Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everyone!!

Okay, I needed an egg-related game for Easter, which usually means Dizzy or perhaps even Chuckie Egg 2 (Nah, I'll never play that terrible game again!). So, here is Heartland 2000 (originally released in 1996 by Tony Greenwood), later improved for the Atari STe by TOS-Crew with 50fps scrolling!!

That's right, the original Heartland was a fantastic game, but this improvement is something else! In fact, I also wonder if this is Dizzy's only outing on the Atari STe?

This is a cracking (sorry) platformer, but I admit that I struggled to grasp the sheer size of its map. This is a big game and something you either play properly or not at all - unless you enjoy running around just to see the smooth scrolling whilst listening to the DMA sound burping through the speakers? The older STfm guys get the same visuals, but the audio is now crisp YM-generated. Which I prefer, if I'm being honest.

Regardless of the computer, this is a great upgrade, and I enjoyed the graphics whizzing across my screen like silk that completes the experience. However, I wasn't so sure about the music as I prefer chip.

Let's take a look at the much-needed know-how of the keys you can smack during play...

• Move using the cursor keys: left & right
• space: jump (or use the joystick or JagPad)
• m: map
• r: show processor time left rasters
• s: toggle sample (STE, Falcon), sound chip, effects and no-sound
• Esc: quit the game
• c: to toggle between sizzy and sazzy
• h: toggle 50/60 Hz (ST, STE only), on 8 MHz machines

Okay, it might be the same game, and aesthetics never matter much, but I must admit, they sure are nice to have. TOS-Crew has taken a good game and made it even better with proper scrolling that slides across the monitor like never before. I think this will help you to enjoy Heartland more than ever.

This proves the power of the Atari ST when programmed by people who care. What a wonderful upgrade, and my congratulations to TOS-Crew for going the extra mile to improve an already excellent game!!

• Grab the floppies or a hard disk installable version, and I hope you have a great Easter †

Hey, what's Dizzy doing here in the land of whizzy scrolling!

Woo, this map is confusing at first. And boy, is this game big. Perhaps too big?