, so if youdelay one nanosecond after the startyou've had It. However, once you gelthe hang of it the hens are SO easy tooutwit that the game becomesb o rin g a n d s i l ly ,

GHOST HUNTProducer. PSS. 18K t4.95Good, classic version with three skilllevels and clear graphics. A pity,though, that the makers don't tellyou which keys to use either on theinlay or the screen. In fact they arethe cursor keys — not the bestarrangement for fi ngers but usefulbecause you can use a Protek orAGF joyStick.

GHOST'S REVENGEProducer. M o c ro m a nt a ,1 6 1 ( C5.95

Unfairly writ ten Off by a review in awell known magazine, this programrates as one of the most fl exible andplayable of its kind. Large. brightgraphics with the usual features anda smooth action. Only four ghosts,but at the higher skill levels they arefrighteningly intelligent at gett ingyou. 10 skill levels, tunnel, and anunusual feature in the invisble mazemode, which starts off easily enoughwith all the dots out lining the paths,but becomes diffi cult as yO-U eat thedots G ood sound too. and all roundgood value Overall CRASH rat ing724. 100% M /C.

GNASHERProducer 13 & A. 16K ( 4 .9 5Author. Jonathan NixonThe maze in R & R's version iss impler than many but the reward isexceptionally ctear and detailed

graphics with very smoothmovement. Various fruit appear tobe eaten for extra points and thisversion doesn't suffer with v irtuallyinv is ible edible ghosts Power pills,tunnel and increas ingly fast screensVery positive keyboard action,joystick option. Kempston but mostimportant ly user-defi ned keys if youdon't like the cursors. One of thebest gobblers around

GOBBLE A GHOSTProducer. CO S . 1 6 A C 5 . 95

All the usual features with machinecode smooth graphics. No joystickOption

GOBBLEMANProducer A r t , 16K C4.95Another standard version, pitythough that Arec couldn't havemade the ghosts a lit t le s lower aftereating a power pill since it makesthem imposs ible to catch

GULPMANProducer. Campbell Systems. 16KE4.95This is s lightly different in thatthere's only one ghost to chase youbut the more dots you eat, the fasterhe gets Five screens, nine speeds,no pills or tunnels, but prettyaddictive.

HAUNTED HEDGESProducer Mecromega, 161( E6.95Author Derck BrewsterDerek Brewster is NeptuneComputing, but this 3D pacman ismarketed by Mic romega The priceprobably refl ects the fact the 30 in atit le or game sells better than meretwo dimensions I n effect, though,this is very much the ordinary ghostgame with a running fi gure insteadof the usual toothy orange.

HUNGRY HORACEPrOduCer. Psion, rSK C5.95Many critics regard this as thedefi nitive pacman game for theSpectrum, and of course Horace hasbegat a number of sequels on othercategories. Highly attractivegraphics and smoothly animatedmake it a toy to play. There areseveral mazes of increas ingcomplex ity to get through. No powerpills j u s t wits. Highlyrecommended

MAZECHASEProducer. H e ws o n , 1 6K E 4.9 5

Cons idering the quality of mostHewson programmes. this one is acomplete mystery. Put it down tohistory I t 's probably the simplestone available wit h matcnstict4fi gures, white ghosts and some fruitas power pills Four screens, cursorkeys so works with AGF or Protecjoysticks Not very good

MAZE MANProducer: Abersoft, 16A (4.95Abersoft's maze is a bit morecomplex than most and the graphicsare clear and bright.

MONSTER MUNCHERProduce,. O c ea n , 16K C5 .9 0

Ocean's graphics are alwayspleasing, and this version works aswell as any other

MUNCHERProducer. S J I ve r s o ft . 16K t 5.9 5

A good classic version. but the inlaycard is all over the place telling us N

down, when its M and 5 starts anew game when its S in fact thekeys used are quite sensible Nojoystick Option

53

*Oh no, II wasn't the aeroplanes - itwas Beauty killed the Beast.' says theman at the end of the film King Kong.As television Is said to have killedthe cinema. arcade games are said lebe killing off television, but goodideas cross all the barriers, an II a nosurprise to see the famous Ape stillgoing strong in the arcades.

Kong games are perhaps the beetknown 61 the platform games, butthere are quite a few other types, allcharacterised by the need to climbever higher either by lumping orclimbing ladders and usually both. Aswith moil arcade games Joysticks arcusually a help to higher scores.BARMY BURGERSProducer: Blaby, 481( E.5_50Author G CaPeweliSound and graphics are strongpoints of Blaby games and thismaddening sesame seed bun of agame is no exception from itsdelightful tillecard onwards You'represented with four platforms withthe various elements of threehamburgers suspended from them.The task is to walk your chef over theingredients which drops them ievelby level until they make up completeburgers, burger. cheese, lettuce andlop half of the bun in that order Thiswould all be very simple were it notfor the fried egg and two sausageswhich dog your footsteps. A blast ofpepper will hold them up but thereare only five blasts per life. The chefcan move up and down the platformsusing the ladders, but so can thepursuers_ Each screen provides youwith more eggs and sausages tochase. Three lives with points scoredby releasing segments of theingredients or squashing eggs andsausages between the falling burgerbee Addictive. Joystick• AGF orProtek and Kempston.Recommended

BONKERSProducer ProcOM NSA C5•50 1Author David JamesA bunch of five earthlings aretrapped On a space station by loadsof aliens. You must get them safelydown through the floors to liveaatocks at the bottom At first youhave only one monster to contendwith, but as you go along more andmore appear Each lieer ha S amoving 'lift' through which youdescend. The animation and detailare very good and the game gelsextremely difficult Our reviewersthought this was a winner. Cursorkeys or E,S,D,X (which is a sillyarrangement). Joystick; Kempston,Fuller, AGF & Protek 5 fives, wellover 10 screens, good soundCRASH rating: 78% M/C.54

BUGABOO ITN FLEAIProducer: Ouicksilve 48K C6.95(1)Author IndeacompOne of the most colourful andmaddeningly addictive games of thepre-Christmas period, 'Bugaboo'boasts feature film titles and anengaging hero in the flea. Bugaboohas fallen into a deep gorge andmust hop his way Out, by leapingfrom ledge to ledge. The strength ofleap is determined by releasing thekey when the bar indicator at thebottom of the screen reaches thedesired level, As it moves extremelyfast, this is not an easy task. Thegorge is swamped with vegetationwhich gets in the way, and there's anappalling yellow dragon which popsup and eats Bugaboo. 2 keys controlleftlright hops and the cursors scrollthe screen. Excellent, colourfulgraphics with very smoothmovement, good sound and highlyrecommended No joystick optionCRASH rating; addictive qualities90%, Overall 91% M/C.

DIGGER DANProducer: Ocean, 16K E5•90Dogger Dan is armed Only with aspade. He must dig holes in the fourlevels of platforms, using the laddersto gel up and down. Four monsterschase him around, hopefullyupending in the holes, which hepromptly fills in to kill them Thereare safe spots at the end of eachplatform but he can't linger becausethe oxygen's running out An Oxygenbottle appears from time to time butgetting at it can be difficult. If thescreen is cleared it returns with freshand slightly more clever beasts. Onlyone screen and speed, but thegraphics are smooth and nicelyanimated. Dan can jump downthrough the holes too, useful in alight spot. The control key positionsare sensible, but with six of them, abit of a handful. Reasonable valuefor money

GODZILLA & THE MARTIANSProducer: Temptation, I6K E5 95Author Neil StreeterDespite the title this is a Kong game— the only one in 16K for theSpectrum, but sadly it shows. Theanimation is very poor andlimited.the characters are small andthe movemnt is jerky and ill-defined.There is a falling oxygen level for atime limit, but it appears to reachzero and stay there without endingthe game Control keys are badlyplaced with 1/zero for jumpleft/right, 5/8 walk left/right and 7 forup. Another irritation is that there isonly one life and one skill levelJoystick; none CRASH rating: 35%

GOTCHAIProducer: Blaby_ 48K 15.50(1)You're Ernie, an old lag just brokenOut Of prison. In the first screen youmust escape from the prisoncompound, avoiding the guards andtheir torches, get through theopening and closing gates and into alife of crime in the second screenThis is a nightmare of platforms,littered with Hitachi stereos andother valuable goodies to becollected, but the screen is dissectedvertically by 6 gates which ride upand down the screen, all Out of timewith each other. Once committed,

Ernie cannot Stop until he gets to theOther side and climbs up a level.There's also a mean copper on theloose who, If he catches Ernie. sendshim to the bottom of the screen afterbeating him up! Timing is theessence in this very difficult andattractive looking game. Not one forbeginners! Sensible control keys.joystick: Kempston, reasonablysmooth complied machine codeCRASH rating: overall 77%recommended.

HOME RUNNERProducer: Britannia 48K £3.95This Is a lively game with attractivegraphics and is really a variation onthe Jumping Jack theme Here theplatforms are more solid looking andthe holes open and closest random.Unlike Jumping Jack you can usethe hold key to make your man hoverover the holes The various monstersjump down through the holes whichmakes timing an important feature ofthe game. On levet three the GreenGrinner appears, bouncing up anddown, happily oblivious of theplatforms or holes. Britannia is arelatively new company, so it's niceto be able to say that both theirgames (Stopming Stan in thissection is the other) are veryplayable and good value.

JUMPING JACKProducer.' imagine, 16K E5.50Author. Albert BaliAt first sight the extremely simplegraphics might be a disappointment—but this is a classic game Jack'sstick figure is beautifully animated.The platforms are merely thin blacklines. At first there are only twoholes, one moving down level bylevel, and one moving up similarly.Each successful jump createsanother hole, so it gets frustratinglydifficult to progress_ Should Jack falldown a hole he lies stunned, if hefalls through two he's Out for evenlonger. If he falls all the way to thebottom he loses a life, Getting rightto the top results in a line from apoem — you have to collect the restof the lines, but the poem isn't thereal reward in this game — It'splaying the game Subsequent levelsadd more monsters which must beavoided by using the wrap aroundscreen By the time you're dealingwith twenty holes and six monstersit's a nut house_ Ouite simply one ofthe most addictive games aroundand excellent value for money.Joystick: Fuller. Kempston

KILLER KONGProducer Blabr 48K 1:1550This is a very fine version withexcellent graphics and plenty ofscreen variation, The detail is firstclass as well with neat animation,Mario's girlfriend shouting for helpbut rewarding the succesful climbwith big kisses. Features lifts,trampolines, long narrow passagesrequiring expert liming to getthrough, a fairly butch looking Kongand probably the best sound on anyprogram available. Joystick:Kempston or AGF & Protek.Recommended,

KONGProducer Ocean, 48K £590Author: Paul OwensOcean's Kong is a pleasing versiontoo, with chunky graphics startingwith Kong stomping up the screenand thumping the girders intoposition. The animation is good withfast and positive movement_ Here,the objects tend to come tumblingdown the ladders, whereas in theBlaby version the platforms are morebroken up and barrels etc drop offthe ends of the platforms, So its alittle unfair to make lining up theman on the ladders such a criticalbusiness. Features a hammer whichcan knock Out a few barrels.Keyboard positions are okayJoystick: Kempston. Generally goodvalue. but did we detect a tendency

for the barrels to anticipate death?Five screens.

MANIC MINERProducer: Bug-Byte, 48K C5_95This is the best platform gamearound, in fact We probably the bestarcade game for the Spectrum, Fromthe moment the full colour titleblasts Onto the screen accompaniedby what sounds like the massedColdstream Guards band, it 's allwonderful. An amazing demo modetakes you through endless levels towhet the appetite. Control keys aresimple; left/righteump, and it seemsincredible that Bug-Byte managedto pack so much animated detail intoone 48K program You must takeWillie the Miner through the warrensof a long abandoned robot-workedmine beneath Surbiton, collectingkeys at each level in order toproceed to the next Jumping up theplatforms is easy — avoiding theslime, poisonous pansies and manicmining robots is not. Someplatforms collapse when you treadon them, but forward planning let'syou use these on your way backdown to the portal. Excellent qualityae round and top notch value. Highlyrecommended

MONSTERS IN HELLproauceir- Softek 16K E5. 95Author Martin LewisAbove the flickering fires of hell aresix platforms connected by eightladders. Your man has a hammerwith which he can knock holes in theplatforms for monsters to fellthrough, or he can bang them on thehead with it, All the while the powerdrain is enormous — visiting theflickering crosses replenishes it. butthey move once used, so you can'tjust hammer holes and isolateyourself from the monsters Kill off25 of the lesser idiots and thecleverer ghouls appear: ten of thosedespatched and the Mad Monksclones appear. Ghouls must fallthree levels to die, clones four, butthe next lot can Only die in the firesof hell itself. While the graphics areattractive, the lack of screenchanges could make the gameboring to play after a while and it'sreally a no-win game. Nine lives tohelp, machine code, no joystickoption.

MORRIS MEETS THE BIKERSProducer; Automata. 16K E6.00Author S CurtisAutomata aren't noted for bringingOut arcade games, but true to thecompany's mad halter image, Mornsis loopy and original. It's also a verygood arcade game Morris (a car) isshut In a nightmarish Concrete multi-storey car park with several rampsconnected by two creaky lifts Thecar park is lull of hazards like lyreclamps. tin tacks, parking fees andcarbon monoxide fumes_ all of whichmake Morris feel very sick. Worst ofall are the kamikaze bikers of thetitle, who roar around the placeMorris has a weapon — a magichorn You must make him travel thecar park to collect enough coins tobe able to get through the exitbarrier Unpaid-for exits result inSudden death. Should you succeedthere are eight more car parks, eachworse than the Other. A dubiousbonus is the hit single 'Leader of thePecan the reverse side of the tapeby Lady Sinclive and Pimen. User-defined control keys, joystick:Kempston or AGF & Protek via user-defined cursors. A good game withan overall CRASH rating of 74%

PANICProducer Mikrovon, 18K £5.95Panic is a standard digger-fillergame, where you rove several floorsWith your spade trying to clean upthe monsters by digging holes forthem to fall into. A neat touch is tea5you must reach them quickly andbatter them to death or they changecolour and get Out of the hole, which

means you must mash em upthrough two holes before they die.The going gets tougher as youprogress. Not bad and reasonablyaddictive

STOMPING STANProducer. Br rtannra, 48K £595This is a three-part game. whichsaris oft with moving platformsthrough which you must jump upwhen a hole appears above you,avoiding the monsters, some ofwhom are on their way down Whenyou reach the lop platform collectthe lour keys to reach the nextscreen. This is a static mazepopulated by robots who are out toget you the moment you enter.Collect another four keys, whichpromptly takes you a more complexplatform game with bigger monstersand holes that open and close whenyou're not expecting them too. Goodgraphics, positive controls and funto play with a fairly high addictionra t ing J o y s t i c k : Ke rn p st o n

SUPER DIGGERProducer: Abacus, 16K E5.95Author. Andrew BlackburnAs Its name suggests, this is a Panicstyle dig-dug game, where you roamthe platforms with your pick-axe.digging holes for the monsters to fallIn When they do. you dash up andbonk them on the head, killing them.If you fail to reach them in time theygel Out. Ladders connect the variouslevels and as well as going up youCan jump the monsters Ourreviewers thought it was too simple aversion to interest experts,especially as the 5 screens providelittle increase in difficulty and thereare only three monsters to contendwith, but it is attractively ainmatedand probably very good for youngerplayers Corning from Ababcus, itssimplicity is surprising as theirgames are usually fiendishly hard toplay Cursor keys. loystick: AGF orProtek. average sound, but goodvalue with a free game on thereverse CRAS H rating 62% M/C.

CREEPIE-CRAWLIES

There are two types of game whichcome under this heading, both varysimilar in appearance. The first is thesort where you are pitted against acentipede creature which descendsirom the top of the screen by movingleft and right, line by line through aforest ol mushrooms - the other is thesort where you are the centipedecreature, travelling through a fencedgarden, eating snails and whatnotelse, whilst avoiding flowers, lencesetc. Both types tend to be very fast andstores are improved with a joystick.Most versions are very similar — so

a question al personal choiceBOZY BOAProducer, CDS, 16K £5.95AuthorGuide Bogy round the garden,eating snails, beetles and ladybirds,at the same time avoiding the fence,flowers and your own lengtheningbody. Each time you eat a beetleanother segment is added to youand another flower appears Eat allten beetles and you enter anothergarden with a higher fence at ahigher speed Five levels, the fastestbeing quite demented Automaticjoystick selection if connected —Kempslon A nice touch is the tune,'In An English Country Garden,' setoff by bright and reasonably smoothgraphics Probably a limited appealoverall

CATERPILLAProducer Ocean, 16K E.5_ 90Like Duicksilva, Ocean are movingon to better games than tile basic

arcade copies, however, theirstandard crimple has all the usualfeatures and plays perfectly well

CATERPILLARproducer: c DS, len E5,95CDS have produced a pretty classicversion of the centipede game, witha fast moving caterpillar whichreverses direction on contact withscreen edge or mushroom, anirritating spider, an innovativemushroom-laying flea, and apoisonous scorpion which turnsmushrooms red. If the caterpillar hitsa red fungus. a segment drops offlike a bomb The man can moveleft/right and up/down (within toutlines) Cursor keys so Protek, AGFjoystick can be used. Lack of skilllevels results in a limited playingappeal Average value. MachineCode

CENTIPEDEProducer: DJ Trontcs. 16K f4.95This is another pretty standardversion, complete with spider, butfor its price it's probably better valuethan Caterpillar

CENTROPODSProducer': Rabbit, 16K E5 99Author J F CernWith its simple but charminggraphics and machine code speed,Rabbit's Centropods is probably thebest of the lot There's a spider, aflea and a bottom line snail to avoidThe control keys are the mostsensible I've come across — 0 forleft. P for right and 0/P together forup. You sail sedately downautomatically. A fires. Continuoussound effects add to the thrills. Ifyou clear the screen the wretchedcreature gets longer and faster. Noneed for a joystick here, excellentvalue

CREEPY CRAWLERProducer: Mokrogen, 16K E5.95A t S TownsendThis is a very ordinary 'Centipede'game. surprising that anyone wouldbe offering something like thistoday Apart from the creepy itself(and the mushrooms of course)there is only a spider and a simpleflea to worry about The colours arebright and the graphics smooth,sound continuous and the gamevery fast to play. But poor controlkeys (3/4/8/9) and the fact that it's 12months Out of date are against it.A150 the inlay states that there areuser-definable keys — there aren't.Overall CRASH rating (for its speedmostly) 513%. Joystick option:Milirogen.

CYBER RATSProducer: Sitversoft, 16K 15.95Author I HaywardDespite its title this is a centipedegame. Instead of one fragmentingcreature. you are presented withindividual rats which work their waydown from the lop of the screen andthere are even faster purple onesThey hide behind clumps of grass,and once they reach the lower levelsOf the screen you are hard put toavoid them Cursor keys formovement and limited upwardmotion, no instruction on inlay cardfor fi ring (it's 0). but KempstenProtein or AGF joystick optionBecause the game is simpler inlayout than most centipede games. itis also much faster. One or Iwoplayers Average value for money.

GALACTIC WARRIORSProducer Abacus. 78K £5.95 (11AtornOr MN- h t h e l L e e

Difficult to decide whether thisshould be under the Galexianheading or the one we've put itunder, but at the end of the dayGalactic Warriors is more of a'Centipede' game than a 'Gelman'.Your mission is to save Earth bymanning the last missile base. Analien mother ship (can be shot ifyou're quick) spews Out a row ofsmaller attack craft which thendescend the screen in z i gz a gjust like a centipede. Aboutkyourhead the sky is littered with smallasteroids When the train of aliencraft hit one, they reverse direction,and the line is split into segmentswhenver you hit one of their numberThe asteroids can be blasted out ofthe way by your laser — magenta

ones take 2 shots, red Ones Only oneWhen hit, alien craft turn intomagnate debris. As they traverse leftand right, the aliens drop bombs onyou in a continuous shower Apartfrom dodging them, there is a forcefield which is effective againstcontact with aliens end missiles, butblows you up if you use your laser.Excellent 'attract mode', goodkeyboard pesitons, joystick: none.Overall CRASH rating 67% M/C.

•GRIDRUNNERPrOduCer- O u t os o l v e. 1 6K E 6.9 5 qlj

Author Jeff Minter/SalamanderThis is not a I RO N syle grid game asthe title suggests but actually a'Centipede' with 'Grid' pretensions.Looking a bit like a series of blips onan oscilloscope the blue centipededashes left and right down thescreen following the red grid. To theleft of the grid an alien ship firesobiects into the grid which impedethe centipede, causing it to reversedirection. At the base of the grid,another alien craft moves from left toright firing a laser blast upwards.causing the creature to split into thetraditional segments if hit. You'rejust inside the grid, able to movealong the base and upwards for afew lines, Your laser too destroyssegments of the centipede, butwatch our for the laser craft and theside ship, and avoid contact with thecentipede. It's designed lobe lastand addictive, but none of ourreviewers found it very inspiring UPtelt/right and zero to lire. Joystick.AGF or Protein. Small graphics,average sound and an overallCRASH rating Of Only 47% M/C

MEGAPEOEproducer so trek. 16K E5. 95Author Andrew BeoreSoflek's version of the noble creep y-crawlie game is just about as goodas any Here the scorpion tends todrop fleas rather as though theywere bombs, which makes aninteresting variation Machine Code,nice graphics, nine skill levels.Good.

MILLIMONProducer. Artoc, 16K E4 95Author: D Campbell G PorterMPIIIMOn is a 'Centipede' game withthe usual features, a descendingcentipede, darting spider and Snails(Snails). A t t ic h av e c ho se n to place

the status report down the left of thescreen rather than at the top orbottom, which makes the playingarea unusually square The graphics

are average, not at allsmooth and the game isslow and pretty easy to playon the lower levels. 6/7/8/9 andzero make for poor control keys. 3skill levels, 3 lives, 1 or 2 playergames No joystick option. There arebetter versions available, OverallCRASH rating 55% M/C

SLIPPERY $IOProducer:Severson, 16K E5 95Author S GodwinSlippery Sid is a large snake In agarden whose task in life is to eatfrogs. Every time he does so apoisonous toad appears which hecan't eat until having consumed a

magic mushroom. Death occursinstantly if he touches the beck wallsor himself Severson have givenenough elements to this last game tomake it quite addictive Thekeyboard positions, however, are abit daft, but you can use a KempstonJoystick Five skill levels with anextra life for getting to the fourthgarden. Sound could have beenbetter, otherwise good value formoney.

SNAKEProducer: Attic, 16K 9 5Author P BakerSnake is, of course. 'Snake', whereyou guide your pet reptile round thescreen eating the files and avoidingthe walls, poisonous mushroomsand hi s own tall Every time he eats afly his tail grows longer Thegraphics are very lightweight with allthe drawbakcs of BASIC The soundis continuous althoughunimaginative but the game doeshave a nice 'attract mode'. Thecontrol keys are another drawback— 6/7/819. Awkward to use Theyseem as though intended for usewith Sinclair Interface 2, but if so, itdoesn't say so May please youngerkids but there are much betterversions available Overall CRASHrating 45%

SPECTICEDEProducer_ R8R, 16K £5.50A diet of scorpions, fleas, spidersand worms in addition to theubiquitous centipede Three skilllevels and hi score A well roundedversion

SPECTRAPEOEProducer: Protek, 48K E5. 95Now everyone has had their fill ofbasic arcade copies, manycompanies are getting down toproducing better games and Protekhave become noted for theirsimulation games like Airliner. whichI suspect makes them far happier.Their creepie version is prettyrespectable. however. All the usualfeatures like scorpions, worms, fleasand the inevitable multi-leggedmonster itself Three skill levels andhi-score Can. of Course, be playedwith a Protek joystick (and thereforeAGF as well).

Having become led up with decimatingaliens. the arcade copiers turned tomore domestic chores like squashingfrogs under lorries. The gemsrequires you to hop a frog across abusy highway, avoiding certain deathunder the wheels. Sit on a river bankavoiding the odd snake or two and takea chance ol crossing the river on theback at turtles and logs, then leap tothe safety ol a frog home. No one's everexplained why frogs should drown inthe river - still O n the whole thegame provides more interest, baitergraphics and a more addictivity thanmost arcade copies. Joysticks aremore than useful. As with pacmangames and cernipede games there isusually very little between anyversion.

ROGGERProducer.' A&F, 48K £5.75This company always producecharming graphics and their Froggeris no exception, as 48K wouldSuggest. All the standard features

FROGGERProducer. Rabbit, 16K C5.22Rabbit provide a lour lane highwayto cross, a barrier and a river full oflogs and crocodiles. Hera you mayuse the crocs for Jumping on. but ifyou land too near the mouth you willlose a life. Three lives, but you mustget five frogs safely across beforemoving to the next screen for fastertraffic and more crOCS Cursor keysand user-defined, so you can getpractically any joystick to work.Good value

FROGGER/SPECMANProducer: C - Tech, 16K C5.50As this has two games for the priceof one, it should be good value formoney, but it Isn't. Sorry

FROGRUNProducer; Anirog. I 8K 0_95Machine code and attractivegraphics ant good sound Featuressnakes on the bank, logs, turtles,crocodiles and lady frogs to rescuefor extra points At its price, prettygood value

FROGGYProducer.' DJL, I8K £595A highly rated version with very busy3-lane highway, turtles that sinkunder your weight, crocodiles in thehog homes and five lives. There's atime limit too which can be veryCruel. For exra points there's astranded frogii ng to rescue. Fourskill levels and seven speeds.Joystick: Kempston. or AGF andPrates on the cursor keys.Recommended_

JOGGERProducer: Severn. 48K. £4.95Unfortunately, none of our reviewershave seen this game yet, so we'll tryand catch up with the joggersanother time.

LEAPFROGProducer: CDS, I6K £5.95This is a standard version whichoffers the usual 'wizards but adds aSnake on the bank it you linger toolong, and dragonflies in the froghomes for extra points. Attractivegraphics but it's a bore waiting lotthat damned tune between eachgame. Uses cursor keys. so Protekand AGF joystick interlaces may beused

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ROAO FROGProducer Ocean, 16K E5_90Ocean's version doesn't have turtles(probably went on strike) but someof the logs sink, and there are snakeson the bank. Si* frogs to get safetyhome for a second screen and thetraffic moving faster. Unlike someversions you can Only go forward.No joystick option

ROAD TOADProducer OK Tronics, 18K £4.95Marketed by DK and made by Elfin.Road Toad is a frogger by any othername. The graphics are okay but thehazards aren't that keen, and thesound is poor. There are better andmore addictive versions available,

YOMPProducer: Virgin Games, I 6K L5.25Author: Terry Murray/Roy PooleIn the main, Virgin's first batch ofgames were pretty poor and madlyoverpriced (E7.95). Now they'vebrought the price down, but franklythis still isn't good value. You aresupposed to 'yomp' your Pares overthe highway and then get themthrougha minefield. There's nodisguising si the fact that this is afrogger game with 'mined-ourpretensions. The basic programmemakes controlling movement verydifficult and the way the trafficmoves along the highway makes italmost unpleyable. Only onemoment in the repealing cycle canget your men through safely In theminefield movement sensors meansudden death through mistakes, butI wonder how many people will evenbother getting there? Four skilllevels, no joystick option.

GRID RUNNERS

Ever since the Movie TRON, gridgames have bean popular, almost acull because they exemplify thecomputer game - simplicity, highspeed. action on a strict grid asdefined by the computer.BLIND ALLLYProducer:Sunshine Books, 161£4.96Author: Simon LaneBlind Alley is what passed for sportin the year 3017, you are told on theinlay. In fact the game looksconfusing at first, but that's becauseit is fast and there's no time to think.This really is a game where thosewith quick and sure instincts winYou must steer your ship round thegrid in such a way that you block offother ships, forcing them into a blindalley where they are forced againstyour trail, their own trails, or theedge of the screen_ Of course itusually happens the other wayround Y o u start off against twoships, then four, then 6 and so on i tgets very hardt Workd withkempston joystick Avoid hottingreverse of the direction in whichyou're travelling — it's instant deathRecommended

CRUISING ON BROAD WAYProducer: Sunshine Books, 16KE4.95Author: Jeff NaylorThe graphics don't portray thefamous streets around Times Squarein New York as the title suggests.they could be any streets that thegod represents You're in your carwhen a cop pulls in behind, youdecide to make a getaway I f hecatches you then the game stilesfrom scratch You score points bythe length of line travelled beforecapture. Your only weapon is thefacility to create a temporary blockin the road and hold up the copClear the frame and more chasersjoin in or you get a more complexgrid to traverse A simple, effective

and highly addictive no win game.Joysfick: kempston (and Softlink II).

GRIORUNProducer.' Arcade, 48K £5.50Robot security picks up your trailjust when you thought you had giventhem the slip (trust robots lobebloody minded) Now they'recatching up with you a n d no one'sever survived the grid before.Actually the grid resembles a pacman type maze in this fast game.You drive around the rectangular,concentric rings, switching lanes atthe compass point junctions, Drivingin the opposite direction is the robotsecurity car Never the twain shouldmeet, You need good reactions, butit might have been a more skilfulgame if there were more crossoverPoints No joystick option.

GRIDRUNNERProducer: Quicksilva, 16K D5.95(1)More of an electronic grid meetscentipede than a true grid game. Seemain review section.

LIGHT CYCLEProducer.' PSS, 16K C5.95Light Cycle is similar in concept toBlind Alley where you fight it Out onthe grid with an opponent. In thiscase only two trails however, eitheragainst the computer or a secondplayer. The graphics are simpler butmore effective, representing thelaser light trails left behind yourCraft, Seven speed levels, no joystickoption. A very fast game to play forhours

TRANSVERSIONProducer: Ocean, 16K C5.90(1)Author: C Urquhart & N Poe:pointUndoubtedly Ocean's best and mostaddictive game to date. It combinessimplicity of idea with speed andkiller frustration You are captain ofthe Filmes. Your task, to clear thegalactic grid of alien spawn. There'sno shooting since the ar r as simplydestroys the spawn by moving overit. But there are 4 alien ships situatedon each edge of the grid firing atyou. Each one, operating and firingindependently, moves along itsedge, homing in on you, and aims itsmissiles along a lino of the grid. Youcan be facing up to four missiles atone time and it's death to remainstationery, or operate on a singleline, for more than a second_ Witheach screen cleared you are lacedwith a different and more difficultarrangement of spawn to clearThere is also a 'between framescreen' of spiral shaped spawn forbonus points. Only one life sofrustration levels can be dangerous.Excellent packaging, well usedsound, very smooth graphics andgood control keys. Joystick:Kompston,AGF and Protek, CRASHrating: Highly recommended, Overall83% MJC.

PAINTERS

Another ol the earlier arcade typegame: which proved popular wasPainter. and the idea has spawnedmany versions. several of which areavailable for the Spectrum. Theprinciple behind a painter game is tomake your character traverse a mazeor grid, colouring the structure as hegoes. Inevitably there Is some nastyinfluence at work which tries toprevent this harmless activity

COLOUR CLASHProducer. Romlic, 16a L7.22Author' I Morrison/0 AndersonColour clash contains four phases ina paint-the-squares game whichdemands strategy as well as skill. inphase one you fill the numerous

squares by *painting' round teem,and if you succeed, you have achance to eat the pursuing paintpots pacman style Phase two Is abonus points section where youmust press the lire button at the rightmoment to guide it to the flashingarrow. Stage three is the same asstage one only you are forced topaint each square one at a timerather than dodging along any lineThe fourth and most demanding, hasyou attempting to surround the paintpots. Three keyboard layouts,joystick; Kempston or Sinclair_Three skill levels, excellent graphicsand good value for money. •

HIGH RISE HARRYProducer, Biaby. 48K C5.50One of the most °hyena' paintergames. Harry must rustproof loadsand loads of girders but he's beingchased by the rustbugs As In aKong-type game. Harry's only wayof avoiding the bugs is to lump overthem, but he must paint every inch ofthe border before he can paintanother on the same screen. MeantThree screens including slides andlifts. Uses cursor keys, joystick;Kempston, AGF or Protek Highlyaddictive and good value.

OH MUMMYproducer: Gem Software, 16K E4.95fYou are in charge of a party ofarchaeologists exploring Egyptiantombs. Each tomb has 5 levels, andon each you will find treasurehouses, a scroll, a key, a mummy ofthe royal larmly. and two guardiansAs soon as you enter a tomb, one ofthe guardians will be awakened andstart chasing you. The Other remainsdormant unless you are unluckyenough to uncover it. You may onlyexit a tomb once the key has beenuncovered, and you can kill oft aguardian Only after the scroll hasbeen found. This may not sound likea 'painter' but in realtiy ii is. Thetomb is divided into squares withpathways between them As you zipalong a trail of dots shows yourroute and when ail four sides of asquare have been uncovered thecontents of the square are revealed.It seems quite easy at first but athigher speeds and skill levels itbecomes more addictive as theguardians become more intelligent.Excellent user-defined keys.joystick: AGF or Protek via cursors,good colour and graphics, 15skill/speed levels. overall CRASHrating 69% — more fun thanaddictive perhaps, WC.

PAINTERproducer: AtiF, 48K C5.75A classic version, simple, beautifulgraphics, good sound and utterlyaddictive You must aerosol thespaces between the paint pots anddaffy paint rollers chase you round,chuckling gleefully when they catchyou and roll you flat. You start offagainst one roller, then two, threeand so on. While it's not difficult tobegin with, it gets pretty fast whenthere are several rollers up againstyou. Good keyboard positions, nojoystick option.

T R WProducer: Quicksilva, 48K C8.95(1)Author Jeff MinteriSalamanderProducer by Salamander for0 uicksilva, Traxx is basically a'painter' game with an ingereousdifference. You have a grid of boxes.30 in all, and the base of the bottomcentre box Is already painted purpleYou're a little green cursor, and asyou move onto unpainted track itturns purple behind you. The objectis to paint all the track, but thedifference is that the paint is elastic— it won't stretch further than 3sides of a box, so each box must becompleted before moving onto thenext. There's a chaser, of course. asmany as 9 depending on the Baia

1

level, and 9 play ing speeds. Sens iblecontrol keys. joyetick: Prot . It orAGF Mix ed views with the maincrit ic ism being that a was diffi cult tocontrol in a s illy rather than exc it ingway, it being too easy to overshoot aturning. If you do so the elastic paintzips back and you have to startagain Fair value for money. CRASHrating 61% M/C

TREKKIESFrom the earlier days Star Trek hasspawned a number of c o mpu t e rversions, all basically alike. Theyusually have several skill levels andwork on option menus which allowyou to use Warp Engines. ImpulseEngines. Phasers. Photon Torpedoes;view the short or long range scan,galaxy map or the immediate sector.Status reports show weaponry left.power. damage etc. Some give you abele plan view, others a cockpit viewwith a more arcade element as you aimyour phasers at the darting enemy.The enemy is usually the KlingonEmpire. though there may be someRomulans around. All the game: havestar bases tar docking and repair. Thehigher the skill level the more enemyships and bases there are. and the lessFederation star bases. Among thebetter programs, it's very much amatter ol personal choice_ Here we listthe leatures at each briefly.

STARFIREProducer: Virgin, 48K £5 . 5Author M C DavisVirgin always have good, c learInstructions, and this was one of thebetter fi rst issue games. Features:Galactic war report, detailingmission, aliens left, starbases andetardates left: Computer call — mainmenu; Long range scan, well laid Outwith the eight adjacent sectorsshown. N av i ga t io n , menu for moving

from sector to sector. Battlestations.arcade style viewscreen with four-direc tional movement and fi re atvisible enemy Doc k ing with astarbase is tricky, and there are alsotime portals in space as well asasteroid storms to contend with O nbalance a reasonable game with tenSkill levels

STARSHIP ENTERPRISEProducer: Silversott, 48K £5.95This comes with a good ins truc t ionmanual. Two players can alwaysplay a star trek game. one reading,the other punching buttons. Thegalaxy map shows the 64 quadrants(8 x 8), each quadrant is sub-div idedinto 64 !lectors. Commands are:Navigate which provides 2 grids, onefor navigating within the sectors of aquadrant. the other for moving to anew quadrant: Short range scan,shows the contents of the quadrantin which the Enterprise sits: longrange scan shows the eight adjacentquadrants: Phasors. switches you toarcade style view screen with four-directional movement and fi re at thevisible aliens: Torpedoes, allows youto engage the enemy from adistance. avoiding their weapons:Damage report, speaks for itself:

Shields. allows you 10 set the level ofdefence. Computer offers you theMain menu and also controls thestatus report, galaxy map, damagerepairs and auto docking. The actionis fast and furious if you move into asector or quadrant occupied by theenemy. and it's diffi cult to break intoyour command computer if It'sfi ghting, so have everything readybefore engaging the enemy. Goodvalue for money. Kempston joystickopt ion for arcade sequences.

STAR TREKProducer: Neptune, 48K C5_50Author: Derek Brewster This versionoffers good value for money sincethe tape also contains MUNCHMAN,which happens to be a very goodpac man version indeed Neptune'sStar Trek offers all the options aslis ted in the above review, the majordifference being that it has battleplan views rather than arcade stylefi ghts with the aliens I n us ing theweaponry, you must enter thedirec t ion of attack (0 degrees to 360degrees), and its strength. then sitback with bated breath as the phaseror missile trail moves across thescreen towards the enemy. Instantaction is required on engaging theKlingon rotters as they fi re theinstant you are spotted. Excellentgraphics make this an engagingversion to play at speeds whichcertainly require more than oneCaptain Kirk per game

STAR TREKProducer. i m p ac t , 1 6K £ 5.0 0

Anyone think ing to themselves thathere is a 16K vers ion jolly good,should keep well away. I 'm afraidthis program isn't even good enoughfor the 2X81 f rom which it must haveoriginated. Apart from the fact that itfi nishes loading with an OK reportand nothing else. no instructions, nosuggestion of skill levels (thoughthere are supposed to be levels) nota thing to help; you then have to listthe BASIC and tell it to run! Thereare no graphics beyond words andfi gures. This is totally unplayableand not acceptable by today'sstandards.

STAR TREKProducer: ReiR Software, 481< £5.50This is a very playable version eventhough it pre-dates quite a few of theothers. There is the familiar galaxymap with as 64 sectors, one of whichis always displayed at the top of thescreen, showing in graphic form theEnterprise. Kingon ships, Starbasesand stars present. You are told thesector you are in. energy level,shield level, torpedoes left, thestardate, Klingons left and the statuscondit ion. Command optionsInclude manoeuvring, shields.phasers. photon torps, scan, galacticmap and computer. The computer.when selected, allows you tonavigate, use hyper-drive. use smartbomb, send out a probe, sell-destruct and check status. Inadditon to the fi endish KlingelleRomulan vessels with inv is ibilityc loaks may attack you. Good valuefor money although the graphicscould have been more colourful

ZX TREKProducer: Impact, 48K 1:6•50After s lating their earlier attempt. itwould be nice to say somethinggood about this version team thesame company, but I'm afraid not.One reviewer points out that as it iswrit ten in BASIC it makes the gameslow. Well Starship Enterprise iswrit ten in basic and that is prettyfast. Here the keyboard response iss low and erratic, there is optionalsound, but sound slows it downfurther still, and the graphics ares imply not good enough. It is alsohighly priced. Software producersshould do themselves the favour ofdeleting Out of date games like INSone and spend some time produc ingbetter material.

ARCADEMISCELLANEOUS-

AN 010011MSProducer: Imagine, 16K 05.50Author: 0 H LawsonDon't be fooled by the title — this isno game for cissiesi When it fi rstappeared it had all the reviewers liedin confused knots. You are a teddybear, shut in the toy box with theother toys for the night, but yourbaby's c ry ing so you must get Outand go and comfort him. The onlyway Out is by us ing all the colouredbuilding bricks and assembling themcorrectly, whils t avoiding all thenasty toys who want to stop you.When you escape the box yourealise it is ins ide another. biggerbox, and that one's ins ide another.and so on W h a t confusedeveryone at the time was the methodused to assemble the bricks, andImagine's cassette inlay Is of nohelp, nor are the game's ins tructionson screen: this is the Outline idea —pick up the brick and take to top ofscreen s lightly tO right of correctcolour block, then drop it. The brickshould s lide into place as if bymagic. Cons idering the packedscreen, the graphics are excellent.Confus ion of keys. but this isn't anarcade speed game Watc h Out forc lockwork soldiers, play people andthe aggressive train — and thebaby's cry ing — there, there, there

ANGLERProduc er Virgin Genies. 481< 1:5,95A u t ho r Dirk Oliv ierA quiet day on the river fi shingsounds like a load of fun, but thisgame manages to be about as

'thrilling as a real day on the riverlishingi Beneath your boat pass 18layers of various fish With eachgame you're given 100 casts of theime to hook as many as you can.Some fish are fine to catch, somecan be quite dangerous, and caughtcrabs eat away your catch. There arelive levels of play which determinehow close to your hook a fish mustbe to gel caught. The language isBASIC, so are the graphics and theidea. May be okay for Very youngchildren, but there's nothing here forthe serious player Makes youwonder why 48K ol memory wasrequired Virtually nil addictivenassand an overall CRASH rat ing of 39%

AQUAPLANEProducer: Ouicksilva, £ 5 . 9 5Author. John HollisMany of the games in this section.almost by defi nition, are quiteoriginal and Aquaplane is one ofthem. I fs a nice day and you fancy aspot of water Miring. After a momentyou're suddenly surrounded byrocks, but they're fairly easy to getthrough. Following on though. thewater's instantly full of row boats.and if you get through again the so-called G and T rich-k ids arrive,incompetently fl apping their yachtsall over the place. Should yousurvive the hee-haws, there's thesharks S k i i e r and boat are seen inprofi le; controls (up/down/thrus t)move both boat and skiler, but notstrictly in relat ion to each other, likethe real think, the akilerInconveniently follows a s lightlydifferent path to the boat, Thismakes it diffi cult to get both safelythrough the gaps. It's a veryenjoyable game to play, but thelasting appeal is s light A clevertouch is that the border colours areSplit horizontally to match exactlythe colour of sea and sky in thegame. thus giv ing the impressionthat the entire tv Screen is in use. TryIt fi rst and buy if you like it.

BAR RELOROPProducer: Games Machine, 481<£5.95 (1)Aut hor Russell Vincent

Starring Gordon andFlash, Barre idrop is agames compendium Gordonsuffers from blockeddrainpipes—at least his house doesHe cures this affl iction by thecurious method of rolling largebarrels down the s loping roof andletting them fall through the blockedpipes. He only has five barrels andit's important they tall exactly downthe centre of each pipe. It they don'the loses the barrel for goodFortunately his faithful dog Flash Ison hand sometimes and if called intime, the dog will recover the barreland return it for another go. 'Clearingall five pipes successfully results inanother screen which may beanything from a riddle to guess to anarcade shoot em up sequence. I tsquite an original idea, in whichnothing is too diffi cult, and yetthere's so much that it becomes verydiffi cult to get through. Playable andfun, good value, no joystick options.Overall CRASH rat ing 65% WC.

CHOPPER RESCUEProducer; Blaby, 48K £5.50A ut hor G Capewe/1The game starts with a helicopterdashing in to rescue the tit le from adreadful spelling error, CHOPPERFt ISCUE it says, but the choppercomes back to insert art E andremove the I A s is their want,scientists are being entombed byradioactive waste dropped fromoverfl ying planes. You must rescuethem in your (nicely animated)helicopter by shooting away thewaste and mak ing tunnels in it toreach them. Each one must bereturned to the safety of the !Wipedbefore getting the next. The guntires in the direction of travel andthere's not much time. It you get hitby the falling waste you're deadThis is a very fast game, almostImpossible with the cursor keys. anddiffi cult enough with a KempstonAGF or Protek loystick. Addic t iveand good value Recommended.

COOKIEProducer: Ultimate. 16K I:5.50Also available in ROM cartridge format E14.95. Ultimate's graphics arefamous. in Cook ie you are Charliethe Chef, with mix ing bowl belowand dustbins to the side. On the rightis the pantry containing theingredients which must be got intothe bowl. Unfortunately , theIngredients are pretty wild andthey 're accompanied by assortedobjects that shouldn't be in thepantry and would upset the Minis tryof Health of licials if they knew aboutthem. Us ing fl our bombs tomomentarily stun, you must knockthe ingredients into the mix ing bowl,and the rollers into the bin. Shouldyou get at h e wrong way round youlose points, t ime energy andeverything. Each screen providesdifferent and more diffi cultingredients. Another game thatneeds a joystick. Kemptsten orProtek. Hi-score, one or ONO playergames, 8-direc t ional movement andthe smoothest of graphics around.Addic tive and highly recommended.

CYBERTANKSProducer: Star Dreams, le g I:5.50A complex maze of green blocks isthe home of the enemy cybertanksTake your tank round and shoot 'em

57

up You can blast away the blocks toget at them, but they are fast, Threelives, hall of fame. joystick.Kempston AGF or Protek. Nicegraphics arid playable, but perhapsnot very addictive.

GUMBOSProducer.. Workforce. 15K 0 . 50 (1)This is an original type of creepiecrawlie game but it is not a'centipede' game. There arebasically two screens. In the fi rst ourhero, Tarant Tula, fi nds himself inthe Grubbers ' Lair. There's a trap-door leading to the next screenwhich Only opens after repeatedhammerings of Tarant Tula's headThere's also a pile of honey for thebugs to eat. but Tarant (to use hislus t name) must take a mouthful ofthe honey between each attempt onthe door. The Grubbers. lit t le roundthings, wander about and when theymeet a green, squirmyBubbergrubber is formed These eathoney too, and should two of thornmeet a Red Backed Grubber resultsThese are the ones that k ill off oldTarant it they catch him. Aim is toget through the trap door before anyamount of Red Backs are bredTarant can, however, eat theGrubbers and Bubbergrubbers .Once through and Tarant Ispresented with a s imple mazeguarded by three Red Backs. It heshould get through safely he arrivesin another lair where the bugs breedfaster. Neat graphics and a prettymaddeningly addictive game to playOnly one life makes tor terminalfrus tratay, o n n e a ri n g a i,-s c or e .

Cont inuous movement makesT Brant Tula a bit diffi cult to controlalthough the control keys are

58

sensibly placed. No joystick Option.Overall CRASH rating 67% M/C.

EXTERMINATORProducer • Silversolt. 18K 0.95 (1)Author. 1 Morris On 0 AndersonThis is a very good 'Berserk ' typegame in which you are pitted againstseven types of robot with vary ingcharacteris tics and one thing incommon—they 're Out to get you'Level promot ion occursautomatically on reaching therequired number of points. A novelfeature is the prov is ion of two sets ofcontrol,keys which allow either 8-direc t ional movement or rotationalmovement, both with direc t ional fi reStrategy demands that you shoot upthe more dangerous types of robotsfi rst to stay alive for longer Sens iblekeyboard positions, joystick:Kempston. AGF and Protek. Goodvalue for money, overall CRASHrating 83% M/C

GOLD DIGGERProducer Blaby, 48K £4.95It's all underground arid you'retunnelling mines look ing for Me goldnuggets. Purple gnuggets gnashersare hot on your trail, however, so it isImportant to dig s trategically roundthe red rocks so you can dis lodgethem to block off the tunnels or evendrop thorn down and squash thegnashers. Nine speed levels.Joystick: AGF or Protek, kemps ion.Cursor keys. Not as addictive asmost other Blaby games, but a goodbeginner's game anyway

GOLD MINEProducer: DK Tronlcs, 16t( £4.95They $ay this is a strategy game, butthat's hardly true You do need somestrategy to go for the gold in thequickest way. but it's not the mainingredient. Use the lift to go up ordown from the surface and then dig

towards the gold sites, Noteverything that glit ters is goldthough. Tunnels can collapse andthere are underground streams.Energy runs Out last underground,especially if you are carry ing gold I naddit ion, the lift may collapse if youare carry ing too much weight.Replenish energy by returning to thesurface and depos it ing gold in thebank. In any event, a rather s lowgame with.linuted appeal, tautprobably good value for youngerChildren

GOLD RUSHProducer: THORN EMI. 18K 105.95(11Author: Manta HarrisThe gold mines of Oron arebottomless caverns where goldnuggets ram down from the rootThe ()roman miners place girdersacross the caverns to catch thenuggets and direct them intobuckets. Life would be pleasant wereit not for the skulls that fl oat abouteating Oronians and mov ing thegirders around—and of course thefalling nuggets can be very painful toan unprotec ted Oronian head! Thescreen is split Into three equalsegments, a safe home to the right towhich an Oronian cannot return, astore for the girders to be used onthe left, and in the centre the cavernItself Direc t ional keys move theOronian about and the fi ring keypositions the girder. Nuggets mayroll to the left or the right whenhit t ing a girder. so some strategy isrequired to keep the structurework ing to your advantage. Pointsare scored for a nugget hit t ing agirder, and more for getting one intoa bucket at the base of the screen. Atthe higher skill levels the skulls willeat the nuggets as they fallUnfortunately , there's no sound, butthe graphics are smooth andcolourful, an unusual and medium

addictive game, two keyboardposiitons. Overall CRASH rat ing63% INC.

GRAND PRIX DRIVERProducer: Britannia. 48K 15.95(1)Author: Chris WeberAlong with Thorn EMrs Road Racerand OK Tronics ' Speed Duel, acontender for the 30 Spectrum 'PolePole Position game The effect ofthe road winding about and themov ing landscape in thebackground is quite good in thisversion, and the hollow graphics ofthe racing cars also works quite well,but the main drawback is that yourcar is quite hard to control. Whenovertaking, an indicator at thebottom tells you which way the carto be overtaken will veer, but to getpast safety it is essential to comealmost to a halt i f you manage topass the 30 cars on the track then alittle man appears and wavers a fl agto tell you that you've won Good, ifoverlong, explos ions on crashingGeneral feeling was that this gamecan become repetitive quite quickly.Good keyboard positions. joystick:Kempston and Sinc lair (Interface 2)Fair to average, overall CRASHrating 55%. Compiled W C

GROUND FORCE ZEROPloducer. TJtan, 16K E5 00At fi rst glance it looks like a s implegame, but in fact it is quite hardVery s imilar to Romik 's 'SpectraSmash', which has more optionsthan this version. Your plane keepscrossing the towering skyscrapers ofNew York, look ing for a place toland There isn't anywhere, so with agenoc idal brainwave you decide tobomb the city flat to make a landingStrip. With each pass over the cityyour plane gets lower, so it'sessential to knock Out the biggesttowers before they knock you Out

WILD WEST HEROBy THE SILICON KID

Dealers ring Paul Holmes041-956 5058

The GameBeing alone in the West was never particularly sate, even at the best of times, so whenthe Wild West Hero took up the challenge of ridding the rockles of bandits he found afew slight problems, Being outnumbered sixty to one can be irritating especiallywhen some annoying person has planted 'Killer Cacti', 'Treacherous Trees' or someother lethal objects around the battle area. Combined with the fact that the killing ofone gang simply brings yet another bigger, nastier and faster gang of bandits madelife, well, somewhat awkward, but then again he was 'The Wild West Hero'.

Only £5.90 inc VAT p&pWild West Hero uses full colour graphics, ht-res, smooth movement, dramaticsound effects, 100c/D machine code, high score, two play option, compatible withKempston or Downsway joystick interface.All Timescape products are guaranteedfor life, if our software everfalls to load returnthe cassette for an instant replacement.All orders despatched within 24 hours of receipt of order.

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SOFTWARE-VIRGDIIA GARDENS, FAIRWAYS, WIIINGAVIE, GLASGOWG62 6LG

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Several skill levels with tallerbuildings. Simple to play with only abomb control. Despite its simplicity,reasonably addictive.

GUN LAWPrOducer: Vortex, 16K E5,95In real life the famous James Gangwere reputed to be lousy shots.unable to hit a man six feet fromthem when all five tried to gun himdown. However. Vortex have put thewhole thing right with this well madeprogramme where. as Marshall, youcan stalk them down the dustystreets of town, firing at figures asthey appear in doorways andwindows. Your reflexes must be fastas you won't get a second chancetram these baddies Bullets arerestricted, soil 's important not toshoot innocent people. Despatchinga baddie earns you dollars Thegraphics are generally good,although the gunsight could havebeen better. Reasonably interestingand indecently addictive.

JAWS REVENGEProducer. Workforce, 16K /5.95This is a game for hungry peopleYou're a shark on a jaws-agape-feeding-frenzy. Fish. swimmers(moving at Olympic speeds) andboatmen all go down your throat,Some fish have a habit of turning redand poisonous, so don't eat those,and the fishermen in their boatsthrow harpoons or drop depthcharges to stun you. You can catchthe depth charges and defuse thembefore they reach the sea bed. Andthe sea bed itself isn't flat so don'trun into it. It's a sort ot Penetratormeets Galaxians under water Anamusing game with good graphics.No joystick Option.

JAWZProducer DK Tronics, 16K E4.95On the same theme, Jawz is theother way round. You must use yourunderwater gun sights to shoot upthe rnaruding sharks. whilst avoidingthe gunge dropping from poisonousjelly fish on the surface. The gamewas Originally made by Elfin — it'sbeing marketed by DK Ironiesprobably hasn't made all that muchdifference because unfortunately ithas a very limited appeal for seriousarcade addicts. Good for youngerChildren,

JUNGLE FEVERProducer: A&F, 16K E6.90Get your man to jump over the trapsdug by Pigmies and then swingacross a pit using a rope tied to atree. What comes alter that is hard tosay because this game with itseffective graphics is not easy Thedamned rope got me every time.Good fun to play and reasonablyaddictive but perhaps a littleoverpriced No joystick option.

JUNGLE TROUBLEProducer Martech, 16K E6.95A game with a similar theme toJungle Fever, Collect an axe andleap across stepping stones set in aCrocodile infested river. On the otherside you climb a ladder to get to thetrees, which you must chop down.Tne trees will fall on you (il you'renot quick to jump Out of the way)and they blunt the axe — so back foranother Monkeys live in the treesand steal your axe but you can chopthem with it — if it's not alreadyblunt. If they steal it — it's back foranother. With the forest laid waste allyou have to do is swing across a firepit using a rope, jump a chasm andthen home for lea A busy game withplenty of opportunities for failureand so pretty ;addictive.

KNOT IN 30Producer, New Generation, 48KE5.95Extremely hard to see how thisextraordinary game works at first. Itcould really be thought of as a grid

game or a Oozy boa game but withyou as the snake actually in thescreen but in a 3 dimensional space.Confused? Well you will be Steeryourself through the white voidavoiding your own brightly colouredtrail and that of the chasers, twistingand turning to find space to move inbefore it all gets filled up. Usescursor keys so AGF or Protekioystick would help. Tremendousvalue tor money, and addictive too,

LUNA CRABSProducer. Micromega, 16K E15.95 (1)Author: Mervyn EscourtYou must know the feeling—thereyou are, on a Saturnian moon, awayfrom the safety of your explorer'sship, taking samples of moon rocks.when suddenly there are all thesenasty red crabs surrounding you endgobbing green spit all over the placeFortunately, you have your guidedmissile cannon. Descriptive 3Dgraphics are effective in this simpleshoot-back-al-em game, as youwhirl and turn to avoid the green gooand to aim at the fiendish crabs.Good animation and colourfulgraphics, but in the end a game withlimited playng appeal Sensiblecontrol keys, no joystick option andonly one skill level. Overall CRASHrating 82% M/C.

LUNAR JET MANProducer: Ultimata, 48K E5.50 (1)The follow-up to 'Jetpac' is, asexpected, a fabulous game. If it has adrawback its that it is too difficult toplay, but as is usual with this sort ofgame, experts can gel a long wayand prove that you can score? Afterfailing to construct his space shop in'Jetpac' properly. Jelman hascrashed on the moon with only aMoonglider for company, plus aclutch of assorted and unexplainedequipment, alien missile bases andhordes of horrible alien creaturesHalf the fun of the game isdiscovering whatmakes what tick,since Jetman can pick up oblectsand transport them himself. or dropthem on the Moonglider fortransport. He can get inside as well.where he's safe from the aliens, anddrive the Moonglider along. But IIwon't cross holes in the ground.These must befitted with bridgingunits carried on the side of theveeicle. Whenever an alien hitsJetman, it creates another crater,The basic aim of the game is todestroy the alien bases—but thistask certainly must rank among themost heroically difficult of all time!Superb graphics and sound(improved with talking aliens if youhave a Currah Microspeech unitattached), a lot of well planned keyswhich make the joystick options(Kempston. AGF, Protek) a bitredundant. One or two playergames_ Overall CRASH rating95%—highly recommended. M/C.

MINED-OUTProducer: Ouicksolva, 48K E4.95Author Ian AndrewForget the inlay card, which wasprobably written by a stonedOuicksilva Copy writer, and play thegamel You are presented with ablank field, densely sown with minesand you must get to the other sidewithout blowing up. Take a step at atime and watch the warning whichtells you whether there is a mine inen adjacent square — is it left, rightor ahead? What happens when thereare two or even three mines? Thetension mounts and clever, logicalthinking is your only safeguard.Level two offers maidens in distressto be rescued and later levels stillconfront you with things that chaseand make you move quickly. Ninelevels in this most nail-biting gameAnd it hasn't dated a bit, still worththe money if you haven't tried U.Recommended.

MOLAR MAULProducer: Imagine. 15X /5.50With a wicked glint in their teeth,Imagine invite you to take part in thelight against the DK (Tronics)menace, Your weapons are atoothbrush and some !magic°toothpaste. The screen opens(literally) with a gaping mouth andlively clean white teeth. Toffees andother gunk appear at the centre,exciting the interest of the horrid DKbugs, arid in seconds the teeth arebeginning to yellow, purple andblack out all over the mouth Thetrick with this game is manoeuvringthe wretched toothbrush into exactlythe correct position for thetoothpaste to be squeezed from thetube, An excellent game withwonderful graphics, but sodepressing to watch! I'm afraid it leftan unpleasant taste in my mouth, butI have to say it's good value.Joystick: Fuller,

MRS MOPPProducer. Comoutasolve, 48K (5.50( I )Author Tine BilletThe game which sets out to provethat it's better to create a mess thanhave to clean it up. Mrs Mopp'sfamily must be the messiest in theworld. They litter cups. clothes, dustand just about everythng else allover the floor. Moppsie has fiveutensils to help her in the task, butonly the correct utensil will pick upthe appropriate rubbish. There's alsoa kitchen sink, washing machine anddustbin she must use when theutensil carried becomes lull. Pickingup a utensil Is done simply bymoving up against it and it can bedeposited by reversing thesequence. Like any hard workinghousewife, Moppsie likes a tipplenow and then to keep up up herspirits, but if you let her spirit levelget too high she becomes drunk anddisorderly. If the work load becomestoo much, she'll give up and leavehome! The only extra aids aremagical spells, but all too ottenthese seem to be out of stock. Wellplaced control keys, joystick:Kempston. Cute graphics, smoothmovement and an original game toplay. Reasonably addictive, overallCRASH rating 69% M/C.

NAANASProducer_ Mikrogen. 16K (5.95The cassette inlay says 'Naanas', thetitle screen, 'Nanas', Obviously a bitconfused! Another of Mikrogen'snew games which insists that thereare user-definable keys when therearen't—obviously a bit confusedlThe aim of Naanas (or whatever) isto dash around catching bananaswhich a monkey is throwing down I fthey hit the floor and you tread onone, you slip over and lose a life. Inaddition there are coconutsdropping with painfulconsequences. And that's ItGraphics are reasonable but prettysimple and the monkey doesn'tmove at all. The cursor control keyswork quite well in this game, nojoystick option. Pretty and fun toplay for a short while. OverallCRASH rating 52% M/C.

PARAOROIDSP.'oducer Mikrogert, 40K 15.95Atthor C kfinsieyIf Peradrolds scores. It's on its'differentness'. The idea is to moveup and down your energy beam,firing left and right at the paradroids.The jump off the various ledges allthe way up the sides of the nuclearreactor you are defending. Shouldany successfully parachute to thebottom they reach the reactor andmutate into much more viciousciroids The graphics are quite good,brightly coloured, move smoothlyand react quickly to the control keys(well laid out) the result is areasonable game, but somewherethe idea has faltered—it's too easy to

play and so becomesboring. The inlay stalesthat there are user- definablekeys, but there aren'tOverall CRASH rating 54% WC.

ODYSSEY 1Producer: Perfection, 16K E5.50 (1)Author T WilliamsFirst prize winner of the gameesection of Computed) 83, Odyssey 1is a three-pert mixture of arcadegames, designed to test the skillsand reflexes of shoot am up freaks.Screen 1 is a 'Berserk' type with yourman at the cross roads of four roomsfilled with firing robots. He can movein any direction with rotationalcontrols, go forward and fire up ordown at will. Getting through thisscreen lands you up in an 'Arcadia'type situation where wrap aroundwedges of alien ships fly overheaddropping missiles on you as youshoot up at them. Mean trick here isthat once dropped, the missiles wraparound vertically, gradually fillingthe screen with weaponry. Screen 3pits you against pterodactyl-likecreatures which swoop down in awholly original and alarmingmanner The general feeling of ourreviewers was that this was asurprisingly difficult and addictivegame to play The graphics are fairlysmall but the 100% machine codeprogram makes everything workextremely well and smoothly Nojoystick Option, overall CRASHrating 72%. recommended.

OSTRONProducer Soffek, 16K E5.95Formerly named Joust. Sottek forsome reason, changed its name.There's a lot of the'You're the solesurviving White Knight, Guardian, ofthe Lore, etc on the inlay blurb, butbasically you're on this Ostron thing(electronic ostrich) and the enemyare variously-coloured buzzardthingies There are several floatingplatforms on which you can landbefore rising to the occasion byflapping your wings and attackingthe enemy. When you meet, face toface, the one's who's highest wins.First buzzards are pretty daft andeasy, but later ones become fiendishin their attempts to get you All in alla very enioyable game, with goodgraphics and sound. Don't hit thewater — you drown 100 percentmachine code. joystick: KampstonGood value

PSSTProducer Ultimata, 75K E5.50II sounds a bit rude but it's awonderful game with Ultimale'susual magnificent graphics. Robbiethe robot must keep the swarminginsect life from eating his plant. Todo this there are various spray canslining the brick walls of the gardenEach level adds a different Insect tothe collection and the trick is thatyou must use the correct spray onthe right insect or it only serves tostun for a moment. The Insects also -kill off Robbie as well as the plant,which shrinks away if it's eaten fortoo long. Letting it grow results in aWor n and a new level. Amazinggraphics, 100 percent machine code,8-directional movement, one or twoplayer game, sensible e,ontrol keysand Kempston joystick.Recommended. Also available inROM cartridge form for E14.95.

P11.9S5H(017

Producer: Software Project. 16KE5Author: Andrew GibesThere are now several Spectrumversions of the arcade original,

available—Blaby's 'Dodo'was one of the first. SoftwareProjects' version is excellent Berthathe ladybird is in a garden beingpursued by four nasty insects Out forher ichor (blood to you) The gardenis full of green bricks which she canburn OW of her way, or sand

59

1

shooting off in the direc t ion in whichshe's travelling By this method shecan crush her enemies to death Theinsects can also burn up the bricksto reach her. Four bells in eachquarter of the screen, if rung bytouching them, cause the Insects togo into a temporary tizzy and makethem vulnerable. The colours arebright, graphics fast and smooth,good sound, rather poor control keylayout. loystick, AGF, Protek orKempston, eight skill levels. CRASHrating, very good to excellent,overall 85% M/C.DUACKERSProducer: Rabbit, 16K E599Ouackers is designed more forchildren than shoot 'em up addicts,but its cheerful graphics shouldmake it popular. It's set in afairground duck shooting gallery,where four rows of repeated objects,ducks, cats, rabbits, faces and agiant turtle, move alternately inopposite direc tions before your gunbarrel. User-defi ned keys or cursor,which means you can use AGF orProtek joysticks

RACE FUNProducer.' Rabbit, 481( L'5. 99The Spectrum hardly has the sort ofgraphics capability of the big roadracing games in the arcades, but asfar as Spec trum racers go, this is apretty good one. An overhead viewshows the track which vanes fromwide to very narrow, s traight andCurved O f f you go with severalothers cars, Bumping another car orrunning off the road s lows youdown and costs fuel heavily. Theobject Is to get as many points aspossible before running out ofpetrol Th e graphics are very goodwith the cars being quite large. User-defi ned control keys (accelerate,brake, left, right) or cursor so youcan use a Protek or AGF joystick,RIDERProducer Producer: Virgin Games,48K E5.95 11)Authors: Roy crooie T a r r y MurrayThe writers of 'Yomp' have come upWith another quas i-military themegame in two parts. Firs t screen youleap from a plane on a parachuteand try to land on one of a stream ofrideriess motorbikes below Thes ehave been supplied by the resistancemovement of the occupied countryyou are spying on I f you succeed inlanding on one it cuts instantly to thesecond screen Th is os a 30 v iew of acountry road, heavily sowed withv is ible mines, down which you mustguide your careering bike. Althoughthe details and large graphics arequite good the game ends up beingunplayabie You can't brake and turnat the same time for instance. It allpalls very quick ly and ends up beingmuch s lower than it shouldReasonable control keys, seven skilllevels, no joystick option. Only a fairgame. Overall CRASH rat ing 50%.Mix ture of BASIC and M/C.

RIVER RESCUEProducer, Thorn EMI, 48K E6,95 (1)Author Phil SnellYou're in control of a river speedboat Th e screen shows the northand south banks above and below,everything sc rolling from right toleft. Y u can hold the boat's pos it ionto the left (safer) side, middle orright (dangerous) side. The object isto rescue explorers from the northbank ietty and land them at the southbank jetty. As the two jetties areopposite, you can't jute Commutebetween them The boat can take upto six explorers at a t ime belorelanding them, but if you lose theboat, you lose your explorers too.The river la infested with crocodiles,sand banks and logs. which youmust avoid. It you're very good. a

60

rival lirm overfl ies the river droppingmines on you More points scoredfor travelling at the right of thescreen where your refl exes have tobe very fast A fast, addic tive a doriginal game with neat graphics,Good control key positions, Joystick:Kempston, Sinc lair, 1 or 2 playergames Recommended. OverallCRASH rating 74%M/C.

ROAO RACERProducer; Thorn EMI, 16K E6_95 (1)Author Graham WisdomAs its name implies, this is anothercontender for the Spectrum 'PolePosition'. The 3D Road/Landscapeeffect is pretty good. and unlikeBritannia's Grand Prix Driver, thegraphics are solid. However the roadin this version does not actuallybend as you go round corners,although the background doesmove. Cont rols are very good; inaddit ion to brake/accelerate andlet t lrighl, keys 1 and 2 select lo or higear. If you use the gears incorrec tlyyou will blow your engine There areseveral Other cars to overtake beforereaching the fi nishing line. Perhapsone problem with the otherwiseexcellent inlay card, is that theydon't explain how to gel going,which is a lit t le confus ing at fi rst (seereview in Issue 1), Bright and largegraphics, rather poor sound,joystick: Kempslon, Sinc lair OverallCRASH rat ing 70%—good MX .

SANTAProducer: Artic, 16K 1:5.95Produced for a rush Chris tmasmarket, this tape contains sevendifferent games in a compendium.All the games are short and onlyone. 'Rudolph Goes Rac ing' is lair.Judging by the names and gamesquality , the tape is aimed at youngerchildren and grandmas andprobably won't be in c irculat ion forvery long Ov erall CRASH rat ing28%. BASIC.

SHADOWFAXProducer• Postern. 16K £5.95Shadowfax came Out with a lot ofballyhoo at E7.95, whic h was grosslyoverpriced. so it's nice to seePostern have dropped it now Noone can complain about thegraphics which are quite excellent.Unfortunately the game has verylit t le else to offer. You're mounted onyour white charger (the inlay blurbmight lead to suppose this was someHobbit -lihe adventure) and ridingagainst the black horses that gallopon from the tell at random heightsYou can fi re a bolt at theapproaching enemy but you mustthen explode the bolt at exactly theright moment. And that's the game— you are up against the points.Mind you, it is mesmeris ing, so youdo make mistakes. Defi nitely a gameto gel a look at fi rst —if you like theidea, you won't regret the graphics.No joystick option.

SHARK ATTACKProducer Romth, 15K E5.99Author: Ian AndersonThe theme from 'Jaws' works nicelybut the rest of the continuous soundwill eventually drive you mad. Youmust save octopusses (or octopi)horn the sharks by weaving aprotective net around the octopusShould a shark eat theoc topusbefore you screen it. than the sharkcan eat your net. Hav ing eithersucceeded or failed in this task, therest of the game is to fi ll up as muchof the screen with net withoutgetting eaten yourself Three levels,one or two player games. Joystick:Kempston or Sinc lair A game withvery limited appeal and no addictivequalit ies, but it might well appeal toyounger children, a sort of Paintermeets Jaws

SIEGEProducer: Postern, 16K 13.99Author Mike SingletonThrow rocks down from a highcastle wall onto the massedattackers try ing to c limb up. As therocks fall they knock the attackersoff, often several at a t ime as onefalling man catches another Thestick fi gure animation is cute and thegame should appeal to youngerchildren, but it is very limited as faras the serious addicted arcadeplayer is concerned. Simple controlke ys.

SNAKE PITProducer: Postern, 16K 15.95Author Mike SingletonThis is pacman variant, but it is loooriginal to lump in with the rest ofthe yellow gobblers. The 'maze' is alive, wnggling one. Seven differentcoloured snakes are trapped in theirnests, surrounded by a screentul Ofgreen eggs. Your job is to eat all theeggs Only the red snake can eateggs, so il ins tantly frees itself andbegins eating round the screen,treeing the Other snakes as it goes.When you meet a snake head onthere is a nasty lit t le gulping soundarid that's It until you press S foranother game. Should you c lear thescreen you then get a chance to eatthe snakes (tail fi rst) as well as theeggs. I never got there, this is verydiffi cult. The graphics are superb,quite enough to turn the stomach!Pity the control keys are soawkward, and no joystick opt ionAddic tive and good value.

SPECTRA SMASHProducer: Romok, I 6K 05.99Author: John BellThis is s imilar to Titan's GroundForce Zero, but rather morecomplex, in that you have limitedheight control over the plane, andthere are gun turrets on somebuildings fi ring at you, none on theeasiest level, more and more on theharder ones Bombing the guns fi rstobviously helps Should you landsuccessfully, having bombed the lotflat, the angry natives reward you bysending out a fuel tanker so you cantake of and do the thing over againet a higher level. Of course they winin the end! Three lives, hi-score,eight levels, Joystick: Kempston,AGF. Protek, Sinc lair. micRecommended,

SPECTRONProducer • Virgin Games, 48K 1:5_95(I )Author: Mark KirkbyProbably Virgin's best shoot em up,probably their best game in factThis is a no-win 'Berserk ' type gamethat demands fast refl exes and asixth sense to get very far Onereviewer was able to count as manyas 216 enemy robots on the screenat one t ime Enemies inc ludeSwarmers. Speeders. Launchers andElectrons (which leaveindestruc tible electronic fencesbehind them) Y ou r robot fi resautomatically when on the move andcontrol is 8-direc tional. Well thoughtout, with detailed graphics, verygood sound, no joystick opt ion butwell placed control keys. OverallCRASH rating 77%. Recommended.MC.SUB CHASEProducer: Gem, I61( C4.95 (t )You are in control of a ship equippedwith depth charges which can besetto explode at nine different depthsdepending on whk.h numeric keyyou select Beneath you, submarinesCross the screen in one direction,occas ionally fi ring missiles up at youwhich must be dodged. The art is loselect the correct depth at which toexplode the charge to k ill the sub. Athigher skill levels the subs changedepth randomly. On the whole agame more intended to appeal toyounger children. 4 skill levels,reasonable graphics, poor sound,

Simple control keys. CRASH rating49%—poor for addicts, good forchildren M/C,

TRANZ AMProducer: Ultimate, 16K 15.50It's post-holocaust America and thecountry 's a barren desert with a fewcities bere'and there where you canget fuel Otherwis e a c lutch of MadMa xal ekes in deadly Black Turbosare out to k ill you while you hunt thewastes look ing for eight gold cupsThe play ing screen Is Only a 600th ofthe available area Ins truments onthe left show, lime taken, milestravelled, a map of the Statesshowing cities and your location,local radar showing cups (if any)and enemies, speedo, fuel gauge,engine temperature and lives left. 8-direc t ional movement, excellentgraphics, highly playable. Joystick.Kempston High ly recommendedAlso available in ROM cartridge formfor C14 95.

TURBO DRIVERProducer: Boss (UK), I 6K E5.95Another for the rac ing car addicts.Turbo Driver features very largevehic le graphics and an attempt (notentirely successful) at 3D throughperspective. Six other cars leapaway from the starting line when youstall. You must catch them up. Thecars and several other hazards makelife diffi cult, and If you go toocarefully you'll run out of fuel Thetrack is quite straight, and therearen't those wonderful explosions ofthe original arcade version, but thisis a popular programme and does aswell as the Spectrum will allow, Mk .J Oy S l ie k KerTIP S t011

30 ANT ATTACKProducer Quicksilva, 481( C6.95 (I )Author: Sandy WhiteSome of the best ever 3D graphicsfor the Spectrum which workexcellently not only on thenumerous buildings but also on thesofter forms of the hero, heroine,and dreaded ants which swarmthrough the walled city of Antescher.The object of the game is to jumpover the one spot low enough in theOuter wall, fi nd your girlf riend (Orboyfriend—you can select which),and escape before the ants get you.You can run and jump in fourdirections, throw grenades to k ill theants over varying distances. Or stunthem by jumping up and down onthem, The scene can be viewed fromany one of four angles. II isn't easy'There are 12 control keys requiredand it takes a lot of lime to get usedlo them. but the graphics make it allworthwhile. One crit ic ism aimed atthe game is that there's moretechnical v irtuosity in the programthan game play and it can becomerepetit ive after a while Nevertheless,an amazing game. No joystickOption really possible. Very highlyrecommended, overall CRASHrating 85% M/C_

30 COMBAT ZONEProducer- A r t i C, 4 8K E 5.9 5

According to Artic, this is their best-selling programme to date, and nowonder The fi rst real 3D effect in theSpectrum. Travel across the flatplain and battle with enemy tanks,fl ying saucers and super tanks — ak ill or be k illed battle of wits amongthe pyramids in real time. The gamegives a tremendous sense of movingabout in a space and can be quitehoyhOtiC• Battle radar to spot theenemy and calculate distance,Joystick' Kempston. A fi rst rategame and highly recommended,

30 BEAT HCHASEProducer Mocromega, 16K E6.95 11)Author Mervyn EscourtSelected as Game Of The Month inissue 1, this is just a fabulous gameThe ideals s imple; at the base of thescreen is the front of your motorbikewith two gloved hands gripping the

handlebars Ahead is a fl atlandscape with a few trees and Iwoother bikers c irc ling around. Assoon as you accelerate to give chasethey ride hell for leather. Whenyou're in range you can start fi ring.When they're both blown away thescene changes to night t ime andrepeats, then back to day 2 and soon. Occas ionally a helicopter and alank cross the horizon and gainmore points for you if hit. Bu whatmakes this game one of the mostcompelling to play are the trees youmust weave through in pursuit of theenemy bikers. With each screen theyget more numerous, and the effect ofwhipping through them is trulyalarming! Return ol The Jedi hasnothing on this! Excellent graphics(marvellous explosions), superbsOuna sensible control keys.joystick. Kemptson. Excellent.Overall CRASH rat ing 92% M/C.

30 DESERT PATROLProducer- C o mp u t er R en t al s , 16K

E5.95This s imply isn't a very goodprgramme. The 3D is primit ive andthe graphics uninteresting. Youmust take your tank in betweenminefi elds to the eventual safety of aroad, whils t avoiding fi re of enemytanks. For a start off you cannotmove and fi re at the same time; if anenemy tank gets into pos it ion andfires everything stops and you'redead — no evading: to avoid theenemy you merely turn unt il theydisappear from the screen; if youcreep round the edge of minefi eldsthen they won't fi re on yOu anyway.So all it adds up to is a dull andboring game. Curs or keys and 0 tofire — allows use of AGF or Protekjoysticks

30 TANXProducer: OK Tronics, 16K L'4_953D here refers to the distant bridgewhere rows of tanks pass beforeyour gunsight and the realis tictrajectory of your shells which mustbe aimed right to stradie thethickness of the bridge. Thegraphics are very good and so is thesound. Sk ill and t iming are essentialto good scores — and staying alive,because the tanks fi re back.Nowhere near as easy as it looks,and at the price, excellent value.Joystick: Kempston with Soft link II.30 TUNNELProducer. Nev Generation, 16148K£5.95You're rushing headlong down atunnel and different objects ilashpast you. which you must shoot.There's bats, spiders, rats and fi nallya delightful Underground train,complete with twink ling headlightsand passengers inside. The lattermust be dodged rather than shot.Running into the sides of the tunnelcause loss of a life (live in all), andyou can undertake this subterraneanmadness at three speeds. In 16K itloads in two parts and there is noUnderglound train Mix ed opinions,some liked it, some didn't.3D VORTEXProducer: J K Greve. 18K E5.95This is very s imilar to 3D Tunnel,except that the tunnel (or vortex) isdefined in mult itudes of coloureddots rather than solid blocks, whichgives more of a tunnel-like feel Th etunnel also twists and squirms like amad thing so it's quite a trick to slaysafely in the centre of lt. On the otherhand, the 3D animation of theobjects isn't quite so good and thereare no skill levels which means itquickly loses interest. There is along but very amusing intro in the 2-part load. User-defi ned control keys.so it works with almost any joystick.Good value but limited playability .

TRAIN GAMEProdixer. Mocrosphere. I 6K iC5. 95(/ )This is another game s imple in

concept and marvellous to play. Infact its dangerous ly addic tive andshould probably be put on thegovernment proscribed drugs list! Acomplex railway layout with 24 setsof lettered points, allows you to driveup to three trains around, pick ing uppassengers from three stations. Onthe higher sk ill levels runaway goodstrains also enter the system andmust be r edirected to get rid Of them.Passengers arrive on the platformsin the colour of the train they want tocatch, and get angry if kept wait ingtoo long, turning white with rage!Great sound, nice graphics,maddenly frus trat ing to play ands imply wonderful! Get one today!Seven sk ill levels with various sub-levels; rating, very good. OverallCRASH rating 76% M/C.

WILD WEST HEROProducer: Timescepc 48K C5_90111Author,' Silicon Kid (.1?)Step Out into the cacti-s trewn desertand light it Out with rampaginggangs of banditos in this goodBerserk ' type game. Instead of mazewalls there are the cacti andtreacherous trees, which k ill oncontact You're armed with a

ZIP ZAPProducer: imagine, 481(115.50Author fan WeatherburnIn Zip Zap you are a severelydamaged robot with a motor thatwon't turn off and Only limitedbrak ing power, so you tend to travelin c irc les A telepon delivers you(nice graphic) into a swirling mass ofmiserable aliens from whose deadlytouch you are partly protected by afailing shield. The idea is to buzzchaotically around in confus ingcirc les to collect four power units,When you touch one it automaticallyattaches itself to the telepodal.When all four are in pos it ion you cangetback to the leleponal in lime ByImagine's standards, not their bestgame. but s t ill better than mostgames around. Joystick: Kempston,A n F. Protek, Fuller.

SPORTS SIMULATION

continuous repeal fi ring Colt 45—and just as well. the bandits arenumerous One of the best 'Berserk'games yet with large graphics,smooth movement, sensible controlkeys, joystick: Xempalion. Goodsound, inc reas ingly diffi cult screens.Overall CRASH rat ing 83% W CRecommended

Athletics on the computer screen mayseem contrary to the vigorous natureol sport, but a number ol programmershave turned their hands to simulatingvarious sports with mixed success. Atleast playing them on your SpectrumIs somewhat more active thenwatching the real thing on telly.BOWLSProducer: Lotus-Sott, 48K C4.50 (1)Author: Derek JonesIf you're led up with zapping aliensor roaring round the race track, whynot ret ire to the peace and quiet ofan English bowling green? Thisgame offers the services of thecomputer as a mediator rather thanplayer between two opponents. Thecomputer throws the 'jack' and theneach player has 4 alternative turns tobowl, the ° b led being to get yourbowl as close to the 'jack' aspossible. Cursor keys 5 and 8 areused to determine direc tion ofthrow, and the strength isdetermined by choos ing the weightof ball, a heavier ball going funher,There is a feature whichdiagramatically shows how close thebowls are to the jack after eachthrow The game is neatly executed

1./i

: 0 0s ! ! ' •g itfk / i/ ibut suffers the common fault ofsports s imulations — the lack ofult imate reality undermines the skillsrequired to play it. However, it isgood value for money and willdoubtless appeal to many. OverallCRASH rating 57%, good if you likethe idea BASIC.

CHAMPIONSHIP DARTSProducer: Shadow, I6KAuthor D LockettYou might think a game of throwingskill would be diffi cult to translateinto a computer game, but ShadowSoftware have managed very nicelyIn this cute and gentle game. After afi ne tit le card, a large, t radit ionaldarts' board appears. By pressingany key you freeze a last mov ingsweep line, which determines thesegment your dart has hit. At thebase is a Cross Section through theboard showing the rings — double,single, treble, single, outer bull, bull.It's elegant, s imple and veryeffective. A sensibledemo/ins truc t ion mode shows youhow to do it. You can select thenumber of points required for agame. enter the two players' names,and the program guides you throughthree shots in each turn. You must

fi nish with a double or bull of course.Perhaps not exactly exciting, but afine game and worth the money

FOOTBALL MANAGERProducer: Addictive Games. 48K£5.95Author Kevin TomsUniversally agreed as one of the bestof Spectrum games of any type Thisis as much strategy as s imulat ion asyou choose a team from 64 on offer,and try to work your way up fromDiv is ion tour to win the FA Cup Thebackground to the game is quiterealistic. with players los ing strengthvalue and gaining it by resting amatch, morale worsening with lostmatches, dec lining crowds andresult ing loss of gate money. and allthe technical and strategic problemsof a c lub manager. Hav ing selectedyour team, studied the opponentsdossier, you can sit back and watchthe fully animated, edited highlightsof the match! An amazinglyengrossing game with seven levelsof play and highly recommended.

GOLFProducer: Abrasco, 16K C6, 95For 18K users this is a very goodprogram with quick ly assembledgraphics that c learly show pos it ionsof tee, green, fairways, bunkers, treehazards and rough. There's noanimated golfer as in the Virgingame, but it's made up for withclearly v is ible balls that follow a pathof your shot You can inputcommands to use a 1 or 3 wood ofgiven strengths, or 1-9 irons whichask wehther you want a soft or hardstrike. If you pick between 7 and 9iron, you are realis tically askedwhether it should be a chip shot or apitch When both players are on thegreen the screen scrolls to a closeup which uses a 20 loot scale forjudging the distance of the put t Theonly drawback might be a tendencyto crash it an incorrect variable isentered. An attractive andresponsively fast game. One/twoplayers and choose how many holesto play

GOLFProducer. Virgin Games, 48K £5.95Author David ThomsonIn this version of the noble game,one to four players may lake partand play between one and eighteenholes, choos ing handicaps up to 28The higher (worse) your handicapthe more erratically random yourshots become. Theps's an opt ion onfive c lubs with a choice of strengthbetween 0 and 10. When yourselection has been made and youhave estimated the compass pointdirec t ion in which to swing, ananimated golfer appears and hits theball Onc e on the green a putter isautomatically selected While fun toplay there are several drawbacks.The graphics are very slow, eachhole being built up character line bycharacter line. The random qualityof the handicap system underminesits value — everyone should choosea zero handicap! And the compasspoints are needlessly diffi cult asNorth keeps shift ing direc tion withevery hole, Worst of all Virgin havebeen selling the game with a glaringbug — when asked if you would likeanother game, there's an incorrectcommand in the BASIC which stopsthe program dead. It's easilycorrected but annoying.

1015Producer Artic. 49( i:5.95Sub-tit led SI Andrews, this game isbased on an accurate reproduction

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of the world famous golf course.Each hole is drawn Out showing thewell known details and a briefdescription and history is given. OneOr two players may take part, playinga proper game or single holes oftheir choice You are asked whetheryou wish to use a wood or iron.strength of shot. expressed as apercentage, whether you want theshot to go straight, fade or hook, andwhat angle. Arriving on the green thescreen cuts to a close up for theputting The graphics are black ongreen and very simply drawn Theprogram is in BASIC so after typingin figures you ENTER, but words areaccepted automatically. Thetemptation to enter W for wood willresult in a break into program — themain drawback of an otherwiseinteresting game.

POOLProducer: Abrasco. 48K 1:6.95'Author K EavesA sudden flurry of interest in Poolmakes for some interestingcomparisons. One of the newer onesis this version from Abrasco for twoto eight players, with the option ofplaying a league As usual, the cueball is controlled by a small cursordot — in this case the cue ball travelstowards the cursor, which iscontrolled by use of the cursor keys(slow and fine tuning) or the zerokey for fast positioning. A very clearstrength bar indicator is used todetermine the distance the cue bailwill travel, and is positioned withkeys 5 or 8 (mintmax) Consider ingthe limitations of the Spectrum andTV screens generally, the graphicsare quite good and the movement ofthe balls is convincingly accuratethough terribly busy. Game rules area close copy of the real game, theballs are marked as spots or stripesand you lose a turn fore foul shot.Good

POOLProducer: Bug•Byte, 16K £5.95This version is unusual in that thecue ball cursor may be placedanywhere on the table, which allowsfor greater control over the shot. Onthe other hand this is not a veryclose copy of the real game. Inaddition to the cue ball, there are sixother numbered balls (you score thevalue of the potted ball) and each ofthe two players takes it turn, playingthrough until all the balls have beenpotted or he has missed threeconsecutive pots, or potted the cueball. In this sense the game is a bitlimited The graphics are clearalthough more use of colour couldhave been made a l l the balls arered, but much bigger than in theAbrasco version Practice probablymakes perfect. for it isn't as easy toplay as It looks,

POOLProducer. CDS, 16K E5 95Author. Moho LambCDS have done very well with thisversion I t isn't a classic stripe orspot game. There are six balls, threered, three blue. The cursor movesround the edge of the table with keyS. picking up speed as it goes. A 4-block bar indicator is used torstrength of shot, a sensiblearrangement where each key strokeadds a block. The graphics are verygood. with neat movement andperhaps the best stopping effect ofany of the pool/snooker gamesavailable One or two player games.scoring and hi-score. Good valueMachine code

SNOOKERProducer: Artic, 16K E5.95With the minimum space devoted toscore lines or embellishments. Artichave produced about the biggest

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playing table for their game, whieha classic six colour, nine red ball.Instead of a moving cursor, the cueball radiates a direction indicatorline controlled by the cursor keys,and the strength of shot is given byusing keys A to Z. The table iscorrectly marked with D and spots.Balls pocketed appear in a greenband at the base of screen and thescore is automatically kept anddisplayed at the base of the table,The ball colours work quite well andthe movement is r eason-abl y s m o o t h .although the baits do stop verysuddenly. Machine code.

STAR SOCCERProducer: Watson, 16K e5. 95This is a quite different footballgame from Football Manager byAddictive, and is really a computerversion of those old football gameswhere you controlled your men withrods and handles. It's designed fortwo players, but since you needmuch of the keyboard. quick changeovers are essential! After loadingyou are presented with a SuperLeague of eight well known teamsand a league scoring table. Havingdecided which team each is to play,the two opponents may select aplaying formation; 3-2-5. 4-2-4: 4-3-3: or 4-4-2. The playing field nowappears with all the numberedplayers of each side set up ready tor

SIMULATIONSUnder our headings a SimulationGame is one which conlorms to thedefinition that Ii attempts to simulatereal situations at a mechanical nature.and that part of the game is to useinstrument displays to control thegame as well as usual visual guides.ADMIRAL GRAF SPEEProducer: Temptation, 48K e5.95Author: Simon MansfieldSet in the South Atlantic during theSecond World War, this gamerecreates the actions of the Germanpocket battleship Graf Spee. Theaim is to sink allied merchantshipping and survive attacks byallied battleships. 2 screens provideyou, as Captain, with a sea map ofthe Atlantic and indicate yourposition and that of enemy shipping.You can direct your ship towards theenemy, and when close enough,change to a sea level view ready toengage with either guns ortorpedoes Instruments show youyour speed heading, enemyposition and distance in yards. Onsighting the enemy, his ship appearsgradually above the horizon. Ifarmed, it begins firing back. Aserious drawback is that to keep Meenemy in your gun sights youactually have to come to a stop —not very realistic. The option menulor controlling your ship is alsoextremely finicky. Average blockcharacter graphics, good sound anduse of colour. 7 skill levels. Okay forits type. Overall CRASH rating 54%BASIC

AIRLINERProducer: Protek, 16K E5.95Take command of a modern BAC I -I 1 jet airliner and land it salely atEdinburgh airport You can also takeoff and land at a second airport. Thecontrols are necessarily simplifiedfrom the real things, but they arecbmplicaled enough and someknowledge of how big jets actuallyfly helps. There is no view throughthe cockpit window unless you areon a correct flight approach path.when the runway lights will appearExtensive instructions lookdaunting. but are worth digesting sothat you don't have to panic at thelast minute. Operates in real time,but things happen quickly when the

the kick off. The 'players are notanimated figures, but numbererdsquares, unlike the well-known Atariversion Passing the ball is done byselecting the player's number towhom you want to pass, and thegame rattles along with both sidesattempting to tackle, intercept andscore goals. Goal kicks and cornersare featured but not side throws.This is highly addictive to play — itcould even be the end ot football aswe know it.

TEST MATCHProducer CAL, 48K E6.95This game should bowl over allcricket fans i on-fans will find it alldouble-dutch) Fast action with nowait times makes it a speeded upversion of the real thingParticipation is very limited,however, you're allowed to select thebowlers in your team and order thebatsmen, but from then on the gameruns itself automatically. Only in theevent of a good midfield shot do youhave to sit up arid decide whetherthe bastmen should risk a run or not,In fact the odds seem pretty goodsince the fielders are not veryaccurate long shots at wicketFeatures howzzats of bowled,caught. run out, lbw, and follows realcricket very closely with theexception of Australian beer cans onthe pitch.

airport is approached! Sensible,clear graphics, reasonable controlresponses, all in all an absorbinggame

FLIGHT SIMULATION Producer:Psion. 48K E7.95An early Spectrum program, andalways popular, this simulates theeffects of flying a single sealer holeaircraft, including landing andtaking oft There are 2 airfields (onevery difficult and surrounded byhills), lakes, beacons and a verygood map of the whole area I I takesmany minutes to fly over the wholemap Instrument flying is essential tosuccess and, as usual, there is a lotof accompanying instruction todigest. The cockpit view is simplebut oddly realistic I I you enjoycontemplative games, then this i$still one of the best, although watchout for some oddities it you trylooping the loop — the programdoesn't seem to cope with that'

THE FORESTProducer: Phipps Associates, 48KE9.95 (t)Author Graham T RalphAn amazing program whichsimulates the sport of orienteering— yet manages lobe much morethan a sport simulation Anenormous area of geography isenclosed in the program. only a tinybit of il already mapped for you.Included is a 12 point orienteeringcourse for you to Complete in theshortest possible time, checkingeach point in the correct SequenceThe display shows you the terrainSix metres in front and uses symbolsfor the different terrain, trees,shrubs, lakes, towns etc. Specialpoint features are displayed asmessages and an eye level indicatortells you whether the ground isfalling Or rising, so you can easilyfollow the contours. In addition youcan go off and chart the unmappedareas The program will drawcontour and terrain maps for you ormake up 3D views. A massiveprogram, excellent value,recommended. Overall CRASHrating 88% M C and BASIC.

HEATHROW ATCProducer: Howson Consustants. I6K£7.95Author Mike MateII you get a little queasy flying, youcould always have a go on the

ground as an air traffic controller —in this case at the busy Heathrowairport. You must direct incomingflights from the holding stacks safelyonto the runway Your instrumentsinclude radar, showing the aircraftcall signs, blips and trails; displays •Igiving the altitude arid bearing,heading and speed and size of theaircraft Ther e are 7 levels of playincluding a demo mode, and you canprogress to handling mixed traffic,restricted airspace and outboundflights, as well as cope withemergencies like unknown aircraftintruding, radio failure, loss ofrunway arid on board instrunientfailure After this you'll never flyagain! Recommended.

HUNTER-KILLERProducer: Prole*, 48K £7.95 (1)Author Rod HopkinsThis is a submarine simulation gameset off the coast of GermanHelegoland (North Sea) during theSecond World War. You arecommander of an 'SI type submarineand your mission is to find an enemysub In the same area and hunt itdown Sailing too close to the coastmay result in your hitting a mine orrunning aground. 3 screens showyou the control room, the chart roomand the periscope view of thesurface The instrumentation is quitecomplex, including ballast indicator.hydroplanes, battery charge. enginespeed. rudder angle, heading, asdic,echo sounder and much more. In theperiscope you may see enemyshipping and enemy aircraft whichwill hunt you if you stay on thesurface too long. Under water youuse electric engines and rechargethe batteries on the surface, whenyou use a diesel engine. Theaccompanying booklet Is verydetailed and essential reading. Goodgraphics and realistic sound. realtime operation. Overall CRASHrating 61% BASIC and M/C.

NIGHTFLITE 2Producer: Howson Consultants, 16KE7,95Author Mike MaleDrastically upgraded from theirOriginal INightflite, this flyingsimulation allows you to pilot a lightaircraft at night, taking off andlanding or do acrobatics. Newfeatures are a shifting perspectivewhich allows you to seethe correctview of the runway lights fromwhatever angle you approach theairport, many more lights fromsurrounding hamlets, and a realisticchanging engine noise dependingon speed Instrumentation iscomplex and includes variable Rapcontrols. 7 modes of operationincluding two auto-pilot modes anda training mode, and 5 difficultylevels. After-flight debrief featureand certificate print-out, 100% M/C

STRIKE ATTACKProducer: Micromart, 48K 66.95The scenario promises an excellentgame — your mission as a Phantompilot is to penetrate enemy territoryand bomb a specified target.Stacked against you are AA artillery.SAM missiles and enemy fightersEntry point is at 70 miles. 10.000 feet,90% rpm, 400 knots and 90 degreeheading Chances Of attack dependon the flightpath — below 2,000 feetthere's Only a 10% chance of attack,which is still very frequent. Thetechnique for avoiding total Oblivionis to break (hard turn) at 4 or 6 geesand change altitude rapidly to avoidmissiles. If you stick to-the rules inthe 12 page manual you will be ableto escape every attack The displayshows a 'radar' picture with you inthe centre, target to be bombed, andenemy positions There are alsodetails like speed, heading, male ofclimb, target distance and extramessages for enemy attack Thepoor variation of attack and slowdisplay speed (BASIC) and the nottoo exciting graphics are a be of a let

down cons idering the potential, butif you are an enthusiast of RAF s langyou may apprec iate the extramessages as the program is writ tenby a Fl L t . J TF Dyer

STRATEGIES'Strategy says the dictionary, 'IsGeneralship, the art o f war:management of an army or armies in acampaign - art of moving or disposingtroops or ships so as to impose uponthe enemy the place and time andconditions for lighting preferred byoneself.' The best strategy gameattempt to simulate real conditions Inswide spectrum lahemil of activities.and ask you to manage your lorces.whether they be armies old and new,or an awkward work force. Mostcomputer versions are lengthy games,so its important to be able to 'save'them for another convenient time

AIRLINEProducer: CCS, 16148K. C5/6,00Start off with E.3 million and turn ininto E30 million and take over Brit ishAirways. Hijacks, strikes, crashesarid ris ing fuel costs all take theirtoll. It you enjoy strategy gamesrevolving around empire building,then CCS are the people tor you.Clear text and illus trat ion graphic ..Good value for money

APOCALYPSEProducer- R e d S h if t . 48K C9_95

'Apocalypse' is a game of nuc leardevastation I t 's a long two-s idedload and a game tor 1-4 players I tcan take between four hours andfour years to play and if you outgrowthe scenario, Red Shift have othersto add on. A large selection of mapsallows the action to lake place

anywhere and at almost any periodYou set up the empires, theircentres, their armies and weaponryThis is a very fl exible game of realwar strategy which should keep theaddic t going for a long, long time.Very good value.

AUTOCHEFProducer: CCS, 16/48K 1E51E6.00You have a million in capital andmust increase this to 25 million inthe shortest possible time. Theproblems you must cope withinc lude wary shareholders who arewatching your every move,assessing your performance andwho may even force you to res ign ifyou're not doing well. Infl ation, as luggish economy and coploutsstrikes are other problems you willlace in this lively strategy from CCaIt's all very well eating fast food, buthow last is the money?

BARON •Producer, Temptation. 48K £5.95Author Simon MansfieldThe game is for 2 to 4 players andlakes you back to medieval times(apart f rom one notedanachronism). At the start of thegame each player is awarded acastle, lands, workers and money inthe form of 'dubloons'. The object isto plant your acreage, feed yourworkers, hire mercenaries (and feedthem), buy them weapons and raidyour neighbouring barons to takemoney, slaves and land Slaves areuseful because they do as muchwork as your workers but Only eathalf as much food. The weaponsyour mercenaries carry depend onwhat you spend and can inc ludelasers (?) There are natural disastersto contend with like plague and rats,and if you feed your wort iersgenerous ly they 'll give birth tobabies Games of between 5 and 55moves may be pre-selected, the

Write your own machine code adventures

Without any 1E110w/edge of maddne code whatsoever

THE (OIL is a major new utility w r i t t e n i n m a c h i n e c o d e w h i ch a l l ow s

CVES1 the novice p r ogr a m m e r t o p r o d u ce h igh -s p e e d m a ch i ne c od e

adventures of superior qu a l i ty t o m a ny a v a i l a l, l e a t t he m o me n t w i th o ut

any knowledge of machine code whatsoever.Using a menu selection system you may create well over aoo locations,Jest-ram them and connect routes between them. You may t h e n fi l l t h e mwith ohieds and prohlems of your c h o k e . H a v i n g t e s t e d y o u r a d v e nt u r e

you may alter and experiment with any section with the greatest of C25e

A part formed adventure may h e s a v e d t o t a p e f o r l a t e r c o m p l et i o n .

When you have done soTHE QUILL wdlI Iii_ow you t o p ro du ce a copy of

your adventure which will run independently of die main QUILL editor,

so that you m ay gi ve c op ie s away to your friends.

1711(211U is provided with a detailed tutorial manual which covers everyaspect of its use in writing a d v e n t -u m .

winner being the most powerfulbaron at the end of the slectednumber of moves. There are nographics to speak of and theresponse times are quite long.Overall CRASH rating 48% if you'reIn a group. BASIC,

BRITISH LOWLANOProducer: CCS, 48K £8.00Author: K A WellsIf you've ever thought about pullingthe Brit ish car industry back on itsfeel, here's your chancel You ere theChairman of a small sports carcompany, and by carefulmanagement you must accumulate abank balance of E1,500,000. At thestart you are presented with a barchart showing the last 6 monthsproduction, his togram showing dayslost over last 6 months, a statusreport, and a bank account andprofi t/loss account for each month.From then on a monthly opt ionmenu allows you to open a newproduc t ion line, c lose one, raise theprices of cars, lower them, orcontinue on with the other problemsin hand. These inc lude annual paynegotiations, indus trial injury , awide range of union demands likelonger tea breaks and shorterwork ing hours, and disc iplineproblems like pilfering The gameoffers a wide range of strategicoptions and takes inIQ account themorale of your work force if you aretoo autocratic. Good, c lear textgraphics back up the well thoughtOut program

CORN CROPPERProducer: C CS. 48K £800Okay cornballs, t ime to get yourhands dirty down on your 30 acrefarm! There's the buying of seedcrop to do, ploughing, planting,Irrigating, harvesting, storing, hiring

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of hands, spray ing the bugs andkeeping an eye on the bank balanceWeather plays an important part,and as usual with these games lifejust isn't a doddle. Good, c lear andcolourful graphics.DALLASProducer: C CS, 48K I:6.00The name of the city has becomesynonymous with oil and JR. Theobject is to take over the EwingEmpire or betaken over by them ifyou lose. A map of the Dallas area isdiv ided into a grid and you areoffered the opt ion of buy ing up likelysites for drilling You can do surveysbefore or after buying, move rigs tothe sole, drill, set up produc t ion andbuild pipe lines. The moresuccessful you are the more likelyyou are lobe hit by sabotage andother disasters O il prices fl uctuateall the while, affecting yourrevenues. A good strategy game onthe whole, although the randomelements do seem to intrude tooeffectively.

DICTATORProducer: OK Tronics, 48K E4•95One of the best early games fromOK. You've just become President ofRitimba. an equatorial bananarepublic , Your reign will be brief andunenviable. How long can yousurvive your greedy and hated secretpolice, bully ing army. irritat ingguerillas, bothersome commies,snot-nose landlowners and revolt ingpeasants'? Money may be borrowedfrom the Russians or Americans (ifthey feel like it). As the gameprogresses the options run short.Can you make it to a wealthy exile orwill you die at your post"Recommended,

FOR THE 48K SPECTRUM AT £14.95Now available in W H Smith, and from manycomputer shops nationwide, or direct from us bypost or telephone.

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63

1

EVEREST ASCENTProducer - Richard Shepherd, 48K01. 50You have 20 days to reach theSummit of Everest starting off withlimited funds (money comes in fromsponsors if you seem to be doingwell, but it isn't credited to you ifyou've forgotten to buy a radio) Y oumust hire Sherpas with homelynames and varying strengths and thehabit of deserting you if you're notfed properly. Their equipment andsupplies are expensive and they eatlike horses. Neat graphics and thefamiliar prompt menu for buying andmoving about I t takes some gettinginto and early expeditions usuallylast a short time until you realisewhat's needed most A goodaverageGANGSTERS!Producer: ccs, 48K 0.00 (1)Author: P BouillonThe object of this amusing game isto become top dog of Spectral City.,You're gang leader up against 4 1other rival gangs trying to own thecity through operating speakeasiesdistilleries, casinos and brothelsThis can be done by buying upvarious joints, raiding those of yourrivals, bribing the appropriateauthorities, assassinating your rivalgang leaders and generally carryingon like an utter rotter The successOf your gang will rely heavily on theirnumbers, equipment and morale, allOf which must be carefullyregulated. The game follows thetraditional strategy formula of optionmenus and results The MoralMajority are unlikely to approve!Good value Overall CRASH rating59% Offers 9 skill levels BASIC.

GREAT BRITAIN LIDProducer. Simon Hesse!, 48K £595You are Prime Minister of GreatBritain and your aim is to stay inpower as long as you can. Havingchosen which party you wish torepresent you are presented with thestate of the nation, the rate ofinflation, unemployment rate.exchange rate for the pound anddollar, your popularity rating.nation's balance at the bank and soon Factors taken into account arepopulation figures and relationshipof OAPs to children, number ofcompnies in business, tax incomefrom various sources, expendituretor the previous year, and the pricesof commodities. The general aim isto work towards the GeneralElection and win it. A highlycomplex program which takes youto the thrills of Election Night — andbeyond (if you're a success)Recommended.

GENERAL ELECTIONProducer: Buy-Byte, 48K £595Author I Wason and D Wolf!The obiect is to win more seats inparliament than your opposition (it'sa realistic simulation anyway). Thereare 100 constituencies split up intofive regions In each region seats aregraded as Very Safe. Safe. Marginalor Very Marginal, From the title cardof Maggie shouting the game's title,it's all go. Unfortunately so much ofthe game is a dice-throwing boardgame and it's beset by piles otconfusing instructions as complexas an explanation of Einstein'srelativity laws In the end, ratherboring to playINHERITANCEProducer Simon Hessel, 48K £5.95This is a two part game. Great UncleArbuthnot is dead and you inherithis entire estate, but first you mustprove your financial acumen byturning E10,000 into E100.000 In 26weeks by investing on the stockmarket and the Metal Exchange, You

64

can also gamble at the casino or atthe races. Only on completing partone can you load part two; here youhave got the manor house plus itsailing soft drinks factory. The aim isto find the secret formula forParadise Cola and successfullymarket the drink whilst coping withfires, strikes and frauds. The game Isall text but it moves at a lively paceand is playable from the start

JERICHO 2 •Producer,'E lophant, 48K £555A text strategy game in which you.as Joshua, have a go at bringingdown the walls of Jericho. You areprovided with certain siegeimplements like ballistae, batteringrams, towers and carts. plus 300men. The art is to assign men toparticular tasks while juggling withthe necessities of building furthersiege engines. gathering thematerial for them, keeping foodsupplies up and attacking the weakpoints of the walled city. Unfed mendesert — its a tough life.

JIGSAWProducer,- A r t i e, 4 8N , £ 5.9 5

As the title says, this is a computerjigsaw puzzle. The program contains2 pictures, an old steam train and StGeorge and the Dragon Bothgraphics are very nicely done andcan be seen for a flash during theloading, or on pressing the Help keyDuring play the pictures are dividedup into squares and muddled upYou use the cursor keys to shufflethem into the correct sequences.Depending on the selected skill levelthere are more or less squares 10shuttle. Our reviewers found thegame amusing and difficult at first,but unable to hold the attention forlong Overall CRASH rating 47%. Agame with a difference and likely toappeal to puzzlers.

JOHNNY REBProducer M C Lothlorien. 48K £5.50Lothlorien specialise in battlestrategy war games which requirehours to play properly, involvingmilitary units of varying strengthsand related weaponry. Each playerin turn is allowed to move some or allof his units their pre-ordainednumber of squares, and then usethem to attack. The game is set Inthe American Civil War and the ideaIs to capture the enemy unit's flagThegraphics tend to be small to fit ineverything and it takes some time toget the hang of how to play, but oncethat's done there's hours ol fun ofyou like war strategy games. It hasproved very popular

LOJIXProducer.' Virgin Games, 48K 1395Author Stephen WebbThis is a puzzle game where theobject is to lit 22 irregularly shapedpieces into a square shaped grid O nthe left is the blank grid, and to theright the 22 VAri-Coloured shapes,each identified by a letter of of thealphabet To lit a piece you selectthe one you want by pressing theappropriate key, whereupon a blackcursor dot appears in the grid whichcan be moved by using the cursorsto the centre of where you want theshape fitted (this is the grid squarewhich corresponds to the Square inthe shape where its identifying letterIs situated) The shape may berotated before fitting using key 9. Itmay also be removed from the gridby using key R. Looks simple but islikely to take a player a long time tomirt Out and if you like these puzzles,offers good value Overall CRASHrating 53% M/C.

LOSTProducer: Virgin Games. 48K £5.95Author: John HuntLost is a graphics survival adventure.You are lost in a forest clearing,surrounded by mountains with only

5 days supply of food. There areanimals and snakes which pop upnow and again and may be killed ifyou're quick enough off the mark —or they may get you A complex listof graphic symbols at the start tellsyou what you are seeing, fruit trees,caves, water, settlements etc. Youcan move 4 characters at a time, butthis allowance decreases Over poorterrain. Weather plays an importantrole and between each move theweather forecast is displayed This isbuilt up so slowly it fenders thegame almost unplayabie after a fewminutes. Colour, graphics andsound are all quite well though Out,but in the end it becomes morebaffling than enjoyable Keyboardresponse is poor, no joystick optiongeneral rating: average. CRASHoverall 57% BASIC,

PAR ASProducer, MC Lothlorien• 4 8 K q . 5 0It you enjoyed 'Redweed' or 'JohnnyRob' then you will find Pares aSuitable follow up The object is tobring the war to a swift close bydestroying the enemy's line ofcommunication — a bridge. To dothis your 15 men are dropped behindenemy lines. They may be equippedwith 5 different weapons and anunlimited number of grenades. As inthe previous war games each manmay be moved according to a stricttable of squares allowed, and thenallowed to fire before the enemy gpttheir turn Unl ike the 2 previoustitles, Pares has far morecomplexities built in and will provideendless fun for war game addictsBright graphics, but many symbolsto digest G ood instructionsenclosed on a leaflet

PLUNDERProducer C CS, 48K E15.00Author D G EvansPlunder is a pretty massive strategygame where you find yourself incommand of a British Galleon withthe object of stopping the Spaniardsfrom running gold from the NewLands to Spain. There is a short,medium and tong game option with3 skill levels for each The screengives you a high resolution map ofthe North Atlantic, divided intosquares by a grid. You move yourship about with the cursors, seekingenemy galleons, troopships andbattleships I f one is encounteredyou may attack or retreat Attackinggives the option of firing or boardingor both Fir ing on a galleon may be amistake — if it sinks then you lose itsgold. Depending on your battlesuccess the morale factor of yourcrew goes up Or down There areseveral ports open to you whichmust be entered via an arcade stylesequence for docking in port youmay take on extra crew or weaponry,have repairs made, buy food, jewelsor opium, or sell if you already haveany The display informs you at alltimes of the gold stopped, goldacquired and Spent weatherconditions (which affect findingenemy shippping). number ofvictories, men lost, ships sunk andsoon. The length of the game Isdetermined by the number of movesyou make, and these are alsodisplayed. All in all, an entertaininggame, but one that can becomerepetitive with playing.

PRINT SHOPProducer C CS, 48K £5.00Another standard from CCS inwhich you get only 12 weeks tomake the profit which will slop thebank from closing down yourprinting business. Work scheduling.staffing, purchasing and estimatingto clients for their work are aimed totest your business acumen to thehilt Each month you receive abalance sheet to see how well youhave done. This is a text game withoption menus

PRIVATEERProducer: MC Lothiorien 48K E4.50It's a good price but reflects the factthat this is an updated D(61 programand looks like it. A 3-phase naval wargame which gives you command of aRoyal Navy ship fighting FrenchPrivateers. LI is a suitable game foran introduction Into the whole battlestrategy area, but too simple forhardened veterans

RED BARONproducer: MC Lothlorien 48K E:5 50This is a real time simulation ofWorld War I plane to plane aerialcombat with you. as the pilot of aSopwith Camel, pitted against airaces of the German airforce. A mainmenu offers 6 options; Enemy planes potting, which at length shows youwhat an enemy plane is doinggraphically, Training flight, whichfamiliarises you with the controlsand graphic display: Level Of play —there are 19: Campaign game, inwhich enemy planes are sent upagainst you; Design your own game,where you can alter thespecifications of the planes andplots; and Quit. The main problemwith what might be a really goodgame, is that the cockpit view is verydisorienting I f an enemy is behindyou, you get a view over the back ofyour plane, which doesn't seem veryrealistic — it's almost as though youwere flying backwards, or sidewaysif you look left or right. Controllingyour aircraft takes some gettingused to and the real time element islikely to put off shoot em up addictsHowever, for those who enioysimulations, this one representsfairly good value for money.

REDWEEDProducor: MC Lothlorien• 4 8 K 1 3 . 5 0A scenario borrowed from H G Wellsputs you in charge of London'sdefence against the invadingMartian war machines, whilst semi-sentient Redweed threatens to putyour unite Out of action as it growsacross the map. You have many andvaried units from heavy artillery toflamethrowers (used against theredweed) Your enemy is three warmachines and your task is to Outthink them. Small bul effectivegraphics and a menu driven gamewhere you and the Martians takeyour lurns in a very civilised manner.Fifteen skill levels to test yourtactical abilities. Good value for thispopular game.

REFLECTIONSProducer: Artic, 18K £6.95Author.- B r ia n N ei ma n

This is an original strategy/puzzlename where you must Move a torcharound the edges of a 12 by 12 gridand discover the locations olinvisible mirrors by seeing where thetorch beam is refl ected You canselect between 10 and 39 mirrors. Ifthe beam is refl ected when 'fi red'you may then eleCt to guess the cellIn which the mirror is placed andthen its angle. If you are wrong youlose points and you spend a point forevery fi ring of the torch. Thegraphics are s imple but effective andit requires quite a bit of think ingLikely to pall with much play inghowever Ov erall CRASH rat ing 50%M/C.

ROMAN EMPIREProducer; MC Lothlorten, 16X £6.50In this cast of thousands it is the lira!century BC and you are theEmperor. (A work ing knowledge of 'IClaudius* might be useful but isn'tessential)! What you have to do issimply conquer ten countries whichhale you, and do this wiping Outtheir troops (under-paid and under.trained) with your 90,000 men. Thereare nine generals on your side,inc luding yourself. and 18 legions of5,000 men each. The idea is to buildup armies from the men, appointgenerals and launch campaigns topersuade the barbarian hordes howwonderful life under the yoke canbe. Three levels of diffi culty.SAMURAI WARRIORProducer; MC Lothiorien, 16X £6.50You are a Samurai warrior liv ingduring the Kamakura period inJapan (1185-1333). There are nobonus points for k illing RichardChamberlain, but there are fordefeating your opponents andsurviving into old age You can, ofcourse, commit Seppuku if youwould rather Up against you are sixgroups of bandits and nine othersamurai of dif fering abilities, any ofwhom may be superior to yourself.Challenges and hunts occur insimple graphics and are not verygood Results are in direct relat ion tothe combatants ' strengths. Seemspointless

SHEEPWALKProducer: Virgin Gems, 48K £6.95This can't go under an 'arcade'heading and should probably beconsigned to the dustbin anyway.But if anything does come into thisgame it is a touch of strategy and ahell of a lot of luck. The object is toget your elec tronic collie dog to herda load of sheep into a pen andprevent then, drowning or chompingthe crops. It's all inc redibly s low andtedious to play, and very BASIC

SHIP OF THE LINEProducer: Richard Shepherd, 48K£6.50You an offi cer in the Royal Navy orthe 17th Century, in command of aship of the line in the Mediterranean.and the object is to do battle withother ships in order to win favourwith your superiors. The ship inquestion is a cutter with a crew of 50Pressing any key gives you a graphicview of the sea. If a ship is s ightedyou may engage her or run Shouldyou engage you are told the enemy'sstrength. If you win the encounteryou may sink the ship or it maySurrender, in which case you winprize money A l l in all a rather s impleand undemanding game with fewthrills .

SMUGGLER'S COVEProducer.' Quicksittia, 48A £6.95It's 1753 and you are on a hunt forBlackbeard's lamous treasure,hidden in a complex of caves on thenorth Cornish Coast. The programburbles away at you in pirateese ofthe 'Argil. J im lad, me scupper. there'e be,' type. The top halt of thescreen contains well des igned andinstantly appearing locationgraphics, but the game getsnowhere. It seems imposs ible to getbeyond the fi rst few locations andthen it ceases to be any fun.

SPECTRUM SAFARIProducer. A J Rushton, 48K £6.95I've been told that this game is nowmarketed by C D S Micro Systems,but they haven't confi rmed that y etIn any event il ia a lolly and originalmix ture of arcade bits withtext/graphics adventure whichshould keep you on your toes unlessyou're a D&D purist. The idea is totake your party of s trandedexplorers across an is land infestedwith highly intelligent wildlife withuniversity degrees, and beset withnatives who want to barter awaytheir food and men to replace thateaten by the men or the intelligentwildlife. Once you have vis ited av illage it disappears forever,presumably wiped Out through lackof resistance to some vile whitemisn'S disease, but it teaches youcaution in your bargaining. II you'regett ing short of explorers (lives) inyour party Los ing them all meansdeath to the player. The main objectis io fi nd the only boat buy it andsail away from this MagnusMagnusson madhouse. Every animalencountered has some problem foryou; sometimes Its an arcade stylesituation. sometimes they want toknow the answer to a diffi cultmathematical problem. If you fail a

member of your party gets eaten.Nice clear graphics and a veritableMGM musical score makes this avery enjoyable gameRecommended

SUPER SPYProducer: Richard Shepherd, 48K£650Cross and recross the world insearch of Dr Death's secret is landlair. Full of coded messages endpuzzles, mysterious packages,waitresses, hotel managers, taxi cabdrivers and the like. Be wary ofparcels and fl owers that explode andwatch Out for Dr Death's horrid lit t lemidget. It could be a lively and fungame to play, but in the end it settlesfor more confus ion which tends towear the player down. If you like thistype of game, probably worth it.

TIMEQUESTProducer; Midrogen. 48K .05. 95This is a game in which you mustfind the pieces of your craft whichhave been scattered throughout t imeowing to an accident in warp-space.Thorughout your quest you mustdefend yourself from the inhabitantsof that time, such as a bunch ofRoman soldiers in 137 AD Thescreen displays your attackers,weapons you may pick up. and thesalvagable bits of your craft as wellas yourself. To the right is a statustable arid below a series of textoptions which are activated bypressing the desired init ial letter.These options allow you to moveacross the screen, choose thedirection, and attack. pick up,change weapons and so on, Thegame has very limited graphics andis neither arcade nor really anadventure. It c laims lobe in real t ime(a c lock ticks away with every movemade) bui as it's staged across eonsof time this is scarcely possiblePoor Overall CRASH rat ing 33%BASIC.

VALHALLAProducer; Legend. 48X .C14.95 (1)Valhalla is much too lengthy andcomplicated to go into in a briefreview. It boasts the best animatedgraphics in an adventure yet,numerous locations, lots and lots ofInter-reactive characters who carryon with or without you, and k ill eachother off all over the place. Interrupt-operated text input allows you totype in commands while otheractions are tak ing place and theprogram accepts quite complicatedsentences. There are six separatebut linked quests, although muchfun may be had just liv ing lite as itcomes in Valhalla. Accompanied byan excellent book which tells you allyou need to know in nb-nonsenselanguage. Expensive but worth it,although there were mixed feelingsabout the ult imate value of thegame's central oblectives, OVerallCRASH rating 82% M i C

SMUGGLERProducer; GCS. 48K 16.00Author. PA HeinsworthThe inlay says that skill, inspirat ionand calculated risk are the mainingredients of success Fiv e levels ofplay allow you to move and storegoods, buy goods, sell them, buy aboat, sail i t and consult the bank. Itis the 19th century and the object isto amass a fortune of ‘250.000 bysmuggling goods in from theMediterranean (avoiding Ships ofthe Line), Factors to juggle withinc lude crew costs, commoditycosts, port dues, maintenance costs.size of vessel and how far it cansafely travel and at what loading.Random elements inc lude theweather, which may sink your vesselor run it aground, and there arealways the priates to watch Out for.

TYRANT OF ATHENSProducer.' MC Lothloriert 16K 15.50Another text strategy game fromLothlorien. It's the fi fth century BCand Athens is beset by hostilearmies and fl eets from otherpowerful Greek stales as well as thePersians. All you have to do issurvive long enough to turn Athensinto the most feared state in theMediterranean by building warships.t raining troops and fi ghting battlesby sea and by land. No mention ofdemocracy here, and philosophy 'sstrictly for the cissies. Not one oftheir best games, but reasonablyplayable_

WARLORDProducer: MC Lothlorien. 48K 15.50This might be seen as a sequel to'Samurai Warrior' as it is set in thesame country and the same periodof lime. You rule a small coastalv illage which supports itself by slavelabour and by raiding other smallvillages I n turn your v illage may beraided by other villages or by thepirates off the coast. This is acons iderably expanded gamecompared to 'Samurai Warrior•Menu options allow you to traintroops from your villagers, set someaside for land cultivation, hiremercenaries, attack pirates, raidother villages, hire samurai and buildships. Text only game Average fun

ADVENTURE GAMES

Adventure games come in all shapesand sizes. They are text-oriented.although graphics are alien added.sometimes tor a pretty elleasometimes as an integral part of thegame with clues not in the text. Thereare also an Increasing number ol'graphic adventures' which combinethe adventure tormat with arcade stylegraphics. They are all linked by thecommon theme ol a quest, a search forsome object or aim through manylocations.

ABYSSProducer: GCS. 48K £5.00In a hidden gorge through theMountain of the Golden Lion, liesthe forgotten ABYSS But brave andfoolhardy adventurers like yousometimes strive to cross it theirsole aim to destroy the many evilmonsters that lurk in the shadows,wailing for the next meal to comes trolling across the many bridges inthe ABYSS. Scenario over, the gamebegins The screen presents youwith a yellow god, each crossingpoint being a 'lurk ing' place.Movement is done by the cursorsuntil you encounter a monster.These tend lo offer you a range ofproblems, like the Ogre who can'tget his sums right—can you in 15seconds? Or the arcade sequencewhere you must hit live fallingspiders before they reach the cavefl oor Added dangers are creakybridges that may collabpse underyou. By no means a tradit ional W Madventure, but certainly one forquick think ing swots with '0 ' levelsto pass! Good value for the price andnot at all easy.

BLACK CRYSTALProducer. Car ne)/, 481( ,C7.50A mammoth undertak ing and one ofthe earliest 'big' adventures, Itfeatures graphics fi lling most of thescreen, showing a map ol thevarious landscapes. Choose whatcharacter you want to be and thenwade in to fi ght the monsters. Fartoo complex to do justice to in this

65

space, but if you are to play it setaside hours for contemplation of thebook (Or novel one might say) whichexplains everything. Indeed, you arerecommended to save the game atvarious stages and think over theday's events before plunging in.Recommended.

BYTEProducer: C CS, 48K E5.00 (1)Author: O S Ben-ArniThis is a text-with-some-graphicsadventure, where the battle field isthe depths of a 3D maze in whichvarious computer components mustbe located to build your owncomputer. They may be lying about,they may be hidden and generallythey are defended by all sorts ofelectronic monsters you must defeatto reoefein alive and progress. Theseven skill levels are neatlycategorised by the sophistication ofthe computer you want to build,each having its own strengthcharacteristics. Battles with themonsters may lake the form ofmental bouts like spelling tests ormaths questions, or they may bephysical where, for instance, youmay have to do semearcade battleswith cross bows or swords.Graphically the text Is pretty clear,but the inputting of commands israther irritating and there's too muchreverse flashing going on which tiresthe eye. Medium fast responsetimes Overall CRASH rating 58%.average. BASIC,

CAMELOTC CS 48K F:5.00Author: C Chapman & G BrooksYou are Arthur Pendragon, banishedfrom Camelot by the wicked BlackKnight, but an unknown ally hasloaned you 50 bags of gold pieces.You must travel around and collectseven items that are hidden onvarious countries. Three beam sexist where you may buy items tohelp you, and there are other itemshidden that may help you Overcomeproblems. The object is to collect theseven items and re-enter Camelot tobe crowned King. This is a graphicsadventure where you move Arthurand his band of warriors around amap by using keys N.S.E.W At eachstep the scene cuts to a graphicrepresenting castles. !ovine anddifferent types of landscape. In eachthere is some problem to Overcome.like a band of brigands whom youmay fight or flee Battle strength andhelpful objects already collectedhelp determine the outcome, Shouldyou win there os a search option formore useful stems The graphics arebright and clear, response times arefairly good and this unCOnwentinaladventure might well make anattractive change from the usual.

COLOSSAL CAVESProducer: C P Software, 48K £7.95Author: AbersollAlsknown as Adventure 1 byAbersoft, this os a traditional styleadventure where you must find thetreasure telt behind by a Wizard. andin which you will meet dragons,trolls. snakes and other darkdenizens, When the program hasfinished loading the adventurebegins instantly withoutinstructions. These are available oncommand The game is strictly textOnly and uses repeat ',n a t i o n s w h e n

travelling along, say, a valleyFinding the cave in the first place isalready an adventure In itself, andthe whole game may lake days. evenweeks to complete satisfactorilyOne of the classic computeradventure games Recommended

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DEVILS OF THE DEEPProducer: Richard Shepherd, 48KDi 50A 3D graphic adventure where youmove your undersea diver along thesea bed avoiding electric eeis andcrabs, collect useful items likeharpoon guns and harpoons, hnovesand compasses, and try to collectthe treasure hidden somewhereThere are 100 screens to betraversed The idea , a good one butthe graphics are uninspiring andvery. very slow. Long load andminutes to wait if you are killedbefore another game may be playedBelow averageDUNGEONS OF DOOMProducer: Temptation. 48X £5.95This is meant to contain two games—either you enter and progressdown through the dungeons, or youStan t at the bottom and try to get OutI thought that it was generally thecase with any adventure. It's meantto be a graphic adventur e,-but t h egraphics a r restricted to black ongreen squares representing theroom you are in and the ones near toIt. Monsters appear in text only andseem dispiritingly easy to kill off.Slow responses and few thrills makethis a beginners-only introductiongame.

ESPIONAGE ISLANDProducer Attic, 48K E6,95Arlie have produced five text onlyadventures to date, lettered A to E,This is 'D'. Despite or because of, thelack of pictures, all their adventuresare dripping with verbal atmosphere.They contain endless locations,options, puzzles to solve and arenever afraid of the most obscure ormost obvious of solutions. Alwaysexcellent value. In this game you areon a reconneisssance flight to spyon an enemy island when you are hitby fire. The adventure begins in theplane as it plunges earthwards.There are many tangles with theparachute before you reach theground — lust grabbing it andopening the fuselage door results ina nasty red mess on the ground!From there on you must make yourway to the heart of the enemystronghold, secure information, andreturn to your aircraft carrier indisguise, avoiding being shot byyour own side. Biggles lives again!Clear writing and fast responsescombined with a variable element inreplay, make this a very Worthwhilebuy Save game feature.

FAUST'S FOLLYProducer. Abbey, 16K 15.95Faust's Folly is buried somewhere inthis congenial game with fastresponse times and some graphicadditions Once you have sorted outthe vocab and found the entrance tothe underground complex, it's amatter of the correct implementsbeing picked up. The computer tellsyou that it Isn't very intelligent(whatever Sinclair may tell you) andit may not know which way is whichwithout a compass to help. In almostany location you can go in eightdirections. So don't get lost. Verygood for 18K.

GHOST TOWNProducer, Virgin Games, 48K E5.95Author: John PickfordGhost Town is a pretty accuratecopy of Phipps Associates' 'GreedyGulch', but it's nowhere near asmuch fun, There's the same old e e-empty town with a sequential map 'ehowing the locations of the various e C e eestablishments where useful itemsand information may be found to eeeree-eveesis.

•-, —help you locate the gold mine in the —desert. Once in the desert theredon't seem to be any graphics worthspeaking of At least the text is nicelywritten and the response times arevery good. But it I had to choose itwould be 'Greedy Gulch'. OverallCRASH rating 43% BASIC

GOLDEN APPLEProducer: Attic. 48K 05.95Author: Simon WadsworthAdventure 'E• is the latest from Artieand its title card explains this textOnly adventure very well — a largemansion, a ship and a mountainousisland in the distance. Looks easyuntil you start. The object is to find13 secret objects, find a safe place tostore them in and do this throughtons of locations. Finding a key canbe hard enough, but the key youneed near the start of this game ishidden in a very obvious place — soObvious you would never think oflooking there until you sneezed aftersniffing the n o I musn't give anysecrets away. Absorbing!

GREEDY GULCHProducer: Phipps Associates, 48KE.4_95The town of the title is a ghost townset in the Wild West, deserted nowthe gold workings have run out. Butthere is a mine out in theneighbouring desel which still has afortune tucked away. The problem isto find the right map, get somethingto carry water in and fill it, find a gunfor protection end then get to themine and back, Whilst not amassively demanding adventure. it'sCertainly an absorbing one Thegraphics show you the map ofGreedy Gulch itself, or parts of it,with Some location graphics in thedesert, There are several mysteriousappearances by someone you onlysee Out of the corner of your eye.Some problems are simpler toovercome than you might suppose—confronted by a crevass aridcarrying a plank which wouldn'tbridge it, jumping across solved theproblem! Good value.

GROUCHOProducer: Automata, 84K El 0.00 (1)Author: PimanThe full title of this ditty is, 'My NarneIs Uncle Grouch° You Wm A FatCigar,' but that's much to long toever repeat again! Like their famousPimania. the oteect is to wadethrough a drug-induced landscapeof weirdness and insanity, which issupposed to represent America, onthe company of Groucho Marx andhis companion the Pimen, discoverthe secret identity of a famousHollywood star which is hidden Inthe game, and then win the fabulousprize of a trip to Hollywood to meetthe star in question, flying out on

Concorde and coming back on the0E2. A rags to riches story forsomeone. Entries before 1 JuneNaturally, you've got to be solidbonkers to get It right, and apimaniaC to boot Good fun despitethe slow response times. Excellentgraphics end sound, Overall CRASHrating 67%, BASIC

HOBBITProducer: Melbourne House. 48KE14.95To date the great adventure, basedon the famous Tolkien novel of thesame name, which is included torthe price, This game has a largishvocabulary end allows sentence will'link words, Artificial Intelligence of akind enlivens the action as thecharacters continue their livesregardless of what you do, It'spossible to inter-relate with them tosome degree, depending on theirfeelings towards you. Some even gelkilled without you knowing about ituntil you stumble across theirbodies! I've forgotten whet the questis, but it'is hardly important —playing the game Is Very long andtotally absorbing. A classic

HUMMER HOUSE OF HORRORProducer: Lasersound 48K E7.00Clouds obscure the moon and youare alone in the dreadful house — orare you? No you are not alone,there's the mad Chinese cook on thegreasy kitchen for a start off, plusimps, ghouls and things that gobump on the night. Every room isseething with something orsomeone who wants you to passsomething On to someone orsomething. Simple 3D graphics tryto enliven the rather ponderouspace. Average fun

INCA CURSEProducer. Artic, 48K 05.95Thts is adventure 'Er, well up toArtic's usual standard of text onlygames. You are in the SouthAmerican jungle, near an. as yet,undisturbed Inca Temple. Insidethere is a lot of treasure which youmust find and bring safely Out Beingan Indiana Jones may be of somehelp, but pitting your brains againstthe evils therein is more importantRecommended

INVINCIBLE ISLANDProducer: Rtchard Shepherd. 481(£6.50Author: P Cookeinvincible Island Ls the home of theprimitive Xaro tribe. Legend has it)as they often will) that the Xeroguard unimaginable treasures. Youronly help Is the last message ofworld famous explorer Dr Chumleywho said. 'First find the sevenparchments of Xaro'. He was neverheard from again. Now it's your turn.Programs from this company alwaysseem to take an age to lead. When itnas you are presented with a niceclear text and neat locationgraphics Reasonably fastresponses.

THE ISLANDProducer. Virgin Games, 48K (5.95Author: Marlyn DaviesApparently you live in a clutch ofSouth Sea Islands, one of whichcontains gold. Find the map, find thecorrect island and get rich quick. Amostly text adventure with arcadesequences to add to the fun—that'sthe idea—the reality is somethingelse. It's had one good review we'veseen, but goodness knows why! ThisIsn't a real adventure at all In theproper sense. You're led by the nosealong the correct guessing path untilyou end up with an impossiblearcade sequence which demandsYOU sail your ship through a rock.infested see. Deviation from theauthor's intended path results interminating the game Excellentresponse tiems to nowhere. Sorry,it's rubbish. Overall CRASH ratingbelow 20%. MiC

KNIGHTS QUESTProducer: Phipps Associates, 48Ke5.95Which Micro's reviewers got veryangry about this game, because it Iswritten in BASIC. Lots of adventuregames are written in BASIC and arevery good. if a little slow al times.The plot of )night's Quest is a littlethin and unoriginal however, aforerunner of their much bettergames. Some locations are simplyillustrated with small graphics andthere are the utlual assortment ofspells, weapons and monsters. Notalt bad by any means

MAO MARTHAProducer. M i k ra g e n: 48K 05 .95

To prove how much fun a BASICwritten adventure can be try thislittle domestic ditty. As hen-peckedhusband, Henry, steal your wife'smoney, creep Out of the housewithout waking baby or tripping overthe wailing moggy_ and have a nightOut On the town at the casino andother similarly Unsavoury Places.The problem is that your wife, dearMartha. is an escapee from Fridaythe 13th Part Six 40, a homicidalmaniac with an exel Goodvocabulary and an invariableprogram that resembles a wordmaze. Getting things in absolutelythe correct order is the name of thegame here. But if you are too cleverthere are very tricky little arcadesequences included. To puriststhese may be upsetting, but they doliven up the adventure. If you havetried Mad Martha and enjoyed it thentry

MAD MARTHA IIProducer: Mikrogen, 48K 05.95Much the same mix as before.except this time Henry. Martha andson are on holiday in Spain Marthahas a flail-cousin, a waiter calledI wail for it) Manuel. Martha sets Outon a bus tour with her son, leavingManuel to keep an eye on Henry,who has a secret rendezvous with aSpanish penpal Henry leaves theirhotel with Manuel hot on his trail.Features a bull fight with Henry as athe star attraction. Not to be missed!

MAGIC MOUNTAINProducer: Phipps Associates, 48K(4.95Seek Out the Scroll of Wisdom in thistext adventure with locationgraphics There is the usualassortment of items and monsters,baffling puzzles and sudden deathsthrough Inexperience. Reasonablegraphics and medium fast responsetimes. An average effort •

MINES OF SATURNProducer: Mikrogen, 16K ES.95Includes part two — Return to EarthYou're making a routine orbit ofSaturn when a radiation stormforces you to crash land on one ofthe moons. Luckily you come downnear an abandoned mining base.Now you must set off in search of Di-Lithium crystals to refuel yourstandard ship, 'Return to Earth' getsyou back in space and landinoon anabandoned end damaged spacestation, looking for a means ofcommunicating with Earth. Bothadventures are very standard, withnot many locations and irritatingrandom elements over which youhave no control The games lackatmosphere and will not acceptabbreviations making you typeeverything out. Tedious,

MINES OF MORIAProducer: Severn, 16X E4.95The Mines of Mona are the ancienthome of Du rin's folk from Tolkien'sLord of the Rings. Long deserted,the mines contain old hoards oftewels and gold, guarded by theancient and evil terrors of earlierages. You're Inside — the problem isgetting Out alive, Monsters IncludeTrolls, Oros, Beirogs or Wargs.Doors can be opened by force,spells or bribery of the door wards.Spells can be bargained for fromwizards, and traders sell you woundointment. Control is by the cursorkeys, you can go up and down Or usea warp which transports to otherlocations on a random floor Watchout for the two-part load_ The gameitself Is a mix. The screen shows youa plan of the floor with a list whichlets you know the level you are onand room number Occupied,weaponry and armorial status,number of wounds, strength, goldcollected, jewels collected andspells available, A line at the bottomInforms you of what's going on andasks whether or not to fight onmeeting monsters Rooms visitedare plotted on the map, showingmonsters encountered. It becomesdifficult to manoeuvre after a while.A reasonable game.

THE ORACLE'S CAVEProducer: DORIC, 48K C7.95(1)Author: Chris CorrellUsing the classic M D format, this Isan animated graphics adventure.You must seek the entrance to thecaves in which you are trapped.collecting 40 units of treasure onyour way. You must also collecttreasure guarded by lour specialmonsters. The Mummy. TheCentaur, The Fiery Dragon or TheBlack Knight. With each game thelayout of the caves is randomlygenerated to make each playdifferent from the last. Commandsare entered in resonse to a menu oflimited options which allow you tomove, rest, explore, use (a carriedarticle) or, If in the presence of amonster, tight or run I f you elect tomove the menu is replaced byanother offering left/right/up/down.When 'you' move there is ananimation sequence which is verywell done, especially the descent ofstairs. The fights are fun, but youmust watch your combat strengthand that of your opponent verycarefully. Another point is to use theexplore facility all the while. Thegame grows on you as you begin 10

realise its potential. Reasonableresponse times, good graphics andgoOd value for money OverallCRASH rating 70% BASIC.

PHARAOH'S TOMBProducer- P h i pp s A s so c ia t es ; 48K

E4.95Make yourself rich by plundering aluxurious Pharaoh's tomb. Phippshave put together a well planned andsometimes amusing adventure gamehere, with text and locationgraphics, which are simply butattractive. Responses are very fastand the atmosphere draws you inagain and again. Good value formoney and well worth playing

PI MANIAProducer: Automata, 48K f10.00There's not much to be said aboutPimenia, the game that launchedovernight the Insignificant Pi Man tofame and fortune. The game iswacky, daft, weird and infuriating byturns and to date the famous prizeworth E6.000 (plus index linking) hasnot been won. Although it runs onstandard adventure game lines ittakes lateral thinking Into the realmsof higher for perhaps camp) art.Slow responses but that hardlymatters, Pimania ma disease whichovercomes most things'PLANET OF DEATHProducer: Artie. I6K £5.95Adventure 'A' finds you stranded onan alien planet and you must findyour space ship_ That's a prettystraightforward quest for once, butthe route is far from straightforwardAtmospheric and chilling to play_you get drawn in by the wordsPlenty of hazards to overcome_Good valeta

QUESTProducer: Howson, 48K £5.95Find a map hidden in a worldinhabited by gruesome monstersguarding their territory and variouspieces of treasure. To undertake thequest in question you can choose tobe a wizard, a cleric, rogue, fighteror simpleton, each with his owncharacteristics and abilities. A splittext/graphic game. It has areasonably wide range ofvocabulary. Generally a very goodgame and a traditional formatadventure with plenty of scope_ Theonly serious drawback is that youcan't play another game. Oncefinished the program quitspermanently.SAS ASSAULTProducer: Mikrogen, 48K E6.95In this text and some graphicsadventure you are leading an SASteam who must recover the RussianAm basador from kidnappers belorethe Russians take the matter as anact of war. The Russian is being heldin a farmhouse and part one is theassault Part two, on the reverse sideof the tape, carries the actionforward with your ratings dependentupon how well you did in part one i tall moves along et a fair pace, withtext descriptions and prompts as tothe weapons you carry and howmany bursts you can fire. When asituation develops you are givenlettered choices like 'Go back' or

'Fire' or 'Weil'. In between there areline drawings and some maps butmost of the action is reported by thecomputer along the 'You hit one andkilled him; lines. Pretty testresponses, a lively story andgenerally not bad value. OverallCRASH rating 56% SA/C.

SHIP OF 000MProdUCer: Arric, 48K £6.95 •Adventure 'C' takes you into spaceand on a reconnaissance trip yourship is drawn by a Graviton beamonto an alien cruiser, Fred, your palandroid, informs you that the cruiseris in search of humanoid planets tocapture staves whose brains will bereplaced by microchips. The quest isto find the computer room and pressthe button to switch It oft You wantlobe wary in an Artic adventure.however, of switching off too manycomputers should you come acrossthem, In 'Planet of Death' there os acomputer which you may betempted to disconnect_ Doing so willdump you into a Sinclair Researchlogo

VAMPIRE VILLAGEProducer: Terminal, 48N E6.95 (1)This graphics adventure is sographics-oriented there is hardlyany text to contend with. The villageof Vlasdorf lives under the shadow ofthe vampire's castle, and as Mayor Ofthe village you must find volunteers,provide them with money to buyequipment and food, and get them tohelp you destroy the vampiremenace. Usual vampire rulesapply—stakes through the heart, noflying by day, garlic keeps him atbay_ The screen displays a map OfVlasdorf and the surroundingcountryside with hosts of blackshapes lot buildings. You controlyour volunteer by the cursor keys—he's a small black dot—and you cansend him to shops to buy things (likegarlic), the boat house for a boat tocross the river (they drown if theyfall in), the church for holy water,and soon. The village operates inreel time moving from day to nightwith the usual rapidity of all goodhorror films! An unusual game withmany other features and reasonablevalue for money. Overall CRASHrating 64% W C.

VELNOR'S LAIRProducer • Ouicksilva. 48K (6.95Author: Derek BrewsterNo adventure anthology would becomplete without thia one. Textonly, but fluid, copious text with i tresponse times and a sense ofhumour that takes some of the slingfrom the gruesome tale of terrorwhich lurks within the complex ofVelnors Lair. There's a clever use ofrepeat locations which makes youthink you aren't getting anywhere.when in fact you must keep enteringthe same command for five or sixsteps. The denizens of thisadventure are a monstrous lot, andthe goblins are tricky indeed. Choseyour character carefully, wizard,warrior or priest, and watch Out forillusions, which abOund. Highlyrecommended.

67

0 1 1 . 14 0 0 #

Whether you phone-in or write in, all the names willgo into the bag to be drawn monthly. First out of thebag receives E10 worth of software of your choice plusthree issues of CRASH for the next three months; andthree runners-up will each receive three free issues ofCRASH for the next three months. (Should you be asubscriber, then your subscription will be extended forthree months).

CRASHHOTLINEThe CRASH HOTLINE is your Top 20 chart of Spectrum software —so make sure you register your vote now! There's two ways you cando it: either use the Crash Hotline Phone-in (the number Is printedbelow); or use the postal coupon below and send it to us.

Each month the results of your votes will be collated and publishedin the next month's Issue of CRASH as the Top 20 programs voted onby readers.

YOUR VOTE IS EXTREMELYIMPORTANT - USE IT PLEASE!

HOW TO USE THE CRASH HOTLINEMethod 1CRASH HOTLINE PHONE-IN. Ring the number below. We have hadto install an answering machine. After the recorded message slateyour name and address very clearly, spelling it out if necessary (if it'san unusual name!) and then slate the five games, with producers'names, starting with number 1 down to number 5. Please do this asquickly as possible.

THE CRASH HOTLINE PHONE NUMBER IS0584 (Ludlow) 3015

Method 2CRASH HOTLINE WRITE-IN. Use the coupon below, making sureyou fi ll in all the details very clearly. Pop the coupon In a stampedenvelope and send it to us at the address on the coupon,DEADLINEVotes for the next Issue must be received no later than Wednesday29th. February. Votes received after that date will go forward to nextmonths issue.

If you use the phone-in Hotline, you may have to bear with us — it 'salready proving very popular, which means you may well find itengaged when you ring. Try again later, and if all fails use the write-incoupon for safety.

C R A S H H O T L I N E W R I T E I N C O U P O N M y top five favour ite programs in descending orderPlease use bloc k capitals and wr ite c lear ly ! are:

Name

Address

Postcode

4

Send your coupon to CRASH HOTLINE, PO BOX 10, 5LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE SY8 1DB

6 8 A Newsfield Publication

2

3

Well, here it is, Britain's first software Hotline Chart com-piled from your votes! However — a wrod of warning —due to print schedules this month's chart has had to becompiled after only two weeks and, as yet, the system isn'tin full swing. Next rnonth's chart will have had a full 4weeks o f vote collec ting and w il l therefore be morerepresentative. It means that the lower chart positions asshown here should be taken only as an indication ratherthan as gospel!

CRASH HOTLINE SPECTRUM SOFTWARE CHART -MARCHFigure In brackets Indicates last month's position

I (23) MANIC MINER SoftwareProjects

2 (14) ATIC ATAC Ultimate3 (10) LUNAR JETMAN Ultimate4 (37) 30 ANT ATTACK

Quicksilva5 ( 4) JETPAC Ultimate6 ( / ) ZZOOM Imagine7 (33) THE HOBBIT Melbourne

House8 H CHEQUERED FLAG Psion9 H HUNCHBACK Ocean

10 (16) VALHALLA Legend11 ( - ) 3 0 DEATHCHASE

Micromega12 ( 5) PENETRATOR Melbourne

House13 (20) ARCADIA Imagine14 ( - ) SCRABBLE Psion15 ( - ) BUGABOO Quicksilva16 ( - ) METEOR STORM

Quicksliva17 ( - ) MAZIACS DX Tronics18 (46) JUMPING JACK Imagine19 ( - ) HOUSE OF SHADOWS

Shadow20 (30) TIMEGATE Quicksilva21 ( - ) PHEENIX Megadodo22 (13) MAD MARTHA Mikrogen23 (26) GALAXIANS Artic24 / - ) CHESS Psion25 (28) HALL OF THE THINGS

Crystal26 ( - ) FOOTBALL MANAGER

Addictive27 5 ) TRANZ-AM Ultimate28 (12) ZIP ZAP Imagine

TITLE

4243

44454647

48

4950

29 ( - ) FLIGHT SIMULATIONPsion

30 H THRUSTA Software Pro-jecls

31 ( - ) SPLAT Incentive32 (43) COSMIC RAIDERS

Mikrogen33 ( - ) HARRIER ATTACK Durrell34 H CHUCKIE EGG A +

35 ( - ) STONKERS Imagine36 ( - ) THE PYRAMID Fantasy37 H PUSH OFF Software Pro-tects38 ( - ) ORACLE'S CAVE Doric39 ( - ) TEST MATCH C.R.L.40 ( 9) TERROR DAKTIL 4D

Melbourne Hse41 H GAMES DESIGNER

Quicksliva(35) PSSST UltimateH ROMMEL'S REVENGE

Crystal(-) POOL C.D.S(-I PHARAOH'S TOMB Phipps(44) GOLF Virgin(-) I T'S ONLY ROCK 'N ROLLK-tei(-) COLOSSAL ADVENTURELevel 9(29) RE DWEED LothlorienH ANDROID 2 Vortex

HOTLINE Winner this month wasRay Blake, Rayleigh, Essex. Thethree runners-up were, K. Warm-ing, Hants; Scott Vincent, Film-boiough; Matthew Reid, LondonWS.

PRODUCER

• Ao

BE THEONE OFTHREE MONTHLYPEOPLE CRASHTO WIN

SOFTWARE! Q U I Z

I'm sure lots of you will havespotted the deliberate (ahem!)error in last months quiz onarcade game inlay cards.Question 6 referred, of course,to an adventure game and notan arcade game. Just put in tokeep you on your toes!

Anyway, carrying on from lastIssue's theme, let's see howmuch you know about adventuregames — story lines and inlays.Send your answers on apostcard or In a letter to thisaddress:

CRASH MICRO QUIZ, POBOX 10, LUDLOW,SHROPSHIRE SY8 1DB

1) I f you were seeking the Scroll ofWisdom,where would you belooking?

2) T h e Ice Giants can be a problem,but in what game?

3) I t says, 'Loki arrives. Where areyou?

4) I f you found yourself underneathMount Elk and surrounded bygoblins, whose home would youhave penetrated?

5) L o t s of things have been hidden Intime and space', but what didAutomata hide in there?

6) I f you think of yourself as a SuperSpy, exactly who do you seek?

7) He n ry and his son Arbuthnot haveappeared twice — but what's thename of the waiter?

8) I f you found yourself in the Ring ofFire, what would you be on?

9) I n The Sorceror's Castle, you mightbump into its owner. What's hisname?

10) Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is oftentaken as a basis for the adventureidea. Name two games associatedwith the story of its heroes.

11) Name the hit pop group who haveturned Automata into a householdname.

Entries must be received by lastpost, Friday 16th. March. Thefirst three correct entries drawnfrom the bag will each receiveE25 worth of software of theirchoice. Results and answers willapear in May's issue.

LOOK OUT FORNEXT MONTH'SCRASH WIZ!

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"Only cRA _1.1 can clo N a m e ...................................................................-an Xxkraans Raider A d d r e s s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Postcod..e .................. I enclose E

it.CRASH (Subs), PO BOX 10, LUDLO212:21711. ° :111:". -9111. :111:1181..°11D1r3A Newsfteld Publication 69

A i r t iKrakatoaProducer: AbboxMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Paul ReynoldsFirst shown at the DecemberZX Microtair, Krakatoa grab-bed the attention o f mos tpassersby b e c a u s e i t swealth of detail is amazing.There's such a lot going on.And there's a lot to do in thegame, m o s t o f i t nea t lyshown in the excellent demo,which r uns automat ic allyafter loading and betweengames.

Your task as a chopperpilot is twofold. A tanker issheltering in the bay from at-tacks b y V1 mis s iles andsubmar ines a r m e d w i t htorpedoes. Across the baythe dormant volcano (hencethe title) has come to life andIs threatening to errupt. Youmust try to rescue as manypeople f r om I t s threat a spossible. Your helicopter isequipped w i t h a mac hinegun, depth charges and arope for rescuing people. Thegame starts with the chop-per on the ground on the hellpad, bes ide the workman'shut. When your fuel gets lowand you return to the hell padto r efuel a n d re-arm, t h eworkman das hes o u t anddoes i t a l l i n a very busyanimated sequence. On talc.ing off, you pass out over thebay and reach the massivetanker. It's crew start to leapoverboard as s oon as theenemy do them damage, andso pose another problem foryou and your trusty rope!

Beyond the tanker is opensea, full o f enemy, and theVolcanic I s land w i t h i t shapless inhabitants . T h escreen shows all this in pro-file, s c rolling a s i t goes .'Scramble' style. To the leftand right of the display areaare ammo and fuel bars, andbelow are ins truments in -cluding a radar display, andscore.

CRITICISMThis has to be one of the

busiest games i n a longwhile! There are such a lot ofkeys to use that it takes a lotof practice before you caneven become s lightly profi -cient. The graphics are reallyexcellent, w e l l drawn a n danimated, and there's also alot o f detail i n t h e game70

Krakatoa — East of Java — the first disaster game.

ideas too. If you accidentallydrop a depth charge on thetanker there's a very good ex-plosion w ith chunks fl y ingoff, and a second later a crewman appears • and takes aleap off the stern and beginsswimming around. I f y ousuccessfully pick him up onthe end of the lowered rope,it is very tricky to get him intothe chopper as he must be onthe very end o f t he rope,otherwise he gets knockedoff a s t h e rope i s pulledaboard, and falls back intothe s ea! T h is i s a c om-plicated a n d demand inggame, which I can't see los-ing i t s appeal f o r a longtime.'

Krakatoa is both addictiveand ha r d t o play . B u tthought the keys were poorly

crol keys on the cassette in-lay? During the attract mode,the keys are listed for a veryshort time and there are toomany t o get wr itten downthat quickly, and too many toremember. The control keysare diffi cult to manage andlaid Out in a rather odd way.Once over these problems,the game proves to be verygood to play, with loads ofdetail, great graphics andsound and a lot of imagina-tion. It should keep playersgoing for a long time, if onlybecause i t tak es ages t obecome any good, and thescope f o r ge t t ing be t te rscores each time you play isenormous with so many peo-ple to rescue.'

The busy workman polishes up the helicopter in Krakatoa.

laid o u t a n d there i s n ojoystick option. This makesit even more diffi cult to play.And it's a shame that thereisn't much in the way of in-structions, bec aus e ther eare quite a few instrumentswhich are not explained. Butthese a r e s m a l l n iggles ,because the game itself ismar v e llous . : E x c e l l e n t

• graphics ( fantas t ic ex plo-sion when you are hit), verycolourful and with plenty ofsound. W a t c h o u t f o rvolcanic explosions!'

'It's only in s ome s malldetails that Krakatoa is lessgood. Why , f o r ins tanc e,didn't they print the 10 con-

COMMENTS

Control keys: 5 = up, 3 =down, 7 = forward, bottomrow = reverse, 9 = fi re,zero = drop depth charge,W = rope down, R = ropeup, ENTER = pauseJoystick: noneKeyboard play: undeniably ahandful, but very responsiveColour very goodGraphics: excellent, veryanimatedSound: excellentSkill levels:1 - it's enoughLives: 1 i t ' s enoughGeneral rating: very good —highly recommended

•

Use of computer 7 0 %Graphics 9 2 %Playability 8 7 %Getting started 7 0 %Addictive qualities 8 F/oValue for money 9 0 %Overall 8 31 2/ 0

KNOCKOUTProducer: MikrogenMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor G. Smalicroes

Knockout is a game in whichyou c ompete agains t t h eSpectrum or up to three otherplayers, and is effectively acomputer v ers ion o f t h epopular boar d g a me 'Re-bound'.

The objec t is t o bounceballs around a board andleave t h e m w i t h in fi r mlydefined s c or ing pos itions .Each player has four balls toa frame and opponents takeit in turns to play each ball ofthe frame.

The screen display showsa plan view of the board withblack walls bent in the shapeof a t ight G, the ball beingshot from the top right end ofthe G, rebounding off the endwalls and ending up in thetail of the G where there aretwo blue areas o f scor ingand three green higher scor-ing areas before a yellow outof bounds.

The player 's ba ll (up t ofour d if fer ent colours ) I spositioned vertically for itsshot, an angle determined,and a strength of shot by on-screen prompts and the cur-sor keys 6 and 7. The balls allremain in play until the frameis completed so there is thechance of knocking an oppo-nent's ball, or your own, intobetter or worse positions forscoring. Players enter theirnames a t the start o f playand the computer scores foreach and keeps a runningtotal. If you are on your ownand only enter one name.then y o u w i l l b e play ingagainst the computer.CRITICISM

'You might think from thetitle that this is a 'Breakout'type of game — but it's not,more a new breed o f com-puter bowls , the sor t they

11••• -

Knockout — very successful.

Use of computer 65%Graphics 59%Playability 350/

oGetting started 40%Addictive qualities 40%Value for money 50%Overall 47%

have In pubs. I liked it verymuch, why , I don ' t r eallyknow! But it Is a very simplegame to play and suitable forall ages and all types. It's dif-ficult t o say how addictivepeople might find it, but at aguess I would say very. It 'salso good that you can playby yourself or with othere'

'The game is played inframes up to a maximum ofnine, and is a good conver-sion of a floor or board gameto the screen. The game isquite good to play, althoughnot very addictive becausethe t rue g am e cal ls f o rphysical sk i l l i n p lacingshots, but the fact that it'sdifferent places i t aboveaverage.'

'There's n o t h in g s pec -tacular about Knockout. The

APPLE JAMProducer: DK TronicsMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: E. Hickman

OK Tronics have generallytended in the past to writegood introductions as to theobjectives o f their games,but the recent releases havesuffered with lit t le or no ex-planation. Hard Cheese is acase in point, where a gamestarts w ithout a ims beingmade c lear and where thescenario i s obv ious ly t o ocomplicated to sort out easi-ly. The danger with this isthat players can run out ofpatience before tapping thegame's potential.Open wide those pearly gates andlet the lam pass in.

graphics are essentially sim-ple, b u t e v e r y t h in g i selegantly planned and im-plemented. O f a l l s por tssimulations I've seen recent-ly, I think this is the most ap-pealing and a worthy addi-tion to anyone's collection.'COMMENTS

Control keys: all done withprompts and keys 6 & 7, & YColour effectively plain andto the pointGraphics: simple, ballrebounds are very goodSound: goodFeatures: against computeror up to 3 other playersGeneral rating: an excellentsimulation, diffi cult todefine addictivity properly,but good value generally.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

70%52%65%69%50 %68%62%

Apple Jam is another ex-ample. In this case there areno explanations at all. It is, inconcept, a very simple game,and the broad intentions ofthe author are immediatelyclear, or rapidly sorted out,but as at least one reviewerfound, points o f the gamestill baffle.

Basically, the screen has alift at the left, a sauna box atthe right, a jam dispenser inthe middle, overhead, andabove that, a conveyer beltwhich produces apples. In alower portion is a rat tunnel.The screen also shows thegame score and the hi-score,three purple p il ls and thewords RAT BAIT! A little manIs made to run back and for-th. He opens his mouth whencorrectly pos it ioned underthe dropping point of eitherjam or apples. Each time hegulps d o w n a n o t h e rmouthful, he grows a bit fat-ter. To work off the excessweight h e mus t enter thesauna for a few seconds andwhen he comes out he's allslim and wonderful. I f h efails to go to the sauna eachmouthful a f t e r a c er ta inpoint, it loses him one of thepurple pills . When all threehave gone he dies.

Below In the rat run, therats are running. Should the

man miss any apples or jam,they fall through and the ratseat the food. Once this hashappened they tend to comeup a fl oor and eat the man.He can escape by getting in-to the lif t , but that meansmissing more food. Shouldyou d o really well agains tthes e m i s e r a b l e o d d s ,there's a g ian t hornet t owatch out for.

CRITICISM

•A non-violent game for they ounger g a me s - p la y e r ,tha t ' s m y im p r e s s io n .There's a fair use of colourand t h e c harac ter b loc kgraphics are smooth and fairin quality . It 's a nice touchwhen an ambulance comesup to collect the dead heroafter being rat-bitten, but Ithink they cheated by havingit back-up — i t could havedriven forwards and turnedaround.'

'This game made me feelquite dense — it looks sim-ple, it is simple, but couldn'twork out what was going onat all. I never found out whatthe RAT BAIT! was for, i fanything, and someone hadto tell me what the pills werefor. had figured out what thesauna d id , a n d becameobsessed with m y hero'sfigure. Consequently my opi-nions a re somewhat col-oured. On the whole, a ratherpoor game.'

'The o d d s h a v e b e e nstacked up too high to makethis Into an addictive game.Once the rats emerge younever have a chance to catchmore food, or sweat I t off,and it all becomes pointless.It is, anyway, very repetetive!COMMENTSControl keys: 5 & 8 left &rightJoystick: Protek, AGFKeyboard play: responsiveColour fairGraphics: reasonableSound: poorSkill levels: 1Lives: endless, but threepillsGeneral rating: poor oninstructions, a game foryounger players with alimited addictivity.

BubbleTroubleProducer: Arcade _Memory required: 48kRetail pr ice: £5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: Bruce Rutherford

Like the majority of Arcade'sother games, Bubble Troubleis built on a massive scale,and consists of 50 screens.In e f f e c t t h e s e a r e a l lreasonably s imp le maz esmade up from a ll sorts o fsymbols and hav ing a ver-tical o r hor iz onta l w r a paround 'tunnel'. The story isthat you're a burglar and youraim in life, not unnaturally, isto steal anything you can layyour hands on. This usuallyconsists on four valuablesper maze, and the more yousteal, t he more the pointsyou receive. Life could be sosimple, but of course there isa ser ious problem, and i tcomes in the form of over-friendly bubbles who want tosmother y o u w i t h lov e .Perhaps the author got theIdea f r o m t h e rec ent r e-s howings o f P a t r i c kMcGoohan's 60s TV seriesThe Prisoner, where the un-will ing v i c t im s o f ' T h eVillage' were kept incontrolby vast, white balloons thatbounded after them.

There is no start and noend to this game, since youmay select any of the t i ltscreens f o r a beginning.Once you have collected thefour valuables in a screen,bonus points pop up to becollected b y mov ing ov erthem. The screen fi nishesafter an elapsed time limitand moves you inexorableonto w h a t e v e r s c r e e nfollows. Your only weapon isa dispersal key, but i t onlyworks once every 10 secondsand isn't terrible effective.

CRITICISM'Bubble Trouble is a 'Pac

Man' v ar iant b u t a n im •aginative mutat ion o n thetheme. Nice graphics, I likedthe burglar , who 's c alledBasil, really a hat on legs. Forkeyboard players, however,the cursor keys for controlare not a good arrangement;and I thought the key/stickresponses were a little poor.'

Rather like The Detective,this game works on the prin-ciple of wearing you down

71

1

Use of computer 58%Graphics 65 a

/c iPlayability 70%Getting started 68%Addictive qualities 57%Value for money 60%Overall 63%3%

The *Prisoner • in the mese — Bubble Trouble.

over a space of time, since initself it isn't all that diffi cultto play. The graphics are at-tractive and move smoothly,but t h e g a m e l a c k ssomething to make it reallyaddictive, It does have threeskill levels (an extra bubbleper level) but each level alsomoves slower. In the end Idon't think this is quite up tothe standard of The Detec-tive.'

'Bubble Trouble is fun toplay, reasonably addic tiveand very s imple. It's single-mindedness is what makes itgood to play — no concen-tration required! S o i t fi tsquite nicely as a pleasant in-ter lude b e t w e e n o t h e rgames. Not great, but cer-tainly a reasonable game.'COMMENTS

Control keys: cursors with

Franco hey takes a look at anarty utility.

PaintboxProducer: Print 'n' PlotterMemory required: 48KRetail price: £9.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Joe GillespieIf you've ever tried to draw ahigh resolution picture withthe bare and BASIC facilitiesof the Spectrum, you will pro-bably want to investigate theappropriate tools and ut il-ities which exist for this pur-pose. You have the choice ofa hardware-based s y s temusing a light pen or a digitaltracer with the required soft-ware routine/utility , o r youcan go for a less expensivesoftware solution such as agraphics handling utility pro-gram.

Paintbox fi ts into the se-cond category and covers allaspects o f t h e Spec trumgraphics. Yo u may s elec t72

zero to fir, not the bestarrangementJoystick: AGF, Protek,KempstonKeyboard play: s lightlyhesitantColour: goodGraphics: goodSound: averageSkill levels: 3Lives: 3Screens: 50General rating: aboveaverage

between t h e cursor keys ,cursor-controlled joystick ofthe Kempston joystick to useas a 'drawing-pen'. the pro-gram i s menu dr iven andsplits into two major func-tions — the UDG creationand handling, and the highresolution screen plotter.UDG EDITORThe UDG Editor is excellent;It allows you to create fourtimes a s many UDG's a sthere are in the normal Spec-trum BASIC by storing in fourbanks of 21 UDG sets intomemory, which can then becalled selectively in t o t henormal UDG ar ea o f t h eSpectrum.

The Editor allows you toview the UDG banks and torecall any of the four banksfor editing. Selecting DRAW-ING BOARD will display theUDG b a n k , t h e UDG i n

magnifi ed fo r m, nor mallyand inverted, and in actualsize, and the deimal valuesfor each line. You may call upa n o r m a l S p e c t r u mcharacter, an ex is ting UDGcharacter o r a b lank f o rediting purposes. Using thecursor keys/joystick and firebutton, you can edit or com-pletely redraw the UDG, andwhen finished, allocate it in-side the UDG bank. In doingthis, the inverse and rotate (4x 90°) a n d mir r or imagefacilities are very helpful.

Having c r eated a l l t h enecessary UDG's y ou c ansave them on tape togetherwith a machine code routinefor manipulating them fromBASIC, ready to be recalledin your own programs,PRECISION PLOTTERThe Precision Plotter is thedrawing tool fo r your highresolution pictures, and pro-vides drawing fac ilit ies us-ing the cursor keys/joystickwith a constant display o fthe pos it ion co-ordinates.Two moving speeds may beselected by use of the SHIFTkey. All the drawing of Spec-trum BASIC may be used in-cluding: Plot, Draw, Circ le,Ink, Over, Copy, Save & Load.Selection o f Paper Colourhas b e e n o m i t t e d f r o mwithin t h e s c reen p lo t terquite deliberately t o avoidthe confus ions whic h c anarise from the low resolutioncolour map of the Spectrum(i.e. use of only 2 colours —ink & paper within the 8 x 8character grid).

This user-protection maybe overcome by breaking tothe main menu and recallingthe s c r e e n p l o t t e r ,whereupon the new papercolour may be selected andthe p e r m a n e n t m e m o r yscreen recalled.

Additionally, there are thefollowing us eful fac ilit ies ;Fill enc losed areas, Eraselast operation, Radial Mode— retains starting point ofthe d r aw ing l i n e i n t h eoriginal p lo t pos ition, Arc ,Cursor Choice — crosswireor dot, Permanent Memory— retains the current screenin memor y , G raphic s —recalls sc reen, Br eak —stores screen in memory andreturns to main menu.

IN USEThe UDG Editor and ScreenPlotter may be combined byselecting Sc reen Plannerfrom the Main Menu: all 84UDG's may b e drawn o nscreen with the high resolu-

tion screen as background.The low 'resolution print co-ordinates are displayed Inthis mode, and Ink & Papercolour may be changed. Byconstantly s witc hing bet -ween Screen Planner andPrescision Plotter you canbuild up a picture within thelimits of your own imagina-tion a n d t h e Spec trum'slimited screen display.

The current IJOG's may beexpanded b y loading pre-viously stored UDG banks,thus increasing the amountof U D G ' s o n s c r e e n .Throughout Prec is ion Plot-ter and Screen Planner youmay select to save your ef-for ts t o t a p e w i t h aSCREENS display fi le saveor with a normal memory fi lesave, w h ic h inc ludes t h emachine code routine for Ins-tant recall from BASIC(usingRANDOMIZE USR 59980).The memory fi le, however,must be protected from theBASIC a r ea b y lower ingRAMTOP t o 53059 (with aCLEAR command). The datato screen dump routine maybe amended so that multiplescreen fi les may be storedand recalled.

The program proves to bevery foolproof in as muc hthat i f t h e p e r m a n e n tmemory does get corrupted,there I s s t i l l t h e Er as eMemory as a backup facility,so you don't risk losing hoursof wor k . Nevertheless, I twould be wise t o save in-termediate results to tape forprotection against brown orblackouts!

A commendable effort byPrint 411' P l ot t er — now if only

the pac k age inc luded apinch o f ar t is t ic talent , Imight be able to draw •COMMENTS

Control keys: Menu driven,self explanatory —cursors/joystick forpositioning, SHIFT for slowmovement. Plot =Draw = W, Fill = F,Erase = E, Circle = H, RadMode = R, Line Mode = 3,Arc = A, Ink = X, Over N ,Permanent Memory = P,Graphics = 9, DotCursor = M, CrosswireCursor = K,Break = CAPSHIFT▪ / S P A C E ,Copy = COPY, Save = S.Load = J.Sound: noneFeatures: 24 page bookletand excellent DemoProgramGeneral rating: good. 1

CRUISEATTACK

Use of computer 48%Graphics 70%Playability 68%Getting started 56%Addictive qualities 70%Value for money 60%Overall 62%

Use of computer 56%Graphics 57%Playability 59%Getting started 67%Addictive qualities 45%Value for money 57%Overall 57%

Producer. MikrogenMemory required: 48KLanguage: Machine codeAuthor C. Hinsley

Mikrogen make little secretof t h e f ac t t h at t h is i sanother 'Missile Command'copy, stating the fact in theirinlay to the game. In mostrespects it turns out to be avery reasonable version.There are the six cities, butonly two laser bases ratherthat the more usual three,each one firing independent-ly. Apart from the incomingmissile trails, there are alsoblue torpedoes to contendwith.

CRITICISMOf t h e ones I ' ve seen

recently, this game probablyhas the best graphics for a'Missile Command' versionon t h e Sp ect ru m . T h egraphics are fairly close tothe original, i n f act t h eatomic clouds on impact arean improvement. But controlof t he targeting sight i salways a problem. The keysare not well laid out (it's dif-ficult to play this type o fgame with keys anyway). ButIf you h ave a Mikrogenjoystick, then definitely buythis version of the game.'

'Realistic explosions andhi-res graphics make CruiseAttack look good, but themovement of the cross hairis fairly slow and spoils theplayability. A n d t h e righthand controls are badly plac-ed.'

'This is a very passableversion o f 'Missile Com-mand' with very fine explo-sion effects. The major dif-ficulty is moving the crosshair because of the controlkeys, an d yo u r missilesseem to take an age to dotheir job. It seems a shamethat they haven't allowed formore than one skill level, andI m i s s e d t h e e n e m ysatellites, although t h eywould have been hard to getwithout a joystick.'COMMENTSControl keys: poorly laidout; Q/A up/down, LIP leftand right, Z fire left base,S/S fire right baseJoystick: Mikrogen

The atomic atomic mushroom clouds arean improvement on the original.

Keyboard play: apart fromthe ergonomics,reasonable. The inlay statesuser-definable keys, butthere aren't anyColour above averageGraphics: goodSound: averageSkill levels: 1Lives: 6 citiesGeneral rating: average,

Pi-EyedProducer: AutomataMemory required: giKRetail price: E6.00Language: Machine codeAuthor Andrew StaggIn a further attempt to under-mine the integrity, purity andclean livingness of the noblearcade tradition, Automata,the well-known T V punditson computerology, h avereleased Pi-Eyed. This gameIs destined to go straight tothe top of the Moral MajorityChart o f unfavoured pro-grams! I t stars none otherthan the Piman, but a Pimanto whom success has had adeteriorating effect. He's hitthe bottle and now staggersbleary-eyed from pub to pubin search of liquid oblivion.

The scene is the street,and Piman is trotting along.If he gets hit by a car he losespoints. You can take him intoone of the many pubs liningthe street, but he can't leaveuntil h e has drunk all thepints on t he bar. This In-volves diving In between thechatting regulars withoutdisturbing t h e m ( lo sespoints), slipping up on crisp

Pillnan in bar room scandal — Shock Horror!

packets and things (losespoints) or slipping on slops(more gone).

And of course there is alsothe by now obligatory treat ofa bonus hit single on thereverse of the tape. Pi-Eyed,described as a heart-rendingmessage, written by Lurch,the office parrot.CRITICISM

This is a sort of ' Roggeboth out on the street and inthe pubs, dodging the carsand drinkers. It manages tobe fun, and the things peoplesay in some of the buildingsis often funny or insulting orboth. I found the Piman a bitdifficult to control when in-side a pub, as he tends to jig-gle when drunk. Also, at one.bar there was a figure with adog In the way, and after allefforts, the final pint remain-ed unobtainable on the bar. Iwould have to be honest andsay that this wasn't one ofmy favourite games.

'The graphics a re veryentertaining and colourful,and the game amusing toplay for a short while. It cer-tainly couldn't be called ad-

HUNCHBACKProducer: OceanMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.90Language: Machine codeAuthor: C.F. UrquhartHunchback seems to havebeen quite a while a'coming,so its pleasing to be able toreport that It seems worththe waiting. In some senseIt's a platform, hole-leapinggame that takes place onone platform. The story, asthe title says, is set on agreat castle and you are the(well known) hunchback,Quasimodo. Your task Is torescue Esmeralda from thestronghold. To do this youmust jump, leap and dodge

dictive though. I would guessit's the sort of game that ap-peals to Pimaniacs as lightrelief between trying to win6,000 or a trip to Hollywood.'

COMMENTSControl keys: 6/7 up/downJoystick: Kempston, AGF,ProtekKeyboard play: fairlyresponsive, but difficult tocontrolColour well usedGraphics: small, but neatlydrawn, although there isn'tmuch actual animationSound: continuous andaverageSkill levels: how many pintscan you take?Lives: never heard of themGeneral rating: may appealto Pimaniacs, playable butnot very addictive

your way across no less than15 screens of sheer torture.

The screen shows a largewall reaching half way up.Quasimodo starts on the leftand he must reach the bellrope on the right. At the baseof the screen Is a graphicrepresentation of the 15 ram-parts to be tackled. The pro-blems encountered includefire balls which must b eleapt, p i t s t o b e swungacross on a rope, and otherswhich need several ropes,castellations fi l led w it hspearmen w h o raise an dlower their spears and mustbe jumped, and then com-binations o f a l l t h e s eelements. Additionally thereIs a red knight climbing thewall. I f he reaches the topbefore Quasimodo g et sacross, he sticks his swordinto his bottom! I f you get

73

I

Use of computer 72%Graphics 68%Playability 65%Getting started 70%Addictive quilties 59%Value for money 62%Overall 66 '

3/0

Use of computer 451' /0

Graphics 60%Playability 68%Getting started 32 %Addictive qualities 47%Value for money 60%Overall 52%

S U P E RidONUS

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a a a l a a P l e a a •1 0 1 1 1 1 E l a g a l a a a

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through to the final screenyou a re rewarded b y t h esight of Esmerelda stuck inher tower, ready for rescue.CRITICISM

The graphics are smooth,well detailed an d n icelyanimated, e s p e c i a l l yQuasimodo, and the coloursare well used too. Quite whatthe tune 'If you go down tothe woods today... ' has gotto do with Quasimodo I don'tknow, but It sounds good. Ifound t h i s g a m e v e r yplayable, although when youlump across the pit on arope, timing has to be spoton with no +1 or - 1 varia-tion. I think that could havebeen made easier.'

'At fi rs t p laying Hun-chback is fun and difficult,but the screens are made upof re - u s in g t h e s a m eelements in different com-binations and eventually itgets visually boring. I t cer-tainly demands skills of tim-ing and reaction, especiallywhen jumping over spearsand dodging two arrows orfireballs coming from op-posite directions.'

'Hunchback looks verygood, bright, cheerful andwith a loud tune. I think itcould have had a bit moresound during t h e f ram ethough. It 's also quite dif-ficult to play well, but in theend I think it palls as thereisn't quite enough variationin the screens. This gamewill probably appeal t oyounger players as an in-termediate stage betweenvery simple games and themore complicated ones thatare now appearing. But onthe whole quite good valuefor money.'COMMENTSControl keys: good, OAN leftright and SYMBOL SHIFTfor jumpJoystick: Kempston, Protek,AGF, Sinclair a 2Keyboard play: responsivebut jump timing very hard74

Colour goodGraphics: goodSound: good tunesSkill levels: 1Lives: 3Screens: 15General rating: good valueand reasonably addictive.

Pat ThePostmanProducer: MikrogenMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine code

Pat has to collect parcelsfrom the houses and takethem t o t h e post offi ce.When h e has enough, h emust put them on the train.Sounds easy?

There are twelve houses inthe town, but not every househas a parcel for collection.Fortunately this game is inno way a simulation of reallife, for if Pat attempts to col-lect a parcel from a housethat hasn't got one, the post

—72troLaw'

office promptly, and inex-plicably, bursts Into flames.Pat must then dash to thefire station and get a fi reengine. I f he's in time theconflagration is put out andwork resumes as normal.

Depending o n t h eselected skill level Pat mustcollect either three or fiveparcels before they go on thetrain. T o m a k e mat t ersworse, there are two red carsdriving around the streetslike maniacs, and with a nas-ty tendency of homing in onPat while he's on his rounds.

CRITICISM'It takes a few attempts to

work out what to do, sincethere are no on-screen in-structions o r advice, an dnothing on the cassette in-lay, not even t h e controlkeys. These turn out to be thecursors, always a poor ar-rangement, but made worsehere b y the poor respon-siveness. Postman Pat i squite a good g am e f o ryounger age groups, but willprobably appeal t o all . I tsoon becomes easy and thisreduces its addictiveness.'

The graphics are fair andwould be better if smootheror slightly bigger, but it doesmake for a lively screen. Thegame is a good idea, can befun to play, and would be bet-ter st i l l i f i t w ere moreresponsive. Sometimes youpress a key and nothing hap-pens, except a car running in-to you. F o r t he youngerplayer mostly.'

This is a little confusingat first, as there are no in-structions as to the aim ofthe game, but as you get thehang of it, it turns out to befun to play. What spoils it arethe control keys and the pro-gram's response to them.Moderately addict ive f o rsome, no doubt, but after awhile it began t o lose in-terest for me. Perhaps moreobject ives w o u ld h a v e

Ilivrrprx77.-

helped, and different skilllevels w ith different pro-blems to overcome, althoughI must admit, I never reallydiscovered what the blackobjects that popped up occa-sionally on the roads were orwhat they did.'COMMENTSControl keys: cursorsJoystick: AGF, ProtekKeyboard play: poorresponsesColour: goodGraphics: above averageSound: not much, butstrong when it doesSkill levels: 2Lives: 3Screens: 1General rating: aboveaverage

DimensionDestructorsProducer: ArticMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.85Language: Machine codeAuthor: J. Ritmen

Suddenly f rom t h e outerreaches of space, a dot ap-pears on the scanner of yourfighter craft. As you tear for-ward, the dots grow until youcan clearly see them in 3Dform. Prepare for combat!Your t re m b l i n g fi n g e rreaches for the firing button.You pull across to avoid anenemy fighter as it whistlespast you in its kamikaze at-tack.

The inlay intro for thisgame is quite prosaic in com-parison w i t h many, an dbecomes justified when yousee the graphics. DimensionDestructors is a sort of 'Bat-tle Zone' game in space, andemploys three dimensionalgraphics very reminiscent ofArtic's earlier 3 D CombatZone. The object is quite sim-ple, use the directional keysto line up the approachingenemy fi g h t ers (hollowpyramid a n d d i a m o n d

J i l i-A fE Nc _ 71 _1S 11 k -k .

. , Z75 7-/L _A [7 \7Z -7 -

Use of computer 73%Graphics 69%Playabillty 64 %Getting started 70 %Addictive qualities 6 1 %Value for money 70%Overall 68%

Use of computer 60 %Graphics 57%Playability 5 3

a/ 0

Getting started 60%Addictive qulities 43%Value for money 54%Overall 55%

shapes) in the central crosshairs and then zap them withyour laser. This fi res tw inbolts of energy which con-verge a distance ahead In thecross hairs.

The t i t l e c a r d i s v er ybright,well drawn, and thecredit c ar d a n d points /hi-score table is very effectivelydone i n s c r o ll ing le t te r swhich r u n o f f i n t o t h edistance i n pers pec t iv e,rather like the titles for StarWar movies.

CRITICISMThe graphics ar e fa ir ly

simple but well animated in3D and the enemy explode in-to chunks battle zone style. Ifound it quite exciting to playand I think it's one of Artic'sbest releases yet. The titlesand hi-score ar e very im-pressive, if a little slow.'

'At last, a good 3D shootem up — shame you move soslowly! The various enemycraft have different fl ight tac-tics. I f you're good enoughyou will fi nd out where theenemy fighters come from.The graphics are fair to good.It's difficult to play and in theend I found it a litt le bit bor-ing, probably due to its dif-ficulty.'

'Perhaps t h e lac k o f alandscape makes this gameless spectacular than Artic's3D Combat Zone, but i t ismuch faster to play and somore fun. The graphics aresimple and somewhat col-ourless as you might expectwith hollow 3D, but they workvery effectively. The controlresponse is very good, one ofthe eas ies t c oc k pit v iewgames to control I 've everseen. Ver y play able, b u tperhaps not massively ad-dictive.'

COMMENTSCum d keys: OWERTY up,ASDFGH down, 0 = left,P= right, bottom row firesJoystick: Sinclair,Kempston, FullerKeyboard play: veryresponsive and easy tocontrolUse of colour simple

Graphics: effective 3D, goodtitle cardsSound: reasonable andcontinuousSkill levels: gets harderLives: 4 shields, 5 livesGeneral rating: aboveaverage to good

TriedProducer: Am baSoftwareMemory required: 16K or48KRetail price: unknownLanguage: Machine codeAs it's name suggests, this isa compendium of three dif-ferent arcade games on onecassette. T h e games a r eSnackman, Sub Track andTreasure Hunt.

Snackman is , qu i t e ob-viously, a 'Pac Man' s ty legame, w h ic h features 1 6selectable mazes with 10 dif-ferent play ing speeds. SubTrack, provides you with theopportunity t o l a y dep thcharges from a surface ship.to a t tac k numerous s ub-marines at different depths.while they fi r e bac k w ithmines. In Treasure Hunt, areasonably c o m p l ic a t e dmaze is used in a very pureway t h a t is, you must findyour way through it to collectvaluable items . When onehas been successfully pick-ed u p , another appearssomewhere else in the maze,and all against the clock.

Side A o f t h e cassetteloads all three games into a48K Spectrum, and each maybe selected by pressing key7. Each game comes com-plete with on-screen instruc-tions. Side B of the tape will

1

Triad Scr een 1

Depthcharges away!

Triad Scr een 3

load each game individuallyinto a 16K Spectrum.CRITICISM

' In S n a c k m a n , t hegraphics are all quite small,but they move well and thisisn't a b ad version. T h eDepthcharge Game is alsoreasonable and has qu itelarge graphics. I didn't thinkso muc h o f t h e TreasureHunt, despite its 29 mazesand 144 game variations —which must be a record! Allthe games are reasonable,but none are or iginal andnone o f them are br illiant.The idea of putting severalgames onto one cassette is agood one, especially whenthey are a ll 'o ld ' games. Iwon't r a t e i t s v a lue f o rmoney that highly because Iwould prefer one good gameto three fair/average games.'

'Any one w a n t i n g areasonable 'Pac Man ' andthe chance of two other fairarcade games, w ill fi nd theTriad cassette t o b e f a i rvalue. Overall, the graphicsare quite good, but there isn'treally anything here to thr ill.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: indicated foreach game, but all wellplaced

Joystick: noneKeyboard play: responsiveColour reasonableSound: varied andreasonableSkill levels: depends ongame. but severalGeneral rating: fair toaverage

Rommel'sRevengeProducer: CrystalComputingMemory required: 48KRetail price: E6.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: M.S. Horsley

Both o f C r y s t a l ' s p r e -Christmas arcade releaseswere copies of well knownoriginals from the arcades,Invasion o f the Body Snat-ches we reviewed in the lastmonth's is s ue. Rommel'sRevenge is probably the bestSpectrum version yet of thefavourite 'Battle Zone' game.There's a n a t u r a l c o m -parison here with Artic's verysuccessful 3D Combat Zone,and it's arguable as to whichIs the better since in manyrespects they are quite dif-ferent.

The display is set on a flatplain surrounded by moun-tains a n d even a n ac tivev olc ano. N u m e r o u sbuildings and other objectslike telegraph poles litter thelandscape. In the centre ofthe screen is a gun sight, andabove it a radar screen withsweep arm on which enemytanks are seen as dots. You,of course, are in command ofa tank, and controls allow forforward and reverse move-ment with rotation left andright. All the graphics are in ahollow 3D which allows allsides of an object to be seenat once. The objec t o f thegame, qu ite s imply , i s t odestroy the enemy tanks andstay alive. T he mor e y oudestroy the more they comeafter you.

75

I = 1 2 e T r i e L I ACRITICISM

Use of computer 70 %Graphics 75 D/oPlayability 78 %Getting started 50 0/

0Addictive qualities 58%Value for money 58 (3

/coOverall 65%

Use of computer 76%Graphics 82%Playability 76%Getting started 75%Addictive qualities 76%

i Value for money 78%Overall 77 c1/0

'This is the best version of'Battle Zone' with more ob-jects like poles, radar towersand s p o u t in g v olc anoes .Missiles seem to take aboutthe r ight t ime t o reach atar get a n d t h e g a m e ,generally, is faster. Agains tIt is the sound, which Is poor,no noises when an enemy ex-plodes and only a weak plopwhen you fire.'

'It's a bit weak on colour,the 3O graphics are very ef-fective a n d s mooth, b u teverything is done in whitelines on blue. The tanks allmove a bit faster than the Ar-tic version, as does the firing,but there aren't as many upagains t y o u a t o n e g oalthough it gets progressive-ly tougher, Rather thin sound

Mr. WimpyProducer: OceanMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.90Language: Machine codeAuthor: Jon Woods

Considering how frequentlySpectrum s oftware housescrowd eac h other w ith ar-cade copies, i t seems sur-prising tha t 'Burger T ime'type games are not common.Blaby must take the credit byquite a long mark for theirBarmy Burgers, whic h ap-peared earlier last year, andis a very good implementa-tion. Ocean have attemptedto go a stage further in Mr.Wimpy (which actually usesWimpy's famous logo on thecover) by releasing a versionwhich h a s t w o s eparateparts.

The fi rst screen, reminis-cent of Ultimate's Pssst, hasMr. Wimpy attempting t oassemble t h e ingredients .He must carry a tray from theleft of screen over to the rightwhere there are three itemsto be collected one at a time,a lump of cheese and two in-distinguishable ingredientsbut doubtless things that putthe ham in burger. The pro-blems ar e three manholes(lord knows why) which sailup and down and k i l l o ldWimp off if he touches them,and Waldo the burger thiefwho steals a tray If he runsinto Mr. Wimpy. Waldo is fair-76

Strong but silent — the huge landscape of Rommel's Revenge.

and I was disappointed withthe explosion visuals — theenemy tanks lus t seem todisappear when hit.' •

'This is a great game andvery play able. T h e tank saren't as over-intelligent asthe ones in Artic 's version.They alway s managed t otwitch out of the way of yourshots, b u t i n R omme l ' sRevenge they still manage tobe a match. Also the land-

ly intelligent and t r ies t ohome in.

If you manage to get allthree in g r e d ie n t s b a c kacross to the left, then youprogress t o t h e s ec ondscreen, whic h is the morefamiliar 'Burger T ime' for -mat. Here the layers of thefour burgers you must makeare kept on separate plat-forms, connected a t inter-vals by ladders. Segments ofeach layer are made to dropone platform by walking Mr.Wimpy over them. Kitchennestles chase around deal-ing death and destruction,although they can be k illedoff by squashing them under

scape is much more detailed— it ' s fun a t fi rs t Just t owander round looking at thevarious buildings and struc-tures.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/right,N/M forward/backwards,SPACE = fi re. In addition— 1/2 sound on/off, V =volcano errupting or not.

a falling layer of hamburger,or by a squirt of pepper. I tgets r i d o f t h e m f o r 3 0seconds. You Only have 3squirts available unless youpick up the bonus icecreamor coffee cup, which givesyou more chances to shoot.When all four hamburgersare fully assembled at thebottom of the screen, you arepromoted to the next level.CRITICISM

'This i s a very colourfulgame with smooth graphicsand g o o d s y n t h e s is e dsound. It starts off well withan ex c ellent t i t le sc reen.Waldo i s a n a b s o l u t emenace, pinching your tray,and this part of the game canbe frustrating because thethief is too intelligent. Goodtunes, a fair ly easy game atfirst, but it gets more difficultat higher levels. I found i ttended t o los e i t s addic -

A blur of action es four quarter-pounders with cheese encounterMr Wimpy.

Both of these options speedup the game If not in use.Joystick: AGF, Protek,Fuller, KempstonColour poorGraphics: goodSound: very poorSkill levels: 1Lives: 4Features: note specialloading program whichmight make you think itisn't loading properly whenIt is!General rating: good

COMMENTS

tiveness after 2 to 3 hours ofplaying though.'

'The g r aph ic s a r e ex -cellent and use of colour verygood. 1 liked the tunes bet-ween games, although dur-ing the game the sound israther poor. The nestles in-clude Sid Sos, Ogy Egg, SamSpoon and Pam Pickle, and arotten bunch they are. This isa f un game t o play . Verygood!'

'The graphics are nicelyanimated a n d v er y w e l ldrawn, w h ic h mak es Mr .Wimpy fun to play. Added tothat, I think they've got thelevels o f frus tration aboutright to make it pretty addic-tive.'

Centel keys: sensible — SiXup/down, N/M left/right,A = pepperJoystick: Kempston, AGE,Protek, Sinclair 2Keyboard play: responsiveColour very goodGraphics: excellentSound: good tunes, poorerin gameSkill levels: gets hardereach gameLives:5General rating: very good.

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' ' 1 0 . , 0 0 1 6

SLACK CRYSTALA THIRD CONTINENT SERIESADVENTURE

t rie Classic. six program adventuregame for the ISK Spectrum arid I6KDOH computers No software collectionis complete without It "Slack Crystalan excellent graphics adventure and awell thought Out package S i m : tar!User April '83 -S l a c k C r y s t al h a s

impressed me by ifs sheer quantity andgenerally high quality of presentation Iam atraid I nave become an addictHorne Computing Weekly April 83Spectrum 48K 180K of program in ssxpans only E7.5000111118K over IDOK of program inseven parts only E7.50WHY PAY MORE FOR LESS OF ANADVENTURE?

THE ADVENTURES OFST. BERNARD

An exciting. last moving, machine codearcade game where you guide yourintrepid Sc Bernard through the perils ofthe icy wastelands to rescue OHS MistressScorn the clutches of the abominablesnow nan

Available for 40K Spectrum E5,95

v o L c p m i c Dalurtgegon VOLCANIC DUNGEONA THIRD CONTINENT SERIESADVENTURE

Enter the realm of Myth arid Magic inthis classic Fantasy Adventure Ratt lewith Magta and her Evil Allies to rescue

Ellin Princess Imprisoned in a1, rolai Coffin Deep within the VolcanicDungeon Random Dungeon set upsensure that you can play this addictiveadventure over and over again Singlekey entry cuts out tiresome typingassociated with Other Text AdventuresInstructron Manual with Map of Dungeonenclosed

The whole game mechanism makes tota very Addictive PrcNyarn, and one thatremains a him favourite with manyAdventurersPopektr CoorpsineiLi Wik,b4 t i t f O R 3

For the 48K Spectrum or ZX•81 I6K@ E5,00

THE CRYPT by Stephen Renton

Prepare yourseil got Inc Manychallenges that shall confront you when

you dare to enter THE CRYPT. You willbattle with giant scorpions. Hell spawn

Cranes. Posi N e g s and if you areunkjcic enough - t he Dark Cyclops inthis arcade style adventure

Available for the 48K Spectrum at£4.95

STARFORCE ONE

lake on me robot guardians of therentral comouter in a superbly stylised

three dimensional battle game(1003/4 machine code arcade action)

Available for 48K Spectrum E5.95

THE DEVIL RIDES IN

I uttereri the last inear4alions as thedock struck thirteen. All tell Silent except

lor a taint testing in the cornet Fromout of the shadows they camp, all HEWs

fury against me but I was notdelens elm until the Angel of Death

astride a winged horse toineo Ms battleAvoiding his bolls or hell tire I teok

careful aim tv ly chances were Eibm butM y luc k

(Fast moving, machine code, allaction. Arcade game)

Available for 48K Spectrum E5 95

The above are available through most good computer stores or direct Iron]

CARNELL SOFTWARE LTDNorth Weylands Ind. Est., Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey KT12 3PL.

DEALERS: Contact us for your nearest wholesaler.

STARFORCE ONE

DEVIL mDcs

' O r

FROM CARNELL SOFTWARE

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I ' E WRATH OF MAGRA"A THIRD CONTINENTSERIES ADVENTURE

- - r s b o rn has been destroyed Th eB!ac -3 r ys t a l of Be ro th has been banished

T \ e a i c e of Evil has been defeated by thearrities L o r d Fendal S o ends the ThirdAgo. Nlio v , e invite you to write your name

$ in *le hist 3ry of the Fourth Age of the ThirdC , 'inent

YCJ will meet friends and enemies, d d andnew. in the long awaited sequel to VolcanicDungeon. Using high resolution grapnicsand combining the best qualities ci "BlackCrystal'' and "Volcanic Dungeon w e willallow you to become part o f this tale o frevenoe.

'The Wrath of Magra" comes as three. 48Kprogrammes on cassette, boxeo with in-struction manual and book detailing the his-tory of the Third Continent and the manyspells you wil l b e using throughout thedame. For the 48k Spectrum @ El 2 50NOTE: Th e Wrath of Magra" is a completeadventure Yo u need no t buy -V o l c a n i cDungeon- o r • B ac k C ry al ' • to clay it

Available from Feb '84

C A R N E L L S O F T W A R E L T D

Micro SpeechletsZ X Spectrumtalk

JUST PLUG IN AND USEMicro Speech is easy to use —simply plug into your Spectrumand TV and enjoy a new dimension;instant voicing of all the keysinfinite vocabulary at your commandi n t o n a t i o n t o addcharactert ospeech e x c i t i n g new range ofsound and speech games

P I T ' S AS EASY AS THIS!LET S$= "me(rr))EEI krismus"will say "MERRY CHRISTMAS"

p i QUALITY SOUNDMicro Speech talks through yourTV's loudspeaker, ensuring topquality sound.

p WH A T CAN'T IT DO!Unlimited vocabulary means thatMicro Speech can say anythingit can even be made to yodel!There is nothing it cannot say!

Adding a new dimension withAvailable nationwide ordirect from Currah

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NEW SOUND GAMES USING MICRO SPEECH INCLUDE:p Attic Attack : Lunar Jetman (Ultimate)411.1 Colour Clash : Shark Attack : 3D Monster Chase (Romik)rk.l. Fire Birds : Lunar Rescue (Lyversoft)Tj Voice Chess (Attic) . p Mined Out (Quicksilva)

[01 Mysterious Adventures Part 1 - 4 (Digital Fantasia)p The Birds and the Bees (Bug Byte)

Blastermind (Martech Games)

A EIC

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Send to; MI CRO SPEECH OFFER, P.O BOX 1, GATESHEAD NE8 1A.1or telephone. NEWCASTLE 106321 824683Please send me M I C R O SPEECH units:

N a m e iS trint c lae r lv t

Address

P o s t c o d e C M 2enclose Cheque/Postal Order payable to "Micro Speech Offer"

111111111111EMIEor debit my Barclaycard/Access account No.I unde r s ta nd ihe t I cam have m y m ontr y be c k w i th i n 1 0 days cd purchase ti I a m n o t de lighte d.P irate a l low 21 da y s tor de l,yery 1 2 m onths o w l s a nd la bour guarantee .

Signed n o t MEI

ONLY E 2 9•9 5 E A CH

INCLUDING

FREE SOUND GAME

FIA COMPREHENSIVE MANUAL

1141 DEMO CASSETTE

, 0 1 4-4.1 4 40 1N*so*me.

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STOP PRESS:ZUCKMAN

ZXI31 (16K)• ALL MACHINE CODE

i l 0K )• FOUR INDEPENDENTGHOSTS

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SPECTRUM VERSION OF ARCADE GAM EWITH FULL ARCADE FEATURES -

•F•NNi oof ( A b u n ( o . 1 " .•Authentx SouNI M e m • 3 T o m.

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ICAI mo w, Score. IffStom. ThmeMor•ISAVEA AII• ploro And E t F,t e t

••Too h Noah Selma. 4-clud. L s.1D•mmovo.1•Ibb, Ci e . & PO lane

hnnw . pat No g rruM A , s c ra mb a t m o n mo d M o e w e b logo O PEI ta . nra

dm n w f In ma c h a a b b S I t s s t . 1bonk b o g h a m .

THIS MACHINE CODE GAME S A W INSEEN TO Mt RELIEVED,ONLY ES 96 INC P&P

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ZX131 (16K)• MOVING CARS,

LOGS, TURTLES• ALLIGATORS,

DIVING TURTLES• FOUR 'SCREENS' OFACTION

• ALL ARCADEFEATURES

• ENTIRELY MACHINECODEONLY E4.95 INC. P&P

— OR D ER FORM — — —

Name

M cRa e

Please send me the following

I enclose cheque/P.O. No f o r tSt1100 TO O A Software, Dept CUE, P Tweed Clove. tittele-

eon. Wilts DMZ SRI

3D SPACE WARSFast and furious action. Joystick o r Ke y-board control. Locate the Seiddab on yourgaiaxy scanner. Scour t h e sta r studdedblackness for your first sight ol the enemy.Track the ir course a nd re a ct ra pid ly a sthey t ry to break away. Le t them grow inyour sights and punch the fire button as

, t h e y come into range.16K or 48K Spectrum_

Irgry 30 SEIDDAB'------- ATTACKi'e SON%SUL T AN T Sa

The Se idda b ha ve broke n through t h eEarths defenses a n d a re a ttacking thecities. Yo u are pa trolling the cit y streetsIn the latest Knat Tank with its surface toair missiles.

Trundling a long yo u observe the t e llthe blips of the Seiddab as they appear onyour scanner. The y break formation andscatter a cross t h e cit y . Sudde nly y o ucatch sight o f a n a lie n cra f t swoopingover the buildings t o your right. H e firesa plasma torpe do a t yo u r t a n k. Y o uattempt to dodge but the missile finds itsmark, shaking yo u r ta nk a rid leaving ahole in the armour.

You unleash a missile a n d guide i taccurately t o t h e ta rge t. T h e Se icidabexplodes a n d crashes f ro m sight . Y o uhunch o ve r t h e contro ls o n ce m o re ,because this is only the beginning

••

'PN*Ar-

Jet.:L . ,

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1110 • •10•

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°ATTACK„,:oii, 0a t

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7111111 111 ii,

. , „: It 1 1 1 -.,........,This game incorporates moving 3D graphics

of cit y buildings and a lien cra ft. I t getsprogressively ha rder w it h t w o type s o flandscape, 3 lives, high score, player orb.•

I I I I I t 11 I 1 11 i i and player two score. l

We a re o n the lookout fo r high qua litysimulationt f o r a l l t h e popula r homecomputers, T o p roya ltie s pa id. Se nd inyour samples toda y f o r fa st evaluationand prompt reply.

Selected Howson Consultants software isavailable through Jo h n Menziea. la me rbranches o f Boots, a l l le a ding m icrocomputer retailers and toftware stockim

It you have a ny difficulty obtaining theseproducts lcce iI y t h a n m a d orde r t oHEWSON C ON SU LTAN TS L T D ., 6 0 A,ST. M AR Y'S STREET. WALLINGFORD,OXON OX1 0 0 EL .

tiro

SO FAR YOU HAVE RACED FORYOUR L IF E AGAINST ANDROIDCARS: YOU HAVE BEEN STRANDEDPALES UNDERGROUND SEARCHINGFOR DIAMONDS, YOU HAVE TAKENON THE MAFIA SINGLE HANDEDAND SAVED A PLANET FRO MEXTINCTION.

N O W I N OURLATESTGAMEYOU ARE A BURGLAR IN SEARCHOF LOOT — IN HOT PURSUIT ARETHE MOST FEARFUL SECURITYFORCE EVER ASSEMBLED!

EVEN IF YOU SURVIVE ALL THIS —BEYOND, LIES THE TERROR OFTHE ZONE!!

All these games are available for DCSpectrum 48K tor the incredible priceof only E5.50 each including P&P VATetc. Just complete the mail order formfor prompt dispatch by return of post.Arcade are committed to original gameconcepts so look out for new titles in theArcade range. TRADE ENQUIRIESWELCOME. Phone Orpington 3563910 am. — 6 p.m. or write to ArcadeSoftware Ltd, Technology House, 32Chislehurst Road, Orpington, KentBR6 ODG.

TO: ALL MAIL ORDERSCity Item

* na ture

Name Mr/Mrs/Miss

Arldresa

Item Price Total

DON'T FORGET YOU CAN ALWAYS ORDER ON THE TELEPHONEWITH YOUR CREDIT CARD. TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME.

•I enclose a creque/postal order payable to ARCADE SOFTWARE LTD.

• PleasechargeCom yAccessiBarctaycardaccountn o'Ro a m delete/complete as applicable

%4131< tRECTRUM

PR

The Profes-sional Pro-grammerEnter t h e p r o f e s s i o n a lprogrammer: Steve Turner andhis assistant, Andrew Braybrookhave recently entered the field ofwriting s of t wa r e f o r h o m ecomputers on a full time basis.Their first program, 3 D SpaceWars has reached new heights ofrealism in its graphic design andingenious construction. AndrewHewson writes after his recentmeeting with Steve and Andrew.Steve lives in Essex with his wife and littleson, Mark (with another child expectedsoon). He was thirty this year. a fact thatmade Steve th ink carefu lly about h isfuture and decide to take a radical andsome would say risky step.

Steve began t o lea rn programmingwhen he was about 15 years old. Hiscareer in computers really started whenhe attended one of the early TOPS (Train.ing Opportunities Scheme) courses sixyears ago. After this he entered the CivilService as a Clerical Assistant. He quicklybecame a programmer despite not havingthe necessary two years experience. Hebecame d issa t isfi e d w i t h h i s wo rkhowever and left the Civil Service to joinone o f t h e world 's largest insurancebrokers.

He worked for four or five years makingfinancial developments on ICL and IBMmainframe computers. At first he enjoyedthe atmosphere in a big insurance corn-pany wh o in su re , _through L lo yd s,everything up to Concorde and the SpaceShuttle. He became a specialist, conver-ting systems from other machines to IBM.etc. He was appointed a team leader,working on his own systems.

Steve has always been interested inhome computers, and owned a ZX80 forsome years. He became more interestedIn the hardware — how the chips and cir-cuits w o rk a n d s o le a rn e d a b o u tassemblers to help him understand moreabout it. He also tried writing games onthe ZX80 but soon decided that that was adead loss.

When the ZX81 was introduced into themarket, S teve decided n o t t o b u y.However, when the spectrum came out, hemust have been one of the first people tobuy the new model and despite workingfull time still, he laboured in earnest to getthe most out o f th is new machine. Hedreamed up some good ideas for gamesand soon found that to achieve the effects

Below us the Shadow,above us the Stars a

he wanted, he needed new techniques.The games on the market at that t imewere, in his opinion, rather amateurish inmany cases. For months, he worked intothe small hours of the night perfectingnew techniques and eventually produceda game, unlike any that had been writtenat that time. He submitted it to four soft.ware houses and three wanted to market itfor him.

At th is point, Steve was beginning tofeel disillusioned with working f o r so-meone else. He decided that after spen-ding over half his life enjoying working onhis home computers in h is own time, hewas ready to become sell employed anduse his talents for his own benefit. WhenHewson Consultants offered him a con-tract, he decided to start working full timeon writing software for home computers.

Steve Turner

The game he wrote, 30 Space Wars lookabout five months to develop. Most of thetime was spent in detailed graphic designand o f course in developing the newtechniques needed f o r t h is powerfu lgame. Since then, Steve has developed 3DSeiddab Attack. This took three months toproduce, most of which was spent design-ing it. Using many of the techniques learn-ed with 30 Space Wars the actual writingtook less time than its predecessor.

Now Steve is concentrating on anothernew game, called Lunar Attack, So far ithas taken three months development andinvolves a lot more than either of the twoprevious games, because Steve is usingthe full potential of the 48K Sepctrum forthe first time. Previously, the graphics hadbeen compromised so that the gameswould run on a 16K Spectrum.

Steve has other ideas which a t th isstage he is not prepared to divulge. Themarket f o r home computer software,Steve feels, is going to change. and hewould like to see the whole standard ofsoftware improve. He would like to seemore arcade quality programs, profes-sionally produced and less amateur —basic programming which makes up somany at present. The public has often inthe past been disappointed by the pro-grams which have not matched in perfor-mance the pretty pictures on the boxes.

In the future, Steve thinks that peoplewill expect more and more from programs.He expects more powerful programs withmore depth — more like novels than sket-ches. He sees the welding of the graphicaland word type adventure game, so thatplayers can continue for hours with thesame program, A t present adventuresgames ra re ly have a n y g raph ics —perhaps just stills. Steve sees no reasonwhy far better graphics cannot be incor-porated. In the long term future, Stevepredicts a major revolution in the enter•tainment industry. This would involve in.

A New5lield Publicatkon 8 5

teractive entertainment: Instead of wat-ching a film, you'll be able to take part inthe film and help set the course of it. Thefilm and TV industries will have to workwith the computer industry. Already in theUS they are starting to use later disctechnology for the storage of pictures.This forms a background to the storylinewhich is handled by a computer.

As a force on the market, Steve soonrealised that his impact would be greaterif he could employ others of his owncalibre. He also would find it beneficial tobe able to bounce ideas off someone withthe same technical expertise. So he in-vited 23 year old Andrew Braybrook towork with him.

Andrew w ork e d a t Ma r c on i i nChelmsford, where he was a trainee pro-grammer in the computer centre. UsingCMS. C I C S a n d Cobo l , b u t f e wassemblers, he worked with a suite ofIBMs. After four years he had become atrainee analyst and programmer. He hadalways written computer games in hisspare time, using Cobol to throw upgames rather than text on the firm's com-puters.

After two years a t this job, his Dadbought Andrew a ZX81, and he began todabble In Basic. Andrew bought himself aDragon 32 which he found preferable withits better keyboard and colours to playwith. He saw Steve Turner's work andbecame interested in it. He began to try tocollate his ideas on the Dragon to see

1 Head for: the Star: zone

Anthpw Brnytwook ilsit owl Sumo Avow

what could be achieved.Three months ago Steve offered An-

drew the chance to Join up with him in hisbusiness and Andrew took it up without asecond thooght. Now his computing skillsare more obvious and appreciated thanwhen he worked in a big company, whichgives Andrew a lot of satisfaction.

Steve and Andrew find that in the firststages of designing a game, they workmostly individually, with a strong corn.petitive spirit to produce the best idea. Inthe final stages of game design they worktogether with plenty of discussion as theyfine-tune their games. Steve works for themost part on the Spectrum, whilst Andrewworks on the Dragon. They are each ex-

perts on their own prefered machines, yetdon't really know each others machine.On the whole, Steve does most of thegraphical design work and Andrew worksmore on the programming techniques. An-drew feels that the market for Dragon soft-ware is very undeveloped with plenty ofroom for his exciting programs.

Design is problematic, I t is not easy todream up a good idea. Steve doesn't thinkIt is the sort of thing you can teachanyone, He doesn't think there are anyrules. He wonders i f In the long run itneeds a different sort of person to comeup with the ideas. He gets some of hisideas from the pub on a Sunday!Steve is quite happy to leave the distribu-tion and marketing to the experts a tHewson's, so that he can concentrate onthe artistic part of producing the games.He feels that the talent needed to come upwith these brilliant games is perhaps notthe same as that needed by a skilled artist,but tha t perhaps the home computergame is a difficult medium to use with justas many challenges as paint and canvas.Ultimately we like to see something niceon the screen. He wonders If one day hiswork will be displayed as 20th century artin art galleries? I wonder what games willemerge when Steve enters his abstractperiod??

At the 9th, ZX Microfair in December, Star-zone's game Zaxxan caused quite a stirwhen i t appeared on the Crash MicroGames Action stand. The game on whichit is based is, of course, the famous arcade3D scramble game Zaxxon. Since it show-ed up in British arcades (and rarely at that)Zaxxon has become a bit of a cult, Natural-ly Spectrum owners were eagerly awaitingthe inevitable appearance of a version fortheir machine. Months went by nothing.Was everyone frightened of doing whatwould be a very difficult program on theSpectrum? It seemed so. But then a brandnew name. Siarzone, appeared with asmall black and white ad for their Zaxxan.

Starzone is not a big, financially well-heeled company at all, in fact they are fouryoung men wi th an average age of only17.5, and Starzone, which has operated ata pr ofit a nd conti nues t o do so, Wasstarted with hardly any money at all. DavidCowell (the oldest at 19) disarmingly toldus that the basic idea had been to raise in-surance money for cars, which could bedone cheaper through a company! Davidrefers t o himself a s Starzone's Co-ordinator. Tim Lake (18) is the Advertisingand Promotions manager, which leavesbrothers Tim Mardon and Nial Mardon.

8 6 A N o wslie ld Pu b lica t io n

Tha Starzone team — top: brothers Tim and N ial Mardon.bottom: Tim Lake and David Cowell.

Tim, also 18, describes his function as asort of accountant, whilst the youngest ofthe group, Nial (15) is the senior program.mer. it was Niel who wrote Zaxxan.

The three older members are betweenschool and university and intend continu-ing with their education despite the com-pany, wh ile Nia i i s s t i l l a t Abingdonschool_ A s they talked, i t became ap-parent that the common link is AbingdonSchool (near Oxford), where the otherthree were also in attendance. One of theirother games, Dalek Dan, has been writtenby another pupil a t Abingdon, MalcolmSalmon2. D a v i d a d d e d , r a t h e rapologetically, that the third game, RiverRaider, lust happens to be by another Ab-ingdonite. We began to suspect that Ab-ingdon i s trying t o riva l Liverpool a sSilicon Chip Hill!

All four members of Starzone have com-puter programming experience but Niel isthe most experienced in Z80 machinecode. He used to own a TRS 80 and haddeveloped a 'Scramble' type game for it,but when the Spectrum came out h ebought one and the first program done forit was Zaxxan. As the TRS 80 and Spec-trum both work on the Z80 processor,there was little problem for Nial In adap-ting to the needs of the Spectrum.

Zaxxan was In fact ready quite sometime back, but the boys"A• levels held upoperations, so that the game was onlyready to market In September_ Test adsproved there was a market for it, and nowthey have commissioned full colour art-

work for the inlay cards.Meanwhile Nial is working flat out On a

new game with the working title of Super-charger. It's a 'Pole Position' type game.At the ZX Micro fa ir they had a goodchance to look a t a ll the various com-petitors in the field and decided that noone has yet come up with the definitiveSpect rum v e rs io n . N i a l i s ' s u b -contracting' the title screen and sound ef-fects, wh ich a re intended t o be spec-tacular. and he Is aiming fo r a highlyplayable game incorporating features likehumpback bridges, tunne ls wit h o n lyheadlamps seen, a suspension bridge,hills, bends, an ambulance to watch outfor, and the best 3D perspective view yetseen. There will be a hi and lo gear changewith ice on the road as an extra hazard tothe other cars. He's also looking Into thepossibility o f ra in (giveaway mackin -toshes with every cassette perhaps?)

Meanwhile the Starzone team a verycalm bunch too s i t (metaphorically) andwait for the reaction to Zaxxan. They got amixed reception at the ZX Microfair withpeople either loving it or complaining itwasn't enough like the original. 'Peopleare very unrealistic in their expectationsof t h e Spectrum,' sa id David Cowe llphilosophically. But their Zaxxan remainsthe only version, and it's a very good one.Let's hope University doesn't entire lyswamp their programming energies. Wemustn't b e complacent, we need newwriting talent all the time.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• Next Month •: • ••••••1• 1•111

• M O D emiEs Ac now ••• EXCLUSIVE!•• •• •• •: A FREE

•• •41, ITEM, •

a •• •• FROM •• •• •• 1 4t Vl b •

• - 4 1 4 I •• J h e l u m •• d i l e m m a •• •• •• I n association with IMAGINE, •• w e are giving away a free, •

• fu l l size colour poster which • shows the landing.• ' ' •• T h e poster has been specially

designed by Imagines art• • ' •

• department for CRASH readers and is an exclusive,• • •• l imited edition. So don't •• miss out on next month's •• exciting issue! •• •—arid•

• ( E iea V i be, rp TV

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rleX (Slug) • Al• tnOrl t. h . / . /••• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

A Ntawatta ld Pu b lica t io n 8 7

••• •: NOT TO BE • •• •: MISSED ••• •: COLLECTOR'S•

12Frigw5

Scuba DiveProducer: DurellMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: Mike Richardson

With t he ir la tes t release,DuroII, who brought you Har-rier Attack and our Establish.ad Game of the Month in thelast issue, Jungle Trouble,claim for it that It sets a news tandard f o r a n i m a t e dgraphics for the Spectrumcomputer. A r ather h igh-handed c laim, but one thatseems amply jus t ifi ed b yseeing Scuba Dive. I f you'reone o f thos e people w hosquirm with pr imordial hor-ror a t t h e s ight o f GreatWhite sharks, then stay wellclear of this game! The stateof animated graphics In thishighly original game is everybit as good as anything youwill see in the arcades, andthe jaws agape sharks lookpretty real.

A plethora of fishy animation in Scuba Dive.

The basic object of ScubaDive is to leap off your boat,dive down and collect pearlsfrom oysters on the sea bed.If you think it sounds easyforget It! This is no game forbeginners of the arcade art.For a start off, the sea is alivewith fi sh o f all shapes andsizes, from giant sharks andsquids right down to tiny fishswimming in shoals, and Ifyou've ever fallen fo r Jac-ques Cousteau's l ine thatthey are really very cuddly,you c a n for get t h a t t o o !These guys are all killers.

When y ou press the ap-propriate key, one o f yourthree divers leaps Out of theboat and can then be guideddown to the rocky sea bed. If8 8 A News t ield Publicat ion

he runs into It he gets knock-ed out fora few seconds, andk illed i f i t happens I m -mediately again. The pearlscan be collected only fromopen oysters. To the right ofthe display area is a statussection which records howmuch oxygen is used up. It'sreplenished by surfacing andfi nding t h e b o a t , w h ic hwanders off on its own. Onlyby touching the ladder at therear of the boat are you safe-ly aboard and ready to diveagain.

Also on the sea bed, arehollows, ac tually openingsto undersea caves. These areprotected b y a n Octopus,whose w av ing ten tac lesallow a precarious access.Should you get through, thebottom of the cave is coveredwith g ia n t c lams , whos epearls are more valuable, butthe clams have a nasty habitof snapping s hut o n y ouThis cave in turn als o hashollow accesses to deepercaves protected by an oc-topus eac h. T h e deepes tcaves c o n t a i n t r e a s u r echests and als o spare ox-

ygen bottles to keep you go-ing. And that's it. You scorepoints for pearls brought tothe boat but if you get knock-ed out or eaten, you lose thepearls y ou ma y have c ol-lected. The four sk ill levelsaffect your scores, numbersof s e a creatures , ox y gensupply and t h e speed a twhich the octopusses moveas well as other details.CRITICISM

'This is an or iginal gamewith excellent c olour andgraphics, a lthough i t ' s ashame about the almost non-existent s ound. T h e fi s hygraphics are fantastic (onetends t o g e t in t o tr ouble

while admir ing the variousforms o f mar ine life) '! Thegame is n ' t very addic tive,and I would have thoughtthere could have been moreto do like harpooning sharks,but anyway, I liked it!'

'The detail of the graphicsis quite staggering. Not onlyare they large, bu t they 'realso realistically very small.The sharks have a l o t o fframes t o make the move-ment work, inc luding a verygood tur n ing ac t ion. T h egame is full of nasty toucheslike the giant jelly fish whichfloat on the surface and hidebehind the boat waiting tocatch a diver as he jumps offThe diver's movement, too, isjus t wonderful, both in divingoff and in swimming. A bit ofcon tinou s ound, the effecto f b r e a t h i n g b u b b l e sperhaps, would have been ahelp, but to be honest, thisgame does n't need muc hhelp. Lik e Jungle Trouble 1found it to be immensely ad-dictive — it should probablybe banned as a health riskbefore it has time to takeoff!Great!'

'Despite the s implic ity ofhe c ontrols (user-defi ned

keys too) this Is not an easygame t o play , and on thehigher s k i l l l e v e l s i t ' sownright maddening. Thiseally shows what a b it o fedication can do in turning

Battle 1917Producer: C.C.S.Memory required: 48KRetail price: E6.00Language: BasicAuthor: Mark Lucas

The author, Mark Lucas, wonthe Cambr idge Award f o rwriting t h is program. T hecompetition is run by C.C.S.in conjuinc tluon w i t h t h emagazine Sinclair User, andthe Award plus E1000 goes tothe winner, and of course thewinner receives the satisfac-tion of seeing the programmarketed. Battle 1917 is like-ly t o prov e popular w i t hwargamers and perhaps withchess players too, as there isa resemblance in part.

The board, or war zone, islaid out with the oppos ingforces at the top and bottomof the screen. Each side hasa King In the centre, pro-tected by artillery and flank-

Spec trum g r aph ic s i n t osomething t o be proud of.The game is also about asaddictive as any around I'veplayed recently.'COMMENTSControl keys: rotateclockwise/anticlockwise,accelerate and break. Aspreprogammed verysensible, but may be used-defined to cope with almostany joystickJoystick: with user-definedkeys you can set up formost joysticksKeyboard play: once you getthe hang, very responsiveColour excellentGraphics: words fallSound: poorSkill levels: 4Lives: 3 diversFeatures: a neat featureenables you to save just thehi-scores and then loadthem in to continueGeneral rating: highlyrecommended and excellentvalue for money

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

89%98%90%89%90%98%92%

ed by tanks, cavalry and In-fantry. Each unit, except theKing, is subdivided into fourcharacters. The charactersmove as a group, but caneasily get spilt up by the ter-rain. Each unit also has afi ghting s t r eng th a n d amovement allowance.

The battlefi eld, 21 by 32squares large, Is dotted withobstacles like rivers, forests,barbed wire and minefields.Tanks aren' t bothered b ywire or trees, but cannot gothrough water. The rest can'tgo ac ros s a n y obs tac le.Minefields have a percen-tage chance o f explodingwhen contacted. In additionto mov ing around, t he ar-tillery can fire In any of the 8compass p o in t s des ired,although e x t r e me s ho r trange runs a r is k o f s elfdestruction since shots maynot land on the exact squarethey are supposed to.

A prompt at the bottom ofthe screen tells each play erwhich piece is to move nextand reminds him or her how

• • .., • , , ,

••• • , • •,

I f

,•,•:"Ir004

Use of computer 75%Graphics 54%Playability 58%Getting started 65 Q/oAddictive qualities 55%Value for money 68%Overall 63%

Chess meets warp me in award-winning Battle 1917.

many squares i t can traveland asks for the direc tionwanted. When o n e playerhas moved all his pieces, it isthe s ec ond player 's tur n.When u n i t s o f oppos ingforces meet, batt le ensuesand Is won or lost by adding arandom figure for each, fromone to five, to the unit's of-ficial fi ghting strength. Thehigher fi gure wins. The aimof the game is to k ill off theoponent's king.

Directions are inputted us-ing the numeric keys 1 to 8, 1being Nor th a n d 8 beingNorth-West. There is an on-screen compass prompt as aquick visual aid.CRITICISM

'If chess appeals to you,you might like this, althoughIt hasn't got the same sort oftactical c lar ity as chess. Ithought the graphics wererather av er age a n d t h emoves and goings on ratherslow. At least it does allowtwo p e o p le t o c ompe t eagainst each other — reallythe computer is only used asa play ing board and scorekeeper. It might have been agood idea to have a s ingleplayer versus the computeroption — after all you have tohave an oponent a ls o ad-dicted to play properly andthat's not always so easy.'

It does take quite a longtime to play — but then, sodoes chess. Whether it's asgood as chess, I 'm not sosure. Jr has more variety thanchess but also a strong ele-ment°, luck as to who wins abattle. T h is d o e s r a the rdestroy t h e tac t ic al v aluesomewhat. I t certainly isn'twhat you would call an ad-dictive game, and I think youwould have to play for sometime in two before decidingwhether i t had real las tingvalue as a game.

'Definitely a game for thestrategy, wargamer freaks.I'm sure it has lots of scopefor them. It left me cold as Inever quite know how to takethis s o r t o f game . T h egraphics a r e pretty good,

although o n l y c har ac tersquares which vanish in onespot to reappear in another,nothing is really animated. Itdoes have very amusing in-structions in the 2-part loadwhic h i n v o l v e s o m egraphical shenanigans.'COMMENTSControl keys: 1-8Colour: quite goodGraphics: fairly small butrecognisableSound: very littleGeneral rating: good of itskind, but a specialised taste

OMEGA RUNProducer: C.R.L.Memory required: 48KRetail pr ice: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: ;RichardBrisboume

Were a t w a r aga in a n dfanatical elements have seiz-ed c on t r o l o f a heav i lydefended complex contain-ing t h e u l t ima te nuc leardeter rent, a D o o ms d a ydevice constructed to causewoRdwide devastation. Thetimer o n t h i s b o m b hasalready started and is set toex plode i n t w e n t y - fi v eminutes. You must pilot yourfi ghter b o m b e r t o t h ebuilding and destroy it.

Omega Run hovers bet-ween being a fl ight s imula-tion and a straightforwardgame, but in the end, due tothe fantas y nature o f t he

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scenario and the fac t thatthe ins trumentation I s notbased o n any thing ac tual,we decided to slot this undera game heading.

The s c reen dis play s awide cockpit v iew w ith in-s t r uments b e l o w . T h eenemy's defences are pro-digious and consist of laserfields, whic h shoot beamsup into the sky, and whichmust be avoided by dodgingaround them: fighter aircraft,which may be dodged butshould be shot down other-wise they just keep on yourtail: anti-aircraft fi re whichhomes in on you i f you fl yabove 350 feet; and ground-to-air miss iles , whic h a r emore frequent lower down.Another problem is that youraircraft carr ies insuffi c ientfuel for the run, so you mustrendez-vous with a tanker forin-fl ight refuelling.

Your instrumentation pro-vides a c lock with minutesand seconds left before theDoomsday bomb explodes, acompass with your headingindicated, an altitude meter,a tank er / ta r get lo c a t o r ,which is kept centred for anaccurate heading, a miles-to-tanker/target indicator, andthree bar codes for fuel level,a m m u n i t io n l e v e l a n ddamages s tatus . There i salso a rear view screen warn-ing o f enemy fi ghters withmessage display.

Use of computer 78%Graphics 90%Playability 83%Getting started 96%Addictive qualities 82%Value for money 90%Overall 87%

Use of computer 60 %Graphics 45%Playability 68%Getting started 58%Addictive quilties 60%Value for money 55%Overall 58%

CRITICISM

'Omega Run' has an ex-cellent on-screen introduc-t ion, w h i c h n o t o n l ydescribes the object of thegame f u l l y , b u t demons trates t h e i n -struments, how they work,and what the cockpit v iewlooks like when you are fly-ing i n various aspects. Allthe in s t r u c t io n s c r eensdissolve one f r om anotherlike in a film, and when it's allthrough you can then alterthe conditions, like distanceto target, numbers of enemyfighters and laser fields, andtarget run up.9 0 A Newslisid Publicaiion

Lining up a shot on an enemytighter.

It keeps you on your toesokay, fi ghters, lasers, ack-ack, miss iles , a l l c omingthick and faster as you nearthe target, whic h is a r edblock . T h e I ns t r umen tssimplify your task and arevery well designed. I liked theview, a dark blue, fl eckedwith white, as though youwere fl y ing over the sea a tnight. The sky seems to lightup when the AA guns are fir-ing at you. Perhaps it's ask-ing too much, but i t wouldhave been nice to see enemyaircraft firing back at you! AsIf is, the screen flashes whenthey are. I found it highly ad-dictive to play with plenty ofscope f o r improv ing s k ill.What would be good in oneof these fl ight games, is i fthey used a perspective gridto indicate t h e ground inlieu o f any realis tic land-scape, that would really in-crease the feeling of speed.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: cursors andzero to fireJoystick: Kempston, AGF,ProtekKeyboard play: veryresponsiveColour very goodGraphics: very good, witheffective 3DSound: good effectsSkill levels: 5 selectable,with additionalcustomisationLives: percentage ofdamage allowedGeneral rating: playable,addictive andrecommended.

MAGICMEANIESProducer: C.D.S.Memory required: 16KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine code

This game is a good copy ofan old arcade favourite, onthe whole a not much copiedgame as yet. Blaby did a ver-sion, called Gold Digger, andin most respects this is verysimilar, although it boasts arather splendid continuousmusic sound track.

The object of the game isto control your lit t le wizardMeltec through undergroundcaverns whic h h e hims elfcreates as he goes. Dottedabout a r e lumps o f lead,resembling blue diamonds,which are to be collected forpoints, There are also red ap-ples (underground?) whic hcan be pushed along an ex-isting tunnel and made t osquash the meanies by drop-ping them down a shaft, orone can be used to block atunnel b y undermining i t .Meanies can also be killed byfiring one of your five crystalba lls a t t h e m . K i l l i n gmeanies adds to your points.There's also a cherry on eachscreen which mus t be col-lected. This goes wanderingabout the place in a mos tdis t r ac ted, n o t t o s a ydistracting manner.

Clearing a screen of leadand cherry takes you on alevel to more meanies.

CRITICISM

'Cutting out the story o fwizards good and ev il anddark ages when they spenttheir efforts obtaining leadto t r ans mute i n t o g o ld ,which sounds like an adven-ture game, Magic Meanies isan arcade game. It's only aHot on your tail come the Magic Meanies_

reasonable game, but it's funto play .''

'The graphics a r e quitesmall, one-charac ter s iz eand they move quite ierkily,but they are called on to dovery little, since much of thegame's attraction lies in theskill and quick think ing re-quired. Onc e on the moveyour man can only be stop-ped by running up against anapple, or by constantly rever-sing his direction. It's a sim-ple game but manages to beaddictive i n play ing. Nice,bright colours, and an insis-tent and continuous mus ictrack that can be turned off ifit 's d r iv ing any one e ls emad!'

'Despite the s implic ity ofthis type o f game, i t is n'teasy to play, requiring quickreflexes. C.D.S. hav e a ls oprov ided n i n e p l a y i n gSpeeds as well as rising skilllevels. At the slowest speedthe game can become a bitrepetetive, b u t a t mediumfast i t is quite demanding.The highest speed level issheer madness. Fairly addic-tive, and a good version,'COMMENTS

Control keys: Q/Z up down,UP left/right, M firesJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: veryresponsiveColour averageGraphics: small,1-characters size, but quitefastSound: goodSkill levels: 9 speeds, risingdifficultyLives: 3General rating: aboveaverage.

I• GET* L IQ UI DA TE D: I

Introducing five great new games fromCCS guaranteed to give you plenty oftrouble.

You'll get no peace in the prohibitiondays of Gangsters - if the cops don't getyou, your rivals will. Try keeping yourhead above water in Brewery - a game allabout liquid assets. W e l l try ourhardest to sink you i n Plunder -a world of Elizabethan p i r a c y . Andwe're sure Battle 1917 is more than amatch for anyone - it should be - it wonthe Cambridge Award.

As if that's not enough, we've even

created Abyss - a feast of excitement

•and hidden danger for those who dare

defy the evils to be found beyond theMountain of the Golden Lion.

• So if you want trouble - we've gotthe games.

All available for Spectrum 48K at £6(Abyss L5). Selected titles availablefrom W.H. Smith, Boots, Rumbelows,

*Greens and all good computer shops

or

Cases Computer Simulations Ltd.,14 Langton Way, London S D 71-L . *

CC Strategy Games.r T h e y ' r e no pushover.

A News t ield Publicatton 9 1

'locked away' to work onBandersnatch which should beready sometime around May.

When the game is finished itgets 'play-tested' by a panel of20 local games players whichImagine uses. Theirrecommendations will then beused to make alterations to thegame before it can be released.

From the quiet, carpetedsplendour of the main office,Bruce Everiss explained thatImagine have had to employ alot of lop management expertsIn recent months to guide thecompany as it expands.Between these new managersthere are a lot of degrees in

science, psychology andbusiness management. Theyknow an awful lot aboutcomputers and software, butvery little about games. To fillIn this gap in their experience Itseems CRASH Magazine isbeing used as a 'trainingmanual!

Just as Epstein and theBeatles created an awarenessin Liverpool and thenthroughout the world aboutpopular British music, so theguiding hand of Bruce Everissand Imagine have created anawareness first in Liverpooland now throughout the w,orldabout British games software.

,sa8-Thiy6s

to us

rEisE,„

Writ ,iwsLcarr3 ortCga shin 3wioural loetiorts„,.,

corner of imagine's Technical support

ATM ACRASH, I am writing to you for advice. Iwould like to know why. when I loadATIC ATAC with my CurrahMicrospeech unit plugged in, thegame crashes when I press (1) to

• start. The Currah advertisementstates that ATIC ATAC and LUNARJETMAN are usable. LUNAR

• JETMAN works, so why doesn'tAT1C ATAC? Hope you can help me.

M. Beynon. Ryton. Tyne & Wear.

i think if you read through the reviewon the Currah Microseeech unit inthis issue, you will be able to seewhy A PC ATAC crashes whenplayed with the unit in theSpectrum. I'm only a key pushermyself, and I don't know what goeson inside these things at alto What'smore surprising is that the Curranad does state that ATIC ATAC iscompatible. c h e c k into this, butsuspect the reason is simply thatagreements were reached between

9 2 A Newslieid Publication

E T T E R S D D D D D 1continued from page 10

the Curran people and VariOUSsoftware houses that certain gameswould use the faciffly. ATIC ATACwas a tittle delayed in its release,and I think there may have beenalterations made at the Oast momentto tot the program into 48K whichmade it impossible to play with theMicmspeech unit. But of course, bythat time the Currah ads werealready in magazines.LM

WHY SO MUCH?Why do software houses have tocharge so much for their softwaretapes? Most tapes are priced aroundfive to six pounds. for that youusually gel a few minutes of tapewith a program recorded once ortwice on each side. For around thesame price you can purchase amusic cassette with much morevalue for money.

Congratulat ions . CRASH isfantastic. it is just what people needto read before they spend theirmoney on computer tapes.

S. Hall, Blackbrook, Derbyshire.

It isn't really fair to compare a musiccassette with a software one. Even areasonable music album isexpected to sell about half a millioncopies in its life time — charttoppers sell several times that.

Millionaire founder. Mark Butler, thunders from his custom-built monster bike.

According to unofficial figuresapproximately 25 million softwarecassettes were sold in the last 12months or something like theequivalent of 15 top selling musicalbums. As you know, there weremany more than 15 Spectrum gameslast year! What it means, is that anIndividual title, even a popular one,isn't selling in The quantities amusic cassette sells in, and don'tforget, the majority of Spectrumcassettes are sold only in the UK.Now if you look at how the 'cake* issliced up, as they say, take a tapecosting £5.95. Knock of the VAT toleave a price of 1'5.17 Of course thesoftware house doesn't get that —by the time the retail shop,wholesaler and distributor havetaken their cut the software housereceives about 40% of the price, or£2.07. Off this they must dock thecost of duplication, cassette andbox and inlay printing, say 50p_ Thenthey are paying the author a royaltyon The selling price of probably 10%(52p1 which leaves them with r1.05.Out of this 'profit must come thecost of advertising and the overheadcosts associated with running anybusiness like salaries, rent etc. Asyou can imagine, at the end of theday the software house isn't leftwith all that much. Of course, it theycould sell a million on one titlealone, it might be a different picture!LM

Fighter Pilot

Use of computer 82')/oGraphics 90 %Playability 85%Getting started 90%Addictive qualities 85%Value for money 85 %Overall 86%

Producer: DigitalIntegrationMemory required: 48KRetail price: E7.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Dave Marshall

If you have ever hes itatedover buying a fl ight s imula-tion program on the groundsthat I t w il l be too s low t omake an interesting game,Fighter Pilot w i l l probablychange y o u r a t t i t ude ( o rshould that be altitude)? Thissimulation mov es a t 802knots ( a t s e a lev el, f u l lreheat) and can create totalpanic at a moment's notice!The game allows one playerto control a jet fighter planein several modes, which in-clude landing, taking-off andair-to-air combat.

Your machine is a McDon-nell Douglas F15 Eagle with2 P r a t t & W h i t n e y F100-PW-100 turbofan powerplants, an d t h e programwriters claim that the simula-tion is as realistic as limita-tions of the computer allow.When loaded y ou are pre-sented with a menu; 1) Lan-ding Practice 2) Flying Train-ing 3) Air-toAir Combat prac-tice 4) Air-to-Air Combat 5)Blind L a n d in g 6 ) C r os sWinds & Turbulence 7) Sk illlevels 8) Control selection.

Before we take a look atthe opt ions mor e c losely ,let's examine the aircraft'sequipment. In the centre ofthe instrument panel is theArtificial Horizon, showingthe r o l l ang le a n d p i t c hangle. A n airc raft s y mbolrotates to show wing anglerelative to the ground, and amoving tape in degrees in-dicates whether the aircraftIs fl y ing nos e up or nosedown. When it's blue you'reflying nos e up , when i t ' syellow, nose down. To theleft of the AH is the speed in-dicator in knots. To the rightis the Altitude in feet andbelow is the VSL — VerticalSpeed Indicator, which givesrate of c limb or descent infeet per second. Below theairspeed instrument are the

flaps, and below the AH isthe engine thrust indicator,abar scale running from 0a/c to1000/o wi th a red section for

reheat. T h i s boos t s t h eengine bu t uses up muc hmore fuel. There is also aradar a n d c ompas s w i t hbeacon selection, and an !L-S/Flight Computer. The In-strument Landing System of-fers r u n w a y a p p r o a c hguidance or It can be switch-ed t o F light Computer t oshow your precise groundposition from any beaconwithin a 6 mile radius. It alsoindicates the altitude of anenemy aircraft when in com-bat mode. The remaining in-struments are a fuel tguageand beneath it, the undercar-riage indicator, showing upor down.

To c ontrol y our airc raftthere a r e fi f teen c ont r o lkeys, although for tunatelythese ar e no t us ed a l l a tonce! Joystick left, back, for-ward and r ight is controlledby t h e cursors ( or b y ajoystick!) and CAPS SHIFT/Zmoves the rudder lef t andr ight. 0 / A inc r eas es o rdecreases eng ine thr us t ,W/A puts t he fl aps u p o r

Air-to-air combat in this 800 knot-fast simulation.

down, U raises and lowersthe undercarriage, B puts thebrakes on and is indicated onthe instrument panel as a redlight. N s elec ts t h e nex tbeacon and M switches thecockpit view to a map. SYM-BOL SHIFT switches bet-ween ILS and F light Com-puter, and fi nally zero fi resthe guns when incombatmode. which is selected bypressing G.

Back to the menu. Selec-ting Landing Practice im-mediately pos itions you a t1700 feet and 6 miles fromtouch down with the under-carriage down. I n F ly ingTraining you are on the end

of the runway and ready totake off. A i r - t o-A i r C o m b at

Practice pos itions you twomiles behind an enemy air-craft a n d y o u c a tc h u p ,select c ombat mode a n dopen fire when he appears inyour sights. The enemy willnot fi re back — at least, notuntil you opt for staightfor-ward Air-to-Air Combat. Inthis scenario you mus t de-fend four airfi elds; you arescrambled, must locate theenemy with your radar andengage. He will lock on toyou when there is less than amile and 5000 feet altitudedifference be tw een y o u .Four strikes from h im i sfatal. I f you break o f f theenemy will pursue his mis-sion onc e again, and y oumay find the airfield damag-ed. T he remaining opt ion,Blind Landing, renders yourviewscreen us eles s , a n dforces y ou t o land o n in-struments only.

There are three skill levels,T r a i n e e / S q u a d r o nLeader/Ace to choose from.Kemps ton, S i n c l a i r ,AGF/Protek joy s t ic k s o rkeyboard are selectable.

The display through the

windscreen is fair ly simple,green ground, blue sky. Theother features are the run-ways o f the four air basesnamed B A S E , T AN G O ,DELTA and ZULU. These areseen in full, correct perspec-tive w i t h c e n t r e l i n e s ,distance markers and endlights. Additionally, you cansee enemy aircraft as you ap-proach, also in full perspec-tive. T h e t ape i s accom-panied by very clear instruc-tions and technical details.

CRITICISM'A f u l l evaluat ion o f

Fighter Pilot, would take an

age as the-program has enor-mous potential for playing.Also, fl ying my F15 was notan easy task. The set up forlanding sounds soothinglysimple. But in eight initial at-tempts we nose-dived withloss of all aboard! I had a go

at a do? fi ght. It took sometime to find my enemy — get-ting the hang of banking andturning takes t ime — butwhen I did we had a jolly timeand I went down in flamesafter a few hectic seconds.I'm going back for more!'

'The map fac ility is ex-cellent in this game. An ad-vantage i s t h a t y ou c a nswitch to map without losingyour instruments — you cansee where you are and keepflying, r ather impor tant a t800 knots! The map providesa scale, locations of the air-fields a n d the ir beacons,which c an be selected bynumber t o get the correctheading, and it shows tworanges o f mountains w i t htheir heights. What s truckme about this s imulation isits overall speed. You can sitback a n d r e lax t o s omedegree on the longer trainingflight, bu t mos tly it 's hardwork and it all happens pret-ty fast. Very good resolutionon the graphics and instru-ment diusplays.'

'Defi nate ly t h e b e s tsimulation for the Spectrumyet, and one of the most ex-citin9 to play. Key control is afraction s low, you have tokeep a k e y pres s ed f o rresults, bu t w ith s o manykeys that's not surprising.What does work well is thatthe ins tr uments r es pondvery well with quite a lot offine tuning possible. I'm nopilot, but I reckon this is allvery realistic.'COMMENTS

Control keys: see reviewJoystick: see reviewColour very goodGraphics: very goodSound: noneSkill levels: 3Lives: 1 — how many moredo you want?General rating: an excellentsimulation and game —highly recommended.

A News t ield Publicalion 9 3

Lilpoor and unemployed and so c a n r c lsuch luxuries.

"Our strongest selling computer shopsare in the principle provincial towns," saysJohn Howland. "Newcastle, in tact, is thebiggest selling shop, but Birmingham,Edinburgh, Manchester and Sheffield arealso very big." it underlines two points,firstly that there Is more unemployment inthe North, and games players there havemore time on their hands, but secondly,that people In the North have as much in.terest in computers as anywhere else —perhaps even more. Manchester and Liver-pool, for Instance, are very important cen-tres of software development, and In eachof those cities W.H. Smith have busy andwell laid out areas devoted especially tocomputers and software, The Spectrum isthe biggest selling item — hardware andsoftware accounting for approximatety45% of the market

In London the W.H. Smith i n Ham.m e t-s m it h ( si tu at ed in the new shopping

precinct) has a large computer shop. Likebanks. shops are very much an extension

of the manager. At Hammersmith themanager is Jack Cox. Hammersmith wasone of the first stores in Britain whereW.H Smith thought of trying out 'electronicleisure'. Thanks largely to Jack's efforts itproved to be a rip-roaring success. ButJack isn't what you would Immediatelythink of as a computer entrepeneur. Hehappens lo be a grandfather, not in theage group normally associated with com-puter freakiern. His grand•daughter I sthough, and some of her Interest has rubb-ed off so that now Jack Cox Is fullyfascinated by the subject. The computershop at Hammersmith is more fully staff-ed than any other Individual department Inthe shop. He reckons that the thing whichoutshines their competitors is that theyput a strong emphasis on training staff tobe helpful. Jack Is aware that the mostWith-it people are the kids. Among hisSaturday staff is a youngster who provedto be so knowledgeable that the boy isnow training the older staff — includingJack Cox himself.

A wholly new and rather surprising von-- -

i nte r es tIWILIL•11 %Di I I I 1 7 pill111114.11111111all iin home computers has to do withtheir exposure in the high streetsof Britain, a n d few chain storeshave done as much to promotethat interest as W.H. Smith a ndJ. Menzies. This month our rovingreporter took a whir lwind tr ipa round sum of W.H. Smith'sbigger computer shopsJohn Rowland the Buying Manager forW.H. Smith, who heads a dynamic youngteam, says that the home computer hastransformed the present-buying marketthis year. A nice story involve,s an eightyear old computer customer who, an-noyed by the proximity of the toy depart.ment, asked for It to be moved away so hecould concentrate o n more seriouskeyboard matters. The home computeralso seems to have broken down what arethought of as traditional socio-economic

holes, which is to say, the North la

9 4 A Newarield Publication

Bill Rows, (left) and his successor •Roy Hawker , discus's some display matters atthe Heathr ow computer shop.

The new VVH Smith Computer Shop, at London's Heathrow airport –varying travel-weary computer freaks.

A typically busy day at one of the Computer Shops in a larger WHSmith high street store.

A Newsfield Publication 9 5

is W.H. Smith computer shops in the• e n u r e l ounges of airports. To datethey have uni ts at Terminals 1 and 2 atHeathrow. These have been built with theabsolute co-operation of the British Air-ports Authority and have been going nowfor three months. Once the go-ahead wasgiven WH Smith's own fitting departmentmoved In and built the purpose-designedunits I n Onl y ei ght weeks. The y havespecial glass shutters so that when theyare closed at night travellers can still seeas much as they can during the day.

The units have proved very successfuland receipts are described as "really verygood" T h e r e have even be e n severalincidents when an individual has spentover E1000 a t a gol The man who hasset up and organised these airport con-cessions is Bill Rowe, but he is now mov-ing on and from March Roy Hawker lakesover responsibil i ty. Other ai rpor ts a r eunder consideration, both W H. Smith andme BAA convinced that they will do as wellin other locations.

It might seem surprising that com gl i g

shops at airports should prove so popular,but perhaps a bigger surprise is that acustomer profile indicates that a largepe r c e nt a ge o f c u s t o m e r s a r ebusinessmen (after all, this is the homecomputer market). W. H Smi th suspectthat there is a large element of 'daddy'slies behind the claims that purchasers areonly getti ng a machine or software fortheir sons!

The decision to try out computer shopsactually Inside the terminal lounges wasnot taken as a complete gamble. Threeyears ago W. H. Smith had a small shelldevoted to home computers at HeathrowTerminal 2 a n d t h e t ur n ov e r w a sphenomenal, so they thought it would be agood Idea to expand. It certainly seems tohave been!

Nevertheless, there is an awareness atWH Smith that the market can be fickle insuch areas. Says John Rowland, "I f thecomputer becomes a useful tool then ithas a long future. If i ts only used as a toy

It's not so g o o 4 i i i tir m a r k e t i s r e n o wn -

ed for Its fad

Perhaps the growth of educational soft-ware will help ensure the future of thehome computer . I f John Rowl and's ex-perience is anything to go by, the growthof t he educational market thi s comingyear is going to be very big. "We are beingbombarded by i t, " he says. "Softwar epublishers of any size Seern determined tobring Out educational programs,"

There are, of course, fads in anythingand computers may prove to be no dif-ferent, but we al CRASH believe that thegames market is here to stay for a longtime, because all sorts of developmentsare taking place all the while, which willcompletely revolutionise the games youcan buy and the machines you will be ableto play them on. Meanwhile, it's down tothe retai l outlets to provide the oppor -tunities for you to find what you want —even in those boring minutes before takeoff a t Heathrow' W. H Smi th seem verypleased wi th their new venture and it'scertainly flying highi

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NIGKI GUNNER — the am battlescenerso whets only aces survive.Each rmsaitm pushes you to the limitwith enemy trghlors • itac iong fr omall clossctiOns guns abtseingt — ex-plosive 310 ground stlack sortie andthere, S ill the fl ight NomeJoyelicke — i l • m p s t o n A G FSinclair P role ', o t h e r s48k S pectrum t e , 1 1 9

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FOOTBALL. League Ana lysis Pro-gr im — The easy to use P ool. Predoction P rogram oath 9 methods olteam performance anairna Simplyinlet the new irsture lot load yokeWawa* tebte data base and let yourSpectrum guide you to your Pootsselection494 Spectrum £ 7 . 1 6

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With computers nowabounding in British schools.there is a growing awarenessthat computer games can bemuch more than a play toy. Thecomputer can act, quiteuniquely, as both teacher.calculator, blackboard andentertainer all at the sametime. To match the swellinginterest in education bycomputer, more softwarehouses are producing more andmore teaching materials in agames form. To reflect thistrend CRASH will be doingregular articles on educationalgames and reviewing programsas they become available.These reviews, like all others,will also be entered in theGuide Section as we go along.

One of the first softwarehouses to specialise inprograms for young children isWidget Software. They have justannounced their two newestliCuit

Producer: WidgitMemory required: 48KRetail price: £6.25Group: Very earlyreaders — 10 years

Side A of the tape, HumptyDumpty, contains two pro-grams, and side B containsWho Killed Cock Robin. Theprograms a r e a im ed a tdeveloping skills in logicalthinking an d require t h eplayer to ask questions andmake guesses based o nanswers. The mystery —?Which o f the king's menpushed Humpty off the wall?After a graphics sequence of

titles (on a single tape). TheHumpty Dumpty Mystery andWho Killed Cock Robin are twodetective stories to developskills in logical thinking (seethe review in this issue). Thislatest tape is only one Of arange of seven titles whichWidgit have released over thepast six months. Counting,Adding & Subtracting andQuickthin king (which ispublished by Mirrorsolt) are fordeveloping numerical skills.Spatial observation and skillsare developed with ShapeSorter and Pathfinder. A furthertitle in this series will bereleased before Easter.

There are plans to releasemore titles early in 1984, andalso to convert existing titles tothe Commodore 64, BBC ModelB and Electron. Mike and TinaDetheddge, who run Widget,have increased theirprogramming workforce tomeet these needs, but they stillmaintain a very firm editorialcontrol. The programs mustmeet the Widget criterion ofgiving the player enjoymentand motivation but at the sametime having a real educationalcontent to develop a childIntellectually. Wid e programs

igirliz.n)aleo,;rErtimmetilletellisliev. •

The Humpty Dumpty MysteryHumpty being pushed off bya mystery soldier, all twelvemen appear and the playermay either ask a questionprompted by the words, 'Didhe have o r take a guess.Each of the twelve men havea name and some charac-teristic which distinguishesthem, so that asking ques-tions immediately el imi-nates some of the suspects.- The second game loadswith a program contained ingame 1. Here the player isgiven a glimpse of the culpritand must describe him. Fivedistinguishing characteris-tics must be entered correct-ly to describe the colour ofthe suspect's hat , badge,

are tried out In schools and aremodified according to thereactions of teachers andpupils. Tina says that generalstandards in educationalsoftware have risen a lot in thelast few months and thatWidgit are Intending verydefinitely to keep in theforefront of developments andprovide programs of highquality and good value formoney for home and schooluse.

MILTI ts a bit of a mouthful, but TheNational Magazine Co, underthe imprint of Ebury Software.are soon planning to releasetitles under the heading ofGood Housekeeping Software.The series is tied together by amascot called Mr. T.

The first six titles are Mr. T'sAlphabet Games, Mr. TsNumber Games, Mr. T Tells TheTime, Mr. T's Money Box, Mr.T's Measuring Games and Mr.T's Shape Games. These arecurrently available on the BBCMicro, but Spectrum versions -should be ready very soon. Mr.T Tells The Time and Mr. T's

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eyes, mouth and jacket. Bothprograms allow for childrenof developed spelling skills,and for early readers as in-puts may be spelt out o rselected by using the colourkeys. Two skill levels makefor easier and harder games.

Who Killed Cock Robinasks the daunting question,can sparrow's confession bebelieved? The player mustfind out who killed the robin,where and when by usingclues a n d lo g ic . So m ereading ability i s requiredand there are four skill levels.

The quality of the graphicsIn these games is very good,lots o f l a rg e drawings,brightly coloured and withsome simp le animation.Describing the identity of theculprit in the second HumptyDumpty game, i s quite askilfull process, and surpris-ingly difficult to get right,even for adults!

I think it was "large" — but was it?

Money Box are already in theshops for the Spectrum. Thegames come very nicelypackaged in large white videostyle boxes and include adetailed parent's manual withcomprehensive operatingInstructions and a step-by-stepguide to getting the best out ofthe program.

Good HousekeepingSoftware reckon that the childshould not be left isolated atthe keyboard, but that theparent should join in thegames, discussion andactivities promoted by thegames. Mr. T is also designedto act as a friendly guideenabling the child to play notagainst the cold, inanimatecomputer, but In the companyof a lively and personablefellow who reacts withencouragement or slightdismay at the child's choice.

Mr. I programs are aimed atchildren between the ages ofthree and six, The cassettesretail at E12.95, and areavailable at leading computershops and computerdepartments of major HighStreet retailers, and run on a418K Spectrum.

French Is FunProducer: C.D.S.MicrosystemsMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Group: Various

This is a French learningpackage with considerableversatility although it onlyteaches s o m e b a s i c s ,phrases and words whichmay be helpful to beginnersand tourists. The program ismenu prompted offering; TheHouse, The Countryside, TheBeach, The Cafe, The Street,The School, Numbers andTime. Whichever topic I sselected y o u a r e t h enpresented with four options;1)Pictures only w h i c h pro-vides g rap h ics, s lo w lybuilding up, each new itemannotated a t t h e t o p i nEnglish and French: 2) Plc'tures w i t h t e s t — t h egraphics are repeated andyou may opt to type in theFrench when the computerprompts with the English, orvice versa: 3)Phrases only —no graphics here, but a rangeof useful phrases in Englishlike, ' Is i t possible t o goriding?' w h ich m a y b etranslated into French b ypressing key C: 4) Pictures

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and phrases — which runsthrough the pictures againand then into the phraseswith your memory refreshed.

Under N u m b e rs , t h escreen displays imperial andmetric equivalents whilstlarge figures at the top countup from 1, giving the Frenchveiling beside them. UnderTime, the display gives thedays of the week and themonths i n Eng lish a n dFrench, displays a clock faceand invites you to ask theo r '-' 11 10•

Robot RunnerProducer: LongmanMemory required: 16KRetail price: E7.95Software: by Micromega,Tony PoultonRobot Runner is a numbergame for children aged 6years an d upwards. Pilotyour ro b o t a c ro s s t h enumber w ays o f Andron.You'll need t o know yourtables and be prepared forunknown dangers of a far offplanet.

•

When the tape has loadedthe player's name can b eentered, after which a menucomes u p asking w hichmultiplication t ab le yo uwant to use from 1 x to 9x or amixture, Having selected thetable the screen cuts to thecoloured number ways, fiveIn a l l . T h e robot runnerstands a t t h e b o t t o m ,waiting to enter the first way.Down this first way comes asum, say 2 x 7. Using the cur-sor keys 6 (down) and 7 (up) afigure at the top left can bemade t o i n c r e a s e o r9 8 A Newslield publication

time. You can key in a time,say 12.30, and this is thendrawn on the clock face, andthe French spelling for thetime given.

The program contains alot o f q u i t e a t t rac t ivegraphics, some with simpleanimation, and i t will ob-viously be valuable for youngFrench beginners as well asadult starters. I t w on ' t ,however, do much for yourpronounciationt

decrease. When it reachesthe right figure (14 in thiscase), your robot may crosssafely. Now In the secondway another sum appearsand you continue i n th isfashion across the 'ways'.When he has reached thefifth way you may guide himto one of several treasureson the right of the screen;when these have all gone,you progress onto anotherand more dangerous screen.

The cursor keys 5 (left) and8 (right) are used to guide the

_ robot across the ways. Tomake life more exciting thereare de-energising obstaclesthat live on 'the ways andfloat down, threatening therobot unless you can get thesum right quickly and moveon, but the cursor keys arealso used to avoid them if allelse fails.

The game Is accompaniedby parental program notesand full instructions for us-ing t h e g am e. L o ad in gscrens are very good, and theuse of colour throughout isexcellent.

ABC

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Producer: ArticMemory required: 48KRetail price: E6.95group: Ages 5-8

This program i s aimed a tprimary school children 5-8

LEARNING AT PLAY

is for ZYLOPHONE — X is for X00.

years old, and is designed toimprove spelling skills. Youare asked to 'press a letter'.Depending u p o n w h ichalphabet key is pressed, thescreen displays a drawingand a large graphic of the let-ter chosen, and tells youwhat the drawing is. For in-stance, pressing V results ina van being drawn. At the topit says 'V is for VAN', and atthe bottom, Now spell VAN'.These details remain for afew seconds so they may bedigested, t h en t h e worddisappear and the child maypress the keys V-A-N. If theword is incorrect the com-puter beeps as soon as theincorrect letter is pressed. Ifspelt correctly the child is

Special AgentProducer: HeinemannMemory required: 48KRetail price: E9.95Software: Five Ways

This game is designed t odevelop the ability to read,understand timetables, in -terpret information quicklyand make logical decisionsbased on information in asituation where there aremany possibilities. I t in -cludes insights in t o t h e

L IE L._

Orq E !

rewarded w i t h fl ash in gborder colours and a tune.There are several tunes in theprogram. Although mo stwords incorporated are verysimple, CAT, DOOR, FISH,there are longer words likeUMBRELLA a n dXYLOPHONE Included.

This program is certainlyfor younger children and willundoubtedly prove an enter-taining way of doing elemen-tary spelling. A drawback toits durability might prove tobe the tunes, which rapidlybecome repetetive, althoughthey are all popular nurseryrhymes. It also seems a littlepricey for what it does, but itis a very easy program touse.

relative speeds and costs ofair and rail travel, and letschildren become familiarwith t h e posit ions an dnames of Europe's cities andtowns.

The game comes in a largeplastic f o ld er w i t h t h ecassette tucked in one sideand the large format, colourbook (16 pages) in the other.

The game is played on avery large scale, and in factcomes very close to a mix-ture between adventure andstrategy games that mightwell appeal to much olderpeople. Basically you sit inyour control centre of spy-

ing w ith a map o f Europe.Below the map all sorts ofreports come in from secretagents in the various loca-tions. These may be in clearor c o d e ( w h ic h c a n b edeciphered bit by bit). Infor-mation may well be from in-formers (which must be pur-chased) or it may tell you aspy h a s been eliminated.More spies can be hired.

If you decide you must goto a city to make contact withyour agent there, a sheet ofvarious timetables c an b edisplayed and journies maybe undertaken b y var iousmodes of transport relativeto speed, c os t and conve-nience.

The gr aphic s a r e v er ydetailed and complex, bu tthe game is fun to play, back-ed up by a heavily illustratedbook w i t h background t ospies in fac t and fi c tion aswell as information on themany c it ies and towns in-volved i n t h e adventure.Despite t h e s light ly h ig hprice, this is an undoubtedlyexcellent package f o r t heprice.

111111111111111111MEMMIN •

PathfinderProducer: WidgitMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.95Group: Ages 4-9

This tape contains four pro-grams based on maze struc-tures and is designed to helpchildren develop spat ialskills and forward planning.In the first you must guide arabbit through a m az e,eating carrots on the way.This is fairly easy, the ideabeing to look ahead, and pickthe shortest route to the exit.There i s on ly one properroute through. The secondmaze game is much more ad-vanced. I n t h i s o n e , akangaroo mus t b e guidedthrough, but the player mustprogram the moves by selec-ting the required direc tionand then inputting how manymoves a r e needed. T h escope of the game expandswith t h e player 's growingskill, s ince the kangaroo'sroute thr ough t h e en t ir emaze can be planned and in-putted before executing. Tobegin with a single move at atime can be executed by the

computer. Incorrect entr iesare immediately highlightedon s ound a s w e l l a s o nscreen, w h i le t h e entr iesmade are slowly added in acolumn t o the r ight o f thedisplay area.

The third program is calledPicnic. G u id e a hungrymonster through a park andlet h im eat h is lunch. Theidea i s t h a t t h e mons tershould eat four items dottedrandomly i n the 'park ', byvisiting them i n a 'pre-setorder, and that this should bedone without cross ing h isown trail or reversing on histrail. There are two levels,one with the playing squaresclearly marked, and the se-cond where the park is asolid area.

The fi nal game is Frogs.Guide a frog across the pondand collec t frog fr iends onthe way. The 'pond' is a gridof 7 squares by 10 across. InCarrots prove better than sticks at forward planning.

some there are water lillies,and in some there are frogs.The object is to discover thebest way across that allowsyou to collect more frogs onthe way, remembering thatyou cannot cross a squarewith a water lilly in It. Thisbecomes a surprisingly sub-tle game, s ince not a ll thefrogs a r e c o llec tab le —some may be unreachablebecause of the positions ofthe water lillies.

All four games use the cur-sor, or arrow keys, which areeasily ident ifi able b y t h echild playing. The graphicsthroughout a r e lar ge andbr ightly c olour ed. T hes egames s hould pr ov e veryentertaining to play as wellas prov iding a v er y r ea lchallenge. T h e Kangar oogame ac tua lly leads t h eplayer in the direction of pro-gramming as well.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •II • , . , • • II , • • ,

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1•111111111110: 40i t ieMiNer7 " "Bull TablesProducer: Lotus-SoftMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.50

Bull Tables contains threeprograms on one cassette.Bull Tab les i t self i s a nar ithmet ic g a m e . A f t e rloading a menu offers the op-tion of addition, subtraction,multiplication o r div is ion.

' When you have made yourchoice you can select bet-ween 6 levels of skill. At thehighest level questions canbe as diffi cult as 23 x 35 = ?At the easiest level, as sim-ple as 1 x 3 =? The screendisplays the sum to be doneat the top left. At the bottom

a 'Table Man' stands readyabove a table of numbers 0 to9. On the right is a paddockwith a bull in it. As soon asthe game s tar ts , t h e bu l lcharges at the paddock wall,slowly eating chunks out ofit. The object is to get tensums correct before the bullbreaks out and destroys thenumbers. The game is per-sonalised by the child whenhe or she is asked to entertheir name at the start.

After the work comes theplay. T h e t w o pr ogr amsfollowing are games. NineLives provides the task ofcatching twenty mice. Youare a cat, your enemy is ablack dog. The mice are dot-ted about the screen and thecat must go round touchingthem, avoiding the dog, whowill chase t h e c at. Threebones per life are the bestway of slowing the dog downfor a moment. A n y mic etouched by the dog are sentto safety.

Candyman i s for twoplayers, who must get their'men' through a ser ies o fopening and shutting doors.They c an see how long I ttakes them as they are play-ing a g a i n s t t h e c lo c k .Throughout a l l thr ee pro-grams the s imple graphicsare very enter taining a n dmove nicely despite the pro-gram being written in BASIC.The package of fer s goodvalue for money.

I f I t

Educational Reviews

P L A Y E R a0

41!

S.

Candy coloured stripes — fun after learning your (Bull) Tables..

Due to shortage of space we have been unable to includemore than a fraction of the review material received, but weshall be wading through more in future issues of CRASH.May we take this opportunity to thank all the software houseswho have been sending us games, your co-operation is verymuch appreciated.

A Newfield Pubilcation 9 9

72'e m u /

Use of computer 65 %Graphics 68 o/

0Playability 75 %Getting started 78 %Addictive qualities 68%Value for money 65 %Overall 70 5'13

Playabllity 6 80/c

Getting started 79%Addictive qualities 65%Value for money 80 %Overall 73%

Robot Riot

Mountains ofKetProducer: incentiveMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor A.A. McCormackMountains of Ket is the firstpart of the Ket Trilogy. Eachadventure i s complete i nitself, although one followson from the other. The nexttwo parts are to be releasedlater.

Just two weeks ago youwere framed with a murderand sentenced to death, butpardoned a s long a s youundertook a dangerous mis-sion. To ensure your loyalty amagic assassin bug h asbeen implanted in your neckwhich will kill you at the firstsign of doing a bunk. It's call-ed Edgar (or Spectrum t oyou)! Your mission i s t oreach the far side o f themountains alive and to dothis you must locate thesecret entrance at the baseof t he Mountains o f Ket .These lie a short horse rideeast o f the small village.Naturally, lo ts have gonebefore, but none have everreturned_

CRITICISM'This is a text adventure,

where your constant compa-nion, the implanted killer bugEdgar, is none other thanyour favourite Spectrum. Soall t he descriptions comecouched in terms of 'we, us'.If you daily too long, Ed9arwill get impatient and tickyou off. The problems aretraditional in as much as thevillage and its inhabitantscan provide you with essen-tial equipment, su ch a sweapons, food and a horse.The initial problems are todiscover how to get them topart with a l l th is gear. Imanaged to buy an axe froma shopkeeper, but when Iwanted the lamp there wasno money left, so I tried usingthe a x e ! A d v e n t u r echaracters seem to have gotvery used to the bloodthirstyways of Spectrum users whowander into their lives t h i sshopkeeper was more thanready for me! The statisticstold me the sad story — myprowess and energy levelswere all less than his andwhereas my luck level was1 0 0 A Newstield Publication

high his said 'not applicable'which I thought soundedvery ominous! He won.'

'The text Is all nicely laidout and the program haswhat s e e m s t o b e areasonably large vocabulary.Entries a re processed in-stantly, so there's no waitingabout. If you get into a fightthe statistics appear ar thetop telling you your chancesof winning, and the text isvery lively in describing theblows, offering you fast op-tions on continuing or runn-ing. Otherwise it continuesround by round until one ofyou runs or snuffs it. I haven'tgot all that far yet, but therecertainly seems to be a largenumber of locations contain-ed in the program. A maphelps. This is certainly one toponder over and come backto. It can be saved fortunate-ly so you can cogitate in bedat night. Looks like moresleepless nights!'

Producer: SliversoltMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: PatrickRichmond

Working for the Acme RobotManufacturing Co. is not aneasy business when t h erobots keep running riot .You're in the control roomone day when you notice therobots are out and playingdangerously. T h e o n l yanswer is to send out theBomber!

Sliversoft have taken awell worn theme, turned it onits head, and come out with anew type of game. For wantof a bettercomparison this isa backward 'Pac Man' typegame. Instead of eating dots,here you lay them.

The screen represents thefactory c o r r i d o r s , areasonably complex maze.When the game starts thebomber. 'you', must moveround the corridors layingmines. T o complete t h escreen every corridor mustbe laid. This tempts the king

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The robots me revolting — but the game's okay!

robot out of his central lair,so that you can get in andprogress to the next level.What you're up against is ahandful o f different robots(ghosts backwards?) whichstart t o materialise in thefour corners, until the screenis running with them. For-tunately there i s also apower m i t e , w h i c hreplenishes yo u r rapidlyfading supply when you runover it. As soon as you do,another m a t e r i a l i s e ssomewhere else. Anotherunpleasant problem is thatall r o u n d t h e c e n t r a lenclosure the corridors arecut o f f b y several slidingdoors which open and close.Not only does this hinderyour mine-laying program, italso can get you nastily trap-ped if you're not careful.CRITICISM

'An original Idea, and agood one at that. A bit slowat first, but as the game pro-gresses t h e act ion g et slivelier. Quite tense, whenhaving laid the last mine, youhave only 30 seconds to getinto the control room oncethe king robot is out.'

It's similarity to 'Pac Man'is a bit off-putting at first, butwarmed quite rapidly to this

game after 10 minutes play-ing. Although it isn't exactlyfast, it turns out to be quitedemanding on the player.Perhaps bet ter suited t oyounger p l a y e r s t h a nhardened addicts, but ac-tually q u i t e a d d i c t i v eanyway. Nice colours andamusingly a n i m a t e dcharacters.'

'A good use of colour andnice, smooth graphics com-bined with the continuoussound, m ake th is in to agood-average game. An ad-vance on 'Pac Man', it is oneof those maze games thatwill probably appeal t omany. I didn't find it all thataddictive, although veryplayable after a few minutes.The opening and shuttingdoors, adds a touch of dramatoo, especially as it can put

you i n a t igh t s pot, a n dfrustratingly cut you off atthe last second from yourpower mite! Not bad at all.'COMMENTS

Control keys: very good, Z/Xleft/right, KIM upidownJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: responsiveColour: goodGraphics: goodSound: continuous, averageSkill levels: 1Lives: 3Screens: multipleGeneral rating: aboveaverage, very good foryounger players.

Speed Duel

cRrricism

Producer: DK TronicsMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5•95Language: Machine codeAuthor: K. Larter

Speed Duel is DK Tronicscontribution to the elusiveSpectrum version o f t h efamous 'Pole Position' typegame, where you roar arounda race track in pursuit of, orpursued by, other racing carsin an attempt to reach thefinish line first.

This version features solid3D graphics, complete withbends, moving horizon andthe road seen in perspective.There is a choice of five cir-cuits to choose from and youcan race against a choice ofcomputer cars ranging fromone to five.

'Overall, t h e graphics

EL

S C O R E l a t a t i ) 0 0

Use of computer 58%Graphics 70%Playability 62%Getting started 35%Addictive qualities 53%Value for money 58 %Overall 56%

Use of computer 60 %Graphics 57%Playability 59 %Getting started 63%Addictive qualities 68%Value for money 57%Overall 61°/13

aren't bad, with quite a largecar, though smaller than theones, in Grand Prix Driver orRoad Racer, a br ight b lueroad w i t h c e n t r e l i n e s ,clouds in the sky and blackmountains in the distance.The road is in perspective,but It doesn't narrow downall that much before hittingthe horizon. There ar e n ogears t o c hange, w h ic hshould m a k e t h e g a m eeasier to play, but in fact thecar tends to be very uncon-trollable, wobbling from leftto right much too quickly.'

M g t

Speed Duel — fast but difficult to control.

'The graphics ar e fa ir lysmooth and there's a gooduse of colour too. You mustcomplete 3 c ircuits o f thetrack before the computer'scars. This is more diffi cultthan I fi rst thought becausebends come upon you andallow no time to think. Thismakes t h e g a m e r a t h e runrealistic. O n top that o fyou travel at not more than50 m.p.h. or you end up in amangled heap o f steel andrubber! An important pointto make is that the cassetteinlay says this is a 16K and48K game. b u t o n t h ecassette itself it clearly says48K only. Which is it?'

'There's quite a lot of gooddetail i n t h i s v e r s io n ,although I s t il l think RoadRacer is better. The choice ofcircuits and oponents is a

Reel BeesProducer: SilversoftMemory required: 48KRetail price: £5.95Language: Machine codeFreez' bees adds anotherversion of 'Pengo' or 'Pengy'

good touch. The graphics arereasonable and the 3D worksabout as well as any otherspectrum version, but it wasir r itat ing t h a t y o u k e p tcrashing w h e n y o u r c a rhadn't ev en touc hed t h eedge of the road sometimes.This seems t o depend onyour angle to the verge, and Ipresume t h e pr ogr am i sreading character blocks, sothat sometimes you actuallyhave collided when it looksas i f y o u h a v e n ' t . Areasonable racing game, butonly an average game.'

COMMENTSControl keys: CAPSIZleftiright, SYM.SHIFT/SPACEbrake/accelerateJoystick: unstatedKeyboard play: difficultColour: goodGraphics: reasonable 30Sound: average, continuousLives: 5Screens: 4 with scrollingGeneral rating: average.

to the Spectrum file. The ob-ject of the game is to walkyour penguin round the icefields, burning away the iceblocks to create space, o rsend them shooting off to tryand c rush the nasty snowbees who are out to get you.

Features in this version in-clude the penguin's ability toelectrify the fence, stunning

One penguin dead as a dodo in Freaz'Bees,

the bee that touches if for amoment, and the illumina-tion of ice blocks containingbee eggs at the start of eachphase. Y o u receive ex t r apoints f o r c lear ing thes eblocks before the eggs hatchout.

CRITICISM'The graphics i n Freez '

bees ar e very nic e, qu itelarge and very colourful on awhite ground. T hey mov esmoothly as well, and at afair pace even on the slowerof the ten speeds. I quite en-joyed playing it and the gameitself is very addictive whenyou get fl uent at controllingthe penguin.'

'Once a snow bee is onyour tail you may as well giveup as it's hard to get away,and extremely difficult to getround a block, turn and fire atyour tormentor. Apar t fromthis aspect, whic h I thinkspoils the game's playabili-ty, this type of game is reallyvery s imple and not wor thbuying. T h is v ers ion hasgood sound though.'

'This version is franticallydiffi cult to play p e r h a p s

ParatroopersProducer: RabbitMemory required: 16KRetail price: E5.99Language: Machine codeAuthor: J.F. Cain

It gets awfully lonely s ittingon your own in a bunker untilthe enemy decides to dropIn! 'Your bunker' is in fact afield gun which you control,sitting in the bottom centreof the screen. Above you, inthe sky, helicopters streamby in both directions, spew-ing paratroopers out on topof you. Their object is to getthree m e n s afely o n t h eground, at which point theystride o f f and return i n alarge tank against which you

too hard to keep your atten-tion s o it 's as well thatthere's a range of speeds toselect. T h e c o lour s a n dgraphics are good, so's thesound and tunes. I f you'relooking for a 'Pengo' game,then this is a good and hardversion.'

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/rightIQM up/down, L= s lide orcrumble an ice blockJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: single keyaction, but fastColour: simple but brightGraphics: goodSound: very goodSkill levels: 10 speedsLives: 3General rating: reasonableimplementation of fairgame.

are defenceless (and dead!)and that's that. Your aim Is toprevent them from landingany men and you score forparatroopers destroyed andhelicopters knocked out.

The game continues o nafter loss o f life, resettingthe s c or e t o zero, q u i t eautomatically.CRITICISM

'Your fi e ld gun c an b etraversed to cover most o fthe screen, but you must beaccurate as fi r ing reducesyour score. The graphics arequite good and the game Isfun to play.'

The animation of the gunis very good. The sense o fperspective is a clever cheatsince both height and rota-tion of the gun are only donewith a left and right key, but It

A Nawsloeld Publication 1 0 1

means the drawing of thegun must go through whatlooks l ike seven different'frames' to create the illu-sion. T h e d e t a i l s o fparatroopers a n dhelicopters are also good,with some pares openingtheir chutes immediately,other delaying to the last se-cond, and some poor devilswhose chutes fail to openand g et splatted o n t h eground. You're dead If threeland successfully, or if onelands right on top of you.Fun, but perhaps not very ad-dictive.'

'This is quite a neat idea,which scores with its finegraphics, but there wasn'tquite enough depth to theidea to keep me enthralled,and I thought t h e soundcould have been better — nogunshooting noise f o r in-stance. T h e user-defined

Use of computer 70 %Graphics 68%Playability 66

13/o

Getting started 62%Addictive qualities 49 %Value for money 55 %Overall 62%

StonkersThe name of the game is a good aim - Paratroopers.

Producer: ImagineMemory required: 48KRetail price: E5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: John Gibson

In an unusually terse and tothe point scenario introduc-tion, Imagine Inform you thatyou are poised on the verybrink of battle — the enemyhave had their port and HQunder siege for weeks, andnow is the eve of the battle.As commander o f yo u rforces, you must out-think,out-manoeuvre and out-tightyour foe.

Stonkers i s a graphicalstrategy and tactics gamebetween the player and thecomputer. U n l ike m a n ypopular war games alreadyavailable, in Stonkers youare not expected to spendages setting up the scenario,1 0 2 A Newslield Publication

keys are a good idealCOMMENTSControl keys: user-definedfor left/right/fireJoystick: Protek, AGFKeyboard play: responsiveColour reasonable averageGraphics: good, welldetailedSound: below averageSkill levels: it's maindrawback — only 1Lives: 1General rating: good, butnot very addictive.

distributing weapons andmoving your forces unit byunit. Both of you and theenemy already have tanks,artillery and infantry posi-tioned round t h e coun-tryside, an d t h e enemy'sforces are on the move assoon a s t h e g ame com-mences. In fact, this turnsout to be a very fast movinggame of an almost arcadenature.

The war zone is large, andis shown on screen in twoways; a large map whichshows total playing area —two chunks of land, dividedby a river estuary and con-nected by a bridge: and alarge s c a l e m ap , w h ichshows a big close up withgraphical det ai ls o f t h evarious units. On this map,when a u n i t i s b e i n gdeployed, you can see it mov-ing, its speed depends on theterrain which is also shownas contours. O n the totalmap a cross-hatched cursorblock, indicating the area of

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the large scale map, can berapidly moved by directionalkeys. Pressing the fire keyswitches maps. On the closeup map a X cursor is movedwith directional keys, and ifpositioned directly above aunit, will cause it to startmoving towards the coastwhen the tire key is pressed.Below the display area, aticker tape keeps you inform-ed as to what's going on andhow you have been Stonking.

Keeping up the strengthsof your forces Is done bymoving supplies from yourport (when the supply shiphas docked) to where theyare needed using your 4 sup-ply units. If a unit fails toreceive supplies in t ime itwill be lost for good.

The game moves at a fastpace and holds a number ofundisclosed surprises.CRITICISM

'The game Is long and fair-ly "deep" due to the task ofdestroying e i t h e r t h eenemy's Port and HQ or hisforces, and also due to thescale of the war. You may beneeding infantry down on thecoast fast , but can i t b espared (or even get there intime) f ro m t h e d ist an thighlands? Stonkers appeal-ed to me much more thanmost of the other wargamesdue to its higher quality ofgraphics, large scale andsimple controls. Very addic-tive — I found myself havinga bash during an y sparehour.'

'The graphics and overallpresentation are excellent. Ilike the ticker tape which of-fers you the selection menufor keyboard, joysticks andskill levels. I was surprisedby t h e sp eed a t w h ichStonkers moves once all thevarious u n i t s a r e beingdeployed. It gets to the pointwhere you barely have ,a n ytime left to think, and you'repunching keys all the while.There are 2 skill levels, theharder only allows you to seean enemy unit if one of yourown units is in the same

vicinity, an d this certainlystretches t h e t a c t i c a labilities to the limit. An ex-cellent game.'

If only Imagine can get ridof the program bug whichcauses it to crash on occa-sion, Stonkers is set to be thebest wargame I've seen yet.It keeps you on the go con-stantly without having t owait while the enemy "hashis turn". The simple con-trols help a lot, too, in mak-ing this game very playable.'

After checking with Im-agine, we have been inform-ed that the first two batchesof tapes they received didhave a p ro b lem w h i chcauses the program to crashinexplicably. This has nowbeen corrected. If you haveencountered this problem,you may return the cassetteto Imagine and they willreplace it. But anyone buyingStonkers now should en-counter no problems.COMMENTS

Control keys: CAPS, X,V,Nleft; 1C,B,M right; 2nd.row = up, 3rd. row = down,top row = fireJoystick: Protek, AGF,Fuller, Sinclair, KempstonKeyboard play: responsiveand lastColour very good, lots of ItGraphics: very goodSound: not much, but whatIs used is high qualitySkill levels: 2Screens: 2, with smoothscrollingGeneral rating: excellentbattle game which managesto be very addictive.

Use of computerGraphicsPlayabilityGetting startedAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

90 %70 %70 %58 %90 %87 %78%

tos iom m om m ilm illownwite

CastleBlackstarProducer: SCRAdventuresMemory required: 48KRetail price: E8.95Language: Machine codeAuthor; Sheppard,Cummins & RichardsonThe tas k i n th is tex t-onlyadventure, which is the firstof a p la n n e d s e r ies o f'Artemis Quests', Is to enterCastle Blac k s tar a t t h ebehes t o f a b e a u t i f u l ,mysterious woman glimpsedin a dream. There you mustrecover her power orb fromthe v a s t u n d e r g r o u n dcaverns. T o achieve max -imum points a l l treasuresfound mus t be c leaned o ftheir evil, all puzzles solvedand the orb returned to ourdear lady, who is, of course,no less than a Goddess —Artemis. Sh e promises t ocovertly help you during yourquest. The maximum scoreIs 240 and, if successful, youmay keep all the loot!

A note In the accompany-ing 8-page booklet says thatthe driver software for CastleBiackstar i s bas ed ex ten-sively on the Adven-80 pro-gram developed b y PeterScargillCRITICISM

'As a text-only adventureamongst t he new wave o fgraphic adventures, Cas tleBlackstar manages to holdits own very well. The loca-tion descr iptions are nice,detailed a n d manage t ocreate atmosphere in simpleterms very well. The com-puter's replies to one's morenonsens ical c o m m a n d shave a g o o d t o u c h o fhumour, a n d w i t h f a s tmachine code response thisworks very entertainingly.'

quickly found the castleat the beginning of the quest,but hav ing s t r ay ed t w omoves away from it into theforest, I found the compassdirections magically fadedand I c ouldn ' t g e t bac k .Twenty steps later I was stillstumbling b l ind ly throughthick forest. 'Climb Tree' to

get a better view only elicitedthe response tha t such adangerous undertaking wasuseless and I wouldn t fi ndanything up there anyway!Starting to think the forestwas intended a s a deathtrap, I suddenly came upon aGingerbread Hous e i n aclearing — and that was adeath hole — three moveslater I'd been turned into awriggling worm and endedup ins ide some bird's tum-my! Great!"

'A good text adventurebeats a mixed graphics/textone any day , a n d C as t leBlackstar ranks with Artic 'sbest. Bu t SCR had betterreconsider their pr ic ing —E8.95 is way over the top forwhat they offer. Otherwise agreat s tar t for a new com-pany and I look forward toArtemis Quest 2. Exploringthe inside of the castle wasgreat fun, and I was Impress-ed that turning a winch inone room actually operatedsomething four or five loca-

Dodge CityProducer: PhoenixMemory required: 48KRetail pr ice:Language: Machine codeAuthor: Fraser Orr

Dodge City comes packagedin a large video-style plasticbox a n d c o n t a i n s t w ocassettes. The first is an ac-tion game, t he second anadventure game, each inex-tricably tied to the other. Theobject is t o master twelveskill lev els i n t h e ac t ioncassette, and if you do youwill b e given t h e runningcode f o r t h e adv entur ecassette. Without this secretcode you will be unable to

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tions away without my evenknowing it until later whenmy apparently meaninglessactiv ity pr ov ed v aluable!Beware of the fierce musicaleagles (neat), and I hope youhave more luck than me ingetting a source of light toset about exploring the darklower r e g i o n s ( s o r r y ,Artemis, let you down there. . . ) Great game, pity aboutthe price.'

COMMENTSGraphics: text only, verysimple, black letters onwhite ground, clear andeasy to readGeneral rating: a goodadventure, but pricey.

Use of computerPlayabilityGetting startingAddictive qualitiesValue for moneyOverall

80%8089 %83%45%75%

play the adventure. A t theend of each sk ill level youwill be given a clue, and allthe clues are vital to solvingthe adventure.

The action tape shows youa Western desert plain withmounta ins i n t h ebackground, and 'you' are aPony Express rider. The aimIs to collect four mall bagswhile avoiding the baddieson black horses chasing you.They shoot at you, and youcan shoot back. I f you h itone, he falls off his horse anddies, only to replaced a se-cond later by another. Theother problem takes the formof cactus plants — runninginto one results in a pricklyend. On the first screen youfind yourself chased by onebaddy at a time, but on suc-ceeding screens there are

more baddies t o contendwith. These may be rottencowboys, bandits, Mexicansor Indians and mixtures ofall.

You lose a life if hit by abaddy, if you run Into a cac-tus or i f you fail t o collectfour consecutive mail bags.Between each skill level thepicture c uts t o the offi ce,where a message has arrivedfor you — a clue to collect forthe adventure.

When t h e adventure i sloaded, you are asked for thecode, if you get it wrong theprogram NEWs its elf . Thescenario tor the adventure isthat you must prove your in-nocence i n the murder o fDodge City's deputy sheriff,who has been found dead inyour hotel room with a pearlhandle gun, presumed t ohave killed him, lying at yourfeet. Now, read on. . .CRITICISM

'The g r a p h ic s o f t h ehorses a r e v e r y g o o d ,smooth and quite realistic,and those of the adventureare all quite detailed, takingup the top third of the displayarea. In the action sequence,the pursuers fi re very quick-ly, sometimes when they'renot even o n the screen. Ithought the adventure wasquite a good one, but it takesa long time to get into as youmust master 12 skill levels inthe arcade tape. This is adaunting task. (I only manag-ed fi ve, but the producerswere thoughtful enough t oprovide me with the secretcode so I could get to see theadventure. Frustrated adven-turers s h o u l d s e n d as tamped a d d r e s s e denvelope and fi f ty poundsto. . . ) Ser ious ly though, Ithink there is a danger o fbecoming bored with the ar-cade g a m e b e f o r e y o umanage 12 levels. If you wantan adventure buy one, if youwant arcade, buy it. The ideaof Dodge City is debatablebecause unless you managethe fi rst you cannot see thesecond, and I wonder howmany adventure fans w i l lwant to wade through hourson an arcade game. Never-theless, b o t h games a r eabove average in quality.'

'Both games have a nicesense of humour — the titlepage to the adventure is verygood, and so is the first loca-tion which tells you 'DodgeCity w e lc o m e s c a r e f u ldrovers'. A warning whenentering the secret code —

A Newatleld Publicat ion 1 0 3

•

the characters entered don'tappear written on the screen,only dashes appear, whichmay confuse you into an er-ror. The idea is a good one,although it probably won'tappeal to serious adventurefans because of the arcadegame coming first, and it isdifficult to 9et through theadventure without those vitalclues.'

'The action and adventuregraphics are pretty good, butthere's not much sound. Theworst thing is the poor In-structions which don' t te llyou the control keys, whichare numerous in option andvery badly laid out.'COMMENTS

Use of computer 72%Graphics 69 %Playability 65 %Getting started 72%Addictive qualities 63 %Value for money 70%Overall 69%

Use of computer 45°/0Graphics 70 %Playability 65 'AIGetting started 40 %Addictive qualities 57%Value for money 64%Overall 57

13/0

Use of computer 75%Graphics 68%Playability 85%Getting started 79%Addictive qualities 63%Value for money 85 %Overall 7 6

Db

Control keys: poorlypositioned; left =210/W/S/SYM SHIFT, right =1/Q/A/CA PS/P/ENTER,down= 3/E/D/X/I/K/M, up=4/1R/F/C/N/J/U, fire =vr/G/VPI/HIBJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: responsive,although confusing with thekeysColour goodGraphics: goodSound: fair, none onadventure tapeSkill levels: 12 essential 24in all (arcade tape)Lives: 5 (arcade tape)General rating: aboveaverage

1984Producer: IncentiveMemory required: 48KRetail price: £5.50Language: Machine codeAuthor: RMH Carter

When George Orwell finish-ed his famous novel aboutthe future in 1948 it seemedlogical to reverse the last twofigures and call it 1984. Sincethen the date has had a semi-magical connotation. Well,now it is 1984, and to markthe occasion, Incentive (whobrought y o u Sp la t ) hav ereleased th is governmentalstrategy game — a game of1 0 4 A Nay/afield Publication

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economic survival.The object is to prove that

you can do better than ourexisting politic ians. You, ofcourse, a r e t o b e Pr imeMinister. Can y ou r ide outthree terms in power and sur-vive two General Elections?At the start you Inherit cer-tain fi g u r e s u n d e r t h eheadings Sour c e s o fRevenue i n m i l l i o n s o fpounds, and Details of Spen-ding, also in millions. Theseinclude (Revenue) Corpora-tion tax. Value Added Tax, In-come tax, Customs & Excise,and L o a n s : ( Sp e n d in g )G ov er nment c o n t r a c t s ,Grants t o industry , PublicSec tor s p e n d in g , G o v t .Department wages , Pen-s ions , U n e m p l o y m e n t .Benefi t, C h i ld Allowanc e,Foreign Aid, and interest onborrowing.

This screen is followed byMajor Indicators, a chart of 8items which chart your pro-gress, and which can be call-ed up at any time to see howyou are doing. This Is follow-ed b y d e t a i l s o n t h eMinimum Lending Rate, setat a given figure, but whichyou must adjust to suit yourequirements. There is a barcode chart which indicateshow w e l l t h e economy i sbalanced between Govern-ment, Industry, Population,Banks and the World. If anyone o f these sectors getsdangerously out of balance,you may be forced to resign— a flagging industry, for in-stance, may be given a boostby an increase In theGrant toIndustry.

The g a m e a l s o inc or -porates the major nightmareof any modern government,the wages claims. You haveto deal w ith thos e in thePublic and Private sectors aswell as Civ il Servants. Youmust decide on the level ofGovernment Inves tment I nbanks, balance the effects ofraising money through in-dustrial levies, keep an eyeon the funding of your owngovernment depar tments ,sort out the budget for eachyear, organise the levels oftoreign a id , s ubs idis e in -dustry through grants, andfi nally , a t t e n d C a b i n e tMeetings on a wide variety ofproblems.

The game is accompaniedby a detailed 13 page leafletcalled A Pocket Guide ToRunning Britain, which ex-

plains the various functionsof t h e g a m e a n d t h eeconomy generally.CRITICISM

'After a n ominous t i t lescreen o f t h e Houses o fParliament, t h e nightmarebegins! The game proceedsalong very sensible lines, In-forming of the next problemto b e faced, and offer ingsome prompts for beginners.I w as doing really well, Ithought, as I added nominalamounts to my departments(Health, Education, Housing.Defence etc .) b u t t hen anotice infor med m e t h a trunaway government spen-ding had brought me down!Well of course, I'm honest —politic ians are.

COMMENTS

Colour and graphics: allvery clear, with well usedcolourSound: useful entry beepsand the sound of Big BenchimingSkill levels: 1 — and that'senough!General rating: an excellentstrategy game with tons ofscope.

StarclashProducer MicromegaMemory required: 16KRetail price: E6.95Language: Machine codeAuthor: Derek Brewster

You a r e test-fl ying a newStarfighter in what was sup-posed t o be empty space,when y o u a r e s udden lyjumped by an Imperial StrikeForce wh ic h h a s jumpedfrom hy pers pac e. T oughluck, You can't outrun them,so you'll just have to fight itout a l o n e . T h e e n e m yMothership is protected byfour waves of fighters. Theobject o f t he game is t odestroy each wave in turnand fight your way through tothe Mothers hip a n d t henplac e a l a s e r b o l t I n

whichever of her two powercores is • active. Added dif-ficulties come in the form ofmeteor showers.

CRITICISM'This game has been taken

right f r om t h e arcades. Ican't remember the arcadeversion name, but it 's beenaround a fair time now. Thegraphics are smoothly mov-ing a n d q u i t e d e t a i l e dcharacters. A problem youmust watch out for is the am-mo supply which runs down.forcing you to be accurate. Agood, playable game, but itmight lose its qualities aftera bit.'

'It looks deceptively sim-ple at first. The waves of at-tackers don't seem to moveall that fast, as they jig theirway down, but their concen-trated fire power homes in onyour position, so you can'tstay still for a moment, andIt's easy to get trapped bet-ween lighter fi re and theflaming meteors that alsodescend thickly from above.Reasonably addict ive t oplay.'

'Starciash Is a shoot emup 'Invader' ty pe in whic heach attack wave is more dif-ficult t o destroy than t helast. I t ' s no t eas y t o ge tthrough to the Mothership atall. I would say this is wellabove the usual galaxian/in-vader g a m e s t a n d a r d ,almost a scaled down ver-sion o f the arcade or iginalAltair. Quite good.'COMMENTS

Commi kityi s im p l e , w e l lplaced — 2/X left/right,SPACE = fi reJoystick: KempstonKeyboard play: responsiveColour: average to goodGraphics: goodSound: continuous, fairlygoodSkill levels: each waveharderLives: 3Screens: 4 waves plusmothershipGeneral rating: aboveaverage type good shoot emup.

5 Sit Thomas StreetLiverpool, Merseyside LI 68W

Dealer Enquines ContactColin Stokes on 051-236 8100 (20 lines)

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1 0 6 A N e wslie ld PubliC a tion

//i I AM fl LAVI N& E N T T YWITH m e WILL TO s u R v i v a ,

s o ! LO RDE D ALL MY I NPORMHTI ONI NTO V I RUS CE LLS AND CRAIAJLED

RCRO S 5 V J HRT WAS L E F T O FTHE AI R I N T O C R O S S BO DY ,

ERMINAL MAN

Marooned on one world of a great unknown Dyson Spheresoiar system, the survivors from the S I M* "Arcadia"tile led by ship's difzer Cress. But Cross' strange

behaviour arouses the suspicions of Jin Kimas Theanswer to the putrie is one that Km as wished she hadnever sought..

THE V I R U S CAN E NTE R HUMANCELLS B U T CHO O S E S N O T TOSINCE I T CANNO T CO MMUNI CATE

THE/ A, W I T H me I N THECI RCUI T I T CO ULD — S O I US E PIT TO S TO P THE P E C A V I NCROSS, I R E - B U I L T T H EPARTS O F HI M WHI CHWERE mussiwa,

— T H E YIAIOUL I> N o-r

UNDERSTANP,rimR. CRoSS —OVER 14ar—;

WE'VE REScuEp -T H E O T H E R S

FROM THE ENTERTAINMENTSSECT ioN, BUT WEVE Gar

R PROBLEM' ' ,

ONE OF 'E MWON'TCOME O U T /

COME ON, youPuME3 COLLECTI ON

OF mAL—PRO&RAny t EDPnte UP!

-TO

COMPLETE PAYORIGINAL PROGRAM,

MUST GE T M YP RS S E Ni E RSTO E R R T N ,

Po YOU UNIVERSTANI7MART? P o You

UNDERSTAND.ME ?

YESe1 PO — ANC>

I WILL HE LPY ou, 13UT TELL.NO-ONE WHAT

YOU HAV EM S T TOLD'

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-THIS

IS NOT FRI V O LO US&AMBLING, PFIL,11-415 Is SERIOUSGAMBLING.. BEEN PLAYI NG THI B

DEVICE 5 I NCE I CAME ON BOARD'ANC' I T ' S M I S T A B O U T -1-O r f t

di PRYUP/

LERVE HERE IMMEDIATELY'THERE IS NO TIME To WASTE

ON FA ivo L o u S GAPABLIN&e,YOU HAVE Z U S T

SURVIVED ADISASTROU

CRASH AND PILLYOU ARE

CONCERNIED ABOUTIS GETTING

USELESS MONEYFROM A

MIRCHINE ?

005E.F P MRNPRELL I SNEVER CONCERNED' W I T H' O B I F I I N I N & M O N E Y ' ',ONLY WITH v ANNi Na - -WHAT'S '<OUR a RME , PAL?

SURVIVAL,OSEF• P MANI DI RE LL

AND IT I S NO T A Go:WEISO G E T OUT O P HERE

HNC) & E T T O W O R K !

A NewstielO Publication 1 0 7

„TREKKING. ACROSSTHE HARSH TERRAININ SEARCH OF SOME -THING —A N Y TH I N GP —

TO Pp THEIR ESCAPE

SOON THE/ FOUND FI BizIRE ,DESERTED VILLFReECROSS, KIWIS AND mANDRELLINVESTI GATED ALONE oi/

EMPTY;NOT H NC7 FOR US

HERE

I SENSEFINER, FINCIENTBITTERNESS,,,

CAMEFROM THERE -

-nig T HUT,

CLASSIFY HOSTILE:RETURN

FIRE!

e)MmE SOME ODIn ONTHIS SURVIVAL SCRM,WI-PT CHANCE WEc7OT ?

108 A Newstteld Publication

CROSS DROVE THE 5uRvIVORS ligRpsFOOD wA s SALmR&EP FROM WHATREMAINED OF THE S T O R E S/V E H I C L E SIMPROVISED FROM SERVICINGEQUIPMENT UNTIL AT LIIST THEYSET OLIT•,,

•

STORY BY KELVIN GOSNELL0DRAWN BY OLIVER FREYv

-Tw

WHY DOL(OU A r m cxuS,OLD MRN?WE ME RN YOU

OHP . RM

STARSHIP' T15 W o R D HA V E

NoT HERR> SINCE MY YOUTH,WE USED TID SRY IT TORNNoY OUR ELDERS,

BUT THI NGS CHANGE-IT 15 BLASPHEMY

R FEW MILES AWRYTHERE M: 15 OTHERMORE V IOLENT--

TALK OF BUI 6PHEM1( ,

STRANSERSALWAYS MEAN HARM,

TISTHEWAYOPTHINGSREST OF THE PEOPLEFLED LI NEN WE SFILAIYOU COMI NG, L E F

ME HERE - T O OTO IAJRLK AND TOOOLD TO BERFRAD-

BUT I F EJR T H E .PRIESTHOOD EVEN LESSTHAN P E A R V I L G,R R R E SHORDES/ IF You WISH TOSPEAK BLASPHEMY, THENI WILL COI N ' D U , '

T E L L US VAJHATYou KNOW, O L D MRN,

TE L L US THI S B L A S P HE M' ,

1/011

SAY YOU CAMEHERE ON R

VESSEL OUT OF'SPACE' ?

LfOU sRLAI

NO GODS ?

- V R I G H T /SHI P CRPISHEI> --

N—NO & C P S O UTTHERE -ZLIS' SPRC•ElP.-PLEASE DO N' T HI T

ME TI P I I N, , /

VER1 ,11 WELL - -

PREPRRE THE KNI VESAND OTHER I NS TRUME NTS

FOR THE, CEREMONY,'

YOU SEE — HE RAS P HOPELESSCRSE OF CREATIONSTDE L Us i0 NS , EVIL POWERSCOMMAND HI S S O UL ,HE MUS T BEPURI FI ED!

More thrills and gruesomespills next month!

MI G HTAS WELL GETON WI TH I T

fiNIPKILL ME

LIJE 5EEK ONLYI NFORMATI ONFROM YOU, WEWILL, GIVE YOuPOOP INRETURN,

WE NEED R VESSEL TOTO TAKE US OFF YOURWORLD, 'THERE MUST BESHIPS TO TRAVEL

BE TWEE N THE PLPNETSOF 11415 SY5TEM

RRE THERESTARSHIPS TOO?

BUTWILL TORTURE

THE LAST DROP OFINFoRMATIONFRON) HIM

BEFORE I L E T YOURE moVE HIS INNARPS FOR

'PURIFICATION', MR A R L I-1 1 5 1 S H o P I

A News lield Publicat ion 1 0 9

ONLY E.5•95 each at W. H.Smiths. John Menzies*Boots, and other leading Computer Stores, or...Available direct from CDS Micro SystemsSend Cheque or PO. To CDS Dept. Ya,10,Westfield Close,Tickhill. Doncaster

* Wetted titles oniy DN11 9LA• Tel: (0302)744129.

This is 'Winged Warlords' a brand newArcade Adventure game from COS.Just one of a new range of exciting

programs for1984....

new._Spectrum Adventure

CDS Micro SystemsSPECTRUM SAM

SPECTRUM 48K ,_11111111.1111

Take a giant step closer to reality withNew Generation Software. The 3DGraphics of New Generation programsbring the screen alive and makes othergames look as flat as snakes and ladders.

Spectrum owners will find that seeingis believing when they open the door onTHE CORRIDORS OF GENON', t he latestcreation from New Generation. You willbe saving the Universe from the evil thatnow controls all things. But beware — thesound of footsteps approaching could heBogu I!

Corridors of Genon for 48K Spectrum'It is a superb program, and a wellconceited plot Brilliant! Value formoney 100% 'Home Computing WeeklYKnot in 30 for 48K SpectrumAddictive, playable game' Cl& V Games3D Rinnel for I61(148K SpectrumA masterpiece of programming' C & V G

Hurtle into a void leaving a trail foryour unseen pursuers in "KNOT IN 31)'.Weave your way through up to five trailsbut be careful, you could get knotted! Ortravel through the depths of a movingtunnel full of bats, rats, spiders and toads in'3D TUNNEE:, with a special surprise in the48 K version.

Stamina is the vital ingredient of'ESCAPE', as you'll be venturing into themaze pursued by walking and flyingdinosaurs.

ZX8 I owners must be prepared for the

£5.95 E s c a pe for I6K Spectrum L 4 _ 9 5One f JI the hest and most original gamesur hair seen/in' the Spectrum' Sinclair I 7ser3ID Monster Maze for I6K 7181 £ 9 5

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FOR r6,11 7 . X9 i shock of coming face to face with the

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All these exciting 3D games have beendesigned by Malcolm Evans, the 31)expert. They'll have you leaping out ofyour seat because you don't just play NewGeneration games, you live them.

Products available fromW H Smith, Boots,Menzies, Spectrum(;roup, HMV, andall leading department& computer stores

FREt•EPOST Bath 13A2 - i l l ) -k J 0 2 2 5 - 3 1 6 9 2 t%Di order by return

COMMODORE 64

Author; Anion ManxmanHive-cave action,'

Berhe Bee needs helpdefendong the hove. Fight offthe invading swarms, battlethe bees and defend yourQueen'

AItch

Jump a y out of thecaves with Bugaboo the fleabut beware of the fearsomeDragon as you pimp aroundthe exotic vegetation.

basedSP R a y m o n damazingly successful

48K S P A I r tAuthor,' W h i t e(

Battle the Ants en the softsoled 30 oty of Antescher.

Aut P i e sP, H R o s e , O.

A g r a p h i cadv t h e dark and

of EarthstoneCastle W e Dragons,Vampires, Sphinx. Zombies,Skeletons. Gryphons andother legendary beasts torescue the beautiful PrincessPaula.

PYfFear/es S Fred the IntrepidArchaeologist searches thecreepy catacombs below thetorrid tomb of 'Tootiecarmoon'for the terrible treasuresamedst monstrous mummies,ghastly ghosts. bats and rats!

481( SPE e- A ut ho r: John Hoolis

COMMODORE 64 PURPLE TU • . : Mark 8 Richard MooreVIC 20 . 3 S K Y N • r s _ Steve Leethartec

DRAG ,' . AWNED OUT C Andrewancentive

c*(3‘BBC Mo,)• ' G EN Thor Dave Mendes

P,O. Box 6, Wimborns Dorset BA21 I P 0 S g 6 i

All titles f r o n t , ,J k W h % M a i l 0

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Ouicksilve programs are l e from: Boots, W.It H . J. Menzies. Microdealer,•