B SQUAD

A Crusade In Space

My first experience of an ST turn-based strategy game was with Sabre Team. I loved it, and it was one of those moments I wondered why I had spent my life 'avoiding' such games. Sure, I didn’t initially grasp the concept, but once I realised it wasn’t a run-and-gunner, I loved it. Games like this eat away the hours in the best way possible. I enjoy the careful pace, the planning, and the risk involved with every decision.

I suppose I've become a fan of turn-based games now. How did that happen?

B Squad was released in 1996 by Richard Hansell and has elements suspiciously similar to Space Crusade. So if you enjoyed that (stupendous) game, then I reckon you're gonna be head over heels about this one! However, please note this is the demo version and, with a heavy heart, I expect the full version wasn't released. Possibly because few people registered so late in the ST's life? If it had been released a few years earlier, I imagine it would have been a hit(££) like so many other PD/Shareware games within our library.

Before we begin, let's take a look at the first screenshot of my A-Team in action...

As you can see, the user interface is minimal, but incredibly effective.
(iPhone screenshots for this review rather than from Hatari)

User Interface

The story takes us into deep space as our ship docks with another that is (wait for it) infested with aliens! Of course, it is. And their queen has even taken control of the ship’s computers, preventing us from accessing the terminals, which means she also controls the AI droids. The good news is that we're not alone and part of a team of six military soldiers armed, who obviously have never seen any of the Alien movies.

When you first boot up B Squad, you're thrown into the start of a new game without so much of an intro or title music. The user interface is displayed alongside the main gameplay window and features our team and action buttons. Immediately, I'm impressed by this, as there is nothing worse than a chaotic screen of buttons offering functions that could easily have been simplified, as I found with (albeit excellent) Bio Hazard.

• To the right is our team that shows their name, health, and action points (you can right-click on any to view stats and information that will help with weapons, and more).
• Underneath are the movement arrows with the option to centre the gameplay screen around that particular character. These also scroll the gameplay window to.
• The button with the little squares is a map of the ship. Use this!
• To the right of the map is the button to execute commands.
• Next to the funky image (of your currently selected) soldier carrying his gun is a "?". This is used to describe the surrounding area of any soldier (similar to Temple of Apshai).
• Now you have two more boxes that are blank until attacking - the top one informs you of the chance of hitting the enemy (the calculation is based on distance, location, and weaponry). The lower one displays their chances of defence, and feels more like the expected dice roll.
• Finally, there is a button on the left side of the (erm) left arrow. Use that to end your turn.

See, it takes longer to read that than it does to understand. Let's see another screenshot...

We're inside the lift, which offers access to even more rooms to kill the beasts!

Let's play!

We're in control of six soldiers that we command in turn. Their efforts are executed using "action points" for walking/shooting. Being turn-based, the order of play is Your Turn - ST/Alien Turn - Random Events (before looping back to you again). The random events are a curious addition that works well; they might be something like jammed doorways or lifts failing, but could also be something irritating, such as random teleportation, or an explosion on a lower deck (which always seems to be where your soldiers are standing!).

Getting around is brilliantly easy using a grid layout for soldiers, enemies, and objects. Just select the soldier, and the screen changes to show all possible tiles that can be reached within the turn. Unlike in Space Crusade, walking doesn't need to be performed in one go, as you can move again later. This means you could move, shoot, and leggit (depending on how many action points remain). It's also worth noting that our soldiers need to walk around the team members during this action; you can't merely stride over a taken tile.

Each man (and two women) has their own skills and strengths, which should be taken into account before arming or positioning. Each person is different; for example, Hooper has tremendous strength, so I have him take point. Roxy has high agility with increased movements for each turn. Dorian is expendable, but he is good at chucking grenades. Also, this approach applies to the cargo boxes you find along your travels - inside are grenades, scanners, health packs, or better weapons like flamethrowers, assault rifles, and more.

Remember, check the character's stats. Put the right weapons in the right hands...

• Roxy is an ex-pirate and is best with an assault rifle (found near the start).
• Dorian is someone I'm wondering why he's here. A poet, no less, and with poor combat skills. Great.
• Julius is one of my favourite soldiers and is great with an assault rifle and grenades.
• Hooper is great with a flamethrower.
• Tobias is a good all-rounder who is neither rubbish nor excellent. Although if you find a plasma device, then he's your man. Powerful stuff that fwiw.
• Tallis is a great soldier and skilled with a Needle Gun.

The ship is split into three levels that you access using the elevator (lift!). The current level is free of the Alien Queen, but she has Grubs and Droids roaming the corridors, so it isn't long before you bump into something. There aren't many different enemies to contend with, but they are plentiful in number...

• Grubs are like a blob filled with explosive gas, so don't let it get too close!
• Droids are, just as you would expect. And they are armed to the teeth.
• Nest Warriors are extremely vicious, breathing fire that can affect multiple soldiers who are close together.
• Look out for Turrets later on, they're being controlled by the Queen, and they fire a powerful laser.
• Mines are something to obviously avoid. You may need to shoot some to create a pathway.
• The Nest Queen doesn't move, but it spawns Grubs through four tentacles. She is very strong and has bad breath, so beware! Beat her, and you've won the game.

It's worthwhile exploring everywhere on the current level before deciding to use the lift and venture deeper into the ship. My tip would be to head northwest of your starting location, as many decent weapons are waiting to be taken. And you won't stand a chance against the queen unless you are equipped properly!

Let's see another iPhone shot of my ST's screen in all its fuzzy glory...

The map might be a bit cramped, but it's helpful. Especially when locating members of your team

who were teleported elsewhere during the "Random Events". Can you spot the poor sod?

Aesthetics

The graphics are like an amateur Space Crusade, with a clean design that I love. Okay, I mean only the overhead part, as there is no funky-cool isometric display whenever the combat takes place. With that in mind, each part of the ship is distinct, and with a descriptive text that adds extra depth to your current location (think of Temple of Apshai). Likewise, the user interface is nothing short of legendary, with a clutter-free display. However, and this is my only quibble, I wish our six soldiers had more variety rather than all looking the same.

Interestingly, this game uses the Blitter, which positively affects general performance, especially when displaying new parts of the ship. So (yipee) play using an Atari STe if you can!

As for the audio, there is no music whatsoever, but we have DMA samples for shooting, explosions, cries, and (some) enemy movements. Sadly, our own men don't make a sound when walking. But, thinking about that, I'm sure they're in stealth and wouldn't want to give away their position... Hmm, I know, I know!

Right, it's time for a screenshot break with the Alien Queen spawning Grubs...

The "final" room with the Alien Queen. She's a beast of an opponent who spawns Grubs.

You shall note the computer-controlled turrets? Well, the Queen controls those, so beware!!

CryptO'pinion

I've thoroughly enjoyed playing through until the end (yes, without cheating!!). Most games I feature on my little-known website are deleted after reviewing, as I'm always on the go with something new to play and review. That won't be happening this time. B Squad is one of the best shareware games I've ever played. If you enjoy a tactical slog exploring a spaceship whilst hunting down the baddies, then this is for you. I've only defeated the Alien Queen once and lost two team members, but it's an incredibly tough mission! You won't get anywhere near beating it without exploring every inch of the ship to scrounge for new weapons/helpful items.

Surely I've got something to whinge about? Well, the soldiers could walk faster, and although there are loads of cargo boxes, there aren't enough health packs. My only real quibble is with the random events that occur after the computer has had its turn. That "Random Teleportation" sends one of your teammates to a distant part of the ship. ((Wow, what a whinger! I feel like slapping myself for that last whine because it happens so few times. At worst, it forces you to drop the plans you had to rethink and support that lone soldier))

B Squad is a legendary turn-based game and one I feel fortunate to have discovered (Richard, if I'd have known, I would have registered back in 1996). A terrific demo, and I can only dream what might have been with a full version. Quite literally one of the best games from the ST's homebrew library. Play this!!

• Atarimania has the download https://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-b-squad_30092.html.
• As the Blitter and DMA are used, B Squad is added to the Enhanced Games List!

I may have lost a couple of men, but I am victorious after killing the Alien Queen!!

It's an unfinished demo version, but I cannot deny how fantastic it is!!

AFL Pro Football

Time for another ad.

AFL Pro Football was released in 1996 by Brendan O'Brien and was originally planned for a commercial release. By that time, though, the idea wasn’t feasible, so Brendan released it as shareware instead. Hopefully, even in 1996, he picked up many registrations - which, if you keep reading, I think you’ll understand why.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about American Football. Zero. Zilch. Nada. So I’m hardly the best person to be writing this, so think of it more as a “news alert”, and a very late one! That said, I’m sure a few Americans stumble onto the nonsense I post here on AtariCrypt, so perhaps this will be of interest to them, and maybe a few curious “football” fans elsewhere.

From the start, gameplay settings can be altered to adjust match length, pitch type, and skill level. You can play with team rosters, although the demo sticks with the same two sides (not that I’d know the difference anyway). The AI is reportedly brilliant, but without knowing the rules, I couldn’t honestly tell you.

The graphics immediately impressed me with a choice of an overhead view and a spanky 3D perspective. The 3D look is incredible, though it does shrink the playing area - something you might not even notice until you try the overhead mode. While the overhead option is no slouch, I prefer the exceptional 3D visuals.

Hey, maybe someone from across the pond can explain this to me: why does American "football" involve so much, well, not playing? The endless standing around - timeouts, stoppages, adverts(!!), and something called a "huddle". Still, at least they are unlikely to get injured; half of the time, they are not moving!

From my admittedly clueless perspective, AFL Pro Football is slick and plays well, despite the sport's stop/starts! Sure, I don’t know my NFL from my elbow, but I can tell this is a classy game that's gonna appeal to fans big time. It’s just a shame we only have the demo; I fear the full version may be lost to time.

• Sadly, I only found the demo version, which is over at Atarimania.
• Into The Vertical Blank knows football and has a fascinating video you should enjoy!
• Yes, it's only for the Atari STe, so check out our list of other Enhanced Games.

The crowd are cheering as the teams rush on in next-gen 3D!

Something's going on here, no idea what!

The guy with the red marker is me, and moments later, I fell flat on my face.

Umm, something is incomplete. No idea what, though lol. What a game!!

The overhead mode has a bigger screen and feels more like an ST game now.

Right then, something's going on here. Yep, something...

The crowd look on in amazement as a goal still hasn't been scored!

Touchdown was made, and a goal was scored. Yippee, can I go home now?

R0x Zero

Blink and You’re Space Dust

Who remembers R0x, which was a peculiar game of scrape 'em? Yes, I just invented that genre! Anyhow, you couldn’t shoot a thing; instead, you brushed dangerously close to drifting rocks in deep space for points. I enjoyed that idea because I’m not often a fan of vertical shooters, preferring horizontal ones instead. Ironic for an Atari ST fella, right? Umm, maybe you should watch this video recording I made.

R0x Zero is its 2018 sequel; it changes the original format to a nonstop, frantic shooter inspired by Terry Cavanagh’s Self Destruct(PC). It's programmed by Tomchi in GFA BASIC, which is something that boggles my mind. It features a continuous level with no additional ones or bosses to contend with. It's a relentless onslaught of enemies trying to erase you from existence through randomly generated attack waves.

You’ll need an Atari STe with 1MB RAM and, oddly enough, a Jaguar controller. Those three buttons handle fire, shields, and nukes. It’s an arcade-like setup that makes total sense. And this isn’t STe-only for only that reason: R0x Zero makes full use of the Blitter, hardware scrolling, DMA audio, and enough extra colours to make your eyes jump out of your head with joy. Shame there’s no mouse option, though - I’d happily trade the Jagpad for the mouse, even if it meant reaching for the spacebar to nuke the screen.

This game isn't easy. Not even close! Your survival hinges on quick reactions and using the three meters displayed on the right side of the screen: Power, Shields, and Nukes. The key is to repeatedly collect the power-ups that appear after killing the enemies to keep these meters topped up. If you let Power drop too low, your guns fizzle into pea-shooters that can’t cope with the chaos. Shields help soak up bullet damage, and nukes give you a much-needed breather when things get overwhelming. Which happens a lot for me!

At the left of the screen, above your score, are 'chain' and 'multi': chain represents the successive hits you've made, so the better you are, the more your points are multiplied. The screen never gets a breather, and neither will you. The trick is to keep calm and hit everything - but keep topping up your power-ups when they appear. And if you see a power-up called 'X', then make a beeline for that above all others!

In essence, R0x Zero is about endurance and perseverance, whilst wishing you still had the physical reactions of a teenager. There’s no level progression, just a brutal test of how long you can last against never-ending waves of enemies. All whilst desperately managing your power-ups and pushing your multiplier to rack up your score. It’s an endless adrenaline trial to see how long you last and how high you can climb the ranks.

Good luck with this wonderfully outlandish shooter. You're gonna need all the luck you can muster!

• The download is available at Atarimania (for both hard drive and floppy).
• Demozoo features all credits with links to more of their work and more.
• R0x Zero goes straight into the enhanced Atari STe games list.
• Did you miss the original R0x? Better click that link then!
• For this feature, all screenshots were taken using emulation. Use real hardware!!

'Poor' lol. You must play using real hardware; emulation won't cut it!

Whack a Virus!

What, no mallet?

This game really shows how quickly time flies, as it was released in 2020, right in the middle of the global scamdemic. I don't know what's taken me so long to get around to playing this, but we are here now (finally). Well, this is a spin on the classic arcade game ‘Whack-a-Mole’, except here you’re hammering viruses instead of cheeky moles. This is a monochrome-only release for the Atari ST/e, Falcon, and TT by Janez Valant [Swe], featuring superb graphics by Mic and excellent music by Mathieu Stempell [DMA-SC].

Just like in the arcades, it’s simple but manic. The screen is divided into a 3×3 grid, each square mapped to the 1–9 keys on the pad. Viruses pop up randomly, and our job is to hit the right key before they slide back down. Not all squares are active at once, so you’re always adapting to shifting patterns of open spots.

Smacking a virus successfully boosts your energy, but every miss knocks a huge 20% off your bar - so don’t just mash the keys blindly hoping for the best. Thankfully, pills appear from time to time and can really help, sometimes even closing parts of the board so you’ve got fewer squares to worry about at once. Whatever you do, make sure to grab those pills! However, once your energy reaches zero, it’s game over.

This was a perfectly timed release; I can only apologise that it’s taken me ages to feature it. Whack a Virus is good fun, demanding fast reflexes and a sharp eye, especially on the tougher levels. Sure, it can get samey after a while, but as a quick, light-hearted blast, it's superb. I reckon your kids will love it too!!

• You should check out Swe’s excellent Atari Falcon puzzle, CAPY.
• Put your SM124 to great use with even more high-resolution games.
• Thanks to its Blitter and DMA support, this earns a spot on the enhanced gaming list.
• This feature is dedicated to Miesiu for being a massive Crypt fan!!

As the viruses appear, hit the relevant key (key 6 here)

Be quick, they don't hang around these damn bugs (key 2 here)

The high score table screen has many bugs showing up.

The Greetings Screen is pretty darn cool!

SidecarTridge Multi-Device

Multi-Device

Wow, how long has it been since I posted anything in our Hardware section? Well, my dry spell finally comes to an end as I've treated myself to a gadget that plugs into the side of any Atari ST. Yep, no case cutting or soldering needed at all. It's called the SidecarTridge Multi-Device and is based on the Raspberry Pi Pico, designed by Diego Parrilla. I won't pretend to know what that is because it's all black magic to me!

It has many uses, but the main use (for me) is booting floppy disk images as if a real floppy disk were inserted into the drive. Of course, there is much more to this tiny piece of hardware: it can also act as a GEMDOS drive (like in Hatari), features a real-time clock, supports an SD Card storage, and can connect to WiFi to download games and programs on the fly. There's even a USB port to power my Ultrasatan - how cool is that?

This little gadget fits snugly into the cartridge port, and from the moment of power on, you are presented with the option to activate it or boot as normal. Hitting the left shift key takes you into its menu, where you should complete the initial (one-off) configuration for WiFi access (and inverting the screen colours to prevent your eyes from exploding). It's also worthwhile to format an SD Card on your Mac/PC, with three folders...

• An "HD" folder is used by the Multidevice as an emulated hard drive, similar to how Hatari works (GEMDOS). Anything you store within here will be accessed as Drive C by your Atari.
• A "ROMS" folder is for any images you may have.
• Finally, the "FLOPPIES" folder is where you will keep any MSA/ST disk images.

Regardless of what you choose to store within the folders, there is the option to download games and more over WiFi. Yes, on the fly, which is pretty darn awesome!! Anyhow, once you've formatted that SD Card (as FAT16 or exFAT) and created the (above) folders, slide the card inside the device and reboot your ST.

As I mentioned, my primary reason for purchasing this device is to find a more convenient way to use floppy disks again. So, when you have configured WiFi, choose option 5 from the main menu to access a database of ST games. This gives access to thousands of disks by Automation, Medway Boys, and others. All can be downloaded and instantly used, without the faff of using a Mac/PC and manually copying them to the SD card. It’s much quicker, and beats my old method of converting an MSA/ST image back onto a real disk!!

This database is alphabetically listed, and you can filter by letter simply by hitting the relevant key (example: R for Rogue, X for Xenon, etc). Also, you can then use the left/right keys to "quickly" paginate through the list. Sadly, there is no actual search option, so if you wanted to play Dynamite Dux, that means you must wade through several pages listing games beginning with 'D'. That also includes loads of "doc" disks... Not ideal, but hardly the end of the world.

Okay, let's take a break to see the main menu and access the device's game database...

This is the main menu and, as you can see, it's dead easy to use.

Option 5 presents a massive database of programs to download via WiFi.

Compatibility?

I have tested Multi-Device on five Atari computers...

• 520 STM 512Kb TOS 1.00 - I had trouble getting the ST to recognise the cartridge. I had to reboot the device a few times before it worked. Thankfully, things improved afterwards, and I was able to load most disks. Sadly, some still fail, possibly because of the limited RAM or the TOS version.
• 520 STM 1MB TOS 1.02 - Similar to the above, but with much better success thanks to a couple of extra reboots at initial power on. Sadly, it often crashed in the menu with many bombs!! I fear that might be the cartridge port, which felt quite slack. I need to repair this ASAP :(
• 1040 STF 1MB TOS 1.02 - Worked perfectly with floppy images downloaded via WiFi or via the SD Card. However, I was concerned about how reliable TOS would be when used as a 'hard drive'.
• 520 STe 4MB TOS 1.62 - The best of the bunch and remains the computer on my desk. It works like a dream and is fast and responsive when running through different menus/etc/etc.
• Mega STe 4MB TOS 2.02 - Performed perfectly well, just like the stock STe, except that TOS 2 has an annoying feature to keep testing the RAM, which becomes irritating when using the Multi-Device. Nothing major, just my personal feeling, as everything else worked well.

Of course, the compatibility isn't just about the hardware alone. We want this thing to play ST games, watch demos, listen to music, view art, read disk mags, and do everything we did back in the day. Sadly, things get a little sketchy, and I had mixed results. Browsing the games over wifi delivers an enormous list, by many crackers. It's huge, but I'm sure it could be even bigger when you consider 95% of crews aren't included (just look at Atari Legend to see what I mean). I hope Diego finds some way to include more from other archives.

Many disks worked great, but some didn't, as they weirdly still attempted to access the hardware directly. So, rather than loading data from within the virtual drive within the Multi-Device, you will instead hear the floppy drive spin up. These disks are the ones that won't work, no matter what I try. Of course, if one crew's disk fails, you can always source another, as numerous games are listed more than once.

Generally speaking, Automation disks are a safe choice and work about 90% of the time. Some disks still fail as they attempt to access the real floppy disk drive, for example, Rick Dangerous II on disk #362. Thankfully, the SidecarTridge lists many games multiple times, and Rick Dangerous also appears on Flame of Finland #49, and that works a treat. Also, Terry's Big Adventure is featured on three different crews' disks - it's fine with the Automation and Pompey Pirates disks, but the Medway Boys let us down. It's not all bad news, as Dan Dare III appears on Pompey, FOF, and Automation, and works flawlessly on all.

Sadly, some games fail no matter which crew you choose to try: Golden Axe as both the Pompey Pirates and the Automation disks attempt to access the floppy, which results in BOMBS. Also, Fire & Forget II has the same crashes from both the Automation and FOF versions. So disappointing :(

Of course, some games that fail are listed only once: Alien Storm (D-Bug), Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Pompey), Lemmings II (Adrenalin), Chaos Engine (D-Bug). However, many work a treat: Sabre Team (Superior), Galaxy Force (Automation), Ballzone (D-Bug), Warlock The Avenger (Medway), War In The Gulf (Adrenalin), Hero Quest (Superior), Moonfall (Cynix), Z-Out (Pompey), etc/etc. This means you should manually download another crew's disk from Atari Legend and manually copy it over to the SD Card to playtest.

Additionally, games on two disks cannot be played unless you download the disk images and mount them manually (using menu option 3). It's not a big deal downloading two disks, but it is a bit of a faff. Of course, the game itself still needs to support Drive B, which is often another issue altogether!! ie, Domark's F1, Cannon Fodder, Cadaver, Ghostbusters II, Magic Boy, and others do not recognise the virtual Drive B.

This has been a lot of work, but somebody's got to do it lol. Hey, it's screenshot time...

Option 3 displays all the floppy images I've copied onto the SD Card.

If you have some hard drive-adapted games, then option 4 is for you!

CryptO'pinion

The Multi-Device is a marvellous piece of kit and only costs around £40 incl. postage. Incredible value for money when you think about it. This offers us a wealth of functions without much initial configuration. So it's a matter of simply powering on and pressing the Left Shift key to begin. It's that simple. And having access to loads of ROMS and floppy disks via the WiFi is a killer feature! Thankfully, no internal soldering or case cutting is required, which is ideal for people like me who are dangerously inept at that sort of thing!

Once again, I know this is a "multi-device", but my main reason for buying this is to access floppy disks, mainly menu disks. I cannot tell you the joy I feel in easily flipping between disk images. It can mount anything (ST/MSA format), which means you could download everything from magazine cover disks to PD Disks to Menu disks and relive the 1990s, which is absolutely amazing!! However, it's not perfect as I've previously mentioned. Plus, the menu is missing a few basic features, like an option to delete unwanted MSA/ST images.

Of course, the device provides those alluring extra features - mounting ROM images and having an alternative type of hard drive are interesting. However, I have my Ultrasatan, which is better than any GEMDOS/GEMDRIVE. Again, I bought the MultiDevice to use ST floppy disks. Have I mentioned that already? :-)

This is a fabulous piece of hardware, which has provided me with the opportunity to relive my cracker days and enjoy menus. No more impaired emulation, or converting disk images into real floppies, whilst hoping that the disk is free of bad sectors. Yup, I cannot recommend this device enough: it's easy to install/setup and provides access to squillions of menu disks with more games than you can shake a stick at. Marvellous.

• SidecarTridge's Mult-Device is awesome, so click here to buy one yourself.
• They have loads of other cool gadgets you'll love right here.
• Why not follow Diego's ST passion over on X/Twitter!!
• Check out my 'Hardware' section for other goodies I've bought.

Lethal Xcess

Play fast, die faster

Certain games, I am never going to bother reviewing here on AtariCrypt because everyone already knows them. For example, Eclipse's amazingly sadistic shooter, which is the 1991 sequel to Wings of Death. So, instead, I've created a gameplay video to showcase the levels (I tried to last as long as possible without dying!). Okay, I know that there are already squillions of video recordings out there, but I feel I must add my own. Plus, this gives me the perfect opportunity to add Lethal Xcess to this ever-growing list of enhanced games.

If, like me, you are struggling to successfully play this zappy shooter, then check out my previous page for Wings of Death (linked below). Many of its gameplay tips apply here, and it's not always a case of rushing to collect every power-up dropped by these ferocious enemies! Switching weapon types will only get you into trouble - so I stick to the same weapon and upgrade it rather than switching to something else.

Grab a coffee, sit back, and watch my talented gameplay video before clicking on these links...

• Floppy disks are best sourced from Atari Legend, and I used Fuzion #128.
• Both PP and D-Bug have hard drive installable versions.
• Hey, check out my Enhanced games list for the Atari STe :)
• The original Wings Of Death is slightly easier and definitely worth playing!

The first level is a killer, and here I am - dying!!

The second stage feels easier, but, oddly enough, I still die.

The difficulty cranks up for the third stage, and it looks rather Xenon'y too!

Guess what? Yep, that's right, the fourth stage is rock hard.

Call me daft, but the fifth stage is less painful compared to the others. I still died.

Using the cheat on Fuzion #128 allowed me to finally watch the end sequence.

Enhanced games

Baker's Dozen

I have picked out thirteen random games, each varying in style and (ahem) overall quality, but all sharing one interesting thing in common. Can you guess what that is? That’s right - each game has been STe-enhanced in some particular way. So, let’s crack on and see exactly which ones made the cut...

Crime Time is an adventure with a superb intro and quirky graphics (which I love). Sadly, it’s all in German, though apparently there’s an English version floating around somewhere. Maybe someone knows where to find a download? I’d love to explore more of this game. It features DMA sound and takes advantage of the colours. Download is available at Atari FTP Archive.

Esprit was created by the Bolo folk over at ASH, and is the predecessor to Oxyd, boasting 100 passworded levels. You guide a ball through a world ruled by physical forces like acceleration. Touching a stone reveals a hidden symbol, and matching two identical symbols in succession locks them in place. Once all stones are locked, the level is complete. In short, it’s "Memory", only with marbles and momentum. Interestingly, this might be the first game to feature DMA sound. Or at least, the first monochrome game to do so? Downloads are available at Atarimania.

H-Mec really should have been featured years ago, as it’s a brilliant twist on the classic Pac-Man formula. Much like in its sequel, it may look like the same game, but the ghosts’ AI behaves in completely different. It's quite unexpected, turning it into a deadly, game of chase. I actually interviewed the author, Jon Garry, a while back - you should definitely give that a read. H-Mec is superb: slick, smooth, and packed with excellent sound effects, all thanks to the hardware scrolling, Blitter magic, and DMA audio. Downloads are available from Atarimania.

Kittypuk is something completely silly, and definitely unexpected! Imagine if Atari had released Pong, but instead of batting a ball, you shoot a cat. It’s bonkers, yet a cruel form of entertainment you just can’t deny yourself!! The DMA sound effects are brilliantly funny, and it’s worth firing this up for one or two hilarious games. Downloads are available at AtariUpToDate.

Landmine is a good spin on Minesweeper and runs in GEM, which means it uses the Blitter by default and also features DMA sounds to boot. Download is available at Atari FTP Archive.

Paragliding is a terrible game, but at least they added DMA audio, I guess. What was Loriciel thinking? Yeah, I can't believe it's one of their games. I really wouldn't bother unless you're totally mind-numbingly braindead. Download is available at Atari FTP Archive.

Stone Age is a puzzler with gorgeous aesthetics and devilishly challenging mechanics. I know plenty of people who adore this game, and I can see why. Sadly, it’s just a bit too taxing for my pathetic little brain, ugh!! Enhanced with outstanding DMA audio and a splash of extra colours, it’s a real treat for those who can handle the stress. Grab the download at Atarimania.

Stupid Balloon Game is by Ed Cleveland (yes, the Donkey Island guy!!), is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from its title. It’s a terrible game. Sorry, Ed - but at least you had the decency to make it Blitter-powered with a dash of DMA audio. Downloads are available at Atarimania.

Styx II is (sigh) yet another Tetris clone, as if we didn't have enough already. Must admit though, it's pretty good with smooth Blitter movement and DMA sounds. If you haven't had enough Tetris in your disappointing life, then the download is available at AtariUpToDate.

Walz is a twist on Breakout, as if we didn't have enough (wow, Mr Grumps). Well, here is another, and it apparently uses the Blitter and features DMA sounds. It is good, but not if you have Arkanoid on the hard drive! Downloads are available at Atarimania and Atari FTP Archive.

Worm Race transforms you into... a line! A line that loves to race around a track similar to Super Sprint. No, it's nothing close to that classic, and is only worthwhile playing as a multiplayer game. Uses the DMA for its cool sounds, and the download is available at Atari Legend.

Wrecking Ball is still in development(?) and looking rather promising, although yet another Breakout variation! I hope he continues, as the current release is enjoyable, albeit with incomplete bat physics. DMA is used for the sounds, and the download link is listed at Atari Legend.

Zuffers is one of those headache-inducing puzzlers. I like the concept, but it's nothing new really. My brain hated it, but my ears loved the DMA audio. Downloads are available at Atarimania.

That’s quite a mix of very different games. Some are definitely worth playing, others… not so much. But, each to their own, right? So why did I round up this motley little bunch? Simple - it was fun, and I wanted to add them to our ever-growing Enhanced Games list. Have you had a look at that yet? You really should :)

I hope you enjoyed this feature. Stay enhanced... STay Atari STe!!

Crime Time is only good if you speak the language!

If you're good at Memory, then you'll love this one.

Why no H-Mec screenshot? Because I love its boot piccy!

Pong with guns. Shoot the cat!!

Landmine is so tough. Then again, I'm hopeless at these games.

This loading screen is the best part of the game!

Stone Age has some of the best music ever!!

Mr Cleveland has a lot to answer for...

Either I'm a bad player, or I simply couldn't be bothered?

Yet more blocks to break with Walz.

And the winner of the most boring screenshot ever is Worm Race!

I had to capture its title screen because it's soooo cool.

Zuffers has some freaky faces looking at you for help.