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State-of-the-art<br />
ART OF THE STATES<br />
Special American Issue<br />
Revealed: the secrets of Lucasfilms,<br />
Cinemaware, FTL, Electronic Arts, and Origi<br />
Jik<br />
WIN this £1500 CD-ROM computer!<br />
Your postcard entry form is miss<br />
Check with your newsagent<br />
• ST • AMIGA • C64 •<br />
CPC • SPECTRUM • PC<br />
• NINTENDO • SEGA •<br />
YANKEE<br />
DOODLES<br />
Endless American trivia inside<br />
You have been warned.<br />
• Avatar<br />
Ultima VI:<br />
Exclusive<br />
Preview<br />
STR:18<br />
DEX:26<br />
IHT: 17<br />
Mag i c<br />
1 7/17<br />
Health<br />
90/90<br />
1. e v e 1<br />
224 characters,<br />
16000 objects,<br />
imitless encounters<br />
Roman blockbuster<br />
from the designer of<br />
Defender of the<br />
Crown.
THE FASTEST,!<br />
MOST THRILLING<br />
VOTED<br />
ARCADE GAME<br />
OF THE<br />
YEAR ))Mg<br />
MMN I<br />
HCOOI<br />
Take the wheel of your turbo 1<br />
charged Porsche as you I<br />
and your partner go in |<br />
pursuit of danger- ^<br />
^ ous criminals all flH<br />
driving an evil<br />
m J array of J<br />
I - souped-up ^<br />
r^B-' A roadsters.<br />
TURBO<br />
BOOST!<br />
| Need to catch up in a hurry? Well, 1<br />
just one press of your Turbo Button will |<br />
1 leave your eyes in the back of your head!<br />
BARRELLING THROUGH<br />
THE CITY STREETS g alons the roughest of|<br />
I dirt tracks and through busy tunnels - if you can hold<br />
i the linerfhejow life can run, but they can't hide... I<br />
viWKy "mm<br />
ion imTinrrfr<br />
RESCUE ALL HOSTAGES<br />
Ocean Software Limited • 6 C Str<br />
Telephone: 061 832 6633 • Telex: V7 C
6 OI Street • Manchester M2 5NS<br />
lex: €77 OCEANS G • Fax: 061 834 0650<br />
action sequences put you in control<br />
of Elliot Ness's elite squad of crime-busters,<br />
ALLEYWAY SH00T0LTS<br />
THE BORDER RAID,<br />
The Railway Station confrontation and<br />
Warehouse bust culminating in the<br />
thrilling denouement of a<br />
as you re-live the knife edge Y .*<br />
i existence of Ness in his struggle<br />
/ M against the retribution of Capone!<br />
^ f THE L\T0l (HAKLKS - LI YK AX AMERICAS LEGEM)<br />
' * / - J n absolute corker of .1 ymc as a fine example of how to do the job<br />
smooth and polished as you tan Ret. property a cracking conversion ..<br />
S\ v , * animation is top notch a brilliant easily one of the most successful<br />
. /Nl / film conversion Games Machine licences to date' Sinclair User<br />
r „„ _. _<br />
EQSGCMEBOQQ KMIXMCPfi©<br />
C33b H K . .<br />
NOW WITH TWICE THE ACTION,<br />
TWICE THE FUN,TWICE THE CHALLENGE i<br />
Q^flEjara oBcmss i<br />
The Hi-jack report came from a DC10 leaving Paris for Boston -Arab y -V<br />
guerillas were in control of flight 102 and had turned the aircraft towards<br />
Africa...The plane lands in hostile territory and the terrorists begin<br />
their demands... / ><br />
or the bulletproof vest but watch out for<br />
Operation Thunderbolt the incredible Taito coin-op conversion<br />
brought NOW to your home computer.<br />
ci'SSIVo<br />
1OOO1
EMAP B & CP<br />
PRIORY COURT<br />
FARRINOOON LANE<br />
LONDON EC1R 3AU<br />
TIL: 01-251 6222<br />
FAX: 01-490 0991<br />
EDITOR<br />
Steve Cooke<br />
DEPUTY EDITOR<br />
Rik Haynes<br />
REVIEWS EDITOR<br />
Laurence Scotford<br />
DESIGN EDITOR<br />
Jim Willis<br />
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Eugene Lacey<br />
Kati Hamza<br />
Gordon Houghton<br />
Jon Bates<br />
John Cook<br />
Christina Erskine<br />
Pat Winstanley<br />
Mark Smiddy<br />
ADDITIONAL DESIGN BY<br />
Pete Hawkes<br />
Justine Randall<br />
ILLUSTRATION<br />
Geoff Fowler<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Edward Park<br />
ADVERTISING MANAGER<br />
Garry Williams<br />
DEPUTY ADVERTISING MANAGER<br />
Jerry Hall<br />
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION<br />
Melanie Costin<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Terry Pratt<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS<br />
EMAP Frontline, Subscriptions Department<br />
1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road,<br />
Peterborough. PE1 2RP<br />
0733 555161<br />
COLOUR ORIGINATION<br />
Balmoral Graphics, Canonbury Yd. Nt<br />
Preprint Repro. Stratford. E15<br />
TYPESETTING<br />
CXT. 74 Borough High Street. S£1<br />
DISTRIBUTION<br />
EMAP Frontline, Park House. 117 Park Road.<br />
Peterborough. PE1 2TR<br />
PRINTING<br />
Severn Vailey Press, Caerphilly<br />
© EMAP BACP 1990<br />
No part ot this publication may be reproduced<br />
in any torm without we pefftfssion.<br />
SPECIALS<br />
CITIZEN U.S.A. 19<br />
ACE takes off at dawn and returns with an exclusive<br />
report on computing USA. The trip starts here, with<br />
fool-long meatballs and a couple of software<br />
gurus who've invented a hyperspace engine.<br />
ULTIMATE ULTIMA 23<br />
No doubt about it. Ultima Wis shaping up to be the<br />
game of the year. We flew to Austin, Texas for an<br />
exclusive preview...<br />
WHEN IN ROME 29<br />
After the earthquake: just outside Francisco. Elec-<br />
tronic Arts are preparing to shake the world with<br />
Centurion - a Roman simulation and strategy title<br />
from the designer of Defender of the Crown.<br />
FASTER THAN LIGHT 33<br />
....Or FTL for short. Now's your chance to travel to<br />
San Diego and meet the people who created Dun-<br />
geon Master and Oids.<br />
ON SKYWALKER RANCH 37<br />
Our fearless correspondent braves rabid skunks,<br />
man-eating racoons, and a private security army to<br />
enter Lucasfilm's creative paradise and confront the<br />
creators of Loom. Maniac Mansion, and Indiana<br />
Jones.<br />
ONTO THE SILVER SCREEN 41<br />
They didn't come from the Desert: they came from<br />
Cinemaware's state-of-the-art CD development sys-<br />
tem.<br />
THAT'S HANDY! 99<br />
Hand-held consoles are sweeping America. John<br />
Cook reports.<br />
D-l-Y STUDIO 105<br />
Who's in the powerhouse?? Check out MIDI wid-<br />
gets that can make really bad sounds out of raw<br />
data.<br />
BITMAP BLARNEY 86<br />
Your chance to get a personal invitation to the ACE<br />
Conferences and meet some of the big names in the<br />
business in person.<br />
POWER TO THE PEOPLE! 11<br />
Fill in the form on this page and change history: by<br />
nominating your favourite games for the the presti-<br />
gious Golden Joystick awards. And win £150 worth<br />
of software into the bargain!<br />
SILICON<br />
UNIVERSE<br />
On page 21 you can meet two computer beachboys<br />
who've devised one of the most fiendish machines<br />
ever - a multi-media engine that can scan and<br />
respond to events within a room, manipulating data<br />
to fill the space with mesmerising lights and sound.<br />
We hope to have a demo at the Computer Enter-<br />
tainment Show in September. Don't miss it!<br />
WIN<br />
wmmmm<br />
THE ACE<br />
TREATMENT<br />
This month's games range from the<br />
simple but addictive (Pipedream) to<br />
the awesomely complex (Knights of<br />
Legend). Every one gets the rigorous<br />
ACE treatment...<br />
GRAVITY Imageworks 48<br />
DRAGON'S BREATH Palace 51<br />
KNIGHTS OF LEGEND<br />
Origin/Mindscape 52<br />
FIFTH GEAR Hewson 53<br />
SHERMAN M4 US Gold/Loriciels 54<br />
KID GLOVES Logotron 55<br />
PLAYER MANAGER Anco 56<br />
CROSSBOW Screen 7 58<br />
PIPEMANIA Entertainment Int'l 59<br />
PSYCHOFOX Sega 60<br />
TENNIS ACE Sega 60<br />
SPELLCASTER Sega 61<br />
OMEGA Origin/Mindscape 62<br />
DARK CENTURY Titus 63<br />
AFTER THE WAR<br />
Dinamic 65<br />
STRYX Psyclapse 68<br />
SEARCH FOR THE TITANIC<br />
CRb'Capstone 70<br />
GAZZAS SUPER SOCCER Empire .72<br />
FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR 2<br />
Anco 73<br />
WILD STREETS Titus 74<br />
ROTOR Arcana 77<br />
VENDETTA System 3 78<br />
LORDS OF CHAOS (Preview)<br />
Target 79<br />
7 GATES OF JAMB ALA Grandslam. 80<br />
SAMURAI Microprose 79<br />
CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN<br />
Grandslam 80<br />
One of the images generated by the IMME<br />
machine: read all about it on page 21.<br />
pHr 1
k!<br />
• ><br />
JAM TODAY!<br />
Well, almosL.Certainly this could be the most exciting year or computer gamesplayers since the launch of the Spectrum -<br />
and every bit as significant. Just as went to press, reliable <strong>source</strong>s reported that Commodore's CD-ROM' Amiga is in fact a<br />
CD-ROM console. At the same time, NEC were reported to be seriously considering launching the PC Engine in the UK.<br />
The enormous boost that these machines will give to the development of CD-based games in the UK could change games-<br />
playing history. In America, almost every company is busy developing games either for the FM Towns CD-ROM super-<br />
machine, or for the PC Engine + CD-ROM drive. They know that in three years time CD will be THE storage medium for<br />
entertainment software, offering not only huge storage and full-motion video, but also the possibility of truly interactive<br />
video using CD-I technology. By writing CD software now, these companies are developing vital expertise for the future. Up<br />
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<br />
here, everything could change. Our dreams about CD-based games could become reality much sooner than we think...<br />
ACE celebrates next month with a special free gift giving complete details on CD games and machines. Don't miss it!<br />
The secrets of Ultima VI development - see pages 25/26.<br />
GAMEPLAY<br />
SCREENTEST 37<br />
What a month! Player Manager chases Kick Off up<br />
the field; Gravity's a startlingly original game from<br />
Imageworks; Pipemania. a startlingly unoriginal but<br />
awesomely addictive game from Entertainment Inter-<br />
national.<br />
FM<br />
BRAVE NEW WORLDS 88<br />
Four glorious pages for adventurers and followers<br />
of the not-so-straight-and-narrow path. Pat Winstan-<br />
ley checks out the latest fantasy releases and offers<br />
some hints and tips for harassed explorers.<br />
TRICKS AND TACTICS 93<br />
No less than five pages of megatips for today's top<br />
games. Remember, when the going gets tough, the<br />
tough cheat.<br />
What goes up must come down in Gravity.<br />
REGULARS<br />
ACE NEWS 102<br />
SNK launch an astonishing games console that<br />
boasts 40Mbyte game cartridges; Sony launch Data<br />
Discman - CD-ROM in the palm of your hand;<br />
Amstrad launching new CPC games machines;<br />
Titus move into CD-I...all the latest from the ACE<br />
news team.<br />
MIGHTY MISSIVES 14<br />
Only two pages of letters this month, to make space<br />
for our US features...but you made every column<br />
inch count.<br />
FREE ISSUE! 84<br />
Take out a subscription and wake up once a month to<br />
your own copy of ACE - and save money into the<br />
bargain.<br />
IN THE PINK 107<br />
This month's Pinks feature the return of the ACE<br />
Hardware Upgrade Guide: everything you ever<br />
wanted to know about the machines most likely to<br />
make your dreams come true<br />
WIN! WIN! WIN!<br />
GO TO TOWNS! 44<br />
Yes, it's true, there's a card on the front of this issue<br />
that could you win you the world's most desirable,<br />
most exclusive CD-ROM games computer. Find<br />
out more inside - and be the first to join the CD<br />
games revolution!
CBM 64/128 DISK<br />
AMIGA<br />
IBM PC<br />
+CLUEBOOK<br />
AVAILABLE<br />
A d v a n c e d D u n g e o n s £ j ) i a g o n s<br />
ADVANCED DUNGEONS 4 DRAGONS, AD&D.<br />
DRAGONLANCE and the TSR logo art trademark* owned<br />
by TSR, Inc.. I Jit Genoa, Wl, USA and utcd undtr licensc<br />
from Strategic Simulation. Inc.. SuMyvafc, CA, USA.<br />
© 1990 TSR, Inc. © 1990 Strategic StamlaUon*. Inc.<br />
All nfhii rcicrvrd.<br />
COMPUTER PRODUCT<br />
T<br />
I he first fantasy role-playing<br />
epic set in the legendary game<br />
world of Krynn.<br />
CHAMPIONS OF KR YNN improves<br />
on the award winning game system<br />
used in SSI's mega-hits POOLS OF<br />
RADIANCE and CURSE OF THE<br />
AZURE BONDS.<br />
The war of the lance is over, but evil is<br />
a BAD loser... with the Dragon armies<br />
defeated and the lands to the east<br />
reconquered, the forces of good have<br />
withdrawn and settled down to a wellearned<br />
rest. Evil forces however; never<br />
rest and have been quietly plotting a<br />
cataclysmic return to power! Their goal:<br />
nothing short of establishing the Dark<br />
Queen, Takhisisy as undisputed ruler<br />
of Krynn!<br />
A<br />
DRAGONLANCE u<br />
FANTASY<br />
ROLE-PLAYING<br />
EPIC. VOL. 1<br />
U.S. GOLD LTD.,<br />
Units 2/3 Holford Way,<br />
Holford, Birmingham B6 7 AX.<br />
Tel: 021-625 3388.
-<br />
i——•— In the<br />
mystical world of Krynn, eight brave<br />
companions face Draconian monsters,<br />
skeletal undead, magic and the ancient<br />
dragon Khisanth in seeking the precious<br />
. disks of Mishakal.<br />
•<br />
®<br />
CBM 6il28, SPECTRUM<br />
AND AMSTRAD<br />
CASSETTE + DISK<br />
ATARI ST, AMIGA<br />
IBM PC<br />
+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE<br />
sjnji<br />
CBM 64/128, SPECTRUM<br />
AND AMSTRAD<br />
CASSETTE + DISK<br />
ATARI ST, AMIGA<br />
IBM PC<br />
+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE<br />
_ _ OFFICIAL -<br />
Advanced<br />
Dungeons££>ragoris<br />
COMPUTER PRODUCT<br />
elcome to the first AD&D®<br />
computers wargame. Prepare for<br />
fierce battles and all-out war when the forces of<br />
Whitestone clash against the evil Highlord<br />
Dragon-armies. The Prize: absolute rule over<br />
all Ansa Ion in the DRAG ON LANCE* game<br />
world of Krynn.<br />
Adv «nced<br />
CBM 64/128<br />
DISK,<br />
APPLE II<br />
Send forth your diplomats to forge treaties,<br />
and gain allies that will swell the numbers of<br />
your troops - but when words fail, armies of<br />
humans, draconians, ogres, dwarves, elves,<br />
dragons and other creatures may prove more<br />
persuasive. Enough talk. Let the WAR OF<br />
THE LANCE begin and the forces of good<br />
and evil battle for ultimate supremacy!<br />
Takhisis,<br />
Queen of p ^ j<br />
Darkness, ——<br />
and her Draconian<br />
hordes overrun much of the homeland of ~~—<br />
Krynn. Even the elven armies of Qualinost, valiant in their<br />
. resistance of this evil power, struggle on the edge of defeat.<br />
\ Heroes of the Lance come forward ...or Krynn will ,<br />
\ forever be consumer by evil!
Speed ball - total action - total aggression - the<br />
ultimate sport from the Bitmap Brothers.<br />
Computer Gamesweek - 94%<br />
"Speedball is fast, furious ar»d graphically very<br />
stylish"<br />
The One - 90%<br />
"Never in the field of reviewing has such an<br />
excellent game been played by so many for so<br />
long. A must buy!"<br />
C&VG Hit -<br />
"Speedball is going to be a monster hit"<br />
ST/Amiga Format Gold Disk Awardl • 90%<br />
This game is so visually brilliant and possesses<br />
those classic addictive qualities that once you've<br />
picked up your joystck you ]ust won't want to put<br />
it back down again".<br />
C • VG Hit!<br />
"II you're into missies, bombs and explosions in<br />
large, classy quantities. Blood Money « a game<br />
you should try and buy without delay*.<br />
ZZAP-94%<br />
'Save every penny you can get your hands on and<br />
acquire Rocket Ranger"<br />
Amiga Format - 90%<br />
Those who like a good puzzle and a bit of strategy<br />
will find Rocket Ranger compulsive'<br />
Ace Rating - 814<br />
"Superb graphics with arcade acton and strategy<br />
- probably the best Clnemawaro game yet".<br />
New Computer Express<br />
"Break out a spare can of Buddy and pop up your<br />
PC for this one"<br />
Distribution by: Mirrorsott Ltd.. Irwin House. 118 Southwark Street. London SE1 OSW AMIGA/ATARI ST/PC EM M
AC k<br />
\<br />
P<br />
FlAJ<br />
l l ?<br />
CD-ROM 'BOOK* ANNOUNCED, FIRST CDI GAME, NEW AMSTRAD CPC<br />
PORTABLE<br />
POWER FROM<br />
SONY<br />
Special thanks to Masato Nlizekl<br />
and ASCII Corporation for their<br />
assistance<br />
Sony has unveiled a prototype<br />
portable CD-ROM 'electronic<br />
book', a 500-gram palm-sized unit<br />
with built-in LCD used to display<br />
text stored on a normal audio<br />
Compact Disc. Data Discman had<br />
its public debut at a future tech-<br />
nologies exhibition in Tokyo last<br />
month. Although no price or avail-<br />
ability details are currently avail-<br />
able, Data Discman will be used<br />
to electronically manipulate vast<br />
amounts of text data - such as<br />
encyclopaedias, telephone direc-<br />
tories or even the Bible. Ifs also<br />
expected to double as an audio<br />
CD player.<br />
The Data Discman technolo-<br />
gies currently being developed<br />
could eventually lead to a portable<br />
CDI multi-media unit - capable of<br />
handling audio, video and comput-<br />
er graphics & text. Sony is hoping<br />
to create a standard for these<br />
'electronic book' technologies by<br />
announcing the Data Discman so<br />
early in its development. Expect<br />
to see a full feature consumer ver-<br />
sion of the Data Discman in your<br />
local store within the next two to<br />
three years.<br />
Meanwhile, Sony has also<br />
announced a revolutionary new<br />
portable computer. The Palm Top<br />
has a 68000 processor, 2Mb<br />
RAM, and an innovative 'keyboard-<br />
free concept' free hand system<br />
which replaces the conventional<br />
keyboard and mouse. This system<br />
can even understand Japanese<br />
hand writing - including the com-<br />
plex Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji<br />
alphabets. The Palm Top is due<br />
for mass production this summer,<br />
with units on sale in Japan by<br />
Christmas. No price details are<br />
currently available.<br />
NEW WORLD<br />
CONSOLE<br />
LAUNCHED<br />
SNK, the Japanese arcade manu-<br />
facturer responsible for the block-<br />
busting Ikan Warriors coin-op, is<br />
developing a new 16-bit console<br />
which promises to be the hottest<br />
deck this side of a cyberspace<br />
CDI unit.<br />
The NEO-GEO (New World)<br />
console is powered by a 68000<br />
main-processor and Z80 support<br />
processor. It can handle games<br />
cartridges with an astounding<br />
maximum storage capacity of<br />
330-megabits - that compares to<br />
the humble four-megabit (512K)<br />
game carts found on Sega's 16-<br />
bit Megadrive console. NEOGEO<br />
also uses IC technology (see<br />
TECHNO-rACE on page 11 for<br />
further details) to store player<br />
information like game hi-scores.<br />
This coupled with advanced<br />
graphics and sound hardware will<br />
effectively give the NEO-GEO the<br />
power of an arcade machine in<br />
your own home - the gameplay-<br />
ers ultimate dream machine.<br />
Industry rumours even suggest<br />
that NEO-GEO will come as both a<br />
home-based and coin-operated<br />
video games system.<br />
The console will be launched<br />
in Japan at the end of the month,<br />
priced around £290. SNK will ini-<br />
tially release six 40-megabit<br />
games carts, priced at a stagger-<br />
ing £130 each. This makes NEO-<br />
GEO carts the most expensive<br />
home video games ever released.<br />
Interestingly SNK doesn't see this<br />
as a problem and is predicting<br />
Japanese sales of 300000 NEO-<br />
GEO consoles and 1.2 million<br />
game cartridges by early '91.<br />
Details of the forthcoming<br />
NEO-GEO game titles and exact<br />
specifications of the console were<br />
not available as ACE went to<br />
press - SNK in Japan told us:<br />
"We're not ready to provide you<br />
with the information required. You<br />
will hear from us sometime<br />
around late spring". Look out for<br />
further NEO-GEO information in<br />
future issues of ACE...<br />
ADVANCED<br />
CPC OUT IN<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
Amstrad is due to launch three<br />
new games machines - including<br />
a console - based around its pop-<br />
ular CPC micro later in Septem-<br />
ber. The console is expected to<br />
sell for around £100.<br />
The advanced CPC's exact<br />
specifications and price details<br />
are unknown at present - no-one<br />
will officially confirm these new<br />
machines - but their existence<br />
has been revealed to ACE in off<br />
the record conversations with vari-<br />
ous software developers. Amstrad<br />
itself was unavailable for com-<br />
ment as ACE went to press.<br />
The CPC464 Plus, CPC6128<br />
Plus and CPC console will replace<br />
the versions of the CPC currently<br />
on sale. These technically<br />
improved models should contain a<br />
faster main processor, hardware<br />
support for graphics - including<br />
sprites and hardware-scrolling,<br />
increased colour palette and six-<br />
channel stereo audio.<br />
The CPC Plus machines will<br />
be compatible with all existing<br />
CPC software - they'll also use<br />
cartridge-based games software.<br />
These carts will have a storage<br />
capacity of two-megabits (256K),<br />
priced in the region of £20-£30.<br />
Several titles are currently being<br />
developed, and a selection of CPC<br />
games cartridges should be simul-<br />
taneously released with the<br />
machines in September.<br />
TITUS<br />
PRODUCES<br />
CDI GAME<br />
Although no Philips/Sony CDI play-<br />
er will be commercially available<br />
before '91, Titus - the French<br />
games developer that wrote<br />
Crazy Cars - has produced one of<br />
the first games for this new multi-<br />
media device.<br />
Titan, an arcade puzzle game,<br />
was first released on all major<br />
micro formats last year. The CDI<br />
version was started last summer<br />
and took four months to develop<br />
using the original Macintosh game<br />
<strong>source</strong>-code as a basic founda-<br />
tion. The CDI version includes<br />
audio-visual enhancements over<br />
its micro cousins and a new intro<br />
sequence. You even have the<br />
choice of CD-quality classical or<br />
rock soundtracks during play.<br />
The game cost a hefty<br />
£250000 to develop - Titus used<br />
Interactive Support Group's (ISG)<br />
$30000 Macintosh-based CDI<br />
Workstation. In fact, Titus exclu-<br />
sively distributes the ISG CDI emu-<br />
lator in Japan. Its only rival system<br />
is Vax-based and costs over<br />
$100000. Eric Caen, Director of<br />
Development at Titus told ACE,<br />
"Many see the ISG product as the<br />
perfect CDI emulator". Japanese<br />
companies like Panasonic, Tech-<br />
nics and Toshiba may use the ISG<br />
system to develop their CDI prod<br />
ucts in the near future.<br />
Titus has also produced a ver-<br />
sion of Titan for Fujitsu's FM<br />
Towns 32-bit CD-ROM computer<br />
(for further FM Towns information<br />
- and a chance to win a machine<br />
- turn to page 44) which sells for<br />
around £40 in Japanese stores.<br />
On CDtosed interactive<br />
entertainment, Caen laments: "it's<br />
important to be first. This is the<br />
market for the future. There are<br />
currently no games designers or<br />
engineers in this field. Small com-<br />
panies will find it hard to fund the<br />
huge development costs".<br />
Now Titus has started work<br />
on a new CD game project which<br />
will take about 15-18 months to<br />
develop. The as yet unnamed<br />
game will be written for most CD<br />
decks including FM Towns, PC<br />
Engine, and the forthcoming CDI<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9
Light and Magic - who both pro-<br />
duce computer graphic images<br />
and special effects for movies and<br />
television. The hires graphics will<br />
be rendered on a Cray mainframe<br />
system and transferred to micro<br />
format or recorded straight onto<br />
CDV (Compact Disc Video) in the<br />
CDI version. Caen enthuses, "it<br />
will be one of the most exciting<br />
games on CD..."<br />
MIDI MUSIC<br />
SHOW<br />
Eager MIDI musicians should<br />
check out The MIDI Music Show at<br />
London's Novotel in Hammersmith<br />
on 7th and 8th April. The exhibi-<br />
tion will include over 60 compa-<br />
nies showing off the latest MIDI<br />
hard and soft wares from the UK,<br />
Europe and USA. There will also<br />
be special seminars, demonstra-<br />
tions and conferences covering<br />
such subjects as sampling, cre-<br />
ative editing and sequencing. For<br />
further details contact the show's<br />
organisers, Westminster Exhibi-<br />
tions, on 01 549 3444.<br />
FLY A DRAGON<br />
SSI, the leading American strate-<br />
gy software developer, is releas-<br />
ing the world's first Dragon flight<br />
simulator next month. Dragon<br />
Strike is being distributed over<br />
here by US Gold. Good old USG<br />
isn't saying that much about the<br />
game yet, except that it's another<br />
SSI's Advanced Dungeons &<br />
Dragons (AD&D) release, giving<br />
you the viewpoint of sitting on the<br />
back of a Dragon. Like other SSI<br />
products, Dragon Strike will be<br />
released on PC first - closely fol-<br />
lowed by C64 - with an Amiga<br />
version due later in September.<br />
SSI is also working on anoth-<br />
er TSR-licensed product. Buck<br />
Rogers the 25th Century role-play-<br />
ing game is due out on PC and<br />
a!mago>iSte>fae<br />
Dragon Strike: the world's first<br />
Dragon Jlight-sim<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 10<br />
C64 this Christmas and uses the<br />
same game structure as Pool of<br />
Radiance. An Amiga version is<br />
scheduled for release in early '91.<br />
Unfortunately there are currently<br />
no plans for an ST version,<br />
although Pool of Radiance may<br />
eventually come out on the ST<br />
sometime this summer.<br />
interfACE<br />
ATPJllght simfrom Sublogic<br />
• Konami, a major Japanese<br />
coin-op manufacturer and offi-<br />
cial Nintendo licensee, has<br />
enlisted the help of a reaMife<br />
mum to promote video games.<br />
Charlyne Robinson, a mother of<br />
two Nintendo gamesters and<br />
holder of a Master's Degree in<br />
educational psychology, is tour<br />
ing America on behalf of Kona-<br />
mi, offering video game advice<br />
to parents worried about the<br />
type of games their kids are<br />
playing and the amount of time<br />
they spend playing video<br />
games.<br />
• Meldac is releasing a Game-<br />
boy game featuring 'powerful<br />
person-eating aliens in the feu<br />
dal Japanese city of Heiankyo'.<br />
Heiankyo Alien is due out in<br />
May.<br />
• In the ever growing range of<br />
Nintendo-licensed products and<br />
entertainments, lucky Ameri-<br />
can's can go and see the<br />
'Super Mario Bros, on Ice' ice-<br />
skating extravaganza.<br />
• FCI has launched Heroes of<br />
the Lance AD&D RPG for the<br />
Nintendo NES.<br />
• Sublogic's ATP (Airline Trans-<br />
port Pilot) lets you fly a Boeing<br />
737, 747, 767, or Airbus<br />
A300 jet airliner. Flight Simula-<br />
tor: ATP includes over 350 US<br />
cities with service to 25 major<br />
city airports, automatic weath-<br />
er generation, Air Traffic Con-<br />
trol feedback and six types of<br />
airborne traffic. The PC version<br />
costs $49.95.<br />
• Ocean's classic C64<br />
shoot'ermip, Wizball, is due to<br />
be released on the Nintendo<br />
NES.<br />
TITAN CDI TECHNOIR<br />
Titan on CDI was developed entirely on a ISG Macintosh CDI worksta-<br />
tion in four months. It was written using a Macintosh Ilex under MPW<br />
support with 600Mb hard-disk, and test run on Macintosh JNMS SCSI<br />
connections for quick load on Philips JNMS. CDI Titan's game code<br />
is less than 100K, plus 5Mb of graphics and a massive 120Mb of<br />
sound data. The flying ship in the intra sequence was designed using<br />
several 3D graphics packages on a Macintosh Ilex. Studio/8 files<br />
were converted to DYUV and CLUT formats. The music tracks were<br />
composed on a W.30 Roland keyboard and digitised on a Macintosh<br />
Ilex using the Digidesign board. The mixing of the sound was done<br />
using Sound Designer. PCM data was converted to ADPCM on Macin-<br />
tosh Ilex. The sound in the game is Level B stereo. The game's com-<br />
pact disc was compiled and emulated on Macintosh Ilex using the<br />
ISG CDI board and Disc Builder software. All the tools used were<br />
developed by ISG and are based on either original or green book<br />
algorithms. You can use both the CDI remote control or mouse for<br />
gamecontrol, and the game is compatible with any 625-line monitor<br />
and runs on current versions of the Philips JNMS player. The project<br />
director was Regis Bridon with software by Lee Chidgey, CDI emula-<br />
tion software by Jim Bumgardner and CDI hardware board by Vincent<br />
Le Chevalier.<br />
ARE YOU A<br />
EUROPEAN<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
DEVELOPER?<br />
ACE will be featuring an article on<br />
European Advanced Computer<br />
Entertainment in a future issue of<br />
the magazine. We want to contact<br />
West and East European software<br />
developers - games designers,<br />
programmers, graphics artists,<br />
musicians and software compa-<br />
nies. If you wish to be included in<br />
the article then write (including<br />
your details) to: ACE EUROPE,<br />
Priory Court, 30-32 Farring-<br />
1982<br />
don Lane, London EC1R 3AU<br />
Alternatively fax us on 01 490<br />
0991.<br />
THE PRESENCE<br />
OF THE FUTURE<br />
The next time you walk down the<br />
Champselyse6 in Paris check out<br />
a sci-fi store called Dune: The<br />
Presence of the Future. Among<br />
the cordless telephones, Rock 'n'<br />
Flowers and Sony Discmen you<br />
can pick up a electro-stun gun<br />
able to pump out 48000 volts,<br />
and surveillance and counter-<br />
surveillance equipment for indus-<br />
trial espionage!<br />
ACE APRIL BYGONES<br />
Atari Games' Battlezone vector-graphics coirvop hits UK arcades.<br />
1983<br />
Milton Bradley brings out the Vectrex video games console complete<br />
with its own vector-display monitor.<br />
1984<br />
Amstrad enters into micro market with the CPC464.<br />
1985<br />
EMAP-owned software company, Beyond, claims Shadowfire is the<br />
first icon-driven adventure to be released.<br />
1986<br />
Amstrad buys the worldwide manufacturing, marketing and brand-<br />
name rights to all Sinclair computer products for £5 million.<br />
1987<br />
System Three finally releases The Last Ninja some two years after<br />
first announcing the game.<br />
1988<br />
ACE exclusively reveals the first transputer game.<br />
1989<br />
ACE exclusively interviews Alex Blok about his Bit Bopper multi-media<br />
audiovisual entertainments deck.
•<br />
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD!<br />
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<br />
houses, programmers, game designers, and graphics designers into deepest hell - or raise them up to the pinnacles of glory. We're talking, of<br />
course, about the annual Golden Joystick awards - in which we (along with our sister magazines C&VG, The One, Sinclair User, and Commodore<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
the pack will receive £100 of free software for their machine and an ACE T-shirt.<br />
BEST COIN-OP CONVERSION<br />
BEST NON COIN-OP LICENSE<br />
(EG. FILM, CHARACTER, TV)<br />
BEST 8-BIT SIMULATION<br />
BEST 16-BIT SIMULATION<br />
BEST ORIGINAL GAME...<br />
PROGRAMMER OF THE YEAR<br />
SOFTWARE HOUSE OF THE YEAR.<br />
GAME OF THE YEAR<br />
NEW ON NINTENDO<br />
• In a shock admission, chart-top-<br />
ping pop group and teenybopper<br />
heartthrobs, Bros have owned up<br />
to playing Nintendo games. So<br />
the next time you go to a Bros,<br />
concert look out for Matt Goss<br />
playing with his Gameboy!<br />
A whole new meaning to Super<br />
Uario Bros...<br />
• In fact, Nintendo gamesters<br />
include a Who's Who of Hollywood<br />
stars: Tom Cruise, Robin Williams,<br />
Tom Hanks, Michael J Fox, Kurt<br />
Russell, Jeff Goldblum, Goldie<br />
Hawn, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi<br />
Goldberg, Don Johnson, Robin<br />
Givens (Tyson's ex), Henry Winkler<br />
Che/ remember the Fonz?) and<br />
Bruce Willis.<br />
• Unfortunately for mobile UK<br />
gameplayers, Nintendo isn't offi-<br />
cially releasing the eagerly-await-<br />
ed Gameboy handheld console in<br />
this country before September.<br />
• 91% of all children in the Grana-<br />
da region watched the Nintendo<br />
TV commercials an average of<br />
6.6 times over the pre-Christmas<br />
period.<br />
• Quickshot is selling a sighting<br />
scope add-on for the Nintendo<br />
This Quickshot Sighting Scope can<br />
help blow your head clean off - do<br />
you feel lucky punk?<br />
cn<br />
cn<br />
S Q<br />
< Q<br />
Z <<br />
NES Zapper gun. The deluxe<br />
sighting scope has an extra large<br />
eyepiece tor fast, accurate aiming<br />
and a precision range adjustment.<br />
• Do you need some tips on your<br />
latest Nintendo NES game? Then<br />
give the Nintendo Helpline a call<br />
on 0626 65500. They'll be able to<br />
give you advice on all games offi-<br />
cially released in the UK. The<br />
Helpine is open on weekdays from<br />
3pm to 9pm (closed on Wednes-<br />
day and Sunday), and from 9am<br />
to 5pm on Saturday.<br />
c*<br />
w<br />
H<br />
D<br />
a-<br />
£<br />
O<br />
CJ<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 11
TOYS 'R' ACE<br />
At the recent British<br />
International Toy &<br />
Hobby Fair at Earls Court<br />
some 500 exhibitors<br />
showcased their toy and<br />
hobby products for<br />
Christmas 90...<br />
WOOOPERS<br />
from Tonka<br />
"Just arrived from outer space!<br />
Soft and silky, adorable and<br />
appealing aliens who love talking<br />
to little children in their funny,<br />
happy 'wooopy alien language'.<br />
These innovative and imaginative<br />
voice operated 'space visitors'<br />
produce delightful random chirps,<br />
chatterings, whoops and whistles<br />
in response to human voices.<br />
Young children will find Wooopers<br />
simply out of this world.<br />
'Swhooop' down to your local toy<br />
shop and befriend one of these lit-<br />
tle critters today."<br />
COUCH POTATOES<br />
from Potato Creations<br />
"They took America by storm!<br />
Now they're set to invade Britain!<br />
You are going to see them every-<br />
where - anywhere there's a TV<br />
set! You're going to hear about<br />
them from the most unlikely peo-<br />
ple! Couch Potatoes need special<br />
care! Never feed them quiche!<br />
Always make sure they're seated<br />
upright for their favourite pro-<br />
grammes. Only talk to them dur-<br />
ing commercial breaks."<br />
COMPUTRAIN<br />
from Battat<br />
"The smart tram of the future is<br />
here for play! Computrain com-<br />
bines the sophistication of up-to-<br />
the-minute technology with the<br />
simplicity of child's play. Easily<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 12<br />
assembled and operated, Compu-<br />
train is a battery-operated train<br />
with a computerised control car.<br />
Using simple bar-code tiles that<br />
easily attach to the track, the<br />
child is able to program Compu-<br />
train's direction, sounds and<br />
lights. Computrain responds<br />
instantly to the commands the<br />
child programs into the track, giv-<br />
ing immediate feedback. Fun to<br />
plan, program and play, Compu-<br />
train is tomorrow's toy - today!"<br />
HITMAN<br />
from Matchbox Toys<br />
"Get hip with Hitman! Nothing<br />
amuses children more than weird,<br />
unexpected and sometimes vulgar<br />
noises! With the new Hitman from<br />
Universal Matchbox, children can<br />
deliver all kinds of crazy sounds<br />
simply by pushing a button. For<br />
Hitman presents a breakthrough in<br />
electronic sound chips which<br />
makes the reproduction of noises<br />
sound amazingly real - be it a<br />
burp or a snore! Compact-sized<br />
Hitman fits neatly into most pock-<br />
ets so it's well-hidden and children<br />
can carry it with them ready to<br />
deliver their surprise noises - cre-<br />
ating a few laughs, or even raised<br />
eyebrows! Hitman comes in three<br />
versions: Outrageous Hitman<br />
which makes six humours sounds<br />
such as a burp or a snore.<br />
Spooky Hitman - ghoulish noises<br />
to try to scare brothers, sisters<br />
and friends. And Movie Sound<br />
Effects - which with its screech-<br />
ing tyres and other action sounds<br />
mean endless amusement! Hip<br />
Hop eat your heart out - Hitman is<br />
here!"<br />
TECHNO-rACE<br />
"The first affordable cyberspace technology<br />
will be user-interface units - from people<br />
like Nintendo - for more intense video games."<br />
William Gibson,<br />
award-winning cyberpunk author<br />
Hughes Aircraft is licensing its IC (integrated cir-<br />
cuit) sound system - capable of reproducing the<br />
original ambience and dynamic range of a music stu-<br />
dio or live performance - to several electronics man-<br />
ufacturers. The system accomplishes this by record-<br />
ing and playing-back spatial sound - giving the listen-<br />
er a more realistic sound sensation. The Sound<br />
Retrieval System is already in use in a new range of<br />
Sony televisions, and is likely to be incorporated into<br />
other electrical products, including games consoles<br />
and computers, in the near future.<br />
JVC is working on a CD video system able to record<br />
a full-length movie on just two 12" disks. This is<br />
achieved by converting the analogue video signal<br />
into compressed digital code. The clever part of the<br />
system is the way it uses a computer to analyse the<br />
original video image and record only the changes<br />
that occur to that picture once every six frames -<br />
the system retains one 'key' frame and sends only<br />
image change data to the other five frames. This<br />
new JVC product enters the ever growing number of<br />
competing CD systems - including JVC's rival<br />
Sony/Philips' CDI and IBM/Intel's DVI systems. Per-<br />
haps it is a significant factor that JVC's parent com-<br />
pany, Matsushita, recently bought an Edinburgh-<br />
based company that specialises in hypertext - a<br />
software technology needed in the next generation<br />
of interactive CD products.<br />
Iterated Systems has invented a Video Modem that<br />
can transmit still and moving video pictures over<br />
ordinary telephone-lines. Iterated's current system<br />
DEENIE DINO AND<br />
DUDLEY DUCK<br />
from Bondwell<br />
"Deenie Dino and Dudley Duck,<br />
Quickshot's new radio controlled<br />
toys, move forward, left and right<br />
at the touch of one of three<br />
respective arrow-shaped buttons<br />
on the remote control unit. When<br />
speaking into the microphone of<br />
the unit, both toys transmit the<br />
speaker's voice within a range of<br />
20 feet. Each toy also features a<br />
synchronised sound effect, built-in<br />
receiver and amplifier, and three<br />
interchangeable eyes that give<br />
both Deenie and Dudley three dis-<br />
tinct expressions."<br />
uses applied fractal geometry to compress and<br />
transmit digitally-coded images, with an 8-bit colour<br />
or grey-scale palette and resolution of 256x256, at<br />
a rate of 30 frames per second. Once the images<br />
have been transmitted they can be reconstructed to<br />
any resolution.<br />
Toshiba and Fuji have jointly-developed a digital still<br />
video camera using Toshiba's IC memory card tech-<br />
nology. IC cards are a new credit card-sized storage<br />
medium powered by their own battery supply, thus<br />
they can be plugged in and out of a computer while<br />
retaining their data intact for a matter of months<br />
rather than milliseconds. The IC Memory Card cam-<br />
era cards each contain 18 one-megabit chips capa-<br />
ble of storing two million characters at a resolution<br />
of 400 horizontal lines - that translates into 12 digi-<br />
tally-coded still video pictures per card. Once cap-<br />
tured, these images can be transferred to computer<br />
or digital tape - an ordinary 120 minute audio tape<br />
could store over 1000 pictures. Toshiba and Fuji<br />
eventually hope to develop a system capable of stor-<br />
ing over 50 pictures on a single slice of plastic.<br />
Philips' Megane concept car includes many of the<br />
features expected to be incorporated in the average<br />
family car of the 21st C: rear windscreen replaced<br />
by dual back-pointing video cameras, Atlas naviga-<br />
tion aid including details of local hotels and tourist<br />
attractions, car manual on ROM, built-in colour LCD<br />
screen with remote control TV, VHS video and CD<br />
player, and the obligatory stick-on Garfield toy.<br />
Matsushita has launched a new audio-visual enter-<br />
tainments system for the home. Capable of cinema-<br />
quality picture and sounds, The Panasonic Home<br />
Theatre utilises both enhanced definition processing<br />
and digital compression technologies on a wide-<br />
screen, digital scan converting, video system. The<br />
catch? The £22000 asking price!
NEW!<br />
FROM<br />
DRAGONS LAIR<br />
Spec. Cass. 2.99<br />
CBM 64 Cass. 2.99<br />
Ams. Cass. 2.99<br />
Release Date - 2nd April<br />
Dragons Lair and Bluth<br />
Group Ltd. are Registered<br />
Trademarks owned by and<br />
used under Licence from<br />
Bluth Group Ltd. £ 1983.<br />
1986 & 1987 Bluth Group<br />
Ltd. Character Designs<br />
ACE LETTERS<br />
YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY...<br />
HYPERCONFUSED<br />
Reading your brilliant magazine<br />
one day as an avid reader (and<br />
Archimedes owner) I noticed that<br />
the hypergame Psycho Killer (ACE<br />
30) was running on an Archie<br />
monitor - however, I couldn't quite<br />
tell whether it was actually running<br />
on one!<br />
James Goodchild,<br />
Crigglestone, Wakefield<br />
• Sorry James, our Amiga monitor<br />
collapsed so we were forced<br />
to temporarily use the Archie<br />
monitor.<br />
SIERRA-ON LINE HELP<br />
I have decided to set up a hint<br />
service for most Sierra-On-Line<br />
adventures. I have completed<br />
Leisure Suit Larry 1, 2 & 3,<br />
Police Quest 1 & 2, Space Quest<br />
1 & 3, and more. If you want hints<br />
write to me - this is, of course<br />
free, but please send an unused<br />
stamp in your envelope to cover<br />
postage. That's it for now, keep<br />
up the great work.<br />
Lawrence Etchells,<br />
22 Seton Terrace, Skelmorlie,<br />
Ayrshire, Scotland PA17 5AR.<br />
GOLDEN OLDIES<br />
I miss the "golden oldies' such as<br />
Jet Set Willy and is there such a<br />
thing anymore as a simple<br />
shoot'em-up? Xenon 2 is admittedly,<br />
brilliant, but I look back happily<br />
on the days when my best friend<br />
and I used to stay up all night<br />
playing Zalaga on his BBC. Come<br />
on you software houses let's see<br />
games like Jet Set Willy, Spindizzy,<br />
Zalaga, Repton, Galaforce,<br />
Stryker's Run, Space Pilot, etc on<br />
the ST!<br />
John Haworth,<br />
Holly Walk, London<br />
GOLDEN OLDIES 2<br />
Please could you tell me where I<br />
could obtain decent versions of<br />
the cult arcade games: Defender,<br />
Galaxians and Phoenix on the<br />
C64. Nov/ I'm a regular reader of<br />
ACE I must congratulate everyone<br />
involved for producing quite an<br />
outstanding publication.<br />
DA Edge,<br />
Great Barr, Birmingham<br />
• Alligata had brilliant 'interpretations'<br />
of Defender and Phoenix<br />
called Guardian and Eagle<br />
Empire, and Kingsoft brought out<br />
Galaxy, a great version of Galaga<br />
- a souped-up Galaxians. Unfortu-<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 14<br />
DOUBLE THE FUN!<br />
THIS TIP WILL ENABLE READERS WHO OWN THE JAPANESE<br />
VERSION OF THE SEGA MEGADRIVE TO USE EITHER<br />
JAPANESE OR AMERICAN SOFTWARE! EFFECTIVELY DOU-<br />
BLING THE AVAILABILITY OF SOFTWARE IN THIS COUNTRY.<br />
I am the owner of a brand new Sega Megadrive,<br />
(Japanese model). As I am sure you know, this system is<br />
known as the Sega Genesis in the U.S.A. I ordered two<br />
games, and when they arrived they were marked 'Genesis<br />
system only', these games fitted into the cartridge slot but<br />
the machine would not switched on.<br />
PRIZE<br />
LETTER<br />
After examining the Japanese cartridges (these did<br />
work) against those that would not work I found that the difference<br />
was that the Japanese machine has a cartridge lock to stop the cartridge being withdrawn when the<br />
machine is on, the American machine (Genesis) does not!<br />
So one cartridge (JAPANESE) has a slot cut in the left hand side of the cartridge about half way up to<br />
allow the lock to activate, and the Genesis does not.<br />
REMEDY: Put both cartridges side by side and then, carefully, mark where the missing slot should be and<br />
slowly file a similar slot on the American/Genesis cartridge with the thin side of a woodworkers flat file.<br />
Take your time is the watchword here - you don't want to go into the side of the printed circuit board<br />
inside the cartridge!<br />
You will find that if you have added the slot in the right place, and to the correct depth, the machine will<br />
now switch on AND WORK PERFECTLY!!!!<br />
Chris Norris, Blackley,<br />
Manchester<br />
• We have printed this excellent tip because we believe it will be of much use to Megadrive owners. We<br />
must point out, however, that making any modification to equipment will invalidate your warrenty (on both<br />
the cartridge and the Megadrive). Please do not make these modifications unless you are absolutely sure<br />
of what you are doing. Any modifications you decide to undertake are made at your own risk. Have fun!<br />
nately, all these games are old<br />
(around 1983) and very hard to<br />
find, perhaps other readers could<br />
help...<br />
SOFTWARE STEREOTYPING<br />
I've read lots of letters in the past<br />
year or two about how sexism is<br />
killing the software market for<br />
women. I beg to differ! Sexism is<br />
not the correct term for the phenomenon<br />
which is causing so<br />
much dissent - it's really down to<br />
stereotyping.<br />
I wander into a software retailer<br />
and, after purusing the available<br />
range, ask if 'game x' is available<br />
for 'machine y' - it has been<br />
reviewed but doesn't seem to be<br />
on the shelf. "Afraid not Madam,"<br />
comes the response, "how old is<br />
your son? I'm sure I can find something<br />
else for him!" "I'm sure you<br />
can't," is my reply, "because my<br />
sons are only six and five and you<br />
have nothing suitable for them! I'm<br />
buying for myself."<br />
Am I alone in thinking that the<br />
vast range of software stocked by<br />
local retailers is intended for the<br />
adolescent boy. and that even<br />
they (the lads) become pretty fed<br />
up after a while with the lack of<br />
variety in the final gameplay of the<br />
titles pushed down their throats?<br />
Instead of the 'Women's Rights'<br />
campaigners complaining about<br />
the sex and violence which form<br />
the core of the gameplay of most<br />
software, why don't they complain<br />
to Mills & Boon who run a successful<br />
business dealing in this<br />
kind of material but are respected<br />
by a good proportion of women<br />
and men?<br />
Let's have more originality of<br />
gameplay, not plot. ShootAick/<br />
blast 'em-up's are fine when you<br />
want to take your frustrations out<br />
on the world, but they soon<br />
become tedious as an unrelenting<br />
diet. I will believe stereotyping is<br />
dead when men stop being astonished<br />
because a woman is helping<br />
them out of their technical difficulties<br />
over the phone!<br />
Pat Winstanley (Mrs),<br />
Wigan<br />
• Yes, you are probably correct<br />
in thinking that what is often seen<br />
as 'sexism' in the software industry<br />
does not really arise from any<br />
deliberately malicious exclusion<br />
of female interests, but merely<br />
lack of thought. No one has really<br />
bothered to sit down and consider<br />
that the ratio of male to<br />
female games players is being<br />
steadily evened out with each<br />
passing month. The other problem<br />
is, of course, that the majority<br />
of programmers, games<br />
designers, and graphic artists in<br />
the industry are male, but this to,<br />
is something that may well be<br />
cured in time.<br />
WHAT A BARGAIN<br />
Either ACE is very kind or perhaps<br />
you just need to sharpen your<br />
maths. If you hadn't noticed, the<br />
price of ACE is now £1.60, so the<br />
subscription charge per annum<br />
should be £19.20 not £17.95<br />
(ever considered buying a calculator?)<br />
J Kershaw.<br />
Harrogate, N.Yorks<br />
• It just goes to prove what a<br />
bargain subscribing to ACE is:<br />
13 issues of ACE for just £17.95<br />
and exclusive offers like ACE<br />
Conferences preferential placement<br />
and the InterfACE quarterly<br />
newsletter.<br />
LEARNING LANGUAGES<br />
I am a student at Swindon College,<br />
studying for a BTEC National<br />
Diploma in Computer Studies. I<br />
am learning Pascal at the moment
and wish to purchase an Atari ST<br />
compatible Pascal language trans-<br />
lator and compiler like Turbo Pascal<br />
5.<br />
I would also be interested in<br />
purchasing the same in Cobol and<br />
C. Could you please tell me which<br />
are the best Cobol and C transla-<br />
tors and compilers and where I<br />
could get them from.<br />
Last of all I must congratulate<br />
you on your production of an<br />
excellent magazine with up-to-date<br />
information on the computer<br />
scene.<br />
Mr. M. Brown, Swindon, Wilts.<br />
• Unfortunately there is not room<br />
here to give a detailed break<br />
down of the qualities and fea-<br />
tures of individual compilers.<br />
However, we suggest that you<br />
try either Hisoft (0525) 718181<br />
or Prospero Software 01-741<br />
8531.<br />
Both of these companies can<br />
supply a full range of compilers.<br />
The Prospero range are intended<br />
for professional use, and are<br />
more expensive, but very well<br />
supported. Hisoft's compilers are<br />
cheaper, and they also produce<br />
a C interpreter, which is an ideal<br />
tool for learning the language.<br />
ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS<br />
I am an 'A' Level Art student cur-<br />
rently researching the theme<br />
Gold of the Americas<br />
Amiga & PC £24.99 *<br />
Note: • available on 5V," disk<br />
• available
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CASSET
Citize<br />
FM Towns everywhere. Thafs the first thing<br />
you notice as you wander in and out of plush<br />
carpeted, air-conditioned, open-plan Ameri-<br />
can software houses.<br />
With the Philips CD-I machine delayed until<br />
April 1991, there is still no machine on the<br />
market for the boffins to practise their inter-<br />
active CD skills upon. Hence the popularity of<br />
the Towns machine, which - while not exactly<br />
CW - still offers them the chance of developing CD-<br />
ROM expertise and selling their games into Japan at<br />
the same time.<br />
Everyone we spoke to was agreed that CD was<br />
the entertainment medium of the future. For this rea-<br />
son, the NEC PC Engine family was regarded by all as<br />
HOWDY<br />
jTJjTjjkljr<br />
Welcome to ACE's 1990 American<br />
issue. We scoured Silicon Valley, pris-<br />
ing the secrets of the latest games<br />
development, out of companies large<br />
and small - then we got down to the<br />
grassroots, checking out the comput-<br />
ing habits of Citizen USA.<br />
We gathered so much material<br />
that we've had to spread it between<br />
two issues. This month you can check<br />
out the latest developments at Cine-<br />
maware. Electronic Arts. FTL, Lucas-<br />
films. and Origin. We've also got more<br />
news for you on the current revolution<br />
in hand-held games computers that is<br />
currently sweeping the States and due<br />
to hit the UK later this year.<br />
But we didn't just check out the<br />
big boys. We visited the arcades, met<br />
programmers, and kept our ears to the<br />
ground for all the latest grassroots<br />
developments. We've given you a<br />
quick whistle-stop tour of our discover-<br />
ies on the next two pages.<br />
Don't miss next month, when we<br />
check out Cyan (creators of Cosmic<br />
Osmo) and American Interactive<br />
Media.<br />
Oh yes - one last tidbit for your<br />
all. On our trip we gathered a mind-<br />
numbing selection of American current<br />
affairs trivia. You'll find these little<br />
nuggets spread throughout the issue.<br />
Bon voyage.<br />
Brian Crawford was our host in Marin County.<br />
California while we visited Lucasjilms<br />
and Electronic Arts. However. Brian's a pretty<br />
mean programmer himse[f. He's just finishing<br />
off his first game, which is in some<br />
respects similar to iMcasJilm's Pipcmania.<br />
Very simple to play, but very addictive, it<br />
uses the concept of moveable puzzle blocks<br />
as you attempt to build a railroad across<br />
the screen from one designated point to<br />
another. Well be getting the first full Mac<br />
iwrsion for ACE to review in the next couple<br />
of months. When he's not writing games. Brian's<br />
cither programming IBM mainframes or<br />
luxuriating in his hot tub'. This is a jacuzzi<br />
style outdoor bath, big enough for four peo<br />
pie, that enables you to stretch out in hot<br />
water in the middle of the night and count<br />
the stars. Yup, these Cal\fomians know how<br />
to take things easy...<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 19
eing particularly significant, since it's the first enter-<br />
tainment module to offer a CD-ROM attachment that's<br />
actually sold in reasonable numbers. Most companies<br />
were either developing or keen to develop programs<br />
for the unit.<br />
When it came to CD-I, however, there was a lot of<br />
confusion and disillusionment. CD-I itself (as defined by<br />
Philips and Sony) had initially created a lot of interest,<br />
but after repeated delays most companies had lost<br />
interest - at least for the time being. Electronic Arts,<br />
who were busy developing CD-I titles when we last visit-<br />
ed them (over a year ago) have since closed down the<br />
CD-I division until the machines get onto the market.<br />
Further confusion was caused by the emergence<br />
of DVI and the prospect of CD-ROM XA with full motion<br />
video. In general, everyone agreed that had CD-I been<br />
released as originally planned, two years ago, it would<br />
have been a big hit. As it is, we will now have to wait to<br />
see which system will be first to achieve a reasonable<br />
user base.<br />
In the meantime, everyone was busy developing<br />
game systems that could, one day, be upgraded to<br />
work with CD technology. You can read about these<br />
systems elsewhere in this issue.<br />
HYPERSTATES<br />
Hypermedia (again, check out last month's ACE) is also<br />
making a big impact in the States. Many games com-<br />
panies have developed game design systems based<br />
on HyperCard. The most complex was that produced<br />
by Cinemaware, which allows the game designers to<br />
store all dialogue and other information in the system<br />
and then download it onto any target machine in a form<br />
immediately usable by the program code for the game.<br />
This means that, for example, if the designer sud-<br />
denly changes his mind about the third sequence in It<br />
Came From The Desert, he no longer has to get the<br />
programmer to change the code. All he does is boot<br />
up his Mac, make a quick alteration to the relevant<br />
scene, then download the new scenario into the pro-<br />
grammer's environment. Special utilities 'massage' the<br />
American arcades often feature older games than u>e see<br />
here in the UK. In this one we found original Frogger.<br />
Tempest, and Super FacMan consoles.<br />
Wifh food like this, you wonder why all Americans aren't<br />
at least 30 stone overweight. Answer: a lot of them are.<br />
and the rest are obsessed with dieting.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 20<br />
A man in<br />
Georgetown,<br />
Arkansas,<br />
was so<br />
upset when<br />
he found<br />
his son<br />
sniffing gasoline that he<br />
slapped him. Hours later,<br />
having taken his son to<br />
hospital for treatment,<br />
nurses noted the boy's<br />
bruised cheek and<br />
reported it to the police.<br />
The father was promptly<br />
sentenced to four years<br />
in jail.<br />
Don't forget! You can win an FM<br />
Towns machine by entering this<br />
month's special competition. Check<br />
out the instructions on pages 42<br />
and 43. then till In the card on the<br />
cover.<br />
Americans don't just shoot aliens,<br />
as this No Shooting notice amply<br />
demonstrates. On closer inspection,<br />
we found it full of bullet holes.<br />
Sec last month s issue lor explanations<br />
ol CD-I, DVI, and other technoterms.<br />
CD-I is a Philips Sony standard.<br />
reviewed in ACE issue 24, and<br />
ottering ditterent levels ot complexity.<br />
ranging from simple interactive<br />
video to IV with full motion video,<br />
computer animation, and CD stereo<br />
simultaneously. The first unit is due<br />
for release in Spring 1991 (after a<br />
three year delay). DVI ts a more<br />
powerful technology currently associated<br />
with PC technology and<br />
owned by Intel.<br />
FTL arc just one of many companies using the FM Towns<br />
to rejlne their CD ROM programming skills. This is<br />
Wayne Holder, founder of FTL. with just one of tieveral<br />
Towns machines owned by the company. Dungeon Mas<br />
ter has already been converted to Towns format: sec<br />
page 35.<br />
data en route to ensure that it is compatible with the<br />
target machine and the program code.<br />
In fact, Macintoshes were being used for game<br />
development in ALL the companies we visited. One<br />
consequence of this is a growing degree of Mac skills<br />
amongst programmers and designers, which could -<br />
if Apple ever produceo a low-end Macintosh - make<br />
the machine the number one games unit of all time! If<br />
only...<br />
HOME FRONT<br />
Macintoshes were also, despite the long-standing<br />
superiority of the PC in America, very popular at<br />
home. Most of the users we visited had either got<br />
Macs or were planning to get one as soon as finances<br />
permitted. What was interesting was that many people<br />
with Macs didn't have much expertise on them (though<br />
users like Brian Crawford - see pic - are obviously an<br />
exception!).<br />
PC's were everywhere, but again we were<br />
intrigued to see how many users still possessed low-<br />
Although many people still use the old standard PC's.<br />
386 machines are far cheaper in the States than here<br />
in the UK. In this cash and carry we found well built<br />
VGA 386 systems ready to wheel out to your car - for<br />
only $1999.99 (£1180).<br />
VIP's in San Francisco<br />
have been plagued by<br />
dirty underpants. Someone<br />
has been posting<br />
soiled underwear, complete<br />
with accompanying<br />
porn pictures, to the<br />
city's leading citizens.<br />
'It's the most repulsive case we've ever<br />
worked on,' declared a post office<br />
spokesman.
Tough, burly, bearded<br />
L.A.Bowie was alleged to<br />
have robbed a 7-11 store<br />
in Maryland. On his<br />
arrest, he was given a<br />
strip search and police<br />
were somewhat disturbed<br />
by what they<br />
found - or rather what they didn't find.<br />
Mr Bowie was apparently a Mrs Bowie.<br />
His two sons were arrested with him,<br />
but despite Bowie's claims that he<br />
was their father, police are trying to<br />
find out whether he may, in fact, be<br />
their mother.<br />
end PC's rather than the more recent 286 and 386<br />
machines. Although VGA is becoming more and more<br />
popular, many users still have standard EGA models.<br />
CGA. however, despite its popularity in the UK, was<br />
more or less defunct.<br />
Finally, we noticed that despite the vast number<br />
of games available, most Americans still used their<br />
machines primarily for more serious tasks: writing let-<br />
ters, composing music, keeping their accounts, and<br />
so on. Here in the UK the success of the Spectrum<br />
as a games machine more or less shaped the future<br />
of the British computer user and ensured that a good-<br />
ly proportion of his time was spent blasting aliens. In<br />
the US, the prevalence of the PC has encouraged a<br />
more serious user. Down at the cash and carry, the<br />
only games we saw were bargain bundles of Sierra<br />
titles and a couple of old space trading game sims.<br />
Word processors and accounting packages, however,<br />
were piled high.<br />
.Jay Sachs is 35 years old and owns a beaten-up PC<br />
which he uses ax part of a MIDI set up with a Yamaha<br />
DX synth. When he's not hitting the ivories, howei/er,<br />
he's knocking the stuffing out of the Huns in Lucas<br />
films' Their Finest Hour. 'It's a mind-blowing experience.'<br />
he says, '..by around midnight I've gone into<br />
another state of consciousness. All there is in the world<br />
is the cockpit, the firing button, and the Hun.' Take<br />
their games seriously, these boys. Down at the arcade.<br />
Jay knocks up vast scores on Tetris (two player version,<br />
high score 995468).<br />
INTO HYPERSPACE<br />
One of the most extraordinary developments we came across in the States was<br />
Subjective Technologies' Video Room. It's a weird mixture of technical inspiration<br />
and mystic invention that could soon be revolutionising the way we interface with<br />
computers.<br />
In basic terms, the system - called IMME or Interactive Multi Media Engine -<br />
was designed to take the user interlace beyond the traditional mouse, keyboard, or<br />
touchscreen into more complex areas of physical interaction.<br />
The IMME hardware is capable of handling and integrating visual (video and<br />
computer graphics) data, audio data (CD quality stereo), and standard program<br />
data simultaneously. Most importantly, it can also handle up to 8000 separate<br />
inputs which can be configured by a sys-<br />
tem designer any format he choos* w<br />
To show off this beast. Subjective<br />
Technologies have designed a Video<br />
Room in which photo-electric sensors<br />
monitor up to 8000 locations within the ^^^^^^^^^^<br />
room on a 3D basis. This means that you<br />
can enter the room and control the sys-<br />
tem by moving any part of your body.<br />
Dancing, walking, jumping, or even<br />
lying still in the room trigger off the rele-<br />
vant sensors which in turn trigger off<br />
software events within the system. When ^ H j j E ^ ^ k ^ J<br />
we saw it in operation, the prototype soft-<br />
ware was manipulating abstract and digi-<br />
tised images together with both comput-<br />
er generated and digitised sound. The<br />
results varied from the impressively<br />
extraordinary to the simply weird juxtapo-<br />
sition of meaningless images, but there<br />
was no doubt that such a system could,<br />
with careful programming and data<br />
selection, present some unusual possi-<br />
bilities. ACE reckons it could go down a<br />
bomb in nightclubs, where it could be<br />
linked into a computer driven laser instal-<br />
lation. It could also provide the ultimate<br />
interface for Yie Ar Kung Fu\<br />
This was part of a swirling abstract<br />
sequence, generated by traditional video<br />
methods. It's accompanied by vocal and<br />
musical effects.<br />
One of the images appearing on the screen<br />
during the demonstration of the Video<br />
Room prototype.<br />
Washington da Silva. technical whizz-kid.<br />
and (right) Jack Lampl (president) of Subjective<br />
Technologies. And why are they<br />
smiling, you may well ask? Well, perhaps<br />
it's got something to with the fact that, in<br />
common with many American businesses,<br />
they can get a visiting masseuse (legitimate<br />
- not your typical Soho sweat session) to<br />
relieve the tensions of new technology.<br />
That's Nicola Groves of Essential Touch<br />
corporate massage services in the middle.<br />
ACE naturally wanted a freebie, but we<br />
didn't have time...<br />
The Video Room: sensor monitor your position,<br />
then the IMME sends sound and video<br />
data to four large monitors suspended in<br />
each corner of the room. The system we<br />
saw was set up to translate physical move<br />
mcnts based on the ancient alchemical<br />
principles of Earth. Air, Fire, and Water.<br />
Weird, man!<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 21
DATMAKI is a s^ ac^ ow in darkness^<br />
iDMIiYlMli as elusive as a dream. High<br />
labove the seamy streets of GOTHAM, he is a 1<br />
.criminal's nightmare.The only hope for a desperate 1<br />
city - BATMANL I<br />
•On. o* MM ytr'% b.ft C««<br />
(.mniTHE Him tw In »o><br />
qu.llty prrwnUtMn tnd<br />
(lldlMM. A |>Kt|(,<br />
tn ln4ibl* itmotpfcm<br />
to mM
At The<br />
Court of<br />
Lord British<br />
hen Richard Garriott first sold Ulti-<br />
ma I by mail order, he probably<br />
would have laughed (or giggled - he<br />
was of very tender years) if you'd<br />
told him that a few years later his<br />
games would be selling literally mil-<br />
lions of copies and he'd be rich and<br />
successful beyond most people's<br />
wildest dreams. But they do...and<br />
he is.<br />
The nice thing about Origin is its origin. Having<br />
started small, the company retains a friendly, intimate<br />
atmosphere that makes a refreshing change after the<br />
larger software companies of the West coast. 'We're a<br />
very author oriented company,' confirms Dallas Snell,<br />
in charge of product development, and this is certainly<br />
the impression you get as you wander along the nar-<br />
row corridors - there's a software designer/program-<br />
mer coding away behind each door, in his own little<br />
world of creativity.<br />
This is completely against all the tenets of the larg-<br />
er companies, who now put together programs in<br />
teams. Origin is one of the few companies where you<br />
can still see a single name on the credit list for a new<br />
game. This doesn't mean that teamwork isn't involved<br />
- every title benefits from the input of the excellent Ori-<br />
gin graphics department and is controlled by a produc-<br />
er - but it is still the case that Origin games tend to be<br />
the brainchildren of single creative minds.<br />
WORLDS UNDER<br />
WRAPS<br />
Right now there are three main titles under development<br />
(or just released) at Origin. The first is the long<br />
awaited Ultima VI (see later in this article), programmed<br />
by Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Garriott).<br />
ACE reckons this is probably the game that will finally<br />
prove to the world that role-playing games can be<br />
every bit as exciting and satistying as arcade action.<br />
The second is Bad Blood, programmed by Chris<br />
Roberts, who last year brought us Times of Lore. You<br />
can find out more about this later in this article.<br />
Finally there's a vast RPG scenario for D&D<br />
addicts - Knights of Legend, which is reviewed in this<br />
issue on page 52. We've also included a review of<br />
Omega (see page 62) although this was actually<br />
released late in 1989.<br />
High in the hills, out-<br />
side Austin, Texas; the<br />
drawbridge thunders<br />
down and grants us<br />
passage into Castle<br />
Origin. Six-foot-tall<br />
Texan overlords,<br />
brought up on a diet<br />
of steak, sausage and<br />
ribs, drag us into the<br />
presence of Lord<br />
British - the creator of<br />
Ultima...<br />
Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Garriott)<br />
masters time and space with<br />
the aid of one of his unique collection<br />
of antique horaries.<br />
CD RPG<br />
The company that brought you Knights of Legend and<br />
Ultima ought to be a safe bet for those wondering who<br />
will be the first to produce the definitive CD-ROM RPG.<br />
but game designer Todd Porter has some sensible<br />
caveats to make...<br />
'One of the problems with CD-ROM,' he points out.<br />
'is access time. Knights of Legend, for example, needs<br />
lots of data but doesn't need immediate access to it, so<br />
a CD-ROM version would offer lots of possibilities. In<br />
Ultima, however, the program is very disk-intensive and<br />
would need a lot of work to operate satisfactorily with a<br />
CD-ROM system. There's no doubt, however, that optical<br />
storage will be tremendously useful for fantasy RPG<br />
or large world simulations.'<br />
As a result, the best Origin games are unlike any-<br />
thing from anywhere else. As producer Jeff Johannig-<br />
man points out, 'The variety of our products released in<br />
89 is a tribute to what the authors can do.' Other com-<br />
panies are often quick to copy Origin products: 'My<br />
friends send me a new Ultima clone practically every<br />
week,' says Richard, 'it must be one of the most<br />
copied gamestyles ever.' Bad Blood and Times of Lore<br />
are also highly original game styles, and even Knights<br />
of Legend, although containing many traditional RPG<br />
elements, is different simply in terms of sheer scale.<br />
"We tell people to come to us with their ideas and<br />
we'll help bring out the best in them,' says company<br />
spokesman Greg Malone - but unlike other companies,<br />
the ideas will remain a personal challenge rather than a<br />
team production. 'On the other hand,' says Dallas, 'we<br />
don't have the luxury of being experimental. What I<br />
mean by being author oriented,' he jokes, ' is that we<br />
try not to screw authors! Ifs true that as at other com-<br />
panies our authors are no longer self managing - now<br />
they have to get things done on time!'<br />
INTO NEW WORLDS<br />
Origin are moving rapidly with the times. Not only are<br />
they producing more games than ever, but they are<br />
also moving into the console market, having become a<br />
licensed developer for Nintendo games. There is<br />
already a version of Ultima on the Nintendo in Japan,<br />
which is proving extremely popular. Now Richard Gar-<br />
riott is planning a Nintendo version of Ultima V and<br />
even a 'generic Ultima' for the Gameboy.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 23
'Meanwhile,' says Greg Malone, 'we're all salivating<br />
for CD-ROM. The new consoles are pretty impressive<br />
too: the Sega Genesis is technically a very sexy<br />
machine. By 1991 we hope to have a selection of orig-<br />
inal titles on the Genesis and Turbographx (NEC)<br />
machines.'<br />
Much depends, they feel, on the current congres-<br />
sional investigation into the restrictive practises of<br />
Japanese console manufacturers. Most console com-<br />
panies forbid software companies to develop games<br />
and manufacture cartridges without special - very<br />
expensive - licenses. However, Electronic Arts are<br />
believed to have recently 'reverse engineered' a Ninten-<br />
do compatible games cartridge for release in the US,<br />
BAD BLOOD<br />
"We always program<br />
for the top flight<br />
machines - so we can<br />
say 4 This is the<br />
dream../ and then<br />
realise it on other<br />
formats."<br />
Grog Malone, Origin<br />
Just as Ultima VI is a quantum leap beyond Ultima V, so Bad Blood is a quantum leap from<br />
Times of Lore. TOL had 256 world blocks.' says programmer Chris Roberts, 'but in Bad Blood<br />
we've got a world built of 3800 different cells.' The resulting world is a nightmare of post-holocaust<br />
mutation as humanity struggles for survival on a barren, blasted plain.<br />
Gameplay involves exploration of ruined cities ar>d interaction with other bizarre mutants in a<br />
quick-to-learn menu command system.<br />
'All the graphics routines are in assembler,' points out Chris, which helps combine detail with<br />
high speed. We coded the intelligence routines in C - it means a tiny decrease in performance<br />
but it's in a part of the program where you won't notice it, and it triples our productivity."<br />
Watch out for a full preview (and review, of course) of Bad Blood in a forthcoming issue of<br />
ACE.<br />
Having a conversation inside a building: note the vastly increased graphical detail over<br />
Time* of Lore.<br />
Origin producers get together:<br />
Dalitis Snell tells his colleagues<br />
about the one that got away.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 24<br />
The Bad Blood<br />
team; (hat's<br />
Lord British on<br />
the Iqfl, and<br />
Chris Roberts<br />
centre.<br />
and the American courts will have to decide whether<br />
such a flouting of Nintendo's strict control of the soft-<br />
ware supply is legal. If it is, it will open the way for a<br />
flood of ambitious, varied console titles - and Origin<br />
hope to be up near the top.<br />
Meanwhile, Origin will continue to support gifted<br />
authors and game designers in the production of new<br />
games. If they're anything like Ultima VI and Knights of<br />
Legend, this company is set to head right into the<br />
very big time indeed. Let's hope it doesn't spoil them.<br />
A LEGEND IN THE<br />
MAKING<br />
David Todd Porter began the design for Knights of<br />
Legend over eight years ago and has never looked<br />
back. The objective was quite simply to create the ultimate<br />
RPG system for players who demanded all the<br />
complexity of a traditional board-game RPG like Dungeons<br />
and Dragons but also wanted the opportunities<br />
and convenience of a computer version.<br />
KOL is the first FRPG (fantasy role playing game)<br />
to do things in extreme depth,' claims Todd, and once<br />
you've played the game it's difficult to disagree - you<br />
can get some feeling for the adventure in our review<br />
on page 52.<br />
The game was put together by Todd, but he also<br />
had the help of his role-playing friends, who were in at<br />
the start of the project when they first discussed it over<br />
a pint all those years ago. When Todd came to Origin,<br />
the first thing he did was to get in touch with his old<br />
companions and involve them in the game development.<br />
Todd himself took the research for the game to<br />
almost pedantic extremes. 'I even went to Englandhe<br />
recalls, 'to study mediaeval weaponry and castles. I<br />
read just about everything I could about contemporary<br />
armour, for example. I love it in other games when you<br />
can simply plonk on a suit of plate armour - that stuff<br />
weighs a ton I Most normal characters who might<br />
attempt to wear it would simply pass out from exhaustion.<br />
In KOL you really have to have the muscle to<br />
carry that stuff. All the details are there...'<br />
This level of detail involves, for example, no less<br />
than forty algorithms to decide whether a creature<br />
whould back off during combat. 'The artificial intelligence<br />
is the main cornerstone of the game,' says<br />
Todd, 'your enemies are highly intelligent. For example,<br />
KOL also introduces limb damage, and if you hurt<br />
an arm or a leg during combat other creatures will<br />
soon 'learn' to attack it specifically.'<br />
One reason why RPG's are so popular is the<br />
degree of identification you can build up with your<br />
characters. Sadly, many computer RPG's completely<br />
fail to capitalise on this, but Todd has really caught on<br />
here, allowing you not only to customise the appearance<br />
of your characters, but also to name your own<br />
weapons and spells. The level of detail is tremendous<br />
- you can even change the coats of arms on your<br />
fighters' shields! Check out the full review on page 52.<br />
Todd Porter:, designer and programmer of Knights<br />
qf Legend in hi* Origin programmer's dungeon.
her<br />
oft-<br />
r a<br />
gin<br />
:ed<br />
ew<br />
of<br />
the<br />
BUILDING A WORLD<br />
Lord British's guide to Ultima design •••<br />
Origin have produced the ultimate game design<br />
package for the Ultima programs, programmed by<br />
in-house genius Herman Miller. Here Lord British<br />
(Richard Garriott) and Greg Malone take you<br />
through the various functions of the package,<br />
showing how the game scenario is edited and<br />
defined: including objects, monsters, and map fea-<br />
tures.<br />
M l<br />
oooF 1 [<br />
• 6 •<br />
B0\) v x '<br />
HH r<br />
• T i<br />
) 228 \ t \ 7<br />
SC H / > r V<br />
HO ^<br />
23H \ ~<br />
<br />
1*1 3<br />
This is where you start in Ultima VI - in the Throne<br />
Room of Lord British's castle. The left window scrolls in<br />
four directions and the right window up and down. The<br />
upper two boxes in the right window show what would<br />
be placed on the map by pushing the left and right<br />
mouse buttons. Using these buttons, you can select<br />
which tile to use from the right window and plop down<br />
the tile repeatedly as needed, thus constructing the<br />
world and the people in it.<br />
,267 Dahciq 0<br />
m a Hbu<br />
MciO IgO x OpoO<br />
SuO BoO a MinO<br />
IrO cm ForO<br />
tHe HosO<br />
louble < X*-nt> X<br />
None: spinninq<br />
uKeel<br />
HCM Tgpe..... 1<br />
Hgt: 0.0 MP:000<br />
Hone: Spinnin9-<br />
WKeel<br />
Every object in the world has a mass of data associated<br />
with it. In this part of the utility, various object<br />
attributes can be defined. In this cast-, we're telling the<br />
game whether a spinning wheel should be impassable.<br />
hou; heavy it is. whether it emits light, its name, and so<br />
on.<br />
A 'monster generating egg' has been<br />
placed near the altar, which is surrounded<br />
by a ring of stones. Monsters<br />
generate from these predefined<br />
'encounter eggs', sort of like<br />
Gauntlet monster generators. But<br />
the player can neither see or<br />
destroy the eggs because, as he/she<br />
approaches their location, they<br />
hatch before they come into view on<br />
the screen. The game designer<br />
places whichever monster types he<br />
wished into each individual egg.<br />
Eggs can hold a number of monster<br />
types simultaneously (embryos) and<br />
has a percentage probability of<br />
hatching at all. It can even hatch<br />
two differently aligned creatures<br />
(e.g. good and evil, chaotic and neutral) from the same<br />
egg. which would create the curious spectacle of two<br />
monsters appearing and suddenly attacking each other<br />
before the player's eyes.<br />
O I 2 3 H S G 4 1 B f 9 R b C d E F<br />
sE i • BEEE<br />
5F e i & r<br />
go V; \ % Vrffl^ :s ^ ft ^ ^ & j<br />
b 1 %<br />
63 r, t V t» n > t? is<br />
6H 3 ^ 1 '-9 x v V ><br />
65 ic ^ 9%. %<br />
Copy Erase Renunber Hap Unde<br />
"The Ultima games<br />
are about morality:<br />
the decisions your<br />
character makes are<br />
significant for you<br />
personally.<br />
Richard Garriott<br />
0 I ? 3 H 5 B41 B f9 n b C d E F<br />
BF > >• f V * > S<br />
1° * * * * * * * * I \ - -<br />
i./ \ a * * * y t ^<br />
V » .•-vi<br />
TH| ^ ^ t *<br />
i5 9®0 j n /<br />
Copy Erase Renumber Map*Undelete Select*<br />
A part of the master list of 'chunks' containing a total<br />
of 4096 unique chunks which can be used as macro<br />
building blocks to construct large portions of the world.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 25
THE ULTIMATE<br />
ULTIMA<br />
There's no doubt about it - Ultima VI has to be one of<br />
THE games of 1990, if not Game of The Year itself.<br />
Ultima V wasn't exactly lacklustre, but UVI takes the<br />
fantasy game into a whole new dimension.<br />
First, ifs extremely easy to play. One of the prob-<br />
lems with early RPG's (including Ultimas) was the learn-<br />
ing curve the player had to endure before he could<br />
really settle into the game. Menus had to be mastered,<br />
commands remembered, key-strokes noted. In UVI,<br />
everything is mouse-driven, but with-<br />
out in any way limiting the options<br />
open to the player.<br />
Movement in the game is<br />
mouse-controlled - a small arrow on-<br />
screen shows the current direction<br />
of travel and you simply move it in<br />
the direction you want to go and<br />
click. Quite apart from the enor-<br />
mously increased graphical presen-<br />
tation, there are other major refine-<br />
ments including having all your char-<br />
acters visible all the time, rather<br />
than a single 'party symbol'. Your . . _<br />
characters follow each other about<br />
intelligently as you move from one place to another or<br />
between obstacles.<br />
Mouse control has also been extended to object<br />
manipulation, so you can now pick up an object just by<br />
clicking on it. Clicking on character names also gets<br />
you character attributes and status. There are also<br />
graphic screens for your inventory, rather than the old<br />
lists, and for the clothes you are wearing as well.<br />
All the combat routines have been dramatically<br />
improved - which is saying something since Ultima V<br />
had one of the best combat routines of any RPG to<br />
date already. In addition to the usual individual control<br />
of each character, you can now issue more complex<br />
tactical orders that include commands to flank the<br />
enemy, retreat, go berserk, assault the nearest oppo-<br />
nent, change position, and so on. Going berserk, by<br />
the way, involves singling out the most dangerous<br />
opponent and heading for them, attempting to kill<br />
everyone who stands in your way.<br />
SILICON UNIVERSE<br />
The statistics of Ultima VI are pretty awesome. There<br />
are 2000 types of object, and 16000 objects in the<br />
game itself. There are 2000 different graphic tiles.<br />
Every single object has its own attributes, every one of<br />
the 224 characters in the game has its own personal<br />
Upon your world, five seasons have passed since<br />
your- tnunphant. honeconing fi on Britannia.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 26<br />
"At last thou hast corn to N fulfill thy destiny<br />
the 9ypsy says. She sniles. as if in great relie<br />
"Sit before ne nou. and I shall pour the light of<br />
Virtue into the shadous of thy future."<br />
Character creation involves a simi<br />
lar set of moral decisions as in Ulti<br />
ma V - a lot more interesting than<br />
simply juggling numbers about.<br />
• Q<br />
The Origin graphic design team, responsible for many of<br />
the visual delights in Ultima VI. From left to right: Keith<br />
Burdak. Denis Loubet. Daniel Bourbonnais. and Glyn<br />
Johnson.<br />
history and dialogue, and the game only just squeezes<br />
onto seven disks - that's after heavy compression.<br />
The map itself is composed of 1048576 tiles - and<br />
thafs only the upper level! In addition there are anoth-<br />
er five underlying dungeon levels.<br />
On the magic side, there are 100 spells - and<br />
unlike most computer RPG's these are genuine, unique<br />
spells rather than a whole load of 'destroy monster'<br />
routines. Other nice touches include seeing invisible<br />
characters in faint outlines, and spell mixing is auto-<br />
matic.<br />
Ultima fans will also be pleased to hear that invisi-<br />
ble doors are now rather harder to spot. Mapping is<br />
more of a challenge too, since the large scale over-<br />
head view is no longer used: you are at close range<br />
(as you used to be in towns only) all the time.<br />
And the story line....One of Ultima's strengths has<br />
always been the plots Richard Garriott comes up with<br />
and UVI is no exception. This time (after a superb<br />
opening sequence) you're summoned back to Britan-<br />
nia, to find that the world is under attack by an evil<br />
race of gargoyles. The twist in the tale, however, is<br />
Energy Field<br />
-•Exp 1 os i on<br />
Insect Sworn<br />
Invisibi 1 ity<br />
1. igktning<br />
Paralyze<br />
Pickpocket<br />
Reveal<br />
5TH<br />
1 eve 1<br />
"Uas Por F1 an"<br />
J.ocat i on:<br />
Jester critical<br />
flwatar:<br />
>Cast-Explos*o»\<br />
7-0M-0161 6:23 "Uas Por Flan"<br />
Location:<br />
BEfe^ULLLBB<br />
^ * . . * < • ^ , t •<br />
From the opening sequence: there's<br />
a storm outside and you're about to<br />
be catapulted back to Britannia...<br />
m • that all is not as it seems. 'Ultima<br />
VI,' says Richard, 'was inspired by<br />
so many elements of our society.<br />
Take Jim Bakker, for example, the<br />
TV evangelist recently disgraced<br />
after revelations about his private<br />
life. The world is full of people pre-<br />
tending to be one thing but in fact<br />
they're hiding something quite dif-<br />
ferent. That's what Ultima VI: The<br />
False Prophet is all about...'<br />
Ultima VI - all spells are now in<br />
English, but Ultima q£ficionadoes<br />
chn still use the old style Britannic<br />
language if they wish.<br />
AND YET MORE<br />
IMPROVEMENTS!<br />
Check out these other features of UVI:<br />
• Waterways (rivers, oceans etc) are tidal - they<br />
flow in particular directions and at particular<br />
rates;<br />
• You can check out the battle statistics of<br />
opposing monsters during combat;<br />
• There's a help command for dialogue that<br />
highlights keywords in a character's speech for<br />
further interrogation (you can turn this facility off<br />
if you wish);<br />
• You get your own room in Lord British's castle!<br />
• Hierarchical object directories/icons: you can<br />
put items inside other items etc.<br />
• The whole world is in constant scale and per-<br />
spective.
C and VG Feb 1990 94%<br />
Pipe Mania is "a classic puzzle arcade game that is so addictiv<br />
Mania is a game of great ingenuity, simple in concept<br />
ill need to act instinctively, but think strategically!<br />
wrong move, one brief hesitation or mis-placed pipe<br />
(ST Action<br />
! "Pipe Mania is a conceptually simple and cheeky<br />
; game which is incredibly addictive"<br />
Commodore User Screenstar<br />
"Terrifically addictive... outlasts any arcade convers<br />
Zero March 1990 92%<br />
"Buy this game and you may never sleep again<br />
The Games Machine Star Player Award 83%<br />
^ "A puzzle game of great i ngenuity and add-ctivity,<br />
Pipe Mania is simple in concept, fiendishly<br />
challenging in play, and attractive to look at"<br />
f, Zzap Sizzler<br />
Abso' jtely guaranteed to drive you round the<br />
bend<br />
Amiga Computing Excellence Award 95%<br />
A game with a game play that shines"<br />
Game Players Award USA<br />
Best PC strategy game of 1989'<br />
Stannetts • Laindon North<br />
1<br />
1<br />
C+VG<br />
HIT!<br />
RMIGR<br />
• I inn<br />
n<br />
GOLD<br />
igame:Cobom]<br />
Basildon • Essex • SS15 60J
When in<br />
Rome...<br />
ACE infiltrates the<br />
techno-castle of<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
outside San Fran-<br />
cisco and discov-<br />
ers a company<br />
moving from CD-I<br />
to Ancient<br />
Rome...<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 28<br />
EA are making big progress - by going back<br />
in time. Two years ago, they were at the<br />
forefront of CD-I research and development,<br />
headed up by CD genius Greg Ryker. Today,<br />
they've closed down their CD-I division,<br />
Ryker has left to work for Microsoft's CD<br />
division, and EA are producing a string of<br />
excellent, but conventional titles. What's<br />
going on? Is this a retreat from new technology?<br />
Or simply a different approach?<br />
The company was the first into the CD-I development<br />
race, and the first out of it. 'We've really scaled<br />
down the whole thing,' says Senior Vice President Tim<br />
Mott. 'Four years back, when we saw the audio CD, we<br />
were really excited. We were involved with Sony and<br />
Philips in the CD-I specification, and very hopeful. But<br />
after a year we wound it down.'<br />
The problem lay with the constant delays in actually<br />
producing a user base fo r the new technology.<br />
Philips and Sony have consistently postponed the<br />
launch date for CD-I, originally planned for two years<br />
ago but now not expected until Spring 1991. It's just<br />
too long to wait. But EA aren't retreating: behind the<br />
apparent inaction lies a company who, while maintaining<br />
a strong base of conventional products, are still<br />
one of the most informed about optical game storage<br />
and its possibilities.<br />
CONSOLES FIRST<br />
'Did you know,' asks Tim, 'that over half the world's<br />
installed base of CD-ROM units is for the NEC PC<br />
Engine? It's not the high-tech CD technology that's<br />
going to really put CD-ROM and (eventually) CD-I on the<br />
map, it's the console market. Games machines are<br />
going to lead the way into optical technology - you'll<br />
soon be able to get a complete CD Turbographx system<br />
for around $500.'<br />
EA's view is that the heavyweight CD units - the<br />
Headstart $1999 PC CD-ROM machine, for example -<br />
have little future, at least as far as the games market is<br />
concerned. 'Big business is really only interested in<br />
writeable media,' asserts Tim, 'and what's more,<br />
machines like the Headstart simply aren't targetted<br />
properly. But read-only technology is ideal for games.'<br />
The real advances in CD-ROM programming, then, are<br />
going to be made on the games front, and that means<br />
at low prices. Low prices require high volumes, and<br />
only the console market can deliver those high sales.<br />
Us computer freaks may soon have cause to be very<br />
thankful to the likes of NEC and Sega, whose consoles<br />
may well be the most important hardware base for<br />
early CD-ROM research.<br />
Despite their back pedalling on CD-I, EA are obviously<br />
casting sideways glances at the console market.<br />
However, as Stewart Bonn points out, A genuine cause<br />
of concern is the cost of entering into the video game<br />
business...'. Companies wanting to publish on Nintendo<br />
and NEC have to put forward considerable sums of<br />
money or see their titles controlled by other distributors.<br />
But with so much expertise to be gained from<br />
producing CDR titles under the console umbrella, it<br />
seems unlikely that EA will wait on the sidelines for<br />
very long.<br />
CDR would also suit some of EA's gamestyles. 'I'm<br />
personally particularly interested in RPG technology,'<br />
says Tim, 'The idea of creating an environment and a<br />
character is very powerful. I think we'll soon be seeing<br />
the combination of RPG and simulation technologies -<br />
and the realism that comes from video processing and<br />
the storage capacity of CD-ROM is going to make products<br />
much more viable. We'll definitely be shipping our<br />
first volume CD ROM product within five years.'
Rob Hubbard, once the toast of UK con-<br />
noisseurs of game sound tracks, is now to<br />
be found deep inside the EA mansion, shut<br />
away in a sound proof room with no win-<br />
dows and hundreds of thousands of<br />
pounds worth of equipment. But the music,<br />
you'll be pleased to hear, sounds better<br />
than ever.<br />
We're getting MIDI and wringing its<br />
neck here,' grins Rob. 'Even the sound<br />
effects get the five star treatment. The<br />
engine noises on Indianapolis 500, for<br />
example, are all based on complex formu-<br />
lae that determing the pitch of the engine<br />
ROB'S DEN<br />
Ski or Die: you can't hear the music -<br />
mo re's the pity. Acrobatic skiing action set<br />
to a scorching Rob Hubbard sound track.<br />
Rob Hubbard in his den: two years Stateside and no intention of returning. With all that kit.<br />
who can blame him?<br />
for a different speed -<br />
and it's different for every<br />
type of engine.'<br />
The biggest differ-<br />
ence between the US and<br />
the UK, for Rob, has<br />
been the changing musi-<br />
cal tastes across the<br />
Atlantic. I've watched an<br />
awful lot of NBC and CBS out here,' he<br />
admits, 'and it's taken me a long time to<br />
get used to writing in the American style.<br />
Rob's attention to detail in his music is<br />
quite extraordinary for a computer musi-<br />
cian. That, coupled with a tremendous flare<br />
for composition, makes the tracks he puts<br />
out something very special. On Ski or Die,<br />
for example, there's a scorching guitar sok)<br />
which, when played over an MT32, practi-<br />
cally bestows hit status on the game all by<br />
itself.<br />
We got a guitarist in with a Korg MIDI<br />
guitar. After he'd done the solo, the instru-<br />
ment had output six channels and it took<br />
two days to edit it down to one. It's basical-<br />
ly designed for a young audience: a rock-<br />
style tune with a few little hooks on it.' After<br />
listening to it, we began yearning for the<br />
LP.<br />
'We're getting MIDI<br />
and wringing its neck<br />
here... r<br />
Rob Hubbard,<br />
cx-patriate British computer music<br />
genius, now lull-time at EA.<br />
Rob's inherited some<br />
very potent kit from the<br />
EA CD-I development divi-<br />
sion (now wound down),<br />
including multi-track tape<br />
decks ('useful for sam-<br />
pling'), mixers, CD sound<br />
libraries, and more. Most<br />
of his composing is done<br />
on a keyoard, then processed using a<br />
Voyetra sequencer. Rob's constructed sev-<br />
eral music utilities that enable him to mas-<br />
sage MIDI data into such a form that it is<br />
acceptable to the programmer's game<br />
code. He also provides drivers for the<br />
many different sound formats (AdLib, MT32<br />
etc) supported by the EA games. MIDI<br />
code and drivers are handed to the pro-<br />
grammer who can then call them up at any<br />
time during the game.<br />
Looking ahead to the future of game<br />
soundtracks, Rob sees a time when well-<br />
known artists will contribute special tracks<br />
- just as composers like Jarre and Vangelis<br />
currently produce film scores. If there's any<br />
justice in the world, by the time Eric Clap-<br />
ton and David Bowie are knocking out<br />
game tracks, Rob Hubbard should be just<br />
as famous.<br />
Stewart Ilonn. heading up development at EA. 'The<br />
most important skill here is the management of multiperson<br />
projects. The days of the programmer/designer<br />
Five years! Surely not. After all, other companies<br />
(as you can see elsewhere in this issue) are already<br />
shipping CD-ROM titles - but you can see EA's point.<br />
Almost all current CDR titles are simply enhancements<br />
of existing ROM/RAM-based games. FTL's Dungeon<br />
Master on the FM Towns, for example, is not a bit dif-<br />
ferent from DM on the ST (with the exception of an<br />
enhanced sound track).<br />
The fact is that almost anyone can produce a CD-<br />
ROM version of their game, but EA are one of the few<br />
companies who, because of their previous work in the<br />
area, know what's involved in writing a full-scale title<br />
that makes proper and complete use of CD-ROM's<br />
added features.<br />
'We have a very strong technical base here,'<br />
explains Vice President Stewart Bonn, 'and the good<br />
news is that that enables us to push existing hardware<br />
to the limits. But the bad news is that it also means<br />
we know what we can and can't do. And with respect<br />
to CD-ROM it's especially what we can't do.'<br />
This means, essentially, taking things slowly. 'It's<br />
fun to think about giant leaps in technology,' agrees<br />
Stewart, 'but in reality the market is not going to move<br />
that way. It'll move in a lot of small steps. The cost of<br />
producing a fully-fledged CD-ROM product is measured<br />
in millions of dollars, not tens of thousands, and until<br />
the market opens up you're going to see incremental<br />
improvements rather than huge advances.'<br />
Meanwhile, with games like Indianapolis 500,<br />
Centurion, and LHX on the way, who's complaining if<br />
EA don't give us CD-I products until we've got some-<br />
thing to play them on? Seems like good old-fashioned<br />
common-sense to us.<br />
Tim Mott: 'The 16 bit consoles arc far better for games<br />
than the PC's. The Genesis is a very sophisticated<br />
machine...'<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 29
The Chariot Race underway. Note the long range radar<br />
screen at the top. which enables you to pinpoint your<br />
position on the course<br />
Kellyn Beeck, designer of Defender of the Crown, sat<br />
back and looked at the game and saw that it was<br />
good.<br />
But it could have been a teensy bit better if it had<br />
a spot more (some would say a sackful more) game-<br />
play. So he sat down and started on Centurion. Still<br />
under development, it already looks as if Kellyn (pro-<br />
nounced Kellen) and EA are on to a winner.<br />
Centurion is a multi-level strategy scenario with<br />
some very attractive battle sequences. Your role is as<br />
an officer in the Roman army and your objective is to<br />
spread the imperial influence as far across Europe as<br />
possible. Objectives include recruiting Cleopatra (yup,<br />
there's another seduction scene somewhere in here),<br />
keeping the natives happy, and, of course, waging suc-<br />
cessful military campaigns.<br />
Central to the game is the Defender of the Crown-<br />
style map display, showing the various territories avail-<br />
able for conquest. Unlike DOC, however, there's far<br />
more to do when you enter into a campaign. Political,<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 30<br />
Dolores Pritzl ot<br />
Warrenvllle, Illinois,<br />
Is reported<br />
by the Weekly<br />
World News to<br />
have revived her<br />
daughter from a<br />
coma by playing<br />
an Elvis record.<br />
This is only one of a series of<br />
reported incidents in which Elvis<br />
fans claim to have received good<br />
luck, health, and marriage by<br />
praying to their patron saint, St<br />
King.<br />
Stewart Bonn sees CD storage as a means ot<br />
boosting 30 performance, with highly complex 30<br />
images being generated off-line during gume<br />
development, then finally stored as a set of refer-<br />
ence frames on CD. You can therefore combine<br />
richly coloured, high definrtion ptxol Images In<br />
the foreground with a detailed 30 background.<br />
This technique is already being used In some<br />
games (Clnemaware s Wings, for example) but<br />
today the 3D background still has to be generated<br />
on the fly' and Is thorofore very limited in detail<br />
due to processing restraints.<br />
ground. 3D backgrounds.<br />
$32 will buy you<br />
a 30-day course<br />
of The Primary<br />
Pill for weight<br />
loss. According<br />
to the manufac-<br />
turers:<br />
"...Observing<br />
how 211 patients<br />
were put on this Pill plan rapidly<br />
lost huge amounts of weight,<br />
doctors studied what they called<br />
a 'fat evaporation' effect on<br />
users." Call 1-800-444-5881<br />
(within the US, toll-free) and ask<br />
for Norma.<br />
Going into battle in Centurion. The semicircle of dots<br />
indicates your General's sphere of influence. Outside<br />
that, units are not under your direct control. The lines<br />
indicate troop movements under present orders. Watch<br />
out for the elephants!<br />
military, and economic forces all have to be balanced.<br />
Conflict takes place on land and sea and is also<br />
far more complex in execution than DOC. On land, for<br />
example, you have many different battle manoeuvres<br />
available to you, as well as different fighting units<br />
(including elephants!). One nice touch is that com-<br />
mands issued by your general are not effective out-<br />
side his sphere of influence - no radio contact in<br />
those days - and lines of attack are shown on screen<br />
for battle analysis and tactical planning. Both naval<br />
and land battles are shown in overhead view.<br />
In addition, there are several sub-games within<br />
Centurion. One of the most attractive is the chariot<br />
race, held as part of the games which, in an effort to<br />
keep the natives occupied (and therefore happy), you<br />
have the option to organise. There's also a gladiator<br />
event for beat-em-up fans. One final improvement over<br />
DOC is the inclusion of a SAVE GAME option - which is<br />
just as well because you aren't going to finish this one<br />
in a hurry.<br />
Centurion should be available in the UK, on PC<br />
first, within the next two months (price to be<br />
announced). Watch out for the full ACE review as soon<br />
as it's finished.<br />
Ooops! The natives arc getting restless. Time to build up<br />
your naval strength<br />
Frietxfly<br />
Diplomatic<br />
Aggressive<br />
The people are ftngry<br />
Rank Caesar<br />
Status 3<br />
; T*f>ts 1238<br />
• Honor 8$<br />
k<br />
| The wealth of Alpes is unremarkable, the<br />
I army is ordinary and the soldiers are<br />
known tor their tenacity.<br />
i Vmdefcc, the leader of Mp*s, offers a<br />
jyeeting:<br />
Much of the plahy interest in Centurion derives from the<br />
old Dictator style of game. The natives tend to start off<br />
fairly friendly, but unless you get your tribute and tax<br />
levels right, things arc going to turn sour rapidly.<br />
jtston<br />
'rforrr<br />
>rvettgtion<br />
>gets<br />
an yc.
j<br />
mild up<br />
ENTERTAINING<br />
—YOUR PC-<br />
)RlilRR[<br />
r mm<br />
f^lgytelllR<br />
anding 3-D solid modelling<br />
ccura^moppmeof^<br />
tferr • u<br />
jrformance factors of each<br />
/ette. Varying difficulty levels,<br />
itc<br />
> get set, buckle up and rev up. But<br />
-~ J -^"^on'tbet^ -<br />
1 leave I<br />
In Franciscc<br />
fCaptain, it's yoi<br />
i to keep the peace in the_<br />
• OMNICRONi<br />
ijingly complex. Search<br />
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MTPDL<br />
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Step Into the woHd of DUNGEON<br />
je fantasy come to<br />
Jaepths 's'ofjthe<br />
undergfl<br />
MAS V Tel: 01-928 1454 Fax: 01-583 34$ 4<br />
^L^Tnnnip<br />
• v
WELCOME TO THE<br />
PLEASURE DOME!<br />
What sinister power has forced the Magic Canyon<br />
Theme Park to close down? Why does the mere<br />
mention of its name send shudders down your<br />
spine? What terrible secret drove its former<br />
owner mad?<br />
You're the inheritor of this mysterious pleasure<br />
dome - only you can find the answer. Step<br />
through the creaking turnstile, board the<br />
mystery train and experience a fantastic journey<br />
through four entirely different zones:<br />
Dream Land, Dragon Land, Future Land and<br />
Yesterday Land.<br />
With outstanding visual effects, sinister sound<br />
and an infernal plot, this is one mystery you'll<br />
never forget. Surviving it is an achievement,<br />
solving it is the most challenging part of all.<br />
IMAGE WORKS, IRWIN HOUSE, 118 SOL'THWARK STREET, LONDON SE1OSW TELEPHONE: 01 928 1454 FAX: 01 583 3494
Out of the<br />
Dungeon<br />
High on the<br />
Mira Mesa, just<br />
outside San Diego,<br />
California, lurks a<br />
small company<br />
with some big, big<br />
games: FTL, cre-<br />
ators of Dungeon<br />
Master; Chaos<br />
ck, and<br />
Oids....<br />
r , 1<br />
' 1 Ju<br />
1<br />
The sun goes down on Software<br />
Heat
Oids on the Mac here you're designing a planetoid. Note<br />
the large icon mirnu top left, providing many conwmfional<br />
Mac editing fools.<br />
Joe's development is<br />
done in C on the Mac - 'a,.'^-1>_. __<br />
here's a section of i<br />
code from the original'• •<br />
Utility disk program V,,<br />
that's executed every.'J v *<br />
60th of a second (on *V JTT .<br />
the US system). Joes^ '**»»»,<br />
was so shy we dccidcd' 1 ^,,^<br />
to get him to auto* -,; ' "»<br />
graph it for us! ifittiy<br />
readers out there °"*»f9<br />
would like a chancwttp<br />
pin it on their walls, '"•
DUNGEON MASTER<br />
FROM BIRTH TO FM TOWNS •••<br />
Dungeon Master on the Sharp 68000 - there's another<br />
Japanese version currently being developed for the<br />
FM Towns.<br />
Up on the Mira Mesa, we took a time capsule right<br />
back to the beginning of the Dungeon Master devel-<br />
opment. Here's how one of today's most popular<br />
games evolved - from the very beginning to its recent<br />
conversion to ttie PC and FM Towns.<br />
It all started with Wayne Holder's desire to pro-<br />
duce a game in which players could experience, as<br />
nearly as possible, an individual journey. 'I wanted<br />
people to have a lot of tall tales to tell when they'd fin-<br />
ished a game - and I wanted those<br />
tales to be unique.'<br />
All the puzzles in the game are<br />
worked out individually. Early design<br />
is very basic (see pic A) and carried<br />
out on paper. Later on development<br />
was transferred to Macs. *We<br />
knew,' said Wayne, that there was<br />
absolutely no chance of our get-<br />
ting our money back with just one<br />
version of Dungeon Master. We<br />
had to set up a system that<br />
would serve as a foundation for<br />
later games.'<br />
Part of this system<br />
involved the development of a<br />
Dungeon Master construction<br />
utility (see pic B). Using this<br />
utility, a game designer can<br />
almost instantly create a DM dungeon comple<br />
K£y<br />
with all wall, floor, and ceiling features, monsters,<br />
and traps.<br />
The actual scenario was developed through<br />
group discussions within the company and<br />
Wayne's wife (who is a professional writer) later<br />
put together the prologue to the game. But in<br />
many ways, FTL concentrated on keeping the<br />
story as loose as possible. 'We are working<br />
towards a point where the story is scripted<br />
entirely by the player,' says Wayne, We take<br />
you to the starting point, but from then on ifs<br />
up to you.'<br />
One effect of this has been to confuse a<br />
lot of people in the States who communi<br />
cate about the program using bulletin<br />
boards. In America you can dial up a local<br />
"/ seriously tdoubt whether<br />
the FM Towns will still he a<br />
competitive machine by the<br />
time they 1 re ready to release<br />
it in the UK - there are<br />
many other CD-based computers<br />
preparing to make<br />
their debut."<br />
M r '<br />
f M f ,<br />
1<br />
Russ Boelhauf<br />
v^Awccv The very<br />
beginnings of<br />
Dungeon Mas<br />
ter - a Jew<br />
scribbles on a<br />
piece of paper...<br />
C - , , ! The details are<br />
/ added...Later the<br />
^ i design work was<br />
transferred to a<br />
Macintosh storyboarding<br />
utility.<br />
,hr« Ik- th, ' " 4 lertinJTi. ' "W ru„<br />
ll<br />
oth k<br />
Sf MrtTl i Mr. ..^"Al. c'• Ci T Jt (-or*<br />
^ r ^ rv<br />
C,/ G1 9fn,r rh hZZi rj'rZ"" "rnnZL"*' GJ<br />
-<br />
• Jm,.<br />
The Dungeon Master creation utility. Using this, you<br />
can knock together a spot of funnel torture in a few<br />
minutes. The program is menu/mouse driven and very<br />
fast, providing the programmer with comprehensive<br />
features and objects that can be placed anywhere on<br />
the map, drawn instantly using the mouse pointer on a<br />
grid.<br />
bulletin board and download DM characters, tips,<br />
and even player-persona designs for Chaos<br />
Strikes Back. But the random nature of the Dun-<br />
geon Master system has caused a few hiccups.<br />
'People leave a message saying they're stuck in<br />
such and such a place, and are haying a certain<br />
experience, and others dial in and say there's<br />
no such thing!.'<br />
PC DM<br />
After the success of Chaos Strikes Back, FTL are cur-<br />
rently working on conversions of the original Dun-<br />
geon Master for the PC and Macintosh. The PC ver-<br />
sion posed a few problems - 'We started off with a<br />
mono display, but soon found that the game really<br />
demands colour. Your perception of things on the<br />
floor, for example, was seriously degraded using a<br />
mono screen. The EGA/VGA version will now appear<br />
in April/May of this year.<br />
• Robert Brewster of<br />
Longmont, Colorado is<br />
mounting a legal claim to<br />
ownership of the entire<br />
Northern USA - on the<br />
grounds that the territory<br />
was granted to his family<br />
by King Charles I. If successful, he<br />
Intends to grant citizenship only to<br />
those people with blue and green eyes.<br />
Such people are, he claims, genetically<br />
superior to other humans.<br />
• According to the Boston Herald, Paul<br />
Newman's contributions to charity over<br />
the last seven years have totalled at<br />
least $22 million, mostly earned from<br />
commercials.<br />
Advanced Comouter Entertainment 35
THIS DISK WILL THIS DISK<br />
GIVE YOU COULD GIVE<br />
HOURS OF YOU 6 MONTHS<br />
FUN IN PRISON<br />
If you Pirate Software you are<br />
a thief. Thieves will<br />
be prosecuted.<br />
THIS CAMPAIGN IS ORGANISED BY<br />
- r N -px Any information on piracy D I D H f * V<br />
"N. J should be passed to rlKMvT<br />
J J—ikJl The Federation Against Software Theft. IPP1<br />
The Federation Against Software Theft. I f T I I C E T<br />
EUROPEAN LEISURE SOFTWARE ^ ^ ° I N K I 1 I<br />
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION TeIephone 01-240 6 756 l l l h l I
Looking down the front steps from the main ranch build<br />
ing. That's the Tech building (see pic overleqf) in the dis<br />
tance on the right<br />
Just north of San Francisco lies Marin County<br />
(pronounced Merinn, with the accent on the<br />
second syllable, chaps). After the dry,<br />
parched streets of LA and 'Cisco, Marin is a<br />
paradise of rolling hills and green grass, with<br />
narrow country lanes twisting past small<br />
ranches that house some of the best horse-<br />
breeding facilities on the West Coast - and<br />
some of the richest, most genteel Americans<br />
you're likely to meet.<br />
Life here is laid-back and luxurious. During the day,<br />
businessmen roar off down the driveway to spend the<br />
working hours in San Francisco; come the evening,<br />
they slip into their 'hot tubs' (heated jacuzzis) and let<br />
the pressurised jets bubble the water around them,<br />
easing away the tensions of the office, while they<br />
make a mental note to call their stockbrokers first<br />
Skywalker<br />
Ranch<br />
thing in the morning.<br />
Into this refined locality plunged George Lucas. He<br />
bought up 5000 acres of real estate, put a fence<br />
around it and an electronic gate at the end of the<br />
drive, created his own security force (two of whom are<br />
on permanent duty at a guard station just inside the<br />
gate) and a fire-brigade to boot, and - in the midst of<br />
this idyllic setting - brought a film to life. Literally.<br />
Skywalker Ranch is fantasy come true. In the<br />
beginning was a script, detailing the life history of a<br />
fictitious Mann family. According to the story, this fami-<br />
ly settled upon the land purchased by Lucas and built<br />
a beautiful colonial mansion. In 1990 the mansion still<br />
'There will be<br />
major cinematic<br />
releases based on<br />
computer titles within<br />
two years,'<br />
INTERACTIVE MOVIES ON CD<br />
A.J. Rcdmcr. In charge of game<br />
development at Lucasfilm.<br />
lucasfilm are another company keeping very close tabs on CD-I. When the system finally<br />
emerges, they'll have some very strong advantages over other companies. One of the big problems<br />
with CD development is generating all the data to feed those giga-byte hungry disks. No<br />
problem there for Lucasfilm. They'll have access to all the property rights and creativity of the<br />
Lucasfilm empire, not to mention the thousands of feet of film from the cutting room floors and<br />
extensive sound libraries.<br />
'The real problem with CD-I.' says Noah Falstein. 'is the installed user base. To do justice to<br />
the budgets concerned, the user base is going to have to be very, very big. The money involved<br />
tn any sort of film footage is enormous. To give you an example, a single special effects shot<br />
from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic, the sfx branch of the Lucas organisation) could cost as<br />
much as one million dollars!'<br />
Brian Moriarty has the same sinking feelings about finances. 'What about the data generation<br />
cost?' he asks. How on earth do you fill a CD with equivalent of 2000 PC disks?? It takes us<br />
a year to fill six!'<br />
Difficult»es apart. Lucasfilm are joining the band of US publishers who are developing FM<br />
Towns products to refine their CD skills. Loom is currently being converted for the Towns along<br />
with Indiana Jones - The Graphic Adventure and ZakMcKracken. It's unlikely that any of these<br />
games will be significantly different on CD-ROM than in their floppy disk originals, but Loom is<br />
bound to do something special on the music side.<br />
Once upon a time, George Lucas, the<br />
man behind Starwars and a string of<br />
other movie blockbusters, checked his<br />
bank account and noted that it was<br />
struggling under the burden of an<br />
enormous credit balance. He there-<br />
fore decided to lighten its load - and<br />
at the same time create a paradise on<br />
earth, a paradise in which numerous<br />
creative people would be protected<br />
from the rigours of the outside<br />
world. There they would be encour-<br />
aged by higher-than-average salaries<br />
to pursue excellence in the arts of<br />
computer game design, film produc-<br />
tion, and other worthy pastimes. ACE<br />
entered this Maniac Mansion of cre-<br />
ativity: and here's what we found...<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 37
Despite the movie connections, Lucasfilm do not, and have never claimed to<br />
be in the computer movie' business. "Lots of companies boast about how<br />
they produce computer movies,' Noah Falstein. project leader of behind the<br />
latest Indiana Jones game, told us, 'but here we're close enough to the real<br />
movie world to know just how sophisticated the film industry really is compared<br />
to your average computer title.'<br />
What Noah and his colleagues do is take movie scripts and turn them<br />
into games. The first computer movie is likely to happen when they take a<br />
game and turn it into a movie - something that development manager A.J.<br />
Redmer (known to everyone as 'A-J') reckons will happen within the next two<br />
years.<br />
stands, historically correct in every finest detail, but<br />
actually constructed about six years ago.<br />
Into this incredible historical environment (every<br />
window is composed of hand-finished panes and<br />
mosaics, every painting a contemporary original) the<br />
20th century subtly "pokes its technological head. In<br />
the recesses of the mansion there is a small 30-seat<br />
cinema, with wide leather seats and a ceiling con-<br />
structed entirely out of polished oak casks. There are<br />
offices housing besuited marketing executives, fax<br />
machines, computers. There's a dining room where<br />
Lucasfilms employees gather at midday (all food pre-<br />
pared by the in-house cordon bleu chef) and outside<br />
there are yet more buildings, all in period style, hous-<br />
ing different departments of the Lucas empire.<br />
Our destination was the stable building, home of<br />
the Lucasfilms programming team...<br />
MEET MORIARTY<br />
First on the schedule was a visit to the office of one of<br />
the company's newer recruits: Brian Moriarty, the ex-<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 38<br />
FROM SCREEN TO SILICON<br />
'The CD-I specifications<br />
look great, but<br />
where are the<br />
machines? If they'd<br />
come out four years<br />
ago, they'd have been<br />
hot, but now they're<br />
behind the times. 9<br />
Look «t «n the man I 90T since rvc b«cn 900c.<br />
Indy in glorious 256 colour mode on the PC. Like many other US companies,<br />
Lucasjilm are designing more and more for high end machine formats<br />
rather than the lowest common denominator.<br />
'Our questions always concern what we can do in the game that couldn't<br />
happen in the movie.' says Noah, 'We have to build on our own strength -<br />
interactivity - and at the same time do justice to the cinema original. We're<br />
lucky that we have direct access to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and<br />
both of them have been very helpful in the past. This was especially true of<br />
Indy. where George was very supportive about plot divergence and made<br />
several suggestions that we incorporated in the game. Our ultimate objective<br />
is to allow the player to senpt the movie himself, by finding his own natural<br />
alternatives within the plot.'<br />
When Noah wants to think, he heads offfor the Ranch's luxurious conservatory<br />
and meditates amidst the foliage. At lunch-time, the lads and<br />
lasses bring their cordon bleu lunch here...<br />
Ron Gilbert. SCUMM programmer<br />
Loom has a complex storyline - this<br />
shot shows the loom itself in the<br />
Guild of Wieauers from which the<br />
game gets its name.<br />
Skywalker<br />
Ranch<br />
Pacific Ocean<br />
Jose SIERRA<br />
• Fresno<br />
GALIFORN<br />
Infocom creative genius who brought you Wishbringer,<br />
Trinity, and Beyond Zork. Right now. he's putting the<br />
finishing touches to the long awaited Loom.<br />
Brian joined Lucasfilm because, he says, 'I saw<br />
they had a lot of potential. They don't rely entirely on<br />
games and they've got lots of multi-media re<strong>source</strong>s.'<br />
Brian brings to the company a touch of the true com-<br />
puter veteran. He's been involved in games from the<br />
year dot and manages to combine technical excel-<br />
lence with other, more aesthetic considerations.<br />
'Music is my first love,' says Brian, 'and Loom was<br />
actually inspired by Swan Lake, which also contributes<br />
Brian Moriarty, cx-Iqfocom. now weaving new spells at<br />
Lucasfilm. Coming soon: musical fantasy extravaganzas<br />
on CD-ROM.
HIS FINEST HOUR<br />
Larry Holland is the man behind Their Finest Hour, prior<br />
to which he was able to claim responsibility for Battlehawks,<br />
Slnke Fleet, and P.H.M Pegasus. His game<br />
design career began in 1983 when he converted<br />
arcade games (including Super Zaxxon) for home<br />
micros. He works in C and assembler, using the latter<br />
for graphics routines. 'All the maths calculations for the<br />
3D worlds are done in assembler: those are the routines<br />
you really pore over for hours to get them as quick<br />
as possible. The secret is never the maths, of course,<br />
it's to make it fast.'<br />
Rigorous academic disciplines gained in the unlikely<br />
pursuit of a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology<br />
paid off while developing the Battle of Britain scenario<br />
for TFH. 'I tackled it like any other research project,' he<br />
recalls, 'and saturated myself in the literature of the day.<br />
I must have waded through at least 30 books on the<br />
subject, of which my favourite was probably First and<br />
Last by Adolf Galland. the German ace.'<br />
Larry's long term aim is to take the techniques<br />
developed in TFH and produce a multi-player game. 'I'd<br />
like to start with a direct non modem link between two<br />
PC's, then work my way onto the modem side.' Until<br />
lhen. his challenge '...is to put a human' at the other<br />
end of every game. The biggest difficulty is always the<br />
artificial intelligence side. I don't just want the player to<br />
have good opponents, I want him to have a variety of<br />
opponents also. I shall remain committed to simulations:<br />
I think that story games are always a closed system,<br />
whereas in a simulation you've got 3D space and<br />
everything's much more open.'<br />
the much of the musical score for the game. In fact. I<br />
think sound is generally very underrated in games and<br />
is destined to become much more important. That's<br />
one of the things about CD development - the main<br />
thing about it is that it gives you great sound.' Since<br />
Loom is currently being converted for the FM Towns,<br />
this is a clear pointer towards one the strengths of<br />
that version.<br />
As for Loom itself. Brian has clearly had his time<br />
cut out producing the game, which has been delayed<br />
several times during development. 'If Beyond Zork was<br />
Ron Gilbert - this is the man that<br />
programmed the system that coded<br />
the games, from Maniac Mansion to<br />
Loom.<br />
SCUMM<br />
SCUMM is the programming secret behind all Lucasfilm's<br />
graphic adventure titles, including Loom. Indy, and<br />
ZakMcKracken. The letters stand for Script Creation Utility<br />
for Maniac Mansion and it was written in C for the PC,<br />
Amiga, and ST versions and in assembler on the C64.<br />
SCUMM was developed by Ron Gilbert, programmer<br />
of Maniac Mansion. The central concept is a graphic<br />
adventure creation language that is particularly notable<br />
for its control over a central animated character.<br />
Once the game design has been storyboarded and<br />
scripted, the programmer can code the game using a<br />
simple text processor. This <strong>source</strong> code file is then compiled<br />
into a compact, tokenised form that is interpreted<br />
during run-time. In this respect. SCUMM operates like<br />
many interpreted 8ASICs. According to Ron. '...the tokenisation results in an execution speed as<br />
fast as assembler. It's also extremely compact: it only takes 3 bytes to walk a character from one<br />
side of the screen to another.<br />
'The SCUMM language also gives you high level abilities to manipulate objects and characters.<br />
To do all this, the SCUMM module as a whole actually comprises of an interpreter, a compiler,<br />
an animation package, and various utilities. In all. there are ten programs in the suite, but it's<br />
very easy to use. If you can program in BASIC, you can program in SCUMM.'<br />
different, Loom is different 2. Ifs by far the hardest<br />
game I've ever done. I believe it raises the stakes for<br />
everyone.'<br />
'One of my goals in the game was to avoid the<br />
Tolkien style of dwarves and little people which are<br />
really Hobbits but no-one dares call them that! The<br />
problem is that those stereotypes are useful if you<br />
want to avoid having to provide lots of background<br />
detail. All these gnomes, elves, and 'halflings' are use-<br />
ful conventions.'<br />
The lack of stereotypes in the game is made up<br />
for by including a 30 minute Dolby stereo cassette<br />
which tells the background story of Loom in glorious<br />
audio techmcolour. 'It was produced here by the<br />
Lucasfilms technical guys,' says Brian proudly, This is<br />
NOT a rinky-dink production!'<br />
You've never seen a picture of Skywalker Ranch, for the simple rea-<br />
son that photography of the main building is not allowed and the rule<br />
is strictly maintained for security reasons. You'd be surprised how<br />
many people out there think they're descended from Darth Vader<br />
and should destroy all Lucasfilm employees on sight. Check out<br />
these exclusive ACE security-conscious pics...<br />
Thank* to Betsy<br />
Irion for help<br />
getting these pics.<br />
inside the stables,<br />
home of the<br />
Lucasjtlm pro<br />
gramming team.<br />
You can meet other members of the team else-<br />
where on these pages. One thing's for certain: no-one<br />
ever found a more beautiful place to work.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY NOT ALLOWED<br />
Having an office just outside<br />
San Francisco has<br />
its disadvantages. This<br />
split beam is just one<br />
small sign of the devastation<br />
caused by the recent<br />
earthquake.<br />
The Tech building. Pretty impressive, eh? And this is Just one of the outbuildings.'<br />
It houses film editing and post-production departments for<br />
Lucas' movie projects.<br />
RETURN TO FRACTALUS?<br />
Lucasfilm were one of the first companies<br />
to put out a fractal based game - Rescue<br />
on Fractalus Involved flying over a fractalbased<br />
landscape that generated convincing<br />
landscapes using compact algorithms.<br />
Since then we've soen two other fractal<br />
engines in operation: Koronls Rift, which<br />
Involved driving across a fractal landscape<br />
and Eidolon, which allowed you to<br />
go inside one.<br />
Lucasfilm are now working on a new<br />
fractal game, which could possibly tie in<br />
all three types of fractal landscape (Hying<br />
over, driving along, and going into) In a<br />
single game. Fractalus seems a likely scenario<br />
and although the company aren't<br />
giving much away the title of Return to<br />
Fractalus Isn't out of the question.<br />
One of the<br />
stained glass<br />
windows: each<br />
one individually<br />
crqftcd by<br />
an expert.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 39
Please rush me an ACE poloshirt S • M<br />
I enclose a cheque/postal order for 8.99 inc p+p. (Make cheques payable to EMAP B+CP)<br />
NAME ADDRESS<br />
Send to: ACE Spring Collection, 30- 32 Farringdon Lane. London EC2R 8 BD
Defending<br />
duce<br />
movies'. Their latest<br />
game, It Came From<br />
the Desert, even fea-<br />
the Crown<br />
tures live actors on<br />
the CD version (see elsewhere in this<br />
article) and the company have also<br />
done pioneering work with interactive<br />
video tape technology (see Videomaster<br />
box).<br />
'Our aim/ says development<br />
manager Dave Riordan, 'is to open<br />
up a whole new market of interactive<br />
entertainment. We already have three CD-I titles under<br />
development for release in 1991 when the machines<br />
appear. We've converted Rocket Ranger for release on<br />
CD on the FM Towns, and we'll support DVI if it<br />
ever makes sense from an entertainment<br />
standpoint.'<br />
Dave Riordan thinks along much<br />
the same lines as Brian Moriarty<br />
at Lucasfilms when it comes to<br />
the implications of CD for<br />
games. 'Anything goes with<br />
CD-I - anything that we've<br />
seen on film or TV - and<br />
obviously the more full<br />
motion video capability we<br />
have the better. But in fact<br />
ifs the audio that's the<br />
key. Take someone talk-<br />
ing, for example, the into-<br />
nation in their voice is<br />
what really gives the words<br />
meaning. Reading text is<br />
nothing - but you can say 'I<br />
hate you' in so many differ-<br />
ent ways and even make it<br />
sound like 'I love you'. Or, to<br />
take another example, imagine<br />
watching a scary movie without<br />
music. The music tells you so much<br />
about what's going on; without it, it's<br />
just not scary at all - and when it comes to<br />
our games I want people to really back off from the<br />
screenf<br />
Dave has had a long involvement with the enter-<br />
tainment industry. He started with a laser disk project<br />
at MIT and co-designed Ballblazer. '...But it was such a<br />
programmer's medium in those days that as a director<br />
I got totally frustrated. I went to Atari and worked on<br />
com ops for a while, but then I saw Defender of the<br />
Crown. It had all the movie attributes and approaches<br />
that I had been trying to get George Lucas interested<br />
in back in 1980.'<br />
BEAN EATING BUDDY<br />
BLOWN AWAY!<br />
Mexican Eduardo Valdez<br />
is reported to have shot<br />
his best friend - for farting.<br />
Valdez claimed 23year<br />
old Hector Barrera<br />
had eaten two quarts of<br />
spicy beans. 'He stank<br />
up the whole apartment,"<br />
Valdez said, 'and still kept cutting loose." US<br />
newspapers reported the story under the<br />
headline 'Gone with the wind...'<br />
THE CREATIVE PROCESS<br />
Producing games like Defender of the Crown and It<br />
Came From the Desert involves Dave in very similar<br />
work to producing real movies. 'We work like a<br />
regular production company here,' he<br />
says, *we have a core group of people<br />
and when a new project comes<br />
along we enlarge the team, then it<br />
.shrinks back down again after-<br />
wards.'<br />
'One thing that's really<br />
changing is the money<br />
involved. The days of the $1<br />
million dollar game are<br />
rapidly approaching. Take<br />
sound tracks for example -<br />
we used to think in terms<br />
of $1500 to $3000 for a<br />
track, now we have to pay<br />
at least $10000.'<br />
Producing a game for<br />
the Amiga, for example,<br />
involves first story-boarding<br />
the project, then working out<br />
the internal logic and structure<br />
W of the game design using Cine-<br />
. maware's development utility,<br />
Masterplan (seebox). 'We're most<br />
interested in forming a good team for<br />
a game," says DT, 'around seven or eight<br />
people. The role of the individual is not as<br />
great as it used to be. One of the advantages is that<br />
when you're on your own you don't design beyond your<br />
own technical abilities, but in a team you're always<br />
being pushed: programmers are challenged by design-<br />
ers, designers by producers, and so on.'<br />
Once the game design has been laid out in Master-<br />
plan, the screenwriter writes the descriptive text and<br />
speech for the game. Even at this stage the design,<br />
although in a form ultimately usable by the core pro-<br />
gram code, is still machine independent. 'On CD, for<br />
example, you have speech facility,' says Todd, 'and in<br />
Masterplan text can be speech or<br />
simply text depending on the hard-<br />
ware platform the game will be pro-<br />
duced on.'<br />
During the coding stage, one of<br />
the most important tools Cine-<br />
maware have developed is called<br />
BOLT. 'BOLT allows us to define<br />
data consistently from one machine<br />
to another - it identifies sound,<br />
music, and text in a way that is<br />
machine independent. So, for exam-<br />
ple. a picture in 256 colour mode<br />
on a VGA IBM will display perfectly<br />
in 32 colours on an Amiga. The<br />
position, the timing, the animation<br />
remain essentially the same. We do<br />
YLIFORNIA<br />
Cinemaware's<br />
Defender of the<br />
Crown was one of<br />
the first programs to<br />
convincingly<br />
demonstrate the<br />
powers of 16-bit<br />
technology. At their<br />
offices in Los Ange-<br />
les, they're now<br />
* /<br />
pushing the bound-<br />
aries of entertain-<br />
ment technology<br />
even further..<br />
Cinemaivare's oj/lces are only a<br />
short drive from Hollywood.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 41
GETTING<br />
IT TAPED<br />
Cinemaware won an award for<br />
their interactive tape game,<br />
based on Walt Disney's characters<br />
and already reported on in<br />
ACE. At their offices, we were<br />
able to get a closer look at the<br />
system and the results the company<br />
achieved.<br />
The biggest challenge was<br />
to put together a whole interactive<br />
movie based on existing<br />
footage. All this had to be cut<br />
together to produce the final version,<br />
which consists of a single<br />
video track and two audio<br />
tracks. And the audio was even<br />
more tricky...<br />
The first thing,' remembers<br />
Dave, 'was simply that all the<br />
people who did the previous<br />
generation of Disney voices<br />
were dead. There's a whole second<br />
generation of voice-over<br />
actors doing the work. We had<br />
to over-dub every single<br />
sequence - just doing Ludwig's<br />
voice took us over five days.'<br />
The result is a series of<br />
sequences, each of which sets<br />
up a situation (e.g. Donald getting<br />
a flat tyre) that the player -<br />
the games are targetted at<br />
young children - has to resolve<br />
by solving a puzzle. The computer<br />
graphic puzzles are overlaid<br />
against the cartoon background<br />
and the user has cursor<br />
control to manipulate the graphic<br />
objects, shoot at ghosts, or<br />
whatever.<br />
'The trouble with the Videomaster<br />
system,' explains Dave<br />
game was taken from existing Disney cartoons, then reedited<br />
to produce an entirely new storyline.<br />
days.<br />
the computer graphics and interact with the game.<br />
Here you're trying to rearrange puzzle blocks in the<br />
window on the right to put Donald back on the road<br />
again.<br />
Riordan, 'was that it was sold as a toy. It got lost on the shelves amongst the racing<br />
cars and the dolls.' In the end, however, the project helped Cinemaware further refine<br />
its skills at combining movies and computers - now being tested to the full in the<br />
development of the CD ROM version of It Came From the Desert.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 42<br />
Daw? Todd: the man who designed Defender of the<br />
Crown, and has now overseen the coding of some of the<br />
industry's most powerful programming tools for computer<br />
games.<br />
sometimes do separate artwork, but the data descrip-<br />
tion doesn't change.'<br />
CODING FOR SPEED<br />
It's obvious that Cinemaware have made an enormous<br />
investment in programming tools - probably more<br />
than any other software house we've visited. This not<br />
only speeds up development, leaving more time to<br />
refine the game designs, but the programs themselves<br />
have become more compact and faster in execution<br />
as a result.<br />
BOLT, for example, ties all the data for a game<br />
together into a single file structure, compressing the<br />
data. As a result, loading times are enormously<br />
reduced - one section of code in Lords of The Rising<br />
Sun took seven minutes to load into the Amiga in the<br />
original version. After being BOLT'ed it took six seconds.<br />
This development is even more important when<br />
you remember how much data there is in a typical Cinemaware<br />
product that relies so heavily on hi-res colour<br />
graphics and sampled sound.<br />
Finally, like many other American companies, Cinemaware<br />
now target much of their development at the<br />
new 256-colour VGA PC systems rather than the<br />
Amiga. They use several<br />
different animation tools, and when the project is completed<br />
the graphics are ported over from the PC onto<br />
the Amiga, rather than the other way round, as used<br />
to happen. Combine this striving for the best result on<br />
the best systems with the startling experimental work<br />
you can see elsewhere on these pages, and you can<br />
see why Cinemaware are - despite occasional criticisms<br />
about the payability factor - still very much at<br />
the forefront of games technology. If we ever get a<br />
real computer movie, this is where it's going to come<br />
from.<br />
"I've always wanted<br />
to produce a game with<br />
really BIG bugs! 9<br />
Dave Riordan<br />
(on II Came From The Desert)<br />
• Dave Riordan. creative director of a new generation<br />
of computer movies. Note the Philips CD-I unit on<br />
the Icyfl. The equipment on the right is part of an interactive<br />
tape system that was never released - despite<br />
offering a powerful 4-track branching facility for complex<br />
games (see ACE issue 26).
LIVE ANTS<br />
Cinemaware are taking a giant leap with the CD-ROM version of It<br />
Came From the Desert- they're actually including live actors in the<br />
game.<br />
Scenes involving live action are shot against a green background<br />
that allows the actors to 'chromakeyed' into the final image against<br />
a computer generated landscape. The production involves 22 actors,<br />
recruited in the traditional way using casting agencies - not difficult<br />
when your office is close to Hollywood!<br />
'This market needs to appeal to a lot of people who have never<br />
picked up a computer - teenage girls and women, for example. These<br />
people don't want to shoot bugs - that's boys' stuff,' says Dave, 'We're<br />
opening up whole new genres with ICFTD. Not only that, but in future<br />
we have the possibility of using big name actors.'<br />
The celebrities are curious, it seems, and have shown a lot of<br />
interest in this new game form.<br />
They saw what happened with<br />
VCR's," says Dave, 'and how<br />
they made more money from the<br />
video releases than they did from<br />
the original movies. Now they're<br />
watching out closely to see what<br />
happens with computer games.<br />
We may get big names very<br />
soon for games: there are some<br />
particularly interesting possibili-<br />
ties for sports games which<br />
we're looking into.'<br />
The finished product: a live •<br />
actor in a composite digital scene.<br />
It's expensive: actors charge around<br />
$500 a day - that's just a teensy bit<br />
more than the average programmer!<br />
Cinemaware's HyperCard based game design system:<br />
Uasterplan. The games designer lays out the flow of the<br />
game using a flowchart approach. Buttons and fields<br />
idthin the system enable all the control logic to be<br />
defined, together with animation strips, backgrounds,<br />
and dialogue boxes. In It Came From the Desert, the system<br />
was used to design a scenario covering 15 days,<br />
each composed of 24 1 -hour slots and covering 37 locations.<br />
Finally, the Masterplan stack is simply exported<br />
to an Amiga. To make design changes, you simply alter<br />
the Masterplan file and re-export it.<br />
4 Programmers love<br />
the FM Towns - it's<br />
got all the bells and<br />
whistles..."<br />
Dave Riordan<br />
AND DON'T FORGET<br />
you can win an FM<br />
Towns in this month's<br />
competition!<br />
A<br />
Live actors rehearsing<br />
- the green background<br />
for ICFTD on CD-ROM<br />
is replaced by a computer<br />
generated landscape in the final game.<br />
Alternatively, of course, you can run computer<br />
generated images against a live video back-<br />
ground - this technique has been seen several<br />
•<br />
times before, notably in the old video disk<br />
coin-ops.<br />
A new storyboard utility under development, which will<br />
enable designers to 'cut and paste' scenario elements.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 43
PICTURE C<br />
"Taken as a whole. • • • • • • • • • • I<br />
is probably the beat yet from Cinemaware - with<br />
special merit going to an atmospheric sound<br />
track - and anyone who enjoyed previous efforts<br />
are certain to enjoy this one."<br />
44 Advanced Computer Entertainment<br />
PICTlfRK D<br />
^ • • • M has had fu>o yearn of Infrnslur<br />
ejfort spent on (f. Graphic* arc "Slate of the art'<br />
3D and the gameplay and plot h«u«r been thor<br />
oughly worked through to provide un rnlrrfain<br />
ing, lotting challenge,"
CPU<br />
RAM (FM1)<br />
RAM (FM2)<br />
VRAM<br />
SPRITE RAM<br />
STORAGE (FM1)<br />
STORAGE (FM2)<br />
VISUAL<br />
AUDIO<br />
SIZE<br />
WEIGHT<br />
OPTIONAL XTRAs<br />
j* ft<br />
FM TOWNS SPEC<br />
im,H>(<br />
80386 (32-bit)<br />
1Mb<br />
2Mb<br />
512K<br />
128K<br />
CD-ROM (540Mb)<br />
CD-ROM (540Mb) + 2x1.2Mb 3.5" FDs<br />
640x480: 256 out of 16.770,000 colours<br />
640x480: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens<br />
320x240:16 out of 32768 colours 12 screens<br />
640x400: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens<br />
PCM sounds: stereo 8-channel<br />
FM sounds: stereo 6-channel<br />
sampling: 8-bit, 19.2Hz<br />
CD-ROM works as an ordinary CD player<br />
328mmx150mmx400mm<br />
11kg<br />
Keyboard • 80387 processor • video card<br />
modem card • SCSI card • 14" display • RAM<br />
3f ^<br />
m II<br />
TEN STEPS TO<br />
WINNING YOURSELF<br />
A FUJITSU FM<br />
TOWNS<br />
(1) Buy this issue of ACE that you're reading in the<br />
newsagent, round a friends house, etc.<br />
(2) Carefully unpeel the postcard on the front cover of<br />
ACE.<br />
• (3) Take a look at the sexy snaps of five great games<br />
lettered A-E on the opposite page.<br />
(4) Do you know the titles of these five games? To help<br />
you we've included a snippet from each one's ACE<br />
review.<br />
(5) All we want from you are the names of the five<br />
games.<br />
(6) Write [IN BLOCK CAPITALS] the game's titles on the<br />
back of the ACE postcard. You must use the post card<br />
provided on the front of this issue of ACE - all other<br />
entries are void.<br />
(7) Now write your name, address, telephone and com<br />
puter details on the back of the postcard.<br />
(8) Stick a first or second class stamp on the postcard.<br />
(9) Send the postcard to ACE - your postcard must<br />
reach us before the competition closing date of 9th<br />
April, 1990.<br />
(10) Sit back. Relax.<br />
THE COMPETITION RULES<br />
• Rule Number One: Break any of these rules and your entry is<br />
void.<br />
• Entries must be on the postcard provided with this issue of<br />
ACE - all other entries are void.<br />
• Multiple entries are allowed.<br />
• The closing date for entries is 9th April. 1990.<br />
• Employees of EMAP, MIRRORSOFT and FUJITSU are not eli<br />
gible for entry.<br />
• The Fujitsu FM Towns will be awarded to the first entry - drawn<br />
at random - giving the correct names to the five games.<br />
• The winner will be announced in the June 1990 issue of ACE.<br />
• The editors decision is final and no correspondence will be<br />
entered into.<br />
I Computer Entertainment 4 5
"3D GRAPHIC<br />
SYSTEMS<br />
CREATED BY<br />
DAVID BRABEN<br />
CO-AUTHOR Or<br />
ELITE."<br />
Available on:<br />
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Action and simulation<br />
i—, for strategy without<br />
- M J repetition. Conqueror is<br />
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to wargamers of all interests. Engage in<br />
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experience the bloody attrition exacted by<br />
the might of the armoured divisions, create<br />
your own scenarios and set your own<br />
jj challenges in bringing the elite war<br />
machines of the German, Russian and j<br />
American forces into head-to-head<br />
confrontation and combat.<br />
Fight your way through massed<br />
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— — — y o u r wits and the strength<br />
' of your will as you endeavour to<br />
outlast the awesome firepower of your<br />
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opposing platoon commanders and jfl<br />
lead to their ultimate downfall. i—i<br />
All the essential elements<br />
for hours of relentless action,<br />
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• Action, Attrition and Strategy. T ^ U ^ t t M<br />
Unique 45 viewpoint external to command tank. IS!<br />
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# Select squadrons from the accurately product tanks.<br />
American: Chaffee, M36GMC, Sherman Firefly, Pershing.<br />
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1<br />
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SCREEN<br />
ALL NEW PIC CURVE POWER<br />
The PIC - Predicted Interest Curve - is the most sophisticated reviewing<br />
tool around. And now it's entered the 90's...<br />
We on ACE know you don't just play a game - you experience it. The newly upgraded Predicteded Interest<br />
Curve is the only review system that takes this all-important factor into account.<br />
The PIC Curve has been redesigned to immediately give you the info you need at just a glance. To<br />
back up our instant appraisal there is an expanded, in-depth comment at each stage o! the game's playiife.<br />
The curve is divided into six sect>ons. indicating the player's adrenalin level alter one minute, one hour, one<br />
day. one week, one month, and one year. But this tells you an awful lot than just what your interest level will<br />
be at any given time (although that's obviously important in itself)...<br />
For example, a high one minute rating means that the game must look fantastic and get you all excited<br />
•-om Iho word go. That means it's probabfy a good game to show off to the neighbours - after all. they prob<br />
aNy arenl goiog to pay attention for much more than a minute, after which they'll go back to drinking coffee<br />
and making rude remarks about 'those awful hostile games the boys play these days'.<br />
The minute, hour, and day ratings can tell<br />
you a lot about a game too. If there's a dip<br />
here, followed by a rise, youVe got a game that<br />
may take a bit of getting into - not recommend-<br />
ed if you like to get down to something quick<br />
and easy. Alternatively, the graphics may put<br />
you o« for a while until the gameplay starts to<br />
gnp. Check out the PIC comment for more<br />
details.<br />
Finauy. you've got the month and year rat-<br />
ngs The better a game holds up hero the more<br />
deserving it is of your hard earned cash.<br />
PIC curve construction takes a tot of ptay-<br />
ng on the part of ACE reviewers. PIC curve<br />
analyse is an art in itself. The reward is know-<br />
ing just what you're getting when you make the<br />
decision to splash out on Mutant Macdonald<br />
Gettysburgers....ot Player Manager-one of<br />
ths month's ACE rated bailWazers.<br />
PIC CURVES<br />
This umque feature to the<br />
ACE reviewing system<br />
charts the interest level that<br />
a game stimulates over a<br />
period of time. The curve is<br />
accompanied by a comment<br />
to explain why it's the<br />
shape it is. Find out more in<br />
the Pic Curve Power panel<br />
on this page-<br />
Each review also carries<br />
special 'Version Boxes' that<br />
give you details of the<br />
game's implementation on<br />
a specific machine. These<br />
boxes include ratings for...<br />
GRAPHICS<br />
All aspects ot the game's<br />
graplics with the limitations<br />
of each machine taken into<br />
account. A good-looking<br />
Spectrum game will thereforee<br />
score higher than an<br />
average-looking Amiga one.<br />
AUDIO<br />
The music and sound effects<br />
are rated here. A high rating<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
We've also enlarged the PIC commentary<br />
section beneath it. This gives us<br />
more space to tell you exactly what it's<br />
like to unwrap your game, load it up.<br />
and play it - giving you those essential<br />
snippets of information and reaction<br />
that determine whether or not this is a<br />
game you have to buy. the New PIC<br />
Curve - going straight to the heart of<br />
the Games Experience.<br />
THE ACE REVIEWING SYSTEM<br />
is possible on even limited<br />
machines like the Spectrum<br />
and PC if the computer's<br />
shortcomings are cleverly<br />
sidestepped.<br />
IQ FACTOR<br />
Yes, sometimes you have to<br />
use your brain. This rating<br />
evaluates the risk of mental<br />
effort - which some people<br />
actually enjoy...Note that<br />
ACE readers are generally<br />
reckoned to be more intelligent<br />
than other human<br />
beings, so the ratings may<br />
be lower than you expect...<br />
FUN FACTOR<br />
Basically a measure of mindless<br />
addictiveness. Games<br />
like Arkanoid and Flying<br />
Shark require virtually zero<br />
brain power but are still<br />
remarkably addictive. Most<br />
coin-ops score well here<br />
because they are designed<br />
for instant satisfaction.<br />
Games don't have to be<br />
either fun or intelligent -<br />
they can be both.<br />
ACE RATING<br />
This is not just plucked out<br />
of the air but is calculated<br />
from the area under the PIC<br />
Curve. To get a really high<br />
rating a game will not only<br />
have to be very addictive<br />
but stand the test of time<br />
as well. Just because a<br />
game does not get over<br />
900 does not mean we are<br />
not recommending it - the<br />
following is a general guide<br />
to what the ratings mean.<br />
900+ A classic game,<br />
recommended without<br />
reservation.<br />
800-899 A superb<br />
game, but perhaps lacking<br />
the long-term depth to last<br />
into the month and year categories.<br />
700-799 Still highly<br />
recommended, but probably<br />
has a couple of aspects to<br />
the gameplay that take the<br />
edge off it.<br />
600-699 The fair<br />
zone, where it tends to be<br />
very good if you like that<br />
sort of thing'.<br />
500-599 This still has<br />
good things going for it, but<br />
the game clearty has some<br />
noticeable problems.<br />
400-499 Problems<br />
with gameplay and programming<br />
make this an<br />
inferior game.<br />
300-399 Not only is<br />
the gameplay bad but the<br />
design was probably flawed<br />
in the first place.<br />
200-299 Things are<br />
getting really serious now...<br />
100-199 2X81 games<br />
running on an Amiga.<br />
Under 100 Nothing<br />
has ever achieved this<br />
appalling level of rating. If<br />
anything ever does, it<br />
wouldn't even be worth having<br />
it for free.<br />
VERSION BOXES<br />
This covers version-specific<br />
information on graphics,<br />
audio, loading problems etc.<br />
If there's no box for your<br />
machine but a version is<br />
planned, it'll be covered as<br />
an update in a later issue.<br />
THE TEAM<br />
Laurence Scotford is<br />
ACE's ever busy Reviews<br />
Editor - Laurence has been<br />
playing games since he was<br />
a nipper, but some of them<br />
we probably ought not to<br />
mention. There was hot<br />
competibon for the ACE<br />
Reviews Editor position from<br />
gamesters all over the country,<br />
but Laurence pipped<br />
them all at the post by<br />
showing that he could not<br />
only push a game to its<br />
limit, but he coukj push a<br />
pen too and tell you all<br />
about it.<br />
Steve Cooke, one of the<br />
original editors of this<br />
award-winning magazine, is<br />
known to thousands through<br />
his many other previous<br />
identities, including Zzapsl's<br />
White Wizard. The Pilgrim<br />
and Old Batdy. When he's<br />
not borrowing money and<br />
popping off to the States'<br />
Steve is often found playing<br />
Ultima Vand other narrative<br />
computer games.<br />
Player Manager<br />
gives Kick Off<br />
fans a chance to<br />
reach yet further<br />
heights of<br />
ecstacy. But can<br />
anything be as<br />
good as the original<br />
K.O.? Find<br />
out on page 56.<br />
M<br />
Rik Haynes was Reviews<br />
Editor on Britain's biggest<br />
selling computer weekly and<br />
has been hooked on electronic<br />
entertainment since<br />
spotting a Space Invaders<br />
machine in the comer of a<br />
Southend-on-Sea pub back<br />
in '78. Rik s reviews are<br />
renowned for being hardhitting<br />
and often outspoken...<br />
Eugene Lacey is one of<br />
Britain's most experienced<br />
games journalists.<br />
We don't review<br />
anything until we<br />
are 100%<br />
certain that<br />
we've got it right.<br />
We've checked<br />
them out<br />
thoroughly - now<br />
you can too.
Vou can adjust aspccts of the missiles used to<br />
suit your mode of combat (yet another feature you<br />
will want to experiment with over a couple of<br />
games).<br />
A rotating 3D display of your ship shows areas •<br />
of damage (useful qfter a heavy battle).<br />
MITIEC dre nasty llttle critters While the<br />
-<br />
WW I ICv civilised universe is happy minding<br />
its own business, all these extra-terrestrial types<br />
want to do is spoil the party, and here's why.<br />
Mankind has a problem - there are too many<br />
people, and not enough planets suitable for sup-<br />
porting life. Answer: get out there and find new<br />
planets to colonise, and if there are no suitable<br />
planets, create them. There is, however, a slight<br />
complication - before you can create a planet<br />
to colonise you require a star for it to orbit.<br />
This requirement might not seem too diffi-<br />
cult to arrange - after all, the universe has a<br />
countless number of stars, doesn't it? It does,<br />
but suppose something previously unknown was<br />
to arrive from a far corner of the universe, and<br />
suppose that something was to begin trans-<br />
The central display, showing your craft in space,<br />
also shows the gravitational lines of force. Here<br />
in deep space they arc flat, but near massive bodies<br />
they distort greatly. Incidentally, the starfield<br />
will only be seen on 1 meg machines!<br />
The distorted lines of force are clearly shown by<br />
the alternative rendering of the main display.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 48<br />
forming stars into singularities (that's black<br />
holes to you and me) which they require for con-<br />
tinued existence? What happens? You end up<br />
with a lot of singularities, a lot of happy extra-<br />
terrestrials, but no suns, and no more Homo<br />
Sapiens. Not, I'm sure you will agree, a particu-<br />
larly joyful state of affairs.<br />
Unfortunately, this is exactly what has hap-<br />
pened in Gravity. The Outies as they have<br />
become known are slowly but surely turning the<br />
galaxy's suns into black holes. The only way to<br />
deal with these horrible ETs is to wipe out their<br />
fleet, and turn the singularity in their home sys-<br />
tem into a sun, while at the same time creating<br />
and colonising newly explored systems. Of<br />
course, while you are attempting to do this, the<br />
Outies are trying to turn the sun in your home<br />
system into a huge great black hole, so you<br />
haven't got time to hang about.<br />
Ironically, mankind also has a use for black<br />
holes. They are means of quick transport<br />
between distant parts of the galaxy. By setting a<br />
destination and plunging into a singularity, craft<br />
can be made to emerge at another singularity in<br />
the target system. So while it is imperative to<br />
prevent too many singularities from being<br />
formed by the Outies, one or two of them dot-<br />
ted strategically about.<br />
To perform your task you have sixteen UN<br />
Scoutcraft. These can be given orders to<br />
explore systems, engage in combat with Outie<br />
craft, prepare systems for colonisation, and<br />
then set up the colony. The nice thing about<br />
IMAGEWORKS launch a highly<br />
original deep space strategy game<br />
with a basis in modern physics<br />
The graphics in Grawiy make the most of the<br />
unusual theme, and manage to convey wel the<br />
sense of gravity wells. The menus and various<br />
screens are all quite nicely presented, it a little<br />
slow. There is not too much sound, other than<br />
a few spot effects and a rather unusual title<br />
sound track. Most control is from the mouse,<br />
apart from piloting indwiduai craft which is<br />
achieved with simple keyboard .control. Definitely<br />
a value for money buy.<br />
GRAPHICS 8 10 FACTOR 8<br />
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 9<br />
You will initially be impressed by how much<br />
there is to do in Gravity. There is then a learning<br />
period in which you have to become<br />
accustomed to all of the options and the best<br />
way of going about things. The nice thing<br />
about this game is that your interest is not<br />
likely to drop significantly because their are<br />
so many skills (e.g. programming drones)<br />
which will require improvement that each time<br />
you play there will be something new to do.<br />
This gamo will definitely rival Elite in the staying<br />
power stakes.
Gravity makes use of something known as Einstein-<br />
Minkowski Four-Space. What's that? OK, here goes.<br />
As you probably know. Newton purportedly discovered<br />
gravity when an apple conveniently fell on his<br />
head. As wen as being struck by the apple, old<br />
Isaac was also struck by an idea - that being, that<br />
bodies in space attract each other. The size of that<br />
force of attraction, he concluded, was proportional<br />
to the mass, density, and velocity of each of the<br />
bodies involved. As simplistic as they seem, Newton's<br />
theorems provided the basis for Einstein's<br />
(now slightly wobbly) General and Special theories<br />
of Relativity.<br />
We are all very well aware of the three spatial<br />
dimensions (after all. we exist in them). Now imagine<br />
time as being a fourth dimension which, for<br />
simplicity's sake can be tacked onto the other<br />
ttwee to form, as it were, a fourth plane (You'll really<br />
have to use your imagination here). Suppose that<br />
we can form a spongy supercube (that is, a four<br />
dimensional cube). This supercube represents<br />
space and time. Now suppose we take a weighty<br />
ball bearing (which represents any body existing in<br />
time and space) and drop it onto the supercube.<br />
What happens? At the point in which the ball bearing<br />
comes to land, the cube, because it is flexible,<br />
will become distorted.<br />
Now suppose that we drop a smaller ball bearing<br />
onto the supercube. Providing that it lands far<br />
enough away from the larger ball bearing, it will<br />
form it's own indentation and come to rest there. If,<br />
however, it falls close to the larger ball bearing it<br />
will roll down into the indentation caused by the<br />
more massive body, inevitably colliding with its larger<br />
partner.<br />
This is exactly what happens with time and<br />
space. The normally linear lines of force (which we<br />
of course know as the force of gravity) become<br />
distorted by the presence of a body. The more<br />
massive, denser, and faster that body is, the more<br />
the lines of force are distorted, forming a sort of<br />
four-dimensional well around the body. When two<br />
bodies pass within each others wells, they become<br />
attracted to each other.<br />
Now imagine a body so dense that it stretches<br />
the space-time fabric infinitely (i.e. the well never<br />
bottoms out). This creates a distortion of such a<br />
degree that even photons cannot escape ifs pull.<br />
This theoretical manifestation is what is popularly<br />
known as a Black Hole.<br />
Enlightened now? Good.<br />
Programming the drones is done by a series of<br />
flow charts, so you don't have to be too technically<br />
minded to use this feature.<br />
Gravity is that you can set the ratio of orders<br />
given directly by HQ to the orders given manual-<br />
ly by yourself. This effectively means being able<br />
to swing the game from requiring almost total<br />
arcade type skills to total strategic skills or<br />
whatever combination of the two you require.<br />
The game is controlled from an attractive<br />
looking front panel, from which you access the<br />
various functions of the game with the mouse.<br />
Since most aspects are controlled via menus it<br />
doesn't take too long to get used to the way the<br />
game works, although learning about everything<br />
A COODLEY FELLOW<br />
Perhaps it was inevitable that programmer, Ross Goodley would end up tinkering with micros,<br />
since his passion for both machines and games inspired him to 'borrow" an access code to one<br />
of the computer terminals at University (even though he was actually reading German and Lin-<br />
guistics), and spent many hours at the keyboard.<br />
After graduating, Ross was introduced to the relatively new personal micros when a friend<br />
bought a ZX81. Even on such a limited machine the flair Ross had for programming soon<br />
became apparent. He managed to achieve a version of Space Invaders in IK, amongst other<br />
things.<br />
After applying to a newspaper advert he joined Alligata as a programmer. Here his fruitful<br />
career began in earnest. His past successes have included more Blagger conversions than he<br />
cares to remember, Challenge of the Gobots on the CPC, and Meltdown (which was something<br />
of a pre-cursor to Gravity). Gravity is his first major 16-bit project. When Ross is not juggling with<br />
op-codes he is doing much the same with balls and similar thingies, or alternatively playing some<br />
that there is to do will take a lot longer.<br />
The most unusual thing about Gravity is the<br />
central display which shows your craft in space.<br />
Here space is represented by a grid of lines<br />
showing local gravitational force. These become<br />
distorted around planets and suns, and are<br />
stretched to infinity by black holes. Obviously if<br />
your ship falls into one of these distorted areas<br />
you will have to fight against the gravitic pull to<br />
escape. This means that you are constantly hav-<br />
ing to adjust the attitude of your craft to coun-<br />
teract the effects of gravity, but it is possible,<br />
with a bit of careful manoeuvring, to maintain a<br />
reasonably stable orbit around a planet or sun.<br />
As you succeed in missions you accumulate<br />
more credit which can be used to upgrade the<br />
mean guitar.<br />
Gravity, so Ross tells us, came about from<br />
a layman's interest in physics. The 'rubber<br />
sheet' idea of the universe has always<br />
intrigued him, and the challenge of trying to<br />
model that system in real-time spurred him<br />
into writing the code that eventually became<br />
one of the more original games of the past<br />
year.<br />
Now that Gravity has appeared Ross plans<br />
to further exploit the fascinating universe<br />
that the game is set in. The next game,<br />
which is called Drop Soldier at the moment<br />
will be a planet based game dealing with<br />
small unit combat. If Gravity is anything to<br />
go by it should certainly be a game to look<br />
forward too.<br />
Entering a black hole. Provided you set your destination on the cube correctly, you should emerge at<br />
another hole near to the target system.<br />
weaponry and drives on your craft, and pur-<br />
chase more tools to allow you to terraform<br />
dead planets for instance. Your opening strate-<br />
gy should then be to complete as many mis-<br />
sions as possible to build up equipment to allow<br />
for more long term planning.<br />
Gravity is one of the most unusual games<br />
I've seen over the past year. In scope it is abso-<br />
lutely vast (with the ability to program drones,<br />
for instance, adding to the possibilities).<br />
Undoubtedly the game will not appeal to die-<br />
hard shoot-anything-that-moves addicts, but for<br />
anybody who likes an involved game which exer-<br />
cises the old grey matter, it's a must!<br />
• Laurence Scotford<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 49
I<br />
QUIDS<br />
Over a £10'<br />
worth of<br />
goodies up<br />
for grabs!<br />
i l ^<br />
_ | IUI ^<br />
SA.60<br />
MARCH<br />
A 990<br />
(A<br />
3 i<br />
m I<br />
ON THE MEGATAPE!!<br />
DEMO - Space Harrier II<br />
DEATH ZONE - a previously unreleased game!
E 3 DRAGON'S<br />
BREATH<br />
You will Initially be attracted by the superb<br />
audio-visual aspects of the game. Once you<br />
start to play you may find the game a little<br />
limiting until you become accustomed to<br />
some of the more difficult aspects like spellcasting.<br />
After several games you will begin to<br />
build up a recipe book of spells, which should<br />
make the game a lot more interesting.<br />
Because of this variable aspect you are likely<br />
to keep coming back to this one for some<br />
time.<br />
ATARI ST C29.99dk<br />
AMIGA £29.99dk<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
IMMINENT<br />
OUT NOW<br />
There's only so much you can do on the graphics<br />
front for a strategy game and Palace seem<br />
to have done. There are several animated<br />
sequences which spice it up a bit, and the static<br />
screens are equaly attractive. The soundtrack<br />
manages to convey al the atmosphere of<br />
the game without imposing itself too much.<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 8<br />
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 7 m<br />
An egg on the boil. The timer in the corner is not<br />
to arrange hard or soft boiled, but counts down<br />
the time to hatching.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 51<br />
STRATEGY always been Dragons rule OK<br />
limited by one vital factor -<br />
strategic decisions made within<br />
a computer game are always<br />
part of a closed system, as<br />
in a stunning<br />
opposed to real-life decisions<br />
which are subject to an infinite Strategy game from<br />
number of unpredictable exter-<br />
nal influences. The answer is to<br />
devise a system which, rather PALACE<br />
than presenting the player with<br />
a set menu of choices at each<br />
stage of the game, allows him to continually<br />
alter the parameters that effect play in some<br />
way - in other words, experiment.<br />
Palace have managed to do just that in<br />
Dragon's Breath. The basic idea behind the<br />
game is to find the three parts of a Talisman<br />
that allows entry to the throne room of the Great<br />
Castle on Dwarf Mountain at the centre of the<br />
land of Anrea (phew!). The reason that this talis-<br />
man is so important to you is that within the<br />
throne room lies the secret of immortality. Not a<br />
bad prize, eh?<br />
There are three characters competing for<br />
eternal life: Bachim the Alchemist; Quered the<br />
She-Vampire; and Ametrin the Green Beast.<br />
Each can be controlled by the computer or a<br />
human player. This means that you can view a<br />
demo game by making the computer control all<br />
three.<br />
Initially there are all the sort of options you<br />
expect in strategy type games: the ability to<br />
read up on recent happenings (mostly battles in<br />
this case), and view your accounts, as well as<br />
dealing with any traders who happen to call.<br />
Most of your dirty work, which in this game<br />
involves conquering as many towns as you can,<br />
is done by your collection of dragons.<br />
Each player begins with one dragon but<br />
may breed more. You require at least three to<br />
win the game, since you must use one dragon<br />
to guard each piece of talisman as it is found.<br />
The dragon's have three main tasks: conquering<br />
local towns and villages for taxes, attacking<br />
enemy dragons and strongholds, and searching<br />
for and guarding the pieces of the talisman.<br />
Obviously in the later stages of the game you<br />
will want to do all three of these tasks concur-<br />
rently, so it helps to have as many dragons as<br />
possible.<br />
Breeding dragons is achieved by heating<br />
eggs from your stock. The hotter an egg is<br />
kept, the quicker it will hatch, but slow cooked<br />
Using the relief map of the land you can zoom in<br />
on possible locations of the pieces of talisman.<br />
eggs tend to produce stronger<br />
dragons. So if you are desper-<br />
ate for more of the creatures<br />
you can produce them swiftly,<br />
but at the cost of having a less<br />
effective force.<br />
The major part of the<br />
game, and the most interest-<br />
ing, is spellcasting. Unlike a lot<br />
of other games involving<br />
spells, you are not simply pre-<br />
sented with a list of pre-<br />
defined spells to choose from<br />
- that would be too easy. Instead you have to<br />
produce them yourself. This is done by mixing a<br />
number of elements in different ways to pro-<br />
duce the final potion. This means, of course,<br />
that you will have to do a lot of experimenting to<br />
gradually build up your own recipe book of<br />
spells.<br />
The spells can be directed at almost any-<br />
thing in the game from towns to dragons, and<br />
obviously they can have either harmful or good<br />
effects. The nice thing about Dragon's Breath is<br />
that it is not essential to master spellcasting in<br />
order to enjoy the game. You can begin playing<br />
without spells and then start to use them as<br />
soon as you feel confident enough with the<br />
basic game.<br />
Dragon's Breath is probably the most<br />
accomplished strategy game I've seen for some<br />
time, and combined as it is with attractive<br />
graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack,<br />
should please most people who enjoy a more<br />
cerebral type of game than the standard fare.<br />
The ability to concoct your own magic brews<br />
provides endless possibilities and should keep<br />
you playing, even after you've managed to<br />
achieve the game's objective.<br />
Laurence Scotford<br />
The lab - this is where all your spells are concocted,<br />
for better, or for worse!
KNIGHTS OF<br />
LEGEND<br />
ACCORDING<br />
Porter, "This is the first fantasy<br />
role playing game to do things in<br />
extreme depth". We didn't take his<br />
word for it. but several hours of<br />
intensive play proved that he cer-<br />
tainly wasn't joking.<br />
The game is set in the<br />
medieval land of Ashtalarea. a<br />
very wild place in which adventure<br />
is to be found anywhere and<br />
everywhere. There are no less<br />
than twenty-four quests to be<br />
undertaken in the game (although<br />
if you wish you may ignore any or<br />
all of them, and simply enjoy<br />
exploring the land).<br />
Before you can begin playing<br />
you must generate some charac-<br />
ters, choosing from the thirty-nine<br />
possible classes. Up to six can be<br />
to program- QRIGIN/MIND-<br />
in play at any one time, selected from those you<br />
have stored on your character disk. It is also<br />
possible to save your characters during play by<br />
staying the night at an appropriate inn. This way<br />
you won't loose any gained possessions and<br />
experience points when you next play.<br />
Movement is achieved by steering a cursor<br />
either around the town or city you are in, or<br />
alternatively through the wilderness. When it is<br />
necessary to interact with a character you are<br />
presented with a dialogue screen and a strip of<br />
icons which allow you to engage in conversa-<br />
tion. buy and sell supplies and equipment, and<br />
so on. Each of the NPC characters has a dis-<br />
tinctive personality, and encounters can some-<br />
times be quite humorous (the medieval joke<br />
shop assistant being a fine exam-<br />
ple).<br />
Where the detail in Knights of<br />
Legend is really apparent is in the<br />
combat and spell-casting systems.<br />
Because combat is not handled in<br />
real time (as in Dungeon Master),<br />
but in melee rounds, there is time<br />
to consider all the strategic ele-<br />
ments of each battle, rather than<br />
just madly hacking away at things.<br />
At the beginning of each round<br />
every surviving member of the part<br />
is allocated their offensive and<br />
defensive tactics for that round.<br />
Once this is done, the whole round is played<br />
through and any damage assessed. The beauty<br />
of this system is that you only need to reset tac-<br />
tics when you require them to change. If you<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 52<br />
SCAPE stun us<br />
with the most<br />
detailed and excit-<br />
ingcomputer- based Role<br />
Playing Game yet<br />
produced<br />
wish to a character to repeat his<br />
or her action from the previous<br />
round then you simply select OK.<br />
Todd Porter told us that<br />
'the key buzzword in this program<br />
is Artificial Intelligence', and this<br />
really shows in the way that your<br />
enemies react. They will, intelli-<br />
gently, repeatedly attack limbs<br />
that have already been damaged,<br />
and there are no less than forty<br />
different algorithms to decide<br />
when and how an enemy retreats.<br />
Similar attention to detail<br />
can be seen in the magic system<br />
(which is superficially similar to<br />
the element construction used in<br />
Dungeon Master). It is possible to<br />
create your own spells by com-<br />
bining various elements of the<br />
Elven language - so. as in real<br />
life, experimentation can pay off.<br />
When you add details like an art package<br />
for redesigning character icons and shields, the<br />
ability to name your own weapons and spells,<br />
individual damage status for limbs, and accu-<br />
rately modelled fatigue, then it is not easy to<br />
see that Knights of Legend offers game players<br />
a whole lot more than any similar game. Further<br />
good news is, that because the system is 100%<br />
data driven, it is only limited by the program-<br />
mer's imagination. The first module for the<br />
game will be. believe it or not. a science fiction<br />
scenario! Knights of Legend has impressed us,<br />
and it will impress you - buy it!<br />
t Laurence Scotford<br />
While exploring the town your party is represented<br />
with a helmet icon. Entering buildings allows<br />
you to interact with NPCs.<br />
You can view your party (in this case just a single<br />
character), and check their kit.<br />
The game looks very attractive indeed if you<br />
have a machine capable of supporting it's EGA<br />
graphics. II not. it is possible to install a CGA<br />
or monochrome version instead. Sound is kept<br />
to a minimum (thank heavens), so you will only<br />
have to suffer the occasional bleep. The program<br />
supports standard joystick and mouse<br />
drivers, although keyboard control is perfectly<br />
acceptable if you have neither of these.<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 7<br />
AUDIO 2 FUN FACTOR 8<br />
It will take you quite a while to set up your first<br />
characters and wade through the informative<br />
(and large) manual. Even when you have done<br />
that you will want some time to become<br />
accustomed to the way the game works and<br />
things like combat and magic. Then you can<br />
begin to explore and take on quests in<br />
earnest, and I suspect it will be at this point<br />
that people will begin to burn the midnight oil.<br />
Because there is so much to do in Knights of<br />
Legend it is certainly not a game you are<br />
going to complete in a hurry, and even when<br />
you do. there's the planned modules to look<br />
forward to.<br />
V 1<br />
I<br />
\<br />
ACE RATED<br />
• • nm,r<br />
/• MUMMM BARBARIAN<br />
. , , rcnsANT stnr<br />
J - I C II"<br />
Lo»r«: 1 339 LBS<br />
STREMOTH : 88 UE '* OH S K I L L °<br />
QUICKNESS: 58 S2FSJ2FI ORD<br />
HEALTH I 77<br />
FORESIGHT: 89<br />
CimWIIHH : 6H<br />
INTELLECT: «2 coco CROONS<br />
BALANCE I 7H «OVENTURC PIS!<br />
ENDURANCE: 82 MOVEMENT RATE:<br />
Comprehensive character definition and status<br />
screens arc all part of the tremendous attention<br />
to detail within the game.
I An mpressive soundtrack from Jochen Hippel<br />
is probably the best part of the game. The<br />
graphics are ok, but not overly impressive by<br />
Amiga standards. Fortunately the controls are<br />
a little less sensrtive than those on the ST making<br />
this version a lot more piayabte.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR S<br />
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 7<br />
This version
TAklifsimulat,0T1s seem t0 be the ,|avour<br />
IAlilV the day at the moment. A couple of<br />
issues back we looked at the impressive MJ<br />
Tank Platoon from Microprose. In last month's<br />
issue we reviewed the Zarch based game, Con-<br />
queror. from Rainbow Arts, which, like Sher-<br />
man M4, simulates battle scenarios from World<br />
War II. This month also sees reviews of<br />
Origin/Mindscape's Omega, and Dark Century<br />
from Titus - both futuristic tank simulations<br />
which allow you to adapt your own battle logic<br />
by using the built-in programming languages.<br />
SHERMAN<br />
Sherman M4 is something of a tribute to<br />
the vehicle of the title, which played a significant<br />
role in many WWII campaigns. This simulation<br />
allows you to play three scenarios with the tank:<br />
Normandy, Ardennes, and North Africa. Each is<br />
characterised by distinctive background graph-<br />
ics, although the filled vectors that are used to<br />
create objects like tanks, trees, buildings, and<br />
bunkers remain the same throughout (bar the<br />
changes to camouflage of course).<br />
Each of the campaigns is split into several<br />
missions, all of which must be undertaken suc-<br />
cessfully by your squadron (which comprises<br />
four Shermans and two jeeps). You are given<br />
the option of playing each of the campaign mis-<br />
sion separately, which is obviously easier, and<br />
therefore a good choice for beginning players.<br />
One thing that becomes immediately appar-<br />
ent with this simulation is the possibility for<br />
determining yourself the ratio of strategy to<br />
arcade type play. It is not only very easy to<br />
switch your control between any of the four<br />
tanks, but also a simple matter to flip between<br />
manual control and 'automatic pilof. Admittedly<br />
this facility is also available in Conqueror, but<br />
here it has been particularly well implemented.<br />
The advantage of having the controls arranged<br />
in this way is that you can choose to play<br />
almost entirely with the map (just giving battle<br />
orders to your vehicles as and when necessary)<br />
or you can become actively involved in each<br />
offensive or defensive action by taking manual<br />
control of one of the four Shermans.<br />
Orders are given via the radio and in con-<br />
junction with the map. which shows the loca-<br />
tions of enemy and allied vehicles, bunkers and<br />
emplacements, and all the other normal carto-<br />
graphic features. You give movement orders to<br />
your vehicles by placing a cross-hair on the des-<br />
You can call up attractive stats panels for all of<br />
the vehicles in the game. (PC - VGA)<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 54<br />
Got one - one of the opposition<br />
on the ST.<br />
goes up in smoke<br />
Yet another tank sim<br />
enters the fray as<br />
LORICIEL/U.S.GOLD<br />
show their appreciation<br />
for the allied workhorse of<br />
World War II<br />
tination. Tanks under automatic control will do<br />
their best to follow your orders but may be side-<br />
tracked, if they come under attack for instance.<br />
At all times the individual vehicles and your<br />
HQ report back to you via a scrolling message<br />
window at the bottom of the screen. This is very<br />
useful when you are in the map mode for warn-<br />
ing you of ambush as well as new directives.<br />
As well as all the essential bits and pieces,<br />
the game also boasts a few gimicky features.<br />
You can select between interior view (which is<br />
best for shelling because its the only mode in<br />
which you get sights) and an exterior view. While<br />
the exterior view is called up you can switch<br />
between four different viewing angles. There is<br />
also a telescope mode, in which you can only<br />
see a small section of the forward view, but<br />
each object that comes into sight is identified.<br />
Sherman M4 is certainly a very attractive<br />
game, and all the bits are in the right places<br />
(which will please hardened sim fans). The mis-<br />
sions are a little too easy to begin with, but you<br />
can alter the parameters for both allied and<br />
enemy forces to even up the stakes a bit. My<br />
only criticism of the game is that it is almost<br />
totally lacking in atmosphere. The game does<br />
not manage to conjour up any sense of really<br />
being there. It is this factor alone that stops me<br />
from unreservedly recommending this game.<br />
• Laurence Scotford<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
The Desert Campaign on the ST. viewed from<br />
the interior of one of the Shermans.<br />
w<br />
i-J<br />
M4<br />
Absolutely no complaints on the graphics front<br />
(VGA). The backgrounds are distinctive « each<br />
campaign, and superbly evocative of each<br />
location. Speedwise the game is fme too (even<br />
a 286 PC seems to run faster than the ST version!.<br />
The only problem is the complete lack of<br />
atmosphere, not helped at ad by the usual dnppy<br />
PC sound. Even so, there is stfl some satisfaction<br />
to be had out of the game.<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 7<br />
AUDIO 3 FUN FACTOR 7 E<br />
3<br />
The background and vector graphics are absolutely<br />
fine, although they don't run particularly<br />
quickly on this machine. Loricie* have not done<br />
too badly sound-wise considering that the frequency/noise<br />
generator in the ST is so limited.<br />
As with the PC version, however, this station<br />
is completely devoid of atmosphere, making<br />
it very dry to p»ay.<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 7<br />
| AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 6 L<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £19.99dk OUT NOW<br />
J<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT<br />
t<br />
PC £24.99dk OUT NOW<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
dnr «*•» ntnn |M<br />
Unlike Ml Tank Platoon there are not so many control<br />
to have to become accustomed to and memorise.<br />
This means that you can get straight dorni to playing<br />
(after a pause to admire the graphics of course).<br />
Your level of interest should climb slightly once you<br />
have played a few single missions and become accustomed<br />
to giving orders, but once you have played<br />
through all of the campaigns you probably won't want<br />
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<br />
sweet? No? OK)<br />
KID GLOVES<br />
CI IDCD ^ ar '° Brothers, Bubble Bobble,<br />
d U r C n Verminator, New Zealand Story,<br />
and Rainbow Islands are just a few of the titles<br />
to exploit the recent rise of cutesie games. You<br />
know the sort of thing - sprites that look like<br />
they've just walked out of the sickliest Hanna<br />
Barbera cartoon you can think of, and sound<br />
effects to match. Now Logotron have upped the<br />
stakes with the release of Kid Gloves, which is<br />
so cute it brings tears to your eyes.<br />
The idea behind this one is that, being tired<br />
of listening to his uncle Indiana Stallone (sounds<br />
familiar) rattling on about his adventures, young<br />
Kid (that's you matey) wanders off into uncle<br />
Indy's study where he finds a pair of old red<br />
leather boxing gloves. Trying them on he finds<br />
himself magically transported to a primeval for-<br />
est. And then the fun begins.<br />
Kid Gloves is a fairly traditional platform<br />
game. Your aim is to get from the left to the<br />
right side of each screen by jumping from one<br />
platform to another. Unlike some recent similar<br />
releases. Kid Gloves does not scroll, but flips<br />
from one screen to another. This system actual-<br />
ly does not really detract from the game, but<br />
adds to the challenge because sometimes you<br />
will have to double back to an earlier screen to<br />
solve a later one.<br />
There are five levels to complete including<br />
Somewhere in the Frozen Wastes (with extra-<br />
cute penguins), London: Industrial Revolution<br />
(which features various animated machine<br />
parts), and Psychedelia (which is not at all rec-<br />
ommended to readers who suffer from epilep-<br />
sy). Each level consists of ten screens. Once<br />
you reach the right hand side of the tenth<br />
screen the gloves will transport you to the next<br />
level.<br />
Like all good platform games there are a<br />
number of alternative weapons to use against<br />
the bad guys. You begin with the death coins<br />
LOGOTRON double the<br />
stakes in the super-cute<br />
jump-'iv-collect platform<br />
market<br />
^dki^jnrS:<br />
0 0 2 9 Q Q 0 looaofc<br />
Technophobia strikes in the Industrial Revolution<br />
stage - how do they make glum so colourful.<br />
Psychedelia is quite... well... psychedelic. What<br />
can I say?<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
You will be captivated by this game from the<br />
moment it first loads. The appeal will of<br />
course gradually die after a few games. You<br />
will probably pick it up again after a while,<br />
perhaps to try and complete it. Once you've<br />
gone right the way through ifs unlikely that<br />
you will want to play it again.<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £24.99dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT<br />
Kid Gloves immediately makes an impact on<br />
the audio-visual front. The sprites are al very<br />
aooealing and there is lots of variety across<br />
the levels. The sound has also been done very<br />
well and includes extremely cute digit/ed<br />
speech as well as a suitably fluffy soirdtrack.<br />
A very wen presented and highly playable<br />
game, even if the theme is a bit hackneyed.<br />
GRAPHICS 8 10 FACTOR 7<br />
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 9<br />
which bounce around the screen hitting ene-<br />
mies, but require several hits to destroy large<br />
creatures. Other weapons to be had are Flames,<br />
Deathstar, and Megalaser. These can be<br />
obtained in the occasional shops (again some-<br />
thing to be found in most good platform cuties).<br />
What is a little more unusual are the spells<br />
that are available to you. There are six different<br />
spells, one of which can be used on each<br />
screen providing you have the magic. Unfortu-<br />
nately you can never predict which spell will be<br />
used or how effective it will be, so they are obvi-<br />
ously intended as something of a last resort.<br />
Unlike many similar games, Kid Gloves<br />
involves a lot more than timing your jumps cor-<br />
rectly and doing away with various nasties.<br />
There are particular ways to solve each screen<br />
and maximise your gains (which in this case are<br />
fruit for points, and cash for shopping). Some<br />
events, like disappearing walls and extra mon-<br />
sters are controlled by time-outs so if you hang<br />
around for long enough on a screen this can<br />
have either beneficial or detrimental effects,<br />
depending on the stage.<br />
You will also have to collect keys en route<br />
to get you past certain obstacles. Even if you<br />
have the keys, a lot of careful thinking is<br />
required. A very useful feature if you do foul up<br />
a screen is 'back in time'. This allows you to go<br />
back three screens and re-run them (a far better<br />
option than having to replay the whole game).<br />
On the whole Kid Gloves doesn't really offer<br />
anything that you can't get in other platform<br />
games, with the possible exception of the magic<br />
feature and the 'back in time' feature. Having<br />
said that this sort of game is fairly timeless, and<br />
cutie fans will probably not be disappointed to<br />
see another one on the shelves. Definitely one<br />
of the most attractive platform games to be<br />
released for some time.<br />
• Laurence Scotford<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 55
PLAYER MANA<br />
ANCO get into the footy big-time<br />
with a Kick Off sequel that gives<br />
you the chance to hire and fire<br />
as well as get the goals in<br />
IMAGINE strategic management game<br />
bolted on. That is exactly what Dino Dini of<br />
Kick Off fame has dreamt up for Anco.<br />
Player Manager offers a wealth of manage-<br />
ment options in an easy to implement, icon-driv-<br />
en play system.<br />
You start by picking your team. A squad of<br />
thirteen players have to be chosen to take part<br />
in a full league and cup programme.<br />
There are many weighty managerial deci-<br />
sions to be made. You can study the form of all<br />
the players in the list, check out their transfer<br />
fee asking price, and even improve on their per-<br />
formance by selecting appropriate training.<br />
To limit the length of championship cam-<br />
paigns the divisions have been restricted to five<br />
or six of the most famous teams in that league.<br />
Right liberties have been taken here. Take Divi-<br />
sion Three, for example. One of the teams pre-<br />
sent is called "Bristol". But Bristol what ? City or<br />
Rovers? Surely it would have been better to opt<br />
for Bristol City if there was not room for both -<br />
not only to add realism, but also because City<br />
are the biggest and historically most successful<br />
team from the west country.<br />
Club Records<br />
The Club<br />
Managerial Match Reports<br />
fissesnent On<br />
t\fter the game options do you really want to<br />
know what that dark blue window will reveal.<br />
But this is a minor gripe and the overall<br />
decision to limit the number of teams is a sensi-<br />
ble one.<br />
Vou begin your managerial career as Play-<br />
er/Manager in the Third Division. Your impres-<br />
sive international career fills the fans and club<br />
officials with hope that you will provide the<br />
spark that will end their residence in the lowly<br />
Third. But its a funny old game football and a<br />
manager's existence is a precarious one. as you<br />
will soon discover if the goals don't start going<br />
in.<br />
When you have set up your team, checked<br />
the transfer list, club finances , carried out all<br />
pre-match training and practised tactics its time<br />
for the Kick Off. Fans of the original will recog-<br />
nise the hit soccer game immediately.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 56<br />
On Match Day you have a decision to make.<br />
Are you going to select your self and join in the<br />
frantic end to end action of Kick Off. or are you<br />
going to stay on the bench where you have a<br />
number of match monitoring devices at you fin-<br />
ger tips.<br />
The best of these is the camera which you<br />
can instruct to follow the ball or train it on a<br />
player who you want to keep a closer eye on.<br />
Matches can be played at normal Kick Off<br />
speed or fast mode, viewed from above in a<br />
rectangle which shows the whole pitch in minia-<br />
ture - your team scrambling around like bugs.<br />
If you decide to play then you have to<br />
choose to play in position (the best option) or as<br />
a team, where you control all of the players in<br />
your team. Once the the match is in progress it<br />
plays just like Kick Off. with the same unique<br />
pace and variety of set piece moves that made<br />
the game such a hit.<br />
(A<br />
s<br />
g<br />
Makes a good strong first impression thanks<br />
to the well presented strategy screens, with<br />
their various icons and windows. From the<br />
very start Player Manager avoids the most<br />
common mistake of management games -<br />
lists of boring tables of statistics. You are<br />
never more than a couple of mouse clicks<br />
away from the action, and that action is a<br />
modified version of Kick Off - the state of the<br />
art in computer arcade soccer. Player<br />
Manger has strong long term appeal with its<br />
save game options and potential to take part<br />
In a full league and cup season, match by<br />
match. Coded by Oino Dini (the author of<br />
Kick Off), the boy done well.<br />
< •<br />
Full marks to Anco for getting it all onto one<br />
disk. It would have been easy for them to put it<br />
on two - strategy on or*. Kick Off on the<br />
other, necessitating interminable disk swapping.<br />
The ST also boasts an advantage over<br />
other versions wth a white dol indicator to aid<br />
shooting and passng. One of the ST"s finest.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 8<br />
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 9 1 3<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
i ATARI ST £19.95dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £19.95dk IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.95cs£l4.95dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned<br />
After each match you get a results service<br />
of all the other league games or cup ties.<br />
Depending on the performance of your side you<br />
may wish to go back to the main menu to select<br />
Training, Transfers, or have a look at the League<br />
Placings. One option that may not wish to select<br />
is the Club Information - where you are given the<br />
Board verdict on your performance.<br />
Even if you avoid the views of your board<br />
there is no way of missing the news updates<br />
that appear after the game on Match Day.<br />
These reports provide useful snippets of infor-<br />
mation about rival clubs. Things like players on<br />
the move, manager sackings,and sending offs.<br />
The Coach Report is another vital informa-<br />
tion <strong>source</strong> for the manager that wants to keep<br />
in touch. The coach provides updates on individ-<br />
ual and team morale, both of which directly<br />
effect team performances.<br />
Of the management scenes, the Tactical<br />
Training window is the best. This enables you to<br />
set up a number moves that you can execute<br />
on match day, as well as selecting and experi-<br />
menting with different formations.<br />
The player statistics are sufficiently compre-<br />
hensive to satisfy the most pernickity of arm<br />
chair managers, with ratings in all of the vital<br />
skill categories. The save option also enables<br />
you to play a full league championship if you<br />
have a whole season to spare.<br />
The beauty of Player Manager is that it suc-<br />
cessfully blends a challenging soccer manage-<br />
ment game with all of the frantic end to end<br />
arcade action of Kick Off. Designers have been<br />
trying to marry arcade footy with management<br />
games for years • almost always failing abysmal-<br />
ly. Player Manager brings it off in style.<br />
• Eugene Lacey<br />
Ixtoksfamiliar match day action is rtfined<br />
version of Kick Off. You can look on from the<br />
bench or put your hoots on and join in.
p\aV<br />
„ C C ;-T socce* Y e i - ^ y ^ -<br />
iYve B ^ S V ? a c e - V * * ^ . Qvvn T ^ s<br />
•4 rvf\0<br />
y o U l<br />
deai-<br />
^ m WfZ tor t ^ f (taivV ^ v<br />
ocus<br />
caX° Savet ° n<br />
f\e\d-<br />
W e Sd C U P<br />
Bring Back The Glory Days, the brief of the newly appointed<br />
PLAYER MANAGER, an International class player, as he takes<br />
charge of a third division club. His success depends on four distinct<br />
aspects of the game.<br />
PLAYING SKILLS OF THE MANAGER<br />
This part of the game is a refined version of the KICK OFF,<br />
retaining it's pace, flavour and the universally acclaimed game<br />
play. Play in your position or control the nearest player.<br />
The first option combined with a tailor made tactics can<br />
play havoc in the opposition goal mouth.<br />
MANAGERIAL SKILLS<br />
Devising winning tactics, acquiring players with right skills<br />
from the Transfer market and selecting a well balanced team<br />
is the test of his Managerial skills. When to hang his boots up<br />
is the toughest decision he has to make.<br />
TACTICS<br />
Four well proven tactics are provided to suit most situations<br />
but you can design your own tactics. See the tactics in action<br />
using the Ray Trace facility.<br />
trj<br />
m m<br />
W •"SS<br />
f ^ l AMIGA<br />
U ATARI ST £19.95<br />
^ CBM 64 - SPECTRUM - AMSTRAD -<br />
ATARI 800 £9.95(Cassette) £14.95(Disc)<br />
THE PLAYERS<br />
Over a thousand players in the four division league.<br />
Each player with a unique combination of the<br />
following attributes: SHOOTING ACCURACY,<br />
PASSING ACCURACY, PACE, STAMINA, APPLI-<br />
CATION, AGGRESSION, HEIGHT and TACKLING<br />
SKILL.<br />
These attributes are influenced by the player's<br />
Age, Mental and Physical Dexterity, Quality of<br />
Experience, Weight, Temperament and Morale.<br />
There are several other factors such as injury,<br />
disciplinary points, unsuitable playing position<br />
which influence a player's performance.<br />
Hosts of other factors like referees, injuries, disciplinary problems, team morale etc. can lay to waste the best laid<br />
plans of a manager. The PLAYER MANAGER brings everyday realities of a Manager's life, his talents as a manager<br />
and a player into a sharp FOCUS. THE FOCUS IS ON YOU.<br />
aa<br />
11ti*l IftCTICI ' MIN8 «TT«CK<br />
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181 Morale 100<br />
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TWARE LTD., UNIT 10, BURNHAM TRADING ESTATE, LAWSON ROAD.<br />
KENT. Mail Order by Cheque, Postal Order. ACCESS or VISA.<br />
No.: 0322 92513/92518. FAX No.: 0322 93422.
WILLIAM<br />
THE LEGEND<br />
OF WILLIAM TELL<br />
Tell and cross-<br />
bows go togeth-<br />
er like Geoff Capes and a couple<br />
of cabers. No-one understands<br />
the intricacies of arrows and quiv-<br />
ers better than Will and he's a dif-<br />
ficult man to beat in swordplay as<br />
well. Childcare, on the other<br />
hand, is something he doesn't<br />
excel at. Unsupervised, his son<br />
has managed to get himself into<br />
a scrape with the evil duke<br />
Gessler who's throwing him into<br />
prison for refusing to bow down<br />
to the ducal hat. For a man like<br />
Will this isn't a matter of choice; he's deter-<br />
mined to find his son and give Gessler a lesson<br />
he'll never forget.<br />
The search for Tell junior turns out to be an<br />
icon-driven arcade adventure with plenty of<br />
fighting sequences thrown in. Tell's exploits,<br />
which take place in the top half of the screen,<br />
are directed using a selection of icons.<br />
Basically, ifs a question of exploring the<br />
countryside, collecting objects and dealing with<br />
the people and animals that you meet. Equip-<br />
ment is your first priority. Back at your hut you'll<br />
find a staff and an axe but the forest itself hides<br />
a whole armoury of extra swords, different<br />
types of arrows, crossbows and arrow winders.<br />
Any jewellry and travel documents lying about<br />
are bound to come in useful; provisions are<br />
essential if William's energy is running low.<br />
Ifs best to deal with most characters by<br />
talking to them. Some will give you an object<br />
without any prodding at all; others need to be<br />
persuaded with a morsel of food or a little kind-<br />
ness. Icons let you offer provisions, jewels or<br />
show papers though when you start out you'll<br />
have limited supplies of these.<br />
SCREEN 7<br />
cross swords with<br />
ancient legend in<br />
this new animated<br />
arcade adventure.<br />
Gessler's black knights<br />
are under instructions to arrest<br />
anyone who bears a passing<br />
resemblance to William Tell.<br />
However much you try to avoid<br />
them, you'll have to go into com-<br />
bat eventually. The appropriate<br />
icon lets you choose your<br />
weapon and execute a few basic<br />
fighting moves. If you choose<br />
the crossbow, a target position-<br />
ing window appears at the base<br />
of the screen; ifs up to you to<br />
set the sights yourself.<br />
There's obviously plenty of<br />
substance to the story; certainly enough to sup-<br />
port hours of playing time - if you can spare it.<br />
Even so, The Legend of William Tell is .good<br />
rather than outstanding; a lot of*the location<br />
and character graphics are repeated and it<br />
takes a fair amount of exploration before you<br />
start to make much progress. Not only that,<br />
some of the initial fighting sequences are<br />
extremely tough and may put you off if you're<br />
not very patient. Definitely one to consider only<br />
if you've got lots of time on your hands and are<br />
addicted to arcade adventures.<br />
• Kati Hamza<br />
Not a bad arcade adventure, but not a really<br />
good one either. Your initial expectations are<br />
not that high, and you won't really find much<br />
more to hold your interest after the first few<br />
games. Your interest will peak once you've got<br />
the hang of things. Of course once you've<br />
solved it - that's i«<br />
Will engages one of Gessler's black knights in a<br />
little melee! Whoops! Tell tries to shoot his way onto the drawbridge without any arrows.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 58<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £19.99dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £l9.99dk OUT NOW<br />
SPECTRUM £9.99cs«£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.99cs«£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
PC £24.99dk IMMINENTNo<br />
Graphics and presentation are generally slick<br />
with user-friendly icons and helpful save/Toad<br />
options. Sound is limited to effects iivgame but<br />
a jolly Lone Ranger title tune goes some way<br />
to compensating for that. Fun for a while but<br />
tedious m the long run.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 5 FUN FACTOR 6<br />
Graphically and sorecally more colourful than<br />
the ST version though some of the definition<br />
isn't quite as good. A tad faster but no real differences<br />
in the gameplay.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 5 FUN FACTOR 6 '
PIPEMANIA<br />
I<br />
can still remember quite<br />
clearly an old coin-op in<br />
which a little steam train<br />
chuffed its way merrily round<br />
a series of rectangular sliding<br />
blocks, each of which con-<br />
tained a different shaped sec-<br />
tion of track. The idea was to<br />
ensure that the train contin-<br />
ued to move for as long as<br />
possible before meeting an<br />
obstruction, or the end of the<br />
track. This was achieved by sliding the sections<br />
of track around the screen in a similar way to<br />
the classic sliding letter puzzles. Considering<br />
the simplicity of the idea, the resultant game<br />
was surprisingly compulsive.<br />
Now Entertainment International have pro-<br />
duced a game for micros which is superficially<br />
similar, and just as addictive. In Pipemania,<br />
rather than a steam train you must control the<br />
flow of a rather yucky substance called Flooz,<br />
and instead of sections of track you must place<br />
sections of pipe in order that the gooey stuff<br />
can continue flowing without leaking.<br />
O.K. So far, so good. You simply tack sec-<br />
tions of pipe onto the <strong>source</strong> pipe to form a<br />
length of tubing which the stuff can flow<br />
through. There are complications, however. To<br />
begin with you have a fairly respectable amount<br />
of time to make headway with your construc-<br />
tion, but once the goo starts flowing it contin-<br />
ues to do so at a steady rate, leaving you little<br />
time to stop and think about what you are<br />
doing.<br />
The other little complication is that sections<br />
of pipe are presented to you in a set order, and<br />
you must use them as they come, so you will<br />
often have to look at the stack of pieces to see<br />
what is in the pipeline, as it were. It is permissi-<br />
ble to place a new section of pipe over an old<br />
one (as long as it is not in use) to replace the<br />
original piece. This process, known as 'bomb-<br />
ing', takes more time than placing a section of<br />
pipe in an empty space. It is no good simply<br />
dumping unwanted pieces anywhere either - at<br />
the end of each round, any pieces of pipe that<br />
are gooless are removed, along with a sizeable<br />
chunk of your score.<br />
If you get clever enough to be able to form<br />
loops and other fancy structures you receive<br />
bonus points. There are also points to be had<br />
for directing the sticky stuff through pipe sec-<br />
tions that are placed on screen before the start<br />
inn<br />
g M<br />
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M * n 231 EJM<br />
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•I< 1! a] * * a I a a a<br />
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i •<br />
^V/l a 1 * 1 • mk<br />
m 1*1*1* * [* 1<br />
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If you manage to form a bop you can acquire<br />
some useful bonus points<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
show that plumbing<br />
can be fun...<br />
of the round. Then there are<br />
obstacles to be avoided, and<br />
these become more haz-<br />
ardous with each passing<br />
level.<br />
At the end of each level<br />
you get to play a bonus<br />
screen. The objective is the<br />
same, but this time the pieces<br />
of pipe slide back and forth at<br />
the top of the screen and<br />
must be dropped into place<br />
(there are shades of Tetris here). This is even<br />
more difficult than the standard game because,<br />
of course, pipe sections must be stacked,<br />
which entails using a lot of otherwise unneces-<br />
sary pieces.<br />
A useful feature is the use of passwords to<br />
gain entry to levels you have reached in previ-<br />
ous games. This should give the game a longer<br />
life than it would otherwise have had if players<br />
had been forced to continually replay levels they<br />
had already mastered.<br />
Pipemania is destined to become a huge<br />
success. It has all the elements that made<br />
Tetris such a superb game: an engaging sim-<br />
plicity. instant accessibility, timelessness, and<br />
bags of fun. When you add the two-player and<br />
advanced features of the game, it is not difficult<br />
to see that a monster hit is in the making. Unre-<br />
servedly recommended.<br />
• Laurence Scotford<br />
On later levels there are plenty of obstacles,<br />
reservoirs and fixed pipe sections<br />
COMING IN FROM ALL ANGLES!<br />
Pipemania hasn't even hit the streets in the UK and it<br />
has already made a hell of an impression on the<br />
entertainment software industry.<br />
Lucasfilm were quick to snap-up the program<br />
for marketing in the states, and by all accounts it is<br />
already doing very well over there. As you can see<br />
from our release box. Entertainment International are<br />
so sure that the game will have universal appeal that<br />
they plan to release it across every popular format.<br />
In addition to the micro versions, there is a coinop<br />
also in development - and it shows real achievement<br />
wtien a development for micros gets taken on<br />
for the arcades rather than the other way round.<br />
And that's not the end of it. A version of the<br />
game for the Nintendo gameboy and an NE§ cartridge<br />
wil both be available around the mid'dle of the<br />
year.<br />
iliSwiSSi' 1 I I H h L M I I<br />
IF<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
i<br />
ATARI ST £19.95dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £19.95dk IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
PC £19.95dk IMMINENT<br />
MACINTOSH £24.95dk IMMINENT<br />
ARCHIMEDES £24.95dk IMMINENT<br />
MSX £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
BBC/ELECTRON £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST<br />
Pipemania does not look like anything too special at<br />
first sight, but I guarantee that the moment you begin<br />
to play it you wil become instantly addicted. This is<br />
one that you are going to play and play until you are<br />
absolutely sick of it But even then you are likely to<br />
keep going back to it. A classic game.<br />
The comments made for the Amiga apply<br />
equally to this version. To be honest there isn't<br />
really anything to ten between the two - both<br />
are superbly implemented games with stacks<br />
of playability. It is r*ce to see that there are stf<br />
some games which don't rely on stunning<br />
audovsual elements to mask a total lack of<br />
gameplay.<br />
GRAPHICS 6<br />
AUDIO 7<br />
10 FACTOR 8<br />
FUN FACTOR 10<br />
ACt MAIWC.<br />
•1<br />
Oaphicaty, the game is qi*te simple, but then<br />
it doesn't need ntncately drawn sprites to<br />
keep it's appeal. Smilarly the sound is restricted<br />
to suitable Mps and bleeps at appropriate<br />
moments. But although the game may be pnmitrve<br />
on an audiovisual basis, it makes up for it<br />
with ifs nstant appeal and payability. A superb<br />
game!<br />
910<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 59
CONSOLE CAPERS<br />
ACE looks at some of the latest releases for the Sega Master System<br />
TENNIS ACE<br />
I. Lender? J. McKm? Do these names sound<br />
familiar? Well, Tennis Ace incorporates them in<br />
its comprehensive attempt to emulate the fast-<br />
paced sport, and (just for good measure) gives<br />
you bags of options, realistic ball movement<br />
and occasional flashes of humour (bring back<br />
Des Lynam, I say).<br />
Every possible permutation of two players<br />
and computer opponents has been included;<br />
you can play solo against the computer or<br />
against a friend; or you can play with a friend in<br />
a doubles match against two simulated oppo-<br />
nents; or with a computer partner against a<br />
friend and his partner... in fact, it's this flexibility<br />
which makes the action enjoyable. In one-player<br />
mode alone it would die an early death.<br />
There are four basic types of game: training<br />
(which helps to hone your skill level), Open Tour-<br />
nament (against another human player), Exhibi-<br />
tion match (so you can show off your talent) and<br />
Grandslam Tournament, where you face the big<br />
boys (and girls). On top of this, there are three<br />
types of court surface to play on - clay (high<br />
bounce), grass (limited rebound) and hard court<br />
(high and wide bounce) - all of which do play<br />
significantly differently.<br />
The action is presented from overhead, the<br />
court scrolling to accommodate shots travelling<br />
Once play begins you revert to an overhead view<br />
- still a little odd. but at least you can see the<br />
whole court.<br />
beyond the lines. Serving is different, however;<br />
it's a '3D' side-on view which switches to over-<br />
head once the ball has been struck. Many differ-<br />
ent types of shot are available, including lobs,<br />
drop shots, volleys and smashes, all of which<br />
help to spice up the action, which doesn't (and<br />
maybe should) move along at a heart-stopping<br />
pace.<br />
The one major niggle is the amount of time<br />
it takes the program between points. You have<br />
to wait at least fifteen seconds: this may not<br />
sound so bad, and for the first few games it<br />
isn't, but when you're playing three sets (particu-<br />
larly against the computer) it gets on your<br />
nerves.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 60<br />
Tennis Ace isn't a bad sports sim, but it<br />
could have been better. The range of options is<br />
great, but the actual in-game variety is not so<br />
hot. Playing alone can become laborious, even<br />
with a password system; fortunately, the two-<br />
player options more than make up for this. How-<br />
ever, if you haven't got a friend coming round<br />
every night, you might want more for your £25<br />
than just a decent tennis game.<br />
Initially, Tennis Ace strikes you as being far<br />
too easy; the computer opponents are pre-<br />
dictable, and the collision detection between<br />
ball and racquet is very kind. Then you enter the<br />
Grandslam Tournament and things begin to get<br />
harder - but not astoundingly so. After a<br />
month's play, you'll probably find that you can<br />
beat most of the opposition quite easily and,<br />
unfortunately, that's when the one-player game<br />
dies.<br />
More comprehensive than Super Tennis,<br />
this is still far from being the perfect simulation.<br />
The graphics are detailed enough and the ball<br />
movement works very well, but the sound<br />
grates even with the wide choice of tunes open<br />
to you. Despite the huge variety of options, the<br />
action itself doesn't quite hit the mark for a solo<br />
player. For two players, though, it's great!<br />
• Gordon Houghton<br />
SEGA £24.95ct OUT NOW<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 8<br />
ACC RATING<br />
760<br />
The service must be delivered from a side-on view<br />
- not exactly conducive to good play y<br />
PSYCHO FOX<br />
Dont be put off by the title. The fox in Sega's lat-<br />
est platform caper is really quite cute. Your chal-<br />
lenge is to negotiate him around the various<br />
platforms and several levels in a bid to defeat<br />
the evil Madfox Daimyojin.<br />
Foxes are respected creatures in Japan -<br />
worshipped at Inan temples as gods of the har-<br />
vest. But this vaunted position is about to be<br />
usurped by Daimyojin. who has thrown the world<br />
into turmoil. He has populated the land with evil<br />
creatures bent on destruction.<br />
Psycho Fox must visit all seven staged of<br />
the game eliminating these creatures with what-<br />
ever weapons he can muster. The stages have<br />
three rounds each and you have just three lives<br />
with which to conquer its extensive network of<br />
platforms.<br />
Your fox can punch the enemies to destroy<br />
them or jump on them if he is agile enough. He<br />
can also enlist the support of his trusty ally -<br />
Bird Fly. BircJ Fly will launch himself at the enemy<br />
and knock them off the platform clearing a path<br />
for Psycho Fox. To get Bird Fly to perch on your<br />
shoulder you must first crack open an egg - but<br />
be careful in doing this as some of the eggs<br />
contain enemies.<br />
The Psycho Stick is another useful artifact<br />
to look out for. It enables Psycho Fox to trans-<br />
form into either a hippopotamus, monkey, or a<br />
tiger. Certain forms are more appropriate than<br />
others depending on the situation. The Hippo,<br />
for example, has powerful punching power that<br />
can smash through walls but he weighs a good
deal and may sink through some of the plat-<br />
forms.<br />
Taking the correct route is the key to Psy-<br />
cho Fox. as some paths are a good deal more<br />
difficult than others.<br />
Alongside all the hazards and creatures out<br />
to get you there are also plenty of 'leg-ups' for<br />
Psycho Fox. There are excellent lumping boards<br />
which enable him to trampoline high into the air<br />
to move around. There are also swing poles,<br />
jumping boards, wind rides and bridges.<br />
Sega are still masters of cute as the Psycho Fox<br />
islands in the sky demonstrate.<br />
Psycho Fox - the route through the clouds is just<br />
one of the many.<br />
Manoeuvring Psycho Fox takes a bit of<br />
practice. He can be made to move a consider-<br />
able speed and carries the momentum of this<br />
speed into the air with his leap, carrying forward<br />
a good deal. On landing you can immediately<br />
right his position by moving the joypad in the<br />
opposite direction, often creating an excellent<br />
'steaming heels' effect as he lands on a plat-<br />
form. Just like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.<br />
Before you confront Daimyojin you must<br />
complete the treacherous seventh stage, where<br />
all of the traps that you have previously encoun-.<br />
tered must be negotiated again. As if this were<br />
not enough to worry about there are also some<br />
tricky escalators that can throw you off the<br />
scent. Daimyojin himself is as tough to defeat<br />
as any mean-looking end of level nasty from a<br />
shoot 'em up - a huge sprite taking up a third of<br />
the screen.<br />
Apart from the mam business of platform<br />
leaping in an attempt to confront Daimyojin<br />
there is also a secondary game in between<br />
stages.This is a gambling game called Amida,<br />
where you place bets with the money you have<br />
gathered in the platform scenes on how far you<br />
will get along the paths. At the end of each path<br />
is a prize. The more money you have, the more<br />
paths you can bet on.<br />
Secondary games are popular in Japanese<br />
console games, particularly those involving an<br />
element of gambling, and they certainly do add<br />
an extra dimension, as well as providing light<br />
relief from the main business of the challenge.<br />
Psycho Fox is very much a game for plat-<br />
form officianados. It is Marioesque and features<br />
some very tough pieces of platforming. It has<br />
real lasting value. There is more than one way to<br />
get around it, adding to the appeal. The Sec-<br />
ondary Game is also fun, offering something<br />
else to boast about apart from how many of the<br />
platforms you have so far mastered.<br />
Graphically the game is superb, particularly<br />
some of the later stages such as the Ice Zone,<br />
Wind Zone, and Underground Cavern. Perhaps<br />
not quite as appealing as the Alex Kidd games<br />
but certainly one of the best platform offerings<br />
available for the Master System.<br />
SPELLCASTER<br />
1 Eugene Lacey<br />
The Japanese love role playing games. They are<br />
the most popular type of game amongst the<br />
many millions of console owners, regularly out-<br />
stripping the latest shoot 'em ups and arcade<br />
games.<br />
This explains the comparatively high num-<br />
ber that are available for the Sega. But if you<br />
have always reasoned that RPG's with all that<br />
puzzling and adventuring are not for you then<br />
you might be wise to reconsider. Spellcaster is<br />
a very different type of game. It is much more<br />
arcadey than computer RPG's, and the plot and<br />
characters are all introduced to you in snappy<br />
cartoon-style cameos.<br />
You are the ambitious young warrior Kane,<br />
determined to prove your valour to the leader<br />
Daikak. An opportunity arises when ten of<br />
Daikak's warriors are slaughtered by a mysteri-<br />
ous enemy when they were dispatched to guard<br />
some remote mountain temples.<br />
Daikak instructs you to journey to Izumo to<br />
find out what happened to he men. This is where<br />
the action begins, as you find yourself journey-<br />
ing through a forest and under attack from<br />
strange teddy-bear like creatures.<br />
You are armed with a Dokko which you can<br />
throw at the enemy to kill them before they can<br />
tough you and reduce your strength rating which<br />
is displayed above the action window. Your ener-<br />
gy level is also displayed at this point.<br />
You are never far away from the action in<br />
Spe/lcaster, which is where the game departs<br />
from more pure RPG style games like Dungeon<br />
Master. You have to complete each of the mini<br />
arcade missions in order to reach the destina-<br />
tions, where you encounter other characters<br />
whom you can talk to.<br />
Once you reach once of the eleven destina-<br />
tions you are given a menu of possible moves.<br />
You select either Move, Talk, Look. Take, Use,<br />
or Spell by highlighting your chosen-action with<br />
the joypad and pressing fire.<br />
Normally it is best to have a good look<br />
around first as the game will give you clues in<br />
its descriptions of the location. Look gives you<br />
a further "At what?" request which enables you<br />
to move a finger pointer around everything in<br />
the graphic window display, examining anything<br />
that you think may be of use. If something is<br />
identified you may use TAKE to grab it.<br />
There are a further seven weapons to be<br />
picked up m the game, all of them more power-<br />
ful than the Dokko with which you start. There<br />
are also the spells and you will need to cast<br />
these during certain action screens if you are to<br />
survive them and solve the mystery.<br />
You have not really got to grips with Spell-<br />
caster until you start to wield the magical pow-<br />
ers of the spells. The best of them is the Nobo-<br />
ta spell that creates a shield impervious to all<br />
the enemy's missile attacks. The Indira Spell is<br />
one of the most spectacular, bringing down<br />
bolts of lightning to strike down your enemies.<br />
You can cast a spell at any time you wish by<br />
pressing the pause button. This will bring down<br />
the Status Screen where you can select your<br />
spell (Providing you are carrying it) and then<br />
return to the action screen where the spell is<br />
executed. This information screen also enables<br />
you to use the "Password Save" feature which<br />
enables you to quit the game and then resume<br />
the next time you play at exactly the same posi-<br />
tion by making a note of the password.<br />
Mars calls on the God of the War to restore<br />
your strength, Makiri enables you to fly (very<br />
useful in some of the trickier platform action<br />
screens), Fudo gives you a huge and deadly ball<br />
of fire, and Hatten calls on the God of Winds to<br />
whip up a tornado against your enemies.<br />
There is good variety in the in the action<br />
screens that Kane must journey through. Apart<br />
from the the temples and shrines the quest also<br />
takes you into space, across time, and into the<br />
Land of the Dead.<br />
Mastering the use of the spells and<br />
weapons makes for a good tough challenge.<br />
Ultimately Spellmaster is limited by its finite<br />
plot. Once you have done it you are unlikely to<br />
plug it in again. It provides a fun challenge whilst<br />
it lasts though.<br />
Spellcaster is more of an arcade game with<br />
adventure style graphical rewards between lev-<br />
els than a pure RPG. Its arcade screens are<br />
tough and graphically satisfying with the added<br />
curiosity of the mystery. A competent game.<br />
• Eugene Lacey<br />
SEGA £29.95ct OUT NOW<br />
ACE RATING<br />
710<br />
•<br />
Kane learns of the slaughter of the warriors.<br />
DAIkAkl kfiNE•VOU<br />
C*»N • T DIE VET!<br />
MOT HERE f<br />
Spellcaster • the fun is in casting the spells<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 61
OMEGA MINDSCAPE<br />
Flippy cybernetic engineer worth his<br />
CVCnT weight in microchips knows that to<br />
reach the pinnacle of his career is to join the<br />
Organisation of Strategic Intelligence. That's<br />
where the country's experts are designing<br />
cybertanks - armoured vehicles capable of com-<br />
pletely independent fighting, movement and<br />
thought.<br />
You're a new recruit to this hotbed of<br />
defence intelligence and your assignment is to<br />
create the most efficient cybertanks possible on<br />
a limited budget. Design is implemented using a<br />
combination of pull-down menus and keyboard<br />
commands.<br />
There are two main engineering points: the<br />
chassis and the tank's artificial intelligence. For<br />
the chassis it's mainly a question of choosing<br />
equipment (fuel cells, drive system, weapon<br />
type, enemy scanner etc) from a menu of avail-<br />
able components. New recruits have a budget<br />
of 1,000 credits. This increases as the efficien-<br />
cy of your tank designs improve, enabling you to<br />
purchase more advanced equipment as well as<br />
extras such as energy misers, repair kits,<br />
defence shields and accelerators.<br />
Programming a tank's Al is much more com-<br />
plicated. Using the Cybertank Command Lan-<br />
guage (CCL) you type in a list of commands<br />
intended to control abilities like movement,<br />
searching, scanning, rotating, firing and so on.<br />
CCL works like a mini programming language<br />
(luckily, it's based on English) and it's not some-<br />
thing you'll learn to master in an afternoon.<br />
About 50 pages of the manual are devoted to<br />
teaching you how to use it and it probably helps<br />
if you've had some minor experience of pro-<br />
gramming before. If that all sounds a bit too<br />
complicated, you can just string together a<br />
selection of ready-made Al capsules selected by<br />
menu from the Al library: they aren't as flexible<br />
but speed up the engineering process.<br />
Every completed design has to be autho-<br />
rised. This works a bit like a primary debugging<br />
process. A more in-depth de-bugging routine is<br />
STRRT<br />
OO<br />
III]<br />
* F M.MHIT t .INN-B'T N . T «FCT I..»P-.U I<br />
IRNRStRHCH<br />
H!THCHIRHH<br />
UIPFR<br />
HRRNCH It) STRRT<br />
T RNRSF RRCM<br />
OU Ft IPO IM<br />
5CHN FOR I Ml MV IRNH<br />
IF I MFMV THhR MRS fOONO<br />
TRUTHOONO<br />
I ROT RTF SCRNNiR LEFT 1<br />
DETECT OBSTRUCTION RT<br />
il » MOVE<br />
I # TORN<br />
SCRH "T| ROTH 11<br />
* IF<br />
RFSOMI<br />
Designing I 'SpecihiTm<br />
a tank's brains is the most time-consuming<br />
operation. Completed tanks be transferred to another<br />
computer I • 00 via modem.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 62<br />
also included. If there are mis-<br />
takes in your Al routines,<br />
they're identified for you to go<br />
back and alter them. If not,<br />
you're free to go on to test the<br />
design in combat simulation.<br />
There are several complete<br />
battlefields on the disk but you<br />
can construct your own using a<br />
construction kit. Options<br />
screens allow you to pick the<br />
number and type of your oppo-<br />
nents as well as whether or not<br />
you're going to be fighting in<br />
teams. If fitted with a comm-<br />
link, tanks in your team may<br />
communicate with one another.<br />
During the simulation, which<br />
runs automatically, you can switch between<br />
localised and overhead viewpoints. At the end of<br />
the sim, your design can be evaluated; if it's<br />
good enough, you're given promotion and a big-<br />
ger budget. If not, it's back to the drawing<br />
board.<br />
• SI Merio lOBe'13: It has been<br />
requestrd that software engineers<br />
not tie up the lavatories tar<br />
overextended periods hn using the<br />
opportunitn to studq their latest<br />
<strong>source</strong> I•st i na.<br />
Cqbernetic UaI Ihm — Cqberchi<br />
costs sHqrocHet as inflation<br />
continues in the United States.<br />
Cqbernetic tianufacturers declare<br />
shortage on all HI hoards.<br />
One of many neat presentation touches, the bul<br />
letin board keeps you ir\formed about the day to<br />
day running of the OSJ.<br />
Omega is probably one of the most com-<br />
plex games you'll ever come across. It comes<br />
with an in-depth manual which runs to about 200<br />
pages and there's much more to it than can be<br />
adequately summarised in a<br />
review. In many ways, ifs more an<br />
exercise in programming tech-<br />
niques than a tank sim or a strate-<br />
gy game. The design possibilities<br />
are endless but it probably won't<br />
appeal to the average gamesplay-<br />
er. Presentation throughout has<br />
been made as user-friendly as pos-<br />
sible and the documentation is<br />
extremely helpful but if you really<br />
want to master this game you're<br />
looking at weeks and weeks of in-<br />
depth playing time. Omega is an<br />
excellent product but it's only going<br />
to appeal to a handful of cult enthu-<br />
siasts. Joystick junkies steer clear.<br />
discover<br />
the ORIGIN of cybernetics,<br />
and create a game that will<br />
appeal to programmers and<br />
simulator fans alike<br />
S i r-iii 1 «i t i (in<br />
H N M B H<br />
F 1<br />
I 1<br />
______ i<br />
H 1 • M W<br />
T • S S S S S<br />
•SBHBB<br />
• H B H 1<br />
5 1 OS t o<br />
H<br />
D 1 • •<br />
t<br />
g XLS • I f t<br />
/<br />
I/*' A<br />
Kati Hamza<br />
UIPFR 1<br />
u flT<br />
;; nil"<br />
o p T<br />
— —<br />
The nail-biting finale. If you can't stand to<br />
ivatch. there's an option to switch to manual control.<br />
Despite miramal soracs and graohics, Amiga<br />
Omega is fast, user-fnendly and extremely wellpresented.<br />
Clearly aimed at a minority market<br />
though.<br />
GRAPHICS 4<br />
AUDIO 2<br />
10 FACTOR<br />
FUN FACTOR m<br />
Omega will take a long time to master. It will<br />
take you at least a day to wade through the<br />
hefty manual. However, if you persevere,<br />
there are plentiful rewards to be had. Because<br />
the game uses a programming language of<br />
sorts, there are endless possibilities. This is<br />
one simulation that is definitely not going to<br />
receive an early retirement.<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
£29.99dk<br />
£29.99dk<br />
£29.99dk<br />
£19.99dk<br />
£29.99dk<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
OUT NOW<br />
IMMINENT<br />
IMMINENT<br />
IMMINENT<br />
IMMINENT
DARK<br />
CENTURY<br />
TITUS engage in a bit of<br />
programming wizardry and<br />
say Tanks for the Memory'<br />
in another future tank sim<br />
1<br />
Comprehending all the program subtleties<br />
which comprise the main (automatic) part of<br />
the game takes more than a couple of hours<br />
of hard slog. Once you've mastered th« system<br />
you'll want to prove how effectively you<br />
can use it. though as there aren't many variations<br />
in terrain or tank design and no battle<br />
involves more than six tanks there's not that<br />
much opportunity to spin the experience out.<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £24.99dk TBA<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk TBA<br />
SPECTRUM £8.99cs TBA<br />
AMSTRAD £9.99cs£14.99dk TBA<br />
PC £24.99dk TBA<br />
No other versions pianned.<br />
The emphasis is on planning rather than portrayng<br />
the action so the 3D graphical display<br />
of what's going on isn't too heavy on detail.<br />
Presentation, however, is excetent, with indepth<br />
instructions, clear icons, and some<br />
classy introductory graphic touches. Sound,<br />
predictably, is on the poor side.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 9<br />
AUDIO 4 FUN FACTOR 6 '<br />
i<br />
IF prisons are overcrowded now<br />
I just think what it'll be like by AD<br />
2250. Luckily, Titus predict that the<br />
governments of the future will come<br />
up with an ideal solution. No more<br />
messing about with rehabilitation,<br />
electronic tagging or psychology -<br />
just ship them off to the nearest<br />
inhabitable planet and leave them<br />
there.<br />
Unfortunately the hard-nosed<br />
beneficiaries of this humane venture<br />
don't see it quite like that. They've<br />
managed to commandeer a selection<br />
of specially designed government<br />
issue tanks and are running riot<br />
on their prison world. Unless you and<br />
your team of penitentiary guards<br />
manage to stop them in your own<br />
set of armoured vehicles, the stolen tanks' complicated<br />
self-destruct system is sure to destroy<br />
the planet.<br />
Up to a maximum of six tanks (including the<br />
enemy) take part in each encounter, which can<br />
be played manually or in automatic mode by one<br />
or two players. Unlike a car, it's a lot more<br />
straightforward driving in manual. Just suss out<br />
the position of enemies and allies using the<br />
radar and use the joystick to hunt out the prison<br />
tanks and blast them<br />
to bits.<br />
In automatic it's up to you to program the<br />
movements of tanks in advance. This means<br />
selecting and arranging a sequence of icons to<br />
specify such details as angle of turret, different<br />
speeds according to whether you're in attack or<br />
surveillance modes, targetting, number of consecutive<br />
shots and auto destruct mechanism.<br />
When you've fiddled about with all this technical<br />
%<br />
r.<br />
Z "Till<br />
?<br />
-A- mm<br />
Ur\fortunately a screen shot does not give an impression of the<br />
game's speed. The opposing tanks whip past you at a rate of<br />
knots.<br />
II t ^ 1<br />
;;<br />
H H<br />
Objects, like the city in the background, manage to convey a<br />
sense of depth and speed.<br />
detail to your heart's content, you watch the<br />
ensuing battle on screen.<br />
It takes a while to get to grips with all of<br />
this, as getting the hang of the controls, setting<br />
your parameters and putting together an effective<br />
program is a complex, strategic process.<br />
This is clearly not the sort of game you can just<br />
pick up and play for half an hour - it requires<br />
study and plenty of practice.<br />
As such it resembles Origin's complicated<br />
tank programming game, Omega. It can't really<br />
match it in terms of complexity, though, and if<br />
you're really determined to spend hours programming<br />
and watching tanks, Omega, with its<br />
artificial intelligence routines, specially designed<br />
programming language and its wide variety of<br />
vehicles, is bound to be a greater challenge.<br />
Dark Century can only cope with a maximum of<br />
six tanks and there are few variations in landscape,<br />
or vehicle capabilities.<br />
77T1<br />
Within these limitations,<br />
Dark Century is a competently programmed,<br />
well-implemented piece<br />
of software clearly aimed at gamers<br />
with a strong bent towards programming.<br />
Even with the manual options,<br />
however, its specialised subject<br />
matter is unlikely to appeal to the<br />
average lover of shoot 'em ups,<br />
arcade adventures, even simulations.<br />
If you do feel like hiding away<br />
with a manual for a couple of<br />
weeks, make sure you know exactly<br />
what you're buying first.<br />
1 5 a<br />
I 3 ! 4 4 Kati Hamza<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 6 3
FROM<br />
OK? 00 US A FAVOUR. PLUG ME INTO A SEGA<br />
games<br />
"DB MfATOiua...<br />
PlUG SIA/TQ A siia<br />
DISTRIBUTED BY VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LIMITED. VERNON YARD. PORTOBELLO ROAD. LONDON W11 2DX. TELEPHONE: 01-787 8070.
C64/128 £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
Mastering all the moves will take time, and<br />
getting to the final level will take even longer.<br />
Once you have succeeded in escaping though,<br />
that's it. It is unlikely to whirr inside your disk<br />
drive again.<br />
Scrolls nice 'n' smoothly and makes tremendous<br />
use of the Amiga's cotour palette. Possibly<br />
the prettiest beat 'em up to date, even if it<br />
»s appallingly hackneyed in its choice of a post<br />
nuclear-war New York for its fight scene locations.<br />
Still, you don't really expect originality<br />
these days, do you?<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 8<br />
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 7 i s<br />
TUC depressing obsession with post nuclear<br />
I HE wastelands continues unabated in the<br />
imaginary world of computer games - despite<br />
the biggest reductions in thermonuclear<br />
weapons for decades now taking place in the<br />
real world.<br />
After The War sounds like the definitive<br />
post-holocaust, 'mean streets' beat 'em up. It<br />
looks like it too - with giant rats running wild<br />
and assorted mutants terrorising the hapless citizens<br />
of Manhattan in 2019. (Just think, Kylie will<br />
be 60 by then, if she doesn't get nuked down<br />
under!)<br />
Into this grim metropolis comes one<br />
Jonathan Rogers. That, at least, makes an original<br />
change from Rick Fist or Danny Dangerous.<br />
But if he doesn't have a tough name - he sure<br />
has a tough job. Jonathan's objective is to reach<br />
the XV-238 launching platform - from where he<br />
can escape to one of the colonies.<br />
- i<br />
t wwxcimrf<br />
K •<br />
Very pretty backdrops but nothing new in the<br />
game play.<br />
AFTER THE<br />
WAR<br />
DINAMIC engages in some<br />
Post-holocaust fisticuffs as<br />
one more beat 'em up<br />
hits the shelves<br />
After the War - twenty possible moves and<br />
aggressive opponents.<br />
The launch platform is located inside Professor<br />
McJerin's secure compound. The mad prof<br />
is protected by a weird assortment of animal-like<br />
robots. These include Kangaroo Fighters, Kangaroo<br />
Destroyers. Flying Rats, and R.A.D Bulls.<br />
Dinamic have set the difficulty level very<br />
high - with two separate loads - three levels in<br />
the first and two in the second. A password<br />
enables the experienced player to start on the<br />
more advanced levels once the secret word has<br />
been discovered.<br />
The first level takes you through the streets<br />
of Manhattan where you have to battle it out with<br />
the "radio gladiators" - street dwellers who are<br />
so badly contaminated that they hardly care<br />
whether they live or die.<br />
The "punkies" (quaint Spanish translation)<br />
live beneath the bridge in Manhattan and you<br />
must pass them on your journey towards the<br />
outskirts of the city. They are armed and have<br />
the cowardly habit of sneaking up on you from<br />
behind.<br />
Your toughest opponents above ground are<br />
the R.A.D Bulls - massive, aggressive creatures<br />
that will slash you to bits as soon as look at you.<br />
To compensate for the toughness of the<br />
adversaries Dinamic have programmed in twenty<br />
possible moves for Jonathan to make in his<br />
defence. These include three types of kick, two<br />
jabs, and two punches as well as normal jumping.<br />
moving forward, retreating and ducking. He<br />
can also pick up an FX Machine Gun and use<br />
mines to destroy the nasties when the going<br />
gets really tough.<br />
Mastering a goodly number of moves is<br />
essential to deal effectively with the varying<br />
attack styles of the enemy.To the<br />
games' credit the moves can all be<br />
implemented crisply as instructed in the<br />
manual- and it pays dividends to practice<br />
these moves before setting out seriously<br />
to reach McJerins hideout.<br />
If you make it to the second load the<br />
action switches to below ground where<br />
McJerin's cronies have taken over the<br />
Manhattan subway. It is here that you will<br />
come up against the Flying Rat Robots<br />
and "Pneumatic Shooting Torretas" (That<br />
Spanish translation again). You need to<br />
use your gun to survive this level as fists<br />
and boots aren't enough - especially in<br />
the case of the tough, human-like<br />
Guardian Androids.<br />
At the end of this level is a lift that will take<br />
you to McJerins base. This is where the fighting<br />
becomes most intense - and you will need to<br />
exercise quick and nimble control of Jonathan if<br />
he is to survive.<br />
After the War is competent in every department.<br />
A beat 'em up squarely aimed at the<br />
tougher, well practised exponents of computer<br />
pugilism. Graphically it is excellent, providing<br />
cinema-like atmosphere in the street and subway<br />
scenes.<br />
My only criticism is the lack of imagination<br />
in the game play. Pretty as it is, gameplay has<br />
hardly improved at all since the days of Kung<br />
Fu Master. Surely it is possible to incorporate<br />
elements of strategy without spoiling the frenzied<br />
business of throwing punches, kicks and<br />
laying people out? Last Exit From Beat 'Em Boredom.<br />
Rated PG (pretty good).<br />
• Eugene Lacey<br />
This chain wielding skinhead absorbs a good<br />
kicking before he bites the concrete.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 65
The Untouchables<br />
from Ocean<br />
Re live the knife existence of<br />
Elliot Ness in his struggle<br />
against the retribution of mobster<br />
Capone.<br />
The ultimate six exciting action<br />
sequences put you in control of<br />
Elliot Ness's elite squad of crimebusters.<br />
Alleyway shootouts. The Border Raid.<br />
The Railway Station confrontation and<br />
Warehouse bust culminating in the<br />
thrilling rooftop duel as you re live the knife edge existence<br />
of Ness in his struggle against the retribution of<br />
Capone!<br />
The Untouchables<br />
Commodore 64 Cass<br />
Commodore 128 Disk<br />
Spectrum 48K Cass<br />
Spectrum +3 Disk<br />
Amstrad CPC Cass<br />
Amstrad CPC Disk<br />
Atari ST Disk<br />
Amiga Disk<br />
BIG FOUR MAIL ORDER<br />
• Fast delivery<br />
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We re backed by the re<strong>source</strong>s of<br />
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publishers so you can order with<br />
confidence.<br />
It's so simple!<br />
You may find it hard to believe that<br />
we're GIVING away software but it's<br />
true. You simply buy any of the titles<br />
on this page at the normal retail<br />
price listed and then you can pick<br />
any other title (or the same title on a<br />
different format) absolutely free of<br />
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The only condition is that the value<br />
of the free game must not be<br />
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Apart from that there are no<br />
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FIRST CLASS POST, PACKING<br />
& VAT, INCLUDED<br />
PRICE CODE<br />
£ 9.99 BF801CC<br />
£14.99 BF802CD<br />
£ 9.99 BF803SC<br />
£14.99 BF804SD<br />
£ 9.99 BF805AC<br />
£14.99 BF806AD<br />
£19.99 BF807ST<br />
£24.99 BF808AM<br />
OOSE ANY ONE<br />
Michael Jackson<br />
Moonwalker<br />
from U S Gold<br />
After conquering the world<br />
of pop mus»c, Micheal<br />
Jackson channelled his<br />
energy and talent into<br />
making his first film. Now<br />
U S Gold present the<br />
home computer version of<br />
that film, endorsed by the<br />
Superstar himself. Feel<br />
the rhythm in Club 30.<br />
transform into a futuristic silver<br />
robot and ultimately beat the<br />
drug peddling MR BIG in the<br />
unique world of MOONWALKER •<br />
a game like no other.<br />
'You will be unable to tear yourself<br />
away from the screen even<br />
when it's way past midnight'<br />
Mark Higham - ST Format<br />
Moonwalker<br />
Spectrum 48K Cass<br />
Spectrum + 3 Disk<br />
Commodore 64 Cass<br />
Commodore 128 Disk<br />
Amstrad CPC Cass<br />
Amstrad CPC Disk<br />
Atari ST Disk<br />
Amiga Disk<br />
PRICE<br />
£ 9.95<br />
£14.95<br />
£ 9.95<br />
£14.95<br />
£ 9.95<br />
£14.95<br />
£19.95<br />
£19.95<br />
CODE<br />
BF816SC<br />
BF817SD<br />
BF818CC<br />
BF819CD<br />
BF820AC<br />
BF821AD<br />
BF822ST<br />
BF823AM
Operation<br />
Thunderbolt<br />
from Ocean<br />
LazerSquad<br />
Follow up to last years No 1 hit "Operation Wolf.<br />
The game brings you enhanced shoot-em up action for one<br />
or two players. Thunderbolt not only reporduces the horizontally<br />
scrolling gameplay of Wolf, but adds 3D action to<br />
the scenario as you test your nerve against swooping jets,<br />
helicopters, tanks and many more awesome adversaries!<br />
Use the laser sight, or the bulletproof vest, but watch out<br />
for those air-to-ground missies.<br />
'Brilliant is the only way fo describe Thunderbolt" - not a<br />
game for the faint hearted'<br />
Trenton Webb -Amstrad Action<br />
Operation Thunderbolt<br />
PRICE<br />
Spectrum 48K Cass £ 9.99<br />
Spectrum +3 Disk £14.99<br />
Amstrad CPC Cass £ 9.99<br />
Amstrad CPC Disk £14.99<br />
Commodore 64 Cass £9.99<br />
Commodore Disk £1499<br />
Atari ST Disk £19.99<br />
Amiga Disk £24.99<br />
Laser Squad<br />
from Bladesoft<br />
Laser Squad combines<br />
strategic skill with the use<br />
of grenades and a variety of<br />
automatic weapons to defeat<br />
your foe. You can take the<br />
part of hunter or hunted - play<br />
with a friend and take turns at<br />
opposing roles. One player option<br />
plays against artificial intelligence<br />
so highly develped it bites!<br />
laser Squad is a terrific game that is superbly playable<br />
and can defmately be recommended as one for the library<br />
of any gameplayer.' Andy Smith. Amiga Format<br />
PRICE CODE<br />
Spectrum 48 Cass £ 9.95 BF809SC<br />
Amstrad CPC Cass £ 9.95 BF810AC<br />
Amstrad CPC Disk £14.95 BF811AD<br />
Commodore 64 Cass £ 9.95 BF812CC<br />
Commodore 128 Disk £14.95 BF813CD<br />
Atari ST Disk £19.95 BF814ST<br />
Amiga Disk £19.95 BF815AM<br />
Mining/or energy crystals in the Oids-like hive below the Domed City.<br />
PSYCLAPSE unleash droids to<br />
avoid in an impressive multi-<br />
section arcade adventure with<br />
a puzzling twist in it's tail<br />
A r r A D m y r t o Asim° v- ° ne the * ,rst<br />
AvvvnUiriVJ and cardinal rules of<br />
robotics is that a droid can never knowingly<br />
harm a human being. It is a good job that this<br />
law is regularly flouted in books and computer<br />
games as if the droids were law abiding hunks<br />
of metal than these creations would be fairly<br />
dull affairs.<br />
The droids in Stryx haven't the least regard<br />
for any of the laws of robotics. They are sys-<br />
tematically seeking out and murdering the<br />
inhabitants of the pollution-free domed cities of<br />
Earth in the year 3106. This rather hackneyed<br />
sci-fi yarn provides the background for Psy-<br />
clapse" latest game.<br />
Sfryx is an arcade adventure split into three<br />
separate sections - each providing a different<br />
game challenge. You start off in one of the four<br />
domes where the droids are running wild. You<br />
must arm your self as well as you can and set<br />
about eliminating the Cyborg Assassins before<br />
they wipe out all the humans. Your first move is<br />
to find the jet pack. Exploring the dome on foot<br />
is guaranteed to get your nowhere as you are<br />
likely to be pushed off a platform and land on<br />
an electrified surface that will quickly sap your<br />
life force.<br />
You, by the way, are Sfryx - half man and<br />
half robot, capable or running at great speed<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 68<br />
and leaping great distances. A sort of Six Mil-<br />
lion Dollar man deluxe version.<br />
The platform capers provide a tough chal-<br />
lenge. The aliens - particularly the Red Guards<br />
- make tough adversaries and you need to be<br />
quick thinking, as well as quick with the fire but-<br />
ton, to defeat them<br />
As you explore the domes you will find<br />
various objects. Three of these can be carried<br />
in your backpack at a time. There is a storage<br />
screen and operate screen in the control panel<br />
- objects being moved by one to the other by<br />
the Function keys. The main thing to keep an<br />
eye on in your control panel is your life force<br />
barometer. You must prevent this from reaching<br />
zero by topping it up. You only have one life so<br />
if it does reach zero that's it - and you are in for<br />
an annoying 30 seconds of disk whirring if you<br />
want another go.<br />
The main items to look out for in the<br />
Domed Cities are the keys to the 'Lifeforce'.<br />
Once you have all of these you can travel to the<br />
Central Dome where you can use the keys to<br />
switch on the 'Lifeforce' annihilating all of the<br />
droids and rebel computers at a flick of a<br />
switch.<br />
Beneath each Domed City is a hive - where<br />
energy is generated to keep the cities running.<br />
This is an Oids type challenge - where you float<br />
around in your mining craft picking up crystals<br />
to replenish your energy reserves.<br />
The droids are not going to let you do this<br />
easily though - having several ground based<br />
defence installations constantly spewing out<br />
missiles, flying saucers, and rocket fire. You<br />
really need to be able to master the 'thrust' and<br />
'rotate' controls of the mining vehicle if you are<br />
to survive.<br />
Oids fans will love the 'Hive' part of Stryx. It<br />
provides all of the Asteroids-like fun of floating<br />
Stryx has the right degree of compulsion to<br />
keep you battling against those droids until<br />
you have solved the adventure. Once you have<br />
completed the challenge though, you are<br />
unlikely to go back to It. That is the problem<br />
with all arcade adventures, however good they<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £19 95dk<br />
AMIGA £19.95dk<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
IMMINENT<br />
OUT NOW<br />
Comes on two disks and has the usual grapt*<br />
cal fnlls during loading and at the end of the<br />
game that are now the hallmarks of this talented<br />
Scouse software house. Didn't like the load<br />
time after each go, and felt that the sound<br />
effects could have been more «naginat>ve.<br />
Overall the game packs a lot of deferent challenges,<br />
provides a very colourful spectacle to<br />
look at. and makes good use of the Amiga.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 7<br />
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 7 HQ<br />
but with the addition of full colour and a fantas-<br />
tic assortment of aliens.<br />
The third section of the game takes place<br />
in the Connection Tubes - linking the four<br />
Domed Cities to the fifth Central Dome. This<br />
was the most disappointing level from a game<br />
play point of view. It would have been better<br />
had it been a pure speed test - racing down the<br />
tunnels blasting the aliens. As it is, the tubes<br />
are cavernous, like the hive, and you keep<br />
banging into things. The jet bike you ride is fun<br />
though - very well drawn and capable of real<br />
speed.<br />
When you have all of the keys you need to<br />
journey to the Central Dome you can attempt to<br />
program the computer. This provides a little bit<br />
of puzzling right at the end of game, and is a<br />
well though out conclusion to the adventure.<br />
Three arcade challenges - well two and a<br />
half really - cobbled together in one game.<br />
Arcade adventure fans will not be disappointed<br />
with Stryx. There is still a shortage of decent<br />
AA fun to be had on 16-bit machines and Stryx<br />
helps fill the gap.<br />
Grab that fuel - you are going to need it.<br />
• Eugene Lacey
MEGA DRIVE<br />
WARNING!<br />
Sega of Japan and Virgin Mastertronic, as the exclusive<br />
authorised distributor for Sega in the UK, strongly advise all<br />
potential customers against purchasing 'grey imported<br />
16-bit Mega Drives.<br />
Mega Drives which have already reached the UK have been<br />
unofficially converted to run on the PAL system; this work<br />
has NOT been authorised by either company and therefore<br />
the hardware is NOT covered by any guarantee of safety or<br />
workmanship and will NOT receive any after sales service<br />
from Sega or Virgin Mastertronic .<br />
Sega also announce that 'grey' imported Mega Drives will be<br />
incompatible with the software which will be marketed in<br />
Europe when the official Mega Drive is launched later this<br />
year, and that owners of the 'grey imports will not therefore<br />
be able to run this software.<br />
VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LTD • 1-4 VERNON YARD<br />
PORTOBELLO ROAD • LONDON Wll 2DX<br />
CTW Survey '89 CTW Survey<br />
SECTION G - MAGAZINES<br />
Consumer Magazines aiding<br />
magazines read stocking decisions<br />
by trade<br />
ACE 1. ACE<br />
2. PCW 2. C+VG<br />
3. Games Machine 3. Crash<br />
4. Crash 4. Games Machine<br />
5. Zzap 5. Zzap<br />
6. C+VG 6. PCW<br />
7. Commodore User 7. The One<br />
8. Gamesweek 8. ST Action<br />
(Combined with 9. NCE<br />
Pop mid-Feb) 10. Sinclair User<br />
Sinclair User<br />
10. Your Sinclair<br />
Source CTW Dealer survey 1989<br />
To get your dealer to stock more of your<br />
product - advertise in ACE.<br />
Phone : 01 251 6222 ext 2518 for details
SEARCH FOR THE<br />
TITANIC<br />
UIUPU she was con-<br />
fin CN structed in<br />
1912, the Titanic was the<br />
biggest moving object ever<br />
built by man. She weighed<br />
46,000 tons, carried over<br />
2,000 passengers and was<br />
declared the ultimate<br />
unsinkable ship. After the<br />
collision with the iceberg,<br />
which came just four days<br />
into her maiden voyage,<br />
the exact location of the<br />
wreck remained an unfathomable mystery, until<br />
it was finally discovered in 1985. Capstone's<br />
oceanographic sim lets you enact that search.<br />
Not that the Titanic is your immediate objec-<br />
tive. Basically, you're short on the necessary<br />
readies and need to amass a reputation akin to<br />
Jacques Cousteau's before the big sponsors<br />
start writing out blank cheques. The only way to<br />
do that is to go on low-budget wreck-hunting<br />
trips (about ten) and bring back plenty of under-<br />
sea evidence.<br />
Each expedition is divided into two separate<br />
phases: planning and execution. Both are heavy<br />
on strategy, low on action; most commands are<br />
performed via key presses and menu selection.<br />
Graphic representation is minimal and confined<br />
to the second part.<br />
Planning involves selecting your ship and<br />
starting port, deciding what sort of equipment,<br />
if any, to buy and hiring enough suitably qualified<br />
crew. As you've got to finance salaries and<br />
enough water, food and fuel to last the trip as<br />
well, your initial budget of $10,000 isn't likely to<br />
stretch very far. That's when you apply for spon-<br />
sorship from a menu of potential companies<br />
picking one of a selection of good reasons why<br />
you want the cash. It's all a question of clinical<br />
key presses; the begging, wheedling and grovel-<br />
ling 'just like real life' promised by the manual,<br />
doesn't really come into it.<br />
You can't leave port if you've bodged up<br />
essential arrangements like hiring divers or mak-<br />
ing enough safety provisions. Get them right<br />
and you head out into the open sea. You're after<br />
the co-ordinates of one specific wreck and your<br />
first job is to get out there in one piece by alter-<br />
ing direction and speed.<br />
When you've made it, it's time to survey the<br />
ocean floor using divers and any equipment like<br />
a minisub, bathysphere, sonar platform or suc-<br />
tion tube you might have bought. First trip out.<br />
you'll probably only be able to afford to send<br />
divers down on searching and surveying expedi-<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 70<br />
CAPSTONE/CRL prove<br />
that life under the ocean<br />
waves might not be<br />
quite as exciting as<br />
andlubbers think<br />
tions to the ocean floor. If<br />
you find anything, great, if<br />
you don't you'll just have to<br />
keep looking.<br />
You couldn't ask for a<br />
more complex game-<br />
design. There are more<br />
than enough options to<br />
allow for innumerable dif-<br />
ferent wreck-seeking trips<br />
and lots of screens and<br />
tables to give information<br />
on factors which might<br />
affect their outcome. Bad weather, crew health<br />
and how carefully you've stocked up are all<br />
important considerations.<br />
What is missing is any real sense of sus-<br />
pense or excitement. The action moves very<br />
slowly and there's not enough visual representa-<br />
tion or sound to give much incentive for explo-<br />
ration. This is no problem if you like your simula-<br />
tions long, involved and ponderous. If you don't,<br />
the repetitive diving and searching (which takes<br />
ages to reap any rewards and has practically no<br />
visual impact) will just get too tedious. One for<br />
very serious simulation fans only.<br />
• Kati Hamza<br />
Sesssffl<br />
Careful navigation is essential in your search for<br />
the wreckage of the world's greatest liner.<br />
Once you have acquired a ship, some personnel<br />
and equipment, you can hegin the hunt for wrecks.<br />
Digesting the long and informative manual,<br />
getting to grips with the controls and playing<br />
right through your first game successfully is'<br />
likely to take about a day. It took them three<br />
quarters of a century to find the Titanic so you<br />
should be prepared for a long wait if you're<br />
determined to play this to the bitter end. Maximum<br />
enjoyment requires the sacrifice of lots<br />
of playing hours.<br />
No other verstons planned<br />
Graphically and sontcaffy. Search For The<br />
Titanic is severely limited. Apart from a few<br />
maps in drab colours there's httte to comment<br />
about other than the menu displays - they're<br />
easy to use and comprehend. In keeping with<br />
the lethargic speed of the diving section is the<br />
long (fcsk-toadmg time. Make a cup of tea while<br />
you're waiting.<br />
GRAPHICS 3<br />
AUDIO I<br />
1 n ij<br />
10 FACTOR<br />
FUN FACTOR<br />
•<br />
1
In 2320, interstellar<br />
travel has become as<br />
commonplace as<br />
Intercity, and man's<br />
mission to colonise the<br />
universe is well underway.<br />
But then the Outies<br />
appeared. No-one knew<br />
where they came from,<br />
but it was obvious what<br />
they were after . . . energy<br />
— and they'd stop at<br />
nothing to get it. They<br />
favour charged Black<br />
Holes. And they just<br />
turned your latest colony<br />
into one. But this galaxy's<br />
not big enough for the<br />
both of you.<br />
c 1990 Mirrorsoft Limited
DA III<br />
GAZZA'S<br />
SUPER SOCCER<br />
Gasco'8 ne» as<br />
rMUL any football fan<br />
worth his salt will tell you,<br />
is like George Best. They'll<br />
inform you that he's one of<br />
those players who has an<br />
amazing amount of skill<br />
and potential, but his tem-<br />
perament lets him down.<br />
The Mars Bar Boy' and<br />
'Fatty' are just a couple of<br />
this lovable, cheeky character's previous appel-<br />
lations; most people these days call him 'Gazza'<br />
and this is where Empire and the programming<br />
boys at ODE step in.<br />
Gazza's Super Soccer gives you three<br />
basic options; you can play a single game, cre-<br />
ate a league or generate a cup competition. If<br />
you play a one-off, you're offered the choice of<br />
one or two players, each of whom can select<br />
teams (drawn from the current First Division),<br />
name their players individually and<br />
decide on skill levels and tactics.<br />
League and Cup competitions<br />
follow a similar pattern. For exam-<br />
ple, in both you decide on the<br />
tournament size (between four<br />
and 20 teams for the League, and<br />
between eight and 64 for the<br />
Cup), then create a new team or<br />
load a saved one. You can also<br />
name the contest: unfortunately,<br />
the program doesn't allow many<br />
letters, so if you wanted to call<br />
your cup 'Littlewoods', it would<br />
read 'Littlewoo'. There's an extra<br />
option which allows saved code<br />
from any 8-bit machine to load<br />
into any other 8-bit machine - a<br />
nice touch.<br />
THE SOCCER SYNDROME<br />
Without a shadow of a doubt. Soccer simulations have<br />
atoays been the most popular sport titles for micros. Over<br />
the past decadc there has been a whole plethora of<br />
games from huge turkeys to absolutely stunning timeless<br />
pieces of programming.<br />
Perhaps the first program to reaJy make its mark<br />
was Ocean's MatcMay. developed by programming supremo<br />
Jon Ritman (also responsible for superlative games<br />
like Head over Heels and the original Batman isometric 3D<br />
adventure.<br />
Most recently, however, the crown has been taken<br />
easily by Anco's superb Kick Off. This utilises an overhead<br />
view rather than MateWa/s sideon perspective.<br />
With so many soccer games around at the moment,<br />
and in the face of such strong competition, it will be interesting<br />
to see whether titles like Gazza's Super Soccer and<br />
Footballer of the Year 2 can hold their own. It also<br />
remams to be seen whether Anco can rema«i at the top of<br />
the league with their impending management sim Player<br />
Manager (see the review elsewhere in this issue for more<br />
details).<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 72<br />
EMPIRE and the Mars Bar<br />
Boy make a real soccer<br />
turkey with this no-go<br />
footie sim<br />
angle above his head.<br />
Unfortunately, the action<br />
doesn't complement the<br />
meticulous pre-match pre-<br />
sentation. It's displayed in<br />
three parts: a central sec-<br />
tion viewed from the side,<br />
and two end sections<br />
seen from the viewpoint of<br />
the attacking team. In any<br />
event, the player in pos-<br />
session is marked by a tri-<br />
The system used is a big let-down. The con-<br />
trols are fiddly (you have to change direction<br />
when the viewpoint changes, and you have to<br />
press 'Enter' to access the goalkeeper), and the<br />
graphics are poor, particularly the sense of per-<br />
spective, the pitch proportions and the player<br />
animation. This latter aspect is so jerky that it's<br />
hard to see what's going on a lot of the time, a<br />
fact aggravated by the seemingly aimless wan-<br />
In the centre of the pitch you yet a side-on view similar to Match<br />
day.<br />
Approaching the ends of the pitch, the view<br />
switches to a head-on display.<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £24 S9dk IMMINENT<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £999cs £14.99C< OUT NOW<br />
C64/128 £999cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9 99cs£l4.99a< IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned<br />
If you've ever played Matchday It, you'll know<br />
what a Spectrum can do with a soccer game.<br />
It can provide easy-tohandle controls, tense<br />
and exciting gameplay and a wide variety ot<br />
options. Gaza's Soccer scores ten out of ten<br />
for options, but forgets the most important bit:<br />
the action! It's better to watch the man IwnseK<br />
on tv than subject yourself to a football Simula<br />
tion which fails miserably m the • gameplay<br />
department.<br />
GRAPHICS 3 IQ FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 2 FUN FACTOR 2<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
Confusing and disappointing to begin with,<br />
Gazza's Super Soccer never even scales the<br />
foothills of mediocrity, preferring the quiet,<br />
grassy plains of football game oblivion. If you<br />
do take to the style of gameplay (which is<br />
unlikely), the multiple options for generating<br />
your own leagues and cups may well keep you<br />
happy for a week or so. Aftor that, the game<br />
will be consigned to the bin marked 'I wish I<br />
hadn't bought that'.<br />
derings of most of the other players on the<br />
pitch. To cap it all, the sound is limited to a few<br />
measly blips and vague roaring noises.<br />
If the other versions are anything like this,<br />
avoid them. The programmers don't seem to<br />
have captured the feel, speed or excitement of<br />
real football, and certainly haven't matched the<br />
addictiveness of other soccer sims. It's enough<br />
to put Gazza back on the Mars Bars again.<br />
MODI FY TIME<br />
MODI FX KICKING<br />
SAVE TEAM<br />
RESTART PROGRAM<br />
• Gordon Houghton<br />
There are plenty of options in Gazza, hut they<br />
don't make up for the disappointing action.
GREMLIN resurrects<br />
the footballer of yesteryear<br />
as yet another micro soccer game<br />
joins the ranks of the many<br />
l l l l<br />
that have gone before<br />
Like many existing soccer games. FOTY 2 relies<br />
on an overhead view of (he pitch.<br />
Initial reaction is lukewarm, as understanding<br />
the system's subtleties takes some time. After<br />
a period of playing on one skill level, interest<br />
may begin to wane, but once you replay at a<br />
higher standard it becomes rewarding again.<br />
With nine different skill levels the gameplay<br />
will remain challenging for some time.<br />
The strategy isn't Wmdingly comptex, nor are<br />
the arcade sequences the most fun youl have<br />
from a footy game, but despite that F0TY2 sti<br />
rematns playable - largely due to the neat<br />
graphical touches, and a *ide variety of statistical<br />
information which you can access at any<br />
time. Had there been better action and more<br />
depth m all departments (but particularly the<br />
gambkig secbon), the game would have been<br />
much more enjoyable.<br />
ATARI ST £l9.99dk<br />
AMIGA £l9.99dk<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
670<br />
OUT NOW<br />
IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £9.99cs£l2.99dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.99cs£H.99dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
No ahef versions panned.<br />
FOOTBALLER<br />
OF THE YEAR<br />
U/ITUthe World mere weeks away-<br />
•VII n there's bound to be a glut of soccer<br />
games on the market; Gremlin has decided to<br />
sidestep the conventional management/arcade<br />
footy sim and revive an aging formula they first<br />
used on 8-bit many moons ago.<br />
Before you even tie up those laces, you<br />
have the option of radically changing the game.<br />
Enter your first and second names, then edit<br />
the names of national and international teams.<br />
You begin in the UK Superleague, which incor-<br />
porates English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh clubs<br />
(well, that's the only explanation for Swansea<br />
City appearing alongside Liverpool).<br />
The game proper offers you a choice of<br />
options: gamble money in a double or nothing<br />
trivia game, check your current team or individ-<br />
ual status, opt for a transfer (for which expen-<br />
sive transfer cards have to be purchased, but<br />
you also get a cut of the fee) - or play a match.<br />
Matches place you in a variety of national/inter-<br />
national league and cup competitions, and offer<br />
you the chance to purchase goalcards. Goal-<br />
cards boost your team's score in that particular<br />
game, but only if you successfully memorise<br />
and execute a pre-match plan.<br />
What would a soccer star be without the<br />
option of an international career? Score goals<br />
and impress the right people and you may just<br />
get the nod from whichever national side you<br />
opted for at the beginning. If you don't, you can<br />
always complain that the manager has constant-<br />
ly frowned upon players of extraordinary talent,<br />
and that you're in the same company as Alan<br />
Hudson and Glenn Hoddle.<br />
Score the most goals by the end of the sea-<br />
son (why can't you win the title for being a<br />
defender?), and the accolade 'Footballer of the<br />
Year' is your rich reward.<br />
You begin the game in the U.K. Superleague. Here<br />
you can select which team to play for.<br />
Apart from the basic lack of variety, there are a<br />
couple of other problems with this game. First-<br />
ly, accessing the various tables means a short<br />
wait whilst they're drawn up, but they're statisti-<br />
cally comprehensive and add a lot to the enjoy-<br />
ment of the game's strategic elements.<br />
More serious than this is the depth of the<br />
'double or nothing' section, which contains too<br />
few questions, many of which are repeated in a<br />
slightly different form too soon after they were<br />
first asked. During the same gambling<br />
sequence, the game threw up 'Which side were<br />
beaten by Leeds in the 1973 final?' (Sunder-<br />
land), followed by 'What was the year in which<br />
Sunderland beat Leeds in the FA Cup Final?' This<br />
wouldn't be too bad if the questions v/ere hard-<br />
er, but they're too simple for anyone with a<br />
moderate knowledge of football.<br />
If you don't know too much about soccer,<br />
FOTY 2 is a reasonable enough strategy game.<br />
It has plenty of tactical options, some compact<br />
arcade sequences and the ability to save/load<br />
games so that you can go on for seasons. In<br />
the end, though, you'll wish there was a bit<br />
more to it.<br />
The control menu allows you to select your next course of action.<br />
• Gordon Houghton<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 7 3
While the two goons are intent on you. they fail<br />
to notice Black Virgin springing from behind...<br />
This unusual beat-em-up<br />
from TITUS becomes<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 74<br />
something of a<br />
walk on the wild side<br />
WILD STREETS<br />
a beat 'em up. any beat 'em up. What<br />
does it contain? A Magnum 357<br />
maybe, but a black panther in the official<br />
employment of the CIA? - certainly not. Presumably<br />
that's why Titus have used them as gimmicks<br />
to add a touch of originality to their latest<br />
game.<br />
The scenario follows the standard urban<br />
beat 'em up line. It's 1998 and downtown New<br />
York has degenerated into a ruinous shanty<br />
town. The guys in charge are the Mafia and<br />
their latest caper involved kidnapping the director<br />
of the CIA.<br />
Without further ado, James Taylor, Panamanian<br />
veteran and professional CIA bully-boy, is<br />
helicoptered in. This isn't the sort of mission<br />
even a guy on steroids accepts alone, so<br />
before he leaps out into the urban jungle he's<br />
equipped with a limited ammunition gun and his<br />
own personal feline bodyguard, aptly named<br />
Black Virgin.<br />
There are five separate levels but the objective<br />
in each one is roughly the same: beat your<br />
way through thugs and hoodlums along a flick<br />
screen city path to the end of the level and an<br />
even harder hoodlum. You can use your Magnum<br />
any time but it's wise to save any bullets<br />
you've got left for the final showdown, when it's<br />
easier just to shoot the big guy down. Black Virgin<br />
trots obediently behind you most of the<br />
time, springing on the occasional street fighter<br />
to help you out.<br />
ATARI ST £24.99dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk OUT NOW<br />
SPECTRUM £8.99cs IMMINENT<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
It doesn't take too long to get the hang of a<br />
beat 'em up so it doesn't take long to discover<br />
that Wild Streets isn't going to keep you glued<br />
to your screen. As it's fairly easy, however,<br />
once you've started you may want to see if<br />
you can finish it. Whether you stay the course<br />
is likely to depend on what else you've got to<br />
play. Even so. in the long term. Wild Streets is<br />
the kind of program which makes you wish<br />
you'd waited for the reviews before you<br />
bought it.<br />
Stiff animation and an almost interminable<br />
series of loofcalike sprites do little to nprove<br />
on the wooiy control method and tedious<br />
gameotay. The use of flick-screen rather than<br />
scrokig action, means that it's easy for the<br />
main character to get caught between<br />
screens. That way he gets a beating from both<br />
s»des without you actually being able to see<br />
what's gomg on. Sound-wise, the title tire «s<br />
appropriately actonpacked with some weak<br />
sampled speech, but the in-game FX are limited.<br />
nvc nn i<br />
384<br />
The only significant difference between this<br />
and the ST version is sightly enhanced sound.<br />
The unremarkable title tune plays right through<br />
each level instead of at the start and the growling<br />
panther and beating effects are slightly<br />
more reafrstic. Apart from that all the ST criticisms<br />
apply.<br />
nwc "" i ir«u<br />
401<br />
In theory the selection of ten different<br />
punching and kicking movements (not all that<br />
many by sophisticated standards) should provide<br />
enough spice for a varied fight. In practice,<br />
the moves you select aren't always translated<br />
accurately into what's going on on screen. That<br />
wouldn't matter too much if you didn't have bullets<br />
to save but repeatedly firing your last bullet<br />
when all you actually wanted to do was a flying<br />
kick can get a little frustrating.<br />
Even so, the worst thugs New York City can<br />
muster don't require too much complex punching<br />
to beat. The fighting element lacks speed,<br />
fluidity and variety; it's fairly easy to dispatch<br />
most villains with a couple of blows.<br />
Blow by blow, Wild Streets degenerates<br />
into less and less of a challenge. Technically the<br />
absence of scrolling and stiff animation are a<br />
disappointment. It doesn't take long for the<br />
action to become repetitive and extremely<br />
tedious - and a couple of gimmicks can't make<br />
up for that.<br />
There's trouble ahead, but a knee to the groin<br />
soon fixes things!<br />
Kati Hamza
—<br />
THERE WILL BE MOMENTS WHEN YOU'LL WISH<br />
YOU HADN'T 1AKEN OFF!<br />
'F-16 Combat Pilot pulls out all the stops'<br />
- game of the month. The Games Vachine.<br />
I'm primed for action as my F-16 leaves the runway. This time<br />
my ir ss on is to destroy a battalion of tanns. Suddenly, threat<br />
wig - interceptors closing fast! I quickly select dogfight<br />
male and arm a Sidewinder. We both fire at the same time -<br />
daff end a high-g turn out manoeuvres his missile. A loud<br />
explosion tells me he's not so lucky.<br />
'The mil between action and realism is terrific'<br />
- ACE rated 952 - Advanced Computer Entertainment.<br />
F-16<br />
COMBAT PLOT<br />
msi.m. IBM CGA HERCULES. IBM EM & & cn 515'a 35'tes'W* COMMODORE CM: cz&e U455. teiM.<br />
'F-16 Combat Pilot wins hands down'<br />
- 5 star game - New Computer Express.<br />
Flying fast and low, I turn my F-16 towards my target. Time to<br />
switch on the ground radar and arm the laser-guided Mavericks.<br />
I fire six missiles in QUICK succession. Lanti fn automatically<br />
locking on to each tank. With flak bursting around me I dive for<br />
cover and head for home. Approaching base, I contact the tower<br />
and request a talkdown for my night landing.<br />
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ROTOR<br />
ARCANA get into some heavy Gravitar style thrusting<br />
with their compelling shoot and collect game<br />
Don't be decieved by the minimalist graphics in the simulator section - this game has bags of<br />
playability and is hellishly addictiite.<br />
the future, so say Arcana, there will be two<br />
options for people such as us: work like<br />
slaves for no reward or enlist with the Roto-<br />
Raiders. These fine upstanding citizens are part<br />
of a crack squad of flying battle tank pilots on a<br />
mission. Mission objective: destroy enemy<br />
defences, steal energy, ammunition and fuel,<br />
then come home.<br />
THE ARCHIMEDES FACTOR!<br />
The Acorn Archimedes was supposed to be a milestone in<br />
microcomputer history - the first affordable machine to<br />
use RISC technology. It promised so much for the games<br />
player and yet. up to now, it has delivered so little.<br />
There can be no denying that for any serious games<br />
designer the machine rs a prayer answered - not only do<br />
it's graphic and sound capabilities rival those of the<br />
Amiga, but the presence of the BSC processor allows the<br />
programmer to indulge in more complex routines without<br />
sacrificing the speed of execution land that is exactly<br />
what you want to hear if you are trymg to generate hundreds<br />
of soW three-dimensional, fast moving polygons for<br />
instance).<br />
So why have companies been so slow to develop<br />
software for the machine? The answer. In part, can be put<br />
down to ifs small, but rapidly growing, user base as well<br />
as Acorn's reluctance to market the Archie as an entertainment<br />
machine. But that is becoming fess of a reason<br />
able excuse with each passing day.<br />
It is nice to see a relatively smaB company like<br />
Arcana developing Archimedes versions alongside traditional<br />
16-bit games, even rf this particular game doesn't<br />
really exptort the machine's capabilities to the fufl. Let us<br />
hope that other software developers are Quick to follow<br />
Arcana's example and give this superb micro the recognition<br />
it deserves.<br />
Fair enough. But before you even get near<br />
the leather of a ROTOR's yoke, you have to<br />
undergo six simulator levels in order to prove<br />
your worthiness. These pocket missions still<br />
end your game if you lose all three simulated<br />
ships, but you can take comfort in the fact that<br />
at least no one really died. Every three missions<br />
you gain a password which allows you to tackle<br />
the next set: eventually you get to tackle the<br />
eighteen non-simulator stages.<br />
Throughout the game you have a pocket<br />
computer informer. This handy gadget gives<br />
details about your mission successes and<br />
details your level of prestige units (PUs). PUs<br />
are necessary to gam access to later missions,<br />
and are acquired by carrying out tasks and<br />
blowing up empty containers.<br />
Your ship can be improved in the missions<br />
proper by opening caskets which contain<br />
pearls. An on board transformer converts these<br />
into useful customisations such as extra rota-<br />
tion speed, engine upgrades, hull renewal and<br />
more powerful lasers. Once you start collecting<br />
these, the craft becomes appreciably easier to<br />
handle. On the negative side, opening contain-<br />
ers sometimes reveals mines, which weigh your<br />
ship down considerably. If you don't collect<br />
them they explode, and a life is lost.<br />
Each level is a self-contained unit, the size<br />
of which increases as the difficulty advances.<br />
The only way out is to find a randomly-generat-<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £l9.99dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £19.99dk OUT NOW<br />
ARCHIMEDES £24 99dk OUT NOW<br />
PC £24.99dk IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned<br />
Quite tough to begin with, the ROTORS in all<br />
versions are difficult to control. Once you've<br />
eased through the excellent simulators, however.<br />
the mission levels are challenging and<br />
(literally) rewarding: the upgrades give you<br />
greater control and keep you coming back for<br />
just one more go. The ST version falls shorter<br />
in appeal because poor graphic movement<br />
inhibits the gameplay. making it a little too<br />
frustrating.<br />
It's not just the poor scrofong (which some<br />
times disorientates you) or the sparse effects<br />
which make the ST version less worthy; it's<br />
also the fact that Rotor has OIOS as a direct<br />
competitor. OfDS is a far superior game, but<br />
anyone with a liking for Grawtar-influenccd<br />
action shouW check it out anyway.<br />
IS)<br />
GRAPHICS 6 IQ FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 7<br />
For a supposedly superior machine the<br />
Archimedes has yet to prove itself on the<br />
games front. Rotor is no exception m this<br />
case. This versxxi does not really score much<br />
over the Amiga game. Slightly nicer sound and<br />
smoother scrolling are al that give it the edge<br />
over the other two versions. Nevertheless, full<br />
marks to Arcana for even bothering to think<br />
about this too often ignored machine.<br />
IS<br />
GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 9<br />
There are too few Grawtarstyle games on the<br />
Amiga, so anything half-decent is bound to<br />
prove by far and away the best. Even so, a<br />
great soundtrack, smooth and polished graphics.<br />
excellent presentation and a fair degree of<br />
difficulty help make it an appeatflg game in its<br />
own right. For the price, ifs worth a look.<br />
is GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 6<br />
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 8<br />
ed exit once you've successfully destroyed ene-<br />
mies and collected the spoils. Later missions<br />
contain nasty surprises like artificial gravity gen-<br />
erators, laser bases, snake bases and rapid-fir-<br />
ing cannon. If you haven't got some nifty control<br />
upgrades by then, you won't be coming home<br />
for tea. And even if you do defeat the enemies,<br />
you won't be able to return unless you collect<br />
all the sun crystals lying in caskets. It's a tough<br />
old life, isn't it?<br />
• Gordon Houghton<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 7 7
VENDETTA<br />
f A date the Last Ninja series<br />
I v have been System 3's<br />
biggest products. All that seems<br />
set to change with Vendetta, a mix-<br />
ture of Ninja, Outrun and a lot of<br />
improvement.<br />
It may look like Last Ninja's<br />
programming routines with differ-<br />
ent graphics, but the whole thing<br />
has been kicked up a gear. The<br />
opens with a video display depict-<br />
ing some of the kidnap of a nucle-<br />
ar physicists daughter. Rather than<br />
the usual ransom demands these<br />
terrorists are forcing the professor<br />
to build them a nuclear bomb, allowing them to<br />
spread even more fear throughout the world.<br />
Playing the part of a lone vigilante it's down to<br />
you to rescue the Prof, and his daughter before<br />
find anything more deadly than a knife.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 78<br />
Guns, violence,<br />
terrorists and<br />
SYSTEM 3.<br />
Where's a ninja<br />
game when you<br />
need one?<br />
the bomb is completed. Seeing as<br />
you're operating in an above the<br />
law status, it's not only the terror-<br />
ists you have to look out for, but<br />
the police.<br />
The first level turns out to<br />
be a warehouse, staffed with ter-<br />
rorists. Though some of them are<br />
armed, most of them tend to be<br />
relatively harmless, especially<br />
when you find a weapon. No<br />
namby pamby bamboo staffs or<br />
bows here, we're talking machine<br />
guns that can cut through most of<br />
the enemy forces. That, coupled<br />
with the ability to fire and run backward makes<br />
you pretty confident, until you come across ter-<br />
rorists in kevlar body suits. Then it's down to the<br />
thump and grind of martial arts to get you<br />
through.<br />
Discovery is the better part of progress in<br />
this case, which means keeping an eye out for<br />
every possible object. Apart from finding<br />
weapons you need to find computer disks, video<br />
recordings and other evidence to prove the bad<br />
guy's exist and that you're not one of them.<br />
It's not just a case of leaving one level and<br />
entering the next. Nowadays hero's travel from<br />
place to place in a turbo charged Porsche, in an<br />
excellent driving sequence. The road scrolls per-<br />
fectly. all the twist, turns and junctions move as<br />
realistically as roads can be on an 8-bit micro.<br />
With the addition of terrorist cars and missile<br />
launchers the whole thing's a tad hectic.<br />
Vendetta isn't your usual run of the mill<br />
arcade adventure. The graphics are excellent,<br />
displayed fast and don't confuse matters too<br />
i<br />
A classic easy to get Into game. The only<br />
beginning problem is getting used to moving<br />
about on the perspective screen. Once that<br />
has been accomplished, ifs a case of getting<br />
to know where all the locations and useful<br />
objects are.<br />
With the addition of a separate, quality driving<br />
section, the payability is strengthened<br />
even further.<br />
Once completed (which is no mean feat).<br />
Vendetta is one of those games thafs worth<br />
digging out again and again just because of<br />
the quality of the graphics and presentation.<br />
Graphical. Vendetta is one of the best 64<br />
games I've seen in ages. The screens are<br />
drawn fast, and the detail is excellent. The presentation<br />
impresses right from the start, and<br />
lots of extra touches are included throughout.<br />
A game vtfiich comes close to pushing the<br />
64 to its limits in speed, graphics and sound,<br />
leaving room for an absorbing, taxing game.<br />
GRAPHICS 9 10 FACTOR 7<br />
AUDIO 9 FUN FACTOR 9 U U<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
C64/128 C9.99CS £12.99dk OUT NOW<br />
much. A driving soundtrack accompanies the<br />
graphics and adds even more atmosphere to an<br />
already tidy game.<br />
The last of the three levels in set in a terror-<br />
ist's favourite bolt hole, a plane. To give the<br />
effect of a confined space the screen is cut<br />
down to a third of it's size. Leaving no room to<br />
manoeuvre and even less room to fight. It's<br />
worth noting that the further you get the more<br />
bloodthirsty the action is. All the opponents<br />
come complete with Uzi's and bullet proofing, all<br />
the useful items are guarded and the pace is<br />
really stepped up.<br />
Probably the best thing about Vendetta is<br />
it's accessibility. It's easy to get into, taxing and<br />
doesn't leave you a gibbering wreck with awe-<br />
some problems. Definitely a game worth buying.<br />
If anything it tops Myth as one of the best origi-<br />
nal 64 games in a long time.<br />
• Mark Patterson
LORDS OF CHAOS<br />
project - his brother, Nick Gollop, is working on<br />
the comedian Richard Digance observed<br />
recently, if a hurricane hit Harlow New<br />
Town it would make an improvement. 'Concrete'<br />
was the middle name of whoever designed the<br />
town centre, a geometric mass of the stuff, with<br />
post-war school-building aesthetics and a<br />
depressing line in sharp corners and bland<br />
paving stones.<br />
Hard then to believe that one of Britain's<br />
most consistently good development houses<br />
haven't thrown themselves off a concrete walk-<br />
way in despair instead of writing a string of<br />
great strategy games. Yet Target Games are<br />
beavering away on the next potential hit now, a<br />
"fantasy, strategy, role-playing game" called<br />
Lords of Chaos.<br />
The aim of the game is simple - playing a<br />
wizard you must defeat other wizards and reach<br />
a portal somewhere on the landscape within a<br />
certain number of turns - it is the method of<br />
play and the execution of strategy which makes<br />
the game cause for interest. For the overriding<br />
aspect of the game is magic, the use, selection<br />
and potency of spells to defeat all of your oppo-<br />
nents.<br />
There are several types of spells. Creature<br />
spells range from the utterly pathetic giant bat.<br />
to the ultimate... red. green and gold dragons.<br />
Projectile spells such as lightning can be useful<br />
in times of crises and close combat; terrain<br />
Nick Gollop<br />
Julian Gollop<br />
TARGET GAMES reveals its<br />
strategy for the past, present<br />
and future<br />
Target Games, with the delightful Harlow in the<br />
background<br />
spells like Flood multiply insidiously to make a<br />
landscape impassable; more other-worldly incan-<br />
tations such as Subversion do things like turn an<br />
opponent's creature to your own side.<br />
Each spell costs "mana" to cast, which<br />
regenerates each turn and can be boosted by<br />
some of the objects found on the huge scrolling<br />
landscape (viewed from above with the crea-<br />
tures displayed in a psuedo-3D fashion). The<br />
amount of "mana" needed is dependent upon<br />
the level of the spell, the higher the level the<br />
greater the drain.<br />
Every creature, even a wizard, has a certain<br />
number of Action Points which are used up in a<br />
turn by movement, firing and, if a wizard is<br />
selected, casting spells.<br />
A wizard will send their creatures off to<br />
seek and destroy the other wizards (up to eight,<br />
which can be either human or computer con-<br />
trolled and who take it in turns to move) and<br />
their creations as well as pick up objects on the<br />
ground and in chests. These aid life and are vital<br />
for the casting of some spells - notably the<br />
dragon spells.<br />
The game ends when the last, surviving wiz-<br />
ard (who by this time should have many victory<br />
points) makes it to the portal and on to the next<br />
level. During the wizard definition section (which,<br />
at the moment, is a separate program) the play-<br />
er builds the strength and attributes of a charac-<br />
ter and chooses spells in return for points.<br />
"The idea of using magic in a strategy game<br />
gives an infinite variety of strategies," says<br />
Julian Gollop, a founder of Target Games. He is<br />
the Commodore 64 version whilst Martin Beadle<br />
is embarking upon 16-bit versions.<br />
Julian has an intriguing past. He began pro-<br />
gramming in 1984 for the short-lived Red Shift<br />
software before moving on to Games Workshop<br />
where he wrote the original Chaos (re-released<br />
on Firebird Silver last year) upon which Lords<br />
of Chaos is vaguely based. His break came in<br />
1986 with the highly acclaimed Rebelstar for<br />
Firebird Silver, followed by the sequel, Rebel-<br />
star 2, in 1987/8.<br />
His most recent work, Laser Squad, the<br />
first for Target Games, gained yet more<br />
acclaim, combining strategy with a touch of<br />
action. It was recently published by Blade Soft-<br />
ware for all major formats.<br />
Julian is programming the Z80 versions and<br />
is the ideas-force behind this game. What<br />
inspired him to get into strategy games? "A little<br />
set of tabletop figures for Lord of the Rings.<br />
Five or six fantasy figures - a few hobbits and<br />
ores and things like that". In fact, the original<br />
Chaos was a board game.<br />
"To create things is good," announces<br />
Julian, musing on a suitable philosophy for Tar-<br />
get Games - "Get drunk" shouts Martin beadle<br />
from the background - "to break the straitjacket<br />
of mediocre computer gaming" comes back<br />
Julian.<br />
"Lords of Chaos is as good as we can do<br />
on 8-bit," he says, "it's fantastically complex<br />
compared to Laser Squad'. Of course, "the 16-<br />
bit versions will be significantly enhanced with<br />
more spells and adventurey-type things". There<br />
may even be a quest: "to recover a magical<br />
staff or whatever".<br />
And what about his hopes for the game?<br />
"For it to be liked by the people that play it... to<br />
be recognised as something a bit different. If<br />
people are playing the game in a few years<br />
time, I'd be happy."<br />
one of the three programmers working on the Martin Beadle<br />
• Jeffrey Davy<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 7 9
THE SEVEN GATES OF<br />
JAMBALA<br />
Discover if seven is<br />
GRANDSLAM/THALION's<br />
lucky number in their new<br />
platform cutie<br />
CUflDTon ,eg anci sma" 'n stature<br />
Oflvnl in courage and cuteness factor),<br />
dwarves, pixies and Mario-clones are favourite<br />
heroes in arcade adventures. Dravion, the sor-<br />
cerer's apprentice doesn't differ significantly<br />
from the norm - but then nor does his arcade<br />
adventure. In fact, it looks like a genetic hybrid,<br />
cleverly constructed from the components of<br />
several other platform games.<br />
The most notable resemblance is to Ubi<br />
Soft's Twin World - the horizontally scrolling<br />
landscape looks very similar and though the<br />
execution isn't quite as slick, the plot runs along<br />
roughly the same lines. Partly by accident and<br />
partly by nefarious design, Dravion has fallen<br />
into the notorious labyrinth of Jambala. The only<br />
way out is to travel through seven different<br />
mazes in search of all the scattered pieces of a<br />
magic wand and then put them together again<br />
in a specially designed arcade sequence.<br />
As he's skipping along ledges, leaping<br />
across chasms, searching through passages<br />
and trying to access the right sets of doors, our<br />
small and plucky hero has to fight his way<br />
through the usual selection of underground<br />
beasts. Giant wasps, nipping rats and strange<br />
green creatures get top billing in Jambala's<br />
magical menagerie. A couple of flashes with a<br />
hastily devised spell usually put them out of<br />
their misery; some even leave<br />
stronger, long-range spells behind -<br />
useful for defeating the slightly harder<br />
end-of-level meanie.<br />
Wandering around Jambala cast-<br />
ing spells at people does have its<br />
compensations. Every now and then<br />
you pick up goodies like extra lives,<br />
even bigger, better spells, and ham-<br />
mers. The latter are designed to help<br />
you in a DIY search of the ground for<br />
gold and other treasures. You can<br />
spend them in the locations marked<br />
by little wooden doors you find along<br />
the way. The idea is that their inhabi-<br />
tants dispense information, extra<br />
jumping ability and the like at a rea-<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 80<br />
sonable price. Unlike the streets of Dick Whit-<br />
tington's London, however, the paths of Jam-<br />
bala aren't paved with gold, so shopaholics<br />
won't find much they can afford to buy.<br />
In fact, for a sophisticated platform based<br />
adventure, pickups are pretty thin on the<br />
ground. As a result Dravion's frantic to-ing and<br />
fro-ing scores lower on variety and action than<br />
you might expect. Coupled with the absence of<br />
two-way horizontal scrolling and some occasion-<br />
ally tight collision detection this does tend to<br />
reduce Jambala's long-term appeal.<br />
There is a plus side though; the graphics<br />
and sound create just the right sort of magical<br />
atmosphere and the Dravion sprite is made all<br />
the more endearing (or nauseating depending<br />
on how you feel about it) by some slickly ani-<br />
mated touches. For serious games players its<br />
average content won't provide as much of a<br />
challenge as some of the other platformers<br />
around - Axel's Magic Hammer or Twin World,<br />
for example. Younger computer owners and<br />
platform addicts might find it has more appeal.<br />
Our hero leaps towards a not so cute nasty.<br />
s c o n w VOID -r\<br />
, 000444 OOOl<br />
. 002 1 . 7<br />
• Kati Hamza<br />
No. it's not lunch - this bird is about to ojjer you something<br />
in return for a little gold.<br />
V < :<br />
, OOOOOO<br />
r n v o c<br />
oooo<br />
f Mves r- 1MEV£*.1X ,<br />
009 1 .Z<br />
The cutsie hero contemplates which of the pretty<br />
houses to enter.<br />
RELEASE BOX<br />
ATARI ST £19.99dk OUT NOW<br />
AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned.<br />
Polished graphics, detaied animation and a<br />
metow soundtrack manage to steep the game<br />
in a cute olde woride fantasy atmosphere. FX<br />
on the other hand - a mash mash of familiar<br />
arcade adventure sounds - are Jess imaginatwe.<br />
The oneway horizontal scrolling is generaty<br />
smoother than the twoway vertical movement.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 4<br />
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR S ^<br />
Pretty graphics and atmospheric sound are<br />
attractive enough to entice at first but a few<br />
minutes play reveal that there isn't enough<br />
cake to go with the icing. The action lacks the<br />
variety and originality that should koep you<br />
playing past the first couple of hours - after<br />
that ifll probably go straight back into the<br />
software drawer.
tniQl ACTION<br />
•AGREAT PLATFORM GAME AND<br />
BHILI.IANTLY PROORAMMED... WELL<br />
WORTH ANYBODY'S TIME AND MONEY<br />
•CUTESY GAMES NEARLY<br />
ALWAYS SEEM TO OFFER THE BEST<br />
VALUE FOR MONEY THESE DAYS -<br />
RAINBOW ISLANDS IS NO EXCEPTION.<br />
THE GRAPHICS ARE BRIGHTLY<br />
COLOURED AND VERY ORIGINAL...<br />
AN EXCELLENT GAME AND ONE<br />
THAT OFFERS A GOOD DEAL OF<br />
LONG-TERM ENJOYMENT".<br />
-THE GRAPHICS WITHIN RAINBOW<br />
ISLANDS ARE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL<br />
TO THE ARCADE & VERY<br />
NICELY DEFINED".<br />
a aJjSfo'<br />
framWmm mmJ
SWORD OF THE<br />
SAMURAI<br />
The peasants ^runble, but you delnser- a stern Message<br />
remrndritii thew that ft rs therr dwt«j to oben.<br />
Time to crack the whip over the peasantry - the part of the game for sadists.<br />
when you thought<br />
Microprose were<br />
scraping the bottom of the<br />
contemporary simulation<br />
barrel, they changed the<br />
barrel. This time those mas-<br />
ters of sim and sophistica-<br />
tion are taking their cus-<br />
tomers back in time to feu-<br />
dal Japan, land of hard-<br />
nosed samurai warriors.<br />
Samurai have three out-<br />
standing traits: they're easily offended, they<br />
have a great sense of loyalty and they don't<br />
mind doing people over (only when necessary,<br />
of course).<br />
To succeed in this simulation, you need a<br />
whole host of other samurai qualities, too: tact,<br />
a knowledge of battlefield tactics, stealth and a<br />
ruthless willingness to succeed. If you're the<br />
kind of person who worries about the choles-<br />
terol in a cream bun, this isn't for you.<br />
A piece of advice before you start: read the<br />
102-page manual. Not only does it provide<br />
superb background knowledge about the peri-<br />
od, it also helps a lot in tactical planning. The<br />
action takes the form of a series of menus<br />
interspersed with some concise arcade<br />
sequences. The very first menu you'll face gives<br />
you the option to practice some of these ele-<br />
ments, such as duelling or battle encounters: if<br />
you just want a short, snappy game this is quite<br />
handy.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 82<br />
MICROPROSE<br />
invade feudal Japan<br />
with their latest<br />
sophisticated simulation<br />
If you haven't got a saved<br />
game to load in, it's time to<br />
put on that ol' ambition hat<br />
and get down to some seri-<br />
ous business. You name<br />
your samurai (a 15-year old<br />
novice) and align him to one<br />
of the clans. Each clan is<br />
distinguished by its relative<br />
strengths in honour, general-<br />
ship, swordsmanship and<br />
land management: statistics<br />
which you will need to learn well if you're to suc-<br />
ceed in the variety of subtle situations the game<br />
offers you.<br />
It's vital that you think thoroughly before<br />
you take any decision, as other samurai are<br />
competing with you for the immediate goal: to<br />
become daimyo, or clan leader. One rash action<br />
can end the game, and that means a lot of disk-<br />
access hassle.<br />
Becoming daimyo means gaining land, hon-<br />
our and strength. Once you've established your-<br />
self, you can then go on to conquer more terri-<br />
tory (at least 24 provinces) until you think your-<br />
self fit to be declared Shogun, a position grant-<br />
ed by the Emperor to the military ruler of feudal<br />
Japan.<br />
There's so much to do in Samurai that it will<br />
be a long time before you've exhausted its pos-<br />
sibilities: you can explore, conquer, wage wars,<br />
acquire honour, marry and reach a state of<br />
appeasement with your rivals, each action com-<br />
As with every simulation Microprose produce,<br />
this is a very tlvorough emulation of the sublet.<br />
The only game to approach it for detail<br />
about feudal Japan is Cinemaware's Lords of<br />
the Rising Sun: Samurai is far more indepth,<br />
chalenging and rewarding. As an added bonus,<br />
the game supports an AdLib sound board or a<br />
Roland MT-32 Mk* board. In fact, the only<br />
aspect on winch you can really fault Samurai is<br />
its graphical quality: even m VGA mode the<br />
sprites are poorly drawn, coloured and animated.<br />
As a result. CGA mode is a better option,<br />
smce the characters move a little more rapidly<br />
and there is little lost in aesthetic appeal.<br />
GRAPHICS 4 10 FACTOR 9<br />
AUDIO N/A FUN FACTOR 7<br />
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
The massive instruction manual and confusion<br />
of options take some time to get used to. but<br />
they won't deter serious simulation fans. The<br />
massive variety of options, four skill levels and<br />
great subtlety of the gameplay prove very<br />
compulsive with extended play, and the manual<br />
provides enough background information<br />
and atmosphere to help you Ignore the poor<br />
visual effects. The only deterrent to lasting<br />
enjoyment is the repetitiveness of certain<br />
actions: some of the text options are limited<br />
and the disk access a little slow on low MHz<br />
PCs. Even so. It will take a long time to even<br />
become daimyo. and ifs the kind of game<br />
you'll be coming back to in a year's time.<br />
prising a complex sub-set of other actions. The<br />
only real trouble is the disk access time (very<br />
frustrating, but not too onerous on a hard disk)<br />
and the poor visual presentation. With those<br />
aspects up to scratch it would have been a seri-<br />
ous gamesplayer's dream.<br />
• Gordon Houghton<br />
The map shows the disposition of the samurai<br />
in the game.
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE<br />
All multi-eventers take some getting used to.<br />
though the graded complexity of Shaolin's<br />
events Is definitely designed to break you in<br />
gently. It's a game of two halves bound to gain<br />
double the attention, especially as the four<br />
and two-player options contribute to long-term<br />
playability. Once you've exhausted solo play,<br />
it'll always be one to bring out when you're<br />
playing with friends.<br />
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IMMINENT<br />
SPECTRUM £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
C64/128 £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
AMSTRAD £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT<br />
No other versions planned<br />
Skk presentation, clear instructions and<br />
accessible controls ensure a high level of<br />
playability. The main drawback is the animation<br />
erf the main sprites which aren't as we* defined<br />
as they could be and can look rather stiff.<br />
Sound ts a combmabon of C64-style oriental<br />
music and a few insignificant punchang effects<br />
which don't contribute much to the action.<br />
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR S<br />
AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 8<br />
IJACT beat 'em ups include so many com-<br />
Iwlvw • plex fighting moves that they require<br />
an initial learning period before you really start<br />
to get to grips with them. Chambers of Shaohn<br />
has the usual selection of punches, but instead<br />
of ignoring the learning curve, German software<br />
house Thalion has actually made a feature of it.<br />
The program works in two parts; first you build<br />
up your character's skills in six different training<br />
events, then when he's experienced enough you<br />
save him to disk and enter him in the fighting<br />
contest proper.<br />
There are six Chambers of Shaolin, each<br />
one dedicated to uniting the body and mind in<br />
harmony through a special discipline. Each is<br />
aimed at a particular ability like balance, speed<br />
or strength and features such supposedly oriental<br />
pursuits as jumping between four rising and<br />
sinking poles, dodging flying objects, kicking<br />
burning baskets off a wooden bridge and chopping<br />
through boards with your bare hands (the<br />
only joystick waggler). Up to four players can<br />
take part; each character can be separately<br />
saved to disk.<br />
All this eastern circuit training is very reminiscent<br />
of the kind of multi-eventers (Winter<br />
Games, etc) Epyx used to produce in the good<br />
old 8-bit days. All the events (with the possible<br />
exception of the board chopping) are extremely<br />
well implemented, easy to get the hang of and<br />
good clean fun. In effect, they comprise a medium<br />
sized game in their own right.<br />
Surrounded by Jim. our hero had better get kicking if he doesn't want his tootsies burned.<br />
CHAMBERS OF<br />
SH AOLIN<br />
Does GRANDSLAM/<br />
THALION' Oriental beat-em-up<br />
live up to its Eastern Promise<br />
hit the gongs in order to avoid a watery end...<br />
Having learnt how uncoordinated you really<br />
are, it's time to leap into the arena and face a<br />
number of opponents. The objective is to save<br />
your sister who's been kidnapped by a rival<br />
gang and to succeed you'll have to make use of<br />
all the skills you learned at the academy - and<br />
more. In addition to traditional punches, moves<br />
include such specialities as the splits and the<br />
Tigerclaw. The colour of your belt (and consequently<br />
your strength) are determined by how<br />
well you did in the Chambers. This is more<br />
important if you're playing a computer rather<br />
than human opponent - the artificial variety is<br />
tougher to beat.<br />
Both sections are well-presented, absorbing<br />
and enjoyable. Neither outweighs the other;<br />
once you've played through the Chambers<br />
once, you've got two excellent games which are<br />
practically independent of one another and give<br />
you the added bonus of two and four player<br />
options.<br />
The only annoying aspects are the animation<br />
- which is nearer adequate than outstanding<br />
- and the uneventful sound. In every other<br />
respect Chambers of Shaolin lives up to its<br />
eastern promise.<br />
• Kati Harrna<br />
The only Joystick waggler' in the game - the traditional<br />
karate chop on a piece of wood.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 8 3
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ife HEROES OF THE PAST ARE HERE TO SAVE THE Fbtafr<br />
featuring ituring Flash Gordon and his friends in an epic battle / ^ [ T ^ ^ T ^ S ^ ! ^<br />
against ainst the evil forces of Ming The Merciless / Z_£=]l I JJi=®li3H%?<br />
AVAILABLE AILABLE FOR: C64, AMSTRAD CPC JH9H<br />
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Travel to a local soft-<br />
BIT-MAP<br />
BLARNEY!<br />
ware house, meet<br />
strange exotic pro-<br />
grammers, eat a won-<br />
drous buffet lunch,<br />
walk away with ACE<br />
freebies, and get your<br />
name in the maga-<br />
zine: all courtesy of<br />
the ACE Conferences.<br />
Last month we told you all<br />
about the ACE Conferences.<br />
If you missed out, the message<br />
is that we're organising<br />
a series of meetings between<br />
you, the readers, and<br />
Britain's top software houses.<br />
You not only get the chance<br />
to meet the programmers<br />
and publishers of today's<br />
greatest games, but you also get a light<br />
lunch, some ACE freebies, and the<br />
chance to let the software houses know<br />
exactly what you think about the games<br />
you play. Chances are you'll also pick up<br />
some freebies from the software houses<br />
themselves, but we're not promising anything!<br />
Last month we gave you advance<br />
warning of some of the conferences to<br />
be held in the London area. We're also<br />
arranging some in the North of the country,<br />
details of which we were planning to<br />
print this month but which will now have<br />
to wait until the next issue while we complete<br />
the necessary arrangements.<br />
Expect, however, to get the opportunity<br />
to visit Ocean in Manchester, Psygnosis<br />
in Liverpool, and US Gold in Birmingham<br />
for starters. We'll also do our best to<br />
sort something out for readers in Scotland.<br />
Any suggestions?<br />
Meanwhile, we've now fixed the date<br />
for the first conference (see box). This<br />
will be with the infamous Domark and will<br />
give you a chance to get first-hand experience<br />
of one of Britain's longest estab-<br />
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO<br />
Each month, we'll let you know about forthcoming conferences around the country. If you think<br />
you might be interested in attending one, all you have to do is send us a postcard with your<br />
name and address clearly written, together v/ith a daytime telephone number if at all possible.<br />
You also need to tell us which conference you would be interested in attending (one choice<br />
only, please) and your age. We need to know how old you are so that we can ensure a good<br />
spread of age groups at each conference.<br />
Unfortunately we have to limit the number of people attending each conference to 15. In<br />
addition, we have to make a nominal charge of £5.00 to help cover costs. All places are allocated<br />
on a first-come, first-served basis. There is however an exception to both these conditions: as<br />
a special offer to subscribers we are giving them priority allocations for the first ten places in<br />
each conference, and they may also attend free of charge. You can find out how to become a<br />
subscriber on page 49 (and you get other benefits too - a free issue, a special newsletter, and<br />
guaranteed delivery).<br />
As soon as we decide on a date, time and venue for a conference (Domark is the only one<br />
fixed at the time of going to press), we'll select the lucky readers from those who have applied<br />
and inform them of the relevant details. If anyone can't attend, they'll be shortlisted for a future<br />
conference and another selection will be made for someone who can take their place.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 86<br />
Castle Warrior artwork from Domark/Inccntive. You can find out the<br />
reality behind the poster {f you attend the Domark conference: there<br />
are still some places Itft. so write in now!<br />
lished software houses, with a great string of hits<br />
behind them including APB, the Bond games, Splitting<br />
Image, and Trivial Pursuit. Not only that, but you'll also<br />
be meeting the boys from Incentive - who in tha past<br />
have given you games like Darkside, GAC, and Driller.<br />
In particular, you'll be able to check out Castle Warrior.<br />
their latest release.<br />
MEET THE BIT-MAPS!<br />
We've also arranged another ACE Conference in London,<br />
with Mirrorsoft. In particular this should be a<br />
golden opportunity for Xenon fans, because the<br />
Bitmap Brothers are expected to attend. And. of<br />
course, you'll also get the chance to find out more<br />
about products from Cinemaware, Imageworks, FTL,<br />
and others.<br />
Just to very things a bit, we'll also be fixing up an<br />
ACE Conference...with ACE! This will give readers the<br />
opportunity to visit the ACE office, chat to all of use<br />
here, get a bite to eat, and give their frank opinions on<br />
the magazine. Details soon...
OPTIONS<br />
Every once in a while a game comes<br />
along which cannot be classified into<br />
a convenient style. This is one of<br />
them. The plot centres around you as Prince<br />
Cirion of Morenor attempting to save the kingdom<br />
from the clutches of the evil goddess<br />
Medusa who is attempting to control the world<br />
with her hell army.<br />
As Medusa is not actually in the country<br />
Cirion must find five rings which have been<br />
scattered around the country, put them together<br />
in a temple and force her to battle. Sounds<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 88<br />
STARBYTE<br />
defies description with<br />
its new release<br />
easy enough but Cirion has no army and very<br />
little money.<br />
The landscape of Morenor is shown as an<br />
overhead view with a small blob indicating your<br />
position. Movement is simply a matter of using<br />
the mouse to place the cursor where you want<br />
to go. then holding the button down. The landscape<br />
is beautifully depicted with mountains,<br />
forests, marshes, castles and towns looking<br />
quite real. Upon entering towns the display<br />
changes to a stylised view of the various buildings<br />
there (the same view for all the towns, and<br />
buildings are entered simply by clicking on<br />
them). Inside buildings you are presented with<br />
various menus showing all the available<br />
options.<br />
Your first task is to make some money in<br />
order to pay for the army you will need. There<br />
are several ways this can be done such as<br />
gambling in the casino, attacking caravans,<br />
conquering towns and plundering their treasuries,<br />
mining for raw materials and finding<br />
treasure.<br />
By far the most reliable though is trading<br />
which although slow to begin with has the<br />
advantage of being easy and more or less<br />
under your control. All sorts of items are available<br />
for trade such as sheep, books, leather,<br />
beer etc. Horses and wagons are always available<br />
and each such outfit can carry up to 80<br />
items. The trick is to buy cheap and sell dear<br />
which generally means a long trek across country<br />
to a distant town. Assuming you aren't<br />
ambushed on the way and robbed of all your<br />
possessions you can soon start generating a<br />
handsome profit.<br />
As the game progresses so the state of<br />
various towns changes. What begins as a<br />
booming commercial centre with a high cost of<br />
living may eventually degenerate to a ghost<br />
town where prices are low. Also the amount of<br />
stock of particular items in a town changes<br />
from time to time, so keeping careful records<br />
of different prices can be no more than a guide<br />
• intuition plays the major part.<br />
Once you have accumulated some money<br />
a variety of options are open to you. You can<br />
hire scouts and search for possible <strong>source</strong>s of<br />
raw materials then open mines and sell the<br />
products in town. Alternatively you might wish<br />
to buy a cargo ship and trade with distant<br />
islands. Whatever you decide the aim is to<br />
accumulate enough money to hire a big enough<br />
army to eventually defeat Medusa.<br />
1<br />
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LANDSCAPE 90<br />
Beautifully detailed graphics and a large playing<br />
area enhance the atmosphere of the game.<br />
ENCOUNTERS 75<br />
Except during battle between matched armies there<br />
is little for the player to try out.<br />
CHALLENGE 90<br />
The game world Is complex, has great depths and is<br />
well thought out. If you want a game to tax your<br />
Intellect, Intuition and memory simultaneously, this<br />
is it.<br />
SYSTEM 85<br />
The mouse control could have been rather more precise<br />
and loading of the Amiga version more reliable.<br />
ACE RATING<br />
850<br />
An excellent game which has you living<br />
in its world rather than simply<br />
playing in it.
Soldiers of various races and fighting<br />
styles are recruited in the towns. Each race<br />
has its own attributes which makes it more<br />
suitable for particular tasks. Thus elves make<br />
good scouts, while gnomes have the correct<br />
qualities to make good magicians. The more<br />
you recruit the stronger your army will be • and<br />
the higher the payroll. Fine economic balance<br />
is essential to ensure that your soldiers don't<br />
kill you off because you haven't enough money<br />
to pay them.<br />
Once you have accumulated enough wealth<br />
to support a large army you can begin attacking<br />
towns and castles. The castles, once conquered<br />
can be used to train your soldiers while<br />
towns yield the contents of their treasuries and<br />
give you the opportunity to collect taxes.<br />
While this is happening you should also be<br />
searching for the five rings two of which are<br />
found on the main continent, two on the islands<br />
and the fifth is hidden among an army which<br />
must be defeated. Possession of the rings confers<br />
benefits which range from increasing<br />
your army's strength by 50% to giving the player<br />
information on which goods are produced in<br />
With Level 9 having pulled out of the<br />
text/graphics market it's good to<br />
see Melbourne House weighing in<br />
with a contribution. Demon's Tomb is set in<br />
rural England where a Edward Lynton, scholar<br />
of ancient Egyptology dies in a fire while exploring<br />
a burial tomb. His son Richard then sets<br />
out to find his father, only to discover a greater<br />
mystery.<br />
The game begins with a prologue in which<br />
you control Edward who has only a few moves<br />
before being overcome by the fire in which to<br />
preserve his belongings. Those coming after<br />
him must find various items intact if they are to<br />
solve the mystery.<br />
After Lynton Snr. expires, you take control<br />
of Richard and his dog Sam. Together they set<br />
out to discover the whereabouts and fate of<br />
Edward then use those possessions he has<br />
managed to save to help solve the riddle of his<br />
murder and the more horrifying mystery yet to<br />
come.<br />
I always enjoy adventures where interaction<br />
with other creatures is possible and in this<br />
game Sam is a classic example. Not only will<br />
he do as he's told (usually) but he will also do<br />
his own thing at times (usually the most inconvenient<br />
times). For instance, try climbing down<br />
a cliff without taking proper precautions and<br />
your canine capers after you sending you to<br />
your death. Mind you, on another slippery slope<br />
nearby his help is invaluable.<br />
Problems are many and varied, not too difficult<br />
with a bit of thought and observation and<br />
mainly logical. In addition to problems which<br />
need solving to progress, there are several<br />
background difficulties built-in which are prone<br />
to have you tearing your hair with frustration.<br />
The excessively litter conscious seagull needs<br />
a particular town (and therefore where the<br />
prices are lowest).<br />
Throughout the game your actions can<br />
influence other events. The banks can be<br />
robbed with impunity but they seem to have a<br />
central intelligence system so that while a life<br />
of plunder may be very profitable at first you'll<br />
soon discover that stealing from one branch<br />
and depositing it in another is rather futile as<br />
once a theft has taken place the establishment<br />
will not deal with you again.<br />
Keeping in well with the bank is a must.<br />
MELBOURNE HOUSE<br />
goes for text adventuring<br />
in graphic detail<br />
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Vou can borrow money but if you don't pay the<br />
interest within a set time the local stores will<br />
refuse to deal with you.<br />
Attacking caravans is also a little risky. If<br />
you attack the same town's caravan repeatedly<br />
the town will then refuse to deal with you. If you<br />
are attacked yourself there are a number of<br />
strategies. Bribery may get you off the hook as<br />
might bluffing the enemy. If the worst comes to<br />
the worst you'll have to fight it out, but until you<br />
have accumulated a fair sized army you'll have<br />
no chance of winning. If you lose, all your<br />
goods and cash are stolen (but you will be left<br />
with your wagon).<br />
Overall this game is an excellent blend of<br />
strategy and role playing. The playing area is<br />
large (although much of it seems to be covered<br />
by water and ifs easy to get lost at sea despite<br />
having a constant display of latitude and longitude),<br />
options are broad and each is well<br />
detailed and flexible, and the scope of gameplay<br />
is vast. With such a lot to think about it will<br />
take many hours to complete but the difficulties<br />
you face increase nicely in conjunction with<br />
your increasing strength and powers.<br />
watching if you drop certain of your possessions.<br />
Your inability to progress in certain areas<br />
while carrying much weight means and end to<br />
the casual "drop all" to which we are so<br />
accustomed. Similarly water behaves realistically<br />
destroying fragile materials for ever - don't<br />
drop your notebook while crossing the ford!<br />
One thing which annoyed me was the proliferation<br />
of hints and clues written in to the text<br />
as "asides". These often spoilt my enjoyment in<br />
solving a puzzle by giving me too much help<br />
too early. One of the things I like about adventure<br />
puzzles (and cryptic crosswords) is having<br />
to think laterally. Being pointed in the right<br />
direction rather than misled rather spoils the<br />
point. Since the manual contains a list of hints<br />
covering most of the problems (coded in a<br />
manner to allow simple access without giving<br />
away what you don't want to know) the hints in<br />
the game seem rather superfluous.<br />
The adventure system itself is quite novel<br />
giving you the choice of normal typed input or<br />
menus. While in menu mode a list of verbs<br />
appears at the bottom of the screen where you<br />
simply click on the one you want. In theory this<br />
seems a good idea but in practice it is rather<br />
unworkable due to the sheer number of verbs<br />
listed. Scrolling through is rather tedious and<br />
also tends to give away yet more hints by suggesting<br />
possibilities you hadn't yet thought of.<br />
At one stage you find a piece of charcoal which<br />
is used with another object in a particular way.<br />
After seeing the relevant verb while scrolling<br />
through the menu I solved the problem without<br />
thinking.<br />
In addition to the input options a number of<br />
other aspects of display can be adjusted to<br />
your liking. Screen display can be adjusted to<br />
40. 60 or 80 column and even two columns of<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 8 9
LANDSCAPE 75<br />
Location descriptions are rather terse even In verbose<br />
mode but the graphics do provide some atmosphere.<br />
ENCOUNTERS 80<br />
The dog is exactly like my next-door-neighbour's •<br />
and just as likely to induce a love hate relationship.<br />
CHALLENGE 60<br />
Too many clues given away to what sre not particularly<br />
difficult puults In the first place.<br />
SYSTEM 90<br />
About the only thing missing is an option to have<br />
graphics on all the time Instead of only on demand<br />
at individual locations.<br />
ACE RATING<br />
760<br />
An excellent game for beginners<br />
which will also be enjoyable to old<br />
hands looking for light relief.<br />
i i /<br />
11 Vj ^ » \<br />
1 f\ V<br />
'..always seen ed nuch colder.."<br />
36 are possible. What with options to have the<br />
text free or enclosed in a border, status line on<br />
or off. menu height etc. your preferences can<br />
be accommodated easily. It is even possible to<br />
change the on-screen colours to your taste and<br />
echo text to the printer.<br />
Graphics are small but well drawn - nothing<br />
outstanding but pleasant. More pleasant is that<br />
they only come up if you deliberately ask for<br />
them. If you aren't accessing the pictures you<br />
can play with your saved-game disk in the drive<br />
- useful in sections of the game where you are<br />
continually dying. A very handy graphic is acti-<br />
vated by another function key • it shows a blank<br />
screen except for a prompt in the top corner<br />
which implies you are actually programming.<br />
This also acts as a pause command.<br />
The parser is both friendly and flexible han-<br />
dling even complex inputs well. Multiple com-<br />
mands are generally understood - even some<br />
ambiguous ones where the program will<br />
prompt you if it gets stuck. Thus "get" on its<br />
own will furnish you with a list of available<br />
objects from which to choose.<br />
All the usual system commands such as<br />
ramsave. again, undo etc. are included togeth-<br />
er with verbose, brief and superbrief options<br />
for room descriptions. All in all the system is<br />
excellent in its handling of the game and the<br />
flexibility of display available to the player.<br />
I hope this isn't a one-off attempt by the<br />
programmers and would like to see further<br />
plots (rather more difficult ones perhaps) in the<br />
future.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 90<br />
ACE NEW WORLD'ERS<br />
At last - enough space to let you have your say again. Letters this month from Andy Bright-<br />
more and David Guest. If you have something to say why not write in to me at the following<br />
address: ACE NEW WORLD'ERS. Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London, EC1R<br />
3AU.<br />
THERE'S MORE TO ADVENTURES...<br />
...than beautiful pictures. The main attributes that the game must have are a good game story<br />
and a well developed language. A game without graphics leaves more to the imagination and<br />
therefore the player can have different ideas about locations. With the C64 I used to buy Level<br />
9 adventures, not because they had the best graphics available for adventures on the Com-<br />
modore but because the language was<br />
well in advance of what other companies had to offer. Now on the ST with the stunning graph-<br />
ics capabilities I have started to buy adventures by Magnetic Scrolls because they have a com-<br />
bination of good graphics and an easy but detailed language. I also think that in a<br />
game where the player is a detailed assigned character (eg. Fish) then graphics actually help<br />
the flavour of the game. Lastly I think that comedy games are far better than the old serious<br />
adventures. I would much rather play Knight Ore or Guild of Thieves than any Zork game which<br />
have been exploited to the full and are getting boring and too easy to complete. Also when the<br />
Zork self-mapping system was introduced this took a lot of the playability out of the game.<br />
Couldn't they just have a GOTO feature like Knight Ore?"<br />
• Larger memory machines and more use of disks means adventures can be virtually unlimit-<br />
ed in size and complexity but this in turn means<br />
longer development and thus higher costs. Whether or not a text based adventure has graph-<br />
ics should make no difference to the text side of things but too many programmers now rely<br />
on graphics to sell a game and plot/gameplay seems to be getting lost on the way.<br />
TRY THIS RIDDLE...<br />
...What did Level 9 used to do. clubs and mags try to do, SSI still do (all the way from Califor-<br />
nia!) but US Gold never do? Answer: Reply to the "I'm stuck" letters! What a golden opportunity<br />
to get feedback from customers, build mailing lists to rival Readers Digest and help you finish<br />
their old games so you can buy their new ones and get stuck all over again. They could even<br />
discourage piracy by replying only to the registered users, a tried and tested method of pro-<br />
tecting business software. I still have my handwritten tips for Adventure Quest, penned by the<br />
author himself (Mike Austin of Level 9) on the "fly back with a clue" sheet which was enclosed<br />
in each game together with the "eternal loading guarantee" given for each tape. None of your<br />
90 day limited warranty disclaimers in those days. They even included a stamped addressed<br />
envelope to send to them for your clue. Of course the games were great but could this level<br />
(no pun intended) of customer service have something to do with their subsequent rise to fame<br />
and fortune. I struggled through each new release with their help and kept coming back for<br />
more and others must have done the same. What chance of the same treatment nowadays.<br />
And Activision/lnfocom please note, hint books costing more dollars than the game from USA<br />
addresses only is no way to do it. Bring back the human touch.<br />
• Couldn't agree more. Trouble is, mass distribution means masses of queries which cost<br />
money to answer. Perhaps the software houses could set up and finance a joint help service<br />
manned by experienced players with access to game programmers/authors. There again you<br />
NO PROBLEM<br />
DEJA VU - GETTING STARTED<br />
Get the coat and gun then find the door<br />
marked 'private' and go in. Take the bill from<br />
the desk and the key from the wallet. Use key<br />
then enter locked room and open body. Unlock<br />
the desk and get everything then go to the cel-<br />
lar. Hit the bottle on its own to open a secret<br />
passage. Go to the casino and use money in<br />
right hand machine until you win. Take lift to top<br />
floor and open wastebasket to get syringe.<br />
Take lift to bottom floor and kill the alligator! Go<br />
to the bar and unlock door to the street.<br />
UNINVITED • GETTING STARTED<br />
Get out of the car and open mailbox, wear<br />
amulet. Examine books in the library to get<br />
spell translations. Get the Spider Cider and No<br />
Ghost from the store cupboard upstairs. Take<br />
the axe from the staircase. Take the scroll from<br />
the nightstand in the bedroom and read the<br />
book. In the master bedroom wear the mask to<br />
ward off evil. Read the journal then go to the<br />
lounge and get a key from the chair which will<br />
open the cabinet in the master bedroom. Take<br />
the box then go to the downstairs hallway<br />
where opening any door will bring the skeletal<br />
belle who can be disposed of with No Ghost.<br />
LEISURE SUIT LARRY GOES<br />
LOOKING FOR LOVE IN SEVERAL<br />
WRONG PLACES<br />
The following tips should help on the cruise<br />
ship: Go to room and take fruit. Go next door<br />
and come back immediately. Return next door,<br />
open nightstand and take sewing kit. Go to bar<br />
and take dip. Go to room and change into<br />
swimsuit. Go to pool and rub sunscreen on<br />
body. Lie on chaise lounge. Enter pool and dive<br />
under and take bikini top. Go to barbers and sit<br />
down (get wig). Go to captain and pull blue
lever behind him. Go to lifeboat and jump in<br />
and wait for it to lower. Wear sunscreen, eat<br />
dip and wear wig ASAP. On the island head in<br />
to the undergrowth.<br />
MANHUNTER NEW YORK<br />
Day 1: Investigate explosion at Bellvue Hospital.<br />
Access Mad and note suspect's movements.<br />
At Bellvue, examine corpse for identity.<br />
Access Mad for more info. Go to Trinity and<br />
investigate left side of church. Go to the bar<br />
and play knives with bartender. Play video<br />
game: The game involves negotiating a maze<br />
where at several points one lands on red<br />
squares and can thus throw balls at three rows<br />
of kewpie dolls. If successful the game flashes<br />
a screen depicting a funfair. The game's packaging<br />
contains a map of the maze. Make note<br />
of the kewpie dolls which are dislodged by the<br />
squares which cannot be avoided when progressing<br />
through the maze (there are three of<br />
them). Go to ladies loo in Prospect Park and<br />
go to end cubicle. Sit and flush three times •<br />
woosh!<br />
CHAOS STRIKES BACK<br />
When using the oracle save your position as<br />
close as possible to the problem for specific<br />
help.<br />
ROS • PART ONE:-<br />
Don't worry about the knives from the wall - collect<br />
them to throw past the moving force field<br />
(careful timing needed) to operate the pressure<br />
pads. The knights behind the wooden door are<br />
easily defeated by approaching from the other<br />
side and dropping them down TWO pits - the pit<br />
on the floor below is directly under the one<br />
above. In the corridor with pit and gate stand<br />
with back to pit to see force field. Throw dagger<br />
at field to pass through gate. Upstairs<br />
remove torch from bracket to move wall. Up<br />
again, full strength fireshields • lots of them -<br />
before removing gem - then back to the closed<br />
door which should now open. Up again - turn<br />
left then keep moving forward, stepping around<br />
pit. You'll be spun so watch your compass -<br />
about turn then keep moving forward. On entering<br />
open room your final exit is in the centre of<br />
the far side. Follow the corridor to find the Diabolical<br />
Demons.<br />
NETA - PART ONE:-<br />
From the room with screamers go through<br />
door and bear left past the pit which generates<br />
hordes of red monsters. Up the stairs, fill the<br />
cells with mummies. Up again - simply keep<br />
walking straight on across the large open area.<br />
Cross the room with poison balls to gain<br />
access to the Diabolical Demons. These two<br />
routes should help you explore more of the<br />
game but there's plenty to do along the way<br />
which you can discover for yourself!<br />
DUNGEON MASTER<br />
A healthy tip for those wanting to increase their<br />
skills ready for Chaos: Wizard - if you have the<br />
firestaff use INVOKE repeatedly. Priest • keep<br />
making potions. Ninja • find as many objects as<br />
possible then throw them back and forth along<br />
a corridor. Fighter - use any weapon repeatedly<br />
• into thin air if you like. Level 13 • (knights!) -<br />
you don't need to complete this level. Once you<br />
have found the Ra key and assuming you<br />
already have two, go to level 7 and collect the<br />
winged key then the long staircase which takes<br />
you to level 14. Deal with the dragon (or<br />
dodge) then up to level 12 for the master key<br />
which is needed to access the firestaff. Then<br />
retrace your steps to level 7. Long winded<br />
maybe but it avoids over two thirds of level 12.<br />
FISH - THE JAGGED WARP<br />
Put jeans on then go south. Move rubbish then<br />
take torch. Turn on torch then go outside. At<br />
the abbey take pew, turn off torch then north<br />
twice. Drop pew then go down and move rubble.<br />
Move lid then down for cord and back to<br />
pew. Stand on pew and climb up. Tie cord to<br />
gargoyle, down then pull cord, untie cord, take<br />
gargoyle then down. Put lid in doorway then go<br />
down. Put gargoyle in hole, take chalice and<br />
look inside. Take grommet and wait for mob to<br />
attack.<br />
SPACE QUEST II<br />
Can't cross the ravine? Climb the tree - when it<br />
snaps press right cursor key to crawl across.<br />
Can't escape from the hunter's cage? Call<br />
hunter twice, throw the spore then get key and<br />
unlock door. Can't climb down the chasm? Tie<br />
rope to log then climb down. Then swing rope<br />
and jump. Little pink creatures won't open the<br />
stone door? Type 'word'. Can't find a light<br />
<strong>source</strong> in the caves of the killer squid? Hold the<br />
gem in your teeth. Can't reach the landing platform?<br />
Blow whistle in clearing to get something<br />
to clear your way. Getting fried by acid on the<br />
asteroid base? Attach plunger to barrier.<br />
BARDS TALE I<br />
Try to get a barbarian as a special monster as<br />
he does a lot of damage. Get a hobbit with a<br />
dexterity of 18 and make him a monk. He will<br />
usually get first hit. To gain experience fast,<br />
pick a team, go south and fight samurai. Go<br />
back to guild, save then reboot, reload team<br />
and repeat. Each time you'll gain 204 experience.<br />
El Cid has a horn of fire which does 40-<br />
50 damage. The Review board is the second<br />
house on Trumpet Street. High level (4) paladins<br />
and warriors get double hits. Dungeon 1<br />
is in the Scarlet bard. Develop a level 2 (level 3<br />
spells) conjuror fast!<br />
BARDS TALE II<br />
The tombs; Only have six members in your<br />
group. Join old warrior to group. Poison all but<br />
the old warrior by drinking water from the fountain.<br />
Kill toxic giant. Give torch to old warrior<br />
then put him at front of group and poison him.<br />
Then go back to entrance.<br />
BEYOND ZORK<br />
Pick up every scroll and stick/wand/stave you<br />
find. Go to the magic shop and ask the old<br />
woman about their uses. Sell Mischief and Fireworks<br />
- both useless. Sell valuable objects -<br />
tusk, crown, jewel, doubloon. To use the spells<br />
• point sticks and say scroll words.<br />
CHRONOQUEST<br />
The Chateau - 1922 AD Hall - Look lid of urn,<br />
pick up punch card. Study - Pick up oriental<br />
sphere. Hall - Use sphere on top of bannister.<br />
Landing • Look at feet of statue, get golden<br />
key, use on bureau, look at open drawer, get<br />
leather gloves, look at right hand corner of rug,<br />
get punchcard. Father's - Look under bed, get<br />
grapple and rope, look at pillows and get<br />
punchcard. Bedroom - Push drawer, look and<br />
get combination. Kitchen - look in bottom left<br />
cupboard, use combination on safe, drop combination<br />
and get lighter. Get bottle and drop<br />
wine. Hall - NE then light lighter Stairs - up,<br />
east. Chapel - Look left of photo, get candles,<br />
light candles and extinguish lighter. Look at<br />
book and get punchcard. Library - Drop photo,<br />
letter and bottle. Look mirror, push switch. Hall<br />
- Get sphere then drop it. Library - push drawer<br />
in desk, look then get fuses and drop candle.<br />
Machine • Push lever up, use fuses on fuse box,<br />
push lever down, go up, push switch, use<br />
punch card in slot.<br />
GUILD OF THIEVES<br />
How do I get out of the boat? Jump west. How<br />
do I get into the castle? Help man in the scrub.<br />
How do I bet on the rat race? Bet on the grey<br />
rat when the race is in the courtyard with note<br />
from cushion in drawing room. How do I placate<br />
the bear? Fish in the moat with a rod made<br />
from cue, cotton, needle and maggot. Put poison<br />
on the fish. Why can't I open the safe?<br />
Because it is a red herring! How do I get into<br />
the wine cellar? On the stairs, pull the pipe,<br />
open stopcock, wait then close stopcock. What<br />
do I do in the toilet? Another red herring. What<br />
do I do with the cauldron? Put an eye, heart,<br />
skin, berries and cube in it then open sachet.<br />
What can I do with the billiard balls? Open the<br />
red ball and look inside it. How do I get into the<br />
mill? Shout "Stop the mill". How do I buy the<br />
lute? With your winnings on the rat race. How<br />
do I stop the lute from breaking? Put it in the<br />
bag. How do I climb the slippery slope? Wear<br />
gloves (in temple garden)<br />
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST<br />
CRUSADE<br />
At the university; Enter your office after talking<br />
your way through the student. Take all the junk<br />
mail then the package and open it. Leave<br />
through the window. After meeting Donovan go<br />
to Henry's house and take the painting then go<br />
to Venice. In Venice; At the restaurant look at<br />
the wine bottle then take it. Enter the library.<br />
Take the Mein Kampf in the bookshelf which is<br />
not completely filled (you'll have to search for<br />
the correct shelf). At the stained glass window<br />
look at the Grail Diary. Note the picture of the<br />
window that is drawn in the diary and the statement<br />
(first on the right etc.) Press enter and<br />
leave the area. Search the place for the metal<br />
post and then take it (the red cordon comes<br />
too). Search the library for the stained glass<br />
window that matches the one in the diary. Look<br />
at the pillar corresponding to the statement in<br />
the diary, either left or right. Using the post,<br />
open the slab represented by the inscription on<br />
the pillar. Climb in to enter the sewers.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9 1
OUT OF THE SHADOW<br />
ACE SHOWCASES CARL CROPLEY'S COMPUTER GRAPHICS...<br />
ack in 1983, Carl Cropley had a<br />
very tough decision before him:<br />
should he become a computer<br />
graphics artist or start a career<br />
as a qualified refrigeration engineer? Fortunate-<br />
ly Cropley opted for art, designing graphics for<br />
such computer games as Redhawk, Kwah,<br />
The Mystery of Arkham Manor, Brian Clough's<br />
Football Fortunes, Colossus Ten Chess and<br />
Casino Roulette. More recently he's worked on<br />
Demon's Tomb, Imperium and Hound of Shad-<br />
ow.<br />
"Before starting the graphics for any game<br />
I usually research the project - referring to<br />
library books, taking photographs and produc-<br />
ing rough sketches. In the case of Hound of<br />
Shadow, the idea to produce all the pictures in<br />
sepia tones came from a discussion I had with<br />
Chris Elliot and Richard Edwards, the creators<br />
of the game. I began to research the 1920's<br />
and visited the locations in London that Chris<br />
and Richard had specifically requested appear<br />
in the game. I then produced my initial roughs<br />
before producing the final screen versions. The<br />
16 shades of brown used to pro-<br />
duce the sepia effect gave me the<br />
scope to produce more realistic<br />
images."<br />
Cropley uses a 2Mb Amiga<br />
1000 and Electronic Arts' Deluxe<br />
Paint III and Deluxe Video III to pro-<br />
duce his graphics.<br />
"All my pictures start out as<br />
simple filled line drawings. Using<br />
the shade, blend, smooth and sten-<br />
cil functions of Deluxe Paint III, I can<br />
then add shadows, highlights and<br />
textures. One screen I'm particular-<br />
ly pleased with is 'The Reading<br />
Room Desk in the British Museum'<br />
in Hound of Shadow. The lights<br />
used in this room during the 1920's<br />
were single light bulbs rather than<br />
the more modern fluorescent strips<br />
used today. This meant I had to<br />
completely recreate the way the<br />
light would have fallen in the<br />
1920's. This, together with the per-<br />
spective in which the desks span<br />
out like spokes of a wheel, created<br />
quite a challenge to my abilities."<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 92<br />
Cropley is currently working<br />
on the static and animated<br />
graphics for a Dragon's Lair<br />
style game, "I'm a big fan of<br />
both Don Bluth and Chuck<br />
Jones". As for the future,<br />
Cropley believes: "artists and<br />
animators have been limited for<br />
quite a long time but with the<br />
advent of CD technology, games<br />
designers will have to become<br />
interactive storytellers - games<br />
will become more film orientat-<br />
ed".<br />
In the meantime, Cropley<br />
would be pleased to hear from<br />
anyone who needs the talents of<br />
an experienced computer graph-<br />
ics artist. Write with SAE to: Carl<br />
Cropley, 111 Squires Avenue,<br />
Bulwell. Nottingham NG6 8GL.<br />
NOW ITS YOUR CHANCE<br />
Are you a talented computer graphics artist? Do<br />
you want to give your work international exposure?<br />
Are you looking for a lucrative contract<br />
with a games software company? ACE wiB try to<br />
help you achieve these ambitions, and more...<br />
Just send examples of your work, with a brief<br />
description of yourself and how you design computer<br />
graphics, and you may just see your talents<br />
on display in a future issue of the magazine.<br />
Send to: ACE ART. Priory Court.<br />
30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU.
TRICKS 'N' TACTICS<br />
THE ROUGHEST & TOUGHEST CRACKED BY ACE READERS<br />
SPACE<br />
ACE<br />
The Complete Solution<br />
Don Bluth's rather pricy, but very<br />
pretty interactive cartoon is fortunately<br />
not quite as frustrating as<br />
Dragon's Lair owing to a very useful<br />
SAVE option. This complete<br />
solution will, however, undoubtedly<br />
prove useful to those still meeting<br />
rather sticky ends. It has been<br />
compiled from the solutions sent<br />
in by David Williams of London,<br />
and Chris West of Egham, Surrey.<br />
Scene 1: solution is in the manual.<br />
Scene 2: When Dexter appears<br />
move right to avoid the first<br />
stomping arm. Once the arm goes<br />
up, move left When the third<br />
crack appears in the ground,<br />
move left. Wait for the second<br />
stomping arm to go up then move<br />
left<br />
Scene 3: When all three spaceships<br />
come close to Dexter, move<br />
down. When he reaches the rock,<br />
move up.<br />
Scene 4: When the spaceship<br />
starts heading down towards the<br />
station, move up<br />
Scene 5: When the muck monster<br />
appears, press fire.<br />
Scene 6: Wait for the arm to go<br />
down, then up, then move right,<br />
and quickly up.<br />
Scene 7: Wait for the platform to<br />
come up for the second time,<br />
then move right. When Dexter<br />
lands on the platform, move right<br />
again.<br />
Scene 8: When Dexter appears on<br />
the path move down, quickly followed<br />
by right.<br />
Scene 9: Just before Dexter<br />
reaches the corner in the path,<br />
move down, then quickly move<br />
left<br />
Scene 10: When Dexter is<br />
grabbed by the monster's tentacle,<br />
press fire.<br />
Scene 11: When the right-hand<br />
monster drops below the bridge<br />
then move up.<br />
Scene 12: As soon as the dogs<br />
pounce, move up.<br />
Scene 13: When Dexter stops running,<br />
move right.<br />
Scene 14: When Dexter stops running.<br />
move up.<br />
Scene 15: When the robots begin<br />
to move their arms quickly, move<br />
right<br />
Scene 16: When Ace approaches<br />
the corner in the corridor, move<br />
left<br />
Scene 17: When Ace reaches the<br />
centre of the floor, move left.<br />
Scene 18: When Ace is approaching<br />
the corner in the corridor,<br />
move right.<br />
Scene 19: Just before Dexter<br />
reaches the ladder, move up.<br />
Scene 20: When Borf's staff is in<br />
mid-air, press fire.<br />
Scene 21: As above<br />
Scene 22: When Ace picks up the<br />
staff, press fire. When Borf's staff<br />
is in mid-air, move left or right.<br />
Scene 23: As soon as the scene<br />
begins, press fire. When Borf<br />
begins his round house kick,<br />
move down.<br />
Scene 24: When Borf's staff is in<br />
mid-swing, press fire.<br />
Scene 25: When Borf swings his<br />
staff, move up. When he swings<br />
again, move down.<br />
Scene 26: When Borf swings,<br />
move left. When Ace is behind<br />
borf, move down.<br />
Scene 27: When Borf's goons<br />
approach, move up. When the<br />
screen changes, move left.<br />
Scene 28: When Ace is over the<br />
platform, move down.<br />
Scene 29: Just as the platform is<br />
about to hit the lava, move right.<br />
Scene 30: When you see the ray,<br />
move right<br />
Scene 31: When Ace reaches the<br />
corner of the corridor, move left.<br />
Scene 32: When Ace reaches the<br />
penultimate mirror, move right.<br />
Scene 33: When the ray hits the<br />
ground, move left, then immediately<br />
right<br />
All being well, you have now completed<br />
the game.<br />
THE DUNGEON<br />
MASTER GUIDE<br />
Part Three<br />
A guide to help you through each<br />
level of the dungeon<br />
Locations of monsters have<br />
been omitted to leave some surprise.<br />
Level One<br />
All 24 characters exist here frozen<br />
in pictures. By clicking on one the<br />
inventory will be displayed along<br />
with the option to resurrect or<br />
reincarnate.<br />
Resurrecting a character will<br />
return him/her to life exactly as<br />
before death, retaining all<br />
attributes.<br />
Reincarnating a character will<br />
return him/her to life, but without<br />
previous attributes.<br />
A few items are to be found<br />
before going to level 2.<br />
Level Two<br />
Items to be found: 3 Falchions, -2<br />
Daggers, 1 Arrow, 3 Throwing<br />
Stars, 2 Small Rocks, 1 Buckler<br />
Shield, 2 Blue Magic Boxes, 1<br />
Copper Coin, 4 Torches, 5 Flasks,<br />
2 Chests, 2 YA Potions, 1 Elven<br />
Doublet, 2 Pairs of Leather Boots,<br />
1 pair of Leather Trousers, 1 pair<br />
of Ghi Trousers, Numerous Keys.<br />
'Small details can hide great<br />
rewards' - Press button on wall<br />
for a Falchion.<br />
Two pressure pads in room<br />
with gate - step on first pad, then<br />
one step right, two forward, one<br />
left, and out.<br />
Large room with gate and 9<br />
pressure pads - forward 3 steps,<br />
back one, forward 2 steps, back<br />
1, forward and out.<br />
Pressure pad with rock laying<br />
nearby - place rock on pad to<br />
open gate.<br />
'Step inside, take a ride' -<br />
step into transporter and search<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9 3
the floor.<br />
Pressure pad and trap door -<br />
place an item on the pad to close<br />
the pit.<br />
Pressure pad with writing on<br />
wall - It says nothing useful, continue.<br />
Large room with pressure pad<br />
and green button wall - Press button<br />
to open gate and step around<br />
the pad to leave.<br />
Blue transporter and open pit<br />
- Place an item on floor to close<br />
the pit and search the floor.<br />
Wooden door closes as you<br />
approach - wall says 'None shall<br />
pass' - simply chop door with a<br />
sword to get to a chest.<br />
'This fountain accepts one<br />
wish' - Put a coin in fountain to<br />
open door.<br />
Unopenable gate with sword<br />
behind - Continue around corner<br />
and throw switch on wall. Go back<br />
to find gate open and throw<br />
switch to open secret room in<br />
place you've just come from.<br />
Level Three<br />
Items to be found: sword, sabre,<br />
sling, numerous small rocks for<br />
sling, 5 arrows, wooden shield,<br />
wand, 2 bezerker helms, helmet,<br />
blue magic box, rabbit's foot, blue<br />
gem, Ra key, 2 flasks, 3 chests,<br />
mirror of dawn, compass, numerous<br />
coins, mail Aketon, suede<br />
boots, 2 leather pants, 2 leather<br />
jerkins, elven huke, 2 fine robes.<br />
On entering level 3, take 8<br />
paces forwards, button on left<br />
wall opens secret passage. A fast<br />
run is required to get through<br />
transporter.<br />
'Choose your door, choose<br />
your fate' - six cryptic rooms.<br />
One golden key to be looked for<br />
in each room.<br />
The Matrix. Enter room, 2<br />
steps right, 6 steps forward, turn<br />
left, 4 steps forwards, turn right,<br />
press button in alcove, proceed<br />
the way you were going to find a<br />
secret room.<br />
Time is of the Essence: Blue<br />
button on wall. 'Hit and Run'.<br />
Press button and quickly move 4<br />
steps left, one forwards to get<br />
through wall.<br />
Blue button and open pit -<br />
press button and turn quickly to<br />
see a transporter, throw a fairly<br />
heavy item into it to shut pit.<br />
Second blue button and pit -<br />
Press button and immediately<br />
take 2 paces back while pit is<br />
shut (This pit can be opened for<br />
your exit by a blue button further<br />
in.<br />
Creature Cavern: Fight your<br />
way through the monsters to the<br />
gold key.<br />
Chambers of the Guardian:<br />
the last of the seven rooms contains<br />
a chest. Press the blue button<br />
and a transporter moves the<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 94<br />
chest to another room, repeat this<br />
until a chest appears out side the<br />
last room. Use mirror of dawn to<br />
open secret room half way along<br />
corridor.<br />
The Vault: 'You must pay for<br />
your entrance' - 2 gold coins.<br />
'Cast your influence, cast your<br />
might' - ZO spell to open door,<br />
then throw an item onto pad to<br />
close pit.<br />
Take silver coin and replace it<br />
with something to keep the door<br />
open, use the silver com to open<br />
next door.<br />
Open chest and use coins to<br />
open secret room on your right,<br />
enter room and press button to<br />
open secret room back the way<br />
you came.<br />
Room of the Gem: Place an<br />
object on the pad to close pit.<br />
Blue button opens gate and also<br />
opens the pit behind you. Turn<br />
around and throw object back<br />
onto pad.<br />
Find secret button at end of<br />
passages. Press to open a secret<br />
room and retrieve blue gem. You<br />
can now return to the entrance<br />
and open the door by placing gem<br />
in slot provided.<br />
When all rooms have been<br />
completed you will have 6 gold<br />
keys, use them to leave the level.<br />
Just before the stairs, to leave the<br />
level, you will find a wooden door<br />
which can be opened by one of<br />
the gold keys. In the room are<br />
some useful objects and a button<br />
on the wall. Press the button to<br />
open a secret room a few paces<br />
back down the corridor.<br />
Level Four<br />
Items to be found: Numerous<br />
coins, axe, rapier, bow, Teo wand,<br />
hosen, leg mail, elven boots,<br />
leather pants, leather jerkin, small<br />
shield, bassinet, 2 small rocks,<br />
blue magic box, 3 flasks, water<br />
bottle, Neta position, horn of fear.<br />
'Don't let a closed door stop<br />
you' - Chop down with axe.<br />
Coin slot in wall turns on blue<br />
haze, use unknown.<br />
'Short cut' and key hole - Use<br />
gold key to turn on transporter.<br />
Step in and appear further on.<br />
'This is my prisoner, let him<br />
suffer' - Throw something to kill<br />
the prisoner, it opens your exit at<br />
the end of level.<br />
Chop closed door.<br />
Level Five<br />
Items to be found: mace. 3 poison<br />
darts, dagger, staff of claws,<br />
large shield, 2 helmets, casque 'n'<br />
coif, mail Aketon, hosen. leg mail,<br />
choker, illumulet, mirror of dawn,<br />
rabbit's foot, ekkhard cross, 4<br />
VEN potions, gem of ages, 3 blue<br />
gems, DANE potion, KU potion,<br />
chest, FUL bomb, blue magic box.<br />
The first left turn on this level<br />
takes you into a large room containing<br />
four doors, these are the<br />
treasure stores. Working anticlockwise<br />
as you enter the room:<br />
First door: This room is full of<br />
transporters. Step into this room<br />
and move in the following order:<br />
right, back, forwards, left, right,<br />
back. Keep an eye on the floor as<br />
you do this.<br />
Open pit: behind you is a lever<br />
to close pit.<br />
Second door: Smaller of two<br />
rooms. Button in wall opens door.<br />
Larger of two rooms. Buttons<br />
around wall reveal more buttons<br />
until correct combination is<br />
achieved and secret panel opens.<br />
Third door: On entering the<br />
large room, turn right and walk<br />
into corner where you will find a<br />
button. Press and walk back past<br />
the entrance to the other corner.<br />
Turn right and walk to the next<br />
corner. Turn right again and walk<br />
until you find passage on left. Forget<br />
walking straight across room<br />
as it becomes never ending.<br />
Fourth Door: There are two<br />
passages on the other side of<br />
pits, the one on the left cannot be<br />
accessed until level six. The one<br />
on the right is reached by making<br />
your way through the pits on the<br />
right. A number of attempts may<br />
be needed before the pits close in<br />
the correct order.<br />
When all rooms have been<br />
explored, return to the starting<br />
corridor a few paces down where<br />
you will find a stair case. Climb<br />
and press button to open wall to a<br />
corridor on level 4.<br />
Level Six<br />
Items to be found: Large shield,<br />
casque YT coif, mail Aketon, torso<br />
plate, mitheral Aketon, mitheral<br />
mail, torches, crossbow, 2 throwing<br />
stars, 2 vorpal blades, 3 slayers,<br />
2 green magic boxes, blue<br />
magic box, UNVEN potion, VEN<br />
potion, yew staff, water flask.<br />
'I am all, I am none' - nothing.<br />
'Hard as rocks, Blue as sky.<br />
Twinkle in a woman's eye' - Blue<br />
Gem.<br />
'I arch yet I have no back' -<br />
Bow.<br />
'A golden head yet no body' -<br />
Gold coin.<br />
Room with pit and gate that<br />
closes as you try to get to it -<br />
throw lever on right wall to turn on<br />
transporter, place an object in the<br />
transporter to open gate. Step<br />
into transporter to retrieve object,<br />
green button closes pit.<br />
'The grave of King Filius' -<br />
Press 4 buttons around wall until<br />
correct combination is found. This<br />
opens a secret panel.<br />
'The grave of King Milias' -<br />
Place a gold coin in hole in the<br />
wall to open secret room.<br />
'If you want to stay alive,<br />
you'd better turn and run' - Right<br />
hand corridor: On left wall soon<br />
after entering room is a button.<br />
Press this to open a secret room<br />
on far left. In this other room is<br />
another button which opens a<br />
room near the exit.<br />
There is also a room which<br />
opens when you step on a pressure<br />
pad and closes when you<br />
step off. No amount of weight<br />
seems to keep the door open.<br />
Left hand corridor: After<br />
passing through the gate you will<br />
find a door on the left. Nearly<br />
opposite is a metal ring set in the<br />
wall, press this to open a secret<br />
passage. Towards the end of the<br />
passage is another secret passage<br />
opened with a button on the<br />
wall.<br />
Stuck between two gates with<br />
a blue haze turning on and off -<br />
cast a spell to open the gate then<br />
take off armour to move faster<br />
and run through haze.<br />
'Test your strength' - throw an<br />
item down corridor to open a gate<br />
further on.<br />
As you travel along you will<br />
find a room on your right with a<br />
staircase leading up. This is the<br />
way to the restricted area on level<br />
5 in the pit room.
DM GUIDE<br />
Some useful additions<br />
Here are some additions to the Dungeon Master guide provided by fellow<br />
fan. Matthew Hill of Brighton, Sussex.<br />
(1) DELTA - Adds 1 to Mana<br />
(2) BOLT BLADE - is found on Level 7 (NOT 11)<br />
(3) SMALL ROCKS - are also found on Level 4<br />
(4) FUL BOMBS - are only found on Levels 7,8,9,10,11,12<br />
(5)WAND-also+1 to Mana<br />
(6) FIRESTAFF - +1 to all levels & Brandish, Spellshield. & Fireshield.<br />
FIRESTAFF + POWER GEM - +2 to all levels & Fuse<br />
FLUXCAGE & INVOKE - INVOKE produces varying strengths of fireball,<br />
poison bolt and spirit bolt (DES EW)<br />
(7) SCEPTRE OF LYFE - should be spelt LYF<br />
(8) STAFF OF MANA - should be spelt MANAR - has LIGHT spell, not<br />
Fireshield<br />
(9) DRAGONSPIT - +4 MANA not +7<br />
(10) YEW STAFF - Found on levels 8 +10, not 6 + 9<br />
(Yew Staff + Staff of Manar only have limited charge)<br />
(11) FERAL PENDANT - is called PENDANT FERAL, Level 9<br />
(12) HELLION - enhances physical skills<br />
(13) GEM OF AGES - enhances mental skills<br />
(14) EKKHARD CROSS - enhances character protection<br />
(15) JEWAL SYMBOL - should be JEWAL SYMAL which adds 15 to Anti-<br />
Magic<br />
(16) MIRROR OF DAWN - also an 'answer' to one of the riddles on Level<br />
6.<br />
(17) HORN OF FEAR - doesn't just frighten water elementals, but also<br />
worms, spiders, winged snakes, triffids, blue trolls, rust monsters,<br />
beholders, wizards, ghosts, etc. - not all monsters, however.<br />
Do not enter transporter saying<br />
'Ha Ha Ha', you will end up<br />
back on Level 5.<br />
Towards the end of the level<br />
is a passage with a lever at one<br />
end and a gate and transporter at<br />
the other. Ignore the transporter -<br />
it only takes you to an earlier part<br />
of the level. To enter the room you<br />
must throw the lever and move<br />
quickly to the gate and enter<br />
before it closes.<br />
Level Seven<br />
Items to be found: the firestaff,<br />
Bolt Blade, flamebain, crown of<br />
Nerra, the inquisitor, FUL bomb,<br />
VEN potion, sceptre of lyfe, Gem<br />
of Ages, lllumulet, Dragon spit,<br />
Boots of Speed, 2 Green Magic<br />
Boxes. 4 Flasks, Water Flask,<br />
Orange gem. Corbamite,<br />
Magnifier, Torch, Ra Key, Winged<br />
key, Turquoise Key.<br />
Although all the following<br />
information guides you through<br />
level 7, on first entering the level<br />
you can only open one gate (with<br />
a Ra Key). The other three Ra<br />
Keys and other keys must be<br />
obtained from lower levels.<br />
'The Tomb of the Fire staff' -<br />
after passing through the first 3<br />
doors that require Ra Keys, you<br />
will come across 4 rooms on the<br />
right. Only one of these can be<br />
opened with the turquoise key that<br />
you will find on this level. A lift of<br />
items to be found within these<br />
rooms was given in an earlier part<br />
of this guide.<br />
'Danger, Enter with caution' -<br />
First you will find alcoves that may<br />
prove rewarding. As you turn right<br />
along a long corridor with short<br />
passages on the right, a button<br />
will be found on the left wall (three<br />
and a half passages along), press<br />
this button to open a passage on<br />
your return journey.<br />
In the room at the end of corridor<br />
will be found a Turquoise Key<br />
under some ashes. To the left is a<br />
button that opens a passage at<br />
the end of which are some scrolls<br />
and a Ra Key.<br />
On your return to the room<br />
with the alcoves you will find a<br />
passage has opened in front of<br />
you. Enter, turn left, right, left and<br />
seven paces forwards to find a<br />
button on your left, press the button<br />
and walk back the way you<br />
came to find the winged key has<br />
been revealed. Travel down the<br />
corridor, it is a direct route to<br />
level 13. Open pan and return.<br />
Return to the 'Danger, Enter<br />
with caution' door. Opposite is<br />
another corridor at the end of<br />
which are some very useful items.<br />
Leave this corridor and open the<br />
door on your left with the Ra Key.<br />
Walk along this corridor for some<br />
distance taking many turns to find<br />
the Ra Key. Don't hang around<br />
when you find the Firestaff! You<br />
now need the Power Gem from<br />
Level 14.<br />
Ruby Key opens 'Enter with<br />
caution' door.<br />
Master Key opens door to<br />
retrieve Firestaff.<br />
Level Eight<br />
Items to be found: Delta, Rabbit's<br />
Foot, 4 FUL bombs, 2 Chests.<br />
Mac of Order, Staff of Manar, Yew<br />
Staff, Throwing star, Green Magic<br />
Box, Jewal Symbol, Torch, Copper<br />
Coin.<br />
Level 8 consists of a very<br />
large room with a number of<br />
secret passages, also numerous<br />
pits.<br />
Around the wall you will find a<br />
short corridor with a chest and<br />
two holes in the wall. The holes<br />
fire fireballs which pass through<br />
various blue hazes and travel<br />
around the room. At the start of<br />
this passage you will find a button<br />
on the wall. Press it to open a<br />
secret panel behind the blue haze<br />
on your right, press the green button<br />
behind this panel to switch off<br />
the hazes and thus stop the fireball<br />
from hitting you as you search<br />
the level. If you stand with your<br />
back to the fireball holes and walk<br />
forwards you come to the end of<br />
a wall. Step around this to the<br />
other side and take a further 10<br />
steps forwards to find a key in<br />
front of you.<br />
One of the buttons around the<br />
wall will reveal a series of passages<br />
culminating in what seems<br />
to be an endless passage. In<br />
effect you are being transported<br />
back top the start of the passage.<br />
Stand with your back to the beginning<br />
and take 26 paces forwards,<br />
then turn right and wait for a<br />
moment for a panel to open. You<br />
will find a gate behind which is a<br />
button on the left wall. Press to<br />
open a secret room.<br />
One passage you find will end<br />
in a gate (you should have a solid<br />
key on you to open it). At the end<br />
of the passage you will find a skull<br />
on the wall. Use the skeleton key<br />
that you found in the chest to<br />
open a secret panel. You will find<br />
a number of these in the levels to<br />
come. Always open them to reveal<br />
access to the master staircase<br />
which begins on Level 8 and finishes<br />
on Level 14, opening on all<br />
the levels in between.<br />
If you drop down one of the<br />
pits in the room you will find a<br />
series of corridors, search them<br />
to find another pit at the bottom<br />
of which is a Yew Staff.<br />
Well, that lot should keep you<br />
happy for some time. In the final<br />
instalment, next month, levels 9 to<br />
14 get a similar treatment.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9 5
SUPER HACK<br />
OPERATION THUNDERBOLT<br />
(AMIGA)<br />
Master hacker, Mark Lawrence<br />
of Basildon, Essex here provides<br />
some relief for Amiga owners<br />
being shot to pieces in Operation<br />
Thunderbolt. This gives you infinite<br />
'life". Type the program below<br />
in Amiga Basic and save it for<br />
future use. Now insert Operation<br />
Thunderbolt disk 1 in drive 0 and<br />
if an alert comes up click on cancel<br />
to remove it. Now run the program<br />
and after a few seconds the<br />
screen should go black. Operation<br />
Thunderbolt will now load as usual<br />
but you should have infinite 'life'.<br />
10 DIM C0DE%(255)<br />
20 FOR N = 0TO 95<br />
30 AEAD AS : A = URL l &H" •<br />
R$)<br />
40 C0DE%IN)-fl<br />
50 NEHT N<br />
60 CHEHT = HARPIR(CODE%IOI><br />
65 CRLL CHERT<br />
70 REM TYPE IN THIS EISTING<br />
AND SHOE FOR FUTURE USE.<br />
80 REM INSERT OPERRTION<br />
IHUNOERROET DISK AND RUN<br />
1HIS PROGRAM<br />
90 REM GAME SHOOLD LOHO AS<br />
USOAl 111 ITH INFINITE HUES<br />
100 DATA ?OFE. 2C 78. 0004.<br />
4ERE. EEB6. 2200, 5280. 6772<br />
110 DATA 4BFA. OOEE, 3HFC,<br />
0400, 429D, 3RC 1, 93C9, 4EAE<br />
120 DATA EEOA, 2AC0. 2A80.<br />
2B40. 0008, 5890, 4295, 4BEA<br />
I 30 DATA 0090, I ABC, 0005,<br />
3B7C, 0030, OOOA, 41 HI. 00)8<br />
140 DATA 2B48. 0006, 4IFA,<br />
0060, 7000, 7200. 43EA. 006A<br />
150 DATA 4EAE, FE44, 4A80.<br />
662A. 700C. 99CC, 6126, 7002<br />
160 DAIA 4919. 0007, 0000.<br />
61 I C, 397C, 5340. 0030, 297C<br />
170 DATA 343C, 4A69. 0032,<br />
297C, 3IC2, 73BA, 0054. 4EEC<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 96<br />
FUTURE<br />
WARS<br />
The Complete Solution<br />
Well, the animated puzzler from<br />
Delphine/Palace certainly seems<br />
to have got adventure addicts<br />
worldwide burning the midnight<br />
oil. We have been getting three or<br />
four calls a week, here at the<br />
ACE office, from frustrated readers<br />
anxious for help. So, to save<br />
your sanity and our ears, here is<br />
the complete solution courtesy of<br />
Phil Thompson.<br />
The Start<br />
Take bucket. Operate lift up but-<br />
ton. Operate open window. Enter<br />
room.<br />
First room<br />
Operate carpet to get key. Take<br />
plastic bag. Operate WC door to<br />
Start<br />
get red flag. Operate cupboard to<br />
get insecticide. Use bucket on<br />
sink to fill. Use bucket on centre<br />
door. Operate right hand door<br />
then exit right.<br />
Office<br />
Open desk drawer to get paper.<br />
Operate cupboard to see type-<br />
writer. Make a note of number on<br />
typewriter. Examine map. Use red<br />
flag on hole. Exit right. Examine<br />
keypad. Operate keypad entering<br />
number found on typewriter one<br />
digit at a time and exit to office<br />
after each one. After final digit go<br />
through passage.<br />
Control Room<br />
Use paper on slot. Operate green<br />
button. Operate red button and<br />
FUTURE WARS<br />
KEY<br />
Way in Way out<br />
quickly move under spotlight.<br />
Swamp<br />
Go left walking on green areas<br />
only. Use insecticide on<br />
mosquitoes. Examine ray of light<br />
to get pendant. Go left.<br />
Lake<br />
Examine tree by lake to get rope.<br />
Use rope on branch. After peas-<br />
ant goes for swim, take clothes.<br />
Go left.<br />
Castle<br />
Go round back of castle. Operate<br />
large tree to get coin. Go back to<br />
pub in front of castle. Use com to<br />
buy a drink. Listen to gossip. Go<br />
to castle.<br />
Inside Castle<br />
Listen to information then leave,<br />
taking lance from sleeping guard.<br />
Go back to large tree. Use lance<br />
to get monk's habit and put it on.<br />
Go to lake. Use plastic bag with<br />
lake. Go bak to castle and exit<br />
bottom of screen.<br />
Outside Monastery<br />
Use plastic bag on v/olf.<br />
Inside Monastery<br />
Enter door on left, leave and<br />
Stairs to be used<br />
7
enter door on right. Go to room<br />
on left. Take cup. Go middle<br />
door. Use cup on barrel. Give<br />
wine to leader. Examine him for<br />
remote control. Use remote<br />
control on cabinet. Take magnetic<br />
card. Go to wine cellar.<br />
Use remote control on cabinet.<br />
Take magnetic card. Go to wine<br />
cellar. Use remote control on<br />
top barrel. Enter secret passage.<br />
Control Room<br />
Examine glass case to get gas<br />
cannister. Use magnetic card<br />
on computer.<br />
Wastelands<br />
Take blowtorch from bottom<br />
right of first screen. Take fuses<br />
from white rubble. Go through<br />
manhole.<br />
Sewers<br />
Use blowtorch on tap to fill. Use<br />
blowtorch on monster. Go up<br />
steps.<br />
Metro<br />
Get coin from coin collection in<br />
newspaper machine. Use coin<br />
on money slot on newspaper<br />
machine. Repeat, get on metro<br />
train.<br />
Shuttleport<br />
Go down stairs. Use fuse on<br />
fuses in fuse box. Go upstairs.<br />
When recpetionist checks make-<br />
up go between arrows.<br />
Prison Cell<br />
Use metal key on grill. Use gas<br />
canister on metal grill. Use<br />
newspaper on metal grill. Exit<br />
through door.<br />
Control Room<br />
Use magnetic card on machine.<br />
Slippery slope<br />
Go to Lo-ann.<br />
Outside Spaceship<br />
Shoot any crughons in red danger<br />
boxes until crughon leader<br />
appears on flying podium.<br />
Shoot him. When Lo-ann is shot<br />
search her body twice. Use pendant<br />
on Lo-ann. Search dead<br />
crughon.<br />
Spaceship Cockpit<br />
Use magnetic card on machine<br />
near door. Operate case. Take<br />
garment. Use garment on video<br />
camera. Get in case. Operate<br />
case.<br />
Crughon Base<br />
Use invisibility pill on hero as<br />
soon as door starts to open.<br />
Leave spaceship. Hide in box<br />
on lower left of screen.<br />
Cargo Hold<br />
Operate door at far end. Follow<br />
enclosed map to computer cen-<br />
tre. Use magnetic card on con-<br />
sole. Follow map to exit. This<br />
completes the game.<br />
100 DRTH 000C, 4E75. 43FR,<br />
0032, 3340. 001C, 234C, 0020<br />
190 DOTO 42H9, 002C, 237C,<br />
0000. 0400, 0024, 337C, 0030<br />
200 OHIO 0012, 4ECE, FE38,<br />
7472, 61 63.6B64, 6973. 6B2E<br />
210 DRTH 6465, 7669. 6365,<br />
0000. 0000. 0000, 0000. 0000<br />
You can also gain infinite men by<br />
typing either WIGAN NINJA or<br />
EDOM TAEHC when you get a<br />
high score. From examining the<br />
program it appears that typing<br />
SPECCY MODE when you get a<br />
high score does something but I<br />
haven't managed to find what it<br />
does do (Switches to yukky two<br />
colour displays and tinny sound<br />
perhaps?).<br />
A TNT<br />
SURVIVAL<br />
GUIDE<br />
ZX SPECTRUM<br />
As promised last month, here is<br />
the first of our detailed run downs<br />
on how to use pokes for individual<br />
machines.<br />
If you are attempting to modify<br />
a very early Spectrum game<br />
then the chances are that you<br />
won't have to get round any tricky<br />
protection. Most of the early<br />
Spectrum titles used an auto-running<br />
BASIC program to load one<br />
or more blocks of code into memory<br />
and then execute them using<br />
a simple USR call.<br />
The best way to find out if the<br />
game is of this type is to use<br />
MERGE rather than LOAD to load<br />
the program (see your user manual<br />
for details on how to do this).<br />
This will load the program as<br />
normal, but will stop it from autorunning.<br />
All being well you can<br />
now examine the listing of the<br />
boot program. If you can't, or the<br />
computer crashes, then the program<br />
is protected and you will<br />
have to resort to other methods.<br />
If you see a single line number<br />
(possibly zero) and nothing<br />
else then the program has embedded<br />
colour codes which make it<br />
invisible. These can be edited out<br />
as normal, but if the first line has<br />
a number of 0 you will find that<br />
you are unable to bring it down for<br />
editing. This is the solution.<br />
Enter directly: PRINT PEEK<br />
23635+256*PEEK 23636. and<br />
a five figure number will appear.<br />
Make a note of it. Now enter<br />
directly: POKE n+1,1 where n is<br />
the number you noted down. If<br />
you now rexamine the listing you<br />
will see that the number of the<br />
first line has changed to 1. You<br />
should now be able to edit it as<br />
normal.<br />
You may have problems if<br />
there is already a line 1. In this<br />
case you will have to repeat the<br />
procedure, but using a number<br />
other than 1 that is not in use (But<br />
make sure you reorder the lines<br />
afterwards).<br />
To remove the colour codes<br />
move the cursor onto the partly<br />
visible line and call it down with<br />
the EDIT key. Now move the cursor<br />
slowly along the line until it<br />
disappears. At this point press<br />
DELETE once. Now repeat the<br />
process until the line becomes visible.<br />
Re-enter the line.<br />
You may have to do this with<br />
several lines to clear the whole<br />
listing. If you are using a +3 then<br />
the codes will be ingnored by the<br />
machine, but they are still there.<br />
Nov; you should have a clear<br />
listing. Find the last line in the program<br />
which loads a section of<br />
code, and the line with the first<br />
USR call. You must place any<br />
pokes you wish to employ<br />
between these points. Once you<br />
have done so, save your new loader<br />
on a seperate tape.<br />
Now all you have to do is load<br />
your adjusted loader program,<br />
replace the original program cassette<br />
wound past the original loader<br />
program, then run your new<br />
program and start the tape playing.<br />
Unfortunately most of the<br />
existing programs for the Spectrum<br />
are not so ridiculously easy<br />
to access - more on this machine<br />
next month.<br />
Jojo Cicero and Mark Hook of Caerphilly, Mid-<br />
Glamorgan have already treated Sega Master System<br />
owners to some great tips from R-Type to Spy vs. Spy<br />
II. Now they're back with some tips for Altered Beast.<br />
i) It is possible to continue in all five times. To continue<br />
the second and all later times just press both buttons<br />
but push a different diagonal direction. Some diagonals<br />
can be used more than once.<br />
ii) To destroy:-<br />
...boss 1: stay at the left of screen. Fire at him continu-<br />
ously (using fireballs). When a head is above you use the<br />
'flaming arrow' trick so you stop just outside boss body.<br />
Keep fireballing him. When another head is above you,<br />
face left and use 'flaming arrow'. Keep repeating the pro-<br />
cess.<br />
...boss 2: not much to do really, just fire at eyeball<br />
and each spore endangering you. If a number of spores<br />
are close, electrify them!<br />
...boss 3: always remain relatively<br />
close. Duck the fireball waves, shoot-<br />
ing fireballs continuously. Never once —^ ^<br />
use the 'pillar of fire trick'.<br />
...boss 4: keep at opposite side of<br />
screen. Fire a single fireball at him and LmImJ<br />
as he runs at you, jump and in mid-air ^p<br />
use the 'flaming arrow' trick to gain<br />
distance. Keep repeating, and if he ^ ^ ^ ^<br />
ever does take a life from you, fire like LJSiib<br />
hell at him while he remains invincible.<br />
More tips from the daring duo will be<br />
coming your way soon.<br />
CONSOLE<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 9 7
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Here's an interesting fact to slip out at one<br />
of those intimate soirees, where you are<br />
trying to impress A.N.Other with your<br />
cosmopolitan intellect and vast knowledge<br />
of world affairs - "Guess how many<br />
Walkmans were sold in America last<br />
year?"<br />
How about this then - an estimated<br />
22.5 million units, worth something<br />
just over a billion dollars over the counter. These are<br />
lean years for headset audio, however, gone are the<br />
days when the tape machine attached to the belt was<br />
de rigeur, but it does give you some idea, even in a<br />
relatively stable market, the kind of demand there is<br />
for entertainment on the move.<br />
Once Walkmans (and all the clones) became available.<br />
a whole new area of personal entertainment was<br />
opened up and going to work on the bus became<br />
slightly more bearable. Those ghetto blasters disappeared<br />
over night and - OK - so the treble leak from<br />
neighbours' cheapo headsets could be annoying, but<br />
that can always be solved by turning your own up that<br />
little bit louder....<br />
That was the revolution in portable audio, this year<br />
comes the revolution in portable video games which is<br />
going sweep across the USA like never before. I guess<br />
it's true to say that portable video gaming has been<br />
with us for years. The first time most of us ever heard<br />
of Nintendo, it was probably because we found a<br />
Game and Watch tucked away in the depths of the<br />
Christmas Stocking. And companies such as<br />
Tomytronic have been producing larger non-programmable<br />
battery operated games for, it seems like,<br />
even longer.<br />
But this is the year that every player in the 3.4 billion<br />
dollar videogame market has either got a programmable<br />
handheld in the shops or in the final<br />
stages of development. The big boys are taking this<br />
one very seriously - and you only have to look at the<br />
numbers that the Gameboy has been generating to<br />
comprehend why.<br />
From nothing to an installed base of one million<br />
units, all achieved in the last five months in 19$9» tn<br />
my book, that goes under S for Spectacular, r<br />
"We think Gameboy just showed a shreH of its<br />
potential in 1989 and we're looking forward to<br />
phenomenal sales in 1990." said Peter t/ain, Nint<br />
of America's vice-president of marketing. By that<br />
means to sell four million more by the end of<br />
year. He's unlikely to be wrong.<br />
Atari has the Lynx • technologically w* ahead of<br />
Gameboy - and reports wonderful things<br />
demand") of its test market in New York over the<br />
Christmas season, with a reported 75000 gomg out<br />
the door.<br />
But poor old Atari. For a brief moment it<br />
claim to be the world's only portable colour game<br />
tem - a fragile claim that was viciously spiked by NE<br />
previewing working model of its own handheld at the<br />
recent Las Vegas Show.<br />
The NEC handheld is colour alright, with a full<br />
400x270 pixel TV display and what's more has an<br />
instant and rapidly growing software base, as it utilises<br />
existing PC Engine/Turbo Grafix-16 software. That<br />
has to be a big plus, although there is still some work<br />
in the lab to do on the battery life of the unit which will<br />
have to be better than the present three hours in order<br />
to be a competitor.<br />
Finally, bullish from its successful Christmas with<br />
the Genesis, there are rumours of a Sega handheld hitting<br />
the streets later this year - again in colour and<br />
compatible with, fancy that, Sega Master carts. Is this<br />
a bandwagon or is this a primitive transportation<br />
device piled high with a lot of musical instruments?<br />
OK. So which one of these babies is going to win<br />
out? There are a number of factors to be taken into<br />
That<br />
John Cook reports<br />
from America where<br />
gaming on the move<br />
looks set to hammer<br />
home Nintendo's<br />
domination of the<br />
videogame market
Gator and Shanghai: a fatal Game<br />
boy combination dtrvastating your<br />
spare time!<br />
Nintendo will be spend-<br />
ing around $30 million<br />
dollars in advertising the<br />
Gameboy and other Nin-<br />
tendo products in the<br />
first half of 90. Atari's<br />
initial ad spend for the<br />
Lynx is $1 million consideration, but why don't we cut them down to<br />
Gameboy Jordon vs Bird One on One<br />
Basketball from Milton Bradley<br />
Nintendo has been<br />
smart in the type<br />
of software it is<br />
'encouraging' its<br />
licensees to produce<br />
Acclaim is a major Nintendo developer<br />
with both software and peripherals<br />
•••••nsNipaa TIME<br />
•••••PMnnnni; 02:33<br />
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••BR IGHTDDDQ PIAYEP. 2<br />
• • • • • B I O N I Z E 052<br />
•S E FL S 0 N • • • • •<br />
•RDBNDGRFLPHH<br />
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•THROUGHDORD onions<br />
•••••••IDDRD (WILD<br />
t>wt»<br />
CHftlEMOE<br />
txeen<br />
Who needs The Times crossword<br />
when you've got Gameboy Scrabble?<br />
Advanced Computer Entertainment<br />
three major areas for consideration. Technological<br />
sophistication, software base and price.<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
I suppose, first must come the Lynx which, when you<br />
first get your hands on it, is a very impressive piece of<br />
hardware. A backlit 160x102 display of 16 colours out<br />
of a 4096 palette. Cool. A 4 Meg 6502 does the house<br />
keeping, but there are custom chips in there to give<br />
hardware sprite scaling, hardware scrolling plus all the<br />
four channel hoopy sound you could eat. Fast and<br />
Loud.<br />
Joe 90 would have been happy with one of these -<br />
and this 'gosh wow' factor is the major plus of the<br />
machine. A minus factor is the power hungry screen<br />
giving a quoted six hours of battery life. That'll be Dura-<br />
cell hours, not rechargeable hours, of course. That<br />
won't get you across the Atlantic - let alone through US<br />
Immigration procedures.<br />
A strong second comes the NEC hand held. Its true<br />
TV screen has astonishing clarity at only three inches<br />
across and it's unlikely that anyone will notice the differ-<br />
ence that the 16 colours on the display only come from<br />
a 512 palette. Its 6502 may not have the super-<br />
charged aid of the Lynx's, but there's enough help for<br />
the thing to cope with wildly sprite intensive games<br />
such as Gunhed, although there is, of course, no hard-<br />
ware scaling. Big minus right now - only three hours of<br />
battery. It would be lunacy to release the thing to Joe<br />
Public like that, so expect it to at least double before<br />
you can get it in the shops.<br />
As the Sega machine is yet to be shown, any con-<br />
jecture about it is wildly speculative, but let's hope its<br />
Master System compatibility (if indeed it is) is a low end<br />
capability rather than the thing performing at max out-<br />
put.<br />
But even if it was, the Gameboy would still look<br />
lame. Mono LCD screen. A blurry 160x144 dis-<br />
play. A cut down Z80. Mmmmm. State of the<br />
technological art this isn't. But a battery<br />
life of thirty hours or so will keep you<br />
going all the way to the West Coast<br />
by plane, let you have the odd<br />
game while you're over there and<br />
see you all the way through Cus-<br />
toms and Excise back at Heathrow.<br />
On technology alone, then, it's Atari<br />
ahead by half a length, with Nintendo still<br />
at the starting game.<br />
SOFTWARE BASE<br />
No problem here - on a ratio of sophistication and<br />
availability, the NEC, when it comes out, must surely<br />
be streets ahead. There are already 20 titles out there<br />
and the same number again are due to hit the streets<br />
in the first half of this year - with familiar titles such as<br />
the 7V Sports series from Cinemaware. Most PC<br />
Engine games are impressive graphically and have<br />
great payability. In the short to medium term, the soft-<br />
ware base can only grow larger and better.<br />
Again, if the Sega machine is compatible with<br />
Master System games, it already has a great number<br />
of very solid titles to plug in and go. The quality of<br />
Master System games to broadly acknowledged to be<br />
improving - the recent release of Golden Axe being a<br />
fine example. Old technology compared to the Lynx<br />
'though.<br />
The Lynx has the original six games that were pro-<br />
grammed for it by Epyx and right now that's it. I don't<br />
suppose anyone can deny the impressive display of<br />
Blue Thunder • an AfterBurner clone - it's out perform-<br />
ing even an Amiga. But do you want to play California<br />
Games again?<br />
Atari are bullish about future software develop-<br />
ment, of course, and substance has been added to<br />
that with the announcement of a link-up with Atari<br />
Games/Tengen which should ensure a goodly supply<br />
of reasonable coin-op originals. Here and now, howev-<br />
er, there must still remain a small question mark until<br />
we see the software on the streets.<br />
Again, on by any sophistication standard, the<br />
Gameboy must limp behind. That mono screen is<br />
never going to blow you away. But unexpectedly, the<br />
quality of the software that is available for the machine<br />
cannot fail to impress. Revenge of the 'Gator, from<br />
Hal of America for instance, is a pinball simulation that<br />
has the best ball movement algorithms I've seen on<br />
any computer anywhere for the past ten years. When<br />
you find yourself tipping the Gameboy in a vain<br />
attempt to nudge the ball in the right direction, you<br />
know that someone, somewhere has done something<br />
rather clever.<br />
Nintendo has also been smart in the type of soft-<br />
LOW BUDGET HANDHELDS<br />
Game and Watches have always been with us - well...<br />
that's what it seems like anyway, but with the very<br />
rapid expansion of this programmable hand held market<br />
in the past year, a whole host of non-programmable<br />
games have appeared from unlikely<br />
<strong>source</strong>s such as Konami and Aklaim (the latter being<br />
successful NES cart publishers).<br />
And know what? They're all completely crap. Forgive<br />
the blunt approach - and God knows I'm usually<br />
the type to call a spade a manually operated terrain<br />
moving device - but these game are universally going<br />
for the low. low end of the games market and this is<br />
reflected in the price of around $19.99. Which in turn is<br />
reflected in the quality and sophistication of the<br />
games. You don't even get a watch in<br />
some of em<br />
Maybe the Tetris might be<br />
worth a look - but other than<br />
- that, take the advice of a<br />
sadly disillusioned man.<br />
Don't!
Simple handheld fun with KIT and the Knight Rider<br />
ware it is 'encouraging' its licensees to produce.<br />
Smart move number one was to bundle Tetr/s with the<br />
thing - the game most likely to appeal to the widest<br />
possible audience across the age ranges and across<br />
the sexes.<br />
Many other puzzle games are in the works, includ-<br />
ing a surprisingly playable version of Shanghai. Sure<br />
there are arcade blasters • Nemesis being an unlikely<br />
example from Konami and Classic Invaders a forehead<br />
thumpingly obvious release from Taito. But there has<br />
been a deliberate approach to pitch much of the soft-<br />
ware away from the traditional shoot'em-up brigade<br />
and towards older users. The ones that take trains and<br />
planes to work. There's only one way to describe this<br />
particular curve ball. Sneaky.<br />
The Lynx and the NEC neck and neck now, with<br />
Sega falling back and Nintendo just breaking into a<br />
brisk trot.<br />
PRICING<br />
This is where it all becomes really interesting. How<br />
much would you pay for a hand held machine? You've<br />
probably already got a computer or console, remem-<br />
ber. This is going to be your secondary device - the<br />
one you play on the way to work, in the back row of<br />
the classroom, down the canteen; whatever.<br />
Well, expect to see the Gameboy selling in the<br />
$80-90 dollar range. Sixty quid. Does that sound much<br />
to you? A nice birthday present, yes? Something you<br />
might get from a well-off granny at Christmas maybe.<br />
Carts for the things - most seem to be lining up at<br />
around $20-$25, that's cheaper than the majority of<br />
NES cartridges.<br />
The Lynx - the only other contender yet to make it<br />
into the shops. Well, you can double the price of the<br />
basic Gameboy unit - say around $180 dollars. You<br />
can pick up a Genesis or NES for that kind of money<br />
and surely puts Atari's machine well beyond the scope<br />
of the impulse buy. Software? To you. $35-$45 dollars<br />
- just a little bit more than the average Nintendo cart.<br />
Add to this the thirsty running cost in batteries and the<br />
Lynx becomes what the marketeers like to call a 'pre-<br />
mium' machine - wot you and me call 'pricey'.<br />
The NES handheld, if anything, is likely to be a lit-<br />
tle bit higher than the Lynx - but will have the added<br />
advantage of being able to be used as a TV set with<br />
the addition of a low-cost tuner which no doubt will<br />
be thrown in as part of the deal by particularly rabid<br />
retailers. Who knows about the Sega, but it can't hope<br />
to undercut the Gameboy if anything that's leaked out<br />
about its technical spec is true.<br />
The Gameboy suddenly puts on a spurt of speed<br />
and races up on the inside of the Lynx as the field<br />
approaches the Winning Post'<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
So - who wins? The NEC and Sega are bound to have<br />
an impact when they come to market, because of the<br />
large existing software bases - but here and now,<br />
Mousetrap Hotel: a wacky tacky<br />
slice of life as a mouse from MB<br />
In the cold hard<br />
reality of the market<br />
this is a one horse<br />
race...<br />
Nintendo clean up -<br />
again!<br />
He's lean. He's mean. He's amazeing!<br />
He's Kwirk - the punk tomato..<br />
Atari Lynx... the 'gosh<br />
wow' factor is the major<br />
plus of the machine<br />
The Atari Lynx: in UK stores within<br />
the next three months for £149.99<br />
doesn't the wunderkind Lynx seem to blow the techno-<br />
logical dwarfish Gameboy completely away?<br />
Well, hang on. We have forgotten one small point.<br />
Nintendo itself. Let us not forget that in the USA, Nin-<br />
tendo is now a phenomena like you would not believe.<br />
By the end of this year it will have an installed based<br />
of 26 million NES consoles in American homes. Every-<br />
one calls it, of course, the Nintendo. And the merchan-<br />
disers have not missed the opportunity to make large<br />
amounts of dosh on the back of this.<br />
There's Nintendo breakfast cereal, you can wear<br />
the shirts, coats, jeans, slippers, sit on the chairs and<br />
bedspreads, use the Nintendo crockery and realise<br />
you've been playing Tetris for the past five hours by<br />
the Nintendo clock. Even when you turn the telly on.<br />
there's a high probability you've tune into the Super<br />
Mario Bros. Show.<br />
And what does everybody outside the industry call<br />
the Gameboy. The New Nintendo. One kiddie goes up<br />
to another with this little hand held device (just the<br />
right size), says, "Have you seen the new Nintendo?" -<br />
the immediate reflex answer is, "Want One Now".<br />
Here's another thing - with an estimated $2.7 bil-<br />
lion dollars in sales generated by the Big N and its<br />
mates in '89 it isn't short of a few bob when it wants<br />
to promote a new product. There's 30 million • yes -<br />
30 million dollars being spent by Nintendo on advertis-<br />
ing alone in the first half on 1990. Not all of it is<br />
directed head-on at the Gameboy, but say "Nintendo"<br />
that often to the consumer and expect it to positively<br />
effect their buying choices even if you bring out a Nin-<br />
tendo brand of condoms.<br />
Nintendo expect to sell another four million Game-<br />
boys in 1990. Atari say they are going to sell one mil-<br />
lion Lynx machines. It's publicly announced ad budget<br />
is presently one million dollars. I know who my money<br />
is on to succeed.<br />
Sure - the colour revolution in handhelds will come<br />
- but until all the major machines have been released<br />
(all likely to be around the $200 mark) I strongly sus-<br />
pect that many prospective Lynx buyers will wait and<br />
see what the competition will offer. And while they're<br />
waiting - what could be better than just one more<br />
game of Tetr/s on the Gameboy<br />
In the cold hard reality of the market, this is a one<br />
horse race - and I'd put my shirt, jummy. Toyboy boxer<br />
shorts and anything else that came to hand, on a<br />
wager that this is the year that Nintendo clean up -<br />
again.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 101
COIN-OPS<br />
BEAST BUSTING - WHO YA GONNA CALL?<br />
After all the hustle bustle of the ATE I Show last month,<br />
it's back down into the arcades - as John Cook gets<br />
through large amounts of small change and focuses on<br />
that or Silver Ball<br />
BEAST BUSTERS<br />
SNK<br />
Regular readers will know that I have a virulent<br />
dislike of the "mow-em-down" style of game<br />
that has become so popular in the last couple<br />
of years.<br />
These are electronic shooting galleries,<br />
with the player gripping a simulacrum of an<br />
automatic weapon and blowing away moustachioed<br />
loony letters, young children, nuns, etc,<br />
all in the cause of truth, justice and lower<br />
petroleum prices.<br />
Now I know it makes me sound like a bit of<br />
a wimp • but while I don't mind giving all kinds<br />
of alien being pure hell, I draw the line at pretending<br />
to kill large sprites representing real<br />
human beings.<br />
Why? Well - cop this for a powerful intellectual<br />
arguement • it's not<br />
nice. Shooting aliens is creating<br />
a fantasy world to<br />
have fun in - putting realistic<br />
human beings in that world<br />
and then killing the odd hundred,<br />
is starting to impinge<br />
on the real world in a rather<br />
disturbing manner.<br />
So, as far as I'm concerned,<br />
you can trash Op<br />
Wolf, Mechanised Attack,<br />
Op Thunderbolt and Line of<br />
Fire but I think you could<br />
save Beastbusters if you<br />
really wanted to.<br />
Beastbusters is the latest<br />
mow-em-down from<br />
SNK and has all the<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 102<br />
pharaoh we have come to know and love.<br />
Guns - three of 'em. Things to massacre by<br />
the score. But ifs the theme that saves<br />
Beastbusters from a sorry fate - it's slockhorror,<br />
straight out of the Evil Dead.<br />
The theme of the thing has you (plus two<br />
others if you like) entering a town where<br />
something has gone very wrong - it's full of<br />
zombies, werewolves and nasty squidgy<br />
things. Imagine Southend High street on a<br />
Saturday afternoon. And you get to blow<br />
them all away - but do they lie down and<br />
stay dead? Nope!<br />
Apart from that, it's a bit conventional - you<br />
shoot special power-ups for more ammo,<br />
grenades, napalm, etc - but the novel theme<br />
and the 'tasteful' graphics bring it through.<br />
Having played it through to the end • and it<br />
look like SNK are planning a follow-up by the<br />
way • I can tell you that the surprises keep<br />
coming all the way through to the final screens,<br />
although you'd have to be phenomenally good,<br />
or spend a lot of dosh, to reach them.<br />
It's not trying to make you feel like Rambo<br />
and all the time it's obvious it's just a game.<br />
Splatterhouse meets Op Wolf - give it a try.<br />
Incidently -1 played Line of Fire to the end<br />
in the same session...! won't waste space<br />
describing it...suffice to say it was technically<br />
superb...but as a game, a load of rubbish. OK?<br />
SHADOW<br />
DANCER<br />
SEGA<br />
What do you get when you cross One Man and<br />
his Dog with Shinobi? Shadow Dancer, thafs<br />
what, where. "The young Ninja battles together<br />
with his faithful pet dog."<br />
These terrorists have set time bombs all<br />
over the city and you have to • excuse me a<br />
moment...get down Shep... you have to deactivate<br />
them.<br />
OK, so it's a jumpy, jumpy, kicky, kicky<br />
clone with a novel twist, but it is very playable<br />
and quite challenging. Shep follows you around<br />
and when you crouch down and press both the<br />
jump and fire buttons at the same time, he<br />
leaps forward and starts gnawing at the throat<br />
of your nearest opponent.<br />
At this point you have to leap up and give<br />
some help, 'coz left to his own devices, Shep<br />
might get hit • where upon he shrinks to the<br />
size of a poodle.<br />
He does get back to his full size after a bit,<br />
but all he'll do in this state is "Siiiuttttttt". As in
Shinobi, you can throw Shukren around are<br />
have a Ninja Magic smart bomb that kills all<br />
known terrorists dead.<br />
Hardly breath-takingly original, but an effort<br />
that'll probably appeal to Shinobi fans and dog<br />
lovers everywhere.<br />
FINAL<br />
FIGHT<br />
CAPCOM<br />
What on earth does Capcom think it's doing<br />
with the super-fab CP System board? The<br />
release before last was UN Squadron - a banal<br />
horizontal scroller. Yawn. And now, we are<br />
offered Final Fight • a beat-em-up.<br />
OK, so the sprites are big, but does the<br />
world seriously need another one of these?<br />
Capcom are definitely suffering from a distinct<br />
lack of imagination, despite the fact that they<br />
have the hardware to out-perform almost every<br />
other system in the arcades.<br />
More, faster and prettier is not always better,<br />
boys. Anyone with some startlingfy original<br />
game ideas • send them in to us and we'll pass<br />
them on to Capcom. They need 'em!<br />
AMERI<br />
DARTS<br />
AMERI CORP<br />
There have been a fair few darts games on<br />
home formats, but I can't think of one on coinop<br />
• until now. And y'know, it's quite a laff.<br />
First you have to choose a type of game,<br />
traditional 301 and cricket, plus some hi-tech<br />
ones where you have to hit flashing sections of<br />
the board within a time limit.<br />
You then use a trackball to give force and<br />
direction to the throw and press the fire button<br />
for the precise to 'let go' of the dart.<br />
THE SILVER BALL<br />
Hove pinball. I love vids too, but there is something<br />
altogether more sophisticated about<br />
leaning on a pintable, trapping the ball on a<br />
flipper, surveying the admiring crowds of<br />
underlings, then nonchalantly taking the jackpot<br />
with a single well placed shot.<br />
The skills involved are slightly different to<br />
those used by vid junkies and the concentration<br />
needed to play well, produces a slightly<br />
different effect • less intense, slightly more<br />
refined. Ring any bells with anybody?<br />
In the US, where the coin-op business is<br />
worth about six billion dollars (compared to<br />
the five billion generated by the movie business),<br />
almost half of that is generated by pinball.<br />
In France, you can't walk into a cafe without<br />
bumping into a pinball table - and playing<br />
off the Champs Elysee, with a double expresso<br />
on one side and a cognac on the other<br />
must surely be one of life's more perfect<br />
moments.<br />
In the UK, you are lucky if an arcade has<br />
a single table...luckier if it's in full working<br />
order. Why? Well....it's the Law. Very early pinball<br />
tables in the 30's - this was in the pre-flipper<br />
days, when the game was a variant of<br />
bagatelle - there were payout machines where<br />
you could bet where the ball would land. This<br />
resulted in the banning of almost all pinballs,<br />
Score is automatic, of course • although<br />
that is unlikely to stop some people chalking up<br />
on the side of the cabinet. I bet.<br />
The control system does take a bit of getting<br />
used to, but after a while you can control<br />
the flight of the dart very well and it becomes a<br />
lot of fun.<br />
I expect this will find its way into a fair number<br />
of pubs - yippee for that, particularly if it<br />
gets rid of all those appalling Nintendo Play-<br />
Choice 10's.<br />
despite most were for amusement only.<br />
Modern games don't pay-out. of course,<br />
but you can win more than your initial (only in<br />
credits), so that pinball is firmly classified as a<br />
game of chance.<br />
This means you have to have a gaming<br />
licence to operate one and also limits the<br />
ways that the distributors can sell tables to<br />
the arcade operators.<br />
Despite all these problems, there seems<br />
to be a growing interest in pinball - largely<br />
because of a massive increase in the complexity<br />
of the hardware that runs the tables.<br />
Large amounts of flashing lights and<br />
Megabytes of digitised sound are now the<br />
order of the day. More about the mechanics<br />
of these new age tables in later issues - but<br />
why not rush off and try one of these newer<br />
efforts in the meantime.<br />
Bally had a big hit last Fall with a table<br />
based on the Elvira character - an easy to<br />
understand table with well defined goals, such<br />
as multiple ramp shots.<br />
It's latest. Mousin' Around, is far more<br />
complex in design - although it's still a good<br />
bash. My favourite manufacturer, however, is<br />
still Williams. This company has been producing<br />
great table for a long, long time • with<br />
classics such as Cyclone, Comet, Taxi...but<br />
they've gone back to a simpler playfield with<br />
Bad Cats.<br />
Particularly good for the first-timer, if<br />
you've not played pinball for some time, try<br />
going back and giving this one a go. And<br />
don't worry • it won't make you deaf, dumb or<br />
blind.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 103
zine of the decade is about to take-off<br />
The complete guide to entertainment for the IBM PC<br />
and compatibles.<br />
FIRST ISSUE FEATURES INCLU<br />
FLIGHTS OF FANCY<br />
We round up the<br />
latest in simulations
Roland CF-IO and CN-20: turn your simple<br />
music programs into state-of-the-art with these<br />
specially designed Roland computer mi* and<br />
edit modules<br />
110 sample player and come in families of<br />
instruments: pipe organs and harpsichords,<br />
Latin percussion, orchestral strings, orchestral<br />
wind, etc.<br />
EFFECTS<br />
Contained on the LA side of the tracks is the<br />
rhythm section which incorporates 30 percus-<br />
sion sounds and an entertaining 33 sound<br />
effects. The latter cover a wide range from the<br />
sound of car crashes, punches being thrown,<br />
footsteps, thunder, screams, trains, jets,<br />
water, sea, etc. The drum sounds aren't too<br />
bad either.<br />
The CM-64 also has two built-in digital<br />
reverb units which are preset on some voices.<br />
Each of the two sections has its own reverb<br />
unit, which are quite wide ranging with various<br />
room sizes and depths of effect. Unfortunately<br />
you will need programming software in order to<br />
use them. There are no easy commands to set<br />
them up, streams of system exclusive data are<br />
needed - that's the heavy end of the MIDI code<br />
which needs handshaking routines and check<br />
sum data to even get a response, and you will<br />
need two entirely separate routines for each<br />
reverb unit.<br />
SOUNDS GOOD<br />
The range of sounds on offer is excellent. The<br />
LA sounds are quite good at impersonating<br />
instruments, though my own preference is to<br />
use them for the more synthesizer type of voic-<br />
es: lead solo, bass or general background. For<br />
realism the PCM department takes an awful lot<br />
of beating. It is also considerably quieter than<br />
the LA section which has a fair suspicion of<br />
hiss about the sounds on close inspection. I<br />
would go for the pianos, choirs and large bass<br />
department without any hesitation.<br />
Although the CM-64 is quite expensive, I<br />
doubt whether you could have 14 channels of<br />
sound and one percussion channel plus reverb<br />
for less money.<br />
FM MELODY MAKER<br />
FROM HYBRID ARTS<br />
£69.95<br />
For less than one tenth of the outlay required<br />
for the CM-64 tone module, ST owners can pur-<br />
chase the FM Melody Maker. Comprising of a<br />
plug-in cartridgesand controlling software, the<br />
package does a surprising amount for your<br />
money. First of all you have a set of 78 Fre-<br />
quency Modulated sounds to go at output in<br />
stereo - well pseudo stereo. FM, by the way,<br />
was the method of syntheses spawned by<br />
Yamaha. Secondly, you can write you own<br />
songs in step-time and have them accompa-<br />
nied in no less than 16 styles. Thirdly, you have<br />
a drum programmer which supports MIDI, and<br />
finally there is a real-time sequencer. Its devel-<br />
opment company, Richard Watts Associates,<br />
were responsible for the very successful bolt-<br />
on FM 'Sound Expander' for the C64 a few<br />
light-years ago.<br />
SEQUENCER<br />
On booting up the program you are presented<br />
with the step-time sequencer. As the name<br />
implies, step-time sequencing is the process<br />
where notes are inserted individually - rather in<br />
the manner of a typewriter. All notes are insert-<br />
ed by selecting the correct note value from the<br />
lower part of the screen and inserting in the<br />
single stave in the upper half of the screen.<br />
This could be a slight problem if you don't hap-<br />
pen to read music. On the other hand you<br />
couid always copy the music from one of the<br />
many books available in any music store. To<br />
help you position the note, the name of the<br />
note is displayed above and below the stave as<br />
you move it about. On clicking it into place it<br />
will sound and it has a range of four octaves<br />
you can choose from. You can perform the<br />
same trick for rests also. The spacing of the<br />
notes is automatically worked out for you and<br />
notes can be tied, although there is no option<br />
for joining the tails of notes - 'beaming' as it is<br />
known in the notation business. I found that you<br />
could fool the notation scoring a little without<br />
too much effort though. Bum notes can be con-<br />
demned to the trashcan and you can scroll<br />
back and forth through the music either by<br />
using the scroll bars on screen or the left and<br />
right cursor buttons. Most of the mouse fea-<br />
tures of Melody Maker are duplicated on the<br />
QWERTY keys.<br />
The clever part of this section comes when<br />
you add the chords. If you are copying from a<br />
score this should present few problems as the<br />
Hybrid Arts<br />
01 444 9126<br />
Kawai<br />
0202 296629<br />
Roland<br />
01 568 4578<br />
range of chords offered is quite wide from the<br />
simple straightforward chords to the outer lim-<br />
its of diminished sevenths and augmented<br />
chords. Wherever you want the chord to sound<br />
you simply click and it appears above the note<br />
on the stave in shorthand form: e.g. AM7. The<br />
reason for this is that Melody Maker has the<br />
ability to accompany your ditties in any one of<br />
sixteen styles - rather like a single keyboard.<br />
Having entered your song - complete with<br />
repeat sections, number of beats per bar and<br />
repeat sections - you can then play the whole<br />
work back and the accompaniment will chug<br />
merrily along with you in the style you have<br />
chosen, inserting drum breaks every eight and<br />
sixteenth bars for you. Even better is its ability<br />
to let you mix the relative volumes - but you<br />
can also change the four voices. Click on the<br />
mixer icon and not only can you alter their rela-<br />
tive volumes but you can also change the voic-<br />
es. You can assign MIDI channels to the voices<br />
used and select velocity sensing. This I found<br />
to be of great advantage as I found that the FM<br />
drums were lacking in depth. If you have a<br />
synth or tone module lying around then plug it<br />
in. and expand on the sound already wacking<br />
out of the speakers.<br />
OTHER SECTIONS<br />
The other parts of the program are sadly not<br />
integrated with the main part. The drum<br />
machine has an excellent grid display that lets<br />
you set up to 20 patterns with ease, using not<br />
only the internal drums but also several extra<br />
MIDI drum voices to which you assign both<br />
channel and note number to get the correct<br />
drum voice. You set the patterns up. then flip<br />
screen pages to find the song page which lets<br />
you sequence the patterns in any order you<br />
like. Up to thirty of the patterns can be<br />
sequenced. It is one of the easiest MIDI drum<br />
programmers I've seen.<br />
Option number two is a one-track, real-time<br />
MIDI recorder with a metronome click option, a<br />
selection of number of beats to the bar and the<br />
number of bars count-in. Really it is more like a<br />
jotter than a sequencer. You can't edit anything<br />
or overdub although you can save and reload<br />
your scribblings. But it works!<br />
Option number three turns the hardware<br />
into a nine-voice expander via any external MIDI<br />
keyboard. Each voice can be allocated a sepa-<br />
rate MIDI channel and there is provision to have<br />
only six pitched voices plus five drum sounds.<br />
You can beef up the sound considerably thanks<br />
to the page which lets you detune the voices<br />
and offset them up to two octaves up or down.<br />
It has a MIDI thru option as well and the sounds<br />
can respond to velocity. No recording possible<br />
here but as an expander it works too!<br />
VERDICT<br />
Although it only uses two operators (an FM<br />
term) to create sounds, the variety and clarity<br />
of them is very good and due to the ability of<br />
the internal chip to change one of the opera-<br />
tors wave forms to give greater tonal expan-<br />
sion. There is room to improve on the program<br />
but it represents excellent value for money. It is<br />
a pity that its facilities are not integrated: the<br />
various components cannot load into one<br />
another. FM Melody Maker is fun - it converts<br />
your ST into a low budget single keyboard. It is<br />
very easy to use, and the on screen help pages<br />
(in three languages) are most welcome. As an<br />
easy-to-use starter music package, FM Melody<br />
Maker has very few rivals.<br />
• Jm,,. Advanced Comouter Entertainment 1 0 5
DIY MUSIC STUDIO<br />
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SET UP A COMPLETE SOUND FACTORY AT HOME? JON BATES EXPLAINS HOW.<br />
Music companies are now selling tone modules<br />
for home consumption. These keyboard-less<br />
synthesizers - capable of producing many<br />
sounds simultaneously - were previously the<br />
domain of the professional studio or serious<br />
gigging musicians with lucre to spare. Now<br />
they are coming down in price and appearing in<br />
nice neat stand-alone boxes with rubber feet to<br />
fit on your best bit of Chippendale or MFI.<br />
KAWAI PHM<br />
£299<br />
Top of the list for value has to be the brand<br />
new tone module from Kawai, who have been<br />
very successful in the synthesizer world with<br />
their 'K' series of keyboards and modules.<br />
From this they created a series of dinky little<br />
fixed sound keyboards - the 'PH' range. They<br />
look a bit of a joke - sort of plastic and remi-<br />
niscent of a Sooty organ. The modular version<br />
has 200 sounds on board and at least 70% of<br />
them are absolutely cracking. They can sound<br />
like real instruments - check out the acoustic<br />
guitar harmonics - or like the fattest synth<br />
imaginable and there are enough "spacey'<br />
sounds to do the soundtrack for 'Startrek VII'.<br />
SOUND AND RHYTHM<br />
Not only do you get the sounds but you also<br />
get 30 built-in rhythms complete with fill-ins and<br />
introductions. The percussion sounds can also<br />
A mighty baby, the Kawai Phm is smalt in<br />
dimensions and short on buttons but has more<br />
fhan enough sounds and features<br />
be accessed on MIDI channel 10 as indepen-<br />
dent instruments, and if this is not enough for<br />
you there are additional percussion instruments<br />
as part of the 200 sounds on board. These are<br />
sensibly arranged so that by picking one of the<br />
preset percussion sounds you will have a two<br />
or three split across the keyboard. To make<br />
sure of complete MIDI compatibility the<br />
rhythms can be synchronised to either internal<br />
or external clock pulse. It would have been nice<br />
to have the nifty patterns output in MIDI notes<br />
as well.<br />
Like all tone modules it has multiple func-<br />
tion buttons on the front panel - via these you<br />
can set up the instrument to your require-<br />
ments. At its most basic level you simply plug<br />
a MIDI keyboard/synth into it - making sure<br />
that the MIDI channels match on both pieces of<br />
equipment - and play away. The Phm outputs<br />
in stereo or mono from the guitar jack sockets<br />
on the back, and the overall volume is con-<br />
trolled from the fader on the front. Perhaps a<br />
headphone socket on the front might have<br />
been a useful - as would a MIDI data light. The<br />
latter flashes any time any MIDI data is<br />
received by the instrument - very useful when<br />
working out why on earth your equipment is<br />
failing to work. Under the LCD display are the<br />
increment buttons to take you through all the<br />
sounds one by one and the Phm comes with a<br />
handy plastic card with a sound list on one side<br />
and the basic set-ups and percussion notes on<br />
the other.<br />
MIDI<br />
The internal MIDI functions are most compre-<br />
hensive: separate receive and transmit chan-<br />
nels. program changes, velocity and after-<br />
touch sensing, pitch bend, modulation, volume,<br />
sustain pedal. All these are separately switch-<br />
able from the front panel. Needless to say you<br />
can also transpose, fine tune, and alter the<br />
rhythm speed. If you are running the module<br />
with a sequencer on your computer you will<br />
doubtless want to access sounds on separate<br />
channels. This too is possible as the Phm is<br />
also a multhtimbral instrument capable of play-<br />
ing up to four sounds plus the percussion parts<br />
simultaneously. To help you set this up there<br />
are 30 'Forms' contained on an internal table.<br />
These set up the instrument in a variety of<br />
ways. You can't deviate from the preset forms,<br />
but they are pretty comprehensive. The forms<br />
include various dual settings, with two voices<br />
spread over the whole keyboard, and have sev-<br />
eral preset detunings and transpositions to var-<br />
ious split options. The latter will allow you to<br />
have several varieties of sound split into areas<br />
of the keyboard and sometimes overlapping.<br />
There are three presets for use with<br />
sequencers and even an optional chord facility<br />
where a chord is played under each note<br />
depressed. When used with sequencers there<br />
is even the possibility to change part of the<br />
preset sound and call up other preset combina-<br />
tions of sounds whilst the sequence is running.<br />
MIXING IT DIGITALLY<br />
As well as producing sound modules specifically<br />
designed for computers, Roland have taken two more<br />
steps down the road for computer based musicians. Both<br />
products are a way of 'souping up" a more basic<br />
sequencer with tangible hardware without having to learn<br />
a new system. The CF-10 is the digital equivalent of a<br />
mixing desk, and is a 'hands-on' MOI mixer that will run<br />
up to 10 MOI channels. As the sequencing software<br />
plays back your music you can mix it. altering the relative<br />
volumes via MIDI and also set the panning left and right.<br />
When used with a sequencer that allows real-bme recording<br />
of tins information (which will mean most sequencers)<br />
the effect wi be of an automated mix down<br />
When added to simple sequencers the CN-20 will let<br />
you e
THE ACE UPGRADE GUIDE 108<br />
At last: a complete, highly detailed guide to the<br />
specifications of all the commonly available com-<br />
puters. This is the place to look for information on<br />
everything from disk drive reliability to games soft-<br />
ware prospects. And consoles are listed too...<br />
THE ACE STOCKMARKET 116<br />
Which games are heading for the top of the charts<br />
this month? And don't forget - these are the only<br />
charts that aren't based on hyped-up sales,<br />
they're based on a thorough market survey of the<br />
opinions of games reviewers throughout the coun-<br />
try.<br />
GAMES YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE 121<br />
The ACE guide to the games you just have to buy<br />
includes simulations, puzzles games, arcade<br />
action and more - everything for the discerning<br />
reader who wants to build up a collection of defini-<br />
tive titles..<br />
ACE READERS PAGES 135<br />
Small ads for ACE Readers who want to do big<br />
business.<br />
COMPO RESULTS 136<br />
Did you win a Nintendo Gameboy, or a Deluxe<br />
Entertainment System, or have you got your paws<br />
on some great free games? Find out here...<br />
THE ACE PRIZE PUZZLE 134<br />
Get your brain in gear and win yourself some<br />
cash.<br />
THE ACE PRIZE CROSSWORD 114<br />
Cryptic clues, anagrammatic hints, and a prize to<br />
boot.<br />
THE ACE DIARY 130<br />
All the events you need to know about in the com-<br />
ing month...and some you don't.<br />
ACE DEALS 128<br />
Free posters, special offers, and hot promotions.<br />
Find out who in your area is giving away the<br />
goodies...
1 O 8 P I N K P A G E S<br />
HERE IT IS: A COMPLETE, DETAILED GUIDE TO ALL THE MAJOR MACHINES AND CONSOLES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN<br />
THE SHOPS. YOU CAN COMPARE PRICES, POWER, AND POTENTIAL FOR EACH MACHINE, TOGETHER WITH THE GAMES<br />
SOFTWARE POSSIBILITIES AND PROSPECTS. WHETHER YOU'RE A MUSICIAN, A GRAPHIC ARTIST OR A PROLIFIC AUTHOR<br />
- WHATEVER YOU NEED A MACHINE FOR, THIS IS THE PLACE TO START.<br />
Here it is: the one and only hard-<br />
ware guide to give you COM-<br />
PLETE details on ALL the<br />
machines you're likely to be looking out<br />
for in the shops. Not only do we grve you<br />
essential information on hardware, but<br />
we've also included equally vital informa-<br />
tion on software prospects for each<br />
machine - so you don't have to worry<br />
about buying a machine that will never<br />
have any games to play on it.<br />
ACORN ARCHIMEDES<br />
Models: Archimedes 310. 3000. 410<br />
420, 440<br />
Package: keyboard, mouse and<br />
drive: keyboard mouse and drive<br />
plus monitor (colour or mono)<br />
Memory: 3000 512K; 310 1Mb;<br />
410 1Mb; 420 2Mb; 4404Mb<br />
Processor: Acorn ARM<br />
RRP: Prices range from £668.85 for<br />
A3000 alone to £2645 for<br />
A440 with colour monitor<br />
Contact: Acorn 0223 245200<br />
Still ibe cutting edge ol microtechnology.<br />
Acorn's ARM is about the fastest thir>g this<br />
skJe ol a Cray. This very exciting machine -<br />
although gathering admirers since the introduction<br />
of the A3000 - still lacks a good software<br />
base and $ best left to ihe enthusiast.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 320 x 256 or 640 x 256<br />
with normal monitors.<br />
640 x 512 available<br />
with multi sync monitors.<br />
Palette: 4096<br />
Colours: From mono up to 256 (320<br />
x256) or 16(640 x 512).<br />
TV: No<br />
Monitor Output: Mono composite video;<br />
colour RGB » sync.<br />
Monitor Supplied: Depends on package.<br />
Monitor Options: Acorn dedicated 14 »ich<br />
medium res.colour; 12 inch high res<br />
mono; Multi-sync colour.<br />
Sprites: 1<br />
Speed: Bistering<br />
SOUND<br />
Speaker Quality: Good<br />
MIDI:<br />
Stereo Output:<br />
Performance:<br />
With extra hardware.<br />
Yes<br />
16 channels (8 stereo pairs);<br />
6 octaves. 1 internal speaker.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk format: 3.5 mch • 8COK<br />
Disk Pricc: From £1.20 upwards.<br />
Disk Performance: Good and last.<br />
Keyboard: 103 keys with programmable<br />
autorepeat. Early keyboards<br />
have a cheap feel gwen the<br />
quality of themachine.<br />
Joystick/Mouse: 3 button mouse;<br />
Interfaces:<br />
no support for joysticks.<br />
25 pin D parallel: 9 pin mouse; 3.5mmstereo<br />
headphone jack; 64 way din; 41612 expansion<br />
port: IEC 320 video outlet; I/O interlace.<br />
SOmVAffL<br />
Existing Software Base: Still my limited.<br />
Some games avarfable most software is<br />
for productivity and business.<br />
Current Releases: Spb above.<br />
Games: Most famous are Zarch (Virus)<br />
and Conqueror.<br />
Graphics: Potential is enormous.<br />
Sane excellent packages avalable<br />
Music: Like graphics, but developers<br />
remain shy.<br />
Prospects: Limited Even the cheaper models<br />
find it tough competing with S Is and Amigas. Disk Format: 3 inch 180Kflippable.<br />
Software Loading: Very reliable.<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP<br />
Second Hand: Sti scarce,<br />
some 305 and 310s starting to appear but<br />
expect to pay for them<br />
Maintenance: One year'sguarantee.<br />
Return faulty machines to dealer.<br />
AMSTRAD CPC6128<br />
Package: Keyboard with built-in<br />
disk drive and dedicated colour monitor.<br />
Memory: 128K<br />
Processor: Zilog Z80B<br />
Recommended Retail Price: £399<br />
Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888<br />
Amstrad's CPC6128 evolved from the compa<br />
ny's fast excursion into home computers - the<br />
CPC64. Although it proved to bo a very popular<br />
machine at the time, the dedicated monitor<br />
caused problems for people wishing to<br />
upgrade to colour This last incarnation sees<br />
ihe monochrome display dropped, twice as<br />
much memory and a disk drive. Nevertheless,<br />
at th«s price level an ST orAmiga is probably a<br />
better bet for gamospiayers.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 160 x 200: 320 x200;<br />
640 x 200<br />
Palette: 27<br />
Colours: 16. 4 or 2 depending<br />
on resolution.<br />
TV: No<br />
Monitor Output: RGB<br />
Monitor Supplied: Yes<br />
Monitor Options: Dedicated monitor is<br />
supplied.<br />
Sprites: None<br />
Speed: Average<br />
SOUND<br />
Speaker Quality: Fair<br />
MIDI: No<br />
Stereo Output: Yes<br />
Performance: 3 channel stereo<br />
sound is reasonable but nothing special<br />
by current standards.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk Price: £2.50 £3.00<br />
Disk Performance: Reliable<br />
Keyboard: 74 raised plastic keys<br />
with audible tactile feedback. Separate cursor<br />
cluster and redefinable numeric keypad. Very<br />
good (or word processing etc.<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Standard 9 pin D type;<br />
mouse drivers available from third parties.<br />
Ports: Edge connector takes<br />
RS232 interface and Centronics parallel printer;<br />
sockets for disk dnve, cassette and joystick;<br />
RBG output supphoscustom monitor.<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Existing Software Base: Good<br />
considering the age of the machine.<br />
Current Releases: Most major titles<br />
appearing on 8 bit are converted.<br />
Games: Genera»y good, but some<br />
games run slower than other machines due to a<br />
more complex screen. Adventures OK. Runs<br />
existing Infocom CP/M based adventures (if you<br />
can still get fookl of themi<br />
Graphics: A good selection of titles j<br />
Music: Reasonable, but poor when<br />
compared to C64 '<br />
Prospects: Uncertain, as with al ,<br />
8-brt formats. Further weakened by lack of US I<br />
user base: a <strong>source</strong> of titles that currently sn> j<br />
port the C64. j<br />
Software Loading: Tape is quick and j<br />
BUYLINES<br />
reliable; disk is last arid secure.<br />
Bost Buy Price: Shop around - I<br />
targe chainsoften offer good value but watch out j<br />
for after sales service, j<br />
Second Hand Availability: Very good, j<br />
Plenty in the classified ads. Beware paying tco<br />
much for the cassette based or monochrome j<br />
versions.<br />
Maintenance: One year's guarantee.<br />
Faulty machinesreturn to dealer.<br />
AMSTRAD PCW<br />
Models: 8256;<br />
8512:9512<br />
Package: 8256 - keyboard, monitor<br />
with built-in single diskdrive and dot-matr«<br />
printer. Locoscript word processor.<br />
CP/Moperating system, Dr Logo; 8512 -<br />
as above with second (dualdensity) disk<br />
drive; 9512 • restyled keyboard, monitor<br />
with singledisk drive, daisy wheel printer,<br />
Locoscript 2 wordprocessor.<br />
Memory: 8256 256K; 8512 512K;<br />
9512 512K<br />
Processor: Zilog Z80<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
PCW8256 £343.85; PCW8512£458.85;<br />
PCW 9512 £573.85<br />
Contact: Amstrad 0277228888<br />
The PCW was designed purely as a word processor<br />
and not a general purpose machine<br />
although the CP.M operating system gave it a<br />
vast - if outdated software base. A great deal<br />
of third party software was produced as saies<br />
rocketed It is not suitable for games although<br />
some do exist.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 720 x 256<br />
Colours: 8256 &8512 green and black: 9512
wtiite and black<br />
TV: No<br />
Monitor Output: Monochrome only giving 90<br />
columns on the dedicateddisplay.<br />
Monitor Supplied: Yes<br />
Monitor Options: None<br />
Sprites: None<br />
Speed: Sic// but adequate lor what it<br />
SOUND<br />
wasdesigned to do.<br />
Speaker Quality: Dreadful<br />
MIDI: Extrahardware available.<br />
Stereo Output: No<br />
Performance: Beeps only, although some<br />
monies are available to improve matters.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk Format: 3 inch -173K fhppable on8256<br />
720K second drive and 9512<br />
Disk Pr.ce: £2.50 £3.00<br />
Disk Performance: Reliable<br />
Thrd parties have produced some addon drives<br />
to allow ASCII file to be transferred to and from<br />
CP/M 5.25 inch format. There is even a hard disk<br />
system available.<br />
Keyboard: Includes many extra keys for the<br />
word processor. Early keyboards felt cheap,<br />
although this was remedied on the 9512<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Not supported. Joysticks and<br />
mice can beattaclwd via third party interlaces.<br />
SOfTWAflE<br />
Existing Software Base: Limited by the disk<br />
format. Most programs are good quaMy though.<br />
Current Releases: Very few.<br />
Games: Arcade titles arescarce. Adventures are<br />
fading although some Infocom games and early-<br />
Magneto scrolls titles are still to be had<br />
Graphics: Scmelowend CAD available.<br />
Music: None<br />
Prospocts: Grim. A lot of machnes use. but<br />
sates are slowing down now. Software support-<br />
should be alright for the time being.<br />
Software Loading;: Fast andreliable.<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Pricc: Usually RRP - still too popular to<br />
discount.<br />
Second Hand Availability: Good. Older<br />
machnes are more in abundance, hold out if you<br />
reaiy want the9512. Beware faulty printers.<br />
Maintenance: One year's guarantee. Faulty<br />
machines return todealer.<br />
APPLE MAC<br />
Models: Macintosh SE; Macintosh II<br />
SE30; IIX; IICX<br />
Package: Monitor with built-in CPU and<br />
disk drive, separate keyboard<br />
Memory: 1Mb<br />
Processor: SE Motorola 68000:<br />
I Motorola 68020; SE30/1IX/1ICX 68030<br />
Recommended Retail Price: SE:<br />
from £2.294.26<br />
II: £4329.75 upwards<br />
Contact: Apple 01-569-1199<br />
A very expensive up-market machine lor those<br />
•sen on desktop publishing. WIMP syslems<br />
and up-market software Software is very<br />
eipensrve. Imported games from US are very<br />
good but very expensive - and in monochrome<br />
on cheaper systems. Good 'or MIDI musicians<br />
but be prepared to pay extra for software.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: S£ 512 x342; 1 10027 x 760<br />
Palette: SE • black and white;<br />
II (with colour monitor) 16 million,<br />
Colours: With colour monitor - 16 to256<br />
TV: No<br />
Monitor Output: Integral monitor.<br />
Monitor Supplied: Builtffi<br />
Monitor Options: SE - use dedicated model only:<br />
H Apple hi res monochrome or<br />
AppleColor hi-resRGB.<br />
Sprites: None<br />
Speed: SE reasonably fast: II verylast.<br />
SOUND<br />
Speaker Quality: Good<br />
MIDI: Tlwd party interfaces avaiable<br />
Stereo Output: SE no; llyes<br />
Performance: 4 channels give good<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
performance.<br />
Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 800K<br />
Disk Price: £1.50 £2.00<br />
Disk Performance: Generally fast.<br />
Keyboard: Separate with 81 keys including<br />
function keys and numeric keypad. Optional extra<br />
is the Apple Extended keyboard with 105 keys.<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Joystick is not<br />
supported: higbguality single button mouse is<br />
supplied with machine.<br />
Ports: SE - Apple Desktop Bus connector.<br />
2 RS232/RS422 serial; external disk dr
1 1 o INK<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: low- res 320 x 200;<br />
medium res 640 x 2C0; high res 640 x 400<br />
Palette: STFM 512; STE 40%;<br />
Stacy 2<br />
Colours: Black and white m high-res;<br />
4 colours in medium-res; 16 in low- res.<br />
TV: Yes. Not Stacy.<br />
Monitor Output: STFM models only,<br />
others through TV modulator<br />
Monitor Supplied: No; Stacy has integral<br />
LCD monitor<br />
Monitor Options: Atari monitors SMI 24 high res<br />
mono; SC1442 med res colour.<br />
Sprites: 1<br />
Spocd: Fast<br />
Note: H»gh resolution display is only available<br />
on monochrome monitor: medium and low resolution<br />
displays only available on colour monitors<br />
or TVs. Blittor fitted to late STFMs (standard<br />
on STE) (improves the GEM access.)<br />
SOUND<br />
Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor.<br />
MIDI: Yes<br />
Steroo Output: STEonly.<br />
Performance: 3 channel sound is average to<br />
good depending on software. STE features 8 bet<br />
PCM sound but no current software uses it.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 72CK<br />
Disk Price: £1.20 to £1.50<br />
Disk Performance: Reliable and fast.<br />
Note: Early machines were supplied with a<br />
single sided disk dnve.<br />
Keyboard: 96 keys including 10<br />
function keys. Has a cheap feel which can be<br />
improved with third party springkits.<br />
Joystick/Mouse: 2 Joystick ports are<br />
standard; 2 button mouse is supplied with<br />
machine. Stacy is supplied with a trackball.<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Existing Software Base: Very good. A lew<br />
budget titles are starting to appear no-//.<br />
Current Releases: None of the maior<br />
software houses ignore the ST so it is 'well<br />
served with plenty of good software.<br />
Games: Range of arcade titles is<br />
constantly improving. Adventures remam thn -<br />
but the fe« available are generally excellent.<br />
Graphics: Very good with some<br />
excellent software to manipulate them.<br />
Music: Excellent. Plenty of sound samplers,<br />
editors and MO software make this tlve musi-<br />
cian'schoice.<br />
Prospccts: Excelent. Recent hardware<br />
*riprovements and pnee cuts make the ST range<br />
more competitive.<br />
Software Loading: A hangover from the<br />
original machines is the 360K disk format which-<br />
means few companies bother to supply double-<br />
sided disks. This means large games require two<br />
or more disks with al the tedious diskswapping<br />
BUYLINES<br />
this entails.<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP. Watch out for<br />
the twice yearly bundles.<br />
Second Hand Availability: Very common<br />
and quite cheap. STs do not hold their value well -<br />
beware very old. smgte-sided machines.<br />
Maintenance: One year'sguarantee.<br />
Return to dealer if faulty.<br />
ATARI VCS<br />
Package: TBA<br />
Memory: N/A<br />
Processor: 6507 (2600)/6502
STart<br />
for<br />
uses.,<br />
juses<br />
extra<br />
snory.<br />
here,<br />
issed<br />
V<br />
^ challenger challi<br />
^^^ products<br />
Q<br />
international<br />
mtet<br />
CPi IS * AHOu< 0**10 Su0*
112 PINK PAGES<br />
for a home machine.<br />
Music: Needs better support for MIDI.<br />
Internal sound software is well supported thanks<br />
to IFF standards.<br />
Prospects: Excerent now the Amiga 500<br />
has gained a firm footing.<br />
Software Loading: Noisy but usually<br />
BUYLINES<br />
reliable. Plagued by wuses.<br />
Best Buy Price: Old Amiga 1000s can<br />
be picked up cheaply enough but these lacked<br />
the extra graphics modes of later models. Try to<br />
find a good value pack. Avoid grey imported<br />
Amiga 2000s. Although cheap, they will not be<br />
supported by Commodore or their official agents.<br />
Second Hand Availability: Becoming<br />
common. Best buys are late Amiga 500s with<br />
Kickstart l .2 -l .3 can cause problems with<br />
games and only adds autoboot to hard disks.<br />
Maintenance: One years guarantee.<br />
Return faulty machines to dealers.<br />
KONIX MULTI-SYSTEM<br />
Package: Multi-system plus joystick<br />
and B/kers game.<br />
Memory: 256K + 512K expansion.<br />
Processor: 8086 + 12Mhzcustom RISC<br />
chip<br />
Price: £229<br />
Contact: Michael Baxter 0273675503<br />
The Konix multi-system looked a winner when<br />
it was first exclusively unveiled in ACE. For the<br />
fust time, a games console has the option of<br />
changing between a joystick yoke, steenng<br />
wheel and a handle bar - depending on the<br />
game being played. There is also a motonsed<br />
chair • (the Power Chair changed from ElectricChair!)<br />
although it remains to be seen if it<br />
can be produced in large enough quantities to<br />
b'ing the price down - currently around £350.<br />
The only bug in the lettuce is the constant<br />
delay in bringing the machine to market - the<br />
competition gets more impressive every day<br />
Disk Price: Applies to developers only.<br />
Disk Performance: Fast + reliable<br />
Keyboard: No<br />
Joystick/Mouse: 3 proportional channels<br />
built in.<br />
Ports: Joystick: Sound 3.5mmjack, 8 pin<br />
DIN RGB; expansion port for light gun and Power-<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Chair.<br />
Existing Software Base: Almost nonexistent.<br />
Current Releases: last Winya II; Sifters: Mutant<br />
camels"90; Harnrnerfist; Star Ray. .<br />
Games: All likely to be arcade titles.<br />
Jeff Writer (Llamasoft) and Jez San (Argonaut)<br />
have beenlinked with the machine so what soft-<br />
ware eventually appears should be good.<br />
Prospects: Weakening - would improve if<br />
Konix can get something on the shelves before<br />
BUYLINES<br />
the Japanese and Americans take over.<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP<br />
Second Hand Availability: Not on sale yet -<br />
so no S/H market.<br />
Maintenance: Expect one year's guarantee with<br />
normal return procedures.<br />
NINTENDO<br />
Package: Nlintendo Entertainment<br />
System: Standard version:<br />
console, plus game controllers plus 1<br />
game (Super Mario Brothers); Deluxe ver-<br />
sion • console, game controller, light gun,<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
ROB Robot, 2 games.<br />
Standard model £99;<br />
Deluxe model £149<br />
Contact: Deighton PR 01-836 2973<br />
A reasonable buy if a console is what you<br />
want. Interesting too, because we may see<br />
more add ons Irom Japan that give it extra<br />
power. However, at the moment all the software<br />
is Japanese in origin and tins is not to<br />
everyone's taste.lt remains to be seen if it will<br />
receive any third parly support.<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP.<br />
Second Hand Availability: Rather thin on t<br />
ground.<br />
Maintenance: One year's guarantee.<br />
Faulty machines return to dealer.<br />
NINTENDO GAMEBOY<br />
Package: Main unit • 1 game (Tefris)<br />
Memory: 64Kbit (8Kbytes)<br />
Processor: Custom 8 bit<br />
Price: Not yet released in theUK.<br />
US price is around $89.<br />
Contact: Deighton PR 01 836 2973<br />
Nintendo were the first company to produce a<br />
dedicated console of this type and now it<br />
seems everyone wants to get in on the act On<br />
reflection even the Game Boy was along time<br />
commg since the technology employed by the<br />
display is starting to look old Although this<br />
means the machine looks like a 'Game and<br />
Watch" it has not stopped sales in Japan<br />
breaching the 1 Million barrier.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: N/A<br />
Colours: 2 (monochrome)<br />
Monitor Supplied: Yes - LCD display is lit by<br />
amtxent light.<br />
Sprites: N/A<br />
Speed: Fast for what itis.<br />
SOUND<br />
Speaker Quality: Depends on headphones.<br />
Stereo Output: Yes<br />
Performance: Good.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Keyboard: Select and Start + 2 option buttons.<br />
Joystick: Sngle 8 way controller.<br />
Ports: Headphone socket; dualmachme<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
interface.<br />
Existing Software Base: 12 titles available.<br />
Current Releases: N/A<br />
Games: All games software is arcade type<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Prospects: Not due for UK release until at least<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 256 x 200 to 512 x 200<br />
Isoftware programmable)<br />
Resolution:<br />
Palette:<br />
Colours:<br />
256 x 240<br />
52<br />
16<br />
September. Game Boy will be hard pressed to<br />
beat the Lynx, although it will be cheaper.<br />
Software Loading: Instant<br />
Palette: 4096<br />
Colours: 512 available at low resolutions:<br />
16 in hi res.<br />
TV: Yes<br />
Monitor Output: Yes<br />
Monitor Supplied: No<br />
Monitor Options Analogue RBG +<br />
TV:<br />
Monitor Output:<br />
Monitor Supplied:<br />
Monitor Options<br />
Sprites:<br />
Speed:<br />
SOUND<br />
Yes<br />
No<br />
No<br />
None<br />
N/A<br />
Average<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Price: Only availablethrough g<br />
imports as yet.<br />
Second Hand Availability: None.<br />
Maintenance: Watch out - grey imported<br />
machines rarefy have any real warranty.<br />
Sprites:<br />
sound: composite<br />
No<br />
Speaker Quality:<br />
Stereo Output:<br />
N/A<br />
No NEC PC ENGINE<br />
Note: Multi system uses four hardware screen-<br />
Performance:<br />
Average<br />
planes (like Amiga's dual playiield). The blitter<br />
Models: PC Engine. PC Engine 2<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
is capable of 12 million pixels per second. In<br />
Package: PC Engine • controller and 1 game<br />
Joystick/Mouse: 2 dedicated controllers<br />
other words, over 50 frames per second.<br />
Memory: 64K internal » 8K video;<br />
suopbed. IR wreless controllers with 30ft range<br />
Speed: Very fast<br />
2 • 128K internal 32K wJeo<br />
now available for £39.95.<br />
SOUND<br />
Processor: 8 bit custom<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Speaker Quality: Depends onTV/monitor.<br />
Price: N/A (US price around $1991<br />
Existing Software Base: Around 50 titles<br />
MIDI: No<br />
Contact: No official contact as yet in UK<br />
available here. Many more available m Japan but<br />
Stereo Output: 3.5mm jack toheadphones<br />
these require a converter to run.<br />
Performance: Digital Signal Processor could<br />
This is one of those machines every one has<br />
Current Releases: Nintendo predct about 2-3<br />
produce up to 40 channels of sampled sound if<br />
waited tor and by the way things are lootong.<br />
titles per month. we wi:i all have to keep waiting In reality the<br />
you want a game as well this drops to a 8 chan-<br />
Prospects: Reasonable. The machines strongest machine has been availablo Irom grey<br />
nels (4 left. 4 rightl over 9 octaves - superb.<br />
selling point are extras like the ROB robot. importers for quite some time. If and when the<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk Format: 3.5m • 88CK (similar toAmiga).<br />
Software Loading: Instant<br />
machine does get an official release it is likely<br />
the software lor the UK version will be incompatible<br />
with grey imported machines.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 256x216<br />
Palette: 512:2-1024<br />
Colours: 32 -16 background and 16 shared by<br />
TV:<br />
Monitor Output:<br />
Monitor Supplied:<br />
Monitor Options<br />
Sprites:<br />
Speed:<br />
Speaker Quality:<br />
MIDI:<br />
Stereo Output:<br />
Performance:<br />
SOUND<br />
sprites.<br />
Yes<br />
N/A<br />
N/A<br />
N/A<br />
64; 2-128<br />
Very fast considering<br />
this is an 8 bit<br />
Depends on monitor.<br />
No<br />
Yes<br />
6 channel stereo sound is very<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
impress^.<br />
Disk Format: ' CD ROM at extra cost.<br />
Disk Price: N/A :<br />
Disk Performance: Superb - the CD ROM adds<br />
a new dimension.:<br />
Joystick: Supplied with dedicated<br />
SOf 7WARE<br />
controler.<br />
Existing Software Base: Large<br />
Current Releases: Appearing<br />
constantly m Japan.<br />
Games: Arcade only - but they look very good.<br />
Prospects: Very good • if the maclwie<br />
ever appears in the UK officially.<br />
Software Loading: Cartridge is instant; ;<br />
BUYLINES<br />
CD very fast<br />
Best Buy Price: Only available through<br />
grey imports as yet<br />
Second Hand Availability: N/A<br />
Maintenance: Watch out grey imported<br />
machmes rarely have any real warranty.:<br />
IBM PC & CLONES<br />
Model: IBM's PC was the first PC to<br />
be accepted in large quantities (not the<br />
first PC) and remains the standard by<br />
which all others arejudged. There are hun-<br />
dreds (literally) of clones and variations on<br />
the theme including offerings from<br />
Amstrad. Atari and Commodore. The<br />
specifications here apply to most models<br />
but check first before you buy. In general,<br />
with PCs you pay for speed - cheap<br />
machines are slow...<br />
Package: Depends on the<br />
manufacturer although most are supplied<br />
with monitors. They can even be bought in<br />
kit form at no extra saving<br />
Memory: Usually 512K or 640K.<br />
Can be anything from 64K to lMb+. I<br />
Processor: Intel 8088/8086 in base I<br />
machine is sometimes replaced with the<br />
faster NEC V20/30. More expensive '<br />
machines are based on Intel's much faster<br />
286, 386SX, 386 and even the latest |<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
486.:<br />
Can be picked up for as little as £299 for<br />
a "no frills" machine. With top of-therange<br />
486 based clones • and the official IBM<br />
versions - the sky's the limit.<br />
Superb value if you want the ultimate al- -<br />
rounder, the PC Still betrays its business oh- j<br />
gins. Almost every major software house now \<br />
=
pert their titles to the PC but these remain limited<br />
by the constraints of the basic (most com<br />
iron) machines which means they tend to be<br />
limited in sound and graphics. Delinitely NOT<br />
fcrst chosce rt entertainment is your preterred<br />
use for computers.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
The first PCs weren't fitted with graphics as<br />
standard but most dones incorporate the necessary<br />
hardware and come with a monitor.<br />
There are three mam standardsiCGA - a nasty<br />
but all too common cotour display EGA about<br />
the lowest colour display worth considering,<br />
and Hercules monochrome. To get Amiga'ST<br />
graphics you musl go for at least VGA which<br />
are usually only fitted as standard to more<br />
expensive machines (Amstrad's PC2086 is<br />
one exception).<br />
Resolution: CGA 320 x 200; EGA 640 x 360;<br />
Hercules 720 x 384<br />
Palette: CGA 8 (in two fixed sets); EGA 64; VGA<br />
256<br />
Colours: CGA 4; EGA 16; Hercules 2<br />
Monitor Output: TO. RG8/RGBI (CGAI;<br />
analogue RGB (EGA)<br />
Monitor Options: Vast. Many monitors are<br />
cfcdcated to just one or two modes - some have<br />
amber, green or white monochrome displays<br />
check before buying.<br />
Sprites: None<br />
Speed: From very slow - 8088 to very fast<br />
SOUND<br />
80486<br />
Speaker Quality: Anything from poor to<br />
downright diabolical.<br />
MIDI: Third part interfaces available.<br />
Stereo Output: No<br />
Performance: Not a machine for the musically MGT's machine started life as a low-cost<br />
bent - an Atari ST offers more for MIDI, the Amig<br />
spectrum clone but in response to apparent<br />
amore for software sound purists.<br />
market trends its speolicalion has changed for<br />
the better. Nevertheless, it should still run the<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Disk Format: 5.25«i -180/360K/1.2Mb:<br />
3.5in 720K/144Mb<br />
Disk Price: 60p - £3.00<br />
Disk Performance: Average.<br />
Nste: Most PC ownors also buy hard disks<br />
Especially lor the larger machines since the<br />
tiappy d'Sk drive islar too limiting in terms of<br />
speed, storage and overall performance<br />
Some PC software refuses to work unless you<br />
have a hard disk or second lloppy dnvo.<br />
Keyboard: Almost as many variations as<br />
there are clones. Go for the AT or extended AT<br />
layouts rather then the XT layout since it's easier<br />
to use.<br />
champon as others lall by the wayside it carries<br />
on getting faster and better all the time Th»s is<br />
aided by Intel constantly improving the machine's<br />
processor and the vast user base demanding<br />
better equipment.<br />
Software Loading: Fast and reliable;<br />
BUYLINES<br />
very last from luird disk.<br />
Best Buy Price: Watch out lor package<br />
deals from large chains and mail order compa-<br />
n»es If you don't know too much about PCs go<br />
for a name you know.<br />
Second Hand Availability: Common, but rarely<br />
much below RRP. S/H PCs can sometimes be<br />
had at office auctions but be careful you do not<br />
get a clapped out monitor/keyboard.<br />
Maintenance: Usually one year's guarantee -<br />
but competition has forced the price of mainte-<br />
nance contracts down to an affordable level. This<br />
often means they fix the machine in-situ for free.<br />
SAM COUPE<br />
Models; SAM Coupe<br />
Package: T.B.A.<br />
Memory: 256K expands to512K<br />
(£39.95)<br />
Processor: Zilog Z80B (6Mhz)<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
£172 with cassette: £251 with single disk<br />
system; £329.85 dual disk system;<br />
£89.95 second disk drrve.<br />
Contact: Miles Gordon Technology<br />
0792 791100<br />
majonty ol Spectrum 48K software bridging the<br />
"no software base' rift laced by most new<br />
micros. The price is keen and the specification<br />
good - but with the price ol STs dropping ever<br />
lower only time w.ll decide its eventual success<br />
or failure Check out the ACE review next<br />
month.<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution: 32x24:32x 192;<br />
256x192; 512 x 192<br />
Palette: 128<br />
Colours: 16 or 4 depending onscreen resolution.<br />
128 possible insoftware.<br />
TV: Yes<br />
Monitor Output: SCART RGB<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Yes<br />
Ports: UHF PAL; SCART RGB: Mouse;<br />
Lightpen; Lightgun; Cassette; MCI in and out;<br />
Network 7-pin DIN; 64 pin expansion;RS232 and<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
parallel via interface.<br />
Existing Software Base: Massive smce it<br />
can use many Spectrum titles 10 major software<br />
houses are developing for the Coupe.<br />
Current Releases: First release is U.S. Gold's<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Neither supplied as standard. Monitor Supplied: No<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
The better clones include a mouse or at least a Monitor Options: Anything suitable for an ST<br />
Resolution: 256x192<br />
mouse port.<br />
or Amiga vsil do nicely.<br />
Palette: 8<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Sprites: No<br />
Colours: 8 Onfy two colours can be used<br />
Existing Software Base: Vast! Speed: Fast in its class<br />
within any one character (8x8 pael) souare.<br />
Current Releases: All maior software houses<br />
SOUND<br />
This limits the graphics potential although this<br />
new. produce something for the PC although few Speaker Quality: Depends on TV/monitor<br />
hasn't stopped some remarkable games<br />
UK companies bother to support VGA - you may MIDI: In and out. Thru supported m software.<br />
appearing.<br />
stll have to play with dreadful CGA colours and Stereo Output: Yes<br />
resolution.<br />
TV: Yes<br />
Performance: 6 channel stereo sound puts the<br />
Games: Many of the latest games are now being<br />
Monitor Output: TTL RGB<br />
SAM Coupe at thetop of the tree in terms of 8 bit<br />
converted - older titles will not.<br />
Monitor Supplied: No<br />
sound performance.<br />
Graphics: Given the right graphics adaptor,<br />
Monitor Options No dedicated monitor is<br />
the PC has nice graphics and the software is usu- HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
available but most low- end RGB monitors should<br />
aly excc*ent. On a standard CGA PC the graph- Disk Format: 3.5in - 720K using new<br />
suffice.<br />
cs are very poor no matter how good the soft-<br />
Citizen ultra-sAm drives.<br />
Sprites: None<br />
ware is. Di*k Price: £1.50 to £2.00<br />
Speed: Average to fast for an 8 bit<br />
Music:?athetic. Even the very best PCs can only Disk Performance: Very good.<br />
SOUND<br />
manage a weak Weep unless fitted with a sound<br />
Keyboard: 72 full travel keys including<br />
Speaker Quality: N/A<br />
expansion card.<br />
10 function keys Unusual designplaces the keys<br />
MIDI: Yes - but uses non standard socket.<br />
Prospects: The PC is the eternal<br />
further back than normal.<br />
Stereo Output: No<br />
PINK PAGES 113<br />
Stricter<br />
Games: Not much specific Coupe software avail<br />
able yet..<br />
Graphics: Too early for good software to<br />
appear • the maclwie can display static Atari ST<br />
low res pictwesthough.<br />
Music: The standard MIDI interface could<br />
be a bonus it developers botlwr to use it. Just<br />
look at the ST.<br />
Prospects: Depend heawly on the machine's<br />
acceptance among the buying public.ll it sells<br />
well, then more developers wrtl start to wnte soft-<br />
warefor it - if not...<br />
Software Loading: Should be reliable. Tape<br />
BUYLINES<br />
based systems mil atoays be slow.<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP -remains in short<br />
supply.<br />
Second Hand Availability: St* too early for a<br />
lot of machines to be changing hands legally.<br />
Maintenance: One years guarantee. Faulty<br />
machines return to dealer.<br />
SPECTRUM<br />
Models: Plus 2. Plus3<br />
Package: Keyboard and build-in tape,<br />
plus joystick, light gun and selection of<br />
software; Plus 3 replaces cassette with<br />
disk drive and adds CP/M compatibility.<br />
Memory: 128K<br />
Processor: Zilog Z80<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
Plus 2 £139.00: Plus 3£199.00<br />
Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888<br />
The Spectrum is games machine and should<br />
nowadays only ever be bought as such Its low<br />
memory capacity and 32 column screen dis-<br />
play make it unsuited to business applications<br />
For productivity - graphics and sound - the<br />
Spectrum lacks the sophistication of its rivals<br />
to make It uselul lor senous projects. Utilities<br />
la", but serious users will quickly outgrow this<br />
generally limited machine.<br />
Performance: 3 channels give poor sound.<br />
This has never been a selling point and never will<br />
be. Few software titles attempt much more than<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
a casual beep.<br />
Disk Format: 3in -180K formatted on<br />
built-in drwe.<br />
Disk Price: £2.50-£3.00<br />
Disk Performance: Generally fast and reliable.<br />
Some problems may arise with commercial soft-<br />
ware, however none have shown up as yet.<br />
Keyboard: AH new Spectrums have a hard<br />
plastic keyboard which - although a vast mprove<br />
ment on the original model - stil feels a bit<br />
"squidgy."<br />
Joystick/Mouse: Non-standard joystick<br />
on all models but suitable interfaces are widely<br />
available. Mouse interfaces are availabte but pre<br />
cious few titles use them.<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
Existing Software Base: Vast<br />
Current Releases: Very common • Spectrum<br />
versions are almost always the first 8 bit vers*>n<br />
to appear. Even impossible conversions like<br />
ZiWCl) have been performed lalbeit with maior<br />
surgery on the graphics and sound).<br />
Games: A huge number of arcade titles exist<br />
ranging from br&ant to abysmal. There isalso a<br />
wide range of home-brew adventures thanks to<br />
the Quill.<br />
Graphics: Fair selection some of which manage<br />
to squeeze far better performance from the<br />
machine than many would have dared magine.<br />
Music: A couple of M^DI interfaces are available.<br />
plus Cheetah Specdrum drum synthesizer.<br />
Prospects: It must die eventually but si showing<br />
signs of life thanks to a healthy software market.<br />
Software Loading: Cassette games stfl<br />
BUYLINES<br />
take ages; disk improves matters.<br />
Best Buy Price: Older Spectrums can be<br />
got secondhand very cheaply but the keyboards<br />
tend to suffer. If you are prepared to risk the very<br />
old machine make sure you get the 48K models<br />
the 16K machine is completely useless for<br />
today's software. Better go for a newer model<br />
Second Hand Availability: Numerous.<br />
Maintenance: Amstrad badged Spcctrums<br />
have a year's guarantee • take the machine back<br />
to the dealer. Other models are now out of war<br />
ranty.<br />
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM<br />
Package: Console using cartridge or<br />
smart card plus game controller and<br />
Recommended Retail Price:<br />
lgame (Hang On).<br />
£79.95; £99.95
Speaker Quality:<br />
Performance:<br />
SOUND<br />
Depends on TV.<br />
3 channels give good<br />
sound effects on most games.<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
Joystick: Game controller supplied<br />
Existing Software Base: Very good<br />
Current Releases: Slowing down<br />
Games: All arcade.<br />
Prospects: Continued support ensured, but new<br />
machines on the horizon.<br />
Software Loading: Instant.<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Price: As RRP<br />
Second Hand Availability: N/A<br />
Maintenance: One years guarantee<br />
Faulty machines return to dealer.<br />
SEGA MEGADRIVE<br />
Machine: Megadrrve<br />
Package: Megadrive plus controller<br />
and one game.<br />
Memory: 74K main + 64K video<br />
Processor: 68000 +Z80B<br />
Price: "Expected" to be under £200<br />
when it finallyappears.<br />
Contact: Virgin Mastertromc 01-727<br />
8070<br />
The cutting edge in the console market - at<br />
least the one we will be able to boy this year.<br />
Although the Megadrive is still not officiary<br />
available, grey importers are laughing at the<br />
way to the bank. All will cease when Virgin<br />
MastertroniC Start importing the official UK ver<br />
sion. If you wait, your machine will run the new<br />
software - if not. you may find the sottwarc well<br />
drying up very quickly<br />
GRAPHICS AND SOUND<br />
Resolution:<br />
Palette:<br />
Colours:<br />
TV:<br />
Sprites:<br />
Speed:<br />
Speaker Quality:<br />
MIDI:<br />
SOUND<br />
320 x 224<br />
512<br />
64<br />
Yes<br />
Monitor: No<br />
80<br />
Very fast<br />
N/A<br />
No<br />
Stereo Output: Yes<br />
Performance: 12 channel stereo sound >s<br />
produced by a custom FM cfop and soundsfan-<br />
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL<br />
tastic.<br />
Joystick: Suppked wth dedicated<br />
SOfTWARE<br />
controller.<br />
Existing Software Base: Very few titles.<br />
Current Releases: N/A<br />
Games: All arcade • can you tell the difference<br />
from the comop original?<br />
Prospects: The process*ig muscle ol<br />
this machine virtually guarantees it resounding<br />
success. Even though the software base is limit-<br />
ed what there is, is good. Release date shouldbe<br />
around Easter 1993.<br />
Software Loading: Instant<br />
BUYLINES<br />
Best Buy Price: Only available<br />
through grey imports as yet<br />
Second Hand Availability: N/A<br />
Maintenance: Watch out • grey<br />
imported machines rarely have any real warranty.<br />
NOTES ON LISTINGS:<br />
All prices are correct at time of going<br />
to press - but shop around and try for<br />
special deals, especially with bundled<br />
software or peripherals.<br />
Sprites refers to software<br />
sprites and is really only included for<br />
specialist interest: most modern pro-<br />
grammers use software sprite rou-<br />
tines.<br />
Many machines are available via<br />
grey imports' - units individually<br />
imported by retailers. These machines<br />
ought to be avoided since you may<br />
experience warranty problems or<br />
even, with some of the latest con-<br />
soles, software loading problems<br />
when the machine is finally officially<br />
released in the UK. This is because<br />
Japanese companies frequently engi-<br />
neer deliberate incompatibilities<br />
between machines supplied to differ-<br />
ent territories.<br />
PRIZE CROSSWORD<br />
APRIL '90<br />
NAME:<br />
ADDRESS:<br />
CLUES ACROSS<br />
5. Game played by Rod and<br />
I in Bono's house (8)<br />
6. Basic instructions, pe<br />
rhaps (4)<br />
7. Person striking joker's<br />
enemy in game (6)<br />
9. A few bits - sounds like a<br />
bit? (6) .<br />
10. Intends to change<br />
names. (5)<br />
11. Wired up in a strange<br />
way. (5)<br />
14. CIA is cracking the code<br />
(5)<br />
15. Nonsense about old boy<br />
being an android. (5)<br />
17. The French female gets<br />
caught in a senile game. (6)<br />
18. Doctor gets a satellite<br />
receiver - it's fashionable. (6)<br />
19. One with branches in<br />
every street. (4)<br />
20. Rex notes characters for<br />
a game. (8)<br />
CLUES DOWN<br />
1. Ocean traveller's game (7)<br />
2. Indication that top<br />
game's in the wrong. (4)<br />
3. One is about to go ahead<br />
with game. (7)<br />
4. Solid state of stars. (5)<br />
6. Unusually nice boy Dr.<br />
Hewson produces. (9')<br />
8. Mental picture of a software<br />
house. (9)<br />
12. Traipse around for a<br />
computer game.<br />
13. Addictive game for a<br />
marksman. (7)<br />
16. Rolls Royce layabout<br />
lounge lizard appears with.<br />
(5)<br />
18. Team playing friend. (4)!<br />
Completed crosswords<br />
should be sent to:<br />
April '90 Crossword<br />
ACE Magazine,<br />
30-32 Farringdon Lane,<br />
LONDON.<br />
EC1R3AU.<br />
To arrive not later than 4th<br />
April 1990.
Ail prices and manulaclurers<br />
specifications subiect to<br />
change without notice<br />
All offers subiect to<br />
availability. Oilers subiect lo<br />
change in price without notice<br />
36<br />
Delivery Charges<br />
24 hour Courier Service<br />
C10 00<br />
4 Day Courier Service £5.00<br />
Consumables Free Post<br />
Overseas Orders Pnone<br />
SPECIALISTS IN MAILORDER<br />
WHY MEGALAND<br />
24 HOUR DELIVERY • 12 MONTHS WARRANTY ON ALL HARDWARE • ON SITE<br />
MAINTENANCE OPTIONAL • TECHNICAL SUPPORT • HELPFUL FRIENDLY SERVICE<br />
SPECIAL PRICE OFFERS • MEGASOFT CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR EXTRA SPECIAL<br />
OFFERS • EXPORT SPECIALISTS (ASK FOR DETAILS 0703 332225)<br />
WE ACCEPT ACCESS & VISA<br />
HOTLINE<br />
RETURNS SERVICE<br />
AND TECHNICAL<br />
SUPPORT<br />
TELEPHONE<br />
0703 330544<br />
< MEGALAND S-W-MtfS & LADDERS •<br />
THERE'S NO DOWN WITH MEGALAND<br />
Satisfied<br />
Customer<br />
PRICES FROM<br />
£69<br />
35<br />
AMIGA 3.5 EXTERNAL DRIVE<br />
WITH ON OFF SWITCH AND<br />
STEEL SLIM CASE<br />
PRICE<br />
£65<br />
25 ^ v ^ ^<br />
Yv 26<br />
FERROTEC<br />
PSION ORGANISER V y / ' r \ v<br />
WE STOCK THE FULL RANGENN<br />
3VS AMIGA ORIVE<br />
AIARI DRIVE<br />
24<br />
EPSON LQ550 24 PIN PRINTER<br />
PLUS FREE IBMCABLF<br />
PRICE<br />
£269<br />
^ ^ ^ ONLY<br />
IW 6<br />
23<br />
EPSON LX850 9 PIN<br />
PLUS FREE IBM CABLE<br />
PRICE<br />
£173<br />
MEGALANO SUPERPACK ONE PLUS AMIGA A500<br />
(SEE STANDARD FEATURES)<br />
BATMAN THE MOVIE (GAME). F18 INTERCEPTOR NEW ZEALAND<br />
STORY DELUXE PAINT II 8LASTFR0IDS WICKED<br />
THUNOERBIRDS. THAI BOXING DEFCON 5. SAINT & GRFAVSEY<br />
THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING. A500 OUSTCOVER MOUSEPAD<br />
QUICKSHOTII JOYSTICK<br />
£347<br />
12 STAR LC10 MONO PRINTER<br />
9 PIN DOT MATRIX<br />
NLQ STILL A VERY POPULAR<br />
PRINTER PI US FREE<br />
IBM CABLE<br />
I<br />
PRICE<br />
£130<br />
Start<br />
Dissatisfied<br />
11 ,<br />
AMIGA A501 RAM EXPANSION//<br />
WITH CLOCK & CALENDARZC<br />
PRICE y / ^ .<br />
£100y^<br />
2 U<br />
BATMAN PACIC<br />
WITH JOYSTICK<br />
ONLY<br />
£325<br />
34<br />
20<br />
is<br />
AF880 3.5 EXTERNAL DRIVE<br />
ON OFF SWITCH<br />
PRICE<br />
£65<br />
33 32<br />
MEGALANO SUPERPACK THREE PLUS AMIGA A500<br />
THE ACE<br />
STOCK MARKET<br />
EVERY MONTH ACE PRINTS ITS OWN GAMES CHARTS. UNLIKE OTHER CHARTS, THEY'RE BASED ON REVIEW MARKS<br />
AND NOT ON SALES...SO YOU CAN USE THEM AS A RELIABLE GUIDE TO WHICH GAMES TO BUY. NOT ONLY THAT,<br />
BUT IF YOU CAN PREDICT NEXT MONTH S ENTRIES YOU CAN WIN SOME GREAT PRIZES.<br />
Cor blimey! You're getting good at this!<br />
Last month, several people got very<br />
close to getting all the entries right -<br />
AND in the right order. Check out the prize winners<br />
for round two on page 120.<br />
One small point for entrants to round four:<br />
the closing date for that round was incorrectly<br />
printed as 27th March 1990 (that's the closing<br />
date for THIS month's round) so we'll do the<br />
usual: put all entries into a hat and pick out<br />
seven winners at random. Sorry about that,<br />
everyone, but it's the fairest way of dealing<br />
with the situation. Everything's back to normal<br />
this month and we'll take especial care to see it<br />
doesn't happen again. Make sure you get your<br />
entries for this month in on time...<br />
THE COMPANY COUNTER<br />
FTL, which has been basking in some ecstatic reviews for Chaos Strikes Back,<br />
has managed to hold its own near the top of the Company Counter,while, Micro<br />
Style is still riding high on the acclaim<br />
received forSfunf Car Racer. System 3's<br />
high placing comes from a very small number<br />
of highly favourable reviews. T h e<br />
Company Counter is based on publishers'<br />
performance according to how well received<br />
their titles are by reviewers in all the UK'scomputer magazines. The column<br />
headed Rating' is a rating based on actual review scores received during the<br />
previous month.'*/-' Indicates whether this rating has gone up or down from the<br />
previous month.<br />
The Share Price tells you how well a company is doing relative to itspast<br />
performances. Here, 100' is the base' amount: if a company sprice is over 100,<br />
THIS MONTH'S SOFTWARE INDEX RATING:<br />
71.58<br />
NOW IT'S EVEN EASIER TO WIN!<br />
You now only need to fill in your predictions for<br />
the top three entries in each chart and you don't<br />
even have to get them all right to stand a chance<br />
of winning. The entry form is on p. 118, latest<br />
winners on p. 120.<br />
the firm's reviews are improving; anything under 100, and this month's batch<br />
just aren't up to previous standards. 100 is also the initial share price given to all<br />
newcomers to the CompanyCounter;<br />
these new entries' are marked with<br />
an asterisk (*). In order to earn a<br />
Share Price, companies must be<br />
releasing games and getting them<br />
reviewed in the magazines. No releases,<br />
no reviews, and we'll dock 10 points from their Share Price until they come<br />
up with the goods.<br />
Finally, there's the Index figure. The average score for all games reviewed<br />
this month is printed below; each publisher's index figure shows how well its<br />
games have done compared to the average mark. This month's average mark of<br />
70.33 is the lowest yel in what is often a quiet time of year for games releases.<br />
Rating Shares Index Thalion 71.09 n'a 100' 0.76 Exocet 33 n/a 100' -37.33<br />
Micro Style 96 •18.17 123.35 25.67 Accolade 71 •1.79 102.59 0.67 Alternative n'a 45.06 na<br />
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<br />
FTL 93 •0.17 100.18 22.67 Titus 70.42 •10.36 117.25 0.09 Bethesda n/a 70 n/a<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Palace 84 n/a 100' 13.67 Edge 69.25 •5.06 107.88 -1.08 CP Software n/a 75 n'a<br />
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<br />
Microprose 81.75 •3.42 104.37 11.42 Artronic 68 n/a 127.7 -2.33 Digitek n/a 55 n/a<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Mindscape 77.75 •5.85 108.14 7.42 Microlllusions 64.5 na 81.23 -5.83 Kixx n'a 48 n/a<br />
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<br />
Origin/Mindscape 77.33 -20.17 79.31 7 Code Masters 62 •6.13 91 -8.33 Magic Bytes n/a 50 n'a<br />
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<br />
Addictive 76.5 •5.3 107.44 6.17 New Line 60.5 n/a 100* -9.83 Players na 51 n/a<br />
Gremlin 76.25 •4.03 105.58 5.92 Linel 60 n/a 100' -10.33 Psygnosis n'a 57 n/a<br />
Firebird 76 no change 100 5.67 Elite 59.17 -6.16 90.57 -11.16 RAD n/a 91.82 n/a<br />
Smash 16 76 •11 116.92 5.67 Readysoft 58.7 -8.05 87.94 -11.63 Rellne n/a 90.5 n'a<br />
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<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Arcana 72 n/a 100* 1.67 Hewson 54.13 -10.41 83.87 -16.2 SubLoglc n'a 60 n/a<br />
Blade 72 -12.75 84.96 1.67 Impressions 45.75 n'a 109.58 -24.58 Wicked n/a 55.5 n'a<br />
Rainbow Arts 71.88 -4.3 94.36 1.55 Pandora 44.33 -39.17 53.09 -26<br />
Tomahawk 71.5 n/a 100* 1.17 Act'l Screenshots 36.67 •9.08 80.15 •33.66
SpeciaC Reserve<br />
Club Privileges membership £5.00<br />
• Bi-monthly Buyer's Guide each with details of 40 games.<br />
• Membership Card. Release Schedule and a folder for the Buyer's Guides.<br />
• Fast despatch of stock items. Most lines in stock.<br />
• Games sent individually by 1st class post. Most fit through your letter box.<br />
• 7-day hotline, until 8pm weekdays. 10 to 5.30 Saturdays. 11 to 5 Sundays.<br />
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We're miles cheaper than elsewhere. Below are a selection of offers at prices<br />
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now and select from our full catalogue. All items advertised are only for sale to<br />
members and are subject to availability.<br />
Note: Upgrade to Official Secrets is offered to members of Special Reserve.<br />
90 POOL<br />
A P8<br />
AFTER8URNER<br />
ALTERED BEAST<br />
AMERICAN ICE HOCKEY<br />
AOUANAUT<br />
ARTHUR UNFOCOM)<br />
BAAL<br />
BAD COMPANY<br />
BALLISTIX<br />
BALLYHOO (INFOCOM I<br />
BARBARIAN ? (PALACE)<br />
BARDS TALE 1 .....<br />
BARDS TALE 2<br />
BATMAN CAPED CRUSADER<br />
BATMAN THE MOVIE<br />
BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ<br />
BATTLE SQUADRON<br />
BATTLECHESS<br />
BATTLEHAWKS 1942<br />
BATTLETECH (INFOCOMi<br />
BEACH VOLLEY<br />
BEYOND DARK CASTLE<br />
BEYOND ZORK (INFOCOM)<br />
BLADE WARRIOR<br />
BLOOD MONEY<br />
BLOOOWYCH<br />
BLOOOWYCH DATA DISK<br />
BOMBER<br />
BRIDGE PLAYER 2150 GALACTICA<br />
BUGGY BOY<br />
C-LIGHT (3 0 ANIMATION)<br />
CABAL<br />
CAPTAIN BLOOD<br />
CARRIER COMMAND<br />
CHAMBERS OF SHAOLIN<br />
CHAMP (USA) FOOTBALL<br />
CHAOS STRIKES BACK<br />
CHASE HO<br />
CHESSMASTER 2000<br />
CHRONOOUEST<br />
COLLOSUS CHESS X<br />
CONFLICT EUROPE<br />
CONTINENTAL CIRCUS<br />
CORRUPTION |M,SCROLLS!<br />
CUTTHROATS<br />
CYBERBALL<br />
DAMOCLES<br />
OAY OF THE VIPER<br />
DEADLINE |INFOCOM|<br />
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN<br />
OEJAVU<br />
DEJAVU2<br />
DELUXE MUSIC CONSTR SET ....<br />
DELUXE PAINT III<br />
DEMONS WINTER (SSJ)<br />
DOUBLE DRAGON 2<br />
DRAGON NINJA<br />
DRAGON S LAIR (1 MEG)<br />
DRAGONS BREATH<br />
DRAGONS OF FLAME I SSI I<br />
DRAKKHEN<br />
DRIVING FORCE<br />
DUNGEON MASTER<br />
DUNGEON MASTER |1 MEG)<br />
DUNGEON MASTER EDITOR<br />
DYNAMITE DUX<br />
EDDIE EDWARDS SUPER SKI<br />
ELIMINATOR ..<br />
ELIMINATOR (12 AMIGAS ONLY)<br />
ELITE<br />
ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK<br />
ENCHANTER (INFOCOM)<br />
EXOLON<br />
EYE OF HORUS<br />
F16 COMBAT PILOT<br />
F16 FALCON<br />
F16 FALCON MISSION OISK<br />
F29 RETALIATOR<br />
FEDERATION OF FREE TRADERS<br />
FERRARI FORMULA 1<br />
AMIGA ST AMIGA ST<br />
15 49<br />
1299<br />
1599<br />
14 49<br />
1999<br />
699<br />
1599<br />
699<br />
16 49<br />
18.49<br />
799<br />
16 49<br />
115 99<br />
16 49<br />
15.99<br />
16 49<br />
16 49<br />
16 49<br />
1599<br />
999<br />
1599<br />
14 49<br />
1549<br />
999<br />
18 49<br />
8 99<br />
.31 49<br />
1549<br />
8 49<br />
.799<br />
1499<br />
499<br />
15 99<br />
1549<br />
9 49<br />
15 49<br />
999<br />
1299<br />
13 99<br />
16 49<br />
1299<br />
15 49<br />
16 49<br />
.8 49<br />
15 49<br />
46 47<br />
51 49<br />
17 49<br />
13 49<br />
.9.49<br />
28 49<br />
1899<br />
17.49<br />
1699<br />
16 49<br />
115 49<br />
749<br />
1599<br />
649<br />
5 49<br />
15 49<br />
19 49<br />
18 49<br />
1599<br />
1599<br />
18 49<br />
899<br />
1599<br />
19 49<br />
16.49<br />
1549<br />
1299<br />
8 49<br />
1299<br />
15 49<br />
14 49<br />
699<br />
1299<br />
699<br />
999<br />
1549<br />
799<br />
999<br />
1599<br />
16 49<br />
16 49<br />
1649<br />
16 49<br />
1299<br />
999<br />
15 99<br />
14 49<br />
15 49<br />
999<br />
18 49<br />
18 49<br />
899<br />
13 49<br />
12.49<br />
499<br />
1599<br />
12 99<br />
15 49<br />
9 49<br />
15 49<br />
16 49<br />
12 99<br />
1399<br />
12 99<br />
15 49<br />
1649<br />
16 49<br />
8 49<br />
599<br />
15 49<br />
17 49<br />
13 49<br />
899<br />
1899<br />
17 49<br />
1699<br />
16 49<br />
15 49<br />
7 49<br />
13 49<br />
6 49<br />
5 49<br />
1549<br />
19 49<br />
499<br />
1599<br />
1599<br />
15 49<br />
899<br />
1599<br />
19 49<br />
1649<br />
FIEN04SH FREDS BIG TOP FUN 17 49<br />
FIFTH GEAR 15 99<br />
FIRE BRIGADE (1 MEG) 17 49<br />
FIRST CONTACT<br />
FIRST WORO PLUS<br />
FISH! (M-SCROLLS) 13.99<br />
FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2 25.49<br />
FLYING SHARK<br />
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2 8 49<br />
FM2 EXPANSION KIT 6 99<br />
FUN SCHOOL 2 (2-®) 12.49<br />
FUN SCHOOL 2 16-fl) .12 49<br />
FUN SCHOOL 2 (8.) 12.49<br />
FUTURE WARS 16.49<br />
GALDflEGON S DOMAIN 12.49<br />
GATO (SUBMARINE SIM)<br />
GAUNTLET 2 16.49<br />
GHOSTBUSTERS2 15.99<br />
GHOULS n GHOSTS 1649<br />
GOLD RUSH' ISIERRA) 16.49<br />
GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT 16.49<br />
GRAVITY 16.49<br />
GREG NORMAN'S ULTIMATE GOLF 16 99<br />
GRIDIRON IU S FOOTBALL) 15 49<br />
GUILO OF THIEVES (tt'SCROLLS) 13 99<br />
GUNSHIP 15 99<br />
HARO ORIVIN 12.99<br />
HARLEY DAVIDSON 15.49<br />
HELLFIRE ATTACK<br />
HEWSON PREMIER VOL1<br />
HILLSFAR (SSI) 17.49<br />
HIT DISKS VOLUME 2<br />
(LEATHERNECKS. MAJOR MOTION.<br />
TIME BANDIT TANGLEWOOO) 9.49<br />
HITCH HIKERS GUIOE IINFOCOM)<br />
HOLLYWOOD HIJINX IINFOCOM) .19 49<br />
HONDA RVF 750 15.49<br />
HOSTAGES 7 49<br />
HOUND OF SHADOW 16 99<br />
HYBRIS 7.49<br />
HYPERFORCE « ARTIFICIAL DREAMS 7 99<br />
INCREOIBLE SHRINKING SPHERE<br />
INDIANA JONES ACTION 1199<br />
INOLANA JONES ADVENTURE 16 99<br />
INFESTATION 14 99<br />
INFIDEL (INFOCOM) 16.49<br />
INGRIDS BACK (LEVEL 9| 7 99<br />
INTERNATIONA! KARATE -<br />
INTERPHASE 15 99<br />
IRONLORO 15 99<br />
IT CAME FROM THE DESERT (1 MEGl 18 49<br />
I.C.F.TD DATA OISK (1 MEG) 10 49<br />
JACK NICKLAUS GOLF 16.49<br />
JEWELS OF DARKNESS (LEVEL 9)<br />
JINXTER (M'SCROLLSl 13 99<br />
JOURNEY (INFOCOM) 19.99<br />
KAMPFGRUPPE (SSI) 19.99<br />
KARTING GRAND PRIX 4 49<br />
KEEF THE THIEF 16 99<br />
KICK OFF 12.99<br />
KICK OFF EXPANSION DtSK 7 49<br />
KINO WORDS 2 0 (WPROCESSOR) 29 99<br />
KING OF CHICAGO 6.49<br />
KINGS QUEST 1.2« 3 (SIERRAi . 2149<br />
KINGS QUEST 2 ISIERRA) 6 99<br />
KINGS QUEST 4 ISIERRA)<br />
KNIGHT ORC (LEVEL 9)<br />
KNIGHTFORCE<br />
KRISTAL 9.99<br />
KULT 7.99<br />
LANCASTER 13.49<br />
LANCELOT (LEVEL 9) 13.49<br />
LASER SQUAD 12.99<br />
LEAOERBOARD BIROIE .16 49<br />
LEATHER GOODESSES (INFOCOMl<br />
LEATHERNECKS 5 99<br />
LEGE NO OF THE SWORD<br />
LEISURE SUIT LARRY 1 iSIERRA) .16 99<br />
LEISURE SUIT LARRY 2 (SIERRAi .21 49<br />
LIGHT FORCE (R TYPE. VOYAGER<br />
BIO CHALLENGE. IK») 1599<br />
17.49<br />
1599<br />
1649<br />
58 99<br />
1399<br />
25 49<br />
6.99<br />
849<br />
699<br />
12.49<br />
1249<br />
12 49<br />
16.49<br />
12 49<br />
7 49<br />
13 49<br />
15 99<br />
13 49<br />
1649<br />
16 49<br />
1699<br />
15 49<br />
1399<br />
15 49<br />
1299<br />
3 49<br />
1799<br />
17 49<br />
1349<br />
999<br />
999<br />
15 49<br />
749<br />
1699<br />
7 99<br />
7 49<br />
13 49<br />
1699<br />
14 99<br />
999<br />
799<br />
849<br />
1599<br />
1599<br />
699<br />
1399<br />
1299<br />
7 49<br />
22 49<br />
699<br />
21 49<br />
599<br />
14 49<br />
17 49<br />
799<br />
13 49<br />
1299<br />
13 49<br />
999<br />
599<br />
11 99<br />
11 99<br />
1599<br />
LIFE AND OEATH<br />
LIVERPOOL<br />
LOMBARD RAC RALLY<br />
LOROS OF THE RISING SUN<br />
LURKING HORROR (INFOCOM)<br />
MAGNUM 4 (COMPILATION!<br />
IMNHUNTER NEW YORK (SlERRA|<br />
IAANHUNTER SAN FRANCISCO<br />
MANIAC MANSION<br />
MATRIX MARAUDERS<br />
MAVIS BEACON TEACHES TYPING<br />
MENACE<br />
MICKEY MOUSE<br />
MICROPROSE SOCCER<br />
MIDWV4TER<br />
MILLENIUM 22<br />
MIND FOREVER VOYAGING<br />
MINI OFFICE PRO'COMMS<br />
MINI OFFICE PRO PRO GRAPHICS<br />
MINI OFFICE PRO' SPREADSHEET<br />
MOCNMIST (INFOCOM)<br />
NEUROMANCER<br />
NEVERMIND<br />
NEW ZEALANO STORY<br />
NIGEL MANSELL S GRAND PRIX<br />
NINJA WARRIORS<br />
NORTH AND SOUTH<br />
o«s<br />
OIL IMPERIUM<br />
OMEGA<br />
OMEGA (DOUBLE S«ED DRIVE) .<br />
OMNI PLAY BASKETBALL<br />
OMNI PLAY HORSE RACING<br />
ONSLAUGHT<br />
OOZE<br />
OPERATION THUNDERBOLT<br />
OUTLANDS<br />
P47THUNDERBOLT<br />
PACLAND<br />
PACMANIA<br />
PANOORA<br />
PAPERBOY<br />
PASSING SHOT (TENNIS)<br />
PAWN (MSCROLLS)<br />
PERSONAL NIGHTMARE<br />
PHANTASIE 3 (SSI)<br />
PHOBIA<br />
PHOTON PAINT<br />
It's expensive not to join<br />
AMIGA ST AMIGA ST<br />
1549<br />
11 99<br />
1499<br />
999<br />
1999<br />
18 99<br />
18 49<br />
18 49<br />
16 99<br />
12 49<br />
1799<br />
699<br />
OFFICIAL SECRETS<br />
11 99<br />
1499<br />
999<br />
1899<br />
18 49<br />
Annual Membership costs £22 (UK)<br />
including<br />
Myth by Magnetic Scrolls<br />
Gnome Ranger by Level 9<br />
6 issues of Confidential<br />
Adventure Helpline and<br />
Special Reserve membership.<br />
Please write for full details or enter<br />
£22 as the membership fee<br />
instead of the normal £5 fee for<br />
Special Reserve. Or upgrade later<br />
for £17. You may request a<br />
surprise alternative instead of<br />
Gnome Ranger.<br />
Myth is exclusive to members of<br />
Official Secrets and is not<br />
available in the shops.<br />
PIRATES 15.99 15 99<br />
PLANET BUSTERS .15 49 15 49<br />
PLANETFALL 19 99 16 49<br />
PLAYER MANAGER 12 99 12 99<br />
POLICE QUEST 1 (SIERFIA) ..15 99 15 99<br />
POLICE OUEST 2 (SIERRA) 16 49<br />
POOL OF RADIANCE (SSI) 17.49 17 49<br />
POPULOUS 16 49 16 49<br />
POPULOUS PROMISED LANDS ... 7 99 7 99<br />
POWER ORIFT 15 99 15 99<br />
POWERDROME 16.49<br />
PRO TENNIS TOUR 16 49 16 49<br />
PROTEXT WORD PROCESSOR 64 99 47 99<br />
PUBLISHERS CHOICE DTP (1 MEG) 59 99<br />
PURPLE SATURN OAY 7 49 7.49<br />
QUEST FOR THE TIMEBIRD 16 99 16.99<br />
QUESTRON 2 (SSII 17 49 17.49<br />
R-TYPE 7.49<br />
RALLY CROSS CHALLENGE 12 99 12 99<br />
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS 7.49 7.49<br />
RED LIGHTNING (SSI) 19 99 19 99<br />
RED STORM RISING 16 49 16 49<br />
RICK DANGEROUS 15.49 15 49<br />
ROBOCOP 15 49<br />
ROCK H ROLL 12 99<br />
ROCKET RANGER 9.99<br />
RUNNING MAN 8 49<br />
SARGON 3 CHESS 13 97<br />
SCAPEGHOST ILEVEL 9) 12 49<br />
SCRABBLE DE LUXE 12 99<br />
SONY 3.5"<br />
DS/DD DISK<br />
1299<br />
1299<br />
7.99<br />
749<br />
1699<br />
SD« (ACTIVISION) m<br />
SEASTALKER (INFOCOMi ... .1999<br />
12.49<br />
1299<br />
799<br />
999<br />
12.49 SHADOW OF THE BEAST<br />
19 99<br />
15 49<br />
699<br />
1799<br />
699<br />
5.99<br />
1599<br />
1599<br />
699<br />
SHADOWGATE<br />
SHINOBI<br />
SHOGUN l INFOCOM I<br />
SHOOT EM UP CONSTR KIT<br />
SIDEWINDER<br />
SILICON DREAMS {LEVEL 9|<br />
10 49<br />
1299<br />
15.49<br />
18 49<br />
7.49<br />
7 49<br />
1299<br />
18 49<br />
5.99<br />
19 99<br />
SILKWORM<br />
.1299 12.99<br />
17 49 SIM CITY<br />
11 99<br />
17 49 SKYCHASE<br />
5 99 7.49<br />
19 99<br />
1699<br />
12 49<br />
17 49<br />
16 49<br />
12 49<br />
SORCERER (INFOCOM)<br />
SPACE ACE<br />
SPACE HARRIER 2<br />
SPACE QUEST 1 (SlERRAi<br />
27 49<br />
.12 49<br />
16 49<br />
1649<br />
27 49<br />
12 49<br />
16 49<br />
1599<br />
499<br />
1649<br />
10 49<br />
1299<br />
499<br />
1299<br />
10 49<br />
699<br />
SPACE QUEST 2 (SlERHAi<br />
SPACE QUEST 3 (SIERRA)<br />
SPEEDBALL<br />
SPELL BOOK (4 6 YEARS)<br />
SPELL BOOK |7» YEARS)<br />
12 49 1649<br />
21 49 19 49<br />
.899 899<br />
13 49 13 49<br />
13 49 13 49<br />
16 49<br />
17 49<br />
15 49<br />
1549<br />
15 49<br />
1599<br />
1599<br />
12 49<br />
16 49<br />
.7 49<br />
1299<br />
8 99<br />
1399<br />
16 49<br />
17 49<br />
15 49<br />
1599<br />
1299<br />
12 49<br />
16 49<br />
599<br />
599<br />
5 49<br />
1299<br />
899<br />
1399<br />
SPELLBREAKER (INFOCOM)<br />
ST ADVENTURE CREATOR<br />
STAR BLAZE<br />
STAR COMMAND (SSI)<br />
STAR WARS TRILOGY<br />
STARCROSS (INFOCOM)<br />
STARFLIGHT<br />
STARGLIOER<br />
STARGLIOER 2<br />
STATIONFALL UNFOCOMl<br />
STEVE DAVIS SNOOKER<br />
STORMLORD<br />
STOS (GAMES CREArORl<br />
STRIOER<br />
STRYX<br />
STUNT CAR RACER<br />
.18 49<br />
16 49<br />
1999<br />
1599<br />
18 49<br />
1699<br />
5 49<br />
699<br />
12 49<br />
1599<br />
1699<br />
12 49<br />
1599<br />
999<br />
26 99<br />
16 49<br />
1999<br />
1599<br />
16 49<br />
6 49<br />
699<br />
999<br />
12 49<br />
1599<br />
1749<br />
1349<br />
1249<br />
1599<br />
1899<br />
17.49<br />
12 49<br />
6 49<br />
1899<br />
1749<br />
12 49<br />
SUPER HANG ON<br />
SUPER LEAGUE SOCCER .<br />
SUPER WONDERBOY<br />
SUSPENDED (INFOCOM) ...<br />
SWITCHBLADE<br />
15 49<br />
1599<br />
.13 99<br />
8 49<br />
15 49<br />
1299<br />
1649<br />
1399<br />
SWORD OF SOOAN<br />
849<br />
SWORDS OF TWILIGHT<br />
16 4 9<br />
TEENAGE QUEEN<br />
8 49 849<br />
TETRIS<br />
4 49 549<br />
THE LOST PATROL . • 16 49 12 99<br />
THINGS TO DO WITH NUMBERS .13 49 13 49<br />
THUGS TO DO WITH WORDS 13.49 13 49<br />
THRE E STOOGE S (CINE MAWARE) 6 99<br />
THUNOERBIROS<br />
7 49 7 49<br />
TIME<br />
TIME & MAGIK iLEVEL 9)<br />
TIME BANDIT<br />
18 99<br />
1349<br />
1899<br />
13 49<br />
5 49<br />
TIMES OF LORE<br />
16 49<br />
T MEWCRKS DESK TCP PUBLISHER 74 99<br />
TOWER OF BABEL<br />
TRACKER<br />
16 49 16 49<br />
549<br />
TRIAD VOL1<br />
9 49<br />
TRIA0 V012 (MENACE. BAAL. TETRtS) 14 99<br />
TRINITY (INFOCOM)<br />
14 99<br />
16 49<br />
TRIVIAL PURSUIT 12 99 845<br />
TURBO CUP 649<br />
TURBO CUP (WITH CAR)<br />
7 49<br />
TURBO OUTRUN<br />
TV SPORTS BASKETBALL<br />
1649<br />
18 49<br />
13 49<br />
TV SPORTS FOOTBALL (U S A | 1199 1099<br />
ULTIMA 5 •<br />
1799<br />
UNINVITED<br />
13 49 599<br />
UNTOUCHABLES<br />
1599 1299<br />
VETTE (CORVETTE!<br />
18 49<br />
VIRUS<br />
VIXEN<br />
VOYAGER<br />
WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH<br />
WATERLOO<br />
WAYNE GRETZKY HOCKEY<br />
12 49<br />
4 49<br />
949<br />
15 49<br />
10 49<br />
1599<br />
5.99<br />
4 49<br />
599<br />
15.49<br />
10 49<br />
1599<br />
WHIRLIGIG<br />
599<br />
W FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1 MEG) 8 49<br />
WICKED •<br />
899<br />
WILD STREETS<br />
1599 1599<br />
WINOWALKER<br />
17 49<br />
WISH8RINGER (INFOCOM)<br />
WITNESS (INFOCOM)<br />
X-OUT<br />
XENOMORPH<br />
XENON II. MEGABLAST<br />
19.99<br />
19 49<br />
1349<br />
15 49<br />
15 49<br />
999<br />
16 49<br />
13 49<br />
1549<br />
15 49<br />
ZOMBIE<br />
1299<br />
ZORK 1 IINFOCOMI<br />
ZORK 2 (INFOCOM)<br />
ZORK TRILOGY (INFOCOM)<br />
ZORK ZERO (INFOCOM)<br />
1999<br />
999<br />
999<br />
1999<br />
69p<br />
INNEVITABLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE GAMES MAY NOT YET BE RELEASED. ALL GAMES ARE DESPATCHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.<br />
SALES LINE 0279 600204. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A SURCHARGE OF 50P PER GAME FOR ORDERS PLACED BY TELEPHONE.<br />
Order Form Non-members please add the membership fee<br />
Name<br />
Address<br />
Post Code<br />
Phone No.<br />
Computer<br />
*5.257*3.57*3.07*TAPE<br />
Payable to: Special Reserve or Official Secrets<br />
P.O. Box 847, Harlow, CM21 9PH<br />
Special Reserve and Official Secrets are trading names ol Inter Mediates Ltd.<br />
Reg. Office: 2 South Btock. The Maltings. Sawbndoeworth, Herts CM21 9PG.<br />
Registered in England Number 2054713. VAT reg no. 424 8532 51<br />
Existing members please include your membership number<br />
Special Reserve membership £5 UK, £6 EEC or £7 World<br />
hem<br />
Item<br />
Item<br />
Credit card expiry date<br />
'CHEQUE'POSTAL ORDER"ACCESS'VISA<br />
(Including Connect. Mastercard and Eurocard)<br />
' Delete where applicable<br />
1<br />
ACF<br />
TOTAL<br />
Ovorseas orders must be paid by credit card<br />
Prices include UK Postage and Packing<br />
EEC orders please add 70p per item<br />
World orders please add £i .50 per item
THE ACE STOCKMARKET ENTRY FORM<br />
NAME: Tel. Number.<br />
ADDRESS<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
entries in the Company Counter is:<br />
1.<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
game on the Commodore 64 is:<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
games on the Spectrum is:<br />
1.<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
games on the Amstrad CPC is:<br />
1.<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
games on the Atari ST is:<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
games on the Amiga is:<br />
THE MACHINE COUNTER<br />
1.<br />
ROUND<br />
FIVE<br />
Post ttus form or a photocopy<br />
to ACE Stockmarket. Priory<br />
Court. 30-32 Farringdon<br />
Lane. EC1R 3AU. Closing<br />
date 27th March 1990..<br />
My prediction for next month's top three<br />
games on the PC is:<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Rules:<br />
All entries must be received by the Closing<br />
date for tins round of March 27thl990.<br />
No employees ol EMAP. or of any company<br />
involved in the production, distribution, or sale<br />
of ACE Magazme are eigible for entry.<br />
Only one entry per household.<br />
AMIGA RATINGS AMSTRAD CPC RATINGS SPECTRUM RATINGS<br />
The decision of the judges is final and correspondence<br />
cannot be entered into.<br />
Stunt Car Racer Micro Style 90.5 Chase HQ Ocean 86.75 Dan Dare III Virgin 89.17<br />
It Came From the Desert Cinemaware 88.57 Dan Dare III Virgin 84.5 Operation Thunderbolt Ocean 79.38<br />
Space Quest III Sierra On-Line 87.75 Wild Streets Titus 72 Turbo Outrun US Gold 77<br />
Battle Squadron Innerprise 86.34 Knight Force Titus 71 Leisure Genius Compnd'm Leisure Genius 66<br />
Dragon's Breath Palace 84 Turbo Outrun US Gold 61 Moonwalker US Gold 61.5<br />
Stunt Car Racer and Desert have been around for<br />
several months now, but as Micro Style and Cinemaware<br />
stagger their format releases, reviewers<br />
continue to be amazed by them.<br />
COMMODORE 64 RATINGS<br />
Dragon Wars<br />
Ghouls'n'Ghosts<br />
Blue Angels<br />
Dan Dare III<br />
Toobin'<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
US Gold<br />
Accolade<br />
Virgin<br />
Domark<br />
86.75<br />
76.88<br />
67.25<br />
67.17<br />
66.75<br />
It's no secret that many software houses are having<br />
difficulties finding top notch Commodore 64<br />
programmers these days and these marks bear<br />
this out. C64 ratings have been dropping since we<br />
began the Stock Market - come on. programmers,<br />
give buyers the conversions they deserve.<br />
Better late than never, Chase HQ has found general<br />
favour, and the Z80 version of Dan Dare III<br />
(see Spectrum, below) is obviously the one to go<br />
for.<br />
PC-COMPATIBLE RATINGS<br />
Conflict 16 Blitz 86.5<br />
Pro Tennis Tour UbiSoft 85.33<br />
Indianapolis 500 Electronic Arts 84.59<br />
Austerlilz PS&'Mirrorsoft 77.6<br />
European Space Simulator Tomahawk 74<br />
In the (admittedly short) history of the Stock Market.<br />
the quantity of PC titles has been rising steadily<br />
- and, until this month, the quality was consistently<br />
high as well. This month, we see a clear split<br />
between the top three and the rest.<br />
No question where Spectrum owners should be<br />
placing their orders this Easter. Dan Dare III has<br />
cleaned up all the awards, leaving everything else<br />
as an also-ran.<br />
ATARI ST RATINGS<br />
Chaos Strikes Back<br />
Tower of Babel<br />
Future Wars<br />
North and South<br />
Untouchables<br />
FTL 92.92<br />
Rainbird 86.25<br />
Delphine/Palace 85<br />
Infogrames 83.5<br />
Ocean 83<br />
While current 8-bit games are generally getting a<br />
lukewarm reception at present. 68000-based titles<br />
are keeping the standards high, although with an<br />
unchanged top three from last month, the market<br />
isn't exactly flooded with new releases.<br />
THE 16-BIT COUNTER THE 8-BIT COUNTER<br />
Midwinter Rainbird PC. ST 94.75<br />
Chaos Strikes Back FTL ST 92.92<br />
Stunt Car Racer Micro Style Amiga 90.5<br />
It Came From the Desert Cinemaware Amiga 88.57<br />
Space Quest III Sierra On-Line Amiga 87.75<br />
Battle Squadron Innerprise Amiga 86.34<br />
Tower of Babel Rainbird ST 86.25<br />
Future Wars Delphine/Palace ST 85<br />
Lost Patrol Ocean Am. ST 85.17<br />
Indianapolis 500 Electronic Arts PC 84.59<br />
Bubbling under: Pro Tennis Tour (UbiSoft) on Am, PC. Austerlitz (PSS/Mirrorsoft)<br />
on Am. PC. The Untouchables (Ocean) on Am, ST.<br />
Look out for Midwinter in the machine-specific counters next month.<br />
Everyone is raving about the graphics and gameplay in Mike Singleton's latest<br />
effort.<br />
Dragon Wars Electronic Arts C64 86.75<br />
Buggy Boy Encore C64. CPC. Sp 86<br />
Dan Dare III Virgin C64, CPC. Sp 80.28<br />
Ghouls'n'Ghosts US GokJ C64 76.88<br />
Operation Thunderbolt Ocean C64, Sp 75.19<br />
Leisure Genius Compend'm Leisure Genius C64, CPC. Sp 72.67<br />
Duel: Test Drive II Accolade C64. CPC. Sp 71.33<br />
Elven Warrior Players Premier CPC. Sp 70.75<br />
Chase HQ Ocean C64. CPC 69.88<br />
Turbo Outrun US Gold CPC. Sp 69<br />
Bubbling under: Sailing (Mastertronic) on C64, Sp. Blue Angels (Accolade) on<br />
C64, and Toobin'(Domark)<br />
Some games date very quickly: some still look fresh and exciting two<br />
years after their original release. Buggy Boy, now from Encore at u2.99, is a<br />
case in point - and now at an irresistible price.
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Nop Miners 699 1099 699 699 10 99<br />
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CHART TOPPERS TOP 30<br />
,3T AMIGA ..PC Si.4 .. ...PC311<br />
Gtnu*. AM Cram 1399 16 99 MA NA<br />
BUNA* it* UO/M 13 90 9 99 VA HA<br />
Xenon 2 i/o^u '699 18 99 '699 1699<br />
case HQ 1399 16 99 HA NA<br />
Fcrran Formal! CKm 16 99 1699 '699 _. .16 99<br />
KI.O On.n i?9J '299 I6» 16 99<br />
5ui« Supw Sotw 1499 1*99 14 99 14 99<br />
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Tuit» OI/RU'I 13 99 IfcW NA NA<br />
OoaMt bapn II 13 93 1399 NA NA<br />
CMOS Sl'**s Back 16 56 ITLRT NA NA<br />
Caco 1390 16 W NA NA<br />
Pro T«m« Too' 1699 16 99 16 50 16 99<br />
N«ja Miner* 1399 1399 NA NA<br />
B0"» 1699 16 50 •EN 16 »<br />
Ow-fl«on W» w ir,99 16 99 2.' SO NA<br />
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C-HOM J4 C»««. X 12» 1799 NA NA<br />
EW* 1699 1699 16 50 1699<br />
Mnphaca 1650 1699 16 90 16 9S<br />
BMIKIKh 1650 1699 1999 NA<br />
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REO L^hMtino 1490 1999 1999 HA<br />
TON BUZZARD, BEDS, LU7 8NT TEL: 052<br />
DATE:<br />
NAME:<br />
ADDRESS:<br />
TEL:.<br />
Post Code.<br />
ACE APRIL 90<br />
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P r.ml 499<br />
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AMS DISC Specials<br />
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PKS4M i 4.1*<br />
AMIGA Specials<br />
Roc»elRy
1 20 THE PINK PAGES<br />
STOCKMARKET WINNERS!<br />
ROUND TWO<br />
Everyone s getting much better this, you know. In round one,<br />
hardly anyone got anywhere close to picking forecasting the<br />
names that would appear the following month, let alone which<br />
order they would appear in. This month, however, not only did people<br />
frequently pinpoint as many as four entries in a section, but R.S. Eadie<br />
of Wedmore even managed to get four entries for the Spectrum chart<br />
in their correct places! Just one more right and he would have hit the<br />
jackpot with £150 worth of software. As it is, he is one of our six prize<br />
winners this month.<br />
Other winners include R.P.Maxfield of Rotherham, wtio managed to<br />
pinpoint the top three entries in the Amiga chart in their correct order.<br />
People with long memories may recall that the closing date for this<br />
round was wrongly printed, so that it ws possible to fill in your forms<br />
AFTER the next issue had appeared, therefore getting all the answers<br />
right! As it was, both RPM and CE got their entries in before the next<br />
issue appeared. All other entries, regardless of when they were<br />
received, were given an equal chance of winning through random selec-<br />
tion from the traditional hat.<br />
The winners of round two were:<br />
R.P.Maxfield, Rotherham<br />
Daniel Grenham, Heme Bay<br />
R.S. Eadie, Wedmore<br />
James Verdier, Welwyn<br />
Darren Garbutt, Leeds<br />
S. Cresci, Clapton<br />
Each entrant wins £25 of software for their machine. Prize winners<br />
please contact us if you have any special preferences.<br />
MONTHLY PAYMENT TERMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH LOMBARD TRICITY FINANCE ON ALL PURCHASES OVER £150.00. PLEASE RING FOR DETAILS<br />
ATARI 520ST<br />
***********************<br />
** FREE'! Wllh All Atari Computers **<br />
** Hyper Paint, Hyper Draw. Borodino **<br />
* * ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST * *<br />
** **<br />
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PACK A<br />
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W
T H E P I N K P A G E S 1 2 1<br />
SOMETIMES YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT TO FACE UP TO THE TRUTH. YOUR SOFTWARE COLLECTION IS GETTING YOU<br />
DOWN, YOUR DOG'S SICK, YOUR FRIENDS ARE CONVINCED IT WAS YOU THAT LOST THE WINNING POOLS COUPON,<br />
YOUR MOTHER HAS DECIDED YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR IMAGE, AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND (OR BOYFRIEND) HAS JUST<br />
BECOME A MISSIONARY...THERE'S ONLY ONE THING FOR IT...GO OUT AND GET A NEW GAME. AND TO MAKE SURE YOU<br />
REALLY SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE, HERE'S A LIST OF GAMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION.<br />
ARCADE<br />
STYLE<br />
Including coin-op conversions. Games with a high fun factor<br />
and plenty of addictive action feature in this category.<br />
ARKANOID<br />
Imagine • Spectrum<br />
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs<br />
£l2.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£8.95cs £l4.95dk •<br />
Atari XL/XE £8.95cs •<br />
Atari ST £l4.95dk •<br />
MSX £8.95cs • IBM PC<br />
£l9.95dk<br />
Conversion from<br />
Arkanoid the coin-op, in<br />
its turn the best version<br />
of the classic Breakout.<br />
Simple in concept: the<br />
player controls a bat at<br />
the base of the screen,<br />
whizzing it left and right.<br />
The object is to keep a<br />
small ball in play, bounc-<br />
sng it off the bat to<br />
destroy formations of<br />
bricks in the top half of<br />
the screen. Eliminate all<br />
the bricks and move on to<br />
the next of 33 screens.<br />
Clever extra features con-<br />
tribute to the addictive-<br />
ness. As a faithful coin-op<br />
conversion, Arkanoid<br />
comes out top. but for a<br />
different slant on the<br />
same theme and some<br />
nifty music, try ASL's<br />
Impact, which also builds<br />
up the difficulty levels<br />
more gradually.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
BOUNDER<br />
Gremlin Graphics • Spec-<br />
trum £7.95cs*C64<br />
£9.95cs £l2.95dk •<br />
Amstrad £8.95cs<br />
£l3.95dk<br />
A great arcade bounce<br />
em-up. and very addictive<br />
too. You guide a ball as it<br />
bounces from one plat-<br />
form to another, high<br />
above the vertically<br />
scrolling landscape. Land<br />
on marked squares and<br />
you can stay aloft longer<br />
or gain a mystery bonus.<br />
Fill in a gap or hit one of<br />
the game's many nasties,<br />
however, and you'll lose a<br />
life. Bonus bouncing sec-<br />
tions at the end of each<br />
level help vary the pace,<br />
and those tough gaps<br />
really keep you coming<br />
back for more. Bright,<br />
witty graphics, great<br />
music - and ifs so<br />
playable.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
BUBBLE BOB-<br />
BLE<br />
Firebird • Spectrum<br />
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs<br />
£l2.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£8.95cs £l4.95dk •<br />
Atari ST £l9.95dk<br />
Payability is the essence<br />
of this two-player coin-op<br />
conversion. You and a<br />
friend play bubble-blowing<br />
dinosaurs, travelling<br />
through 100 maze-and-<br />
platform screens, fighting<br />
off the bullies' by encap-<br />
sulating them in your bub-<br />
bles to turn them into<br />
juicy fruit. More firepower<br />
and various bonuses<br />
await as you reach the<br />
more difficult later<br />
screens. Enormously<br />
good fun, if a little on the<br />
cutesy side. Can also be<br />
played as one player<br />
against the computer.<br />
* ACE RATED 958<br />
CONQUEROR<br />
Superior • Archimedes<br />
£24.95dk (Amiga and ST<br />
versions under develop-<br />
ment)<br />
Drive around in your very<br />
own tank! Blast the enemy<br />
in close combat and plan<br />
your strategy for the cam<br />
paign. This is a tricky<br />
game to get to grips with,<br />
but if you persevere you'll<br />
find you soon become<br />
mesmerised by the thing.<br />
If you ain't got a l Mb<br />
Archie though - forget it?<br />
* ACE RATED 931<br />
ELIMINATOR<br />
Hewson • Spectrum<br />
£7.99cs £12.99dk •<br />
C64 £9.99cs £14.99dk<br />
* Amstrad £9.99cs<br />
£14.99dk • Atari ST<br />
£19.99dk • Amiga<br />
£19.99dk<br />
Graphically wonderful<br />
roadway blastem-up by<br />
John Phillips, which will<br />
twist your joystick inside-<br />
out. It'll even have you<br />
driving on the ceiling.<br />
Though it's tough to get<br />
to grips with at first, the<br />
addiction level's so great<br />
you'll keep coming back<br />
for more.<br />
* ACE RATED 904<br />
EXOLON<br />
Hewson • Spectrum<br />
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs<br />
£12.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£8.95cs £14.95dk<br />
Graphically superb hori-<br />
zontally scrolling shoot-<br />
envup in which you run,<br />
duck and jump your way<br />
along a planefs surface<br />
blasting away at alien<br />
defences. A gun and a<br />
missile launcher are used<br />
to blast the foes, but if<br />
things are still too tough<br />
then you can grab an<br />
exoskeleton for extra pro-<br />
tection and fire power.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
NEW<br />
ZEALAND<br />
STORY<br />
Ocean • Spectrum<br />
£8.95cs, C64 £9.95cs,<br />
Amstrad £9.95cs, ST<br />
£19.99. Amiga £24.99<br />
Although pipped at the<br />
post in a head to head<br />
with Rainbow Islands. New<br />
Zealand Story is not a<br />
game to be ruled out. It is<br />
immense fun to play, pro-<br />
vides lots of varied action<br />
across many levels. Defi-<br />
nitely worth checking out.<br />
• ACE RATED 875<br />
OIDS<br />
Mirrorsoft • Atari ST<br />
£19.99dk<br />
A magnificent ThrusNsh<br />
blast. The Oids are relying<br />
on you to save them, but<br />
the Biocretes aren't going<br />
to let them go without<br />
throwing missiles, rockets<br />
and a number of other<br />
weapons at you. Included<br />
with the program is an<br />
edit facility that allows<br />
you to design your own<br />
planetoids - great stuff!<br />
• ACE RATED 969<br />
PITSTOP 2<br />
Epyx/US Gold • Available<br />
only on Epyx Epics compi-<br />
lation • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk • IBM PC<br />
£29.95dk<br />
(in compilation with Win-<br />
ter Games and Summer<br />
Games 2]<br />
Thrilling racing game<br />
where the screen is split<br />
into two and you can race<br />
the computer or a friend.<br />
Lots of different Grand<br />
Prix circuits, tyre blow<br />
outs and of course the all-<br />
important pitstops guar-<br />
antee to give you hand<br />
cramp and your brain a<br />
real racing treat.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
POWER-<br />
DROME<br />
Electronic Arts • Atari ST<br />
£24.95dk<br />
This superb arcade-style<br />
futuristic driving simula-<br />
tion will have you<br />
enthralled for months to<br />
come. It may not be terri-<br />
bly easy to get straight<br />
into but it's well worth<br />
persevering with. You'll be<br />
playing this for months.<br />
* ACE RATED 925<br />
PURPLE SAT-<br />
URN DAY<br />
Exxos • Atari ST<br />
£24.95dk • Amiga<br />
£24.95<br />
A terrific mix of games<br />
that delivers punch both<br />
audio and visual. The con-<br />
sistently good gameplay<br />
ensures you'll enjoy play-<br />
ing each sub-game time<br />
and again. It's a little<br />
tricky to get the hang off,<br />
but master it and you'll be<br />
pleased you persevered.<br />
• ACE RATED 912<br />
RAINBOW<br />
ISLANDS<br />
Firebird, Spectrum<br />
£9.95cs £14.95dk, C64<br />
£9.99cs S14.99dk.<br />
Amstrad £9.99cs<br />
£14.99dk, ST £24.99.<br />
Amiga £24.99<br />
The sequel to Bubble Bob-<br />
ble is nothing short of fan-<br />
tastic. The graphics and<br />
sound are superb, as is<br />
the gameplay.<br />
One of the best (and<br />
cutest arcade conver-
1 2 2 THE PINK PAGES<br />
sions of the year that<br />
should not be missed.<br />
* ACE RATED 934<br />
RVF<br />
Microstyle. ST £24.99.<br />
Amiga £29.99<br />
RVF offers a near endless<br />
supply of fast paced bike<br />
action as you race your<br />
Honda RVF. Attention to<br />
detail is paid out all along<br />
the route with your rider<br />
giving the bike a push<br />
start after a crash.<br />
An excellent mix of<br />
arcade and simulation.<br />
* ACE RATED 915<br />
SPIDERTRON-<br />
IC<br />
Ere International • Atari<br />
ST £19.95dk<br />
Guide your spider-like<br />
character around the<br />
game area, collecting<br />
coloured panels in the<br />
correct order. The built-in<br />
construction set means<br />
you'll be knocking out<br />
your own levels till the<br />
cows come home.<br />
• ACE RATED 903<br />
SUMMER<br />
GAMES<br />
E pyx/US Gold • C64<br />
£9.95 cs £14.95dk •<br />
IBM PC £29.95dk<br />
Epyx sporting simulations<br />
are of high quality but<br />
none have quite captured<br />
the payability and style of<br />
the original Summer<br />
Games and its immediate<br />
successor. Summer<br />
Games 2. One to six play-<br />
ers can take part in high<br />
jump, gymnastics, spring<br />
board diving, clay pigeon<br />
shooting, swimming, pole<br />
vault - and others - with<br />
lovely large graphics and<br />
smooth animation<br />
throughout. Control of<br />
your athlete can be com<br />
plex so practice is recom-<br />
mended.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
SUPER<br />
SPRINT<br />
Electric Dreams • C64<br />
£9.99cs £14.99dk<br />
Amstrad £9.99cs Spec-<br />
trum £9.99cs • Atari ST<br />
£19.99dk<br />
One of the better coin-op<br />
conversions currently<br />
available. With up to three<br />
players all competing at<br />
once, the action is fast<br />
and furious and it will take<br />
a finely-tuned car to com<br />
plete some of the more<br />
tortuous circuits that<br />
appear later in the game.<br />
* ACE RATED 907<br />
THRUST<br />
Firebird • Spectrum<br />
£1.99cs®C64£1.99cs<br />
• Amstrad £1.99cs<br />
Terrifyingly sensitive con-<br />
trols and a large helping<br />
of real-life physics make<br />
this budget title an abso-<br />
lute must. Flying down<br />
through the caverns of an<br />
enemy-held planet, you<br />
have to pick up fuel and<br />
destroy hostile gun tur-<br />
rets without crashing into<br />
the tunnel walls. Tough<br />
enough as it is, but then<br />
you've got to make the<br />
return journey with a<br />
heavy load slung under<br />
your craft. Very mean,<br />
very addictive.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
URIDIUM<br />
Hewson • Spectrum<br />
£8.95cs • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£12.95dk • BBC<br />
£9.95cs £14.95dk<br />
The piece de resistance<br />
of scrolling shoot-em-ups:<br />
blast the dreadnought and<br />
attacking ships while<br />
dodging around any large<br />
structures. Great metallic-<br />
looking dreadnoughts and<br />
the smoothest scrolling<br />
you'll ever see put this<br />
head and shoulders above<br />
the opposition. A game<br />
not to be missed, espe-<br />
cially now that C64 ver-<br />
sions come packaged<br />
with the excellent<br />
Paradroid.<br />
ACE CLASSIC<br />
ZARCH /<br />
VIRUS<br />
Superior Software •<br />
Archimedes £19.95dk •<br />
Firebird (16 and 8-bit ver-<br />
sions) Amiga £19.95dk<br />
• Atari ST £19.95dk •<br />
Some 8-bit versions under<br />
development<br />
A solid three dimensional<br />
shoot-em-up with such<br />
graphic perfection and<br />
timelessly addictive game-<br />
play that it became an<br />
instant classic. Now the<br />
16-bit versions have<br />
arrived and they're just as<br />
good as the 32-bit ver-<br />
sions.<br />
• ACE RATED 981<br />
ADVENTURES<br />
After a brief surge of RPG_related<br />
popularity, the traditional text-entry<br />
adventure is rapidly disappearing.<br />
But for those of you who savour the<br />
powers of the imagination, the ver-<br />
bal twist, and the thrill of encounter-<br />
ing other characters, this game<br />
genre still has much to recommend<br />
it. Here are some of the all-time<br />
great computer fantasies...<br />
BEYOND<br />
ZORK<br />
Infocom/Actrvision • C64<br />
£19.99dk«PC £24.99dk<br />
• Amiga £24.99dk • Atari<br />
ST £24.99dk<br />
Infocom's attempt to mus-<br />
cle in on the role-playing<br />
market is a great success.<br />
Locate the fabulous<br />
Coconut of Quendor in a<br />
game that combines the<br />
wit and ingenuity of one of<br />
the world's most original<br />
software companies with<br />
state-of-the-art parsing and<br />
gameplay. Text-only, but<br />
with an on-screen mapping<br />
facility.<br />
* ACE RATED 902<br />
CORRUPTION<br />
Rainbird • Atari ST<br />
£24.95dk • Amiga<br />
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk<br />
• Spectrum £15.95dk#<br />
C64 £17.95dk • Amstrad<br />
6128 £19.95dk<br />
This tale of insider deal-<br />
ings. infidelity and crooked<br />
business deals is unlikely<br />
to appeal to adventurers<br />
who prefer to wander<br />
through vast dungeon net-<br />
works seeking treasure.<br />
But for those who are fed<br />
up with traditional adven-<br />
turing, it's like a breath of<br />
fresh air. Superb graphics,<br />
great atmosphere and a<br />
nail-biting plot makes this a<br />
terrific game that grips<br />
from the start.<br />
* ACE RATED 920<br />
FISH<br />
Magnetic Scrolls • PC<br />
£24.99dk Amiga<br />
£24.99dk<br />
More gameplay than Cor-<br />
ruption, better game<br />
design than Mnxter. and<br />
not as quirky as The<br />
Pawn. This is definitely<br />
MS's best release since<br />
Guild Of Thieves. Good<br />
stuff indeed.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
GUILD OF<br />
THIEVES<br />
Rainbird • C64 £19.95dk<br />
• Spectrum £15.95dk«<br />
Amstrad 6128 £19.95dk<br />
• Amiga £24.95dk • Atari<br />
ST £24.95dk • PC<br />
£24.95dk<br />
One of Britain's newer<br />
adventure software houses<br />
- Magnetic Scrolls - man-<br />
aged to produce a tradi-<br />
tional treasure hunt with<br />
superb graphics and some<br />
very tricky puzzles. Power-<br />
ful parser helps to create<br />
a convincing game world<br />
with humour and imagina-<br />
tion.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
INGRIDS<br />
BACK<br />
Level 9 • Atari ST<br />
£19.95dk<br />
A great follow-up to<br />
Gnome Ranger. Level 9<br />
have really got to grips<br />
with the use of characters<br />
in their games and how to<br />
program them very effec-<br />
tively.<br />
• ACE RATED 920<br />
JEWELS OF<br />
DARKNESS<br />
Rainbird • C64 £14.95cs<br />
• Spectrum 128£14.95cs<br />
• Amstrad £14.95cs<br />
£l9.95dk • PC £19.95dk<br />
• Amiga £19.95dk« Atari<br />
ST £19.95dk<br />
Level 9 have put together<br />
three of their classic<br />
releases. Colossal Adven-<br />
ture. Dungeon Adventure<br />
and Adventure Quest in<br />
one bundle. The games<br />
have been updated with<br />
graphics and larger vocab-<br />
ularies and are as close to<br />
the original spirit of adven-<br />
turing as you're likely to<br />
find.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
LURKING<br />
HORROR<br />
InfoconVMediagemc •<br />
C64£19.99dk«ST<br />
£24.991 Amiga £24.99 •<br />
PC £24.99<br />
Infocom's tribute to H.P.<br />
Lovecraft and the horror-<br />
fantasy genre sends you<br />
into a cold sweat as you<br />
discover something very<br />
nasty lurking beneath your<br />
college laboratory. Superb<br />
text-only game that defies<br />
you to play it after dark...<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
TIME AND<br />
MAG IK<br />
Mandarin • Spectrum<br />
£14.95cs £14.95dk •<br />
C64 £14.95cs £14.95dk<br />
• Amstrad £14.95cs<br />
£14.95dk • Atari ST<br />
£19.99dk • Amiga<br />
£19.99dk • PC £19.99dk<br />
This compilation of the<br />
Level 9 games, Lords Of<br />
Time, Red Moon and The<br />
Price Of Magik have been<br />
re-vamped with better<br />
parsing, bigger vocabular-<br />
ies and pictures added.<br />
Superb value if you don't<br />
already own them.<br />
• ACE RATED 919<br />
ZORK ZERO<br />
Infocom Versions due out<br />
about now. Watch this<br />
space for price info.<br />
Highly enjoyable with a<br />
variety of challenges that<br />
make for instant addic-<br />
tion. A bit more character<br />
interaction would have<br />
made this a real<br />
humdinger, but even so it<br />
remains one of the best<br />
games of the year so far.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
PUZZLES<br />
If you're after a game that will pro"<br />
vide you with a real challenge,<br />
without necessarily requiring large<br />
doses of strategic thinking, then<br />
it's a puzzle game you want.<br />
BONE-<br />
CRUNCHER<br />
Superior Software • C64<br />
£9.95csll.95dk •Amiga<br />
£14.95<br />
At first sight this recent<br />
release may appear to be<br />
nothing more than a boul-<br />
derdash ripoff. However<br />
there are a number of<br />
innovative gameplay fea-<br />
tures which give<br />
Bonecruncher a feel all of<br />
its own. Highly recom-<br />
mended for those who pre-<br />
fer to solve problems<br />
rather than shoot them.<br />
* ACE RATED 948 -<br />
AMIGA<br />
BOULDERDASH<br />
Prism Leisure Corporation<br />
• Spectrum £2.99cs •<br />
C64 £2.99cs • Amstrad<br />
£2.99cs<br />
A game that has every-<br />
thing - instant addiction,<br />
long-term challenge, fre-<br />
netic excitement as the<br />
clock ticks down and<br />
extremely tricky puzzles.<br />
You must collect jewels<br />
hidden in caverns, digging<br />
away earth and boulders<br />
to get tat them. Boulders<br />
can drop and cause you<br />
serious damage, while the<br />
jewels are often hidden by<br />
seemingly impenetrable<br />
walls. Complex but great<br />
fun. Boulderdash is a clas-<br />
sic you can't afford to<br />
miss in its budget incarna-<br />
tion.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
DEFLEKTOR<br />
Gremlin/Vortex • C64<br />
£9.99cs • Spectrum<br />
£7.99cs • ST £19.95dk<br />
Optics are the order of the<br />
day here (not the spirit dis-<br />
pensers) as the player<br />
tries to connect a laser<br />
beam to a receiver and at<br />
the same time destroy a
number of cells that are<br />
on screen as well. You'll<br />
need to make full use of<br />
the mirrors, fibre-optic<br />
conduits and polarising<br />
and refracting blocks if<br />
you're to achieve your<br />
aim. Clear the first screen<br />
and you'll only have 59<br />
more to do. Fascinating<br />
stuff that's horribly addic-<br />
tive.<br />
* ACE RATED 906 -<br />
ST<br />
NEBULUS<br />
Hewson • C64 £9.99cs<br />
£14 .99 dk® Atari ST<br />
£14.99 dk<br />
Guide pogo to the top of<br />
eight towers using the spi-<br />
ral of platforms, lifts and<br />
ledges that form the<br />
route. It's a highly original<br />
game that strikes a fine<br />
balance between frustra-<br />
tion and addiction, added<br />
to which is the rotary<br />
scroll, thus making it a<br />
good-looking, playable<br />
winner of a game.<br />
* ACE RATED 943 -<br />
C64<br />
SENTINEL<br />
Firebird • Spectrum £9.95<br />
cs • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk« Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs £14.95 dk •<br />
Atari ST £19.95dk •<br />
Amiga £19.99dk<br />
Bizarre and compelling<br />
strategy game played<br />
over the chequered sur-<br />
face of a planet dominat-<br />
ed by the Sentinel. Funda-<br />
mentally you have to<br />
absorb energy while trying<br />
to stop the Sentinel from<br />
absorbing yours. A clean<br />
brain and fast trigger fin-<br />
ger are both necessary in<br />
this very onginal and large<br />
-10,000 possible land<br />
scapes - game.<br />
* ACE RATED 963 -<br />
AMIGA<br />
SKULL<br />
DIGGERY<br />
Nexus® Atari ST £19.95<br />
Boulderdash clone that<br />
completely outdoes the<br />
original on this particular<br />
machine. Again (see Boul-<br />
derdash above) you're dig-<br />
ging for diamonds in cav-<br />
erns over a hundred differ-<br />
ent screens - with a time<br />
limit for each screen.<br />
Skulldiggery scores on<br />
payability (easier screens<br />
to begin with and a choice<br />
of starting point) and its<br />
entertaining two-player<br />
option.<br />
* ACE RATED 919-ST<br />
SPORE<br />
Bulldog • C64 £1.99cs •<br />
Amstrad £ 1.99c s* Spec-<br />
trum £1.99cs<br />
The winning combination<br />
of strategy, frenzied blast-<br />
ing and great graphics<br />
make Spore a worthy full-<br />
priced release - what a<br />
bargain then to be able to<br />
pick it up for £1.99!<br />
* ACE RATED 919-<br />
C64<br />
TETRIS<br />
Mirrorsoft • Spectrum<br />
£8.99 cs • C64 £8.99cs<br />
£12.99dk • Amstrad<br />
£8.99cs £12.99 dk»<br />
Atari ST £19.95dk •<br />
Amiga £19.99dk • IBM<br />
PC £19.99dk<br />
A fascinating geometrical<br />
oddity, this Russian puz-<br />
zler turns the obscure<br />
mathematical topic of<br />
packing into a cult game.<br />
One at a time, shapes fall<br />
downwards into a rectan-<br />
gular playing area. Left to<br />
their own devices they'll<br />
pile up until they reach the<br />
top of the screen; your<br />
task is to guide them<br />
down and pack them tight-<br />
ly so that doesn't happen.<br />
Different versions have<br />
proved to be rather van-<br />
able in their arcade<br />
aspects, but the brilliantly<br />
simple idea behind them<br />
means they're well worth<br />
a look whatever your<br />
machine.<br />
* ACE RATED 959 -<br />
C64<br />
THINK!<br />
Firebird •C64£1.99cs»<br />
Amstrad £1.99cs* Spec-<br />
trum £1.99cs<br />
Originally released by Ark><br />
lasoft at full price, but now<br />
available for a fraction of<br />
that from Firebird. It's a<br />
horribly addictive game<br />
played on a 6x6 grid -<br />
either one or two player -<br />
in which you attempt to<br />
connect four counters,<br />
honzontally, vertically or<br />
diagonally.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
XOR<br />
Logotron • BBC £9.95cs<br />
£12.85dk •Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs£14.95dk«<br />
Spectrum £7.95cs<br />
Extremely tricky maze<br />
game involving the player<br />
controbig two shields, and<br />
collecting masks through 15<br />
mazes, which increase in<br />
complexity as you progress.<br />
Also m later stages, fish and<br />
chickens be in wait, often<br />
blocking the masks and just<br />
waiting to fall on you and<br />
ATF<br />
Digital Integration • C64<br />
£8.95cs £12.95dk •<br />
Amstrad £8.95cs<br />
£12.95dk® Spectrum<br />
£8.95cs£13.95dk<br />
Excellent combat/flight<br />
simulator that's a bit of a<br />
change for Digital Integra-<br />
tion, the simulation spe-<br />
cialist. The emphasis is on<br />
solid action, the result<br />
being a sure-fire hit.<br />
* ACE RATED 956 -<br />
SPECTRUM<br />
DARK SIDE<br />
Incentive • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk •Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs £14.95dk«<br />
Spectrum £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk<br />
The second game using<br />
the Freescape program-<br />
ming system, which sets<br />
more of an arcade chal-<br />
lenge. The 3-0 graphics<br />
are again superb as are<br />
the tasks and puzzles.<br />
* ACE RATED 915-<br />
AMSTRAD<br />
ELITE<br />
Firebird • C64 £14.95cs<br />
£17.95dk •Amstrad<br />
£12.95cs£14.95dk®<br />
Spectrum £14.95cs •<br />
BBC £13.95cs £14.95dk<br />
(available from Superior<br />
software)<br />
Still the best space trading<br />
game, Elite set a standard<br />
for other companies to fol-<br />
low. One of the first space<br />
games to use vector<br />
graphics, it's a shooting<br />
and trading effort set<br />
across several galaxies,<br />
with plenty of variety to<br />
the game play. You can<br />
trade legal goods in (rela-<br />
tively) safe systems, or<br />
run the gauntlet of pirates<br />
in the galaxies' danger<br />
spots with your hold full of<br />
contraband. Either way<br />
brwig your quest to a prema-<br />
tire end. Later still, things<br />
hot up as bombs, trans-<br />
porters and dols conspire<br />
against you. Smooth<br />
scrolling, simple graphics,<br />
this one requires planning to<br />
complete successfully.<br />
SPECIALS<br />
Original works that are simply<br />
unclassifiable feature in this sec'<br />
tion.<br />
there's a nice line in zero-G<br />
dogfighting. and as big a<br />
task as you'll find any-<br />
where.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
INCREDIBLE<br />
SHRINKING<br />
SPHERE<br />
Electric Dreams • C64<br />
£8.99cs £14.99dk •<br />
Amstrad £9.99cs<br />
£14.99dk • Spectrum<br />
£9.99cs £14.99dk • Atari<br />
ST £19.99dk • Amiga<br />
£24.99dk<br />
A manic maze world where<br />
mass, size and inertia<br />
combine to provide wicked<br />
gameplay. Tricky puzzles<br />
and endless nasty obsta-<br />
cles will have you rolling<br />
around in delight.<br />
* ACE RATED 923 -<br />
C64<br />
M1 TANK PLA-<br />
TOON<br />
Microprose • PC<br />
£39.99dk<br />
This is a welcome break<br />
from flight-sims that<br />
boasts enough detail to<br />
keep even the most com-<br />
pulsive nitpicker happy,<br />
and at the same time has<br />
a breadth of challenge and<br />
combat scenarios that<br />
should satisfy the most<br />
ardent gamester. A winner.<br />
* ACE RATED 926<br />
MAGNETRON-<br />
Firebird • C64 £8.95cs<br />
£12.95dk • Spectrum<br />
£8.95cs£12.95dk<br />
Puzzles and action Steve<br />
Turner style. Save the<br />
world by dismantling eight<br />
satellites. Steal parts from<br />
enemy droids to upgrade<br />
your own droid and hopeful-<br />
ly make your job a little eas-<br />
ier. The ideal game for<br />
Quazatron fans looking for<br />
a similar, new challenge.<br />
P I N K P A G E 3 1 2 3<br />
* ACE RATED 904 -<br />
SPECTRUM<br />
QUEDEX<br />
Thalamus • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk<br />
In this impressively chal-<br />
lenging game you must<br />
steer a metallic ball<br />
through ten different<br />
screens of mazes, bonus-<br />
es and obstacles, an within<br />
a set time limit. This simple<br />
game concept has a host<br />
of added features to make<br />
it particularly pleasing: you<br />
can carry over unused time<br />
to the next screen, for<br />
example, and tackle the dif-<br />
ferent screens or planes'<br />
in any order you wish.<br />
Excellent graphics and<br />
utterly absorbing play.<br />
* ACE RATED 934 -<br />
C64<br />
SPINDIZZY<br />
Electric Dreams • C64<br />
£9.95cs £14.95dk •<br />
Spectrum £9.95cs •<br />
Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95<br />
Disk<br />
Tremendous stuff; steer<br />
your spinning top over<br />
tough obstacles and col-<br />
lect jewels, against a<br />
fiendish time limit. The<br />
game landscape is a vast<br />
system of catwalks,<br />
ramps, towers and trampo-<br />
lines surrounded by lethal<br />
drops - and NO safety rails.<br />
Floor switches activate lifts<br />
and bridge traps, but trip-<br />
ping them in the right order<br />
can be harder than it looks.<br />
A few bad guys and a lot of<br />
nice touches, but the<br />
explorations the thing.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
STARGLIDER<br />
II<br />
Rawibird • Atari ST<br />
£24.95dk • Amiga<br />
£24.99dk<br />
One of the finest examples<br />
of a game using vector<br />
graphics to their full advan-<br />
tage, gets the solid 3D<br />
treatment and comes out<br />
looking every bit a winner.<br />
You've got a large task to<br />
complete and there's plen-<br />
ty of Egron's to destroy,<br />
making thts combination of<br />
blasting and exploration<br />
that stands head above the<br />
competition.<br />
* ACE RATED 927 - ST<br />
STAR TREK V<br />
Mindscape • PC £34.99dk<br />
* MAC £34.99dk<br />
This is easily the best inter-<br />
pretation of Star Trek yet.<br />
The gameplay provides<br />
absorbtng and challenging<br />
hours of fun. A must for<br />
Trekkies and an entertain-<br />
ing space strategy /simula-<br />
tor for everyone else.<br />
* ACE RATED 930<br />
TAU CETI/<br />
ACADEMY<br />
CRL • C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs£14.95dk*<br />
Spectrum £9.95cs • Atari<br />
ST £19.99dk •Amiga<br />
£19.95<br />
Flight simulator/shoot 'em<br />
up and its sequel which are<br />
both incredibly smooth and<br />
well put together. The<br />
attention to detail is impec-<br />
cable as you set off on<br />
hair-raising missions as a<br />
space cadet. In Academy<br />
you get to design your own<br />
space skimmer craft as<br />
well.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
TOTAL<br />
ECLIPSE<br />
Incentive® C64£9.95cs<br />
£12.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs£12.95dk •Spec-<br />
trum £9.95cs£14.95dk<br />
The third game using the<br />
Freescape system is a bit<br />
of a departure from the<br />
first two, but it's still an<br />
incredible game. In total<br />
eclipse you're battling<br />
against time back in the<br />
1930's trying to prevent<br />
the moon exploding. For<br />
arcade adventurers who<br />
love puzzles, the<br />
Freescape system is a god-<br />
send.<br />
* ACE RATED 907 -<br />
AMSTRAD<br />
WIZBALL<br />
OCEAN* C64£8.95cs<br />
£14.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£8.95cs$12.95dk •Spec-<br />
trum £8.95cs£14.95dk<br />
Become Wizbafl and con-<br />
quer the colour creatures'<br />
which are intent on eliminat-<br />
ing the spectrum and ren-<br />
denng the landscape grey<br />
and drab. One of the most<br />
playable games around,<br />
despite the simple sce-<br />
nario.<br />
ACE Classic
-I 24 INK<br />
RPG<br />
Role-playing games have exerted<br />
an enormous influence on modern<br />
game-styles. They combine the<br />
atmosphere of text adventures with<br />
the action of arcade games and the<br />
brain exercise of strategy - but<br />
their graphical presentatio tends to<br />
be weaker than other game genres.<br />
Gameplay centres around develop-<br />
ing characters by raising their<br />
experience and skill levels in con-<br />
flict with other, computer-controlled<br />
nasties. All that - and a quest too....<br />
THE BARD S<br />
TALE II<br />
Electronic Arts, C64<br />
£16.95, Amiga £24.95dk<br />
The highly successful pre-<br />
decessor to Bards Tale III.<br />
BT B has the advantage of<br />
being slightly easier to<br />
advance. THe Amiga ver-<br />
sion features some very<br />
nice sampled monk chants<br />
when you enter a temple<br />
and excellently coloured<br />
graphics. And of course,<br />
you can update your<br />
favourite characters, their<br />
attributes and equipment<br />
for use m BT III.<br />
• ACE RATED 920<br />
THE BARD'S<br />
TALE III<br />
Electronic Arts • C64<br />
£14.95dk<br />
The latest Bard s Tale<br />
game offers a number of<br />
refinements over its pre-<br />
decessors (all of which<br />
are still well worth taking<br />
a good look at). First, the<br />
graphics are better ani-<br />
mated. Second, there<br />
are ranged combat rou-<br />
tines which take careful<br />
account of the distance<br />
between you and your<br />
opponents. Finally, the<br />
game's large and repre-<br />
sents excellent value for<br />
money.<br />
• ACE RATED 920<br />
BATTLETECH<br />
Infocom. PC £29.95, ST<br />
Battletech features some<br />
incredible cartoon<br />
sequences, arcade style<br />
action, role play and<br />
strategy. In short a com-<br />
plete, full game. A bril-<br />
liant RPG purchase even<br />
though it missed out on<br />
an Ace rating.<br />
• ACE RATED 801<br />
DUNGEON<br />
MASTER<br />
Electronic Arts • C64<br />
£14.95dk<br />
Quoted as being a "mile<br />
stone in Advanced Com-<br />
puter Entertainment",<br />
Dungeon Master offers<br />
14 levels, loads of<br />
spells, atmospheric<br />
graphics and sound. All<br />
going to make Dungeon<br />
Master one of the best<br />
roleplaying adventures to<br />
have appeared on any<br />
machine.<br />
* ACE RATED 949<br />
POOL OF<br />
RADIANCE<br />
US GOLD/SSI<br />
• C64 £14.99dk<br />
SSI were very brave to<br />
attempt to capture the<br />
complex concept of the<br />
AD&D system on a com-<br />
puter, but they managed<br />
superbly. An RPGnnflu-<br />
enced game that will<br />
appeal to not only AD&D<br />
fans but to anyone look-<br />
ing for an enthralling<br />
game that will keep them<br />
playing for months.<br />
* ACE RATED 921<br />
ULTIMA V<br />
OriginSystems/Microprose<br />
• C64 £24.95dk« PC<br />
£29.95 • ST/Amiga to be<br />
announced<br />
Astonishing level of detail<br />
in this role-playing influ-<br />
enced epic. Travel round<br />
Britannia trashing the<br />
opposition and learning the<br />
magical, tactical, and<br />
geographical secrets that<br />
will enable you to defeat<br />
the forces of evil far under-<br />
ground. Superb romp,<br />
BRAIN GAMES<br />
Fed up with mindless blasting? Want a game that offers you<br />
worthy of your skills? Then this is your section...<br />
CHESS MAS-<br />
TER 2000<br />
Electronic Arts • C64<br />
£9.95cs £14.95dk •<br />
Amiga £24.95dk • Atari<br />
ST £24.95dk • IBM PC<br />
£24.95dk<br />
Strongest chess game on<br />
the Amiga, with excellent<br />
graphics, 2D or 3D view<br />
point, 12 levels of difficul-<br />
ty and all the playing<br />
options you could wish for.<br />
Plus some fairly nifty<br />
speech synthesis.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
COLOSSUS<br />
CHESS 4<br />
CDS* C64 £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk • Amstrad<br />
£9.95cs£14.95dk»<br />
Spectrum £9.95<br />
Best bet for 8-bit machine<br />
owners, with a choice of<br />
2D or 3D view, umpteen<br />
levels of difficulty, and a<br />
ARNHEM<br />
CCS, Spectrum £8.95cs,<br />
Amstrad £9.95cs, C64<br />
£9.95cs<br />
One of the oldest quality<br />
wargames featured in the<br />
section. Arnham was easi<br />
oty the best in the held. It<br />
has all the expected atmo-<br />
sphere. five seperate sce-<br />
narios and one of the<br />
toughest computer oppo-<br />
nents you could ever wa't<br />
to meet. A thoroughly<br />
absobing wargame which<br />
can be classed as one of<br />
the old masters.<br />
• ACE RATED 910<br />
great lasting interest, and<br />
tough challenges galore.<br />
* ACE RATED 928<br />
WASTELAND<br />
Electronic Arts • C64<br />
£14.95dk<br />
myriad options which<br />
enable you to play, watch,<br />
work out chess problems,<br />
etc against a fine comput-<br />
er opponent.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
COLOSSUS<br />
MAH JONG<br />
CDS • C64 £9.99cs<br />
£14.99dk •Amstrad<br />
£9.99cs £14.99dk<br />
Rummy-like oriental game<br />
of stratagy and chance. A<br />
tutor program and a short<br />
manual make this an easy<br />
to use and highly entertain-<br />
ing piece of software for<br />
veterans and novices<br />
alike..<br />
• ACE RATED 937 -<br />
C64<br />
INFOGRAMES<br />
BRIDGE<br />
lnfogrames» Amstrad<br />
£12.95cs £15.95dk •<br />
MSX £12.95<br />
CONFLICT<br />
EUROPE<br />
Mirrorsoft, ST 24.99,<br />
Amiga £24.99, PC TBA<br />
The 16 bit progression of<br />
Theatre Europe. Lots of<br />
extra graphical and sound<br />
effects. The computer<br />
controlled intelligence was<br />
marginally sophisticated<br />
but still enough to give a<br />
challenging game. The<br />
correct balance between<br />
strategy and exitement<br />
throughout. Great for<br />
beginners and intermedi-<br />
ate players.<br />
* ACE RATED 882<br />
Charge around irradiated<br />
USA whopping mutant bun-<br />
nies and biker scum in this<br />
role-playing epic. The<br />
atmosphere may not be<br />
as good as the Bard's<br />
Tale series of games, but<br />
the extra dimension of<br />
Graphically the best of all<br />
contract bridge simula-<br />
tions, with large playing<br />
cards depicted against a<br />
suitably green baize back-<br />
ground. Plays a good<br />
game (for a computer,<br />
which after all is a bit<br />
short in the imangination<br />
and flair department), and<br />
features a wide range of<br />
options and bidding con-<br />
ventions which you can<br />
toggle of according to<br />
your style.<br />
* ACE CLASSIC<br />
POWERPLAY<br />
Arcana • C64 £8.95cs<br />
£14.95dk •Amstrad<br />
£8.95cs £14.95dk •<br />
Amiga £19.95dk • Atari<br />
ST £19.95dk<br />
If you want to try out your<br />
general knowledge, we<br />
reckon you'd be better off<br />
with this original and chal-<br />
lenging combination of<br />
THEATRE<br />
EUROPE<br />
PSS, Spectrum £9.95cs,<br />
C64 £0.95cs £14.95dk,<br />
Amstrad £9.95cs<br />
£14.95dk<br />
The perfect game for 8 bit<br />
owners who go green with<br />
envy when they look at<br />
Conflict Europe. Theatre<br />
Europe is the forerunner to<br />
the excellent 16 bit game.<br />
The graphics and overall<br />
play are not as sophisticat-<br />
ed, but on the whole it still<br />
is one heck of a game.<br />
• ACE RATED 915<br />
strategy leaves the cut,<br />
slash and spell scenario of<br />
the BT series way behind.<br />
* ACE RATED 921<br />
an opponent who's<br />
strategy game and quiz<br />
than with the admittedly<br />
monster selling Trivial Pur-<br />
suits. Powerplay is graphi-<br />
cally very pretty in its set-<br />
ting on Mount Olympus,<br />
home of the Gods.<br />
* ACE RATED 935 -<br />
Amiga<br />
SCRABBLE<br />
Leisure Genius • C64<br />
£12.95cs £14.95dk •<br />
Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95<br />
• IBM PC £24.95dk<br />
The hugely popular word<br />
game translated very suc-<br />
cessfully onto the micro.<br />
Fast, excellent display, and<br />
a suprisingly large vocabu-<br />
lary (even if it does include<br />
some strange looking<br />
words on some occa-<br />
sions). Good enough to<br />
give even strong human<br />
opponents a tough game<br />
at the higher levels.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
WAR GAMES<br />
Fancy yourself as a master of grand strategy, marshalling hordes of troops and<br />
sending them of to do battle on your behalf? Look no further than the ACE war<br />
games section...<br />
UMS<br />
Rainbird, ST £24.95, PC<br />
£24.95, Macintosh<br />
£34.95, Amiga £24.95<br />
Probably the greatest war<br />
game to date. UMS' uniqe<br />
3D systems enables the<br />
creabon of almost any bat-<br />
tle in history. As well as a<br />
very sophisticated comput-<br />
er opponents yet. On top<br />
of this are add on scenar-<br />
ios and a very neat corv<br />
truction kit to keep you<br />
going for even longer. An<br />
essential purchase<br />
* ACE RATED 907
INK PAGES 1<br />
FLIGHT SIMULATIONS<br />
How about flying the latest US Stealth Fighter on a mission over Siberia? Or perhaps a quick flight over Hawaii would be<br />
more relaxing? Computer flight simulations can fulfill any flight of fancy<br />
BATTLE-<br />
HAWKS 1942<br />
Lucasfilm Games/US Gold<br />
• ST £24.95dk • Amiga<br />
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk<br />
A WWII NAVAL AIR<br />
COMBAT SIMULATOR<br />
COVERING THE FOUR<br />
MOST IMPORTANT BAT-<br />
TLES OF THE 1942<br />
PACIFIC WAR. FOR<br />
KNUCKLE-WHITENING<br />
ACTION THIS ONE HAS<br />
EVERYTHING - THE<br />
SENSE OF BEING<br />
THERE' IS TREMDOUS.<br />
THRILLING AND SUR-<br />
PRISNGLY ADDICTIVE<br />
STUFF.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
928<br />
BOMBER<br />
Activision • Spectrum<br />
£14.99cs £19.99dk •<br />
C64 £14.99cs £19.99dk<br />
• Amstrad £ 14.99cs<br />
£19.99dk • ST £24.99dk<br />
• Amiga £24.99dk • PC<br />
£34.99dk<br />
Vector Grafix has spent a<br />
long time on this one -<br />
and it certainly shows. The<br />
game gets the balance<br />
just right between convinc-<br />
ing simulation and enter-<br />
taining game. Highly rec-<br />
ommended.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
925<br />
|CHUCK<br />
YEAGER'S<br />
ADVANCED<br />
FLIGHT<br />
TRAINER<br />
Electronic Arts • Spec-<br />
trum • C64 • CPC • ST<br />
• Amiga • PC £24.95dk<br />
Fly a multiude of aircraft<br />
from an early bi plane to<br />
the Space Shuttle. It's<br />
entertainingly different<br />
from your standard flight<br />
sim and there's so much in<br />
this game that it will take<br />
many hours of instructive<br />
fun to experience and<br />
master all the available<br />
options.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
912<br />
F-16 COMBAT<br />
PILOT<br />
Digital Integration • ST<br />
£24.95dk • Amiga<br />
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk<br />
This took nine person<br />
years to develop, and you<br />
can feel that quality of<br />
work when playing it - it's<br />
one of the most realistic<br />
flight sims on the market.<br />
If you are a connoisseur of<br />
flight simulators then this<br />
is an essential addition to<br />
your collection.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
970<br />
FALCON<br />
Spectrum Holobyte/Mirror-<br />
soft • ST £24.95dk •<br />
Amiga £24.95dk • PC<br />
£24.95dk • MAC<br />
If you really want the ter-<br />
ror, exhilaration and sheer<br />
everything-happens-at-<br />
once confusion of combat<br />
flying, this game delivers.<br />
Make no mistake, this<br />
game is the real thing. An<br />
essential purchase for<br />
fast-jet fans.<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
945<br />
FLIGHT<br />
SIMULATOR II<br />
Sublogic • C64<br />
£39.95dk • ST £49.95dk<br />
• Amiga £49.95dk • PC<br />
£49.95dk • MAC<br />
£49.95dk<br />
The flight sim that put the<br />
genre on to the map. Thor-<br />
oughly realistic flight sim<br />
of a domestic Cessna<br />
plane, which is even used<br />
by flight schools to tram<br />
would be pilots. Can be<br />
enhanced by a variety of<br />
Scenery Disks.<br />
• ACE CLASSIC<br />
INTERCEPTOR<br />
Electronic Arts • Amiga<br />
£24.95dk<br />
A low level flight sim with a<br />
hi-level of fun.Purists may<br />
dispute the label simula-<br />
tor' - it certainly wouldn't<br />
train you to fly a real life<br />
Hornet - but this program<br />
combines realism and<br />
gameplay far too well for<br />
that to matter. If you want<br />
seat-of-the-pants air com<br />
bat action, miraculous<br />
graphics and NO six<br />
month training period, look<br />
no further!<br />
• ACE RATED<br />
934<br />
RACING SIMULATIONS<br />
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<br />
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<br />
motor raciong action - all from the comfort of that armchair in fromt of your computer....<br />
LOMBARD<br />
RAC RALLY<br />
Mandarin • ST • Amiga<br />
• PC<br />
Race through many types<br />
of terrain, such as moun-<br />
tain or forest, and through<br />
many types of weather<br />
condition, such as fog or<br />
night. The game has a<br />
nice atmosphere, and<br />
though the variety of<br />
gameplay may be a little<br />
low, ifs still a game you'd<br />
be playing for a good<br />
while.<br />
FERRARI<br />
FORMULA<br />
ONE<br />
Electronic Arts • ST<br />
£24.99dk • Amiga<br />
£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk<br />
A bit old this one, but still<br />
a game that was way<br />
ahead of its time to start<br />
with. Take the wheel of a<br />
Formula One Ferrari racer<br />
on some of the most<br />
famous racecourses in the<br />
world. A true thorough-<br />
bred.<br />
R.V.F.<br />
Microstyle • ST £24.99dk<br />
• Amiga £24.99dk<br />
The champion in the Best<br />
Sprite Based Racing Game<br />
stakes, and a superb simu-<br />
lation, this one puts you<br />
into the world of perfor-<br />
mance bike racing on none<br />
other than the Honda<br />
RVF750. Brilliant graphics,<br />
brilliant sound, brilliant<br />
game.<br />
STUNT CAR<br />
RACER<br />
Microstyle • Spectrum<br />
£9.99cs £14.99dk • C64<br />
£9.99cs £14.99dk • ST<br />
£24.99dk • Amiga<br />
£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk<br />
This places itself in the<br />
annals of computer history<br />
as being one of the most<br />
amazing spectacles to<br />
watch, let alone play. The<br />
game is first-person per-<br />
spective, with the outside<br />
world made up of really<br />
fast smooth filled vectors,<br />
and the impression of real-<br />
ism is unbelievable. An<br />
amazing experience, and a<br />
clear winner. Where can<br />
things go from here?<br />
SUPER HANG<br />
ON<br />
Electric Dreams • Spec-<br />
trum £9.99cs • C64<br />
£9.99cs £l4.99dk •<br />
Amstrad £9.99cs<br />
£14.99dk • ST £24.99dk<br />
• Amiga £24.99dk<br />
Not so much a simulation<br />
as a perfect arcade con-<br />
version of a brilliant bike<br />
racing Sega coin-op.<br />
Great game, excellent con-<br />
version.<br />
THE DUEL -<br />
TEST DRIVE II<br />
Accolade • C64 • ST •<br />
Amiga • PC • MAC<br />
Accolade tried to right all<br />
the Test Drive wrongs with<br />
this sequel, and to an<br />
extent they succeeded.<br />
There's nothing serious<br />
about the game. Ifs just a<br />
lot of fun. It doesn't claim<br />
to be technically or visually<br />
accurate, but why should<br />
it?<br />
THE BOOKS YOU HAVE TO<br />
HAVE!<br />
If you ever find it possible to drag yourself away<br />
from your computer and watch the TV instead you<br />
might have seen a programme on BBC last month<br />
about computer junkies - those people who just<br />
can't get enough of their micros and are quite<br />
happy to burn the midnight oil just to be with them.<br />
The program suggested that such activities might<br />
be unhealthy (could it be true?). Never being a<br />
magazine to promote ill health ACE has decided to<br />
back a sensible, adult activity, namely READING.<br />
So here goes with the books you have to have:<br />
1. Doctor Seuss's ABC - A very colourful read,<br />
and just the right place to start if you've never<br />
done any before.<br />
2. Fox in Sox - A toungue twisting Dr. Seuss book<br />
for more advanced readers.<br />
3. Dougal and the Blue Cat - Probably the best<br />
book ever written (well, with pictures anyway).<br />
4. Any Pooh Book - Any hours you spend with the<br />
bear of little brain are hours well-spent. All the<br />
philospophy you need for survival is contained<br />
henn.<br />
5. The Tao of Pooh - All that philosophy explained!
PREMIER MAIL ORDER<br />
8 BIT TITLES 16 BIT TITLES<br />
GAME SPEC CBM AMS<br />
CASS DISC CASS DISC CASS DISC<br />
Airbourne Ranger 6.99 999 9.99 13.99 9.99 13.99<br />
Altered Beast 699 6.99 9.99 699 999<br />
APB 6.99 9.99 6 99 999 6.99 9.99<br />
Bards Tale 2.99 2.99 5.99 2.99<br />
Bards Tale 2 or 3<br />
12.99<br />
Batman The Movie 6.99 9.99 699 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
Battiechess 10.99<br />
•Beach Volley 6.50 9 99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Bomber 1099 13.99 10.99 13.99 10 99 13.99<br />
Buggy Boy 299 2,99 2.99<br />
Cabal 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 999<br />
Carrier Command 9.99 13.99 9.99 13.99 T3.99<br />
Carriers at War 14.99<br />
Chase HO 6.99 9.99 699 9 99 6.99 9.99<br />
Continental Circus 6 99 9.99 6.99 999 6.99 9 99<br />
Crazy Cars 2 6.50 6.50 9.99<br />
Cricket Master 650 650 6.50<br />
Curse ol Azure Bands 16.99<br />
•Cyberball 6.99 9 99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Double Oragon 2 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 9.99<br />
Dragon Spirit 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Dragon Ninja 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
Dynamite Dux 6.99 699 999 6.99 9.99<br />
Emlyn Hughes FBai' 699 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
Fighting Soccer 6.99 6 99 999 6.99 9.99<br />
Foot Man 2 Exp Kit 5 50 5.50 7.99 5.50 7.99<br />
Football Oirector 6.50 6 45 6.45<br />
Football Manager 1 2.99 2.99 2.99<br />
Football Manager 2 6.99 9.99 6.99 699 9.99<br />
Forgotten World 6 99 750 7.45<br />
Fun School 2 (6-8) 7 99 9.99 7.99 9.99 7.99 9.99<br />
Fun School2 (Over 8) 7.99 999 799 9.99 7.99 9.99<br />
Fun School 2 (Under 6) 7.99 9 99 7.99 9.99 7.99 9.99<br />
Gamo.Set S Match 2 8.99 8.99 8 99<br />
Garfield Winter 6.00 650 9.99 6 50 9.99<br />
Ghostbusters 2 6.99 6.99 9.99 6 99 9.99<br />
Ghouls and Ghosts 7.50 7.50 10.99 7.50<br />
• Golden Shoe 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6 99 999<br />
Grand Prix Circuit 7.45 10.99<br />
Gunship 6.99 9.99 9.99 13 99 999 13 99<br />
Hard Drivin 6.99 9.99 6 99 9 99 6.99 9.99<br />
Hillstar 13.99<br />
Indy Jones Crusade 6.99 8 90 1099 7.50 10.99<br />
Ikan Warriors 299 299 2.99<br />
•Klax 6.99 9.99 699 9 99 6.99 9 99<br />
Kick OH 699 6 99 9.99<br />
Laser Squad 6.99 999 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
License to Kill 6.99 9 99 699 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Mega Mix 8 99 8.99 12.99 899<br />
Micro Soccer 6 99 999 999 13.99 9.99 13.99<br />
Mini OKice 2 10.99 13.99 999 13.99<br />
Mr Heli 6.99 6.99 6.99<br />
Myth 7,99 7.99 7.99<br />
New Zealand Story 6.50 9.99 6.99 999 6 99 9.99<br />
Ninja Warriors 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
100% Dynamne 9.99 9.99 12.99 9 99<br />
Operation Thunderbolt6 99 999 6.99 999 6.99 9.99<br />
Operation Wolf 6 50 9.99 6.99 9.99 699 999<br />
Pitstop 2 2 99<br />
Quaterback 6.99 6.99 699<br />
"Rainbow Islands 6.99 9.99 699 999 6.99 9.99<br />
Red Heat 599 7.50 6.50<br />
Red Storm Rising 9 99 12.99<br />
Rick Dangerous 6 99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
Robocop 5.99 9.99 650 9.99 6 50 999<br />
Rocket Ranger 1299<br />
Run the Gauntlet 5.99 6.50 9 99 6 50 9.99<br />
Shinobi 6.99 9 99 699 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Shoot em up con Kit 10.99 14.99<br />
Shoot Out 3.99 6 99 3.99 7.45 10 99<br />
Silent Service 6.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9 99<br />
Skate or D* 6.99 10 50 7.50 10.99 7.45 10.99<br />
Speedbatl 7.99 9.99<br />
Star Wars Trilogy 8.99 10 99 8.99 10 99 899 10.99<br />
Strider 6.99 7.50 9.99 7.50 9.99<br />
Stunt Car Racer 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Super Wonderboy 6,99 6.99 9.99 699 9.99<br />
Taito Coin Op 8.50 8.99 8 99<br />
The Biz 8.99 899 12.99 899<br />
The In Crowd 899 8.99 8.99<br />
The National 6.99 699<br />
Tolkien Trilogy 899 8.99 13.99 899 13.99<br />
Toobm 6.99 9.99 6.99 999 699 9.99<br />
Tracksuit Manager 6 50 6.99 6.99<br />
Turbo Outrun 7.50 7.50 10 99 7.50<br />
Tusker 799 7.99 7.99<br />
Ultimate Golf 9.99 14.99<br />
Unloochables 6.50 999 699 9.99 6.99 9.99<br />
Vendetta 7.99 10.99<br />
GAME<br />
3D Pool<br />
8.68 Attack Bub<br />
A Ma.<br />
A-Ma» with ROM<br />
Abrahams BaiBe Tank<br />
Airbcume Ranger . .<br />
AP8. ..<br />
Altered Beast<br />
Alien Strike<br />
"Amos<br />
Austerlitz<br />
Balance ol Power 1930<br />
Bar Games<br />
Bards Tate 2<br />
Batman Caped Crusader<br />
Battfechess<br />
BatBehav»43<br />
Chuck Yeager AFT.<br />
Colossus Chess X<br />
Cra2y Cars 2<br />
Chase HQ ...<br />
Captain Blood<br />
Craps<br />
Chaos Stokes<br />
Oty Defence<br />
Continental Circus<br />
C)tiefbail<br />
Day ol ttie Vpe<<br />
Degas E»te<br />
Deluxe Music Con Set<br />
Deluxe Paint 3
R<br />
TITLE AMIGA IBM PC ST<br />
Afterburner 22 50 —<br />
Altered Beast 18 99 — 14 99<br />
Aquanaut 17 50 — 1750<br />
Armada<br />
Barbarian | Palace)<br />
Barbarian ii (Paiacei<br />
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Batman me Movie<br />
7 50<br />
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Cycles — 18 99 —<br />
Da
128 PINK PAGES<br />
IF YOU GO DOWN TO YOUR STORE TODAY, YOU'RE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE... ACE DEALERS GIVES YOU THE LOW-DOWN<br />
ON ALL THE LATEST BARGAINS, SPECIAL OFFERS, PROMOTIONS, STICKERS, POSTERS, FREEBIES, DEMOS, CARRIER<br />
GREAT APRIL<br />
BARGAINS<br />
There are posters<br />
galore available around<br />
the country in the next<br />
month or so, to promote<br />
various games. If<br />
you think your bedroom<br />
walls could do<br />
with brightening up,<br />
wander down to your<br />
local independent retailer,<br />
where some, if not<br />
all, of the following<br />
should be available free<br />
of charge, with the<br />
game concerned:<br />
All FORMATS:<br />
X-Out (Rainbow Arts);<br />
Space Harrier II (Grand-<br />
slam);<br />
Cyberball (Domark);<br />
PC ONLY:<br />
Samurai (Microprose)<br />
Knights of Legend<br />
(Mmdscape)<br />
Space Rogue (Min<br />
scape)<br />
Windwalker (Mindscape)<br />
Bruce Lee Lives (Mind-<br />
scape)<br />
FREE MGT<br />
BROCHURE<br />
Many retailers are also<br />
stocking free<br />
brochures to tell you<br />
everything you ever<br />
wanted to know about<br />
this Sam Coupe beast,<br />
the new Spectrum<br />
compatible machine<br />
from MGT. So, if you're<br />
interested in the Sam,<br />
pick up some literature<br />
• again from your<br />
friendly local.<br />
MICROBYTE<br />
JACKETS<br />
From the end of March,<br />
there will be Blue Angel<br />
baseball jackets<br />
just waiting to be won<br />
from selected branches<br />
of Microbyte in a<br />
competition organised<br />
with Accolade. Freebies<br />
will be given away<br />
with each Blue Angel<br />
purchase, and your<br />
BAGS, AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT...<br />
name goes into the<br />
draw for the big prizes<br />
• there's one jacket to<br />
be won per store (participating<br />
stores are<br />
Microbyte in<br />
Gateshead, Bradford,<br />
Birmingham and Wakefield).<br />
AND THERE'S<br />
MORE...<br />
Microbyte has also<br />
launched a special card<br />
scheme for its regular<br />
customers. You can<br />
'earn' some exciting<br />
free gifts through your<br />
Microbyte purchases<br />
when you pick up one<br />
of the free<br />
Collect'n'Select cards.<br />
Every time you buy<br />
a product from any<br />
branch of Microbyte<br />
software shops (see<br />
store list below), your<br />
card will be stamped<br />
in one of the 60<br />
squares on the card.<br />
As you fillup the<br />
squares,<br />
you can choose when<br />
to stop and claim your<br />
gift - the more<br />
squares you've filled,<br />
the bigger the prize!<br />
For example,<br />
seven stamps gets you<br />
a special Microbyte<br />
pen. After that there<br />
are T-shirts, sweatshirts,<br />
sports bags,<br />
baseball caps software<br />
vouchers, and joysticks<br />
to be claimed.<br />
The Collect'n'-<br />
Select scheme is operating<br />
in all Microbyte<br />
stores, and you can<br />
join in right away. To<br />
get the scheme off to a<br />
flying start, the store is<br />
offering ACE readers<br />
an exclusive headstart.<br />
See the voucher below<br />
for details.<br />
POT OF GOLD<br />
Ocean is bringing out<br />
Rainbow Islands at long<br />
last, after the game<br />
never made it out of<br />
Telecomsoft when the<br />
British Telecom division<br />
was sold off to Microprose.<br />
The Computer<br />
Shop chain is offering<br />
you a oncein-a-lifetime<br />
opportunity to get your<br />
hands on your very<br />
own special edition<br />
Rainbow Islands pen -<br />
with every purchase of<br />
the game. Whew!<br />
You can find Computer<br />
Shop outlets in<br />
the Arndale Centre,<br />
Manchester; Newcastle,<br />
Leeds, Preston,<br />
Sunderland, Stockton<br />
and Nottingham. Also<br />
part of the Computer<br />
Shop chain are the two<br />
Games Store outlets in<br />
Carlisle and Middlesbrough,<br />
which stock<br />
role-playing games as<br />
well as computer software.<br />
There are<br />
Microbyte stores in the<br />
Arndale Centre, Manchester;<br />
the Broadmarsh<br />
Centre, Nottingham;<br />
Kirkgate, Wakefield; the<br />
Metro Centre,<br />
Gateshead; the Green-<br />
PRIZE CROSSWORD<br />
SOLUTION<br />
PRIZE<br />
CROSSWORD<br />
SOLUTION<br />
FOR FEB '90<br />
The winner of the February<br />
Crossword is Paul Sinclair.<br />
Wimbledon.<br />
Fans of the Crossword<br />
please note that a<br />
new puzzle appears on<br />
page 114.<br />
Meanwhile, to keep<br />
all you bramboxes happy,<br />
the Prize Puzzle appears<br />
on page 134.<br />
BONUS<br />
PUZZLER<br />
I know that a lot of ACE<br />
readers enjoy the Crosswords<br />
and Puzzles in the<br />
Pink Pages (quite naturally<br />
of course, as you are all a<br />
lot smarter than the readership<br />
of most other Computer<br />
Entertainment magazines).<br />
So as we have got<br />
a bit of space left over on<br />
this page, here is a bit of<br />
a quizzer for you to ponder<br />
over. The answer will<br />
be printed in the Pinks<br />
next month.<br />
THE PUZZLE<br />
A short while ago our illustrious<br />
editor came into the office<br />
aremarkabfy good mood<br />
(possibly because he had just<br />
spent in fortnight in the states<br />
researching this special US<br />
issue).<br />
8ecause he was in such<br />
a good mood he decided that<br />
he would allow one of the editorial<br />
team to be unchained<br />
from his Mac for the day in<br />
order that the lucky individual<br />
could go and remind Iwnself<br />
what the sun looked like<br />
To select the person he<br />
picked up five 3 and half nch<br />
discs (three blue ones and two<br />
white ones) and pinned one of<br />
them on the back of each of<br />
the other three members of<br />
the team (leaving two discs<br />
spare). None of us were<br />
market, Newcastle<br />
Upon Tyne; the Kirkgate<br />
Centre, Bradford;<br />
the Bull Ring Centre,<br />
Birmingham; and the<br />
County Arcade, Leeds.<br />
THIS is A<br />
PUBLIC<br />
WARNING<br />
All offers and promotions<br />
are subject to<br />
availability of stock.<br />
Although we do our<br />
best to ensure our<br />
dealer promotion information<br />
is accurate at<br />
the time of going to<br />
press, ACE cannot take<br />
any responsibility for<br />
changes or cancellations<br />
to dealers' plans.<br />
GET IT FOR<br />
FREE!<br />
Attention dealers! Don't<br />
keep your promotions,<br />
competitions, special<br />
offers, etc, a secret.<br />
Tell us at ACE and we'll<br />
tell everybody else.<br />
allowed to speak to each other<br />
(or look in a mirror), but we<br />
could look at each other's<br />
backs.<br />
Whoever correctly<br />
announced the colour of his<br />
disc first would be allowed to<br />
go free for the day.<br />
I ought to mention that<br />
we were only altowed one<br />
guess, and if we got it wrong<br />
we'd be consigned to Gary<br />
William's desk for the rest of<br />
the month. (How horrible!)<br />
Eventually Rfo (the management)<br />
Haynes piped up and<br />
went free. How did he logically<br />
work out the cotour of the disk<br />
on his back.<br />
That should keep you<br />
thinking till next month.<br />
See you then.
S T J I R s o f t w a r e i k j h k *<br />
29A Bell Street, Reigate. Surrey RH2 7AD Tel: 0737-223869 Fax: 0737 246733<br />
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THE ARNDALE CENTRE. MANCHESTER; COUNTY ARCADE, LEEDS,<br />
THE KIRKGATE CENTRE, BRADFORD; THE METRO CENTRE,<br />
GATESHEAD; THE GREENMARKET, NEWCASTLE; THE BULL RING<br />
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1 3 O PINK PAG E S<br />
THE APRIL SHOWE<br />
MARCH<br />
WEEK ONE<br />
11<br />
12<br />
13<br />
14<br />
Birthday of Michael Caine, 1933<br />
EY BRING THE RAIN, THAT GROW THE FLOWERS, WHICH BLOOM IN MAY - DRIP, DRIP, DROP<br />
LITTLE APRIL SHOWERS - APRIL LOVE - ETC, ETC, ETC...<br />
SUNDAY<br />
MONDAY<br />
TUESDAY<br />
WEDNESDAY<br />
15 THURSDAY<br />
16 FRIDAY<br />
Anniversary of the first English FA Cup final<br />
between Wanderers (1) and the Royal Engineers<br />
(0). v(r<br />
17 SATURDAY<br />
St Patrick's Day. St Patrick was born on the west<br />
coast of Britain and abducted by slave traders at<br />
the age of 16. He became a slave in Ireland. After<br />
six years, he escaped, but returned to Ireland to<br />
preach after being summoned in a dream.<br />
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE<br />
Image Works • Gravity (ST, Amiga)<br />
Empire • Pipemania (ST, Amiga, PC, Spectrum.<br />
C64, CPC. BBC/Electron, MSX, C16, Archimedes.<br />
Macintosh) Puzzle game very loosely based on<br />
sliding blocks with Lucasfilm backing.<br />
Titus • Dark Century (ST, Amiga, CPC, PC)<br />
Arcade game with sophisticated graphics.<br />
Arcana • Rotor (ST, Amiga, Archimedes) Futuris-<br />
tic shoot 'em up with flight sim elements.<br />
Microprose • Pirates (Amiga) Junketing on the<br />
high seas: an old(ish) 8-bit game makes it on to<br />
the Amiga.<br />
Microprose • Red Storm !<br />
from Tom Clancy's book,<br />
October (which was cor<br />
Micro Style • RVF H<<br />
popular motorbike racing]<br />
Rainbird • First Cor<br />
WEEK TWO<br />
18<br />
Birthday of Alex Higgin<br />
19<br />
20<br />
First day of Spring.<br />
iga) Taken<br />
I to Red<br />
Grandslam).<br />
rsion of<br />
UNDAY<br />
MONDAY<br />
TUESDAY<br />
21 WEDNESDAY<br />
Feast Day of St Nicholas von Flue, a Swiss farmer<br />
born in 1417. Married and father of ten children,<br />
he vowe to become a hermitafter 20 years of fam-<br />
ily life. As a recluse, he became much in demand<br />
as an advisor to politicians and ecclesiastical fig-<br />
ures, and his reputation reached its peak when his<br />
counsel averted a Swiss Civil War.<br />
22 THURSDAY<br />
Birthday of William "Captain Kirk - Shatner, 1931.<br />
23 FRIDAY<br />
Pakistan Day - celebrated in Pakistan, funnily<br />
enough.<br />
24 SATURDAY<br />
How about a quick flutter on the horses at the Lin-<br />
coln Handicap?<br />
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE<br />
Electronic Arts • Imperium (ST, Amiga) Strategy<br />
game of global expansion and intergalactic poli-<br />
tics.<br />
EA • Starflight (ST, C64 disk only) Strategy cum<br />
arcade game set in outer space.<br />
EA • Budokan (Amiga) Martial arts game with<br />
heavy emphasis on learning authentic moves and<br />
techniques.<br />
WEEK THREE<br />
25<br />
Mother's Day<br />
SUNDAY<br />
British Summer Time begins - clocks forward one<br />
hour.<br />
Independence Day, Greece.<br />
26 MONDAY<br />
Independence Day, Bangladesh.<br />
Birthday of Leonard "Mr Spock" Nimoy. 1931.<br />
27 TUESDAY<br />
28 WEDNESDAY<br />
Beginning of Ramadan - Mosle month of fasting<br />
during daylight<br />
hours.<br />
Birthday of Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Labour<br />
party. 1942.<br />
29 THURSDAY<br />
Anniversary of the first London Marathon, 1981.<br />
30<br />
31<br />
FRIDAY<br />
SATURDAY<br />
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE<br />
Digital Integration • Advanced Tactical Fight-<br />
er (ATF) PC/ST Another old 8-bit game is convert-<br />
ed to 16-bit formats - can Dl repeat the critical<br />
success of F16 Combat Pilot?<br />
Activision • Sonic Boom (all formats)<br />
Activision • Warhead (ST, Amiga) Space combat<br />
game with 40 linked missions.<br />
Ocean • The Official Liverpool FC Soccer<br />
game (all formats) After a right old licensing mud-<br />
dle, this management and playing soccer game<br />
features the team of the last decade and quite<br />
possibly this one as well.<br />
WEEK FOUR<br />
APRIL<br />
1 SUNDAY<br />
April Fool's Day<br />
Last day of the Ideal Home Exhibition<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
Liberation Day, Hungary.<br />
MONDAY<br />
TUESDAY<br />
WEDNESDAY<br />
5 THURSDAY<br />
Brush up on your Leaderboard skills - the US Mas- j<br />
ters begins at Augusta, Georgia.<br />
6 FRIDAY<br />
7 SATURDAY<br />
Armchair racegoers will have their eyes peeled on<br />
the 3.20 steeplechase at Aintree - better known as<br />
the Grand National. The FA Cup reaches the semi-<br />
final stage today.<br />
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE<br />
Image Works • Dungeon Master (PC)<br />
Role-playing exploration game par excellence.<br />
Cinemaware • TV Sports Football (C64 disk<br />
only) Yet more footie.<br />
Domark • Castle Master (all formats) Incentive's |<br />
latest arcade-adventure based on its Freescape<br />
programming system, part of a Domark-lncentive '<br />
publishing deal.<br />
Domark • Hard Drivin' (C64)<br />
Better late than never - the C64 version of the<br />
Christmas hit finally sees the light of day.<br />
Electronic Arts • Ski Or Die (PC)<br />
Skate Or Die on ice.<br />
EA • Low Blow (PC) Boxing game in which the<br />
object is to knock out your foe by fair means or<br />
foul.<br />
EA • Inferno (PC)<br />
EA • Ferrari Formula One (C64)<br />
Another racing game making a belated appear-<br />
ance on this format.<br />
GET YOURSELF IN<br />
THE DIARY!<br />
Whether you're a software house with a launch or a<br />
charity with a lunch: let us know and we'll put you in<br />
the ACE diary. Write to the ACE Diary. 30-32 Farring<br />
don Lane. London. EC1R 3AU.<br />
Print deadlines: the second Thursday in every month<br />
for the issue on the shelves in the following month.
FREE DISKS ! ! !<br />
1 FREE DISK FOR EVERY 10<br />
THAT YOU BUY<br />
10 3.5" DISKS + BOX £09.00<br />
25 3.5" DISKS £19.00<br />
50 3.5" DISKS £33.50<br />
50 3.5" DISKS + BOX £38.00<br />
100 3.5" DISKS £63.00<br />
100 3.5" DISKS + BOX £67.50<br />
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT<br />
ALL PRICES INCLUDE DELIVERY<br />
ORDER DESPATCHED SAME DAY<br />
m D<br />
|<br />
n<br />
= = 10 CHANDLERS CT eaton 0603<br />
J J J = K J J = NORWICH 5 0 3 3 8 2<br />
COMPUTER SPECIALIST NORFOLK<br />
CONSOLE QUEST<br />
Tel: (0424) 718961<br />
Office Hours: 10pm - 1 pm 2pm - 6pm Mon-Fri<br />
TOP GAMES FOR THE AMIGA 500 & ATARI ST<br />
SECTION 1. (ALL GAMES IN THIS SECTION ARE PRICED AT £14.99).<br />
GHOULS ANO GHOSTS. BATMAN THE MOVIE, NINJA WARRIORS. HARD DRIVIN. X-<br />
OUT*. SWITCHBLADE. ONSLAUGHT, NEVERMIND. LASER SOUAD. FAST LANE,<br />
STRIDER, MOONWALKER. PASSING SHOT, SILK WORM. DOUBLE DRAGON II.<br />
SECTION 2. (INDIVIDUALLY PRICED SPECIALS).<br />
UNTOUCHABLES (ST) £14.49. STUNT CAR RACER £17.50. SPACE ACE £32.50.<br />
CAME FROM THE OESERT (1 MEG/AMIGA) £22.50, CHAOS STRIKES BACK £17.50,<br />
DRAKKHEN £22.50. FOOTBALL DIRECTOR II (AMIGA) £14.49. SIM CITY £22.50',<br />
SHADOW OF THE BEAST (AMIGA) £24.50. PIPELINE £17.50*.<br />
(ST) or IAMIGA) means i1 is available for this lormat only. SORRY!<br />
• not released when adveri placed.<br />
Special note for SEGA-MEGADRIVE & PC ENGINE OWNERS. WE HAVE STOW<br />
Please ring lor latest ichangingi details. And, yes, we 00 answer the phone. Pnces tor games<br />
rarvge between £28 50 & £36.99. Go on. we dare you. try us<br />
We do try and supply the Consoles '.or the SEGA and PC ENGINE, bul it is not easy. Please<br />
ring as wo may be able to help.<br />
All pnces. whatever formal, include VAT. post and packaging (please add £1.50 per item<br />
overseas) Despatch will be quicker than you think<br />
To: CONSOLE QUEST. P.O. BOX 115, HASTINGS, EAST SUSSEX TN34 2TT<br />
11 wish to order FORMAT<br />
' I enclose chequo< P.O for £ i<br />
tor charge Access Visa No.<br />
I Name<br />
[Address<br />
TICK AM ST<br />
Expiry Date<br />
WE SPECIALISE IN BRITISH/IMPORTED SOFTWARE for ST AMIGA IBM C64 APPLE<br />
ADVENTURES-FANTASY-WARGAMES-STRATEGY<br />
OUR NEW STORE AND 318 Kensington. Li verpool. L7 OEY<br />
yl^/Z Telephone: [051] 263 6306.<br />
LA TEST TITLES: INCLUDING IMPORTS FROM THE USA.<br />
CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN LATEST SSI/TSR FANTASY RPG IN POOLS OF RADIANCE/AZURE BONDS'STYLE .. IBM .... £37 50<br />
FLIGHT SIM IV ... LATEST ULTRA REALISTIC SIM FROM SUB LOGIC:INCLUDES DESIGN OWN AIRCRAFT .... IBM £42 50<br />
BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ .. FROM USA:R E A LTIME SIMULATIONS SCEN AR IOS.MANY NEW FEATURES ... ST/IBM £37 50<br />
WHITE DEATH ... 1942 3 CONFLICT ON RUSSIAN FRONT:HIGHL Y DET A ILED:HEXES ON SCREEN ... AM IMG ONLY ... £42 50<br />
THE MAGIC CANDLE ... LARGE SCALE ULTIMA STYLE' GRAPHIC PARTY RPG:DETAILED WORLD ... AM/IBM/C64 ... £32 50<br />
ULTIMA V ... AT LAST'THE BIGGEST & BEST YET:COMPLETE WITH ORIGINS DETAILED HINT BOOK .. ST/AM/IBM ... £29 50<br />
EMPIRE OF 3 KINGDOMS .. EXCELLENT 8. DETAILED SIM OF THE UNIFICATION OF ANCIENT CHINA ... AM & IBM .... £49 50<br />
UNIVERSE III .... OMNITR END'S LARGE GRAHIC QUEST RPG': ANIMATED COMB A I: ZOOM FEATURE .. AM/ST/IBM ... £3250<br />
MIGHT & MAGIC II ... HUGE FANTASY GRAPHIC PARTY RPG:DETAILED WOK LD:MAN Y QUESTS .. I BM/C64/APPLE .. £39 95<br />
STARFLEET II ... LARGE SCALE DETAILED GALACTIC W ARG AME:PL ANET AR Y INVASIONS 8. MORE .. IBM SO FAR .. £3995<br />
MICROLEAGUE BASEBALL II ... "THE" TOTAL BASEBALL SIMULATION INC. MANAGEMENT & LEAGUE ... ST/IBM .... £42 50<br />
PURE STATS FOOTBALL .... SPLIT SCREEN DETAILED 'US' SIMULATION INCLUDING THE 86 SEASON TEAMS .. C64 ... £32 50<br />
MANY -SIMULATIONS CANADA COMPUTER MODERATED BOARD WAUG AMES A VAIL ABLE AT £3i~00 : ST/A M/IBM/C6 4<br />
LATEST OFFICIAL 'HINT & SOLUTION' BOOKS: MANY IMPORTED TITLES :<br />
QUEST FPU CL UESII 40 DETAILED A MAPPED SOLUTIONS BOOK FPOU OPIGINS' INCLUDING.<br />
POOLS OF RADIANCEUL TIM A VMANHUNTER NY-STAR COMMAND TIMES OF L ORE SPACE OUESTIIA MORE £18-50<br />
ULTIMA V .. £8-95 : AZURE BONDS OR POOLS OF RADIANCE.. £7-95 EACH : KINGS QUEST I.II.III.OR IV .. £7-95 EACH<br />
MANHUNTER NY .. £8 95 : SPACE QUEST I OR II .. £7 95 EACH : POLICE QUEST I OR II .. £7 95 : L.SUIT LARRY .. £8 95<br />
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!<br />
SEND LARGE 38p SAE FOR FREE DESCRIPTIVE CATALOG & DISCOUNT VOUCHER<br />
THIS DETAILS OUR SPECIALIST GAMES' 8. MORE : PLEASE STATE YOUR COMPUTER FORMAT WHEN ORDERING.<br />
PA YMENT: MASTERCARD/ACCESS VISA UK CHEQUE OR POSTAL ORDER EUROCHEQUE REGISTERED CASH<br />
POSTAGE : IN UK IS FREE PER GAME EUROPE £2 A ELSE WHERE £5 : SENT IST. CLASS RECORDED/AIR MAIL<br />
I Computer Venture<br />
Bank Buildings, 1A Charing Cross, Birkenhead L41 6EJ<br />
Telephone: 051-6661132<br />
i<br />
REF ACE APR<br />
Advanced Computer Entetainment 131
WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE<br />
106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON<br />
NOTTINGHAM<br />
NG91ES<br />
WORLDWIDE<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
TTTLF AUIf.A ST TITLE<br />
AMGA ST<br />
Kjuarau 1795 17 91 Elle<br />
1695 16 95<br />
MrSteSm 499 499 Cy- If MCTjiS 16 95 16 tt<br />
1795 14 95 FteCcmwi PW 16 95 16 95<br />
Amga A5C0 Co.v 699<br />
F16Facon 2195 16 95<br />
A^flaGWSHIs 17 95 — F16FaKon<br />
to" 1695 9 j Msaon D«c M95 14 95<br />
Aran ST Co»*' 699 F??R«»5 640 9 90 690 9 90<br />
Bl«> T^i, 7 25 11 2C 7 25 11 20 Grand Pni C.'tu» jmm 799 11 »<br />
Bc-Cr- 1050 13 M 1050 13 99 Hr: Owi 690 i V- 690 9 9C<br />
Bcn-g 725 1120 7 25 11 20 Inos Las; C'usad* 6 90 — 690 9«<br />
CiCJ 640 SK 690 950 Kan-Y OMsf Socc 6 50 990 690 990<br />
Clrr»- Co--.<br />
690 99C 690 990<br />
FiAi"«HM"> 1795<br />
P*o Tx< 7 25 1120 725 1120<br />
0'«o-Nna 690 9 90 690 9c»cr P'S 9 99 999<br />
Sftnob 650 990 690 990<br />
B«,o'e< LtaD.c Sxcc 6 90 — 690 —<br />
» Cunt iiofl r«><br />
r»fan Tormua Or"<br />
1795 Tesl On.a i 650 _ U V.<br />
DaMtiiowgi 2195<br />
l-d, SCO-<br />
17 95<br />
ThjUm,tlfi»MH —<br />
«ca~e tf>» Ontr<br />
Wl TwkRItoV<br />
26 95<br />
950 13 50<br />
Off' Ma's. Racnj<br />
1795 Th»Bu« 1120 U50 1120 1310<br />
PdOilOUI*<br />
17 95 ToKmr Trtofl, 949 999 13 K<br />
fcck Oarotrous<br />
'795<br />
690 990 690 990<br />
SW-jSMtlf'<br />
'795 T'«ot) Oa-vo-e 690 — 690 —<br />
Sp*0* w^'<br />
26 95 Turtle Oulnr 690 1120 690 990<br />
8M OK<br />
UimjieGor — 16 95<br />
1050 13 99<br />
Xe-on 2 Voji&a-.:'<br />
17 95 U'-lcxJ'iOrs 6 90 — 690 9W<br />
Xo-ocrcoe<br />
1695<br />
. — 690 990<br />
'495 1495 • A»ai*64» MX] y • 5 25' P ON*<br />
»Oui. 725 " 20 725 11 20<br />
Europe (other than UK)<br />
shipping costs are:<br />
£1.50 per disc tor normal airmail<br />
£2.50 per disc for express airmail<br />
Please make cheques or postal orders payable to WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE.<br />
All prices include postage and packing In UK.<br />
ADVERTISED PRICES ARE FOR MAIL AND TELEPHONE ORDERS<br />
WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE<br />
106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON<br />
NOTTINGHAM<br />
NG91ES<br />
TITLE AMIGA<br />
Karat*<br />
KO CI '495<br />
K-tfc on E>1'J Time 7 99<br />
KidOtOKM 17J5<br />
Kilna Gair« Show 17 95<br />
KJCIQS OuaS 4 2695<br />
Outs*<br />
T-pij Pat" 26 95<br />
Urv.a»J*« 14 95<br />
LJMf SQuld 14 95<br />
loaMtKo-a Col«ocr 17 95<br />
Larry 17 95<br />
lan 2 2i 95<br />
U* 8"«! Cw«r* 17 95<br />
bgriFro 17 95<br />
Lorca'3 RAC Pal, 16 9*<br />
IMS 0-Rs.nfl So" 2'56<br />
Los; Paw 17 99<br />
Mm«eU a-tnr 17 95<br />
MH«I UtrtuMik 14 95<br />
Mc/OffUM Socca- 16 45<br />
Woon*a*a< .17 95<br />
Mrlh iSyDfcn 31 17 95<br />
Mtf»rr*> 17 95<br />
U»j«,m 4 CoTp4Mon22 95<br />
Mro Bocw Chil 4 99<br />
W 2o*and Slot) 17 56<br />
14»<br />
Noni a-d $OJt'< 16 95<br />
OMInpMM* 16 95<br />
'•••••... 2195<br />
O-HasQ't • 7 95<br />
O-n Rice ' T 95<br />
0»"» PUy BasMbtl • 7 95<br />
Out '695<br />
i Tr^nOftosf'7 95<br />
CXtUf»3s 1*95<br />
Owa-dc '4 95<br />
P47 '699<br />
PwBoy '4 95<br />
Pmi D»J( RalV 17 95<br />
P"MiVa>: .1795<br />
fral« —<br />
fa/fVa't gt< 14 95<br />
P jmo.*. FVcmtM<br />
Lands 799<br />
Popoous «795<br />
Pwwooa-USA —<br />
1795<br />
P-D Tao'it Iw 1795<br />
Pxoca 1795<br />
P»ft» 1795<br />
Ouant. '795<br />
QilMlaifIMM 2195<br />
u 95<br />
RarCoo lUind'. 17 95<br />
Raatft 1« in« Sia-s 1795<br />
Rw UMirn 22 95<br />
RMSMmHvq 1695<br />
R« (01 22 95<br />
S445<br />
Tnad2 16 95<br />
Tnp a Tton 26<br />
Tu-seo Oifir 17 «<br />
TV Sw100 17 95<br />
HK'T, 17 95<br />
Ware b-ea-ns 16 95<br />
VSStlSCMlt 16 95<br />
WWFI US OEW 22 95<br />
XOU 14 95<br />
XfMT 7 17 95<br />
XtfKnwph 1 7.95<br />
16 95<br />
2O~TO 17 95<br />
ST<br />
1695<br />
14 M<br />
22 96<br />
16 95<br />
1495<br />
14 «<br />
34 95<br />
14 95<br />
»»<br />
21 95<br />
14 95<br />
14 95<br />
14 tt<br />
1695<br />
14 95<br />
16 95<br />
14 95<br />
14 95<br />
4 99<br />
1795<br />
22 95<br />
16 95<br />
21 95<br />
14 »<br />
i695<br />
14 95<br />
16 95<br />
14 95<br />
1795<br />
17 95<br />
14 95<br />
14 95<br />
1795<br />
1795<br />
16 M<br />
16 S«<br />
22 95<br />
14 95<br />
1795<br />
1795<br />
16 95<br />
17 95<br />
Outside Europe shipping costs are:<br />
£2.00 per disc for normal airmail<br />
£3.00 per disc for express airmail<br />
A GREAT DEAL ALL ROUND!<br />
I •• — — * — • • T—- I I - |<br />
GMEX • Manchester<br />
15 -18 March 1990<br />
OPEN HOURS: Thursday 1 5 and<br />
Friday 16 March: 10am - 8pm<br />
Saturday 17 March: 10am - 6pm<br />
Sunday 18 March: 10am - 4pm<br />
Visit the ultimate 4 day computer extravaganza<br />
featuring over 100 nationwide suppliers.<br />
Thousands of bargains at unbelievable prices<br />
wait you at the largest show of its kind ever<br />
staged outside London.<br />
Whatever your interest - business, home or leisure<br />
- you'll find Computer Cash 'n' Carry '90 offers a<br />
great deal all round!<br />
• HARDWARE<br />
• SOFTWARE<br />
• PERIPHERALS<br />
• GAMES<br />
• ACCESSORIES<br />
• SUPPLIES<br />
ADMISSION - SAVE £1<br />
£4.50 per person or £10 family ticket<br />
(2 adults • 2 children)<br />
Save £1 on entry - simply cut the<br />
voucher from page 1 20
• Full compatibility with all Atari ST<br />
models, Amiga 500 & Amiga 1000<br />
• Top quality drive mechanism<br />
• One megabyte unformatted capacity<br />
• External plug In PSU (Atari ST)<br />
• Throughport (Amiga)<br />
• Very quiet<br />
• Slimline design<br />
• Colour matched to computer<br />
• Long cable for location<br />
either side of computer<br />
• Full 12 months guarantee<br />
X M l FA Rl ri la rd wa re 0 ffers<br />
520 SI r POWER PACK<br />
ng value<br />
©ames joystick, mouse<br />
selection of chart-topping software (over £500<br />
R Type Pacmania Cut Run Nebukus<br />
Afterburw SlargUder Bombuzal Sta/gooje<br />
DooNo Dragon Super Huey Xenon First Music<br />
Super Hangon Elimrator Gauntlet II Fret Bast<br />
Spaas Harrier Prodator Blac* Lamp<br />
Ova tender Bon-tojac* Starray<br />
user guide, 5 disks of public domain software, plus an Incredible<br />
RRP In total) Software includes:<br />
Organiser<br />
£ £339.00<br />
only Inc VAT & delivery<br />
NEW! 520 and 1040 STE<br />
New STE models feature an extended palette of 4096<br />
colours, enhanced PCM stereo sound, an additional two<br />
analogue device inputs and TOS 1.6 operating system.<br />
520 STE Explorer Pack with 512K RAM, 1Mb Drive £259.00<br />
1040 STE with 1Mb RAM and 1Mb Drive £399.00<br />
520STFM 1MEG internal drive upgrade kit with full instructions £74.95<br />
520 STFM 1MEG memory uprade kit. requires soldering £79.00<br />
520 STFM 1MEG memory upgrade fined by us £109.00<br />
Mega ST1 with mono monitor £599.00<br />
Mega ST2 with mono monitor £849.00<br />
Mega ST4 with mono monitor £1099.00<br />
SM124 high resolution monochrome monitor £119.00<br />
SCI224 colour monitor £279.00<br />
Megafile 30Mb hard disk £439.00<br />
Megafile 60Mb hard disk £589.00<br />
Vortex HOplus 40Mb hard disk £499.00<br />
5.25" External 40/80 track drive (36Q/720K) IBM compatible £99.00<br />
VkJi-ST 16-tone video frame grabber inc. digitising software £95.00<br />
Philips CM8833 medium res. stereo colour monitor, with A/V inputs ... £249.00<br />
Contriver Hi-Res. Mouse including mouse mat & pocket £22.95<br />
520/1040 STF/STFM Joystick accessibility extension adapter £ 4.95<br />
DOUBLE TAKE!<br />
PYE 15" FST<br />
TV/MONITOR<br />
(MODEL 2325)<br />
Superb quality, stylish medium<br />
resolution FST colour TV/monitor<br />
to suit the ST or Amiga.<br />
Features teletexi, full Infra-red<br />
remote control. Euroconnector.<br />
Video/Audio input and headphone<br />
output connectors, 40<br />
tuner presets, external aerial<br />
connector and loop aerial. Suppled<br />
with cable (please state<br />
computer type when ordering).<br />
10 Bulk packed<br />
with labels, fully<br />
25 bulk disks as above<br />
10 disks as above with plastic case<br />
25 disks as above, with 40 capacity<br />
lockable storage unit<br />
Kodak DS/DD 3.5" disks, top quality<br />
storage media, fully guaranteed. Box of 10 ... £17.95<br />
Don't forget - all prices shown<br />
include VAT and delivery<br />
r GREAT<br />
VALUE !<br />
£249.00<br />
includes VAT<br />
and computer<br />
connection lead.<br />
How to order from<br />
Evesham Micros:<br />
MAIL ORDER SALES:<br />
® 0386-765500<br />
Technical Support (Morvfrl)<br />
0386-40303<br />
ATARI ST VERSION ONLY<br />
AMIGA VERSION ONLY<br />
including VAT and delivery<br />
AMIGA 500 LOW COST RAM UPGRADE<br />
•A 512K RAM/CLOCK unit : directly replaces A501 expansion<br />
1 THE PINK PAGES<br />
PINK<br />
APRIL 90<br />
PRIZE<br />
PUZZLE<br />
Set by Archie Medes<br />
Down at the 'Dog and Pud-<br />
dle" the usual Saturday<br />
afternoon darts match was<br />
m progress. At one point<br />
in the game a rather<br />
unusual score was noted.<br />
Three darts had been<br />
thrown and each had<br />
scored a 'single'. What<br />
was unusual was that if the<br />
three darts had landed in<br />
the next sector clockwise<br />
from where they actually<br />
were, the score would<br />
have been the same.<br />
Even more remarkably, the<br />
same total would also<br />
TEL EG AMES<br />
(Nintendo)<br />
have resulted had they all<br />
landed one sector of the<br />
board anticlockwise.<br />
For example, if a 20.<br />
a 5 and a 6 had been<br />
score (totalling 31) the<br />
next sectors of the board<br />
clockwise are 1, 20. and<br />
10 respectively. These also<br />
total 31. However, in this<br />
case the anticlockwise<br />
scores of 5, 12 and 13<br />
only come to 30 - so this<br />
obviously was not the posi-<br />
tion of the darts in the 'Dog<br />
and Puddle'.<br />
Can you determine<br />
what the score was for<br />
each of the three darts?<br />
(Remember, there were no<br />
doubles or trebles, neither<br />
was any 'buir scored!)<br />
In case you don't have<br />
one to hand, a picture of a<br />
dart board has been pro-<br />
vided for your convenience<br />
(aren't we race?).<br />
SOLUTION TO JAN '90<br />
PRIZE PUZZLE<br />
The winner was Mr.<br />
Saleem Siddiqui,<br />
Chiswick, London.<br />
Answer: In the crossnum-<br />
ber puzzle A=462 and<br />
B=323.<br />
Solution: The problem<br />
involves finding values for<br />
A and B such that the grid<br />
can be filled in accordance<br />
with the clues given. For<br />
example, the second digit<br />
of the product A bmes B<br />
must be the same as the<br />
fifth digit of the value of A<br />
squared. Only if this is the<br />
case can the two values fit<br />
into the gnd and interlock<br />
correctly. As both A<br />
squared and B squared<br />
have six-digit totals, the<br />
values of A and B must lie<br />
in the range 317 to 999.<br />
These are the bound-<br />
ary values defined in the<br />
two FOR/NEXT loops in<br />
the program (lines 100 to<br />
130). From these two val-<br />
ues the remaining three<br />
values in the grid are com-<br />
puted (lines 110, 140, and<br />
180). In each case the<br />
numeric variables so cal-<br />
culated are converted to<br />
their string equivalents.<br />
Note that some computers<br />
introduce an extra space<br />
at the beginning of the<br />
string formed when using<br />
the STR$ command. For<br />
example, the line<br />
X=1234:XS=STR$(X):PRIN<br />
T LEN(X$) would give the<br />
result of 5 and not the<br />
expected 4. This is<br />
because the string is actu-<br />
ally represented as<br />
71234" (here the space is<br />
indicated by the /). To get<br />
fc Europes Largest Stock of Video Games & Cartridges For —<br />
NINTENDO<br />
GAMEBOY<br />
PC SUPER GRAFX<br />
The leading Video game specialists. Send for lists (state make of game)<br />
rid of this simply use<br />
thwe command<br />
XS=MID$(X$,2). So if<br />
your computer produces<br />
a length of 5 in the<br />
above example you will<br />
need to use this tech-<br />
nique to bring the first<br />
digit of the answer into<br />
first position of the<br />
string, failure to do so<br />
may result in strange<br />
answers appearing!<br />
After each string is<br />
created the positions of<br />
matching digits are<br />
checked. The failure of<br />
any match will result in<br />
that pair of values being<br />
ditched, only if all tests<br />
are passed is the result<br />
printed out at line 210.<br />
100 FOR R-31? TO 999:R$-STR$(RI<br />
110 R$-fi*R:fiS$-STRSIR$l<br />
120 IF MIDtlRS$,2,l)* 1" THEN GOTO 230<br />
130 FOR B-317 TO 999:B$-STRSIBI<br />
140 BS-8*B:BS$-STRS(BS)<br />
150 IF MID$(BS$.3.1K>MI0$(R$.l.n THEN<br />
GOTO 220<br />
160 IF MI0$(RS$.3.nMI0$(B$,3.n THEN<br />
GOTO 220<br />
I 70 IF MI0$(B$,2,t )" 0" THEN GOTO 220<br />
180 M-R*B:M$-STR$(M)<br />
190 IF MI0$(M$,2,t )MID$(HS$,5,I I THEN<br />
GOTO 220<br />
200 IF NI0$(M$.5.nMI0$(BS$.5.l) THEN<br />
GOTO 220<br />
210 PRINT R;" ";B;" ";R$;" ";B$;" ";M<br />
220 NEHTB<br />
230 NEHT R<br />
r APRIL'^"P^RTZE PUZZLE"" 1<br />
I<br />
NAME:<br />
ADDRESS:<br />
TELEPHONE:<br />
DART ONE SCORED:<br />
DART TWO SCORED:<br />
DART THREE SCORED:<br />
ANSWER<br />
LISTING ENCLOSED (optional): •<br />
Send your completed entry to:<br />
ACE April "90 Prize Puzzle<br />
Priory Court,<br />
30-32 Farringdon Lane,<br />
LONDON. EC1R 3AU.<br />
To arrive not later than 5th April 1990.<br />
Sill /71EGIX DRIVE<br />
A<br />
AARJ<br />
2600<br />
and<br />
7800<br />
TELEGAMES, IV1CST0N. LEICESTER. LE8 TfE. (0553-880445)
PINK PAG E S<br />
ACE<br />
READERS' PAGES<br />
ATARI ST520FM + over<br />
£850 worth ot software<br />
titles. Total package for<br />
£350. Tel: Paul 0494<br />
729173 for detarls<br />
(evenings).<br />
FOR SALE<br />
ATARI 520STFM D Drive<br />
excellent boxed £700's<br />
games 4 joystick,4 adap-<br />
tor basic, demo, disks,<br />
mouse. 80 magazines.<br />
£450. Marcus 751 0523.<br />
NEW ATARI 520 STFM<br />
power pack games,<br />
moose 20 extra games.<br />
Phone 0268 411014. Sell<br />
£425 unwanted gift worth<br />
£750.<br />
AMSTRAD CPC464, colour<br />
monitor. £240's software<br />
(originals) + cheetah mach<br />
1+ joystick, instruction<br />
manual, introductory tape.<br />
In perfect condition. Worth<br />
£500+ sell £240 ono Tel:<br />
Ross 0621 741224 after<br />
5pm.<br />
COMMOOORE 64, Ask<br />
drive, datasettes, 30<br />
games, joystick and disk<br />
box. A bargain at £180.<br />
Tel:0543 257762 after<br />
4pm.<br />
C64, datasette. lots of<br />
games, perfect working<br />
order, £75ono. Also Atari<br />
ST originals, £8 will swap<br />
Call 0889 564554 after<br />
4.30pm.<br />
C64 PD Demos. 10 disks<br />
£1.70 each £13 for the<br />
lot. Full instructions,<br />
demos include Batdance,<br />
contex. S-Xpress, Crunch-<br />
es, music and hundreds<br />
more. D Walton. 18<br />
Heysham Park, Heysham,<br />
Lanes, LA32 2UD.<br />
AMSTRAD 6128, colour.<br />
£450 of software, Op.<br />
Wolf, Stargliders, multi<br />
face 2. Boxed. Worth<br />
£900 plus accept £450.<br />
Tel:0378 75577 after<br />
5pm (Kris).<br />
ORIGINAL CPC games on<br />
tape and disk. Many<br />
recent titles. Phone Mark<br />
for list 0428 717440.<br />
Evenings.<br />
520STM 1 meg ram fitted<br />
on 4 meg expansion<br />
board Atari and comana 1<br />
meg drives. Mouse mat.<br />
manuals etc. Excellent<br />
condition £330.Tel:0708<br />
866014.<br />
STAR LC10 printer for<br />
C64 £100 ono Tel: 061<br />
773 5815. Before 5pm<br />
0706 877320 after 7pm<br />
(ManchesterAancs area).<br />
PC Engine. CD Rom. 5<br />
player adaptor, 2 loypads,<br />
15 games, boxed, cost<br />
£980 sell £550 Tel: 0908<br />
618937.<br />
LOADS of Computer mag-<br />
azines backcopies, lots of<br />
titles. Send to S Williams,<br />
7 Holly Grove, Upton on-<br />
Severn, Worcs. WR8 OPH<br />
ATARI 520STFM,<br />
computer mouse, philips<br />
CM8852 colour monitor,<br />
boxed games including<br />
UMJ Dungeon Master,<br />
Carrier Command. £375.<br />
Tel: 0827 717136.<br />
X X Advanced Computer Entertainment<br />
PENPALS<br />
CONTACTS needed! every<br />
one welcome write to: Dom,<br />
49 Ruskin Av, Manor Park,<br />
London. E12 6PJ guaran<br />
teed reply.lAMlGA)<br />
AMIGA CONTACTS waited to<br />
swap latest stuff. Write to<br />
Skyfire. 27 New Penkndge<br />
Rd, Cannock. Staffs. WS11<br />
1HW.<br />
ASIAN LASS, otherwise very<br />
lonely, seek Amiga. ST pen-<br />
pais for swap, chit chat and<br />
friendship. Vforidwide. SAE<br />
for reply appreciated. MS SH<br />
Haridas. 33 Rutland Rd.<br />
Chesterfield. Derbyshire.<br />
WANT a cool Australian con-<br />
tact? If you're fast and cool<br />
contact Judas! c/o 22 Gold<br />
en Court. Shepparton 3630.<br />
Victoria. Austraka. (Amiga)<br />
AMIGA contacts waanted<br />
wrote to WiH 24 Gosplegate,<br />
Louth. Lines.<br />
ST contacts wanted 100%<br />
reply. Send fcts/tfsks to<br />
Danny Russel. 7 South<br />
Close. Burgess HW. West<br />
Sussex. RH15 9PZ.<br />
AMIGA CONTACTS: Garfield,<br />
5 Straand Rd, CJonakikty, Co<br />
Cork, freland. Acid demos<br />
(esp) and games also.<br />
AMGA CONTACTS wanted,<br />
send disks and lists to Pad<br />
Richards, 63 Manor Rd. Des-<br />
ford, Leicester. LE9 9JQ.<br />
100% reply guaranteed.<br />
AMGA CONTACTS wanted<br />
100% reply all users wel-<br />
come. Write now to Adam<br />
Shaw. 273 Rush Green Rd,<br />
Romford, Essex.<br />
HELPLINE<br />
URGENTLY needed, some-<br />
one wrth spare who is over<br />
18 and would like to write a<br />
6 page magazine for free (a<br />
computer magazine). It is a<br />
free magazine so quite a bit<br />
of work must go into it. If<br />
you are interested send<br />
SSAE with some small<br />
pieces of your work to<br />
Wiiam. 13 West Parade.<br />
Norwich. NR2 3DN.<br />
Software exchange service<br />
for Amiga/ST/C64/Spec-<br />
trurrVPC/Amstrad<br />
CPC/Sega/Nintendo. 50p<br />
registration fee, £2 for<br />
swap. Send form to: CRB,<br />
22 Roman Rd, Bearsden.<br />
Glasgow G61 2SL.<br />
FREE Amstrad CPC464 or<br />
664 computer games for<br />
you. Send a £1 coin for a<br />
upto date list. In the Sst are<br />
Robo cop: Zynaps, Zub, Bat<br />
man the movie, Xcel, Blas-<br />
trexds, Jet set W*y 2, Silk-<br />
worm. Purple Saturn Day.<br />
Space Harrier. Jad Break,<br />
Red Heat. Stormlord. and<br />
loads more over 100.<br />
Please only write to Free<br />
games of 1990. C Wilson.<br />
64 Fishponds Rd. Kenil-<br />
worth, Warks. CVS 1EZ,<br />
England. Earth. 1990.<br />
HELP I seriously need to sell<br />
my C64 (slimine) I have<br />
over 100 games, a joystick<br />
an a mouse (needs repair-<br />
ing). For £200ono. I iso<br />
have a radio controlled car<br />
up for sale £70. Phone<br />
Homoaurca 49011 ask for<br />
Jamie.<br />
SECOND Hand software<br />
service for the Atari ST.<br />
Even though these games<br />
are second hand they retain<br />
the standard of new<br />
games. For a membership<br />
form and full free list of all<br />
the games on offer send a<br />
SSAE to: WAam Pacgrave-<br />
moore. 13 West Parade.<br />
Norvwch. NR2 3DN.lt will<br />
be worth it!<br />
BLOODWTCH help urgently<br />
req'd contact Phil on Bristol<br />
698914 or 109 Pretoria Rd.<br />
Patchway. Bristol. BS12<br />
5PY.<br />
PROGRAMMERS! Armga<br />
sprites, music, bitmaps,<br />
Blrtter. copper ect,<br />
Explained in a new book:<br />
"Amiga Games Program<br />
mers Guide'. All you need to<br />
know about the Amigas cus-<br />
tom Hardware to write that<br />
Mega game! All budding and<br />
existing games writers must<br />
get a copy! Send SAE to:<br />
CJ Drtchbum, 12 Eden<br />
Court. The Scores. St<br />
Andrews. Fife. Scotland<br />
KY16 9BD.<br />
HELP wanted does anyone<br />
know how to get the mis-<br />
sions m Elite (C64) version,<br />
once Elite rank is reached.<br />
Also has anyone got any<br />
pokes or listings for Boul-<br />
derdash 4. Any help would<br />
be appreciated. Contact:<br />
Peter. 42 BnghtfiekJ Rd, Lee<br />
Green. London. SE12 8QF<br />
HELP needed wrth Myth and<br />
The Last Nnja on the C64.<br />
On Myth how do you get<br />
past the one headed Green<br />
Dragon in Ancient Norse<br />
(level 4) and so on? And how<br />
do you get past the two fire<br />
breathing dragons at the<br />
end of level 2 on The Last<br />
Ninja? Any assistance grat-<br />
futty accepted. Paul<br />
Nichloas, 206 Neath Rd,<br />
Briton, Ferry Neath, West<br />
Glamorgan, S Wales.<br />
IBM owner wants help with<br />
Hitchkers guide to the<br />
Galaxy. I can help wrth<br />
Defenders of the crown plus<br />
others. Write to Dawd But-<br />
ler, PO Box 35771 Menlo<br />
Park. 0102. S.AFRICA.<br />
WANTED<br />
ST POWER transformer<br />
urgently required or old ST<br />
with working power. Contact<br />
Phi on 0272 698914. Or<br />
wrote to 109 Pretoria Rd.<br />
Patchway, Bristol. BS12<br />
5PY.<br />
WANTED Pokes, hps. maps,<br />
and cheats for Amiga. Write<br />
to Gareth Keyes. 4 Glanmor<br />
Ores, Newport. Gwent. NP9<br />
8AX. UK or Tel: 0633<br />
280958<br />
NOTICE!!<br />
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING<br />
TO SELL? NEED HELP ON<br />
ANY GAMES? YES?<br />
THEN JUST GO TO PAGE<br />
121, FILL IN THE ENTRY<br />
FORM AND SEND IT TO<br />
US- NO PROBLEM!
136 THE PINK PAGES<br />
PINK RESULTS<br />
YES! Its back again, the<br />
bastion of the (soon to be)<br />
rich (slightly) and famous<br />
(vaguely). Yep, it's the spot<br />
where we announce those<br />
lucky souls whose post-<br />
cards, letters, etc have<br />
managed to crawl out of<br />
the confines of the editor's<br />
hat (and who can blame<br />
them?), and lustily declare<br />
themselves as winners of<br />
Ye Olde Pinke Page Com-<br />
pos. So without more ado.<br />
read on, and see if you're<br />
one of 'em.<br />
NO NONSENSE<br />
NINTENDO<br />
Back in the Jan issue we<br />
ran a little compo in conjunction<br />
with Nintendo. The<br />
prizes up for grabs were a<br />
Deluxe NES set (oooh!)<br />
and a Nintendo Game Boy<br />
complete with the absolutely<br />
fabby Tetris (aaah!).<br />
Winner of the NES set<br />
is Miss K. Stirzaker.<br />
Wokingham. Berkshire.<br />
Winner of the Gameboy,<br />
with Tetris (yeah!) is<br />
Gareth 0' Hara, Lisburn.<br />
Co. Antrim, Northern<br />
Ireland.<br />
Congratulations to<br />
both of you. Get the kettle<br />
on next weekend, 'cose<br />
the ACE team will be round<br />
for a few quick games.<br />
LOGOTRON<br />
LOVELIES<br />
Remember last decade?<br />
Good, 'cos thafs when we<br />
ran our Pink Compo with<br />
Logotron in which five<br />
copies of Bad Company<br />
and Starblaze were up for<br />
grabs. The lucky winners<br />
are:<br />
Tony Skinner. Newbury,<br />
Berks.; Philip Anthony<br />
Bram, Gedling, Nottingham;<br />
Steve Wood, Penn,<br />
Wolverhampton; Nathan<br />
Hill. Woking. Surrey:<br />
David Exton, Stafford.<br />
Staffordshire.<br />
VIRGIN ON THE<br />
RIDICULOUS!<br />
Thanks for your good<br />
response to our crazy cap<br />
tton compo in the Jan issue.<br />
You wifl remember that we<br />
asked you to supply a suitable<br />
capton for a piccy of<br />
Richard Branson promoting<br />
the Sega Light Gun.<br />
The winner (who wins<br />
on the basis of his bp more<br />
than his caption is Alan<br />
Johnson. Fleetwood.<br />
Lanes.<br />
CAPTION:<br />
Who said this is a light gun?<br />
It's really qurte heavy!<br />
TIP: Dont go on any balloon<br />
trips with this man.<br />
Hmmm! Says it all really...<br />
PICTURE THIS!<br />
Back in Feb we had a competition<br />
in conjuction with<br />
Domark in which there wer<br />
five copies of the Pictionary<br />
board game up for<br />
grabs.<br />
To win these wonderful<br />
prizes all you had to do<br />
v/as identify three piccies<br />
produced by the worst artsist<br />
we could find in the<br />
building (namely our very<br />
own reviews editor!). Unfortunately<br />
nearly everybody<br />
managed to identify what<br />
he meant by his childish<br />
doodles, so we have to<br />
give away the games<br />
rather than keeping them<br />
ourselves to play next<br />
Christmas. Oh weH, C'est<br />
La Vie! These are the lucky<br />
HOW TO PLACE YOUR ENTRY<br />
All you have to do is send off the form below, together with your payment;<br />
people who have deprived<br />
the ACE team of their fun:<br />
Mark Daniel Wake.<br />
Southend-on-Sea.<br />
Essex Arthur Owen,<br />
Caernarvon. Gwynedd;<br />
Sean Glover, Throney,<br />
Cambs., Steven Gallagher,<br />
Canterbury.<br />
Kent; Richard Moore,<br />
Leeds<br />
O.K. Thafs all folks! There<br />
will of course be more Pink<br />
Results next month, Meanwhile.<br />
this month's winners<br />
can sit back and wait for<br />
their prizes!<br />
Entries to the Pink Pages cost just £4.00 each. (Except for helpline which is free).<br />
• The maximum is 20 words except for Helpline. (Helpline entries can be extended to<br />
100 words max - use another sheet of paper if necessary).<br />
• The service is NOT open to trade advertisers.<br />
• We will print your advertisement in the first available issue.<br />
• Entries which could be interpreted as encouraging software piracy will not be accepted.<br />
ENTRY FORM<br />
POST TO: ACE Readers Page, Category of entry: Write your Advertisement here, one word per box.<br />
Emap B+CP, Priory Court, Include your name, address and phone number if<br />
30-32 Farringdon Lane, • Helpline • For Sale y° u want them P rinted-<br />
London EC1R 3AU. n Wanted n Pen Pais<br />
Please place my ad in the<br />
• User Groups • Other<br />
next available issue of ACE. Method Qf Rayment<br />
Mamo<br />
Address<br />
• Cheque • P.O.<br />
Please make cheques and<br />
postal orders payable to<br />
ACE MAGAZINE.<br />
————»i
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Please charge £ to my Access/Visa/Diners/Amex account.<br />
Card Number. Signature<br />
Anco 57<br />
Bondwell 98<br />
Computer Ad<br />
World 131<br />
Console Quest 131<br />
C +VG 16,17<br />
CES 76<br />
Digital Intergration 75<br />
Elite 13<br />
E.A 15<br />
Evesham 133<br />
Euromax 111<br />
EMAP 120,132<br />
ADVERTISERS INDEX<br />
Future 66,67<br />
Graphic Music<br />
Centre 69<br />
Hewson 43<br />
Intermediates 117<br />
Logotron 87<br />
Mirrorsoft 8,32,71<br />
MCD 126<br />
Megaland 115<br />
Mail Centa 120<br />
Microbyte 129<br />
MPH 131<br />
Ocean IFC.IBC.81,22<br />
PC Leisure 104<br />
Rapid 127<br />
Rainbow Arts 46<br />
Shekhana 127<br />
Star 129<br />
Turbosoft 119<br />
Telegames 134<br />
US Gold IBC.6,7,18<br />
Virgin 64<br />
Worldwide 132
The BUTTER END<br />
Ye gods! Is this the future<br />
of mankind after the great<br />
console takeover? We couldn't<br />
believe our eyes when<br />
this little baby showed up in<br />
the office, featuring the New<br />
Ecto Popper' and 'Ecto Goggles'<br />
from the Real Ghostbuster<br />
range. With kids like<br />
this on the block, who needs<br />
ghostbusters?<br />
CD REVOLUTION<br />
Gor blimeyi Can this be true? Are we<br />
about to get the games of the future<br />
right now? Could it just possibly be that<br />
hardware manufacturers are about to blast our<br />
woolly socks off v/ith a whole string of exciting<br />
new games machines?<br />
The almost unbelievable answer is yes. Last<br />
month you would have been forgiven for thinking<br />
that here in the UK we were settling dov/n to a<br />
couple of years of ST/Amiga dominated gaming.<br />
No real CD-ROM development for at least two<br />
years, no CD-I. no FM Towns (unless you win one<br />
in this month's competition), in fact nothing very<br />
exciting on the horizon at all.<br />
How wrong you would have been. In the<br />
space of three weeks, there have been three separate<br />
developments that together will revolutionise<br />
the games scene here in Britain within the next<br />
twelve months.<br />
Development number one. NEC are seriously<br />
contemplating importing the PC Engine officially<br />
into Europe. And why is this so important, dear<br />
reader? Aren't we sick to death of the PC wotsit?<br />
Aha. but of the world's entire installed base of<br />
CD-ROM drives, over half are attached to PC<br />
Engines. And lots of people are developing CD-<br />
ROM software for the NEC machine. The PC<br />
Engine could be the first major CDR-compatible<br />
unit in the UK with a decent games software base<br />
- and that's the first step towards CD-I, since it<br />
gives software companies the CD production<br />
experience they'll need for the interactive optical<br />
disk games.<br />
Development number two. Commodore are<br />
producing a CD-ROM games console. No, it is not<br />
(apparently) a CD-ROM with an Amiga attached (or<br />
.vice-versa) but a stand-alone keyboardless unit,<br />
codenamed Baby', retailing for under £500, and<br />
styled more like a hi-fi unit than a computer.<br />
If this is Commodore's answer to the<br />
Japanese (see last month's column) then Blitter<br />
takes back everything he said about C64 based<br />
138 Advanced Computer Entertainment<br />
consoles last month. In fact, Blitter dashes out<br />
and buys Commodore shares. Blitter joins a<br />
Christmas Club and starts saving up. Because<br />
make no mistake, a standalone CDR unit at that<br />
price from a major company with a strong involvement<br />
in the games market could, if the hardware<br />
spec is OK (if...), prove to be the most exciting<br />
item on the market this year.<br />
And finally. Amstrad are planning their own<br />
console. Long rumoured, not yet officially<br />
announced, it joins a couple of upgraded CPC<br />
models capable of taking cartridge software to be<br />
released this autumn - or so we hear on the<br />
grapevine. Whatever the specs, it'll be cheap,<br />
widely available, and probably well supported by<br />
UK software houses. The only questionmark hangs<br />
(as in the case of Commodore's Baby ) over the<br />
hardware spec. There's a lot of powerful competition<br />
looming up in the console market.<br />
One thing's for certain. With at least one. and<br />
possibly two CD-ROM compatible systems about<br />
to hit these shores, ACE readers are guaranteed<br />
some exciting software developments during the<br />
next year.<br />
Meanwhile, in another significant development for<br />
the UK CD-ROM games scene. Mirrorsoft has just<br />
taken over the marketing and development of<br />
leisure (e.g. Guinness Book of Records) and<br />
games CD titles from sister company Pergamon<br />
Compact Solutions (now disbanded).<br />
One of the machines Mirrorsoft will be looking<br />
very closely at will doubtless be the Commodore<br />
unit. According to company boss Peter Bilotta.<br />
...CD based games will be big news within the<br />
next two to three years.' He also reckons that<br />
Commodore's machine could do '...very well<br />
indeed in the European market. Don't miss next<br />
month's special ACE free CD guide...<br />
BI it-BI it!<br />
GREAT<br />
GIFT!<br />
We've got a great freebie<br />
for you next month that<br />
will put you right at the<br />
forefront of the CD<br />
games revolution.<br />
After giving you an exclusive<br />
chance to win an FM<br />
Towns machine this<br />
month, next month we're<br />
giving away a special<br />
ACE cover-mounted<br />
guide to the world of<br />
compact disk games<br />
technology. You'll be able<br />
find out which games are<br />
currently on CD, the<br />
specs of the machines<br />
they run on, how CD<br />
games work, and what<br />
both British and American<br />
software houses are<br />
planning for this new<br />
medium in the near<br />
future.<br />
We're also hoping to<br />
bring you our interviews<br />
with Cyan, which we had<br />
to leave out of this chockfull<br />
issue, and AIM -<br />
American Interactive<br />
Media, plus an in-depth<br />
investigation of 'cuteness'.<br />
Don't miss it,<br />
sweetie pie.<br />
Ooops!<br />
Pepe Merino's system, as detailed last<br />
month, boasts 256 colours per panel,<br />
NOT per page! Sorry, Pepe - It's even<br />
more impressive than we thought.
' ^r. nter a medtaex'aC era in a mysticaC World "Where Ivanhoe, our<br />
Izjjp 1^ diix'aCroii^ fiero, pursues a perilous quest... a quest from which most<br />
^l^^^aC niortafs u'ouW run... an adventure which most men Would fear!<br />
\ Strap on your armour, take up your sword and brace yourself to face<br />
s - powers of the most evil of wizards, the ptunderous pirates<br />
the most awesome of dragons and a host of hideous 'beings' in this (and of legends.<br />
Superb animation, by the cartoonist whose brushgai'e us the Asterix<br />
movie, and beautifully executed graphics create a Visual impact as yet unseen in t he<br />
media of interactive entertainment. Wanhoe - 'Jightfor your life... and legendl<br />
ATARI ST AMIGA<br />
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.<br />
U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.