Mole Mayhem

Monty Mole is back!

Er, no. Mole Mayhem is an Atari STe platformer by Croft Soft Software. The city of Moledonia is under attack from a dictator who intends to blow everyone to the kingdom come. We are Philby, a secret agent working for the Moledonia Underground Intelligence Corporation who must destroy all bombs before everything goes BOOM!!

Each screen has a number of bombs that need to be neutralised by Philby and there's usually a particular route through which you need to figure out. Also, look for hazards like electricity and hidden ledges - which you either can't see or might first appear as part of the background. Some levels have teleporters to blindly transport you to another area - so make sure you have that route planned!! Once all the bombs are exploded you can use the exit.

Controls are easy but require precise timing for the wider gaps otherwise Philby falls to a bloody death. Humorously, falling short of that fatal threshold has him squeaking to let us know how close we came to dying? Philby can jump either upwards or sideways (depending on how he stands) and detonating a bomb is done by pushing up. This mole ain't daft, he will protect himself using his superhero cape as a shield of steel - Batfink style!

Graphically, there's little to write home about but I do like the humble appearance which is functional and works well. Sound effects are played using the DMA for jumping, detonation, death, and so on. Sadly, there's no background chip music so it's more or less silent when not leaping about. I expected more from my STe...

Mole Mayhem is simple and progressively challenging, but I ran out of lives before I could reach the later levels. Thankfully, it has that "just one more go" appeal, but I wanted a password system because it's frustrating having to restart from the beginning. Overall, an addictive platformer that I have thoroughly enjoyed!!

Oddly, there are limited sites to download this but the mighty Demozoo has it safely archived.

   
Detonating bombs is easy when wearing a cape but sometimes it can be a faff just to reach them.

   
Some obstacles require good timing... whilst others take you where no man has gone before!

Hellgate

Wait, what? Is this DOOM?

Hellgate is a first-person shooter for the Atari ST/e created in 1997 by David Walters of Smartsoft. It's an impressive attempt to develop Doom using STOS. Of course, it'll take more than a humble 68000 processor to deliver decent framerates especially when I remember a friend's 25Mhz PC not being that impressive.

Wait a moment... Hold your horses, Marine!! Did I just say that Hellgate was developed using STOS?? That is something else!! Okay, don't get me wrong, this is a brilliant tool that has certainly proved itself more times than I care to mention, however, can it actually handle a 3D engine running at a decent framerate?

Please remember that this is shareware and I have only found an 'unregistered demo' which may not compare to the completed product. This is also missing a few bits 'n' bobs like a rocket launcher and extra episodes. Sadly, after scouring the internet, I failed to find the registered version so I'm praying the full game isn't lost? Please, can anyone help me find the full game?

Okay, enough of my boring blabbing (for now) because we have a couple of screenshots to view...

I like the iWatch menu. Apple, you need to learn from this!

A familiar screen after romping through the first level and successfully killing everything!

I'm getting a Doom vibe!!

The year is 2196 and we humans have somehow terraformed the ice giant Neptune. The planet's largest city is plagued with extremely high crime levels so our mission is to investigate this. Now, I'm no military expert, but I think that means we grab a weapon and kill everything in sight. Well, I'm sold so count me in!!

Firstly, we need identification so enter your name into a simple but sweet screen. The audio is great but I'll say no more to risk spoiling it (I thought it was cool). Next, there are three difficulty levels to choose from:

Dead Easy: which the documentation hilariously says is for kids and your granny!
Well 'Ard: which is kinda like an equivalent of Doom's "Hurt Me Plenty".
Suicide: is for those with Godlike skills but even the docs advise against this nightmare!

Pssst!! Hey, you... Do you fancy a couple more sexy screenshots of STOS Doom...

The pistol is good and does its job as something just to get you started.

Nothing compares to the shotgun. Just ask Doomguy, he'll tell ya!

Let's play...

Once you begin, everything is familiar to ID's iconic shooter (cough...ripoff). The episode screen displays where you are in Neptune's city complex and the in-game status bar shows health, armour, ammo, keys and even your ugly mug in the middle. Well, there's no shame in using a tried and trusted format? (I like it!!)

The controls are performed using the mouse: pushing upwards to walk forward and pulling back on your chunky tank does the obvious. Left/right allows our marine to look around the city - unless holding the right button to strafe. The keyboard is used to flip between your weaponry and open doors.

Yup, you're stuck using the mouse which is incredibly frustrating at times, especially during the first few games. Well, nothing is perfect and it does work quite well but I cannot help but wonder why David didn't implement the alternative WASD. Anyhow, the mouse only works well once you have practised.

Hardly a crushing blow is it but not ideal so let's take a gander at some screenshots...

Look out for medkits, armour, and ammo to help fight off the hoards.

What? No zombie guys or imps? No, we have these blocky robotic dudes to shoot at!

An honourable ripoff?

Fans of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom will instantly feel at home as we begin the mission with only a pistol. Our armoury can ultimately include a Shotgun, Minigun, Rifle, and Rocket Launcher. However, I never got to see the Rifle as I lost my bearings, which you can see at the end of my video recording (scroll back up).

That takes me onto the automap: there isn't one. As much as I tried hitting the TAB key - nothing!! Perhaps it was me but I got lost and desperately needed to find where to go, especially when recording my video!

Look out for pickups to boost health/ammo and there are hidden rooms just as in Doom and Wolfenstein! This is how I found the shotgun on the first level, a fantastic find! Also, some doors are locked and need a specific key to unlock. There is nothing shockingly new but Hellgate's familiarity is no bad thing whatsoever.

Righto, let's not get sarky and just introduce two more flourishingly sexy screenshots. Ahem...

Always keep an eye out for secret rooms just like we did in ID's Doom and Wolfenstein.

Yep, that provided me armour, health and the shotgun. What a find!!

486 Aesthetics?

Graphically, things are poor in comparison to Doom (which is understandable) but also to ST shooters, like Wolfenstein, Destruction Imminent and Substation. Everything looks crude, with a sluggish framerate, and more than a few glitches. Interestingly, the robotic enemies are made from polygons, which is kinda cool and not what I was expecting. However, they are a bit thick and I would have preferred demonic monsters!

The sound effects are sparse using fuzzy samples for firing, pickups, doors, etc/etc. The robotic enemies scream when dying - freaky but cool!! Sadly, there's no music for ST dudes but STe owners can enjoy gorgeous Mad Max chiptunes alongside the effects. This actually works incredibly well and suits the mood and style.

Two more screenshots before the much-anticipated opinion that you're eager to read...

Two missing episodes lost? I hope we find the registered game one day :(

Here ends my game... the screen turns red and I fall to the ground. DEAD!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Hellgate was interesting but it's not good enough compared to the other FPS shooters for the Atari ST. A faster computer, like my Mega STe, compensated for the poor framerate but couldn't fix the wonky mechanics, bugs, or the psychic robots who always seemed to know my movements before I did. Ultimately, the mouse controls are the real game killer because it desperately requires a keyboard. What a shame.

Hellgate is fun for a few hours but I doubt I'll return to it anytime soon. However, let's remember this is probably unfinished and developed by one guy using STOS and that fact alone blows me away. All credit to David.

Download Hellgate and give it a playtest. Let me know what you think in the comments.

- Download Hellgate -

KillThings

It's killing time!

KillThings, by Orm of Digi Tallis, is a 3D first-person shooter similar to something like Wolfenstein. Alas, it was never finished, but it is still very playable and I'm impressed by the speed of its 3D engine which is both fast and fluent. What's more, is the mapping screen which works just like the one seen in Doom - love it!!

Sadly, there are no audio effects and little to do other than wander stark corridors looking for a bug-eyed stickman to kill. Still, the potential is staggering when you think about what's completed for this unfinished version. Interestingly, there is a level editor if you're feeling bravely creative? Go on, I dare 'ya.

Let's check out a couple of screenshots of the map and level editor...

The game's mapping function works like a dream, much like we saw in Doom!

Why not design your own levels using the editor?

The CryptO'pinion?

KillThings was never going to replace Wolfenstein or Substation but I'm fascinated by oddities like this lurking within our archives. I'm impressed by the hopes and dreams of what this developer wanted to create back in the day. It's a shame his idea died before it was completed. The 'readme' explains a great deal.

But fear not, we have this demo which is neat and shows what might have been if completed. It's rather cool and can be downloaded from their website, along with the level editor and much more.

I hope that one day, Orm gets back to this project because it's funky cool with massive potential.

Donkey Island

Monkey Island?

All the way back in 1997, Ed Cleveland (aka Eddie Cat) spent many moons working on a comedy adventure called Donkey Island. However, the latter end of the 90s were bitterly cold days with most of us having sold up and moved onto the world of Mac/PC. Sadly, it appears he got little feedback from us all and thus, decided to call it a day. I'm gutted!!

Well, that's my take on what I read. Whatever happened, it's a shame because his talent and dedication were on the way to creating something rather special. Yep, it's disappointing but at least he released this final/beta version work. This was very kind of him and, as is, it's more-than-worth downloading and playing.

Donkey Island is a graphical adventure that is quite different from what I was first expecting. Think of something vaguely similar in style and content to Lure Of The Temptress or a Sierra On-Line game and you get the idea. But with a comical twist: we are Fred, a geek who loves playing games on his Atari ST. So he's a smashing lad and life is obviously TOS-taSTic!

However, that changed when he found out that Donkey Island, a game he has been eagerly awaiting, had been cancelled. Fred is crushed and cannot accept the news so he powers off the little green desktop computer and begins exploring his hometown to find out why it was cancelled. (Sigh, a feeling not new to ST gamers in the 90s!)

That's depressing, isn't it? Well, let's check out a screenshot to cheer us all up...

The cartoon design works really well and some drawings are superb!

He looks familiar O_o

Fred is controlled using the cursor keys which is very simple and effective. The keypad is used to interact with your surroundings and characters - who are incredibly entertaining and interesting, to say the least. It's now that I feel even sadder that this game wasn't finished because the style and sense of humour gone into making Donkey Island is quite beautiful. Although incomplete, there is a large town to explore with some cute surprises to discover.

In its current form, this is pretty much a broken adventure game but one we can still fully play. Getting around Fred's town is a cinch and we have all the abilities to investigate this horrifying gaming incident. Roam, explore, and never forget to chat with the locals. They're nothing like you are expecting and their humour is often superb!

Although unfinished, full exploration is possible and many characters are available to knock up a conversation with. Some rooms are complete whilst others are in an unfinished state. Yet, they are still available for us to rummage through, which is brilliant. I'm so happy this "beta" was released yet, at the same time, I am gutted. What a game this almost was!

Yep, we will never know what may have been. Here is one of the unfinished locations...

Sadly, some areas of the game will never be finished but at least they're left in for us to play.

Aesthetics

Each location is depicted using a cartoon style similar to a comic book which Fred walks through in a rather crude but functional fashion. The artwork isn't exactly brilliant but the amateurish quality works wonders and the characters are superb. I love the way we communicate with others and our surroundings which is quite unique in style.

The sound effects are good but what I really love is the technique used for speech - it reminds me of Charlie Brown's teacher. Come on, tell me you can't hear that too? Well, I think it's superb :)

So, visually and sonically superb so here is another screenshot. My daughter says he looks like me...

Exploration is always the key to success and there are lots of (hidden) locations.

The CryptO'pinion?

Donkey Island had incredible potential and I imagine it would have ended up being a hugely fascinating adventure. It still is of course, albeit unfinished. I've enjoyed playing what is potentially a killer product that offers a different approach to the genre whilst being thoroughly entertaining with a wonderful sense of humour, strange locations and the silliest characters.

Trust me, this is a hidden gem and something truly brilliant. I wholeheartedly recommend you play this!!

DOWNLOAD

Pung

Pung is an old Atari STe game which has been released after years of lurking in software purgatory. It's obviously based upon the 1972 classic and currently stands at v0.30 which means it suffers a few bugs that might lead to those infamous bombs across your screen. Just reset and keep on playing! I'm glad this got a release as we have enjoyed playing it over the weekend - it's different with a few neat ideas and I recommend you take a look. Let me know what you think...

* Demozoo website has a download with all the credits and more.

* I nabbed the MOD music file off Demozoo and made a recording. Love it!