The Last Trooper

I'll be Danny Welinski

Last year, I spent several fantastic weeks enjoying Where Time Stood Still, but was later left deflated because I also wanted to play The Great Escape. This was one of my favourite ZX Spectrum and a truly outstanding release. Alas, the Atari ST game was never meant to be (unless I used an emulator lol), but wipe away those snowflake tears because there might be light at the end of this 16-bit tunnel? Well, I hope so!

Here we have Mastertronic's very own The Last Trooper, which appears to be more than a tad inspired by the 8-bit classic! However, the historical storyline and adventure elements are completely gone in favour of four levels of brutal arcade-style killing. So grab your big boy pants because this is going to be tough!

Wanna see screenshots of this isometric Commando shooter? Yeah, of course, you do...

Escape the POW Camp in true A-Team style using whatever you can find...

Now it's time to attack your foes, but watch out for those GEM-Green mines!

Good but tough!

So, the game begins a little weird. We're a muscle-bound Schwarzenegger trapped inside an isometric POW camp, and we already have a machine gun! The objective is to find a way to escape - before attacking the enemy and destroying their entire base. The enemy will come after you constantly, but they're not the most intelligent and run around like headless chickens - a little annoyingly. Other soldiers will hide in trenches or operate gun turrets, and you should also look out for other traps, like camouflaged mines.

The controls are simple and very responsive, but I initially found it frustrating learning how to line up a shot to kill the frantic headless chickens - aka the enemy!! Your crusade won't last very long unless you eat the food that's been carelessly left lying about. Don't forget to top up your weapon with fresh ammo.

There are items you will need to source that will help you out later in the mission. These are essential items that might not be obvious at first: ropes are always handy to have, and there's a supply of wire cutters left inside the POW camp. Hmm, that's two interesting pointers you should remember. How helpful am I?

Well, enough reading! Let's check out some more screenshots...

Things got a little tiresome by the third level, which was more of the same but a lot harder!

But the fourth level is explosive and much better. Although it's a shame about the poor ending...

The CryptO'pinion?

I've quite enjoyed playing The Last Trooper - but only after activating a trainer for infinite lives. Without that, I failed to beat the second level due to the ridiculous difficulty, primarily thanks to the headless chickens running about. They blindly shoot everything with extreme efficiency. Who play-tested this game?

An above-average shooter that's quite flawed with its difficulty, but it's still a bundle of fun for an hour or two. However, if I'm being brutally honest, I'll stick with Fernandez Must Die and Elite's Commando.

Download for floppy or hard disk.

Custodian

Help! What do I do?

I've been going through my old videos and found this frantic 8-way shooter by legends Hewson. Programmed by Chris Hinsley, who made the awesome Onslaught and Verminator, it features fast visuals whizzing across your screen like lightning. It's crazy, and these are all by Nigel Brownjohn, who was behind one of my fave platformers, Beyond the Ice Palace. The audio is gorgeous, thanks to the magic of Dave Whittaker.

We are a "custodian" of a massive tomb infested by alien parasites. Obviously, we've gotta clean up this place, which means killing everything! The best part is that we look like something from the demoscene [cough] and are equipped with an armed jetpack. Zooming about the place is exciting stuff, but the aliens are relentless, and the basic mechanics just don't work well together, so it soon becomes a demented slog!

Chris knew how to program the Atari ST, but he missed the mark here. There's too much going on with confusing and relentless gameplay. Perhaps I'm wrong? If you're feeling brave, Custodian can run from a floppy or hard drive. Get ready and brace yourself for a rough journey!! Let me know what you think...

Attack!! Attack!! Attack!! Attack!! Attack!! Attack!! ARGHHHH!! Help me, somebody!!

Too much!! Too much!! What's going on? Everything wants me dead... Oh, I died!

Risky Woods

Spanish Games

I'm digging up another oldie video from my YouTube channel (please subscribe), and this time it's Risky Woods, developed by Dinamic - the ones who gave us a Marine with wiggly legs. This time, we are Rohan, a young knife-wielding chap from a place called The Lost Land, a once-peaceful place protected by Monks.

These monks guarded the wisdom of the Lost Land until Draxos turned up to ruin everything! He brought his legions of evil armies and turned all the monks into statues. Nobody is safe, children are crying, and evil roams the lands. What can we do? Of course, we are going to enter the woods, free the monks, and defeat Draxos. It's gonna be a tough challenge, but come on, kids are crying. It's time to kick some demonic ass!

I know, another silly story for another day in retro gaming land. So, let's play...

Hurry and free all the monks to save the land from the evil Draxos!

Sexy platforming!

Risky Woods is a scrolling platformer that has us leaping across platforms, frantically banging on the fire button to kill everything in sight. Each level is stuffed with enemies who are only too eager to rush onto the screen, but there are lots of bonuses. Just don't forget why you're here; the monks need freeing before you exit.

This game feels like a cross between Ork and Black Tiger. I love how responsive the controls are, and they need to be - many enemies are constantly rushing onto the screen at a frequent pace. It's quite overwhelming, but great fun without ever crushing your spirit. Think Black Lamp and you've got the idea.

Each level is superbly designed and stunning with lush environments, high details, and fancy effects. However, it's the sprites that I love because they are large and superbly animated - just look at those skeletons!! Slain enemies leave behind gold coins to collect for use in the shop to purchase much-needed weapons.

It plays well and looks great. What, you need another screenshot to prove it? Okay...

There's no denying the stunning artwork, which is some of the best I've ever seen.

Aesthetics

Visually, this is a beauty with stunning landscapes, raster backdrops, and superb spooky sprites. The level of artwork is impressive, and I dare anyone to say otherwise. The scrolling is responsive and smooth, but I can’t help wondering why they push the boat out and implement STe support.

Like the visuals, the sonix do not disappoint with great chiptunes by Jose Martin. The sound effects are nice yet nothing remarkable, but they do their job. Yeah, it's the superb music that works wonders.

A gorgeous game like this needs many levels, as this mini-map so kindly displays...

Check out the map that shows your torturous journey through the Lost Lands.

The CryptO'pinion?

My problem with this game is its difficulty. The constant wave of enemies is overwhelming and made worse by the need to crouch down and collect dropped coins during combat, rather than simply walking over them. Also, touching an enemy causes you to drop your entire loot and momentarily lose the ability to fire!

Despite all that, this game is an absolute blast! It’s thrilling, frantic, and incredibly addictive. The joystick controls are fantastic and perfectly complemented by the stunning visuals and impressive special effects. This game truly showcases the capabilities of the STf and is one of the best platformers available.

Downloads for floppy and hard drive.

Bug Spray

Robbie the Robot

Pssst, wanna play a game bursting with fun? Then check out Bug Spray, developed by Philip Bishop, which should please gamers with both green fingers and a natural love for killing nasty insects. In fact, it might look familiar if you're old enough to remember the 1983 Speccy original by Ultimate Play The Game?

Sunflowers need protection from hungry pests who nibble at them. To stop this, we use different cans of bug spray, as each type is designed to kill a specific creature. So spraying a bug with the wrong type will only stun them. Sadly, our gardener can only carry one, so it's a rush battling the swarming critters.

Just like Jet Pac, this is like the original, but it isn't an exact replica. It's close and brought back many happy memories for me. The graphics are pretty much ZX Spectrum standards, and the sprites are cute, especially the spiders. Sound effects are adequate, but there is an option for chipmusic which is a better option.

Bug Spray is a blatant rip-off, but it works well. My only criticism is manoeuvring the gardener into the gaps, which is tight. That aside, I've enjoyed what is essentially a fantastic 16-bit conversion of Pssst!

- DOWNLOAD -

Scanners

I was going through old recordings and found this, which is an absolute classic!!
Download available on Demozoo - make sure you turn up the volume

Credits: "Alan, Bill, and Dave"

(I wonder who these people were because there's little information out there!)

Bombaman

Bomberman!

Ever since I first played Erik And The Floaters on my ZX Spectrum, I have enjoyed playing Bomberman clones, and here is another called Bombaman. Developed by Kevin Callahan for the Atari STe, this conversion is multiplayer for two to four people, with support for the often-forgotten enhanced joystick ports!

Being a take on Bomberman means we need to freely blow stuff up! Well, good news because Bombaman has fantastic controls that are light and responsive. There are tons of power-ups available and contain some favourites, like a molotov cocktail and chucking bombs over a wall. Others can increase the number of bombs we are able to drop, but watch out for chain reactions during their explosions. Roller skates speed up gameplay whilst flap jackets protect us, but slower players better watch out for zombies.

Want a screenshot? Well, brace yourself and get ready to squint...

It starts tame, but soon you're using power-ups and blasting everything!

Aesthetics

The visuals are incredibly colourful, but may require sunglasses to protect your eyes from all that glare!! The colour is completely over the top and looks like a child would have designed it, but who said Kevin was an artist? The game is smooth at 50fps, thanks to the Blitter and is also displayed in overscan, too.

Chipmusic plays throughout, which I really enjoyed because it's downright awesome. It never overpowers the DMA sound effects bursting out of your Atari STe, and this is how games should be!!

The colour palette is trippy, so let's annoy your eyes one final time with another screenshot...

All that colour could drive you insane - if it wasn't such a great game!!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a brilliant multiplayer game that has lived up to my hopes and expectations. It's a shame there is no solo mode, but I'm sure you will all love gathering around the computer to play it. In fact, my daughter says it's her favourite Atari ST game [watch our video recording]. High praise from an iPad generation kid!

A cracking game for those who enjoy throwing bombs at their friends. Who doesn't?

Update: Kevin has found the floppy disk of the registered version. It's safely stored on AtariMania. Go on and grab it!