Turbo Cup

ROOAARRRRR!!!

Turbo Cup was released in 1988 by Loriciel and places us behind the wheel of a Porsche 944. First, we get to drive a practice run before moving up to the thrilling race events against computer-controlled competitors. The graphics are still great and, even though I'm no Porsche fan, I think it's one of the best-looking 16-Bit racers. Sound effects are equally nice with the roar of that engine which beats the YM buzz used in lesser titles.

What I love is the player's point of view because the perspective is quite unique and gives an illusion of a greater view. There are also some neat physics which prevent the race from being easy, so perhaps you should take the corners a little slower? It's no sim but it's still a tough cookie and one that will take a time to master.

Overall, Turbo Cup is a hard racer and will take many attempts before you've mastered the control mechanics. Stick with it and you've got yourself a great racer for a few hours of fun which looks and sounds great. Love it.

8BitChip has a hard drive installable version to download.

Old Games Finder has all the floppy disk images you could ever need.

Erik

Erik The Viking!

Erik is a peaceful Viking who happens to keep himself to himself and bothers nobody. Unfortunately, that evil god Loki isn't too pleased about Erik choosing a pacifistic lifestyle over one of pillaging so he casts a spell and turns the world rotten. Erik must travel to these infested lands and battle sadistic evil before returning home. Wow, the problems computer characters must face daily... It's just not fair, is it?

Atlantis Software released Erik in 1992. It is a vertically scrolling platformer with dozens of levels spread over four worlds. Of course, each contains a fair few baddies, cool traps, and scary end-of-level bosses. The graphics are cute and cuddly, with nice detail and super smooth scrolling, with raspy samples for sounds.

Overall, this is a really simple platformer which is entertaining and challenging. Loads of fun!!

Floppy disks can be found over on AtariMania.

Klaz has a fantastic hard disk download!

Black Tiger

Ohhh, yes!!!

Black Tiger is one of those games that I have loved since day one and today I got to play it once again after what feels like a lifetime ago! It's a good arcade conversion but sadly, my old joystick doesn't work well moving diagonally... So you will see lots of silly mistakes in my video recording. Honestly, it's the joystick!

This game is classic arcade fun - pick up that joystick and instantly you're having tons of fun leaping over the landscapes and pummelling monsters into oblivion. Each level not only looks superb but is really interesting to explore: I love the mechanics of clinging onto ledges to fire or leaping towards higher places in a dingy, creepy world. What a great adventure - arcade-style - and this is proving to be every bit as good as I remember.

However, I must say that the joystick controls are what impress me the most which is no easy task for the Atari one-button design. It is very responsive so therefore keeps the action going as fast as it should. The range of monsters is brilliant and what's better than powering up with ridiculous weapons to crush your enemy?

Graphically, this is a stunner and considering no STe hardware scrolling is (sigh) utilised, the old STf keeps up with the pace just fine. Sure, it's not as zippy as the arcade but it works, so I'm impressed with how good it moves considering what's going on. The sprites are ace - I love those wonky old skeletons the most. Overall, the design is something I adore because it works perfectly, so feels like a belting arcade experience.

Yep, this is pretty faithful to the original and I feel US Gold did us proud, especially considering they ignored the STe hardware... sigh... That would have been a huge deal with a little help from the Blitter. Still, as is, Black Tiger is fantastic and one of my favourite arcade conversions. This means it scores top marks from me!!

Grab the floppies via Old Games Finder or HDD by Klaz!

Leap your way through the labyrinth, killing anything and everything that moves. Perfect!!


Clinging onto anything sturdy helps you get to those areas other beers cannot reach!.

Oh no, skeleton monsters!!! They look awesome but it's best to KILL THEM!!


Hang on, there's a little old man here. Let's kill him... wait... no, maybe not?

Killing Spree

TLB made a game!

I always loved The Lost Boys, they started as England's answer to the Carebears! Their demos are outstanding and I still remember my jaw dropping to the floor when I saw Ooh Crikey Wot a Scorcher - a masterpiece!!

And that "main menu" system used to access each demo screen? Impressive, to say the least? Hmm, but what would happen if it was adapted into a game? Would it be good enough? Why not take a look for yourself at Killing Spree because I think its potential is absolutely insane. Like an early Cybermorph... sigh... what might have been?

Finally, Demozoo features a massive page dedicated to The Lost Boys and their fantastic ST catalogue.

H-Mec II

H Mec II appears to be a version of Pac-Man for the Atari STe. However, it's very different thanks to the monster AI which makes this more of a game of chase. Like a mix of Lode Runner and Pacman. The graphics are excellent and make use of the hardware scrolling, Blitter, and all those extra colours. Music is by a whole host of famous people like Tao, Big Alec, Count Zero and more. Timeless and utterly stunning tunes.

I could say this is one of the better PacMan games out there but it's not. Sure, H-Mec 2 looks like PacMan and there are pills to nosh, but it plays differently when being chased around a maze by angry monsters. It really is more like Lode Runner and darn addictive. You will love every second - it's a Christmas Cracker!!

So waste no more idle time and get it downloaded from Atari Legend.