Mouse Trap

Not the board game!

Billed as "old in style but brilliant in design" is Micro-Value's 1987 platformer, Mouse Trap (originally for Acorn Electron). I love platformers, but not the Mario/Sonic kind, the ZX Spectrum kind I grew up with: Chuckie Egg II, Manic Miner, JSW, Monty Mole, Saboteur II, etc. As you can imagine, I was eager to give this a go!

We are Marvin the Mouse, who wants to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend who left him for another. She must be quite the materialistic female, when you think about the plan he's come up with to win her back: scrounge dozens of lethal rooms looking for precious items that are gonna impress her. Women, eh?

This is a cruel and unforgiving platformer: make a mistake, and it's often impossible to go back and try again, which means a life lost as you replay. Each screen needs every item collected before you can progress. Finishing them is a matter of working out the best route rather than what appears the quickest.

There is a time limit, so hit the 'F' key to pause - now study the layout to figure out the route.

No, he's not floating but simply in mid-fall. And that aspect took me a while to fully master...



Wow! Those colours... This game is incredibly different from the norm, and I love that.



Some levels are pretty simple. Not only to look at but complete very quickly. Like this one!

Input & Outputs

The controls are excellent, but I initially found them fiddly and quite perplexing. For example, if you're facing left and then tap "right" (to turn around), Marvin will not only do that, BUT he also walks a couple of steps in that direction. This frustrating mechanic took me some time to master. But I did, so can you!

Mouse Trap looks like an 8-bit platformer, but with the extra pixels and colours. It's weird and features the oddest sprites: check out the old man with the big nose who appears on level two!! A strange game with sprites that are either excellent or plain crud: like the terrible floating skulls. Yet somehow it always works.

Music is eerily enjoyable, but it will get annoying, so press M to turn it off when your ears ache.

This baffled me at first, but it's actually a lot easier than you realise. Love the sinking ledges!



Some of the levels are far simpler than you first think. Just take your time...

There is the odd dodgy screen, but then it redeems itself with this blue beauty!

The CryptO'pinion?

Mouse Trap is a charming platformer with an incredible variety of screens. All are as difficult as they are quirky, and you will be drawn back for that one-more-go! The only negative aspect is the lack of passwords or a save-game feature. Baffling, because there are many levels to plunder (IE, you are forced to replay).

I've enjoyed Mouse Trap. It's a blimmin' excellent platformer, so (nearly) top marks from me!!

Download for hard disk or floppy.

Only after a few games, I'm rocking the high-score table. Can you beat me?
No, I didn't think so!! :p

Floppyshop

Disks in the post

For those of us old enough to remember Floppyshop, you will be pleased to hear that Chris Swinson has brought to life their entire catalogue. That's right, it's all here. And, unlike the old days, everything is completely free of charge!! All that is required is nothing more than a click of the mouse to relive the PD days.

Each disk is split into the original 16 categories, and I'm currently hitting the games. How predictable of me!

Art & Graphics / Astrology / Clip Art / Communication / Demos / Disk Mags / Educational / Fonts / Games / Programming / Midi / Music / Product Demos / Sound / Utils / Word Processing

Everything you once saw advertised in the latest issue of ST Format is now available to download. Kudos to Chris for supplying this service. I've already downloaded tons of disks, and I hope you guys do too :-)

NetUS-Bee

Lotharek has done it again!

I've received my latest gadget from Lotharek, the NetUSBee. This awesome piece of hardware slots into the ST's expansion port to provide the option for fast Ethernet networking and two modern USB ports.

I've connected a USB mouse (worked a treat), but at the moment, there are no more USB devices to use. I hope this changes because the potential is huge. Using a modern mouse is nice, but I'm really looking forward to getting the ST connected to my home network. I've already been able to access my FTP file server. Later, I shall attempt to configure STinG and get my Atari ST on the internet using CAB - so wish me luck.

I look forward to future drivers getting more out of this. How do you guys use yours?

NetUSBee is a fantastic product and is built like a tank!

Vaxine

Contaminated box art

It is time for more awesome box art from my own collection, with US Gold's fantastic voyage into the human body. It's a familiar 3D shooter set within a unique environment, and The Assembly Line always developed great games, but with Vaxine, they even made use of the enhanced hardware lurking inside Atari STe: glorious technicolour visuals, and DMA samples, which are a substantial improvement.

I've enjoyed playing this because it feels like a weird dream. Very different and addictive!!

Floppies can be found at Atari Legend, and 8BitChip has a hard drive game!

Highway Encounter

1985 has come knocking!!

This is one of my all-time favourite 8-bit games from the brilliant mind of Costa Panayi, Vortex Software. It's an understatement to say I was flabbergasted when I read an old post on Atari-Forum concerning the unreleased ST game, developed in 1990 by the late Mark Haigh-Hutchinson. Sadly, Vortex was unable to find a publisher, so the game was left to gather dust for years. Which is terrible when you think about it!

I always had a soft spot for Vortex and fondly remember playing Android, Cyclone and Revolution, but Highway Encounter was my favourite. It takes place on a stretch of highway populated by aliens, tricky puzzles, and many other obstacles to get in your way. The aliens invaded, and our robot convoy has the task of merrily pushing a bomb down the highway to destroy their mothership (located at the other end of this road).

Funny tidbit, I remember making a basic map of this back in the day. Very crude but I was pleased with my progress. Well, until I saw a screen-captured version in one of the magazines. Anyhow, there's a link to the Atari ST map right at the bottom of the page for all interested.

Right then, let's stop this badly written review for the first screenshot... 

Guide our little friends the best you can; they have dangerous cargo!

Road rage!

Our version of Highway Encounter has not been modified with pointless bloatware, so it remains much the same. The obvious improvements are with the graphics; gone are the monochrome visuals for a world of technicolour. The highway and your objective remain the same, with many wacky aliens roaming about, causing trouble. Our droid colleagues are still daft and will get stuck on objects just like the original. However, this can be good: leave them behind - in safety - so you're free to clear the highway ahead of the dreaded aliens.

The joystick controls are spot-on perfect. If you appreciate isometric games, you'll be at home - left and right rotate, forward to accelerate and pulling back slows/stops movement. As expected, the weaponry is the same and features an ultra-cool energy bolt. This can be improved upon - thanks to power-ups lying along your road trip. So, the ultimate question - can you make it to the end of this motorway and save the day?

Interestingly, there is an editor to create your own highway. This is something I've yet to play with but I'd love to know if any of you guys have used it. Let me know in the comments below!

Let's take another pause from the reading to see another lovely screenshot... 

Some wobbly things are approaching! Let's kill 'em!!

Speccy aesthetics?

Visually, this is a joy with old-fashioned styles. In fact, I'm transported to 1985 by its authentic style that is updated yet preserved using a gorgeous palette that isn't over the top. In the 80s, isometric games were the in-thing, and this was one of the best examples of that genre. The sprites are as crazy as ever, making you appreciate the finer details of what was achieved. The ST has taken the original and bettered it.

As for the audio, in-game music would have spoiled the atmosphere and something I would have muted. Highway Encounter is all about careful planning and strategy, so it has to have sound effects. Thankfully, they are made from samples and perfectly futuristic for the zapping. It sounds great, and I love it!

I think we've got the room to squeeze in one final screenshot...

Those guys are almost too cute to kill. But let's kill 'em anyhow. Do you see a theme here?

The CryptO'pinion?

Let's take a moment to think about something. This is an Atari ST version of Costa Panayi's exceptional 8-bit game. Additionally, the original has been bettered with marvellous aesthetics whilst remaining faithful. What more could we desire? Unlike many, this is how all 16-bit remakes should have been produced.

Well done, Mark, I say. You respected the original and honoured us with a polished conversion. Highway Encounter will always be a Crash Smash, and the Atari ST has gained an exquisite remake.

Originally unreleased, yet shockingly one of the best games for the Atari ST!! 10/10.

Download floppy / hard drive (ultrasatan)

AtariMania has an awesome map!

History of Vortex Software