The Story of Wizball II

First impressions

Wizkid was designed by Chris Yates of Sensible Software in 1992 for Ocean, and oddly enough, I’ve never actually played it. Which is strange, because I remember drooling over the magazine screenshots at the time, thinking the game looked incredible with its weird and wonderfully colourful levels. So what happened back then? I’ve no idea, but I figured 33 years was long enough to leave it sitting on the (virtual) shelf.

Now, I didn't read the instructions, and perhaps I should have, but the game feels instantly playable with a nice training camp and easy learning curve. Explaining the gameplay is tricky. Imagine Arkanoid, but instead of a bat, you’re a disembodied head flinging scenery at the baddies. It’s weird. No, it’s totally bizarre!

The first few screens are all about killing whatever critter happens to be nearby. To do this, you must break the objects so they fall or are thrown across the screen. Once the enemies are dead, you hoover up bubbles and... other stuff. Not quite sure why, something about a tune... I really should’ve read the manual.

Anyhow, next thing I know, I’m falling down a well that leads to a public toilet. I didn’t know what to do, but found and used a broken loo. This began flooding the place, floating me back to the surface. I told you this game is weird. Whether there was more to this section or not, I’ve no idea. Where did I put that manual...

Ignoring how silly the concept is, this is actually a straightforward game and more fun than you can shake a stick at. Flinging objects at baddies never gets old, and it’s all backed by some cracking chip music and comical graphics. Wizkid is zany, stupid, ridiculous, and I loved it a bunch. I need to play more now!!

• D-Bug has a cracking (sorry) download http://d-bug.mooo.com/patches/2008/wizkid.zip
• Check out 8BitChip's version for hard drive https://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/wizkid.html
• Atari Legend has menu disks for those who prefer floppy https://www.atarilegend.com/wizkid
• LemonAmiga has a load of cheats untested by me https://www.lemonamiga.com/cheats

FateMaster

Strange creatures with guns

Fate Master is a top-down RPG released by Animal Soft in 1992 and programmed by Floris Muller (remember Color Clash and the Gobblin & Piggy games?). We are Tsin-Fei on planet Tafoi, which is at war with the Swocki who have killed many Galluks. Weird names, but it's the usual storyline with puzzles and payback.

As Tsin-Fei, we have 20 hit points, plus stats for strength, speed, and defence. Our inventory includes a pistol, two grenades, and a V-potion (health). We begin in town looking for information and items that may help our quest for justice. Explore, but beware, some places have bizarre monsters whizzing about...

Contact with them results in an automatic battle that begins with two options: Attack & Escape (that rarely works). These battles are turn-based and conclude once someone dies. Successfully killing the enemy provides a cash reward you can use with traders to purchase better weapons and V-potions. The more cash you have, the better the weapons you can afford. I particularly like the very effective grenades and rockets.

Along the way, there are clues, hidden games, items (mostly pointless), and characters with information. Some might provide a hint to nudge in the right direction. You're unlikely to get lost as the levels aren't large and the puzzles are easy to suss. Just make sure you have a stockpile of V-Potions and a decent weapon.

Right then, I'm getting bored with all this chit-chat. Let's see a couple of screenshots...

I accidentally bumped into a spider and had to fight it to the death!

Most enemies appear to have (ahem) similar strengths.

The red splodge is a dead enemy and you can see my HP, stats/etc.
Killing enemies increases stats, but you will run out of HP (and cash) doing so.

Something's not quite right

It's time for a whinge. Have you ever played a game, but felt let down because something didn’t feel right? Something that makes you wonder what was going through the developer's mind. Well, I wasn't long into the first level before I noticed that "something". The concept of Fate Master is superb but spoilt by unfair mechanics. The idea is to battle/earn money, buy weapons, and progress deeper into the adventure. Simple.

However, the money earned by defeating monsters should be better when compared to the expensive shop prices. That difference is way off balance. So you're left deciding whether to buy a better weapon and hope you don't lose too much HP, or buy V-Potions. Rarely can you do both. It's a catch-22.

Not only that, but avoiding battles isn't always possible. Many rooms have no way to safely pass, so you are thrown into an unnecessary conflict. To make matters worse, the defeated won't stay dead and respawn fresh and healthy to do battle again! Yup, you're forced into (yet) another fight on your way back!

Also, I'm not sure this is an "RPG" as there is no sense of progression and my stats never seemed to affect performance. Basic character interaction is, well, very basic!! Also, all weapons -more or less- perform the same. Perhaps a lite RPG but I feel it's more of an action/adventure and its "RPG" aspects can be ignored.

Okay, I barely scraped through level one, but the unfair design made the second impossible - without cheating! Sigh, the cash rewards don't work, but maybe it would if monsters didn’t respawn? Anyhow, this mix of unfair rewards and endlessly respawning enemies kills the game’s potential. Disappointing.

I'm shocked Animalsoft made such an unfair game! Let's console ourselves with screenshots...

The rockets are great but expensive! He respawned so I had to fight him again :(
And yes, my HP is maxed at 20 because I am cheating!! I had no choice O_o

The stats for strength/etc don't appear to have any effect. Kinda odd, right?
The "escape" option rarely works. In fact, it only ever worked once or twice for me!

Aesthetics

Floris' visual styles use a cartoon design we all recognise. This design stands out a mile and looks great with its strange-looking characters. I loved the extra attention to detail, especially the blood! Each location is rather basic, but I liked the unnecessary clutter which is clean and functional using a quirky perspective.

The audio is lame because there isn't chip music to help keep us engrossed. In fact, we only have a few spot effects when something gets shot, blown up, or dies. Yeah, it desperately needed a chiptune.

This game isn't exactly impressing me, right? Let's wipe away my tears with more screenshots...

Blood and dead bodies were everywhere. Wait, I see a survivor hiding!
One of the more gruesome screens in the entire game.

The second stage is good but would have been better with more shops.
It's impossible to play, without a decent gun and lots of V-Potions in stock!

The CryptO'pinion

I absolutely loved the simplicity Fate Master presented when I began playing. It's easy to get around using smooth controls, the locations are no-frills but work well, the storyline is predictable yet interesting, and the monsters are humorously weird. I was hooked, so much so, that I began mapping it with vigour.

Sadly, my passion waned halfway through the first level. I simply didn't have many opportunities to upgrade both weaponry and V-Potions to compensate for the loss of my HP. Not to mention the fact I was pointlessly fighting some of the monsters for a second time. Hence, even more HP loss which made the game impossible. Now, add suspect collision detection and Houston, we have a problem. A misquote, but it applies!

At its heart, this could have been a great action/adventure. However, the cash situation is off balance by a mile, and the respawning enemies killed any chance the game had to redeem itself. Never have I been so disappointed by a game for many years. I shall rate Fate Master a depressing 25% which kills me to type.

• Atari Legend has the floppies and I recommend Neon Lights #15.
• Carry on scrolling for the hi-res level maps (others here).

Perhaps the most impressive room? Access to information, dynamite, and a freebie weapon.
However, try to exit this screen without coming into contact with an enemy. If you can!

Hidden games exist that provide a humorous and welcome break from the game!
You can find them all using the maps. Just keep on scrolling...

Level 1-3 Mapped

Firstly, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Peter Putnik for helping me with my gruesome project to map Fate Master. Sadly, the game appears to crash when fighting the "last" monster, as it cannot die. However, after playing and mapping three levels, I lost interest. Perhaps there is a fourth level; who knows/cares?

As always, these images are thumbnails so click here to download the high-res originals!

For the most part, level one was a hoot to play!

The second level is tiny, difficult, and without much-needed rewards.

The third level is possibly the "easiest" but without decent options to restock.

Invasion of the Mutant Caterpillars

Two Day Challenge

What a brilliant title for a "challenge" set by Atari ST User magazine in 1992. This game was developed by Darren Ithell to showcase the STOS 3D extension and was featured on their April cover disk. It’s a fairly simple game, somewhat reminiscent of Starglider, but with gameplay mechanics similar to Missile Command. The objective is straightforward - huge slabs of polygon caterpillars are hurtling towards the city. There isn't much time before they destroy us so shoot them down before they reach the city's (ahem) many buildings.

The game's framerate is surprisingly good - better than the official Battlezone, I would say. The controls are superb using a joystick, mouse, or cursor keys. Personally, I found that a combination of keyboard and mouse worked best. Optionally, the F1 key toggles between displaying ground terrain and a starlit sky, while the F2 key switches the rather tiny scanner on and off. It’s a handy feature, but why is it so small?

It’s always refreshing to play something different, and I enjoyed this for a few goes. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but considering it was developed in two days, that’s pretty impressive! I don’t know much about STOS, but I’m now tempted to track down more of its 3D games to see if the quality and speed improved over time. A modest shooter that came free with the magazine, it’s great fun and deserves at least a 70% rating.

• Grab it off D-Bug on menu disk #68E http://d-bug.mooo.com/menus.php?s=68&e=73

We begin each level near the "city" that needs our urgent help.

They're coming, use the radar scanner and hunt these caterpillars down!

Taken this screenshot purely for effect. Yes, I let the citizens of the city perish!

I shoot at one Battlezone style!!

A risky distant shot but he's too close not to try.

Credit: Atarimania for the online ST User magazine.

Yep, I even have this cover disk in my collection <geek>!!

Slightly Magic

Heavy on the Magick

Almost all ST users have played one of the Dizzy games. Code Masters had this type of puzzler nailed! Not all their games featured an egg and, like our favourite viking, this game also follows the same premise of collecting useful items to solve puzzles. This time we are a character called Slightly. What an odd name, eh?

Slightly Magic was developed by Colin Jones, a name you should remember from Rock Star Ate My Hamster? As storylines go, this one is weak but, long story short, Bigwiz is a wizard who unwittingly left us in charge. The goal is to rescue Princess Croak from a sunburnt dragon using magical spells scattered about the lands waiting to be found. Yep, you heard correctly, a dragon that's been in the sun for too long.

What medication was Colin on? Anyhow, let's have a peep at a couple of troubling screenshots...

When I first played, I struggled to jump onto the middle platform. So practice!

You will never get the metal pin from that side of the screen. Hey, don't get burnt...

Rescuing Princess Croak

Fans of Dizzy will instantly feel at home. Slightly can explore the rooms looking for helpful items the game's characters demand. That often grants passage to a different part of the map with more similar puzzles. Interestingly, some items are merged together to create spells - like a hearing spell for the deaf guards. Others scare ghosts, grant safe passage underwater, and enable us to fly like a wibbly-wobbly bird.

Getting around each room is a cinch albeit initially awkward because Slightly moves quickly. This made it difficult to master jumping which became apparent on the second screen. The room features a wide gap to leap, which I struggled with. Heed my advice and practice jumping here before continuing on.

Multiple items can be collected and hitting the fire button displays our inventory unless you're close to an item. The puzzles start easy; providing dragons with the correct buckets of water. Once their thirst is quenched, the game opens up with some rather obvious dilemmas to solve. For example, scissors to cut the string of a yoyo. A magnet that attracts a metal pin. It's hardly rocket science and kept me intrigued to the end.

Leap with joy because there are no time limits to ruin the experience. Also, the monsters will not instantly kill you. However, there is an energy meter that drains if you come into contact with them. Once depleted, you lose a life. It's now that you shall notice stars in most rooms. Collect them to replenish the energy.

In terms of places to explore, this game isn't very large. The puzzles give the illusion of a larger world, as you'll constantly experiment to figure out what works. There is much guesswork and lots of backtracking before you gather what goes where. An obvious mechanic for a game like this and I enjoyed it a lot.

However, there are some niggles with the map layout. It often makes no sense with many screens looping around without reason. I also noticed several rooms that lay on each other (the first is near the deaf guards). These abnormalities didn't make sense and caused me problems. So, I decided to map the game before I kicked the ST's monitor through the window!! You heard me, just keep scrolling to download that.

How about an image of a giant's bald head? Yeah, some puzzles make little sense, like this one...

An angry giant (with no body)? Well, I'd be angry being a bald severed head!

I never did figure out how to crawl and collect that star. Maybe a bug? Maybe it's me!

Aesthetics

Graphically, this game is gorgeous using cartoon styles any Dizzy fan will adore. The intro is fantastic with dancing dragons that you meet later. Each room features a comical theme I found joyful and cutesy, especially on the underwater stage. Slightly has a peculiar walk that looks odd but his movement is smooth and graceful. The enemy's motions are also ultra-smooth with humorous detail; I liked the sinister Cheshire Cat, the menacing ghosts, and the wibbly Octopuses. However, the two guards are my personal favourite!

It’s safe to say that Keith Ross created exceptional artwork but some areas left me wondering what drugs he could have been on. For example, the giant's head doesn't fit the rest of the game and feels like a late addition. The ugliest graphic is ironically on the most beautiful level - a witch that looks like I drew her!

Thankfully, the audio follows a constant level of awesomeness. There are no effects but wonderful chip music by Allister Brimble plays throughout. It's a lovely tune that blends into the background perfectly.

Let's take one final break before the gripping conclusion I know you're eager to read...

Ghosts'n Goblins vibes with a sinister cat lurking in the trees. Lovely graphics!

Absolutely killer artwork. Animated too. I loved this amazing logo.

CryptO'pinion

Slightly Magic will appeal to fans of the genre. I had a bunch of fun - feeding water to dragons, exploring a spooky forest, and rescuing the princess from the sunburnt dragon. Who thinks of these stories?

Unfortunately, many of the puzzles lack consistency, being either too easy or overly obscure. Other parts are rubbish, like riding tiny bubbles to reach higher platforms - quite difficult and badly conceived. Of course, I got through all these troublesome areas because I was having fun with the adventure.

I can't say it's Code Masters' best effort but I enjoyed it (nearly) as much as Spikey in Transylvania. A challenging puzzler without the refinement of Dizzy but worth playing. My rating is a respectable 70%.

+ Great floppy disk options at Atari Legend https://www.atarilegend.com/games/slightly-magic

+ 8BitChip has adapted a cool version for hard drives https://atari.8bitchip.info/ASTGA/S/slightm.php

+ Gears Of Games has a good channel but wasn't quite as impressed ;) https://youtu.be/...

As always, this image is a thumbnail so click here to download the high-res original.

Motörhead

Bambi

I was a kid the first time I heard Motorhead, thanks to watching The Young Ones. That sound blew me away as I'd never heard anything like it, and I've been a fan since. It's superb to see Lemmy (RIP†) making his way onto the Atari ST thanks to Virgin Games in 1992. Yet this isn't an Atari ST game I remember playing.

The story doesn't matter for a game like this, but Motorhead band members have been captured and imprisoned. As Lemmy, we must clobber loads of enemies before attempting a rescue. Typically, they're all trapped in different musical locations, the first being Rapland. Well, if you think rap is actually music...

Anyhow, Motorhead is a beat 'em up not unlike Golden Axe. Richard Costello's name appears in the credits to explain that mystery. Additionally, the credits also show Colin Dooley, aka Fungus T. Bogeyman. He programmed two other Atari ST games I thoroughly enjoy - Masters of the Universe and H.A.T.E. Nevertheless, I remember him for very different reasons: Star Wars/Rap. An ancient demo that blew my socks off!!

In light of that personal revelation, we need a bunch of screenshots from Rapland...

Nothing better than smashing in someone's teeth!

At the end of each level, a captured friend requires rescuing.

Each level ends with us racing down the road to collect goodies!

Before the subsequent level begins, we have a (different) bonus round.

Hit 'em all, hard!

Motorhead starts with Lemmy walking onto the stage to blast out guitar riffs YM2149-style. At first, I was disappointed because I expected a short loop of Ace Of Spades! However, that works well. It's weird, the speed of this chiptune is fast and aggressive. Very much in the spirit of speed metal and I love it to bits!!

As the game begins with the bad guys walking into play, you instantly notice how great it looks. Our life's energy is displayed along the top of the screen, with the number of remaining Lemmys shown as spades on your belt. To the left is the score, and to the right is the magic level (more on that later).

This beat 'em up is (cough) similar to Golden Axe because it uses the same engine. That means movements, actions, scrolling, etc, feel just the same. So when the baddies walk onto the screen, you know instantly what to do and how to do it. And this means hardly any learning curve, which I like a bunch.

Six horizontally scrolling levels are much the same, albeit with a different background and enemies...

• Level 1 - Rapland - posers and idiots in baseball caps need leathering metal style!!
• Level 2 - Nashville - my favourite level with Tex, Dolli, and an inbred mong!
• Level 3 - Karaokeville - we're clobbering Japanese singers, businessmen, and sumos!
• Level 4 - Scrapyard - Yet another stage of hitting bad guys.
• Level 5 - Cathedral - Quite possibly the best-looking level by a mile.
• Level 6 - Rave On - The worst level and the hardest. Zebedee makes an appearance!

Each level ends with a joyride that provides an opportunity to collect bonuses and recover energy and magic. Before the next level, there is another bonus round (which is always different). After level one, we have a beer-guzzler that resembles Tapper. Level 2/3 is weird and made me wish I had read the manual! Level 4 is superb because we trash a motel room! The fifth level has us toppling over stones to crush angels.

Okay, let's pause the reading to see a couple of screenshots...

This is from Nashville level 2 - checkout the inbred mong on the right lol

Karaokeville is level three, and we're bashing Japanese dudes!

Joystick magic

Controlling Lemmy is fast and responsive, plus it's dead easy to learn thanks to the limitations of the joystick's one button. Is that a good thing? Anyhow, movement and actions are centred around that button (whether pressed or not) whilst using a specific direction. That sounds odd? No, it's quite simple...

Without pressing - Left/Right walks Lemmy in that direction (twice to run). Pushing up/pulling down guides him vertically away/closer. Finally, the spacebar will invoke a magical spell.

Whilst pressing - Up will perform a leap (with left/right movement). Down will throw an object/spit, depending on what you have collected. Left/Right (your facing direction) is used to hit/punch. Doing the same, in reverse, Lemmy shoots a guitar cord (to vaporize enemies using magic).

Your movements around the screens are fluent without lag. You can even use parts of the scenery to avoid pitfalls, like caverns. Enemies will attack in packs of 3-5, but they aren't the most rapid movers. That gives us plenty of time to run around picking our own battles. I found myself using the same attack pattern - face them/fire. It works well, but I would have liked to jump-kick or something else for extra variety.

Opponents suffer a knockback with each hit but only die after being clobbered a few times. I found it best to hit/knockback and turn around to do the same on the next guy before repeating these sexy moves on the first. After a few beatings, they perish, leaving behind a bonus coin (points), Motorheads (magic for guitar cord and magic spells), beer (energy), a jar of cockles, and whiskey (powers a belch, aka a superpower).

Magic can also conjure three spells activated by pressing the Spacebar... 1) a dolly bird appears to distract the enemies. 2) the Motorhead logo emerges to damage the bad guys. 3) instantly kill everyone on screen.

We should have a peep at two screenshots showing some of this magical use...

Level 4 takes place in a scrapyard, and here I've invoked magic (level 1)

Level 5 is within a stunning Cathedral, and I'm hitting out a power cord!!

Aesthetics

Motorhead's visuals are outstanding and make this a sexy beat'em up thanks to the talent of Jason Wilson, who might be familiar - HeroQuest and Horror Zombies From The Crypt. All landscapes and backgrounds are vibrant and highly detailed. Character animation is good, but superbly drawn - I love that "inbred" from Nashville!! The scrolling isn't really scrolling as it's used to segment each attack wave, as in Golden Axe.

The audio is equal to the visuals in every respect. From the intro, when the chip rendition of "speed metal" began, I knew this would ROCK YM2149-style (pun intended). Each chiptune suits the action without drowning out the sound effects. Thank you, Ben Daglish (RIP†), for your amazing musical talent.

Hey, do you fancy a couple more screenshots? Of course, you do...

Zebedee turns up for the final stage, Rave On.

This bonus round is brilliant and tons of fun!

The CryptO'pinion?

To say I've enjoyed this beat'em up would be an understatement. I've relished repeatedly hitting individuals in the craziest places. However, a cynic might suggest it's just Golden Axe with different graphics? Well, I'm not sure about that negativity. Many games borrow ideas or use the same engine to drive the gameplay.

So what did I appreciate about Motorhead? Easy, I appreciated how simple it is to jump straight in and begin thrashing the enemies until they're dead meat. It's amusing zipping around the screen looking to clobber people. The controls are easy to master without feeling sluggish or unresponsive. This is a no-frills game of hitting everyone and it's brilliant fun!!

Ironically, what I didn't like was that simplicity. The repetitive gameplay backfired by the fourth level. I started to tire because I wanted something more but it failed to provide any. It tried with the two bonus rounds (after each level) but more was needed. Furthermore, Lemmy needed a few more attack moves - like a kick or something more accessible without resorting to magic.

It may not have broken the mould, but I've not enjoyed a beat'em up this much since Double Dragon 3. This might shock many, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing through to the end (except for the final level).

So I might surprise a few people here, but my rating is a golden axe hack of 85%.

D-Bug has the hard disk version, and Atari Legend has the floppies (I used Gravatics #88)

Level 2 is brilliant, and I can even shout at young girls!

Level 3 got a little weird once my mother-in-law turned up!

Level 4's bike ride looks so gorgeous with that dark sky.

Level 5 is stunning. Truly gorgeous pixel art, just look at those goths and skeletons.

I played through and rescued everyone. I wonder why I'm still collecting bonuses?

The ending is Motorhead banging away on stage. Still no sampled sounds though ;)

Carrus

Not a car

Carrus was developed in 1992 by Thilo Jantz and is something I stumbled on while browsing through Atarimania. I love platformers but this one looked rather peculiar with its black & white screenshots. They show a car attempting to drive unrealistic roads so I was intrigued because I like anything "odd" like me!

The objective is to collect the white signs on each level using a car that moves left/right without acceleration. Very odd for a car, right? Imagine that the sprite isn't a car but a person like Miner Willy or Henhouse Harry. So this "car" travels one step at a time rather than driving. There isn't a need to jump in at the deep end as there are four difficulty levels - beginners, normal, advanced, and Expert. It's best to choose beginner because the levels are simple and you are introduced to various game components one step at a time.

Collecting the white signs sounds easy but the strategy comes by knowing and mastering the level's design. For example, some roads are inaccessible without a bridge, van, or elevator to assist. Other roads dissolve after one use but there are other dangers like mines, bouncing barrels, hidden traps, and robots. Importantly, the order of collecting the white signs matters as you could end up trapped (first experienced on level B-3).

Extra features are the ability to alter the speed by pressing keys 1-9 (fast/slow). Also, if you get stuck, the Z key is used for suicide but you will lose a life. If you need a wee, pause using the P key until you return!! Also, I found the controls much more responsive using a real computer rather than an emulator (YMMV).

I won't pretend this is the greatest game because it isn't. Nevertheless, it is nice to play something unexpectedly different and Carrus fits the bill nicely. I liked the idea but later screens present too much of a massive challenge for me. I only wish there was an option to restart particular levels using a passcode.

I enjoyed this a bunch so my rating would be a wholesome 70%.

A download can be found in the Hang Loose section of the Atari FTP Archive.

Beginner levels like this are perfect for grasping the controls.

The stars are explosive mines. The jaggy road will dissolve after one use.

The third level introduces lifts and also a hidden trap (very cruel).

The fourth level is tough! The roads are impossible to reach without using lifts.

I've moved on to the "normal" difficulty here. As you can see, it's a lot harder!

The third level on "Normal". It's a killer so think before you move! Don't get squashed...

I don't mind admitting that "Advanced" is way too tough for me o_O

And you can forget about the "Expert" level. Yowzers!!

The ending screen says: The last driver was also hit (ie game over)

Not brilliant but, not a bad first attempt... Can you beat me?