Return To Genesis

Dream Team?

Firebird released Return To Genesis the same year I got my Atari ST and it was developed by the incredible "ST Dream Team". Yup, Steve Bak, Pete Lyons and David Whittaker: three masters in their own field. These guys aimed for quality and always pushed our computer without ever resorting to excuses or using a lame Amiga port. #respect

RTG is basically a funky take on Defender where Mechanauts have forced scientists into slavery. We've gotta rescue each of these guys which means jumping into a spaceship to skim the surface of 50 psychedelic worlds. At great speed!!

Wanna see the first bunch of screenshots? Then wait no longer because here they are...

Weeeee..... swooooosh..... ZOOOOM......... dead!

Can you see the Mechanauts? Not easy, is it? Wait, now I see a scientist waiting to be picked up!

I'm getting too old and slow

If you've ever played Defender then you should be right at home with RTG. It only has a tiny learning curve - fire and kill everything. But let's play properly? It's worth slowing down to pick up the scientists rather than killing them: once onboard, hit the HELP key to see what cool power-ups they might provide. These guys are useful and could improve weaponry, shields, invisibility, etc. However, Festus might be less than fun as the master of self-destruction!!

A scanner shows the location of each scientist but this sadly falls short of detailing the level layout. I don't know why, but this doesn't work well for me. Sigh... how many more times must I be rebounded back and forth like a yoyo. Yes, this is one incredibly FAST shoot 'em up that has you on the edge of your seat. Blink and you're dead!!

Screenshot time and here are twelve scary-looking people from the future...

This is an incredible idea that uses who you rescue in a positive way for the next level. It's superb!

Aesthetics

Pete Lyon designed everything you see but I'd be lying if I said this was his best work (I personally think Zynaps won that accolade). Don't get me wrong, RTG looks lovely but it's also pretty gorky and I sometimes found it difficult to distinguish the aliens against those funky backgrounds. The scrolling is smooth to prove, once again, that the Atari ST needed no custom chips when in the hands of talented people who care about the product they're working on.

Audio is such a treat. Dave Whittaker sure knew how to get the best heard from our computer - his work proves "chip" will last forever. Okay, it sounds <cough> familiar but it suits the gameplay perfectly. Heck, our ST talks to us which is a zillion times better than Gold Runner. Dave certainly gets the YM processor rocking like this!

It looks, moves, and sounds superb! This is definitely a dream team production so let's see a couple of screenshots...

Oh, look, a weapons upgrade. I knew it was better to rescue these guys rather than blasting 'em!

Shall we rescue him or not? Erm, I shall.... try....!!

The CryptO'pinion?

RTG is one of those games that appears to have it all. Sure, it looks, scrolls and sounds brilliant yet I'm left feeling unsure. Is it me? Is it the game itself? Well, I'm not sure but I do know that I love a good Defender-inspired shooter.

However, this game is way too difficult thanks to its blistering speeds! After a few pointless games, it's not long until I get tired of hitting lots of objects and suffering humiliating deaths. However, the scientists have great power-ups available. These are a wonderful idea that somewhat compensate for this maddening gameplay.

Return To Genesis is an iconic shoot 'em up for Atari ST gamers! It truly is and represents what the ST is capable of. Sadly, it's way too furious for me and thus another Anarchy. Sorry, but give me Xenon or Menace any day of the week. I wanted so much to love this game but I couldn't. It's brilliant but sadly, not for me. I guess this gamer is too old and slow?

Download for floppy or hard drive.

Quadralien

Oh no, I've gotta use my brain?

Quadralien is an action-enhanced puzzler released by Logotron and, once again, we find ourselves on board a spaceship that's about to go into a nasty radioactive meltdown. This time it's thanks to a pesky race of Quadraliens who must be stopped before everything goes boom. Next time, I think I'll just stay at home.

I must admit that Quadralien wasn't something I was looking forward to playing. I remember being completely bemused by this puzzler back in 1988 so I was dreading booting it up again - and then having to write something interesting!! So, cautiously, I inserted the floppy disk into my Atari ST and braced for an embarrassing moment of gaming torture. I only hoped my nightmares didn't return to haunt me... At my age, I need all the sleep I can get!!

Anyhow, let's begin this feature with a couple of nifty screenshots that will probably make no sense...

Click the red square for detailed information on each of the six droids.

There's lots of information and choices to make. Choose wisely!

Let's get to work...

Each level is viewed and played from above - Gauntlet-style you might say. We are in control of two droids that need to clean up the Quadralien's mess. Actually, there are a total of six droids but only two are usable at once. Each has its own individual characteristics to take into account: magnetic structure, the ability to carry waste, battery, weaponry...

Initially, I found that unnecessary because I felt blind - in terms of planning ahead for an unknown level. Hmm, it didn't seem to work very well... However, I later found a fantastic series of videos by sushicalmagi who nicely explained each droid along with the basics of the gameplay. It's worth watching, especially if you have no instructions manual like me!

Okay, here are two more screenshots. Apologies to all those expecting Gauntlet...

So much radioactive stuff to zap or pick up... use those "I" terminals to see the services it offers.

The screens may look confusing and cluttered but they really aren't.

Confused? You will be!

Six chambers make up a level and their objective differs: in the first room we are tasked to clean the radioactive materials to lower the temperature but the later levels involve puzzles to tax the old brain cells. Quadralien uses a passcode system to lock the harder levels which I thought was a neat idea for the long run.

Okay, my first game was quite a mind-blowing affair because there's so much clutter on-screen, which bewilders me!! My advice is to take it slow and experiment with your droid: familiarise yourself with the room, find water, play with magnetised objects, zap/collect toxic waste - and use the console. Actually, these are excellent and stuffed full of detailed stats, and full toxic decontamination, and can also recharge your battery to full power.

There is a lot to this game, which is great value for money but also a time-eater. Screenshot time...

The console is your friend who can help out in several different ways...

...like a good scrub! Or decontamination as they call it.

By Jove, I think he's got it

After a couple of games in, things began to fall into place and I was enjoying myself. Getting around is easy using the joystick and it's a lot of fun zapping the nasty stuff with your laser. Also, the spacebar is used to collect toxic waste and hitting F4 activates a nifty Geiger counter on all lucky droids. F5 flips between your two chosen droids and F3 allows you to pan your location without moving, which is more useful than you might first assume...

Also, there are some rather odd magnetic mechanics which can be useful, annoying or humorous and that depends on your choice of droid so learn your environment before blindly running around. However, there are other objects to be wary of like magnetic tracks, forcefields and those impetuous Quadraliens!

Okay, you're starting to show interest? Rightly so, this game is something else...

It's good to know your environment and Quadralien is bursting with much to learn.

This ain't no 5-minute game. Study hard. Play clever!

Aesthetics

Graphically, for a puzzler, this is amazing and I liked its crisp, clean design using bold colours. It's quite futuristic in some ways and reminded me how I thought a 16-bit game would look - back when I was a ZX Spectrum guy. Okay, I'd have liked scrolling but the flick-screen works nicely and I'm thankful push-scrolling wasn't used!

The sound effects are great but it's that funky Dave Whittaker music that wins it hands down. Listen...

Yes, please do pause this most excellent reading. Listen, enjoy and then continue to scroll :-)

The CryptO'pinion?

We are now at that point where I write why I loved or hated a game. However, I'm doing something different because of Quadralien's enormous learning curve which I initially failed to master many moons ago. Sometimes we're quick to judge and I feel I fell into that trap because of Quadralien's massive learning curve.

Anyhow, I recently took a week off work with the family to eat, drink and walk the fells of northern England. I returned fresh, raring to go, and booted up my ST to give this puzzler another shot and, you know what? I actually enjoyed it for the first time in over 30 years. In fact, my older brain seemed to cope a lot better too!

Quadralien may offer the usual end-of-world scenario but it also feels very different and with some interesting mechanics. Sure, there's a huge learning curve, but I suggest trying your best to master that otherwise you'll do what I almost did and miss out on nothing less than a class Atari ST game. Dismiss this cracking puzzler at your peril.

AtariMania has the floppy download and 8BitChip obviously has the hard disk version.

Marble Madness

It's all balls!

Of all the games in this wonderful Super Pack collection, it is (ironically) Atari's own Marble Madness which I was looking forward to the least. I've never played the arcade original but I did have a number of clones back in my Sinclair ZX Spectrum days - and I hated every one of them!! So, we're off to a good start lol.

This ST conversion was programmed by Will Harvey, which shocked me. After all, this is the guy who gave us the excellent Zany Golf and The Immortal so my expectations were always going to be high.

To be honest, I find the whole Marble Madness concept pointless and frustrating. I've simply no patience to spend any amount of time on something that was obviously designed to torture people like me. However, I must keep an open mind and attack this game just as I would any other... Maybe I've been wrong all these years?

Yeah, not exactly off to a great start so let's take a break for a couple of screenshots...

The first level looks good but is a cheap imitation with missing decals

Level two introduces us to the enemy - a black ball that loves to play chase... Weird!

So what's it about?

The aim of Marble Madness is to navigate a ball through six isometric mazes that feature lots of tricks like moving platforms, vents and even "monsters" that zap you for valuable time loss. Yes, there's a timer so, the quicker you complete each screen, the more time you accumulate for the next. This idea is pretty cool and forces you to master each level the best you can. Or you could play coop head-to-head which I thought worked well.

The controls are awkward, so you will probably miss that trackerball? Sure, I've no trackball myself but I found the ST's mouse to be nothing less than useless as I wildly zipped about in every direction except the one I wanted. The joystick proved to be the better choice for diagonal movements and holding down fire delivers a burst of speed. This is good for climbing slopes or avoiding baddies - just try not to fall over the edge!

Sadly, the controls aren't without their quirks and sometimes it felt like my blue ball had a mind of its own: many times, I'd move one way only to see it go another! Plus there are bugs, lots of bugs: level two features an invisible wall that your ball can ignore and drop down into oblivion. Level three crashed on me twice!

Not going good, is it? Well, let's take another break for some more screenshots...

Okay, I've dodged two wibbly things... but... Oh no, there's another black ball about to chase!!

Those green blobs are slow and easy to beat. Hang on, what's that vent used for...?

Aesthetics

Graphically, I expected better from the ST. Just look at its title screen if you don't believe me - what were they thinking? The game resembles the arcade levels but feels rushed with many missing decals, bland colours, and weak shadows. It's rubbish compared to other isometric games I've enjoyed on my Atari ST.

The audio is quite poor. The sound effects barely resemble the original, and the music is irritating at best.

Yikes, I really am not enjoying this part of the Super Pack!! Screenshot time...

Level four has some of the most infuriating moments...

...the kind that has you screaming at the poor ST!!!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Okay, I know I have never liked Marble Madness - but - I have kept an open mind. Honestly, I've tried my best but time has not healed my wounds and it failed to deliver the slightest hint of enjoyment. Also, the ST appears to have received an incredibly lame conversion that feels rushed and riddled with silly bugs.

Hmm, a curious tidbit - was this the STs first-ever lame port?

Marble Madness is the weakest game in the Super Pack; it's worse than Chopper X so I think I'll be fine without booting it up again. It feels rushed and without the dedication the ST requires. I hated it with a passion!!

Those wishing to endure torture can download the floppies or a hard disk version.

Eddie Edward's Super Ski

Thick glasses and a funny face!

So far, my Super Pack adventure has been very strong with some huge titles: Arkanoid II Revenge of Doh, Beyond the Ice Palace, Black Lamp and Buggy Boy. All are searchable right here and all are sweet Atari ST classics. However, there's always an exception and that was Chopper X. But we'll say no more about that! Surely, things are gonna get better?

Well, the sixth game in the Atari Super Pack is Eddie Edward's Super Ski which is basically an "Eddie The Eagle-endorsed" version of Microids' Super Ski. Now, everyone (here in sunny England) admired our lovable sporting icon who was our plucky hero that certainly won over the entire nation's heart. Heck, he even got his name on an Atari ST game which is a gold medal moment in itself. Come on, far more impressive than the Calgary Winter Olympics. Oh yeah!

Hey, before we continue I think we should view a couple of wintery screenshots...

Okay, there's no music but the interface is clear and well-designed.

I like the ability to instantly jump into the action and play any of the games!

Oddly, I had a bit of trouble running this game on my own STe so I switched over to Hatari and configured that to emulate a basic STf (TOS 1.02). Also, (thanks to AtariMania) I had a good laugh reading the box cover which says: Fly like "the Eagle" on the Ski Jump!!

But is it any fun to play?

Super Ski is a 3D skiing simulator where we compete in slaloms, downhill racing and a ski jump. Each event is experienced from a third-person perspective to show Eddie in the thick of the action - which basically means we try our best to help keep him on course using our lightning-fast reactions. Which is harder than it sounds...

The races are fast. And I do mean fast! Chose three tracks that increase in their number of twists and turns for a chaotic experience. Controls are superb - move from side to side to steer through as you zoom down the snowy hills (press the fire button to move quicker). To increase your speed, push up, for an insane boost!

Competition mode supports multiple players using the Booking Office (which is a bit weird) to choose how many and their names. Now you can find out who can jump the best and ski the fastest without incurring too many penalties. You might even become a human snowball... Tell me that ain't the funniest thing you ever expected to see!

Okay, it's time to view some more screenshots so brace yourself for action...

If you can handle it, ride low for faster speeds.

I did and even finished without turning myself into a snowball!!

Oh, how I need the practice...

There is a training mode used to practice each of the four events before taking part in the competition. Using this is something I cannot recommend highly enough, because you will certainly need lots of practice:

The slalom games are fast so require quick reactions to safely navigate each of the progressively difficult tracks. The harder you go, the more winding the path and all whilst trying to hit through the gates. Wow, these races are insane - dare you hit UP to go even faster??

Ski Jump is simple and simply awesome. Sure, it's over within the blink of an eye compared to racing, but it's exciting to see Eddie fly like the eagle he was (ahem). I really enjoyed trying to get the speed and angel just right - now all you've gotta do is try and stop. If you can!

Downhill Racing is very similar to the slaloms and, I suppose, sports fans will hate me for saying that? However, I found it harder because I felt snowblinded due to the lack of colour and visual objects! It's fast, it's furious, it's racing so crouch down if you can handle the exhilerating pace.

This has got to be one of the best moments in gaming? I never expected to be Eddie The Snowball!!

Aesthetics

Graphically, I'm impressed by Super Ski which nicely presents an Olympic scene. Everything flows at a frightening pace and possibly too fast for my old eyes that desired less speed and more frames. We even have foolish spectators standing in dangerous places just waiting to be splattered. Actually, it's good that they're there because I'd probably go snowblind in this white world. But I shouldn't complain because this is brilliant for 1988.

Audio is less impressive with the YM2149 trying to make swooshy/sliding noises and penalty alerts. It's fine but could have been far better? Sadly, there are no chiptunes to bop along to, either in the menus or during play.

Looks great but sounds poor? Well, at least these screenshots show the best of the game...

Looks like the fans are enjoying it?

I wonder if I can entertain them as much as the real Eddie... Yup!

The CryptO'pinion?

You know me, sports games aren't really my bag, baby. I enjoy certain motorsports and even a few beat 'em ups, but I admit to being pretty much meh about athletics. Super Ski is fun but I am concerned about its lack of variety and felt we needed "more" to set apart the events - like a bobsleigh or even curling!! Of course, they're not exactly Eddie's chosen events, but this would have added a lot more to the game which feels quite restricted.

However, I will say that this skiing game really impressed me. The controls are perfectly responsive for each frantic event and the feeling of zooming downhill is a thrill - it's almost like a snowy version of Vroom! Also, the training mode is a Godsend to help brush up on your skills before foolishly jumping into a competition. Overall, Super Ski is great, especially when playing against family or friends - and we had a laugh!! And that's good enough for me - highly recommended.

This Eddie version of Super Ski was a tough find... Thankfully, AtariMania has the correct download.

Chopper X

I love SWIV...

Chopper X is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up released in 1989 by Paradox that places us in the seat of an Assault Helicopter which is armed with Viper Air To Ground missiles to battle against hoards of bad guys. The blurb says this pushes the ST with its stunning graphics - What absolute twaddle. Don't believe that for a single second!

Anyhow, I should first admit that I'm not exactly the biggest fan of the whole vertical shooter genre. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the games that I have enjoyed over the decades: Flying Shark, SWIV, Wings Of Death, Xenon, Xenon II and Lethal Xcess. Most are searchable here and yes, I'm a freak with six fingers lol. (do you get that? Sigh...)

  
From the start, I knew this was going to be a corker. Yup, right up there with the best of 'em. Ahem!

Never go off looks, right?

Upon starting, the first thing that hits you is how crude it looks. Then you pick up the joystick and realise that the controls are equally as bad because they feel clunky without any swift action manoeuvring your chopper about the screen. Hmm, that just sounds wrong... Anyhow, it simply doesn't feel right to me.

Shooting down enemies should always be fun but I'm not so sure Chopper X has the most accurate collision detection system. Perhaps it's the scrolling which throws me off? But there are times when killing them (and them killing me) seemed somewhat unnaturally fake. Our main weapon doesn't feel good enough, it's like I wanted more from it... Thankfully, there are powerful Cluster Bombs that help out during those sticky situations.

  
The ship does nothing other than help mask the enemy fire!! At last (right pic) we reach the end.

Stick with it!

Each stage is quite short and static in design which is fine because many shooters follow a similar design. However, that means I could soon learn when something was about to appear and these guys are pretty dumb too: they will blindly shoot in a direction which is approximate to your location on the screen. So, if you're quite high up, then their bullets are fired diagonally upwards rather than directly towards your current location. Weird...

It's probably a lot easier to keep your chopper quite low on the screen to avoid the enemy's pathetic attack patterns from above. However, and annoyingly, death not only results in a loss of life but also forces you back to replay the entire level from the beginning rather than the place where you croaked it. Quite infuriating.

  
As you can see, the enemy cannot directly fire at your location but only in the general direction.

Aesthetics

Graphically, this is pretty poor by ST standards with bland sprites, dreary backdrops and horrendously jerky scrolling. It's perhaps one of the worst I've seen and I include those developed with Shoot'Em-Up Construction Kit!

Audio... Well, this is the game's one saving grace with an incredibly funky tune that I really enjoy. However, it doesn't last very long before looping back to the start and, because this plays constantly, it isn't long before it grates on your nerves!! Sound effects are pretty lame, especially when you die or kill something. Lame? Yes, very lame.

Midi is supported and is something I would love to experience - I'm after a Roland MT32. Can ya help??

  
The 2nd level adds a splash of brown but still looks dreadful, I'd lost the will to live by the 3rd.

The CryptO'pinion?

Well, it looks like my fantastic run of Super Pack games has finally come to an end with Chopper X. Yes, I've never been the biggest fan of vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups but the ST has some corkers in its library - like Xenon 2 or Flying Shark. However, this game is average, to say the least. It's far too easy, dull as dishwater, and I got little enjoyment.

Oddly, this game has its fans and I've no idea why? Are you a fan? Tell me why in the comments below. For me, there are better shoot 'em ups on the ST so stay clear of this choppy chopper. Play SWIV instead I say!!

The floppies can be sourced using Old Games Finder and you can lose precious hard drive space by installing this cool version by 8BitChip. Enjoy the torment!!

Buggy Boy

Silly & Screwy Racing

After the joy of Arkanoid 2, we continue our trip through Atari's Super Pack with Beyond the Ice Palace and Black Lamp. However, both are already featured on AtariCrypt [click the links] so let's move onwards for a favourite of mine, Buggy Boy. What a wonderful arcade conversion and those with a keen memory will remember that I've already covered it?

Well, yes and no... Yes, it's featured but no, it was just a silly post showing Buggy Boy running at dizzy speeds on my 16Mhz Mega STe!! Still, it's worth viewing... Honest! The speed of this computer is exciting stuff :D

Buggy Boy is an arcade classic. Simple as that. It's fun yet doesn't take itself seriously whatsoever. So you can forget the crucial stuff like road surfaces, tyres, suspension, handling, pitstops, or even the paint job. Nope, just choose which of the five tracks you fancy and then jump into your buggy and race through checkpoints - all against the clock.

But let's not forget the belting cartoon-like visuals for a chance to view a couple of screenshots...

Who doesn't love two-wheel stunts? If Michael Knight can do it, so can I.

Abandoned logs help our cute buggy to leap high into the air!

Fun, Fun, Fun!!

Remember what I said, forget realism. Everything you experience will be completely unrealistic thanks to roads cluttered with obstacles and whacky physics. The first track is an offroad loop whereas the others are segmented by checkpoints as you progress. This racer was always meant to be fun so provides silly leaps and two-wheel driving, Knight Rider style!

Points can be earned by collecting flags in the order shown at the top of your screen. Once completed, they begin to flash - so now is a good idea to collect more before that stops. Also, slalom-style gates are scattered throughout for tons of points and some even offer time bonuses. Heck, you might even see a soccer ball... Go on, kick it... (and again, again!!)

Football, in a driving game? Yep, check out the screenshots that follow...

Hit that soccer ball like Pele and see what happens to eagle-eyed drivers.

Why not climb those sloping walls to avoid obstacles like annoying rocks.

Forget sim, this is pure arcade joy!

Some tracks have banked curves like a Scalextric track! Thankfully, these can be used like you're racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. It's superb and an unexpected surprise, that certainly adds to the overall excitement. However, not all is good, look out for rocks, bushes, or barriers that slow you down or take you for a tumble. Driving head-on into a wall will cause you to explode and water has never been good for any vehicle. Each bad event forces the loss of precious time!

The joystick controls are brilliant albeit limited by the hardware itself. Of course, an analog wheel was always going to be missed, but the weirdest aspect is pushing upwards to accelerate rather than using the button. That's because tapping this switches between your two gears... Low & High. It's odd but you'll get used to it after a race or two.

Arcade fun on your Atari ST? Whatever next? I'll tell you, some more screenshots...

There was plenty of room but I still chose to leap over that rock. Why not!

Watch out, tunnel ahead! Enter without hitting slap-bang in the wall if you can?

Aesthetics

Graphically, Buggy Boy hasn't aged badly whatsoever and definitely brought back all my old arcade memories. The sprites are nice, their colours are gorgeously vivid, and the overall appearance is cartoon-like. Okay, the framerate isn't exactly Vroom but it looks cute and performs smooth enough not to hurt my eyes, ala Cisco Heat and OutRun!!

The audio is darn cool and captures the arcade experience with its beautiful chiptunes - all produced by the talented Jason C. Brooke. Sound effects are superb - so zesty and memorable - with jazzy jingles and funny "boings" as we leap.

So, it looks and sounds great? Do you know what that means? Yep, some more screenshots to gawk at...

Bumping into some obstacles slows you down...

...whereas others cause the buggy to realistically tumble. Ahem.

The CryptO'pinion?

It's difficult to find something negative to say about this racer. But, if I were to be picky, then the framerate could be a tad smoother and I miss the extra audio touches like skids or driving through tunnels. But I really am being picky!!

Overall, this is an outstanding conversion of the arcade original. It looks, sounds, and plays absolutely great plus the ability to instantly select your preferred course is a huge bonus. It's authentic and brilliantly entertaining, so it will always keep on dragging you back for more. Buggy Boy is an Atari ST gem and I love it. So will you. Trust me, play it now.

The floppies can be sourced using Old Games Finder but, if you have the necessary hardware, I would advice you to download the cool hack by D-Bug. This not only comes with a fantastic intro but also supports faster Atari computers, like my own Mega STe. Absolutely superb!!!

Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh

Doh!

It's time to kickstart my Super Pack adventure with Imagine's Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh. Now, 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 not only did all the coding but everything you see and hear too which is 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... Yes, the mouse!! Control the Vaus Craft to deflect the energy bolt back and forth destroying every (destructible) block - Breakout style. You can 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, but 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 - which is really infuriating!! So use the Vaus to nudge them into an early grave when they get too close...

Thankfully, 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!

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 at times 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!!

Sound effects aren't going to drive you wild with excitement but who expected anything beyond dink...dink...dink...? Thankfully, the tunes are superb even if we're only talking for mere seconds, but I love their authentic quality.

Overall, 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...

Okay, I think it's easy to say that Arkanoid took the Breakout genre to a whole new level. This sequel is so addictive and infuriating yet always keeps you coming 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!

Atari 520 STFM Super Pack

I've had an idea

It's something that I've been thinking about for a while... Let me begin by saying my first Atari computer was the 520 STFM (shock) which came bundled with tons of games in the "Super Pack". I remember that Christmas well as my new computer was remarkable with its jaw-dropping speed, GEM desktop, many colours, and next-gen gameplay!!

Until that day, I'd only ever owned a ZX Spectrum so, booting up Xenon for the first time was a mind-blowing experience. Pure witchcraft!! Don't get me wrong, I loved my old Speccy but this was on another level!! So I figured it would be a fantastic idea to replay each of the bundled games and relive Christmas Day all over again.

The games

Arkanoid II Revenge of Doh, Beyond the Ice Palace, Black Lamp, Buggy Boy, Chopper X, Eddie Edwards Super Ski, Ikari Warriors, Marble Madness, Quadralien, Rana Rama, Return to Genesis, Road Wars, Seconds Out, Starquake, Summer Olympiad, Test Drive, Thrust, Thundercats, Wizball, Xenon, and Zynaps. Hey, there was even on Organiser ;)

Phew, 21 games!!! Most of these I haven't played since that first Christmas in 1988. So I'm very excited to see how well they have aged over the last three decades. Yes, I'm talking to you, Mr Eddie Edwards and your Super Ski skills!!

Are you excited? I know I am!

I'll begin my Super Pack journey alphabetically, starting with Imagine's breakout, Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh. The last time I enjoyed a decent brick buster was Bolo a few years ago [a classic] so I hope this lives up to all my expectations.

Let our joyride through the Super Pack begin --> watch this space :)

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Credits: My greetings to Róbert Tercsi and Marko Latvanen for their help.

Super Stario Land

Hang on, is this Mario on the ST?

I was recently talking to a good friend who loves the NES game, Super Mario Brothers. However, this is something I've not played because I had the ZX Spectrum before moving up to the glorious Atari ST. He swore at me saying it was the best platformer ever made and other nonsense like - I didn't know what I was missing. Thankfully, he has now been sectioned but his silly opinion got me thinking about Super Stario Land which is (cough...cough) similar.

I remember playing this platformer a few years ago but struggled to progress very far. So, I decided to give it another bash over the weekend and shockingly, my skills had not improved!! So I rebooted my ST after only a few games to enable the trainer option which I hoped would compensate for my poor reactions. In fact, I had the bold intention to record a "longplay" but those darn flying fish put a frustrating end to that idea, which was so disappointing!

Why is it I'm always so bad with every game I love? Anyhow, let's crack on with a couple of screenshots...

Stario left the house without a weapon? What a fool...



Now he's gotta squish the nasties using his boots!

A platformer without a gun?

Released in 1995 by Top Byte Software, this ranks as one of the last commercial games released for our beloved Atari ST. For those living on another planet for the last couple of decades, Super Stario Land is basically a shameless Mario ripoff - it doesn't even try to hide that fact at all. It was programmed by Adrian Keylock who did an excellent job considering no enhanced hardware was used. Yup, it's as smooth as silk on any Atari ST computer.

Stario can walk, run (hold the fire button) and jump over his blocky 2D landscape. Many of these blocks can be nudged for extra points and sometimes a weird bonus - I love the one that makes you grow twice the size/strength and I will never refuse that much-needed 1UP bonus. The levels are populated by lots of cute critters that can be killed by stomping on their heads, although some require a double jump whilst others are immune. Very original, isn't it?

Your environment is very much a "Mario" clone using the expected bric-a-brac with tube-like structures, water, moving platforms and much more. Everything was intended to feel this "familiar", but what interested me was the levels themselves which follow a particular design using randomly generated stages for larger levels. Sadly, this design will often backfire for a weird Deja Vu feeling as you explore the same bit of landscape... more than once.

Hey, I shouldn't moan because that feature provides a unique game so let's see more screenshots...

Watch out for falling rocks!!



Every critter is so cute and detailed, even the evil flying fish!!

How does it look, sound and play?

The graphics are designed by none other than Richard Davey, of the legendary LGD and kind supporter of AtariCrypt. He's certainly taken the time to get that console look just right - everything from the blocks, the landscapes, and those incredibly detailed sprites. Plus, the baddies are really cute, it's almost a shame to squash 'em. Well, almost lol.

Audio can be flipped between the default sound effects and chip music by simply pressing F9 key. The effects are quite good but there's not enough going on so you're left feeling empty and wanting far more pizazz from your old ST. Thankfully, nothing compares to the gorgeous Big Alec tunes which are beautiful. So that's an easy choice!!

The joystick controls are excellent and incredibly responsive without any lag. However, having said that you should get in a few practice games - to master the enormous level of inertia. I wish I had a pound for every time I slid off the edge of a moving platform to my doom! After a few plays, things will soon become second nature.

It's screenshot time but these are for all those ST nutters in Australia. Don't believe me? Check 'em out...

Enter 'australia' into the high score table and you get a rather unexpected bonus game!!



This is freaky and quite impossible to play but hilarious at the same time.

The CryptO'pinion?

No game is perfect and Super Stario Land has a few niggles which disappoint. For me, those flying fish are the worst because they appear to follow unpredictable patterns so are really annoying (ie, deadly). Getting by them is impossible to judge correctly so it feels like pure luck IF you manage to make it through. Which is a bit rubbish!

Having said that, this platformer is a blast and certainly ranks as one of the best for the ST. However, I'm unsure just HOW to recommend it because if you're a fan of the NES game then you'll probably hate what is a shameless ripoff. Others may not approve of its old 8-bit style compared to traditional 16-bitters like Rolling Ronny, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, etc/etc.

Stario is authentically Mario in many aspects which is great for a 1985 computer without the necessary enhanced hardware. It feels original, scrolls great, sounds great, and the controls are simply divine. Overall, I cannot recommend Super Stario enough because it's blummin' great and infuriatingly addictive so enjoy what is nothing short of excellence!!

Super Stario The Mario Wannabe

can be run from floppy or your hard drive.

Fuji Boink ASCII

Always read the documentation!

I really enjoy digging through the ST's deep archives to see what forgotten goodies I can find and here is one of the best I've ever seen. It's called Fuji Boink ASCII and deceivingly appears to be nothing but a humble text file. Sadly, I've no idea who to credit for this piece of GFA Basic wizardry, but what I do know is that it's absolutely brilliant and definitely not what I expected to "read" after double-clicking the icon... I love finding stuff like this!!