ZX81

The good old days?

Back in the 90s, Christoph Zwerschke developed a Sinclair ZX81 emulator for the Atari ST. Believe it or not but I've never actually owned or even used this old Sinclair computer before! From what I know, this computer is mute and cannot make a sound! Plus the graphics are actually made up of monochrome blocks rather than colourful pixels. Yikes!

This might all sound rather lame but there is a certain charm to the itsy-bitsy computer with less processing power than your average kettle. So I powered on this quirky computer and even took a stab at programming... Well...

10 PRINT "ATARICRYPT ROCKS YOUR ST WORLD"
20 GOTO 10
RUN L

The good news is that even the stock Atari ST should be able to run any of its games perfectly fine - from either a floppy or (better still) a hard drive device. However, if you feel that the ZX81 is running in overdrive, then hit the UNDO key and adjust the speed limiter. I needed to do this for Pac-Man which was otherwise insanely too fast!

Yep, I might never have owned a ZX81 but I was shocked to discover many games that are surprisingly very playable. Albeit without sound or pixels... For starters, 3D Monster Maze by Malcolm Evans is a great example and is highly regarded as one of the best reasons why people many adore this old paperweight. Truly, this game is way ahead of its time and perhaps even the first survival horror game using a first-person perspective? (check out Retro Resolution for a review!).

I gotta say, Mazogs is something else!! (have you played Bugziacs?)

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fantastic emulator and one that feels complete and robust. It provides an opportunity to play games from an era when fancy graphics and 3D sounds weren't necessary. A time when only gameplay mattered (tell that to today's millennials). Give it a whirl and boot up this fantastic emulator to flip your Atari ST into a Sinclair ZX81.

Party like it's 1981 and have tons of fun. Win, Win!! :^) Scroll down for more ZX81 games that I really liked...

I was also equally impressed by the simplicity of Galaxians.

Castle Of Carmain is just downright awesome fun!!

The mighty 3D Labyrinth is thrilling.

Alcatraz

Steve McQueen?

I have just received a factory-sealed treat, a copy of Alcatraz by Infogrames. I thought about leaving it as is but, within milliseconds, I had ripped it open!! Mint condition and I love the contents of this hidden gem.

Hostages fans will appreciate it but surely that goes without saying? This time, the head honcho of a nasty drug cartel has taken shelter in Alcatraz prison and he happens to be surrounded by many loyal henchmen. Yep, you've probably already guessed that it's your job to sneak in, kill the bad guys, destroy everything and escape in the nick of time.

Well, in light of that stunning revelation, I think we should take a look at a screenshot...

The first stage displays the coop action and reveals that strength comes from stealth.

Take it easy, take it slow

This isn't a gung-ho game, Alcatraz demands stealth and careful covert tactics. The starting level first appears in the style of an arcade beat 'em up but is actually the complete opposite. Tread lightly because firing your loud weapon isn't always the answer! Use the darkness to your advantage by nipping into the background scenery, avoiding any unwelcome attention. It's fantastic being able to hide and watch the enemy oblivious to you lurking in the shadows!!

This won't always be the answer of course, so you may need to resort to a little gunplay now and then. However, it's worth considering your weapon choice: why not silently throw a knife instead of using your BAM BAM noisy gun? And it's this way of thinking that makes Alcatraz very exciting to play. It's like you're there being sneaky and covert. Love it.

This next screenshot is for those who often go out at night and hide in the darkness...

Take cover in the shadows and wait for the best moment to step out and take 'em by surprise!

But is it fun?

Initially, I admit I wasn't sure about this game if I'm dreadfully honest. The controls can feel a bit fluffy, but stick with it and you will master that within a few plays. What is immediately superb is the support for two players in coop who can enjoy each mission simultaneously. This really makes a difference compared to going solo for such demanding missions.

Venturing deeper inside Alcatraz, the game changes to a first-person shooter, similar to a Dungeon Master clone - but we have a machine gun!! There is a handy map function which I really liked because it helped to detail the locations of enemies, rooms, etc. I really loved this part of the game but, I died. Talk about tough love.

Talk about a brilliant surprise! Let's take a gander at a screenshot...

Okay, now we're talking. This Doom part of the game was blummin' excellent!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Alcatraz is nothing like I initially expected but I'm really enjoying it. What a game, especially with a friend in co-op, which is exhilarating. I like what they attempted to construct with the realism element, it works in many ways. What a great game of perseverance, stealth and tactics which will eat away the spare hours. For all its niggly flaws, I love it.

Downloads are available as floppy disk images with a better option for hard drive owners (D-Bug).

Wait, don't go as I made a video and I wanted to show you what's inside the box...

Here's the back of the box cover that advertises the original game, Hostages.

The floppy disks were protected and unused for three decades. Yes, they work!

Codes! Fuzzy to read and will pop your eyeballs if you stare at it too long!

No, I'm not going to post this. Can you imagine their faces? lol

Short but sweet manual but it has a decent map of the island.

This was interesting to find. If anyone wants better scans of the pages then just holla.

Traveller-Box

I've stumbled upon a nifty resource for lots of Atari ST goodies waiting to be downloaded. It's the leftover remains of what used to be a popular German BBS called Traveller-Box, by Alexander Bochmann. His hard drives have been recovered and their BBS contents have been uploaded for the Atari community to use again.

Look, stop reading this lil' article and go and check it out for yourself... Enjoy!!

Zany Golf

It's time for Crazy Golf!!

Zany Golf was developed by Will Harvey of The Immortal and is one of those games I spent much of my college years playing - instead of studying! What a simple yet addictive game which is obviously based on crazy golf. It's excellent solo and better with friends but best of all, you don't need to visit the local park anymore.

Play through several whacky courses to get that ball into the hole and yes, that's my technical explanation! Controls are actioned using the mouse and feel somewhat similar to any snooker or pool game: click/hold on the golf ball for a directional line to appear. Use this to guide the speed/direction of your shot. Interestingly, a level of interaction can be required which might include controlling fans, playing pinball, making a burger jump, and more.

It's quirky, it's silly and it's a little lame... but... Zany Golf is freakingly fantastic so comes highly recommended!!

Download the floppy disk or this cool version for a hard drive.

What? A pinball table!! Zany Golf turns into Insane Golf.

So, you didn't believe me? Now I am hungry!!

Aww, a cute little house for an easy hole-in-one shot. No problem!

MOD Players

Tricky Trackers!

I remember when I first heard tracker music, it was around 1989 and a pretty cool experience albeit not on the ST. To be honest, it was something that I never expected to hear from such a small file - I am comparing it to a sound sample that eats the entire space on any floppy disk (and then the Ram).

When I upgraded to an Atari STe, finding a MOD player was one of the first things I attempted. I wanted to ditch chip music for this tantalising new style of computer music. It's weird but, back then, I felt disappointed in my Atari ST and its chip music but I don't feel that way now. In fact, I find many of those MODs I find poor and often quite irritating, excluding classics like R-Type, Menace, and a few others.

Today, I'm a chip guy. That doesn't mean I'm completely against MODs. I just prefer chip. I see videos on YouTube and read people's comments of how they wished a particular ST game sounded more like the Amiga. I get that but, imagine IF our computer did sound the same. Would that be a good thing? I don't think so. The ST is its own entity with the ability to sound its own way using gorgeous chip music. If the ST had the same music capabilities as the Amiga (in games) then why not just buy the Amiga and have done with it?

No other computer out there has to justify itself like the Atari ST and that ... annoys me! Think about that, and it's why I started AtariCrypt. I want the ST to be an ST and not pretend to be something else. The YM is part of what makes the ST an ST, and that's a good thing and shouldn't be thought of negatively.

With that off my chest, here is a selection of excellent MOD players for the Atari STe...

Atari STe MOD / Tracker Players

BackTrack - I wasn't too sure about this at first but I cannot deny its quality and the selectable frequencies is a brilliant idea that will be useful on every model of Atari. The audio playback sounds great, especially at 50KHz - but you might need a Mega STe for that!! (v4.04 - released 1993 - by Wizzcat)

CD Player STE - This is like a CD player from the 90s. Just copy the MOD files into the same folder as the program and boot it up. Obviously not a GEM program but something that works well, is very effective, and a fantastic interface. Cracking program - leave it running while you work! (released 1990 - by Light)

DBE Player - Another GEM program to punch out your favourite MODS. The quality is excellent and has a decent playlist feature. However, I thought that it's pretty demanding of the basic model STe compared to the others (v2.0 - released 1999 - by Sector One)

The MusicPlayer - Ignoring its quirky GEM interface (which is odd) I thought this program produced good sound quality and even supports 50KHz / 8 channels! (v1.0 - released 1994 - by Christian Dahl)

Sirius Player - This is another that refuses to use GEM and replaces that with its own beautiful UI. The sound quality is Grade A with support for 50KHz thus proving GEM can be a beast. Also, 8-channel MODS can be played using features like presets /etc/etc. Don't forget to press the HELP key for all of the options. This is my favourite program; its playback quality is mind-boggling!! (v2.0 - released 2001 - by TSCC 2001)

Paula - A great program that makes you wish you'd have bought a Mega STe for that extra grunt! This is yet another example of the sound quality an Atari STe can produce - and in GEM too. Great programs. My thanks to Pavel Puchala for alerting me to the freeware release! (v2.6 - released 1999 - by Pascal Fellerich)

JAM - A true jack of all trades that works either in GEM or using its own frontend GUI. It features a neat plugin architecture so lots of different file types are supported - not just MODs but various chiptunes. This is absolutely fascinating and JAM always produces excellent sounds! (v1.0 - released 2000 - by Cream)

The CryptO'pinion?

This page proves nothing. Well, except that the Atari STe can easily handle Amiga MODs with quality playback, no matter what program you decide to use. They're all great. It just depends on your own needs: if you need a GEM player then any of the above is a good choice to install onto your hard drive/ultrasatan.

Yes, they are all great in their own way but I loved how CD Player can be stacked and left to play while you're doing something else. JAM is great and can handle a wide variety of different formats too. Ultimately, I think Sirius is best (for me) with its astounding 50Khz playback, so I tend to prefer this above all others.

What says you? Let me know in the comments below...

Xenon II - STE - Megablast!

In-game real music!!

Xenon 2 is pretty much Marmite - some love it and some appear to hate it. Well, I love it. It's one of my favourite shooters with fantastic power-ups and freaky baddies. Plus, it's a technical masterpiece with outstanding aesthetics that proves the power of the Atari ST - when in the hands of developers with talent and commitment in equal measure. We need no custom chips nor those horrendously lame Amiga ports from the 90s!!

Okay, rant over. Here is a brand new Xenon II upgrade for 1MB+ Atari STe computers with an UltraSatan or decent hard drive. This new version streams 25KHz music, during gameplay, thanks to the DMA Audio hardware. There is no CPU hit whatsoever so its as good as ever but with your choice of music :-)

Convert any song into: 8-bit @25033Hz using a program like Audacity. I've a massive selection of rock/metal songs stored and ZZ Top is currently playing in my game!!

Xenon II just got even better and I hope Peter converts many more games to make use of the DMA co-processor. The possibilities are endless... Hmm, perhaps I should send him a wishlist? LOL he'll block me!!

Atari Mega STe

Mega Hertz

I asked Peter Putnik, from over on 8BitChip, if there was a program that allowed the Mega STe to flip between 8 and 16MHz - but without having XControl preloaded. He basically said yes, no reason why not. And a couple days later he had created it!! What a great Atari community we have - my sincere gratitude to Peter.

The download link is available via the AtariAge forums.