BBC #48

No, it means Bad Brew Crew

I thought it was about time I featured another Menu Disk, and here we have the 48th release by Bad Brew Crew. The menu itself is good with their logo, scroller and some rather nice digi-music to enjoy before deciding which game to play. There are two options, Skull & Crossbones and California Games, for the Extreme fans!

Demozoo and Atari Legend have more from the Bad Brew Crew incl. downloads!

Onto the games, and I remembered liking Skull & Crossbones as I have always enjoyed hack 'n slashers, and this one features pirates! Surely a win? Anyhow, I doubt I would have ever booted up California games back in the day because joystick-waggle and/or athletics isn't exactly something that interests me.

I guess this menu disk is a perfect choice to experience something new and familiar...

~~~ Skull & Crossbones ~~~

Hoist The Jolly Roger!

I need a parrot on my shoulder, and speak every sentence with an "ARRR!". For we are about to hit the high seas for an exciting swashbuckling adventure with nasty pirates, treasure, and fair maidens in need of rescuing. ARRR matey, a wizard has stolen our booty, and we need to get it back ARRR!! This shouldn't be hard, as pirates are crippled with a wooden leg and missing an eye? ARRR, so let's kill all the scurvy scum ARRR!!

I think we should drop the ARRRs... Skull & Crossbones is based on the arcade game that had us frantically battling pirates with nothing more than our trusty sword. We are 'One Eye' and have suffered a humiliating theft of our booty by a wizard. Wizards and pirates, what an odd combination, but let's crack on and play!

We cannot begin this without seeing a screenshot! So, here ya' go...

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Hulk Hogan had seen better days!

Time to be Errol Flynn!

Skull & Crossbones is basically a 2D platformer for one or two players. Yup, two people can take part at once, which is superb. The adventure begins on our ship, which has been boarded by a couple of pirate goons that need slicing and dicing. Then we can jump aboard the wizard's ship, but that crafty magician blasted us back onto our ship - in time to watch your booty stash disappear before your very eyes.

Each level is basically the same with different graphics, but it's fun repeatedly killing a barrage of sea-faring enemies: pirates, soldiers, ninjas, and even a few silly monsters. Oddly, getting around each level is cumbersome for a 2D fighter and feels trickier than it should. You are able to move in all four directions with attacking and blocking moves. Just bang on the fire button whilst moving in a particular direction:

Attacking

Pressing the fire button and moving left/right plunges your sword in their chest.
Pressing the fire button and moving up + left/right pokes them up their noses!

Blocking

Pressing the fire button and pushing up performs an upwards block.
Pressing the fire button and pushing down performs a downwards block.

Also

Pressing and holding down the fire button turns Red Eye around.
I even managed to stab backwards once or twice in my blind panic!
Apparently there are a couple of special moves which I never managed to suss out. 

A few hopeful, unresponsive jabs and poof!! Yep, a pirate goes up in smoke.

Argh, I'm dead. Again!

Now that you're clued up in the art of battle, you should practice because this is a tough game to master. Each enemy can attack in turn, which prevents the screen from getting cluttered or confusing. Killed enemies drop treasure to reclaim. However, the bigger guys are hard to defeat, like the executioner and an annoying pirate hiding inside a barrel. I found both of these irritatingly difficult and managed to lose many lives!

Watch the health meter; the more hits you sustain, the more blood pumps out from your bleeding wounds (which is pretty cool). What's not cool is the game's terrible difficulty, thanks to its cumbersome and sluggish controls. Attacking is quite basic and gets repetitive after a while, plus I didn't care for the defence moves, which offer little benefit. However, I guess there's only so much a one-buttoned joystick can do?

The concept is enjoyable and follows the arcade well. Killing pirates is fun, but I felt the difficulty was too great from the second stage. Those soldiers are tough nuts and attack with great speed, which feels unfair. Enabling a trainer helped, and I managed to reach the third stage, which was a painstaking journey.

With a little tweaking and thought, never mind!! Let's see another screenshot...

Eventually, I'm back up on deck, and there's a girl who needs rescuing. Yep, I'm in!

Graphics and Sounds

Skull and Crossbones is cartoony with colourful locations and detailed sprites. Sadly, it bombs when actually playing thanks to jerky scrolling and dreadful animation. The scrolling often works against the player from the start - jumping onboard the wizard's ship leaves you open to attack by pirates still offscreen!

Sound effects are basic, but the music is literally brilliant with excellent chiptunes by Matt Furniss.

Looks good, moves bad, sounds great. Hmm, we need a screenshot...

We're now plundering a castle, and this big fella is nigh on impossible to kill. I'm losing interest...

The CryptO'pinion?

Skull & Crossbones looks the part and could have been a great release with more effort. Sadly, the stodgy controls ruin what might have been; not only is it incredibly sluggish, but One Eye is awkward to manoeuvre. I had fun, but the difficulty, later on, was way off and ruined any chance of progress.

The best thing about Skull & Crossbones is the two-player option, which is a brilliant addition and certainly helped compensate for its shortcomings. Unfortunately, I'm getting a distinct whiff of a lame port, which is incredibly disappointing. Golden Axe, Guardian Angel and Double Dragon III are all better choices.

~~~ California Games ~~~

BMX? I'll stick with my Grifter!

I remember the advert with the girl's legs for this sporty Epyx released back in 1989. Sadly, I never played the game as I'm not a fan of such things, so I must admit I'm quite sceptical about booting it up.

Athletics isn't something I like, and I remembered breaking my Quickshot II joystick playing Daley Tompson's Decathlon back in the mid-80s. How pointless! But upon booting up California Games, I was presented with an array of alternative events, which was a pleasant surprise for this couch potato!

In light of that revelation, we should take a gander at the first screenshot...

Practice! Otherwise, you'll fall flat on your face only to be hit by the rolling skateboard!

Run, Jump and Throw Something... Yawn?

No, none of that boring stuff here, California Games has taken a different approach with a handful of unexpected events. All are different from each other, which is something I liked the sound of. I mean, frisbee throwing? I never saw that one coming, but I gotta admit I like the style of these Californians!

One-eight players can take part in six extreme events: surfing, skateboarding and BMX biking. Executing each event properly earns you the most points, and it's all about the highest scores in this tournament.

Half Pipe Skateboarding

Here we push up when the skater is going up the ramp and push down when, well, I think you get it? Moving left/right or pressing the fire button just at the right time will perform stunts like a hand plant or kick turn. It's all rather childish and probably one of the least stimulating games imaginable yet, I quite liked it!

Foot Bag

This is one of the most peculiar sporting games I would never have imagined to be real. Imagine a soccer player keeping the ball in the air - but with a little bag. And that's about it. What a lame event but the ST does a grand job of trying to make it fun. It's all rather silly and quite difficult timing your movements just at the right moment. Oddly entertaining and I enjoyed it, but try not to his the seagulls (lol brilliant!!)

Surfing

Now we're talking. This is about the only sport I associate with California and it doesn't disappoint. The learning curve is possibly the highest of all the games but, don't give up because riding these waves is exhilarating. Who would have thought that balancing on a board in shark-infested waters would be enjoyable? Plus we don't need to worry about trying to slip into a wetsuit on a beach of perfect bodies.

Roller Skating

I expected this game to suck, but it didn't. As an event, it's pretty weak and possibly the easiest but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Pushing up/down gains speed and then you need to avoid or hop over hazards like pavement cracks! Yeah... Okay, this is nothing special but I possibly played it the most?

BMX Racing

Now we're talking, blokes with bikes in the dirt! A game with easy controls to master and a course that's fun and great to play. Sometimes it gets a little too tight, which is unfair, so that's when my man ends up eating the dirt. The physics are pretty terrible but I kept on coming back for more and I'm sure you will too!

Flying Disk

Somehow this kiddy game is now a serious event? Anyhow, along with Surfing, this is a tough one to master thanks to the controls - it took ages to stop dropping the frisbee on my feet!! Not to mention the art of successfully throwing it far enough. Hmm, feels like Frisbee version of Leaderboard to me!

This event sets a great example for the kids as she kicks and screams like a baby. Brilliant!!

Joystick Waggling Fun?

Thankfully, you won't break your joystick with this game, as each event requires a specific control with precise timings to perform certain actions or stunts. However, you should ignore any temptation to jump straight in. It won't happen. Practice first and learn what to do with each event; it's harder than you realise.

However, as each event is different, so are the controls. There is little consistency; each has its own style and technique to master. I admit to being a bit of a geek(!), so I made notes to remind me what to do and when. This worked, but I admit the irregularity makes for a weird learning curve greater than I imagined.

I'm not sure about over-complicating anything, so let's have another screenshot to view...

Now we're talking! Great controls and dodgy physics make this so much fun.

Graphics and Sounds

Graphically, it's okay with summer backdrops and interesting locations, but I got the impression it was limited by its 8-bit roots. Summer Olympiad is much nicer, but the BMX and Frisbee stages are good with decent scrolling. I liked the attention to detail that makes each background entertaining - seagulls flying dangerously close, people boating, sharks and creepy critters lurking underneath the skateboarding pipe. Nice touches!

The in-game sound effects are often a weird mix of chip and samples, which works fine, albeit without blowing you away. Music is by the late, great Ben Daglish and proves that chiptunes will live forever.

Who cares about graphics? Well, maybe me, as I've got another screenshot...

It's okay, fella, nobody looks good in shorts, but what's with those ape arms?

The CryptO'pinion?

The concept of "extreme" sports for the Atari ST has proved to be a cracking idea, and I feel Epyx executed it well. The sheer variety of mixed events is a splendid change from the usual sorts. Getting grabs with each game's controls is the biggest challenge, but stick with it and make yourself some basic notes!

California Games will appeal to everyone, whether you enjoy sports or not. Trust me, I'm a couch potato, so I know. Ultimately, it will shine brightest when the family are gathered around your Atari ST, compared to plodding through solo. An excellent game, and it's a nice surprise to boot up something different.

~~~ The Ultimate CryptO'pinion? ~~~

The Bad Brew Crew never released a dodgy disk, and BBC #48 is no exception. As for content, this is a decent floppy disk, which I've thoroughly enjoyed from the moment I heard the intro's music. Although there are only two games on the disk, each is huge and offers a fantastic opportunity for multiplayer fun.

Of course, Skull & Crossbones was a dreadful Amiga port, but it's actually a million times better with a friend. California Games is superb, even though a part of me still cannot believe it's based on real events! I think Epyx produced an excellent game which I highly recommend, especially with friends & family.

But now y'all need to scroll all the way back up to the top for the download links... :^)

Jon Garry

Jon Garry is the man behind one of the best and most liked alternatives to Pacman, H-Mec. The maze is still there, but gone are those dozy ghosts in favour of a sinister AI that gave it a Lode Runner feel.

And it worked so well, H-Mec appeared on an ST Action cover disk!

I think H-Mec was a hit because it was instantly playable and addictive. In fact, it is a simply great game and one that sported superb visuals & audio. Oh, and was exclusively available for the Atari STe!!

Yes, his first game and already he was making good use of the enhanced hardware - extra colours, Blitter, smooth scrolling and DMA audio. Later on, a sequel was released along with a new game called Oh No! Not More Radioactive Mineshafts. H-Mec II was basically more of that winning formula, but his Mineshaft game was something new and much underrated, with simple gameplay mechanics, yet immensely addictive. And I loved it.

I was eager to contact Jon for an interview, and he agreed. Heck, he actually seemed giddy about the idea and was a pleasure to chat with, a great bloke. I was impressed to discover the part his Dad played in this - come on, he sold the family car! However, what was he thinking about games like Ghouls 'n Ghosts! Whaaaaat??

I'd like to thank Jon for being a great sport over the last few months, and I hope y'all enjoy this interview!

- The Jon Garry Interview -

Hello Jon, tell us all about your hiSTory

My coding life began on the ZX Spectrum when I was about 8. Funnily enough, around 1982, my Dad sold the family car to buy us the computer and that's where I first got the coding bug. How he got that past Mum, I've no idea! He thought that computers were the future and bought it for us to play on. I cut my teeth learning to program and the first game we played was Manic Miner which had a huge impact on me. From the moment I saw it, heard it and played it I loved it. The colours, the sound, the humour, the obstacles, the names of the levels!

I think of Manic Miner as the "Sgt Pepper" of computer games so, 1982 was where my coding journey started. Whilst I loved this, I wanted to know how to make it myself. Fairly soon, I went from "Guess the number" to understanding screen coordinates, variables, algebra, sprites, etc. In short, I taught myself a lot of maths and, by the age of 10, I was able to make a platform game more like "Lode Runner" than Manic Miner, which never happened.

Christmas Day around 1989 I guess when we got our Atari STe, our brand new "16-bit" computer and we couldn't wait to plug it in! We were lucky that my Dad had a bonus from work and used that to buy us the STe. I think it's the most important present that I ever had, just because of the impact it had on my life. I can't thank them enough for that. They weren't flush with cash and used that bonus to treat us to an extra present.

By the time the Atari came, I understood BASIC and the maths behind games. This helped me move back into programming — wanting to make my own version of games I was seeing on the STFM and Amiga. I was used to only having BASIC on the Spectrum so it was strange to find you could choose your language on the ST.

I found STOS too slow so that was out of the window. By the same token, the effort needed to learn Assembly seemed huge. I didn't know C at the time and it seemed difficult to use the tools. However, when I came upon GFA Basic, I started coding. GFA was surprisingly fast on the Atari STe, probably not much slower than C.

In the meantime, I'd started to see what the STe could do on demo disks and more people were getting them. So, I was getting introduced to the idea that the Atari STe could — easily - have full-screen smooth scrolling, lots of action on the screen, digi-music, no borders and a 256 colour palette.

Hey Jon, you're in luck! Manic Miner has been released for the Atari ST (by Peter Jørgensen)

What games did you play?

I just didn't code all the time and still did lots of other non-computer things. I was — still am — a huge football fan and spent hours with friends playing Kick Off 2 and Player Manager. To this day I still think those games were almost perfect — simple, fun and once you'd got around the ridiculous speed of the games they were utterly addictive. I think our Mum and Dad must have bought tens of joysticks after we wrecked them lobbing the keeper!

I also loved playing Castle Master, Terry's Big Adventure, Xenon 2, Stunt Car Racer, Continental Circus, Toki, Millennium 2.2, Speedball 2, Mega Lo Mania, Wonderboy, Vroom, Giana Sisters to name a few!

I loved Ghouls N Ghosts and Ghost N Goblins on the arcade, but the ST ports were poor. Well, any game on the STFM just wasn't as smooth as the arcades, or in truth even compared to the Amiga. I thought they were the 'past' and basically were no good for arcade games and that the STe was the future. So, the combination of coding, watching demos and seeing the STe as the future paved the way for what would become H-Mec!

Tell us about H-Mec

From memory, the first 'application' I wrote was ProbeST which allowed you to 'rip' music and graphics from games. ProbeST was actually a great help in ripping music to use in the two H-Mec games! In terms of H-Mec, I think that technically it was quite impressive for its time. It couldn't run on the STFM, certainly not smoothly.

All the coding for H-Mec was in GFA Basic - a superb language at the time. It supported the Blitter chip which meant that I could use this chip to do full-screen smooth scrolling using about 20% (from memory) of the CPU. This meant that I could 'afford' 20% for digi-chip music and the rest for the rest of the game. To see that full-screen smooth scrolling with the music and the gameplay was quite something at the time.

So, you have a game that is smooth, great graphics, great music and is quite playable. I sent it off to a few PD libraries to share. I thought it was a good game, but didn't expect much more than a few decent reviews. Just after I posted the disks, we all went on a family holiday for a couple of weeks.

What happened next?

When I came back, I had about 30 letters waiting for me telling me how they'd loved the game on the ST Action cover disk... but I never sent it to ST Action! I was puzzled! So I went to our local newsagents and sat on the shelves was ST Action. As you'll know, ST Action was 'the' ST gaming magazine which always had commercial game demos on the cover disk but for that month it was H-Mec.

For anyone to remember this game after all these years is touching. It's hard to explain but something I created as a 17-year-old is still available on the internet and someone is asking about it.

My game competed with commercial games! The review said something like 'this game was too good to review so we put it on the cover disk!'. This was an STe-only, PD game on their cover disk and I was blown away. I got loads of letters from all over Europe and the UK for weeks afterwards which was brilliant!

Forget Pac Man, the ghosts here are brutal and never give up until you are dead meat!

Where did the name H-Mec come from?

From memory, it came from the noise of a dog barking in the local park I used to walk past to get the bus!
I remember hearing a dog bark, and it sounded like "H-Mec" and it stuck with me for some reason. It didn't mean anything as such but I guess to me at the time it also sounded slightly modern too! :)

So what about your other games?

H-Mec 2 was just adding some other ideas on really — the pointed traps and graphics. I'd gone to University to study Computer Science and I just didn't have time anymore. I think it was just added a few things like the spikes, updating the graphics and (rather primitive) AI. I had too many other things to do then!

Radioactive Mineshafts was a quick idea — it certainly didn't take long to write. I didn't think it was good enough to release as a full game (see the falling block graphics). The penguin character and the jumping action were the start of a platform game — remember, I was hugely influenced by Manic Miner - which didn't happen.

Funnily enough, I always thought it was a better game than H-Mec and in recent years when I've played, I still feel the same. I just think it was on the same disk as H-Mec 2 and was pretty much overlooked. A few years ago, I did think about porting it to phones as I think it would work where you could tilt the phone to control the penguin!

Which game are you most proud of?

Without a doubt, H-Mec. After I did my degree, I applied to do a Masters degree in Multimedia. I went for an interview with the Doctor who was running the course and his first question was "What is multimedia?". I spoke about graphics, music, animation, co-ordinating them as well as computer science aspects. Of course, it led to H-Mec and the magazine reviews. He was impressed by the reviews, and we spent a lot of time talking about it. H-Mec got me a place on the course for my Master's degree, and basically kick-started my professional career. 

A few years later, I remember thinking it was quite an achievement to have written the game. Especially when I think about how much I'd taught myself. Remember, there was nothing in schools to teach kids anything about programming. I taught myself from magazines and library books — there was no internet! To go from ZX Spectrum basic to understanding blitter chips, CPU cycles, ripping music and spending months working on a game was really hard work. The reviews it received were astonishing, and I am really proud of the work I did.

My Dad was right about computers being the future, and both myself and my brother work in IT. If my Dad hadn't sold the Beetle or used his backpay differently, my life would have been different. So, H-Mec definitely is the one I'm most proud of — technically impressive, decent gameplay, great reviews and helped me enormously!

I see this screen a lot but it always makes me smile thinking about H Mec's "grilling" lol

Inspirations?

Demos were definitely a huge inspiration. Whilst H-Mec isn't a demo it shares some of their traits — the big palette, smooth scrolling, and the intro screen look like a demo disk. H-Mec was a platform game to start with, but it was just easier to do mazes rather than something like Rainbow Islands!

I'd say, on the whole, I am still proud of the work I did and it definitely surpassed any expectations I had!

Also, quite a few people did donate which was very kind and generous. I had enough to pay for a few nights out which was great! I also had quite a few football pennants from around Europe sent to me as 'thank yous' as well which was lovely. I had all of them up on my bedroom wall for many years after!

What was it like being a part of the ST scene?

I loved it! Whilst a lot of the Atari ST scene was done through posting disks, I was also a member of a very social ST Club in Oldham. This club was based at the Bowling Green in Hollinwood, eventually moving to the Lancaster Club in Failsworth and, every week, about 50+ people would turn up armed with STs, TVs and 4-way plug sockets! You'd have rooms, where each plug socket had a 4-way in and each socket on the 4-way had a 4-way in which had 4 ways in with all these ST's and TVs plugged in!

The club was very friendly and had a real mixed bag of members. People from 8 to 80, some were there just to play Kick Off 2 every week, others to swap games, others came to chat and others had connections to the Pompey Pirates and download games on a primitive internet. It was very, very social and was enormous fun. Just lots of people, of all ages and backgrounds, with an interest in the Atari ST coming together to chat and have a good time. Nowadays, it would all be on the internet and nowhere near as social. I do miss those days.

Through ProbeST and H-Mec, I got in touch with other people around Europe too - Germany and Finland in particular. The PD Libraries were great and I'd regularly swap disks with people who ran them. All this would be done on the internet today, but I think that it was more personal back then as you had to -write- to someone. Whether it was the club in Oldham or the letters to Europe I do feel privileged to have experienced it.

Jon and Sally?

In terms of the handles I had, I can't quite remember them, to be honest. I was obviously Jon, and Sally was our dog haha! I think the names were probably to make it look like lots of people had worked on the games but in reality, it was me coding and others did the music and graphics. Sadly, Sally the dog died although she did extremely well for an Irish Red Setter and lived till she was about 17.

Imagine yourself back in the day knowing people who had contact with the Pompey Pirates!

Did you make music with your STe?

Whilst I can play a bit on the keyboards and I can play the guitar, I never wrote music on the Atari. At University, I did do some sampled music for fun, but nothing decent. I was a big fan of "Count Zero" who I thought made the best Atari music. I loved his version of the end of Tubular Bells and it's no surprise it's used in everything I did!

Very creative!

At the time, I didn't consider making games to be particularly creative, but as I've got older I have a different perspective. In my teens, I thought being creative was about painting, films, playing music or drama, etc. Not programming. But when you write a game from scratch it's one of the most creative things you can do!

You start with a white screen and nothing happens. You then create a world — the visuals, the sound, what it looks like and the rules. And how each screen flows from one part of the game to another. It's a VERY creative process and when you play a good game, you can tell that someone has really thought about the whole experience.

I'd also written some other tools that kind of grew out of H-Mec as well. ProbeST, was well-received when it was pushed out to PD libraries. It was written by me and my friend Clover at the time. We had lots of ideas, but most didn't come to fruition. It's probably just like someone in a band — you start 500 songs and finish one!

Any unfinished games lurking in the attic?

No, but I started a football manager game and I thought if I could combine Championship Manager with the in-game graphics of "Football Manager" I used to play on the Spectrum, it would be a winner. Sadly, it never went anywhere but it did give me an appreciation of what's involved.

I honestly used to start a new game every week, but most of them didn't go far. Writing a game from end-to-end takes effort and determination and I fully respect anyone who's actually done it. It probably took the best part of a year from start to finish to do H-Mec. Obviously, I wasn't working on it all the time, but it's a real effort to make games.

As I've said, the Spectrum was an influence on me and a game that we loved was "Lords of Midnight" and the sequel "Doomdark's Revenge". I must have started 100 versions of these on the Atari but again, nothing came of it. As soon as you try to make a copy of a game, you really get to see what absolute geniuses people are.

This didn't make it to the top of Jon's list, but I thought this was a darn excellent 'hopper'

What happened after your STe days?

I went to University in 1993 and I didn't have the time anymore to write games. I moved away from home, I stopped going to the club and the letters became harder to keep up with. Still, I used my Atari to write code and essays for a couple of years until I had to get a PC - which again, my parents got for me. It had an astonishing 8MB DX processor (a good one at the time) and a hard drive.

However, compared to the Atari it was such a big, clunky, noisy, ugly machine that couldn't do a lot and the graphics and sound were TERRIBLE. Windows wasn't a patch on the GEM Desktop, but it felt like I had to move. I was learning languages like Pascal, Smalltalk, Assembly and Ada which weren't available on the ST. I was genuinely amazed that Windows was seen as the future at the time, as it was truly awful not to mention - unreliable and slow. The languages just didn't have the power of GFA Basic either!

However, in recent years as Windows improved and emulators appeared I started looking back at the games on Hatari. It really is great to go back and play the games I remember as a kid! Some haven't aged too well but I still get the buzz seeing the old classic games. However, I could never quite get H-Mec to work and maybe, part of me didn't want to be embarrassed by what a 17-year 'me' made!

But part of me wanted to see it and I saw your YouTube video. It's a peculiar feeling though. Remember, this is me in my mid-forties looking back at a game I wrote as a 17-year-old so you will be looking at yourself back in time. When I look at it, I am quite proud although I can see that 16/17/18-year-old boy in there. I can still see 'me' in the game and what I was thinking. I do think 'he/me' was a very good programmer - I'd hire him today!

What are you doing today?

Nowadays, I'm a professional programmer who pays the bills writing web applications and business software. I haven't written games for many years now, but I feel incredibly lucky to work as a programmer.

If you'd had asked me what I wanted to be as a 10-year-old, other than a footballer, I would have loved to have been a computer programmer. I think if you asked my parents, I bet they'd agree that selling that old VW Beetle was one of the best decisions they made!

This is a photo from around 1991 of Jon and his mate "Booze" playing Kick Off 2.

And Finally...

It's funny really, but when you got in touch it brought back a LOT of memories. I could have written a book! As I said, I was touched that you got in contact and it's quite something to think that something I did nearly 30 years ago is still available on the internet. I can absolutely guarantee that most people won't be able to say that! The fact you and others are preserving that slice of late 80s and early 90s culture should be applauded.

I've been very lucky in my life that my parents supported me and my brother, selling the family car, getting us the Spectrum and later the ST and the life it's given us. I feel very lucky to have been part of a wonderful scene in the late 80s/early 90s and met some fantastic people. I genuinely feel very honoured that you asked to do this interview and I send a very heartfelt "thank you" for bringing back many wonderful memories!

---

This interview was a pleasure and Jon is a great bloke. Fancy reading more Atari ST interviews?

Ballerburg

A quick play...

There's nothing better than blasting cannonballs at enemy kingdoms after a soul-crushing day at work. Today was that day! I needed a few games of artillery mayhem in Ballerburg as this is one of my favourite Atari ST games. I first played it long before I could afford a high-resolution monitor but it was still playable in "emulation". In fact, this isn't the first time I've featured this fantastic game so click here for more.

Are there any fans out there? Let me know in the comments below...

* The download is available on Eckhard Kruse's website. Along with a rather potty horror-demo!!
* Try MonoPack if you don't have a mono monitor, it's great and can even use the Blitter.

Intro by The Conceptors

Sometimes I need a break from the norm... So, over the last few days, I've been having a 'fumble' through my entire collection of Menu Disks. Whilst I've got the usual run-of-the-mill stuff like Automation, Pompey Pirates, etc... I also found a few disks which I'd never seen before. Or possibly my old man memory had just been forgotten?

Anyhow, here's the menu from one such disk - Menu #01 by The Conceptors. I genuinely haven't heard of this group but I must admit, this is one sexy intro using overscan and the music is outstanding. Oddly, I never hit a key to play any of the games. Which is peculiar for a guy running an Atari ST gaming website lol

YouTube is nice but nothing beats seeing this on a real Atari ST... [Demozoo download]

Credits:
7an - Music
Demon - Code, Graphics (logo)
Slime - Graphics (Font)

Tecnoball

It's Brick Buster time!

TecnoballZ was published in 1991 by TLK Game and is a Breakout conversion developed by Pierre Denis. Oddly, I had never heard of this game until a good friend happened to mention it a few weeks ago (thanks Paul). Sadly, I have no idea whether it was ever officially released over here in the UK. Does anyone know?

Okay, we all love a quick blast of Breakout/Arkanoid now and then; olde classics have stood the test of time for a reason. I would say Arkanoid is the most well-known, unless you're an ST guy then it's perhaps Bolo. I'm always open to an alternative, especially when it's an Atari ST game I have never played before!!

Okay, let's take a look at a screenshot with its strange colour scheme and... erm... something else...

Here, I held onto the ball whilst blasting the bricks with a weird laser weapon. Sweet!!

It's 1976 all over again?

The first thing that struck me was the overscan for a larger display. The brick-busting gameplay remains much the same. Each screen has a different collection of blocks that must be cleared using your bat and ball and, with each hit, points are earned with a chance of spawning cash, power-ups and sometimes enemies.

The mouse controls are great; precise and accurate as you would hope. However, it isn't long until you realise the physics is 'different' as the ball often doesn't react as expected. Manipulating strikes using the different parts of the bat doesn't work and might even force the ball to bounce in a different direction! That means it's tough finishing a level when only a few blocks remain! (there's a power-up in the shop to help with this)

Yep, a shop pops up after each level to offer goodies like extra lives, a bigger bat, weaponry, etc. It's possible to install extra bats on the remaining three sides of your screen! I like surprises like this plus that silly idea reminded me of the chaos I suffered in Wacko Software's Video Games I. Innovation like this keeps the player interested which is how I managed to clear several levels and defeated a couple of bosses!

Check out my power-up pads on all 4-sides of the play area. It's mental!

Over-what?

Graphically, I like Tecnoball as it's futuristic in style and different from the original our Dads used to play ;-) Overscan has been used to great effect and provides a better experience, more arcade-like because of the extra screen space? The use of colour is good and everything feels smooth but I thought the blocks themselves lacked a bit of pizzazz? Sometimes I did wonder what they were thinking with the choice of colours.

Hey, see how I've not mentioned the guy in the status panel who freaks me out. Darn, I just did...

The effects are great with samples for the 'dinks' but there is no in-game chip music so it's almost as quiet as the original. Even worse, there's no theme tune for the title screen which I found very disappointing.

This is the first boss screen and oddly, it features no blocks!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fun take on the original but the physics are peculiar which acts as a "bug". At one stage, the ball hits an enemy (at the top of the screen) which then ricochets it sideways. The call began bouncing from left-to-right, in a perfectly straight line. Weirdly, that continued for about 30 seconds!! Luckily, it hit a wandering enemy that changed its trajectory so I could carry on playing. Not very good, I'm sure you'll agree?

Having said that, this is still a good game and I enjoyed ploughing through the levels. The addition of a shop works well to provide a variety of extra features that helped improve the game massively. Give it and try and see how it compares to your favourite version of Breakout? Let me know in the comments below.

Download the Cobra #27 menu disc from Atari Legend.

Gotta love the artwork and even this Game Over screen is in overscan.

Athanor II The Legend Of The Birdmen

Another brand new game!!

Somebody once said that the Atari ST died during the 1990s, yet here we are (again) with another new game! Okay, raising the cash to buy this adventure may have taken me a little longer than I originally planned, but I've finally received what is an awesome new Atari ST adventure game - Athanor II The Legend Of The Birdmen by Safar Games. Yes, I am very excited to begin playing this, if you cannot already tell!!

Credits
Design and Programing - Eric Safar
Graphics - Vincent Jambut, François Gutherz, Angel Bautista
Musician - Mathieu Stempell [DMA-SC]

What is it?

Athanor II is a point-and-click adventure sequel to the original 8-bit game. Our adventure continues through four worlds with interactive characters and an abundance of puzzles. All Atari computers are supported with 1MB+ RAM, and the Atari STe will use its extra colours, Blitter Chip and the DMA for clean audio. Excitingly, this is the second title of what will eventually be a trilogy - oh yeah, this is something else to look forward to!!

I believe the elusive TT and Falcon are also supported but, that's something I'm unable to test unless someone fancies donating their hardware to AtariCrypt? Yeah, I thought so... O_o

Design and programming were done using GFA Basic and Devpac by Eric Safar (yes, he of Ranx!!), who was interviewed a couple of years ago by Atari Legend. This is a quality product, and I feel Eric went that extra mile with a product that looks and feels great. The build is strong and well-designed, plus it comes with a bunch of goodies. What more could the big kid within ever desire? One of the best purchases I've made.

The CryptO'pinion?

I'll say it again to get my point across: this is one of the best purchases I have made. Athanor 2 is a quality product. The box art is fantastic, and there are many trinkets inside, along with the disks and manual. It's fun to open up a box to see such goodies, something kids today miss out on with their digital downloads.

I genuinely cannot wait to begin this adventure, and I'm excited to see what wonders lie ahead. I only hope the family gives me enough quiet time to play it properly (I can but hope). Let me know, in the comments, if any of you are playing Athanor II. I'd love to hear about your progress and thoughts on the game. Enjoy!

Athanor II - The Legend Of The Birdmen can be purchased using Eric's website.

Let's take a look at the goodies inside the box...

Look at all the goodies that come inside the box. I absolutely love this!

The hands of Eric and his gleamingly clean Atari ST. I should dust mine more...

HeroQuest

A board game? Meh, no thanks!

HeroQuest is one of those ST games I've seen mentioned many times, yet never bothered with it. That's probably because it's a board game and I'm not exactly a fan of those (except Monopoly!). The ST adaptation is modelled on that turn-based board game and retains a similar look using an isometric perspective. So, having never experienced Hero Quest, I attacked it with a fresh pair of eyes, not knowing what to expect.

Our adventure takes place in Morcar's castle. He's an evil wizard with an army of monsters: Orcs, Zombies, Mummies, Goblins, etc. Four valiant warriors have signed up for 13 torturous quests to defeat him. That means plunging the castle's depths to battle monsters, avoiding hidden traps, and grabbing loot or anything else that might aid the journey. Let's be honest, whatever the story, I'm in. Now, where did I put my sword?

Before beginning, we need to see a couple of screenshots. What glorious isometric graphics...

An Elf enters the room, much to the delight of the Wizard, who punches the air with joy.

This is when being a midget helps: sneak up on your prey, and club him!

Choose your warrior

We begin by picking a preferred warrior(s) from four different races - Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard. Before rushing off on the first quest, you should consider who you want to be and why, because they each have their own different types of strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Even dice rolls, but more on that later.

The Barbarian is built for strength and is a trooper during the bloodiest of melee battles. Stumpy the dwarf is quite strong and also the crafty one of the bunch who uses handy skills to compensate his shortcomings. Elves and Wizards are physically weaker but the clever lads of the group. They use their brains to cast an array of magical spells without running the risk of having to get up close and personal.

Whether you're solo or not, there is an option to choose other characters instead of heading out as the Lone Ranger. It's optional, but there are benefits to having friends accompany you on the journey into the castle's terrors. It's here that you can also name your plucky hero and spend cash in the shop to buy weapons, armour, etc. Finally, there is the possibility of nursing a tired adventurer back to full health, but at what cost?

I suggest playing with two characters: the Barbarian is rock solid and the Elf is an all-rounder who offers the chance to experiment with magic. Umm, the Dwarf is a good option with traps or if something is blocking the way. The Wizard? Well, superb with spells but too squishy for my liking!

Let's take a look at a couple more screenshots of some rather spine-chilling monsters...

Excellent!! His back is turned, and he's unaware I'm here, so let's kill him. Wait, I see a chair...?

Oh no, the door slams shut behind you on this quest, and the room appears not too friendly!!

Go on a crusade!

Now decide which of the 13 quests to attempt - they're all different and listed in order of (more or less) their difficulty. Actually, there are 14 quests; the first is a trainer that offers a chance to learn the fundamentals of exploration and combat: the objective is simply to escape, and the quickest adventurer is rewarded with loot, which can be used in the shop for the next mission. Use this to master the mechanics of HeroQuest.

Whatever quest you decide on, the gameplay is incredibly similar to the board game. Each player takes a turn by throwing dice to determine the number of action points - used to walk, perform searches, and fight the ghouls (for the Atari ST game, we spin coins, but it's the same difference). There are limitations to this method; searching for treasure (or hidden doors) can only be performed once during a player's turn. Lastly, the monsters are then moved by the evil Morcar for his turn, which is automatically controlled by your Atari ST.

Well, it's that time again when I break up the boring text with some screenshots. Enjoy these...

Haha, you can see me, but you can't reach me! Hmm, perhaps it's time for a little magic?

The map is an extremely useful tool and even identifies the monsters. Ugh! A Chaos Warrior?

Come on, a board game... Really?

Yes, and all quests take place in a different part of the castle - they feature many rooms and corridors laid out in a grid formation. Exploration is performed using the direction arrows (or clicking on the desired tile), and the map is a helpful tool that displays the parts of the castle you have visited, along with monsters and objects. It's also great when something doesn't feel quite right, perhaps there's a secret room? Don't forget to search for loot, but remember that this castle is riddled with traps and scary monsters, so tread carefully.

Expect the usual creatures prowling: Orcs, Skeletons, Zombies, Mummys, Fimirs, etc. All are controlled by the evil wizard hiding inside your 68000, and their actions are executed after the heroes have completed theirs. The computer isn't always offensive, and this can present an alternative strategy option. Also, if walking away from a battle is an option, then take it because it's not always necessary to fight each and every monster.

This is a cool board game and something I need to check out. But first, some more screenshots...

We're all playing a game, and the first one to blink gets zapped by a fireball!!

I knew it was too good to be true. Sometimes this game is very cruel O_o

Gimme icons!

The user interface is excellent and helps you to explore and interact (comparatively) with your surroundings. The current player has his image displayed top/left along with their attributes for action points, health, mental ability, and cash. The icons at the bottom of the screen might look confusing, but they're easy to learn:

1) The shield with an arrow allows you to end your turn.

2) The shield with a sword begins a fight against a chosen monster.

3) Bunch of keys - use these to unlock doors if you want!

4) The door with a question mark performs a search for what might be lurking nearby, like traps and hidden doorways. Works well with the map when things appear a little 'off'.

5) The opened bag is used to perform a search for treasure (kept by that particular player).

6) Satchel - this is the inventory and features the extra equipment a character can use.

7) Map - I'm sure this one is pretty obvious but is something you should use!

8) Directional arrows - use these to explore the castle (or click the tiles instead).

This is a fantastic quest and is quite the nervy rush getting Sir Ragnar back home safely.

Oh cr+p!! This is Ulag, the Orc Warlord, and yes, he did kill me...

Clash Of The Titans

Nobody enters Morcar's castle without expecting a fight with something unholy, and it's a bonus leaving any room unhurt, albeit in blood-splattered clothing! He has many gruesome creatures walking the corridors, so it's not long until something comes looking for you - all are controlled by Morcar. Ie, your lovely Atari ST.

A skirmish in HeroQuest isn't what I expected of an 'RPG'. Firstly, a battle can only happen against a foe on an adjacent tile, and that fight is presented on a separate screen. However, there isn't anything to do as the computer rolls special dice for attacking/defending characters - skulls (for attack) and shields (for defence). So, if the monster has more skulls than you have shields, then that difference is deducted from your health. Likewise, if you are attacking and happen to have more skulls than the monster has shields, you win.

This system might work for the board game, but it is odd. Especially as each player has a different number of dice: Wizard = 1, Dwarf and Elf = 2, and Barbarian = 3. What is peculiar is when neither side rolls successfully, so they both stand idle, doing nothing more than staring at each other! Actually, that is quite annoying - it's a missed opportunity which could leave you somewhat vulnerable before the next turn.

Zombies never fail to impress, and they're also in Hero Quest if you scroll down a little...

An unsuspecting Zombie victim, but I've not got enough action points left...

No problem because his attack was fairly weak, so I came back stronger and killed him!

Clash Of The Mages!

Elves and Wizards have a different style to their combat, thanks to range attacks and magical spells. All magic can be used against any enemy currently within the same location, so you don't need to be close to attack an opponent. The ability to 'team/work' should now start to prove its worth to all players?

Magic comes in a huge variety to attack or hinder the enemy in some way. You can even help or hinder one of your party if you so desire. Each type of spell is grouped into four categories: air, wind, fire, and earth, providing a separate style of magical ability. There is no in-game help, so it's best to experiment.

Along with spells to replenish health and harden defences/strength, there are many nifty alternatives:

1) Tempest blows a torrent of wind around your foe thus confusing them so they lose a turn. Perhaps this is something you might wish to use on a fellow team 'mate'? :-)

2) The Genie spell is actually quite incredible and can pack a humongous punch.

3) Ball Of Flame and Fire Of Wrath are two spells that provide powerful attack options. Both could potentially turn an Orc into a pile of dust very easily.

4) But what if you happen to wander into a room that's full of monsters? A good spell might be Courage which will help give you that much-needed adrenalin boost!

5) Pass Through Rock is incredible and an unmistakenly selfish, albeit cunning ability!

That's more like it!! Unfortunately, I'm in a room with a Chaos Warrior...

Sometimes, magical spells fall short of the mark, so run to the nearest Barbarian for help!

Help, I'm confused!

You shouldn't be. To succeed in HeroQuest you should take it slow - be a careful explorer who wants to survive and reap all the rewards. Remember to search a room thoroughly for anything that may help. Especially the hidden loot, which is spent on upgrading weapons and other stuff for the later quests.

The quests are all different, but the ultimate goal is to follow the instructions and complete what's required before safely escaping. Personally, I prefer to be the Barbarian as I'm more of a melee kinda guy. I do require the assistance of another teammate to increase my chances (they're collateral damage!)

Hero Quest isn't a difficult game to master and is a lot of fun, especially with family.

Spend your plundered booty on something useful for the next quest.

Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into! Try, try again...

Pix'appeal?

I love the isometric style as each room looks superb using a strong palette, which is nothing you would expect a wizard's lair to look like. But it works. The characters look amazing with incredible detail, and the Mummies are the best - but I also love the Skeletons with their scythe! Sadly, animations are fine, but they should have been better, especially for walking. Oh, the battles are nothing more than a sword slap in the face!

Bangin' Beats?

Well, the sound effects are basic: a fuzzy shuffle for walking plus a few chinks & clangs during a battle. It's a shame sampled sound effects aren't used throughout, seeing as the ST is mostly idle. Music can be played in-game and is absolutely awesome, I gotta say. However, there's not enough, so it can become quite repetitive after a while, so I'm glad of the option to hit F10 to disable that in favour of just the sound effects.

From the very start, Hero Quest impresses with its aesthetics. Just watch this intro...

I love this intro, which tells the story of how Morcar became the evil wizard.

The CryptO'pinion?

Don't be mistaken and assume that this is an RPG; it isn't. Sure, there are elements for a lukewarm role-playing experience, but this is a turn-based board game. Each hero has strengths and weaknesses, but there is little character building beyond the equipment and collecting stuff. They are also separate from one another - there isn't an actual requirement to work as a team, so you cannot progressively group-attack a particular monster because each battle is a new and separate act. Remember, it's a board game.

It's a brilliant board game conversion, and better with everyone huddled around the Atari ST like they did back in the day. Even solo, this is a fine adventure, especially if you play with a couple of characters. I suggest a few practice games to see which you prefer, but grouping them is certainly a recipe for success.

Considering I'm not a fan of board games, I am enjoying HeroQuest a bunch. What a wonderful game!!

The floppy discs can be downloaded from Atari Legend.
(and perfectly fine on either type of Atari ST/e)