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No. 23 DECEMBER 1985 'I
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Voted "Strategy Game of the Year" in 1984, MUGSY is now back with a vengeance. Join our dubious hero as he struggles to regain control of his underworld empire by any means at his disposal.
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More strategy, thrills and excitement in this new animated comic strip - includes a full arcade game sequence and stunning graphics.
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MUGSY'S REVENGE is available on C64 and Amstrad at £8.95. Spectrum at £ 7 . 9 5 . Setts thott fiwii Csmm«4o>« 64 ttiuan
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— FOR JOE —
ISSUE No.23 DECEMBER 1985
Publishing Executive Roger Kean Editor G r a e m e Kidd Technical Editor Franco Frey Art Editor Oliver Frey Production Designer David Western Production Assistants G o r d o n Druce M a t t h e w Uffindell S o f t w a r e Editor J e r e m y Spencer A d v e n t u r e Editor Derek Brewster S u b Editor Sean Masterson Staff W r i t e r Lloyd M a n g r a m Contributing Writers Chris Passey, Robin C a n d y , Ben Stone, J o h n M i n s o n , M a r k H a m e r , G a r y Liddon, Julian Rignall, G a r y Penn Client Liaison John Edwards Subscription M a n a g e r Denise Roberts Mail Order Carol Kinsey •t 1985 Newsfield Limited CRASH Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. 1/2 King Street, Ludlow, Shropshire a Subscriptions 0584 5620 S Editorial/studio 0684 5851 9 Advertising 05845851 Colour origination by Scan Studios, Wallace Road, London N1; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset (Member of the BPCC Group), Newtown Trading Estate. Carlisle, Cumbria. Distribution by COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE Subscriptions: 12 issues £14.50 post included (UK Mainland); Europe, 12 issues £21.50 post included. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing. N o m a t e r i a l m a y b e reproduced In w h o l e or i n part w i t h o u t written consent of t h e copyright h o l d e r s W e c a n n o t u n d e r t a k e to return any w r i t t e n m a t e r i a l sent to C R A S H M a g u i n e u n l e s s a c c o m p a n i e d by a suitably s t a m p e d a d d r e s s e d envelope. Unsolicited w r i t t e n or p h o t o material w h i c h m a y b e u s e d in t h e m a g a z i n e is p a i d for at o u r current ratas. T h e o p i n i o n s a n d v i e w s of c o r e s s p o n d e n t s a r e their o w n a n d are n o t necessarily in a c c o r d w i t h t h o s e of t h e publishers.
© 1985 N e w s f i e l d Publications Ltd.
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ZX SPECTRUM FEATURES 43 MELBOURNE HOUSE O u r very o w n Sean M a s t e r s o n t a k e s a trip t o L o n d o n a n d m e e t s t h e M e l b o u r n e H o u s e c r a w . A n d gets t r e a t e d t o c h i c k e n salad w i t h o u t t h e chicken. Well, he IS allergic t o cheese . , .
60 SURF S UP
A n Irish S o f t w a r e house, very keen o n Surfing, h a v e c o m e up w i t h a surfing simulation for t h e S p e c t r u m w h i c h uses a mini-surfboard. T h e y i n v i t e d t h e press t o a launch in Ireland and J o h n M i n s o n w e n t f o r t h e w e e k e n d . A telling tale indeed
144 THE DOINGS OF DESIGN DESIGN
REGULARS 7 EDITORIAL
W i t h t h e indexes, t o o
16 MERELY MANGRAM
A t h r e e - p a g e pre-Christmas extravaganza. Lloyd g i v e s t h e l o w d o w n o n s o m e s o f t w a r e t h a t could m a k e a f e w p e o p l e h a p p y over t h e festive season
53 NEWS INPUT
A w h i s t l e - s t o p t o u r of w h a t ' s b e e n happening o v e r t h e past f e w w e e k s in t h e industry w e all love.
T h e final i n s t a l l m e n t in t h e story of S i m o n ' s G a m e a n d G r a h a m ' s G a m e . N e x t m o n t h w e should be a b l e t o r e v i e w t h e m both. ( N o , not S i m o n and Graham}
62 FORUM
146 PREVIEW: Friday 13th
R o b i n ' s t e n s i n g u p like a spring to release a megad o s e of tips next issue. M e a n w h i l e , he lets a f e w secrets s l i p . . .
A real scary scenario for D o m a r k ' s latest offering. W e w e r e t r e a t e d to a n early look at t h e g a m e w h i c h stars Jason, a very nasty piece of w o r k indeed.
151 PREVIEW: Swaavo's World
A bit of a d e p a r t u r e for G a r g o y l e g a m e s , this one. Y o u c o n t r o l a blundering robot w h o is pestered by all s o r t s of nasties in his w o r l d . R o b i n C a n d y did s o m e research into this w h i m s i c a l little n u m b e r
162 PREVIEW: Swords and Sorcery
A t last I It's here I O n e of t h e m o s t long a w a i t e d g a m e s is a l m o s t ready for release. PSS have b e e n w o r k i n g o n S w o r d s and Sorcery for over eighteen m o n t h s a n d t h e project is a b o u t t o bear fruit.
165 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
A t a s t e r of w h a t ' s possible to put o n a c o m p u t e r screen n o w a d a y s . But is it art?
168 ON THE TV SCREEN
D a v e Beeson, w h o w o r k s for Central ITV p r o d u c i n g a n i m a t i o n s a n d graphics for T V p r o g r a m s once u s e d a S p e c t r u m t o illustrate a p r o g r a m o n hacking. W e t a l k e d to h i m .
DO IT YOURSELF 59 BC's QUEST FOR TIRES
W i n a M i d i Hi-Fi s y s t e m in S o f t w a r e Projects' t r u n d l i n g c o m p e t i t i o n , plus copies of t h e g a m e a n d a couple of " C o m p l e t e W o r k s " packages.
78TAUCETI
A s t u n n i n g g a m e . A stunning c o m p e t i t i o n w i t h m o r e m u s i c a l h a r d w a r e t o w i n . This t i m e it's a T o s h i b a p o r t a b l e cassette deck. Plus games, of course.
94XCEL
N o less t h a n a h u n d r e d copies of this elegant a r c a d e / s t r a t e g y g a m e are o n offer. Design an alien spacecraft a n d w i n , w i n , w i n ,
Lloyd's Live Letters: your n e w s a n d v i e w s aided a n a a b e t t e d by t h e Bug Box illustrators
80PLAYING TIPS
92 LUNAR JETMAN
M o r e heroics f r o m t h e d i m m e s t spaceperson in t h e k n o w n ( a n d u n k n o w n ) universe
96 CRASH COURSE
Back in f r o n t of t h e blackboard, Rosetta checks out s o m e more mind-expanding software. P e r h a p s w e s h o u l d ask her t o r e v i e w Back t o Skool?
TOO CRASH HOTUNE AND ADVENTURE CHART 106 TECH NICHE
Franco Frey e m b a r k s u p o n t h e penultimate ( L M L W D ) p a r t of his r o u n d u p of fast storage m e d i a for t h e S p e c t r u m , J o n Bates looks at t w o m o r e M I D I c o m p a t i b l e devices a n d S i m o n G o o d w i n reveals t h e secrets of t h e Spectrum's k e y b o a r d in T E C H TIPS
117 ADVENTURE TRAIL
D e r e k ' s really impressed by t h e g a m e based o n t h e life of A d r i a n M o l e , t h e schoolboy antihero. Packing his bucket and spade he heads for T e r r o r m o l i n o s t o o — and visits a f e w o t h e r s t r a n g e parts
129 SIGNPOST
Tips a n d hints f r o m t h e quill of t h e m a s t e r a d v e n t u r e r himself. All in Brewstercode
132 RESULTS
" D r a w s o m e d r a g o n s " , t h e c o m p e t i t i o n minion said a little w h i l e ago. This is t h e sort of thing you d r e w . Plus t h e n a m e s of m o r e t h a n a f e w lucky winners
138 FRONTLINE
S e a n M a s t e r s o n goes o n a c a m p a i g n in t h e N a p o l e o n i c W a r this m o n t h . He's impressed w i t h w h a t h e finds.
152 ROBOT MESSUKH
A NEWSFIELD PUBLICATION
A ioint c o m p e t i t i o n , in w h i c h y o u could w i n a S A G A K e y b o a r d t o encase your S p e c t r u m in. A n d t h e r e ' s fifty T-shirts o n offer, t o encase you in.
156 HACKER
H a c k , hack, h a c k e t t y hack. S a v e o n t e l e p h o n e bills b y e n t e r i n g this Activision c o m p e t i t i o n in w h i c h copies of t n e hacking g a m e , HACKER can be
T h e B u m p e r C h r i s t m a s Issue, w i t h free g i a n t O L I P O S T E R goes o n sale o n 12th D e c e m b e r . M i s s it and you're Christmas w o n ' t be happy 5 C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
Those devious Seiddabs a r e mustering for a n o t h e r attack) V e n t u r e t h r o u g h a recently discovered series of stargates g u a r d e d b y Seiddab fighters, a n d y o u ' l l f i n d a system o f n a m e d planetoids, e a c h a p a r t o f t h e Seiddab w a r machine. \ b u r mission, in this totally original 3 D a d v e n t u r e , is t o explore these stargates a n d p l a n e t o i d s a n d rid t h e m o f t h e Seiddab m e n a c e , using a n a r m a d a o f fighters c r e w e d b y A s t r o Clones. In a d d i t i o n , a series of g a r b l e d messages tells y o u t h a t a d e a d l y G r a v i t o n B o m b lies h i d d e n a m o n g s t t h e planetoids. Using all y o u r skill a n d j u d g e m e n t , y o u must travel t h r o u g h t h e stargates t o f i n d its c o m p o n e n t s a n d smash t h e master consul, closing t h e stargates forever. A f t e r a desperate
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j o u r n e y t h r o u g h space, b e a m y o u r clones d o w n t o cripple e a c h p l a n e t o i d b y destroying its launch system. However, each landing holds a n e w surprise! Scattered a r o u n d y o u must find e v e r y t h i n g f r o m passcards t o cryptic clues o n a c o m p u t e r t e r m i n a l t o continue. There are also aliens a n d robots w h o c o u l d h e l p or hinder y o u r plans. Furrimal for instance, is partial t o chocolate, w h i l e a n o t h e r n e e d s a b a t t e r y t o b e o f a n y u s e . . .The list is endlessl Your c l o n e c a n pick u p a n d store objects, t u r n a n d fire a l a s e r h e c a n e v e n t h r o w objects across t h e r o o m ! Futuristic graphics plus u n i q u e s o u n d t h r o u g h m a n y different scenarios m a k e this t h e ultimate space a d v e n t u r e movie. F o r all 4 8 K S p e c t r u m s £ 7 . 9 5
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For matt order send cheque/postal order made payable to Hewson Consultants For credit card sales state your Access/ Barcfaycard numtoer and enclose a specimen signature Don't forget to include your own name and address
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A t part o I our continuing development of i n n o v j d w software w e are always happy 10 evaluate software sent to ut w i t h a v w w to publication
RINGING THE CHANGES T h e Christmas Rush is a b o u t to start again. So-called industry c o m m e n t a t o r s are b e g i n n i n g t o predict a n o t h e r record selling season for t h e r e t a i l e r s — but this y e a r it s e e m s the e m p h a s i s will b e o n s o f t w a r e rather than hardware. N o t surprising, really — there's a n a w f u l lot of people w h o ' v e got t h e basic h a r d w a r e they n e e d t o get to grips w i t h c o m p u t i n g , all they n e e d is the s o f t w a r e to c o m p l e t e the package. E n t e r t a i n m e n t is the n a m e of t h e g a m e in h o m e computing nowadays. T h e r e h a v e b e e n several a t t e m p t s at m a r k e t i n g utility p r o g r a m s — h o m e utilities rather t h a n m a c h i n e c o d e utilities • a n d t h e y h a v e all fizzled out, or c o n t i n u e d as rather quaint, n o n - m a i n s t r e a m products. It s e e m s that n o - o n e is terribly interested in using their c o m p u t e r t o run t h e household m e n u , a n d other 'useful' applications of t h e h o m e c o m p u t e r a r e j u s t t o o m u c h grief to set u p a n d maintain. W h a t o n earth is the point of keeping track of your personal bank account o n a S p e c t r u m for instance, w h e n y o u can d o 9 8 % of the analysis o n t h e c h e q u e stubs? A n d n o - o n e in their right m i n d is g o i n g t o keep their
t e l e p h o n e or address books o n c o m p u t e r — w h a t a pain having to switch o n the computer and l o a d in a file just t o get A u n t i e Doris's t e l e p h o n e n u m b e r . W i t h a n i n d e x e d book, the w h o l e process takes a fraction of the t i m e . S a d l y , w e will have to w a i t for m u c h m o r e sophisticated hardware before the computerised household b e c o m e s a reality. A n d Educational s o f t w a r e hasn't really c a u g h t on. Most h o m e c o m p u t e r s w e r e no doubt b o u g h t by (or c o n n e d out of) p a r e n t s w h o b e l i e v e d that the p u r c h a s e of a c o m p u t e r w o u l d o p e n w i d e n e w educational horizons for t h e w h o l e family. S a d l y , t h e r e d o e s n ' t s e e m to be a vast a m o u n t of m o n e y to be m a d e flogging educational s o f t w a r e a n d it n o longer attracts m u c h in the w a y of serious attention f r o m a n y of the m a j o r s o f t w a r e producers. A g a i n , a little sad because the c o m p u t e r has so m u c h to offer educationally. But t h e n the G o v e r n m e n t ' s c o m m i t t m e n t to c o m p u t e r e d u c a t i o n has been pitifully inadequate. It's quite clear that the future of h o m e c o m p u t i n g lies firmly in t h e field of e n t e r t a i n m e n t , a n d w i l l d o so for quite a w h i l e yet. A n d t h e quality of e n t e r t a i n m e n t that t h e c o m p u t e r can n o w offer is really quite stunning, given t h e a d v a n c e s in s o f t w a r e design a n d c o d i n g techniques. Lots of excellent g a m e s are n o w
ADVERTISERS'INDEX Activision 28,29 A d v a n c e M e m o r y S y s t e m s 27 A d v e n t u r e I n t e r n a t i o n a l 116 42 Alligata 143 Alpha bat im Ariolasoft 30 AT&Y 109 Automata 65 77 Bubble Bus 133 Bug Byte Cascade 5 1 , 6 3 . 169 139 CCS 93 CDL 111 Datel Design, Design 160 147 Digital I n t e g r a t i o n Domark 39 Durrel 45 Electric D r e a m s 123 Elite 2. 3 , 8 . 9 , 149 Firebird 15. 1 7 . 2 1 , 3 1 , 5 7 , 8 3 . 150 81 Frel Gargoyle 121, 159 Gilsoft 119 Global 105 Gremlin 131 H e w s o n Consultants 6 Imagine 69, 145
Infinite 33 Insight 90. 104. 134 Kempston 35 Level 9 120 Mancomp 65 Martech 23 Melbourne House 4 , 4 1 . 8 5 , 125 Microcentre 75 Microgen 128 Micro power 55 167 Microsphere Miricle Tech 66 84 Mosaic 74 N e w Concept 79 N i d d Valley Ocean 89, 99, 127, 161, 171 OCP 19 Odin 67,115 155 Peaksoft 58 S o f t w a r e Projects System 3. 52 103 The Edge 71 Ultimate U S Gold 73,102.163. Back cover 37 Video Vault 75 Walkers Welwyn 72
available o n t h e S p e c t r u m , a n d m o r e a r e c o m i n g weekly. T h e r e ' s no s h o r t a g e of willing c u s t o m e r s , either People's attitudes t o h o m e c o m p u t e r s h a v e changed, a n d t h e shift in e m p h a s i s has been reflected by c h a n g e s in the m a g a z i n e publishing world. T h e g e n e r a l titles, covering a w h o l e r a n g e of c o m p u t e r s are a p p a r e n t l y in s o m e t h i n g of a decline a n d titles concentrating o n a technical a p p r o a c h s e e m to b e h a v i n g a bit of a leantime. Q u i t e a f e w m a g a z i n e s that w e r e d o i n g v e r y w e l l a year or so ago, n o longer exist. T h e o n l y people w h o haven't really c a u g h t on, are the m e m b e r s of t h e traditional e n t e r t a i n m e n t media. There's a lot of gibberish still being written about computers and c o m p u t i n g , in t h e pages of e v e n the m o r e w e i g h t y newspapers
a n d Television is still p r e o c c u p i e d w i t h coo gosh w o w , stories or t e c h n o b a b b l e rather t h a n concentrating on the e n t e r t a i n m e n t v a l u e of c o m p u t i n g . But then these m e d i a are in c o m p e t i t i o n with c o m p u t e r s , c o m p e t i n g for p e o p l e ' s leisure t i m e . All this m a y well upset the c o m p u t e r "purists", w h o feel that such w o n d r o u s technology is b e i n g vastly under utilised — o r t r i v i a l i s e d w i t h adventures a n d shoot e m ups. Poo to t h e m . A fairly s o u n d e n t e r t a i n m e n t industry is n o w d e v e l o p i n g in this country, producing high quality e n t e r t a i n m e n t packages o n c o m p u t e r cassette. Few other industries h a v e d o n e so w e l l o v e r t h e last couple of years. F e w other industries have b e e n so m u c h fun, either, w h i c h m a y upset t h e c o m p u t e r puritans e v e n m o r e .
INDEX T O G A M E S REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE BC's Q u e s t for Tires S o f t w a r e Projects 157 Back T o S k o o l Microsphere 10 Big Ben Strikes Back Artie 8 8 B o m b e r Bob Bug Byte 33 Chicken C h a s e Firebird 32 Critical M a s s Durell 24 D o g s b o d y Bug Byte 22 Discs of D e a t h Artie 155 Hacker Activision 38 I, of t h e M a s k Electric Dreams 49 J o u r n e y ' s End Master A d v e n t u r e r 126 O n e M a n a n d His Droid Mastertronic 164
T h e Secret Diary of Adrian M o l e Mozaic/Level 9 50/122 T h e S n o w Q u e e n St Bride's 122 Sorderon's S h a d o w Beyond 119 Spike Firebird 31 T a u Ceti CRL 86 Terrormolinos Melbourne House 117 T h u n d e r b i r d s Firebird 20 T o m a h a w k Digital Integration 12 W a t e r l o o Lothlorien 138 W o r l d Series Basketball Imagine 35 Z o o t Bug Byte 20
7 CRASH December 1985
"Scooby Dool T h e F i r s t Ever C o m p u t e r C a r t o o n ! he s being hotivpursuedaf midnight Oyer an eerie casrie rooftop, or scrabbling [In the darkness of a creepy old dungeon jby is always at the centre of lputer cartoon Scooby goes Ktergrcftnd caverns in a run away coal ^ M ^ r ^ y a a d d l e w i t h ^ a g g v In a t turn ou^fe bean yfKJffjpbi attempt • r a n angry shar)^!
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1
BACK TO SKOOL Producer: M i c r o s p h e r e Retail price: £6.95 Language: m a c h i n e code A u t h o r : D a v e Reedy A b o u t a year a g o Skool Daze w a s released a n d w a s a highly a c c l a i m e d g a m e . Back to Skool has y o u once m o r e playing the part of the mischievous Eric, a n d is a f o l l o w o n f r o m the last g a m e . T h e object of Skool Daze w a s to steal y o u r terrible school report; n o w a n e w t e r m has started, y o u h a v e spent the hols f o r g i n g a g l o w i n g report for yourself, a n d m u s t sneak it back into t h e h e a d m a s t e r ' s safe. A c o u p l e of years a g o y o u r big brother e n c o u n t e r e d t h e s a m e p r o b l e m a n d he has v e r y generously lent y o u his copy of the School rules, o n w h i c h he has scribbled a f e w notes in invisible ink. H o l d i n g t h e paper over a fire m a d e f r o m t h e swot's cap reveats s o m e hints o n h o w y o u can g o a b o u t achieving your task — a n d M i c r o s p h e r e bave kindly printed t h e m o n the cassette inlay to help y o u get started. O n loading the g a m e a 10 second c o u n t d o w n c o m m e n c e s a n d if you press a key d u r i n g this t i m e t h e n y o u c a n select f r o m t h e joystick options or alter the n a m e s of the characters in the g a m e . O n c e y o u h a v e finished this, t h e n the g a m e itself starts w i t h y o u in the p l a y g r o u n d controlling Eric. A s m i g h t be expected, Eric is still a t r u e M e n a c e a n d m u c h use of catapult, stink b o m b a n d w a t e r pistol is required to progress t h r o u g h the g a m e — y o u start o f f w i t n the catty, but will h a v e to find other w e a p o n s en route. T e a c h e r s r o a m the corrid o r s a n d classrooms, a l w a y s e a g e r to dish out lines and g e n e r a l l y b e obstructive. W h i t e y o u don't h a v e lives as such, collect too m a n y lines a n d the g a m e ends. O v e r t h e holidays, a f e w build i n g alterations h a v e b e e n c o m teted. T h e r e is n o w an a s s e m -
Ely hall w h e r e the
Headmaster puts t h e w h o l e school in detention etc. A l s o the science r o o m has e x p a n d e d a n d it is f r o m here that frogs are o b t a i n e d — very useful in the Girls School d o w n the r o a d ! Y o u have to v e n t u r e into the other school in order to
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get t h e key to t h e safe. In this g a m e y o u also h a v e a girlfriend: appropriately enough, you have a kiss o p t i o n . . „ There's also a bike available, w h i c h starts off locked to a t r e e — a bit of teacher t o r t u r i n g is n e e d e d to collect the c o m b i n a t i o n t o t h e lock, but o n c e t h e bike's free y o u can cycle a r o u n d p e r f o r m i n g a r a n g e of stunts. O n e of the m o s t innovative features in b o t h Skool Daze a n d Back to Skool is the w a y in w h i c h y o u h a v e to interact w i t h other Characters in order to c o m p l e t e t h e g a m e . Eric has t h e ability to p u n c h other school c h u m s (incu d i n g t h e girls) as w e l l as walk, u m p , ride the bike a n d w r i t e o n Gackboards. In order to c o m p lete y o u r tasks y o u inevitably h a v e to 'bunk' off lessons, w h i c h c a n m e a n t h e S w o t telling o n o u a n d t h u s a lot m o r e lines — b'ut t h e n if y o u are extra nice to y o u r girlfriend t h e n she m i g h t d o s o m e of t h e m for you. A status block at t h e b o t t o m of the screen lets y o u k n o w your score so far, t h e n u m b e r of lines y o u ' v e collected a n d the high score so far. A s y o u enter classr o o m s they are identified for you via a m e s s a g e at the b o t t o m of t h e screen. Calls for assembly, p l a y t i m e a n d other hallmarks of t h e school d a y also appear for your guidance.
CRITICISM • 'Skool Daze w a s o n e of t h e best g a m e s of 1984 a n d I ' m sure it w o u l d still b e a hit if it w a s released t o d a y . Back to Skool c o n t i n u e s t h e f o r m u l a but extra d i m e n s i o n has b e e n a d d e d t o t h e g a m e . This g a m e is very
BACK TO SKOOL from Microsphere — morn achoollwne fun, this time round with a romantic interest provided by Tracy. p l a y a b l e f r o m t h e w o r d g o but it t a k e s a lot of practice a n d a lot of t i m e t o g e t a n y w h e r e . A s for t h e graphics, t h e y live u p to t h e s t a n d a r d s set by Skool Daze, i n d e e d t h e y have b e e n improv e d u p o n a n d t h e extra playing area m a k e s it a delight t o look at. This is a v e r y involving a n d t o u g h arcade a d v e n t u r e , yet it's v e r y s i m p l e t o actually play. O v e r a l l it is a fantastic g a m e t h a t is w e l l w o r t h t h e asking price.' • 7 thought Skool Daze was a fine game on the Spectrum and it's one that stili 'perplexes' amers a year after its release, he sequel sees a much improved 'skoo!', with more detailed classes and pupils and better scrolling. The aame a/so has a girls 'skool' which works really well in relationship to the plot. Back to Skool is the sort of game which you can play many times and 'mess about' with just to find out what you can do. You're supplied with plenty of armament — water pistols, stink bombs, catties and the like which are essential parts of the game. / really loved this game. G o out and buy it.'
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• T h o u g h a little o v e r d u e (a y e a r o v e r d u e to be precise) Back to Skool certainly p r o v e s itself as a w o r t h y successor to Skooldaze. Despite t h e initial similarities b e t w e e n the original a n d f o l l o w u p y o u soon realise that Back to Skool has far greater d e p t h t h a n its predecessor. S o m e of the p r o b l e m s a n d solu t i o n s will require a great deal of
t h o u g h t indeed. T h e graphics a r e just as effective as the oriinal — in fact the backdrops ave b e e n i m p r o v e d . Microsp h e r e h a v e c o m e up w i t h a w i n n e r here, helping old crumblies like m e to r e m e m b e r the best days of their lives. W e l l w o r t h a look.'
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COMMENTS C o n t r o l keys: Q / A up a n d d o w n . O / P left a n d right, F tire catapult, C catch m o u s e / f r o g , D / U d r o p stink b o m b , G shoot water istol, H h i t / p u n c h , J / L j u m p / sap, M m o u n t bicycle, R release m o u s e , S sit/stand, T t h r o w a w a y w a t e r pistol. W w r i t e J o y s t i c k : K e m p s t o n , Cursor a n d Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: lots of keys but t h e y a r e v e r y responsive U s e of colour: very g o o d w i t h f e w attribute p r o b l e m s G r a p h i c s : excellent characters plus d e t a i l e d backgrounds S o u n d : not a lot, but it is used reasonably well Lives: after gaining 10,000 lines y o u are e x p e l l e d S c r e e n s : scrolling playing area G e n e r a l rating: A n excellent s e q u e l to a n excellent g a m e , b o u n d t o please Skool Daze fans
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U s e of c o m p u t e r : Graphics: Payability: A d d i c t i v e Qualities: G e t t i n g started: V a l u e for m o n e y : Overall:
91% 94% 93% 92% 86% 91% 93% 11 CRASH December 1985
TOMAHAWK Producer: Digital Integration Retail price: £9.96 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code Author: Dave Marshall F o l l o w i n g the success of Digital Integration's Fighter Pilot based on the Tomcat, Dave Marshall sat d o w n a n d studied t h e specifications for t h e H u g h e s A p a c h e A d v a n c e d Attack Helicopter. N o w , after a long w a i t , the fruits of his labours a r e finally availa b l e w i t h t h e release of Tomahawk, t h e helicopter flight simulator w h i c h puts y o u in control of o n e m e a n m a c h i n e . O n c e y o u ' v e got past the Lens/ok t h e m a i n m e n u is disp l a y e d , w h i c h allows y o u to c h o o s e f r o m a r a n g e of flight o p t i o n s a n d w e a t h e r conditions: Flying T r a i n i n g — this helps y o u b e c o m e familiar w i t h the helicopter instruments a n d d e v e l o p g r o u n d attack skills; C o m b a t — w h i c h puts y o u in a battlefield scenario w i t h live hostile targets; D a y o r N i g h t — at night y o u t h e r e is n o artificial horizon a n d y o u r v i e w is limited to the pilot's night vision s y s t e m ; C l e a r o r C l o u d y — y o u can c h o o s e a n overcast sky for instr u m e n t flying; C l o u d b a s e — selectable cloudbase, y o u chose t h e height at w h i c h y o u w i s h the clouds to a p p e a r if a n y are desired; Crosswinds and Turbulence — for t h e e x p e r i e n c e d pilot. A l l o w s a for variable crosswinds a n d t u r b u l e n c e effects; S o u n d — if set to O N then it m a i n l y consists of effects generated by t h e rotor blades; Pilot R a t i n g — effectively the skill level option. T h e r e are four choices ranging, f r o m t h e Train e e to A c e ; C o n t r o l s — joystick or keys o p t i o n . A l l o w s for t w o ports to b e u s e d o n Interface 2 for e n h a n c e d helicopter control. You view the g a m e from the cockpit. T h e top half of the screen is d e d i c a t e d to the horizon a n d any features that m i g h t a p p e a r o n t n e landscape (or the m a p , in m a p m o d e ) , T h e lower section of the screen takes the f o r m of a n instrument panel w h i c h displays t h e status of all t h e flight controls. T h e s e consist of bar scales for throttle posi-
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tion, fuel, e n g i n e t o r q u e , turbine a n d rotor R P M , e n g i n e t e m p e r a t u r e a n d collective position indicator. T h e r e a r e also readouts o n altitude, t i m e to target, g r o u n d position, speed in knots a n d vertical speed. Also featu r e d o n the instrument panel is t h e artificial horizon. This gives i n f o r m a t i o n o n roll a n d pitch, w h i l e t o t h e right of this is the Doppter Navigation/radar; u s i n g this it is possible t o find y o u r w a y t o other landing pads as w e l l as track e n e m y targets. A t y o u r disposal are three t y p e s of w e a p o n s : G u n s w h i c h h a v e a r a n g e of a b o u t 2 0 0 0 ft; R o c k e t s — t h e A p a c h e is equipp e d w i t h 3 8 of these {19 each side) a n d they have a range of 4 0 0 0 ft; Missiles are laser g u i d e d a n d a u t o m a t i c a l l y lock o n t o the target. Y o u o n l y h a v e 8 of these.
Each type of w e a p o n is controlled by a different type of sight. W h e n in c o m b a t m o d e there a r e a n u m b e r of possible targets such as tanks, field guns a n d e n e m y helicopters all of w h i c h a r e d e p i c t e d in 3 0 vector gra phics. Fighting is not easy and it is advisable to train for quite a w h i l e b e f o r e g o i n g into c o m b a t m o d e . A s w e l l as using the tracking s y s t e m , t h e m a p is in constant use in c o m b a t , so it is necessary t o learn h o w to fly 'blind', w i t h o u t t h e graphic repre s e n t a t i o n of t h e horizon. T h e n u m b e r of variables that c a n b e set o n t h e m a i n option screen a l l o w s y o u to almost redefine the g a m e . If you get b o r e d p l a y i n g o n e w a y , for inst a n c e , y o u c a n m a k e the g a m e a lot t o u g h e r by selecting a cloudy o p t i o n a n d a d d i n g in crosswinds
a n d turbulence.
CRITICISM • * W h e n Fighter Pilot w a s first released I h a d just b o u g h t m y S p e c t r u m a n d r e m e m b e r thin king w h a t a n ace simulation rt w a s . N o w , a l m o s t 2 years later, t h e sequel has b e e n released a n d it is every bit as g o o d as t h e original. M y First impressions w e r e t h a t it looked just like Fighter Pilot b u t after playing it for a w h i l e , y o u realise t h a t it has b e e n i m p r o v e d a lot. T h e g r a p h i c s are very g o o d w i t h nice r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s of e n e m y tanks a n d helicopters. T h e only real p r o b l e m t n a t I h a d wrtfi t h e g a m e w a s t h a t it w a s a bit t o u g h t o g e t right into — b u t if h
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a t i o n s h o u l d h a v e m a d e m o r e of t h e m — a bigger box w i t h glossier b u m p h w o u l d h a v e a d d e d e v e n m o r e finesse t o a n already brilliant p r o g r a m . If y o u liked Fighter Pilot then this is the natural progression; if y o u ' v e n e v e r s e e n it, give this o n e a go — it c o u l d w e l l get y o u h o o k e d ! '
COMMENTS
graphics move fairly well considering the complexity of some of the shapes that are handled. At one point, though, I'm sure / managed to fly through a mountain . . . . Overall a very good simulation indeed, even if ft is a mite late. Non-flight freaks should see before buying, but flight maniacs will love it • T h i s is t h e sort of g a m e 1 couldn't honestly recommend t o s o m e o n e w h o likes sitting d o w n t o a g a m e w h i c h can be c o m p e t e n t l y p l a y e d instantly.
A s w i t h m o s t flight simulators, practice m a k e s perfect. T h e 3 D w o r k s pretty w e l l o n c e y o u get into t h e air a n d t h e u p d a t e o n the h o r i z o n is a b o u t the quickest you'll get o n t h e S p e c t r u m , considering e v e r y t h i n g else the p r o g r a m is doing. T h e multitude of m i s s i o n s a n d c o m b a t sequ e n c e s m u s t m a k e Tomahawk potentially t h e most d u r a b l e p r o g r a m yet to be released o n t h e S p e c t r u m . T h e instructions a r e excellent a n d s h o w y o u in detail h o w y o u can fly the A p a c h e . Perhaps Digital Integr
C o n t r o l k e y s : Q decrease collective, A increase collective, Z / C a p s Shift rudder left/right, C c o m b a t m o d e , N next objective, P select w e a p o n , 7 / 6 nose d o w n / u p , 8 / 5 roll r i g h t / l e f t 0 fire b u t t o n , W / S o p e n / c l o s e throttle Joystick: Interface 2, K e m p s t o n , Cursor K e y b o a r d play: lots of keys but quite a g o o d response U s e o f colour: not a lot of colour but g e n e r a l l y w e l l used G r a p h i c s : nice vector graphics S o u n d : limited but put to g o o d use Skill levels: 4 S c r e e n s : m a s s i v e playing area G e n e r a l r a t i n g : a very g o o d , v e r y realistic s i m u l a t i o n but it m a y not a p p e a l t o arcade players.
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Playability G e t t i n g started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
93% 93% 89% 86% 95% 92% 93%
w a s n ' t so t o u g h t h e n it w o u l d n ' t b e so realistic. I w o u l d definitely r e c o m m e n d this g a m e t o a n y b o d y w h o b k e e n o n simulations. A r c a d e addicts w o u l d find it a t o u c h boring, perhaps.' • 'This has to be one of the most awaited proggies ever: the development time was even longer the T h e Great Space Race. Well the end product is certainty better than Legend's little problem and all in all a very competent flight simulator indeed. The best thing about T o m a h a w k is that it's instantly accessible. I found it very easy to power up and fly around with practically no skill involved at all. As you get into the game and start using the combat options, things get more complex and a fair bit of practice will be required. The
CRASH December 1985
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XCEL
T h i s is a sort of s h o o t - e m - u p o v e m r t e g a m e w h e r e y o u have t o c o v e r s o m e 3 0 0 play areas. I s o o n g o t b o r e d w i t h it, partly b e c a u s e of t h e t e n second delay b e t w e e n ending one game and s t a r t i n g t h e n e x t w h e n I'd lost m y f i v e shuttles. S o m e of t h e graphics a r e o u t s t a n d i n g — technically excellent — b u t overall there's not enough to d o . S o m e m a y g o m a d over this, b u t I'll stick t o Hacker.'
Producer: Activision Retail price: £7.95 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code Author: Program Techniques E o n s a g o m a n k i n d set u p a n e t w o r k of giant c o m p u t e r syst e m s to w a t c h o v e r the interests of t h e h u m a n race. A s t i m e passed, the computers gathered m o r e and more information and t h e s e Sentinel c o m p u t e r s gaine d a kind of intelligence. A Golde n Era d a w n e d a n d m a n b e c a m e totally reliant o n t h e Sentinel s y s t e m s based o n thirty planets s p r e a d across t h e galaxy. Gradually, however, this m a s s i v e c o m p u t e r n e t w o r k bec a m e corrupted. T h e systems o n t h e Sentinel planets b e g a n t o c h a n g e — intelligence, acquired g r a d u a l l y , e v o l v e d into consciousness. W i t h consciousness c a m e a desire for p o w e r , and radually, v e r y gradually, the entinels took over. W i t h o u t noticing, m a n k i n d b e c a m e subservient, existing only to fulfil t h e n e e d s of m a c h i n e s . Y o u h a v e c o m e to realise w h a t ' s happened. S t e a l i n g a n alien spacecraft f r o m a m u s e u m , y o u pause only t o tinker w i t h t h e ship's systems t o p r o d u c e s o m e English in the displays, b e f o r e setting out into s p a c e w i t h t h e noble a i m of libe r a t i n g the h u m a n race f r o m slavery. Y o u m u s t find a n d dest r o y t h e thirty Sentinel Bases scattered across t h e galaxy. Y o u v i e w t h e console of t h e alien ship, w h i c h has a large central v i e w s c r e e n a b o u t w h i c h eight icons are g r o u p e d . Using these icons y o u can call up o n e of t w o o n b o a r d c o m p u t e r s ; check y o u r status; access m a p s ; launch a p r o b e o n t o the surface of t h e planet y o u r ship is orbiti n g ; h y p e r s p a c e to another planet o r s y s t e m ; v i e w c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ; o r return to the m a i n display, w h i c h s h o w s t h e m o v i n g surface of the planet w h i c h y o u ' r e orbiting. T h e first c o m p u t e r controls t h e g a m e itself, a l l o w i n g y o u to s a v e a position out to tape, load a p r e v i o u s position in, quit t h e current g a m e or g o to a help screen. T h e second c o m p u t e r holds i n f o r m a t i o n o n the planets a n d a l l o w s y o u to v i e w m a p s of t h e landscapes t o be f o u n d o n their surfaces. Y o u r status is recorded as a p e r c e n t a g e rating for shields a n d a ratio of hits over shots l o o s e d o f f — w h i c h is part of the scoring s y s t e m for the w h o l e g a m e . Y o u c a n see h o w y o u ' r e d o i n g via t h e status icon, w h i c h displays a g r a p h o n the viewscreen. M e s s a g e s are displayed if t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s icon is selected a n d a horizontal w i n d o w is u s e d for scrolling details I of planet s y s t e m s a n d mission
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Your view of the Alien ship's console, with icons d o w n the side. The horizontal scrolling message at the top is half way through telling you that you've lost a shuttle. XCEUent stuff.
o u t c o m e s . Icons flash to indicate that y o u s h o u l d select t h e m . Each of t h e 1 0 0 planet syst e m s in t h e g a m e contains three w o r l d s a n d t h e m a p icon prov i d e s y o u w i t h a m e a n s of c h o o s i n g w h i c h planet or syst e m y o u w i s h t o visit next. O n c e t h e choice is m a d e , accessing t h e h y p e r s p a c e m o d e via the icon takes y o u to a h y p e r j u m p d i s p l a y s e q u e n c e ; then the v i e w s c r e e n reverts to t h e disp l a y of planetary orbit — y o u ' v e a r r i v e d at y o u r destination a n d it's t i m e to launch a shuttle. S h u t t l e launch is achieved via t h e a p p r o p r i a t e icon, a n d t h e n t h e w h o l e screen c h a n g e s to a t h e c o m b a t m o d e — y o u pilot t h e shuttle in a mission, travelling a l o n g the surface of the planet y o u are exploring, w h i c h scrolls d o w n vertically. Y o u h a v e five shuttles to g o e x p l o r i n g w i t h — contact w i t h a n y t h i n g o n a planet's surface d e s t r o y s a shuttle a n d y o u must g u i d e t h e shuttle b e t w e e n trees a n d o t h e r objects. Trees can't be b l o w n a w a y — a n d part of each attack run reguires y o u to negotiate a m a z e or trees. At the e n d of e a c h arcade section y o u m e e t up w i t h t h e m o b i l e sentinel defend-
ers a n d n e e d t o fight your w a y t h r o u g h a n attack w a v e . If y o u r u n t h e gauntlet of planetary d e f e n c e s w i t h o u t losing a shuttle y o u will b e returned t o t h e m o t h e r ship — if there is a Sentinel base o n that planet it will be destroyed. Changes between screens a n d m o d e s are e x e c u t e d by a " w i p e " sequence which moves out f r o m t h e centre of t h e viewscreen, clearing t h e screen as it e x p a n d s . T e x t messages generally a p p e a r in alien script a n d are t h e n translated — but s o m e of t h e m r e m a i n in the original script. T h e g a m e ' s authors insist that useful i n f o r m a t i o n can still b e g l e a n e d f r o m the untranslated m e s s a g e s . . . A n d the alien digital clock a n d the b o t t o m of the viewscreen ticks off upwards!
CRITICISM • 'Something about the game r e m i n d e d m e of Pole Position — t h e w a y the keyboard/interface o p t i o n s w e r e given a n d t h e m e o v e r l o g o at t h e end. But s g o t n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h carsi
E
Down on the surface of one of the planets you need to visit in the quest for the Sentinel bases. It's XCEL ... and if your shuttle doesn't start shooting soon, there'll be trouble.
• "Wow! The graphics on the console... The presentation of this game is excellent, from the loading screen through the main console and the way in which the alien script is translated to the hyperspace jump where the stars get bigger as they approach. But the actual arcade section, with scrolling trees and doobries, lacks polish and finesse. The scrolling speed varies noticeably depending on how much is on screen and the shoot em up sequences get monotonous after a while. Technically brilliant front end, leading to a vast playing area and mediocre game. Pity really — / couldn't be bothered to keep up the search for the bases...' • 'Activision aren't exactly r e n o w n e d for their S p e c t r u m s o f t w a r e , but XCEL is better t h a n m o s t of their g a m e s o n t h e S p e c t r u m . T h e graphics in t h e m a i n ship a r e v e r y impressive, but o n c e t h e g a m e o n the surface of a planet starts it's little m o r e t h a n a glorified shoot e m u p . P a y a b i l i t y w i s e it is enjoya b l e , but after a w h i l e it b e c o m e b o r i n g a n d repetitive. A s shoot e m u p s g o this is quite g o o d , but if y o u ' r e after a g a m e w i t h lots of d e p t h t h a n forget this one! S o r r y Activision, but y o u ' v e a w a y to go y e t . . .
COMMENTS C o n t r o l keys: icons w i t h Q c o m p u t e r 1, A c o m p u t e r 2, C a p s Shirt status, Z m a p , P launch probe. Enter hyperspace * imp, Space communication,
S
y m b o l Shift m a i n v i e w s c r e e n J o y s t i c k : Interface 2, Kempston, Cursor K e y b o a r d play: responsive, keys sensibly placed U s e of colour: v e r y neat indeed G r a p h i c s : v e r y slick S o u n d : spot effects, a little a n n o y i n g at t i m e s Skill levels: o n e S c r e e n s : three h u n d r e d planets G e n e r a l rating: technically excellent, graphically stunning but not really that m u c h gameplay
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Play ability G e t t i n g started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
78% 85% 81% 78% 70% 72% 75%
BRAINSTORM Producer: Bubble Bus Retail price: £1.99 Language: m a c h i n e code Author: T P r o s s e r
Far into the future, a m a d scientist called Professor Brainstorm (P Brain for short) created a system for cloning any living creature. Generally, the idea went d o w n n o n e too well and led to P Brain b e c o m i n g a recluse on a desolate planet, deep in the centre of the universe. In the best tradition of m a d scientists, h e built a castle w h e r e he could continue his w i e r d experiments. T h e creation of a 'warp tunnel' a l l o w e d h i m to capture creatures to e x p e r i m e n t
ropriate w e a p o n s to destroy Eight G u a r d i a n s . T h e r e are t w e n t y eight different kinds of potential 'consum e r ' a n d a l t h o u g h s o m e of t h e m bare a rather u n n e r v i n g resemblance to cart wheels, they are all just as deadly. T h e screens flick-change, rather t h a n scroll, a n d various nasties are sure to materialise s o o n after y o u enter a n e w screen. Y o u travel 'Jet Pack' style, laser h a n d y a n d one g o o d shot dispenses w i t h most unwanted company. T h e r e a r e also eight guardians to be d i s p e n s e d with. These vary f r o m a snake head, to such things as a teapot. T o get rid of these guvs, special w e a p o n r y is n e e d e d . T h e r e are sixteen special w e a p o n s lying a r o u n d for eradication of guardians, but eight of t h e m are useless. T o m a k e things that bit m o r e c o m plex, t h e correct w e a p o n for each g u a r d i a n must b e found a n d used to zap it. It's only possible t o carry one special w e a p o n and u p to three keys at a t i m e . Objects carried
far. It c o m e s d o w n t o w h e t h e r or n o t y o u like simple s h o o t ' e m ups w i t h a f e w p r o b l e m s t o get y o u r brain ticking. It's fast e n o u g h , a n d there's plenty to see o n t h e screen but n o n e of it struck m e as stunning. For t h e m o n e y , it's not bad. Highly derivative stuff t h a t could provide s o m e f u n . '
After Starquake I k n o w that Bubble Bus can d o better. A run of the mill g a m e really. Let's h o p e they release s o m e original a m e s for the rest of their udget range.'
• 'Maybe it was Just our copy, but sometimes, when the creatures appeared on the screen, they left a few of their pixels behind, picking them up later on, if they crossed that area again. Sloppy, if it's a ubiquitous bug. Some of the rooms are cleverly designed but unimpressive graphics detract from their appeal. If you're an expert at Jetpac et at, then you should find this one no problem at all. Even at £1.99 though, this kind of thing is beginning to look more than a little dated.'
Control keys: 0 up, 0 left, P right, pick u p / d r o p A, any key on b o t t o m r o w fires laser, 1 - 4 o r H - L to repair d a m a g e , ENTER to pause Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Cursor K e y b o a r d play: no p r o b l e m s U s e of colour: average, not wonderful Graphics: u n r e m a r k a b l e Sound:poor Skill levels: o n e Screens:650 G e n e r a l rating: not b a d for the m o n e y , but nothing n e w or original
• 'After Bubble Bus's copy of Sabre Wulf, I see they h a v e n o w resorted t o copying the e v e n older Jetpac. Unfortunately, there are too m a n y similarities. I h a v e n ' t m u c h s y m p a t h y for c o m p a n i e s w h o use t h e excuse of a c h e a p price to copy other a m e s . T h e r e ' s no originality to e found in the plot either — that's remeniscent of Atic Atac.
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COMMENTS
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
61 % 56% 65% 80% 55% 69% 65%
KffililH
This boy is a fugitive. Loonie wheels, mad tadpoles and all you have to combat them is your jetpack and wits in BRAINSTORM from Bubble Bus
on. Of course, also in t h e best tradition (this t i m e the o n e to do with T h e Fate of Evil M e n } the professor's e x p e r i m e n t a l results turned against him. T h e y ate their creator, once they realised there wasn't a burger bar for several thousand light years. As time passed, they g r e w bigger and wierder a n d generally h a d a lot of fun r o m p i n g r o u n d in the professor's castle. O h yes, they g r e w hungrier too. Important point, that. This is w h e r e y o u , Robin Banks, c o m e in. You h a p p e n to be passing by, w h e n the ancient but still active w a r p tunnel sucks you inside the castle. A s far as as the other creatures are conc erned, Supper's Ready! A n d very, very late. To avoid becoming the futuristic version of a quarterpounder, escape from the castle is imperative. That implies a lot of searching . . . for keys to open doors a n d the app-
are displayed at the b o t t o m of the screen alongside t w o guages. O n e g a u g e indicates the d a m a g e y o u ' v e sustained as a result of collisions w i t h clones w h i l e the other displays your e n e r g y level. Energy can be used to repair d a m a g e , but if y o u run out of energy then the laser packs up. If y o u suffer too m u c h d a m a g e , then y o u lose a life. Both Energy a n d D a m a g e readings can be i m p r o v e d by collecting d a m a g e repair and e n e r g y pods, a n d the o d d extra life c a n be f o u n d .
CRITICISM # T h e g a m e is reasonably g o o d to play for a while. It's quite tricky t o avoid t h e h u n d r e d s of creatures constantly t r y i n g to b u m p y o u off, t h o u g h and I m u s t a d m i t t o not g e t t i n g very
ri«eol«d
CRASH December 1985
15
MEREL
Y MANGRAIWIEREL
S u d d e n l y , all is h a p p e n i n g o n t h e S p e c t r u m software front. It s e e m s that c o m p a n i e s h a v e been saving u p g a m e s for Christmas — or could it be that the g a m e s w e h o p e d to s e e d e m o n s t r a t e d at the P C W s h o w are finally beginning to c o m e o n stream, w e e k s late? Still no n e w s of Superman f r o m B e y o n d reaches m y desk, but there's lots g o i n g o n in other q u a r t e r s . . .
m o r e g a m e s are d u e f r o m this n e w Merseyside company b e t w e e n n o w a n d Christmas, Buccaneer a n d Vectron. O n c e again, t i m e m a r c h e s ever f o r w a r d s a n d Vectron arrived just t o o late to be r e v i e w e d in this issue, but at first glance it a p p e a r s to b e a very neatly p r o g r a m m e d g a m e indeed. A shoot e m u p using vector graphics, w h i c h o w e s a little to t h e Star W a r s trench scenario,
T h e long a w a i t e d International Karate f r o m M a r k Cale's S y s t e m 3 arrived the the office a f e w d a y s ago, about 9 8 % complete. It's a g a m e w h i c h has b e e n devilled w i t h delays a n d r o b l e m s — including a urglary at S y s t e m 3 s p r e m i s e s in w h i c h chunks of the code w e n t missing, w h i c h m e a n t that a lot of w o r k h a d to be re-done. A quick glance at this unfinished version revealed s o m e interesting backdrops a n d a fairly similar scenario to a
and Wrestle, the next g a m e f r o m the t e a m b e h i n d WOTEFsounds, like w e i r d . I can't w a i t t o see the Big D a d d y Sprite) Derek Brewster has h a d a quiet (or should that be easy?) t i m e of it lately, as the a d v e n t u r e g a m e front s e e m s to have g o n e into a gentle decline in theTast couple of m o n t h s . Things are definitely getting busier, as will n o w be revealed. M a s t e r t r o n i c h a v e just
Y A arcade a d v e n t u r e g a m e w h i c h uses a w i n d o w m e n u s y s t e m so I ' m told, a l t h o u g h I've not h a d a chance to see for myself. Priced at £2.99, Spellbound kicks off the n e w M A D range. Also f r o m M a s t e r T, this t i m e in the £1.99 range, is The Quest for the Holy Grail, a w a c k y and
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Vectron has quite a f e w neat touches w h i c h should see it doing quite w e l l in the review pages of the Christmas Special. Cries of "that's really n e a t " a b o u n d e d w h e n it w a s first loaded up in the office. N o sign of Buccaneer, h o w e v e r . certain Karate g a m e p r o d u c e d by s o m e o n e else . . . interesting, nevertheless — full details next issue if the final version of the p r o g r a m ' s available in time. Incidentally, an interesting tale reaches m e f r o m t h e depths of London concerning the fellows at S y s t e m 3 — another i m m i n e n t release f r o m their stable w a s d u e to be called Twister—Mother of Harlots. N o o n e passed c o m m e n t at the slightly unusual title chosen for the g a m e , especially after the cavortings of the dancers o n the S y s t e m 3 stand in O l y m p i a . It n o w s e e m s the g a m e will a p p e a r as Twister— Mother of Charlotte. N o - o n e at S y s t e m 3 quite realised w h a t a harlot w a s a p p a r e n t l y ! T h e general v i e w d o w n at their H Q w a s that a Harlot w a s s o m e kind of d e m o n l A n o t h e r potential sale for m y Long W o r d Dictionary, perchance? A lot is starting to h a p p e n at Insight S o f t w a r e , again just in t i m e for Christmas. Their first release for the S p e c t r u m , Star Firebirds w a s a respectable arcade copy — but it didn't go m u c h further than that. T w o
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C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
released Spellbound, part of their M A D G a m e s range, in w h i c h y o u are the m a g i c knight of Finders Keepers fame. Your tutor, G i m b a l the W i z a r d has apparently mis-cast a spell or
Quicksilva have a n n o u n c e d the release of Death Wake w h i c h should h a v e m a d e the shops by t h e t i m e y o u read this, but hasn't m a d e t h e office as I w r i t e — well a c o u p l e of colour transparencies f o u n d their w a y o n t o m v desk, but n o g a m e . A nautical shoot e m up, this one, in w h i c h y o u h a v e to s e n d a battleship u p a n a r r o w channel to b o m b a r d a n e n e m y research station. Succeed, a n d your side w i n s t h e w a r , fail a n d y o u r country will b e invaded by the e n e m y . S h o u l d be fun. M e l b o u r n e H o u s e are having a busy t i m e , as ever, w i t h a collection of releases w h i c h should b e in t h e shops as y o u read. WHAM The Jukebox is a m u s i c c o m p o s i n g system which a l l o w s y o u to simulate t w o channel s o u n d on the S p e c t r u m — very w e l l too, as quite a few c o m p a n i e s have licenced the s y s t e m to a d d extra tunefulness to their software. N o t only do y o u get a m u s i c c o m p o s i n g system, but also six W H A M songs as w e l l ( p r e s u m a b l y w i t h o u t the l y r i c s . . . ) . I ' m sure I have already m e n t i o n e d Mugsy's Revenge a n d Lord of the Rings but Big Daddy's Rock
zany text a n d graphics a d v e n t u r e w h i c h sends y o u on t h e search for the HG. O n the w a y y o u are g u a r a n t e e d to m e e t a w h o l e range of loonies, including a trio of knights HIC, LIC a n d NIC. Like the mlay says, " M a y the Rabbit b e w i t h you I A handful of g a m e s are firmly in the O c e a n pipeline, the first of w h i c h is yet another adventure The Never Ending Story, a t w o cassette package for £9.95 based on the film of the s a m e n a m e . T h e land of Fantasia is a w o r l d w h i c h exists only in the imagination. It is in decline, u n d e r attack f r o m the All C o n s u m i n g Nothingness, a n d can only b e saved if s o m e o n e can be f o u n d w h o believes in it. Y o u play the part of Atreyu, a small boy f r o m the plains w h o
jff&utjiEE: vr.ru tWOtp;
t w o ( s o m e t h i n g to do w i t h losses in t h e translation f r o m very ancient English to not-soo l d English). T h e W i z is firmly stuck in a castle, along w i t h seven other innocent bystanders w h o just h a p p e n e d to b e rubbernecking w h e n the spell w e n t w r o n g . Y o u are their o n l y h o p e of salvation. A n
must find a person f r o m the real w o r l d t o believe in Fantasia and thus restore the land to its f o r m e r glory. Y o u certainly s e e m to be
1ANGRAM t getting a lot of g a m e for y o u r money — it's a three part adventure, but you'll h a v e to wait for Derek's o p i n i o n as to the contents of those three parts. M e a n w h i l e , o n the arcade front, w o r d reaches m e (by a circituitous route — L M L W D — naturally) that other releases from Ocean are distinctly arcady. There's Rambo, the g a m e of the film, w h i c h should involve a fair bit of m u r d e r and m a y h e m . Knight Rider. Transformer and o n e w h i c h will appear u n d e r t h e title Cosmic War Toads. S l i m y or otherwise. Still o n the a d v e n t u r e front, Global S o f t w a r e are currently putting t h e finishing touches to Old Scores o n the S p e c t r u m . It's a real t i m e adventure, set in London's Southbank w h i c h places y o u in t h e role of a private eye w h o sets out to recover a stolen music score. All t h e locations y o u visit in the g a m e are real places, w h i c h y o u can visit on a trip to L o n d o n if y o u so choose. I m a n a g e d to sneak a look at a f e w screens o n an
i r :
Also i m m i n e n t f r o m lobal is their first g a m e in the G o l d e n T u r k e y series of film tie-ins. The Attack of the Mushroom People is in fact a two part game. You begin part one as the captain ofa fistting expedition which has been blown off course into the Yellow Sea. You have to guide your boat to the nearest island, fighting oH pirates, giant octopi, customs officers and other difficult thingies while avoiding reefs and rocks. To make life more fun, you haven't go any weapons on board, and have to improvise... Part two is a maze game which takes place on the island and you're actually under attack by the Mushroom People. You get a completely new island maze every time you play the game, and have to scamper round finding food, boat parts and more weapons to do away with Mushroom Persons. On the purely arcade front, G l o b a l plan to launch a cute little p l a t f o r m g a m e by the decidedly strange n a m e of Myla Di Kaich w h i c h is a p p a r e n t l y Gaelic for s o m e t h i n g . (Preferably not a
i / v G go e a s t " should present no p r o b l e m s to t h e c o m p u t e r w h e n running the g a m e . W o u l d that Level 9 c o u l d c o m e up w i t h a s y s t e m for p e o p l e — but I digress. Worm is set in a future state w h i c h could be Paradise. But it isn't, because s o m e t h i n g has g o n e w r o n g s o m e w h e r e . It's up to y o u to beat the system, as t h e y say, a n d find the ultimate answer. All this for €9.95
RAM
sending a review copy of Geoff Capes Strongman to t h e office t o m o r r o w . W h i c h is not m u c h use for this issue, as I w o n ' t be here a n d these w o r d s will have been typeset by then. C'est la vie, as a philosophical F r e n c h m a n m i g h t say. I don't believe this! S e a n M a s t e r s o n has just brought m e a finished copy of Seas of Blood
A w a y f r o m adventures at last. I m a g i n e h a v e plans to launch the K o n a m i arcade g a m e Mikie o n t h e S p e c t r u m soon, w h i c h will no d o u b t g o d o w n w e l l with all potential troublemakers in t h e v i d e o classroom! You'll take o n the role of the b a d b o d w h o plays up s o m e t h i n g rotten, and tries to cause havoc in a s c h o o l r o o m w i t h o u t being punished by teacher. Ping Pong, another K o n a m i g a m e — to do w i t h table tennis in case y o u hadn't figured it out — should also b e gracing S p e c t r u m screens soon, courtesy of Imagine. N e w s f r o m Zoidland has not yet reached C R A S H T o w e r s , but the Electronic Pencil C o m p a n y ' s latest project should be c o m i n g to fruition any day n o w . Furthermore, I a m reliably i n f o r m e d that M a r t e c h will be
f r o m A d v e n t u r e International. W r i t t e n by M i k e W o o d r o f f e and Brian H o w a r t h , the g a m e is
This girl is dangerous.
Amstrad disc that an A M T I X I minion left lying around, a n d very g o o d they w e r e too. Indeed, Global h a v e c o m e to an arrangement w i t h the Festival Hall, w h i c h m e a n s you can send off a voucher that comes w i t h the g a m e a n d get a backstage pass for a tour round the Hall. There's a d d e d value for you. W r i t t e n by Peter G r e e n , the g a m e looks set to have a very cunning language parser, which should allow you to enter c o m m a n d s like "pick all except coin" a n d be understood. "All except nose", w o u l d be great for this office.
rude s o m e t h i n g . . . as w a s the case w i t h a b a n d not so long ago, w h i c h , s o m e of y o u might r e m e m b e r , h a d to shorten their n a m e to T h e Pogues.) H a d e n o u g h a d v e n t u r e s yet? W e l l there s m o r e to c o m e . Level 9 are pleased to be in a position to launch t h e final part of their Silicon Dream trilogy onto the w o r l d . After Snowball a n d Return to Eden c o m e s The Worm in Paradise, w h i c h is the first g a m e t o use Level 9's n e w a d v e n t u r e system. C o m m a n d s such as " E x a m i n e all but the h e l m e t , d u m m y a n d leotard and
piweoiftd
CRASH December 1985
17
MEREL Y MANGRAHMEREL Y
based o n the Fighting Fantasy book of the s a m e title w r i t t e n by Steve Jackson a n d tan Livingstone. W i t h over three h u n d r e d locations, the g a m e aaui m* sidto b i n e the iw cwoimnun n iw best of both c o m p u t e r a d v e n t u r i n g <a n d fighting fantasy w o r l dbsa n d features " a n a n i m a t e d interpretation" of the Fighting Fantasy c o m b a t system. Aggie's g o i n g to be stapling yet another Jiffy b a g for Derek b e f o r e the day's out. £9.95 for a dose of Fighting A d v e n t u r e o r A d v e n t u r e Fantasy, take y o u r pick) A m a n f r o m O d i n also visited the office last w e e k , leaving behind his keys a n d a cassette containing a f e w screen strings f r o m t h e follow up to Nodes of Yesod. Ark of Yesod. If anything the g a m e looks m o r e attractive than Nodes, a n d this t i m e takes ptace inside a space ship rather
in planetary caverns. O n c e again it stars Charlie, w h o has to find a n d destroy the m o n o l i t h this time Released by T h o r , sister c o m p a n y to the Big O, the g a m e will retail for £8.95 out those of y o u w h o decide to buy Robin O' the Wood will find there's a £1.00 tear-off c o u p o n in the inlay, w h i c h c a n b e used in part exchange.
w e l l w i t h the lounge-lizards f r o m Z Z A P ! w h o mis-spent (and still m i s - s p e n d w h e n e v e r the o p p o r t u n i t y arises) their youth in arcades. A p p a r e n t l y the version Steve brought w i t h h i m w a s n ' t quite finished — but had b e e n o n schedule all the w a y , so should be out in c o m f o r t a b l e t i m e to find its w a y into a few Christmas stockings. A very faithful conversion o n the S p e c t r u m , according to Arch Lizard Rignall f r o m Z Z A P ! , w h o playtested the demos. A n o t h e r last-minute arrival in the office, this t i m e o n M i c r o d r i v e cartridge for a
A n o t h e r arcade conversion for t h e S p e c t r u m that will b e in the shops in g o o d t i m e for Christmas this year is Commando, produced by Elite w h o are justifiably pleased w i t h t h e results of their p r o g r a m m i n g efforts. S t e v e Wilcox w a s in the a rea a cou pi e of days befo re I sat d o w n to w r i t e this, a n d d r o p p e d into t h e office w i t h d e m o versions of the g a m e for both the C o m m o d o r e a n d S p e c t r u m — both of w h i c h w e n t d o w n verv
X
change, w a s Durell's latest offering in the f o r m of Saboteur. F r o m the f e w m o m e n t s I h a d to play it, before rushing back to the k e y b o a r d of this boring n o n - g a m e s playing c o m p u t e r , I c o u l d w o r k out that it w a s g o i n g to b e a lot of fun. T o label it as a cross b e t w e e n WOTEF a n d Impossible Mission w o u l d be unfair, so I w o n ' t . I will reveal, h o w e v e r , that our character is a balaclava'ed ighting m a n w h o has t o get past
I 18
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
g u a r d s a n d nasty dogs as well as v i d e o - c a m e r a guided anti personnel w e a p o n s . Y o u need to find a c o m p u t e r disc a n d time b o m b a n d to earn m a x i m u m points y o u must escape w i t h the disc after y o u ' v e set the b o m b . Y o u c a n find all sorts of w e a p o n s t o t h r o w at t h e e n e m y a n d can j u m p , kick a n d punch like a true ninja o n your w a y to c o m p l e t i n g your mission. A n all action g a m e , by the looks, w h i c h o u g h t to g o d o w n well. Early in 1986 (which isn't T H A T far a w a y n o w , as Robin C a n d y keeps r e m i n d i n g m e ) Durell will b e releasing M i k e Richardson's latest g a m e Turbo Esprit in w h i c h y o u drive a very
fast car t h r o u g h city landscapes a t t e m p t i n g to h e a d off d r u g runners. A n d w i t h that excitement to look f o r w a r d to, it's back to t h e cottage to finish w o r k o n m y Lookback o n 1984 for the Christmas Special a n d carry on c h o p p i n g logs for the winter fires. Central heating m a y be a w o n d e r f u l thing, but w h e n it's driven by a solid fuel boiler you h a v e to w o rk for you r c o m f o rt I
Are You Taking Your Spectrum Seriously?
Your Sinclair S p e c t r u m isa powerful c o m p u t e r , not just a g a m e s console. Oxford C o m p u t e r Publishing unleash that p o w e r to m a k e your S p e c t r u m useful a n d h e l p y o u erform important tasks, h If e M a n a g e r series of business p r o g r a m s h a s thousands of satisfied customers over the last three years. Your Spectrum c a n d o j o b s normally a s s o c i a t e d with business c o m p u t e r s m a n y times the price. The Utilities w e r e written to c r e a t e our o w n a p p l i c a t i o n software. They a r e offered to y o u
as proven reliable p r o g r a m s that h a v e stood the test of our o w n usage and become industry standards. The c l a s s i c a l g a m e s a r e realistic simulations of proven widely p l a y e d real" g a m e s . S e e your l o c a l d e a l e r or order direct b y indicating the items required, b y ticking boxes, c o m p l e t e the c o u p o n a n d return the advertisement. Alternatively, p h o n e the O C P Hotline o n (0753) 888866, stating your Access or B a r c l a y c a r d Number.
BUSINESS P R O G R A M S
W O R D MANAGER
ADDRESS M A N A G E R A professional a d d r e s s , filing a n d retrieval system, wltti full s c r e e n e d i t i n g . Stores u p to 3 5 0 a d d r e s s e s o n c a s s e t t e a n d u p to 6 0 0 0 addresses o n floppy disk. (In s e p a r a t e files) 3 2 c o l u m n format - £ 8 . 9 5 [ J 8 0 c o l u m n formal - £19.95 P NEW K-D<3S t a p e disk cassette - £ 2 9 . 9 5 • SP-OOS floppy disk £29 95 • FINANCE M A N A G E R Stores a n d r e v i e w s p r a c t i c a l l y a l l business a n d domestic accounts. C o m p l e t e l y m e n u driven for e a s e of use. Stores u p to 2 5 0 n a m e s o n cassette a n d u p to 6 0 0 0 o n floppy disk, (in s e p a r a t e files) 3 2 c o l u m n format - £ 8 . 9 5 • 6 0 c o l u m n format - £19.95 • NEW K-DOS t a p e disk cassette - £ 2 9 . 9 5 f ] SP-OOS floppy disk £29.95 • STOCK M A N A G E R Featvjes full invoicing, sales totals, p r i c e lists a n d re-order r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d c o m p r e h e n s i v e Master File with full b r e a k d o w n of stock a n d VAT. Stores u p to 6 0 0 product lines o n c a s s e t t e a n d u p to 6 0 0 0 o n f l o p p y disk. 8 0 c o l u m n f o r m a t - £ 1 9 . 9 5 P NEW K-DOS t a p e / d i s k c a s s e t t e - £ 2 9 . 9 5 D SPDOS f l o p p y disk - £ 2 9 . 9 5 Q VAT M A N A G E R Will c h e c k gross a n d nett v a l u e s of a period's sales plus e x e m p t totals a n d u p to 8 classes of transaction e . g . s t a n d a r d rate, Import-export e t c . C a l c u l a t e s VAT p a i d a n d r e c e i v e d a n d h e n c e t h e nett t a x p a y a b l e / receivable. 3 2 c o l u m n format - £ 8 . 9 5 P 8 0 c o l u m n NEW K-DOS format - £19.95 f NEW K-DOS t a p e ' d l s k cassette - £29. • SP-DOS f l o p p y disk £29.95 •
This w o r d p r o c e s s o r h a s b e e n d e s i g n e d for "user friendliness". The f o l l o w i n g f e a t u r e s s h o u l d p a r t i c u l a r l y a p p e a l to users of t h e " T a s w o r d II" p r o g r a m , w i t h w h i c h it is text c o m p a t i b l e The s o f t w a r e i n c l u d e s a n a d d r e s s filing s u p p l e m e n t with s c r e e n e d i t i n g . Exlra f e a t u r e s i n c l u d e :
S
* S i m p l e "single k e y s t r o k e " Insertion facility. * The cursor c a n b e m o v e d on to start a n e w p a r a g r a p h b y a single keystroke. TAB k e y a l s o a v a i l a b l e . * The p r o g r a m works with c a s s e t t e t a p e , S i n c l a i r M i c r o d r i v e , O p u s a n d o t h e r disk systems. * T e x t s c a n b e p r i n t e d out o n a n y line length u p to 128 characters. T e x t1 bl< b l o c k s of a n y l e n g t h c a n b e transposed, c o p i e d or d e l e t e d . * T h e O O P p r o g r a m c a n print o u t t e x t w h i l e a n o t h e r is b e i n g w r i t t e n or e d i t e d . The W o r d M a n a g e r - £12.95 • Disk V e r s i o n s - £ 1 9 . 9 5 •
UTILITIES MASTER T O O L KIT This versatile p r o g r a m g i v e s y o u a ren u m b e r feature, string - search, a r e a l t i m e c l o c k , a g r a p h i c s g e n e r a t o r a n d a l a r m plus m a n y other freal e a t u e s that'll c h a n g e your S p e c t r u m Into a 'full s p e c , im a c h i n e ' Master Tool K i t - £ 9 . 9 5 • FULL SCREEN EDITOR/ASSEMBLER A n essential t o o l for writing M a c h i n e C o d e w h e t h e r y o u ' r e a b e g i n n e r or a n e x p e r t I n c l u d e s full s c r e e n Input, c o m p r e h e n s i v e documentation, sophisticated expression
If you would tike a c o p y of our full colour d e t a i l e d c a t a l o g u e - p l e a s e tick box. Address
Please m a k e cheque*postal orders p a y a b l e 1o OCPUd C h e q u e P O Number AccessSarc la ycard number (please delete)
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e v a l u a t o r . SNAKE d e m o n s t r a t i o n m o d e , extra m i c r o d r i v e facility etc. It a l s o drives 3 2 a n d 8 0 c o l u m n printer interfaces from t h e s a m e cassette Full S c r e e n Editor/Assembler - £12.95 P NEW K-DOS t a p e / d i s k c a s s e t t e - £ 2 9 9 5 P ^ P - O O S floppy d i s k - £ 2 9 9 5 • M A C H I N E C O D E TEST TOOL Test a n d D i s p l a y M a c h i n e C o d e instructions a s they're written, This versatile p r o g r a m c a n c o - r e s i d e in your S p e c f r u m with t h e Full S c r e e n Editor Assembler to p r o v i d e a c o m p l e t e M a c h i n e C o d e environment. Features Hex: D e c i m a l conversion routine, c h a r a c t e r generator, etc. etc. M a c h i n e C o d e Test Tool - £ 9 . 9 5 •
GAMES
CHESS-THE-TURK The u l t i m a t e chess c h a l l e n g e . 6 levels of p l a y . Blitz" chess, printer output, plus r e a l t i m e c l o c k a n d a l a r m . Chess-the-Turk - £ 5 . 9 5 0 C A S I N O ROYAL T w o w a y p r o g r a m featuring Roulette a n d Pontoon. You're a l l o c a t e d m o n e y to w i n - or lose - a fortune. Plug In M l c r o s p e e c h a d d s r e a l i s m a n d b o t h g a m e s a r e fully e x p l a i n e d through a c o m p r e h e n s i v e o n - s c r e e n m e n u . Casino R o y a l - £ 5 . 9 5 Q VIDEO POOL All t h e fun a n d c h a l l e n g e of p o o l a t your fingertips. 1 or 2 p e o p l e p l a y using joysticks or k e y b o a r d . Excellent g r a p h i c s , s o u n d a n d c o l o u r a d d fo the g a m e ' s reality. V i d e o P o o l - £ 5 . 9 5 (Not M i c r o d r i v e compatible) • P l e a s e s e n d y o u order to: 7 7 a Packhorse R o a d Gerrards Cross Buck. SL9 8 P Q n
1
W a f a d r t v e , O p u s a n d ottwr m e d i a versions of our p r o g r a m s will b « a v a i l a b l e In ftv* n e a r future C o n t a c t us for further Information o n 0 7 5 3 S8AS66. C / 1 2 / 8 5
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THUNDER BIRDS Producer: Firebird Retail price: £3.95 Language: m a c h i n e code Authors: J Cain a n d K Moughtin. A t e a m of Egyptologists have accidently been trapped within the deep recesses of a newly discovered ancient m a z e - t o m b . Their oxygen is rapidly running out and they m a n a g e to send out a plea for help o n their radio transmitter in the hope that someone, s o m e w h e r e will here their cry for help. W e l l s o m e o n e does. Their call is received by Thunderbird Five, orbiting high in the stratosphere and it is John Tracy, m e m b e r of International Rescue w h o hears the Egyptologists' message. The information is soon relayed to International Rescue's base and Thunderbirds O n e and T w o are scrambled into action. This is w h e r e y o u c o m e in. After sitting through a multi channel rendition of the Thun derbirds t h e m e , the g a m e starts on a m e n u screen, w h e r e you choose the e q u i p m e n t you wish Thunderbird 2 to carry. Thunderbird 2 can m o v e a forty ton payload, and y o u must chose your e q u i p m e n t accordingly. A variety of useful items and e q u i p m e n t is available, including Thunderbird 4, T h e Mole, weedkiller, earthquake b o m b s and scanning equipment as well as extra fueL For each tonne of e q u i p m e n t y o u take y o u forfeit a hundred of the two thousdand points y o u start with. M o v i n g a pointer labelled select against the n a m e of an item and pressing fire causes it to be loaded into Thunderbird 2. T h e action flips to the launch screen once you've loaded up. In a blaze of pixels Thunderbird O n e takes off, followed by Thunderbird 2 — unless it's overloaded in which case the o v e r w e i g h t message is flashed up a n d s o m e of the equipment chosen has to be replaced. T h e Egyptian t o m b is split into m a n y rooms, each bordered and split into a m a z e w i t h character w i d e squares. Both Thunderbird O n e and Thunderbird T w o are in the t o m b , though you can only control o n e at a time. T h e ships m o v e in the four basic joystick directions with the control being switched b e t w e e n the t w o via the fire button. T h e idea of the g a m e is to pass through the mazes to reach and rescue the scientists. T h e trouble is, s o m e of the passages are blocked w i t h coloured slabs of stone and others are not w i d e e n o u g h to allow Thunderbird T w o to pass. Blocks can be m o v e d by nudging then w i t h the
20
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
m
craft. W h i l e red blocks can be shifted by either ship. Blue blocks can only be m o v e d by Thunderbird One w h i l e green ones only respond to Thunderbird T w o . At times the t w o ships will have to co-operate closely to clear a path. A limiting factor introduced to make the g a m e a bit m o r e difficult is the inability to s w a p control w h e n the ships are on adjacent screens: you have to be t w o screens a w a y or o n the s a m e sheet as the other Thunderbird to change control.
could have given rise t o a really brilliant g a m e . As it stands, Thunderbirds is an original, but ultimately simple g a m e . Not a bad idea, but nothing exceptional. T h e graphics m o v e poorly and don't look t o o wonderful. T h e music is very g o o d t h o u g h and gives a surprisingly accurate rendition of the Thunderbirds t h e m e music. I don't think this g a m e is really w o r t h of Firebird's Super Silver label although it can be quite enjoyable.'
COMMENTS k*y«:i Joystick: Kempston. Keyboard play: responsive Use of colour: not always in the best of taste! Graphics: large graphics that avoid colour clash but are a bit chunky Sound: excellent multi-channel tune, very g o o d indeed. Skill levels: 1 Screensi General rating: a good g a m e for puzzle and logic problem enthusiasts
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Playability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
65% 62% 69% 71% 66% 67% 64%
ZOOT The swimming pool. Pretty start screen for the putxling THUNDERBIRDS game from Firebird. Not a trivial task, to plot your way through the underground maze of the game proper
Throughout the g a m e w h e n y o u c o m e onto a sheet w h e r e a piece of the e q u i p m e n t you've chosen to bring can be used the relevant machines comes automatically into action. Other little problems confront y o u later in the g a m e — it's not all block m o v i n g and passage clearing — there's water to be passed and insects to be bypassed to m e n t i o n just a couple of hazards held in store but there's also s o m e treasure to be collected if you're in the m o o d . All the t i m e y o u ' r e in flight, fuel is being used, and w h i l e there are supplies to be found in the tomb, it's quite possible to run out It's quite possible to get stuck on a screen, w i t h the w a y forward blocked — so y o u can save a j a m e position out and reload ater if y o u think you're about to m a k e a fatal mistake.
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CRITICISM • T h o u g h Thunderbirds is quite an enjoyable logic g a m e I m u s t a d m i t to being disappoint e d — t h e Thundeibirds series
• T h u n d e r b i r d s is a bit of a let down for me. / had imagined a fantastic game of really high quality, and this didn't live up to my expectations. The graphics are large and nicely animated but they're a little primitive; there's a nice tune but it tends to et on your nerves after a while, enjoyed playing Thunderbirds for a while, but it got a bit boring, solving the same kind of puzzles continually.'
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• 'It's a s h a m e really — this g a m e almost loses out because of the n a m e it's got to live up to. Thunderbirds, the g a m e , has s o m e nice touches, like the title screen and music and general scenario, all of which tie it in w i t h the telly programs — but w h a t on earth are Thunderbirds O n e and T w o doing flying round inside a giant Egyptian Tomb? Solving puzzles, that's what pal. N e a t p u z z l e s , tricky puzzles, but not Thunderbirds are G o puzzles. It's almost a waste of a n a m e this one — little m o r e than the shape of the ships and the t h e m e tune ties it into the T V series. In its o w n right, though, not a bad little game.'
Producer:Bug Byte Retail price: £2.95 Language: machine code Author: Zip If y o u have never heard a computer talking 'Scratch' then Zoot could offer y o u a n e w experience. As soon as the the g a m e has loaded you are greeted with a bit of verbal which, though quite intelligible, defies the confines of the written w o r d . Zoot is a fairly large, cumbers o m e sort of a chap. His passion, w e are told, is playing marbles but he's lost t h e m d o w n a drain. W e l l Zoot does what any devotee w o u l d d o — he follows them. So begin the adventures of Zoot and his friend Zip. Life past the drain cover isn't at all what y o u might expect. In order for Zoot to recover his marbles he must m a k e his w a y through eleven caverns, and each one d e m a n d s the performance of a specific task. O n the first screen you are greeted by the D u m b Goopas. Y o u know they're d u m b because the instructions say so; you are also told to m o v e Zoot about the cavern bashing each one. Goopas don't like being bashed, so as soon as y o u hit t h e m they explode and die. M o v i n g about the cavern is a complicated business. W h a t you see is four platform levels, with each level is divided into a total of eight separate segments or gaps. You guide Zoot left or right along a platform until he meets an obstruction or comes to a gap in the path. If there is a section
missing f r o m the p l a t f o r m Zoot can still m o v e : he squats d o w n , grins, and flies o n e c o m p l e t e segment across the gap. There's no w a y Z o o t can cross a g a p t w o or m o r e sections w i d e , h o w e v e r . Zoot can also pilot platform segments d o w n w a r d s providing there is a section b e l o w h i m to land on w h i c h is free f r o m
collecting or p u n c h i n g bells, r e m o v i n g all of the sections a n d picking up as m a n y points f r o m as m a n y ledges as y o u can w o r k y o u r w a y round, t h e last five screens require y o u to p e r f o r m a c o m b i n a t i o n of the tasks encou n t e r e d in the first six screens. T h e creatures, or Mankins, w h i c h Z o o t encounters on his
CRITICISM ' Z o o t is a p r e t t y b o r i n g chap. A l t h o u g h t h e graphics are large, clear a n d jolly t h e g a m e w a s together t o o slow Tor m y liking. T h e t h e m e of t h e g a m e is b o t h clever a n d original but isn't involved e n o u g h t o fall comfort a b l y into t h e puzzle g a m e category, w h i l e t h e lack of speed bars it f r o m being classified as an arcade g a m e . A cheerful and jolly g a m e w i t h little substance t o it, really.' • 'Another game from the new budget software label. Bug-Byte — as with the rest this one is quite well finished with nice graphics and sound. Zoot 'seven got a bit of speech included. Generally, though, / felt there wasn 't much of a game behind it all. The graphics are large and jolly ana 'he sound is satisfying. As for the game itself... I played it for about half an hour before / sussed out what / was supposed to be doing! It grows on you after a while though, and I found myself quite enjoying it after several goes.' • T h o u g h I w a s quite impressed w i t h the style of graphics, I w a s n ' t that o v e r j o y e d by the g a m e . If it h a d been a bit better
i m p l e m e n t e d , perhaps a little faster or a bit less jerky then m a y b e it w o u l d have b e e n received a bit better. Presentation w i s e I w a s very impressed — the title screen w i t h accompanying scratch track w a s a m a z i n g — but w h e n it c o m e s d o w n to it, it's not a b a d g a m e , but not a remarkable o n e either, e v e n for a budget label.'
COMMENTS Control k e y s : 0 / P left/right, A for d o w n , Q to punch Joystick: K e m p s t o n a n d Interface II K e y b o a r d play: fair Use of colour: simple Graphics: witty a n d jolly, but very slow S o u n d : superb speech synthesis at the beginning a n d end Skill levels: o n e Screens: eleven G e n e r a l rating: cheap a n d cheerful, fun for a w h i l e
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics ' Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
75% 60% 53% 55% 57% 65% 59%
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This lady is deadly. l o s t your marbles? ZOOT has, and it's up to you to help the poor fellow get them back. Blobby nasties living on platforms stand in his way in this game with a di fference from Bug Byte
obstructions. If there are n o segments below Zoot in the column, he will cycle r o u n d t h e top of the screen. W h e n he travels vertically, Zoot claps o n e hand to his eyes a n d looks distinctly worried! N o w o n d e r — if Zoot moves a segment d o w n w h e n it is the only segment in the column, then he meets a sticky end: if there isn't p l a t f o r m left for him to land on, he loses a life. Each cavern in the g a m e is, in effect, a giant sliding puzzle a n d the puzzle element in t h e g a m e becomes clear by the t i m e you are into the second screen. T h e task here is not simply to go round biffing the creatures but to trap t h e m o n single platform segments so they cannot m o v e . This takes careful planning as it's very easy for Zoot himself to b e c o m e trapped. Other screens involve collecting m a r b l e s while dodging the flying Zip ( w h o can be a h e l p as well as a hindrance!
journey vary in their o w n little w a y s . T h e G o o p a s are d u m b w h i l e the Bodkins are shy. The o n e called Cheeky is indestructible w h e n his t o n g u e is out. Others like Spike, U g g y , Bogie a n d G r i m b o have their o w n nasty habits. For m o s t of the t i m e the Mankins are pretty h a r m l e s s but they can deprive Z o o t of o n e of his four lives if he c o m e s into contact w i t h t h e m . W h e n Zoot loses a life he must negotiate the screen again. T h e s a m e is true if Zoot miscalculates his m o v e m e n t a n d atte m p t s to m o v e d o w n onto a section w h e r e one does not exist. If the Gods are smiling d o w n o n Zoot he m i g h t get the o p p o r t u n i t y to collect extra lives or e v e n a n object called an IDC tablet. Picking up the tablet s e e m s to r e m o v e r a n d o m sections a n d m a y benefit Zoot by trapping s o m e of the Mankins for him.
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21
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w a y . D o g s b o d y w o u l d have b e e n greatly i m p r o v e d h a d t h e m a i n screen scrolled about Special A g e n t Dogsbody — as it is, it's just all t o easy t o rush blindly off t h e edge of t h e screen a n d cop it. Overall all t h o u g h , a nice little g a m e t h a t just w a s n ' t p r o g r a m m e d t o o professionally.
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Producer: Bug Byte Retail price: £2.95 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code Author: This g a m e is of the 'trapped in cavern a n d n e e d to collect all the objects to get out' type. Dr D o g m u s h has carried out a plan of despicable daring a n d kidn a p p e d 192 puppies, a n d stash e d t h e m a w a y in his lair. He's n o w planning to carry out vile aenetic e x p e r i m e n t s to turn t h e m f r o m cute a n d playful puppies that could easily be used to advertise toilet paper, into vicious killer d o g s that will g o for the throat as s o o n as say " w o o f * . A n i m a l liberationists, d e t e r m i n e d not to take any of this lying d o w n , h a v e sent in special agent D o g s b o d y . Dogsb o d y is a mission hardened operative, w i t h skills h o n e d for this t y p e of mission. Dogsbody, by the w a y , is a dog. T h e p u p p i e s are incarcerated w i t h i n the Dr D o g m u s h ' s stronghold. Built u p o n red sandstone, the caverns are patrolled by a n u m b e r of t h e doctor's robotic denizens. T h e r e are fifty beings g u a r d i n g the maze, each of w h o s e t o u c h is deadly to agent D o g s b o d y . Also, t h e nasties aren't stupid. They track a n d trace D o g s b o d y e v e n w h e n they're not present o n the screen w i t h h i m . S o m e of t h e corridors a n d p a t h w a y s a r e blocked w i t h soil: this can be eaten a w a y by D o g s b o d y but is impassable to a the stronghold's guards. All d o g s b o d y needs to a o to clear a p a t h w a y is travel over t h e soil, a n d it's . automatically eaten a w a y . T h e r e are also impassable boulders scattered a r o u n d the m a d doctor's lair, a n d they're generally supported by soil. Eat a w a y the soil a n d the boulder falls d o w n , rather like those in Boulderdash. If D o g s b o d y is fortunate e n o u g h to land a boulder o n o n e of the baddies, it'll t h e n get squashed — but it'll be reincarnated a n d teleported back t o it's start position. D o g s b o d y is able to m o v e a r o u n d in t h e up, d o w n , left a n d right directions. S t a n d i n g still he just pants a n d looks miserably our of the screen, but once on the m o v e a grin hits his face as his little legs jog up a n d d o w n . A s he crosses over the screen b o u n d a r y a n e w cavefull of nasties flicks into view. There are t w e n t y five such screens, each sheet covering nearly the w h o l e screen. A majority of the m a z e is m a d e up f r o m bricked walls, i m p e n e t r a b l e to special agent D o g s b o d y , w h o has to find his w a y r o u n d t h e tortuous caverns.
22
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
• 'This game must take the biscuit for cheat bugs of the year! Once a boulder s dropped on you, if you're careful you can walk through it; which can also be done with the flowers. If you bought Rockford's Riot and liked it. then I'd recommend this one because the graphics are much better, but the sound does tend to get on your nerves. This is the sort of game that would appeal to the younger Spectrum owner who hasn t got that much money. Personally I'd rather be playing the other new Bug Byte game, Z o o t '
WuffWuff! Tunelling through the maxe to rescue puppies in DOGSBODY, one of the new Bug Byte gomes. Featuring flowers thi)t grow and boulders that fall, the game involves a smiling fido and plenty of meanies
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• T h i s o n e has qualities about it that r e m i n d m e of the popular arcade g a m e Mr Do. A l t h o u g h it is a lot m o r e involved and it doesn't really look the s a m e , it ust has the s a m e feel about it. ft e graphics are large and colourful and nicely animated. Unfortunately, these large and colourful graphics m e a n that there are a lot of attribute problems. S o u n d is not well used but it does its job adequately. T h e r e are several things about this o n e that a n n o y me, the m a i n being the w a y that you only die s o m e t i m e s w h e n you are touched by a nasty. This can b e a little disconcerting. Generally, I w o u l d n ' t r e c o m m e n d this o n e but you can't really go w r o n g for t h e cheap price that its being m a r k e t e d for.
COMMENTS
Extra obstacles a d d e d include t h e m e g a quick g r o w i n g flo w e r s , sitting innocently about the m a z e w i t h their heads j a m m e d against s o m e soil. If y o u eat a w a y the earth a b o v e the flowers' heads they quickly g r o w u p as far as they can. T h e trouble is, flowers block pathw a y s in the maze, so y o u can e n d u p blocking yourself in. Horticulture can also b e h a n d y if a fiend is hot on y o u r trail a n d you w a n t to bar its w a y . T h e puppies are inanimate a n d are little replicas of Dogsbody. For s o m e reason they constantly g l o w a n d s h i m m e r until y o u run over t h e m . They are t h e n rescued a n d duly disappear, a n d y o u collect points for rescuing puppies a n d for eating earth a w a y .
CRITICISM • T h o u g h q u i t e nice in conception and execution. Dogsb o d y falls d o w n because of a couple of flaws. T h e m a i n probl e m t h a t u l t i m a t e l y m a k e things a bit difficult is t h e w a y t h e error detection w o r k s . S o m e t i m e s y o u can w a l k t h r o u g h Dr Dogm u s h ' s robotic fiends w i t h o u t c o m i n g t o h a r m , a n d other t i m e s you c a n ' t T h i n g s can really g e t confusing! S o m e of t h e g a m e ideas are g o o d — but the whole game maintains a slight resemblance t o Boulderdash: t h e e a r t h and rocks s e e m t o b e h a v e in exactly t h e s a m e
Control keys: P up, L d o w n , Z left, X right, SPACE to abort/exit d e m o m o d e , Fire/Enter to restart g a m e Joystick: Interface 2 a n d Kempston K e y b o a r d play: a bit sticky at times. U s e of colour: no attribute clash because of large graphics, t h o u g h colours could have been better chosen Graphics: nicely animated, t h o u g h rather bland S o u n d : nothing special Skill levels: o n e Screens: 2 5 screens G e n e r a l rating: a pleasant a m e , slightly f l a w e d by a few unders
Use of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
52% 69% 65% 62% 60% 69% 65%
48 K SPECTRUM • COMMODORE 64 • BBCB ELECTRON AMSTRAD • MSX ATARI iGeoft Capes ontW
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4 8 K S p e c t r u m £ 7 . 9 5 . ALL OTHERS £ 8 . 9 5 . CBm 6 4 dtsc £ 1 4 . 9 5 M a r t e c h ts t h e registered t r a d e mark o f S o f t w a r e Communications Limited Martech H o u s e , Bay Terrace, Pevensey Bay, East Sussex B N 2 4 6EE TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME PHONE: ( 0 3 2 3 ) 7 6 8 4 5 6 TELEX 8 7 4 6 5 EXIM Brighton
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Producer: Durell Retail Price: £8.95 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code A u t h o r : S i m o n Francis O n c e again, your mission to is s a v e life, the universe a n d everything. Alien forces h a v e captured a n anti matter conversion plant w h i c h supplies p o w e r to colonists in a planetary system. T h e aliens are threatening to t u r n t h e anti-matter plant o n t o 'self-destruct' — w h i c h w o u l d w i p e out the entire planetary s y s t e m a n d a couple of neighb o u r i n g stars as well — unless t h e y receive unconditional surre n d e r . U n c o n d i t i o n a l surrender is a fate w o r s e than death, so it's u p to y o u to travel across the surface of the asteroid on w h i c h t h e p o w e r plant is sited, infiltrate t h e alien e n e m y ' s positions a n d d i s a b l e the anti matter converter b e f o r e it achieves Critical Mass. Y o u are in control of a rocketp r o p e l l e d h o v e r craft w i t h high s p e e d strike attack capabilities, according to the a r m a m e n t s
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m a n u f a c t u r e r ' s sales blurb. T h e craft doesn't m a k e contact w i t h t h e g r o u n d , a n d thus avoids seismic detection, a n d is equipp e d w i t h a p o w e r f u l laser device. It's d e f e n d e d w i t h a force field w h i c h protects the ship against collisions or alien attacks — but every collision w i t h t h e force field drains a little m o r e e n e r g y , a n d the field will e v e n t u a l l y i m p l o d e , destroying the ship if e n e r g y gets too low. Y o u r e n e r g y status is displayed o n a horizontal bar to the left ol t h e screen a n d is replenished if y o u can avoid b u m p i n g into things or firing for a while. T o o m a n y collisions, or indeed too m u c h rapid firing, a n d your ship turns into a collection of bouncing pixels . . . For the benefit of less skillful pilots, a further protection device detects w h e n your craft is a b o u t to i m p l o d e , a n d ejects y o u
b e f o r e the event. All is not lost, h o w e v e r , for y o u r character then uses the e m e r g e n c y jet pack to travel to a d o m e shaped e n e r g y pod w h e r e a n e w ship c a n be found. O n the journey, t h e shipless pilot is unprotected a n d must a v o i d contact w i t h rocks a n d other life f o r m s w h i c h d r a i n energy. A n indicator, in the f o r m of a iarge a r r o w , shows y o u the direction y o u should be travelling in, a n d in this phase y o u h a v e to try to avoid large s a n d w o r m - l i k e nasties that pop u p out of the g r o u n d . Your mission is to travel east w i t h all speed, to the p o w e r unit. D u r i n g the early phases of the g a m e y o u will only encounter alien l o n g distance raiders plus u n f u s e d m i n e s , but as y o u progress t h r o u g h the zones you will e n c o u n t e r increasingly hostile o p p o s i t i o n including fused and g u i d e d mines. O n c e y o u have
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travelled t h r o u g h all of the zones y o u will find yourself near the p o w e r plant. This is protected by a score of nasties such as a m o r p h o u s clouds of molecular disorientation. To enter the p o w e r plant you will have to disable the force field gates by s h o o t i n g the front of the turret that is b e t w e e n t h e m . This is not easy a n d w i t h the addition of the clouds y o u are likely to e n d up spinning off into the distance. O n c e inside the plant y o u will find yourself being d r a w n into a n e n e r g y b e a m — this y o u must destroy by shooting the centre of the p y r a m i d shaped energy concentrator in the m i d d l e of the device. Failure leads to vapourisation for you a n d your craft T h e w h o l e g a m e is played against the clock, w h i c h ticks off the t i m e r e m a i n i n g before Critical M a s s is achieved. Points are collected for d o i n g a w a y w i t h
M •A • S • S alien defences on the w a y to saving the universe.
• ' R e m e m b e r Scuba Dive w a y back in issue 2 of CRASH? Even then w e said that Durefl had set new standards in graphics; n o w they have g o n e one better and produced a g a m e that has great graphics, g o o d sound and c o m pelling g a m e play. Critical M a s s takes the f o r m of a fast action shoot e m up that is totally addictive T h e m o v e m e n t of your craft reminds m e very much of V o r t e x ' s Cyclone w h e r e you have to w r e s t l e w i t h the controls w h e n y o u encounter a problem. The sound is pretty g o o d for a S p e c t r u m w i t h great b l o w i n g up effects and a nice tune at t h e start of the
g a m e . The inclusion of an autom a t i c eject is quite a good idea, t h o u g h the g a m e could have b e e n m a d e a bit m o r e exciting if y o u had to o p e r a t e t h e ejection s y s t e m yourself. If you're into snoot e m ups, t h e n you couldn't do m u c h better than buy this.' •' This struck me as being pretty boring when / first encountered it— a touch of the 'nice graphics, shame about the game syndrome'. On further playing I started to discover things deeper within the game which were highly original and excellent. The graphics on this are of a very high standard, and the scrolling is something of a miracle for a Spectrum. If you like shoot em ups then you can't go wrong with this one. it's one of the best in my memory.'
• ' T h e music on this g a m e in the o p e n i n g screens is great but w h e n y o u start the g a m e the first thing to strike you are the amazing graphics, which are so detailed. The only p r o b l e m that I could see w a s that the screen t e n d e d to e m p t y at times. S o m e of the graphics are a touch o n the small side, but this doesn't detract f r o m the overall impression of excellence. The thing that really surprised m e w a s the handling of I h e craft; the inertial effects produced by hitting rocks and firing your laser are wonder ful. T h e y are s o m e of the best on any S p e c t r u m g a m e that I've played. Controlling the craft adds a n extra dimension to the g a m e that, w h e n c o m b i n e d with the graphics and frantic g a m e play, makes for an excellent
COMMENTS Control keys: Z / X left and right, G accelerate, A fire, plus definable key option Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2 and D o w n s w a y Keyboard play: very responsive U s e of colour: only t w o colours a n d black used but attribute p r o b l e m s are avoided Graphics: g o o d and detailed but at t i m e s the screen gets a bit blank S o u n d : limited during play but nice tune to start off w i t h Skill levels: 3 Screens: vast scrolling area G e n e r a l rating: very good shoot em up that is Fast, fun and furious
U s e of c o m p u t e r 92% Graphics 93% Payability 92% G e t t i n g started 90% Addictive qualities 8 9 % V a l u e for m o n e y 90% Overall 90% CRASH December 1985 25
GRUMPY GUMPHREY SUPER- SLEUTH Producer: G r e m l i n Graphics Retail price: £ 7 . 9 5 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code Author: Sean Hollingworth
Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth isn't the first arcade adventure t o be set in a d e p a r t m e n t store, but the central character G u m p h r e y must be the first geriatric h e r o to star in a computer gamel Poor old G r u m p y G u m p h r e y is definitely the department store's dogsbody. Apart f r o m the fact that he is supposed to be g u a r d i n g the shop's stock f r o m m a r a u d i n g thieves (he is the Store Detective after all) G r u m p y is also set a w h o l e variety of tasks by the m e a n and m o o d y m a n a g e r . In b e t w e e n shooting mad", rampant ducks o n t h e g r o u n d floor, G r u m p s has t o m a k e tea for his ungrateful boss a n d cope w i t h a w h o l e host of m i n o r and major e m e r g encies in the store. Each task has to be completed w i t h i n a t i m e limit — g a m e t i m e is relentlessly ticked off by a digital display at the foot of the screen. Failure to complete a task in t i m e results in a s u m m o n s f r o m the manager. O n c e s u m m o n e d . G r u m p y nas to m a k e his w a y to the M a n ager's Office within half a n hour to receive a w a r n i n g letter. If he fails to arrive in t i m e , it's instant dismissal and t i m e for a new game. T h e store is c r o w d e d w i t h shoppers (and the o d d toy soldier), w h o mill a r o u n d manically getting in G r u m p y ' s w a y as he
tries to c o m p l e t e his tasks. If any of t h e characters other than the h a r m l e s s hippy b u m p into him. G r u m p y is pushed about and m a y be knocked off his feet — in w h i c h case he sits d o w n . W h i l e he is sitting d o w n . G r u m p y gets closer to his next w a r n i n g letter — sitting d o w n on the job is f r o w n e d o n at M o l e Bros Stores! A bar at the b o t t o m of the screen indicates h o w close G r u m p y is to his next w a r n i n g letter — as it gets shorter another missive gets closer. Four letters and he's out o f a job. A horizontal message area at the b o t t o m of the screen dislays the latest order f r o m o n
good and well worth getting it you like the type.' 'After spending s a bit of time guiding G u m p h r e y round the store, I r e a l i s e d the the idea behind the g a m e had something in c o m m o n w i t h Technician fed, w i t h the different tasks to be c o m p l e t e d in set t i m e limits. Graphically the g a m e ' s impressCRVMPY CUMPHRn
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a n d is used to remind G r u m p y of the next task he needs to c o m p l e t e in order to survive the day. W h e n e v e r the M a n a g e r calls, he must be o b e y e d immediately, and the current task put on ice. There's a variety of objects scattered throughout the store w h i c h can be used to help G r u m p y in his chores. T o pick up a n object, G r u m p y has to be m o v e d up to it and the pick up key pressed w h e r e u p o n the object is transferred to his pocket — an area at the b o t t o m right of the screen. O n c e an object has b e e n picked up it can be d r o p p e d , used or knocked out of G r u m p y ' s hands by jostling shoppers. T h e M o l e Bros, store has four floors, each containing a number of d e p a r t m e n t s selling a w i d e range of goodies to the shoppers. G r u m p y can travel b e t w e e n floors in the lift, pressing the appropriate button to select a level. W a t c h out for the light switch though! There's also a n escalator which travels u p and d o w n alternately and
Taking a rust, GUMPHREY in the confectionery department — for once not being Jostied by manic customer*. Sitting down on the job brings m written warning end the sack closer, however...
26
needs to be h o p p e d onto at the right m o m e n t . Try to go up w h e n the stairs are coming d o w n and G r u m p y takes a tumble. Points are a w a r d e d for c o m pleting tasks a n d picking up objects, but the real score is collect e d by completing a day — w o r t h 10,000 points no less. A w h o l e variety of useful items
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GRUMPY GUMPHREY ham a tough time in his department store — rampant ducks, escaped gorillas and a demanding manager to cope with in an 9 to S day.
can be f o u n d scattered around the w e i r d and wacky store in w h i c h the action takes place. It's u p to y o u to w o r k out h o w they can best be used to assist G u m p h r e y in his campaign to a v o i d the sack. If y o u don't succeed in completing all the tasks in one w o r k i n g day — f r o m 9.00 in the m o r n i n g till 5.30 in the evening — then there's always another d a y . . . providing G r u m p s hasn't had his cards!
CRITICISM > 'Graphically, this g a m e is very o o d T h e characters are w e l l r a w n a n d a n i m a t e d , although t h e r e are a lot of attribute problems. T h e sound is not very exciting. I didn't pet very far in t h e g a m e , a n d didn't find it very playable, but I can see potential in it for people w h o w a n t t o persist and get t o grips w i t h t h e g a m e . O n t h e w h o l e I think t h e r e are t o o m a n y g a m e s of this t y p e o n t h e m a r k e t already — a n d this tt is not t h e best of them.' • 'Another long overdue game — well worth the wait, though. The graphics reminded me of Thors Jack and the Beanstalk type games, but much improved. The animation of Gumphrey is smooth and flicker free and the whole presentation of the game is very professional — a credit to Sean Hollingworth. This is an enjoyable game which / found easy to get into. While this game will mainly appeal to arcade adventurers, it's very
ive, especially the w a y G u m p h rey walks convincingly in front of and behind certain objects, creating a realistic 3 D effect. Considering the a m o u n t of colours on screen the lack of attribute clash w a s quite impressive. T h e r e ' s a lot of nice little touches — lots of thought and attention to detail behind this one. I loved t h e w a y all the clocks in the store kept g a m e t i m e for instance. Overall a nice little g a m e and t h o u g h it m a y not appeal to e v e r y o n e , I really liked it.
COMMENTS C o n t r o l keys: Q Left, W right, P up, L d o w n , Space fire, D drop/ pick up, T re-read message, S scroll objects Joystick: Interface 2 a n d Kempston K e y b o a r d play: responsive, well laced keys
Bise of colour: bright and
cheerful Graphics: interesting 3 D effect o w i n g to masking of characters S o u n d : walking and 'resting' noises, spot effects Skill levels: o n e Screens: 39 G e n e r a l rating: a g a m e with lots of attention to detail and plenty of h u m o u r that should please arcade adventurers
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
84% 90% 84% 78% 82% 85% 86%
We thought it was about time we put you in the picture. When we introduced our AMX Mouse to micro-users, the response was phenomenal. And no wonder! Haied by the press as 'probably the best input device that has arrived recently', the AMX Mouse brings to Spectrum 4 8 K users, the same sophisticated, positive control that has, until now, been the province of more expensive computers - like the Macintosh. The fantastic AMX Mouse Pk:kage opens up an entirety new and exeitrtg world to Spectrum users and comes complete with Mouse, interface, which also inducfes a Centronics printer interface, and at these fabtious programs. ATVT-
AMX ART
This computer aided, drawing program has to be seen to be beSeved. Making ful use erf on-screen windows, icons, pull-down menus and pointers, you'll be astonished at the quaity of the work you can produce, save and print using either ZX or Epson compatible printers. It's a program ideal for both hours of famiy fun or for senous professional applications.
AMX COLOUR PALETTE
The wonderful pictures you create with AMX ART can be brought vividly to Ife with rich vibrant colours - using AMX COLOUR PALETTE And with 8 Foreground and 8 Background colours you won't be short of inspiration.
AMX CONTROL
Now you can create a 'Mouse environment' in your own programs, AMX Control adds 2 8 commands to normal Srtciaf Basic and contains three programs. 1. The machine code program to extend the Basic interpreter, which gives you full use of windows, icons, pul down menus, pointers and also supports AMX printer interface. 2. An Icon designer, an individual program for creating and storing icons for use in your own programs. The number and variety of icons you can create is imited only by your needs and imagination. 3. A demonstration program containing or screen calculator and puzzle. This fabulous AMX Mouse Package costs only £ 6 9 . 9 5 , a price as remarkable as the package itself and it includes a fully iustrated operating manual.
The software is supplied on cassette and a tape-tomicrodrive transfer facility is hcluded.The AMX Mouse package is compattoie with the Spectrum 4 8 K and Spectrum + . Ordering coiidn't be easier. This superb package is available from all good computer dealers or direct using the freepost order form below. So what are you waiting for? Get into the picture new!
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Also a v a i l a b l e o n A t a r i c a s s e t t e a n d disk. C o m m o d o r e 6 4 / 1 2 8
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F r o m s e l e c t e d b r a n c h e s o f Boots. W H S m i t h , J o h n M e n z i e s , Lasky's, S p e c t r u m , G r e e n s , Woolworth. Littlewoods and good c o m p u t e r software stores everywhere. M a i l order: Activision (UK) Ltd., 15 H a r l e y H o u s e , M a r y l e b o n e Road. L o n d o n N W i 5 H E Tel: 0 1 - 9 3 5 1 4 2 8
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The P A N Z A H I M i is an island inhabited bv robot tanks of varying levels of intelligence en viciousness. Your mission is to build e 'super-tank' and annihilate it utterly.
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W Hundreds of ways to git killed * Over 200 enemy tanks * Mines, mortars and Polycrete * Island scanner and mine detector * Mega turrets * Totally wreckable Panzachrome landscape * Kempston/Sinclair joysticks, or keyboard control Available from all good s o f t w a r e retailers - if its not there, please order it - or in c a s e of difficulty send your crossed cheque/P.O. m a d e out to ARIOLASOFT UK LTD., including your own n a m e and address to Ariolasoft OK Ltd., Asphalte House, Palace S t r e e t . London SW1I SHS. UK orrfett only. Prices include P&P Please allow 28 days I f o m release tor delivery.
Marketed & Distributed by
•
SPIKE Producer: Firebird Retail p r i c e : £ 1 . 9 9
Language: m a c h i n e code
Author: A m a d
The platform g a m e is far f r o m dead. Spike is the latest offering from Firebird in their budget Silver range, a n d the g a m e is filled with ledges and platforms to
e d s t o m a c h w h o scampers a r o u n d t h e caves very quickly indeed, w i t h his little legs spinn i n g r o u n d in a blur. Apart f r o m tucking his tootsies u p into his b o d y w h e n he leaps, Spike perf o r m s n o other a n i m a t e d trick a n d is w i t h o u t arms. This presents no p r o b l e m , h o w e v e r , as the G o l d e n S p h e r e will follow his once f o u n d a n d n e e d not be carried. O n c e he's f o u n d the sphere, it c a n still escape — so the return journey n e e d s to be conducted in a sober m a n n e r , w i t h o u t t o o m a n y jolts to sever
tures. M y m a i n criticism w i t h Spike is t h a t h e is t o o small — you w o u l d have thought that software companies would have learned by n o w t h a t t h e public like big colourful characters. N e v e r m i n d t h e colour clashes — t h a t ' s w h y W a l l y w a s so successful. Spike is a very highly polished g a m e , even right d o w n t o t h e excellent s c r e a m w h e n t h e guy gets hit by a guardian. T h e c o n s t a n t clicking w h e n Spike w a l k s does b e c o m e a n n o y i n g after a while. If y o u ' r e not a fan of Manic M i n e r t y p e g a m e s or arcade a d v e n t u r e s , t h e n this o n e is unlikely t o c h a n g e your m i n d . But for £1.99, y o u can't complain.' • 'There are some very sloppy parts to this otherwise very well programmed game. You can sometimes see where a platform is going to appear by walking behind it. It will cut off part of Spike until you move out of the way. Also, the very fast movement prevents fine manouevres unless a great deal of practice is put in. Some of the leaps needed have to be almost pixel perfect. The rest of the game / thought was very unimpressive. Far too much like M a n i c M i n e r and not enough new features. At €1.99, some will think this is good buy, but / find it a poor excuse for an outdated idea.'
• T h e g a m e provides s o m e fun — especially if it's a w h i l e since y o u played this kind of thing. It's o l d hat but harmless, unpretentious fun. I d o n ' t see w h y all the a w f u l plots have t o be put behind this kind of g a m e . T h e y a d d nothing a n d are often embarrassingly incongruous. I didn't m i n d playing this g a m e a n d just for s o m e t h i n g different, I w o u l d n ' t m i n d Duying it — — Ibut / i n g it no m o r e inane plots, please I'
COMMENTS Control keys: V left, B right. Space j u m p Joystick: keyboard only K e y b o a r d play: very responsive U s e of colour: limited Graphics: detailed, but small S o u n d : o n e very g o o d effect, o t h e r w i s e mildly a n n o y i n g Skill levels: o n e Screens: G e n e r a l rating: dated format, but pleasant all the s a m e
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
49% 50% 59% 81 % 60% 71% 61%
This man is harmless SPIKE meets an bug eyed monster in Firebird's game of the same name. SPIKE not Bug Eyed Monster, fools
leap b e t w e e n as y o u help star of the g a m e , Spike, to m a k e his way through t h e caverns of the Golden D r e a m W o r l d . Spike is o n a quest to find the Dream Sphere a n d then lead itto the Hall of D r e a m s w h e r e he can swop it for a reward of his choice and thus finish the g a m e . As is always the case in such affairs, each cavern contains at least one Guardian of T h e S p h e r e , or mobile nasty w h o s e only purpose is to r e m o v e a life f r o m the intruder. Other static hazards, including fires a n d sharp pointy bits are scattered a r o u n d the caverns and have to be circumvented. Each screen has only o n e entrance and o n e exit, so y o u have to m o v e through the g a m e sequentially. T h e caverns are linked by corridors, and the screens are d r a w n Manic Miner fashion. Spike himself is a tiny little guy with a pointed nose and-round-
the link b e t w e e n the S p h e r e a n d Spike. T h e caverns contain a variety of h i d d e n switches, s o m e of w h i c h reveal hidden platforms essential for Spike's safe progress t h r o u g h the c h a m b e r . Others contain keys w h i c h o p e n d o o r s for t h e little chap, hastening h i m o n his w a y . At the bott o m of the screen is a row of reserve Spikes — w h e n the active Spike loses a life a replacem e n t m a r c h e s p r o m p t l y onto t h e screen and begins at the start of the cavern w h e r e the accident took place. T h e r e are only five little Spikes in a team, h o w e v e r , a n d once they're p l a y e d out it's time for a n e w game.
CRITICISM • 'Spike is a n o t h e r in t h e never e n d i n g s t r e a m of arcade adven-
CRASH December 1985
31
CHICKEN CHASE Producer: Firebird M e m o r y required: 48K Retail price: £2.50 Language: M a c h i n e Code Sacre bleu! W e l l yes, in a w a y it is blue. T h e private life of the local h e n h o u s e explodes onto y o u r screen in this rather unusual, but definitely t o n g u e in cheek offering f r o m Firebird. Set in a h e n h o u s e w i t h t w o doors to t h e outside w o r l d on the left a n d right walls, a central " b e d r o o m " a n d t w o nesting platforms against the back w a l l , the idea of the g a m e is to keep M a d a m Chicken satisfied by . . . h m m . . . well . . . a h e m . . . d o i n g w h a t Cockerels are best at. All this takes place in her boudouis BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. For every . . . h m m . . . t h i n g y b o b . . . y o u d o (takes a f e w seconds y o u k n o w ) she'll produce a fertile egg a n d a heart appears at the t o p of t h e screen. W h e n y o u feel y o u ' v e had e n o u g h , leave her r o o m and M a d a m will follow a m o m e n t later, m a k e a bee line for the nesting boxes and lay the s a m e a m o u n t of e g o s that y o u . . . u m . . . leftgooseberrybushesunder herbed.
It is here that the g a m e n o w gets rather frantic. Y o u see all the nasties that loaf a r o u n d the f a r m - racoons, snakes, porcupines, rats a n d the like start to c o m e into the h e n h o u s e a n d try to break t h e eggs. If y o u don't peck the b a d guys (this sends t h e m a w a y ) in time t h e n they'll break the eggs a n d m a d a m w o n ' t be t o o pleased to say the least: in fact sne'lt c o m e out a n d biff y o u w i t h her h a n d b a g . Y o u ' v e got three lives available a n d y o u lose o n e each t i m e your w i f e biffs y o u . Just to m a k e life a little m o r e difficult, as w e l l as g u a r d i n g the e g g s y o u ' v e got to enter m a d a m ' s little r o o m a n d give her s o m e t h i n g to help her p r o d u c e m o r e eggs. A s the eggs natch the chicks rush d o w n and g o into their M u m m y ' s little r o o m . If there aren't any m o r e eggs a n d the last chick disappears into your birdy wife's boudoir, then she'll get very a n g r y a n d give y o u m o r e of the h a n d b a g t r e a t m e n t . S o there's a l w a y s got to be at least o n e e g g o n the nest w a i t i n g to hatch at anyone time All this hectic exercise makes y o u pretty tired out. A s y o u get m o r e a n d m o r e tired y o u begin to s l o w d o w n - a big disadvanta g e if y o u ' r e to catch those beastly baddies. Luckily there's plenty of grain lying a r o u n d w h i c h y o u can peck u p to keep you fit a n d energetic. Occasionally w o r m s w h i c h stick their
Bug Byte lives on. BOMBER BOB is the coped hero who has to sproing around the shop defusing explosive devices while keeping a look out for nasty doobries out to get him. A superhero's lot is not an eas y one
32
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
heads out of the g r o u n d . Peck these up a n d you'll be truly rejuvenated. Y o u score points according to h o w long y o u m a n a g e to keep all the eggs safe a n d m a d a m happy. Extra lives can b e gained t h r o u g h o u t the g a m e a n d later on, w n e n the going gets frantic, y o u certainly n e e d t h e m I
CRITICISM • 'Chicken Chase a p p e a r e d o n t e C o m m o d o r e quite a w h i l e ago a n d received a w a r m w e l c o m e , not just because of it's sauciness, as it is in fact a great little g a m e . Rushing round w i t h all t h e different factors * your e n e r g y situation, m a d a m a n d t h e baddies d e m a n d i n g your attentions makes the g a m e very frantic and enjoyable t o play. T h e graphics are g o o d , s m o o t h and fast a n d t h e g a m e has a nice feel a b o u t it. T h e fact t h a t it's a m e r e £2.50 m a k e s it e v e n m o r e enjoyable)' • 'Quite an original game this, a real change in style for Firebird's budget range. The scenario is a mite bit base but to play Chickin' Chase is fun. Keeping your time split between the several different tasks can be difficult and certainly the challenge is constant. Graphicswise, Chickin' Chase is quite competent, the monochromatic sprites moving around farily smoothly. Overall
an above average offering for a below average price.' • ' O o h La La. Isn't it risque? A daft little g a m e really, but lots of fun to play a n d about as offensive as a w e t W e d n e s d a y . Not the most brain straining in terms of strategy or the most d e m a n d i n g in t e r m s of arcade action but a neat idea, w i t h s o m e tidy graphics a n d enjoyable g a m e play. There's plenty of things to keep in balance — the life of a real-life rooster must be t o u g h it the g a m e m o d e l s reality! For the price, not o n e to be missed.'
COMMENTS Control keys: 5 left, 8 right, 6 d o w n , 7 up, 0 peck also redefinabie Joystick: K e m p s t o n , Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: responsive Use of colour: great! Graphics: big a n d jolly S o u n d : nice tunes a n d effects Skill levels: gets progressively harder t o survive Screens: o n e G e n e r a l rating: cheap a n d saucy little n u m b e r , but great.
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
81 % 78% 79% 84% 78% 86% 79%
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Producer: Bug Byte Retail price: £2.95 Language: m a c h i n e code The story is t h u s — t h e really evil Kaptain Kleptor has p l a n t e d b o m b s all o v e r t h e P e n t a g o n in an attempt to try to b l o w it up. Why? W e l l , like m o s t p o w e r crazed loonies, h e w a n t s to rule the w o r l d a n d is trying his hardest to get to the p o s i t i o n of World Leader. In the P e n t a g o n he's not o n l y left b o m b s but also robot g u a r a s t o m a k e s u r e that his explosives e x p l o d e . T h e FBI refuse to g i v e in to s u c h pressure a n d h a v e hired y o u , B o m b e r Bob, to d e a c t i v a t e t h e b o m b s . There are no less t h a n fifty rooms in the p e n t a g o n , w h i c h are laid out p l a t f o r m style in various configurations w i t h b o m b s lurking e v e r y w h e r e . T a k i n g t h e role of S u p e r h e r o BB, it is up to you to travel r o u n d t h e r o o m , defusing the b o m b s . A t t h e start of the g a m e y o u are g i v e n the choice of four d o o r s , e a c h of which leads into a different
r o o m in t h e p e n t a g o n , A s y o u c o m p l e t e e a c h screen, y o u are a g a i n g i v e n a choice of four d o o r s a n d q u i t e o f t e n get a little w i t t y m e s s a g e t h r o w n in for
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want a S p e c t r u m t a p e nag, c e r t a i n l y the best I ' v e seen P t M. -sr—> T s e r. S i ohuosu l do o 9n 0p d o w n w e l l w i t h a n y Worth c h rei cokui sn g c oom u tp u t e r u s e r . . . . CRUSH ( J u l y '85) . . . i n f o rr mMa al iv n t e r « t i m , f u n , e d u eaat t l1oonnai 1l . g r a p h t cc.a l l v j exciting a n d v e r y we 1 l f ZX COMPUTING < J u l y ' 8 4 > P a c k e d w i t h i 7T, e r e s T T n g f e a t u r e s , u t i l i t i e IsI .. F u l l of CiU•0.(Set
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CRASH December 1985
33
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CRASH BINDERS A t last — t h e y ' r e here! Yes, t h e 1985 C R A S H M a g a z i n e Binder is y o u rs for a
Isli
paltry sum of £4.50* inclusive.
Each binder takes twelve issues of CRASH held in place by small white plastic straps for ease of access. There's also a year sticker for the spine. The hand tooled, gold bound, Moroccan leather version would have cost about £150 each, so we've settled for the next best thing, a rich blue with gold-ish tooling on the front cover and the spine.
F r ¥ m r
SCflKirE : 0 0 0 0 3 5
BONUS: 951
Just to m a k e your superhero life a little m o r e difficult, h o w ever, Kaptain Kleptor has left his robot g u a r d s behind him, as w e l l as b o m b s . There are five pes — globes, walkies, grabs, dy namiters a n d homers. Globes continually float a r o u n d in the r o o m s rather like balloons and are d e a d l y to the touch. Bob's got an A n t i G l o b e hat one, and can h e a d t h e m a w a y — but if any other part of his a n a t o m y touches a globe, it's curtains for sure. Walkies do just that — they trundle along platforms and floors a n d pose problems, being deadly to t h e touch. Occasionally a w a l k e r will fall off a platf o r m a n d turn into a globe. H o m e r s a slightly intelligent (but not very) a n d are pretty deadly since they try their best to h o m e in o n you. Grabs appear o n later levels — these are attached to the ceiling a n d o n e nip is deadly. Grabs also d r o p d y n a m i t e o n Bob if h e stays too long in one position. T h e odds are not totally stacke d against you, h o w e v e r , as the m a d Kaptain Kleptov foolishly left a f e w of his Robot Control Pads lying a r o u n d t h e place. If B o b picks o n e up, he can freeze robots for a little w h i t e in a r o o m at the press of a button.
CRITICISM
Please send me
CRASH Binder(s) at £4.50 each*
Name Address Postcode I enclose a cheque/postal order made payable to Newsfield Ltd for £4.50*. * UK price only. Continental Europe and Overseas orders, please add £2 per item ordered CRASH BMDERS.PO BOX 11, LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE ST81D6
34
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
• 'I f o u n d t h e g a m e a bit dull really — a l t h o u g h it resembles a n arcade g a m e Bomber Jack it's n o w h e r e near as pood. S o m e of t h e screens are diabolically hard — not t h e t y p e of difficulty t h a t keeps y o u c o m i n g back for m o r e , but t h e underhand, totally unavoidable difficulty w h i c h m a k e s y o u w a n t t o t h r o w your S p e c t r u m o u t of t h e w i n d o w . T h e r e are a f e w nice touches, like t h e w i t t y c o m m e n t s w h e n you m o v e b e t w e e n rooms, b u t overall It's disappointing. A l t h o u g h it's cheap, t h e c o n t e n t s aren't w o r t h that much.' • 'Nice big graphics and a jolly tune are about the only thing
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B o m b e r Bob has to offer. The gameplay is incredibly slow — your character moves around the screen at such a slow pace that the game becomes very monotonous after a few goes. Some of the screens are so hard that / couldn't see myself completing them without the hours of practice that are required — especially since the game doesn't deserve such attentions. Generally / wouldn't recommend this game as it is boring and totally infuriating. Even so there are far worse cheapo games on the market.' • "Well, Mastertronic started out w i t h far w o r s e g a m e s than the n e w Bug Byte budget range, so the future of Bug Byte doesn't look all that black. Bomber Bob is a well finished g a m e with s o m e highly detailed characters, especially the m a i n character. Bob, w h o is great in t h e w a y he flies a r o u n d defusina b o m b s w i t h the greatest of efficiency. I enjoyed flying Bob a r o u n d , and the c o m m e n t s d u r i n g the changing of screens a d d e d that extra touch of h u m o u r that I reckon every g a m e needs. Not too bad an a t t e m p t at all.'
COMMENTS Control keys: Z left, X right, 0 up, K d o w n , P j u m p , M activate t h e control pad, A pause, S start Joystick: K e m p s t o n a n d Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: unresponsive U s e of colour: not very exciting Graphics: big, but undetailed S o u n d : burble Skill levels: four Screens: 50 G e n e r a l rating: a tricky g a m e to play, nothing special
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Playability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
40% 49% 43% 46% 43% 55% 49%
WORLD SERIES BASKETBALL Producer: I m a g i n e Retail price: £7.95 Language: m a c h i n e code
W h e n y o u load the g a m e y o u are presented w i t h p l e n t y of options. Y o u c a n select six levels of play against t h e c o m p u t e r or play against a n o t h e r h u m a n
c h a n g e t h e colours of t h e t e a m a n d g r o u n d — useful if y o u ' v e o n l y g o t a black a n d w h i t e telly. O n c e y o u ' v e set all t h e options a n d w a n t to p l a y press t h e start b u t t o n ! T h e t e a m s run out of the c h a n g i n g r o o m s a n d take their positions for t h e tip-off. A p e e p of t h e ref's w h i s t l e s o u n d s a n d the g a m e starts w i t h t h e ball b e i n g t h r o w n into t h e air betw e e n t w o players f r o m opposi n g t e a m s . Y o u h a v e t o j u m p up into t h e air a n d knock it d o w n to o n e of your team-mates before y o u r o p p o n e n t d o e s in o r d e r to g a i n possession. A s t h e ball travels a r o u n d the pitch t h e p l a y i n g a r e a scrolls f r o m left to right. In all t h e playing area is b e t w e e n t w o a n d t h r e e s c r e e n s l o n g a n d is v i e w e d p a n o r a m i c a l l y like Match Day. I n d e e d , World Series Baseball w o r k s v e r y m u c h in t h e s a m e w a y as O c e a n ' s classic football
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g e t t i n g into basketball. Playing a whole computer basketball t e a m is fairly s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d — t h e nearest player to t h e ball is c h o s e n b y t h e c o m p u t e r a n d put u n d e r y o u r control. Y o u ' l l k n o w w h i c h p l a y e r it is b e c a u s e his shirt will m y s t e r i o u s l y c h a n g e c o l o u r . If y o u pass t h e ball the
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player. If t h e action is all t o o intimidating at first, t h e r e ' s alw a y s the practice m o d e if y o u ' r e n e w to the g a m e . T h i s a l l o w s you to try scoring g o a l s solo against t h r e e players a n d gives you the chance to practice ball control a n d dribbling skills. Y o u start off in vour o w n half a n d have to dribble your w a y up to the basket, e v a d e t h e opposition, a n d plonk it in. Y o u c a n also
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35
DESIGNER RUNNING WEAR F r o m C R A S H , ZZAPt 64 a n d GREMLIN GRAPHICS N o r m a l l y £19.95, C R A S H readers can b u y this m a r v e l l o u s tracksuit for
ONLY £16.95 find VAT, P&P'I
ssia^ the player receiving is a u t o m a t ically selected for y o u to control. T h e general a i m of the g a m e is to retain possession of the ball as m u c h as possible a n d to take as m a n y shots as you can at your o p p o n e n t ' s basket. A scoreboard keeps track of the g a m e a n d tells y o u the t i m e r e m a i n i n g and, of course, the score. It also acts as a m e s s a g e board — w h e n a t e a m scores 'GOAL'
get into the game easily. Overall this is a good simulation, well presented (although it does crash now and again), but only worth getting if you know you like games of this sort.' • "What a funny g a m e this is: only four players per side a n d no referees, ( w a s really looking forw a r d to this after the brilliant World Series Baseball, but I
T h e M o n t y o n t h e R u n t r a c k s u i t is m a d e f r o m h i g h q u a l i t y m a t e r i a l s n o r m a l l y f o u n d in t r a c k s u i t s f a r m o r e e x p e n s i v e a n d c o m e s in p a l e g r e y w i t h t h e G r e m l i n logo o n the back and the C R A S H and ZZAP! l o g o s o n t h e f r o n t in t a s t e f u l t a n d e m I D o n ' t m i s s o u t o n this a m a z i n g offer, s e n d off the coupon today to the address below.
The Spectrum seems t o be beating the CRASH basketballplaying minion in this game. WORLD SERIES BASKETBALL from Imagine takes a 28 point lead
scrolls across it. A g a m e is divided into t w o halves, each half being three m i n u t e s long.
CRITICISM
Please send m e G R E M L I N tracksuit(s)
Super
CRASH/ZZAP!/
Tick sizes sizes: S D M D U K N a m e .. Address Postcode I enclose a c h e q u e / p o s t a l order p a y a b l e to N e w s f i e l d L t d for £ 1 6 . 9 5 . * U K prices only, Europe a n d Overseas, please add £2 per item ordered. CRASH TRttXSUTT OFFER, PO BOX 10, LUDLOW. SHROPSHIRE STB 106
36
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
• 'First it w a s baseball, a relatively u n h e a r d of g a m e over here w h i c h I m a g i n e m a d e into a big hit. I h o p e t h e y have simitar success w i t h basketball, as it's a great g a m e . As a rule I ' m not a sport simulation person, but I've b e e n playing this o n e for hours and I can't see myself p u t t i n g it d o w n until I get a decent score. T h e only niggle I h a v e w i t h this g a m e is t h a t it's hard t o tell w h i c h of your four players y o u are controlling — a n a y o u can only c h a n g e t h e player you control w h e n you are in possession. Generally, though, I thought the game was exceptionally playable a n d I w o u l d r e c o m m e n d it t o anyone w h o enjoys sports simulations.' • 'The only other Basketball game presently on the Spectrum is O n e on O n e and that wasn't too hot. Luckily, if you like this type of game. W o r l d Series Basketball is very good. The graphics allow you to change the colours of the teams and reminded me of Matchday. The game follows the rules of basketball, but they aren't too tough — you should be able to
suppose it couldn't be matched. T h e options page isn't as good as the other I m a g i n e 84 g a m e s a n d the s o u n d is a real let d o w n , but the graphics m a k e up for s o m e of this. I'm not sure that all basketball fans will go for I V S 5 ( I didn't to b e g i n with). There's quite a f e w niggly shortcomings w i t h it w h i c h m i g h t a n n o y basketball fans. M y advice w o u l d be to hang o n for a w h i l e until Elite release their basketball g a m e a n d c o m p a r e the t w o rather than rushing out a n d buying this one now'.
COMMENTS Control keys: Definable. Joystick: K e y b o a r d play: confusing with t w o players Use of colour: bland Graphics: no shortage of attribute p r o b l e m s Sound:Peep I Skill levels: Six Screens: N / A G e n e r a l rating: bound to impress simulation fans
Use of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
76% 78% 82% 77% 78% 78% 81%
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M O U i n n C M W e d o n ' t give y o u a b e t w e e n price and let YOU guess W V J n I L / L / C i n t h e bill, w e give y o u a 100% f i x e d price NO extras, w e a o n t n e e d t o 1 1 0 3 5 1 a b o u t o u r service, w e have CVTDAC C A I l \ M 9 1000 s of c u s t o m e r s f r o m an over t h e w o r t d highly • • ••— d e l i g h t e d w i t h o u r service a n d h e l p Only 20 m i n u t e s f r o m M a n c h e s t e r c e n t r e . BBC. C o m m o d o r e 64, Vic 20. also r e p a i r e d c a l l u s f o r details. D o n ' t w a i t w e e k s f o r y o u r repair, w e t u r n a r o u n d all c o m p u t e r s in 24 hrs. All repairs carry a full J m o n t h g u a r a n t e e , plus o n every S p e c t r u m w e repair, w e send y o u a f r e e g a m e w o r t h £5.95 for y o u r e n j o y m e n t a n d pleasure. • Most Spectrums repaired wttftln4S minutes. • wniie you wait seruiceOv Professional • All Micros insured for retum (oumev Computer Engineers • 5 month written guarantee on all repairs • Keytxwd faults only (a 9S • mternattonai Repair company we repair • School repairs undertaken - discount available « Free software witfieacn Spectrum repaired computers from ail over tne worm • «I computers sent OY Man Order turned • Over 8 years experience wor*mg*itti around In J4nrs computers All computers futty tested j u s t parcel y o u r c o m p u t e r in suitable w r a p p i n g enclosing £19.95 for s p e c t r u m repairs, please d o n o t send p o w e r supplies. C o m m o d o r e c o m p u t e r s , just s e n d £1.75 (U.K. Eire, l.O.M. C . u or £6.50 (Europe/Scandinavia) w i t h y o u r addressorphonenumberandwewillcontactyousamedavbvphoneorletterwlthquote.lfyouprefer.piease c a " u s a n d w e Will g i v e y o u a q u o t e o v e r t n e p h o n e , w e a i m t o ptease. T h a r s w h a t m a d e us t h e m o s t reliable
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We regret w e cannot s h o w all t h e c o m p o n e n t s available. Just give us a call a n d w e c a n q u o t e y o u o v e r t h e p h o n e , delivery by r e t u r n
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Commodore 64 Chips 6526 6510 6581 901227-05 901226-01 901225-01 6569
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JP WEEK Telephone: Glossop {STD 04574) 66555/67761
140 High St. West, Glossop, Derbyshire, England.
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HACKER Producer: Activision Retail price: £ 9 . 9 9 L a n g u a g e : M a c h i n e Code Author: Steve Cartwright ( c o n v e r t e d by S o f t z o n e Ltd) I m a g i n e it's late at night a n d y o u ve b e e n using your m o d e m t o access s o m e bulletin boards. Y o u ' r e tired a n d w a n t to g o to b e d but y o u decide to ring just o n e m o r e n u m b e r . Accidentally, y o u mis-dial o n e of t h e digits a n d y o u r screen turns blue w i t h the p r o m p t ' L o g o n Please.' S o m e h o w y o u ' v e hacked into another computer network. N o w all y o u h a v e to d o is get out I In Hacker, that is easier said t h a n d o n e . T h e r e are no instructions other t h a n those necessa r y to load t h e p r o g r a m . T h e rest is u p t o y o u . A s s u m i n g y o u d o succeed in accessing this 'network' {and h e l p c o m e s f r o m t h e least likely source), t h e n t h e g a m e proper starts. T h e screen n o w s h o w s a s c h e m a t i c of a S u b t e r r a n e a n R e m o t e U n i t (SRU). Y o u are asked to help c o m p l e t e a diagnostic scan of the device to
of w o r l d d o m i n a t i o n . Y o u are t h e n presented w i t h a screen d i s p l a y i n g a w o r l d m a p overlaid w i t h a grid. Y o u are asked y o u r n a m e ( n o trick there) a n d to set u p t h e m a p so that the night a n d d a y areas m a t c h those of y o u r c u r r e n t setting. W h e n all this is done, the position of y o u r S R U is highlighted o n the m a p . T h e top half o f t h e screen is split into three displays. O n t h e left is a kind of o p t i o n m e n u . This a l l o w s y o u to l e a v e t h e s u b t e r r a n e a n network at certain junctions w h i c h corre s p o n d to locations of various m a j o r cities, use infra red to e n a b l e night vision a n d a variety of o t h e r functions. T h e centre section displays the v i e w f r o m y o u r S R U . T h e right h a n d sect i o n contains a c o m p a s s a n d m e s s a g e w i n d o w (which only tells y o u that there is a message for y o u — t o read it y o u h a v e to press t h e ' M ' key). Y o u can m o v e about the n e t w o r k grid, t h o u g h there are specific routes to certain locations w h i c h y o u h a v e t o discover, a n d ' p o p up' in various cities. Y o u s o o n discover, via m e s s a g e s , that the c o m p a n y has lost a secret d o c u m e n t and v a r i o u s spies across the w o r l d e a c h h a v e part of it. By buying i t e m s off spies a n d giving t h e m m o n e y or other items, you can collect all t h e parts of t h e doc-
fail to satisfy their security checks, y o u are t h r o w n out of t h e s y s t e m . All this, coupled w i t h t h e fact that t h e spies are o n l y out to satisfy their o w n e n d s a n d t h e r e f o r e , can mislead you, makes winning a complex task indeed.
CRITICISM • T h i s is a t o t a l l y original g a m e w i t h a n excellent t n e m e a n d a t m o s p h e r e . It is w e l l implem e n t e d ( w i t h t h e exception of t h e satellites, w h i c h could have b e e n b e t t e r ) a n d very addictive. Because it isn't really alt t h a t fast paced, it m a y not a p p e a l t o s o m e b u t it still deserves success. T h e w h o l e t h i n g is littered w i t h p u u l e s a n d clues a n d w o u l d m a k e a g r e a t plot for a suspense m o v i e . W e l l done, Acttvision.' %'This might be the game for budding hackers, but experienced hackers may find it a bit too easv. DO NOT be disheartened with the welcoming message of 'L OGON' because it really is a let down after the initial happiness of hacking into this mega-big company, only to find that the same thing happens each time you attempt to hack in. The
they get you, you are confronted with a high-level security check, which becomes harder the further you get. Hacker has nice colourful graphics but hardly any sound. The bad point of the game is that there are no random features at all, even the passwords. An interesting and challenging game for the wouldbe hacker who can't afford a hundred odd pounds to get into real telephone naughtiness.' • T h i s isn't an arcade g a m e , and it's not an a d v e n t u r e e i t h e r — it's sort of i n b e t w e e n the t w o . G e n e r a l l y g a m e s like this and players like m e don't g o together — but I f o u n d it easy to get into Hacker, w h i c h w a s a surprise. Graphically it is a bit of a d i s a p p o i n t m e n t , a n d s o u n d is v e r y poorly used but I f o u n d the g a m e f u n to play, w i t h a conti n u i n g sense of achievement w h i c h spurred m e o n to c o m p lete t h e next bit. I'd r e c o m m e n d this t o a n y o n e w h o likes "think" g a m e s , but I don't think arcade players w o u l d enioy it too m u c h as it c a n get a little boring at times.
COMMENTS C o n t r o l keys: cursor keys to m o v e , E N T E R to confirm J o y s t i c k : K e m p s t o n , Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: responsive U s e of colour: very g o o d G r a p h i c s : s o m e attribute problems Sound:poor Skill levels: 1 G e n e r a l rating: a d e m a n d i n g a n d interesting g a m e . e n s u r e that it is in w o r k i n g condition. A successful scan satisfies the c o m p u t e r , w h i c h t h e n sends y o u o n to the next stage of t h e g a m e . Y o u are officially w e l c o m e d into the M a g m a Corporation's central c o m p u t e r w h i c h garbles cryptically a b o u t e v e r y t h i n g being nearly r e a d y a n d the prospects
38
u m e n t a n d t h e n take t h e m to . . . ah, that w o u l d b e telling I Y o u r task is m a d e complica t e d by several factors. First, t h e r e is a t i m e limit. Of course, y o u h a v e no idea w h a t to trade w i t h w h o m . Eventually, satellites b e g i n searching for y o u (as M a g m a Ltd realise thi that there has b e e n a security break) a n d if y o u
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
game reminded me of the film War Games, but instead of protecting the world, you, as a recognised secret agent, must help the company go for total world domination. This is obtained by trading with other agents, and digging tunnels across the South Atlantic. Try to avoid the satellites as every time
U s e of c o m p u t e r 81 % Graphics 7 6 % Payability 78% G e t t i n g started 7 3 % A d d i c t i v e qualities 8 3 % V a l u e for m o n e y 8 2 % Overall 8 1 %
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Commodore 64
Amstrad
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gone. W h e n this h a p p e n s your gyro is put back to the t o p of the a ; r e e n o n w h i c h you died, and tnus t i m e is lost as well as a life, v Taking control of a gyroscope takes s o m e getting used to — <Jhce y o u start m o v i n g in one direction it takes a w h i l e to slow "Tiown. T h e beast will accelerate d o w n slopes, and constant checks h a v e to be m a d e w h e n y o u trundle d o w n a slope to m a k e sure y o u ' r e not g o i n g too f3fet if there's a sharp turn at the b o t t o m y o u could find your^ e l M n deep'trouble, a n d run out of road. Producer: M e l b o u r n e ' I n a n i m a t e hazards o n the rse complicate matters House ? a n d include glass slopes Retail price: £7.95 w h i c h s e n d y o u spinning in all Language: Machfflte Code 4directions), knobbly floors Authors: S t e v e L a m b a n d fwffifch m a k e s control of your . j j y r p next to impossible), red Tony Mack aiscs (which send y o u completely out of control) and directional floors ( w h i c h act like slopes only Gyroscope puts y o u in a similar they're flat). surrealistic situation to the T h e landscapes are very devarcade classic Marble Madness, + T h e basic g a m e p l a y is v e r y sim- T o u s l y created; starting from ple — y o u take control o f ^ gyro v . relatively easy they get m o r e scope w i t h the task of getting tricky Very rapidly. S o m e of the f r o m the starting post at the i d p difficult courses contain thin catof t h e course to t h e finishing walks, h o r r e n d o u s slopes w i t h post at t h e b o t t o m w i t h i n the tight corners, holes in the floor allotted t i m e . Each t i m e the a n d c o m b i n a t i o n s of all these the aforementioned roscope topples, a life is lost. w i t h hazards — being a gyroscope e course is very strange, pres- 'P r isn't all just spinning around. e n t e d w i t h a surrealistic 3 D effect featuring tall g e o m e t r i c buildings, r a m p s an slopes a l o n g a n d ardurid whic CRITICISM you have to guide y o u r JJYSpu, scope. T h e course also provides a h o m e for s o m e rather strapge • ' A l t h o u g h I ' m not supposed (and vaguely f a m i l i a r ) ' aliens t o say* it Gyroscope obviously a lot t o t h e arcade classic w h o s e touch topples y o u r spirv n e r ' _ arble M a d n e s s . It's graphicalT h e r e are five c o u r t s ih ffte ' ly v e r y similar and s o m e of t h e run, each containing four . g a m e p l a y e l e m e n t s are identicscreens. W h e n y o u c o m p l e t e o n e screen the display tqrns p u r p l e a n d the next part of the course scrolls into v i e w , replacing the section y o u ' v e iust traversed. T h e w h o l e g a m e T S b ^ V ^ f ' against a clock, w h i c h ticks pff the t i m e relentlessly as y o u try to c o m p l e t e each quartet of screens. Completing each screen earns y o u b o n u s points, a n d c o m p l e t i n g a course of fouj^ screens earns y o u a b o n u s related to the a m o u n t of t i m e remaining o n t h e clock. Y o u begin the g a m e w i t h sev.en lives in store, a n d pick up a b o n u s life for each T,000 points scored. If y o u fail to c o m p l e t e 9 screen course withift t h e 'tfhrife limit, the gyroscope t o p p l e s , w h e n the count hits zero, a life is lost a n d y o u resume play f r o m , the spot y o u ' d reached at timeout w i t h the clock reset t o ^ t a i t a n e w run. If things are going badly, y o u can press fire a f tfriy t i m e a n d restart the g a m e f r o m scratch. T h e r e are s o m e very thin catw a l k s b e t w e e n the buildings a n d here t h e m a i n dang®rWt».<*f* y o u stray too near the e d g e of a construction o r catwalk y o u r g y r o will b e c o m e unbalanced a n d totter o v e r — a n o t h e r IfTfe '
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C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985 r
al to t h e coin-op m a c h i n e . That aside it's a brilliant g a m e in itself, difficult a n d frustrating at t i m e s , but w e l l w o r t h persevering w i t h . T h e graphics are excellent, w i t h fabulous use of n o r m a l / b r i g h t . T h e s o u n d is p r e t t y g o o d t o o , w i t h a nice a t m o s p h e r i c t u n e a n d sound effects. In m y eyes this is o n e of t h e m o s t addictive g a m e s I've played o n t h e S p e c t r u m and is o n e t h a t a n y g a m e s player just can't afford to miss.'
ute p r o b l e m s . T h e best thing a b o u t Gyroscope, though, is that it is very playable and proves quite addictive. O n the w h o l e it is an extremely g o o d g a m e — but it m i g h t just b e c o m e a little repetitive after a while. A neat arcade type g a m e . If y o u k n o w y o u like this g a m e t y p e t h e n buy it!'
• 'Gyroscope is the nearest thing we've had to M a r b l e M a d ness on the Speccy. The graphics are a bit mixed in qual juality — / noticed rather a lot of flicker apparentty due to the sound — but the 3D playing area is excellent Controlling your gyroscope takes a lot of practice, and the inertia takes a bit of getting used to. The first couple of games are bound to lead to most of your lives being lost very swiftly. Care has to be taken at the beginning of each screen as you often start in a potentially hazardous position, like at the top of a steep slope or on a thin ledge. Generally / would strongly recommend Gyroscope as it is very playable and addictive.'
C o n t r o l keys: Q up. Z d o w n , I left, P R i g h t O to abort Joystick: K e m p s t o n , cursor. Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: responsive U s e of colour: neatly d o n e , m i n i m i s i n g attribute problems. Graphics: simple design w h i c h is r e m a r k a b l y effective S o u n d : excellent, t w o channel simulation Skill levels: progressively m o r e difficult Screens: t w e n t y G e n e r a l rating: u p w i t h the best arcade g a m e s available for the Spectrum
• 'I've never seen Marble Madness in the arcades but if this is the nearest thing o n a S p e c t r u m to it t h e n I've obviously been missing something very good. T h e graphics in this g a m e struck m e as being simple but effective, a n d w i t h o u t too m a n y attrib-
r
COMMENTS
Use of c o m p u t e r Graphics Playabilrty G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
GYROSCOPE from Melbourne House— pilot your spinner across a three dimensional landscape trying to avoid spills.
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T H E MUSIC B O X A t o t a l l y n e w a n d r e v o l u t i o n a r y m u s i c c r e a t i n g p r o g r a m for y o u r S p e c t r u m . F o r t h e first t i m e e v e r o n t h e c o m p u t e r , l o o k f o r w a r d to m u l t i - c h a n n e l s o u n d a n d p e r c u s s i o n e f f e c t s a s y o u d e v e l o p y o u r v e r y o w n m u s i c a l t u n e s — a n d all w i t h o u t a n y k n o w l e d g e of m u s i c or p r o g r a m m i n g . E a s y a n d f u n to u s e W H A M — T H E M U S I C B O X p r o v e s t h a t t h e r e is R E A L M U S I C hidden inside your Spectrum. F e a t u r e s 5 d e m o n s t r a t i o n T O P 2 0 t u n e s by W H A M . A v a i l a b l e f o r t h e S p e c t r u m at £ 9 . 9 5
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MELBOURNE HOUSE M e l b o u r n e H o u s e (Publishers) Ltd., Castle Y a r d H o u s e . Castle Y a r d , R i c h m o n d , T W 1 0 6 T F . T r a d e enquiries call 0 1 - 9 4 0 6 0 6 4 Available f r o m s e l e c t e d b r a n c h e s of ^ j j j I I I I I I I I I ^MIIBIH H U M W i l l HIWII R I I I S p e c t r u m S h o p s , a n d all g o o d s o f t w a r e d e a l e r s
m
and it doesn't stop there.. ... that's because there are not only over 2 0 0 questions on each of your favourite subjects, pop. sport, general knowledge (easy and hard) and TV but also a self-program tape from which you can make up your very o w n quiz games.
Spectrum 48K
Spend hours of enjoyment w i t h friends and family in light hearted fun and even put yourself to test on homework and revision. Available at all good computer stockists or direct from Ailigata (P&P Inclusive). Look out for the follow up tapes at only ÂŁ 1 . 9 9 each or the Quiz Quest book over 3~. 0 0 0 additional questions. to be published shortlyr wwiitthh over
Ailigata Software Ltd., 1 Orange Street, Sheffield S1 4DW. Tel: (0742) 755796
A LEPRICHAUN IN LONDONâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;SITTING IN ON A MELBOURNE HOUSE WORKING LUNCH Sean Masterson goes to see PAULA BYRNE (She's wonderful) and GEOFF HEATH of Melbourne House
For s o m e r e a s o n , British Rail a n d I just d o n ' t g e t on. It's s o m e t h i n g I h a v e n ' t q u i t e m a n a g e d t o put m y finger o n y e t , b u t it s e e m s t h a t t h e y k n o w w h e n e v e r I ' m g o i n g t o c a t c h a t r a i n . I a m b l e d o w n t o t h e s t a t i o n (any one, it d o e s n ' t m a t t e r ) a n d their l o o k - o u t s see m e c o m i n g and w a r n t h e i r superiors. T h e n , just as I enter t h e station, t h e y a n n o u n c e late d e p a r t u r e s w h i c h i n e v i t a b l y include m y train. I s u p p o s e I'll just have t o learn t o live w i t h it. T h i s particular morning, I w a s p a t i e n t . I g o t a coffee a n d w a i t e d for a n o t h e r a n n o u n c e m e n t . S o o n I w a s o n m y w a y , regardless of t h e i r pitiful a t t e m p t t o p r e v e n t m e . Actually finding the Melbourne H o u s e office, w h e n I arrived in London, w a s fairly easy. It's o n e city I never s e e m to get tost in e v e n t h o u g h I can't claim to be familiar w i t h the sprawling metropolis. Catching a couple of tubes to R i c h m o n d Park followed by a brisk walk in the a u t u m n sun, a n d I w a s at their door. The c o m p a n y occupies a spacious g r o u n d floor office in a well hidden, but n e w block. Gold tinted w i n d o w s g u a r d secrets of upcoming g a m e s f r o m over inquisitive eyes. Impressive. Almost as high-tech looking as CRASH Towers. 'Melbourne H o u s e are a n independent sales a n d marketing t e a m . ' That w a s a fact repeated several t i m e s by Paula Byrne, the c o m p a n y ' s publicity manager, d e t e r m i n e d f r o m the start to m a k e m e u n d e r s t a n d just what M e l b o u r n e H o u s e is. She typifies the strong sense of teamwork that p e r v a d e s the Richmond offices. I had arrived there just in t i m e for lunch. That m e a n t pizzas or chicken salads. S o m e h o w I managed to have a chicken salad without the chicken. Sat at a massive table w i t h e v e r y b o d y tucking in to steaming hot pizzas, their eyes all g l u e d to the food, I felt part of s o m e p a g a n ceremony - out of these pizzas great g a m e s do come. I felt really guilty telling t h e m I w a s allergic to cheese. ExActivision m a n , Geoff Heath now runs M e l b o u r n e H o u s e UK. I realised that I w a s dealing w i t h a dedicated business m a n w h e n
100GÂŤott Heath, the man who make* a ritual out of pirxa consumption.
h e d e c i d e d that lunch w a s no excuse to stop working. He b e g a n quizzing e v e r y o n e present {including myself) about w h a t they thought of the P C W s h o w . I thought I'd take a d v a n t a g e o f the situation. W h a t did h e think of this year's s h o w . "We see it as a success,' he assured m e . Paula added, ' W e got an a m a z i n g feedback f r o m t h e p e o p l e w h o actually buy the g a m e s , not just the dealers.' M i n d you, it's easy to u n d e r s t a n d w h y they did think of the s h o w as a success. Way of the Exploding Fist z o o m i n g up the charts a n d a promising looking product called Fighting Warrior o n constant d e m o . That hasn't d o n e t o o badly either. But t h e n again, as m e m b e r s of the t e a m are quick to point out, M e l b o u r n e H o u s e rarely m a k e mistakes. This air of self confidence w a s the next thi ng to strike m e a b o u t the a t m o s p h e r e in their office. T h e y ' r e a funny bunch, w h o look at life very matter of factly. 'I don't think w e ' v e ever h a d an unfair review,' said Paula. That s u m s t h e m up. M i n d y o u , w o r k i n g for M H , it's not a difficult boast to make. Most of their reviews h a v e b e e n praising rather than critical. T h e y have a l w a y s b e e n k n o w n for c o m i n g out of the v o i d every n o w and then to p r o d u c e a classic g a m e . T h e n they disappear again, out of sight. N o w they see that as changing. Quantity a n d quality are t w o factors they w a n t to c o m b i n e . TheHobbit a l l o w e d t h e m to achieve f a m e a n d strength w h i l e the English
CRASH December 1985
43
computer games market was still y o u n g a n d very healthy. Situations c h a n g e , h o w e v e r . N o c o m p a n y c a n afford to w a i t m o s t of the year in the h o p e that the next title will pull in a fortune. E v e n so, the c o m p a n y still has o n e of the largest research a n d d e v e l o p m e n t b u d g e t s in t h e UK. F e w p e o p l e are a w a r e of the w a y that the c o m p a n y w o r k s , but all w a s soon revealed. A s Paula h a d already t o l d m e : the English M e l b o u r n e H o u s e is an i n d e p e n d e n t outfit. T h e y contracted a software d e v e l o p m e n t t e a m called Studio B. F r o m here. Fighting Warrior h a d e m e r g e d . They w o r k at the rear of t h e m a i n office, partitioned off a n d existing, for m o s t of t h e t i m e , in a kind of techno-squalor. A brand n e w C 1 2 8 a n d disk drive lay s p r a w l e d a l m o s t un-noticed on a table, w h i l e a Sargasso Sea of p o w e r supplies, peripheral leads and other paraphernalia defied a n y o n e t o pass w i t h o u t risking life a n d limb. The Studio B band gave m e a look at Gyroscope w h i l e it w a s being developed. There wasn't m u c h to see at the time, h o w e v e r . I did catch a m o r e interesting g l i m p s e of Mugsy's Revenge t h o u g h . N o w this w a s s o m e t h i n g interesting. A n incredibly w e l l a n i m a t e d s e q u e n c e of a m u r d e r in a club as s e e n f r o m a nearby office block. Apparently, the plot is that M u g s y is out of prison after his last series of escapades a n d this t i m e h e has to start f r o m scratch to build his h o o d l u m empire. The new animated sections will realty m a k e y o u r eyes w a t e r . W h e n t h e y w o r k o n putting o n e of their g a m e s o n t o another m a c h i n e , they don't see t h e m s e l v e s as just converting it. Each different m a c h i n e has s o m e t h i n g to take a d v a n t a g e of a n d this is a factor they bear in m i n d constantly. A s a result, fast conversions m a y not a l w a y s be possible. But each o n e stands on its o w n , in n o w a y looking derivative. It's the w o r k of d e d i c a t e d p r o g r a m m e r s . Often b u r n i n g t h e m i d n i g h t oil t o see their ideas t u r n e d into reality, they p r o v e Paula's point about t e a m w o r k perfectly. T h e c o m p a n y also w o r k closely w i t h their Australian and A m e r i c a n sister c o m p a n i e s , w h o deal m a i n l y w i t h C o m m o d o r e s o f t w a r e because of t h e m a r k e t s over there. Even so, it w a s the Australians w h o c a m e u p w i t h Way of the Exploding Fist, the biggest success on t h e S p e c t r u m so far, this year. T h e n of course, there is t h e book publishing section of t h e c o m p a n y . T h e y have p r o d u c e d m o r e technical a n d g a m e s books for the w h o l e r a n g e of m o d e r n micros than could possibly b e m e n t i o n e d here. Yet, like the s o f t w a r e side of t h e c o m p a n y , they keep a very l o w key. ' S o m e g a m e s material c o m e s
44
f r o m outside sources,' said Paula, talking a b o u t Gyroscope, 'but t h e n our p e o p l e w o r k o n i t ' Fine, but w h a t about Lord of the Rings? A h , w e l l . I couldn't see t h e g a m e w o r k i n g at the time, but t w a s g i v e n a Tittle appetiser. At the t i m e of the visit, it h a d not b e e n decided w h a t t h e graphics p r o p o r t i o n of the a d v e n t u r e w o u l d be, but there w a s plenty of quality material ready for the g a m e . N o t only that, but there
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
w o u l d be a n i m p r o v e d parser, m u c h like Level 9's i m p r o v e d interaction device. T h e g a m e is presented in a thick video case package w i t h t w o cassettes, the first v o l u m e of Tolkein's trilogy. The Fellowship of the Ring, a g u i d e book to get y o u started if y o u ' v e never played TheHobbit a n d g a m e specific instructions. Gimme, gimme I B e t w e e n Paula's desk a n d the S t u d i o B hovel, w a s A n d y
W o o d ' s domain. Andy, a refugee f r o m Activision, c a m e to M e l b o u r n e H o u s e to b e c o m e their National Sales M a n a g e r . H e already had the experience needed, g a i n e d f r o m p r o m o t i n g Ghostbusters last year. W i t h M e l b o u r n e House h e h a d his Christmas w o r k cut out for him. M a s s i v e e m p h a s i s o n point of sale presentation for t h e n e w g a m e s w a s required. For A n d y , that m e a n t a lot of p h o n e calls a n d n o m e a n a m o u n t of coordination. A n u n i m p o s i n g and genial m a n , i f s hard to imagine anything w o r r y i n g him. H e just d o e s his job a n d enjoys it. T o complicate matters for A n d y a n d e v e r y o n e else, t h e c o m p a n y are a i m i n g for s i m u l t a n e o u s release for their n e w g a m e s . It makes advertising easier, stocking easier a n d stops the kids f r o m b e c o m i n g frustrated. This h o w e v e r , will probably be achieved gradually rather than w i t h t h e v e r y next g a m e . But w h a t of the next g a m e . E v e r y b o d y is a w a r e of the i m m i n e n t release of Lord of the Rings a n d Mugsy's Revenge but t h e r e are others. A l t h o u g h , Paula e x p l a i n e d that a release date has not b e e n set, there is Big Daddy's Rock and Wrestle a d e p a r t u r e f r o m the boxing lookalikes that could well s p a w n a f e w clones of its o w n . Gyroscope a m a d d e n i n g g a m e in w h i c h y o u guide a gyroscope across a scrolling course, should be in t h e shops by the t i m e y o u read this (certainly is. There's a review in this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; E D ) . Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race promises to a d d s o m e t h i n g n e w to t h e sports simulation scene w h i l e fans of the 'cartoon adventures' currently being d e v e l o p e d should e n j o y tne s m o o t h and colourful a n i m a t i o n in Asterix. Like they said, quantity a n d quality are the c o m p a n y ' s targets f r o m n o w on. Further into the future, a n d c o m p a n y strategy isn't quite so apparent. T h e sixteen bit revolution is just a r o u n d the c o m e r (so they tell us) but w h e n it does c o m e , M e l b o u r n e House should be a b l e to take it in their stride a n d c o m e out s h o w i n g a profit. T h e y are a friendly bunch w h o w o r k in a subtle but a m i c a b l e a t m o s p h e r e . That c o m e s over f r o m the m o m e n t y o u enter t h e office. I d o u b t if anything t h e future holds bothers t h e m t o o m u c h . Originality is o n e quality the c o m p a n y never s e e m s t o nave lost. T h e k n o w the strength of a g o o d idea a n d t h e kind of marketing it will require to reach the top. T h e y are o p e n m i n d e d a n d will consider a n y o n e ' s ideas. If they're sound ideas, they can a n d d o m a k e the most of t n e m . A l t h o u g h n o b o d y m e n t i o n e d it, the level of professionalism in their office is difficult t o surpass. Perhaps that's w h y they are so successful. M u s t b e alt those p i z z a s . . .
software
SPECTRUM AMSTRAD J I \ L l I sales dept.. Castle Lodge, Castle Green,Taunton TA14AB
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rnl^vt want bill H M W wtthin our po«w to got H tar yoii.<l»n»iiiHfciYom»ioWv»intiil»mdlii8ili oranyisaMof CRASH canboontaraduainglhofofm — tn (ad any m I i H i H A w n thM CRASH haa boon auepfylnf than 100,000SfMcinim uaanwMi moll enter Nama tor PwUnwntfn, Myoucvi ba aura of th* vary boat In • aiVICa1, Wwt poll tat. Irt wtthin 24 hour* of racatpt and cortalnty wfthln 3 Id 4 danra unteaa Mtwwua notihad Thai a a no mail Of dar caUlo^ua hwlvad — (uti w tha pricn quotod In Iho maguina of the known latallprnH you hav* any quartaaiuitrtngtha numb* ahown on the form and our staff will edvnc you Anyona may taka advantage of the dkacount coupon* on the form which allow £1 off ordan worth mere than £20 and SOp off outer* worth mora than 110 Foataga and packing M included In tfva ptica ol lha Nothing could be e*mptar — HI la tha form today and onter whatever you like!
\E HEAVEN AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Producer: Electric Dreams Retail price: £9.95 Language: m a c h i n e code Author: S a n d y W h i t e , Angela S u t h e r l a n d a n d Paul Fik S a n d y W h i t e , author of 30 Ant A ttack a n d the follow-up Zombie Zombie h a s n o w produced his third g a m y for Rod Cousens, w h o is publishing it under the n e w Electric D r e a m s label. T h e g a m e revolves a r o u n d the tortuous N e w g a m a III space trials. Equipped with an M A Pack Jet Suit, y o u aro cast into a massive m a z e containing 3 2 universes. T o oscape y o u n e e d to construct a robot f r o m active robot spares lying a r o u n d w i t h i n the universes w h i c h m a y be accessed f r o m nodes in the m a / e . T h e r e are e n o u g h parts w i t h i n (he m a z e to create at least on< robot, but before a robot par can b e a d d e d to your c o l l e c t o r it m u s t b e deactivated. T h e par
also havo to be located and deactivated in a specific order, starting f r o m the feet upwards. U p o n collecting the final c o m p o n e n t , the mask, the greatest a w a r d is b e s t o w e d : y o u b e c o m e Of The M a s k T h e t o p half of the screen is taken u p w i t h the v i e w o l the m a z e a n d includes a little effigy of your g o o d self on the lower part. T h e b o t t o m of the screen contains various status indicators a n d keeps track of the robot y o u are assembling, with parts being a d d e d as y o u collect them. T h e corridors of the maze are displayed in o n e colour, each wall b e i n g shaded with a differ ent pattern depending o n the angle of t h e w a l l to your view. As y o u m o v e through lhe maze, the perspective changes, together with the shading. W h e n y o u turn a c o m e r , instead of iust flipping ninety degrees into the next corridor, (he corner a n d walls m o v e around smoothly T h e m a z e Is split into different sections or zones, each having a colour allocated to it In the corridors Ihe colour of the walls m a t c h e s the colour of the zone y o u ' r e in, a n d flashing areas s h o w n o n the m a p also have Hashing walls w h e n you m o v e throtioh t h e m . O n the b o t t o m right h a n d c o m e r of the screen is a s m a l l w i n d o w s h o w i n g your position u p o n the overall m a p . w i t h your direction and position m a r k e d b y a small arrow. As y o u
central and the w i n d o w scrolls over the larger m a z e map. Pausing the g a m e is quite helpful, since t h e full m a p of the m a z e is displayed. A l o n g t h e various corridors are handily positioned node points: these are gateways to the robot parts a n d other sections of m a z e . U p o n entering a n o d e section the view flips to three giant crystals which rotate about the screen a n d y o u are g i v e n a m m u n i t i o n for your laser — the n u m b e r of shots y o u have r e m a i n i n g is s h o w n o n a little counter in the status area. W h e n y o u fire on a crystal, It b e a m s y o u to another place. T h e t o p crystal transports you to a different node w i t h a different set of three crystals, w h i l e the b o t t o m right crystal lakes y o u to a section of t h e maze. (These crystal gates are shown on the m a i n m a p of the maze by flashing areas). T h e b o t t o m left crystat wilt transport your m a n into the parts store in the universe .behind t h e three crystals. O n c e in a universe you are t w i s t e d and rotated a r o u n d the robot part it contains and must blast it three times in the t i m e y o u are allowed. Do this, and the component is deactivated. Bonus p o w e r is a w a r d e d whenever y o u deactivate a part, but t h e c o m p o n e n t is not a d d e d to your robot unless it is the next pari in t h e sequence. T h r o u g h o u t the g a m e a < p o w e r counter d e c r e m e n t y o u d o n ' t visit a nc
1l
universe and deactivate a robot part before your energy runs out, H's lime to start another game. You start w i t h three lives, however, and if energy's getting desperately low you can enter a universe, deactivate a part and gain the bonus energy, H the part is not in the correct sequence, then you keep the energy but lose a life.
g^BSBMHBM
" H i
to
•••
• T h i s highly original program got m a n y a gasp w h e n it w a s l o a d e d u p in the office. If you m e r e l y look at t h e graphics objectively t h e y ' r e not that hot. but
M a s k is technically very cunning. a n d there's a fair bit of strategy t o back it all u p In t h e g a m e p l a y . There's quite a challenge m assembling a robot. Deactivating the activated r o b o t c o m p o n e n t s w a s probably t h e strongest section. A major 1 portion of t h e g a m e depe n d s o n m a p p i n g o u t the vast m a z e area — not really m y scene, t h o u g h 1 can see the a p p e a l for o t h e r users.' The game employs some of
48
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
M• A • S • K
the most remarkable graphics I've come across on a Spectrum. ie of the perspective shots brilliant. Sandy White's obviously learned a lot since 3 0 Ant Attack. The game contains more than meets the eye anc fact at first. / wasn't aware that half of the game actually existed! The extremely vague instructions didn't help — giving no •lues about how to use lives for instance — which was quite annoying. As it turns out I, of the M a s k is a deceptively subtle game. It's an attractive game too, and will doubtlessly appeal to many. Evidently, Sandy White is far ahead of his time.' • ' A b o u t t w o years a g o S a n d y W h i t e released a g a m e called 3D Ant Attack w h i c h , at the time, w a s v e r y impressive His latest a m e continues t h e 3 D t h e m e ut his t e c h n i q u e s h a v e advance d a bit f r o m 1983. / of the Mask is graphically s u p e r b a n d a delight to w a t c h . Essentially I of the Mask is a m a z e / s t r a t e g y a m e w i t h a f e w differences, / h i l e b e i n g v e r y playable I suspect that once I c o m p l e t e d it I w o u l d n ' t go back to it again. W i t h that said, it's not g o i n g t o b e a g a m e that can b e finished quickly. / of the Mask represents a step f o r w a r d in 3 D graphics. O v e r a l l , it is a v e r y impressive g a m e a n d if y o u like m a z e
g S
ga m e s , there's n o excuse for not COMMENTS C o n t r o l keys: 0 to fire, H to p a u s e a n d v i e w the m a i n m a p , direction keys according to joystick o p t i o n selected J o y s t i c k : K e m p s t o n . Interface 2, Prolek/Cursor K e y b o a r d play: unusual arra n g e m e n t (see a b o v e ) , v e r y responsive U s e of colour: m o n o c h r o m a t i c , a v o i d i n g attribute p r o b l e m s Graphics: S8ndy W h i t e . . . excellent S o u n d : a d e q u a t e , but not outstanding Skill levels: o n e Screens: corridors linking 3 2 universes G e n e r a l r a t i n g : technically excellent, backed w i t h a fair bit of strategic g a m e p l a y
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall CRASH December 1985
91 % 96% 92% 89% 88% 87% 92% 49
THE DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE Producer: Level 9 / M o s a i c Publishing Retail price: £9.95 Language: machine code A u t h o r : Richard Kelly, Caroline H o l d e n Just a b o u t e v e r y o n e except perhaps those trappist m o n k s in the W e l s h heartlands w h o have locked t h e m s e l v e s a w a y in solitary c o n f i n e m e n t never to see the light of d a y again has surely h e a r d of A d r i a n M o l e . T h e r e are his t w o diaries, he's just h a d a telly p r o g r a m based a r o u n d his exploits, he's also b e e n o n n u m e r o u s chat s h o w s a n d n o w he's o n a c o m p u t e r g a m e . W h a t next? A l t h o u g h t h e writers of this p r o g r a m are Level 9, Adrian Mole cannot really be classed as a traditional a d v e n t u r e — it's m o r e of a decision g a m e . At regular intervals during play you are asked to step into Adrian's
(sanitised) shoes a n d m a k e the decisions for h i m . For e x a m p l e , A d r i a n gets a spot. D o you squeeze it, b u n g on s o m e c r e a m or just ignore it? Each decision either a w a r d s or takes a w a y points f r o m your total percenta g e d e p e n d i n g on h o w successful the m o v e w a s . Each percenta g e has a rating starting from average schoolboy to goodness k n o w s w h a t — w e haven't completed it yet. T h e r e are graphics constantly o n screen w h i c h regularly update d u r i n g the course of the a m e . M o s t of the pictures are a s e d o n t h e illustrative t h e m e s found in t h e original book. T h e text also, is based very m u c h on t h e original w o r k by S u e Townsend. M o s t of the time, the text scrolls t h r o u g h in the f o r m of a c o m p u t e r i s e d book, b e f o r e options are presented to the player. T h e g a m e at least m a t c h e s the traditional Level 9 f o r m a t in t e r m s of appearance. T h e screen is split into a graphics w i n d o w in t h e top half a n d text w i n d o w in the b o t t o m half. Because of the lack of text input a n d the rather channelled nature of the g a m e , it isn't possible to skip through certain areas of the plot, the w a y y o u c o u l d in standard Level 9 fare. Finding a route through this g a m e is likely to cause s o m e real headaches.
S
CRITICISM • 'It s e e m s t h a t Level 9 have c o m e u p w i t h t h e solution t o t h e p r o b l e m of m a k i n g multiple choice questions interesting. S o m e of t h e options a n d their
; a* b o t h . He t o l d me he i- a i i d e f r i e n d s w i t h a woman a t • - K .
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, 3 t € r . He s a i d he w o u l d lixe • meet he'-. H e r e we 90 a'3 a i r . much f o r t h e s u i c i d a l . artbroken, deserted hu s Da n d . iich of the f o l l o w i n g s h a l l 1
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P a n d o r a . my m o t h e r . my g r a n d m a .
ADRIAN MOLE — a lad in a permanent quandary in the game written by LEVEL 9 and published by MOSAIC You get to help the tormented teenager make his mind up
conclusions are very f u n n y indeed. M a k i n g a g a m e o u t of the idea is, h o w e v e r , not so m u c h of a g o o d thing. M o s t of t h e t i m e y o u are reading t h e s a m e stuff t h a t appears in t h e book (and t h a t ' s a lot cheaper). Level 9 have c o m e o u t w i t h s o m e excellent g a m e s — and I'm not criticising t h e quality of t h e p r o g r a m m i n g — b u t I d o n ' t feel t h a t this really w o r k s as a g a m e , too well.'
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to play A d r i a n Mole, but / can assure you they have gone now. Level 9 have got to have a hit with this one. There are millions of Mole fans who will be very pleased to see that they have done justice to the guy. Its full of
funny situations with witty solutions and the enjoyment of taking part in Adrian's decision making is something that just does not pall. I can see the lack of real action putting some people off, but otherwise this is a game you should get—right now.' • T h e m a i n p r o b l e m w i t h this g a m e is the relatively large a m o u n t of reading necessary b e t w e e n 'moves.' This means that if the h u m o u r doesn't make y o u laugh, you'll soon be fed up w i t h it. But the strength of the a m e lies in its h u m o u r as well, o u should give your joystick muscles a rest, once in a while a n y w a y . This will probably be the funniest w a y to c o m p r o m ise. T h e h u m o u r is p o i g n a n t and clever. I can't imagine this being an easy g a m e for Level 9, or anyo n e else. It loads in s e g m e n t s as it is quite large. It's quite out of the ordinary as well. It'll probably sell o n the n a m e alone, but it deserves to a n y w a y . If you're o p e n m i n d e d about g a m e s and are bored w i t h the n o r m , get this o n e — yesterday.'
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COMMENTS Control keys: 1-3 decisions, C A P S to continue Joystick: N / A K e y b o a r d play: good U s e of colour: fair Graphics: average Sound: N / A Skill levels: N / A . Screens: N / A G e n e r a l rating: very g o o d , and different
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall 50
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
84% 65% 78% 80% 89% 85% 86%
ACE The Atr C o m b a t Emulate by C a s c a d e Games. Available from Boots, w. H Sm/ths.HM V . . % n , H o u s e o ( F r a z e r , J Menzies Woc*wc*th Lasky's andaii g o c d software retaitersor send cheque orpostai ordprte £10.95 ( £ 9 . 9 5 a ' 6 a n d V I C 2 0 + 8 k R A M Expansion) toCascxxJeallre a b o v e address You m o / order by ACCBSSor VKA via our 24 hr holi ine call 0 4 2 3 5 0 4 6 6 3 (be sure kg slate ffipe of computer a n d g a m e requ'ed)
INTERNATIONAL
I E
..And you thought you'd seen a Karate game As you know, like the Martial Arts, Perfection Is the only accepted standard, so play nothing until you play — S Y S T E M 3'S — INTERNATIONAL K A R A T E
For the Spectrum, C.64, Amstrad and all 48k Ataris at ONLY
£6.50
S Y S T E M 3 S O F T W A R E . S O U T H B A N K H O U S E . BLACK P R I N C E R O A D . L O N D O N SE1 TEL: 0 1 - 7 3 5 8 1 7 1 . E x . 6 8
THE M A D H A T T E R G O E S S A I L I N G ! Mastertronic has gone M A D ' No, that's not a c o m m e n t o n their mental health but trie a c r o n y m for their new range of games, stand ing for Mastertronics A d d e d D i m e n s i o n or s o m e such. Excuse if I'm a bit hazy about that aspect because they also w e n t m a d (as rn wild! and really pushed the boat out (pun!) to launch ( m e g a b a d pun!) the new games w i t h the London tig of the year. Four hours of free bar and excellent buffet o n a boat o n the Thames, plus the charming Debbie, Denise and M a r i a n n e attending to the every need of tired and emotional hacks. Spellbound is the first Spectrum title in the n e w range, an arcade adventure f r o m David Jones, author of smash hit Finders Keepers, one of the p r o g r a m s that has given budget software a good name With this range of supergames, to be released at the rate of only one or so a m o n t h , Mastertronic have sent their prices soaring to an extortionate £2.99!!! That's almost as much as CRASH pay m e for news items. (// will be, if you carry on like this — ED) Also on display w a s the g a m e that introduces us to Andromadous, the planet w h e r e m e n are mechanical and alien sheep are worried One Man and His Droid is an everyday tale of intergalactic shepherding It's part of the standard £1.99 range, w h i c h n o w also includes The Quest for the Holy Grail, a very silly adventure previously from Dream It is t h o u g h t that t h e w h o l e event cost a little m o r e t h a n e v e n 12 99, but it w a s w e l t w o r t h it, let m e assure t h e m (hie).
John Minson
M U D LAUNCH DATE CLOUDY
BIZZI B O D I E S The Micronet crew have added A whole new area to their frame store A w h o l e five h u n d r e d pages are n o w devoted to financial information including advice on most aspects of money management. Irom mortgages t h r o u g h taxation to starting your o w n business. And if you're jobhuntmg, The Bi«net will be carrying exec Utive |Ob advertisements sup uhed by Reed E m p l o y m e n t So now y ou don't need to be m The City to be in The K n o w w h e n it comes to toot
British Telecom's Multi User D u n g e o n has been hit by "unforseeable technical p r o b l e m s " w h i c h m e a n it won't be up and running for a while. BT persons assure us that it should be on tine before the end of this year h o w e v e r , and D u n g e o n Itchy m o d e m o w n e r s will have to wait awhile. T h e Great M u d Challenge, in which the champions f r o m 10 computer magazines will slug it out for f a m e and fortune inside the D u n g e o n will n o w take place in the N e w Year.
M A D as a hatter in topper and dickie b o w , Colin Johnson of Mastertronic dresses up and loons around all in aid of the launch of a n e w range of g a m e f r o m Mastertronic
r Is t h e b o a t listing, or w a s it the photographer. All aboard for a party on a London boat t o m a r k the launch of M A D games.
CRASH December 1985 53
Y O U C A N H A V E Y O U R S P E C T R U M A N D EAT IT!
LENSLOCK LOCK O U T
It just g o e s t o s h o w w h a t y o u can achieve w i t h a little perserverance a n d a desire to achieve s o m e t h i n g . Neil W h i t e h e a d , a reader f r o m C o u n t y D u r h a m , sent us in these snaps of a cake m a d e to celebrate t h e 21st Birthday of a friend of the family. T h e celebration scoff w a s c r e a t e d b y a Miss J C a m p b e l l , w h o just m i g h t find herself taking orders, o n c e this gets out. Looks y u m m y .
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Digital Integration have apparently been having a few p r o b l e m s w i t h the Lenstock installed as front e n d protection o n their n e w helicopter simulation g a m e , Tomahawk. It s e e m s a f e w m a g a z i n e s h a d difficulty in getting a d v a n c e copies of t h e p r o g r a m to run (not us, w e hasten to add smugly). A f e w i m p r o v e m e n t s have b e e n m a d e to the final production v e r s i o n of t h e g a m e , w i t h a tutor m o d e a d d e d so y o u can practice c o d e reading a n d entry a n d t h e instructions o n h o w to use the protection s y s t e m have b e e n e x p a n d e d considerably.
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PUT P U T T I N G THE ELECTRONIC PENCIL TO PAPER Further t o our profile o n t h e m e n b e h i n d The Fourth Protocol, w h i c h w a s t h e result of an i n t e r v i e w c o n d u c t e d in a rather hostile cafe in London, the E l e c t r o n i c P e n c i l C o m p a n y w o u l d like t o clarify one of the p o i n t s m a d e They contacted CRASH T o w e r s w i t h the f o l l o w i n g missive:
In the interview m the September issue ol CRASH, we inadvertantly gave the impression that John Lambshead and Gordon Patterson gave us a design 'for a very standard text input adventure Their design was highly original and made use ol detailed aimosphenc and concurrent plotlmes set <n a well conceived framework We enjoyed working with them and The Fourth Protocol's icon driven mechanics were very much a joint effort, We have parted company m order to persue our own design ambitions We are very sorry to have created such a misleading impression The Electronic Pencil Company
T H E BIG P L A Y O F F A n y day n o w s o m e lucky Gyron player will be richer to the tune of a small sackful of m o n e y or better off by one Porsche 924. A special version of the g a m e has been written for the playoff which will take place in L o n d o n o n 11th November. M o r e details next issue, winner willing.
Bruce Everiss, for it is he
M O R E PROCESSING W O R D S Oxford Computer Publishing are justifiably proud of their n e w W o r d Processor for the S p e c t r u m — at £12.95 t h e y have high hopes for it. Bruce Everiss, M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e r for OCP is convinced that it will b e c o m e t h e best selling serious p r o g r a m on the Spectrum. To m a k e t h e package m o r e attractive, a free copy of Address Manager on the flip side of the cassette which as its n a m e infers, is an address filing, indexing and retrieval program. Next issue, we'll really have a competition for you to enter. Rotronics Wafadrives will be on offer as top prizes, and complete sets of O C P software will go to runners up. You'll need to get hold of a copy of the Word Manager p r o g r a m to enter, though. W e ' r e going to be asking y o u to write something with it!
W H A T A FESTIVE S T U N T Seasonal greetings from the m e n at the Virgin M a g a s t o r e checkout desk. Yes chips, this is the Virgin animated Christmas card. All that is required is for y o u to load in side 'A' and then type in the n a m e of the recipient and the sender. Once the formal bit is d o n e the 'card' will d o its thing and play a little m e l o d y followed by the animated picture. In the foreground there is a very Christmassy house. If you look carefully you can see Santa zig-zagging from left to right all the time getting closer to the house. As soon as he arrives he parks the reindeer and walks
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56
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
there a very cute Christmas tree. Santa m o o c h e s over and stuffs something into a stocking. As soon as he has completed the obligatory gift planting he turns and makes for the table w h e r e s o m e refreshments have been left. T h e mince pie vanishes in a blink of the eye, quickly followed by a glass of Sherry. N o wonder Santa emits a quick 'Hie' at the speed he has to w o r k ! Indigestion must be an occupational hazard for Santa but he doesn't let it get h i m d o w n , he just makes for the chimney and z o o m s off for the next delivery. All very jolly and festive, but there's more. If you g r o w weary of the Santa stunt, flip the tape over a n d load in your 'free' jame, Space Command. You ind yourself in control of a space ship and your mission is simple. Destroy all alien life forms as they enter the confines of the screen. In order to frazzle the foe efficiently y o u will have to m a n o e u v r e your craft about the skies and avoid colliding with the e n e m y . You can select a m o d e in which the aliens actually shoot back in w h i c h case the w h o l e affair is considerably m o r e dangerous Since the g a m e is staged on one screen only, anything flying off o n e edge of 1 he screen wraps round to appear on the opposite side. This can be very confusing if y o u insist on flying about at great speed as you are certain to collide w i t h a nasty. The aliens will push h o m e their attack, w a v e after wave. If you manage to destroy a complete w a v e then you'will be rewarded with an extra life — but n o m i n e e pies.
Available for Commodore 64 Spectrum 48K and Spectrum + Coming soor Amstrad and MSX
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Car Thor save Cote Chick trom the hungry dinosaur? Only you can help. Ai first he only has to jump rocks and holes. Then he must jump and duck, almost simultaneously, to avoid the logs and tow hanging tree limb* in the Petrified Forest. The only way Thor can get across the river is to hop on the turtles' backs. These turtles sometimes get tired and submerge at the wrong moment, much to Thor's dismay. To add to Thor's difficulties, his arch-enemy Fat Broad is waiting on the other tide to ambush him. If Thor's tuning is good, the Dooky Bird will help him over the lava pit. If he jumps the pit just when Dooky Bird is overhead, the prehistoric bird will pick him up and carry him across! Thor must build up plenty of speed during his downhill run before the cliff. Timing is crucial, too. If Thor's balance is off or he is too slow he will crash into the ravine or the face of the cliff. Once over the cliff, Thor faces his most difficult challenge: the volcanic eruption. In addition to the obstacles on the ground, he is showered with boulders from the sky.
assar
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to Software Projects' B.C.'s Quest tor Tyres Competition B.C.'S QUEST FOR A PRIZE HI-FI Thor's on a quest t o save C u t e Chick h o r n t h e clutches of t h e nasty old dinosaur, a n d it's your job to guide h i m t h r o u g h t h e rough, t o u g h tricky t e r r a i n he has to traverse o n t h e w a y t o the dinosaur's cave. In S o f t w a r e Projects' conversion of t h e t h e characters game> ffeaturing eai from t h ei <c a r t o o n strip B.C. there's a w h o l e host of obstacles t o o v e r c o m e , including rivers, sharp p o i n t y stalactites, m a n i c diving turtles which you n e e d t o use as stepping stones a n d e v e n a lava pit I (Don't get m a n y of t h o s e around n o w a d a y s , thankfully.) The nice m a n at S o f t w a r e Projects decided he'd like to give a w a y a M i d i Hi-Fi s y s t e m w o r t h several h u n d r e d p o u n d s to a C R A S H reader, so h e c a m e up w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g questions, g a v e us a ring and asked if w e could help p u t h i m in touch w i t h t h e w i n n i n g C R A S H reader. Pretty s m a r t prize eh? No problem, w e said t o t h e m a n . W e II find y o u a w i n n e r for your whizzo prize. W e ' r e a l w a y s t o co-operate. happyr ft N o w it's your t u r n t o cooperate . . . Y o u n e e d t o w r i t e in w i t h the a n s w e r s t o t h e competition so w e c a n identify you as t h e w i n n e r .
Just in esse there's any confusion e n d y o u r e n t r y isn't t h e first correct o n e w e pick o n 31st December then there's a l w a y s t h e chance t h a t y o u m i g h t b e o n e of t h e runners up. A c o u p l e of folks will collect a set of S o f t w a r e Projects Spectrum Software — the complete works — and 25 more people will have a c o m p l i m e n t a r y copy of BC's Quest for Tires.
1)
In w h i c h w e l l k n o w n S u n d a y n e w s p a p e r d o e s B.C. appear? (a) N e w s of the W o r l d , (b> M a i l on S u n d a y , (c) S u n d a y Express, (d) S u n d a y Mirror
2)
W h o crested t h e character B.C.? (a) Sierra-On-Line, (b) Leachtm Seivad, (c) Schultz, (d) S y d n e y
3)
W h o w r o t e B. C. 's Quest for Tires on t h e Spectrum? (a} M a t t h e w S m i t h , (b) Michael Davies, (c) Derrick R o w s o n , (d) Leachim S e i v a d
4}
In w h i c h country d i d B.C. first appear? (a) A m e r i c a , (b) France, (c) E n g l a n d , (d) Australia
5)
W h a t is t h e n a m e of t h e (feathery! bird in t h e g a m e ?
Answers, please, on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope to TIRES C O M P E T I T I O N , CRASH, PO BOX 10. L U D L O W . S H R O P S H I R E , S Y 8 1 A O to arrive by 31st December. It's going to be a heavy day, I can tell. All those competition entries to sort through in the Minion's Quest
for Winners. And it's the ancient festival of HogMany in Ludlow that night — I know it sounds like something they have in Scotland on New Year's Eve. but it's a Minion Family Tradition to celebrate HogMany on 31 st December. And no, I won't go into details h e r e . . . .
CRASH December 1985
59
RIDING ALONG ON THE CREST OF A WAVE ... T h e call c a m e four days earlier. Did I w a n t to attend the European Surfing championships in Rossnowlagh, Eire? A sudden vision of w a v e s rolling under a blazing sun, bronzed surfers w i t h their g l e a m i n g boards and blonde surfer girls in bikinis flashed through m y mind. Yes, yes, y e s . . . A n d there I was, waiting for the first tube of the day without a single bikini in sight. But this is true journalism; flying visits abroad . . . okay, across the Irish Sea, but a journey into the u n k o w n nevertheless. M y passport w a s p r i m e d in m y pocket, ready to flash at any officious
Robbie and I w e r e to travel in his car. T h e cross country trek, surf boards attached to the roof, produced strange contrasts. S o m e h o w , it w a s difficult to relate microchips to all those w i n d i n g roads A n d as w e crossed the heavily armoured border, it w a s impossible to
that spirit began to c o m m u n i c a t e itself as I watched surfing videos.and marvelled at the w a y they mastered the rolling ocean. In the lounge, another contest w a s in full swing. N e w Concepts w e r e offering a specially airbrushed s u r f b o a r d to the highest scorer in their simulation. Four televisions and
water today, then?" I vaguely r e m e m b e r e d that w h i l e aif a r o u n d me.yyere making excuses, last n i g h H h e lure of the surf had overcome c o m m o n sense and I had said | w o u l d have a go. Let this be a warning against the inebriating e f f e d s o f Dutch C o u r a g e ,-, sorry. Irish Guinness X
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immigration officers. Profession reporter. I didn't n e e d it once. Five of us w e r e flying out. courtesy of Irish n e w c o m e r to the software scene. N e w Concepts, w h o w e r e launching their surfing simulation Surfing? Listen, the only water I like is a w e e drop with m y scotch. I've listened to the Beach Boys in m y time, but never forget that Brain W i l s o n was up in his r o o m writing all their best tunes, not risking his neck in the waves. The tube took longer than the flight I celebrated touchdown with a breakfast glass of fresh orange juice, neatly spiked with vodka. After all, it w a s nine a m and high time to prepare for the five hour drive to the Atlantic breakers. I already had a vision of that pale f o a m — yes, m y first pint of Irish Guinness. T i m e to introduce ourselves. Robbie f r o m SID, the distributors, Paul from C & V G , and Bill and J i m from Sinclair User. A n d there was N e w Concepts' top m a n , N o r m a n M c M i l l a n , a softly spoken and instantly likable chap w i t h his fourteen year old son. Doug.
reconyie-plobdsHed and terror w i t h the'rolling green fields W e ate lunch in a cafe facing a blackened shell of a shop, advertising a B o m b D a m a g e Sale.' Here w a s a chance to quiz N o r m a n . W h y surfing? "I w a n t e d to get into sports simulations but I w a s n ' t suro h o w until J u n e of last year." But do y o u surf? "Yes. For the last five years . all that wasted t i m e , " and he wasn't talking about the hours he had spent on the w a v e s But surely the swell isn'ttjifc) e n o u g h in the scepter&d isles. "I've n d d e n ten foot w a v e s , " so has Doug. I w a s in t h e c o m p a n y of fanatics and it w a s t o o fate to stave off the inevitable invitation. " W o u l d y o u like to try it 7 " I smiled sweetly. Not while I'm sober, thought I. W e arrived at the hotel just before dinner. It was like walking into a colony of Californians, a surreal gathering of bronzed, blonde young m e n and w o m e n w h o talked w i t h American or Australian accents — e v e n if they c a m e f r o m Sweden. I heard a r u m o u r that they used V i m to get that sun bleached look Not an application I'd recommend. Instead, t thought of inner comfort w i t h that glass of Guinness During the evening, one thing b e c a m e obvious. Surf is not a sport. It is a religion. T h e competitors f o r m e d a close knit c o m m u n i t y , bound by the search for the ideal wave. A n d
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985 60
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rubber keyed S p e c t r u m s h a d been set up and knots of spectators cheered their t e a m m a t e s on. The on screen surfer is controlled by a keyboard overlay, shaped like a surfboard, w h i c h responds to the position of your hand in much t h e s a m e w a y as a real board responds to body weight. So pressure o n the side makes y o u turn N o r m a n told m e there w a s no w a y the g a m e could be played via traditional means; twenty keys have to be read to calculate how you're positioned and allow for stunts like trailing your hands in the w a k e of the board. I m a d e a mental note: "Let your fingers do the surfing." I didn't get a chance to try m y hand (an attempt at wit I that night but I did sample a few m o r e pints, just to confirm m y initial impression. Ii had been a long day and as I lay on m y bed, the w a v e s gently rocked it or w a s it just that last Guinness 7 Tuesday and up with the lark and a pounding head Still, the sea breeze w a s bracing as 1 walked across to breakfast There I w a s in for a nasty shock. " W e ' l l be seeing you in the
Luckily lor m e , but to the competitors' frustration, the sea w a s like a mill pond. Not enough to m o v e a matchstick, let alone a Six loot fibreglass surfboard. The blonde posse continued to w h o o p it up on the Spectrums until the time c a m e to search for the swell, w h i c h gave us hacks 3 chance to get d o w n to the programs. I always find public demonstrations of my inability to master micro-games profoundly embarrassing. It took half a n hour before! was able to paddle out, "porpoising" under the incoming surf that tried to s w e e p m e back to the shore. Even then, 1 could only stay on the w a v e for .a few seconds, gliding gracefully d o w n a n d o f f the botiprri. But at the next monitor, Sinclair User's J i m w a s proving himself to be a natural, performing a '360' — that's a complete turn o n the spot. I m a d e a note to buy him s o m e V i m for his too-dark locks. O n the grounds that even inter-magazine rivalries fade b e t w e e n drinking partners, and
It's quarter t o s i x ^ ^ ^ J M / a j J i r j ^ ^ ^ ^ m m j l a n d I ' m standing in a n o r t h L o n d o n t u b e s t a t i o n waiting for a t r a i n t o H e a t h r o w . All t h e w h i l e , m y b o d y r e m i n d s m e I should b e y m m ^ in Tell ' e m I ' m Surfing! bed. m S E B I E S E l W e " > if a n y o n e asks
with bribes of p r o m i s e d pints, I squeezed into Bill S c o l d i n g ' s hire car. W e failed to locate the beach w h e r e m o s t of t h e competitors spent t h e m o r n i n g padoling about o n a s e r e n e sea I poetic h u h ) so w e w e n t o n a detour to c o n d u c t a n o t h e r
board. However m e m b e r s of o t h e r t e a m s b a c k e d h i m up. N e w C o n c e p t s h a v e taken a l o t of c a r e in this respect, e v e n at I h e e x p e n s e of s o m e g r a p h i c s sophistication, but t h e r e ' s a lot o f science, f r o m w a v e b e h a v i o u r
rather p u n y w a v e s to pass a n d t h e n catch the big o n e . W a v e d i r e c t i o n p l a y s a p a r t l o o , as o n the.ieft«f:lliftsCreen there are s o m e r<»cks a n d y o u w o u l d n ' t w a n t to g e t w a s h e d u p o n t h e m , w o u l d y o u 7 Meanwhile, your
The Surf Board overlay for the NEW CONCEPTS surfing simulation in place on the rubber keys —• not us dramatic as • waves, but nearly as much fun
m m™ ' X>X-' •••
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X-. , e n e r g y is b e i n g u s e d u p a n d , riVeuers is that thi» m i n i whilfe this s h o u l d n ' t p r e s n n i a n y surfboard prdvittex&satjsfv'fig p r o b l e m to the experienced . 1 ink h e t w e e h pj'a v<X A<'it spf ^ e o . surfer, the novice w e a r i n g o n l y action, > X \ ; X v ; X ; X v X •I'pods; (shorts) in the w i n t r y :•;, N o r m a n M c M i l l a n s e e s tHifeia^;; f . l w W ^ . y y o n ' t last long. T h e r e ' s a X p f ^.practice before you e t h i ^ p ^ ' / S p c i r t is fr&X. g r a d u a t e f r o m t h e stable, single •relaKfl'rti hip vf".l]<>dv J n d q w d - v •WC>J«>DK»fe1hirtg w h i c h has hiQcOv:- ' W b o a i r t s . t c l ' o n e s c a p a b l e of •:<idirtqoff.'the l i p a n d p e r f o r m i n g p'rbi??i^y a d d r e s s e d by:
i n t f W ^ j ^ f . w H r C h m o r e next, . . month '"•'•>:•:;. x '• ••••x: Lait?r, ^ u n i t e d w i t h t h e sui^gftatfe/nit'Kyveactuajly-.^.i s a w s o m ^ b c u o t y i n c l u d i n g our v hosts Ntorm*ar>3Kd Oqj;ig, g| idiog into t h e b e a q h A s j a a $ i y i f t l o d x ; . down t b e h e a d t a r i d to g & t ^ o m K - : piccies, t a g a i n a d m i r e d t h e race of the w e t Suited f i g u r e s ^ glanced o n the n a r r o w boards. . Okay, so m a y b e I c o u l d n ' t h a n g ten' (that's h a n g ten t o e s oyer the$ide of the board, for t h e uninitiated) but . . n;-.,; . looked kifjda fun. "•'••X-X-x'-'viThe e v e n i n g e n d e d at a "••*•>:•:•".• celebratory dinner for t h e contestants a n d the N e w Concept?. $Rrf b o a r d ,•:•:• .•:•:•:• An action screen, as. you ride your board towards the shore
S
in SVPF CHAMP, from New Concepts
English t e a m H e w a s m a r k e d out of ten o n t b e w a v e s a f t w h i l p . • c o m p u t e r s except p r e s s i n g ' buttons'quicker, a n d that's the micro mKrorS t K ^ j u d g K ^ i Critetia it scores out rif 100;000.;. . - e x e r c i s e " You'll learn iust as m u c h as f r o m c h o o s i n g the -munh m o r e satisfactory for right e q u i p m e n t for the the arcade ptayer, conditions a n d discovering ^•/Afterwards I c o r n e r e d J e d ; w h i c h are t h e best w a v e s to ride wKovVas.keen to sing t h e p r a i s e T h e h i g h e r t h e w a v e , the better pf the g a m e ' s accuracy, but then your scoring potential,sqit".S again y o u ' d expect h i m to — he w o r t h w a i t i n g for o n e s e f o f w a s h o l d i n g his g l e a m K i g . n e w
at?rjal.manoeuvres b e f o r e p l u n g i n g back into the s o u p . But o n c e m o r e u n t o the bar, dear friends: o n c e m o r e u n t o t h e beer . . . a n d o n c e m o r e t h e feeling that surfing can't b e that h a r d , c a n it? T h i s t i m e I've d o n e it N o w t h e r e is n o b a c k i n g out. D u r i n g t h e p r e v i o u s night's revelry, J i m
saidihat he'd have a go So n o w it w a s u p to m e to defend, the h o n o u r of N e w s f i e l d . Luckily, I c a m e d o w n to breakfast w i t h a h a n d f u l of specially selected :straws w h i c h e n s u r e d that he d r e w t h e s h o r t o n e first. Il w a s n i n e a m as h e p a d d l e d o u t into t h e g r e y Atlantic, clad in N o r m a n ' s w e t suit A t h o u g h t : il lie forgets to s t o p b e f o r e h e gets to N e w York, I w o n ' t h a v e to go. But he t u r n e d . A n o t h e r t h o u g h t w i l l C R A S H p a y for m y funerat? By the e n d of his turn. J i m w a s riding back to t h e s h o r e , lying o n his stomach. Norman and Doug had been very d i s a p p o i n t e d . w i t h t h p sea. A s I s t o o d chest d e e p in salty w a t e r . I.couldn't.unoerstand w h y . Each successive breaker lifted t h e b o a r d a n d I realised thai my, a t t e m p t to m a s t e r the sea w a s s o m e w h a t less successful t h a n C a n u t e ' s . T h e Atlantic is B I G . " G e t o n the b o a r d a n d find your b a l a n c e , " D o u g told rne.-Lyjng o n a flat surface t w o feel w i d e shouldn't b e . m u c h o f a p r o b l e m , b u t w h e n ' -'-' t h e b o a r d h a s a life of its o w n b e c a u s e of the surging s w e l l b e n e a t h it, i l ' s a d i f t e r e n t m a t t e r M a n y a t t e m p t s a n d theni ih'ad it For five g l o r i o u s s e c o n d s I w a s . s u r f i n g o n the w a v e . - . t o o s o o n , f w a s off. W h i t e w a l e r oyer m y h e a d a n d t h e b o a r d , . stay l o w as it f l e w a b o v e m e . T h e n a t u g o n m y a n k l e f r o m t h e leash a n d I w a s g a s p i n g to t h e surface It h a d not b e e n an auspicious start. A t least J i m h a d n ' t b e e n t h e r e to s e e m e walking back to d r y land a n d a w a r m i n g whisky bottle. But d i d it m a t t e r ? Not a bit. If w e h a d not b e e n rushing tar a flight, I'd h a v e b e e n t h e r e until I got il right O n t h e w a y back, N o r m a n told m e of future plans, i n c l u d i n g a f e w finishing touches, f.qr the p r o g r a m . " W o u l d I like t o w r i t e s o m e m u B i D ^ ' V c J u ' b e t ' A n d t h e r e will be prices for p e o p l e w h o break the high'score. N e w beaches f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d will b e •. a d d e d to the p r o g r a m . Each b e a c h h a s its o w n w a v e characteristics a n d o n e will include a 'tube' — that^s w h e n y o u surf a l o n g the h o l l o w b e l o w the c u r v i n g w a t e r M o s t spectacular! Okay, Norman, Doug, I ' m hooked. O n e problem though, the o n l y t u b e s w e get in London a r e c r o w d e d d u r i n g t h e rush hour. But J b e g g e d a prep r o d u c t i o n c o p y or S u r f Champ a n d since t h e n I've learnt h o w to c o n t r o l t h e b o a r d as I ride the rubber keys of m y m i c r o . I've g i v e n up alcoholic excess, b l e a c h e d m y hair a n d c h a n g e d m y n a m e to Christopher W a v e , Like I said, surf is a religion — a n d I ' m a convert. S u r f s up 1 John Minson
CRASH December 1985
61
J
It's d a r k o u t s i d e at g o i n g h o m e t i m e n o w a d a y s , w h i c h m e a n s t h a t w i n t e r is d e f i n i t e l y here. T h e w i n d is w h i s t l i n g r o u n d a n d t h r o u g h C R A S H T o w e r s as I w r i t e t h i s a n d o n e or t w o p e o p l e h a v e b e e n seen s p o r t i n g fingerless g l o v e s as t h e y p o u n d w o r d s i n t o their k e y b o a r d s a n d press joystick fire b u t t o n s . A n i n t e r e s t i n g s e l e c t i o n of l e t t e r s reaches m e in t h e m a i l b a g . a n d a t last it s e e m s t h e b a n o n p o e t r y has sunk in. N o plays, f i l m scripts of s y n o p s e s ( L M L W D ) of novels e i t h e r please, w h i l e w e ' r e o n t h e subject, o t h e r w i s e k e e p t h e m a i l c o m i n g . A n — m y t u r n o n t h e w o r d p r o c e s s o r has j u s t c o m e up, so I'll leave t h i s i n t r o in t h e c a r r i a g e of m y H e r m e s t o a n n o y R o b i n C a n d y by f l a u n t i n g m y i n t r o - w r i t i n g skills in f r o n t of h i m , a n d g e t o n w i t h the letters. I v e a l r e a d y p i c k e d LETTER O F T H E M O N T H , a n d t h e a u t h o r didn't mention Design Design once! That's t w o months n o w . . . .
SEXIST SOFTWARE?
Dear Uoyd. Attar printing the letter from Elizabeth Chatfield in your August issue, you asked her to reply and state w h a t s h e thought would constitute a good game for girls. Well, as I am a girl (actually, I'm probably too old to be classified as a girl, but I am female), I thought I'd add my own ideas on the subject. How about a platform game about a miner, and when he's made his fortune, there could be a sequel s e t in his newly acquired mansion. He could have a d r u n k e n orgy w i t h his mates and litter the place with beer mugs. So feminine, is housework I Or how about setting a game on the moon ? To make it more interesting and give it that female touch, there could be sweet little moon moles who eat cavern walls and wear dinky boots. As for adventures, the p r o g r a m m e r s could use favourite books as scenarios, such as Tolkein's works — whose books I have read again and again ,., What's that ? They've been done already 7 So therm i
62
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
Surety not THE A. Daley? No can't be. And what's this Bob Geldorfbh? Candy would drew a much uglier picture of me, I'm sure. No A Daley comes from Nottingham, so h's not Arfur After All
S«Ua.y ROBIPJ
( 6 o 8 CtLOo^
Bfttos res?.
games giHs can play! Seriously though, I imagine Elizabeth would like games based only on female subjects. I hope that there will never be a game based on a Barbara Cart Iand novel. Although I don't have them, there are games based on recipes or details for matching wine t o different foods. How about PSSS T w h i c h is based on the idea of g r o w i n g flowers? I d o h o p e Elizabeth doesn't w a n t t w o sets of g a m e s each, labelled for either girts or boys. W e ' l l never be equal if this kind of segregation goes on. M r s R h o n d a S h e r m a n , High W y c o m b e , Bucks My sister tells me that segregation isn't the cause of inequalities between the sexes — it's just that women are naturally superior. Not wishing to get into sexist arguments fit say no more on the subject. I'm sure you're right Mrs Sherman, there's much more suitable subjects for computer games that Barbara Cart/and novels. There are my novels for a start... Anyone else care to contribute to the debate on software tailored for girls or boys? Anyway, Mrs Sherman, you can choose £20 of software for boy, girls or just plain fun, because you are the author of Letter of the Month LM
A.DALEY
JUMP FEVER Dear potential patches of runny red stuff in a field It [jives me great pleasure, dnd l hope it always will Meanwhile, please accept this donation to the Pri/ey hit of the Competitiony hit the corporate .iccountant wasn't too keen on this act of charily until we pointed out that it would make lor extra weight and. who knows ;i hi<jgw hole (too TOO
l.Kc
obvious to trot out the old Soft' landing line, don't you think?l May we wish you fair skies, low winds and a fluffy cushion approximately 100 kilometres
square...
Neil Hooper and the rest, Micromega
M.my thanks for the games. Neil It all helps to get WEt'eeee Splat/iff the ground Ana not me. I hope ' IM
CANDYMAN POORLY? Dear Lloyd, I aw writing as a very worried Crash reader. Having s e e n tfw photo of Robin Candy in your magazine. I must ask you — is he well? From the picture, he seems to have a running nose. This has been the case since issue 15 when I first read the magazine. Now, in issue twenty, he still has the same steaming cold! Is there any hope for him? He also appears to have bags u n d e r his eyes. Is his health and commitment killing him off? Should we begin a Robin Candy memorial fund now? When he retires can I have his job? Ian Johnson, G r e a t B o o k h a m , Surrey
unhealthy just serves to reassure me that having one's photograph taken is not generally wise. Especially if someone goes and does clever arty things to it before printing it a magazine. I know (as part of his plans to take over the world which involves him starting in the office and working outwards). /know that Robin has never been entirely happy with the logo on his pages. Maybe something will change one day? But enough of this Candy fellow. LM
THE BITER BIT Dear Mr Mangle. ngh A few quick tpoi [taints o n old re just subjects. Firstly. I have n e ssy m p e the tic with become those who disagree with cheating at games. My copy ofCavelon sticks an arrow in m e even w h e n the sword Excalibur is working. So now I know how the program feels. Also, w h o says you don't make up names. I had m y bugs printed in the first issue a n d found t had become
a
Martin Butcher and none of my friends believe they are mine. Martin Butler. M i r f M d , West Yorkshire Exactly. It's time some caring soul spoke out on behalf of the programs themselves. Robin Candy has been allowed to get away with too much program mutilation and torture. Never mind though, at least your friends win believe you wrote a letter. LM
Very well indeed thank you. Far too fit, indeed, in that he is continually expanding his empire. / have to book time on the office wordprocessor now that Robin has started working for another magazine by the name ofAMTIXI It's going to be a case of back to the Hermes before long... All this business about bags under eyes and looking
S p e c t r u m 16k/48kor + ' I n c r e d i b l y f r u s t r a t i n g ! ' • t h a t ' s t h e v e r d i c t on C a s s e t t e 50's FROGGER. Satisfied u t e r i tell u t i t ' s o n e of t h e m o s t c h a l l e n g i n g y o u ' l l f i n d - it's a l m o s t a i good as t h e a r c a d e v e r s i o n ! C A R G O has you trying desperately to c o m p l e t e your h e l i c o p t e r mission under a t t a c k . Plus 48 other tecticel, logical and adventure games foeturing multi-coloured end user d e f i n e d graphics, scrolling a n d full use o l the Spectrum sound capabilities.
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63 CRASH Decern ber 1985
•
SKI® There'* many a true word spoken In jest. Now Jon Pemchey proves that the same goes for drawings. If you see what I'm Ktting at. Anyone who can include all my ancestors In one g Box deserves to win the December £20 of software
WHAT, ME? A HYPOCRITE? Dear Crash, Piracy is the subject on most computer owners' minds. Many good little boys and girls write in to say how they think piracy is immoral and how they would never do it. If they are telling the truth, they are either very rich squares or they don't have many games. I have over 150 games, only one of which is an original. Piracy is a vast subject which I don't claim to have t h e a n s w e r to, but I do have a few ideas which I think might cut down on the amount of pirated games. Firstly, the price of games; they are far too expensive. The average game c o s t s around €6-7 and it is now b e c o m i n g the 'in'
thing to have games packaged at or above the C10 mark. If software companies cut their prices — even by half, then their sales would more than double, making the companies more of a profit. Everyone would be happy. Software houses would enjoy the money making while the buyers would get good gamos cheaper and if they thought the game they purchased was bad, they would not feel cheated out of so much money. Even pirates would be pleased because there would be more games about, increasing their chances of getting a copy. I know that there is a lot of work put into games, but think about how much more work and money goes into p r o d u c i n g and launching a record. Yet they are sold for £5. Jus t think how many more games titles a software house p r o d u c e s a t their higher prices. They should easily be able to experiment
64
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
with their p r i c e s . M y s e c o n d p o i n t is a b o u t h y p e r l o a d s . I know they were supposed t o prevent piracy, but all they have prevented is the copying of games by use of n o r m a / tape copiers. Yet there are now copiers capable of handling hyperloads, so why continue? They haven't s t o p p e d tape to tape copying on stereos. All they have managed to do is make the games more difficult t o load for the people who actually paid for them. If they can only get a game to load occasionally, then they will be discouraged from buying such a game in the future. Come on software companies, think again. J Robson. Millhouses. Sheffield You Cannot BE SERIOUS' Off you go. telling us how piracy could be reduced by cutting the price of games when you've only actually spent money on one game in your entire life* It CRASH Smashes were sold for 50f> each I get the feeling you'd probably still pirate them, putting hall a do/en on a C90 The logic of your argument /ust doesn 't hold tme If software houses halve the price of games, you say, more people would buy them But the pirates would still be happy because there would be more games about, you add Inferring that they would still be pirating away merrily, with the "bor/ng squares" forking out the toot just the same Twice as man y games sold, each game making haltrthe profit means a lot more v. o k for no more mone y And A IW'S going to pay the rent at the software companies it this "buy one. pirate one hundred and fifty " idea catches on • or should they pirate premises, electricity and food so they ran brmg you free games' Come on J Robson. think again LM
PROVOCATIVE STUFF Dear Crash, I just thought I'd out pen t o patter o n the subject of the software! hardware t firmware scene, especially concerning the S p e c t r u m . There is no doubt that the Spectrum has been the m o s t successful home computer e v e r p r o d u c e d , with one of the biggest so ftware backups for any home c o m p u t e r . What we must ask ourselves though, is the question, 'Is biggest really What I am trying to say is that you and your readers regularly slag off the Spectrum's rivals, even though many of them have superior graphics and sound capabilities. This is because nobody wants t o admit they might have bought a second rate home computer. So, when they see a fantastic game running on another machine, they immediately defend the Spectrum by stating how much bettert biggePt faster that game would be on their c o m p u t e r . A good example of this is the letter you printed in issue 18 which put forward many valid points on how your magazine could be Improved if you toned down your artwork a bit. Yet all your faithful readers immediately jumped down his throat saying, 'How dare he criticise our wonderful Spectrum magazine. All of us faithful readers should stick together and pansiest fascists!aliens like him should not be allowed to read our mag.' The Spectrum owners reacted like that because really, the machine has practically run its course and will soon be overtaken by
superior machines. They are naturally scared about being left with a redundant machine. This happened with the ZX81. VIC 20 and will happen to all the present range o f b o r n e computers eventually, as technology advances. So I conclude this letter by saying make the most of your computer now, as in two or three years time, the Spectrum, BBC. C 6 4 e f c will all be part of history and bigger, better and r a s t e r computers will be the order of the day. Jeremy Connor, Tyne and Wear The results have not yet come back from the handwriting analysis laboratory yet, so I can't be sure ... You talk of a person who wrote a letter in issue 18, (one Jeremy Connor from Tyne and Wearjin the third person. Could there be two Jeremy Connors ? Or are you just pretending to be two people? Yes, most of the intermachine rivalry is silly. Without doubt there are games which work better one machine rather than another, but it's all very much swings and roundabouts at the end of the day. No doubt technology will continue to advance, but there comes a time when you have to sit back and decide where you. as a consumer, are going to call a halt. I'm still happiest with my typewriter, for instance, even though in the interests ol efficiency I have to book time on the office word processor nowadays. But I still write at home on my Hermes: just because something is "made obsolete'' by techno-advances doesn't mean it isn't still loved and used. Is the Spectrum doomed, oris it now so well established that it's going to hang on for a very long time? Let's hear from readers—there's one opinion on the matter next. LM
AUTOMATA U.K. The Piman's Software House
ONGOING UPGRADE SITUATION? Dear Lloyd, I was wry interested to read Tim Keen'* comments on the 'ever deteriorating world of the home computer.' I also work in m home computer shop and the days when you could sell ten computers in a day have long gone; yet there is still hope. Machines like the Spectrum. Amstrad, C64 have firmly established themselves in the marketplace as the most popular machines. The consumer has been tempted with MSX as an industry standard but this has failed. Spectrums and C64's are slowing down in sales but there is going to be a new C128 and Spectrum 12S in the Spring. Both of these will have what most people consider important when buying a new machine— Software support. I think the next few years will take off again after the slight depression; keep all your hardware and software but trade your machine and f be able to run all your games. Finally I'd like to know why Ocean advertise games like Rambo that haven t even been written yet? William Robertson, West Wickham, Kent
The new role playing game expert in the office, Sean the Leprichaun, assures me that resemblances are indeed bome. I've not seen Traveller, so can't comment but maybe someone else might like to? The next issue of CRASH will be the Christmas Special, so you could have a real feast on your hands if you're proved wrong!
THE LONG WAIT
DearLfovd, After being introduced t o Crash by a friend, the first few months of my loyal readership involved going to John Menzies every thirty days and forking out my 85p. Then, after buying the July issue I saw the amazing subscription offer. I dutifully sent off my order asking for Blue Max and Streethawk. I w a i t e d in anxious expectation and w a s delighted w i t h the H l » u>•» to n ) m the i tIXn l m l ticked b*lo>. I amcloaeMONTS. * CHEJUC/P. O. excellent service provided by Earab PO SOXH 70. POAFXTRft -J-.L. 11 p r l c i i AUTOHHTf) Inc'lud* VOI *Ltd. Carrlagt l t h mSCXJTHBTQ. U.K. OVERSEAS »C1 your mail order department. ASK -10 POCK" ORDER PRICE 4BK Srar. fine, rr ee tt aa ii ll CIO. CIO. W I L ORDER -(O P*»CK- Vel.X. Vol.2. PRICt CO If, Blue Max has arrived but of ~lO POCK" Vol.3. ASK Spec, r e t a i l CIO. MfilL IL ORDT.B PRICE CO IL OR •OO TO JUIL" SHctrua. r e t a i l t (,. HOIL ORDER PRirr C* course Streethawk has not. The -DELIS EX HOCHINO- C.B.M. AftK Sew. tt aa ii ll C>3. CIS. MOIL MAIL ORDER onril ri PRICE fiilr.i co "DCue fc-aletrr ee ihDHlng thought that Newsfield "PI nan!EXft-1HOCH1W he a n u a r . * Boot, hay PINONIO >aa -nr. CO CI Publications w e r e trying to con m e out of seven hard earned pounds w a s the last thing to cross m y mind, but is Streethawk ever going to get pushed t h r o u g h m y letter box or did O c e a n waste all that m o n e y MANCOMP S P E C T R U M MANCOMP B B C :OMP by advertising in your incredit y o u r e v i e w e d The Rats twice, once by S e a n Masterson and There's a piece of advice. / knew again by Derek Brewster. Over enthusiasm? Or don't Sean and I was right to hang on to the Derek talk to each other? (this Hermes. reinforces m y v i e w that the Are you sure it's not written w h o l e Crash t e a m are but a ffi? figment of a m a d c o m p u t e r I called C.R.A.S.H — Clever First company In all U JC. to Introduce whlle-u-walt 3 Reviewer A n d Superb Hacker). service. N o w first to offer an International repair service! After saying all that, keep up "I fwve come across afirm mac w i t tic more (tun willing to advise you as to how the standard y o u have set and to remedy your problem They are called MANCOMP. and as well as repairing well done for your n e w Letter of TRAVELLER'S Faulty Spectrums. are also quite willing to discuss your problems with you. and offer the M o n t h prize. reasonably cheap, and |MOR£ IMPORTANTLY) correct cures TALE Philip Bichard, Long M a r s t o n , ptm ftogan f N H l W u . Popular Confuting Wwfcly Jan. IWJ |V0l.IV. No. 11 Herts "My Spectrum blew recently I took it to MANCOMP. who fixed it m 8 rrwxitesl DearUoyd, And for less than t t O They are local, clued up. and bllndingly efficient"' Computer column. "4 Haatoru 0«9*f1' |Vol.1. No. 111 I know it's pretty unlikely " O r * firm, at least, can usually effect any necessary repatr over the counter m 4S this letter will be printed, but minutes Based m Manchester, MANCOMP can offer what is arguably the fastest a n y w a y I have a complaint t o turnaround m the business, to personal callers" Crash Maguint . Jurtt i vis make about Firebird s Elite. / think you might find that Issue r "Ofaii the repair companies S*xi»rUser' spotce to. MANCOMP seemed the most All the w e a p o n s ( b e a m and 16 was the last time professional when rt came to adwice and a hetplui attitude" Augun i w pulse lasers, E C M systems), "Debugging " made an cargo details and planet appearance in the Trail. It may • Send Spectrum encl £ I 80 return postage |U K.J. £2 50 lEurope). information (like the tech levels well have escaped the notice of £6 50 (Middle East. Africa) • Or phone/bring Spectrum for ff££. 1-15 and the political states) are the chaps in Art Room, up in the no obligation estimate * W e repair most Spectrums in minutes completely ripped off f r o m the draught eaves of CRASH Towers role playing g a m e Traveller — and an internal memo in • Every Spectrum sent insured and by receipted parcel post (UK ). from G a m e Designers' triplicate is winging its way to registered air mail if overseas • No hidden costs Workshop. Elite is a great g a m e them. CRASH: the magazine not and deserves all the success it afraid to Name The Guilty Men. gets, but surety G D W should get M A N C O M P LTD.[DePtcM*» The Ratty duplication was some credit for all the ideas they deliberate, however and has Printworks Lane, Manchester M 1 9 3JP. gave the authors, since been done before when it m obviously they played or saw Phone 0 6 1 - 2 2 4 1 8 8 8 / 9 8 8 8 appears that two opinions on a Traveller. If I'm completely game, from two slightly O p e n 9 a . m . till 7p.m. M o n . t o Sat. wrong, then I'll eat m y next copy different perspectives were of Crash (don't worry I'll buy justified. Face it, if it was all put W e also design hardware and software from idea through to another). O h yes, please cut together by a mad computer, manufacture down the drawings in the letter slip ups like this wouldn 't occur. M section since they make the MANCOMP S P I C T R U M MANCOMP B B C MANCOMP We all now how infallible magazine look really juvenile. computers are, now don't we? Adam Locks, Thascted, Essex. LM
[X PRESS SPECTRUM & BBC REPAIRS!!
II
©
65 CRASH Decern ber 1985
•
£ W (
VA.fpvj Sj&rL*-
orogyB A compters family of Adventure reviewer*, In a group portrait that o w n a little to Welly IWeek's gatherings. EVERYONE'S A DEREK from Steve Carter of Romford
W a n t t o k e e p in t o u c h ? U s e d a t a b a s e s , e l e c t r o n i c mail, bulletin b o a r d s , v i e w t e x t ? D o w n l o a d t h e latest s u p e r s o f t w a r e f r o m Prestel*? N o w y o u can, with your 48K Spectrum* a suitable m o d e m a n d the D A T A S P E C T R U M m o d e m interface a n d software p a c k a g e from Miracle Technology D A T A S P E C T R U M fits s t r a i g h t Into t h e S p e c t r u m e d g e connector and handles b a u d rates of 3 0 0 / 3 0 0 . 1 2 0 0 / 7 5 and 7 5 / 1 2 0 0 . S o f t w a r e features include M a i l b o x Editor. F r a m e Processor, Save, Pnnt a n d Telesoftware Downloaded
DATASPECTRUM PUTS YOU IN TOUCH!
T h e O a t a s p e c t r u m P a c k a g e , including I n t e r f a c e , c a b l e , c a s s e t t e a n d full U s e r G u i d e c o s t s o n l y £ 3 9 . 9 5 e x c ( £ 4 7 . 0 9 inc V A T & U K P / P ) . It's a v a i l a b l e n o w - s o g e t in t o u c h ! Please send m a • O A T A S P E C T H U M p a c k a g e s @ C4 7 0 B inc V A T + U K PIP • •
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Name Address Postcode s « n d to S p e c t r u m S u p p o r t 5. M i r a c l e T e c h n o l o g y (UK) Ltd. S t P e t e r s S t r e e t . I p s w i c h 1P11X8 Tel 0473-216141
'rtfl o fto*
66
of fi® ciynp<n • i off nirm)
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
Dear Crash, PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE tell ma whypv op la take the Mickey out of Milton Keynes? There it nothing wrong with this city and it it a pleasant and peaceful place to live. People like R Hogg of Swansea (SWANSEA — where's that?I just don't appreciate a decent city wnon they hear about one. Mind you, I can't wait for R Hogg to bring out hit adventure. Like a Virgin. I w o u l d certainly buy it. Anyway, before you laugh at Milton Keynes, come and see it. I'm sure it w o u l d change your minds. P Chaney, B letch ley, M i l t o n Keynes
HUNTING FOR THE TRUTH
I enclose c h e q u e / p o s t a l order c h a r g e m y Access/Visa c a r d no:
expiry d a t e
MICKEY KEYNES
s^s MIRACLE '^TECHNOLOGY
Dear Lloyd, lam writing because I thoroughly disagree with the letter by I Hunter (issue 20) on the qualities of a game that should be made a CRASH Smash. What does he mean by saying There is no point is superb graphics if the first screen is impossible or difficult t o get through?' I Surely no one would want to
get through the first screen If the graphics weren't superb. Ana anyway, no screen can be impossible to dol While discussing the p r i c e s of games, he also mentions the companies Firebird and Mastertronic and states that €9.00 is a high price to pay for certain games. This is t r u e , but surely for a mega fab game that has a lasting appeal of two months it Is better than paying £2.00 for a poorly packaged game which has a lasting appeal of 3 Hours. Okay, so Booty and Finders Keepers are excellent g a m e s but can you think of any m o r e f r o m these c o m p a n i e s that are? No? Neither can 11 I totally agree w i t h all other points m a d e though. Did he w r i t e Loderunneror something? Before I stop I'd like y o u to a n s w e r this question; W h y are all C B M 64 g a m e s usually £2.00 dearer than S p e c t r u m ones? Is it because they are of higher quality? A h w e l l , I suppose I'd better stop n o w . G a r y Dring, S t a m f o r d , Lines. Hmm. A straw poll of the office comes up with 1) C64 owners have more money, and can be charged more; 2) it takes longer and involves more effort to program the 64 (music, remember); 3) 64 software producers have worked out that they can make more money this way and get away with it; 4) it's all to do with the phase of the moon 5) / think I'd better stop now, too. LM
LOST IN THE CROWD Dear Lloyd, Please could you tell me why the slogan of CRASH subscriptions is 'Get your copy ahead of the crowd'. I subscribe and get my copy at least three days after my friends who don't. A n d r e w Wilson, Dartford. Kent Ah, but we never said which crowd' No. there have been some problems — mainly that some newsagents have been getting early copies of CRASH owing to first rate efficiency on the part of the distributors Sometimes we were dodging the traffic warden and unloading copies of the magazine delivered a day before it hecame available. And then, on occasions, the printers didn't send quite enough copies, although we had asked very nicely .., Anyway, things should gel belter as the powers that be have taken the pressure oil Auntie Sally and the mail order team and sent the /ob out ol house A firm in London will be servicing subscriptions, starting this issue — so tf you've still got a problem, let us know
*
COMPUTER G R A P H I C S
LTD.
SALES 051 -709-4462 TELEX 628332 CAME G SPECTRUM 48K-COMMODORE 64
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— alittle strip courtesy of James Harris from Hungry Bug*-—m Cleveland
COMPARISON CORNER DeerUo I own a
4SK and a re 6 4 and buy both Crash and Zzap!64 every month. Harm is a com partrit 1) Crash Forum vs Zzap! Rrap 9.25/109/ 10 Excellent. Tha letters are generally good. Loads of
space for letters, much mora than other magazhines (Crash 9pages, Zzap/64 6pages, dim most number oflatter pages in other magazines is 3 pages). Crash also publish cartoons which makes Crash Forum a touch better than Zzap! Rrap. 2) Playing Hps vs Zzap I Tips 9/108.5/10 The best thing since sliced
SPECTRUM TAPE and DRIVE TRANSFER UTILITIES ALL S P E C T R U M o w n t n need T C 7 — our specialist tape utility. Sent) S A E lor FULL DETAILS of thi* a m a z i n g i n d widely u w ) program • integral header reader • include* B A U D RATE (apeed) measurer • c a n save high tpeed/jerlcy p a r t * in " n o r m a l " f o r m for DRIVE transfer • t o m a n y extra feature* w e can't possibly I W t h e m here Just t r y it a n d see. A a t h e market leader m can't afford to let C O S T' only H SO (or O . M on cartridge w i t h M T S a ipecial M / d r h r e p r o g r a m — £7 SO w i t h M T > OA t a p e ) Y e * S P E C T R U M o w n e r s n o w h a v * _ * LOW C O S T w a y of transferring m a n y of e v e n the LATEST high speed/lerfcy p r o g r a m s to their d r i v e * Y o u will b e a m a t e d l Other m e t h o d * a r e expensive or very limited. firstly y o u will n e e d our M D 1 b (for M / d r we) or W O l b (for W a f a or dtec drive). T h e y give y o u the too** to convert p r o g r a m * so that they will run o n your drive. Include* ability t o c o p e w i t h v.lortg p r o g r a m * . and split/chop bytes in o n * g o . V A L " creator, REMkill. m a k e visible etc. etc FULL m a n u a l (highly rated by CRASH) w i t h e x a m p l e transfer* M O I b or W D l b eoet ( t . N . 'Manages more programs' — Your Spectrum /TC7 also needed tor latest programs!
LERM INFORM A TION SHEETS Each sheet g i v e * y o u t h e DETAILED Instruction* required to transfer 8 of t h e m o r e P O P U L A R p r o g r a m s to drive using our s o f t w a r e They ooet C I E A C H pfca SAE. U p to sheet 5 available. T R A N S F E R PACK — T C 7 plus M T V o k a M O I b o n cartridge — I n f o r m a t i o n sheets 1 - 1 a * for 115 50 (other drive •rs 0 * 4 p r o g r a m * o n t a p * a n d s h e e t * for * a m e price w i t h W D l b replacing M O I b ) U P O A T E SERVICE: for latest version on your L E R M product send old tape plus large SAE to get a O R E D U C T I O N . O V E R S E A S a d d C I Europe. M o t h e r s for each product. S A E for >nqulrt*«. ALL P R O G R A M S CARRY A M O N E Y BACK G U A R A N T E E (mm
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LERM. DEPTCR, 10 BRUNSWICK GDNS. CORBY. NORTHANTS NN18 9ER
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C R A S H Decern ber 1985
breed. There ere loads of tips every month for many new games. The tips in Crash are newer end there Is no Mini Tips dept In Zzep, so catch up Zzap!. 3. Hell of Slime vs The Scorelord Speaketh 6/10 9/10 The Scorelord Soeeketh Is by far the best. This is because different scores on one game are grouped together under the game name. Hell of Slime lists different games under the scorers names which Is useless. Zzep! challenge is great' first class idea! 4. Signpost vs Clever Contacts 8/105/10 Clever Contacts don't give much help on adventures and the help given is either too vague or you have to send off for it. Signpost gives solutions, not tips and each Is given in Brewster Code t o s a w people knowing answers to newly bought adventures. 5. Crash Reviews vs Zzap! Reviews 10/109.5/10 Brill! Trif! Fab! Firstly the tletails on game play, scenery and aim of the game are greet! The length of the reviews ere long, not fust long, I mean LONG, but Crash have comments, Zzap! doesn't but they do have sound percentage. Lee Parton, S w a n s e a .
Shall / compare thee to a summer's day? someone once wrote. I suppose you'll have to buy an Amstrad and read AMTIX! now Lee. if you want to carry on comparing. This could aet expensive, especially when Newsfield Publications starts a magazine for Cray 2 users! LM
HUSHED
ACTION
Dear Lloyd. A few weeks ago I bought the game Way of the Exploding fist I w a s amazed at h o w good it w.is The other night I went (or a g o 011 m y cousin's C o m m o d o r e 64. W e played the same game and though it wasn't up to Spectrum standard it did play a lovely tune 10 you while you goi on with the g a m e I w a s wondering why the Spectrum did not have this music. Nol enough K or s o m e t h i n g ' James Close, Derby Or something LM
Deer LJoyd, I have some ideas on whet would make Crash better: II Print games listings. 2) Have more cartoons. 3) Stick the middle pages In herder. 4) Print photos of yourself. 5) Have more Robin Candy. 6) Let Jeremy Spencer do a monthly article about Zoids. 7) T u r n Signpost Into pictures only. 8) Get rid of1 Derek Brewster. 0) Have mora posters. TO) Have mote slime. If you refuse to even consider these things you will heve lost e reader end I will heve no Dun Darach and Finders Keepers (hint hint!), Alex Nowforth, Futwood, Preston Consider them considered.
LM
In lr
Imagine Software Is available i
:
r.b......
from: W H S M I T H rJ!aiAIJlU!JI wnoumvrm Spectrum Shops and all good dealers. / r
LASKYS. Rum be lows G r e e n s ,
Âť m l C f m n t . kj)in/-hnr<-nrll.n C M C . T o i n A I
AAOQ77
70
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
"NIGHTSHADE" recommended retail price ÂŁ 9 . 9 5 inc VAT. Available from W.H.SMITHS, BOOTS, J.NENZIES, WOOLWORTHS and all good software retail outlets. Also available from ULTIMATE PLAY THE GAME, The Green, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire LE6 5JU (PfieP are included) Tel: 0 5 3 0 4 1 1 4 8 5
A CHRISTMAS PRESENT
CfcAfcy WORK
Deer Lloyd, My tale is a tearfulI one, for over 4 months I have been desperately trying to get a mention in CRASH. Every time my CRASH arrives I rush t o the door in hopeful anticipation only to find my dreams shattered by the absence of my name in yet another CRASH. I have entered every competition there has been and still no mention. Oh woe is me, life is not worth living anymore. I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown. Until a week ago I though I was the only one with this terrible problem until I saw Martin sobbing by the letterbox as he posted his millionth letter t o CRASH. Now there are t w o of us in this terrible state. Help us, please. M a r k Blachmore and M a r t i n Baker
.
A^o B o y . . . , Perhaps a little derivative of the MAO style, a fold up cartoon from a reader who must remain anonymous. Mainly because he or she forgot to add a name or address
AVAILABLE FROM LEADING HIGH STREET STORES
I'M TALKING TO YOU!
Oh allright then, just this once. Think of it as an early Christmas pressie, OK? LM
SUITABLE FOR SINCLAIR HOME COMPUTERS This is your Sinclair computer speaking Or it could be. with the simple .addition of Welwyn's great new computer speech facility Microspeech: Just slot Microspeech into your Sinclair, and you'll be listening to your computer talking to you through your TV as the words you key in appear on screen Adding a whole new dimension to all the fun you get out of your computer, lightening up the serious business of work, educational programs and games An infinite vocabulary at your fingertips, simple to add. simple to use you can make your computer talk with I the Currah Mtcrospeecb' unit for only £21.95 Now, that's
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Mi? READ ALL ABOUT IT MICRONET PAGE 6 0 0 4 3 7 1 2
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C | U | R | R a | h - M | 11C|R 1 W e can make C o m m o d o r e s speak t o o
72
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
P I E |E C Another I product
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NEW CONCEPT 2 Use of patented N e w Concept Surfboard. T H I S IS SURFING! NEW CONCEPT 3 N E W BEACHES A N D N E W CHALLENGES T O FOLLOW (i) Eurosurf ' 8 5 Bundoran: Peninsula angled breaks. (ii) Huntingdon Beach, California: W a v e s that die and are reborn. (iii) Burleigh Head, Australia: Longest tubes in world with sharks. (iv) Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii: Murderous ree break tubes. W I N YOUR W A Y T O THE W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P S A T A N EXCITING V E N U E .
JED STONE 1 9 8 5 English Senior Surfing Championships and Five Times Winner of the Eurosurf Championships and Winner of the Inaugural Computer Championships at the 1 9 8 5 Eurosurf Championships.
OTHER FEATURES Gear selected, board selection and personal details affect performance. 1 0 speed practice mode. R e a l s c o r i n g o n full s e t of m a n o e u v r e s . B a c k up fully illustrated surf e d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m .
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copies of S U R F C H A M P
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\
Walkers
COMPUTER SERVICE AND REPAIRS
Ttlfphonr 10211 MJ S**
W a l k e r s will repair y o u r c o m p u t e r at a realistic price. Y o u send a c h e q u e not to Exceed £ 3 0 . 0 0 ; your c o m p u t e r w i l l be repaired a n d returned t h e s a m e d a y or send for a free quotation. M o s t repairs will be in the r a n g e £ 1 5 . 0 0 — £ 3 0 . 0 0 subject to m a c h i n e .
For information
Telephone — 021-643-5474 Derek's a popular subject this month. Not s o sure that A M a s o n will be so popular with Derek for this little portrait,
or simply send your computer together with the coupon below
tho*
MOAN, GIBBER. COMPLAIN I w o u l d like to w r i t e , h a v i n g just looked over m y latest C R A S H (21) I m u s t say ' O h D e a r ! ' . M y word, o n l y 19 r e v i e w s (compared to a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5 0 in issue one). I realise this m a y not be your fault w i t h g a m e manufacturers w a i t i n g till Christmas, but w h e r e is Komp/ex City a n d such like? I must say that I f o u n d y o u r letters c o l u m n just a b o u t t h e worst I've seen. T h e star letter would not h a v e b e e n p r i n t e d only a f e w m o n t h s a g o ( w e l l it might h a v e , but not as star letter). A l s o , t h e p l a y i n g tips are not e x p a n d i n g , w h y not? M o s t of your r e a d e r s h i p (I think) w a n t more. N e x t point: B l a s p h e m y ! ! (disbelief! H o r r o r l ) f l q u o t e : 'apart f r o m the usual d r o p in g r a p h i c a l qualities' (,Bounty Bob Strikes Back). W e l l , I say unto y o u : G r a p h i c s o n the Spectrum are not w o r s e , colours are not graphics. Look at Highway Encounter. T h e C B M cannot h a n d l e t h o s e g r a p h i c s routines. W h y d o y o u think Ultimate d o n t transfer Knight Lore? (by t h e w a y y o u g a v e use of colour p o o r o n Dambusters. The colour is as g o o d as t h e CBM version). Look at Way of the Exploding Fist, t h e r e is m o r e animation a n d t h e characters are better d e s i g n e d . N e x t point: Why do s o f t w a r e h o u s e s insist on putting g a m e s in s u c h c r a p p y packages? Everyone's a WallyMy G o d ! I g e t h o m e a n d t h e box falls to bits instantly! B e y o n d ' s are not m u c h better. U s e either Imagine t y p e b o x e s (nice looking) or Beach HeadII t y p e boxes b e c a u s e they fit in conventional cassette t a p e holders. S. Griffin. R e a d i n g , Berks. At the risk of being boring again, here's a few answers to the points you raise. II You could be right — games have been flooding in in the last couple of weeks. Games take longer to develop nowadays, partly because so much more effort goes into them, which
might go part of the way to explaining why there are less games available for review. /4s to Komp/ex City, ask Legend 21 There's no accounting for taste. The Candy Empire is expanding daily. Even as / write, he has just made a bid for the beermat I stand my mug of tea on. 3) I'm assured that the C64 most certainly could— and could scroll the graphics too. But this kind of argument is not very constructive 4) Nice things come in all sorts of iac~
Thorns Walker & Son Ltd, 58 Oxford Street, Birmingham B5 5NX PLEASE TICK • CHEQUE ENCLOSED
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UNBELIEVABLE! M A K E THE MOST O F YOUR M I C R O D R I V E WITH
INTERFACE T H E IMPOSSIBLE HAS B E E N D O N E Yes It's true this f a n t a s t i c new peripheral will transfer e v e r y p r o g r a m a v a i l a b l e on to microdrive Yes e v e r y o n e Yet. believe it or not. it is so e a s y t o use that we are training our pel cat (Clive) to use II A n y o n e capable ol loading and saving a BASIC program c a n transfer r e a l l y a w k w a r d programs to mcrocS-
rjve
Just l o o k a t t h e s e f e a t u r e s . . . • Consists o f h a r d w a r e a n d s o f t w a r e (software on mlcrodrlve cartridge!. • Transfers all programs available o n to mlcrodrlve. • V e r y , v e r y , easy t o use. (If Cllve can d o It w e ' r e l u r e y o u can.)
• Makes a 'snapshot' of a n y stage of a p r o g r a m . | S a v e d as a s c r e e n . } • Transfer can be a c t u a t e d at any stage a l l o w i n g "customised" versions. • A l l p r o g r a m s re L O A D a n d R U N once transferred.
• Programs wilt r e l O A D Independently of the "Interface*. IF V O U H A V E A M I C R O D R I V E Y O U M U S T H A V E I N T E R F A C E I I I O N L Y £ 3 9 . 9 5 Inc. P A P
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And there really are some breakdancers in Ludlow.... how ever did Matthew Dalby of Dulverton in Somerset guess. Not that I'll be joining them, though
t h e n e w s a g e n t s h a v e g o t a copy of Crash. H e t h e n d o e s it again, just t o b e o n t h e safe side. H a s he n e v e r h e a r d of t e l e p h o n e s ? I m e a n h e w o r k s in o n e of t h o s e recently v e r y m u c h discussed 'secret listening posts'. T h e r e m u s t b e a p h o n e . I n s t e a d he t h r a s h e s up an d o w n m o u n t a i n s for over 140 m i l e s — at least. W h a t an a b s o l u t e w a l l y . H e ' s lucky h e c a n w a l k a n d talk a t t h e s a m e t i m e . ( A n d I cleaned t h a t up.) Then you some along and g i v e h i m a prize! D e a r o h dear o h d e a r . ( A n d I c l e a n e d t h a t up too.) If t h i s is t h e s t a n d a r d of our a r m e d forces, p r o t e c t i n g t h e n a t i o n f r o m f o r e i g n nasties, t h e n G o d help us all. Incidentally, B e n N e v i s is a t o u c h o v e r 4 , 0 0 0 f e e t high, w h i c h is n o t e v e n close t o your estimate. S h a r p e n up M a n g r a m a n d g i v e t h e letter of t h e m o n t h t o t h o s e w h o d e s e r v e it. Alan W Mackie, Glasgow. Now you now I'm not the sort to go down the pub. / leave the drinking of Old Flatulence Bitter to the likes of coarse fellows like the Editor and the competition minion (they're always drinking together). I prefer Martinis, Dry, Straight Up. Perhaps the newsagent in 'prus hasn't got a telephone, 'ot everyone in this country has No one, so why assume so in Cyprus. Anyway, Government Funds shouldn t be squandered on eavesdropping on Cypriot newsagent's to find out whether CFIASH has arrived, I'm sure you'll agree.
A very hirsute (LM's LWD) collection of CRASH staffers, courtesy of James Mindham of Norfolk
ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINT Dear Sir. I am writing on behalf of the British Sado Masochist division for the prevention of
76
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
cruelty to whips. Issue 18's cover was degrading and cruel. The whip drawn by the sadistic Mr. Frey had obviously been cruelly lave overuseserf and should fit been replace years ago. If you do not tell the lady in the picture to start tightening up on her overall standards you
shall be hearing from our solicitor and I will confisticate the whip in question. M r M i c h a e l R S u t t o n W.H.I.P., H a r r o w g a t e , N o r t h Yorks. That was this month's token loonie LM
That's it. The giant eggtimer's just about to run out. so my turn on the wordprocessor is about to come to an end. It's daft this system — it's worse than booking a squash court at a busy club. I wonder it we could network a couple of Hermes typewriters.. Just so I can fill my next booking on this infernal machine, make sure you send your letters to CRASH FORUM. POBOX 10. LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE SYS 1DB
/
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By Stephen Crow Author of Wizard's Lair SPECTRUM
48K
bubble bus software 87 H i g h Street, T o n b r i d g e , K e n t T N 9 1 R X T e l e p h o n e : 0 7 3 2 3 5 5 9 6 2 Telex: 9 5 1 5 1
A "Ghettoblaster" in CRL's Tfll^ • fri J t r t ^ i i y
Y o u r mission in T A U CETI, CRL's latest g a m e , is to deactivate a very c o m p l e x and terribly aggressive robot defence system. G a r y Liddon ( w h o used to m a k e tea at D o m a r k and n o w makes a m e s s in C R A S H T o w e r s ) also has a c o m p l e x defence system. Ask h i m to review a g a m e , write a b o u t a g a m e or in fact d o anything bar read 2 0 0 0 A D comics and w a i t for his next m e a l , and his defence system swings into play. "I w a s just . . . ", h e says, w h e r e . . . is s o m e t h i n g he w a s finishing or about to start. But e v e n this corpulent lurnmock w a s m o v e d to action w h e n
>8
"Q
up I his catatonic f o r m {LM's Long W o r d Dictionary, Vol 1 A-F). His eyes lit up, and brushing a few stray morsels of the breakfast he'a just finished m u n c h i n g for the third t i m e — or w a s is the third t i m e he'd been m u n c h i n g breakfast that m o r n i n g — he b e c a m e transfixed by the g a m e . M r Liddon Liked Tau Ceti. He p l a y e d it a n d like it a n d liked it a n d played it. He liked it so much that h e forgot to g o a n d eat his lunch. N o w there's an idea. Perhaps w e ought to have a new category for real star games, g a m e s that are really stunning.
G a m e s that L I D D O N LEAVES L U N C H for. H m m m m m . T o celebrate the launch Uunch? — ED) of their n e w piece of softw a r e , a veritable LLL of a g a m e , CRL are giving a w a y a Toshiba RT7025 portable Radio Cassette Recorder with detachable speakers, a three-band graphic equaliser a n d a couple of free blank tapes t h r o w n in as well to the w i n n e r of this competition. T h e r e are t w e n t y copies of g a m e itself o n offer to runners up, too, so don't get disappointed if you d o n ' t get top prize.
Otfiuoo 1133 n v i S/IUO U!
[TOSHIBA? SLOW MOTION AND FREEZE FRAME FOR THE SPECTRUM, CBM 64 AND BBC. Fully variable control from normal speed down to virtual standstill + instant freeze it Higher games scores and improved skills it Invaluable programming aid for de-bugging, pin pointing problem areas etc. £14.95 • Unique computing aid for education. .. Wlth occupational therapy, robotics, machine tool control applications, etc. ^ m^ arecttyimothe
computer, (state which model)
RESET BUTTON & EXTENDER Resets the syslem GENTLY without loss of | power to the computer or peripherals. —,jjjjirrrm Safe recovery from microdrive crashes and | £ 4.95 ' J-lu easy exit from programs or games Allows all peripherals to be securely attached to the Spectrum + & eliminates need to solder reset connections on the + Upgrade.
Microswitched; very light positive action Dual independent fire buttons.
Popular joystick with two fire buttons and Autofire £10.95
SLOMO PACESETTERS TWO NEW INTERFACES FOR THE SPECTRUM, WITH NIDD VALLEY'S SLOW MOTION CONTROL BUILT IN Both with orvWf button and LED to ndcate
stow moteo and fitted with through extender.
SPECTRUM PACESETTER
Kempston compatible with slow motion control built in. and through extender. Pacesetter interface £ 1 4 . 9 5
smLimj.
Pacesetter with joystick
SPECTRUM PROGRAMMABLE PACESETTER
Easy to program - enables ALL games to be played with joystick and speed control by placing the control keys into the interface's 1K memory. Keeps a record of your games so you only have to prgram once lor each game. Compatible with mtcrodrrve and all popular joysticks. Supplied with software and instructions. Programmable Pacesetter £ 2 9 . 9 5 &8MDB4L! Programmable with joysDck
SPECTRUM KC INTERFACE A good quality Kempslon compatible interface suitable for all popular joysticks. Supplied with or without through extender Spectrum KC
with extender
£9.95
SPfflALZEAU Interlace and pystick
90
Spectrum KC
without extender
£8.95
smvmL' Interface and joystick
J^ft? 90
ORDERING INFORMATION S L O M O - please specify for which computer required. S P E C I A L D E A L S - pnces apply either to Quickshot II or Flightlink Joystick - please specify which type. Pnces include VAT and postage. To order send cheque or P.O. payable to Nidd Valley Micro Products Ltd., to the address shown below (no stamp needed). Please allow 14 days lor delivery - we do not bank your cheque until day ot despatch MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED
NIDD VALLEY MICRO PRODUCTS LTD Dept CFH285
FREEPOST. KNARESBOROUGH, N.YORKS.
Telephone: Harrogate (0423) 864488
HGSSYZ
79 CRASH Decern ber 1985
from ROBIN CANDY By the time you read this. Christmas time will almost be upon us and w i t h it a whole host of new games to provide hints, tips and pokes for. But w i t h the arrival of the Mikro Plus this column could be under going quite a few changes. W h e n I give hints away on games most people still need pokes to give t h e m extra lives etc in order lor t h e m to finish the game With the advent of Mikro Plus pokes will be a thing of the past because the EPROM inside the interface takes over the Spectrum's R O M so there is no BASIC. As a result, if you can't complete a game that uses Mikro-Plus then it's tough The only nice feature about Mikro-Plus is that it allows you to save the tape part of the game to Microdrive Mikro-Gen's advertisements in the trade press boast of beating the pirates but I would venture to suggest that the £15 price mark carried by Mikro Plus games is likely to do more damage to sales than the pirates ever could. Sales figures show that generally the good games sell in reasonable quantities, while the mediocre ones don't This is mainly because the average pirate likes to buy good games, while the mediocre games are copied. The pirates don't w a n t the poor games — but if they can get t h e m for f r e e . . . Recently, many companies have spent far too long on protecting their programs. If a g a m e is on tape and a pirate has got a decent tape to tape set. then it is copyable. All protection routines do is inconvenience the user who's tape deck is a bit dodgy and prevent the odd hacker from finding out pokes. If only the Software Houses w o u l d w a k e up to the fact that pokes for cheating at games are doing more good than harm Only time will tell w h e t h e r Mikro Plus is going to be a success or not but as long as it remains at £15 it is going to be short lived. W i t h that said there should be a Pokes Special in the Christmas edition of CRASH which will feature cheats for games such as Fairlight, Gyron, Fighting Warrior plus many more! Also next month there will be the usual assortment of tips and hints etc At the m o m e n t I a m on the lookout for information on Tau Ceti, Elite (the special missions). Robin O' the W o o d and Grumpy Gumphrey. Ok then, that seems to be a long enough intro so on with the tips 1
ASTROCLONE Last m o n t h s a w t h e last of t h e series of Draaontorc tips so t o fill t h e g a p left behind Steve Turner (the p r o g r a m m e r of Astroclone) generously g a v e m e
80
s o m e tips for his latest creation. Just t o liven up t h e reading m a t e r i a l they are d o n e In t h e f o r m of a story, so e v e n if you d o n ' t h a v e t h e g a m e you m i g h t like t h e story. Detailed b e l o w are t h e solutions for t w o of t h e
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
bases. TECHNIBO ANDROID WORKS A f t e r a short but deadly struggle t h e Astroclone assault ships f o u g h t their w a y t h r o u g h t o ir first t a r g e t , the Technibo A n d r o i d W o n t s . T h e ruins left b e h i n d w e r e once t h e robotic droid m a n u f a c t u r i n g plant of t h e Sei. T h e craft slowly, gently, d o c k e d w i t h t h e alien satellite; m a n i p u l a t i n g t h e transporter controls t h e first clone b e a m e d d o w n , laser o n standby. T h e base's defences sprang t o life; these consisted of spider-like droids w h o , t h o u g h t h e w e r e u n a r m e d , w e r e deadly if t h e y c a u g h t hold of a clone w i t h their m e c h a n i c a l grapple devices. O n e such droid possessed a spanner w h i c h , w h e n inserted into a t e r m i n a l , shut d o w n t h e launch s y s t e m s as t h e terminals s h o r t e d o u t o n e by one. ' T h a t p u t a s p a n n e r in t h e w o r k s " t h e Clones' m i n d simultaneously mused. The Clone manoeuvred t h r o u g h o u t t h e base a n d s t u m b l e d across a r o o m g u a r d e d by several droids inside w h i c h w a s t h e G r a v h i o n Device, a radio like object. O n c e t h e clone had o b t a i n e d this, t h r o u g h precision use of his laser pack, it w a s able t o retrieve a sonic key f r o m a grill in t h e floor t h r o u g h w h i c h it had fallen. This key w a s used t o o p e n a n Isocase: for t h e
uninitiated this is a curious device w h i c h can hold a n u m b e r objects t h a t are m a n y t i m e s its o u t w a r d shape. Searching t h r o u g h t h e box t h e Clone discovered a T r a n s m a t card w h i c h , after m u c h experimentation, was found to o p e r a t e t h e b e a m point f r o m T e c h n i b o if inserted into t h e correct t e r m i n a l . W h i l e j o u r n e y i n g t h r o u g h t h e base several e n e m y turrets w e r e discovered b u t these p r o v e d no m a t c h for t h e Clone's quickd r a w g u n usage. T h e l o w e r level w a s penetrated; a message discovered informing of a n invisible pass carried by a droid. O n c e t h e droid, behind a locked door, h a d b e e n destroyed, a Visiray t h a t lay beside t h e m e s s a g e revealed t h e pass. T o o p e n t h e door a Securipass f o r m e r l y o w n e d by a n o t h e r droid w a s inserted into t h e security panel. Also in t h e locked r o o m w a s a message. It appears t h a t t h e Sei assault force perished in S y n c r o n H Q after issuing a last, desparate, m e s s a g e , informing h o w they left six m o r e messages hidden in S y n c r o n H Q . T h e clone r e t u r n e d t o t h e ship w i t h t h e HQ pass, w h i c h had been revealed by t h e Visiray, t o battle t h e S e i d d a b in order t o find Syncron HQ. ALTOS Fierce resistance w a s m e t in the Q u a d r a n t C o m m a n d base. A d e a d l y laser battle e r u p t e d b e t w e e n t h e assault clones and t h e d e f e n d i n g Securidroids. D e e p w i t h i n a c o m p l e x of crystal caves e n e m y snappers lay in w a i t , quietly d r o p p i n g on unsuspecting clones as they e n t e r e d . Progress w a s halted by t w o w a r p devices t h a t w h e n touched transported the Astroclone t o a t e r m i n a l r o o m w h e r e Securidroids w a i t e d , g u n s activated. T h e m u l t i - m i n d of t h e Astroclones c o m p u t e d t h a t a a n object of sufficient mass d r o p p e d o n t h e w a r p fields w o u l d deactivate t h e m . A rock p r o v e d t o be t h e object required. T h e Astroclones cautiously explored. O n e n t e r i n g a large cavern t h e y w e r e a t t a c k e d by three a r m o u r e d mine-droids. Defence w a s futile. Laser fire glanced off their h a r d e n e d exoskeletons. T h e clone d a r t e d into a nearby c h a m b e r w h e r e a force field nearly drained h i m of life. As the pursuing droids entered, the clone braced himself for attack. Positioning himself b e h i n d the force field h e w a i t e d . In o r d e r t o eliminate their
F1
1811
a-
COMCON TWIN JOYSTICK MTEHFACE
Pijgmiiabto Joystick Interface for the Spectrum
target t h e droids crossed t h e force field, w i t h d e v a s t a t i n g effects. M o r e of t h e s a m e t y p e of droids w e r e f o u n d a n d despatched in a similar w a y . As one of t h e droids e v a p o r a t e d in to the field, a t h e r m a l lance w a s left behind. S t u m b l i n g o n a locked security d o o r t h e Astroclones p o n d e r e d t h e problem. T h e a n s w e r lay in t h e message in Syncron. If only it could be f o u n d , in an a t t e m p t t o remove a crystal a t t a c h e d t o t h e floor of a crystal cave t h e Clone
u s e d a t h e r m a l lance. T o his surprise t h e crystal shattered, revealing a Sonic key t h a t had f o r m e d a perfect crystal having lain u n d i s t u r b e d for 2 millenia. T h e key o p e n e d a n o t h e r Isocase. O n further e x a m i n a t i o n t h e case w a s f o u n d t o contain a destruct p r o g r a m . This w a s loaded into t h e launch c o m p u t e r a n d t h e base shut down. Another terminal gave no result. W h a t w a s its p r o g r a m ? Perhaps t h e a n s w e r w a s in Syncron.
RIDDLERS DEN a
T w o port version allows connection of t w o joysticks for sequential t w o player g a m e s using s a m e key DO:sitions (nc non-independent!)
S i m p l e a n d fast p r o g r a m m i n g : Plug the six function connectors into t h e required S p e c t r u m key positions - Ready! S u p p o r t s joysticks w i t h t w o i n d e p e n d e n t fire actions: P h o t o n Blasters and N e u t r o n B o m b s at t h e touch of y o u r fingertips. Extension port for c o m b i n e d use of peripherals. C o m p a t i b l e w i t h alt Ataritype joysticks including QuicKShot II (without rapid fire option). Select key functions a n y t i m e - e v e n w h e n the g a m e is already loaded.
£22.95 incl. V A T + P & P
QUICKSHOT!2 + 2 JOYSTICK m o d i f i e d to incorporate 2 i n d e p e n d e n t fire actions a n d no rapid fire option
£11.95 incl. V A T
w i t h t w o independent fire actions
£19.95 incl. V A T + P & P
£8.95
HACKER Activision's latest g a m e is a bit perplexing b u t if you're having any problems then read on, because Brian Wells of Hampshire has sent in s o m e
tips. W h e n y o u are asked for t h e p a s s w o r d t o Log on t h e n t y p e in AUSTRALIA and you will now b e in t h e m a p screen. T h e first place to g o t o is Paris. H e r e give t h e spy £ 1 and in return he will give y o u a piece of t h e shredded document. N o w take the c h r o n o g r a p h a n d t h e d e e d to t h e S w i s s Chalet. O n c e this has b e e n d o n e , g o t o L o n d o n and give t h e S p y t h e r e a c h r o n o g r a p h a n d he'll give you a n o t h e r piece of t h e shredded document. Take the a u t o g r a p h e d Beatles a l b u m and g o to Egypt. W h e n y o u arrive, give the Spy the deed to the S w i s s C h a l e t for t h e third piece of t h e d o c u m e n t . N o w t a k e t h e E m e r a l d scarab a n d t h e G o l d S t a t u e t t e of T u t t h e n g o to A t h e n s . H e r e give t h e S p y t h e E m e r a l d scarab a n d h e w i l l give y o u s o m e m o r e of t h e shredded d o c u m e n t . A b o u t this t i m e an intruder alert will s o u n d a n d y o u w i l l b e a s k e d several questions.
incl. V A T + P & P
DIGIT
£9.50 incl. V A T +
P&P
FUGHTUNK HOTSHOT JOYSTICK
P r o v i d e s a professional tactile feel to y o u r S p e c t r u m Plus by r e m o v i n g t h e d r e a d e d rubber m e m b r a n e . Kit c o m e s c o m p l e t e w i t h a m a n u a l for easy conversion. Stop wingeing and moaning . . . DIGIT!
Stuck in Electric D r e a m s first game? If y o u are, t h e n look at the goodies printed b e l o w ; they may help you o u t of y o u r dilemma. If you w a n t t o pass t h e flashing G a r g o y l e you n e e d t h e TCP. Once y o u h a v e g o t this g o to the screen t h a t has t h e Gargoyle o n it a n d d r o p t h e TCP above ol' badbreath. T o pass t h e Spider v o u n e e d t h e coat of arms w h i c h lies b e h i n d t h e Red dragon. Find t h e Red d r a g o n statue (look behind t h e t h e n t a k e this a n d it on t h e screen w i t h t h e ragon. Leave t h e r o o m , go back in again and y o u w i l l b e able to pass t h e dragon. If you want to cross t h e t h e impassable river t h e n cross it at 15:30 (banks close then).
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FOR E A C H C O M C O N OR C O M C O N T W I N ORDERED TOGETHER WITH A QUICKSHOT 2 + 2 OR FLIGHTLINK HOTSHOT JOYSTICK A C O M B I N A T I O N D I S C O U N T O F £ 2 . 0 0 M A Y BE DEDUCTED. A L S O A V A I L A B L E F R O M SELECTED RETAIL OUTLETS Mr./Mrs./Miss: Address: Postcode: Qty Code 01 02 03 04
hem C o m c o n Interface C o m c o n T w i n Interface Q u i c k s h o t 2 + 2 Joystick
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Flightlink H o t s h o t Joystick C u r r a h u Speech U n i t
06
Digit keyboard improver
07
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I t e m Price £19.95 £22.95 £11.95 £ 8.95 £21.95 £ 9.50 - £ 2.00
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£
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DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME: PHONE LUDLOW (0584) 4 8 9 4
CRASH December 1985
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;;iiiilllll||lk iHinmiiH1111 ""ill o p e n s t h e door in t h e r o o m that has rope. G o t o t h e t o p of t h e lighthouse again and g o o n t o t h e right of t h e balcony. Here, g o right, o n t o t h e girder. N o w j u m p onto the moving thingy and let it carry y o u t o t h e fruit m a c h i n e . J u m p off h e r e (if a n y o n e k n o w s h o w to start the m a c h i n e please could you w r i t e in). N o w d r o p d o w n f r o m t h e right of this screen into t h e boat screen. C l i m b up t h e m a s t and collect t h e hearts. G e t t h e key in t h e boat a n d go left and d o w n t h e rope. T h e flashing heart is actually t w o on different layers. The go through the door to Olive.
FIGHTING WARRIOR
ARCHON
A l a n Charles of W e s t Yorkshire sent in t h e s e tips for M e l b o u r n e House's second beat e m u p so if you're stuck look b e l o w b u t if y o u d o n ' t w a n t your e n j o y m e n t spoiled t h e n d o n ' t read t h e next bit. I've w a r n e d you, still w a n t t o read on? O K T h e m a i n trick for success in this g a m e is to use t h e vases t h a t a p p e a r o n t h e floor. If y o u s m a s h a v a s e w i t h s l o w e r strike t h e n y o u or your o p p o n e n t can b e a f f e c t e d in different w a y s . T h e r e ' s a sequence of e i g h t : 1) M a k e t h e next e n e m y o n e of t h e nasty w i n g e d creatures; 2) A d d six p o i n t s to y o u r stamina; 3) Kill t h e current e n e m y ; 4) S u b t r a c t six points f r o m your stamina; 5) Every t i m e t h e e n e m y hits y o u it knocks a point off his stamina; 6) A d d 5 0 0 b o n u s p o i n t s t o your score; 7) Kill t h e current e n e m y ; 8) S u b t r a c t six points f r o m your stamina. S o it is advisable to s m a s h vases 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 a n d but a v o i d t h e rest. S u p p o s e a vase o n screen is not o n e t h a t you w a n t — t h e n w a l k b a c k w a r d s until it has disappeared and then walk f o r w a r d s . T h e next vase t o appear w i l l b e t h e next o n e In t h e sequence. This w a y y o u m a k e steady but s l o w progress. W h e n f i g h t i n g w i t h t h e e n e m y it is best t o use t h e m i d stroke as this t a k e s less t i m e t o p e r f o r m . O n c e y o u h a v e c o m e across C l e o p a t r a ' s needle a n d t h e S p h i n x a second t i m e , a vase w i l l a p p e a r t h a t is higher t h a n t h e others. If y o u s m a s h this t h e n t h e t e m p l e door w i l l appear, inside here you w i l l m e e t o n e of those w i n g e d
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creatures t h a t guards t h e princess. Every t i m e you strike inside t h e t e m p l e t h e n y o u lose o n e s t a m i n a p o i n t but t h e creature inside has t h e s a m e s t a m i n a as t h e o n e outside. T h e trick is to a l m o s t kill t h e o n e outside, t h e n strike t h e vase a n d rush in. Once y o u have killed t h e c r e a t u r e run across t o t h e p r i n c e s s b e f o r e t h e second m o n s t e r has t i m e t o appear. Y o u w i l l t h e n get t h e final graphic display a n d t h e g a m e ends. Generally it is not w o r t h a v o i d i n g t h e a r r o w s because t h e process of d o i n g so gives your e n e m y t i m e t o get plenty of hits in. S h o u l d you b e using t h e 'shield' (vase 6) t h e n it is best t o a v o i d t h e arrows.
POPEYE I h a v e n ' t h e a r d m u c h a b o u t this g a m e since it w a s released, until n o w t h a t is. J a m e s M a r s t o n of Billericay a n d G r a h a m Kent of C r o y d o n kindly d o n a t e d t h e tips so if y o u ' r e a bit stuck t h e n read on. By t h e w a y , has a n y o n e c o m p l e t e d t h e g a m e yet? W h e n t h e g a m e starts g o t o t h e screen left of t h e start a n d collect t h e spinach a n d hearts. D o n ' t give t h e hearts t o Olive until t h e love m e t e r gets l o w . N e x t go t w o screens t o t h e right a n d climb u p t h e rope. A key is at t h e t o p right of t h e building. Give Olive t h e hearts a n d g o left. T h e key o p e n s t h e d o o r t o t h e lighthouse. N o w g o to t h e t o p of t h e lighthouse but w a t c h o u t for t h e m o n s t e r . Follow t h e m o n s t e r w h i l e collecting t h e spinach a n d a n o t h e r key. G o a b o u t h a l f w a y d o w n t h e stairs a n d press d o w n — t h e door will open. N o w g o either side of t h e balcony collecting the spinach a n d yet a n o t h e r key. This key
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
Kevin Hall of N o r w i c h sent in t h e s e tips for Archon, t h e chess/ d u n g e o n s a n d d r a g o n s variant. T h e s e tips are useful only if you're on t h e Darkside. First of all, teleport a Banshee in f r o n t of t h e knight w h i c h is in front of t h e W i z a r d . Challenge t h e W i z a r d , if y o u lose quit a n d start again. A Unicorn w i l l challenge you. N o w proceed to e x t e r m i n a t e t h e back r o w until only Knights r e m a i n (your character m a y b e killed during this, in w h i c h case teleport either a n o t h e r Banshee or Basilisks t o continue t h e job). U s e t h e trolls t o kill t h e r e m a i n i n g Knights. O n c e y o u have d o n e this t h e n send e v e r y t h i n g else against t h e Unicorns. U s e t h e Sorceress to revive i m p o r t a n t icons should t h e y get injured.
SHADOW OF THE UNICORN D e s p i t e this being the first of the 64K g a m e s f r o m w h a t I've seen of it Fhaven't been impressed, I - ist h o p e t h a t Battle of t h e
B lanets is a bit better. A n y w a y if
y o u have got t h e g a m e a n d y o u e n j o y it t h e n t h e s e hints f r o m R. J. Berry of G o s p o r t m i g h t b e of s o m e help. Rolquin, S h a r m e k a n d L a i r m a t h can all be f o u n d in Tel Gelfay by their W i g - W a m style tents. G u i n o l can be f o u n d at Hansan. T h e f o l l o w i n g objects can b e f o u n d in t h e f o l l o w i n g places: M i t h u l i n ' s c r o w n can be f o u n d in M u r e t o t h e south in Oranfal. Mrthultn's seal can b e f o u n d near Fathan, in south east Oranfal. T h e O r b of D a y is near M o n a r , in t h e s o u t h east of Oranfal. S h a r m e k ' s A m u l e t is in Oslar. Lairmath's Crest is at Elin, in north w e s t of Falfom. Holdin's H e l m is at N o m a n Sith, in Falfor. Torch of Revelation is at Fathrain. in south east Oranfal. T h e l a m p is at M a r i t h , in south w e s t Oranfal. T h e H o r n S u m m o n s is at Galzor,
in n o r t h e r n Falfom. K i e l m a t h ' s Quil is in Tar Getfay. by t h e bridge t o Oslar in Falfom. Rolquin's S c e p t r e is o n t h e N o r t h road, by Clarooth in Falforn T h e t h r e e glass jars can be f o u n d at O r a n o m a n . T h e Cloak of Innocence is at Fathan, in s o u t h east Oranfal. Ulin-Gails pipes are just n o r t h of Sanberian. D w a r f ' s A x e is in Rimersel, in southern Falforn. T h e S t o n e T a b l e t is in S a n b e r i a n , s o u t h east of Oranoman. but at t h e t i m e of w r i t i n g I only k n o w of t w o people w h o have c o m p l e t e d it. These tips w e r e c o m p i l e d w i t h help f r o m Phil Churchyard of G r a n t h a m , Paul Harkin of M a n c h e s t e r , Jonathan Ellis of C o u n t y D u r h a m , Alan a n d Steven F r e e m a n of Leicester a n d myself. Please d o n ' t send in a n y m o r e tips or hints for Marsport because I've got e n o u g h but I w o u l d appreciate help o n S w e e v o ' s W o r l d (it should be o u t by t h e t i m e y o u read this). O n D a l y level to get t h r o u g h t h e Bakery y o u need a cake. T o m a k e this c o m b i n e t h e flour, w a t e r a n d baking tin. Inside t h e bakery is s o m e d o u g h — this a l l o w s y o u into t h e Bank. G o to t h e Elis level and go t h r o u g h the Danger r o o m o n C3. T o survive this r o o m just pick up t h e b o m b and d u m p rt in t h e refuse chute. G o t h r o u g h t h e other exit into H. B e w a r e of t h e S e p t Warriors! Enter t h e D o w n lift on H3 and y o u w i l l go d o w n to Joly. Get t h e g a u z e a n d get in t h e U p t u b e . Y o u w i l l n o w b e o n laxa level. T h e V i d t e x by t h e Danger r o o m says ' U s e Filter t o breathe'. G e t t h e charcoal f r o m Daly level a n d return here. Put t h e g a u z e and t h e charcoal into t h e Factor unit t o m a k e a Gas M a s k . Enter t h e Danger r o o m . W a i t a r o u n d in here until t h e b o m b has g o n e off t h e n deposit t h e gas m a s k in t h e locker for future use. G o out of t h e other exit. Y o u w i l l n o w be in an area t h a t is patrolled by a W a r d e n . Enter t h e Ice c r e a m r o o m and t a k e t h e Ice pack and t h e C o m e t T h e Ice Pack a l l o w s access t o t h e H o t r o o m w h i l e t h e Cornet is t h e key t o t h e music r o o m . Inside t h e H o t r o o m is a G e r a n i u m w h i c h is t h e key for t h e Plant r o o m w h i l e inside the Music r o o m is a Lute a n d a Lyre. If y o u t a k e t h e u p t u b e f r o m Gill A 3 a n d y o u will go to Aiba. Here t h e r e are four Vidtex units. These give clues t o h o w t o get t h r o u g h t h e Danger r o o m on t h a t level. T o survive in t h e r e y o u w i l l n e e d t h e eyeshields w h i c h are m a d e f r o m t h e Sunchart, t h e f r a m e a n d glass. It is f r o m t h e A s t r o n o m y on Alba level t h a t y o u can get t o Byer a n d o t h e r objects and r o o m s such as t h e Bank.
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FAIRUGHT T h a n k s t o A n d r e w Riley of D u r h a m a n d M r R W o o d of P e t e r b o r o u g h I can n o w c o m p l e t e Fairlight a n d at t h e e n d of t h e g a m e it tells you of t h e n e x t g a m e w h i c h i s . . . (I w i l l
leave t h a t for y o u t o Find out). N o t t o spoil your fun, t h e solution is split into t w o parts t h e second of w h i c h w i l l appear in t h e C h r i s t m a s Special. T h e first t h i n g t o d o is t o get t h e c r o w n t h a t is above t h e d o o r w a y . T o do this y o u must stack a n a s s o r t m e n t of objects
i n o r d e r t o c l i m b u p : a barrel and t w o f l o w e r pots should d o t h e trick. W i t h t h e scroll, f r o m t h e first screen, cross t h e d r a w b r i d g e a n d avoid t h e m o n k . W a l k a r o u n d t h e cave w a l l s w i t h t h e c r o w n . O n e of t h e w a l l s has a hidden door w h i c h a l l o w s access t o a t o m b . Inside here m o v e o n e of t h e panels on t o p of t h e t o m b and go d o w n t h e hole. Y o u w i l l n o w b e in another t o m b w i t h t h e Book of Light. T a k e this and use t h e scroll t o return. Store t h e Book s o m e w h e r e safe. In o n e of t h e r o o m s w i t h t h e m a n e a t i n g plants t h e r e is a t o w e r (you need a key w h i c h is g u a r d e d by a troll t o enter t h e t o w e r ) . This t o w e r is g u a r d e d by t h r e e M o n k s . T o get past t h e first y o u w i l l n e e d t h e cross and t o g e t past t h e others y o u w i l l n e e d t w o potions. T h e cross is in t h e t h r o n e r o o m w h i c h contains a m o n k ; t h e cross is b e h i n d a panel w h i c h has t o be p u s h e d t o get it. T h e r e are three potions: o n e is in the chequered room with t w o whirlwinds, a n o t h e r is b e h i n d t w o barrels in a side r o o m w h i c h is hidden.
T h e third p o t i o n is g u a r d e d by a m o n k . Use a n hourglass t o freeze h i m a n d t h e n climb up a n d g e t it. T h a t ' s e n o u g h tips for M a r s p o r t this m o n t h so y o u w i l l h a v e t o w a r t another t w o w e e k s for t h e Christmas Special. T h a t ' s all t h e playing tips t h a t your g e t t i n g this m o n t n . So you w i l l h a v e t o w a i t until n e x t issue for s o m e m o r e . Y o u k n o w that D e r e k has his Superheroes bit w h e r e he s h o w s w h o c o m p l e t e d w h a t g a m e first — b u t it is only for a d v e n t u r e g a m e s . W h a t d o you think a b o u t having o n e t o d o w i t h arcade g a m e s ? Don't miss out o n t h e C h r i s t m a s Special because it is going t o contain lots of goodies such as t h e pokes special. T h e address to send your i n f o r m a t i o n t o is: Robin C a n d y Crash PO BOX 10 Ludlow Shropshire SY81DB
Program by Level 9 SPECTKUM • CBM64 • AMSTRAD • ATARI • MSX • BBC CASSETTES L9 95 • W5CS (BBC &CBM 64- ONLY) £ 12-35 ALSO AVAILABLE
THE ADRIAN MOLE SECRET DfARy KIT The Computer game +1906 Diary in one p a c k Cassette tensions £(4*95 Disc versions £ 77-95
nosflic
BOOHURRE
Distributed by WHS pisfrifc»utors,Sf Johns House, E a s f S l r t e t Leicester Tel (0535)551196
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C R A S H Decern ber 1985
T e s t y o u r r e a c t i o n a n d reflex skills to their limit, in an a t t e m p t to g u i d e a fast and furiously gyrating g y r o s c o p e over a n u m b e r of c h a l l e n g i n g a n d h a z a r d o u s terrains. •
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G Y R O S C O P E — THE G A M E TO SEND YOU SPINNING OFF YOUR
HEAD
A v a i l a b l e for S p e c t r u m at £7 9 5 a n d C o m m o d o r e 64. A m s t r a d a n d B B C B at £ 8 . 9 5
MELBOURNE HOUSE M e l b o u r n e H o u s e (Publishers) Ltd., Castle Y a r d H o u s e , Castle Y a r d , R i c h m o n d , T W 1 0 6 T F . T r a d e e n q u i r i e s call 0 1 - 9 4 0 6 0 6 4 A v a i l a b l e f r o m s e l e c t e d b r a n c h e s of W H S M 1 T H , p ^ B B S H S I . I M M M J P E N T W , LASKTS. R u m b e l o w s . l S p e c t r u m S h o p s , a n d all g o o d s o f t w a r e d e a l e r s
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TAU CETI
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Producer: CRL Retail price: £9.95 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code Author: Steve Cooke L o c a t i o n : T a u Ceti S y s t e m Stellar D a t a : G T y p e D i s t a n c e f r o m Earth: 19.4 light ears G atactic co-ordinates: 13 degrees Galactic S o u t h W e s t C o l o n i s a t i o n D a t a : First w a v e left Earth in 2 0 5 0 arriving 2090. T a u Ceti III c o l o n y lost w i t h i n n i n e t y y e a r s d u e to plague. This w a s to b e c o m e t h e first major disaster in m a n ' s involvement w i t h space. S o o n after, a second e x p e d i t i o n m e t w i t h an e v e n w o r s e fate . . . Excerpt f r o m Encyclopaedia Galactica M a n ' s first colony o n T a u Ceti III w a s w i p e d out by a previously u n d i s c o v e r e d plague. W h e n a cure w a s f o u n d , a second expedition left for the w o r l d . Unfortu n a t e l y , t h e planet's a u t o m a t i c self d e f e n c e s y s t e m h a d malf u n c t i o n e d m e a n t i m e , a n d the ships of t h e second expedition a n d all t h e colonists w e r e w i p e d out. A f t e r m u c h deliberation back o n earth it w a s decided that a s m a l l o n e - m a n vessel m i g h t m a n a g e to p e n e t r a t e the defe n c e screens a n d shut d o w n the central nuclear reactor w h i c h p o w e r s t h e robot guards. A tricky m i s s i o n — but it just m i g h t b e possible. 'Like a fool, you v o l u n t e e r e d / as it says o n the box cover. Tau Ceti is a c o m p l e x g a m e to play. Y o u control a S k i m m e r , a n a b e g i n f r o m a docking bay in a city o n T a u Ceti III. Basically, y o u n a v e to w a n d e r a r o u n d this a n d o t h e r cities finding a n d collecting cooling rods w h i c h n e e d t o b e installed in the planet's m a i n fusion reactor in order t o shut it d o w n . O n c e the reactor has b e e n switched off, the g u a r d i a n robots will cease to p r o w l the planet's surface a n d colonists will be able t o m o v e back in safety. Y o u r v i e w into the g a m e is f r o m t h e cockpit of the s k i m m e r . T h e display is d o m i n a t e d by your viewing w i n d o w which s h o w s t h e s u r r o u n d i n g s in a s h a d e d , 3 D perspective. B e l o w this w i n d o w is a c o m m u n i c ations screen used for entering c o m m a n d s into t h e s k i m m e r ' s controls a n d for receiving syst e m m e s s a g e s such as 'missile
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C R A S H Decern ber 1985
Looking out onto I f w p J a M I shine brightly In the yellow tho weird buildinga to be toi destroy the net tie* launched'. T o the right of this s m a l l e r w i n d o w are t w o orientation m a r k e r s a n d ship's status indicators. H e r e the shield strength, s k i m m e r height, fuel level, laser t e m p e r a t u r e , speed a n d w e a p o n inventory are all i m m e d i a t e l y visible to the player. A b o v e this is another w i n d o w w h i c h displays a radar m a p of t h e s k i m m e r ' s current location. Finally, at the top of t h e right h a n d part of the screen a c o m p a s s , v i e w indicator and clock are f o u n d . T h e m a i n screen can present a v i e w out o n t o t h e planet w h i c h m a y b e to t h e front, back or t o e i t h e r side of t h e s k i m m e r . A m a p of t h e planet a n d the links b e t w e e n the cities can also be c a l l e d u p a n d z o o m e d in a n d out of, a n d w h e n it c o m e s to manif>ulating t h e cooling rods, it's all d o n e f r o m the viewscreen. Y o u c a n also m a k e notes in this area of t h e screen.
tee In TAU CETI. The J t a n ding en etr of mystery to ixingpoetic, y o n g o o u t t i V a r i o u s kinds of robot inhabit t h e different cities, including p r o w l i n g flying saucers. S o m e are harmless, but most will send laser bolts p l u m m e t i n g into y o u r sides i m m e d i a t e l y . T h e only a n s w e r to such action is r e t u r n fire. Your lasers have to b e a i m e d but, unless they are d a m a g e d , they last forever. Missiles, o n c e fired, h o m e in for t h e kill — but y o u only have a l i m i t e d supply. T a k e y o u r pick. A successful hit turns y o u r target into a s h o w e r of s h i m m e r i n g pixels w h i c h slowly fall to the ground. A s the day progresses the a n g l e of t h e sun c h a n g e s a n d the s h a d o w s cast by buildings and t h e w a y in w h i c h objects are i l l u m i n a t e d alters. At night, bec a u s e of the graphic technique involved, m o s t robots a n d buildings b e c o m e practically invisible. T o c o u n t e r t h i s , y o u can use infra red to v i e w the w o r l d . This lasts for as long as y o u n e e d it,
C • E •T • I o n t h e s a m e par w i t h g a m e s s u c h as Elite a n d Lords of Midnight, T h e d e p t h a n d t h e c o m p l e x i t y of t h e g a m e m a k e a sure fire w i n n e r w i t h people w h o like i n v o l v i n g s o f t w a r e , b u t for m e t h e nice t o u c h e s m a k e t h e progr a m w o r t h w h i l e — like infra red m o d e a n d t h e n o t e pad. T h o u g h t h e g a m e is c o m p l e x , It is very e a s y t o g e t i n t o once y o u have m a s t e r e d t h e controls of t h e craft.' • T a u Ceti is one of the best games / have seen for a long stretch of time. The game just oozes originality. Even the scenario is original. When it first loaded up / w a s amazed at the display as it bore little resemblance to any style of graphic f had previously seen on the Spectrum. Seeing a saucer glide gracefully across the screen with the shading adjusting, according to its relative position to the sun, is just amazing. The sense of reality is something to behold indeed. Normally, after such an amazing technical show, I'd expect the actual game to be of a below average standard. Not so. The game shows a depth of design normally found only in arcade machines. Blasting alien artefacts is fun and the section with the damping rods is very good, showing some similarities with Impossible Missi o n ' s puzzle section. Definitely worthy of space on anyone s software rack.'
but t e n d s to leave after images o n t h e screen. Flares, on the other h a n d , are as g o o d as daylight for a w h i l e , but there are only a f e w of these. T o get f r o m o n e city to ano t h e r , y o u have to reach certain n e x u s points. Docking the ship in o n e of t h e s e gives y o u a rest, m o r e fuel a n d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to reach o t h e r cities in t h e network.
• T h e graphics f e a t u r e d in this g a m e are v e r y g o o d , in fact t h e y ' r e s o m e of t h e best filled-in g r a p h i c s I've seen o n t h e Spect r u m . T h e shading, w h i c h alters d e p e n d i n g o n t h e position of t h e sun, a d d s t o t h e realism. T h e o n l y t h i n g t h a t lets t h e g a m e d o w n is t h e s o u n d , w h i c h is slightly disappointing. Every o n c e in a w h i l e , a n e w g a m e c o m e s a l o n g w h i c h is destined t o b e c o m e a classic; Tau Ceti is
• ' S u p e r b g a m e . W h a t else can y o u say aSout s o m e t h i n g that c a p t u r e s t h e i m a g i n a t i o n so brilliantly a n d has n o flaws at all. T h i s is t h e kind of g a m e that just d o e s n ' t date. T h e r e are too m a n y g o o d features and n o sickly g i m m i c k s . W h e n w e s a w the p r e v i e w version, I suspected that it w o u l d be excellent but it has far surpassed a n y o n e ' s expectations. S t e v e Cooke should g o far. He has brought us a g a m e that will be r e m e m b e r e d as a n all t i m e classic. T h e r e ' s not m u c h m o r e to say.'
C o n t r o l keys: definable Joystick: keys only K e y b o a r d play: v e r y responsive • U s e of colour: excellent Graphics: superb Sound: average Skill levels: o n e S c r e e n s : scrolling G e n e r a l r a t i n g : a n excellent g a m e , c o m b i n i n g several e l e m e n t s w i t h stunning graphics
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability Getting started A d d i c t i v e qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
94% 94% 90% 87% 94% 92% 94%
87 CRASH Decern ber 1985
BIG BEN STRIKES AGAIN Producer: Artie Retail price: £6.95 L a n g u a g e : m a c h i n e code A u t h o r : J o h n Prince H e r e ' s y o u r chance to m e e t s o m e of the big n a m e s in politics I W i t h the release of Big Ben Strikes Again Artie h a v e brought t h e caricatured faces of s o m e of the most w e l l k n o w n M e m b e r s of P a r l i a m e n t t o your Spectrum. T h e g a m e is basically a platform arcade affair w i t h nasties being the m e m b e r s of M r s Thatcher's g o v e r n m e n t , assorted notes of varying currency, b o u n c i n g barrels a n d helicopters) AIT the m o b i l e nasties patrol an area of t h e screen rather can seeking out Ben, but are deadly if he b l u n d e r s into t h e m . Ben (he of the title) is in fact a reporter looking for a n exclusive a b o u t the g o v e r n m e n t , for his paper, rather t h a n the f a m o u s clocktower. Ben is o n a m i s s i o n — h i s nose
for n e w s has caught a w h i f f of a potential scoop, and he's travelling r o u n d the Houses of Parliam e n t trying t o piece together the big story he's sure is a b o u t to break. Ben has to collect gifts for t h e various political figures in the g a m e , a n d present t h e m in e x c h a n g e for leaked items of news. All kinds of bits a n d pieces can be picked up o n t h e w a y a r o u n d the screens a n d a d d e d to Ben's inventory by simply walking over t h e m . T o get t h e rather portly character y o u control f r o m o n e screen to another, y o u use doorw a y s w h i c h m a y be a n y w h e r e o n t h e screens. Y o u don't have to c o m p l e t e o n e screen before m o v i n g o n to the next, so it's fairly easy to go exploring straight s w a y . J u m p i n g a n d falling gets y o u to different levels ( t h o u g h falling too far is fatal), a n d tnere's the o d d ladder to s c a m p e r up a n d d o w n t o o l T h e g a m e c o m e s w i t h a fairly c o m p r e h e n s i v e screen editor w h i c h is m e n u driven a n d allows y o u to tinker w i t h the contents of individual r o o m s or completely redesign t h e m if y o u so wish. O n c e a screen has b e e n modified or d e s i g n e d f r o m scratch y o u can save it to tape a n d play it
again w h e n e v e r y o u like, Indeed y o u can fine tune selected screens in the g a m e as supplied, m a k i n g t h e m harder or m o r e difficult according to y o u r taste. Alternatively, there's no reason w h y y o u couldn't a s s e m b l e 8 completely n e w g a m e to a m u s e yourself w i t h — but y o u are stuck w i t h the library of m o b i l e characters a n d can't design new nasties of y o u r o w n .
CRITICISM • ' O h dear. Flickary sprites a b o u n d . Poor graphics a n a arror checking ting riddle the the game with faults. G o o d caricatures of soma of t h e politicians ara lost In this o t h e r w i s e a b y s m a l g a m e . V< /ary, vary primitive. D o n ' t buy this ft
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• 'Apart from the slight amusement caused by the mega headed caricatures of the Tory cabinet. the overall fun got from this game was, as near as makes no odds — nothing. The sprites flicker at a horrendous rate, and the checks to see if you've hit a baddie are appallingly poor on occasions. After M u t a n t Monty, which / really liked, Artie have really come down in the world. Definitely not a winner.' • 'At first glance this just looks tike a boring platform g a m e with a f e w interesting little caricatures of politicians, but little else going for it. T h e n y o u find out about the screen redesigner and things look up. In tests I couldn't c h a n g e t h e position of t h e moving characters once I'd put them in a screen I w a s designing without scrubbing the w h o l e lot and starting a g a i n ; A bit frustrating. Lode Runner did this sort of thing m u c h better. For the price, this g a m e falls short a n d lets Artie d o w n . T h e y can do better.'
COMMENTS Control keys: Q up, A d o w n , 0 left, P rioht, B O T T O M R O W jump Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, Cursor K e y b o a r d play: a d e q u a t e U s e of colour: o v e r d o n e Graphics: v e r y poor, w i t h odd exceptions S o u n d : b e l o w average Skill levels: one, but y o u can adjust the difficulty Screens: 20 G e n e r a l rating: not a wonderful offering; unattractive at £6.95
U s e of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall 88
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
40% 39% 39% 69% 50% 33% 76%
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Pyjamarama 92% with 3 lives Hypmsports Swimming 25.75m, long Horse 9.99, Archery 4200, Shooting 9400, Triple Jump 17.44. Weight lifting 210kg. Bruce Lee 1,800,3301 ) killed 33 wizards after 4 hours Match Day 10*1 Football Manager Division one, won FA cup every year Kung Fu Black belt 7 Finders Keepers Completed Wayne Brttton, Brett on, Saltbum, Cleveland DTs Decathalon 968,971 (664,606 in day III Spy Hunter 247,255 Highway Encounter Completed, 25,850 Kung Fu Black Belt Pyjamarama completed Finders Keepers Completed Penetrator Completed Mooncresta Retired at 64,000 Chequered Rag 1.06.26 on Monza Sergio Trigo Tavares, Vtsconde de Fonts Arcada, Portugal Way of the Exploding Fiat 111,800, tenth dBn Frank Bruno's Boxing Andres Punchyaheadof Match Point Beat computer on all levels Dynamite Dan 1370,4 sticks of dynamite Herbert's Dummy Run 86 jelly babies Technician Ted 4 tasks completed Jet Set Willy 76 objects Manic Miner Completed Wizard's Lair 23690 Richard Edgerton, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands test Day one, 181,000, Day two, 5,00 Hypersports Swimming 25.95s, Skeet 9600, Pole Vault 9.99m, Triple Jump 16.76m, Weight Lifting 225kg, Archery 4120, Overall 336,776 Finders Keepers Completed with ÂŁ878.76 Everyone's a Wally Completed with ÂŁ2,470 Deathchase 37,489 Rocco World Champion Without Being Knocked Down At All Herbert's Dummy Run Completed at 1 36pm with 93 jelly babies Way of the Explod ing Fist 151,300 tan Hamilton and Martin Tlzzard, Orpington, Kant Hunchback II Level 6,934 points Ms Pacman 8th screen. 57,960 Pyiamarama Completed 100% Sabre WuH Completed 99% Mr Wong's Loopy Laundry 3,600 Booty 42 objects Roland's Rat Race Completed first day Travel with Trashman cleaned the world 20,000 Tribble Trubble Accredited Megascore. 12.090 Richard Stokeld. Arnold. Nottingham
snag Grand National Won Rocco Won world championship Timegate Completed, 8,204 Cricket Capt Won level 1,2 and 3 Jungle Trouble Completed Armageddon L28,21,790 David 'Wally' Williams. Wrexham, Ctwyd Bruce Lee Completed 30 times Pv|amarama completed Gnostbusters Compteled Danger Mouse in Double Trouble Saved the world four times Kung Fu Completed Kokotoni Witt Completed Minder 6,975 points Way of the Exploding Fist 6th Dan James Bradbury, Hindley, Wigan Underwurtde Completed Hobbit Nearly completed Football Completed everything Pyjamarama Completed Timegate Completed on easy Danger Mouse in Double Trouble Completed 3 times Jet Set Willy Completed Manic Miner Completed A t k Atac Completed John Merchant, Moodand. Lincoln
Way of the Exploding Fist 10th Dan, 128,900 Raid Over Moscow Completed with 7 survivors Match Day 5minswon final 11-2 Broad Street Completed Skool Daze 34.620 Andrew Dickinson, Sheffield Daley Thomson's Decathalon 100m 9.10s, Long Jump 9.73m, Shot Putt 29.31, High Jump 2.51m, 400m 32.51s, 110mHurdles 10,12s, Pole Vault 5.07m, Discus 83.90, Javalin 103m, 1500m 121,01s Mooncresta 57,150 Ad Astra Level 17,39,520 Tapper 105,450 Way of the Exploding fist 823,175 Bryan O'Rourke, Ullapool, Ross Shire Spy Hunter 167,530 Bruce Lee 288,392 Buck Rogers 263,000 i193,200 Way of the Exploding Fist 10th Dan. 63,210 Match Day 3-1 in the final Spy vs Spy Average guy spy Frankie goes to Hollywood 60% a real being David Reld, Shirley, Croydon
Spy vs Spy Sky High Spy T I L 25.010 Way of the Exploding Fist 6th Dan Chris Irwin, Newbury Spy Hunter 272,385 Match Day 11-1 in final 15mins Match Point 6-4 in final Super Brat World Champ Frank Bruno's Boxing Beaten Peter Perfect Vincent Godfrey, Enfield, Middlesex rts 142,428 Frank Bruno's Boxing Frenchie KO twice Manic Miner Solar power generator room Match Day Beat Computer 4-2 Vince Vrty, Morecambe, Lanes
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G R I P S T I C K G R I P S T I C K • GRIP STICK • G R I P S T I C K • G R I P S T I C K GRIP S T I C K • G R I P S T I C K • G R I P S T I C K GRIP STICK
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S C E N E F A D E S G E N T L Y T O SUPERIOR C O U R T R O O M O N M E N G C H E III. J U D I C I A R Y P L A N E T IN THE P R I S O N S Y S T E M
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Peering over t h e e d g e of t h e dock, you see t h e b e r o b e d Arch Counsellor, your hired legal representative, coast elegantly f o r w a r d s on his hover-pads. T h e R O B O D E F E N D A M A R K 2 assigned t o your case begins addressing t h e C O M P U J U D G E The offence is not capital, but if y o u are f o u n d guilty a long period of exile in the P l a s m a M i n e s could be your lot. Y o u glance at t h e C O M P U J U D G E w h i c h is a b o u t t o c o m e to a verdict T r e p i d a t i o n fills your soul. Rivulets of cold s w e a t begin travelling d o w n w a r d s , on their p i l g r i m a g e t o w a r d s your quaking boots.
"This w a s n o ordinary case of taking a n d driving away. M ' L u d " , your counsellor intones, " m y client w a s forced to resort to theft, against all his principles Your C o m p u t e r n e s s " R A M Chips of the jury, I i m p l o r e y o u w a s not m y client 's mission a n d a i m in perpetrating this theft an h o n o u r a b l e one? Did he not steal the Alien Ship in order that he m i g h t free the h u m a n race from the d o m i n a t i o n of the Sentinel C o m p u t e r s ' S h o u l d he not be allowe d to walk free f r o m this c o u r t r o o m 7 "
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T h a t ' s it. End of speech. N o m o r e advocacy Any m o m e n t n o w the C O M P U J U D G E will p r o n o u n c e its verdict w h i c h will be binding finally a n d forever. N o appeal is a l l o w e d — t h e system is infallibly f a i r . . . . T h e C O M P U J U D G E ' s metallic voice breaks the silence
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DEFY T H E LEGEND! 48K2XSPECTRUM
the i m a g e p r o d u c e d in your m i n d by the antiquated S N A R G multichannel sensory inducer flickers a n d fades. Once again the old machine has let y o u d o w n during the m a i n feature. It really is time you u p g r a d e d H o h u m . W h a t to d o n o w . , a long evening stretches before you. Boring, boring, boring. N o M i n d f i l m s to w a t c h n o w the SNARG's out of action. Hang o n though, there's a l w a y s that antique entertainment system that Cousin M a r c o brought as a souvenir from his last holiday cruise to Earth. Yes, w h a t a g o o d idea â&#x20AC;&#x201D; n o w , what can it d o ' Marco said it h a d b e e n f o u n d w i t h s o m e g a m e s a n d that " X C E L " w a s quite an a m u s i n g diversion. W h y not. Funny â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in XCEL y o u began by stealing an alien ship. W o n d e r what it looked tike
W e l l - (he chaps at P r o g r a m Techniques w h o wrote XCEL never quite got round to deciding w h a t the alien ship you pilot in the g a m e actually looks like, you see. So they've asked us to ask you to have a g o at d r a w i n g it for t h e m . T h e n future generations will not have to strain their m i n d s trying to think up (or themselves what the ship m i g h t have looked like. A n eye to the future, is w h a t these Prog Tech fellows have. T h e y ' r e offering no less than o n e huhdred copies of their g a m e (reviewed in this issue! as prizipoos for the best visual representation of the ship you pilot in their g a m e So dust d o w n thr> old imaginations, sharpen your felt-tips or whatever, and get ihink ing about that spacecraft. Address your j l i e n art to XCEL ALIENS. P 0 BOX 10. L U D L O W . SHROPSHIRE. S Y 8 1DB and m a k e sure your ship flics to us by 30tH December
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Mcleod For v e r y y o u n g children, learning material m u s t be bright a n d a t t r a c t i v e , a n d t h e c o l o u r f u l s c r e e n g r a p h i c s of T h e L e a r n i n g B o x s e r i e s a r e q u i t e e x c e l l e n t . S o u n d is a l s o u s e d t o v e r y g o o d e f f e c t , a n d it c a n b e t u r n e d o f f if r e q u i r e d . O t h e r e x t r e m e l y useful t o u c h e s include t h e facility for exiting f r o m a n a c t i v i t y a t a n y p o i n t a n d r e t u r n t o t h e m e n u , a n d w e l l as a p a u s e f a c i l i t y . T h e c o n t r o l k e y s f o r all o f t h e s e o p t i o n s ( c a p s
I a l w a y s s e e m to be complaining about t h e poor variety and q u a l i t y of e d u c a t i o n a l s o f t w a r e in this c o l u m n , b u t n o w I've f o u n d a series of early l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m s w h i c h I can b e t o t a l l y enthusiastic a b o u t . T h e Learning Box p r o g r a m s w r i t t e n b y F i v e W a y s a n d p u b l i s h e d b y A r r o w , is a n o u t s t a n d i n g series w h i c h encourages young children to develop b a s i c l e t t e r a n d n u m b e r skills. F i v e W a y s h a v e p u t a g r e a t d e a l of t h o u g h t a n d e f f o r t i n t o t h e p r o g r a m s , a n d have realised that educational packages s h o u l d include n o t just t h e c o m p u t e r t a p e , b u t also other m a t e r i a l s such as books, together w i t h clear guidance o n t h e i r use. E a c h of t h e p r o g r a m s in t h e L e a r n i n g Box series f o l l o w s t h e s a m e f o r m a t : t h e attractive plastic case contains
WONDERFUL!
VIARVELLOUS!
t h e t a p e { w h i c h h a s t h e p r o g r a m o n o n e side, a n d a story or r h y m e s to listen t o o n the other); a beautifully illustrated story-book to accompany the audio tape; a parents' book c o n t a i n i n g s t e p b y s t e p i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r all t h e l e a r n i n g activities; a n d a n o v e r l a y w h i c h simplifies t h e k e y b o a r d for e v e n t h e y o u n g e s t child. T h e p r o g r a m s t h e m s e l v e s all f e a t u r e a c a r e f u l l y s t r u c t u r e d r a n g e o f a c t i v i t i e s d e s i g n e d in a c l e a r s e q u e n c e s o t h a t c h i l d r e n c a n w o r k f r o m t h e easy t o t h e m o r e difficult. This l o g i c a l s t r u c t u r e o f s u b j e c t m a t t e r is e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t f o r e f f e c t i v e m e a n i n g f u l learning. T h e inclusion of detailed g u i d a n c e for p a r e n t s ensures t h a t t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o n w h i c h a n e w learning activity rests can be introduced before the c o n c e p t is p r e s e n t e d u s i n g t h e c o m p u t e r .
shift/break and the appropriate number key) have been c a r e f u l l y s e l e c t e d t o m a k e it v i r t u a l l y i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e c h i l d t o carry o u t a n y of t h e s e actions accidentally. It r e a l l y is h a r d t o f i n d a n y c r i t i c i s m s of t h e s e p r o g r a m s — t h e only real snag that arose concerns the overlay which d o e s n ' t fit t h e S p e c t r u m Plus a n d could possibly have b e e n a b i t m o r e r o b u s t . T h e m a i n t h i n g , t h o u g h , is t h a t i n t e r m s o f t h e i r e d u c a t i o n a l v a l u e a n d t h e e n j o y m e n t t h e y offer, t h e
FANTASTIC!
p r o g r a m s a r e s t r e e t s a h e a d of m o s t o t h e r early learning s o f t w a r e . Daniel (as y o u k n o w , he's m y five year old tester) l o v e d t h e s e r i e s , e v e n d e m a n d i n g t o s e e t h e m a g a i n as s o o n a s h e w o k e u p in t h e m o r n i n g — t h o u g h a t t h a t e a r l y h o u r , | h i s f a t h e r c o u l d p e r h a p s b e f o r g i v e n for b e i n g less t h a n enthusiastic!
The Number Programs E9.95 each Title
Age Range
Educational A i m
Mister Mac's Money
up to 6
telling the t i m e
N i n e Currant Buns
up to 6
simple sums
The Magic Shop
up to 6
using m o n e y
Five Little Ducks
up to 6
counting
T h e most s i m p l e of the n u m b e r p r o g r a m s for the y o u n g e r age roup. Five Little Ducks, begins
g
to g o o d effect in Nine Currant ' Buns, w h i c h g o e s on to the next s t a g e a n d introduces the n u m b -
y teaching sorting a n d m a t c h ers 6 — 9 , b e f o r e giving practice ing skills, then develops the in c o u n t i n g , a d d i n g a n d subtracconcept of counting using the ting using 1 — 9. This t i m e there numbers 1 5. T h e r e are ten are. w o u l d y o u believe, no less activities in this p r o g r a m and. than s e v e n t e e n activities arrana g a i n , all of t h e m are nicely g e d in g r a d e d steps' T h e simple related to the r h y m e of the Five s u m s using plus and m i n u s Little Ducks in the booklet and signs a r e very clearly presented, o n the listening tape. T h e most This is exactly the kind of appo u t s t a n d i n g feature of this pro- roach w h i c h brings arithmetic to g r a m is the w a y in w h i c h it re life for y o u n g children lates the n u m b e r of objects Mister Mac's Day, the telling r e p r e s e n t e d pictonally o n the t h e t i m e p r o g r a m , is a v e r y screen to the figure s y m b o l for clever w a y of teaching children a j the n u m b e r . v e r y c o m p l e x skill W h e n y o u I This relationship is also used ! consider the variety of types of I
96
C R A S H December 1985
The Enormous Turnip
clock available these days — analogue, a n d both 12 a n d 2 4 hour digital — a n d the different ways o f expressing t i m e — five thirty, half past five, seventeen thirty - you'll begin to realise how difficult it can be. T h e designers, though, have thought of every eventuality, and have created a c h a r m i n g story to f o r m t h e b a c k g r o u n d for
t h e activities. Children will love r e a d i n g about, and listening to, Mr Mac's Day a n d t h e n helping M r M a c drive his train so lhat it arrives at t h e stations o n time. U s i n g m o n e y is another skill that children must m a s t e r , a n d in The Magic Shop the child has to b u y the ingredients to m a k e m a g i c potions. T h e coins are pictured o n the overlay, so the
child c a n press the appropriate keys to count out the m o n e y n e e d e d . O n c e the youngster can m a n a g e to count out the exact s u m required, g u i d a n c e is given o n c o u n t i n g out the nearest a m o u n t of m o n e y , a n d then checking that the correct c h a n g e is g i v e n by the shopkeeper. T h e parents' g u i d e stresses the i m p o r t a n c e of practising w i t h
real m o n e y , a n d offers s o m e helpful advice. O n e child of s e v e n w h o tested the g a m e for m e spent over a n hour, totally e n g r o s s e d in it. He particularly e n j o y e d the M a k i n g Spells act ivity, w h e r e the child chooses f r o m the spell book a n d m a k e s a potion by using the coins to buy the ingredients n e e d e d . ( M y 'ester usually b e g a n w i t h "squirt of anti-spook s p r a y " ' !
Five W a y s Software
9
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Mister Macs
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Day
Red Riding Hood
CRASH December 1935
97
The Learning To Read Programs ÂŁ9.95 each Age Range
Educational A i m
R e d Riding H o o d
up to 6
reading words
Goldilocks
up to 6
reading sentences
T h e E n o r m o u s Turnip
up to 8
building words
Hansel and Gretel
up to 8
spelling
| d e s i g n e d for the child to play | taining. I particularly liked the a l o n e ( t h o u g h the parent is m o u s e w h i c h does a somersault a d v i s e d to b e on h a n d to help if w h e n t h e child gets the answer , necessary). T h e r a n d o m order- correct! ing of sentences in this g a m e Hansel and Gretel is the most e n s u r e s that the w o r d s have to difficult of all the reading prog b e r e a d rather than m e m o r i s e d . r a m s . It introduces s o m e of the For children u p to eight years, I m o r e c o m p l e x letter combinaThe Enormous Turnip is a very tions ( w o r d s beginning w i t h si, clever w a y of teaching letter l, br) a n d v o w e l sounds (as in sounds, w o r d m a k i n g a n d spelite, bone) a n d gives the child ling. T h e various c o m p u t e r acti- practice in spelling w o r d s from vities a r e closely related to the t h e story. This time, the child story of t h e o l d m a n w h o has to m o v e s o n f r o m using the over rope in all his relatives in order lay to spelling the w o r d s with to pull u p the h u g e turnip, a n d | the letter keys. the graphics are superbly enter-
E
Based o n w e l l - l o v e d children's stories, these p r o g r a m s are a s u p e r b e x a m p l e of h o w c o m p uter-assisted learning should be i n t e g r a t e d w i t h other m e t h o d s of learning. T h e Red Riding Hood tape contains eight g r a d e d activities m o v i n g f r o m various m a t c h i n g pictures g a m e s to m a t c h i n g letters, then building u p to m a t c h i n g words. T h e children's book contains beaut ifully illustrated pictures of char acters a n d objects f r o m the
story, e a c h o n e clearly labelled, a n d children will love listening to t h e story read o n tape by Toni Arthur. Goldilocks g o e s o n to the next stage of learning to read, w h i c h is d e c o d i n g sentences. Again, t h e skills are broken d o w n , this t i m e into five g r a d e d activities, a n d , as w i t h t h e p r o g r a m s , clear instructions are given to the p a r e n t as to h o w best to help the child. T h e fourth activity, for instance, has b e e n especially
GENERAL
The Enormous Turnip
RATING
Learning B o x
A l l o f t h e p r o g r a m s s u c c e e d r e m a r k a b l y w e l l in t h e i r l e a r n i n g - t h r o u g h - p l a y a i m . T h e y a r e i n t e r e s t i n g a n d i m a g i n a t i v e e n o u g h t o h o l d a c h i l d ' s i n t e r e s t , a n d t h e v a r i e t y o f c a r e f u l l y g r a d e d a c t i v i t i e s e n s u r e s a s t e a d y p r o g r e s s i o n of t a s k s a s t h e c h i l d learns. T h e listening t a p e s a r e of a very high quality as are t h e children's booklets, a n d t h e screen g r a p h i c s are q u i t e e x c e l l e n t . T h e g u i d e s for p a r e n t s are b o t h c o m p r e h e n s i v e a n d i n f o r m a t i v e , giving d e t a i l e d s u p p o r t to t h o s e w h o are unsure a b o u t h o w t o h e l p their children. A g r e a t d e a l o f t h o u g h t has g o n e into t h e d e s i g n of t h e s e p a c k a g e s , a n d t h e y a r e b y far t h e b e s t s e r i e s of e a r l y l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m s I h a v e seen. Highly recommended!
98
C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
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30 (—) CHUCKIE EGG 2 A&F HOTLINE CHART WINNERS This m o n t h , t h e w i n n i n g prize goes to C Jackson f r o m T y n e & W e a r . Runners up are: S e a n Rone of W o r t h i n g ; Paul Ryan of L o n d o n ; Brian T r e a d w e l l f r o m Ellesmere Port and D a v e Edwards of M a n c h e s t e r .
N E W BRILL 'N' FAB HOTLINE PRIZES!!! T h e C R A S H H O T L I N E & A D V E N T U R E C H A R T is Britain's most i m p o r t a n t popularity chart It d e p e n d s entirely on your support a n d w e n e e d your votes. T h e r e ' s n o w only O N E W A V t o s u b m i t your v o t e s , a n d t h a t ' s by s e n d i n g t h e m to us in t h e mail. Use t h e coupons w h i c h . l o r m a l l y lurk o n p a g e 122 (ish), or a p h o t o c o p y or even h a n d - t o o l e d M o r o c c a n p a r c h m e n t t o w h i z z y o u r votes to us.
T
100
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
R e m e m b e r , every m o n t h w e d r a w o u t ten w i n n i n g forms, five for each chart a n d the first o u t of each sack receives £40 W O R T H OF S O F T W A R E plus a C R A S H T - S H I R T T h e n t h e four runners up in each chart w i l l w i n their very o w n C R A S H T-Shirt a n d a C R A S H CAP w h i c h t h e y can use t o impress their friends, m a k e their enemies e n v i o u s a n d generally s h o w off w i t h t
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ADVENTURE
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V 2) F O U R T H P R O T O C O L Hutchinson \2( 1) R E D M O O N Level 9 3( 3) D U N D A R A C H Gargoyle G a m e s * ( — ) M A R S P O R T Gargoyle G a m e s I ^ D O O M D A R K ' S R E V E N G E Beyond
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(21) T H E H O B B I T M e l b o u r n e House (16) A V A L O N H e w s o n Consultants (13) E U R E K A D o m a r k (15) S N O W B A L L Level 9 (23) V A L H A L L A Legend (14) E M E R A L D ISLE Level 9 (12) T H E H U L K A d v e n t u r e International (30) O R A C L E ' S C A V E Dorcas ( — ) V A L K Y R I E 17 Palace (26) T W I N K I N G D O M VALLEY Bug-Byte
ADVENTURE CHART WINNERS This m o n t h ' s w i n n e r is H a y d e n Reeve of Boston Spa. T h e runners u p are: A d r i a n W r i g h t f r o m N e w p o r t : Richard H o l g a t e from Doncaster; S i m o n Clifford of Aylesbury and S i m o n Johnston of T u n b r i d g e Wells, Kent.
101 CRASH Decern ber 1985
WINTER SPORT IceHocKeif>Speed3k0ing,3fQ'Imping,
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" . . . the best a r c a d e a d v e n t u r e of the y e a r . " Your Spectrum. November 1985
* A SPECTRUM SHOOT-EM-UP ^ A S FAST, SMOOTH AND MEAN AS ANY FROM THE ARCADES G O FOR IT...
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DIGITAL TAPE RECORDING WITH MIDI Jon Bates continues his MIDI musings.. This m o n t h , in t h e continuing Saga of MIDI, w e t a k e a look at t w o interface devices w h i c h t u r n t h e S p e c t r u m into a very p o w e r f u l music processor. Linked via cables t o a M I D I c o m p a t i b l e synthesiser, b o t h interfaces offer t h e user a staggering array of musical possibilities, t h e results of w h i c h can b e stunning. Y o u r ' u m b l e r e v i e w e r m a n a g e d t o get each of t h e m t o t u r n o u t not only A x e l F , b u t also a p r e t t y d e c e n t version of E l g a r ' s I n t r o d u c t i o n a n d A l l e g r o f o r S t r i n g s (pretty classy, huh?) E n o u g h b r a g g i n g , and d o w n t o t h e hard a n d s o f t w a r e . T h e m a i n difference b e t w e e n t h e t w o s y s t e m s as r e v i e w e d here is t h a t t h e P e r f o r m e r is a real t i m e sequencer and t h e M i c o n is a step t i m e sequencer. It m u s t be said, h o w e v e r , t h a t b o t h interfaces have softw a r e available a n d in t h e pipeline t h a t will e x t e n d their possibilities.
MIDITRACK PERFORMER Electromusic Research 14 M o u n t Close Wickford SS118HG £120.00 0702 335747 The hardware comprises two s m a l l a n d t o u g h plastic cases c o n n e c t e d by a short ribbon cable. O n e part plugs in to t h e S p e c t r u m ' s e d g e connector, w h i l e the other has flush-fitted five pin Din sockets to connect it to M I D I instruments. T h e sockets p r o v i d e M I D I in, M I D I out (twice) a n d Clock start/stop, w h i c h is used for n o n M I D I devices such as d r u m machines or a n a l o g u e synths that are capa b l e of accepting the old preM I D I synchronisation f o r m a t of 24 clock pulses per second. O n e nice f e a t u r e o n the unit is the provision of LEDs to indicate w h e t h e r M I D I data is flowing in
106
or o u t — h a n d y w h e n y o u can't w o r k o u t w h a t ' s p l u g g e d in to what and your connecting cables r e s e m b l e a b o w l of spaghetti. A n eight track t a p e recorder is c a p a b l e of recording eight instru m e n t s o n separate tracks simultaneously; alternatively, a r e c o r d i n g c a n b e built up track by track — k n o w n as multitracking o r o v e r d u b b i n g . W h a t M i d l t r a c k P e r f o r m e r does is to s i m u l a t e a n eight track digital recorder for a p p r o x i m a t e l y o n e t e n t h of t h e price of the real t h i n g . It will record exactly w h a t y o u play o n y o u r keyboard w i t h e v e r y subtle nuance a n d variation tn speed, including pitch b e n d i n g . A s there are eight tracks t o record onto, e v e n the m o s t a m b i t i o u s of us will h a v e p l e n t y of r o o m t o d e v e l o p our talents! O n loading, the progr a m presents a screen display that gives the status of the tracks. Recording is simple: m o v e t h e cursor to the track y o u
w a n t , e n t e r 'R' a n d a n s w e r t h e s i m p l e q u e s t i o n t o confirm that this is i n d e e d y o u r intention — t h e n play a w a y . W h e n y o u are happy w i t h y o u r p e r f o r m a n c e y o u can t h e n record over t h e t o p of y o u r first efforts o n t o a separate track, t h u s building u p t h e sound. Y o u hear y o u r first track being rep l a y e d a n d can therefore a d d chords, p e r h a p s , over y o u original' tune. This process can be r e p e a t e d over a n d over again — s h o u l d y o u look like filling all eight tracks, y o u h a v e t h e option of track m e r g i n g . This c o m b i n e s all previously recorded tracks o n t o o n e — leaving lots of space free for m o r e dabbling. T h e r e is o n e serious p r o b l e m here. MP
t h o u g h . If y o u m a k e a mistake, t h e n y o u h a v e n o option but to b u i l d that track u p all over again, w h i c h c a n be m o r e than a little frustrating. T h e p r o g r a m allows y o u to p l a y as m a n y notes as y o u wish, including chords, o n each track — in other w o r d s each track can b e polyphonic. T h e only limita t i o n is the n u m b e r of notes y o u r synth is capable of playing simultaneously. T o keep things in s o m e s e m b l a n c e of order, t h e r e is a count-in (user definable) a n d a m e t r o n o m e option that bleeps a w a y at whatever s p e e d ( t e m p o in musical terms) y o u w a n t . T h e display also
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informs y o u of w h a t bar y o u are h o w m u c h m e m o r y is i for a beginner, this is i p l e t o f o l l o w . I did find the flashing b a c k g r o u n d a trifle a n n o y i n g , especially as it s e e m ed t o g o beserk w i t h m o r e c o m plex pieces. The program comes with excellent d o c u m e n t a t i o n , w h i c h is easy to f o l l o w , a n d t w o d e m o tunes o n e of w h i c h s h o w s y o u h o w t o build u p a piece, track by track. For t h e professional w h i z kid the p r o g r a m gives y o u m o r e options o n m a n i p u l a t i n g each track. Y o u can repeat t h e w h o l e piece (but not sections), define the n u m b e r of beats per bar, c h a n g e t h e pitch of t h e track.
MICON XRI S y s t e m s 10 S u n n y b a n k Road S u t t o n Coldfield B73 5RE £108.00 021 3 8 2 6 0 4 8 Another sturdy box to clip on to your S p e c t r u m ' s e d g e connector — tnis t i m e w i t h M I D I in a n d out sockets, a n d t w o separate sockets for Clock in a n d out. M i c o n is supplied w i t h copious detailed d o c u m e n t a t i o n w h i c h I
a n d if y o u ' r e blessed w i t h m o r e t h a n o n e M I D I instrument, y o u c a n tell each track w h i c h synthesiser it's g o i n g to play on. (MIDI i n s t r u m e n t s can receive o n sixt e e n s e p a r a t e channels). H o w ever, y o u can't get t h e p r o g r a m t o c h a n g e s o u n d s for you. T h e capacity of the p r o g r a m d e p e n d s o n h o w m u c h inform a t i o n y o u g i v e it. If there's lots of t o u c h sensitivity i n f o r m a t i o n for it to record f r o m y o u r touch sensitive k e y b o a r d , for instance, t h e n m e m o r y is used u p significantly m o r e rapidly. G i v e n a m o d e s t synth or t w o a n d an a v e r a g e t u n e , h o w e v e r , lengths of u p to fifteen m i n u t e s should be possible.
f o u n d a bit difficult to f o l l o w — a l t h o u g h t h e initial start u p proce d u r e s of t h e p r o g r a m are straightforward, However, I u n d e r s t a n d that X R I are taking their d o c u m e n t a t i o n in hand a n d a r e w r i t t e n set of instruct i o n s in o n t h e stocks. T h e M i c o n is a i m e d at the more serious musicians a m o n g s t us. It's an eight track recorder that has a scrolling m u s i c stave screen w i t h excellent notation, but each note has t o b e e n t e r e d m a n u a l l y by playing it o n a synth a n d defining its l e n g t h by t a p p i n g t h e space key. Each t a p o n t n e space key is c a l l e d a n event', a n d each track is c a p a b l e of holding 2,950 events. M i c o n is a step-time
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s e q u e n c e r w h i c h allows y o u to e n t e r rests a n d pauses as well as notes, as w e l l as expression. A n o t e m a y b e specified as abrupt or s m o o t h in execution (staccato or legato) a n d the velocity a n d p r e s s u r e sensing that s o m e synthesisers are capable of can also be d e f i n e d for each note. M i c o n ' s editing features are also v e r y p o w e r f u l . A n y note can be r e m o v e d a n d replaced at any t i m e , a n d at a n y place in y o u r piece. It is also possible to c h a n g e the s o u n d of t h e synth from a command inserted w i t h i n t h e music. This is k n o w n t o m u s i c a l boffins as a 'patch c h a n g e ' — but all it does is tell
CONCLUSIONS It's a clear case of 'horses for courses' w h e n comparing these two products. On the one hand is the EMR system, MIDITRACK PERFORMER which is easy to use and relates very nicely to the w a y a tape recorder works. However, it lacks a bit in the editing features and there's no display of the music you've just played. (If there was. it would probably take up most of the remaining m e m o r y and render the whole program pretty useless!) In tests, it did give the Casio CZ101 some problems as it kept on reverting to m o n o mode, but this may have had more to do with the w a y in which the MIDI code is ordered within the Casio itself than any shortcomings in Performer. XRI's MICON, on the other
t h e synth to stop playing o n e s o u n d a n d look e l s e w h e r e in its v o i c e library for another. A n y bar can be repeated, and this m e a n s that repetitive s e q u e n c e s o n iust o n e track can b e created w i t h ease. Axel F is a case in point, as the bass line is t h r e e sequences set to repeat in a certain order. This takes very little t i m e t o set up, a n d the result is v e r y impressive. O n c e y o u h a v e created your recording, y o u can store it on m i c r o d r i v e — a n d you can put t h e p r o g r a m o n cartridge too. M o s t t h o u g h t f u l o f X R I I In short, M i c o n is an exceptionally p o w erful c o m p o s i n g tool.
hand, has complete and full editing facilities but is rather more laborious to use. However, you do get a real-lime sequencing program thrown in as well, and I understand that multi-tracking software is also on its way. XRI also offer additional software to Store and edit on screen the voices of Yamaha, Roland and Casio synths, while Miditrack Performer only supports Y a m a h a equipment in this way at present. t h e two systems were tested using a Yamaha DX7 and DX9, a Korg Poly 800 and the acid test w a s tried using the most modest of set ups, the excellent Casio CZ101. Thanks must go to Musicmakers of Selly Oak! Birmingham for supplying the synths used for this and other MIDI
107 CRASH Decern ber 1985
ICHEOTECHONICHEOTECHONICHEnTE
THE EXPRESS G A N G PART 3 FOLLOWING THE EXCELLENT Rotronics W a f a d r i v e , and the Beta Plus (TR-DOS V4) interface of last issue, here's a look at t w o further units, the K e m p s t o n Disc Interface and the O p u s Discover/ 1. T h e Kempston belongs to the S h u g a r t compatible interfaces and can run w i t h a n y Shugart standard 3 " , 3 . 5 " or 5 . 2 5 " disk drive w h i c h incorporate a p o w e r supply unit. The drives m u s t h o w e v e r , be capable of d o u b l e density recording. T h e K-DOS operating system displays itself as an exte n d e d BASIC, w h e r e c o m m a n d s h a v e to be called up via a PRINT 4F4 command. This proves to be laborious a n d a lot m o r e effort is required w h e n c o m p a r i n g w i t h the s i m p l e Beta operating c o m m a n d s or even the Rotronics and Microdrive e x t e n d e d c o m m a n d s . A nice
feature for BASIC p r o g r a m m e r s is the BASIC O V E R L A Y facility using the excellent M E R G E w i t h autorun, and the line definable CLEAR functions. T h e K e m p s t o n unit must be the smallest disk interface for the S p e c t r u m , but this isn't necessarily a plus, as there is no extension port for other peripherals. T h e O p u s Discovery 1 is probably the most c o m p r e h e n s i v e a d d - o n for the S p e c t r u m next to the T i m e x drive. It incorporates a 3 . 5 " disk drive, a parallel printer interface, a K e m p s t o n c o m p a t i b l e joystick interface and a m o n i t o r output port and provides an expansion port for any further peripherals. T h e O p u s Discovery 1 c o m e s as a fully integrated unit, into which the S p e c t r u m 48K or S p e c t r u m Plus plugs. Provision is m a d e to incorporate a second drive, but
KEMPSTON DISC INTERFACE HARDWARE: T h e K e m p s t o n disc interface must be the smallest unit of the series, m e a s u r i n g only 100 x 6 7 m m . It has n o e x p a n s i o n port a n d must therefore be connecte d as last in the chain of addons. U p to four disc drives (40 or 8 0 track, single or d o u b l e sided) m a y b e connected via a Shugart compatible 3 4 - w a y IDC cable. T o save space or cost the 3 4 - w a y plug is not polarised, which m e a n s a trial and error connection. N o h a r m can be d o n e , as the Shugart p i n layout only uses o n e side of the connector. A w e r indicator and a reset tton are incorporated in the unit.
S Y S T E M DESCRIPTION: O n p o w e r i n g u p t h e system, the S p e c t r u m will display the copyright m e s s a g e to indicate the jresence of t p e K e m p s t o n DOS. K-DOS is an extension of
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S Y S T E M DESCRIPTION: Ori p o w e r i n g u p the system, the S p e c t r u m will display the copyright m e s s a g e to indicate the presence of the K e m p s t o n DOS. This K-DOS can be included on the s a m e line as BASIC statements, but care should be taken w i t h standard P R I N T statem e n t s , as these must be separated by use of a d o u b l e colon to distinguish t h e m f r o m the para m e t e r passing P R I N T statements.
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for this the unit has to be returne d to the factory. T h e operating system is similar to the microdrive e x t e n d e d BASIC a n d the various ports for printer and joystick are accessed via separate streams. T h e O p u s Discovery 1 is the ideal unit for users w h o abhor a multitude of separate enclosures and cables littering their precious desk space. T h e next issue will feature the T i m e x disk drive and a complete c o m p a r i s o n table featuring all the rast storage devices looked at in this series will s u m m a r i s e the various findings.
t h e Sinclair BASIC a n d is implem e n t e d via a software switch t r i g g e r e d by a P R I N T 4 c o m m a n d . P a r a m e t e r s are passed o n via a further PRINT statem e n t . K-DOS can be included on t h e s a m e tine as BASIC statem e n t s , but care should be taken w i t h standard P R I N T statem e n t s , as t h e s e must be separa t e d by use of a d o u b l e colon to distinguish t h e m f r o m the param e t e r passing P R I N T statements.
OPERATING SYSTEM: K e m p s t o n DOS Version 2.0 SYSTEM COMMANDS: All c o m m a n d s w i t h the exception of I N P U T * , P R I N T * and I N K E Y $ # are preceded by PRINT Jf 4: C A T .PRINT d gives a catalogue of all files of drive d (1-4) C A T : P R I N T d, "string" gives a catalogue of all files on drive d, whose name contains "string"
E(HDNICHEBTECHBNICHEn\TECH\JNICHEl C L E A R : P R I N T m l , m 2 deletes a block of BASIC lines starting at m 7 and ending with m2 C O P Y : P R I N T d is a tape to disc transfer utility which allows the transfer of post unprotected cassette programs to disc. The command batch processes the tape files until a BREAK is detected. The tape must be stopped on a command prompt to allow block storage to disc. On saving, the command displays the filename, the start address and the length of file in decimal notation. Header/ess blocks are saved using a "default n" filename. A break into the BASIC loader allows the modification of LOAD, SAVE and MERGE to KD O S syntax. The transfer of tape programs obviously requires some knowledge of BASIC and possibly machine code. ERASE " f i l e n a m e " erases "filename" from the directory of the current drive. The U P A R R O W acts as a W I L D C A R D character ERASE "filename":PRINT d erases "filename" from the directory on drive d F O R M A T " d i s k n a m e " : P R I N T i. j, k, I formats a disc on drive i 11-4) with j tracks (35,40or 80), k sides (1 or 2) and I stepping rate (6, 12, 20 or 30ms delay) G O T O m forces a BASIC program to jump to line m on any error (Error trapping) IN KEY $ * n reads the next character of a sequential file opened to stream n (n can be 0 to 15 with the exclusion of 4) I N P U T # n ; v a r l ; var2; ... reads the next record of a sequential file opened to stream n LOAD "filename" filetype: PRINT d loads a program from the specified drive. The drive specifier is optional. The filetype maybe CODE, SCREEN $. DA TA a(), DATA a$() etc. Programs will AUTO-BOOT after a reset or power on if they are sa ved as file "AUTO" with a line number MERGE "filename": PRINT d loads a BASIC file from the specified drive and merges it with the program currently in memory. This function provides the use of BASIC overlays to reduce the memory requirement of large BASIC programs by auto running from the linenumber specified in the SAVE function after having been merged in the main program residing in RAM. KDOS's CLEAR acts as a block delete to prevent the execution of lines from the previous program.
a nullstring and a specified filename2 any files on the specified drive with the substring filename2 will be copied to the specified drive. This is useful for file extension systems (MOVE" " "/BAS":PRINT d1,d2 copies all files on drive 1 with the extension/BAS to drive 2) N E W is similar to BASIC NEW with the exception that K - D O S remains enabled (K-DOS variables are not cleared) O P E N * n,"filename":PRINT d opens a stream n to a sequential file "filename" of the specified drive d and assigns a buffer to it. If the file already exists, it is opened for reading, otherwise for writing P R I N T * n; v a r V var2' writes records varl, var2 etc. into buffer n for transfer to a sequential file S A V E " f i l e n a m e " LINE m : P R I N T d saves the BASIC program "filename" onto the specified drive d. The drive specification can be omitted if it is the current drive. The optional line number will provide autorun from the specified line. If the filename is ''AUTO" the program will autoboot when loaded. SAVE "filename" filetype: PRINT d saves CODE, SCREENDATA a(), DATA a$()etc.
M O V E " f i l e 1 " , " f i l e 2 " : P R I N T d1, d2 copies files from a specified drive to another specified drive. It can also rename files or discs on the specified drive (Back-up on same disc). For single drive users d1 equals d2 and prompts for disc change are displayed automatically. If filename2 is a nullstring, then a copy with the same name as the sourcefile (filename 1) is created. Block copy is performed if filename 1 is the nullstring. This option allows the back-up of a complete disc to be made. With filename 1
MEDIA: D e p e n d s o n drives connected.
ERROR REPORTS: 27 error reports E X T R A FACILITIES: None MANUAL: 24 p a g e m a n u a l w i t h introduction, installation, explanation of disc interface c o m m a n d s , error m e s s a g e s a n d K-DOS s u m m a r y . APPLICATION PROGRAMS: None CRITICISM: S l o w access times. C o m p l i c a t e d c o m m a n d structure w i t h P R I N T * 4 calls. C o m p l i c a t e d handling of variables w i t h t h e use of P R I N T statements. N o m a c h i n e code access to the D O S c o m m a n d s d u e to lack of information. COMMENTS: A v e r a g e disc interface w i t h g o o d CLEAR a n d M E R G E comm a n d s e n a b l i n g simple BASIC O V E R L A Y s y s t e m configuration.
T E C H N I C A L SPECIFICATIONS: N u m b e r of drives supported per system: 4 S t o r a g e capacity d e p e n d i n g on drives connected. PRICE £85 including V A T
OPUS DISCOVERY 1 HARDWARE: T h e disk drive is integrated in a large m e t a l housing painted in black a n d incorporates the 3 5 " disk drive a n d the large interface card w i t h a parallel printer interface, a software switchable Kempston protocol joystick interface and a m o n o c h r o m e composite video output. T h e unit also features a n extension port for further peripherals, but the N M I line on A 1 4 is not brought out, w h i c h means further R O M based peripherals cannot be connected. Provision is m a d e for a second disc drive w h i c h m a y be fitted into the unit by purchasing the Discovery Plus package. This, h o w e v e r , must b e installed by the Opus factory. Discovery 1 a c c o m m o dates both the S p e c t r u m a n d the S p e c t r u m Plus, and both computers m a y be screwed p e r m a n ently to the unit. S Y S T E M DESCRIPTION: Except for m i n o r differences, the Discovery 1 system is completely software compatible at comm a n d level w i t h the microdrive s y s t e m a n d includes s o m e extra extensions to various comm a n d s . S t r e a m s a n d channels are used for the access to the individual input and output devices. T h e m a i n channels are: K for input f r o m keyboard a n d output to the lower part of the screen; S output to the upper pa rt of the screen; P for output to the Z X printer; M for input and o u t p u t to a disk file; B for binary input or output to the parallel port; T for ASCII input or output t o the parallel port; C A T for access to the disk catalogue file; CODE for writing or reading directly to m e m o r y ; D for disk
access used in conjunction with a M O V E c o m m a n d ; J for switching the joystick port o n a n d off a n d * t o o p e n o n e stream to another. A n excellent feature provided by Discovery 1 is the possibility of creating a R A M disk within the S p e c t r u m R A M area for fast file handling. T o this purpose the R A M area needs to oe formatted similar to a n o r m a l disk a n d files created or transferred to the R A M disk area for processing. W h e n the processing is completed, the files m a y be m o v e d back onto disk for p e r m a n e n t storage. Data storage can be performe d via serial or r a n d o m access files. An existing datafile m a y be e x t e n d e d w i t h the use of the EXP c o m m a n d extension, r a n d o m access requires the setting up of fixed record lengths w h e n opening a n e w r a n d o m access file. T h e Discovery 1 is a 2 drive syst e m using only one drive. By using drive 1 a n d drive 3 the operating system r e m e m b e r s w h i c h disk is currently in the drive a n d asks for a c h a n g e of disks w h e n e v e r it needs to write or read f r o m the other disk. T h e Discovery 1 has a socket for a 2K R A M chip a n d this m a y optionally be fitted. All the operating system tables get copied into it a n d this m e a n s the w h o l e drive system m a y be configured. N e w c o m m a n d s a n d channels m a y be a d d e d and error messages changed. All the floppy disk para m e t e r s are stored in the R A M chip a n d this m e a n s that Discovery can be used w i t h any sized disk. T h e sector size m a y be c h a n g e d to 1024 bytes for very fast o p e r a t i o n or to 128 bytes for m e m o r y saving applications.
T H E BEST BACK-UP INTERFACE £32.95 S P E C - M A T E £32.95 a u t o m a t i c o n e t o u c h transfer t o • M I C R O D R I V E W A F E R D R I V E • BETA-DISC • TAPE • TAPE DOUBLE-SPEED • SPRINT • 1. M A K E S I N D E P E N D E N T B A C K - U P S / T R A N S F E R S OF A N Y PROGRAM. 2. E X P A N S I O N PORT I N C L U D E D , (you can keep SPEC-MATE attached if y o u w a n t , but you d o not have to) 3. N O A D D I T I O N A L S O F T W A R E REQUIRED.. FFAST, D I R E C T A U T O TRANSFER. 4. "FREEZE" P R O G R A M A T A N Y POINT, (can be used as savea m e option)
S. F I N I S H E D IN S P E C T R U M STYLE BLACK CASE.
6. A D D POKES W I T H EASE. 7. C O N V E R T A N Y P R O G R A M I N T O A 2 M I N U T E RELIABLE TURBO-LOADER. orders to A T & Y C O M P U T I N G LTD, 35 Villa Road, London S W 9 7NC information: phone 0 1 7 3 3 6175 or send SAE Fully inclusive price: £32.95 (Europe a d d £2 other countries add £4)
109 CRASH Decern ber 1985
ITECHONICHEDTECHDNICHEnTECHDNr^ T h e R A M disk m a y also be reconfigured to reside a n y w h e r e in m e m o r y , be of any length and e v e n have a variable block size. P r o g r a m m i n g expertise is a r e q u i r e m e n t Tor this kind of configuring, but O p u s will provide technical information for machine code p r o g r a m m i n g . SYSTEM COMMAND^!: CAT(drive) displays the catalogue of the disk in the specified drive C A T * (stream); (drive) sends the catalogue of the disk in the specified drive to the given stream C L E A R * clears out all open streams and makes them available for further use C L E A R * (stream) clears out the specified stream
("K", "t" and "b") will return a null string when a character is not available I N P U T * ( s t r e a m ) ; v a r l ; var2; ... inputs values from the specified stream. If used when inputting from a file, the variable list must be separated by semicolons and not commas to make sure there is no output to the stream. In the file the values to be read must be separated by the ENTER character L O A D ' ( c h a n n e l spec.) toads a programme and variables from the channel specified
access file " s a m p l e " w i t h a reco r d length of 15 bytes a n d with r o o m for 10 records. For the " t " channel a printer w i d t h can be specified: O P E N * 4 ; " t " ; 0 R N D 80 P O I N T * (stream); (record n u m b e r ) sets the file pointer to the start of the given record in random access files P R I N T * ( s t r e a m ) ; v a r l ; var2; ,.. prints the values in the variable list to the specified stream S A V E * ( c h a n n e l spec.) saves the current programme and variables to the specified channel. If a
E X T R A FACILITIES: Centronics parallel printer port, software switchable K e m p s t o n type joystick port a n d m o n o chrome composite video m o n i t o r output. MANUAL: C o m p r e h e n s i v e 34 p a g e m a n u a l w i t h extensive introduction to the disk system, detailed description of the operating procedures, c o m m a n d reference guide, error reports description and connector details. APPLICATION PROGRAMS: N o n e included. Selection of disk s o f t w a r e available f r o m Boots. CRITICISM: None COMMENTS: C o m p r e h e n s i v e disk system w i t h g o o d e x t e n d e d BASIC comm a n d s , excellent filehandling facilities including random access file m a n a g e m e n t , time saving R A M DISK feature and host of extras such as the parallel printer port, joystick interface and monochrome video output. MEDIA: 3 . 5 " hard cased disks as used w i t h A m s t r a d and T a t u n g computers. Price of m e d i a : Single sided f r o m £2.40 to €4.10 excl. V A T , double sided f r o m £3.60 to £4.75.
C L O S E * (st rea m ) closes specified stream CLS * clears the screen and sets the display attributes to their defaults CODE(start address), (no. of bytes) is a n e x t e n s i o n t o the L O A D * , VERIFY" a n d S A V E * commands which allows a block of m e m o r y t o b e saved, loaded or verified D A T A ( a r r a y n a m e ) () is an extension to the LOAD* VERIFY• and SAVE* commands which can be used to save and load numeric or string arrays ERASE(file spec.) erases the specified file F O R M A T is used to set up channels "i", "m"and "d" F O R M A T " j " ; (status) is used to turn the joystick on or off F O R M A r ' m " ; (drive); "(drive title)" is used to format a disk, "m" may be omitted since it is the default channel. To set up a RAM disk, a RAM area has to be cleared and drive number 5 used: CLEAR 32767 ENTER followed by FORMAT 5; "ramd" after which the disk system will recognize RAM disk as disk numbers I N K E Y $ * (stream) reads one character from the specified stream. If the stream is associated with an "m" channel the command will only return a null string when EOF has been reached. Other slow channels
110
L P R I N T * ( s t r e a m ) ; v a r l , var2, ... prints the values of variables in the variable list to the specified stream L PR I N T sends the variables to the stream 3 (the ZX printer) LLIST lists the programme to stream 3 (the ZX printer). To list programmes using the parallel port stream 3 must be opened to the "t"channel M E R G E * ( c h a n n e l spec.) merges a programme and variables with the programme and variables already in the memory M O V E A T O B transfers information from an input channel or stream A to an output channel or stream B. The process is terminated with an End Of File. For input from a slow channel, an End of File must be generated by pressing SHIFT and ENTER simultaneously O P E N * (stream); (channel spec.) (access) associates the specified stream with the channel given. Possible types of access are IN or OUT. For the "m" channel the following options are available: EXP expands a serial file for output only and RND allows input and output for random access files O P E N * 4; " m " ; 1; " s a m p l e " R N D 15,10 creates a r a n d o m
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
BASIC programme is saved with the filename "RUN" followed by the LINE extension, the programme will automatically run after being loaded U S R 0 resets the Spectrum, but not the disk system U S R 14070 resets the Spectrum and the disk system U S R 8 returns the version number of the disk software U S R 4 3 2 returns the number of bytes remaining in the current stream ERROR R E P O R T S : 13 error reports.
MATE
Producer: AT8< Y C o m p u t i n g Ltd. Price: £32.95 incl. V A T {P&P for Europe £2, outside Europe £4)
A M A T E FOR Y O U R SPECTRUM? Yet another peripheral for transfer of protected c o m m e r c ial software is A T & Y's SPECM A T E . U n i q u e in that it can
T E C H N I C A L SPECIFICATION: N u m b e r of drives per system: 2 S t o r a g e capacity: 180 Kbytes jrside
Bu m b e r of tracks: 4 0
N u m b e r of sectors per track: 18 Sector size: 2 5 6 bytes TIMING: Formatting: approx. 17.5 sec Cataloguing: approx. 4sec Loading a screen: approx. 4sec PRICE: £199.95 including V A T
transfer p r o g r a m s to tape at n o r m a l or double speed, to the Challenge Sprint tape recorder, microdrive, W a f a d r i v e a n d last but not least to the BETA disk drive system {Version 3.0). S P E C - M A T E seems to resolve any kind of transfer p r o b l e m s for less that £40.00, but does the transfer fee also include a lot of hassle a n d lots of debugging? S P E C - M A T E could be mistaken for another of the long line of uncharacteristic looking joystick interfaces housed in a non descript black box. A n extension port a n d a push switch at the top right of t h e unit are the only visible features. T h e transfer procedure is sirnplicity itself. After installing S P E C - M A T E , the p r o g r a m is
II IHEBTECHONICHEB loaded in the normal w a y and run. H can be frozen at any point by just pressing the pushbutton. T h e border flashes for a second and then turns black. This is w h e r e the first of up to four selections have to be m a d e . The first decision is w h e t h e r to save to tape (t), to microdrive (m), to BETA disk (d), to Wafadrive or to save at double speed to tape (f). A further option lets ou e x a m i n e the screen for any idden data by r e m o v i n g the screen colours. Pressing the required option takes you to the red border mode. Here y o u decide h o w to save the p r o g r a m — w i t h or without the loading screen. 'N' saves the program w i t h the frozen screen, 'S' saves it without any screen. If y o u w a n t to save the loading screen as well, you need to load the program until the full loading screen is visible and then interrupt the
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If saving to Wafadrive, the red and blue border m o d e are skipped. T h e only other difference in rocedure b e t w e e n the various ack-up m e d i a is n u m b e r of characters allowed in the title. Several programs were backed up successfully onto various media and SPEC-MATE s e e m e d to perform both well and as promised. Saving at double speed to tape w a s impressive, reducing the loading t i m e of Way of the Exploding Fist f r o m 4 m i n 33sec to 2 m i n 10sec, for instance. A certain a m o u n t of trial and error m a y be necessary to secure a successful save — s o m e programs m a y not save out if they are frozen at certain points during execution, w h i l e the choice of screen area for SPEC-MATE's workspace is also critical. N o t all programs load successfully to Wafadrive. Barry Blitz of A T 8t Y explains that this is d u e to a higher m e m o r y requirement of the Wafadrive oper-
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DigitalSoundSampfng Technology. loading. Then, In red border mode, select 'A' which saves the screen. Next, y o u need to reload the p r o g r a m entirely, freeze it and then select 'B' in the red border m o d e to save the program itself. After the red border m o d e comes the blue border m o d e which allows you to specify which part of the screen area SPEC-MATE will use for its work data. It requires a third of the screen as workspace and, as some p r o g r a m s have hidden data in s o m e area of the screen, it is important that y o u can choose which part of the screen SPEC-MATE is to use. If you choose the w r o n g section of the screen, hidden data is overwritten by S P E C - M A T E and the program crashes. Last of the border m o d e s is magenta, w h i c h allows you to enter the n a m e of the p r o g r a m after which ENTER starts the saving procedure. If backing up to tape, the tape recorder should be in recording mode. If everything is hunkydory, the p r o g r a m will unfreeze and continue running. If it doesn't, the back-up will not have been successful and you m a y have selected the wrong part of the screen memory for SPEC-MATE to use.
ating system work area. He reckons that about 8 0 % of program s w i 11 tra n sfe r easi ly to Wafa drive. Further problems w e r e encountered w i t h the BETA disk interface. Apparently there are several sub-versions of version 3.0 DOS. At present only particular issues of the BETA D O S 3.0 s e e m to w o r k with S P E C - M A T E It appears that earlier versionsof the D O S have different call addresses and the drive does not respond. Barry believes that C u m a n a have batches of earlier versions still on sale. A T & Y is investigating the possibility of a c c o m m o d a t i n g these earlier versions into the SPEC-MATE R O M , Also on line is an improved version of S P E C - M A T E which will be able to operate with the O P U S disk drive system (in 2-3 weeks). File handling programs such as T A S W O R D can be saved with their files to produce working versions o n Wafadrive or disk. A n interesting feature of SPECM A T E is the fact that back-up p r o g r a m s run without the presence of SPEC-MATE: they are fully independent. Perhaps this is the reason w h y A T & Y stress in the SPEC-MATE m a n u a l the point of not pirating s o f t w a r e . . . Franco Frey
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111 CRASH Decern ber 1985
BTECHnNICHEUTEtH
When Sinclair produced the Spectrum they missed out a few features which could have been added at next to no cost. Here at TECH TIPS we plan to unveil a range of bolt-on goodies for your budget micro. The world's cheapest joystick interface comes your way in this monthly's column, courtesy of Simon Goodwin.
INSTANT INTERFACING (well, almost!) [ A s s u m i n g y o u ' v e a l r e a d y g o t a joystick, this Sinclair protocol i n t e r f a c e c a n b e m a d e f o r t h e p r i c e o f a s o c k e t a n d s i x b i t s of w i r e . T h e cost z o o m s u p t o t h a t of t w o s o c k e t s a n d t w e l v e b i t s o f w i r e if y o u w a n t t o g o t h e w h o l e h o g a n d fit a t w o p l a y e r i n t e r f a c e — t h i s m e a n s y o u c a n e m u l a t e b o t h of t h e ports o n Interface 2.
A W O R D OF W A R N I N G This project is going to involve y o u in o p e n i n g u p your Spect r u m (or S p e c t r u m Plus) and soldering s o m e wires onto the circuit-board. This will invalidate your g u a r a n t e e so w e reco m m e n d that y o u g i v e this project a miss if your c o m p u t e r is still u n d e r warranty. This is a s i m p l e project but it is a i m e d at those w i t h s o m e previous (successful) experience of electronic soldering. T h e S p e c t r u m is a c o m p l i c a t e d beast squashed into a tiny box, and it is all too easy to fry its guts if y o u ' r e not careful. C R A S H can't accept the b l a m e if y o u saute your Spectrum I That said, t h e project is fairly straightforward so long as y o u f o l l o w the instructions carefully — I've included c o m p r e h e n s i v e fault-finding hints w h i c h make m o s t p r o b l e m s easy to diagnose. It should only take you about half a n hour to w i r e up the interface a n d test it. T h e only tools n e e d e d are a cross-point screwdriver a n d a l o w - w a t t a g e (under 2 5 w ) soldering iron w i t h a small (1-2mrn) bit. You'll also need s o m e solder a n d six short pieces of thin insulated w i r e .
INSIDE T H E SPECTRUM Sinclair are f a m o u s for never using t w o c o m p o n e n t s w h e r e o n e w o u l d do, a n d the S p e c t r u m k e y b o a r d is no exception to this rule. T h e r e are 4 0 keys on a S p e c t r u m , packed into a grid of five c o l u m n s a n d eight rows. T h e c o m p u t e r decides w h i c h key is pressed by sending a signal d o w n o n e of the eight rows, a n d seeing w h a t v a l u e appears at the e n d of t h e columns. Figure 1 s h o w s the circuit a n d the w a y
112
that current flows w h e n the T key is pressed. T h e lines in the circuit diagr a m h a v e b e e n straightened out to m a k e the 'grid' easy to see — the w i r e s under the keyboard snake a b o u t to give the familiar key layout. T h e s a m e grid of 4 0 switches is used o n t h e Spect r u m Plus, a n d the 'extra' keys w o r k little plastic a r m s w h i c h m a k e connections o n the grid in c o m b i n a t i o n a n d sequence — giving the effect of shifted keystrokes in a purely mechanical w a y . it w a s easy to find this out o n early S p e c t r u m pluses since the key-tops w o u l d obligingly fall off if y o u held t h e computer upside d o w n a n d shook it — n o w a d a y s Sinclair stick the keys o n m o r e firmly, A joystick is really just a group of five s w i t c h e s — u p , d o w n , left, right a n d fire — in a neat box. W h e n y o u push the stick forw a r d an a r m reaches out inside the box a n d presses the 'up' switch, a n d so on. Diagonal m o v e m e n t s cause t w o switches to be pressed at once. T h e c o m p u t e r must send a signal to t h e joystick in order to detect w h i c h switches are pressed. This ' C o m m o n ' signal is taken to each switch, as s h o w n in Figure 2. Five w i r e s g o f r o m the switches back to the computer, w h i c h can tell w h e t h e r or not a switch is closed by the presence or absence of the signal at the e n d of the corresp o n d i n g w i r e . T h e signal is strong e n o u g h to g o through three of the switches at once, if n e e d b e — this h a p p e n s w h e n the stick is held in a diagonal position, w i t h t h e fire button pressed. If y o u look at Figure 1 and Figure2 together y o u should see that t h e circuit of t h e joystick is
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
the s a m e as that of o n e r o w f r o m the keyboard. Y o u could (in theory) w i r e u p eight joysticks in place of your keyboard, a n d 'type' by wiggling the sticks and pressing their fire buttons. Each joystick's 'comm o n ' signal w o u l d be w i r e d to a different r o w , a n d all of the other w i r e s w o u l d be collected into five c o l u m n s of eight. I say 'in theory' because I d o n ' t k n o w a n y o n e w h o has tried it — and unless you're an octopus you're probably better off w i t h the keyboard that c o m e s w i t h the c o m puter, 'dead flesh' or clatter not withstanding. W h a t m a y not be obvious is the fact that y o u can w i r e joysticks into the grid A S W E L L A S the existing key-switches.
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Figure 3 s h o w s this idea, w i t h a joystick w i r e d into the r o w for the keys 'Q', *W', 'E', 'R' a n d T . T h e order in w h i c h the joystick switches are s h o w n has been reversed, to make the picture clearer, but this does not affect the w i r i n g (the real switches aren't in a straight line anyway.). W h e t h e r a switch is closed in the keyboard or the joystick, the signal m a k e s its w a y d o w n one o f the five columns. Each switch in the joystick corresponds to a key on the keyboard. In fact the w i r i n g s h o w n in Figure 3 makes joystick m o v e m e n t s m i m i c the keyboard controls of Ultimate's early g a m e s Pssst a n d Cookie. This is an o l d trick, dating back to Sinclair's first BASIC computer, the Z X 8 0 , and beyond. I
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Figure 2 first tried it o n the S p e c t r u m back in 1382, w h e n a 48K machine w i t h a rubber keyboard cost £180. I v o i d e d m y g u a r a n t e e in the process, but m y m a c h i n e survived t h e surgery a n d it still works n o w , having b e e n used heavily for several y e a r s n o w . This project has stood t h e test of time.
UNMIXED BLESSINGS The m a i n s n a g of m i m i c k i n g the keyboard is that y o u have to connect t h e joystick's ' c o m m o n ' w i r e to o n e of the eight rows, and therefore y o u ' r e stuck with the eight g r o u p s of keys s h o w n in Figure 1. Y o u can't m i x characters f r o m m o r e t h a n o n e row, because t h e joystick o n l y gives one ' c o m m o n ' signal. Y o u can't just w i r e t w o rows together, since that w o u l d m a k e it impossible for the S p e c t r u m to tell between them. Of course, y o u can play about w i t h the sequence in w h i c h the joystick functions correspond to the keys w i t h i n a g r o u p . If y o u interchange t h e up a n d d o w n wires, for instance, y o u can cheat in m o s t cockpit 3 D g a m e s by cancelling the disconcerting control reversal w h i c h makes your v i e w p o i n t m o v e U P w h e n you push the joystick f o r w a r d . If y o u study Figure 3 y o u m a y spot that y o u could get five characters, each f r o m a different row, by connecting the joysticks ' c o m m o n ' w i r e to a c o l u m n , rather than a row. This is not often useful but the arrangement does suit s o m e g a m e s , such as N e w Generation's golden oldie 3D Tunnel. There A R E w a y s to get a joystick to simulate keys w h i c h are not all f r o m the s a m e g r o u p — an A G F joystick interface does simulate keys 5, 6, 7, 8 a n d 0, although 5 is in a different g r o u p to the other characters. G i v e n a few chips (and a lot of sockets!) you can e v e n build a patchp r o g r a m m a b l e ' interface w h e r e eacn joystick action can b e assigned to any key. T h e C o m c o n interface does this, but it costs a lot m o r e than this project! W e ' l l
keep things c h e a p a n d cheerful a n a restrict ourselves to simple wiring.
DISSECTING YOUR SPECTRUM O u r a i m is to connect a 9-pin joystick socket to the Spectrum, via a short lead. W e need to solder six w i r e s to the joystick socket, as s h o w n in Figure 4 — the v i e w is taken f r o m the BACK .(solder side) of the socket. This socket is the only part of this project w h i c h m a y be hard to o b t a i n : most electronics shops a n d m a i l - o r d e r c o m p o n e n t suppliers will be able to supply the socket, k n o w n in the trade as a " m a l e 9 - p i n D - t y p e connector". If y o u get stuck y o u can use a n y other type of connector w h i c h c a n cope w i t h six separate signals — o n m y prototype I used a 5 pin D I N plug, w i t h the screen connection for the comm o n w i r e . T h e snag of doing this is that y o u h a v e to c h a n g e the lug on the e n d of y o u r joystick )aa... O n c e y o u ' v e soldered the w i r e s in place y o u should end up w i t h a socket w i t h six leads, 1502 5 0 m m long, h a n g i n g off it. T h e other e n d of eacn w i r e will go into the heart of the Spectrum. Before y o u take the S p e c t r u m apart y o u should disconnect the p o w e r supply a n d any interfaces. T u r n y o u r m a c h i n e so that the k e y b o a r d faces d o w n w a r d s . If y o u ve got a S p e c t r u m Plus y o u should b e able to see seven screws a r o u n d the lip of the box — three o n either side a n d o n e in the m i d d l e at the front a n d an eighth s c r e w under the w a r r a n t y sticker half w a y along the back. T h e o l d - m o d e l S p e c t r u m has o n l y five screws — o n e in each corner a n d a n extra o n e at the m i d d l e of t h e back e d g e of the c o m p u t e r , close to t h e edgeconnector. U n d o these screws w i t h a cross-point screwdriver, a n d put t h e m s o m e w h e r e safe, they'll c o m e in v e r y handy w h e n you re-assemble t h e m a c h i n e later! T u r n t h e c o m p u t e r back the right w a y up, a n d gently lift off the top part of the box — it s h o u l d c o m e a w a y w i t h o u t a n y n e e d for force.
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A s y o u r e m o v e the t o p y o u can see t w o ribbon cables running f r o m t h e keyboard to t h e circuitb o a r d in t h e base of t h e box.
Reach under the o n e of the cables firmly b e t w e e n t h u m b , close to the
T h e s e cables are fragile so they should be treated w i t h great care. Prop up the t o p of the c o m p u t e r at an angle, like a car bonnet. M a k e a note of the position of the t w o sockets into w h i c h the ribbon cables fit — y o u r joystick adaptor w i r e s will b e soldered onto t h e back of these sockets.
it plugs into the circuit board. S l o w l y a n d evenly pull t h e cable out of its socket. Do the s a m e for the other cable, a n d t h e n lift the keyboard a w a y f r o m the base of the c o m p u t e r . T h e next step is to take the circuit a s s e m b l y out of t h e computer, so that you can solder s o m e w i r e s onto the back of the
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A joystick c o n n e c t e d to m i m i c keys Q , W , E , R a n d T CRASH December 1985
113
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T h e joystick s o c k e t (solder side)
Figure 4 board, if y o u are dissecting a n old S p e c t r u m , y o u n e e d only u n d o o n e m o r e screw, in the centre of t h e board. T h e Spect r u m Plus circuit-board is no different f r o m the board in late m o d e l s of the ordinary Spect r u m , but it is held in differently — by t w o screws at the corners o n the long e d g e opposite the e d g e connector. U n d o these screws a n d turn the board solder-side up, w i t h the edge-connector a w a y f r o m y o u . Identify the t w o r o w s of soldered joints at the back of the keyboard connector. T h e r o w of eight pins should be on the left, close to t h e beeper. T h e r o w of five pins is o n the right-hand side of the b o a r d — its exact position varies b e t w e e n versions of the S p e c t r u m but it s h o u l d be easily indentified if y o u turn the board back a n d forth to check the position of the corresponding socket. Solder the c o m m o n w i r e to o n e of the eight pins o n t h e lefth a n d connector — the pin chosen d e t e r m i n e s t h e keys g e n e r a t e d , in the groups s h o w n in Figure 1. For instance, use the fifth p i n f r o m the left if y o u w a n t your joystick to g e n e r a t e the Keys in the fifth r o w of the Figure: 6 a n d 7 for left a n d right, 8 a n d 9 for d o w n a n d up, a n d 0 for fire. This a r r a n g e m e n t is compatible with many games, including all those w h i c n support Interface 2 or user-definable keystrokes. S o m e early g a m e s expect 8 a n d 9 to b e inter-
114
changed. This circuit has a n a d v a n t a g e o v e r t h e K e m p s t o n interface: it doesn't interfere w i t h M o d e 2 Interrupts — the reason w h y s o m e g a m e s crash if that interface is connected. If this technospeak is a clear as m u d to you, h a v e n o fear — all will b e explained in a future Tech Tip, W h e n y o u solder w i r e s to the S p e c t r u m circuit board, coat the e n d of t h e w i r e w i t h a little solder before y o u bring it into contact w i t h t h e board — this m a k e s t h e w i r e stick m u c h m o r e reliably. D o n t hold the iron against the b o a r d for m o r e than a second, or y o u m i g h t do d a m a g e . Keep the w i r e still for a m o m e n t after y o u h a v e taken the iron a w a y , to a l l o w the joint to set firmly — y o u will see t h e surface of the solder cloud over as it hardens. U s e as little solder a possible; y o u can a l w a y s shake it off the iron if there's too m u c h — but m i n d the catl T r y t o m a k e the joint w h i l e the tip of the iron is still smoking. This m e a n s that the solder flux, w h i c h cleans the area a r o u n d the joint, has not boiled a w a y . W h e n y o u ' v e finished a joint check the surrounding area carefully in case y o u ' v e splashe d s o m e solder s o m e w h e r e . M a k e sure that y o u have not accidentally b r i d g e d t w o points o n the board. Y o u can r e m o v e solder by cleaning t h e e n d of the iron, then d a b b i n g at t h e offending metal.
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
O n c e y o u ' v e connected the c o m m o n w i r e y o u must solder the other w i r e s f r o m t h e socket to t h e back of the right-hand connector. Take care to ensure that t h e joints or the w i r e s d o not touch o n e another. If y o u intend to use the Interface 2 keys the w i r e s should be connected in the sequence Left, Right, D o w n , U p a n d Fire, f r o m left t o right. T h e pins correspond to the keys in t h e order s h o w n in Figure 1. All of this sounds difficult, but in practice it only takes a moment, requiring nothing m o r e t h a n concentration a n d a gentle touch.
SIMON GOODWIN'S SUPERTEST! W h e n y o u ' v e soldered the wires in place to your o w n satisfaction m a k e o n e last check o n your h a n d i w o r k , a n d give each w i r e a e n i l e tug to m a k e sure that it is rmly held. T a p e the wires neatly against the board a n d put it back into the base of t h e box. Run t h e w i r e s out t h r o u g h o n e of the holes at the back of the c o m p u t e r — I used the g a p under the M I C socket. S c r e w the board d o w n with the screws y o u r e m o v e d earlier, a n d then prepare to test the interface. It is quite safe to run the c o m p u t e r w i t h o u t t h e keyboard connected, so long as y o u are careful that nothing drops into the works. T h e c o m p u t e r is a n ideal test device — y o u w o n ' t
S
even n e e d to type in a listing in order to test the interface comprehensively. Connect the p o w e r and TV lead, but no other add-ons (just in case). T h e Sinclair copyright m e s s a g e should appear as normal! If anything unexpected h a p p e n s disconnect the p o w e r A T O N C E and re-check your soldering. A s y o u m o v e the joystick, characters should appear on the screen. Check that the correct values are produced for each direction, a n d m a k e sure that the Fire button works. Z X BASIC can only detect o n e keypress at a t i m e , so don't w o r r y if nothing appears w h e n you m o v e the stick in a diagonal direction — this is correct. If nothing happens at all the c o m m o n w i r e is disconnected, either in t h e c o m p u t e r or at the socket. If unexpected characters appear the c o m m o n w i r e is connected to the w r o n g pin. If all but o n e of the functions work properly, o n e of the w i r e s on the five-pin connector or t h e socket must have c o m e adrift. If any characters are s w a p p e d y o u m u s t have accidentally transposed the corresponding wires. If a pair of characters don't appear then either t w o w i r e s h a v e g o n e astray or — m o r e likely — y o u h a v e shorted the w i r e s together by using too m u c h solder o n the circuit-board or the socket.
RE-ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE O n c e y o u ' v e fully tested the interface, a n d corrected the faults, y o u can replace the keyboard a n d screw your computer back together. Take care w h e n y o u replace the ribbon cables. Ease t h e m gently into the sockets — very little force is needed if y o u hold t h e m just a b o v e the point w h e r e they enter the socket; m a k e sure that they slide in evenly. Y o u r S p e c t r u m should w o r k perfectly w h e t h e r or not there is a joystick plugged in. If the keyboard w o n ' t work, check that the ribbon cables are u n d a m a g e d and properly socketed. In f u t u r e issues w e will bring y o u a m i n i - M i d i interface and a m o n i t o r port, b o t h for little m o r a t h a n t h e price of t h e a p p r o p r i a t e sockets. If you're c o m p u t i n g o n a l o w b u d g e t , or y o u just w a n t to k n o w m o r e a b o u t t h e w a y your micro w o r k s , d o n ' t miss T E C H TIPS. A n d r e m e m b e r , if y o u ' v e got any tips a b o u t S p e c t r u m softw a r e or h a r d w a r e , w e ' r e w a i t ing t o hear f r o m you. W r i t e t o :
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BUNKING GOOD TIME V E J U S T FINISHED reading the last issue of C R A S H and in Lloyd's F O R U M is a letter suggesting s o m e of the C R A S H t e a m have been w o r k i n g too hard. W e l l in m y case perhaps this is true. If y o u ' v e been with this industry right f r o m the start (and for the sake of a r g u m e n t we'll conveniently draw this particular line at the launch of the Spectrum on mail order only) t h e n y o u will have seen s o m e changes in software. In the early days of microcomputer software there w a s only o n e real consideration: did the new piece of software take the Spectrum a step further? This w a s the era of the p r o g r a m m e r w h e n e v e r y o n e looked to the Z 8 0 gurus to lead the loyal flock to a n e w glorious technological high. Often, g a m e s design w a s complex and intended to b e so. M i c r o c o m p u t i n g w a s a closetted e n v i r o n m e n t for those w h o w e r e fed up with watching the likes of T o m o r r o w ' s W o r l d on TV telling of the future age that never s e e m e d to appear. (Indeed the old j o k e — 'if it's been on T o m o r r o w ' s W o r l d you'll never see i t ' — f i n a l l y c a m e h o m e to roost). A n y o n e w h o really w a n t e d a m i c r o c o m p u t e r could afford one and had already g o n e out a n d bought one. So no matter w h a t the m e d i a tried to do or say they w e r e powerless to stop the g r o u n d swell of enthusiasm for the n e w technologies. A n d herein lies the irony of the w h o l e situation. It w a s the media w h i c h hounded and harangued the public for being so slow on taking up new technology w h e n it w a s the media and the bureaucratic hierarchy itself which w a s dragging its feet. N o w the w o r l d of m i c r o c o m p u t i n g software is a little different. It is a mass market and has all the risks and responsibilities of any other mass market. A g a m e which pushes the S p e c t r u m to its limits is now not automatically acclaimed but is only judged upon h o w good a g a m e it is; can a twelve-year-old play it without reading the instructions a n d if he can, will he notice
g a m e p l a y slowing at any point due to moving large sprites/vast n u m b e r s of sprites e t c . . . ? Better to keep all the sprites the s a m e size and pilfer other c o m p a n i e s ' ideas a n d routines. If all the cynicism which has built up in, say, TV and film marketing, n o w comes to software there w o n ' t be a single person over the age of twenty playing games software. A n d that w o u l d be a shame. Perhaps it's t i m e to take the blinkers off.
TERRORMOUNOS
Producer: M e l b o u r n e House Price: £7.95 Language: machine code Authors: Peter Jones & Trevor Lever S o m e g a m e s are pretty big even before t h e y ' r e released and Terrormolinos certainly falls into this category. T h e authors of this holiday spoof a r e t h e very s a m e as those w h o c o m p o s e d the Quilled classic Hampstead w h i c h w a s the first Quilled g a m e to d o anything in the charts. I w a s very pleased at Hemp-
stead's success, not just because I liked it, but for t h e reason that it tried something n e w , and a c o m p a n y h a d the sense to back it at a t i m e w h e n just about every other c o m p a n y w a s (and t o a w o r r y i n g extent still is) trying to produce the exact same g a m e as its rivals. T h e question you must w a n t to ask n o w is, does Terrormolinos keep up the s a m e standards of h u m o u r a n d userfriendliness seen in Hampstead? W e l l , t h e a n s w e r is, yes it does, and in m a n y w a y s Terrormolinos is a far superior progr a m to Hampstead — it features s o m e terrific postcard pictures a n d keeps y o u in touch with your score, n u m b e r of turns, and n u m b e r of pictures successfully d e v e l o p e d via a score table at t h e b o t t o m of t h e screen. Verily, Terrormolinos is a very w o r t h y successor to H a m p s t e a d . Y o u start y o u r holiday, not in the Spanish Costa Brava, but in a s e m i in S l o u g h o n e sunny Saturd a y m o r n i n g . T h e w i f e Beryl has o r d e r e d t h e taxi and it suddenly strikes y o u it m a y be a g o o d idea to get s o m e packing d o n e before the taxi arrives. As w i t h all last m i n u t e packing you are almost certain to leave something important behind so it m a y well take y o u a f e w attempts to get over t h e first hurdle and board the plane. T h e r e is a n a d d e d complication at this stage as y o u must pack your things a n d get the family off in t h e taxi t o the air-
117 CRASH Decern ber 1985
port w i t h i n a limited n u m b e r of m o v e s . Hence you s o o n t e a m h o w to conserve m o v e s a n d w a t c h t h e n u m b e r of m o v e s taken tally at t h e b o t t o m of the screen (the taxi starts honking its h o r n a b o u t m o v e 35). It is o n the plane y o u first meet y o u r fellow holidaymakers, a M i s s Peach a n d a M r Snargsby. M r S n a r g s b y w o u l d s e e m to h a v e a penchant for intoxicating beverages w h i l e M i s s Peach doesn't object to having her picture taken; h o w e v e r , o t h e r s m a y w e l l object once they see the p h o t o w h i c h results. Checking into t h e hotel is simple e n o u g h t h o u g h its n a m e . T h e Excrucio, is a little unnerving. U p to this point the adventure is very straightforward w i t h simple p r o b l e m s a n d a very friendly vocabulary. In Spain itself the p r o g r a m offers m o r e of a challenge as s o m e of the disasters that befall any package holiday m a k e t h e m s e l v e s felt. But, all t h e w h i l e , y o u must keep an eye out for the occasions w h e n a
...INSTEAD OF ME! 118
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
g o o d p h o t o g r a p h m i g h t be taken. Usually it is quite obvious w h e n y o u should take a p h o t o g r a p h a n d y o u shouldn't run into the p r o b l e m of running out of e x p o s u r e s too easily (you are g i v e n t w e l v e and so to bring back ten snaps y o u can only m a k e t w o mistakes). O n e thing you'll notice about Terrormo/inos is its attempts to distance itself f r o m The Quill a r o u n d w h i c h it w a s developed. T h e r e are a m a c h i n e - c o d e d bott o m t w o lines on each screen carrying y o u r score etc, w h i l e y o u r input line has no c u r s o r a n d n o beep a c c o m p a n y i n g input. T h e input routine is sure-footed, h o w e v e r , a n d e v e n w i t h n o beep or cursor, inputting errors are rare. T h e r e are t w o feafures about this g a m e w h i c h I think m a k e it a w i n n e r . T h e first is the magnificent sense of h u m o u r w h i c h runs t h r o u g h the w h o l e p r o g r a m f r o m the 'garishly patterned w a l l p a p e r . . . obscured in places by w o r k s of art purchased at Boots a n d W o o l w o r t h ' a n d 'your b e d r o o m , scene of m a n y a dull night' in t h e s e m i in Slough, to the nightclub in T e r r o r m o l i n o s 'where tourists attempt to e m u late J o h n Travolta to the sound of f l a m e n c o guitars'. T h e second is the impressive postcard pictures w h i c h either y o u take as r e m i n d e r s of y o u r trip (and can be r e v i e w e d in order at t h e end of a g a m e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a bit like a slide s h o w ) or are seen after a fatal m i s h a p e g after being g o r e d by a bull or burnt to a bacon crisp by the ferocious Spanish sun, T h e s e pictures are s i m p l e a n d
colourful, like seaside postcards, a n d I e n j o y e d t h e m immensely, Terrormolinos is a superb a d v e n t u r e w h i c h will appeal to a very broad audience. It has e n o u g h p r o b l e m s to keep the avid adventurer happy, e n o u g h h u m o u r to counter the winter blues, a n d picture postcards w h i c h are bright e n o u g h to colou r e v e n a b l a c k a n d w h i t e T V set. A b o v e all is its user-friendliness a n d ease of play â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even an a d v e n t u r e novice could quite quickly get to grips w i t h this holiday saga. First it w a s Hempstead, n o w its the Spanish package holiday w h i c n gets the L e v e r / J o n e s treatment, a n d a tolly g o o d j o b they've d o n e too. Terrormo/inos is a nice holiday f r o m z a p p i n g little green aliens.
COMMENTS Difficulty: easy Graphics: very attractive Presentation: g o o d I n p u t facility: v e r b / n o u n Response: quick G e n e r a l rating: super
Atmosphere Vocabulary Logic A d d i c t i v e quality Overall
9 9 9 9 9
•
SORDERON'S SHADOW Producer: Beyond Price: £9.95 Language: m a c h i n e code Authors: Nick Eatock & Simon Welland Sorderon's Shadow describes itself as a n e w type of a d v e n t u r e g a m e c o m b i n i n g landscaping, first seen in M i k e Singleton s Lords of Midnight, w i t h the ability to input sentences a n d to talk with other characters. T o be m o r e precise, it is t h e first landscaping text a d v e n t u r e (alt h o u g h Runestone, r e v i e w e d here in J u n e but yet to b e released by Firebird, featured text input a n d very impressive vistas). A s w i t h t h e Midnight series this g a m e is a c c o m p a n i e d by a story w i t h i n w h i c h lie o n e or t w o clues to t h e g a m e ' s solution. W h a t is a little different about this g a m e , a n d I must b e honest, is not a n altogether w e l c o m e
departure f r o m the n o r m , is its insistance u p o n spilling the b e a n s as regards finding your w a y a b o u t t h e Land of Elindor. Y o u , t h e u n - n a m e d o n e , must tackle the nine tasks set y o u by Karavor the far-seeing. These tasks a p p e a r t o w a r d the end of the n o w familiar B e y o n d glossy booklet, just after the m a p of the Land of Elindor, a n d at a point w h e n all t h e instructions s e e m ed to a u g u r w e l l for a fine adventure g a m e . H o w e v e r , loading the g a m e coincided w i t h m y reading these nine tasks a n d I b e g a n to bec o m e just that bit circumspect as I b e g a n play. T h e point is (and there s e e m s little reason to beat a r o u n d the bush any longer) these nine tasks take you stage by stage t h r o u g h the w h o l e adventure, right u p to the assault on S o r d e r o n ' s Lair a n d to t h e Scroll of I m m o r t a l i t y w h i c h bears the w o r d s that spell Sorderon's d o o m . Y o u m i g h t ask, w h a t ' s so w r o n g w i t h that? W e l l , the impression it gives m e is that this
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i n f o r m a t i o n w a s d e e m e d essential as the g a m e is so difficult to play, that w i t h o u t it play w o u l d have been impossible. Of course, first impressions can be misleading, but in this case playing the a d v e n t u r e only served to strengthen m y reservations o n this g a m e rather than banish them. Let's h a v e a look at t h e story.
O u t of the east c a m e a surly h e d g e - w i z a r d going by the n a m e of Sorderon. He t e a m e d up w i t h another n o - g o o d n a m e d Caradach the W a t c h e r w i t h the intention of turning the g o o d king Ba. W h e n Sorderon tired of feeding the king lies h e stew the sleeping king a n d stole away into the night with the fabled scroll of Dorian, a key to i m m o r -
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tality. H a v i n g learned the scroll's secrets he l o d g e d the scroll in f o r g o t t e n B a r a m u n d . N o t being o n e to forget o l d friends, Sorde r o n decided to call o n Caradach a n d u n c e r e m o n i o u s l y slew him. N o o n e w a s safe n o w . Of lords h e m a d e K r e m e n a n d soldiers, Krillan. Lord Plavor escaped to his shelter b e y o n d the lava lakes to the north w h i l e Karavor a n d Aravor hid in t h e forest of Balinor. Needless to say, in Elindor the fields fell barren a n d m e n w e p t for g o o d king Ba. All w h o w e r e free a w a i t e d the c o m i n g of the u n - n a m e d one. You'll see w h a t I m e a n about being lead by t h e nose through this a d v e n t u r e by telling you about w h a t y o u h a v e to d o first. 'As y o u a w a k e in Elindor a guide will g o b e f o r e you. Follow h i m j north, stay close a n d p a y h e e d to I his w o r d s ' . T h e guide then goes
o n 'Bear greetings to t h e headm a n . Shirk not the task he sets y o u ' , a n d o n : ' S u m m o n the Balord w i t h Lonar's help'. N o w , I don't k n o w about y o u , but I find part of the fun in adventuring, especially landscaped adventuring, is to w a n d e r freely about the environs a n d discover for m y self w h a t I have to d o a n d in w h a t order I m i g h t have to do it. It spoils t h e fun s o m e w h a t , and indeed m a k e s it s o m e t h i n g of a school exercise, to b e h o u n d e d into f o l l o w i n g a set path of puzzles in this m a n n e r . N o w , before y o u get the impression this review is n o m o r e t h a n a vicious assault o n a g a m e w h i c h has h a d t r e m e n d o u s r e v i e w s in other magazines, let m e say n o w that this g a m e is graphically stunning w i t h s o m e reat art a n d design w o r k by the inton Designs t e a m . T i m e is a m a j o r t h e m e of the g a m e w i t h
real t i m e character m o v e m e n t s g o i n g o n all t h e while. During the day a bright sun burns across the sky in realistic procession w h i l e at night it is the m o o n w h i c h transcends the heavens. F l a m e s flicker atop candles b u r n i n g to either side of t h e display area w h i c h houses the characters in y o u r present location. A d r o p of s o m e t h i n g w h i c h looks like blood constantly drips d o w n to f o r m a skull rising a b o v e flames. W h e n the skull is clear of the f l a m e s it is night a n d the krillan z o m b i e w a r r i o r s are abroad. Through the landscaping w i n d o w can be seen stunning vistas of Elindor, too cluttered to b e quite as impressive or effective as those in Midnight, but entertaining enough. In the landscapes can be seen hillocks, trees a n d distant m o u n t a i n s w i t h drifting clouds above. Representations of characters can be seen s o m e distance ahead. H o w e v e r , these figures are m u c h cruder t h a n those superb d r a w i n g s seen in Midnight. S o m e c o m p e n s a t i o n lies in t h e graphics b e l o w the land-
scape w i n d o w w h i c h depict the characters in your location in true D e n t o n Design style. T h e g a m e has not just gone for stunning graphics though, it has also tackled the thorny probl e m of vocabuta ry. A 31 ine editor allows the m a n i p u l a t i o n of three stored input c o m m a n d s w h i c h can be s u m m o n e d a n d subsequently altered. A n y w o r d not understood by the p r o g r a m is clearly p o i n t e d out in the error messa g e slot. T h e apparently finished copy of Sorderon's Shadow sent to m e w a s , to b e honest, somew h a t of a disappointment. S o m e of the keys did not function as the m a n u a l (or keyboard aid) suggested, and m a n y of the abbreviations m e n t i o n e d w e r e not accepted by the p r o g r a m . T h e s e m i n o r niggles, sadly, w e r e s y m p t o m a t i c of a deeper flaw to this g a m e : its play design has not w o n t e d out so w e l l and it can take a considerable effort at times t o m u s t e r sufficient will to carry on. W h a t the g a m e can offer is g o o d graphics a n d a stiff challenge to a n y adventurer. It's early d a y s yet but h o w m u c h
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THE WORM IN PARADISE T h e adventure that likes to say yes
£9.95 on A M S T R A D , ATARI, BBC, C B M , MSX, S P E C T R U M etc.
Available from Lav* 9 Computing. PO Son 39. W*tton-4up«f-Mare. Avon BS24 9UR
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C R A S H Decern ber 1985
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COMMENTS Difficulty: difficult to get into Graphics: rather g o o d P r e s e n t a t i o n : superb Input facility: sentences, c o m m a n d store Response: reasonable G e n e r a l rating: a biggie
Atmosphere Vocabulary Logic A d d i c t i v e quality Overall
8 7 7 6 7
SNOW QUEEN Producer: S t Brides Price: £t.b.a. L a n g u a g e : Quill Authors: Games Mistresses The Snow Queen is based u p o n t h e w o r k of the s a m e n a m e by H a n s Christian A n d e r s e n , a Danish chap w h o lived b e t w e e n 1805 a n d 1875 a n d w a s quite s o m e t h i n g w h e n it c a m e to spinning a yarn or t w o . (If that's not a popularist introduction, I don't k n o w w h a t is). His other works w h i c h b e c a m e f a m o u s are the Tin Soldier a n d Ugly Duckling. S o f t w a r e has pilfered the ideas of comics, T V , films a n d books in the past but this attempt to bring the flavour of the book t o the c o m p u t e r p r o g r a m has w o r k e d quite w e l l — m u c h as Tangled Tale f r o m Pocket M o n e y Softw a r e r e v i e w e d last m o n t h w a s true to the flavour of Lewis Carrot. In the Snow Queen y o u r job is to help Gerda through her long journey a n d m a n y adventures to find her lost friend Kay, ensconced within the palace of the ueen. W e are told of h o w
3e r d a , a
little Danish girl, can o n l y c o m p r e h e n d s i m p l e English like G O EAST a n d LOOK U N D E R T H E CHAIR. T h e g a m e follows the story very closely so it's a g o o d idea to have the relevant f>art of t h e story (chapter III) close by w h i l e you play. There are also m a n y events w h i c h are a n addition to the story, little things w h i c h h a p p e n e d to Gerda w h i c h w e r e never w r i t t e n d o w n . T h e r e a r e quite a n u m b e r of things a b o u t this g a m e w h i c h are truly pleasing to a w e a r y adventure reviewer. First, there's its friendly vocabulary. If
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y o u are n e w to adventuring (and if y o u a r e a c o l u m n regularyou'll notice I've b e e n putting the o d d e x p l a n a t i o n in for just this sort recently) then 'friendly vocabulary' refers to the fact that o n e can expect t o a p p r o a c h this g a m e w i t h a keen sense of fun rather t h a n trepidation as m u c h m o r e often than not t h e progr a m will understand the first t h i n g y o u input (even if, for reasons of plot or logistics, it cannot carry out your request). In a friendly g a m e y o u are often told w h y y o u can't do s o m e t h i n g or that y o u are a t t e m p t i n g s o m e action t o o soon, before acquiring t h e necessary tools for the job. T h e adventures I like best are those w h i c h h a v e a fresh reply t o anything y o u m i g h t like to input. Secondly, the useful E X A M I N E c o m m a n d , as is often the case in a friendly g a m e , adds m u c h to y o u r feeling of genuine exploration. Thirdly, the location descriptions are never terse o r abrupt a n d are a l w a y s well written a n d mostly informative. T a k e this o n e for e x a m p l e : - "I a m in a t o w n street. O u r house is north, t h e street runs east/west. Across t h e road, to the south, is a n a r r o w alley. T h e t o w n is just c o m i n g to life. T h e bakers are at w o r k , t h e cocks are c r o w i n g a n d a f e w early risers are opening the shutters at their w i n d o w s . T h e a r o m a of fresh-baked bread w a f t s on the breeze. C a n y o u advise m e ? " Descriptions such as these a d d i m m e n s e l y t o the a t m o s p h e r e of adventuring. O n e further feature w h i c h I especially liked is the o d d occasion w h e n the p r o g r a m has been so constructed as to deliberately build u p suspense. For e x a m p l e , w h e n y o u tackle the r o u g h girls o n the b r i d g e just south o f the t o w n , a n d it looks like the only w a y to pass t h e m is to offer t h e m s o m e t h i n g , the p r o g r a m holds y o u in suspense as it c o m e s out w i t h " O h , but it is the only thing I have to r e m i n d m e of M a m a " . W h a t then s e e m s like a long t i m e , but of course really isn't, passes before "But y o u are right. It m u s t be done. T h e girls have snatched the gift and run a w a y t o t o w n " comes up onto t h e screen to tell y o u that w h a t y o u chose to do w a s indeed right. The Snow Queen is t h e follow up t o t h e St. Bride's school r o m p r e v i e w e d in the October Trail. It is a text-only Quilled g a m e w h i c h m a k e s very g o o d use of t h e Gilsoft p r o g r a m m i n g utility. It is a t m o s p h e r i c and consistent a n d I really quite e n j o y e d playing it.
COMMENTS Difficulty: easy as it m o s t l y follows book by H C A n d e r s e n Graphics: n o n e Presentation: pleasant I n p u t facility: v e r b / n o u n Response: instant
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
G e n e r a l Rating: most interesting
Atmosphere Vocabulary Logic A d d i c t i v e quality Overall
8 8 7 7 7
THE DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE Producer: Mosaic Price: £9.95 L a n g u a g e : machine code A u t h o r : Level 9 Adrian Mole the computer g a m e is a super i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of the highly successful a n d very funny diary books w r i t t e n by S u e T o w n s e n d . Playing the
g a m e takes y o u through a year in t h e fascinating life of Adrian M o l e , a w o r r i e d spotty adolescent, frustrated intellectual and poet. He has to contend w i t h the rocky m a r r i a g e of his parents, the insensitivity of his school m a t e s and teachers, a n d bits of h i m that w o n ' t keep still. T h e p r o b l e m s of h u m a n existence take u p m u c h of his time but diversions lie in his relationships w i t h a fourteen-year-old feminist n a m e d Pandora w h o sits next to h i m in g e o g r a p h y , a n d a n eighty nine-year-old m a n w h o m he visits w i t h t h e good Samaritan g r o u p f r o m his school. He is d o g g e d by illhealth a n d ill-healthed by his dog. T h e a i m of the g a m e is t o m a k e our a d o p t e d hero as popular as possible w i t h e v e r y o n e — family, friends a n d dog. Every so often d u r i n g the g a m e your score appears on the screen w i t h the likes of 3 8 % indicating a m i d d l i n g thicko and 2 6 % a spotty creep. T h e results of s o m e actions m a y not be i m m ediately obvious, for e x a m p l e , being too neat a n d tidy may arouse his mother's guilt feelings. A n u m b e r of r a n d o m elements alter y o u r course through the t r o u b l e d path of adolescence a n d so play m a y vary each t i m e y o u load up. T o a n y person w h o has read the A d r i a n M o l e books, the p r o g r a m can still offer some challenges as s o m e familiar scenes h a v e a n e w twist. The g a m e consists of a n u m b e r of separate p r o g r a m s w i t h the first t w o p r o g r a m s on Side O n e and the r e m a i n i n g t w o on S i d e T w o . Each p r o g r a m covers a few m o n t h s of Adrian's life. This g a m e is not y o u r usual adventure. T h e flow of text is m u c h m o r e like a book w i t h the player only being asked to alter the course of events via a choice b e t w e e n o n e of three options. T h e fourth option, so easy to forget, displays a help m e n u which includes a service y o u w o u l d be w i s e to m a k e use of early on: simply typing in the n a m e of a
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Sunday July 19th FIFTH PtFTER TRINITY. Postcard f r o m my m o t h e r , she w a n t s me t o g o o n h o l i d a y w i t h her and creep Lucas. They are going to S c o t l a n d . I hope they enjoy themselves. Monday July 2 I , fidr i a n M o l e ,
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character f r o m the diary will bring u p o n t o the screen a factfile o n tnat character in true Star Trek c o m p u t e r style. Features such as this, plus options such as R E S T A R T a n d D E M O , really give this g a m e a classy feel. T h e cassette inlay speaks of a n illustrated text g a m e a n d this is v e r y m u c h w h a t it is, as the pictures a b o v e the scrolling text d o not s h o w every n e w location, rather a n abstract interpretation of the types of things running t h r o u g h o u r y o u n g hero's mind. T h e y are of similar style and f r e q u e n c y as those f o u n d in illustrated paperback books. As is o f t e n t h e case w i t h such illustrations decorating a copious a n d highly absorbing text, you m a y w e l l play most of the g a m e w i t h o u t recalling o n e single picture. If you h a v e n ' t read the M o l e diaries, or seen the recent ITV television series (partly spoiled by the typecast parents) then y o u are in for a treat. A l t h o u g h the series stars a pubescent fourteen-year-old it ts in fact universally funny. It, in a m a n n e r of speaking, chronicles the de-
score
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m i s e of civilisation t h r o u g h the m i s c o m p r e h e n d i n g eyes of a y o u n g b u d d i n g intellectual. The idea that the w o r l d is running d o w n is not a n e w o n e a n d must be pretty o b v i o u s to a n y o n e gullible e n o u g h to have b e e n hara n g u e d into buying a T V licence by those ridiculous BBC adverts. T h e fact that the M o l e books soothe w i t h laughter our institutionalised paranoia is nothing n e w . W h a t the books, a n d this c o m p u t e r p r o g r a m , do bring out afresh t h r o u g h s o m e very subtle writing is a n a t m o s p h e r e w h e r e e v e n the most blinkered half cretin can see just w h a t is so patently ludicrous about the lifestyles a n d m o r e s being forced u p o n us by the advertising media (television and the S u n d a y T i m e s etc). At o n e point in the p r o g r a m , after d o i n g his o w n w a s h i n g . M o l e w o n d e r s w h y his m u m can't be like those w a s h d a y h o u s e w i v e s o n the telly. At another point he thinks of W a r a n d Peace as a Russian Dallas. I could g o o n w i t h m a n y e x a m ples but suffice to say that A d r i a n M o l e is a tonic for so
A T M O S P H E R E : rofteCte quality ol locator dostnptjon and graphics and how credibly characters behave. V O C A B U L A R Y : the completeness ol the vocabulary and friendliness d response . All words and associated words (objects etc) location descriptions should be incAided LOGIC: reflects ihe logic of ihe problems encountered and whether of not you are liKety to be luted without warning w chanceot escape
ADVENTURE TRAIL REVIEW RATINGS 124
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
Program by LEVEL 9
DEBUGGING: indeates the level o< â&#x20AC;˘Bshprooing . A program should not be crashed simply by making an incorrect entry or by pressng an unfortunate oombtnationollteys. OVERALL: general rating based on price and the other ratings BUT NOT AN
AVE RAGE Of THE OTHER RATINGS.
m u c h of the nonsense behind our society's decline into an uncaring a n d ludicrous bureaucracy- He is a likeable a n d very h u m a n person at a t i m e w h e n just about every character depicted in films, books a n d on television, is so uncaring, una s h a m e d l y self-motivated, and inhuman. W e join M o l e ' s diary on the first d a y of the year w h e r e he enters his n e w year resolutions w h i c h include hanging trousers up, a stop to squeezing spots, and, after hearing the disgusting noises f r o m downstairs the previous night, a v o w never to drink alcohol. The next few m o n t h s see M o l e observing a M r Lucas, the next door neighb o u r , serving up a c u p of tea w h i l e M r s Lucas concretes the front of the house, sending a p o e m entitled T h e T a p ' to the BBC, a n d a rebellious phase w e r e both he a n d Pandora w e a r red socks to school. T h e story is p e p p e r e d w i t h h u m o r o u s comm e n t s o n m o d e r n life at the e n d of a cul-de-sac. At o n e point he c o m m e n t s o n his ill-health and w o n d e r s at the a m o u n t of boilin-the-bag f o o d the family has eaten. His red spots could be an allergic reaction to plastic. T h e idyllic lazy life of a schoolb o y is far f r o m our y o u n g hero as h e has to c o m e to t e r m s w i t h a m o t h e r fresh f r o m assertiveness training w h o has h i m cleaning the w h o l e house, and a fusty o l d codger called Bert
Baxter w h o smokes, drinks b r o w n ale a n d keeps a ferocious alsatian but w h o can't have long to live as he is older t h a n Ronald Reagan. But w h e n life's frustrations a n d inconsistencies bec o m e t o o m u c h there's always that intellectual m e d i u m w h i c h is t h e h o m e of all great w r i t e r s â&#x20AC;&#x201D; t h e p o e m . I'll leave y o u w i t h this o n e concerning Adrian's English teacher's transportation. Dock Leaf's got a Fiat Covered in red rust. Its paint is blue. Its smoke is too, The wing mirrors are bust. Dock Leaf's in his banger, Bouncing down the lane, The engine coughs. Exhaust falls off, And then it stops again.
COMMENTS Difficulty: easy to play Graphics: abstract Presentation: g o o d Input facility: o n e of four options Response: very fast G e n e r a l rating: M o l e is brilliant, a n d so is this g a m e . Find s o m e w h e r e that sells it, before w e all go insane
Atmosphere Logic Addictive quality Overall
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A T L A S T ! T h e eagerly a w a i t e d sequel t o the fabulous classic " T h e H o b b i t " is n o w available. " T h e H o b b i t " , classed as 'the u l t i m a t e a d v e n t u r e g a m e o f all t i m e ' , was just a taste o f w h a t - y o u can expect in L O R D O F T H E R I N G S . Astonishing v o c a b u l a r y , graphics a n d m o r e locations t h a n y o u c o u l d i m a g i n e possible! L O R D O F T H E R I N G S G a m e I is available o n C 6 4 , B B C , S p e c t r u m a n d A m s t r a d at £ 1 5 . 9 5 . T h i s stunning packagc includes t w o cassettes, large b o o k l e t a n d a c o p y o f " T h e L o r d -T^ o f the R i n g s " Part !
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JOURNEY'S END Producer: M a s t e r Adventurer Price: ÂŁ Language: BASIC A u t h o r s : M Prescott, C Gonsalves, T Everson Journey's End describes itself as a S w o r d a n d Sorcery adventure but is probably better described as a hotch-potch of three minia m e s strung together. In Part ine y o u m o v e your character a r o u n d a d u n g e o n in w h a t a m o u n t s to a p o o r m a n ' s version of Out of the Shadows, w i t h your lantern lighting the w a y before y o u . I say 'poor m a n ' s ' because the lighting effects are crude w h e n c o m p a r e d to Shadows a n d the feet of the g a m e is not as air-tight w i t h points lost a n d g a i n e d willy-nilly. Part T w o sees you a n d your party travelling up a m a p searching for a w a y across the river y o u m e e t half w a y u p it. Part T h r e e has y o u r o a m i n g the corridors a n d c h a m b e r s of a castle. T h e poor quality of the first g a m e is a s h a m e since the
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trilogy as a w h o l e has s o m e r e d e e m i n g features. T h e local sage T h o r v a l d tells y o u of your fath er's quest to banish the evil curse o n t h e e m p e r o r which keeps h i m bed-ridden w i t h the hell-fever. T h e object of his quest w a s the Elixir of Hagar the D e m o n i c , an elixir n a m e d after the scoundrel w h o set the curse u p o n the e m p e r o r . Part O n e sees y o u continue y o u r father's quest f r o m a d u n g e o n on the e d g e of the empire. Part O n e is a rather poor g a m e w h e r e t h e cursor keys are used to propel y o u r little character around a dungeon lighted a r o u n d y o u by your l a m p . Presu m a b l y , as y o u m a k e y o u r w a y , y o u fix lights to the walls, as once lit any part of the d u n g e o n y o u have visited r e m a i n s lit. T h e r e are t w o p a r a m e t e r s by w h i c h y o u can judge y o u r progress. At the t o p of t h e screen y o u are kept i n f o r m e d o n the tally of gold pieces y o u possess (found scattered a r o u n d in m o n e y bags, in t h e f o r m of g e m s , or as gold dust in bottles) w h i t e next to this is the the state of your character's strength. T h e standard of presentation t h r o u g h o u t these g a m e s is gen-
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
erally very slick but o n this occasion your gold tally can cause t h e display to j u m p or even w r a p a r o u n d o n t o the next line should it g r o w t o o large. A s y o u m o v e about, y o u r character is subjecte d to various nasties like mysterious a r r o w s shooting f r o m walls, tow rooves b a n g i n g your h e a d or even collapsing upon y o u , rocks tripping y o u up or bottles exploding o n y o u w h e n w h a t y o u expected w a s a refreshing drink. S o m e of these fates m a y not sound too horrific but w h e n y o u consider that each represents a significant loss in strength points, and a score of 0 m e a n s death, then you feel each and every b l o w that c o m e s your w a y . In addition, o p e n i n g doors before y o u h a v e found the key for that level's doors requires strength a n d so y o u m a y well consider it unwise to o p e n any d o o r s before finding the allimportant key (this key also a l l o w s y o u to leave the level and teleport to another). T h e over-riding factor w i t h this first part of the a d v e n t u r e is luck rather than skill. W h e r e y o u m i g h t b a n g your head, or w h e t h e r a bottle y o u o p e n contains a heating potion or poison is totally arbitrary. T h u s the a m e reduces to no m o r e than e e p i n g a cursor key depressed until progress is barred by s o m e report or other. There is literally n o skill w h i c h you can bring to bear o n t h e g a m e . Y o u leave this
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rt by w a y of a g e n i e f r o m a ttle offering f r e e d o m or by w a y of steps chosen r a n d o m l y f r o m a level. If, like myself, y o u tire quickly of this first part you'd be w i s e not to refuse the genie's kind offer (indeed, I can see m a n y of y o u reading this review simply in order to w o r k out just h o w y o u do escape this wretche d p a r t of t h e adventure). If y o u survive Part O n e which, considering the pitfalls just waiting to d e c i m a t e your m e a g r e strength points, is no easy matter, y o u then must advertise and then select the best mercenaries to take w i t h y o u into Part T w o . O n e diversion at this stage is the G a m b l i n g Option w h i c h allows y o u to g a m b l e s o m e of your gold coins o n a curious selection of rodent race m e e t i n g s with n a m e s like T h e Ratokill Classic or s o m e such other h u m o r o u s titles. T h e r e is m o r e humour w h e n changing from o n e part to another w h e n Arfin Goldbeard says T h e r e is one thing you must do to continue y o u r quest'. "What is that?' you ask. 'Press any key a n d start the tape' Arnfin replies. Part T w o of this g a m e has s o m e very noble features w h e r e b y the six characters y o u ' v e chosen to accompany y o u o n y o u r mission search for rood a n d attack the e n e m i e s you meet in rather impressive c o m b a t routines. Journey's End is the type of adventure where progress t h r o u g h the various terrains is achieved by pressing a cursor key. It consists of three parts w h i c h are linked by a transfer of gold, strength a n d m e m b e r s of your party w h i c h y o u select f r o m advertising paid f r o m the proceeds of your booty or g a m b l i n g . Part O n e is v e r y arbitrary w i t h no skill involved. Part T w o slightly less so as y o u do n e e d to take care over your route through the landscape, w h o m w i t h i n y o u r party y o u choose to fight in the front line, a n d which m e m b e r s of your party should reap the benefits of any food found. Sleep will conserve strength but t w o m e n must guard the party.
COMMENTS Difficulty: tricky in places Graphics: g o o d in places Presentation: good (in places) I n p u t Facility: cursor key m o v e m e n t and n u m b e r options Response:yes G e n e r a l rating: Part O n e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; very poor. T h e rest is quite interesting
Atmosphere Vocabulary Logic A d d i c t i v e Quality Overall
6 n/a 6 6 6
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ALL THESE BLOCKBUSTERS TOGETHER ON ONE
GIANT COMPILATION SPECTRUM £9.95 AMSTRAD £9.95 COMMODORE 64 £9.95 DISC £14.95 , | jCOMhOOOUE nd AMSTRADj]
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Shadow of the Unicorn - a 120 page illustrated book, 64K of programme, and Mikro-Plus interface - all for £14.95
us 'Built-in joystick port •Back-up facility to Microdrive •Back-up facility to Tape Tape alignment routine for trouble free loading
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IDE) PRESSING FREEDOM Dear Brewster What o n earth is t h e point of having a code? T h e only reason for codes is t o stop t h e w r o n g people f r o m k n o w i n g your messages. This is pointless as you print t h e code in Signpost anyway! (??—OB) T h e only personages (another of Lloyd's long w o r d s ) w h o you m i g h t want to shut out are C64 owners, but t h e y are indulged in ZZAP! (the ones t h a t can read that is!). A n y w a y , o n t o the g o o d stuff (great I hear y o u cry!). In Red Moon — oh, by t h e w a y (oh dear, another lecture) — u p till now I t h o u g h t Level 9 w e r e i t the supreme a d v e n t u r e company, but oh no. not any more. H o w could Red M o o n be a CRASH Smash? T h e graphics on the prototype 0.1 O n e are better. T h e g a m e is a humiliation to t h e S p e c t r u m . Well n o w (phew, at last, some tips). The l a m p is obviously needed in dark places. Search the first location t o get a valued object, and get t h e gloves and dagger. Y o u could say t h e gloves are cool but t h e dagger is used w h e n things get decidedly hot. To g e t t h r o u g h t h e small door eat a breakfast delicacy. I'm sure t h e tube, f r o m t h e t u b e room, and the gas mask are for down the w e l l , but I can't w o r k it out, yet! D o n ' t w e a r t h e armour except in battle, it takes off strength. Don't fight w h e n you are small as you only have 5 hit points. Casting spells is impeded by iron and y o u will loose 7 hit points. By the w a y , I have t a k e n Red Moon back as I don't like it. Level 9, it's your o w n downfall! Same t o y o u I (I think he's referring to m y here! — O S ) . I've written t o Signpost 7 t i m e s and I've never w o n , not even got published, so PLEASE! A Taylor, N e w M a i d e n , Surrey (with DB additions and licence) H the start of this letter is anything t o go by I'm not surprised at you not having any of your l e t t e r s published. It makes about as much sense as a Tax Return form. Without wanting to preclude a thorough Career Analysis I'd say you'd make a gnat
lawyer— you can turn logic on its head and back again. As for ZZAP!, well, a magazine is only as good as its subject and the truth is the C 6 4 has a l w a y s been overshadowed by the Spectrum for reasons which say a lot about the intelligence of the micro market (compare this intelligence t o the mess which a c c o m p a n i e d v i d e o recorders — a simple enough market split asunder by wrangling and problems of compatability). As for Level 9, they are one of the most commercial companies dealing with adventures and I would say they've got the balance between thorough plot and interesting graphics about right: the abstract graphics allow the player some imaginative leeway. If taking software back to shops solely on grounds of taste were feasible (which, as far as I know, it is not) then I could think of many other games I would take back before Level 9's. DB
CONSUMER ADVICE Dear Derek O n t h e 16th of S e p t e m b e r , a day after m y birthday, I decided t o treat myself w i t h w h a t m o n e y I had left. I b o u g h t Red M o o n in t h e hope t h a t it w a s t h e best adventure o n t h e market. W a s it? Y o u bet your b o t t o m dollar it W A S N T ; atmosphere, vocabulary and logic overrated. Consequently so w e r e addictive aualrty and value. Any puzzles t h a t s h o w themselves are either auickly solved, never solved or divert y o u f r o m the path of the g a m e ' s completion. You say in t h e review t h a t the giant rat c o m e s back as a ghost. Y o u m u s t have played for a very short period of t i m e before you w r o t e t h e review. I h a v e been attacked by ghosts of the grasper, t h e giant, t h e statue a n d t h e vampire. T h e g a m e claims that y o u cannot save in t h e presence of a living being. I don't k n o w h o w a ghost or a v a m p i r e can be a living being. I cannot help but c o m p a r e it w i t h Lords of T i m e w h i c h costs a third m o r e and lasts t e n times longer interest wise. I have c o m p l e t e d t h e g a m e w i t h about 585 points and used only t w o lives in t h e process.
I assume t h a t others will like Red M o o n — s o m e b o d y f r o m C & V G loved it. I a l m o s t fe«l entitled t o a refund so I w o u l d like t o s w a p w i t h any of t h e Level 9 originals. M i l a n Petrovich, B i r m i n g h a m Even though these first two letters deal with the same sort of gripe, I thought I'd answer both separately. The truth is only avid adventurers will take the trouble to write t o SIGNPOST and so you might expect an inherent bias in the views expressed in this mail towards the early Level 9 games which had no graphics but where superbly crafted. This was all way back in the halcyon days when computers appeared attractive t o those who wanted to use their noggins for something a bit more in teractive than TV (which, as rt happens, was just itself giving m t o commercial pressure and hitting an alltime low). Now microcomputer games form a mass market whether you like it or not. In a mass market, brains go out of the window to be replaced by profit margins, turnover and expected increase in sales. It's not fust computer games which are subject to market forces, entertainments such as going to see a film at a cinema have declined to the point where poor old Barry Norman is trapped into a resigned monotone, such is the absolute drivel served up in cinemas these days. Turn any commodity over to MASS market forces and you will see a decline in quality although you will see a marked improvement in the shallower, more superficial trappings. The decline in films, TV and microcomputer games for the cause of chasing mass markets is a microcosm of the decline in our very civilisation itself. So there. DB
A FRESHER FINDS THE TRAIL Dear Derek, t t h o u g h t I m u s t w r i t e and congratulate y o u on Adventure T r a i l a n d S i g n p o s t . Being a n e w reader to C R A S H m a g a z i n e I h a v e splashed out m o n e y on adventures thanks to y o u Derek. I t h o u g h t w h e n I bought C R A S H you w e r e on t o a winner. Being a reader of another magazine, I have n o w given it up for CRASH. It is hard t o find reviews on adventures or tips to help me. I like m y adventures to have graphics but I think Level 9
s o f t w a r e is fantastic w i t h good input a n d g o o d plots. The next g a m e I a m going to splash out o n is Red M o o n because w i t h your review and because i f s by Level 9.1 m i g h t also splash out on Terrormolinos but I w i l l w a i t for your review. Keep up t h e good work. S t e v e n Hunter, W a l t o n , Nr Lincoln I know the problem with other magazines. I got so fed up I thought I'd write myself. DB
LONG, SHORT AND TALL STORIES Dear M r Brewster, I read w i t h interest t h e letter in Issue 20 by W a y n e M o r l e d g e w h o suggested, a m o n g other things, t h a t y o u include ' N u m b e r of Locations' in your reviews. I quite agree, b u t because it requires you t o c o m p l e t e a g a m e , y o u could instead include 'Size' w h i c h w o u l d give t h e a p p r o x i m a t e size, based upon an average. So say 5 0 t o 100 locations is average, b e l o w 5 0 is small t o fairly small, and above 100 is quite big t o monstrous. I think size is o n e of t h e m o s t important aspects of an adventure. Adrian O'Sulfivan, Chiswick, London Adventuring is a very subtle pastime ana it's easy for a reviewer t o stomp around without quite picking up all a game's refinements or artful ambience. The number of locations, while not quite being irrelevant so long as a d v e n t u r e s retain roughly the same format, could be misleading as s o m e adventures may be constructed to pack as much detail and happening into each and every location. Sherlock is one example (but a surprising one in that it also has a remarkable number of locations). DB
VERY NICE, BUT WHAT IS IT? Dear Derek, I w a s p r o m p t e d to w r i t e after reading PERFECTLY PERFECT in the S e p t e m b e r Signpost regarding adventure maps. I also thinfc you should push for m o r e r o o m in your c o l u m n and print a couple of m a p s (yes a couple) each m o n t h (yes each m o n t h ) . Just location m a p s — no object locations or p r o b l e m solutions should be included
129 CRASH Decern ber 1985
M i d m a p s should b e a d v e n t u r e planner f o r m a t , n o offence t o t h e g r e a t Oli b u t w e all can't d r a w like Oli b u t w e can all use a n a d v e n t u r e planner. A t t w o m a p s per m o n t h it w o u l d t a k e t w e l v e issues t o cover t h e current a d v e n t u r e c h a r t ( a h I t w i c e t w e l v e is t w e n t y four, y o u say, w h a t a b o u t t h e o t h e r six g a m e s in t h e chart?) W e l l , this is m y second p o i n t in w r i t i n g . T h e r e are six g a m e s w h i c h appear in b o t h charts, n a m e l y : D u n Darach, S h a d o w Fire, Dragon Tore, Lords of M i d n i g h t , Tir N a N o g , D o o m d a r k ' s Revenge. Isn't it about time someone on CRASH m a d e their m i n d up, w h a t is 8 g a m e , a n d w h a t is a n adventure? If n o - o n e can m a k e this trivial decision t h e n p u t it in a q u e s t i o n n a i r e or e v e n h a v e a n o t h e r t o p t e n for these g a m e s . I think a n a d v e n t u r e should b e classified in s o m e w a y . Perhaps 1. Reauire t e x t input2. Cannot be played with a joystick 3. T e x t location descriptions (even a d v e n t u r e s w i t h graphics have this). M a y I a d d t n a t I e n j o y playing t h e a b o v e six g a m e s but I d o not class t h e m as adventures. W h a t d o y o u o r o t h e r readers think? M i c h a e l T h l e y , Doncaster, W h o said I would never stoop so low a s to pedal my own self interest and map ipublish po (fair some iipetty politics rights for DO, lots more room and lots more lolly f I). As for your second point I will not discourse at length but reveal s o m e northern bluntness: Lords of M i d n i g h t is an adventure because everything about It is in keeping with the genre (storyline, a t m o s p h e r e , use of grey matter etc). And as for the disagreements within CRASH this may partly be explained by t h e fact that I reside in The Far North which is nowhere near CRASH Towers in the Middlemessâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; hence the lack of communication on subtle issues. Also, classification is a very boring topic, whether it be in zoology or music, and if I were you I would leave such matters to the academic world where such fundamentally boring subjects take on a whole new perspective (more especially in the union bar). DB
g a m e . H o w d o y o u s t o p yourself g e t t i n g killed in S i m o n B e l l e m e s castle? W h a t d o you d o at t h e archery t o u r n a m e n t ? W h e r e d o I g e t 4 0 0 g o l d pieces or t h e stolen H o l y Crest? H o w d o y o u rob t h e tax collector? H o w d o y o u get Friar Tuck t o join you?' In T h e Hobbit h e asks h o w t o get h o m e f r o m t h e d r a g o n ' s lair after g e t t i n g t h e treasure. T o s t o p yourself getting killed at the castle you must LJMM Belleme with the TJMWFS BSSPX. To get the TJMWFS BSSPX you shoot the target at the BSDIFSZ UPVSOBNFOU. To get 100 of your400 gold pieces examine the TUBUVFTFZFT. In T h e H o b b i t t r y this:S,S,S,D,S. If wood elf c a p t u r e s you go back and follow instructions. If elf is at waterfall then LJMM him with the TXPSE and move Into the forest.
W i l l i a m W o o d v i n e of Telford says 'after reading t h e r e v i e w of Red M o o n , I b o u g h t it. I h a v e n o t h i n g b u t praise for this fantastic a d v e n t u r e . A f t e r one w e e k of playing I h a v e n o t h i n g t o ask e x c e p t h o w do y o u get past t h e d o g a n d w h a t i s sog t h e n e w t l i n g for?" To take cere of the dog put the QJMMT in the NFBUand tnen then give it to the xo< XBUDI EPH. The newtling is NPTUMZIBSNMFTT.
J a m e s Clifford in G l a s g o w asks c o u l d you please tell m e w h e r e a n d h o w t o get t h e w o m a n ' s b e a r d a n d h o w t o pet t h e objects f r o m t h e bird o n t o p of t h e hill in Eric the Viking by Mosaic?' T o get the woman's beard you need DMJQQFST, DBOEMF and IFMNFU. Then shave the dwarf. At the eagle's nest drop the TQJUPPO and the bird will spit into the TQJUPPO. I must thank David Russell of Aberdeen for these tips on Eric t h e V i k i n g .
And now for the bit where I try and help you out of a quandry only t o leave you more puzzled than you were to start with. Yes, It's SIGNS TUMPS. So let's see what's got you stumped this month. Ian Harrison f r o m L l a n d u d n o w r i t e s 'I h a v e b o u g h t R o b i n of S h e r w o o d w h i c h is a n excellent
130
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
M a t t h e w Hook of B r o m s g r o v e n o w a n s w e r s a q u e r y set in t h e S e p t e m b e r issue of C R A S H . He w r i t e s 'Philip Fleming a s k e d for help w i t h Subsunk, a n d y o u couldn't help h i m . W e l l here goes. T o o p e n t h e safe y o u n e e d d i e t w o pieces of N B Q stuck with HMVF, the TUFUIPTDPQF ( w o r n ) a n d a k e e n earl T o open t h e rusted h a t c h y o u n e e d t h e BDJE C B U U F S Z a n d t h e n spill it o n t h e h a t c h (good rust remover).
M a r t i n Coyle in N o t t i n g h a m is still t r y i n g t o crack Eureka! even t h o u g h t h e prize is n o w w o n . In t h e M o d e m Caribbean he w o n d e r s h o w t o g e t t h e thing in t h e p o o l t o g e t into t h e house.
Throw the DBSDBTT of the QBOUIFS into the QPPM and get the NFUBM TUSJQ to use on the window.
R. O'Caollai in Dublin is struggling w i t h his alcohol p r o b l e m in M a f i a Contract. He asks could y o u please tell m e h o w t o find s o m e booze?' Give QBQFS to USBNQ and drink NFUtT. This tip was kindly supplied by Ian King in Tipton.
Paul Ashley f r o m C r o y d o n struggles w i t h a c o m m o n p r o b l e m in T h e Hulk. 'Please, lease, please help m e w i t h ulk. W h e n e v e r I say g e t ants t h e y pull o u t m y eyes. David Burnett of Craigavon is having t h e s a m e sort of p r o b l e m s , ' H o w d o I persuade t h e ants t o f o l l o w m e because G E T A N T S d o e s n o t w o r k ' . Nick Crutch ley of W a l s a l l asks ' H o w d o you store t h e b i o - g e m w i t h o u t it w a l k i n g a w a y or t h e ants eating it? A. Boschmans in B e l g i u m is h a v i n g o n e or t w o p r o b l e m s w i t h T h e Hulk. A m o n g o t h e r t h i n g s he w o n d e r s a b o u t t h e use of t h e w a x and t h e gas outlet.
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T o rescue a n t - m a n I P M E OPTF, D M P T F N P V U I and Q M V H ears w i t h X B Y . G o t o ants. D M P T F FZFT a n d get ants. T a k e ants to (Jttron. T o deal w i t h t h e biogem problem MFBWF the gem in its r o o m until all g e m s h a v e b e e n collected. T h e w a x is used t o Q M V H t h e ears and t h e gas outlet.
S t e v e n T r o w is having t r o u b l e in Fantasia D i a m o n d . 'I can't open t h e musical door even w i t h t h e b a t o n . W h a t d o I h a v e t o do?' To open the musical door the conductor needs the CBUPO, the violinist the WJPMJO, andthegreen book contains the NVlJD. The c o m m a n d then is 'say to conductor play music.'
Brian M o r r i s o n in East Lothian wonders h o w to defeat M v s t e r i o a n d t h e R i n g m a s t e r in A a v e n t u r e International's S p i d e r m a n (he already k n o w s h o w t o see off H y d r o - m a n ) . To get rid of the Ringmaster, DMPTF FZFT before entering room, push the LOPC and then UVSO it. You do not defeat Mysterio, the one outside the skyscraper is probably an illusion.
A d r i a n O'Sullivan has sent m e a f e w queries regarding Kentilla and one to do w i t h Golden A p p l e f r o m Artie. He w r i t e s 'Please o h m a s t e r f u l o n e , tell m e h o w t o o p e n a n d get t h r o u g h the trapaoor without a demonic idol slicing m e in half, a n d w h i l e
I ' m a t it, w h a t does t h e g l o w i n g crystal do and w h e r e d o l get t h e g r a p h i t e for t h e Fire Protection spell?' You need the JSPO SPE from the floor of the USPMMTIair. To find it examine floor. JOTFSU SPE into statue. The glowing crystal can be used as a weapon against the USPMM. To get graphite, examine UBMJTNBO. Remove diamonds with TXPSE and then CVSO diamonds in G VSOBDF. In G o l d e n A p p l e feed the crocodile with the TBMNPO.
Alex J a m e s o n f r o m Lancaster w r i t e s 'Please help m e w i t h t w o a d v e n t u r e s I a m stuck on. First in Valkyrie 171 have successfully g o t o u t of Schloss Drakerfeld w i t h t h e d i a m o n d but w h a t do I d o next? Secondly, in Sherlock, I h a v e f o l l o w e d t h e tips t o go to the opium den and found Percival Ffoulkes but I c a n n o t p r o v e to Lestrade t h a t he takes o p i u m a n d he still shoots Percival w h e n he enters'. In Valkyrie 17, when you go out of the room TIPPU the NBO with the NPOPDMF. In Sherlock, about 11.30 pm on Monday you go to Slater Street and, wearing the chinaman's disguise, go north into the den. Wait for Ffoulkes to arrive, and then remove your disguise. He will confess that he was at the den at the time of the murder. Follow Lestrade around Leatherhead and su,ggest ike h you have a good look att tthe stream. I must thank Billy D i n g w a l l and J o h n J a c k s o n respectively for the you can! You need the GMBTIMJHIU, the XFMEJOH UPSDI and the spark igniter which can be found in the drawer. You light the GMBTIMJHIU and QPTU it. Stripe will then jump out and all you have to do is light the XFMEJOH Uf*SDI and DVU the mail box Into plates which will be needed later in the game.'
Paul Wakeling writes on Terrormolinos from Eastbourne On Friday the 4th of October I spent three hours on Friday learning w h a t you could and couldn't do. Then the quest Started in earnest on Saturday the Sth. 5 1 / 2 hrs later at 4 32prrt I had arrived back at my house in Slough.' Paul is therefore a SUPERHERO just pipping Matthew Deafcin of Redditch w h o scored 8 7 % in 409 turns w i t h 12 pics taken and 10 successful ones on the 6th of October M. Scottowof Chingford completed Touchstones of Rhiannon on Thursday September 5th and James Cesareo finished Fourth Protocol on September 27 at 04
A CLOSER LOOK
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ENTERING THE DRAGON A quick peek at some of the entries for the Dk'tronics Dragon Drawing held in appreciation of the launch ofPOPEYE, the game.
b r e a t h i n g fire a n d clutching a giant carrier bag full of w i n n i n g entries. Here's a selection f r o m t h e Popeye D r a g o n D r a w i n g C o m p e t i t i o n W i n n e r s File. S o m e excellent w o r k executed by s o m e t a l e n t e d artistic persons. Impressive, huh? A full list of w i n n e r s a p p e a r s o n t h e results p a g e proper, a bit later ki t h e magazine.
T h e D r a g o n D r a w i n g c o m p e t i t i o n sponsored by Dk'tronics certainly f i r e d q u i t e a f e w people's Imaginations. T h e back r o o m in M a l l Order w a s b u r s t i n g a t t h e cornices w i t h entries a n d w e finally m a n a g e d t o coerce t h e D r a g o n herself, Sally N e w m a n , t o Judge t h e competition. A b o u t t h r e e d a y s later s h e e m e r g e d f r o m t h e back r o o m .
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Rushing in where mad dogs fear to tread, agenl Dogsbody sets out to rescue puppies stolen by dastardly Dr. Dogmush. 25 screens, 5 0 m e a n i e s . . It's fast, furious, I addictive and full of surprises. Get digging Dogsbody.
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YOU ARE TRANSPOSED INTO A STRANGE COMPUTER GENERATED UNIVERSE. YOU MUST DO BATTLE WITH THE ROM ROBOT, TANKS AND RANDOMISERS IN YOUR MISSION TO REACH THE PROCESSORS OUTPUT PORT.
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AARGH! IT'S THE DRAGON
DYNAMITE RESULTS
THE W I N N E R S w h o all pick u p a copy of P o p e y e t h e g a m e f r o m Dfc'trontcs a n d .(and this is no m e a n a n d ) a n d a Dk'tronics sound synth. G o o d prize, eh? G r a h a m Keen, N H u m b e r s i d e ; Joel M o r r i s , C h e l m s f o r d , C M 1 4 Y G ; Robert Prent, Nijkerkerveen, Holland.
H a h ! H e r e a r e t h e fifty lucky p e r s o n s w h o w i l l soon b e rece i v i n g t h e i r v e r y o w n c o p y of Mirrorsoft's smashing platform g a m e . O n e of t h e m o s t t u n e f u l a n d |olly p l a t f o r m g a m e s to be w r i t t e n o n t h e S p e c t r u m recently. W i s h I w o n s o m e t h i n g once in a w h i l e . . . b u t t h e n m i n i o n s aren't supposed t o be winners. W e r ' r e all losers in life. T h a t ' s o u r lot. H o h u m .
RUNNERS UP (Who will have to m a k e d o w i t h a quiet S p e c t r u m as t h e y play POPEYE, t h e ame): Hawkins, A u g u s t a Rd, Kent; D Gallagher, B e e c h w o o d St, BT48 9 N J ; N W i l d s m i t h , HogBrth Place, 0 X 1 4 BLR; R Crosby, T h e Green, S u r r e y ; S W o o d , Hariington Ave, N R 6 5 U ; L A m e s , D r a y t o n Rd, N R 3 2 D L ; M Edwards, N u r s e r y G a r d e n s , T W 1 8 1 E J ; Peter Kilime, Grudrunsvej, D e n m a r k ; S Nevill, N o r m a n Rd, B31 2 E W ; S S u m m e r s c a l e s , W o o d s i d e Cres, W F 1 7 7 D Y ; R i v e s . J o a n W a r d St, CV3 5 F W ; P Mititsch, B e n g a i m St, G 3 1 3 Q R ; T Hall, G a r d e n Close, S E 1 2 4 T G ; J A d a m s , C l a p h a m Rd, L4 2 T 0 ; P E m m s , Old B i r m i n g h a m Rd, B 6 0 1 H H ; M Lee, Carlton Rd, E X 2 5 N S ; Alan Wears, H o o d Court, N N 1 7 2RH; R W a t s o n , Eaglethorpe Farm, PES 6 T J ; J Neil, W e s t Green, C H 5 2 S D ; T Hawkins, Greenbank Rd, E X 3 2 8 E G ; D Harris, N e w Rd, Herts; E Calver, South H e r m i t a g e , S Y 3 7 D R ; P Gould, H a r r o w St, T S 2 5 5 S E ; S A G r a h a m , G r e e n Lane, C A 2 7QB; I Harris, G a i n s b o r o u g h Dr, W V 6 7NR; C M e r r y , G l e n d a l e Cres, KA7 3 R 2 ; D W a r r e n , S e l d o n Rd BS148PS.
B
DAN
S Ali 5 1 A s h m e a d Rd S E 8 4 D Y ; P A t k i n s o n 16 M a n s t o n Rd W A 5 2 H S ; J Bennet 4 P a e w s — e — D y w e d CF4 8 S A ; M Black 5 Douglas Gardens—Haydon Bridge—Northumberland;? B o x h a m 15 B e n n e t Close 0 X 1 7 2 J 2 ; S Brooks 6 6 St J o h n s R d — Stave rely—Nr ChesterfieldD e r b y s h i r e ; M B r o w n 7 Geraints Close CF7 7 B T ; T C h e e t h a m 11 Rectory Gardens— Oldswinford—Stourbridge—W M i d l a n d s ; I Doggett 3 5 B u c k l e s h a m Rd I P 1 0 O P D ; C Fry 36 Oakleigh Ave—ClaytonB r a d f o r d ; Dick G a h e r t y 27 Kippax Ave—Wells—Somerset; T i m G r a c e 4 9 Druids Cross G d n s LI8 3 E B ; G H a l f o r d 8 8 Lynbrook C l o s e D Y 2 9 H F ; Daniel Hall 17 Clifton A v e N 3 1BN; J Hall 22 P a r k g a t e W A 1 6 8 H E ; Spencer H e y w o o d 7 Chittenden Cotts S u r r e y ; Dick Hill 4 1 Cherry
WINNERS ]
O r c h a r d G L 1 2 7 H T ; T Jackson 3 Princess G a r d e n s W o k i n g S u r r e y ; M J o n e s 4 8 T y d r a w St W G l a m ; R J u d d 9 Croxdale T e e — Pelaw—Gateshead—Tyne And W e a r ; Pragash K r i s h n a m o o r t h y 4 Overdale Avenue KT3 3UF; J L a n g 297 Link R d — A s a n s t e y — Leicestershire; C Lewis 2 9 Oakhill Rd KT21 2 J G ; A Linghorn 14 H a r r o w d e n e C t — 6 B e l v e r d e r e Drive S W 1 9 ; M M a r d Radiceva 5 4 — 4 1 0 0 Z a g r e b Y u g o s l a v i a ; A M c D o n n e l 93 Elgar Rd II4 4 B U ; S M c G i n l e y 27 L e v e n Rd Y 0 2 2TL; A Mellett 3 Beaufort Rd Bristol; J o o M i K i m 35 H o l m e s d a l e Rd T W 1 1 9 U ; P R a d l e y 42 H o d d a m A v e G G 5 0 E 7 ; M Paice 3 0 Micklehill Drive S o l l i h u l l — W M i d l a n d s ; J Porter 3 0 Bader A v e n u e Cleveland; G P o w e l l T h e O l d Vicarage HR2 OQD; C Prettejohn Ruses M i l l P L 1 5 9 Q H ; A Reid 32 P e m b e r t o n V a l l e y K A 7 4 U H ; Daniel R e y n o l d s 4 4 Birkenshaw Rd Birmingham; M S e l l a r 2 4 CampeTl A v e E H 1 2 6 D N ; W e s l e y Setchfield 3 1 Oakhurst Close M E 5 9 A N ; B S i m p s o n 15 Belvoir Close S E 9 4 T D ; C S t o n e h a m S a l v i n g t o n — C o l l i n g w o o d Rise T N 2 1 8 D N ; M S t u m p 13 T h e Holt—Abingdon—Oxon—OX14 2 D R ; D Tate 84 M i d d l e t o n Rd
N R 3 1 7 P Q ; J T h o m a s 25 Holly H e d g e R o a d Surrey; D W a lllington 4 2 StationiFRd CV35 8 X J ; J W a l s h 56 Kingfisher Drive Kent; J W a s s a i l 106 Primrose A v e C W 1 1QB; S W e b b 5 M a n o r Way—Potton—Beds; S Webster 3 Almond Rd—Gorleston— Great Yarmouth—Norfolk; C W Y a u 3 9 D e l a n e y St N W 1 7RS
PINBALL WIZARDRY COMPO Frve first prize w i n n e r s c a m e o u t of t h e C o m p e t i t i o n M i n i o n ' s hat t h e o t h e r day. T h e s e persons all collect a v i d e o copy of t h e classic Rock film, T O M M Y c o u r t e s y of P S S w h o ran t h e c o m p o t o celebrate t h e arrival of t h e i r French i m p o r t M A C A D A M BUMPER: iyn< Rd M a g s o o d A h m e d 51 Reynell M 1 3 0 P U ; J o h n Hickicey 48 Burnham Dve KT48S ! T ; Nifgel Pritchard 27 S y l v a n a Close U B 1 0 OBH; Alistair M a y 2 0 Institution Rd IV30 1QT; S i n c e 4 7 Clydesdale M o u n t N E 6 2 E N ;
135 CRASH Decern ber 1985
[ WINNERS
WINNERS
w h i c h will entitle t h e m to £5.00 off a n y P S S g a m e purchased m a i l o r d e r f r o m f*SS H Q in C o v e n t r y . A n d t h e r e ' s a couple a fabbo Spectrum games coming s o o n f r o m PSS, so d o n ' t s q u a n d e r y o u prizes t o o quickly lads a n d lasses.
Y o u r f a v o u r i t e M i n i o n has not f i n i s h e d w i t h his yet, ho no. H e r e ' s five runners up, w h o all pick u p a c o p y of t h e soundtrack of t h e f i l m on flat vinyl Long Playing discs: K e v i n Fisher Lea G a t e Bagstone G L 1 2 8 B D ; M a r k T a m b u r r o 17 B a n b u r y Rd M 2 4 1QB; G r a h a m Persson 4 6 Balfour St EH6 5ER; M a r k W r i g h t 19 Hatchford Brook Rd B92 9 A G ; W e s l e y Setchfield 3 1 Oakhurst Close M E 5 9 A N Ever o n w a r d w i t h t h e w i n n e r s . M o r e M i n l o n l y tasks w e r e performed, and n o w w e can p r e s e n t a f u r t h e r t w e n t y five r u n n e r s u p in t h e PSS c o m p (Will it n e v e r e n d — E D . ) Each of t h e u n d e r n a m e d personages all collect a v o u c h e r f r o m PSS
G Bottrell 75 W i m b l i n g t o n Rd PE15 9 Q W ; A d a m Bumpstead 2 8 Buttlegate PL11 3 N Q ; Ian Champion 46 Warren Gdns W a r r e n Lane S 3 0 4 X Z ; lain D a v i e s 15 M a p l e Cres P 0 8 OLP; M i k e D u n i g a n 9 Eskdale Close W e s t o n S M a r e ; Zak Gucklhorn 6 M a n o r W a y HA2 6BY; John H o o l e y 17 Ellesmere Rd T W 1 2 D J ; H o w a r d H o r t o n 32 Rownall Rd W e r r i n g t o n Stoke O n Trent; Robert H u g h e s 5a W a r w i c k A v e CVS 6 D J ; Ian Hunt 186 Old L o d g e Lane CR2 4 A N ; M a t t h e w J a c k o n 9 S e l b o r n e Rd D A 1 4 4 Q P ; M Lovell T h e Gables BA22 9 L S ; M i t c h i n s o n 14 Park Court L S 2 1 1LF; Ian M u i r 1 5 C r o f t h e a d O v e N E 2 3 6 L G ; D Parry 10 Purcell A v e T N 1 0 4 D P ; J a m i e P a t e r s o n 3 0 T h e M a l t i n g PE17 1LZ; Lee Prutton 9 Jubilee Cres S G 1 5 6 S B ; D o n R a m s a y 21 T h i r l m e r e G d n s BD2 4 N N ; P S a u n d e r s 2 8 P o l w i t h e n Rd T R I O 8 Q T ; Kevin S h u t t l e w o o d Ind H o u s e D u n m o w Rd C M 2 2 6SP; M i c h a e l Slater 23 W o o d T o p BLO 9 E N ; J Stacey 9 9 East Hill S W 1 8 2 Q D ; Paul Taylor 19 E d g e w o o d D v e N G 1 5 6 H X ; W a y n e Thirlwell 25 T h o m a s St S R 2 ORF; R Julie W i l l i a m s 8 7 P e l h a m Rd W A 4 2HA;
A D V E N T U R E C H A R T WRITE-IN C O U P O N Please use block capitals a n d write clearly!
WINNERS
A
P H O N E - I N HOTLINE D I S C O N T I N U E D Votin done
for t h e C R A S H Hotline and A d v e n t u r e Chart can no longer be t p h o n e — t o o m a n y rude p h o n e calls upset t h e neighbours! o n ' t despair, y o u can still cast your v o t e for t h e t w o CRASH charts, so long as y o u d o it by post and use t h e coupons b e l o w (or a p h o t o c o p y ) . Each m o n t h w e ' l l still be d r a w i n g five lucky prizew i n n e r s out of t h e H o t l i n e V o t e Bag, and five m o r e w i n n e r s will c o m e o u t of t h e A d v e n t u r e Chart Cask. First coupon out for both charts w i n s £ 4 0 of s o f t w a r e and a C R A S H T-Shirt w i t h four runners u p f r o m each sack of m a i l collecting a T-Shirt a n d a super dooper C R A S H Hat.
3
H O T L I N E V O T I N G - Your Favourite Five It's as simple as ABC(DE)! All y o u h a v e t o do is list your favourite five p r o g r a m s , in descending order, n e x t to t h e little n u m b e r s on the c o u p o n and w h i z z it off to us.
ADVENTURE CHART VOTING A f t e r m u c h deliberation, w e ' v e decided t o limit t h e n u m b e r of g a m e s y o u can v o t e for o n t h e A d v e n t u r e Chart t o five. N o longer c a n you keep on voting for as m a n y g a m e s as you like (or can think of). It's five adventure g a m e s only n o w , folks. Y o u still need t o give e a c h g a m e you vote for a m a r k o u t of t e n , h o w e v e r , so w e can apply a c u n n i n g l y derived m a t h e m a t i c a l f o r m u l a t o everyone's votes and c o m e u p w i t h t h e final ranking. Q u i t e simple really, for y o u if not for us. D O N T FORGET T h e t e l e p h o n e n u m b e r for t h e Hotline Phone-In has been disc o n t i n u e d , so don't w a s t e your t i m e a n d m o n e y trying t o ring in Hotline or A d v e n t u r e Chart votes. Postal votes only chaps and chappesses, on t h e c o u p o n s to PO Box 10, L u d l o w , Shropshire, SY8 1DB. If y o u w a n t t o save m o n e y y o u can pop t h e coupons in the s a m e envelope as y o u r c o m p e t i t i o n entries — so long as you mark it M U L T I P L E ENTRY. Get Voting
M y top five p r o g r a m s are:
TITLE
V O T E O U T OF T E N
Name
I
1 Address
2 postcode
L
3
Send your coupon to: C R A S H A D V E N T U R E T R A I L , P O B O X 10, LUDLOW. SHROPSHIRE S Y 8 1 D B
J
J
C R A S H H O T L I N E WRITE IN C O U P O N
M y t o p five f a v o u r i t e p r o g r a m s in d e s c e n d i n g o r d e r
Please use block capitals a n d write clearly!
are:
N a m e
TITLE
Address
] 2
Postcode S e n d y o u r c o u p o n to: C R A S H H O T L I N E , P O B O X 1 0 ,
L U D L O W , S H R O P S H I R E SYS 1DB 136
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
PRODUCER
Be a Superior Alien with your very own CRASH T- shirt and sweatshirt There's absolutely no excuse for missing out on the Christmas Special this year. We'll be printing lots of copies, and each one will contain a completely free, giant A1 size Oliposter, with a full colour Oli picture painted specially for the occasion on each side. But there's going to be more. At least a dozen competitions, with s o m e very special prizes on offer indeed, a b u m p e r playing tips section, Lloyd M a n g r a m ' s lookback on the year that w a s 1985 as well as a host of interviews and profiles with interesting people. (We're not telling you w h o yet — it's fun keeping a secret). A n d of course the usual sprinkling of festive features, culinary hints and Chrimble memorabilia that y o u w o u l d expect to find in the Christmas Edition of any self-respecting way-of-life magazine. All c r a m m e d into nearly t w o hundred pages, with the cover bursting at the staples.
ENSURE YOUR REGULAR COPY OF CRASH
Fabaroonie S w e a t s h i r t s — long sleeved, heavy quality a n d fleecy lined w r t h d o u b l e stitching o n neck a n d shoulder seams for durability. Colourfast, m a c h i n e w a s h a b l e navy blur w i t h t h e Oli Frey C R A S H design in three colours. Just like t h e T shirt design in fact 1
W h e n 3 m a g a z i n e is rising in circulation as rapidly as C R A S H is doing it tends to sell out i m m e d i a t e l y a n d you m a y experience difficulty in o b t a i n i n g your copy every m o n t h . S o the best thing to do is place a regular order w i t h y o u r local n e w s a g e n t , w h i c h you can d o by handing h i m this f o r m .
G r e a t T-shirts in high-quality 100% cotton w i t h double stitching o n neck and shoulder s e a m s for lasting w e a r . T h r e e sizes, in black w i t h a brill. Oil Frey C R A S H design in t h r e e colours
£4.50 including UK P&P
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C R A S H T Shirts ST." ML LO
Sweatshirts SG
Ml
Ptease place m e a regular m o n t h l y order for CRASH Magazine. Name .. Address
LCI
O V E R S E A S O R D E R S PLEASE A D D £ 2 0 0 postage NAME ADORESS
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To the
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C R A S H M a g a z i n e is published in t h e m i d d l e of every m o n t h by N a w i f l e l d Ltd, 1-2 King Street, Ludlow, Shropshire SYS 1AQ. Tel: 0604 5851, and distributed to the n e w t t r a d e by C O M A G (08964 44055). Please check with t h e publishers If y o u have any difficulties In obtaining supply.
137 CRASH Decern ber 1985
M r M a s t e r s o n , t h e n e w Strategy and W a r g a m i n g m i n i o n o n C R A S H reflects on t h e fluff t h a t has been gathering in his navel since last he w r o t e F R O N T L I N E , pauses t o ponder w h a t a strategy g a m e a b o u t t h e Falklands w a r could have in store for us (conveniently ignoring penguins) a n d gets stuck into a good Napoleonic dust up. Since s o m e o n e on our sister m a g a z i n e for t h e A m s t r a d , A M T I X ! , r o p e d h i m into r e v i e w i n g strategy g a m e s on t h a t m a c h i n e and t h e n called h i m a leprechaun into t h e bargain, our S e a n has had a bit of a d o w n e r on A m s t r a d s and just about everything t o do w i t h t h e m . S o d o n ' t hold t o o m u c h store w i t h his inability t o w r i t e t h e w o r d A m s t r a d in full. He's only sulking. A n y w a y , e n o u g h of this, on w i t h t h e s h o w . O v e r t o you, S E A N M A S T E R S O N . (Rah! Rah!).
GET YOUR FILTHY WATERLOO HANDS OFF MY DESERT Producer: Lothlorien Retail Price: £9.95
T W O U L D APPEAR that I'm getting noticed. That isn't necessarily a g o o d thing for a poor, C R A S H minion. It's hard t o tell w h e t h e r y o u are achieving popularity or notoriety, s o m e t i m e s . Still, the w o r l d will g o on regardless, and w h i l e it does, so shall this column. I'm glad last m o n t h ' s c o m m e n t s o n morality in w a r g a m i n g w e n t d o w n w e l l (as far as I could tell). I shall try not to be too provocative in future. N o n e w s is I g o o d n e w s after all. Recently, I dealt w i t h PSS's Battle of Britain for the A c o m p u t e r , in another magazine. (Oh all right t h e n A M T I X I ) It's a superb g a m e . W h e n I see the S p e c t r u m version, I shall let y o u know. Of course, there is n o w n e w s that PSS are d o i n g a Falklands '82 scenario. S o m e people are saying that this is a little too close to the knuckle. Bad taste. I w o u l d say p e r h a p s the issue w a s being prej u d g e d . It m a y e v e n point out s o m e interesting details presently u n k n o w n to interested parties. It all d e p e n d s on h o w well the simulation is d o n e . Perhaps it will put y o u in ft///command of the task force — unlike the c o m m a n d e r s of the actual battle. It m a y allow strategic decisions to be m a d e that w e r e not m a d e available to the officers of the force in the conflict. H i g h level b o m b i n g of e n e m y m a i n l a n d airstrips before the arrival of the task force, for e x a m p l e , i w o n d e r w h a t effect that could h a v e h a d on ship a n d personnel losses? I honestly think that e v e r y b o d y should give PSS the benefit of the doubt until the g a m e is published. T h e n w e will see.
138
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
This m u s t be the m o s t popular period e n j o y e d by the traditional w a r g a m e r (with the possible exception of Ancient) a n d so it w a s a pleasure to find a n e w Napoleonic g a m e released — on the classic battle itself. I w a s doubly impressed to discover Lothlorien w e r e the publishers. They got off to something of a d o d g y start but The Bulge w a s a classic and m y respect for t h e m has b e e n far higher since. T h e packaging of their products has certainly i m p r o v e d since the early days. Waterloo c o m e s beautifully packaged in a large f o r m a t cassette holder w i t h excellent artwork a n d a slim but excellent m a n u a t w h i c h m a n y conventional w a r g a m e s companies w o u l d d o w e l l to e x a m i n e before they released their next title. T h e g a m e is a strategic simulation o n divisional level of the battle that finally brought Napole o n to his downfall. N a p o l e o n w a s on his w a y to Brussels to gain support for his forces f r o m Brussels. H o w e v e r , he must first defeat the Anglo-Dutch force
c o m m a n d e d by the Duke of Wellington f r o m the S e v e n t h Coalition. N a p o l e o n had a stronger force than his opponent but Wellington h a d superb defensive positions that cut across his adversary's front lines. Plus, he k n e w that if h e fought a defensive strategy long e n o u g h , reinforcements w o u l d soon arrive in the f o r m of General Blucher's Prussian a r m y . A n d so the stage is set for a o n e player g a m e with the h u m a n participant playing Napoleon. T h e g a m e has a s m o o t h scrolling 'plan' of t h e battlefield as a display. T h e scrolling really is s m o o t h o n this g a m e — far superior to other g a m e s of this nature that boast the same feature. Units are displayed as divisional markers, each unit coloured according to nationality. Displayed o n tne markers is information pertaining to the nature of the unit such as w h e t h e r it is cavaliy or infantry. O n the French units the Corps n u m b e r a n d c o m m a n d status is also s h o w n . O n requesting a detailed report of a unit, the m a r k e r w i d e n s to twice its original length a n d the units strength in t e r m s of fighting m e n a n d its m o r a l e are displayed. O n e n e m y units however.
French infantry (on the left) push the English troops towards Waterloo. Cavalry units guard against any outflanking attempt by Wellington's forces
only the strength is displayed. Hai andling the units is accomplished by using a straightforward m i n i - m e n u at the bottom of the display area in conjunction w i t h cursor control. Units can be c o m m a n d e d as a Corps {by giving a general command to the leading division) or individually. It's possible to alter the level of difficulty of the g a m e by varying the n u m b e r o f unit orders that m a y exist simultaneously. Units m a y actually leave their set positions to follow c o m m a n d i n g units if they leave the i m m e d i a t e vicinity. One of the interesting features of the g a m e is the w a y a unit
back
m a y be prevented f r o m achieving its orders because of e n e m y resistance (or m a y b e just presence) but after the threat is passed, the unit will continue on its original course of action. This isn't a totally original feature to c o m p u t e r w a r g a m i n g but rarely is it used so realistically. O n e up for Lothlorien. M o v e m e n t is affected by type of unit a n d terrain, as y o u w o u l d expect but terrain also affects c o m b a t strength to varying degrees, d e p e n d i n g o n w h e t h e r they are attacking or defending. C o m b a t strength is also (logically) affected by h o w m a n y active m e n exist in the unit a n d its
morale. C o m b a t takes place between any two adjacent e n e m y units. C o m b a t losses are displayed as they occur, over the relevant unit. This is only brief but you can study the situation m o r e fully at the e n d of the g a m e turn. C o m b a t can, of course, result in o n e of the divisions involved retreating or routing. Routing units are r e m o v e d f r o m play i m m e d i a t e l y . Retreating units m a y be e l i m i n a t e d of their paths of retreat are not clear. Because such units are considered to be at least in partial disarray, they will inflict fewer casualties w h e n fighting. W h e n orders h a v e been issued to all the units for that turn, the c o m p u t e r carries out all the m o v e m e n t s a n d c o m b a t actions in a clearly defined m a n n e r . During this time, various comm a n d e r s will c o m m u n i c a t e with y o u a n d explain that the orders you h a v e given t h e m are problematical because of a c h a n g e in the unit's situation. T h e y will suggest a course of action as a n alternative a n d you answer the question d e p e n d i n g o n your strategy. T h e m a n u a l contains detailed explanations of the victory conditions a n d they, themselves offer a challenging g a m e for the player whilst remaining balanced. O n the subject o f which, Lothlorien have m a d e o n e omission a n d t w o alterations to details of the battle in order to m a k e it m o r e playable. Firstly, there is n o consideration taken of artillery (a s h a m e considering
"Best w a r g a m e on the Spectrum todate" - Your Computer. "Best World W a r II w a r g a m e todate" - Crash. " O n e of the best" - Sinclair User. Available from W H Smith and all good software dealers or direct from Cases Computer Simulations Ltd.. 14 L a n g t o n W a y , L o n d o n S E 3 7 T L .
all the trouble N a p o l e o n took to get it there), so there is no indirect fire phase. Secondly, N a p o l e o n has been given an extra Corps, to balance numbers, whilst Blucher's minions arrive o n the scene earlier to add to the difficulty. Lothlorien really h a v e c o m e a long w a y since those early days. This w a r g a m e is fast, playable a n d deceptively complicated. Designed w i t h a care rarely encountered in c o m p u t e r w a r g a m i n g , it e m p l o y s s o m e of the best features of the purists' h o b b y — a n d to g o o d effect. A classic g a m e for a classic subject. PRESENTATION 90% Excellent RULES 8 5 % Deceptively simple but very fi i rect PLAY ABILITY 8 7 % 'Fool p r o o f approach successfully i m p l e m e n t e d GRAPHICS 9 2 % Beautiful scrolling for a w a r g a m e AUTHENTICITY 87% Details only modified slightly and for payability. General historical integrity maintained V A L U E FOR M O N E Y 9 5 % Plenty of scope within the game. W o n ' t wear out overnight by any m e a n s OVERALL 9 2 % It's great to have a classic g a m e to review
Ammm
Tel: 0 1 - 8 5 8 0 7 6 3 .
S P E C T R U M 4 8 K / + £ 8 . 9 5 inc. p & p. A M S T R A D 4 6 4 / 6 6 4 £ 9 . 9 5 inc. p & p.
139 CRASH Decern ber 1985
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AUTOMANIA T h e very first Watly W e e k g a m e , in w h i c h t h e silly fellow is introduced, w o r k i n g in a car factory. N o ordinary car factory this o n e , h o w e v e r . W a l l y ' s the only e m p l o y e e a n d h e has to assemble ten cars, each of w h i c h is m a d e f r o m six parts. T h e car parts are scattered about a stock r o o m a n d W a l l y has to scamper u p a n d d o w n platf o r m s a v o i d i n g a range of nasties to collect t h e m . O n c e he's got a part, it's back to t h e a s s e m b l y area w h e r e he adds it t o the car. G e n e r a l rating: very g o o d to excellent, playable a n d addictive
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PYJAMARAMA " A w o r k i n g class hero's the thing to be" sang J o h n Lennon. A n d Wally's back as the hero in the first M i k r o - G e n arcade adventure. T h e m a d car assembler's asleep in his bed, in the m i d d l e of a nightm a r e . It's your task to w a k e h i m up in time t o get to w o r k in the car factory. V o u w a n d e r a r o u n d W a l l y ' s house as his p y j a m a - c l a d alter e g o in the d r e a m , trying to find the key that w i n d s up the alarm clock that will w a k e W a l l y up All sorts of nasties are found in the W a l l y a b o d e — it is a d r e a m after alt. Can y o u W a k e W a l l y in t i m e for W o r k ? G e n e r a l rating: highly addictive, playable, g o o d value — excellent
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EVERYONE'S A WALLY This g a m e sees the debut of the Wally clan, including W i l m a , T o m , Dick and H a r r y — a n d of course Herbert w h o went, o n to greater things, starring in his own , j a m e A n o t h e r arcade adventure, witM ots to d o and m o r e than o n e person loj control. Y o u can switch control from charf acter to character (apart from Herbert w h o ' s uncontrollable). A variety of tasl h a v e to be p e r f o r m e d by the members* W a l l y ' s G a n g , w h o s e ultimate aim is I b e c o m e r i c h . . . Plenty of puzzles to: G e n e r a l rating: excellent
i
IV WITH THE CRASH I OFFER FREE CRASH SMASHES SAME FOR £3.50
OR
ALREADYA SUBSCRIBER? YOU'RE NO WALLY!
Just because y o u ' r e s m a r t e n o u g h t o h a v e already purcha s e d a subscription to this August Journal (It's the December issue, dolt— E D ) . . . to this w o n d e r f u l journal of S p e c t r u m Software, doesn't m e a n A g g i e the W o n d e r f u l will w o r k t o rule a n d refuse to do the Jiffy Bag for you. O h no, just tell her y o u r subscriber n u m b e r and tor £4.95 she'll send y o u your choice of t w o of the g a m e s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e w h i c n star W a l l y W e e k . Alternatively, for £10.00 you could have S h a d o w of the U n i c o m . A n d if y o u ' r e really greedy. £14.95 will bring y o u S h a d o w a n d t w o of the three j a m e s . (But you'll h a v e to write A g g i e a nice covering etter — she'll d o almost anything for a bit of flattery). T h e v e r y least y o u can save is £4.95 a n d y o u could, if y o u w e r e v e r y greedy, e n d u p saving nearly £12.001
S
D O N T LET M E BE LEFT O U T AGGIE DARLING ? I w a n t t w e l v e c o n u c u t r v * issue* of th« wonderful CRASH m t g u i m hand d i h w d ttifouflh m y l i t t M b o i by the poatie n c l i m o n t h . For this r m happy to pay £ 1 * 50 and I u n d e m a n d I can have any t w o of the three W a l l y W e e k g a m e * for abaolut sly free. t'm not a Wally, m < Aggtal T a « tha Subscription Queen, D w t i M t o put m y n a m e and address In her computer. I've a v a n crossed o u t t h a g a m e I d o n t w a n t In t h a list of ttwaa b e l o w : AUT0MAMA PYJAMARAMA EVERYONE'S A WALLY
MS Number One OFFER CLOSES 31st December 1386 NS Number Two. You can photocopy thhi form If you want your copy of CRASH intact. Thoughtful of u*. eh?
7 I've decided I'd rather have a MIC Spectrum rather t h a n a couple of W i l l i e * w i t h m y subac n p U o n I understand t h a t d t n k a Btfla m o r a expensive, a * S H A D O W O f THE U N I C O R N doaa sell for C14.96, and has onty |uvt been released. Therefore I enclose £18 00 for a t w e f v * m o n t h subscription t o C R A S H and a copy of tha S H A D O W O f THE U M C O R N package, w h i c h I u n d e r s t a n d you'll p o p brio a fitly bag for ma, a n d seal It wfch a Maa, ah Aggie. I w a n t l o b e tha envy of m y friend® Right, now no mistakes eh? Make cure you've made your mind up and than write out a cheque or postal order for the correct amount made payable to CRASH MICRO No coin*. 103-er conkers or back number* of BUNTY accepted in part payment. Strictly cheque* and postal order* only — we've got the Ludlow Maria duet l o pay and they like negotiable instruments. (And sharp one* too, which they prod into Mimon* who don't cough up, t o hurry upl)
BEST HANDWRITING TIME: My Nam* b And I live at
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S U B S C R I P T I O N OTTER (WALLY DEFT) CRASH MAGAZINE Po Box 10, L u d l o w . Shropshire SY81DB
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fill that CRASH Gap 3 April 84 4 M a y 84 5 J u n e 84 6 July 84 8 S e p t e m b e r 84 9 O c t o b e r 84 10 N o v e m b e r 84 11 D e c e m b e r 84 15 April 85 16 M a y 85 17 J u n e 85 18 J u l y 1985 19 A u g u s t 1985
2 0 S e p t e m b e r 1985
• 'Missile C o m m a n d ' g a m e s • Living G u i d e • Sinclair Talks • Code N a m e M a t • T h e Quill utility • Graphics utilities • M i c r o d r i v e • ' P e n g o ' g a m e s • Living G u i d e • N e w G e n e r a t i o n • J e t Set Willy M a p • 'Panic' g a m e s • A l p h a c o m printer • 3 D in g a m e s • Atic A t a c M a p 1 • Specgraf • ' P a c m a n ' g a m e s • Tir N a N o g • D o w n s w a y & C o m c o n i'face • W h i t e Lightning graphics utility • M a r t i n W h e e l e r • Antic M a p • Design Design • Lothlorien • G a m e s W o r k s h o p • Dk'Tronics • Battlefield Joystick — comparisons • Deus Ex M a c h i n e • M u s i c T y p e w r i t e r • Sureshot j'stick • Hisoft Ultrakit • Lords of M i d n i g h t M a p • W a n t e d : M o n t y Mole Map • Pyjamarama M a p • L o n d o n U n d e r g r o u n d M a p (I) • Designer's Pencil • Backpackers M a p • Technician ted M a p • Sinclair S t o r y 1 • Chris Sievey • Scott A d a m s • M i z a r • Artist: David R o w e • S p o r t s simulations r o u n d u p • Sinclair Story 2 • Firebird • Incentive • Light Magic graphics utility • music utilities • U n d e r w u r l d e M a p 1 • Bruce lee m a p • Sabre Wulf M a p • Everyone's A W a l l y M a p • Artist: G o d f r e y D o w s o n • D e n t o n Designs • Frankie • S p e c t r u m surgery • Sinclair Story 3 • Knight Lore M a p 1 • U n d e r w u r l d e M a p 2 • T a p e to M i c r o d r i v e • Leonardo graphics utility • Datel sound sampler • Artist: David Thorpe • G r e m l i n Graphics profile®Artist B o b W a k e l i n « S i n c l a i r T V ® T a p e M a g a z i n e s « L e o n a r d o utility part t w o ^ C R A S H B A C K looks again at g a m e s in Issue S ^ G y r o n m a p of A t r i u m ^ M o d e m s roundup 9 A n d t h e cover that h a d the J e h o v a ' s J u m p i n g ! WITHOUT PAGES 123. 124. 125 and 126. WITH: ®CRL Profile®Pull out Oliposter — F i g h t i n g S p e c t r u m « M i r r o r s o f t Profile^lnside t h e T i m e x 2 0 6 8 # R o u n d U p of BASIC C o m p i l e r s ^ O n t h e Cover Artist Rich S h e n f i e l d C M a p s of D y n a m i t e D a n a n d S h a d o w f i r e • A L I E N 8 a n d D U N D A R A C H m a p s « E l e c t r o n i c Pencil C o m p a n y Profile#Part T w o of BASIC C o m p i l e r s R o u n d - u p 9 T h e 64K S p e c t r u m « D e s i g n Design Autoprofile, Part 1 ® R o d Cousens interview
Issue 2 1 O c t o b e r 1985
• P r e v i e w s of M a r s p o r t , Astroclone, Elite and Scooby D o o • N O D E S O F Y E S 0 D m a p • H o l o g r a f i x profile — h o w to m a k e a H o l o g r a m • C r a s h t i o n n a i r e analysis • P l a t i n u m Productions profile
Issues 2 , 7 , 1 2 , 1 3 and 14 are n o w out of stock Back issues are going fast — better get your orders In quick. It's probably worth telephoning if you want to order early issues, as we're getting short. And If you missed Issue 19. w e can now com plete the gap in your collection with a trimmed down version, which Res a tasteful sticker added to the front cover announcing the fact! BACK NUMBERS SPECIAL OFFERS • Any three or four issues ordered at the same time — 40p off total • Five or more issues ordered at the same time — 20p off each item. PRICES • Issues 3 , 4 , 5 and 6,7Sp each • Issues 8,9,10,11, and 1 5 , 8 5 p e a c h • Issues 16 onwards. 95p each • ADD 20p per item ordered for Post and Packing • DO NOT SEND CASH — there won't be enough change to cover the cost of sending your back issues if the Post Office charges us to receive your order!
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C R A S H Decern ber 1985
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Total £ P&P t o t a l (20p per item) £ S u b Total Less special offer discount if applicable I enclose a C h e q u e or Postal Order for t h e T O T A L D O N O T pay m cash — cheques or postal order only please, m a d e p a y a b l e t o C R A S H M I C R O . Please d o n ' t include any mail order requests w i t h general post for editorial, c o m p e t i t i o n entries etc as it w i l l a l m o s t certainly cause delays. Include your p h o n e n u m b e r , if possible so Aggie can sort o u t p r o b l e m s quickly. Send orders to the address b e l o w . T h a n k you. End of Public Service a n n o u n c e m e n t . . . .
BACK N U M B E R S C R A S H M A G A Z I N E , PO BOX 10, L U D L O W SHROPSHIRE S Y 8 1 D B
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£060/i. MMSSim,
You are the Robot Messiah, the one hope tor your long suffering race. The Droids. Imprisoned in mines of horrific torture, Ihe Droids are worker robots, slaves to Androids and destined to misery. As the Robot Messiah, you must set out against overwhelming odds — battle against giant bears, Killer robot s a no evil gnomes. Explore a mmd-bogg ling maze ol caves, escape from a wretched t un nel uniit. in ihe sinister test centre you can begin to formulate a plan — and that is only the beginning! Spanning 152 screens and 3 levels. Robot Messiah is a sensational arcade adventure, rich in atmosphere and tension which is sure to be the hit this Christmas.
"ROBOT M E S S I A H " written by Christian Urquhart and Mike Smith Christian Urquhart is also the author of 'Hunchback' & co-author of Daley Thompson's'Decathlon' AVAILABLE FROM LEADING SOFTWARE STOCKISTS OR DIRECT FROM AlPHABATIM 2 WELLINGTONIA COURT VARNDEAN PARK BRIGHTON BM1 6TD SUSSEX
DESIGN DESIGN — THE FINAL PANIC = O H DEAR! Here w e g o again, it's 1 2 . 0 0 p m and CRASH w a n t this article t o m o r r o w . Y e t another m a d panic! O n t h e w h o l e it's been a m o n t h of m a d panics. I w o n d e r if any of you out t h e r e have ever sat d o w n and t h o u g h t a b o u t h o w long it takes t o put a g a m e out and w h a t ' s actually involved?
First o n e needs the artwork for to t y p i n g launch codes into the g a m e , or in our case two ICBMs, IMS, at "least in t e r m s of the g a m e s . This usually starts life as explosion such statements usua few lines scrawled o n either ally cause a m o n g s t our progD a v e ' s or m y note pads. F r o m r a m m i n g d e p a r t m e n t . Still, after these h u m b l e beginnings our the listings a n d floppies have A d A g e n c y has the arduous task settled back to the floor, and of producing the full..colour air- S i m o n ' s blood pressure has brushed masterpieces that returned t o n o r m a l , our progra p p e a r o n the finished product. a m m e r s start their o w n m a d In the case of Forbidden Planet rush to p r o v i d e PDD w i t h w e used a photo w h i c h m a d e life masters, a n d e n o u g h t i m e to easier, t h o u g h it w a s n ' t o n e of duplicate the tapes. D u r i n g this Keith's in the end. S o m e t h i n g to final bit of t h e G r e a t N e w G a m e d o w i t h t h e vibration passing Panic w e see the battle of Dave, juggernauts cause if you're Brian (Ad agency bod) a n d m y standing o n a M o t o r w a y bridge, self versus G r a h a m a n d S i m o n , hoping those headlights c o m i n g in w h i c h w e try to get the progslowly up the hard shoulder r a m m e r s t o w r i t e their inlays, don't b e l o n g to a m e m b e r of the a n d they c o m p l a i n that they local constabulary! H o w e v e r can't as they don't k n o w w h a t 2T!2ASy% cover had to be air- their g a m e s are going to do. This brushed, a n d this takes about a is all quite pointless as I usually w e e k t o do. A n y h o w , w e did end w r i t e the inlays a n y w a y . The up w i t h s o m e excellent artwork C R A S H M i n i o n c o m p l a i n s ! He in the e n d (see our a d some- should try coping w i t h this lot! w h e r e in this CRASH). At lunchtime today a black O n e the p r o b l e m s w i t h art- streak flashed past t h e office w o r k have b e e n sorted out there w i n d o w heralding G r a h a m ' s c o m e s the business of posters i m m i n e n t appearance. Branda n d adverts. Posters obviously ishing microdrive cartridges by take s o m e t i m e to be printed, the dozen, he gleefully bounced a n d adverts have to be design- into t h e office like a y o u n g cruise ed, p r o d u c e d and delivered to missile, took over S i m o n s desk, the M a g s about t w o weeks p l u g g e d his revolting microbefore they are due to b e pub- drive into t h e office S p e c t r u m lished. W e l l I say t w o w e e k s — a n d d e m o e d a nearly completed there are M a g a z i n e s which 2112AD to us. So here w e g o d e m a n d ads six w e e k s in adv- lads 8t lassies it's PREVIEW ance. C R A S H I'm glad to say is T I M E . (Yeeeaaah Iff). not o n e of t h e m . Next in the line of tasks that G R A H A M ' S G A M E lead up to the release of a g a m e is the great packaging fiasco. T h e action in 2112AD takes place This t i m e round, packaging" in t h e Central G o v e r n m e n t involved looking at all t h e avail- C o m p u t e r C o m p l e x , after the able boxes and library cases, said c o m p u t e r has t h r o w n deciding o n o n e w e all liked, a n d s o m e t h i n g of a w o b b l e r a n d then discovering that the m a n u - d e c i d e d it can run the country far facturers h a v e sold all the cases better o n its o w n . Y o u r mission they can p r o d u c e u p until Janis to enter the C.G.C.C. a n d gain uary. R u m o r s are running round control of t h e c o m p u t e r . This is the industry that U.S. Carat have bought all the 250,000 available double-audio cases. As luck w o u l d h a v e it Keith Miller of POD, our tape duplicators (More of him and them next ish, maybe — ED), found another similar case that w e could use w i t h our design of packaging. A w o r d of thanks to P D D at this point, largely for continuing to m e e t our unreasonable d e m a n d s (Hello, can we have a thousand Dark Stars and five hundred On The Runs by tomorrow please ? etc). Having organised the advertising, posters a n d packaging I can turn to G r a h a m a n d S i m o n a n d say "O.K. G u y s w e ' r e releasing the p r o g r a m s on the 19th of N o v e m b e r . This is rather akin
144
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
achieved by finding the ten security codes a n d feeding t h e m , in the right order, into t h e m a i n terminal. Y o u r task is not m a d e any easier by the presence of a maintainance droid which regards y o u as g a r b a g e since y o u h a p p e n to be organic. Nor is life m a d e any simpler by the fact that most or the interconecting doors are locked. T o o p e n or close o n e of these doors y o u will n e e d the relevant access card. These, too, must be searched for. T o help y o u in your task, y o u h a v e a robotic dog 'Poddy to assist you. Poddy can d o certain things y o u cannot. To start w i t h he lugs y o u r food a b o u t for you, a n d tne all important first aid kit (You'll h a v e to w a i t for t h e g a m e to see w h a t y o u need that fori). Poddy's m a i n function is to carry things a r o u n d for you. Your character can only carry three objects at any o n e time, whilst Poddy can carry far more. H o w e v e r , a well loaded Poddy does not m o v e as fast as an unloaded one. Being an electric creation, not unlike a canine C5, Poddy will n e e d his batteries charging f r o m time to time. This is d o n e by plugging h i m into one of the p o w e r outlets dotted about the building; G r a h a m tells m e they will look like 13 a m p sockets! Y o u are provided w i t h status displays for both your character a n d Poddy. These are got at by use of the icon g a m e control 9ystem. T h e r e are various icons displayed at the b o t t o m of the screen, such as pick up, drop, drive P o d d y about a n d so on, s o m e of w h i ch e xecute a spec if i c function w h i l e others take you to other displays a n d icons. T h e r e is also a HELP icon. W h e n selected this s h o w s all the icons a n d their functions. It is t h r o u g h the icon system that y o u control Poddy, t h o u g h to e x c h a n g e objects y o u are carrying w i t h objects P o d d y is d r a g g i n g a b o u t , your character m u s t be standing next to him. T h r o u g h o u t the g a m e y o u M U S T pay attention to Poddy's w h e r e a b o u t s a n d state of being:
r e m e m b e r , he cannot m o v e about as fast as you can, a n d you can't c o m p l e t e 2112AD w i t h o u t his help.
SIMON'S GAME A s t o the great Forbidden Planet, b e w a r e or three other p r o g r a m s w e ' v e stuck o n the tape because w e t h o u g h t they w e r e a m u s i n g : Spectacle 2: a recently modified version of Halls, and something written by S i m o n ' s girlfriend Leslie, a n d r u m o r e d to be very embarrassing. (In fact S i m o n has just finished converting Halls for the A m s t r a d whilst I have b e e n writing this.) Forbidden Planet itself is proceeding well. All the windo w i n g is n o w going, a n d a m y r i a d of n e w objects has been created, including a particularly nasty fighter that flies about in front of y o u then launches a pair of air to air missiles at you. Flying tow is a g o o d w a y to a v o i d such things, but this puts y o u in the line of fire f r o m the surface to air missiles. T h e maps are also n o w working, though Forbidden Planets m a p is much larger t h a n Dark Star's surface m a p s . It also w o r k s as a w i n d o w onto a m u c h larger m a p . It is w o r t h spending t i m e flying a r o u n d a n d feeling out the defences before ploughing into t h e m in search of the central c o m m a n d bunker. T h e object of F.P. is to destroy I the last stronghold of the n o w largely eradicated Galactic T y r a n n y . This involves flying I t h r o u g h surface defences far m o r e c o m p l e x than those seen | in Dark Star to the central site. S h o u l d y o u achieve this and destroy the Central C o m m a n d Bunker, it then b e c o m e s your responsibility to get y o u and y o u r ship back through the n o w disorganised defences a n d off t h e planet. T h e r e will be a lot m o r e to it than that, but at the m o m e n t ideas are still being accepted and rejected on a day to d a y basis. T h e g a m e is changing overnight, almost every night a n d improving every time, but you'll have to w a i t and see h o w it all turns out. S o off t o L u d l o w in three hours! I w o n d e r h o w G r a h a m is going to react to finding his car has been fitted w i t h a cardboard w i n d o w . G r a h a m b o r r o w e d the hire car w e h a v e at the m o m e n t (this is because s o m e o n e broke into S i m o n ' s Astra a n d nicked the front seats), and left us his Astra. W h e n S i m o n a n d I w e n t out at about 1.00am in search of coffee, w e discovered that some m e m b e r of the u n g o d l y had broken into G r a h a m ' s car. I really don't think he's going to be v e r y pleased about this! O h well, at least I can run faster t h a n him. S e e you in the Christmas Special if G r a h a m dosn't get me first!
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Mikie plays a knockout frantic farce in the classroom, locker room S P E C T R U M 4 8 K and the high school cafeteria. Hip-zap, door attack, throw balls and IMP i >k pies...but can you make him hand his love letter to his girl-friend? ffl • U
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MIKIE - He's the hottest cookie in school!
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PREVIEW
O N T H E D A Y BEFORE FRIDAY, the D o m a r k e n t o u r a g e a p p e a r e d , bloodied a n d terrified after their journey t h r o u g h the fog w h i c h lay thick as a s h r o u d over the Shropshire hills. T h e fog h a d b e e n Bad e n o u g h but w n a t had really taken its toll o n these poor g e n t l e m a n w a s the contents of their briefcase. W e w e r e led into the darkened g a m e s r o o m , t h e briefcase w a s placed o n t o the table a n d . gently, a cassette w a s r e m o v e d . It w a s Friday the 13th t h e g a m e . Since 1980 J a s o n has b e e n terrifying c i n e m a audiences u p a n d d o w n the land. N o w , irresponsible t h o u g h it m a y s e e m , D o m a r k are bringing J a s o n into y o u r o w n h o m e , p e r h a p s into y o u r o w n b e d r o o m . W e w a i t e d , trembling, as the g a m e loaded a n d the horrible e v e n t s that h a d led to the g a m e ' s production w e r e explained. A long w h i t e a g o {during the fifties or s o m e t h i n g ) on Friday the 13th, Jason's M u m w a s m u r d e r e d . H e suspected that o n e of the c a m p e r s at the Crystal Lake Holiday C a m p had d o n e her in. This w a s in fact true but at the t i m e the m u r d e r e r a n d the n o w expired M u m h a d b e e n under the impression that Jason himself w a s dead. W e l l he w a s n ' t , but he w a s very, very cross w h e n he discovered that his M u m had been killed. O n Friday the 13th p a r t t w o , this f o r m e r lovable and a m i a b l e chap c a m e back to a v e n g e his M o t h e r ' s death. It is on this second film that D o m a r k have based their g a m e . After the g a m e h a d loaded Mark Strachan (the 'mark' in D o m a r k ) explained w h a t w a s h a p p e n i n g . It's hard trying to u n d e r s t a n d a g a m e w h e n you h a v e to w a t c h it through the g a p s in y o u r fingers. I caught g l i m p s e s of h a p p y c a m p e r s r o a m i n g a b o u t the holiday c a m p . W e l l holiday c a m p s t h e m s e l v e s are pretty horrific,
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C R A S H D e c e m b e r 1985
but experience told m e that w o r s e w a s to come. It s e e m s that the player takes the part of o n e of the c a m p e r s at
Cuddly chap, this Jason follow uh' Must remember not to invite hint round for tea — his idea of setting a table for two is a hit gruesome
Run Away, Run Away Jason the mad mass murderer's on his, way. Tasteful chaps, these Domark fellows, trying to frighten the life out of the CRASH team with scary software
the t i m e of Jason's return. To w i n the g a m e y o u must either get all of the other c a m p e r s into the s a n c t u a r y — t h e r o o m with a cross in it w h e r e they will be safe f r o m Jason's avenging m o o d — or, if y o u can s w i n g it,kill Jason. Your m a j o r p r o b l e m is discovering w h i c h of the c a m p e r s is Jason. It is possible that w h i l e y o u are stumbling f r o m o n e location to another trying to herd the c a m p e r s into the sanctuary, you m a y just find yourself telling Jason that Jason is c o m i n g . Jason m a y respond by trying to bury something or
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Wl 13 other in y o u r head. Of course at the m o m e n t of impact y o u realise Just w h o Jason is, but it's getting a bit late by then! If y o u keep a carefu I eye on the other c a m p e r s you m a y b e able to spot J a s o n w h e n he attacks s o m e o n e else — there'll be a tell-tale flashing of the screen w h e n Jason's laying into s o m e o n e . T h e m o m e n t you spot h i m he t r a n s f o r m s into the horrible m a s k e d spectacle w e h a v e all c o m e to fear. But if you lose sight of h i m again he reverts back to a n o n y m i t y . T h e g a m e can safely be described as a n arcade adventure. T h e r e are a n u m b e r of locations for y o u to visit including a barn and a church, a w i d e selection of w e a p o n s to discover a n d w i e l d as well as s o m e generally unpleasant surprises. Y o u must defeat Jason in each of five levels w h i c h are similar except that the sanctuary r o o m is located in a different position each time. S h o u l d J a s o n c o m e into the sanctuary r o o m w h i l e y o u r c a m p e r s are in it, he can't h a r m t h e m — but t h e y get frightened and don't w a n t to stay there. You'll have to pick up t h e Sanctuary Cross a n a m o v e it to a n e w location a n d start assembling the c a m p e r s there. W h e n y o u start a n e w g a m e y o u can select the personality a n d qualities of the character y o u play. Your chances of beating J a s o n d e p e n d o n the o r d e r in w h i c h y o u rank such characteristics as intelligence,
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scareability, strength a n d stamina. If y o u succeed and defeat the monster then for the next level of the g a m e Jason takes o n t h e t e m p l a t e of characteristics that y o u selected for your w i n n i n g level. Unless y o u pick a n e w set of characteristics y o u find yourself evenly m a t c h e d — not a very desirable situation to be in. A w h o l e variety of nasties w e r e in the D o m a r k goodie-bag. Blood capsules, plastic bats — a veritable cauldronfull of nasties. M a r k a n d D o m i n i c are obviously getting into the m o o d for this g a m e . By the t i m e they left the office A g g i e in M a i l order w a s quivering w i t h fear, having had a rubber spider t h r o w n at ner and been stabbed by the M a d Leprichaun, S e a n M a s t e r s o n (with o n e of Domark's plastic trick knives, I must hasten to add, w h e r e the blade retracts into the handle). It w a s a w r e t c h e d experience. I did, until today, have a cat called Jason, n o w I ' m going to call it S y d n e y or Cecil or anything, but not Jason. I just don't w a n t to live w i t h a fiend like that. I hope that I pull myself together in t i m e to review the g a m e next m o n t h . . . m a y b e I could get a m u g like Gary Liddon to d o it. O n e thing's for certain though, I ' m not spending another a f t e r n o o n in a dark r o o m with D o m a r k , it's just too horrific. M.irh ;tnd Dominic laon about to the Domaik lots ol plastic hlooil and l i r f u o f ribs
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PREVIEW A LOOK INTO ANOTHER WORLD — SWEEVO'S G a r g o y l e G a m e s decided t o d o s o m e t h i n g a little different — " J u s t for f u n " . Robin C a n d y t o o k t h e opportunity t o t a k e a peek into S W E E V O ' s W O R L D a n d f o u n d a historical d o c u m e n t t h a t e x p l a i n e d much.... Craig, a scientist, w a s obsessed with the creation of force fields. Ftving in t h e face of scientific advisors,», ( e m p l o y e d by his really incredibly iibly rich family, to m a k e sure that h e created n o t h i n g too dangerous), Craig spent millions of Eurodollars building a m e s o n accelerator a n d multiple particle c a p t u r e - c h a m b e r s . W i t h i n three m o n t h s , to everyone's a m a z e m e n t , Craig's research t e a m h a d f o u n d e n o u g h information to g e n e r a t e a small, but perfectly impermeable, force field. In a flurry of ToldYou-So Craig published his findings in e v e r y available scientific journal — o n l y to find himself e x c o m m u n i c a t e d by his very rich family for giving a w a y the single m o s t lucrative invention in t w o millenia, and thereby ensuring that the family w o u l d never b e c o m e m i n d b l o w i n g t y amazingly rich. A n d seeing as h o w Craig published his findings v e r y widely indeed, a l m o s t e v e r y hostile, warlike nation in the w o r l d got to hear of t h e m . Shortly after this w i d e s p r e a d dissemination of knowledge Craig S p h e r e s (the c o m m o n term given to the forcefields) w e r e erected over e v e i y major city and country w h i l e his family sulked. A n d not a Eurocent in royalties did Craig earn for the w i d e s p r e a d use of his spheres. W h e n the Five Hour W a r broke out all t h e missiles dissolved harmlessly into the d o m e s . (See Marsport booklet for m o r e details.) A b o u t a year after the Five Hours W a r , M A N I A ( M a n Alone N o Intelligent Apes) attacked and destroyed the S A L (Simian A d v a n c e m e n t Laboratory) research station. This research area had b e e n training apes to do m e n i a l tasks a n d scientists in SAL had succeeded in raising the intelligence of t h e average ape t o that of a bright toddler. Fortunately, w h e n the station w a s destroyed by the M A N I A c o m m a n d o s , not all t h e research findings w e r e destroyed. S o m e fifty years later s o m e of the discoveries m a d e at SAL w e r e e m p l o y e d in the p r o g r a m m i n g of t h e Self W i l l e d Vocational series of Robots, w h i c h c a m e to include the S W E E V O
Class of S W V R . S W E E V O stands for Self Willed Extreme Environment Vocational O r g a n i s m — w h i c h m e a n s he is a bit like our Gary Liddon: if it can be lost, knocked over or broken then y o u can bet S W E E V O o r M r Liddon is the o n e to do itl In the g a m e f r o m Gargoyle, poor old S w e e v o has got himself into a spot of bother a n d y o u ' v e got to help h i m out. S w e e v o ' s b e e n sent to o n a n e w f o u n d w o r l d a n d has t o trap several creatures in cages. At t h e t i m e of writing, these creatures haven't b e e n n a m e d formally, but for the w a n t of calling t h e m s o m e t h i n g . Gargoyle's
G r e g Follis calls t h e m the W i d g e r s . W i d g e r s are not the simplest of things to catch, because t h e y m o v e about the rooms which form Sweevo's W o r l d . T h e y can b e herded, however. In t h e g a m e , y o u control S w e e v o a n d there are actually several w a y s to catch the W i d g e r s . Y o u can try herding t h e m in cages yourself, or you can use an electronic d o g (this m u s t be found) to act as a sort of s h e e p dog. T h e r e are also several other m e t h o d s none of which G r e g w o u l d divulge (probably hasn't thought ug of them yet — ED). T h e W i d g e r s aren't t h e only
creatures o n S w e e v o ' s w o r l d ; the g a m e w o u l d be far too easy if they w e r e . All sorts of other characters will pop u p during the g a m e and generally get in the w a y , including the Horrible Little Girl, w h o has a tendency to hit y o u o n the head, a n d the G o o s e Stepping Dictator. At certain points in the g a m e these creatures decide to c o m e after y o u a n d they must be dealt with in different ways. Graphically, the g a m e looks like a f u n n y version of Fairlight but w i t h wackier graphics. O n e other difference between Sweevo's World a n d other g a m e s that look a bit similar is the speed; the latest Gargoyle G a m e plays a lot faster t h a n the likes of Fairlight. T h e four c o m e r s of the screen will display information relating to the g a m e . In the top right c o m e r there is g o i n g to be a face w h i c h s h o w s S w e e v o ' s energy level by t h e s m i l e expressed, w h i l e in the other corners objects carried, messages, and the characters w h i c h are chasing S w e e v o will b e displayed. People w h o found the problems in Marsport a bit t o u g h will find Sweevo s World m u c h m o r e playable; the g a m e is definitely a i m e d m o r e at the arcade market. If y o u are a puzzle solving freak then don't be put off. T h e p r o b l e m s in this g a m e take a m u c h m o r e active f o r m in their solution. T o get a particular object y o u m a y have to go up in a lift, activate a pressure p a d by putting a n object on it, and then l u m p over t h e last obstacle by b o u n c i n g o n a trampoline for instance. T h e g a m e is spread over 200 screens a n d several levels with lots of p r o b l e m s to solve. As w e l l as the m o v e m e n t keys you'll also h a v e a pick up and d r o p button a n d a fire button. (You can attack characters, but y o u must h a v e the right weapon.) If nothing else then S w e e v o ' s World p r o m i s e s to be a bit of fun. O h , by the w a y , b e w a r e of the fruit 1 S w e e v o ' s W o r l d should be available a r o u n d t h e e n d of November priced £7.95 from Gargoyle Games. ROBIN C A N D Y
CRASH December 1985
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r~ Last issue w e p r o m i s e d y o u a review of Robot Messiah f r o m the n e w software c o m p a n y , Alphabatim. Last month Christian Urquhart, M i k e Baxter a n d M i k e S m i t h all c a m e to Ludlow to let us have a sneak prev i e w of the g a m e in w h i c h y o u play the role of the Robot M e s s i a h w h o needs your help in his quest to liberate his fellows. Sadly, the g a m e w a s n ' t quite finished e n o u g h for us to do a full review this issue — so as a consolation for breaking our bijou promisette, the minion f r o m the Grovelling D e p a r t m e n t of C R A S H T o w e r s is pleased to be able t o present this little competition in association with S a g a Keyboards a n d Alphabatim. N o less than fifty elegant Robot Messiah T Shirts are up for g r a b s — o n e per w i n n e r , f o o l s — w h i c h m e a n s that quite a f e w of you will not only be the envy of your friends in 1388 but also m a y w e l l be considerably warmer.
a n d that w a s a big But, but the t w o top prize winners will also collect a S m a s h i n g S A G A Elite keyboard for their S p e c t r u m to snuggle into in the cold winter months. Banish those rubber keyed blues forever w i t h this elegant casing for your Spectrum. N o r m a l l y the Elite key-
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board w o u l d set you back 5pee less t h a n eighty p o u n d s — but to t w o of you, just this once, they o out at absolutely nothing, ree of charge. Not bad eh? N o w , y o u m i g h t think w e ' d expect y o u to d o something incredibly difficult in order to stand a chance of w i n n i n g prizes such as these, w o u l d n ' t you? W e l l , your ' u m b l e Competition M i n i o n is feeling g e n e r o u s — despite the fact that his workload has trebled w h a t w i t h the release of the n e w m a g a z i n e for Amstrad users. It's really strange, y o u know, w h e n I w a s just w o r k i n g on CRASH, organising competitions for you lot out there I h a d plenty of t i m e to p o n d e r w h a t an ungrateful lot y o u w e r e . N o w I've barely got t i m e for m y three hour m o r n i n g vat of tea break, let alone m y mid a f t e r n o o n snooze in the b r o o m c u p b o a r d of C R A S H T O W E R S . But I k n o w you don't really care. H e r e I a m , being forced to give a w a y nice w a r m , comfy clothing to y o u rabble w h e n I'm, shivering in m y ancient, threadbare cardy. Winter's drawing near, and m y minionly mingers are g o i n g to be blue again as I o p e n y o u r competition entries I fear."What h a p p e n e d to the j u m p e r fund?", s o m e of you m i g h t bother to ask, " h o w c o m e you're still shivering?". I'll tell you. All t w e n t y three pee of it w a s nicked by a very thirsty Lloyd M a n g r a m w h o s q u a n d e r e d it at the local shop on three teabags, a cup of milk a n d a plastic teaspoon. Perhaps I could nick his H e r m e s typewriter a n d s w o p it w i t h the nice lady in the w o o l s h o p for a new j u m p e r w h i l e you get on with this w o r d s q u a r e . H m m .
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Find t h e f o l l o w i n g w o r d s in t h e square b e l o w t o stand a chance of w i n n i n g s o m e super clothing for y o u or you S p e c t r u m : ALPHABATIM MESSIAH OPPRESSORS NASTIES SAGA ROBOT MINES DROIDS KEYBOARD ELITE CAVES ACID DUST
N E B W H I A T R O E D S I D T R H T L L O A S T A B B R S S O H O P E N I B R I M E P U T I P T A S O N H T A H P A V N L I S A A G S E N
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INTERNATIONAL RUGBY Producer: Artie Retail price: £6.95 Language: m a c h i n e code Author: Donald C a m p b e l l For those of you w h o w e r e w o n d e r i n g if there w e r e andy sports left for software houses to simulate, the a n s w e r ' s is clearly, YES. T h e latest offering for armchair sportspersons is International Rugby f r o m Artie. T h e scenario places you a m o n g the w o r l d ' s finest rugby teams, trying to w i n your w a y t h r o u g h to the championships. T h e t e a m s playing are England, Scotland, Wales, I r e l a n d a n d France, a n d y o u can choose w h i c h t e a m y o u w a n t to control at the start. If you choose to be o n e of the H o m e international t e a m s , England, Scotland , Ireland or W a l e s , then y o u can h a v e a g o at the Triple C r o w n , a n d try to defeat the other three h o m e t e a m s . Alternatively, you can choose to g o for t h e Grand S l a m , by thoroughly defeating all the other contestants. T h e g a m e can be p l a y e d in t w o w a y s : practice or contest. Both m o d e s can be p l a y e d w i t h either o n e or t w o players taking part. Practice allows a o n e o n g a m e to be played w i t h either the c o m p u t e r or another h u m a n as a n o p p o n e n t . T h e competition m o d e sets up a sort of league w i t h the five different t e a m s taking part, up to t w o can be controlled by h u m a n s , w i t h
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the c o m p u t e r controlling the rest of t h e t e a m s in t h e league. A s y o u play through the different g a m e s the c o m p u t e r presents a table at the e n d of each g a m e , giving details o n g a m e s w o n , g a m e s lost, g a m e s played and other such statistical information. W h e n it actually c o m e s to playing, the field is represented in a s e m i 3 D perspective. T h e rugby ball stays central w h i l e the screen scrolls a r o u n d it. Y o u can o n l y control o n e player at a t i m e a n d control is automatically s w i t c h e d t o t h e player nearest t h e ball. T h e player you can control is highlighted by the c o m p u t e r to keep things easy. A n u m b e r of m o v e s are available to the player y o u are controlling. Passing is effected with the fire button. To tackle a n d g a i n possession of the ball f r o m the other t e a m y o u ' v e got to run past the m a n in possession f r o m the back. Score a try by placing t h e ball over the touchline, and a kick is a w a r d e d . T h e kick is actually taken on a s m a l l screen w h i c h s h o w s a front v i e w of the posts a n d stadium lights up in the t o p right hand corner. T w o a r r o w s s h o w the direction of the w i n d and you position a cross w h i c h m a r k s the p a t h the ball will take once the kick has been taken. You'll have to take the w i n d into account if y o u are to convert the try W h e n t w o people are playing against each other at the s a m e time, t w o sets of keys are provided o n the keyboard, though things m a y get a bit c r a m p e d a n d there m i g h t be a bit of a reallife s c r u m on the keyboard!
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
CRITICISM
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• ' N o t really m y scene, these sports simulations. Interna tional Rugby pleasantly surpri sed m e , h o w e v e r , by being quite playable. T h e graphics are crude a n d m o v e rather dodgily and t h e scrolling can not really be t e r m e d as unflickery either — but t h e g a m e ' s just got somet h i n g t h a t m a k e s it playable. A m i n o r m o a n w a s t h e difficulty l e v e l s — w h e n y o u first start the easy level proves t o o easy and t h e hard level is w a y t o o hard. But after four or five g a m e s acclimatisation, things fall into place a lot easier. T h o u g h not b e i n g a m e g a slick, w e l l prese n t e d release, I quite enjoyed International Rugby a n d I can see it a p p e a l i n g to others.' • 'I must admit to being a bit of a sports fanatic so when International R u g b y came you can imagine my excitement. So I rushed of to my computer and immediately loaded it. Fantastic loading screen, I thought. When loaded, the presentation was very pleasing so / went straight in to the championships. The game itself was a bit of a let down: all I had to do w a s a few 'Solo one'efforts down the wing and / w a s thrashing them 21-0. The game was too slow and the scrum looked like a line out in the middle of the field. It doesn't obev championship rules either — there was no 22 yard dropout when the opposition missed their conversion attempt. Over-
all a bit disappointing for rugby fans / think, though / hope other companies will have an attempt at this sort of game.' • 'As an ex rugby player (two m a n k y kneecaps are constant reminders of being at the bott o m of a s c r u m too m a n y times) I really h o p e d that this w a s to be s o m e t h i n g special. Unfortunately it's nothing extra special but is still great fun to play. N o t all the rules of rugby apply in this g a m e — but then it w o u l d be next to impossible to produce a Matchday quality rugby g a m e ! Naturally attribute p r o b l e m s d o hinder play s o m e w h a t , but if you are after a rugby g a m e o n the S p e c t r u m then give this o n e a bash — it's great"'
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, COMMENTS Control keys: 1 / Q u p , d o w n S / A left,right a n d b o t t o m row pass or kick. Joystick: K e m p s t o n Keyboard play: responsive e n o u g h to play U s e of colour: colour clash abounds Graphics: a bit ancient stylistically, but sufficient Sound:adequate
1
and tend to flicker a lot, which lets the game down terribly. The biggest problem with the game is that there is a distinct lack of variation. This makes it unaddictive and after a while quite boring. I'm sure Artie can turn out better stuff than this. Onthe whole it is a bit of a let down but it may appeal to some.'
Skill levels: 2 Screens: 1 Genera) rating: Though a bit crude still quite enjoyable
Use of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability Getting started Addictive qualities Value for m o n e y Overall
60% 59% 71% 72% 68% 66% 67%
DISCS OF DEATH Producer: Artie Retail price: £6.95 Language: M a c h i n e code Author: Ian Rich Touring the arcades a few years ago was an arcade game of the name, Discs of Tron. Discs of Death is a version of the highly popular arcade game. Based upon the disc fighting sequence in the film Tron the idea is to topple an opponent off the platform he's standing on while evading his attempts at toppling you. The two competitors face each other across a bottomless it and hurl discs at one another. ach competitor has a row of three platforms and can jump from platform to platform to avoid being hit by his opponent's missile. Each player has three discs to hurl across the void, and they work rather like boomerangs,coming back to the sender if they don't hit. You view the arena from behind the player you control, looking across the perspective view and aiming your discs with a cursor that moves left and right on the wall behind your opponent. When you release a disc it homes in on the cursor and either hits the enemy, in which case he dissolves into oblivion, or it comes snaking back to you hand automatically. You disc can score a hiton its way to the back wall or after it has rebounded and started for home. The three platforms you can leap between to avoid your opponent's discs hover automatically above the perilous drop —but fortunately the program is kind enough to save you the worry of timing jumps between platforms carefully. You can't fall offlYou can shuffle left and right on the platforms and when you get too close to the edge you leap nimbly and automatically across the gap if there's another platform in the direction you're
COMMENTS
S p i n the disc a t and all the while discs which are dodge between
your opponent in Artie's DISCS OF DEATH, you have to try to avoid your opponent's spun at you. Three platforms for you to and the pace is fast and furious
moving. If the opposing fighter lets lose a stream of discs heading directly for you, it's possible to avoid death by using your shields. They are limited in supply, but very useful as while they're activated alt your opponent's disks will bounce harm lessly off you. As you tot up a pile of corpses, you find successive competitors are made of sterner stuff, and take more effort to vapourise. As the sheets progress the scenery changes as well: some screens contain two platforms instead of the normal three. Other hazards are introduced such as force fields, and there's no shortage of willing challengers, eager to meet you across the pit.
off. Gameplay is monotonous and unvaried and it wasn't long before / was bored with it. Generally, / wouldn't recommend this one, as it is very primitive and not at all compelling.' • There aren't many games of this type on the Spectrum and as far as this one goes it is quite playable. The graphics are crude
Control keys: cursor keys Joystick: Kempston K e y b o a r d play: slow and difficult U s e of colour: clash and gory Graphics: undetailed and very jerky S o u n d : almost non existent Skill levels: 3 Screens: G e n e r a l rating: Tired old arcade clone that's far too late
Use of c o m p u t e r Graphics Payability G e t t i n g started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall
34% 30% 30% 38% 29% 35% 31%
CRITICISM • 'Even t h o u g h this is a n arcade clone, w i t h all t h e hard w o r k of design h a v i n g already been d o n e , leaving t h e p r o g r a m m e r to copy w h a t he's seen. Artie's copy isn't t h a t g o o d . T h e gra phics are of a l o w s t a n d a r d a n d t h e a n i m a t i o n of t h e m a n w a l k ing across t h e p l a t f o r m m a k e s h i m look he's shuffling rather than bounding athletically across t h e platform. T h e movem e n t of t h e discs t h e m s e l v e s , as they fly across t h e arena isn't b a d but t h e y d o t e n d t o flicker a tittle bit. Really not a very impressive or outstanding g a m e in t h e final analysis A n d at t h e price, w o r t h a miss." • 'This game is of a tower quality than most budget software. The blocky graphics may have been passable a couple of years agobut they look very poor compared to today's standards. Sound is fairly well used, although the 'tune' or whatever the noise on the title screen should be called, is exceedingly infuriating as you can't turn it
ilt>oil rnor>oo#rwit QOffii f v f f l dtvWon* -FA Cup t w o p M n Cup *lfuropean Cup oner*' Cup 'Replay* 'PromotU 'Prombflon/teleaaMon -fc*p«ntforM ; i n M t « ' f c M M d %tame "Team i*4*cion 'Nam* pkyyefi 'Choow'ciKiftj* 'Weekly league taC4*t 'Rcture**e««i table ' » — r v tquod 'Spy on ottw CtutH " Mk>ute-by-minute QOQl fad* Check wtm your retailer. c*p the coupon orphone your Acce** number AB or den potted wtmm 24 hour*. KAJCSOFT, 44 OUKM STtttT. tALDHTON. WWAJK. NOTTS Te» 04M 706210 tu*h me me torn for my CSM6*i4«t Spedn*n/44K AJmo*. I t n d o M o cfceque or P.O. Addre**
155 CRASH Decern ber 1985
Join in the fun without upping your phone bill! tor Grab? ° f , h e H a c k i n 9 ^ W h e n it c o m e s d o w n to it, hacking can get to be a really expensive hobby. A p a r t f r o m the fines that the o d d court appearance can clock up, there's t h e cost of all those e x p e n s i v e m o d e m s , not to m e n t i o n the t e l e p h o n e time. Five point whatsit pee per unit, including VAT, as F e a r s o m e Franco, N e w s f i e l d Financial Guru keeps r e m i n d i n g us Just because British T e l e c o m ' s b e e n privatised it doesn't m e a n that shareholders can get a cheap hack together. Certainly not — y o u pays the s a m e a m o u n t of loot for telephone t i m e whether you're a shareholder or not. T h e chaps a n d chapesses at Activision have c o m e up w i t h quite a neat idea, all things considered. A g a m e called Hacker in w h i c h you get to hack — but w i t h o u t all those tedious bills. You also stand absolutely zero chance of being arrested. ( N o - o n e m a k e s a film about you, e i t h e r . . . ) In Hacker the g a m e , y o u s t u m b l e u p o n a c o m p u t e r system which you can't resist exploring . . . once y o u crack in, the rest is up to you 1 Activision h a v e sponsored this C R A S H Competition just for fun. Y o u can w i n a copy of Hackenhe g a m e , w h i c h m e a n s y o u might never n e e d to bother w i t h a m o d e m a n d the risk of large p h o n e bills ever again. " A p p l y your m i n d " , m y Great A u n t i e M i n i o n e t t e always used to say, a n d y o u ' r e b o u n d to succeed." I could never understand w h y a n y o n e , other t h a n a beakless budgie, should w i s h to suck seed, but then I W A S only five at the time. I think I understand Auntie's philosophy better n o w a d a y s , but this is all fairly irrelevant. I know y o u ' r e just c h a m p i n g at the bit, d y i n g to find out h o w to enter, apply your m i n d s a n d suck seeds, so here goes: Art S u p r e m o OLIVER FREY. has put together this bijou drawingette for your delectation A s y o u can see, it's a typical scene from the life of a n addicted bulletin board accesser. hacker and general m o d e m user. T h e dregs of coffee lurk in cup. the ashtray (filthy habit) o v e r f l o w e t h — a n d the c o m p u t e r is on. T h e m o d e m is active and the c o m p u t e r is straining at the leash . . , trouble is, the t w o scenes are slightly different. Spot the differences, ring t h e m round on picture B a n d whizz your entry into C R A S H HACK, PO BOX 10. L U D L O W , S H R O P S H I R E . SYS 1DB to reach us by 30th December Please make sure y o u include the w o r d C R A S H o n the entry address to m a k e the life of y o u r competition-setting a n d post-sorting minion easier — thank y o u !
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HACK BC'S QUEST FOR TYRES Producer: S o f t w a r e Projects Retail price: £7.95 Language: m a c h i n e code A u t h o r : Michael Davies
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BC's Quest for Tyres is set w a y back d u r i n g the stoneage a n d puts y o u in a sexist 'rescue the girl f r o m the baddy' situation. Y o u play T h o r , a c a v e m a n type w h o s e girl 'Cute Chick' is being held captive by the H u n g r y Dinosaur. Y o u ' v e got to get on your stone m o n o c y c l e (must be flipping painful} a n d trundle your w a y across the hazardous neanderthal landscape to get her back. T h e g a m e is similar to Hunchback, but constantly scrolls rather than flicks f r o m screen to screen. W h e n you start, the g a m e is pretty simple — there are a f e w potholes and boulders o n the road w h i c h have to be j u m p e d . S o o n y o u get to the forest a n d low hanging branches h a v e to be ducked under a n d sticks on the g r o u n d h a v e to be j u m p e d over. Needless to say if y o u h a p p e n to hit any obstacle y o u c o m e t u m b l i n g off t h e granite unicycle, hit the dust a n d see a f e w stars. Crashes also cost a life, a n d you start off w i t h four. After the first forest y o u have t o cross a river by j u m p i n g across the backs of tour swimm i n g turtles, using t h e m as stepping stones. Being of a lazy disposition, the turtles are constantly s u b m e r g i n g . Getting your t i m i n g right is critical, o t h e r w i s e y o u could find yourself pretty m u c h in d e e p water a n d end u p w i t h o n e life less. Just in case y o u find bouncing across the turtles too easy. Fat Broad sits o n the other side of the river and w a v e s her club about. If her club is d o w n w h e n y o u reach t h e bank then you'll fall back into the w a t e r . " J u m p sucker" she keeps urging y o u in a speech bubble. After that little escapade c o m e s a steep uphill climb. Rocks bouncing d o w n the slope a n d potholes m a k e the going pretty tough, a n d it gets tougher on the w a y d o w n , w i t h low flying boulders f r o m a volcano adding injuries to insult. A s y o u trundle a l o n g a bird flies d o w n — this is yer actual friendly D o o k y Bird, w h o ' s p r e p a r e d to carry y o u across the g a p i n g lava pit it y o u can j u m p into its talons at the right m o m e n t . A n o t h e r hill, this t i m e w i t h a
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Trundle, trundle, trundle goes Thor on his motorised transport in BC's QUEST FOR TIRES, the latest offering from Software Projects. Pity there's no Cute Chicks in CRASH T o w e r s — they're d r a g o n s f o a woman in Mail Order i
crevasse at the b o t t o m , and another river crossing to make w i t h the H u n g r y Dinosaur standing guard instead of Pat Broad, then it's into the dinosaur's cave. J u m p a n d duck under the stalactites to complete this last run, then y o u get to your babes. Cute Chick, a n d live happily ever a f t e r . . . For at least ten seconds. a n y w a y , w h e r e u p o n the silly girl is stupid e n o u g h to let herself be captured by the Hungry Dinosaur, a n d the w h o l e p r o b l e m starts over again. Points are a w a r d e d for jumping over or ducking each obstacle, a n d double, treble and q u a d r u p l e points can be earned by pelting along at high speeds. Thor's unicycle must be motorised — it can d o up to 8 0 m p h , w i t h the speed s h o w n o n a digital s p e e d o m e t e r at the b o t t o m of the screen. Y o u can accelerate if y o u w a n t to go for points, or slow d o w n a bit on the trickier sections if you wish. Fortunately, in neanderthal days, fuel wasn't a p r o b l e m . . .
CRITICISM • ' S o f t w a r e Projects h a v e done a g o o d job of converting this o n e f r o m t h e C o m m o d o r e and BC is still a pretty loveable character. I loved t h e w a y he bounces a n d b u m p s over all the obstacles in his path. T h e stages that y o u encounter are not t o o long a n d I felt that I'd have a better chance of c o m p l e t i n g t h e m next g o . . . w h i c h helped get m e addicted. Technically t h e graphics are quite clever, if a little uninspiring. Q u i t e a challenging g a m e t o start, b u t could get repetitive quickly.' • '/ first saw this game months ago on the Commodore and then it struck me as being pretty abysmal. The Spectrum version is a reasonably good conversion — just as bad as the 64 version. The graphics are prettv bad, but the scrolling, it must be said, is
very good. The one good point about the game is that it is very easy to play, although this does knock down the addictive qualities. Overall it's very poor and / hope Software Projects have more luck with Willy Meets the Taxman.' • W h a t a strange g a m e . At first this g a m e s e e m s very poor, and it's almost as if it hasn't been finished: there's no sound, for instance bar a ticking noise. It's hard to describe w h a t ' s missing . . . After a f e w goes, h o w e v e r , the g a m e b e g a n to g r o w o n m e a n d I w a s really getting into it after an hour — until I discovered that it's not as hard as it should be. Graphically this g a m e isn't outstanding, altho u g h I d i d like the w a y the m o u n t a i n s m o v e m o r e slowly than the g r o u n d and sky. A lot of attribute p r o b l e m s m a r w h a t neatness t h e graphics have.'
COMMENTS Control keys: W forwards, Q pull back, K j u m p , M duck, ENTER a n d W speed up, ENTER a n d Q slow d o w n Joystick: Kempston, Interface2, Protek K e y b o a r d play: responsive U s e of colour: lots of attribute p r o b l e m s , not attractive Graphics: clever scrolling driving big, but flat graphics S o u n d : not a lot, continuous rasping Skill levels: gets harder as you progress Screens: scrolling G e n e r a l rating: Poor conversion of an already poor g a m e
U s e of c o m p u t e r 66% Graphics 51% Payability 55% G e t t i n g started 64% Addictive qualities 4 5 % V a l u e for m o n e y 44% Overall 46% 157 CRASH Decern ber 1985
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A n u p d a t e o n h o w t h e C R A S H / Z Z A P ! / A M T 1 X ! Dr Barnardo a n d A c t i o n G r o u p charity parachute j u m p is going, as t h e clock ticks a w a y t h e seconds t o takeoff t i m e for s o m e hapless N e w s f i e l d N u t t e r s fa N o w that the votes are beginning to c o m e in there is an air of panic circulating through the T o w e r s . A t the top of the j u m p league table is our very o w n lovable (almost), affable (rarely) a n d helpful (never), Denise the Subscription Queen. This unenviable position is due to one m a n , w h o shall remain nameless though readers of C T W m a y know to w h o m w e refer. As an Incentive to the rest of y o u the a n o n y m o u s donor has promised to keep sending in the loot to keep Denise at the top of t h e list. That could cost h i m a lot of m o n e y . Denise is trying to establish exactly w h a t it is that he w a n t s to make h i m renege o n his promise. A n o t h e r high flyer is ZZAP's very o w n mini hero Julian Rignall. So far
t h e voters have placed h i m firmly on the tarmac, if not actually in the aircraft itself. A couple of readers offered extra loot if Rignall w o u l d make the j u m p w i t h o u t the aid of a chute — he's giving the idea s o m e thought. In the m e a n t i m e the software industry is beginning to put up goodies for the voters to w i n — we'll publish a list of the prizes on offer in future issues. Dr. Barnardo's, w h o h a v e a reputation as the w o r l d ' s largest family, are jubilant about being on the receiving e n d of your generosity. Since the 1870 the organisation has been helping a n d caring for children w h o have either been orphaned or w h o are disadvantaged in other ways. N o w a d a y s Barnardo's are involved in a w i d e range of activities. Apart from
running childrens' h o m e s Barnardo's provide help a n d advice for the parents of handicapped children as well as day care centres, fostering and adoption services and education for children w h o need help to o v e r c o m e a w i d e range of problems. Barnardo's pointed out that they are also heavily reliant on the use of electronic aids in their projects. T h e m o r e c o m m o n applications for computers are as c o m m u n i c a t i o n aids, a l a r m systems and in computerised wheel chairs. Not surprisingly, s o m e of Dr Barnardo's children are computer g a m e s addicts as well. Last year Dr Barnardo's helped over 9,000 children. W i t h your help they could help even m o r e next year. If all of our readers responded w i t h just one pound then
I want to j u m p out of a very high flying Hercules (He or she m a y use • parachute at his or her discretion)
T H E COMPETTOONY BfT
I enclose a d o n a t i o n of £ ( m i n i m u m of £1.00) and n o coins, please. W e get charged for receiving them.
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Barnardo's a n d the Action group could benefit by £100,000. Don't be m e a n — send in your loot! Besides the invaluable help that y o u will be giving the t w o charities, don't forget y o u stand a g o o d chance of winning one of the m a n y prizes on offer. A n d y o u could have the satisfaction of knowing that you've put o n e of the Newsfield Nutters in a very awkward position — 2000 feet a b o v e the g r o u n d . . .
N a m e three flight simulation g a m e s
(2)
In fifteen w o r d s or less, using your skill, judgement and a pen complete t h e phrase below in t h e most apt and original w a y
I W A N T S E A N M A S T E R S O N T O J U M P BECAUSE S E N D Y O U R V O T E S A N D LOOT (NO COINS!) to: WEEeeeee SPLAT! PO BOX 10, LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE, SY8 1DB
STOP PRESS! Oli offers original cover painting as a prize for the voters in the Loony Leap Charity Competition! 158
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
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PREVIEW
INTO THE CATACOMBS OFZOB
It's b e e n a long w a i t for S W O R D S A N D SORCERY. A very long w a i t i n d e e d . . . But a little w h i l e a g o , G r a e m e Kidd w a s lured t o t h e labyrinthe w h e r e i n PPS m a y be f o u n d , a n d , ascending a t r e a c h e r o u s l y s t e e p a n d n a r r o w flight of stairs, he c a m e u p o n M i k e S i m p s o n — t h e progr a m m i n g w i z a r d w h o has b e e n casting a spell o n t h e S p e c t r u m . IKE S I M P S O N has b e e n w o r k i n g o n his d u n g e o n based role playing g a m e for the S p e c t r u m for over e i g h t e e n m o n t h s n o w . At J last, it is virtually c o m p l e t e — d e l a y e d by the fact that h e is a perfectionist. A person w h o is not p r e p a r e d to c o m p r o m i s e . M i k e decided w h a t he w a n t e d to a c h i e v e — a role playing g a m e w h i c h allowe d you, the player, to approach it in a n u m b e r of different w a y s and interact w i t h it accordingly — and w a s n ' t prepared to deviate f r o m his objective, despite the S p e c t r u m ' s limitations. There w e r e times d u r i n g the coding w h e n it looked like s o m e art of the original design might a v e to be scrapped o w i n g to lack of space in m e m o r y or progr a m execution constraints. Mike w o u l d n ' t accept this, a n d each t i m e a p r o b l e m w a s encountere d he w e n t back and re-wrote or fine t u n e d the routines so n o w the c o d e w h i c h lies behind the g a m e is nearly as efficient as it could possibly be. A n d M i k e is a happy man. T h e product of this extended p e r i o d of w o r k , Swords and Sorcery is an impressive piece of s o f t w a r e indeed, and very different f r o m anything else currently available on the Spect r u m . A n d w h i l e Swords is a stand-alone g a m e , the m o n t h s of d e v e l o p m e n t w o r k that w e n t into it also p r o d u c e d t h e M I D A S a d v e n t u r e s y s t e m — w h i c h will be u s e d to w r i t e other g a m e s a n d e x p a n s i o n m o d u l e s for Swords itself. It is v e r y difficult to d o this g a m e justice in few w o r d s — the concept that lies behind it, the w a y in w h i c h it w o r k s a n d the sheer size a n d depth of t h e g a m e itself defy labelling. T h e closest o n e can get is " a sort of D u n g e ons a n d D r a g o n s g a m e , w i t h the c o m p u t e r as referee". Y o u b e g i n the g a m e by n a m ing y o u r character, w h o t h e n enters a system of linked r o o m s a n d corridors w h i c h f o r m a d u n g e o n of t h e sort familiar to role playing g a m e enthusiasts. This u n d e r g r o u n d network consists of four levels, each containing plenty of r o o m s a n d corridors about w h i c h the Master A r m o u r e r , Zob, scattered the pieces of a priceless suit of armour.
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162
If y o u w i s h , you can g o o n a quest t o find these pieces of a r m o u r , collect t h e m together and b e c o m e fabulously rich. Not a trivial task, this one, for Z o b has filled the caverns w i t h traps for the u n w a r y — like hidden pits — a n d s o m e fifty different kinds of m o n s t e r are lurking, watting to attack, w o u n d and destroy foolhardy adventurers. T h e o d d s are not stacked entirely against y o u , h o w e v e r , for there is treasure t o be found in the d u n g e o n s , w e a p o n s a n d magical items w h i c h will assist you in y o u r dealings w i t h t h e dunge o n ' s denizens. Q u i t e h o w y o u approach your journey t h r o u g h the d u n g e o n s y s t e m is up to you. Y o u b e g i n w i t h s o m e fighting ability, a little m a g i c in the f o r m of a FIREBOLT ACTION
est m a g i c i a n . . . o r . . . , well, it's u p to y o u entirely I T h e r e are four levels in the d u n g e o n — a n d to gain access to t h e next level y o u will need to discover a w a y of o p e n i n g the portal w h i c h seals it off f r o m your character. S h o u l d y o u have the m i s f o r t u n e to die d u r i n g the course of a session in the d u n g e o n s , don't despair. T h e j a m e will not end. Y o u are simpy reincarnated. S o u n d s t o o simple? Well, yes it is. W h e n you c o m e back f r o m the dead, you'll find that everything is just that little bit m o r e difficult — the m o n s t e r s will be m e a n e r , the hidden pits deeper a n d the odds will be stacked just that little bit higher against you. Y o u can, however, save your character out to tape if you're in
f
SCRAPPING
WINDOW—
your view on to the p i t y i n g
THE: xlxiz. L P K E F ^ K E
fccu i •»:« * «
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spell a n d a helmet. S t u m p i n g r o u n d the corridors a n d entering r o o m s you'll c o m e across m o n sters — w h i c h you can try talking to or fighting — and treasures w h i c h y o u can collect. A s you g o a b o u t y o u r travels, you will gain experience, learn n e w spells, collect useful e q u i p m e n t and v a l u a b l e items a n d y o u r character's attributes will reflect y o u r progress. If you w i s h , y o u can play a g a m e in w h i c h y o u try to buila up y o u r character's ml a gc i' c a l p o w e r s . . . or y o u might wisr i/isn t o b e c o m e an excellent f i g h t e r . . . or y o u m i g h t a i m to be the roughest, toughest, fighting-
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
SCREEN
MESSAGES
a tight corner a n d think you are a b o u t to be killed or severely d a m a g e d . If you've spent ages building h i m or her up, t h e n you'll w a n t to h a n g o n to your little friend for use in other sessions at the keyboard w i t h Swords. Alternatively, y o u m a y w i s h to take y o u character into another d u n g e o n — PSS have p r o m i s e d n e w g a m e s a n d expansion m o d u l e s , also written w i t h the M I D A S system, w h i c h will contain n e w w o r l d s into w h i c h you can load your saved character. T h e g a m e itself is m e n u driven a n d y o u interact w i t h it
via a set of linked m e n u s displayed at the b o t t o m of the screen. Using three keys for m e n u left, m e n u right a n d m e n u select, y o u begin at the m a i n m e n u a n d select an option from HIT, M A G I C , HANDLE^ ACT, TALK a n d U S E . Selecting HIT lets y o u choose your attack and defence m o v e s for combat, a n d starts a scrap if there's a m o n s t e r in front of you. M A G I C gives y o u access to the list of spells y o u h a v e at your disposal, a n d you cast a spell by selecting it f r o m the s u b - m e n u . (There are nearly t w e n t y spells available in the d u n g e o n s — w h y not collect t h e m all?) H A N D L E a n d ACT present you w i t h extensive sub m e n u s concerned w i t h handling objects y o u are carrying a n a w h i c h you see in front of you, a n d doing things to or w i t h t h e m — like o p e n i n g chests a n d eating food. TALK allows y o u to c o m m u n i c ate w i t h monsters — a n d can lead to s o m e fascinating conversations w i t h the meanies, as the sentences spoken by both arties are r a n d o m l y generated P'r o m a n i m m e n s e vocabulary fr a n d displayed on the central c o m m u n i c a t i o n scroll. Y o u can never be sure h o w a monster will react, either Finally, the U S E o p t i o n can release the magical properties of s o m e items. A s y o u travel round the dung e o n — using three keys: left, right a n d f o r w a r d s — your position is s h o w n on a plan of the d u n g e o n displayed at the top of the screen w h i l e your v i e w of the corridor or r o o m is s h o w n in a 3D window which moves around, changing according to your character's viewpoint. A c o m p l e t e M o n s t e r o l o g y of Swords and Sorcery w o u l d not fit in the space allotted here, but each beast has particular strengths a n d attributes, f r o m the ability to cast spells, fight in h a n d to h a n d c o m b a t or deal out s o m e speciality like turning you into stone, freezing you w i t h a blast of icy breath or poisoning you. T h e g a m e will c o m e w i t h a c o m p l e t e run d o w n on the monsters lurking in the d u n g e o n syst e m , a f e w hints o n h o w to fight a n d survive in the caverns and a description of the spells a n d treasures that can be found. Hours of fun to be h a d . . . once y o u ' v e played Swords and Sorcery for a while, you'll realise it w a s well w o r t h the w a i t !
SPECTRUM 48K
hall BLUE MAX
o f / a m e
RAID!!
• Entered UK Charts 22nd February 1985 Weeks in C h a r t s - 1 2
• Entered UK Charts 4th April 1985 Weeks in Charts - 22
• Entered UK Charts 8th October 1984 Weeks m Charts - 6
Blue Max is certainly a great game'
Absorbing, addictive and fun to play' Crash Smash
Will you survive the Flak 1 Your Computer
Crash
ROCCO ( G r e m l i n G r a p h i c :
HUNCHBACK II
' Entered UK Charts 1st July 1985 Weeks in C h a r t s - 6 'Animation is great, if you want a good punch up - Rocco is the game for you' Computer & Video Games
' Entered UK Charts 19 th December 1984 Weeks in Charts - 1 8 "85% Very playable and addictive 'Long life in terms of appeal' Crash Smash
A CHARTBUSTING COMPILATION FOR SPECTRUM PACKED FULL OF PUNCH
rsi
ONE MAN AND HIS DROID Producer: Mastertronic Retail price: £1.99 Language: machine code Author: Clive Brooker Y o u ' v e b e e n sent off t o the planet A n r o m a d u s to r o u n d u p m e m b e r s of a species of alien a n i m a l n a m e d r a m b o i d s and teleport t h e m to market. Despite t h e n a m e , r a m b o i d s are not Sylvester Stallone look alikes, but are t h e A n r o m a d i a n equivalent of m a l e sheep — h e n c e the n a m e r a m b o i d s . Technologically things h a v e m o v e d o n quite a bit since t h e days w h e n a shepherd's only friend w a s his dog. T h e m o d e r n shepherd has trade d in S h e p a n d got himself a droid, a m u l t i functioning device specially designed for t h e job. C a p a b l e of four different m o d e s of operation the droid is used to g u i d e the r a m b o i d s into the teleport c h a m b e r . W h e n y o u start the g a m e y o u are given t h e option o f inputting a p a s s w o r d in order t o r e s u m e a
g a m e y o u w e r e playing earlier, o t h e r w i s e y o u start at t h e beginning. T h e r e are passwords for eacn of t h e t w e n t y different ramboid-filled caverns, a n d as y o u progress t h r o u g h each cavern, t h e c o m p u t e r releases the c o r r e s p o n d i n g p a s s w o r d to you. A t tne start of a g a m e the screen is split up into s e v e n different w i n d o w s . Largest and centrally placed is t h e m a i n w i n d o w w h i c h looks into a cavern, displaying a v i e w of your droid placed centrally a m o n g s t the scenery. Your first task is to g u i d e the droid to the start position. W h e n y o u arrive at t h e start the c o m p u t e r takes over a n d places t h e droid in the first cavern. O n c e into t h e first cavern, the other six w i n d o w s activate. A n a r r o w , vertical w i n d o w to the left of the m a i n screen r a n d o m l y shuffles eight different ramboids w i t h i n itself to set the collection sequence, w h i c h is the order in w h i c h you h a v e to get t h e r a m b o i d s into the teleport. A w i n d o w o n t h e right of the m a i n screen charts your progress, indicating the r a m b o i d s you've p e n n e d so far w i t h those herded into t h e correct place in the sequence flashing. Trie four r e m a i n i n g w i n d o w s , a r r a n g e d horizontally b e l o w the m a i n v i e w i n g w i n d o w display the four m o d e s in w h i c h the droid can be operated. The m o d e the droid is currently in is highlighted by a w h i t e bar above
the relevant icon. T h e m o s t useful m o d e of transport is jet m o d e : using t h e jet it's possible to z o o m a b o u t in t h e n o r m a l , left, right, up a n d d o w n directions. T h e droid stays central w h i l e the bricks and earth of the cavern whizz by in the m a i n w i n d o w display. B u r r o w is the seco n d m o d e : t h e droid can m o v e left a n d right along ledges and will b u r r o w into the floor w h i l e fire is held d o w n , p o p p i n g up a g a i n leaving the floor intact w n e n it's released. T h e third utility m o d e allows the droid to alter the cavern by digging tunnels. If the droid walks into a wall w h i l e it is in this m o d e , a large portion of the barrier is eaten a w a y a n d the floor a n d ceiling of t h e n e w l y f o r m e d alcove is supported w i t h purple girders. T o switch b e t w e e n the different m o d e s , press fire; holding fire d o w n reveals a m a p displaying the positions of all t h e r a m b o i d s left to be collected. R a m b o i d s are d i m . They m o v e very predictably, a n d will a l w a y s reverse their direction of m o v e m e n t if their w a y is blocked. O n c e y o u k n o w this, and w a t c h t h e set patterns of m o v e m e n t herding t h e m is relatively s i m p l e — but they are delicate creatures w h i c h only live for a b o u t t w e n t y minutes. Y o u are w o r k i n g against the clock all the t i m e . S h o u l d y o u fail to get at least four r a m b o i d s in t h e teleport in the right order w i t h i n the t i m e , it's back to the first screen.
CRITICISM • T h e g a m e idea for this o n e actually contains e l e m e n t s of originality! A n quality rarely f o u n d e v e n in full priced m e g a releases. T h e g a m e idea is rather neat, and is fun t o play s h o w i n g little derivation f r o m any o t h e r k n o w n piece of softw a r e . Graphically O n e M a n and his Droid is also very g o o d — t h e scrolling in t h e m a i n w i n d o w is impressive. T h e droid itself is a little ill-defined, I felt, but overall t h e s t a n d a r d is quite high, especially for Mastertronic. I must a d m i t t o b e i n g favourably impressed t o this release: it provided far m o r e t h a n £1.99's w o r t h of e n t e r t a i n m e n t for t h e t i m e I played. T h e only slightly m a r ring f e a t u r e w a s t h e fact you can't restart once y o u ' v e started a twenty minute ramboid r o u n d i n g u p session.' • 'Have you ever fancied yoursetf as an intergalactic sheep farmer? Wei/, if you have you're bound to find this game pretty useful. Essentially, it's a maze game but with a few good, new ideas added. The game takes a bit ofgetting used to, and careful reading of the instructions is vital but once you're up and running it's definitely fun and a bit of a brain teaser. Maze-lovers shouldn't miss this game — and at £2.00 it's difficult for anyone to go wrong.' • T h i s is a g a m e w i t h very nicely d r a w n and a n i m a t e d graphics a n d quite a f e w neat little touches. It's a sort of arcade/strategy g a m e which can be quite absorbing. For the price, considering the level of finish, it's a g o o d deal. Well w o r t h a second look, unlike quite a f e w g a m e s on the market at three o r four times the price.'
COMMENTS teys :t Q to P up, 1 to 5 fire Joystick: K e m p s t o n or Interface 2 K e y b o a r d play: a little a w k w a r d , but responsive e n o u g h U s e of colour: very neat Graphics: thoughtfully done, attractive S o u n d : spot effects a n d constant clicking, w h i c h can annoy Skill levels: progressive Screens: 2 0 cavern systems G e n e r a l rating: a neat product, especially at tne price
Use of computer Graphics Payability Getting started Addictive qualities V a l u e for m o n e y Overall 164
C R A S H December 1985
78% 77% 73% 69% 71% 85% 76%
A variation on the Extra-Ram for your BBC computer joke, courtesy of Spaceward Ltd.
IN
THE
LAST
FIVE
YEARS
Black and white frame prab (put into memory from a video camera) of a linocut which was then coloured using PLUTO's Designer Software
computer graphics techniques have improved dramatically, partly o w i n g to advances in hardware and party owing to improvements in software design. But the most significant development in the past hatf-decade has b e e n a dramatic increase in the amount of computer graphics capability your money can buy. Perhaps the Spectrum at the very b o t t o m e n d of the market. Nevertheless, running software such as The Artist, some quite spectacular effects may be created o n the screen for what amounts to peanuts, pricewise. At the top of the range is a system involving Cray computers capable of creating complete, incredibly detailed animated sequences w h i c h can be used in feature films. You can b e talking in terms of 8.5 trillion calculations to p r o d u c e o n e second of animation at this level, though . . . all a bit m u c h for the Z8Q processor! But you don't have to have a budget with lots of zeros after the p o u n d sign to become involved in c o m p u t e r graphics — a few thousand pounds will set vou up very nicely w i t h a system like like that
made by PLUTO GRAPHICS which can be driven with a BBC computer. And for less than twenty thousand pounds it's possible to acquire systems capable of producing sophisticated images suitable for professional video applications such as that used a n d sold by SPACEWARD. The applications for computer graphics are many and varied — and the range is growing daily as the price of tne equipment renders the application of such techniques viable for a wider ranee of organisations. A great deal of progress has b e e n made in the field of graphic design and printing — it s now possible p r o d u c e an entire page of a magazine or newspaper o n a V D U screen, adding text, headlines and pictures and then sending it to a machine w h i c h prepares the plates from which the finished page wijl be printed. Soon entire newspapers and magazines will b e p r o d u c e d this way. C o m p u t e r graphics are being applied in b u s i n e s s — t o produce artwork for presentations, brochures and catalogues. Using image recorders, 3 5 m m transpar-
CRASH December 1985
165
PICTURES HELD IN
V
H a n d d r a w n picture input to the P L U T O system using the digitising tablet encies can b e m a d e f r o m a c o m uter g e n e r a t e d image at such a igh resolution (8,00U lines) that the finished result is as impressive as real a r t w o r k . In the h a n d s o f an artist or illustrator, a c o m p u t e r grajphics syst e m can really c o m e to life, allowing t h e artist to w o r k w i t h the m e d i u m in a w a y that is p r e c l u d e d by traditional techniques. Foreground, middleground and b a c k g r o u n d e l e m e n t s of a picture can b e held in m e m o r y and altered separately. A building d r a w n o n a n d held in backr o u n d m e m o r y , for instance can e enlarged, reduced and moved a r o u n d using the most sophisticated systems, without affecting the rest of t h e picture. In industry. C o m p u t e r A i d e d D e s i g n a n d Drafting techniques n o w assist in m o d e l l i n g stress in structures; a n d using kinematics, it's possible to simulate
Ei
g A business-type graphic produced by the I M A G E BUREAU, a firm which specialises in such things. The aircraft are taken from a library of images held in their computer's memory
m o v e m e n t in an assembly held in the c o m p u t e r ' s m e m o r y as a representation of the solid object o r device. A great deal of time a n d e x p e n s e in d e v e l o p m e n t and testing of prototypes can b e saved using such techniques. D r a f t i n g systems can p r o d u c e blueprints a n d technical d r a w ings about five times as fast as a h u m a n draftsman - a n d updates can b e e n t e r e d a n d the w h o l e d r a w i n g r e - o u t p u t up to 25 times faster than it can b e d o n e m a n ually. It is in the fields of video, film a n d television that c o m p u t e r graphics have had their most obvious impact, h o w e v e r . Not only are the budgets available for p r o d u c i n g advertisements, films a n d television programs generally large e n o u g h to warrant the use o f expensive e q u i p m e n t , but the e n d results are seen by a massive a u d i e n c e . Systems such as the Q U A N T E L P A I N T B O X , w h i c h literally allow an artist to m a n i p u l a t e , d r a w a n d paint video images have b e e n responsible for s o m e very sophisticated video graphics. A n d techniques have n o w advanced to the stage w h e r e it is viable to shoot a film o n v i d e o , edit it a n d t h e n p u t the finished o p u s o n t o film for distribution o n the traditional c i n e m a circuit. The story turns full circle h o w ever . . . the h u m b l e Spectrum has already b e e n used t o p r o v i d e graphics for broadcast T V programs. D a v e Beeson {this m o n t h s O N THE SCREEN artist) used his S p e c t r u m to p r o d u c e a graphic s e q u e n c e for a p r o g r a m o n hacking for C e n t r a l ITV this year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a n a a c o u p l e of years ago, the e n d credits for Central's M A G I C M I C R O M I S S I O N w e r e written o n a 16K S p e c t r u m by o u r very o w n T E C H TIPS w i z , Simon Goodwin.
Amazing what can be achieved with a 16K Spectrum using BASIC. This little sequence formed the end credits for Central I TV's THE M A G I C M I C R O M I S S I O N
M*QIC MICRO M I S S I O N *
| L I G H T I N G DIRECTOR| Roy Holby EDITOR G r a h a m Thomp s o n CRMERRS Paul
166
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
Hacking
I Dragged back for another term, Eric continues his one-man fight against the Education system. All his old adversaries are there, plus escapees from the Biology room and, even worse, girls! Lucky he stocked up on stink bombs over the holidays! Back to Skool (48 K Spectrum) — £6.95 Skool daze (48K S p e c t r u m & C B M 6 4 ) — £6.95 Available from all good c o m p u t e r shops or direct from:
mire i #
IlLKuji
M i c r o s p h e r e C o m p u t e r Services Ltd., 7 2 , Rosebery Road. L o n d o n N 1 0 2LA.
There's not that m a n y people w h o ' v e used a Spectrum to generate graphics for broadcast T V programs. D A V E B E E S O N , Graphic Designer for Central Independent T V has done just that. He's also used an Atari 800 to produce title credits for a c o m p u t e r program — The Magic Micro Mission. It just goes to s h o w w h a t you can d o w i t h a h o m e c o m p u t e r if you put your mind to i t . . . .
WIZARDRY
Scenes from the Title Credits of Central TVs MAGIC MICRO MISSION. Amazing what you can do with an Atari rf you try.
D a v e Beeson began his artistic career by following a three year d e g r e e course in Graphic Design at B i r m i n g h a m Polytechnic. D u r i n g t h e course, students w e r e supposed to specialise in either G e n e r a l Design or Illustration. D a v e w a n t e d to do both, and m a n a g e d to convince the college to allow h i m to h a v e his way. A wise m o v e o n his part. W h e n it c a m e to the e n d of year s h o w for final year students t w o talent scouts f r o m the Birming•ham based Independent TV station, A T V , s a w Dave's w o r k , realised h e w a s a n all-rounder a n d invited h i m for an interview. M r Beeson got the job, a n d joined A T V ' s graphics d e p a r t m e n t as an assistant. That w a s nearly seven years ago. S o w h a t does w o r k i n g in the graphics d e p a r t m e n t of a TV c o m p a n y involve? " I ' m an allrounder rather than a specialist", D a v e explained, "as w e all h a v e to be. Y o u never know w h a t ' s c o m i n g through the door in this job: m a y b e it s cartoons that are w a n t e d one day, a logo the next, w i t h charts a n d m a p s n e e d e d for current affairs programs all the time. I love the variety — the job only gets boring w h e n there's nothing to do. W h i c h rather explains w h y Dave is h a p p y to w o r k in any m e d i u m .
f e w m o n t h s before w o r k started o n The Magic Micro Mission at the end of 1983 a n d h a d been telling e v e r y o n e in the Graphics Department how wonderful these h o m e computers w e r e . He
Dave B e e s o n , the man himself
m
CENTRAL
First the little space shuttle tiiedJ round tha Central TV globe logo, then the screen w i p e s f o reveal the console of the ship flying over a scrolling road with alien nasties cycling round that are blasted by the on board cannon— t h e nasties are blurred a bit in our dynamic photo I The next phase has the ship flying towards the computer in the mountains, again over a scrolling rood, this time dodging pillars. The shot we have here is of a development screen, and doesn't include the scrolling road, the ship or the pillars. Sad, eh? Once the approach run has been completed, the ship then ' flies into the screen of the computer parched on the hill, and then the sequence inside the works begins with chips scampering around inside the circuit board. The a cut to the MAGIC MICRO MISSION main logo follows, and tha title sequence ends.
168
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
and doesn't have a particular specialism. "I can latch on to m o s t techniques and copy styles fairly easily." W h i c h is just as well. W h e n Central TV (as A T V b e c a m e in the last r o u n d of franchise reshuffles! decided to produce a c o m p u t e r p r o g r a m i t w a s logical to have a g o at producing the title graphics o n h o m e micros. D a v e had b o u g h t a S p e c t r u m a
w a s the obvious choice w h e n it c a m e to w o r k i n g o n graphics for a p r o g r a m o n h o m e computers. "It w a s fun w o r k i n g w i t h the p e o p l e w h o w r o t e p r o g r a m s to run the graphics", Dave r e m e m bered, ' I produced screen designs o n the Atari using Paintbox and S i m o n G o o d w i n w r o t e the p r o g r a m s that m o v e d t h e m round. I w a s very pleased with
AIR • COMBAT • EMULATOR £10.95 INC. FREE WATCH
• BY CASCADE GAMES
AND POSTAGE
1-3 Haywra Crescent Harogate
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V I C 2 0 £9.95)
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WIZARDRY the e n d result." M o r e recently, a p r o g r a m m a d e in Central's N o t t i n g h a m studios o n hacking required s o m e short a n i m a t e d sequences to d e m o n s t r a t e classic hacking techniques. O u t c a m e Dave's trusty S p e c t r u m , r e a m s of g r a p h paper a n d four days of sitting up till t w o or t h r e e in the m o r n i n g l a t e r . . . the finished result w a s put o n v i d e o t a p e a n d e d i t e d into the program. But w h a t of the m o r e expensive, professional graphics c o m puters — d o e s the life of a T V Graphic Designer involve m u c h w o r k at t h e top e n d of the c o m puter graphics range? " T h e p r o b l e m is that the graphics b u d g e t s for m o s t p r o g r a m s are not targe e n o u g h for c o m p u t e r s yet. T h e m o r e e x p e n s i v e m a c h ines can cost u p to £ 5 0 0 an hour to b u y t i m e on, and that could be t h e entire budget. W e t e n d to rely o n traditional t e c h n i q u e s — a l t h o u g h s o m e p r o g r a m s , like N e w s at T e n a n d the BBC's Nine O'clock N e w s rely heavily o n c o m p u t e r g e n e r a t e d graphics," D a v e ' s looking f o r w a r d t o the arrival of a Q u a n t e l P a i n t b o x — a w h i z z o c o m p u t e r s y s t e m used to create effects a n d produce graphics directly onto v i d e o t a p e — T h e N i n e O'clock N e w s graphics, for instance o w e a lot to Q u a n t e l . . . "There'll b e a bit of a scrabble to get t i m e o n T h e Q u a n t e l , o n c e it arrives", Dave chuckled. Apart f r o m collecting Superm a n m e m o r a b i l i a — D a v e ' s got j u m p e r s , radios, hairbrushes, masks, pencil sharpeners, all sorts of things w i t h S u p e r m a n o n t h e m — house decorating is currently t h e m a i n Beeson h o b b y . D a v e ' s recently b e c o m e a father a n d is d e c o r a t i n g his family house, aided a n d abetted by his w i f e Roz w h o ' s a textile designer by trade. It's a w h i l e since h e last did any freelance illustrating — w o r k for a Polish m a g a z i n e several years a g o w a s t h e m o s t recent Beeson freelance job. A little bit m o r e freelance w o r k m a y be in the pipeline soon, just t o help keep the family finances flourishing! M e a n w h i l e his schedule of w o r k includes a stint o n The Price is Right in July, four m o n t h s o n Central News East a n d t w o series: Troubles and Strife a n d Parents and Teenagers. Snooker fans will already h a v e s e e n s o m e Beeson graphics — the title sequence using the triangular g r i d . . .
Tha CITlZEN 85 GUIDE TO
HACKING„ c o u r t e s y of the 43K
Spectrum
A piece of Vintage S e a s o n . Freelance work done for a Polish magazine t o accompany a
170
C R A S H Decern ber 1985
translation
of Douglas
Adams's
HITCHHIKER"s GUIDE TO THE GALAX m
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Name y o u r t e a m , choose y o u r colours, lace up a n d r u n ' e m off t h e court pass ... f a k e . . . j u m p . . . shoot in off t h e b a c k b o a r d ... GREAT BASKET! Simulating all t h e e x c i t e m e n t (Including FOULS!) of t h e Basketball Challenge. P l a y h e a d t o h e a d or against t h e computer - R E A C H FOR IT! taiglne S o f t w a r e Is available f r o r o : ( g ) . W H S M I I H / ^ l i m i l W O O U M M T M UWKTS R u m b e l o w s G r a n
S p e c t r i n Shops a n d all g o o d dealers.
Imagine Software 11984) U m r t e d - 6 Central Street Manchester- M 2 SIMS-Tel 0 6 1 8 3 4 3 9 3 9
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IMPOSSIIUI MISSION
IMPOSSIBLE MISSION. ]
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All the critics agree... Impossible Mission has a unique place amongst today's software classics. Superb graphics and original game concept will keep you coming back for more. Already voted "Game of the Year" by British Micro Awards 1985, it is surely destined to become an all time great. Are YOU ready to lace the most impossible mission yet devised???
SCREENS AS SEEN ON COMMODORE 64
SPECTRUM 48K cassette £Z95 AMSTRAD cassette £9.95 disk £14.95
f I 1 — r ^ H i Epyx Products are available at good computer stores and ! selected branches of JOHN MENZIES-W.H. SMITH BOOTS • WILDINGS WOOLWORTH.
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