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ACTION PACK 2
BULLSEYE
CASH CARE
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
CRACK IT! TOWERS
ENTHAR SEVEN
FRANKENSTEIN 2000
GEOFF CAPES - STRONGMAN
IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH
JACK ATTAC
LOONY LOCO
MIKIE
MYOREM (RICK HANSON III)
PROJECT THESIUS
PSYCASTRIA
RICK HANSON
ROBOTO
SAVAGE POND
STAR FORCE SEVEN
TENNIS
THE QUILL
THRUST
TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY
U.S. DRAG RACING
VINDALOO
WHAT'S EEYORE'S
Product: ACTION PACK 2
Price: 4.99
Supplier: ALLIGATA, 1 Orange Street, Sheffield S1 4DW. Tel: 01742
739061
THIS collection of four games - some of them new - is only available
from W.H.Smith.
The first game on the tape, VIDEO'S REVENGE, is a shoot-them-down
space game using good quality, smooth graphics and adequate sound.
You can move your craft left and right as well as forwards and back-
wards, and the various nasties approach from above or below.
Like so many of these games, it's simple but addictive. I really like
the title screen which has a message scrolling while the game loads.
Q-BIX is a version of the classic in which you steer a character
around a set of cubes, changing the colours of the top surfaces.
Of course there are adversaries who try to bump in to you and cause
you to lose one of your lives.
This game has poor graphics and is painfully slow. It will soon have
you reaching for the Break key.
TARZAN BOY is an oldie and was reviewed as a single game in December
1985.
For those who missed that review TARZAN BOY is a four screen ladders
and levels game, with an awful lot of problems to overcome.
Getting on to screen two is my limit in this attractive, smooth and
flicker-free game. It is a little slow, but by hitting Break the game
restarts with no sound and a lot more speed.
The final game is DIAMOND PETE and this obviously has its origins in
REPTON. The aim is to collect sixteen diamonds from each of ten screens
without letting any rocks fall on your head.
An added problem is the severe time limit. There are said to be ten
levels as well as the ten screens, but I never got the chance to find
out.
There is no way that this matches the outstanding quality of REPTON,
but it is very good. It's smooth, fast and has good sound.
The problems are well thought out, and it provides a very good chal-
lenge.
Overall I thoroughly recommend this package. Three of the games would
make excellent singles, so it is a real bargain to get all of them at
such a low price.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: BULLSEYE (Tape)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: MACSEN, 17 Nott Square, Carmarthen, Dyfed SA31 1PQ.
Tel: 0267 232508.
ELECTRON owners can now experience the tension of ITV's popular dart
throwing quiz game called BULLSEYE. The game's format faithfully follows
that of the TV program except that it involves just two players.
The first part involves throwing a single dart at a board divided
into eight segments. If you hit the area you aimed for you win points
and get a question.
A correct answer to the question earns you more points. A wrong an-
swer means your opponent can try to answer it.
Each player has three turns at this and points can only be scored
when the section is hit for the first time.
Round two uses a standard match play dartboard. Again the players
take turns to throw darts and the person with the highest score earns a
question. If this is answered correctly, the darts' score is added to
that player's total.
After three rounds the winner moves on to the prize board. Nine darts
are thrown and if they land in the small red sections more points are
won.
The fourth part of the game involves a gamble. If you can score 101
or more with four darts your score is doubled. If you fail your score is
halved.
The graphics are good, with the dart board being drawn quickly and
neatly. Bully is drawn even more quickly and he bears a good likeness to
the TV version.
Even the text is well presented using an unusual but clear set of
characters.
A couple of spelling bugs are an irritant. I'm not an expert at darts
but I thought the line you stand at was called the oche. Macsen have
their own version.
I'm also left wondering how they want me to spell the Greek philosop-
her Plato. With several files of questions, I suppose a couple of mis-
takes are inevitable. More annoying is the fact that the Plus 1 on the
Electron has to be disabled before loading this game.
This game lacks a little something. The excitement of the TV program
lies in the cash and prizes that competitors win. Mere points seem very
dull by comparison.
The darts throwing is also rather predictable. I could consistently
throw twenties by but the trebles were more elusive. Despite all this
the game is quite fun to play if a little slow at times.
Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 6
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Programs: CASH CARE (11.95 cassette, 13.95 disc)
VAT CARE (14.95 cassette, 16.95 disc)
BUILDING SOCIETY CARE (9.95 cassette, 11.95 disc)
Supplier: SQUIRREL SOFTWARE, 4 Bindloss Avenue, Eccles, Manchester
M30 0DV. Tel: 061-789 4120.
PEOPLE who wish to do the simple tasks well need look no further than
The Care Utility Series from Squirrel Software.
I have tested three of Squirrel's programs:
* CASH CARE copes with up to sixty categories of income/expenditure
in either one or two accounts.
* VAT CARE produces the three-monthly VAT liability reports on up
to 150 sales or purchase postings per month.
* BUILDING SOCIETY CARE handles a maximum of 208 deposits, with-
drawals or rate changes in any year to a building society account
thereby allowing one to know the interest earned at any given
time.
It is a great compliment when I say that CASH CARE is the sort of
program which you'd wish you could produce at home over a weekend.
At the cost of a take-away meal, Squirrel have taken all the chore
out of getting a useful program.
VAT CARE adopts the same no frills approach. For the small tradesman
who loathes keeping the books and is not interested in copious manage-
ment information, this is the ideal system.
Whereas Bank and Vat Care work on the time honoured principle, BUILD-
ING SOCIETY CARE is more like a spreadsheet. This is so that you may ex-
periment in order to test the effect of money being moved around.
Each row represents a transaction, while each cell of the matrix re-
presents the detailed effect the transaction has upon the account.
At a cost of ten to fifteen pounds each, they represent excellent
value for money.
Sound ......................... N/A
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Jo Stork
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Price: 7.95 (tape) 9.95 (disk)
Supplier: Tynesoft, Unit 3 Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne
& Wear NE21 4TE. Tel: 091 414 4611
AS so many athletes boycotted this year's COMMONWEALTH GAMES in Edin-
burgh, you have been given the opportunity to enter eight of the events.
Have you got what it takes to compete with the world's greatest ath-
letes?
The events are stored on one side of a cassette and must be loaded in
strict sequence - there is no menu allowing you to load individual
events. You compete in hammer throwing, swimming, cycling, 400 metres,
long jump, steeplechase, rowing and weight lifting. Pressing the Z and X
keys alternately determine power or speed, while the Spacebar initiates
a throw.
The graphics are drawn on a grand scale - none of these weedy little
stick men running around. In the hammer throwing you only see the top
half of the athlete as he turns in the circle. After his third turn, a
meter displaying an angle bursts into life. Hit the Spacebar when it
reaches the angle you desire and away soars the hammer to an incredible
distance - about five metres in my case.
The cycling is another graphically pleasing and original event. The
action takes place in three separate screen windows, the top displaying
a plan of the circuit and indicating your position. The next one pro-
vides a sideways view of you on the bike, and the third a head-on view.
Great care must be taken not to enter the bends too quickly or you
will find yourself rolling down the track ahead of the bike.
In the events which are completed quickly, such as the hammer, the
ability to re-run would have been helpful. Likewise with the long boring
events such as the 400 metres.
It would also have been nice to have had an abort key which allowed
you to skip one or two of the heats if you so wished.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES is a fine example of an athletics program, but
could have been even better with a little more forethought.
Sound ........................... 4
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8
Steve Brook
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1
Product: CRACK IT! TOWERS
Price: 8.95
Supplier: Mirrorsoft, Maxwell House, 74 Worship Street, London
EC2A 2EN. Tel: 01-377 4600
CRACK IT! TOWERS describes itself as a puzzle game for all ages. Mirror-
soft have done well to think of some kind of explanation because it's
far easier to say what the program is not.
It certainly is not an arcade game or an adventure. It has education-
al elements, but it isn't a learning program.
What is it then? It's a whole load of fun for Electron and BBC Micro
owners.
The aim is simple to find the secret of Count Crack It! You must
collect seven golden keys which you'll need to open the eighth room in
his castle.
To gain the seven keys you must visit various rooms and solve a set
of puzzles and problems in each.
In room 1 in the castle you try to discover what Oswald eats for lun-
ch. This can best be described as a hangman type game.
Success will earn you a key while failure will pitch you into the
moat. If you end up in the moat the piranha will start swimming towards
you.
A question such as 184 divided by 4 will flash on the screen. A cor-
rect answer will stop the fish and you will survive to visit more rooms.
Room 2 features a logic game in which you must shoot some beasties
while trying to avoid shooting yourself. It's a version of the ancient
game of Nim and it's easy to make mistakes.
Room 3 looks a bit like space invaders, but with bats bombing you.
Before you can fire back you need to match a subtraction sum with its
correct answer.
This room is fiendish, requiring you to concentrate on three differ-
ent areas of the screen, do a calculation and keep your base away from
the bombs.
The castle swimming pool can be found in room 4. It will come as no
surprise to learn that the Evil Count Crack It! keeps sharks in it.
To avoid them you will have to add a number to a sequence such as 5,
10, 15, 20 and so on.
Room 5 is the spiders' playroom. You have to move your stick of dy-
namite around to make a spider fall on it, but before any spider falls
you must get a multiplication sum correct.
On to room 6 where Albert the Alien lives - in a minefield. In a
limited time you must issue commands such as "west 3" to steer
him to
safely.
Room 7 features ghosts who won't destroy you if you are quick enough
at solving an anagram.
You can enter the rooms in any order, but they all need unlocking by
adding a set of numbers together.
If you succeed in any room you can try for a bonus key by entering
the maze of seventeen skulls. If you pick on the right skull, aided by a
devious clue, you win. The Count keeps many more nasty friends who leap
out at unexpected moments and steal precious keys or put you into
prison.
Some of these can be stopped by hitting Space, but others require you
to complete words or solve number problems very quickly.
If you get fed up with the words defined in the program you can enter
your own selection.
My whole family have found this an addictive program. None of the
tasks are difficult in themselves, but to succeed you will need fast re-
flexes and an alert brain.
Mirrorsoft has come up with something quite out of the ordinary and
for my money, it's a real winner.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability .................... 10
Educational value ............... 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 9
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: ENTHAR SEVEN
Price: 17.95 (two 40 track discs), 16.95 (one 80 track disc)
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354
"Ignoring the angry shouts, from the large, red faced man, charging
down
the corridor, you stepped through the veil of light, into the gleaming
teleport cubicle and slammed your fist into the button! The rings of
light, embedded in the floor and ceiling, pulsed energetically, and you
braced yourself for the uncomfortable moment when your body would be
torn apart, atom by atom, to be reassembled, moments later, on the
Flight Deck of an Interplanetary Space Hopper orbiting a small, Earth-
like planet called Enthar Seven.
"Let the adventure begin!"
FIRST the good news: ENTHAR SEVEN is now available for the Electron. Now
the bad: Only if you have an AP4 disc interface from Advanced Computer
Products or any other DFS compatible with BBC Micro.
I had a slight problem getting started. I happen to like a leisurely
beginning to an adventure game, and ENTHAR SEVEN doesn't exactly provide
it.
I found myself in a planetary orbiter with a rapidly decaying orbit.
The warning lights were flashing and I had some tasks to perform in or-
der to get out intact. I tried to begin preliminary exploration, ignor-
ing the problems, and got killed far too often for my peace of mind.
Just before total paranoia set in I thought of trying STAND, and the
situation improved a bit - for a while. After I had finally calmed down
I got myself out of that dratted orbiter and into the Command Centre.
Then the game began in earnest...
I for one like the sheer complexity that the program presents. It's a
game to load and then spend time with a map considering what item in
what level will help you with a problem.
After far too long I discovered that bats intent on killing me didn't
need garlic, but something a lot more scientific and logical (and me
with a 98 per cent pass mark in a logic exam in the dim and distant
past).
There are the obligatory mazes. Though I hate them I must admit I
really enjoyed getting the better of that Securibot and the rubbish
heap.
One maze, in the cavern area, had me foxed - it's a twisty affair
that normally would be mapped by dropping things. The trouble is that a
creature shoots out and gobbles up everything you drop.
The answer to this problem is totally logical, and the clue for how
to map the maze is clearly supplied in the location descriptions.
ENTHAR SEVEN really is a big game with over 450 locations. I have
been fried, frustrated, irradiated and thoroughly put into my place. The
puzzles are good, the descriptions and atmosphere superb, the backup
help is readily available.
If this standard is maintained, ROBICO is going to be well worth
following and I would recommend that you buy all it publishes.
Sound ........................... 9
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 9
Mad Hatter
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12
Product: FRANKENSTEIN 2000
Price: 6.95
Supplier: AUDIOGENIC, 12 Chiltern Enterprise Centre, Station Road,
Theale, Breks RG7 4AA. Tel: 0734 303663.
IN FRANKENSTEIN 2000 your aim is to revive the famous old monster which
you have found on inheriting the infamous baron's castle.
In the futuristic world of 2000 AD your method is to shrink yourself
down to a tiny size and enter the monster's body.
Stage one finds you in the monster's throat which is full of frogs.
Your task is to destroy as many of these as possible during your journey
downwards.
This is best described as a version of Space Invaders. As you travel
you will sustain damage from colliding with frogs or the throat walls.
You will also use up oxygen. Too much of the first or too little of
the second spells the end of your mission.
Before reaching the lungs, a pellet of oxygen must be shot. If you
take a long time to hit it you won't have much oxygen for the next
stage.
The activity in the lungs is very similar to the frogs in the throat,
but here it is cigarette packets you must shoot. An added hindrance are
bubbles of cardon dioxide which float up towards you.
After shooting another oxygen pellet you reach the heart where you
steer through the various cavities to activate the implant.
It requires careful timing to get past the electrical impulses and to
slip through the valves as they open.
A rather unpleasant task faces you in the stomach. You have to shoot
the slices of bacon, while avoiding the fried eggs.
Finally you reach the brain where, if you've got the oxygen supplies
and a minimum of damage, you can knock out the bad neurons. This re-
quires real precision, and I have not yet managed to do it. Audiogenic
has an original idea with this game, but it doesn't quite succeed.
Technically it's all fine with neat, fast graphics and it has pleas-
ing sound effects.
However the whole program lacks any kind of extra feature to make it
stand out from the crowd.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 5
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 5
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: GEOFF CAPES - STRONGMAN
Price: 8.95
Supplier: MARTECH, Bay Terrace, Pavensey Bay, East Sussex BN24 6EE.
Tel: 0323 768456
CAN you emulate Geoff Capes by becoming the strongest man in the world?
That's the idea in this game from Martech in which you must endure the
hardships of a strongman championship.
There are six events, some with the computer as your opponent but
others are an individual challenge against the clock. The instructions
are well written, but list the events in the wrong order, which proved
to be a real irritation until I'd begun to master some of the problems.
Before the games start, you must earn some muscle by hammering two
keys as fast as you can. As a keyboard saving alternative, a touch on
Return will grant you a random amount of strength. Having earned your
muscle, you then distribute it around Geoff's body by selecting various
screen icons.
After this, the first event begins. A car falls on you and you must
turn it over. The method is simple: The muscle symbols flash in turn and
you move your arrow to that symbol and hit Return. There is a time limit
but with practice the necessary co-ordination can be mastered.
Next comes sumo wrestling. Move left and right and then lunge at your
opponent to push him out of the ring. It's easy but what a shame it's
all over in two seconds.
Event three is the fairground bell-ring. You move the hammer into
position and then wallop the keys to bring it down fast on the button.
Positioning the hammer is rather chancy. It depends on which muscles
flash and in which order. This one proved an annoying stumbling block
for me many times.
In the next event you must chop through a log within a qualifying
time. As an axe moves along the log you press Return to chop into the
soft parts of the wood. This event requires timing, but little else.
The tug o' war proved my undoing. The instructions say that the meth-
od is the same as for the car roll. However, each time I played, I was
pulled into the river, which meant I have not seen event six, barrel
loading.
The instructions make this sound quite fun, with a lot of keyboard
hammering and precision timing involved, but it's obviously not for un-
coordinated weaklings.
As usual with Martech software, the programming is excellent, the
graphics are smooth and fast and the sound is sensible. But something is
missing. The World Strongman competitions on television make compelling
viewing. By comparison, I found the computer simulation boring and
rather frustrating.
My best performance has rated me as Mr Puniverse, but more often I
end up at Wimp level. I know lots of people who like this kind of game,
but I would invest my money elsewhere.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 4
Overall ......................... 5
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12
Product: IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH (Tape)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Unit 3 Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon,
Tyne & Wear NEZ1 4TE. Tel: 091 414 4611
RAIN may stop play on a regular basis at the Oval but it should cause
few problems if you're playing IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH. The armchair
enthusiast can bow put willow to leather all year round.
The game allows one or two players to compete over 16 overs, 32
overs, or a full innings test match.
When playing against the computer you are always put in to bat first.
A choice of four strokes is available. They are selected by holding
down the appropriate key and pressing the <RETURN> key to execute
the
stroke as the ball approaches.
The timing here is very difficult to judge. Unfortunately no matter
what stroke the batsman plays he always performs the same movements.
Once your side has bitten the dust - and that won't take long - you
position your fielders before bowling. Players are moved using a com-
bination of four keys and set in position by pressing a fifth. On seve-
ral occasions I found that this positioning key had to be pressed numer-
ous times before a player was released.
You are provided with a choice of four bowlers each having a differ-
ent pace or style. Having selected fast, medium, spin, or bouncer, just
press the Q key and the bowler will make his run up.
When fielding a ball you first move a cursor to the player you wish
to move before you can begin to chase the ball.
Normally by the time you have made your selection the ball has reach-
ed the boundary.
An element of humour is provided by a little duck, complete with bat
and cap, which leaves the field with a tear in its eye as your exit for
no runs.
The graphics used in the game are quite reasonable, it is just a pity
that the game is so awkward to play.
Sound ........................... 4
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 5
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 6
John Revis
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: JACK ATTAC
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London
W1R 7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666
ONCE upon a time there was a young man named Jack who had a beautiful
girlfriend called Jill - until the local giant incarcerated her in his
castle.
Being a brave sort of chap, Jack decided to enter the castle to at-
tempt a rescue.
The castle takes the form a 45-screen maze which you must negotiate
in order to find the key which will unlock Jill's dungeon.
Different areas are sealed off by coloured doors. These are unlocked
by coloured keys which are to be found around the castle.
I don't know if the giant is a greengrocer in his spare time but the
castle is littered with fruit. Every one must be collected before you
are allowed to free Jill.
As soon as you have released your beloved, the giant will awaken. You
must therefore escape from the castle within the next two minutes.
The 45 screens do not need to be completed in sequence, and you are
free to wander from place to place as you seek the next key.
Each screen is big, colourful and normally patrolled by a nicely de-
tailed bad guy.
There are also secret passages which can take you from one section to
another without the need for a key. I found JACK ATTAC a well written,
fun to play and sensibly priced program.
Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8
James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: LOONY LOCO (Tape)
Price: 4.95
Supplier: Kansas City Systems, Unit 3, Sutton Springs Wood, Chester-
field S44 5XF. Tel: 0246 850357
IN LOONY LOCO, the evil baron will stop at nothing to destroy the train.
You play the part of the hero who must outwit the enemy and apply the
brakes.
That little story is used by Kansas to link together four activities,
all with a railway flavour.
In the first activity you drive an engine along a track with the
scenery scrolling in the background. To make life difficult for you air-
ships and planes keep flying over and dropping bombs.
A well directed puff of smoke is required to prevent these from caus-
ing a disaster.
Also causing problems are runaway trucks. These can be avoided by
firing a harpoon at them or by switching tracks at the numerous points
along the way.
When you reach your destination you progress to the next part of the
game. In this you are running along on the top of the carriages.
Not only do you have to leap smrtly from coach to coach, but you must
also jump over the balls which are rolling along, and duck under the
arrows that are fired at you.
Your aim is to reach the buffet car to gain access to screen three.
Once in the buffet car you must catch the cups and saucers that are
rolling along conveyors.
The kindly railway management will allow you to drop a maximum of
three while trying to catch the required forty.
Screen four is quite different from the others in that it is a logic
problem, requiring you to set the eight switches to put the train's
brakes on.
The trouble is that you can only move switch eight if the other seven
are correctly set and so on.
You are allowed 300 moves, and at first you'll need them. I think the
lowest possible number of moves is 170.
LOONY LOCO is the best program I have seen from Kansas City Systems.
Screens one and two are fast and furious arcade action with good smooth
graphics and useful sound effects.
Screen three is the weakest because the cups come in a soon predict-
able set pattern. The fourth screen is great fun to crack, but once
learned it is no problem.
You can start the game on the screen of your choice. Overall it is a
first-rate package and highly recommended.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 8
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: MIKIE (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: Imagine, 6 Central Street, Manchester M2 5NS. Tel: 061-835
1353
THIS game, set in an American high school, stars an all-American school-
boy Mikie who is trying desperately to get a message to his sweetheart.
You have just volunteered to help him.
The first screen provides an aerial view of a classroom. There are
nine desks with pupils sat at each one, and beneath five of their stools
are little red hearts. As you collect each one, they change into letters
to form a message to his girlfriend.
When you collect the fifth heart, the classroom door opens, allowing
you on to the next level.
Collecting the hearts isn't quite as easy as it could be as your fel-
low pupils won't stand up to let you at them so you have to bump them
off their seats using your hip-zap technique.
On top of this you receive a great deal of hassle from the teacher
who doesn't like you disturbing the class. If things begin to get too
hairy you can always find yourself a vacant stool and sit down for a
while - but not for too long, otherwise the teacher's false teeth will
fly towards you.
Having escaped the classroom you must negotiate the hallway to reach
the next room. The hall is patrolled by a teacher and a mad janitor, so
nimble footwork is required.
Screen two is set in the locker room with several lockers containing
three hearts. You stand in front of the locker and press the "shout"
key
three times to release the hearts. This time you are being chased by the
teacher, janitor and chef.
The same sort of thing is repeated in the canteen, gymnasium and
schoolyard.
I found survival has a high random factor. Sometimes the teacher will
plod around in a corner and you sail through the screen. On other occa-
sions he will be hot on your heels and you will lose all three lives on
the first screen.
The graphics are crude and the animation not much better. MIKIE was
never destined to be a blockbuster, but a little more care on the graph-
ics side would have been greatly appreciated.
Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 7
Overall ......................... 6
John Revis
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1
Product: MYOREM (RICK HANSON III) (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354
DURING the past fifteen months, WHEEL OF FORTUNE, WOODBURY END and RICK
HANSON have been battling it out for the honour of being the number one
adventure program available for the Electron. Now there is a new preten-
der to that crown.
You begin the adventure in the now familiar role of super spy Rick
Hanson and in a strange predicament: "Gazing around, you see that you
are in the south-east corner of a large dusty arena, bound to a study
post by thick ropes. Smooth stone walls, ancient and yellowing, surround
you, reflecting the sunlight into your eyes. You are choked by the gag
pushed into your mouth minutes before. You can say nothing. You only
have your thoughts."
You can't move, shout, twitch or even smoke a last cigarette - all
you can do is think. That is the crux of your success or failure. "You
close your eyes and the memories come streaming back to you...your
mission to lead a coup against a South American junta...that abhorrent
prison...your evasion of the soldiers and eventually your leap for cover
into the gaping blackness of the ditch."
The atmosphere created by these memories is such that it will trans-
port you into Rick's psyche. I won't give away any more of the plot as
Robico is offering a hundred pounds cash prize to the first person to
complete this adventure. So if you want that prize, you will have to
earn it.
The program accepts multiple statements such as: "Get all the pens
except the red one and write with the black one." This is a welcome
re-
lief from the all too common "Get oeb" maximum allowed by most
adventures.
As with all Robico adventures, MYOREM is packaged in a professional
maner with full game details, an Adventurer's Notebook, and an envelope
for obtaining limited hints from Robico for the less intrepid
adventurer.
MYOREM is definitely the best text adventure I have yet seen for the
Electron. Its evocative descriptions and superb plot must make it a
classic addition to any discerning collection - and you don't need to
have played its predecessors to enjoy its richness.
Buy it - you won't find better.
Presentation ................... 10
Atmosphere ..................... 10
Frustration factor .............. 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ........................ 10
Pendragon
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1
Product: PROJECT THESIUS (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354
AFTER playing the first Rick Hanson game, I couldn't really see that
Robico could improve the quality of their games. I was wrong - they
have.
The dossier that comes in the game's packaging outlines Rick Hanson's
latest mission. The enemy has made a breakthrough in an advanced weapons
system using it.
Rick's mission is to discover as much about it as he can, which will
require him to get the plans for the system. A submarine drops him at
Fisherman's Cove, a secluded spot on the enemy shoreline. The submarine
will stay in the area until Rick has finished his mission and will then
pick him up.
To help him, various undercover agents in the area have left instru-
ctions - some in the form of subtle clues - and others will meet him to
aid him in his task. You start on the beach at Fisherman's Cove. It is
very cold and the first thing you should do is find something to help
you get dry.
When you find it, removing your wet clothing first will help and if
you wipe the towel rather than yourself you should find that you can
start to concentrate on your mission.
Examining the towel will provide a clue, and you should now look for
a telephone box. Examining everything when you get there will give you
some numbers to try if you go back to the cave and dig.
One of them will provide you with some clothing. A visit back to the
telephone box, now that you know which number to use, will allow you to
hear a message giving details of the location where you will meet your
first contact.
You can ignore the helicopter for the time being, and an examination
of your clothing will find you on the outskirts of Winterton, the vill-
age where you are to meet your first contact.
While PROJECT THESIUS isn't the hardest adventure I've ever played,
it is the most enjoyable. The location descriptions are full with masses
of detail.
A superb game that I can highly recommend.
Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ..................... 10
Frustration factor .............. 8
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12
Product: PSYCASTRIA
Price: 7.95
Supplier: AUDIOGENIC, 12 Chiltern Enterprise Centre, Station Road,
Theale, Berks RG7 4AA. Tel: 0734 303663
YES folks it's time once again for some good old zap and blast. Why
communicate with alien life forms when you can incinerate them? The
alien command bases are located on land, at sea, on the moon and in
space. Your task is to decimate all four.
Play is limited to a narrow window in the middle of the screen, best
described as Zaxxon viewed from directly above the ship. This provides
you with a bird's eye view of the buildings and weapons which constitute
the enemy base.
Your ship, always positioned mid-screen, is allowed to move from side
to side in order to avoid buildings. The screen scrolls continuously
from right to left or vice versa, depending on which way you are facing.
Scenery and enemy forces are drawn using good detail and are animated
faultlessly.
You begin your attack from the left of the command base, flying at
ground level dodging to each side, shooting tanks and ammo dumps.
If you haven't destroyed everything by the time you reach the right
of the base your ship flips over automatically and you return to destroy
the remaining defences.
The enemy is present in the form of numerous fast moving UFOs which
come screaming in trying to ram or shoot you down. Owing to their high
speed you cannot wait to see the whites of their eyes before firing.
Adopt the age old technique of continual rapid firing whether the enemy
are on the screen or not.
While on the subject of the enemy craft, do watch out for the tail
gunner. On several occasions I nipped into an alien's slipstream only
to receive a laser salvo from its rear end.
An annoying feature is that when your ship is destroyed you are re-
turning to the start and all the enemy tanks and ammo dumps are re-
placed.
This means that the only way you are going to reach screen two is to
wipe out the enemy using a single ship. There is no way you are going
to achieve this in your first few minutes. The aliens come thick and
fast, and their aim is deadly.
PSYCASTRIA is a very good arcade game let down by rather difficult
play.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8
James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: RICK HANSON (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354
ROBICO is well known for the quality of its BBC adventures and so it was
with some interest that I tackled its first Electron game.
You play the part of Rick Hanson, secret agent. Your mission is to
assassinate General Garantz, an evil criminal who is threatening to ex-
plode a nuclear bomb in New York unless he is paid a ransom.
You begin your mission in a railway station. An initial exploration
of the fourteen locations surrounding you reveals several objects, all
of which are useful.
A visit to the telephone box should give you further information
about your mission, but reversing the charges is a throw-away line.
After collecting everything else you can find you must look for a
route out of the station. Leaving by the front door is not the answer as
you will soon discover.
Hesitation can also prove fatal as one of the general's men is some-
where inside looking for you with evil intent.
To get on the right track, or rather over it, head back to the
bridge. A passing train is on, and in time.
The guard should be dealt with quickly, so put in the spanner in his
works. Leaving the train will find you in a village with more exploring
to do.
There's lots to do here and if you take a gamble in the tavern you
will find you can stay the night.
You must now try not to avoid too close a shave, and cracking the
code should see you well equipped to solve the remaining puzzles before
leaving the village.
I am very impressed with this game. It has about 220 locations and is
totally logical. Packaged with the game is a card which entitles you to
help if you get stuck.
Also enclosed is a smart adventure's notebook. This is about the size
of a diary and consists of blank, colourful pages. I'm not sure how use-
ful this is, but it does add an air of professionalism to the game.
The program uses screen memory because of its size so you can only
see eighteen lines of text at any one time.
RICK HANSON is nothing les than brilliant and Robico must now join
Epic as being the software houses for adventures on the Electron.
I look forward to spending time on the follow-up version, RICK HANSON
II, which from initial impressions seems to be every bit as good.
Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ...................... 9
Frustration factor .............. 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: ROBOTO (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R 7DB
Tel: 01-439 0666
ROBOTO is set in the distant future where a feeble sun shines on a bar-
ren Earth. A crumbling power station has developed a serious malfunction
which has caused the auto components to run rampage around the complex.
Unless you can regain control by de-activating all the zones a major
power failure will occur which will wipe out the last remaining life on
the planet.
You control a robot, a stick-like object which can float gracefully
around the 51 high resolution screens. You can dive, climb, or cling on
to vertical walls as you blast the various nasties out of existence.
Each screen contains a power orb. When you destroy one, most of the
meanies on that screen will stop firing at you, making it mush easier to
progress to the next zone without losing a life. Additionally, some orbs
give extra ammuntion, which is particularly useful as it is all too easy
to run out completely.
Many of the rooms are real devils to get through first time and re-
quire deft use of the control keys which, thankfully, you can redefine.
The program is well written, has no obvious bugs, and follows the now
familiar style of having BBC Micro and Electron versions on opposite
sides of the tape.
The graphics are smooth, albeit with a little flicker, and the sound
is not too intrusive, but I wish you could turn it off from within the
program.
This is an enjoyable game for the nimble fingered, requiring a good
memory or a well drawn map. ROBOT is well worth adding to your collect-
ion.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 8
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12
Product: SAVAGE POND
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666
TO most people a frog is a small green slimy amphibian which sits lazily
on a lily pad devouring passing flies. I too had this impression until I
tried my hand at the tadpole survival course, otherwise known as the
SAVAGE POND.
The screen displays a cross sectional view of the pond. When the game
vegins the pond is quite barren except for a handful of hydra on the
bottom.
Having emerged from one of three eggs you begin to stuff yourself
with the nutritious amoebae which float in the water above.
These are useful for gaining points, but do little to aid your prog-
ress towards becoming a frog.
Froghood is achieved by consuming the worms which drift from the sur-
face to the bottom. For every five worms consumed you take a step toward
maturity, nine such steps and you become a frog.
Unfortunately for our wriggling buddy, life is not a bed of lillies.
Apart from the deadly hydra you must also cope with eggs dropped by
passing dragonflies.
It is imperative that these are consumed before they reach the bottom
because if they are allowed to hatch you will meet your maker at the
jaws of a dragonfly larva.
For each step you take toward maturity a new hazard is introduced to
the pond.
These take the form of jellyfish, spiders, and even radioactive
waste.
SAVAGE POND was reviewed in this magazine over eighteen months ago
and received a very favourable reception. It has now been re-released at
less than half the price and is therefore a bargain not to be missed.
Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8
Carol Barrow
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: STAR FORCE SEVEN (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R 7DB
Tel: 01-439 0666
STAR FORCE SEVEN is a military strategy game set in a futuristic space
context.
You take the part of the space fleet commander, battling for 25 plan-
ets and trying to prevent the marauding Zurgs from invading Earth.
Your first task is to decide how many of the various types of space-
craft you require. You have a limited number of points and must choose
carefully between cruisers, transporters, spy ships and so on.
Having made your decision, you decide which star to visit first.
There are 26 stars and, to make life easy, each starts with a different
letter.
When you reach a star, your main options begin. You can get intelli-
gence reports on the size and population of the various planets.
You may move into orbit around a planet and assault it or bombard it.
If there are any enemy space fleets around you can attack them either in
a random way or by picking off individual craft.
If the pressure gets too much for you, you can do a star jump and
hope to find somewhere safer and quieter.
This is not an arcade type of game so there is no graphic action
which you control. You make general decisions and the computer then car-
ries out the action.
When you are battling to win a planet the display consists of the
numbers of troops remaining, both your own and those of the enemy.
I found this game rather dull to play. It looks like the kind of game
that we had five or six years ago when computers had limited graphics
capabilities.
It does not offer a real chance to use your own skills and relies too
much on random happenings.
Another factor I disliked was that on being destroyed, I had to re-
load data to be able to play again.
I'm afraid I even found the rather limited sound an irritant. Thank-
fully this can be switched out.
There are five difficulty levels ranging from easy to difficult, but
even level one was too hard for me.
If you like this kind of strategy game no doubt you would be pleased
to add this to your collection. I'd prefer to invest my money elsewhere.
Sound ........................... 3
Graphics ........................ 4
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 4
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: TENNIS
Price: 2.99
Supplier: Bug-Byte, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666
SHOULD you be one of the many thousands of people who spend Wimbledon
fortnight glued to the TV set you may have considered trying a computer
simulation.
Bug Byte have just released one such program, though I doubt whether
it's destined to be a winner.
You have the option of playing one or three sets with either four or
six games per set.
Control is via keyboard or joystick and your opponent is always the
computer - you cannot challenge a friend.
This is a pity as the computer provides such stiff opposition that
you will normally only win one or two points during a complete set.
The court is drawn with perspective going into your screen, the com-
puter always being at the top of the screen.
When serving, as in the real game, you must remember to keep your
feet behind the baseline or you will be foot faulted.
Your player can travel left, right, and up and down the court, and
balls can either be volleyed or taken as groundstrokes.
When volleying from the net I would suggest that you do not stand too
close as you will tend to hit the ball out of court.
I can only assume that the angle of the shot which you play is deter-
mined by your position in relation to the ball, though I didn't find
that this made too much difference.
The ball's flight and its associated shadow, was relatively smooth,
although on several occasions it vanished for a fraction of a second in
mid-flight.
The characters representing the players are large, angular and rather
crude. The best part of the screen is the scoreboard where electronic
style numbers display sets, points and server.
Had the game employed a user-selectable skill option it would probab-
ly have had more lasting appeal. But in its present form I feel it would
soon be abandoned by a thoroughly demoralised player.
Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 6
James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10
Product: THE QUILL (Tape, 3.5" Disk)
Price: 16.95
Supplier: GILSOFT, 2 Park Crescent, Barry, South Glamorgan CF6 8HD.
Tel: 0446 732765
GILSOFT are modest enough to call THE QUILL an adventure writer's ut-
ility. I would go a lot further than that. If you can't program in
machine code then THE QUILL is an absolute must!
Although an adventure creator, it produces machine code games. It
consists of two parts - a database editor and an interpreter.
The main menu controls access to all the utlities you need, such as
saving, testing and loading your creation.
Sub-menus cover printing, amending and inserting all the text, move-
ment and status values for your adventure.
Your adventure is created using the tables which are available from
the main menu.
Text is selected from the main menu, then from the sub-menu you can
either insert new text with or without specifying a location, or amend
text already entered.
After entering your text you are returned to the sub-menu and can
then view it or get a printout.
Aside from text you also need to insert the data relating to the
events that take place during the course of the game and this is done
via three further tables - movement, event and status.
The movement table is used to set the directions for each location
and the room that each move will take the player to.
The event table specifies the actions the interpreter has to take to
reply to a player's command, such as deciding whether an object can be
dropped before allowing a player to DROP it.
The status table contains the entries handled by the interpreter that
are independent of player input, such as keeping track of the player's
inventory as he moves from location to location.
It is possible to assign synonyms by giving them the same word value.
A random function of especial interest to Dungeons and Dragons fans, is
incorporated by the implementation of a CHANCE command.
It is also possible to use up to 64 flags for situations that can
occur during the playing of the game.
They are simply variables that control situations and objects, such
as whether or not a room is lit or how many objects a player is carry-
ing.
THE QUILL allows a maximum of 253 locations and about the same number
of objects and messages, so it is possible to create a lengthy ad-
venture.
However, if you go for large amounts of text, you will find that mem-
ory limitations will affect the size of your adventure.
It is possible to save your creation in two ways, either as a data-
base - in which case you can load it back in and test it at a future
time, or as a completed adventure in which case the interpreter is saved
as well.
When saved as a completed adventure it will run independently of THE
QUILL and Gilsoft have no objection to you marketing it provided you
credit them with having used THE QUILL to produce it.
It is an absolute godsend to people who have the imagination, but not
the programming ability, to create adventures. I simply cannot recommend
it highly enough.
Documentation ................... 8
Ease of use ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: THRUST (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk, 3.5" ADFS
Disk)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: SUPERIOR SOFTWARE, Regent House, Skinner Lane, Leeds
LS7 1AX. Tel: 0532 459453
REMEMBER the days when Space Invaders were king, and the buzz which went
round the arcades when Galaxians appeared? If you do then you must buy
yourself a copy of THRUST from Superior Software. Loading up THRUST was
like discovering an old master in the attic.
Your spacecraft and all buildings and gun emplacements are displayed
as high resolution line drawings.
The game is played as a series of missions of increasing complexity.
In the first one the drive unit is on the planet's surface, along with a
fuel dump, gun emplacement and nuclear reactor. In subsequent missions,
the drive will be located in underground caverns.
Fuel can be taken on board by hovering over the dump and activating
the tractor beam. Hovering is achieved by pointing the ship away from
the planet and using short bursts of thrust to counter the effects of
gravity.
The gun emplacements are deadly accurate but can be taken out by a
single shot. Firing at the nuclear reactor will halt the operation of
the guns for a short while.
Having located the drive unit, the tractor beam can be used to tow it
behind your ship, and this is where the fun really begins.
The programmer must be either an ace physicist or an articulated
lorry driver, because the drive unit hangs beneath the ship like a pen-
dulum attached to a fixed point on the ship by a solid bar.
Each movement of your craft will cause a realistic movement of the
pendulum. As a pilot you must fly as smoothly as possible, counteracting
every swing of the drive unit.
Should the swing become uncontrollable you will surely be dragged
into a cavern wall.
The mission is completed by towing the drive unit into space and
jumping into hyper space. As with every good arcade game, there is an
opportunity for the arcade aces among you to earn big bonus points.
Having emerged from the cavern with drive unit in tow you can fire on
the reactor until it goes critical, at which point you have five seconds
to make your hyper-space jump. This feat of bravado will earn you an
additional 2000 points.
THRUST is a classic game, a game at which the natural games player
will excel. This is a definite contender for my game of 1986.
Sound ........................... 8
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability .................... 10
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ........................ 10
John Revis
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11
Product: TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London, W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666.
THIS is a graphics adventure with 175 locations each portrayed in full
colour. The program is by no means new, in fact it has been around for
years, but the novelty lies in the price - just 2.99!
In traditional adventure style, you play a treasure seeker, in this
case aiming to score 1024 points. Your journey takes you through for-
ests, over and under mountains braving deserts and ravines. You will
encounter elves and dwarves, dragons and witches, and droves of rather
nasty guards and gorillas.
TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY is not one of those adventures where you must
spend three weeks pondering how to escape from the first location. In
fact about 100 of the sites are easily accessible by the usual direction
commands.
You'll have no problem finding the lamp which you will need for the
tunnels, or a bag for carrying things. If you do get a bit stuck then
typing HELP lists all the verbs you can use.
Some of the other travellers you meet are a nuisance, not only to
your quest, but also to the smooth flow of the game. Some can be help-
ful, but if in doubt, check your own strength and indulge in a little
violence. The best cures for weakness are waiting around or swimming in
Watersmeet.
One techincal feature of the game is seriously amiss. With a Plus 4
fitted, the save game feature doesn't work. The most annoying part is
that without a saved position there is no re-start option, so you have
re-load the entire game. Even when it does work, saving a game is a
long, long process.
Despite its shortcomings, I like this game. It has an interesting
atmosphere and it straightforward to map. TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY is a real
bargain, and is one adventure I am determined to solve.
Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ...................... 7
Frustration Factor .............. 6
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12
Product: U.S. DRAG RACING (Tape)
Price: 6.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear
NE21 4TE. Tel: 091-414 4611
THE scene is the Clifton Center, Arizona. Your dragster is ready on the
track and so is that of your opponent Pete Piston. Out comes the track
marshall who waves you forward. Your support team of mechanics gives you
the required push and Pete's crew does the same for him. Then comes the
instruction to start engines. You build up the revs, slip her into gear
and you're off, hurtling down the track in hot pursuit of Pete.
Your aim is to beat Pete to the winning post one quarter of a mile
down the track. Success will up your rating from novice to rookie and
you can then try your skill against Tex Turbo.
Beat him and you become a pro and face Clint Clutch, and then on to
Sam Servo who is demonically fast. If you get past him, you're a faster
driver than me.
Your accelerator pedal consists of the greater than and less than
keys. These must be hit alternately as fast as you can. The Spacebar
serves as the gear change and so far as I can discover you can only
change up through the gears.
If you go into top gear too early, the car's lack of torque will mean
a loss of acceleration and certain defeat. It all means that you need
not only two really nitty fingers, but also a good sense of timing.
As is so often the case in this type of game, both cars stay still
and together in the centre of tje screen while the background, in this
case white lines, scrolls past.
The display gives no indication of who is winning, which means it is
essential to read the distance indicators as well as your rev counter
and speedometer. It's a game that will keep your eyes and fingers busy.
Sadly, winning a single race may not be enough. You take part in
three races against each opponent and you only win if your fastest time
is better than his. I developed a policy of really going for it in the
first race and sauntering through the other two to give my fingers a
rest.
The graphics are neat and tidy, as they should be with so little on-
screen movement. My favourite feature is the parachute that slows you
down at the end of the race. The sound gives you a good idea of the
speed you're travelling, but is rather unimaginative.
My main concern is that this type of game is bad for keyboards. My
Plus 1 joystick interface didn't work with it, so it is almost imposs-
ible to avoid hammering the poor keys. If you are prepared to risk it,
U.S. DRAG RACING will get the adrenalin pumping as you desperately try
to beat the opposition.
Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 6
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1
Product: VINDALOO
Price: 7.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear
NE21 4TE. Tel: 091-414 4611
HOW on earth can you make a game out of a curry? The clue lies in the
last three letters of the title, and your aim is to become "flushed"
with success.
The storyline concerns Raj, who runs an Indian take-away, but has
eaten one curry too many and is now in urgent need of relief. The vital
facility he requires is deep in the cellar under the shop and your job
is to guide him to it.
Finding the route is not too difficult. You start at the top of each
screen and work your way to the bottom. Your controls are just left and
right - you fall from one floor to the next.
To make the journey you have to cross bridges which vanish quickly
and, in some cases, unpredictably. You also have to cope with lifts. You
can fall on to them while they are moving downwards, but you will lose a
life if you fall on to a lift which is rising to meet you.
Apart from having to judge the moving platforms, you have to steer
Raj through collections of animals that bounce up and down on elastic
threads. Fortunately, they move in a well-ordered manner and you soon
learn how to avoid them.
If you load the game but don't start playing it straight away you'll
get a display of the twenty rooms in turn. It is well worth the time
looking through all of the screens so that you can learn the hazards
before you are plunged into them.
You will also be able to enjoy the good quality scenery, the pleasing
plinky-plonk sounds and the humour in the room names.
VINDALOO is a nice idea and most of the programming is good, but
playing it proved something of a disappointment.
It could be that Raj, who looks like an Egyptian mummy with a ruck-
sack, flickers horribly, or it could be that the dissolving pathways
just have me beat. Or perhaps it is that the whole game is too slow -
Raj moves at the right speed, but you have to spend too long waiting for
the bridges, lifts or elasticated animals to be in the correct places.
Whatever it is, Tynesoft's VINDALOO is not for me.
Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 3
Overall ......................... 5
Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1
Product: WHAT'S EEYORE'S
Price: 5.95
Supplier: MAGUS, 4 Toronto Close, Durrington, Worthing, West Sussex
BN13 2TD. Tel: 0903 67609
EEYORE'S tail has gone missing again and his mournful looks are making
everyone miserable. In desperation, King Golly is offering the hand of
his daughter in marriage to the toy that can re-unite Eeyore with his
tail. As Joe, on of the GIs (Golly's Infantry) at the palace you decide
to try your luck.
If you think this scenario means that the game is for kids, think
again, for this is the most ingenious and original adventure that I have
seen for a long time.
You begin outside Golly's Palace, near the town of Robard's Sun (get
the pun). A quick exploration of your initial surroundings will reveal
that most of the locations you visit are made of one or another kind of
sweet. I did try to eat my way through, but without much success.
It won't take you long to realise that the problems you find aren't
going to be solved by using lateral thinking - as Magus themselves say:
"You have to think illogically to get anywhere".
The solution to one obstacle is fairly obvious. To get on to the
motorway you will need a car. You'll discover one in Noddy's garage -
but you won't find it easy to use.
While the program offers no help other than a list of verbs recognis-
ed, there are clues to be found within the game. Waking King Golly will
get the response "Golly stirs and mutters...the giant's notebook".
A
clue? I'll leave you to find that out for yourself.
The soldier in the Pretty Maid's house will offer to help you if you
do and find his musket, fife and drum. I'm still looking.
I have to admit that I am struggling with this adventure. The scenar-
io is so innovative that I am still trying to adjust to it. The adven-
ture is also wickedly funny. Virtually every object, and most of the
locations, form the basis for some kind of fun.
An exceptionally good adventure that is ingenious, imaginative and
funny. An absolute must.
Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ....................... 10
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9
Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10