Backgammon

Thrills & Spills

There are a few Backgammon games available for the Atari ST. Although I'm hardly proficient, it's a board game I enjoy. To rephrase that last line - basically, I’m the world’s worst player, yet I somehow enjoy it!! Anyhow, ARC released this in 1988, and it remains one of the few commercial GEM-based games. A quirky oddity in itself, but that means the Blitter is used by default, which means this release is an enhanced game for the Atari STe. Well, hardly, but it was fun saying that, and you should click the link to check out this growing list.

For those who don't know the game of Backgammon, the manual is excellent and clearly explains the basic rules to follow. This is a two-player board game that blends strategy, skill, and a bit of luck. It’s played on a board featuring 24 narrow triangles, known as points, which are grouped into four quadrants. Each player starts with 15 checkers and uses two dice to move them around the board in a specific path.

Players move their checkers based on the roll of two dice, advancing them in opposite directions around the board. Each die represents a separate move, so a roll of 3 and 5 means you can move one checker 3 spaces and another 5 - or a single checker a total of 8. The aim is to be the first to move all your checkers off the board (known as bearing off) before your opponent does. You can pit wits against the ST or go head-to-head with a friend. Thankfully, there is a demo mode, which is something you should take advantage of.

If you're now tempted to download this game, then all of this typing wasn't for nothing after all. Here are a few tips: It's wise to focus on building a strong defensive position early on. Try stacking two or more checkers on a space to block your opponent from landing there. Avoid leaving single checkers exposed, as they’re easy targets. Just load it up and have a go, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you don't, just boot up Turrican!

Whilst something like Backgammon might not immediately be your obvious gaming choice, I say give it a whirl. It's actually very good, and your Atari ST provides a worthy opponent. Also, GEM works very well as an interface for the original board game, which means it will support Blitter, screen accelerators, and even high resolution. Yep, this is a great game for a night in, so I'm giving it a Steve-Is-A-Bore rating of 80%.

• Atari Legend has a couple of floppy disk menus to download.
• The hard disk master, PP/8BitChip, has created a superb version!
• Still not sure? How about a history and guide on how to play?
• You've got the Backgammon bug now, eh? There are loads more listed on Atarimania.

I couldn't leave without a couple of gripping screenshots!

Made a mistake, then use the restore option.

The Incredible HangOpus

Hang..."man"

Nope, not this time - it’s HangPenguin! Opus, as I’ve just discovered, is actually from a comic strip by Berkeley Breathed, and he goes by the full name Opus T. Penguin. Any guesses what the "T" stands for? For his one and only outing on the Atari ST, he’s starring in a GEM game of Hangman. This program was created by Bryan Cafferky using Personal Pascal and is a simple take on the classic word-guessing challenge.

As expected, it’s all about picking the right letters to reveal a hidden word. Get one wrong, and Opus inches closer to his doom. There isn't anything groundbreaking, but I enjoyed the humour, especially the silly reactions when you guess correctly (or mess up). His death is particularly amusing for someone with my mind!

Additionally, one of the best features is that you can edit or create your own word lists, so you’re not stuck solving the same puzzles every time. That’s actually a brilliant touch, especially for those who fancy playing with their family on & off over the years. Yup, I hope I’m not the last person left alive to download and play this! So go on - give it a go and see if you can save our feathered friend from his fate.

You can help Opus by downloading the disk from AtariUpToDate, Atarimania, or ftp.pigwa.net.

I couldn't leave without dumping a few screenshots, so here ya' go...

When you get a letter right, Opus is happy. Unlike in the next screenshot...

His life hangs (literally) in the balance. Can I get the next letter correctly?

Yeah, the word "GREEN" was guessed successfully, and Opus lives another day.

Not only do you win that round, but the computer insults you! lol

Of course, if you fail, then poor old Opus is brown bread!

Minefield

- You sunk my battleship!! -

Everyone loves the Battleships board game? Well, I know I do! So here is Minefield by Donald Campbell which is a PD game based on the idea. Only this time we're driving tanks across a minefield made from 64 square tiles. Our opponent is your beloved Atari ST who is trying to do the same and the one with the most through wins!

There are three difficulty levels with the first being "Dead Easy" which makes your Atari ST appear rather dumb. Especially as it fails to learn from its mistakes... The second level is "Quite Easy" and a marginally better opponent. Finally, we have "Intelligent" which is the most fun and even uses its cannon to locate mines. Sounds like fun, right?

It sure does! So, let's take a gander at a screenshot before we carry on reading...

As you can see, I shot the square ahead to reveal a mine. Wow, that was a close call. Phew :)

- Play The Game -

We begin each game by placing five mines secretly on your opponent's board (the ST will do the same on yours). Each player takes turns to safely guide a tank from one edge of their board to the other. We start each game by selecting any square from along the bottom row. Our tank can only move upwards or diagonally upwards and once a square tile has been used, it's removed from play. Of course, this is obvious and will also restrict your options later on.

Remember those five hidden mines? Well, to help locate them, use your cannon and fire at any square tile. The explosion will either result in a face or a skull: a smiley face means the tile is clean and free to use. However, if you see a skull then stay clear otherwise it's instant death - and for the duration of the game. Both players repeatably take turns until no tanks remain and the one with the most safely home is the winner. Gameplay is simple and easy peasy to learn!

Those who are clever and don't care about flashy graphics are still here! So let's see another screenshot...

Sometimes this game shoots itself in the foot thanks to its earlier (bad) decisions...

- Graphics & Sounds -

Visually, this game will blow your socks off!! I'm talking 200+ colours, 50fps hardware scrolling and all in overscan... Okay, okay, there's nothing like that whatsoever but a game like this needs nothing more than to be functional. The board is basic but clear, the smilies are cute and the skulls look cheap but I really don't care. Nor should you.

I wasn't expecting much in the audio dept and that's exactly what I got. The old YM chip struggles as I fear Donald wasn't much of a musician? There are a few basic effects but it's all pretty lame and the tanks sound like a wasp is trapped in a spider's web. Not good. However, just like amateur graphics, it really doesn't matter tbh.

That's right, fancy aesthetics are nice but never necessary so let's take a look at the last screenshot...

...and, ahem, as you can see we humans aren't too clever also. Sigh!

- The CryptO'pinion -

This game is superb fun no matter what you might be thinking. However, it's not perfect and I have a couple of quibbles. For example, it's a massive shame that there's no support for two players. Also, I'm not convinced about its three difficulty levels, especially when watching the computer make some terrible mistakes. Also, the 8x8 grid layout is restricting and can leave both players with zero options towards the end - even though a couple of tanks might remain.

Okay, it's time I stopped being an idiot and remembered this isn't a commercial release. Technically rubbish, yet here I am about why you should download Minefield. I can't give you much of a solid reason! Other than I've played dozens of games and loved every single second of it!! Minefield is one of the most enjoyable "PD" games I've ever played.

- FLOPPY DISK DOWNLOAD -