ISSUE 31 • APRIL
■ ST ■ AMIGA ■ C64 ■
CPC ■ SPECTRUM ■ PC
■ NINTENDO ■ SEGA ■
YANKEE
DOODLES
Endless American trivia inside.
You have been warned.
ADVANCED COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
ART OF THE STATES
Special American Issue
Revealed: the secrets of Lucas
Cinemaware, FTL, Electronic Arts, and Origi
WIN this £1500 CD-ROM computer!
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SI
9 770954 807017
TURBO
BOOST!
Need to catch up in a hurry? Well,
just one press of yourTurbo Button will
leave your eyes in the back of your head!
BARRELLING THROUGH
THE CITY STREETS, along the roughest of
dirt tracks and through busy tunnels - if you can hold
the line! The low life can run, but they can’t hide ...
DISTANCE
SPEED m
ltm-irnTrararf
RESCUE BLl HOSTAGES
TITO
n'ROIH
SIX INSPIRED
action sequences put you in control
of Elliot Ness's elite squad of crime-busters.
ALLEYWAY SH00T0UTS,
THE BORDER RAID,
The Railway Station confrontation and
Warehouse bust culminating in the
s ^ thrilling denouement of a
i ROOFTOP DUEL f
as you re-live the knife edge 9 *
existence of Ness in his struggle
/jk against the retribution of Capone! ^ ^
% THE l VT01THABI.ES - LIVE AN AMERICAN LEGEND
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their demands.. .
or the bulletproof vest but watch out for
Operation Thunderbolt the incredible Taito coin-op conversion
brought NOW to your home computer.
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•Telex7 OCEANS G • Fax: 061 834 0650
AMSTRAD • COMMODORE • SPECTRUM
EMAP B & CP
Priory Court
Farringdon Lane
London EC1R 3AU
Tel: 01-251 6222
Fax: 01-490 0991
Editor
Steve Cooke
Deputy Editor
Rik Haynes
Reviews Editor
Laurence Scotford
Design Editor
Jim Willis
Contributors
Eugene Lacey
Kati Hamza
Gordon Houghton
Jon Bates
John Cook
Christina Erskine
Pat Winstanley
Mark Smiddy
Additional Design By
Pete Hawkes
Justine Randall
Illustration
Geoff Fowler
Photography
Edward Park
Advertising Manager
Garry Williams
Deputy Advertising Manager
Jerry Hall
Advertising Production
Melanie Costin
Publisher
Terry Pratt
SUBSCRIPTIONS
| EMAP Frontline, Subscriptions Department
[ 1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road,
I Peterborough, PEI 2RP
0733 555161
COLOUR ORIGINATION
Balmoral Graphics, Canonbury Yd, N1
Proprint Repro, Stratford, El 5
TYPESETTING
I CXT, 74 Borough High Street, SE1
DISTRIBUTION
EMAP Frontline, Park House, 117 Park Road,
Peterborough, PEI 2TR
PRINTING
Severn Valley Press, Caerphilly
© EMAP B&CP 1990
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form without our permission.
_
_
THE ACE
TREi NT
This month's games range from the
simple but addictive (Pipedream) to
the awesomely complex (Knights of
Legend). Every one gets the rigorous
ACE treatment...
GRAVITY Imageworks ...48
DRAGON'S BREATH Palace .51
KNIGHTS OF LEGEND
Origin/Mindscape . .52
FIFTH GEAR Hewson .53
SHERMAN M4 US Gold/Loriciels .54
KID GLOVES Logotron .55
PLAYER MANAGER Anco .56
CROSSBOW Screen 7 .58
PIPEMANIA Entertainment Int'l .59
PSYCHOFOX Sega . 60
TENNIS ACE Sega .60
SPELLCASTER Sega .61
OMEGA Origin/Mindscape .62
DARK CENTURY Titus .63
AFTER THE WAR
Dinamic .65
STRYX Psyclapse .68
SEARCH FOR THE TITANIC
CRL/Capstone .70
GAZZA'S SUPER SOCCER Empire .72
FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR 2
Anco .73
WILD STREETS Titus .74
ROTOR Arcana .77
VENDETTA System 3 .78
LORDS OF CHAOS (Preview)
Target .79
7 GATES OF JAMBALA Grandslam.8 0
SAMURAI Microprose .79
CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN
Grandslam ... 80
On page 21 you can meet two computer beachboys
who've devised one of the most fiendish machines
ever - a multi-media engine that can scan and
respond to events within a room, manipulating data
to fill the space with mesmerising lights and sound.
We hope to have a demo at the Computer Enter¬
tainment Show in September. Don't miss it!
One of the images generated by the IMME
machine: read all about it on page 21.
ULTIMATE ULTIMA 23
No doubt about it, Ultima VI is shaping up to be the
game of the year. We flew to Austin, Texas for an
exclusive preview...
WHEN IN ROME 29
After the earthquake: just outside Francisco, Elec¬
tronic Arts are preparing to shake the world with
Centurion - a Roman simulation and strategy title
from the designer of Defender of the Crown.
FASTER THAN LIGHT 33
....Or FTL for short. Now's your chance to travel to
San Diego and meet the people who created Dun¬
geon Master and Oids.
ON SKYWALKER RANCH 37
Our fearless correspondent braves rabid skunks,
man-eating racoons, and a private security army to
enter Lucasfilm's creative paradise and confront the
creators of Loom, Maniac Mansion, and Indiana
Jones.
THAT'S HANDY! 99
Hand-held consoles are sweeping America. John
Cook reports.
ONTO THE SILVER SCREEN 41
They didn't come from the Desert: they came from
Cinemaware's state-of-the-art CD development sys¬
tem.
D-l-Y STUDIO 105
Who's in the powerhouse?? Check out MIDI wid¬
gets that can make really bad sounds out of raw
data.
BITMAP BLARNEY 86
Your chance to get a personal invitation to the ACE
Conferences and meet some of the big names in the
business in person.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE! 11
Fill in the form on this page and change history: by
nominating your favourite games for the the presti¬
gious Golden Joystick awards. And win £150 worth
of software into the bargain!
SPECIALS
CITIZEN U.S.A. 19
ACE takes off at dawn and returns with an exclusive
report on computing USA. The trip starts here, with
foot-long meatballs and a couple of software
gurus who've invented a hyperspace engine.
gp : s - • ggg • * '
JAM TODAY!
Well, almost...Certainly this could be the most exciting year or computer gamesplayers since the launch of the Spectrum -
and every bit as significant. Just as went to press, reliable sources reported that Commodore's 'CD-ROM' Amiga is in fact a
CD-ROM console. At the same time, NEC were reported to be seriously considering launching the PC Engine in the UK.
The enormous boost that these machines will give to the development of CD-based games in the UK could change games-
playing history. In America, almost every company is busy developing games either for the FM Towns CD-ROM super¬
machine, or for the PC Engine + CD-ROM drive. They know that in three years time CD will be THE storage medium for
entertainment software, offering not only huge storage and full-motion video, but also the possibility of truly interactive
video using CD-I technology. By writing CD software now, these companies are developing vital expertise for the future. Up
until now, there has been a danger that the UK would get left behind in this race, but if Commdoore do release a CD unit
here, everything could change. Our dreams about CD-based games could become reality much sooner than we think...
ACE celebrates next month with a special free gift giving complete details on CD games and machines. Don't miss it!
The secrets of Ultima VI development - see pages 25/26.
GAMEPLAY
SCREENTEST 37
What a month! Player Manager chases Kick Off up
the field; Gravity's a startlingly original game from
Imageworks; Pipemania, a startlingly unoriginal but
awesomely addictive game from Entertainment Inter¬
national.
BRAVE NEW WORLDS 88
Four glorious pages for adventurers and followers
of the not-so-straight-and-narrow path. Pat Winstan-
ley checks out the latest fantasy releases and offers
some hints and tips for harassed explorers.
TRICKS AND TACTICS 93
No less than five pages of megatips for today's top
games. Remember, when the going gets tough, the
tough cheat.
REGULARS
wm
ACE NEWS. 102
SNK launch an astonishing games console that
boasts 40Mbyte game cartridges; Sony launch Data
Discman - CD-ROM in the palm of your hand;
Amstrad launching new CPC games machines;
Titus move into CD-I...all the latest from the ACE
news team.
MIGHTY MISSIVES 14
Only two pages of letters this month, to make space
for our US features...but you made every column
inch count.
FREE ISSUE! 84
Take out a subscription and wake up once a month to
your own copy of ACE - and save money into the
bargain.
IN THE PINK 107
This month's Pinks feature the return of the ACE
Hardware Upgrade Guide: everything you ever
wanted to know about the machines most likely to
make your dreams come true.
WIN! WIN! WIN!
GO TO TOWNS! 44
Yes, it's true, there's a card on the front of this issue
that could you win you the world's most desirable,
most exclusive CD-ROM games computer. Find
out more inside - and be the first to join the CD
games revolution!
What goes up must come down in Gravity.
I I he first fantasy role-playing
' epic set in the legendary game
world of Krynn.
CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN improves
on the award winning game system
used in SSI’s mega-hits POOLS OF
RADIANCE and CURSE OF THE
AZURE BONDS.
The war of the lance is over, but evil is
a BAD loser... with the Dragon armies
defeated and the lands to the east
reconquered, the forces of good have
withdrawn and settled down to a well-
earned rest. Evil forces however, never
rest and have been quietly plotting a
cataclysmic return to power! Their goal:
nothing short of establishing the Dark
Queen, Takhisis, as undisputed ruler
of Krynn!
DRAGONLANCE
FANTASY
ROLE-PLAYING
EPIC. VOL. 1
CBM 64/128 DISK
AMIGA
IBM PC
+ CLUEBOOK
AVAILABLE
OFFICIAL
umuAL jg
Advanced Dungeonsf^pragpns
COMPUTER PRODUCT
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D,
DRAGONLANCE and the TSR logo are trademarks owned
by TSR, Inc., Lake Geneva, WI, USA and used under license
from Strategic Simulations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA.
© 1990 TSR, Inc. © 1990 Strategic Simulations, Inc.
All rights reserved.
U.S. GOLD LTD.,
Units 2/3 Holford Way,
Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX.
Tel: 021-625 3388.
novt.
R&U- ’SXM
F W/ W/ elcome to the first AD&D®
' computers war game. Prepare for
fierce battles and all-out war when the forces of
Whitestone clash against the evil Highlord
Dragon-armies. The Prize: absolute rule over
all Ansalon in the DRAGONLANCE® game
world of Krynn.
CBM 64/128
DISK,
APPLE II
Send forth your diplomats to forge treaties Jfj&f
and gain allies that will swell the numbers of
your troops - but when words fail, armies of
humans, draconians, ogres, dwarves, elves,
dragons and other creatures may prove more
i persuasive. Enough talk. Let the WAR OF
% THE LANCE begin and the forces of good
J and evil battle for ultimate supremacy!
Adv ancecf^ Jj
product.
t:::
CBM 64/128, SPECTRUM
AND AMSTRAD
CASSETTE + DISK
ATARI ST, AMIGA
IBM PC
+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE
22$ I BMBmm B
and her Draconian
hordes overrun much of the homeland of ~ ~
Krynn. Even the elven armies of Qualinost, valiant in their
< resistance of this evil power, struggle on the edge of defeat.
\ Heroes of the Lance come forward ...or Krynn will ;
\ forever be consumer by evil! _ L
\——— In the
mystical world of Krynn, eight brave
companions face Draconian monsters,
skeletal undead, magic and the ancient
dragon Khisanth in seeking the precious
, disks of Mishakal.
CBM 64/128, SPECTRUM
AND AMSTRAD
CASSETTE + DISK
ATARI ST, AMIGA
IBM PC
+ CLUEBOOK AVAILABLE
OFFICIAL
g urnuAL g
Advanced
Dtingeons^piagpns
y>
B67AX.
COMPUTER PRODUCT
; «*»
Speedball - total action - total aggression - the
ultimate sport from the Bitmap Brothers.
Computer Gamesweek - 94%
“Speedball is fast, furious and graphically very
stylish”
The One - 90%
“Never in the field of reviewing has such an
excellent game been played by so many for so
long. A must buy!”
C&VG Hit -
“Speedball is going to be a monster hit”
ST/Amiga Format Gold Disk Award! - 90%
“This game is so visually brilliant and possesses
those classic addictive qualities that once you’ve
picked up your joystick you just won’t want to put
it back down again”.
C + VG Hit!
“If you’re into missiles, bombs and explosions in
large, classy quantities, Blood Money is a game
you should try and buy without delay”.
ZZAP - 94%
“Save every penny you can get your hands on and
acquire Rocket Ranger”.
Amiga Format - 90%
“Those who like a good puzzle and a bit of strategy
will find Rocket Ranger compulsive”.
Ace Rating - 814
“Superb graphics with arcade action and strategy
- probably the best Cinemaware game yet”.
New Computer Express
“Break out a spare can of Buddy and pop up your
PC for this one”.
Distribution by: Mirrorsoft Ltd., Irwin House, 118 Southwark Street, London SE1 OSW
AMIGA/ATARI ST/PC £29.99
CD-ROM ’BOOK' ANNOUNCED, FIRST CDI GAME, NEW AMSTRAD CPC
PORTABLE
POWER FROM
SONY
Special thanks to Masato Niizeki
and ASCII Corporation for their
assistance
Sony has unveiled a prototype
portable CD-ROM 'electronic
book’, a 500-gram palm-sized unit
with built-in LCD used to display
text stored on a normal audio
Compact Disc. Data Discman had
its public debut at a future tech¬
nologies exhibition in Tokyo last
month. Although no price or avail¬
ability details are currently avail- I
able, Data Discman will be used I
to electronically manipulate vast
amounts of text data - such as
encyclopaedias, telephone direc¬
tories or even the Bible. It’s also
expected to double as an audio
CD player.
The Data Discman technolo¬
gies currently being developed
could eventually lead to a portable
CDI multi-media unit - capable of
handling audio, video and comput¬
er graphics & text. Sony is hoping
to create a standard for these
‘electronic book’ technologies by
announcing the Data Discman so
early in its development. Expect
to see a full feature consumer ver¬
sion of the Data Discman in your
local store within the next two to
three years.
Meanwhile, Sony has also
announced a revolutionary new
portable computer. The Palm Top
has a 68000 processor, 2Mb
RAM, and an innovative ‘keyboard-
free concept’ free hand system I
which replaces the conventional I
keyboard and mouse. This system
can even understand Japanese'
hand writing - including the com¬
plex Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji
alphabets. The Palm Top is due
for mass production this summer,
with units on sale in Japan by
Christmas. No price details are
currently available.
NEW WORLD
CONSOLE
LAUNCHED
SNK, the Japanese arcade manu¬
facturer responsible for the block¬
busting Ikari Warriors coin-op, is
developing a new 16-bit console
which promises to be the hottest
deck this side of a cyberspace
CDI unit.
The NEO-GEO (New World)
console is powered by a 68000
main-processor and Z80 support-
processor. It can handle games
cartridges with an astounding
maximum storage capacity of
330-megabits - that compares to
the humble four-megabit (512K)
game carts found on Sega’s 16-
bit Megadrive console. NEO-GEO
also uses 1C technology (see
TECHNO-rACE on page 11 for
further details) to store player
information like game hi-scores.
This coupled with advanced
graphics and sound hardware will
effectively give the NEO-GEO the
power of an arcade machine in
your own home - the gameplay-
ers ultimate dream machine.
Industry rumours even suggest
that NEO-GEO will come as both a
home-based and coin-operated
video games system.
The console will be launched
in Japan at the end of the month,
priced around £290. SNK will ini¬
tially release six 40-megabit
games carts, priced at a stagger¬
ing £130 each. This makes NEO¬
GEO carts the most expensive
home video games ever released.
Interestingly SNK doesn’t see this
as a problem and is predicting
Japanese sales of 300000 NEO- |
GEO consoles and 1.2 million
game cartridges by early ‘91.
Details of the forthcoming
NEO-GEO game titles and exact
specifications of the console were
not available as ACE went to
press - SNK in Japan told us:
“We’re not ready to provide you
with the information required. You
will hear from us sometime
around late spring". Look out for
further NEO-GEO information in
future issues of ACE...
ADVANCED
CPC OUT IN
SEPTEMBER
Amstrad is due to launch three
new games machines - including
a console - based around its pop¬
ular CPC micro later in Septem¬
ber. The console is expected to
sell for around £100.
The advanced CPC’s exact
specifications and price details
are unknown at present - no-one
will officially confirm these new
machines - but their existence
has been revealed to ACE in off
the record conversations with vari¬
ous software developers. Amstrad
itself was unavailable for com¬
ment as ACE went to press.
The CPC464 Plus, CPC6128
Plus and CPC console will replace
the versions of the CPC currently
on sale. These technically
improved models should contain a
faster main processor, hardware
support for graphics - including
sprites and hardware-scrolling,
increased colour palette and six-
channel stereo audio.
The CPC Plus machines will
be compatible with all existing
CPC software - they’ll also use
cartridge-based games software.
These carts will have a storage
capacity of two-megabits (256K),
priced in the region of £20-£30.
Several titles are currently being
developed, and a selection of CPC
games cartridges should be simul¬
taneously released with the
machines in September.
mus
PRODUCES
CDI GAME
Although no Philips/Sony CDI play¬
er will be commercially available
before ‘91, Titus - the French
games developer that wrote
I Crazy Cars - has produced one of
the first games for this new multi-
media device.
Titan, an arcade puzzle game,
was first released on all major
micro formats last year. The CDI
version was started last summer
and took four months to develop
using the original Macintosh game
source-code as a basic founda¬
tion. The CDI version includes
audio-visual enhancements over
its micro cousins and a new intro
sequence. You even have the
choice of CD-quality classical or
rock soundtracks during play.
The game cost a hefty
£250000 to develop - Titus used
Interactive Support Group's (ISG)
$30000 Macintosh-based CDI
Workstation. In fact, Titus exclu¬
sively distributes the ISG CDI emu¬
lator in Japan. Its only rival system
is Vax-based and costs over
$100000. Eric Caen, Director of
Development at Titus told ACE,
“Many see the ISG product as the
perfect CDI emulator”. Japanese
companies like Panasonic, Tech¬
nics and Toshiba may use the ISG
system to develop their CDI prod¬
ucts in the near future.
Titus has also produced a ver¬
sion of Titan for Fujitsu's FM
Towns 32-bit CD-ROM computer
(for further FM Towns information
- and a chance to win a machine
- turn to page 44) which sells for
around £40 in Japanese stores.
On CD-based interactive
entertainment, Caen laments: “it's
important to be first. This is the
market for the future. There are
currently no games designers or
engineers in this field. Small com¬
panies will find it hard to fund the
huge development costs”.
Now Titus has started work
on a new CD game project which
will take about 15-18 months to
develop. The as yet unnamed
game will be written for most CD
decks including FM Towns, PC
Engine, and the forthcoming CDI
Advanced Computer Entertainment 9
Light and Magic - who both pro¬
duce computer graphic images
and special effects for movies and
television. The hires graphics will
be rendered on a Cray mainframe
system and transferred to micro
format or recorded straight onto
CDV (Compact Disc Video) in the
CDI version. Caen enthuses, “it
will be one of the most exciting
games on CD...”
MIDI MUSIC
SHOW
Eager MIDI musicians should
check out The MIDI Music Show at
London’s Novotel in Hammersmith
on 7th and 8th April. The exhibi¬
tion will include over 60 compa¬
nies showing off the latest MIDI
hard and soft wares from the UK,
Europe and USA. There will also
be special seminars, demonstra¬
tions and conferences covering
such subjects as sampling, cre¬
ative editing and sequencing. For
further details contact the show's
organisers, Westminster Exhibi¬
tions, on 01 549 3444.
FLY A DRAGON
SSI, the leading American strate¬
gy software developer, is releas¬
ing the world’s first Dragon flight
simulator next month. Dragon
Strike is being distributed over,
here by US Gold. Good old USG
isn't saying that much about the
game yet, except that it’s another
SSI's Advanced Dungeons &
Dragons (AD&D) release, giving
you the viewpoint of sitting on the
back of a Dragon. Like other SSI
products, Dragon Strike will be
released on PC first - closely fol¬
lowed by C64 - with an Amiga
version due later in September.
SSI is also working on anoth¬
er TSR-licensed product. Buck
Rogers the 25th Century role-play¬
ing game is due out on PC and
Dragon Strike: the world's first
Dragon fiight-sim
TITAN CDI TECHNOIR
Titan on CDI was developed entirely on a ISG Macintosh CDI worksta¬
tion in four months. It was written using a Macintosh Ilex under MPW
support with 600Mb hard-disk, and test run on Macintosh JNMS SCSI
connections for quick load on Philips JNMS. CDI Titan's game code
is less than 100K, plus 5Mb of graphics and a massive 120Mb of
sound data. The flying ship in the intro sequence was designed using
several 3D graphics packages on a Macintosh Ilex. Studio/8 files
were converted to DYUV and CLUT formats. The music tracks were
composed on a W.30 Roland keyboard and digitised on a Macintosh
Ilex using the Digidesign board. The mixing of the sound was done
using Sound Designer. PCM data was converted to ADPCM on Macin¬
tosh Ilex. The sound in the game is Level B stereo. The game's com¬
pact disc was compiled and emulated on Macintosh Ilex using the
ISG CDI board and Disc Builder software. All the tools used were
developed by ISG and are based on either original or green book
algorithms. You can use both the CDI remote control or mouse for
game-control, and the game is compatible with any 625-line monitor
and runs on current versions of the Philips JNMS player. The project
director was Regis Bridon with software by Lee Chidgey, CDI emula¬
tion software by Jim Bumgardner and CDI hardware board by Vincent
Lo Chevalier.
C64 this Christmas and uses the
same game structure as Pool of
Radiance. An Amiga version is
scheduled for release in early ‘91.
Unfortunately there are currently
no plans for an ST version,
although Pool of Radiance may
eventually come out on the ST
sometime this summer.
• Konami, a major Japanese
coin-op manufacturer and offi¬
cial Nintendo licensee, has
enlisted the help of a real-life
mum to promote video games.
Charlyne Robinson, a mother of
two Nintendo gamesters and
holder of a Master’s Degree in
educational psychology, is tour¬
ing America on behalf of Kona¬
mi, offering video game advice
to parents worried about the
type of games their kids are
playing and the amount of time
they spend playing video
games.
• Meldac is releasing a Game-
boy game featuring ‘powerful
person-eating aliens in the feu¬
dal Japanese city of Heiankyo'.
Heiankyo Alien is due out in
May.
• In the ever growing range of
Nintendo-licensed products and
entertainments, lucky Ameri¬
can's can go and see the
‘Super Mario Bros, on Ice' ice-
skating extravaganza.
• FCI has launched Heroes of
the Lance AD&D RPG for the
Nintendo NES.
• Sublogic’s ATP (Airline Trans¬
port Pilot) lets you fly a Boeing
737, 747, 767, or Airbus
A300 jet airliner. Flight Simula¬
tor: ATP includes over 350 US
cities with service to 25 major
city airports, automatic weath¬
er generation, Air Traffic Con¬
trol feedback and six types of
airborne traffic. The PC version
costs $49.95.
• Ocean’s classic C64
shoot'em-up, Wizball, is due to
be released on the Nintendo
NES.
ARE YOU A
EUROPEAN
SOFTWARE
DEVELOPER?
ACE will be featuring an article on
European Advanced Computer
Entertainment in a future issue of
the magazine. We want to contact
West and East European software
developers - games designers,
programmers, graphics artists,
musicians and software compa¬
nies. If you wish to be included in
the article then write (including
your details) to: ACE EUROPE,
Priory Court, 30-32 Farring-
don Lane, London EC1R 3AU.
Alternatively fax us on 01 490
0991.
THE PRESENCE
OF THE FUTURE
The next time you walk' down the
Champselysee in Paris check out
a sci-fi store called Dune: The
Presence of the Future. Among
the cordless telephones, Rock ‘n’
Flowers and Sony Discmen you
can pick up a electro-stun gun
able to pump out 48000 volts,
and surveillance and counter¬
surveillance equipment for indus¬
trial espionage!
1982
Atari Games' Battlezone vector-graphics coin-op hits UK arcades.
1983
Milton Bradley brings out the Vectrex video games console complete
with its own vector-display monitor.
1984
Amstrad enters into micro market with the CPC464.
1985
EMAP-owned software company, Beyond, claims Shadowfire is the
first icon-driven adventure to be released.
1986
Amstrad buys the worldwide manufacturing, marketing and brand-
name rights to all Sinclair computer products for £5 million.
1987
System Three finally releases The Last Ninja some two years after
first announcing the game.
1988
ACE exclusively reveals the first transputer game.
1989
ACE exclusively interviews Alex Blok about his Bit Bopper multi-media
audio-visual entertainments deck.
10 Advanced Computer Entertainment
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD!
Yup, that's the power of your pen. By making a few marks on the form below (a photocopy or postcard will do just as well), you can cast software
houses, programmers, game designers, and graphics designers into deepest hell - or raise them up to the pinnacles of glory. We're talking, of
course, about the annual Golden Joystick awards - in which we (along with our sister magazines C&VG, The One, Sinclair User, and Commodore
User) dig into our pockets and reward deserving chaps and chappesses with medals of value and distinction. But we can only do it if you let us know
who you think deserves to win...and what. Pay particular attention to the simulation category (8-bit AND 16-bit) since that is the award that ACE will
be specifically presenting. Make sure you get your votes off to us ASAP, and by March 28th at the very latest. As an incentive, the first form out of
the pack will receive £100 of free software for their machine and an ACE T-shirt.
BEST COIN-OP CONVERSION_
BEST NON COIN-OP LICENSE ...._
(EG. FILM, CHARACTER, TV)
BEST 8-BIT SIMULATION_
BEST 16-BIT SIMULATION_
BEST ORIGINAL (a^^MIE.... ..................................................
PROGRAMMER OF THE YEAR..........................................
SOFTWARE HOUSE OF THE YEAR_
GAME OF THE YEAR_
00
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2 Q
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NEW ON NINTENDO
• In a shock admission, chart-top¬
ping pop group and teenybopper
heartthrobs, Bros have owned up
to playing Nintendo games. So
the next time you go to a Bros,
concert look out for Matt Goss
playing with his Gameboy!
A whole new meaning to Super
Mario Bros...
• In fact, Nintendo gamesters
include a Who’s Who of Hollywood
stars: Tom Cruise, Robin Williams,
Tom Hanks, Michael J Fox, Kurt
Russell, Jeff Goldblum, Goldie
Hawn, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi
Goldberg, Don Johnson, Robin
Givens (Tyson's ex), Henry Winkler
(‘hey’ remember the Fonz?) and
Bruce Willis.
• Unfortunately for mobile UK
gameplayers, Nintendo isn't offi¬
cially releasing the eagerly-await¬
ed Gameboy handheld console in
this country before September.
• 91% of all children in the Grana¬
da region watched the Nintendo
TV commercials an average of
6.6 times over the pre-Christmas
period.
• Quickshot is selling a sighting
scope add-on for the Nintendo
This Quickshot Sighting Scope can
help blow your head clean off - do
you feel lucky punk?
NES Zapper gun. The deluxe
sighting scope has an extra large
eyepiece for fast, accurate aiming
and a precision range adjustment.
• Do you need some tips on your
latest Nintendo NES game? Then
give the Nintendo Helpline a call
on 0626 65500. They’ll be able to
give you advice on all games offi¬
cially released in the UK. The
Helpine is open on weekdays from
3pm to 9pm (closed on Wednes¬
day and Sunday), and from 9am
to 5pm on Saturday.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 11
COMPUTER
TOYS ‘R’ ACE
At the recent British
International Toy &
Hobby Fair at Earls Court
some 500 exhibitors
showcased their toy and
hobby products for
Christmas ‘90...
WOOOPERS
from Tonka
“Just arrived from outer space!
Soft and silky, adorable and
appealing aliens who love talking
to little children in their funny,
happy ‘wooopy alien language’.
These innovative and imaginative
voice operated ‘space visitors'
produce delightful random chirps,
chatterings, whoops and whistles
in response to human voices.
Young children will find Wooopers
simply out of this world.
‘Swhooop’ down to your local toy
shop and befriend one of these lit¬
tle critters today.”
COUCH POTATOES
from Potato Creations
“They took America by storm!
Now they’re set to invade Britain!
You are going to see them every¬
where - anywhere there’s a TV
set! You’re going to hear about
them from the most unlikely peo¬
ple! Couch Potatoes need special
care! Never feed them quiche!
Always make sure they’re seated
upright for their favourite pro¬
grammes. Only talk to them dur¬
ing commercial breaks.”
COMPUTRAIN
from Battat
“The smart train of the future is
here for play! Computrain com¬
bines the sophistication of up-to-
the-minute technology with the
simplicity of child’s play. Easily
assembled and operated, Compu¬
train is a battery-operated train
with a computerised control car.
Using simple bar-code tiles that
easily attach to the track, the
child is able to program Compu-
train's direction, sounds and
lights. Computrain responds
instantly to the commands the
child programs into the track, giv¬
ing immediate feedback. Fun to
plan, program and play, Compu¬
train is tomorrow’s toy - today!"
HITMAN
from Matchbox Toys
“Get hip with Hitman! Nothing
amuses children more than weird,
unexpected and sometimes vulgar
noises! With the new Hitman from
Universal Matchbox, children can
deliver all kinds of crazy sounds
simply by pushing a button. For
Hitman presents a breakthrough in
electronic sound chips which
makes the reproduction of noises
sound amazingly real - be it a
burp or a snore! Compact-sized
Hitman fits neatly into most pock¬
ets so it's well-hidden and children
can carry it with them ready to
deliver their surprise noises - cre¬
ating a few laughs, or even raised
eyebrows! Hitman comes in three
versions: Outrageous Hitman
which makes six humours sounds
such as a burp or a snore.
Spooky Hitman - ghoulish noises
to try to scare brothers, sisters
and friends. And Movie Sound
Effects - which with its screech¬
ing tyres and other action sounds
mean endless amusement! Hip
Hop eat your heart out - Hitman is
here!”
DEENIE DINO AND
DUDLEY DUCK
from Bondwell
“Deenie Dino and Dudley Duck,
Quickshot's new radio controlled
toys, move forward, left and right
at the touch of one of three
respective arrow-shaped buttons
on the remote control unit. When
speaking into the microphone of
the unit, both toys transmit the
speaker's voice within a range of
20 feet. Each toy also features a
synchronised sound effect, built-in
receiver and amplifier, and three
interchangeable eyes that give
both Deenie and Dudley three dis¬
tinct expressions.”
TECHNO-rACE
“The first affordable cyberspace technology
will be user-interface units - from people
like Nintendo - for more intense video games.”
William Gibson,
award-winning cyberpunk author
Hughes Aircraft is licensing its 1C (integrated cir¬
cuit) sound system - capable of reproducing the
original ambience and dynamic range of a music stu¬
dio or live performance - to several electronics man¬
ufacturers. The system accomplishes this by record¬
ing and playing-back spatial sound - giving the listen¬
er a more realistic sound sensation. The Sound
Retrieval System is already in use in a new range of
Sony televisions, and is likely to be incorporated into
other electrical products, including games consoles
and computers, in the near future.
JVC is working on a CD video system able to record
a full-length movie on just two 12” disks. This is
achieved by converting the analogue video signal
into compressed digital code. The clever part of the
system is the way it uses a computer to analyse the
original video image and record only the changes
that occur to that picture once every six frames -
the system retains one ‘key’ frame and sends only
image change data to the other five frames. This
new JVC product enters the ever growing number of
competing CD systems - including JVC’s rival
Sony/Philips’ CDI and IBM/lntel's DVI systems. Per¬
haps it is a significant factor that JVC's parent com¬
pany, Matsushita, recently bought an Edinburgh-
based company that specialises in hypertext - a
software technology needed in the next generation
of interactive CD products.
Iterated Systems has invented a Video Modem that
can transmit still and moving video pictures over
ordinary telephone-lines. Iterated’s current system
uses applied fractal geometry to compress and
transmit digitally-coded images, with an 8-bit colour
or grey-scale palette and resolution of 256x256, at
a rate of 30 frames per second. Once the images
have been transmitted they can be reconstructed to
any resolution.
Toshiba and Fuji have jointly-developed a digital still
video camera using Toshiba’s 1C memory card tech¬
nology. 1C cards are a new credit card-sized storage
medium powered by their own battery supply, thus
they can be plugged in and out of a computer while
retaining their data intact for a matter of months
rather than milliseconds. The 1C Memory Card cam¬
era cards each contain 18 one-megabit chips capa¬
ble of storing two million characters at a resolution
of 400 horizontal lines - that translates into 12 digi¬
tally-coded still video pictures per card. Once cap¬
tured, these images can be transferred to computer
or digital tape - an ordinary 120 minute audio tape
could store over 1000 pictures. Toshiba and Fuji
eventually hope to develop a system capable of stor¬
ing over 50 pictures on a single slice of plastic.
Philips’ Megane concept car includes many of the
features expected to be incorporated in the average
family car of the 21st C: rear windscreen replaced
by dual back-pointing video cameras, Atlas naviga¬
tion aid including details of local hotels and tourist
attractions, car manual on ROM, built-in colour LCD
screen with remote control TV, VHS video and CD
player, and the obligatory stick-on Garfield toy.
Matsushita has launched a new audio-visual enter¬
tainments system for the home. Capable of cinema-
quality picture and sounds, The Panasonic Home
Theatre utilises both enhanced definition processing
and digital compression technologies on a wide¬
screen, digital scan converting, video system. The
catch? The £22000 asking price!
12 Advanced Computer Entertainment
NEW!
FROM
ENCORE.
DRAGONS LAIR
Spec. Cass. 2.99
CBM 64 Cass. 2.99
Ams. Cass. 2.99
Release Date - 2nd April
Dragons Lair and Bluth
Group Ltd. are Registered
Trademarks owned by and
used under Licence from
Bluth Group Ltd. © 1983,
1986 & 1987 Bluth Group
Ltd. Character Designs
© 1983 Don Bluth.
All rights reserved.
HOPPING MAD
Spec. Cass. 2.99
CBM 64 Cass. 2.99
Ams. Cass. 2.99
Release Date- 9th April
© 1988 Elite Systems
International Ltd.
OVERLANDER
Spec. Cass. 2.99
CBM 64 Cass. 2.99
Ams. Cass. 2.99
Release Date - 16th April
© 1988 Elite Systems
International Ltd.
Elite Systems Limited Anchor House, Anchor Road, Aldridge Walsall West Midlands
WS9 8 PW England Telex: 336130 ELITE G Consumer hot line: (0922) 743408
: 11 s
YOUR RIGHT TO REPLY...
/Ml
PRIZE
LETTER
DOUBLE THE FUN!
THIS TIP WILL ENABLE READERS WHO OWN THE JAPANESE
VERSION OF THE SEGA MEGADRIVE TO USE EITHER
JAPANESE OR AMERICAN SOFTWARE! EFFECTIVELY DOU¬
BLING THE AVAILABILITY OF SOFTWARE IN THIS COUNTRY.
I am the owner of a brand new Sega Megadrive,
(Japanese model). As I am sure you know, this system is
known as the Sega Genesis in the U.S.A. I ordered two
games, and when they arrived they were marked ‘Genesis
system only', these games fitted into the cartridge slot but
the machine would not switched on.
After examining the Japanese cartridges (these did
work) against those that would not work I found that the dif¬
ference was that the Japanese machine has a cartridge lock to stop the cartridge being withdrawn when the
machine is on, the American machine (Genesis) does not!
So one cartridge (JAPANESE) has a slot cut in the left hand side of the cartridge about half way up to
allow the lock to activate, and the Genesis does not.
REMEDY: Put both cartridges side by side and then, carefully, mark where the missing slot should be and
slowly file a similar slot on the American/Genesis cartridge with the thin side of a woodworkers flat file.
Take your time is the watchword here - you don't want to go into the side of the printed circuit board
inside the cartridge!
You will find that if you have added the slot in the right place, and to the correct depth, the machine will
now switch on AND WORK PERFECTLY!!!!
Chris Norris, Blackley,
Manchester
• We have printed this excellent tip because we believe it will be of much use to Megadrive owners. We
must point out, however, that making any modification to equipment will invalidate your warrenty (on both
the cartridge and the Megadrive). Please do not make these modifications unless you are absolutely sure
of what you are doing. Any modifications you decide to undertake are made at your own risk. Have fun!
HYPERCONFUSED
Reading your brilliant magazine
one day as an avid reader (and
Archimedes owner) I noticed that
the hypergame Psycho Killer (ACE
30) was running on an Archie
monitor - however, I couldn't quite
tell whether it was actually running
on one!
James Goodchild,
Crigglestone, Wakefield
• Sorry James, our Amiga moni¬
tor collapsed so we were forced
to temporarily use the Archie
monitor.
SIERRA-ON-LINE HELP
I have decided to set up a hint
service for most Sierra-On-Line
adventures. I have completed
Leisure Suit Larry 1, 2 & 3,
Police Quest 1 & 2, Space Quest
1 & 3, and more. If you want hints
write to me - this is, of course
free, but please send an unused
stamp in your envelope to cover
postage. That's it for now, keep
up the great work.
Lawrence Etchells,
22 Seton Terrace, Skelmorlie,
Ayrshire, Scotland PA17 5AR.
GOLDEN OLDIES
I miss the ‘golden oldies’ such as
Jet Set Willy and is there such a
thing anymore as a simple
shoot’em-up? Xenon 2 is admitted¬
ly, brilliant, but I look back happily
on the days when my best friend
and I used to stay up all night
playing Zalaga on his BBC. Come
on you software houses let’s see
games like Jet Set Willy, Spin-
dizzy, Zalaga, Repton, Galaforce,
Stryker’s Run, Space Pilot, etc on
the ST!
John Haworth,
Holly Walk, London
GOLDEN OLDIES 2
Please could you tell me where I
could obtain decent versions of
the cult arcade games: Defender,
Galaxians and Phoenix on the
C64. Now I’m a regular reader of
ACE I must congratulate everyone
involved for producing quite an
outstanding publication.
DA Edge,
Great Barr, Birmingham
• Alligata had brilliant ‘ interpreta¬
tions’ of Defender and Phoenix
called Guardian and Eagle
Empire, and Kingsoft brought out
Galaxy, a great version of Galaga
- a souped-up Galaxians. Unfortu¬
nately, all these games are old
(around 1983) and very hard to
find, perhaps other readers could
help...
SOFTWARE STEREOTYPING
I’ve read lots of letters in the past
year or two about how sexism is
killing the software market for
women. I beg to differ! Sexism is
not the correct term for the phe¬
nomenon which is causing so
much dissent - it's really down to
stereotyping.
I wander into a software retail¬
er and, after purusing the avail¬
able range, ask if ‘game x’ is avail¬
able for ‘machine y’ - it has been
reviewed but doesn't seem to be
on the shelf. “Afraid not Madam,”
comes the response, “how old is
your son? I’m sure I can find some¬
thing else for him!” “I’m sure you
can’t,” is my reply, “because my
sons are only six and five and you
have nothing suitable for them! I’m
buying for myself!”
Am I alone in thinking that the
vast range of software stocked by
local retailers is intended for the
adolescent boy, and that even
they (the lads) become pretty fed
up after a while with the lack of
variety in the final gameplay of the
titles pushed down their throats?
Instead of the ‘Women’s Rights’
campaigners complaining about
the sex and violence which form
the core of the gameplay of most
software, why don’t they complain
to Mills & Boon who run a suc¬
cessful business dealing in this
kind of material but are respected
by a good proportion of women
and men?
Let’s have more originality of
gameplay, not plot. ShootAick/
blast 'em-up’s are fine when you
want to take your frustrations out
on the world, but they soon
become tedious as an unrelenting
diet. I will believe stereotyping is
dead when men stop being aston¬
ished because a woman is helping
them out of their technical difficul¬
ties over the phone!
Pat Winstanley (Mrs),
Wigan
• Yes, you are probably correct
in thinking that what is often seen
as 'sexism' in the software indus¬
try does not really arise from any
deliberately malicious exclusion
of female interests, but merely
lack of thought. No one has real¬
ly bothered to sit down and con¬
sider that the ratio of male to
female games players is being
steadily evened out with each
passing month. The other prob¬
lem is, of course, that the majori¬
ty of programmers, games
designers, and graphic artists in
the industry are male, but this to,
is something that may well be
cured in time.
WHAT A BARGAIN
Either ACE is very kind or perhaps
you just need to sharpen your
maths. If you hadn’t noticed, the
price of ACE is now £1.60, so the
subscription charge per annum
should be £19.20 not £17.95
(ever considered buying a calcula¬
tor?)
J Kershaw,
Harrogate, N.Yorks
• It just goes to prove what a
bargain subscribing to ACE is:
13 issues of ACE for just £17.95
and exclusive offers like ACE
Conferences preferential place¬
ment and the InterfACE quarterly
newsletter.
LEARNING LANGUAGES
I am a student at Swindon Col¬
lege, studying for a BTEC National
Diploma in Computer Studies. I
am learning Pascal at the moment
14 Advanced Computer Entertainment
IN BRIEF.
I’m a potential Cracker and I would like to find out more on cracking.
Jimmy Brayshaw, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
• Then have a word with Bob Hay of FAST (Federation Against Software
Theft)...
Please have you got any vacancies for games reviewers. If not, shoot Laurence
Scotland.
Spencer Hart, Orton Brimbles,
Peterborough
• The answer is NO. He's practically brain-dead anyway, and the name is Scot-
ford.
My name is not Sandy Ladette as your quoted in your magazine (ACE 29).
Snardy Cadette, Walthamstow, London
ACE is cool, ACE is wicked, if you don’t like it, you’re a ****‘ed.
Josh Key, London
• Quite!
and wish to purchase an Atari ST
compatible Pascal language trans¬
lator and compiler like Turbo Pas¬
cal 5.
I would also be interested in
purchasing the same in Cobol and
C. Could you please tell me which
are the best Cobol and C transla¬
tors and compilers and where I
could get them from.
Last of all I must congratulate
you on your production of an
excellent magazine with up-to-date
information on the computer
scene.
Mr. M. Brown, Swindon, Wilts.
• Unfortunately there is not room
here to give a detailed break
down of the qualities and fea¬
tures of individual compilers.
However, we suggest that you
try either Hisoft (0525) 718181
or Prospero Software 01-741
8531.
Both of these companies can
supply a full range of compilers.
The Prospero range are intended
for professional use, and are
more expensive, but very well
supported. Hisoft's compilers are
cheaper, and they also produce
a C interpreter, which is an ideal
tool for learning the language.
ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS
I am an ‘A’ Level Art student cur¬
rently researching the theme
‘Computer Graphics and the
Graphic Artist' for my personal
study project.
I would be most grateful if you
could send me details of how to
get in touch with notable comput¬
er artists, as I feel that they could
be of great help, and make a valu¬
able contribution to my project.
I would be interested to hear
the views of the staff at ACE mag¬
azine on the subject of computer
graphics. Do you think that com¬
puter graphics are an art-form in
their own right? Is there any rea¬
son for the ‘conventional' (i.e. non¬
computer) graphic artist to feel
threatened by the existence and
development of computer graph¬
ics?
Full acknowledgement will be
given in the final project, and any
contribution, no matter how small,
will be of great use to me.
Ben Heywood,
21 Denbury Avenue,
Stockton Heath, Warrington,
Cheshire. WA4 2BL.
• We've printed your full address
Ben so that any graphic artists
who feel inclined can contact you
directly with their views.
With regard to the computer
being used in art, it is nothing
more than an extremely flexible
and adaptable tool for graphic
artist. A bad artist won’t produce
good art just because he is using
a computer. The computer is
gradually coming to be accepted
as an artistic medium in it's own
right, but I doubt if conventional
artists are any more threatened
by it, than painters who use tradi¬
tionally mixed oils are threatened
by the existence of acrylics. The
computer is just another medi¬
um. Nothing more or less. What
do other ACE readers think?
DO YOU WANT £25?
We want to hear your views on
Advanced Computer Entertainment...
What do you think about the Batman:
Digital Justice hypercomic, NEO-GEO
console, FM Towns 32-bit CD-ROM
computer, Ultima 6, Atari Lynx, Ninten¬
do Gameboy, NEC portable, PC
Engine, Cosmic Osmo, It Came from
the Desert using live-action, Sony's
CD-ROM book, Amtrad's console? Tell
us your views on any Subject connect¬
ed with Advanced Computer Entertain¬
ment and you could win yourself a
prize of £25! WRITE NOW to: ACE
LETTERS, Priory Court, 30-32
Farringdon Lane, London. EC1R
3AU
^OVMO.V^
SSG - THE CHOICE IS YOURS....
\ A World o f Adventure Is Waiting S
.
Explore the New World with Cortez and Drake
in Gold of the Americas. Join Rommel in l
decisive campaign for North Africa, fight in the
American Civil War or the Panzer Panics
■
Gold of the Americas
Amiga & PC £24.99 *
Note: * available on 5*/, " disk
• available on 3 1 / 2 ” and SV 4 " disks
CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE
SSG CATALOGUE ON (0753) 40906
.
Panzer Battles
PC £24.99 *
C64 Disk £18.99
Rommel
PC £24.99 *
C64 Disk £18.99
Halls of Montezuma
PC £24.99 •
C64 Disk £18.99
Reach for the Stars
Amiga & PC £24.99 «
C64 Disk £18.99
Civil War Vol 1, 2 or 3
PC £24.99 V2 * and V3* only
C64 Disk £18.99 VI, 2 or 3
IF YOU’VE GOT A
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM,
PC ENGINE, NINTENDO,
SEGA MEGADRIVE,
GAME BOY OR LYNX
THIS IS JUST FOR YOU
IT’S AN EXCLUSIVE AND VERY SPECIAL CLUB DEDICATED
ONLY TO CONSOLE FANS
A YEAR’S MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU:
A BRILLIANT QUARTERLY MEAN MACHINES
JOURNAL PACKED WITH...
• EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS
• INCREDIBLE TIPS
• MEGA COMPETITIONS
• AMAZING MONEY-OFF COUPONS
• COLOUR PICTURES OF ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND PRE¬
VIEWS OF THE VERY HOTTEST CONSOLE GAMES
PLUS YOU GET...
• MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB MEMBERSHIP PACK
• PERSONAL MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB MEMBERSHIP
CARD
• MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB BADGE
• EXCLUSIVE MEAN MACHINES MEGACLUB PRIVILEGES
AND WE’LL EVEN SEND YOU SPECIAL MEAN MACHINES
BIRTHDAY CARD!
BUT BEST OF ALL
JOIN NOW AND YOU’LL GET AN
ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE
FREE GIFT-
VOLUME II
THE SECOND INCREDIBLE
CONSOLES BOOK!
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CATED BOOK BULGING AT THE SEAMS WITH EX¬
CLUSIVE REVIEWS, PREVIEWS, NEWS, TIPS AND
COMPETITIONS.
AND WE PROMISE THAT IT’LL BE EVEN
BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!!
I know I’ll be completely bonkers not to join the Mean Machines
Megaclub, so I’ve enclosed a cheque/postal order made
payable to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES for £14.95!
NOTE: A year’s membership for overseas EEC readers costs
£18.00 (payment MUST be cash sterling).
The rest of the world costs £20.00 (again, payment MUST be
cash sterling). Send cheque to: C+VG MEGACLUB, PRIORY COURT,
30 - 32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON EC1R 3AU
FIRST NAME.
LAST NAME.
ADDRESS.
POSTCODE.
DATE OF BIRTH././.
I understand that I’ll receive the Complete Guide to Con¬
soles Vol II and all my other Megaclub goodies when
they’re ready at the end of March.
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
CONSOLES VOLUME II IS
SCHEDULED TO APPEAR
IN NEWSAGENTS JUST BE¬
FORE EASTER AND
WOULD NORMALLY COST
YOU £2.95. BUT JOIN THE
MEAN MACHINES MEGA¬
CLUB WE’LL SEND IT TO
YOU FREE BEFORE YOU
CAN EVEN BUY IT IN THE
SHOPS!!!
R'AT.T.UEffil»MMOIllBUEEP]!
CBM 64/121
AMSTRAD
CASSETTE
& DISK.
IBM P.C.
U.S. Gold Ltd, Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.
r t. -
ft
fc , - — ---
// - -S-
■i/V
i *
v> .
Citize
F M Towns everywhere. That's the first thing
you notice as you wander in and out of plush
carpeted, air-conditioned, open-plan Ameri¬
can software houses.
With the Philips CD-I machine delayed until
April 1991, there is still no machine on the
market for the boffins to practise their inter¬
active CD skills upon. Hence the popularity of
the Towns machine, which - while not exactly
CD-I - still offers them the chance of developing CD-
ROM expertise and selling their games into Japan at
the same time.
Everyone we spoke to was agreed that CD was
the entertainment medium of the future. For this rea¬
son, the NEC PC Engine family was regarded by all as
HOWDY
PARDNER,
Welcome to ACE’s 1990 American
issue. We scoured Silicon Valley, pris¬
ing the secrets of the latest games
and small - then we got down to the ■.
jjpjplltl
ing habits of Citizen USA.
We gathered so much material
that weve had to spread it between
j||§jfjj
out the latest developments at Cine-
iliili Electronic Arts. FTE ? Lucas-
films, and Origin. We've also got more
news for you on the current revolution
in hand-held games computers that Is
currently sweeping the States and due
to hit the UK later this year.,
; But we didn't just check out the
big boys. We visited the arcades, met
programmers, and kept our ears to the
ground for all the latest grassroots
developments. We Ye given you a
Ht
ies on the next two pages.
Dent miss next month, when we
check out Cyan (creators of Cosmic
Osmo) and American Interactive
Media...
Oh yes - one last tidbit for your
all. On our trip we gathered a mind-
numbing selection of American current
affairs trivia. You'll find these little
Ill
Bon voyage.
Brian Crawford was our host in Marin Coun¬
ty, California while we visited Lucasfilms
and Electronic Arts. However, Brian’s a pret¬
ty mean programmer himself. He’s just fin¬
ishing off his first game, which is in some
respects similar to Lucasfilm’s Pipemania.
Very simple to play, but very addictive, it
uses the concept of moveable puzzle blocks
as you attempt to build a railroad across
the screen from one designated point to
another. We’ll be getting the first full Mac
version for ACE to review in the next couple
of months. When he’s not writing games, Bri¬
an’s either programming IBM mainframes or
luxuriating in his hot tub’. This is ajacuzzi
style outdoor bath, big enough for four peo¬
ple, that enables you to stretch out in hot
water in the middle of the night and count
the stars. Yup, these Californians know how
to take things easy...
Advanced Computer Entertainment 19
being particularly significant, since it's the first enter¬
tainment module to offer a CD-ROM attachment that’s
actually sold in reasonable numbers. Most companies
were either developing or keen to develop programs
for the unit.
When it came to CD-I, however, there was a lot of
confusion and disillusionment. CD-I itself (as defined by
Philips and Sony) had initially created a lot of interest,
but after repeated delays most companies had lost
interest - at least for the time being. Electronic Arts,
who were busy developing CD-I titles when we last visit¬
ed them (over a year ago) have since closed down the
CD-I division until the machines get onto the market.
Further confusion was caused by the emergence
of DV-I and the prospect of CD-ROM XA with full motion
video. In general, everyone agreed that had CD-I been
released as originally planned, two years ago, it would
have been a big hit. As it is, we will now have to wait to
see which system will be first to achieve a reasonable
user base.
In the meantime, everyone was busy developing
game systems that could, one day, be upgraded to
work with CD technology. You can read about these
systems elsewhere in this issue.
sniffing gasoline that he
slapped him. Hours later,
having taken his son to
hospital for treatment,
nurses noted the boy’s
bruised cheek and
reported it to the police.
The father was promptly
sentenced to four years
in jail.
HYPERSTATES
Hypermedia (again, check out last month’s ACE) is also
making a big impact in the States. Many games com¬
panies have developed game design systems based
on HyperCard. The most complex was that produced
by Cinemaware, which allows the game designers to
store all dialogue and other information in the system
and then download it onto any target machine in a form
immediately usable by the program code for the game.
This means that, for example, if the designer sud¬
denly changes his mind about the third sequence in It
Came From The Desert, he no longer has to get the
programmer to change the code. All he does is boot
up his Mac, make a quick alteration to the relevant
scene, then download the new scenario into the pro¬
grammer's environment. Special utilities ‘massage’ the
American arcades often feature older games than we see
here in the UK. In this one we found original Frogger,
Tempest, and Super PacMan consoles.
Don’t forget! You can win an FM
Towns machine by entering this
month’s special competition. Check
out the instructions on pages 42
and 43, then fill in the card on the
cover.
Americans don’t just shoot aliens,
as this No Shooting notice amply
demonstrates. On closer inspection,
we found it full of bullet holes.
SUBWAY
SANDWICHES & SALADS
* ■■BJJJJ-l-lJ. LLU \
FOOTLONGMEATBALL$2.49I
DETAILS INSIDE
With food like this, you wonder why all Americans aren’t
at least 30 stone overweight. Answer: a lot of them are,
and the rest are obsessed with dieting.
See last month’s issue for explana¬
tions of CD-I, DVI, and other techno¬
terms. CD-I is a Philips/Sony stan¬
dard, reviewed in ACE issue 24, and
offering different levels of complexi¬
ty, ranging from simple interactive
video to IV with full motion video,
computer animation, and CD stereo
simultaneously. The first unit is due
for release in Spring 1991 (after a
three year delay). DVI is a more
powerful technology currently asso¬
ciated with PC technology and
owned by Intel.
FTL are just one of many companies using the FM Towns
to refine their CD-ROM programming skills. This is
Wayne Holder, founder of FTL, with just one of several
Towns machines owned by the company. Dungeon Mas¬
ter has already been converted to Towns format: see
page 35.
data en route to ensure that it is compatible with the
target machine and the program code.
In fact, Macintoshes were being used for game
development in ALL the companies we visited. One
consequence of this is a growing degree of Mac skills
amongst programmers and designers, which could -
if Apple ever producea a low-end Macintosh - make
the machine the number one games unit of all time! If
only...
HOME FRONT
Macintoshes were also, despite the long-standing
superiority of the PC in America, very popular at
home. Most of the users we visited had either got
Macs or were planning to get one as soon as finances
permitted. What was interesting was that many people
with Macs didn’t have much expertise on them (though
users like Brian Crawford - see pic - are obviously an
exception!).
PC’s were everywhere, but again we were
intrigued to see how many users still possessed low-
Although many people still use the old standard PC’s,
386 machines are far cheaper in the States than here
in the UK. In this cash-and-carry we found well-built
VGA 386 systems ready to wheel out to your car - for
only $1999.99 (£1180).
A | VIP’s in San Francisco
have been plagued by
|mJ|H dirty underpants. Some-
t one has been posting
jrfar I soiled underwear, com-
plete with accompanying
4 porn pictures, to the
city's leading citizens.
'It's the most repulsive case we've ever
worked on,' declared a post office
spokesman.
20 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Tough, burly, bearded
L.A.Bowie was alleged to
have robbed a 7-11 store
in Maryland. On his
arrest, he was given a
strip search and police
were somewhat dis¬
turbed by what they
found - or rather what they didn't find.
Mr Bowie was apparently a Mrs Bowie.
His two sons were arrested with him,
but despite Bowie's claims that he
was their father, police are trying to
find out whether he may, in fact, be
their mother.
end PC’s rather than the more recent 286 and 386
machines. Although VGA is becoming more and more
popular, many users still have standard EGA models.
CGA, however, despite its popularity in the UK, was
more or less defunct.
Finally, we noticed that despite the vast number
of games available, most Americans still used their
machines primarily for more serious tasks: writing let¬
ters, composing music, keeping their accounts, and
so on. Here in the UK the success of the Spectrum
as a games machine more or less shaped the future
of the British computer user and ensured that a good¬
ly proportion of his time was spent blasting aliens. In
the US, the prevalence of the PC has encouraged a
more serious user. Down at the cash and carry, the
only games we saw were bargain bundles of Sierra
titles and a couple of old space trading game sims.
Word processors and accounting packages, however,
were piled high.
Jay Sachs is 35 years old and owns a beaten-up PC
which he uses as part of a MIDI set-up with a Yamaha
DX synth. When he's not hitting the ivories, however,
he’s knocking the stuffing out of the Huns in Lucas-
Jilms’ Their Finest Hour. ‘It’s a mind-blowing experi¬
ence,’ he says, ‘..by around midnight I’ve gone into
another state of consciousness. All there is in the world
is the cockpit, the firing button, and the Hun. ’ Take
their games seriously, these boys. Down at the arcade,
Jay knocks up vast scores on Tetris (two player version,
high score 995468).
One of the most extraordinary developments we came across in the States was
Subjective Technologies’ Video Room. It’s a weird mixture of technical inspiration
and mystic invention that could soon be revolutionising the way we interface with
computers.
In basic terms, the system - called IMME or Interactive Multi Media Engine -
was designed to take the user interface beyond the traditional mouse, keyboard, or
touchscreen into more complex areas of physical interaction.
The IMME hardware is capable of handling and integrating visual (video and
computer graphics) data, audio data (CD quality stereo), and standard program
data simultaneously. Most importantly, it can also handle up to 8000 separate
inputs which can be configured by a sys¬
tem designer into any format he choos¬
es.
To show off this beast, Subjective
Technologies have designed a Video
Room in which photo-electric sensors
monitor up to 8000 locations within the
room on a 3D basis. This means that you
can enter the room and control the sys¬
tem by moving any part of your body.
Dancing, walking, jumping, or even
lying still in the room trigger off the rele¬
vant sensors which in turn trigger off
software events within the system. When
we saw it in operation, the prototype soft¬
ware was manipulating abstract and digi¬
tised images together with both comput¬
er generated and digitised sound. The
results varied from the impressively
extraordinary to the simply weird juxtapo¬
sition of meaningless images, but there
was no doubt that such a system could,
with careful programming and data
selection, present some unusual possi¬
bilities. ACE reckons it could go down a
bomb in nightclubs, where it could be
linked into a computer driven laser instal¬
lation. It could also provide the ultimate
interface for Yie Ar Kung Fu\
One of the images appearing on the screen
during the demonstration of the Video
Room prototype.
Washington da Silva, technical whizz-kid,
and (right) Jack Lampl (president) of Sub¬
jective Technologies. And why are they
smiling, you may well ask? Well, perhaps
it’s got something to with the fact that, in
common with many American businesses,
they can get a visiting masseuse (legitimate
- not your typical Soho sweat session) to
relieve the tensions of new technology.
That’s Nicola Groves of Essential Touch
corporate massage services in the middle.
ACE naturally wanted a freebie, but we
didn’t have time...
This was part of a swirling abstract ►
sequence, generated by traditional video
methods. It’s accompanied by vocal and
musical effects.
The Video Room: sensor monitor your posi¬
tion, then the IMME sends sound and video
data to four large monitors suspended in
each corner of the room. The system we
saw was set up to translate physical move¬
ments based on the ancient alchemical
principles of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Weird, man!
Advanced Computer Entertainment 21
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At The
Court of
Lord British
W hen Richard Garriott first sold Ulti¬
ma I by mail order, he probably
would have laughed (or giggled - he
was of very tender years) if you’d
told him that a few years later his
games would be selling literally mil¬
lions of copies and he’d be rich and
successful beyond most people’s
wildest dreams. But they do...and
he is.
The nice thing about Origin is its origin. Having
started small, the company retains a friendly, intimate
atmosphere that makes a refreshing change after the
larger software companies of the West coast. ‘We’re a
very author oriented company,’ confirms Dallas Snell,
in charge of product development, and this is certainly
the impression you get as you wander along the nar¬
row corridors - there's a software designer/program¬
mer coding away behind each door, in his own little
world of creativity.
This is completely against all the tenets of the larg¬
er companies, who now put together programs in
teams. Origin is one of the few companies where you
can still see a single name on the credit list for a new
game. This doesn't mean that teamwork isn't involved
- every title benefits from the input of the excellent Ori¬
gin graphics department and is controlled by a produc¬
er - but it is still the case that Origin games tend to be
the brainchildren of single creative minds.
WORLDS UNDER
WRAPS
Right now there are three main titles under develop¬
ment (or just released) at Origin. The first is the long
awaited Ultima VI (see later in this article), pro¬
grammed by Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Garriott).
ACE reckons this is probably the game that will finally
prove to the world that role-playing games can be
every bit as exciting and satisfying as arcade action.
The second is Bad Blood, programmed by Chris
Roberts, who last year brought us Times of Lore. You
can find out more about this later in this article.
Finally there’s a vast RPG scenario for D&D
addicts - Knights of Legend, which is reviewed in this
issue on page 52. We’ve also included a review of
Omega (see page 62) although this was actually
released late in 1989.
High in the hills, out¬
side Austin, Texas; the
drawbridge thunders
down and grants us
passage into Castle
Origin. Six-foot-tall
Texan overlords,
brought up on a diet
of steak, sausage and
ribs, drag us into the
presence of Lord
British - the creator of
Ultima...
Lord British (a.k.a. Richard Gar¬
riott) masters time and space with
the aid of one of his unique collec¬
tion of antique horaries.
CD RPG
The company that brought you Knights of Legend and
Ultima ought to be a safe bet for those wondering who
will be the first to produce the definitive CD-ROM RPG,
but game designer Todd Porter has some sensible
caveats to make...
‘One of the problems with CD-ROM,’ he points out,
‘is access time. Knights of Legend, for example, needs
lots of data but doesn’t need immediate access to it, so
a CD-ROM version would offer lots of possibilities. In
Ultima, however, the program is very disk-intensive and
would need a lot of work to operate satisfactorily with a
CD-ROM system. There’s no doubt, however, that opti¬
cal storage will be tremendously useful for fantasy RPG
or large world simulations.’
As a result, the best Origin games are unlike any¬
thing from anywhere else. As producer Jeff Johannig-
man points out, The variety of our products released in
89 is a tribute to what the authors can do.' Other com¬
panies are often quick to copy Origin products: ‘My
friends send me a new Ultima clone practically every
week,' says Richard, ‘it must be one of the most
copied gamestyles ever.' Bad Blood and Times of Lore
are also highly original game styles, and even Knights
of Legend, although containing many traditional RPG
elements, is different simply in terms of sheer scale.
‘We tell people to come to us with their ideas and
we'll help bring out the best in them,' says company
spokesman Greg Malone - but unlike other companies,
the ideas will remain a personal challenge rather than a
team production. ‘On the other hand,’ says Dallas, ‘we
don’t have the luxury of being experimental. What I
mean by being author oriented,’ he jokes, ‘ is that we
try not to screw authors! It's true that as at other com¬
panies our authors are no longer self managing - now
they have to get things done on time!’
INTO NEW WORLDS
Origin are moving rapidly with the times. Not only are
they producing more games than ever, but they are
also moving into the console market, having become a
licensed developer for Nintendo games. There is
already a version of Ultima on the Nintendo in Japan,
which is proving extremely popular. Now Richard Gar¬
riott is planning a Nintendo version of Ultima V and
even a ‘generic Ultima ’ for the Gameboy.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 23
‘Meanwhile/ says Greg Malone, ‘we’re all salivating
for CD-ROM. The new consoles are pretty impressive
too: the Sega Genesis is technically a very sexy
machine. By 1991 we hope to have a selection of orig¬
inal titles on the Genesis and Turbographx (NEC)
machines.’
Much depends, they feel, on the current congres¬
sional investigation into the restrictive practises of
Japanese console manufacturers. Most console com¬
panies forbid software companies to develop games
and manufacture cartridges without special - very
expensive - licenses. However, Electronic Arts are
believed to have recently ‘reverse engineered’ a Ninten¬
do compatible games cartridge for release in the US,
“We always program
for the top flight
machines - so we can
say ‘This is the
dream ... ’ and then
realise it on other
formats. ”
Greg Malone, Origin
Just as Ultima VI is a quantum leap beyond Ultima V, so Bad Blood is a quantum leap from
Times of Lore. ‘TOL had 256 world blocks,’ says programmer Chris Roberts, ‘but in Bad Blood
we’ve got a world built of 3800 different cells.’ The resulting world is a nightmare of post-holo¬
caust mutation as humanity struggles for survival on a barren, blasted plain.
Gameplay involves exploration of ruined cities and interaction with other bizarre mutants in a
quick-to-learn menu command system.
‘All the graphics routines are in assembler,’ points out Chris, which helps combine detail with
high speed. ‘We coded the intelligence routines in C - it means a tiny decrease in performance
but it’s in a part of the program where you won’t notice it, and it triples our productivity.’
Watch out for a full preview (and review, of course) of Bad Blood in a forthcoming issue of
ACE.
:Hs;. . \
Having a conversation inside a building: note the vastly increased graphical detail over
Times of Lore.
Origin producers get together:
Dallas Snell tells his colleagues
about the one that got away.
The Bad Blood
team: that’s
Lord British on
the left, and
Chris Roberts
centre.
and the American courts will have to decide whether
such a flouting of Nintendo’s strict control of the soft¬
ware supply is legal. If it is, it will open the way for a
flood of ambitious, varied console titles - and Origin
hope to be up near the top.
Meanwhile, Origin will continue to support gifted
authors and game designers in the production of new
games. If they’re anything like Ultima VI and Knights of
Legend, this company is set to head right into the
very big time indeed. Let's hope it doesn’t spoil them.
David Todd Porter began the design for Knights of
Legend over eight years ago and has never looked
back. The objective was quite simply to create the ulti¬
mate RPG system for players who demanded all the
complexity of a traditional board-game RPG like Dun¬
geons and Dragons but also wanted the opportunities
and convenience of a computer version.
'KOL is the first FRPG (fantasy role playing game)
to do things in extreme depth,’ claims Todd, and once
you’ve played the game it’s difficult to disagree - you
can get some feeling for the adventure in our review
on page 52.
The game was put together by Todd, but he also
had the help of his role-playing friends, who were in at
the start of the project when they first discussed it over
a pint all those years ago. When Todd came to Origin,
the first thing he did was to get in touch with his old
companions and involve them in the game develop¬
ment.
Todd himself took the research for the game to
almost pedantic extremes. 1 even went to England,’ he
recalls, ‘to study mediaeval weaponry and castles. I
read just about everything I could about contemporary
armour, for example. I love it in other games when you
can simply plonk on a suit of plate armour - that stuff
weighs a ton! Most normal characters who might
attempt to wear it would simply pass out from exhaus¬
tion. In KOL you really have to have the muscle to
carry that stuff. All the details are there...’
This level of detail involves, for example, no less
than forty algorithms to decide whether a creature
whould back off during combat. ‘The artificial intelli¬
gence is the main cornerstone of the game,’ says
Todd, ‘your enemies are highly intelligent. For exam¬
ple, KOL also introduces limb damage, and if you hurt
an arm or a leg during combat other creatures will
soon ‘learn’ to attack it specifically.’
One reason why RPG’s are so popular is the
degree of identification you can build up with your
characters. Sadly, many computer RPG’s completely
fail to capitalise on this, but Todd has really caught on
here, allowing you not only to customise the appear¬
ance of your characters, but also to name your own
weapons and spells. The level of detail is tremendous
- you can even change the coats of arms on your
fighters’ shields! Check out the full review on page 52.
Todd Porter:, designer and programmer of Knights
of Legend in his Origin programmer’s dungeon.
24 Advanced Computer Entertainment
BUILDING A WORLD
Lord British's guide to Ultima design...
Origin have produced the ultimate game design
package for the Ultima programs, programmed by
in-house genius Herman Miller. Here Lord British
(Richard Garriott) and Greg Malone take you
through the various functions of the package,
showing how the game scenario is edited and
defined: including objects, monsters, and map fea¬
tures.
..
Kimm
11 ' \uliixS.it Ajl
ByIi tn*!itl Ia HI
uue.rrni'iiy
_ ___ A
This is where you start in Ultima VI - in the Throne
Room of Lord British’s castle. The left window scrolls in
four directions and the right window up and down. The
upper two boxes in the right window show what would
be placed on the map by pushing the left and right
mouse buttons. Using these buttons, you can select
which tile to use from the right window and plop down
the tile repeatedly as needed, thus constructing the
world and the people in it.
—I
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In (£?S
l-iokt <0123) 0
MaO I 9 O x OpaO
SuQ BaO a WinO
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Double <X«-t 4 *> X
Mane: spinning
Mkeel
Hew Type. 1
Mgt: 0;0 HP:000
Name: Spinning..
Mkeel
Ini nation o:
Every object in the world has a mass of data associated
with it. In this part of the utility, various object
attributes can be defined. In this case, we’re telling the
game whether a spinning wheel should be impassable,
how heavy it is, whether it emits light, its name, and so
on.
New IX p £
Mgt:20.0
Name: F i
mu
»UIIUH U
Hall 0
Impas i
^ isKt < 0123> 0
al IgO x OpaO
SuO BaO a HinO
3r0 an ForO
SeO tke NosO
Double CXf-t*> X
flame: Figkter
Previous Ultima objects were all sin¬
gle tile characters, and therefore
limited in graphic complexity. A
master tile list of some of the multi¬
tile creatures. Seen here: Dragon,
cyclops, giant snake, boats, etc.
There are 2048 unique tiles in Ultima
VI and the Master Tile List shows
256 tiles at one time. You can select
tiles here for map plotting as well.
Once a tile has been placed in the
world, it can be given further
attributes specific to that one object,
thus differentiating it from other sim¬
ilar objects elsewhere inthe world.
Such attributes include whether or
not the object is cursed, owned,
asleep, how many hit points it pos¬
sesses, etc.
T
‘The Ultima games
are about morality:
the decisions your
character makes are
significant for you
personally.
Richard Garriott
flnin ation
off
r *
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Copy Erase Renumber Map Undel
An algorithmically reduced view of
part of the world. 1 pixel=256 pixels.
This allows the designer to get an
overall view of his creation, and also
allows him to build up the world
using large predefined ‘chunks’. Here
you can see Lord British’s castle. ►►
l 0H M |yl 351
-ucro
3MB* "I """■ I
""■I an ■■ I
«n=;:a
■uQpa
# D 1*2 3
A ‘monster generating egg’ has been
placed near the altar, which is sur¬
rounded by a ring of stones. Mon¬
sters generate from these pre¬
defined ‘encounter eggs’, sort of like
Gauntlet monster generators. But
the player can neither see or
destroy the eggs because, as he/she
approaches their location, they
hatch before they come into view on
the screen. The game designer
places whichever monster types he
wished into each individual egg.
Eggs can hold a number of monster
types simultaneously (embryos) and
has a percentage probability of
hatching at all. It can even hatch
two differently aligned creatures
(e.g. good and evil, chaotic and neutral) from the same
egg, which would create the curious spectacle of two
monsters appearing and suddenly attacking each other
before the player’s eyes.
D 1 2 3
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Copy Erase Renumber Map*Undelete Select*
A part of the master list of ‘chunks’ containing a total
of 4096 unique chunks which can be used as macro
building blocks to construct large portions of the world.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 25
THE ULTIMATE
ULTIMA
There’s no doubt about it - Ultima VI has to be one of
THE games of 1990, if not Game of The Year itself.
Ultima V wasn’t exactly lacklustre, but UVI takes the
fantasy game into a whole new dimension.
First, it's extremely easy to play. One of the prob¬
lems with early RPG’s (including Ultimas) was the learn¬
ing curve the player had to endure before he could
really settle into the game. Menus had to be mastered,
commands remembered, key-strokes noted. In UVI,
everything is mouse-driven, but with¬
out in any way limiting the options
open to the player.
Movement in the game is
mouse-controlled - a small arrow on¬
screen shows the current direction
of travel and you simply move it in
the direction you want to go and
click. Quite apart from the enor¬
mously increased graphical presen¬
tation, there are other major refine¬
ments including having all your char¬
acters visible all the time, rather
than a single 'party symbol’. Your L_,. . * , _
characters follow each other about
intelligently as you move from one place to another or
between obstacles.
Mouse control has also been extended to object
manipulation, so you can now pick up an object just by
clicking on it. Clicking on character names also gets
you character attributes and status. There are also
graphic screens for your inventory, rather than the old
lists, and for the clothes you are wearing as well.
All the combat routines have been dramatically
improved - which is saying something since Ultima V
had one of the best combat routines of any RPG to
date already. In addition to the usual individual control
of each character, you can now issue more complex
tactical orders that include commands to flank the
enemy, retreat, go berserk, assault the nearest oppo¬
nent, change position, and so on. Going berserk, by
the way, involves singling out the most dangerous
opponent and heading for them, attempting to kill
everyone who stands in your way.
"At last thou hast cone to fulfill thy destiny/
the gypsy says. She sniles. as if in great relief.
.... the light of
uture.”
'Sit before ne now _
Virtue into the shadows of thy
and I shall pour
' fi
Character creation involves a simi¬
lar set of moral decisions as in Ulti¬
ma V - a lot more interesting than
simply juggling numbers about.
BLIsfekULlrLSa
Hitoum iiiii m.liaaiai
The Origin graphic design team, responsible for many of
the visual delights in Ultima VI. From left to right: Keith
Burdak, Denis Loubet, Daniel Bourbonnais, and Glyn
Johnson.
history and dialogue, and the game only just squeezes
onto seven disks - that’s after heavy compression.
The map itself is composed of 1048576 tiles - and
that’s only the upper level! In addition there are anoth¬
er five underlying dungeon levels.
On the magic side, there are 100 spells - and
unlike most computer RPG’s these are genuine, unique
spells rather than a whole load of ‘destroy monster’
routines. Other nice touches include seeing invisible
characters in faint outlines, and spell mixing is auto¬
matic.
Ultima fans will also be pleased to hear that invisi¬
ble doors are now rather harder to spot. Mapping is
more of a challenge too, since the large scale over¬
head view is no longer used: you are at close range
(as you used to be in towns only) all the time.
And the story line....One of Ultima's strengths has
always been the plots Richard Garriott comes up with
and UVI is no exception. This time (after a superb
opening sequence) you’re summoned back to Britan¬
nia, to find that the world is under attack by an evil
race of gargoyles. The twist in the tale, however, is
that all is not as it seems. ‘Ultima
VI,' says Richard, ‘was inspired by
so many elements of our society.
Take Jim Bakker, for example, the
TV evangelist recently disgraced
after revelations about his private
life. The world is full of people pre¬
tending to be one thing but in fact
they’re hiding something quite dif¬
ferent. That’s what Ultima VI: The
False Prophet is all about...’
Energy Field
-►Exp 1 os i on
Insect Sworn
Invisibility
JL i ghtning
Paralyze
P i ckpocket
Revea i _
5TH
level
Jr
Uas Por F1 an"
Locat ion'*
Jester critical!
Avatar:
>Cast-Explosion
"Uas Por F1 an
Location!
Ultima VI - all spells are now in
English, but Ultima afficionadoes
chn still use the old-style Britannic
language if they wish.
SILICON UNIVERSE
The statistics of Ultima VI are pretty awesome. There
are 2000 types of object, and 16000 objects in the
game itself. There are 2000 different graphic tiles.
Every single object has its own attributes, every one of
the 224 characters in the game has its own personal
Upon your wor ld, five seasons have passed since
your triunphant honeconing fron Britannia.
From the opening sequence: there’s
a storm outside and you’re about to
be catapulted back to Britannia...
AND YET MORE
IMPROVEMENTS!
Check out these other features of UVI:
• Waterways (rivers, oceans etc) are tidal - they
flow in particular directions and at particular
rates;
• You can check out the battle statistics of
opposing monsters during combat;
• There’s a help command for dialogue that
highlights keywords in a character's speech for
further interrogation (you can turn this facility off
if you wish);
• You get your own room in Lord British's castle!
• Hierarchical object directories/icons: you can
put items inside other items etc.
• The whole world is in constant scale and per¬
spective.
26 Advanced Computer Entertainment
AVAILABLE FOR
Commodore Amiga
IBM PC and Compatibles
Atari ST
ore 64 Cassette
ore 64 Disk
n in a sea of slime!
Cassette
Disk
CPC Cassette
CPC Disk
n Cassette
tosh
C and VG Feb 1990 94%
i Pipe Mania is “a classic puzzle arcade game that is so addictive, it
Pipe Mania is a game of great ingenuity, simple in concept and frteni
You’ll need to act instinctively, but think strategically!
One wrong move, one brief hesitation or mis-placed pipe se<
ST Action
“Pipe Mania is a conceptually simple and cheeky
game which is incredibly addictive”
Commodore User Screenstar
“Terrifically addictive... outlasts any arcade conversion”
wro March 1J
“Buy this game and you may never sleep again”
The Games Machine Star Player Award 83%
“A puzzle game,of great ingenuity and addictivity,
Pipe Maniajs simple in concept, fiendishly
play, and attractive to look at”
ler
guaranteed to drive you round the
bend”
Amiga Computing Excellence Award 95%
“A game with a game play that shines”
Game Players Award USA
“Best PC strategy game of 1989”
C+VGl
HIT!
mmmm
STAR
PLAYER
IRcm*
le Stannetts • Laindon North TradelCentre • Basildon • Essex • SS15 6DJ
r
Numerous gold disks and other awards decorate EA’s
reception. EA has won over 200 awards in the last seven
years.
.
• Sacramento
San
^Francisco
ELECTRONIC ARTS
San Mateo
Home of Electronic Arts, USA
CALIFORNIA
Pacific Ocean
CONSOLES FIRST
‘Did you know,’ asks Tim, ‘that over half the world’s
installed base of CD-ROM units is for the NEC PC
Engine? It’s not the high-tech CD technology that's
going to really put CD-ROM and (eventually) CD-I on the
map, it’s the console market. Games machines are
going to lead the way into optical technology - you’ll
soon be able to get a complete CD Turbographx sys¬
tem for around $500.’
EA’s view is that the heavyweight CD units - the
Headstart $1999 PC CD-ROM machine, for example -
have little future, at least as far as the games market is
concerned. ‘Big business is really only interested in
writeable media,’ asserts Tim, ‘and what’s more,
machines like the Headstart simply aren’t targetted
properly. But read-only technology is ideal for games.’
The real advances in CD-ROM programming, then, are
going to be made on the games front, and that means
at low prices. Low prices require high volumes, and
only the console market can deliver those high sales.
Us computer freaks may soon have cause to be very
thankful to the likes of NEC and Sega, whose consoles
may well be the most important hardware base for
early CD-ROM research.
Despite their back-pedalling on CD-I, EA are obvi¬
ously casting sideways glances at the console market.
However, as Stewart Bonn points out, 'A genuine cause
of concern is the cost of entering into the video game
business...'. Companies wanting to publish on Nintendo
and NEC have to put forward considerable sums of
money or see their titles controlled by other distribu¬
tors. But with so much expertise to be gained from
producing CDR titles under the console umbrella, it
seems unlikely that EA will wait on the sidelines for
very long.
CDR would also suit some of EA's gamestyles. ‘I’m
personally particularly interested in RPG technology,’
says Tim, ‘The idea of creating an environment and a
character is very powerful. I think we’ll soon be seeing
the combination of RPG and simulation technologies -
and the realism that comes from video processing and
the storage capacity of CD-ROM is going to make prod¬
ucts much more viable. We’ll definitely be shipping our
first volume CD-ROM product within five years.’
ACE infiltrates the
techno-castle of
Electronic Arts
outside San Fran¬
cisco and discov¬
ers a company
moving from CD-I
to Ancient
Rome...
E A are making big progress - by going back
in time. Two years ago, they were at the
forefront of CD-I research and development,
headed up by CD genius Greg Ryker. Today,
they’ve closed down their CD-I division,
Ryker has left to work for Microsoft’s CD
division, and EA are producing a string of
excellent, but conventional titles. What’s
going on? Is this a retreat from new technol¬
ogy? Or simply a different approach?
The company was the first into the CD-I develop¬
ment race, and the first out of it. ‘We’ve really scaled
down the whole thing,’ says Senior Vice President Tim
Mott. ‘Four years back, when we saw the audio CD, we
were really excited. We were involved with Sony and
Philips in the CD-I specification, and very hopeful. But
after a year we wound it down.’
The problem lay with the constant delays in actual¬
ly producing a user base fo r the new technology.
Philips and Sony have consistently postponed the
launch date for CD-I, originally planned for two years
ago but now not expected until Spring 1991. It’s just
too long to wait. But EA aren’t retreating: behind the
apparent inaction lies a company who, while maintain¬
ing a strong base of conventional products, are still
one of the most informed about optical game storage
and its possibilities.
28Advanced Computer Entertainment
Rob Hubbard, once the toast of UK con¬
noisseurs of game sound tracks, is now to
be found deep inside the EA mansion, shut
away in a sound-proof room with no win¬
dows and hundreds of thousands of
pounds worth of equipment. But the music,
you'll be pleased to hear, sounds better
than ever.
‘We’re getting MIDI and wringing its
neck here,' -grins Rob. 'Even the sound
effects get the five star treatment. The
engine noises on Indianapolis 500, for
example, are all based on complex formu¬
lae that determing the pitch of the engine
Ski or Die: you can't hear the music -
more’s the pity. Acrobatic ski-ing action set
to a scorching Rob Hubbard sound track.
Rob Hubbard in his den: two years Stateside and no intention of returning. With all that kit,
who can blame him ?
for a different speed - ,
and it's different for every ^ e re
type of engine.’ and wrings
The biggest differ-
ence between the US and
the UK, for Rob, has expatriate e
been the changing musi- ge mi
cal tastes across the
Atlantic. Tve watched an
awful lot of NBC and CBS out here,’ he
admits, ‘and it's taken me a long time to
get used to writing in the American style.
Rob's attention to detail in his music is
quite extraordinary for a computer musi¬
cian. That, coupled with a tremendous flare
for composition, makes the tracks he puts
out something very special. On Ski or Die,
for example, there's a scorching guitar solo
which, when played over an MT32, practi¬
cally bestows hit status on the game all by
itself.
‘We got a guitarist in with a Korg MIDI
guitar. After he’d done the solo, the instru¬
ment had output six channels and it took
two days to edit it down to one. It's basical¬
ly designed for a young audience: a rock-
style tune with a few little hooks on it.' After
listening to it, we began yearning for the
if rnf Rob’s i nher ited some
ngMiui very potent kjt from the
g its neck EA CD-I development divi-
f sion {now wound down),
Rob Hubbard, including multi-track tape
ish computer music decks ( useful for S0IT1-
now full-time at ea. pling'), mixers, CD sound
libraries, and more. Most
of his composing is done
on a keyoard, then processed using a
Voyetra sequencer. Rob's constructed sev¬
eral music utilities that enable him to mas¬
sage MIDI data into such a form that it is
acceptable to the programmer’s game
code. He also provides drivers for the
many different sound formats (AdLib, MT32
etc) supported by the EA games. MIDI
code and drivers are handed to the pro¬
grammer who can then call them up at any
time during the game.
Looking ahead to the future of game
soundtracks, Rob sees a time when well-
known artists will contribute special tracks
-just as composers like Jarre and Vangelis
currently produce film scores. If there's any
justice in the world, by the time Eric Clap¬
ton and David Bowie are knocking out
game tracks, Rob Hubbard should be just
as famous.
Stewart Bonn, heading up development at EA. ‘The
most important skill here is the management of multi¬
person projects. The days of the programmer/designer
are over. ’
Five years! Surely not. After all, other companies
(as you can see elsewhere in this issue) are already
shipping CD-ROM titles - but you can see EA’s point.
Almost all current CDR titles are simply enhancements
of existing ROM/RAM-based games. FTL’s Dungeon
Master on the FM Towns, for example, is not a bit dif¬
ferent from DM on the ST (with the exception of an
enhanced sound track).
The fact is that almost anyone can produce a CD-
ROM version of their game, but EA are one of the few
companies who, because of their previous work in the
area, know what’s involved in writing a full-scale title
that makes proper and complete use of CD-ROM’s
added features.
‘We have a very strong technical base here,’
explains Vice President Stewart Bonn, ‘and the good
news is that that enables us to push existing hardware
to the limits. But the bad news is that it also means
we know what we can and can’t do. And with respect
to CD-ROM it’s especially what we can't do.'
This means, essentially, taking things slowly. ‘It’s
fun to think about giant leaps in technology,’ agrees
Stewart, ‘but in reality the market is not going to move
that way. It’ll move in a lot of small steps. The cost of
producing a fully-fledged CD-ROM product is measured
in millions of dollars, not tens of thousands, and until
the market opens up you’re going to see incremental
improvements rather than huge advances.'
Meanwhile, with games like Indianapolis 500,
Centurion, and LHX on the way, who’s complaining if
EA don’t give us CD-I products until we’ve got some¬
thing to play them on? Seems like good old-fashioned
common-sense to us.
Tim Mott: ‘The 16-bit consoles are far better for games
than the PC’s. The Genesis is a very sophisticated
machine...’
Advanced Computer Entertainment 29
SPECIAL
I $32 will buy you
a 30 day ? ourse
loss. According
I to the manufac-
■■■BlJjI how 211 patients
were put on this Pill plan rapidly
lost huge amounts of weight,
doctors studied what they called
a ’fat evaporation’ effect on
users." Call 1-800-444-5881
(within the US, toll-free) and ask
for Norma.
A I m I Dolores Pritzl of
I Warrenville, llli-
’i t nois, is reported
World News to
JSOJ I have revived her
daughter from a
■4. /G J coma by playing
^BBmLLLJLX an Elvis record.
This is only one of a series of
reported incidents in which Elvis
fans claim to have received good
luck, health, and marriage by
praying to their patron saint, St
King.
-VETTE
"Spectr
Oufstar
graphic
*'Fjpfkis<
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a word
reckless
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OMNIC
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Softwai
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£34 99
Going into battle in Centurion. The semi-circle of dots
indicates your General’s sphere of influence. Outside
that, units are not under your direct control. The lines
indicate troop movements under present orders. Watch
out for the elephants!
military, and economic forces all have to be balanced.
Conflict takes place on land and sea and is also
far more complex in execution than DOC. On land, for
example, you have many different battle manoeuvres
available to you, as well as different fighting units
(including elephants!). One nice touch is that com¬
mands issued by your general are not effective out¬
side his sphere of influence - no radio contact in
those days - and lines of attack are shown on screen
for battle analysis and tactical planning. Both naval
and land battles are shown in overhead view.
In addition, there are several sub-games within
Centurion. One of the most attractive is the chariot
race, held as part of the games which, in an effort to
keep the natives occupied (and therefore happy), you
have the option to organise. There’s also a gladiator
event for beat-em-up fans. One final improvement over
DOC is the inclusion of a SAVE GAME option - which is
just as well because you aren’t going to finish this one
in a hurry.
Centurion should be available in the UK, on PC
first, within the next two months (price to be
announced). Watch out for the full ACE review as soon
as it’s finished.
Much of the plahy interest in Centurion derives from the
old Dictator style of game. The natives tend to start off
fairly friendly, but unless you get your tribute and tax
levels right, things are going to turn sour rapidly.
Paddling into battle
30 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Ooops! The natives are getting restless. Time to build up
your naval strength
The Chariot Race underway. Note the long-range radar
screen at the top, which enables you to pinpoint your
position on the course
Kellyn Beeck, designer of Defender of the Crown, sat
back and looked at the game and saw that it was
good.
But it could have been a teensy bit better if it had
a spot more (some would say a sackful more) game-
play. So he sat down and started on Centurion. Still
under development, it already looks as if Kellyn (pro¬
nounced Kellen) and EA are on to a winner.
Centurion is a multi-level strategy scenario with
some very attractive battle sequences. Your role is as
an officer in the Roman army and your objective is to
spread the imperial influence as far across Europe as
possible. Objectives include recruiting Cleopatra (yup,
there’s another seduction scene somewhere in here),
keeping the natives happy, and, of course, waging suc¬
cessful military campaigns.
Central to the game is the Defender of the Crown-
style map display, showing the various territories avail¬
able for conquest. Unlike DOC, however, there’s far
more to do when you enter into a campaign. Political,
The ujealth of flipes is unremarkable, the
army is ordinary and the soldiers are
knoiun for their tenacity.
Vindelic, the leader of ftlpes, offers a
greeting;
Cinemaware’s Wings: 2D fore¬
ground, 3D backgrounds.
Stewart Bonn sees CD storage as a means of
boosting 3D performance, with highly complex 3D
images being generated off-line during game
development, then finally stored as a set of refer¬
ence frames on CD. You can therefore combine
richly coloured, high definition pixel images in
the foreground with a detailed 3D background.
This technique is already being used in some
games (Cinemaware’s Wings, for example) but
today the 3D background still has to be generated
‘on the fly’ and is therefore very limited in detail
due to processing restraints.
ENTERTAINING
ERKINB D
Outstanding 3-D solid modelling
Step into the world of DUNGEON
MASTER and see fantasy come to
life; Set irf the deptfisofthe ;
DUNGEON MASTER puts you
inside the most detailed dungeon
ever created in software. Everything
moves and works Pick up objects
performance factors of each
Corvette. Varying difficulty levels.
Option to choose from 4 Corvettes.
Sogetset^uckieu||and rev up. But
iMbss or you m^t leave moire
than four head ip Si n Francisco!
is Pick up objects
arid take them with
monster.
o^mmufONsmAc
linage WOTks/Finst Star
Software
WOLFPACK™
Mirrorsoft/Novalogic
Take charge of either Allied
destroyers or German U-Boats in
this classic simulation of war at sea.
With seven period scenarios, as well
as a full construction set.
WOLFPACK lets you examine any
aspect of North Atlantic naval
warfare throughout the 1939-45
conflict. WOLFPACK is the most
sophisticated submarine surface
simulation EVER!
£24-99
job to keep the peace in the
boaaiingly complex. Search
%f*#iything, search everywhe
pon't take no for an answer!
What sinister power has forced the Magic Canyon
Theme Park to close down? Why does the mere
mention of its name send shudders down your
spine? What terrible secret drove its former
owner mad?
You’re the inheritor of this mysterious pleasure
dome - only you can find the answer. Step
through the creaking turnstile, board the
mystery train and experience a fantastic journey
through four entirely different zones:
Dream Land, Dragon Land, Future Land and
Yesterday Land.
With outstanding visual effects, sinister sound
and an infernal plot, this is one mystery you’ll
never forget. Surviving it is an achievement,
solving it is the most challenging part of all.
Once you’ve stepped through the gates, there’s
no going back.
OUT SOON ON ATARI ST, AMIGA AND PC
© 1990 M1RR0RS0FT LIMITED
%
i
CARDS
K;. r * '
IMAGE WORKS, IRWIN HOUSE, 118 SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON SE1OSW TELEPHONE: 019281454 FAX: 01583 3494
h as s
Out of the
Dungeon
High on the
Mira Mesa, just
outside San Diego,
California, lurks a
small company
with some big, big
games: FTL, cre¬
ators of Dungeon
Master, Chaos
Strikes Back, and
Oids....
The sun goes down on Software
Heaven - FTL’s headquarters in
Mira Mesa, San Diego.
I t all started with spellcheckers. Not just one,
or two, but twenty of the blighters, in eleven
different languages. ‘After all,’ says FTL's Russ
Boelhauf, ‘...when you’ve written one
spellchecker, where do you go from there?’
More spellcheckers, that’s what. Oh yes, and
Dungeon Master, Oids, Chaos Strikes Back,
CD-ROM games, and beyond...
Right now, FTL are scratching their heads
wondering where to go after Chaos , which in itself
went one step beyond Dungeon Master. ‘Perhaps it
should be easier?’ wonders founder Wayne Holder.
‘We’ve toyed with the idea of doing a beginners’ ver¬
sion of the game - a sort of Dungeon Master Junior.
We’ve also considered producing a Super Expert con¬
struction kit.’
Whatever happens, it has to be something that
goes way beyond Chaos Strikes Back. ‘What’s impor¬
tant,’ says Russ, ‘...is that a company with a winning
formula should still realise that it has room for
improvement.’ Chaos was certainly an improvement,
but DM3 looks like being a greater challenge still. As
Wayne points out, ‘Even though we used some of the
original Dungeon Master code for Chaos, we were
really pushing the limits. In putting together new pro¬
jects, it’s not the coding that causes the problems, it’s
getting everything to work together.’
FTL’s basic objective is to give the player total
control not only over the games he plays but also over
the stories that spring from those games. ‘We’re work¬
ing towards a point where the story is scripted entirely
by the player,' says Wayne. ‘We take you to the start¬
ing point, and from then on it's up to you. It’s confused
a lot of players because when they confer with each
other they discover that they’ve reached entirely differ¬
ent situations.
‘One of the problems with the Dungeon Master
system and its later development (e.g. in Chaos) is
that soon you find so many people are really getting
into the game that it's almost impossible to keep
putting in little scenarios for them all to discover. But
we keep trying...’
CD DUNGEONS
The storage capacity of CD-ROM could provide some
part of the answer - and also new problems. 'With
storage like that,' warns Russ, 'you can be positively
flagrant in your use of space - and that can be really
dangerous in game development.' Nevertheless, FTL
are already producing games using CD-ROM technolo¬
gy. Like many US companies, they’ve agreed to pro¬
duce titles for the FM Towns ‘...because it gave us an
opportunity both to get into the Japanese market and,
at the same time, give us more experience in writing
for CD-ROM technology,’ explains Russ.
The Towns version of Dungeon Master is pretty
similar to all the others, with one big exception: the
music. Once that CD starts spinning, the atmosphere
of the game is hugely enhanced by CD-quality stereo
sound.
‘When I first looked at the FM Towns,’ Russ
recalls, ‘I kept looking at the specifications and feeling
it was all so disjointed: the machine seems to do
absolutely everything: video editing and control,
music/audio, CD player, computer graphics - they’ve
tried to provide a link to every bit of hardware we nor¬
mally use in the home. The hi-res monitor even has a
TV tuner, so you can type your school essay on the
screen, right over Benny Hill. I would like to think that
ultimately all the entertainment technologies will
merge into one. And when they do, FTL will be ready.’
In the meantime, FTL have yet to decide on a fol¬
low-up to Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back. In
the near future, you’ll see conversions of existing FTL
games (DM, Chaos, and Oids in particular) on the
Mac, PC, FM Towns, Sharp 68000, and others. Until
all 16-bit users have been given the chance to share
the DM experience, we’ll have to wait for DM///. ‘We’re
going to stick to the first person adventure. Like Dun¬
geon Master, it'll mean you’re there, you’re in control.’
Stand by your joysticks...
MAC-N-OIDS
You’re looking at
the man who
gave the world a
bad case of
Oids. 23 year old
Dan Hewitt bro¬
ught together the
strong points of
alt his favourite
games, ranging
from Defender to
Xevious, to com¬
bine that unique
Oids playability
with an original scenario by Wayne Holder,
‘..and apart from that little task, I guess I blew
most of my life away playing Loderunner,’ he
confesses.
Right now, Dan’s working on a Mac version
of Oids that looks set to be the best conversion
yet. He’s attempted to use as many of the Mac’s
familiar user interface tools as possible - espe¬
cially in the Oids c onstruction utility.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 33
(left to right) Russ Boelhauf, Doug Bell, and FTL
founder Wayne Holder. Doug Bell was the chief
designer/programmer on the DM project.
FTL have pulled off a neat trick with the PC version of
DM ..Packaged free with the program is a plug-in sound
and joystick adaptor that uses the PC parallel printer port
as a joystick/sound interface. Users will be able to get full
joystick control without having to splash out on IBM’s
stick adaptor - and they can also get much improved
sound quality by connecting the Sound Adapter to their
hi-fi. PC DM uses 8-bit digital sound that makes a huge
difference to the atmosphere in the game - but it would
have been largely wasted if you had had to rely on the
PC’s pathetic internal speaker.
Even better, FTL are placing the code required to
drive the Sound Adapter into the public domain, so hope¬
fully other software companies will support this cheap,
simple solution to PC sound. Other alternatives (AdLib
boards, MT32 etc) are obviously more powerful - but they
cost £100 upwards.
Oids on the Mac here you’re designing a planetoid. Note
the large icon menu top left, providing many convention¬
al Mac editing tools.
A 22 year old Joe Lihhoff pro¬
grammed the Utility Disk for
Chaos Strikes Back. Like many
young American programmers, he
combines work at FTL with college
studies. When we asked him what
the biggest problem was in coding
Chaos, he replied with a smile: ‘I
don’t have ANY problems!’. Boss
Wayne Holder remarked that the
real difficulty wasn’t in the coding,
but keeping him at school.
Dave Simon and Bill Kelly: FTL pro¬
grammers involved in the Chaos
project. 18 year old Bill is working
on the Amiga conversion of Chaos.
When he’s not struggling away with
that, he’s relaxing with a game of
Stunt Car - or Jez San’s Starglider
H. Nice to know that there are some
British programmers making the
grade out their for a change... Dave
is using the Dungeon Master Cre¬
ation utility (see The DM Story box)
to put together some game demos.
He’s also hot on designing hostiles:
‘When people ask me what I do, I
tell them I spend the day designing
monsters!’
Joe’s development is
done in C on the Mac -
here’s a section of
code from the original** *
Utility disk program ^
that’s executed every**
60th of a second (on *v ^
the US system). Joes,
was so shy we dec^deS^f^^
to get him to auto* c? efio °p.-
graph it for us! if&m
readers out there 0je ^ s
would like a chancetp °*° 7 o
pin it on their waU$ t ^
just send us a podt-< {
card with your namfe' n T ***<:#.
and address: first one ^
out of the hat gets^! ^
Russ Boelhauf- Wayne Holder’s right-hand man -
is responsible for just about everything from packag¬
ing the goods to project management. ‘There are lots
of companies who go for putting together simula¬
tions. We view ourselves as doing the same thing, but
instead of simulating devices, we’re simulating an
environment.’
Sylvester Stallone is
reported to have commis¬
sioned a 12-foot bronze
statue of himself - in the
nude. ‘This thing is a
monster, ‘ said the New
York Post, ‘...and it’s
green.’
• Bakersfield
HXLYWOCP
Santa Barbera
Los Angeles
34 Advanced Computer Entertainment
“/ seriously tdoubt whether
the FM Towns will still be a
competitive machine by the
time they're ready to release
it in the UK - there are
many other CD-based com¬
puters preparing to make
their debut."
Russ Boelhauf
Dungeon Master on the Sharp 68000 - there's anoth- __.
er Japanese version currently being developed for the \
FM Towns. \
Up on the Mira Mesa, we took a time capsule right \
back to the beginning of the Dungeon Master devel- \
opment. Here's how one of today’s most popular \
games evolved - from the very beginning to its recent '
conversion to the PC and FM Towns.
It all started with Wayne Holder’s desire to pro¬
duce a game in which players could experience, as
nearly as possible, an individual journey. ‘I wanted
people to have a lot of tall tales to tell when they’d fin¬
ished a game - and I wanted those
tales to be unique.' '—-—j
All the puzzles in the game are l
worked out individually. Early design
is very basic (see pic A) and carried JL A/ J°
out on paper. Later on development I ^ r ~ ^
was transferred to Macs. ‘We / ..
knew,’ said Wayne, That there was f A
absolutely no chance of our get- jr
ting our money back with just one fT' -
version of Dungeon Master. We j ' *'*&*■
had to set up a system that j ^ rr *>oo^
would serve as a foundation for I
later games.’ |
Part of this system /
involved the development of a / ^
Dungeon Master construction /
utility (see pic B). Using this /
utility, a game designer can
almost instantly create a DM dungeon compiete^T^
with all wall, floor, and ceiling features, monsters, / j
and traps. / .
jLLCl
The actual scenario was developed through p-p
group discussions within the company and uJA
Wayne’s wife (who is a professional writer) later [m
put together the prologue to the game. But in fgfq
many ways, FTL concentrated on keeping the / Jjp
story as loose as possible. ‘We are working /
towards a point where the story is scripted t s<
entirely by the player,' says Wayne, ‘We take /
you to the starting point, but from then on it's
up to you.’
One effect of this has been to confuse a /
lot of people in the States who communi-
cate about the program using bulletin n £
boards. In America you can dial up a local
The Dungeon Master creation utility. Using this , you
can knock together a spot of tunnel torture in a few
minutes. The program is menu/mouse driven and very
fast , providing the programmer with comprehensive
features and objects that can be placed anywhere on
the map, drawn instantly using the mouse pointer on a
grid.
bulletin board and download DM characters, tips,
and even player-persona designs for Chaos
Strikes Back. But the random nature of the Dun¬
geon Master system has caused a few hiccups.
'People leave a message saying they’re stuck in
l such and such a place, and are haying a certain
\ experience, and others dial in and say there’s
\ no such thing!.'
PC DM
After the success of Chaos Strikes Back , FTL are cur¬
rently working on conversions of the original Dun¬
geon Master for the PC and Macintosh. The p C ver¬
sion posed a few problems - ‘We started off with a
mono display, but soon found that the game really
demands colour. Your perception of things on the
floor, for example, was seriously degraded using a
mono screen. The EGA/VGA version will now appear
in April/May of this year.
/ The very
/ beginnings of
7 Dungeon Mas-
j ter - a few
scribbles on a
piece of paper...
/ The details are
added...Later the
S / design work was
/ transferred to a
/ Macintosh story-
/ boarding utility.
A j • Robert Brewster of
jSpTLongmont, Colorado is
\ fu I mounting a legal claim to
Y\Ji/ I ownership of the entire
JSjPJ I Northern USA - on the
grounds that the territory
H was granted to his family
by King Charles I. If successful, he
intends to grant citizenship only to
those people with blue and green eyes.
Such people are, he claims, genetically
superior to other humans.
• According to the Boston Herald, Paul
Newman’s contributions to charity over
the last seven years have totalled at
least $22 million, mostly earned from
commercials.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 35
loop
_J
I
THIS DISK WILL
GIVE YOU
HOURS OF
FUN
THIS DISK if
COULD GIVE a
YOU 6 MONTHS a
IN PRISON |
Li
er
If you Pirate Software you are
a thief. Thieves will
be prosecuted.
THIS CAMPAIGN IS ORGANISED BY
EUROPEAN LEISURE SOFTWARE
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Any information on piracy
should be passed to
The Federation Against Software Theft.
Telephone 01-240 6756
lei
pr
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ex
thi
in
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mi
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a}
PIRACY
ISTHEFT
To
wil
ga
bo
Looking down the front steps from the main ranch build-
ing. That’s the Tech building (see pic overleaf) in the dis¬
tance on the right
J ust north of San Francisco lies Marin County
(pronounced Merinn, with the accent on the
second syllable, chaps). After the dry,
parched streets of LA and ‘Cisco, Marin is a
paradise of rolling hills and green grass, with
narrow country lanes twisting past small
ranches that house some of the best horse-
breeding facilities on the West Coast - and
some of the richest, most genteel Americans
you're likely to meet.
Life here is laid-back and luxurious. During the day,
businessmen roar off down the driveway to spend the
working hours in San Francisco; come the evening,
they slip into their ‘hot tubs’ (heated jacuzzis) and let
the pressurised jets bubble the water around them,
easing away the tensions of the office, while they
make a mental note to call their stockbrokers first
thing in the morning.
Into this refined locality plunged George Lucas. He
bought up 5000 acres of real estate, put a fence
around it and an electronic gate at the end of the
drive, created his own security force (two of whom are
on permanent duty at a guard station just inside the
gate) and a fire-brigade to boot, and - in the midst of
this idyllic setting - brought a film to life. Literally.
Skywalker Ranch is fantasy come true. In the
beginning was a script, detailing the life history of a
fictitious Marin family. According to the story, this fami¬
ly settled upon the land purchased by Lucas and built
a beautiful colonial mansion. In 1990 the mansion still
‘There will be
major cinematic
releases based on
computer titles within
two years,’
A.J. Redmer, in charge of game
development at Lucasfilm.
INTERACTIVE MOVIES ON CD
Lucasfilm are another company keeping very close tabs on CD-I. When the system finally
emerges, they’ll have some very strong advantages over other companies. One of the big prob¬
lems with CD development is generating all the data to feed those giga-byte hungry disks. No
problem there for Lucasfilm. They’ll have access to all the property rights and creativity of the
Lucasfilm empire, not to mention the thousands of feet of film from the cutting room floors and
extensive sound libraries.
The real problem with CD-I,’ says Noah Falstein, ‘is the installed user base. To do justice to
the budgets concerned, the user base is going to have to be very, very big. The money involved
in any sort of film footage is enormous. To give you an example, a single special effects shot
from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic, the sfx branch of the Lucas organisation) could cost as
much as one million dollars!’
Brian Moriarty has the same sinking feelings about finances. ‘What about the data genera¬
tion cost?’ he asks, ‘How on earth do you fill a CD with equivalent of 2000 PC disks?? It takes us
a year to fill six!’
Difficulties apart, Lucasfilm are joining the band of US publishers who are developing FM
Towns products to refine their CD skills. Loom is currently being converted for the Towns along
with Indiana Jones - The Graphic Adventure and ZakMcKracken. It’s unlikely that any of these
games will be significantly different on CD-ROM than in their floppy disk originals, but Loom is
bound to do something special on the music side.
Once upon a time, George Lucas, the
man behind Starwars and a string of
other movie blockbusters, checked his
bank account and noted that it was
struggling under the burden of an
enormous credit balance. He there¬
fore decided to lighten its load - and
at the same time create a paradise on
earth, a paradise in which numerous
creative people would be protected
from the rigours of the outside
world. There they would be encour¬
aged by higher-than-average salaries
to pursue excellence in the arts of
computer game design, film produc¬
tion, and other worthy pastimes. ACE
entered this Maniac Mansion of cre¬
ativity: and here's what we found...
Advanced Computer Entertainment 37
Despite the movie connections, Lucasfilm do not, and have never claimed to
be in the ‘computer movie’ business. ‘Lots of companies boast about how
they produce computer movies,’ Noah Falstein, project leader of behind the
latest Indiana Jones game, told us, ‘but here we’re close enough to the real
movie world to know just how sophisticated the film industry really is com¬
pared to your average computer title.’
What Noah and his colleagues do is take movie scripts and turn them
into games. The first computer movie is likely to happen when they take a
game and turn it into a movie - something that development manager A.J.
Indy in glorious 256 colour mode on the PC. Like many other US compa¬
nies, Lucasfilm are designing more and more for high end machine for¬
mats rather than the lowest common denominator.
‘Our questions always concern what we can do in the game that couldn’t
happen in the movie.' says Noah, 'We have to build on our own strength -
interactivity - and at the same time do justice to the cinema original. We’re
lucky that we have direct access to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and
both of them have been very helpful in the past. This was especially true of
Indy ; where George was very supportive about plot divergence and made
several suggestions that we incorporated in the game. Our ultimate objective
is to allow the player to script the movie himself, by finding his own natural
alternatives within the plot.’
When Noah wants to think, he heads off for the Ranch’s luxurious con¬
servatory and meditates amidst the foliage. At lunch-time, the lads and
lasses bring their cordon bleu lunch here...
stands, historically correct in every finest detail, but
actually constructed about six years ago.
Into this incredible historical environment (every
window is composed of hand-finished panes and
mosaics, every painting a contemporary priginal) the
20th century subtly Spokes its technological head. In
the recesses of the mansion there is a small 30-seat
cinema, with wide leather seats and a ceiling con¬
structed entirely out of polished oak casks. There are
offices housing besuited marketing executives, fax
machines* computers. There’s a dining room where
Lucasfilms employees gather at midday (all food pre¬
pared by the in-house cordon bleu chef) and outside
there are yet more buildings, all in period style, hous¬
ing different departments of the Lucas empire.
Our destination was the stable building, home of
the Lucasfilms programming team...
‘The CD-I specifica¬
tions look great, but
where are the
machines? If they’d
come out four years
ago, they’d have been
hot, but now they’re
behind the times.’
Ron Gilbert, SCUMM programmer
MEET MORIARTY
First on the schedule was a visit to the office of one of
the company's newer recruits: Brian Moriarty, the ex-
Skywalker
Ranch
CALIFORN
Pacific Ocean
Infocom creative genius who brought you Wishbringer,
Trinity, and Beyond Zork. Right now, he's putting the
finishing touches to the long awaited Loom.
Brian joined Lucasfilm because, he says, ‘I saw
they had a lot of potential. They don’t rely entirely on
games and they’ve got lots of multi-media resources.’
Brian brings to the company a touch of the true com¬
puter veteran. He’s been involved in games from the
year dot and manages to combine technical excel¬
lence with other, more aesthetic considerations.
‘Music is my first love,’ says Brian, ‘and Loom was
actually inspired by Swan Lake, which also contributes
Brian Moriarty, ex-Infocom, now weaving new spells at
Lucasfilm. Coming soon: musical fantasy extravaganzas
on CD-ROM.
HIS FINEST HOUR
Larry Holland is the man behind Their Finest Hour, prior
to which he was able to claim responsibility for Battle-
hawks, Strike Fleet, and P.H.M Pegasus. His game
design career began in 1983 when he converted
arcade games (including Super Zaxxon) for home
micros. He works in C and assembler, using the latter
for graphics routines. ‘AH the maths calculations for the
3D worlds are done in assembler: those are the rou¬
tines you really pore over for hours to get them as quick
as possible. The secret is never the maths, of course,
it’s to make it fast.’
Rigorous academic disciplines gained in the unlike¬
ly pursuit of a-degree in Archaeology and Anthropology
paid off while developing the Battle of Britain scenario
for TFH. ‘I tackled it like any other research project,’ he
recalls, ‘and saturated myself in the literature of the day.
I must have waded through at least 30 books on the
subject, of which my favourite was probably First and
Last by Adolf Galland, the German ace.’
Larry’s long term aim is to take the techniques
developed in TFH and produce a multi-player game. ‘I’d
like to start with a direct non modem link between two
PC’s, then work my way onto the modem side.’ Until
then, his challenge ‘...is to put a ‘human’ at the other
end of every game. The biggest difficulty is always the
artificial intelligence side. I don’t just want the player to
have good opponents, I want him to have a variety of
opponents also. I shall remain committed to simula¬
tions: I think that story games are always a closed sys¬
tem, whereas in a simulation you’ve got 3D space and
everything’s much more open.’
the much of the musical score for the game. In fact, I
think sound is generally very underrated in games and
is destined to become much more important. That’s
one of the things about CD development - the main
thing about it is that it gives you great sound.’ Since
Loom is currently being converted for the FM Towns,
this is a clear pointer towards one the strengths of
that version.
As for Loom itself, Brian has clearly had his time
cut out producing the game, which has been delayed
several times during development. ‘If Beyond Zork was
SCUMM is the programming secret behind all Lucasfilm’s
graphic adventure titles, including Loom, Indy, and
ZakMcKracken. The letters stand for Script Creation Utili¬
ty for Maniac Mansion and it was written in C for the PC,
Amiga, and ST versions and in assembler on the C64.
SCUMM was developed by Ron Gilbert, program¬
mer of Maniac Mansion. The central concept is a graphic
adventure creation language that is particularly notable
for its control over a central animated character.
Once the game design has been storyboarded and
scripted, the programmer can code the game using a
simple text processor. This source code file is then com¬
piled into a compact, tokenised form that is interpreted
during run-time. In this respect, SCUMM operates like
many interpreted BASICS. According to Ron, ‘...the tokenisation results in an execution speed as
fast as assembler. It’s also extremely compact: it only takes 3 bytes to walk a character from one
side of the screen to another.
‘The SCUMM language also gives you high level abilities to manipulate objects and charac¬
ters. To do all this, the SCUMM module as a whole actually comprises of an interpreter, a compil¬
er, an animation package, and various utilities. In all, there are ten programs in the suite, but it’s
very easy to use. If you can program in BASIC, you can program in SCUMM.’
Ron Gilbert - this is the man that
programmed the system that coded
the games, from Maniac Mansion to
Loom.
different, Loom is different 2 . It’s by far the hardest
game I've ever done. I believe it raises the stakes for
everyone.’
‘One of my goals in the game was to avoid the
Tolkien style of dwarves and little people which are
really Hobbits but no-one dares call them that! The
problem is that those stereotypes are useful if you
want to avoid having to provide lots of background
detail. All these gnomes, elves, and ‘halflings’ are use¬
ful conventions.’
The lack of stereotypes in the game is made up
for by including a 30 minute Dolby stereo cassette
which tells the background story of Loom in glorious
audio technicolour. ‘It was produced here by the
Lucasfilms technical guys,' says Brian proudly, ‘This is
NOT a rinky-dink production!'
You can meet other members of the team else¬
where on these pages. One thing's for certain: no-one
ever found a more beautiful place to work.
RETURN TO FRACTALUS?
Lucasfilm were one of the first companies
to put out a fractal based game - Rescue
on Fractalus involved flying over a fractal-
based landscape that generated convinc¬
ing landscapes using compact algorithms.
Since then we’ve seen two other fractal
engines in operation: Koronis Rift, which
involved driving across a fractal land¬
scape and Eidolon, which allowed you to
go inside one.
Lucasfilm are now working on a new
fractal game, which could possibly tie in
all three types of fractal landscape (flying
over, driving along, and going into) in a
single game. Fractalus seems a likely sce¬
nario and although the company aren’t
giving much away the title of Return to
Fractalus isn’t out of the question.
You’ve never seen a picture of Skywalker Ranch, for the simple rea¬
son that photography of the main building is not allowed and the rule
is strictly maintained for security reasons. You’d be surprised how
many people out there think they’re descended from Darth Vader
and should destroy all Lucasfilm employees on sight. Check out
these exclusive ACE security-conscious pics...
Having an office just out- ►
side San Francisco has
its disadvantages. This
split beam is just one
small sign of the devasta¬
tion caused by the recent
earthquake.
Thanks to Betsy
Irion for help
getting these pics.
Inside the stables,
home of the
Lucasfilm pro¬
gramming team.
One of the
stained glc&s
windows: each
one individual¬
ly crofted by
an expert.
The Tech building. Pretty impressive, eh? And this is just one of the out¬
buildings! It houses film editing and post-production departments for
Lucas’ movie projects.
PHOTOGRAPHY NOT ALLOWED
Advanced Computer Entertainment 39
" m y
THE DESIGNER LABEL OF THE MILLENNIUM
SPRING COLLECTION
Please rush me an ACE poloshirt S D M □ lD
I enclose a cheque/postal order for 8.99 inc p+p. (Make cheques payable to EMAP B+CP)
NAME.ADDRESS...
Send to: ACE Spring Collection, 30- 32 Farringdon Lane. London EC2R 8 BD
inemaware are per¬
haps the only compa¬
ny who are seriously
attempting to pro¬
duce ‘computer
movies’. Their latest
game, It Came From
the Desert, even fea¬
tures live actors on
the CD version (see elsewhere in this
article) and the company have also
done pioneering work with interactive
video tape technology (see Video¬
master box).
‘Our aim,’ says development
manager Dave Riordan, ‘is to open
up a whole new market of interactive
entertainment. We already have three CD-I titles under
development for release in 1991 when the machines
appear. We’ve converted Rocket Ranger for release on
CD on the FM Towns, and well support DVI if it
ever makes sense from an entertainment
standpoint.’
Dave Riordan thinks along much jjj
the same lines as Brian Moriarty
at Lucasfilms when it comes to
the implications of CD for
games. ‘Anything goes with
CD-I - anything that we've
seen on film or TV - and
obviously the more full
motion video capability we
have the better. But in fact
it’s the audio that’s the
key. Take someone talk¬
ing, for example, the into¬
nation in their voice is
what really gives the words
meaning. Reading text is
nothing - but you can say 1
hate you’ in so many differ¬
ent ways and even make it
sound like 1 love you'. Or, to
take another example, imagine
watching a scary movie without
music. The music tells you so much
about what's going on; without it, it’s ^
just not scary at all - and when it comes to
our games I want people to really back off from the
screen!’
Dave has had a long involvement with the enter¬
tainment industry. He started with a laser disk project
at MIT and co-designed Ballblazer. ‘...But it was such a
programmer’s medium in those days that as a director
I got totally frustrated. I went to Atari and worked on
coin ops for a while, but then I saw Defender of the
Crown. It had all the movie attributes and approaches
that I had been trying to get George Lucas interested
in back in 1980.’
BEAN EATING BUDDY
BLOWN AWAY!
Mexican Eduardo Valdez
is reported to have shot
his best friend - for fart¬
ing. Valdez claimed 23-
year old Hector Barrera
had eaten two quarts of
spicy beans. ’He stank
up the whole apartment,’
Valdez said, ’and still kept cutting loose.’ US
newspapers reported the story under the
headline'Gone with the wind...’
Defending
the Crown
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Producing games like Defender of the Crown and It
Came From the Desert involves Dave in very similar
work to producing real movies. ‘We work like a
regular production company here,’ he
says, ‘we have a core group of people
and when a new project comes
along we enlarge the team, then it
.shrinks back down again after¬
wards.’
‘One thing that’s really
changing is the money
involved. The days of the $1
million dollar game are
rapidly approaching. Take
sound tracks for example -
we used to think in terms
of $1500 to $3000 for a
track, now we have to pay
at least $10000.’
Producing a game for
the Amiga, for example,
involves first story-boarding
the project, then working out
the internal logic and structure
of the game design using Cine-
^ maware’s development utility,
Masterplan (seebox). ‘We’re most
interested in forming a good team for
a game,’ says DT, ‘around seven or eight
people. The role of the individual is not as
great as it used to be. One of the advantages is that
when you’re on your own you don’t design beyond your
own technical abilities, but in a team you’re always
being pushed: programmers are challenged by design¬
ers, designers by producers, and so on.’
Once the game design has been laid out in Master-
plan, the screenwriter writes the descriptive text and
speech for the game. Even at this stage the design,
although in a form ultimately usable by the core pro¬
gram code, is still machine independent. ‘On CD, for
example, you have speech facility, ‘ says Todd, ‘and in
Masterplan text can be speech or
simply text depending on the hard¬
ware platform the game will be pro¬
duced on.’
During the coding stage, one of
the most important tools Cine-
maware have developed is called
BOLT. ‘BOLT allows us to define
data consistently from one machine
to another - it identifies sound,
music, and text in a way that is
machine independent. So, for exam¬
ple, a picture in 256 colour mode
on a VGA IBM will display perfectly
in 32 colours on an Amiga. The
position, the timing, the animation
remain essentially the same. We do
Cinemaware's
Defender of the
Crown was one of
the first programs to
convincingly
demonstrate the
powers of 16-bit
technology. At their
offices in Los Ange¬
les, they’re now
pushing the bound¬
aries of entertain¬
ment technology
even further..
Cinemaware’s offices are only a
short drive from Hollywood.
4LIFORNIA
Advanced Computer Entertainment 41
Cinemaware won an award for
their interactive tape game,
based on Walt Disney’s charac¬
ters and already reported on in
ACE. At their offices, we were
able to get a closer look at the
system and the results the com¬
pany achieved.
The biggest challenge was
to put together a whole interac¬
tive movie based on existing
footage. All this had to be cut
together to produce the final ver¬
sion, which consists of a single
video track and two audio
tracks. And the audio was even
more tricky...
The first thing; remembers
Dave, ‘was simply that all the
people who did the previous
generation of Disney voices
were dead. There’s a whole sec¬
ond generation of voice-over
actors doing the work. We had
to over-dub every single
sequence - just doing Ludwig’s
voice took us over five days.’
The result is a series of
sequences, each of which sets
up a situation (e.cj. Donald get-
All the footage in the Cinemaware interactive video tape
game was taken from existing Disney cartoons, then re-
edited to produce an entirely new storyline.
Dubbing a new sound track for Ludwi
ting a flat tyre) that the player -
the games are targetted at
young children - has to resolve
by solving a puzzle. The com¬
puter graphic puzzles are over¬
laid against the cartoon back¬
ground and the user has cursor
control to manipulate the graph¬
ic objects, shoot at ghosts, or
whatever.
The trouble with the Video¬
master system,’ explains Dave
Riordan, ‘was that it was sold as a toy. It got lost on the shelves amongst the racing
cars and the dolls.’ In the end, however, the project helped Cinemaware further refine
its skills at combining movies and computers - now being tested to the full in the
development of the CD ROM version of It Came From the Desert.
The IVT systemgivesthe player a cursor to manipulate
the computer graphics and interact with the game.
Here you're trying to rearrange puzzle blocks in the
window on the right to put Donald back on the road
again.
Dave Todd: the man who designed Defender of the
Crown, and has now overseen the coding of some of the
industry’s most powerful programming tools for comput¬
er games.
sometimes do separate artwork, but the data descrip¬
tion doesn't change.'
CODING FOR SPEED
It’s obvious that Cinemaware have made an enormous
investment in programming tools - probably more
than any other software house we’ve visited. This not
only speeds up development, leaving more time to
refine the game designs, but the programs them¬
selves have become more compact and faster in exe¬
cution as a result.
BOLT, for example, ties all the data for a game
together into a single file structure, compressing the
data. As a result, loading times are enormously
reduced - one section of code in Lords of The Rising
Sun took seven minutes to load into the Amiga in the
original version. After being BOLT’ed it took six sec¬
onds. This development is even more important when
you remember how much data there is in a typical Cin¬
emaware product that relies so heavily on hi-res colour
graphics and sampled sound.
Finally, like many other American companies, Cine¬
maware now target much of their development at the
new 256-colour VGA PC systems rather than the
Amiga. They use several
different animation tools, and when the project is com¬
pleted the graphics are ported over from the PC onto
the Amiga, rather than the other way round, as used
to happen. Combine this striving for the best result on
the best systems with the startling experimental work
you can see elsewhere on these pages, and you can
see why Cinemaware are - despite occasional criti¬
cisms about the playability factor - still very much at
the forefront of games technology. If we ever get a
real computer movie, this is where it's going to come
from.
“I f ve always wanted
to produce a game with
really BIG bugs. r
Dave Riordan
(on It Came From The Desert)
Dave Riordan, creative director of a new genera¬
tion of computer movies. Note the Philips CD-I unit on
the left. The equipment on the right is part of an inter¬
active tape system that was never released - despite
offering a powerful 4-track branching facility for com¬
plex games (see ACE issue 26).
42 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Cinemaware are taking a giant leap with the CD-ROM version of It
Came From the Desert- they’re actually including live actors in the
game.
Scenes involving live action are shot against a green background
that allows the actors to bd 'chromakeyed' into the final image against
a computer generated landscape. The production involves 22 actors,
recruited in the traditional way using casting agencies - not difficult
when your office is close to Hollywood!
This market needs to appeal to a lot of people who have never
picked up a computer - teenage girls and women, for example. These
people don’t want to shoot bugs - that’s boys’ stuff,’ says Dave, ‘We’re
opening up whole new genres with ICFTD. Not only that, but in future
we have the possibility of using big name actors.’
The celebrities are curious, it seems, and have shown a lot of
interest in this new game form.
They saw what happened with ■■■
VCR's.' says Dave, and how ^HNI
they made more money from the ■
video releases than they did from jjj
the original movies. Now they’re ■
watching out closely to see what 1?
happens with computer games. Hff | ' ill * ; j| ■
We may get big names very jlll jHjjS i
soon for games: there are some ™ |
particularly interesting possibili- pHMp 3 T
ties for sports games which
we’re looking into.’ ~ ^ w I ^ liTl
A Live actors rehearsing for ICFTD on CD-ROM
- the green background is replaced by a com¬
puter generated landscape in the final game.
Alternatively, of course, you can run computer
generated images against a live video back¬
ground - this technique has been seen several
Y times before, notably in the old video disk
coin-ops.
The finished product: a live ►
actor in a composite digital scene.
It's expensive: actors charge around
$500 a day - that’s just a teensy bit
more than the average programmer!
<**<> <««<>
iij »• ilj K ill “■ ill
‘Programmers love
the FM Towns - it’s
got all the bells and
whistles... ”
Cinemaware’s HyperCard based game design system:
Masterplan. The games designer lays out the flow of the
game using a flowchart approach. Buttons and fields
within the system enable all the control logic to be
defined, together with animation strips, backgrounds,
and dialogue boxes. In It Came From the Desert, the sys¬
tem was used to design a scenario covering 15 days,
each composed of 24 1-hour slots and covering 37 loca¬
tions. Finally, the Masterplan stack is simply exported
to an Amiga. To make design changes, you simply alter
the Masterplan file and re-export it.
you can win an FM
Towns in this month's
competition!
A new storyboard utility under development, which will
enable designers to 'cut and paste’ scenario elements.
AND DON'T FORGET
Advanced Computer Entertainment 43
f‘
i
i
f
PICTURE A
“As far as presentation is concerned
STRIKES BACK looks much the same as the orig¬
inal Dungeon Master. The similarity, however, is
only superficial - in terms of challenge and
atmosphere, 4HH§ is streets ahead of its pre-
quel."
PICTURE B
“For a game that's so very combat-orientated
WKttKtKK is definitely for fighters rather than just
flying fans - there's an encouraging lack of
Microprose-style jingoism. You'll find so much to
learn and do with this one."
EEEU i-m ■ ■ J / n a a ■ f.11 ^ j .m A m ■» ,t» ,tt
TEN STEPS TO
WINNING YOURSELF
A FUJITSU FIM
(1) Buy this issue of ACE that you're reading in the
newsagent, round a friends house, etc.
(2) Carefully unpeei the postcard on the front cover of
ACE.
(3) Take a look at the sexy snaps of five great games
lettered A-E on the opposite page.
(4) Do you know the titles of these five games? To help
you we’ve included a snippet from each one’s ACE
review.
(5) AH we want from you are the names of the five
games.
(6) Write [IN BLOCK CAPITALS) the game's titles on the
back of the ACE postcard. You must use the post card
provided on the front of this issue of ACE - ail other
entries are void.
(?) Now write your name, address, telephone and com
puter details on the back of the postcard.
(8) Stick a first or second class stamp on the postcard.
(9) Send the postcard to ACE - your postcard must
reach us before the competition closing date of 9th
April, 1990.
(10) Sit back. Relax.
NS COMPETITION
FM TOWNS SPEC
CPU
RAM (FM1)
RAM (FM2)
VRAM
SPRITE RAM
STORAGE (FM1)
STORAGE (FM2)
VISUAL
80386 (32-bit)
1Mb
2Mb
512K
128K
CD-ROM (540Mb)
CD-ROM (540Mb) + 2x1.2Mb 3.5" FDs
640x480: 256 out of 16,770,000 colours
640x480: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens
320x240: 16 out of 32768 colours /2 screens
640x400: 16 out of 4096 colours / 2 screens
PCM sounds: stereo 8-channel
FM sounds: stereo 6-channel
sampling: 8-bit, 19.2Hz
CD-ROM works as an ordinary CD player
328mmx150mmx400mm
11kg
OPTIONAL XTRAs Keyboard • 80387 processor • video card
modem card • SCSI card • 14" display • RAM
AUDIO
SIZE
WEIGHT
• Rule Number One: Break any of these rules and your entry is
void.
• Entries must be on the postcard provided with this issue of
ACE - all other entries are void.
W »
PICTURE E
VHHMI really is a great attempt to recreate
bottle tvfxils puttiriQ you in cofttrol - tftouyfx
the game is easy to play it’s also challenging. If
you’re at all serious about wargamming you
should search this out. ”
I ‘ I
THE COMPETITION RULES
• Multiple entries are allowed.
• The closing date for entries is 9th April, 1990.
• Employees of EMAP, MIRRORSOFT and FUJITSU are not eli
gible for entry.
• The Fujitsu FM Towns will be awarded to the first entry - drawn
at random - giving the correct names to the five games.
• The winner will be announced in the June 1990 issue of ACE.
• The editors decision is final and no correspondence will be
entered into.
Action and simulation
for strategy without
■ repetition. Conqueror is
the ultimate challenge of “leadership under fire”
Jv to wargamers of all interests. Engage in
authentic World War II tactical wargaming,
experience the bloody attrition exacted by
I . the might of the armoured divisions, create
, v your own scenarios and set your own
! K. challenges in bringing the elite war
machines of the German, Russian and Jy
American forces into head-to-head
/Vwfy confrontation and combat. JM8F
Fight your way through massed
ranks of enemy tanks. Live on m£r‘
your wits and the strength
of your will as you endeavour to jtttp’
outlast the awesome firepower of your Jmtf
unforgiving enemy. Plan the campaign am
of action that will outmanoeuvre your Jmw
opposing platoon commanders and
lead to their ultimate downfall. JmBm I—I-
We on ACE
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this month’s
“3D GRAPHIC
SYSTEMS
CREATED BY
DAVID BRABEN -
CO-AUTHOR OF
ELITE.” \
Available on:
ATARI ST, AMIGA
IBM RC.-E24-99
pic CURVI
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IF WAR IS HELL
All the essential elements - * .<^5^511
for hours of relentless action,
excitement and stimulation.
Action, Attrition and Strategy.
Unique 45 viewpoint external to command tank. 180° degre
and 3D scrolling landscape creates authentic forward movement.
Select squadrons from the accurately produced tanks.
American: Chaffee, M36GMC, Sherman Firefly, Pershing.
German: Panzer III, Panther, Tiger I, King, Tiger^
Russian: T34/76, KV1S, KV85, Josef Stalin II
Rainbow Arts, Sketty Close,
Brackmills Business Park, Northampton NN4 OPL.
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AMIGA
ALL NEW PIC CURVE POWER
The PIC - Predicted Interest Curve - is the most sophisticated reviewing
tool around. And now it's entered the 90's...
We on ACE know you don't just play a game - you experience it. The newly upgraded Predicteded Interest
Curve is the only review system that takes this all-important factor into account.
The PIC Curve has been redesigned to immediately give you the info you need at just a glance. To
back up our instant appraisal there is an expanded, in-depth comment at each stage of the game's playlife.
The curve is divided into six sections, indicating the player's adrenalin level after one minute, one hour, one
day, one week, one month, and one year. But this tells you an awful lot than just what your interest level will
be at any given time (although that's obviously important in itself)...
I For example, a high one minute rating means that the game must look fantastic and get you all excited
i from the word go. That means it's probably a good game to show off to the neighbours - after all, they prob¬
ably aren't going to pay attention for much more than a minute, after which they'll go back to drinking coffee
and making rude remarks about 'those awful hostile games the boys play these days'.
The minute, hour, and day ratings can tell
you a lot about a game too. If there's a dip
here, followed by a rise, you've got a game that
may take a bit of getting into - not recommend¬
ed if you like to get down to something quick
and easy. Alternatively, the graphics may put
you off for a while until the gameplay starts to
grip. Check out the PIC comment for more
details.
Finally, you've got the month and year rat¬
ings. The better a game holds up here the more
deserving it is of your hard earned cash.
PIC curve construction takes a lot of play¬
ing on the part of ACE reviewers. PIC curve
analysis is an art in itself. The reward is know¬
ing just what you're getting when you make the
decision to splash out on Mutant Macdonald
Gettysburgers ....or Player Manager - one of
this month’s ACE rated ballblazers.
We've also enlarged the PIC commen¬
tary section beneath it. This gives us
more space to tell you exactly what it's
like to unwrap your game, load it up f
and play it - giving you those essential
snippets of information and reaction
that determine whether or not this is a
game you have to buy. the New PIC
Curve - going straight to the heart of
the Games Experience.
Player Manager
gives Kick Off
fans a chance to
reach yet fur¬
ther heights of
ecstacy. But can
anything be as
good as the orig¬
inal K.O.? Find
out on page 56.
THE ACE REVIEWING SYSTEM
PIC CURVES
This unique feature to the
ACE reviewing system
charts the interest level that
a game stimulates over a
period of time. The curve is
accompanied by a com¬
ment to explain why it’s the
shape it is. Find out more in
the Pic Curve Power panel
on this page...
Each review also carries
special ‘Version Boxes’ that
give you details of the
game's implementation on
a specific machine. These
boxes include ratings for...
GRAPHICS
All aspects of the game's
graphics with the limitations
of each machine taken into
account. A good-looking
Spectrum game will there¬
fore score higher than an
average-looking Amiga one.
AUDIO
The music and sound effects
are rated here. A high rating
is possible on even limited
machines like the Spectrum
and PC if the computer's
shortcomings are cleverly
sidestepped.
IQ FACTOR
Yes, sometimes you have to
use your brain. This rating
evaluates the risk of mental
effort - which some people
actually enjoy...Note that
ACE readers are generally
reckoned to be more intelli¬
gent than other human
beings, so the ratings may
be lower than you expect...
FUN FACTOR
Basically a measure of mind¬
less addictiveness. Games
like Arkanoid and Flying
Shark require virtually zero
brain power but are still
remarkably addictive. Most
coin-ops score well here
because they are designed
for instant satisfaction.
Games don't have to be
either fun or intelligent -
they can be both.
ACE RATING
This is not just plucked out
of the air but is calculated
from the area under the PIC
Curve. To get a really high
rating a game will not only
have to be very addictive
but stand the test of time
as well. Just because a
game does not get over
900 does not mean we are
not recommending it - the
following is a general guide
to what the ratings mean.
900+ A classic game,
recommended without
reservation.
800-899 A superb
game, but perhaps lacking
the long-term depth to last
into the month and year cat¬
egories.
700-799 Still highly
recommended, but probably
has a couple of aspects to
the gameplay that take the
edge off it.
600-699 The fair
zone, where it tends to be
very good ‘if you like that
sort of thing'.
500-599 This still has
good things going for it, but
the game clearly has some
noticeable problems.
400-499 Problems
with gameplay and pro¬
gramming make this an
inferior game.
300-399 Not only is
the gameplay bad but the
design was probably flawed
in the first place.
200-299 Things are
getting really serious now...
100-199 ZX81 games
running on an Amiga.
Under 100 Nothing
has ever achieved this
appalling level of rating. If
anything ever does, it
wouldn't even be worth hav¬
ing it for free.
VERSION BOXES
This covers version-specific
information on graphics,
audio, loading problems etc.
If there's no box for your
machine but a version is
planned, it'll be covered as
an update in a later issue.
THE TEAM
Laurence Scotford is
ACE's ever busy Reviews
Editor - Laurence has been
playing games since he was
a nipper, but some of them
we probably ought not to
mention. There was hot
competition for the ACE
Reviews Editor position from
gamesters all over the coun¬
try, but Laurence pipped
them all at the post by
showing that he could not
only push a game to its
limit, but he could push a
pen too and tell you all
about it.
Steve Cooke, one of the
original editors of this
award-winning magazine, is
known to thousands through
his many other previous
identities, including Zzapsl's
White Wizard, The Pilgrim
and Old Baldy. When he's
not borrowing money and
'popping off to the States'
Steve is often found playing
Ultima V and other 'narrative
computer games.
Rik Haynes was Reviews
Editor on Britain's biggest
selling computer weekly and
has been hooked on elec¬
tronic entertainment since
spotting a Space Invaders
machine in the corner of a
Southend-on-Sea pub back
in 78. Rik's reviews are
renowned for being hard-hit¬
ting and often outspoken...
Eugene Lacey is one of
Britain's most experienced
games journalists.
We don't review
anything until we
are 100%
certain that
we've got it right.
We’ve checked
them out
thoroughly - now
you can too.
SCREENTEST
The graphics in Gravity make the most of the
unusual theme, and manage to convey well the
sense of gravity wells. The menus and various
screens are all quite nicely presented, if a little
slow. There is not too much sound, other than
a few spot effects and a rather unusual title
sound track. Most control is from the mouse,
apart from piloting individual craft which is
achieved with simple keyboard control. Defi¬
nitely a value for money buy.
RELEASE BOX
No other versions planned.
You can adjust aspects of the missiles used to
suit your mode of combat (yet another feature you
will want to experiment with over a couple of
games).
A rotating 3D display of your ship shows areas
of damage (useful after a heavy battle).
OUTIES are nasty little critters. While the
I civilised universe is happy minding
its own business, all these extra-terrestrial types
want to do is spoil the party, and here's why.
Mankind has a problem - there are too many
people, and not enough planets suitable for sup¬
porting life. Answer: get out there and find new
planets to colonise, and if there are no suitable
planets, create them. There is, however, a slight
complication - before you can create a planet
to colonise you require a star for it to orbit.
This requirement might not seem too diffi¬
cult to arrange - after all, the universe has a
countless number of stars, doesn’t it? It does,
but suppose something previously unknown was
to arrive from a far corner of the universe, and
suppose that something was to begin trans-
The central display, showing your craft in space,
also shows the gravitational lines of force. Here
in deep space they are flat, but near massive bod¬
ies they distort greatly. Incidentally, the star-
field will only be seen on 1 meg machines!
The distorted lines of force are clearly shown by
the alternative rendering of the main display.
■ ■
forming stars into singularities (that’s black
holes to you and me) which they require for con¬
tinued existence? What happens? You end up
with a lot of singularities, a lot of happy extra¬
terrestrials, but no suns, and no more Homo
Sapiens. Not, I’m sure you will agree, a particu¬
larly joyful state of affairs.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what has hap¬
pened in Gravity. The Outies as they have
become known are slowly but surely turning the
galaxy’s suns into black holes. The only way to
deal with these horrible ETs is to wipe out their
fleet, and turn the singularity in their home sys¬
tem into a sun, while at the same time creating
and colonising newly explored systems. Of
course, while you are attempting to do this, the
Outies are trying to turn the sun in your home
system into a huge great black hole, so you
haven’t got time to hang about.
Ironically, mankind also has a use for black
holes. They are means of quick transport
between distant parts of the galaxy. By setting a
destination and plunging into a singularity, craft
can be made to emerge at another singularity in
the target system. So while it is imperative to
prevent too many singularities from being
formed by the Outies, one or two of them dot¬
ted strategically about.
To perform your task you have sixteen UN
Scoutcraft. These can be given orders to
explore systems, engage in combat with Outie
craft, prepare systems for colonisation, and
then set up the colony. The nice thing about
GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 8
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 9
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
IMAGEWORKS launch a highly
original deep space strategy game
with a basis in modem physics
You will initially be impressed by how much
there is to do in Gravity. There is then a learn¬
ing period in which you have to become
accustomed to all of the options and the best
way of going about things. The nice thing
about this game is that your interest is not
likely to drop significantly because their are
so many skills (e.g. programming drones)
which will require improvement that each time
you play there will be something new to do.
This game will definitely rival Elite in the stay¬
ing power stakes.
GRAVITY
vKHVI 11
48 Advanced Computer Entertainment
A GOODLEY FELLOW
Perhaps it was inevitable that programmer, Ross Goodley would end up tinkering with micros,
since his passion for both machines and games inspired him to 'borrow' an access code to one
of the computer terminals at University (even though he was actually reading German and Lin¬
guistics), and spent many hours at the keyboard.
After graduating, Ross was introduced to the relatively new personal micros when a friend
bought a ZX81. Even on such a limited machine the flair Ross had for programming soon
became apparent. He managed to achieve a version of Space Invaders in IK, amongst other
things.
After applying to a newspaper advert he joined Atligata as a programmer. Here his fruitful
career began in earnest. His past successes have included more Blagger conversions than he
cares to remember, Challenge of the Gobots on the CPC, and Meltdown (which was something
of a pre-cursor to Gravity). Gravity is his first major 16-bit project. When Ross is not juggling with
op-codes he is doing much the same with balls and similar thingies, or alternatively playing some
mean guitar.
Gravity , so Ross tells us, came about from
a layman’s interest in physics. The ‘rubber
sheet' idea of the universe has always
intrigued him, and the challenge of trying to
model that system in real-time spurred him
into writing the code that eventually became
one of the more original games of the past
year.
Now that Gravity has appeared Ross plans
to further exploit the fascinating universe
that the game is set in. The next game,
which is called Drop Soldier at the moment
will be a planet based game dealing with
small unit combat. If Gravity is anything to
go by it should certainly be a game to look
forward too.
Entering a black hole. Provided you set your destination on the cube correctly, you should emerge at
another hole near to the target system.
Gravity makes use of something known as Einstein-
Minkowski Four-Space. What’s that? OK, here goes.
As you probably know, Newton purportedly discov¬
ered gravity when an apple conveniently fell on his
head. As well as being struck by the apple, old
Isaac was also struck by an idea - that being, that
bodies in space attract each other. The size of that
force of attraction, he concluded, was proportional
to the mass, density, and velocity of each of the
bodies involved. As simplistic as they seem, New¬
ton’s theorems provided the basis for Einstein’s
(now slightly wobbly) General and Special theories
of Relativity.
We are all very well aware of the three spatial
dimensions (after all, we exist in them). Now imag¬
ine time as being a fourth dimension which, for
simplicity’s sake can be tacked onto the other
three to form, as it were, a fourth plane (You’ll real¬
ly have to use your imagination here). Suppose that
we can form a spongy supercube (that is, a four
dimensional cube). This supercube represents
space and time. Now suppose we take a weighty
ball bearing (which represents any body existing in
time and space) and drop it onto the supercube.
What happens? At the point in which the ball bear¬
ing comes to land, the cube, because it is flexible,
will become distorted.
Now suppose that we drop a smaller ball bear¬
ing onto the supercube. Providing that it lands far
enough away from the larger ball bearing, it will
form it’s own indentation and come to rest there. If,
however, it falls close to the larger ball bearing it
will roll down into the indentation caused by the
more massive body, inevitably colliding with its larg¬
er partner.
This is exactly what happens with time and
space. The normally linear lines of force (which we
of course know as the force of gravity) become
distorted by the presence of a body. The more
massive, denser, and faster that body is, the more
the lines of force are distorted, forming a sort of
four-dimensional well around the body. When two
bodies pass within each others wells, they become
attracted to each other.
Now imagine a body so dense that it stretches
the space-time fabric infinitely (i.e. the well never
bottoms out). This creates a distortion of such a
degree that even photons cannot escape it’s pull.
This theoretical manifestation is what is popularly
known as a Black Hole.
Enlightened now? Good.
Programming the drones is done by a series of
flow charts, so you don’t have to be too technical¬
ly minded to use this feature.
Gravity is that you can set the ratio of orders
given directly by HQ to the orders given manual¬
ly by yourself. This effectively means being able
to swing the game from requiring almost total
arcade type skills to total strategic skills or
whatever combination of the two you require.
The game is controlled from an attractive
looking front panel, from which you access the
various functions of the game with the mouse.
Since most aspects are controlled via menus it
doesn’t take too long to get used to the way the
game works, although learning about everything
that there is to do will take a lot longer.
The most unusual thing about Gravity is the
central display which shows your craft in space.
Here space is represented by a grid of lines
showing local gravitational force. These become
distorted around planets and suns, and are
stretched to infinity by black holes. Obviously if
your ship falls into one of these distorted areas
you will have to fight against the gravitic pull to
escape. This means that you are constantly hav¬
ing to adjust the attitude of your craft to coun¬
teract the effects of gravity, but it is possible,
with a bit of careful manoeuvring, to maintain a
reasonably stable orbit around a planet or sun.
As you succeed in missions you accumulate
more credit which can be used to upgrade the
weaponry and drives on your craft, and pur¬
chase more tools to allow you to terraform
dead planets for instance. Your opening strate¬
gy should then be to complete as many mis¬
sions as possible to build up equipment to allow
for more long term planning.
Gravity is one of the most unusual games
I’ve seen over the past year. In scope it is abso¬
lutely vast (with the ability to program drones,
for instance, adding to the possibilities).
Undoubtedly the game will not appeal to die¬
hard shoot-anything-that-moves addicts, but for
anybody who likes an involved game which exer¬
cises the old grey matter, it’s a must!
• Laurence Scotford
Advanced Computer Entertainment 49
SCREENTEST
m i
ON THE MEGATAPE!!
DEMO - Space Harrier II
DEATH ZONE - a previously unreleased game!
There’s only so much you can do on the graph¬
ics front for a strategy game and Palace seem
to have done. There are several animated
sequences which spice it up a bit, and the stat¬
ic screens are equally attractive. The sound¬
track manages to convey all the atmosphere of
the game without imposing itself too much.
GRAPHICS 9 IQ FACTOR
AMIGA
month
RILiASi BOX
? ATARI ST
£29.99dk IMMINENT
1 AMIGA
£29.99dk OUT NOW
e PC
TBA
No
other versions planned.
You will initially be attracted by the superb
audio-visual aspects of the game. Once you
start to play you may find the game a little
limiting until you become accustomed to
some of the more difficult aspects like spell¬
casting. After several games you will begin to
build up a recipe book of spells, which should
make the game a lot more interesting.
Because of this variable aspect you are likely
to keep coming back to this one for some
time.
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
An egg on the boil. The timer in the corner is not
to arrange hard or soft boiled, but counts down
the time to hatching.
ime!
51 Advanced Computer Entertainment
CTDATE^V games have
v I nAI EU T always been
limited by one vital factor -
strategic decisions made within
a computer game are always
part of a closed system, as
opposed to real-life decisions
which are subject to an infinite
number of unpredictable exter¬
nal influences. The answer is to
devise a system which, rather
than presenting the player with
a set menu of choices at each
stage of the game, allows him to continually
alter the parameters that effect play in some
way - in other words, experiment.
Palace have managed to do just that in
Dragon's Breath. The basic idea behind the
game is to find the three parts of a Talisman
that allows entry to the throne room of the Great
Castle on Dwarf Mountain at the centre of the
land of Anrea (phew!). The reason that this talis¬
man is so important to you is that within the
throne room lies the secret of immortality. Not a
bad prize, eh?
There are three characters competing for
eternal life: Bachim the Alchemist; Quered the
She-Vampire; and Ametrin the Green Beast.
Each can be controlled by the computer or a
human player. This means that you can view a
demo game by making the computer control all
three.
Initially there are all the sort of options you
expect in strategy type games: the ability to
read up on recent happenings (mostly battles in
this case), and view your accounts, as well as
dealing with any traders who happen to call.
Most of your dirty work, which in this game
involves conquering as many towns as you can,
is done by your collection of dragons.
Each player begins with one dragon but
may breed more. You require at least three to
win the game, since you must use one dragon
to guard each piece of talisman as it is found.
The dragon’s have three main tasks: conquering
local towns and villages for taxes, attacking
enemy dragons and strongholds, and searching
for and guarding the pieces of the talisman.
Obviously in the later stages of the game you
will want to do all three of these tasks concur¬
rently, so it helps to have as many dragons as
possible.
Breeding dragons is achieved by heating
eggs from your stock. The hotter an egg is
kept, the quicker it will hatch, but slow cooked
[ Using the relief map of the land you can zoom in
on possible locations of the pieces of talisman.
eggs tend to produce stronger
dragons. So if you are desper¬
ate for more of the creatures
you can produce them swiftly,
but at the cost of having a less
effective force.
The major part of the
game, and the most interest¬
ing, is spellcasting. Unlike a lot
of other games involving
spells, you are not simply pre¬
sented with a list of pre¬
defined spells to choose from
- that would be too easy. Instead you have to
produce them yourself. This is done by mixing a
number of elements in different ways to pro¬
duce the final potion. This means, of course,
that you will have to do a lot of experimenting to
gradually build up your own recipe book of
spells.
The spells can be directed at almost any¬
thing in the game from towns to dragons, and
obviously they can have either harmful or good
effects. The nice thing about Dragon's Breath is
that it is not essential to master spellcasting in
order to enjoy the game. You can begin playing
without spells and then start to use them as
soon as you feel confident enough with the
basic game.
Dragon's Breath is probably the most
accomplished strategy game I’ve seen for some
time, and combined as it is with attractive
graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack,
should please most people who enjoy a more
cerebral type of game than the standard fare.
The ability to concoct your own magic brews
provides endless possibilities and should keep
you playing, even after you’ve managed to
achieve the game's objective.
• Laurence Scotford
The lab - this is where all your spells are con¬
cocted, for better, or for worse!
Dragons rule OK
in a stunning
strategy game from
PALACE
SCREENTEST
SCREENTEST
KNIGHTS OF
LEGEND
ACCORDING “rS
Porter, “This is the first fantasy
role playing game to do things in
extreme depth”. We didn’t take his
word for it, but several hours of
intensive play proved that he cer¬
tainly wasn’t joking.
The game is set in the
medieval land of Ashtalarea, a
very wild place in which adventure
is to be found anywhere and
everywhere. There are no less
than twenty-four quests to be
undertaken in the game (although
if you wish you may ignore any or
all of them, and simply enjoy
exploring the land).
Before you can begin playing
you must generate some charac¬
ters, choosing from the thirty-nine
possible classes. Up to six can be
in play at any one time, selected from those you
have stored on your character disk. It is also
possible to save your characters during play by
staying the night at an appropriate inn. This way
you won’t loose any gained possessions and
experience points when you next play.
Movement is achieved by steering a cursor
either around the town or city you are in, or
alternatively through the wilderness. When it is
necessary to interact with a character you are
presented with a dialogue screen and a strip of
icons which allow you to engage in conversa¬
tion, buy and sell supplies and equipment, and
so on. Each of the NPC characters has a dis¬
tinctive personality, and encounters can some¬
times be quite humorous (the medieval joke
shop assistant being a fine exam¬
ple).
Where the detail in Knights of
Legend is really apparent is in the
combat and spell-casting systems.
Because combat is not handled in
real time (as in Dungeon Master),
but in melee rounds, there is time
to consider all the strategic ele¬
ments of each battle, rather than
just madly hacking away at things.
At the beginning of each round
every surviving member of the part
is allocated their offensive and
defensive tactics for that round.
Once this is done, the whole round is played
through and any damage assessed. The beauty
of this system is that you only need to reset tac¬
tics when you require them to change. If you
wish to a character to repeat his
or her action from the previous
round then you simply select OK.
Todd Porter told us that
‘the key buzzword in this program
is Artificial Intelligence’, and this
really shows in the way that your
enemies react. They will, intelli¬
gently, repeatedly attack limbs
that have already been damaged,
and there are no less than forty
different algorithms to decide
when and how an enemy retreats.
Similar attention to detail
can be seen in the magic system
(which is superficially similar to
the element construction used in
Dungeon Master). It is possible to
create your own spells by com¬
bining various elements of the
Elven language - so, as in real
life, experimentation can pay off.
When you add details like an art package
for redesigning character icons and shields, the
ability to name your own weapons and spells,
individual damage status for limbs, and accu¬
rately modelled fatigue, then it is not easy to
see that Knights of Legend offers game players
a whole lot more than any similar game. Further
good news is, that because the system is 100%
data driven, it is only limited by the program¬
mer’s imagination. The first module for the
game will be, believe it or not, a science fiction
scenario! Knights of Legend has impressed us,
and it will impress you - buy it!
While exploring the town your party is represent¬
ed with a helmet icon. Entering buildings allows
you to interact with NPCs.
You can view your party (in this case just a sin- ►-
gle character), and check their kit.
ORIGIN/MIND-
SCAPE stun us
with the most
detailed and excit¬
ing computer-
based Role
Playing Game yet
produced
• Laurence Scotford
The game looks very attractive indeed if you
have a machine capable of supporting it's EGA
graphics. If not, it is possible to install a CGA
or monochrome version instead. Sound is kept
to a minimum {thank heavens), so you will only
have to suffer the occasional bleep. The pro¬
gram supports standard joystick and mouse
drivers, although keyboard control is perfectly
acceptable if you have neither of these.
GRAPHICS 9 IQ FACTOR 7
UT e r
/'AAA
It will take you quite a while to set up your first
characters and wade through the informative
(and large) manual. Even when you have done
that you will want some time to become
accustomed to the way the game works and
things like combat and magic. Then you can
begin to explore and take on quests in
earnest, and I suspect it will be at this point
that people will begin to burn the midnight oil.
Because there is so much to do in Knights of
Legend it is certainly not a game you are
going to complete in a hurry, and even when
you do, there’s the planned modules to look
forward to.
Comprehensive character definition and status
screens are all part of the tremendous attention
to detail within the game.
52 Advanced Computer Entertainment
An impressive soundtrack from Jochen Hippe!
is probably the best part of the game. The
graphics are ok, but not overly impressive by
Amiga standards. Fortunately the controls are
a little less sensitive than those on the ST mak¬
ing this version a lot more playable.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 5
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 7
This version is the worst offender for over-sen¬
sitive controls. They are not quite so bad as to
make the game unplayable, but still likely to
prove frustrating to players who don’t want to
spend lots of time just getting accustomed to
manoeuvring. Graphics are much the same as
those on the Amiga, but the sound is, not sur¬
prisingly, a little less palatable.
GRAPHICS 7 10 FACTOR 5
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 6
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £19.99dk
OUT NOW
Initially the game looks and sounds reason¬
ably good, but you will soon become frustrat¬
ed by the unreasonably tricky controls. If you
are prepared to persevere then there might
be some more fun to be had from this game,
but I suspect that most people will simply be
put off by the unforgiving level of difficulty at
the beginning of the game.
HEWSON’s beat-the-clock race game takes us all
for a rather bumpy ride
IP there are certain games that
IP initially seem disappointing
and then grow on you, there are
also those that make a good first
impression and then fail to deliver
the goods. I have more than a
sneaky impression that Fifth
Gear falls into the latter category.
The game has you taking
part in an illegal race in which the
only rule is that there are no
rules. You must get from the
start line to the turning point and
back to the line again within a set
amount of time. But the route is
far from easy. There are obsta¬
cles and other cars to be avoided
and collision with any of them can
cause serious damage or the
loss of your car. Fortunately you have five cars
to play with, so a little erratic driving is tolerable
as long as you don't overdo it.
Initially your car is equipped with a simple
slow-firing machine gun, but you can stop off at
service points to buy extra weaponry and add¬
ons. These include a missile launcher and mis¬
siles, helium tyres to enable you to perform
Dukes of Hazzard type leaps, and a rapid fire
option. The weaponry, should your imagination
not be up to it, is for blowing away other vehi¬
cles that happen to get in your way, as well as
removing tricky static obstacles.
The money you need to pay for such luxu¬
ries is awarded for every kill you make and for
the time you survive. You already have 10,000
dollars when you start the game which is
enough to buy you a couple of goodies, but it is
generally best to save some cash to pay for
refuelling and repairs. This is especially neces¬
sary since the other cars have a nasty habit of
firing back, occasionally with pretty good accu¬
racy.
The game utilises a birds eye view of the
course with a status panel beneath this. The
graphics are pretty enough and the vertical
The service stop to the right will supply you with various goodies -
providing you have the cash
scrolling is quite smooth. The real problem
comes when you begin to attempt manoeuvring
the car. It is so sensitive that even players with
the lightest touch will find themselves running
into walls and obstacles a little too frequently
for comfort.
I am all in favour of a challenging game but
the difficulty of Fifth Gear is set at such a level
as to make learning the game more of a chore
than a pleasure. Naturally it becomes much eas¬
ier when you know what is round each corner,
but crashes are still too frequent an occurrence
nevertheless. The problem is compounded by
the requirement for some very tight and careful
steering at certain parts of the game. Having
said all that, if you are prepared to persevere
with the controls you will no doubt in time man¬
aged to overcome this difficulty. But be pre¬
pared to run the first part of the course several
times if you want to achieve this.
It is a shame that this aspect of Fifth Gear is
so tricky because it mars two otherwise good
16-bit conversions. Still, if you enjoy driving
games and are looking for a particularly hairy
challenge then Fifth Gear might be worth a look.
• Laurence Scotford
Advanced Computer Entertainment 53
SCREENTEST
SCREENTEST
The Desert Campaign on the ST, viewed from
the interior of one of the Shermans.
Absolutely no complaints on the graphics front
(VGA). The backgrounds are distinctive in each
campaign, and superbly evocative of each
location. Speedwise the game is fine too (even
a 286 PC seems to run faster than the ST ver¬
sion). The only problem is the complete lack of
atmosphere, not helped at all by the usual drip¬
py PC sound. Even so, there is still some satis¬
faction to be had out of the game.
GRAPHICS 9 IQ FACTOR 7
AUDIO 3 FUN FACTOR 7
The background and vector graphics are abso¬
lutely fine, although they don't run particularly
quickly on this machine. Loriciel have not done
too badly sound-wise considering that the fre¬
quency/noise generator in the ST is so limited.
As with the PC version, however, this simula¬
tion is completely devoid of atmosphere, mak¬
ing it very dry to play.
RELEASE BOX
You can call up attractive stats panels for all of
, the vehicles in the game. (PC - VGA)
Advanced Computer Entertainment
«U|# simulations seem to be the flavour of
lANIithe day at the moment. A couple of
issues back we looked at the impressive Ml
Tank Platoon from Microprose. In last month’s
issue we reviewed the Zarch based game, Con¬
queror, from Rainbow Arts, which, like Sher¬
man M4, simulates battle scenarios from World
War II. This month also sees reviews of
Origin/Mindscape’s Omega, and Dark Century
from Titus - both futuristic tank simulations
which allow you to adapt your own battle logic
by using the built-in programming languages.
Sherman M4 is something of a tribute to
the vehicle of the title, which played a significant
Got one - one of the opposition goes up in smoke
on the ST.
SHERMAN M4
role in many WWII campaigns. This simulation
allows you to play three scenarios with the tank:
Normandy, Ardennes, and North Africa. Each is
characterised by distinctive background graph¬
ics, although the filled vectors that are used to
create objects like tanks, trees, buildings, and
bunkers remain the same throughout (bar the
changes to camouflage of course).
Each of the campaigns is split into several
missions, all of which must be undertaken suc¬
cessfully by your squadron (which comprises
four Shermans and two jeeps). You are given
the option of playing each of the campaign mis¬
sion separately, which is obviously easier, and
therefore a good choice for beginning players.
One thing that becomes immediately appar¬
ent with this simulation is the possibility for
determining yourself the ratio of strategy to
arcade type play. It is not only very easy to
switch your control between any of the four
tanks, but also a simple matter to flip between
manual control and ‘automatic pilot’. Admittedly
this facility is also available in Conqueror, but
here it has been particularly well implemented.
The advantage of having the controls arranged
in this way is that you can choose to play
almost entirely with the map (just giving battle
orders to your vehicles as and when necessary)
or you can become actively involved in each
offensive or defensive action by taking manual
control of one of the four Shermans.
Orders are given via the radio and in con¬
junction with the map, which shows the loca¬
tions of enemy and allied vehicles, bunkers and
emplacements, and all the other normal carto¬
graphic features. You give movement orders to
your vehicles by placing a cross-hair on the des-
JAGDPAN2ER IV
FIRST YEAR OF
SERVICE:1943
MAXIMUM SPEED: 47k-,K
HEIGHT:43.5t
LENGTH: 9.90m
MIDTH : 3.30m
CANON : 88mm
Yet another tank sim
enters the fray as
LORICIEL/U. S .GOLD
show their appreciation
for the allied workhorse of
World War II
tination. Tanks under automatic control will do
their best to follow your orders but may be side¬
tracked, if they come under attack for instance.
At all times the individual vehicles and your
HQ report back to you via a scrolling message
window at the bottom of the screen. This is very
useful when you are in the map mode for warn¬
ing you of ambush as well as new directives.
As well as all the essential bits and pieces,
the game also boasts a few gimicky features.
You can select between interior view (which is
best for shelling because its the only mode in
which you get sights) and an exterior view. While
the exterior view is called up you can switch
between four different viewing angles. There is
also a telescope mode, in which you can only
see a small section of the forward view, but
each object that comes into sight is identified.
Sherman M4 is certainly a very attractive
game, and all the bits are in the right places
(which will please hardened sim fans). The mis
sions are a little too easy to begin with, but you
can alter the parameters for both allied and
enemy forces to even up the stakes a bit. My
only criticism of the game is that it is almost
totally lacking in atmosphere. The game does
not manage to conjour up any sense of really
being there. It is this factor alone that stops me
from unreservedly recommending this game.
• Laurence Scotford
GRAPHICS 9
AUDIO 7
ATARI ST £19.99dk
AMIGA £24.99dk
PC £24.99dk
OUT NOW
IMMINENT
OUT NOW
No other versions planned.
Unlike Ml Tank Platoon there are not so many con¬
trols to have to become accustomed to and memorise.
This means that you can get straight down to playing
(after a pause to admire the graphics of course).
Your level of interest should climb slightly once you
have played a few single missions and become accus¬
tomed to giving orders, but once you have played
through all of the campaigns you probably won’t want
to come back to it, unless you are a real Sherman fan.
949 fl 00^>Qf?Q0 10060/ 9*
The frozen wastes - as you can see this game outcutes a lot of similar product (aren’t those pengies
sweet ? No? OK)
CIIDPD Mano Brothers, Bubble Bobble,
vUrCn Verminator, New Zealand Story,
and Rainbow Islands are just a few of the titles
to exploit the recent rise of cutesie games. You
know the sort of thing - sprites that look like
they’ve just walked out of the sickliest Hanna
Barbera cartoon you can think of, and sound
effects to match. Now Logotron have upped the
stakes with the release of Kid Gloves, which is
so cute it brings tears to your eyes.
The idea behind this one is that, being tired
of listening to his uncle Indiana Stallone (sounds
familiar) rattling on about his adventures, young
Kid (that’s you matey) wanders off into uncle
Indy’s study where he finds a pair of old red
leather boxing gloves. Trying them on he finds
himself magically transported to a primeval for¬
est. And then the fun begins.
Kid Gloves is a fairly traditional platform
game. Your aim is to get from the left to the
right side of each screen by jumping from one
platform to another. Unlike some recent similar
releases, Kid Gloves does not scroll, but flips
from one screen to another. This system actual¬
ly does not really detract from the game, but
adds to the challenge because sometimes you
will have to double back to an earlier screen to
solve a later one.
There are five levels to complete including
Somewhere in the Frozen Wastes (with extra-
cute penguins), London: Industrial Revolution
(which features various animated machine
parts), and Psychedelia (which is not at all rec¬
ommended to readers who suffer from epilep¬
sy). Each level consists of ten screens. Once
you reach the right hand side of the tenth
screen the gloves will transport you to the next
level.
Like all good platform games there are a
number of alternative weapons to use against
the bad guys. You begin with the death coins
LOGOTRON double the
stakes in the super-cute
jump-‘n’-collect platform
market
Technophobia strikes in the Industrial Revolution
stage - how do they make glum so colourful.
Psychedelia is quite... well... psychedelic. What
can I say?
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £24.99dk OUT NOW
AMIGA £24.99dk IMMINENT
Kid Gloves immediately makes an impact on
the audio-visual front. The sprites are all very
appealing and there is lots of variety across
the levels. The sound has also been done very
well and includes extremely cute digitzed
speech as well as a suitably fluffy soundtrack.
A very well presented and highly playable
game, even if the theme is a bit hackneyed.
GRAPHICS 8
AUDIO a
IQ FACTOR 7
FUN FACTOR 9
which bounce around the screen hitting ene¬
mies, but require several hits to destroy large
creatures. Other weapons to be had are Flames,
Deathstar, and Megalaser. These can be
obtained in the occasional shops (again some¬
thing to be found in most good platform cuties).
What is a little more unusual are the spells
that are available to you. There are six different
spells, one of which can be used on each
screen providing you have the magic. Unfortu¬
nately you can never predict which spell will be
used or how effective it will be, so they are obvi¬
ously intended as something of a last resort.
Unlike many similar games, Kid Gloves
involves a lot more than timing your jumps cor¬
rectly and doing away with various nasties.
There are particular ways to solve each screen
and maximise your gains (which in this case are
fruit for points, and cash for shopping). Some
events, like disappearing walls and extra mon¬
sters are controlled by time-outs so if you hang
around for long enough on a screen this can
have either beneficial or detrimental effects,
depending on the stage.
You will also have to collect keys en route
to get you past certain obstacles. Even if you
have the keys, a lot of careful thinking is
required. A very useful feature if you do foul up
a screen is ‘back in time’. This allows you to go
back three screens and re-run them (a far better
option than having to replay the whole game).
On the whole Kid Gloves doesn’t really offer
anything that you can’t get in other platform
games, with the possible exception of the magic
feature and the ‘back in time’ feature. Having
said that this sort of game is fairly timeless, and
cutie fans will probably not be disappointed to
see another one on the shelves. Definitely one
of the most attractive platform games to be
released for some time.
• Laurence Scotford
Advanced Computer Entertainment 55
SCREENTEST
Full marks to Anco for getting it all onto one
disk. It would have been easy for them to put it
on two - strategy on one, Kick Off on the
other, necessitating interminable disk swap¬
ping. The ST also boasts an advantage over
other versions with a white dot indicator to aid
shooting and passing. One of the ST's finest.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 8
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 9
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £19.95dk OUT NOW
AMIGA £19.95dk IMMINENT
SPECTRUM £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT
C64/128 £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT
No other versions planned.
ANCO get into the footy big-time
with a Kick Off sequel that gives
you the chance to hire and fire
as well as get the goals in
IMAGINE al1 the fun Kick ^ with a
I MAUI II E strategic management game
bolted on. That is exactly what Dino Dini of
Kick Off fame has dreamt up for Anco.
Player Manager offers a wealth of manage¬
ment options in an easy to implement, icon-driv¬
en play system.
You start by picking your team. A squad of
thirteen players have to be chosen to take part
in a full league and cup programme.
There are many weighty managerial deci¬
sions to be made. You can study the form of all
the players in the list, check out their transfer
fee asking price, and even improve on their per¬
formance by selecting appropriate training.
To limit the length of championship cam¬
paigns the divisions have been restricted to five
or six of the most famous teams in that league.
Right liberties have been taken here. Take Divi¬
sion Three, for example. One of the teams pre¬
sent is called “Bristol”. But Bristol what ? City or
Rovers? Surely it would have been better to opt
for Bristol City if there was not room for both -
not only to add realism, but also because City
are the biggest and historically most successful
team from the west country.
After the game options - do you really want to
know what that dark blue window will reveal.
But this is a minor gripe and the overall
decision to limit the number of teams is a sensi¬
ble one.
You begin your managerial career as Play¬
er/Manager in the Third Division. Your impres¬
sive international career fills the fans and club
officials with hope that you will provide the
spark that will end their residence in the lowly
Third. But its a funny old game football and a
manager’s existence is a precarious one, as you
will soon discover if the goals don’t start going
in.
When you have set up your team, checked
the transfer list, club finances , carried out all
pre-match training and practised tactics its time
for the Kick Off. Fans of the original will recog¬
nise the hit soccer game immediately.
Looks familiar - match day action is refined
version of Kick Off. You can look on from the
bench or put your boots on and join in.
After each match you get a results service
of all the other league games or cup ties.
Depending on the performance of your side you
may wish to go back to the main menu to select
Training, Transfers, or have a look at the League
Placings. One option that may not wish to select
is the Club Information - where you are given the
Board verdict on your performance.
Even if you avoid the views of your board
there is no way of missing the news updates
that appear after the game on Match Day.
These reports provide useful snippets of infor¬
mation about rival clubs. Things like players on
the move, manager sackings,and sending offs.
The Coach Report is another vital informa¬
tion source for the manager that wants to keep
in touch. The coach provides updates on individ¬
ual and team morale, both of which directly
effect team performances.
Of the management scenes, the Tactical
Training window is the best. This enables you to
set up a number moves that you can execute
on match day, as well as selecting and experi¬
menting with different formations.
The player statistics are sufficiently compre¬
hensive to satisfy the most pernickity of arm
chair managers, with ratings in all of the vital
skill categories. The save option also enables
you to play a full league championship if you
have a whole season to spare.
The beauty of Player Manager is that it suc¬
cessfully blends a challenging soccer manage¬
ment game with all of the frantic end to end
arcade action of Kick Off. Designers have been
trying to marry arcade footy with management
games for years - almost always failing abysmal¬
ly. Player Manager brings it off in style.
• Eugene Lacey
On Match Day you have a decision to make.
Are you going to select your self and join in the
frantic end to end action of Kick Off, or are you
going to stay on the bench where you have a
number of match monitoring devices at you fin¬
ger tips.
The best of these is the camera which you
can instruct to follow the ball or train it on a
player who you want to keep a closer eye on.
Matches can be played at normal Kick Off
speed or fast mode, viewed from above in a
rectangle which shows the whole pitch in minia¬
ture - your team scrambling around like bugs.
If you decide to play then you have to
choose to play in position (the best option) or as
a team, where you control all of the players in
your team. Once the the match is in progress it
plays just like Kick Off, with the same unique
pace and variety of set piece moves that made
the game such a hit.
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
Makes a good strong first impression thanks
to the well presented strategy screens, with
their various icons and windows. From the
very start Player Manager avoids the most
common mistake of management games -
lists of boring tables of statistics. You are
never more than a couple of mouse clicks
away from the action, and that action is a
modified version of Kick Off - the state of the
art in computer arcade soccer. Player
Manger has strong long term appeal with its
save game options and potential to take part
in a full league and cup season, match by
match. Coded by Dino Dini (the author of
Kick Off), the boy done well.
56 Advanced Computer Entertainment
PLAYING SKILLS OF THE MANAGER
This part of the game is a refined version of the KICK OFF,
retaining it's pace, flavour and the universally acclaimed game
play. Play in your position or control the nearest player.
The first option combined with a tailor made tactics can
play havoc in the opposition goal mouth.
Devising winning tactics, acquiring players with right skills
from the Transfer market and selecting a well balanced team
is the test of his Managerial skills. When to hang his boots up
is the toughest decision he has to make.
TACTICS
Four well proven tactics are provided to suit most situations
but you can design your own tactics. See the tactics in action
using the Ray Trace facility.
CBM 64 - SPECTRUM - AMSTRAD -
ATARI 800 £9.95(Cassette) £14.95 (Disc)
THE PLAYERS
Over a thousand players in the four division league.
Each player with a unique combination of the
following attributes: SHOOTING ACCURACY,
PASSING ACCURACY, PACE, STAMINA, APPLI¬
CATION, AGGRESSION, HEIGHT and TACKLING
SKILL.
These attributes are influenced by the player's
Age, Mental and Physical Dexterity, Quality of
Experience, Weight, Temperament and Morale.
There are several other factors such as injury,
disciplinary points, unsuitable playing position
which influence a player's performance.
titfST socce* x * -
tbe
to i^e 1
¥ ° CUS ^
tea^ uin aB» eIlt '
Bring Back The Glory Days, the brief of the newly appointed
PLAYER MANAGER, an International class player, as he takes
charge of a third division club. His success depends on four distinct
aspects of the game.
AMIGA-
ATARI ST £19.95
Hosts of other factors like referees, injuries, disciplinary problems, team morale etc. can lay to waste the best laid
plans of a manager. The PLAYER MANAGER brings everyday realities of a Manager's life, his talents as a manaqer
and a player into a sharp FOCUS. THE FOCUS IS ON YOU.
joESIGM TNCT1C* - MlNO NTTrtCX
ANCO SOFTWARE LTD., UNIT 10, BURNHAM TRADING ESTATE, LAWSON ROAD,
DARTFORD, KENT. Mail Order by Cheque, Postal Order, ACCESS or VISA.
Telephone No.: 0322 92513/92518. FAX No.: 0322 93422.
Graphics and presentation are generally slick
with user-friendly icons and helpful save/load
options. Sound is limited to effects in-game but
a jolly Lone Ranger title tune goes some way
to compensating for that. Fun for a while but
tedious in the long run.
GRAPHICS 7 IG FACTOR 6
AUDIO 5 FUN FACTOR 6
Graphically and sonically more colourful than
the ST version though some of the definition
isn’t quite as good. A tad faster but no real dif¬
ferences in the gameplay.
GRAPHICS 7 IG FACTOR 6
Not a bad arcade adventure, but not a really
good one either. Your initial expectations are
not that high, and you won’t really find much
more to hold your interest after the first few
games. Your interest will peak once you’ve got
the hang of things. Of course once you’ve
solved it - that’s it!
RELEASE BOX
SPECTRUM £9.99cs*£14.99dk IMMINENT
C64/128 £9.99cs*£14.99dk IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT
Jtftj ILOKVVO
Whoops! Tell tries to shoot his way onto the drawbridge without any arrows.
Will engages one of Gessler’s black knights in a
little melee!
THE LEGEND
OF WILLIAM TELL
SCREEN 7
cross swords with
ancient legend in
this new animated
arcade adventure.
WILLIAM ilT. SS-
er like Geoff Capes and a couple
of cabers. No-one understands
the intricacies of arrows and quiv¬
ers better than Will and he’s a dif¬
ficult man to beat in swordplay as
well. Childcare, on the other
hand, is something he doesn’t
excel at. Unsupervised, his son
has managed to get himself into
a scrape with the evil duke
Gessler who’s throwing him into
prison for refusing to bow down
to the ducal hat. For a man like
Will this isn’t a matter of choice; he’s deter¬
mined to find his son and give Gessler a lesson
he'll never forget.
The search for Tell junior turns out to be an
icon-driven arcade adventure with plenty of
fighting sequences thrown in. Tell’s exploits,
which take place in the top half of the screen,
are directed using a selection of icons.
Basically, it's a question of exploring the
countryside, collecting objects and dealing with
the people and animals that you meet. Equip¬
ment is your first priority. Back at your hut you’ll
find a staff and an axe but the forest itself hides
a whole armoury of extra swords, different
types of arrows, crossbows and arrow winders.
Any jewellry and travel documents lying about
are bound to come in useful; provisions are
essential if William’s energy is running low.
It’s best to deal with most characters by
talking to them. Some will give you an object
without any prodding at all; others need to be
persuaded with a morsel of food or a little kind¬
ness. Icons let you offer provisions, jewels or
show papers though when you start out you’ll
have limited supplies of these.
Gessler's black knights
are under instructions to arrest
anyone who bears a passing
resemblance to William Tell.
However much you try to avoid
them, you’ll have to go into com¬
bat eventually. The appropriate
icon lets you choose your
weapon and execute a few basic
fighting moves. If you choose
the crossbow, a target position¬
ing window appears at the base
of the screen; it’s up to you to
set the sights yourself.
There's obviously plenty of
substance to the story; certainly enough to sup¬
port hours of playing time - if you can spare it.
Even so, The Legend of William Tell is .good
rather than outstanding; a lot of the location
and character graphics are repeated and it
takes a fair amount of exploration before you
start to make much progress. Not only that,
some of the initial fighting sequences are
extremely tough and may put you off if you’re
not very patient. Definitely one to consider only
if you’ve got lots of time on your hands and are
addicted to arcade adventures.
• Kati Hamza
58 Advanced Computer Entertainment
I can still remember quite
clearly an old coin-op in
which a little steam train
chuffed its way merrily round
a series of rectangular sliding
blocks, each of which con¬
tained a different shaped sec¬
tion of track. The idea was to
ensure that the train contin¬
ued to move for as long as
possible before meeting an
obstruction, or the end of the
track. This was achieved by sliding the sections
of track around the screen in a similar way to
the classic sliding letter puzzles. Considering
the simplicity of the idea, the resultant game
was surprisingly compulsive.
Now Entertainment International have pro¬
duced a game for micros which is superficially
similar, and just as addictive. In Pipemania,
rather than a steam train you must control the
flow of a rather yucky substance called Flooz,
and instead of sections of track you must place
sections of pipe in order that the gooey stuff
can continue flowing without leaking.
O.K. So far, so good. You simply tack sec¬
tions of pipe onto the source pipe to form a
length of tubing which the stuff can flow
through. There are complications, however. To
begin with you have a fairly respectable amount
of time to make headway with your construc¬
tion, but once the goo starts flowing it contin¬
ues to do so at a steady rate, leaving you little
time to stop and think about what you are
doing.
The other little complication is that sections
of pipe are presented to you in a set order, and
you must use them as they come, so you will
often have to look at the stack of pieces to see
what is in the pipeline, as it were. It is permissi¬
ble to place a new section of pipe over an old
one (as long as it is not in use) to replace the
original piece. This process, known as ‘bomb¬
ing’, takes more time than placing a section of
pipe in an empty space. It is no good simply
dumping unwanted pieces anywhere either - at
the end of each round, any pieces of pipe that
are gooless are removed, along with a sizeable
chunk of your score.
If you get clever enough to be able to form
loops and other fancy structures you receive
bonus points. There are also points to be had
for directing the sticky stuff through pipe sec¬
tions that are placed on screen before the start
ENTERTAINMENT
INTERNATIONAL
show that plumbing
can be fun...
m
X
X
X
X
X
X
xlx
X
x
X
X
X
X
X
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X
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lx
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IX
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X
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x:
If you manage to form a bop you can acquire
some useful bonus points
of the round. Then there are
obstacles to be avoided, and
these become more haz¬
ardous with each passing
level.
At the end of each level
you get to play a bonus
screen. The objective is the
same, but this time the pieces
of pipe slide back and forth at
the top of the screen and
must be dropped into place
(there are shades of Tetris here). This is even
more difficult than the standard game because,
of course, pipe sections must be stacked,
which entails using a lot of otherwise unneces¬
sary pieces.
A useful feature is the use of passwords to
gain entry to levels you have reached in previ¬
ous games. This should give the game a longer
life than it would otherwise have had if players
had been forced to continually replay levels they
had already mastered.
Pipemania is destined to become a huge
success. It has all the elements that made
Tetris such a superb game: an engaging sim¬
plicity, instant accessibility, timelessness, and
bags of fun. When you add the two-player and
advanced features of the game, it is not difficult
to see that a monster hit is in the making. Unre¬
servedly recommended.
• Laurence Scotford
On later levels there are plenty of obstacles,
reservoirs and fixed pipe sections
COMING IN FROM ALL ANGLES!
Pipemania hasn't even hit the streets in the UK and it
has already made a hell of an impression on the
entertainment software industry.
Lucasfilm were quick to snap-up the program
for marketing in the states, and by all accounts it is
already doing very well over there. As you can see
from our release box, Entertainment International are
so sure that the game will have universal appeal that
they plan to release it across every popular format.
In addition to the micro versions, there is a coin¬
op also in development - and it shows real achieve¬
ment when a development for micros gets taken on
for the arcades rather than the other way round.
And that’s not the end of it. A version of the
game for the Nintendo gameboy and an NES car¬
tridge wil both be available around the middle of the
year.
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £19.95dk
SPECTRUM
C64/128
£19.95dk
£9.95cs £14.95dk
£9.95cs£14.95dk
OUT NOW
IMMINENT
IMMINENT
IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT
PC £19.95dk IMMINENT
MACINTOSH £24.95dk IMMINENT
ARCHIMEDES £24.95dk IMMINENT
MSX £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT
BBC/ELECTRON £9.95cs £14.95dk IMMINENT
“KlfclWi
_
PREDICTED INTEREST i
Pipemania does not look like anything too special at
first sight, but I guarantee that the moment you begin
to play it you will become instantly addicted. This is
one that you are going to play and play until you are
absolutely sick of it. But even then you are likely to
keep going back to it. A classic game.
Trie comments made for the Amiga apply
equally to this version. To be honest there isn't
really anything to tell between the two - both
are superbly implemented games with stacks
of playability. It is nice to see that there are still
some games which don’t rely ori stunning
audio-visua! elements to mask a total lack of
gameplay.
GRAPHICS 6 IQ FACTOR 8
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 10|
Graphically, the game is quite simple, but then
it doesn't need intricately drawn sprites to
keep it's appeal. Similarly the sound is restrict¬
ed to suitable blips and bleeps at appropriate
moments. But although the game may be prim¬
itive on an audio-visual basis, it makes up for it
with its instant appeal and playability. A superb
game!
^^HRRRRH|RRHRHRMH
GRAPHICS 6 IQ FACTOR 8
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR I0|
|
910
i
\ ■ .
...
Advanced Computer Entertainment 59
SCREENTEST
ACE looks at some of the latest releases for the Sega Master System
TENNIS ACE
I. Lender? J. McKin? Do these names sound
familiar? Well, Tennis Ace incorporates them in
its comprehensive attempt to emulate the fast-
paced sport, and (just for good measure) gives
you bags of options, realistic ball movement
and occasional flashes of humour (bring back
Des Lynam, I say).
Every possible permutation of two players
and computer opponents has been included;
you can play solo against the computer or
against a friend; or you can play with a friend in
a doubles match against two simulated oppo¬
nents; or with a computer partner against a
friend and his partner... in fact, it’s this flexibility
which makes the action enjoyable. In one-player
mode alone it would die an early death.
There are four basic types of game: training
(which helps to hone your skill level), Open Tour¬
nament (against another human player), Exhibi¬
tion match (so you can show off your talent) and
Grandslam Tournament, where you face the big
boys (and girls). On top of this, there are three
types of court surface to play on - clay (high
bounce), grass (limited rebound) and hard court
(high and wide bounce) - all of which do play
significantly differently.
The action is presented from overhead, the
court scrolling to accommodate shots travelling
whole court.
beyond the lines. Serving is different, however;
it’s a ‘3D’ side-on view which switches to over¬
head once the ball has been struck. Many differ¬
ent types of shot are available, including lobs,
drop shots, volleys and smashes, all of which
help to spice up the action, which doesn’t (and
maybe should) move along at a heart-stopping
pace.
The one major niggle is the amount of time
it takes the program between points. You have
to wait at least fifteen seconds: this may not
sound so bad, and for the first few games it
isn’t, but when you’re playing three sets (particu¬
larly against the computer) it gets on your
nerves.
Tennis Ace isn't a bad sports sim, but it
could have been better. The range of options is
great, but the actual in-game variety is not so
hot. Playing alone can become laborious, even
with a password system;’ fortunately, the two-
player options more than make up for this. How¬
ever, if you haven’t got a friend coming round
every night, you might want more for your £25
than just a decent tennis game.
Initially, Tennis Ace strikes you as being far
too easy; the computer opponents are pre¬
dictable, and the collision detection between
ball and racquet is very kind. Then you enter the
Grandslam Tournament and things begin to get
harder - but not astoundingly so. After a
month’s play, you’ll probably find that you can
beat most of the opposition quite easily and,
unfortunately, that's when the one-player game
dies.
More comprehensive than Super Tennis,
this is still far from being the perfect simulation.
The graphics are detailed enough and the ball
movement works very well, but the sound
grates even with the wide choice of tunes open
to you. Despite the huge variety of options, the
action itself doesn’t quite hit the mark for a solo
player. For two players, though, it’s great!
• Gordon Houghton
SEGA £24.95ct
OUT NOW
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 6
AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 8
ACE RATING
760
The service must be delivered from a side-on view
- not exactly conducive to good play W
PSYCHO FOX
Dont be put off by the title. The fox in Sega’s lat¬
est platform caper is really quite cute. Your chal¬
lenge is to negotiate him around the various
platforms and several levels in a bid to defeat
the evil Madfox Daimyojin.
Foxes are respected creatures in Japan -
worshipped at Inari temples as gods of the har¬
vest. But this vaunted position is about to be
usurped by Daimyojin, who has thrown the world
into turmoil. He has populated the land with evil
creatures bent on destruction.
Psycho Fox must visit all seven staged of
the game eliminating these creatures with what¬
ever weapons he can muster. The stages have
three rounds each and you have just three lives
with which to conquer its extensive network of
platforms.
Your fox can punch the enemies to destroy
them or jump on them if he is agile enough. He
can also enlist the support of his trusty ally -
Bird Fly. Bird Fly will launch himself at the enemy
and knock them off the platform clearing a path
for Psycho Fox. To get Bird Fly to perch on your
shoulder you must first crack open an egg - but
be careful in doing this as some of the eggs
contain enemies.
The Psycho Stick is another useful artifact
to look out for. It enables Psycho Fox to trans¬
form- into either a hippopotamus, monkey, or a
tiger. Certain forms are more appropriate than
others depending on the situation. The Hippo,
for example, has powerful punching power that
can smash through walls but he weighs a good
60 Advanced Computer Entertainment
deal and may sink through some of the plat¬
forms.
Taking the correct route is the key to Psy¬
ch^ Fox, as some paths are a good deal more
difficult than others.
Alongside all the hazards and creatures out
to get you there are also plenty of ‘leg-ups’ for
Psycho Fox. There are excellent jumping boards
which enable him to trampoline high into the air
to move around. There are also swing poles,
jumping boards, wind rides and bridges.
Sega are still masters of cute as the Psycho Fox
islands in the sky demonstrate.
Psycho Fox - the route through the clouds is just
one of the many.
SEGA £24.95ct
OUT NOW
GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 7
| AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 8
ACE RATING
835
_1
Manoeuvring Psycho Fox takes a bit of
practice. He can be made to move a consider¬
able speed and carries the momentum of this
speed into the air with his leap, carrying forward
a good deal. On landing you can immediately
right his position by moving the joypad in the
opposite direction, often creating an excellent
‘steaming heels' effect as he lands on a plat¬
form. Just like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
Before you confront Daimyojin you must
complete the treacherous seventh stage, where
all of the traps that you have previously encoun¬
tered must be negotiated again. As if this were
not enough to worry about there are also some
tricky escalators that can throw you off the
scent. Daimyojin himself is as tough to defeat
as any mean-looking end of level nasty from a
shoot ’em up - a huge sprite taking up a third of
the screen.
Apart from the main business of platform
leaping in an attempt to confront Daimyojin
there is also a secondary game in between
stages.This is a gambling game called Amida,
where you place bets with the money you have
gathered in the platform scenes on how far you
will get along the paths. At the end of each path
is a prize. The more money you have, the more
paths you can bet on.
Secondary games are popular in Japanese
console games, particularly those involving an
element of gambling, and they certainly do add
an extra dimension, as well as providing light
relief from the main business of the challenge.
Psycho Fox is very much a game for plat¬
form officianados. It is Marioesque and features
some very tough pieces of platforming. It has
real lasting value. There is more than one way to
get around it, adding to the appeal. The Sec¬
ondary Game is also fun, offering something
else to boast about apart from how many of the
platforms you have so far mastered.
Graphically the game is superb, particularly
some of the later stages such as the Ice Zone,
Wind Zone, and Underground Cavern. Perhaps
not quite as appealing as the Alex Kidd games
but certainly one of the best platform offerings
available for the Master System.
Eugene Lacey
SPELLCASTER
The Japanese love role playing games. They are
the most popular type of game amongst the
many millions of console owners, regularly out¬
stripping the latest shoot ’em ups and arcade
games.
This explains the comparatively high num¬
ber that are available for the Sega. But if you
have always reasoned that RPG’s with all that
puzzling and adventuring are not for you then
you might be wise to reconsider. Spellcaster is
a very different type of game. It is much more
arcadey than computer RPG’s, and the plot and
characters are all introduced to you in snappy
cartoon-style cameos.
You are the ambitious young warrior Kane,
determined to prove your valour to the leader
Daikak. An opportunity arises when ten of
Daikak's warriors are slaughtered by a mysteri¬
ous enemy when they were dispatched to guard
some remote mountain temples.
Daikak instructs you to journey to Izumo to
find out what happened to he men. This is where
the action begins, as you find yourself journey¬
ing through a forest and under attack from
strange teddy-bear like creatures.
You are armed with a Dokko which you can
throw at the enemy to kill them before they can
tough you and reduce your strength rating which
is displayed above the action window. Your ener¬
gy level is also displayed at this point.
You are never far away from the action in
Spellcaster, which is where the game departs
from more pure RPG style games like Dungeon
Master. You have to complete each of the mini
arcade missions in order to reach the destina¬
tions, where you encounter other characters
whom you can talk to.
Once you reach once of the eleven destina¬
tions you are given a menu of possible moves.
You select either Move, Talk, Look, Take, Use,
or Spell by highlighting your chosemaction with
the joypad and pressing fire.
Normally it is best to have a good look
around first as the game will give you clues in
its descriptions of the location. Look gives you
a further “At what?” request which enables you
to move a finger pointer around everything in
the graphic window display, examining anything
that you think may be of use. If something is
identified you may use TAKE to grab it.
There are a further seven weapons to be
picked up in the game, all of them more power¬
ful than the Dokko with which you start. There
are also the spells and you will need to cast
these during certain action screens if you are to
survive them and solve the mystery.
You have not really got to grips with Spell¬
caster until you start to wield the magical pow¬
ers of the spells. The best of them is the Nobo-
ta spell that creates a shield impervious to all
the enemy’s missile attacks. The Indira Spell is
one of the most spectacular, bringing down
bolts of lightning to strike down your enemies.
You can cast a spell at any time you wish by
pressing the pause button. This will bring down
the Status Screen where you can select your
spell (Providing you are carrying it) and then
return to the action screen where the spell is
executed. This information screen also enables
you to use the “Password Save” feature which
enables you to quit the game and then resume
the next time you play at exactly the same posi¬
tion by making a note of the password.
Mars calls on the God of the War to restore
your strength, Makiri enables you to fly (very
useful in some of the trickier platform action
screens), Fudo gives you a huge and deadly ball
of fire, and Hatten calls on the God of Winds to
whip up a tornado against your enemies.
There is good variety in the in the action
screens that Kane must journey through. Apart
from the the temples and shrines the quest also
takes you into space, across time, and into the
Land of the Dead.
Mastering the use of the spells and
weapons makes for a good tough challenge.
Ultimately Spellmaster is limited by its finite
plot. Once you have done it you are unlikely to
plug it in again. It provides a fun challenge whilst
it lasts though.
Spellcaster is more of an arcade game with
adventure style graphical rewards between lev¬
els than a pure RPG. Its arcade screens are
tough and graphically satisfying with the added
curiosity of the mystery. A competent game.
• Eugene Lacey
■ GRAPHICS 8
I AUDIO 6
: TMI I NI MV
i yi
Wf Hi fit HltHHTff fli O *
Kane learns of the slaughter of the warriors.
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041 * •<#*•<
: ichne. you
OHN
* <¥
OIE VET 1
NOT
HE
RE 9
1
■s ... .
Spellcaster - the fun is in casting the spells
Advanced Computer Entertainment 61
SCREENTEST
SCREENTEST
OMEGA
MINDSCAPE discover
the ORIGIN of cybernetics,
and create a game that will
appeal to programmers and
simulator fans alike
Flippy cybernetic engineer worth his
tVCni weight in microchips knows that to
reach the pinnacle of his career is to join the
Organisation of Strategic Intelligence. That’s
where the country’s experts are designing
cybertanks - armoured vehicles capable of com¬
pletely independent fighting, movement and
thought.
You’re a new recruit to this hotbed of
defence intelligence and your assignment is to
create the most efficient cybertanks possible on
a limited budget. Design is implemented using a
combination of pull-down menus and keyboard
commands.
There are two main engineering points: the
chassis and the tank’s artificial intelligence. For
the chassis it’s mainly a question of choosing
equipment (fuel cells, drive system, weapon
type, enemy scanner etc) from a menu of avail¬
able components. New recruits have a budget
of 1,000 credits. This increases as the efficien¬
cy of your tank designs improve, enabling you to
purchase more advanced equipment as well as
extras such as energy misers, repair kits,
defence shields and accelerators.
Programming a tank’s Al is much more com¬
plicated. Using the Cybertank Command Lan¬
guage (CCL) you type in a list of commands
intended to control abilities like movement,
searching, scanning, rotating, firing and so on.
CCL works like a mini programming language
(luckily, it’s based on English) and it’s not some¬
thing you’ll learn to master in an afternoon.
About 50 pages of the manual are devoted to
teaching you how to use it and it probably helps
if you’ve had some minor experience of pro¬
gramming before. If that all sounds a bit too
complicated, you can just string together a
selection of ready-made Al capsules selected by
menu from the Al library: they aren’t as flexible
but speed up the engineering process.
Every completed design has to be autho¬
rised. This works a bit like a primary debugging
process. A more in-depth de-bugging routine is
also included. If there are mis¬
takes in your Al routines,
they’re identified for you to go
back and alter them. If not,
you’re free to go on to test the
design in combat simulation.
There are several complete
battlefields on the disk but you
can construct your own using a
construction kit. Options
screens allow you to pick the
number and type of your oppo¬
nents as well as whether or not
you’re going to be fighting in
teams. If fitted with a comm-
link, tanks in your team may
communicate with one another.
During the simulation, which
runs automatically, you can switch between
localised and overhead viewpoints. At the end of
the sim, your design can be evaluated; if it’s
good enough, you’re given promotion and a big¬
ger budget. If not, it's back to the drawing
board.
S * mu I a t t o n
In«ui Hf*MU It has been
!requested that software engineers
not tie up the lavatories for
nu**r*r*xtended periods hq usino the
iopportunitq to studq their latest
source I« stins.
icqbernetic Ualleq ;: o ^ bt!rGhi
costs shqrocHet as !
continues m the Un * are
Cqbernet i c ”anuf acturers dec l a* **
shortage on all HI boards.
The nail-biting finale. If you can’t stand to
watch, there’s an option to switch to manual con¬
trol.
Despite minimal sonics and graphics, Amiga
Omega is fast, user-friendly and extremely well-
presented. Clearly aimed at a minority market
though.
■
j-. -• i, m nt»r t nu « i ti i f j * i*«ipsyjjgl
yjpift
_
STHR DD 1RHKSERRCH
00 HTTRCHTHNH
HORROR 10 STRHI
TRHHSERRCH
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IF EREMV TRHH MRS FOUND
TRHHf OUNO r ' ,
1 mm OBSTRUCTIOj LjjT
HOME
TURN
SCRN
♦SPECTRE
00
rotate
11
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'f¬
lu SUMS
Designing a tank’s brains is the most time-consuming
operation. Completed tanks be transferred to another
computer via modem.
One of many neat presentation touches, the bul¬
letin board keeps you informed about the day to
day running of the OSI.
Omega is probably one of the most com¬
plex games you’ll ever come across. It comes
with an in-depth manual which runs to about 200
pages and there’s much more to it than can be
adequately summarised in a
review. In many ways, it’s more an
exercise in programming tech¬
niques than a tank sim or a strate¬
gy game. The design possibilities
are endless but it probably won’t
appeal to the average gamesplay-
er. Presentation throughout has
been made as user-friendly as pos¬
sible and the documentation is
extremely helpful but if you really
want to master this game you’re
looking at weeks and weeks of in-
depth playing time. Omega is an
excellent product but it’s only going
to appeal to a handful of cult enthu¬
siasts. Joystick junkies steer clear.
THEN
m m; i
i nu
.3
'BRANCH
ill HftLH
• Kati Hamza
GRAPHICS
AUDIO
IQ FACTOR 10
FUN FACTOR 6
PREDICTED INTEREST •
Omega will take a long time to master. It will
take you at least a day to wade through the
hefty manual. However, if you persevere,
there are plentiful rewards to be had. Because
the game uses a programming language of
sorts, there are endless possibilities. This is
one simulation that is definitely not going to
receive an early retirement.
62 Advanced Computer Entertainment
The emphasis is on planning rather than por¬
traying the action so the 3D graphical display
of what’s going on isn’t too heavy on detail.
Presentation, however, is excellent, with in-
depth instructions, clear icons, and some
classy introductory graphic touches. Sound,
predictably, is on the poor side.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR
AUDIO 4 FUN FACTOR 6
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
Comprehending all the program subtleties
which comprise the main (automatic) part of
the game takes more than a couple of hours
of hard slog. Once you’ve mastered the sys¬
tem you’ll want to prove how effectively you
can use it, though as there aren’t many varia¬
tions in terrain or tank design and no battle
involves more than six tanks there’s not that
much opportunity to spin the experience out.
g|; ggj|§ " ■
RELEASE BOX
| ATARI ST
£24.99dk
TBA
AMIGA
£24.99dk
TBA
SPECTRUM
£8.99cs
TBA
AMSTRAD
£9.99cs £14.99dk
TBA
PC
£24.99dk
TBA
m -——■— ---—- m
; No other versions planned. I
IP prisons are overcrowded now
!■ just think what it’ll be like by AD
2250. Luckily, Titus predict that the
governments of the future will come
up with an ideal solution. No more
messing about with rehabilitation,
electronic tagging or psychology -
just ship them off to the nearest
inhabitable planet and leave them
there.
Unfortunately the hard-nosed
beneficiaries of this humane venture
don't see it quite like that. They’ve
managed to commandeer a selec¬
tion of specially designed govern¬
ment issue tanks and are running riot
on their prison world. Unless you and
your team of penitentiary guards
manage to stop them in your own
set of armoured vehicles, the stolen tanks’ com¬
plicated self-destruct system is sure to destroy
the planet.
Up to a maximum of six tanks (including the
enemy) take part in each encounter, which can
be played manually or in automatic mode by one
or two players. Unlike a car, it's a lot more
straightforward driving in manual. Just suss out
the position of enemies and allies using the
radar and use the joystick to hunt out the prison
tanks and blast them
to bits.
In automatic it's up to you to program the
movements of tanks in advance. This means
selecting and arranging a sequence of icons to
specify such details as angle of turret, different
speeds according to whether you’re in attack or
surveillance modes, targetting, number of con¬
secutive shots and auto destruct mechanism.
When you've fiddled about with all this technical
Unfortunately a screen shot does not give an impression of the
game’s speed. The opposing tanks whip past you at a rate of
knots.
detail to your heart's content, you watch the
ensuing battle on screen.
It takes a while to get to grips with all of
this, as getting the hang of the controls, setting
your parameters and putting together an effec¬
tive program is a complex, strategic process.
This is clearly not the sort of game you can just
pick up and play for half an hour - it requires
study and plenty of practice.
As such it resembles Origin’s complicated
tank programming game, Omega. It can’t really
match it in terms of complexity, though, and if
you're really determined to spend hours pro¬
gramming and watching tanks, Omega, with its
artificial intelligence routines, specially designed
programming language and its wide variety of
vehicles, is bound to be a greater challenge.
Dark Century can only cope with a maximum of
six tanks and there are few variations in land¬
scape, or vehicle capabilities.
Within these limitations,
Dark Century is a competently pro¬
grammed, well-implemented piece
of software clearly aimed at gamers
with a strong bent towards program¬
ming. Even with the manual options,
however, its specialised subject
matter is unlikely to appeal to the
average lover of shoot 'em ups,
arcade adventures, even simula¬
tions. If you do feel like hiding away
with a manual for a couple of
weeks, make sure you know exactly
what you're buying first.
# Kati Hamza
Objects, like the city in the background, manage to convey a
sense of depth and speed.
TITUS engage in a bit of
programming wizardry and
say ‘Tanks for the Memory’
in another future tank sim
Advanced Computer Entertainment 63
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DISTRIBUTED BY VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LIMITED, VERNON
YARD, PORTOBELLO ROAD, LONDON W11 2DX. TELEPHONE: 01-727 8070.
Scrolls nice ‘n’ smoothly and makes tremen¬
dous use of the Amiga’s colour palette. Possi¬
bly the prettiest beat ’em up to date, even if it
is appallingly hackneyed in its choice of a post
nuclear-war New York for its fight scene loca¬
tions. Still, you don’t really expect originality
these days, do you?
GRAPHICS 9 IQ FACTOR 8
| ATARI ST £19.95dk
AMIGA £19.95dk
OUT NOW
SPECTRUM £8.98cs£12.95dk IMMINENT
C64/128 £9.95cs£14.95dk IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9,95cs£14,95dk IMMINENT
No other versions planned.
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
WAR
DINAMIC engages in some
Post-holocaust fisticuffs as
one more beat ’em up
hits the shelves
Mastering all the moves will take time, and
getting to the final level will take even longer.
Once you have succeeded in escaping though,
that’s it. It is unlikely to whirr inside your disk
drive again.
After the War - twenty possible moves and
aggressive opponents.
The launch platform is located inside Profes¬
sor McJerin’s secure compound. The mad prof
is protected by a weird assortment of animal-like
robots. These include Kangaroo Fighters, Kan¬
garoo Destroyers, Flying Rats, and R.A.D Bulls.
Dinamic have set the difficulty level very
high - with two separate loads - three levels in
the first and two in the second. A password
enables the experienced player to start on the
more advanced levels once the secret word has
been discovered.
The first level takes you through the streets
of Manhattan where you have to battle it out with
the “radio gladiators” - street dwellers who are
so badly contaminated that they hardly care
whether they live or die.
The “punkies” (quaint Spanish translation)
live beneath the bridge in Manhattan and you
must pass them on your journey towards the
outskirts of the city. They are armed and have
the cowardly habit of sneaking up on you from
behind.
Your toughest opponents above ground are
the R.A.D Bulls - massive, aggressive creatures
that will slash you to bits as soon as look at you.
To compensate for the toughness of the
adversaries Dinamic have programmed in twen¬
ty possible moves for Jonathan to make in his
defence. These include three types of kick, two
jabs, and two punches as well as normal jump¬
ing, moving forward, retreating and ducking. Fie
can also pick up an FX Machine Gun and use
mines to destroy the nasties when the going
gets really tough.
Mastering a goodly number of moves is
essential to deal effectively with the varying
Advanced Computer Entertainment 65
This chain-wielding skinhead absorbs a good
kicking before he bites the concrete.
Very pretty backdrops but nothing new in the
game play.
attack styles of the enemy.To the
games’ credit the moves can all be
implemented crisply as instructed in the
manual- and it pays dividends to practice
these moves before setting out seriously
to reach McJerins hideout.
If you make it to the second load the
action, switches to below ground where
McJerin’s cronies have taken over the
Manhattan subway. It is here that you will
come up against the Flying Rat Robots
and “Pneumatic Shooting Torretas” (That
Spanish translation again). You need to
use your gun to survive this level as fists
and boots aren’t enough - especially in
the case of the tough, human-like
Guardian Androids.
At the end of this level is a lift that will take
you to McJerins base. This is where the fighting
becomes most intense - and you will need to
exercise quick and nimble control of Jonathan if
he is to survive.
After the War is competent in every depart¬
ment. A beat 'em up squarely aimed at the
tougher, well practised exponents of computer
pugilism. Graphically it is excellent, providing
cinema-like atmosphere in the street and sub¬
way scenes.
My only criticism is the lack of imagination
in the game play. Pretty as it is, gameplay has
hardly improved at all since the days of Kung
Fu Master. Surely it is possible to incorporate
elements of strategy without spoiling the fren¬
zied business of throwing punches, kicks and
laying people out? Last Exit From Beat ’Em Bore¬
dom. Rated PG (pretty good).
# Eugene Lacey
THE depressing obsession with post nuclear
I IlC wastelands continues unabated in the
imaginary world of computer games - despite
the biggest reductions in thermonuclear
weapons for decades now taking place in the
real world.
After The War sounds like the definitive
post-holocaust, ‘mean streets’ beat ’em up. It
looks like it too - with giant rats running wild
and assorted mutants terrorising the hapless cit¬
izens of Manhattan in 2019. (Just think, Kylie will
be 60 by then, if she doesn’t get nuked down
under!)
Into this grim metropolis comes one
Jonathan Rogers. That, at least, makes an origi¬
nal change from Rick Fist or Danny Dangerous.
But if he doesn’t have a tough name - he sure
has a tough job. Jonathan’s objective is to reach
the XV-238 launching platform - from where he
can escape to one of the colonies.
SCREENTEST
The Untouchables
Commodore 64 Cass
Commodore 128 Disk
Spectrum 48K Cass
Spectrum +3 Disk
Amstrad CPC Cass
Amstrad CPC Disk
Atari ST Disk
Amiga Disk
PRICE
CODE
£ 9.99
BF801CC
£14.99
BF802CD
£ 9.99
BF803SC
£14.99
BF804SD
£ 9.99
BF805AC
£14.99
BF806AD
£19.99
BF807ST
£24.99
BF808AM
The Untouchables
from Ocean
Re-live the knife existence of
Elliot Ness in his struggle
against the retribution of mob¬
ster Capone.
The ultimate six exciting action
sequences put you in control of
Elliot Ness's elite squad of crime-
busters.
Alleyway shootouts, The Border Raid,
The Railway Station confrontation and
Warehouse bust culminating in the
thrilling rooftop duel as you re-live the knife edge exis¬
tence of Ness in his struggle against the retribution of
Capone!
J-\sj
=3
CHOOSE ANY ONE «
BIG FOUR MAIL ORDER
• Fast delivery
• Friendly service
• Fabulous savings
We’re backed by the resources of
one of Britain's most successful
publishers so you can order with
confidence.
It's so simple!
You may find it hard to believe that
we're GIVING away software but it's
true. You simply buy any of the titles
on this page at the normal retail
price listed and then you can pick
any other title (or the same title on a
different format) absolutely free of
charge!
The only condition is that the value
of the free game must not be
greater than that of the game you're
paying for.
Apart from that there are no
strings attached. It’s literally TWO
for the price of one! Or FOUR for
the price of two...the sky's the limit!
Have you ever seen a better
offer...?
FIRST CLASS POST, PACKING
& VAT, INCLUDED
After conquering the world
of pop music, Micheal
Jackson channelled his
energy and talent into
making his first film. Now
U S Gold present the
home computer version of
that film, endorsed by the
Superstar himself. Feel
the rhythm in Club 30,
transform into a futuristic silver
robot and ultimately beat the
drug peddling MR BIG in the
unique world of MOONWALKER -
a game like no other.
"You will be unable to tear your¬
self away from the screen even
when it's way past midnight"
Mark Higham - ST Format
Moonwalker
PRICE
CODE
Spectrum 48K
Cass
£ 9.95
BF816SC
Spectrum + 3
Disk
£14.95
BF817SD
Commodore 64
Cass
£ 9.95
BF818CC
Commodore 128
Disk
£14.95
BF819CD
Amstrad CPC
Cass
£ 9.95
BF820AC
Amstrad CPC
Disk
£14.95
BF821AD
Atari ST
Disk
£19.95
BF822ST
Amiga
Disk
£19.95
BF823AM
Michael Jackson
Moonwalker
from U S Gold
Laser Squad
from Bladesoft
Laser Squad combines
strategic skill with the use
of grenades and a variety of
automatic weapons to defeat
your foe. You can take the
part of hunter or hunted - play
with a friend and take turns at
opposing roles. One player option
plays against artificial intelligence
so highly develped it bites!
"Laser Squad is a terrific game that is superbly playable
and can definately be recommended as one for the library
of any gameplayer. Andy Smith, Amiga Format
Lazer Squad
PRICE
CODE
Spectrum 48
Cass
£ 9.95
BF809SC
Amstrad CPC
Cass
£ 9.95
BF810AC
Amstrad CPC
Disk
£14.95
BF811AD
Commodore 64
Cass
£ 9.95
BF812CC
Commodore 128
Disk
£14.95
BF813CD
Atari ST
Disk
£19.95
BF814ST
Amiga
Disk
£19.95
BF815AM
ONE FREE!
■I
Operation
Thunderbolt
from Ocean
Follow up to last years No 1 hit "Operation Wolf".
The game brings you enhanced shoot-em up action for one
or two players. Thunderbolt not only reporduces the hori¬
zontally scrolling gameplay of Wolf, but adds 3D action to
the scenario as you test your nerve against swooping jets,
helicopters, tanks and many more awesome adversaries!
Use the laser sight, or the bulletproof vest, but watch out
for those air-to-ground missies.
“Brilliant is the only way to describe Thunderbolt" - not a
game for the faint-hearted"
Trenton Webb -Amstrad Action
Operation Thunderbolt
PRICE
CODE
Spectrum 48K
Cass
£ 9.99
BF824SC
Spectrum +3
Disk
£14.99
BF825SD
Amstrad CPC
Cass
£ 9.99
BF826AC
Amstrad CPC
Disk
£14.99
BF827AD
Commodore 64
Cass
£9.99
BF828CC
Commodore
Disk
£14.99
BF829CD
Atari ST
Disk
£19.99
BF830ST
Amiga
Disk
£24.99
BF831AM
ORDER HOTLINE 0458 74011
Post to: Big Four Mail Order, The Old Barn, Somerton, Somerset TA11 7PY
| YES, I want to take advantage of this remarkable way of buying software.
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| The game(s) I would like FREE are: (You may claim one free title for each game bought. The
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I
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---I
SCREENTEST
PSYCLAPSE unleash droids to
avoid in an impressive multi¬
section arcade adventure with
a puzzling twist in it’s tail
A AAABMLIf * t0 Asimov - one of the first
AvvUnUlllU and cardinal rules of
robotics is that a droid can never knowingly
harm a human being. It is a good job that this
law is regularly flouted in books and computer
games as if the droids were law abiding hunks
of metal than these creations would be fairly
dull affairs.
The droids in Stryx haven’t the least regard
for any of the laws of robotics. They are sys¬
tematically seeking out and murdering the
inhabitants of the pollution-free domed cities of
Earth in the year 3106. This rather hackneyed
sci-fi yarn provides the background for Psy-
clapse’ latest game.
Stryx is an arcade adventure split into three
separate sections - each providing a different
game challenge. You start off in one of the four
domes where the droids are running wild. You
must arm your self as well as you can and set
about eliminating the Cyborg Assassins before
they wipe out all the humans. Your first move is
to find the jet pack. Exploring the dome on foot
is guaranteed to get your nowhere as you are
likely to be pushed off a platform and land on
an electrified surface that will quickly sap your
life force.
You, by the way, are Stryx - half man and
half robot, capable or running at great speed
and leaping great distances. A sort of Six Mil¬
lion Dollar man deluxe version.
The platform capers provide a tough chal¬
lenge. The aliens - particularly the Red Guards
- make tough adversaries and you need to be
quick thinking, as well as quick with the fire but¬
ton, to defeat them
As you explore the domes you will find
various objects. Three of these can be carried
in your backpack at a time. There is a storage
screen and operate screen in the control panel
- objects being moved by one to the other by
the Function keys. The main thing to keep an
eye on in your control panel is your life force
barometer. You must prevent this from reaching
zero by topping it up. You only have one life so
if it does reach zero that's it - and you are in for
an annoying 30 seconds of disk whirring if you
want another go.
The main items to look out for in the
Domed Cities are the keys to the ‘Lifeforce’.
Once you have all of these you can travel to the
Central Dome where you can use the keys to
switch on the ‘Lifeforce’ annihilating all of the
droids and rebel computers at a flick of a
switch.
Beneath each Domed City is a hive - where
energy is generated to keep the cities running.
This is an Oids type challenge - where you float
around in your mining craft picking up crystals
to replenish your energy reserves.
The droids are not going to let you do this
easily though - having several ground based
defence installations constantly spewing out
missiles, flying saucers, and rocket fire. You
really need to be able to master the ‘thrust’ and
‘rotate’ controls of the mining vehicle if you are
to survive.
Oids fans will love the ‘Hive’ part of Stryx. It
provides all of the Asteroids-like fun of floating
Stryx has the right degree of compulsion to
keep you battling against those droids until
you have solved the adventure. Once you have
completed the challenge though, you are
unlikely to go back to it. That is the problem
with all arcade adventures, however good they
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £19.95dk IMMINENT
AMIGA £19.95dk OUT NOW
No other versions planned.
Comes on two disks and has the usual graphi¬
cal frills during loading and at the end of the
game that are now the hallmarks of this talent¬
ed Scouse software house. Didn't like the load
time after each go, and felt that the sound
effects could have been more imaginative.
Overall the game packs a lot of different chal¬
lenges, provides a very colourful spectacle to
look at, and makes good use of the Amiga.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 7
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 7
but with the addition of full colour and a fantas¬
tic assortment of aliens.
The third section of the game takes place
in the Connection Tubes - linking the four
Domed Cities to the fifth Central Dome. This
was the most disappointing level from a game
play point of view. It would have been better
had it been a pure speed test - racing down the
tunnels blasting the aliens. As it is, the tubes
are cavernous, like the hive, and you keep
banging into things. The jet bike you ride is fun
though - very well drawn and capable of real
speed.
When you have all of the keys you need to
journey to the Central Dome you can attempt to
program the computer. This provides a little bit
of puzzling right at the end of game, and is a
well though out conclusion to the adventure.
Three arcade challenges - well two and a
half really - cobbled together in one game.
Arcade adventure fans will not be disappointed
with Stryx. There is still a shortage of decent
AA fun to be had on 16-bit machines and Stryx
helps fill the gap.
• Eugene Lacey
Grab that fuel - you are going to need it.
68 Advanced Computer Entertainment
/STEREO!
//sound!
/module
£369i
CATCH A SNEAK PREVIEW
ON YOUR HI-FI NOW
WITH OUR
Ftotenct CM-52l\
W/UULL
f/UiJC/i
S^J/i/UL
phone today on
' yf 01-231 6018 (24hr.) M
WITH YOUR a—, CHEQUE OR P.O. FOR IMMEDIATE f£
r. DISPATCH OF OUR CM SERIES SOUND 1
Ir _ MODULE PERIPHERALS & COMPATIBLE U/J
j|L|^ SEIRRA GAMES. ALTERNATIVELY...
Write to:- GRAPHIC MUSIC SYSTEMS /P
*55 George Row, London SE16 4UB.(Fax: 01-252 0604
? inc. your P.C. make & model for full info package F.CLx
22 IP
m M
IH ^
/
I j ^
1 n [H -i
■IVV.T|VI ]
MEGA DRIVE
WARNING!
Sega of Japan and Virgin Mastertronic, as the exclusive
authorised distributor for Sega in the UK, strongly advise all
potential customers against purchasing 'grey imported
16-Bit Mega Drives.
Mega Drives which have already reached the UK have been
unofficially converted to run on the PAL system; this work
has NOT been authorised by either company and therefore
the hardware is NOT covered by any guarantee of safety or
workmanship and will NOT receive any after sales service
from Sega or Virgin Mastertronic .
Sega also announce that ' grey ' imported Mega Drives will be
incompatible with the software which will be marketed in
Europe when the official Mega Drive is launched later this
year, and that owners of the 'grey imports will not therefore
be able to run this software.
VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LTD • 2-4 VERNON YARD
PORTOBELLO ROAD • LONDON W I I 2DX
1CTW Survey '89 CTW Survey
SECTION G -
MAGAZINES
Consumer
Magazines aiding
magazines read
stocking decisions
by trade
1. ACE
1. ACE
2. PCW
2. C+VG
3. Games Machine
3. Crash
4. Crash
4. Games Machine
5. Zzap
5. Zzap
6. C+VG
6. PCW
7. Commodore User
7. The One
8. Gamesweek
8. ST Action
(Combined with
9. NCE
Pop mid-Feb)
10. Sinclair User
Sinclair User
10. Your Sinclair
Source CTW Dealer survey 1989
To get your dealer to stock more of your
product - advertise in ACE.
Phone : 01 251 6222 ext 2518 for details
SCREENTEST
Graphically and sonically, Search For The
Titanic is severely limited. Apart from a few
maps in drab colours there's little to comment
about other than the menu displays - they’re
easy to use and comprehend. In keeping with
the lethargic speed of the diving section is the
long disk-loading time. Make a cup of tea while
you're waiting.
riiimi not
mum&
C64/128
Digesting the long and informative manual,
getting to grips with the controls and playing
‘ f right through your first game successfully is
likely to take about a day. It took them three
quarters of a century to find the Titanic so you
should be prepared for a long wait if you’re
determined to play this to the bitter end. Max¬
imum enjoyment requires the sacrifice of lots
of playing hours.
SEARCH FOR THE
TITANIC
CAPSTONE/CRL prove
that life under the ocean
waves might not be
quite as exciting as
landlubbers think
INTEREST
CURVE
PREDICTED
llfUPIJ she was con-
11 MEll structed in
1912, the Titanic was the
biggest moving object ever
built by man. She weighed
46,000 tons, carried over
2,000 passengers and was
declared the ultimate
unsinkable ship. After the
collision with the iceberg,
which came just four days
into her maiden voyage,
the exact location of the
wreck remained an unfathomable mystery, until
it was finally discovered in 1985. Capstone’s
oceanographic sim lets you enact that search.
Not that the Titanic is your immediate objec¬
tive. Basically, you’re short on the necessary
readies and need to amass a reputation akin to
Jacques Cousteau’s before the big sponsors
start writing out blank cheques. The only way to
do that is to go on low-budget wreck-hunting
trips (about ten) and bring back plenty of under¬
sea evidence.
Each expedition is divided into two separate
phases: planning and execution. Both are heavy
on strategy, low on action; most commands are
performed via key presses and menu selection.
Graphic representation is minimal and confined
to the second part.
Planning involves selecting your ship and
starting port, deciding what sort of equipment,
if any, to buy and hiring enough suitably qualified
crew. As you’ve got to finance salaries and
enough water, food and fuel to last the trip as
well, your initial budget of $10,000 isn’t likely to
stretch very far. That’s when you apply for spon¬
sorship from a menu of potential companies
picking one of a selection of good reasons why
you want the cash. It’s all a question of clinical
key presses; the begging, wheedling and grovel¬
ling ‘just like real life’ promised by the manual,
doesn’t really come into it.
You can’t leave port if you’ve bodged up
essential arrangements like hiring divers or mak¬
ing enough safety provisions. Get them right
and you head out into the open sea. You’re after
the co-ordinates of one specific wreck and your
first job is to get out there in one piece by alter¬
ing direction and speed.
When you’ve made it, it’s time to survey the
ocean floor using divers and any equipment like
a minisub, bathysphere, sonar platform or suc¬
tion tube you might have bought. First trip out,
you’ll probably only be able to afford to send
divers down on searching and surveying expedi¬
ence you have acquired a ship, some personnel
and equipment, you can begin the hunt for wrecks.
tions to the ocean floor. If
you find anything, great, if
you don’t you’ll just have to
keep looking.
You couldn’t ask for a
more complex game-
design. There are more
than enough options to
allow for innumerable dif¬
ferent wreck-seeking trips
and lots of screens and
tables to give information
on factors which might
affect their outcome. Bad weather, crew health
and how carefully you’ve stocked up are all
important considerations.
What is missing is any real sense of sus¬
pense or excitement. The action moves very
slowly and there's not enough visual representa¬
tion or sound to give much incentive for explo¬
ration. This is no problem if you like your simula¬
tions long, involved and ponderous. If you don’t,
the repetitive diving and searching (which takes
ages to reap any rewards and has practically no
visual impact) will just get too tedious. One for
very serious simulation fans only.
• Kati Hamza
GRAPHICS 3 IQ FACTOR 8
AUDIO 1 FUN FACTOR 6
Arrows : Head 1 ng ♦/-;Speed El Explore
Zoom: Z-in X:Out S:Stop N; N avigate.
.rntml-ia
Careful navigation is essential in your search for
the wreckage of the world’s greatest liner.
70 Advanced Computer Entertainment
r The
a few
tmment
they're
ng with
n is the
;a while
*S?*>4Z*
9 »o... *°u£
Gravity designed and
programmed by Ross Goodley.
Visuals by Pete Lyon.
Not for distribution to the
ftepublic of South Africa.
SCREENTEST
SftZZA'S
DAIII Gascoi § ne ’ as
i MU L any football fan
worth his salt will tell you,
is like George Best. They’ll
inform you that he’s one of
those players who has an
amazing amount of skill
and potential, but his tem¬
perament lets him down.
The Mars Bar Boy’ and
‘Fatty’ are just a couple of
this lovable, cheeky character’s previous appel¬
lations; most people these days call him ‘Gazza’
and this is where Empire and the programming
boys at ODE step in.
Gazza’s Super Soccer gives you three
basic options; you can play a single game, cre¬
ate a league or generate a cup competition. If
you play a one-off, you're offered the choice of
one or two players, each of whom can select
teams (drawn from the current First Division),
name their players individually and
decide on skill levels and tactics.
League and Cup competitions
follow a similar pattern. For exam¬
ple, in both you decide on the
tournament size (between four
and 20 teams for the League, and
between eight and 64 for the
Cup), then create a new team or
load a saved one. You can also
name the contest: unfortunately,
the program doesn’t allow many
letters, so if you wanted to call
your cup ‘Littlewoods’, it would
read ‘Littlewoo’. There's an extra
option which allows saved code
from any 8-bit machine to load
into any other 8-bit machine - a
nice touch.
Unfortunately, the action
doesn’t complement the
meticulous pre-match pre¬
sentation. It’s displayed in
three parts: a central sec¬
tion viewed from the side,
and two end sections
seen from the viewpoint of
the attacking team. In any
event, the player in pos¬
session is marked by a tri¬
angle above his head.
The system used is a big let-down. The con¬
trols are fiddly (you have to change direction
when the viewpoint changes, and you have to
press ‘Enter’ to access the goalkeeper), and the
graphics are poor, particularly the sense of per¬
spective, the pitch proportions and the player
animation. This latter aspect is so jerky that it’s
hard to see what’s going on a lot of the time, a
fact aggravated by the seemingly aimless wan-
In the centre of the pitch you get a side-on view similar to Match-
day.
EMPIRE and the Mars Bar
Boy make a real soccer
turkey with this no-go
footie sim
If you've ever played Matchday II, you’ll know
what a Spectrum can do with a soccer game.
It can provide easy-to-handle controls, tense
and exciting gameplay and a wide variety of
options. Gazza’s Soccer scores ten out of ten
for options, but forgets the most important bit:
the action! It's better to watch the man himself
on tv than subject yourself to a football simula¬
tion which fails miserably in the gameplay
department.
GRAPHICS 3 IG FACTOR 6
AUDIO 2 FUN FACTOR 2
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £24.99*
SPECTRUM £9.99cs £14.99dk OUT NOW
C64/128 £9.99cs£14.99dk IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9 99cs £ 14.99dk IMMINENT
1 SPECTRUM
Confusing and disappointing to begin with,
Gazza’s Super Soccer never even scales the
foothills of mediocrity, preferring the quiet,
grassy plains of football game oblivion. If you
do take to the style of gameplay (which is
unlikely), the multiple options for generating
your own leagues and cups may well keep you
happy for a week or so. After that, the game
will be consigned to the bin marked ‘I wish I
hadn’t bought that’.
derings of most of the other players on the
pitch. To cap it all, the sound is limited to a few
measly blips and vague roaring noises.
If the other versions are anything like this,
avoid them. The programmers don’t seem to
have captured the feel, speed or excitement of
real football, and certainly haven’t matched the
addictiveness of other soccer sims. It’s enough
to put Gazza back on the Mars Bars again.
THE SOCCER SYNDROME
Without a shadow of a doubt, Soccer simulations have
always been the most popular sport titles for micros. Over
the past decade there has been a whole plethora of
games from huge turkeys to absolutely stunning timeless
pieces of programming.
Perhaps the first program to really make its mark
was Ocean’s Matchday, developed by programming supre¬
mo Jon Ritman (also responsible for superlative games
like Head over Heels and the original Batman isometric 3D
adventure.
Most recently, however, the crown has been taken
easily by Anco’s superb Kick Off. This utilises an overhead
view rather than Matchday ’s side-on perspective.
With so many soccer games around at the moment,
and in the face of such strong competition, it will be inter¬
esting to see whether titles like Gazza’s Super Soccer and
Footballer of the Year 2 can hold their own. It also
remains to be seen whether Anco can remain at the top of
the league with their impending management sim Player
Manager (see the review elsewhere in this issue for more
details).
72 Advanced Computer Entertainment
GREMLIN resurrects
the footballer of yesteryear
as yet another micro soccer game
joins the ranks of the many
that have gone before
Like many existing soccer games, FOTY 2 relies
on an overhead view of the pitch.
Initial reaction is lukewarm, as understanding
the system’s subtleties takes some time. After
a period of playing on one skill level, interest
may begin to wane, but once you replay at a
higher standard it becomes rewarding again.
With nine different skill levels the gameplay
will remain challenging for some time.
The strategy isn’t blindingly complex, nor are
the arcade sequences the most fun you’ll have
from a footy game, but despite that F0TY2 still
remains playable - largely due to the neat
graphical touches, and a wide variety of statis¬
tical information which you can access at any
time. Had there been better action and more
depth in all departments (but particularly the
gambling section), the game would have been
much more enjoyable.
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST £19.99dk OUT NOW
AMIGA £19.99dk IMMINENT
SPECTRUM £9.99cs£12.99dk IMMINENT
C64/128 £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT
AMSTRAD £9.99cs £14.99dk IMMINENT
No other versions planned.
FOOTBALLER
OF THE YEAR
WITH the World ^ up mere weeks away,
Ivl III there’s bound to be a glut of soccer
games on the market; Gremlin has decided to
sidestep the conventional management/arcade
footy sim and revive an aging formula they first
used on 8-bit many moons ago.
Before you even tie up those laces, you
have the option of radically changing the game.
Enter your first and second names, then edit
the names of national and international teams.
You begin in the UK Superleague, which incor¬
porates English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh clubs
(well, that’s the only explanation for Swansea
City appearing alongside Liverpool).
The game proper offers you a choice of
options: gamble money in a double or nothing
trivia game, check your current team or individ¬
ual status, opt for a transfer (for which expen¬
sive transfer cards have to be purchased, but
you also get a cut of the fee) - or play a match.
Matches place you in a variety of national/inter¬
national league and cup competitions, and offer
you the chance to purchase goalcards. Goal-
cards boost your team’s score in that particular
game, but only if you successfully memorise
and execute a pre-match plan.
What would a soccer star be without the
option of an international career? Score goals
and impress the right people and you may just
get the nod from whichever national side you
opted for at the beginning. If you don’t, you can
always complain that the manager has constant¬
ly frowned upon players of extraordinary talent,
and that you're in the same company as Alan
Hudson and Glenn Hoddle.
Score the most goals by the end of the sea¬
son (why can’t you win the title for being a
defender?), and the accolade ‘Footballer of the
Year’ is your rich reward.
You begin the game in the U.K. Superleague. Here
you can select which team to play for.
Apart from the basic lack of variety, there are a
couple of other problems with this game. First¬
ly, accessing the various tables means a short
wait whilst they're drawn up, but they’re statisti¬
cally comprehensive and add a lot to the enjoy¬
ment of the game's strategic elements.
More serious than this is the depth of the
‘double or nothing’ section, which contains too
few questions, many of which are repeated in a
slightly different form too soon after they were
first asked. During the same gambling
sequence, the game threw up ‘Which side were
beaten by Leeds in the 1973 final?' (Sunder¬
land), followed by ‘What was the year in which
Sunderland beat Leeds in the FA Cup Final?’ This
wouldn’t be too bad if the questions were hard¬
er, but they’re too simple for anyone with a
moderate knowledge of football.
If you don't know too much about soccer,
FOTY 2 is a reasonable enough strategy game.
It has plenty of tactical options, some compact
arcade sequences and the ability to save/load
games so that you can go on for seasons. In
the end, though, you’ll wish there was a bit
more to it.
• Gordon Houghton
*. MEVVII
Advanced Computer Entertainment 73
SCREENTEST
SCREENTEST
GRAPHICS 4 IQ FACTOR 2
AUDIO S FUN FACTOR 3
GRAPHICS 4 IQ FACTOR 2
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 3
It doesn’t take too long to get the hang of a
beat ’em up so it doesn’t take long to discover
that Wild Streets isn’t going to keep you glued
to your screen. As it’s fairly easy, however,
once you’ve started you may want to see if
you can finish it. Whether you stay the course
is likely to depend on what else you’ve got to
play. Even so, in the long term, Wild Streets is
the kind of program which makes you wish
you’d waited for the reviews before you
bought it.
Stiff animation and an almost interminable
series of lookalike sprites do little to improve
on the woolly control method and tedious
gameplay. The use of flick-screen rather than
scrolling action, means that it's easy for the
main character to get caught between
screens. That way he gets a beating from both
sides without you actually being able to see
what’s going on. Sound-wise, the title tune is
appropriately action-packed with some weak
sampled speech, but the in-game FX are limit-
ACE RATING
The only significant difference between this
and the ST version is slightly enhanced sound.
The unremarkable title tune plays right through
each level instead of at the start and the growl¬
ing panther and beating effects are slightly
more realistic. Apart from that all the ST criti¬
cisms apply.
ACE RATING
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST
£24.99dk
OUT NOW
AMIGA
£24.99dk
OUT NOW
SPECTRUM
£8.99cs
IMMINENT
AMSTRAD
£9.99cs£14.99dk
IMMINENT
PC
£24.99dk
IMMINENT
No other versions planned.
There’s trouble ahead, but a knee to the groin
soon fixes things!
While the two goons are intent on you, they fail
to notice Black Virgin springing from behind...
This unusual beat-em-up
from TITUS becomes
something of a
walk on the wild side
WILD STREETS
In theory the selection of ten different
punching and kicking movements (not all that
many by sophisticated standards) should pro¬
vide enough spice for a varied fight. In practice,
the moves you select aren’t always translated
accurately into what's going on on screen. That
wouldn’t matter too much if you didn't have bul¬
lets to save but repeatedly firing your last bullet
when all you actually wanted to do was a flying
kick can get a little frustrating.
Even so, the worst thugs New York City can
muster don’t require too much complex punch¬
ing to beat. The fighting element lacks speed,
fluidity and variety; it’s fairly easy to dispatch
most villains with a couple of blows.
Blow by blow, Wild Streets degenerates
into less and less of a challenge. Technically the
absence of scrolling and stiff animation are a
disappointment. It doesn’t take long for the
action to become repetitive and extremely
tedious - and a couple of gimmicks can’t make
up for that.
• Kati Hamza
MAtf a beat ’em up, any beat ’em up. What
I IvIV does it contain? A Magnum 357
maybe, but a black panther in the official
employment of the CIA? - certainly not. Presum¬
ably that's why Titus have used them as gim¬
micks to add a touch of originality to their latest
game.
The scenario follows the standard urban
beat ’em up line. It’s 1998 and downtown New
York has degenerated into a ruinous shanty
town. The guys in charge are the Mafia and
their latest caper involved kidnapping the direc¬
tor of the CIA.
Without further ado, James Taylor, Panama¬
nian veteran and professional CIA bully-boy, is
helicoptered in. This isn’t the sort of mission
even a guy on steroids accepts alone, so
before he leaps out into the urban jungle he’s
equipped with a limited ammunition gun and his
own personal feline bodyguard, aptly named
Black Virgin.
There are five separate levels but the objec¬
tive in each one is roughly the same: beat your
way through thugs and hoodlums along a flick
screen city path to the end of the level and an
even harder hoodlum. You can use your Mag¬
num any time but it’s wise to save any bullets
you’ve got left for the final showdown, when it’s
easier just to shoot the big guy down. Black Vir¬
gin trots obediently behind you most of the
time, springing on the occasional street fighter
to help you out.
74 Advanced Computer Entertainment
jroin
ifferent
all that
Id pro-
actice,
islated
n. That
ive bul-
t bullet
a flying
Tity can
punch-
speed,
ispatch
nerates
:ally the
i are a
for the
tremely
't make
iti Hamza
I'm primed for action as my F-16 leaves the runway. This time
my mission is to destroy a battalion of tanks. Suddenly, threat
warning - interceptors closing fast! I quickly select dogfight
mode and arm a Sidewinder. We both fire at the same time -
chaff and a high-g turn out manoeuvres his missile. A loud
explosion tells me he's not so lucky,
Flying fast and low, I turn my F-16 towards my target. Time to
switch on the ground radar and arm the laser-guided Mavericks.
I fire six missiles in quick succession, Lantirn automatically
locking on to each tank. With flak bursting around me I dive for
cover and head for home. Approaching base, I contact the tower
and request a talkdown for my night landing.
Order your F-16 Combat Pilot now. simply telephone f0278i 684959
quoting WSA or ACCESS credit card number, name and address.
Digital Integration Limiteo.
Watctaoor Trade Cette.
WatctaaorRoat). Cambe%
Surrev'GUlS 3AJ
The Real World oi Simulation
‘F-16 Combat Pilot is a milestone in C64 programming • a true achievement’
misim. IMCGMRCUlfS, IBUEGkm 525’or 35’ discs)124.95COMMODORE C64: cassette 114.95, discllM.
-881- -Voir Commodore.
Your dates:
Continuing the tradition
but dedicated to leisure.
Sponsored by C&VG, SINCLAIR USER, CU, ACE and THE ONE.
Contact: Sally Buller at EMAP International Exhibitions: 01 -251 6222 ext: 2406
or Gary Williams ext 2518
Don’t be decieved by the minimalist graphics in the simulator section - this game has bags of
playability and is hellishly addictive.
ROTOR
ARCANA get into some heavy Gravitar style thrusting
with their compelling shoot and collect game
the future, so say Arcana, there will be two
options for people such as us: work like
slaves for no reward or enlist with the Roto-
Raiders. These fine upstanding citizens are part
of a crack squad of flying battle tank pilots on a
mission. Mission objective: destroy enemy
defences, steal energy, ammunition and fuel,
then come home.
THE ARCHIMEDES FACTOR!
The Acorn Archimedes was supposed to be a milestone in
microcomputer history - the first affordable machine to
use RISC technology. It promised so much for the games
player and yet, up to now, it has delivered so little.
There can be no denying that for any serious games
designer the machine is a prayer answered - not only do
it’s graphic and sound capabilities rival those of the
Amiga, but the presence of the RISC processor allows the
programmer to indulge in more complex routines without
sacrificing the speed of execution (and that is exactly
what you want to hear if you are trying to generate hun¬
dreds of solid three-dimensional, fast moving polygons for
instance).
So why have companies been so slow to develop
software for the machine? The answer, in part, can be put
down to it's small, but rapidly growing, user base as well
as Acorn’s reluctance to market the Archie as an enter¬
tainment machine. But that is becoming less of a reason¬
able excuse with each passing day.
It is nice to see a relatively small company like
Arcana developing Archimedes versions alongside tradi¬
tional 16 -bit games, even if this particular game doesn't
really exploit the machine's capabilities to the full. Let us
hope that other software developers are quick to follow
Arcana’s example and give this superb micro the recogni¬
tion it deserves.
Fair enough. But before you even get near
the leather of a ROTOR'S yoke, you have to
undergo six simulator levels in order to prove
your worthiness. These pocket missions still
end your game if you lose all three simulated
ships, but you can take comfort in the fact that
at least no one really died. Every three missions
you gain a password which allows you to tackle
the next set: eventually you get to tackle the
eighteen non-simulator stages.
Throughout the game you have a pocket
computer informer. This handy gadget gives
details about your mission successes and
details your level of prestige units (PUs). PUs
are necessary to gain access to later missions,
and are acquired by carrying out tasks and
blowing up empty containers.
Your ship can be improved in the missions
proper by opening caskets which contain
pearls. An on-board transformer converts these
into useful customisations such as extra rota¬
tion speed, engine upgrades, hull renewal and
more powerful lasers. Once you start collecting
these, the craft becomes appreciably easier to
handle. On the negative side, opening contain¬
ers sometimes reveals mines, which weigh your
ship down considerably. If you don't collect
them they explode, and a life is lost.
Each level is a self-contained unit, the size
of which increases as the difficulty advances.
The only way out is to find a randomly-generat-
Ifs not just the poor scrolling (which some¬
times disorientates you) or the sparse effects
which make the ST version less worthy; it’s
also the fact that Rotor has OIDS as a direct
competitor. OIDS is a far superior game, but
anyone with a liking for Grav/tar-influenced
action should check it out anyway.
For a supposedly superior machine the
Archimedes has yet to prove itself on the
games front. Rotor is no exception in this
case. This version does not really score much
over the Amiga game. Slightly nicer sound and
smoother scrolling are all that give it the edge
over the other two versions. Nevertheless, full
marks to Arcana for even bothering to think
about this too often ignored machine.
There are too few Grav/tar-style games on the
Amiga, so anything half-decent is bound to
prove by far and away the best. Even so, a
great soundtrack, smooth and polished graph¬
ics, excellent presentation and a fair degree of
difficulty help make it an appealing game in its
own right. For the price, it’s worth a look.
RELEASE BOX
AMIGA £19.99dk
ARCHIMEDES £24 99dk
No other versions planned.
m ARCHIMEDES
I AMIGA WM ST
GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 8
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
Quite tough to begin with, the ROTORS in all
versions are difficult to control. Once you’ve
eased through the excellent simulators, how¬
ever, the mission levels are challenging and
(literally) rewarding: the upgrades give you
greater control and keep you coming back for
just one more go. The ST version falls shorter
in appeal because poor graphic movement
inhibits the gameplay, making it a little too
frustrating.
1 GRAPHICS 6 IQ FACTOR 6
AUDIO 6 FUN FACTOR 7
GRAPHICS 8 IQ FACTOR 6
AUDIO 8 FUN FACTOR 9
ed exit once you've successfully destroyed ene¬
mies and collected the spoils. Later missions
contain nasty surprises like artificial gravity gen¬
erators, laser bases, snake bases and rapid-fir¬
ing cannon. If you haven't got some nifty control
upgrades by then, you won't be coming home
for tea. And even if you do defeat the enemies,
you won’t be able to return unless you collect
all the sun crystals lying in caskets. It's a tough
old life, isn't it?
• Gordon Houghton
Advanced Computer Entertainment 77
SCREENTEST
5
W date the Last Ninja series
have been System 3’s
biggest products. All that seems
set to change with Vendetta, a mix¬
ture of Ninja, Outrun and a lot of
improvement.
It may look like Last Ninja’s
programming routines with differ¬
ent graphics, but the whole thing
has been kicked up a gear. The
opens with a video display depict¬
ing some of the kidnap of a nucle¬
ar physicists daughter. Rather than
the usual ransom demands these
terrorists are forcing the professor
to build them a nuclear bomb, allowing them to
spread even more fear throughout the world.
Playing the part of a lone vigilante it's down to
you to rescue the Prof, and his daughter before
Oh dear, here comes trouble, and you ve yet to
find anything more deadly than a knife.
the bomb is completed. Seeing as
you’re operating in an above the
law status, it’s not only the terror¬
ists you have to look out for, but
the police.
The first level turns out to
be a warehouse, staffed with ter¬
rorists. Though some of them are
armed, most of them tend to be
relatively harmless, especially
when you find a weapon. No
namby pamby bamboo staffs or
bows here, we’re talking machine
guns that can cut through most of
the enemy forces. That, coupled
with the ability to fire and run backward makes
you pretty confident, until you come across ter¬
rorists in kevlar body suits. Then it's down to the
thump and grind of martial arts to get you
through.
Discovery is the better part of progress in
this case, which means keeping an eye out for
every possible object. Apart from finding
weapons you need to find computer disks, video
recordings and other evidence to prove the bad
guy’s exist and that you’re not one of them.
It’s not just a case of leaving one level and
entering the next. Nowadays hero’s travel from
place to place in a turbo charged Porsche, in an
excellent driving sequence. The road scrolls per¬
fectly, all the twist, turns and junctions move as
realistically as roads can be on an 8-bit micro.
With the addition of terrorist cars and missile
launchers the whole thing's a tad hectic.
Vendetta isn’t your usual run of the mill
arcade adventure. The graphics are excellent,
displayed fast and don't confuse matters too
Guns, violence,
terrorists and
SYSTEM 3.
Where’s a ninja
game when you
need one?
Graphically, Vendetta is one of the best 64
games I’ve seen in ages. The screens are
drawn fast, and the detail is excellent. The pre¬
sentation impresses right from the start, and
lots of extra touches are included throughout.
A game which comes close to pushing the
64 to its limits in speed, graphics and sound,
leaving room for an absorbing, taxing game.
GRAPHICS 9 IQ FACTOR 7
AUDIO 9 FUN FACTOR 9
RELEASE BOX
C64/128 £9.99cs £12.99dk OUT NOW
A classic easy to get into game. The only
beginning problem is getting used to moving
about on the perspective screen. Once that
has been accomplished, it’s a case of getting
to know where all the locations and useful
objects are.
With the addition of a separate, quality driv¬
ing section, the playability is strengthened
even further.
Once completed (which is no mean feat),
Vendetta is one of those games that’s worth
digging out again and again just because of
the quality of the graphics and presentation.
much. A driving soundtrack accompanies the
graphics and adds even more atmosphere to an
already tidy game.
The last of the three levels in set in a terror¬
ist's favourite bolt hole, a plane. To give the
effect of a confined space the screen is cut
down to a third of it’s size. Leaving no room to
manoeuvre and even less room to fight. It’s
worth noting that the further you get the more
bloodthirsty the action is. All the opponents
come complete with Uzi’s and bullet proofing, all
the useful items are guarded and the pace is
really stepped up.
Probably the best thing about Vendetta is
it’s accessibility. It’s easy to get into, taxing and
doesn’t leave you a gibbering wreck with awe¬
some problems. Definitely a game worth buying.
If anything it tops Myth as one of the best origi¬
nal 64 games in a long time.
• Mark Patterson
Advanced Computer Entertainment
LORDS OF CHAOS
the comedian Richard Digance observed
recently, if a hurricane hit Harlow New
Town it would make an improvement. ‘Concrete’
was the middle name of whoever designed the
town centre, a geometric mass of the stuff, with
post-war school-building aesthetics and a
depressing line in sharp corners and bland
paving stones.
Hard then to believe that one of Britain’s
most consistently good development houses
haven't thrown themselves off a concrete walk¬
way in despair instead of writing a string of
great strategy games. Yet Target Games are
beavering away on the next potential hit now, a
"fantasy, strategy, role-playing game” called
Lords of Chaos.
The aim of the game is simple - playing a
wizard you must defeat other wizards and reach
a portal somewhere on the landscape within a
certain number of turns - it is the method of
play and the execution of strategy which makes
the game cause for interest. For the overriding
aspect of the game is magic, the use, selection
and potency of spells to defeat all of your oppo¬
nents.
There are several types of spells. Creature
spells range from the utterly pathetic giant bat,
to the ultimate... red, green and gold dragons.
Projectile spells such as lightning can be useful
in times of crises and close combat; terrain
Nick Gollop
Julian Gollop
TARGET GAMES reveals its
strategy for the past, present
and future
Target Games, with the delightful Harlow in the
background
spells like Flood multiply insidiously to make a
landscape impassable; more other-worldly incan¬
tations such as Subversion do things like turn an
opponent's creature to your own side.
Each spell costs “mana” to cast, which
regenerates each turn and can be boosted by
some of the objects found on the huge scrolling
landscape (viewed from above with the crea¬
tures displayed in a psuedo-3D fashion). The
amount of “mana” needed is dependent upon
the level of the spell, the higher the level the
greater the drain.
Every creature, even a wizard, has a certain
number of Action Points which are used up in a
turn by movement, firing and, if a wizard is
selected, casting spells.
A wizard will send their creatures off to
seek and destroy the other wizards (up to eight,
which can be either human or computer con¬
trolled and who take it in turns to move) and
their creations as well as pick up objects on the
ground and in chests. These aid life and are vital
for the casting of some spells - notably the
dragon spells.
The game ends when the last, surviving wiz¬
ard (who by this time should have many victory
points) makes it to the portal and on to the next
level. During the wizard definition section (which,
at the moment, is a separate program) the play¬
er builds the strength and attributes of a charac¬
ter and chooses spells in return for points.
“The idea of using magic in a strategy game
gives an infinite variety of strategies,” says
Julian Gollop, a founder of Target Games. He is
one of the three programmers working on the
project - his brother, Nick Gollop, is working on
the Commodore 64 version whilst Martin Beadle
is embarking upon 16-bit versions.
Julian has an intriguing past. He began pro¬
gramming in 1984 for the short-lived Red Shift
software before moving on to Games Workshop
where he wrote the original Chaos (re-released
on Firebird Silver last year) upon which Lords
of Chaos is vaguely based. His break came in
1986 with the highly acclaimed Rebelstar for
Firebird Silver, followed by the sequel, Rebel-
star 2, in 1987/8.
His most recent work, Laser Squad, the
first for Target Games, gained yet more
acclaim, combining strategy with a touch of
action. It was recently published by Blade Soft¬
ware for all major formats.
Julian is programming the Z80 versions and
is the ideas-force behind this game. What
inspired him to get into strategy games? “A little
set of tabletop figures for Lord of the Rings.
Five or six fantasy figures - a few hobbits and
ores and things like that”. In fact, the original
Chaos was a board game.
“To create things is good,” announces
Julian, musing on a suitable philosophy for Tar¬
get Games - “Get drunk" shouts Martin beadle
from the background - “to break the straitjacket
of mediocre computer gaming” comes back
Julian.
“Lords of Chaos is as good as we can do
on 8-bit,” he says, “it's fantastically complex
compared to Laser Squad Of course, “the 16-
bit versions will be significantly enhanced with
more spells and adventurey-type things”. There
may even be a quest: “to recover a magical
staff or whatever”.
And what about his hopes for the game?
“For it to be liked by the people that play it... to
be recognised as something a bit different. If
people are playing the game in a few years
time, I'd be happy.”
• Jeffrey Davy
Martin Beadle
Advanced Computer Entertainment 79
SCREENTEST
THE SEVEN GATES OF
JAMBALA
Discover if seven is
GRANDSLAM/TH ALION ’s
lucky number in their new
platform cutie
CUHDT on leg ancJ smal1 ' n stature big
vfivnl in courage and cuteness factor),
dwarves, pixies and Mario-clones are favourite
heroes in arcade adventures. Dravion, the sor¬
cerer’s apprentice doesn't differ significantly
from the norm - but then nor does his arcade
adventure. In fact, it looks like a genetic hybrid,
cleverly constructed from the components of
several other platform games.
The most notable resemblance is to Ubi
Soft’s Twin World - the horizontally scrolling
landscape looks very similar and though the
execution isn't quite as slick, the plot runs along
roughly the same lines. Partly by accident and
partly by nefarious design, Dravion has fallen
into the notorious labyrinth of Jambala. The only
way out is to travel through seven different
mazes in search of all the scattered pieces of a
magic wand and then put them together again
in a specially designed arcade sequence.
As he’s skipping along ledges, leaping
across chasms, searching through passages
and trying to access the right sets of doors, our
small and plucky hero has to fight his way
through the usual selection of underground
beasts. Giant wasps, nipping rats and strange
green creatures get top billing in Jambala's
magical menagerie. A couple of flashes with a
hastily devised spell usually put them out of
their misery; some even leave
stronger, long-range spells behind -
useful for defeating the slightly harder
end-of-level meanie.
Wandering around Jambala cast¬
ing spells at people does have its
compensations. Every now and then
you pick up goodies like extra lives,
even bigger, better spells, and ham¬
mers. The latter are designed to help
you in a DIY search of the ground for
gold and other treasures. You can
spend them in the locations marked
by little wooden doors you find along
the way. The idea is that their inhabi¬
tants dispense information, extra
jumping ability and the like at a rea¬
sonable price. Unlike the streets of Dick Whit¬
tington's London, however, the paths of Jam¬
bala aren't paved with gold, so shopaholics
won’t find much they can afford to buy.
In fact, for a sophisticated platform based
adventure, pickups are pretty thin on the
ground. As a result Dravion's frantic to-ing and
fro-ing scores lower on variety and action than
you might expect. Coupled with the absence of
two-way horizontal scrolling and some occasion¬
ally tight collision detection this does tend to
reduce Jambala’s long-term appeal.
There is a plus side though; the graphics
and sound create just the right sort of magical
atmosphere and the Dravion sprite is made all
the more endearing (or nauseating depending
on how you feel about it) by some slickly ani¬
mated touches. For serious games players its
average content won't provide as much of a
challenge as some of the other platformers
around - Axel's Magic Hammer or Twin World,
for example. Younger computer owners and
platform addicts might find it has more appeal.
• Kati Hamza
Our hero leaps towards a not so cute nasty.
No, it's not lunch - this bird is about to offer you something
in return for a little gold.
The cutsie hero contemplates which of the pretty
houses to enter.
Polished graphics, detailed animation and a
mellow soundtrack manage to steep the game
in a cute otde worlde fantasy atmosphere. FX
on the other hand - a mish mash of familiar
arcade adventure sounds - are less imagina¬
tive. The one-way horizontal scrolling is gener¬
ally smoother than the two-way vertical move¬
ment.
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST
£19.99dk
OUT NOW
AMIGA
£24.99dk
IMMINENT
SPECTRUM
£9.99cs £14.99dk
IMMINENT
C64/128
£9.99cs £14.99dk
IMMINENT
AMSTRAD
£9.99cs £14.99dk
IMMINENT
No other versions planned.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 4
AUDIO 7 FUN FACTOR 5
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
Pretty graphics and atmospheric sound are
attractive enough to entice at first but a few
minutes play reveal that there isn’t enough
cake to go with the icing. The action lacks the
variety and originality that should keep you
playing past the first couple of hours - after
that it’ll probably go straight back into the
software drawer.
80 Advanced Computer Entertainment
SSSs.i.i-'*'
TEfiSSZSmv*”*
sSSS£""°"
SSSKSS-T
O.
ssassffis—•
TO THE ARCADE & VERY
1 NICELY DEFINED". __
6 jggOTal Mlnfirester • j®1
Ill
I-
Von demand a greater percentage olj the rfee hardest
the peasants ^rwwhle, but you delfver a stern Message
retfirndrnii thew that rt rs therr dut’j to obe'i.
Time to crack the whip over the peasantry - the part of the game for sadists.
when you thought
Microprose were
scraping the bottom of the
contemporary simulation
barrel, they changed the
barrel. This time those mas¬
ters of sim and sophistica¬
tion are taking their cus¬
tomers back in time to feu¬
dal Japan, land of hard-
nosed samurai warriors.
Samurai have three out¬
standing traits: they’re easily offended, they
have a great sense of loyalty and they don’t
mind doing people over (only when necessary,
of course).
To succeed in this simulation, you need a
whole host of other samurai qualities, too: tact,
a knowledge of battlefield tactics, stealth and a
ruthless willingness to succeed. If you’re the
kind of person who worries about the choles¬
terol in a cream bun, this isn’t for you.
A piece of advice before you start: read the
102-page manual. Not only does it provide
superb background knowledge about the peri¬
od, it also helps a lot in tactical planning. The
action takes the form of a series of menus
interspersed with some concise arcade
sequences. The very first menu you’ll face gives
you the option to practice some of these ele¬
ments, such as duelling or battle encounters: if
you just want a short, snappy game this is quite
handy.
If you haven’t got a saved
game to load in, it’s time to
put on that ol’ ambition hat
and get down to some seri¬
ous business. You name
your samurai (a 15-year old
novice) and align him to one
of the clans. Each clan is
distinguished by its relative
strengths in honour, general¬
ship, swordsmanship and
land management: statistics
which you will need to learn well if you’re to suc¬
ceed in the variety of subtle situations the game
offers you.
It’s vital that you think thoroughly before
you take any decision, as other samurai are
competing with you for the immediate goal: to
become daimyo, or clan leader. One rash action
can end the game, and that means a lot of disk-
access hassle.
Becoming daimyo means gaining land, hon¬
our and strength. Once you’ve established your¬
self, you can then go on to conquer more terri¬
tory (at least 24 provinces) until you think your¬
self fit to be declared Shogun, a position grant¬
ed by the Emperor to the military ruler of feudal
Japan.
There's so much to do in Samurai that it will
be a long time before you’ve exhausted its pos¬
sibilities: you can explore, conquer, wage wars,
acquire honour, marry and reach a state of
appeasement with your rivals, each action com-
MICROPROSE
invade feudal Japan
with their latest
sophisticated simulation
As with every simulation Microprose produce,
this is a very thorough emulation of the sub¬
ject. The only game to approach it for detail
about feudal Japan is Cinemaware’s Lords of
the Rising Sun: Samurai is far more in-depth,
challenging and rewarding. As an added bonus,
the game supports an AdLib sound board or a
Roland MT-32 Midi board. In fact, the only
aspect on which you can really fault Samurai is
its graphical quality: even in VGA mode the
sprites are poorly drawn, coloured and animat¬
ed. As a result, CGA mode is a better option,
since the characters move a little more rapidly
and there is little lost in aesthetic appeal.
GRAPHICS 4 IQ FACTOR 9
The massive instruction manual and confusion
of options take some time to get used to, but
they won’t deter serious simulation fans. The
massive variety of options, four skill levels and
great subtlety of the gameplay prove very
compulsive with extended play, and the manu¬
al provides enough background information
and atmosphere to help you ignore the poor
visual effects. The only deterrent to lasting
enjoyment is the repetitiveness of certain
actions: some of the text options are limited
and the disk access a little slow on low MHz
PCs. Even so, it will take a long time to even
become daimyo, and it’s the kind of game
you’ll be coming back to in a year’s time.
prising a complex sub-set of other actions. The
only real trouble is the disk access time (very
frustrating, but not too onerous on a hard disk)
and the poor visual presentation. With those
aspects up to scratch it would have been a seri¬
ous gamesplayer’s dream.
• Gordon Houghton
The map shows the disposition of the samurai
in the game.
82 Advanced Computer Entertainment
5
Slick presentation, clear instructions and
accessible controls ensure a high level of
playability. The main drawback is the animation
of the main sprites which aren't as well defined
as they could be and can look rather stiff.
Sound is a combination of C64-style oriental
music and a few insignificant punching effects
which don’t contribute much to the action.
GRAPHICS 7 IQ FACTOR 5
AUDIO 5 FUN FACTOR 8
All multi-eventers take some getting used to,
though the graded complexity of Shaolin’s
events is definitely designed to break you in
gently. It’s a game of two halves bound to gain
double the attention, especially as the four
and two-player options contribute to long-term
playability. Once you’ve exhausted solo play,
it’ll always be one to bring out when you’re
playing with friends.
RELEASE BOX
ATARI ST
£19,99dk
OUT NOW
AMIGA
£24,95dk
IMMINENT
SPECTRUM
£9.99cs £14.99dk
IMMINENT
C64/128
£9.99cs £14.99dk
IMMINENT
AMSTRAD
£9.99cs£14.99dk
IMMINENT
No other versions planned
PREDICTED INTEREST CURVE
IIAQY beat 'em ups include so many com-
ItiWw I plex fighting moves that they require
an initial learning period before you really start
to get to grips with them. Chambers of Shaolin
has the usual selection of punches, but instead
of ignoring the learning curve, German software
house Thalion has actually made a feature of it.
The program works in two parts; first you build
up your character's skills in six different training
events, then when he's experienced enough you
save him to disk and enter him in the fighting
contest proper.
There are six Chambers of Shaolin, each
one dedicated to uniting the body and mind in
harmony through a special discipline. Each is
aimed at a particular ability like balance, speed
or strength and features such supposedly orien¬
tal pursuits as jumping between four rising and
sinking poles, dodging flying objects, kicking
burning baskets off a wooden bridge and chop¬
ping through boards with your bare hands (the
only joystick waggler). Up to four players can
take part; each character can be separately
saved to disk.
All this eastern circuit training is very remi¬
niscent of the kind of multi-eventers (Winter
Games, etc) Epyx used to produce in the good
old 8-bit days. All the events (with the possible
exception of the board chopping) are extremely
well implemented, easy to get the hang of and
good clean fun. In effect, they comprise a medi¬
um sized game in their own right.
Surrounded by fire, our hero had better get kicking if he doesn't want his tootsies burned.
(Hums of
SHAOLIN
Does GRANDSLAM/
THALION’ Oriental beat-em-up
live up to its Eastern Promise
In this test you must kick the ball high enough to
hit the gongs in order to avoid a watery end...
Having learnt how uncoordinated you really
are, it's time to leap into the arena and face a
number of opponents. The objective is to save
your sister who's been kidnapped by a rival
gang and to succeed you'll have to make use of
all the skills you learned at the academy - and
more. In addition to traditional punches, moves
include such specialities as the splits and the
Tigerclaw. The colour of your belt (and conse¬
quently your strength) are determined by how
well you did in the Chambers. This is more
important if you’re playing a computer rather
than human opponent - the artificial variety is
tougher to beat.
Both sections are well-presented, absorbing
and enjoyable. Neither outweighs the other;
once you’ve played through the Chambers
once, you’ve got two excellent games which are
practically independent of one another and give
you the added bonus of two and four player
options.
The only annoying aspects are the anima¬
tion - which is nearer adequate than outstand¬
ing - and the uneventful sound. In every other
respect Chambers of Shaolin lives up to its
eastern promise.
• Kati Hamza
The only ‘joystick waggler’ in the game - the tra¬
ditional karate chop on a piece of wood.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 83
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Don't queue for
your copy!
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ADVANCED COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
Read the book... load the game.
This machine is due
for launch at Christmas.
It could make
PLAY T
FILM
13 issues from your
newsagent would
cost £19.50
Receive priority
allocations at ACE
conferences*: and
get free tickets
(non-subscribers
pay £5).
* attendance limited. See page 98.
STEAD OF 12
FOR JUST £17.95
6 month subscription £9.95 S 24 month subscription £31.95
Overseas subscriptions(12 months) Air Mail Europe £42.95 • Surface Europe and World £27.95
SEE ORDER FORM ON PAGE 137 OR CALL 0733 555161
‘attendance limited. See page 86.
^ 1 ARE HERE TO SA
featuring Flash Gordon and his friends in an epic battle
against the evil forces of Ming The Merciless /
AVAILABLE FOR: C64, AMSTRAD CPC
AMIGA, ATARI ST SPECTRUM 48/128K King Features Syndicate Inc. All Rights Reserved. t3 North Pal
13 North Park Road, Harrogate HG1SPD Sales: (0322) 92518
ION
our
Id
ie 98.
BIT-MAP
BLARNEY!
Travel to a local soft¬
ware house, meet
strange exotic pro¬
grammers, eat a won¬
drous buffet lunch,
walk away with ACE
freebies, and get your
name in the maga¬
zine: all courtesy of
the ACE Conferences.
L ast month we told you all
about the ACE Conferences.
If you missed out, the mes¬
sage is that we’re organising
a series of meetings between
you, the readers, and
Britain's top software houses.
You not only get the chance
to meet the programmers
and publishers of today's
greatest games, but you also get a light
lunch, some ACE freebies, and the
chance to let the software houses know
exactly what you think about the games
you play. Chances are you'll also pick up
some freebies from the software houses
themselves, but we're not promising any¬
thing!
Last month we gave you advance
warning of some of the conferences to
be held in the London area. We're also
arranging some in the North of the coun¬
try, details of which we were planning to
print this month but which will now have
to wait until the next issue while we com¬
plete the necessary arrangements.
Expect, however, to get the opportunity
to visit Ocean in Manchester, Psygnosis
in Liverpool, and US Gold in Birmingham
for starters. We'll also do our best to
sort something out for readers in Scot¬
land. Any suggestions?
Meanwhile, we've now fixed the date
for the first conference (see box). This
will be with the infamous Domark and will
give you a chance to get first-hand expe¬
rience of one of Britain's longest estab-
Castle Warrior artwork from Domark/Incentive. You can find out the
reality behind the poster if you attend the Domark conference: there
are still some places left, so write in now!
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
Each month, we'll Jet you know about forthcoming conferences around the country. If you think
you might be interested in attending one, all you have to do is send us a postcard with your
name and address clearly written, together with a daytime telephone number if at all possi¬
ble. You also need to tell us which conference you would be interested in attending (one choice
only, please) and your age. We need to know how old you are so that we can ensure a good
spread of age groups at each conference.
Unfortunately we have to limit the number of people attending each conference to 15. In
addition, we have to make a nominal charge of £5.00 to help cover costs. All places are allocat¬
ed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is however an exception to both these conditions: as
a special offer to subscribers we are giving them priority allocations for the first ten places in
each conference, and they may also attend free of charge. You can find out how to become a
subscriber on page 49 (and you get other benefits too - a free issue, a special newsletter, and
guaranteed delivery).
As soon as we decide on a date, time and venue for a conference (Domark is the only one
fixed at the time of going to press), we’ll select the lucky readers from those who have applied
and inform them of the relevant details. If anyone can't attend, they’ll be shortlisted for a future
conference and another selection will be made for someone who can take their place.
lished software houses, with a great string of hits
behind them including APB, the Bond games, Splitting
Image, and Trivial Pursuit. Not only that, but you'll also
be meeting the boys from Incentive - who in tha past
have given you games like Darkside, GAC, and Driller.
In particular, you'll be able to check out Castle War¬
rior, their latest release.
MEET THE BIT-MAPS!
We've also arranged another ACE Conference in Lon¬
don, with Mirrorsoft. In particular this should be a
golden opportunity for Xenon fans, because the
Bitmap Brothers are expected to attend. And, of
course, you'll also get the chance to find out more
about products from Cinemaware, Imageworks, FTL,
and others.
Just to very things a bit, well also be fixing up an
ACE Conference...with ACE! This will give readers the
opportunity to visit the ACE office, chat to all of use
here, get a bite to eat, and give their frank opinions on
the magazine. Details soon...
Advanced Computer Entertainment
IP^oo
Somewhere deep in the heart of the Amazonian jungle there beats a drum. Softly at first and then
louder, the insistent beating awakens our hero, Kid, from a deep sleep. Last thing he can remember he was pulling
on an old pair of boxing gloves he’d found in his uncle’s study... now, here he is, surrounded by trees and
shrieking parrots. There’s something weird going on round here.
Confused and uncertain, Kid’s troubles are just beginning - he’s yet to visit strange scenes in the Ice Age, the
pyramids of Egypt, the psychedelic West Coast of the 60 s and more - but he’s still wearing the gloves and with
your help he may yet find his way back home !
Five levels of play
Collectables on every screen, including food, cash, keys, extra lives and smartbombs
4 different weapons to buy as you can afford them, including mega laser and the death star
Six unique magic spells - use with care!
• Sampled sounds, great graphics and frantic gameplay
AVAILABLE FOR ATARI ST AND COMMODORE AMIGA. PRICE
IOGOTRON ENTERTAINMENT, CHANCERY HOUSE,
107 SI PAULS R D , ISLINGTON, LONDON, N! 2 N A A Af
THE LOGOTRON NAME AND MARK ARE USED UNDER LICENSE FROM LOGOTRON LTD.
mm
E very once in a while a game comes
along which cannot be classified into
a convenient style. This is one of
them. The plot centres around you as Prince
Cirion of Morenor attempting to save the king¬
dom from the clutches of the evil goddess
Medusa who is attempting to control the world
with her hell army.
As Medusa is not actually in the country
Cirion must find five rings which have been
scattered around the country, put them togeth¬
er in a temple and force her to battle. Sounds
STARBYTE
defies description with
its new release
easy enough but Cirion has no army and very
little money.
The landscape of Morenor is shown as an
overhead view with a small blob indicating your
position. Movement is simply a matter of using
the mouse to place the cursor where you want
to go, then holding the button down. The land¬
scape is beautifully depicted with mountains,
forests, marshes, castles and towns looking
quite real. Upon entering towns the display
changes to a stylised view of the various build¬
ings there (the same view for all the towns, and
buildings are entered simply by clicking on
them). Inside buildings you are presented with
various menus showing all the available
options.
Your first task is to make some money in
order to pay for the army you will need. There
are several ways this can be done such as
gambling in the casino, attacking caravans,
conquering towns and plundering their trea¬
suries, mining for raw materials and finding
treasure.
By far the most reliable though is trading
which although slow to begin with has the
advantage of being easy and more or less
under your control. All sorts of items are avail¬
able for trade such as sheep, books, leather,
beer etc. Horses and wagons are always avail¬
able and each such outfit can carry up to 80
items. The trick is to buy cheap and sell dear
which generally means a long trek across coun¬
try to a distant town. Assuming you aren’t
ambushed on the way and robbed of all your
possessions you can soon start generating a
handsome profit.
As the game progresses so the state of
various towns changes. What begins as a
booming commercial centre with a high cost of
living may eventually degenerate to a ghost
town where prices are low. Also the amount of
stock of particular items in a town changes
from time to time, so keeping careful records
of different prices can be no more than a guide
- intuition plays the major part.
Once you have accumulated some money
a variety of options are open to you. You can
hire scouts and search for possible sources of
raw materials then open mines and sell the
products in town. Alternatively you might wish
to buy a cargo ship and trade with distant
islands. Whatever you decide the aim is to
accumulate enough money to hire a big enough
army to eventually defeat Medusa.
| RELEASE BOX
| ATARI ST
£29.99dk
OUT NOW
j AMIGA
£29.99dk
OUT NOW
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LANDSCAPE ....90
Beautifully detailed graphics and a large playing
area enhance the atmosphere of the game.
ENCOUNTERS.....75
Except during battle between matched armies there
is little for the player to try out.
CHALLENGE. 90
The game world is complex, has great depths and is
well thought out. If you want a game to tax your
intellect, intuition and memory simultaneously, this
is it.
SYSTEM .. 85
The mouse control could have been rather more pre¬
cise and toading of the Amiga version more reliable.
ACE RATING
850
An excellent game which has you liv¬
ing in its world rather than simply
playing in it.
88 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Soldiers of various races and fighting
styles are recruited in the towns. Each race
has its own attributes which makes it more
suitable for particular tasks. Thus elves make
good scouts, while gnomes have the correct
qualities to make good magicians. The more
you recruit the stronger your army will be - and
the higher the payroll. Fine economic balance
is essential to ensure that your soldiers don’t
kill you off because you haven’t enough money
to pay them.
Once you have accumulated enough wealth
to support a large army you can begin attack¬
ing towns and castles. The castles, once con¬
quered can be used to train your soldiers while
towns yield the contents of their treasuries and
give you the opportunity to collect taxes.
While this is happening you should also be
searching for the five rings two of which are
found on the main continent, two on the islands
and the fifth is hidden among an army which
must be defeated. Possession of the rings con¬
fers benefits which range from increasing
your army's strength by 50% to giving the play¬
er information on which goods are produced in
a particular town (and therefore where the
prices are lowest).
Throughout the game your actions can
influence other events. The banks can be
robbed with impunity but they seem to have a
central intelligence system so that while a life
of plunder may be very profitable at first you’ll
soon discover that stealing from one branch
and depositing it in another is rather futile as
once a theft has taken place the establishment
will not deal with you again.
Keeping in well with the bank is a must.
You can borrow money but if you don’t pay the
interest within a set time the local stores will
refuse to deal with you.
Attacking caravans is also a little risky. If
you attack the same town’s caravan repeatedly
the town will then refuse to deal with you. If you
are attacked yourself there are a number of
strategies. Bribery may get you off the hook as
might bluffing the enemy. If the worst comes to
the worst you'll have to fight it out, but until you
have accumulated a fair sized army you’ll have
no chance of winning. If you lose, all your
goods and cash are stolen (but you will be left
with your wagon).
Overall this game is an excellent blend of
strategy and role playing. The playing area is
large (although much of it seems to be covered
by water and it's easy to get lost at sea despite
having a constant display of latitude and longi¬
tude), options are broad and each is well
detailed and flexible, and the scope of game-
play is vast. With such a lot to think about it will
take many hours to complete but the difficul¬
ties you face increase nicely in conjunction with
your increasing strength and powers.
; ,v: : -
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flip
W ith Level 9 having pulled out of the
text/graphics market it’s good to
see Melbourne House weighing in
with a contribution. Demon’s Tomb is set in
rural England where a Edward Lynton, scholar
of ancient Egyptology dies in a fire while explor¬
ing a burial tomb. His son Richard then sets
out to find his father, only to discover a greater
mystery.
The game begins with a prologue in which
you control Edward who has only a few moves
before being overcome by the fire in which to
preserve his belongings. Those coming after
him must find various items intact if they are to
solve the mystery.
After Lynton Snr. expires, you take control
of Richard and his dog Sam. Together they set
out to discover the whereabouts and fate of
Edward then use those possessions he has
managed to save to help solve the riddle of his
murder and the more horrifying mystery yet to
come.
I always enjoy adventures where interaction
with other creatures is possible and in this
game Sam is a classic example. Not only will
he do as he’s told (usually) but he will also do
his own thing at times (usually the most incon¬
venient times). For instance, try climbing down
a cliff without taking proper precautions and
your canine capers after you sending you to
your death. Mind you, on another slippery slope
nearby his help is invaluable.
Problems are many and varied, not too dif¬
ficult with a bit of thought and observation and
mainly logical. In addition to problems which
need solving to progress, there are several
background difficulties built-in which are prone
to have you tearing your hair with frustration.
The excessively litter conscious seagull needs
MELBOURNE HOUSE
goes for text adventuring
in graphic detail
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watching if you drop certain of your posses¬
sions. Your inability to progress in certain areas
while carrying much weight means and end to
the casual “drop all” to which we are so
accustomed. Similarly water behaves realisti¬
cally destroying fragile materials for ever - don’t
drop your notebook while crossing the ford!
One thing which annoyed me was the prolif¬
eration of hints and clues written in to the text
as “asides”. These often spoilt my enjoyment in
solving a puzzle by giving me too much help
too early. One of the things I like about adven¬
ture puzzles (and cryptic crosswords) is having
to think laterally. Being pointed in the right
direction rather than misled rather spoils the
point. Since the manual contains a list of hints
covering most of the problems (coded in a
manner to allow simple access without giving
away what you don’t want to know) the hints in
the game seem rather superfluous.
The adventure system itself is quite novel
giving you the choice of normal typed input or
menus. While in menu mode a list of verbs
appears at the bottom of the screen where you
simply click on the one you want. In theory this
seems a good idea but in practice it is rather
unworkable due to the sheer number of verbs
listed. Scrolling through is rather tedious and
also tends to give away yet more hints by sug¬
gesting possibilities you hadn't yet thought of.
At one stage you find a piece of charcoal which
is used with another object in a particular way.
After seeing the relevant verb while scrolling
through the menu I solved the problem without
thinking.
In addition to the input options a number of
other aspects of display can be adjusted to
your liking. Screen display can be adjusted to
40, 60 or 80 column and even two columns of !
Advanced Computer Entertainment 89
LANDSCAPE ..
Location descriptions are rather terse even in ver¬
bose mode but the graphics do provide some atmo¬
sphere.
ENCOUNTENS.**-*«#.**»*»*#»»**«*»*.*.—*«*—SO
The dog is exactly like my next-door-neightwur s -
and just as likely to induce a to ve/hate relationship.
CHALLENGE..................60
Too many clues given away to what are not particu¬
larly difficult puzzles in the first place.
SYSTEM......90
About the only thing missing is an option to have
graphics on all the time instead of only on demand
at individual locations.
ACE RATING
760
An excellent game tor beginners
which will also be enjoyable to old
hands looking for light relief.
|
1
always seened much colder..**
36 are possible. What with options to have the
text free or enclosed in a border, status line on
or off, menu height etc. your preferences can
be accommodated easily. It is even possible to
change the on-screen colours to your taste and
echo text to the printer.
Graphics are small but well drawn - nothing
outstanding but pleasant. More pleasant is that
they only come up if you deliberately ask for
them. If you aren’t accessing the pictures you
can play with your saved-game disk in the drive
- useful in sections of the game where you are
continually dying. A very handy graphic is acti¬
vated by another function key - it shows a blank
screen except for a prompt in the top corner
which implies you are actually programming.
This also acts as a pause command.
The parser is both friendly and flexible han¬
dling even complex inputs well. Multiple com¬
mands are generally understood - even some
ambiguous ones where the program will
prompt you if it gets stuck. Thus “get” on its
own will furnish you with a list of available
objects from which to choose.
All the usual system commands such as
ramsave, again, undo etc. are included togeth¬
er with verbose, brief and superbrief options
for room descriptions. All in all the system is
excellent in its handling of the game and the
flexibility of display available to the player.
I hope this isn’t a one-off attempt by the
programmers and would like to see further
plots (rather more difficult ones perhaps) in the
future.
■is
ACE NEW WORLD'ERS
At last - enough space to let you have your say again. Letters this month from Andy Bright-
more and David Guest. If you have something to say why not write in to me at the following
address: ACE NEW WORLD’ERS, Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London, EC1R
3 AU.
THERE’S MORE TO ADVENTURES...
...than beautiful pictures. The main attributes that the game must have are a good game story
and a well developed language. A game without graphics leaves more to the imagination and
therefore the player can have different ideas about locations. With the C64 I used to buy Level
9 adventures, not because they had the best graphics available for adventures on the Com¬
modore but because the language was
well in advance of what other companies had to offer. Now on the ST with the stunning graph¬
ics capabilities I have started to buy adventures by Magnetic Scrolls because they have a com¬
bination of good graphics and an easy but detailed language. I also think that in a
game where the player is a detailed assigned character (eg. Fish) then graphics actually help
the flavour of the game. Lastly I think that comedy games are far better than the old serious
adventures. I would much rather play Knight Ore or Guild of Thieves than any Zork game which
have been exploited to the full and are getting boring and too easy to complete. Also when the
Zork self-mapping system was introduced this took a lot of the playability out of the game.
Couldn’t they just have a GOTO feature like Knight Ore?”
• Larger memory machines and more use of disks means adventures can be virtually unlimit¬
ed in size and complexity but this in turn means
longer development and thus higher costs. Whether or not a text based adventure has graph¬
ics should make no difference to the text side of things but too many programmers now rely
on graphics to sell a game and plot/gameplay seems to be getting lost on the way.
TRY THIS RIDDLE...
...What did Level 9 used to do, clubs and mags try to do, SSI still do (all the way from Califor¬
nia!) but US Gold never do? Answer: Reply to the “I’m stuck” letters! What a golden opportunity
to get feedback from customers, build mailing lists to rival Readers Digest and help you finish
their old games so you can buy their new ones and get stuck all over again. They could even
discourage piracy by replying only to the registered users, a tried and tested method of pro¬
tecting business software. I still have my handwritten tips for Adventure Quest, penned by the
author himself (Mike Austin of Level 9) on the “fly back with a clue” sheet which was enclosed
in each game together with the “eternal loading guarantee" given for each tape. None of your
90 day limited warranty disclaimers in those days. They even included a stamped addressed
envelope to send to them for your clue. Of course the games were great but could this level
(no pun intended) of customer service have something to do with their subsequent rise to fame
and fortune. I struggled through each new release with their help and kept coming back for
more and others must have done the same. What chance of the same treatment nowadays.
And Activision/lnfocom please note, hint books costing more dollars than the game from USA
addresses only is no way to do it. Bring back the human touch.
• Couldn’t agree more. Trouble is, mass distribution means masses of queries which cost
money to answer. Perhaps the software houses could set up and finance a joint help service
manned by experienced players with access to game programmers/authors. There again you
NO PROBLEM
DEJA VU - GETTING STARTED
Get the coat and gun then find the door
marked ‘private’ and go in. Take the bill from
the desk and the key from the wallet. Use key
then enter locked room and open body. Unlock
the desk and get everything then go to the cel¬
lar. Hit the bottle on its own to open a secret
passage. Go to the casino and use money in
right hand machine until you win. Take lift to top
floor and open wastebasket to get syringe.
Take lift to bottom floor and kill the alligator! Go
to the bar and unlock door to the street.
UNINVITED - GETTING STARTED
Get out of the car and open mailbox, wear
amulet. Examine books in the library to get
spell translations. Get the Spider Cider and No
Ghost from the store cupboard upstairs. Take
the axe from the staircase. Take the scroll from
the nightstand in the bedroom and read the
book. In the master bedroom wear the mask to
ward off evil. Read the journal then go to the
lounge and get a key from the chair which will
open the cabinet in the master bedroom. Take
the box then go to the downstairs hallway
where opening any door will bring the skeletal
belle who can be disposed of with No Ghost.
LEISURE SUIT LARRY GOES
LOOKING FOR LOVE IN SEVERAL
WRONG PLACES
The following tips should help on the cruise
ship: Go to room and take fruit. Go next door
and come back immediately. Return next door,
open nightstand and take sewing kit. Go to bar
and take dip. Go to room and change into
swimsuit. Go to pool and rub sunscreen on
body. Lie on chaise lounge. Enter pool and dive
under and take bikini top. Go to barbers and sit
down (get wig). Go to captain and pull blue
90 Advanced Computer Entertainment
lever behind him. Go to lifeboat and jump in
and wait for it to lower. Wear sunscreen, eat
dip and wear wig ASAP. On the island head in
to the undergrowth.
MANHUNTER NEW YORK
Day 1: Investigate explosion at Bellvue Hospi¬
tal. Access Mad and note suspect’s move¬
ments. At Bellvue, examine corpse for identity.
Access Mad for more info. Go to Trinity and
investigate left side of church. Go to the bar
and play knives with bartender. Play video
game: The game involves negotiating a maze
where at several points one lands on red
squares and can thus throw balls at three rows
of kewpie dolls. If successful the game flashes
a screen depicting a funfair. The game’s pack¬
aging contains a map of the maze. Make note
of the kewpie dolls which are dislodged by the
squares which cannot be avoided when pro¬
gressing through the maze (there are three of
them). Go to ladies loo in Prospect Park and
go to end cubicle. Sit and flush three times -
woosh!
CHAOS STRIKES BACK
When using the oracle save your position as
close as possible to the problem for specific
help.
ROS - PART ONE:-
Don’t worry about the knives from the wall - col¬
lect them to throw past the moving force field
(careful timing needed) to operate the pressure
pads. The knights behind the wooden door are
easily defeated by approaching from the other
side and dropping them down TWO pits - the pit
on the floor below is directly under the one
above. In the corridor with pit and gate stand
with back to pit to see force field. Throw dag¬
ger at field to pass through gate. Upstairs
remove torch from bracket to move wall. Up
again, full strength fireshields - lots of them -
before removing gem - then back to the closed
door which should now open. Up again - turn
left then keep moving forward, stepping around
pit. You'll be spun so watch your compass -
about turn then keep moving forward. On enter¬
ing open room your final exit is in the centre of
the far side. Follow the corridor to find the Dia¬
bolical Demons.
NETA - PART ONE:-
From the room with screamers go through
door and bear left past the pit which generates
hordes of red monsters. Up the stairs, fill the
cells with mummies. Up again - simply keep
walking straight on across the large open area.
Cross the room with poison balls to gain
access to the Diabolical Demons. These two
routes should help you explore more of the
game but there’s plenty to do along the way
which you can discover for yourself!
DUNGEON MASTER
A healthy tip for those wanting to increase their
skills ready for Chaos: Wizard - if you have the
firestaff use INVOKE repeatedly. Priest - keep
making potions. Ninja - find as many objects as
possible then throw them back and forth along
a corridor. Fighter - use any weapon repeatedly
- into thin air if you like. Level 13 - (knights!) -
you don't need to complete this level. Once you
have found the Ra key and assuming you
already have two, go to level 7 and collect the
winged key then the long staircase which takes
you to level 14. Deal with the dragon (or
dodge) then up to level 12 for the master key
which is needed to access the firestaff. Then
retrace your steps to level 7. Long winded
maybe but it avoids over two thirds of level 12.
FISH - THE JAGGED WARP
Put jeans on then go south. Move rubbish then
take torch. Turn on torch then go outside. At
the abbey take pew, turn off torch then north
twice. Drop pew then go down and move rub¬
ble. Move lid then down for cord and back to
pew. Stand on pew and climb up. Tie cord to
gargoyle, down then pull cord, untie cord, take
gargoyle then down. Put lid in doorway then go
down. Put gargoyle in hole, take chalice and
look inside. Take grommet and wait for mob to
attack.
SPACE QUEST II
Can’t cross the ravine? Climb the tree - when it
snaps press right cursor key to crawl across.
Can’t escape from the hunter’s cage? Call
hunter twice, throw the spore then get key and
unlock door. Can't climb down the chasm? Tie
rope to log then climb down. Then swing rope
and jump. Little pink creatures won’t open the
stone door? Type ‘word’. Can't find a light
source in the caves of the killer squid? Hold the
gem in your teeth. Can’t reach the landing plat¬
form? Blow whistle in clearing to get something
to clear your way. Getting fried by acid on the
asteroid base? Attach plunger to barrier.
BARDS TALE I
Try to get a barbarian as a special monster as
he does a lot of damage. Get a hobbit with a
dexterity of 18 and make him a monk. He will
usually get first hit. To gain experience fast,
pick a team, go south and fight samurai. Go
back to guild, save then reboot, reload team
and repeat. Each time you'll gain 204 experi¬
ence. El Cid has a horn of fire which does 40-
50 damage. The Review board is the second
house on Trumpet Street. High level (4) pal¬
adins and warriors get double hits. Dungeon 1
is in the Scarlet bard. Develop a level 2 (level 3
spells) conjuror fast!
BARDS TALE II
The tombs; Only have six members in your
group. Join old warrior to group. Poison all but
the old warrior by drinking water from the foun¬
tain. Kill toxic giant. Give torch to old warrior
then put him at front of group and poison him.
Then go back to entrance.
BEYOND ZORK
Pick up every scroll and stick/wand/stave you
find. Go to the magic shop and ask the old
woman about their uses. Sell Mischief and Fire¬
works - both useless. Sell valuable objects -
tusk, crown, jewel, doubloon. To use the spells
- point sticks and say scroll words.
CHRONOQUEST
The Chateau - 1922 AD Hall - Look lid of urn,
pick up punch card. Study - Pick up oriental
sphere. Hall - Use sphere on top of bannister.
Landing - Look at feet of statue, get golden
key, use on bureau, look at open drawer, get
leather gloves, look at right hand corner of rug,
get punchcard. Father's - Look under bed, get
grapple and rope, look at pillows and get
punchcard. Bedroom - Push drawer, look and
get combination. Kitchen - look in bottom left
cupboard, use combination on safe, drop com¬
bination and get lighter. Get bottle and drop
wine. Hall - NE then light lighter Stairs - up,
east. Chapel - Look left of photo, get candles,
light candles and extinguish lighter. Look at
book and get punchcard. Library - Drop photo,
letter and bottle. Look mirror, push switch. Hall
- Get sphere then drop it. Library - push drawer
in desk, look then get fuses and drop candle.
Machine - Push lever up, use fuses on fuse box,
push lever down, go up, push switch, use
punch card in slot.
GUILD OF THIEVES
How do I get out of the boat? Jump west. How
do I get into the castle? Help man in the scrub.
How do I bet on the rat race? Bet on the grey
rat when the race is in the courtyard with note
from cushion in drawing room. How do I pla¬
cate the bear? Fish in the moat with a rod made
from cue, cotton, needle and maggot. Put poi¬
son on the fish. Why can’t I open the safe?
Because it is a red herring! How do I get into
the wine cellar? On the stairs, pull the pipe,
open stopcock, wait then close stopcock. What
do I do in the toilet? Another red herring. What
do I do with the cauldron? Put an eye, heart,
skin, berries and cube in it then open sachet.
What can I do with the billiard balls? Open the
red ball and look inside it. How do I get into the
mill? Shout “Stop the mill”. How do I buy the
lute? With your winnings on the rat race. How
do I stop the lute from breaking? Put it in the
bag. How do I climb the slippery slope? Wear
gloves (in temple garden)
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST
CRUSADE
At the university; Enter your office after talking
your way through the student. Take all the junk
mail then the package and open it. Leave
through the window. After meeting Donovan go
to Henry’s house and take the painting then go
to Venice. In Venice; At the restaurant look at
the wine bottle then take it. Enter the library.
Take the Mein Kampf in the bookshelf which is
not completely filled (you’ll have to search for
the correct shelf). At the stained glass window
look at the Grail Diary. Note the picture of the
window that is drawn in the diary and the state¬
ment (first on the right etc.) Press enter and
leave the area. Search the place for the metal
post and then take it (the red cordon comes
too). Search the library for the stained glass
window that matches the one in the diary. Look
at the pillar corresponding to the statement in
the diary, either left or right. Using the post,
open the slab represented by the inscription on
the pillar. Climb in to enter the sewers.
Advanced Computer Entertainment® 1
ack in 1983, Carl Cropley had a
very tough decision before him:
should he become a computer
graphics artist or start a career
as a qualified refrigeration engineer? Fortunate¬
ly Cropley opted for art, designing graphics for
such computer games as Redhawk, Kwah,
The Mystery of Arkham Manor, Brian Clough's
Football Fortunes, Colossus Ten Chess and
Casino Roulette. More recently he’s worked on
Demon’s Tomb, Imperium and Hound of Shad¬
ow.
“Before starting the graphics for any game
I usually research the project - referring to
library books, taking photographs and produc¬
ing rough sketches. In the case of Hound of
Shadow, the idea to produce all the pictures in
sepia tones came from a discussion I had with
Chris Elliot and Richard Edwards, the creators
of the game. I began to research the 1920's
and visited the locations in London that Chris
and Richard had specifically requested appear
in the game. I then produced my initial roughs
before producing the final screen versions. The
16 shades of brown used to pro¬
duce the sepia effect gave me the
scope to produce more realistic
images.”
Cropley uses a 2Mb Amiga
1000 and Electronic Arts’ Deluxe
Paint III and Deluxe Video III to pro¬
duce his graphics.
“All my pictures start out as
simple filled line drawings. Using
the shade, blend, smooth and sten¬
cil functions of Deluxe Paint III, I can
then add shadows, highlights and
textures. One screen I'm particular¬
ly pleased with is The Reading
Room Desk in the British Museum’
in Hound of Shadow. The lights
used in this room during the 1920’s
were single light bulbs rather than
the more modern fluorescent strips
used today. This meant I had to
completely recreate the way the
light would have fallen in the
1920’s. This, together with the per¬
spective in which the desks span
out like spokes of a wheel, created
quite a challenge to my abilities.”
Cropley is currently working
on the static and animated
graphics for a Dragon's Lair
style game, “I'm a big fan of
both Don Bluth and Chuck
Jones”. As for the future,
Cropley believes: “artists and
animators have been limited for
quite a long time but with the
advent of CD technology, games
designers will have to become
interactive storytellers - games
will become more film orientat¬
ed”.
In the meantime, Cropley
would be pleased to hear from
anyone who needs the talents of
an experienced computer graph¬
ics artist. Write with SAE to: Carl
Cropley, 111 Squires Avenue,
Bulwell, Nottingham NG6 8GL.
NOW ITS YOUR CHANCE
Are you a talented computer graphics artist? Do
you want to give your work international expo¬
sure? Are you looking for a lucrative contract
with a games software company? ACE will try to
help you achieve these ambitions, and more...
just send examples of your -work, with a brief
description of yourself and how you design com¬
puter graphics, and you may just see your tal¬
ents on display in a future issue of the magazine.
Send to: ACE ART, Priory Court,
30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU.
Advanced Computer Entertainment
THE ROUGHEST & TOUGHEST CRACKED BY ACE READERS
Don Bluth's rather pricy, but very
pretty interactive cartoon is fortu¬
nately not quite as frustrating as
Dragon’s Lair owing to a very use¬
ful SAVE option. This complete
solution will, however, undoubted¬
ly prove useful to those still meet¬
ing rather sticky ends. It has been
compiled from the solutions sent
in by David Williams of London,
and Chris West of Egham, Sur¬
rey.
Scene 1: solution is in the manual.
Scene 2: When Dexter appears
move right to avoid the first
stomping arm. Once the arm goes
up, move left. When the third
crack appears in the ground,
move left. Wait for the second
stomping arm to go up then move
left.
Scene 3: When all three space¬
ships come close to Dexter, move
down. When he reaches the rock,
move up.
Scene 4: When the spaceship
starts heading down towards the
station, move up.
Scene 5: When the muck monster
appears, press fire.
Scene 6: Wait for the arm to go
down, then up, then move right,
and quickly up.
Scene 7: Wait for the platform to
come up for the second time,
then move right. When Dexter
lapds on the platform, move right
again.
Scene 8: When Dexter appears on
the path move down, quickly fol¬
lowed by right.
Scene 9: Just before Dexter
reaches the corner in the path,
move down, then quickly move
left.
Scene 10: When Dexter is
grabbed by the monster's tenta¬
cle, press fire.
Scene 11: When the right-hand
monster drops below the bridge
then move up.
Scene 12: As soon as the dogs
pounce, move up.
Scene 13: When Dexter stops run¬
ning, move right.
Scene 14: When Dexter stops run¬
ning, move up.
Scene 15: When the robots begin
to move their arms quickly, move
right.
Scene 16: When Ace approaches
the corner in the corridor, move
left.
Scene 1 7: When Ace reaches the
centre of the floor, move left.
Scene 18: When Ace is approach¬
ing the corner in the corridor,
move right.
Scene 19: Just before Dexter
reaches the ladder, move up.
Scene 20: When Borf's staff is in
mid-air, press fire.
Scene 21: As above
Scene 22: When Ace picks up the
staff, press fire. When Borf's staff
is in mid-air, move left or right.
Scene 23: As soon as the scene
begins, press fire. When Borf
begins his round house kick,
move down.
Scene 24: When Borf’s staff is in
mid-swing, press fire.
Scene 25: When Borf swings his
staff, move up. When he swings
again, move down.
Scene 26: When Borf swings,
move left. When Ace is behind
borf, move down.
Scene 27: When Borf’s goons
approach, move up. When the
screen changes, move left.
Scene 28: When Ace is over the
platform, move down.
Scene 29: Just as the platform is
about to hit the lava, move right.
Scene 30: When you see the ray,
move right.
Scene 31: When Ace reaches the
corner of the corridor, move left.
Scene 32: When Ace reaches the
penultimate mirror, move right.
Scene 33: When the ray hits the
ground, move left, then immedi¬
ately right.
All being well, you have now com¬
pleted the game.
THE DUNGEON
MASTER GUIDE
Part Three
A guide to help you through each
level of the dungeon
Locations of monsters have
been omitted to leave some sur¬
prise.
Level One
All 24 characters exist here frozen
in pictures. By clicking on one the
inventory will be displayed along
with the option to resurrect or
reincarnate.
Resurrecting a character will
return him/her to life exactly as
before death, retaining all
attributes.
Reincarnating a character will
return him/her to life, but without
previous attributes.
A few items are to be found
before going to level 2.
Level Two
Items to be found: 3 Falchions,'2
Daggers, 1 Arrow, 3 Throwing
Stars, 2 Small Rocks, 1 Buckler
Shield, 2 Blue Magic Boxes, 1
Copper Coin, 4 Torches, 5 Flasks,
2 Chests, 2 YA Potions, 1 Elven
Doublet, 2 Pairs of Leather Boots,
1 pair of Leather Trousers, 1 pair
of Ghi Trousers, Numerous Keys.
‘Small details can hide great
rewards’ - Press button on wall
for a Falchion.
Two pressure pads in room
with gate - step on first pad, then
one step right, two forward, one
left, and out.
Large room with gate and 9
pressure pads - forward 3 steps,
back one, forward 2 steps, back
1, forward and out.
Pressure pad with rock laying
nearby - place rock on pad to
open gate.
‘Step inside, take a ride' -
step into transporter and search
Advanced Computer Entertainment 93
TNT
the floor.
Pressure pad and trap door -
place an item on the pad to close
the pit.
Pressure pad with writing on
wall - It says nothing useful, con¬
tinue.
Large room with pressure pad
and green button wall - Press but¬
ton to open gate and step around
the pad to leave.
Blue transporter and open pit
- Place an item on floor to close
the pit and search the floor.
Wooden door closes as you
approach - wall says ‘None shall
pass’ - simply chop door with a
sword to get to a chest.
This fountain accepts one
wish’ - Put a coin in fountain to
open door.
Unopenable gate with sword
behind - Continue around corner
and throw switch on wall. Go back
to find gate open and throw
switch to open secret room in
place you’ve just come from.
Level Three
Items to be found: sword, sabre,
sling, numerous small rocks for
sling, 5 arrows, wooden shield,
wand, 2 bezerker helms, helmet,
blue magic box, rabbit’s foot, blue
gem, Ra key, 2 flasks, 3 chests,
mirror of dawn, compass, numer¬
ous coins, mail Aketon, suede
boots, 2 leather pants, 2 leather
jerkins, elven huke, 2 fine robes.
On entering level 3, take 8
paces forwards, button on left
wall opens secret passage. A fast
run is required to get through
transporter.
‘Choose your door, choose
your fate’ - six cryptic rooms.
One golden key to be looked for
in each room.
The Matrix. Enter room, 2
steps right, 6 steps forward, turn
left, 4 steps forwards, turn right,
press button in alcove, proceed
the way you were going to find a
secret room.
Time is of the Essence: Blue
button on wall. ‘Hit and Run’.
Press button and quickly move 4
steps left, one forwards to get
through wall.
Blue button and open pit -
press button and turn quickly to
see a transporter, throw a fairly
heavy item into it to shut pit.
Second blue button and pit -
Press button and immediately
take 2 paces back while pit is
shut (This pit can be opened for
your exit by a blue button further
in.
Creature Cavern: Fight your
way through the monsters to the
gold key.
Chambers of the Guardian:
the last of the seven rooms con¬
tains a chest. Press the blue but¬
ton and a transporter moves the
chest to another room, repeat this
until a chest appears out side the
last room. Use mirror of dawn to
open secret room half way along
corridor.
The Vault: ‘You must pay for
your entrance’ - 2 gold coins.
‘Cast your influence, cast your
might’ - ZO spell to open door,
then throw an item onto pad to
close pit.
Take silver coin and replace it
with something to keep the door
open, use the silver coin to open
next door.
Open chest and use coins to
open secret room on your right,
enter room and press button to
open secret room back the way
you came.
Room of the Gem: Place an
object on the pad to close pit.
Blue button opens gate and also
opens the pit behind you. Turn
around and throw object back
onto pad.
Find secret button at end of
passages. Press to open a secret
room and retrieve blue gem. You
can now return to the entrance
and open the door by placing gem
in slot provided.
When all rooms have been
completed you will have 6 gold
keys, use them to leave the level.
Just before the stairs, to leave the
level, you will find a wooden door
which can be opened by one of
the gold keys. In the room are
some useful objects and a button
on the wall. Press the button to
open a secret room a few paces
back down the corridor.
Level Four
Items to be found: Numerous
coins, axe, rapier, bow, Teo wand,
hosen, leg mail, elven boots,
leather pants, leather jerkin, small
shield, bassinet, 2 small rocks,
blue magic box, 3 flasks, water
bottle, Neta position, horn of fear.
‘Don't let a closed door stop
you’ - Chop down with axe.
Coin slot in wall turns on blue
haze, use unknown.
‘Short cut’ and key hole - Use
gold key to turn on transporter.
Step in and appear further on.
‘This is my prisoner, let him
suffer’ - Throw something to kill
the prisoner, it opens your exit at
the end of level.
Chop closed door.
Level Five
Items to be found: mace, 3 poi¬
son darts, dagger, staff of claws,
large shield, 2 helmets, casque ‘n’
coif, mail Aketon, hosen, leg mail,
choker, illumulet, mirror of dawn,
rabbit’s foot, ekkhard cross, 4
VEN potions, gem of ages, 3 blue
gems, DANE potion, KU potion,
chest, FUL bomb, blue magic box.
The first left turn on this level
takes you into a large room con¬
taining four doors, these are the
treasure stores. Working anti¬
clockwise as you enter the room:
First door: This room is full of
transporters. Step into this room
and move in the following order:
right, back, forwards, left, right,
back. Keep an eye on the floor as
you do this.
Open pit: behind you is a lever
to close pit.
Second door: Smaller of two
rooms. Button in wall opens door.
Larger of two rooms. Buttons
around wall reveal more buttons
until correct combination is
achieved and secret panel opens.
Third door: On entering the
large room, turn right and walk
into corner where you will find a
button. Press and walk back past
the entrance to the other corner.
Turn right and walk to the next
corner. Turn right again and walk
until you find passage on left. For¬
get walking straight across room
as it becomes never ending.
Fourth Door: There are two
passages on the other side of
pits, the one on the left cannot be
accessed until level six. The one
on the right is reached by making
your way through the pits on the
right. A number of attempts may
be needed before the pits close in
the correct order.
When all rooms have been
explored, return to the starting
corridor a few paces down where
you will find a stair case. Climb
and press button to open wall to a
corridor on level 4.
Level Six
Items to be found: Large shield,
casque ‘n’ coif, mail Aketon, torso
plate, mitheral Aketon, mitheral
mail, torches, crossbow, 2 throw¬
ing stars, 2 vorpal blades, 3 slay¬
ers, 2 green magic boxes, blue
magic box, UNVEN potion, VEN
potion, yew staff, water flask.
1 am all, I am none’ - nothing.
‘Hard as rocks, Blue as sky,
Twinkle in a woman’s eye’ - Blue
Gem.
‘I arch yet I have no back’ -
Bow.
‘A golden head yet no body’ -
Gold coin.
Room with pit and gate that
closes as you try to get to it -
throw lever on right wall to turn on
transporter, place an object in the
transporter to open gate. Step
into transporter to retrieve object,
green button closes pit.
‘The grave of King Filius’ -
Press 4 buttons around wall until
correct combination is found. This
opens a secret panel.
‘The grave of King Milias’ -
Place a gold coin in hole in the
wall to open secret room.
‘If you want to stay alive,
you’d better turn and run’ - Right
hand corridor: On left wall soon
after entering room is a button.
Press this to open a secret room
on far left. In this other room is
another button which opens a
room near the exit.
There is also a room which
opens when you step on a pres¬
sure pad and closes when you
step off. No amount of weight
seems to keep the door open.
Left hand corridor: After
passing through the gate you will
find a door on the left. Nearly
opposite is a metal ring set in the
wall, press this to open a secret
passage. Towards the end of the
passage is another secret pas¬
sage opened with a button on the
wall.
Stuck between two gates with
a blue haze turning on and off -
cast a spell to open the gate then
take off armour to move faster
and run through haze.
‘Test your strength’ - throw an
item down corridor to open a gate
further on.
As you travel along you will
find a room on your right with a
staircase leading up. This is the
way to the restricted area on level
5 in the pit room.
94 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Some useful additions
Here are some additions to the Dungeon Master guide provided by fellow
fan, Matthew Hill of Brighton, Sussex.
(1) DELTA-Adds 1 to Mana
(2) BOLT BLADE - is found on Level 7 (NOT 11)
(3) SMALL ROCKS - are also found on Level 4
(4) FUL BOMBS - are only found on Levels 7,8,9,10,11,12
(5) WAND - also +1 to Mana
(6) FIRESTAFF - +1 to all levels & Brandish, Spellshield, & Fireshield.
FIRESTAFF + POWER GEM - +2 to all levels & Fuse
FLUXCAGE & INVOKE - INVOKE produces varying strengths of fireball,
poison bolt and spirit bolt (DES EW)
(7) SCEPTRE OF LYFE - should be spelt LYF
(8) STAFF OF MANA - should be spelt MANAR - has LIGHT spell, not
Fireshield
(9) DRAGONSPIT - +4 MANA not +7
(10) YEW STAFF - Found on levels 8 +10, not 6 + 9
(Yew Staff + Staff of Manar only have limited charge)
(11) FERAL PENDANT - is called PENDANT FERAL, Level 9
(12) HELLION - enhances physical skills
(13) GEM OF AGES - enhances mental skills
(14) EKKHARD CROSS - enhances character protection
(15) JEWAL SYMBOL - should be JEWAL SYMAL which adds 15 to Anti-
Magic
(16) MIRROR OF DAWN - also an ‘answer’ to one of the riddles on Level
(17) HORN OF FEAR - doesn’t just frighten water elementals, but also
worms, spiders, winged snakes, triffids, blue trolls, rust monsters,
beholders, wizards, ghosts, etc. - not all monsters, however.
Do not enter transporter say¬
ing ‘Ha Ha Ha', you will end up
back on Level 5.
Towards the end of the level
is a passage with a lever at one
end and a gate and transporter at
the other. Ignore the transporter -
it only takes you to an earlier part
of the level. To enter the room you
must throw the lever and move
quickly to the gate and enter
before it closes.
Level Seven
Items to be found: the firestaff,
Bolt Blade, flamebain, crown of
Nerra, the inquisitor, FUL bomb,
VEN potion, sceptre of lyfe, Gem
of Ages, lllumulet, Dragon spit,
Boots of Speed, 2 Green Magic
Boxes, 4 Flasks, Water Flask,
Orange gem, Corbamite,
Magnifier, Torch, Ra Key, Winged
key, Turquoise Key.
Although all the following
information guides you through
level 7, on first entering the level
you can only open one gate (with
a Ra Key). The other three Ra
Keys and other keys must be
obtained from lower levels.
The Tomb of the Firestaff -
after passing through the first 3
doors that require Ra Keys, you
will come across 4 rooms on the
right. Only one of these can be
opened with the turquoise key that
you will find on this level. A lift of
items to be found within these
rooms was given in an earlier part
of this guide.
‘Danger, Enter with caution' -
First you will find alcoves that may
prove rewarding. As you turn right
along a long corridor with short
passages on the right, a button
will be found on the left wall (three
and a half passages along), press
this button to open a passage on
your return journey.
In the room at the end of cor¬
ridor will be found a Turquoise Key
under some ashes. To the left is a
button that opens a passage at
the end of which are some scrolls
and a Ra Key.
On your return to the room
with the alcoves you will find a
passage has opened in front of
you. Enter, turn left, right, left and
seven paces forwards to find a
button on your left, press the but¬
ton and walk back the way you
came to find the winged key has
been revealed. Travel down the
corridor, it is a direct route to
level 13. Open pan and return.
Return to the ‘Danger, Enter
with caution’ door. Opposite is
another corridor at the end of
which are some very useful items.
Leave this corridor and open the
door on your left with the Ra Key.
Walk along this corridor for some
distance taking many turns to find
the Ra Key. Don't hang around
when you find the Firestaff! You
now need the Power Gem from
Level 14.
Ruby Key opens ‘Enter with
caution’ door.
Master Key opens door to
retrieve Firestaff.
Level Eight
Items to be found: Delta, Rabbit’s
Foot, 4 FUL bombs, 2 Chests,
Mac of Order, Staff of Manar, Yew
Staff, Throwing star, Green Magic
Box, Jewal Symbol, Torch, Copper
Coin.
Level 8 consists of a very
large room with a number of
secret passages, also numerous
pits.
Around the wall you will find a
short corridor with a chest and
two holes in the wall. The holes
fire fireballs which pass through
various blue hazes and travel
around the room. At the start of
this passage you will find a but¬
ton on the wall. Press it to open a
secret panel behind the blue haze
on your right, press the green but¬
ton behind this panel to switch off
the hazes and thus stop the fire¬
ball from hitting you as you search
the level. If you stand with your
back to the fireball holes and walk
forwards you come to the end of
a wall. Step around this to the
other side and take a further 10
steps forwards to find a key in
front of you.
One of the buttons around the
wall will reveal a series of pas¬
sages culminating in what seems
to be an endless passage. In
effect you are being transported
back top the start of the passage.
Stand with your back to the begin¬
ning and take 26 paces forwards,
then turn right and wait for a
moment for a panel to open. You
will find a gate behind which is a
button on the left wall. Press to
open a secret room.
One passage you find will end
in a gate (you should have a solid
key on you to open it). At the end
of the passage you will find a skull
on the wall. Use the skeleton key
that you found in the chest to
open a secret panel. You will find
a number of these in the levels to
come. Always open them to reveal
access to the master staircase
which begins on Level 8 and fin¬
ishes on Level 14, opening on all
the levels in between.
If you drop down one of the
pits in the room you will find a
series of corridors, search them
to find another pit at the bottom
of which is a Yew Staff.
Well, that lot should keep you
happy for some time. In the final
instalment, next month, levels 9 to
14 get a similar treatment.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 95
SUPER HACK
OPERATION THUNDERBOLT
(AMIGA)
Master hacker, Mark Lawrence
of Basildon, Essex here provides
some relief for Amiga owners
being shot to pieces in Operation
Thunderbolt This gives you infi¬
nite life'. Type the program below
in Amiga Basic and save it for
future use. Now insert Operation
Thunderbolt disk 1 in drive 0 and
if an alert comes up click on can¬
cel to remove it. Now run the pro¬
gram and after a few seconds the
screen should go black. Operation
Thunderbolt will now load as usual
but you should have infinite life’.
10 DIM C0DE%(255)
20 FOR N = 0 TO 95
30 READ fl$ : fl = URL("&H M +
R$)
40 C0DE%(N)=R
50 NEHTN
60 CHEHT=URRPTR(C0DE%(0))
65 CALL CHERT
70 REM TVPE IN THIS LISTING
RND SRUE FOR FUTURE USE.
80 REM INSERT OPERATION
THUNDERBOLT DISK RND RUN
THIS PROGRAM
90 REM GAME SHOULD LORD RS
USUAL WITH INFINITE LIUES
100 DATA 70FF, 2C78, 0004,
4ERE, FEB6, 2200, 5280, 6772
110 DRTR 4BFR, OOEE, 3RFC,
0400, 429D, 3RC1,93C9, 4ERE
120 DRTR FEDfl, 2RC0, 2R8D,
2B4D, 0008, 589D, 4295, 4BFR
130 DRTR 0090, 1 BBC, 0005,
3B7C, 0030, OOOR, 41ED, 0038
140 DRTR 2B48, 0006, 41 Ffl,
0060, 7000, 7200, 43FR, 006R
150 DRTR 4ERE, FE44, 4R80,
662R, 700C, 99CC, 6126, 7002
160 DRTR 49F9, 0007, 0000,
61 1C, 397C, 5340, 0030, 297C
170 DRTR 343C, 4H69, 0032,
297C, 31C2, 73BR, 0054, 4EEC
Well, the animated puzzler from
Defphine/Palace certainly seems
to have got adventure addicts
worldwide burning the midnight
oil. We have been getting three or
four calls a week, here at the
ACE office, from frustrated read¬
ers anxious for help. So, to save
your sanity and our ears, here is
the complete solution courtesy of
Phil Thompson.
The Start
Take bucket. Operate lift up but¬
ton. Operate open window. Enter
room.
First room
Operate carpet to get key. Take
plastic bag. Operate WC door to
get red flag. Operate cupboard to
get insecticide. Use bucket on
sink to fill. Use bucket on centre
door. Operate right hand door
then exit right
Office
Open desk drawer to get paper.
Operate cupboard to see type¬
writer. Make a note of number on
typewriter. Examine map. Use red
flag on hole. Exit right Examine
keypad. Operate keypad entering
number found on typewriter one
digit at a time and exit to office
after each one. After final digit go
through passage.
Control Room
Use paper on slot. Operate green
button. Operate red button and
quickly move under spotlight.
Swamp
Go left walking on green areas
only. Use insecticide on
mosquitoes. Examine ray of light
to get pendant. Go left.
Lake
Examine tree by lake to get rope.
Use rope on branch. After peas¬
ant goes for swim, take clothes.
Go left,
Castle
Go round back of castle. Operate
large tree to get coin. Go back to
pub in front of castle. Use coin to
buy a drink. Listen to gossip. Go
to castle.
Inside Castle
Listen to information then leave,
taking lance from sleeping guard.
Go back to large tree. Use lance
to get monk's habit and put it on.
Go to lake. Use plastic bag with
lake. Go bak to castle and exit
bottom of screen.
Outside Monastery
Use plastic bag on wolf.
Inside Monastery
Enter door on left, leave and
FUTURE WARS
KEY
Wayl^
Way out
<==i E
= Stairs to be used
96 Advanced Computer Entertainment
enter door on right. Go to room
on left. Take cup. Go middle
door. Use cup on barrel. Give
wine to leader. Examine him for
remote control. Use remote
control on cabinet. Take mag¬
netic card. Go to wine cellar.
Use remote control on cabinet.
Take magnetic card. Go to wine
cellar. Use remote control on
top barrel. Enter secret pas¬
sage.
Control Room
Examine glass case to get gas
cannister. Use magnetic card
on computer.
Wastelands
Take blowtorch from bottom
right of first screen. Take fuses
from white rubble. Go through
manhole.
Sewers
Use blowtorch on tap to fill. Use
blowtorch on monster. Go up
steps.
Metro
Get coin from coin collection in
newspaper machine. Use coin
on money slot on newspaper
machine. Repeat, get on metro
train.
Shuttleport
Go down stairs. Use fuse on
fuses in fuse box. Go upstairs.
When recpetionist checks make¬
up go between arrows.
Prison Cell
Use metal key on grill. Use gas
canister on metal grill. Use
newspaper on metal grill. Exit
through door.
Control Room
Use magnetic card on machine.
Slippery slope
Go to Lo-ann.
Outside Spaceship
Shoot any crughons in red dan¬
ger boxes until crughon leader
appears on flying podium.
Shoot him. When Lo-ann is shot
search her body twice. Use pen¬
dant on Lo-ann. Search dead
crughon.
Spaceship Cockpit
Use magnetic card on machine
near door. Operate case. Take
garment. Use garment on video
camera. Get in case. Operate
case.
Crughon Base
Use invisibility pill on hero as
soon as door starts to open.
Leave spaceship. Hide in box
on lower left of screen.
Cargo Hold
Operate door at far end. Follow
enclosed map to computer cen¬
tre. Use magnetic card on con¬
sole. Follow map to exit. This
completes the game.
CONS
23635+256*PEEK 23636, and
a five figure number will appear.
Make a note of it. Now enter
directly: POKE n+1,1 where n is
the number you noted down. If
you now rexamine the listing you
will see that the number of the
first line has changed to 1. You
should now be able to edit it as
normal.
You may have problems if
there is already a line 1. In this
case you will have to repeat the
procedure, but using a number
other than 1 that is not in use (But
make sure you reorder the lines
afterwards).
To remove the colour codes
move the cursor onto the partly
visible line and call it down with
the EDIT key. Now move the cur¬
sor slowly along the line until it
disappears. At this point press
DELETE once. Now repeat the
process until the line becomes vis¬
ible. Re-enter the line.
You may have to do this with
several lines to clear the whole
listing. If you are using a +3 then
the codes will be ingnored by the
machine, but they are still there.
Now you should have a clear
listing. Find the last line in the pro¬
gram which loads a section of
cpde, and the line with the first
USR call. You must place any
pokes you wish to employ
between these points. Once you
have done so, save your new load¬
er on a seperate tape.
Now all you have to do is load
your adjusted loader program,
replace the original program cas¬
sette wound past the original load¬
er program, then run your new
program and start the tape play¬
ing.
Unfortunately most of the
existing programs for the Spec¬
trum are not so ridiculously easy
to access - more on this machine
next month.
180 DATA 000C, 4E75, 43FA,
0032, 3340, 001 C, 234C, 0028
190 DATA 42A9, 002C, 237C,
0000, 0400, 0024, 337C, 0030
200 DATA 0012, 4EEE, FE38,
7472, 6163,6864, 6973, 6B2E
210 DATA 6465, 7669, 6365,
0000 , 0000 , 0000 , 0000 , 0000
You can also gain infinite men by
typing either WIGAN NINJA or
EDOM TAEHC when you get a
high score. From examining the
program it appears that typing
SPECCY MODE when you get a
high score does something but I
haven't managed to find what it
does do (Switches to yukky two
colour displays and tinny sound
perhaps?).
A TNT
SURVIVAL
GUIDE
ZX SPECTRUM
As promised last month, here is
the first of our detailed run downs
on how to use pokes for individual
machines.
If you are attempting to modi¬
fy a very early Spectrum game
then the chances are that you
won’t have to get round any tricky
protection. Most of the early
Spectrum titles used an auto-run¬
ning BASIC program to load one
or more blocks of code into mem¬
ory and then execute them using
a simple USR call.
The best way to find out if the
game is of this type is to use
MERGE rather than LOAD to load
the program (see your user manu¬
al for details on how to do this).
This will load the program as
normal, but will stop it from auto¬
running. All being well you can
now examine the listing of the
boot program. If you can’t, or the
computer crashes, then the pro¬
gram is protected and you will
have to resort to other methods.
If you see a single line num¬
ber (possibly zero) and nothing
else then the program has embed¬
ded colour codes which make it
invisible. These can be edited out
as normal, but if the first line has
a number of 0 you will find that
you are unable to bring it down for
editing. This is the solution.
Enter directly: PRINT PEEK
Jojo Cicero and Mark Hook of Caerphilly, Mid-
Glamorgan have already treated Sega Master System
owners to some great tips from R-Type to Spy vs. Spy
II. Now they’re back with some tips for Altered Beast.
i) It is possible to continue in all five times. To continue
the second and all later times just press both buttons
but push a different diagonal direction. Some diagonals
can be used more than once.
ii) To destroy:-
...boss 1: stay at the left of screen. Fire at him continu¬
ously (using fireballs). When a head is above you use the
‘flaming arrow’ trick so you stop just outside boss body.
Keep fireballing him. When another head is above you,
face left and use ‘flaming arrow’. Keep repeating the pro¬
cess.
...boss 2: not much to do really, just fire at eyeball
and each spore endangering you. If a number of spores
are close, electrify them!
...boss 3: always remain relatively
close. Duck the fireball waves, shoot¬
ing fireballs continuously. Never once
use the ‘pillar of fire trick’.
...boss 4: keep at opposite side of
screen. Fire a single fireball at him and
as he runs at you, jump and in mid-air
use the ‘flaming arrow’ trick to gain
distance. Keep repeating, and if he
ever does take a life from you, fire like
hell at him while he remains invincible.
More tips from the daring duo will be
coming your way soon.
|
Advanced Computer Entertainment 97
QuickC hat
BONDWELL UNITED KINGDOM LTD
Bondwell House, Unit D1 Tariff Road, London N17 EOH Tel: 01 365 1993 Fax: 01 808 7553
NOW SUPPLIED DIRECTLY FROM BONDWELL
* N for Nintendo Entertainment System and F for Sega, Atari, Amstrad and Commodore game systems.
) 1989 Spectravideo International Ltd.. QuickShot is a registered trademark and QS-123, QS-127, QS-128, QS-129N/F, QS-130N/F and QS-131 are tradenames of Spectravideo International Ltd.. Nintendo and Nintendo &(
System are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc.. All other product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
_
THE NEXT GENERATION
QuickShot offers the most
complete selection of video
game controllers in the market.
Models are available to suit all
the most popular video game
machines and just about any
playing style. And no matter
which model you choose,
you can be sure you’re getting
the kind of performance and
value for the money that have
made QuickShot the biggest
name in the business.
Contact us today!
QuickS hot
20 , 000,000
JOYSTICKS SOLD WORLDWIDE
QS-128
UNIVERSAL
ARCADE-STYLE
QS-123
PC ANALOG
QS-127
UNIVERSAL INFRARED
QS-131
NEW BASIC
QS-129N/F*
SPACEAGE CONTROL
QS-130N/F*
DELUXE DIGITAL
H ere's an interesting fact to slip out at one
of those intimate soirees, where you are
trying to impress A.N.Other with your
cosmopolitan intellect and vast knowl¬
edge of world affairs - “Guess how many
Walkmans were sold in America last
year?”
How about this then - an estimat¬
ed 22.5 million units, worth something
just over a billion dollars over the counter. These are
lean years for headset audio, however, gone are the
days when the tape machine attached to the belt was
de rigeur, but it does give you some idea, even in a
relatively stable market, the kind of demand there is
for entertainment on the move.
Once Walkmans (and all the clones) became avail¬
able, a whole new area of personal entertainment was
opened up and going to work on the bus became
slightly more bearable. Those ghetto blasters disap¬
peared over night and - OK - so the treble leak from
neighbours’ cheapo headsets could be annoying, but
that can always be solved by turning your own up that
little bit louder....
That was the revolution in portable audio, this year
comes the revolution in portable video games which is
going sweep across the USA like never before. I guess
it’s true to say that portable video gaming has been
with us for years. The first time most of us ever heard
of Nintendo, it was probably because we found a
Game and Watch tucked away in the depths of the
Christmas Stocking. And companies such as
Tomytronic have been producing larger non-pro-
grammable battery operated games for, it seems like,
even longer.
But this is the year that every player in the 3.4 bil¬
lion dollar videogame market has either got a pro¬
grammable handheld in the shops or in the final
stages of development. The big boys are taking this
one very seriously - and you only have to look at the
numbers that the Gameboy has been generating to
comprehend why.
From nothing to an installed base of one mill'
units, all achieved in the last five months in 1
my book, that goes under S for Spectac
“We think Gameboy just showed
potential in 1989 and we’re looking
phenomenal sales in 1990,” said
of America’s vice-president of ma
means to sell four million more by
year. He’s unlikely to be wrong.
Atari has the Lynx - technologically
Gameboy - and reports wonderful things
demand”) of its test market in New York
Christmas season, with a reported 75000
the door.
But poor old Atari. For a brief moment it
claim to be the world’s only portable colour game
tern - a fragile claim that was viciously spiked by NE
previewing working model of its own handheld at the
recent Las Vegas Show.
The NEC handheld is colour alright, with a full
400x270 pixel TV display and what’s more has an
instant and rapidly growing software base, as it utilis¬
es existing PC Engine/Turbo Grafix-16 software. That
has to be a big plus, although there is still some work
in the lab to do on the battery life of the unit which will
have to be better than the present three hours in order
to be a competitor.
Finally, bullish from its successful Christmas with
the Genesis, there are rumours of a Sega handheld hit¬
ting the streets later this year - again in colour and
compatible with, fancy that, Sega Master carts. Is this
a bandwagon or is this a primitive transportation
device piled high with a lot of musical instruments?
OK. So which one of these babies is going to win
out? There are a number of factors to be taken into
John Cook reports
from America where
gaming on the move
looks set to hammer
home Nintendo’s
domination of the
videogame market
Nintendo Entertai
SPECIAL
Gator and Shanghai: a fatal Game-
boy combination devastating your
spare time!
Nintendo will be spend¬
ing around $30 million
dollars in advertising the
Gameboy and other Nin¬
tendo products in the
first half of '90. Atari's
initial ad spend for the
Lynx is $1 million
Gameboy Jordon vs Bird One on One
Basketball from Milton Bradley
Nintendo has been
smart in the type
of software it is
'encouraging' its
licensees to produce
Acclaim is a major Nintendo devel¬
oper with both software and periph¬
erals
consideration, but why don’t we cut them down to
three major areas for consideration. Technological
sophistication, software base and price.
ware base can only grow larger and better.
Again, if the Sega machine is compatible with
Master System games, it already has a great number
of very solid titles to plug in and go. The quality of
Master System games to broadly acknowledged to be
improving - the recent release of Golden Axe being a
fine example. Old technology compared to the Lynx
‘though.
The Lynx has the original six games that were pro¬
grammed for it by Epyx and right now that’s it. I don’t
suppose anyone can deny the impressive display of
Blue Thunder - an AfterBurner clone - it’s out perform¬
ing even an Amiga. But do you want to play California
Games again?
Atari are bullish about future software develop¬
ment, of course, and substance has been added to
that with the announcement of a link-up with Atari
Games/Tengen which should ensure a goodly supply
of reasonable coin-op originals. Here and now, howev¬
er, there must still remain a small question mark until
Game and Watches have always been with us - well...
that’s what it seems like anyway, but with the very
rapid expansion of this programmable hand held mar¬
ket in the past year, a whole host of non-pro-
grammable games have appeared from unlikely
sources such as Konami and Aklaim (the latter being
successful NES cart publishers).
And know what? They’re all completely crap. For¬
give the blunt approach - and God knows I’m usually
the type to call a spade a manually operated terrain
moving device - but these game are universally going
for the low, low end of the games market and this is
reflected in the price of around $19.99. Which in turn is
reflected in the quality and sophistication of the
games. You don’t even get a watch in
some of ‘em
Maybe the Tetris might be
worth a look - but other than
that, take the advice of a
sadly disillusioned man.
/ Don’t!
LOW BUDGET HANDHELDS
TECHNOLOGY
I suppose, first must come the Lynx which, when you
first get your hands on it, is a very impressive piece of
hardware. A backlit 160x102 display of 16 colours out
of a 4096 palette. Cool. A 4 Meg 6502 does the house
keeping, but there are custom chips in there to give
hardware sprite scaling, hardware scrolling plus all the
four channel hoopy sound you could eat. Fast and
Loud.
Joe 90 would have been happy with one of these -
and this ‘gosh wow’ factor is the major plus of the
machine. A minus factor is the power hungry screen
giving a quoted six hours of battery life. That’ll be Dura-
cell hours, not rechargeable hours, of course. That
won’t get you across the Atlantic - let alone through US
Immigration procedures.
A strong second comes the NEC hand-held. Its true
TV screen has astonishing clarity at only three inches
across and it’s unlikely that anyone will notice the differ¬
ence that the 16 colours on the display only come from
a 512 palette. Its 6502 may not have the super¬
charged aid of the Lynx’s, but there’s enough help for
the thing to cope with wildly sprite intensive games
such as Gunhed, although there is, of course, no hard¬
ware scaling. Big minus right now - only three hours of
battery. It would be lunacy to release the thing to Joe
Public like that, so expect it to at least double before
you can get it in the shops.
As the Sega machine is yet to be shown, any con¬
jecture about it is wildly speculative, but let’s hope its
Master System compatibility (if indeed it is) is a low end
capability rather than the thing performing at max out¬
put.
But even if it was, the Gameboy would still look
lame. Mono LCD screen. A blurry 160x144 dis¬
play. A cut down Z80. Mmmmm. State of the
technological art this isn’t. But a battery
life of thirty hours or so will keep you
going all the way to the West Coast
by plane, let you have the odd
game while you’re over there and
see you all the way through Cus¬
toms and Excise back at Heathrow.
On technology alone, then, it’s Atari
ahead by half a length, with Nintendo still
at the starting game.
we see the software on the streets.
Again, on by any sophistication standard, the
Gameboy must limp behind. That mono screen is
never going to blow you away. But unexpectedly, the
quality of the software that is available for the machine
cannot fail to impress. Revenge of the ‘Gator, from
Hal of America for instance, is a pinball simulation that
has the best ball movement algorithms I’ve seen on
any computer anywhere for the past ten years. When
you find yourself tipping the Gameboy in a vain
attempt to nudge the ball in the right direction, you
know that someone, somewhere has done something
rather clever.
Nintendo has also been smart in the type of soft-
SOFTWARE BASE
Slo problem here - on a ratio of sophistication and
availability, the NEC, when it comes out, must surely
ae streets ahead. There are already 20 titles out there
and the same number again are due to hit the streets
in the first half of this year - with familiar titles such as
the TV Sports series from Cinemaware. Most PC
Engine games are impressive graphically and have
great playability. In the short to medium term, the soft¬
Advanced Computer Entertainment
Kpefft R'OEK r
Simple handheld fun with KIT and the Knight Rider
ware it is ‘encouraging’ its licensees to produce.
Smart move number one was to bundle Tetris with the
thing - the game most likely to appeal to the widest
possible audience across the age ranges and across
the sexes.
Many other puzzle games are in the works, includ¬
ing a surprisingly playable version of Shanghai. Sure
there are arcade blasters - Nemesis being an unlikely
example from Konami and Classic Invaders a forehead
thumpingly obvious release from Taito. But there has
been a deliberate approach to pitch much of the soft¬
ware away from the traditional shoot’em-up brigade
and towards older users. The ones that take trains and
planes to work. There’s only one way to describe this
particular curve ball. Sneaky.
The Lynx and the NEC neck and neck now, with
Sega falling back and Nintendo just breaking into a
brisk trot.
PRICING
This is where it all becomes really interesting. How
much would you pay for a hand held machine? You’ve
probably already got a computer or console, remem¬
ber. This is going to be your secondary device - the
one you play on the way to work, in the back row of
the classroom, down the canteen; whatever.
Well, expect to see the Gameboy selling in the
$80-90 dollar range. Sixty quid. Does that sound much
to you? A nice birthday present, yes? Something you
might get from a well-off granny at Christmas maybe.
Carts for the things - most seem to be lining up at
around $20-$25, that’s cheaper than the majority of
NES cartridges.
The Lynx - the only other contender yet to make it
into the shops. Well, you can double the price of the
basic Gameboy unit - say around $180 dollars. You
can pick up a Genesis or NES for that kind of money
and surely puts Atari’s machine well beyond the scope
of the impulse buy. Software? To you, $35-$45 dollars
- just a little bit more than the average Nintendo cart.
Add to this the thirsty running cost in batteries and the
Lynx becomes what the marketeers like to call a ‘pre¬
mium’ machine - wot you and me call ‘pricey’.
The NES handheld, if anything, is likely to be a lit¬
tle bit higher than the Lynx - but will have the added
advantage of being able to be used as a TV set with
the addition of a low-cost tuner.which no doubt will
be thrown in as part of the deal by particularly rabid
retailers. Who knows about the Sega, but it can’t hope
to undercut the Gameboy if anything that’s leaked out
about its technical spec is true.
The Gameboy suddenly puts on a spurt of speed
and races up on the inside of the Lynx as the field
approaches the Winning Post!
CONCLUSION
So - who wins? The NEC and Sega are bound to have
an impact when they come to market, because of the
large existing software bases - but here and now,
Mousetrap Hotel: a wacky tacky
slice of life as a mouse from MB
In the cold hard
reality of the market
this is a one horse
race...
Nintendo clean up -
again!
He's lean. He's mean. He's a-maze-
ing! He's Kwirk - the punk tomato...
Atari Lynx... the 'gosh
wow' factor is the major
plus of the machine
The Atari Lynx: in UK stores within
the next three months for £149.99
doesn’t the wunderkind Lynx seem to blow the techno¬
logical dwarfish Gameboy completely away?
Well, hang on. We have forgotten one small point.
Nintendo itself. Let us not forget that in the USA, Nin¬
tendo is now a phenomena like you would not believe.
By the end of this year it will have an installed based
of 26 million NES consoles in American homes. Every¬
one calls it, of course, the Nintendo. And the merchan¬
disers have not missed the opportunity to make large
amounts of dosh on the back of this.
There’s Nintendo breakfast cereal, you can wear
the shirts, coats, jeans, slippers, sit on the chairs and
bedspreads, use the Nintendo crockery and realise
you’ve been playing Tetris for the past five hours by
the Nintendo clock. Even when you turn the telly on,
there’s a high probability you’ve tune into the Super
Mario Bros. Show.
And what does everybody outside the industry call
the Gameboy. The New Nintendo. One kiddie goes up
to another with this little hand held device (just the
right size), says, “Have you seen the new Nintendo?” -
the immediate reflex answer is, “Want One Now”.
Here’s another thing - with an estimated $2.7 bil¬
lion dollars in sales generated by the Big N and its
mates in ‘89 it isn’t short of a few bob when it wants
to promote a new product. There’s 30 million - yes -
30 million dollars being spent by Nintendo on advertis¬
ing alone in the first half on 1990. Not all of it is
directed head-on at the Gameboy, but say “Nintendo”
that often to the consumer and expect it to positively
effect their buying choices even if you bring out a Nin¬
tendo brand of condoms.
Nintendo expect to sell another four million Game-
boys in 1990. Atari say they are going to sell one mil¬
lion Lynx machines. It’s publicly announced ad budget
is presently one million dollars. I know who my money
is on to succeed.
Sure - the colour revolution in handhelds will come
- but until all the major machines have been released
(all likely to be around the $200 mark) I strongly sus¬
pect that many prospective Lynx buyers will wait and
see what the competition will offer. And while they're
waiting - what could be better than just one more
game of Tetris on the Gameboy.
In the cold hard reality of the market, this is a one
horse race - and I’d put my shirt, jummy, Toyboy boxer
shorts and anything else that came to hand, on a
wager that this is the year that Nintendo clean up -
again.
Advanced Computer Entertainment
After all the hustle bustle of the ATEI Show last month,
it’s back down into the arcades - as John Cook gets
through large amounts of small change and focuses on
that ol’ Silver Ball
BEAST BUSTERS
SNK
Regular readers will know that I have a virulent
dislike of the “mow-em-down” style of game
that has become so popular in the last couple
of years.
These are electronic shooting galleries,
with the player gripping a simulacrum of an
automatic weapon and blowing, away mousta¬
chioed loony letters, young children, nuns, etc,
all in the cause of truth, justice and lower
petroleum prices.
Now I know it makes me sound like a bit of
a wimp - but while I don’t mind giving all kinds
of alien being pure hell, I draw the line at pre¬
tending to kill large sprites representing real
human beings.
Why? Well - cop this for a powerful intellec¬
tual arguement - it’s not
nice. Shooting aliens is cre¬
ating a fantasy world to
have fun in - putting realistic
human beings in that world
and then killing the odd hun¬
dred, is starting to impinge
on the real world in a rather
disturbing manner.
So, as far as I’m con¬
cerned, you can trash Op
Wolf, Mechanised Attack,
Op Thunderbolt and Line of
Fire.but I think you could
save Beastbusters if you
really wanted to.
Beastbusters is the lat¬
est mow-em-down from
SNK and has all the
pharaoh we have come to know and love.
Guns - three of 'em. Things to massacre by
the score. But it’s the theme that saves
Beastbusters from a sorry fate - it's slock-
horror, straight out of the Evil Dead.
The theme of the thing has you (plus two
others if you like) entering a town where
something has gone very wrong - it’s full of
zombies, werewolves and nasty squidgy
things. Imagine Southend High street on a
Saturday afternoon. And you get to blow
them all away - but do they lie down and
stay dead? Nope!
Apart from that, it's a bit conventional - you
shoot special power-ups for more ammo,
grenades, napalm, etc - but the novel theme
and the ‘tasteful’ graphics bring it through.
Having played it through to the end - and it
look like SNK are planning a follow-up by the
way - I can tell you that the surprises keep
coming all the way through to the final screens,
although you’d have to be phenomenally good,
or spend a lot of dosh, to reach them.
It’s not trying to make you feel like Rambo
and all the time it’s obvious it’s just a game.
Splatterhouse meets Op Wolf - give it a try.
Incidently -1 played Line of Fire to the end
in the same session...! won’t waste space
describing it...suffice to say it was technically
superb...but as a game, a load of rubbish. OK?
SHADOW
DANCER
SEGA
What do you get when you cross One Man and
his Dog with Shinobi? Shadow Dancer, that's
what, where, “The young Ninja battles together
with his faithful pet dog.”
m 1 , j 00 % * lr§ m£MA i n
mr I
These terrorists have set time bombs all
over the city and you have to - excuse me a
moment...get down Shep... you have to deacti¬
vate them.
OK, so it’s a jumpy, jumpy, kicky, kicky
clone with a novel twist, but it is very playable
and quite challenging. Shep follows you around
and when you crouch down and press both the
jump and fire buttons at the same time, he
leaps forward and starts gnawing at the throat
of your nearest opponent.
At this point you have to leap up and give
some help, ‘coz left to his own devices, Shep
might get hit - where upon he shrinks to the
size of a poodle.
He does get back to his full size after a bit,
but all he’ll do in this state is “Siiiiittttttt”. As in
102 Advanced Computer Entertainment
Shinobi, you can throw Shukren around are
have a Ninja Magic smart bomb that kills all
known terrorists dead.
Hardly breath-takingly original, but an effort
that’ll probably appeal to Shinobi fans and dog
lovers everywhere.
FINAL
FIGHT
CAPCOM
What on earth does Capcom think it's doing
with the super-fab CP System board? The
release before last was UN Squadron - a banal
horizontal scroller. Yawn. And now, we are
offered Final Fight - a beat-em-up.
OK, so the sprites are big, but does the
world seriously need another one of these?
Capcom are definitely suffering from a distinct
lack of imagination, despite the fact that they
have the hardware to out-perform almost every
other system in the arcades.
More, faster and prettier is not always bet¬
ter, boys. Anyone with some startlingly original
game ideas - send them in to us and well pass
them on to Capcom. They need 'em!
AMERI
DARTS
AMERI CORP
There have been a fair few darts games on
home formats, but I can’t think of one on coin¬
op - until now. And y'know, it’s quite a laff.
First you have to choose a type of game,
traditional 301 and cricket, plus some hi-tech
ones where you have to hit flashing sections of
the board within a time limit.
You then use a trackball to give force and
direction to the throw and press the fire button
for the precise to let go’ of the dart.
despite most were for amusement only.
Modern games don’t pay-out, of course,
but you can win more than your initial (only in
credits), so that pinball is firmly classified as a
game of chance.
This means you have to have a gaming
licence to operate one and also limits the
ways that the distributors can sell tables to
the arcade operators.
Despite all these problems, there seems
to be a growing interest in pinball - largely
because of a massive increase in the com¬
plexity of the hardware that runs the tables.
Large amounts of flashing lights and
Megabytes of digitised sound are now the
order of the day. More about the mechanics
of these new age tables in later issues - but
why not rush off and try one of these newer
efforts in the meantime.
Bally had a big hit last Fall with a table
based on the Elvira character - an easy to
understand table with well defined goals, such
as multiple ramp shots.
It’s latest, Mousin' Around, is far more
complex in design - although it’s still a good
bash. My favourite manufacturer, however, is
still Williams. This company has been produc¬
ing great table for a long, long time - with
classics such as Cyclone, Comet, Taxi...but
they've gone back to a simpler playfield with
Bad Cats.
Particularly good for the first-timer, if
you’ve not played pinball for some time, try
going back and giving this one a go. And
don’t worry - it won’t make you deaf, dumb or
blind.
Hove pinball. I love vids too, but there is some¬
thing altogether more sophisticated about
leaning on a pintable, trapping the ball on a
flipper, surveying the admiring crowds of
underlings, then nonchalantly taking the jack¬
pot with a single well placed shot.
The skills involved are slightly different to
those used by vid junkies and the concentra¬
tion needed to play well, produces a slightly
different effect - less intense, slightly more
refined. Ring any bells with anybody?
In the US, where the coin-op business is
worth about six billion dollars (compared to
the five billion generated by the movie busi¬
ness), almost half of that is generated by pin¬
ball.
In France, you can't walk into a cafe with¬
out bumping into a pinball table - and playing
off the Champs Elysee, with a double expres-
so on one side and a cognac on the other
must surely be one of life’s more perfect
moments.
In the UK, you are lucky if an arcade has
a single table...luckier if it's in full working
order. Why? Well....it’s the Law. Very early pin¬
ball tables in the 30’s - this was in the pre-flip¬
per days, when the game was a variant of
bagatelle - there were payout machines where
you could bet where the ball would land. This
resulted in the banning of almost all pinballs,
Score is automatic, of course - although
that is unlikely to stop some people chalking up
on the side oTthe cabinet, I bet.
The control system does take a bit of get¬
ting used to, but after a while you can control
the flight of the dart very well and it becomes a
lot of fun.
I expect this will find its way into a fair num¬
ber of pubs - yippee for that, particularly if it
gets rid of all those appalling Nintendo Play-
Choice 10’s.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 103
ARCADE
The Magazine of the decade is about to take-off
The complete guide to entertainment for the IBM PC
and compatibles.
SC
fo
FIRST ISSUE FEATURES INCLUDE
FLIGHTS OF FANCY
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be
We round up the
latest in simulations
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ON SALE MARCH 15 - AT ALL MAJOR NEWSAGENTS
Roland CF-10 and CN-20: turn your simple
music programs into state-of-the-art with these
specially designed Roland computer mix and
edit modules
110 sample player and come in families of
instruments: pipe organs and harpsichords,
Latin percussion, orchestral strings, orchestral
wind, etc.
EFFECTS
Contained on the LA side of the tracks is the
rhythm section which incorporates 30 percus¬
sion sounds and an entertaining 33 sound
effects. The latter cover a wide range from the
sound of car crashes, punches being thrown,
footsteps, thunder, screams, trains, jets,
water, sea, etc. The drum sounds aren’t too
bad either.
The CM-64 also has two built-in digital
reverb units which are preset on some voices.
Each of the two sections has its own reverb
unit, which are quite wide ranging with various
room sizes and depths of effect. Unfortunately
you will need programming software in order to
use them. There are no easy commands to set
them up, streams of system exclusive data are
needed - that’s the heavy end of the MIDI code
which needs handshaking routines and check
sum data to even get a response, and you will
need two entirely separate routines for each
reverb unit.
SOUNDS GOOD
The range of sounds on offer is excellent. The
LA sounds are quite good at impersonating
instruments, though my own preference is to
use them for the more synthesizer type of voic¬
es: lead solo, bass or general background. For
realism the PCM department takes an awful lot
of beating. It is also considerably quieter than
the LA section which has a fair suspicion of
hiss about the sounds on close inspection. I
would go for the pianos, choirs and large bass
department without any hesitation.
Although the CM-64 is quite expensive, I
doubt whether you could have 14 channels of
sound and one percussion channel plus reverb
for less money.
m MELODY MAKER
FROM HYBRID IRIS
£ 69.95
For less than one tenth of the outlay required
for the CM-64 tone module, ST owners can pur¬
chase the FM Melody Maker. Comprising of a
plug-in cartridgesand controlling software, the
package does a surprising amount for your
money. First of all you have a set of 78 Fre¬
quency Modulated sounds to go at output in
stereo - well pseudo stereo. FM, by the way,
was the method of syntheses spawned by
Yamaha. Secondly, you can write you own
songs in step-time and have them accompa¬
nied in no less than 16 styles. Thirdly, you have
a drum programmer which supports MIDI, and
finally there is a real-time sequencer. Its devel¬
opment company, Richard Watts Associates,
were responsible for the very successful bolt-
on FM 'Sound Expander’ for the C64 a few
light-years ago.
SEQUENCER
On booting up the program you are presented
with the step-time sequencer. As the name
implies, step-time sequencing is the process
where notes are inserted individually - rather in
the manner of a typewriter. All notes are insert¬
ed by selecting the correct note value from the
lower part of the screen and inserting in the
single stave in the upper half of the screen.
This could be a slight problem if you don’t hap¬
pen to read music. On the other hand you
could always copy the music from one of the
many books available in any music store. To
help you position the note, the name of the
note is displayed above and below the stave as
you move it about. On clicking it into place it
will sound and it has a range of four octaves
you can choose from. You can perform the
same trick for rests also. The spacing of the
notes is automatically worked out for you and
notes can be tied, although there is no option
for joining the tails of notes - ‘beaming’ as it is
known in the notation business. I found that you
could fool the notation scoring a little without
too much effort though. Bum notes can be con¬
demned to the trashcan and you can scroll
back and forth through the music either by
using the scroll bars on screen or the left and
right cursor buttons. Most of the mouse fea¬
tures of Melody Maker are duplicated on the
QWERTY keys.
The clever part of this section comes when
you add the chords. If you are copying from a
score this should present few problems as the
01 568 4578
range of chords offered is quite wide from the
simple straightforward chords to the outer lim¬
its of diminished sevenths and augmented
chords. Wherever you want the chord to sound
you simply click and it appears above the note
on the stave in shorthand form: e.g. AM7. The
reason for this is that Melody Maker has the
ability to accompany your ditties in any one of
sixteen styles - rather like a single keyboard.
Having entered your song - complete with
repeat sections, number of beats per bar and
repeat sections - you can then play the whole
work back and the accompaniment will chug
merrily along with you in the style you have
chosen, inserting drum breaks every eight and
sixteenth bars for you. Even better is its ability
to let you mix the relative volumes - but you
can also change the four voices. Click on the
mixer icon and not only can you alter their rela¬
tive volumes but you can also change the voic¬
es. You can assign MIDI channels to the voices
used and select velocity sensing. This I found
to be of great advantage as I found that the FM
drums were lacking in depth. If you have a
synth or tone module lying around then plug it
in, and expand on the sound already wacking
out of the speakers.
OTHER SECTIONS
The other parts of the program are sadly not
integrated with the main part. The drum
machine has an excellent grid display that lets
you set up to 20 patterns with ease, using not
only the internal drums but also several extra
MIDI drum voices to which you assign both
channel and note number to get the correct
drum voice. You set the patterns up, then flip
screen pages to find the song page which lets
you sequence the patterns in any order you
like. Up to thirty of the patterns can be
sequenced. It is one of the easiest MIDI drum
programmers I’ve seen.
Option number two is a one-track, real-time
MIDI recorder with a metronome click option, a
selection of number of beats to the bar and the
number of bars count-in. Really it is more like a
jotter than a sequencer. You can't edit anything
or overdub although you can save and reload
your scribblings. But it works!
Option number three turns the hardware
into a nine-voice expander via any external MIDI
keyboard. Each voice can be allocated a sepa¬
rate MIDI channel and there is provision to have
only six pitched voices plus five drum sounds.
You can beef up the sound considerably thanks
to the page which lets you detune the voices
and offset them up to two octaves up or down.
It has a MIDI thru option as well and the sounds
can respond to velocity. No recording possible
here but as an expander it works too!
VERDICT
Although it only uses two operators (an FM
term) to create sounds, the variety and clarity
of them is very good and due to the ability of
the internal chip to change one of the opera¬
tors wave forms to give greater tonal expan¬
sion. There is room to improve on the program
but it represents excellent value for money. It is
a pity that its facilities are not integrated: the
various components cannot load into one
another. FM Melody Maker is fun - it converts
your ST into a low budget single keyboard. It is
very easy to use, and the on-screen help pages
(in three languages) are most welcome. As an
easy-to-use starter music package, FM Melody
Maker has very few rivals.
Advanced Computer Entertainment 105
DIY MUSIC STUDIO
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SET UP A COMPLETE SOUND FACTORY AT HOME? JON BATES EXPLAINS HOW...
Music companies are now selling tone modules
for home consumption. These keyboard-less
synthesizers - capable of producing many
sounds simultaneously - were previously the
domain of the professional studio or serious
gigging musicians with lucre to spare. Now
they are coming down in price and appearing in
nice neat stand-alone boxes with rubber feet to
fit on your best bit of Chippendale or MFI.
iiftlli pm
£299
Top of the list for value has to be the brand
new tone module from Kawai, who have been
very successful in the synthesizer world with
their ‘K’ series of keyboards and modules.
From this they created a series of dinky little
fixed sound keyboards - the ‘PH’ range. They
look a bit of a joke - sort of plastic and remi¬
niscent of a Sooty organ. The modular version
has 200 sounds on board and at least 70% of
them are absolutely cracking. They can sound
like real instruments - check out the acoustic
guitar harmonics - or like the fattest synth
imaginable and there are enough ‘spacey’
sounds to do the soundtrack for ‘Startrek VII’.
SOUND AND RHYTHM
Not only do you get the sounds but you also
get 30 built-in rhythms complete with fill-ins and
introductions. The percussion sounds can also
a MIDI keyboard/synth into it - making sure
that the MIDI channels match on both pieces of
equipment - and play away. The Phm outputs
in stereo or mono from the guitar jack sockets
on the back, and the overall volume is con¬
trolled from the fader on the front. Perhaps a
headphone socket on the front might have
been a useful - as would a MIDI data light. The
latter flashes any time any MIDI data is
received by the instrument - very useful when
working out why on earth your equipment is
failing to work. Under the LCD display are the
increment buttons to take you through all the
sounds one by one and the Phm comes with a
handy plastic card with a sound list on one side
and the basic set-ups and percussion notes on
the other.
MIDI
The internal MIDI functions are most compre¬
hensive: separate receive and transmit chan¬
nels, program changes, velocity and after¬
touch sensing, pitch bend, modulation, volume,
sustain pedal. All these are separately switch-
able from the front panel. Needless to say you
can also transpose, fine tune, and alter the
rhythm speed. If you are running the module
with a sequencer on your computer you will
doubtless want to access sounds on separate
channels. This too is possible as the Phm is
also a multi-timbral instrument capable of play¬
ing up to four sounds plus the percussion parts
simultaneously. To help you set this up there
are 30 ‘Forms’ contained on an internal table.
These set up the instrument in a variety of
ways. You can’t deviate from the preset forms,
but they are pretty comprehensive. The forms
include various dual settings, with two voices
spread over the whole keyboard, and have sev¬
eral preset detunings and transpositions to var¬
ious split options. The latter will allow you to
have several varieties of sound split into areas
of the keyboard and sometimes overlapping.
There are three presets for use with
sequencers and even an optional chord facility
where a chord is played under each note
depressed. When used with sequencers there
is even the possibility to change part of the
preset sound and call up other preset combina¬
tions of sounds whilst the sequence is running.
PRESETS
On the minus side is the fact that you cannot
really dive into any of the voices and alter them
drastically to your own requirements. In other
words its basically a preset tone module.
Although there is a definite trend towards pre¬
set tone modules with less emphasis on the
sound creating side - most players tend to
either stick with the sounds in the instrument or
buy them off the shelf in the form of memory
cards or disks. The other slight boner is that
you don’t seem to be able to store your
favourite combinations for recall later on.
Although it memorises the last set-up you
made, it can't be encouraged, via MIDI, to
recall any of your precious set-up's.
The unit is also quiet. When stuck through
a 300 watt professional recording studio moni¬
tor system the background noise was negligi¬
ble. At the price, the Kawai Phm is an excellent
buy.
As reported in the December issue of ACE,
Roland have launched a series of tone modules
specially designed for use with home comput¬
ers. There are three in the range; the CM-32L,
which is an LA synthesis module and sounding
very much like their MT-32 module. The CM-
32P is a module of sampled sounds, very
much like the U-110 rack mounted module. The
Roland CM-64 is a combined version of the pre¬
vious two. All three are identical in appearance.
On the back there are a pair of stereo/mono
guitar jack outputs, MIDI in, out and thru and
the power input. On the front there is a power
switch, a volume control and a MIDI data light.
Since they are designed at preset modules, all
the sound requesting and set-up routines are
performed by your micro’s sequencing soft¬
ware. This is achieved by putting the appropri¬
ate program number at the beginning of each
MIDI channel used in the music. Changes in
sound to each channel are inserted wherever
you like. All the tone modules have fixed MIDI
channels.
A mighty baby, the Kawai Phm is small in
dimensions and short on buttons but has more
than enough sounds and features
be accessed on MIDI channel 10 as indepen¬
dent instruments, and if this is not enough for
you there are additional percussion instruments
as part of the 200 sounds on board. These are
sensibly arranged so that by picking one of the
preset percussion sounds you will have a two
or three split across the keyboard. To make
sure of complete MIDI compatibility the
rhythms can be synchronised to either internal
or external clock pulse. It would have been nice
to have the nifty patterns output in MIDI notes
as well.
Like all tone modules it has multiple func¬
tion buttons on the front panel - via these you
can set up the instrument to your require¬
ments. At its most basic level you simply plug
MIXING IT DIGITALLY
As well as producing sound modules specifically
designed for computers, Roland have taken two more
steps down the road for computer based musicians. Both
products are a way of ‘souping up’ a more basic
sequencer with tangible hardware without having to learn
a new system. The CF-10 is the digital equivalent of a
mixing desk, and is a ‘hands-on’ MIDI mixer that will run
up to 10 MIDI channels. As the sequencing software
plays back your music you can mix it, altering the relative
volumes via MIDI and also set the panning left and right.
When used with a sequencer that allows real-time record¬
ing of this information (which will mean most sequencers)
the effect will be of an automated mix down.
When added to simple sequencers the CN-20 will let
you edit the song data in detail and also enter notes and
other functions such as pitch-bend, modulation, etc. It
also contains data for ten types of chords that you can
input at the touch of a button into your song. One area
where these products would certainly be effective is the
simple sequencers available on the Public Domain
libraries. The CF-10 and CN-20 cost £129 each. Roland
promise that there are more products in the pipeline for
computer musicians.
INSIDE
The CM-64 is capable of producing a maximum
of 63 notes simultaneously, spread across 15
channels of MIDI which can also be run at the
same time. The LA section operates on MIDI
channels 2 to 9 with drums fixed on channel
10. You can have different sounds on each
channel, choosing from the 128 different
instrument sounds available. Although in a dif¬
ferent box, the LA side of the module is essen¬
tially the ever popular MT-32 sound module and
is thus compatible with the 32’s programming
software.
The PCM - that is the sampled sounds -
are fixed on channels 11 to 16. Again you can
assign a different sound to each part. There
are 64 PCM sounds on board, including con¬
vincing pianos, strings and choirs. For an extra
£45 you can get hold of one of the PCM cards
which will add an extra 64 voices to the range.
These are the same cards that fit into the U-
Advanced Computer Entertainment 106
THE ACE UPGRADE GUIDE.108
At last: a complete, highly detailed guide to the
specifications of all the commonly available com¬
puters. This is the place to look for information on
everything from disk drive reliability to games soft¬
ware prospects. And consoles are listed too...
business.
COMPO RESULTS. 136
Did you win a Nintendo Gameboy, or a Deluxe
Entertainment System, or have you got your paws
on some great free games? Find out here...
THE ACE PRIZE PUZZLE. 134
Get your brain in gear and win yourself some
cash.
THE ACE STOCKMARKET.116
Which games are heading for the top of the charts
this month? And don't forget - these are the only
charts that aren't based on hyped-up sales,
they're based on a thorough market survey of the
opinions of games reviewers throughout the coun¬
THE ACE PRIZE CROSSWORD.114
Cryptic clues, anagrammatic hints, and a prize to
boot.
THE ACE DIARY. 130
All the events you need to know about in the com
ing month...and some you don't.
GAMES YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE.121
The ACE guide to the games you just have to buy
includes simulations, puzzles games, arcade
action and more — everything for the discerning
reader who wants to build up a collection of defini¬
tive titles..
ACE DEALS. 128
Free posters, special offers, and hot promotions.
Find out who in your area is giving away the
goodies...
ACE READERS PAGES.135
Small ads for ACE Readers who want to do big
1 08 PINK PAGES
HERE IT IS: A COMPLETE, DETAILED GUIDE TO ALL THE MAJOR MACHINES AND CONSOLES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN
THE SHOPS. YOU CAN COMPARE PRICES, POWER, AND POTENTIAL FOR EACH MACHINE, TOGETHER WITH THE GAMES
SOFTWARE POSSIBILITIES AND PROSPECTS. WHETHER YOU'RE A MUSICIAN, A GRAPHIC ARTIST OR A PROLIFIC AUTHOR
- WHATEVER YOU NEED A MACHINE FOR, THIS IS THE PLACE TO START.
ere it is: the one and only hard¬
ware guide to give you COM¬
PLETE details on ALL the
machines you're likely to be looking out
for in the shops. Not only do we give you
essential information on hardware, but
we've also included equally vital informa¬
tion on software prospects for each
machine - so you don't have to worry
about buying a machine that will never
have any games to play on it.
ACORN ARCHIMEDES
Models: Archimedes 310, 3000, 410
420,440
Package: keyboard, mouse and
drive: keyboard mouse and drive
plus monitor (colour or mono)
Memory: 3000 512K; 310 1Mb;
410 1Mb; 420 2Mb; 4404Mb
Processor: Acorn ARM
RRP: Prices range from £668.85 for
A3000 alone to £2645 for
A440 with colour monitor
Contact: Acorn 0223 245200
Still the cutting edge of microtechnology.
Acorn’s ARM is about the fastest thing this
side of a Cray. This very exciting machine -
although gathering admirers since the intro¬
duction of the A3000 - still lacks a good soft¬
ware base and is best left to the enthusiast.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 320 x 256 or 640 x 256
with normal monitors.
640 x 512 available
with multi-sync monitors.
Palette: 4096
Colours: From mono up to 256 (320
x256) or 16(640x512).
TV: No
Monitor Output: Mono composite video;
colour - RGB + sync.
Monitor Supplied: Depends on package.
Monitor Options: Acorn dedicated 14 inch
medium res.colour; 12 inch high res
mono; Multi-sync colour.
Sprites: 1
Speed: Blistering.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Good
MIDI: With extra hardware.
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 16 channels (8 stereo pairs);
6 octaves, 1 internal speaker.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk format: 3.5 inch - 800K
Disk Price: From £1.20 upwards.
Disk Performance: Good and fast.
Keyboard: 103 keys with programmable
auto-repeat. Early keyboards
have a cheap feel given the
quality of themachine.
Joystick/Mouse: 3 button mouse;
no support for joysticks.
Interfaces:
25 pin D parallel; 9 pin mouse; 3.5mmstereo
headphone jack; 64 way din; 41612 expansion
port; IEC 320 video outlet; I/O interface.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Still very limited.
Some games available most software is
for productivity and business.
Current Releases: See above.
Games: Most famous are Zarch (Virus)
and Conqueror.
Graphics: Potential is enormous.
Some excellent packages available
Music: Like graphics, but developers
remain shy.
Prospects: Limited. Even the cheaper models
find it tough competing with STs and Amigas.
Software Loading: Very reliable.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP
Second Hand: Still scarce,
some 305 and 310s starting to appear but
expect to pay for them.
Maintenance: One year’sguarantee.
Return faulty machines to dealer.
AMSTRAD CPC6128
Package: Keyboard with built-in
disk drive and dedicated colour monitor.
Memory: 128K
Processor: Zilog Z80B
Recommended Retail Price: £399
Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888
Amstrad’s CPC6128 evolved from the compa¬
ny’s first excursion into home computers - the
CPC64. Although it proved to be a very popu¬
lar machine at the time, the dedicated monitor
caused problems for people wishing to
upgrade to colour. This last incarnation sees
the monochrome display dropped, twice as
much memory and a disk drive. Nevertheless,
at this price level an ST orAmiga is probably a
better bet for gamesplayers.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 160x200:320x200;
640 x 200
Palette: 27
Colours: 16, 4 or 2 depending
on resolution.
TV: No
Monitor Output: RGB
Monitor Supplied: Yes
Monitor Options: Dedicated monitor is
supplied.
Sprites: None
Speed: Average
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Fair
MIDI: No
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 3 channel stereo
sound is reasonable but nothing special
by current standards.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3 inch - 180Kflippable.
Disk Price: £2.50 - £3.00
Disk Performance: Reliable
Keyboard: 74 raised plastic keys
with audible tactile feedback. Separate cursor
cluster and redefinable numeric keypad. Very
good for word processing etc.
Joystick/Mouse: Standard 9 pin D type;
mouse drivers available from third parties.
Ports: Edge connector takes
RS232 interface and Centronics parallel printer;
sockets for disk drive, cassette and joystick;
RBG output suppliescustom monitor.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Good
considering the age of the machine.
Current Releases: Most major titles
appearing on 8 bit are converted.
Games: Generally good, but some
games run slower than other machines due to a
more complex screen. Adventures OK. Runs
existing Infocom CP/M based adventures (if you
can still get hold of them).
Graphics: A good selection of titles.
Music: Reasonable, but poor when
compared to C64.
Prospects: Uncertain, as with all
8-bit formats. Further weakened by lack of US
user base: a source of titles that currently sup¬
port the C64.
Software Loading: Tape is quick and
reliable; disk is fast and secure.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Shop around -
large chainsoften offer good value but watch out
for after sales service.
Second Hand Availability: Very good.
Plenty in the classified ads. Beware paying too
much for the cassette based or monochrome
versions.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee.
Faulty machinesreturn to dealer.
AMSTRAD PCW
Models: 8256;
8512;9512
Package: 8256 - keyboard, monitor
with built-in single diskdrive and dot-matrix
printer. Locoscript word processor.
CP/Moperating system, Dr Logo; 8512-
as above with second (dualdensity) disk
drive; 9512 - restyled keyboard, monitor
with singledisk drive, daisy wheel printer,
Locoscript 2 wordprocessor.
Memory: 8256 256K; 8512 512K;
9512 512K
Processor: Zilog Z80
Recommended Retail Price:
PCW8256 £343.85; PCW8512£458.85;
PCW 9512 £573.85
Contact: Amstrad 0277228888
The PCW was designed purely as a word pro¬
cessor and not a general purpose machine
although the CP/M operating system gave it a
vast - if outdated - software base. A great deal
of third party software was produced as sales
rocketed. It is not suitable for games although
some do exist.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 720 x 256
Colours: 8256 &8512 green and black; 9512
PINK PAGE
1 09
white and black
TV: No
Monitor Output: Monochrome only giving 90
columns on the dedicateddisplay.
Monitor Supplied: Yes
Monitor Options: None
Sprites: None
Speed: Slow but adequate for what it
wasdesigned to do.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Dreadful
MIDI: Extrahardware available.
Stereo Output: No
Performance: Beeps only, although some
modules are available to improve matters.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3 inch -173K flippable on8256
720K second drive and 9512
Disk Price: £2.50 -£3.00
Disk Performance: Reliable
Third parties have produced some add-on drives
to allow ASCII file to be transferred to and from-
CP/M 5.25 inch format. There is even a hard disk
system available.
Keyboard: Includes many extra keys for the
word processor. Early keyboards felt cheap,
although this was remedied on the 9512
Joystick/Mouse: Not supported. Joysticks and
mice can beattached via third party interfaces.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Limited by the disk
format. Most programs are good quality though.
Current Releases: Very few.
Games: Arcade titles arescarce. Adventures are
fading although some Infocom games and early-
Magnetic scrolls titles are still to be had
Graphics: Somelow-end CAD available.
Music: None
Prospects: Grim. A lot of machines in use, but
sales are slowing down now. Software support-
should be alright for the time being.
Software Loading: Fast andreliable.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Usually RRP - still too popular to
discount.
Second Hand Availability: Good. Older
machines are more in abundance, hold out if you
really want the9512. Beware faulty printers.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee. Faulty
machines return todealer.
APPLE MAC
Models:
Macintosh SE; Macintosh II
SE30; IIX; IICX
Package: Monitor with built-in CPU and
disk drive, separate keyboard
Memory: 1Mb
Processor: SE Motorola 68000;
II Motorola 68020; SE30/IIX/1ICX 68030
Recommended Retail Price: SE:
from £2,294.25
II: £4329.75 upwards
Contact: Apple 01-569-1199
A very expensive up-market machine for those
keen on desktop publishing, WIMP systems
and up-market software. Software is very
expensive. Imported games from US are very
good but very expensive - and in monochrome
on cheaper systems. Good for MIDI musicians
but be prepared to pay extra for software.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: SE 512 x342; II10027 x 760
Palette: SE - black and white;
II (with colour monitor) 16 million.
Colours: With colour monitor - 16 to256
TV: No
Monitor Output: Integral monitor.
Monitor Supplied: Built-in
Monitor Options: SE - use dedicated model only;
II Apple hi-res monochrome or
AppleColor hi-resRGB.
Sprites: None
Speed: SE reasonably fast; II veryfast.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Good
MIDI: Third party interfaces available.
Stereo Output: SE no; llyes.
Performance: 4 channels give good
performance.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 800K
Disk Price: £1.50 £2.00
Disk Performance: Generally fast.
Keyboard: Separate with 81 keys including
function keys and numeric keypad. Optional extra
is the Apple Extended keyboard with 105 keys.
Joystick/Mouse: Joystick is not
supported; high-quality single button mouse is
supplied with machine.
Ports: SE - Apple Desktop Bus connector.
2 RS232/RS422 serial; external disk drive;
96pin Euro-Din expansion slot; SCSI - DB-25 con¬
nector; external audio amplifier.
II - 2 RS232/RS422 serial; DB-25 SCSIT.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: A very wide base
exists in all fields except games.
Current Releases: Adequate, though largely of
US origin and in the business or DTP field.
Games: Very few arcade titles but otherwise
varied.
Graphics: State-of-the-art software for those
interested in DIY publishing and
colour illustration.
Music: Very well supported for MIDI
software - but it's expensive.
Prospects: Excellent -especially in business
and DTP.
Software Loading: Quick and reliable.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Generally the RRP - Macs
are only sold through dealerships. Try to
negotiate a quick sale/cash discount.
Second Hand Availability: Scarce and
expensive. A better market exists in
older models (esp. Mac Plus) but these
are best avoided.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee.
Apple offers Applecare - “insurance” you take out
to cover the cost of repairs after the guarantee
has run out.
ATARI XE
Models: 65XE; 130XE;4001XE
Package: 65XE + datacorder and
joystick; 130XE -t-datacorder and joystick;
4001XE + datacorder, joystick, keyboard
and light gun.
Memory: 65XE 64K; 130XE 128K;
4001XE 64K
Processor: 6502C
Recommended Retail Price:
Depends on package. 65XE £79.99;
130XE £89.99; 4001XE £79.99
Contact: Atari 0753333344
Created by some of the team that went on to
create the Amiga, the 8 bit Atari was a world
leader in its day. It has fallen behind its com¬
petitors due to a lack of affordable software
and lousy BASIC. Now priced at the bargain
end of the market these machines still repre¬
sent a worthwhile investment for games enthu¬
siasts on a low income, with some classic soft¬
ware titles still available.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: up to 320x 192 in monochrome
Palette: 256
Colours: up to 128. 16 is normally
the maximum.
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: Yes
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: TV; composite monitor.
Sprites: q
Speed: Not stunning - this depends
on software.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor/TV.
MIDI: no
Stereo Output: No
Performance: 4 channels cover 3.5octaves
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 5.25 inch
Disk Price: 60p upwards
Disk Performance: Reliable but slow
The XE range are not supplied with disk
drives as standard.
Keyboard: 62 keys with Help key and 4 function
keys. Very good tactile feel (at least as good as
an ST) and audio feedback for the price.
Joystick/Mouse: Joystick supplied. Mouse
and Trackball are extras.
Ports: Software cartridge; monitor;
TV; 2 x 9 pin D joystick connectors; serial I/O
connector.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Mediocre
Current Releases: Few - a few companies
still specialising.
Games: Most current titles are games but
few major releases are converted.
Graphics: Little that exploits the
machine's potential.
Music: As graphics.
Prospects: Continues to sell in small numbers
so should live for a while yet.
Software Loading: Tape is very slow
but reliable; disks are better.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP.
Second Hand Availability: Common. Watch
out for very old machines which may not be com¬
patible with newer software due
to lack of memory.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee.
Return to dealer.
ACORN ARCHIMEDES
Package:
Processor:
Price:
Contact:
Lynx with California Games
pack
Memory: 64K
6502
£149.95
Atari 0753 33344
The Lynx was designed by a team including
RJ Mical, one of the men behind the Amiga. If
that doesn’t convince you, consider that it has
8Mb of game storage on its cards and sup¬
ports multi-player games. The graphics hard¬
ware has built-in hardware scrolling and image
scaling. Although software is very thin at the
moment - about 5 titles - Atari aim to have
over 25 titles available by the end of 1990.
Quite possibly the hand-held to buy if your wal¬
let can stretch to it.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 160x102
Palette: 4096
Colours: 15
TV: No
Monitor Output: No
Monitor Supplied: Yes - 3.5 inch backlit LCD
Monitor Options. None
Sprites: n/A
Speed: Fast
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Very good
MIDI: no
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 4 channel, 5 octave stereo sound
has to be heard to be believed.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Cartridge Format: 8 Mb ROM
Cartridge Price: n/A
Joystick: 4 way joypad.
Ports: Cartridge port; multi-player port;
miniature stereo headphone jack.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Very small.
Current Releases: California games is a great
freebie.
Prospects: Very good - provided software
appears and support increases.
Software Loading: Almost instant.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP
Second Hand Availability: N/A
Maintenance: One year’sguarantee
ATARI ST
Models: Atari 520STFM; 520STE;
1040STE; Mega STs; Stacy
Package: 520 and 1040 have
keyboard with built-in disk drive;
Mega versions have separate keyboard.
Power Pack includes 520STFM with light
gun, joystick and £400 of “free” software.
New “Discovery” pack includes similar
value software to Power pack but with an
educational bent.
Memory: 520STFM and 520STE 512K;
1040STE 1Mb; Mega ST 1, 2 or 4Mb;
Stacy 2 or 4Mb. STE machines expand
internally to 4Mb.
Processor: Motorola 68000
Recommended Retail Price:
520STFM £299; 520STFM (Power Pack)
£399; 520STFM (Discovery Pack) £TBA;
520STE TBA; 1040STE £499; Stacy N/A
Contact: Atari 0753 33344
Excellent as a general purpose home machine
for games, small business and productivity. It’s
the number one choice for MIDI musicians.
The new baby ST - Stacy - is tipped by Atari to
be the musician’s portable since it is a com¬
plete 2Mb or 4Mb ST with hard disk and mono
monitor in a small box.
1 1 o
INK PAG ES
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: Low- res 320 x 200;
medium-res 640 x 200; high-res 640 x 400
Palette: STFM 512; STE 4096;
Stacy 2
Colours: Black and white in high-res;
4 colours in medium-res; 16 in low- res.
TV: Yes. Not Stacy.
Monitor Output: STFM models only,
others through TV modulator
Monitor Supplied: No; Stacy has integral
LCD monitor
Monitor Options: Atari monitors SMI24 high-res
mono; SC 1442 med res colour.
Sprites: 1
Speed: Fast
Note: High resolution display is only available
on monochrome monitor; medium and low res¬
olution displays only available on colour moni¬
tors or TVs. Blitter fitted to late STFMs (stan¬
dard on STE) (improves the GEM access.)
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor.
MIDI: Yes
Stereo Output: STEonly.
Performance: 3 channel sound is average to
good depending on software. STE features 8 bit
PCM sound but no current software uses it.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3.5 inch - 720K
Disk Price: £1 -20 to £1.50
Disk Performance: Reliable and fast.
Note: Early machines were supplied with a
single-sided disk drive.
Keyboard: 96 keys including 10
function keys. Has a cheap feel which can be
improved with third party springkits.
Joystick/Mouse: 2 Joystick ports are
standard; 2 button mouse is supplied with
machine. Stacy is supplied with a trackball.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Very good. A few
budget titles are starting to appear now.
Current Releases: None of the major
software houses ignore the ST so it is well
served with plenty of good software.
Games: Range of arcade titles is
constantly improving. Adventures remain thin
but the few available are generally excellent.
Graphics: Very good with some
excellent software to manipulate them.
Music: Excellent. Plenty of sound samplers,
editors and MIDI software make this the musi-
cian'schoice,
Prospects: Excellent. Recent hardware
improvements and price cuts make the ST range
more competitive
Software Loading: A hangover from the
original machines is the 360K disk format which-
means few companies bother to supply double¬
sided disks. This means large games require two
or more disks with all the tedious diskswapping
this entails.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP. Watch out for
the twice yearly bundles.
Second Hand Availability: Very common
and quite cheap. STs do not hold their value well -
beware very old, single-sided machines.
Maintenance: One year’sguarantee.
Return to dealer if faulty.
ATARI VCS
Package: TBA
Memory: N/A
Processor: 6507 (2600)/6502(7800)
Recommended Retail Price:
VCS2600 £39.99; VCS7800 £79.99
Contact: Atari 0753 33344
The VCS2600 is a reboxed version of the origi¬
nal Atari games console which until quite
recently remained the best selling home video
games system of all time. The VCS7800 is a
revamped version of the VCS2600 with a
faster processor, slightly better sound and
vastly improved graphics. More recent offer¬
ings in the same price bracket have largely
superceded these machines.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 192 x 160(2600)
320 x 242 (7800)
Palette: 16(2600/256(7800)
Colours: 4(2600/16(7800)
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: No
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: No
Sprites: N/A/64
Speed: Slow
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on TV
MIDI: No
Stereo'Output: No
Performance: Limited to 1 channel on 2600
and two on 7800.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Joystick: Supplied
Ports: 2 x 9 pin Dfor joysticks; TV;
cartridge port.
SOFTWARE
Existing SoftwareBase: Small
Current Releases: Rare
Games: A few
Prospects: Unsure in the light of new
competition from Nintendo, NEC and handheld
machines.
Software Loading: Instant
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP.
Second Hand Availability: Rare.
Maintenance: One year’sguarantee.
COMMODORE 64
Package: C64 Light Fantastic pack
includes: C64 base unit, joystick, 3D
glasses and light gun; plus a lot of soft¬
ware - some written specifically for the 3D
glasses. There is even some “parent¬
pleasing” non-violent software like a pop
quiz, typing tutor, music editor and art-
package.
Memory: 64K
Processor: 6510
Recommended Retail Price:
Light Fantastic pack £149.99; existing
owners can upgrade to the pack excluding
C64 for £39.99
Contact: Commodore 0628 878888
hardware is outdated, programmers have
learnt how to get the very best from it. It is not
however, a good machine to learn to progra-
mon due to a dire version of BASIC.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 320 x200
Palette: 16
Colours: 8. N.B. attribute system places some
limitation on the use of colours.
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: Composite video
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: C1900M £119.99 mono;
C1901 £249.99 colour; C1084 medium res
colour £349.99.
Sprites: 8
Speed: Good for scrolling and sprites,poor ot-
erwise.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: depends on monitor/TV.
MIDI: Many third-party interfaces available.
Stereo Output: No
Performance: Quite sophisticated sounds
are possible thanks to custom sound hardware.
Although sound from BASIC is very hard to pro¬
duce, many software packages make good use
of the machine.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 5.25 inch; 1541 140K formatted;
more recent 1571 340K formatted.
Disk Price: Around 60p
Disk Performance: Slow and noisy - improves
considerably with 1571
Keyboard: Raised plastic keys with audible
tactile feedback plus function keys. Cursor key
arrangement is very awkward.
Joystick/Mouse: Provision for two standard
joysticks. Commodore 1350 mouse available,
plus some third party manufactured models.
Ports: 2 x 9 pin D joystick;
expansion; cassette; non-standard serial; com¬
posite video; TV; userport.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Still excellent, rivalled
only by the Spectrum.
Current Releases: Most titles still converted,
but as with all 8-bit machines, there are an
increasing number of more ambitious 16-bit titles
which cannot be converted.
Games: Arcade action second to none.
Adventures - good selection.
Graphics: Good selection. Quality of graphics
means that programs can be
reasonably sophisticated.
Music: Good range of sound editors, some
samplers. Many MIDI utilities available.
Prospects: Supply will slow eventually,
but titles have a longer life due to portability
to/from US machines.
Software Loading: Slow as always on cassette.
Disk loading not as fast as it should be due to
serial drive. Most software incorporates faster
loading routines.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Very old C64s can be picked
up for a song (Stock, Aitken & Waterman?) other¬
wise look out for the special packs which repre¬
sent very good value for money.
Second Hand Availability: Common. Older
models and Cl28 machines are rarer though.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee.
Return faulty machines to dealer.
COMMODORE AMIGA
The Commodore 64 is an excellent machine
for playing games because even though its
Models: Amiga A500; A2000
Package: A500 has keyboard and built-
in drive with s eparate PSU; A2000 has
separate keyboard with built-in (fan assist¬
ed) PSU. Batman pack consists: A500
with modulator, joystick and mouse plus
Deluxe Paint II and other entertainment
software. Class Of The 90’s pack includes
A500, modulator, mouse, mouse mat,
MIDI interface, Dr T’s music software,
Deluxe Paint II, Superbase Personal,
Amiga LOGO and BBC Emulator.
Memory: A500 512K; A20001Mb
Processor: Motorola 68000
Recommended Retail Price:
A500 £NA; A2000 £1236.25; Batman
Pack £399.99; Class Of The 90's pack
£579.99
Contact: 0628 878888
A stunning specification with custom chips to
rival almost everything around, the Amiga is
stillthe first choice for the most exigent of
games players and videoprofessionals. After
an initially shaky start the machine continuesto
sell extremely well. A very serious competitor
for theST.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: From 320 x 200 to 640 x 400
(more possible in software)
Palette: 4096
Colours: 2, 4, 8,16, 32, 64 or 4096
TV: With modulator.
Monitor Output: SCART -i-composite video in
monochrome.
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: C1084 £349.99
Sprites: 16 in hardware + unlimited BOBS from
soft/hardware.
Speed: Very fast with goodsoftware.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor.
MIDI: No. Third party interfaces available.
Stereo Output: 2 phono connectors.
Performance: Among the best around.
Custom hardware squeezes 9 octaves of 8 bit
digital sound into the four channels.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3.5inch - 837K formatted.
Disk Price: £1.20 - £2.00
Disk Performance: Noisy and sluggish.
Third party software is available to
improve matters.
Keyboard: 94 keys. 10 function keys and
separate cursor cluster.
Joystick/Mouse: 2 button mouse supplied
as standard.
Ports: Two Joystick/mouse; stereo audio;
external diskdrive(s); RS232 serial; Centronics
parallel printer; SCART RGB/video; composite
monochrome video; expansion bus (internal on
A2000); clock/memory expansion on A500 only;
internal PC expansionon A2000.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Similar to the ST -
gaining a slight edge due to greater support for
Amiga by US software houses..
Current Releases: Major software houses
converting most titles now - some require extra
memory,
Games: Something for everyone here.
Graphics: Quality and range is unsurpassed
r»
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NAME
ADDRESS
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PI IS A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF EUROMAX ELECTRONICS LIMITED
1 1 22
INK PAGES
for a home machine.
Music: Needs better support for MIDI.
Internal sound software is well supported thanks
to IFF standards.
Prospects: Excellent now the Amiga 500
has gained a firm footing.
Software Loading: Noisy but usually
reliable. Plagued by viruses.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Old Amiga 1000s can
be picked up cheaply enough but these lacked
the extra graphics modes of later models. Try to
find a good value pack. Avoid grey imported
Amiga 2000s. Although cheap, they will not be
supported by Commodore or their official agents.
Second Hand Availability: Becoming
common. Best buys are late Amiga 500s with
Kickstart 1.2 -1.3 can cause problems with
games and only adds autoboot to hard disks.
Maintenance: One years guarantee.
Return faulty machines to dealers.
KONIX MULTI-SYSTEM
Package: Multi-system plus joystick
and Bikers game.
Memory: 256K + 512K expansion.
Processor: 8086 + 12Mhzcustom RISC
chip
Price: £229
Contact: Michael Baxter 0273675503
The Konix multi-system looked a winner when
it was first exclusively unveiled in ACE. For the
first time, a games console has the option of
changing between a joystick yoke, steering
wheel and a handle bar - depending on the
game being played. There is also a motorised
chair - (the Power Chair, changed from Elec-
tricChair!) although it remains to be seen if it
can be produced in large enough quantities to
bring the price down - currently around £350.
The only bug in the lettuce is the constant
delay in bringing the machine to market - the
competition gets more impressive every day.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 256 x 200 to 512 x 200
(software programmable)
Palette: 4096
Colours: 512 available at low resolutions;
16 in hi-res.
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: Yes
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: Analogue RBG +
sound; composite
Sprites: No
Note: Multi-system uses four hardware screen-
planes (like Amiga’s dual-playfield). The blitter
is capable of 12 million pixels per second. In
other words, over 50 frames per second.
Speed: Very fast
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends onTV/monitor.
MIDI: No
Stereo Output: 3.5mm jack toheadphones
Performance: Digital Signal Processor could
produce up to 40 channels of sampled sound. If
you want a game as well this drops to a 8 chan¬
nels (4 left, 4 right) over 9 octaves - superb.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3.5in - 880K (similar toAmiga).
Disk Price: Applies to developers only.
Disk Performance: Fast + reliable
Keyboard: No
Joystick/Mouse: 3 proportional channels
built in.
Ports: Joystick; Sound 3.5mmjack; 8 pin
DIN RGB; expansion port for light gun and Power-
Chair.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Almost non-existent.
Current Releases: Last Ninja II; Bikers; Mutant
camels‘90; Hammerfist; Star Ray .. .
Games: All likely to be arcade titles.
Jeff Minter (Llamasoft) and Jez San (Argonaut)
have beenlinked with the machine so what soft¬
ware eventually appears should be good.
Prospects: Weakening - would improve if
Konix can get something on the shelves before
the Japanese and Americans take over.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP
Second Hand Availability: Not on sale yet -
so no S/H market.
Maintenance: Expect one year’s guarantee with
normal return procedures.
NINTENDO
Package: Nlintendo Entertainment
System: Standard version:
console, plus game controllers plus 1
game (Super Mario Brothers ); Deluxe ver¬
sion - console, game controller, light gun,
ROB Robot, 2 games.
Recommended Retail Price:
Standard model £99;
Deluxe model £149
Contact: Deighton PR 01-836 2973
A reasonable buy if a console is what you
want. Interesting too, because we may see
more add-ons from Japan that give it extra
power. However, at the moment all the soft¬
ware is Japanese in origin and this is not to
everyone’s taste.lt remains to be seen if it will
receive any third party support.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 256 x 240
Palette: 52
Colours: 16
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: No
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: None
Sprites: N/A
Speed: Average
SOUND
Speaker Quality: N/A
Stereo Output: No
Performance: Average
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Joystick/Mouse: 2 dedicated controllers
supplied. IR wireless controllers with 30ft range
now available for £39.95.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Around 50 titles
available here. Many more available in Japan but
these require a converter to run.
Current Releases: Nintendo predict about 2-3
titles per month.
Prospects: Reasonable. The machines strongest
selling point are extras like the ROB robot.
Software Loading: Instant
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP.
Second Hand Availability: Rather thin on t
ground.
Maintenance: One year’s guarantee.
Faulty machines return to dealer.
NINTENDO GAMEBOY
Package: Main unit + 1 game ( Tetris )
Memory: 64Kbit (8Kbytes)
Processor: Custom 8 bit
Price: Not yet released in theUK.
US price is around $89.
Contact: Deighton PR 01-836 2973
Nintendo were the first company to produce a
dedicated console of this type and now it
seems everyone wants to get in on the act. On
reflection even the Game Boy was along time
coming since the technology employed by the
display is starting to look old. Although this
means the machine looks like a “Game and
Watch” it has not stopped sales in Japan
breaching the 1 Million barrier.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: N/A
Colours: 2 (monochrome)
Monitor Supplied: Yes - LCD display is lit by
ambient light.
Sprites: N/A
Speed: Fast for what itis.
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on headphones.
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: Good.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Keyboard: Select and Start + 2 option buttons.
Joystick: Single 8 way controller.
Ports: Headphone socket; dual-machine
interface.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: 12 titles available.
Current Releases: N/A
Games: All games software is arcade type.
Prospects: Not due for UK release until at least
September, Game Boy will be hard pressed to
beat the Lynx, although it will be cheaper.
Software Loading: Instant
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Only availablethrough g
imports as yet.
Second Hand Availability: None.
Maintenance: Watch out - grey imported
machines rarely have any real warranty.
NEC PC ENGINE
Models: PC Engine, PC Engine 2
Package: PC Engine + controller and 1 game
Memory: 64K internal + 8K video;
2 - 128K internal 32K video
Processor: 8 bit custom
Price: N/A (US price around $199)
Contact: No official contact as yet in UK.
This is one of those machines every one has
waited for and by the way things are looking,
we will all have to keep waiting. In reality the
machine has been available from grey
importers for quite some time. If and when the
machine does get an official release it is likely
the software for the UK version will be incom¬
patible with grey imported machines.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 256 x 216
Palette: 512;2 -1024
Colours: 32-16 background and 16 shared by
sprites.
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: N/A
Monitor Supplied: N/A
Monitor Options: N/A
Sprites: 64; 2-128
Speed: Very fast considering
this is an 8 bit!
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on monitor.
MIDI: No
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 6 channel stereo sound is very
impressive.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: CD ROM at extra cost.
Disk Price: N/A
Disk Performance: Superb - the CD ROM adds
a new dimension.
Joystick: Supplied with dedicated
controller.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Large
Current Releases: Appearing
constantly in Japan.
Games: Arcade only - but they look very good.
Prospects: Very good - if the machine
ever appears in the UK officially.
Software Loading: Cartridge is instant;
CD very fast.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Only available through
grey imports as yet.
Second Hand Availability: N/A
Maintenance: Watch out - grey imported
machines rarely have any real warranty.
IBM PC & CLONES
Model: IBM's PC was the first PC to
be accepted in large quantities (not the
first PC) and remains the standard by
which all others arejudged. There are hun¬
dreds (literally) of clones and variations on
the theme including offerings from
Amstrad, Atari and Commodore. The
specifications here apply to most models
but check first before you buy. In general,
with PCs you pay for speed - cheap
machines are slow..
Package: Depends on the
manufacturer although most are supplied
with monitors. They can even be bought in
kit form at no extra saving
Memory: Usually 512K or 640K.
Can be anything from 64K to lMb+.
Processor: Intel 8088/8086 in base
machine is sometimes replaced with the
faster NEC V20/30. More expensive
machines are based on Intel’s much faster
286, 386SX, 386 and even the latest
486.
Recommended Retail Price:
Can be picked up for as little as £299 for
a “no frills” machine. With top-of-the-range
486 based clones - and the official IBM
versions - the sky’s the limit.
Superb value if you want the ultimate all-
rounder, the PC still betrays its business ori¬
gins. Almost every major software house now
PINK PAG
113
port their titles to the PC but these remain lim¬
ited by the constraints of the basic (most com¬
mon) machines - which means they tend to be
limited in sound and graphics. Definitely NOT
first choice if entertainment is your preferred
use for computers.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
The first PCs weren’t fitted with graphics as
standard but most clones incorporate the nec¬
essary hardware and come with a monitor.
There are three main standards:CGA - a nasty
but all too common colour display, EGA about
the lowest colour display worth considering,
and Hercules monochrome. To get Amiga/ST
graphics you must go for at least VGA which
are usually only fitted as standard to more
expensive machines (Amstrad’s PC2086 is
one exception).
Resolution: CGA 320 x 200; EGA 640 x 350;
Hercules 720 x 384
Palette: CGA 8 (in two fixed sets); EGA 64; VGA
256
Colours: CGA 4; EGA 16; Hercules 2
Monitor Output: TTL RGB/RGBI (CGA);
analogue RGB (EGA)
Monitor Options: Vast. Many monitors are
dedicated to just one or two modes - some have
amber, green or white monochrome displays -
check before buying.
Sprites: None
Speed: From very slow - 8088 to very fast
80486
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Anything from poor to
downright diabolical.
MIDI: Third part interfaces available.
Stereo Output: No
Performance: Not a machine for the musically
bent - an Atari ST offers more for MIDI, the Amig-
amore for software sound purists.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 5.25in -180/360K/1.2Mb;
3.5in 720K/1,44Mb
Disk Price: 60p - £3.00
Disk Performance: Average.
Note: Most PC owners also buy hard disks.
Especially for the larger machines since the
floppy disk drive isfar too limiting in terms of
speed, storage and overall performance.
Some PC software refuses to work unless you
have a hard disk or second floppy drive.
Keyboard: Almost as many variations as
there are clones. Go for the AT or extended AT
layouts rather then the XT layout since it's easier
to use.
Joystick/Mouse: Neither supplied as standard.
The better clones include a mouse or at least a
mouse port.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Vast!
Current Releases: All major software houses
now produce something for the PC although few
UK companies bother to support VGA - you may
still have to play with dreadful CGA colours and
resolution.
Games: Many of the latest games are now being
converted - older titles will not.
Graphics: Given the right graphics adaptor,
the PC has nice graphics and the software is usu¬
ally excellent. On a standard CGA PC the graph¬
ics are very poor no matter how good the soft¬
ware is.
Music:Pathetic. Even the very best PCs can only
manage a weak bleep unless fitted with a sound
expansion card.
Prospects: The PC is the eternal
champion - as others fall by the wayside it carries
on getting faster and better all the time. This is
aided by Intel constantly improving the machine's
processor and the vast user base demanding
better equipment.
Software Loading: Fast and reliable;
very fast from hard disk.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Watch out for package
deals from large chains and mail order compa¬
nies. If you don’t know too much about PCs go
for a name you know.
Second Hand Availability: Common, but rarely
much below RRP. S/H PCs can sometimes be
had at office auctions but be careful you do not
get a clapped out monitor/keyboard.
Maintenance: Usually one year’s guarantee -
but competition has forced the price of mainte¬
nance contracts down to an affordable level. This
often means they fix the machine in-situ for free.
SAM COUPE
Models: SAM Coupe
Package: T.B.A.
Memory: 256K expands to512K
(£39.95)
Processor: Zilog Z80B (6Mhz)
Recommended Retail Price:
£172 with cassette; £251 with single disk
system; £329.85 dual disk system;
£89.95 second disk drive.
Contact: Miles Gordon Technology
0792 791100
MGT’s machine started life as a low-cost
Spectrum clone but in response to apparent
market trends its specification has changed for
the better. Nevertheless, it should still run the
majority of Spectrum 48K software bridging the
“no software base” rift faced by most new
micros. The price is keen and the specification
good - but with the price of STs dropping ever-
lower only time will decide its eventual success
or failure. Check out the ACE review next
month.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 32 x 24; 32 x 192;
256 xl92; 512x192
Palette: 128
Colours: 16 or 4 depending onscreen resolution.
128 possible insoftware.
TV ; Yes
Monitor Output: SCART RGB
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: Anything suitable for an ST
or Amiga will do nicely.
Sprites: No
Speed: Fast in its class
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on TV/monitor
MIDI: In and out. Thru supported in software.
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 6 channel stereo sound puts the
SAM Coupe at thetop of the tree in terms of 8 bit
sound performance.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3.5in - 720K using new
Citizen ultra-slim drives.
Disk Price: £1.50 to £2.00
Disk Performance: Very good.
Keyboard: 72 full travel keys including
10 function keys. Unusual designplaces the keys
further back than normal.
Joystick/Mouse: Yes
Ports: UHF PAL; SCART RGB; Mouse;
Lightpen; Lightgun; Cassette; MIDI in and out;
Network 7-pin DIN; 64-pin expansion;RS232 and
parallel via interface.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Massive since it
can use many Spectrum titles. 10 major software
houses are developing for the Coupe.
Current Releases: First release is U.S. Gold’s
Strider
Games: Not much specific Coupe software avail¬
able yet..
Graphics: Too early for good software to
appear - the machine can display static Atari ST
low-res picturesthough.
Music: The standard MIDI interface could
be a bonus if developers bother to use it. Just
look at the ST.
Prospects: Depend heavily on the machine’s
acceptance among the buying public.If it sells
well, then more developers will start to write soft-
warefor it - if not. . .
Software Loading: Should be reliable. Tape
based systems will always be slow.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP -remains in short
supply.
Second Hand Availability: Still too early for a
lot of machines to be changing hands legally.
Maintenance: One years guarantee. Faulty
machines return to dealer.
SPECTRUM
Models: Plus 2, Plus3
Package: Keyboard and build-in tape,
plus joystick, light gun and selection of
software; Plus 3 replaces cassette with
disk drive and adds CP/M compatibility.
Memory: 128K
Processor: Zilog Z80
Recommended Retail Price:
Plus 2 £139.00; Plus 3£199.00
Contact: Amstrad 0277 228888
The Spectrum is games machine and should
nowadays only ever be bought as such. Its low
memory capacity and 32 column screen dis¬
play make it unsuited to business applications.
For productivity - graphics and sound - the
Spectrum lacks the sophistication of its rivals
to make it useful for serious projects. Utilities
fair, but serious users will quickly outgrow this
generally limited machine.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 256x192
Palette: 8
Colours: 8. Only two colours can be used
within any one character (8x8 pixel) square.
This limits the graphics potential although this
hasn’t stopped some remarkable games
appearing.
TV: Yes
Monitor Output: TTL RGB
Monitor Supplied: No
Monitor Options: No dedicated monitor is
available but most low- end RGB monitors should
suffice.
Sprites: None
Speed: Average to fast for an 8 bit
SOUND
Speaker Quality: n/A
MIDI: Yes - but uses non-standard socket
Stereo Output: No
Performance: 3 channels give poor sound.
This has never been a selling point and never will
be. Few software titles attempt much more than
a casual beep.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Disk Format: 3in -180K formatted on
built-in drive.
Disk Price: £2.50-£3.00
Disk Performance: Generally fast and reliable.
Some problems may arise with commercial soft¬
ware, however none have shown up as yet.
Keyboard: All new Spectrums have a hard
plastic keyboard which - although a vast improve¬
ment on the original model - still feels a bit
“squidgy.”
Joystick/Mouse: Non-standard joystick
on all models but suitable interfaces are widely
available. Mouse interfaces are available but pre¬
cious few titles use them.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Vast
Current Releases: Very common - Spectrum
versions are almost always the first 8 bit version
to appear. Even impossible conversions like
larch have been performed (albeit with major
surgery on the graphics and sound).
Games: A huge number of arcade titles exist
ranging from brilliant to abysmal. There isalso a
wide range of home-brew adventures thanks to
the Quill.
Graphics: Fair selection some of which manage
to squeeze far better performance from the
machine than many would have dared imagine.
Music: A couple of MIDI interfaces are available,
plus Cheetah Specdrum drum synthesizer.
Prospects.lt must die eventually but still showing
signs of life thanks to a healthy software market.
Software Loading: Cassette games still
take ages; disk improves matters.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Older Spectrums can be
got second-hand very cheaply but the keyboards
tend to suffer. If you are prepared to risk the very
old machine make sure you get the 48K models -
the 16K machine is completely useless for
today’s software. Better go for a newer model.
Second Hand Availability: Numerous.
Maintenance: Amstrad badged Spectrums
have a year's guarantee - take the machine back
to the dealer. Other models are now out of war¬
ranty.
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM
Package: Console using cartridge or
smart card plus game controller and
lgame (Hang On).
Recommended Retail Price:
£79.95; £99.95 (+lightgun); £129.95 (+
light gun and 3D glasses).
Contact: Virgin Mastertronic
01-727 8070
Japanese software base is not as good as Nin¬
tendo’s but what counts is how many titles
reach ou rshores. Mastertronic have given
good support to the machine so the prospects
look good. The only problem is that the
machine is getting a little long-in-the-tooth.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution: 256x 192
Palette: 64
Colours: 16
TV ; Yes
Monitor: No
-1-14
INK PAGES
SOUND
Speaker Quality: Depends on TV.
Performance: 3 channels give good
sound effects on most games.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Joystick: Game controller supplied.
Existing Software Base: Very good.
Current Releases: Slowing down
Games: All arcade.
Prospects: Continued support ensured, but new
machines on the horizon.
Software Loading: Instant.
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: As RRP
Second Hand Availability: N/A
Maintenance: One years guarantee.
Faulty machines return to dealer.
SEGA MEGADRIVE
Machine: Megadrive
Package: Megadrive plus controller
and one game.
Memory: 74K main + 64K video
Processor: 68000 +Z80B
Price: “Expected" to be under £200
when it finallyappears.
Contact: Virgin Mastertronic 01-727
8070
The cutting edge in the console market - at
least the one we will be able to buy this year.
Although the Megadrive is still not officially
available, grey importers are laughing all the
way to the bank. All will cease when Virgin-
Mastertronic start importing the official UK ver¬
sion. If you wait, your machine will run the new
software - if not, you may find the software well
drying up very quickly
GRAPHICS AND SOUND
Resolution:
Palette:
Colours:
TV:
Sprites:
Speed:
Speaker Quality:
MIDI:
SOUND
320 x 224
512
64
Yes
Monitor: No
80
Very fast
N/A
No
Stereo Output: Yes
Performance: 12 channel stereo sound is
produced by a custom FM chip and soundsfan-
tastic.
HARD FACTS - SOFT SELL
Joystick: Supplied with dedicated
controller.
SOFTWARE
Existing Software Base: Very few titles.
Current Releases: N/A
Games: All arcade - can you tell the difference
from the coin-op original?
Prospects: The processing muscle of
this machine virtually guarantees it resounding
success. Even though the software base is limit¬
ed what there is, is good. Release date shouldbe
around Easter 1990.
Software Loading: Instant
BUYLINES
Best Buy Price: Only available
through grey imports as yet
Second Hand Availability: N/A
Maintenance: Watch out - grey
imported machines rarely have any real warranty.
NOTES ON LISTINGS:
All prices are correct at time of going
to press - but shop around and try for
special deals, especially with bundled
software or peripherals.
'Sprites' refers to software
sprites and is really only included for
specialist interest: most modern pro¬
grammers use software sprite rou¬
tines.
Many machines are available via
'grey imports' - units individually
imported by retailers. These machines
ought to be avoided since you may
experience warranty problems or
even, with some of the latest con¬
soles, software loading problems
when the machine is finally officially
released in the UK. This is because
Japanese companies frequently engi¬
neer deliberate incompatibilities
between machines supplied to differ¬
ent territories.
PRIZE CROSSWORD
APRIL ’90
CLUES ACROSS
5. Game played by Rod and
I in Bono’s house (8)
6. Basic instructions, pe
rhaps (4)
7. Person striking joker’s
enemy in game (6)
9. A few bits - sounds like a
bit? (6)
10. Intends to change
names. (5)
11. Wired up in a strange
way. (5)
14. CIA is cracking the code
(5)
15. Nonsense about old boy
being an android. (5)
17. The French female gets
caught in a senile game. (6)
18. Doctor gets a satellite
receiver - it’s fashionable. (6)
19. One with branches in
every street. (4)
-| 20. Rex notes characters for
a game. (8)
CLUES DOWN
1. Ocean traveller’s game (7)
2. Indication that top
game’s in the wrong. (4)
3. One is about to go ahead
with game. (7)
4. Solid state of stars. (5)
6. Unusually nice boy Dr.
Hewson produces. (9’)
8. Mental picture of a soft¬
ware house.(9)
12. Traipse around for a
computer game.
13. Addictive game for a
marksman. (7)
16. Rolls Royce layabout
lounge lizard appears with.
(5)
18. Team playing friend. (4)
Completed crosswords
should be sent to:
April ’90 Crossword
ACE Magazine,
30-32 Farringdon Lane,
LONDON.
EC1R3AU.
To arrive not later than 4th
April 1990.
All prices and manufacturers
specifications subject to
change without notice.
All offers subject to
availability. Offers subject to
change in price without notice.
Delivery Charges
24 hour Courier Service
£10.00
4 Day Courier Service £5.00
Consumables Free Post
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31
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25
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THE NEW LIGHT FANTASTIC PACK COMMODORE 64
/Z The pack includes C64 computer, power supply, cassette
unit, light gun, 3D glasses, Robocop, Rambo III, Platoon,
L // Hypersports, Combat School, Batman the caped crusader,
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THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING, A500 DUSTCOVER, MOUSEPAD,
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PRCE £347
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PINK PAG
THE ACE
STOCK MARKET
EVERY MONTH ACE PRINTS ITS OWN GAMES CHARTS. UNLIKE OTHER CHARTS, THEY’RE BASED ON REVIEW MARKS
AND NOT ON SALES...SO YOU CAN USE THEM AS A RELIABLE GUIDE TO WHICH GAMES TO BUY. NOT ONLY THAT,
BUT IF YOU CAN PREDICT NEXT MONTH’S ENTRIES YOU CAN WIN SOME GREAT PRIZES.
C or blimey! You're getting good at this!
Last month, several people got very
close to getting all the entries right -
AND in the right order. Check out the prize win¬
ners for round two on page 120.
One small point for entrants to round four:
the closing date for that round was incorrectly
printed as 27th March 1990 (that’s the closing
date for THIS month's round) so we'll do the
usual: put all entries into a hat and pick out
seven winners at random. Sorry about that,
everyone, but it's the fairest way of dealing
with the situation. Everything's back to normal
this month and well take especial care to see it
doesn’t happen again. Make sure you get your
entries for this month in on time...
NOW IT S EVEN EASIER TO WIN!
You now only need to fill in your predictions for
the top three entries in each chart and you don't
even have to get them all right to stand a chance
of winning. The entry form is on p. 118, latest
winners on p. 120.
THE COMPANY COUNTER
FTL, which has been basking in some ecstatic reviews for Chaos Strikes Back,
has managed to hold its own near the top of the Company Counter,while, Micro
Style is still riding high on the acclaim
received tor Stunt Car Racer. System 3’s
high placing comes from a very small num¬
ber of highly favourable reviews. The
Company Counter is based on publishers’
performance according to how well received
their titles are by reviewers in all the UK’scomputer magazines. The column
headed ‘Rating’ is a rating based on actual review scores received during the
previous month.‘+/-’ indicates whether this rating has gone up or down from the
previous month.
The Share Price tells you how well a company is doing relative to itspast
performances. Here, ‘100’ is the base’ amount: if a company’sprice is over 100,
the firm’s reviews are improving; anything under 100, and this month’s batch
just aren’t up to previous standards. 100 is also the initial share price given to all
newcomers to the CompanyCounter;
these ‘new entries’ are marked with
an asterisk (*). In order to earn a
Share Price, companies must be
releasing games and getting them
reviewed in the magazines. No releas¬
es, no reviews, and we’ll dock 10 points from their Share Price until they come
up with the goods.
Finally, there’s the Index figure. The average score for all games reviewed
this month is printed below; each publisher’s index figure shows how well its
games have done compared to the average mark. This month’s average mark of
70.33 is the lowest yet in what is often a quiet time of year for games releases.
THIS MONTH’S SOFTWARE INDEX RATING:
71.58
Rating
+/-
Shares
Index
Thalion
71.09
n/a
100*
0.76
Exocet 33
n/a
100*
-37.33
Micro Style
96
+18.17
123.35
25.67
Accolade
71
+1.79
102.59
0.67
Alternative
n/a
45.06
n/a
System 3
93.5
n/a
112.99
23.17
Encore
70.86
+13.96
124.53
0.53
Beau Jolly
n/a
75
n/a
FTL
93
+0.17
100.18
22.67
Titus
70.42
+10.36
117.25
0.09
Bethesda
n/a
70
n/a
Innerprise
92
+11.33
114.04
21.67
Logotron
70.25
+6.5
110.2
-0.08
Byte back
n/a
64.37
n/a
Thalamus
86.5
n/a
102.44
16.17
SSI/US Gold
69.56
-1.77
97.52
-0.77
CDS
n/a
45.5
n/a
PSS/Mirrorsoft
84.3
n/a
159.06
13.97
Infogrames
69.49
+2.25
103.35
-0.84
Cinemaware
n/a
74.14
n/a
Palace
84
n/a
100*
13.67
Edge
69.25
+5.06
107.88
-1.08
CP Software
n/a
75
n/a
ARC
82.4
+23.9
140.85
12.07
Loriciels/US Gold
68.5
n/a
100*
-1.83
Digital Int’n
n/a
75.6
n/a
Microprose
81.75
+3.42
104.37
11.42
Artronic
68
n/a
127.7
-2.33
Digitek
n/a
55
n/a
Anco
81.5
+10.83
115.32
11.17
Players Premier
67.88
+6.34
110.3
-2.45
Dinamic
n/a
106.72
n/a
Delphine/Palace
81
-8.5
90.5
10.67
Domark
67.75
-3.69
94.83
-2.58
Dynamix
n/a
86.5
n/a
Rainbird
80.7
+6.87
109.31
10.37
Actionware
67.5
n/a
100*
-2.83
Epyx/US Gold
n/a
59
n/a
Goliath Games
79.67
n/a
100*
9.34
Cartoon Time
66.5
n/a
100*
-3.83
Gainstar
n/a
81.97
n/a
Electronic Arts
79.54
-0.88
98.91
9.21
Activision
65.99
-7.94
89.26
-4.34
Hit Squad
n/a
68.96
n/a
Ocean
79.5
-1.57
98.06
9.17
Grandslam
65.61
-1.14
98.29
-4.72
Image Works
n/a
79.53
n/a
Virgin
78.17
+3.91
105.27
7.84
Empire
65.36
-15.89
80.44
-4.97
Infocom
n/a
55.21
n/a
Mindscape
77.75
+5.85
108.14
7.42
Microillusions
64.5
n/a
81.23
-5.83
Kixx
n/a
48
n/a
Sierra On-Line
77.42
-4.08
94.99
7.09
Mastertronic
62.29
-5.01
92.56
-8.04
Level 9
n/a
73.91
n/a
Origin/Mindscape 77.33
-20.17
79.31
7
Code Masters
62
-6.13
91
-8.33
Magic Bytes
n/a
50
n/a
Leisure Genius
76.75
+11.75
118.08
6.42
Psyclapse
61.67
-13.92
81.58
-8.66
Novagen
n/a
70
n/a
Addictive
76.5
+5.3
107.44
6.17
New Line
60.5
n/a
100*
-9.83
Players
n/a
51
n/a
Gremlin
76.25
+4.03
105.58
5.92
Linel
60
n/a
100*
-10.33
Psygnosis
n/a
57
n/a
Firebird
76
no change 100
5.67
Elite
59.17
-6.16
90.57
-11.16
RAD
n/a
91.82
n/a
Smash 16
76
+11
116.92
5.67
Readysoft
58.7
-8.05
87.94
-11.63
Reline
n/a
90.5
n/a
UbiSoft
74.93
+0.29
100.39
4.6
16 Blitz
57.36
-6.97
89.17
-12.97
Screen 7
n/a
65
n/a
Digital Magic
73
n/a
100*
2.67
Tynesoft
55.2
-7.11
88.59
-15.13
Shades (G’Slam)
n/a
70
n/a
US Gold
72.67
-4.06
94.71
2.34
Image Tech
55
n/a
100*
-15.33
Starbyte
n/a
46.67
n/a
Arcana
72
n/a
100*
1.67
Hewson
54.13
-10.41
83.87
-16.2
SubLogic
n/a
60
n/a
Blade
72
-12.75
84.96
1.67
Impressions
45.75
n/a
109.58
-24.58
Wicked
n/a
55.5
n/a
Rainbow Arts
71.88
-4.3
94.36
1.55
Pandora
44.33
-39.17
53.09
-26
Tomahawk
71.5
n/a
100*
1.17
Act'l Screenshots
36.67
-9.08
80.15
-33.66
Special Reserve
It's expensive not to join
Club Privileges
membership £5.00
• Bi-monthly Buyer's Guide each with details of 40 games.
• Membership Card, Release Schedule and a folder for the Buyer's Guides.
• Fast despatch of stock items. Most lines in stock.
• Games sent individually by 1st class post. Most fit through your letter box.
• 7-day hotline, until 8pm weekdays, 10 to 5.30 Saturdays, 11 to 5 Sundays.
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We're miles cheaper than elsewhere. Below are a selection of offers at prices
you might not believe. You can buy games at the same time as joining - or join
now and select from our full catalogue. All items advertised are only for sale to
members and are subject to availability.
Note: Upgrade to Official Secrets is offered to members of Special Reserve.
AMIGA ST
AMIGA ST
3D POOL .15.49
A.P.B .12.99
AFTERBURNER.
ALTERED BEAST.15.99
AMERICAN ICE HOCKEY .
AQUANAUT .14.49
ARTHUR (INFOCOM) .19.99
BAAL.6.99
BAD COMPANY .15.99
BALLISTIX .6.99
BALLYHOO (INFOCOM).16.49
BARBARIAN 2 (PALACE) .18.49
BARDS TALE 1 .7.99
BARDS TALE 2.16.49
BATMAN CAPED CRUSADER .
BATMAN THE MOVIE.15.99
BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ .16.49
BATTLE SQUADRON .15.99
BATTLECHESS.16.49
BATTLEHAWKS 1942 .16.49
BATTLETECH (INFOCOM).16.49
BEACH VOLLEY .15.99
BEYOND DARK CASTLE.9.99
BEYOND ZORK (INFOCOM) .
BLADE WARRIOR .15.99
BLOOD MONEY .14.49
BLOODWYCH .15.49
BLOODWYCH DATA DISK .9.99
BOMBER .18.49
BRIDGE PLAYER 2150 GALACTICA.
BUGGY BOY .8.99
C-LIGHT (3-D ANIMATION) .31.49
CABAL .15.49
CAPTAIN BLOOD .8.49
CARRIER COMMAND .7.99
CHAMBERS OF SHAOLIN.14.99
CHAMP (USA) FOOTBALL .4.99
CHAOS STRIKES BACK .
CHASE H.Q .15.99
CHESSMASTER 2000.15.49
CHRONO QUEST .9.49
COLLOSUS CHESS X.15.49
CONFLICT EUROPE.9.99
CONTINENTAL CIRCUS.12.99
CORRUPTION (M/SCROLLS) .13.99
CUTTHROATS .16.49
CYBERBALL.12.99
DAMOCLES .15.49
DAY OF THE VIPER .16.49
DEADLINE (INFOCOM).
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN.8.49
DEJAVU .
DEJA VU 2.15.49
DELUXE MUSIC CONSTR SET .46.47
DELUXE PAINT III .51.49
DEMONS WINTER (SSI).17.49
DOUBLE DRAGON 2 .13.49
DRAGON NINJA.9.49
DRAGON’S LAIR (1 MEG) .28.49
DRAGONS BREATH .18.99
DRAGONS OF FLAME (SSI) .17.49
DRAKKHEN .16.99
DRIVING FORCE.16.49
DUNGEON MASTER.
DUNGEON MASTER (1 MEG) .15.49
DUNGEON MASTER EDITOR.7.49
DYNAMITE DUX .15.99
EDDIE EDWARDS SUPER SKI .6.49
ELIMINATOR .
ELIMINATOR (1.2 AMIGAS ONLY).5.49
ELITE .15.49
ELVIRA - MISTRESS OF THE DARK 19.49
ENCHANTER (INFOCOM) .18.49
EXOLON .
EYE OF HORUS .15.99
FI 6 COMBAT PILOT .15.99
FI 6 FALCON.18.49
FI 6 FALCON MISSION DISK .8.99
F29 RETALIATOR.15.99
FEDERATION OF FREE TRADERS... 19.49
FERRARI FORMULA 1 .16.49
15.49
12.99
8.49
12.99
15.49
14.49
6.99
12.99
6.99
9.99
15.49
7.99
9.99
15.99
16.49
16.49
16.49
16.49
12.99
9.99
15.99
14.49
15.49
9.99
18.49
18.49
8.99
13.49
12.49
4.99
15.99
12.99
15.49
9.49
15.49
16.49
12.99
13.99
12.99
15.49
16.49
16.49
8.49
5.99
15.49
17.49
13.49
8.99
18.99
17.49
16.99
16.49
15.49
7.49
13.49
6.49
5.49
15.49
19.49
4.99
15.99
15.99
15.49
8.99
15.99
19.49
16.49
FIENDISH FRED'S BIG TOP FUN ...17.49
FIFTH GEAR.15.99
FIRE BRIGADE (1 MEG) .17.49
FIRST CONTACT .
FIRST WORD PLUS .
FISH I (M/SCROLLS) .13.99
FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2 .25.49
FLYING SHARK .
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2.8.49
FM2 EXPANSION KIT .6.99
FUN SCHOOL 2 (2-6) .12.49
FUN SCHOOL 2 (6-8) .12.49
FUN SCHOOL 2 (8+) .12.49
FUTURE WARS .16.49
GALDREGON’S DOMAIN .12.49
GATO (SUBMARINE SIM).
GAUNTLET 2.16.49
GHOSTBUSTERS 2.15.99
GHOULS ‘N’ GHOSTS.16.49
GOLD RUSH! (SIERRA).16.49
GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT .16.49
GRAVITY .16.49
GREG NORMAN’S ULTIMATE GOLF 16.99
GRIDIRON (U.S FOOTBALL).15.49
GUILD OF THIEVES (M/SCROLLS) ...13.99
GUNSHIP .15.99
HARDDRIVIN’ .12.99
HARLEY DAVIDSON .15.49
HELLFIRE ATTACK .
HEWSON PREMIER VOL1 .
HILLSFAR (SSI) .17.49
HIT DISKS VOLUME 2
(LEATHERNECKS, MAJOR MOTION,
TIME BANDIT, TANGLEWOOD) .9.49
HITCH HIKERS GUIDE (INFOCOM) .
HOLLYWOOD HIJINX (INFOCOM) ... 19.49
HONDA RVF750 .15.49
HOSTAGES.7.49
HOUND OF SHADOW.16.99
HYBRIS 7.49
HYPERFORCE &'ARTIFICIAL DREAMS 7^99
INCREDIBLE SHRINKING SPHERE .
INDIANA JONES ACTION .11.99
INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE.16.99
INFESTATION .14.99
INFIDEL (INFOCOM) .18.49
INGRID’S BACK (LEVEL 9) .7.99
INTERNATIONAL KARATE + .
INTERPHASE .15.99
IRON LORD .15.99
IT CAME FROM THE DESERT (1 MEG) 18.49
I.C.F.T.D. DATA DISK (1 MEG) .10.49
JACK NICKLAUS GOLF.16.49
JEWELS OF DARKNESS (LEVEL 9) .
JINXTER (M/SCROLLS).13.99
JOURNEY (INFOCOM) .19.99
KAMPFGRUPPE (SSI) .19.99
KARTING GRAND PRIX .:4.49
KEEF THE THIEF.16.99
KICKOFF .12.99
KICK OFF EXPANSION DISK .7.49
KIND WORDS 2.0 (W/PROCESSOR) 29.99
KING OF CHICAGO .8.49
KINGSQUEST1.2&3 (SIERRA) ...21.49
KINGS QUEST 2 (SIERRA) .6.99
KINGS QUEST 4 (SIERRA) .
KNIGHT ORC (LEVEL 9) .
KNIGHTFORCE .
KRISTAL .9.99
KULT.7.99
LANCASTER.13.49
LANCELOT (LEVEL 9).13.49
LASER SQUAD.12.99
LEADERBOARD BIRDIE.16.49
LEATHER GODDESSES (INFOCOM) .
LEATHERNECKS .5.99
LEGEND OF THE SWORD .
LEISURE SUIT LARRY 1 (SIERRA) ...18.99
LEISURE SUIT LARRY 2 (SIERRA) .. .21.49
LIGHT FORCE (R-TYPE, VOYAGER,
BIO-CHALLENGE, IK+) .15.99
AMIGA ST
17.49
15.99
16.49
58.99
13.99
25.49
6.99
8.49
6.99
12.49
12.49
12.49
16.49
12.49
7.49
13.49
15.99
13.49
16.49
16.49
16.99
15.49
13.99
15.49
12.99
3.49
17.99
17.49
13.49
9.99
9.99
15.49
7.49
16.99
7.99
7.49
13.49
16.99
14.99
9.99
7.99
8.49
15.99
15.99
6.99
13.99
LIFE AND DEATH.15.49
LIVERPOOL .11.99
LOMBARD RAC RALLY .14.99
LORDS OF THE RISING SUN.9.99
LURKING HORROR (INFOCOM) .19.99
MAGNUM 4 (COMPILATION).18.99
MANHUNTER NEW YORK (SIERRA) 18.49
MANHUNTER SAN FRANCISCO.18.49
MANIAC MANSION .16.99
MATRIX MARAUDERS .12.49
MAVIS BEACON TEACHES TYPING 17.99
MENACE .6.99
MICKEY MOUSE .
MICROPROSE SOCCER .15.49
MIDWINTER .
MILLENIUM 2.2 .6.99
MIND FOREVER VOYAGING .19.99
MINI OFFICE PRO’COMMS .
MINI OFFICE PRO’ PRO' GRAPHICS .
MINI OFFICE PRO’ SPREADSHEET.
MOONMIST (INFOCOM).19.99
NEUROMANCER.16.99
NEVERMIND .12.49
NEW ZEALAND STORY.15.99
NIGEL MANSELL’S GRAND PRIX .4.99
NINJA WARRIORS .16.49
NORTH AND SOUTH .10.49
OIDS.
OIL IMPERIUM.16.49
OMEGA .17.49
OMEGA (DOUBLE SIDED DRIVE).
OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL.15.49
OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING .15.49
ONSLAUGHT .15.49
OOZE .15.99
OPERATION THUNDERBOLT .15.99
OUTLANDS .12.49
P47 THUNDERBOLT .16.49
PACLAND.7.49
PACMANIA .
PANDORA .
PAPERBOY .12.99
PASSING SHOT (TENNIS) .8.99
PAWN (M/SCROLLS) .13.99
PERSONAL NIGHTMARE .18.99
PHANTASIE 3 (SSI).17.49
PHOBIA .12.49
PHOTON PAINT .6.49
11.99
14.99
9.99
18.99
18.49
16.99
12.49
17.99
6.99
5.99
15.99
15.99
17.49
17.49
17.49
16.49
12.49
12.99
4.99
12.99
10.49
6.99
16.49
17.49
15.49
15.99
12.99
12.49
16.49
5.99
5.99
5.49
12.99
8.99
13.99
18.99
17.49
12.49
OFFICIAL SECRETS
Annual Membership costs £22 (UK)
including
Myth by Magnetic Scrolls
Gnome Ranger by Level 9
6 issues of Confidential
Adventure Helpline and
Special Reserve membership.
Please write for full details or enter
£22 as the membership fee
instead of the normal £5 fee for
Special Reserve. Or upgrade later
for £17. You may request a
surprise alternative instead of
Gnome Ranger.
Myth is exclusive to members of
Official Secrets and is not
available in the shops.
PIRATES .
.15.99
15.99
12.99
PLANET BUSTERS.
.15.49
15.49
7.49
PLANETFALL .
.19.99
16.49
PLAYER MANAGER .
.12.99
12.99
POLICE QUEST 1 (SIERRA).
.15.99
15.99
22.49
POLICE QUEST 2 (SIERRA) .
16.49
6.99
POOL OF RADIANCE (SSI) .
.17.49
17.49
21.49
POPULOUS .
,.16.49
16.49
5.99
POPULOUS PROMISED LANDS ...
...7.99
7.99
14.49
POWER DRIFT.
.15.99
15.99
17.49
POWERDROME .
.16.49
7.99
PRO TENNIS TOUR .
..16.49
16.49
PROTEXT WORD PROCESSOR.
.64.99
47.99
13.49
PUBLISHERS CHOICE DTP (1 MEG)
59.99
12.99
PURPLE SATURN DAY.
...7.49
7.49
13.49
QUEST FOR THE TIMEBIRD.
..16.99
16.99
9.99
QUESTRON 2 (SSI).
..17.49
17.49
R-TYPE.
7.49
5.99
RALLY CROSS CHALLENGE .
..12.99
12.99
11.99
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS .
...7.49
7.49
11.99
RED LIGHTNING (SSI) .
.19.99
19.99
RED STORM RISING .
..16.49
16.49
15.99
RICK DANGEROUS.
..15.49
15.49
ROBOCOP.15.49
ROCK’N’ROLL .12.99
ROCKET RANGER.9.99
RUNNING MAN .8.49
SARGON 3 CHESS.13.97
SCAPEGHOST (LEVEL 9) .12.49
SCRABBLE DE LUXE.12.99
SDI (ACTIVISION) .
SEASTALKER (INFOCOM).19.99
SHADOW OF THE BEAST.19.99
SHADOWGATE.10.49
SHINOBI.12.99
SHOGUN (INFOCOM).15.49
SHOOT ‘EM-UP CONSTR’ KIT .18.49
SIDEWINDER .7.49
SILICON DREAMS (LEVEL 9).
SILKWORM .12.99
SIM CITY .11.99
SKYCHASE.5.99
SORCERER (INFOCOM) .
SPACE ACE .27.49
SPACE HARRIER 2.12.49
SPACE QUEST 1 (SIERRA) .16.49
SPACE QUEST 2 (SIERRA) .12.49
SPACE QUEST 3 (SIERRA) .21.49
SPEEDBALL .8.99
SPELL BOOK (4-6 YEARS) .13.49
SPELL BOOK (7+ YEARS).13.49
SPELLBREAKER (INFOCOM) .18.49
ST ADVENTURE CREATOR .
STAR BLAZE.16.49
STAR COMMAND (SSI) .19.99
STAR WARS TRILOGY .15.99
STARCROSS (INFOCOM) .18.49
STARFLIGHT.16.99
STARGLIDER .5.49
STARGLIDER 2 .6.99
STATIONFALL (INFOCOM) .
STEVE DAVIS SNOOKER .12.49
STORMLORD .15.99
STOS (GAMES CREATOR) .
STRIDER .16.99
STRYX .12.49
STUNT CAR RACER .15.99
SUPER HANG ON.
SUPER LEAGUE SOCCER .15.49
SUPER WONDERBOY .15.99
SUSPENDED (INFOCOM) .
SWITCHBLADE .13.99
SWORD OF SODAN .8.49
SWORDS OF TWILIGHT .16.4 9
TEENAGE QUEEN.8.49
TETRIS.4.49
THE LOST PATROL.16.49
THINGS TO DO WITH NUMBERS ...13.49
THINGS TO DO WITH WORDS.13.49
THREE STOOGES (CINEMAWARE) ...6.99
THUNDERBIRDS .7.49
TIME .18.99
TIME & MAGIK (LEVEL 9) .13.49
TIME BANDIT .
TIMES OF LORE .
TIMEWORKS DESK TOP PUBLISHER.
TOWER OF BABEL.16.49
TRACKER .
TRIAD VOL1 .
TRIAD VOL2 (MENACE, BAAL, TETRIS) 14.99
TRINITY (INFOCOM).
TRIVIAL PURSUIT .12.99
TURBO CUP .6.49
TURBO CUP (WITH CAR) .
TURBO OUTRUN.16.49
TV SPORTS BASKETBALL .18.49
TV SPORTS FOOTBALL (U.S.A.).11.99
ULTIMA 5.
UNINVITED .13.49
UNTOUCHABLES .15.99
VETTE (CORVETTE) .18.49
VIRUS.12.49
VIXEN .4.49
VOYAGER .9.49
WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH .15.49
WATERLOO .10.49
WAYNE GRETZKY HOCKEY.15.99
WHIRLIGIG .
W/FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1 MEG) 8.49
WICKED .
WILD STREETS .15.99
WINDWALKER.17.49
WISHBRINGER (INFOCOM) .19.99
WITNESS (INFOCOM) .19.49
X-OUT.13.49
XENOMORPH .15.49
XENON II, MEGABLAST.15.49
ZOMBIE .
ZORK 1 (INFOCOM) .
ZORK 2 (INFOCOM) .
ZORK TRILOGY (INFOCOM) .
ZORK ZERO (INFOCOM) .19.99
12.99
12.99
7.99
7.49
12.49
12.99
7.99
9.99
7.49
12.99
5.99
12.99
7.49
16.49
27.49
12.49
16.49
16.49
19.49
8.99
13.49
13.49
9.99
26.99
16.49
19.99
15.99
16.49
6.49
6.99
9.99
12.49
15.99
17.49
13.49
12.49
15.99
8.49
15.49
12.99
16.49
13.99
8.49
5.49
12.99
13.49
13.49
7.49
18.99
13.49
5.49
16.49
74.99
16.49
5.49
9.49
14.99
16.49
8.45
7.49
13.49
10.99
17.99
5.99
12.99
5.99
4.49
5.99
15.49
10.49
15.99
5.99
8.99
15.99
9.99
16.49
13.49
15.49
15.49
12.99
9.99
9.99
19.99
SONY 3.5"
DS/DD DISK
69p
INNEVITABLY SOME OF THE ABOVE GAMES MAY NOT YET BE RELEASED. ALL GAMES ARE DESPATCHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SALES LINE 0279 600204 . PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A SURCHARGE OF 50P PER GAME FOR ORDERS PLACED BY TELEPHONE.
Oifm L u . £ Existing members please include your membership number
uraer rorrn Non-members please add the membership fee Specja | Reserve membership £5 UK, £6 EEC or £7 World
Name_
Address
Item.
Item
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. *5.257*3.57*3.0'7*TAPE
Item
Payable to: Special Reserve or Official Secrets
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1-18 THE PINK PAG
THE ACE STOCKMARKET ENTRY FORM
NAME:.
ADDRESS.
..Tel. Number..
ROUND
FIVE
Post this form or a photocopy
to ACE Stockmarket, Priory
Court, 30-32 Farringdon
lane, EC1R 3AU. Closing
date 27th March 1990..
My prediction for next month's top three My prediction for next month's top three My prediction for next month's top three
entries in the Company Counter is: games on the Spectrum is: games on the Atari ST is:
My prediction for next month's top three
games on the PC is:
My prediction for next month's top three
game on the Commodore 64 is:
My prediction for next month's top three
games on the Amstrad CPC is:
My prediction for next month's top three
games on the Amiga is:
3.
Rules:
All entries must be received by the closing
date for this round of March 27th1990.
No employees of EMAP, or of any company
involved in the production, distribution, or sale
of ACE Magazine are eligible for entry.
Only one entry per household.
The decision of the judges is final and corre¬
spondence cannot be entered into.
THE MACHINE COUNTER
AMIGA RATINGS
AMSTRAD CPC RATINGS
SPECTRUM RATINGS
Stunt Car Racer
Micro Style
90.5
Chase HQ
Ocean
86.75
Dan Dare III
Virgin
89.17
It Came From the Desert
Cinemaware
88.57
Dan Dare III
Virgin
84.5
Operation Thunderbolt
Ocean
79.38
Space Quest III
Sierra On-Line
87.75
Wild Streets
Titus
72
Turbo Outrun
US Gold
77
Battle Squadron
Innerprise
86.34
Knight Force
Titus
71
Leisure Genius Compnd’m Leisure Genius
66
Dragon’s Breath
Palace
84
Turbo Outrun
US Gold
61
Moonwalker
US Gold
61.5
Stunt Car Racer and Desert have been around for
several months now, but as Micro Style and Cine-
maware stagger their format releases, reviewers
continue to be amazed by them.
Better late than never, Chase HQ has found gen¬
eral favour, and the Z80 version of Dan Dare III
(see Spectrum, below) is obviously the one to go
for.
No question where Spectrum owners should be
placing their orders this Easter. Dan Dare III has
cleaned up all the awards, leaving everything else
as an also-ran.
COMMODORE 64 RATINGS
Dragon Wars
Ghouls’n’Ghosts
Blue Angels
Dan Dare III
Toobin’
Electronic Arts 86.75
US Gold
Accolade
Virgin
Domark
76.88
67.25
67.17
66.75
It’s no secret that many software houses are hav¬
ing difficulties finding top notch Commodore 64
programmers these days and these marks bear
this out. C64 ratings have been dropping since we
began the Stock Market - come on, programmers,
give buyers the conversions they deserve.
PC-COMPATIBLE RATINGS
ATARI ST RATINGS
Conflict
16 Blitz
86.5
Chaos Strikes Back
FTL
92.92
Pro Tennis Tour
UbiSoft
85.33
Tower of Babel
Rainbird
86.25
Indianapolis 500
Electronic Arts
84.59
Future Wars
Delphine/Palace
85
Austerlitz
PSS/Mirrorsoft
77.6
North and South
Infogrames
83.5
European Space Simulator Tomahawk
74
Untouchables
Ocean
83
In the (admittedly short) history of the Stock Mar¬
ket, the quantity of PC titles has been rising steadi¬
ly - and, until this month, the quality was consis¬
tently high as well. This month, we see a clear split
between the top three and the rest.
While current 8-bit games are generally getting a
lukewarm reception at present, 68000-based titles
are keeping the standards high, although with an
unchanged top three from last month, the market
isn’t exactly flooded with new releases.
THE 16-BIT COUNTER ■ THE 8-BIT COUNTER
Midwinter
Rainbird
PC, ST
94.75
Chaos Strikes Back
FTL
ST
92.92
Stunt Car Racer
Micro Style
Amiga
90.5
It Came From the Desert
Cinemaware
Amiga
88.57
Space Quest III
Sierra On-Line
Amiga
87.75
Battle Squadron
Innerprise
Amiga
86.34
Tower of Babel
Rainbird
ST
86.25
Future Wars
Delphine/Palace ST
85
Lost Patrol
Ocean
Am, ST
85.17
Indianapolis 500
Electronic Arts
PC
84.59
Bubbling under: Pro Tennis Tour (UbiSoft) on Am, PC, Austerlitz (PSS/Mir-
rorsoft) on Am, PC, The Untouchables (Ocean) on Am, ST.
Look out for Midwinter in the machine-specific counters next month.
Everyone is raving about the graphics and gameplay in Mike Singleton’s lat¬
est effort.
Dragon Wars
Electronic Arts
C64
86.75
Buggy Boy
Encore
C64, CPC, Sp
86
Dan Dare III
Virgin
C64, CPC, Sp
80.28
Ghouls’n’Ghosts
US Gold
C64
76.88
Operation Thunderbolt
Ocean
C64, Sp
75.19
Leisure Genius Compend’m
Leisure Genius
C64, CPC, Sp
72.67
Duel: Test Drive II
Accolade
C64, CPC, Sp
71.33
Elven Warrior
Players Premier CPC, Sp
70.75
Chase HQ
Ocean
C64, CPC
69.88
Turbo Outrun
US Gold
CPC, Sp
69
Bubbling under: Sailing (Mastertronic) on C64, Sp, Blue Angels (Accolade) on
C64, and Toobin’ (Domark)
Some games date very quickly; some still look fresh and exciting two
years after their original release. Buggy Boy, now from Encore at u2.99, is a
case in point - and now at an irresistible price.
Action Fighter.
Afterburner.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World...
Alex Kidd Lost Stars.
Alien Syndrome.
d Beast.
American Baseball.
Astro Warrier.
Aztec Adventure.
Bank Panic.
Black Bull.
Blade Eagle 30.
Bomber Raid.
California Games.
Captain Silver.
Chop lifter.
Cyborg Hunter.
Double Dragon.
Enduro Racer.
F16.
Fantasy Zone.
Fantasy Zone 2.
Fantasy Zone 3.
Galaxy Force 2.
Ganster Town.
Ghostbusters.
Ghost House.
Global Defence.
Golvelious.
Great Baseball.
Great Basketball.
Great Football.
Great Golf.
Great Volleyball.
Kenseiden.
Kung Fu Kid.
Lord of the Sword.
Maze Hunter 3D.
Miracle Warrior.
Missile Defence 3D.
Monopoly.
My Hero.
Ninja.
Outrun 3D.
Outrun.
Penquin Land.
Phantasy Star.
Phodeien Wars 3D.
Power Strike.
Pro Football.
Pro Wrestling.
Quartet.
R-Type.
Rambo 3.
Rescue Mission.
Rocky .
Secret Command.
Shanghai.
Shinobi.
Shooting Gallery.
Shooting Games.
Space Harrier.
Harrier 3D.
Spyv.Spy.
Super Tennis.
Teddy Boy.
Thunderblade.
Time Soldiers.
Transbot.
Vigilante.
Wonderboy.
Wonderboy 3.
Wonderboy Monsterland.
World Grand Prix.
World Soccer.
Vs.
Zaxxon 3D.
Zillion.
Zillion 2y.
SEGA HARDWARE
3D Glasses.
Light Phaser.
Light Phaser + Software.
Master System + Software.
Master System + gun/glasses.
Master System + Phaser.
Rapid Fire Unit.
.21.95
.22.95
.21.95
.22.95
... .22.95
.22 95
.22.95
.21.95
.21.95
.13.95
.21.95
.22.95
.22.95
.25 95
.22.95
.21.95
.22.95
.22.95
...21.95
.13.95
...21.95
.22.95
.22.95
.. .25.95
...18.95
...25.95
...13.95
...21.95
. .22.95
...21.95
....21.95
...21.95
.21.95
...21.95
.22.95
.21.95
...22.95
. .22.95
....21.95
...22.95
...27.95
...13.95
...21.95
.22.95
.22.95
.. .27.95
....37.95
.22.95
...21.95
...22.95
.. .18.95
.18.95
.27.95
...22.95
.. .22.95
...22.95
.22.95
...22.95
...22.95
...21.95
...22.95
...21.95
...21.95
.22.95
...22.95
...13.95
...13.95
...13.95
...22.95
...22.95
...13.95
...22.95
...21.95
...25.95
...22.95
...21.95
...21.95
...30.95
...22.95
...18.95
...21 95
.39.95
.27.95
. .44.95
.79.95
.129.95
99.95
.5.99
CHART TOPPERS TOP 30
.SPEC .+3 .
Altered Beast.
Batman the Movie.
Cabal.
Chase HQ.
Continental Circus.
Crazy Cars 2.
Footballer of the Year II
Forgotten Worlds.
Ghostbusters 2.
Ghouls and Ghosts.
Hard Drivin.
Indy Jones Last Crusade.
Kick Off.
Moonwalker.
Stunt Car Racer.
Super Wonderboy.
Untouchables.
Turbo Outrun.
Powerdrift.
Gazzas Soccer.
Operation Thunderbolt.
Ninja Warriors.
Double Dragon II.
Myth.
Beach Volley.
Wild Streets.
Dynamite Dux.
Robocop.
Tusker.
Mr Heli.
...6.99...
...6.99...
6 99 .
...6.99...
.6 99 .
.6.99
.6 99 .
. 6 99 .
.6.99 ..
6 99...
6 99...
6 99
...10.99...
10.99
10.99 . .
.. 10.99...
...10.99
...1099. .
...1099
...6.99...
...6.99...
...6.99...
..6.99.
6.99.
...6.99....
...5.99...
...6.99...
...6.99...
...5.99.
.699.
...6.99.
...6.99.
...6.99
.6.99
.6.99
...6.99.
...699.
...5.99
Gunship.
Heroes of the Lance.
War in Middle Earth
Colossus Chess 4.
Treble Champions.
Football Director.
Football Director II.
Airbourne Ranger.
Silkworm.
Dragon Ninja.
Operation Wolf.. .
Emlyn Hughes Int Soccer...
Chuck Yeagers (AFT).
Boxing Manager.
The National.
Times of Lore.
Shinobi.
Scape Ghost.
Silent Service.
FI5 Strike Eagle.
CLASSIC COLLECTION
.6.99.9.99 .
.6 99.N'A
.6.99.10 99
.6.99.10.99.
.12.99.12.99.
6.99.10 99..
.6.99.10 99
6 99.10.99 .
6.99.10.99..
6 99.10 99 ..
. 6 99.10.99 .
6.99.N\A...
6 99.N\A...
699.10 99
.699.1099
. 9.99.9.99 .
CHART TOPPERS TOP 30
...6.99
...6.99
...6.99
...9.99
.799
6 99
.6.99...
6 99
6.99
. 6.99 .
.6.99
.699..
...6.99...
6 99
9 99
...6.99...
699
...6.99
...6.99
...6.99
6.99
...6.99...
.6.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
. .10.99
...10.99
.10.99
....10.99
.. .10.99
...10.99
.10.99
...10.99
...10.99
.9 99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
.9 99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...13.99
.12.99
...10.99
.10.99
...10.99
.N\A
...12.99
...13.99
. .10.99
.10.99
...10.99
...10.99
...10.99
Ghouls and Ghosts.
Batman the. Movie.
Xenon 2 Megablast.
Chase HQ.
Ferrari Formula One.
Hard Drivin.
Gazzas Super Soccer. ..
Califonia Games.
Turbo Outrun.
Double Dragon II.
Chaos Strikes Back.
Cabal.
Pro Tennis Tour.
Ninja Warriors.
Bomber.
Manic Mansion.
Powerdrift.
Future Wars.
Stunt Car Racer.
Iron Lord.
TV Sports Football.
SIM City.
Super Wonderboy.
Untouchables.
Wild Streets.
Operation Thunderbolt...
Drakhen.
Lombard RAC Rally
Dungeon Master.
Indy Jones Adventure....
Balance of Power 1990 ....
Bards Tale I.
Battlechess.
FI6 Falcon.
Flacon Mission Disc.
Kings Quest Triple Pack.
Leisuresuit Larry.
FI6 Combat Pilot.
R.V.F Honda.
Gunship.
Brian Cloughs Football.
Hunt for Red October.
Collossus Chess X.
Elite..
interphase.
Battletech.
Oil Imperium.
Red Lightening.
...ST ..
...13.99 .
13.99
.16.99.
.1399.
.16 99.
...12 99
14 99.
...13.99.
..1699..
...13.99...
16 99
...13.99 . .
1999
...17.99...
...1699...
.1999
..13.99.
...13.99 .
.12.99.
.. 13.99...
...19.99..
...16.99 .
...16.99...
...16.99..
...AMIGA ..
...16.99
.9.99
...16.99...
.16.99
16.99
...12.99 ...
14 99.
. 16.99
.16.99...
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CLASSIC COLLECTION
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Pacland.
Pacmania.
Running Man.
Lords of Midnight.
Afterburner.
Captain Blood.
Trivial Pursuits New Beginning..
Wolfman.
Loads of Midnight.
The Train.
Hunt for Red October.
Passing Shot.
Pacland .
Pacmania .
Running Man.
Trivial Pursuits New Beginning. .
Game Over II.
Firezone.
Afterburner.
Bombuzal.
Dark Castle.
President is Missing...
Mini Golf.
Elite.
Fighter Pilot.
Pacland.
Pacmania.
Running Man.
Trivial Pusrsuits.
Trivial Pursuits New Beginning. .
Blasteroids.
Tai Pan.
Sorceror Lord.
Nebulus.
FT Type.
AMS CASS Specials
.4.99
4 99
599
Dark Sceptre.
Bards Tale 1.
Afterburner.
Galaxy Force.
R-Type.
L.E.D. Storm.
Pacmania.
Pacland.
Thundercats.
Overlander.
Beyond the Ice Palace..
Hopping Mad.
Legend of the Sword.
Starglider 2.
De Ja Vu.
Oids.
Powerplay.
Asterix.
Spitfire 40.
Uninvited.
Shadowgate.
Millenium 2.2.
Fish.
Rocket Ranger.
Speedball.
Pacland.
Pacmania.
Super Hang-on.
Afternburner.
Dragon Spirit.
Shuffle Pack Cafe.
R-Type.
Manhunter in New York...
Rings of Zilfin.
Ikari Warriors.
Crazy Cars II.
President is Missing.
AMS DISC Specials
.6.99
.12.99
.9.99
Rocket Ranger.
Speedball.
Sorceror Lord.
Dragon Spirit.
Shutflepack Cafe.
Breach.
Terrorpods.
Pacmania.
Pacland.
Emmanuelle.
Chariots of Wrath.
Saint and Grevsie.
Sicidoo.
Daily Double Racing.
Blasteroids.
Fish.
Carrier Command.
FI8 Interceptor.
Nebulus.
Quest for the Time Bird.
New Zealand Story
Cybernoid 2.
Trivial Pursuits New Beginning..
Phobia.
Lords of the Rising Sun.
AMIGA Specials
.6 99
.12.99
41 SOUTH STREET, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, BEDS, LU7 8NT TEL: 0525 377974 FAX: 0525 852278
ORDER FORM
Please supply me with the following for
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DATE:
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ACE APRIL 90
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-I 20 THI
PINK
STOCKMARKET WINNERS!
ROUND TWO
E veryone's getting much better this, you know. In round one,
hardly anyone got anywhere close to picking forecasting the
names that would appear the following month, let alone which
order they would appear in. This month, however, not only did people
frequently pinpoint as many as four entries in a section, but R.S. Eadie
of Wedmore even managed to get four entries for the Spectrum chart
in their correct places! Just one more right and he would have hit the
jackpot with £150 worth of software. As it is, he is one of our six prize
winners this month.
Other winners include R.P.Maxfield of Rotherham, who managed to
pinpoint the top three entries in the Amiga chart in their correct order.
People with long memories may recall that the closing date for this
round was wrongly printed, so that it ws possible to fill in your forms
AFTER the next issue had appeared, therefore getting all the answers
right! As it was, both RPM and CE got their entries in before the next
issue appeared. All other entries, regardless of when they were
received, were given an equal chance of winning through random selec¬
tion from the traditional hat.
The winners of round two were:
R.P.Maxfield, Rotherham
Daniel Grenham, Herne Bay
R.S. Eadie, Wedmore
James Verdier, Welwyn
Darren Garbutt, Leeds
S. Cresci, Clapton
Each entrant wins £25 of software for their machine. Prize winners
please contact us if you have any special preferences.
[for the'grTatesTdeals'.
1 ON HARDWARE, SOFTWARE & PERIPHERALS 1
GMEX • Manchester
15-18 March 1990
FOR FULL DETAILS OF THIS 4 DAY
EXTRAVAGANZA, SEE PAGE 132
SAVE £1
on admission - simply
cut and bring along this
advertisement when you visit!
i
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MONTHLY PAYMENT TERMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH LOMBARD TRICITY FINANCE ON ALL PURCHASES OVER £150.00. PLEASE RING FOR DETAILS
ATARI 520ST
***********************
**
FREEH With All Atari Computers
**
**
Hyper Paint, Hyper Draw, Borodino
**
**
ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST
**
**
**
***********************
NEW!! POWER PACK
PACK A
Atari 520STFM with 1MB Disc Drive
Mouse, 20 Game Software Pack,
Business Organiser, First Basic,
Basic Guide, First Music,
Owners Handbook, Atari Joystick
ONLY
£359.95
PLUS FREEH A Superb Starter Pack
including Wordprocessor, Spreadsheet, Word
Count, Spellchecker, Neochrome, Mono Monitor
Emulator, Database, Towers of Hanoi, Virus Killer,
Sensori, Fruit Machine Simulation.
CONTAINS ALL ITEMS IN PACK A
PLUS !!
Vinyl Computer Cover, Disk Cleaner
Lockable Disc Box - Holds 80 Disks,
Twin Joystick Extension Lead,
Ten DS Disks, 2nd Joystick, Mouse Mat.
ONLY
£389.95
PLUS FREEH Our Superb Starter Pack as detailed in
Pack A Above.
CONTAINS ALL ITEMS IN PACK A
PLUS !!
A Philips CM8833 Colour Monitor
with Connecting Lead
ONLY
£599.95
PLUS FREEH Our Superb Starter Pack as
detailed in Pack A Above
ATARI 520ST
ATARI 520ST with Imb DRIVE
Mouse, owners manual, Ranarma game,
sourcebook and tutorial, UK Basic Tutorial disk
ONLY
£279.95
PLUS FREEH Our Superb Starter Pack as detailed in
Pack A Above
COMMODORE AMIGA A500
MONSTER PACK
Commodore Amiga A500, Mouse,
Workbench 1.3, Workbench Extras,
Very First Tutorial Disk,
Owners Handbook,Basic Handbook,
TV Modular,Mouse Mat.
Word Processsor, Paint Package
Music Package, Title Game, Disk Storage Box -
holds 80 discs, Ten Blank Disks, Vinyl Dust
Cover, Commodore Bag, FI 8 Interceptor, Bat¬
man the Movie, N.Z. Story, Microswitch Joystick
ONLY
£ 399.95
Including VAT, Delivery and Plug.
Hurry Limited Stock of this Pack
NEW! THE MOVIE PACK
I GUiiiinuuuie Mimya mouu, iviuuse, vronajencn
1.3, Workbench Extras, Very First Tutorial Disk,
Owners Handbook, Basic Handbook, TV Modu¬
lator, Mouse Mat, PLUS!! Deluxe Paint 2, FI 8
Interceptor, New Zealand Story, Batman
ONLY
£ 369.95
' Including VAT, Delivery and Plug.
NEW! THE MOVIE + PACK
I UUiiIillUUUlc r\lIliya rwuv/, muuoc, VYUirvuciiuii
_ 1.3, Workbench Extras, Very First Tutorial Disk,
Owners Handbook, Basic Handbook, TV Modu¬
lator, Mouse Mat, PLUS!! Deluxe Paint 2, FI8
Interceptor, New Zealand Story, Batman,
PLUS!! Ten Blank Discs, Disk Storage Box -
Holds 80 disks, Microswitch Joystick, Vinyl
Cover.
ONLY
£ 389.95
Including VAT, Delivery and Plug.
MOVIE MONITOR PACK
above PLUSH A Philips CM8833 Colour Stereo
Monitor with connecting Lead
£ 599.95
No TV Modulator in this Pack
ACCESSORIES
PRINTERS
***********************
** Star LC10 Printer **
** ONLY **
** £169.95 **
* * WHILST STOCKS LAST * *
***********************
* * Star LC10 Colour Printer * *
** ONLY **
** £209.95 **
** WHILST STOCKS LAST **
***********************
Panasonic KXP1081 £169.95
Panasonic KXP1180 £189.95
Panasonic KXP1124 £269.95
Citizen 120D £138.00
Citizen 180E £158.00
Citizen HOP 45 £369.95
Star LC10/24 £259.95
All printer prices include connecting lead
***********************
** Philips CM8833 *■*
** Colour Monitor **
** ONLY £239.95 **
** INCLUDING LEAD **
***********************
| Atari SMI 24
£139.95 1
DISC DRIVES
Cumana CSA354 Imb
ST £92.95
Cumana CAX354 Imb
AM £89.95
Mail Centa Amiga 1 mb
£79.95
ACCESSORIES
ST Mouse
£24.95
Amiga Mouse
£29.95
Twin Joystick Lead
£5.95
Mouse Mat
£4.95
Amiga TV Modulator
£14.95
VINYL DUST COVERS
Amiga A500
£5.95
Atari 520STFM
£5.95
Atari 1040STFM
£5.95
Philips CM8833
£6.95
Commodore 1084/S
£6.95
Star LC10
£4.95
Star LC24/10
£4.95
Citizen 120D
£4.95
Panasonic KXP1081
£4.95
Commodore 64C
£5.95
Euromax Arcade.£15.95
Euromax Professional.£13.95
Euromax Professional +.£15.95
Euromax Professional 9000.£11.95
Euromax Elite Pistol Grip.£10.45
Euromax Ultimate.£15.95
Cheetah 125+.£6.95
Cheetah Mach 1 .£9.95
Cheetah Starprobe.£10.95
Konix Speedking.£9.95
Konix Speedking Auto Fire.£10.95
Konix Navigator Auto Fire.£11.95
Cruiser Black.£10.95
Cruiser Clear.£10.95
Cruiser Multicoloured.£8.95
Crystal Red.£10.95
Crystal Green.£10.95
Crystal Clear.£12.45
Crystal Red Auto Fire.£12.45
Crystal Green Auto Fire.£12.45
Crystal Clear Auto Fire.£13.95
PC ENGINE SOFTWARE TO CLEAR
Winning Shot.£22.95
Pacland.£22.95
Moto Roader.£22.95
Deep Blue. £22.95
Drunken Master.£22.95
Fantasy Zone.£22.95
Five Player Adaptor.£19.95
Joystick.£16.95
ATARI VCS2600 CARTRIDGES
Donkey Kong.£8.95
Carnival.£8.95
River Raid 2.£11.95
Keystone Capers.£8.95
Crossbow.£8.95
Volleyball.£8.95
Double Dragon.£11.95
16 BIT CLEARENCE SOFTWARE
Milenium 2.2 .
Puffys Saga*.
Corruption.
Fish.
Running Man.
Thunderbirds.
Flying Shark*.
Ploice Quest.
Manhunter.
* Not Atari STE
.ST .AMI
..£8.95.£8.95
..£6.95.-
..£6.95.-
..£6.95.-
.—.£7.95
.—.£7.95
..£5.95.—
.—.£9.95
.—.£9.95
MAIL - CENTA
17 CAMPBELL ST, BELPER, DERBY. DE5 1AP. TEL: 0773 826830
ALL prices include VAT and delivery. However for orders under £10.00 please add 50p handling charge. Personal callers welcome at our retail shop but
please bring this advert as prices may vary. Closed Wednesdays.All items despatched same day whenever possible. Cheques may require a seven day
clearance period. Proprietor Martin Bridges
HE PINK PAGES
121
SOMETIMES YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT TO FACE UP TO THE TRUTH. YOUR SOFTWARE COLLECTION IS GETTING YOU
DOWN, YOUR DOG'S SICK, YOUR FRIENDS ARE CONVINCED IT WAS YOU THAT LOST THE WINNING POOLS COUPON,
YOUR MOTHER HAS DECIDED YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR IMAGE, AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND (OR BOYFRIEND) HAS JUST
BECOME A MISSIONARY...THERE'S ONLY ONE THING FOR IT...GO OUT AND GET A NEW GAME. AND TO MAKE SURE YOU
REALLY SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE, HERE’S A LIST OF GAMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION.
ARCADE
STYLE
Including coin-op conversions. Games with a high fun factor
and plenty of addictive action feature in this category.
ARKANOID
Imagine • Spectrum
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs
£12.95dk • Amstrad
£8.95cs £14.95dk •
Atari XL/XE £8.95cs •
Atari ST£14.95dk*
MSX £8.95cs • IBM PC
£19.95dk
Conversion from
Arkanoid the coin-op, in
its turn the best version
of the classic Breakout
Simple in concept: the
player controls a bat at
the base of the screen,
whizzing it left and right.
The object is to keep a
small ball in play, bounc¬
ing it off the bat to
destroy formations of
bricks in the top half of
the screen. Eliminate all
the bricks and move on to
the next of 33 screens.
Clever extra features con¬
tribute to the addictive¬
ness. As a faithful coin-op
conversion, Arkanoid
comes out top, but for a
different slant on the
same theme and some
nifty music, try ASL’s
Impact which also builds
up the difficulty levels
more gradually.
★ ACE CLASSIC
BOUNDER
Gremlin Graphics • Spec¬
trum £7.95cs • C64
£9.95cs £12.95dk •
Amstrad £8.95cs
£13.95dk
A great arcade bounce-
em-up, and very addictive
too. You guide a ball as it
bounces from one plat¬
form to another, high
above the vertically
scrolling landscape. Land
on marked squares and
you can stay aloft longer
or gain a mystery bonus.
Fill in a gap or hit one of
the game's many nasties,
however, and you’ll lose a
life. Bonus bouncing sec¬
tions at the end of each
level help vary the pace,
and those tough gaps
really keep you coming
back for more. Bright,
witty graphics, great
music - and it’s so
playable.
★ ACE CLASSIC
BUBBLE BOB¬
BLE
Firebird • Spectrum
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs
£12.95dk • Amstrad
£8.95cs £14.95dk •
Atari ST £19.95dk
Playability is the essence
of this two-player coin-op
conversion. You and a
friend play bubble-blowing
dinosaurs, travelling
through 100 maze-and-
platform screens, fighting
off the ’bullies' by encap¬
sulating them in your bub¬
bles to turn them into
juicy fruit. More firepower
and various bonuses
await as you reach the
more difficult later
screens. Enormously
good fun, if a little on the
cutesy side. Can also be
played as one player
against the computer.
★ ACE RATED 958
CONQUEROR
Superior • Archimedes
£24.95dk (Amiga and ST
versions under develop¬
ment)
Drive around in your very
own tank! Blast the enemy
in close combat and plan
your strategy for the cam¬
paign. This is a tricky
game to get to grips with,
but if you persevere you'll
find you soon become
mesmerised by the thing.
If you ain't got a 1Mb
Archie though - forget it!
★ ACE RATED 931
ELIMINATOR
Hewson • Spectrum
£7.99cs £12.99dk •
C64 £9.99cs £14.99dk
★ Amstrad £9.99cs
£14.99dk# Atari ST
£19.99dk • Amiga
£19.99dk
Graphically wonderful
roadway blast-em-up by
John Phillips, which will
twist your joystick inside-
out. It'll even have you
driving on the ceiling.
Though it’s tough to get
to grips with at first, the
addiction level's so great
you'll keep coming back
for more.
★ ACE RATED 904
EXOLON
Hewson • Spectrum
£7.95cs • C64 £8.95cs
£12.95dk • Amstrad
£8.95cs £14.95dk
Graphically superb hori¬
zontally scrolling shoot-
em-up in which you run,
duck and jump your way
along a planet's surface
blasting away at alien
defences. A gun and a
missile launcher are used
to blast the foes, but if
things are still too tough
then you can grab an
exoskeleton for extra pro¬
tection and fire power.
★ ACE CLASSIC
NEW
ZEALAND
STORY
Ocean • Spectrum
£8.95cs, C64 £9.95cs,
Amstrad £9.95cs, ST
£19.99, Amiga £24.99
Although pipped at the
post in a head to head
with Rainbow Islands, New
Zealand Story is not a
game to be ruled out. It is
immense fun to play, pro¬
vides lots of varied action
across many levels. Defi¬
nitely worth checking out.
★ ACE RATED 875
OIDS
Mirrorsoft • Atari ST
£19.99dk
A magnificent Thrust-ish
blast. The Oids are relying
on you to save them, but
the Biocretes aren’t going
to let them go without
throwing missiles, rockets
and a number of other
weapons at you. Included
with the program is an
edit facility that allows
you to design your own
planetoids - great stuff!
★ ACE RATED 969
PITSTOP 2
Epyx/US Gold • Available
only on Epyx Epics compi¬
lation • C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk • IBM PC
£29.95dk
(in compilation with Win¬
ter Games and Summer
Games 2)
Thrilling racing game
where the screen is split
into two and you can race
the computer or a friend.
Lots of different Grand
Prix circuits, tyre blow¬
outs and of course the all-
important pitstops guar¬
antee to give you hand
cramp and your brain a
real racing treat.
★ ACE CLASSIC
POWER-
DROME
Electronic Arts • Atari ST
£24.95dk
This superb arcade-style
futuristic driving simula¬
tion will have you
enthralled for months to
come. It may not be terri¬
bly easy to get straight
into but it's well worth
persevering with. You'll be
playing this for months.
★ ACE RATED 925
PURPLE SAT¬
URN DAY
Exxos • Atari ST
£24.95dk • Amiga
£24.95
A terrific mix of games
that delivers punch both
audio and visual. The con¬
sistently good gameplay
ensures you'll enjoy play¬
ing each sub-game time
and again. It's a little
tricky to get the hang off,
but master it and you'll be
pleased you persevered.
★ ACE RATED 912
RAINBOW
ISLANDS
Firebird, Spectrum
£9.95cs £14.95dk, C64
£9.99cs $14.99dk,
Amstrad £9.99cs
£14.99dk, ST £24.99,
Amiga £24.99
The sequel to Bubble Bob¬
ble is nothing short of fan¬
tastic. The graphics and
sound are superb, as is
the gameplay.
One of the best (and
cutest arcade conver-
PINK PAG
sions of the year that
should not be missed.
★ ACE RATED 934
RVF
Microstyle, ST £24.99,
Amiga £29.99
RVF offers a near endless
supply of fast paced bike
action as you race your
Honda RVF. Attention to
detail is paid out all along
the route with your rider
giving the bike a push
start after a crash.
An excellent mix of
arcade and simulation.
★ ACE RATED 915
SPIDERTRON-
IC
Ere International • Atari
ST £19.95dk
Guide your spider-like
character around the
game area, collecting
coloured panels in the
correct order. The built-in
construction set means
you'll be knocking out
your own levels till the
cows come home.
★ ACE RATED 903
SUMMER
GAMES
Epyx/US Gold • C64
£9.95 cs £14.95dk •
IBM PC £29.95dk
Epyx sporting simulations
are of high quality but
none have quite captured
the playability and style of
the 'original Summer
Games and its immediate
successor, Summer
Games 2. One to six play¬
ers can take part in high
jump, gymnastics, spring¬
board diving, clay pigeon
shooting, swimming, pole
vault - and others - with
lovely large graphics and
smooth animation
throughout. Control of
your athlete can be com¬
plex so practice is recom¬
mended.
★ ACE CLASSIC
SUPER
SPRINT
Electric Dreams • C64
£9.99cs £14.99dk
Amstrad £9.99cs Spec¬
trum £9.99cs • Atari ST
£19.99dk
One of the better coin-op
conversions currently
available. With up to three
players all competing at
once, the action is fast
ADVENTURES
After a brief surge of RPG_related
popularity, the traditional text-entry
adventure is rapidly disappearing.
But for those of you who savour the
powers of the imagination, the ver¬
bal twist, and the thrill of encounter¬
ing other characters, this game
genre still has much to recommend
it. Here are some of the all-time
great computer fantasies...
and furious and it will take
a finely-tuned car to com¬
plete some of the more
tortuous circuits that
appear later in the game.
★ ACE RATED 907
THRUST
Firebird • Spectrum
£1.99cs • C64 £1.99cs
★ Amstrad £1.99cs
Terrifyingly sensitive con¬
trols and a large helping
of real-life physics make
this budget title an abso¬
lute must. Flying down
through the caverns of an
enemy-held planet, you
have to pick up fuel and
destroy hostile gun tur¬
rets without crashing into
the tunnel walls. Tough
enough as it is, but then
you've got to make the
return journey with a
heavy load slung under
your craft. Very mean,
very addictive.
★ ACE CLASSIC
URIDIUM
Hewson • Spectrum
£8.95cs • C64 £9.95cs
£12.95dk • BBC
£9.95cs £14.95dk
The piece de resistance
of scrolling shoot-em-ups:
blast the dreadnought and
attacking ships while
dodging around any large
structures. Great metallic-
looking dreadnoughts and
the smoothest scrolling
you'll ever see put this
head and shoulders above
the opposition. A game
not to be missed, espe¬
cially now that C64 ver¬
sions come packaged
with the excellent
Paradroid.
ACE CLASSIC
ZARCH/
VIRUS
Superior Software •
Archimedes £19.95dk •
Firebird (16 and 8-bit ver¬
sions) Amiga £19.95dk
★ Atari ST £19.95dk#
Some 8-bit versions under
development
A solid three dimensional
shoot-em-up with such
graphic perfection and
timelessly addictive game-
play that it became an
instant classic. Now the
16-bit versions have
arrived and they're just as
good as the 32-bit ver¬
sions.
★ ACE RATED 981
BEYOND
ZORK
Infocom/Activision • C64
£19.99dk • PC £24.99dk
• Amiga £24.99dk • Atari
ST £24.99dk
Infocom's attempt to mus¬
cle in on the role-playing
market is a great success.
Locate the fabulous
Coconut of Quendor in a
game that combines the
wit and ingenuity of one of
the world's most original
software companies with
state-of-the-art parsing and
gameplay. Text-only, but
with an on-screen mapping
facility.
★ ACE RATED 902
CORRUPTION
Rainbird • Atari ST
£24.95dk® Amiga
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk
• Spectrum £15.95dk#
C64 £17.95dk • Amstrad
6128 £19.95dk
This tale of insider deal¬
ings, infidelity and crooked
business deals is unlikely
to appeal to adventurers
who prefer to wander
through vast dungeon net¬
works seeking treasure.
But for those who are fed
up with traditional adven¬
turing, it's like a breath of
fresh air. Superb graphics,
great atmosphere and a
nail-biting plot makes this a
terrific game that grips
from the start.
★ ACE RATED 920
FISH
Magnetic Scrolls • PC
£24.99dk Amiga
£24.99dk
More gameplay than Cor¬
ruption, better game
design than Jinxter, and
not as quirky as The
Pawn. This is definitely
MS's best release since
Guild Of Thieves. Good
stuff indeed.
★ ACE RATED
GUILD OF
THIEVES
Rainbird • C64 £19.95dk
• Spectrum £15.95dk®
Amstrad 6128 £19.95dk
• Amiga £24.95dk • Atari
ST £24.95dk • PC
£24.95dk
One of Britain's newer
adventure software houses
- Magnetic Scrolls - man¬
aged to produce a tradi¬
tional treasure hunt with
superb graphics and some
very tricky puzzles. Power¬
ful parser helps to create
a convincing game world
with humour and imagina¬
tion.
★ ACE CLASSIC
INGRIDS
BACK
Level 9 • Atari ST
£19.95dk
A great follow-up to
Gnome Ranger. Level 9
have really got to grips
with the use of characters
in their games and how to
program them very effec¬
tively.
• ACE RATED 920
JEWELS OF
DARKNESS
Rainbird • C64 £14.95cs
• Spectrum 128 £14.95cs
• Amstrad £14.95cs
£19.95dk • PC £19.95dk
• Amiga £19.95dk • Atari
ST £19.95dk
Level 9 have put together
three of their classic
releases, Colossal Adven¬
ture, Dungeon Adventure
and Adventure Quest in
one bundle. The games
have been updated with
graphics and larger vocab¬
ularies and are as close to
the original spirit of adven¬
turing as you're likely to
find.
★ ACE CLASSIC
LURKING
HORROR
Infocom/Mediagenic •
C64 £19.99dk • ST
£24.99 I Amiga £24.99 •
PC £24.99
Infocom's tribute to H.P.
Lovecraft and the horror-
fantasy genre sends you
into a cold sweat as you
discover something very
nasty lurking beneath your
college laboratory. Superb
text-only game that defies
you to play it after dark...
★ ACE CLASSIC
TIME AND
MAGIK
Mandarin • Spectrum
£14.95cs£14.95dk®
C64 £14.95cs £14.95dk
• Amstrad £14.95cs
£14.95dk® Atari ST
£19.99dk® Amiga
£19.99dk«PC £19.99dk
This compilation of the
Level 9 games, Lords Of
Time, Red Moon and The
Price Of Magik have been
re-vamped with better
parsing, bigger vocabular¬
ies and pictures added.
Superb value if you don't
already own them.
★ ACE RATED 919
ZORK ZERO
Infocom Versions due out
about now. Watch this
space for price info.
Highly enjoyable with a
variety of challenges that
make for instant addic¬
tion. A bit more character
interaction would have
made this a real
humdinger, but even so it
remains one of the best
games of the year so far.
★ ACE RATED
PUZZLES
If you're after a game that will pro*
vide you with a real challenge,
without necessarily requiring large
doses of strategic thinking, then
it's a puzzle game you want.
BONE-
CRUNCHER
Superior Software • C64
£9.95csl 1.95dk • Amiga
£14.95
At first sight this recent
release may appear to be
nothing more than a boul-
derdash rip-off. However
there are a number of
innovative gameplay fea¬
tures which give
Bonecruncher a feel all of
its own. Highly recom¬
mended for those who pre¬
fer to solve problems
rather than shoot them.
★ ACE RATED 948 -
AMIGA
BOULDERDASH
Prism Leisure Corporation
• Spectrum £2.99cs •
C64 £2.99cs • Amstrad
£2.99cs
A game that has every¬
thing - instant addiction,
long-term challenge, fre¬
netic excitement as the
clock ticks down and
extremely tricky puzzles.
You must collect jewels
hidden in caverns, digging
away earth and boulders
to get tat them. Boulders
can drop and cause you
serious damage, while the
jewels are often hidden by
seemingly impenetrable
walls. Complex but great
fun. Boulderdash is a clas¬
sic you can't afford to
miss in its budget incarna¬
tion.
★ ACE CLASSIC
DEFLEKTOR
Gremlin/Vortex • C64
£9.99cs • Spectrum
£7.99cs • ST £19.95dk
Optics are the order of the
day here (not the spirit dis¬
pensers) as the player
tries to connect a laser
beam to a receiver and at
the same time destroy a
INK
ES -I 23
number of cells that are
on screen as well. You'll
need to make full use of
the mirrors, fibre-optic
conduits and polarising
and refracting blocks if
you're to achieve your
aim. Clear the first screen
and you'll only have 59
more to do. Fascinating
stuff that's horribly addic¬
tive.
★ ACE RATED 906 -
ST
NEBULUS
Hewson • C64 £9.99cs
£14.99 dk^ Atari ST
£14.99 dk
Guide pogo to the top of
eight towers using the spi¬
ral of platforms, lifts and
ledges that form the
route. It's a highly original
game that strikes a fine
balance between frustra¬
tion and addiction, added
to which is the rotary
scroll, thus making it a
good-looking, playable
winner of a game.
★ ACE RATED 943 -
C64
SENTINEL
Firebird • Spectrum £9.95
cs • C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk •Amstrad
£9.95Cs £14.95 dk •
Atari ST £19.95dk®
Amiga £19.99dk
Bizarre and compelling
strategy game played
over the chequered sur¬
face of a planet dominat¬
ed by the Sentinel. Funda¬
mentally you have to
absorb energy while trying
to stop the Sentinel from
absorbing yours. A clean
brain and fast trigger fin¬
ger are both necessary in
this very original and large
-10,000 possible land¬
scapes - game.
★ ACE RATED 963 -
AMIGA
SKULL
DIGGERY
Nexus® Atari ST £19.95
Boulderdash clone that
completely outdoes the
original on this particular
machine. Again (see Boul¬
derdash above) you're dig¬
ging for diamonds in cav¬
erns over a hundred differ¬
ent screens - with a time
limit for each screen.
Skulldiggery scores on
playability (easier screens
to begin with and a choice
of starting point) and its
entertaining two-player
option.
★ ACE RATED 919-ST
SPORE
Bulldog • C64 £1.99cs •
Amstrad £1.99cs • Spec¬
trum £1.99cs
The winning combination
of strategy, frenzied blast¬
ing and great graphics
make Spore a worthy full-
priced release - what a
bargain then to be able to
pick it up for £1.99!
★ ACE RATED 919-
C64
TETRIS
Mirrorsoft • Spectrum
£8.99 cs • C64 £8.99cs
£12.99dk •Amstrad
£8.99cs £12.99 dk •
Atari ST£19.95dk#
Amiga £19.99dk#IBM
PC £19.99dk
A fascinating geometrical
oddity, this Russian puz¬
zler turns the obscure
mathematical topic of
packing into a cult game.
One at a time, shapes fall
downwards into a rectan¬
gular playing area. Left to
their own devices they'll
pile up until they reach the
top of the screen; your
task is to guide them
down and pack them tight¬
ly so that doesn't happen.
Different versions have
proved to be rather vari¬
able in their arcade
aspects, but the brilliantly
simple idea behind them
means they're well worth
a look whatever your
machine.
★ ACE RATED 959 -
C64
THINK!
Firebird • C64 £1.99cs •
Amstrad £1.99cs • Spec¬
trum £1.99cs
Originally released by Ario-
lasoft at full price, but now
available for a fraction of
that from Firebird. It's a
horribly addictive game
played on a 6x6 grid -
either one or two player -
in which you attempt to
connect four counters,
horizontally, vertically or
diagonally.
★ ACE CLASSIC
XOR
Logotron • BBC £9.95cs
£12.85dk • Amstrad
£9.95cs £14.95dk«
Spectrum £7.95cs
Extremely tricky maze
game involving the player
controlling two shields, and
collecting masks through 15
mazes, which increase in
complexity as you progress.
Also in later stages, fish and
chickens lie in wait, often
blocking the masks and just
waiting to fall on you and
ATF
Digital Integration • C64
£8.95cs £12.95dk •
Amstrad £8.95cs
£12.95dk® Spectrum
£8.95cs £13.95dk
Excellent combat/flight
simulator that's a bit of a
change for Digital Integra¬
tion, the simulation spe¬
cialist. The emphasis is on
solid action, the result
being a sure-fire hit.
★ ACE RATED 956 -
SPECTRUM
DARK SIDE
Incentive • C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk •Amstrad
£9.95cs £14.95dk®
Spectrum £9.95cs
£14.95dk
The second game using
the Freescape program¬
ming system, which sets
more of an arcade chal¬
lenge. The 3-D graphics
are again superb as are
the tasks and puzzles.
★ ACE RATED 915-
AMSTRAD
ELITE
Firebird • C64 £14.95cs
£17.95dk • Amstrad
£12.95cs£14.95dk®
Spectrum £14.95cs •
BBC £13.95cs £14.95dk
(available from Superior
software)
Still the best space trading
game, Elite set a standard
for other companies to fol¬
low. One of the first space
games to use vector
graphics, it's a shooting
and trading effort set
across several galaxies,
with plenty of variety to
the game play. You can
trade legal goods in (rela¬
tively) safe systems, or
run the gauntlet of pirates
in the galaxies' danger
spots with your hold full of
contraband. Either way
bring your quest to a prema¬
ture end. Later still, things
hot up as bombs, trans¬
porters and dolls conspire
against you. Smooth
scrolling, simple graphics,
this one requires planning to
complete successfully.
there's a nice line in zero-G
dogfighting, and as big a
task as you'll find any¬
where.
★ ACE CLASSIC
INCREDIBLE
SHRINKING
SPHERE
Electric Dreams • C64
£8.99cs £14.99dk •
Amstrad £9.99cs
£14.99dk •Spectrum
£9.99cs £14.99dk • Atari
ST £19.99dk • Amiga
£24.99dk
A manic maze world where
mass, size and inertia
combine to provide wicked
gameplay. Tricky puzzles
and endless nasty obsta¬
cles will have you rolling
around in delight.
★ ACE RATED 923 -
C64
Ml TANK PLA¬
TOON
Microprose • PC
£39.99dk
This is a welcome break
from flight-sims that
boasts enough detail to
keep even the most com¬
pulsive nitpicker happy,
and at the same time has
a breadth of challenge and
combat scenarios that
should satisfy the most
ardent gamester. A winner.
★ ACE RATED 926
MAGNETRON-
Firebird • C64 £8.95cs
£12.95dk • Spectrum
£8.95cs £12.95dk
Puzzles and action Steve
Turner style. Save the
world by dismantling eight
satellites. Steal parts from
enemy droids to upgrade
your own droid and hopeful¬
ly make your job a little eas¬
ier. The ideal game for
Quazatron fans looking for
a similar, new challenge.
★ ACE RATED 904 -
SPECTRUM
QUEDEX
Thalamus • C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk
In this impressively chal¬
lenging game you must
steer a metallic ball
through ten different
screens of mazes, bonus¬
es and obstacles, all within
a set time limit. This simple
game concept has a host
of added features to make
it particularly pleasing: you
can carry over unused time
to the next screen, for
example, and tackle the dif¬
ferent screens or 'planes'
in any order you wish.
Excellent graphics and
utterly absorbing play.
★ ACE RATED 934 -
C64
SPINDIZZY
Electric Dreams • C64
£9.95cs £14.95dk •
Spectrum £9.95cs •
Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95
Disk
Tremendous stuff; steer
your spinning top over
tough obstacles and col¬
lect jewels, against a
fiendish time limit. The
game landscape is a vast
system of catwalks,
ramps, towers and trampo¬
lines surrounded by lethal
drops - and NO safety rails.
Floor switches activate lifts
and bridge traps, but trip¬
ping them in the right order
can be harder than it looks.
A few bad guys and a lot of
nice touches, but the
explorations the thing.
★ ACE CLASSIC
STARGLIDER
II
Rainbird • Atari ST
£24.95dk • Amiga
£24.99dk
One of the finest examples
of a game using vector
graphics to their full advan¬
tage, gets the solid 3D
treatment and comes out
looking every bit a winner.
You've got a large task to
complete and there’s plen¬
ty of Egron's to destroy,
making this combination of
blasting and exploration
that stands head above the
competition.
★ ACE RATED 927 - ST
STAR TREK V
Mindscape • PC £34.99dk
★ MAC £34.99dk
SPECIALS
Original works that are simply
unclassifiable feature in this sec'
tion.
This is easily the best inter¬
pretation of Star Trek yet.
The gameplay provides
absorbing and challenging
hours of fun. A must for
Trekkies and an entertain¬
ing space strategy /simula¬
tor for everyone else.
★ ACE RATED 930
TAU CETI/
ACADEMY
CRL« C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk • Amstrad
£9.95cs £14.95dk •
Spectrum £9.95cs • Atari
ST £19.99dk •Amiga
£19.95
Flight simulator/shoot 'em
up and its sequel which are
both incredibly smooth and
well put together. The
attention to detail is impec¬
cable as you set off on
hair-raising missions as a
space cadet. In Academy
you get to design your own
space skimmer craft as
well.
★ ACE CLASSIC
TOTAL
ECLIPSE
Incentive • C64 £9.95cs
£12.95dk •Amstrad
£9.95cs £12.95dk • Spec¬
trum £9.95cs £14.95dk
The third game using the
Freescape system is a bit
of a departure from the
first two, but it's still an
incredible game. In total
eclipse you’re battling
against time back in the
1930‘s trying to prevent
the moon exploding. For
arcade adventurers who
love puzzles, the
Freescape system is a god¬
send.
★ ACE RATED 907-
AMSTRAD
WIZBALL
OCEAN® C64£8.95cs
£14.95dk • Amstrad
£8.95cs$12.95dk« Spec¬
trum £8.95cs £14.95dk
Become Wizball and con¬
quer the 'colour creatures'
which are intent on eliminat¬
ing the spectrum and ren¬
dering the landscape grey
and drab. One of the most
playable games around,
despite the simple sce¬
nario.
ACE Classic
-I 24 TH
INK PAG
RPQ
Role-playing games have exerted
an enormous influence on modern
game-styles. They combine the
atmosphere of text adventures with
the action of arcade games and the
brain exercise of strategy - but
their graphical presentatio tends to
be weaker than other game genres.
Gameplay centres around develop¬
ing characters by raising their
experience and skill levels in con¬
flict with other, computer-controlled
nasties. All that - and a quest too....
THE BARD S
TALE II
Electronic Arts, C64
£16.95, Amiga £24.95dk
plete, full game. A bril¬
liant RPG purchase even
though it missed out on
an Ace rating.
★ ACE RATED 801
The highly successful pre¬
decessor to Bards Tale III.
BTII has the advantage of
being slightly easier to
advance. THe Amiga ver¬
sion features some very
nice sampled monk chants
when you enter a temple
and excellently coloured
graphics. And of course,
you can update your
favourite characters, their
attributes and equipment
for use in BT III.
★ ACE RATED 920
THE BARD S
TALE Bll
Electronic Arts • C64
£14.95dk
The latest Bard's Tale
game offers a number of
refinements over its pre¬
decessors (all of which
are still well worth taking
a good look at). First, the
graphics are better ani¬
mated. Second, there
are ranged combat rou¬
tines which take careful
account of the distance
between you and your
opponents. Finally, the
game's large and repre¬
sents excellent value for
money.
★ ACE RATED 920
BATTLETECH
Infocom, PC £29.95, ST
Battletech features some
incredible cartoon
sequences, arcade style
action, role play and
strategy. In short a com-
DUNGEON
MASTER
Electronic Arts • C64
£14.95dk
Quoted as being a "mile¬
stone in Advanced Com¬
puter Entertainment",
Dungeon Master offers
14 levels, loads of
spells, atmospheric
graphics and sound. All
going to make Dungeon
Master one of the best
roleplaying adventures to
have appeared on any
machine.
★ ACE RATED 949
POOL OF
RADIANCE
US GOLD/SSI
• C64 £14.99dk
SSI were very brave to
attempt to capture the
complex concept of the
AD&D system on a com¬
puter, but they managed
superbly. An RPG-influ-
enced game that will
appeal to not only AD&D
fans but to anyone look¬
ing for an enthralling
game that will keep them
playing for months.
★ ACE RATED 921
ULTIMA V
OriginSystems/Microprose
# C64 £24.95dk e PC
£29.95 • ST/Amiga to be
announced
Astonishing level of detail
in this role-playing influ¬
enced epic. Travel round
Britannia trashing the
opposition and learning the
magical, tactical, and
geographical secrets that
will enable you to defeat
the forces of evil far under¬
ground. Superb romp,
great lasting interest, and
tough challenges galore.
★ ACE RATED 928
WASTELAND
Electronic Arts • C64
£14.95dk
Charge around irradiated
USA whopping mutant bun¬
nies and biker scum in this
role-playing epic. The
atmosphere may not be
as good as the Bard's
Tale series of games, but
the extra dimension of
strategy leaves the cut,
slash and spell scenario of
the BT series way behind.
★ ACE RATED 921
BRAIN GAMES
Fed up with mindless blasting? Want a game that offers you an opponent who's
worthy of your skills? Then this is your section...
CHESS MAS¬
TER 2000
Electronic Arts • C64
£9.95cs £14.95dk •
Amiga £24.95dk • Atari
ST £24.95dk • IBM PC
£24.95dk
Strongest chess game on
the Amiga, with excellent
graphics, 2D or 3D view¬
point, 12 levels of difficul¬
ty and all the playing
options you could wish for.
Plus some fairly nifty
speech synthesis.
★ ACE CLASSIC
COLOSSUS
CHESS 4
CDS® C64 £9.95cs
£14.95dk • Amstrad
£9.95cs £14.95dk®
Spectrum £9.95
Best bet for 8-bit machine
owners, with a choice of
2D or 3D view, umpteen
levels of difficulty, and a
myriad options which
enable you to play, watch,
work out chess problems,
etc against a fine comput¬
er opponent.
★ ACE CLASSIC
COLOSSUS
MAH JONG
CDS® C64 £9.99cs
£14.99dk • Amstrad
£9.99cs £14.99dk
Rummy-like oriental game
of stratagy and chance. A
tutor program and a short
manual make this an easy
to use and highly entertain¬
ing piece of software for
veterans and novices
alike..
★ ACE RATED 937 -
C64
INFOGRAMES 1
BRIDGE
Infogrames • Amstrad
£12.95cs £15.95dk •
MSX £12.95
Graphically the best of all
contract bridge simula¬
tions, with large playing
cards depicted against a
suitably green baize back¬
ground. Plays a good
game (for a computer,
which after all is a bit
short in the imangination
and flair department), and
features a wide range of
options and bidding con¬
ventions which you can
toggle of according to
your style.
★ ACE CLASSIC
POWERPLAY
Arcana® C64£8.95cs
£14.95dk • Amstrad
£8.95cs £14.95dk •
Amiga £19.95dk • Atari
ST £19.95dk
If you want to try out your
general knowledge, we
reckon you'd be better off
with this original and chal¬
lenging combination of
strategy game and quiz
than with the admittedly
monster selling Trivial Pur¬
suits. Powerplay is graphi¬
cally very pretty in its set¬
ting on Mount Olympus,
home of the Gods.
★ ACE RATED 935 -
Amiga
SCRABBLE
Leisure Genius • C64
£12.95cs £14.95dk •
Amstrad £9.95cs £14.95
★ IBM PC £24.95dk
The hugely popular word
game translated very suc¬
cessfully onto the micro.
Fast, excellent display, and
a suprisingly large vocabu¬
lary (even if it does include
some strange looking
words on some occa¬
sions). Good enough to
give even strong human
opponents a tough game
at the higher levels.
★ ACE CLASSIC
WAR GAMES
Fancy yourself as a master of grand strategy, marshalling hordes of troops and
sending them of to do battle on your behalf? Look no further than the ACE war
games section...
ARNHEM
CCS, Spectrum £8.95cs,
Amstrad £9.95cs, C64
£9.95cs
One of the oldest quality
wargames featured in the
section, Arnham was easi-
oly the best in the field. It
has all the expected atmo¬
sphere, five seperate sce¬
narios and one of the
toughest computer oppo¬
nents you could ever wa't
to meet. A thoroughly
absobing wargame which
can be classed as one of
the old masters.
★ ACE RATED 910
CONFLICT
EUROPE
Mirrorsoft, ST 24.99,
Amiga £24.99, PC TBA
The 16 bit progression of
Theatre Europe. Lots of
extra graphical and sound
effects. The computer
controlled intelligence was
marginally sophisticated
but still enough to give a
challenging game. The
correct balance between
strategy and exitement
throughout. Great for
beginners and intermedi¬
ate players.
★ ACE RATED 882
THEATRE
EUROPE
PSS, Spectrum £9.95cs,
C64 £0.95cs £14.95dk,
Amstrad £9.95cs
£14.95dk
The perfect game for 8 bit
owners who go green with
envy when they look at
Conflict Europe. Theatre
Europe is the forerunner to
the excellent 16 bit game.
The graphics and overall
play are not as sophisticat¬
ed, but on the whole it still
is one heck of a game.
★ ACE RATED 915
UMS
Rainbird, ST £24.95, PC
£24.95, Macintosh
£34.95, Amiga £24.95
Probably the greatest war
game to date. UMS' uniqe
3D systems enables the
creation of almost any bat¬
tle in history. As well as a
very sophisticated comput¬
er opponents yet. On top
of this are add on scenar¬
ios and a very neat con¬
duction kit to keep you
going for even longer. An
essential purchase
★ ACE RATED 907
.
Isa fiHo
PINK PAGES 1 25
FLIGHT SIMULATIONS
How about flying the latest US Stealth Fighter on a mission over Siberia? Or perhaps a quick flight over Hawaii would be
more relaxing? Computer flight simulations can fulfill any flight of fancy
BATTLE-
HAWKS 1942
Lucasfilm Games/US Gold
# ST £24.95dk • Amiga
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk
A WWII NAVAL AIR
COMBAT SIMULATOR
COVERING THE FOUR
MOST IMPORTANT BAT¬
TLES OF THE 1942
PACIFIC WAR. FOR
KNUCKLE-WHITENING
ACTION THIS ONE HAS
EVERYTHING-THE
SENSE OF BEING
THERE’ IS TREMDOUS.
THRILLING AND SUR-
PRISNGLY ADDICTIVE
STUFF.
★ ACE RATED
928
BOMBER
Activision • Spectrum
£14.99cs £19.99dk •
C64 £14.99cs £19.99dk
• Amstrad £14.99cs
£19.99dk • ST £24.99dk
• Amiga £24.99dk • PC
£34.99dk
Vector Grafix has spent a
long time on this one -
and it certainly shows. The
game gets the balance
just right between convinc¬
ing simulation and enter¬
taining game. Highly rec¬
ommended.
• ACE RATED
925
CHUCK
YEAGERS
ADVANCED
FLIGHT
TRAINER
Electronic Arts • Spec¬
trum • C64 • CPC • ST
• Amiga • PC £24.95dk
Fly a multiude of aircraft
from an early bi-plane to
the Space Shuttle. It s
entertainingly different
from your standard flight
sim and there's so much in
this game that it will take
many hours of instructive
fun to experience and
master all the available
options.
★ ACE RATED
912
F-16 COMBAT
PILOT
Digital Integration • ST
£24.95dk • Amiga
£24.95dk • PC £24.95dk
This took nine person
years to develop, and you
can feel that quality of
work when playing it - it's
one of the most realistic
flight sims on the market.
If you are a connoisseur of
flight simulators then this
is an essential addition to
your collection.
★ ACE RATED
970
FALCON
Spectrum Holobyte/Mirror-
soft • ST £24.95dk •
Amiga £24.95dk • PC
£24.95dk • MAC
If you really want the ter¬
ror, exhilaration and sheer
everything-happens-at-
once confusion of combat
flying, this game delivers.
Make no mistake, this
game is the real thing. An
essential purchase for
fastyet fans.
★ ACE RATED
945
FLIGHT
SIMULATOR II
Sublogic • C64
£39.95dk • ST £49.95dk
• Amiga £49.95dk • PC
£49.95dk • MAC
£49.95dk
The flight sim that put the
genre on to the map. Thor¬
oughly realistic flight sim
of a domestic Cessna
plane, which is even used
by flight schools to train
would be pilots. Can be
enhanced by a variety of
Scenery Disks.
★ ACE CLASSIC
INTERCEPTOR
Electronic Arts • Amiga
£24.95dk
A low level flight sim with a
hi-level of fun.Purists may
dispute the label 'simula¬
tor' - it certainly wouldn't
train you to fly a real life
Hornet - but this program
combines realism and
gameplay far too well for
that to matter. If you want
seat-of-the-pants air com¬
bat action, miraculous
graphics and NO six
month training period, look
no further!
★ ACE RATED
934
RACING SIMULATIONS
In You can’t have too much of a good thing, even if the excitement is liable to giv ethe old ticker a good going over. Racing
sims have really come into their own over the past couple of years - and this is where you find out how to get the best of
motor raciong action - all from the comfort of that armchair in fromt of your computer....
LOMBARD
RAC RALLY
Mandarin • ST • Amiga
• PC
Race through many types
of terrain, such as moun¬
tain or forest, and through
many types of weather
condition, such as fog or
night. The game has a
nice atmosphere, and
though the variety of
gameplay may be a little
low, it's still a game you'd
be playing for a good
while.
FERRARI
FORMULA
ONE
Electronic Arts • ST
£24.99dk • Amiga
£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk
A bit old this one, but still
a game that was way
ahead of its time to start
with. Take the wheel of a
Formula One Ferrari racer
on some of the most
famous racecourses in the
world. A true thorough¬
bred.
R.V.F.
Microstyle • ST £24.99dk
• Amiga £24.99dk
The champion in the Best
Sprite Based Racing Game
stakes, and a superb simu¬
lation, this one puts you
into the world of perfor¬
mance bike racing on none
other than the Honda
RVF750. Brilliant graphics,
brilliant sound, brilliant
game.
STUNT CAR
RACER
Microstyle • Spectrum
£9.99cs £14.99dk • C64
£9.99cs £14.99dk • ST
£24.99dk • Amiga
£24.99dk • PC £24.99dk
This places itself in the
annals of computer history
as being one of the most
amazing spectacles to
watch, let alone play. The
game is first-person per¬
spective, with the outside
world made up of really
fast smooth filled vectors,
and the impression of real¬
ism is unbelievable. An
amazing experience, and a
clear winner. Where can
things go from here?
SUPER HANG
ON
Electric Dreams • Spec¬
trum £9.99cs • C64
£9.99cs £14.99dk •
Amstrad £9.99cs
£14.99dk • ST £24.99dk
• Amiga £24.99dk
Not so much a simulation
as a perfect arcade con¬
version of a brilliant bike
racing Sega coin-op.
Great game, excellent con¬
version.
THE DUEL -
TEST DRIVE II
Accolade • C64 • ST •
Amiga • PC • MAC
Accolade tried to right all
the Test Drive wrongs with
this sequel, and to an
extent they succeeded.
There’s nothing serious
about the game. It’s just a
lot of fun. It doesn’t claim
to be technically or visually
accurate, but why should
it?
THE BOOKS YOU HAVE TO
HAVE!
If you ever find it possible to drag yourself away
from your computer and watch the TV instead you
might have seen a programme on BBC last month
about computer junkies - those people who just
can’t get enough of their micros and are quite
happy to burn the midnight oil just to be with them.
The program suggested that such activities might
be unhealthy (could it be true?). Never being a
magazine to promote ill health ACE has decided to
back a sensible, adult activity, namely READING.
So here goes with the books you have to have:
1. Doctor Seuss's ABC - A very colourful read,
and just the right place to start if you've never
done any before.
2. Fox in Sox - A toungue twisting Dr. Seuss book
for more advanced readers.
3. Dougal and the Blue Cat - Probably the best
book ever written (well, with pictures anyway).
4. Any Pooh Book - Any hours you spend with the
bear of little brain are hours well-spent. All the
philospophy you need for survival is contained
herin.
5. The Tao of Pooh - All that philosophy explained!
PREMIER MAIL ORDER
8 BIT TITLES
16 BIT TITLES
GAME
SPEC
CBM
AMS
CASS
DISC CASS
DISC CASS
DISC
Airbourne Ranger
6.99
9.99
9.99
13.99
9.99
13.99
Altered Beast
6.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
APB
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Bards Tale
2.99
2.99
5.99
2.99
Bards Tale 2 or 3
12.99
Batman The Movie
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Battlechess
10.99
*Beach Volley
6.50
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Bomber
10.99
13.99
10.99
13.99
10.99
13.99
Buggy Boy
2.99
2.99
2.99
Cabal
6.50
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Carrier Command
9.99
13.99
9.99
13.99
13.99
Carriers at War
14.99
Chase HQ
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Continental Circus
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Crazy Cars 2
6.50
6.50
9.99
Cricket Master
6.50
6.50
6.50
Curse of Azure Bands
*Cyberball
Double Dragon 2
Dragon Spirit
Dragon Ninja
Dynamite Dux
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.50 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
Emlyn Hughes FBall 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
Fighting Soccer 6.99
Foot Man 2 Exp Kit 5.50
Football Director
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
5.50 7.99 5.50 7.99
6.50
Football Manager 1 2.99
6.45
2.99
Football Manager 2 6.99 9.99 6.99
Forgotten World 6.99 7.50
6.45
2.99
6.99 9.99
7.45
Fun School 2 (6-8)
7.99
9.99
7.99
9.99
Fun School2 (Over 8)
7.99
9.99
7.99
9.99
Fun School 2 (Under 6) 7.99
9.99
7.99
9.99
Game,Set & Match 2
8.99
8.99
Garfield Winter
6.00
6.50
9.99
Ghostbusters 2
6.99
6.99
9.99
Ghouls and Ghosts
7.50
7.50
10.99
* Golden Shoe
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Grand Prix Circuit
7.45
10.99
Gunship
6.99
9.99
9.99
13.99
Hard Drivin
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Hillstar
13.99
Indy Jones Crusade
6.99
8.90
10.99
Ikari Warriors
2.99
2.99
*Klax
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Kick Off
6.99
6.99
9.99
Laser Squad
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
License to Kill
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Mega Mix
8.99
8.99
12.99
Micro Soccer
6.99
9.99
9.99
13.99
Mini Office 2
10.99
13.99
Mr Heli
6.99
6.99
Myth
7.99
7.99
New Zealand Story
6.50
9.99
6.99
9.99
Ninja Warriors
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
100% Dynamite
9.99
9.99
12.99
Operation Thunderbolt6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
Operation Wolf
6.50
9.99
6.99
9.99
2.99
Pitstop 2
Quaterback
*Rainbow Islands
Red Heat
Red Storm Rising
Rick Dangerous
Robocop
Rocket Ranger
Run the Gauntlet
Shinobi
Shoot em up con Kit
Shoot Out
Silent Service
Skate or Die
Speedball
Star Wars Trilogy
Strider
Stunt Car Racer
Super Wonderboy
Taito Coin Op
The Biz
The In Crowd
The National
Tolkien Trilogy
Toobin
Tracksuit Manager
Turbo Outrun
Tusker
Ultimate Golf
Untouchables
Vendetta
6.99
2.99
6.99
6.99
7.99
6.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
5.99 7.50 6.50
9.99 12.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
5.99 9.99 6.50 9.99 6.50 9.99
12.99
5.99
3.99 6.99 3.99
6.99
8.99
8.99
8.99 12.99 8.99
8.99
8.99
6.50
7.50
7.99
6.50
6.99
6.99
GAME...
6.50 9.99 6.50 9.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
10.99 14.99
7.45 10.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99 10.50 7.50 10.99 7.45 10.99
7.99 9.99
8.99 10.99 8.99 10.99 8.99 10.99
6.99 ' 7.50 9.99 7.50 9.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99
8.50
8.99
8.99
6.99
8.99
6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
6.99
8.99 13.99 8.99 13.99
7.50 10.99 7.50
7.99 7.99
9.99. 14.99
9.99 6.99 9.99 6.99 9.99
7.99 10.99
3D Pool.
8.88 Attack Bub.
A-Max.
A-Max with ROM.
Abrahams Battle Tank.
Airbourne Ranger.
APB.
Altered Beast.
Alien Strike.
‘Amos.
Austerlitz.
Balance of Power 1990.
Bar Games.
Bards Tale 2.
Batman Caped Crusader.
Battlechess.
Battlehawks 1942.
Bermuda Project.
Blackjack Academy.
Blasteroids.
Blood Money.
Bloodwych.
Ballyhoo.
Barbarian (pal).
Batman the Movie.
* Battle of Britain.
Battle Squadren.
Beach Volley.
Bionic Commando.
Bloodwych Data.
‘Bomber.
‘Cabal.
Carrier Command.
Chuck Yeager AFT.
Colossus Chess X.
Crazy Cars 2.
Chase HQ.
Captain Blood.
Craps Academy.
Chaos Strikes Back.
City Defence.
Continental Circus.
Cyberball.
Day of the Viper.
Degas Elite.
Deluxe Music Con Set.
Deluxe Paint 3 (1 meg).
Deluxe Photolab.
Deluxe Paint 2.
Deluxe Production.
Deluxe Video.
Don’t go Alone.
Dragon Ninja.
Dragonlair (1 meg).
Dungeon Master.
Dynamite Dux.
Double Dragon 2.
Drakkhen.
Dragons of Flame.
Elite.
Empire Strikes Back.
Eagles Nest.
FI 5 Strike Eagle 2.
FI 6 Combat Pilot.
FI 9 Stealth Fighter.
Flacon FI 6.
Falcon Mission Disk 1.
Fantavision.
Ferrari Formula 1.
Flight Sim 2.
Fit Disc7 or II.
Fit Disc European.
Fit Disc Japan.
Fit Disc 1 to 7.
Football Manager2 Exp Kit.
Football Director 2.
Football Manager 2.
Fun School 2 (6-8).
Fun School 2 (over 8).
Fun School 2 (under 6).
Fighting Soccer.
Fusion.
Future Wars.
Foundations Waits.
‘Final Battle.
*F29 Retaliator.
Fast Break.
Grand Prix Circuit.
Gunship.
Ghostbusters 2.
‘Golden Shoe.
Ghouls and Ghosts.
Garfield.
Hellfire Attack.
Hard Drivin.
Hounds of Shadow.
Hillsfar.
Hollywood Hijack.
Indy Jones Action.
Indy Jones Adventure.
Insanity Flight.
Intercepter.
Iron Lord.
It Came From the Desert (1 meg)..
Ins Shrink Sphere.
‘It Came From the Desert Data.
Indy 500.
Jump Jet.
Jack Nicklaus Golf.
Jet.
Joe Blade 1 or 2.
John Maddon Football.
Keef the Theif.
Kennedy Approach.
Kick Off.
Kick Off Extra Time.
Kind Words 2.
Kings Quest 4.
*Klax.
Kristal.
Kult.
Knight Force.
Leaderboard Birdie.
Leisure Suit Larry 1 or 2.
..ST ..
..11.99..
..PC
..14.99...
..12.99...
. 13.99...
..16.99...
..16.99..
...11.99...
...15.99...
...16.99...
.7.99...
.....9.99...
...16.99...
...16.99...
.7.99...
.7.99...
...13.99...
...16.99...
'.'J3.99'.'.'.
.7.99...
.9.99...
...21.99...
...13.99...
...14.99...
...11.99...
...13.99...
.4.99...
'.'J6.99.'.'.
13^99^'
...13.99...
...15.99...
...17.99...
..15.99...
..13.99...
..13.99...
...194.95...
...249.95...
!""l4!99"!
.12.99...
.... 16.99...
.3.99...
.34.99...
.16.99...
.16.99...
!".’.!l7!99"!
.16.99...
.15.99...
.16.99...
.7.99...
.7.99...
.9.99...
.16.99
.16.99...
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.16.99...
.16.99...
.16.99...
.16.99...
.7.99...
...9.99...
..19.95
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..16.99
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..18.99
..19.95
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..17.00
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6.99...
...26.99
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/.14.99/././////. 14*99
...16.99.—
.4.99.—
.7.99.—
.3.99...
..13.99...
...13.99...
...15.99...
.49.99.—
...49.99.69.99
...49.99.—
...49.99.—
...49.99.—
...49.99.—
...15.99...
...29.99...
...15.99...
.16.9...
...13.99...
..16.99.
. £ 1 .W .
.16.99.
.16.99
..14.99.
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.7.99.
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.4.99.
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.26.99
...16.99.
.16.99.
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.26.99
...16.99.
.19.99.
.24.99
...13.99.
.13.99.
.—
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.29.99.
.—
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.16.99.
.19.95
...26.99.
.26.99.
.32.95
...13.99.
.13.99.
.—
...13.99.
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.19.99
...13.99.
.13.99.
.19.99
.11.95
.8.99.
.8.99.
.8.99
...11.99.
.11.99.
.11.95
...11.99.
.11.99.
.11.95
...15.99.
.16.99.
.16.99
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.15.99
...15.99.
.15.99.
.15.99
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...16.99.
.16.99.
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.7.99.
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.16.99.
.—
...16.99.
.16.99.
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.7.99
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.16.99.
.—
...14.99.
.14.99.
.25.95
...16.99.
.16.99.
.—
...13.99.
.16.99.
.—
...13.99.
.16.99.
.—
.9.99.
.9.99.
.—
.9.99.
.9.99.
.—
...13.99.
.13.99.
.16.99
...16.99.
.16.99.
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...16.99.
.16.99.
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.—.
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...13.99.
.13.99.
.13.99
...16.99.
.16.99.
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...16.99...
...26.99...
.4.99...
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...11.99...
.7.99...
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...16.99...
...17.99...
...14.99...
...16.99...
...13.99...
...19.99...
.7.99...
...15.99...
...16.99...
...19.99...
.7.99...
.9.99...
’""3*99’.'
...16.99...
...26.99...
.4.99...
"! 16.99!!!
...14.99...
...11.99...
.7.99...
...34.99...
...21.99...
...16.99...
...17.99...
...14.99...
...16.99...
...13.99...
...19.99...
...25.95
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..19.95
..14.99
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...6.99.6.99.6.99
12.99 .12.99.12.99
.16.99.16.99.16.99
.14.95.14.99.16.99
.—.10.99.-
.16.99.16.99.19.99
16.99 .15.99
12.99 .12.99
Leisure Suit Larry 1 or 2 Hints.
License to Kill.
Life and Death.
Lombard RAC Rally.
Lords of the Rising Sun.
‘Loom....
Light Force.
Laser Squad.
Lost Patrol.13.99.16.99...
Las Vegas.7.99.—.- I
Leather Goddess.—.—.9.99
Micropose Soccer.14.99.14.99.15.99
Mini Office Comms.16.99.—.—
Mini Office Personal.—.—.22.951
Mini Office Spread.16.99...
Moonmist.7.99...
Mr Hell.15.99...
Ml Tank Platoon.—...
* Mid Winter.15.99...
Maria Whittaker.7.99...
Magnum 4. 16.99...
Manic Mansion.16.99...
New Zealand Story.13.99...
Ninja Warriors.13.99...
Nord and Bert.—...
Nigel Mansell.7.99...
North and South.16.99...
Nitro Boost.4.99 ...
Operation Wolf.11.99...
Orbitor.9.99...
Outrun.8.99...
Operation Thunderbolt.13.99...
Orbitor.7.99...
Omega.21.99...
Papaerboy.12.99...
Pirate.15.99...
Police Quest 1 Or 2.16.99...
Police Quest 1 or 2 Hints.6.99...
‘Pools of Radience.16.99...
Populous.16.99...
Populous Promised Land.7.99..
Powerdrome.16.99...
Precious Metal.16.99...
PT 109.:...—...
Powerdrift...16.99...
Pro Tennis Tour.16.99..
‘Player Manager.12.99..
Perry Mason.7.99..
Pacland. 9.99..
P47.15.99..
R-Type.13.99..
‘Rainbow Island. 15.99..
Red Storm Rising.—..
Rick Dangerous.15.99..
Robocop.12.99..
Rocket Ranger.16.99..
RVF Honda.14.99...
Return of the Jedi.7.99...
Rack em.—...
Romantic Encounters.—...
Sentinel Worlds.—...
Shoot em up Con Kit.19.99..
Sidewinder 1 or 2.4.99..
Silkworm......12.99..
Space Harrier 2.13.99..
Space Quest 1 or 2.—.
Space Quest 3.19.99.
Space Quest 3 Hints.6.99.
Starglider 2.14.99.
Steve Davis Snooker.9.99.
Stos. 14.99.
Stos Compiler.13.99.
Stos Meastro.,.16.99.
Stos Sprites 600.11.99.
Strip Poker 2 +.9.99
Stuntcar Racer.16.99.
Swords of Twilight.—.
Star Wars Trilogy.16.99.
Shinobi.12.99.
Shadow of the Beast.—.
Super Wonderboy.13.99.
Strider.13.99.
Star Wars.7.99.
Serve and Volley.—.
SDI (Activision).7.99.
Sea Stalker.,.—.
Shadowgate.9.99.
Skychase. 7.99.
Soldier of light.7.99.
Speedball.10.99.
Spy v Spy 1 or 3.6.99.
Sundog.7.99.
Seconds Out.—.
TD2 Supercars.—.
TD2 California Cheif. —.
TD2 Muscle Cars.—.
Testdrive 2 The Dual.—.
The Cyclops. —.
The Third Courier.:.—.
TV Sports Football.16.99
Toobin.13.99
Turbo Outrun. 13.99
TKO.*.—
Tetris.7.99
Trivia Trove. 3.99
*TV Sports Basketball.—
‘Ultimate Golf.16.99
UMS Scenario 1.6.99
UMS Scenario 2.8.99.8.99...
*UMS 2.16.99.15.99..
Univ Military Sim.14.99.14.99.14.95
Untouchables.13.99.16.99.-
Verminater.14.99.14.99.14.95
Virus Killer.—.6.99
Vette.—.—.19.99
Vixen.7.99.7.99.
W Graizky Hockey.—.14.99.
War in Middle Earth.14.99.14.99.
Waterloo.14.99.14.99.14.95
Weird Dreams.14.99.14.99.14.99
Wishbringer.7.99
Xenon 2 Megablast.16.99.16.99.16.99 1
Xenophobe.15.99.15.99.- I
Xybots.12.99.12.99. -I
Zac McKraken.16.99.16.99.- I
Zorkl or2.7.99.—.-I
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PC Owners please state 51/4” or 31/2” DISC. Titles Marked * are not yet available and will be sent on day of release. Please send cheque/PO/Acces/Visa No.
and EXPIRY DATE to: DEPT AC02, TRYBRIDGE LTD, 8 BUCKWINS SQ, BURNT MILLS, BASILDON, ESSEX. SS13 1BJ. Please state make and model of computer
WHEN ORDERING. P & P INC. UK ON ORDERS OVER £5.00. LESS THAN £5.00 AND EUROPE ADD £1.00 PER ITEM. ELSEWHERE PLEASE ADD £2.00 PER ITEM FOR AIRMAIL. THESE
OFFERS ARE AVAILABLE MAIL ORDER ONLY. TEL ORDERS: 0268-590766
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.16.99
.19.99
.'.‘.7.99
16^99
...9.99
...8.99
.15.99
.14.95
"i^95
19^99
!l4!95
.14.99
’l6'99
R
RAPID SERVICE SOFTWARE
SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY SOFTWARE
TITLE
Afterburner
Altered Beast
Aquanaut
Armada
Barbarian (Palace)
Barbarian II (Palace)
Bards Tale
Batman the Movie
Battle of Austerlitz
Battle Chess
Bloodwych
Bloodwych Data Disc
Blood Money
Bomber
Bridge Player 2150 Galactica
Bruce Lee Lives
Budokan
Cabal
Captain Blood
Cartoonors
Chaos Strikes Back
Chigago 90's
Conflict Europe
Cycles
Daily Double Horse Racing
Damocles
Demons Tomb
Deluxe Strip Poker
Double Dragon II
Drakken
Dungeon Master
Empire
FI 5 Strike Eagle II
FI 6 Combat Pilot
FI 9 Stealth Fighter
F29 Retaliator
Ferrari Formula 1
Fun School 2 (Educational)
Gazza's Super Soccer
Galdregons Domain
Ghostbusters II
Ghouls and Ghosts
Giants (Compilation)
Hard Drivin
Harley Davidson
Hole In One Mini Golf
17.50
13.99
18.99
18.99
22.50
14.99
AMIGA
IBM/PC
ST
Indy 500
_
18.99
_
18.99
22.50
14.99
Infestation
It Came From the Desert
17.50
—
17.50
17.50
z
17.50
17.50
(1 meg only)
It Came From the Desert
22.50
—
—
7.50
—
7.50
Data Disc
10.99*
_
_
17.50
20.99
17.50
Kick Off
13.99
_
13.99
7.50
—
7.50
Leisure Suit Larry 3
—
33.75
18.99
—
14.99
Lombard RAC Rally
17.50
17.50
17.50
18.99
—
18.99
Magnum 4 Compilation
22.50
_
22.50
18.99
18.99
18.99
Manic Mansion
18.99
_
18.99
18.99
18.99*
18.99
Menace
17.50
17.50
17.50
11.25
—
11.25
Microprose Soccer
17.50
17.50
17.50
17.50
17.50
17.50
North and South
17.50
_
17.50
22.50
26.25
22.50
Operation Thunderbolt
18.99
_
14.99
20.99
20.99
20.99
Populous
18.99
18.99
18.99
—
18.99
—
Populous Promised Lands
7.50
7.50
7.50
—
18.99
—
P47
17.50*
TBA*
17.50*
18.99
—
14.99
Player Manager
13.99*
—
13.99
7.50
—
7.50
Postman Pat
7.50
_
7.50
—
18.99
—
Rainbow Islands
18.99*
_
14.99*
—
—
18.99
Rik Dangerous
17.50
17.50
17.50
14.99
—
14.99
Robocop
18.99
14.99
14.99
18.99
18.99
18.99
Shoot em up Construction Set
20.99
_
20.99
—
18.99
—
Space Ace
33.49
33.49*
33.49*
13.99
13.99
13.99
Space harrier II
14.99*
_
14.99
17.50
—
17.50
Star Flight
_
18.99
18.99
18.99
18.99
Stunt Car Racer
17.50
17.50
17.50
13.99
13.99
13.99
Swords of Samurai
22.50
14.99
—
14.99
Turbo Outrun
18.99
14.99
22.50
22.50
22.50
TV Sports Football
22.50
22.50
18.99
18.99
29.99*
18.99
Ultima 5
_
22.50
22.50
7.50
—
—
Untouchables
18.99
14.99
—
24.50
—
Vette
22.50
17.50
17.50
17.50
Wayne Gretzsky Hockey
—
22.50
_
TBA*
27.99
—
Windwalker
22.50
22.50
22.50
18.99
TBA*
18.99
World Class Leaderboard
7.50
7.50
7.50
18.99
18.99
18.99
Xenon II
18.99
18.99
18.99
13.99
13.99
13.99
Zak McKracken
18.99
18.99
18.99
R
17.50
22.50
PERIPHERALS
Disc Drive Head Cleaners 3”
Disc Drive Head Cleaners 3.5"
Disc Drive Head Cleaner 5.25"
10x3” CF2 Discs
C64 Power Supply
Spectrum 48k Power Supply
C16/+4/C64/VIC20 Tape Player
Load It Tape Player
(with 6 free games)
SPE/MSX/BBC/ELE Tape Player
Amstrad 664/6128 Tape Lead
Spectrum 48/128 Loading Leads
+3 Tape Lead
PC/AMIGA/ST Centronics Printer Lead 2m
Amiga to Amiga ST to ST Amiga to ST lead
Amiga Scart Lead
ST Scart Lead
Amiga A500 RAM Expansion 0.5 meg
Amiga Modualator
ST Mouse
Amiga Mouse
ST 1 meg Internal Drive
ST Second Drive
Amiga Second Drive
ST/Amiga Pair of Joystick Extenders
ST/AMIGA/64C/+2 Dust Cover
Mouse Mat
4.99
4.99
4.99
23.99
18.99
9.99
24.99
37.99
15.00
4.99
3.99
3.99
6.99
9.99
10.99
10.99
83.99
24.99
24.99
34.99
74.99
89.99
89.99
6.99
4.99
3.99
L©0K! LOOK! L©0K!
22.50
18.99
22.50
22.50
FREE PUBLIC DOMAIN OR DEMO DISC ON ALL
ST/AMIGA ORDERS OVER £10
JOYSTICKS
Quickshot II
Cruiser
Cheetah 125+
(Suitable for Spectrum +2 and +3)
Cheetah Mach I
Zipstick Super Professional with A/F
Competition Pro 5000
Zip Stick BBC
Spectrum Single Port Interface
Spectrum Twin Port Interface
PC Joystick
PC Game Card
Amstrad 464/664/6128 Joystick
Convertor for 2 joysticks
Amstrad Autofire Unit
40 Capacity x 3.5” Disc Box
100 Capacity x 3.5" Disc Box
6.99
9.99
For your FREE Catalogue and £1.00 Software
Voucher (•): Call 0625 615639
(•) Valid against orders of £10.00 and over
“ Not released at the time of publication. Please
phone for details.
ALL ST/ AMIGA SOFTWARE CHECKED FOR LOADING
3.5" BULK PACKED DISCS
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES/PO PAYABLE TO:
This is a small selection of the software we supply.
Please phone us for a title you want that is not listed.
NOW WITH OUT OF HOURS
ORDERING ON OUR ANSWERPHONE
RAPID SERVICE SOFTWARE
P.O. BOX 57
MACCLESFIELD
CHESHIRE
SK11 6JE
TEL 0625 615639
10 -£ 6.00
25-£14.75
50 - £27.00
100-£52.00
Individually Wrapped
* . ~80k
Certified 880
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND DELIVERY
Overseas orders please add £1.00 per item
**********
SHEKHANA COMPUTERS
**********
Software Title -
Ageis Sonixs —
-ATARI -
-ST -
Amas Sound Disc -
Aust
A-Max + Roms—
-19.99-
Batman - Movie-15.99 -
Battle Chess-19.99 -
Black Tiger-16.99 -
Blood Wych Data-11.99 -
Boxing Manager -15.99 -
Bridge Player 2000 -15.99 -
Cabal-15.99 -
Chamber of Shaolin-15.99 -
Chaos Strikes Back-19.99—
Chase HQ-15.99 -
Chessmaster 2000 -19.99 -
Clownamanja-12.99 -
-CBM
-AMIGA
-44.99
-19.99
-89.99
—19.99
—229.99
-19.99
-19.99
-19.99
-11.99
-15.99
-15.99
-19.99
—19.99
Drakken -
De Luxe Paint 2-
-24.99 -
De Luxe Scrabble-15.99 -
De Luxe Paint 3 -
De Luxe Photo Lab -
De Luxe Productions
De Luxe Strip Poker-15.99 -
De Luxe Video 3-
Double Dragon II-15.99 -
Dungeon Master-19.99 -
Dynamic Debugger-19.99 -
D Master Editor-9.99 -
FI 6 Falcon-19.99 -
FI 6 Combat Pilot-19.99 -
Falcon Mission-15.99 -
Fighter Bomber-24.99 -
Fighting Soccer-15.99 -
Flight Simulator 2-27.99 -
Football Director II-15.99 -
Foot Man World Cup-16.99 -
Footballer Year 2-15.99 -
F-29 Retaliator-24.99 -
F.Man II Comp -9.99 -
Ghouls and Ghosts-15.99 -
Ghostbusters II-19.99 -
Giants-24.99 -
Gold of Americas -
Greg Norman Golf-19.99 -
Hard Drivin-15.99 -
Hawiian Scenary-15.99 -
Home Accounts-23.99 -
Home office Kit -
Horse Racing—
Infestation-
Iron Lord -
-19.99-
-19.99-
It came From the Desert -
John Lowe Darts-15.99 -
Kick Off-15.99 -
—19.99
—19.99
—12.99
—24.99
—29.99
—15.99
—69.99
—59.99
-129.99
—15.99
—79.99
—15.99
—24.99
—19.99
-9.99
—23.99
—19.99
—15.99
—24.99
—19.99
—27.99
—15.99
—15.99
—15.99
—24.99
-9.99
—19.99
—19.99
—24.99
—19.99
—19.99
—15.99
—15.99
—23.99
-134.99
—19.99
—19.99
—19.99
—24.99
—15.99
—15.99
***** ACCESSORIES *****
1/2 Meg Upgrade.79.99
1/2 Meg + Clock.89.99
2nd Drive Amiga.89.99
2nd Drive ST.89.99
3" head Cleaner.4.99
3.5" Head Cleaner.4.99
4-Way adapter.7.99
A500 Modulator Ext.9.99
A501 Ram Expansion.99.99
Amiga Modulator.19.99
Amiga Mouse.29.99
Amiga Scart Lead.9.99
Amiga to 1084.9.99
Amiga to Ferguson.9.99
C24 Data Recorder.29.99
Disk Box 3.5 x 40.5.99
Disk Box 3.5 x 80.7.99
Disk Box 5.25 x 40.6.99
Disk Box 5.25 x 80.9.99
J/Stick Extension Lead.6.99
Kempstin i'Face.9.99
Mouse Bracket.2.99
Mouse Mat........4.99
Multiface 128X.34.99
Multiface 2 - AMS.39.99
Multiface 3.34.99
Multiface 3+ I.Port.39.99
Parallel Print Lead.9.99
Spec +2 +3 Cover.4.99
Spec +3 Cass Lead.4.99
St Mouse.29.99
ST to Ferguson.9.99
ST to Scart.9.99
ST/AMIGA Cover.5.99
***** Joysticks *****
Cheetah 125 plus.7.
Cheetah Mach 1.9.
Comp Pro Extra.14.
Comp Pro Glow.14.
Control Stick - Sega
Navigator.
Quickshot 2 .
Quickjoy Board.
Quickjoy Infared...
Quickjoy Super.
Quickoy Jetfighter
Quickshot 2 Turbo
Rapid Fire - Sega.
Speedking.
Speedking Nintendo.12.
Speedking Sega.10.
Star Probe.14.
Zipstick Super Auto.16.
Racemaker.26.
SG Controller Sega.3.
IBM j.Stick and Card.34.
***** PC ENGINE *****
PC - Scart + Game.199.99
PC - Pal.UK + Game.199.99
CD Rom Unit.299.99
Joystick XE-1 ST.39.99
Joystick XE -1 PRO.69.99
Control Pad.19.99
PC-UK Power Supply.14.99
Altered Beast.34.99
Atomic Robo Kid.34.95
Bloody Wolf.34.99
Chase HQ.34.99
Digital Champ.34.99
Dragon Spirit.27.99
Drunken Master.24.99
Dungeon Explorer.34.99
Galaga 88.29.99
Heavy Unit.34.99
Mr Hell.34.99
Naxat Open Golf.29.99
Neoromancer.24.99
Ninja Warrior.34.99
Pacland.29.99
PC Kidd.34.99
Rock On.34.99
Shinobi.34.99
Side Arms.34.99
Space Harrier.29.99
Tales Monstermath.24.99
Tiger Hell.34.99
Vigilante.29.99
***** SEGA 16-BIT *****
Sega 16-bit Scart.199.99
Sega 16-bit Pal.199.99
Joypad.24.99
Joystick XE-1 ST.39.99
Air Driver.44.99
Alex Kidd.34.99
Altered Beast.34.99
Atomic Robo Kid.44.99
Curse.44.99
Ghouls and Ghosts.44.99
Golden Axe.44.99
Herzog Zuei.44.99
Kooyakvo King II.44.99
New Zealand Story.44.99
Rambo 3.44.99
Sokodan.44.99
Space Harrier II.34.99
Super Baseball.34.99
Super Hang On.44.99
Super Hyglide.39.99
Super Shinobi.44.99
Super Thunderblade.34.99
Tatsujin.44.99
Thunderforce II.44.99
Varmillion.44.99
World Cup Soccer.44.99
***** NINTENDO
Gameboy System
Gameboy + Game..
Alleyway.
Asmic World.
Baseball.
Beach Volleyball.
Castlevania.
Golf.
Hyper Loadrunner...
Master Karateka.
Micky Mouse.
Motocross.
Navy Moves.
Nemisis.
Northstar Ken.
Pinball.
Puzzleboy.
Super Mario Land...
Tennis.
Tetris.
GAMEBOY *
.89.99
.110.00
.26.99
...24.99
...26.99
...26.99
...26.99
...26.99
...26.99
...24.99
...26.99
..26.99
..26.99
...26.99
...24.99
..26.99
..26.99
..26.99
..26.99
.26.99
Software Title -
Kick Off - Extra -
Kindwords V.2 —
Lost Patrol-
-7.99
Magnum 4 -
-15.99
-24.99
Manic Mansion -19.99
Micropose Soccer-19.99
Mid Winter-24.99
Mini Office Spread-19.99-
Moon Walker-15.99
Music - X -
Ninja Warrior -
-15.99-
Operation Thunderbolt—15.99 -
Photom Paint-
Pictionary-19.99 -
Player Manager-
Populous -
-15.99-
-19.99-
Populous Scenary-8.99 -
Lynxs System..
Mains Power Supply...
Blue Lightening.
Californaia Games.
Electrocop.
Gates of Zendoccon...
* ATARI LYNXS *****
Pro Tennis Tour -
P-47—
..199.99
..14.99
..34.99
..34.99
...34.99
.34.99
RAC Rally -
Rainbow Island -
Red Lightening -
-19.99-
-19.99-
-19.99-
-15.99-
-23.99 -
Replay Professional-119.00-
Robocop-15.99 -
RVF Honda-19.99 -
—19.99
-199.99
—15.99
—19.99
—19.99
—19.99
—15.99
—19.99
-8.99
—19.99
—19.99
—19.99
—19.99
—23.99
***** SEGA 8-BIT *
Basketball Nightmare.
California Games..
Casino Games.
Dead Angle.
Double Dragon ....
Dynamite Dux.
Galaxy Force.
Golden Axe.
Psycho Fox.
R-Type.
Scramble Spirits..
Tennis Ace.
Wonderboy III.
...24.99
...27.99
...24.99
...24.99
...24.99
...24.99
...27.99
...29.99
...24.99
...29.99
...24.99
...24.99
...27.99
Shadow of the
Shinobi-
■15.99-
Shoot em up Con Kit-24.99 -
Sim City-24.99-
Space Ace -
Space Harrier II -
Star Command -
Star Wars Trilogy-
Stellar Crusade —
Stos-
-15.99-
-23.99 -
-19.99-
Stos Compiler -
Studio 21 -
-27.99 -
-24.99-
-15.99-
-19.99
-19.99
-29.99
-15.99
-24.99
-24.99
-39.99
-15.99
-23.99
-19.99
-27.99
Stunt Car Racer—
***** NINTENDO *
Castlevania.
Goonies II.
Ikari Warriors.
Kid Icarus.
Megaman.
Mike Tyson.
Pro Wrestling.
Rush N Attack.
Super Mario 2.
Top Gun.
Track + Field II.
Wild Gunman.
Wizards and Warriors.
Xevious.
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
...39.9*9
...29.99
...39.99
...29.99
...29.99
...29.99
-19.99-
Super Wonderboy--15.99 -
Test Drive II-19.99 -
The Beast -
The Untouchables-15.99 -
Triad-Compilation -23.99 -
Turbo-Outrun-15.99 -
T.PursuitNew-15.99-
TV Basketball -19.99 -
TV Sports-19.99 -
Ultima 5 -
Waterloo -
Winners US Gold-
-24.99 -
-19.99-
-19.99-
-24.99 -
-139.99
—19.99
—19.99
—19.99
—27.99
—19.99
—23.99
—19.99
—15.99
—24.99
—23.99
—24.99
Workbench 1.3-
Xenon II -
—23.9!
-19.99
-24.99
-23.99
-14.99
-15.99
PERSONAL CALLERS MAIL ORDER CUSTOMERS
Can purchase software at our branch at 221 TOTTENHAM CHQ/P.O payable to: S.C.S. (ACE), 655 GREEN LANES, LONDON, N8 0QY
COURT ROAD, LONDON W1R (Near Goodge Street P+P add 50p per software and £1.00 for accessories. £5.00 for machines. EEC add
Tube Station) Tel: 01-631 - 4627 OR 2 GLADSTONE HOUSE, \£1.00 per item, elsewhere add £2.00 per item for airmail. Please specify machine
HIGH ROAD, WOOD GREEN N22 type in order new releases will be sent to you on day of release E & OE
(opp Top Rank Club) Tel: 01-889 - 9412 Tel: 01-348 8565, 01-348 2907, Fax: 01-889 9413
CREADIT CARD HOLDERS
ACCESS AND VISA CARDS ACCEPTED
Credit Card orders dispatched same day subject
to availability
Tel: 01-340 - 8565, 01-348 - 2907 Fax: 01-889 - 9413
'
-I 28 PINK
IF YOU GO DOWN TO YOUR STORE TODAY, YOU’RE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE... ACE DEALERS GIVES YOU THE LOW-DOWN
ON ALL THE LATEST BARGAINS, SPECIAL OFFERS, PROMOTIONS, STICKERS, POSTERS, FREEBIES, DEMOS, CARRIER
BAGS, AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT...
GREAT APRIL
BARGAINS
There are posters
galore available around
the country in the next
month or so, to pro¬
mote various games. If
you think your bed¬
room walls could do
with brightening up,
wander down to your
local independent retail¬
er, where some, if not
all, of the following
should be available free
of charge, with the
game concerned:
All FORMATS:
X-Out (Rainbow Arts);
Space Harrier II (Grand-
slam);
Cyberball (Domark);
PC ONLY:
Samurai (Microprose)
Knights of Legend
(Mindscape)
Space Rogue (Min
scape)
Windwalker (Mind-
scape)
Bruce Lee Lives (Mind-
scape)
FREE MGT
BROCHURE
Many retailers are also
stocking free
brochures to tell you
everything you ever
wanted to know about
this Sam Coupe beast,
the new Spectrum
compatible machine
from MGT. So, if you’re
interested in the Sam,
pick up some literature
- again from your
friendly local.
MICROBYTE
JACKETS
From the end of March,
there will be Blue Angel
baseball jackets
just waiting to be won
from selected branch¬
es of Microbyte in a
competition organised
with Accolade. Free¬
bies will be given away
with each Blue Angel
purchase, and your
name goes into the
draw for the big prizes
- there's one jacket to
be won per store (par¬
ticipating stores are
Microbyte in
Gateshead, Bradford,
Birmingham and Wake¬
field).
AND THERE'S
MORE...
Microbyte has also
launched a special card
scheme for its regular
customers. You can
‘earn' some exciting
free gifts through your
Microbyte purchases
when you pick up one
of the free
Coilecfn’Select cards.
Every time you buy
a product from any
branch of Microbyte
software shops (see
store list below), your
card will be stamped
in one of the 60
squares on the card.
As you fillup the
squares,
you can choose when
to stop and claim your
gift - the more
squares you’ve filled,
the bigger the prize!
For example,
seven stamps gets you
a special Microbyte
pen. After that there
are T-shirts, sweat¬
shirts, sports bags,
baseball caps software
vouchers, and joysticks
to be claimed.
The Collect'n’¬
Select scheme is oper¬
ating in all Microbyte
stores, and you can
join in right away. To
get the scheme off to a
flying start, the store is
offering ACE readers
an exclusive headstart.
See the voucher below
for details.
POT OF GOLD
Ocean is bringing out
Rainbow Islands at long
last, after the game
never made it out of
Telecomsoft when the
British Telecom division
was sold off to Micro¬
prose. The Computer
Shop chain is offering
you a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to get your
hands on your very
own special edition
Rainbow Islands pen -
with every purchase of
the game. Whew!
You can find Com¬
puter Shop outlets in
the Arndale Centre,
Manchester; Newcas¬
tle, Leeds, Preston,
Sunderland, Stockton
and Nottingham. Also
part of the Computer
Shop chain are the two
Games Store outlets in
Carlisle and Middles¬
brough, which stock
role-playing games as
well as computer soft¬
ware.
There are
Microbyte stores in the
Arndale Centre, Manch¬
ester; the Broadmarsh
Centre, Nottingham;
Kirkgate, Wakefield; the
Metro Centre,
Gateshead; the Green-
PRIZE CROSSWORD
SOLUTION
PRIZE
CROSSWORD
SOLUTION
FOR FEB ’90
The winner of the February
Crossword is Paul Sin¬
clair, Wimbledon.
Fans of the Cross¬
word please note that a
new puzzle appears on
page 114.
Meanwhile, to keep
all you brainboxes happy,
the Prize Puzzle appears
on page 134.
BONUS
PUZZLER
I know that a lot of ACE
readers enjoy the Cross¬
words and Puzzles in the
Pink Pages (quite naturally
of course, as you are all a
lot smarter than the read¬
ership of most other Com¬
puter Entertainment maga¬
zines). So as we have got
a bit of space left over on
this page, here is a bit of
a quizzer for you to pon¬
der over. The answer will
be printed in the Pinks
next month.
THE PUZZLE
A short while ago our illustri¬
ous editor came into the office
in aremarkably good mood
(possibly because he had just
spent in fortnight in the states
researching this special US
issue).
Because he was in such
a good mood he decided that
he would allow one of the edi¬
torial team to be unchained
from his Mac for the day in
order that the lucky individual
could go and remind himself
what the sun looked like.
To select the person he
picked up five 3 and half inch
discs (three blue ones and two
white ones) and pinned one of
them on the back of each of
the other three members of
the team (leaving two discs
spare). None of us were
market, Newcastle
Upon Tyne; the Kirk¬
gate Centre, Bradford;
the Bull Ring Centre,
Birmingham; and the
County Arcade, Leeds.
THIS IS A
PUBLIC
WARNING
All offers and promo¬
tions are subject to
availability of stock.
Although we do our
best to ensure our
dealer promotion infor¬
mation is accurate at
the time of going to
press, ACE cannot take
any responsibility for
changes or cancella¬
tions to dealers’ plans.
GET IT FOR
FREE!
Attention dealers! Don’t
keep your promotions,
competitions, special
offers, etc, a secret.
Tell us at ACE and we'll
tell everybody else.
allowed to speak to each other f
(or look in a mirror), but we
could look at each other's
backs.
Whoever correctly
announced the colour of his
disc first would be allowed to
go free for the day.
I ought to mention that
we were only allowed one
guess, and if we got it wrong
we’d be consigned to Gary
William’s desk for the rest of
the month. (How horrible!)
Eventually Rik (the man¬
agement) Haynes piped up and [
went free. How did he logically I
work out the colour of the disk |
on his back.
That should keep you
thinking till next month.
See you then.
8 BIT FULL PRICE
16 BIT FULL PRICE
STTdKfc SOFTWARE
29A Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 7AD Tel: 0737-223869 Fax: 0737 246733
COMPILATION BONANZA! 8 BIT
100% DYNAMITE
ONLY 10.99 CASS 13.99 DISC
LAST NINJA II, DOUBLE DRAGON,
WEC LE MANS. AFTER BURNER
TOLKIEN TRILOGY
ONLY 7.99 CASS 11.99 DISC
THE HOBBIT, LORD OF THE RINGS,
SHADOWS OF MORDOR
SUPREME CHALLENGE
ONLY 4.99 CASS 9.99 DISC
ELITE, ACE II, SENTINEL.
STARGLIDER, TETRIS
10 COMPUTER HITS VOL 5
ONLY 4.99 CASS 9.99 DISC
SAMURAI WARRIOR, MORPHEUS,
TARZAN, TRAZ, MEGA-APOCALYPSE,
MAGNETRON, NINJA-HAMPSTER,
MYSTERY OF THE NILE, FRIGHTMARE,
ENLIGHTENMENT DRUID II
SOCCER SPECTACULAR
ONLY 4.99 CASS 8.99 DISC
FOOTBALL MANAGER, PETER
BEARDSLEY'S INTERNATIONAL
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20 CHARTBUSTERS
ONLY 4.99 CASS GHOSTBUSTERS, FA.CUP
FOOTBALL AGENT X 2, KANE, LASWAT, NINJA
MASTER, RASPUTIN, 0LUE A USSA, RICOCHET,
Z0LYX, WAY OF THE EXPLODING RST, DAN DARE,
FORMULA 1 SIMULATOR, BRIAN JACK'S SUPERSTAR
CHALLENGE, TAN CET1,1-8ALL. PARK PATROL,
THRUST, HARVEY HEADBANGER, WAR CARS
COMPUTER CLASSICS
ONLY 3.99
ZYNAPS, INTO THE EAGLE'S NEST.
DYNAMITE DAN, ALIENS,
CAULDRON II
IN CROWD
ONLY 9.99 CASS 13 99 DISC
KARNOV, GRYZ0R, BARBARIAN, CRAZY
CARS. PREDATOR, COMBAT SCHOOL,
PLATOON. TARGET RENEGADE
COMPILATION BONANZA! 16 BIT
MAGNUM 4
ONLY 20.99 ST & AMIGA
BATMAN - CAPED CRUSADER.
AFTERBURNER, OPERATION WOLF,
DOUBLE DRAGON,
COMPUTERS HITS 2
ONLY 8.99 AMIGA £7.99 ST
TETRIS, BLACK SHADOW,
GOLDEN PATH, JOE BLADE
PRECIOUS METAL
ONLY 16.99 AMIGA & ST
CAPTAIN BLOOD, XENON, CRAZY
CARS, ARKANOID II
LIGHT FORCE
ONLY 16.99 AMIGA & ST
R-TYPE, IK+, VOYAGER,
BATMAN THE CAPED CRUSADER
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUE OR P.O. PAYABLE TO STAR SOFTWARE.
ORDERS OVER £5.00 P&P INC. UNDER PLEASE ADD 50P PER ITEM.
EUROPE + £1.00 P&P ELSEWHERE ♦ £2.00
1 PLEASE STATE COMPUTER SYSTEM WHEN ORDERING - TO SAVE DELAY *
TOP 30 8 BIT
CASS DISC
15. GHOULS AND GHOSTS
6.99 10.99
16. TOLKIEN TRILOGY
7.99 11.99
1.BATMAN -THE MOVIE
6.99
10.99
17. RICK DANGEROUS
6.99 10.99
2. GHOSTBUSTERS II
6.99
10.99
18. NINJA WARRIOR
6.99 10.99
3. SHINOBI
6.99
10.99
19. SPIDER
6.99 10.99
4. HARD DRIVIN
6.99
10.99
20. FOOTBALL MANAGER II
6.99 10.99
5.CHASEH.Q.
6.99
10.99
21. LAZER SQUAD
6.99 10.99
6. FIGHTER BOMBER
6.99
10.99
22. NEW ZEALAND STORY
6.99 10.99
7. ROBOCOP
6.99
10.99
23. CONTINENTAL CIRCUS
6.99 10.99
8. POWER DRIFT
6.99
10.99
24. RED HEAT
6.99 10.99
9. UNTOUCHABLES
6.99
10.99
25. LIVERPOOL
6.99 10.99
10 ALTERED BEAST
6.99
10.99
26. KENNY DALGLEISH
6.99 10.99
11, TURBO OUTRUN
6.99
10.99
27. BOMBER
6.99 10.99
12 KICK OFF
6.99
10.99
28. SILKWORM
6.99 10.99
13 OPERATION THUNDERBOLT 6.99
10.99
29. LAZER SQUAD
6.99 10.99
| 14. DOUBLE DRAGON II
6.99
10.99
30. MOONWALKER
6.99 10.99
1
TOP 20
16 BIT
AMIGA
ST
10. THE UNTOUCHABLES
16.99 14.99
11. XENON II
16.99 16.99
1. CHASE HQ
16.99
14.99
12. TURBO OUTRUN
16.99 14.99
2. HARD DRIVIN
14.99
14.99
13. CONTINENTAL CIRCUS
14.99 14.99
3. NORTH AND SOUTH
14.99
14.99
14. DOUBLE DRAGON II
14.99 14.99
4. F.16 FALCON
16.99
16.99
15. FALCON
21.99 16.99
5. BATMAN THE MOVIE
14.99
14.99
16. GHOSTBUSTERS II
16.99 16.99
6. NINJA WARRIORS
14.99
14.99
17. GHOULS AND GHOSTS
16.99 16.99
7. GHOULS AND GHOSTS
16.99
14.99
18. SHADOW OF THE BEAST 24.99 -
8. ALTERED BEAST
16.99
16.99
19. STUNT CAR RACER
16.99 16.99
9. POWERDRIFT
16.99
16.99
20. STRYX
16.99 14.99
TOP 20 SEGA
1. AFTERBURNER
23.95
11. DOUBLE DRAGON
23.95
2. ALTERED BEAST
23.95
12. R-TYPE
28.95
3. WONDERBOY III
26.95
13. VIGILANTE
23.95
4. GHOSTBUSTERS
26.95
14. SPACE HARRIER 2D/3D 23.95
5. TIME SOLDIERS
23.95
15. WORLD SOCCER
21.95
6. GALAXY FORCE
26.95
16. RAMBO 3
23.95
7. CYBORG HUNTER
21.95
17. ALEX KIDD
23.95
8. SHINOBI
23.95
18. CALIFORNIA GAMES
26.95
9. THUNDERBLADE
23.95
19. OUTRUN 2D/3D
23.95
10. AMERICAN PRO FOOTBALL 23.95
20. ROCKY
23.95
JOYSTICKS
BLANK DISCS 1
KONIX SPEED KING
14.95
31/2" DSDD (all guaranteed)
COMPETITION PRO EXTRA
16.99
10.
.7.99
| QUICK SHOT 2 TURBO
9.99
20.
.14.99
50 (♦ free storage box)...
.37.50
COMMODORE MUSIC MAKER
100 (+ free storage boxes).69.99
1 128 (keyboard overlay) DISC
12.99
500 (+ free storage boxes).304.99
CASS
A.P.B. 6.99
ACTION COUNTDOWN 6.99
ACTION FIGHTER 6.99
AFTER BURNER 6.99
AIRBORNE RANGER 6.99
BARBARIAN 2 6.99
BEACH VOLLEY 6.99
BEVERLY HILLS COP 6.99
BIONIC COMMANDO 6.99
BLOODWYCH 6.99
CABAL 6.99
CAPTAIN FIZZ 6.99
CRAZY CARS 2 6.99
DOUBLE DRAGON 6.99
DRAGON NINJA 6.99
DYNAMITE DUX 6.99
ELIMINATOR 6.99
EMLYN HUGHES SOCCER 6.99
FIGHTER BOMBER 6.99
FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR 2 6.99
FOOTBALL DIRECTOR 6.99
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2 6.99
GARFIELD'S WINTER TAIL 6.99
GRAND PRIX MASTER 6.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
HEROES OF THE LANCE 6.99
HUMAN KILLING MACHINE 6.99
INC. SHRINKING SPHERE 6.99
I. JONES-LAST CRUSADE 6.99
K. DALGEISH SOCC. MAN 6.99
KICK OFF 6.99
LAST DUEL 6.99
LAST NINJA 2 9.99
LICENCE TO KILL 6.99
LIVE AND LET DIE 6.99
MICROPROSE SOCCER 6.99
MOONWALKER 6.99
MYTH 6.99
NEW ZEALAND STORY 6.99
NIGHTRAIDER 6.99
OPERATION WOLF 6.99
OUT RUN 6.99
PACLAND 5.99
PACMANIA 5.99
PURPLE SATURN DAY 6.99
R-TYPE 6.99
RALLY CROSS 6.99
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS 5.99
RED HEAT 6.99
RENEGRADE 3 6.99
RUNNING MAN 5.99
SAINT & GREAVSIE 5.99
SCRABBLE DE LUXE 7.99
SKATE OR DIE 6.99
SPACE HARRIER 2 6.99
STARGLIDER 2 9.99
STUNT CAR 6.99
TANK ATTACK 8.99
TEST DRIVE 2 6.99
THUNDERBIRDS 7.99
THUNDERBLADE 6.99
TRACKSUIT MANAGER 6.99
TRIVIAL PURSUIT 9.99
TRIVIAL PUSUIT NEW BEG 9.99
TYPHOON 6.99
VIGILANTE 6.99
VINDICATORS 6.99
WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH 6.99
WEC LE MANS 6.99
XENON 6.99
XENOPHOPE 6.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
8.99
8.99
10.99
9.99
9.99
13.99
9.99
9.99
9.99
AMIGA
A.P.B. 14.99
AIRBORNE RANGER 16.99
AUSTERUTZ 17.99
BALANCE OF POWER 1990 16.99
BARBARIAN 2 (PSYGNOSIS)16.99
BATTLEHAWK1942 19.99
BEACH VOLLEY 17.99
BLOOD MONEY 16.99
BLOODWYCH 17.99
BOMBER 21.95
CABAL 17.99
CARRIER COMMAND 16.99
COMMANDO 15.99
DAY OF THE VIPER 16.99
DE LUXE SCRABBLE 15.99
DRAGONS OF FLAME 18.99
DUNGEON MASTER 19.99
EMLYN HUGHES SOCCER 15.99
F16 COMBAT PILOT 17.99
FAST LANE 15.99
FERRARI FORMULA 1 19.99
FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2 27.99
FOOTBALL DIRECTOR 2 15.99
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2 15.99
GALAXY FORCE 19.99
GAMES-SUMMER 17.99
GAZZA'S SUPER SOCCER 16.99
KICK OFF 14.99
LAZER SQUAD 14.99
LOMBARD RAC RALLY 16.99
MICROPOSE SOCCER 16.99
MOONWALKER 15.99
NEVERMIND 15.99
NEW ZEALAND STORY 13.99
PACLAND 8.99
PAPERBOY 14.99
PLAYER MANAGER 15.99
POPUCOUS 19.99
RED LIGHTNING 23.99
RED STORM RISING
RICK DANGEROUS 14.99
ROBOCOP 19.99
SAINT & GREAVSIE 9.99
SHINOBI 14.99
SILKWORM 14.99
STRIDER 15.99
SUPER WONDERBOY 19.99
TEST DRIVE 2-DUEL 19.99
TOOBIN 14.99
TRIAD 2 17.99
T.V.SPORTS FOOTBALL 21.99
ULTIMATE GOLF 17.99
WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH 14.99
ZENOPHOBE 17.99
ST
14.99
16.99
17.99
16.99
16.99
19.99
15.99
16.99
17.99
21.95
14.99
16.99
15.99
16.99
15.99
18.99
19.99
15.99
17.99
15.99
19.99
15.99
15.99
15.99
17.99
16.99
14.99
14.99
16.99
16.99
15.99
15.99
13.99
14.99
15.99
19.99
23.99
17.99
14.99
14.99
9.99
14.99
14.99
14.99
14.99
19.99
14.99
17.99
17.99
17.99
14.99
17.99
SPECIAL OFFERS
SHUFFLEPUCK CAFF
LASER SQUAD
ARCHIPELAGOS
SAFARI GUNS
DRAGON SPUR
CASTLE WARRIOR
BIO CHALLENGE
BARBARIAN 2
STAR WARS TRILOGY
F29 RETALIATOR
CHAOS STRIKES BACK
EXTRA TIME
OP. THUNDERBOLT
TIN TIN
11.99 11.99
12.99 12.99
8.99 8.99
11.99 11.99
11.99 11.99
8.99 8.99
8.99 8.99
13.99 9.99
12.99 12.99
16.99 16.99
18.99 -
16.99 16.99
6.99 6.99
16.99 14.99
11.99 11.99
WITH COMPLIMENTS FROM
A\
ID)
o>
FTra
SIMPLY PRESENT THIS VOUCHER IN ANY MICROBYTE
STORE TO CLAIM YOUR FREE
COLLECT 'N' SELECT
STARTER CARD, PLUS 2 FREE STAMPS!
THE ARNDALE CENTRE, MANCHESTER; COUNTY ARCADE, LEEDS,
THE KIRKGATE CENTRE, BRADFORD; THE METRO CENTRE,
GATESHEAD; THE GREENMARKET, NEWCASTLE; THE BULL RING
CENTRE, BIRMINGHAM; THE BROADMARSH CENTRE, NOTTINGHAM;
KIRKGATE, WAKEFIELD.
1 30 PINK PAGES
THE APRIL SHOWERS, THEY BRING THE RAIN, THAT GROW THE FLOWERS, WHICH BLOOM IN MAY - DRIP, DRIP, DROP
LITTLE APRIL SHOWERS - APRIL LOVE - ETC, ETC, ETC...
MARCH
WEEK ONE
11
12
13
14
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Birthday of Michael Caine, 1933
15 THURSDAY
16 FRIDAY
Anniversary of the first English FA Cup final
between Wanderers (1) and the Royal Engineers
( 0 ).
17 SATURDAY
St Patrick's Day. St Patrick was born on the west
coast of Britain and abducted by slave traders at
the age of 16. He became a slave in Ireland. After
six years, he escaped, but returned to Ireland to
preach after being summoned in a dream.
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE
Image Works • Gravity (ST, Amiga)
Empire • Pipemania (ST, Amiga, PC, Spectrum,
C64, CPC, BBC/Electron, MSX, C16, Archimedes,
Macintosh) Puzzle game very loosely based on
sliding blocks with Lucasfilm backing.
Titus • Dark Century (ST, Amiga, CPC, PC)
Arcade game with sophisticated graphics.
Arcana • Rotor (ST, Amiga, Archimedes) Futuris¬
tic shoot 'em up with flight sim elements.
Microprose • Pirates (Amiga) Junketing on the
high seas: an old(ish) 8-bit game makes it on to
the Amiga.
Microprose • Red Storm Rising (Amiga) Taken
from Tom Clancy's book, itself a sequel to Red
October (which was computerised by Grandslam).
Micro Style • RVF Honda (PC) Conversion of
popular motorbike racing sim.
Rainbird • First Contact (Amiga)
WEEK TWO
18
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Birthday of Alex Higgins, 1949.
19
20
First day of Spring.
21 WEDNESDAY
Feast Day of St Nicholas von Flue, a Swiss farmer
born in 1417. Married and father of ten children,
he vowe to become a hermitafter 20 years of fam¬
ily life. As a recluse, he became much in demand
as an advisor to politicians and ecclesiastical fig¬
ures, and his reputation reached its peak when his
counsel averted a Swiss Civil War.
22 THURSDAY
Birthday of William “Captain Kirk” Shatner, 1931.
23 FRIDAY
Pakistan Day - celebrated in Pakistan, funnily
enough.
24 SATURDAY
How about a quick flutter on the horses at the Lin¬
coln Handicap?
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE
Electronic Arts • Imperium (ST, Amiga) Strategy
game of global expansion and intergalactic poli¬
tics.
EA • Starflight (ST, C64 disk only) Strategy cum
arcade game set in outer space.
EA • Budokan (Amiga) Martial arts game with
heavy emphasis on learning authentic moves and
techniques.
WEEK THREE
25 SUNDAY
Mother's Day
British Summer Time begins - clocks forward one
hour.
Independence Day, Greece.
26 MONDAY
Independence Day, Bangladesh.
Birthday of Leonard “Mr Spock” Nimoy, 1931.
27
TUESDAY
28 WEDNESDAY
Beginning of Ramadan - Mosle month of fasting
during daylight
hours.
Birthday of Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Labour
party, 1942.
29 THURSDAY
Anniversary of the first London Marathon, 1981.
30
31
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE
Digital Integration • Advanced Tactical Fight¬
er (ATF) PC/ST Another old 8-bit game is convert¬
ed to 16-bit formats - can Dl repeat the critical
success of FI6 Combat Pilot?
Activision • Sonic Boom (all formats)
Activision • Warhead (ST, Amiga) Space combat
game with 40 linked missions.
Ocean • The Official Liverpool FC Soccer
game (all formats) After a right old licensing mud¬
dle, this management and playing soccer game
features the team of the last decade and quite
possibly this one as well.
WEEK FOUR
APRIL
1 SUNDAY
April Fool’s Day
Last day of the Ideal Home Exhibition
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
2
3
4
Liberation Day, Hungary.
5 THURSDAY
Brush up on your Leaderboard skills - the US Mas¬
ters begins at Augusta, Georgia.
6 FRIDAY
7 SATURDAY
Armchair racegoers will have their eyes peeled on
the 3.20 steeplechase at Aintree - better known as
the Grand National. The FA Cup reaches the semi¬
final stage today.
WEEK S RELEASES AT A GLANCE
Image Works • Dungeon Master (PC)
Role-playing exploration game par excellence.
Cinemaware • TV Sports Football (C64 disk
only) Yet more footie.
Domark • Castle Master (all formats) Incentive’s
latest arcade-adventure based on its Freescape
programming system, part of a Domark-lncentive
publishing deal.
Domark • Hard Drivin’ (C64)
Better late than never - the C64 version of the
Christmas hit finally sees the light of day.
Electronic Arts • Ski Or Die (PC)
Skate Or Die on ice.
EA • Low Blow (PC) Boxing game in which the
object is to knock out your foe by fair means or
foul.
EA • Inferno (PC)
EA • Ferrari Formula One (C64)
Another racing game making a belated appear¬
ance on this format.
GET YOURSELF IN
THE DIARY!
Whether you're a software house with a launch or a
charity with a lunch: let us know and we'll put you in
the ACE diary. Write to the ACE Diary, 30-32 Farring-
don Lane, London, EC1R 3AU.
Print deadlines: the second Thursday in every month
for the issue on the shelves in the following month.
FREE DISKS ! ! !
1 FREE DISK FOR EVERY 10
THAT YOU BUY
10 3.5" DISKS + BOX.£09.00
25 3.5" DISKS.... £19.00
50 3.5" DISKS.£33.50
50 3.5" DISKS + BOX.£38.00
100 3.5" DISKS.£63.00
100 3.5" DISKS + BOX.£67.50
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT
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EATON ncno
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Tel: (0424) 718961
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TOP GAMES FOR THE AMIGA 500 & ATARI ST
Section 1. (All games in this section are priced at £14.99).
GHOULS AND GHOSTS, BATMAN THE MOVIE, NINJA WARRIORS, HARD DRIVIN, X-
OUT , SWITCHBLADE, ONSLAUGHT, NEVERMIND, LASER SQUAD, FAST LANE,
STRIDER, MOONWALKER, PASSING SHOT, SILK WORM, DOUBLE DRAGON II.
Section 2. (Individually priced specials).
UNTOUCHABLES (ST) £14.49, STUNT CAR RACER £17.50, SPACE ACE £32.50,
CAME FROM THE DESERT (1 MEG/AMIGA) £22.50, CHAOS STRIKES BACK £17.50,
DRAKKHEN £22.50, FOOTBALL DIRECTOR II (AMIGA) £14.49, SIM CITY £22.50*,
SHADOW OF THE BEAST (AMIGA) £24.50, PIPELINE £1 7.50*.
(ST) or (AMIGA) means it is available for this format only. SORRY!
* not released when advert placed.
Special note for SEGA-MEGADRIVE & PC ENGINE OWNERS, WE HAVE STOCK!!!
Please ring for latest (changing) details. And, yes, we do answer the 'phone. Prices for qames
range between £28.50 & £38.99. Go on, we dare you, try us.
We do try and supply the Consoles for the SEGA and PC ENGINE, but it is not easy Please
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All prices, whatever format, include VAT, post and packaging (please add £1 50 per item
overseas). Despatch will be quicker than you think
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jl enclose cheque/P.O for £_
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Bank Buildings, 1A Charing Cross, Birkenhead L41 6EJ
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Advanced Computer Entertainment 131
WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE
106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON
NOTTINGHAM
NG91ES
WORLDWIDE
SOFTWARE
WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE
106A CHILWELL ROAD, BEESTON
NOTTINGHAM
NG91ES
TITLE.AMIGA ST
Aquanaut.17.95 17.95
Adv Ski Sim.4.99 4.99
Altered Beast.17.95 14.95
Amiga A500 Cover.6.99 —
Amiga Gold Hits.17.95 —
Atersix.16.95 16.95
Atari ST Cover.— 6.99
Austerlitz.17.95 17.95
Australian Rules F/balll4.95 14.95
Axels Magic Hammer.14.95 14.95
Bards Tale 2.17.95 —
Bards Taie.7.25 7.25
Batman the Movie.17.95 14.95
Battlehawks 1942.17.95 17.95
Battle of Britain.17.95 17.95
Battletech.17.95 17.95
Beach Volley.17.95 14.95
Betrayal.17.95 17.95
Black Tiger.17.95 17.95
Blade Warrior.17.95 17.95
Bloodwych.17.95 17.95
Bloodwych Data Disk. 11.99 11.99
Bomber.22.95 22.95
Boxing Manager.17.95 17.95
BMXSim.4.99 4.99
Beverly Hills Cop.17.95 17.95
Bridge Player 2150
Galatica.21.95 21.95
Cabal.17.95 14.95
Carthage.17.95 17.95
Carrier Command.16.95 16.95
Chambers of Shaolin . 16.95 14.95
Chaos Strikes Back.— 17.95
Chase HQ.17.95 14.95
Chess Player 2150.16.95 16.95
Cloud Kingdoms.17.95 17.95
Colossus Chess X.16.95 16.95
Commando.14.95 14.95
Conflict in Europe.17.95 —
Conflict.4.99 4.99
Cyberball.14.95 14.95
Continental Circus.14.95 14.95
Conqueror.17.95 17.95
Damocles.16.95 16.95
Dark Century.16.95 16.95
Day of the Viper.16.95 16.95
Day of the Pharoah....16.95 16.95
De Luxe Scrabble.14.95 14.95
De Luxe Strip Poker.,.14.95 14.95
Debut.16.95 16.95
Double Dragon 2.14.95 14.95
Dr Dooms Revenge ...16.95 16.95
Dragon Spirit.14.95 14.95
Dragons of Flame.17.95 17.95
Dragons Breath.22.95 22.95
Drakkhen.21.95 21.95
Drivin Force.16.95 —
Dungeon Master (1 meg) 17.95 17.95
Dungeon Master Editor 7.99 7.99
Dynamic Debuger.17.95 17.95
Eskimo Games.17.95 17.95
TITLE.AMIGA ST
Elite.16.95 16.95
EyeofHorus.16.95 16.95
FI 6 Combat Pilot.16.95 16.95
FI 6 Falcon.21.95 16.95
FI 6 Falcon
Mission Disc.14.95 14.95
F29 Retaliator.17.95 17.95
Fast Lane.14.95 14.95
Ferrari Formula 1.17.95 17.95
Fiendish Freddies
Big Top.17.95 17.95
Fire Brigade (1 Meg) ..21.95 —
First Contact.16.95 16.95
Flight Simulator 2.28.95 28.95
Football Director 2.14.95 14.95
Footballer Year 2.14.95 14.95
Forgotten Worlds.14.95 14.95
Fun School 2 ( 6 - 8 ).14.95 14.95
Fun School 2 (over 8 ) 14.95 14.95
Fun School 2 under 6.14.95 14.95
Future Wars.17.95 17.95
Flight Path 737.4.99 4.99
Final Battle.17.95 17.95
Full Metal Pianete.17.95 17.95
Foot Man 2 Gift Pack .14.95 14.95
Gravity.17.95 17.95
Galaxy Force.17.95 17.95
Games Summer Editionl7.95 17.95
Gazza Super Soccer..16.95 16.95
Gold of the
America's.17.95
Ghostbusters 2.17.95 17.95
Ghouls and Ghosts ....17.95 17.95
Giants US Gold.22.95 —
Gin and Cribbage.22.95 —
Grand Prix Circuit.17.95 —
Gravity.17.95 17.95
Gridiron.16.95 16.95
Gunship.16.95 16.95
Hard Drivin.14.95 14.95
Heroes Quest.26.95 26.95
Highway Patrol 2.16.95 16.95
Hollywood Poker Pro ...9.99 9.99
Hound of Shadow.17.95 17.95
Indy Last Crusade
Adventure.17.95 17.95
Infestation.16.95 16.95
Interceptor.17.95 —
Interphase.17.95 17.95
Iron Lord.22.95 —
It Came from the
Desert (1 meg).21.95 —
It came from the Desert
Data Disk.11.99 —
Jump Jet.4.99 4.99
John Lowe Darts.14.95 14.95
Jack Nicklaus Golf.16.95 16.95
Joan of Arc.9.99 9.99
Keef the Thief.17.95 —
Kennedy Approach ...16.95 16.95
Kenny Dalglish
Soccer Match.14.95 14.95
TITLE SPEC SPEC C64
CASS DISK CASS
100% Dynamite.10.50 — 10.50
Ballistix.6.90 9.90 6.90
Batman The Movie.6.90 9.90 6.90
Beach Volley.6.90 9.90 6.90
Betrayal.7.25 11.20 7.25
Black Tiger.7.25 11.20 7.25
Bomber.10.50 13.99 10.50
Boxing Manager.7.25 11.20 7.25
Cabal.6.90 9.90 6.90
Carrier Command.10.50 12.99 6.99
Championship Golf.6.90 — 6.90
Chase HQ.6.90 9.90 6.90
Coin op Hits.10.50 13.00 10.50
Continental Circus.6.90 9.90 6.90
Curse of the
Azure Bond.— — —
Double Dragon 2 .6.90 9.90 6.90
Dr Dooms Revenge.6.90 9.90 6.90
Dragon Ninja.6.90 9.90 6.90
Emlyn Hughes Soccer..6.90 9.90 6.90
Eye of Horus.— — 6.90
First Over Germany.— — —
Footballer/Year 2.6.90 9.90 6.90
C64
DISK
13.00
9.90
9.90
9.90
11.20
11.20
13.99
11.20
9.90
9.90
13.00
9.90
17.95
9.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
19.95
9.90
TITLE.SPEC SPEC
.CASS DISK
Forgotten Worlds.6.90 9.90
Galaxy Force.6.90 —
Gazzas Super Soccer ..6.90 —
Ghostbusters 2.7.90 9.90
Ghouls and Ghosts.6.90 9.90
Grand Prix Circuit.— —
Hard Drivin.6.90 9.90
Indy Last Crusade.6.90 —
Kenny Dalglish Soccer .6.90 9.90
Kick Off.6.90 —
Laser Squad.6.90 14.95
Microprose Soccer.6.90 9.90
New Zealand Story.6.90 9.90
Operation Thunderbolt .6.90 9.90
Player Manager.6.90 9.90
Powerboat USA.— —
Power Drift.6.90 9.90
Pro Tennis Tour......7.25 11.20
Project Stealth
Fighter.6.99 10.50
Retrograde.— —
Rainbow Island.6.90 9.90
Rally Cross Challenge..6.90 9.90
C64
CASS
6.90
6.90
6.90
7.90
6.90
7.99
6.90
6.90
6.90
6.90
10.85
7.25
6.90
6.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
11.99
9.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
14.95
14.95
9.90
9.90
9.90
11.20
9.90
11.20
14.95
11.20
9.90
9.90
CREDIT CARD ORDER TELEPHONE LINES
0602 252113 (24 hrs) 0602 252368
Delivery by 1st Class Mail in the UK
Phone for prices of titles NOT Advertised
***************************************************** j|j| p SPFH fiPFC
AMIGA 512K EXPANSION + DUNGEON . CASS D | S K
MASTER ONLY £89.99 _ ■*_- ft on 9.90
..* * DOirc Rock n Roll.6.90 9.90
™ Shinobi.6.90 9.90
.fixg Silkworm.6.90 9.90
ZZ .'.'.2295 Sim City.— —
. .26.95 Snare.— —
17 95 Space Harrier 2.7.25 11.20
7.17.95 Strider.6.90 9.90
.22.95 Stunt Car.10.50 16.95
.28.95 Super League Soccer...6.90 —
.17.95 Test Drive 2.6.90 —
.17.95 Thalamus the Hits.— —
.28.95 The Buzz.11.20 13.50
.]£95 Tolkien Trilogy.9.99 —
. 7-95 Toobin.6.90 9.90
.Treble Champions.6.90 —
.^ Turbo Outrun.6.90 11.20
.7c 95 Ultimate Golf.— —
. 17 95 Untouchables.6.90 —
irq<; Xenophobe.— —
Disk' X-Out.7.25 11.20
IBM/PC TITLES
Beyond the Blackhole.
Bloodwych*.
Bridge Player 2150 Galactica*.
Carrier Command*.
Chessmaster 2000 *.
Conflict in Europe *.
Curse of the Azure Bond*.
F15II.
Ferrari Formula One *.
Indy 500* .
Ml Tank Platoon*.
Omni Horse Racing.
Populous*.
Rick Dangerous.
Sleeping Gods Lie*.
Space Max.
Stunt Car.
Xenon 2 Megablast*.
Xenophobe.
* Avaiable both 3.5" & 5.25"
C64
CASS
6.90
6.90
6.90
6.90
7.25
7.25
6.90
10.50
C64
DISK
9.90
9.90
9.90
9.90
14.95
9.50
11.20
9.90
16.95
13.50
13.50
13.50
13.50
9.90
9.90
13.99
9.99
9.90
11.20
TITLE.AMIGA ST
Karate.— 4.99
Kick Off.14.95 14.95
Kick Off Extra Time.7.99 7.99
Kid Gloves.17.95 17.95
Killing Game Show.17.95 17.95
Kings Quest 4.26.95 26.95
Kings Quest
Triple Pack.26.95 26.95
Lancaster.14.95 14.95
Laser Squad.14.95 14.95
Leaderboard Collectionl 7.95 14.95
Leisuresuit Larry.17.95 17.95
Leisuresuit Larry 2.21.95 21.95
Life and Death.17.95 —
Light Force.17.95 17.95
Lombard RAC Rally... 16.95 16.95
Lords of Rising Sun....21.95 —
Lost Patrol.17.95 14.95
Maniac Mansion.17.95 17.95
Matrix Marauders.14.95 14.95
Microprose Soccer.16.95 16.95
Moonwalker.17.95 17.95
Myth (System 3).17.95 17.95
Midwinter.17.95 17.95
Magnum 4 Compilation22.95 22.95
Nitro Boost Chafi.4.99 4.99
New Zealand Story ....17.95 14.95
Ninja Warriers.14.95 14.95
North and South.16.95 16.95
Oil Imperium.16.95 16.95
Omega.21.95 21.95
Onslaught.17.95 17.95
Omni Morse Racing....17.95 —
Omni Play Basketball. 17.95 —
Ooze.16.95 16.95
Operation Thunderbolt 17.95 14.95
Outlands.14.95 14.95
Overlander.14.95 14.95
P47.16.99 16.95
Paper Boy.14.95 14.95
Paris Dakar Rally.17.95 17.95
Pinball Magic.17.95 14.95
Pirates.— 16.95
Player Manager.14.95 14.95
Populous Promised
Lands.7.99 7.99
Populous.17.95 17.95
Powerboat USA.— 17.95
Powerdrome.17.95 17.95
Pro Tennis Tour.17.95 17.95
Prince.17.95 17.95
Power Drift.17.95 17.95
Quartz.17.95 17.95
Quest for time Bird.21.95 21.95
Renaissance.14.95 14.95
Rainbow Islands.17.95 17.95
Reach for the Stars....17.95 —
Red Lightning.22.95 22.95
Red Storm Rising.16.95 16.95
Rick Dangerous.17.95 17.95
Robocop.17.95 14.95
Rock n Roll.14.95 14.95
TITLE.AMIGA ST
RVF Honda.16.95 16.95
Shadow of the Beast..28.95 —
Shinobi.14.95 14.95
Shoot Em Up
Const Kit.22.95 22.95
Silent Service.16.95 16.95
Silkworm.14.95 14.95
Sim City.21.95 —
Skidz.14.95 14.95
Space Ace.34.95 34.95
Space Harrier 2.14.95 14.95
Space Quest 3.26.95 26.95
Space Rogue.21.95 21.95
Star Blaze.14.95 14.95
Star Command.22.95 —
Starflight.17.95 —
Stellar Crusade.28.95 —
Strider.17.95 14.95
Stryx.14.95 14.95
Stunt Car.16.95 16.95
Super Cars (Gremilin) 14.95 14.95
Super Leagure Soccerl 6.95 16.95
Super Wonderboy.17.95 14.95
Switchblade.14.95 14.95
Swords of Twilight.17.95 —
The Cycles.17.95 ' —
Test Drive 2 Musclecarsl 1.99 —
Treasure Island Dizzy ..4.99 4.99
Twin World.17.95 17.95
The Krystal.— 22.95
TV Sport Basketball ...17.95 —
Targhan.16.95 16.95
Test Drive 2
California Chall.11.20 —
Test Drive 2 The Duel 17.95 —
Test Driver 2
Supercars.11.20 —
Time.21.95 21.95
Toobin.14.95 14.95
Tower of Babel.16.95 16.95
Tracksuit Manager.14.95 14.95
Triad 2.16.95 16.95
TripaTron.26.95 —
Turobo Outrun.17.95 14.95
TV Sport Football.21.95 17.95
Ultimate Golf.17.95 17.95
Untouchables.17.95 14.95
Vulcan.14.95 14.95
Wall Street.17.95 17.95
Waterloo.17.95 —
Wayne Gretzky
Hockey.17.95 17.95
Weird Dreams.16.95 16.95
Wild Streets.16.95 16.95
Winners US Gold.22.95 22.95
X Out.14.95 14.95
Xenon 2 Megablast .... 17.95 17.95
Xenomorph.17.95 17.95
Xenophobe.16.95 16.95
Zombi.17.95 17.95
Europe (other than UK)
shipping costs are:
£1.50 per disc for normal airmail
£2.50 per disc for express airmail
Please make cheques or postal orders payable to WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE.
All prices include postage and packing in UK.
ADVERTISED PRICES ARE FOR MAIL AND TELEPHONE ORDERS
Outside Europe shipping costs are:
£2.00 per disc for normal airmail
£3.00 per disc for express airmail
A GREAT DEAL ALL ROUND!
Visit the ultimate 4 day computer extravaganza
featuring over 100 nationwide suppliers.
Thousands of bargains at unbelievable prices
wait you at the largest show of its kind ever
staged outside London.
Whatever your interest - business, home or leisure
- you'll find Computer Cash
great deal all round!
'n' Carry '90 offers a
GMEX • Manchester
15 -18 March 1990
HARDWARE
SOFTWARE
PERIPHERALS
GAMES
ACCESSORIES
SUPPLIES
OPEN HOURS: Thursday 1 5 and
Friday 16 March: 10am - 8pm
Saturday 17 March: 10am - 6pm
Sunday 18 March: 10am - 4pm
ADMISSION - SAVE £1
£4.50 per person or £10 family ticket
(2 adults + 2 children)
Save £1 on entry - simply cut the
voucher from page 1 20
A ATARI* Hardware Offers
520 ST POWER PACK
Ama?lnn wol» 10 auji i i « i. . . . ....
'?■!? from Ataril includes the latest 520ST with 1Mb internal drive,
^ ous ®* user 9 uide, 5 disks of public domain software, plus an Incredible
selection of chart-topping software (over £500 RRP in total) Software includes-
"-Type Pacmanla Out Run Nebulus
Afterburner StarglkJer Bombuzal Stargoose
Double Dragon Super Huey Xenon First Music
Super Hangon Eliminator Gauntlet II First Basic
Space Harrier Predator Black l
Overtander Bombjack Starray
... for £339.00
B^Unp Organiser Cn /y |nc VAT & de| , very
NEW! 520 and 1040 STE
New STE models feature an extended palette of 4096
colours, enhanced PCM stereo sound, an additional two
analogue device inputs and TOS 1.6 operating system.
520 STE Explorer Pack with 512K RAM, 1Mb Drive_£259.00
1040 STE with 1Mb RAM and 1Mb Drive.£399.00
520STFM 1MEG internal drive upgrade kit with full instructions.
520 STFM 1 MEG memory uprade kit, requires soldering.
520 STFM 1MEG memory upgrade fitted by us.”...
Mega ST 1 with mono monitor.
Mega ST 2 with mono monitor.
Mega ST4 with mono monitor.*"**’*’’*’’””*****”^
SMI 24 high resolution monochrome monitor.
SCI224 colour monitor.
Megafile 30Mb hard disk.
Megafile 60Mb hard disk.’**’*"’**”*”
Vortex HDplus 40Mb hard disk..
5.25" External 40/80 track drive (360/720K) IBM compatibie"!."!.!!...."
Vidi-ST 16-tone video frame grabber inc. digitising software.
Philips CM8833 medium res. stereo colour monitor, with A/V inputs
Contriver Hi-Res. Mouse including mouse mat & pocket.
520/1040 STF/STFM Joystick accessibility extension adapter.
.£74.95
.£79.00
... £109.00
... £599.00
... £849.00
. £1099.00
... £119.00
... £279.00
... £439.00
... £589.00
... £499.00
.£99.00
.£95.00
... £249.00
.£22.95
.£ 4.95
AMIGA 500 LOW COST RAM UPGRADE
512K RAM/CLOCK unit: directly replaces A501 expansion
'ft Now Includes ON/OFF memory switch
ft Auto-recharging battery backed Real-time Clock
ft Compact unit size ; Ultra-neat design
tV Uses only 4 D-RAM chips for high reliability
ft Low power consumption
RAM Expansion only £65.00 inc. VAT/delivery
Also available without clock for only £57.00
External 5.25" 40/80 track switchable floppy drive for Amiga.£114.95
Omega Projects MIDI Interface including 30" serial connection lead .... £29.95
Philips CM8833 stereo sound colour monitor, c/w Amiga cable.£249.00
Pye 2325 15" TV/Monitor with Teletext, rem/ctri, c/w Amiga cabie"!.. £249.00
MimGEN Genlock Adapter. £95 qq
DOUBLE TAKE!
PYE 15" FST
TV/MONITOR
(MODEL 2325)
Superb quality, stylish medium
resolution FST colour TV/moni¬
tor to suit the ST or Amiga.
Features teletext, full infra-red
remote control, Euroconnector,
Video/Audio input and head¬
phone output connectors, 40
tuner presets, external aerial
connector and loop aerial. Sup¬
plied with cable (please state
computer type when ordering).
r GREAT
VALUE i
£ 249.00
Includes VAT
and computer
Connection lecri/
3.5" Disks
10 Bulk packed DS/DD 3.5" disks
with labels, fully guaranteed.£ 9.95
25 bulk disks as above.£22.95
10 disks as above with plastic case.£ 11.95
25 disks as above, with 40 capacity
lockable storage unit.£29.95
Kodak DS/DD 3.5" disks, top quality
storage media, fully guaranteed. Box of 10 ... £17.95
Hugely successtSTb pin printer, the Star
LC10 provides 4 NLQ fonts (96 print
combinations) at 36cps and 144cps draft.
Includes 4K buffer and IBM/parallel inter¬
face, front panel operation, plus paper
parking, allowing single sheets to be used
without removing tractor paper.
Only £169.00
Colour version also available.
Only £215.00
Prices Include 2 extra
____ black ribbons free of charge.
Star LC24-10 multifont 24pin printer, amazing low price . £239 OO
Star FR-10 9pin 300/76cps with 31K buffer, 16 NLQ fonts, .
EE-PROM memory & 12 months on-site maintenance.
Star FR-15 wide carriage version of above FR-10.
Star LC-15 wide carriage version of above LC10.
Olivetti DM1 OOS super 9pln 200/30cps, 1 year on-slto warranty
Panasonic KXP1081 reliable + sturdy 9pin 10" printer 120/24 cps
Panasonic KXP1180 feature-packed multifont 9 pin 11".
Panasonic KXP1124 good specification multifont 24 pin 11".
NEC P2+ (replaces P2200) 192/64cps multifont 24pin..**
Epson LX400 (was LX800) budget 10" 180/25 cps.
Epson LQ400 (features as LQ550) 10" 24pin, 180/30cps."!!!!!!.!
Monnnnmnnn TmII.. IIT A A 4 nn » a_
... £399.00
... £499.00
... £329.00
...£129.95
... £159.00
...£179.00
... £269.00
... £299.00
... £159.00
... £229.00
How to order from
All prices include VAT and delivery. Express Courier delivery £5.00 extra.
[>(] Send cheque, Postal Order
or ACCESSIVISA card details
Evesham Micros Ltd
UNIT 9 ST RICHARDS RD
EVESHAM
WORCS WR11 6XJ
© 0386-765500
fax 0386-765354
ES
MAIL ORDER SALES:
“S 0386-765500
Govt-, educ. & PLC orders welcome
Same day despatch whenever possible
All products covered by 1 year guarantee
AU goods subject to availability, E.&O.E.
(Technical Support (Mon-Frl):
1 0386-40303
Ketail 1762 Pershore Road, Cotteridge, Birmingham B30 3BH Tel: 021 458 4564
outlets 63 Bridge Street, Evesham, Worcs WR11 4SF Tel: 0386 765180
1 34 TH
PINK
PINK PUZZLE
APRIL ’90
PRIZE
PUZZLE
Set by Archie Medes
Down at the ‘Dog and Pud¬
dle' the usual Saturday
afternoon darts match was
in progress. At one point
in the game a rather
unusual score was noted.
Three darts had been
thrown and each had
scored a ‘single'. What
was unusual was that if the
three darts had landed in
the next sector clockwise
from where they actually
were, the score would
have been the same.
Even more remarkably, the
same total would also
have resulted had they all
landed one sector of the
board anticlockwise.
For example, if a 20,
a 5 and a 6 had been
score (totalling 31) the
next sectors of the board
clockwise are 1, 20, and
10 respectively. These also
total 31. However, in this
case the anticlockwise
scores of 5,12 and 13
only come to 30 - so this
obviously was not the posi¬
tion of the darts in the ‘Dog
and Puddle'.
Can you determine
what the score was for
each of the three darts?
(Remember, there were no
doubles or trebles, neither
was any ‘bull’ scored!)
In case you don’t have
one to hand, a picture of a
dart board has been pro¬
vided for your convenience
(aren’t we nice?).
SOLUTION TO JAN ’90
PRIZE PUZZLE
The winner was Mr.
Saleem Siddiqui,
Chiswick, London.
Answer: In the crossnum¬
ber puzzle A=462 and
B=323.
Solution: The problem
involves finding values for
A and B such that the grid
can be filled in accordance
with the clues given. For
example, the second digit
of the product A times B
must be the same as the
fifth digit of the value of A
squared. Only if this is the
case can the two values fit
into the grid and interlock
correctly. As both A
squared and B squared
have six-digit totals, the
values of A and B must lie
in the range 317 to 999.
These are the bound¬
ary values defined in the
two FOR/NEXT loops in
the program (lines 100 to
130). From these two val¬
ues the remaining three
values in the grid are com¬
puted (lines 110,140, and
180). In each case the
numeric variables so cal¬
culated are converted to
their string equivalents.
Note that some computers
introduce an extra space
at the beginning of the
string formed when using
the STR$ command. For
example, the line
X= 1234:X$=STR$(X):PRIN
TLEN(X$) would give the
result of 5 and not the
expected 4. This is
because the string is actu¬
ally represented as
71234" (here the space is
indicated by the /). To get
rid of this simply use
thwe command
X$=MID$(X$,2). So if
your computer produces
a length of 5 in the
above example you will
need to use this tech¬
nique to bring the first
digit of the answer into
first position of the
string, failure to do so
may result in strange
answers appearing!
After each string is
created the positions of
matching digits are
checked. The failure of
any match will result in
that pair of values being
ditched, only if all tests
are passed is the result
printed out at line 210.
t 00 FOR fl=317 TO 999:R$*STR$(A)
110 flS=R*fl:RS$ as STR$(RS)
120 IF MID$(RS$,2,1 )<>" 1" THEN GOTO 230
130 FOR B=317T0 999:B$=STR$(B)
140 BS=B*B:BS$=STR$(BS)
150 IF MID$(BS$,3,1)<>MID$(R$,1,1) THEN
GOTO 220
160 IF MI0$(RS$,3,1 )<>MID$(B$,3,1) THEN
GOTO 220
170 IF MIB$(B$,2,1 )<>"0" THEN GOTO 220
180 M=fl*B:M$=STR$(M)
190 IF MID$(M$,2,1X>MID$(RS$,5,1) THEN
GOTO 220
200 IF MID$(M$,5,1 )<>MID$(BS$,5,1) THEN
GOTO 220
210 PRINT fl;" H ;B; n H ;B$;” H ;M
220 NEHTB
230 NEHTR
[" APRIL’9d"PRTZE PUZZLE" "
■NAME:.
1 ADDRESS:.
TELEPHONE:. |
ANSWER
DART ONE SCORED:.
DART TWO SCORED:.
DART THREE SCORED:. j
LISTING ENCLOSED (optional): □
Send your completed entry to:
ACE April ’90 Prize Puzzle
Priory Court,
30-32 Farringdon Lane,
LONDON. EC1R 3AU. |
To arrive not later than 5th April 1990.
i_i
(Nintendo)
Europes Largest Stock of Video Games & Cartridges For —
NINTENDO
GAMEBOY LYNX
PC SUPER GRAFX
The leading Video game specialists. Send for lists (state make of game)
MAM
2600
and
7800
TELEGAMES, WIGSTON, LEICESTER, 118 1TE. (0553-880445)
PINK
PAGES
ACE
READERS' PAGES
FOR SALE
ATARI ST520FM + over
£850 worth of software
titles. Total package for
£350, Tel: Paul 0494
729173 for details
(evenings).
ATARI 520STFM D Drive
excellent boxed £700's
games 4 joysticks adap¬
tor basic, demo, disks,
mouse, 80 magazines,
£450, Marcus 751 0523.
NEW ATARI 520 STFM
power pack games,
mouse 20 extra games.
Phone 0268 411014. Sell
£425 unwanted gift worth
£750.
AMSTRAD CPC464, colour
monitor, £240's software
(originals) + cheetah mach
1+ joystick, instruction
manual, introductory tape.
In perfect condition. Worth
£500+ sell £240 ono Tel:
Ross 0621 741224 after
5pm.
COMMODORE 64, disk
drive, datasettes, 30
games, joystick and disk
box. A bargain at £180.
Tel:0543 257762 after
4pm.
C64, datasette, lots of
games, perfect working
order, £75ono. Also Atari
ST originals, £8 will swap
Call 0889 564554 after
4.30pm.
C64 PD Demos, 10 disks
£1.70 each £13 for the
lot. Full instructions,
demos include Batdance,
contex, S-Xpress, Crunch¬
es, music and hundreds
more. D Walton, 18
Heysham Park, Fleysham,
Lancs, LA32 2UD.
AMSTRAD 6128, colour,
£450 of software, Op.
Wolf, Stargliders, multi¬
face 2. Boxed, Worth
£900 plus accept £450.
Tel:0378 75577 after
5pm (Kris).
ORIGINAL CPC games on
tape and disk. Many
recent titles. Phone Mark
for list 0428 717440.
Evenings.
520STM 1 meg ram fitted
on 4 meg expansion
board Atari and comana 1
meg drives. Mouse mat,
manuals etc. Excellent
condition £330.Tel:0708
866014.
STAR LC10 printer for
C64 £100 ono Tel: 061
773 5815. Before 5pm
0706 877320 after 7pm
(Manchester/Lancs area).
PC Engine, CD Rom, 5
player adaptor, 2 joypads,
15 games, boxed, cost
£980 sell £550 Tel: 0908
618937.
LOADS of Computer mag¬
azines backcopies, lots of
titles. Send to S Williams,
7 Holly Grove, Upton-on-
Severn, Worcs. WR8 0PH
ATARI 520STFM,
computer mouse, philips
CM8852 colour monitor,
boxed games including
UMJ Dungeon Master,
Carrier Command. £375.
Tel: 0827 717136.
PENPALS
CONTACTS needed! every¬
one welcome write to: Dorn,
49 Ruskin Av, Manor Park,
London. El 2 6PJ guaran¬
teed reply.(AMIGA)
AMIGA CONTACTS wanted to
swap latest stuff. Write to
Skyfire, 27 New Penkridge
Rd, Cannock, Staffs. WS11
1HW.
ASIAN LASS, otherwise very
lonely, seek Amiga, ST pen¬
pals for swap, chit chat and
friendship. Worldwide. SAE
for reply appreciated. MS SH
Haridas, 33 Rutland Rd,
Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
WANT a cool Australian con¬
tact? If you're fast and cool
contact Judas! c/o 22 Gold¬
en Court, Shepparton 3630,
Victoria, Australia. (Amiga)
AMIGA contacts waanted
wrote to Will 24 Gosplegate,
Louth, Lines.
ST contacts wanted 100%
reply. Send lists/disks to
Danny Russel, 7 South
Close. Burgess Hill, West
Sussex. RH15 9PZ.
AMIGA CONTACTS: Garfield,
5 Straand Rd, Clonakility, Co
Cork, Ireland. Acid demos
(esp) and games also.
AMIGA CONTACTS wanted,
send disks and lists to Paul
Richards, 63 Manor Rd, Des-
ford, Leicester. LE9 9JQ.
100% reply guaranteed.
AMIGA CONTACTS wanted
100% reply all users wel¬
come. Write now to Adam
Shaw, 273 Rush Green Rd,
Romford, Essex.
HELPLINE
URGENTLY needed, some¬
one with spare who is over
18 and would like to write a
6 page magazine for free (a
computer magazine). It is a
free magazine so quite a bit
of work must go into it. If
you are interested send
SSAE with some small
pieces of your work to
William, 13 West Parade,
Norwich. NR2 3DN.
Software exchange service
for Amiga/ST/C64/Spec-
trum/PC/Amstrad
CPC/Sega/Nintendo. 50p
registration fee, £2 for
swap. Send form to: CRB,
22 Roman Rd, Bearsden,
Glasgow G61 2SL.
FREE Amstrad CPC464 or
664 computer games for
you. Send a £1 coin for a
upto date list. In the list are
Robo cop: Zynaps, Zub, Bat¬
man the movie, Xcel, Blas-
troids, Jet set Willy 2, Silk¬
worm, Purple Saturn Day,
Space Harrier, Jail Break,
Red Heat, Stormlord, and
loads more over 100.
Please only write to Free
games of 1990, C Wilson,
64 Fishponds Rd, Kenil¬
worth, Warks, CV8 1EZ,
England, Earth, 1990.
HELP I seriously need to sell
my C64 (slimline) I have
over 100 games, a joystick
an a mouse (needs repair¬
ing). For £200ono. I also
have a radio controlled car
up for sale £70. Phone
Hornoaurca 49011 ask for
Jamie.
SECOND Hand software
service for the Atari ST.
Even though these games
are second hand they retain
the standard of new
games. For a membership
form and full free list of all
the games on offer send a
SSAE to: William Pacgrave-
moore, 13 West Parade,
Norwich. NR2 3 DN. It will
be worth it!!
BLOODWYCH help urgently
req'd contact Phil on Bristol
698914 or 109 Pretoria Rd,
Patchway, Bristol. BS12
5PY.
PROGRAMMERS! Amiga
sprites, music, bitmaps,
Blitter, copper ect,
Explained in a new book:
“Amiga Games Program¬
mers Guide". All you need to
know about the Amigas cus¬
tom Hardware to write that
Mega game! All budding and
existing games writers must
get a copy! Send SAE to:
C.J Ditchburn, 12 Eden
Court, The Scores, St
Andrews, Fife, Scotland
KYI 6 9BD.
HELP wanted does anyone
know how to get the mis¬
sions in Elite (C64) version,
once Elite rank is reached.
Also has anyone got any
pokes or listings for Boul-
derdash 4. Any help would
be appreciated. Contact:
Peter, 42 Brightfield Rd, Lee
Green, London. SE12 8QF
HELP needed with Myth and
The Last Ninja on the C64.
On Myth how do you get
past the one headed Green
Dragon in Ancient Norse
(level 4) and so on? And how
do you get past the two fire
breathing dragons at the
end of level 2 on The Last
Ninja? Any assistance grat-
fully accepted. Paul
Nichloas, 206 Neath Rd,
Briton, Ferry Neath, West
Glamorgan, S Wales.
IBM owner wants help with
Hitchikers guide to the
Galaxy. I can help with
Defenders of the crown plus
others. Write to David But¬
ler, PO Box 35771 Menlo
Park. 0102. S.AFRICA.
WANTED
ST POWER transformer
urgently required or old ST
with working power. Contact
Phil on 0272 698914. Or
wrote to 109 Pretoria Rd,
Patchway, Bristol. BS12
5PY.
WANTED Pokes, tips, maps,
and cheats for Amiga. Write
to Gareth Keyes, 4 Glanmor
Cres, Newport, Gwent. NP9
8AX, UK or Tel: 0633
280958
NOTICE!!
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING
TO SELL? NEED HELP ON
ANY GAMES? YES?
THEN JUST GO TO PAGE
121, FILL IN THE ENTRY
FORM AND SEND IT TO
US- NO PROBLEM!
XX Advanced Computer Entertainment
136 THE PINK PAGES
PINK RESULTS
YES! Its back again, the
bastion of the (soon to be)
rich (slightly) and famous
(vaguely). Yep, it’s the spot
where we announce those
lucky souls whose post¬
cards, letters, etc have
managed to crawl out of
the confines of the editor’s
hat (and who can blame
them?), and lustily declare
themselves as winners of
Ye Olde Pinke Page Com¬
pos. So without more ado,
read on, and see if you're
one of ’em.
NO NONSENSE
NINTENDO
Back in the Jan issue we
ran a little compo in con¬
junction with Nintendo. The
prizes up for grabs were a
Deluxe NES set (oooh!)
and a Nintendo Game Boy
complete with the abso¬
lutely fabby Tetris (aaah!).
Winner of the NES set
is Miss K. Stirzaker,
Wokingham, Berkshire.
Winner of the Game-
boy, with Tetris (yeah!) is
Gareth O’ Hara, Lisburn,
Co. Antrim, Northern
Ireland.
Congratulations to
both of you. Get the kettle
on next weekend, ’cose
the ACE team will be round
for a few quick games.
LOGOTRON
LOVELIES
Remember last decade?
Good, ’cos that’s when we
ran our Pink Compo with
Logotron in which five
copies of Bad Company
and Starblaze were up for
grabs. The lucky winners
are:
Tony Skinner, Newbury,
Berks.; Philip Anthony
Bram, Gedling, Notting¬
ham; Steve Wood, Penn,
Wolverhampton; Nathan
Hill, Woking, Surrey;
David Exton, Stafford,
Staffordshire.
VIRGIN ON THE
RIDICULOUS!
Thanks for your good
response to our crazy cap¬
tion compo in the Jan issue.
You will remember that we
asked you to supply a suit¬
able caption for a piccy of
Richard Branson promoting
the Sega Light Gun.
The winner (who wins
on the basis of his tip more
than his caption is Alan
Johnson, Fleetwood,
Lancs.
CAPTION:
Who said this is a light gun?
It’s really quite heavy!
TIP: Don't go on any balloon
trips with this man.
Hmmm! Says it all really...
PICTURE THIS!
Back in Feb we had a com¬
petition in conjuction with
Domark in which there wer
five copies of the Pic-
tionary board game up for
grabs.
To win these wonder¬
ful prizes all you had to do
was identify three piccies
produced by the worst art-
sist we could find in the
building (namely our very
own reviews editor!). Unfor¬
tunately nearly everybody
managed to identify what
he meant by his childish
doodles, so we have to
give away the games
rather than keeping them
ourselves to play next
Christmas. Oh well, C’est
La Vie! These are the lucky
people who have deprived
the ACE team of their fun:
Mark Daniel Wake,
Southend-on-Sea,
Essex; Arthur Owen,
Caernarvon, Gwynedd;
Sean Glover, Throney,
Cambs., Steven Gal¬
lagher, Canterbury,
Kent; Richard Moore,
Leeds.
O.K. That’s all folks! There
will of course be more Pink
Results next month. Mean¬
while, this month’s winners
can sit back and wait for
their prizes!
HOW TO PLACE YOUR ENTRY
All you have to do is send off the form below, together with your payment;
Entries to the Pink Pages cost just £4.00 each. (Except for helpline which is free).
• The maximum is 20 words except for Helpline. (Helpline entries can be extended to
100 words max - use another sheet of paper if necessary).
• The service is NOT open to trade advertisers.
• We will print your advertisement in the first available issue.
• Entries which could be interpreted as encouraging software piracy will not be accepted.
ENTRY FORM
i
POST TO: ACE Readers Page, Category of entry: Write your Advertisement here, one word per box. !
Emap B+CP, Priory Court, Include your name, address and phone number if !
30-32 Farringdon Lane, ’ □ Helpline □ For Sale you want them printed.
London EC1R 3AU. riWantAri n Pen Pals
□ User Groups □ Other
Please place my ad in the
next available issue of ACE. Method of Payment
3 □ Cheque □ P.O.
Address.
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. ACE MAGAZINE.
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Anco
ADVERTISERS INDEX
57 Future.66,67 Ocean.IFC,IBC,81,22
Bondwell.98
Computer Ad
World.
,...131
Console Quest.
...131
C + VG.
16,17
CES.
Digital Intergration
.75
Elite.
E.A.
Evesham.
...133
Euromax.
...111
EMAP.120,132
Graphic Music
Centre.69
Hewson. 43
Intermediates.117
Logotron.87
Mirrorsoft.8,32,71
MCD.......126
Megaland.115
Mail Centa. 120
Microbyte.129
MPH. 131
PC Leisure....104
Rapid...127
Rainbow Arts.46
Shekhana.127
Star...129
Turbosoft.119
Telegames.134
US Gold.IBC,6,7,18
Virgin.64
Worldwide.132
The BLITTER END
^ Ye gods! Is this the future
of mankind after the great
console takeover? We could¬
n't believe our eyes when
this little baby showed up in
the office, featuring the 'New
Ecto Popper' and 'Ecto Gog¬
gles' from the Real Ghost-
buster range. With kids like
this on the block, who needs
ghostbusters?
CD REVOLUTION
G or blimey! Can this be true? Are we
about to get the games of the future
right now? Could it just possibly be that
hardware manufacturers are about to blast our
woolly socks off with a whole string of exciting
new games machines?
The almost unbelievable answer is yes. Last
month you would have been forgiven for thinking
that here in the UK we were settling down to a
couple of years of ST/Amiga dominated gaming.
No real CD-ROM development for at least two
years, no CD-I, no FM Towns (unless you win one
in this month's competition), in fact nothing very
exciting on the horizon at all.
How wrong you would have been. In the
space of three weeks, there have been three sep¬
arate developments that together will revolutionise
the games scene here in Britain within the next
twelve months.
Development number one. NEC are seriously
contemplating importing the PC Engine officially
into Europe. And why is this so important, dear
reader? Aren't we sick to death of the PC wotsit?
Aha, but of the world's entire installed base of
CD-ROM drives, over half are attached to PC
Engines. And lots of people are developing CD-
ROM software for the NEC machine. The PC
Engine could be the first major CDR-compatible
unit in the UK with a decent games software base
- and that's the first step towards CD-I, since it
gives software companies the CD production
experience they'll need for the interactive optical
disk games.
Development number two. Commodore are
producing a CD-ROM games console. No, it is not
(apparently) a CD-ROM with an Amiga attached (or
•vice-versa) but a stand-alone keyboardless unit,
codenamed 'Baby', retailing for under £500, and
styled more like a hi-fi unit than a computer.
If this is Commodore's answer to the
Japanese (see last month's column) then Blitter
takes back everything he said about C64 based
consoles last month. In fact, Blitter dashes out
and buys Commodore shares. Blitter joins a
Christmas Club and starts saving up. Because
make no mistake, a standalone CDR unit at that
price from a major company with a strong involve¬
ment in the games market could, if the hardware
spec is OK (if...), prove to be the most exciting
item on the market this year.
And finally, Amstrad are planning their own
console. Long rumoured, not yet officially
announced, it joins a couple of upgraded CPC
models capable of taking cartridge software to be
released this autumn - or so we hear on the
grapevine. Whatever the specs, it'll be cheap,
widely available, and probably well supported by
UK software houses. The only questionmark hangs
(as in the case of Commodore's 'Baby') over the
hardware spec. There's a lot of powerful competi¬
tion looming up in the console market.
One thing's for certain. With at least one, and
possibly two CD-ROM compatible systems about
to hit these shores, ACE readers are guaranteed
some exciting software developments during the
next year.
•
Meanwhile, in another significant development for
the UK CD-ROM games scene, Mirrorsoft has just
taken over the marketing and development of
leisure (e.g. Guinness Book of Records) and
games CD titles from sister company Pergamon
Compact Solutions (now disbanded).
One of the machines Mirrorsoft will be looking
very closely at will doubtless be the Commodore
unit. According to company boss Peter Bilotta,
'...CD based games will be big news within the
next two to three years.' He also reckons that
Commodore's machine could do '...very well
indeed in the European market'. Don't miss next
month's special ACE free CD guide...
Blit-Blit!
GREAT
■ SHIKilE
GIFT!
We've got a great freebie
for you next month that
will put you right at the
forefront of the CD
games revolution.
After giving you an exclu¬
sive chance to win an FM
Towns machine this
month, next month we're
giving away a special
ACE cover-mounted
guide to the world of
compact disk games
technology. You'll be able
find out which games are
currently on CD, the
specs of the machines
they run on, how CD
games work, and what
both British and Ameri¬
can software houses are
planning for this new
medium in the near
future.
We're also hoping to
bring you our interviews
with Cyan, which we had
to leave out of this chock-
full issue, and AIM -
American Interactive
Media, plus an in-depth
investigation of 'cute¬
ness'. Don't miss it,
sweetie pie.
Ooops!
Pepe Merino's system, as detailed last
month, boasts 256 colours per panel,
NOT per page! Sorry, Pepe - it's even
more impressive than we thought.
138 Advanced Computer Entertainment
;af T >E «F«wijM0fl9ro|
nter a niediaeval era in a mystical world’Where ivanhoe, our
|' fi|lp^ chivalrous hero, pursues a perilous quest ... a quest from which most
|N||ffi|MpS^ mortals would run ... an adventure which mast men would fear l
j|_ $£§^<4 Strop on your armour, take up your sword and brace yourself to face
^ ie nmyical powers of the most evil of wizards, the plunderous pirates,
the most awesome of dragons and a host of hideous ‘beings’ in this land of legends .
Superb animation, by the cartoonist whose brush gave ns the Asterfcv
movie, and beautifully executedgraphics create a zHsual impact as yet unseen in the
media of interactive entertainment. Ix’anfroe - fight for your life ... and legend!
: PETER ANDREW JONES COPYRIGHT .SOL ARWIND LIMITED.
Available on: CBM 64/128 cassette & disk. Amstrad cass
Spectrum 48/^ 28|£cassette Atari ST. CBM Ami
© 1990 CAPCOM CO., LTD. Manufactured under license from CAPCOM CO., LTD., JAPAN. BLACK TIGER™ and CAPCOM™ are trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd.
U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.
MONS & DRAGONS
OU ARE THE....
^ ^ ^ v
>lr * M r*
75- _>o
i., LTD., JAPAN. BLACK TIGER™ and CAPCOM™ are trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd.
olford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.
ISSUE 31 • AF
▲
'RIL 1 9^
>0 • £1.60
r '
c
H
m
30
ADVANCED COMPUTE!
H
m
30
H
>
State-of-the-art
ART OF THE STATE!
Special American Issu
s
m
Revealed: the secrets of LucasTTl
h Cinemaware, FTL, Electronic Arts, and 0
Q
>
"0
30
s £1500 CD-ROM c<
(O
(0
O
BE THE FIR
THIS CARD could win you the staggering FM TOWNS (
(Worth over £1500 - not normally available in UK)
m
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11