Titan

Bouncing to Glory

Titan is a clever twist of the Breakout formula released in 1989 by Titus. Use the ball to blast away the bricks, but instead of a paddle moving horizontally at the bottom of the screen, we are now viewing the action overhead. So, rather than controlling this paddle independently from the blocks, in a separate part of the screen, we're within a scrollable arena twice the size of your typical screen (scrolls in all four directions).

We navigate a block around the screen (across both X/Y axes) using the mouse or joystick (press F2 during the game for the much-superior mouse). The walls, obstacles, and blocks are around us - rather than distantly placed. This also means the ball isn't knocked out of play, and will bounce around the screen waiting for your help to redirect it to the location of the remaining blocks. The goal is the same - break every block to win. Later levels have power-ups and enemies, but I've played the first three levels and didn't see 'em!!

At first glance, Titan looks plain, but clear and uncluttered, making it easy to keep track of the ball. And if the tone doesn't suit, hit F4 and cycle through a variety of alternative palettes. Where Titan really struts its stuff is in the scrolling, which is buttery-smooth on either computer: older STf models have a slightly smaller playfield thanks to a chunky (but excellent) status panel, while the STe goes full show-off with its hardware scrolling. Either way, everything glides along at a rock-solid framerate - yes, on both computers.

The sound effects are rather basic, so brace yourself for a lot of "dink-dink" as the ball pings about the screen like a toolbox during an earthquake. The STe gets DMA music on the title, something I never expected for 1989. Okay, it's not the best quality you'll hear, but I appreciate the effort Titus put into this.

I'm not exactly a huge Breakout fan, but I still quite enjoyed it. Technically, Titus has transformed the game with some interesting mechanics and technical achievements, but sadly, it hasn't fully worked. There is no feeling of skill, as our task is to merely get in the way, so hitting the ball correctly felt like pure luck. That innocent thrill of "just one more go" isn't here, so by the third level, my interest had waned.

Sadly, I'm rating this a disheartening 65%. Am I right? Let me know in the comments below.

• Atari Legend has access to various (floppy) menu disks.
• Installing onto the hard drive is provided by 8BitChip.
• Don't leave without checking out other Enhanced Games for the Atari STe.
• There are better Breakout games listed in this section.

Cool loading screen with DMA music too!

The first level is dead easy. I like "dead easy"!

The second level is a long slog...

The third level is better, and we need to break the blocks so the ball to get through!

Hit F4 anytime you like for a range of alternative palettes!

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!!

Let's take a look at a screenshot with its strange colours and (ahem) 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 defeat a couple of bosses!

Loads of balls! And green is a bit better in the next screenshot...

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, 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.

Let's see another screenshot, and this is something you wouldn't expect to see...

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 great game and I enjoyed ploughing through the levels. The addition of a shop works well to provide a variety of extra features that help improve the game massively. Give it a 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, 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 rigid 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, 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 have come 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. Yep, I never expected to say that to. 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. 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!

Jinks

This looks sucky!

Jinks appears as a horizontally scrolling 'Breakout', but is technically one of the worst ST games ever. Rainbow Arts’ port of this game is a disgrace. The incredibly jerky scrolling is enough to make your eyes bleed after just a few minutes of play. It’s that awful, and I feel sorry for anyone who spent their money on it.

Thankfully, Peter Putnik has attempted to improve the code by using the Blitter (as shown in the video). However, all disk images of Jinks contain the same bad data. Therefore, Peter is seeking anyone who can provide an image of the original floppy disks. This will allow him to repair this piece of history for his enhanced version.

Please get in touch if you have the original disks and can help...

• This new Blitter-powered version is downloadable from Atarimania.
• If you want to torture your eyeballs, then download the original at Hang Loose.
• Trusteft has a humorous recording of the original jerky game!!