Atari ST menu disks

Astonishing!

Menu Disks... I love them for the opportunity they gave us, poor souls who couldn't afford to buy many games. I hate them for prematurely killing the Atari ST gaming scene. Whether they did or didn't is an argument that's been going on for years. It's up to you what to think, but you cannot deny how great they are with their superb visuals, music, and scrollers. Like it or not, they are an essential part of Atari ST history.

Some disks are incredible, often by a kid in his bedroom who puts commercial companies to shame with jaw-dropping effects. Most are by teams of talented hackers, musicians, artists, and distributors. I have many favourites I adore, like Dream Weavers, Automation, Fusion, Elite, Replicants, FOF, Cynix, D-Bug, FOFT, Zulu, Mad Vision, POV, Bad Brew Crew, and more. Ahh, the list is almost endless!

Sadly, not many of us kept these floppies, which are getting harder to find. Some have disappeared from existence, which is terrible. Thankfully, a website has taken up the challenge to preserve this part of Atari ST's history. It's called Stonish (now incorporated into Atari Legend) and is run by Bruno Mathieu.

I asked Bruno why Stonish and what he hopes to achieve:

"Stonish.net tries to collect all menu disks made on Atari ST. They are mainly games menus, but it will feature tools, demos and mod menus in the next months. The site provides more than 1600 disks at the moment (more to come). All disks have been tested and some of them have been repaired.

The goal is, of course, to provide a safe database for all disks, but not only. Some crews didn't spread very well their disks. A lot of compilations have been lost since the 80's. So we need to fill the gap: any help is welcome ;) This is the first of the website, which will probably evolve in the next months."

Many disks have now been rescued, but there are still lots missing. Please, if you find anything lurking in your attic, consider donating. Stonish is a great website, doing great work, I wish them success!

STay Atari.

Moon Patrol

Luna road-tripping

The moon is under attack from a legion of aliens, and it's our job to stop them! We've managed to find a cute Space 1999 buggy, which appears to mostly drive itself. It even follows handy checkpoints so you don't get lost. So dust off your spacesuit in anticipation of the Atari ST version of this arcade classic.

With your foot always on the gas, you can control the level of acceleration as you travel, trying to avoid potholes and any obstacles. Moving the joystick left/right changes that acceleration, and pushing up allows you to leap over the potholes. However, that requires precise timing, because the wheels aren't great with potholes. So the slightest missed jump causes the buggy to violently explode like something from a cartoon!!

It sounds silly, and it is, but isn't that what makes older games intriguing? Let's crack on...

Don't let the graphics put you off from playing what is nothing less than a beast!!

Simple mechanics yet still tough!

There are two difficulty modes, beginners and champions. If you're new to Moon Patrol and wanna break yourself in gently, then choose beginners. This gradually introduces the game's twisted mechanics and alien monsters at a steady rate. Use this mode to learn joystick controls and the feel of the game. It's cool.

The latter difficulty is better and certainly offers a far more interesting game with many extra features, obstacles, and enemies, etc. Here, the landscape is terribly hostile and made worse by even more invading aliens who frequently appear from all corners of your screen. It's manic, but don't run away, there are weapons!!

Banging on that fire button will simultaneously shoot two weapons: one at the top (firing upwards), and a front-mounted rocket launcher for the approaching enemies. So keep one eye on the road ahead and another on those pesky aliens. It's a lot harder than you might think, so keep on firing and hope for the best!

It's screenshot time, but why not use a different monitor? Check this out...

Hang on, there are mountains in the background with snow. Hmm, very odd... ;-)

Aesthetics

Look, if all you care about are spanky sexy graphics, then walk away. Moon Patrol looks dated, and that's exactly what you would expect from an 80s game. The game's style and decor is authentic, with silky smooth scrolling supporting a three-layer parallax effect, plus the buggy's animation is superb as it rumbles over the bumpy terrain. Don't forget, Moon Patrol also works in ST High (640x400) and looks gorgeous.

A funky chiptune bops away in the background, which is, oddly, very much excellent. I was expecting something so old to grate and something that I'd switch off, but it's foot-tappingly excellent. In fact, I love it. This is accompanied by vintage bleeps for the sound effects that perfectly suit this classic game.

I love it when a game transports me back in time rather than trying to improve upon it (ie, ruin it)...

The checkpoint idea is great for a number of reasons, plus it's fun to break a record.

The CryptO'pinion?

Moon Patrol is an excellent conversion and a groovy step back in time to 1982. It's instantaneous fun, and I love how its troublesome landscape combines the pothole hopping whilst frantically trying to shoot down the aliens. It's tough but addictive, so keep your eyes on the road otherwise - KABOOM! Instant moon junk!!

A faithful conversion of a classic with rock-solid playability. Trust me, this is #retrogaming gold!!

Atari Legend has access to all the floppy disks

8BitChip has a version for hard drive installation!

Strategy Wiki lists the many versions of Moon Patrol

Here is their walkthrough, which I thought was pretty funny.

Atari 1040 STf

When eBay proves fruitful

I've bought an Atari ST and SM125 on eBay. However, both are in terrible condition! Very dirty with many battle scars and what looks like scorch marks near the power unit area. I took the chance and won the bid for a shocking 99 pence. Yep, less than one pound and that included the monitor as well :-)

Once home, I began the cleaning - it took a long time!! This old computer must have suffered fire damage at some point, judging by the scorch marks inside. It seems to have suffered more damage with several stickers from different repair companies. I hoovered around the floppy drive because of a soot-like sludge that looked like black tar. Plus, a thick bunch of spider webs covered the cables. Quite the toxic state!

After all that work, I'm happy to have this marvellous ST running! Plus, the SM125 is a fantastic monitor. To think of its previous condition with the keyboard grime, burn marks, and all that weird, thick sludge is gross. For once, eBay has produced a bargain, and I'm glad to have rescued this beautiful old computer.

SysInfo reports it to be a 1040 STF with TOS 1.00 and 1MB RAM ...and all for 99 pence. Woop Woop!

Filthy on the outside but worse inside with a thick sludge and cobwebs!!

The old ST scrubbed up beautifully :-)

A Prehistoric Tale

The Lost Boys!!

If there were ever giants in the Atari ST demoscene, these fellas were it. In 1990, they ventured into the gaming world with A Prehistoric Tale, published by Thalion. So, how does it play, and can a demo group create a good game? We all remember Enchanted Land. Talent doesn’t always translate to great gameplay.

Fans of Chuckie Egg or Panic will feel at home as we’re transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed and a constant threat of being eaten alive looms. But amidst this danger, we encounter sexy cavewomen who resemble Raquel Welch. Our mission is to collect dinosaur eggs to prevent the extinction of all mammals.

Transport these eggs to the teleport for safekeeping, but be warned, there’s a time limit (ugh, I hate time limits!!), and you can only carry three eggs at a time unless you use an egg basket. To complicate matters further, the teleport changes location after each use, and numerous spiders and other prehistoric creatures constantly appear. Oh, don’t forget to watch out for the swarms of Pterodactyls!

The graphics are reminiscent of the 8-bit era, boasting a lovely 16-bit quality. It feels just like we're playing a demo by The Lost Boys! The audio is equally impressive, thanks to Jochen Hippel. His gorgeous chiptune beats will have you tapping your foot along. To say the audio is fantastic would be an understatement.

A Prehistoric Tale is straightforward, but beneath its humble exterior lies a surprisingly challenging game that keeps you on your toes. Even the most skilled player will find it difficult, but with practice, you’ll love it.

See, the demoscene can make excellent games, and this is nothing less than just that!!

• Downloads are available for floppy, and 8BitChip has an HDD version.
• The Lost Boys archive is stored on Demozoo.

Is that a teleporter, or has he simply eaten all his Ready Brek!

The pixel art animation when dropping off a ledge is hilarious!!