Quartz

Be Trigger-happy!

I've spent much time trolling through loads of disks using the nifty Floppy Image Runner and eventually came across this beauty. Quartz was released in 1988 by Firebird and is a tripped-out 8-way shooter that has us playing inside a cloud of sub-atomic particles. Each stage is a variety of short mini-stages similar to Asteroids, but there are also incredible horizontal and vertical shooters, along with impressive 3D effects.

Our job is to shoot the colourful hadrons, transforming them into quarks, which we blast into tiny neutrinos. Collecting these eventually offers a selection of power-ups ranging from ship repairs to awesome weapons. The end-of-level boss is perfect for the physicists lurking within and needs to be shot several times until it spins into oblivion. Lives are limited, but you're offered the chance to continue on - if you're willing to give up a weapon, which is a strange idea but one that forces you to play better rather than whining for extra lives!

I'm gobsmacked by how brilliant this is with its frantic action, rich graphics and chirpy audio, not to mention its beautiful parallax scrolling. My 8-year-old daughter gave this a playtest, and she found the controls daunting but soon got the hang of it and said it was crazy but lots of fun. I think that sums up Quartz nicely!!

Grab it for floppy or hard disks right now!

Pegasus

Swords, guns and flying a horse

Satan has been a bad boy and turned the world on its head. It's our job to reverse his dastardly deeds before it's too late. Developed by Optimus Software for Gremlin, we are Percius and fly on the mythical horse Pegasus. Our adventure is split into two parts: a shooter in which we ride Pegasus. And a platformer where Percius is free to unleash his wrath using a large sword (it flips between these two throughout).

The shooter parts are... okay. Imagine something like R-Type, but on horseback, and you have the idea. The baddies appear in the expected patterns, so bang on that fire button and collect the crystals they leave behind. They enhance weaponry, and there are lots of power-ups that help brighten up this dull affair.

The platform parts are better - run, jump, and leap, collecting crystals and killing baddies. Hardly riveting stuff, but still enjoyable with superb joystick mechanics. Controlling Percius is a cinch, and I wish more platformers had as fluid movement as this. This part of the game had great potential but ended up very boring.

The graphics are bland, and I fear a lame port because it's sparsely populated and quite barren of detail. It's like they didn't put in any effort at all. Not only that, but that blue background could have been better with a splash more colour. However, the scrolling is nice and smooth, so at least that's something. Sadly, the audio is feeble, and only the firing stops this game from being as silent as a ZX81!! I really don't think Gremlin cared...

Let's not kid ourselves, this is a lame Amiga port and a terrible one at that. It could have/should have been better, so it's embarrassing to think Gremlin released this. However, I gotta admit that the platform stages are enjoyable and have potential. It's not a bad game, but it's far from good. A rushed port.

There are far better shooters and platformers; just use the search option at the top of this page!

The platform part isn't bad but could have been made into something great with little effort.

Collect those power-ups otherwise, it's Zzzzzz!! Play R-Type instead.

Download and play Pegasus using a hard drive thanks to both D-Bug and 8BitChip. But those wanting the floppies can find 'em on Old Games Finder.

 

If the game is too hard (boring), then here are some nifty cheats: 

Press P on the title screen and type in this code: FRUITBAT

Now use the arrow keys to select your starting level.

F1 for extra lives.

F2 to select a power-up.

F3 for an extra special weapon shot.

F5 advance a level.

F7 for a nifty shield. 

 

 To view the greetings

Use this passcode on the title: CATFOOD.

Chariots Of Wrath

Whilst fighting for King and Country, an evil Baron kidnaps the beautiful Princess Arthena. So jump into your chariot and rescue her. Actually, this really means playing lots of different arcade-style games, which surely can't be a bad day at the local war zone, right?

Released in 1989 by Impressions, Chariots Of Wrath isn't just one particular game but instead is a half-dozen bundle of retro gaming oldies. If there was ever a mixed-goody bag of various games (thrown together), then this is it. Each range in style, from a Breakout clone to a pretty nice shoot 'em up, and each must be played in order before you can advance to the next.

Of course, each and every game will become progressively harder the further you venture. Initially, I didn't care for the "Operation Wolf" clone because it's far too easy and a little boring, but later on, I admit to liking this as it became a lot harder and thus more challenging. But would you play it compared to Op.Wolf?

The breakout game is awesome and comes with a number of power-ups to increase the excitement. I found it enjoyable, but I'm sure the Arkanoid fanboys won't be quaking in their boots! The platformer looks nice, but the controls feel wooden, and it has an incredibly frustrating and extremely unforgiving time limit. Asteroids also make an appearance and play very well with some nifty new touches that I really liked. Finally, I really enjoy the vertically scrolling shoot 'em up, which is both loud and exciting. Sadly, it suffers from amateur mechanics and a little slowdown, but it is still great fun, and I did enjoy it with its BOOM BOOM sound effects!

The graphics are good throughout, with smooth scrolling and lots of colours. So overall, my ears and eyes had little to complain about. However, in terms of playability, Chariots of Wrath almost has a homebrew feel, and with a little spit and polish. We could have had a unique release, as the potential is there with this jack of all trades. However, I fear it falls short, and there are better individual games out for the Atari ST.

• Play off a hard drive, which is best - thanks to 8BitChip!
• Need the floppy disks, then look no further than Atari Legend.
• Check out the superb video recording by CaptainD from Indie Game News.