Into The Eagle's Nest

'Allo 'Allo!

Into The Eagles Nest is an overhead Gauntlet-like shooter set within the enemy's castle, heavily occupied by thousands of Nazi soldiers. Our orders are simple: infiltrate the castle, rescue three allied soldiers, and then detonate the hidden explosives. Come on, leaving without blowing the place to kingdom come, would just be rude!!

As soon as the game begins, the battle is on! And it's against an onslaught of soldiers who eagerly patrol the castle's dingy corridors. Sneaking into the enemy's lair was the easy part, now we've gotta bust out of our safe room with guns blazing and rescue our fellow Allied soldiers before General Von Klinkerhoffen orders their execution (geddit?).

The overhead perspective works a treat, especially for the first screenshot...

Look for keys, health and ammo because you never know what's gonna happen next!

Search, Shoot, Kill

As you explore, look for anything that may assist in completing your mission: the health packs help repair hits you've endured. An ammo stash will replenish your Nazi killing abilities. Of course, elevator keys need no explanation - but don't be too quick to use these because you should fully explore the current level. A lot more than you might realise!

Don't forget to disable the messages telling you what item has been collected... so annoying!!

Use door keys wisely. These unlock parts of the map out of limits but, some doors were bought from Ikea and need a little gun love to bust open!! Not all the enemy wander the corridors looking for trouble, some soldiers have had too much beer and fallen flat-out cold drunk. An easy target or unnecessary if low on ammo? Remember to watch the status panel because you can withstand 50 hits, which sounds a lot, but even Rambo would die without a careful tactical approach.

Enough reading as it's time for another screenshot so brace yourself...

Shoot the barrels and make your way to a secret area with items to collect.

Aesthetics

The graphics are superb albeit with an older 8-bit feel. Everything is a bit clunky and big but, it works. The backdrops are gorgeous and represent the castle feel perfectly. However, it's the objects and enemy sprites that steal the show, from the soldiers and discarded items of food, gold, etc/etc. However, best of all, those guys slumped out drunk!

As for the audio, the title screen music is flunky but pretty good at the same time. I'm more of a chip guy but I still liked it. In-Game sound effects are all samples and really nice too but I miss a background chippy tune if I'm honest.

I hope you're enjoying this Mr ST Nutter? If not, why are you still here? Oh, for the screenshot I see...

Sneak by and pinch their food [oddly on the floor]. Hang on, they're asleep? BAM BAM BAM!!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is an easy one to rate because it's an excellent action shooter. A classic and the Atari ST got a fantastic conversion too. Most have already played this and I'm positive everyone has happy memories? Enjoyable, challenging, and a totally engrossing adventure for the most determined players!! You should play it again. Yes, right now.

Grab this cracker on a floppy or hard drive.

Kev's World

Kev vs Bolda

Kev's World was developed for FloppyShop by Ben Pritchard and is the prequel to The Curse of Bolda. In this flick-screen platformer, we explore rooms, grab stars, and shoot monsters. All this to rescue our beloved Katherine from the clutches of the villain, Bolda. I know what you're thinking, but stay with me.

Before we begin, please note that this is the two-level demo version. Sadly, the complete (registered) version seems to have vanished into the digital ether, like a floppy disk’s lost soul forgotten to time. Perhaps Ben has a disk locked away in his attic? My fingers are crossed!

This is a typical platformer with many pitfalls and even the odd puzzle to solve using keys and teleporters. The graphics are as bold as the sound samples, and we have many cute creatures to kill. Our journey will eventually lead to a crude end-of-level fight with a deranged-looking Bolda. This sounds like a typical platformer, but that’s what I love about the STs shareware and PD scene: there’s always something great to play!

Let's take a look at the first colourful screenshot...

There are many baddies, but watch out for the green alien things - I hate those!

Gameplay

Any platformer needs responsive controls that blend well with the mechanics of the game, and this works great. Kev can leap into the air and change direction as he falls back down - this is superb and helps avoid many pitfalls. I love how agile Kevin's movements are as he leaps and explores through each room.

Also, there are a few neat touches that help provide a little feedback. For example, you'd better keep this Krazy Kid busy; otherwise, he complains that he's bored using a speech bubble. Actually, that bubble is also used to indicate whenever Kev's hurt. Along with any items/power-ups he has collected.

Look out for special floor panels that are randomly placed in most rooms. Stepping on one will reward you with extra points or a smart bomb that kills everything on-screen. However, this reward is totally random and may cause something negative - like a rockslide, alert a gang of baddies to your location, or reverse the controls (argghhh, that one is so annoying). Are you ready to take a chance?

Also, you'll find lots of bonuses scattered throughout the rooms that offer a variety of features:

• QuintStar contains the value of five individual stars.
• Aurora Of Invincibility provides temporary invulnerability from everything but spikes.
• Hero Head ... well, don't get too excited because it's a 1UP!!
• Power Heart boosts Kevin's health.
• Sands Of Time adds to the ever-decreasing time limit.
• Oh, and Kevin's partial to playing arcade games!! :)

It's time for another screenshot! This piccy features our beloved Katherine and the nasty Bolda... 

Shoot Bolda in the face to save your girlfriend from this fiend!

Aesthetics

I love the old 8-bit blocky look, which has a clear and concise design in each room. It might look crudely cute, but there's no visual clutter, so the enemies are easily visible, objects aren't accidentally missed, and so on. The sprites are ace and comical; it's obvious Ben spent most of his time getting these just right.

The audio is excellent, with tons of samples used throughout the game. However, Kev's World isn't using the Atari STe's DMA hardware. This means the playback feels like it's pushing STOS to its limits. Don't get me wrong, I love the effects, but the YM chip would have been a better option to avoid slowdown.

Games like this prove the Atari ST has/had a fantastic PD scene. Here's the final screenshot...

Argh, that damn Bolda!! My girlfriend is (slowly) whisked off once again!!

The CryptO'pinion?

I love Kev’s World for its classic/old school/8-bit-style gameplay. The joystick controls are superbly responsive, and the additional bonuses, smart bombs, and other neat surprises really set it apart from other budget platformers. However, the speed of STOS suffers when samples are played. I wish there were a way to use the STe’s DMA hardware or simply replace the samples with zesty YM sound effects.

Yup, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this two-level demo and would have bought it in the mid-90s. It’s a fantastic platformer, and I hope Ben finds the full-registered version soon. We absolutely need to play it!

• The demo of Kev's World can be downloaded for either a floppy or a hard disk.
• Update: I have fully mapped the demo's two levels. Click here to download my hi-res maps!
• I interviewed Ben, which you can check out by clicking here. Go on, click it!

Completed!! I made 12th place and even beat Metallica. Can you beat me?

StarRay

The Atari ST cannot scroll

Logotron's StarRay is a Defender wannabe developed by a trio of incredible talent. It's something I boot up whenever I'm bored and need to kill a few mins after a dreadful day at work! Of course, this was programmed by none other than Steve Bak. A legend who always knew how to get the best from the Atari ST without resorting to lame excuses.

Aesthetically speaking, it's fantastic and complements the gameplay perfectly. Pete Lyon designed what you see, and it's glorious. From the moment you see the futuristic Monument Valley, you're in love with it. David Whittaker created all of the jaw-dropping funk (anyone with extra RAM has sampled music on the title screen - I prefer chiptunes).

StarRay is a blummin' awesome shooter and tons of fun. It boosts the original Defender format with its own brand of great gameplay style - plus beautiful sounds and multilayer parallax visuals. This is how all retro gaming should be! The perfect shooter if you are bored and fancy some frantic mayhem in your life - grab it now and play StarRay!

Take to the skies, then download either the floppy disk or use your hard drive.