Power Drift

More Speed, Less CPU Strain

This is an arcade racer I’ve always loathed. I remember playing the ST conversion and instantly disliking it. Looking back, I reckon it was probably because the game was too ambitious for a 512KB 16-bit computer. I wouldn’t have thought that at the time, of course, but that’s how I translate my old memory.

Anyhow, the idea behind Power Drift is high-speed racing across a series of circuits suspended high above colourful landscapes. The aim is to guide your vehicle through demanding courses while battling both the clock and rival racers. Its arcade-style has exaggerated thrills, pushing reflexes to the limit.

Now, don’t take this for a review - it’s more of an excuse to add another game to my STe Enhanced section. Yes, AtariCrypt actually has a section dedicated to enhanced games! Bet you didn’t even know that, did you? Well, take a look to the right of any page, and you shall see a link to this list (it's a WIP).

Wait… Power Drift is STe enhanced? Well, yes and no. It uses the Blitter, which is present in every Atari STe. The standard ST is supported - if you were lucky enough to have one installed - like the Mega ST (I also believe late-model STfms had an empty socket waiting to be filled?). Okay, considering the game was released in 1989, I would have been using my older 520 STfm (without a Blitter). That would certainly explain my long-standing grudge against this racer, which I never bothered loading up again - until now!

Fast-forward many years, and I’m lucky enough to own both machines (though Hatari’s a decent option). So, booting it up on an ST without a Blitter, and the framerate is awful. Fire it up on an STe, and it’s a different story. The Blitter kicks in - probably handling the sprites - and the framerate feels much better. That might sound dramatic to some of the ST Nutters out there, but trust me, it makes all the difference.

If I'm honest, I only ever expected a small improvement. Something hardly noticeable because I still expected to be unimpressed by a rubbish port. Turns out, I was completely wrong! Power Drift is actually a blast, and I can’t believe I’ve spent decades ignoring it. Sure, it's not the best racer we have because it's far too ambitious for any 16-bit computer. But if you use an Atari STe, download this game and give it a whirl.

It's weird how an old game surprised me like this. Power Drift isn't a serious racer; rather, one to take lightly, but it's fun. Highly recommended, and I'm confident in rating it at 75% (50% without Blitter).

• Atari Legend has the best disk - Dodgysoft #75 https://www.atarilegend.com/games/power-drift
• 8BitChip has a version for hard drive https://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/powerdrf.html
• If you’re too lazy to glance right for more enhanced games, just hit this link right now https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/enhanced-games.html

Master those corners, and you have a cracking racer. Well, on an Atari STe!!

Phantasie - Day 4

Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy!

Hello and welcome to day four of my grand adventure through Phantasie I. If you’ve missed the previous entries, don’t worry - they are all available and neatly grouped together for easy catching up. Yeah, I know you want to click that link, and I'll wait here until you return. Okay, are you back yet? Then let's carry on...

To recap, it was Into The Vertical Blank that initially sparked my interest in this RPG. We began by exploring the bustling town of Pelnor to see what services it offered. Afterwards, we delved into the most crucial aspect of the game - combat! Today, I’m expanding on that by diving into the magical side of fighting.

This plays a pivotal role in Phantasie. In fact, you won’t get far without making use of spellcasters within a well-balanced team of different magical (and melee) players. I think it's fair to say that magic isn’t an optional extra in Phantasie - it’s an absolute necessity. Without it, your journey would be cut short rather quickly!

You have many options for race/class, but my approach involves a simple magical duo: a Priest and a Wizard. I decided to rely on two spellcasters to keep the whole team alive and kicking (although my range/melee characters have limited tricks up their sleeves as well, but it's nothing compared to a real spellcaster). Each brings something vital to the table, ensuring my party stays in top form whilst being aggressive.

There are two basic types of magic used in battle, passive and active. Each has its own benefits, and you soon begin to realise that the manual is a very good thing to have! There are a few exceptions, such as using a vision spell in the wilderness. So with all this in mind, let's take a peep at my two spellcasters...

The Priest

My Holy Man is the team's lifeline because his skills help keep us alive and prolong the fight. He is a genuine team player with healing and tactical spells instrumental in my survival. Hey, he's saved my bacon loads of times, and I doubt I’d have made it this far without his help. Here’s a breakdown of the spells he wields...

• Charm – Pacifies an enemy, making them easier to defeat.
• Awaken – Invaluable when ambushed, rousing any stunned or sleeping party members.
• Healing – Restores hit points to a selected character, an absolute must-have. Remember to upgrade this skill; otherwise, it becomes less effective later on.
• Protection – Strengthens defences to withstand incoming attacks (for each character). It's a passive skill that remains throughout the battle.
• Binding – Immobilises foes, effectively nailing their feet to the ground! Or their wings...
• Confusion – I prefer the priest to use this (and it's stackable) to muddle an enemy’s mind, making it difficult for them to fight/cast spells competently.
• Dispel Undead – Useful against skeletons and other undead horrors. Fantastic skill to have!

The Wizard

While the Priest helps to keep everyone standing, my Wizard takes a more direct approach to an encounter. He has an arsenal of spells and is never afraid to use them (when I'm in charge!). He can obliterate enemies with a range of devastating spells, but not all are offensive. Here are some of my favourites...

• Fireflash – A searing burst of light to scorch the enemy!! (Again, upgrade when possible.)
• Quickness – Enhances agility, improving attack speed and evasion. Quite weak until upgraded.
• Mindblast – Damage an enemy just by thinking about it. Not bad, but needs upgrading.
• Strength – Temporarily boosts a character’s muscles, making them hit like Schwarzenegger! Something to use early in a battle, I find.
• Flamebolt – Like the fireflash but not quite as powerful.
• Ninja – Enhances stealth, allowing for surprise attacks. Don't use it until you've upgraded.
• Fear – One to stack. Instils dread, making them run away. Probably.

With the risk of repeating myself, magic isn’t just useful - it’s essential. Of course, it’s not just what your spellcasters can do offensively; they can also counter enemy magic aimed at you. Trust me, when your melee fighters are affected by a Confusion spell and having trouble landing a hit, you’ll be glad to have a wizard on your side to tip the scales in your favour. And these things are what I love about Phantasie!

Well, that’s my quick look into the magical side of Phantasie - at least the spells I’ve tried so far. Don’t forget to spend your earned XP at the town’s guild to level up, aka train. This improves certain abilities and unlocks new spells to try out. The progression system is great, always pushing you to master more powerful magic and discover fresh spells. Training increases your MP (Magic Points), so you can cast more spells before needing a break. And speaking of breaks, be sure to stop by a town often to restock your resources.

This post is dedicated to my mate Paul Neiland, whom I've known for many moons (over three decades!). Thank you, my friend, for all your support of my little AtariCrypt venture :-)

Next time, we will look at scary, monster-infested, trap-ridden dungeons!! Until then, happy slaying!

Wizz is my, ahem, wizard. As you can see, I've made progress over the weeks.

Some of the spells my Wizard can use (with upgrades).

Some more spells my wizard loves to cast.

Charlie is my priest and is a helpful chap, albeit with a poor name.

Some of the spells my Priest is a master of.

Good'ol Charlie helps the team with a Binding spell.

Magicland Dizzy

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning

To celebrate the Easter holidays, I thought I should do something a little eggy (no, not that!). Yep, I've gone and mapped another game for my ever-increasing collection that I hope you check out. Magicland Dizzy can be found mapped elsewhere on the internet, but I wanted to make an official Atari ST version!

Originally released by Code Masters in 1991, it was developed by Derek Leigh-Gilchrist with graphics by Leigh Christian and music by Matthew Simmonds. Now, being a bit of an odd bod, I've never taken much time to properly play the ST's Dizzy games. So, I figured I should choose Magicland Dizzy because I started playing it a few years ago, but never finished. Not even close! So, here we are, and it's also fully mapped.

So what’s the story then? Well, Magicland’s fallen under the spell of a nasty evil wizard who’s gone and captured several of our deliciously nutritious friends - who are at serious risk of being fried, poached, and scrambled (well, they would be if I had anything to do with it lol!). But wait - the wizard clearly didn’t count on Dizzy’s puzzle-solving talents, because our little egg-on-legs hero plans to save the day!

This sounds like a cracking game. Well, let's see a helpful screenshot before we carry on...

The game has a fantastic intro showing off the basics of exploration and puzzle-solving.

Eggciting gameplay?

As you would expect, explore Magicland and tackle loads of ridiculous puzzles - some are straightforward, while others are irritatingly vague. Cracking these will help us rescue each of our friends and, in turn, take down the wizard himself. Let’s just hope Dizzy’s up to the task - especially with me in charge of the joystick.

Talking of joysticks, the controls are spot-on perfect as you wander around each screen looking for anything helpful. However, the only places this isn't so are the ones that had me leaping over water. One slight blunder and Dizzy is plunged into an immediate death (with a precious life lost). These parts are so finicky and annoying compared to all other rooms, which are perfectly designed. Yes, I ended up using a trainer!

Guiding our Easter egg through a charming fantasy world filled with quirky characters and oddball items is pretty brilliant. Well, to start with. You will soon find yourself scratching your head over most items; some are pretty obvious, as the game breaks you in gently, like using a key to unlock the castle door. Others are harder, like helping the witch and finding the dagger to free Denzil. Factor in having only three lives and (replenishable) energy drainage by touching anything nasty, and it soon becomes a tough challenge.

Sadly, many puzzles don’t make much logical sense (at least not to me!). Some problems are bizarre, and that situation worsens the further you venture. Magicland Dizzy goes beyond trial-and-error problem-solving and into the lands of guesswork and pure luck. Honestly, I would have never cracked the game without online help. That's something I'm not happy about, but impossible without. Especially when wanting to make a map!

I'm egghausted now! We need a little screenshot break...

I had to capture this screenshot simply because of its name!

The CryptO'pinion

I enjoyed Magicland Dizzy, but I struggle a lot - maybe I don’t get the logic behind each problem? Possibly, as I had a similar experience with Slightly Magic. Though, to be fair, that game felt more straightforward, with puzzles that actually followed some level of common sense. At the end of the day, Spikey in Transylvania still stands out as the best of the bunch (at least from the ones here on AtariCrypt). It managed to strike the right balance, offering puzzles that were not only clever but also genuinely fun and satisfying to solve.

Okay, I might be giving a negative opinion here? Well, I'm not saying Magicland Dizzy is a bad game. It's not. It's got loads of cool screens with silly puzzles that expert Dizzy fans will appreciate. The graphics are beautifully cartoon-like, and the audio features stunning chip music. However, what puts me off rating Magicland Dizzy as high as Spikey In Transylvania is the puzzles, which is the game when you think about it. I found many made little sense, and I would never have sussed 'em out without resorting to help.

Magicland Dizzy reminds me of my 8-bit days playing Stormbringer, which brought back many happy memories. Sadly, I had more fun playing the previously mentioned games than this one. Don't get me wrong; it's a good game, but there are better Dizzy-esque games. So I rate this an overcooked, hard-boiled 60%.

Not the result I was hoping for, but it's hardly a rotten egg. I hope you download and use the map. This game deserves your playtesting, so let me know what you guys think. Have a blessed Easter †

• Clickety Click to download the map in glorious hi-res https://www.dropbox.com/Magicland...
• D-Bug has a great version of Magicland Dizzy http://d-bug.mooo.com/mldizzy.zip
• Atari Legend has several floppies to choose from https://www.atarilegend.com/magicland-dizzy

An angry monkey is sitting in the trees, throwing rocks!

Falling down the well too soon is deadly, but check out the artwork for the mouse!

The areas around the witch have tricky jumps. I hated seeing that "Whoops" message!

The closing moments of the game, but who asked me to cast Zak's ring into the flames?

Oh dear, only a demon would wish to ruin Easter!

After defeating Zak, peace and harmony reign over the lands once again.

Dizzy gets to spend time with his freed family, and they make a yummy omelette.

This is a thumbnail of the game's map. The download link is above!!