source - Atarimania

State-of-the-art 

ART OF THE STATES 

Special American Issue 

Revealed: the secrets of Lucasfilms, 

Cinemaware, FTL, Electronic Arts, and Origi 

Jik 

WIN this £1500 CD-ROM computer! 

Your postcard entry form is miss 

Check with your newsagent 

• ST • AMIGA • C64 • 

CPC • SPECTRUM • PC 

• NINTENDO • SEGA • 

YANKEE 

DOODLES 

Endless American trivia inside 

You have been warned. 

• Avatar 

Ultima VI: 

Exclusive 

Preview 

STR:18 

DEX:26 

IHT: 17 

Mag i c 

1 7/17 

Health 

90/90 

1. e v e 1 

224 characters, 

16000 objects, 

imitless encounters 

Roman blockbuster 

from the designer of 

Defender of the 

Crown.

THE FASTEST,! 

MOST THRILLING 

VOTED 

ARCADE GAME 

OF THE 

YEAR ))Mg 

MMN I 

HCOOI 

Take the wheel of your turbo 1 

charged Porsche as you I 

and your partner go in | 

pursuit of danger- ^ 

^ ous criminals all flH 

driving an evil 

m J array of J 

I - souped-up ^ 

r^B-' A roadsters. 

TURBO 

BOOST! 

| Need to catch up in a hurry? Well, 1 

just one press of your Turbo Button will | 

1 leave your eyes in the back of your head! 

BARRELLING THROUGH 

THE CITY STREETS g alons the roughest of| 

I dirt tracks and through busy tunnels - if you can hold 

i the linerfhejow life can run, but they can't hide... I 

viWKy "mm 

ion imTinrrfr 

RESCUE ALL HOSTAGES 

Ocean Software Limited • 6 C Str 

Telephone: 061 832 6633 • Telex: V7 C

6 OI Street • Manchester M2 5NS 

lex: €77 OCEANS G • Fax: 061 834 0650 

action sequences put you in control 

of Elliot Ness's elite squad of crime-busters, 

ALLEYWAY SH00T0LTS 

THE BORDER RAID, 

The Railway Station confrontation and 

Warehouse bust culminating in the 

thrilling denouement of a 

as you re-live the knife edge Y .* 

i existence of Ness in his struggle 

/ M against the retribution of Capone! 

^ f THE L\T0l (HAKLKS - LI YK AX AMERICAS LEGEM) 

' * / - J n absolute corker of .1 ymc as a fine example of how to do the job 

smooth and polished as you tan Ret. property a cracking conversion .. 

S\ v , * animation is top notch a brilliant easily one of the most successful 

. /Nl / film conversion Games Machine licences to date' Sinclair User 

r „„ _. _ 

EQSGCMEBOQQ KMIXMCPfi© 

C33b H K . . 

NOW WITH TWICE THE ACTION, 

TWICE THE FUN,TWICE THE CHALLENGE i 

Q^flEjara oBcmss i 

The Hi-jack report came from a DC10 leaving Paris for Boston -Arab y -V 

guerillas were in control of flight 102 and had turned the aircraft towards 

Africa...The plane lands in hostile territory and the terrorists begin 

their demands... / > 

or the bulletproof vest but watch out for 

Operation Thunderbolt the incredible Taito coin-op conversion 

brought NOW to your home computer. 

ci'SSIVo 

1OOO1

EMAP B & CP 

PRIORY COURT 

FARRINOOON LANE 

LONDON EC1R 3AU 

TIL: 01-251 6222 

FAX: 01-490 0991 

EDITOR 

Steve Cooke 

DEPUTY EDITOR 

Rik Haynes 

REVIEWS EDITOR 

Laurence Scotford 

DESIGN EDITOR 

Jim Willis 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Eugene Lacey 

Kati Hamza 

Gordon Houghton 

Jon Bates 

John Cook 

Christina Erskine 

Pat Winstanley 

Mark Smiddy 

ADDITIONAL DESIGN BY 

Pete Hawkes 

Justine Randall 

ILLUSTRATION 

Geoff Fowler 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Edward Park 

ADVERTISING MANAGER 

Garry Williams 

DEPUTY ADVERTISING MANAGER 

Jerry Hall 

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION 

Melanie Costin 

PUBLISHER 

Terry Pratt 

SUBSCRIPTIONS 

EMAP Frontline, Subscriptions Department 

1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road, 

Peterborough. PE1 2RP 

0733 555161 

COLOUR ORIGINATION 

Balmoral Graphics, Canonbury Yd. Nt 

Preprint Repro. Stratford. E15 

TYPESETTING 

CXT. 74 Borough High Street. S£1 

DISTRIBUTION 

EMAP Frontline, Park House. 117 Park Road. 

Peterborough. PE1 2TR 

PRINTING 

Severn Vailey Press, Caerphilly 

© EMAP BACP 1990 

No part ot this publication may be reproduced 

in any torm without we pefftfssion. 

SPECIALS 

CITIZEN U.S.A. 19 

ACE takes off at dawn and returns with an exclusive 

report on computing USA. The trip starts here, with 

fool-long meatballs and a couple of software 

gurus who've invented a hyperspace engine. 

ULTIMATE ULTIMA 23 

No doubt about it. Ultima Wis shaping up to be the 

game of the year. We flew to Austin, Texas for an 

exclusive preview... 

WHEN IN ROME 29 

After the earthquake: just outside Francisco. Elec- 

tronic Arts are preparing to shake the world with 

Centurion - a Roman simulation and strategy title 

from the designer of Defender of the Crown. 

FASTER THAN LIGHT 33 

....Or FTL for short. Now's your chance to travel to 

San Diego and meet the people who created Dun- 

geon Master and Oids. 

ON SKYWALKER RANCH 37 

Our fearless correspondent braves rabid skunks, 

man-eating racoons, and a private security army to 

enter Lucasfilm's creative paradise and confront the 

creators of Loom. Maniac Mansion, and Indiana 

Jones. 

ONTO THE SILVER SCREEN 41 

They didn't come from the Desert: they came from 

Cinemaware's state-of-the-art CD development sys- 

tem. 

THAT'S HANDY! 99 

Hand-held consoles are sweeping America. John 

Cook reports. 

D-l-Y STUDIO 105 

Who's in the powerhouse?? Check out MIDI wid- 

gets that can make really bad sounds out of raw 

data. 

BITMAP BLARNEY 86 

Your chance to get a personal invitation to the ACE 

Conferences and meet some of the big names in the 

business in person. 

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! 11 

Fill in the form on this page and change history: by 

nominating your favourite games for the the presti- 

gious Golden Joystick awards. And win £150 worth 

of software into the bargain! 

SILICON 

UNIVERSE 

On page 21 you can meet two computer beachboys 

who've devised one of the most fiendish machines 

ever - a multi-media engine that can scan and 

respond to events within a room, manipulating data 

to fill the space with mesmerising lights and sound. 

We hope to have a demo at the Computer Enter- 

tainment Show in September. Don't miss it! 

WIN 

wmmmm 

THE ACE 

TREATMENT 

This month's games range from the 

simple but addictive (Pipedream) to 

the awesomely complex (Knights of 

Legend). Every one gets the rigorous 

ACE treatment... 

GRAVITY Imageworks 48 

DRAGON'S BREATH Palace 51 

KNIGHTS OF LEGEND 

Origin/Mindscape 52 

FIFTH GEAR Hewson 53 

SHERMAN M4 US Gold/Loriciels 54 

KID GLOVES Logotron 55 

PLAYER MANAGER Anco 56 

CROSSBOW Screen 7 58 

PIPEMANIA Entertainment Int'l 59 

PSYCHOFOX Sega 60 

TENNIS ACE Sega 60 

SPELLCASTER Sega 61 

OMEGA Origin/Mindscape 62 

DARK CENTURY Titus 63 

AFTER THE WAR 

Dinamic 65 

STRYX Psyclapse 68 

SEARCH FOR THE TITANIC 

CRb'Capstone 70 

GAZZAS SUPER SOCCER Empire .72 

FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR 2 

Anco 73 

WILD STREETS Titus 74 

ROTOR Arcana 77 

VENDETTA System 3 78 

LORDS OF CHAOS (Preview) 

Target 79 

7 GATES OF JAMB ALA Grandslam. 80 

SAMURAI Microprose 79 

CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN 

Grandslam 80 

One of the images generated by the IMME 

machine: read all about it on page 21. 

pHr 1

k! 

• > 

JAM TODAY! 

Well, almosL.Certainly this could be the most exciting year or computer gamesplayers since the launch of the Spectrum - 

and every bit as significant. Just as went to press, reliable sources reported that Commodore's CD-ROM' Amiga is in fact a 

CD-ROM console. At the same time, NEC were reported to be seriously considering launching the PC Engine in the UK. 

The enormous boost that these machines will give to the development of CD-based games in the UK could change games- 

playing history. In America, almost every company is busy developing games either for the FM Towns CD-ROM super- 

machine, or for the PC Engine + CD-ROM drive. They know that in three years time CD will be THE storage medium for 

entertainment software, offering not only huge storage and full-motion video, but also the possibility of truly interactive 

video using CD-I technology. By writing CD software now, these companies are developing vital expertise for the future. Up 

until now, there has been a danger that the UK would get left behind in this race, but if Commdoore do release a CD unit 

here, everything could change. Our dreams about CD-based games could become reality much sooner than we think... 

ACE celebrates next month with a special free gift giving complete details on CD games and machines. Don't miss it! 

The secrets of Ultima VI development - see pages 25/26. 

GAMEPLAY 

SCREENTEST 37 

What a month! Player Manager chases Kick Off up 

the field; Gravity's a startlingly original game from 

Imageworks; Pipemania. a startlingly unoriginal but 

awesomely addictive game from Entertainment Inter- 

national. 

FM 

BRAVE NEW WORLDS 88 

Four glorious pages for adventurers and followers 

of the not-so-straight-and-narrow path. Pat Winstan- 

ley checks out the latest fantasy releases and offers 

some hints and tips for harassed explorers. 

TRICKS AND TACTICS 93 

No less than five pages of megatips for today's top 

games. Remember, when the going gets tough, the 

tough cheat. 

What goes up must come down in Gravity. 

REGULARS 

ACE NEWS 102 

SNK launch an astonishing games console that 

boasts 40Mbyte game cartridges; Sony launch Data 

Discman - CD-ROM in the palm of your hand; 

Amstrad launching new CPC games machines; 

Titus move into CD-I...all the latest from the ACE 

news team. 

MIGHTY MISSIVES 14 

Only two pages of letters this month, to make space 

for our US features...but you made every column 

inch count. 

FREE ISSUE! 84 

Take out a subscription and wake up once a month to 

your own copy of ACE - and save money into the 

bargain. 

IN THE PINK 107 

This month's Pinks feature the return of the ACE 

Hardware Upgrade Guide: everything you ever 

wanted to know about the machines most likely to 

make your dreams come true 

WIN! WIN! WIN! 

GO TO TOWNS! 44 

Yes, it's true, there's a card on the front of this issue 

that could you win you the world's most desirable, 

most exclusive CD-ROM games computer. Find 

out more inside - and be the first to join the CD 

games revolution!

CBM 64/128 DISK 

AMIGA 

IBM PC 

+CLUEBOOK 

AVAILABLE 

A d v a n c e d D u n g e o n s £ j ) i a g o n s 

ADVANCED DUNGEONS 4 DRAGONS, AD&D. 

DRAGONLANCE and the TSR logo art trademark* owned 

by TSR, Inc.. I Jit Genoa, Wl, USA and utcd undtr licensc 

from Strategic Simulation. Inc.. SuMyvafc, CA, USA. 

© 1990 TSR, Inc. © 1990 Strategic StamlaUon*. Inc. 

All nfhii rcicrvrd. 

COMPUTER PRODUCT 

T 

I he first fantasy role-playing 

epic set in the legendary game 

world of Krynn. 

CHAMPIONS OF KR YNN improves 

on the award winning game system 

used in SSI's mega-hits POOLS OF 

RADIANCE and CURSE OF THE 

AZURE BONDS. 

The war of the lance is over, but evil is 

a BAD loser... with the Dragon armies 

defeated and the lands to the east 

reconquered, the forces of good have 

withdrawn and settled down to a wellearned 

rest. Evil forces however; never 

rest and have been quietly plotting a 

cataclysmic return to power! Their goal: 

nothing short of establishing the Dark 

Queen, Takhisisy as undisputed ruler 

of Krynn! 

A 

DRAGONLANCE u 

FANTASY 

ROLE-PLAYING 

EPIC. VOL. 1 

U.S. GOLD LTD., 

Units 2/3 Holford Way, 

Holford, Birmingham B6 7 AX. 

Tel: 021-625 3388.

- 

i——•— In the 

mystical world of Krynn, eight brave 

companions face Draconian monsters, 

skeletal undead, magic and the ancient 

dragon Khisanth in seeking the precious 

. disks of Mishakal. 

• 

® 

CBM 6il28, SPECTRUM 

AND AMSTRAD 

CASSETTE + DISK 

ATARI ST, AMIGA 

IBM PC 

+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE 

sjnji 

CBM 64/128, SPECTRUM 

AND AMSTRAD 

CASSETTE + DISK 

ATARI ST, AMIGA 

IBM PC 

+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE 

_ _ OFFICIAL - 

Advanced 

Dungeons££>ragoris 

COMPUTER PRODUCT 

elcome to the first AD&D® 

computers wargame. Prepare for 

fierce battles and all-out war when the forces of 

Whitestone clash against the evil Highlord 

Dragon-armies. The Prize: absolute rule over 

all Ansa Ion in the DRAG ON LANCE* game 

world of Krynn. 

Adv «nced 

CBM 64/128 

DISK, 

APPLE II 

Send forth your diplomats to forge treaties, 

and gain allies that will swell the numbers of 

your troops - but when words fail, armies of 

humans, draconians, ogres, dwarves, elves, 

dragons and other creatures may prove more 

persuasive. Enough talk. Let the WAR OF 

THE LANCE begin and the forces of good 

and evil battle for ultimate supremacy! 

Takhisis, 

Queen of p ^ j 

Darkness, —— 

and her Draconian 

hordes overrun much of the homeland of ~~— 

Krynn. Even the elven armies of Qualinost, valiant in their 

. resistance of this evil power, struggle on the edge of defeat. 

\ Heroes of the Lance come forward ...or Krynn will , 

\ forever be consumer by evil!

Speed ball - total action - total aggression - the 

ultimate sport from the Bitmap Brothers. 

Computer Gamesweek - 94% 

"Speedball is fast, furious ar»d graphically very 

stylish" 

The One - 90% 

"Never in the field of reviewing has such an 

excellent game been played by so many for so 

long. A must buy!" 

C&VG Hit - 

"Speedball is going to be a monster hit" 

ST/Amiga Format Gold Disk Awardl • 90% 

This game is so visually brilliant and possesses 

those classic addictive qualities that once you've 

picked up your joystck you ]ust won't want to put 

it back down again". 

C • VG Hit! 

"II you're into missies, bombs and explosions in 

large, classy quantities. Blood Money « a game 

you should try and buy without delay*. 

ZZAP-94% 

'Save every penny you can get your hands on and 

acquire Rocket Ranger" 

Amiga Format - 90% 

Those who like a good puzzle and a bit of strategy 

will find Rocket Ranger compulsive' 

Ace Rating - 814 

"Superb graphics with arcade acton and strategy 

- probably the best Clnemawaro game yet". 

New Computer Express 

"Break out a spare can of Buddy and pop up your 

PC for this one" 

Distribution by: Mirrorsott Ltd.. Irwin House. 118 Southwark Street. London SE1 OSW AMIGA/ATARI ST/PC EM M

AC k 

\ 

P 

FlAJ 

l l ? 

CD-ROM 'BOOK* ANNOUNCED, FIRST CDI GAME, NEW AMSTRAD CPC 

PORTABLE 

POWER FROM 

SONY 

Special thanks to Masato Nlizekl 

and ASCII Corporation for their 

assistance 

Sony has unveiled a prototype 

portable CD-ROM 'electronic 

book', a 500-gram palm-sized unit 

with built-in LCD used to display 

text stored on a normal audio 

Compact Disc. Data Discman had 

its public debut at a future tech- 

nologies exhibition in Tokyo last 

month. Although no price or avail- 

ability details are currently avail- 

able, Data Discman will be used 

to electronically manipulate vast 

amounts of text data - such as 

encyclopaedias, telephone direc- 

tories or even the Bible. Ifs also 

expected to double as an audio 

CD player. 

The Data Discman technolo- 

gies currently being developed 

could eventually lead to a portable 

CDI multi-media unit - capable of 

handling audio, video and comput- 

er graphics & text. Sony is hoping 

to create a standard for these 

'electronic book' technologies by 

announcing the Data Discman so 

early in its development. Expect 

to see a full feature consumer ver- 

sion of the Data Discman in your 

local store within the next two to 

three years. 

Meanwhile, Sony has also 

announced a revolutionary new 

portable computer. The Palm Top 

has a 68000 processor, 2Mb 

RAM, and an innovative 'keyboard- 

free concept' free hand system 

which replaces the conventional 

keyboard and mouse. This system 

can even understand Japanese 

hand writing - including the com- 

plex Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji 

alphabets. The Palm Top is due 

for mass production this summer, 

with units on sale in Japan by 

Christmas. No price details are 

currently available. 

NEW WORLD 

CONSOLE 

LAUNCHED 

SNK, the Japanese arcade manu- 

facturer responsible for the block- 

busting Ikan Warriors coin-op, is 

developing a new 16-bit console 

which promises to be the hottest 

deck this side of a cyberspace 

CDI unit. 

The NEO-GEO (New World) 

console is powered by a 68000 

main-processor and Z80 support 

processor. It can handle games 

cartridges with an astounding 

maximum storage capacity of 

330-megabits - that compares to 

the humble four-megabit (512K) 

game carts found on Sega's 16- 

bit Megadrive console. NEOGEO 

also uses IC technology (see 

TECHNO-rACE on page 11 for 

further details) to store player 

information like game hi-scores. 

This coupled with advanced 

graphics and sound hardware will 

effectively give the NEO-GEO the 

power of an arcade machine in 

your own home - the gameplay- 

ers ultimate dream machine. 

Industry rumours even suggest 

that NEO-GEO will come as both a 

home-based and coin-operated 

video games system. 

The console will be launched 

in Japan at the end of the month, 

priced around £290. SNK will ini- 

tially release six 40-megabit 

games carts, priced at a stagger- 

ing £130 each. This makes NEO- 

GEO carts the most expensive 

home video games ever released. 

Interestingly SNK doesn't see this 

as a problem and is predicting 

Japanese sales of 300000 NEO- 

GEO consoles and 1.2 million 

game cartridges by early '91. 

Details of the forthcoming 

NEO-GEO game titles and exact 

specifications of the console were 

not available as ACE went to 

press - SNK in Japan told us: 

"We're not ready to provide you 

with the information required. You 

will hear from us sometime 

around late spring". Look out for 

further NEO-GEO information in 

future issues of ACE... 

ADVANCED 

CPC OUT IN 

SEPTEMBER 

Amstrad is due to launch three 

new games machines - including 

a console - based around its pop- 

ular CPC micro later in Septem- 

ber. The console is expected to 

sell for around £100. 

The advanced CPC's exact 

specifications and price details 

are unknown at present - no-one 

will officially confirm these new 

machines - but their existence 

has been revealed to ACE in off 

the record conversations with vari- 

ous software developers. Amstrad 

itself was unavailable for com- 

ment as ACE went to press. 

The CPC464 Plus, CPC6128 

Plus and CPC console will replace 

the versions of the CPC currently 

on sale. These technically 

improved models should contain a 

faster main processor, hardware 

support for graphics - including 

sprites and hardware-scrolling, 

increased colour palette and six- 

channel stereo audio. 

The CPC Plus machines will 

be compatible with all existing 

CPC software - they'll also use 

cartridge-based games software. 

These carts will have a storage 

capacity of two-megabits (256K), 

priced in the region of £20-£30. 

Several titles are currently being 

developed, and a selection of CPC 

games cartridges should be simul- 

taneously released with the 

machines in September. 

TITUS 

PRODUCES 

CDI GAME 

Although no Philips/Sony CDI play- 

er will be commercially available 

before '91, Titus - the French 

games developer that wrote 

Crazy Cars - has produced one of 

the first games for this new multi- 

media device. 

Titan, an arcade puzzle game, 

was first released on all major 

micro formats last year. The CDI 

version was started last summer 

and took four months to develop 

using the original Macintosh game 

source-code as a basic founda- 

tion. The CDI version includes 

audio-visual enhancements over 

its micro cousins and a new intro 

sequence. You even have the 

choice of CD-quality classical or 

rock soundtracks during play. 

The game cost a hefty 

£250000 to develop - Titus used 

Interactive Support Group's (ISG) 

$30000 Macintosh-based CDI 

Workstation. In fact, Titus exclu- 

sively distributes the ISG CDI emu- 

lator in Japan. Its only rival system 

is Vax-based and costs over 

$100000. Eric Caen, Director of 

Development at Titus told ACE, 

"Many see the ISG product as the 

perfect CDI emulator". Japanese 

companies like Panasonic, Tech- 

nics and Toshiba may use the ISG 

system to develop their CDI prod 

ucts in the near future. 

Titus has also produced a ver- 

sion of Titan for Fujitsu's FM 

Towns 32-bit CD-ROM computer 

(for further FM Towns information 

- and a chance to win a machine 

- turn to page 44) which sells for 

around £40 in Japanese stores. 

On CDtosed interactive 

entertainment, Caen laments: "it's 

important to be first. This is the 

market for the future. There are 

currently no games designers or 

engineers in this field. Small com- 

panies will find it hard to fund the 

huge development costs". 

Now Titus has started work 

on a new CD game project which 

will take about 15-18 months to 

develop. The as yet unnamed 

game will be written for most CD 

decks including FM Towns, PC 

Engine, and the forthcoming CDI 

• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9

Light and Magic - who both pro- 

duce computer graphic images 

and special effects for movies and 

television. The hires graphics will 

be rendered on a Cray mainframe 

system and transferred to micro 

format or recorded straight onto 

CDV (Compact Disc Video) in the 

CDI version. Caen enthuses, "it 

will be one of the most exciting 

games on CD..." 

MIDI MUSIC 

SHOW 

Eager MIDI musicians should 

check out The MIDI Music Show at 

London's Novotel in Hammersmith 

on 7th and 8th April. The exhibi- 

tion will include over 60 compa- 

nies showing off the latest MIDI 

hard and soft wares from the UK, 

Europe and USA. There will also 

be special seminars, demonstra- 

tions and conferences covering 

such subjects as sampling, cre- 

ative editing and sequencing. For 

further details contact the show's 

organisers, Westminster Exhibi- 

tions, on 01 549 3444. 

FLY A DRAGON 

SSI, the leading American strate- 

gy software developer, is releas- 

ing the world's first Dragon flight 

simulator next month. Dragon 

Strike is being distributed over 

here by US Gold. Good old USG 

isn't saying that much about the 

game yet, except that it's another 

SSI's Advanced Dungeons & 

Dragons (AD&D) release, giving 

you the viewpoint of sitting on the 

back of a Dragon. Like other SSI 

products, Dragon Strike will be 

released on PC first - closely fol- 

lowed by C64 - with an Amiga 

version due later in September. 

SSI is also working on anoth- 

er TSR-licensed product. Buck 

Rogers the 25th Century role-play- 

ing game is due out on PC and 

a!mago>iSte>fae 

Dragon Strike: the world's first 

Dragon Jlight-sim 

• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 10 

C64 this Christmas and uses the 

same game structure as Pool of 

Radiance. An Amiga version is 

scheduled for release in early '91. 

Unfortunately there are currently 

no plans for an ST version, 

although Pool of Radiance may 

eventually come out on the ST 

sometime this summer. 

interfACE 

ATPJllght simfrom Sublogic 

• Konami, a major Japanese 

coin-op manufacturer and offi- 

cial Nintendo licensee, has 

enlisted the help of a reaMife 

mum to promote video games. 

Charlyne Robinson, a mother of 

two Nintendo gamesters and 

holder of a Master's Degree in 

educational psychology, is tour 

ing America on behalf of Kona- 

mi, offering video game advice 

to parents worried about the 

type of games their kids are 

playing and the amount of time 

they spend playing video 

games. 

• Meldac is releasing a Game- 

boy game featuring 'powerful 

person-eating aliens in the feu 

dal Japanese city of Heiankyo'. 

Heiankyo Alien is due out in 

May. 

• In the ever growing range of 

Nintendo-licensed products and 

entertainments, lucky Ameri- 

can's can go and see the 

'Super Mario Bros, on Ice' ice- 

skating extravaganza. 

• FCI has launched Heroes of 

the Lance AD&D RPG for the 

Nintendo NES. 

• Sublogic's ATP (Airline Trans- 

port Pilot) lets you fly a Boeing 

737, 747, 767, or Airbus 

A300 jet airliner. Flight Simula- 

tor: ATP includes over 350 US 

cities with service to 25 major 

city airports, automatic weath- 

er generation, Air Traffic Con- 

trol feedback and six types of 

airborne traffic. The PC version 

costs $49.95. 

• Ocean's classic C64 

shoot'ermip, Wizball, is due to 

be released on the Nintendo 

NES. 

TITAN CDI TECHNOIR 

Titan on CDI was developed entirely on a ISG Macintosh CDI worksta- 

tion in four months. It was written using a Macintosh Ilex under MPW 

support with 600Mb hard-disk, and test run on Macintosh JNMS SCSI 

connections for quick load on Philips JNMS. CDI Titan's game code 

is less than 100K, plus 5Mb of graphics and a massive 120Mb of 

sound data. The flying ship in the intra sequence was designed using 

several 3D graphics packages on a Macintosh Ilex. Studio/8 files 

were converted to DYUV and CLUT formats. The music tracks were 

composed on a W.30 Roland keyboard and digitised on a Macintosh 

Ilex using the Digidesign board. The mixing of the sound was done 

using Sound Designer. PCM data was converted to ADPCM on Macin- 

tosh Ilex. The sound in the game is Level B stereo. The game's com- 

pact disc was compiled and emulated on Macintosh Ilex using the 

ISG CDI board and Disc Builder software. All the tools used were 

developed by ISG and are based on either original or green book 

algorithms. You can use both the CDI remote control or mouse for 

gamecontrol, and the game is compatible with any 625-line monitor 

and runs on current versions of the Philips JNMS player. The project 

director was Regis Bridon with software by Lee Chidgey, CDI emula- 

tion software by Jim Bumgardner and CDI hardware board by Vincent 

Le Chevalier. 

ARE YOU A 

EUROPEAN 

SOFTWARE 

DEVELOPER? 

ACE will be featuring an article on 

European Advanced Computer 

Entertainment in a future issue of 

the magazine. We want to contact 

West and East European software 

developers - games designers, 

programmers, graphics artists, 

musicians and software compa- 

nies. If you wish to be included in 

the article then write (including 

your details) to: ACE EUROPE, 

Priory Court, 30-32 Farring- 

1982 

don Lane, London EC1R 3AU 

Alternatively fax us on 01 490 

0991. 

THE PRESENCE 

OF THE FUTURE 

The next time you walk down the 

Champselyse6 in Paris check out 

a sci-fi store called Dune: The 

Presence of the Future. Among 

the cordless telephones, Rock 'n' 

Flowers and Sony Discmen you 

can pick up a electro-stun gun 

able to pump out 48000 volts, 

and surveillance and counter- 

surveillance equipment for indus- 

trial espionage! 

ACE APRIL BYGONES 

Atari Games' Battlezone vector-graphics coirvop hits UK arcades. 

1983 

Milton Bradley brings out the Vectrex video games console complete 

with its own vector-display monitor. 

1984 

Amstrad enters into micro market with the CPC464. 

1985 

EMAP-owned software company, Beyond, claims Shadowfire is the 

first icon-driven adventure to be released. 

1986 

Amstrad buys the worldwide manufacturing, marketing and brand- 

name rights to all Sinclair computer products for £5 million. 

1987 

System Three finally releases The Last Ninja some two years after 

first announcing the game. 

1988 

ACE exclusively reveals the first transputer game. 

1989 

ACE exclusively interviews Alex Blok about his Bit Bopper multi-media 

audiovisual entertainments deck.

• 

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD! 

Yup, that's the power of your pen. By making a few marks on the form below (a photocopy or postcard will do just as well), you can cast software 

houses, programmers, game designers, and graphics designers into deepest hell - or raise them up to the pinnacles of glory. We're talking, of 

course, about the annual Golden Joystick awards - in which we (along with our sister magazines C&VG, The One, Sinclair User, and Commodore 

User) dig into our pockets and reward deserving chaps and chappesses with medals of value and distinction. But we can only do it if you let us know 

who you think deserves to win...and what. Pay particular attention to the simulation category (8-bit AND 16-brt) since that is the award that ACE will 

be specifically presenting. Make sure you get your votes off to us ASAP, and by March 28th at the very latest. As an incentive, the first form out of 

the pack will receive £100 of free software for their machine and an ACE T-shirt. 

BEST COIN-OP CONVERSION 

BEST NON COIN-OP LICENSE 

(EG. FILM, CHARACTER, TV) 

BEST 8-BIT SIMULATION 

BEST 16-BIT SIMULATION 

BEST ORIGINAL GAME... 

PROGRAMMER OF THE YEAR 

SOFTWARE HOUSE OF THE YEAR. 

GAME OF THE YEAR 

NEW ON NINTENDO 

• In a shock admission, chart-top- 

ping pop group and teenybopper 

heartthrobs, Bros have owned up 

to playing Nintendo games. So 

the next time you go to a Bros, 

concert look out for Matt Goss 

playing with his Gameboy! 

A whole new meaning to Super 

Uario Bros... 

• In fact, Nintendo gamesters 

include a Who's Who of Hollywood 

stars: Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, 

Tom Hanks, Michael J Fox, Kurt 

Russell, Jeff Goldblum, Goldie 

Hawn, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi 

Goldberg, Don Johnson, Robin 

Givens (Tyson's ex), Henry Winkler 

Che/ remember the Fonz?) and 

Bruce Willis. 

• Unfortunately for mobile UK 

gameplayers, Nintendo isn't offi- 

cially releasing the eagerly-await- 

ed Gameboy handheld console in 

this country before September. 

• 91% of all children in the Grana- 

da region watched the Nintendo 

TV commercials an average of 

6.6 times over the pre-Christmas 

period. 

• Quickshot is selling a sighting 

scope add-on for the Nintendo 

This Quickshot Sighting Scope can 

help blow your head clean off - do 

you feel lucky punk? 

cn 

cn 

S Q 

< Q 

Z < 

NES Zapper gun. The deluxe 

sighting scope has an extra large 

eyepiece tor fast, accurate aiming 

and a precision range adjustment. 

• Do you need some tips on your 

latest Nintendo NES game? Then 

give the Nintendo Helpline a call 

on 0626 65500. They'll be able to 

give you advice on all games offi- 

cially released in the UK. The 

Helpine is open on weekdays from 

3pm to 9pm (closed on Wednes- 

day and Sunday), and from 9am 

to 5pm on Saturday. 

c* 

w 

H 

D 

a- 

£ 

O 

CJ 


TOYS 'R' ACE 

At the recent British 

International Toy & 

Hobby Fair at Earls Court 

some 500 exhibitors 

showcased their toy and 

hobby products for 

Christmas 90... 

WOOOPERS 

from Tonka 

"Just arrived from outer space! 

Soft and silky, adorable and 

appealing aliens who love talking 

to little children in their funny, 

happy 'wooopy alien language'. 

These innovative and imaginative 

voice operated 'space visitors' 

produce delightful random chirps, 

chatterings, whoops and whistles 

in response to human voices. 

Young children will find Wooopers 

simply out of this world. 

'Swhooop' down to your local toy 

shop and befriend one of these lit- 

tle critters today." 

COUCH POTATOES 

from Potato Creations 

"They took America by storm! 

Now they're set to invade Britain! 

You are going to see them every- 

where - anywhere there's a TV 

set! You're going to hear about 

them from the most unlikely peo- 

ple! Couch Potatoes need special 

care! Never feed them quiche! 

Always make sure they're seated 

upright for their favourite pro- 

grammes. Only talk to them dur- 

ing commercial breaks." 

COMPUTRAIN 

from Battat 

"The smart tram of the future is 

here for play! Computrain com- 

bines the sophistication of up-to- 

the-minute technology with the 

simplicity of child's play. Easily 


assembled and operated, Compu- 

train is a battery-operated train 

with a computerised control car. 

Using simple bar-code tiles that 

easily attach to the track, the 

child is able to program Compu- 

train's direction, sounds and 

lights. Computrain responds 

instantly to the commands the 

child programs into the track, giv- 

ing immediate feedback. Fun to 

plan, program and play, Compu- 

train is tomorrow's toy - today!" 

HITMAN 

from Matchbox Toys 

"Get hip with Hitman! Nothing 

amuses children more than weird, 

unexpected and sometimes vulgar 

noises! With the new Hitman from 

Universal Matchbox, children can 

deliver all kinds of crazy sounds 

simply by pushing a button. For 

Hitman presents a breakthrough in 

electronic sound chips which 

makes the reproduction of noises 

sound amazingly real - be it a 

burp or a snore! Compact-sized 

Hitman fits neatly into most pock- 

ets so it's well-hidden and children 

can carry it with them ready to 

deliver their surprise noises - cre- 

ating a few laughs, or even raised 

eyebrows! Hitman comes in three 

versions: Outrageous Hitman 

which makes six humours sounds 

such as a burp or a snore. 

Spooky Hitman - ghoulish noises 

to try to scare brothers, sisters 

and friends. And Movie Sound 

Effects - which with its screech- 

ing tyres and other action sounds 

mean endless amusement! Hip 

Hop eat your heart out - Hitman is 

here!" 

TECHNO-rACE 

"The first affordable cyberspace technology 

will be user-interface units - from people 

like Nintendo - for more intense video games." 

William Gibson, 

award-winning cyberpunk author 

Hughes Aircraft is licensing its IC (integrated cir- 

cuit) sound system - capable of reproducing the 

original ambience and dynamic range of a music stu- 

dio or live performance - to several electronics man- 

ufacturers. The system accomplishes this by record- 

ing and playing-back spatial sound - giving the listen- 

er a more realistic sound sensation. The Sound 

Retrieval System is already in use in a new range of 

Sony televisions, and is likely to be incorporated into 

other electrical products, including games consoles 

and computers, in the near future. 

JVC is working on a CD video system able to record 

a full-length movie on just two 12" disks. This is 

achieved by converting the analogue video signal 

into compressed digital code. The clever part of the 

system is the way it uses a computer to analyse the 

original video image and record only the changes 

that occur to that picture once every six frames - 

the system retains one 'key' frame and sends only 

image change data to the other five frames. This 

new JVC product enters the ever growing number of 

competing CD systems - including JVC's rival 

Sony/Philips' CDI and IBM/Intel's DVI systems. Per- 

haps it is a significant factor that JVC's parent com- 

pany, Matsushita, recently bought an Edinburgh- 

based company that specialises in hypertext - a 

software technology needed in the next generation 

of interactive CD products. 

Iterated Systems has invented a Video Modem that 

can transmit still and moving video pictures over 

ordinary telephone-lines. Iterated's current system 

DEENIE DINO AND 

DUDLEY DUCK 

from Bondwell 

"Deenie Dino and Dudley Duck, 

Quickshot's new radio controlled 

toys, move forward, left and right 

at the touch of one of three 

respective arrow-shaped buttons 

on the remote control unit. When 

speaking into the microphone of 

the unit, both toys transmit the 

speaker's voice within a range of 

20 feet. Each toy also features a 

synchronised sound effect, built-in 

receiver and amplifier, and three 

interchangeable eyes that give 

both Deenie and Dudley three dis- 

tinct expressions." 

uses applied fractal geometry to compress and 

transmit digitally-coded images, with an 8-bit colour 

or grey-scale palette and resolution of 256x256, at 

a rate of 30 frames per second. Once the images 

have been transmitted they can be reconstructed to 

any resolution. 

Toshiba and Fuji have jointly-developed a digital still 

video camera using Toshiba's IC memory card tech- 

nology. IC cards are a new credit card-sized storage 

medium powered by their own battery supply, thus 

they can be plugged in and out of a computer while 

retaining their data intact for a matter of months 

rather than milliseconds. The IC Memory Card cam- 

era cards each contain 18 one-megabit chips capa- 

ble of storing two million characters at a resolution 

of 400 horizontal lines - that translates into 12 digi- 

tally-coded still video pictures per card. Once cap- 

tured, these images can be transferred to computer 

or digital tape - an ordinary 120 minute audio tape 

could store over 1000 pictures. Toshiba and Fuji 

eventually hope to develop a system capable of stor- 

ing over 50 pictures on a single slice of plastic. 

Philips' Megane concept car includes many of the 

features expected to be incorporated in the average 

family car of the 21st C: rear windscreen replaced 

by dual back-pointing video cameras, Atlas naviga- 

tion aid including details of local hotels and tourist 

attractions, car manual on ROM, built-in colour LCD 

screen with remote control TV, VHS video and CD 

player, and the obligatory stick-on Garfield toy. 

Matsushita has launched a new audio-visual enter- 

tainments system for the home. Capable of cinema- 

quality picture and sounds, The Panasonic Home 

Theatre utilises both enhanced definition processing 

and digital compression technologies on a wide- 

screen, digital scan converting, video system. The 

catch? The £22000 asking price!

NEW! 

FROM 

DRAGONS LAIR 

Spec. Cass. 2.99 

CBM 64 Cass. 2.99 

Ams. Cass. 2.99 

Release Date - 2nd April 

Dragons Lair and Bluth 

Group Ltd. are Registered 

Trademarks owned by and 

used under Licence from 

Bluth Group Ltd. £ 1983. 

1986 & 1987 Bluth Group 

Ltd. Character Designs 

ACE LETTERS 

YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY... 

HYPERCONFUSED 

Reading your brilliant magazine 

one day as an avid reader (and 

Archimedes owner) I noticed that 

the hypergame Psycho Killer (ACE 

30) was running on an Archie 

monitor - however, I couldn't quite 

tell whether it was actually running 

on one! 

James Goodchild, 

Crigglestone, Wakefield 

• Sorry James, our Amiga monitor 

collapsed so we were forced 

to temporarily use the Archie 

monitor. 

SIERRA-ON LINE HELP 

I have decided to set up a hint 

service for most Sierra-On-Line 

adventures. I have completed 

Leisure Suit Larry 1, 2 & 3, 

Police Quest 1 & 2, Space Quest 

1 & 3, and more. If you want hints 

write to me - this is, of course 

free, but please send an unused 

stamp in your envelope to cover 

postage. That's it for now, keep 

up the great work. 

Lawrence Etchells, 

22 Seton Terrace, Skelmorlie, 

Ayrshire, Scotland PA17 5AR. 

GOLDEN OLDIES 

I miss the "golden oldies' such as 

Jet Set Willy and is there such a 

thing anymore as a simple 

shoot'em-up? Xenon 2 is admittedly, 

brilliant, but I look back happily 

on the days when my best friend 

and I used to stay up all night 

playing Zalaga on his BBC. Come 

on you software houses let's see 

games like Jet Set Willy, Spindizzy, 

Zalaga, Repton, Galaforce, 

Stryker's Run, Space Pilot, etc on 

the ST! 

John Haworth, 

Holly Walk, London 

GOLDEN OLDIES 2 

Please could you tell me where I 

could obtain decent versions of 

the cult arcade games: Defender, 

Galaxians and Phoenix on the 

C64. Nov/ I'm a regular reader of 

ACE I must congratulate everyone 

involved for producing quite an 

outstanding publication. 

DA Edge, 

Great Barr, Birmingham 

• Alligata had brilliant 'interpretations' 

of Defender and Phoenix 

called Guardian and Eagle 

Empire, and Kingsoft brought out 

Galaxy, a great version of Galaga 

- a souped-up Galaxians. Unfortu- 


DOUBLE THE FUN! 

THIS TIP WILL ENABLE READERS WHO OWN THE JAPANESE 

VERSION OF THE SEGA MEGADRIVE TO USE EITHER 

JAPANESE OR AMERICAN SOFTWARE! EFFECTIVELY DOU- 

BLING THE AVAILABILITY OF SOFTWARE IN THIS COUNTRY. 

I am the owner of a brand new Sega Megadrive, 

(Japanese model). As I am sure you know, this system is 

known as the Sega Genesis in the U.S.A. I ordered two 

games, and when they arrived they were marked 'Genesis 

system only', these games fitted into the cartridge slot but 

the machine would not switched on. 

PRIZE 

LETTER 

After examining the Japanese cartridges (these did 

work) against those that would not work I found that the difference 

was that the Japanese machine has a cartridge lock to stop the cartridge being withdrawn when the 

machine is on, the American machine (Genesis) does not! 

So one cartridge (JAPANESE) has a slot cut in the left hand side of the cartridge about half way up to 

allow the lock to activate, and the Genesis does not. 

REMEDY: Put both cartridges side by side and then, carefully, mark where the missing slot should be and 

slowly file a similar slot on the American/Genesis cartridge with the thin side of a woodworkers flat file. 

Take your time is the watchword here - you don't want to go into the side of the printed circuit board 

inside the cartridge! 

You will find that if you have added the slot in the right place, and to the correct depth, the machine will 

now switch on AND WORK PERFECTLY!!!! 

Chris Norris, Blackley, 

Manchester 

• We have printed this excellent tip because we believe it will be of much use to Megadrive owners. We 

must point out, however, that making any modification to equipment will invalidate your warrenty (on both 

the cartridge and the Megadrive). Please do not make these modifications unless you are absolutely sure 

of what you are doing. Any modifications you decide to undertake are made at your own risk. Have fun! 

nately, all these games are old 

(around 1983) and very hard to 

find, perhaps other readers could 

help... 

SOFTWARE STEREOTYPING 

I've read lots of letters in the past 

year or two about how sexism is 

killing the software market for 

women. I beg to differ! Sexism is 

not the correct term for the phenomenon 

which is causing so 

much dissent - it's really down to 

stereotyping. 

I wander into a software retailer 

and, after purusing the available 

range, ask if 'game x' is available 

for 'machine y' - it has been 

reviewed but doesn't seem to be 

on the shelf. "Afraid not Madam," 

comes the response, "how old is 

your son? I'm sure I can find something 

else for him!" "I'm sure you 

can't," is my reply, "because my 

sons are only six and five and you 

have nothing suitable for them! I'm 

buying for myself." 

Am I alone in thinking that the 

vast range of software stocked by 

local retailers is intended for the 

adolescent boy. and that even 

they (the lads) become pretty fed 

up after a while with the lack of 

variety in the final gameplay of the 

titles pushed down their throats? 

Instead of the 'Women's Rights' 

campaigners complaining about 

the sex and violence which form 

the core of the gameplay of most 

software, why don't they complain 

to Mills & Boon who run a successful 

business dealing in this 

kind of material but are respected 

by a good proportion of women 

and men? 

Let's have more originality of 

gameplay, not plot. ShootAick/ 

blast 'em-up's are fine when you 

want to take your frustrations out 

on the world, but they soon 

become tedious as an unrelenting 

diet. I will believe stereotyping is 

dead when men stop being astonished 

because a woman is helping 

them out of their technical difficulties 

over the phone! 

Pat Winstanley (Mrs), 

Wigan 

• Yes, you are probably correct 

in thinking that what is often seen 

as 'sexism' in the software industry 

does not really arise from any 

deliberately malicious exclusion 

of female interests, but merely 

lack of thought. No one has really 

bothered to sit down and consider 

that the ratio of male to 

female games players is being 

steadily evened out with each 

passing month. The other problem 

is, of course, that the majority 

of programmers, games 

designers, and graphic artists in 

the industry are male, but this to, 

is something that may well be 

cured in time. 

WHAT A BARGAIN 

Either ACE is very kind or perhaps 

you just need to sharpen your 

maths. If you hadn't noticed, the 

price of ACE is now £1.60, so the 

subscription charge per annum 

should be £19.20 not £17.95 

(ever considered buying a calculator?) 

J Kershaw. 

Harrogate, N.Yorks 

• It just goes to prove what a 

bargain subscribing to ACE is: 

13 issues of ACE for just £17.95 

and exclusive offers like ACE 

Conferences preferential placement 

and the InterfACE quarterly 

newsletter. 

LEARNING LANGUAGES 

I am a student at Swindon College, 

studying for a BTEC National 

Diploma in Computer Studies. I 

am learning Pascal at the moment

and wish to purchase an Atari ST 

compatible Pascal language trans- 

lator and compiler like Turbo Pascal 

5. 

I would also be interested in 

purchasing the same in Cobol and 

C. Could you please tell me which 

are the best Cobol and C transla- 

tors and compilers and where I 

could get them from. 

Last of all I must congratulate 

you on your production of an 

excellent magazine with up-to-date 

information on the computer 

scene. 

Mr. M. Brown, Swindon, Wilts. 

• Unfortunately there is not room 

here to give a detailed break 

down of the qualities and fea- 

tures of individual compilers. 

However, we suggest that you 

try either Hisoft (0525) 718181 

or Prospero Software 01-741 

8531. 

Both of these companies can 

supply a full range of compilers. 

The Prospero range are intended 

for professional use, and are 

more expensive, but very well 

supported. Hisoft's compilers are 

cheaper, and they also produce 

a C interpreter, which is an ideal 

tool for learning the language. 

ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS 

I am an 'A' Level Art student cur- 

rently researching the theme 

Gold of the Americas 

Amiga & PC £24.99 * 

Note: • available on 5V," disk 

• available

IF YOU'VE GOT A 

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, 

PC ENGINE, NINTENDO, 

SEGA MEGADRIVE, 

GAME BOY OR LYNX 

THIS IS JUST FOR YOU 

IT'S AN EXCLUSIVE AND VERY SPECIAL CLUB DEDICATED 

ONLY TO CONSOLE FANS 

A YEAR'S MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU: 

A BRILLIANT QUARTERLY MEAN MACHINES 

JOURNAL PACKED WITH... 

• EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS 

• INCREDIBLE TIPS 

• MEGA COMPETITIONS 

• AMAZING MONEY-OFF COUPONS 

AND 

• COLOUR PICTURES OF ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND PRE- 

VIEWS OF THE VERY HOTTEST CONSOLE GAMES 

PLUS YOU GET 

• MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB MEMBERSHIP PACK 

• PERSONAL MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB MEMBERSHIP 

CARD 

• MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB BADGE 

• EXCLUSIVE MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB PRIVILEGES 

AND WE'LL EVEN SEND YOU SPECIAL MEAN MACHINES 

BIRTHDAY CARD!

BUT BEST OF ALL 

JOIN NOW AND YOU'LL GET AN 

ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE 

FREE GIFT... 

TO CONSOLES 

VOLUME II 

THE SECOND INCREDIBLE 

CONSOLES BOOK! 

ANOTHER FULL-COLOUR CONSOLES-DEDI- 

CATED BOOK BULGING AT THE SEAMS WITH EX- 

CLUSIVE REVIEWS, PREVIEWS, NEWS, TIPS AND 

COMPETITIONS. 

AND WE PROMISE THAT IT'LL BE EVEN 

BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!! 

r I know I'll be completely bonkers not to join the Mean Machines 

Megaclub. so I've enclosed a cheque/postal order made 

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO 

CONSOLES VOLUME II IS 

SCHEDULED TO APPEAR 

IN NEWSAGENTS JUST BE- 

FORE EASTER AND 

WOULD NORMALLY COST 

YOU £2.95. BUT JOIN THE 

MEAN MACHINES MEGA- 

CLUB WE'LL SEND IT TO 

YOU FREE BEFORE YOU 

CAN EVEN BUY IT IN THE 

SHOPS!!! 

payable to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES for £14.95! 

NOTE: A year's membership for overseas EEC readers costs 

£18.00 (payment MUST be cash sterling). 

The rest of the world costs £20.00 (again, payment MUST be 

cash sterling) Send cheque to: C+VG MEGACLUB. PRIORY COURT, 

30 - 32 FARRINGDON LANE. LONDON EC1R 3AU 

FIRST NAME 

LAST NAME 

ADDRESS 

POSTCODE 

DATE OF BIRTH / / 

I understand that I'll receive the Complete Guide to Consoles 

Vol II and all my other Megaclub goodies when 

they're ready at the end of March.

KîTiUEffilUAYOUlBljgEBft 

CBM 64/128 

AMSTRAD 

CASSETTE 

& DISK. 

IBM P.C. 

By Bruce Carver, Roger Carver 

and Breat Erickson. 

INCLUDES 

8-BIT FORMATS ONLY. 

SPECTR! 

48/128K 

CASSET

Citize 

FM Towns everywhere. Thafs the first thing 

you notice as you wander in and out of plush 

carpeted, air-conditioned, open-plan Ameri- 

can software houses. 

With the Philips CD-I machine delayed until 

April 1991, there is still no machine on the 

market for the boffins to practise their inter- 

active CD skills upon. Hence the popularity of 

the Towns machine, which - while not exactly 

CW - still offers them the chance of developing CD- 

ROM expertise and selling their games into Japan at 

the same time. 

Everyone we spoke to was agreed that CD was 

the entertainment medium of the future. For this rea- 

son, the NEC PC Engine family was regarded by all as 

HOWDY 

jTJjTjjkljr 

Welcome to ACE's 1990 American 

issue. We scoured Silicon Valley, pris- 

ing the secrets of the latest games 

development, out of companies large 

and small - then we got down to the 

grassroots, checking out the comput- 

ing habits of Citizen USA. 

We gathered so much material 

that we've had to spread it between 

two issues. This month you can check 

out the latest developments at Cine- 

maware. Electronic Arts. FTL, Lucas- 

films. and Origin. We've also got more 

news for you on the current revolution 

in hand-held games computers that is 

currently sweeping the States and due 

to hit the UK later this year. 

But we didn't just check out the 

big boys. We visited the arcades, met 

programmers, and kept our ears to the 

ground for all the latest grassroots 

developments. We've given you a 

quick whistle-stop tour of our discover- 

ies on the next two pages. 

Don't miss next month, when we 

check out Cyan (creators of Cosmic 

Osmo) and American Interactive 

Media. 

Oh yes - one last tidbit for your 

all. On our trip we gathered a mind- 

numbing selection of American current 

affairs trivia. You'll find these little 

nuggets spread throughout the issue. 

Bon voyage. 

Brian Crawford was our host in Marin County. 

California while we visited Lucasjilms 

and Electronic Arts. However. Brian's a pretty 

mean programmer himse[f. He's just finishing 

off his first game, which is in some 

respects similar to iMcasJilm's Pipcmania. 

Very simple to play, but very addictive, it 

uses the concept of moveable puzzle blocks 

as you attempt to build a railroad across 

the screen from one designated point to 

another. Well be getting the first full Mac 

iwrsion for ACE to review in the next couple 

of months. When he's not writing games. Brian's 

cither programming IBM mainframes or 

luxuriating in his hot tub'. This is a jacuzzi 

style outdoor bath, big enough for four peo 

pie, that enables you to stretch out in hot 

water in the middle of the night and count 

the stars. Yup, these Cal\fomians know how 

to take things easy... 


eing particularly significant, since it's the first enter- 

tainment module to offer a CD-ROM attachment that's 

actually sold in reasonable numbers. Most companies 

were either developing or keen to develop programs 

for the unit. 

When it came to CD-I, however, there was a lot of 

confusion and disillusionment. CD-I itself (as defined by 

Philips and Sony) had initially created a lot of interest, 

but after repeated delays most companies had lost 

interest - at least for the time being. Electronic Arts, 

who were busy developing CD-I titles when we last visit- 

ed them (over a year ago) have since closed down the 

CD-I division until the machines get onto the market. 

Further confusion was caused by the emergence 

of DVI and the prospect of CD-ROM XA with full motion 

video. In general, everyone agreed that had CD-I been 

released as originally planned, two years ago, it would 

have been a big hit. As it is, we will now have to wait to 

see which system will be first to achieve a reasonable 

user base. 

In the meantime, everyone was busy developing 

game systems that could, one day, be upgraded to 

work with CD technology. You can read about these 

systems elsewhere in this issue. 

HYPERSTATES 

Hypermedia (again, check out last month's ACE) is also 

making a big impact in the States. Many games com- 

panies have developed game design systems based 

on HyperCard. The most complex was that produced 

by Cinemaware, which allows the game designers to 

store all dialogue and other information in the system 

and then download it onto any target machine in a form 

immediately usable by the program code for the game. 

This means that, for example, if the designer sud- 

denly changes his mind about the third sequence in It 

Came From The Desert, he no longer has to get the 

programmer to change the code. All he does is boot 

up his Mac, make a quick alteration to the relevant 

scene, then download the new scenario into the pro- 

grammer's environment. Special utilities 'massage' the 

American arcades often feature older games than u>e see 

here in the UK. In this one we found original Frogger. 

Tempest, and Super FacMan consoles. 

Wifh food like this, you wonder why all Americans aren't 

at least 30 stone overweight. Answer: a lot of them are. 

and the rest are obsessed with dieting. 


A man in 

Georgetown, 

Arkansas, 

was so 

upset when 

he found 

his son 

sniffing gasoline that he 

slapped him. Hours later, 

having taken his son to 

hospital for treatment, 

nurses noted the boy's 

bruised cheek and 

reported it to the police. 

The father was promptly 

sentenced to four years 

in jail. 

Don't forget! You can win an FM 

Towns machine by entering this 

month's special competition. Check 

out the instructions on pages 42 

and 43. then till In the card on the 

cover. 

Americans don't just shoot aliens, 

as this No Shooting notice amply 

demonstrates. On closer inspection, 

we found it full of bullet holes. 

Sec last month s issue lor explanations 

ol CD-I, DVI, and other technoterms. 

CD-I is a Philips Sony standard. 

reviewed in ACE issue 24, and 

ottering ditterent levels ot complexity. 

ranging from simple interactive 

video to IV with full motion video, 

computer animation, and CD stereo 

simultaneously. The first unit is due 

for release in Spring 1991 (after a 

three year delay). DVI ts a more 

powerful technology currently associated 

with PC technology and 

owned by Intel. 

FTL arc just one of many companies using the FM Towns 

to rejlne their CD ROM programming skills. This is 

Wayne Holder, founder of FTL. with just one of tieveral 

Towns machines owned by the company. Dungeon Mas 

ter has already been converted to Towns format: sec 

page 35. 

data en route to ensure that it is compatible with the 

target machine and the program code. 

In fact, Macintoshes were being used for game 

development in ALL the companies we visited. One 

consequence of this is a growing degree of Mac skills 

amongst programmers and designers, which could - 

if Apple ever produceo a low-end Macintosh - make 

the machine the number one games unit of all time! If 

only... 

HOME FRONT 

Macintoshes were also, despite the long-standing 

superiority of the PC in America, very popular at 

home. Most of the users we visited had either got 

Macs or were planning to get one as soon as finances 

permitted. What was interesting was that many people 

with Macs didn't have much expertise on them (though 

users like Brian Crawford - see pic - are obviously an 

exception!). 

PC's were everywhere, but again we were 

intrigued to see how many users still possessed low- 

Although many people still use the old standard PC's. 

386 machines are far cheaper in the States than here 

in the UK. In this cash and carry we found well built 

VGA 386 systems ready to wheel out to your car - for 

only $1999.99 (£1180). 

VIP's in San Francisco 

have been plagued by 

dirty underpants. Someone 

has been posting 

soiled underwear, complete 

with accompanying 

porn pictures, to the 

city's leading citizens. 

'It's the most repulsive case we've ever 

worked on,' declared a post office 

spokesman.

Tough, burly, bearded 

L.A.Bowie was alleged to 

have robbed a 7-11 store 

in Maryland. On his 

arrest, he was given a 

strip search and police 

were somewhat disturbed 

by what they 

found - or rather what they didn't find. 

Mr Bowie was apparently a Mrs Bowie. 

His two sons were arrested with him, 

but despite Bowie's claims that he 

was their father, police are trying to 

find out whether he may, in fact, be 

their mother. 

end PC's rather than the more recent 286 and 386 

machines. Although VGA is becoming more and more 

popular, many users still have standard EGA models. 

CGA. however, despite its popularity in the UK, was 

more or less defunct. 

Finally, we noticed that despite the vast number 

of games available, most Americans still used their 

machines primarily for more serious tasks: writing let- 

ters, composing music, keeping their accounts, and 

so on. Here in the UK the success of the Spectrum 

as a games machine more or less shaped the future 

of the British computer user and ensured that a good- 

ly proportion of his time was spent blasting aliens. In 

the US, the prevalence of the PC has encouraged a 

more serious user. Down at the cash and carry, the 

only games we saw were bargain bundles of Sierra 

titles and a couple of old space trading game sims. 

Word processors and accounting packages, however, 

were piled high. 

.Jay Sachs is 35 years old and owns a beaten-up PC 

which he uses ax part of a MIDI set up with a Yamaha 

DX synth. When he's not hitting the ivories, howei/er, 

he's knocking the stuffing out of the Huns in Lucas 

films' Their Finest Hour. 'It's a mind-blowing experience.' 

he says, '..by around midnight I've gone into 

another state of consciousness. All there is in the world 

is the cockpit, the firing button, and the Hun.' Take 

their games seriously, these boys. Down at the arcade. 

Jay knocks up vast scores on Tetris (two player version, 

high score 995468). 

INTO HYPERSPACE 

One of the most extraordinary developments we came across in the States was 

Subjective Technologies' Video Room. It's a weird mixture of technical inspiration 

and mystic invention that could soon be revolutionising the way we interface with 

computers. 

In basic terms, the system - called IMME or Interactive Multi Media Engine - 

was designed to take the user interlace beyond the traditional mouse, keyboard, or 

touchscreen into more complex areas of physical interaction. 

The IMME hardware is capable of handling and integrating visual (video and 

computer graphics) data, audio data (CD quality stereo), and standard program 

data simultaneously. Most importantly, it can also handle up to 8000 separate 

inputs which can be configured by a sys- 

tem designer any format he choos* w 

To show off this beast. Subjective 

Technologies have designed a Video 

Room in which photo-electric sensors 

monitor up to 8000 locations within the ^^^^^^^^^^ 

room on a 3D basis. This means that you 

can enter the room and control the sys- 

tem by moving any part of your body. 

Dancing, walking, jumping, or even 

lying still in the room trigger off the rele- 

vant sensors which in turn trigger off 

software events within the system. When ^ H j j E ^ ^ k ^ J 

we saw it in operation, the prototype soft- 

ware was manipulating abstract and digi- 

tised images together with both comput- 

er generated and digitised sound. The 

results varied from the impressively 

extraordinary to the simply weird juxtapo- 

sition of meaningless images, but there 

was no doubt that such a system could, 

with careful programming and data 

selection, present some unusual possi- 

bilities. ACE reckons it could go down a 

bomb in nightclubs, where it could be 

linked into a computer driven laser instal- 

lation. It could also provide the ultimate 

interface for Yie Ar Kung Fu\ 

This was part of a swirling abstract 

sequence, generated by traditional video 

methods. It's accompanied by vocal and 

musical effects. 

One of the images appearing on the screen 

during the demonstration of the Video 

Room prototype. 

Washington da Silva. technical whizz-kid. 

and (right) Jack Lampl (president) of Subjective 

Technologies. And why are they 

smiling, you may well ask? Well, perhaps 

it's got something to with the fact that, in 

common with many American businesses, 

they can get a visiting masseuse (legitimate 

- not your typical Soho sweat session) to 

relieve the tensions of new technology. 

That's Nicola Groves of Essential Touch 

corporate massage services in the middle. 

ACE naturally wanted a freebie, but we 

didn't have time... 

The Video Room: sensor monitor your position, 

then the IMME sends sound and video 

data to four large monitors suspended in 

each corner of the room. The system we 

saw was set up to translate physical move 

mcnts based on the ancient alchemical 

principles of Earth. Air, Fire, and Water. 

Weird, man! 


DATMAKI is a s^ ac^ ow in darkness^ 

iDMIiYlMli as elusive as a dream. High 

labove the seamy streets of GOTHAM, he is a 1 

.criminal's nightmare.The only hope for a desperate 1 

city - BATMANL I 

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At The 

Court of 

Lord British 

hen Richard Garriott first sold Ulti- 

ma I by mail order, he probably 

would have laughed (or giggled - he 

was of very tender years) if you'd 

told him that a few years later his 

games would be selling literally mil- 

lions of copies and he'd be rich and 

successful beyond most people's 

wildest dreams. But they do...and 

he is. 

The nice thing about Origin is its origin. Having 

started small, the company retains a friendly, intimate 

atmosphere that makes a refreshing change after the 

larger software companies of the West coast. 'We're a 

very author oriented company,' confirms Dallas Snell, 

in charge of product development, and this is certainly 

the impression you get as you wander along the nar- 

row corridors - there's a software designer/program- 

mer coding away behind each door, in his own little 

world of creativity. 

This is completely against all the tenets of the larg- 

er companies, who now put together programs in 

teams. Origin is one of the few companies where you 

can still see a single name on the credit list for a new 

game. This doesn't mean that teamwork isn't involved 

- every title benefits from the input of the excellent Ori- 

gin graphics department and is controlled by a produc- 

er - but it is still the case that Origin games tend to be 

the brainchildren of single creative minds. 

WORLDS UNDER 

WRAPS 

Right now there are three main titles under development 

(or just released) at Origin. The first is the long 

awaited Ultima VI (see later in this article), programmed 

by Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Garriott). 

ACE reckons this is probably the game that will finally 

prove to the world that role-playing games can be 

every bit as exciting and satistying as arcade action. 

The second is Bad Blood, programmed by Chris 

Roberts, who last year brought us Times of Lore. You 

can find out more about this later in this article. 

Finally there's a vast RPG scenario for D&D 

addicts - Knights of Legend, which is reviewed in this 

issue on page 52. We've also included a review of 

Omega (see page 62) although this was actually 

released late in 1989. 

High in the hills, out- 

side Austin, Texas; the 

drawbridge thunders 

down and grants us 

passage into Castle 

Origin. Six-foot-tall 

Texan overlords, 

brought up on a diet 

of steak, sausage and 

ribs, drag us into the 

presence of Lord 

British - the creator of 

Ultima... 

Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Garriott) 

masters time and space with 

the aid of one of his unique collection 

of antique horaries. 

CD RPG 

The company that brought you Knights of Legend and 

Ultima ought to be a safe bet for those wondering who 

will be the first to produce the definitive CD-ROM RPG. 

but game designer Todd Porter has some sensible 

caveats to make... 

'One of the problems with CD-ROM,' he points out. 

'is access time. Knights of Legend, for example, needs 

lots of data but doesn't need immediate access to it, so 

a CD-ROM version would offer lots of possibilities. In 

Ultima, however, the program is very disk-intensive and 

would need a lot of work to operate satisfactorily with a 

CD-ROM system. There's no doubt, however, that optical 

storage will be tremendously useful for fantasy RPG 

or large world simulations.' 

As a result, the best Origin games are unlike any- 

thing from anywhere else. As producer Jeff Johannig- 

man points out, 'The variety of our products released in 

89 is a tribute to what the authors can do.' Other com- 

panies are often quick to copy Origin products: 'My 

friends send me a new Ultima clone practically every 

week,' says Richard, 'it must be one of the most 

copied gamestyles ever.' Bad Blood and Times of Lore 

are also highly original game styles, and even Knights 

of Legend, although containing many traditional RPG 

elements, is different simply in terms of sheer scale. 

"We tell people to come to us with their ideas and 

we'll help bring out the best in them,' says company 

spokesman Greg Malone - but unlike other companies, 

the ideas will remain a personal challenge rather than a 

team production. 'On the other hand,' says Dallas, 'we 

don't have the luxury of being experimental. What I 

mean by being author oriented,' he jokes, ' is that we 

try not to screw authors! Ifs true that as at other com- 

panies our authors are no longer self managing - now 

they have to get things done on time!' 

INTO NEW WORLDS 

Origin are moving rapidly with the times. Not only are 

they producing more games than ever, but they are 

also moving into the console market, having become a 

licensed developer for Nintendo games. There is 

already a version of Ultima on the Nintendo in Japan, 

which is proving extremely popular. Now Richard Gar- 

riott is planning a Nintendo version of Ultima V and 

even a 'generic Ultima' for the Gameboy. 


'Meanwhile,' says Greg Malone, 'we're all salivating 

for CD-ROM. The new consoles are pretty impressive 

too: the Sega Genesis is technically a very sexy 

machine. By 1991 we hope to have a selection of orig- 

inal titles on the Genesis and Turbographx (NEC) 

machines.' 

Much depends, they feel, on the current congres- 

sional investigation into the restrictive practises of 

Japanese console manufacturers. Most console com- 

panies forbid software companies to develop games 

and manufacture cartridges without special - very 

expensive - licenses. However, Electronic Arts are 

believed to have recently 'reverse engineered' a Ninten- 

do compatible games cartridge for release in the US, 

BAD BLOOD 

"We always program 

for the top flight 

machines - so we can 

say 4 This is the 

dream../ and then 

realise it on other 

formats." 

Grog Malone, Origin 

Just as Ultima VI is a quantum leap beyond Ultima V, so Bad Blood is a quantum leap from 

Times of Lore. TOL had 256 world blocks.' says programmer Chris Roberts, 'but in Bad Blood 

we've got a world built of 3800 different cells.' The resulting world is a nightmare of post-holocaust 

mutation as humanity struggles for survival on a barren, blasted plain. 

Gameplay involves exploration of ruined cities ar>d interaction with other bizarre mutants in a 

quick-to-learn menu command system. 

'All the graphics routines are in assembler,' points out Chris, which helps combine detail with 

high speed. We coded the intelligence routines in C - it means a tiny decrease in performance 

but it's in a part of the program where you won't notice it, and it triples our productivity." 

Watch out for a full preview (and review, of course) of Bad Blood in a forthcoming issue of 

ACE. 

Having a conversation inside a building: note the vastly increased graphical detail over 

Time* of Lore. 

Origin producers get together: 

Dalitis Snell tells his colleagues 

about the one that got away. 


The Bad Blood 

team; (hat's 

Lord British on 

the Iqfl, and 

Chris Roberts 

centre. 

and the American courts will have to decide whether 

such a flouting of Nintendo's strict control of the soft- 

ware supply is legal. If it is, it will open the way for a 

flood of ambitious, varied console titles - and Origin 

hope to be up near the top. 

Meanwhile, Origin will continue to support gifted 

authors and game designers in the production of new 

games. If they're anything like Ultima VI and Knights of 

Legend, this company is set to head right into the 

very big time indeed. Let's hope it doesn't spoil them. 

A LEGEND IN THE 

MAKING 

David Todd Porter began the design for Knights of 

Legend over eight years ago and has never looked 

back. The objective was quite simply to create the ultimate 

RPG system for players who demanded all the 

complexity of a traditional board-game RPG like Dungeons 

and Dragons but also wanted the opportunities 

and convenience of a computer version. 

KOL is the first FRPG (fantasy role playing game) 

to do things in extreme depth,' claims Todd, and once 

you've played the game it's difficult to disagree - you 

can get some feeling for the adventure in our review 

on page 52. 

The game was put together by Todd, but he also 

had the help of his role-playing friends, who were in at 

the start of the project when they first discussed it over 

a pint all those years ago. When Todd came to Origin, 

the first thing he did was to get in touch with his old 

companions and involve them in the game development. 

Todd himself took the research for the game to 

almost pedantic extremes. 'I even went to Englandhe 

recalls, 'to study mediaeval weaponry and castles. I 

read just about everything I could about contemporary 

armour, for example. I love it in other games when you 

can simply plonk on a suit of plate armour - that stuff 

weighs a ton I Most normal characters who might 

attempt to wear it would simply pass out from exhaustion. 

In KOL you really have to have the muscle to 

carry that stuff. All the details are there...' 

This level of detail involves, for example, no less 

than forty algorithms to decide whether a creature 

whould back off during combat. 'The artificial intelligence 

is the main cornerstone of the game,' says 

Todd, 'your enemies are highly intelligent. For example, 

KOL also introduces limb damage, and if you hurt 

an arm or a leg during combat other creatures will 

soon 'learn' to attack it specifically.' 

One reason why RPG's are so popular is the 

degree of identification you can build up with your 

characters. Sadly, many computer RPG's completely 

fail to capitalise on this, but Todd has really caught on 

here, allowing you not only to customise the appearance 

of your characters, but also to name your own 

weapons and spells. The level of detail is tremendous 

- you can even change the coats of arms on your 

fighters' shields! Check out the full review on page 52. 

Todd Porter:, designer and programmer of Knights 

qf Legend in hi* Origin programmer's dungeon.

her 

oft- 

r a 

gin 

:ed 

ew 

of 

the 

BUILDING A WORLD 

Lord British's guide to Ultima design ••• 

Origin have produced the ultimate game design 

package for the Ultima programs, programmed by 

in-house genius Herman Miller. Here Lord British 

(Richard Garriott) and Greg Malone take you 

through the various functions of the package, 

showing how the game scenario is edited and 

defined: including objects, monsters, and map fea- 

tures. 

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1*1 3 

This is where you start in Ultima VI - in the Throne 

Room of Lord British's castle. The left window scrolls in 

four directions and the right window up and down. The 

upper two boxes in the right window show what would 

be placed on the map by pushing the left and right 

mouse buttons. Using these buttons, you can select 

which tile to use from the right window and plop down 

the tile repeatedly as needed, thus constructing the 

world and the people in it. 

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Every object in the world has a mass of data associated 

with it. In this part of the utility, various object 

attributes can be defined. In this cast-, we're telling the 

game whether a spinning wheel should be impassable. 

hou; heavy it is. whether it emits light, its name, and so 

on. 

A 'monster generating egg' has been 

placed near the altar, which is surrounded 

by a ring of stones. Monsters 

generate from these predefined 

'encounter eggs', sort of like 

Gauntlet monster generators. But 

the player can neither see or 

destroy the eggs because, as he/she 

approaches their location, they 

hatch before they come into view on 

the screen. The game designer 

places whichever monster types he 

wished into each individual egg. 

Eggs can hold a number of monster 

types simultaneously (embryos) and 

has a percentage probability of 

hatching at all. It can even hatch 

two differently aligned creatures 

(e.g. good and evil, chaotic and neutral) from the same 

egg. which would create the curious spectacle of two 

monsters appearing and suddenly attacking each other 

before the player's eyes. 

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Copy Erase Renunber Hap Unde 

"The Ultima games 

are about morality: 

the decisions your 

character makes are 

significant for you 

personally. 

Richard Garriott 

0 I ? 3 H 5 B41 B f9 n b C d E F 

BF > >• f V * > S 

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Copy Erase Renumber Map*Undelete Select* 

A part of the master list of 'chunks' containing a total 

of 4096 unique chunks which can be used as macro 

building blocks to construct large portions of the world. 


THE ULTIMATE 

ULTIMA 

There's no doubt about it - Ultima VI has to be one of 

THE games of 1990, if not Game of The Year itself. 

Ultima V wasn't exactly lacklustre, but UVI takes the 

fantasy game into a whole new dimension. 

First, ifs extremely easy to play. One of the prob- 

lems with early RPG's (including Ultimas) was the learn- 

ing curve the player had to endure before he could 

really settle into the game. Menus had to be mastered, 

commands remembered, key-strokes noted. In UVI, 

everything is mouse-driven, but with- 

out in any way limiting the options 

open to the player. 

Movement in the game is 

mouse-controlled - a small arrow on- 

screen shows the current direction 

of travel and you simply move it in 

the direction you want to go and 

click. Quite apart from the enor- 

mously increased graphical presen- 

tation, there are other major refine- 

ments including having all your char- 

acters visible all the time, rather 

than a single 'party symbol'. Your . . _ 

characters follow each other about 

intelligently as you move from one place to another or 

between obstacles. 

Mouse control has also been extended to object 

manipulation, so you can now pick up an object just by 

clicking on it. Clicking on character names also gets 

you character attributes and status. There are also 

graphic screens for your inventory, rather than the old 

lists, and for the clothes you are wearing as well. 

All the combat routines have been dramatically 

improved - which is saying something since Ultima V 

had one of the best combat routines of any RPG to 

date already. In addition to the usual individual control 

of each character, you can now issue more complex 

tactical orders that include commands to flank the 

enemy, retreat, go berserk, assault the nearest oppo- 

nent, change position, and so on. Going berserk, by 

the way, involves singling out the most dangerous 

opponent and heading for them, attempting to kill 

everyone who stands in your way. 

SILICON UNIVERSE 

The statistics of Ultima VI are pretty awesome. There 

are 2000 types of object, and 16000 objects in the 

game itself. There are 2000 different graphic tiles. 

Every single object has its own attributes, every one of 

the 224 characters in the game has its own personal 

Upon your world, five seasons have passed since 

your- tnunphant. honeconing fi on Britannia. 


"At last thou hast corn to N fulfill thy destiny 

the 9ypsy says. She sniles. as if in great relie 

"Sit before ne nou. and I shall pour the light of 

Virtue into the shadous of thy future." 

Character creation involves a simi 

lar set of moral decisions as in Ulti 

ma V - a lot more interesting than 

simply juggling numbers about. 

• Q 

The Origin graphic design team, responsible for many of 

the visual delights in Ultima VI. From left to right: Keith 

Burdak. Denis Loubet. Daniel Bourbonnais. and Glyn 

Johnson. 

history and dialogue, and the game only just squeezes 

onto seven disks - that's after heavy compression. 

The map itself is composed of 1048576 tiles - and 

thafs only the upper level! In addition there are anoth- 

er five underlying dungeon levels. 

On the magic side, there are 100 spells - and 

unlike most computer RPG's these are genuine, unique 

spells rather than a whole load of 'destroy monster' 

routines. Other nice touches include seeing invisible 

characters in faint outlines, and spell mixing is auto- 

matic. 

Ultima fans will also be pleased to hear that invisi- 

ble doors are now rather harder to spot. Mapping is 

more of a challenge too, since the large scale over- 

head view is no longer used: you are at close range 

(as you used to be in towns only) all the time. 

And the story line....One of Ultima's strengths has 

always been the plots Richard Garriott comes up with 

and UVI is no exception. This time (after a superb 

opening sequence) you're summoned back to Britan- 

nia, to find that the world is under attack by an evil 

race of gargoyles. The twist in the tale, however, is 

Energy Field 

-•Exp 1 os i on 

Insect Sworn 

Invisibi 1 ity 

1. igktning 

Paralyze 

Pickpocket 

Reveal 

5TH 

1 eve 1 

"Uas Por F1 an" 

J.ocat i on: 

Jester critical 

flwatar: 

>Cast-Explos*o»\ 

7-0M-0161 6:23 "Uas Por Flan" 

Location: 

BEfeÛLLLBB 

^ * . . * < • ^ , t • 

From the opening sequence: there's 

a storm outside and you're about to 

be catapulted back to Britannia... 

m • that all is not as it seems. 'Ultima 

VI,' says Richard, 'was inspired by 

so many elements of our society. 

Take Jim Bakker, for example, the 

TV evangelist recently disgraced 

after revelations about his private 

life. The world is full of people pre- 

tending to be one thing but in fact 

they're hiding something quite dif- 

ferent. That's what Ultima VI: The 

False Prophet is all about...' 

Ultima VI - all spells are now in 

English, but Ultima q£ficionadoes 

chn still use the old style Britannic 

language if they wish. 

AND YET MORE 

IMPROVEMENTS! 

Check out these other features of UVI: 

• Waterways (rivers, oceans etc) are tidal - they 

flow in particular directions and at particular 

rates; 

• You can check out the battle statistics of 

opposing monsters during combat; 

• There's a help command for dialogue that 

highlights keywords in a character's speech for 

further interrogation (you can turn this facility off 

if you wish); 

• You get your own room in Lord British's castle! 

• Hierarchical object directories/icons: you can 

put items inside other items etc. 

• The whole world is in constant scale and per- 

spective.

C and VG Feb 1990 94% 

Pipe Mania is "a classic puzzle arcade game that is so addictiv 

Mania is a game of great ingenuity, simple in concept 

ill need to act instinctively, but think strategically! 

wrong move, one brief hesitation or mis-placed pipe 

(ST Action 

! "Pipe Mania is a conceptually simple and cheeky 

; game which is incredibly addictive" 

Commodore User Screenstar 

"Terrifically addictive... outlasts any arcade convers 

Zero March 1990 92% 

"Buy this game and you may never sleep again 

The Games Machine Star Player Award 83% 

^ "A puzzle game of great i ngenuity and add-ctivity, 

Pipe Mania is simple in concept, fiendishly 

challenging in play, and attractive to look at" 

f, Zzap Sizzler 

Abso' jtely guaranteed to drive you round the 

bend 

Amiga Computing Excellence Award 95% 

A game with a game play that shines" 

Game Players Award USA 

Best PC strategy game of 1989' 

Stannetts • Laindon North 

1 

1 

C+VG 

HIT! 

RMIGR 

• I inn 

n 

GOLD 

igame:Cobom] 

Basildon • Essex • SS15 60J

When in 

Rome... 

ACE infiltrates the 

techno-castle of 

Electronic Arts 

outside San Fran- 

cisco and discov- 

ers a company 

moving from CD-I 

to Ancient 

Rome... 


EA are making big progress - by going back 

in time. Two years ago, they were at the 

forefront of CD-I research and development, 

headed up by CD genius Greg Ryker. Today, 

they've closed down their CD-I division, 

Ryker has left to work for Microsoft's CD 

division, and EA are producing a string of 

excellent, but conventional titles. What's 

going on? Is this a retreat from new technology? 

Or simply a different approach? 

The company was the first into the CD-I development 

race, and the first out of it. 'We've really scaled 

down the whole thing,' says Senior Vice President Tim 

Mott. 'Four years back, when we saw the audio CD, we 

were really excited. We were involved with Sony and 

Philips in the CD-I specification, and very hopeful. But 

after a year we wound it down.' 

The problem lay with the constant delays in actually 

producing a user base fo r the new technology. 

Philips and Sony have consistently postponed the 

launch date for CD-I, originally planned for two years 

ago but now not expected until Spring 1991. It's just 

too long to wait. But EA aren't retreating: behind the 

apparent inaction lies a company who, while maintaining 

a strong base of conventional products, are still 

one of the most informed about optical game storage 

and its possibilities. 

CONSOLES FIRST 

'Did you know,' asks Tim, 'that over half the world's 

installed base of CD-ROM units is for the NEC PC 

Engine? It's not the high-tech CD technology that's 

going to really put CD-ROM and (eventually) CD-I on the 

map, it's the console market. Games machines are 

going to lead the way into optical technology - you'll 

soon be able to get a complete CD Turbographx system 

for around $500.' 

EA's view is that the heavyweight CD units - the 

Headstart $1999 PC CD-ROM machine, for example - 

have little future, at least as far as the games market is 

concerned. 'Big business is really only interested in 

writeable media,' asserts Tim, 'and what's more, 

machines like the Headstart simply aren't targetted 

properly. But read-only technology is ideal for games.' 

The real advances in CD-ROM programming, then, are 

going to be made on the games front, and that means 

at low prices. Low prices require high volumes, and 

only the console market can deliver those high sales. 

Us computer freaks may soon have cause to be very 

thankful to the likes of NEC and Sega, whose consoles 

may well be the most important hardware base for 

early CD-ROM research. 

Despite their back pedalling on CD-I, EA are obviously 

casting sideways glances at the console market. 

However, as Stewart Bonn points out, A genuine cause 

of concern is the cost of entering into the video game 

business...'. Companies wanting to publish on Nintendo 

and NEC have to put forward considerable sums of 

money or see their titles controlled by other distributors. 

But with so much expertise to be gained from 

producing CDR titles under the console umbrella, it 

seems unlikely that EA will wait on the sidelines for 

very long. 

CDR would also suit some of EA's gamestyles. 'I'm 

personally particularly interested in RPG technology,' 

says Tim, 'The idea of creating an environment and a 

character is very powerful. I think we'll soon be seeing 

the combination of RPG and simulation technologies - 

and the realism that comes from video processing and 

the storage capacity of CD-ROM is going to make products 

much more viable. We'll definitely be shipping our 

first volume CD ROM product within five years.'

Rob Hubbard, once the toast of UK con- 

noisseurs of game sound tracks, is now to 

be found deep inside the EA mansion, shut 

away in a sound proof room with no win- 

dows and hundreds of thousands of 

pounds worth of equipment. But the music, 

you'll be pleased to hear, sounds better 

than ever. 

We're getting MIDI and wringing its 

neck here,' grins Rob. 'Even the sound 

effects get the five star treatment. The 

engine noises on Indianapolis 500, for 

example, are all based on complex formu- 

lae that determing the pitch of the engine 

ROB'S DEN 

Ski or Die: you can't hear the music - 

mo re's the pity. Acrobatic skiing action set 

to a scorching Rob Hubbard sound track. 

Rob Hubbard in his den: two years Stateside and no intention of returning. With all that kit. 

who can blame him? 

for a different speed - 

and it's different for every 

type of engine.' 

The biggest differ- 

ence between the US and 

the UK, for Rob, has 

been the changing musi- 

cal tastes across the 

Atlantic. I've watched an 

awful lot of NBC and CBS out here,' he 

admits, 'and it's taken me a long time to 

get used to writing in the American style. 

Rob's attention to detail in his music is 

quite extraordinary for a computer musi- 

cian. That, coupled with a tremendous flare 

for composition, makes the tracks he puts 

out something very special. On Ski or Die, 

for example, there's a scorching guitar sok) 

which, when played over an MT32, practi- 

cally bestows hit status on the game all by 

itself. 

We got a guitarist in with a Korg MIDI 

guitar. After he'd done the solo, the instru- 

ment had output six channels and it took 

two days to edit it down to one. It's basical- 

ly designed for a young audience: a rock- 

style tune with a few little hooks on it.' After 

listening to it, we began yearning for the 

LP. 

'We're getting MIDI 

and wringing its neck 

here... r 

Rob Hubbard, 

cx-patriate British computer music 

genius, now lull-time at EA. 

Rob's inherited some 

very potent kit from the 

EA CD-I development divi- 

sion (now wound down), 

including multi-track tape 

decks ('useful for sam- 

pling'), mixers, CD sound 

libraries, and more. Most 

of his composing is done 

on a keyoard, then processed using a 

Voyetra sequencer. Rob's constructed sev- 

eral music utilities that enable him to mas- 

sage MIDI data into such a form that it is 

acceptable to the programmer's game 

code. He also provides drivers for the 

many different sound formats (AdLib, MT32 

etc) supported by the EA games. MIDI 

code and drivers are handed to the pro- 

grammer who can then call them up at any 

time during the game. 

Looking ahead to the future of game 

soundtracks, Rob sees a time when well- 

known artists will contribute special tracks 

- just as composers like Jarre and Vangelis 

currently produce film scores. If there's any 

justice in the world, by the time Eric Clap- 

ton and David Bowie are knocking out 

game tracks, Rob Hubbard should be just 

as famous. 

Stewart Ilonn. heading up development at EA. 'The 

most important skill here is the management of multiperson 

projects. The days of the programmer/designer 

Five years! Surely not. After all, other companies 

(as you can see elsewhere in this issue) are already 

shipping CD-ROM titles - but you can see EA's point. 

Almost all current CDR titles are simply enhancements 

of existing ROM/RAM-based games. FTL's Dungeon 

Master on the FM Towns, for example, is not a bit dif- 

ferent from DM on the ST (with the exception of an 

enhanced sound track). 

The fact is that almost anyone can produce a CD- 

ROM version of their game, but EA are one of the few 

companies who, because of their previous work in the 

area, know what's involved in writing a full-scale title 

that makes proper and complete use of CD-ROM's 

added features. 

'We have a very strong technical base here,' 

explains Vice President Stewart Bonn, 'and the good 

news is that that enables us to push existing hardware 

to the limits. But the bad news is that it also means 

we know what we can and can't do. And with respect 

to CD-ROM it's especially what we can't do.' 

This means, essentially, taking things slowly. 'It's 

fun to think about giant leaps in technology,' agrees 

Stewart, 'but in reality the market is not going to move 

that way. It'll move in a lot of small steps. The cost of 

producing a fully-fledged CD-ROM product is measured 

in millions of dollars, not tens of thousands, and until 

the market opens up you're going to see incremental 

improvements rather than huge advances.' 

Meanwhile, with games like Indianapolis 500, 

Centurion, and LHX on the way, who's complaining if 

EA don't give us CD-I products until we've got some- 

thing to play them on? Seems like good old-fashioned 

common-sense to us. 

Tim Mott: 'The 16 bit consoles arc far better for games 

than the PC's. The Genesis is a very sophisticated 

machine...' 


The Chariot Race underway. Note the long range radar 

screen at the top. which enables you to pinpoint your 

position on the course 

Kellyn Beeck, designer of Defender of the Crown, sat 

back and looked at the game and saw that it was 

good. 

But it could have been a teensy bit better if it had 

a spot more (some would say a sackful more) game- 

play. So he sat down and started on Centurion. Still 

under development, it already looks as if Kellyn (pro- 

nounced Kellen) and EA are on to a winner. 

Centurion is a multi-level strategy scenario with 

some very attractive battle sequences. Your role is as 

an officer in the Roman army and your objective is to 

spread the imperial influence as far across Europe as 

possible. Objectives include recruiting Cleopatra (yup, 

there's another seduction scene somewhere in here), 

keeping the natives happy, and, of course, waging suc- 

cessful military campaigns. 

Central to the game is the Defender of the Crown- 

style map display, showing the various territories avail- 

able for conquest. Unlike DOC, however, there's far 

more to do when you enter into a campaign. Political, 


Dolores Pritzl ot 

Warrenvllle, Illinois, 

Is reported 

by the Weekly 

World News to 

have revived her 

daughter from a 

coma by playing 

an Elvis record. 

This is only one of a series of 

reported incidents in which Elvis 

fans claim to have received good 

luck, health, and marriage by 

praying to their patron saint, St 

King. 

Stewart Bonn sees CD storage as a means ot 

boosting 30 performance, with highly complex 30 

images being generated off-line during gume 

development, then finally stored as a set of refer- 

ence frames on CD. You can therefore combine 

richly coloured, high definrtion ptxol Images In 

the foreground with a detailed 30 background. 

This technique is already being used In some 

games (Clnemaware s Wings, for example) but 

today the 3D background still has to be generated 

on the fly' and Is thorofore very limited in detail 

due to processing restraints. 

ground. 3D backgrounds. 

$32 will buy you 

a 30-day course 

of The Primary 

Pill for weight 

loss. According 

to the manufac- 

turers: 

"...Observing 

how 211 patients 

were put on this Pill plan rapidly 

lost huge amounts of weight, 

doctors studied what they called 

a 'fat evaporation' effect on 

users." Call 1-800-444-5881 

(within the US, toll-free) and ask 

for Norma. 

Going into battle in Centurion. The semicircle of dots 

indicates your General's sphere of influence. Outside 

that, units are not under your direct control. The lines 

indicate troop movements under present orders. Watch 

out for the elephants! 

military, and economic forces all have to be balanced. 

Conflict takes place on land and sea and is also 

far more complex in execution than DOC. On land, for 

example, you have many different battle manoeuvres 

available to you, as well as different fighting units 

(including elephants!). One nice touch is that com- 

mands issued by your general are not effective out- 

side his sphere of influence - no radio contact in 

those days - and lines of attack are shown on screen 

for battle analysis and tactical planning. Both naval 

and land battles are shown in overhead view. 

In addition, there are several sub-games within 

Centurion. One of the most attractive is the chariot 

race, held as part of the games which, in an effort to 

keep the natives occupied (and therefore happy), you 

have the option to organise. There's also a gladiator 

event for beat-em-up fans. One final improvement over 

DOC is the inclusion of a SAVE GAME option - which is 

just as well because you aren't going to finish this one 

in a hurry. 

Centurion should be available in the UK, on PC 

first, within the next two months (price to be 

announced). Watch out for the full ACE review as soon 

as it's finished. 

Ooops! The natives arc getting restless. Time to build up 

your naval strength 

Frietxfly 

Diplomatic 

Aggressive 

The people are ftngry 

Rank Caesar 

Status 3 

; T*f>ts 1238 

• Honor 8$ 

k 

| The wealth of Alpes is unremarkable, the 

I army is ordinary and the soldiers are 

known tor their tenacity. 

i Vmdefcc, the leader of Mp*s, offers a 

jyeeting: 

Much of the plahy interest in Centurion derives from the 

old Dictator style of game. The natives tend to start off 

fairly friendly, but unless you get your tribute and tax 

levels right, things arc going to turn sour rapidly. 

jtston 

'rforrr 

>rvettgtion 

>gets 

an yc.

j 

mild up 

ENTERTAINING 

—YOUR PC- 

)RlilRR[ 

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anding 3-D solid modelling 

ccura^moppmeof^ 

tferr • u 

jrformance factors of each 

/ette. Varying difficulty levels, 

itc 

> get set, buckle up and rev up. But 

-~ J -^"ôn'tbet^ - 

1 leave I 

In Franciscc 

fCaptain, it's yoi 

i to keep the peace in the_ 

• OMNICRONi 

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Step Into the woHd of DUNGEON 

je fantasy come to 

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undergfl 

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• v

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You're the inheritor of this mysterious pleasure 

dome - only you can find the answer. Step 

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Out of the 

Dungeon 

High on the 

Mira Mesa, just 

outside San Diego, 

California, lurks a 

small company 

with some big, big 

games: FTL, cre- 

ators of Dungeon 

Master; Chaos 

ck, and 

Oids.... 

r , 1 

' 1 Ju 

1 

The sun goes down on Software 

Heat

Oids on the Mac here you're designing a planetoid. Note 

the large icon mirnu top left, providing many conwmfional 

Mac editing fools. 

Joe's development is 

done in C on the Mac - 'a,.'^-1>_. __ 

here's a section of i 

code from the original'• • 

Utility disk program V,, 

that's executed every.'J v * 

60th of a second (on *V JTT . 

the US system). Joes^ '**»»», 

was so shy we dccidcd' 1 ^,,^ 

to get him to auto* -,; ' "» 

graph it for us! ifittiy 

readers out there °"*»f9 

would like a chancwttp 

pin it on their walls, '"•

DUNGEON MASTER 

FROM BIRTH TO FM TOWNS ••• 

Dungeon Master on the Sharp 68000 - there's another 

Japanese version currently being developed for the 

FM Towns. 

Up on the Mira Mesa, we took a time capsule right 

back to the beginning of the Dungeon Master devel- 

opment. Here's how one of today's most popular 

games evolved - from the very beginning to its recent 

conversion to ttie PC and FM Towns. 

It all started with Wayne Holder's desire to pro- 

duce a game in which players could experience, as 

nearly as possible, an individual journey. 'I wanted 

people to have a lot of tall tales to tell when they'd fin- 

ished a game - and I wanted those 

tales to be unique.' 

All the puzzles in the game are 

worked out individually. Early design 

is very basic (see pic A) and carried 

out on paper. Later on development 

was transferred to Macs. *We 

knew,' said Wayne, that there was 

absolutely no chance of our get- 

ting our money back with just one 

version of Dungeon Master. We 

had to set up a system that 

would serve as a foundation for 

later games.' 

Part of this system 

involved the development of a 

Dungeon Master construction 

utility (see pic B). Using this 

utility, a game designer can 

almost instantly create a DM dungeon comple 

K£y 

with all wall, floor, and ceiling features, monsters, 

and traps. 

The actual scenario was developed through 

group discussions within the company and 

Wayne's wife (who is a professional writer) later 

put together the prologue to the game. But in 

many ways, FTL concentrated on keeping the 

story as loose as possible. 'We are working 

towards a point where the story is scripted 

entirely by the player,' says Wayne, We take 

you to the starting point, but from then on ifs 

up to you.' 

One effect of this has been to confuse a 

lot of people in the States who communi 

cate about the program using bulletin 

boards. In America you can dial up a local 

"/ seriously tdoubt whether 

the FM Towns will still he a 

competitive machine by the 

time they 1 re ready to release 

it in the UK - there are 

many other CD-based computers 

preparing to make 

their debut." 

M r ' 

f M f , 

1 

Russ Boelhauf 

vÂwccv The very 

beginnings of 

Dungeon Mas 

ter - a Jew 

scribbles on a 

piece of paper... 

C - , , ! The details are 

/ added...Later the 

^ i design work was 

transferred to a 

Macintosh storyboarding 

utility. 

,hr« Ik- th, ' " 4 lertinJTi. ' "W ru„ 

ll 

oth k 

Sf MrtTl i Mr. ..^"Al. c'• Ci T Jt (-or* 

^ r ^ rv 

C,/ G1 9fn,r rh hZZi rj'rZ"" "rnnZL"*' GJ 

- 

• Jm,. 

The Dungeon Master creation utility. Using this, you 

can knock together a spot of funnel torture in a few 

minutes. The program is menu/mouse driven and very 

fast, providing the programmer with comprehensive 

features and objects that can be placed anywhere on 

the map, drawn instantly using the mouse pointer on a 

grid. 

bulletin board and download DM characters, tips, 

and even player-persona designs for Chaos 

Strikes Back. But the random nature of the Dun- 

geon Master system has caused a few hiccups. 

'People leave a message saying they're stuck in 

such and such a place, and are haying a certain 

experience, and others dial in and say there's 

no such thing!.' 

PC DM 

After the success of Chaos Strikes Back, FTL are cur- 

rently working on conversions of the original Dun- 

geon Master for the PC and Macintosh. The PC ver- 

sion posed a few problems - 'We started off with a 

mono display, but soon found that the game really 

demands colour. Your perception of things on the 

floor, for example, was seriously degraded using a 

mono screen. The EGA/VGA version will now appear 

in April/May of this year. 

• Robert Brewster of 

Longmont, Colorado is 

mounting a legal claim to 

ownership of the entire 

Northern USA - on the 

grounds that the territory 

was granted to his family 

by King Charles I. If successful, he 

Intends to grant citizenship only to 

those people with blue and green eyes. 

Such people are, he claims, genetically 

superior to other humans. 

• According to the Boston Herald, Paul 

Newman's contributions to charity over 

the last seven years have totalled at 

least $22 million, mostly earned from 

commercials. 

Advanced Comouter Entertainment 35

THIS DISK WILL THIS DISK 

GIVE YOU COULD GIVE 

HOURS OF YOU 6 MONTHS 

FUN IN PRISON 

If you Pirate Software you are 

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THIS CAMPAIGN IS ORGANISED BY 

- r N -px Any information on piracy D I D H f * V 

"N. J should be passed to rlKMvT 

J J—ikJl The Federation Against Software Theft. IPP1 

The Federation Against Software Theft. I f T I I C E T 

EUROPEAN LEISURE SOFTWARE ^ ^ ° I N K I 1 I 

PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION TeIephone 01-240 6 756 l l l h l I

Looking down the front steps from the main ranch build 

ing. That's the Tech building (see pic overleqf) in the dis 

tance on the right 

Just north of San Francisco lies Marin County 

(pronounced Merinn, with the accent on the 

second syllable, chaps). After the dry, 

parched streets of LA and 'Cisco, Marin is a 

paradise of rolling hills and green grass, with 

narrow country lanes twisting past small 

ranches that house some of the best horse- 

breeding facilities on the West Coast - and 

some of the richest, most genteel Americans 

you're likely to meet. 

Life here is laid-back and luxurious. During the day, 

businessmen roar off down the driveway to spend the 

working hours in San Francisco; come the evening, 

they slip into their 'hot tubs' (heated jacuzzis) and let 

the pressurised jets bubble the water around them, 

easing away the tensions of the office, while they 

make a mental note to call their stockbrokers first 

Skywalker 

Ranch 

thing in the morning. 

Into this refined locality plunged George Lucas. He 

bought up 5000 acres of real estate, put a fence 

around it and an electronic gate at the end of the 

drive, created his own security force (two of whom are 

on permanent duty at a guard station just inside the 

gate) and a fire-brigade to boot, and - in the midst of 

this idyllic setting - brought a film to life. Literally. 

Skywalker Ranch is fantasy come true. In the 

beginning was a script, detailing the life history of a 

fictitious Mann family. According to the story, this fami- 

ly settled upon the land purchased by Lucas and built 

a beautiful colonial mansion. In 1990 the mansion still 

'There will be 

major cinematic 

releases based on 

computer titles within 

two years,' 

INTERACTIVE MOVIES ON CD 

A.J. Rcdmcr. In charge of game 

development at Lucasfilm. 

lucasfilm are another company keeping very close tabs on CD-I. When the system finally 

emerges, they'll have some very strong advantages over other companies. One of the big problems 

with CD development is generating all the data to feed those giga-byte hungry disks. No 

problem there for Lucasfilm. They'll have access to all the property rights and creativity of the 

Lucasfilm empire, not to mention the thousands of feet of film from the cutting room floors and 

extensive sound libraries. 

'The real problem with CD-I.' says Noah Falstein. 'is the installed user base. To do justice to 

the budgets concerned, the user base is going to have to be very, very big. The money involved 

tn any sort of film footage is enormous. To give you an example, a single special effects shot 

from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic, the sfx branch of the Lucas organisation) could cost as 

much as one million dollars!' 

Brian Moriarty has the same sinking feelings about finances. 'What about the data generation 

cost?' he asks. How on earth do you fill a CD with equivalent of 2000 PC disks?? It takes us 

a year to fill six!' 

Difficult»es apart. Lucasfilm are joining the band of US publishers who are developing FM 

Towns products to refine their CD skills. Loom is currently being converted for the Towns along 

with Indiana Jones - The Graphic Adventure and ZakMcKracken. It's unlikely that any of these 

games will be significantly different on CD-ROM than in their floppy disk originals, but Loom is 

bound to do something special on the music side. 

Once upon a time, George Lucas, the 

man behind Starwars and a string of 

other movie blockbusters, checked his 

bank account and noted that it was 

struggling under the burden of an 

enormous credit balance. He there- 

fore decided to lighten its load - and 

at the same time create a paradise on 

earth, a paradise in which numerous 

creative people would be protected 

from the rigours of the outside 

world. There they would be encour- 

aged by higher-than-average salaries 

to pursue excellence in the arts of 

computer game design, film produc- 

tion, and other worthy pastimes. ACE 

entered this Maniac Mansion of cre- 

ativity: and here's what we found... 


Despite the movie connections, Lucasfilm do not, and have never claimed to 

be in the computer movie' business. "Lots of companies boast about how 

they produce computer movies,' Noah Falstein. project leader of behind the 

latest Indiana Jones game, told us, 'but here we're close enough to the real 

movie world to know just how sophisticated the film industry really is compared 

to your average computer title.' 

What Noah and his colleagues do is take movie scripts and turn them 

into games. The first computer movie is likely to happen when they take a 

game and turn it into a movie - something that development manager A.J. 

Redmer (known to everyone as 'A-J') reckons will happen within the next two 

years. 

stands, historically correct in every finest detail, but 

actually constructed about six years ago. 

Into this incredible historical environment (every 

window is composed of hand-finished panes and 

mosaics, every painting a contemporary original) the 

20th century subtly "pokes its technological head. In 

the recesses of the mansion there is a small 30-seat 

cinema, with wide leather seats and a ceiling con- 

structed entirely out of polished oak casks. There are 

offices housing besuited marketing executives, fax 

machines, computers. There's a dining room where 

Lucasfilms employees gather at midday (all food pre- 

pared by the in-house cordon bleu chef) and outside 

there are yet more buildings, all in period style, hous- 

ing different departments of the Lucas empire. 

Our destination was the stable building, home of 

the Lucasfilms programming team... 

MEET MORIARTY 

First on the schedule was a visit to the office of one of 

the company's newer recruits: Brian Moriarty, the ex- 


FROM SCREEN TO SILICON 

'The CD-I specifications 

look great, but 

where are the 

machines? If they'd 

come out four years 

ago, they'd have been 

hot, but now they're 

behind the times. 9 

Look «t «n the man I 90T since rvc b«cn 900c. 

Indy in glorious 256 colour mode on the PC. Like many other US companies, 

Lucasjilm are designing more and more for high end machine formats 

rather than the lowest common denominator. 

'Our questions always concern what we can do in the game that couldn't 

happen in the movie.' says Noah, 'We have to build on our own strength - 

interactivity - and at the same time do justice to the cinema original. We're 

lucky that we have direct access to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and 

both of them have been very helpful in the past. This was especially true of 

Indy. where George was very supportive about plot divergence and made 

several suggestions that we incorporated in the game. Our ultimate objective 

is to allow the player to senpt the movie himself, by finding his own natural 

alternatives within the plot.' 

When Noah wants to think, he heads offfor the Ranch's luxurious conservatory 

and meditates amidst the foliage. At lunch-time, the lads and 

lasses bring their cordon bleu lunch here... 

Ron Gilbert. SCUMM programmer 

Loom has a complex storyline - this 

shot shows the loom itself in the 

Guild of Wieauers from which the 

game gets its name. 

Skywalker 

Ranch 

Pacific Ocean 

Jose SIERRA 

• Fresno 

GALIFORN 

Infocom creative genius who brought you Wishbringer, 

Trinity, and Beyond Zork. Right now. he's putting the 

finishing touches to the long awaited Loom. 

Brian joined Lucasfilm because, he says, 'I saw 

they had a lot of potential. They don't rely entirely on 

games and they've got lots of multi-media resources.' 

Brian brings to the company a touch of the true com- 

puter veteran. He's been involved in games from the 

year dot and manages to combine technical excel- 

lence with other, more aesthetic considerations. 

'Music is my first love,' says Brian, 'and Loom was 

actually inspired by Swan Lake, which also contributes 

Brian Moriarty, cx-Iqfocom. now weaving new spells at 

Lucasfilm. Coming soon: musical fantasy extravaganzas 

on CD-ROM.

HIS FINEST HOUR 

Larry Holland is the man behind Their Finest Hour, prior 

to which he was able to claim responsibility for Battlehawks, 

Slnke Fleet, and P.H.M Pegasus. His game 

design career began in 1983 when he converted 

arcade games (including Super Zaxxon) for home 

micros. He works in C and assembler, using the latter 

for graphics routines. 'All the maths calculations for the 

3D worlds are done in assembler: those are the routines 

you really pore over for hours to get them as quick 

as possible. The secret is never the maths, of course, 

it's to make it fast.' 

Rigorous academic disciplines gained in the unlikely 

pursuit of a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology 

paid off while developing the Battle of Britain scenario 

for TFH. 'I tackled it like any other research project,' he 

recalls, 'and saturated myself in the literature of the day. 

I must have waded through at least 30 books on the 

subject, of which my favourite was probably First and 

Last by Adolf Galland. the German ace.' 

Larry's long term aim is to take the techniques 

developed in TFH and produce a multi-player game. 'I'd 

like to start with a direct non modem link between two 

PC's, then work my way onto the modem side.' Until 

lhen. his challenge '...is to put a human' at the other 

end of every game. The biggest difficulty is always the 

artificial intelligence side. I don't just want the player to 

have good opponents, I want him to have a variety of 

opponents also. I shall remain committed to simulations: 

I think that story games are always a closed system, 

whereas in a simulation you've got 3D space and 

everything's much more open.' 

the much of the musical score for the game. In fact. I 

think sound is generally very underrated in games and 

is destined to become much more important. That's 

one of the things about CD development - the main 

thing about it is that it gives you great sound.' Since 

Loom is currently being converted for the FM Towns, 

this is a clear pointer towards one the strengths of 

that version. 

As for Loom itself. Brian has clearly had his time 

cut out producing the game, which has been delayed 

several times during development. 'If Beyond Zork was 

Ron Gilbert - this is the man that 

programmed the system that coded 

the games, from Maniac Mansion to 

Loom. 

SCUMM 

SCUMM is the programming secret behind all Lucasfilm's 

graphic adventure titles, including Loom. Indy, and 

ZakMcKracken. The letters stand for Script Creation Utility 

for Maniac Mansion and it was written in C for the PC, 

Amiga, and ST versions and in assembler on the C64. 

SCUMM was developed by Ron Gilbert, programmer 

of Maniac Mansion. The central concept is a graphic 

adventure creation language that is particularly notable 

for its control over a central animated character. 

Once the game design has been storyboarded and 

scripted, the programmer can code the game using a 

simple text processor. This source code file is then compiled 

into a compact, tokenised form that is interpreted 

during run-time. In this respect. SCUMM operates like 

many interpreted 8ASICs. According to Ron. '...the tokenisation results in an execution speed as 

fast as assembler. It's also extremely compact: it only takes 3 bytes to walk a character from one 

side of the screen to another. 

'The SCUMM language also gives you high level abilities to manipulate objects and characters. 

To do all this, the SCUMM module as a whole actually comprises of an interpreter, a compiler, 

an animation package, and various utilities. In all. there are ten programs in the suite, but it's 

very easy to use. If you can program in BASIC, you can program in SCUMM.' 

different, Loom is different 2. Ifs by far the hardest 

game I've ever done. I believe it raises the stakes for 

everyone.' 

'One of my goals in the game was to avoid the 

Tolkien style of dwarves and little people which are 

really Hobbits but no-one dares call them that! The 

problem is that those stereotypes are useful if you 

want to avoid having to provide lots of background 

detail. All these gnomes, elves, and 'halflings' are use- 

ful conventions.' 

The lack of stereotypes in the game is made up 

for by including a 30 minute Dolby stereo cassette 

which tells the background story of Loom in glorious 

audio techmcolour. 'It was produced here by the 

Lucasfilms technical guys,' says Brian proudly, This is 

NOT a rinky-dink production!' 

You've never seen a picture of Skywalker Ranch, for the simple rea- 

son that photography of the main building is not allowed and the rule 

is strictly maintained for security reasons. You'd be surprised how 

many people out there think they're descended from Darth Vader 

and should destroy all Lucasfilm employees on sight. Check out 

these exclusive ACE security-conscious pics... 

Thank* to Betsy 

Irion for help 

getting these pics. 

inside the stables, 

home of the 

Lucasjtlm pro 

gramming team. 

You can meet other members of the team else- 

where on these pages. One thing's for certain: no-one 

ever found a more beautiful place to work. 

PHOTOGRAPHY NOT ALLOWED 

Having an office just outside 

San Francisco has 

its disadvantages. This 

split beam is just one 

small sign of the devastation 

caused by the recent 

earthquake. 

The Tech building. Pretty impressive, eh? And this is Just one of the outbuildings.' 

It houses film editing and post-production departments for 

Lucas' movie projects. 

RETURN TO FRACTALUS? 

Lucasfilm were one of the first companies 

to put out a fractal based game - Rescue 

on Fractalus Involved flying over a fractalbased 

landscape that generated convincing 

landscapes using compact algorithms. 

Since then we've soen two other fractal 

engines in operation: Koronls Rift, which 

Involved driving across a fractal landscape 

and Eidolon, which allowed you to 

go inside one. 

Lucasfilm are now working on a new 

fractal game, which could possibly tie in 

all three types of fractal landscape (Hying 

over, driving along, and going into) In a 

single game. Fractalus seems a likely scenario 

and although the company aren't 

giving much away the title of Return to 

Fractalus Isn't out of the question. 

One of the 

stained glass 

windows: each 

one individually 

crqftcd by 

an expert. 


Please rush me an ACE poloshirt S • M 

I enclose a cheque/postal order for 8.99 inc p+p. (Make cheques payable to EMAP B+CP) 

NAME ADDRESS 

Send to: ACE Spring Collection, 30- 32 Farringdon Lane. London EC2R 8 BD

Defending 

duce 

movies'. Their latest 

game, It Came From 

the Desert, even fea- 

the Crown 

tures live actors on 

the CD version (see elsewhere in this 

article) and the company have also 

done pioneering work with interactive 

video tape technology (see Videomaster 

box). 

'Our aim/ says development 

manager Dave Riordan, 'is to open 

up a whole new market of interactive 

entertainment. We already have three CD-I titles under 

development for release in 1991 when the machines 

appear. We've converted Rocket Ranger for release on 

CD on the FM Towns, and we'll support DVI if it 

ever makes sense from an entertainment 

standpoint.' 

Dave Riordan thinks along much 

the same lines as Brian Moriarty 

at Lucasfilms when it comes to 

the implications of CD for 

games. 'Anything goes with 

CD-I - anything that we've 

seen on film or TV - and 

obviously the more full 

motion video capability we 

have the better. But in fact 

ifs the audio that's the 

key. Take someone talk- 

ing, for example, the into- 

nation in their voice is 

what really gives the words 

meaning. Reading text is 

nothing - but you can say 'I 

hate you' in so many differ- 

ent ways and even make it 

sound like 'I love you'. Or, to 

take another example, imagine 

watching a scary movie without 

music. The music tells you so much 

about what's going on; without it, it's 

just not scary at all - and when it comes to 

our games I want people to really back off from the 

screenf 

Dave has had a long involvement with the enter- 

tainment industry. He started with a laser disk project 

at MIT and co-designed Ballblazer. '...But it was such a 

programmer's medium in those days that as a director 

I got totally frustrated. I went to Atari and worked on 

com ops for a while, but then I saw Defender of the 

Crown. It had all the movie attributes and approaches 

that I had been trying to get George Lucas interested 

in back in 1980.' 

BEAN EATING BUDDY 

BLOWN AWAY! 

Mexican Eduardo Valdez 

is reported to have shot 

his best friend - for farting. 

Valdez claimed 23year 

old Hector Barrera 

had eaten two quarts of 

spicy beans. 'He stank 

up the whole apartment," 

Valdez said, 'and still kept cutting loose." US 

newspapers reported the story under the 

headline 'Gone with the wind...' 

THE CREATIVE PROCESS 

Producing games like Defender of the Crown and It 

Came From the Desert involves Dave in very similar 

work to producing real movies. 'We work like a 

regular production company here,' he 

says, *we have a core group of people 

and when a new project comes 

along we enlarge the team, then it 

.shrinks back down again after- 

wards.' 

'One thing that's really 

changing is the money 

involved. The days of the $1 

million dollar game are 

rapidly approaching. Take 

sound tracks for example - 

we used to think in terms 

of $1500 to $3000 for a 

track, now we have to pay 

at least $10000.' 

Producing a game for 

the Amiga, for example, 

involves first story-boarding 

the project, then working out 

the internal logic and structure 

W of the game design using Cine- 

. maware's development utility, 

Masterplan (seebox). 'We're most 

interested in forming a good team for 

a game," says DT, 'around seven or eight 

people. The role of the individual is not as 

great as it used to be. One of the advantages is that 

when you're on your own you don't design beyond your 

own technical abilities, but in a team you're always 

being pushed: programmers are challenged by design- 

ers, designers by producers, and so on.' 

Once the game design has been laid out in Master- 

plan, the screenwriter writes the descriptive text and 

speech for the game. Even at this stage the design, 

although in a form ultimately usable by the core pro- 

gram code, is still machine independent. 'On CD, for 

example, you have speech facility,' says Todd, 'and in 

Masterplan text can be speech or 

simply text depending on the hard- 

ware platform the game will be pro- 

duced on.' 

During the coding stage, one of 

the most important tools Cine- 

maware have developed is called 

BOLT. 'BOLT allows us to define 

data consistently from one machine 

to another - it identifies sound, 

music, and text in a way that is 

machine independent. So, for exam- 

ple. a picture in 256 colour mode 

on a VGA IBM will display perfectly 

in 32 colours on an Amiga. The 

position, the timing, the animation 

remain essentially the same. We do 

YLIFORNIA 

Cinemaware's 

Defender of the 

Crown was one of 

the first programs to 

convincingly 

demonstrate the 

powers of 16-bit 

technology. At their 

offices in Los Ange- 

les, they're now 

* / 

pushing the bound- 

aries of entertain- 

ment technology 

even further.. 

Cinemaivare's oj/lces are only a 

short drive from Hollywood. 


GETTING 

IT TAPED 

Cinemaware won an award for 

their interactive tape game, 

based on Walt Disney's characters 

and already reported on in 

ACE. At their offices, we were 

able to get a closer look at the 

system and the results the company 

achieved. 

The biggest challenge was 

to put together a whole interactive 

movie based on existing 

footage. All this had to be cut 

together to produce the final version, 

which consists of a single 

video track and two audio 

tracks. And the audio was even 

more tricky... 

The first thing,' remembers 

Dave, 'was simply that all the 

people who did the previous 

generation of Disney voices 

were dead. There's a whole second 

generation of voice-over 

actors doing the work. We had 

to over-dub every single 

sequence - just doing Ludwig's 

voice took us over five days.' 

The result is a series of 

sequences, each of which sets 

up a situation (e.g. Donald getting 

a flat tyre) that the player - 

the games are targetted at 

young children - has to resolve 

by solving a puzzle. The computer 

graphic puzzles are overlaid 

against the cartoon background 

and the user has cursor 

control to manipulate the graphic 

objects, shoot at ghosts, or 

whatever. 

'The trouble with the Videomaster 

system,' explains Dave 

game was taken from existing Disney cartoons, then reedited 

to produce an entirely new storyline. 

days. 

the computer graphics and interact with the game. 

Here you're trying to rearrange puzzle blocks in the 

window on the right to put Donald back on the road 

again. 

Riordan, 'was that it was sold as a toy. It got lost on the shelves amongst the racing 

cars and the dolls.' In the end, however, the project helped Cinemaware further refine 

its skills at combining movies and computers - now being tested to the full in the 

development of the CD ROM version of It Came From the Desert. 


Daw? Todd: the man who designed Defender of the 

Crown, and has now overseen the coding of some of the 

industry's most powerful programming tools for computer 

games. 

sometimes do separate artwork, but the data descrip- 

tion doesn't change.' 

CODING FOR SPEED 

It's obvious that Cinemaware have made an enormous 

investment in programming tools - probably more 

than any other software house we've visited. This not 

only speeds up development, leaving more time to 

refine the game designs, but the programs themselves 

have become more compact and faster in execution 

as a result. 

BOLT, for example, ties all the data for a game 

together into a single file structure, compressing the 

data. As a result, loading times are enormously 

reduced - one section of code in Lords of The Rising 

Sun took seven minutes to load into the Amiga in the 

original version. After being BOLT'ed it took six seconds. 

This development is even more important when 

you remember how much data there is in a typical Cinemaware 

product that relies so heavily on hi-res colour 

graphics and sampled sound. 

Finally, like many other American companies, Cinemaware 

now target much of their development at the 

new 256-colour VGA PC systems rather than the 

Amiga. They use several 

different animation tools, and when the project is completed 

the graphics are ported over from the PC onto 

the Amiga, rather than the other way round, as used 

to happen. Combine this striving for the best result on 

the best systems with the startling experimental work 

you can see elsewhere on these pages, and you can 

see why Cinemaware are - despite occasional criticisms 

about the payability factor - still very much at 

the forefront of games technology. If we ever get a 

real computer movie, this is where it's going to come 

from. 

"I've always wanted 

to produce a game with 

really BIG bugs! 9 

Dave Riordan 

(on II Came From The Desert) 

• Dave Riordan. creative director of a new generation 

of computer movies. Note the Philips CD-I unit on 

the Icyfl. The equipment on the right is part of an interactive 

tape system that was never released - despite 

offering a powerful 4-track branching facility for complex 

games (see ACE issue 26).

LIVE ANTS 

Cinemaware are taking a giant leap with the CD-ROM version of It 

Came From the Desert- they're actually including live actors in the 

game. 

Scenes involving live action are shot against a green background 

that allows the actors to 'chromakeyed' into the final image against 

a computer generated landscape. The production involves 22 actors, 

recruited in the traditional way using casting agencies - not difficult 

when your office is close to Hollywood! 

'This market needs to appeal to a lot of people who have never 

picked up a computer - teenage girls and women, for example. These 

people don't want to shoot bugs - that's boys' stuff,' says Dave, 'We're 

opening up whole new genres with ICFTD. Not only that, but in future 

we have the possibility of using big name actors.' 

The celebrities are curious, it seems, and have shown a lot of 

interest in this new game form. 

They saw what happened with 

VCR's," says Dave, 'and how 

they made more money from the 

video releases than they did from 

the original movies. Now they're 

watching out closely to see what 

happens with computer games. 

We may get big names very 

soon for games: there are some 

particularly interesting possibili- 

ties for sports games which 

we're looking into.' 

The finished product: a live • 

actor in a composite digital scene. 

It's expensive: actors charge around 

$500 a day - that's just a teensy bit 

more than the average programmer! 

Cinemaware's HyperCard based game design system: 

Uasterplan. The games designer lays out the flow of the 

game using a flowchart approach. Buttons and fields 

idthin the system enable all the control logic to be 

defined, together with animation strips, backgrounds, 

and dialogue boxes. In It Came From the Desert, the system 

was used to design a scenario covering 15 days, 

each composed of 24 1 -hour slots and covering 37 locations. 

Finally, the Masterplan stack is simply exported 

to an Amiga. To make design changes, you simply alter 

the Masterplan file and re-export it. 

4 Programmers love 

the FM Towns - it's 

got all the bells and 

whistles..." 

Dave Riordan 

AND DON'T FORGET 

you can win an FM 

Towns in this month's 

competition! 

A 

Live actors rehearsing 

- the green background 

for ICFTD on CD-ROM 

is replaced by a computer 

generated landscape in the final game. 

Alternatively, of course, you can run computer 

generated images against a live video back- 

ground - this technique has been seen several 

• 

times before, notably in the old video disk 

coin-ops. 

A new storyboard utility under development, which will 

enable designers to 'cut and paste' scenario elements. 


PICTURE C 

"Taken as a whole. • • • • • • • • • • I 

is probably the beat yet from Cinemaware - with 

special merit going to an atmospheric sound 

track - and anyone who enjoyed previous efforts 

are certain to enjoy this one." 

44 Advanced Computer Entertainment 

PICTlfRK D 

^ • • • M has had fu>o yearn of Infrnslur 

ejfort spent on (f. Graphic* arc "Slate of the art' 

3D and the gameplay and plot h«u«r been thor 

oughly worked through to provide un rnlrrfain 

ing, lotting challenge,"

CPU 

RAM (FM1) 

RAM (FM2) 

VRAM 

SPRITE RAM 

STORAGE (FM1) 

STORAGE (FM2) 

VISUAL 

AUDIO 

SIZE 

WEIGHT 

OPTIONAL XTRAs 

j* ft 

FM TOWNS SPEC 

im,H>( 

80386 (32-bit) 

1Mb 

2Mb 

512K 

128K 

CD-ROM (540Mb) 

CD-ROM (540Mb) + 2x1.2Mb 3.5" FDs 

640x480: 256 out of 16.770,000 colours 

640x480: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens 

320x240:16 out of 32768 colours 12 screens 

640x400: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens 

PCM sounds: stereo 8-channel 

FM sounds: stereo 6-channel 

sampling: 8-bit, 19.2Hz 

CD-ROM works as an ordinary CD player 

328mmx150mmx400mm 

11kg 

Keyboard • 80387 processor • video card 

modem card • SCSI card • 14" display • RAM 

3f ^ 

m II 

TEN STEPS TO 

WINNING YOURSELF 

A FUJITSU FM 

TOWNS 

(1) Buy this issue of ACE that you're reading in the 

newsagent, round a friends house, etc. 

(2) Carefully unpeel the postcard on the front cover of 

ACE. 

• (3) Take a look at the sexy snaps of five great games 

lettered A-E on the opposite page. 

(4) Do you know the titles of these five games? To help 

you we've included a snippet from each one's ACE 

review. 

(5) All we want from you are the names of the five 

games. 

(6) Write [IN BLOCK CAPITALS] the game's titles on the 

back of the ACE postcard. You must use the post card 

provided on the front of this issue of ACE - all other 

entries are void. 

(7) Now write your name, address, telephone and com 

puter details on the back of the postcard. 

(8) Stick a first or second class stamp on the postcard. 

(9) Send the postcard to ACE - your postcard must 

reach us before the competition closing date of 9th 

April, 1990. 

(10) Sit back. Relax. 

THE COMPETITION RULES 

• Rule Number One: Break any of these rules and your entry is 

void. 

• Entries must be on the postcard provided with this issue of 

ACE - all other entries are void. 

• Multiple entries are allowed. 

• The closing date for entries is 9th April. 1990. 

• Employees of EMAP, MIRRORSOFT and FUJITSU are not eli 

gible for entry. 

• The Fujitsu FM Towns will be awarded to the first entry - drawn 

at random - giving the correct names to the five games. 

• The winner will be announced in the June 1990 issue of ACE. 

• The editors decision is final and no correspondence will be 

entered into. 

I Computer Entertainment 4 5

"3D GRAPHIC 

SYSTEMS 

CREATED BY 

DAVID BRABEN 

CO-AUTHOR Or 

ELITE." 

Available on: 

ATARI ST, AMIG 

IBMRC.-C24-S 

Action and simulation 

i—, for strategy without 

- M J repetition. Conqueror is 

the ultimate challenge of "leadership under fire" 

to wargamers of all interests. Engage in 

authentic World War II tactical wargaming, 

experience the bloody attrition exacted by 

the might of the armoured divisions, create 

your own scenarios and set your own 

jj challenges in bringing the elite war 

machines of the German, Russian and j 

American forces into head-to-head 

confrontation and combat. 

Fight your way through massed 

ranks of enemy tanks. Live on 

— — — y o u r wits and the strength 

' of your will as you endeavour to 

outlast the awesome firepower of your 

unforgiving enemy. Plan the campaign 

of action that will outmanoeuvre your /jM 

opposing platoon commanders and jfl 

lead to their ultimate downfall. i—i 

All the essential elements 

for hours of relentless action, 

excitement and stimulation. '^^SfPlpM? 

• Action, Attrition and Strategy. T ^ U ^ t t M 

Unique 45 viewpoint external to command tank. IS! 

and 3D scrolling landscape creates authentic forward mo 

# Select squadrons from the accurately product tanks. 

American: Chaffee, M36GMC, Sherman Firefly, Pershing. 

German: Panzer III, Panther, Tiger I, King, Tiger. 

Russian: T34/76, KV1S, KV85, Josef Stalin II 

Rainbow Arts, Sketty Close, 

Brackmills Business Park, Northampton NN4 OPL. 

** Arts

1 

E 

SCREEN 

ALL NEW PIC CURVE POWER 

The PIC - Predicted Interest Curve - is the most sophisticated reviewing 

tool around. And now it's entered the 90's... 

We on ACE know you don't just play a game - you experience it. The newly upgraded Predicteded Interest 

Curve is the only review system that takes this all-important factor into account. 

The PIC Curve has been redesigned to immediately give you the info you need at just a glance. To 

back up our instant appraisal there is an expanded, in-depth comment at each stage o! the game's playiife. 

The curve is divided into six sect>ons. indicating the player's adrenalin level alter one minute, one hour, one 

day. one week, one month, and one year. But this tells you an awful lot than just what your interest level will 

be at any given time (although that's obviously important in itself)... 

For example, a high one minute rating means that the game must look fantastic and get you all excited 

•-om Iho word go. That means it's probabfy a good game to show off to the neighbours - after all. they prob 

aNy arenl goiog to pay attention for much more than a minute, after which they'll go back to drinking coffee 

and making rude remarks about 'those awful hostile games the boys play these days'. 

The minute, hour, and day ratings can tell 

you a lot about a game too. If there's a dip 

here, followed by a rise, youVe got a game that 

may take a bit of getting into - not recommend- 

ed if you like to get down to something quick 

and easy. Alternatively, the graphics may put 

you o« for a while until the gameplay starts to 

gnp. Check out the PIC comment for more 

details. 

Finauy. you've got the month and year rat- 

ngs The better a game holds up hero the more 

deserving it is of your hard earned cash. 

PIC curve construction takes a tot of ptay- 

ng on the part of ACE reviewers. PIC curve 

analyse is an art in itself. The reward is know- 

ing just what you're getting when you make the 

decision to splash out on Mutant Macdonald 

Gettysburgers....ot Player Manager-one of 

ths month's ACE rated bailWazers. 

PIC CURVES 

This umque feature to the 

ACE reviewing system 

charts the interest level that 

a game stimulates over a 

period of time. The curve is 

accompanied by a comment 

to explain why it's the 

shape it is. Find out more in 

the Pic Curve Power panel 

on this page- 

Each review also carries 

special 'Version Boxes' that 

give you details of the 

game's implementation on 

a specific machine. These 

boxes include ratings for... 

GRAPHICS 

All aspects ot the game's 

graplics with the limitations 

of each machine taken into 

account. A good-looking 

Spectrum game will thereforee 

score higher than an 

average-looking Amiga one. 

AUDIO 

The music and sound effects 

are rated here. A high rating 

PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE 

We've also enlarged the PIC commentary 

section beneath it. This gives us 

more space to tell you exactly what it's 

like to unwrap your game, load it up. 

and play it - giving you those essential 

snippets of information and reaction 

that determine whether or not this is a 

game you have to buy. the New PIC 

Curve - going straight to the heart of 

the Games Experience. 

THE ACE REVIEWING SYSTEM 

is possible on even limited 

machines like the Spectrum 

and PC if the computer's 

shortcomings are cleverly 

sidestepped. 

IQ FACTOR 

Yes, sometimes you have to 

use your brain. This rating 

evaluates the risk of mental 

effort - which some people 

actually enjoy...Note that 

ACE readers are generally 

reckoned to be more intelligent 

than other human 

beings, so the ratings may 

be lower than you expect... 

FUN FACTOR 

Basically a measure of mindless 

addictiveness. Games 

like Arkanoid and Flying 

Shark require virtually zero 

brain power but are still 

remarkably addictive. Most 

coin-ops score well here 

because they are designed 

for instant satisfaction. 

Games don't have to be 

either fun or intelligent - 

they can be both. 

ACE RATING 

This is not just plucked out 

of the air but is calculated 

from the area under the PIC 

Curve. To get a really high 

rating a game will not only 

have to be very addictive 

but stand the test of time 

as well. Just because a 

game does not get over 

900 does not mean we are 

not recommending it - the 

following is a general guide 

to what the ratings mean. 

900+ A classic game, 

recommended without 

reservation. 

800-899 A superb 

game, but perhaps lacking 

the long-term depth to last 

into the month and year categories. 

700-799 Still highly 

recommended, but probably 

has a couple of aspects to 

the gameplay that take the 

edge off it. 

600-699 The fair 

zone, where it tends to be 

very good if you like that 

sort of thing'. 

500-599 This still has 

good things going for it, but 

the game clearty has some 

noticeable problems. 

400-499 Problems 

with gameplay and programming 

make this an 

inferior game. 

300-399 Not only is 

the gameplay bad but the 

design was probably flawed 

in the first place. 

200-299 Things are 

getting really serious now... 

100-199 2X81 games 

running on an Amiga. 

Under 100 Nothing 

has ever achieved this 

appalling level of rating. If 

anything ever does, it 

wouldn't even be worth having 

it for free. 

VERSION BOXES 

This covers version-specific 

information on graphics, 

audio, loading problems etc. 

If there's no box for your 

machine but a version is 

planned, it'll be covered as 

an update in a later issue. 

THE TEAM 

Laurence Scotford is 

ACE's ever busy Reviews 

Editor - Laurence has been 

playing games since he was 

a nipper, but some of them 

we probably ought not to 

mention. There was hot 

competibon for the ACE 

Reviews Editor position from 

gamesters all over the country, 

but Laurence pipped 

them all at the post by 

showing that he could not 

only push a game to its 

limit, but he coukj push a 

pen too and tell you all 

about it. 

Steve Cooke, one of the 

original editors of this 

award-winning magazine, is 

known to thousands through 

his many other previous 

identities, including Zzapsl's 

White Wizard. The Pilgrim 

and Old Batdy. When he's 

not borrowing money and 

popping off to the States' 

Steve is often found playing 

Ultima Vand other narrative 

computer games. 

Player Manager 

gives Kick Off 

fans a chance to 

reach yet further 

heights of 

ecstacy. But can 

anything be as 

good as the original 

K.O.? Find 

out on page 56. 

M 

Rik Haynes was Reviews 

Editor on Britain's biggest 

selling computer weekly and 

has been hooked on electronic 

entertainment since 

spotting a Space Invaders 

machine in the comer of a 

Southend-on-Sea pub back 

in '78. Rik s reviews are 

renowned for being hardhitting 

and often outspoken... 

Eugene Lacey is one of 

Britain's most experienced 

games journalists. 

We don't review 

anything until we 

are 100% 

certain that 

we've got it right. 

We've checked 

them out 

thoroughly - now 

you can too.

Vou can adjust aspccts of the missiles used to 

suit your mode of combat (yet another feature you 

will want to experiment with over a couple of 

games). 

A rotating 3D display of your ship shows areas • 

of damage (useful qfter a heavy battle). 

MITIEC dre nasty llttle critters While the 

- 

WW I ICv civilised universe is happy minding 

its own business, all these extra-terrestrial types 

want to do is spoil the party, and here's why. 

Mankind has a problem - there are too many 

people, and not enough planets suitable for sup- 

porting life. Answer: get out there and find new 

planets to colonise, and if there are no suitable 

planets, create them. There is, however, a slight 

complication - before you can create a planet 

to colonise you require a star for it to orbit. 

This requirement might not seem too diffi- 

cult to arrange - after all, the universe has a 

countless number of stars, doesn't it? It does, 

but suppose something previously unknown was 

to arrive from a far corner of the universe, and 

suppose that something was to begin trans- 

The central display, showing your craft in space, 

also shows the gravitational lines of force. Here 

in deep space they arc flat, but near massive bodies 

they distort greatly. Incidentally, the starfield 

will only be seen on 1 meg machines! 

The distorted lines of force are clearly shown by 

the alternative rendering of the main display. 


forming stars into singularities (that's black 

holes to you and me) which they require for con- 

tinued existence? What happens? You end up 

with a lot of singularities, a lot of happy extra- 

terrestrials, but no suns, and no more Homo 

Sapiens. Not, I'm sure you will agree, a particu- 

larly joyful state of affairs. 

Unfortunately, this is exactly what has hap- 

pened in Gravity. The Outies as they have 

become known are slowly but surely turning the 

galaxy's suns into black holes. The only way to 

deal with these horrible ETs is to wipe out their 

fleet, and turn the singularity in their home sys- 

tem into a sun, while at the same time creating 

and colonising newly explored systems. Of 

course, while you are attempting to do this, the 

Outies are trying to turn the sun in your home 

system into a huge great black hole, so you 

haven't got time to hang about. 

Ironically, mankind also has a use for black 

holes. They are means of quick transport 

between distant parts of the galaxy. By setting a 

destination and plunging into a singularity, craft 

can be made to emerge at another singularity in 

the target system. So while it is imperative to 

prevent too many singularities from being 

formed by the Outies, one or two of them dot- 

ted strategically about. 

To perform your task you have sixteen UN 

Scoutcraft. These can be given orders to 

explore systems, engage in combat with Outie 

craft, prepare systems for colonisation, and 

then set up the colony. The nice thing about 

IMAGEWORKS launch a highly 

original deep space strategy game 

with a basis in modern physics 

The graphics in Grawiy make the most of the 

unusual theme, and manage to convey wel the 

sense of gravity wells. The menus and various 

screens are all quite nicely presented, it a little 

slow. There is not too much sound, other than 

a few spot effects and a rather unusual title 

sound track. Most control is from the mouse, 

apart from piloting indwiduai craft which is 

achieved with simple keyboard .control. Definitely 

a value for money buy. 

GRAPHICS 8 10 FACTOR 8 

AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 9 

You will initially be impressed by how much 

there is to do in Gravity. There is then a learning 

period in which you have to become 

accustomed to all of the options and the best 

way of going about things. The nice thing 

about this game is that your interest is not 

likely to drop significantly because their are 

so many skills (e.g. programming drones) 

which will require improvement that each time 

you play there will be something new to do. 

This gamo will definitely rival Elite in the staying 

power stakes.

Gravity makes use of something known as Einstein- 

Minkowski Four-Space. What's that? OK, here goes. 

As you probably know. Newton purportedly discovered 

gravity when an apple conveniently fell on his 

head. As wen as being struck by the apple, old 

Isaac was also struck by an idea - that being, that 

bodies in space attract each other. The size of that 

force of attraction, he concluded, was proportional 

to the mass, density, and velocity of each of the 

bodies involved. As simplistic as they seem, Newton's 

theorems provided the basis for Einstein's 

(now slightly wobbly) General and Special theories 

of Relativity. 

We are all very well aware of the three spatial 

dimensions (after all. we exist in them). Now imagine 

time as being a fourth dimension which, for 

simplicity's sake can be tacked onto the other 

ttwee to form, as it were, a fourth plane (You'll really 

have to use your imagination here). Suppose that 

we can form a spongy supercube (that is, a four 

dimensional cube). This supercube represents 

space and time. Now suppose we take a weighty 

ball bearing (which represents any body existing in 

time and space) and drop it onto the supercube. 

What happens? At the point in which the ball bearing 

comes to land, the cube, because it is flexible, 

will become distorted. 

Now suppose that we drop a smaller ball bearing 

onto the supercube. Providing that it lands far 

enough away from the larger ball bearing, it will 

form it's own indentation and come to rest there. If, 

however, it falls close to the larger ball bearing it 

will roll down into the indentation caused by the 

more massive body, inevitably colliding with its larger 

partner. 

This is exactly what happens with time and 

space. The normally linear lines of force (which we 

of course know as the force of gravity) become 

distorted by the presence of a body. The more 

massive, denser, and faster that body is, the more 

the lines of force are distorted, forming a sort of 

four-dimensional well around the body. When two 

bodies pass within each others wells, they become 

attracted to each other. 

Now imagine a body so dense that it stretches 

the space-time fabric infinitely (i.e. the well never 

bottoms out). This creates a distortion of such a 

degree that even photons cannot escape ifs pull. 

This theoretical manifestation is what is popularly 

known as a Black Hole. 

Enlightened now? Good. 

Programming the drones is done by a series of 

flow charts, so you don't have to be too technically 

minded to use this feature. 

Gravity is that you can set the ratio of orders 

given directly by HQ to the orders given manual- 

ly by yourself. This effectively means being able 

to swing the game from requiring almost total 

arcade type skills to total strategic skills or 

whatever combination of the two you require. 

The game is controlled from an attractive 

looking front panel, from which you access the 

various functions of the game with the mouse. 

Since most aspects are controlled via menus it 

doesn't take too long to get used to the way the 

game works, although learning about everything 

A COODLEY FELLOW 

Perhaps it was inevitable that programmer, Ross Goodley would end up tinkering with micros, 

since his passion for both machines and games inspired him to 'borrow" an access code to one 

of the computer terminals at University (even though he was actually reading German and Lin- 

guistics), and spent many hours at the keyboard. 

After graduating, Ross was introduced to the relatively new personal micros when a friend 

bought a ZX81. Even on such a limited machine the flair Ross had for programming soon 

became apparent. He managed to achieve a version of Space Invaders in IK, amongst other 

things. 

After applying to a newspaper advert he joined Alligata as a programmer. Here his fruitful 

career began in earnest. His past successes have included more Blagger conversions than he 

cares to remember, Challenge of the Gobots on the CPC, and Meltdown (which was something 

of a pre-cursor to Gravity). Gravity is his first major 16-bit project. When Ross is not juggling with 

op-codes he is doing much the same with balls and similar thingies, or alternatively playing some 

that there is to do will take a lot longer. 

The most unusual thing about Gravity is the 

central display which shows your craft in space. 

Here space is represented by a grid of lines 

showing local gravitational force. These become 

distorted around planets and suns, and are 

stretched to infinity by black holes. Obviously if 

your ship falls into one of these distorted areas 

you will have to fight against the gravitic pull to 

escape. This means that you are constantly hav- 

ing to adjust the attitude of your craft to coun- 

teract the effects of gravity, but it is possible, 

with a bit of careful manoeuvring, to maintain a 

reasonably stable orbit around a planet or sun. 

As you succeed in missions you accumulate 

more credit which can be used to upgrade the 

mean guitar. 

Gravity, so Ross tells us, came about from 

a layman's interest in physics. The 'rubber 

sheet' idea of the universe has always 

intrigued him, and the challenge of trying to 

model that system in real-time spurred him 

into writing the code that eventually became 

one of the more original games of the past 

year. 

Now that Gravity has appeared Ross plans 

to further exploit the fascinating universe 

that the game is set in. The next game, 

which is called Drop Soldier at the moment 

will be a planet based game dealing with 

small unit combat. If Gravity is anything to 

go by it should certainly be a game to look 

forward too. 

Entering a black hole. Provided you set your destination on the cube correctly, you should emerge at 

another hole near to the target system. 

weaponry and drives on your craft, and pur- 

chase more tools to allow you to terraform 

dead planets for instance. Your opening strate- 

gy should then be to complete as many mis- 

sions as possible to build up equipment to allow 

for more long term planning. 

Gravity is one of the most unusual games 

I've seen over the past year. In scope it is abso- 

lutely vast (with the ability to program drones, 

for instance, adding to the possibilities). 

Undoubtedly the game will not appeal to die- 

hard shoot-anything-that-moves addicts, but for 

anybody who likes an involved game which exer- 

cises the old grey matter, it's a must! 

• Laurence Scotford 


I 

QUIDS 

Over a £10' 

worth of 

goodies up 

for grabs! 

i l ^ 

_ | IUI ^ 

SA.60 

MARCH 

A 990 

(A 

3 i 

m I 

ON THE MEGATAPE!! 

DEMO - Space Harrier II 

DEATH ZONE - a previously unreleased game!

E 3 DRAGON'S 

BREATH 

You will Initially be attracted by the superb 

audio-visual aspects of the game. Once you 

start to play you may find the game a little 

limiting until you become accustomed to 

some of the more difficult aspects like spellcasting. 

After several games you will begin to 

build up a recipe book of spells, which should 

make the game a lot more interesting. 

Because of this variable aspect you are likely 

to keep coming back to this one for some 

time. 

ATARI ST C29.99dk 

AMIGA £29.99dk 

RELEASE BOX 

No other versions planned. 

IMMINENT 

OUT NOW 

There's only so much you can do on the graphics 

front for a strategy game and Palace seem 

to have done. There are several animated 

sequences which spice it up a bit, and the static 

screens are equaly attractive. The soundtrack 

manages to convey al the atmosphere of 

the game without imposing itself too much. 


AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 7 m 

An egg on the boil. The timer in the corner is not 

to arrange hard or soft boiled, but counts down 

the time to hatching. 


STRATEGY always been Dragons rule OK 

limited by one vital factor - 

strategic decisions made within 

a computer game are always 

part of a closed system, as 

in a stunning 

opposed to real-life decisions 

which are subject to an infinite Strategy game from 

number of unpredictable exter- 

nal influences. The answer is to 

devise a system which, rather PALACE 

than presenting the player with 

a set menu of choices at each 

stage of the game, allows him to continually 

alter the parameters that effect play in some 

way - in other words, experiment. 

Palace have managed to do just that in 

Dragon's Breath. The basic idea behind the 

game is to find the three parts of a Talisman 

that allows entry to the throne room of the Great 

Castle on Dwarf Mountain at the centre of the 

land of Anrea (phew!). The reason that this talis- 

man is so important to you is that within the 

throne room lies the secret of immortality. Not a 

bad prize, eh? 

There are three characters competing for 

eternal life: Bachim the Alchemist; Quered the 

She-Vampire; and Ametrin the Green Beast. 

Each can be controlled by the computer or a 

human player. This means that you can view a 

demo game by making the computer control all 

three. 

Initially there are all the sort of options you 

expect in strategy type games: the ability to 

read up on recent happenings (mostly battles in 

this case), and view your accounts, as well as 

dealing with any traders who happen to call. 

Most of your dirty work, which in this game 

involves conquering as many towns as you can, 

is done by your collection of dragons. 

Each player begins with one dragon but 

may breed more. You require at least three to 

win the game, since you must use one dragon 

to guard each piece of talisman as it is found. 

The dragon's have three main tasks: conquering 

local towns and villages for taxes, attacking 

enemy dragons and strongholds, and searching 

for and guarding the pieces of the talisman. 

Obviously in the later stages of the game you 

will want to do all three of these tasks concur- 

rently, so it helps to have as many dragons as 

possible. 

Breeding dragons is achieved by heating 

eggs from your stock. The hotter an egg is 

kept, the quicker it will hatch, but slow cooked 

Using the relief map of the land you can zoom in 

on possible locations of the pieces of talisman. 

eggs tend to produce stronger 

dragons. So if you are desper- 

ate for more of the creatures 

you can produce them swiftly, 

but at the cost of having a less 

effective force. 

The major part of the 

game, and the most interest- 

ing, is spellcasting. Unlike a lot 

of other games involving 

spells, you are not simply pre- 

sented with a list of pre- 

defined spells to choose from 

- that would be too easy. Instead you have to 

produce them yourself. This is done by mixing a 

number of elements in different ways to pro- 

duce the final potion. This means, of course, 

that you will have to do a lot of experimenting to 

gradually build up your own recipe book of 

spells. 

The spells can be directed at almost any- 

thing in the game from towns to dragons, and 

obviously they can have either harmful or good 

effects. The nice thing about Dragon's Breath is 

that it is not essential to master spellcasting in 

order to enjoy the game. You can begin playing 

without spells and then start to use them as 

soon as you feel confident enough with the 

basic game. 

Dragon's Breath is probably the most 

accomplished strategy game I've seen for some 

time, and combined as it is with attractive 

graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack, 

should please most people who enjoy a more 

cerebral type of game than the standard fare. 

The ability to concoct your own magic brews 

provides endless possibilities and should keep 

you playing, even after you've managed to 

achieve the game's objective. 

Laurence Scotford 

The lab - this is where all your spells are concocted, 

for better, or for worse!

KNIGHTS OF 

LEGEND 

ACCORDING 

Porter, "This is the first fantasy 

role playing game to do things in 

extreme depth". We didn't take his 

word for it. but several hours of 

intensive play proved that he cer- 

tainly wasn't joking. 

The game is set in the 

medieval land of Ashtalarea. a 

very wild place in which adventure 

is to be found anywhere and 

everywhere. There are no less 

than twenty-four quests to be 

undertaken in the game (although 

if you wish you may ignore any or 

all of them, and simply enjoy 

exploring the land). 

Before you can begin playing 

you must generate some charac- 

ters, choosing from the thirty-nine 

possible classes. Up to six can be 

to program- QRIGIN/MIND- 

in play at any one time, selected from those you 

have stored on your character disk. It is also 

possible to save your characters during play by 

staying the night at an appropriate inn. This way 

you won't loose any gained possessions and 

experience points when you next play. 

Movement is achieved by steering a cursor 

either around the town or city you are in, or 

alternatively through the wilderness. When it is 

necessary to interact with a character you are 

presented with a dialogue screen and a strip of 

icons which allow you to engage in conversa- 

tion. buy and sell supplies and equipment, and 

so on. Each of the NPC characters has a dis- 

tinctive personality, and encounters can some- 

times be quite humorous (the medieval joke 

shop assistant being a fine exam- 

ple). 

Where the detail in Knights of 

Legend is really apparent is in the 

combat and spell-casting systems. 

Because combat is not handled in 

real time (as in Dungeon Master), 

but in melee rounds, there is time 

to consider all the strategic ele- 

ments of each battle, rather than 

just madly hacking away at things. 

At the beginning of each round 

every surviving member of the part 

is allocated their offensive and 

defensive tactics for that round. 

Once this is done, the whole round is played 

through and any damage assessed. The beauty 

of this system is that you only need to reset tac- 

tics when you require them to change. If you 


SCAPE stun us 

with the most 

detailed and excit- 

ingcomputer- based Role 

Playing Game yet 

produced 

wish to a character to repeat his 

or her action from the previous 

round then you simply select OK. 

Todd Porter told us that 

'the key buzzword in this program 

is Artificial Intelligence', and this 

really shows in the way that your 

enemies react. They will, intelli- 

gently, repeatedly attack limbs 

that have already been damaged, 

and there are no less than forty 

different algorithms to decide 

when and how an enemy retreats. 

Similar attention to detail 

can be seen in the magic system 

(which is superficially similar to 

the element construction used in 

Dungeon Master). It is possible to 

create your own spells by com- 

bining various elements of the 

Elven language - so. as in real 

life, experimentation can pay off. 

When you add details like an art package 

for redesigning character icons and shields, the 

ability to name your own weapons and spells, 

individual damage status for limbs, and accu- 

rately modelled fatigue, then it is not easy to 

see that Knights of Legend offers game players 

a whole lot more than any similar game. Further 

good news is, that because the system is 100% 

data driven, it is only limited by the program- 

mer's imagination. The first module for the 

game will be. believe it or not. a science fiction 

scenario! Knights of Legend has impressed us, 

and it will impress you - buy it! 

t Laurence Scotford 

While exploring the town your party is represented 

with a helmet icon. Entering buildings allows 

you to interact with NPCs. 

You can view your party (in this case just a single 

character), and check their kit. 

The game looks very attractive indeed if you 

have a machine capable of supporting it's EGA 

graphics. II not. it is possible to install a CGA 

or monochrome version instead. Sound is kept 

to a minimum (thank heavens), so you will only 

have to suffer the occasional bleep. The program 

supports standard joystick and mouse 

drivers, although keyboard control is perfectly 

acceptable if you have neither of these. 



It will take you quite a while to set up your first 

characters and wade through the informative 

(and large) manual. Even when you have done 

that you will want some time to become 

accustomed to the way the game works and 

things like combat and magic. Then you can 

begin to explore and take on quests in 

earnest, and I suspect it will be at this point 

that people will begin to burn the midnight oil. 

Because there is so much to do in Knights of 

Legend it is certainly not a game you are 

going to complete in a hurry, and even when 

you do. there's the planned modules to look 

forward to. 

V 1 

I 

\ 

ACE RATED 

• • nm,r 

/• MUMMM BARBARIAN 

. , , rcnsANT stnr 

J - I C II" 

Lo»r«: 1 339 LBS 

STREMOTH : 88 UE '* OH S K I L L ° 

QUICKNESS: 58 S2FSJ2FI ORD 

HEALTH I 77 

FORESIGHT: 89 

CimWIIHH : 6H 

INTELLECT: «2 coco CROONS 

BALANCE I 7H «OVENTURC PIS! 

ENDURANCE: 82 MOVEMENT RATE: 

Comprehensive character definition and status 

screens arc all part of the tremendous attention 

to detail within the game.

I An mpressive soundtrack from Jochen Hippel 

is probably the best part of the game. The 

graphics are ok, but not overly impressive by 

Amiga standards. Fortunately the controls are 

a little less sensrtive than those on the ST making 

this version a lot more piayabte. 

GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR S 


This version

TAklifsimulat,0T1s seem t0 be the ,|avour 

IAlilV the day at the moment. A couple of 

issues back we looked at the impressive MJ 

Tank Platoon from Microprose. In last month's 

issue we reviewed the Zarch based game, Con- 

queror. from Rainbow Arts, which, like Sher- 

man M4, simulates battle scenarios from World 

War II. This month also sees reviews of 

Origin/Mindscape's Omega, and Dark Century 

from Titus - both futuristic tank simulations 

which allow you to adapt your own battle logic 

by using the built-in programming languages. 

SHERMAN 

Sherman M4 is something of a tribute to 

the vehicle of the title, which played a significant 

role in many WWII campaigns. This simulation 

allows you to play three scenarios with the tank: 

Normandy, Ardennes, and North Africa. Each is 

characterised by distinctive background graph- 

ics, although the filled vectors that are used to 

create objects like tanks, trees, buildings, and 

bunkers remain the same throughout (bar the 

changes to camouflage of course). 

Each of the campaigns is split into several 

missions, all of which must be undertaken suc- 

cessfully by your squadron (which comprises 

four Shermans and two jeeps). You are given 

the option of playing each of the campaign mis- 

sion separately, which is obviously easier, and 

therefore a good choice for beginning players. 

One thing that becomes immediately appar- 

ent with this simulation is the possibility for 

determining yourself the ratio of strategy to 

arcade type play. It is not only very easy to 

switch your control between any of the four 

tanks, but also a simple matter to flip between 

manual control and 'automatic pilof. Admittedly 

this facility is also available in Conqueror, but 

here it has been particularly well implemented. 

The advantage of having the controls arranged 

in this way is that you can choose to play 

almost entirely with the map (just giving battle 

orders to your vehicles as and when necessary) 

or you can become actively involved in each 

offensive or defensive action by taking manual 

control of one of the four Shermans. 

Orders are given via the radio and in con- 

junction with the map. which shows the loca- 

tions of enemy and allied vehicles, bunkers and 

emplacements, and all the other normal carto- 

graphic features. You give movement orders to 

your vehicles by placing a cross-hair on the des- 

You can call up attractive stats panels for all of 

the vehicles in the game. (PC - VGA) 


Got one - one of the opposition 

on the ST. 

goes up in smoke 

Yet another tank sim 

enters the fray as 

LORICIEL/U.S.GOLD 

show their appreciation 

for the allied workhorse of 

World War II 

tination. Tanks under automatic control will do 

their best to follow your orders but may be side- 

tracked, if they come under attack for instance. 

At all times the individual vehicles and your 

HQ report back to you via a scrolling message 

window at the bottom of the screen. This is very 

useful when you are in the map mode for warn- 

ing you of ambush as well as new directives. 

As well as all the essential bits and pieces, 

the game also boasts a few gimicky features. 

You can select between interior view (which is 

best for shelling because its the only mode in 

which you get sights) and an exterior view. While 

the exterior view is called up you can switch 

between four different viewing angles. There is 

also a telescope mode, in which you can only 

see a small section of the forward view, but 

each object that comes into sight is identified. 

Sherman M4 is certainly a very attractive 

game, and all the bits are in the right places 

(which will please hardened sim fans). The mis- 

sions are a little too easy to begin with, but you 

can alter the parameters for both allied and 

enemy forces to even up the stakes a bit. My 

only criticism of the game is that it is almost 

totally lacking in atmosphere. The game does 

not manage to conjour up any sense of really 

being there. It is this factor alone that stops me 

from unreservedly recommending this game. 


• 

• 

• 

• 

The Desert Campaign on the ST. viewed from 

the interior of one of the Shermans. 

w 

i-J 

M4 

Absolutely no complaints on the graphics front 

(VGA). The backgrounds are distinctive « each 

campaign, and superbly evocative of each 

location. Speedwise the game is fme too (even 

a 286 PC seems to run faster than the ST version!. 

The only problem is the complete lack of 

atmosphere, not helped at ad by the usual dnppy 

PC sound. Even so, there is stfl some satisfaction 

to be had out of the game. 


AUDIO 3 FUN FACTOR 7 E 

3 

The background and vector graphics are absolutely 

fine, although they don't run particularly 

quickly on this machine. Loricie* have not done 

too badly sound-wise considering that the frequency/noise 

generator in the ST is so limited. 

As with the PC version, however, this station 

is completely devoid of atmosphere, making 

it very dry to p»ay. 


| AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 6 L 

RELEASE BOX 

ATARI ST £19.99dk OUT NOW 

J 

AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT 

t 

PC £24.99dk OUT NOW 


dnr «*•» ntnn |M 

Unlike Ml Tank Platoon there are not so many control 

to have to become accustomed to and memorise. 

This means that you can get straight dorni to playing 

(after a pause to admire the graphics of course). 

Your level of interest should climb slightly once you 

have played a few single missions and become accustomed 

to giving orders, but once you have played 

through all of the campaigns you probably won't want 

to come back to it, unless you are a real Sherman fan.

The frozen wastes - as you can see this game outcutes a lot of similar product (aren't those pengie s 

sweet? No? OK) 

KID GLOVES 

CI IDCD ^ ar '° Brothers, Bubble Bobble, 

d U r C n Verminator, New Zealand Story, 

and Rainbow Islands are just a few of the titles 

to exploit the recent rise of cutesie games. You 

know the sort of thing - sprites that look like 

they've just walked out of the sickliest Hanna 

Barbera cartoon you can think of, and sound 

effects to match. Now Logotron have upped the 

stakes with the release of Kid Gloves, which is 

so cute it brings tears to your eyes. 

The idea behind this one is that, being tired 

of listening to his uncle Indiana Stallone (sounds 

familiar) rattling on about his adventures, young 

Kid (that's you matey) wanders off into uncle 

Indy's study where he finds a pair of old red 

leather boxing gloves. Trying them on he finds 

himself magically transported to a primeval for- 

est. And then the fun begins. 

Kid Gloves is a fairly traditional platform 

game. Your aim is to get from the left to the 

right side of each screen by jumping from one 

platform to another. Unlike some recent similar 

releases. Kid Gloves does not scroll, but flips 

from one screen to another. This system actual- 

ly does not really detract from the game, but 

adds to the challenge because sometimes you 

will have to double back to an earlier screen to 

solve a later one. 

There are five levels to complete including 

Somewhere in the Frozen Wastes (with extra- 

cute penguins), London: Industrial Revolution 

(which features various animated machine 

parts), and Psychedelia (which is not at all rec- 

ommended to readers who suffer from epilep- 

sy). Each level consists of ten screens. Once 

you reach the right hand side of the tenth 

screen the gloves will transport you to the next 

level. 

Like all good platform games there are a 

number of alternative weapons to use against 

the bad guys. You begin with the death coins 

LOGOTRON double the 

stakes in the super-cute 

jump-'iv-collect platform 

market 

^dki^jnrS: 

0 0 2 9 Q Q 0 looaofc 

Technophobia strikes in the Industrial Revolution 

stage - how do they make glum so colourful. 

Psychedelia is quite... well... psychedelic. What 

can I say? 


You will be captivated by this game from the 

moment it first loads. The appeal will of 

course gradually die after a few games. You 

will probably pick it up again after a while, 

perhaps to try and complete it. Once you've 

gone right the way through ifs unlikely that 

you will want to play it again. 

RELEASE BOX 



Kid Gloves immediately makes an impact on 

the audio-visual front. The sprites are al very 

aooealing and there is lots of variety across 

the levels. The sound has also been done very 

well and includes extremely cute digit/ed 

speech as well as a suitably fluffy soirdtrack. 

A very wen presented and highly playable 

game, even if the theme is a bit hackneyed. 



which bounce around the screen hitting ene- 

mies, but require several hits to destroy large 

creatures. Other weapons to be had are Flames, 

Deathstar, and Megalaser. These can be 

obtained in the occasional shops (again some- 

thing to be found in most good platform cuties). 

What is a little more unusual are the spells 

that are available to you. There are six different 

spells, one of which can be used on each 

screen providing you have the magic. Unfortu- 

nately you can never predict which spell will be 

used or how effective it will be, so they are obvi- 

ously intended as something of a last resort. 

Unlike many similar games, Kid Gloves 

involves a lot more than timing your jumps cor- 

rectly and doing away with various nasties. 

There are particular ways to solve each screen 

and maximise your gains (which in this case are 

fruit for points, and cash for shopping). Some 

events, like disappearing walls and extra mon- 

sters are controlled by time-outs so if you hang 

around for long enough on a screen this can 

have either beneficial or detrimental effects, 

depending on the stage. 

You will also have to collect keys en route 

to get you past certain obstacles. Even if you 

have the keys, a lot of careful thinking is 

required. A very useful feature if you do foul up 

a screen is 'back in time'. This allows you to go 

back three screens and re-run them (a far better 

option than having to replay the whole game). 

On the whole Kid Gloves doesn't really offer 

anything that you can't get in other platform 

games, with the possible exception of the magic 

feature and the 'back in time' feature. Having 

said that this sort of game is fairly timeless, and 

cutie fans will probably not be disappointed to 

see another one on the shelves. Definitely one 

of the most attractive platform games to be 

released for some time. 



PLAYER MANA 

ANCO get into the footy big-time 

with a Kick Off sequel that gives 

you the chance to hire and fire 

as well as get the goals in 

IMAGINE strategic management game 

bolted on. That is exactly what Dino Dini of 

Kick Off fame has dreamt up for Anco. 

Player Manager offers a wealth of manage- 

ment options in an easy to implement, icon-driv- 

en play system. 

You start by picking your team. A squad of 

thirteen players have to be chosen to take part 

in a full league and cup programme. 

There are many weighty managerial deci- 

sions to be made. You can study the form of all 

the players in the list, check out their transfer 

fee asking price, and even improve on their per- 

formance by selecting appropriate training. 

To limit the length of championship cam- 

paigns the divisions have been restricted to five 

or six of the most famous teams in that league. 

Right liberties have been taken here. Take Divi- 

sion Three, for example. One of the teams pre- 

sent is called "Bristol". But Bristol what ? City or 

Rovers? Surely it would have been better to opt 

for Bristol City if there was not room for both - 

not only to add realism, but also because City 

are the biggest and historically most successful 

team from the west country. 

Club Records 

The Club 

Managerial Match Reports 

fissesnent On 

t\fter the game options do you really want to 

know what that dark blue window will reveal. 

But this is a minor gripe and the overall 

decision to limit the number of teams is a sensi- 

ble one. 

Vou begin your managerial career as Play- 

er/Manager in the Third Division. Your impres- 

sive international career fills the fans and club 

officials with hope that you will provide the 

spark that will end their residence in the lowly 

Third. But its a funny old game football and a 

manager's existence is a precarious one. as you 

will soon discover if the goals don't start going 

in. 

When you have set up your team, checked 

the transfer list, club finances , carried out all 

pre-match training and practised tactics its time 

for the Kick Off. Fans of the original will recog- 

nise the hit soccer game immediately. 


On Match Day you have a decision to make. 

Are you going to select your self and join in the 

frantic end to end action of Kick Off. or are you 

going to stay on the bench where you have a 

number of match monitoring devices at you fin- 

ger tips. 

The best of these is the camera which you 

can instruct to follow the ball or train it on a 

player who you want to keep a closer eye on. 

Matches can be played at normal Kick Off 

speed or fast mode, viewed from above in a 

rectangle which shows the whole pitch in minia- 

ture - your team scrambling around like bugs. 

If you decide to play then you have to 

choose to play in position (the best option) or as 

a team, where you control all of the players in 

your team. Once the the match is in progress it 

plays just like Kick Off. with the same unique 

pace and variety of set piece moves that made 

the game such a hit. 

(A 

s 

g 

Makes a good strong first impression thanks 

to the well presented strategy screens, with 

their various icons and windows. From the 

very start Player Manager avoids the most 

common mistake of management games - 

lists of boring tables of statistics. You are 

never more than a couple of mouse clicks 

away from the action, and that action is a 

modified version of Kick Off - the state of the 

art in computer arcade soccer. Player 

Manger has strong long term appeal with its 

save game options and potential to take part 

In a full league and cup season, match by 

match. Coded by Oino Dini (the author of 

Kick Off), the boy done well. 

< • 

Full marks to Anco for getting it all onto one 

disk. It would have been easy for them to put it 

on two - strategy on or*. Kick Off on the 

other, necessitating interminable disk swapping. 

The ST also boasts an advantage over 

other versions wth a white dol indicator to aid 

shooting and passng. One of the ST"s finest. 


AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 9 1 3 

RELEASE BOX 

i ATARI ST £19.95dk OUT NOW 


SPECTRUM £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT 

C64/128 £9.95cs£l4.95dk IMMINENT 

AMSTRAD £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT 

No other versions planned 

After each match you get a results service 

of all the other league games or cup ties. 

Depending on the performance of your side you 

may wish to go back to the main menu to select 

Training, Transfers, or have a look at the League 

Placings. One option that may not wish to select 

is the Club Information - where you are given the 

Board verdict on your performance. 

Even if you avoid the views of your board 

there is no way of missing the news updates 

that appear after the game on Match Day. 

These reports provide useful snippets of infor- 

mation about rival clubs. Things like players on 

the move, manager sackings,and sending offs. 

The Coach Report is another vital informa- 

tion source for the manager that wants to keep 

in touch. The coach provides updates on individ- 

ual and team morale, both of which directly 

effect team performances. 

Of the management scenes, the Tactical 

Training window is the best. This enables you to 

set up a number moves that you can execute 

on match day, as well as selecting and experi- 

menting with different formations. 

The player statistics are sufficiently compre- 

hensive to satisfy the most pernickity of arm 

chair managers, with ratings in all of the vital 

skill categories. The save option also enables 

you to play a full league championship if you 

have a whole season to spare. 

The beauty of Player Manager is that it suc- 

cessfully blends a challenging soccer manage- 

ment game with all of the frantic end to end 

arcade action of Kick Off. Designers have been 

trying to marry arcade footy with management 

games for years • almost always failing abysmal- 

ly. Player Manager brings it off in style. 

• Eugene Lacey 

Ixtoksfamiliar match day action is rtfined 

version of Kick Off. You can look on from the 

bench or put your hoots on and join in.

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Bring Back The Glory Days, the brief of the newly appointed 

PLAYER MANAGER, an International class player, as he takes 

charge of a third division club. His success depends on four distinct 

aspects of the game. 

PLAYING SKILLS OF THE MANAGER 

This part of the game is a refined version of the KICK OFF, 

retaining it's pace, flavour and the universally acclaimed game 

play. Play in your position or control the nearest player. 

The first option combined with a tailor made tactics can 

play havoc in the opposition goal mouth. 

MANAGERIAL SKILLS 

Devising winning tactics, acquiring players with right skills 

from the Transfer market and selecting a well balanced team 

is the test of his Managerial skills. When to hang his boots up 

is the toughest decision he has to make. 

TACTICS 

Four well proven tactics are provided to suit most situations 

but you can design your own tactics. See the tactics in action 

using the Ray Trace facility. 

trj 

m m 

W •"SS 

f ^ l AMIGA 

U ATARI ST £19.95 

^ CBM 64 - SPECTRUM - AMSTRAD - 

ATARI 800 £9.95(Cassette) £14.95(Disc) 

THE PLAYERS 

Over a thousand players in the four division league. 

Each player with a unique combination of the 

following attributes: SHOOTING ACCURACY, 

PASSING ACCURACY, PACE, STAMINA, APPLI- 

CATION, AGGRESSION, HEIGHT and TACKLING 

SKILL. 

These attributes are influenced by the player's 

Age, Mental and Physical Dexterity, Quality of 

Experience, Weight, Temperament and Morale. 

There are several other factors such as injury, 

disciplinary points, unsuitable playing position 

which influence a player's performance. 

Hosts of other factors like referees, injuries, disciplinary problems, team morale etc. can lay to waste the best laid 

plans of a manager. The PLAYER MANAGER brings everyday realities of a Manager's life, his talents as a manager 

and a player into a sharp FOCUS. THE FOCUS IS ON YOU. 

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KENT. Mail Order by Cheque, Postal Order. ACCESS or VISA. 

No.: 0322 92513/92518. FAX No.: 0322 93422.

WILLIAM 

THE LEGEND 

OF WILLIAM TELL 

Tell and cross- 

bows go togeth- 

er like Geoff Capes and a couple 

of cabers. No-one understands 

the intricacies of arrows and quiv- 

ers better than Will and he's a dif- 

ficult man to beat in swordplay as 

well. Childcare, on the other 

hand, is something he doesn't 

excel at. Unsupervised, his son 

has managed to get himself into 

a scrape with the evil duke 

Gessler who's throwing him into 

prison for refusing to bow down 

to the ducal hat. For a man like 

Will this isn't a matter of choice; he's deter- 

mined to find his son and give Gessler a lesson 

he'll never forget. 

The search for Tell junior turns out to be an 

icon-driven arcade adventure with plenty of 

fighting sequences thrown in. Tell's exploits, 

which take place in the top half of the screen, 

are directed using a selection of icons. 

Basically, ifs a question of exploring the 

countryside, collecting objects and dealing with 

the people and animals that you meet. Equip- 

ment is your first priority. Back at your hut you'll 

find a staff and an axe but the forest itself hides 

a whole armoury of extra swords, different 

types of arrows, crossbows and arrow winders. 

Any jewellry and travel documents lying about 

are bound to come in useful; provisions are 

essential if William's energy is running low. 

Ifs best to deal with most characters by 

talking to them. Some will give you an object 

without any prodding at all; others need to be 

persuaded with a morsel of food or a little kind- 

ness. Icons let you offer provisions, jewels or 

show papers though when you start out you'll 

have limited supplies of these. 

SCREEN 7 

cross swords with 

ancient legend in 

this new animated 

arcade adventure. 

Gessler's black knights 

are under instructions to arrest 

anyone who bears a passing 

resemblance to William Tell. 

However much you try to avoid 

them, you'll have to go into com- 

bat eventually. The appropriate 

icon lets you choose your 

weapon and execute a few basic 

fighting moves. If you choose 

the crossbow, a target position- 

ing window appears at the base 

of the screen; ifs up to you to 

set the sights yourself. 

There's obviously plenty of 

substance to the story; certainly enough to sup- 

port hours of playing time - if you can spare it. 

Even so, The Legend of William Tell is .good 

rather than outstanding; a lot of*the location 

and character graphics are repeated and it 

takes a fair amount of exploration before you 

start to make much progress. Not only that, 

some of the initial fighting sequences are 

extremely tough and may put you off if you're 

not very patient. Definitely one to consider only 

if you've got lots of time on your hands and are 

addicted to arcade adventures. 

• Kati Hamza 

Not a bad arcade adventure, but not a really 

good one either. Your initial expectations are 

not that high, and you won't really find much 

more to hold your interest after the first few 

games. Your interest will peak once you've got 

the hang of things. Of course once you've 

solved it - that's i« 

Will engages one of Gessler's black knights in a 

little melee! Whoops! Tell tries to shoot his way onto the drawbridge without any arrows. 


RELEASE BOX 


AMIGA £l9.99dk OUT NOW 

SPECTRUM £9.99cs«£14.99dk IMMINENT 

C64/128 £9.99cs«£14.99dk IMMINENT 

AMSTRAD £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT 

PC £24.99dk IMMINENTNo 

Graphics and presentation are generally slick 

with user-friendly icons and helpful save/Toad 

options. Sound is limited to effects iivgame but 

a jolly Lone Ranger title tune goes some way 

to compensating for that. Fun for a while but 

tedious m the long run. 



Graphically and sorecally more colourful than 

the ST version though some of the definition 

isn't quite as good. A tad faster but no real differences 

in the gameplay. 


AUDIO 5 FUN FACTOR 6 '

PIPEMANIA 

I 

can still remember quite 

clearly an old coin-op in 

which a little steam train 

chuffed its way merrily round 

a series of rectangular sliding 

blocks, each of which con- 

tained a different shaped sec- 

tion of track. The idea was to 

ensure that the train contin- 

ued to move for as long as 

possible before meeting an 

obstruction, or the end of the 

track. This was achieved by sliding the sections 

of track around the screen in a similar way to 

the classic sliding letter puzzles. Considering 

the simplicity of the idea, the resultant game 

was surprisingly compulsive. 

Now Entertainment International have pro- 

duced a game for micros which is superficially 

similar, and just as addictive. In Pipemania, 

rather than a steam train you must control the 

flow of a rather yucky substance called Flooz, 

and instead of sections of track you must place 

sections of pipe in order that the gooey stuff 

can continue flowing without leaking. 

O.K. So far, so good. You simply tack sec- 

tions of pipe onto the source pipe to form a 

length of tubing which the stuff can flow 

through. There are complications, however. To 

begin with you have a fairly respectable amount 

of time to make headway with your construc- 

tion, but once the goo starts flowing it contin- 

ues to do so at a steady rate, leaving you little 

time to stop and think about what you are 

doing. 

The other little complication is that sections 

of pipe are presented to you in a set order, and 

you must use them as they come, so you will 

often have to look at the stack of pieces to see 

what is in the pipeline, as it were. It is permissi- 

ble to place a new section of pipe over an old 

one (as long as it is not in use) to replace the 

original piece. This process, known as 'bomb- 

ing', takes more time than placing a section of 

pipe in an empty space. It is no good simply 

dumping unwanted pieces anywhere either - at 

the end of each round, any pieces of pipe that 

are gooless are removed, along with a sizeable 

chunk of your score. 

If you get clever enough to be able to form 

loops and other fancy structures you receive 

bonus points. There are also points to be had 

for directing the sticky stuff through pipe sec- 

tions that are placed on screen before the start 

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If you manage to form a bop you can acquire 

some useful bonus points 

ENTERTAINMENT 

INTERNATIONAL 

show that plumbing 

can be fun... 

of the round. Then there are 

obstacles to be avoided, and 

these become more haz- 

ardous with each passing 

level. 

At the end of each level 

you get to play a bonus 

screen. The objective is the 

same, but this time the pieces 

of pipe slide back and forth at 

the top of the screen and 

must be dropped into place 

(there are shades of Tetris here). This is even 

more difficult than the standard game because, 

of course, pipe sections must be stacked, 

which entails using a lot of otherwise unneces- 

sary pieces. 

A useful feature is the use of passwords to 

gain entry to levels you have reached in previ- 

ous games. This should give the game a longer 

life than it would otherwise have had if players 

had been forced to continually replay levels they 

had already mastered. 

Pipemania is destined to become a huge 

success. It has all the elements that made 

Tetris such a superb game: an engaging sim- 

plicity. instant accessibility, timelessness, and 

bags of fun. When you add the two-player and 

advanced features of the game, it is not difficult 

to see that a monster hit is in the making. Unre- 

servedly recommended. 


On later levels there are plenty of obstacles, 

reservoirs and fixed pipe sections 

COMING IN FROM ALL ANGLES! 

Pipemania hasn't even hit the streets in the UK and it 

has already made a hell of an impression on the 

entertainment software industry. 

Lucasfilm were quick to snap-up the program 

for marketing in the states, and by all accounts it is 

already doing very well over there. As you can see 

from our release box. Entertainment International are 

so sure that the game will have universal appeal that 

they plan to release it across every popular format. 

In addition to the micro versions, there is a coinop 

also in development - and it shows real achievement 

wtien a development for micros gets taken on 

for the arcades rather than the other way round. 

And that's not the end of it. A version of the 

game for the Nintendo gameboy and an NE§ cartridge 

wil both be available around the mid'dle of the 

year. 

iliSwiSSi' 1 I I H h L M I I 

IF 

RELEASE BOX 

i 



SPECTRUM £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT 

C64/128 £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT 


PC £19.95dk IMMINENT 

MACINTOSH £24.95dk IMMINENT 

ARCHIMEDES £24.95dk IMMINENT 

MSX £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT 

BBC/ELECTRON £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT 

PREDICTED INTEREST 

Pipemania does not look like anything too special at 

first sight, but I guarantee that the moment you begin 

to play it you wil become instantly addicted. This is 

one that you are going to play and play until you are 

absolutely sick of it But even then you are likely to 

keep going back to it. A classic game. 

The comments made for the Amiga apply 

equally to this version. To be honest there isn't 

really anything to ten between the two - both 

are superbly implemented games with stacks 

of playability. It is r*ce to see that there are stf 

some games which don't rely on stunning 

audovsual elements to mask a total lack of 

gameplay. 

GRAPHICS 6 

AUDIO 7 

10 FACTOR 8 

FUN FACTOR 10 

ACt MAIWC. 

•1 

Oaphicaty, the game is qi*te simple, but then 

it doesn't need ntncately drawn sprites to 

keep it's appeal. Smilarly the sound is restricted 

to suitable Mps and bleeps at appropriate 

moments. But although the game may be pnmitrve 

on an audiovisual basis, it makes up for it 

with ifs nstant appeal and payability. A superb 

game! 

910 


CONSOLE CAPERS 

ACE looks at some of the latest releases for the Sega Master System 

TENNIS ACE 

I. Lender? J. McKm? Do these names sound 

familiar? Well, Tennis Ace incorporates them in 

its comprehensive attempt to emulate the fast- 

paced sport, and (just for good measure) gives 

you bags of options, realistic ball movement 

and occasional flashes of humour (bring back 

Des Lynam, I say). 

Every possible permutation of two players 

and computer opponents has been included; 

you can play solo against the computer or 

against a friend; or you can play with a friend in 

a doubles match against two simulated oppo- 

nents; or with a computer partner against a 

friend and his partner... in fact, it's this flexibility 

which makes the action enjoyable. In one-player 

mode alone it would die an early death. 

There are four basic types of game: training 

(which helps to hone your skill level), Open Tour- 

nament (against another human player), Exhibi- 

tion match (so you can show off your talent) and 

Grandslam Tournament, where you face the big 

boys (and girls). On top of this, there are three 

types of court surface to play on - clay (high 

bounce), grass (limited rebound) and hard court 

(high and wide bounce) - all of which do play 

significantly differently. 

The action is presented from overhead, the 

court scrolling to accommodate shots travelling 

Once play begins you revert to an overhead view 

- still a little odd. but at least you can see the 

whole court. 

beyond the lines. Serving is different, however; 

it's a '3D' side-on view which switches to over- 

head once the ball has been struck. Many differ- 

ent types of shot are available, including lobs, 

drop shots, volleys and smashes, all of which 

help to spice up the action, which doesn't (and 

maybe should) move along at a heart-stopping 

pace. 

The one major niggle is the amount of time 

it takes the program between points. You have 

to wait at least fifteen seconds: this may not 

sound so bad, and for the first few games it 

isn't, but when you're playing three sets (particu- 

larly against the computer) it gets on your 

nerves. 


Tennis Ace isn't a bad sports sim, but it 

could have been better. The range of options is 

great, but the actual in-game variety is not so 

hot. Playing alone can become laborious, even 

with a password system; fortunately, the two- 

player options more than make up for this. How- 

ever, if you haven't got a friend coming round 

every night, you might want more for your £25 

than just a decent tennis game. 

Initially, Tennis Ace strikes you as being far 

too easy; the computer opponents are pre- 

dictable, and the collision detection between 

ball and racquet is very kind. Then you enter the 

Grandslam Tournament and things begin to get 

harder - but not astoundingly so. After a 

month's play, you'll probably find that you can 

beat most of the opposition quite easily and, 

unfortunately, that's when the one-player game 

dies. 

More comprehensive than Super Tennis, 

this is still far from being the perfect simulation. 

The graphics are detailed enough and the ball 

movement works very well, but the sound 

grates even with the wide choice of tunes open 

to you. Despite the huge variety of options, the 

action itself doesn't quite hit the mark for a solo 

player. For two players, though, it's great! 

• Gordon Houghton 

SEGA £24.95ct OUT NOW 


AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 8 

ACC RATING 

760 

The service must be delivered from a side-on view 

- not exactly conducive to good play y 

PSYCHO FOX 

Dont be put off by the title. The fox in Sega's lat- 

est platform caper is really quite cute. Your chal- 

lenge is to negotiate him around the various 

platforms and several levels in a bid to defeat 

the evil Madfox Daimyojin. 

Foxes are respected creatures in Japan - 

worshipped at Inan temples as gods of the har- 

vest. But this vaunted position is about to be 

usurped by Daimyojin. who has thrown the world 

into turmoil. He has populated the land with evil 

creatures bent on destruction. 

Psycho Fox must visit all seven staged of 

the game eliminating these creatures with what- 

ever weapons he can muster. The stages have 

three rounds each and you have just three lives 

with which to conquer its extensive network of 

platforms. 

Your fox can punch the enemies to destroy 

them or jump on them if he is agile enough. He 

can also enlist the support of his trusty ally - 

Bird Fly. BircJ Fly will launch himself at the enemy 

and knock them off the platform clearing a path 

for Psycho Fox. To get Bird Fly to perch on your 

shoulder you must first crack open an egg - but 

be careful in doing this as some of the eggs 

contain enemies. 

The Psycho Stick is another useful artifact 

to look out for. It enables Psycho Fox to trans- 

form into either a hippopotamus, monkey, or a 

tiger. Certain forms are more appropriate than 

others depending on the situation. The Hippo, 

for example, has powerful punching power that 

can smash through walls but he weighs a good

deal and may sink through some of the plat- 

forms. 

Taking the correct route is the key to Psy- 

cho Fox. as some paths are a good deal more 

difficult than others. 

Alongside all the hazards and creatures out 

to get you there are also plenty of 'leg-ups' for 

Psycho Fox. There are excellent lumping boards 

which enable him to trampoline high into the air 

to move around. There are also swing poles, 

jumping boards, wind rides and bridges. 

Sega are still masters of cute as the Psycho Fox 

islands in the sky demonstrate. 

Psycho Fox - the route through the clouds is just 

one of the many. 

Manoeuvring Psycho Fox takes a bit of 

practice. He can be made to move a consider- 

able speed and carries the momentum of this 

speed into the air with his leap, carrying forward 

a good deal. On landing you can immediately 

right his position by moving the joypad in the 

opposite direction, often creating an excellent 

'steaming heels' effect as he lands on a plat- 

form. Just like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. 

Before you confront Daimyojin you must 

complete the treacherous seventh stage, where 

all of the traps that you have previously encoun-. 

tered must be negotiated again. As if this were 

not enough to worry about there are also some 

tricky escalators that can throw you off the 

scent. Daimyojin himself is as tough to defeat 

as any mean-looking end of level nasty from a 

shoot 'em up - a huge sprite taking up a third of 

the screen. 

Apart from the mam business of platform 

leaping in an attempt to confront Daimyojin 

there is also a secondary game in between 

stages.This is a gambling game called Amida, 

where you place bets with the money you have 

gathered in the platform scenes on how far you 

will get along the paths. At the end of each path 

is a prize. The more money you have, the more 

paths you can bet on. 

Secondary games are popular in Japanese 

console games, particularly those involving an 

element of gambling, and they certainly do add 

an extra dimension, as well as providing light 

relief from the main business of the challenge. 

Psycho Fox is very much a game for plat- 

form officianados. It is Marioesque and features 

some very tough pieces of platforming. It has 

real lasting value. There is more than one way to 

get around it, adding to the appeal. The Sec- 

ondary Game is also fun, offering something 

else to boast about apart from how many of the 

platforms you have so far mastered. 

Graphically the game is superb, particularly 

some of the later stages such as the Ice Zone, 

Wind Zone, and Underground Cavern. Perhaps 

not quite as appealing as the Alex Kidd games 

but certainly one of the best platform offerings 

available for the Master System. 

SPELLCASTER 

1 Eugene Lacey 

The Japanese love role playing games. They are 

the most popular type of game amongst the 

many millions of console owners, regularly out- 

stripping the latest shoot 'em ups and arcade 

games. 

This explains the comparatively high num- 

ber that are available for the Sega. But if you 

have always reasoned that RPG's with all that 

puzzling and adventuring are not for you then 

you might be wise to reconsider. Spellcaster is 

a very different type of game. It is much more 

arcadey than computer RPG's, and the plot and 

characters are all introduced to you in snappy 

cartoon-style cameos. 

You are the ambitious young warrior Kane, 

determined to prove your valour to the leader 

Daikak. An opportunity arises when ten of 

Daikak's warriors are slaughtered by a mysteri- 

ous enemy when they were dispatched to guard 

some remote mountain temples. 

Daikak instructs you to journey to Izumo to 

find out what happened to he men. This is where 

the action begins, as you find yourself journey- 

ing through a forest and under attack from 

strange teddy-bear like creatures. 

You are armed with a Dokko which you can 

throw at the enemy to kill them before they can 

tough you and reduce your strength rating which 

is displayed above the action window. Your ener- 

gy level is also displayed at this point. 

You are never far away from the action in 

Spe/lcaster, which is where the game departs 

from more pure RPG style games like Dungeon 

Master. You have to complete each of the mini 

arcade missions in order to reach the destina- 

tions, where you encounter other characters 

whom you can talk to. 

Once you reach once of the eleven destina- 

tions you are given a menu of possible moves. 

You select either Move, Talk, Look. Take, Use, 

or Spell by highlighting your chosen-action with 

the joypad and pressing fire. 

Normally it is best to have a good look 

around first as the game will give you clues in 

its descriptions of the location. Look gives you 

a further "At what?" request which enables you 

to move a finger pointer around everything in 

the graphic window display, examining anything 

that you think may be of use. If something is 

identified you may use TAKE to grab it. 

There are a further seven weapons to be 

picked up m the game, all of them more power- 

ful than the Dokko with which you start. There 

are also the spells and you will need to cast 

these during certain action screens if you are to 

survive them and solve the mystery. 

You have not really got to grips with Spell- 

caster until you start to wield the magical pow- 

ers of the spells. The best of them is the Nobo- 

ta spell that creates a shield impervious to all 

the enemy's missile attacks. The Indira Spell is 

one of the most spectacular, bringing down 

bolts of lightning to strike down your enemies. 

You can cast a spell at any time you wish by 

pressing the pause button. This will bring down 

the Status Screen where you can select your 

spell (Providing you are carrying it) and then 

return to the action screen where the spell is 

executed. This information screen also enables 

you to use the "Password Save" feature which 

enables you to quit the game and then resume 

the next time you play at exactly the same posi- 

tion by making a note of the password. 

Mars calls on the God of the War to restore 

your strength, Makiri enables you to fly (very 

useful in some of the trickier platform action 

screens), Fudo gives you a huge and deadly ball 

of fire, and Hatten calls on the God of Winds to 

whip up a tornado against your enemies. 

There is good variety in the in the action 

screens that Kane must journey through. Apart 

from the the temples and shrines the quest also 

takes you into space, across time, and into the 

Land of the Dead. 

Mastering the use of the spells and 

weapons makes for a good tough challenge. 

Ultimately Spellmaster is limited by its finite 

plot. Once you have done it you are unlikely to 

plug it in again. It provides a fun challenge whilst 

it lasts though. 

Spellcaster is more of an arcade game with 

adventure style graphical rewards between lev- 

els than a pure RPG. Its arcade screens are 

tough and graphically satisfying with the added 

curiosity of the mystery. A competent game. 


SEGA £29.95ct OUT NOW 

ACE RATING 

710 

• 

Kane learns of the slaughter of the warriors. 

DAIkAkl kfiNE•VOU 

C*»N • T DIE VET! 

MOT HERE f 

Spellcaster • the fun is in casting the spells 


OMEGA MINDSCAPE 

Flippy cybernetic engineer worth his 

CVCnT weight in microchips knows that to 

reach the pinnacle of his career is to join the 

Organisation of Strategic Intelligence. That's 

where the country's experts are designing 

cybertanks - armoured vehicles capable of com- 

pletely independent fighting, movement and 

thought. 

You're a new recruit to this hotbed of 

defence intelligence and your assignment is to 

create the most efficient cybertanks possible on 

a limited budget. Design is implemented using a 

combination of pull-down menus and keyboard 

commands. 

There are two main engineering points: the 

chassis and the tank's artificial intelligence. For 

the chassis it's mainly a question of choosing 

equipment (fuel cells, drive system, weapon 

type, enemy scanner etc) from a menu of avail- 

able components. New recruits have a budget 

of 1,000 credits. This increases as the efficien- 

cy of your tank designs improve, enabling you to 

purchase more advanced equipment as well as 

extras such as energy misers, repair kits, 

defence shields and accelerators. 

Programming a tank's Al is much more com- 

plicated. Using the Cybertank Command Lan- 

guage (CCL) you type in a list of commands 

intended to control abilities like movement, 

searching, scanning, rotating, firing and so on. 

CCL works like a mini programming language 

(luckily, it's based on English) and it's not some- 

thing you'll learn to master in an afternoon. 

About 50 pages of the manual are devoted to 

teaching you how to use it and it probably helps 

if you've had some minor experience of pro- 

gramming before. If that all sounds a bit too 

complicated, you can just string together a 

selection of ready-made Al capsules selected by 

menu from the Al library: they aren't as flexible 

but speed up the engineering process. 

Every completed design has to be autho- 

rised. This works a bit like a primary debugging 

process. A more in-depth de-bugging routine is 

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Designing I 'SpecihiTm 

a tank's brains is the most time-consuming 

operation. Completed tanks be transferred to another 

computer I • 00 via modem. 


also included. If there are mis- 

takes in your Al routines, 

they're identified for you to go 

back and alter them. If not, 

you're free to go on to test the 

design in combat simulation. 

There are several complete 

battlefields on the disk but you 

can construct your own using a 

construction kit. Options 

screens allow you to pick the 

number and type of your oppo- 

nents as well as whether or not 

you're going to be fighting in 

teams. If fitted with a comm- 

link, tanks in your team may 

communicate with one another. 

During the simulation, which 

runs automatically, you can switch between 

localised and overhead viewpoints. At the end of 

the sim, your design can be evaluated; if it's 

good enough, you're given promotion and a big- 

ger budget. If not, it's back to the drawing 

board. 

• SI Merio lOBe'13: It has been 

requestrd that software engineers 

not tie up the lavatories tar 

overextended periods hn using the 

opportunitn to studq their latest 

source I•st i na. 

Cqbernetic UaI Ihm — Cqberchi 

costs sHqrocHet as inflation 

continues in the United States. 

Cqbernetic tianufacturers declare 

shortage on all HI hoards. 

One of many neat presentation touches, the bul 

letin board keeps you ir\formed about the day to 

day running of the OSJ. 

Omega is probably one of the most com- 

plex games you'll ever come across. It comes 

with an in-depth manual which runs to about 200 

pages and there's much more to it than can be 

adequately summarised in a 

review. In many ways, ifs more an 

exercise in programming tech- 

niques than a tank sim or a strate- 

gy game. The design possibilities 

are endless but it probably won't 

appeal to the average gamesplay- 

er. Presentation throughout has 

been made as user-friendly as pos- 

sible and the documentation is 

extremely helpful but if you really 

want to master this game you're 

looking at weeks and weeks of in- 

depth playing time. Omega is an 

excellent product but it's only going 

to appeal to a handful of cult enthu- 

siasts. Joystick junkies steer clear. 

discover 

the ORIGIN of cybernetics, 

and create a game that will 

appeal to programmers and 

simulator fans alike 

S i r-iii 1 «i t i (in 

H N M B H 

F 1 

I 1 

______ i 

H 1 • M W 

T • S S S S S 

•SBHBB 

• H B H 1 

5 1 OS t o 

H 

D 1 • • 

t 

g XLS • I f t 

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I/*' A 

Kati Hamza 

UIPFR 1 

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— — 

The nail-biting finale. If you can't stand to 

ivatch. there's an option to switch to manual control. 

Despite miramal soracs and graohics, Amiga 

Omega is fast, user-fnendly and extremely wellpresented. 

Clearly aimed at a minority market 

though. 

GRAPHICS 4 

AUDIO 2 

10 FACTOR 

FUN FACTOR m 

Omega will take a long time to master. It will 

take you at least a day to wade through the 

hefty manual. However, if you persevere, 

there are plentiful rewards to be had. Because 

the game uses a programming language of 

sorts, there are endless possibilities. This is 

one simulation that is definitely not going to 

receive an early retirement. 

RELEASE BOX 

£29.99dk 

£29.99dk 

£29.99dk 

£19.99dk 

£29.99dk 


OUT NOW 

IMMINENT 

IMMINENT 

IMMINENT 

IMMINENT

DARK 

CENTURY 

TITUS engage in a bit of 

programming wizardry and 

say Tanks for the Memory' 

in another future tank sim 

1 

Comprehending all the program subtleties 

which comprise the main (automatic) part of 

the game takes more than a couple of hours 

of hard slog. Once you've mastered th« system 

you'll want to prove how effectively you 

can use it. though as there aren't many variations 

in terrain or tank design and no battle 

involves more than six tanks there's not that 

much opportunity to spin the experience out. 

RELEASE BOX 

ATARI ST £24.99dk TBA 

AMIGA £24.99dk TBA 

SPECTRUM £8.99cs TBA 

AMSTRAD £9.99cs£14.99dk TBA 

PC £24.99dk TBA 

No other versions pianned. 

The emphasis is on planning rather than portrayng 

the action so the 3D graphical display 

of what's going on isn't too heavy on detail. 

Presentation, however, is excetent, with indepth 

instructions, clear icons, and some 

classy introductory graphic touches. Sound, 

predictably, is on the poor side. 

GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 9 

AUDIO 4 FUN FACTOR 6 ' 

i 

IF prisons are overcrowded now 

I just think what it'll be like by AD 

2250. Luckily, Titus predict that the 

governments of the future will come 

up with an ideal solution. No more 

messing about with rehabilitation, 

electronic tagging or psychology - 

just ship them off to the nearest 

inhabitable planet and leave them 

there. 

Unfortunately the hard-nosed 

beneficiaries of this humane venture 

don't see it quite like that. They've 

managed to commandeer a selection 

of specially designed government 

issue tanks and are running riot 

on their prison world. Unless you and 

your team of penitentiary guards 

manage to stop them in your own 

set of armoured vehicles, the stolen tanks' complicated 

self-destruct system is sure to destroy 

the planet. 

Up to a maximum of six tanks (including the 

enemy) take part in each encounter, which can 

be played manually or in automatic mode by one 

or two players. Unlike a car, it's a lot more 

straightforward driving in manual. Just suss out 

the position of enemies and allies using the 

radar and use the joystick to hunt out the prison 

tanks and blast them 

to bits. 

In automatic it's up to you to program the 

movements of tanks in advance. This means 

selecting and arranging a sequence of icons to 

specify such details as angle of turret, different 

speeds according to whether you're in attack or 

surveillance modes, targetting, number of consecutive 

shots and auto destruct mechanism. 

When you've fiddled about with all this technical 

% 

r. 

Z "Till 

? 

-A- mm 

Ur\fortunately a screen shot does not give an impression of the 

game's speed. The opposing tanks whip past you at a rate of 

knots. 

II t ^ 1 

;; 

H H 

Objects, like the city in the background, manage to convey a 

sense of depth and speed. 

detail to your heart's content, you watch the 

ensuing battle on screen. 

It takes a while to get to grips with all of 

this, as getting the hang of the controls, setting 

your parameters and putting together an effective 

program is a complex, strategic process. 

This is clearly not the sort of game you can just 

pick up and play for half an hour - it requires 

study and plenty of practice. 

As such it resembles Origin's complicated 

tank programming game, Omega. It can't really 

match it in terms of complexity, though, and if 

you're really determined to spend hours programming 

and watching tanks, Omega, with its 

artificial intelligence routines, specially designed 

programming language and its wide variety of 

vehicles, is bound to be a greater challenge. 

Dark Century can only cope with a maximum of 

six tanks and there are few variations in landscape, 

or vehicle capabilities. 

77T1 

Within these limitations, 

Dark Century is a competently programmed, 

well-implemented piece 

of software clearly aimed at gamers 

with a strong bent towards programming. 

Even with the manual options, 

however, its specialised subject 

matter is unlikely to appeal to the 

average lover of shoot 'em ups, 

arcade adventures, even simulations. 

If you do feel like hiding away 

with a manual for a couple of 

weeks, make sure you know exactly 

what you're buying first. 

1 5 a 

I 3 ! 4 4 Kati Hamza 

• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 6 3

FROM 

OK? 00 US A FAVOUR. PLUG ME INTO A SEGA 

games 

"DB MfATOiua... 

PlUG SIA/TQ A siia 

DISTRIBUTED BY VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LIMITED. VERNON YARD. PORTOBELLO ROAD. LONDON W11 2DX. TELEPHONE: 01-787 8070.




Mastering all the moves will take time, and 

getting to the final level will take even longer. 

Once you have succeeded in escaping though, 

that's it. It is unlikely to whirr inside your disk 

drive again. 

Scrolls nice 'n' smoothly and makes tremendous 

use of the Amiga's cotour palette. Possibly 

the prettiest beat 'em up to date, even if it 

»s appallingly hackneyed in its choice of a post 

nuclear-war New York for its fight scene locations. 

Still, you don't really expect originality 

these days, do you? 


AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 7 i s 

TUC depressing obsession with post nuclear 

I HE wastelands continues unabated in the 

imaginary world of computer games - despite 

the biggest reductions in thermonuclear 

weapons for decades now taking place in the 

real world. 

After The War sounds like the definitive 

post-holocaust, 'mean streets' beat 'em up. It 

looks like it too - with giant rats running wild 

and assorted mutants terrorising the hapless citizens 

of Manhattan in 2019. (Just think, Kylie will 

be 60 by then, if she doesn't get nuked down 

under!) 

Into this grim metropolis comes one 

Jonathan Rogers. That, at least, makes an original 

change from Rick Fist or Danny Dangerous. 

But if he doesn't have a tough name - he sure 

has a tough job. Jonathan's objective is to reach 

the XV-238 launching platform - from where he 

can escape to one of the colonies. 

- i 

t wwxcimrf 

K • 

Very pretty backdrops but nothing new in the 

game play. 

AFTER THE 

WAR 

DINAMIC engages in some 

Post-holocaust fisticuffs as 

one more beat 'em up 

hits the shelves 

After the War - twenty possible moves and 

aggressive opponents. 

The launch platform is located inside Professor 

McJerin's secure compound. The mad prof 

is protected by a weird assortment of animal-like 

robots. These include Kangaroo Fighters, Kangaroo 

Destroyers. Flying Rats, and R.A.D Bulls. 

Dinamic have set the difficulty level very 

high - with two separate loads - three levels in 

the first and two in the second. A password 

enables the experienced player to start on the 

more advanced levels once the secret word has 

been discovered. 

The first level takes you through the streets 

of Manhattan where you have to battle it out with 

the "radio gladiators" - street dwellers who are 

so badly contaminated that they hardly care 

whether they live or die. 

The "punkies" (quaint Spanish translation) 

live beneath the bridge in Manhattan and you 

must pass them on your journey towards the 

outskirts of the city. They are armed and have 

the cowardly habit of sneaking up on you from 

behind. 

Your toughest opponents above ground are 

the R.A.D Bulls - massive, aggressive creatures 

that will slash you to bits as soon as look at you. 

To compensate for the toughness of the 

adversaries Dinamic have programmed in twenty 

possible moves for Jonathan to make in his 

defence. These include three types of kick, two 

jabs, and two punches as well as normal jumping. 

moving forward, retreating and ducking. He 

can also pick up an FX Machine Gun and use 

mines to destroy the nasties when the going 

gets really tough. 

Mastering a goodly number of moves is 

essential to deal effectively with the varying 

attack styles of the enemy.To the 

games' credit the moves can all be 

implemented crisply as instructed in the 

manual- and it pays dividends to practice 

these moves before setting out seriously 

to reach McJerins hideout. 

If you make it to the second load the 

action switches to below ground where 

McJerin's cronies have taken over the 

Manhattan subway. It is here that you will 

come up against the Flying Rat Robots 

and "Pneumatic Shooting Torretas" (That 

Spanish translation again). You need to 

use your gun to survive this level as fists 

and boots aren't enough - especially in 

the case of the tough, human-like 

Guardian Androids. 

At the end of this level is a lift that will take 

you to McJerins base. This is where the fighting 

becomes most intense - and you will need to 

exercise quick and nimble control of Jonathan if 

he is to survive. 

After the War is competent in every department. 

A beat 'em up squarely aimed at the 

tougher, well practised exponents of computer 

pugilism. Graphically it is excellent, providing 

cinema-like atmosphere in the street and subway 

scenes. 

My only criticism is the lack of imagination 

in the game play. Pretty as it is, gameplay has 

hardly improved at all since the days of Kung 

Fu Master. Surely it is possible to incorporate 

elements of strategy without spoiling the frenzied 

business of throwing punches, kicks and 

laying people out? Last Exit From Beat 'Em Boredom. 

Rated PG (pretty good). 


This chain wielding skinhead absorbs a good 

kicking before he bites the concrete. 


The Untouchables 

from Ocean 

Re live the knife existence of 

Elliot Ness in his struggle 

against the retribution of mobster 

Capone. 

The ultimate six exciting action 

sequences put you in control of 

Elliot Ness's elite squad of crimebusters. 

Alleyway shootouts. The Border Raid. 

The Railway Station confrontation and 

Warehouse bust culminating in the 

thrilling rooftop duel as you re live the knife edge existence 

of Ness in his struggle against the retribution of 

Capone! 

The Untouchables 

Commodore 64 Cass 

Commodore 128 Disk 

Spectrum 48K Cass 

Spectrum +3 Disk 

Amstrad CPC Cass 

Amstrad CPC Disk 

Atari ST Disk 

Amiga Disk 

BIG FOUR MAIL ORDER 

• Fast delivery 

• Friendly service 

• Fabulous savings 

We re backed by the resources of 

one of Britain's most successful 

publishers so you can order with 

confidence. 

It's so simple! 

You may find it hard to believe that 

we're GIVING away software but it's 

true. You simply buy any of the titles 

on this page at the normal retail 

price listed and then you can pick 

any other title (or the same title on a 

different format) absolutely free of 

charge! 

The only condition is that the value 

of the free game must not be 

greater than that of the game you're 

paying for. 

Apart from that there are no 

strings attached. It's literally TWO 

for the price of one! Or FOUR for 

the price of two...the sky's the limit! 

Have you ever seen a better 

offer...? 

FIRST CLASS POST, PACKING 

& VAT, INCLUDED 

PRICE CODE 

£ 9.99 BF801CC 

£14.99 BF802CD 

£ 9.99 BF803SC 

£14.99 BF804SD 

£ 9.99 BF805AC 

£14.99 BF806AD 

£19.99 BF807ST 

£24.99 BF808AM 

OOSE ANY ONE 

Michael Jackson 

Moonwalker 

from U S Gold 

After conquering the world 

of pop mus»c, Micheal 

Jackson channelled his 

energy and talent into 

making his first film. Now 

U S Gold present the 

home computer version of 

that film, endorsed by the 

Superstar himself. Feel 

the rhythm in Club 30. 

transform into a futuristic silver 

robot and ultimately beat the 

drug peddling MR BIG in the 

unique world of MOONWALKER • 

a game like no other. 

'You will be unable to tear yourself 

away from the screen even 

when it's way past midnight' 

Mark Higham - ST Format 

Moonwalker 

Spectrum 48K Cass 

Spectrum + 3 Disk 

Commodore 64 Cass 

Commodore 128 Disk 

Amstrad CPC Cass 

Amstrad CPC Disk 

Atari ST Disk 

Amiga Disk 

PRICE 

£ 9.95 

£14.95 

£ 9.95 

£14.95 

£ 9.95 

£14.95 

£19.95 

£19.95 

CODE 

BF816SC 

BF817SD 

BF818CC 

BF819CD 

BF820AC 

BF821AD 

BF822ST 

BF823AM

Operation 

Thunderbolt 

from Ocean 

LazerSquad 

Follow up to last years No 1 hit "Operation Wolf. 

The game brings you enhanced shoot-em up action for one 

or two players. Thunderbolt not only reporduces the horizontally 

scrolling gameplay of Wolf, but adds 3D action to 

the scenario as you test your nerve against swooping jets, 

helicopters, tanks and many more awesome adversaries! 

Use the laser sight, or the bulletproof vest, but watch out 

for those air-to-ground missies. 

'Brilliant is the only way fo describe Thunderbolt" - not a 

game for the faint hearted' 

Trenton Webb -Amstrad Action 

Operation Thunderbolt 

PRICE 

Spectrum 48K Cass £ 9.99 

Spectrum +3 Disk £14.99 

Amstrad CPC Cass £ 9.99 

Amstrad CPC Disk £14.99 

Commodore 64 Cass £9.99 

Commodore Disk £1499 

Atari ST Disk £19.99 

Amiga Disk £24.99 

Laser Squad 

from Bladesoft 

Laser Squad combines 

strategic skill with the use 

of grenades and a variety of 

automatic weapons to defeat 

your foe. You can take the 

part of hunter or hunted - play 

with a friend and take turns at 

opposing roles. One player option 

plays against artificial intelligence 

so highly develped it bites! 

laser Squad is a terrific game that is superbly playable 

and can defmately be recommended as one for the library 

of any gameplayer.' Andy Smith. Amiga Format 

PRICE CODE 

Spectrum 48 Cass £ 9.95 BF809SC 

Amstrad CPC Cass £ 9.95 BF810AC 

Amstrad CPC Disk £14.95 BF811AD 

Commodore 64 Cass £ 9.95 BF812CC 

Commodore 128 Disk £14.95 BF813CD 

Atari ST Disk £19.95 BF814ST 

Amiga Disk £19.95 BF815AM 

Mining/or energy crystals in the Oids-like hive below the Domed City. 

PSYCLAPSE unleash droids to 

avoid in an impressive multi- 

section arcade adventure with 

a puzzling twist in it's tail 

A r r A D m y r t o Asim° v- ° ne the * ,rst 

AvvvnUiriVJ and cardinal rules of 

robotics is that a droid can never knowingly 

harm a human being. It is a good job that this 

law is regularly flouted in books and computer 

games as if the droids were law abiding hunks 

of metal than these creations would be fairly 

dull affairs. 

The droids in Stryx haven't the least regard 

for any of the laws of robotics. They are sys- 

tematically seeking out and murdering the 

inhabitants of the pollution-free domed cities of 

Earth in the year 3106. This rather hackneyed 

sci-fi yarn provides the background for Psy- 

clapse" latest game. 

Sfryx is an arcade adventure split into three 

separate sections - each providing a different 

game challenge. You start off in one of the four 

domes where the droids are running wild. You 

must arm your self as well as you can and set 

about eliminating the Cyborg Assassins before 

they wipe out all the humans. Your first move is 

to find the jet pack. Exploring the dome on foot 

is guaranteed to get your nowhere as you are 

likely to be pushed off a platform and land on 

an electrified surface that will quickly sap your 

life force. 

You, by the way, are Sfryx - half man and 

half robot, capable or running at great speed 


and leaping great distances. A sort of Six Mil- 

lion Dollar man deluxe version. 

The platform capers provide a tough chal- 

lenge. The aliens - particularly the Red Guards 

- make tough adversaries and you need to be 

quick thinking, as well as quick with the fire but- 

ton, to defeat them 

As you explore the domes you will find 

various objects. Three of these can be carried 

in your backpack at a time. There is a storage 

screen and operate screen in the control panel 

- objects being moved by one to the other by 

the Function keys. The main thing to keep an 

eye on in your control panel is your life force 

barometer. You must prevent this from reaching 

zero by topping it up. You only have one life so 

if it does reach zero that's it - and you are in for 

an annoying 30 seconds of disk whirring if you 

want another go. 

The main items to look out for in the 

Domed Cities are the keys to the 'Lifeforce'. 

Once you have all of these you can travel to the 

Central Dome where you can use the keys to 

switch on the 'Lifeforce' annihilating all of the 

droids and rebel computers at a flick of a 

switch. 

Beneath each Domed City is a hive - where 

energy is generated to keep the cities running. 

This is an Oids type challenge - where you float 

around in your mining craft picking up crystals 

to replenish your energy reserves. 

The droids are not going to let you do this 

easily though - having several ground based 

defence installations constantly spewing out 

missiles, flying saucers, and rocket fire. You 

really need to be able to master the 'thrust' and 

'rotate' controls of the mining vehicle if you are 

to survive. 

Oids fans will love the 'Hive' part of Stryx. It 

provides all of the Asteroids-like fun of floating 

Stryx has the right degree of compulsion to 

keep you battling against those droids until 

you have solved the adventure. Once you have 

completed the challenge though, you are 

unlikely to go back to It. That is the problem 

with all arcade adventures, however good they 

RELEASE BOX 

ATARI ST £19 95dk 



IMMINENT 

OUT NOW 

Comes on two disks and has the usual grapt* 

cal fnlls during loading and at the end of the 

game that are now the hallmarks of this talented 

Scouse software house. Didn't like the load 

time after each go, and felt that the sound 

effects could have been more «naginat>ve. 

Overall the game packs a lot of deferent challenges, 

provides a very colourful spectacle to 

look at. and makes good use of the Amiga. 


AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 7 HQ 

but with the addition of full colour and a fantas- 

tic assortment of aliens. 

The third section of the game takes place 

in the Connection Tubes - linking the four 

Domed Cities to the fifth Central Dome. This 

was the most disappointing level from a game 

play point of view. It would have been better 

had it been a pure speed test - racing down the 

tunnels blasting the aliens. As it is, the tubes 

are cavernous, like the hive, and you keep 

banging into things. The jet bike you ride is fun 

though - very well drawn and capable of real 

speed. 

When you have all of the keys you need to 

journey to the Central Dome you can attempt to 

program the computer. This provides a little bit 

of puzzling right at the end of game, and is a 

well though out conclusion to the adventure. 

Three arcade challenges - well two and a 

half really - cobbled together in one game. 

Arcade adventure fans will not be disappointed 

with Stryx. There is still a shortage of decent 

AA fun to be had on 16-bit machines and Stryx 

helps fill the gap. 

Grab that fuel - you are going to need it. 

• Eugene Lacey

MEGA DRIVE 

WARNING! 

Sega of Japan and Virgin Mastertronic, as the exclusive 

authorised distributor for Sega in the UK, strongly advise all 

potential customers against purchasing 'grey imported 

16-bit Mega Drives. 

Mega Drives which have already reached the UK have been 

unofficially converted to run on the PAL system; this work 

has NOT been authorised by either company and therefore 

the hardware is NOT covered by any guarantee of safety or 

workmanship and will NOT receive any after sales service 

from Sega or Virgin Mastertronic . 

Sega also announce that 'grey' imported Mega Drives will be 

incompatible with the software which will be marketed in 

Europe when the official Mega Drive is launched later this 

year, and that owners of the 'grey imports will not therefore 

be able to run this software. 

VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LTD • 1-4 VERNON YARD 

PORTOBELLO ROAD • LONDON Wll 2DX 

CTW Survey '89 CTW Survey 

SECTION G - MAGAZINES 

Consumer Magazines aiding 

magazines read stocking decisions 

by trade 

ACE 1. ACE 

2. PCW 2. C+VG 

3. Games Machine 3. Crash 

4. Crash 4. Games Machine 

5. Zzap 5. Zzap 

6. C+VG 6. PCW 

7. Commodore User 7. The One 

8. Gamesweek 8. ST Action 

(Combined with 9. NCE 

Pop mid-Feb) 10. Sinclair User 

Sinclair User 

10. Your Sinclair 

Source CTW Dealer survey 1989 

To get your dealer to stock more of your 

product - advertise in ACE. 

Phone : 01 251 6222 ext 2518 for details

SEARCH FOR THE 

TITANIC 

UIUPU she was con- 

fin CN structed in 

1912, the Titanic was the 

biggest moving object ever 

built by man. She weighed 

46,000 tons, carried over 

2,000 passengers and was 

declared the ultimate 

unsinkable ship. After the 

collision with the iceberg, 

which came just four days 

into her maiden voyage, 

the exact location of the 

wreck remained an unfathomable mystery, until 

it was finally discovered in 1985. Capstone's 

oceanographic sim lets you enact that search. 

Not that the Titanic is your immediate objec- 

tive. Basically, you're short on the necessary 

readies and need to amass a reputation akin to 

Jacques Cousteau's before the big sponsors 

start writing out blank cheques. The only way to 

do that is to go on low-budget wreck-hunting 

trips (about ten) and bring back plenty of under- 

sea evidence. 

Each expedition is divided into two separate 

phases: planning and execution. Both are heavy 

on strategy, low on action; most commands are 

performed via key presses and menu selection. 

Graphic representation is minimal and confined 

to the second part. 

Planning involves selecting your ship and 

starting port, deciding what sort of equipment, 

if any, to buy and hiring enough suitably qualified 

crew. As you've got to finance salaries and 

enough water, food and fuel to last the trip as 

well, your initial budget of $10,000 isn't likely to 

stretch very far. That's when you apply for spon- 

sorship from a menu of potential companies 

picking one of a selection of good reasons why 

you want the cash. It's all a question of clinical 

key presses; the begging, wheedling and grovel- 

ling 'just like real life' promised by the manual, 

doesn't really come into it. 

You can't leave port if you've bodged up 

essential arrangements like hiring divers or mak- 

ing enough safety provisions. Get them right 

and you head out into the open sea. You're after 

the co-ordinates of one specific wreck and your 

first job is to get out there in one piece by alter- 

ing direction and speed. 

When you've made it, it's time to survey the 

ocean floor using divers and any equipment like 

a minisub, bathysphere, sonar platform or suc- 

tion tube you might have bought. First trip out. 

you'll probably only be able to afford to send 

divers down on searching and surveying expedi- 


CAPSTONE/CRL prove 

that life under the ocean 

waves might not be 

quite as exciting as 

andlubbers think 

tions to the ocean floor. If 

you find anything, great, if 

you don't you'll just have to 

keep looking. 

You couldn't ask for a 

more complex game- 

design. There are more 

than enough options to 

allow for innumerable dif- 

ferent wreck-seeking trips 

and lots of screens and 

tables to give information 

on factors which might 

affect their outcome. Bad weather, crew health 

and how carefully you've stocked up are all 

important considerations. 

What is missing is any real sense of sus- 

pense or excitement. The action moves very 

slowly and there's not enough visual representa- 

tion or sound to give much incentive for explo- 

ration. This is no problem if you like your simula- 

tions long, involved and ponderous. If you don't, 

the repetitive diving and searching (which takes 

ages to reap any rewards and has practically no 

visual impact) will just get too tedious. One for 

very serious simulation fans only. 


Sesssffl 

Careful navigation is essential in your search for 

the wreckage of the world's greatest liner. 

Once you have acquired a ship, some personnel 

and equipment, you can hegin the hunt for wrecks. 

Digesting the long and informative manual, 

getting to grips with the controls and playing 

right through your first game successfully is' 

likely to take about a day. It took them three 

quarters of a century to find the Titanic so you 

should be prepared for a long wait if you're 

determined to play this to the bitter end. Maximum 

enjoyment requires the sacrifice of lots 

of playing hours. 

No other verstons planned 

Graphically and sontcaffy. Search For The 

Titanic is severely limited. Apart from a few 

maps in drab colours there's httte to comment 

about other than the menu displays - they're 

easy to use and comprehend. In keeping with 

the lethargic speed of the diving section is the 

long (fcsk-toadmg time. Make a cup of tea while 

you're waiting. 

GRAPHICS 3 

AUDIO I 

1 n ij 

10 FACTOR 

FUN FACTOR 

• 

1

In 2320, interstellar 

travel has become as 

commonplace as 

Intercity, and man's 

mission to colonise the 

universe is well underway. 

But then the Outies 

appeared. No-one knew 

where they came from, 

but it was obvious what 

they were after . . . energy 

— and they'd stop at 

nothing to get it. They 

favour charged Black 

Holes. And they just 

turned your latest colony 

into one. But this galaxy's 

not big enough for the 

both of you. 

c 1990 Mirrorsoft Limited

DA III 

GAZZA'S 

SUPER SOCCER 

Gasco'8 ne» as 

rMUL any football fan 

worth his salt will tell you, 

is like George Best. They'll 

inform you that he's one of 

those players who has an 

amazing amount of skill 

and potential, but his tem- 

perament lets him down. 

The Mars Bar Boy' and 

'Fatty' are just a couple of 

this lovable, cheeky character's previous appel- 

lations; most people these days call him 'Gazza' 

and this is where Empire and the programming 

boys at ODE step in. 

Gazza's Super Soccer gives you three 

basic options; you can play a single game, cre- 

ate a league or generate a cup competition. If 

you play a one-off, you're offered the choice of 

one or two players, each of whom can select 

teams (drawn from the current First Division), 

name their players individually and 

decide on skill levels and tactics. 

League and Cup competitions 

follow a similar pattern. For exam- 

ple, in both you decide on the 

tournament size (between four 

and 20 teams for the League, and 

between eight and 64 for the 

Cup), then create a new team or 

load a saved one. You can also 

name the contest: unfortunately, 

the program doesn't allow many 

letters, so if you wanted to call 

your cup 'Littlewoods', it would 

read 'Littlewoo'. There's an extra 

option which allows saved code 

from any 8-bit machine to load 

into any other 8-bit machine - a 

nice touch. 

THE SOCCER SYNDROME 

Without a shadow of a doubt. Soccer simulations have 

atoays been the most popular sport titles for micros. Over 

the past decadc there has been a whole plethora of 

games from huge turkeys to absolutely stunning timeless 

pieces of programming. 

Perhaps the first program to reaJy make its mark 

was Ocean's MatcMay. developed by programming supremo 

Jon Ritman (also responsible for superlative games 

like Head over Heels and the original Batman isometric 3D 

adventure. 

Most recently, however, the crown has been taken 

easily by Anco's superb Kick Off. This utilises an overhead 

view rather than MateWa/s sideon perspective. 

With so many soccer games around at the moment, 

and in the face of such strong competition, it will be interesting 

to see whether titles like Gazza's Super Soccer and 

Footballer of the Year 2 can hold their own. It also 

remams to be seen whether Anco can rema«i at the top of 

the league with their impending management sim Player 

Manager (see the review elsewhere in this issue for more 

details). 


EMPIRE and the Mars Bar 

Boy make a real soccer 

turkey with this no-go 

footie sim 

angle above his head. 

Unfortunately, the action 

doesn't complement the 

meticulous pre-match pre- 

sentation. It's displayed in 

three parts: a central sec- 

tion viewed from the side, 

and two end sections 

seen from the viewpoint of 

the attacking team. In any 

event, the player in pos- 

session is marked by a tri- 

The system used is a big let-down. The con- 

trols are fiddly (you have to change direction 

when the viewpoint changes, and you have to 

press 'Enter' to access the goalkeeper), and the 

graphics are poor, particularly the sense of per- 

spective, the pitch proportions and the player 

animation. This latter aspect is so jerky that it's 

hard to see what's going on a lot of the time, a 

fact aggravated by the seemingly aimless wan- 

In the centre of the pitch you yet a side-on view similar to Match 

day. 

Approaching the ends of the pitch, the view 

switches to a head-on display. 

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SPECTRUM £999cs £14.99C< OUT NOW 

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AMSTRAD £9 99cs£l4.99a< IMMINENT 


If you've ever played Matchday It, you'll know 

what a Spectrum can do with a soccer game. 

It can provide easy-tohandle controls, tense 

and exciting gameplay and a wide variety ot 

options. Gaza's Soccer scores ten out of ten 

for options, but forgets the most important bit: 

the action! It's better to watch the man IwnseK 

on tv than subject yourself to a football Simula 

tion which fails miserably m the • gameplay 

department. 




Confusing and disappointing to begin with, 

Gazza's Super Soccer never even scales the 

foothills of mediocrity, preferring the quiet, 

grassy plains of football game oblivion. If you 

do take to the style of gameplay (which is 

unlikely), the multiple options for generating 

your own leagues and cups may well keep you 

happy for a week or so. Aftor that, the game 

will be consigned to the bin marked 'I wish I 

hadn't bought that'. 

derings of most of the other players on the 

pitch. To cap it all, the sound is limited to a few 

measly blips and vague roaring noises. 

If the other versions are anything like this, 

avoid them. The programmers don't seem to 

have captured the feel, speed or excitement of 

real football, and certainly haven't matched the 

addictiveness of other soccer sims. It's enough 

to put Gazza back on the Mars Bars again. 

MODI FY TIME 

MODI FX KICKING 

SAVE TEAM 

RESTART PROGRAM 


There are plenty of options in Gazza, hut they 

don't make up for the disappointing action.

GREMLIN resurrects 

the footballer of yesteryear 

as yet another micro soccer game 

joins the ranks of the many 

l l l l 

that have gone before 

Like many existing soccer games. FOTY 2 relies 

on an overhead view of (he pitch. 

Initial reaction is lukewarm, as understanding 

the system's subtleties takes some time. After 

a period of playing on one skill level, interest 

may begin to wane, but once you replay at a 

higher standard it becomes rewarding again. 

With nine different skill levels the gameplay 

will remain challenging for some time. 

The strategy isn't Wmdingly comptex, nor are 

the arcade sequences the most fun youl have 

from a footy game, but despite that F0TY2 sti 

rematns playable - largely due to the neat 

graphical touches, and a *ide variety of statistical 

information which you can access at any 

time. Had there been better action and more 

depth m all departments (but particularly the 

gambkig secbon), the game would have been 

much more enjoyable. 

ATARI ST £l9.99dk 

AMIGA £l9.99dk 

RELEASE BOX 

670 

OUT NOW 

IMMINENT 

SPECTRUM £9.99cs£l2.99dk IMMINENT 

C64/128 £9.99cs£H.99dk IMMINENT 


No ahef versions panned. 

FOOTBALLER 

OF THE YEAR 

U/ITUthe World mere weeks away- 

•VII n there's bound to be a glut of soccer 

games on the market; Gremlin has decided to 

sidestep the conventional management/arcade 

footy sim and revive an aging formula they first 

used on 8-bit many moons ago. 

Before you even tie up those laces, you 

have the option of radically changing the game. 

Enter your first and second names, then edit 

the names of national and international teams. 

You begin in the UK Superleague, which incor- 

porates English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh clubs 

(well, that's the only explanation for Swansea 

City appearing alongside Liverpool). 

The game proper offers you a choice of 

options: gamble money in a double or nothing 

trivia game, check your current team or individ- 

ual status, opt for a transfer (for which expen- 

sive transfer cards have to be purchased, but 

you also get a cut of the fee) - or play a match. 

Matches place you in a variety of national/inter- 

national league and cup competitions, and offer 

you the chance to purchase goalcards. Goal- 

cards boost your team's score in that particular 

game, but only if you successfully memorise 

and execute a pre-match plan. 

What would a soccer star be without the 

option of an international career? Score goals 

and impress the right people and you may just 

get the nod from whichever national side you 

opted for at the beginning. If you don't, you can 

always complain that the manager has constant- 

ly frowned upon players of extraordinary talent, 

and that you're in the same company as Alan 

Hudson and Glenn Hoddle. 

Score the most goals by the end of the sea- 

son (why can't you win the title for being a 

defender?), and the accolade 'Footballer of the 

Year' is your rich reward. 

You begin the game in the U.K. Superleague. Here 

you can select which team to play for. 

Apart from the basic lack of variety, there are a 

couple of other problems with this game. First- 

ly, accessing the various tables means a short 

wait whilst they're drawn up, but they're statisti- 

cally comprehensive and add a lot to the enjoy- 

ment of the game's strategic elements. 

More serious than this is the depth of the 

'double or nothing' section, which contains too 

few questions, many of which are repeated in a 

slightly different form too soon after they were 

first asked. During the same gambling 

sequence, the game threw up 'Which side were 

beaten by Leeds in the 1973 final?' (Sunder- 

land), followed by 'What was the year in which 

Sunderland beat Leeds in the FA Cup Final?' This 

wouldn't be too bad if the questions v/ere hard- 

er, but they're too simple for anyone with a 

moderate knowledge of football. 

If you don't know too much about soccer, 

FOTY 2 is a reasonable enough strategy game. 

It has plenty of tactical options, some compact 

arcade sequences and the ability to save/load 

games so that you can go on for seasons. In 

the end, though, you'll wish there was a bit 

more to it. 

The control menu allows you to select your next course of action. 



While the two goons are intent on you. they fail 

to notice Black Virgin springing from behind... 

This unusual beat-em-up 

from TITUS becomes 

RELEASE BOX 


something of a 

walk on the wild side 

WILD STREETS 

a beat 'em up. any beat 'em up. What 

does it contain? A Magnum 357 

maybe, but a black panther in the official 

employment of the CIA? - certainly not. Presumably 

that's why Titus have used them as gimmicks 

to add a touch of originality to their latest 

game. 

The scenario follows the standard urban 

beat 'em up line. It's 1998 and downtown New 

York has degenerated into a ruinous shanty 

town. The guys in charge are the Mafia and 

their latest caper involved kidnapping the director 

of the CIA. 

Without further ado, James Taylor, Panamanian 

veteran and professional CIA bully-boy, is 

helicoptered in. This isn't the sort of mission 

even a guy on steroids accepts alone, so 

before he leaps out into the urban jungle he's 

equipped with a limited ammunition gun and his 

own personal feline bodyguard, aptly named 

Black Virgin. 

There are five separate levels but the objective 

in each one is roughly the same: beat your 

way through thugs and hoodlums along a flick 

screen city path to the end of the level and an 

even harder hoodlum. You can use your Magnum 

any time but it's wise to save any bullets 

you've got left for the final showdown, when it's 

easier just to shoot the big guy down. Black Virgin 

trots obediently behind you most of the 

time, springing on the occasional street fighter 

to help you out. 


AMIGA £24.99dk OUT NOW 

SPECTRUM £8.99cs IMMINENT 


It doesn't take too long to get the hang of a 

beat 'em up so it doesn't take long to discover 

that Wild Streets isn't going to keep you glued 

to your screen. As it's fairly easy, however, 

once you've started you may want to see if 

you can finish it. Whether you stay the course 

is likely to depend on what else you've got to 

play. Even so. in the long term. Wild Streets is 

the kind of program which makes you wish 

you'd waited for the reviews before you 

bought it. 

Stiff animation and an almost interminable 

series of loofcalike sprites do little to nprove 

on the wooiy control method and tedious 

gameotay. The use of flick-screen rather than 

scrokig action, means that it's easy for the 

main character to get caught between 

screens. That way he gets a beating from both 

s»des without you actually being able to see 

what's gomg on. Sound-wise, the title tire «s 

appropriately actonpacked with some weak 

sampled speech, but the in-game FX are limited. 

nvc nn i 

384 

The only significant difference between this 

and the ST version is sightly enhanced sound. 

The unremarkable title tune plays right through 

each level instead of at the start and the growling 

panther and beating effects are slightly 

more reafrstic. Apart from that all the ST criticisms 

apply. 

nwc "" i ir«u 

401 

In theory the selection of ten different 

punching and kicking movements (not all that 

many by sophisticated standards) should provide 

enough spice for a varied fight. In practice, 

the moves you select aren't always translated 

accurately into what's going on on screen. That 

wouldn't matter too much if you didn't have bullets 

to save but repeatedly firing your last bullet 

when all you actually wanted to do was a flying 

kick can get a little frustrating. 

Even so, the worst thugs New York City can 

muster don't require too much complex punching 

to beat. The fighting element lacks speed, 

fluidity and variety; it's fairly easy to dispatch 

most villains with a couple of blows. 

Blow by blow, Wild Streets degenerates 

into less and less of a challenge. Technically the 

absence of scrolling and stiff animation are a 

disappointment. It doesn't take long for the 

action to become repetitive and extremely 

tedious - and a couple of gimmicks can't make 

up for that. 

There's trouble ahead, but a knee to the groin 

soon fixes things! 

Kati Hamza

— 

THERE WILL BE MOMENTS WHEN YOU'LL WISH 

YOU HADN'T 1AKEN OFF! 

'F-16 Combat Pilot pulls out all the stops' 

- game of the month. The Games Vachine. 

I'm primed for action as my F-16 leaves the runway. This time 

my ir ss on is to destroy a battalion of tanns. Suddenly, threat 

wig - interceptors closing fast! I quickly select dogfight 

male and arm a Sidewinder. We both fire at the same time - 

daff end a high-g turn out manoeuvres his missile. A loud 

explosion tells me he's not so lucky. 

'The mil between action and realism is terrific' 

- ACE rated 952 - Advanced Computer Entertainment. 

F-16 

COMBAT PLOT 

msi.m. IBM CGA HERCULES. IBM EM & & cn 515'a 35'tes'W* COMMODORE CM: cz&e U455. teiM. 

'F-16 Combat Pilot wins hands down' 

- 5 star game - New Computer Express. 

Flying fast and low, I turn my F-16 towards my target. Time to 

switch on the ground radar and arm the laser-guided Mavericks. 

I fire six missiles in QUICK succession. Lanti fn automatically 

locking on to each tank. With flak bursting around me I dive for 

cover and head for home. Approaching base, I contact the tower 

and request a talkdown for my night landing. 

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Your dates: 

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Continuing the tradition 

but dedicated to leisure. 

Sponsored by C&VG, SINCLAIR USER. CU, ACE and THE ONE. 

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or Gary Williams ext 2518

ROTOR 

ARCANA get into some heavy Gravitar style thrusting 

with their compelling shoot and collect game 

Don't be decieved by the minimalist graphics in the simulator section - this game has bags of 

playability and is hellishly addictiite. 

the future, so say Arcana, there will be two 

options for people such as us: work like 

slaves for no reward or enlist with the Roto- 

Raiders. These fine upstanding citizens are part 

of a crack squad of flying battle tank pilots on a 

mission. Mission objective: destroy enemy 

defences, steal energy, ammunition and fuel, 

then come home. 

THE ARCHIMEDES FACTOR! 

The Acorn Archimedes was supposed to be a milestone in 

microcomputer history - the first affordable machine to 

use RISC technology. It promised so much for the games 

player and yet. up to now, it has delivered so little. 

There can be no denying that for any serious games 

designer the machine rs a prayer answered - not only do 

it's graphic and sound capabilities rival those of the 

Amiga, but the presence of the BSC processor allows the 

programmer to indulge in more complex routines without 

sacrificing the speed of execution land that is exactly 

what you want to hear if you are trymg to generate hundreds 

of soW three-dimensional, fast moving polygons for 

instance). 

So why have companies been so slow to develop 

software for the machine? The answer. In part, can be put 

down to ifs small, but rapidly growing, user base as well 

as Acorn's reluctance to market the Archie as an entertainment 

machine. But that is becoming fess of a reason 

able excuse with each passing day. 

It is nice to see a relatively smaB company like 

Arcana developing Archimedes versions alongside traditional 

16-bit games, even rf this particular game doesn't 

really exptort the machine's capabilities to the fufl. Let us 

hope that other software developers are Quick to follow 

Arcana's example and give this superb micro the recognition 

it deserves. 

Fair enough. But before you even get near 

the leather of a ROTOR's yoke, you have to 

undergo six simulator levels in order to prove 

your worthiness. These pocket missions still 

end your game if you lose all three simulated 

ships, but you can take comfort in the fact that 

at least no one really died. Every three missions 

you gain a password which allows you to tackle 

the next set: eventually you get to tackle the 

eighteen non-simulator stages. 

Throughout the game you have a pocket 

computer informer. This handy gadget gives 

details about your mission successes and 

details your level of prestige units (PUs). PUs 

are necessary to gam access to later missions, 

and are acquired by carrying out tasks and 

blowing up empty containers. 

Your ship can be improved in the missions 

proper by opening caskets which contain 

pearls. An on board transformer converts these 

into useful customisations such as extra rota- 

tion speed, engine upgrades, hull renewal and 

more powerful lasers. Once you start collecting 

these, the craft becomes appreciably easier to 

handle. On the negative side, opening contain- 

ers sometimes reveals mines, which weigh your 

ship down considerably. If you don't collect 

them they explode, and a life is lost. 

Each level is a self-contained unit, the size 

of which increases as the difficulty advances. 

The only way out is to find a randomly-generat- 

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PC £24.99dk IMMINENT 


Quite tough to begin with, the ROTORS in all 

versions are difficult to control. Once you've 

eased through the excellent simulators, however. 

the mission levels are challenging and 

(literally) rewarding: the upgrades give you 

greater control and keep you coming back for 

just one more go. The ST version falls shorter 

in appeal because poor graphic movement 

inhibits the gameplay. making it a little too 

frustrating. 

It's not just the poor scrofong (which some 

times disorientates you) or the sparse effects 

which make the ST version less worthy; it's 

also the fact that Rotor has OIOS as a direct 

competitor. OfDS is a far superior game, but 

anyone with a liking for Grawtar-influenccd 

action shouW check it out anyway. 

IS) 



For a supposedly superior machine the 

Archimedes has yet to prove itself on the 

games front. Rotor is no exception m this 

case. This versxxi does not really score much 

over the Amiga game. Slightly nicer sound and 

smoother scrolling are al that give it the edge 

over the other two versions. Nevertheless, full 

marks to Arcana for even bothering to think 

about this too often ignored machine. 

IS 



There are too few Grawtarstyle games on the 

Amiga, so anything half-decent is bound to 

prove by far and away the best. Even so, a 

great soundtrack, smooth and polished graphics. 

excellent presentation and a fair degree of 

difficulty help make it an appeatflg game in its 

own right. For the price, ifs worth a look. 

is GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 6 


ed exit once you've successfully destroyed ene- 

mies and collected the spoils. Later missions 

contain nasty surprises like artificial gravity gen- 

erators, laser bases, snake bases and rapid-fir- 

ing cannon. If you haven't got some nifty control 

upgrades by then, you won't be coming home 

for tea. And even if you do defeat the enemies, 

you won't be able to return unless you collect 

all the sun crystals lying in caskets. It's a tough 

old life, isn't it? 



VENDETTA 

f A date the Last Ninja series 

I v have been System 3's 

biggest products. All that seems 

set to change with Vendetta, a mix- 

ture of Ninja, Outrun and a lot of 

improvement. 

It may look like Last Ninja's 

programming routines with differ- 

ent graphics, but the whole thing 

has been kicked up a gear. The 

opens with a video display depict- 

ing some of the kidnap of a nucle- 

ar physicists daughter. Rather than 

the usual ransom demands these 

terrorists are forcing the professor 

to build them a nuclear bomb, allowing them to 

spread even more fear throughout the world. 

Playing the part of a lone vigilante it's down to 

you to rescue the Prof, and his daughter before 

find anything more deadly than a knife. 


Guns, violence, 

terrorists and 

SYSTEM 3. 

Where's a ninja 

game when you 

need one? 

the bomb is completed. Seeing as 

you're operating in an above the 

law status, it's not only the terror- 

ists you have to look out for, but 

the police. 

The first level turns out to 

be a warehouse, staffed with ter- 

rorists. Though some of them are 

armed, most of them tend to be 

relatively harmless, especially 

when you find a weapon. No 

namby pamby bamboo staffs or 

bows here, we're talking machine 

guns that can cut through most of 

the enemy forces. That, coupled 

with the ability to fire and run backward makes 

you pretty confident, until you come across ter- 

rorists in kevlar body suits. Then it's down to the 

thump and grind of martial arts to get you 

through. 

Discovery is the better part of progress in 

this case, which means keeping an eye out for 

every possible object. Apart from finding 

weapons you need to find computer disks, video 

recordings and other evidence to prove the bad 

guy's exist and that you're not one of them. 

It's not just a case of leaving one level and 

entering the next. Nowadays hero's travel from 

place to place in a turbo charged Porsche, in an 

excellent driving sequence. The road scrolls per- 

fectly. all the twist, turns and junctions move as 

realistically as roads can be on an 8-bit micro. 

With the addition of terrorist cars and missile 

launchers the whole thing's a tad hectic. 

Vendetta isn't your usual run of the mill 

arcade adventure. The graphics are excellent, 

displayed fast and don't confuse matters too 

i 

A classic easy to get Into game. The only 

beginning problem is getting used to moving 

about on the perspective screen. Once that 

has been accomplished, ifs a case of getting 

to know where all the locations and useful 

objects are. 

With the addition of a separate, quality driving 

section, the payability is strengthened 

even further. 

Once completed (which is no mean feat). 

Vendetta is one of those games thafs worth 

digging out again and again just because of 

the quality of the graphics and presentation. 

Graphical. Vendetta is one of the best 64 

games I've seen in ages. The screens are 

drawn fast, and the detail is excellent. The presentation 

impresses right from the start, and 

lots of extra touches are included throughout. 

A game vtfiich comes close to pushing the 

64 to its limits in speed, graphics and sound, 

leaving room for an absorbing, taxing game. 


AUDIO 9 FUN FACTOR 9 U U 

RELEASE BOX 

C64/128 C9.99CS £12.99dk OUT NOW 

much. A driving soundtrack accompanies the 

graphics and adds even more atmosphere to an 

already tidy game. 

The last of the three levels in set in a terror- 

ist's favourite bolt hole, a plane. To give the 

effect of a confined space the screen is cut 

down to a third of it's size. Leaving no room to 

manoeuvre and even less room to fight. It's 

worth noting that the further you get the more 

bloodthirsty the action is. All the opponents 

come complete with Uzi's and bullet proofing, all 

the useful items are guarded and the pace is 

really stepped up. 

Probably the best thing about Vendetta is 

it's accessibility. It's easy to get into, taxing and 

doesn't leave you a gibbering wreck with awe- 

some problems. Definitely a game worth buying. 

If anything it tops Myth as one of the best origi- 

nal 64 games in a long time. 

• Mark Patterson

LORDS OF CHAOS 

project - his brother, Nick Gollop, is working on 

the comedian Richard Digance observed 

recently, if a hurricane hit Harlow New 

Town it would make an improvement. 'Concrete' 

was the middle name of whoever designed the 

town centre, a geometric mass of the stuff, with 

post-war school-building aesthetics and a 

depressing line in sharp corners and bland 

paving stones. 

Hard then to believe that one of Britain's 

most consistently good development houses 

haven't thrown themselves off a concrete walk- 

way in despair instead of writing a string of 

great strategy games. Yet Target Games are 

beavering away on the next potential hit now, a 

"fantasy, strategy, role-playing game" called 

Lords of Chaos. 

The aim of the game is simple - playing a 

wizard you must defeat other wizards and reach 

a portal somewhere on the landscape within a 

certain number of turns - it is the method of 

play and the execution of strategy which makes 

the game cause for interest. For the overriding 

aspect of the game is magic, the use, selection 

and potency of spells to defeat all of your oppo- 

nents. 

There are several types of spells. Creature 

spells range from the utterly pathetic giant bat. 

to the ultimate... red. green and gold dragons. 

Projectile spells such as lightning can be useful 

in times of crises and close combat; terrain 

Nick Gollop 

Julian Gollop 

TARGET GAMES reveals its 

strategy for the past, present 

and future 

Target Games, with the delightful Harlow in the 

background 

spells like Flood multiply insidiously to make a 

landscape impassable; more other-worldly incan- 

tations such as Subversion do things like turn an 

opponent's creature to your own side. 

Each spell costs "mana" to cast, which 

regenerates each turn and can be boosted by 

some of the objects found on the huge scrolling 

landscape (viewed from above with the crea- 

tures displayed in a psuedo-3D fashion). The 

amount of "mana" needed is dependent upon 

the level of the spell, the higher the level the 

greater the drain. 

Every creature, even a wizard, has a certain 

number of Action Points which are used up in a 

turn by movement, firing and, if a wizard is 

selected, casting spells. 

A wizard will send their creatures off to 

seek and destroy the other wizards (up to eight, 

which can be either human or computer con- 

trolled and who take it in turns to move) and 

their creations as well as pick up objects on the 

ground and in chests. These aid life and are vital 

for the casting of some spells - notably the 

dragon spells. 

The game ends when the last, surviving wiz- 

ard (who by this time should have many victory 

points) makes it to the portal and on to the next 

level. During the wizard definition section (which, 

at the moment, is a separate program) the play- 

er builds the strength and attributes of a charac- 

ter and chooses spells in return for points. 

"The idea of using magic in a strategy game 

gives an infinite variety of strategies," says 

Julian Gollop, a founder of Target Games. He is 

the Commodore 64 version whilst Martin Beadle 

is embarking upon 16-bit versions. 

Julian has an intriguing past. He began pro- 

gramming in 1984 for the short-lived Red Shift 

software before moving on to Games Workshop 

where he wrote the original Chaos (re-released 

on Firebird Silver last year) upon which Lords 

of Chaos is vaguely based. His break came in 

1986 with the highly acclaimed Rebelstar for 

Firebird Silver, followed by the sequel, Rebel- 

star 2, in 1987/8. 

His most recent work, Laser Squad, the 

first for Target Games, gained yet more 

acclaim, combining strategy with a touch of 

action. It was recently published by Blade Soft- 

ware for all major formats. 

Julian is programming the Z80 versions and 

is the ideas-force behind this game. What 

inspired him to get into strategy games? "A little 

set of tabletop figures for Lord of the Rings. 

Five or six fantasy figures - a few hobbits and 

ores and things like that". In fact, the original 

Chaos was a board game. 

"To create things is good," announces 

Julian, musing on a suitable philosophy for Tar- 

get Games - "Get drunk" shouts Martin beadle 

from the background - "to break the straitjacket 

of mediocre computer gaming" comes back 

Julian. 

"Lords of Chaos is as good as we can do 

on 8-bit," he says, "it's fantastically complex 

compared to Laser Squad'. Of course, "the 16- 

bit versions will be significantly enhanced with 

more spells and adventurey-type things". There 

may even be a quest: "to recover a magical 

staff or whatever". 

And what about his hopes for the game? 

"For it to be liked by the people that play it... to 

be recognised as something a bit different. If 

people are playing the game in a few years 

time, I'd be happy." 

one of the three programmers working on the Martin Beadle 

• Jeffrey Davy 


THE SEVEN GATES OF 

JAMBALA 

Discover if seven is 

GRANDSLAM/THALION's 

lucky number in their new 

platform cutie 

CUflDTon ,eg anci sma" 'n stature 

Oflvnl in courage and cuteness factor), 

dwarves, pixies and Mario-clones are favourite 

heroes in arcade adventures. Dravion, the sor- 

cerer's apprentice doesn't differ significantly 

from the norm - but then nor does his arcade 

adventure. In fact, it looks like a genetic hybrid, 

cleverly constructed from the components of 

several other platform games. 

The most notable resemblance is to Ubi 

Soft's Twin World - the horizontally scrolling 

landscape looks very similar and though the 

execution isn't quite as slick, the plot runs along 

roughly the same lines. Partly by accident and 

partly by nefarious design, Dravion has fallen 

into the notorious labyrinth of Jambala. The only 

way out is to travel through seven different 

mazes in search of all the scattered pieces of a 

magic wand and then put them together again 

in a specially designed arcade sequence. 

As he's skipping along ledges, leaping 

across chasms, searching through passages 

and trying to access the right sets of doors, our 

small and plucky hero has to fight his way 

through the usual selection of underground 

beasts. Giant wasps, nipping rats and strange 

green creatures get top billing in Jambala's 

magical menagerie. A couple of flashes with a 

hastily devised spell usually put them out of 

their misery; some even leave 

stronger, long-range spells behind - 

useful for defeating the slightly harder 

end-of-level meanie. 

Wandering around Jambala cast- 

ing spells at people does have its 

compensations. Every now and then 

you pick up goodies like extra lives, 

even bigger, better spells, and ham- 

mers. The latter are designed to help 

you in a DIY search of the ground for 

gold and other treasures. You can 

spend them in the locations marked 

by little wooden doors you find along 

the way. The idea is that their inhabi- 

tants dispense information, extra 

jumping ability and the like at a rea- 


sonable price. Unlike the streets of Dick Whit- 

tington's London, however, the paths of Jam- 

bala aren't paved with gold, so shopaholics 

won't find much they can afford to buy. 

In fact, for a sophisticated platform based 

adventure, pickups are pretty thin on the 

ground. As a result Dravion's frantic to-ing and 

fro-ing scores lower on variety and action than 

you might expect. Coupled with the absence of 

two-way horizontal scrolling and some occasion- 

ally tight collision detection this does tend to 

reduce Jambala's long-term appeal. 

There is a plus side though; the graphics 

and sound create just the right sort of magical 

atmosphere and the Dravion sprite is made all 

the more endearing (or nauseating depending 

on how you feel about it) by some slickly ani- 

mated touches. For serious games players its 

average content won't provide as much of a 

challenge as some of the other platformers 

around - Axel's Magic Hammer or Twin World, 

for example. Younger computer owners and 

platform addicts might find it has more appeal. 

Our hero leaps towards a not so cute nasty. 

s c o n w VOID -r\ 

, 000444 OOOl 

. 002 1 . 7 


No. it's not lunch - this bird is about to ojjer you something 

in return for a little gold. 

V < : 

, OOOOOO 

r n v o c 

oooo 

f Mves r- 1MEV£*.1X , 

009 1 .Z 

The cutsie hero contemplates which of the pretty 

houses to enter. 

RELEASE BOX 







Polished graphics, detaied animation and a 

metow soundtrack manage to steep the game 

in a cute olde woride fantasy atmosphere. FX 

on the other hand - a mash mash of familiar 

arcade adventure sounds - are Jess imaginatwe. 

The oneway horizontal scrolling is generaty 

smoother than the twoway vertical movement. 


AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR S ^ 

Pretty graphics and atmospheric sound are 

attractive enough to entice at first but a few 

minutes play reveal that there isn't enough 

cake to go with the icing. The action lacks the 

variety and originality that should koep you 

playing past the first couple of hours - after 

that ifll probably go straight back into the 

software drawer.

tniQl ACTION 

•AGREAT PLATFORM GAME AND 

BHILI.IANTLY PROORAMMED... WELL 

WORTH ANYBODY'S TIME AND MONEY 

•CUTESY GAMES NEARLY 

ALWAYS SEEM TO OFFER THE BEST 

VALUE FOR MONEY THESE DAYS - 

RAINBOW ISLANDS IS NO EXCEPTION. 

THE GRAPHICS ARE BRIGHTLY 

COLOURED AND VERY ORIGINAL... 

AN EXCELLENT GAME AND ONE 

THAT OFFERS A GOOD DEAL OF 

LONG-TERM ENJOYMENT". 

-THE GRAPHICS WITHIN RAINBOW 

ISLANDS ARE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL 

TO THE ARCADE & VERY 

NICELY DEFINED". 

a aJjSfo' 

framWmm mmJ

SWORD OF THE 

SAMURAI 

The peasants ^runble, but you delnser- a stern Message 

remrndritii thew that ft rs therr dwt«j to oben. 

Time to crack the whip over the peasantry - the part of the game for sadists. 

when you thought 

Microprose were 

scraping the bottom of the 

contemporary simulation 

barrel, they changed the 

barrel. This time those mas- 

ters of sim and sophistica- 

tion are taking their cus- 

tomers back in time to feu- 

dal Japan, land of hard- 

nosed samurai warriors. 

Samurai have three out- 

standing traits: they're easily offended, they 

have a great sense of loyalty and they don't 

mind doing people over (only when necessary, 

of course). 

To succeed in this simulation, you need a 

whole host of other samurai qualities, too: tact, 

a knowledge of battlefield tactics, stealth and a 

ruthless willingness to succeed. If you're the 

kind of person who worries about the choles- 

terol in a cream bun, this isn't for you. 

A piece of advice before you start: read the 

102-page manual. Not only does it provide 

superb background knowledge about the peri- 

od, it also helps a lot in tactical planning. The 

action takes the form of a series of menus 

interspersed with some concise arcade 

sequences. The very first menu you'll face gives 

you the option to practice some of these ele- 

ments, such as duelling or battle encounters: if 

you just want a short, snappy game this is quite 

handy. 


MICROPROSE 

invade feudal Japan 

with their latest 

sophisticated simulation 

If you haven't got a saved 

game to load in, it's time to 

put on that ol' ambition hat 

and get down to some seri- 

ous business. You name 

your samurai (a 15-year old 

novice) and align him to one 

of the clans. Each clan is 

distinguished by its relative 

strengths in honour, general- 

ship, swordsmanship and 

land management: statistics 

which you will need to learn well if you're to suc- 

ceed in the variety of subtle situations the game 

offers you. 

It's vital that you think thoroughly before 

you take any decision, as other samurai are 

competing with you for the immediate goal: to 

become daimyo, or clan leader. One rash action 

can end the game, and that means a lot of disk- 

access hassle. 

Becoming daimyo means gaining land, hon- 

our and strength. Once you've established your- 

self, you can then go on to conquer more terri- 

tory (at least 24 provinces) until you think your- 

self fit to be declared Shogun, a position grant- 

ed by the Emperor to the military ruler of feudal 

Japan. 

There's so much to do in Samurai that it will 

be a long time before you've exhausted its pos- 

sibilities: you can explore, conquer, wage wars, 

acquire honour, marry and reach a state of 

appeasement with your rivals, each action com- 

As with every simulation Microprose produce, 

this is a very tlvorough emulation of the sublet. 

The only game to approach it for detail 

about feudal Japan is Cinemaware's Lords of 

the Rising Sun: Samurai is far more indepth, 

chalenging and rewarding. As an added bonus, 

the game supports an AdLib sound board or a 

Roland MT-32 Mk* board. In fact, the only 

aspect on winch you can really fault Samurai is 

its graphical quality: even m VGA mode the 

sprites are poorly drawn, coloured and animated. 

As a result. CGA mode is a better option, 

smce the characters move a little more rapidly 

and there is little lost in aesthetic appeal. 


AUDIO N/A FUN FACTOR 7 


The massive instruction manual and confusion 

of options take some time to get used to. but 

they won't deter serious simulation fans. The 

massive variety of options, four skill levels and 

great subtlety of the gameplay prove very 

compulsive with extended play, and the manual 

provides enough background information 

and atmosphere to help you Ignore the poor 

visual effects. The only deterrent to lasting 

enjoyment is the repetitiveness of certain 

actions: some of the text options are limited 

and the disk access a little slow on low MHz 

PCs. Even so. It will take a long time to even 

become daimyo. and ifs the kind of game 

you'll be coming back to in a year's time. 

prising a complex sub-set of other actions. The 

only real trouble is the disk access time (very 

frustrating, but not too onerous on a hard disk) 

and the poor visual presentation. With those 

aspects up to scratch it would have been a seri- 

ous gamesplayer's dream. 


The map shows the disposition of the samurai 

in the game.


All multi-eventers take some getting used to. 

though the graded complexity of Shaolin's 

events Is definitely designed to break you in 

gently. It's a game of two halves bound to gain 

double the attention, especially as the four 

and two-player options contribute to long-term 

playability. Once you've exhausted solo play, 

it'll always be one to bring out when you're 

playing with friends. 

ATARI ST £19.99dk 

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OUT NOW 

IMMINENT 


C64/128 £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT 



Skk presentation, clear instructions and 

accessible controls ensure a high level of 

playability. The main drawback is the animation 

erf the main sprites which aren't as we* defined 

as they could be and can look rather stiff. 

Sound ts a combmabon of C64-style oriental 

music and a few insignificant punchang effects 

which don't contribute much to the action. 

GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR S 

AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 8 

IJACT beat 'em ups include so many com- 

Iwlvw • plex fighting moves that they require 

an initial learning period before you really start 

to get to grips with them. Chambers of Shaohn 

has the usual selection of punches, but instead 

of ignoring the learning curve, German software 

house Thalion has actually made a feature of it. 

The program works in two parts; first you build 

up your character's skills in six different training 

events, then when he's experienced enough you 

save him to disk and enter him in the fighting 

contest proper. 

There are six Chambers of Shaolin, each 

one dedicated to uniting the body and mind in 

harmony through a special discipline. Each is 

aimed at a particular ability like balance, speed 

or strength and features such supposedly oriental 

pursuits as jumping between four rising and 

sinking poles, dodging flying objects, kicking 

burning baskets off a wooden bridge and chopping 

through boards with your bare hands (the 

only joystick waggler). Up to four players can 

take part; each character can be separately 

saved to disk. 

All this eastern circuit training is very reminiscent 

of the kind of multi-eventers (Winter 

Games, etc) Epyx used to produce in the good 

old 8-bit days. All the events (with the possible 

exception of the board chopping) are extremely 

well implemented, easy to get the hang of and 

good clean fun. In effect, they comprise a medium 

sized game in their own right. 

Surrounded by Jim. our hero had better get kicking if he doesn't want his tootsies burned. 

CHAMBERS OF 

SH AOLIN 

Does GRANDSLAM/ 

THALION' Oriental beat-em-up 

live up to its Eastern Promise 

hit the gongs in order to avoid a watery end... 

Having learnt how uncoordinated you really 

are, it's time to leap into the arena and face a 

number of opponents. The objective is to save 

your sister who's been kidnapped by a rival 

gang and to succeed you'll have to make use of 

all the skills you learned at the academy - and 

more. In addition to traditional punches, moves 

include such specialities as the splits and the 

Tigerclaw. The colour of your belt (and consequently 

your strength) are determined by how 

well you did in the Chambers. This is more 

important if you're playing a computer rather 

than human opponent - the artificial variety is 

tougher to beat. 

Both sections are well-presented, absorbing 

and enjoyable. Neither outweighs the other; 

once you've played through the Chambers 

once, you've got two excellent games which are 

practically independent of one another and give 

you the added bonus of two and four player 

options. 

The only annoying aspects are the animation 

- which is nearer adequate than outstanding 

- and the uneventful sound. In every other 

respect Chambers of Shaolin lives up to its 

eastern promise. 

• Kati Harrna 

The only Joystick waggler' in the game - the traditional 

karate chop on a piece of wood. 


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ife HEROES OF THE PAST ARE HERE TO SAVE THE Fbtafr 

featuring ituring Flash Gordon and his friends in an epic battle / ^ [ T ^ ^ T ^ S ^ ! ^ 

against ainst the evil forces of Ming The Merciless / Z_£=]l I JJi=®li3H%? 

AVAILABLE AILABLE FOR: C64, AMSTRAD CPC JH9H 

AMIGA, ATARI ST SPECTRUM 48/128K 13 1UMhW North Park Road, Harrogate HG1 5PD Sales: (0322) 92518

Travel to a local soft- 

BIT-MAP 

BLARNEY! 

ware house, meet 

strange exotic pro- 

grammers, eat a won- 

drous buffet lunch, 

walk away with ACE 

freebies, and get your 

name in the maga- 

zine: all courtesy of 

the ACE Conferences. 

Last month we told you all 

about the ACE Conferences. 

If you missed out, the message 

is that we're organising 

a series of meetings between 

you, the readers, and 

Britain's top software houses. 

You not only get the chance 

to meet the programmers 

and publishers of today's 

greatest games, but you also get a light 

lunch, some ACE freebies, and the 

chance to let the software houses know 

exactly what you think about the games 

you play. Chances are you'll also pick up 

some freebies from the software houses 

themselves, but we're not promising anything! 

Last month we gave you advance 

warning of some of the conferences to 

be held in the London area. We're also 

arranging some in the North of the country, 

details of which we were planning to 

print this month but which will now have 

to wait until the next issue while we complete 

the necessary arrangements. 

Expect, however, to get the opportunity 

to visit Ocean in Manchester, Psygnosis 

in Liverpool, and US Gold in Birmingham 

for starters. We'll also do our best to 

sort something out for readers in Scotland. 

Any suggestions? 

Meanwhile, we've now fixed the date 

for the first conference (see box). This 

will be with the infamous Domark and will 

give you a chance to get first-hand experience 

of one of Britain's longest estab- 

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO 

Each month, we'll let you know about forthcoming conferences around the country. If you think 

you might be interested in attending one, all you have to do is send us a postcard with your 

name and address clearly written, together v/ith a daytime telephone number if at all possible. 

You also need to tell us which conference you would be interested in attending (one choice 

only, please) and your age. We need to know how old you are so that we can ensure a good 

spread of age groups at each conference. 

Unfortunately we have to limit the number of people attending each conference to 15. In 

addition, we have to make a nominal charge of £5.00 to help cover costs. All places are allocated 

on a first-come, first-served basis. There is however an exception to both these conditions: as 

a special offer to subscribers we are giving them priority allocations for the first ten places in 

each conference, and they may also attend free of charge. You can find out how to become a 

subscriber on page 49 (and you get other benefits too - a free issue, a special newsletter, and 

guaranteed delivery). 

As soon as we decide on a date, time and venue for a conference (Domark is the only one 

fixed at the time of going to press), we'll select the lucky readers from those who have applied 

and inform them of the relevant details. If anyone can't attend, they'll be shortlisted for a future 

conference and another selection will be made for someone who can take their place. 


Castle Warrior artwork from Domark/Inccntive. You can find out the 

reality behind the poster {f you attend the Domark conference: there 

are still some places Itft. so write in now! 

lished software houses, with a great string of hits 

behind them including APB, the Bond games, Splitting 

Image, and Trivial Pursuit. Not only that, but you'll also 

be meeting the boys from Incentive - who in tha past 

have given you games like Darkside, GAC, and Driller. 

In particular, you'll be able to check out Castle Warrior. 

their latest release. 

MEET THE BIT-MAPS! 

We've also arranged another ACE Conference in London, 

with Mirrorsoft. In particular this should be a 

golden opportunity for Xenon fans, because the 

Bitmap Brothers are expected to attend. And. of 

course, you'll also get the chance to find out more 

about products from Cinemaware, Imageworks, FTL, 

and others. 

Just to very things a bit, we'll also be fixing up an 

ACE Conference...with ACE! This will give readers the 

opportunity to visit the ACE office, chat to all of use 

here, get a bite to eat, and give their frank opinions on 

the magazine. Details soon...

OPTIONS 

Every once in a while a game comes 

along which cannot be classified into 

a convenient style. This is one of 

them. The plot centres around you as Prince 

Cirion of Morenor attempting to save the kingdom 

from the clutches of the evil goddess 

Medusa who is attempting to control the world 

with her hell army. 

As Medusa is not actually in the country 

Cirion must find five rings which have been 

scattered around the country, put them together 

in a temple and force her to battle. Sounds 


STARBYTE 

defies description with 

its new release 

easy enough but Cirion has no army and very 

little money. 

The landscape of Morenor is shown as an 

overhead view with a small blob indicating your 

position. Movement is simply a matter of using 

the mouse to place the cursor where you want 

to go. then holding the button down. The landscape 

is beautifully depicted with mountains, 

forests, marshes, castles and towns looking 

quite real. Upon entering towns the display 

changes to a stylised view of the various buildings 

there (the same view for all the towns, and 

buildings are entered simply by clicking on 

them). Inside buildings you are presented with 

various menus showing all the available 

options. 

Your first task is to make some money in 

order to pay for the army you will need. There 

are several ways this can be done such as 

gambling in the casino, attacking caravans, 

conquering towns and plundering their treasuries, 

mining for raw materials and finding 

treasure. 

By far the most reliable though is trading 

which although slow to begin with has the 

advantage of being easy and more or less 

under your control. All sorts of items are available 

for trade such as sheep, books, leather, 

beer etc. Horses and wagons are always available 

and each such outfit can carry up to 80 

items. The trick is to buy cheap and sell dear 

which generally means a long trek across country 

to a distant town. Assuming you aren't 

ambushed on the way and robbed of all your 

possessions you can soon start generating a 

handsome profit. 

As the game progresses so the state of 

various towns changes. What begins as a 

booming commercial centre with a high cost of 

living may eventually degenerate to a ghost 

town where prices are low. Also the amount of 

stock of particular items in a town changes 

from time to time, so keeping careful records 

of different prices can be no more than a guide 

• intuition plays the major part. 

Once you have accumulated some money 

a variety of options are open to you. You can 

hire scouts and search for possible sources of 

raw materials then open mines and sell the 

products in town. Alternatively you might wish 

to buy a cargo ship and trade with distant 

islands. Whatever you decide the aim is to 

accumulate enough money to hire a big enough 

army to eventually defeat Medusa. 

1 

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1,0 £29.99dk OUT NOW 

LANDSCAPE 90 

Beautifully detailed graphics and a large playing 

area enhance the atmosphere of the game. 

ENCOUNTERS 75 

Except during battle between matched armies there 

is little for the player to try out. 

CHALLENGE 90 

The game world Is complex, has great depths and is 

well thought out. If you want a game to tax your 

Intellect, Intuition and memory simultaneously, this 

is it. 

SYSTEM 85 

The mouse control could have been rather more precise 

and loading of the Amiga version more reliable. 

ACE RATING 

850 

An excellent game which has you living 

in its world rather than simply 

playing in it.

Soldiers of various races and fighting 

styles are recruited in the towns. Each race 

has its own attributes which makes it more 

suitable for particular tasks. Thus elves make 

good scouts, while gnomes have the correct 

qualities to make good magicians. The more 

you recruit the stronger your army will be • and 

the higher the payroll. Fine economic balance 

is essential to ensure that your soldiers don't 

kill you off because you haven't enough money 

to pay them. 

Once you have accumulated enough wealth 

to support a large army you can begin attacking 

towns and castles. The castles, once conquered 

can be used to train your soldiers while 

towns yield the contents of their treasuries and 

give you the opportunity to collect taxes. 

While this is happening you should also be 

searching for the five rings two of which are 

found on the main continent, two on the islands 

and the fifth is hidden among an army which 

must be defeated. Possession of the rings confers 

benefits which range from increasing 

your army's strength by 50% to giving the player 

information on which goods are produced in 

With Level 9 having pulled out of the 

text/graphics market it's good to 

see Melbourne House weighing in 

with a contribution. Demon's Tomb is set in 

rural England where a Edward Lynton, scholar 

of ancient Egyptology dies in a fire while exploring 

a burial tomb. His son Richard then sets 

out to find his father, only to discover a greater 

mystery. 

The game begins with a prologue in which 

you control Edward who has only a few moves 

before being overcome by the fire in which to 

preserve his belongings. Those coming after 

him must find various items intact if they are to 

solve the mystery. 

After Lynton Snr. expires, you take control 

of Richard and his dog Sam. Together they set 

out to discover the whereabouts and fate of 

Edward then use those possessions he has 

managed to save to help solve the riddle of his 

murder and the more horrifying mystery yet to 

come. 

I always enjoy adventures where interaction 

with other creatures is possible and in this 

game Sam is a classic example. Not only will 

he do as he's told (usually) but he will also do 

his own thing at times (usually the most inconvenient 

times). For instance, try climbing down 

a cliff without taking proper precautions and 

your canine capers after you sending you to 

your death. Mind you, on another slippery slope 

nearby his help is invaluable. 

Problems are many and varied, not too difficult 

with a bit of thought and observation and 

mainly logical. In addition to problems which 

need solving to progress, there are several 

background difficulties built-in which are prone 

to have you tearing your hair with frustration. 

The excessively litter conscious seagull needs 

a particular town (and therefore where the 

prices are lowest). 

Throughout the game your actions can 

influence other events. The banks can be 

robbed with impunity but they seem to have a 

central intelligence system so that while a life 

of plunder may be very profitable at first you'll 

soon discover that stealing from one branch 

and depositing it in another is rather futile as 

once a theft has taken place the establishment 

will not deal with you again. 

Keeping in well with the bank is a must. 

MELBOURNE HOUSE 

goes for text adventuring 

in graphic detail 

RELEASE BOX 



| PC £19.99dk OUT NOW 

Vou can borrow money but if you don't pay the 

interest within a set time the local stores will 

refuse to deal with you. 

Attacking caravans is also a little risky. If 

you attack the same town's caravan repeatedly 

the town will then refuse to deal with you. If you 

are attacked yourself there are a number of 

strategies. Bribery may get you off the hook as 

might bluffing the enemy. If the worst comes to 

the worst you'll have to fight it out, but until you 

have accumulated a fair sized army you'll have 

no chance of winning. If you lose, all your 

goods and cash are stolen (but you will be left 

with your wagon). 

Overall this game is an excellent blend of 

strategy and role playing. The playing area is 

large (although much of it seems to be covered 

by water and ifs easy to get lost at sea despite 

having a constant display of latitude and longitude), 

options are broad and each is well 

detailed and flexible, and the scope of gameplay 

is vast. With such a lot to think about it will 

take many hours to complete but the difficulties 

you face increase nicely in conjunction with 

your increasing strength and powers. 

watching if you drop certain of your possessions. 

Your inability to progress in certain areas 

while carrying much weight means and end to 

the casual "drop all" to which we are so 

accustomed. Similarly water behaves realistically 

destroying fragile materials for ever - don't 

drop your notebook while crossing the ford! 

One thing which annoyed me was the proliferation 

of hints and clues written in to the text 

as "asides". These often spoilt my enjoyment in 

solving a puzzle by giving me too much help 

too early. One of the things I like about adventure 

puzzles (and cryptic crosswords) is having 

to think laterally. Being pointed in the right 

direction rather than misled rather spoils the 

point. Since the manual contains a list of hints 

covering most of the problems (coded in a 

manner to allow simple access without giving 

away what you don't want to know) the hints in 

the game seem rather superfluous. 

The adventure system itself is quite novel 

giving you the choice of normal typed input or 

menus. While in menu mode a list of verbs 

appears at the bottom of the screen where you 

simply click on the one you want. In theory this 

seems a good idea but in practice it is rather 

unworkable due to the sheer number of verbs 

listed. Scrolling through is rather tedious and 

also tends to give away yet more hints by suggesting 

possibilities you hadn't yet thought of. 

At one stage you find a piece of charcoal which 

is used with another object in a particular way. 

After seeing the relevant verb while scrolling 

through the menu I solved the problem without 

thinking. 

In addition to the input options a number of 

other aspects of display can be adjusted to 

your liking. Screen display can be adjusted to 

40. 60 or 80 column and even two columns of 


LANDSCAPE 75 

Location descriptions are rather terse even In verbose 

mode but the graphics do provide some atmosphere. 

ENCOUNTERS 80 

The dog is exactly like my next-door-neighbour's • 

and just as likely to induce a love hate relationship. 

CHALLENGE 60 

Too many clues given away to what sre not particularly 

difficult puults In the first place. 

SYSTEM 90 

About the only thing missing is an option to have 

graphics on all the time Instead of only on demand 

at individual locations. 

ACE RATING 

760 

An excellent game for beginners 

which will also be enjoyable to old 

hands looking for light relief. 

i i / 

11 Vj ^ » \ 

1 f\ V 

'..always seen ed nuch colder.." 

36 are possible. What with options to have the 

text free or enclosed in a border, status line on 

or off. menu height etc. your preferences can 

be accommodated easily. It is even possible to 

change the on-screen colours to your taste and 

echo text to the printer. 

Graphics are small but well drawn - nothing 

outstanding but pleasant. More pleasant is that 

they only come up if you deliberately ask for 

them. If you aren't accessing the pictures you 

can play with your saved-game disk in the drive 

- useful in sections of the game where you are 

continually dying. A very handy graphic is acti- 

vated by another function key • it shows a blank 

screen except for a prompt in the top corner 

which implies you are actually programming. 

This also acts as a pause command. 

The parser is both friendly and flexible han- 

dling even complex inputs well. Multiple com- 

mands are generally understood - even some 

ambiguous ones where the program will 

prompt you if it gets stuck. Thus "get" on its 

own will furnish you with a list of available 

objects from which to choose. 

All the usual system commands such as 

ramsave. again, undo etc. are included togeth- 

er with verbose, brief and superbrief options 

for room descriptions. All in all the system is 

excellent in its handling of the game and the 

flexibility of display available to the player. 

I hope this isn't a one-off attempt by the 

programmers and would like to see further 

plots (rather more difficult ones perhaps) in the 

future. 


ACE NEW WORLD'ERS 

At last - enough space to let you have your say again. Letters this month from Andy Bright- 

more and David Guest. If you have something to say why not write in to me at the following 

address: ACE NEW WORLD'ERS. Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London, EC1R 

3AU. 

THERE'S MORE TO ADVENTURES... 

...than beautiful pictures. The main attributes that the game must have are a good game story 

and a well developed language. A game without graphics leaves more to the imagination and 

therefore the player can have different ideas about locations. With the C64 I used to buy Level 

9 adventures, not because they had the best graphics available for adventures on the Com- 

modore but because the language was 

well in advance of what other companies had to offer. Now on the ST with the stunning graph- 

ics capabilities I have started to buy adventures by Magnetic Scrolls because they have a com- 

bination of good graphics and an easy but detailed language. I also think that in a 

game where the player is a detailed assigned character (eg. Fish) then graphics actually help 

the flavour of the game. Lastly I think that comedy games are far better than the old serious 

adventures. I would much rather play Knight Ore or Guild of Thieves than any Zork game which 

have been exploited to the full and are getting boring and too easy to complete. Also when the 

Zork self-mapping system was introduced this took a lot of the playability out of the game. 

Couldn't they just have a GOTO feature like Knight Ore?" 

• Larger memory machines and more use of disks means adventures can be virtually unlimit- 

ed in size and complexity but this in turn means 

longer development and thus higher costs. Whether or not a text based adventure has graph- 

ics should make no difference to the text side of things but too many programmers now rely 

on graphics to sell a game and plot/gameplay seems to be getting lost on the way. 

TRY THIS RIDDLE... 

...What did Level 9 used to do. clubs and mags try to do, SSI still do (all the way from Califor- 

nia!) but US Gold never do? Answer: Reply to the "I'm stuck" letters! What a golden opportunity 

to get feedback from customers, build mailing lists to rival Readers Digest and help you finish 

their old games so you can buy their new ones and get stuck all over again. They could even 

discourage piracy by replying only to the registered users, a tried and tested method of pro- 

tecting business software. I still have my handwritten tips for Adventure Quest, penned by the 

author himself (Mike Austin of Level 9) on the "fly back with a clue" sheet which was enclosed 

in each game together with the "eternal loading guarantee" given for each tape. None of your 

90 day limited warranty disclaimers in those days. They even included a stamped addressed 

envelope to send to them for your clue. Of course the games were great but could this level 

(no pun intended) of customer service have something to do with their subsequent rise to fame 

and fortune. I struggled through each new release with their help and kept coming back for 

more and others must have done the same. What chance of the same treatment nowadays. 

And Activision/lnfocom please note, hint books costing more dollars than the game from USA 

addresses only is no way to do it. Bring back the human touch. 

• Couldn't agree more. Trouble is, mass distribution means masses of queries which cost 

money to answer. Perhaps the software houses could set up and finance a joint help service 

manned by experienced players with access to game programmers/authors. There again you 

NO PROBLEM 

DEJA VU - GETTING STARTED 

Get the coat and gun then find the door 

marked 'private' and go in. Take the bill from 

the desk and the key from the wallet. Use key 

then enter locked room and open body. Unlock 

the desk and get everything then go to the cel- 

lar. Hit the bottle on its own to open a secret 

passage. Go to the casino and use money in 

right hand machine until you win. Take lift to top 

floor and open wastebasket to get syringe. 

Take lift to bottom floor and kill the alligator! Go 

to the bar and unlock door to the street. 

UNINVITED • GETTING STARTED 

Get out of the car and open mailbox, wear 

amulet. Examine books in the library to get 

spell translations. Get the Spider Cider and No 

Ghost from the store cupboard upstairs. Take 

the axe from the staircase. Take the scroll from 

the nightstand in the bedroom and read the 

book. In the master bedroom wear the mask to 

ward off evil. Read the journal then go to the 

lounge and get a key from the chair which will 

open the cabinet in the master bedroom. Take 

the box then go to the downstairs hallway 

where opening any door will bring the skeletal 

belle who can be disposed of with No Ghost. 

LEISURE SUIT LARRY GOES 

LOOKING FOR LOVE IN SEVERAL 

WRONG PLACES 

The following tips should help on the cruise 

ship: Go to room and take fruit. Go next door 

and come back immediately. Return next door, 

open nightstand and take sewing kit. Go to bar 

and take dip. Go to room and change into 

swimsuit. Go to pool and rub sunscreen on 

body. Lie on chaise lounge. Enter pool and dive 

under and take bikini top. Go to barbers and sit 

down (get wig). Go to captain and pull blue

lever behind him. Go to lifeboat and jump in 

and wait for it to lower. Wear sunscreen, eat 

dip and wear wig ASAP. On the island head in 

to the undergrowth. 

MANHUNTER NEW YORK 

Day 1: Investigate explosion at Bellvue Hospital. 

Access Mad and note suspect's movements. 

At Bellvue, examine corpse for identity. 

Access Mad for more info. Go to Trinity and 

investigate left side of church. Go to the bar 

and play knives with bartender. Play video 

game: The game involves negotiating a maze 

where at several points one lands on red 

squares and can thus throw balls at three rows 

of kewpie dolls. If successful the game flashes 

a screen depicting a funfair. The game's packaging 

contains a map of the maze. Make note 

of the kewpie dolls which are dislodged by the 

squares which cannot be avoided when progressing 

through the maze (there are three of 

them). Go to ladies loo in Prospect Park and 

go to end cubicle. Sit and flush three times • 

woosh! 

CHAOS STRIKES BACK 

When using the oracle save your position as 

close as possible to the problem for specific 

help. 

ROS • PART ONE:- 

Don't worry about the knives from the wall - collect 

them to throw past the moving force field 

(careful timing needed) to operate the pressure 

pads. The knights behind the wooden door are 

easily defeated by approaching from the other 

side and dropping them down TWO pits - the pit 

on the floor below is directly under the one 

above. In the corridor with pit and gate stand 

with back to pit to see force field. Throw dagger 

at field to pass through gate. Upstairs 

remove torch from bracket to move wall. Up 

again, full strength fireshields • lots of them - 

before removing gem - then back to the closed 

door which should now open. Up again - turn 

left then keep moving forward, stepping around 

pit. You'll be spun so watch your compass - 

about turn then keep moving forward. On entering 

open room your final exit is in the centre of 

the far side. Follow the corridor to find the Diabolical 

Demons. 

NETA - PART ONE:- 

From the room with screamers go through 

door and bear left past the pit which generates 

hordes of red monsters. Up the stairs, fill the 

cells with mummies. Up again - simply keep 

walking straight on across the large open area. 

Cross the room with poison balls to gain 

access to the Diabolical Demons. These two 

routes should help you explore more of the 

game but there's plenty to do along the way 

which you can discover for yourself! 


A healthy tip for those wanting to increase their 

skills ready for Chaos: Wizard - if you have the 

firestaff use INVOKE repeatedly. Priest • keep 

making potions. Ninja • find as many objects as 

possible then throw them back and forth along 

a corridor. Fighter - use any weapon repeatedly 

• into thin air if you like. Level 13 • (knights!) - 

you don't need to complete this level. Once you 

have found the Ra key and assuming you 

already have two, go to level 7 and collect the 

winged key then the long staircase which takes 

you to level 14. Deal with the dragon (or 

dodge) then up to level 12 for the master key 

which is needed to access the firestaff. Then 

retrace your steps to level 7. Long winded 

maybe but it avoids over two thirds of level 12. 

FISH - THE JAGGED WARP 

Put jeans on then go south. Move rubbish then 

take torch. Turn on torch then go outside. At 

the abbey take pew, turn off torch then north 

twice. Drop pew then go down and move rubble. 

Move lid then down for cord and back to 

pew. Stand on pew and climb up. Tie cord to 

gargoyle, down then pull cord, untie cord, take 

gargoyle then down. Put lid in doorway then go 

down. Put gargoyle in hole, take chalice and 

look inside. Take grommet and wait for mob to 

attack. 

SPACE QUEST II 

Can't cross the ravine? Climb the tree - when it 

snaps press right cursor key to crawl across. 

Can't escape from the hunter's cage? Call 

hunter twice, throw the spore then get key and 

unlock door. Can't climb down the chasm? Tie 

rope to log then climb down. Then swing rope 

and jump. Little pink creatures won't open the 

stone door? Type 'word'. Can't find a light 

source in the caves of the killer squid? Hold the 

gem in your teeth. Can't reach the landing platform? 

Blow whistle in clearing to get something 

to clear your way. Getting fried by acid on the 

asteroid base? Attach plunger to barrier. 

BARDS TALE I 

Try to get a barbarian as a special monster as 

he does a lot of damage. Get a hobbit with a 

dexterity of 18 and make him a monk. He will 

usually get first hit. To gain experience fast, 

pick a team, go south and fight samurai. Go 

back to guild, save then reboot, reload team 

and repeat. Each time you'll gain 204 experience. 

El Cid has a horn of fire which does 40- 

50 damage. The Review board is the second 

house on Trumpet Street. High level (4) paladins 

and warriors get double hits. Dungeon 1 

is in the Scarlet bard. Develop a level 2 (level 3 

spells) conjuror fast! 

BARDS TALE II 

The tombs; Only have six members in your 

group. Join old warrior to group. Poison all but 

the old warrior by drinking water from the fountain. 

Kill toxic giant. Give torch to old warrior 

then put him at front of group and poison him. 

Then go back to entrance. 

BEYOND ZORK 

Pick up every scroll and stick/wand/stave you 

find. Go to the magic shop and ask the old 

woman about their uses. Sell Mischief and Fireworks 

- both useless. Sell valuable objects - 

tusk, crown, jewel, doubloon. To use the spells 

• point sticks and say scroll words. 

CHRONOQUEST 

The Chateau - 1922 AD Hall - Look lid of urn, 

pick up punch card. Study - Pick up oriental 

sphere. Hall - Use sphere on top of bannister. 

Landing • Look at feet of statue, get golden 

key, use on bureau, look at open drawer, get 

leather gloves, look at right hand corner of rug, 

get punchcard. Father's - Look under bed, get 

grapple and rope, look at pillows and get 

punchcard. Bedroom - Push drawer, look and 

get combination. Kitchen - look in bottom left 

cupboard, use combination on safe, drop combination 

and get lighter. Get bottle and drop 

wine. Hall - NE then light lighter Stairs - up, 

east. Chapel - Look left of photo, get candles, 

light candles and extinguish lighter. Look at 

book and get punchcard. Library - Drop photo, 

letter and bottle. Look mirror, push switch. Hall 

- Get sphere then drop it. Library - push drawer 

in desk, look then get fuses and drop candle. 

Machine • Push lever up, use fuses on fuse box, 

push lever down, go up, push switch, use 

punch card in slot. 

GUILD OF THIEVES 

How do I get out of the boat? Jump west. How 

do I get into the castle? Help man in the scrub. 

How do I bet on the rat race? Bet on the grey 

rat when the race is in the courtyard with note 

from cushion in drawing room. How do I placate 

the bear? Fish in the moat with a rod made 

from cue, cotton, needle and maggot. Put poison 

on the fish. Why can't I open the safe? 

Because it is a red herring! How do I get into 

the wine cellar? On the stairs, pull the pipe, 

open stopcock, wait then close stopcock. What 

do I do in the toilet? Another red herring. What 

do I do with the cauldron? Put an eye, heart, 

skin, berries and cube in it then open sachet. 

What can I do with the billiard balls? Open the 

red ball and look inside it. How do I get into the 

mill? Shout "Stop the mill". How do I buy the 

lute? With your winnings on the rat race. How 

do I stop the lute from breaking? Put it in the 

bag. How do I climb the slippery slope? Wear 

gloves (in temple garden) 

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST 

CRUSADE 

At the university; Enter your office after talking 

your way through the student. Take all the junk 

mail then the package and open it. Leave 

through the window. After meeting Donovan go 

to Henry's house and take the painting then go 

to Venice. In Venice; At the restaurant look at 

the wine bottle then take it. Enter the library. 

Take the Mein Kampf in the bookshelf which is 

not completely filled (you'll have to search for 

the correct shelf). At the stained glass window 

look at the Grail Diary. Note the picture of the 

window that is drawn in the diary and the statement 

(first on the right etc.) Press enter and 

leave the area. Search the place for the metal 

post and then take it (the red cordon comes 

too). Search the library for the stained glass 

window that matches the one in the diary. Look 

at the pillar corresponding to the statement in 

the diary, either left or right. Using the post, 

open the slab represented by the inscription on 

the pillar. Climb in to enter the sewers. 


OUT OF THE SHADOW 

ACE SHOWCASES CARL CROPLEY'S COMPUTER GRAPHICS... 

ack in 1983, Carl Cropley had a 

very tough decision before him: 

should he become a computer 

graphics artist or start a career 

as a qualified refrigeration engineer? Fortunate- 

ly Cropley opted for art, designing graphics for 

such computer games as Redhawk, Kwah, 

The Mystery of Arkham Manor, Brian Clough's 

Football Fortunes, Colossus Ten Chess and 

Casino Roulette. More recently he's worked on 

Demon's Tomb, Imperium and Hound of Shad- 

ow. 

"Before starting the graphics for any game 

I usually research the project - referring to 

library books, taking photographs and produc- 

ing rough sketches. In the case of Hound of 

Shadow, the idea to produce all the pictures in 

sepia tones came from a discussion I had with 

Chris Elliot and Richard Edwards, the creators 

of the game. I began to research the 1920's 

and visited the locations in London that Chris 

and Richard had specifically requested appear 

in the game. I then produced my initial roughs 

before producing the final screen versions. The 

16 shades of brown used to pro- 

duce the sepia effect gave me the 

scope to produce more realistic 

images." 

Cropley uses a 2Mb Amiga 

1000 and Electronic Arts' Deluxe 

Paint III and Deluxe Video III to pro- 

duce his graphics. 

"All my pictures start out as 

simple filled line drawings. Using 

the shade, blend, smooth and sten- 

cil functions of Deluxe Paint III, I can 

then add shadows, highlights and 

textures. One screen I'm particular- 

ly pleased with is 'The Reading 

Room Desk in the British Museum' 

in Hound of Shadow. The lights 

used in this room during the 1920's 

were single light bulbs rather than 

the more modern fluorescent strips 

used today. This meant I had to 

completely recreate the way the 

light would have fallen in the 

1920's. This, together with the per- 

spective in which the desks span 

out like spokes of a wheel, created 

quite a challenge to my abilities." 


Cropley is currently working 

on the static and animated 

graphics for a Dragon's Lair 

style game, "I'm a big fan of 

both Don Bluth and Chuck 

Jones". As for the future, 

Cropley believes: "artists and 

animators have been limited for 

quite a long time but with the 

advent of CD technology, games 

designers will have to become 

interactive storytellers - games 

will become more film orientat- 

ed". 

In the meantime, Cropley 

would be pleased to hear from 

anyone who needs the talents of 

an experienced computer graph- 

ics artist. Write with SAE to: Carl 

Cropley, 111 Squires Avenue, 

Bulwell. Nottingham NG6 8GL. 

NOW ITS YOUR CHANCE 

Are you a talented computer graphics artist? Do 

you want to give your work international exposure? 

Are you looking for a lucrative contract 

with a games software company? ACE wiB try to 

help you achieve these ambitions, and more... 

Just send examples of your work, with a brief 

description of yourself and how you design computer 

graphics, and you may just see your talents 

on display in a future issue of the magazine. 

Send to: ACE ART. Priory Court. 

30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU.

TRICKS 'N' TACTICS 

THE ROUGHEST & TOUGHEST CRACKED BY ACE READERS 

SPACE 

ACE 

The Complete Solution 

Don Bluth's rather pricy, but very 

pretty interactive cartoon is fortunately 

not quite as frustrating as 

Dragon's Lair owing to a very useful 

SAVE option. This complete 

solution will, however, undoubtedly 

prove useful to those still meeting 

rather sticky ends. It has been 

compiled from the solutions sent 

in by David Williams of London, 

and Chris West of Egham, Surrey. 

Scene 1: solution is in the manual. 

Scene 2: When Dexter appears 

move right to avoid the first 

stomping arm. Once the arm goes 

up, move left When the third 

crack appears in the ground, 

move left. Wait for the second 

stomping arm to go up then move 

left 

Scene 3: When all three spaceships 

come close to Dexter, move 

down. When he reaches the rock, 

move up. 

Scene 4: When the spaceship 

starts heading down towards the 

station, move up 

Scene 5: When the muck monster 

appears, press fire. 

Scene 6: Wait for the arm to go 

down, then up, then move right, 

and quickly up. 

Scene 7: Wait for the platform to 

come up for the second time, 

then move right. When Dexter 

lands on the platform, move right 

again. 

Scene 8: When Dexter appears on 

the path move down, quickly followed 

by right. 

Scene 9: Just before Dexter 

reaches the corner in the path, 

move down, then quickly move 

left 

Scene 10: When Dexter is 

grabbed by the monster's tentacle, 

press fire. 

Scene 11: When the right-hand 

monster drops below the bridge 

then move up. 

Scene 12: As soon as the dogs 

pounce, move up. 

Scene 13: When Dexter stops running, 

move right. 

Scene 14: When Dexter stops running. 

move up. 

Scene 15: When the robots begin 

to move their arms quickly, move 

right 

Scene 16: When Ace approaches 

the corner in the corridor, move 

left 

Scene 17: When Ace reaches the 

centre of the floor, move left. 

Scene 18: When Ace is approaching 

the corner in the corridor, 

move right. 

Scene 19: Just before Dexter 

reaches the ladder, move up. 

Scene 20: When Borf's staff is in 

mid-air, press fire. 

Scene 21: As above 

Scene 22: When Ace picks up the 

staff, press fire. When Borf's staff 

is in mid-air, move left or right. 

Scene 23: As soon as the scene 

begins, press fire. When Borf 

begins his round house kick, 

move down. 

Scene 24: When Borf's staff is in 

mid-swing, press fire. 

Scene 25: When Borf swings his 

staff, move up. When he swings 

again, move down. 

Scene 26: When Borf swings, 

move left. When Ace is behind 

borf, move down. 

Scene 27: When Borf's goons 

approach, move up. When the 

screen changes, move left. 

Scene 28: When Ace is over the 

platform, move down. 

Scene 29: Just as the platform is 

about to hit the lava, move right. 

Scene 30: When you see the ray, 

move right 


corner of the corridor, move left. 


penultimate mirror, move right. 

Scene 33: When the ray hits the 

ground, move left, then immediately 

right 

All being well, you have now completed 

the game. 

THE DUNGEON 

MASTER GUIDE 

Part Three 

A guide to help you through each 

level of the dungeon 

Locations of monsters have 

been omitted to leave some surprise. 

Level One 

All 24 characters exist here frozen 

in pictures. By clicking on one the 

inventory will be displayed along 

with the option to resurrect or 

reincarnate. 

Resurrecting a character will 

return him/her to life exactly as 

before death, retaining all 

attributes. 

Reincarnating a character will 

return him/her to life, but without 

previous attributes. 

A few items are to be found 

before going to level 2. 

Level Two 

Items to be found: 3 Falchions, -2 

Daggers, 1 Arrow, 3 Throwing 

Stars, 2 Small Rocks, 1 Buckler 

Shield, 2 Blue Magic Boxes, 1 

Copper Coin, 4 Torches, 5 Flasks, 

2 Chests, 2 YA Potions, 1 Elven 

Doublet, 2 Pairs of Leather Boots, 

1 pair of Leather Trousers, 1 pair 

of Ghi Trousers, Numerous Keys. 

'Small details can hide great 

rewards' - Press button on wall 

for a Falchion. 

Two pressure pads in room 

with gate - step on first pad, then 

one step right, two forward, one 

left, and out. 

Large room with gate and 9 

pressure pads - forward 3 steps, 

back one, forward 2 steps, back 

1, forward and out. 

Pressure pad with rock laying 

nearby - place rock on pad to 

open gate. 

'Step inside, take a ride' - 

step into transporter and search 


the floor. 

Pressure pad and trap door - 

place an item on the pad to close 

the pit. 

Pressure pad with writing on 

wall - It says nothing useful, continue. 

Large room with pressure pad 

and green button wall - Press button 

to open gate and step around 

the pad to leave. 

Blue transporter and open pit 

- Place an item on floor to close 

the pit and search the floor. 

Wooden door closes as you 

approach - wall says 'None shall 

pass' - simply chop door with a 

sword to get to a chest. 

'This fountain accepts one 

wish' - Put a coin in fountain to 

open door. 

Unopenable gate with sword 

behind - Continue around corner 

and throw switch on wall. Go back 

to find gate open and throw 

switch to open secret room in 

place you've just come from. 

Level Three 

Items to be found: sword, sabre, 

sling, numerous small rocks for 

sling, 5 arrows, wooden shield, 

wand, 2 bezerker helms, helmet, 

blue magic box, rabbit's foot, blue 

gem, Ra key, 2 flasks, 3 chests, 

mirror of dawn, compass, numerous 

coins, mail Aketon, suede 

boots, 2 leather pants, 2 leather 

jerkins, elven huke, 2 fine robes. 

On entering level 3, take 8 

paces forwards, button on left 

wall opens secret passage. A fast 

run is required to get through 

transporter. 

'Choose your door, choose 

your fate' - six cryptic rooms. 

One golden key to be looked for 

in each room. 

The Matrix. Enter room, 2 

steps right, 6 steps forward, turn 

left, 4 steps forwards, turn right, 

press button in alcove, proceed 

the way you were going to find a 

secret room. 

Time is of the Essence: Blue 

button on wall. 'Hit and Run'. 

Press button and quickly move 4 

steps left, one forwards to get 

through wall. 

Blue button and open pit - 

press button and turn quickly to 

see a transporter, throw a fairly 

heavy item into it to shut pit. 

Second blue button and pit - 

Press button and immediately 

take 2 paces back while pit is 

shut (This pit can be opened for 

your exit by a blue button further 

in. 

Creature Cavern: Fight your 

way through the monsters to the 

gold key. 

Chambers of the Guardian: 

the last of the seven rooms contains 

a chest. Press the blue button 

and a transporter moves the 


chest to another room, repeat this 

until a chest appears out side the 

last room. Use mirror of dawn to 

open secret room half way along 

corridor. 

The Vault: 'You must pay for 

your entrance' - 2 gold coins. 

'Cast your influence, cast your 

might' - ZO spell to open door, 

then throw an item onto pad to 

close pit. 

Take silver coin and replace it 

with something to keep the door 

open, use the silver com to open 

next door. 

Open chest and use coins to 

open secret room on your right, 

enter room and press button to 

open secret room back the way 

you came. 

Room of the Gem: Place an 

object on the pad to close pit. 

Blue button opens gate and also 

opens the pit behind you. Turn 

around and throw object back 

onto pad. 

Find secret button at end of 

passages. Press to open a secret 

room and retrieve blue gem. You 

can now return to the entrance 

and open the door by placing gem 

in slot provided. 

When all rooms have been 

completed you will have 6 gold 

keys, use them to leave the level. 

Just before the stairs, to leave the 

level, you will find a wooden door 

which can be opened by one of 

the gold keys. In the room are 

some useful objects and a button 

on the wall. Press the button to 

open a secret room a few paces 

back down the corridor. 

Level Four 

Items to be found: Numerous 

coins, axe, rapier, bow, Teo wand, 

hosen, leg mail, elven boots, 

leather pants, leather jerkin, small 

shield, bassinet, 2 small rocks, 

blue magic box, 3 flasks, water 

bottle, Neta position, horn of fear. 

'Don't let a closed door stop 

you' - Chop down with axe. 

Coin slot in wall turns on blue 

haze, use unknown. 

'Short cut' and key hole - Use 

gold key to turn on transporter. 

Step in and appear further on. 

'This is my prisoner, let him 

suffer' - Throw something to kill 

the prisoner, it opens your exit at 

the end of level. 

Chop closed door. 

Level Five 

Items to be found: mace. 3 poison 

darts, dagger, staff of claws, 

large shield, 2 helmets, casque 'n' 

coif, mail Aketon, hosen. leg mail, 

choker, illumulet, mirror of dawn, 

rabbit's foot, ekkhard cross, 4 

VEN potions, gem of ages, 3 blue 

gems, DANE potion, KU potion, 

chest, FUL bomb, blue magic box. 

The first left turn on this level 

takes you into a large room containing 

four doors, these are the 

treasure stores. Working anticlockwise 

as you enter the room: 

First door: This room is full of 

transporters. Step into this room 

and move in the following order: 

right, back, forwards, left, right, 

back. Keep an eye on the floor as 

you do this. 

Open pit: behind you is a lever 

to close pit. 

Second door: Smaller of two 

rooms. Button in wall opens door. 

Larger of two rooms. Buttons 

around wall reveal more buttons 

until correct combination is 

achieved and secret panel opens. 

Third door: On entering the 

large room, turn right and walk 

into corner where you will find a 

button. Press and walk back past 

the entrance to the other corner. 

Turn right and walk to the next 

corner. Turn right again and walk 

until you find passage on left. Forget 

walking straight across room 

as it becomes never ending. 

Fourth Door: There are two 

passages on the other side of 

pits, the one on the left cannot be 

accessed until level six. The one 

on the right is reached by making 

your way through the pits on the 

right. A number of attempts may 

be needed before the pits close in 

the correct order. 

When all rooms have been 

explored, return to the starting 

corridor a few paces down where 

you will find a stair case. Climb 

and press button to open wall to a 

corridor on level 4. 

Level Six 

Items to be found: Large shield, 

casque YT coif, mail Aketon, torso 

plate, mitheral Aketon, mitheral 

mail, torches, crossbow, 2 throwing 

stars, 2 vorpal blades, 3 slayers, 

2 green magic boxes, blue 

magic box, UNVEN potion, VEN 

potion, yew staff, water flask. 

'I am all, I am none' - nothing. 

'Hard as rocks, Blue as sky. 

Twinkle in a woman's eye' - Blue 

Gem. 

'I arch yet I have no back' - 

Bow. 

'A golden head yet no body' - 

Gold coin. 

Room with pit and gate that 

closes as you try to get to it - 

throw lever on right wall to turn on 

transporter, place an object in the 

transporter to open gate. Step 

into transporter to retrieve object, 

green button closes pit. 

'The grave of King Filius' - 

Press 4 buttons around wall until 

correct combination is found. This 

opens a secret panel. 

'The grave of King Milias' - 

Place a gold coin in hole in the 

wall to open secret room. 

'If you want to stay alive, 

you'd better turn and run' - Right 

hand corridor: On left wall soon 

after entering room is a button. 

Press this to open a secret room 

on far left. In this other room is 

another button which opens a 

room near the exit. 

There is also a room which 

opens when you step on a pressure 

pad and closes when you 

step off. No amount of weight 

seems to keep the door open. 

Left hand corridor: After 

passing through the gate you will 

find a door on the left. Nearly 

opposite is a metal ring set in the 

wall, press this to open a secret 

passage. Towards the end of the 

passage is another secret passage 

opened with a button on the 

wall. 

Stuck between two gates with 

a blue haze turning on and off - 

cast a spell to open the gate then 

take off armour to move faster 

and run through haze. 

'Test your strength' - throw an 

item down corridor to open a gate 

further on. 

As you travel along you will 

find a room on your right with a 

staircase leading up. This is the 

way to the restricted area on level 

5 in the pit room.

DM GUIDE 

Some useful additions 

Here are some additions to the Dungeon Master guide provided by fellow 

fan. Matthew Hill of Brighton, Sussex. 

(1) DELTA - Adds 1 to Mana 

(2) BOLT BLADE - is found on Level 7 (NOT 11) 

(3) SMALL ROCKS - are also found on Level 4 

(4) FUL BOMBS - are only found on Levels 7,8,9,10,11,12 

(5)WAND-also+1 to Mana 

(6) FIRESTAFF - +1 to all levels & Brandish, Spellshield. & Fireshield. 

FIRESTAFF + POWER GEM - +2 to all levels & Fuse 

FLUXCAGE & INVOKE - INVOKE produces varying strengths of fireball, 

poison bolt and spirit bolt (DES EW) 

(7) SCEPTRE OF LYFE - should be spelt LYF 

(8) STAFF OF MANA - should be spelt MANAR - has LIGHT spell, not 

Fireshield 

(9) DRAGONSPIT - +4 MANA not +7 

(10) YEW STAFF - Found on levels 8 +10, not 6 + 9 

(Yew Staff + Staff of Manar only have limited charge) 

(11) FERAL PENDANT - is called PENDANT FERAL, Level 9 

(12) HELLION - enhances physical skills 

(13) GEM OF AGES - enhances mental skills 

(14) EKKHARD CROSS - enhances character protection 

(15) JEWAL SYMBOL - should be JEWAL SYMAL which adds 15 to Anti- 

Magic 

(16) MIRROR OF DAWN - also an 'answer' to one of the riddles on Level 

6. 

(17) HORN OF FEAR - doesn't just frighten water elementals, but also 

worms, spiders, winged snakes, triffids, blue trolls, rust monsters, 

beholders, wizards, ghosts, etc. - not all monsters, however. 

Do not enter transporter saying 

'Ha Ha Ha', you will end up 

back on Level 5. 

Towards the end of the level 

is a passage with a lever at one 

end and a gate and transporter at 

the other. Ignore the transporter - 

it only takes you to an earlier part 

of the level. To enter the room you 

must throw the lever and move 

quickly to the gate and enter 

before it closes. 

Level Seven 

Items to be found: the firestaff, 

Bolt Blade, flamebain, crown of 

Nerra, the inquisitor, FUL bomb, 

VEN potion, sceptre of lyfe, Gem 

of Ages, lllumulet, Dragon spit, 

Boots of Speed, 2 Green Magic 

Boxes. 4 Flasks, Water Flask, 

Orange gem. Corbamite, 

Magnifier, Torch, Ra Key, Winged 

key, Turquoise Key. 

Although all the following 

information guides you through 

level 7, on first entering the level 

you can only open one gate (with 

a Ra Key). The other three Ra 

Keys and other keys must be 

obtained from lower levels. 

'The Tomb of the Fire staff' - 

after passing through the first 3 

doors that require Ra Keys, you 

will come across 4 rooms on the 

right. Only one of these can be 

opened with the turquoise key that 

you will find on this level. A lift of 

items to be found within these 

rooms was given in an earlier part 

of this guide. 

'Danger, Enter with caution' - 

First you will find alcoves that may 

prove rewarding. As you turn right 

along a long corridor with short 

passages on the right, a button 

will be found on the left wall (three 

and a half passages along), press 

this button to open a passage on 

your return journey. 

In the room at the end of corridor 

will be found a Turquoise Key 

under some ashes. To the left is a 

button that opens a passage at 

the end of which are some scrolls 

and a Ra Key. 

On your return to the room 

with the alcoves you will find a 

passage has opened in front of 

you. Enter, turn left, right, left and 

seven paces forwards to find a 

button on your left, press the button 

and walk back the way you 

came to find the winged key has 

been revealed. Travel down the 

corridor, it is a direct route to 

level 13. Open pan and return. 

Return to the 'Danger, Enter 

with caution' door. Opposite is 

another corridor at the end of 

which are some very useful items. 

Leave this corridor and open the 

door on your left with the Ra Key. 

Walk along this corridor for some 

distance taking many turns to find 

the Ra Key. Don't hang around 

when you find the Firestaff! You 

now need the Power Gem from 

Level 14. 

Ruby Key opens 'Enter with 

caution' door. 

Master Key opens door to 

retrieve Firestaff. 

Level Eight 

Items to be found: Delta, Rabbit's 

Foot, 4 FUL bombs, 2 Chests. 

Mac of Order, Staff of Manar, Yew 

Staff, Throwing star, Green Magic 

Box, Jewal Symbol, Torch, Copper 

Coin. 

Level 8 consists of a very 

large room with a number of 

secret passages, also numerous 

pits. 

Around the wall you will find a 

short corridor with a chest and 

two holes in the wall. The holes 

fire fireballs which pass through 

various blue hazes and travel 

around the room. At the start of 

this passage you will find a button 

on the wall. Press it to open a 

secret panel behind the blue haze 

on your right, press the green button 

behind this panel to switch off 

the hazes and thus stop the fireball 

from hitting you as you search 

the level. If you stand with your 

back to the fireball holes and walk 

forwards you come to the end of 

a wall. Step around this to the 

other side and take a further 10 

steps forwards to find a key in 

front of you. 

One of the buttons around the 

wall will reveal a series of passages 

culminating in what seems 

to be an endless passage. In 

effect you are being transported 

back top the start of the passage. 

Stand with your back to the beginning 

and take 26 paces forwards, 

then turn right and wait for a 

moment for a panel to open. You 

will find a gate behind which is a 

button on the left wall. Press to 

open a secret room. 

One passage you find will end 

in a gate (you should have a solid 

key on you to open it). At the end 

of the passage you will find a skull 

on the wall. Use the skeleton key 

that you found in the chest to 

open a secret panel. You will find 

a number of these in the levels to 

come. Always open them to reveal 

access to the master staircase 

which begins on Level 8 and finishes 

on Level 14, opening on all 

the levels in between. 

If you drop down one of the 

pits in the room you will find a 

series of corridors, search them 

to find another pit at the bottom 

of which is a Yew Staff. 

Well, that lot should keep you 

happy for some time. In the final 

instalment, next month, levels 9 to 

14 get a similar treatment. 


SUPER HACK 

OPERATION THUNDERBOLT 

(AMIGA) 

Master hacker, Mark Lawrence 

of Basildon, Essex here provides 

some relief for Amiga owners 

being shot to pieces in Operation 

Thunderbolt. This gives you infinite 

'life". Type the program below 

in Amiga Basic and save it for 

future use. Now insert Operation 

Thunderbolt disk 1 in drive 0 and 

if an alert comes up click on cancel 

to remove it. Now run the program 

and after a few seconds the 

screen should go black. Operation 

Thunderbolt will now load as usual 

but you should have infinite 'life'. 

10 DIM C0DE%(255) 

20 FOR N = 0TO 95 

30 AEAD AS : A = URL l &H" • 

R$) 

40 C0DE%IN)-fl 

50 NEHT N 

60 CHEHT = HARPIR(CODE%IOI> 

65 CRLL CHERT 

70 REM TYPE IN THIS EISTING 

AND SHOE FOR FUTURE USE. 

80 REM INSERT OPERRTION 

IHUNOERROET DISK AND RUN 

1HIS PROGRAM 

90 REM GAME SHOOLD LOHO AS 

USOAl 111 ITH INFINITE HUES 

100 DATA ?OFE. 2C 78. 0004. 

4ERE. EEB6. 2200, 5280. 6772 

110 DATA 4BFA. OOEE, 3HFC, 

0400, 429D, 3RC 1, 93C9, 4EAE 

120 DATA EEOA, 2AC0. 2A80. 

2B40. 0008, 5890, 4295, 4BEA 

I 30 DATA 0090, I ABC, 0005, 

3B7C, 0030, OOOA, 41 HI. 00)8 

140 DATA 2B48. 0006, 4IFA, 

0060, 7000, 7200. 43EA. 006A 

150 DATA 4EAE, FE44, 4A80. 

662A. 700C. 99CC, 6126, 7002 

160 DAIA 4919. 0007, 0000. 

61 I C, 397C, 5340. 0030, 297C 

170 DATA 343C, 4A69. 0032, 

297C, 3IC2, 73BA, 0054. 4EEC 


FUTURE 

WARS 

The Complete Solution 

Well, the animated puzzler from 

Delphine/Palace certainly seems 

to have got adventure addicts 

worldwide burning the midnight 

oil. We have been getting three or 

four calls a week, here at the 

ACE office, from frustrated readers 

anxious for help. So, to save 

your sanity and our ears, here is 

the complete solution courtesy of 

Phil Thompson. 

The Start 

Take bucket. Operate lift up but- 

ton. Operate open window. Enter 

room. 

First room 

Operate carpet to get key. Take 

plastic bag. Operate WC door to 

Start 

get red flag. Operate cupboard to 

get insecticide. Use bucket on 

sink to fill. Use bucket on centre 

door. Operate right hand door 

then exit right. 

Office 

Open desk drawer to get paper. 

Operate cupboard to see type- 

writer. Make a note of number on 

typewriter. Examine map. Use red 

flag on hole. Exit right. Examine 

keypad. Operate keypad entering 

number found on typewriter one 

digit at a time and exit to office 

after each one. After final digit go 

through passage. 

Control Room 

Use paper on slot. Operate green 

button. Operate red button and 

FUTURE WARS 

KEY 

Way in Way out 

quickly move under spotlight. 

Swamp 

Go left walking on green areas 

only. Use insecticide on 

mosquitoes. Examine ray of light 

to get pendant. Go left. 

Lake 

Examine tree by lake to get rope. 

Use rope on branch. After peas- 

ant goes for swim, take clothes. 

Go left. 

Castle 

Go round back of castle. Operate 

large tree to get coin. Go back to 

pub in front of castle. Use com to 

buy a drink. Listen to gossip. Go 

to castle. 

Inside Castle 

Listen to information then leave, 

taking lance from sleeping guard. 

Go back to large tree. Use lance 

to get monk's habit and put it on. 

Go to lake. Use plastic bag with 

lake. Go bak to castle and exit 

bottom of screen. 

Outside Monastery 

Use plastic bag on v/olf. 

Inside Monastery 

Enter door on left, leave and 

Stairs to be used 

7

enter door on right. Go to room 

on left. Take cup. Go middle 

door. Use cup on barrel. Give 

wine to leader. Examine him for 

remote control. Use remote 

control on cabinet. Take magnetic 

card. Go to wine cellar. 

Use remote control on cabinet. 

Take magnetic card. Go to wine 

cellar. Use remote control on 

top barrel. Enter secret passage. 

Control Room 

Examine glass case to get gas 

cannister. Use magnetic card 

on computer. 

Wastelands 

Take blowtorch from bottom 

right of first screen. Take fuses 

from white rubble. Go through 

manhole. 

Sewers 

Use blowtorch on tap to fill. Use 

blowtorch on monster. Go up 

steps. 

Metro 

Get coin from coin collection in 

newspaper machine. Use coin 

on money slot on newspaper 

machine. Repeat, get on metro 

train. 

Shuttleport 

Go down stairs. Use fuse on 

fuses in fuse box. Go upstairs. 

When recpetionist checks make- 

up go between arrows. 

Prison Cell 

Use metal key on grill. Use gas 

canister on metal grill. Use 

newspaper on metal grill. Exit 

through door. 

Control Room 

Use magnetic card on machine. 

Slippery slope 

Go to Lo-ann. 

Outside Spaceship 

Shoot any crughons in red danger 

boxes until crughon leader 

appears on flying podium. 

Shoot him. When Lo-ann is shot 

search her body twice. Use pendant 

on Lo-ann. Search dead 

crughon. 

Spaceship Cockpit 

Use magnetic card on machine 

near door. Operate case. Take 

garment. Use garment on video 

camera. Get in case. Operate 

case. 

Crughon Base 

Use invisibility pill on hero as 

soon as door starts to open. 

Leave spaceship. Hide in box 

on lower left of screen. 

Cargo Hold 

Operate door at far end. Follow 

enclosed map to computer cen- 

tre. Use magnetic card on con- 

sole. Follow map to exit. This 

completes the game. 

100 DRTH 000C, 4E75. 43FR, 

0032, 3340. 001C, 234C, 0020 

190 DOTO 42H9, 002C, 237C, 

0000. 0400, 0024, 337C, 0030 

200 OHIO 0012, 4ECE, FE38, 

7472, 61 63.6B64, 6973. 6B2E 

210 DRTH 6465, 7669. 6365, 

0000. 0000. 0000, 0000. 0000 

You can also gain infinite men by 

typing either WIGAN NINJA or 

EDOM TAEHC when you get a 

high score. From examining the 

program it appears that typing 

SPECCY MODE when you get a 

high score does something but I 

haven't managed to find what it 

does do (Switches to yukky two 

colour displays and tinny sound 

perhaps?). 

A TNT 

SURVIVAL 

GUIDE 

ZX SPECTRUM 

As promised last month, here is 

the first of our detailed run downs 

on how to use pokes for individual 

machines. 

If you are attempting to modify 

a very early Spectrum game 

then the chances are that you 

won't have to get round any tricky 

protection. Most of the early 

Spectrum titles used an auto-running 

BASIC program to load one 

or more blocks of code into memory 

and then execute them using 

a simple USR call. 

The best way to find out if the 

game is of this type is to use 

MERGE rather than LOAD to load 

the program (see your user manual 

for details on how to do this). 

This will load the program as 

normal, but will stop it from autorunning. 

All being well you can 

now examine the listing of the 

boot program. If you can't, or the 

computer crashes, then the program 

is protected and you will 

have to resort to other methods. 

If you see a single line number 

(possibly zero) and nothing 

else then the program has embedded 

colour codes which make it 

invisible. These can be edited out 

as normal, but if the first line has 

a number of 0 you will find that 

you are unable to bring it down for 

editing. This is the solution. 

Enter directly: PRINT PEEK 

23635+256*PEEK 23636. and 

a five figure number will appear. 

Make a note of it. Now enter 

directly: POKE n+1,1 where n is 

the number you noted down. If 

you now rexamine the listing you 

will see that the number of the 

first line has changed to 1. You 

should now be able to edit it as 

normal. 

You may have problems if 

there is already a line 1. In this 

case you will have to repeat the 

procedure, but using a number 

other than 1 that is not in use (But 

make sure you reorder the lines 

afterwards). 

To remove the colour codes 

move the cursor onto the partly 

visible line and call it down with 

the EDIT key. Now move the cursor 

slowly along the line until it 

disappears. At this point press 

DELETE once. Now repeat the 

process until the line becomes visible. 

Re-enter the line. 

You may have to do this with 

several lines to clear the whole 

listing. If you are using a +3 then 

the codes will be ingnored by the 

machine, but they are still there. 

Nov; you should have a clear 

listing. Find the last line in the program 

which loads a section of 

code, and the line with the first 

USR call. You must place any 

pokes you wish to employ 

between these points. Once you 

have done so, save your new loader 

on a seperate tape. 

Now all you have to do is load 

your adjusted loader program, 

replace the original program cassette 

wound past the original loader 

program, then run your new 

program and start the tape playing. 

Unfortunately most of the 

existing programs for the Spectrum 

are not so ridiculously easy 

to access - more on this machine 

next month. 

Jojo Cicero and Mark Hook of Caerphilly, Mid- 

Glamorgan have already treated Sega Master System 

owners to some great tips from R-Type to Spy vs. Spy 

II. Now they're back with some tips for Altered Beast. 

i) It is possible to continue in all five times. To continue 

the second and all later times just press both buttons 

but push a different diagonal direction. Some diagonals 

can be used more than once. 

ii) To destroy:- 

...boss 1: stay at the left of screen. Fire at him continu- 

ously (using fireballs). When a head is above you use the 

'flaming arrow' trick so you stop just outside boss body. 

Keep fireballing him. When another head is above you, 

face left and use 'flaming arrow'. Keep repeating the pro- 

cess. 

...boss 2: not much to do really, just fire at eyeball 

and each spore endangering you. If a number of spores 

are close, electrify them! 

...boss 3: always remain relatively 

close. Duck the fireball waves, shoot- 

ing fireballs continuously. Never once —^ ^ 

use the 'pillar of fire trick'. 

...boss 4: keep at opposite side of 

screen. Fire a single fireball at him and LmImJ 

as he runs at you, jump and in mid-air ^p 

use the 'flaming arrow' trick to gain 

distance. Keep repeating, and if he ^ ^ ^ ^ 

ever does take a life from you, fire like LJSiib 

hell at him while he remains invincible. 

More tips from the daring duo will be 

coming your way soon. 

CONSOLE 


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Here's an interesting fact to slip out at one 

of those intimate soirees, where you are 

trying to impress A.N.Other with your 

cosmopolitan intellect and vast knowledge 

of world affairs - "Guess how many 

Walkmans were sold in America last 

year?" 

How about this then - an estimated 

22.5 million units, worth something 

just over a billion dollars over the counter. These are 

lean years for headset audio, however, gone are the 

days when the tape machine attached to the belt was 

de rigeur, but it does give you some idea, even in a 

relatively stable market, the kind of demand there is 

for entertainment on the move. 

Once Walkmans (and all the clones) became available. 

a whole new area of personal entertainment was 

opened up and going to work on the bus became 

slightly more bearable. Those ghetto blasters disappeared 

over night and - OK - so the treble leak from 

neighbours' cheapo headsets could be annoying, but 

that can always be solved by turning your own up that 

little bit louder.... 

That was the revolution in portable audio, this year 

comes the revolution in portable video games which is 

going sweep across the USA like never before. I guess 

it's true to say that portable video gaming has been 

with us for years. The first time most of us ever heard 

of Nintendo, it was probably because we found a 

Game and Watch tucked away in the depths of the 

Christmas Stocking. And companies such as 

Tomytronic have been producing larger non-programmable 

battery operated games for, it seems like, 

even longer. 

But this is the year that every player in the 3.4 billion 

dollar videogame market has either got a programmable 

handheld in the shops or in the final 

stages of development. The big boys are taking this 

one very seriously - and you only have to look at the 

numbers that the Gameboy has been generating to 

comprehend why. 

From nothing to an installed base of one million 

units, all achieved in the last five months in 19$9» tn 

my book, that goes under S for Spectacular, r 

"We think Gameboy just showed a shreH of its 

potential in 1989 and we're looking forward to 

phenomenal sales in 1990." said Peter t/ain, Nint 

of America's vice-president of marketing. By that 

means to sell four million more by the end of 

year. He's unlikely to be wrong. 

Atari has the Lynx • technologically w* ahead of 

Gameboy - and reports wonderful things 

demand") of its test market in New York over the 

Christmas season, with a reported 75000 gomg out 

the door. 

But poor old Atari. For a brief moment it 

claim to be the world's only portable colour game 

tem - a fragile claim that was viciously spiked by NE 

previewing working model of its own handheld at the 

recent Las Vegas Show. 

The NEC handheld is colour alright, with a full 

400x270 pixel TV display and what's more has an 

instant and rapidly growing software base, as it utilises 

existing PC Engine/Turbo Grafix-16 software. That 

has to be a big plus, although there is still some work 

in the lab to do on the battery life of the unit which will 

have to be better than the present three hours in order 

to be a competitor. 

Finally, bullish from its successful Christmas with 

the Genesis, there are rumours of a Sega handheld hitting 

the streets later this year - again in colour and 

compatible with, fancy that, Sega Master carts. Is this 

a bandwagon or is this a primitive transportation 

device piled high with a lot of musical instruments? 

OK. So which one of these babies is going to win 

out? There are a number of factors to be taken into 

That 

John Cook reports 

from America where 

gaming on the move 

looks set to hammer 

home Nintendo's 

domination of the 

videogame market

Gator and Shanghai: a fatal Game 

boy combination dtrvastating your 

spare time! 

Nintendo will be spend- 

ing around $30 million 

dollars in advertising the 

Gameboy and other Nin- 

tendo products in the 

first half of 90. Atari's 

initial ad spend for the 

Lynx is $1 million consideration, but why don't we cut them down to 

Gameboy Jordon vs Bird One on One 

Basketball from Milton Bradley 

Nintendo has been 

smart in the type 

of software it is 

'encouraging' its 

licensees to produce 

Acclaim is a major Nintendo developer 

with both software and peripherals 

•••••nsNipaa TIME 

•••••PMnnnni; 02:33 

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txeen 

Who needs The Times crossword 

when you've got Gameboy Scrabble? 

Advanced Computer Entertainment 

three major areas for consideration. Technological 

sophistication, software base and price. 

TECHNOLOGY 

I suppose, first must come the Lynx which, when you 

first get your hands on it, is a very impressive piece of 

hardware. A backlit 160x102 display of 16 colours out 

of a 4096 palette. Cool. A 4 Meg 6502 does the house 

keeping, but there are custom chips in there to give 

hardware sprite scaling, hardware scrolling plus all the 

four channel hoopy sound you could eat. Fast and 

Loud. 

Joe 90 would have been happy with one of these - 

and this 'gosh wow' factor is the major plus of the 

machine. A minus factor is the power hungry screen 

giving a quoted six hours of battery life. That'll be Dura- 

cell hours, not rechargeable hours, of course. That 

won't get you across the Atlantic - let alone through US 

Immigration procedures. 

A strong second comes the NEC hand held. Its true 

TV screen has astonishing clarity at only three inches 

across and it's unlikely that anyone will notice the differ- 

ence that the 16 colours on the display only come from 

a 512 palette. Its 6502 may not have the super- 

charged aid of the Lynx's, but there's enough help for 

the thing to cope with wildly sprite intensive games 

such as Gunhed, although there is, of course, no hard- 

ware scaling. Big minus right now - only three hours of 

battery. It would be lunacy to release the thing to Joe 

Public like that, so expect it to at least double before 

you can get it in the shops. 

As the Sega machine is yet to be shown, any con- 

jecture about it is wildly speculative, but let's hope its 

Master System compatibility (if indeed it is) is a low end 

capability rather than the thing performing at max out- 

put. 

But even if it was, the Gameboy would still look 

lame. Mono LCD screen. A blurry 160x144 dis- 

play. A cut down Z80. Mmmmm. State of the 

technological art this isn't. But a battery 

life of thirty hours or so will keep you 

going all the way to the West Coast 

by plane, let you have the odd 

game while you're over there and 

see you all the way through Cus- 

toms and Excise back at Heathrow. 

On technology alone, then, it's Atari 

ahead by half a length, with Nintendo still 

at the starting game. 

SOFTWARE BASE 

No problem here - on a ratio of sophistication and 

availability, the NEC, when it comes out, must surely 

be streets ahead. There are already 20 titles out there 

and the same number again are due to hit the streets 

in the first half of this year - with familiar titles such as 

the 7V Sports series from Cinemaware. Most PC 

Engine games are impressive graphically and have 

great payability. In the short to medium term, the soft- 

ware base can only grow larger and better. 

Again, if the Sega machine is compatible with 

Master System games, it already has a great number 

of very solid titles to plug in and go. The quality of 

Master System games to broadly acknowledged to be 

improving - the recent release of Golden Axe being a 

fine example. Old technology compared to the Lynx 

'though. 

The Lynx has the original six games that were pro- 

grammed for it by Epyx and right now that's it. I don't 

suppose anyone can deny the impressive display of 

Blue Thunder • an AfterBurner clone - it's out perform- 

ing even an Amiga. But do you want to play California 

Games again? 

Atari are bullish about future software develop- 

ment, of course, and substance has been added to 

that with the announcement of a link-up with Atari 

Games/Tengen which should ensure a goodly supply 

of reasonable coin-op originals. Here and now, howev- 

er, there must still remain a small question mark until 

we see the software on the streets. 

Again, on by any sophistication standard, the 

Gameboy must limp behind. That mono screen is 

never going to blow you away. But unexpectedly, the 

quality of the software that is available for the machine 

cannot fail to impress. Revenge of the 'Gator, from 

Hal of America for instance, is a pinball simulation that 

has the best ball movement algorithms I've seen on 

any computer anywhere for the past ten years. When 

you find yourself tipping the Gameboy in a vain 

attempt to nudge the ball in the right direction, you 

know that someone, somewhere has done something 

rather clever. 

Nintendo has also been smart in the type of soft- 

LOW BUDGET HANDHELDS 

Game and Watches have always been with us - well... 

that's what it seems like anyway, but with the very 

rapid expansion of this programmable hand held market 

in the past year, a whole host of non-programmable 

games have appeared from unlikely 

sources such as Konami and Aklaim (the latter being 

successful NES cart publishers). 

And know what? They're all completely crap. Forgive 

the blunt approach - and God knows I'm usually 

the type to call a spade a manually operated terrain 

moving device - but these game are universally going 

for the low. low end of the games market and this is 

reflected in the price of around $19.99. Which in turn is 

reflected in the quality and sophistication of the 

games. You don't even get a watch in 

some of em 

Maybe the Tetris might be 

worth a look - but other than 

- that, take the advice of a 

sadly disillusioned man. 

Don't!

Simple handheld fun with KIT and the Knight Rider 

ware it is 'encouraging' its licensees to produce. 

Smart move number one was to bundle Tetr/s with the 

thing - the game most likely to appeal to the widest 

possible audience across the age ranges and across 

the sexes. 

Many other puzzle games are in the works, includ- 

ing a surprisingly playable version of Shanghai. Sure 

there are arcade blasters • Nemesis being an unlikely 

example from Konami and Classic Invaders a forehead 

thumpingly obvious release from Taito. But there has 

been a deliberate approach to pitch much of the soft- 

ware away from the traditional shoot'em-up brigade 

and towards older users. The ones that take trains and 

planes to work. There's only one way to describe this 

particular curve ball. Sneaky. 

The Lynx and the NEC neck and neck now, with 

Sega falling back and Nintendo just breaking into a 

brisk trot. 

PRICING 

This is where it all becomes really interesting. How 

much would you pay for a hand held machine? You've 

probably already got a computer or console, remem- 

ber. This is going to be your secondary device - the 

one you play on the way to work, in the back row of 

the classroom, down the canteen; whatever. 

Well, expect to see the Gameboy selling in the 

$80-90 dollar range. Sixty quid. Does that sound much 

to you? A nice birthday present, yes? Something you 

might get from a well-off granny at Christmas maybe. 

Carts for the things - most seem to be lining up at 

around $20-$25, that's cheaper than the majority of 

NES cartridges. 

The Lynx - the only other contender yet to make it 

into the shops. Well, you can double the price of the 

basic Gameboy unit - say around $180 dollars. You 

can pick up a Genesis or NES for that kind of money 

and surely puts Atari's machine well beyond the scope 

of the impulse buy. Software? To you. $35-$45 dollars 

- just a little bit more than the average Nintendo cart. 

Add to this the thirsty running cost in batteries and the 

Lynx becomes what the marketeers like to call a 'pre- 

mium' machine - wot you and me call 'pricey'. 

The NES handheld, if anything, is likely to be a lit- 

tle bit higher than the Lynx - but will have the added 

advantage of being able to be used as a TV set with 

the addition of a low-cost tuner which no doubt will 

be thrown in as part of the deal by particularly rabid 

retailers. Who knows about the Sega, but it can't hope 

to undercut the Gameboy if anything that's leaked out 

about its technical spec is true. 

The Gameboy suddenly puts on a spurt of speed 

and races up on the inside of the Lynx as the field 

approaches the Winning Post' 

CONCLUSION 

So - who wins? The NEC and Sega are bound to have 

an impact when they come to market, because of the 

large existing software bases - but here and now, 

Mousetrap Hotel: a wacky tacky 

slice of life as a mouse from MB 

In the cold hard 

reality of the market 

this is a one horse 

race... 

Nintendo clean up - 

again! 

He's lean. He's mean. He's amazeing! 

He's Kwirk - the punk tomato.. 

Atari Lynx... the 'gosh 

wow' factor is the major 

plus of the machine 

The Atari Lynx: in UK stores within 

the next three months for £149.99 

doesn't the wunderkind Lynx seem to blow the techno- 

logical dwarfish Gameboy completely away? 

Well, hang on. We have forgotten one small point. 

Nintendo itself. Let us not forget that in the USA, Nin- 

tendo is now a phenomena like you would not believe. 

By the end of this year it will have an installed based 

of 26 million NES consoles in American homes. Every- 

one calls it, of course, the Nintendo. And the merchan- 

disers have not missed the opportunity to make large 

amounts of dosh on the back of this. 

There's Nintendo breakfast cereal, you can wear 

the shirts, coats, jeans, slippers, sit on the chairs and 

bedspreads, use the Nintendo crockery and realise 

you've been playing Tetris for the past five hours by 

the Nintendo clock. Even when you turn the telly on. 

there's a high probability you've tune into the Super 

Mario Bros. Show. 

And what does everybody outside the industry call 

the Gameboy. The New Nintendo. One kiddie goes up 

to another with this little hand held device (just the 

right size), says, "Have you seen the new Nintendo?" - 

the immediate reflex answer is, "Want One Now". 

Here's another thing - with an estimated $2.7 bil- 

lion dollars in sales generated by the Big N and its 

mates in '89 it isn't short of a few bob when it wants 

to promote a new product. There's 30 million • yes - 

30 million dollars being spent by Nintendo on advertis- 

ing alone in the first half on 1990. Not all of it is 

directed head-on at the Gameboy, but say "Nintendo" 

that often to the consumer and expect it to positively 

effect their buying choices even if you bring out a Nin- 

tendo brand of condoms. 

Nintendo expect to sell another four million Game- 

boys in 1990. Atari say they are going to sell one mil- 

lion Lynx machines. It's publicly announced ad budget 

is presently one million dollars. I know who my money 

is on to succeed. 

Sure - the colour revolution in handhelds will come 

- but until all the major machines have been released 

(all likely to be around the $200 mark) I strongly sus- 

pect that many prospective Lynx buyers will wait and 

see what the competition will offer. And while they're 

waiting - what could be better than just one more 

game of Tetr/s on the Gameboy 

In the cold hard reality of the market, this is a one 

horse race - and I'd put my shirt, jummy. Toyboy boxer 

shorts and anything else that came to hand, on a 

wager that this is the year that Nintendo clean up - 

again. 


COIN-OPS 

BEAST BUSTING - WHO YA GONNA CALL? 

After all the hustle bustle of the ATE I Show last month, 

it's back down into the arcades - as John Cook gets 

through large amounts of small change and focuses on 

that or Silver Ball 

BEAST BUSTERS 

SNK 

Regular readers will know that I have a virulent 

dislike of the "mow-em-down" style of game 

that has become so popular in the last couple 

of years. 

These are electronic shooting galleries, 

with the player gripping a simulacrum of an 

automatic weapon and blowing away moustachioed 

loony letters, young children, nuns, etc, 

all in the cause of truth, justice and lower 

petroleum prices. 

Now I know it makes me sound like a bit of 

a wimp • but while I don't mind giving all kinds 

of alien being pure hell, I draw the line at pretending 

to kill large sprites representing real 

human beings. 

Why? Well - cop this for a powerful intellectual 

arguement • it's not 

nice. Shooting aliens is creating 

a fantasy world to 

have fun in - putting realistic 

human beings in that world 

and then killing the odd hundred, 

is starting to impinge 

on the real world in a rather 

disturbing manner. 

So, as far as I'm concerned, 

you can trash Op 

Wolf, Mechanised Attack, 

Op Thunderbolt and Line of 

Fire but I think you could 

save Beastbusters if you 

really wanted to. 

Beastbusters is the latest 

mow-em-down from 

SNK and has all the 


pharaoh we have come to know and love. 

Guns - three of 'em. Things to massacre by 

the score. But ifs the theme that saves 

Beastbusters from a sorry fate - it's slockhorror, 

straight out of the Evil Dead. 

The theme of the thing has you (plus two 

others if you like) entering a town where 

something has gone very wrong - it's full of 

zombies, werewolves and nasty squidgy 

things. Imagine Southend High street on a 

Saturday afternoon. And you get to blow 

them all away - but do they lie down and 

stay dead? Nope! 

Apart from that, it's a bit conventional - you 

shoot special power-ups for more ammo, 

grenades, napalm, etc - but the novel theme 

and the 'tasteful' graphics bring it through. 

Having played it through to the end • and it 

look like SNK are planning a follow-up by the 

way • I can tell you that the surprises keep 

coming all the way through to the final screens, 

although you'd have to be phenomenally good, 

or spend a lot of dosh, to reach them. 

It's not trying to make you feel like Rambo 

and all the time it's obvious it's just a game. 

Splatterhouse meets Op Wolf - give it a try. 

Incidently -1 played Line of Fire to the end 

in the same session...! won't waste space 

describing it...suffice to say it was technically 

superb...but as a game, a load of rubbish. OK? 

SHADOW 

DANCER 

SEGA 

What do you get when you cross One Man and 

his Dog with Shinobi? Shadow Dancer, thafs 

what, where. "The young Ninja battles together 

with his faithful pet dog." 

These terrorists have set time bombs all 

over the city and you have to • excuse me a 

moment...get down Shep... you have to deactivate 

them. 

OK, so it's a jumpy, jumpy, kicky, kicky 

clone with a novel twist, but it is very playable 

and quite challenging. Shep follows you around 

and when you crouch down and press both the 

jump and fire buttons at the same time, he 

leaps forward and starts gnawing at the throat 

of your nearest opponent. 

At this point you have to leap up and give 

some help, 'coz left to his own devices, Shep 

might get hit • where upon he shrinks to the 

size of a poodle. 

He does get back to his full size after a bit, 

but all he'll do in this state is "Siiiuttttttt". As in

Shinobi, you can throw Shukren around are 

have a Ninja Magic smart bomb that kills all 

known terrorists dead. 

Hardly breath-takingly original, but an effort 

that'll probably appeal to Shinobi fans and dog 

lovers everywhere. 

FINAL 

FIGHT 

CAPCOM 

What on earth does Capcom think it's doing 

with the super-fab CP System board? The 

release before last was UN Squadron - a banal 

horizontal scroller. Yawn. And now, we are 

offered Final Fight • a beat-em-up. 

OK, so the sprites are big, but does the 

world seriously need another one of these? 

Capcom are definitely suffering from a distinct 

lack of imagination, despite the fact that they 

have the hardware to out-perform almost every 

other system in the arcades. 

More, faster and prettier is not always better, 

boys. Anyone with some startlingfy original 

game ideas • send them in to us and we'll pass 

them on to Capcom. They need 'em! 

AMERI 

DARTS 

AMERI CORP 

There have been a fair few darts games on 

home formats, but I can't think of one on coinop 

• until now. And y'know, it's quite a laff. 

First you have to choose a type of game, 

traditional 301 and cricket, plus some hi-tech 

ones where you have to hit flashing sections of 

the board within a time limit. 

You then use a trackball to give force and 

direction to the throw and press the fire button 

for the precise to 'let go' of the dart. 

THE SILVER BALL 

Hove pinball. I love vids too, but there is something 

altogether more sophisticated about 

leaning on a pintable, trapping the ball on a 

flipper, surveying the admiring crowds of 

underlings, then nonchalantly taking the jackpot 

with a single well placed shot. 

The skills involved are slightly different to 

those used by vid junkies and the concentration 

needed to play well, produces a slightly 

different effect • less intense, slightly more 

refined. Ring any bells with anybody? 

In the US, where the coin-op business is 

worth about six billion dollars (compared to 

the five billion generated by the movie business), 

almost half of that is generated by pinball. 

In France, you can't walk into a cafe without 

bumping into a pinball table - and playing 

off the Champs Elysee, with a double expresso 

on one side and a cognac on the other 

must surely be one of life's more perfect 

moments. 

In the UK, you are lucky if an arcade has 

a single table...luckier if it's in full working 

order. Why? Well....it's the Law. Very early pinball 

tables in the 30's - this was in the pre-flipper 

days, when the game was a variant of 

bagatelle - there were payout machines where 

you could bet where the ball would land. This 

resulted in the banning of almost all pinballs, 

Score is automatic, of course • although 

that is unlikely to stop some people chalking up 

on the side of the cabinet. I bet. 

The control system does take a bit of getting 

used to, but after a while you can control 

the flight of the dart very well and it becomes a 

lot of fun. 

I expect this will find its way into a fair number 

of pubs - yippee for that, particularly if it 

gets rid of all those appalling Nintendo Play- 

Choice 10's. 

despite most were for amusement only. 

Modern games don't pay-out. of course, 

but you can win more than your initial (only in 

credits), so that pinball is firmly classified as a 

game of chance. 

This means you have to have a gaming 

licence to operate one and also limits the 

ways that the distributors can sell tables to 

the arcade operators. 

Despite all these problems, there seems 

to be a growing interest in pinball - largely 

because of a massive increase in the complexity 

of the hardware that runs the tables. 

Large amounts of flashing lights and 

Megabytes of digitised sound are now the 

order of the day. More about the mechanics 

of these new age tables in later issues - but 

why not rush off and try one of these newer 

efforts in the meantime. 

Bally had a big hit last Fall with a table 

based on the Elvira character - an easy to 

understand table with well defined goals, such 

as multiple ramp shots. 

It's latest. Mousin' Around, is far more 

complex in design - although it's still a good 

bash. My favourite manufacturer, however, is 

still Williams. This company has been producing 

great table for a long, long time • with 

classics such as Cyclone, Comet, Taxi...but 

they've gone back to a simpler playfield with 

Bad Cats. 

Particularly good for the first-timer, if 

you've not played pinball for some time, try 

going back and giving this one a go. And 

don't worry • it won't make you deaf, dumb or 

blind. 


zine of the decade is about to take-off 

The complete guide to entertainment for the IBM PC 

and compatibles. 

FIRST ISSUE FEATURES INCLU 

FLIGHTS OF FANCY 

We round up the 

latest in simulations

Roland CF-IO and CN-20: turn your simple 

music programs into state-of-the-art with these 

specially designed Roland computer mi* and 

edit modules 

110 sample player and come in families of 

instruments: pipe organs and harpsichords, 

Latin percussion, orchestral strings, orchestral 

wind, etc. 

EFFECTS 

Contained on the LA side of the tracks is the 

rhythm section which incorporates 30 percus- 

sion sounds and an entertaining 33 sound 

effects. The latter cover a wide range from the 

sound of car crashes, punches being thrown, 

footsteps, thunder, screams, trains, jets, 

water, sea, etc. The drum sounds aren't too 

bad either. 

The CM-64 also has two built-in digital 

reverb units which are preset on some voices. 

Each of the two sections has its own reverb 

unit, which are quite wide ranging with various 

room sizes and depths of effect. Unfortunately 

you will need programming software in order to 

use them. There are no easy commands to set 

them up, streams of system exclusive data are 

needed - that's the heavy end of the MIDI code 

which needs handshaking routines and check 

sum data to even get a response, and you will 

need two entirely separate routines for each 

reverb unit. 

SOUNDS GOOD 

The range of sounds on offer is excellent. The 

LA sounds are quite good at impersonating 

instruments, though my own preference is to 

use them for the more synthesizer type of voic- 

es: lead solo, bass or general background. For 

realism the PCM department takes an awful lot 

of beating. It is also considerably quieter than 

the LA section which has a fair suspicion of 

hiss about the sounds on close inspection. I 

would go for the pianos, choirs and large bass 

department without any hesitation. 

Although the CM-64 is quite expensive, I 

doubt whether you could have 14 channels of 

sound and one percussion channel plus reverb 

for less money. 

FM MELODY MAKER 

FROM HYBRID ARTS 

£69.95 

For less than one tenth of the outlay required 

for the CM-64 tone module, ST owners can pur- 

chase the FM Melody Maker. Comprising of a 

plug-in cartridgesand controlling software, the 

package does a surprising amount for your 

money. First of all you have a set of 78 Fre- 

quency Modulated sounds to go at output in 

stereo - well pseudo stereo. FM, by the way, 

was the method of syntheses spawned by 

Yamaha. Secondly, you can write you own 

songs in step-time and have them accompa- 

nied in no less than 16 styles. Thirdly, you have 

a drum programmer which supports MIDI, and 

finally there is a real-time sequencer. Its devel- 

opment company, Richard Watts Associates, 

were responsible for the very successful bolt- 

on FM 'Sound Expander' for the C64 a few 

light-years ago. 

SEQUENCER 

On booting up the program you are presented 

with the step-time sequencer. As the name 

implies, step-time sequencing is the process 

where notes are inserted individually - rather in 

the manner of a typewriter. All notes are insert- 

ed by selecting the correct note value from the 

lower part of the screen and inserting in the 

single stave in the upper half of the screen. 

This could be a slight problem if you don't hap- 

pen to read music. On the other hand you 

couid always copy the music from one of the 

many books available in any music store. To 

help you position the note, the name of the 

note is displayed above and below the stave as 

you move it about. On clicking it into place it 

will sound and it has a range of four octaves 

you can choose from. You can perform the 

same trick for rests also. The spacing of the 

notes is automatically worked out for you and 

notes can be tied, although there is no option 

for joining the tails of notes - 'beaming' as it is 

known in the notation business. I found that you 

could fool the notation scoring a little without 

too much effort though. Bum notes can be con- 

demned to the trashcan and you can scroll 

back and forth through the music either by 

using the scroll bars on screen or the left and 

right cursor buttons. Most of the mouse fea- 

tures of Melody Maker are duplicated on the 

QWERTY keys. 

The clever part of this section comes when 

you add the chords. If you are copying from a 

score this should present few problems as the 

Hybrid Arts 

01 444 9126 

Kawai 

0202 296629 

Roland 

01 568 4578 

range of chords offered is quite wide from the 

simple straightforward chords to the outer lim- 

its of diminished sevenths and augmented 

chords. Wherever you want the chord to sound 

you simply click and it appears above the note 

on the stave in shorthand form: e.g. AM7. The 

reason for this is that Melody Maker has the 

ability to accompany your ditties in any one of 

sixteen styles - rather like a single keyboard. 

Having entered your song - complete with 

repeat sections, number of beats per bar and 

repeat sections - you can then play the whole 

work back and the accompaniment will chug 

merrily along with you in the style you have 

chosen, inserting drum breaks every eight and 

sixteenth bars for you. Even better is its ability 

to let you mix the relative volumes - but you 

can also change the four voices. Click on the 

mixer icon and not only can you alter their rela- 

tive volumes but you can also change the voic- 

es. You can assign MIDI channels to the voices 

used and select velocity sensing. This I found 

to be of great advantage as I found that the FM 

drums were lacking in depth. If you have a 

synth or tone module lying around then plug it 

in. and expand on the sound already wacking 

out of the speakers. 

OTHER SECTIONS 

The other parts of the program are sadly not 

integrated with the main part. The drum 

machine has an excellent grid display that lets 

you set up to 20 patterns with ease, using not 

only the internal drums but also several extra 

MIDI drum voices to which you assign both 

channel and note number to get the correct 

drum voice. You set the patterns up. then flip 

screen pages to find the song page which lets 

you sequence the patterns in any order you 

like. Up to thirty of the patterns can be 

sequenced. It is one of the easiest MIDI drum 

programmers I've seen. 

Option number two is a one-track, real-time 

MIDI recorder with a metronome click option, a 

selection of number of beats to the bar and the 

number of bars count-in. Really it is more like a 

jotter than a sequencer. You can't edit anything 

or overdub although you can save and reload 

your scribblings. But it works! 

Option number three turns the hardware 

into a nine-voice expander via any external MIDI 

keyboard. Each voice can be allocated a sepa- 

rate MIDI channel and there is provision to have 

only six pitched voices plus five drum sounds. 

You can beef up the sound considerably thanks 

to the page which lets you detune the voices 

and offset them up to two octaves up or down. 

It has a MIDI thru option as well and the sounds 

can respond to velocity. No recording possible 

here but as an expander it works too! 

VERDICT 

Although it only uses two operators (an FM 

term) to create sounds, the variety and clarity 

of them is very good and due to the ability of 

the internal chip to change one of the opera- 

tors wave forms to give greater tonal expan- 

sion. There is room to improve on the program 

but it represents excellent value for money. It is 

a pity that its facilities are not integrated: the 

various components cannot load into one 

another. FM Melody Maker is fun - it converts 

your ST into a low budget single keyboard. It is 

very easy to use, and the on screen help pages 

(in three languages) are most welcome. As an 

easy-to-use starter music package, FM Melody 

Maker has very few rivals. 

• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 1 0 5

DIY MUSIC STUDIO 

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SET UP A COMPLETE SOUND FACTORY AT HOME? JON BATES EXPLAINS HOW. 

Music companies are now selling tone modules 

for home consumption. These keyboard-less 

synthesizers - capable of producing many 

sounds simultaneously - were previously the 

domain of the professional studio or serious 

gigging musicians with lucre to spare. Now 

they are coming down in price and appearing in 

nice neat stand-alone boxes with rubber feet to 

fit on your best bit of Chippendale or MFI. 

KAWAI PHM 

£299 

Top of the list for value has to be the brand 

new tone module from Kawai, who have been 

very successful in the synthesizer world with 

their 'K' series of keyboards and modules. 

From this they created a series of dinky little 

fixed sound keyboards - the 'PH' range. They 

look a bit of a joke - sort of plastic and remi- 

niscent of a Sooty organ. The modular version 

has 200 sounds on board and at least 70% of 

them are absolutely cracking. They can sound 

like real instruments - check out the acoustic 

guitar harmonics - or like the fattest synth 

imaginable and there are enough "spacey' 

sounds to do the soundtrack for 'Startrek VII'. 

SOUND AND RHYTHM 

Not only do you get the sounds but you also 

get 30 built-in rhythms complete with fill-ins and 

introductions. The percussion sounds can also 

A mighty baby, the Kawai Phm is smalt in 

dimensions and short on buttons but has more 

fhan enough sounds and features 

be accessed on MIDI channel 10 as indepen- 

dent instruments, and if this is not enough for 

you there are additional percussion instruments 

as part of the 200 sounds on board. These are 

sensibly arranged so that by picking one of the 

preset percussion sounds you will have a two 

or three split across the keyboard. To make 

sure of complete MIDI compatibility the 

rhythms can be synchronised to either internal 

or external clock pulse. It would have been nice 

to have the nifty patterns output in MIDI notes 

as well. 

Like all tone modules it has multiple func- 

tion buttons on the front panel - via these you 

can set up the instrument to your require- 

ments. At its most basic level you simply plug 

a MIDI keyboard/synth into it - making sure 

that the MIDI channels match on both pieces of 

equipment - and play away. The Phm outputs 

in stereo or mono from the guitar jack sockets 

on the back, and the overall volume is con- 

trolled from the fader on the front. Perhaps a 

headphone socket on the front might have 

been a useful - as would a MIDI data light. The 

latter flashes any time any MIDI data is 

received by the instrument - very useful when 

working out why on earth your equipment is 

failing to work. Under the LCD display are the 

increment buttons to take you through all the 

sounds one by one and the Phm comes with a 

handy plastic card with a sound list on one side 

and the basic set-ups and percussion notes on 

the other. 

MIDI 

The internal MIDI functions are most compre- 

hensive: separate receive and transmit chan- 

nels. program changes, velocity and after- 

touch sensing, pitch bend, modulation, volume, 

sustain pedal. All these are separately switch- 

able from the front panel. Needless to say you 

can also transpose, fine tune, and alter the 

rhythm speed. If you are running the module 

with a sequencer on your computer you will 

doubtless want to access sounds on separate 

channels. This too is possible as the Phm is 

also a multhtimbral instrument capable of play- 

ing up to four sounds plus the percussion parts 

simultaneously. To help you set this up there 

are 30 'Forms' contained on an internal table. 

These set up the instrument in a variety of 

ways. You can't deviate from the preset forms, 

but they are pretty comprehensive. The forms 

include various dual settings, with two voices 

spread over the whole keyboard, and have sev- 

eral preset detunings and transpositions to var- 

ious split options. The latter will allow you to 

have several varieties of sound split into areas 

of the keyboard and sometimes overlapping. 

There are three presets for use with 

sequencers and even an optional chord facility 

where a chord is played under each note 

depressed. When used with sequencers there 

is even the possibility to change part of the 

preset sound and call up other preset combina- 

tions of sounds whilst the sequence is running. 

MIXING IT DIGITALLY 

As well as producing sound modules specifically 

designed for computers, Roland have taken two more 

steps down the road for computer based musicians. Both 

products are a way of 'souping up" a more basic 

sequencer with tangible hardware without having to learn 

a new system. The CF-10 is the digital equivalent of a 

mixing desk, and is a 'hands-on' MOI mixer that will run 

up to 10 MOI channels. As the sequencing software 

plays back your music you can mix it. altering the relative 

volumes via MIDI and also set the panning left and right. 

When used with a sequencer that allows real-bme recording 

of tins information (which will mean most sequencers) 

the effect wi be of an automated mix down 

When added to simple sequencers the CN-20 will let 

you e

THE ACE UPGRADE GUIDE 108 

At last: a complete, highly detailed guide to the 

specifications of all the commonly available com- 

puters. This is the place to look for information on 

everything from disk drive reliability to games soft- 

ware prospects. And consoles are listed too... 

THE ACE STOCKMARKET 116 

Which games are heading for the top of the charts 

this month? And don't forget - these are the only 

charts that aren't based on hyped-up sales, 

they're based on a thorough market survey of the 

opinions of games reviewers throughout the coun- 

try. 

GAMES YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE 121 

The ACE guide to the games you just have to buy 

includes simulations, puzzles games, arcade 

action and more - everything for the discerning 

reader who wants to build up a collection of defini- 

tive titles.. 

ACE READERS PAGES 135 

Small ads for ACE Readers who want to do big 

business. 

COMPO RESULTS 136 

Did you win a Nintendo Gameboy, or a Deluxe 

Entertainment System, or have you got your paws 

on some great free games? Find out here... 

THE ACE PRIZE PUZZLE 134 

Get your brain in gear and win yourself some 

cash. 

THE ACE PRIZE CROSSWORD 114 

Cryptic clues, anagrammatic hints, and a prize to 

boot. 

THE ACE DIARY 130 

All the events you need to know about in the com- 

ing month...and some you don't. 

ACE DEALS 128 

Free posters, special offers, and hot promotions. 

Find out who in your area is giving away the 

goodies...

1 O 8 P I N K P A G E S 

HERE IT IS: A COMPLETE, DETAILED GUIDE TO ALL THE MAJOR MACHINES AND CONSOLES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN 

THE SHOPS. YOU CAN COMPARE PRICES, POWER, AND POTENTIAL FOR EACH MACHINE, TOGETHER WITH THE GAMES 

SOFTWARE POSSIBILITIES AND PROSPECTS. WHETHER YOU'RE A MUSICIAN, A GRAPHIC ARTIST OR A PROLIFIC AUTHOR 

- WHATEVER YOU NEED A MACHINE FOR, THIS IS THE PLACE TO START. 

Here it is: the one and only hard- 

ware guide to give you COM- 

PLETE details on ALL the 

machines you're likely to be looking out 

for in the shops. Not only do we grve you 

essential information on hardware, but 

we've also included equally vital informa- 

tion on software prospects for each 

machine - so you don't have to worry 

about buying a machine that will never 

have any games to play on it. 

ACORN ARCHIMEDES 

Models: Archimedes 310. 3000. 410 

420, 440 

Package: keyboard, mouse and 

drive: keyboard mouse and drive 

plus monitor (colour or mono) 

Memory: 3000 512K; 310 1Mb; 

410 1Mb; 420 2Mb; 4404Mb 

Processor: Acorn ARM 

RRP: Prices range from £668.85 for 

A3000 alone to £2645 for 

A440 with colour monitor 

Contact: Acorn 0223 245200 

Still ibe cutting edge ol microtechnology. 

Acorn's ARM is about the fastest thir>g this 

skJe ol a Cray. This very exciting machine - 

although gathering admirers since the introduction 

of the A3000 - still lacks a good software 

base and $ best left to ihe enthusiast. 

GRAPHICS AND SOUND 

Resolution: 320 x 256 or 640 x 256 

with normal monitors. 

640 x 512 available 

with multi sync monitors. 

Palette: 4096 

Colours: From mono up to 256 (320 

x256) or 16(640 x 512). 

TV: No 

Monitor Output: Mono composite video; 

colour RGB » sync. 

Monitor Supplied: Depends on package. 

Monitor Options: Acorn dedicated 14 »ich 

medium res.colour; 12 inch high res 

mono; Multi-sync colour. 

Sprites: 1 

Speed: Bistering 

SOUND 

Speaker Quality: Good 

MIDI: 

Stereo Output: 

Performance: 

With extra hardware. 

Yes 

16 channels (8 stereo pairs); 

6 octaves. 1 internal speaker. 

HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL 

Disk format: 3.5 mch • 8COK 

Disk Pricc: From £1.20 upwards. 

Disk Performance: Good and last. 

Keyboard: 103 keys with programmable 

autorepeat. Early keyboards 

have a cheap feel gwen the 

quality of themachine. 

Joystick/Mouse: 3 button mouse; 

Interfaces: 

no support for joysticks. 

25 pin D parallel: 9 pin mouse; 3.5mmstereo 

headphone jack; 64 way din; 41612 expansion 

port: IEC 320 video outlet; I/O interlace. 

SOmVAffL 

Existing Software Base: Still my limited. 

Some games avarfable most software is 

for productivity and business. 

Current Releases: Spb above. 

Games: Most famous are Zarch (Virus) 

and Conqueror. 

Graphics: Potential is enormous. 

Sane excellent packages avalable 

Music: Like graphics, but developers 

remain shy. 

Prospects: Limited Even the cheaper models 

find it tough competing with S Is and Amigas. Disk Format: 3 inch 180Kflippable. 

Software Loading: Very reliable. 

BUYLINES 

Best Buy Price: As RRP 

Second Hand: Sti scarce, 

some 305 and 310s starting to appear but 

expect to pay for them 

Maintenance: One year'sguarantee. 

Return faulty machines to dealer. 

AMSTRAD CPC6128 

Package: Keyboard with built-in 

disk drive and dedicated colour monitor. 

Memory: 128K 

Processor: Zilog Z80B 

Recommended Retail Price: £399 

Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888 

Amstrad's CPC6128 evolved from the compa 

ny's fast excursion into home computers - the 

CPC64. Although it proved to bo a very popular 

machine at the time, the dedicated monitor 

caused problems for people wishing to 

upgrade to colour This last incarnation sees 

ihe monochrome display dropped, twice as 

much memory and a disk drive. Nevertheless, 

at th«s price level an ST orAmiga is probably a 

better bet for gamospiayers. 


Resolution: 160 x 200: 320 x200; 

640 x 200 

Palette: 27 

Colours: 16. 4 or 2 depending 

on resolution. 

TV: No 

Monitor Output: RGB 

Monitor Supplied: Yes 

Monitor Options: Dedicated monitor is 

supplied. 

Sprites: None 

Speed: Average 

SOUND 

Speaker Quality: Fair 

MIDI: No 

Stereo Output: Yes 

Performance: 3 channel stereo 

sound is reasonable but nothing special 

by current standards. 


Disk Price: £2.50 £3.00 

Disk Performance: Reliable 

Keyboard: 74 raised plastic keys 

with audible tactile feedback. Separate cursor 

cluster and redefinable numeric keypad. Very 

good (or word processing etc. 

Joystick/Mouse: Standard 9 pin D type; 

mouse drivers available from third parties. 

Ports: Edge connector takes 

RS232 interface and Centronics parallel printer; 

sockets for disk dnve, cassette and joystick; 

RBG output supphoscustom monitor. 

SOFTWARE 

Existing Software Base: Good 

considering the age of the machine. 

Current Releases: Most major titles 

appearing on 8 bit are converted. 

Games: Genera»y good, but some 

games run slower than other machines due to a 

more complex screen. Adventures OK. Runs 

existing Infocom CP/M based adventures (if you 

can still get fookl of themi 

Graphics: A good selection of titles j 

Music: Reasonable, but poor when 

compared to C64 ' 

Prospects: Uncertain, as with al , 

8-brt formats. Further weakened by lack of US I 

user base: a source of titles that currently sn> j 

port the C64. j 

Software Loading: Tape is quick and j 

BUYLINES 

reliable; disk is last arid secure. 

Bost Buy Price: Shop around - I 

targe chainsoften offer good value but watch out j 

for after sales service, j 

Second Hand Availability: Very good, j 

Plenty in the classified ads. Beware paying tco 

much for the cassette based or monochrome j 

versions. 

Maintenance: One year's guarantee. 

Faulty machinesreturn to dealer. 

AMSTRAD PCW 

Models: 8256; 

8512:9512 

Package: 8256 - keyboard, monitor 

with built-in single diskdrive and dot-matr« 

printer. Locoscript word processor. 

CP/Moperating system, Dr Logo; 8512 - 

as above with second (dualdensity) disk 

drive; 9512 • restyled keyboard, monitor 

with singledisk drive, daisy wheel printer, 

Locoscript 2 wordprocessor. 

Memory: 8256 256K; 8512 512K; 

9512 512K 

Processor: Zilog Z80 

Recommended Retail Price: 

PCW8256 £343.85; PCW8512£458.85; 

PCW 9512 £573.85 

Contact: Amstrad 0277228888 

The PCW was designed purely as a word processor 

and not a general purpose machine 

although the CP.M operating system gave it a 

vast - if outdated software base. A great deal 

of third party software was produced as saies 

rocketed It is not suitable for games although 

some do exist. 


Resolution: 720 x 256 

Colours: 8256 &8512 green and black: 9512

wtiite and black 

TV: No 

Monitor Output: Monochrome only giving 90 

columns on the dedicateddisplay. 

Monitor Supplied: Yes 

Monitor Options: None 

Sprites: None 

Speed: Sic// but adequate lor what it 

SOUND 

wasdesigned to do. 

Speaker Quality: Dreadful 

MIDI: Extrahardware available. 

Stereo Output: No 

Performance: Beeps only, although some 

monies are available to improve matters. 


Disk Format: 3 inch -173K fhppable on8256 

720K second drive and 9512 

Disk Pr.ce: £2.50 £3.00 

Disk Performance: Reliable 

Thrd parties have produced some addon drives 

to allow ASCII file to be transferred to and from 

CP/M 5.25 inch format. There is even a hard disk 

system available. 

Keyboard: Includes many extra keys for the 

word processor. Early keyboards felt cheap, 

although this was remedied on the 9512 

Joystick/Mouse: Not supported. Joysticks and 

mice can beattaclwd via third party interlaces. 

SOfTWAflE 

Existing Software Base: Limited by the disk 

format. Most programs are good quaMy though. 

Current Releases: Very few. 

Games: Arcade titles arescarce. Adventures are 

fading although some Infocom games and early- 

Magneto scrolls titles are still to be had 

Graphics: Scmelowend CAD available. 

Music: None 

Prospocts: Grim. A lot of machnes use. but 

sates are slowing down now. Software support- 

should be alright for the time being. 

Software Loading;: Fast andreliable. 

BUYLINES 

Best Buy Pricc: Usually RRP - still too popular to 

discount. 

Second Hand Availability: Good. Older 

machnes are more in abundance, hold out if you 

reaiy want the9512. Beware faulty printers. 

Maintenance: One year's guarantee. Faulty 

machines return todealer. 

APPLE MAC 

Models: Macintosh SE; Macintosh II 

SE30; IIX; IICX 

Package: Monitor with built-in CPU and 

disk drive, separate keyboard 

Memory: 1Mb 

Processor: SE Motorola 68000: 

I Motorola 68020; SE30/1IX/1ICX 68030 

Recommended Retail Price: SE: 

from £2.294.26 

II: £4329.75 upwards 

Contact: Apple 01-569-1199 

A very expensive up-market machine lor those 

•sen on desktop publishing. WIMP syslems 

and up-market software Software is very 

eipensrve. Imported games from US are very 

good but very expensive - and in monochrome 

on cheaper systems. Good 'or MIDI musicians 

but be prepared to pay extra for software. 


Resolution: S£ 512 x342; 1 10027 x 760 

Palette: SE • black and white; 

II (with colour monitor) 16 million, 

Colours: With colour monitor - 16 to256 

TV: No 

Monitor Output: Integral monitor. 

Monitor Supplied: Builtffi 

Monitor Options: SE - use dedicated model only: 

H Apple hi res monochrome or 

AppleColor hi-resRGB. 

Sprites: None 

Speed: SE reasonably fast: II verylast. 

SOUND 

Speaker Quality: Good 

MIDI: Tlwd party interfaces avaiable 

Stereo Output: SE no; llyes 

Performance: 4 channels give good 


performance. 

Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 800K 

Disk Price: £1.50 £2.00 

Disk Performance: Generally fast. 

Keyboard: Separate with 81 keys including 

function keys and numeric keypad. Optional extra 

is the Apple Extended keyboard with 105 keys. 

Joystick/Mouse: Joystick is not 

supported: higbguality single button mouse is 

supplied with machine. 

Ports: SE - Apple Desktop Bus connector. 

2 RS232/RS422 serial; external disk dr

1 1 o INK 


Resolution: low- res 320 x 200; 

medium res 640 x 2C0; high res 640 x 400 

Palette: STFM 512; STE 40%; 

Stacy 2 

Colours: Black and white m high-res; 

4 colours in medium-res; 16 in low- res. 

TV: Yes. Not Stacy. 

Monitor Output: STFM models only, 

others through TV modulator 

Monitor Supplied: No; Stacy has integral 

LCD monitor 

Monitor Options: Atari monitors SMI 24 high res 

mono; SC1442 med res colour. 

Sprites: 1 

Spocd: Fast 

Note: H»gh resolution display is only available 

on monochrome monitor: medium and low resolution 

displays only available on colour monitors 

or TVs. Blittor fitted to late STFMs (standard 

on STE) (improves the GEM access.) 

SOUND 

Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor. 

MIDI: Yes 

Steroo Output: STEonly. 

Performance: 3 channel sound is average to 

good depending on software. STE features 8 bet 

PCM sound but no current software uses it. 


Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 72CK 

Disk Price: £1.20 to £1.50 

Disk Performance: Reliable and fast. 

Note: Early machines were supplied with a 

single sided disk dnve. 

Keyboard: 96 keys including 10 

function keys. Has a cheap feel which can be 

improved with third party springkits. 

Joystick/Mouse: 2 Joystick ports are 

standard; 2 button mouse is supplied with 

machine. Stacy is supplied with a trackball. 

SOFTWARE 

Existing Software Base: Very good. A lew 

budget titles are starting to appear no-//. 

Current Releases: None of the maior 

software houses ignore the ST so it is 'well 

served with plenty of good software. 

Games: Range of arcade titles is 

constantly improving. Adventures remam thn - 

but the fe« available are generally excellent. 

Graphics: Very good with some 

excellent software to manipulate them. 

Music: Excellent. Plenty of sound samplers, 

editors and MO software make this tlve musi- 

cian'schoice. 

Prospccts: Excelent. Recent hardware 

*riprovements and pnee cuts make the ST range 

more competitive. 

Software Loading: A hangover from the 

original machines is the 360K disk format which- 

means few companies bother to supply double- 

sided disks. This means large games require two 

or more disks with al the tedious diskswapping 

BUYLINES 

this entails. 

Best Buy Price: As RRP. Watch out for 

the twice yearly bundles. 

Second Hand Availability: Very common 

and quite cheap. STs do not hold their value well - 

beware very old. smgte-sided machines. 

Maintenance: One year'sguarantee. 

Return to dealer if faulty. 

ATARI VCS 

Package: TBA 

Memory: N/A 

Processor: 6507 (2600)/6502

STart 

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extra 

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CPi IS * AHOu< 0**10 Su0*

112 PINK PAGES 

for a home machine. 

Music: Needs better support for MIDI. 

Internal sound software is well supported thanks 

to IFF standards. 

Prospects: Excerent now the Amiga 500 

has gained a firm footing. 

Software Loading: Noisy but usually 

BUYLINES 

reliable. Plagued by wuses. 

Best Buy Price: Old Amiga 1000s can 

be picked up cheaply enough but these lacked 

the extra graphics modes of later models. Try to 

find a good value pack. Avoid grey imported 

Amiga 2000s. Although cheap, they will not be 

supported by Commodore or their official agents. 

Second Hand Availability: Becoming 

common. Best buys are late Amiga 500s with 

Kickstart l .2 -l .3 can cause problems with 

games and only adds autoboot to hard disks. 

Maintenance: One years guarantee. 

Return faulty machines to dealers. 

KONIX MULTI-SYSTEM 

Package: Multi-system plus joystick 

and B/kers game. 

Memory: 256K + 512K expansion. 

Processor: 8086 + 12Mhzcustom RISC 

chip 

Price: £229 

Contact: Michael Baxter 0273675503 

The Konix multi-system looked a winner when 

it was first exclusively unveiled in ACE. For the 

fust time, a games console has the option of 

changing between a joystick yoke, steenng 

wheel and a handle bar - depending on the 

game being played. There is also a motonsed 

chair • (the Power Chair changed from ElectricChair!) 

although it remains to be seen if it 

can be produced in large enough quantities to 

b'ing the price down - currently around £350. 

The only bug in the lettuce is the constant 

delay in bringing the machine to market - the 

competition gets more impressive every day 

Disk Price: Applies to developers only. 

Disk Performance: Fast + reliable 

Keyboard: No 

Joystick/Mouse: 3 proportional channels 

built in. 

Ports: Joystick: Sound 3.5mmjack, 8 pin 

DIN RGB; expansion port for light gun and Power- 

SOFTWARE 

Chair. 

Existing Software Base: Almost nonexistent. 

Current Releases: last Winya II; Sifters: Mutant 

camels"90; Harnrnerfist; Star Ray. . 

Games: All likely to be arcade titles. 

Jeff Writer (Llamasoft) and Jez San (Argonaut) 

have beenlinked with the machine so what soft- 

ware eventually appears should be good. 

Prospects: Weakening - would improve if 

Konix can get something on the shelves before 

BUYLINES 

the Japanese and Americans take over. 


Second Hand Availability: Not on sale yet - 

so no S/H market. 

Maintenance: Expect one year's guarantee with 

normal return procedures. 

NINTENDO 

Package: Nlintendo Entertainment 

System: Standard version: 

console, plus game controllers plus 1 

game (Super Mario Brothers); Deluxe ver- 

sion • console, game controller, light gun, 


ROB Robot, 2 games. 

Standard model £99; 

Deluxe model £149 

Contact: Deighton PR 01-836 2973 

A reasonable buy if a console is what you 

want. Interesting too, because we may see 

more add ons Irom Japan that give it extra 

power. However, at the moment all the software 

is Japanese in origin and tins is not to 

everyone's taste.lt remains to be seen if it will 

receive any third parly support. 

BUYLINES 

Best Buy Price: As RRP. 

Second Hand Availability: Rather thin on t 

ground. 

Maintenance: One year's guarantee. 

Faulty machines return to dealer. 

NINTENDO GAMEBOY 

Package: Main unit • 1 game (Tefris) 

Memory: 64Kbit (8Kbytes) 

Processor: Custom 8 bit 

Price: Not yet released in theUK. 

US price is around $89. 

Contact: Deighton PR 01 836 2973 

Nintendo were the first company to produce a 

dedicated console of this type and now it 

seems everyone wants to get in on the act On 

reflection even the Game Boy was along time 

commg since the technology employed by the 

display is starting to look old Although this 

means the machine looks like a 'Game and 

Watch" it has not stopped sales in Japan 

breaching the 1 Million barrier. 


Resolution: N/A 

Colours: 2 (monochrome) 

Monitor Supplied: Yes - LCD display is lit by 

amtxent light. 

Sprites: N/A 

Speed: Fast for what itis. 

SOUND 

Speaker Quality: Depends on headphones. 


Performance: Good. 


Keyboard: Select and Start + 2 option buttons. 

Joystick: Sngle 8 way controller. 

Ports: Headphone socket; dualmachme 

SOFTWARE 

interface. 

Existing Software Base: 12 titles available. 

Current Releases: N/A 

Games: All games software is arcade type 


Prospects: Not due for UK release until at least 


Resolution: 256 x 200 to 512 x 200 

Isoftware programmable) 

Resolution: 

Palette: 

Colours: 

256 x 240 

52 

16 

September. Game Boy will be hard pressed to 

beat the Lynx, although it will be cheaper. 

Software Loading: Instant 

Palette: 4096 

Colours: 512 available at low resolutions: 

16 in hi res. 

TV: Yes 

Monitor Output: Yes 

Monitor Supplied: No 

Monitor Options Analogue RBG + 

TV: 

Monitor Output: 

Monitor Supplied: 

Monitor Options 

Sprites: 

Speed: 

SOUND 

Yes 

No 

No 

None 

N/A 

Average 

BUYLINES 

Best Buy Price: Only availablethrough g 

imports as yet. 

Second Hand Availability: None. 

Maintenance: Watch out - grey imported 

machines rarefy have any real warranty. 

Sprites: 

sound: composite 

No 

Speaker Quality: 


N/A 

No NEC PC ENGINE 

Note: Multi system uses four hardware screen- 

Performance: 

Average 

planes (like Amiga's dual playiield). The blitter 

Models: PC Engine. PC Engine 2 


is capable of 12 million pixels per second. In 

Package: PC Engine • controller and 1 game 

Joystick/Mouse: 2 dedicated controllers 

other words, over 50 frames per second. 

Memory: 64K internal » 8K video; 

suopbed. IR wreless controllers with 30ft range 

Speed: Very fast 

2 • 128K internal 32K wJeo 

now available for £39.95. 

SOUND 

Processor: 8 bit custom 

SOFTWARE 

Speaker Quality: Depends onTV/monitor. 

Price: N/A (US price around $1991 

Existing Software Base: Around 50 titles 

MIDI: No 

Contact: No official contact as yet in UK 

available here. Many more available m Japan but 

Stereo Output: 3.5mm jack toheadphones 

these require a converter to run. 

Performance: Digital Signal Processor could 

This is one of those machines every one has 

Current Releases: Nintendo predct about 2-3 

produce up to 40 channels of sampled sound if 

waited tor and by the way things are lootong. 

titles per month. we wi:i all have to keep waiting In reality the 

you want a game as well this drops to a 8 chan- 

Prospects: Reasonable. The machines strongest machine has been availablo Irom grey 

nels (4 left. 4 rightl over 9 octaves - superb. 

selling point are extras like the ROB robot. importers for quite some time. If and when the 


Disk Format: 3.5m • 88CK (similar toAmiga). 


machine does get an official release it is likely 

the software lor the UK version will be incompatible 

with grey imported machines. 


Resolution: 256x216 

Palette: 512:2-1024 

Colours: 32 -16 background and 16 shared by 

TV: 

Monitor Output: 

Monitor Supplied: 

Monitor Options 

Sprites: 

Speed: 


MIDI: 


Performance: 

SOUND 

sprites. 

Yes 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

64; 2-128 

Very fast considering 

this is an 8 bit 

Depends on monitor. 

No 

Yes 

6 channel stereo sound is very 


impress^. 

Disk Format: ' CD ROM at extra cost. 

Disk Price: N/A : 

Disk Performance: Superb - the CD ROM adds 

a new dimension.: 

Joystick: Supplied with dedicated 

SOf 7WARE 

controler. 

Existing Software Base: Large 

Current Releases: Appearing 

constantly m Japan. 

Games: Arcade only - but they look very good. 

Prospects: Very good • if the maclwie 

ever appears in the UK officially. 

Software Loading: Cartridge is instant; ; 

BUYLINES 

CD very fast 

Best Buy Price: Only available through 

grey imports as yet 

Second Hand Availability: N/A 

Maintenance: Watch out grey imported 

machmes rarely have any real warranty.: 

IBM PC & CLONES 

Model: IBM's PC was the first PC to 

be accepted in large quantities (not the 

first PC) and remains the standard by 

which all others arejudged. There are hun- 

dreds (literally) of clones and variations on 

the theme including offerings from 

Amstrad. Atari and Commodore. The 

specifications here apply to most models 

but check first before you buy. In general, 

with PCs you pay for speed - cheap 

machines are slow... 

Package: Depends on the 

manufacturer although most are supplied 

with monitors. They can even be bought in 

kit form at no extra saving 

Memory: Usually 512K or 640K. 

Can be anything from 64K to lMb+. I 

Processor: Intel 8088/8086 in base I 

machine is sometimes replaced with the 

faster NEC V20/30. More expensive ' 

machines are based on Intel's much faster 

286, 386SX, 386 and even the latest | 


486.: 

Can be picked up for as little as £299 for 

a "no frills" machine. With top of-therange 

486 based clones • and the official IBM 

versions - the sky's the limit. 

Superb value if you want the ultimate al- - 

rounder, the PC Still betrays its business oh- j 

gins. Almost every major software house now \ 

=

pert their titles to the PC but these remain limited 

by the constraints of the basic (most com 

iron) machines which means they tend to be 

limited in sound and graphics. Delinitely NOT 

fcrst chosce rt entertainment is your preterred 

use for computers. 


The first PCs weren't fitted with graphics as 

standard but most dones incorporate the necessary 

hardware and come with a monitor. 

There are three mam standardsiCGA - a nasty 

but all too common cotour display EGA about 

the lowest colour display worth considering, 

and Hercules monochrome. To get Amiga'ST 

graphics you musl go for at least VGA which 

are usually only fitted as standard to more 

expensive machines (Amstrad's PC2086 is 

one exception). 

Resolution: CGA 320 x 200; EGA 640 x 360; 

Hercules 720 x 384 

Palette: CGA 8 (in two fixed sets); EGA 64; VGA 

256 

Colours: CGA 4; EGA 16; Hercules 2 

Monitor Output: TO. RG8/RGBI (CGAI; 

analogue RGB (EGA) 

Monitor Options: Vast. Many monitors are 

cfcdcated to just one or two modes - some have 

amber, green or white monochrome displays 

check before buying. 

Sprites: None 

Speed: From very slow - 8088 to very fast 

SOUND 

80486 

Speaker Quality: Anything from poor to 

downright diabolical. 

MIDI: Third part interfaces available. 


Performance: Not a machine for the musically MGT's machine started life as a low-cost 

bent - an Atari ST offers more for MIDI, the Amig 

spectrum clone but in response to apparent 

amore for software sound purists. 

market trends its speolicalion has changed for 

the better. Nevertheless, it should still run the 


Disk Format: 5.25«i -180/360K/1.2Mb: 

3.5in 720K/144Mb 

Disk Price: 60p - £3.00 

Disk Performance: Average. 

Nste: Most PC ownors also buy hard disks 

Especially lor the larger machines since the 

tiappy d'Sk drive islar too limiting in terms of 

speed, storage and overall performance 

Some PC software refuses to work unless you 

have a hard disk or second lloppy dnvo. 

Keyboard: Almost as many variations as 

there are clones. Go for the AT or extended AT 

layouts rather then the XT layout since it's easier 

to use. 

champon as others lall by the wayside it carries 

on getting faster and better all the time Th»s is 

aided by Intel constantly improving the machine's 

processor and the vast user base demanding 

better equipment. 

Software Loading: Fast and reliable; 

BUYLINES 

very last from luird disk. 

Best Buy Price: Watch out lor package 

deals from large chains and mail order compa- 

n»es If you don't know too much about PCs go 

for a name you know. 

Second Hand Availability: Common, but rarely 

much below RRP. S/H PCs can sometimes be 

had at office auctions but be careful you do not 

get a clapped out monitor/keyboard. 

Maintenance: Usually one year's guarantee - 

but competition has forced the price of mainte- 

nance contracts down to an affordable level. This 

often means they fix the machine in-situ for free. 

SAM COUPE 

Models; SAM Coupe 

Package: T.B.A. 

Memory: 256K expands to512K 

(£39.95) 

Processor: Zilog Z80B (6Mhz) 


£172 with cassette: £251 with single disk 

system; £329.85 dual disk system; 

£89.95 second disk drrve. 

Contact: Miles Gordon Technology 

0792 791100 

majonty ol Spectrum 48K software bridging the 

"no software base' rift laced by most new 

micros. The price is keen and the specification 

good - but with the price ol STs dropping ever 

lower only time w.ll decide its eventual success 

or failure Check out the ACE review next 

month. 


Resolution: 32x24:32x 192; 

256x192; 512 x 192 

Palette: 128 

Colours: 16 or 4 depending onscreen resolution. 

128 possible insoftware. 

TV: Yes 

Monitor Output: SCART RGB 

Joystick/Mouse: Yes 

Ports: UHF PAL; SCART RGB: Mouse; 

Lightpen; Lightgun; Cassette; MCI in and out; 

Network 7-pin DIN; 64 pin expansion;RS232 and 

SOFTWARE 

parallel via interface. 

Existing Software Base: Massive smce it 

can use many Spectrum titles 10 major software 

houses are developing for the Coupe. 

Current Releases: First release is U.S. Gold's 

Joystick/Mouse: Neither supplied as standard. Monitor Supplied: No 


The better clones include a mouse or at least a Monitor Options: Anything suitable for an ST 

Resolution: 256x192 

mouse port. 

or Amiga vsil do nicely. 

Palette: 8 

SOFTWARE 

Sprites: No 

Colours: 8 Onfy two colours can be used 

Existing Software Base: Vast! Speed: Fast in its class 

within any one character (8x8 pael) souare. 

Current Releases: All maior software houses 

SOUND 

This limits the graphics potential although this 

new. produce something for the PC although few Speaker Quality: Depends on TV/monitor 

hasn't stopped some remarkable games 

UK companies bother to support VGA - you may MIDI: In and out. Thru supported m software. 

appearing. 

stll have to play with dreadful CGA colours and Stereo Output: Yes 

resolution. 

TV: Yes 

Performance: 6 channel stereo sound puts the 

Games: Many of the latest games are now being 

Monitor Output: TTL RGB 

SAM Coupe at thetop of the tree in terms of 8 bit 

converted - older titles will not. 

Monitor Supplied: No 

sound performance. 

Graphics: Given the right graphics adaptor, 

Monitor Options No dedicated monitor is 

the PC has nice graphics and the software is usu- HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL 

available but most low- end RGB monitors should 

aly excc*ent. On a standard CGA PC the graph- Disk Format: 3.5in - 720K using new 

suffice. 

cs are very poor no matter how good the soft- 

Citizen ultra-sAm drives. 

Sprites: None 

ware is. Di*k Price: £1.50 to £2.00 

Speed: Average to fast for an 8 bit 

Music:?athetic. Even the very best PCs can only Disk Performance: Very good. 

SOUND 

manage a weak Weep unless fitted with a sound 

Keyboard: 72 full travel keys including 

Speaker Quality: N/A 

expansion card. 

10 function keys Unusual designplaces the keys 

MIDI: Yes - but uses non standard socket. 

Prospects: The PC is the eternal 

further back than normal. 


PINK PAGES 113 

Stricter 

Games: Not much specific Coupe software avail 

able yet.. 

Graphics: Too early for good software to 

appear • the maclwie can display static Atari ST 

low res pictwesthough. 

Music: The standard MIDI interface could 

be a bonus it developers botlwr to use it. Just 

look at the ST. 

Prospects: Depend heawly on the machine's 

acceptance among the buying public.ll it sells 

well, then more developers wrtl start to wnte soft- 

warefor it - if not... 

Software Loading: Should be reliable. Tape 

BUYLINES 

based systems mil atoays be slow. 

Best Buy Price: As RRP -remains in short 

supply. 

Second Hand Availability: St* too early for a 

lot of machines to be changing hands legally. 

Maintenance: One years guarantee. Faulty 

machines return to dealer. 

SPECTRUM 

Models: Plus 2. Plus3 

Package: Keyboard and build-in tape, 

plus joystick, light gun and selection of 

software; Plus 3 replaces cassette with 

disk drive and adds CP/M compatibility. 

Memory: 128K 

Processor: Zilog Z80 


Plus 2 £139.00: Plus 3£199.00 

Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888 

The Spectrum is games machine and should 

nowadays only ever be bought as such Its low 

memory capacity and 32 column screen dis- 

play make it unsuited to business applications 

For productivity - graphics and sound - the 

Spectrum lacks the sophistication of its rivals 

to make It uselul lor senous projects. Utilities 

la", but serious users will quickly outgrow this 

generally limited machine. 

Performance: 3 channels give poor sound. 

This has never been a selling point and never will 

be. Few software titles attempt much more than 


a casual beep. 

Disk Format: 3in -180K formatted on 

built-in drwe. 

Disk Price: £2.50-£3.00 

Disk Performance: Generally fast and reliable. 

Some problems may arise with commercial soft- 

ware, however none have shown up as yet. 

Keyboard: AH new Spectrums have a hard 

plastic keyboard which - although a vast mprove 

ment on the original model - stil feels a bit 

"squidgy." 

Joystick/Mouse: Non-standard joystick 

on all models but suitable interfaces are widely 

available. Mouse interfaces are availabte but pre 

cious few titles use them. 

SOFTWARE 

Existing Software Base: Vast 

Current Releases: Very common • Spectrum 

versions are almost always the first 8 bit vers*>n 

to appear. Even impossible conversions like 

ZiWCl) have been performed lalbeit with maior 

surgery on the graphics and sound). 

Games: A huge number of arcade titles exist 

ranging from br&ant to abysmal. There isalso a 

wide range of home-brew adventures thanks to 

the Quill. 

Graphics: Fair selection some of which manage 

to squeeze far better performance from the 

machine than many would have dared magine. 

Music: A couple of M^DI interfaces are available. 

plus Cheetah Specdrum drum synthesizer. 

Prospects: It must die eventually but si showing 

signs of life thanks to a healthy software market. 

Software Loading: Cassette games stfl 

BUYLINES 

take ages; disk improves matters. 

Best Buy Price: Older Spectrums can be 

got secondhand very cheaply but the keyboards 

tend to suffer. If you are prepared to risk the very 

old machine make sure you get the 48K models 

the 16K machine is completely useless for 

today's software. Better go for a newer model 

Second Hand Availability: Numerous. 

Maintenance: Amstrad badged Spcctrums 

have a year's guarantee • take the machine back 

to the dealer. Other models are now out of war 

ranty. 

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM 

Package: Console using cartridge or 

smart card plus game controller and 


lgame (Hang On). 

£79.95; £99.95


Performance: 

SOUND 

Depends on TV. 

3 channels give good 

sound effects on most games. 


Joystick: Game controller supplied 

Existing Software Base: Very good 

Current Releases: Slowing down 

Games: All arcade. 

Prospects: Continued support ensured, but new 

machines on the horizon. 

Software Loading: Instant. 

BUYLINES 



Maintenance: One years guarantee 

Faulty machines return to dealer. 

SEGA MEGADRIVE 

Machine: Megadrrve 

Package: Megadrive plus controller 

and one game. 

Memory: 74K main + 64K video 

Processor: 68000 +Z80B 

Price: "Expected" to be under £200 

when it finallyappears. 

Contact: Virgin Mastertromc 01-727 

8070 

The cutting edge in the console market - at 

least the one we will be able to boy this year. 

Although the Megadrive is still not officiary 

available, grey importers are laughing at the 

way to the bank. All will cease when Virgin 

MastertroniC Start importing the official UK ver 

sion. If you wait, your machine will run the new 

software - if not. you may find the sottwarc well 

drying up very quickly 


Resolution: 

Palette: 

Colours: 

TV: 

Sprites: 

Speed: 


MIDI: 

SOUND 

320 x 224 

512 

64 

Yes 

Monitor: No 

80 

Very fast 

N/A 

No 


Performance: 12 channel stereo sound >s 

produced by a custom FM cfop and soundsfan- 


tastic. 

Joystick: Suppked wth dedicated 

SOfTWARE 

controller. 

Existing Software Base: Very few titles. 

Current Releases: N/A 

Games: All arcade • can you tell the difference 

from the comop original? 

Prospects: The process*ig muscle ol 

this machine virtually guarantees it resounding 

success. Even though the software base is limit- 

ed what there is, is good. Release date shouldbe 

around Easter 1993. 


BUYLINES 

Best Buy Price: Only available 

through grey imports as yet 


Maintenance: Watch out • grey 

imported machines rarely have any real warranty. 

NOTES ON LISTINGS: 

All prices are correct at time of going 

to press - but shop around and try for 

special deals, especially with bundled 

software or peripherals. 

Sprites refers to software 

sprites and is really only included for 

specialist interest: most modern pro- 

grammers use software sprite rou- 

tines. 

Many machines are available via 

grey imports' - units individually 

imported by retailers. These machines 

ought to be avoided since you may 

experience warranty problems or 

even, with some of the latest con- 

soles, software loading problems 

when the machine is finally officially 

released in the UK. This is because 

Japanese companies frequently engi- 

neer deliberate incompatibilities 

between machines supplied to differ- 

ent territories. 

PRIZE CROSSWORD 

APRIL '90 

NAME: 

ADDRESS: 

CLUES ACROSS 

5. Game played by Rod and 

I in Bono's house (8) 

6. Basic instructions, pe 

rhaps (4) 

7. Person striking joker's 

enemy in game (6) 

9. A few bits - sounds like a 

bit? (6) . 

10. Intends to change 

names. (5) 

11. Wired up in a strange 

way. (5) 

14. CIA is cracking the code 

(5) 

15. Nonsense about old boy 

being an android. (5) 

17. The French female gets 

caught in a senile game. (6) 

18. Doctor gets a satellite 

receiver - it's fashionable. (6) 

19. One with branches in 

every street. (4) 

20. Rex notes characters for 

a game. (8) 

CLUES DOWN 

1. Ocean traveller's game (7) 

2. Indication that top 

game's in the wrong. (4) 

3. One is about to go ahead 

with game. (7) 

4. Solid state of stars. (5) 

6. Unusually nice boy Dr. 

Hewson produces. (9') 

8. Mental picture of a software 

house. (9) 

12. Traipse around for a 

computer game. 

13. Addictive game for a 

marksman. (7) 

16. Rolls Royce layabout 

lounge lizard appears with. 

(5) 

18. Team playing friend. (4)! 

Completed crosswords 

should be sent to: 

April '90 Crossword 

ACE Magazine, 

30-32 Farringdon Lane, 

LONDON. 

EC1R3AU. 

To arrive not later than 4th 

April 1990.

Ail prices and manulaclurers 

specifications subiect to 

change without notice 

All offers subiect to 

availability. Oilers subiect lo 

change in price without notice 

36 

Delivery Charges 

24 hour Courier Service 

C10 00 

4 Day Courier Service £5.00 

Consumables Free Post 

Overseas Orders Pnone 

SPECIALISTS IN MAILORDER 

WHY MEGALAND 

24 HOUR DELIVERY • 12 MONTHS WARRANTY ON ALL HARDWARE • ON SITE 

MAINTENANCE OPTIONAL • TECHNICAL SUPPORT • HELPFUL FRIENDLY SERVICE 

SPECIAL PRICE OFFERS • MEGASOFT CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR EXTRA SPECIAL 

OFFERS • EXPORT SPECIALISTS (ASK FOR DETAILS 0703 332225) 

WE ACCEPT ACCESS & VISA 

HOTLINE 

RETURNS SERVICE 

AND TECHNICAL 

SUPPORT 

TELEPHONE 

0703 330544 

< MEGALAND S-W-MtfS & LADDERS • 

THERE'S NO DOWN WITH MEGALAND 

Satisfied 

Customer 

PRICES FROM 

£69 

35 

AMIGA 3.5 EXTERNAL DRIVE 

WITH ON OFF SWITCH AND 

STEEL SLIM CASE 

PRICE 

£65 

25 ^ v ^ ^ 

Yv 26 

FERROTEC 

PSION ORGANISER V y / ' r \ v 

WE STOCK THE FULL RANGENN 

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24 

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PLUS FREE IBMCABLF 

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PLUS FREE IBM CABLE 

PRICE 

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MEGALANO SUPERPACK ONE PLUS AMIGA A500 

(SEE STANDARD FEATURES) 

BATMAN THE MOVIE (GAME). F18 INTERCEPTOR NEW ZEALAND 

STORY DELUXE PAINT II 8LASTFR0IDS WICKED 

THUNOERBIRDS. THAI BOXING DEFCON 5. SAINT & GRFAVSEY 

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING. A500 OUSTCOVER MOUSEPAD 

QUICKSHOTII JOYSTICK 

£347 

12 STAR LC10 MONO PRINTER 

9 PIN DOT MATRIX 

NLQ STILL A VERY POPULAR 

PRINTER PI US FREE 

IBM CABLE 

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Start 

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AMIGA A501 RAM EXPANSION// 

WITH CLOCK & CALENDARZC 

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PRICE 

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MEGALANO SUPERPACK THREE PLUS AMIGA A500 

THE ACE 

STOCK MARKET 

EVERY MONTH ACE PRINTS ITS OWN GAMES CHARTS. UNLIKE OTHER CHARTS, THEY'RE BASED ON REVIEW MARKS 

AND NOT ON SALES...SO YOU CAN USE THEM AS A RELIABLE GUIDE TO WHICH GAMES TO BUY. NOT ONLY THAT, 

BUT IF YOU CAN PREDICT NEXT MONTH S ENTRIES YOU CAN WIN SOME GREAT PRIZES. 

Cor blimey! You're getting good at this! 

Last month, several people got very 

close to getting all the entries right - 

AND in the right order. Check out the prize winners 

for round two on page 120. 

One small point for entrants to round four: 

the closing date for that round was incorrectly 

printed as 27th March 1990 (that's the closing 

date for THIS month's round) so we'll do the 

usual: put all entries into a hat and pick out 

seven winners at random. Sorry about that, 

everyone, but it's the fairest way of dealing 

with the situation. Everything's back to normal 

this month and we'll take especial care to see it 

doesn't happen again. Make sure you get your 

entries for this month in on time... 

THE COMPANY COUNTER 

FTL, which has been basking in some ecstatic reviews for Chaos Strikes Back, 

has managed to hold its own near the top of the Company Counter,while, Micro 

Style is still riding high on the acclaim 

received forSfunf Car Racer. System 3's 

high placing comes from a very small number 

of highly favourable reviews. T h e 

Company Counter is based on publishers' 

performance according to how well received 

their titles are by reviewers in all the UK'scomputer magazines. The column 

headed Rating' is a rating based on actual review scores received during the 

previous month.'*/-' Indicates whether this rating has gone up or down from the 

previous month. 

The Share Price tells you how well a company is doing relative to itspast 

performances. Here, 100' is the base' amount: if a company sprice is over 100, 

THIS MONTH'S SOFTWARE INDEX RATING: 

71.58 

NOW IT'S EVEN EASIER TO WIN! 

You now only need to fill in your predictions for 

the top three entries in each chart and you don't 

even have to get them all right to stand a chance 

of winning. The entry form is on p. 118, latest 

winners on p. 120. 

the firm's reviews are improving; anything under 100, and this month's batch 

just aren't up to previous standards. 100 is also the initial share price given to all 

newcomers to the CompanyCounter; 

these new entries' are marked with 

an asterisk (*). In order to earn a 

Share Price, companies must be 

releasing games and getting them 

reviewed in the magazines. No releases, 

no reviews, and we'll dock 10 points from their Share Price until they come 

up with the goods. 

Finally, there's the Index figure. The average score for all games reviewed 

this month is printed below; each publisher's index figure shows how well its 

games have done compared to the average mark. This month's average mark of 

70.33 is the lowest yel in what is often a quiet time of year for games releases. 

Rating Shares Index Thalion 71.09 n'a 100' 0.76 Exocet 33 n/a 100' -37.33 

Micro Style 96 •18.17 123.35 25.67 Accolade 71 •1.79 102.59 0.67 Alternative n'a 45.06 na 

System 3 93.5 n/a 112.99 23.17 Encore 70.86 •13.96 124.53 0.53 Beau Jolly n/a 75 n/a 

FTL 93 •0.17 100.18 22.67 Titus 70.42 •10.36 117.25 0.09 Bethesda n/a 70 n/a 

Innerprise 92 •11.33 114.04 21.67 Logotron 70.25 •6.5 110.2 -0.08 Byte back n'a 64.37 n/a 

Thalamus 86.5 n'a 102.44 16.17 SSI/US Gold 69.56 -1.77 97.52 -0.77 CDS n'a 45.5 n/a 

PSS Mirrorsoft 84.3 n/a 159.06 13.97 Infogrames 69.49 •2.25 103.35 •0.84 Cinemaware n'a 74.14 n/a 

Palace 84 n/a 100' 13.67 Edge 69.25 •5.06 107.88 -1.08 CP Software n/a 75 n'a 

ARC 82.4 •23.9 140.85 12.07 Lorlclels'US Gold 68.5 n'a 100* -1.83 Digital Int'n n/a 75.6 n'a 

Microprose 81.75 •3.42 104.37 11.42 Artronic 68 n/a 127.7 -2.33 Digitek n/a 55 n/a 

Anco 81.5 •10.83 115.32 11.17 Players Premier 67.88 •6.34 110.3 -2.45 Dinamlc n'a 106.72 n/a 

Delphine Palace 81 -8.5 90.5 10.67 Domark 67.75 -3.69 94.83 •2.58 Dynamix n'a 86.5 n/a 

Rainbird 80.7 •6.87 109.31 10.37 Actionware 67.5 n'a 100' •2.83 Epyx US Gold n/a 59 n'a 

Goliath Games 79.67 n/a 100' 9.34 Cartoon Time 66.5 n'a 100" -3.83 Gainstar n/a 81.97 n'a 

Electronic Arts 79.54 -0.88 98.91 9.21 Activision 65.99 -7.94 89.26 -4.34 Hit Squad n/a 68.% n/a 

Ocean 79.5 -1.57 98.06 9.17 Grandslam 65.61 -1.14 98.29 -4.72 Image Works n'a 79.53 n/a 

Virgin 78.17 •3.91 105.27 7.84 Empire 65.36 -15.89 80.44 -4.97 Infocom n'a 55.21 n/a 

Mindscape 77.75 •5.85 108.14 7.42 Microlllusions 64.5 na 81.23 -5.83 Kixx n'a 48 n/a 

Sierra On-Line 77.42 -4.08 94.99 7.09 Mastertronic 62.29 •5.01 92.56 •8.04 Level 9 n/a 73.91 n'a 

Origin/Mindscape 77.33 -20.17 79.31 7 Code Masters 62 •6.13 91 -8.33 Magic Bytes n/a 50 n'a 

Leisure Genius 76.75 •11.75 118.08 6.42 Psyclapse 61.67 -13.92 81.58 -8.66 Novagen n/a 70 n/a 

Addictive 76.5 •5.3 107.44 6.17 New Line 60.5 n/a 100* -9.83 Players na 51 n/a 

Gremlin 76.25 •4.03 105.58 5.92 Linel 60 n/a 100' -10.33 Psygnosis n'a 57 n/a 

Firebird 76 no change 100 5.67 Elite 59.17 -6.16 90.57 -11.16 RAD n/a 91.82 n/a 

Smash 16 76 •11 116.92 5.67 Readysoft 58.7 -8.05 87.94 -11.63 Rellne n/a 90.5 n'a 

UbiSoft 74.93 •0.29 100.39 4.6 16 Blitz 57.36 •6.97 89.17 -12.97 Screen 7 n/a 65 n'a 

Digital Magic 73 n'a 100* 2.67 Tynesoft 55.2 -7.11 88.59 -15.13 Shades (G'Slam) n'a 70 n/a 

US Gold 72.67 •4.06 94.71 2.34 Image Tech 55 n/a 100' -15.33 Starbyte n'a 46.67 n/a 

Arcana 72 n/a 100* 1.67 Hewson 54.13 -10.41 83.87 -16.2 SubLoglc n'a 60 n/a 

Blade 72 -12.75 84.96 1.67 Impressions 45.75 n'a 109.58 -24.58 Wicked n/a 55.5 n'a 

Rainbow Arts 71.88 -4.3 94.36 1.55 Pandora 44.33 -39.17 53.09 -26 

Tomahawk 71.5 n/a 100* 1.17 Act'l Screenshots 36.67 •9.08 80.15 •33.66

SpeciaC Reserve 

Club Privileges membership £5.00 

• Bi-monthly Buyer's Guide each with details of 40 games. 

• Membership Card. Release Schedule and a folder for the Buyer's Guides. 

• Fast despatch of stock items. Most lines in stock. 

• Games sent individually by 1st class post. Most fit through your letter box. 

• 7-day hotline, until 8pm weekdays. 10 to 5.30 Saturdays. 11 to 5 Sundays. 

• Written confirmation of order (with receipt). 

• Instant refunds on request if there is a delay. 

• No commitment. no obligation to buy anything and no "minimum purchase". 

We're miles cheaper than elsewhere. Below are a selection of offers at prices 

you might not believe. You can buy games at the same time as joining • or join 

now and select from our full catalogue. All items advertised are only for sale to 

members and are subject to availability. 

Note: Upgrade to Official Secrets is offered to members of Special Reserve. 

90 POOL 

A P8 

AFTER8URNER 

ALTERED BEAST 

AMERICAN ICE HOCKEY 

AOUANAUT 

ARTHUR UNFOCOM) 

BAAL 

BAD COMPANY 

BALLISTIX 

BALLYHOO (INFOCOM I 

BARBARIAN ? (PALACE) 

BARDS TALE 1 ..... 

BARDS TALE 2 

BATMAN CAPED CRUSADER 

BATMAN THE MOVIE 

BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ 

BATTLE SQUADRON 

BATTLECHESS 

BATTLEHAWKS 1942 

BATTLETECH (INFOCOMi 

BEACH VOLLEY 

BEYOND DARK CASTLE 

BEYOND ZORK (INFOCOM) 

BLADE WARRIOR 

BLOOD MONEY 

BLOOOWYCH 

BLOOOWYCH DATA DISK 

BOMBER 

BRIDGE PLAYER 2150 GALACTICA 

BUGGY BOY 

C-LIGHT (3 0 ANIMATION) 

CABAL 

CAPTAIN BLOOD 

CARRIER COMMAND 

CHAMBERS OF SHAOLIN 

CHAMP (USA) FOOTBALL 

CHAOS STRIKES BACK 

CHASE HO 

CHESSMASTER 2000 

CHRONOOUEST 

COLLOSUS CHESS X 

CONFLICT EUROPE 

CONTINENTAL CIRCUS 

CORRUPTION |M,SCROLLS! 

CUTTHROATS 

CYBERBALL 

DAMOCLES 

OAY OF THE VIPER 

DEADLINE |INFOCOM| 

DEFENDER OF THE CROWN 

OEJAVU 

DEJAVU2 

DELUXE MUSIC CONSTR SET .... 

DELUXE PAINT III 

DEMONS WINTER (SSJ) 

DOUBLE DRAGON 2 

DRAGON NINJA 

DRAGON S LAIR (1 MEG) 

DRAGONS BREATH 

DRAGONS OF FLAME I SSI I 

DRAKKHEN 

DRIVING FORCE 


DUNGEON MASTER |1 MEG) 

DUNGEON MASTER EDITOR 

DYNAMITE DUX 

EDDIE EDWARDS SUPER SKI 

ELIMINATOR .. 

ELIMINATOR (12 AMIGAS ONLY) 

ELITE 

ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK 

ENCHANTER (INFOCOM) 

EXOLON 

EYE OF HORUS 

F16 COMBAT PILOT 

F16 FALCON 

F16 FALCON MISSION OISK 

F29 RETALIATOR 

FEDERATION OF FREE TRADERS 

FERRARI FORMULA 1 

AMIGA ST AMIGA ST 

15 49 

1299 

1599 

14 49 

1999 

699 

1599 

699 

16 49 

18.49 

799 

16 49 

115 99 

16 49 

15.99 

16 49 

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16 49 

1599 

999 

1599 

14 49 

1549 

999 

18 49 

8 99 

.31 49 

1549 

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.799 

1499 

499 

15 99 

1549 

9 49 

15 49 

999 

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13 99 

16 49 

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15 49 

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46 47 

51 49 

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13 49 

.9.49 

28 49 

1899 

17.49 

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16 49 

115 49 

749 

1599 

649 

5 49 

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19 49 

18 49 

1599 

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18 49 

899 

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19 49 

16.49 

1549 

1299 

8 49 

1299 

15 49 

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699 

1299 

699 

999 

1549 

799 

999 

1599 

16 49 

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1649 

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1299 

999 

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14 49 

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999 

18 49 

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899 

13 49 

12.49 

499 

1599 

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15 49 

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12 99 

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15 49 

1649 

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599 

15 49 

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899 

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7 49 

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19 49 

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19 49 

1649 

FIEN04SH FREDS BIG TOP FUN 17 49 

FIFTH GEAR 15 99 

FIRE BRIGADE (1 MEG) 17 49 

FIRST CONTACT 

FIRST WORO PLUS 

FISH! (M-SCROLLS) 13.99 

FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2 25.49 

FLYING SHARK 

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2 8 49 

FM2 EXPANSION KIT 6 99 

FUN SCHOOL 2 (2-®) 12.49 

FUN SCHOOL 2 16-fl) .12 49 

FUN SCHOOL 2 (8.) 12.49 

FUTURE WARS 16.49 

GALDflEGON S DOMAIN 12.49 

GATO (SUBMARINE SIM) 

GAUNTLET 2 16.49 

GHOSTBUSTERS2 15.99 

GHOULS n GHOSTS 1649 

GOLD RUSH' ISIERRA) 16.49 

GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT 16.49 

GRAVITY 16.49 

GREG NORMAN'S ULTIMATE GOLF 16 99 

GRIDIRON IU S FOOTBALL) 15 49 

GUILO OF THIEVES (tt'SCROLLS) 13 99 

GUNSHIP 15 99 

HARO ORIVIN 12.99 

HARLEY DAVIDSON 15.49 

HELLFIRE ATTACK 

HEWSON PREMIER VOL1 

HILLSFAR (SSI) 17.49 

HIT DISKS VOLUME 2 

(LEATHERNECKS. MAJOR MOTION. 

TIME BANDIT TANGLEWOOO) 9.49 

HITCH HIKERS GUIOE IINFOCOM) 

HOLLYWOOD HIJINX IINFOCOM) .19 49 

HONDA RVF 750 15.49 

HOSTAGES 7 49 

HOUND OF SHADOW 16 99 

HYBRIS 7.49 

HYPERFORCE « ARTIFICIAL DREAMS 7 99 

INCREOIBLE SHRINKING SPHERE 

INDIANA JONES ACTION 1199 

INOLANA JONES ADVENTURE 16 99 

INFESTATION 14 99 

INFIDEL (INFOCOM) 16.49 

INGRIDS BACK (LEVEL 9| 7 99 

INTERNATIONA! KARATE - 

INTERPHASE 15 99 

IRONLORO 15 99 

IT CAME FROM THE DESERT (1 MEGl 18 49 

I.C.F.TD DATA OISK (1 MEG) 10 49 

JACK NICKLAUS GOLF 16.49 

JEWELS OF DARKNESS (LEVEL 9) 

JINXTER (M'SCROLLSl 13 99 

JOURNEY (INFOCOM) 19.99 

KAMPFGRUPPE (SSI) 19.99 

KARTING GRAND PRIX 4 49 

KEEF THE THIEF 16 99 

KICK OFF 12.99 

KICK OFF EXPANSION DtSK 7 49 

KINO WORDS 2 0 (WPROCESSOR) 29 99 

KING OF CHICAGO 6.49 

KINGS QUEST 1.2« 3 (SIERRAi . 2149 

KINGS QUEST 2 ISIERRA) 6 99 

KINGS QUEST 4 ISIERRA) 

KNIGHT ORC (LEVEL 9) 

KNIGHTFORCE 

KRISTAL 9.99 

KULT 7.99 

LANCASTER 13.49 

LANCELOT (LEVEL 9) 13.49 

LASER SQUAD 12.99 

LEAOERBOARD BIROIE .16 49 

LEATHER GOODESSES (INFOCOMl 

LEATHERNECKS 5 99 

LEGE NO OF THE SWORD 

LEISURE SUIT LARRY 1 iSIERRA) .16 99 

LEISURE SUIT LARRY 2 (SIERRAi .21 49 

LIGHT FORCE (R TYPE. VOYAGER 

BIO CHALLENGE. IK») 1599 

17.49 

1599 

1649 

58 99 

1399 

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6.99 

849 

699 

12.49 

1249 

12 49 

16.49 

12 49 

7 49 

13 49 

15 99 

13 49 

1649 

16 49 

1699 

15 49 

1399 

15 49 

1299 

3 49 

1799 

17 49 

1349 

999 

999 

15 49 

749 

1699 

7 99 

7 49 

13 49 

1699 

14 99 

999 

799 

849 

1599 

1599 

699 

1399 

1299 

7 49 

22 49 

699 

21 49 

599 

14 49 

17 49 

799 

13 49 

1299 

13 49 

999 

599 

11 99 

11 99 

1599 

LIFE AND OEATH 

LIVERPOOL 

LOMBARD RAC RALLY 

LOROS OF THE RISING SUN 

LURKING HORROR (INFOCOM) 

MAGNUM 4 (COMPILATION! 

IMNHUNTER NEW YORK (SlERRA| 

IAANHUNTER SAN FRANCISCO 

MANIAC MANSION 

MATRIX MARAUDERS 

MAVIS BEACON TEACHES TYPING 

MENACE 

MICKEY MOUSE 

MICROPROSE SOCCER 

MIDWV4TER 

MILLENIUM 22 

MIND FOREVER VOYAGING 

MINI OFFICE PRO'COMMS 

MINI OFFICE PRO PRO GRAPHICS 

MINI OFFICE PRO' SPREADSHEET 

MOCNMIST (INFOCOM) 

NEUROMANCER 

NEVERMIND 

NEW ZEALANO STORY 

NIGEL MANSELL S GRAND PRIX 

NINJA WARRIORS 

NORTH AND SOUTH 

o«s 

OIL IMPERIUM 

OMEGA 

OMEGA (DOUBLE S«ED DRIVE) . 

OMNI PLAY BASKETBALL 

OMNI PLAY HORSE RACING 

ONSLAUGHT 

OOZE 

OPERATION THUNDERBOLT 

OUTLANDS 

P47THUNDERBOLT 

PACLAND 

PACMANIA 

PANOORA 

PAPERBOY 

PASSING SHOT (TENNIS) 

PAWN (MSCROLLS) 

PERSONAL NIGHTMARE 

PHANTASIE 3 (SSI) 

PHOBIA 

PHOTON PAINT 

It's expensive not to join 

AMIGA ST AMIGA ST 

1549 

11 99 

1499 

999 

1999 

18 99 

18 49 

18 49 

16 99 

12 49 

1799 

699 

OFFICIAL SECRETS 

11 99 

1499 

999 

1899 

18 49 

Annual Membership costs £22 (UK) 

including 

Myth by Magnetic Scrolls 

Gnome Ranger by Level 9 

6 issues of Confidential 

Adventure Helpline and 

Special Reserve membership. 

Please write for full details or enter 

£22 as the membership fee 

instead of the normal £5 fee for 

Special Reserve. Or upgrade later 

for £17. You may request a 

surprise alternative instead of 

Gnome Ranger. 

Myth is exclusive to members of 

Official Secrets and is not 

available in the shops. 

PIRATES 15.99 15 99 

PLANET BUSTERS .15 49 15 49 

PLANETFALL 19 99 16 49 

PLAYER MANAGER 12 99 12 99 

POLICE QUEST 1 (SIERFIA) ..15 99 15 99 

POLICE OUEST 2 (SIERRA) 16 49 

POOL OF RADIANCE (SSI) 17.49 17 49 

POPULOUS 16 49 16 49 

POPULOUS PROMISED LANDS ... 7 99 7 99 

POWER ORIFT 15 99 15 99 

POWERDROME 16.49 

PRO TENNIS TOUR 16 49 16 49 

PROTEXT WORD PROCESSOR 64 99 47 99 

PUBLISHERS CHOICE DTP (1 MEG) 59 99 

PURPLE SATURN OAY 7 49 7.49 

QUEST FOR THE TIMEBIRD 16 99 16.99 

QUESTRON 2 (SSII 17 49 17.49 

R-TYPE 7.49 

RALLY CROSS CHALLENGE 12 99 12 99 

REAL GHOSTBUSTERS 7.49 7.49 

RED LIGHTNING (SSI) 19 99 19 99 

RED STORM RISING 16 49 16 49 

RICK DANGEROUS 15.49 15 49 

ROBOCOP 15 49 

ROCK H ROLL 12 99 

ROCKET RANGER 9.99 

RUNNING MAN 8 49 

SARGON 3 CHESS 13 97 

SCAPEGHOST ILEVEL 9) 12 49 

SCRABBLE DE LUXE 12 99 

SONY 3.5" 

DS/DD DISK 

1299 

1299 

7.99 

749 

1699 

SD« (ACTIVISION) m 

SEASTALKER (INFOCOMi ... .1999 

12.49 

1299 

799 

999 

12.49 SHADOW OF THE BEAST 

19 99 

15 49 

699 

1799 

699 

5.99 

1599 

1599 

699 

SHADOWGATE 

SHINOBI 

SHOGUN l INFOCOM I 

SHOOT EM UP CONSTR KIT 

SIDEWINDER 

SILICON DREAMS {LEVEL 9| 

10 49 

1299 

15.49 

18 49 

7.49 

7 49 

1299 

18 49 

5.99 

19 99 

SILKWORM 

.1299 12.99 

17 49 SIM CITY 

11 99 

17 49 SKYCHASE 

5 99 7.49 

19 99 

1699 

12 49 

17 49 

16 49 

12 49 

SORCERER (INFOCOM) 

SPACE ACE 

SPACE HARRIER 2 

SPACE QUEST 1 (SlERRAi 

27 49 

.12 49 

16 49 

1649 

27 49 

12 49 

16 49 

1599 

499 

1649 

10 49 

1299 

499 

1299 

10 49 

699 

SPACE QUEST 2 (SlERHAi 

SPACE QUEST 3 (SIERRA) 

SPEEDBALL 

SPELL BOOK (4 6 YEARS) 

SPELL BOOK |7» YEARS) 

12 49 1649 

21 49 19 49 

.899 899 

13 49 13 49 

13 49 13 49 

16 49 

17 49 

15 49 

1549 

15 49 

1599 

1599 

12 49 

16 49 

.7 49 

1299 

8 99 

1399 

16 49 

17 49 

15 49 

1599 

1299 

12 49 

16 49 

599 

599 

5 49 

1299 

899 

1399 

SPELLBREAKER (INFOCOM) 

ST ADVENTURE CREATOR 

STAR BLAZE 

STAR COMMAND (SSI) 

STAR WARS TRILOGY 

STARCROSS (INFOCOM) 

STARFLIGHT 

STARGLIOER 

STARGLIOER 2 

STATIONFALL UNFOCOMl 

STEVE DAVIS SNOOKER 

STORMLORD 

STOS (GAMES CREArORl 

STRIOER 

STRYX 

STUNT CAR RACER 

.18 49 

16 49 

1999 

1599 

18 49 

1699 

5 49 

699 

12 49 

1599 

1699 

12 49 

1599 

999 

26 99 

16 49 

1999 

1599 

16 49 

6 49 

699 

999 

12 49 

1599 

1749 

1349 

1249 

1599 

1899 

17.49 

12 49 

6 49 

1899 

1749 

12 49 

SUPER HANG ON 

SUPER LEAGUE SOCCER . 

SUPER WONDERBOY 

SUSPENDED (INFOCOM) ... 

SWITCHBLADE 

15 49 

1599 

.13 99 

8 49 

15 49 

1299 

1649 

1399 

SWORD OF SOOAN 

849 

SWORDS OF TWILIGHT 

16 4 9 

TEENAGE QUEEN 

8 49 849 

TETRIS 

4 49 549 

THE LOST PATROL . • 16 49 12 99 

THINGS TO DO WITH NUMBERS .13 49 13 49 

THUGS TO DO WITH WORDS 13.49 13 49 

THRE E STOOGE S (CINE MAWARE) 6 99 

THUNOERBIROS 

7 49 7 49 

TIME 

TIME & MAGIK iLEVEL 9) 

TIME BANDIT 

18 99 

1349 

1899 

13 49 

5 49 

TIMES OF LORE 

16 49 

T MEWCRKS DESK TCP PUBLISHER 74 99 

TOWER OF BABEL 

TRACKER 

16 49 16 49 

549 

TRIAD VOL1 

9 49 

TRIA0 V012 (MENACE. BAAL. TETRtS) 14 99 

TRINITY (INFOCOM) 

14 99 

16 49 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT 12 99 845 

TURBO CUP 649 

TURBO CUP (WITH CAR) 

7 49 

TURBO OUTRUN 

TV SPORTS BASKETBALL 

1649 

18 49 

13 49 

TV SPORTS FOOTBALL (U S A | 1199 1099 

ULTIMA 5 • 

1799 

UNINVITED 

13 49 599 

UNTOUCHABLES 

1599 1299 

VETTE (CORVETTE! 

18 49 

VIRUS 

VIXEN 

VOYAGER 

WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH 

WATERLOO 

WAYNE GRETZKY HOCKEY 

12 49 

4 49 

949 

15 49 

10 49 

1599 

5.99 

4 49 

599 

15.49 

10 49 

1599 

WHIRLIGIG 

599 

W FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1 MEG) 8 49 

WICKED • 

899 

WILD STREETS 

1599 1599 

WINOWALKER 

17 49 

WISH8RINGER (INFOCOM) 

WITNESS (INFOCOM) 

X-OUT 

XENOMORPH 

XENON II. MEGABLAST 

19.99 

19 49 

1349 

15 49 

15 49 

999 

16 49 

13 49 

1549 

15 49 

ZOMBIE 

1299 

ZORK 1 IINFOCOMI 

ZORK 2 (INFOCOM) 

ZORK TRILOGY (INFOCOM) 

ZORK ZERO (INFOCOM) 

1999 

999 

999 

1999 

69p 

INNEVITABLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE GAMES MAY NOT YET BE RELEASED. ALL GAMES ARE DESPATCHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 

SALES LINE 0279 600204. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A SURCHARGE OF 50P PER GAME FOR ORDERS PLACED BY TELEPHONE. 

Order Form Non-members please add the membership fee 

Name 

Address 

Post Code 

Phone No. 

Computer 

*5.257*3.57*3.07*TAPE 

Payable to: Special Reserve or Official Secrets 

P.O. Box 847, Harlow, CM21 9PH 

Special Reserve and Official Secrets are trading names ol Inter Mediates Ltd. 

Reg. Office: 2 South Btock. The Maltings. Sawbndoeworth, Herts CM21 9PG. 

Registered in England Number 2054713. VAT reg no. 424 8532 51 

Existing members please include your membership number 

Special Reserve membership £5 UK, £6 EEC or £7 World 

hem 

Item 

Item 

Credit card expiry date 

'CHEQUE'POSTAL ORDER"ACCESS'VISA 

(Including Connect. Mastercard and Eurocard) 

' Delete where applicable 

1 

ACF 

TOTAL 

Ovorseas orders must be paid by credit card 

Prices include UK Postage and Packing 

EEC orders please add 70p per item 

World orders please add £i .50 per item

THE ACE STOCKMARKET ENTRY FORM 

NAME: Tel. Number. 

ADDRESS 

My prediction for next month's top three 

entries in the Company Counter is: 

1. 


game on the Commodore 64 is: 


games on the Spectrum is: 

1. 


games on the Amstrad CPC is: 

1. 


games on the Atari ST is: 


games on the Amiga is: 

THE MACHINE COUNTER 

1. 

ROUND 

FIVE 

Post ttus form or a photocopy 

to ACE Stockmarket. Priory 

Court. 30-32 Farringdon 

Lane. EC1R 3AU. Closing 

date 27th March 1990.. 


games on the PC is: 

1 

2 

3 

Rules: 

All entries must be received by the Closing 

date for tins round of March 27thl990. 

No employees ol EMAP. or of any company 

involved in the production, distribution, or sale 

of ACE Magazme are eigible for entry. 

Only one entry per household. 

AMIGA RATINGS AMSTRAD CPC RATINGS SPECTRUM RATINGS 

The decision of the judges is final and correspondence 

cannot be entered into. 

Stunt Car Racer Micro Style 90.5 Chase HQ Ocean 86.75 Dan Dare III Virgin 89.17 

It Came From the Desert Cinemaware 88.57 Dan Dare III Virgin 84.5 Operation Thunderbolt Ocean 79.38 

Space Quest III Sierra On-Line 87.75 Wild Streets Titus 72 Turbo Outrun US Gold 77 

Battle Squadron Innerprise 86.34 Knight Force Titus 71 Leisure Genius Compnd'm Leisure Genius 66 

Dragon's Breath Palace 84 Turbo Outrun US Gold 61 Moonwalker US Gold 61.5 

Stunt Car Racer and Desert have been around for 

several months now, but as Micro Style and Cinemaware 

stagger their format releases, reviewers 

continue to be amazed by them. 

COMMODORE 64 RATINGS 

Dragon Wars 

Ghouls'n'Ghosts 

Blue Angels 

Dan Dare III 

Toobin' 

Electronic Arts 

US Gold 

Accolade 

Virgin 

Domark 

86.75 

76.88 

67.25 

67.17 

66.75 

It's no secret that many software houses are having 

difficulties finding top notch Commodore 64 

programmers these days and these marks bear 

this out. C64 ratings have been dropping since we 

began the Stock Market - come on. programmers, 

give buyers the conversions they deserve. 

Better late than never, Chase HQ has found general 

favour, and the Z80 version of Dan Dare III 

(see Spectrum, below) is obviously the one to go 

for. 

PC-COMPATIBLE RATINGS 

Conflict 16 Blitz 86.5 

Pro Tennis Tour UbiSoft 85.33 

Indianapolis 500 Electronic Arts 84.59 

Austerlilz PS&'Mirrorsoft 77.6 

European Space Simulator Tomahawk 74 

In the (admittedly short) history of the Stock Market. 

the quantity of PC titles has been rising steadily 

- and, until this month, the quality was consistently 

high as well. This month, we see a clear split 

between the top three and the rest. 

No question where Spectrum owners should be 

placing their orders this Easter. Dan Dare III has 

cleaned up all the awards, leaving everything else 

as an also-ran. 

ATARI ST RATINGS 

Chaos Strikes Back 

Tower of Babel 

Future Wars 

North and South 

Untouchables 

FTL 92.92 

Rainbird 86.25 

Delphine/Palace 85 

Infogrames 83.5 

Ocean 83 

While current 8-bit games are generally getting a 

lukewarm reception at present. 68000-based titles 

are keeping the standards high, although with an 

unchanged top three from last month, the market 

isn't exactly flooded with new releases. 

THE 16-BIT COUNTER THE 8-BIT COUNTER 

Midwinter Rainbird PC. ST 94.75 

Chaos Strikes Back FTL ST 92.92 

Stunt Car Racer Micro Style Amiga 90.5 

It Came From the Desert Cinemaware Amiga 88.57 

Space Quest III Sierra On-Line Amiga 87.75 

Battle Squadron Innerprise Amiga 86.34 

Tower of Babel Rainbird ST 86.25 

Future Wars Delphine/Palace ST 85 

Lost Patrol Ocean Am. ST 85.17 

Indianapolis 500 Electronic Arts PC 84.59 

Bubbling under: Pro Tennis Tour (UbiSoft) on Am, PC. Austerlitz (PSS/Mirrorsoft) 

on Am. PC. The Untouchables (Ocean) on Am, ST. 

Look out for Midwinter in the machine-specific counters next month. 

Everyone is raving about the graphics and gameplay in Mike Singleton's latest 

effort. 

Dragon Wars Electronic Arts C64 86.75 

Buggy Boy Encore C64. CPC. Sp 86 

Dan Dare III Virgin C64, CPC. Sp 80.28 

Ghouls'n'Ghosts US GokJ C64 76.88 

Operation Thunderbolt Ocean C64, Sp 75.19 

Leisure Genius Compend'm Leisure Genius C64, CPC. Sp 72.67 

Duel: Test Drive II Accolade C64. CPC. Sp 71.33 

Elven Warrior Players Premier CPC. Sp 70.75 

Chase HQ Ocean C64. CPC 69.88 

Turbo Outrun US Gold CPC. Sp 69 

Bubbling under: Sailing (Mastertronic) on C64, Sp. Blue Angels (Accolade) on 

C64, and Toobin'(Domark) 

Some games date very quickly: some still look fresh and exciting two 

years after their original release. Buggy Boy, now from Encore at u2.99, is a 

case in point - and now at an irresistible price.

AnenF.gr AW 

MMMIW 

KttJ rv MiACW Va-omo 

Vrcncan Bogota I 

teWIM*'*' 

MR Ao.entute 

Ear* Pin* 

(6laO.ft.il 

E»o» 30 

Ra«J 

CUVuna GAivtn 

C^nnSiyc 

OcpllW 

C(0C«a »S*xr 

Or-.uc Ct 

FfVo Rice- 

M6 

fMM* Zone 

lirtasy 2oki 2 

si'U»y Zon* 3 

iwy 'cco 2 

i»'SH< -jri 

frosCusiqrs 

GTOflMOuW 

CtaHMina 

fimt Basebal 

G>«* Bri*j>eib«i 

GuttFoofeoM 

Got 

C.-H Weybal 

950 699 699 10 99 

H*td CTR.FI t9> 1099 ...kVt 6 VJ 1099 

Wl( Jor-m I ml Cwsade tn 999 bVt 6 99 1099 

KDIOS e» 10 99 8.99 6 99 10 99 

«ccmMt»i en 1099 699 6 99 1099 

Sl.nl C» «*•» 699 1099 699 1.99 1099 

t« NA 650 6 99 1099 

URMMM s«a 10 9C 699 69* '0 »> 

Tirto 0.iiu- 6 99 1099 699 6 9) 1099 

699 WA 6 99 699 10 99 

GaiJ Ji Sa» ...599 NA 599 S99 999 

OpcalO'i Ttunautot 699 io w 699 650 10 99 

Nop Miners 699 1099 699 699 10 99 

DeuWe D'AQon ii 699 10 99 699 699 .. 1099 

Mr* 69> NA 699 899 '099 

Beacr Vt*9i 699 1049 »30i Neva 650 1099 699 699 '099 

onWt>l 650 1050 499 6 99 1099 

f mtym M Se««« 699 1050 650 t SO 1099 

699 10 50 690 699 '099 

ftcn-q M>r»jr 699 NA 699 . IN MA 

Th» NIIOM. r.99 NA NA 1 SO MA 

'""10* 699 1099 699 699 1099 

Shnsbi 6 99 '099 699 699 109? 

fawftwi 999 999 999 9 99 999 

StMl SMVCM VA .... 699 . 699 1099 

Fl5S**«Eag4t tn NA 699 6 99 10 99 

CHART TOPPERS TOP 30 

,3T AMIGA ..PC Si.4 .. ...PC311 

Gtnu*. AM Cram 1399 16 99 MA NA 

BUNA* it* UO/M 13 90 9 99 VA HA 

Xenon 2 i/oû '699 18 99 '699 1699 

case HQ 1399 16 99 HA NA 

Fcrran Formal! CKm 16 99 1699 '699 _. .16 99 

KI.O On.n i?9J '299 I6» 16 99 

5ui« Supw Sotw 1499 1*99 14 99 14 99 

CAT^XTA GURTAII U9> 1699 N A NA 

Tuit» OI/RU'I 13 99 IfcW NA NA 

OoaMt bapn II 13 93 1399 NA NA 

CMOS Sl'**s Back 16 56 ITLRT NA NA 

Caco 1390 16 W NA NA 

Pro T«m« Too' 1699 16 99 16 50 16 99 

N«ja Miner* 1399 1399 NA NA 

B0"» 1699 16 50 •EN 16 » 

Ow-fl«on W» w ir,99 16 99 2.' SO NA 

Mvertu'c 1699 16 90 19 so 19 99 

CLASSIC COLLECTION 

ol 1990 1fe»» 1699 16 99 NA 

Euim TM» I 7»» 799 799 799 

Bwnclw» 16 Sri '6 99 .... 16«9. '599 

Fl6F«o- 16 ft) 19 99 29 99 29 99 

Fucon Miw C>»c 1350 1399 NA MA 

Nngi OutM T»(i«i 24 50 24 W 24 99 24 » 

L«tu«vj< U"y 1699 It 9? 1699 16 99 

F16 Cotrfcjr Ptoi 1699 I6OT 1699 16 SO 

RVF KJRC.I 1699 14 SO NA NA 

Gu"4t«> "6 99 11 SO 23 99 Z! SO 

CKutfit FCOCMI 699 ISO 650 NA 

Hjt* Iw RM OCMBW !» 999 16 99 MA 

C-HOM J4 C»««. X 12» 1799 NA NA 

EW* 1699 1699 16 50 1699 

Mnphaca 1650 1699 16 90 16 9S 

BMIKIKh 1650 1699 1999 NA 

oi lapariwn 16 50 1699 1699 . . MA 

REO L^hMtino 1490 1999 1999 HA 

TON BUZZARD, BEDS, LU7 8NT TEL: 052 

DATE: 

NAME: 

ADDRESS: 

TEL:. 

Post Code. 

ACE APRIL 90 

Spec Spc>cal» 

P r.ml 499 

Ptemttm 499 

Hu'imp Win 4 9» 

1004 0' MO-^lil 299 

399 

CapttM Blood 2 SO 

t>Mji P/wij Nc» B«|">«g 499 

WB1-.V 290 

IM> ol 299 

Tr* T.jn 299 

HjFT iU R« OUoCm' 699 

Pan no SR« 2 SO 

R T,p. 499 

AMS DISC Specials 

Oarh SeapDS 599 

iLt'Oi i 699 

Alwtxr-w 599 

ClKacy fo»u» 599 

R-T»p» 5» 

LE D S»n ... __ 5.99 

PiKffuria 699 

Pnyid 6 50 

Trunocrcia 6 =0 

O.CA'OO 650 

Brr>xli»» ko Pauot S99 

590 

ST Specials 

LUÂFO & l-» S«CB 799 

SlirgMM' 2 7 99 

D> JaV\i 699 

. > 

Soft'* 40 4 99 

Wn.lM .. 799 

799 

M . / • 799 

fkh 799 

":•"! fl«-9« 099 

999 

Pacio'd . . . 799 

899 

SlOC on 699 

599 

Cin/jn Spri 799 

f.vitlt Paci Calr .799 

RTfP» 699 

Ml'f •!•/>•' nNr* Ycv 12 99 

Rnstol/.ln 9 SO 

IHr- Wamon 5 W 

Oaiy Ca'i v 7 49 

PKS4M i 4.1* 

AMIGA Specials 

Roc»elRy

1 20 THE PINK PAGES 

STOCKMARKET WINNERS! 

ROUND TWO 

Everyone s getting much better this, you know. In round one, 

hardly anyone got anywhere close to picking forecasting the 

names that would appear the following month, let alone which 

order they would appear in. This month, however, not only did people 

frequently pinpoint as many as four entries in a section, but R.S. Eadie 

of Wedmore even managed to get four entries for the Spectrum chart 

in their correct places! Just one more right and he would have hit the 

jackpot with £150 worth of software. As it is, he is one of our six prize 

winners this month. 

Other winners include R.P.Maxfield of Rotherham, wtio managed to 

pinpoint the top three entries in the Amiga chart in their correct order. 

People with long memories may recall that the closing date for this 

round was wrongly printed, so that it ws possible to fill in your forms 

AFTER the next issue had appeared, therefore getting all the answers 

right! As it was, both RPM and CE got their entries in before the next 

issue appeared. All other entries, regardless of when they were 

received, were given an equal chance of winning through random selec- 

tion from the traditional hat. 

The winners of round two were: 

R.P.Maxfield, Rotherham 

Daniel Grenham, Heme Bay 

R.S. Eadie, Wedmore 

James Verdier, Welwyn 

Darren Garbutt, Leeds 

S. Cresci, Clapton 

Each entrant wins £25 of software for their machine. Prize winners 

please contact us if you have any special preferences. 

MONTHLY PAYMENT TERMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH LOMBARD TRICITY FINANCE ON ALL PURCHASES OVER £150.00. PLEASE RING FOR DETAILS 

ATARI 520ST 

*********************** 

** FREE'! Wllh All Atari Computers ** 

** Hyper Paint, Hyper Draw. Borodino ** 

* * ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST * * 

** ** 

*********************** 

NEW!! POWER PACK 

PACK A 

Alan 520STFM with 1MB D.SC Dnve 

Mouse, 20 Game Software Pack 

Business Organise*. First Ba*c 

Base Gwde. Firsi Music. 

Owners Handbook Atan Joystick 

ONLY 

c3so.es 

PLUS FREEI! A Superb Starter Pack 

including wordprooessor. Sp'eaOVioot, Word 

Count. Spo-lchocknr NooCiromo. Mono Mo-iitc* 

Emulator. Database. Towers oi Hanoi. v*us Kirer. 

Senson. Fru< Machine Simulation 

CONTAINS ALL ITEMS IN PACK A 

PLUS !! 

Wiyl Computer Cover. Oisk Cleaner 

Lockasie Disc BO. - HOWS 80 Oisks. 

Twin Joystc* E»ten*on lead 

Ten OS Disks 2r>d Joystick Mouse Mat 

ONLY 

£389.95 

PLUS FREE!! Our Superb Starter Pac* as detailed * 

Pack A Above 

CONTAINS ALL ITEMS IN PACK A 

PLUS II 

A PMips CM8833 Colour Monitor 

W

T H E P I N K P A G E S 1 2 1 

SOMETIMES YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT TO FACE UP TO THE TRUTH. YOUR SOFTWARE COLLECTION IS GETTING YOU 

DOWN, YOUR DOG'S SICK, YOUR FRIENDS ARE CONVINCED IT WAS YOU THAT LOST THE WINNING POOLS COUPON, 

YOUR MOTHER HAS DECIDED YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR IMAGE, AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND (OR BOYFRIEND) HAS JUST 

BECOME A MISSIONARY...THERE'S ONLY ONE THING FOR IT...GO OUT AND GET A NEW GAME. AND TO MAKE SURE YOU 

REALLY SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE, HERE'S A LIST OF GAMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION. 

ARCADE 

STYLE 

Including coin-op conversions. Games with a high fun factor 

and plenty of addictive action feature in this category. 

ARKANOID 

Imagine • Spectrum 

£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs 

£l2.95dk • Amstrad 

£8.95cs £l4.95dk • 

Atari XL/XE £8.95cs • 

Atari ST £l4.95dk • 

MSX £8.95cs • IBM PC 

£l9.95dk 

Conversion from 

Arkanoid the coin-op, in 

its turn the best version 

of the classic Breakout. 

Simple in concept: the 

player controls a bat at 

the base of the screen, 

whizzing it left and right. 

The object is to keep a 

small ball in play, bounc- 

sng it off the bat to 

destroy formations of 

bricks in the top half of 

the screen. Eliminate all 

the bricks and move on to 

the next of 33 screens. 

Clever extra features con- 

tribute to the addictive- 

ness. As a faithful coin-op 

conversion, Arkanoid 

comes out top. but for a 

different slant on the 

same theme and some 

nifty music, try ASL's 

Impact, which also builds 

up the difficulty levels 

more gradually. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

BOUNDER 

Gremlin Graphics • Spec- 

trum £7.95cs*C64 

£9.95cs £l2.95dk • 

Amstrad £8.95cs 

£l3.95dk 

A great arcade bounce 

em-up. and very addictive 

too. You guide a ball as it 

bounces from one plat- 

form to another, high 

above the vertically 

scrolling landscape. Land 

on marked squares and 

you can stay aloft longer 

or gain a mystery bonus. 

Fill in a gap or hit one of 

the game's many nasties, 

however, and you'll lose a 

life. Bonus bouncing sec- 

tions at the end of each 

level help vary the pace, 

and those tough gaps 

really keep you coming 

back for more. Bright, 

witty graphics, great 

music - and ifs so 

playable. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

BUBBLE BOB- 

BLE 

Firebird • Spectrum 

£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs 

£l2.95dk • Amstrad 

£8.95cs £l4.95dk • 

Atari ST £l9.95dk 

Payability is the essence 

of this two-player coin-op 

conversion. You and a 

friend play bubble-blowing 

dinosaurs, travelling 

through 100 maze-and- 

platform screens, fighting 

off the bullies' by encap- 

sulating them in your bub- 

bles to turn them into 

juicy fruit. More firepower 

and various bonuses 

await as you reach the 

more difficult later 

screens. Enormously 

good fun, if a little on the 

cutesy side. Can also be 

played as one player 

against the computer. 

* ACE RATED 958 

CONQUEROR 

Superior • Archimedes 

£24.95dk (Amiga and ST 

versions under develop- 

ment) 

Drive around in your very 

own tank! Blast the enemy 

in close combat and plan 

your strategy for the cam 

paign. This is a tricky 

game to get to grips with, 

but if you persevere you'll 

find you soon become 

mesmerised by the thing. 

If you ain't got a l Mb 

Archie though - forget it? 


ELIMINATOR 

Hewson • Spectrum 

£7.99cs £12.99dk • 

C64 £9.99cs £14.99dk 

* Amstrad £9.99cs 

£14.99dk • Atari ST 

£19.99dk • Amiga 

£19.99dk 

Graphically wonderful 

roadway blastem-up by 

John Phillips, which will 

twist your joystick inside- 

out. It'll even have you 

driving on the ceiling. 

Though it's tough to get 

to grips with at first, the 

addiction level's so great 

you'll keep coming back 

for more. 


EXOLON 


£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs 

£12.95dk • Amstrad 

£8.95cs £14.95dk 

Graphically superb hori- 

zontally scrolling shoot- 

envup in which you run, 

duck and jump your way 

along a planefs surface 

blasting away at alien 

defences. A gun and a 

missile launcher are used 

to blast the foes, but if 

things are still too tough 

then you can grab an 

exoskeleton for extra pro- 

tection and fire power. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

NEW 

ZEALAND 

STORY 

Ocean • Spectrum 

£8.95cs, C64 £9.95cs, 

Amstrad £9.95cs, ST 

£19.99. Amiga £24.99 

Although pipped at the 

post in a head to head 

with Rainbow Islands. New 

Zealand Story is not a 

game to be ruled out. It is 

immense fun to play, pro- 

vides lots of varied action 

across many levels. Defi- 

nitely worth checking out. 

• ACE RATED 875 

OIDS 

Mirrorsoft • Atari ST 

£19.99dk 

A magnificent ThrusNsh 

blast. The Oids are relying 

on you to save them, but 

the Biocretes aren't going 

to let them go without 

throwing missiles, rockets 

and a number of other 

weapons at you. Included 

with the program is an 

edit facility that allows 

you to design your own 

planetoids - great stuff! 


PITSTOP 2 

Epyx/US Gold • Available 

only on Epyx Epics compi- 

lation • C64 £9.95cs 

£14.95dk • IBM PC 

£29.95dk 

(in compilation with Win- 

ter Games and Summer 

Games 2] 

Thrilling racing game 

where the screen is split 

into two and you can race 

the computer or a friend. 

Lots of different Grand 

Prix circuits, tyre blow 

outs and of course the all- 

important pitstops guar- 

antee to give you hand 

cramp and your brain a 

real racing treat. 

• ACE CLASSIC 

POWER- 

DROME 

Electronic Arts • Atari ST 

£24.95dk 

This superb arcade-style 

futuristic driving simula- 

tion will have you 

enthralled for months to 

come. It may not be terri- 

bly easy to get straight 

into but it's well worth 

persevering with. You'll be 

playing this for months. 


PURPLE SAT- 

URN DAY 

Exxos • Atari ST 


£24.95 

A terrific mix of games 

that delivers punch both 

audio and visual. The con- 

sistently good gameplay 

ensures you'll enjoy play- 

ing each sub-game time 

and again. It's a little 

tricky to get the hang off, 

but master it and you'll be 

pleased you persevered. 


RAINBOW 

ISLANDS 

Firebird, Spectrum 

£9.95cs £14.95dk, C64 

£9.99cs S14.99dk. 


£14.99dk, ST £24.99. 

Amiga £24.99 

The sequel to Bubble Bob- 

ble is nothing short of fan- 

tastic. The graphics and 

sound are superb, as is 

the gameplay. 

One of the best (and 

cutest arcade conver-

1 2 2 THE PINK PAGES 

sions of the year that 

should not be missed. 


RVF 

Microstyle. ST £24.99. 

Amiga £29.99 

RVF offers a near endless 

supply of fast paced bike 

action as you race your 

Honda RVF. Attention to 

detail is paid out all along 

the route with your rider 

giving the bike a push 

start after a crash. 

An excellent mix of 

arcade and simulation. 


SPIDERTRON- 

IC 

Ere International • Atari 

ST £19.95dk 

Guide your spider-like 

character around the 

game area, collecting 

coloured panels in the 

correct order. The built-in 

construction set means 

you'll be knocking out 

your own levels till the 

cows come home. 


SUMMER 

GAMES 

E pyx/US Gold • C64 

£9.95 cs £14.95dk • 

IBM PC £29.95dk 

Epyx sporting simulations 

are of high quality but 

none have quite captured 

the payability and style of 

the original Summer 

Games and its immediate 

successor. Summer 

Games 2. One to six play- 

ers can take part in high 

jump, gymnastics, spring 

board diving, clay pigeon 

shooting, swimming, pole 

vault - and others - with 

lovely large graphics and 

smooth animation 

throughout. Control of 

your athlete can be com 

plex so practice is recom- 

mended. 


SUPER 

SPRINT 

Electric Dreams • C64 

£9.99cs £14.99dk 

Amstrad £9.99cs Spec- 

trum £9.99cs • Atari ST 

£19.99dk 

One of the better coin-op 

conversions currently 

available. With up to three 

players all competing at 

once, the action is fast 

and furious and it will take 

a finely-tuned car to com 

plete some of the more 

tortuous circuits that 

appear later in the game. 


THRUST 

Firebird • Spectrum 

£1.99cs®C64£1.99cs 

• Amstrad £1.99cs 

Terrifyingly sensitive con- 

trols and a large helping 

of real-life physics make 

this budget title an abso- 

lute must. Flying down 

through the caverns of an 

enemy-held planet, you 

have to pick up fuel and 

destroy hostile gun tur- 

rets without crashing into 

the tunnel walls. Tough 

enough as it is, but then 

you've got to make the 

return journey with a 

heavy load slung under 

your craft. Very mean, 

very addictive. 


URIDIUM 


£8.95cs • C64 £9.95cs 

£12.95dk • BBC 

£9.95cs £14.95dk 

The piece de resistance 

of scrolling shoot-em-ups: 

blast the dreadnought and 

attacking ships while 

dodging around any large 

structures. Great metallic- 

looking dreadnoughts and 

the smoothest scrolling 

you'll ever see put this 

head and shoulders above 

the opposition. A game 

not to be missed, espe- 

cially now that C64 ver- 

sions come packaged 

with the excellent 

Paradroid. 

ACE CLASSIC 

ZARCH / 

VIRUS 

Superior Software • 

Archimedes £19.95dk • 

Firebird (16 and 8-bit ver- 

sions) Amiga £19.95dk 

• Atari ST £19.95dk • 

Some 8-bit versions under 

development 

A solid three dimensional 

shoot-em-up with such 

graphic perfection and 

timelessly addictive game- 

play that it became an 

instant classic. Now the 

16-bit versions have 

arrived and they're just as 

good as the 32-bit ver- 

sions. 


ADVENTURES 

After a brief surge of RPG_related 

popularity, the traditional text-entry 

adventure is rapidly disappearing. 

But for those of you who savour the 

powers of the imagination, the ver- 

bal twist, and the thrill of encounter- 

ing other characters, this game 

genre still has much to recommend 

it. Here are some of the all-time 

great computer fantasies... 

BEYOND 

ZORK 

Infocom/Actrvision • C64 

£19.99dk«PC £24.99dk 

• Amiga £24.99dk • Atari 

ST £24.99dk 

Infocom's attempt to mus- 

cle in on the role-playing 

market is a great success. 

Locate the fabulous 

Coconut of Quendor in a 

game that combines the 

wit and ingenuity of one of 

the world's most original 

software companies with 

state-of-the-art parsing and 

gameplay. Text-only, but 

with an on-screen mapping 

facility. 


CORRUPTION 

Rainbird • Atari ST 


£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk 

• Spectrum £15.95dk# 

C64 £17.95dk • Amstrad 

6128 £19.95dk 

This tale of insider deal- 

ings. infidelity and crooked 

business deals is unlikely 

to appeal to adventurers 

who prefer to wander 

through vast dungeon net- 

works seeking treasure. 

But for those who are fed 

up with traditional adven- 

turing, it's like a breath of 

fresh air. Superb graphics, 

great atmosphere and a 

nail-biting plot makes this a 

terrific game that grips 

from the start. 


FISH 

Magnetic Scrolls • PC 

£24.99dk Amiga 

£24.99dk 

More gameplay than Cor- 

ruption, better game 

design than Mnxter. and 

not as quirky as The 

Pawn. This is definitely 

MS's best release since 

Guild Of Thieves. Good 

stuff indeed. 

• ACE RATED 

GUILD OF 

THIEVES 

Rainbird • C64 £19.95dk 

• Spectrum £15.95dk« 

Amstrad 6128 £19.95dk 

• Amiga £24.95dk • Atari 

ST £24.95dk • PC 

£24.95dk 

One of Britain's newer 

adventure software houses 

- Magnetic Scrolls - man- 

aged to produce a tradi- 

tional treasure hunt with 

superb graphics and some 

very tricky puzzles. Power- 

ful parser helps to create 

a convincing game world 

with humour and imagina- 

tion. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

INGRIDS 

BACK 

Level 9 • Atari ST 

£19.95dk 

A great follow-up to 

Gnome Ranger. Level 9 

have really got to grips 

with the use of characters 

in their games and how to 

program them very effec- 

tively. 


JEWELS OF 

DARKNESS 

Rainbird • C64 £14.95cs 

• Spectrum 128£14.95cs 


£l9.95dk • PC £19.95dk 

• Amiga £19.95dk« Atari 

ST £19.95dk 

Level 9 have put together 

three of their classic 

releases. Colossal Adven- 

ture. Dungeon Adventure 

and Adventure Quest in 

one bundle. The games 

have been updated with 

graphics and larger vocab- 

ularies and are as close to 

the original spirit of adven- 

turing as you're likely to 

find. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

LURKING 

HORROR 

InfoconVMediagemc • 

C64£19.99dk«ST 

£24.991 Amiga £24.99 • 

PC £24.99 

Infocom's tribute to H.P. 

Lovecraft and the horror- 

fantasy genre sends you 

into a cold sweat as you 

discover something very 

nasty lurking beneath your 

college laboratory. Superb 

text-only game that defies 

you to play it after dark... 

* ACE CLASSIC 

TIME AND 

MAG IK 

Mandarin • Spectrum 

£14.95cs £14.95dk • 

C64 £14.95cs £14.95dk 


£14.95dk • Atari ST 


£19.99dk • PC £19.99dk 

This compilation of the 

Level 9 games, Lords Of 

Time, Red Moon and The 

Price Of Magik have been 

re-vamped with better 

parsing, bigger vocabular- 

ies and pictures added. 

Superb value if you don't 

already own them. 


ZORK ZERO 

Infocom Versions due out 

about now. Watch this 

space for price info. 

Highly enjoyable with a 

variety of challenges that 

make for instant addic- 

tion. A bit more character 

interaction would have 

made this a real 

humdinger, but even so it 

remains one of the best 

games of the year so far. 

• ACE RATED 

PUZZLES 

If you're after a game that will pro" 

vide you with a real challenge, 

without necessarily requiring large 

doses of strategic thinking, then 

it's a puzzle game you want. 

BONE- 

CRUNCHER 

Superior Software • C64 

£9.95csll.95dk •Amiga 

£14.95 

At first sight this recent 

release may appear to be 

nothing more than a boul- 

derdash ripoff. However 

there are a number of 

innovative gameplay fea- 

tures which give 

Bonecruncher a feel all of 

its own. Highly recom- 

mended for those who pre- 

fer to solve problems 

rather than shoot them. 

* ACE RATED 948 - 

AMIGA 

BOULDERDASH 

Prism Leisure Corporation 

• Spectrum £2.99cs • 

C64 £2.99cs • Amstrad 

£2.99cs 

A game that has every- 

thing - instant addiction, 

long-term challenge, fre- 

netic excitement as the 

clock ticks down and 

extremely tricky puzzles. 

You must collect jewels 

hidden in caverns, digging 

away earth and boulders 

to get tat them. Boulders 

can drop and cause you 

serious damage, while the 

jewels are often hidden by 

seemingly impenetrable 

walls. Complex but great 

fun. Boulderdash is a clas- 

sic you can't afford to 

miss in its budget incarna- 

tion. 


DEFLEKTOR 

Gremlin/Vortex • C64 

£9.99cs • Spectrum 

£7.99cs • ST £19.95dk 

Optics are the order of the 

day here (not the spirit dis- 

pensers) as the player 

tries to connect a laser 

beam to a receiver and at 

the same time destroy a

number of cells that are 

on screen as well. You'll 

need to make full use of 

the mirrors, fibre-optic 

conduits and polarising 

and refracting blocks if 

you're to achieve your 

aim. Clear the first screen 

and you'll only have 59 

more to do. Fascinating 

stuff that's horribly addic- 

tive. 


ST 

NEBULUS 

Hewson • C64 £9.99cs 

£14 .99 dk® Atari ST 

£14.99 dk 

Guide pogo to the top of 

eight towers using the spi- 

ral of platforms, lifts and 

ledges that form the 

route. It's a highly original 

game that strikes a fine 

balance between frustra- 

tion and addiction, added 

to which is the rotary 

scroll, thus making it a 

good-looking, playable 

winner of a game. 


C64 

SENTINEL 

Firebird • Spectrum £9.95 

cs • C64 £9.95cs 

£14.95dk« Amstrad 

£9.95cs £14.95 dk • 

Atari ST £19.95dk • 

Amiga £19.99dk 

Bizarre and compelling 

strategy game played 

over the chequered sur- 

face of a planet dominat- 

ed by the Sentinel. Funda- 

mentally you have to 

absorb energy while trying 

to stop the Sentinel from 

absorbing yours. A clean 

brain and fast trigger fin- 

ger are both necessary in 

this very onginal and large 

-10,000 possible land 

scapes - game. 


AMIGA 

SKULL 

DIGGERY 

Nexus® Atari ST £19.95 

Boulderdash clone that 

completely outdoes the 

original on this particular 

machine. Again (see Boul- 

derdash above) you're dig- 

ging for diamonds in cav- 

erns over a hundred differ- 

ent screens - with a time 

limit for each screen. 

Skulldiggery scores on 

payability (easier screens 

to begin with and a choice 

of starting point) and its 

entertaining two-player 

option. 

* ACE RATED 919-ST 

SPORE 

Bulldog • C64 £1.99cs • 

Amstrad £ 1.99c s* Spec- 

trum £1.99cs 

The winning combination 

of strategy, frenzied blast- 

ing and great graphics 

make Spore a worthy full- 

priced release - what a 

bargain then to be able to 

pick it up for £1.99! 

* ACE RATED 919- 

C64 

TETRIS 

Mirrorsoft • Spectrum 

£8.99 cs • C64 £8.99cs 


£8.99cs £12.99 dk» 

Atari ST £19.95dk • 

Amiga £19.99dk • IBM 

PC £19.99dk 

A fascinating geometrical 

oddity, this Russian puz- 

zler turns the obscure 

mathematical topic of 

packing into a cult game. 

One at a time, shapes fall 

downwards into a rectan- 

gular playing area. Left to 

their own devices they'll 

pile up until they reach the 

top of the screen; your 

task is to guide them 

down and pack them tight- 

ly so that doesn't happen. 

Different versions have 

proved to be rather van- 

able in their arcade 

aspects, but the brilliantly 

simple idea behind them 

means they're well worth 

a look whatever your 

machine. 


C64 

THINK! 

Firebird •C64£1.99cs» 

Amstrad £1.99cs* Spec- 

trum £1.99cs 

Originally released by Ark> 

lasoft at full price, but now 

available for a fraction of 

that from Firebird. It's a 

horribly addictive game 

played on a 6x6 grid - 

either one or two player - 

in which you attempt to 

connect four counters, 

honzontally, vertically or 

diagonally. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

XOR 

Logotron • BBC £9.95cs 

£12.85dk •Amstrad 

£9.95cs£14.95dk« 

Spectrum £7.95cs 

Extremely tricky maze 

game involving the player 

controbig two shields, and 

collecting masks through 15 

mazes, which increase in 

complexity as you progress. 

Also m later stages, fish and 

chickens be in wait, often 

blocking the masks and just 

waiting to fall on you and 

ATF 

Digital Integration • C64 

£8.95cs £12.95dk • 


£12.95dk® Spectrum 

£8.95cs£13.95dk 

Excellent combat/flight 

simulator that's a bit of a 

change for Digital Integra- 

tion, the simulation spe- 

cialist. The emphasis is on 

solid action, the result 

being a sure-fire hit. 


SPECTRUM 

DARK SIDE 

Incentive • C64 £9.95cs 


£9.95cs £14.95dk« 

Spectrum £9.95cs 

£14.95dk 

The second game using 

the Freescape program- 

ming system, which sets 

more of an arcade chal- 

lenge. The 3-0 graphics 

are again superb as are 

the tasks and puzzles. 

* ACE RATED 915- 

AMSTRAD 

ELITE 

Firebird • C64 £14.95cs 


£12.95cs£14.95dk® 

Spectrum £14.95cs • 

BBC £13.95cs £14.95dk 

(available from Superior 

software) 

Still the best space trading 

game, Elite set a standard 

for other companies to fol- 

low. One of the first space 

games to use vector 

graphics, it's a shooting 

and trading effort set 

across several galaxies, 

with plenty of variety to 

the game play. You can 

trade legal goods in (rela- 

tively) safe systems, or 

run the gauntlet of pirates 

in the galaxies' danger 

spots with your hold full of 

contraband. Either way 

brwig your quest to a prema- 

tire end. Later still, things 

hot up as bombs, trans- 

porters and dols conspire 

against you. Smooth 

scrolling, simple graphics, 

this one requires planning to 

complete successfully. 

SPECIALS 

Original works that are simply 

unclassifiable feature in this sec' 

tion. 

there's a nice line in zero-G 

dogfighting. and as big a 

task as you'll find any- 

where. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

INCREDIBLE 

SHRINKING 

SPHERE 


£8.99cs £14.99dk • 


£14.99dk • Spectrum 

£9.99cs £14.99dk • Atari 

ST £19.99dk • Amiga 

£24.99dk 

A manic maze world where 

mass, size and inertia 

combine to provide wicked 

gameplay. Tricky puzzles 

and endless nasty obsta- 

cles will have you rolling 

around in delight. 


C64 

M1 TANK PLA- 

TOON 

Microprose • PC 

£39.99dk 

This is a welcome break 

from flight-sims that 

boasts enough detail to 

keep even the most com- 

pulsive nitpicker happy, 

and at the same time has 

a breadth of challenge and 

combat scenarios that 

should satisfy the most 

ardent gamester. A winner. 


MAGNETRON- 

Firebird • C64 £8.95cs 

£12.95dk • Spectrum 

£8.95cs£12.95dk 

Puzzles and action Steve 

Turner style. Save the 

world by dismantling eight 

satellites. Steal parts from 

enemy droids to upgrade 

your own droid and hopeful- 

ly make your job a little eas- 

ier. The ideal game for 

Quazatron fans looking for 

a similar, new challenge. 

P I N K P A G E 3 1 2 3 


SPECTRUM 

QUEDEX 

Thalamus • C64 £9.95cs 

£14.95dk 

In this impressively chal- 

lenging game you must 

steer a metallic ball 

through ten different 

screens of mazes, bonus- 

es and obstacles, an within 

a set time limit. This simple 

game concept has a host 

of added features to make 

it particularly pleasing: you 

can carry over unused time 

to the next screen, for 

example, and tackle the dif- 

ferent screens or planes' 

in any order you wish. 

Excellent graphics and 

utterly absorbing play. 


C64 

SPINDIZZY 


£9.95cs £14.95dk • 

Spectrum £9.95cs • 

Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95 

Disk 

Tremendous stuff; steer 

your spinning top over 

tough obstacles and col- 

lect jewels, against a 

fiendish time limit. The 

game landscape is a vast 

system of catwalks, 

ramps, towers and trampo- 

lines surrounded by lethal 

drops - and NO safety rails. 

Floor switches activate lifts 

and bridge traps, but trip- 

ping them in the right order 

can be harder than it looks. 

A few bad guys and a lot of 

nice touches, but the 

explorations the thing. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

STARGLIDER 

II 

Rawibird • Atari ST 


£24.99dk 

One of the finest examples 

of a game using vector 

graphics to their full advan- 

tage, gets the solid 3D 

treatment and comes out 

looking every bit a winner. 

You've got a large task to 

complete and there's plen- 

ty of Egron's to destroy, 

making thts combination of 

blasting and exploration 

that stands head above the 

competition. 

* ACE RATED 927 - ST 

STAR TREK V 

Mindscape • PC £34.99dk 

* MAC £34.99dk 

This is easily the best inter- 

pretation of Star Trek yet. 

The gameplay provides 

absorbtng and challenging 

hours of fun. A must for 

Trekkies and an entertain- 

ing space strategy /simula- 

tor for everyone else. 


TAU CETI/ 

ACADEMY 

CRL • C64 £9.95cs 


£9.95cs£14.95dk* 

Spectrum £9.95cs • Atari 

ST £19.99dk •Amiga 

£19.95 

Flight simulator/shoot 'em 

up and its sequel which are 

both incredibly smooth and 

well put together. The 

attention to detail is impec- 

cable as you set off on 

hair-raising missions as a 

space cadet. In Academy 

you get to design your own 

space skimmer craft as 

well. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

TOTAL 

ECLIPSE 

Incentive® C64£9.95cs 


£9.95cs£12.95dk •Spec- 

trum £9.95cs£14.95dk 

The third game using the 

Freescape system is a bit 

of a departure from the 

first two, but it's still an 

incredible game. In total 

eclipse you're battling 

against time back in the 

1930's trying to prevent 

the moon exploding. For 

arcade adventurers who 

love puzzles, the 

Freescape system is a god- 

send. 


AMSTRAD 

WIZBALL 

OCEAN* C64£8.95cs 


£8.95cs$12.95dk •Spec- 

trum £8.95cs£14.95dk 

Become Wizbafl and con- 

quer the colour creatures' 

which are intent on eliminat- 

ing the spectrum and ren- 

denng the landscape grey 

and drab. One of the most 

playable games around, 

despite the simple sce- 

nario. 

ACE Classic

-I 24 INK 

RPG 

Role-playing games have exerted 

an enormous influence on modern 

game-styles. They combine the 

atmosphere of text adventures with 

the action of arcade games and the 

brain exercise of strategy - but 

their graphical presentatio tends to 

be weaker than other game genres. 

Gameplay centres around develop- 

ing characters by raising their 

experience and skill levels in con- 

flict with other, computer-controlled 

nasties. All that - and a quest too.... 

THE BARD S 

TALE II 

Electronic Arts, C64 

£16.95, Amiga £24.95dk 

The highly successful pre- 

decessor to Bards Tale III. 

BT B has the advantage of 

being slightly easier to 

advance. THe Amiga ver- 

sion features some very 

nice sampled monk chants 

when you enter a temple 

and excellently coloured 

graphics. And of course, 

you can update your 

favourite characters, their 

attributes and equipment 

for use m BT III. 


THE BARD'S 

TALE III 

Electronic Arts • C64 

£14.95dk 

The latest Bard s Tale 

game offers a number of 

refinements over its pre- 

decessors (all of which 

are still well worth taking 

a good look at). First, the 

graphics are better ani- 

mated. Second, there 

are ranged combat rou- 

tines which take careful 

account of the distance 

between you and your 

opponents. Finally, the 

game's large and repre- 

sents excellent value for 

money. 


BATTLETECH 

Infocom. PC £29.95, ST 

Battletech features some 

incredible cartoon 

sequences, arcade style 

action, role play and 

strategy. In short a com- 

plete, full game. A bril- 

liant RPG purchase even 

though it missed out on 

an Ace rating. 


DUNGEON 

MASTER 


£14.95dk 

Quoted as being a "mile 

stone in Advanced Com- 

puter Entertainment", 

Dungeon Master offers 

14 levels, loads of 

spells, atmospheric 

graphics and sound. All 

going to make Dungeon 

Master one of the best 

roleplaying adventures to 

have appeared on any 

machine. 


POOL OF 

RADIANCE 

US GOLD/SSI 

• C64 £14.99dk 

SSI were very brave to 

attempt to capture the 

complex concept of the 

AD&D system on a com- 

puter, but they managed 

superbly. An RPGnnflu- 

enced game that will 

appeal to not only AD&D 

fans but to anyone look- 

ing for an enthralling 

game that will keep them 

playing for months. 


ULTIMA V 

OriginSystems/Microprose 

• C64 £24.95dk« PC 

£29.95 • ST/Amiga to be 

announced 

Astonishing level of detail 

in this role-playing influ- 

enced epic. Travel round 

Britannia trashing the 

opposition and learning the 

magical, tactical, and 

geographical secrets that 

will enable you to defeat 

the forces of evil far under- 

ground. Superb romp, 

BRAIN GAMES 

Fed up with mindless blasting? Want a game that offers you 

worthy of your skills? Then this is your section... 

CHESS MAS- 

TER 2000 


£9.95cs £14.95dk • 

Amiga £24.95dk • Atari 

ST £24.95dk • IBM PC 

£24.95dk 

Strongest chess game on 

the Amiga, with excellent 

graphics, 2D or 3D view 

point, 12 levels of difficul- 

ty and all the playing 

options you could wish for. 

Plus some fairly nifty 

speech synthesis. 


COLOSSUS 

CHESS 4 

CDS* C64 £9.95cs 


£9.95cs£14.95dk» 

Spectrum £9.95 

Best bet for 8-bit machine 

owners, with a choice of 

2D or 3D view, umpteen 

levels of difficulty, and a 

ARNHEM 

CCS, Spectrum £8.95cs, 

Amstrad £9.95cs, C64 

£9.95cs 

One of the oldest quality 

wargames featured in the 

section. Arnham was easi 

oty the best in the held. It 

has all the expected atmo- 

sphere. five seperate sce- 

narios and one of the 

toughest computer oppo- 

nents you could ever wa't 

to meet. A thoroughly 

absobing wargame which 

can be classed as one of 

the old masters. 


great lasting interest, and 

tough challenges galore. 


WASTELAND 


£14.95dk 

myriad options which 

enable you to play, watch, 

work out chess problems, 

etc against a fine comput- 

er opponent. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

COLOSSUS 

MAH JONG 

CDS • C64 £9.99cs 


£9.99cs £14.99dk 

Rummy-like oriental game 

of stratagy and chance. A 

tutor program and a short 

manual make this an easy 

to use and highly entertain- 

ing piece of software for 

veterans and novices 

alike.. 

• ACE RATED 937 - 

C64 

INFOGRAMES 

BRIDGE 

lnfogrames» Amstrad 

£12.95cs £15.95dk • 

MSX £12.95 

CONFLICT 

EUROPE 

Mirrorsoft, ST 24.99, 

Amiga £24.99, PC TBA 

The 16 bit progression of 

Theatre Europe. Lots of 

extra graphical and sound 

effects. The computer 

controlled intelligence was 

marginally sophisticated 

but still enough to give a 

challenging game. The 

correct balance between 

strategy and exitement 

throughout. Great for 

beginners and intermedi- 

ate players. 


Charge around irradiated 

USA whopping mutant bun- 

nies and biker scum in this 

role-playing epic. The 

atmosphere may not be 

as good as the Bard's 

Tale series of games, but 

the extra dimension of 

Graphically the best of all 

contract bridge simula- 

tions, with large playing 

cards depicted against a 

suitably green baize back- 

ground. Plays a good 

game (for a computer, 

which after all is a bit 

short in the imangination 

and flair department), and 

features a wide range of 

options and bidding con- 

ventions which you can 

toggle of according to 

your style. 

* ACE CLASSIC 

POWERPLAY 

Arcana • C64 £8.95cs 


£8.95cs £14.95dk • 

Amiga £19.95dk • Atari 

ST £19.95dk 

If you want to try out your 

general knowledge, we 

reckon you'd be better off 

with this original and chal- 

lenging combination of 

THEATRE 

EUROPE 

PSS, Spectrum £9.95cs, 

C64 £0.95cs £14.95dk, 


£14.95dk 

The perfect game for 8 bit 

owners who go green with 

envy when they look at 

Conflict Europe. Theatre 

Europe is the forerunner to 

the excellent 16 bit game. 

The graphics and overall 

play are not as sophisticat- 

ed, but on the whole it still 

is one heck of a game. 


strategy leaves the cut, 

slash and spell scenario of 

the BT series way behind. 


an opponent who's 

strategy game and quiz 

than with the admittedly 

monster selling Trivial Pur- 

suits. Powerplay is graphi- 

cally very pretty in its set- 

ting on Mount Olympus, 

home of the Gods. 


Amiga 

SCRABBLE 

Leisure Genius • C64 

£12.95cs £14.95dk • 

Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95 

• IBM PC £24.95dk 

The hugely popular word 

game translated very suc- 

cessfully onto the micro. 

Fast, excellent display, and 

a suprisingly large vocabu- 

lary (even if it does include 

some strange looking 

words on some occa- 

sions). Good enough to 

give even strong human 

opponents a tough game 

at the higher levels. 


WAR GAMES 

Fancy yourself as a master of grand strategy, marshalling hordes of troops and 

sending them of to do battle on your behalf? Look no further than the ACE war 

games section... 

UMS 

Rainbird, ST £24.95, PC 

£24.95, Macintosh 

£34.95, Amiga £24.95 

Probably the greatest war 

game to date. UMS' uniqe 

3D systems enables the 

creabon of almost any bat- 

tle in history. As well as a 

very sophisticated comput- 

er opponents yet. On top 

of this are add on scenar- 

ios and a very neat corv 

truction kit to keep you 

going for even longer. An 

essential purchase 

* ACE RATED 907

INK PAGES 1 

FLIGHT SIMULATIONS 

How about flying the latest US Stealth Fighter on a mission over Siberia? Or perhaps a quick flight over Hawaii would be 

more relaxing? Computer flight simulations can fulfill any flight of fancy 

BATTLE- 

HAWKS 1942 

Lucasfilm Games/US Gold 

• ST £24.95dk • Amiga 

£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk 

A WWII NAVAL AIR 

COMBAT SIMULATOR 

COVERING THE FOUR 

MOST IMPORTANT BAT- 

TLES OF THE 1942 

PACIFIC WAR. FOR 

KNUCKLE-WHITENING 

ACTION THIS ONE HAS 

EVERYTHING - THE 

SENSE OF BEING 

THERE' IS TREMDOUS. 

THRILLING AND SUR- 

PRISNGLY ADDICTIVE 

STUFF. 

• ACE RATED 

928 

BOMBER 

Activision • Spectrum 

£14.99cs £19.99dk • 

C64 £14.99cs £19.99dk 

• Amstrad £ 14.99cs 

£19.99dk • ST £24.99dk 

• Amiga £24.99dk • PC 

£34.99dk 

Vector Grafix has spent a 

long time on this one - 

and it certainly shows. The 

game gets the balance 

just right between convinc- 

ing simulation and enter- 

taining game. Highly rec- 

ommended. 

• ACE RATED 

925 

|CHUCK 

YEAGER'S 

ADVANCED 

FLIGHT 

TRAINER 

Electronic Arts • Spec- 

trum • C64 • CPC • ST 

• Amiga • PC £24.95dk 

Fly a multiude of aircraft 

from an early bi plane to 

the Space Shuttle. It's 

entertainingly different 

from your standard flight 

sim and there's so much in 

this game that it will take 

many hours of instructive 

fun to experience and 

master all the available 

options. 

• ACE RATED 

912 

F-16 COMBAT 

PILOT 

Digital Integration • ST 


£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk 

This took nine person 

years to develop, and you 

can feel that quality of 

work when playing it - it's 

one of the most realistic 

flight sims on the market. 

If you are a connoisseur of 

flight simulators then this 

is an essential addition to 

your collection. 

• ACE RATED 

970 

FALCON 

Spectrum Holobyte/Mirror- 

soft • ST £24.95dk • 

Amiga £24.95dk • PC 

£24.95dk • MAC 

If you really want the ter- 

ror, exhilaration and sheer 

everything-happens-at- 

once confusion of combat 

flying, this game delivers. 

Make no mistake, this 

game is the real thing. An 

essential purchase for 

fast-jet fans. 

• ACE RATED 

945 

FLIGHT 

SIMULATOR II 

Sublogic • C64 

£39.95dk • ST £49.95dk 

• Amiga £49.95dk • PC 

£49.95dk • MAC 

£49.95dk 

The flight sim that put the 

genre on to the map. Thor- 

oughly realistic flight sim 

of a domestic Cessna 

plane, which is even used 

by flight schools to tram 

would be pilots. Can be 

enhanced by a variety of 

Scenery Disks. 


INTERCEPTOR 

Electronic Arts • Amiga 

£24.95dk 

A low level flight sim with a 

hi-level of fun.Purists may 

dispute the label simula- 

tor' - it certainly wouldn't 

train you to fly a real life 

Hornet - but this program 

combines realism and 

gameplay far too well for 

that to matter. If you want 

seat-of-the-pants air com 

bat action, miraculous 

graphics and NO six 

month training period, look 

no further! 

• ACE RATED 

934 

RACING SIMULATIONS 

In You can't have too much of a good thing, even if the excitement is liable to giv ethe old ticker a good going over. Racing 

sims have really come into their own over the past couple of years - and this is where you find out how to get the best of 

motor raciong action - all from the comfort of that armchair in fromt of your computer.... 

LOMBARD 

RAC RALLY 

Mandarin • ST • Amiga 

• PC 

Race through many types 

of terrain, such as moun- 

tain or forest, and through 

many types of weather 

condition, such as fog or 

night. The game has a 

nice atmosphere, and 

though the variety of 

gameplay may be a little 

low, ifs still a game you'd 

be playing for a good 

while. 

FERRARI 

FORMULA 

ONE 

Electronic Arts • ST 


£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk 

A bit old this one, but still 

a game that was way 

ahead of its time to start 

with. Take the wheel of a 

Formula One Ferrari racer 

on some of the most 

famous racecourses in the 

world. A true thorough- 

bred. 

R.V.F. 

Microstyle • ST £24.99dk 

• Amiga £24.99dk 

The champion in the Best 

Sprite Based Racing Game 

stakes, and a superb simu- 

lation, this one puts you 

into the world of perfor- 

mance bike racing on none 

other than the Honda 

RVF750. Brilliant graphics, 

brilliant sound, brilliant 

game. 

STUNT CAR 

RACER 

Microstyle • Spectrum 

£9.99cs £14.99dk • C64 

£9.99cs £14.99dk • ST 


£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk 

This places itself in the 

annals of computer history 

as being one of the most 

amazing spectacles to 

watch, let alone play. The 

game is first-person per- 

spective, with the outside 

world made up of really 

fast smooth filled vectors, 

and the impression of real- 

ism is unbelievable. An 

amazing experience, and a 

clear winner. Where can 

things go from here? 

SUPER HANG 

ON 

Electric Dreams • Spec- 

trum £9.99cs • C64 

£9.99cs £l4.99dk • 


£14.99dk • ST £24.99dk 

• Amiga £24.99dk 

Not so much a simulation 

as a perfect arcade con- 

version of a brilliant bike 

racing Sega coin-op. 

Great game, excellent con- 

version. 

THE DUEL - 

TEST DRIVE II 

Accolade • C64 • ST • 

Amiga • PC • MAC 

Accolade tried to right all 

the Test Drive wrongs with 

this sequel, and to an 

extent they succeeded. 

There's nothing serious 

about the game. Ifs just a 

lot of fun. It doesn't claim 

to be technically or visually 

accurate, but why should 

it? 

THE BOOKS YOU HAVE TO 

HAVE! 

If you ever find it possible to drag yourself away 

from your computer and watch the TV instead you 

might have seen a programme on BBC last month 

about computer junkies - those people who just 

can't get enough of their micros and are quite 

happy to burn the midnight oil just to be with them. 

The program suggested that such activities might 

be unhealthy (could it be true?). Never being a 

magazine to promote ill health ACE has decided to 

back a sensible, adult activity, namely READING. 

So here goes with the books you have to have: 

1. Doctor Seuss's ABC - A very colourful read, 

and just the right place to start if you've never 

done any before. 

2. Fox in Sox - A toungue twisting Dr. Seuss book 

for more advanced readers. 

3. Dougal and the Blue Cat - Probably the best 

book ever written (well, with pictures anyway). 

4. Any Pooh Book - Any hours you spend with the 

bear of little brain are hours well-spent. All the 

philospophy you need for survival is contained 

henn. 

5. The Tao of Pooh - All that philosophy explained!

PREMIER MAIL ORDER 

8 BIT TITLES 16 BIT TITLES 

GAME SPEC CBM AMS 

CASS DISC CASS DISC CASS DISC 

Airbourne Ranger 6.99 999 9.99 13.99 9.99 13.99 

Altered Beast 699 6.99 9.99 699 999 

APB 6.99 9.99 6 99 999 6.99 9.99 

Bards Tale 2.99 2.99 5.99 2.99 

Bards Tale 2 or 3 

12.99 

Batman The Movie 6.99 9.99 699 9.99 6.99 9 99 

Battiechess 10.99 

•Beach Volley 6.50 9 99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Bomber 1099 13.99 10.99 13.99 10 99 13.99 

Buggy Boy 299 2,99 2.99 

Cabal 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 999 

Carrier Command 9.99 13.99 9.99 13.99 T3.99 

Carriers at War 14.99 

Chase HO 6.99 9.99 699 9 99 6.99 9.99 

Continental Circus 6 99 9.99 6.99 999 6.99 9 99 

Crazy Cars 2 6.50 6.50 9.99 

Cricket Master 650 650 6.50 

Curse ol Azure Bands 16.99 

•Cyberball 6.99 9 99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Double Oragon 2 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 9.99 

Dragon Spirit 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Dragon Ninja 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99 

Dynamite Dux 6.99 699 999 6.99 9.99 

Emlyn Hughes FBai' 699 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99 

Fighting Soccer 6.99 6 99 999 6.99 9.99 

Foot Man 2 Exp Kit 5 50 5.50 7.99 5.50 7.99 

Football Oirector 6.50 6 45 6.45 

Football Manager 1 2.99 2.99 2.99 

Football Manager 2 6.99 9.99 6.99 699 9.99 

Forgotten World 6 99 750 7.45 

Fun School 2 (6-8) 7 99 9.99 7.99 9.99 7.99 9.99 

Fun School2 (Over 8) 7.99 999 799 9.99 7.99 9.99 

Fun School 2 (Under 6) 7.99 9 99 7.99 9.99 7.99 9.99 

Gamo.Set S Match 2 8.99 8.99 8 99 

Garfield Winter 6.00 650 9.99 6 50 9.99 

Ghostbusters 2 6.99 6.99 9.99 6 99 9.99 

Ghouls and Ghosts 7.50 7.50 10.99 7.50 

• Golden Shoe 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6 99 999 

Grand Prix Circuit 7.45 10.99 

Gunship 6.99 9.99 9.99 13 99 999 13 99 

Hard Drivin 6.99 9.99 6 99 9 99 6.99 9.99 

Hillstar 13.99 

Indy Jones Crusade 6.99 8 90 1099 7.50 10.99 

Ikan Warriors 299 299 2.99 

•Klax 6.99 9.99 699 9 99 6.99 9 99 

Kick OH 699 6 99 9.99 

Laser Squad 6.99 999 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99 

License to Kill 6.99 9 99 699 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Mega Mix 8 99 8.99 12.99 899 

Micro Soccer 6 99 999 999 13.99 9.99 13.99 

Mini OKice 2 10.99 13.99 999 13.99 

Mr Heli 6.99 6.99 6.99 

Myth 7,99 7.99 7.99 

New Zealand Story 6.50 9.99 6.99 999 6 99 9.99 

Ninja Warriors 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 

100% Dynamne 9.99 9.99 12.99 9 99 

Operation Thunderbolt6 99 999 6.99 999 6.99 9.99 

Operation Wolf 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 999 

Pitstop 2 2 99 

Quaterback 6.99 6.99 699 

"Rainbow Islands 6.99 9.99 699 999 6.99 9.99 

Red Heat 599 7.50 6.50 

Red Storm Rising 9 99 12.99 

Rick Dangerous 6 99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99 

Robocop 5.99 9.99 650 9.99 6 50 999 

Rocket Ranger 1299 

Run the Gauntlet 5.99 6.50 9 99 6 50 9.99 

Shinobi 6.99 9 99 699 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Shoot em up con Kit 10.99 14.99 

Shoot Out 3.99 6 99 3.99 7.45 10 99 

Silent Service 6.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99 

Skate or D* 6.99 10 50 7.50 10.99 7.45 10.99 

Speedbatl 7.99 9.99 

Star Wars Trilogy 8.99 10 99 8.99 10 99 899 10.99 

Strider 6.99 7.50 9.99 7.50 9.99 

Stunt Car Racer 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Super Wonderboy 6,99 6.99 9.99 699 9.99 

Taito Coin Op 8.50 8.99 8 99 

The Biz 8.99 899 12.99 899 

The In Crowd 899 8.99 8.99 

The National 6.99 699 

Tolkien Trilogy 899 8.99 13.99 899 13.99 

Toobm 6.99 9.99 6.99 999 699 9.99 

Tracksuit Manager 6 50 6.99 6.99 

Turbo Outrun 7.50 7.50 10 99 7.50 

Tusker 799 7.99 7.99 

Ultimate Golf 9.99 14.99 

Unloochables 6.50 999 699 9.99 6.99 9.99 

Vendetta 7.99 10.99 

GAME 

3D Pool 

8.68 Attack Bub 

A Ma. 

A-Ma» with ROM 

Abrahams BaiBe Tank 

Airbcume Ranger . . 

AP8. .. 

Altered Beast 

Alien Strike 

"Amos 

Austerlitz 

Balance ol Power 1930 

Bar Games 

Bards Tate 2 

Batman Caped Crusader 

Battfechess 

BatBehav»43 

Chuck Yeager AFT. 

Colossus Chess X 

Cra2y Cars 2 

Chase HQ ... 

Captain Blood 

Craps 

Chaos Stokes 

Oty Defence 

Continental Circus 

C)tiefbail 

Day ol ttie Vpe< 

Degas E»te 

Deluxe Music Con Set 

Deluxe Paint 3

R 

TITLE AMIGA IBM PC ST 

Afterburner 22 50 — 

Altered Beast 18 99 — 14 99 

Aquanaut 17 50 — 1750 

Armada 

Barbarian | Palace) 

Barbarian ii (Paiacei 

— 

7 50 

17 50 

— 

— 

20 99 

17 50 

750 

17 50 

Ba-ds Tale 

Batman me Movie 

7 50 

1899 

— 7 50 

14 99 

Battle ol Austeniii 18 99 — 18 99 

Batite Chess 18 99 18 99 18 99 

BlQOdwyCh 18 99 18 99' 18 99 

Bloodwych Data Dae 11 25 — 11 25 

Blood Money 17 50 17 50 17 50 

Bombei 22 50 26 25 22 50 

Br doe Player 2150 Gaiactica 20 99 20 99 20 99 

Bruce Lee Lrvos — 18 99 — 

BudCkan — 18 99 — 

Cabal 1899 — 1499 

Captain BWod 

Cartoon ors 

7 50 

— 

— 

18 99 

750 

— 

Chaos Strikes Back — — 18 99 

Chigago 90's 14 99 — 1499 

Conflict Europe 18 99 18 99 18 99 

Cycles — 18 99 — 

Da

128 PINK PAGES 

IF YOU GO DOWN TO YOUR STORE TODAY, YOU'RE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE... ACE DEALERS GIVES YOU THE LOW-DOWN 

ON ALL THE LATEST BARGAINS, SPECIAL OFFERS, PROMOTIONS, STICKERS, POSTERS, FREEBIES, DEMOS, CARRIER 

GREAT APRIL 

BARGAINS 

There are posters 

galore available around 

the country in the next 

month or so, to promote 

various games. If 

you think your bedroom 

walls could do 

with brightening up, 

wander down to your 

local independent retailer, 

where some, if not 

all, of the following 

should be available free 

of charge, with the 

game concerned: 

All FORMATS: 

X-Out (Rainbow Arts); 

Space Harrier II (Grand- 

slam); 

Cyberball (Domark); 

PC ONLY: 

Samurai (Microprose) 

Knights of Legend 

(Mmdscape) 

Space Rogue (Min 

scape) 

Windwalker (Mindscape) 

Bruce Lee Lives (Mind- 

scape) 

FREE MGT 

BROCHURE 

Many retailers are also 

stocking free 

brochures to tell you 

everything you ever 

wanted to know about 

this Sam Coupe beast, 

the new Spectrum 

compatible machine 

from MGT. So, if you're 

interested in the Sam, 

pick up some literature 

• again from your 

friendly local. 

MICROBYTE 

JACKETS 

From the end of March, 

there will be Blue Angel 

baseball jackets 

just waiting to be won 

from selected branches 

of Microbyte in a 

competition organised 

with Accolade. Freebies 

will be given away 

with each Blue Angel 

purchase, and your 

BAGS, AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT... 

name goes into the 

draw for the big prizes 

• there's one jacket to 

be won per store (participating 

stores are 

Microbyte in 

Gateshead, Bradford, 

Birmingham and Wakefield). 

AND THERE'S 

MORE... 

Microbyte has also 

launched a special card 

scheme for its regular 

customers. You can 

'earn' some exciting 

free gifts through your 

Microbyte purchases 

when you pick up one 

of the free 

Collect'n'Select cards. 

Every time you buy 

a product from any 

branch of Microbyte 

software shops (see 

store list below), your 

card will be stamped 

in one of the 60 

squares on the card. 

As you fillup the 

squares, 

you can choose when 

to stop and claim your 

gift - the more 

squares you've filled, 

the bigger the prize! 

For example, 

seven stamps gets you 

a special Microbyte 

pen. After that there 

are T-shirts, sweatshirts, 

sports bags, 

baseball caps software 

vouchers, and joysticks 

to be claimed. 

The Collect'n'- 

Select scheme is operating 

in all Microbyte 

stores, and you can 

join in right away. To 

get the scheme off to a 

flying start, the store is 

offering ACE readers 

an exclusive headstart. 

See the voucher below 

for details. 

POT OF GOLD 

Ocean is bringing out 

Rainbow Islands at long 

last, after the game 

never made it out of 

Telecomsoft when the 

British Telecom division 

was sold off to Microprose. 

The Computer 

Shop chain is offering 

you a oncein-a-lifetime 

opportunity to get your 

hands on your very 

own special edition 

Rainbow Islands pen - 

with every purchase of 

the game. Whew! 

You can find Computer 

Shop outlets in 

the Arndale Centre, 

Manchester; Newcastle, 

Leeds, Preston, 

Sunderland, Stockton 

and Nottingham. Also 

part of the Computer 

Shop chain are the two 

Games Store outlets in 

Carlisle and Middlesbrough, 

which stock 

role-playing games as 

well as computer software. 

There are 

Microbyte stores in the 

Arndale Centre, Manchester; 

the Broadmarsh 

Centre, Nottingham; 

Kirkgate, Wakefield; the 

Metro Centre, 

Gateshead; the Green- 

PRIZE CROSSWORD 

SOLUTION 

PRIZE 

CROSSWORD 

SOLUTION 

FOR FEB '90 

The winner of the February 

Crossword is Paul Sinclair. 

Wimbledon. 

Fans of the Crossword 

please note that a 

new puzzle appears on 

page 114. 

Meanwhile, to keep 

all you bramboxes happy, 

the Prize Puzzle appears 

on page 134. 

BONUS 

PUZZLER 

I know that a lot of ACE 

readers enjoy the Crosswords 

and Puzzles in the 

Pink Pages (quite naturally 

of course, as you are all a 

lot smarter than the readership 

of most other Computer 

Entertainment magazines). 

So as we have got 

a bit of space left over on 

this page, here is a bit of 

a quizzer for you to ponder 

over. The answer will 

be printed in the Pinks 

next month. 

THE PUZZLE 

A short while ago our illustrious 

editor came into the office 

aremarkabfy good mood 

(possibly because he had just 

spent in fortnight in the states 

researching this special US 

issue). 

8ecause he was in such 

a good mood he decided that 

he would allow one of the editorial 

team to be unchained 

from his Mac for the day in 

order that the lucky individual 

could go and remind Iwnself 

what the sun looked like 

To select the person he 

picked up five 3 and half nch 

discs (three blue ones and two 

white ones) and pinned one of 

them on the back of each of 

the other three members of 

the team (leaving two discs 

spare). None of us were 

market, Newcastle 

Upon Tyne; the Kirkgate 

Centre, Bradford; 

the Bull Ring Centre, 

Birmingham; and the 

County Arcade, Leeds. 

THIS is A 

PUBLIC 

WARNING 

All offers and promotions 

are subject to 

availability of stock. 

Although we do our 

best to ensure our 

dealer promotion information 

is accurate at 

the time of going to 

press, ACE cannot take 

any responsibility for 

changes or cancellations 

to dealers' plans. 

GET IT FOR 

FREE! 

Attention dealers! Don't 

keep your promotions, 

competitions, special 

offers, etc, a secret. 

Tell us at ACE and we'll 

tell everybody else. 

allowed to speak to each other 

(or look in a mirror), but we 

could look at each other's 

backs. 

Whoever correctly 

announced the colour of his 

disc first would be allowed to 

go free for the day. 

I ought to mention that 

we were only altowed one 

guess, and if we got it wrong 

we'd be consigned to Gary 

William's desk for the rest of 

the month. (How horrible!) 

Eventually Rfo (the management) 

Haynes piped up and 

went free. How did he logically 

work out the cotour of the disk 

on his back. 

That should keep you 

thinking till next month. 

See you then.

S T J I R s o f t w a r e i k j h k * 

29A Bell Street, Reigate. Surrey RH2 7AD Tel: 0737-223869 Fax: 0737 246733 

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1 3 O PINK PAG E S 

THE APRIL SHOWE 

MARCH 

WEEK ONE 

11 

12 

13 

14 

Birthday of Michael Caine, 1933 

EY BRING THE RAIN, THAT GROW THE FLOWERS, WHICH BLOOM IN MAY - DRIP, DRIP, DROP 

LITTLE APRIL SHOWERS - APRIL LOVE - ETC, ETC, ETC... 

SUNDAY 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

WEDNESDAY 

15 THURSDAY 

16 FRIDAY 

Anniversary of the first English FA Cup final 

between Wanderers (1) and the Royal Engineers 

(0). v(r 

17 SATURDAY 

St Patrick's Day. St Patrick was born on the west 

coast of Britain and abducted by slave traders at 

the age of 16. He became a slave in Ireland. After 

six years, he escaped, but returned to Ireland to 

preach after being summoned in a dream. 

WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE 

Image Works • Gravity (ST, Amiga) 

Empire • Pipemania (ST, Amiga, PC, Spectrum. 

C64, CPC. BBC/Electron, MSX, C16, Archimedes. 

Macintosh) Puzzle game very loosely based on 

sliding blocks with Lucasfilm backing. 

Titus • Dark Century (ST, Amiga, CPC, PC) 

Arcade game with sophisticated graphics. 

Arcana • Rotor (ST, Amiga, Archimedes) Futuris- 

tic shoot 'em up with flight sim elements. 

Microprose • Pirates (Amiga) Junketing on the 

high seas: an old(ish) 8-bit game makes it on to 

the Amiga. 

Microprose • Red Storm ! 

from Tom Clancy's book, 

October (which was cor 

Micro Style • RVF H< 

popular motorbike racing] 

Rainbird • First Cor 

WEEK TWO 

18 

Birthday of Alex Higgin 

19 

20 

First day of Spring. 

iga) Taken 

I to Red 

Grandslam). 

rsion of 

UNDAY 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

21 WEDNESDAY 

Feast Day of St Nicholas von Flue, a Swiss farmer 

born in 1417. Married and father of ten children, 

he vowe to become a hermitafter 20 years of fam- 

ily life. As a recluse, he became much in demand 

as an advisor to politicians and ecclesiastical fig- 

ures, and his reputation reached its peak when his 

counsel averted a Swiss Civil War. 

22 THURSDAY 

Birthday of William "Captain Kirk - Shatner, 1931. 

23 FRIDAY 

Pakistan Day - celebrated in Pakistan, funnily 

enough. 

24 SATURDAY 

How about a quick flutter on the horses at the Lin- 

coln Handicap? 


Electronic Arts • Imperium (ST, Amiga) Strategy 

game of global expansion and intergalactic poli- 

tics. 

EA • Starflight (ST, C64 disk only) Strategy cum 

arcade game set in outer space. 

EA • Budokan (Amiga) Martial arts game with 

heavy emphasis on learning authentic moves and 

techniques. 

WEEK THREE 

25 

Mother's Day 

SUNDAY 

British Summer Time begins - clocks forward one 

hour. 

Independence Day, Greece. 

26 MONDAY 

Independence Day, Bangladesh. 

Birthday of Leonard "Mr Spock" Nimoy. 1931. 

27 TUESDAY 

28 WEDNESDAY 

Beginning of Ramadan - Mosle month of fasting 

during daylight 

hours. 

Birthday of Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Labour 

party. 1942. 

29 THURSDAY 

Anniversary of the first London Marathon, 1981. 

30 

31 

FRIDAY 

SATURDAY 


Digital Integration • Advanced Tactical Fight- 

er (ATF) PC/ST Another old 8-bit game is convert- 

ed to 16-bit formats - can Dl repeat the critical 

success of F16 Combat Pilot? 

Activision • Sonic Boom (all formats) 

Activision • Warhead (ST, Amiga) Space combat 

game with 40 linked missions. 

Ocean • The Official Liverpool FC Soccer 

game (all formats) After a right old licensing mud- 

dle, this management and playing soccer game 

features the team of the last decade and quite 

possibly this one as well. 

WEEK FOUR 

APRIL 

1 SUNDAY 

April Fool's Day 

Last day of the Ideal Home Exhibition 

2 

3 

4 

Liberation Day, Hungary. 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

WEDNESDAY 

5 THURSDAY 

Brush up on your Leaderboard skills - the US Mas- j 

ters begins at Augusta, Georgia. 

6 FRIDAY 

7 SATURDAY 

Armchair racegoers will have their eyes peeled on 

the 3.20 steeplechase at Aintree - better known as 

the Grand National. The FA Cup reaches the semi- 

final stage today. 


Image Works • Dungeon Master (PC) 

Role-playing exploration game par excellence. 

Cinemaware • TV Sports Football (C64 disk 

only) Yet more footie. 

Domark • Castle Master (all formats) Incentive's | 

latest arcade-adventure based on its Freescape 

programming system, part of a Domark-lncentive ' 

publishing deal. 

Domark • Hard Drivin' (C64) 

Better late than never - the C64 version of the 

Christmas hit finally sees the light of day. 

Electronic Arts • Ski Or Die (PC) 

Skate Or Die on ice. 

EA • Low Blow (PC) Boxing game in which the 

object is to knock out your foe by fair means or 

foul. 

EA • Inferno (PC) 

EA • Ferrari Formula One (C64) 

Another racing game making a belated appear- 

ance on this format. 

GET YOURSELF IN 

THE DIARY! 

Whether you're a software house with a launch or a 

charity with a lunch: let us know and we'll put you in 

the ACE diary. Write to the ACE Diary. 30-32 Farring 

don Lane. London. EC1R 3AU. 

Print deadlines: the second Thursday in every month 

for the issue on the shelves in the following month.

FREE DISKS ! ! ! 

1 FREE DISK FOR EVERY 10 

THAT YOU BUY 

10 3.5" DISKS + BOX £09.00 

25 3.5" DISKS £19.00 

50 3.5" DISKS £33.50 

50 3.5" DISKS + BOX £38.00 

100 3.5" DISKS £63.00 

100 3.5" DISKS + BOX £67.50 

ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT 

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GHOULS ANO GHOSTS. BATMAN THE MOVIE, NINJA WARRIORS. HARD DRIVIN. X- 

OUT*. SWITCHBLADE. ONSLAUGHT, NEVERMIND. LASER SOUAD. FAST LANE, 

STRIDER, MOONWALKER. PASSING SHOT, SILK WORM. DOUBLE DRAGON II. 

SECTION 2. (INDIVIDUALLY PRICED SPECIALS). 

UNTOUCHABLES (ST) £14.49. STUNT CAR RACER £17.50. SPACE ACE £32.50. 

CAME FROM THE OESERT (1 MEG/AMIGA) £22.50, CHAOS STRIKES BACK £17.50, 

DRAKKHEN £22.50. FOOTBALL DIRECTOR II (AMIGA) £14.49. SIM CITY £22.50', 

SHADOW OF THE BEAST (AMIGA) £24.50. PIPELINE £17.50*. 

(ST) or IAMIGA) means i1 is available for this lormat only. SORRY! 

• not released when adveri placed. 

Special note for SEGA-MEGADRIVE & PC ENGINE OWNERS. WE HAVE STOW 

Please ring lor latest ichangingi details. And, yes, we 00 answer the phone. Pnces tor games 

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We do try and supply the Consoles '.or the SEGA and PC ENGINE, bul it is not easy. Please 

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All pnces. whatever formal, include VAT. post and packaging (please add £1.50 per item 

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OUR NEW STORE AND 318 Kensington. Li verpool. L7 OEY 

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LA TEST TITLES: INCLUDING IMPORTS FROM THE USA. 

CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN LATEST SSI/TSR FANTASY RPG IN POOLS OF RADIANCE/AZURE BONDS'STYLE .. IBM .... £37 50 

FLIGHT SIM IV ... LATEST ULTRA REALISTIC SIM FROM SUB LOGIC:INCLUDES DESIGN OWN AIRCRAFT .... IBM £42 50 

BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ .. FROM USA:R E A LTIME SIMULATIONS SCEN AR IOS.MANY NEW FEATURES ... ST/IBM £37 50 

WHITE DEATH ... 1942 3 CONFLICT ON RUSSIAN FRONT:HIGHL Y DET A ILED:HEXES ON SCREEN ... AM IMG ONLY ... £42 50 

THE MAGIC CANDLE ... LARGE SCALE ULTIMA STYLE' GRAPHIC PARTY RPG:DETAILED WORLD ... AM/IBM/C64 ... £32 50 

ULTIMA V ... AT LAST'THE BIGGEST & BEST YET:COMPLETE WITH ORIGINS DETAILED HINT BOOK .. ST/AM/IBM ... £29 50 

EMPIRE OF 3 KINGDOMS .. EXCELLENT 8. DETAILED SIM OF THE UNIFICATION OF ANCIENT CHINA ... AM & IBM .... £49 50 

UNIVERSE III .... OMNITR END'S LARGE GRAHIC QUEST RPG': ANIMATED COMB A I: ZOOM FEATURE .. AM/ST/IBM ... £3250 

MIGHT & MAGIC II ... HUGE FANTASY GRAPHIC PARTY RPG:DETAILED WOK LD:MAN Y QUESTS .. I BM/C64/APPLE .. £39 95 

STARFLEET II ... LARGE SCALE DETAILED GALACTIC W ARG AME:PL ANET AR Y INVASIONS 8. MORE .. IBM SO FAR .. £3995 

MICROLEAGUE BASEBALL II ... "THE" TOTAL BASEBALL SIMULATION INC. MANAGEMENT & LEAGUE ... ST/IBM .... £42 50 

PURE STATS FOOTBALL .... SPLIT SCREEN DETAILED 'US' SIMULATION INCLUDING THE 86 SEASON TEAMS .. C64 ... £32 50 

MANY -SIMULATIONS CANADA COMPUTER MODERATED BOARD WAUG AMES A VAIL ABLE AT £3i~00 : ST/A M/IBM/C6 4 

LATEST OFFICIAL 'HINT & SOLUTION' BOOKS: MANY IMPORTED TITLES : 

QUEST FPU CL UESII 40 DETAILED A MAPPED SOLUTIONS BOOK FPOU OPIGINS' INCLUDING. 

POOLS OF RADIANCEUL TIM A VMANHUNTER NY-STAR COMMAND TIMES OF L ORE SPACE OUESTIIA MORE £18-50 

ULTIMA V .. £8-95 : AZURE BONDS OR POOLS OF RADIANCE.. £7-95 EACH : KINGS QUEST I.II.III.OR IV .. £7-95 EACH 

MANHUNTER NY .. £8 95 : SPACE QUEST I OR II .. £7 95 EACH : POLICE QUEST I OR II .. £7 95 : L.SUIT LARRY .. £8 95 

BARDS TALE ML OR III . £6-95 EACH : MIGHT 8. MAGIC I OR II . £10-50 : WASTELAND . £7 95 .MANY MORE A VAIL A BL E! 

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I Computer Venture 

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Telephone: 051-6661132 

i 

REF ACE APR 

Advanced Computer Entetainment 131

WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE 

106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON 

NOTTINGHAM 

NG91ES 

WORLDWIDE 

SOFTWARE 

TTTLF AUIf.A ST TITLE 

AMGA ST 

Kjuarau 1795 17 91 Elle 

1695 16 95 

MrSteSm 499 499 Cy- If MCTjiS 16 95 16 tt 

1795 14 95 FteCcmwi PW 16 95 16 95 

Amga A5C0 Co.v 699 

F16Facon 2195 16 95 

A^flaGWSHIs 17 95 — F16FaKon 

to" 1695 9 j Msaon D«c M95 14 95 

Aran ST Co»*' 699 F??R«»5 640 9 90 690 9 90 

Bl«> Tî, 7 25 11 2C 7 25 11 20 Grand Pni C.'tu» jmm 799 11 » 

Bc-Cr- 1050 13 M 1050 13 99 Hr: Owi 690 i V- 690 9 9C 

Bcn-g 725 1120 7 25 11 20 Inos Las; C'usad* 6 90 — 690 9« 

CiCJ 640 SK 690 950 Kan-Y OMsf Socc 6 50 990 690 990 

Clrr»- Co--. 

690 99C 690 990 

FiAi"«HM"> 1795 

P*o Tx< 7 25 1120 725 1120 

0'«o-Nna 690 9 90 690 9c»cr P'S 9 99 999 

Sftnob 650 990 690 990 

B«,o'e< LtaD.c Sxcc 6 90 — 690 — 

» Cunt iiofl r«> 

r»fan Tormua Or" 

1795 Tesl On.a i 650 _ U V. 

DaMtiiowgi 2195 

l-d, SCO- 

17 95 

ThjUm,tlfi»MH — 

«ca~e tf>» Ontr 

Wl TwkRItoV 

26 95 

950 13 50 

Off' Ma's. Racnj 

1795 Th»Bu« 1120 U50 1120 1310 

PdOilOUI* 

17 95 ToKmr Trtofl, 949 999 13 K 

fcck Oarotrous 

'795 

690 990 690 990 

SW-jSMtlf' 

'795 T'«ot) Oa-vo-e 690 — 690 — 

Sp*0* w^' 

26 95 Turtle Oulnr 690 1120 690 990 

8M OK 

UimjieGor — 16 95 

1050 13 99 

Xe-on 2 Voji&a-.:' 

17 95 U'-lcxJ'iOrs 6 90 — 690 9W 

Xo-ocrcoe 

1695 

. — 690 990 

'495 1495 • A»ai*64» MX] y • 5 25' P ON* 

»Oui. 725 " 20 725 11 20 

Europe (other than UK) 

shipping costs are: 

£1.50 per disc tor normal airmail 

£2.50 per disc for express airmail 

Please make cheques or postal orders payable to WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE. 

All prices include postage and packing In UK. 

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WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE 

106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON 

NOTTINGHAM 

NG91ES 

TITLE AMIGA 

Karat* 

KO CI '495 

K-tfc on E>1'J Time 7 99 

KidOtOKM 17J5 

Kilna Gair« Show 17 95 

KJCIQS OuaS 4 2695 

Outs* 

T-pij Pat" 26 95 

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LJMf SQuld 14 95 

loaMtKo-a Col«ocr 17 95 

Larry 17 95 

lan 2 2i 95 

U* 8"«! Cw«r* 17 95 

bgriFro 17 95 

Lorca'3 RAC Pal, 16 9* 

IMS 0-Rs.nfl So" 2'56 

Los; Paw 17 99 

Mm«eU a-tnr 17 95 

MH«I UtrtuMik 14 95 

Mc/OffUM Socca- 16 45 

Woon*a*a< .17 95 

Mrlh iSyDfcn 31 17 95 

Mtf»rr*> 17 95 

U»j«,m 4 CoTp4Mon22 95 

Mro Bocw Chil 4 99 

W 2o*and Slot) 17 56 

14» 

Noni a-d $OJt'< 16 95 

OMInpMM* 16 95 

'•••••... 2195 

O-HasQ't • 7 95 

O-n Rice ' T 95 

0»"» PUy BasMbtl • 7 95 

Out '695 

i Tr^nOftosf'7 95 

CXtUf»3s 1*95 

Owa-dc '4 95 

P47 '699 

PwBoy '4 95 

Pmi D»J( RalV 17 95 

P"MiVa>: .1795 

fral« — 

fa/fVa't gt< 14 95 

P jmo.*. FVcmtM 

Lands 799 

Popoous «795 

Pwwooa-USA — 

1795 

P-D Tao'it Iw 1795 

Pxoca 1795 

P»ft» 1795 

Ouant. '795 

QilMlaifIMM 2195 

u 95 

RarCoo lUind'. 17 95 

Raatft 1« in« Sia-s 1795 

Rw UMirn 22 95 

RMSMmHvq 1695 

R« (01 22 95 

S445 

Tnad2 16 95 

Tnp a Tton 26 

Tu-seo Oifir 17 « 

TV Sw100 17 95 

HK'T, 17 95 

Ware b-ea-ns 16 95 

VSStlSCMlt 16 95 

WWFI US OEW 22 95 

XOU 14 95 

XfMT 7 17 95 

XtfKnwph 1 7.95 

16 95 

2O~TO 17 95 

ST 

1695 

14 M 

22 96 

16 95 

1495 

14 « 

34 95 

14 95 

»» 

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14 tt 

1695 

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4 99 

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i695 

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1795 

16 M 

16 S« 

22 95 

14 95 

1795 

1795 

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17 95 

Outside Europe shipping costs are: 

£2.00 per disc for normal airmail 

£3.00 per disc for express airmail 

A GREAT DEAL ALL ROUND! 

I •• — — * — • • T—- I I - | 

GMEX • Manchester 

15 -18 March 1990 

OPEN HOURS: Thursday 1 5 and 

Friday 16 March: 10am - 8pm 

Saturday 17 March: 10am - 6pm 

Sunday 18 March: 10am - 4pm 

Visit the ultimate 4 day computer extravaganza 

featuring over 100 nationwide suppliers. 

Thousands of bargains at unbelievable prices 

wait you at the largest show of its kind ever 

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Whatever your interest - business, home or leisure 

- you'll find Computer Cash 'n' Carry '90 offers a 

great deal all round! 

• HARDWARE 

• SOFTWARE 

• PERIPHERALS 

• GAMES 

• ACCESSORIES 

• SUPPLIES 

ADMISSION - SAVE £1 

£4.50 per person or £10 family ticket 

(2 adults • 2 children) 

Save £1 on entry - simply cut the 

voucher from page 1 20

• Full compatibility with all Atari ST 

models, Amiga 500 & Amiga 1000 

• Top quality drive mechanism 

• One megabyte unformatted capacity 

• External plug In PSU (Atari ST) 

• Throughport (Amiga) 

• Very quiet 

• Slimline design 

• Colour matched to computer 

• Long cable for location 

either side of computer 

• Full 12 months guarantee 

X M l FA Rl ri la rd wa re 0 ffers 

520 SI r POWER PACK 

ng value 

©ames joystick, mouse 

selection of chart-topping software (over £500 

R Type Pacmania Cut Run Nebukus 

Afterburw SlargUder Bombuzal Sta/gooje 

DooNo Dragon Super Huey Xenon First Music 

Super Hangon Elimrator Gauntlet II Fret Bast 

Spaas Harrier Prodator Blac* Lamp 

Ova tender Bon-tojac* Starray 

user guide, 5 disks of public domain software, plus an Incredible 

RRP In total) Software includes: 

Organiser 

£ £339.00 

only Inc VAT & delivery 

NEW! 520 and 1040 STE 

New STE models feature an extended palette of 4096 

colours, enhanced PCM stereo sound, an additional two 

analogue device inputs and TOS 1.6 operating system. 

520 STE Explorer Pack with 512K RAM, 1Mb Drive £259.00 

1040 STE with 1Mb RAM and 1Mb Drive £399.00 

520STFM 1MEG internal drive upgrade kit with full instructions £74.95 

520 STFM 1MEG memory uprade kit. requires soldering £79.00 

520 STFM 1MEG memory upgrade fined by us £109.00 

Mega ST1 with mono monitor £599.00 



SM124 high resolution monochrome monitor £119.00 

SCI224 colour monitor £279.00 

Megafile 30Mb hard disk £439.00 

Megafile 60Mb hard disk £589.00 

Vortex HOplus 40Mb hard disk £499.00 

5.25" External 40/80 track drive (36Q/720K) IBM compatible £99.00 

VkJi-ST 16-tone video frame grabber inc. digitising software £95.00 

Philips CM8833 medium res. stereo colour monitor, with A/V inputs ... £249.00 

Contriver Hi-Res. Mouse including mouse mat & pocket £22.95 

520/1040 STF/STFM Joystick accessibility extension adapter £ 4.95 

DOUBLE TAKE! 

PYE 15" FST 

TV/MONITOR 

(MODEL 2325) 

Superb quality, stylish medium 

resolution FST colour TV/monitor 

to suit the ST or Amiga. 

Features teletexi, full Infra-red 

remote control. Euroconnector. 

Video/Audio input and headphone 

output connectors, 40 

tuner presets, external aerial 

connector and loop aerial. Suppled 

with cable (please state 

computer type when ordering). 

10 Bulk packed 

with labels, fully 

25 bulk disks as above 

10 disks as above with plastic case 

25 disks as above, with 40 capacity 

lockable storage unit 

Kodak DS/DD 3.5" disks, top quality 

storage media, fully guaranteed. Box of 10 ... £17.95 

Don't forget - all prices shown 

include VAT and delivery 

r GREAT 

VALUE ! 

£249.00 

includes VAT 

and computer 

connection lead. 

How to order from 

Evesham Micros: 

MAIL ORDER SALES: 

® 0386-765500 

Technical Support (Morvfrl) 

0386-40303 

ATARI ST VERSION ONLY 

AMIGA VERSION ONLY 

including VAT and delivery 

AMIGA 500 LOW COST RAM UPGRADE 

•A 512K RAM/CLOCK unit : directly replaces A501 expansion 

1 THE PINK PAGES 

PINK 

APRIL 90 

PRIZE 

PUZZLE 

Set by Archie Medes 

Down at the 'Dog and Pud- 

dle" the usual Saturday 

afternoon darts match was 

m progress. At one point 

in the game a rather 

unusual score was noted. 

Three darts had been 

thrown and each had 

scored a 'single'. What 

was unusual was that if the 

three darts had landed in 

the next sector clockwise 

from where they actually 

were, the score would 

have been the same. 

Even more remarkably, the 

same total would also 

TEL EG AMES 

(Nintendo) 

have resulted had they all 

landed one sector of the 

board anticlockwise. 

For example, if a 20. 

a 5 and a 6 had been 

score (totalling 31) the 

next sectors of the board 

clockwise are 1, 20. and 

10 respectively. These also 

total 31. However, in this 

case the anticlockwise 

scores of 5, 12 and 13 

only come to 30 - so this 

obviously was not the posi- 

tion of the darts in the 'Dog 

and Puddle'. 

Can you determine 

what the score was for 

each of the three darts? 

(Remember, there were no 

doubles or trebles, neither 

was any 'buir scored!) 

In case you don't have 

one to hand, a picture of a 

dart board has been pro- 

vided for your convenience 

(aren't we race?). 

SOLUTION TO JAN '90 

PRIZE PUZZLE 

The winner was Mr. 

Saleem Siddiqui, 

Chiswick, London. 

Answer: In the crossnum- 

ber puzzle A=462 and 

B=323. 

Solution: The problem 

involves finding values for 

A and B such that the grid 

can be filled in accordance 

with the clues given. For 

example, the second digit 

of the product A bmes B 

must be the same as the 

fifth digit of the value of A 

squared. Only if this is the 

case can the two values fit 

into the gnd and interlock 

correctly. As both A 

squared and B squared 

have six-digit totals, the 

values of A and B must lie 

in the range 317 to 999. 

These are the bound- 

ary values defined in the 

two FOR/NEXT loops in 

the program (lines 100 to 

130). From these two val- 

ues the remaining three 

values in the grid are com- 

puted (lines 110, 140, and 

180). In each case the 

numeric variables so cal- 

culated are converted to 

their string equivalents. 

Note that some computers 

introduce an extra space 

at the beginning of the 

string formed when using 

the STR$ command. For 

example, the line 

X=1234:XS=STR$(X):PRIN 

T LEN(X$) would give the 

result of 5 and not the 

expected 4. This is 

because the string is actu- 

ally represented as 

71234" (here the space is 

indicated by the /). To get 

fc Europes Largest Stock of Video Games & Cartridges For — 

NINTENDO 

GAMEBOY 

PC SUPER GRAFX 

The leading Video game specialists. Send for lists (state make of game) 

rid of this simply use 

thwe command 

XS=MID$(X$,2). So if 

your computer produces 

a length of 5 in the 

above example you will 

need to use this tech- 

nique to bring the first 

digit of the answer into 

first position of the 

string, failure to do so 

may result in strange 

answers appearing! 

After each string is 

created the positions of 

matching digits are 

checked. The failure of 

any match will result in 

that pair of values being 

ditched, only if all tests 

are passed is the result 

printed out at line 210. 

100 FOR R-31? TO 999:R$-STR$(RI 

110 R$-fi*R:fiS$-STRSIR$l 

120 IF MIDtlRS$,2,l)* 1" THEN GOTO 230 

130 FOR B-317 TO 999:B$-STRSIBI 

140 BS-8*B:BS$-STRS(BS) 

150 IF MID$(BS$.3.1K>MI0$(R$.l.n THEN 

GOTO 220 

160 IF MI0$(RS$.3.nMI0$(B$,3.n THEN 

GOTO 220 

I 70 IF MI0$(B$,2,t )" 0" THEN GOTO 220 

180 M-R*B:M$-STR$(M) 

190 IF MI0$(M$,2,t )MID$(HS$,5,I I THEN 

GOTO 220 

200 IF NI0$(M$.5.nMI0$(BS$.5.l) THEN 

GOTO 220 

210 PRINT R;" ";B;" ";R$;" ";B$;" ";M 

220 NEHTB 

230 NEHT R 

r APRIL'^"P^RTZE PUZZLE"" 1 

I 

NAME: 

ADDRESS: 

TELEPHONE: 

DART ONE SCORED: 

DART TWO SCORED: 

DART THREE SCORED: 

ANSWER 

LISTING ENCLOSED (optional): • 

Send your completed entry to: 

ACE April "90 Prize Puzzle 

Priory Court, 

30-32 Farringdon Lane, 

LONDON. EC1R 3AU. 

To arrive not later than 5th April 1990. 

Sill /71EGIX DRIVE 

A 

AARJ 

2600 

and 

7800 

TELEGAMES, IV1CST0N. LEICESTER. LE8 TfE. (0553-880445)

PINK PAG E S 

ACE 

READERS' PAGES 

ATARI ST520FM + over 

£850 worth ot software 

titles. Total package for 

£350. Tel: Paul 0494 

729173 for detarls 

(evenings). 

FOR SALE 

ATARI 520STFM D Drive 

excellent boxed £700's 

games 4 joystick,4 adap- 

tor basic, demo, disks, 

mouse. 80 magazines. 

£450. Marcus 751 0523. 

NEW ATARI 520 STFM 

power pack games, 

moose 20 extra games. 

Phone 0268 411014. Sell 

£425 unwanted gift worth 

£750. 

AMSTRAD CPC464, colour 

monitor. £240's software 

(originals) + cheetah mach 

1+ joystick, instruction 

manual, introductory tape. 

In perfect condition. Worth 

£500+ sell £240 ono Tel: 

Ross 0621 741224 after 

5pm. 

COMMOOORE 64, Ask 

drive, datasettes, 30 

games, joystick and disk 

box. A bargain at £180. 

Tel:0543 257762 after 

4pm. 

C64, datasette. lots of 

games, perfect working 

order, £75ono. Also Atari 

ST originals, £8 will swap 

Call 0889 564554 after 

4.30pm. 

C64 PD Demos. 10 disks 

£1.70 each £13 for the 

lot. Full instructions, 

demos include Batdance, 

contex. S-Xpress, Crunch- 

es, music and hundreds 

more. D Walton. 18 

Heysham Park, Heysham, 

Lanes, LA32 2UD. 

AMSTRAD 6128, colour. 

£450 of software, Op. 

Wolf, Stargliders, multi 

face 2. Boxed. Worth 

£900 plus accept £450. 

Tel:0378 75577 after 

5pm (Kris). 

ORIGINAL CPC games on 

tape and disk. Many 

recent titles. Phone Mark 

for list 0428 717440. 

Evenings. 

520STM 1 meg ram fitted 

on 4 meg expansion 

board Atari and comana 1 

meg drives. Mouse mat. 

manuals etc. Excellent 

condition £330.Tel:0708 

866014. 

STAR LC10 printer for 

C64 £100 ono Tel: 061 

773 5815. Before 5pm 

0706 877320 after 7pm 

(ManchesterAancs area). 

PC Engine. CD Rom. 5 

player adaptor, 2 loypads, 

15 games, boxed, cost 

£980 sell £550 Tel: 0908 

618937. 

LOADS of Computer mag- 

azines backcopies, lots of 

titles. Send to S Williams, 

7 Holly Grove, Upton on- 

Severn, Worcs. WR8 OPH 

ATARI 520STFM, 

computer mouse, philips 

CM8852 colour monitor, 

boxed games including 

UMJ Dungeon Master, 

Carrier Command. £375. 

Tel: 0827 717136. 

X X Advanced Computer Entertainment 

PENPALS 

CONTACTS needed! every 

one welcome write to: Dom, 

49 Ruskin Av, Manor Park, 

London. E12 6PJ guaran 

teed reply.lAMlGA) 

AMIGA CONTACTS waited to 

swap latest stuff. Write to 

Skyfire. 27 New Penkndge 

Rd, Cannock. Staffs. WS11 

1HW. 

ASIAN LASS, otherwise very 

lonely, seek Amiga. ST pen- 

pais for swap, chit chat and 

friendship. Vforidwide. SAE 

for reply appreciated. MS SH 

Haridas. 33 Rutland Rd. 

Chesterfield. Derbyshire. 

WANT a cool Australian con- 

tact? If you're fast and cool 

contact Judas! c/o 22 Gold 

en Court. Shepparton 3630. 

Victoria. Austraka. (Amiga) 

AMIGA contacts waanted 

wrote to WiH 24 Gosplegate, 

Louth. Lines. 

ST contacts wanted 100% 

reply. Send fcts/tfsks to 

Danny Russel. 7 South 

Close. Burgess HW. West 

Sussex. RH15 9PZ. 

AMIGA CONTACTS: Garfield, 

5 Straand Rd, CJonakikty, Co 

Cork, freland. Acid demos 

(esp) and games also. 

AMGA CONTACTS wanted, 

send disks and lists to Pad 

Richards, 63 Manor Rd. Des- 

ford, Leicester. LE9 9JQ. 

100% reply guaranteed. 

AMGA CONTACTS wanted 

100% reply all users wel- 

come. Write now to Adam 

Shaw. 273 Rush Green Rd, 

Romford, Essex. 

HELPLINE 

URGENTLY needed, some- 

one wrth spare who is over 

18 and would like to write a 

6 page magazine for free (a 

computer magazine). It is a 

free magazine so quite a bit 

of work must go into it. If 

you are interested send 

SSAE with some small 

pieces of your work to 

Wiiam. 13 West Parade. 

Norwich. NR2 3DN. 

Software exchange service 

for Amiga/ST/C64/Spec- 

trurrVPC/Amstrad 

CPC/Sega/Nintendo. 50p 

registration fee, £2 for 

swap. Send form to: CRB, 

22 Roman Rd, Bearsden. 

Glasgow G61 2SL. 

FREE Amstrad CPC464 or 

664 computer games for 

you. Send a £1 coin for a 

upto date list. In the Sst are 

Robo cop: Zynaps, Zub, Bat 

man the movie, Xcel, Blas- 

trexds, Jet set W*y 2, Silk- 

worm. Purple Saturn Day. 

Space Harrier. Jad Break, 

Red Heat. Stormlord. and 

loads more over 100. 

Please only write to Free 

games of 1990. C Wilson. 

64 Fishponds Rd. Kenil- 

worth, Warks. CVS 1EZ, 

England. Earth. 1990. 

HELP I seriously need to sell 

my C64 (slimine) I have 

over 100 games, a joystick 

an a mouse (needs repair- 

ing). For £200ono. I iso 

have a radio controlled car 

up for sale £70. Phone 

Homoaurca 49011 ask for 

Jamie. 

SECOND Hand software 

service for the Atari ST. 

Even though these games 

are second hand they retain 

the standard of new 

games. For a membership 

form and full free list of all 

the games on offer send a 

SSAE to: WAam Pacgrave- 

moore. 13 West Parade. 

Norvwch. NR2 3DN.lt will 

be worth it! 

BLOODWTCH help urgently 

req'd contact Phil on Bristol 

698914 or 109 Pretoria Rd. 

Patchway. Bristol. BS12 

5PY. 

PROGRAMMERS! Armga 

sprites, music, bitmaps, 

Blrtter. copper ect, 

Explained in a new book: 

"Amiga Games Program 

mers Guide'. All you need to 

know about the Amigas cus- 

tom Hardware to write that 

Mega game! All budding and 

existing games writers must 

get a copy! Send SAE to: 

CJ Drtchbum, 12 Eden 

Court. The Scores. St 

Andrews. Fife. Scotland 

KY16 9BD. 

HELP wanted does anyone 

know how to get the mis- 

sions m Elite (C64) version, 

once Elite rank is reached. 

Also has anyone got any 

pokes or listings for Boul- 

derdash 4. Any help would 

be appreciated. Contact: 

Peter. 42 BnghtfiekJ Rd, Lee 

Green. London. SE12 8QF 

HELP needed wrth Myth and 

The Last Nnja on the C64. 

On Myth how do you get 

past the one headed Green 

Dragon in Ancient Norse 

(level 4) and so on? And how 

do you get past the two fire 

breathing dragons at the 

end of level 2 on The Last 

Ninja? Any assistance grat- 

futty accepted. Paul 

Nichloas, 206 Neath Rd, 

Briton, Ferry Neath, West 

Glamorgan, S Wales. 

IBM owner wants help with 

Hitchkers guide to the 

Galaxy. I can help wrth 

Defenders of the crown plus 

others. Write to Dawd But- 

ler, PO Box 35771 Menlo 

Park. 0102. S.AFRICA. 

WANTED 

ST POWER transformer 

urgently required or old ST 

with working power. Contact 

Phi on 0272 698914. Or 

wrote to 109 Pretoria Rd. 

Patchway, Bristol. BS12 

5PY. 

WANTED Pokes, hps. maps, 

and cheats for Amiga. Write 

to Gareth Keyes. 4 Glanmor 

Ores, Newport. Gwent. NP9 

8AX. UK or Tel: 0633 

280958 

NOTICE!! 

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING 

TO SELL? NEED HELP ON 

ANY GAMES? YES? 

THEN JUST GO TO PAGE 

121, FILL IN THE ENTRY 

FORM AND SEND IT TO 

US- NO PROBLEM!

136 THE PINK PAGES 

PINK RESULTS 

YES! Its back again, the 

bastion of the (soon to be) 

rich (slightly) and famous 

(vaguely). Yep, it's the spot 

where we announce those 

lucky souls whose post- 

cards, letters, etc have 

managed to crawl out of 

the confines of the editor's 

hat (and who can blame 

them?), and lustily declare 

themselves as winners of 

Ye Olde Pinke Page Com- 

pos. So without more ado. 

read on, and see if you're 

one of 'em. 

NO NONSENSE 

NINTENDO 

Back in the Jan issue we 

ran a little compo in conjunction 

with Nintendo. The 

prizes up for grabs were a 

Deluxe NES set (oooh!) 

and a Nintendo Game Boy 

complete with the absolutely 

fabby Tetris (aaah!). 

Winner of the NES set 

is Miss K. Stirzaker. 

Wokingham. Berkshire. 

Winner of the Gameboy, 

with Tetris (yeah!) is 

Gareth 0' Hara, Lisburn. 

Co. Antrim, Northern 

Ireland. 

Congratulations to 

both of you. Get the kettle 

on next weekend, 'cose 

the ACE team will be round 

for a few quick games. 

LOGOTRON 

LOVELIES 

Remember last decade? 

Good, 'cos thafs when we 

ran our Pink Compo with 

Logotron in which five 

copies of Bad Company 

and Starblaze were up for 

grabs. The lucky winners 

are: 

Tony Skinner. Newbury, 

Berks.; Philip Anthony 

Bram, Gedling, Nottingham; 

Steve Wood, Penn, 

Wolverhampton; Nathan 

Hill. Woking. Surrey: 

David Exton, Stafford. 

Staffordshire. 

VIRGIN ON THE 

RIDICULOUS! 

Thanks for your good 

response to our crazy cap 

tton compo in the Jan issue. 

You wifl remember that we 

asked you to supply a suitable 

capton for a piccy of 

Richard Branson promoting 

the Sega Light Gun. 

The winner (who wins 

on the basis of his bp more 

than his caption is Alan 

Johnson. Fleetwood. 

Lanes. 

CAPTION: 

Who said this is a light gun? 

It's really qurte heavy! 

TIP: Dont go on any balloon 

trips with this man. 

Hmmm! Says it all really... 

PICTURE THIS! 

Back in Feb we had a competition 

in conjuction with 

Domark in which there wer 

five copies of the Pictionary 

board game up for 

grabs. 

To win these wonderful 

prizes all you had to do 

v/as identify three piccies 

produced by the worst artsist 

we could find in the 

building (namely our very 

own reviews editor!). Unfortunately 

nearly everybody 

managed to identify what 

he meant by his childish 

doodles, so we have to 

give away the games 

rather than keeping them 

ourselves to play next 

Christmas. Oh weH, C'est 

La Vie! These are the lucky 

HOW TO PLACE YOUR ENTRY 

All you have to do is send off the form below, together with your payment; 

people who have deprived 

the ACE team of their fun: 

Mark Daniel Wake. 

Southend-on-Sea. 

Essex Arthur Owen, 

Caernarvon. Gwynedd; 

Sean Glover, Throney, 

Cambs., Steven Gallagher, 

Canterbury. 

Kent; Richard Moore, 

Leeds 

O.K. Thafs all folks! There 

will of course be more Pink 

Results next month, Meanwhile. 

this month's winners 

can sit back and wait for 

their prizes! 

Entries to the Pink Pages cost just £4.00 each. (Except for helpline which is free). 

• The maximum is 20 words except for Helpline. (Helpline entries can be extended to 

100 words max - use another sheet of paper if necessary). 

• The service is NOT open to trade advertisers. 

• We will print your advertisement in the first available issue. 

• Entries which could be interpreted as encouraging software piracy will not be accepted. 

ENTRY FORM 

POST TO: ACE Readers Page, Category of entry: Write your Advertisement here, one word per box. 

Emap B+CP, Priory Court, Include your name, address and phone number if 

30-32 Farringdon Lane, • Helpline • For Sale y° u want them P rinted- 

London EC1R 3AU. n Wanted n Pen Pais 

Please place my ad in the 

• User Groups • Other 

next available issue of ACE. Method Qf Rayment 

Mamo 

Address 

• Cheque • P.O. 

Please make cheques and 

postal orders payable to 

ACE MAGAZINE. 

————»i

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HOW TO ORDER 

Complete the coupon below OR send your details on plain paper OR ring our special 24hr. Orderline service on 0858 41088 and quote your credit card number. 

ANNUAL RATES 

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Airmail Europe £42.95 

We suggest that Overseas readers pay by International Money Order. Other Airmail rates available upon request. For subscription enqumes, telephone 0733 555161 

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Address 

To ACE Subscriptions Dept., PO Box 500, Leicester LE99 OAA 

Postcode 

Please start my subscription from the (enter month) issue of ACE. I enclose my 

cheque/postal order for £ (payable to ACE Magazine). 

Please charge £ to my Access/Visa/Diners/Amex account. 

Card Number. Signature 

Anco 57 

Bondwell 98 

Computer Ad 

World 131 

Console Quest 131 

C +VG 16,17 

CES 76 

Digital Intergration 75 

Elite 13 

E.A 15 

Evesham 133 

Euromax 111 

EMAP 120,132 

ADVERTISERS INDEX 

Future 66,67 

Graphic Music 

Centre 69 

Hewson 43 

Intermediates 117 

Logotron 87 

Mirrorsoft 8,32,71 

MCD 126 

Megaland 115 

Mail Centa 120 

Microbyte 129 

MPH 131 

Ocean IFC.IBC.81,22 

PC Leisure 104 

Rapid 127 

Rainbow Arts 46 

Shekhana 127 

Star 129 

Turbosoft 119 

Telegames 134 

US Gold IBC.6,7,18 

Virgin 64 

Worldwide 132

The BUTTER END 

Ye gods! Is this the future 

of mankind after the great 

console takeover? We couldn't 

believe our eyes when 

this little baby showed up in 

the office, featuring the New 

Ecto Popper' and 'Ecto Goggles' 

from the Real Ghostbuster 

range. With kids like 

this on the block, who needs 

ghostbusters? 

CD REVOLUTION 

Gor blimeyi Can this be true? Are we 

about to get the games of the future 

right now? Could it just possibly be that 

hardware manufacturers are about to blast our 

woolly socks off v/ith a whole string of exciting 

new games machines? 

The almost unbelievable answer is yes. Last 

month you would have been forgiven for thinking 

that here in the UK we were settling dov/n to a 

couple of years of ST/Amiga dominated gaming. 

No real CD-ROM development for at least two 

years, no CD-I. no FM Towns (unless you win one 

in this month's competition), in fact nothing very 

exciting on the horizon at all. 

How wrong you would have been. In the 

space of three weeks, there have been three separate 

developments that together will revolutionise 

the games scene here in Britain within the next 

twelve months. 

Development number one. NEC are seriously 

contemplating importing the PC Engine officially 

into Europe. And why is this so important, dear 

reader? Aren't we sick to death of the PC wotsit? 

Aha. but of the world's entire installed base of 

CD-ROM drives, over half are attached to PC 

Engines. And lots of people are developing CD- 

ROM software for the NEC machine. The PC 

Engine could be the first major CDR-compatible 

unit in the UK with a decent games software base 

- and that's the first step towards CD-I, since it 

gives software companies the CD production 

experience they'll need for the interactive optical 

disk games. 

Development number two. Commodore are 

producing a CD-ROM games console. No, it is not 

(apparently) a CD-ROM with an Amiga attached (or 

.vice-versa) but a stand-alone keyboardless unit, 

codenamed Baby', retailing for under £500, and 

styled more like a hi-fi unit than a computer. 

If this is Commodore's answer to the 

Japanese (see last month's column) then Blitter 

takes back everything he said about C64 based 

138 Advanced Computer Entertainment 

consoles last month. In fact, Blitter dashes out 

and buys Commodore shares. Blitter joins a 

Christmas Club and starts saving up. Because 

make no mistake, a standalone CDR unit at that 

price from a major company with a strong involvement 

in the games market could, if the hardware 

spec is OK (if...), prove to be the most exciting 

item on the market this year. 

And finally. Amstrad are planning their own 

console. Long rumoured, not yet officially 

announced, it joins a couple of upgraded CPC 

models capable of taking cartridge software to be 

released this autumn - or so we hear on the 

grapevine. Whatever the specs, it'll be cheap, 

widely available, and probably well supported by 

UK software houses. The only questionmark hangs 

(as in the case of Commodore's Baby ) over the 

hardware spec. There's a lot of powerful competition 

looming up in the console market. 

One thing's for certain. With at least one. and 

possibly two CD-ROM compatible systems about 

to hit these shores, ACE readers are guaranteed 

some exciting software developments during the 

next year. 

Meanwhile, in another significant development for 

the UK CD-ROM games scene. Mirrorsoft has just 

taken over the marketing and development of 

leisure (e.g. Guinness Book of Records) and 

games CD titles from sister company Pergamon 

Compact Solutions (now disbanded). 

One of the machines Mirrorsoft will be looking 

very closely at will doubtless be the Commodore 

unit. According to company boss Peter Bilotta. 

...CD based games will be big news within the 

next two to three years.' He also reckons that 

Commodore's machine could do '...very well 

indeed in the European market. Don't miss next 

month's special ACE free CD guide... 

BI it-BI it! 

GREAT 

GIFT! 

We've got a great freebie 

for you next month that 

will put you right at the 

forefront of the CD 

games revolution. 

After giving you an exclusive 

chance to win an FM 

Towns machine this 

month, next month we're 

giving away a special 

ACE cover-mounted 

guide to the world of 

compact disk games 

technology. You'll be able 

find out which games are 

currently on CD, the 

specs of the machines 

they run on, how CD 

games work, and what 

both British and American 

software houses are 

planning for this new 

medium in the near 

future. 

We're also hoping to 

bring you our interviews 

with Cyan, which we had 

to leave out of this chockfull 

issue, and AIM - 

American Interactive 

Media, plus an in-depth 

investigation of 'cuteness'. 

Don't miss it, 

sweetie pie. 

Ooops! 

Pepe Merino's system, as detailed last 

month, boasts 256 colours per panel, 

NOT per page! Sorry, Pepe - It's even 

more impressive than we thought.

' ^r. nter a medtaex'aC era in a mysticaC World "Where Ivanhoe, our 

Izjjp 1^ diix'aCroii^ fiero, pursues a perilous quest... a quest from which most 

^l^^âC niortafs u'ouW run... an adventure which most men Would fear! 

\ Strap on your armour, take up your sword and brace yourself to face 

s - powers of the most evil of wizards, the ptunderous pirates 

the most awesome of dragons and a host of hideous 'beings' in this (and of legends. 

Superb animation, by the cartoonist whose brushgai'e us the Asterix 

movie, and beautifully executed graphics create a Visual impact as yet unseen in t he 

media of interactive entertainment. Wanhoe - 'Jightfor your life... and legendl 

ATARI ST AMIGA 

Ocean Software Limited • 6 Central Street • Manchester • M2 5NS Telephone: 061 832 6633 Telex: 669977 OCEANS G Fax: 061 834 0650

LTD. Manufactured under liconse from CAPCOM CO., LTD., JAPAN. BLACK TIGER and CAPCOOT" ar« trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. 

U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.

source - Atarimania

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