Central Cavern

Welcome to the caverns!

This is a short video of the Atari ST emulating the ZX Spectrum and running Matthew Smith's classic platformer. Please note that this emulator struggles on a stock 8MHz ST when the music is playing (or the screen scrolls). Of course, this particular game doesn't scroll, but the background tune pushes its luck, so turn that off for much better performance (then it's almost at the speed of the original).

You can find out more about Speccy Emulator by clicking here. Enjoy my video recording :)

Virus

My computer caught a virus

When playing with fractals the other week, I recalled David Braben's Virus. A complex game I've not played since the shops stocked Atari ST games. The original is best, but that's like comparing the STFM to a Falcon! So we should stop right there, because our version is a 16-bit classic running on a 16-bit computer!

Going for a test flight over its chequered landscape is an incredible experience. The mouse controls are tough to master, but soon become intuitive. Stick with it because once you've got the feel of how it handles, there's an amazing game waiting for you. Check out my animation above, I did quite well ;)

Visually, this game is a gem with an excellent style using smooth 3D that is fast. There are lots of neat touches, and I've gotta say, I love the ship's exhaust as it spurts out those lovely particles of thrusting power. The audio is great with crisp sound effects that are refreshing, thanks to the YM2149 doing us proud.

Virus is a fantastic 16-bit conversion of the original 32-bit masterpiece. Sure, it has a cruel learning curve (so be prepared for that), but after beating that, you've found yourself a killer game that's gonna eat away the hours. This game rocks, and I found it really enjoyable and extremely addictive. What a game!!

This infectious shooter provided me with hours of fun. Ignore the reviews. Play this game now.

- Download Virus -

Fullscreen Construction Kit

I've a thing for overscan!

The Atari ST/e might not officially support overscan, but that hasn't stopped many games, demos, and programs from making use of it. There's a lot out there with many already featured here on AtariCrypt, not to mention the ability to activate overscan within GEM. The Atari ST is a versatile machine and often underrated.

Fullscreen Construction Kit is a cool utility program developed by FMC Connexion to display high-resolution pictures using the same overscan technique. It works by piecing together four Degas images, which ultimately join to generate the finished picture. This image can be viewed on your ST using the program provided.

The process is simple but I had difficulties with the palettes because I'm not gifted in pixel art!! Hence the reason Milla is in greyscale and the dog is red, not brown. It's worth noting that I found it easier to create the blocks using my Mac but there are online tools available to split images.

Six test images are on the floppy, plus you can create your own. This set of image blocks [by Killer D] should give you an understanding of what's expected from budding artists. But even those without any skills (me!!) should be fine, so why not give this program a playtest to see what overscan goodies you can create?

This is a belting program to enjoy dabbling! Let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Michigan Mike And The Lost City Of Zorog

We’re off to Zorog!

Michigan Mike is a 1994 platformer developed using GFA Basic by Gordon Storey. It features an Indiana Jones wannabe who's got himself into a spot of bother and desperately needs our help to escape...

The story follows a 1930s explorer named Michigan Mike who becomes separated from his expedition in the South American rainforest. After being rescued by the "Ohla" tribe, a village fire leads the tribe to blame Mike. Your objective is to navigate trap-filled jungle levels to recover five pieces of the Great Ring of Zorog and place them on an altar to save your soul and escape with your life.

As you would expect from any platformer, each level has poisonous critters and many traps like crumbling rocks, acid pools, and spikes. However, Mike's energy levels are slowly depleting, which is really annoying because it forces you to rush. Of course, touching the nasties only increases that energy loss, so collect food to replenish him. That said, it's worth watching him die just to enjoy the explosive graphics! Evil, ain't I?

Michigan Mike And The Lost City of Zorog is a no-frills platformer with great joystick controls, making it very playable. He may have big feet and freaky eyes, but I've enjoyed this. My only gripe is the energy meter, because it goes down far too quickly. Not a great platformer, but far from being a bad one. Worth playing.

• Atarimania download https://www.atarimania.com/michigan-mike-city-of-zorog_9964.html
• Atari Legend download https://www.atarilegend.com/games/michigan-mike-the-lost-city-of-zorog
• AtariUpToDate download https://atariuptodate.de/en/3836/michigan-mike
• We have loads of other "PD" platformers if you click right here!

Sleuth

I've been searching...

After the jaw-dropping Berzerk, I searched what might lurk inside the ST's archives. Eventually, I found Sleuth, a PD game released by Larry Scholz of MajicSoft in 1993. The year is 2525, and man's existence is threatened by evil cybernetic organisms (yup, robots!) created by Dr Spirit. A simple storyline for a familiar game. Okay, it's not what you would call an authentic clone (ahem), but the premise is there for another Berzerker!

We are Inspector Sleuth and about to infiltrate the doctor's lair to show these clumps of metal who's in charge! Gone are the randomly generated screens, replaced with a map populated by six different models of the doctor's robots. These range from the Hemroid, which is a low-level (wait for it) "pain in the butt" to the Hopperoids with warp technology, so don't get too close. Come on, you must love Larry's humour?

Movement and firing are performed in all eight directions using the joystick. Defend yourself using an armour-piercing gun that features a nuclear charge to incinerate all robots from the inside out. You still need to stay clear of the electrified walls, and if you hang about for too long, something freaky appears after a short time to chase you across the screen. Now we're back on the familiar Berzerker ground lol.

So, is it better than Berzerk? Not on your nelly! Sleuth feels like a tacky ripoff with rubbery controls and dodgy graphics. I can imagine that shocks you. Have I just wasted your time writing this mini-review? No. Regardless, Sleuth is a good game in its own right and is nice to play something different. You may have noticed I've not mentioned the audio? The chip fx are good, but the music? Wait and see for yourself!

For what it's worth, my 8-year-old daughter loves this shooter. She played several games badly and never understood why the walls killed her. But, she loved it!! I must admit, so did I. Remember, it's not Berzerk, so keep an open mind and give it a fair playtest. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Sleuth can be downloaded over at the legendary Demozoo website.

IGNORE the graphics!! Gameplay counts the most, whether it's perfect or not.

Shamus shoots anything that looks... weird. Don't think, just shoot!!

Bombs And Bugs

Another game rescued

Bombs And Bugs is a multiplayer Bomberman, developed by Stefan Eilert of Awkward Software. Supporting two or three players, it has superb power-ups and the most vibrant and jazzy graphics. Although the game was never released, it has been saved and sent to Atarimania for safekeeping as of today. 🥳

This game is an exciting, frantic Bomberman-style blast of multiplayer fun that’s all about outsmarting your opponents in tight maze arenas. We are a battle bug, dropping bombs to destroy walls, uncover power-ups, and trap rival players, to be the last survivor. Simple stuff, but stupidly chaotic! Its colourful presentation and explosive gameplay make it a brilliant "party game". So gather around the ST like it's 1993.

Sadly, there’s no single-player support, which I miss as a lone gamer 90% of the time. My video shows my gameplay against our 8-year-old daughter. She said, "It's freaky and very silly". I think she's right!!

• Download this previously unknown game from Atarimania.
• Check out the Awkward Software website.