Tecnoball

It's Brick Buster time!

TecnoballZ was published in 1991 by TLK Game and is a Breakout conversion developed by Pierre Denis. Oddly, I had never heard of this game until a good friend happened to mention it a few weeks ago (thanks Paul). Sadly, I have no idea whether it was ever officially released over here in the UK. Does anyone know?

Okay, we all love a quick blast of Breakout/Arkanoid now and then; olde classics have stood the test of time for a reason. I would say Arkanoid is the most well-known, unless you're an ST guy then it's perhaps Bolo. I'm always open to an alternative, especially when it's an Atari ST game I have never played before!!

Okay, let's take a look at a screenshot with its strange colour scheme and... erm... something else...

Here, I held onto the ball whilst blasting the bricks with a weird laser weapon. Sweet!!

It's 1976 all over again?

The first thing that struck me was the overscan for a larger display. The brick-busting gameplay remains much the same. Each screen has a different collection of blocks that must be cleared using your bat and ball and, with each hit, points are earned with a chance of spawning cash, power-ups and sometimes enemies.

The mouse controls are great; precise and accurate as you would hope. However, it isn't long until you realise the physics is 'different' as the ball often doesn't react as expected. Manipulating strikes using the different parts of the bat doesn't work and might even force the ball to bounce in a different direction! That means it's tough finishing a level when only a few blocks remain! (there's a power-up in the shop to help with this)

Yep, a shop pops up after each level to offer goodies like extra lives, a bigger bat, weaponry, etc. It's possible to install extra bats on the remaining three sides of your screen! I like surprises like this plus that silly idea reminded me of the chaos I suffered in Wacko Software's Video Games I. Innovation like this keeps the player interested which is how I managed to clear several levels and defeated a couple of bosses!

Check out my power-up pads on all 4-sides of the play area. It's mental!

Over-what?

Graphically, I like Tecnoball as it's futuristic in style and different from the original our Dads used to play ;-) Overscan has been used to great effect and provides a better experience, more arcade-like because of the extra screen space? The use of colour is good and everything feels smooth but I thought the blocks themselves lacked a bit of pizzazz? Sometimes I did wonder what they were thinking with the choice of colours.

Hey, see how I've not mentioned the guy in the status panel who freaks me out. Darn, I just did...

The effects are great with samples for the 'dinks' but there is no in-game chip music so it's almost as quiet as the original. Even worse, there's no theme tune for the title screen which I found very disappointing.

This is the first boss screen and oddly, it features no blocks!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fun take on the original but the physics are peculiar which acts as a "bug". At one stage, the ball hits an enemy (at the top of the screen) which then ricochets it sideways. The call began bouncing from left-to-right, in a perfectly straight line. Weirdly, that continued for about 30 seconds!! Luckily, it hit a wandering enemy that changed its trajectory so I could carry on playing. Not very good, I'm sure you'll agree?

Having said that, this is still a good game and I enjoyed ploughing through the levels. The addition of a shop works well to provide a variety of extra features that helped improve the game massively. Give it and try and see how it compares to your favourite version of Breakout? Let me know in the comments below.

Download the Cobra #27 menu disc from Atari Legend.

Gotta love the artwork and even this Game Over screen is in overscan.

Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh

Doh!

It's time to kickstart my Super Pack adventure with Imagine's Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh. I'm sure everyone has played this at some point in their life because it's such a popular classic and easy to pick up and play.

Our ST conversion was developed by a familiar name from the 1980s, Peter Johnson. This wizball did all the coding and everything you see and hear; quite staggering when you think about it. From the moment this loads up, I'm in love with its authentic intro! Okay, it's short but it works and features that zappy music!

Check out these screenshots. Crisp, colourful and arcade faithful...

The first level breaks you in nicely and it wasn't long before I found an M power-up!!

No keyboard, please

Using the mouse, control the Vaus Craft to deflect the energy bolt back and forth destroying all (destructible) blocks - Breakout style. Guide the bolt depending on how contact is made: inner areas produce a taller vertical direction whereas outer parts deliver a wide-angled shot. I must say, the mouse controls are excellent - don't think that means easy - because your hand-eye coordination will definitely be tested!!

Each level follows a trippy design to compensate for the ridged format and later screens are incredibly tricky. Watch out for the aliens who enjoy hovering around to get in the bolt's way and ricochet off at an unexpected angle!! So use the Vaus to nudge them into an early grave when they get too close.

The power-ups are back and we have a wealth of snappy bonuses to make full use of:

• B - Who doesn't love skipping levels if given the chance?
• C - The Vaus Craft gains velcro!
• D - Split the bolt into eight - can you handle it though?
• E - Bigger is always better, right?
• I - We have a ghost Vaus to make our hits a little easier.
• L - Hit that mouse button because we have weapons!!
• M - Destroys blocks like they're not even there. Amazing.
• N - Splits the bolt, which regenerates to keep on damaging.
• P - Sounds boring but extra lives are incredibly valuable.
• R - The cold of space has shrunken you!
• S - Collect this if things are getting too hectic.
• T - You gain a twin to help you in your quest!

Before you carry on reading, click the green arrow below. Right, now scroll on...

Aesthetics

Graphically, you won't see any mind-blowing artwork but it's reminiscent of the arcade original using vivid colours. The aliens might be incredibly annoying but at least these sprites look great. Arkanoid is as bold and colourful as you would expect and shows just how far we came from the original 1970s Breakout!!

The sound effects won't drive you wild with excitement but who expected anything beyond dink...dink...dink? The tunes are superb even if only for mere seconds but I love their authentic quality.

For an older game based on boring Breakout, this looks and sounds superb. Love it all.

Personally, I think this is one of the hardest levels in the entire game. Just try and get that last block...

The CryptO'pinion?

Usually, I would now mention all the things about a game that narks me. There are none.

I think it's easy to say that Arkanoid took the Breakout genre to a whole new level. This sequel is addictive and infuriating yet drags you back for more. It's everything I would hope for in an arcade conversion and is certainly one of the best. Overall, I rate Arkanoid II Revenge Of Doh as categorically outstanding!!

Downloads are available for either floppy or using a spanky hard drive device. And, for those of us that are far too impatient, why not skip a level by hitting the S key during gameplay? All ya gotta do is hit the CAPS Lock key when the title screen is displayed and enter MAGENTA. Sweet!