Leaderboard Birdie

A good walk spoiled?

Well, maybe! But here is Leaderboard Golf, released in 1986 by Access Software, undoubtedly one of the least technically impressive games to grace the Atari ST. Let's not be too hasty, as this was released all the way back when the ST was just a little baby, and the 8-bit computer's reign was at its peak.

When loaded, the main menu is rather crude but functional, and is used to commence a new game. With each game, the course is rendered in a third-person perspective - we can see ourselves taking each shot. You shall note the golfing jargon on the right, along with basic information such as weather, clubs, distance, and a shot meter. These details should help to get that ball inside the hole as quickly as possible.

The picture I'm painting isn't exactly gleaming, right? I know, but let's view a screenshot...

Select each club carefully and watch out for those high winds!

Slow down and think about it...

With each shot, there is a unique distance to the hole, so a different club is always required. Long stretches require a 'wood' and (from what I can gather) they're rated W1-W9, and a 1W will achieve the greatest distances, whereas the 9W might produce a more acute shot with less power. The 'irons' feel similar to me (a golfing noob), but you might choose a 9I for a more acute shot when in a troubled rough spot.

Finally, the 'PW' is the pitching wedge and is used for those final moments when accuracy is needed to get that little ball into the hole. What a golfing connoisseur, I am. You shall also note a pole in the ground that is casting a shadow of varying angles and lengths. Use that to help determine the current conditions.

Leaderboard has no save game feature, but there are many scorecards inside the box. One of mine (see the picture below) has its pages filled in by the previous owner. I love finding stuff like this!!! I think it's great and a piece of ST history is preserved...

I wonder who David is and how much he enjoyed the game?

It's all about whacking a ball really hard?

Leaderboard is a simple but still challenging. It's all about choosing the best club for the shot at hand, of course. Correctly hitting the ball is a balance of lining it up and mastering the power and snap meter. That determines how far you wish your ball to travel and whether it should go straight or curve left or right.

The weather will affect the direction and conditions your golfer must face. Plus, he has many of the usual pitfalls to contend with, like the rough, trees, puddles of water, and nasty bunkers. It might be an idea for novice golfers to disable those weather conditions while you learn the game's controls and basic mechanics.

Okay, golfing dudes, let's take another gander at another amazingly realistic screenshot...

Get that power and snap meter just right for the current shot and weather conditions

Next-Gen visuals!

Visually, I'm sure many will find Leaderboard far too unrealistic and extremely minimalistic compared to certain others. However, Leaderboard has a nostalgic quality I love; the way it draws each scene so methodically is superb, bringing back happy memories from a time when it would have impressed everyone.

The sound effects are on par with the visuals (see what I did there?). They're more than enough for this quiet stroll through the countryside. Spot-fx are used when hitting the ball, select clubs, and when it drops into the hole. My favourite sound is the mushy thud as it hits the water. Lame yet genuinely brilliant!

I tried hard to get a nice screenshot - so appreciate it and take the time to view it properly...

Oh dear, there are lots of pitfalls to avoid on this hole. Can you do it?

The CryptO'pinion?

I think golfing connoisseurs might foolishly turn up their noses at such an old game in favour of something better. However, this is one of the most charming and entertaining moments you can experience with an old computer. Leaderboard is so easy to pick up & play, and it's extremely addictive. This is one of the best golfers (from the earlier years) that you can play on the Atari ST. Never go off graphics.

Yep, this is nothing less than fantastic. What an odd thing to say when I don't even like golf! lol

• Take a swing and download for either floppy or hard disk (HDD is the best)
• Check out more games from 1986.
• There ain't many, but I've also featured other Sports games!

RoadBlasters

Gunning and Racing

Road Blasters is an arcade conversion by US Gold that attempts to recreate the speed and thrills of the original. Imagine a Bullrun Rally event through 50 overcrowded highways. You must win each to progress on to the next. Yep, nothing new, but I'm sure you already know that this is going to be tons of fun, right?

What makes this game different from many racers is a combination of driving and shooting. This means your gleaming red sports car has a mounted machine gun. The easiest targets are the yellow cars, which are a quick kill, but the motorbikes are a pest because of their tiny size. Occasionally, several jeeps will swarm around you like something from a Mad Max movie. React viciously; take no prisoners. Oh, yeah!!

It's time to break up the reading with a screenshot. And I want one with a green blob...

Bubble City sounds like a cool place - I must drive there!

Carmageddon!

Watch out for hazards like oil spills, roadside turrets, bullet-proof purple cars and those darn proximity mines. Fortunately, you do seem to have friends. A futuristic aircraft frequently flies by, dropping power-ups such as speed boosts, extra weapons, and shields. However, it takes a lot of practice to collect these goodies precisely!

At your disposal is a limitless supply of replacement cars, but they are all fuel-greedy, so if you run dry, then it's game over. Luckily, fuel pods are available to collect by driving through them for a top-up. Your car is equipped with a reserve fuel tank, which should only be relied upon as a last resort, but the good news is that it's replenished at the end of each race. Well, depending on your performance. So keep practising!

Oh, it sounds very exciting, doesn't it? Well, I think it's time for another screenshot...

Fast cars and guns. What more could you ever desire?

Input & Output!

The controls are sharp with responsive steering that retains the arcade feel. Well, as much as possible, using the joystick. No complaints as I found the car handled excellently and instantly took to it.

Visually, this is an older-generation racer on the Atari ST, more like Crazy Cars 2, if that makes sense. So I never expected arcade-quality visuals, but it retains a good feeling of the original, whilst not being the best you'll get from your lovely computer. It's colourful but needed more decor, but for an older racer, I like it. The sound effects are good and better than those of Lotus Turbo. I enjoyed the excellent music. Nuff said.

Almost there, so it's time for the last screenshot...

Now is the time to drive like Knight Ride to collect those goodies from above!

The CryptO'pinion?

Technically, it's far from being the best racer, but I love this speedster. And we're armed, so that's basically one hell of a bonus (since when has adding a gun not been a good idea!). A much-underrated game that deserves more attention because it's fast, thrilling, and the car is weaponised. A perfect combination!

Racing with guns - what more could you want? Yup, this is an absolutely superb game.

There is a fantastic hdd version.

Or grab the floppies, if you want authenticity!

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 used this old computer before! From what I know, this computer is mute and makes no sound. Plus, the graphics are actually made up of monochrome blocks rather than pixels.

This might all sound rather lame to people today, but you must remember that this was 1981. Plus, there is a certain charm to the itsy-bitsy flimsy device with less processing power than your average kettle. So I powered on this quirky computer and even took a stab at programming. Well, I say programming...

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

The good news is that even the stock Atari ST is enough to play ZX81 games - from either a floppy or (better still) a hard drive device. However, if you feel the ZX81 is running in overdrive, press the UNDO key and adjust the speed limiter. I needed to do just that for Pac-Man, which was otherwise insanely way too fast.

I might never have owned a ZX81, but I was shocked to discover many games that are very playable, albeit without sound or colourful pixels. 3D Monster Maze by Malcolm Evans is a great example and is regarded as one of the best reasons people adore this old Sinclair paperweight. It might even be one of the first survival horror games using a first-person perspective? (see Retro Resolution for a review!).

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a fantastic program, and it is compatible, fast, and robust. It provides an opportunity to play games from an era when fancy graphics and sounds didn't exist. A time when gameplay mattered. Give it a whirl and boot up this surprisingly excellent emulator that flips your Atari ST into a Sinclair ZX81.

Party like it's 1981 and have tons of fun. Scroll down for more ZX81 games that I really liked...

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

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've 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? The head honcho of a drug cartel has taken shelter in Alcatraz prison, and he happens to be surrounded by henchmen. You've probably guessed that it's your job to sneak in, kill the bad guys, destroy everything, and escape in the nick of time.

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 covert tactics. The starting level appears in the style of an arcade beat 'em up, but it's the opposite. Tread lightly, as 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!!

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

This 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 any good?

Initially, 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 them within a few goes. What is immediately superb is the support for two players in coop who play the mission simultaneously, which is fantastic for such demanding missions.

Venturing deeper inside Alcatraz, the game changes to a first-person shooter, similar to a Dungeon Master clone, with a machine gun!! There is a handy map function, which I liked because it helped 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 expected, but what a game that easily eats away at your spare hours. Also, 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 is best played in co/op with a friend. Brilliant game.

• Download the floppy disks, or the better option for hard drive owners (D-Bug).
• Don't go, 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

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 go outside!

Play through several wacky courses to get that ball into the hole, and yes, that's my technical explanation! Controls are actioned with the mouse and feel similar to a snooker/pool game: click/hold on the golf ball to display a directional line. Use this to guide the speed/direction of your shot. Interestingly, a level of interaction is added - that might be controlling fans, playing pinball, making a burger jump, etc.

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

Download the floppies or a version for a hard drive.

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

So, you didn't believe me about the burger? 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 about how they wish 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 be 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 are 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 has 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 it 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 the CD Player can be stacked and left to play while you're doing something else. JAM is great and can handle a 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...