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 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 - coins (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?

The Addams Family

Creepy, Kooky, Ooky, Spooky

I am a massive fan of the original TV series plus the movies from the 90s are favourites in our house. I've no idea what's taken me so long but eventually, I got around to Ocean's 1992 platformer developed by James Higgins. The same programmer behind two superb games - Navy Seals and The Untouchables.

The story is an 'original' one about kidnapping and rescuing. Morticia has been abducted by Abigail Craven who is after the Addams' family fortune. The other characters have been captured and imprisoned in the mansion's many rooms. As Gomez, we must locate Pugsley, Wednesday, Granny, Uncle Fester, and Morticia.

I reckon we need to see the first screenshot which proves it always pays to explore...

That looks ominous but let's be daft and climb up it... Hmm, what is that below?

The Game

We begin outside the front door of our mansion but I would stay outside for a while. Go for a walk, who knows what treasures and power-ups there could be! You may also uncover underground passages. Outside the mansion is the perfect place to get used to the controls and the method of killing the monsters.

Gomez can walk left/right and jump using the fire button (hold down for larger jumps). He has no weapons and kills enemies by leaping into the air before landing on them. It's like we have in the excellent budget platformer Well 'Ard. This technique works brilliantly except for those enemies protected by spikes or fire.

Once inside the house, you stand in the hallway that grants access to several "rooms". These are the levels that lead to a boss who is holding a family member captive. The Addams Family is a non-linear platformer so you can choose any level you like. All are massive. When I say massive, I really do mean massive!!

Whatever level you play, a wealth of monsters feature constantly. Never have I known a game with so many enemies - any contact will drain energy. This is represented by love hearts which can be replenished along the way. Interestingly, having lost all lives doesn't mean the game is over because there is the option to continue or quit. The caveat of continuing is having to restart from the beginning of your current level.

Run and stomp monsters like a crazed Sonic! However, slow down otherwise, you might miss hidden rooms, power-ups, and secrets. Also, there is Thing's Box, which reveals a clue about the level. Nothing mindblowing, stuff like "some doors are less visible than others". Essentially, that means pay attention!

Let's look at the power-ups left sparsely scattered about every level...

Small hearts - replenish a heart's level.

Dollars - for every $25 you replenish a heart and $100 grants a 1-UP.

1-UP - will also grant a new life.

Shield - invincibility for a short period (shown as a star trail)

Shoes - mega run and jumps! (Argh, this should be the default!)

Fez - Fezi-copter works on current level and allows flight (it's brilliant - think Joust!!)

After running through any level, you eventually reach the boss, who is holding a family member captive. Once defeated by the same leap and stomp method, he/she seeks refuge in the Music Room with Lurch. The big guy remains in this room throughout, as he plays with his organ (come on, I just had to).

As you free family members, they will also come to this room. Once everyone is gathered, Lurch can properly play the organ music that magically grants access to the underground chamber. This is where we stash all of our cash but more importantly, the location where Morticia is held prisoner. The big boss here is tough.

Once the final battle is over, everything returns back to normal for the Addams. The game then ends with a funny and loving Gomez and Morticia scene. Finally, you get to see caricatures of the game developers.

Okay, let's pause this boring reading with a pixel-sexy screenshot...

Within the mansion offers many doorways to different levels.

Graphics

Warren Lancashire and Simon Butler designed the visuals and to say they are great is an enormous understatement. Never have I played a platformer with so many characters!! Each with incredible detail and great animation. It's beyond admirable to see something like this for a 16-bit platformer.

The backdrops are truly stunning with an individual style and theme appropriate to that part of the house or grounds. I love the 'heat' levels that actually felt hot thanks to their bright palette. Every level looks gorgeous and my favourite is the outside areas which I thought looked the most pleasing.

Push-scrolling is used alongside a heavily reduced screen size. There are many other similar platformers with proper scrolling. Also, many use the push method without any screen/size reductions.

I bet you want to see a creepy tree and dancing flowers? Here you go...

The artwork is stunning and I just had to capture a GIF for this scene!

Audio

Music and sound effects are by Jonathan Dunn who worked on Elf, New Zealand Story, and Rambo III. The Addams Family theme plays on the title screen but sadly, isn't a sample. The gameplay is accompanied by several fantastic chiptunes, alongside adequate spot effects - for jumping and squashing the enemies. 

If you like the Addams Family theme then check out ZombieCrypt slideshow!

Before the gripping conclusion, let's see a werewolf in a cemetery against a mysterious sky...

The Graveyard is great but quite difficult, especially when fire falls from the skies.

CryptO'pinion

When I began playing the opening scenes, I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. It's fantastic and provides an opportunity to grasp the superb joystick controls. Not only that, these areas feature secrets and power-ups. However, once you go inside you realise this is a poor conversion with serious issues.

The Addams Family could have been great but I grew weary of plodding through levels that felt like they wouldn't end. Plus it's impossible without a trainer because there are too many dangerous obstacles and enemies. It's way off-balance. With a trainer, I endured to the bitter end and earned codes you're welcome to use...

1Z9KX - Wednesday

1G99? - Fester

KGH9C - Pugsley

KL#RJ - Granny

RLRRX - Heart Power Up

I'm not sure why Ocean released this stinker but the combination of thin screen, push-scrolling, and impossible difficulty amplifies my sorrow. Play a different platformer - Jim Power, Black Tiger, Zone Warrior, Stario, Wonder Boy, Giana Sisters, Kid Gloves 2, Astro Marine Corps, Potsworth & Co, The Viking Child, etc/etc.

The Addams Family is a lame duck and should be grateful for getting a bleak 60%.

Masochistic gamers should download from D-Bug (and Atari Legend has several menu disks).

I'm on my way to rescue Wednesday but losing the will to live because it's so tough!!

Lurch has left friendly advice at the start of some levels.

Look at that photograph, it's Christopher Lloyd!

I took this screenshot simply because I liked the look and its colour!

I thought the background on this level was the best looking.

The Music Room is where Lurch attempts to play, note the blocked door on the right.

Every house has a vault, right? Fill your boots!

The first of the boss screens, this one frees Wednesday and he's a right bas$@^!!!

This boss was the best (easiest) because you can use Uncle Fester.

The boss holding Pugsley captive wasn't difficult. Sinister face on him!

The boss holding Granny looks great but is pretty tough.

When I encountered this boss, I was bored and lost the will to live †

Ocean nailed it with this fantastic option screen!!

Morticia's boss is the most annoying of all as he stays out of reach a lot.

Eventually, the quest is completed...

Fireworks "light up the sky" but a screenshot is all you're getting.