Serenade #78

I enjoyed the STAX #90 feature, so I figured I would do another one! This time, we delve into the Serenade archives to see what's lurking on one of their amazing 85 "PD" disks - nothing quite like keeping it legit? Anyhow, menu #78 appeared to stand out from the crowd with lots of cool games crammed onto one disk.

This is a simple menu compared to others from their catalogue, but there is stereo music for those lucky enough to own an Atari STe. In fact, it's one of the few mods that hasn't aged badly, so a massive thumbs up from this chiptune guy. The scroller is very interesting - apparently, Man Utd did well against their arch-rivals!

Serenade's library can be downloaded from Stonish with credits/etc on Demozoo. Let's begin...

- DEADLAND -

A platoon of little stickmen has crash-landed on the planet Ursula Minor, and this place is crawling with Ursulan Soldiers who are eager to kill you without mercy! Also, there are dangerous natural disasters to avoid, so it's best we don't hang about and quickly repair our spaceship to escape this hellhole. This means piecing that together (JetPac-style!) before anyone can be safely evacuated. Sounds very easy, right?

Deadland first feels similar to Rebellion or Cannon Fodder: control the direction of your active soldiers using the mouse, and a right-click turns them into trigger-happy Rambos. The planet is crawling with enemies and constantly frantic, so it's tough battling whilst planning construction work - that might leave some vulnerable? It's easy to lose your bearings and, just when you're getting to grips, your men drown in a mud pool!!

The enemy is relentless, so you cannot expect to wander about easily killing anything without taking a more strategic approach. Each member of your team is listed on the right-hand side of the screen for their health condition and other abilities. Don't forget to look after these guys - green is never good outside of the GEM desktop. There is a lot to master here, especially whilst defending against enemies, incoming rockets, mines /etc.

I enjoyed Deadland and the concept is great, but this isn't something you can easily pick up and play. It takes time, and a map would have been nice, as would using the cursor keys to scroll. Yep, I have struggled to get to grips with Deadland, but it's an excellent strategy and potentially rewarding. If you're brave enough?

- TRAPPED II -

I couldn't get this to work on my Atari STe - blank screen! So I switched to emulation to discover a Tron game. I've never been a fan of this genre, but I gotta admit it's good. It features different game styles, screen layouts and even a few power-ups (which I didn't expect). There's not much to look at (shock), and I imagined the sound effects would grate, but they didn't. After all these decades, I actually enjoyed a Tron game!

- MANIC MINEFIELD -

Minesweeper was another fad that I have always failed to appreciate, and Manic Minefield appears faithful to what I remember, with gameplay that's about as enjoyable as I expected. Shockingly, after a few games, I enjoyed this crude imitator even though I never won a single game! I often felt robbed of a win because I'm sure the ST cheats!! Then it rubs salt into your wounds using a sound sample to mock your lack of success. Interestingly, the board size, wallpaper, /etc can be altered in the Options screen. Which is kinda cool.

Manic Minefield is okay, and I imagine fans will enjoy it. But I doubt it's something I will play again...

- FRANK & THE LOST AUBERGINE -

Never would I have imagined loving a game's title more than "Hector vs The Mutant Vampire Tomatoes From Hell", yet here is Frank And The Lost Aubergine!! It's a fast-paced platformer developed using the STOS Missing Link extension and has us frantically running around screens crammed with monsters and gems.

Collect every gem to proceed to the next level, but watch out for the baddies. These can be killed by dropping a well-timed bomb directly in their path - difficult but doable. Or you could slam into them, albeit at the expense of losing one of your 50 lives. Yep, 50 and you'll need them all because there are lots of monsters!

Movement is very fast - too fast!! It's difficult to position where to stand when you wish to leap off a ledge. In fact, leaping over the wider gaps is close to impossible and takes too many attempts. I love a platformer that tests your patience, skills and dexterity, but it simply doesn't work here. A good idea poorly executed.

- DELUXE INVADERS -

I love Space Invaders, and I'm confident nothing will beat Sinister Developments' fantastic conversion. That is arcade-perfect using authentic effects!! However, this is a conversion of Roklan's 8-Bit Deluxe Invaders by one of the biggest ST legends. I've never played the Roklan game, so I was hoping for something different.

There are two modes: slow and fast. The slower game looks superb with colourful aliens invading your screen, and can be sped up by flicking over to 60Hz - something you should consider. The faster version is better to play, but appears boring in comparison, so I went looking for a green cellophane to wrap around my monitor!

Sadly, I didn't feel it with Deluxe Invaders and preferred the original if I'm brutally honest. It's a good game, but there are better "Invader" games for the Atari ST. Sigh, I'm also a bit deflated about that fact.

- NIBE -

This is a great snake game. I featured it a couple of years ago, so I'll copy and paste it:

NIBE is a Nibbler/Snake game by Marc Bourlon that features an ever-greedy snake who wants to chomp his way through lots of apples. However, this gluttony makes him grow longer with each bite so it becomes harder protecting him from bumping into walls or even his own tail. It's our job to help him eat his way through lots of screens - and many are pretty cruel in their design. You can even change the game's speed (if you dare!!)

Graphics are humble and suit the retro theme plus I love its title screen - which is actually a good intro. Sadly, there are no sound effects so Mad Max music plays throughout - never a bad thing!! Overall, Nibe is pretty straightforward and also extremely challenging thanks to a sinister design. Stick with it because the basic mechanics are spot-on and Nibe will certainly test your reactions, patience and concentration so prepare thyself to be tormented!!

I really enjoyed this olde game, but beware, it's tough. Probably too tough for you!!!

- MULTRIX -

Groan, another Tetris game? Yup, and it's not that good, I'm sorry to say, so play BLAT or Teserae instead.

- The CryptO'pinion -

That was not the awesome ride through the Atari ST history books I first imagined. In fact, it was a little bit of a letdown, if I'm honest. Not only did I have compatibility problems with a couple of games (Atari STe), but this was a true mixed bag of joy, disappointment and even a few stinkers thrown in for good measure!

It all depends on what you like, but Deadland and Nibe are the best reasons to click download.

River Raid

Let's play with Carol

For those living under a rock for the last few decades, River Raid was developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari 2600 and is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up. It was ported to other machines like the C64, Intellivision, and ZX Spectrum (the latter being what I played in the 80s). I thought this game rocked, and it's only now, thanks to using OpenEmu, that I've had my eyes opened. Wow, the differences are staggering!

Okay, we're flying up the River Of No Return, which is endless. It's split into handy sections, divided by bridges. Viewed from a top-down perspective, we fly under the radar and shoot anything that gets in our way - but stay over the water because the land results in our humiliating destruction!! The controls are superb and dead easy: we can alter speed by pushing up to go faster and pulling back to slow down. Left/Right skims over the water using an awesome level of inertia and allows us to dodge the enemies we foolishly left alive.

Testing your skills and dexterity are the enemies: helicopters, planes, tanks, etc (depending on the version). Kill everything using missiles and clear the way for a smooth flight up the river. Fuel can be replenished from neglected tankers, or you could blast 'em to smithereens for extra points? Yup, that's about as complex as this shooter gets - survive as long as you can whilst killing anything dumb enough to get in your way!

River Raid appears to have its fair share of lovers and haters, but I love it. It's such a thrilling blast without complicated mechanics or pointless objectives. However, others feel this simplistic approach can become tedious - but they're weirdos. Enjoy what is nothing less than a superb and timeless shoot 'em up.

Okay, let's play...

- ATARI 2600 -

As this is the original, I was expecting a blaster beyond anything I'd previously experienced, and that's exactly what I got. Visually, it's a typical 2600 with backgrounds and enemies made from Lego. Okay, I'm forgetting how ahead of its time this wooden slab of late 70s technology is because everything moves fast and smoothly. The sound effects are grungy and raspy, which is perfect for the engines and explosions.

This is so incredibly playable with well-balanced gameplay and great controls. It feels right and obliterates the ZX Spectrum game that I grew up with - so I'm now looking into time-travel technology. Sigh...

This is the best version of River Raid that I have ever played. Simple as that.

- ATARI 5200 -

I had high hopes for Atari's SuperSystem, but there is little to separate this from the original. Sure, the graphics have been improved using rugged landscapes, so the river is more interesting thanks to the contours of the shoreline. This design works well and helps pilots like me to survive longer, which is great because there are now lots of extra enemies. Plus, what's better than blasting a bridge just as a tank is crossing over?

Sadly, I preferred the controls of the original, but I'm not entirely sure why. The 5200 lacked something, and God only knows how I'd cope using the machine's analog stick! Don't get me wrong, this is a great game, but something about the original kept dragging me back. I cannot say the same for the 5200.

Close, but no cigar.

- ATARI ST -

It's sad that River Raid never graced the Atari ST. However, there might be light at the end of this tunnel of disappointment, thanks to a game by REIsoft called (wait for it) River Of No Return. It was developed by Jürgen Reichenwallner using SEUCK and is described as a rescue mission with a military theme. Hmm...

Unlike the original, this river is littered with stranded soldiers eager to be rescued; otherwise, the idea remains the same. Controls are fine, but the plane could have had a nip more speed and agility. I failed to understand the mechanics behind our weaponry, which appeared to speed up to a rapid level, and thus made it easier. Weirdly, we're not restricted to water, but some buildings can destroy you, whilst mountains won't!

Visually, it's okay with nice landscapes and sprites that aren't too shabby. However, the scrolling is poor, which is incredibly embarrassing. Sound effects are equally humiliating for our powerful 16-bit beast, which should have annihilated those "lesser" consoles! Oh, and the firing sound will drive you insane!

Remembering that this was developed using SEUCK, it's not bad. However, those expecting a River Raid clone will be extremely disappointed by this shambles (the ST has zillions of better shoot 'em ups). I did play a few games and eventually reached the boss - but it beat me (twice), so I never bothered trying again. 

UBESWITCH

My best purchase ever?

After two years, I can finally update our hardware section with my latest Atari ST purchase. I dumped my old monitor switch box for a Ubeswitch by Urban Jonsson, which I bought off the Exxos Web Store.

It's amazing how fantastic this works: plug it in and power on your Atari ST (mine defaulted to high resolution, but that can be changed by holding the top button for a couple of seconds). Changing resolution is simple, tap the same button to send a signal to the ST that you wish to switch resolution - and you can flip between colour/mono at any time. I'm using an NEC 1970NXp multisync, which works very nicely.

STOP!! You should first check that your monitor is fully compatible and listed here:

Best-Electronics
Atari-Forum Wiki
15khz.net
Wikidot

What a cracking piece of hardware with an incredible design that makes using it so easy. If you have a monitor that can support the ST's awkward 15Khz display demands, then head over to the Exxos web store and get this adapter bought. Fascinating witchcraft and I wish I'd have bought one of these years ago!!

Forgive my handy camera skills! Click it for a bigger view of my Ubeswtich love.

Minefield

- You sunk my battleship!! -

Everyone loves the Battleships board game, 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 ST appear rather dumb, and it fails to learn from its mistakes. The second level is "Quite Easy" and marginally better. Then "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). Each player takes turns to safely guide a tank from one edge of their board to the other. We play by selecting a square from along the bottom row. Our tank can only move upwards or diagonally upwards. Once a square tile is used, it’s removed from play. Of course, this is obvious and will also restrict your options later on.

To help locate enemy mines, use your cannon and fire at any 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 repeatedly take turns until no tanks remain, and the one who safely returns home is the winner. Gameplay is simple and easy-peasy to learn!

Clever people are still here, as they don't care about flashy graphics! Let's see a screenshot...

Sometimes the computer shoots itself in the foot thanks to its earlier decisions.

- Graphics & Sounds -

Visually, this game will blow your socks off!! I'm talking 200+ colours, 50fps scrolling and all in overscan. Okay, okay, there's nothing like that, but a game like this needs nothing more than to be functional. The board is basic but clear, the faces are cute, and the skulls look cheap, but I 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 pretty lame, and the tanks sound like a wasp is trapped in a spider's web. Not good. However, just like amateur graphics, it doesn't matter.

Fancy aesthetics are nice but never necessary, so let's take a look at a screenshot...

...but, as you can see, we humans aren't too clever either. Sigh!

- The CryptO'pinion -

This game is superb fun, but 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.

It's time I stopped being an idiot and remembered this isn't a commercial release. Technically rubbish, yet here I am about to explain why you should play Minefield. It's all about gameplay, and I’ve played dozens of battles and loved every moment!! Minefield is one of the most enjoyable "PD" games I have ever played.

- FLOPPY DISK DOWNLOAD -

Shadowlands

Brace yourself for an epic adventure!

I've just downloaded an iPhone app that claims to scan photos/boxes and will fix the alignment angles and other funky stuff. Why am I telling you this? Well, everything you see within our Box Art section was taken using my phone's camera, which means trying my best to get the angles just right! In fact, that's almost impossible with these shaky hands of mine, so I would often take 500 snaps just to get that one decent photo...

Well, no more because I have finally caught up with the rest of the world and started to use Google's Photoscan. This appears to do everything I need and very quickly too, so I thought I'd begin with Shadowlands, which I purchased a couple of years ago (btw, you really should click that link and read all about the game). In fact, this RPG is astounding and one of the best games I have ever featured. I'm delighted to own it!

What do ya' think about the box above? I believe it's actually very good, and it took mere seconds without any shaky hands getting in the way to ruin it. Anyhow, check out what else we have inside the box...

The back of the box is superb and would have tempted the gamer to empty his wallet to buy it!

Should I post this? I wonder what would happen if I did or would the postman just bin it lol

The manual is nothing short of superb and stuffed with helpful information. Read it!!

And finally, here are the floppies which complete what a 90s gamer would have got for this cash.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Wakey Wakey!!

I woke up early today - in the mood for demos and chipmusic. No idea why, but I started watching a few whilst suppin' my coffee. It's a weird way to spend the early hours when the family is sleeping, but... I am weird. There are so many great demos for the Atari ST and even a few for the STe, too. (I never understood how the STe had all that extra graphical hardware, yet its demos pale considerably compared to the STFM)

I ended up watching a few more - Punish Your Machine never fails to impress my old eyes and ears! Brace, by Diamond Design, is simply jaw-dropping. These got me in the mood - for another coffee!! Then I grabbed the headphones and enjoyed a few fave tunes by Scavenger, Nemo, and TAO. A golden trio there!!

Sadly, time was running out, and this "noise" woke my girls, who halted the fun!!! But what a great start to the day, and everything mentioned is within the above two [ST/e] playlists I've linked above.

I'll end my silly post with the groovy Sexgames by Christian Källström (Crazy Q), which is exceptional.

Line of Fire

We're going to war, bring a mouse!

Line of Fire was converted from the arcades in 1990 by Creative Materials for US Gold and is basically a "crosshair" shooter. It begins behind enemy lines as we're trying to escape never-ending hordes of angry bad guys. They're annoyed because we've sneaked in and pinched their brand-new toy - a Rapier Gun. Of course, we have no intentions of returning it, so we must now escape in a blaze of glory. A-Team style!

The gameplay is simple: move the mouse over the enemy soldiers and hit fire to send 'em to hell. Kill anything nasty, including the hardware that they use: a truck, plane, boat, or even their incoming missile attacks. Well, that's about as technical as this shooter gets - lots of frantic killing and explosions. Great stuff!

Oh yeah, so let's start by taking a look at the first screenshot...

The map shows our escape route through the base, jungle, rocky canyon, town, etc.

And bring a friend too!

One or two players are supported for a single or a (much-needed) co-op onslaught of pure adrenaline. Solo is controlled using the mouse, which is precise, but I feel the crosshair should have been bigger because it sometimes got lost among the explosions. Try it - hit the SHIFT key to spark a nuclear explosion (aka grenade), but be thrifty because these are best left for the end-of-level bosses. Trust me, you'll need 'em all.

We begin trapped inside the enemy compound with baddies lining up the corridors, ready to kill us! The display shows our health and the number of grenades - both of which can be topped up by shooting the corresponding supply boxes lying on the ground. There's a boss waiting at the end of every stage, be it two ugly brutes firing missiles, a plane stuffed with a cargo of airmen, or a ghost train and its endless supply of soldiers.

Okay, shall we take a stroll through the many levels of this crazy game? Yes, a good idea...

- Eight Stages To Freedom -

Level 1 - The Enemy Camp

This is where we broke into the enemy camp, kicked in their sandcastle and made the bad guys cry. However, tons of smurf-looking soldiers were alerted (very odd), and they're mean and sneaky - some even hide inside the floor panels and ceiling vents. Once you reach the end, it's time to battle two enormous bad guys who are just asking to eat those grenades.

Overall, I really enjoyed this opening stage, albeit very short. Should have been much longer!

Level one kicks in with an assault of Smurf soldiers!

Level 2 - Destroy The Enemy Jungle Base

Those smurfs failed to stop us, and we made it outside to jump into our jeep and head for the jungle. Lots of enemies are lurking in these muddy waters, along with choppers and planes dropping bombs of mass destruction! The action feels unbalanced for solo gamers, but the helicopter boss is pretty cool and a good fight without being too complicated.

This stage proves the developers used ST Basic (and had no beta testers!). Let's take a look...

Be quick and get blasting everything you see on the screen. Gun love time!

Level 3 - Exit By Speed Boat

Pretty much more of the same as the previous level - but this time we're riding through the soggier parts of the massive jungle. Watch out for the soldiers hiding on the river banks, and you might even see the odd Rambo impersonator. The two bosses are back, but this time they've brought some help for what is quite a fatiguing battle.

This level is more of the same, which isn't great unless you have a faster computer.

The two guys have brought in some help. It's very tough, so expect to lose lives.

Level 4 - Fighting In The Canyon

Like the jungle, this time the graphics have changed to an odd-looking rocky canyon. Hmm, those walls don't look right, especially when you see soldiers hovering in mid-air! Anyhow, this level is another which is stuffed full of gun love, and there's even an aeroplane boss that launches rockets at your face.

It's probably better than the jungle stages, but just as crazy, with too many enemies eating away at your credits.

Enemies everywhere! Shoot - quicker - shoot some more. No, be quicker!

Level 5 - Do Or Die Battle In The Desert

Landscape graphics are gone, and the display is reduced to objects and sprites. It's now that I noticed the odd blue background - it really stands out because there's nothing else. Looks very strange. However, the benefit of this sudden change is a decent framerate, which means it plays better than all the other levels. The boss stage is a train, which is something solo players should fear!

Overall, a great level, and I wish the others were as fast and responsive as this one. I enjoyed it :o

It looks... odd... but fear not, there's a bunch of fun to be had here!

Level 6 - Foes Await In The City's Ruins

Finally, we've made it into a rough shantytown for a terrifying urban siege. Terrifying because that horrendous framerate has returned with a vengeance - I think this stage is the most sluggish of all? To be honest, it's a bit boring and also far too tough in solo. Where's the boss stage?

Overall, it's okay, but also a bit... meh because of the dreadful framerate.

The idea behind this stage is actually very good, but poorly implemented.

Level 7 - Evade the Enemy's Aircraft

We're on the runway and zoom off into the skies for aeronautical hell. However, this stage is tacky with a lame submarine boss, which is rubbish. Overall, this feels like a stocking filler and is the worst level so far.

Wow, I said that after playing the previous stage? Dang!

I've really had enough...

Level 8 - Fly To Your Base By Helicopter

Glad I didn't throw in the towel because Howling Mad Murdock would have loved this stage! The enemy chucks everything at you for one final attempt to get their fancy gun back! Don't get defeated because the end is very near. Sadly, I did, because it's insanely difficult! Which means I failed to save the Western World from the dreaded Terrorists.

Ah well, at least I tried...

That blue background might look daft, but imagine it black...

Graphics and Sounds

Visually, Line of Fire is an oxymoron as it impresses and shocks in equal measure. Overscan is utilised with top and bottom borders removed to provide tons more pixels. I loved the comically bold palette, the sprites are huge, and those explosions are ginormous! Sadly, the sprites look like I've drawn them, and the framerate is shocking. It's possibly the worst performance I've seen from an Atari ST, which is a sad thing to type.

To me, this comes across as a lazy Amiga port, showing no real optimisation whatsoever for the Atari ST or STe hardware. While it is admittedly commendable that overscan was implemented, that choice likely robbed the game of even more precious speed. Perhaps dropping the overscan would have been the wiser option if proper optimisation for our machine wasn’t going to be done. As it stands, a half-hearted port combined with overscan effectively killed any real potential the game might have had. Bit of a shame really...

The audio failed to impress. It begins with a nice title screen chiptune with a humorous intro, but it's all downhill afterwards. The sound effects are your gun and grenades. So it's your gunfire that you're constantly hearing, which sounds like a room full of dancers shuffling their feet. Ugh, turn down the volume.

A mixed bag of goodies, alright, but the Blitter would have helped a lot... sigh...

Gotta take my hat off to the developers for using overscan, albeit at the expense of framerate? :/

CryptO'pinion

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of crosshair shooters, but Line Of Fire shocked me. There's no 2D landscape with pop-up cardboard soldiers; instead, we have a first-person perspective similar to something like Narco Police, but in overscan. Which is kinda cool for a machine with only 512k RAM.

However, this conversion is screwy and appears to do everything to make the Atari ST perform like a Vic-20 (cough, cough, lame Amiga port). I don't understand what Creative Materials was thinking. Then again, aren't these the guys that gave us Street Fighter 2 and Days of Thunder?

I enjoyed Line of Fire because it's different from what I usually play. It's best with a friend as it's not balanced for solo play, but at least it provides a few continues to keep you interested. I'm glad I didn't buy this terrible game, but I still enjoyed rampaging through the levels. Worth playing, but only in coop with someone.

- DOWNLOADS -

Floppy - Bad Brew Crew #33 (Stonish)

Hard Disk - 8BitChip (w/ extra credits)

Silly Dabbles Demo

Oh no, I've been creating again...

I love finding Atari ST programs that do something silly or unexpectedly cool. There are lots already within our Software section, like Full Screen Construction Kit, MandelST, and I even got to play in overscan. Yep, I love to dabble in hiSTory so I was pleasantly shocked to find an intro maker I had not heard of before.

It's by Deviant Designers, called Letter And Intro Maker (L.A.I.M.), and is simple to use. Just select the various fragments of what actually makes an intro: a picture, fonts, chip music, and a text file used for the scroller. There are already lots of fonts on the disk and dozens of chiptunes to choose from - the hardest part is writing the text (read the docs) and finding a decent image to use - unless you're talented in NeoChrome?

Once you're happy, save your production to disk and then quit into GEM to load it up. Yep, you've created your first demo screen in mere seconds! This is what I've done and named it "Silly Dabbles". It features an image from Beastlord and music by An Cool. Try this program - I'd love to see what you guys create.

I've recorded a video, and the disk image can be downloaded. It's good using an emulator, but best when run on a real Atari ST. I hope you like my Silly Dabbles Demo and enjoy using the program.

Credits and Download Links:

Deviant Designers for Letters And Intro Maker (LAIM)
https://demozoo.org/groups/38004/

Picture was taken from Beastlord by WJS Design/Grandslam
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-beastlord_8696.html

Music by An Cool used in The Death Demo for 2-Life Crew
http://sndhrecord.atari.org/mp3/AN_Cool/

- Screenshots from L.A.I.M -

Nothing flashy here, but it works great and never crashed on me once!!

Oodles of fonts to choose from, and a preview is shown before you decide.

Dozens of awesome chiptunes to choose from, but sadly no preview. Can't have it all...

Randomazer

Thomas has been busy again!

It's always exciting to hear of a new game in development for the Atari STe, and I have been given an early release of Randomazer, by Thomas Ilg. That's right, the fella who gave us a fantastic conversion of Frogs. The excellent graphics are designed by none other than STS, with sweet tunes by xFalcon.

Like those old Christmas presents, we guide colourful baubles around this maze, trying to guide them safely home. That sounds simple, and the idea is, but the gameplay isn't, especially when there are multiple balls! That's when things get incredibly frantic!! Randomazer features randomly generated isometric mazes, and there are four gameplay modes, tutorials, buckets of levels, and special actions. These can be used and applied to particular needs, like destroying walls or teleporting elsewhere on the (large) map.

Tilt-guide the ball home, it's that simple. Can you handle this?

These type of puzzlers aren't really my cuppa tea because I simply haven't got the patience for something like this!! However, I have surprisingly enjoyed Randomazer, which is something that both Thomas and I are probably shocked to hear!! Why, I hear you scream?

Well, after suffering through Marble Madness, I wasn't initially keen with Randomazer. At first, I struggled, and it destroyed what little patience I managed to muster! But the tutorials are helpful, so I managed to get a grip of this intriguing puzzler, which has elements of Lemmings in some respects. I still find it infuriating (sorry Thomas!) but it's unique and oddly very addictive!

It's incredible that a new Atari STe game was born from what was a maze generator only a couple of months ago. I wish Thomas much success with this, but please remember that it is currently a Work-In-Progress. Any feedback, help, or ideas will be appreciated. So click the link and get this playtested right now.

Update: the game is almost finished, albeit marked as a beta (as I write). You can freely download it from Thomas's website, and the final release is only hours away. Please note that the boxed version is available to pre-order!! Also, it's worth checking out Stickhead's fantastic new video showcasing the game. Enjoy!!

* UPDATE *
Buy the BOXED version!

Use those green arrows to safely guide your ball home (the green square)

I never thought I'd see "perfect" when I first started to play this tough game!!

Things are getting difficult, and what are those buttons at the bottom? Hmm...

Hang on, I can blow up walls? Let's try that for starters!!! :D

The Galactic Miner

We dig for diamonds, we dig for gold...

Galactic Miner was developed by William Anderson of Willie Wonka And The Software Factory. How ludicrously funny is that? This started life on the TI-99 4/A and is basically a Digger developed using STOS. However, it doesn't appear compatible with many models of the Atari ST/f/e, but more on that problem later.

We begin with a terrain map that details the quality of possible mining locations: white areas are the best, brown is good, whilst green is poor. Sadly, travelling costs money, and we don't have much to begin with, so it's best to keep things local. Once a decent spot is found, a fantastic animation shows us driving in a truck before stopping to erect a mining shack. From here, we can lower ourselves into the mine.

Choose the location of our shack wisely. Here is a screenshot of the mining map...

We're the red block, and this is the map used to pick ourselves fertile lands. In theory!

Shack Attack!

Our shack wouldn't be complete without a credit-munching Vendomatic! This machine not only has the best name I've heard for a machine, but it's also used to restock dynamite used to clear a path through the mines. Droids are bought to help protect us from sneaky thieves, and Clones aid with extra lives. The final option is another shack, which will be used at the next dig site. Sounds expensive, right?

But wait, that's not all the magical shack offers! There's a copy machine, which is used to exchange mined ore for credits. Eagle eyes will notice a save game feature - which you should use regularly! The doorway represents an exit onto other sites, but the computer isn't something I've used, as I've never earned enough credit. Finally, use the hatch to return to the mine, but don't forget to turn out the light on your way out!!

Let's take a peep inside our shack, it's pretty cool actually...

Not your typical mining operation, but everything you need is available from inside your shack.

Too scary for Miner Willy!

Once we've built ourselves a shack and have a fistful of dynamite, get inside the mine. Instantly, the gameplay feels familiar but with a few differences. Freely moving through the dirt is only possible when something collectable is within your grasp. Use dynamite when thicker dirt or rocks are blocking the way to the goodies. Dynamite has no effect on the larger rocks, which are too strong, so look for another way.

Beware of ugly creatures lurking within the depths! There are monsters that will roar onto your screen at intervals in random areas. Thankfully, these can leave behind a present to pick up. Also, it's a good idea to protect your shack from thieves by purchasing a Droid - it's expensive but has security. There's nothing worse than being underground whilst someone's on the surface robbing you blind (great to watch!)

Check out these fantastic screenshots, which detail my busy route looking for stuff...

What's wrong with the world today? I'm working, and that no-mark turns up to rob me blind!

The attention to detail is pretty cool, and I love my truck. I want one!!

As you can see, each mine is always different, as is the quality of your dig with gold, gems, etc...

Grab as much loot as you can and run!

Each screen is randomly generated, including item locations, monsters and cave-ins. It's also possible to run low on dynamite, but there is the option to return to the shack to cash in and restock. Deciding if/when to do that is entirely up to you, based on how much of the good stuff remains. Also, bear in mind that it costs us money to detonate a stick of dynamite. There is more to this game than I first thought!

So, it's decision time: should you restock and return to the mine to collect what's left or move on to new pastures? It's up to you based on your finances and what remains to be collected, but if you do go back, then I advise using a Droid. Yup, there is actually a lot more to this game than just digging. Good luck!!

It's time for more screenshots, so keep on scrolling ST Nutters...

I've pretty much cleaned out the mine!

Wait, a monster... at least he didn't bite me!

I forgot to clone myself... How often have I said that? And then this screen mocks you!

Aesthetics?

Graphically, this feels oldskool and appealing thanks to its landscapes, good use of colour, well-drawn decals, and funny sprites. It's the cartoon animations that steal the show, and it's a blast watching your Ford Ranger (I'm daydreaming!) drive along the landscape before stopping to build a shack. Heck, even the truck's suspension rises as its cargo is removed!! So much effort obviously went into this, and I love it!!

The title screen has a neat chiptune, and in-game sound effects are all made from rough, crunchy samples, which I really enjoyed. Okay, I'm gutted the STe hardware wasn't utilised (1992!!) as the samples sound rather STFM'y, but I love what there is. Watch out for those roaring monsters!

Sadly, I couldn't get Galactic Miner to work on my Atari STe (TOS 1.62). It booted up fine but then appeared to hang on the title screen. Sadly, things didn't improve with Hatari on my Mac - using my usual default ST/STe configurations (TOS 1.02/1.04 and TOS 1.62).

I had better success using an ST (Hatari), but the miner lost his position on the screen, which got worse with every movement!! So, I went back to the basics and emulated the original ST (TOS 1.00) and everything worked. Looks like this game only works with that, but YMMV?

I love the neat touches, like being able to collect a dead clone's loot.

I never did get why the old shack needed to be blown up.

...but then I'm eaten alive. What a great day!

The CryptO'pinion?

Ignoring the need to emulate with TOS 1.00, Galactic Miner has a couple of other issues I didn't care for. The cash/credit system feels unbalanced. Everything is far too expensive compared to the rewards earned through mining. Also, we get charged for detonating dynamite and then charged again for supplies... Ugh!

Ignoring my sneaky plea for a credit cheat (any hackers reading this??) Galactic Miner is one of the silliest and most addictive games I've played in ages. Enjoy digging in the mud like a kid from the '70s.

Download now to become a Galactic Miner