007 * RETRO7 CoverUK09/08/200412:20PMPage1 ❙❋❙P✄❍❇N❋❙ ISSUE SEVEN ISSUE
>SYNTAX ERROR! >MISSING COVERDISC?
❙❋❙P✄❍❇N❋❙* ❏❚❚❋✄❚❋❋❖ £5.99 UK • $13.95 Aus • $27.70 NZ NP❙❋ ? ? Untitled-1 1 1/9/06 12:55:47 RETRO7 Intro/Hello 11/08/2004 9:36 PM Page 3
hello
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p48 Over The Rainbow p21 CGE 2004 Craig Vaughan looks at the very best and very Retro Gamer reports back from the UK’s first worst Spectrum game endings multi-format retro show
p70 Coin-Op Conversions (part 2) p65 Arcade Hunt Robert Mellor compares the home versions of Sightings of classic arcade machines have two classic Sega arcade games flooded into the office
p88
p85 Create Your Own Game Retro Ryder Cup Jason Darby remembers the game creation Andrew Fisher pits some of the best golf games packages we all experimented with in the past against each other
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p58 The Next Level (part 2) Richard Hewison continues his history of the popular UK adventure game developer
p30 The Atari ST Family p79 Box of Tricks Richard Davey explores the Atari ST and talks David Crookes talks to the man behind to the machine’s UK Product Manager Romantic Robot and its Multiface device
>Regulars p06 Retro News New format, new news, same old stuff p10 Retro Forum In the words of Bob Hoskins... it’s good to talk p16 Retro Reviews The good, the bad and the really damn ugly p41 Desert Island Disks
p96 Eight games that C&VG columnist Keith Campbell would Atari Advertising Gallery take onto our digital desert island Another month, another batch of classic Retro Mart p109 software and hardware adverts Bag yourself a retro bargain Endgame p114 Drawing the curtains on another issue
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It’s Alive!
Intellivision games heading to PS2
Budget console publisher Play It is to release Intellivision Lives on the PlayStation 2 this September. This complete collection features over 60 classic games, including some that were never originally a hidden game. Finally, there’s a released, and all for just £10. detailed history of the console As is the norm for this type of narrated by Keith Robinson, package, Intellivision Lives lets president of Intellivision the player loose in a 3D Productions Inc. environment – in this case, Hal’s While digging up news on Pizza Place – and it’s from this Intellivision Lives, we also typically 1980s’ setting that the discovered that Play It is to various games can be selected. release the original Last Ninja Each game is emulated perfectly, trilogy on PS2. The graphics will and presented with the original be enhanced, but the gameplay box art and a production history. and puzzles will remain intact. And that’s not all. Many of the Again, this will be released in the games feature a so-called ‘play next few months and priced at a goal’, which usually involves very economical £10. It will also attaining a certain high score that serve as a perfect appetiser for unlocks bonus content, such as the fully 3D’d up Last Ninja 4, an Intellivision TV commercial or due out next year.
both C64 and SID music fans, with Rock more and more attending every year since its humble beginnings the back in 2001. At its helm is Chris Abbott, who now acts as the legal Capital ‘guardian’ and publisher for many Ben Daglish), The C64 Mafia and of the retro game and SID Natasha Samsudin-Mackenzie. After Back in Time soundtracks. last year’s trip to the south coast, This year’s event is billed as the 2004 event will be held at LSO 2004 hits “blending retro gaming and dance St Luke’s, located on London’s Old London music”, with new renditions of Street (EC1V 9NG). Tickets are £25 classic Commodore 64 game each, and every attendee will also A quick reminder that this year’s anthems being played by live receive a copy of Nexus 6581-II, a Back in Time Live event is taking bands. Headlining will be the now- four-track CD of Commodore C64 Chris Abbot ([email protected]). place in Central London on legendary Press Play on Tape, with remixes arranged by Reyn Ouwehand. For a taste of what to expect, take Saturday, 11th September. BIT Live support from Visa Röster, Stuck in For further information, visit a look at Lee Bolton’s trailer on is fast becoming a key event for D’80s (featuring Mark Knight and www.backintimelive.com or email this month’s coverdisc.
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What's happening this month in the retro world
This month...// Intellivision on PS2 // Back in Time Live // Mortal Kombat comeback // Megadrive meets PS2 // Minter's a legend? // Retro mobiles // The retro round-up...
perfect version of the arcade original. Mortal Kombat: Deception Premium Pack (PlayStation 2) and Richard Burton Mortal Kombat: Deception once again Kollector’s Edition (Xbox) will feature all sorts of goodies, monitors the including exclusive packaging, a 40- wonderful world of minute DVD on the history of online auctions Mortal Kombat and an embossed metal Kollector’s Card. But the Available to the retro gaming fraternity this highlight has to be the addition of month on eBay UK was perhaps the rarest Kombat the original game. of all NES cartridges, the super elusive and Deception is due out in October, very exclusive Nintendo World Championship Shock and as yet the limited editions have 1990 cartridge in its ultra-rare gold form. only been announced for release in the US. Mortal Kombat fans Original Mortal shouldn’t miss Midway’s Arcade Kombat graces Treasures 2 either, as it features new game Mortal Kombat II & III. Also out in October, this collection features Fans of Mortal Kombat will be over 20 classic arcade games pleased to hear that limited besides Mortal Kombat, including editions of the latest game in the Championship Sprint, NARC, Total blood-soaked series will contain a Carnage and Gauntlet 2.
player, MPEG/DivX movie player This cartridge was made specifically for a To The and Megadrive emulator. gaming competition that Nintendo ran in We’ve played around with 1990. It featured three NES favourites – Max the product and discovered that Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer and Tetris – the emulator is an updated which had to be played in that order for six Play Megadrive version of Sjeep’s popular PGEN minutes. You had to get 50 coins as quickly and offers very faithful as possible in Super Mario Bros., then follow games on your PS2 Megadrive emulation. Setting up that with a spin on Rad Racer, aiming to the emulator is easy too: you complete level one in record time. Any Back in issue five we reported simply use the bundled PC remaining time was spent racking up an on Action Replay Max, the latest software and burn ROMs to a imposing score on Tetris. version of Datel’s popular CD, then use this CD in your Nintendo scoured the country for the cheats disc, which also includes PS2. Alternatively, you can copy best gamers by setting up regional contests many other features, such as the ROMs to a USB memory to win places at the World Championship the ability to run Megadrive stick, then plug this straight Finals, which were held at Universal Studios games on an unmodded PS2. into the PS2. The Max Media in Los Angeles. Overall there were 90 For those of you wanting to Player is available now for standard grey cartridges handed out to the emulate the Megadrive, Datel £14.99. It can be purchased Championship finalists, and a further 26 has released Max Media Player, direct from www.code gold-coloured cartridges sent out to a stripped-down version that junkies.com or by calling additional winners through a competition in includes just the MP3 music 08456 010015. Nintendo Power, the company’s own
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monthly magazine. So, altogether a rather miniscule 116 cartridges were produced, Yak making them rarer than a toupee-wearing badger riding a pogo stick down a one-way Attack street. This also means any potential buyer better have a shed load of cash put aside Jeff Minter for such a purchase. Somehow one of these gold cartridges nominated for managed to make the transatlantic trip to Legend Award the UK, and the extremely fortunate seller from Worcestershire coined in a not The founder of Llamasoft and unpleasing £1,206 for their efforts. With creator of such classic games as only another 25 of these out there in the Attack of the Mutant Camels gaming wilderness and the majority of those and Tempest 2000, has been being squirrelled away either in private nominated for Develop collections or in the gnarled claw-like hands Magazine’s Development Legend of their original World Championship- Award. Being his usual down-to- winning owners, it may be some earth self, Jeff declared that he in 1982, creating games for the considerable time before another one of was “well chuffed” with the VIC-20 and then moving on to these beauties surfaces. news. He continued: “I’ve the C64. His productions are The £50 sale of a collection of eight always made games so that I noted for their mix of Thalamus titles for the Commodore 64 can play them myself; it’s playability, stunning psychedelic recently he moved to VM Labs should also be mentioned. Thalamus, part of always been a bonus that other graphics and sound, but most where he made the critically the Newsfield Publications empire, always people have liked them as well, importantly, camels and other acclaimed Tempest 3000 for the had a reputation for great games and, as the and this nomination’s a rather such creatures. During the Nuon platform. He is currently auction price suggests, still has a lovely bit of extra recognition. Nineties, Minter joined Atari’s working with Lionhead Studios, tremendous following. It might be a good Course, I suppose Peter development team in California, developing Unity, an intense idea to go and get your Thalamus titles out Molyneux will win it, but it’s creating Defender 2000 and the shoot-em-up. Further of the attic and put them towards your nice to be thought of.” award-winning Tempest 2000 for information can be found at pension fund! Mr Minter founded Llamasoft the Jaguar console. More www.llamasoft.co.uk.
The final word goes to a game we featured a couple of months ago, the magnificently expensive Kizuna Encounter for the NeoGeo. Back then it sold for an outlandishly over-the-top price of US$5,500. If it's new for old, you'll find it here... This month, one sold for a smidge under £200. Where’s the catch? Well, the games are identical apart from one very important More Tea, Vicar? detail. This Kizuna Encounter started its gaming life as an MVS cartridge, which Jonathan Cauldwell is back means it was originally plugged into an doing what he does best: arcade machine. producing high-quality software Conversions of these MVS arcade for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. cartridges to the AES home system occur on More Tea, Vicar? is an R-Type- a regular basis, particularly when rare esque shoot-em-up that is games can be given a new lease of life from bound to be another hit. The the comfort of your own armchair. Of course, game contains super smooth the value is drastically cut, but essentially horizontal scrolling and an If you simply can’t wait for the Amstrad CPC. Yarkon Blues I and you have exactly the same game someone onslaught of invading craft that final release of this impending II, Help, Inc. and Smirking Horror else has just paid over £5,000 for. So even must be destroyed. As with space epic, Cronosoft has have all been created by Jason at £200, we think this NeoGeo gamester other games of its type, help provided an exclusive preview Davis and should be hitting the bagged a great deal. is at hand providing you’re for your emulator that you’ll find Jiffy bags very soon. For more trigger happy enough to on the coverdisc. information, the place to be is obliterate the waves of enemies Also coming soon from www.cronosoft.co.uk or you can and collect the power-ups that Cronosoft is a range of contact Simon Ullyatt by email boost your ship’s performance. interactive fiction games for your at [email protected].
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music, great gameplay never Sensi- goes out of fashion.” Since it was first released in Soccer 1992, Sensible Soccer has been updated many times, with later On The versions adopting an unsuccessful 3D viewpoint. Go Thankfully, the new Java version will retain the classic 2D, top- Sensible Soccer down approach, and we gather Cannon Fodder will also remain and Cannon pretty much the same. Visit Fodder coming to www.kujuwireless.com for the mobile phones latest details.
Kuju Wireless Publishing has just signed a deal with Codemasters to resurrect the renowned 16-bit classics Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder for Java-enabled mobile phones. Kevin Holloway, Managing Director of Kuju Wireless, commented: “We’re very excited to be working on these titles. Sensible Software was highly regarded for creating supremely playable and inventive games. Like great
share this enthusiasm and have the coding behind which was been promised a special apparently ‘stolen’ by AEG of advanced copy for review Smash Designs. Time has moved purposes. Keep an eye on on however, and Malte Mundt of www.protovision-online.de for Protovision is happy for the the latest news. game to be completed: “We wish Smash Designs well with Turrican returns the development of its version of Turrican III, as we too want to see Turrican and its successor, this game completed.” Turrican II – The Final Fight, are Smash Designs has given us a Metal Dust are to be announced soon. Allan well-loved games, especially by sneak preview of its version of settles Bairstow at Commodore Scene the C64 fraternity. The story (or the game, in the form of a said: “Very soon we’ll be able to perhaps ‘saga’ would be a more playable demo of the first level The C64 software label supply the UK with the all new appropriate word) behind the and DivX video footage of the Protovision is busy putting the SuperCPU game Metal Dust. As third game is a long one. Briefly, third. Both the demo and the final touches to the sideways- well as the game (on disk) and the guys at Protovision were video can be found on this scrolling shoot-em-up Metal Dust. an English manual, it will be working on an unofficial sequel, month’s coverdisc. The game itself is finished and supplied in a full-colour box.” the introduction sequence, Allan continued: “As soon as instructions and packaging are in it’s available, Retro Gamer their final stages. Protovision will readers will be the first to know be holding a launch party for the prices and availability. As you game, which will take place in may guess, this is a title I’ve Germany – the date and venue personally been waiting for.” We
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The Send us … some mail RETRO...>
Trainspotting sessions. The keyboard could also be used as a standalone FORUMHiya gang. I’m one of many smart piano/synthesiser. I have one arses who will get in touch with myself and have threatened to re- regard to the games that should commence practising at some have been in your TV games point in the future, much to my article. Bug Byte made a game of family’s horror. Imagine how the Automan – whether it was late comedian Les Dawson used released I can’t confirm, but it to play and you will get my was certainly advertised and meaning. Bye for now. reviewed in Computer and Video Stuart Hogg, via email Games Magazine (‘mutant shirt and tie’ was one of its favourite RG: Thanks for that Stuart. David enemies.) A Dempsey and can now plug in the cable Makepeace game was also without worrying about blowing featured in one of the Sinclair his house up. magazines – it might have been Your Sinclair, but I have a suspicion it was Sinclair User Hardest or Sinclair Programs. And what about Minder and Auf game ever Wiedersehen Pet? Going back through my old Luther Jones, via email Spectrum collection recently has unearthed what I now believe to RG: The Dempsey and be the hardest game ever – the Makepeace game was Spectrum version of Don Bluth’s previewed in the September old arcade game, Dragon’s Lair 1986 issue of Sinclair User (see (released by Software Projects). left). There was a largish section On the arcade version you at on other TV tie-ins, including least had directional indicators Minder, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, giving you a clue of what to Dallas and EastEnders, but this press and when. On the sadly had to be cut due to space. Spectrum, you were left to Perhaps it’ll be printed in a randomly bash directions and special edition of Retro Gamer even if you got the right one, Dirk one day… wouldn’t react unless your timing CONTACT US was split-second perfect. Aside from the fact that I’d Piano lessons like to see a feature on Don email: Bluth’s games and the subsequent [email protected] Regarding David Freeman’s letter home versions, of issue 6, I have a solution to I’d also like to his query. The cable that is see the snailmail: puzzling him is called The Miracle Spectrum Retro Gamer Cable. It connects the NES to a version of Live Publishing piano keyboard manufactured by Dragon’s Lair in Europa House a company called Mindscape for the reviews Adlington Park its Miracle Piano Teaching System, section and find Macclesfield which taught the novice to out whether it’s SK10 4NP become a competent piano player possible to through lessons and practice complete it –
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personally prefer to remember feature about the game in the both as one and the same. For future? Regards, even running it through an frustrated me to the point where us, the connection between Ray Ivor, via email emulator with snapshots, I can’t I was forced to compromise the Parker Junior’s Ghostbusters and get past stage five, and it was a structural integrity of my Quick- the game are inseparable. RG: Funnily enough, we’ve been hassle getting that far! shot II by applying massive speaking to ex-DMA employee ToxieDogg, via email pressure to both sides (good job Mike Dailly about a feature on those joysticks where tough Meeting new Lemmings and something will RG: Another Software Projects cookies). To calm me, I flicked hopefully be coming up soon. In game that couldn’t be completed? on the radio and Berlin’s Take people the meantime, you can find out Well, with Jet Set Willy you could My Breath Away was playing as I First off, I wanted to let you lots more about Lemmings on at least progress. Have any of our continued to die for some time. know that thanks to Retro Gamer Mike’s website at readers finished this piece of 8- Now every time I hear that song I’m starting to make new friends www.mikedailly.com. bit devilment? I’m immediately transported back around the globe, and I couldn’t to my bedroom in the 80s. be happier with this. In the old Bizarre. days I was a Lemmings lover and When I were Daz Bamf, via email guess what? I am still a fan of the green-haired mindless a lad... RG: Well, Daz, I suppose to creatures! What happened to the I thought I’d drop you an email to many the Eighties was a fusion Lemmings, man? Do you think reinforce what you’re probably of popular music and games. We that it’s possible to publish a hearing a lot of – that I find your
* Star letter * From this issue onwards, we’ll be selecting a particularly impressive piece of correspondence and rewarding its sender with a quality retro T-shirt. Our well- dressed friends at Joystick Junkies (www.joystickjunkies.com) produce official clothing based on loads of classic videogames, and the winner can select any T-Shirt from the range. Memories I’m really happy with the way the Retro body games, but who out there has letter prize. We agree that a mag is at the moment and I dare played The Lone Ranger to good game is always a good say that I’m entertained from art completion lately? It’s a simply game, but many nowadays find it beginning to end. Rather like My Lords. In reply to Ryan’s letter superb action RPG title once you difficult to look past the visuals when listening an album by Muse. in issue 6, I am pleased to have get into it. I finished it then and get down to the all- My main point is that retro an excuse to show off my started it again right away. There important gameplay. As for our gaming and chart music walk retrograde tattoo of a Space must be many other hidden readers’ favourite games, don’t hand-in-hand down memory lane Invader worth 20 points. I didn’t gems out there – I have found miss next issue. We’ve together, creating instant intense choose this design because I’m a quite a few myself – but I painstakingly compiled the top nostalgia at the flick of a switch. particular fan of Space Invaders, I would love to read about what 100 reader games based on the Isn’t it funny how music can chose it as a symbol of gaming others are playing. Keep up the surveys you sent back, and there remind you of days gone by to in general. My gaming time is good work. are one or two surprises in there. the point of being able to divided 50/50 between retro and Andy Pryer, via email It’s also good to hear that smelling them? I mean, if you modern games. I am very much someone else were a typical 12 year old in of the opinion that a good game PS. Yes, I also remember the Amiga remembers Drip 1985 you Dad was probably on is and always will be a good PD title Drip. I seem to recall it had – Shaun was strike from the NCB and times game, although I too share the really cool sampled music. beginning to were hard, yet you still managed strange pang of nostalgia that think that it was to wangle an Amstrad CPC464 out comes with old games. But if we PPS. Please do yourselves a all a dream. of your parents, delivering all don’t play modern games today, favour and skip the sycophantic Finally, how can those papers in the rain to pay we won’t have anything to look intros to all your letters. you ask us to for games. back on to stir our emotions in Everyone knows what a cool mag “skip the I remember playing Head over 20 years. it is anyway. sycophantic Heels on the Amstrad (I’m rather On another subject, I would intros” when pleased with the 2004 remake, by like to hear about readers’ RG: Thanks for bringing your you start your the way), unfortunately with no favourite retro games, preferably impressive tattoo to our mail by in-game music, only the constant less obvious ones. For example, attention. Your obvious humbling repeated pitter-patter melody of everyone knows that Super Mario dedication to the retro cause is yourself to us walking. I seemed to be forever Bros. 3 is one of the NES’s best enough to win you our first Star with “My Lords”? dying at an ultra-hard bit that
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mag a feature on the newer breed of A taste of please, for the sake of your great read and retro games running on fame fellow man… more often than contemporary consoles, or Dave Baker, via email not, I read it cover to perhaps an article on the survival I need help and I’ve no one else cover. Being 28 I find the of 2D in today’s 3D world. to turn to! Many, many moons RG: Well, if Google doesn’t content interesting as I I’m also a Mac user, which ago (when I was a little nipper), I provide any answers, you could grew up in the 8-bit era, and brings me to the main reason had my first, and indeed only, try John Kavanagh’s homepage at it’s great to hear about the for contacting you – coverdiscs. taste of fame. I had a cheat for http://cpcoxygen.digi-alt.net. John history of the systems that The music’s been cool and all Continental Circus published in is working on an Amstrad Action were around when I were a lad. the games are great – if you’ve Amstrad Action in about 1991ish archive, which (when finished) I especially liked the Acorn got a PC or a Mac running will have the information you feature as I had (and still have, Virtual PC. Most Mac users (like need. Alternatively, perhaps a albeit in a box in the loft) an me) probably haven’t, so I’m reader can make Dave’s day. Acorn Electron. I spent a writing to ask if you could cover considerable amount of Mac emulators and games on my pocket one of your coverdiscs at some Japanese money stage, as I feel we’re missing Megadrive purchasing out. All the best and I look games for it forward to my issue popping First, let me congratulate you on and have many through the letterbox. (Dave Baker from Heywood), but an excellent magazine. There is a fond memories of Rob Baines, via email being little and having to share lovely enthusiastic vibe that playing Hopper my bedroom with my younger permeates the whole publication ‘just one more time’ RG: Probably the biggest draw to brother the issue was soon lost, and is perfectly in tune with the and running around Retro Gamer is, as you have never to be seen again. Now this era when games were primarily the Chuckie Egg levels pointed out, the nostalgia. Both on its own is bad enough, but my fun rather than cool. like a madman. Martyn and Shaun grew up in the wife doesn’t believe that I was Now I need help please. I have I’m now a Dreamcast gamer 8-bit era, but were owners of really in Amstrad Action and since recently bought a box of old and it’s the old-style games that I Spectrum and C64 machines, your fine publication came into games stuff for a tenner. Amongst still find the most appealing. respectively. Coincidentally, being, the matter has been other delectables (a SNES, Capcom vs. SNK, Guilty Gear X, Martyn is a big Dreamcast fan raised again. Krusty’s Fun House, Donkey Kong Gunbird 2 and Ikaruga are all too, and believes that the Does anyone out there know Country, Stunt Race FX, to name arguably ‘retro’ games that are machine will live on thanks to its what issue it was in and have a but a few) there was a Japanese tarted up for the newer systems, amazing homebrew scene. copy of it that they are willing to Megadrive 1. There is no power and as Chris Dempsey mentioned Regarding Macs, we trust you part with, or any suggestions as supply and no A/V cable (although in issue 3’s forum, I would love it appreciated the issue 6 disc, and to how I can find it again – I an RF lead sprouts tail-like from if you guys paid some attention we’re looking into further Mac- have a month’s worth of cooking its behind). I would like to know to these and perhaps ran a based cover-mount material. and ironing riding on this. So how I can connect it to my TV for
A late As well as covering the collection, but ultimately it’s a RG: We too are really happy machines themselves, what are fantastic resource that I’ve spent with the success and popularity starter the chances of seeing a hours poring over. It’s also a of Retro Gamer so far, and we First off, congratulations on such detailed feature on the great source for good-quality seem to be going from a fantastic magazine. It always magazines of the time? Perhaps scans of old full-page game strength to strength, which is made sense to me that a multi- you could feature the big C64 adverts. Check it out at good. Back in issue 2 there was format mag dedicated to older periodicals one month, then the www.commodoreformat.co.uk. an extensive feature on machines could succeed in the Spectrum ones the next month, Also, how about an interview Newsfield, who originally vast market of today. I recall and so on. It might not be with the Apex Twins? These are published magazines like Crash emailing several publishing looked too highly upon by the geniuses behind the and Zzap! 64, and we’re houses (such as Future) some of the older readers who Creatures games and Mayhem in planning on covering other suggesting that very thing, but were around for Zzap!’s hey- Monsterland. Speaking of which, famous (and not so famous) each time I’d get a reply saying day, but I was a Commodore it’s very interesting re-reading publications in the future. there’s no demand for such a Format reader. Yours is the first their Diary of a Game features in Regarding the Apex brothers, publication. Well, you guys computer mag since the mighty the CF library, from the making we’ve got a lead that we’re in proved them wrong and thank CF’s sad demise that has me of Mayhem. the process of chasing up, and heavens you did. reading from cover to cover. One last suggestion – to hope to profile them and their Like a lot of your readers, I If there are any other CF completely perfect the tone of the activities at some point. grew up with a Commodore 64. lovers out there who miss Roger magazine, how about you Admittedly, I was a late starter, Frames and The Mighty Brain, try to track down one of the getting my C64 when I hit the they might be interested in a cartoonists who worked for grand old age of 10 in the year website I stumbled upon last CF, Zzap!, Crash or any of of Our Lord 1990, but that didn’t year called The Commodore those other great stop me loving my little grey Format Library. The guy who runs magazines, and get a baby. I’ve only been able to get it is aiming to upload high- grotty little avatar for each Retro Gamer from issue 4 resolution scans of every issue of of the staff writers over onwards, so forgive me if you’ve CF. As it stands just now, the site there at Retro Gamer? It’d featured or mentioned any of the hasn’t been updated in a little make me smile anyway. stuff I’m about to suggest. while and has a few gaps in the William Bell, via email
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the best quality output. The rear magazine. I still find it silly miss the way it used to be. It of the Megadrive has an 8-pin DIN that these are the same won’t come back, so cheers for socket (three pins on each side, people who’ll then blow that doing your best to keep it alive one on the bottom, one in the £6 on entry to a particularly for the rest of us. I’ve already got centre, a key slot at the top, and poor nightclub, but I suppose the Amstrad down from the attic. it’s somewhat larger than the that’s neither here nor there. It Liam McGuigan, via email socket on the back of the UK seems apparent to me that Megadrive 2) and a nine-way D- the reason for the high cover RG: Thanks for your comments type socket. Please can someone price is the coverdisc. Liam. They’re certainly thought tell me the pin-outs for these and some point, but as for the whole It’s a great idea in theory, but provoking. We’re always trying to what voltage I should be running evolution of 3D engines, we’d falls down in practice. No keep our coverdisc content as the beast on? There are a couple perhaps consider it if it wasn’t disrespect to the authors here, fresh as we can, and the amount of games that came with it that just a ‘Castle Wolfenstein led to but the remakes just aren’t the of pre-planning that goes into the I’d like to play. And yes, I do Doom led to Quake’ type of same as loading up the original CD is equal to that of the realise that I’m a jammy bugger article. However, if you look back game on the real system or via magazine itself. Providing the getting all that retro gold for £10. at issue 2, you’ll see that in emulation. The emulators given disc contents tie-in with the Roland Casewell, via email Shaun’s Commodore Uncovered away are a nice idea, but we still features in the magazine, we piece, we mentioned what we require Internet access to get believe there’s room for a RG: None of us here have ever believe to be the first 3D first- software. And if we have this Net coverdisc on every issue. It owned a Japanese Megadrive, so person game for a home platform access, can’t we get the latest should also be pointed out that we’ll have to put this out to our – Kat and Maze for the emulators there too? removing the coverdisc wouldn’t readers. If anyone has the Commodore PET, which dates By far the best disc was the necessarily allow for a price information Roland needs, please from 1978. Can anyone disprove Gremlin collection, containing drop anyway. email us. this theory? authentic, commercial games that we all remember playing. The collection of SID music was nice Error in and I do like the idea of putting Basic on software relating to the articles in the mag, such as GameBase 64. Hi Martyn. Thanks for the listings However, I don’t believe it justifies feature – I spent an enjoyable a CD every month. hour or so typing it in, just like Perhaps the CD should switch the old days. It still didn’t work, to being every three issues. That but then I can’t actually remember would give you enough time to getting one to work. The error is compile a truly worthy in line 9,240 (assuming it wasn’t compilation of classic games and 3D evolution deliberate to get us all the emulators to run them, as reminiscing). Anyway, I can well as having the software from I won’t start by saying what a understand why you don’t want previous articles and then the great mag you’ve created – with to fill the magazine with listings, best remakes if necessary. Inside so many letters saying it, it must but how about just one every the mag, a section with links to Frantic be getting boring! issue for a different machine each the best emulation resources on Freddie I was wondering if you’d time? That way we can all enjoy the Web would allow people to consider doing a feature on 3D the Jupiter Ace again. get what they need. The upshot I read about the mag on Teletext games development, showing Chris, via email is that the cover price could then about a month ago and have how 3D games evolved to be reduced to a more been trying to get it here in become the dominant genre on RG: The error that you have manageable price, bringing in Ireland since then. I finally found computers today. You could show pointed out wasn’t deliberate, as more readers. issue 6 two days ago. As a thirty- 3D games on the early computers Shaun fully tested the program something male it was a breath (for instance, 3D Monster Maze beforehand, and although he of fresh yet old air, if that makes on the ZX81, Driller on the spent more than an hour typing it any sense. Anyway, the first thing Spectrum and Star Glider on the in, he can confirm that it was I read was the letters page, which ST) and the relative capabilities fully working, if a little fruitless. had a picture of my favourite of each generation of computers. The point you are raising about magazine from the 80s, Zzap! 64. You could also mention the Vector type-in listings has split our Then I flipped the page to read a computers and look at how they readers into two camps. There review of Frantic Freddie. This worked/were programmed. I grew might be another article of this was the first game that drew all up playing some of these games nature in the future, but don’t my family together around my and I’m sure it would be of great hold your breath. trusty C64. Now we are all interest to other readers. grown up, married and living Thanks for a great mag far apart – it really brought a (damn!) and keep up the good Price tag tear to my eye and sent a work. Cheers! In other areas, Retro Gamer shiver down my spine. It Graham, via email Possibly the most contentious has rekindled my interest in the won’t mean much to subject concerning the magazine older games. I’m only 22, but I’ve your readers but RG: We’re planning on covering is the cover price. At £6, I know a been playing the damn things it meant a the Freescape games and fair few people who simply aren’t since 1986 on the CPC, and I still subsequent 3D Construction Kit at willing to pay that for a monthly look back and
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lot to empowering the driver to blast my teens I had a Commodore 64 me, and for that down a straight or up a take-off and modem, and was a I say thanks. ramp with fire spitting from those subscriber to Compunet (CNET). It Mark O’Reilly, via email exhausts! All the time I used it I was great. There were early would be aware that the boost versions of the chat rooms we RG: Well, what can we say to fuel was being guzzled away, but have today (but much less that? Frantic Freddie is did I care? No driving game (that dangerous, I think), electronic something of an unknown I am aware of) has ever recreated mail, and tons of downloads. I classic for the C64, and there are that system, which seems a bit remember downloading the 10- plenty more games like that out silly to me. minute Trap demo, which was there. It’s just a case of tracking Anyway, those are my RG: Unfortunately, we are unable basically a glorified ad for the them down, which we endeavour suggestions. Retro Gamer is a to find any information on the online service, but the music was to do each month. We dearly great magazine and I am glad I Zeon machine you mention, so fantastic. Another great feature hope that each issue will provoke took out the subscription. again, perhaps one of the readers was MUD, which, as I recall, the same feelings of nostalgia. That’s all my rambling for now. will be able to help out. Virtual started as a free service but All the best, Reality games is an area we’ll eventually became subscription Mike Page, via email consider, but we have no firm based. I got into a lot of trouble Suggestions plans for anything yet. As for using CNET, not only because of RG: Mayhem in Monsterland was Friday the 13th, Domark the inflated telephone bills, but I have just taken out a a peculiar title as it could well be published an official licensed also for tying the telephone line subscription to Retro Gamer. I the first ‘perfect’ game that game in 1986, and it was very up for hours on end. It would be must admit that when I used my actually had a bug in the final poor indeed. It didn’t feature a grand to see a feature on this, Namco joystick it was the first release. For some reason, if you’d decapitated head though, so and other services available time that I had ever played the collected all the extra lives on the we’re guessing the game you around the same time. original Pac-Man. Years ago, I stage that you were playing, and played was an unofficial tie-in of As well as being a CNET played the Atari VCS version and you then went on to the next some sort. subscriber, a friend of mine was now know why people were level with your lives totalling 10 also a Prestel subscriber. I surprised by how different the or more, you’d lost the 10 lives. remember this service being very game looked on the Atari console. It was therefore worthwhile Compunet colourful, but it didn’t have the Anyway, I thought I might offer making sure you kept the tally thousands of great Commodore some suggestions, the first being down to nine before each new Being a thirty-something, I’ve downloads that CNET had. Mayhem in Monsterland on the land was loaded, which in turn been interested in retro gaming Lee S (CNET ID – LJS1), via email Commodore 64. This game was made the game even more for some time, so it’s good to given a 100% score by difficult! After spending many, have a magazine dedicated to it. Commodore Format when the C64 many hours on it, Shaun was still I’m amazed at the current trend scene was in decline and the struggling on Cherryland and for collecting and playing ‘old’ number of pages in CF (as well as unfortunately gave up. As for games. I was even more surprised commercial software for its cover Stunt Car Racer, check out our to find that a couple of months tapes) was dwindling. This may reviews in this issue… ago, my local Blockbuster video be part of the reason it raved so store had been redesigned to much about it and gave it such a include a large gaming and retro high score. The mag said it was Game help gaming section, complete with a up there with Super Mario Bros. window display of old and new on the NES and Sonic on the I recently bought a Zeon model T- consoles and games, handhelds RG: Firstly, we’d be interested in Master System. I was wondering 800 (TV Tennis, Hockey and (including a Gamegear and Game a picture of your local if you could review C64 Mayhem Handball) for £1.25 at a car boot. and Watch) and such like. For me Blockbuster’s retro gaming area. in Monsterland and also show It is in its original case and works personally, the appeal of retro If you get the chance, could you how it stacks up against these perfectly. However, I cannot for the gaming is the simplicity and sheer take a digital camera along some two games. life of me find out if it is worth playability of games such as time? As for the Compunet, well, anything – have you heard of it? Space Invaders (still my favourite) there is definitely a feature in Will you be doing an article on and Lunar Lander, and Atari 2600 there somewhere, especially the Virtual Reality games, such as games like Yar’s Revenge and the considering the amount of the Tomytronics, that were classic Adventure. programmers that used such introduced in the 80s? I recently I think it’s also the fact that services. Although many were bought one in a car boot sale – they remind me of the many demo coders, a lot of commercial the memories of the beeps and hours (and pounds) spent in code was exchanged via the flashes came flooding back! Blackpool arcades during annual service that we pretty much take One last question before I go: holidays. It’s amazing to look for granted today. On a side note, can you tell me who created a back and remember how little Shaun has successfully networked Now on to Stunt Car Racer. I game based loosely on Friday power the games systems had in up a Commodore 128 (in C64 still have fond memories of this 13th (on the Amstrad)? From what those days, particularly since I mode) to the office network using game and I have never played a I remember you went round a now have a mobile phone that the Retro Replay cartridge and driving game quite like it before map of a town and every so can run the original arcade ROMs Ethernet adaptor, along with the or since. The boost function is often, a decapitated head would I used to love so much! operating system Contiki. He even inspired and gives an adrenalin show up. Needless to say this Anyway, the purpose of the managed to play online hangman, rush like no other. This gave extra freaked me out as I was only 10… mail was to ask if you have any all of which was ‘strangely power and acceleration, on tap, and no one believed me. plans to do a feature on early impressive’ to the PC and Linux as and when the driver wanted it, James, via email (pre-Internet) online systems. In guys in the office.
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RETRO REVIEWS
From old games on new platforms to new games on old platforms. As long asDo it'syou disagree retro, with our Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame you'll find it in our regularreviews? reviews Or can you thinksection of any other really greatreviews@retro or damned awful games that we should take a look at? Emailwith your suggestions gamer.net and we’ll take it from there...
RetroSphere Programmers: Rupert Hawkes visuals are busy and play is frantic, www.boiledsweets.com, where Patrick Brett the earlier levels serve to ease you you’ll find full ordering Price: Free (demo version) into the game. RetroSphere also information. US$15 (full version) gives you the opportunity to create Shaun Bebbington Format: PC your own courses, so that you can learn exactly what each block does Graphics 69% etroSphere is a glorious or design your own mega-difficult Not mind-blowing, but still very remake of the classic track to humiliate your opponent pretty. Super-impressive visuals RTrailblazer, originally by knowing all of its secrets. would not improve the game released by Gremlin Graphics in Visually, this remake has brought anyway. 1986. The object of the game the original game into the late sounds simple: navigate your Nineties, and although a better Sound 65% spherical object towards the finish standard could have been achieved A cheesy-rock soundtrack with line in the fastest time possible. with the technology (well, some nice sound effects. The However, as with every game, depending on your graphics card), appeal of the in-game music will complications await you, and in it is nice to see that things have come down to taste, and it isn’t this case the oncoming course will been kept fairly simple. It is also to mine. either help or hinder your nice to see that, in a sea of big- progression. The track has marked budget, online multiplayer licensed Playability 85% squares that have various effects games, there still resonates The simplest concepts are the on your ball as you roll over them, something of the spirit of the best, but RetroSphere has added such as ramps for jumping bedroom programmer, creating a little extra to the play with the objects, speed ups, slow downs fairly original and very playable screen rotations and other such and other much more psychedelic games for your enjoyment. effects. actions, like screen rotations and We have provided a demo Overall 76% the ‘Qoob’ effect. version of the game on this Addictiveness 85% RetroSphere will make a nice This remake is a little kinder to month’s coverdisc. If you’re You’ll soon find yourself hooked, addition to your remake collection. the player from the outset than tempted to buy the full version, especially if you’re a fan of What’s more, you can try before Trailblazer, and although the head over to Trailblazer. you buy.
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1945 I & II Developer: Takara Co., Ltd each, and in time-honoured Price: £9.99 tradition you must battle with a Format: PlayStation 2 bloated, over-sized boss before you can move onto the next lay It’s latest PS2 release mission. There are several different features two classic arcade fighter planes to choose from too, Pshoot-em-ups from Psyiko and each one has its own special – Strikers 1945 and Strikers 1945 mode of attack (these are much II. As the title suggests, the games more over the top in the sequel). fit the mould of Capcom’s 1942, Perhaps the only problem with but in shoot-em-up terms they are the game is that there’s almost anything but old skool. The too much going on, especially will be worth a good deal more Playability 89% Strikers series takes the 2D during two-player games. There than that in a few years time, so Perfect for a quick blast. The shooter beyond anything you’ve are times when you almost feel you can’t really go wrong. gameplay is timeless, although seen before, with literally hundreds removed from the chaos on Martyn Carroll the screen can get overcrowded of bullet-spewing enemies screen. It’s also slightly at times. swarming all over the screen. disappointing that you’re given an Graphics 78% Thankfully, your souped-up WWII unlimited number of credits. This Arcade perfect, although the Addictiveness 92% fighter is armed with a ridiculous cheapens the game in a way, games do seem to be direct ports A definite ‘one more go’ quality. amount of firepower. And of because you can just keep on of the PSone versions. You’ll want to see those end-of- course, the more power-ups you going until you complete the level bosses crash and burn. collect, the more powerful your game. Sound 82% plane becomes. They’re weapons Still, we can only praise Play It There’s in-game music, but it’s Overall 86% of mass destruction all right. for bringing titles like this to the drowned out by a pleasing chorus Fast and frenzied fun that doesn’t The two games are virtually PS2. And the best bit is, 1945 I & of blazing guns and whirring let up for a second. Two mindless identical. There are eight levels in II retails for £9.99. What’s more, it propellers. blasters for one bargain price.
EggHead in Space
Programmer: Christopher labyrinth. All this for a few games Dewhurst he could have found on eBay or at Price: £2.99 the local car boot sale… (tape and disk) The game opens with a short Format: BBC Micro and rendition of The Great Escape and Acorn Electron EggHead’s starting position is next to the teleporter. Don’t be too hink of egg-shaped hasty to use it though, as it’s worth Sound 65% characters in computer taking the time to explore the because some screens require Sparse but well-thought out Tgames and you’ll instantly adjacent rooms first. You will soon pixel-perfect movements. sound effects, plus a short and conjure up images of a red boxing find items to collect and these EggHead in Space is great value snappy opening tune. glove-wearing, puzzle-solving hero affect the play. Your first task is to for money, as you are not only named Dizzy. EggHead obviously find the water pistol. From there, getting a high-quality game, but Playability 88% bears more than a passing the game opens up further with are encouraging further The controls are fast and resemblance to Dizzy, but is in no- new problems to solve and items developments for the BBC Micro responsive, and some screens way related – honest. to collect. and Acorn Electron. Head over to offer a significant challenge. In the story, EggHead finds out This port is an almost pixel- www.cronosoft.co.uk where you’ll that pesky aliens have abducted perfect conversion from the find all of the information you need Addictiveness 83% his favourite games and are taking Spectrum original, and a great to make this very worthy purchase. A highly compelling game that them to the planet Zog. Just in game in its own right. It has the Shaun Bebbington will keep you coming back until time, our hero boards their ship to right mix of classic platform action you’ve completed it. retrieve his much-loved software. and puzzle-solving elements that Graphics 83% Unfortunately, the ship blasts off you’ll find compulsive and fun. The The graphics are fluid, well Overall 80% back to Zog and on arrival controls are well thought out, animated and faithful to the This is a great port of the original EggHead accidentally teleports considering it’s a left, right and Spectrum version, although Spectrum version and worthy of himself to an underground jump affair, and this is handy slightly less colourful. its price tag.
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Stunt Car Racer
Stunt Car Racer was released in to peer-type protocol, or you can Graphics 92% 1989, and in it Geoff imaginatively race against the computer in a Fast, smooth and excellently looked to what might be in car league situation. You can also rendered vectors are the order of the racing’s future, predicting new practice any of the eight tracks, day. They’re nicely presented technology and a glorious and which makes it almost compulsive throughout and compliment the play. daring event for the sport. Ultra- to try each course at full speed sticky tires, aerodynamic one-man whilst trying to avoid wrecking Sound 75% Programmer: Geoff Crammond racing pods and super-fast nitro- your car, or just destroying it for Simple but effective engine Price: £24.99 driven V8 engines allow for a fun. This game is simply leagues drones and sound effects Format: Atari ST much more dangerous and wild ahead of the competition – it has accompany the play. version of F1 or Stock Car Racing – more depth than Sega’s Power Drift ’ve spent more hours on this rollercoaster-type tracks are driven and is better in almost every way Playability 95% game than any other racing at stupid speeds and heights that than Atari’s Hard Drivin’ (well, the An instantly recognisable concept Igame ever, and every time I could make you sick. The stunt home ports at least). I can fully that will quickly have you hooked. revisit it, I find it as fresh, playable car-racing concept was born. recommend scouring eBay to find Great to play against a mate too. and fun as the first time it drew As for how it plays, well, this gem. I’m off to give the Draw me in. Stunt Car Racer came from everything’s here. The game has a Bridge another blast… Addictiveness 96% the mind and talents of just one seemingly simple control method Shaun Bebbington Completely compelling. Once guy. I am of course talking about and fast filled 3D vectors, and you’ve given it a few tries, you’ll Geoff ‘Revs’ Crammond, and as although it’s let down a little by be hooked. with his other games, the attention the sound, each track has its own to detail in this virtual world is attributes with a progressive and Overall 90% immense. Even better is the fact well-thought out design and ABritish classic that has endured that every port is as good as the learning curve. The Atari ST version thanks to a simple control method last, and the Atari ST version is no lets you to compete against a mixed with some superb, full- exception. friend using a now-primitive peer throttle gameplay. Rampage
mighty King Kong scaled the no. Sadly, the characters are Graphics 13% Empire State Building. What a unresponsive and sluggish, and Poorly animated, ugly and great concept for a game, taking the controls are awkward, meaning nothing near the machine’s out all that pent-up aggression on it’s a nightmare to play. To add capabilities. a binary world. Surely it can’t fail? insult to injury, on loading the Well, it did, despite being game you are greeted by possibly Sound 12% billed as, “The arcade smash for the most rubbish music ever. In I’m sure the sound effects are Developer: Activision your home computer.” Let’s get fact, I find it difficult to class this perfectly reasonable, but this is Original price: £9.95 tape or this right from the start: there arrangement of tones as music. I completely let down by the £12.95 disk aren’t any decent ports of this also find it difficult to understand collection of dire tones that Machine: Atari 8-bit game, at least not to my mind. why you can destroy fully greet you. And although it was good (at the armoured tanks with just one hit, ampage’s storyline time) to see Activision supporting and yet the trams/buses that pass Playability 10% involves three the Atari 8-bit with this release, it are indestructible. This game is Sluggish, unresponsive sprites. Runsuspecting fast-food probably shouldn’t have bothered. simply a joke and should be It wasn’t even fun when you were junkies who are accidentally fed Surely someone knew that this avoided at all costs. a kid. experimental and genetically game was, at best, poor. The main Shaun Bebbington modified food additives. This sprites are ugly, monochrome, and Addictiveness 9% transforms them into huge human- ill defined, featuring some shoddy Like a fisherman with no tackle – eating, building-destroying, armed and occasionally amusing it just doesn’t hook you. force-defying mutant monsters. animation. Take a look at how Obviously, with their newfound George scales and destroys the Overall 11% talents, the three victims – George, buildings, for instance. I really love the concept of Lizzy and Ralph – go out on a This would have been OK, I Rampage. It’s just a shame that city-destroying spree the like of guess, if Rampage featured it couldn’t be delivered on the which hasn’t been seen since the anything like decent gameplay. But Atari 8-bit.
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was mostly uneventful. We Thursday arrived at the Fairfield Halls Curtain around 7pm, unloaded the car It all really started for us on the and as swiftly as we could and Thursday before the show. Like had a quick browse around. raiser clockwork, we were making our Shaun had the privilege of final preparations, loading up the meeting Spectrum programmer The first CGE UK was van with the arcade cabinets, Jonathan Cauldwell, and also officially opened by magazines and Shaun’s old junk managed to secure a demo of Andrew Oliver, co-creator in anticipation of the big event. More Tea, Vicar? for this month’s of the Dizzy series. Martyn was his usual casual self, coverdisc. Martyn, on the other drinking coffee and planning the hand, went over to meet Here's what he had to say… next issue, while Shaun was organiser Chris Milliard and star “I actually feel honoured to be asked to open this, because there were frantically trying his best to plan guest Matthew Smith. We then loads of people who used to write old Spectrum games. I have to say for every technical problem that decided food and drink were that me and my brother actually made quite a few, and spent many he could think of. Extra extension required, so we left the hall and sleepless nights working on those games. There’s been no rift between cables, soldering irons, tools and booked into the hotel. us; we still work together and write games for the PlayStation 2. We’re all kinds of seemingly un- just looking forward to the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 2. Games necessary items were gathered, Saturday have changed a little bit I can tell you. It’s great to have this event but there was more to ‘dig out’ of and to remember that this is where it started with these games. Enjoy his garage, which meant the Saturday morning was another the show!” prospect of an early start on early start. Shaun arrived Friday morning. ridiculously early only to find the hall virtually empty. As the Friday morning progressed, more and more exhibitors turned up, and As expected, Friday morning eventually Martyn arrived, started early. Shaun got stuck looking fresh and ready for action (literally) into his garage, in his brand new Retro Gamer T- searching out the final items that shirt. (They really are fine items he thought he might need for of clothing, and yours for a more the weekend. The task then was than reasonable £14.95 each.) to laden Martyn’s car with The various computers and Shaun’s rubbish, and set off, consoles we bought with us were Andrew Oliver kicked off the proceedings on albeit later than expected (partly set up promptly, while outside the Saturday morning due to Shaun yet again leaving many enthusiasts eagerly something behind). gathered, awaiting the 10am Other than traffic, the journey opening time. Following the opening of the doors, Andrew Oliver (of Dizzy fame) got the show underway. A steady flow of people entered the hall, and the vast majority found time to come over and talk to us – we thank you for all for your kind comments and suggestions during the weekend. The computers, consoles and TV games we had on display drew interest, but the most popular items were without doubt our arcade machines. Kindly provided by Jonathan Thompson of Retro Arcade (www.retroarcade.co.uk), the machines were in constant use throughout the day. Understandably, the cocktail cabinet that we’re giving away as a competition prize proved very popular. On to the aforementioned Matthew Smith – what a guy! He really made the weekend and despite being almost mobbed, he found time to talk with everyone, sign copies of his games and answer questions – he simply Clockwise from top left: Console Passion, Retrogamer, took it all in his stride. Nothing Cronosoft and Retroid Prime, C64audio.com seemed to be too much trouble
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Loaded up and ready to go. Hopefully the Space The Retro Gamer stand. People were literally Invaders machine will survive the journey queuing to play with our toys
for him, and he found time to visit Shaun had lent out many pieces planning to visit with a view to a Matt later returned to the hall to every stall, even stopping by to see of hardware for use at the feature in a future issue. give out the raffle prizes our Mega-tree slideshow, which Protovision stand Shaun then attended Matthew (delivering priceless comments on provoked a smile followed by, (www.protovision-online.de), Smith’s final Q&A session for the each prize before announcing the “Cool”. Later on, Martyn vacated which suffered numerous weekend, and dared to draw Matt winner). By this time, the event the stand and went to sit-in on technical problems throughout into the Spectrum versus was drawing to a close and the Matt’s afternoon Q&A session. He the weekend. This seemed to be Commodore debate. Matt exhibitors had started to load up was funny, honest, revealing – it down to heat in the hall. admitted that he was in the and say their goodbyes. We was brilliant stuff, especially for his Shaun then moved onto the Speccy camp, then went on say lumbered the arcade machines many admiring fans. Binary Dinosaurs display that he thought that the Atari 800 back into the van, refilled Shaun meanwhile, wanting to (www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk) and was a superior machine to the Martyn’s car with Shaun’s rubbish find familiar and new faces, spent was amazed to see a fully C64, to Shaun’s utter dismay. and made our way back up intermittent spurts wandering working Commodore 65. He just Following the Q&A, Shaun North. It is just left for us to around the hall and the upper- had to have a go on this, and collared Matt to the bar. thank Chris and Christine Millard tier. “Retro Gamer magazine? after enquiring about the Conversation then turned to for organising such a successful Sounds familiar”, a voice said, specifications of this rarity, he Matt’s ‘meetings’ with the guys show at the first attempt, and and Shaun was promptly handed found the game Stella 7 from his from Crash magazine, which, as here’s hope that it will get better a copy of Retrogamer fanzine, a collection and had it up and he pointed out, was more a and better, year on year. Once long-established enthusiast- running, for a while at least. It chance to drain Newsfield’s again, Retro Gamer will be based publication from the looked like the 75-80% expenses than to actually talk sponsoring next year’s show, so skilled hands of Keith Ainsworth compatibility may well be true. about anything significant. we’ll see you then. (http://retrogamer.merseyworld. Saturday was about the com/). Shaun then purchased the busiest day and it ended too first two issues, and after a quick quickly. After some food, we chat with Keith, moved on. visited a few of the local bars Opposite Keith’s stand was the before returning to the hotel for Console Passion stall some much needed sleep. (www.consolepassion.co.uk). If there was a gap in your console Sunday collection then this was the place to fill it! They had literally 100s This was another early start, of games for sale, including some and while it was rightly very hard to find titles. assumed that it would be a little Simon Ullyatt, the man behind quieter than Saturday, there were the retro-publishers Cronosoft still plenty of people milling The guys from Protovision enjoying Bomb Mania, (www.cronosoft.co.uk), had set up around. Frank Gasking, the guy their four-player Bomberman clone for the C64 with Retroid Prime behind the Games That Weren’t (www.retroidprime.co.uk), and website (http://homepage. seemed to be doing well as ntlworld.com/frank.gasking), copious amounts of their stock stopped by our stand, as did was exchanging hands. writers Andrew Fisher and Paul Unfortunately though, many of Drury, both part of our ever- the tapes themselves had a growing freelance team. duplication problem, so Simon Shaun once again went could only take orders. This bug around the stands to meet the didn’t seem to affect Spectrum exhibitors. He found the Retro 16Kb files, but it meant that Fun Beep stand (www.retrobeep.com), Park and ZBlast SD+ were the the people behind which run the only titles on sale on the day. hands-on museum at Bletchley Better luck next year Simon. Park. Needless to say that after There were a number of classic arcade Speaking of needing better luck, this particular chat, Shaun is machines upstairs, thanks to Andys Arcade
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Interview After allowing them to recover for a couple of days, we spoke to organisers Chris Millard and his wife Christine to find out how they thought the whole thing went
RETRO GAMER: Everyone we’ve we are working hard at getting spoken to agrees that the show some extra cool MAME stuff on was a great success. Do you feel our website… that all the hard work you put in paid off? MRS M: Not really. This was the first event of its kind (and scale) We asked Chris and Christine Milliard CHRIS MILLARD: Absolutely. We in the UK, and everyone involved to reflect on the first CGE UK had no pre-conceptions about the (exhibitors, visitors and us) success of the event, but it came up with loads of part in the event and make it where he was and what he was gave me a great buzz to see all suggestions and bigger ideas. If such a success. up to now. Luckily, Matthew of the exhibitors and visitors over you thought this year’s show was Smith is such a nice guy and was the course of the weekend. It was cool, just wait til next year – it’s RG: For us, and many other really up for the whole adventure! also a great thrill to be able to going to be a blast! attendees, the highlight of the say, “We did that!” show was surely Mr Matthew RG: We gather you had Matt RG: Were there any last-minute Smith, who seemed to be having around for dinner after the show. CHRISTINE MILLARD: Definitely disasters you had to deal with? the time of his life. How did you Did he reveal any extra secrets worth the hard work. I’m not too manage to lure Matt? about his gaming past? sure that it was worth the grey MR M: Well, the BBC had a last- hair and sleepless nights though minute sporting event taking MR M: It took me over 11 months MR M: Yes – but it would be (just kidding). place at the venue, and that to track Matt down. It was a hard inappropriate to go into detail. caused us major hassle since we task. However, he said yes We talked until nearly 3am RG: No complaints from visitors couldn’t get some exhibitors set immediately! He took no about his gaming past and his or exhibitors then? up until the Saturday morning. persuading – he was well up for it. non-gaming interests. What I can For the people who met him over say is that we enjoyed a really MR M: Well, I took a couple – MRS M: Quite a few of our the weekend, I think they saw the great curry (I’m going to plug mainly due to the lack of the exhibitors overcame lots of enthusiasm he had for it all. the Mohini Balti House in MAME workshops. It’s quite obstacles to attend the event, Beddington – it’s fantastic!) and funny, but Matthew Smith’s half- and we’d like to say a big MRS M: That was purely down to some great conversation. I really hour Q&A session overshot to thank you to all of them. From Chris’ dogged determination. I feel that I made a new friend in two and a half hours, and bee stings and ill health, know Chris has been a big fan of Matt. Oh and by the way, there’s everything from there on in went through to transport problems Matthew Smith and his games ‘maybe’ more levels to Jet Set crazy! We apologise to all who and equipment failure, all of since he was a kid, and like lots Willy, but you didn’t get that from came for the MAME events, and them made a huge effort to take of Matt Smith fans, wondered me OK?
Matthew Smith, seen here signing a copy of Retro Gamer issue 1 CGE staff member Russell takes the Sinclair C5 for a spin
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MRS M: I wasn’t privy to any guests for next year’s show. gaming secrets – but I know What else can you tell us? what Matt thinks of Chris’ DVD collection (good job we hid the MR M: Well, the dates have been Doris Day flicks before he confirmed as 30th and 31st July arrived). 2005, and our special guests (so far) are Matthew Smith (for those RG: Originally you were to sceptics who didn’t believe he display your collection at the would be here this year!), Archer show. What happened there? Maclean and Jeff Minter.
MR M: Well, by the time the MRS M: We have loads of ideas event was drawing near, it buzzing around, and potential became very apparent that I things in the pipeline. Chris and Matthew during the raffle. I wonder would not have the time to be We are definitely planning loads who won that fine Retro Gamer T-shirt? able to ‘man’ my own exhibition, of competitions for next year’s as my time would be spent event, hopefully with some also want to get people more six monthly. While we are not ensuring that everything else really cool prizes. When Matt involved in the ‘old skool’ ways set against it, we don’t want to over the course of the weekend came to dinner, he said he of programming – ie one or two run before we can walk, so ran as smoothly as possible. Still, fancied running some sort of people sitting in a bedroom there will only be one show the majority of exhibitors had the coding competition for the event. creating the next Manic Miner or next year. However, if the same machines as me, so I I don’t know if it will go ahead, something like that. There’s a lot visitors and exhibitors show would only have perhaps a dozen but it would be great if it did. We to be said for homebrew (the enough enthusiasm to warrant machines to show that weren’t are planning to have a larger games, not the lager) and CGE it, we may look at a summer seen elsewhere. variety of arcade machines, UK would be a fantastic launch and a winter show. Please feel emulation cabinets and pinball pad for releasing ‘new’ 8-bit and free to email us with your MRS M: We both agreed, that machines, and work is already 16-bit titles. thoughts on this… our priority should be ensuring under way to get these in place that the exhibitors and visitors to for next year. MRS M: Everyone had such a good MRS M: I think it would be great the event had the best time, and time at the show, I’d just be happy to hold the show more than once, all our time and energy was RG: What are your long-term for that to continue. It would be perhaps the same event but held taken up with that. Perhaps at a hopes for the CGE UK? great to keep adding to the show in two different parts of the UK. future event Chris will get the and make it bigger and better, so I It would be cool to allow more chance to dust off his rarest MR M: We want CGE UK to grow guess that is our main goal. people to visit without all the items and put them on show – I to the size of the NEC. As every travelling hassle. I was amazed certainly hope so. year goes by, another console RG: If interest continues to grow, that people came from Edinburgh, falls into the ‘retro’ classification, would you ever consider running Cardiff and even Portugal, Austria RG: You’ve already confirmed so our show can only grow. We the show more than once a year? and Poland. At the moment the dates and a couple of special though, we’d just like to make MR M: Possibly. We have sure that the one event we do already asked the last lot hold is absolutely the best it can of exhibitors whether possibly be. they feel we should be six or twelve RG: Finally, what’s your personal monthly. Most highlight from the show? have said MR M: The obvious ones are meeting Matthew Smith and Andrew Oliver, having played their games when I was a teenager.
MRS M: There were loads of highlights, but for me, it has to be seeing the buzz and You could say that excitement of everyone. Andrew Matt Oliver emailed us to tell us what enjoyed a great time he had. The himself at exhibitors, visitors and venue the show were all asking us about the next one before we’d even closed up on Sunday! I also thought the C5 rides were so cool – it was a giggle seeing Chris, Andrew Oliver, Matt Smith, the CGE UK staff and all the visitors riding round in them. RETRO7 CGE 11/8/04 9:17 pm Page 26
SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:REPORT | CGE UK | The wisdom of Matthew Smith Anyone who believed the rumours that Manic Miner author Matthew Smith was dead would have been taken aback to see him at the show, larger than life itself. With a distinct rock star swagger, Matt mingled with the crowds and delighted everyone with anecdotes about his previously clouded past. Having spoken to him and attended both his Saturday and Sunday Q&A sessions, we present Mr Smith's best bits… Matthew Smith, looking relaxed before his final Q&A session of the weekend
His life just borrowed a Spectrum and we did produce the games, and back in, until it was all ploughed three weeks later delivered a we were selling them, and we in and ploughed away. Jet Set On starting out… simple little game called Styx. were doing the business. And the Willy sold way over half a million It started like most of us, with a industry grew. copies, and that was just on the computer I got as a Christmas On leaving Bug-Byte… Spectrum and Commodore 64 in present, to help with the I took Manic Miner off Bug-Byte On Manic Miner royalties… Europe. And there were plenty of homework. I was one of those because the company wasn’t I did have a large mountain of copies sold in Japan on Japanese pestering kids who’d seen Space paying me quick enough. It was money from Bug-Byte for Manic consoles, so it might have been a Invaders in the arcade, and what actually three months late paying Miner. But by the time I finally million seller. It might still be if we didn’t tell our parents was me, and to a 17-year-old that got it to cough it up, I was the GBA version comes out. And that we really wanted a Space seemed outrageous [smiles]. I’ve already owed another £30,000. if I do receive some money for Invaders machine in our since left my own landlord So when the £30,000 landed in the GBA version, that will be the bedrooms. And the only way to without rent for longer than that. my sweaty hands as a 17-year- first time I have ever received do it was to learn to write a So I not only set up my own old – who was just beginning to any royalties for Jet Set Willy. game. Quite a lot of us met up in publishing house, but I also took discover women and drink and various computer shops – Tandy their best-selling product off motorbikes and all that stuff – I On dropping out of the scene… were renowned for being them. So I set up Software spent it. I’m sure some of the Fame is a very funny thing. There generous with their space and Projects, and shortly after that I people I used to drink with are two versions of the scene. time – and we started writing met Stu (Fotheringham). My main respect me very greatly for the There’s the scene that the media games just for our own motive for starting Software amount of alcohol I could perceives, and there’s the scene, amusement really. Fortunately at Projects was financial control. I consume in a night. And of which is the alliance of all the the time, the publishers were just already had total artistic control course I wouldn’t do it again. If people, meeting in their own starting to look for software. as far as I needed it. you’re listening kids, keep it safe. time, drinking in the same Just say, “No thank you” – there’s places, generally hanging out On his first industry job… On life at Software Projects… no harm in being polite. together and feeding off each Bug-Byte was looking for At Software Projects, the lunatics other. It’s very hard to stay in Spectrum software. I was did take over the asylum. Most of On Jet Set Willy royalties… touch with people when you recommended as someone who us were very young and a bit I never ever received a penny in can’t afford a bus fare and you could write a game, although I wild, and we didn’t have the self- royalties from Jet Set Willy and can’t afford a telephone… It was had never seen a Spectrum. discipline. And my partners, who haven’t to this day, in any form. never actually a conscious That’s not too bizarre, because I were attempting to manage That’s largely due to being the decision to drop out of the scene, knew the chip inside the everything, they didn’t have what director of the publishing more a force of circumstances I’m Spectrum inside out already. So I it took. But it was a fun time, and company, and ploughing it all afraid. You don’t become a
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hermit. It’s just that one day the On the cheat code in invitations stop arriving, the Manic Miner… money runs out… It’s actually a corruption of my driver’s licence number. It’s not On leaving the country… accurate, which is fortunate I went over to Holland – it was because there’s a security risk all part of a united Europe. So there I’d rather not incur. when the rules changed, I could go and seek employment On naming Miner Willy… somewhere where there was a Yes, there is a joke in there half a chance of getting a job, somewhere. Willy is a funnier and that certainly wasn’t name than, erm… George. anywhere near Liverpool in the early Nineties. So, I got on my On the ZX81 version of Manic bike basically. Miner… I saw one screen. It was very On rumours about his well done, something the VIC-20 disappearance… couldn’t manage. Actually, Perils I didn’t realise there was any big of Willy on the VIC-20 started out mystery. I thought people had as an attempt to port Manic just generally forgotten me. I’d Miner. The guy who said he had my 15 minutes in the could do it gave up after two spotlight and that was over and months, but presented what he it was gone. But as soon as I got had managed to do, which we the Internet, I typed my name released as Perils of Willy. into Google to see what would happen and started to find out On the Oric-1 version of strange stuff, about where Manic Miner… The character of Maria was based on a Greek lady who used to live opposite Matthew people though I was. It was I think that we sold 10 copies. slightly shocking. On the inspiration for Maria in Jet His games Set Willy… There was a lady who lived over On creating Manic Miner… the road from me. She was Greek Iwent on holiday to Italy for – hair up in a bun – and looked two weeks and I bought a like the keeper of her own house. notebook in which I drew some Maria was just a generic name of the levels. I came back from for a servant. There’s probably a that holiday, got to my computer bit of racism there – a servant and literally eight weeks later with a Mediterranean name. we were duplicating cassettes. That shows the benefits of a On the first person to complete good holiday, I suppose. But Jet Set Willy… eight weeks after Manic Miner A guy called Cameron Else Bug-Byte was asking me why I disassembled the Spectrum hadn’t written another one! The version, found the bug, fixed it, company was very, very upset and we gave him a prize. And he that eight or nine months went then did the MSX version of Jet into Jet Set Willy. Set Willy. Derrick Rowson's sequel fixed a number of bugs found in Matthew's original On the success of Manic Miner… On the bug in the Banyan Tree… I wasn’t surprised by the success There’s no bug in the Banyan of Manic Miner at the time. I Tree. It was exceptionally hard, thought that it was going to be a but I proved for my own “Don’t listen to people blockbuster – it was obvious. I satisfaction before the game was thought so, the publishers released that you could get from who say you can’t thought so, everyone who saw it the right-hand side to the left- thought so at the time. So I hand side. But there was no write a game by accepted the success as my due formal testing on Jet Set Willy reward at the time. But there was whatsoever. A lot of the problems yourself these days. nothing revolutionary about what were fixed in Jet Set Willy 2 by I did. I took some ideas from Derrick Rowson, a very talented But then, don’t Donkey Kong, some ideas from guy who’s been in the industry Miner 2049’er, and I cooked longer than I have. underestimate how much them up as a nice treat for Spectrum owners. But there were On Mega-tree… work you have to do. better Spectrum games after that, We were set up in a house – a Believe in yourself.” like, erm… [shrugs his shoulders very smelly house. Basically we and smiles]. were disrupting the company, so
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:REPORT | CGE UK |
we secluded ourselves in a small it up. I was making a football house so we could get a game game just called Footie but I done without bringing the never got anything to market. publishing empire crashing down around our ears. You can actually On GameBoy Scrabble… see the core idea of the game in The last thing I did professionally a later game called Nebulus. It was Scrabble on the Color was a platformer with some extra GameBoy, published by Ubisoft. I ideas. We should get Mark did 90% of that myself; it was a (Wilding), because Stuart’s normal one-man effort. But on concepts in Retro Gamer the cartridge there’s credits for magazine ring bells, but it isn’t 59 people and one dog. That quite exactly what I thought we adds to the perception that it were trying to do. We should get takes 60 people to create a together and find out what we GameBoy game. Actually, I’ve would have ended up with if the only got credit as Additional plug hadn’t been pulled. One Programmer, but 90% of the code Manic Miner appeared on both the Bug-Byte question I had to ask myself was was written by me. and Software Projects labels how come I’m a director of the company and I’m letting my own On unfinished games… projects get cancelled? I used to I’m still missing some of my early get very angry about that, but stuff, but I’m not really looking life goes on. I would like to finish that hard because I’m trying to Mega-tree one day, but I’d like to look forward. do that with Stuart and Mark, if we could get together. It wouldn’t On current projects… be right for one of us to finish it. I’ve recently been chugging away, working on my own engine On Attack of the Mutant and my own tools. Whenever I’ve Zombie Flesh Eating Chickens got enough saved to pay my rent from Mars… for six months, I just bury myself Mutant Chickens started off as a and say that I can produce a game based on the Wile E. game in six months. But any Coyote franchise. We were all project that you estimate will assured we had it in the bag, take six months will actually take paid for, done and dusted. I five years. I’m looking to do work spent ages getting “That’s all on the Xbox. My 3D engine has folks” displayed on the Spectrum! got a few nice features. I have But then we found out we hadn’t got a few things going on, but got the licence, so most of our I’m not mentally geared up to preliminary work was down the selling my ideas to a publisher drain. As the Spectrum market anymore, although that’s what I was declining at this time, and did with Manic Miner originally. my personal resources were also The best way to approach a declining. I had nowhere to live publisher is to have something but the Software Projects’ factory, visible, so they can see where and I had no money except what it’s going. When it’s half finished I could literally crowbar out of maybe, and I’m not that far off the petty cash tin. I was having with one particular project. my telephone sabotaged – very strange. Anyway, Mutant Chickens On programming a new had some nice effects, with some Spectrum game… The game was never finished, but adverts really huge sprites overlapping I’d like to, but I haven’t got any for Mutant Chickens appeared in the games each other without any colour immediate plans and it would press and cassette inlays were even printed clash. But it never got finished. have to fit in. And I’m not tooled There may possibly be something up to be honest – I haven’t got a left of it somewhere, but I’ve had good Z80 assembler installed to move with the world in a and I don’t actually have a suitcase on several occasions, Spectrum at the moment. But it and most of it has probably been would take me about eight weeks binned now to be honest. to do it.
On life after the Spectrum… The industry When the Spectrum market had dried up, I switched to the Atari On publishers and programmers… ST as my development machine. I When I started, the developer was going to write games just for used to be very much in control the ST, but the market was of the games that were written. Matthew was suitably impressed with the running out there too, so I gave And many people say this unofficial ZX81 version of Manic Miner
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“For a young boy, at the age I was, On Bill Hogue… Miner 2049’er was one of my Manic Miner made me very rich. favourite games, and quite of lot of that ended up in Manic Miner. But I was not as rich as I thought But Bill Hogue has probably never heard of me because he’s I was, and that turned out to be a American. I also wrote a version of Galaxians for the TRS-80. It significant problem.” was probably not a good as Bill contributes to what was seen as Hogue’s version. He was the the golden age of gaming. The daddy on the TRS-80. games were written by artists, by programmers with ideas, and On playing games… then offered to publishers. And if I try not to play games these one publisher didn’t like it, there days. There were times when I was always another publisher. was struggling to keep a roof But we were still dependant on over my head, so when I’ve got a the publishers to pay us our computer, and electricity, and an royalties, and that was often a Internet connection altogether, I question of trust. We had try to spend all the time I can contracts, but by modern working on my back catalogue of standards, they were flimsy legal unfinished titles. But if I had to documents. And it wasn’t always have a choice of playing new the publishers deliberately trying games or old games, I’d choose to screw the programmers; new games. It’s the wrong place sometimes the programmers were to admit that, but everything demanding contracts that left the moves on. publishers with very little rights to publish. On the game he wishes he’d written… On bedroom coders… I’m not a great fan of violent I’m not entirely sure of the shooting games. I like playing commonly perceived wisdom that them, but I wouldn’t like to games cost millions of pounds to publish them. Nonetheless, I’d develop. This perception is based still like to have written Doom. on the fact that most games do actually cost millions of pounds On Spectrum vs Commodore 64… to develop [smiles]. But I think in I’m in the Speccy camp, although some ways there’s no reason why I was jealous of the C64 because you can’t write a game in the I couldn’t afford one until it was bedroom by yourself. Maybe not time for me to work on it. I did Bill Hogue's Miner 2049'er was an by yourself anymore, but small get an Atari 800, so for me it was obvious inspiration for Manic Miner teams of bedroom coders can still always Atari versus Commodore. write games. Let’s remember that The Atari was better – much Peter Jackson’s best film, I’m sure better. Much nicer, much more everyone would agree, is Bad polite users, better software, but Taste. That cost 10,000 New it was £100 more expensive that Zealand dollars, and there I rest the C64, so it was always going my case on that subject. to be the fifth or sixth choice after the other available machines Other stuff in this country.
On Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy On Pepsi Cola… remakes… Pepsi – the drink of the successful I personally don’t have a problem [holds up can and grins]. with it at all. But there are legal complications with the copyright On the Classic Gaming Expo… law as it stands, where you are I don’t come to events like this either forced to protect very often, but that’s because something fully or abandon it. So there aren’t many of them. It’s if I start actively encouraging very nostalgic. It’s great to see all modding then it is in a sense the people and all the old games. giving up any rights I have to it. I’ll be back next year for sure. But with the case of Jet Set Willy it’s very complicated, and Extra special thanks to Robert nobody should be worried if Hazelby (www.jabba.demon.co.uk/ they’re making mods. I wish them retroranch) and Simon Ullyatt Matthew's most recently published title was Scrabble for the GameBoy Color luck basically. (www.cronosoft.co.uk)
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | THE ATARI ST FAMILY |
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>The Atari ST Family
By the mid 1980s, Atari had been through both the financial highs and lows of success. It had almost single-handedly invented the console-gaming generation and entered the home-computer arena with much enthusiasm, posting record sales in excess of US$2 billion in 1982. But only one year later the true impact of Commodore's VIC-20 and C64 machines started to be felt. They were better priced and better supported, forcing Atari to its lowest-ever point. Something had to change and that something came in the formidable shape of Jack Tramiel, his sons and the creation of the Atari ST. Richard Davey takes up the story
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | THE ATARI ST FAMILY |
The GEM user interface in all its garish green glory! From left to right: Garry, Sam, Jack and Leonard Tramiel based computer. As the Public interest ran high and uch of Commodore’s Tramiel’s settled into their new five months later the ST element, the GEM (Graphic success could be roles at Atari, various key appeared in the UK at the PCW Environment Manager) – this Mattributed not only to Commodore technical staff were show, this time in working form. user interface was developed by quality hardware, but also to the also poached, building up a One year later and those lucky Digital Research as an business acumen of then formidable engineering team. few that could afford it were alternative to the Mac OS. Commodore president, Jack With a newly invigorated Atari, able to purchase a complete Combined, these elements were ‘business is war’ Tramiel. an engineering team mostly system, but at a base price of known (perhaps somewhat Commodore was riding one of poached from Commodore and £799 it didn’t open too many unfortunately) as TOS – The the biggest waves it had ever new funding in place, the gamers’ wallets at first, despite Operating System. Version 1.0 been on until Friday the 13th company managed to design being a massive £1,600 cheaper was loaded from floppy disk, 1983, when Jack left Commodore and build the Atari ST in just than its nearest rival. The 520ST although this wasn’t the case for for Atari. Some reports cite the over one year, which was a released at this time still had long, with a second revision main reason as being remarkably short period of time the external RF Modulator and placing the OS onto a ROM chip. Commodore’s Chairman Irving for such a groundbreaking floppy drive, and the mouse and A ROM-based OS is always Gould’s disapproval of the way machine. This almost certainly joystick actually plugged into present in the machine; turn it Jack placed his sons in key wouldn’t have been possible the right-hand side of the on and it will function, even positions within the company. were it not for all of the machine where the newer after something like a hard drive Others say Jack was up for a engineering development work revisions would see the floppy crash (unlike a PC or Mac). On new challenge and the chance that had previously gone on drive eventually housed. the downside, a ROM-based OS to make some serious money whilst at Commodore, as well as is much harder to upgrade. Atari from then Atari owners Time Amiga’s work on the 1850XL. The Operating allowed for this to a degree by Warner. Whatever the truth, this However, other key choices were System making TOS check for a shift in position had a made to speed up production, bootable floppy disk during monumental change on both including the use of off-the- Although expensive at launch, startup. Games took advantage Commodore and Atari. shelf components. the Atari ST was still of this to bypass the loading of Shown to the general public significantly cheaper than other the OS, thus saving some Amiga built at the American CES show in business machines of the time, precious memory. It also meant the ST? October 1985, the first Atari ST such as the Apple Macintosh that replacement OSes could be release was a relatively primitive and the PC. Also, like these released, and many were during Prior to Jack Tramiel taking over affair sporting both an external early contemporaries, the ST the life of the ST. Atari, a company called Amiga disk drive and power supply; loaded its operating system Inc. had been contracted to even the operating system had from disk. The operating system Power without work on some new custom chips to be loaded from disk. The ‘ST’ Atari used was a combination of the Price for what was planned to be the in the title stood for Sixteen several readily available Atari 1850XL, a superior Thirty-two, representing the systems. Much of the low-level It didn’t take long for Atari to expansion of its 8-bit XL range processor’s bus architecture – code came from an earlier refine the production process (see Retro Gamer issue 6). 16-bit external, 32-bit internal system called CP/M. Sitting on and reduce the general cost of Amiga became increasingly addressing, which was a top of this was the graphical the machine significantly. At the unhappy with the way in which significant leap in performance £400 mark, people started to Atari handled the affair and for the time. The machine really sit up and take notice. promptly refunded the shown at the CES was the Atari development money it had been 130ST, sporting only 128KB of paid (US$500,000). Ultimately memory. However, to call it a Amiga took the new chip ‘machine’ is being kind, as the designs to Commodore who model on display was little more handed over the princely sum of than an epoxy mock-up with US$20 million for them. Those working keyboard; even the designs eventually worked their motherboard didn’t fit properly way into the Commodore Amiga. into the case. But the seed had It was imperative that Atari been sown and the signs that was not left behind and work something new was on the The original ST model, without a built-in floppy disk drive began on a Motorola 68000- horizon were evident. or RF Modulator
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The difference in power between the new 16-bit leader of the >Custom pack and the 8-bits was instantly noticeable. Game chips screenshots were now in vibrant colour with significantly higher resolutions, and publishers All of the ST range shared the same principal hardware. However, could actually start using it was the top-selling 520 STFM that most people were likely to screenshots from the games have owned or witnessed in action. It’s time to get a little technical themselves, rather than the in order to understand how the ST worked on the inside. The ST arcade machines they may have featured four custom chips designed by Atari that performed been based on. This, backed up essential tasks. Norman Cook is just one by Tramiel’s constant and artist who creates beautiful aggressive marketing campaign noise with his ST Glue: The first chip and the most important, this basically kept the forced the Atari ST into a entire system in check and running smoothly. It generated the dominant role, making it the Software such as C-Lab’s Notator master clock signal of 8MHz, handled all requests for access to best-selling gaming machine in and Steinberg’s Cubase pushed memory and I/O, and created the empty video signals that were Europe at its peak. the ST out of the gamer’s later filled in to produce the image on the TV or monitor. The inclusion of MIDI ports bedroom and into the forefront on the ST as standard paved the of music studios across the MMU – Memory Management Unit: Another custom Atari chip. It way for it to move into the world. At one point, over 85% of had two main functions: to keep track of up to 4MB of memory and music industry like no other all UK music studios were to control it. When another chip (such as the processor, DMA or computer had done before it. running from ST hardware Shifter) wanted to read or write to a location in memory, the MMU Probably the vast majority who setups, including the likes of made sure the correct address in RAM was available. owned an ST never actually Madonna who’s production crew used the MIDI ports at all, would actually carry the ST ACY DMA – Direct Memory Access: This custom chip allowed incoming especially the average games (a portable Atari ST machine data from floppy drives or hard disks to be placed straight into player. But for those who did, it akin to today’s laptop) around memory without going via the processor. It also prevented memory opened up a whole new world on stage to sequence her act conflicts. of sound. MIDI is an acronym live. Even today the ST is still for Musical Instrument Digital regarded as one of the best Shifter: The final custom chip was responsible for creating the Interface, and it basically allows low-budget choices for those multicoloured displays you saw on screen. The MMU supplied the you to connect musical wanting to break into the Shifter with the bytes of screen data and palettes, and the Shifter instruments to your ST and then industry. Open up the cover of turned them into RGB video signals. For Monochrome monitors the control them digitally. Using Fat Boy Slim’s You’ve Come a Shifter was actually muted. sequencing software you could Long Way Baby and you’ll be literally play into your ST, edit faced with an ST sitting smugly what you had played via the in the studio. The fact that it’s software and then have it still used today is a true played back to you again. testament to the impact on the This is Retro Gamer magazine music industry the machine had after all, so we won’t delve too and still has. deeply into the intricacies of Expanders and Multi-timbral Life after instruments, but suffice to say the ST that no other home computer offered this kind of power, and The Atari STE was released to a it lead to the ST being the relatively lukewarm reception in premiere choice for musicians. 1989. By then most people who were going to buy an ST already The layout of the Atari ST's motherboard, with its had and there was little incentive four custom chips for people to upgrade. The STE simply didn’t offer anything significantly different and didn’t carry any of those ‘wow factor’ everything the STE should have games. Those who did own an been – a Motorola 68030 STE had a far superior, but processor, additional advanced under-exploited, piece of DSP processor, DMA sound, a hardware. Commodore was Blitter chip, built-in SCSI ports, fighting aggressively at this time an Internal IDE port, a 1.4MB and Amiga’s developer was floppy drive, a VGA monitor managing to push its machine to support as standard, up to 14MB new limits, making it a true rival of memory and the most to the consoles of the era, advanced version of TOS yet, a whereas the ST seemed to be the true multitasking environment. one now suffering from poor Despite being a great machine game conversions. and the one that’s still in use by With the ST costing less than half the price of its nearest Atari did try to strike back one most true Atarians today, it didn’t rival, Atari's boast of 'Power without the Price' was final time, with the Atari Falcon sell in significant enough perfectly true 030. This computer was numbers, thanks to a very high
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | THE ATARI ST FAMILY | >Grand designs
The ST range underwent a number of design modifications during its first few years, with several variations emerging including the 520 STFM, 1040 STFM, three varieties of Mega ST machines, and, in 1989, the Atari STE. You can easily determine some of the features by the machine name alone.
<520, 1040> This number referred to the amount of base memory The Falcon was Atari's most powerful computer to date, but its high price put off many potential buyers installed inside the ST – 520 being 512KB and the 1040 being 1MB. The STE was the easiest machine to add extra memory to (standard SIMMs), but you could base price, the emergence of the keenly used and supported today upgrade any ST, hence making the number element PC and a lack of decent however, but that’s another story somewhat redundant. marketing. The Atari Falcon is still and one still in the making.
The 520 STFM - the model most of you will be familiar with
Those with a little more disposable income could splash out on a model with double the memory
The 520 STE was launched as a machine The Mega STE, with its built-in hard to rival the Commodore Amiga disk drive
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>Machine specs Processor: The Motorola 68000 processor (aka Mc68000 or 68k) was the first of the 32-bit processor family. It appeared in the Apple Mac and Sinclair QL prior to the ST and Amiga. The 68000 could run at a variety themselves from attack from other The original development team of speeds from around 4MHz up to approx. 12MHz. worlds. These sentinels were consisted of only five people: Doug Atari picked the middle frequency of 8MHz for programmed to destroy anything Bell, Dennis Walker, Mike Newton, maximum reliability. Fact fans might like to note that that looked like it might pose a Andy Jaros and Wayne Holder. FTL this is actually a higher/faster frequency than the threat to Novenia, but to protect released a small number of other Commodore Amiga, which ran at 7.2 MHz. the famous birds they were quality Atari ST games including programmed to ignore them as Sundog Frozen Legacy and Oids, they returned from their long but none ever matched the run The popular migration. The evil Ergons, seeing away success of Dungeon Master, Motorola 68000 this weakness, built giant attack which is alleged to be the single processor powered craft that closely resembled the largest selling ST game of all time the ST line birds and wreaked havoc. As one (although other sources say of the last few survivors it was Populous is). your job to right this wrongdoing. Memory: The 520 and 1040 machines were both based on the Starglider came with a 64-page same main circuit board, and used the same kind of novella that went into far more RAM chips, known as 256KB DRAMs. The operating detail than you’d expect and system was held on ROM, which was an additional contained plenty of hints and clues 192KB chip. On the left of the ST was a cartridge for those studious enough to read port, probably made most famous by Cubase for its it all. Starglider also featured (for protection dongle or some of the disk-hacking devices the time) a long, digitised musical available at the time (Blitz Copier, Multiface, etc). introduction that took up 170KB of memory, the female voice used in Storage: Sony was the first company to produce the 3.5in disk it belonging to one of the Midi Maze system and manufactured the first drive that appeared Computer &Video Games Magazine Xanth FX/Hybrid Arts, Inc., 1987 in any quantity. It was designed as an extension of the staff writers at the time. The 5.25in drive in widespread use at the time, and is hidden-line 3D vector graphics Picture this if you will – up to 16 actually completely compatible with it – meaning you were breathtaking and paved the players, all on their own can also use 5.25in drives with an Atari ST. A port on way for intelligent shooters, also computers, networked together, the back of the ST allowed for a second drive to be sealing fledgling developer zooming around a 3D maze connected, which was deemed essential for disk traders Argonaut’s place in the gaming shooting each other until the one of the time. A hard drive could also be connected to the history books. with the most frags wins. If that DMA port on the back of an ST. doesn’t sound like the real ancestor of the modern first-person shooter, Graphics: Connected to a TV, the Atari ST would, by default, we don’t know what does. Midi boot in what is known as ST LOW resolution. This Maze and its sequel were resolution was 320x200 pixels and offers 16 colours developed by German programmer on screen from a palette of 512 on the STFM. On the Markus Fritze and allowed you to STE the palette increased to 4,096. This is the connect up STs via their MIDI ports resolution in which nearly all games ran. However, it to enjoy some serious multiplayer didn’t take long for developers to figure out how to mayhem, well before the likes of ‘remove the borders’, thus increasing the potential Doom. The problem, of course, was area available to write graphical data onto. At first Dungeon Master actually getting 16 STs into a room only ST demos removed borders, but this technique FTL Games, 1987 in the first place, considering each soon found its way into games, giving the player the ST needed its own monitor/TV, and This classic role-playing game and that the typical length of a MIDI forerunner of every 3D RPG since cable was only 2 metres – you was first released on the Atari ST needed a BIG room. Nonetheless, it back in 1987. Developed by FTL was a groundbreaking title at the (Faster Than Light) Games, the time and is still supported with games division of Software Heaven, new maps even today. It made an it was originally published by Mirrorsoft (and later by Psygnosis), and was ported to just about every other system. It was also the winner of many awards including the Best Selling ST title 1988, Computer Player’s Game of the Year 1988 and UK Industry Look at the size of that! The ST running in HIGH Adventure Game of the Year 1988. resolution mode
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appearance of a much fuller and larger screen. The 1991) in order to break the two other ST resolutions were ST MEDIUM (640x200 mould, and it worked. Xenon pixels in four colours), ideal for reading text files or was ported to most other game documents, and ST HIGH (640x400, 2 colours), which systems of the time and was could only be truly obtained via the use of a followed by Xenon 2 Megablast, dedicated mono or multi-sync monitor. This extremely although the sequel wasn’t high resolution for the time was a hit in the MIDI and developed by the Bitmap DTP worlds. Brothers – it was actually created by The Assembly Line on Sound: The Yamaha YM2149 chip was present in all of the ST their behalf, while they were remarkable turning point and range and produced what most people today refer to busy on RPG action game truly created a new genre: God as ‘chip music’. It has three programmable tone Cadaver. games. Populous was played on generators, a noise generator and a mixer with 15 a map with your people starting volume levels. Even at the launch of the ST this was off at one corner and the regarded as a rather poor choice of chip for an enemies starting in the opposite otherwise powerful machine. Nonetheless, some truly corner. The idea was to trash great musicians pushed it to its limits and beyond, your opponent by manipulating introducing fantastically good tunes and innovations your dedicated acolytes into such as digi-drums, SID sound and eventually collision with the enemy. You Soundtracker replaying. The Atari STE, while still could raise and lower the land, featuring the YM chip, also introduced a DMA Sound flooding areas or building Engine with five sound channels, capable of 8-bit mountains – the flatter the land, digital stereo at up to 50KHz. Speedball the faster your people could The Bitmap Brothers, 1988 expand and build bigger and Connections: The ST had standard parallel and RS-232-C ports on the better houses and castles. back, meaning you could plug devices such as modems Released just under a year after and printers in directly. The ST also had two MIDI ports Xenon (which came out in on the side, which was used by most people to connect January 1988), Speedball saw to MIDI devices, but they could also be used to network the distinctive Bitmap style back STs together for multiplayer gaming. in action – this time in a bloody,
The ST's all-important MIDI ports, tucked away on the side of the machine Wings of Death Thalion, 1990
By 1990, the ST coders, especially those involved in the extremely rare appearance on the futuristic sports simulation. They ST demo scene, had started to Virtual GameBoy under the title had now been joined by really unlock the potential of Faceball 2000 by Bullet-Proof graphics expert Mark Coleman, the hardware and Wings of Software, but this is the true who later went on to draw for all Death was one of those original. of their hits, including Gods and technical achievements that only Magic Pockets. Speedball demo coders could make cemented the Bitmap’s happen. Originally titled reputation and proved they were Spellbinder and then Wings of more than a ‘one hit wonder’. War, it was one of the first graphics, probably equalled only games that took advantage of by its difficulty. the STE where possible and The Bitmap Brothers were Wings of Death was a graphical Steve Kelly, Eric Matthews and and audio feast. From the 512- Mike Montgomery, and Xenon colour opening title page to the was their first joint venture into raster-coloured options screens, Xenon games development. The game to the super-smooth scrolling The Bitmap Brothers, 1988 marked a new turning point, techniques and fast frantic with the developers becoming as gameplay that never dropped a Xenon was one of those classic ‘cool’ as their product – you frame (even with up to 95 arcade shoot-em-ups that truly could open any magazine of the Populous objects on the screen), the showed 8-bit owners what the time and see the Bitmaps Bullfrog, 1989 game didn’t let up. Thalion went new 16-bit machines were strutting their leather-jacketed on to produce and release more capable of. Gameplay consisted stuff in Vogue style poses, Bullfrog wasn’t new to the ST – famous ST games including the of vertically scrolling shooting; rather than the shirt-and-tie nerd it had previously had moderate likes of Enchanted Land, you could waggle the joystick to image developers previously success with the shoot-em-up Chambers of Shaolin, Amberstar, turn your ship into a land-based held. This image was all Fusion the year before, although No Second Prize and Lethal craft and back again, which carefully planned, according to virtually all of the game was Xcess. Today it is still regarded added a new depth to the game. an interview in ST Format created by Glenn Corpes alone. as one of the premiere ST It was known for having superb magazine (Issue 18, January Populous, however, was a development teams.
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>The inside >Game story STation There are vast lists of classic Atari ST games worth checking out – The Product Manager for here are some titles to get you started: the Atari ST in the UK was Darryl Still, who was with Atari from 1988 to 1996. We talked to him about the ST and his memories of it table-top football arcade game I used to play in Reading University student union bar for hours. The first real home computer addiction I remember having was for Monsters by Acorn for the BBC, but I also played a lot of Speccy and Oric games. My first industry Bloody Money (Psygnosis): A conversion of the Amiga classic, the When he isn't posing with Lara job was at Incentive Software, and Croft look-alikes, Darryl Still Splat! for the Spectrum was soooo super-smooth scrolling lulled you into a false sense of security runs the European Developer addictive. I built up quite a before the onslaught started. Relations Division at Nvidia collection of Commodore 64 titles and would play hours of Summer Flood (Bullfrog): After its phenomenal success with Populous, RG: Tell us about your roles at Games with my mate and our Bullfrog returned to its gaming roots with this classy platform Atari. girlfriends (see, I wasn’t so much shooter, which contained some innovative features for the time, of a gamer that I didn’t have such as sticky platforms and bouncing grenades. DS: At Atari I had a number of girlfriend). Our favourite C64 game roles, including setting up the was called Rocketball and was Thunderstrike (Millennium/Logotron): Extremely fast 3D action with software division with Rob Katz based on the Rollerball film. less emphasis on realism and more on arcade fun. (currently running Electronic Arts Australia), product managing the RG: As you were in charge of the F-19 Stealth Fighter (Microprose): A comprehensive 3D flight sim ST (during the successful times software division, could you outline based on what was, at the time, leaked data from Lockheed. It saw when it was the best-selling a few of your key responsibilities? you piloting a low-level, all weather, ground strike and gaming machine in Europe) and reconnaissance plane. occupying the position of DS: We had to market stuff under Marketing Manager for the the ARC software brand for the ST, Kick Off (Anco): The Dino Dini classic that ate away dangerously launches of the Lynx and Jaguar. I because it was more cost-effective large portions of the time of all who touched it. The action was also co-ran the European to develop on the ST, Amiga and firmly centred around the football. development studio with Al Bodin PC at once – that and the fact that who is now at Xbox. I left Atari in Atari couldn’t officially develop on Stunt Car Racer (Microprose): From Geoff Crammon, the same 1996 to work for Electronic Arts. rival platforms! The biggest seller talented developer who bought us Microprose Formula 1 Grand in that range was a title called Prix, this 3D racing game removed all the boring elements and RG: In what was predominantly an Borodino, which was a war game added insane stunt tracks! 8-bit world at the time, what were that was probably the grandfather your first thoughts upon seeing the of the Total War series. We also Bloodwych (Mirrorsoft): Think Dungeon Master, but with two-player ST for yourself? dealt closely with all of the other simultaneous action and loads more characters and monsters to ST developers and publishers, and deal with and you’re close. DS: My memory is a bit dim, but I put together the multi-game packs do clearly remember the first ST that came with the hardware. Interphase (Mirrorsoft): Probably the first real cyberspace game. we received in the office and, of As for software titles, the You flew through the circuits in glorious fast 3D, hacking your way course, the first time we got a CD biggest nightmare had to be Kick into the system. A masterpiece of gaming and security evasion. drive for it (obviously, there was a Off. We worked so hard ensuring delay between these two things!), full compatibility of software when Midwinter (Microprose): A meteorite has struck earth, everything but the effect was jaw dropping. we moved from the STFM to the has gone really cold and you are one of a small band of people STE. We worked closely with all of left on an island. Then the hostiles attack. Innovative’s use of RG: Were you much of a gamer the big developers and publishers. fractal landscapes combined with extreme strategy elements made back then? Then, on the week of the STEs this, and its sequel, Flames of Freedom, a true classic. release, out of some Nissan hut in DS: Yeah! I’m actually old enough deepest Kent came this unheralded Llamatron (Jeff Minter): Forget commercial games; this was a £5 to remember being addicted to soccer title that no one had ever shareware treat of the highest magnitude. Picture Robotron, add in Pong as a child! But in the arcades heard of, but suddenly everyone a healthy dose of llamas, coke cans, spliffs, fractal symbols, wild I played Space Invaders, Galaxian wanted, and it crashed on the STE acid sound effects and superb playability and you are half way to and Pac-Man, and there was a causing ‘STE incompatible with experiencing Llamatron.
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software sales. After all, people got 21 quality free games with their ST, >Web so they didn’t need to buy any others for months. This caused the resources developers to build on the Amiga as their lead platform. This extra development time allowed them to www.atari.org expose the areas where the Amiga Current Atari news for all platforms. Darryl was responsible for had a small technical superiority. putting together the Atari ST Whereas before when the ST was http://dhs.atari.org software bundles the lead, Amiga games were a The Dead Hackers Society. Full of Atari-related news, downloads simple port and the versions and demos. STFM’ stories in the big weekly looked identical. This mistake gave games magazines of the time. Commodore something to grasp www.creamhq.de/ymrockerz Once we had fixed the problems onto, and it grasped it very well. The YM Rockerz site, full of classic and remixed ST music tracks. however, we did spend an awful The second problem was the lot of time going back to check delay between the STFM and the www.megacom.net/~q-funk/ST again that it worked! That was a STE. In a somewhat ironic twist The Atari ST Quick FAQ – more answers than we could ever hope to great game. of fate, given the ST’s creation, print here this was actually caused by the RG: What did the role of product lead hardware designer leaving www.atarilegend.com manager entail? the company and there being a Atari Legend. Dedicated to the ST, well updated. major time delay in the new DS: There was nothing typical people understanding his www.atari-forum.com about the job. Putting the packs blueprints and vision for the next Join fellow Atarians on this active forum. together, running the events (like generation ST. Then when the ECTS, at which Atari usually had STE hit, the Kick Off issues www.atari.st one of the biggest stands), TV described earlier held us back. Huge range of ST games and developer information. advertising (remember the advert where the kid pulled his face off RG: Was there any software or www.1632systems.co.uk and he was a robot underneath?), hardware you remember that never One of the last places left to buy Atari ST games and hardware. packaging, press advertising, PR, saw the commercial light of day? co-promotions with Kellogg’s and http://tamw.atari-users.net the like. DS: Not for the ST. There was one If it’s to do with MIDI or the ST, you’ll find it here. piece of Jaguar software called RG: The ST enjoyed good early Zero-5, which was an amazing http://no-fragments.atari.org success, but then along came the game we were working on at the No Fragments is an archive of just about every ST demo ever. Amiga. Why do you think it took end, but it only got a staggered so long for Atari to fight back with posthumous release through the likes of the STE and Falcon? another source when Atari was a pub in Englefield Green, near DS: I think everybody looks back long gone. I do fondly remember Windsor. As with most Americans, with rose-tinted spectacles. I am DS: We were fighting back from the discussions around the game darts obviously wasn’t a familiar sure if you put half of the games I the beginning, but often when you Vixen because of the fact that it game to him, but his competitive have remembered fondly in front of are in the lead position, you have was a word you couldn’t use in streak really came to the fore! me today I would say “What is to take a different track. A leader Germany because it meant ‘fuck’, Leonard Tramiel was a boffin – a this steaming pile?!”, but they should not acknowledge externally so they had to change it, after real Tefal head in his white coat in were good days. What I miss more the existence of the second place great debate, to ‘She Fox’, which is the lab! He spoke a different than anything is that there were player, but internally you are doing a classic turnaround. language to most of us, so whilst I few genres and not everything had everything in your power to keep met him a few times, we never to fit into them, so you would see that pest from catching up. This is RG: Did you ever meet any of the really had a conversation. a truly original game idea come to often seen from the outside as Tramiels? Jack was always fruition more often. complacency, but on the inside I renowned for his ‘business is war’ RG: What was your favourite piece can assure you there was no such mentality – did it come across in of Atari hardware ever? RG: Is it strange seeing the Atari thing. However, once the Amiga his personality? brand enjoying such a high profile overtook the ST, it took Atari too DS: I would have to say the Lynx – in the games industry at the long to recognise that the mode of DS: I only met Jack once at the a seriously underrated games moment, linked to the likes of attack from second place is entirely Jaguar launch in New York. I think I machine. I still have two at home Unreal 2, Driv3r, etc? different. I think there were two probably looked a complete idiot, that I link up to play Checkered key mistakes we made at this time. because I had heard so many Flag head to head with my son. I DS: It’s great to see the brand One we had control of in Europe horror stories over the years at think it was way ahead of its time. back – although Sam Tramiel will and the other came from Head Atari leading up to that point, that be having kittens about what Office in Sunnyvale, California. when I finally met him I was RG: How do you feel about the they’ve done with the logo! The The first problem was actually speechless and just made grunting way home computing has Fuji device always had to be the 21 game packs that came with noises when he asked me politely progressed over the years? Does before the Atari name, beneath it the ST. Whilst they were a great what I did. I met Sam Tramiel any part of you ever yearn for the was a pre-Tramiel Warner Brothers commercial success, they also many times, and whilst he had a bygone times when booting a version thing. Having it in succeeded in annoying the ruthless streak, he was a seriously computer took seconds and a blue- amongst the lettering itself (as development community as they nice guy. I remember one really fun screen of death only meant game Infogrames has it now) would had a drastic effect on third-party evening playing darts with him at over in Time Pilot? have been unheard of! ✺✯*
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>Desert Island Disks
Another month, another castaway. Paul Drury talks to Keith Campbell, adventure game columnist for Computer and Video Games Magazine throughout the Eighties
ultiplayer, clan-based, competitive deathmatches – something you’d associate with online Quake rather than adventure gaming in 1980. MBut then Keith Campbell has always had an almost evangelical desire to spread the word about the joy of text. “Myself and three other colleagues had TRS-80s, so adventure evenings >WHO? began. We’d set up teams of four people in each corner of the room with a Keith Campbell, adventure columnist for C&VG, pictured here with the micro, and see who could get the furthest by the end of the night. The first first issue of the magazine and evening we played one of Scott Adam’s games, Ghost Town, and I know that his Book of Adventure... five people went out and bought a TRS-80 after that, just to play that type of game. They wanted more adventure evenings, but a tenner a time for a game wasn’t cheap, so I decided to try and write my own…”
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where the pinnacle of current group served as a useful playtest for personal computer technology was concept, converting it to be the games. The trio were also on display – the VIC-20. There was Creating adventure games could displayed on a screen. He remains a published by Molimerx. an optimism in the air, perhaps have been seen as quite a little embarrassed about this someone who grew fuelled by the free booze on offer, challenge to plagiarism, which might explain his but Keith doesn’t believe anyone up in a time before individuals next game being entitled Honest Joe, Prating about there really believed the magazine had any real access to computers. a horse racing game with the original righton in 1940, Keith left The Molimerx titles were modest would still be going today. Born in B slant of being from the bookmakers ndean Grammar School successes, but more importantly they “I didn’t think I’d have enough to the local Var perspective. Both titles were served the vital function of bringing say for a year, let alone a decade,” at 16 to train as an Electrical published by a Molimerx, a software Keith’s name to the attention of one he smiles, nodding towards the Engineer and work for Seeboard, the supplier based in Bexley Hill, who Terry Pratt, who was looking for precarious pile of every issue of regional Electricity Board. He does would play a key role in Keith’s someone to write a regular monthly C&VG he appeared in. In the early remember an analog computer being career. Another crucial moment was adventure column for a soon-to-be- days, software releases were fairly built at Brighton Technical College when he brought his Tandy in to launched magazine that he was to scarce, and he had to actively send where he completed his Diploma, work to impress some important edit. Terry contacted Molimerx to see off for games to review. However, “but it took so long, I’d left before it visitors and a friend handed him a if they had any adventure game Keith also included programming tips was ever finished,” and using a tape that just read ‘Adventureland’. writers who might be persuaded to on how to write your own typewriter terminal connected to an “We got together in the turn their hand to journalism. They adventures. Looking at those first IBM Mainframe whilst with boardroom and loaded it up. We had two names: Keith Campbell and columns, it’s great to see the Seeboard. Did he get to play the hadn’t a clue how to play – no interactive fiction, Brian Howarth (who went on to write references to MID$, nested loops and grandaddy of manual or anything, just a sentence the Mysterious Adventure series). concatenation – they show faith in Colossal Caves, then? on the screen saying, ‘Tell me what “I’ve often thought I got my the intelligence of the reader and a “They denied it existed… it wasn’t to do.’ Someone said, ‘Perhaps you break because my surname began refusal to dumb down. Perhaps with until 1981, after I’d been there over a can move,’ so we typed in ‘Go with C rather than H, so I got the these monthly programming sections year and they trusted me, that they East’… it took us a long time to was on our network and call over Brian. Still, when I got and later with his book The admitted it grasp the fact that we could not the message from my wife Ruth Computer and Videogames Book of showed me how to access it. But by only pick things up, drop them and eone from Computer and that som Adventure, Keith helped stimulate a that time, I’d already discovered move around, but we could do Video Games magazine had rung software-writing scene that Adventureland.” things that changed the environment, called Pratt about writing for them, I blossomed and it seems almost Keith’s interest had been fired by like chop trees, move rocks and find didn’t believe it. The magazine didn’t karmic that this should soon lead to the purchase of a TRS-80 in 1980. “I new exits.” exist and with a name like Pratt I dozens of adventure games arriving was intrigued by the whole thing and Keith was spellbound and thought it must be someone having for review each month. wanted to see what I could use it immediately mail ordered the game. a laugh…” for.” His first programming effort That Saturday, he sat the whole Fortunately, Keith determined the wasn’t an adventure game – it was family down to play and by the end offer was indeed genuine and quickly Community called Creole Lobster Catcher, the of the week, they had solved their accepted, having had an interest in spirit catchy title a reworking of Caribbean first adventure. “It prompted me to writing since childhood. He recalls Fisherman, a game he’d seen running try myself, though in BASIC rather the pre-launch party (with the Keith may have contributed a little to at a terminal at Romney Marsh than using Scott’s machine code.” magazine having changed publisher the programming side of things, but Comprehensive, where he was His first three adventures, Fairy Tale, to Emap before the first issue), which he was instrumental in creating a Governor. The game spewed out Wonderland and Dreamworld, kept was held at the London Planetarium, paper to describe your fisherman’s the computer club happy and the progress and Keith ‘borrowed’ the
Scott Adams' Adventureland, here running on an emulated TRS-80
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Here it is... Keith's first column in the inaugural issue of Computer and Video Games
expenses, so that should tell you to meet the adventure game writers something. Next time we all ate hundreds of games, again a in person, most notably Scott Adams. real community of adventure game together, Scott took us to the best precursor to the game FAQ websites “He was there to promote his players. The very nature of the genre French Restaurant in London, Le that are so prevalent today. Questprobe series of games and I means people get stuck and his Gavroche. It was so expensive, only Keith has fond memories of the got an exclusive interview. He was Adventure Helpline became the the host’s menu had the prices on contact he had with readers, and my hero and I was slightly in awe. equivalent of the Samaritans to and when the bill arrived, Mike said, indeed has kept every letter he was His agent, Mike Woodruff, took us all those on the verge of a nervous ‘Scott, you could have bought a ever sent. Was he aware he was part out for lunch and I remember Scott breakdown, having got lost in the Sinclair C5 with what that cost.’” of a wider adventuring community, having pretty expensive tastes. I gargantuan maze of Level 9’s Keith tells of the bond between one that he had helped to create? know the following year, when it was Snowball, or losing the will to live writers, a genuine camaraderie that “Yeah, I suppose I was, especially our turn to pick up the bill, my trying to stop Thorin singing about existed between those involved in at the Personal Computer World editor at the time, Eugene Lacey, gold in The Hobbit. Long before the the adventure scene. “After one shows. We’d set up an Adventure leaned over and whispered, ‘For Internet took off, the C&VG column show, a group of us decided we’d Helpdesk and people would come up Christ’s sake don’t let Scott get hold functioned like a newsgroup or have an adventurer’s evening – a few and introduce themselves and you’d of the wine list – Emap will never be forum – adventurers shared drinks down the pub and a meal in know their names already. Seeing able to afford it.’ Eugene had always knowledge with their fellow gamers Earl’s Court. There was Dave Lebling them face to face was great.” operated an open-wallet approach to and Keith constructed a database of The PCW shows also allowed him thousands of clues and solutions to
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:PROFILE | DESERT ISLAND DISKS |
fiction short stories, and chose as Time marches on his source material one entitled The Pen and the Dark. The game At its height in the mid-Eighties, was released in 1984 for the C&VG would put aside up to eight Spectrum, C64 and BBC pages for Keith’s writing. (interestingly, a Dragon conversion Furthermore, the Helpline had its was produced by his son Neil, but own page, adventure supplements was never published). The game were produced and he also began a did remarkably well, selling 20,000 regular column in Commodore User Keith with Anita Sinclair on copies and netting Keith around magazine in 1986. Keith even the C&VG Helpline Stand at a £12,000. Despite having planned recruited three underlings – Paul PCW Show Left to Right - Paul Coppins, out another adventure, The Coppins, Simon Marsh and Jim Keith Campbell and Simon Subways of Tazoo, based on Douglas – to provide game reviews you look at C&VG today). Coming Marsh on the very first another of the short stories in the that he’d then sub edit, paying them from a purely arcade game Helpline stand at a PCW Show book, he decided against a retainer to support his burgeoning background and previously writing continuing as a programmer. “I feudal empire. from Infocom, Ken Gordon from for Zzap! 64, his approach to man didn’t particularly enjoy writing the Things were changing though. By Magnetic Scrolls, Peter Moreland management was somewhat different game and technical developments the late Eighties, adventure games from Morden’s Quest, Pete Austin to previous editors. meant future games would have to themselves were evolving, with the from Level 9 and a strange couple “I still used to take my copy up have graphics and would go mouse replacing text as point-and- from St Bride’s School who’d to the offices in London every month beyond just one person producing click adventures grew in popularity. produced some games using The and pass it on personally. When Tim it. And anyway, I had my column “Games were getting bigger and Quill adventure writing package. Metcalfe was the boss, he’d put the to write.” more expensive to produce, so there They reported to be running a Girls kettle on or we’d pop out for a pint were less of them than in the days Boarding School in Ireland, they at lunch and discuss the column, any of sacks full of Spectrum tapes were heavily made up and it was supplements we were doing… he arriving around Christmas.” Keith’s all a bit strange. They were always had time for me. With Julian it column was merged with the Role possibly women… one didn’t like was a short ‘thanks’ and that was it. Playing section in C&VG and it was to ask.” He just didn’t want to know. One day perhaps symbolic that the column Not put off by the transvestite at the start of 1990, I rang him up to moved further towards the back of element, Keith did briefly join the tell him about some exclusives I’d the magazine. got for the column and he just went ranks of adventure games writer, The real change came with the after being approached by Mosaic ‘Yeah, yeah, and by the way this will appointment of Julian Rignall as Publishing. He was initially be your last one.’ End of story. At C&VG editor, which coincided with reluctant, as the column took up one time, even though I was a A picture from the night out in the publishers lowering the target so much of his time, “But then I freelancer, if I’d left of my own choice Earl's Court during a PCW show, age range for the magazine (sadly, heard about the money.” He was I think they would have had a party when adventure game authors met something that’s still apparent if sent a copy of The Unorthodox up for food and a few drinks Engineers, a collection of science
The Pen and the Dark, Keith's sole adventure game for Mosaic
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Scott Adams' website inspired Keith to search the Internet for some of his favourite adventure games
From 1986 onwards, Keith began to contribute an adventure column to Commodore User magazine
asked about me over the years. descends. But surely he’s aware that Then you at Retro Gamer got in His column in Commodore User the adventure game community is touch, and I’ve discovered I can also ended later that year, though in still vibrant, new games are still download all these great games – far more amicable circumstances, and produced, and old ones revered and I’m starting with Scott’s for though he continued to write discussed? Surely he’s been nostalgia’s sake, then all the occasional reviews through the contacted by old readers over the Infocom games I never got to Nineties, he states that without being years? Keith shakes his head. solve, the Magnetic Scrolls ones… regularly in print, you were out of “Sometimes I thought about trying it’s like a whole world has opened the loop and his contact with the to track down some of the old up again.” world of games was marginal. He games I remembered, but didn’t So, ironically, we place Keith continued working for Seeboard until know where to start. I’d no idea Campbell on an imaginary desert it was privatised and working Keith has kept many mementos they were available free on the island and in so doing, rescue him conditions rapidly deteriorated, from his adventuring days, Net.” We’re devastated. We can’t from an actual island where he lived meaning that in 2000 he was including Hulk review code believe that such a champion of the for over a decade, oblivious of the relieved to take early retirement. and the accompanying letter genre, and such a lovely man, is fondness and esteem he is held in from Scott Adams “When I was writing, I always unaware of how many people by so many adventure gamers. He’d thought, ‘When I retire I’ll have remember his column with such love to hear from all those people for me. This was just so casual.” plenty to do, I’ll be able to affection. But like all good he never got chance to say goodbye After eight years and 100 issues, concentrate on my writing and have adventure games, there is a to, though remember to mention recalling this shoddy treatment still more time to reply to readers.’ Of gives Keith cause for bitterness, but wonderfully satisfying conclusion. adventure games in the subject line course, it had all gone by then.” “Then just three weeks ago, I not for any egotistical reason. to distinguish yourselves from smut “Suddenly there was no Helpline and was on the Internet and I tapped in peddlers and loan sharks. You’ll find [email protected] no letters forwarded to me, so all Game over? Scott Adams’ name. I was amazed him at keith_c to find he had his own website. I or else in a twisty maze of passages these people I’d been writing to for For the first time in an afternoon years, I lost touch with. I felt cheated emailed him and he replied within that are all alike… filled with laughter and happy the hour, saying many people had out of being able to say, ‘This is my reminiscing, a tangible sadness last column – goodbye.’”
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:PROFILE | DESERT ISLAND DISKS |
Zork Trilogy You might think I’m cheating here by taking three games, but Jinxter Zork, as far as I remember, was originally known as Dungeon With the advent of 16-bit machines, Magnetic Scrolls added Adventure and came free with a PDP-11, and possibly, later, a breathtaking ‘roller blind’ graphics to what were essentially text VAX computer. (These were minis, not home computers.) adventures, running from the new generation of 3.5in disks. The Dungeon Adventure was split into three to run from floppy disk purists could play with the graphics turned off – if they could resist it. on home PCs. This gave it a verbosity that couldn’t be achieved Full of humour with a cockney accent (“Can’t get any wossname with memory resident adventures that ran from tape, bearing in these days, narmean?”), Jinxter narrowly beats Guild of Thieves in my mind that in those days there wasn’t a big enough market for estimation (I still have the ‘swag bag’ given to reviewers at the GoT anything that wouldn’t fit into 16Kb. Zork had all the puzzles, press launch – the counter staff at Nationwide give me a strange look but its text was able to add humour and build a whole folklore when I take it full of my saved small change to deposit in an account about Lord Dimwit Flathead and the Great Underground Empire. for my grandchildren!) Playing it reminds me of one of my very pleasant visits to the Magnetic Scrolls offices near London Bridge. Whatever became of that clever lady, Anita Sinclair?
Air Traffic Control
A little-known game written, as far as I know, solely for the TRS-80. Played in real time, you have 26 planes to see through your control area, and you choose the time in which you must do it, from 30 minutes to 15, I think! You have two airports set on a grid of small circular points, each with its own approach and take off Rendezvous with Rama directions. You are notified when a plane (codenames A-Z) is about to enter your area, told whether it is a jet or a prop (they travel at This game is based on the book by Arthur C Clarke – I couldn’t different speeds) and are given its altitude on entry (0r if waiting put the book down when I was reading it. I played the game to take off), its destination and heading. All aircraft must be kept on a C64 and didn’t get too far after descending into the 1,000 feet apart vertically and a mile horizontally, and leave the cylindrical world. But that was purely due to the slow grinding area at the correct location and heading. of the C64 disk drive, which tried my patience. I would love to Things get very hectic when you are dealing with a number of fully explore Rama on a modern PC. aircraft at the same time. It keeps you on your toes, your reflexes sharp, and gives a great sense of achievement when you’ve despatched all the aircraft without a disaster! Pity there isn’t a version that runs on modern PCs with the same user interface!
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Leisure Suit Larry Amigas, Atari STs, and PCs were becoming more widespread as Sierra started releasing animated graphics adventures in a number Adventureland of series – King’s Quest, Space Quest, etc. Commands were by The first adventure game I ever played. I had just bought a TRS- text entry and the player controlled a character that moved from 80, and was lent the tape by a colleague at work, with no place to place, with new location backgrounds loading from disk instructions or tips on how to play, never mind how to get past (frustratingly slowly if they weren’t on the hard drive.) Once again, even the first problem! I sat down to play it with the family, and it I’m going to cheat and request the whole series of Leisure Suit took long enough for us to realise there was more to do than just Larry. It’s crude and humorous, with later instalments requiring an move around and pick up and drop things. Its terse text was almost arcade-like skill to get through some of the problems. enhanced by the dramatic instant block redisplay of the screen, I met the author, Al Lowe at a press launch on the HMS with Scott Adams using the powerful features of the Z80 processor. Belfast, and got a Larry Towel, which I still use today. I named a And it all fitted into 16Kb! beautifully sleek grey kitten Larry (because he had a leisure suit!) It was the game that got me hooked on adventures, presenting who recently passed away. I would want Larry to be with me on a challenge that led me to devise and program a few myself, which the desert island for all the memories he would evoke, as well as in turn led to me being invited to write a regular adventure column the crude laughs he would bring. starting in issue one of Computer & Video Games magazine. A game with such memories still gives me a thrill when I play it.
The Lurking Horror This is my favourite Infocom adventure. It has a very satisfying set of puzzles, many of which appear baffling but are not impossible. Released in the heyday of Infocom Spider Solitaire adventures, at about the same time as Stationfall, it will remind me of an evening spent in the company of author Addictive because it’s there whether you want it or not. It Dave Lebling, who, with his wife, came along to an provides a break from more serious tasks on a PC – I don’t ‘adventurer’s evening’ at a pub and restaurant, during the think I could exist without an occasional ‘fix’! PCW show one year.
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | OVER THE RAINBOW |
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>Over the Rainbow The much-loved Sinclair hosted thousands of games, yet many were so tough that very few were ever actually completed. Those you did manage to finish often rewarded you with little more than a cursory text message, or worse still, just looped back to the beginning like some awful recurring nightmare. But as Craig Vaughan discovers, there were little pots of gold lying …at the end of some Spectrum games
amers these days have it all their own way. Completing Splinter Cell, Deux Ex, Thief and the like has never been so easy. Technology in the form of hard Gdrives, memory cards and instant checkpoints means saving progress and triumphing against seemingly impossible odds have become the norm. Rewind 20 years, though, to the heyday of 8-bit computing and games were a lot less consumer friendly.
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | OVER THE RAINBOW |
demonstrated their skills by keen to This is completing games in one innovate by sitting. On the flip side, casual adding features that hardcore gamers suffered at the hands are helpful to players. of outrageous difficulty curves Thanks to the advent of With their efforts crammed into and seemingly impossible the RZX file format (a variation on miniscule amounts of memory, odds, with most dipping in and the typical Spectrum snapshot) it programmers were far less out of numerous games but is now possible to play Spectrum Equally, inclined to assist the player in mastering none. games in a variety of emulators, few people know achieving their goals. Longevity Unsurprising, then, that some with your actions (specifically exactly what evils awaited the was the key to a game’s success, two decades later the Internet your joystick movements and key unsuspecting gamer at the end so it was commonplace to see finds itself home to sites inputs) being recorded as you go. of the Alien Highway, or how hapless joystick jockeys having dedicated to cataloguing and Once your efforts are saved, such Trashman finished his worldwide to complete games from start to demonstrating the endings that files can later be played back to travels. And how many hapless finish with little or no assistance 95% of gamers never saw the show your favourite game being Spectrum fans managed to Stop from coders. Sure, some first time round. Of the computers completed from start to finish, The Express, prove Monty’s charitable programmers offered and consoles from that era, it’s thus opening up whole new innocence or become socially level passwords, but putting the ZX Spectrum that’s benefiting opportunities for enthusiasts to acceptable in Hampstead? aside the thriving tips industry the most from the onward march demonstrate their skills and swap In this feature we take a look and ‘poking’ culture that of technology. As well as being files with friends. The new file at Spectaculator, the emulator developed, this was truly the the most widely emulated 8-bit format has even led to an annual that’s made answering these age of the hardcore gamer, an computer on the PC, it’s also the Internet competition, during which imponderables possible, and we era when gifted players platform of choice for coders hopefuls prove their prowess by chew the fat with several fanatics posting in-game recordings of whose spare time is taken up them in action. running websites dedicated to The fact is that everyone has archiving the best Spectrum a favourite title that defeated game endings available. We’ll them all those years ago, and also give you a blow-by-blow we all have a special place in account of the best and worst our hearts for a particular game endings we’ve seen, software company whose games complete with screenshots. And if we loved but never actually that’s not enough, a quick peek managed to finish. These days, at this month’s coverdisc will there’s tremendous satisfaction reveal over an hour of PC- to be had from discovering how compatible video footage that’s the Ghostbusters managed to been painstakingly compiled so defeat the Stay Puft you can view over 150 Spectrum Marshmallow Man, or how game endings in the comfort of Saboteur made it out of that your own home, with priceless Humble though the Spectrum may be, most players building with the stolen disk snatches of action taken from struggled against its sadistically programmed games before the bomb exploded. dozens of classic games.
It’s Spectaculator!
Arguably the best ZX RG: Tell us a little bit about JN: Christmas 1983 was the Spectrum emulator yourself. beginning for me. I’d asked for a available for the Windows 16Kb model because the 48Kb JN: I’m 32 years old and was seemed too expensive. However, platform, Spectaculator born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Santa brought me the 48Kb comes complete with the I’m married to Louise and have model. It came with the usual ability to play, record one daughter, Emily. I have a Horizons tape and three extra and save your favourite degree in Computer Science and games – Manic Miner, Ground work for a large IT company. Attack and Meteor Storm. Colour game endings. Coder TVs were far too expensive so I Jonathan Needle explains RG: What are your childhood had to plug it into a Hatachi all you need to know memories of the ZX Spectrum? black and white number. It
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gimmick but adds greatly to the retro feel of using emulated Microdrives.
RG: Your emulator includes the ability to play and record RZX format files. Can you tell Another Spectrum bites the dust as development takes its us about the birth Spectaculator is constantly toll on Needle's mental health and evolution of being refined and updated this format? by Needle must’ve kicked out a hell of a lot to be for the Spectrum because I of radiation because it didn’t half grew up with and adored the JN: Previously you could record dry my eyeballs out after a machine. Initially the emulator game endings using the AIR couple of hours’ use! That’s the was purely for my own use and format. However, this was a reason that Spectaculator has a satisfaction, but my wife and propriety file format and was black and white TV option. friends later persuaded me to only supported by one emulator. I’d asked for the computer to release it to the public. People wanted a format that ‘help with my education’, but would be open and not emulator obviously, I just wanted to play RG: Why write yet another dependant. After plenty of games on it. At the end of the Spectrum emulator for the PC? discussion, the beginnings of day, the Spectrum got me into RZX emerged. The file format computers big time and I ended JN: I don’t think it was that the itself was developed as a up with a degree in Computer other emulators lacked features, community effort. As to why I Science, so I guess my parents it’s just that emulators in general implemented it in can’t complain. I got hooked on are too hard to use. Technical Spectaculator, I can see programming fairly quickly. people write them for other great benefits in Starting with Sinclair Basic, I then technical people, with virtually no being able to Spectaculator in action. You'll be hard pressed to find a game or file got a copy of Toni Baker’s book, attention paid to things like ease record format that it can't handle Mastering Machine Code for your of use. ZX32 showed me that it ZX Spectrum. Armed with a copy didn’t have to be like that. I of Dev Pac, I wrote lots of small decided I wanted to write an utilities and games, some of emulator that while offering which I sold via the small ads in extremely accurate emulation, the back of Your Sinclair was also extremely easy to use. magazine. Eventually, in 1990 my It would come with a full online Spectrum was boxed up and help system and would install replaced by an Amiga 500 bought and uninstall like any other with the help of a student loan. Windows application.
RG: Can you remember your first RG: Tell us about Spectaculator’s emulation experience? strengths.
JN: The first Spectrum emulator I JN: Spectaculator has matured a saw was an incarnation of XZX lot in recent years. It’s currently running on the then state-of-the- the most accurate Spectrum art HP 9000s at university. It was emulator you can get for the quite basic but gave me the bug. Windows platform. The thing At the time my main computer that’s really special is its was an Amiga 4000, so I set usability. I reckon I’ve spent more about looking for Spectrum time working on the user PC and rubber-keyed Spectrum emulators for it. I settled on Peter interface than the actual working in perfect harmony to McGavin’s ZX Spectrum Emulator emulation itself. It’s idiot proof – games create Spectaculator and decided I’d quite like to write even people that never owned a being my own, but once I’d started ZX Spectrum can perform a completed from earning a living, I forgot about couple of clicks and have a start to finish and emulation for a few years. Fast Spectrum game running in stored in a small forward to 1999, when I finally seconds. It’s also developed, file for the joy of succumbed and bought my first packaged and distributed like any others who weren’t quite PC. Not long after that I started other professional software good enough to complete getting back into emulation. With product. My favourite feature has the games themselves. It my interest rekindled I decided to to be the simulated Microdrive was also the ‘cool’ thing in write my own emulator – it had motor noise. It’s a bit of a Spectrum emulation at the time,
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | OVER THE RAINBOW |
as well as being a nice diversion Spectaculator at full PAL from the usual ‘write code to resolution and frame rate. One emulate hardware’ thing. day this feature will be very With Spectaculator’s speed useful to the BBC when they boost option (Speed on the finally get around to making a Control menu), you can watch retro documentary! playback at 10x normal speed, so you can see games that normally RG: Can you describe your take a few hours to complete favourite Spectrum game finished in just a few minutes. endings? There’s also the question of gaming competitions – Philip and JN: Wanted: Monty Mole is one of myself developed an open the few games I’ve actually extension that allows RZX files managed to finish. I made an to be digitally signed so that RZX action replay of my moment judges of competitions know that of triumph, so I hope you’ve put ZX Spectrum Microdrive entries are genuine, rather than it on your coverdisc! emulation comes as standard being hacked together. We with Spectaculator, including simulated file- managed to get this feature RG: You’ve kindly allowed us to accessing noises working in time for last year’s include a 30-day trial of the special offer to Retro Gamer Speccy Tour 2003 competition. emulator on our coverdisc, with readers, I’m offering a 10% When prompted, they should Previously, most tour players had the chance of a discount on the discount. Your readers should enter RGD95347 as the coupon to use DOS-based emulators that full version. try the 30-day limited demo on code and 10% will be deducted don’t work well with modern the coverdisc and if they like it, from the purchase price. The versions of Windows. JN: The price of the emulator all they have to do is visit offer is valid from Monday 30th You can also record an AVI of works out about £19.50 in the www.spectaculator.com and August until Saturday 25th the Spectrum’s display using UK once you’ve added VAT. As a click the Buy Online link. September 2004. The RZX Archive...
RG: Tell us a little bit about Home to the yourself. Internet's largest DP: I’m 33 and just married. I collection of live in Wigan and work as a computer programmer for a viewable medical instruments company. I Spectrum game got my first Spectrum for walkthroughs, Christmas in 1983. It was great – Daren Pearcy's my friends and I were the first generation to benefit from home RZX Archive computers. They were completely (www.rzxarchive new and there was a lot of fun to .co.uk) be had from playing games and continues to programming. In terms of 8-bit computers I only ever owned go from Spectrums. They were easy to strength to use and had a huge catalogue of strength games written for them (several thousand). The magazines were excellent too, particularly Crash and Your Sinclair.
RG: What’s your website all about?
DP: The RZX Archive has been going since October 2002. It gets tons of hits every week. It’s
Daren Pearcy, host of the RZX Archive
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Stop The Express – and learn to spell. You always told your parents that your Spectrum wo uld be educational
The RZX Archive is the largest online collection of viewable Spectrum game walkthroughs
actually hosted on my home PC. all over the world, including Ramsoft, an Italian Spectrum many games I’d never previously demo group, created the RZX file heard of. In Eastern Europe format (www.ramsoft.bbk.org). It’s particularly, the Spectrum scene ‘Congratulations’ message. level 1! No a cross-emulator system that is still going strong, and games Pyjamarama has a pretty neat congratulations allows you to record the game are being produced that contain fireworks display, for example. or anything after whilst you’re playing it. Later, pretty amazing graphics – and Another ending that springs to hours of work and you can play the saved file back remember, it’s all achieved in mind is Stop The Express. It all that effort! and watch yourself finishing the 48Kb, smaller than the JPEG displays the message, Basically, any game game. The inspiration for the RZX images you see on most “Congraturation – You Sucsess!” that gives a simple Archive came from a site run by a websites. This Japanese translation cock-up ‘Congratulations’ fellow Spectrum addict. The CSS inspired the title of the first message at the end and AIR File Collection (www. RG: Tell us about the very best website ever to feature Spectrum nothing else deserves to thespian.demon.co.uk/files.htm) and worst game endings you’ve game endings, The go into the hall of shame. contained AIR files, but as they witnessed. Congraturations Archive There are far too many games only worked on one specific (www.congraturations.co.uk). with lazy endings, though emulator, they soon became an DP: It’s very difficult to name Amongst the worst of the sometimes I understand that irrelevance for most of the specific game endings that I love offenders is the wonderful this couldn’t be helped due to Spectrum community. and loathe. The enjoyment for me platforming game Chuckie Egg. lack of memory. But as mentioned is not so much in seeing the This game has 256 levels, though above, if getting there was fun, RG: How has the site grown over ending, but in the achievement of I can only reach level 25. most players can smile because the years? getting there. Some memorable Apparently, if and when you finish they’re not that bothered about endings include the Wally Week level 256 it just starts back at the actual ending. DP: The RZX Archive has recently arcade adventure games. In all received its one hundredth game these games, Mikrogen made the recording, and now has over effort to reward the player with 18Mb of files to download. It something a bit special at the receives recordings from literally end, not just a simple
Chuckie Egg had 256 manic screens, but no reward for completing them all Search the alphabetical list to see if your favourite game has been completed and catalogued
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | OVER THE RAINBOW |
Speccy Spoilers Speccy Spoilers is the Internet's largest archive of viewable Spectrum game endings. Webmaster Jim Langmead recently took time out to answer our questions
RG: Please introduce yourself. our own. I taught myself BASIC and began to write some low-res JL: I’m 30 years old and I live in ‘conversions’ of arcade games Watford. I work as a graphic that I’d seen on holiday, like designer and I’m the sole Defender. Alas, by 1985 my maintainer of the largest online family’s Dragon 32 had broken archive of Spectrum game beyond repair. But by then, I’d endings, Speccy Spoilers been won over by the delights of (www.speccyspoilers.co.uk). Manic Miner and 3D Deathchase, and before long I’d saved enough Jim Langmead, host of the Speccy RG: What are your childhood money to buy myself a Spectrum. Spoilers game endings website memories of computer and videogames? RG: Tell us about your website. JL: My earliest memory of a emulators and the RZX file JL: My earliest memories are of JL: The Congraturations Archive, a great game ending was Alcatraz format, it’s possible to reach playing on our family’s black and ‘game over’ archiving site, started II, one of Microdeal’s first the endings of most games and white 6-in-1 TV game and a life in November 1998 as a result releases for the Dragon 32. This save a snapshot file of it for couple of chunky shoot-em-up of a suggestion in the was probably the first game posterity. LED handhelds. I also played on comp.sys.sinclair newsgroup. In that I ‘hacked’ to see the a family friend’s Atari VCS – it July 2003, after it became ending. That wasn’t difficult RG: How many files do you have was impressive, but it was also apparent that Congraturations because the game was written on your site? very expensive. My mate’s dad was no longer being updated, I in BASIC. It had a great tune at was a computer programmer and started Speccy Spoilers. I bought the end and I realised that I’d JL: At the time of writing, there as a result he managed to get the domain name in February never have heard it if I hadn’t were about 528 game endings hold of a Dragon 32 before they 2004, by which time I had cheated, because the game was archived at Speccy Spoilers. were even available in the shops! managed to save and store about far too hard to complete. I’ve Over 50 people have contributed That was the first time I’d ever 120 ending snapshots. My site had a fascination with those endings. I intend to add a lot seen a computer with a keyboard differs from The RZX Archive elusive game endings ever more to the site when I can find and I was awestruck. I played a because that catalogues viewable since. Back in the 80s, there the time, such as screenshots, couple of games like Hangman walkthroughs of games from start were tons of Spectrum games information and descriptions of and Horse, and then spent hours to finish, whereas I cut to the that I never managed to all the game endings. typing in random messages and chase and just record the last complete, even with pokes! I’ve Unfortunately, because there are swear words, just getting syntax few seconds. always wondered what gems so many, it’s going to be a fair errors. Despite this, my parents may be hidden away at the end while before I can write in detail saw the ‘educational’ potential RG: So, why the obsession with of many of them and now, 20 about every game I currently and soon we had a Dragon 32 of Spectrum game endings? years later, with the aid of have archived.
Visit Speccy Spoilers and finally finish those troublesome Spectrum games
The archive is regularly updated with new game endings
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Ocean's Pud Pud featured a surreal ear-related ending
Chase HQ gives the player ample reward with its drawn-out ending
RG: What are your views saying they would not grant regarding the copyright debate distribution permission, most plaguing the Spectrum scene? notably Ultimate Play The Game strange and original ending. Sam like to the toilet and is thrown in, and Codemasters. So WoS has explains that he has solved the his legs kicking out of the bowl. JL: This issue has been discussed complied with their wishes and case, but that the mob is now Fabulous stuff and probably the and argued at the does not have games from these after him! You are then left to most famous Spectrum game comp.sys.sinclair newsgroup companies available to download control Sam, but there is nowhere ending there is. Finally, Pud many times and the answers from the site. Many other to hide – nothing can be done to Pud has a wonderful end aren’t clear. It’s all in legal limbo. programmers/companies cannot prevent a mobster repeatedly animation showing a tiny Obviously it’s impossible to be traced or have not replied, so grabbing Sam and throwing him Pud Pud falling out of the contact the author and publisher their games are considered off the top of a building until his programmer’s ear. So, it of every Spectrum game. For a ‘allowed’, at least until the money runs out and it’s Game turns out the whole start, a lot of the publishing copyright holders come forward Over. Some people finished the game was set in companies from 20 years ago no and confirm their wishes. game and didn’t realise it, Joffa Smith’s longer exist and many of the thinking they’d failed to do head. programmers can’t be tracked RG: Finally, what are your something. But it’s actually just a down easily either. So the best personal favourite Spectrum cruel ending – a novel alternative folk can do is follow the game endings? to the usual ‘Well done’ message responsible policies of WoS, the you’d expect. hub of the Speccy community JL: This is very subjective. I’ve Fighting Warrior gives the (www.worldofspectrum.org). It tried to choose endings that I felt player a lovely, though brief, has made efforts to contact as have some nice touches, rather animated ending. Flunky has a many relevant parties as possible then game endings that just cute ending after you grab the to ask permission for distribution seemed good because of the Queen’s autograph. Flunky (or the rights – a massive task as you effort it took to get there! Queen) scribbles “Smart eh?” can imagine. The majority of Alien 8 gives you four lines of into the book! Both Highway programmers who responded prose, your score/rating, followed Encounter and Alien Encounter gave permission – most were by a simple animation of your have long drawn out pleased that their old games droid getting a refreshing dip in animated endings – the were still being enjoyed around oil! It’s sweet. Other nice Ultimate sort of ‘game over’ that the world over 20 years later. endings include Pssst, Cookie everyone likes. The catch is, often these and Knight Lore. Chase HQ has Jet Set Willy has programmers aren’t necessarily an excellent drawn-out ending an ending that no the copyright holders (although with animations. It’s obvious that one could see they deserve to be). considerable effort went into this without using the Many of the companies that one and you felt you were being Software Projects are still around also gave duly rewarded for making it to ‘of ficial’ poke fix. permission. However, a small the end. Willy is dragged number of companies replied Contact Sam Cruise had a conveyor belt-
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | OVER THE RAINBOW |
Best endings Saboteur (Durrell Software, 1986) We pick out the very best endings from 1000s of Spectrum games
Barbarian Ghostbusters Rainbow Islands
(Palace, 1987) (Activision, 1986) (Ocean, 1990)
Our balaclava-clad hero is nearing the end of his mission. He’s successfully infiltrated the warehouse, retrieved the computer disk containing vital intelligence, planted the bomb and avoided the internal security grid and dog-walking guards. Having hacked his way through Having spent considerable time Bub has travelled across seven numerous opponents, our fearless ridding the city of ghosts, the PK islands, battling enemies and His only problem now is time, or hero is finally confronted by his energy meter finally goes off the climbing hundreds of platforms in the lack of it. As the bomb lizard-faced nemesis. Barbarian’s scale, plunging the city into a bid to defeat the evil Baron Von continues its ominous countdown beloved Princess Mariana looks chaos and forcing our heroes to Blubba and rescue the kidnapped our hero seems doomed. A frantic on as Drax meets his fate. He dash to the temple of Zuul in townsfolk. The final boss proves race to the roof in search of a dodges fireballs and moves in for their trap-laden car, ready for the little trouble… way out ensues, but even then the kill… showdown with the Marshmallow rescue seems unlikely from such Man. With the baddy despatched, a a remote spot. Defeated by the athleticism of huge bonus of 100,000 points is Barbarian, the darkly mysterious The Marshmallow Man blocks the rewarded for a job well done. Every good spy has a backup reptile starts feeling deflated and entrance, preventing the team There’s no time to rest, however, plan, though. Having reached the sinks to the ground, reduced to a from accessing their goal. As because Bub is then whisked off roof, our multi-talented hero pile of mush. Barbarian and their candy-like nemesis attempts to meet his rescued chums. jumps into the waiting helicopter Princess Mariana reunite and the to stomp our poltergeist-chasing and takes to the skies, leaving scene is set for a romantic duo, timing and a steady nerve Reunited with the grateful the bomb to do its deed, interlude. allow them to sneak through the islanders under a large colourful destroying any incriminating front door under his very nose. rainbow, our hero wins their evidence left behind. The amply breasted maiden falls undying gratitude for a job well at the feet of our Barbarian as he The camera tracks our boys as done. It’s colourful and it’s cute – prepares himself for the rewards they ascend the stairway to hell a worthy reward for all the Max Headroom that only female company can that leads to their final platforms clambered up during provide. As the screen fades confrontation with Zuul. Taking Bub’s adventure. (Quicksilva, 1986) we’re left pondering what the care not to cross the streamers, future holds for the two it’s only a matter of seconds Computer-generated hero Max lovebirds. before the evil is undone and Headroom has been kidnapped the portal is closed forever. NYC by an evil TV tycoon. He’s worth is saved! rescuing, though, not because of the quality of what was only ever an average game, but because of the rewards that await the determined player. You know a treat is in store when the ending comes only after an extra chunk of code is loaded into your faithful Spectrum. Delays aside, we’re blessed with a full-on 30- second rant, with Max Headroom waxing lyrical about nothing in particular, congratulating the gamer on their efforts and passing on love to their families. All this is made possible thanks to Currah Microspeech hardware.
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Worst endings Where do we start? You'd need a huge doghouse to fit all the bad Spectrum game endings in, but these particularly poor examples deserve to be singled out
Animated But what we can’t accept is the Garfield Strip Poker complete lack of any effort to reward players for their hard (The Edge (KnightSoft, 1985) work. Text-only game endings never were and never will be Software, 1988) acceptable in any way, shape or form. Especially when they contain spelling mistakes. Mastertronic was renowned for its low-cost, high-quality games and Zub enhanced that reputation. A Wriggler maddeningly addictive but tough outing, our alien friend found (Romantic Robot, 1985) himself on a quest to retrieve the stolen green eyeball of Zub. Meet Mindy, or is it Mandy? Somehow her name seems Having mastered the controls, Lazy oaf Garfield has a major irrelevant at this stage as she battled the annoying enemies problem: his girlfriend Arlene has prepares to ‘reveal all’ to the and climbed numerous platforms, been rounded up and sent to the three people who bought the a dramatic final battle prior to pound and its up to our reluctant game and could be bothered to the recovery of the valued hero to rescue her. Cue laugh-a- suffer its complete mediocrity artefact is the least that could minute adventuring courtesy of this long enough to reach this far. have been expected. Nice attempt gorgeous-looking cartoon tie-in. at humour though. If selling sex was the idea Whilst the ending promises behind this venture, then perhaps Having wriggled around 250 much with the reunion of Mandy should have had some Fairlight screens using parachutes and Garfield and Arlene, once again friends to add a touch of variety other handy devices to help you we’re unceremoniously to the proceedings. Even then, it (The Edge on your way, the least that could presented with a text-only would have been a case of be expected for a race well won congratulations screen that sees quantity over quality. Not so Software, 1985) would be a triumphant fanfare at Garfield dropping off for a much scraping the barrel as the finishing line and a bevy of power snooze as fast as the nestling underneath it. beauties adorning the scenery. average player. All that effort for so little reward! Instead, we’re left wondering what might have been as Romantic Robot commits the cardinal sin of relying on a text-only ending. Rumour has it that memory restrictions prevented anything more elaborate. Scant consolation Because the game set new though, after all that effort. standards in graphical flair and offered hours of exploration and Zub fun, we can forgive the omission of sound, the dodgy controls, the (Mastertronic, 1986) frequent slowdown and the extreme difficulty level.
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:PROFILE | THE NEXT LEVEL |
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>The Next Level
Picking up from where he left off last month, Richard Hewison continues his Level 9 history, charting the company's somewhat turbulent years in a fast-moving market that had begun to outgrow text-based adventures
evel 9’s next move proved to be significant for a number of reasons. The emergence of the 16-bit machines (the Atari ST, the Commodore Amiga, and to a Llesser extent the IBM PC) gave Level 9 the opportunity to begin working on a brand new adventure-writing system. The brief was to devise a system that would feel like a multiplayer text adventure, even though the rest of the characters in the game would be computer controlled. For reasons explained later, the system was named KAOS.
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:PROFILE | THE NEXT LEVEL |
From Avalon developed at the time, we’d to KAOS undoubtedly have gone ahead with it.” The idea for KAOS originated from Level 9’s next move was to sign Level 9’s aborted attempt at a publishing deal with Telecomsoft setting up a ‘play by phone’ and and have its games published ‘play by modem’ multiplayer under the Rainbird label. This freed adventure game, codenamed the Austins up (Margaret Austin in Avalon. This game system was particular) from having to deal going to include up to a thousand directly with the marketing, computer players online at once packaging and distribution of new (many more than MUD allowed) titles. It also gave Level 9 a and was meant to respond much possible foothold into the faster than MUD. potentially lucrative US market. Avalon was going to be run The deal with Telecomsoft gave behind the scenes by many Level 9 the chance to revisit its old networked Amigas, attached to a 8-bit titles, spruce them up and massive number of modems. It release 16-bit versions at the same ultimately failed to appear for a time. Graphics to every location number of reasons; there were were added, along with extra text concerns that the chatline and a few tweaks here and there. The original text-only version of Snowball on the Spectrum, regulations at the time would The Middle-earth trilogy (Colossal and the updated release with location graphics have prevented them from selling Adventure, Adventure Quest and the ‘play by phone’ version. Dungeon Adventure) was therefore For the first time in a Level 9 of its new adventure games. Secondly, the sheer cost of bulk updated and released as The game, a short story was included Knight Orc cast the player as an buying modems to run the system Jewels of Darkness in 1986 on in the packaging. Rainbird hired oppressed Orc called Gindleguts, was too high, as were the general almost every conceivable home Peter McBride to write The who lived in a magical world he development costs involved in computer format going, including Darkness Rises, and this was the had to escape from. writing the system. In hindsight, Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, start of a working relationship that The game was written using Level 9 has since admitted that, Commodore 64, MSX, Atari 800, ST, would continue between McBride Level 9’s new KAOS system (which “If the Internet had been more Amiga, and IBM PC. and Level 9 over the next few was a jumbled acronym for the years. He had previously written a Knight Orc Adventure System). few novellas for games of his own, Whilst the Austins initially wrote including The Korth Trilogy the system for the Atari ST and (published by Penguin). Commodore Amiga, they also hired The two Peters (McBride and another programmer to write the Austin) hit it off almost Apple Macintosh version. This job immediately, sharing a similar went to John Jones-Steele, a sense of humour. Peter McBride veteran coder who had run his was given a copy of the finished own software company (Abersoft) game and the official clue sheet to and who had previously enable him to at least explore each collaborated on writing two 8-bit part and get a general feel for adventures for Melbourne House them. Level 9 then explained the (Classic Adventure and Mordon’s opening scenario that his novella Quest). Most of the correspondence would have to lead directly into, between Level 9 and John Jones- and the rest was left up to him. Steele was made by telephone, as The finished novella was spread he remained in Wales and over 43 pages, broken up into 20 programmed from his back small chapters. bedroom at home. The KAOS Next up for the makeover system itself was written in C, and treatment were Snowball, Return to although it was a little unwieldy, it Eden and The Worm in Paradise, was a powerful system compared published together by Rainbird as to others available at the time. Silicon Dreams (although the three Pete Austin did a sizeable games were originally known as amount of research into making the the Silicon Dream trilogy, minus magic system and other elements the ‘s’). As before, the packaging of folklore consistent in Knight Orc. included a novella written by Peter A deliberate decision was made not McBride, called Eden Song. to mix and match lore and myths from different countries, so they Orchestrated focused almost exclusively on plans British mythology for inspiration. Despite the research into With so many monsters getting mythology, Level 9 still managed the raw end of the deal in to get a Tolkien reference into the adventures, Level 9 decided to let game, thanks to Knight Orc’s them have their revenge, and from opening paragraph: “In a hole in a Level 9's Middle-earth trilogy was updated and released as The this basic idea was born the first mound there lived an Orc. Not a Jewels of Darkness in 1986
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no longer have a graphic for every location, but the quality of the digitised images was fairly rough. By the time Knight Orc was nearing completion, cracks were starting to appear in the relationship between Level 9 and Rainbird. Grumbles from the publisher’s side on the number of bugs being found during the development of Knight Orc were apparently met with discontent from the other side regarding the perceived lack of effort that went into publicising Level 9’s games. Level 9 felt that the change in regime at Rainbird Compare the 16-bit digitised graphics with the 8-bit interpreted versions (after Tony Rainbird’s departure) had made the publisher less clear, dry sandy hole with only collect enough rope to be able to versions of the same artwork. The favourable towards adventure spiders to catch and eat, nor yet a swing across a chasm. The rest of 8-bit cassette versions ended up as titles. These disagreements comfortable Hobbit-hole. It was an the game had the player recruiting text-only games, which must have eventually ended with the two Orc-hole, and that means a dirty, characters and collecting spells. been a technical necessity but was companies parting ways. clammy, wet hole filled with bits of The very end had the Orc escaping almost certainly commercial Knight Orc was released in July worms and a putrid smell.” through the mysterious main door suicide. Unfortunately, even on the 1987 and was generally well Similarities between this and the and out into the real world. 16-bit versions, not only could they received by the press, but sales opening chapter of The Hobbit Moving between parts two and were entirely deliberate. three of Knight Orc was uniquely For the first time in a Level 9 devised. By wearing a visor, the adventure, the game was split into player moved into part three, three separate parts. The first part which revealed that Grindleguts Wined & (which was really an introduction was in a contemporary yet to the intricacies of the new futuristic world. There were objects system) was called Loosed Orc. he could only take and puzzles dined Part two was A Kind of Magic, and that he could only solve by being the final segment was entitled in part three. By wearing the visor To mark the official launch of Knight Orc, Rainbird organised a Hordes of the Mountain King. In again he would re-enter the party for the computer press. This included handing out copies of the first part, Grindleguts had to fantasy world of part two. the game and bottles of red wine from an interesting vintage! Only veteran adventures would have recognised the link between Knight Orc and the earlier Level 9 games. At the end of Knight Orc, you were told that you were no longer a mere Orc slave in Reveline’s life-size adventure game. Reveline’s dreams (and the visors) were an integral part of the Silicon Dream trilogy, but the link wasn’t obvious. The short story included with the game (The Sign of the Orc) was written once again by Peter McBride, who had by then become a good friend of Level 9. He also helped ‘polish’ the descriptive text and the game’s responses, and even persuaded the Austins to move from their current base in Basingstoke, down to Southampton (where Mike Austin had been at University studying Engineering, and where Peter McBride also happened to live). The location graphics in the 16- bit versions of the game were digitised paintings by Godfrey Knight Orc was the first original Level 9 game to be released on Dowson, whilst some of the 8-bit Telecomsoft's Rainbird label disk versions contained interpreted
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:PROFILE | THE NEXT LEVEL |
were much less than had been Pete Austin in the English hoped for. Many found the game countryside, but this germ of an to be lacking the atmosphere and idea apparently didn’t progress off the challenging puzzles of the the drawing board. Instead, Level earlier Level 9 adventures. Once 9’s next step was to sign up with you had worked out that many of Mandarin, an affiliate label of the puzzles relied on multiple Database Publications. Level 9 characters simultaneously delivered two products for performing a task, they became Mandarin in 1988. The first release easily solved. was its latest updated trilogy of old games. Originally due to be What gnow? published by Rainbird, Time & Play Lancelot and you had a chance of winning a golden Magik contained Lords of Time, goblet worth five grand! Having severed the connection Red Moon, and The Price of Magik, with Rainbird, Level 9 reverted complete with digitised Godfrey Lancelot had an additional concerned. Prior to the release of back to publishing its next release Dowson pictures and all the usual incentive. A prize was on offer to Gnome Ranger 2 in 1988, it had on its own. Gnome Ranger made trimmings, including another the first person to solve the game. announced that Scapeghost (which its first public appearance at the novella by Peter McBride. A number of words throughout the had the working title of ‘Spook’) 1987 Personal Computer World The second game for Mandarin game were displayed in capital was going to be the last Level 9 Show, where players could buy it was Lancelot. Designed by letters, and the winner had to write adventure. Although it blamed poor directly from Level 9’s stand. With Christina Erskin, the well- down each word and submit them sales on piracy, the change in the the descriptive text and journal researched title was based on the when they entered the competition. demand for text adventures in written by Peter McBride, the Arthurian legend of Lancelot and The prize was a golden grail goblet general must have also been a game was its first real stab at a his quest for the Holy Grail. As worth £5,000. deciding factor. Scapeghost told humorous adventure. It was based with every other KAOS game, it By now, the KAOS system was the tale of a murdered detective around the exploits of Ingrid, the was split into three separate parts. clearly showing its limitations. who had three nights to clear his Sloane Gnome. She was banished The player could begin in any Although it did try and generate a name and get revenge on the into the wilderness by her part, but the only way to attain a world full of seemingly gangsters who killed him. exasperated family and had to find full score was to play it all the independent characters, every new her way home. way through, from start to finish. game played in the same way as It's HUGE! The humour was a nice As the player progressed, they the previous one. Puzzles were change, but it quickly irked many encountered King Arthur, unimaginative and easily solved if By 1988, so-called graphic players. Any word that began with Guinevere, and Sir Galahad, you could work your way around adventures like Sierra’s Kings the letter ‘n’ had a ‘g’ added to rescued or fought with various some of the bugs. From this Quest series had all but taken over the front, so the prompt became other knights, thwarted a demon, player’s perspective, the KAOS the adventure market. Typing in ‘What gnow?’. Unfortunately, defeated a pair of dragons, and system seemed to impose a commands was considered old hat, recruiting characters and journeyed to many castles. Points straightjacket on the game design. and point-and-click adventures performing synchronised actions were rewarded for chivalrous acts, Gnome Ranger 2: Ingrid’s Back! were seen as the way forward. with them once again dominated and the player had to amass reverted to the more familiar L9 Faced with commercial extinction, the game design. enough points before they were packaging. As before, most Level 9 formulated a radical plan to As with Knight Orc, Gnome finally able to attain the Holy Grail. versions (except for 8-bit on move over to graphical strategy Ranger was split into three The player could go through the cassette) had machine-drawn games. This concept saw the birth separate adventures which had to first two parts of the adventure graphics for key locations and were of Level 9’s HUGE system (wHoley be played in order. The graphics being less than chivalrous, reach on the 16-bit versions were once the last part of the game, only to again digitised paintings, but the be deemed unworthy of the Grail quality of the digitised images had at the very end. thankfully improved a little since The graphics in Lancelot Knight Orc. The 8-bit cassette were machine-drawn renditions versions were again reduced to (with the credit going to four text-only affairs. different graphic artists) as There were rumours that a opposed to digitised paintings, Ingrid's Back! and Scapeghost were Level 9's last survival-style adventure was due but they didn’t compare text-based adventure games next from Level 9, with locations favourably to the quality of and puzzles based on places and drawn graphics found in the divided into three parts: Little Universal Graphic Environment), but obstacles performed for real by Magnetic Scrolls adventures. Moaning, Steamroller at Dawn and it took almost two years before a Ridley’s End. The first part of the publisher (Mirrorsoft, via its PSS game required the player to get label) signed up the first HUGE local residents to sign a petition game, Champion of the Raj, for the against local developer, Jasper Atari ST, Commodore Amiga and Quickbuck. The second part had IBM PC. the player stealing some plans and For Raj, Pete Austin researched stopping a steamroller from India in the early 1800s. The game flattening the farm. The final part acted out the rivalry between the involved infiltrating Jasper’s Manor British, the French, the Maharajas, and discovering what his ultimate the Moguls, and the Ghurkhas as plans were. they each tried to claim India for Level 9's next release was the humorous Gnome Ranger. 1989 was Level 9’s swansong themselves. The player could Ingrid would return in a sequel as far as adventure releases were choose which side they wished to
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>Added extras
Always innovating, Level 9 made sure that its game fully exploited the capabilities of your machine. Take Lancelot on the Spectrum for example. The game ran perfectly well on the 48Kb model, but While ambitious, Champion of the Raj failed to extra features were available for those with 128Kb machines. Text deliver the hit that Level 9 desperately needed descriptions were more detailed for starters, and it was possible to play. Each of the competitors company and never saw the light save your position to tape and memory. needed to raise cash and amass an of day. For those lucky enough to own a Spectrum +3 – with its fancy army, and they each had a At the same time as Raj and built-in disk drive – you could also display location graphics. Once different approach. The game could It… were being developed, Level the game had loaded, you simply flipped the disk over and the also handle multiple players, 9 was also working for Ocean pictures would be loaded directly from the disk. And there was taking turns. Software on another HUGE game more, because you could combine the Lancelot disk with the Raj was ambitious and entitled The Legend of Billy the Amstrad CPC/PCW disk versions of other Level 9 adventures and diligently researched. Unfortunately, Kid. The game gave the player a create +3 versions of these games. Level 9’s attempt at producing a choice of playing either as the The supported games were Jewels mix of strategy and arcade fell eponymous William H. Bonney, of Darkness, Silicon Dreams, Knight between two stools and failed to alias Billy the Kid, or Pat Garrett, Orc, Gnome Ranger and Time & satisfy either genre. It was also the Sheriff tasked with hunting Magik. There was hardly any debatable if people wanted to play Billy down. A two-player option dedicated +3 software available, a game based in 19th Century was available, but it meant so this was a smart move on Level India. Some magazine reviews linking two PCs together with a 9’s part. were particularly cruel about the null modem cable. game’s deficiencies, and it didn’t No doubt a lot of research help that some versions were not went into the real story of William as fast or as smooth as they could H. Bonney, so that the game have been. could be as authentic to the As Champion of the Raj was historical events as possible. Even being finished, Level 9 started the title screen had a good touting its HUGE system to US likeness to the surviving photos publisher Cinemaware, famous for of the real Billy the Kid. But The Spectrum +3 version of Lancelot, complete with their 1Mb-only Amiga games, Ocean decided to cancel the pictures and other unique features including Rocket Ranger, the TV game, despite having advertised Sports series, and Wings. As a it in a number of magazines. A PC result of their endeavours, the version of Billy the Kid (in Austins were commissioned to German) did surface on the write HUGE versions of Internet a few years ago, but Cinemaware’s Amiga game It Came where it originated from is From the Desert, for the IBM PC anyone’s guess. and Atari ST. Ocean never gave Level 9 an Level 9 managed to complete official reason for why the game both versions of It… by the was dropped, and the Austins had summer of 1991, but Cinemaware neither the time nor the resources The Billy the Kid game was unceremoniously dropped ran into financial trouble and went to challenge the decision once by Ocean just prior to release out of business soon afterwards. Cinemaware went under. As a This was a major disaster for Level result, they were forced (with text adventure and the rise of still looked upon with massive 9, which was owed a “huge (no some reluctance) to close the the console market, along with affection by many text-adventure pun intended) amount of money” business down. the £100,000 owed by fans. Thanks to the emulation for the work. It had also started Cinemaware, dealt the fatal scene, its games can still be writing a new HUGE game for The adventure blows. The attempt to move the enjoyed on a whole multitude of Cinemaware, called Grange ends company in a different direction different computing platforms. Murders. When Cinemaware went with the HUGE system was Better still, you can purchase bust, this unfinished game became The decision to finish must have brave, but fully graphical the original cassette and disk tied up in the assets of the been difficult. The death of the strategy games with animation versions from auction sites like and arcade sections weren’t eBay, and play the games on Level 9’s forte. As a result, a their intended platforms – just number of programmers and like Pete Austin first played animators who had been Adventure on a mainframe some working on the HUGE games 20 years ago. were made redundant. After almost a decade of creating Thanks to Peter McBride, John successful adventure games, Jones-Steele and Mike Austin Level 9 was no more. for their help in researching Level 9's last published work was ST and PC ports ✺✯ of It Came From the Desert Despite all of this, Level 9 is this article. *
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> Arcade Hunt
Back in issue– our5 we search launched for Arcade Hunt classic arcade machines that are still in commercial use. We aim to continually update the feature with sightings, and this month we cover finds from both Retro Gamer writers and readers
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HUNT | Tramore Ant Cooke takes a trip across the Irish Sea to play a game of Metal Slug After reading the previous Arcade required you to kill off player one Hunt article, I was inspired to and continue as player two! Also find some more classic arcade in this arcade, in better condition, machines. After all, I know was Stadium Cross (or Super several places that have old Motocross Racing Battle, if you machines, such as Tramore, in believed the marquee). Ireland. It’s a relatively small By far the largest arcade in beach town, with a short Tramore is Freddies, established promenade stashed with old some time in the 50s. Along with games, usually tucked away in a lot of modern games, like House Southport the corner. Martyn Carroll takes a trip to the 'Paris of the North' times before. It was the same The Paris of the North? Well, story over in the Palace Arcade that’s what the Visit Southport (which is also part of website calls it. It’s also referred Pleasureland), although I was to as the ‘Jewel of the North surprised to see the three- West’! I simply remember it from monitor version of Ridge Racer. my youth as a town packed with Sadly, the right-hand monitor was seafront arcades housing row on the blink, but it was still fun upon row of classic games. to play at 50p a spin. Before OutRun 2 there Following my recent trip to Rhyl, I With Pleasureland conquered, was OutRunners set off for Southport with high I travelled down the seafront to expectations. My hopes were the town centre. There were soon dashed though… several arcades on Nevill Street, I began the search at but nearly everyone was full of of the Dead 3 and nearly the Pleasureland. This theme park is fruit machines. Silcock’s The first arcade, the Prom entire Silent Scope series, I found a bit like Blackpool’s Pleasure Amusements, however, was home Arcade, had nothing retro at all. an Operation Thunderbolt Beach, only with decidedly less to a number a newer machines, The nameless arcade next to it, machine here, in excellent pleasure. The Casablanca arcade including the star of the show, however, housed Alien 3: The condition, along with Sega’s Title was full of all the usual suspects OutRun 2. Best of all, it was just Gun, and a superb example of Fight and another Alien 3: The from Sega and Namco: Manx TT 50p a play. After spending a few OutRunners, complete with music Gun. Around the back, amongst SuperBike, Sega Rally 2, House of quid on OutRun 2, I was on my buttons and LCD mini-display. the unused games, was an F1 the Dead 2, 18 Wheeler, Ferrari way home, disappointed at the The only problem with the Exhaust Note machine, which was F355, Scud Race, Time Crisis 2 lack of retro arcade action in machine was the lack of music, once played here – it was and Crisis Zone. They’re all a lot Southport. Perhaps it was time to which was very disappointing. replaced by Battle Gear 3, I of fun to play, but you’ve seen widen the net… Still, the actual game itself had believe. Namco’s Shoot Away 2 the same machines a million none of the real problems that was also there, which was often plague racing games, like included as a bonus mini-game in a dodgy steering wheel or the PS2 version of Time Crisis 2. broken pedals. Also in the However, my personal arcade was Point Blank, albeit favourite arcade is Piper’s, right with a discoloured, fuzzy next door to Freddies. While it monitor, and Suzuka 8 Hours, a mainly consisted of poker machine that is in nearly every machines, there were four arcade in existence. undedicated, but still excellent Another nameless arcade had machines – Metal Slug 2 (on a fair few classic games, including which I currently hold the top These three pictures eet Fighter II: Championship tell the whole story Str score!), Wonder Boy, Puzzle Edition, which suffered slight Bobble and Bobble Bobble, a graphical glitches, and a NeoGeo bootleg version of Bubble machine with Metal Slug, Super Bobble, that’s unfortunately Sidekicks and Double Dragon. permanently stuck in Super The only problem was that none mode, making the game very of the buttons on player one’s difficult. All these games were in side would work! To even begin
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Matlock Bath
Paul Drury chases after The machine on the left was Pac-Man in Derbyshire acting as a plant stand! Namco’s Pac-Man has excellent condition, with minimal been a permanent screen burn. There were only slight bizarre machines I’ve ever seen: it fixture in Harry Hall’s problems on Wonder Boy and looked like a Nintendo Super Amusements in Matlock ystem machine and had the Bobble Bobble: the very top of the S Bath, Derbyshire, since it intendo Super System marquee, screen was flipped, for some reason, N arrived in 1980. Over the which was more of a problem in but it also had lightguns and was decades, a new screen Bobble Bobble than Wonder Boy. really Police Trainer in disguise! and joystick have been Finally, on the Fitz-Maurice As you can see, most of the fitted and the Caravan site, there was a game’s machines in Tramore are in pretty mechanical coin om with Special Criminal ro good condition, and while it mechanism has been estigation (Chase HQ 2) and Inv doesn’t have too many classics, it replaced with an the rare Heated Barrel by Tad does have some hard-to-find electronic one (which Corporation. SCI in particular was games, like OutRunners and provides a reasonable eated Barrel, along with some in very good condition as it was H two credits for 50p), but a dedicated machine. This small other fun games. the board and cabinet hut also hosted one of the most are original and in remarkably good condition. The Hall family has been involved in fairground attractions since the early 1800s and Harry opened this arcade in 1963. “Back then it was mainly mechanical fruit machines and penny pushers, but we did get a Pong machine in 1972,” explained the current owner Enoch Hall, son of Harry. “In the early Eighties, two thirds of the place was arcade games – Defender, Phoenix, Space Invaders… we had them all. Now that’s the only one left.” I couldn’t resist asking Enoch the obvious question: “Can I buy it, please?” He smiled ruefully and shook his head. “I’ve had dozens of people ask me that over the years, and some have offered me serious money. But no. Call me sentimental, but I’d never sell it.” Two-player racing action…
The original Pac-Man dwarfed by rubbish fruit machines
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:ARCADE | ARCADE HUNT |
From the forum Arcade Hunt spills out onto the Retro Gamer Web forum... .co.uk Poster: cronosoft 4 Date: 12 July 200
Poster: bobjbob2 I live 18 miles from Skegness, so get down there every week or so. 04 Date: 07 July 20 Unfortunately, it’s nowhere near as good as a couple of years ago. I was down in Skegness last month. While it has nowhere near the While classic old machines were hard to find, the Tower amount of arcade games it used to have, there are still a few dotted Cinema/Arcade had a retro section at the back, where you could find about in the various arcades along the sea front. For one thing if an original Space Invaders, Frogger, and the odd other old title. you like The Simpsons there are quite a few about including at least Another arcade also had an upstairs 10p section, with games like two sit-down versions. I also saw a couple of Street Fighter games. Nemesis and Thunderblade. I just don’t find grab (or rather ‘pick up and drop’) toy r Poster: tuffburne machines and endless Dance Revolution games (populated by 04 Date: 09 July 20 spotty 14-year-old girls from Rotherham wearing track suits) much Went to South Shore holiday camp in Bridlington a few weeks ago fun – although those new Namco Pac-Man 2p coin push things are and in the arcade there was an Operation Thunderbolt game (with strangely addictive. the uzi) and a few other Jamma cabs, plus a NeoGeo machine ayliss running Metal Slug. I always look for these machines as they are Poster: Richard B 4 very hard to find in arcades today, so I spent a few quid that night! Date: 14 July 200 When I was on holiday recently in Devon for two weeks, I went to
Poster: Stainboy the Paignton pier and there was an arcade machine crammed with 4 Date: 09 July 200 retro-arcade classics, like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Galaxians etc. I went into Southend yesterday for my own little Arcade Hunt. In an However, there was a slight catch. Although the games looked arcade called Happidrome, lined up at the back, were Ms Pac-Man original, they were actually fake – mainly because the title screen of (actually in a Pac-Man cab), Space Invaders, and Track & Field. They a few had a modern logo. Space Invaders was called Invaders. Also, were all in pretty good condition and were 20p a go. Track & Field when you inserted 20p, you only got to play one game of your was more worse for wear but it looked better for it. God, they were loud when I played on them, and the sound stayed on after! A distant descendant of Pole Position Pendine
Alan Martin stumbles upon some arcades in South Wales bother it took to blag my way While holidaying with the family into them (these arcades are for in Camarthenshire, I put the residents, after all). bucket and spade away for a day But while driving through and went on my own little arcade Pendine – a small resort near hunt. I checked a few holiday Saundersfoot – I noticed a rather one nonetheless. To finish off a parks but the arcades were just shabby-looking building with the Namco’s Final Lap 2. There was great holiday, I spent an full of recent machines. The word ‘Amusements’ scrawled on also Sega’s Alien 3: The Gun and evening in the Saundersfoot oldest was probably Daytona the side (painted by hand, on Turf Masters on the NeoGeo, but Sports and Social Club, and was USA. It really wasn’t worth the closer inspection); it looked like a the highlight was the sit-down delighted to discover Namco’s toilet block, to be honest! With version of Sega’s G-Loc. I Rave Racer in the bar. This was the exception of a few battered dropped a quid in and was particularly cool, because it’s old bandits, I went inside and pleased to find it in good the only game in the Ridge was surprised to find a small working order. G-Loc is still a lot Racer series not to be number of classic machines, all at of fun to play, especially the sit- converted to home consoles. It 30p a play. First up was the down model – although the wild certainly kept me busy while stand-up version of OutRun, which R360 version is obviously the the wife was playing bingo in played fine except for some weird best way to play it. the other room! graphical glitches. Next to it was Not a big find, but a good the two-player sit-down version of
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choice. So it was only Space Invaders that I played, being a fan of cult classics.
Poster: RetroRik Ban 4 Date: 17 July 200 Just back from Great Yarmouth… It’s bad news – there wasn’t a single arcade that had anything older than Daytona USA and Sega Rally. They did have the 20th Anniversary edition of Dragons Lair… hunting? suspect it’s not a laserdisc inside but a CD or DVD. Strangely enough, at the bottom of the main shopping street there was a bargain shop that basically sold tat. In one corner it had a number of oldies like Robocop, Pole Position, Operation Wolf, Operation We've received a letter Thunderbolt, Galaga, Terminator 2 and Ms Pac-Man. I nearly asked that may cast doubt over the guy if Pole Position was for sale but the other half was with the future of this very me! Amazing where you find these machines now. feature... : EnglishRob Poster Monaco GP (sit down, ultra rare!) 0 July 2004 amer. Date: 3 Dear Retro G Rad Mobile (moving sit down) I was down in Teignmouth in Devon earlier this week visiting the Chase HQ (sit down) relatives. When I was younger I used to be a regular visitor of I was interested to read the article After Burner (full size sit down) Booths Amusements down there. Things have changed considerably called Arcade Hunt in issue 5. It Mortal Kombat II these past few years. Now there are mainly fruit machines, 2p makes very interesting reading that Operation Wolf pushing machines and kids novelty rides. What arcade machines there are still a few retro arcade Operation Thunderbolt they did have there I could count on one hand. The oldest one machines out there in small Jamma Pac-Man there was Super Hang-On, which I think has been there since the arcades. I’m not sure that your idea The Simpsons (four player) game was released. I was disappointed to see that they had got rid of finding and publishing the Twin Virtua Racing x2 (four-player of the OutRun sit-down machine, which was one of my favourites location of classic arcade machines linked sit down) (possibly my all-time favourite arcade game). is a very good though. This will eventually lead to the last few All these machines were original machines being bought up and and working. The arcade owner sold on eBay to private collectors. told me that he had a couple more There are a few companies out games in store including a Pac- there that find, restore and then Man, Lunar Lander and another sell these machines for large upright OutRun. The owner had no amounts of money to the general idea how much these were worth public. By publishing the locations and had already scrapped a couple and machines in your magazine of other machines. He also you will be helping these people mentioned that he would get rid of buy the machines and sell them on them at the end of the season (Oct – all your readers will be doing the 2004), so I gave him my details as hard work for these businesses. At these machines should not be least while they are in the arcades scrapped, working or not! I’m not other people can enjoy them. If going to give the details out of the they are bought up by private location of this arcade, but it is collectors they will never see the somewhere in the UK. If these light of day again unless they’re details were printed they would all sold on eBay for large amounts of be snapped up by dealers and cash. We, the general public, will private collectors. ham in Essex never see or play them again in Alan Jacobs, Rain their original cabinets and locations. . ur thoughts, Alan I know where there is one RG: Thanks for yo ould be doing all arcade with loads of classics all in The fact that we w ealers did cross the same room. When I first the legwork for d e first considered entered I thought I’d gone back in our minds when w s Paul Drury’s time, it was fantastic. They had this feature, but a Prepare for take off – veals, not all the following machines available ce on Pac-Man re Sega’s G-Loc still thrills pie ell rs are willing to s after all this time to play at 10p, 20p and a couple arcade owne highest bidder. at 30p: their stock to the the fate of this Before we decide to hear what our OutRun (upright) feature, we’d like ay on the matter. Space Harrier (moving sit down) readers have to s along with any Hard Drivin’ (sit down, gears not Send your views, ed emails, to working) other arcade-relat gamer.net. Super Monaco GP (full-size sit arcadehunt@retro down)
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:ARCADE | COIN-OP CONVERSIONS |
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>Coin-op Conversions
They were great games in the arcades, but how did they fare when converted to home computers and consoles? Robert Mellor continues his comparison of AM2 coin-op conversions, this month focusing on its two biggest titles: After Burner and OutRun
t’s 1987 and come Christmas Day, every kid in the country wants to be sat in front of the TV, playing on their shiny new copy of OutRun. The mega arcade machine has been converted to just about every home platform and, regardless of how faithful it is to the I everybody wants. It’s a similar story the following year. After original, OutRun is the game Burner zooms into the shops and kids are once again praying for a piece of the action. The hype for both games was immense, and the fact that they targeted the money-spinning Christmas period was entirely deliberate. But was the version for your computer or console any good? Were you still playing it on Boxing Day, or were you watching James Bond movies on TV instead? To find out, we compare the original released with the updated versions that have appeared since. We begin with After Burner...
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>SINCLAIR VERSION
>COMMODORE 64 VERSION
>ARCADE VERSION
futile. Still, Activision did try in 1988 and you have to commend it for that at least. The first aspect you noticed about the in-game action was >After Burnermore impressive stages. This undoubtedly the annoying border choose from. The standard upright updated version was then released around the playing field. The While OutRun is considered by model featured a flight stick which as After Burner II and is what most status panel itself had a fair bit of many to be AM2’s best game, After enabled you to execute simple people will remember as the game colour to it for a Spectrum game, Burner must surely be the most linear manoeuvres all the way they played in the arcades. but this was at the expense of the thrilling arcade experience the through to death-defying barrel playing area that was two-tone in team was able to create. Taking rolls in order to avoid enemy fire. appearance and bland with little the role of an F14 fighter pilot, This stick came equipped with two Home detail on display. The plane sprites your mission was to take to the fire buttons that activated your were good, though, and the skies, blast aerial baddies, attack machine gun and rockets. Flashing conversions Spectrum handled the speed of the enemy strongholds, then head lights also appeared at the sides As with all conversions of AM2’s game as best as could be back safely to your allied base. of the machine’s monitor to warn simulator games, producing expected, despite being jerky. In The game’s graphics were you when the enemy had a lock versions of After Burner for the terms of playability, it wasn’t colourful, well drawn and shifted on you. The second variety of home market was never going to particularly involving – partly around the screen at a stunning machine was a rolling sit-in be an easy task. Due to the clear because of the auto-fire on your rate. The soundtrack was great version. This was a faithful hardware limitations, conversions machine gun that was a feature of too, with a thunderous score of recreation of your fighter’s cockpit, would have to stand on their own many versions, and the whole electronic rock to accompany you complete with a system of two feet as playable games in their thing became boring quickly. through your mission. After Burner hydraulics that allowed the seat to own right. Here’s a look at some of and large, ran on what has become known rotate left and right, and the entire the more notable attempts that Commodore 64: By as X Board Hardware, which was cabinet to rotate on the vertical were made over the years to bring Activision’s C64 conversion received similar to Space Harrier Hardware axis. Stereo speakers inside After Burner into the home. appalling reviews upon its release, but with a few notable complimented the whole effect. largely due to the criticism levelled : The Spectrum differences. These included a total The original After Burner title, Sinclair Spectrum at the Spectrum version. The title of 256 sprites available on screen though, was more or less a version was the most obvious screen admirably attempted a at any one time (double the prototype of what the finished candidate for the “How on earth primitive version of the rotating amount seen on Space Harrier- article would become. Shortly after are they going to do that?” spheres as seen on the coin-op, based games) and the ability to its completion, Sega decided that it comment, and it was clear to while the game must be celebrated display four tile layers. could make the game even better, everyone at the time that for a truly excellent rendition of the The available game cabinets and improved the music while converting a game like After Burner Final Take Off theme. proved to be the icing on the cake, adding a throttle control to vary to the Spectrum would be almost with two different versions for your jet’s speed, faster rockets and prospective arcade owners to **72** RETRO7 Coin-Op Conversions 11/8/04 6:06 pm Page 73
>MEGADRIVE VERSION
>AMSTRAD CPC VERSION
>PC ENGINE VERSION
>ATARI ST VERSION
be a faithful translation. The take- capable of a lot more and the off sequence appeared intact, and meanwhile, were limited to a mix game was no doubt released most of the explosions, little In terms of the in-game of weedy FX. Auto-fire was again quickly to capitalise on the touches and general graphical experience, the whole thing felt utilised for your machine gun to machine’s growing success. effects made it over from the coin- more like a spectator sport as all constantly spray a barrage of op. It looked even better than the After Burner was you could do was execute a barrel bullets at the oncoming enemy, Sega Megadrive: Megadrive version, but the sound roll here and there and fire a while the fire button took control of one of Sega’s early flagship titles let things down with grating missile every now and again. The your missiles and the Space bar for the Megadrive. While perhaps interpretations of all the play was fast, but it was difficult to alternated between your airspeed not coming off as well as OutRun supposedly recognisable theme grasp what was happening, and velocities. The game looked decent did, the game managed to feature tunes. Despite this setback, the PC you’d only know that the enemy enough in relation to what was extremely smooth, colourful Engine remained an excellent planes were firing at you once accomplishable at that point in graphics and good renditions of version, playing with a lot of you’d been hit. On the plus side, gaming history, but the lack of any the arcade’s theme music. On the speed and at a smooth rate. there wasn’t an all-encompassing good music took a lot away from downside, the Megadrive aturn: These later border to put players off, but the experience. confusingly suffered from the auto- Sega 32X/Sega S rather a set of status panels at the firing machine gun syndrome that conversions of After Burner were top and bottom of the screen. Atari ST/Amiga: As was sadly so was seen on many 8-bit versions, released by Sega itself and are, Another nice touch were the lights often the case at the time, the which was somewhat perplexing befittingly, arcade-perfect. The 32X that, like the coin-op, flashed at programmer chose not to take when taking into account the game looked and sounded identical dangerous moments to warn you, advantage of what the Amiga could system’s three-button control pad. to the arcade original and played but they couldn’t save the fact that truly do, and its version of After Play-wise, it had a weird laidback like a dream, although it was the game was unplayable. Burner was, therefore, a generic feel to it and failed to capture the missing the odd frame of A superior second version, clone of the Atari ST game. Both tension and adrenaline-pumping animation. As with OutRun, the known as After Burner USA, was versions felt like a rush job, with frenzy of the original. Overall standalone Saturn special edition released on the C64 by Mindscape the boring and jerky play that though, it was a stepping-stone to featured excellent re-workings of in 1989. This attempt played a lot plagued the 8-bit versions. The the perfect conversions from Sega the original soundtrack, along with better than Activision’s effort and music was acceptable, but nothing that would follow. the basic versions of the music to also featured the odd bit of to get excited about, while what satisfy purists. Like OutRun and sampled speech here and there. sampled speech there was quickly PC Engine: Much like OutRun, the Space Harrier it featured a higher The screenshot displayed is from became repetitive and annoying. PC Engine’s attempt at After frame rate than the coin-op, the Activision version. Graphically, the 16-bit versions Burner looked spot-on in relation making it an improvement over the weren’t too bad, if looking washed to the arcade original, and was original. Like other early AM2 Amstrad CPC: This version featured out at times. perhaps even more impressive games, an arcade-perfect version of an annoying in-game border like This was unfortunately another than OutRun. It was again After Burner also appeared in the Spectrum release and a weird missed opportunity by Activision. released by NEC Avenue in 1990 Shenmue 2. rendition of the Final Take Off The Atari ST version is perhaps and, for the most part, proved to theme that sounded tinny and forgivable, but the Amiga was uninspiring. The in-game sounds,
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>SINCLAIR VERSION
>AMSTRAD CPC VERSION
>ARCADE VERSION
plethora of different formats over The OutRun arcade cabinet the years. Here is a rundown of came in four basic versions. some of the various ports the Firstly, there was the stand-up game received: mini model with a force-feedback OutRun : If nothing else, resolution of 320x224, 4,128 steering wheel and gear stick Sinclair Spectrum In 1986, AM2 unleashed its colours and the ability to display below the screen, along with the graphics in the Spectrum unquestioned masterpiece on the 128 sprites on-screen at any given brake and acceleration pedals at conversion (handled by Probe gaming community in the form of time, the graphics on the 15 varied your feet. There was also a full- Software) remained accurate to the this definitive arcade racer. This stages were dazzling. Every kind size version of this stand-up arcade original. Although the game saw you take the control of a of landscape imaginable was cabinet with the same setup as limitations of the Spectrum red-hot Ferrari Testarossa in a represented – from a sun-kissed the mini version. Next up was the hardware meant that it would cross-country race that had you beach complete with ocean spray sit-down model, which allowed always be saddled with the burden hurtling through a variety of simply and fluffy clouds, to a sandy dash you, appropriately enough, to be of monochromatic graphics, the line gorgeous stages in an attempt to through a barren desert complete seated in front of a 20in screen drawings of the car itself, the road, reach the next checkpoint before with tight twists and turns. It while playing. Finally, there was scenery and rival vehicles were your time ran out. looked great and sounded just as the deluxe rolling cabinet that surprisingly true to the original. Starting at the exquisitely good, thanks to a selection of incorporated a 25in screen plus The Spectrum was also the only designed Coconut Beach stage, you three top tunes (with Magical hydraulics that shifted your seat 8-bit computer version to feature had to negotiate the level in hand Sound Shower surely being the from left to right, creating an even the road fork that let you choose before coming to a fork in the road standout track). greater sense of realism. your own route, although this that offered you a choice of either Apart from the stunning All of this came together to resulted in a rather painful multi- turning left or right. Both directions graphics, smooth gameplay, create what many consider to be load system (even in 128Kb mode). would yield access to a completely breakneck speed and awesome the definitive arcade racer. Other The gameplay was not exactly different course. After speeding soundtrack, OutRun broke new games that ran on the OutRun lightning-quick, but it was a brave your way through five consecutive ground in videogames in that it was hardware included Super Hang-On attempt to recreate it on such a stages you were greeted by a the first racer to feature an and Turbo OutRun, which came humble platform. There was also finish line, complete with a undulating road. Games such as available as a conversion kit for music present in the game, humorous ending sequence which Pole Position and Road Blasters only existing OutRun cabinets. although the ability to select all differed depending on which route featured a road that curved from left three tunes was not represented. you took. to right. Thanks to the power of the Home Overall, the Spectrum version was OutRun was, without question, hardware, OutRun generated a road a mixed bag, but a decent enough the game that really came together that could rise and fall, resulting in conversions attempt at creating what was for AM2 and changed arcades the player experiencing thrilling From its initial conversion to home always going to be nothing short overnight. The setup that powered drops down steep hillsides and systems by US Gold in 1987, of a miracle. the game consisted of the nerve-jangling climbs that saw the OutRun has featured on a requisite Dual 68000 CPU and a horizon totally obscured from view. Z80 sound chip. With a video **74** RETRO7 Coin-Op Conversions 11/8/04 6:07 pm Page 75
>MSX VERSION
>COMMODORE 64 VERSION
>PC ENGINE VERSION
>ATARI ST/AMIGA VERSION
same comments apply to both. The sound, graphics and all-out CPU Ponycanyon version wasn’t too bad twists and turns were present and power, few of its rivals could touch though. It was a long way from Amstrad CPC: Gazing at the the whole game proved to be a it. Unfortunately, US Gold didn’t see being the best conversion screenshots on the adverts that US very playable experience overall. it that way and decided to port the available, but overall not a bad Gold was running would lead you Sadly, the road forks were missing Atari ST version over and make do attempt. It included road forks, to believe that the Amstrad version so you couldn’t choose your own with that. What a crying shame. scenery morphs, a selection of all was something special. The trucks route, but the programmers With the Amiga’s superior three tunes and the odd bit of seemed massive, the car looked cleverly crammed five separate capability we could have had one undulating road. Not great, but accurate and the scenery appeared loads into a single cassette, of the definitive home versions of worth a look. Note that the colourful and detailed. meaning that once you had OutRun. Instead, we got a jerky, screenshot printed is from the Unfortunately, playing the game finished the first load, you could incorrectly scaled and unenjoyable Ponycanyon version. brought these thoughts crashing reset your machine, load the game game that sounded as bad as it down to an entirely different reality. up again and be presented with a played. A flashy intro sequence PC Engine: The PC Engine (Turbo The CPC version (also handled by completely different route. with a nicely drawn picture of the GraphX 16) received a worthy Probe) was easily the worst home On the audio side, you had a Coconut Beach starting point version of the game. The version of OutRun. The game ran choice of three in-game aural masked a disappointing conversion was handled by NEC at an appallingly slow speed and options, comprising FX, Splash conversion, which left Amiga Avenue in 1990 and it did the the graphics were badly scaled, Wave and Magical Sound Shower owners wondering why the heck system justice. The graphics were while the music (what there was of (Passing Breeze was sadly absent). they had to make do with a lousy accurate, colourful and faithful to it) was a disappointing drone. The Commodore SID Chip created ST port when their machine was the arcade original. The tiled floor Amstrad owners probably had wonderfully faithful versions of capable of so much more. could become a little too obvious more fun with the free audiotape of these classic tunes, and that the for most people’s taste at times, the arcade soundtrack programmers managed to cram MSX: Two different versions of and the track often appeared accompanying all 8-bit versions. this and everything else into a OutRun were released for the MSX: gaudy, but these are minor single load was admirable. one was by US Gold and the other quibbles. The stages morphed Commodore 64: Although this by Ponycanyon. The US Gold seamlessly as you approached the version was often tarred with the Atari ST/Amiga: The ST conversion, version was similar to the checkpoints, although the PC same brush as other bad for which Probe once again did the Spectrum version with a few extra Engine did have trouble at the road conversions of the game, developer honours, was not exactly a colours on screen. Ponycanyon’s forks when it came to drawing two Amazing Products managed to masterpiece. The Amiga version, attempt, meanwhile, was totally layers, producing a distracting create one of the best racing meanwhile, was an even greater different and much closer to the strobe effect as a result. games to appear on the disappointment due to the missed Sega Master System version (with Sound-wise, you had a choice Commodore 64. It played nicely opportunity of it all. The Amiga slightly sparser detail). With the US of all three musical compositions. with a genuine illusion of speed. was one of the most popular and Gold game being basically a direct The audio was a little tinny, but The scenery was sparse but well powerful home computers available port of the Spectrum version, the drawn, the undulating road effect in the late 1980s. In terms of was nicely re-created, the tight
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:ARCADE | COIN-OP CONVERSIONS |
>SATURN VERSION
>MASTER SYSTEM/GAME GEAR VERSION
>PLAYSTATION 2 VERSION
>MEGADRIVE VERSION
but the definitive home version is title in Japan, and on the Sega still the awesome Saturn port. Once again, Sega Megadrive: Ages compilation throughout the the renditions of the famous Sega opted to convert OutRun to rest of the world (which also PlayStation 2: Recently released in themes were recognisable enough, its Megadrive console, and it did included Afterburner and Space Japan as part of the Sega Ages and overall it was definitely one of a fantastic job. The 16-bit Harrier), the Sega Saturn version 2500 series, the PlayStation 2 the better versions. machine handled the coin-op was the first time you could truly update of OutRun is much more admirably and reproduced all the experience OutRun at home in all than a direct port. The graphics tem/Game Gear: Sega Master Sys major features of the original its glory. Everything about it was have been given a polish – the Sega handled the conversion for its classic. It was brightly coloured, perfect, and it turned out to be a roadside objects that whiz past own Master System console and a lot of fun to play and fast to faithful emulation of the arcade have been recreated in 3D, and this too turned out to be a decent boot. While the music wasn’t as game. In fact, the Saturn version your car has been given a shiny version. It was not up to the funky as the coin-op, Sega had a higher frame rate than the makeover. The game is faster too, standard of the PC Engine game, offered an excellent consolation coin-op, so it was even better if and the familiar three tunes have but it proved a playable runabout prize in the form of a fourth anything! While the game came once again been remixed. Besides with most of the major features of selectable tune entitled Step On conveniently packaged as a the standard 15-stage race, Sega the coin-op. Beat. It was a catchy piece, and compilation title throughout the has added a couple of new modes. When it came to converting the it’s a pity it wasn’t included as a rest of the world, Japanese Arrange mode takes place over a game to the portable Game Gear feature of the original. buyers were treated to a number of new and updated console, though, Sega made a The only small problem with standalone version which tracks, with the aim of beating strange incarnation as opposed to this version was that it was too featured both the original arcade several rivals to the finish line. just producing a direct port of the easy. While the arcade version soundtrack and absolutely stellar Time Attack mode, meanwhile, Master System version. For a start, was nightmarishly difficult in re-arranged versions that were removes all vehicles from the roads the stages were, for the most part, parts, it was common to complete remixed and updated for the so you can clock up fast times completely different from those it on the first few goes. You could mid-90s. unopposed. found on the arcade original. Add to afford to crash several times and OutRun has since appeared on OutRun on PS2 is a great game that automatic gear transmission, still make the finish line here, the Dreamcast and Xbox consoles, and the new additions will appeal strange handling and the annoying whereas crashing on the original as a playable game in Yu Suzuki’s to those who have mastered the way your car basically stopped meant you’d all but blown your Shenmue 2. It should be noted arcade original. But in the same dead every time you touched chances. All in all, a superb port, that it was not totally accurate to breath, fans may be disappointed another vehicle, and the prospective only bettered by one other… the arcade original – particularly in that a direct port of the original is buyer had a bit of a disappointment the graphics department (your car not included. For that you’ll need5* to* in their hands. Game Gear owners Sega Saturn: Quite simply, this was no longer a Ferrari, for stick with the Saturn version. would have been far better off WAS the arcade version perfectly example). It’s worth checking out, playing the Master System version ported. Released as a standalone through the Master Converter.
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>Box of Tricks
You wanted games, and you wanted them fast. But cassette tapes slowed down the action. Which is why one device - the Multiface - was so popular, enabling people to copy tapes to disk, plus many other functions. David Crookes talks to Alexander Goldscheider, the man behind this powerful piece of kit
f you owned a computer with a tape deck then you certainly also possessed a sheer hatred for the time it took to load games. It was pure purgatory to sit and Istare at a screen for up to 10 minutes, as colours flashed, the tape deck vibrated and the loading noise clogged up the ears. There was a sense of anticipation, excitement and downright dread as the end seemed near. Frequently the air turned blue and a cracking sound was heard as another tape was thrown to the floor after stubbornly refusing to work. We persevered because tapes were cheap, and in countries like the UK, they were usually the only format the games were available on. All computer users wanted was something to transfer the files across from tape to disk – something that worked and got around the increasingly sophisticated copy protection being used by software houses. That something was the Multiface (Multipurpose Interface), a plug-in device that slotted into the back of the Sinclair Spectrum, and later the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and Commodore Amiga.
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | BOX OF TRICKS |
name Multiface was a good description of what it did – lots of got one. People like to progress in things. It wasn’t just a tape-to-disk games and by getting infinite lives, copier, as it took an exact copy of we made it possible.” what was in the computer’s Later versions of the device memory at that time and let you also included a built-in memory do with it as you pleased. For editor. It allowed budding most people this meant dumping programmers to delve deeper into the whole thing to disk, but it had the machine’s innards to view and other uses for serious gamers. The edit the current contents of the vast majority of titles at the time computer’s memory. This was ideal did not have facilities to save your for learning programming tricks progress, but by freezing the game and techniques. and then saving it to disk, gamers Alexander Goldscheider, pictured here with part of his could pick up from where they left Prize Matchbox model collection off. And best of all, they wouldn’t possession simple program called Trans- have to load the blasted game How Romantic Express to let people copy tapes from tape. The Multiface worked so well that to disk. “We placed an Of course, there was also the Crash magazine voted it ‘Product The Multiface was devised by advertisement in Sinclair User, ability to implement cheats. The of the Year’ three years running. Alexander Goldscheider and his advertising the tape for £10,” says Multiface made it possible for “We once won first, second and business partner, Ondrej Korinek. Alexander. “The ad cost us people to change crucial elements third place,” Alexander enthused. They arrived in Britain from Prague £142.50 which was a lot of of a game and the most common “But they had to give the second in 1981 and, by their own money to us because we were thing to alter was the address, and third prizes to other people. It admission, had barely two pennies penniless and had come over as which controlled the number of looked as if we were sponsoring to rub together. Within one month refugees, in effect. But we had lives. By poking the relevant the award!” of arriving, they developed an 1,000 orders in one month! address and changing the value, Having a hardware device that interest in computing, following a People sent us their money by you could earn yourself infinite plugged into the machine as suggestion from a friend in mail order and because we said lives. Poking the memory in this opposed to a software program Czechoslovakia. we’d send the goods out within 28 way was far easier than entering enabled the Multiface to get Alexander’s first purchase was a days, we had four weeks to the lengthy loader hacks that around one of gaming’s biggest Sinclair ZX81. He says: “I was very manufacture the product and send involved typing in many lines of problems at the time: memory. much into automating my music it out. We didn’t take out a loan code (and like most basic Programmers often squeezed every recording and I saw the computer and were completely self-financed. listings, rarely worked). In this last byte from the machines, as a great way of being able to We made enough money from respect the Multiface was a leaving no room for a tape-to-disk achieve it. I was into electronic Trans-Express to be able to create precursor to Datel’s popular Action transfer program. The Multiface music even before Jean Michael the Multiface.” Replay cartridges that are still had its own memory and was able Jarre. As I used the ZX81 more, I Working under the trade name available today. to work in the background, became hooked and with Ondrej, Romantic Robot – named after a “The pokes provided an extra coming into effect at the push of decided to create something to song Alexander had written – the attraction for people to buy the a red button. make people’s lives easier.” pair began to work on what would Multiface,” says Alexander. “It was The only restriction was that to They had noticed how become one of the most sought one of the main reasons people play the games back, you had to frustrating it was to load games after peripherals of the period. The from tape, so they developed a
The Multiface One - unprecedented and unbeatable!
The Multiface was launched thanks to the success of Romantic's first utility, Trans-Express
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have the Multiface plugged in. Romantic Robot claimed that each years we sold the device.” device had a serial number, which But he says Amstrad had meant that the Multiface used to expressed some misgivings: “They save the game had to be the same had taken over Sinclair and were one plugged in to run them. In reboxing the Spectrum. They had reality, it was possible to run an unfriendly attitude towards us saved games on any machine with and they were trying to work out a Multiface plugged in as long as whether it was just a straight copy it was the same computer type. tool. But then Amstrad approached And it didn’t take long for other us and said they wanted to bundle third-party manufacturers to come the Multiface in a package with the up with a software patch that Spectrum. They went cold on the allowed the games to be run on idea in the end and I’m not sure all computers. why. I think it was because it The gamers were happy but, would have pushed up the price of judging from Romantic Robot’s the computer.” adverts for the Multiface, there was However, Romantic continued some concern among software houses that people would pirate games meaning they’d lose thousands of pounds in revenue. It was feared that when the Copyright and Patents Act came into play in 1990, the Multiface would be banned. At least that’s the impression Romantic gave, creating an advert with the tag line, “Buy Now – or Never…”. Alexander tells a different story: “It was a joke really. We had a good reaction to the Multiface and we never heard anything bad from a single Broadening the range. Romantic released Wriggler for the person. There was a period when Spectrum, and very good it was too copyright became an issue in principle. We took legal advice but that was on our own initiative. No one threatened us in the nine
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇N❋❙* | FEATURE:HARDWARE | BOX OF TRICKS |
to push the line that the device could be discontinued. “The CPC is a cottage company. We had a no longer a viable platform – so lady who was good at soldering checked for the Multiface, even we’re selling off our last who made the Multifaces for us.” after it had finished loading. It Multifaces!”, it claimed in one meant that flicking the on switch series of adverts, which ran for Ahead of crashed the computer before there almost two years. the game was time to press the red button. Alexander explains: “We Romantic Robot immediately simply had to sell as many as we Some manufacturers tried to hit back by redesigning the could each month, and because counteract the potential piracy Multiface so that it was always we only sold what we made threat from the Multiface by turned off until the red button was ourselves, we had to keep making their games check for the pressed. And for those people The Multiface 3, here being coming up with new products to hardware when they were loading. who wanted to run a previously emulated by Spectaculator make the business fresh. We If it detected its presence, it saved game, they could press a also sold a game called crashed the computer or refused blue button to reset the computer regularly attract up to £20 on eBay. Wriggler. It was written by a 15- to run. and activate the Multiface at the Now 54, Alexander has since year-old kid called Matthew Romantic Robot decided to same time. It worked. parted company with Ondrej, but Edwards. He had a twin brother, create an on/off switch – the idea “We had to work hard on the still trades under the Romantic Allin, who helped us come up being to turn it on once the game Multiface to keep ahead,” says Robot name, creating computer- with the adverts and also had loaded, thereby avoiding Alexander. “But because we were realised music that he sells practically ran the mail order side detection. So the software houses a small firm it became tiring. We through his own label. “It was of Romantic Robot. It really was created a system that constantly had to come up with a new great being involved with the old product each year – there was computers,” he says, “and even Multiface One, Multiface 128, better to say that we didn’t just Multiface 3, two Amstrad sell other people’s stuff. We Multifaces, an Atari ST Multiface, created and manufactured our own a Videoface interface, several hardware and software, and what Multiprint interfaces… It was all was so good about computing at too much in the end. We should the time was that people were have sold the firm as a going encouraged to come up with their concern at the time but we own games and devices. There didn’t, partly because the was a real feeling of being part of company was the two of us.” it. There used to be camaraderie Romantic was obviously doing between rivals, but now the something right, as the Multiface market is so competitive and range sold more than 100,000 impersonal. Where are the good units at £40 each. These days they old days?” ✺✯*
The famous 'last chance' advert. Unsurprisingly, the Multiface remained on sale long after the cut-off date
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>The Retro Ryder Cup
Over the years there have been many celebrity endorsements of golf games. As an alternative to the traditional round-up, Andrew Fisher pits some of the best American stars against the rest of the world, in Retro Gamer's version of the Ryder Cup
olf may seem an unusual sport to simulate, as it relies on being outdoors, but early versions with crude keyboard graphics and overhead views of the course Gsoon appeared on most home micros. The modern golf game, however, can trace its roots back to two key titles – Leaderboard, representing the Americans, and Golf Construction Set, representing Europe.
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❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | RETRO RYDER CUP |
Tee off and being in control; a multiplayer game over several Programmed in Hungary and courses was exhilarating and released in 1985, Golf competitive. Construction Set from Ariolasoft The game developed over the was one of the earliest games next couple of years, starting to feature more than one with an add-on tape/disk of extra course. Little touches like having courses, then Leaderboard to select which clubs to leave Executive added trees and behind and the ability to alter bunkers. World Class your stance made this an early Leaderboard is for many the best winner. The game had four golf game for any 8-bit machine, courses, including famous with its series of famous courses venues like the Belfry, and add- (16 in total were released). You on disks were planned. The courses were displayed in fairly rudimentary 3D and the golfer didn’t appear on them. Instead, he was animated below the main view and acted as a Leaderboard from Access Software - the first great golf game meter to decide how well the shot was played. So, a good Nick Faldo has long been a drive from the World team hero of the European Ryder Cup landing in the fairway. team, and on the 8-bit machines Access Software’s he got to star in two different Leaderboard is synonymous with games. Nick Faldo Plays the Open golf on 8-bit computers, with its (Mind Games) came first in 1986. excellent 3D courses and the The game adopted an overhead power meters that have become view and provided you with a an important part of the whole caddy who advised you on club genre. The courses in the selection. The second game, Nick original game (released in 1986) Faldo’s Championship Golf were dominated by water – each (Grandslam), appeared on 8- and hole was made up of a series of 16-bit machines in 1992 and floating islands. Watching a hole played in full 3D. Cleverly, the build up on screen before you drawing of a new view was was fascinating at the time, masked by the course map, so The first of Nick Faldo's two although occasionally the game endorsed golf games the game flowed better. An was forced to help you out if overhead angle was used when your golfer stood in an could also design your own putting, which worked well. Sadly, impossible place. The fluid course using combinations of this was to be one of Grandslam’s animation of the golfer and the holes from the other courses. The last releases. A solid approach appropriate sound effects gave Americans have driven a good 20 shot, but it leaves the World team The Golden Bear in action, you a real sense of taking part yards further with this one. some way short of the green. seen here on the Commodore 64
The Golden Bear himself endorsed Accolade’s series of golf games. Jack Nicklaus’ Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf is probably one of the longest game titles ever, and the game also notched up an impressive number of formats and courses. Play once again took place on a series of 3D views that built up as you watched – these were quite blocky on the 8-bit machines but impressive enough on the 16-bit consoles and computers. Playing against strong computer opponents was a nice feature, and add-on disks boosted the number of courses you could play, although console owners had to buy a new version if they wanted more. Jack selects his short iron and the Americans are As the title suggests, Golf Construction Set also let you now a chip away from the green. build your own courses
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fairly decent game. Greg’s sliced this one into a bunker, and >Crazy golf things don’t look good for the World team. As the PC became more Of course, there were also many games that presented golf in a wackier important as a gaming platform, light. Mini-Putt from Accolade appeared on 8- and 16-bit machines in the team behind Leaderboard 1987. Each hole loaded separately to give extra detail, and windmills, (Bruce and Roger Carver) created moving doors and even a space shuttle put in an appearance. An a new generation of golfing animated golfer in the corner of the screen leapt for joy after a good shot titles. Links first appeared in and broke his club in frustration at a miss. Electronic Arts released Zany 1990 and used all the familiar Golf a year later, which had an isometric view and some strange elements of the earlier game but obstacles, including a bouncing hamburger. It was also one of the few added a lot more depth. Greater miniature golf titles to appear on the Megadrive. control over how your shot Nintendo combined golf with one of its best-known characters. behaved made for a better Kirby’s Dream Course on the SNES featured puzzling courses, Kirby’s game, and the graphics and unusual range of power-ups and some very jolly music. Fuzzy’s World sound became more detailed of Miniature Space (1995) brought a series of space-themed holes and with each release. (Many players an isometric view to the PC, while Hole in One (not to be confused with chose to switch off the ‘sound the awful budget game of the same name) introduced some strange sets’ after listening to the same gravity effects. phrases repeated time after Minigolf Maniacs was released much more recently. This title was Greg Norman's Ultimate Golf time.) Like other franchises, originally to be released by Sierra Online, before its unfortunate demise. was known as Shark Attack in yearly releases and Thanks to the Internet and a dedicated fan though, the game is now some countries improvements followed, bringing complete, with full 3D graphics depicting the courses and the creatures you us up to the present day with control. Mix in power-ups and lots of modes, and you have a great game. Shark attack! online tournaments and websites devoted to the game. The The Great White Shark himself, Americans chip onto the green, Greg Norman, is next up. His the ball rolls agonisingly past Ultimate Golf game from Gremlin the pin, and that’s left them with appeared on 8- and 16-bit a tricky putt for a birdie. machines in 1990, but there Two groundbreaking games were serious drawbacks for were released from Japan, the slower machines. A nicely home of many golf fans. designed icon and menu Everybody’s Golf on the interface gave you lots of PlayStation and Mario Golf on freedom – you could remodel the Nintendo 64 added cartoon your swing, alter your stance, characters and power-ups to the and check the lie – but when standard golf game. Your you accessed the menus, the character could throw a tantrum main view was redrawn. Slowly. at a missed a putt or dance in The bright and gaudy colours delight at a great drive. on 16-bit machines also put Although the purists laughed at Fancy a game of crazy golf? There are plenty to choose from many off what was actually a the lack of realism (how does a baby dinosaur get club membership anyway?), there’s no denying the fun that was involved in a multiplayer session on these console games. The World team reaches the green with an outrageous shot ricocheting off a big green tree, a pipe and a large mushroom. There is, of course, one real superstar in the world of golf today. Tiger Woods has been immortalised in computer form can stand in the shoes of its by Electronic Arts, meaning you sporting idol. Again, all the familiar gameplay elements are there – swing meters, 3D views and an overhead course map – and if you want a bit more fun, check out Cyber Tiger Woods Golf. So, the Americans sink their birdie putt and win the hole. The hallmark of the Links series has always been great What happens next? Load up A few of the more recent course and player graphics your favourite golf game and golf games that have decide the outcome. ✺✯* graced consoles and PCs
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | DIY GAME CREATOR |
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>DIY Game Creator
Back in issue 2, Jason Darby showed you how to make your own retro games using your trusty PC. Now he takes a personal trip down memory lane to see what game creation tools were available to those who lacked coding skills
hen I think back to the 80s and early 90s, my memories are mostly of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, 2000AD and computer games – a healthy childhood, Wyou might say. But what really stands-out is my many attempts (and failures) at making computer games. Let me take you back to a time when bedroom programmers were in abundance and one person could make a lot of money (well, more than could be earned on a paper round); a time when a teenager could write a game in a few months and have it snapped up by a publisher. Yes, there were certainly possibilities in this golden era, but these weren’t available to those who lacked programming talent. So thank God for game creation software.
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | DIY GAME CREATOR |
wonder they made the name into scrolling shoot-em-ups, like was a grasp of English grammar Arcade action an acronym because it must have Rambo or Commando. and a damn good story. taken them most of the 80s to If you needed further proof of Released on the Spectrum and It took publishers some time to think it up! its abilities, SEUCK came with Commodore 64 in 1983, The Quill realise they could make a lot of With HURG you got three full two example games to show Adventure System was a money from selling the tools they games included as part of the what could be achieved. SEUCK revelation at the time. However, it used to create games. One of the package, and these were pretty was much better than previous was also unconventional, complex first such titles was Games good compared to those offered game-designing efforts, despite and certainly not as linear or Designer, published in 1983 by with Games Designer. In fact, criticisms that it game output was straightforward as the arcade Quicksilva and released on the HURG was a powerful little very samey (but shoot-em-ups game creators. On loading the Spectrum. It would set you back program, allowing you to add are pretty-much alike anyway by program you were hit by a a staggering £15 but came with your own backgrounds, set their very nature). Still, at least multitude of menu options; some eight example games, ranging specific movement paths, write you could save the games onto self-explanatory but most totally from a simple game called Splot your own title page/instructions, tape or disk and distribute your confusing. The technique was to to the bizarre shoot-em-up and offered many other options. creations without the need to build an adventure game in entitled Attack of the Mutant Whilst it was a good product own the original product. The stages, which meant putting most Hamburgers. overall, it was let down by the only restriction was that you had of the building blocks together Unfortunately, Games Designer fact that, like Games Designer, to add a copyright message before attempting to create your was restricted in the type of you needed HURG to run your saying that your effort had been vision. The good thing about this games it could make. Yes, if you minor masterpieces. Shame. made with SEUCK. was that, in theory, you could wanted to create a Space Argus Software’s Arcade If you’re still not convinced by transfer the same details between Invaders-style game then it was Creator followed on the Spectrum SEUCK, such is the popularity of games, so long as they were in a just the job. But creating in 1986 and came on two the program that it’s still in use similar environment. anything more ambitious was cassettes. It was packed in a today – there are regular mini- Many high-quality games impossible; everything was rather grand video-style plastic game coding competitions in were created using The Quill. In preset and all you could do was case – just how we liked it in the which it’s the preferred weapon fact, Gilsoft actually published a tweak. You were able to change wasteful 80s. The program of choice. The fact that it’s still number of games sent in by the sprites in the game, for provided you with the power to being used 15 years later clearly users. Only text-only games example, and the type of create two different types of speaks for itself. could be created initially, but predefined movements. But that computer game – a platformer thanks to the release of The was it. and a shoot-em-up. You could Illustrator in 1984, users could The final nail in the coffin was create your own graphics with add details graphics to location that games had to be played via either the cursor keys or a descriptions. Games Designer itself. You joystick. Better still, there were couldn’t save them as a separate examples graphics and screen running program to pass to designs that you could load from mates. Unless your friends and tape. There was even a simple everyone you wanted to sound generator included. Again, distribute the game to had a your homemade games could not copy of the program, there was be distributed as standalone very little chance of your titles, but other than that Arcade becoming famous or rich. Creator was a nifty little program.
Shoot-em-up Construction Kit is still used by Commodore 64 enthusiasts today The Quill from Gilsoft, the self-proclaimed Welsh Wizards of Adventure Adventure!
quest Following the success of The Quill, Gilsoft released a follow-up The cerebral gamer of the period in 1986 – PAW (Professional preferred exploring fantasy lands Adventure Writer). PAW naturally With Arcade Creator you could create to defending the planet from inherited many of The Quillís either a platform alien invasion and there was a features, as well as its and look Games Designer from game or a shoot-em-up huge market for text adventures, and feel. But once again, on Quicksilva was of the driven by the fact that adventure- loading the program the user earliest examples of a The next year saw Outlaw game authoring packages made it was bewildered by a large game creation package release Sensible Software’s easy to create games on a par number of menu options. With Shoot-em-up Construction Kit on with commercial releases. Indeed, the release of the Spectrum 128, The same year, 1983, saw the the Commodore 64 (16-bit many high-profile games were Gilsoft was able to cram more release on the Spectrum of HURG versions followed later). SEUCK created using The Quill, features into the program, not all (High-level User-friendly Real- was great for creating either Professional Adventure Writer of which would be apparent to time Games-designer). This came upward-scrolling shoot-em-ups, (PAW) or Graphic Adventure the casual user, but which from Melbourne House and it’s no like War Hawk or 1942, or push Creator (GAC). All you needed allowed for more complex and
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larger adventures. PAW had languages. This code would better vocabulary handling and access the hardware in the 3D worlds bigger, faster graphics routines background without the user (with options like high-speed needing to know any complex It wasn’t long before someone were split into three programs that shading). The whole package machine code. This made the decided that a 3D game creation were loaded in turn. The 128Kb was powerful and very tools very powerful but kept system might be a hit. Incentive had Spectrum, Amstrad 6128 and 16-bit impressive. It’s testement to how things as simple as possible. Two already scored success with GAC so versions didn’t have to worry about good it was that so many of the most popular products it was hardly a surprise when it this and the editors were combined commercial titles were created were Blitz Basic and STOS/AMOS. published 3D Construction Kit, which into one. with it. STOS was released in 1987 on it used to create the stunning 3D Construction Kit was a During the same year, the Atari ST but, due to that Freescape games. The idea that you powerful program that allowed you Incentive Software entered the machine losing out to the Amiga could create games as good as to create complex 3D games. The fray with GAC (Graphic Adventure in the popularity stakes, was Driller and Dark Side struck a chord only real complaints were that the Creator). GAC was a direct terminated soon after. In early with many game makers. 3D engine was slow, and that you competitor to PAW but was 1989 it was ported over to the Released in 1991 on both 8-bit were somewhat limited in the size always considered technically Amiga. AMOS, as it was called, and 16-bit machines, The 3D and shape of objects you could inferior. Though programmers quickly became the most popular Construction Kit came with a create. Looking through the manual used GAC to create adventure game creation tool of the early number of preset shapes that you for the program reveals that it was games, it was PAW’s ability to 90s. Updates and upgrades could place on the playfield, and aimed more at making virtual- change the layout of the screen followed in quick succession, with also featured a complex reality worlds than the next award- that won many users. the result that AMOS is still held programming language to build winning game. The marketing boast As with all of the early game in high regard today. games. Due to memory constraints that “Freescape is now available for creation programs, memory use Blitz Basic was released in on the 48Kb Spectrum, CPC464 and you to play around with” perhaps was an issue, and although you 1990 and quickly gained a strong Commodore 64, the main editors says it all. could create graphics they ate a following. The first version of lot of memory space. GAC had an Worms was written in Blitz Basic interesting approach to this and this inspired confidence in problem, allowing you to merge the product. Version 2 appeared pictures or reuse them with the following year and added additional layers on top. The many more features to an already drawing tools were notoriously impressive toolkit. Blitz Basic difficult to use, however. That split people down the middle – said, GAC also had a simple you either loved it or hated it. If programming language, though it you hated it then that was was so simple that many users probably because you were (myself included) couldn’t figure already smitten with AMOS. the damn thing out! Klik here
As the Amiga started its fade into obscurity, the PC dropped in price With 3D Construction Kit you could create Freescape and ultimately became the games in the style of Driller and Total Eclipse platform of choice. It was only natural that game creation tools would jump ship. Two developers make games that even a nine- more, the successor to – Francois Lionet, one of the year old could put a game Multimedia Fusion is to be developers behind STOS/AMOS, together in no time. The only released shortly, ensuring that and Yves Lameroux – came up downside was that some people anybody and everybody can with an ingenious concept that dismissed Klik & Play because it continue to create quality games revolutionised game creation – didn’t have a ‘coding’ look and in the comfort of their own the event editor. Using a feel to it. They argued that, bedrooms. GAC - the ideal tool for creating completely icon-driven interface, because of this, it simply couldn’t illustrated non-programmers could create be powerful. However, although adventure games professional games without the product had limitations, it getting their hands dirty with could still deliver intricate and code. enjoyable games. You could Script The appropriately-titled Kilk & certainly create simple mock-ups Play first appeared in 1994. By and prototypes much faster than kiddies that time, everyone was in the you could if coding in the C mindset that writing games programming language. Game-creation tools became more meant tapping in code, so this Klik & Play was followed by complex with the rise of 16-bit was a shot in the arm which got The Game Factory in 1996, and machines. Rather than the linear people interested in making then both programs were “create an adventure game” or games again. superseded by the ever-popular “create a scrolling shoot-em-up” Klik & Play was a major hit Multimedia Fusion in 1998. Many programs, the new breed of on release and has since being of the games on the Retro Gamer Klik & Play simplified authoring tools came with their translated in 14 different coverdisc were created using one game creation with its own simple programming languages. It was so easy to of these three programs. What’s easy to use editors
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | FEATURE:SOFTWARE | DIY GAME CREATOR | Interview Francois Lionet has been making game-creation programs since the 1980s and is responsible for many titles, including AMOS and Klik & Play. In the 90s, Francois joined forces with Yves Lamoureux and they created Clickteam (www.clickteam.com), which has continued to produce authoring software ever since. We spoke to Francois about his grand gaming legacy
Retro Gamer: What did you do the Amiga outnumbered the Atari before you got into creating STOS? in England. So it was a logical decision to make. Francois Lionet: I was writing games. I made games on the RG: Do you know how many Oric-1 and Oric Atmos, then on copies of STOS/AMOS were Francois Lionet, right, at last year’s Click Convention the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC sold? and IBM PC. I published my first RG: Have you ever tried any other RG: You’re still creating game game in 1982 – it was called FL: With the compilers, Easy game creation programs? creation tools today. Why? Driver and was a clone of an AMOS and AMOS Professional, I’d arcade game where you drive a say in total we sold about FL: Yes, when they were out at FL: Because it is my thing! In all car in a maze. I wrote the music 300,000 copies. the time. There was a system these years, we have developed myself (I was very proud) and it that was out on the Commodore an understanding for the process sold 2,000 copies. It was RG: What do you think of the 64 that was called Graphic Basic. of game creation, and a lot of incredible! following that STOS and AMOS That was a great source of routines too, like the event editor still have today? inspiration for STOS. and runtime editor. It would be RG: What was your inspiration for foolish to send all these to the starting STOS? FL: It’s great! It’s good to see that RG: Would you say its easier to dustbin and start from scratch on people are still interested in create games now than in the something else completely. And I FL: Whenever I used a new these old programs. But knowing Eighties? like it. I might not be that good machine, my first job was to the way it was programmed, I am in game creation, but I feel very write a sprite generator so that I amazed to see they work on FL: Well if you want to create good in game creation creation! could make the games later. The emulators. I was not exactly clones of the 80s games, it is And also, the name Clickteam is sprite generator had to be as ‘tender’ with the system and I simpler. You now have a game now recognised for its game fast, powerful and as easy to use liked to peek and poke creation system that allows you creation software, and I want that as possible. So I wrote Spritonic everywhere instead of using to program without really to continue. for the Oric-1 and Lionosprite for system functions. programming (I’m talking about the CPC. I also had to write a Multimedia Fusion of course). But musical routine, so actually I was RG: How did you meet Yves and start if you want to create a 3D game, programming the tools. The idea work on Klik & Play? it is a lot more difficult, and a of STOS came from people I task that cannot be handled by a worked with at the time. They FL: Yves and I worked on a game single person. wanted a game creation system called Captain Blood in 1986. I for the Atari ST. was doing the C64 and PC RG: Have you considered making adaptation (in CGA colours!) and a commercial game using your RG: Was it an easy decision to Yves was working on the CPC own programs? move over to the Amiga as a adaptation. We worked together platform? very well, so when AMOS was FL: Honestly, I am really not that finished (after AMOS Professional good at game programming. I FL: Yes it was. The Amiga was a Compiler), I wanted to work with was okay in the Eighties, when very exciting machine. I was him on a game creation program the games were much simpler, amazed by its possibilities. And on the PC. He agreed, and we but nowadays I must say that Both STOS and the Amiga the Atari ST was not selling so started to work on our first title, my level is not high enough to port AMOS were big hits well at that time. Furthermore, Klik & Play. create a commercial game. on the 16-bit machines
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Softography Francois Lionet’s game creation programs
STOS Basic (1987) own built-in animation language AMOS Professional (1992) marrying power features with called AMAL. ease of use. The original version was written AMOS was given a complete in French, Francois’ native overhaul to enhance it further. The Games Factory (1996) language. The English version An additional 200 commands followed after the success of the were added (taking it to 700 in The vast majority of game makers French version. STOS made total), and the product was will admit to using The Games history as the first programming backward compatible so you Factory at some point. This language to reach number one in could import any previous product is still in use nearly eight the ST Gallup games chart. programs and take advantage of years after its original release. the new command set. Click and Create (1996)
This program took the game- making components of The Games Factory and added more functionality for those looking to produce multimedia applications. AMOS Compiler (1990)
The AMOS Compiler was released to speed up programs made with AMOS Basic. Anyone creating serious programs would need this to ensure that their games ran at an acceptable speed.
AMOS Pro Compiler (1993)
STOS Compiler (1988) Again the compiler had an overhaul to match the AMOS The last game creation tool on Professional. The result of the ST made by Francois. The having a compiler over the compiler was a specialised standard version was lightning- version to vastly improve the fast speeds and compression Multimedia Fusion (1998) speed of any programs created in routines that could squash STOS Basic. programs by up to 80%. On The true successor to Klik & Play. limited memory platforms like It was going to be called Click the Amiga, this was vital. and Create 2, until distributor Corel ran into difficulties and sold a number of their titles to IMSI. IMSI then renamed the product Easy AMOS (1991) Multimedia Fusion.
Programming is easy, right? Well Jamagic (2001) it was with Easy AMOS! It was a simplified, ultra-friendly version of Working on its first ‘scripting’ the AMOS Basic language, with programming language since simple to follow examples and a AMOS, Clickteam released manual written for beginners. Jamagic, a 2D/3D multimedia and games creation product using its own language set.
Klik & Play (1994) AMOS Basic (1989) The product that started a whole The first foray onto the Amiga new range of programming tools platform for Francois. AMOS Basic for the PC. Using a revolutionary features a language set of over “event editor”, Klik & Play broke 500 commands and included its new ground for game makers,
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | REGULAR:ADVERTISING GALLERY | atari advertising
gallery Another month, another
retro gallery. Continuing
with the Atari theme,
we've raided our classic
magazine collection in
search of Atari ST
software and hardware
adverts. And it wouldn't
be complete without a
couple of Silica Shop ads!
Once again, please note
that these are old
adverts. Don't ring the
telephone numbers listed,
because no-one will answer
and you'll look foolish
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SFUSP£HBNFS* | REGULAR:COVERDISC | Retro Gamer Coverdisc
The issue 7 coverdisc features 50 of the very latest PC retro games. There are arcade games, adventure games, puzzle games and loads more. In step Place the coverdisc into your CD/DVD step Some programs are provided as .exe addition, to tie drive and it should start files and these will run or install automatically. If not, select Run straight from the disc. If the in with our Over 1 from the Start menu and enter 2 program chooses to install itself, D:\browser.exe (assuming that D: is simply follow the onscreen prompts the Rainbow the letter of your CD/DVD drive). When and then wait while the files are copied the browser appears, click OK to accept to your hard drive. article, there are the declaration. video clips of 160 Spectrum games being completed. That’s over one hour of in-game footage! We also have the latest demos from Superior Software and Trymedia, so step Many programs are stored in .zip step If you are looking for a particular files, so you might need an archive program, click the Search button and you can try manager like WinZip, which is under enter a keyword. The browser program 3 the Utilities browser tab. Extract 4 will search the disc and place all before you buy all the files from the .zip archive the relevant results under the left using the Extract feature and place them most browser tab. They can now be in an empty folder, then run the .exe accessed directly from here. file.
Problem solving Coverdisc helpline If you’re having a problem with a particular program on our coverdisc, please view the help file in the program for assistance. You might also consider visiting the website of the program author for further help. If this fails, please email: [email protected]. 01625 855051 If you are having problems with the CD, first check that it is not dirty or scratched. CDs can be cleaned by holding [email protected] them under the cold water tap and gently rubbing the silver side with a tissue. Dry it carefully with another tissue. (Monday-Friday 10am-4pm) If the disc still doesn’t work, then it may be faulty. Faulty discs should be returned to Retro Gamer, Live Helpline for coverdisc problems only Publishing International Ltd, Europa House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK, SK10 4NP. We will replace all genuinely faulty discs.
DISCLAIMER
Some of the programs on the Retro Gamer disc interact Due to the way the Retro Gamer disc is compiled, Retro responsibility for damage to your PC or otherwise with your PC on a fundamental level. We strongly advise Gamer, Live Publishing International Limited and/or any arising from use of the coverdisc. You use the programs you back up your personal data before using the disc. associated company and/or individual cannot take on the disc at your own risk.
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Five of the best With 50 games on the coverdisc, it can be difficult to know GLTron
where to begin. So This is a superb game based around the light cycle sequence in the Tron movie. The why not try these five game utilises beautiful 3D graphics and excellent title music. Its controls require only games for starters? the use of left and right keys but extremely quick reactions are required, especially because you’re playing against three computer-controlled players. The rules are Jarcadian simple – a trail is left behind as you and your opponents speed forward. Touching this trail will destroy any cycle on contact. As the game progresses, the arena fills The VIC-20 classic Arcadia from Imagine is with light trails and becomes more and more difficult to navigate. The last player to given an impressive remake with Jarcadian. survive wins. Arelentless onslaught of antagonists heads your way, dropping bombs as they go. You’ll need to be quick with your reactions Bruce Lee 2 in this game because your fire power is Bruce Lee is yet another classic from limited by its range. As you destroy them, yesteryear. This unofficial sequel has the occasional power-up falls and you can collect it to boost your arsenal. taken the gameplay and original graphics, Fans of the original will love this remake, as none of the gameplay has been lost and created a much bigger world to and it’s still as fiendishly addictive as it was. explore. The levels consist of platforms and ladders along with hazards to dodge, BeeDeeDash items to collect and bad guys to knock out. Bruce Lee 2 is pure and simple retro fun, and improves on the original in Boulder Dash, released by First Start software in 1984, is rightly considered a classic. almost every way. It’s just a shame that it took so long for a sequel to arrive! It was one of the first games to feature a construction kit (subsequently released in 1986). BeeDeeDash is based on the C64 version of the game, featuring almost identical music and, of course, Rockford himself. The game is simple – collect Hungry Horace PC diamonds from the mines, avoiding the falling rocks and other such hazards. If you Spectrum fans should remember the infamous Horace, star of Horace Goes Skiing, get stuck, press Escape and start the level again. Even the construction kit is which was given away free with some editions of the original rubber-keyed Speccy. mimicked and there’s also a lovely level designer for you to try out. In terms of gameplay, Hungry Horace PC is an almost pixel-perfect remake of the original, with slightly tweaked graphics and improved (sampled) sound effects. To play the game you must feed Horace by running around a maze that is strewn with food, while avoiding the creatures who roam freely within. It’s simple stuff but undeniably fun.
Disc extras What lies beneath the Extras tab on this month’s disc?
MEGA-TREE ARCHIVE Lee Bolton (http://peeknpoke.emuunlim.com), will certainly get you in the mood for Okay, here it is – the complete Mega-tree archive as featured in last month’s Retro what should be a superb show. For more information on BIT Live, visit Gamer, including disk images of all the C64-format disks acquired in the auction. The www.backintimelive.com. archive also contains sprites and concept sketches. If you decide to create a game using any of the sprites, please let us know so that we can mention it in the magazine! MORE TEA, VICAR? This is a playable demo of Cronosoft’s upcoming shoot-em-up for the Spectrum and RETRO GAMING RADIO is exclusive to Retro Gamer magazine (for proof check-out the loading screen!). You’ll Retro Gaming Radio is an MP3 show all about classic gaming, featuring interviews, need a Spectrum emulator to load the tape image – you’ll find Spectaculator in the news, hardware and software reviews, flashbacks, editorial rants and more. We’ve Emulators folder on the disc. included a complete episode on the coverdisc but beware – it runs for just under three hours! For more information, and to download other episodes, visit TURRICAN 3 www.retrogamingradio.com. Another playable demo, this time for Smash Designs’ Turrican 3. You can play level 1 (using a Commodore emulator like WinVice) and view video footage of level 3. The BACK IN TIME 2004 TRAILER video is in DivX format, and you’ll find the DivX codec and player bundle under the Thinking about attending this September’s BIT Live event? This trailer, put together by Utilities tab.
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Manic Miner PC TV Pong Aquarius Booty
PC retro games Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Aquarius Aquarius.zip Classic remake 3,682Kb Windows (all) Freeware Kill underwater monsters in this remake of the Bug-Byte game Arcadia arcadia.zip Shoot-em-up 1,111Kb Windows (all) Freeware Protect the planet from the Atarian Battle Fleet Assault assault.zip Classic remake 1,020Kb Windows (all) Freeware Remake of the Spectrum classic Rebelstar for your Windows PC Attrax atxinstall.exe Puzzle game 577Kb Windows (all) Freeware A puzzle game best described as ‘circular Tetris’ Ballistyx Ballistyx.zip Classic remake 100Kb Windows (all) Freeware A great remake of the arcade hit Qix Bee Dee Dash beedeedash.zip Maze game 3,625Kb Windows (all) Freeware A Boulderdash clone, complete with construction kit Biplanes bip3d.zip Shoot-em-up 1,519Kb Windows (all) Freeware Gun down the enemy planes in this 3D shooter Blitz blitz.zip Classic remake 242Kb Windows (all) Freeware Drop bombs to destroy the city in this timeless classic BombermanVB BomberMan_VB_Install.zip Bomberman clone 2,741Kb Windows (all) Freeware Bomberman clone featuring several game modes Booty booty103.zip Platform adventure 1,603Kb Windows (all) Freeware A fun, faithful remake of the old Firebird game, Booty Bruce Lee 2 brucelee2.zip Classic remake 12,981Kb Windows (all) Freeware A homage to the classic Bruce Lee game by Smila Bunnyhop bunnyhop.zip Arcade game 806Kb Windows (all) Freeware Guide the bunny safely across the deadly pond Burn 2 burn2.zip Classic remake 719Kb Windows (all) Freeware A Gravitar-style interplanetary deathmatch Cavern Fighter Cavern.zip Shoot-em-up 1,803Kb Windows (all) Freeware Scramble-style game in which you have to avoid enemy missiles Championship Wave Racer WaveRacer.zip Race game 2,141Kb Windows (all) Freeware Be first to the finish line in this four-player jet ski racing game Chuck Rock Dance ChuckRockDance.zip Dance game 2,028Kb Windows (all) Freeware A dance game starring Chuck Rock Fate of Yesod yesod.zip Classic remake 1,881Kb Windows (all) Freeware An unofficial follow-up to Odin’s classic Yesod games GlTron gltron-0.70-win32.exe Light-cycle game 3,574Kb Windows (all) Freeware Race deadly light-cycles in this multiplayer arcade game Gridhunt Gridhunt.zip Shoot-em-up 10,183Kb Windows (all) Freeware A 2D space battle game with multiplayer support Hard Streets HardStreetsv1.1.zip Beat-em-up 5,116Kb Windows (all) Freeware A beat-em-up with a spooky resemblance to Renegade! Hunchy hunchy.zip Classic remake 927Kb Windows (all) Freeware Another remake of Hunchback, but a good one nonetheless Hungry Horace PC hungry_horace_pc.zip Maze game 701Kb Windows (all) Freeware It’s Hungry Horace, thrust into the 21st century! IceBreaker icebreaker-1.9.5.exe Puzzle game 429Kb Windows (all) Freeware Catch the penguins by smashing up the iceberg Ifrit ifrit100.zip Shoot-em-up 967Kb Windows (all) Freeware Stunning, if short, shoot-em-up in the style of Nemesis/Gradius Invaders 1978 inv78-02.zip Space shooter 49Kb Windows (all) Freeware A faithful remake of the classic arcade game Jarcadian install-jarcadian.exe Shoot-em-up 2,692Kb Windows (all) Freeware The latest release from Ovine - based on Imagine’s Arcadian Kickle kickle-0.81.win.zip Puzzle game 393Kb Windows (all) Freeware A action/puzzler based on old NES game called Kickle Cubicle Lettris lettris2.zip Puzzle compendium 2,327Kb Windows (all) Freeware Arrange the falling letters. A cross between Tetris and Scrabble Manic Miner PC ManicMinerPC.zip Platform game 251Kb Windows (all) Freeware A Manic Miner remake that runs on Windows PCs Moon Defence MoonDefenseInstaller.exe Shoot-em-up 658Kb Windows (all) Freeware Defend the moon from a savage alien attack PACZ Pacz.zip Pac-Man clone 16,502Kb Windows (all) Freeware A Pac-Man-style game featuring over 50 level of intense action Painter gmpainter.zip Classic remake 1,051Kb Windows (all) Freeware Paint the screen as quickly as possible Penguin Panic Penguinp.zip Platform game 2,508Kb Windows (all) Freeware A 25-level platform game packed with cute character sprites PolyPolyX polyX95.zip Shoot-em-up 110Kb Windows (all) Freeware A simple but very playable remake of Xevious RetroSphere RetroSphereDemo.zip Playable demo 5,416Kb Windows (all) Demo A stunning remake of Trailblazer. Reviewed in this issue Robocop 2D Robocop2D.zip Shoot-em-up 12,532Kb Windows (all) Freeware A tribute to the old Robocop side-scrolling shoot-em-up games Sacred Armour of Antiriad Install_antiriad.exe Arcade adventure 5,644Kb Windows (all) Freeware Search for the ultimate weapon in this classic PC remake Scumball scumball1.zip Platform game 1,634Kb Windows (all) Freeware Help LINDA explore the sewer and destroy the slime Sir Fred LordFred4.zip Classic remake 454Kb Windows (all) Freeware A great looking remake of Sir Fred Sodajunky Soda Junky 1 & 2.zip Arcade action 3,477Kb Windows (all) Freeware Take control of Sammy Bottlecap and eliminate all the enemies Solomon’s Key solom.zip Puzzle game 731Kb Windows (all) Freeware Remake of the classic puzzle game. Includes built-in level editor Space Taxi 2 spacetaxi10.exe Classic remake 9,270Kb Windows (all) Demo A modern remake of the popular Commodore 64 game Super Baggage Handler SuperBH.zip Puzzle game 2,339Kb Windows (all) Freeware Stack as many cases as possible in this colourful puzzle game Teppey teppey140.zip Puzzle game 345Kb Windows (all) Freeware A clever cross between Tetris and Pipemania TV Pong pong.exe Classic remake 193Kb Windows (all) Freeware Features four TV games - Pong, Soccer, Squash and Tennis Ultra Flexball 2000 flexball.zip Bat and ball game 1,838Kb Windows (all) Freeware Fun remake of the old bat and ball games. Includes level editor Vorton vorton-windows-beta2.zip Shoot-em-up 1,765Kb Windows (all) Freeware A great-looking remake of Highway Encounter Wild West Hero wwh.zip Shoot-em-up 1,320Kb Windows (all) Freeware A Robotron-style game with a western theme Wire Hand Redux wirehangredux.zip Platform game 355Kb Windows (all) Freeware Addictive platform game Wizball Breakout wizzy.zip Bat and ball game 9,288Kb Windows (all) Freeware Updated version of the old bat and ball game
Spectrum game endings Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Endings A-E Endings A-E.zip File archive 24,226Kb Windows (all) n/a From 180 to Exolon Endings F-J Endings F-J.zip File archive 20,765Kb Windows (all) n/a From Fahrenheit 3000 to Jungle Trouble Endings K-O Endings K-O.zip File archive 11,702Kb Windows (all) n/a From Kung Fu Master to OutRun Endings P-T Endings P-T.zip File archive 32,260Kb Windows (all) n/a From Pacmania to Turbo Esprit Endings U-Z Endings U-Z.zip File archive 3,155Kb Windows (all) n/a From Underwurlde to Zub
Superior demos Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Galaforce Worlds galaforceworldstrialsetup_s10015.exe Shoot-em-up 4,328Kb Windows (all) Demo Destroy alien invaders in this two-player space shooter Pipeline Plus pipelineplustrialsetup_s10015.exe Adventure game 4,846Kb Windows (all) Demo Adventure game that takes place on the moons of Jupiter
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Ravenskull ravenskulltrialsetup_s10015.exe Adventure game 3,565Kb Windows (all) Demo A massive castle adventure with RPG undertones Repton 1 repton1trialsetup_s10015.exe Maze game 6,231Kb Windows (all) Demo A PC update of the classic BBC title Repton Solid Spheres Deluxe solidspheresdxtrialsetup_s10015.exe Puzzle game 4,324Kb Windows (all) Demo An award-winning puzzle game with 85 challenging levels
Trygame demos Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Beach Head Desert War BeachHeadDesertWar.exe Shoot-em-up 18,336Kb Windows (all) Demo Destroy the enemy fprces in this update of Beach Head Galactic Teddy GalacticTeddy_Setup.exe Puzzle game 5,103Kb Windows (all) Demo Help Teddy find the Life Stone and save his planet! Monopoly MONOPOLY.exe Board game 116,328Kb Windows (all) Demo The classic board game brought to life on your PC Orbz orbz_trymedia_210.exe Arcade action 15,437Kb Windows (all) Demo Explore colourful 3D worlds in this clever arcade action game Worms 2 Worms2.exe War game 51,383Kb Windows (all) Demo The sequel to one of the all-time great multi-player games
Emulators Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Caprice32 cap32_361.exe Amstrad CPC emulator 375Kb Windows (all) Freeware An excellent Amstrad emulator that runs all CPC games Gens wgens211.zip Megadrive emulator 381Kb Windows (all) Freeware Perhaps the best Megadrive emulator. Supports Mega CD games Mame32 Mame32_Binary.exe Arcade emulator 5,166Kb Windows (all) Freeware The original, and best, arcade emulator. Windows GUI version Model B modelb-dx8.zip BBC Micro emulator 1,670Kb Windows (all) Freeware Easy to use emulator runs just about every BBC game available Q-emuLator QemuL.zip Sinclair QL emulator 447Kb Windows (all) Shareware Impressive Sinclair QL emulator for Windows. New version Raine rainew-0.40.5.zip Arcade emulator 1,466Kb Windows (all) Freeware Alternative to MAME. Includes support for 100s of classic games ScummVM scummvm-0.6.1-win32.exe Game emulator 1,301Kb Windows (all) Freeware Stand-alone version of open source adventure game emulator Spectaculator Spectaculator625.exe Spectrum emulator 2,724Kb Windows (all) Shareware The most advanced Spectrum emulator available Steem steem_v3_1.zip Atari ST emulator 817Kb Windows (all) Freeware This new emulator runs all of the standard ST software VisualBoy Advance VisualBoyAdvance-1.7.2.zip GBA emulator 598Kb Windows (all) Freeware Without doubt the best GBA emulator available. Don’t ignore it! WinUAE InstallWinUAE0990.exe Amiga emulator 1,166Kb Windows (all) Freeware The classic Amiga emulator, updated to run on Windows WinVice WinVICE-1.14.zip Commodore emulator 3,539Kb Windows (all) Freeware The ultimate Commodore emulator. Supports many models
Extras Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description Back in Time 2004 trailer backintime2004.zip Video file 18,681Kb Windows (all) n/a Lee Bolton’s teaser trailer for the Back in Time Live 2004 event Mega-tree archive Mega-tree archive.zip File archive 1,316Kb Windows (all) n/a Archive containing Mega-tree disk images, sprites and sketches More Tea, Vicar? MTVDemo.zip Game preview 21Kb Spectrum n/a Demo of Jonathan Cauldwell’s latest game from Cronosoft Retro Gaming Radio rgr1103.zip Radio broadcast 41,761Kb Windows (all) n/a Full episode of Retro Gaming Radio in MP3 format Turrican 3 demo turrican3demo.zip Game preview 4,090Kb Commodore 64 n/a Playable demo of Turrican 3, plus rolling demo video
Utilities Title File Name File Type File Size System Type Description DivX Bundle (98/Me) DivX52ME98.exe Video utility 7,767Kb Windows 98/Me Freeware DivX video codec and player bundle. Version for Windows 98/Me Divx Bundle (2K/XP) DivX52XP2K.exe Video utility 7,858Kb WIndows 2000/XP Freeware DivX video codec and player bundle. Version for Windows 2000/XP WinZip winzip90.exe Archive manager 2,318Kb Windows (all) Shareware Use this archive manager to access the .zip files on the coverdisc TOTO SUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBE ININ AMERICAAMERICA OROR CANADACANADA To subscribe to Retro Gamer, 8 issues, in the US, price US$86 please telephone Express Mag toll free on 1 877 363-1310 - have your credit card details ready. Or, fax (514) 355-3332, or write to Express Mag, PO Box 2769, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 - 0239
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**109** RETRO7 Retro Mart 11/8/04 4:35 pm Page 110 SFUSP£HBNFS | REGULAR:RETRO MARTSFUSP£NBSU | Your place to buy and sell all things retro! Reach thousands of retro collectors with a classified advert in the magazine. Your advert will also be included free of charge on our website!
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**110** RETRO7 Retro Mart 11/8/04 4:35 pm Page 111
R S 3 E E 0 T LL W R O YO O G U R E R SINCLAIR FOR SALE NINTENDO FOR SALE The Golden Axe collection for Strider for the Megadrive D A S R Megadrive – Japanese, boxed with – Either import or UK F Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K – Plus all Nintendo NES with The Addams Family instructions and in good condition. version Please email your price R - leads, manual, and DK’Tronics Joystick & Nintendo SNES with Mario World – £50 + P&P. Email me for photo to [email protected] EE interface including 7 games. Inner Sadly only one power supply & RF cable [email protected] ! packing, but no box. Offers over £20 between these 2 unboxed machines. Guardian Heroes PAL for Saturn – Willing please. Phone 07906 103333 anytime £25 including UK P+P. Email me – Phantasy Star II for Megadrive – Boxed to pay up to £25. Phone 01329 510 461 [email protected] UK version and in pretty good condition. Looking for new software for your £8 + P&P. Email me for photo Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic 3D Speccy? – Look no further, as Nintendo Game and Watch ‘Popeye’ [email protected] and Dr. Robotiks and Mean Bean Cronosoft offer a range of titles Panorama version – This is a very Machine wanted – Must be boxed with supporting all Spectrums, including the interesting and a rare model. Excellent RARE Megadrive game BIO HAZARD instructions and in very good to mint 16K model! Log on to condition, all covers etc. but unboxed. BATTLE – Just £7.50 with free postage. condition. Phone 07815 630 574 www.cronosoft.co.uk for more Email me for pictures. Offers in the PayPal and Nochex welcome. Email region of £30 to [email protected] [email protected] or phone 07748 961 899 OTHER FOR SALE SINCLAIR WANTED Doctor V64 Development System 256Meg – Includes NTSC & PAL DREAMCAST fishing pack Marine-Fishing High-quality Dragon 32/64 2m SCART Wanted: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128K – No consoles, game cartridges, memory with Rod – £25 plus £5 postage. PayPal cable for sale – £8 + £1 postage. Phone need for games, good price paid. Text expansion for console and controller. and Nochex welcome. Email 07713 630087 or email me on 07810 061 860 £200 o.n.o. Email [email protected] or [email protected] [email protected] phone 07748 961 899 BBC Midi interface Yamaha DX7 voice COMMODORE FOR SALE Sega games for sale – Megadrive, Mega- editor – Yamaha FB01 editing suite (5 º NINTENDO WANTED CD, Saturn and Master System all boxed. inch disks) £25 o.n.o. Email me at Commodore 64 SCART cable – 2m, high 100s from private collection. Please [email protected] quality, fits C64, C128, SX-64, VIC-20, Wanted! NES Games – Also need boxes phone for details 07814 775 463 Plus/4, etc. £8 + £1 postage. PayPal or and instructions for my loose cartridges, Gamepark 32 BLU Full European Spec – Nochex accepted. Phone 07713 630087 and boxed accessories including JAPANESE Saturn game Shining Force 3 Comes with English manual & software. or email [email protected] instructions too. Email –In mint condition. £20 with free purchased 9th July 04. I Will supply a [email protected] postage. PayPal and Nochex welcome. 16Mb card with it. Boxed complete £140 Commodore Scene magazine – For all Email [email protected] o.n.o. Don’t miss this bargain, email me C64, C128, GEOS and emulator users. To place a free advert on this page, visit or phone 07748 961 899 now – [email protected] Subscribe today! Further details are at www.retrogamer.net and fill in the www.commodorescene.org.uk online form, or complete the form Megadrive Street Racer – £10 with free Donkey Kong Junior for Colecovision UK opposite and either post or fax it to us. postage PayPal and Nochex welcome. version, boxed with instructions. Like Tower Of Babel for Amiga – UK It’s simple! Email [email protected] new! £3.50 + P&P. Email me for photo version, boxed with instructions and in or phone 07748 961 899 [email protected] good condition. £2 + P&P. Email me for photo SEGA FOR SALE Megadrive Sonic Spinball – £15 with free [email protected] postage PayPal and Nochex welcome. OTHER WANTED Honeybee Super Magic Game Converter Email [email protected] Wanting the latest C64 software? – – For the SNES and Super Famicom. £12 or phone 07748 961 899 I am looking for a working boxed or Protovision is for you! Check us out at with postage. Email unboxed MB Vetrex – With or without www.protovision-online.de [email protected] or Megadrive Fatal Fury – £10 with free games. Will cover delivery fees or even phone 07748 961 899 postage. PayPal and Nochex welcome. collect locally. Contact 07950616149 or Ms. Pac Man Boxed for the Commodore Email [email protected] email [email protected] 64 – On Cartridge, still sealed, £8.00 + Panasonic Q GameCube and DVD Player or phone 07748 961 899 P&P. Email [email protected] in one – Only on sale in Japan, with 13 games, 3 pads and 2 memory cards. SEGA SATURN with 5 games plus a 3-in- RETRO GAMING CLUBS £450 plus postage. Email 1 cart – £35 plus £5 postage please. COMMODORE WANTED [email protected] or PayPal and Nochex welcome. Email Retro Gaming Interest Group – Based in phone 07748 961 899 [email protected] or Ingham, Australia. For further information Stallone Cobra, disk version by Ocean – phone 07748 961 899 about us, please phone 0431 815 151 Will pay good price. Also looking for the RARE Master System game FANASTIC Amstrad disk version as well. Phone DIZZY – £20 with free postage. SONIC 10th birthday pack Japanese We are a Group aimed at getting a retro 0191 567 1627 or email PayPal and Nochex welcome Email MEGA-RARE – £25 plus £5 postage. gaming championship held in the UK – [email protected] [email protected] or PayPal and Nochex welcome. Email For further details email phone 07748 961 899 [email protected] or [email protected] or log onto Bards Tale 2: Destiny Knight – For the phone 07748 961 899 http://uk.groups.yahoo.com Amiga wanted, fair price paid. Please RARE Dreamcast game LOONEY TUNES /group/UKretro_championships email me at SPACE RACE – In mint condition. Only Dreamcast Urban Chaos – £10 with free [email protected] £12.50 with free postage. PayPal and postage. PayPal and Nochex welcome. Sharp MZ-80 wanted! – Must be in Nochex welcome Email Email [email protected] working order. Cosmetic condition is not [email protected] or or phone 07748 961 899 important so long as it works. Please ATARI FOR SALE phone 07748 961 899 email [email protected]
Atari 8-bit SCART cable – 2m, high RARE Megadrive SPORT TALK FOOTBALL SEGA WANTED We are an international community for quality, fits 800, 600XL, 800XL, 65XE, 93 – With Joe Montana. Just £7.50 with collectors and retro enthusiasts alike – 130XE etc. £8 + £1 postage. PayPal or free postage. PayPal and nochex Instruction Manual for Alex Kidd in Including (amongst other things) a Nochex accepted. Phone 07713 630087 welcome. Email Miracle World – For Master System, 1986 comprehensive games database. Drop in or email [email protected] [email protected] or cartridge release. U.S version if Possible. and visit at www.rfgeneration.com phone 07748 961 899 Name your price and email me at Off The Wall (for Atari VCS) – UK [email protected] Interested in the ZX Spectrum? – Check version, boxed with instructions. Like RARE Megadrive game THE INCREDIBLE out ZXF – THE free online publication for new. £4 + P&P. Rated 5 in the rarity HULK – £7.50 with free postage. PayPal Replay Expansion RAM (1Mb & 4Mb) to all of your Speccy needs. Issue 8 is out guide by www.atariage.com! Email me and Nochex welcome. Email play imports – Will pay up to £20 and now with all the news and views that for photo. [email protected] or can only pay by cheque. Email matter. Download your copy from [email protected] phone 07748 961 899 [email protected] www.cwoodcock.co.uk/zxf
**111** Untitled-1 1 1/9/06 12:55:47 RETRO7 Next Month 11/08/2004 8:17 PM Page 113
Starting next month... The top 100 games EVER! (As voted for by you)
The countdown begins... 100 to 51 in Retro Gamer issue 8 On sale September 28th 2004 RETRO7 Endgame 11/08/2004 8:08 PM Page 114
❙❋❙P✄❍❇ ❋❙ | REGULAR:ENDGAME | Endgame
Sega’s Outrun. Five routes - five different endings...
Vineyard - You are thrown into the air by suspicious-looking admirers
Death Valley - Your Ferrari crosses the finishing line and falls to bits
Desolation Hill - Arabian ladies shower you with love
Autobahn - Shock as the OutRun cup is given to your nagging girlfriend
Lakeside - Justice is restored as the cup is handed to its rightful owner **114**