ZX81

The good old days

Back in the 90s, Christoph Zwerschke developed a Sinclair ZX81 emulator for the Atari ST. Believe it or not, but I've never actually owned or even used this old Sinclair computer before! From what I know, this computer is mute and cannot make a sound! Plus, the graphics are actually made up of monochrome blocks rather than colourful pixels. Yikes!

This might all sound rather lame, but there is a certain charm to the itsy-bitsy computer with less processing power than your average kettle. So I powered on this quirky computer and even took a stab at programming... Well...

10 PRINT "ATARICRYPT ROCKS YOUR ST WORLD"
20 GOTO 10
RUN L

The good news is that even the stock Atari ST should be able to run any of its games perfectly fine - from either a floppy or (better still) a hard drive device. However, if you feel that the ZX81 is running in overdrive, then hit the UNDO key and adjust the speed limiter. I needed to do this for Pac-Man, which was otherwise insanely too fast!

Yep, I might never have owned a ZX81, but I was shocked to discover many games that are surprisingly very playable. Albeit without sound or pixels... For starters, 3D Monster Maze by Malcolm Evans is a great example and is highly regarded as one of the best reasons why people may adore this old paperweight. Truly, this game is way ahead of its time and perhaps even the first survival horror game using a first-person perspective? (check out Retro Resolution for a review!).

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fantastic emulator and one that feels complete and robust. It provides an opportunity to play games from an era when fancy graphics and 3D sounds didn't exist. A time when only gameplay mattered (tell that to today's millennials). Give it a whirl and boot up this fantastic emulator to flip your Atari ST into a Sinclair ZX81.

Party like it's 1981 and have tons of fun. Win, Win!! :^) Scroll down for more ZX81 games that I really liked...

I gotta say, Mazogs is something else!! (Have you played Bugziacs?)

I was also equally impressed by the simplicity of Galaxians.

Castle of Carmain is just downright awesome fun!!

The mighty 3D Labyrinth is thrilling.

Alcatraz

Steve McQueen?

I've just received a factory-sealed treat, a copy of Alcatraz by Infogrames. I thought about leaving it as is, but within milliseconds, I had ripped it open!! Mint condition, and I love the contents of this hidden gem.

Hostages fans will appreciate it, but surely that goes without saying? The head honcho of a drug cartel has taken shelter in Alcatraz prison, and he happens to be surrounded by henchmen. You've probably guessed that it's your job to sneak in, kill the bad guys, destroy everything, and escape in the nick of time.

In light of that stunning revelation, I think we should take a look at a screenshot...

The first stage displays the coop action and reveals that strength comes from stealth.

Take it easy, take it slow

This isn't a gung-ho game; Alcatraz demands stealth and covert tactics. The starting level appears in the style of an arcade beat 'em up, but it's the opposite. Tread lightly, as firing your loud weapon isn't always the answer! Use the darkness to your advantage by nipping into the background scenery, avoiding any unwelcome attention. It's fantastic being able to hide and watch the enemy oblivious to you lurking in the shadows!!

That won't always work, so you may need to resort to some gunplay now and then. However, it's worth considering your weapon choice: why not silently throw a knife instead of using your BAM-BAM gun? And it's this way of thinking that makes Alcatraz very exciting. It's like you're there being sneaky and covert.

This screenshot is for those who often go out at night and hide in the darkness...

Take cover in the shadows and wait for the best moment to step out and take 'em by surprise!

But is it any good?

Initially, I wasn't sure about this game, if I'm dreadfully honest. The controls can feel a bit fluffy, but stick with it, and you will master them within a few goes. What is immediately superb is the support for two players in coop who play the mission simultaneously, which is fantastic for such demanding missions.

Venturing deeper inside Alcatraz, the game changes to a first-person shooter, similar to a Dungeon Master clone, with a machine gun!! There is a handy map function, which I liked because it helped detail the locations of enemies, rooms, etc. I really loved this part of the game but, I died. Talk about tough love.

Talk about a brilliant surprise! Let's take a gander at a screenshot...

Okay, now we're talking. This Doom part of the game was blummin' excellent!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Alcatraz is nothing like I expected, but what a game that easily eats away at your spare hours. Also, I like what they attempted to construct with the realism element; it works in many ways. What a great game of perseverance, stealth, and tactics, which is best played in co/op with a friend. Brilliant game.

• Download the floppy disks, or the better option for hard drive owners (D-Bug).
• Don't go, I made a video.
• And I wanted to show you what's inside the box...

Here's the back of the box cover that advertises the original game, Hostages.

The floppy disks were protected and unused for three decades. Yes, they work!

Codes! Fuzzy to read and will pop your eyeballs if you stare at it too long!

No, I'm not going to post this. Can you imagine their faces? lol

Short but sweet manual, but it has a decent map of the island.

This was interesting to find. If anyone wants better scans of the pages, then just holla.

Traveller-Box

I've stumbled upon a nifty resource for lots of Atari ST goodies waiting to be downloaded. It's the leftover remains of what used to be a popular German BBS called Traveller-Box, by Alexander Bochmann. His hard drives have been recovered and their BBS contents have been uploaded for the Atari community to use again.

Look, stop reading this lil' article and go and check it out for yourself... Enjoy!!

Zany Golf

Crazy Golf

Zany Golf was developed by Will Harvey of The Immortal and is one of those games I spent much of my college years playing - instead of studying! What a simple yet addictive game, which is obviously based on crazy golf. It's excellent solo and better with friends, but best of all, you don't need to go outside!

Play through several wacky courses to get that ball into the hole, and yes, that's my technical explanation! Controls are actioned with the mouse and feel similar to a snooker/pool game: click/hold on the golf ball for a directional line to appear. Use this to guide the speed/direction of your shot. Interestingly, a level of interaction is added - that might be controlling fans, playing pinball, making a burger jump, etc.

It's quirky, it's silly, and it's a little lame... but... Zany Golf is freakingly fantastic, so play it!!

Download the floppies or a version for a hard drive.

What? A pinball table!! Zany Golf turns into Insane Golf.

So, you didn't believe me about the burger? Now I am hungry!!

Aww, a cute little house for an easy hole-in-one shot. No problem!