Stardust

Meh, another Asteroids?

Stardust was released late in the ST's life by Bloodhouse in 1994 and it's not only one of the last commercial games released but is actually an STe-only product. Developed by several famous names from our great demoscene (thank you Aggression) these guys burnt the midnight oil to deliver a wicked twist on the original Asteroids arcade genre.

It not only plays similarly to that old favourite but also features modern aesthetics for extra zest. Such as ludicrously awesome colours and sampled sound effects; all are quite stunning and complement the frantic action.

Wanna see the war plan? It's technical but translates to "kill everything and don't die!". Check this out...

A clear and accurate war plan, I'm sure you'll agree? lol

Bam! Bam! Bam! Blast the rocks!

There are a total of five levels with each containing six missions. All are host to a variety of rocks along with the expected dangerous baddies. After each level is completed, you must travel through a wormhole-like tunnel onto the next part of the galaxy like something from Buck Rogers or Starwars!! These tunnels are filled to the brim with oncoming rocks for you to dodge or destroy - no easy task but it's a thrilling moment that I never expected to play!

Bonus levels pop up regularly and feel similar to a particular Thrust clone. Note, these are optional but you must be daft to ignore the fun. So don't be daft!! Of course, a game like this wouldn't feel right without End-Of-Level Bosses. Each mission has them and these guys are tough! Much perseverance will be required during these enjoyable romps.

It's time to stop reading and enjoy some pixels! Let's take a peep at another screenshot...

Check out these outstanding and colourful visuals!! Amazing stuff.

Enhanced gaming!!

Stardust is something else. It's on another level with gritty, fast-paced gameplay. The basic mechanics are what you would expect - Asteroids - so it also feels more or less as you would expect. This is awesome because you can jump straight in and begin playing without that learning curve. Heck, it's all about dodging and shooting. Are you tough enough?

The controls are also familiar: left and right will manoeuvre your spacecraft around. Pushing upwards will thrust you forward into hell. Don't worry, we have a shield that aids you during those sticky moments. Finally, our ship's main weapon is more than capable - perfect for gratifying rock-blasting!! Nothing wrong here, folks. This is all super-spacey-gun-fun!

This next screenshot does itself no justice. Seriously cool stage with mind-blowing fx...

Buck Roger's side event is absolutely exceptional. Impossible not to be impressed.

Enhanced Aesthetics

Graphically, Stardust is utterly glorious. Everything is bold and colourful with stunningly smooth animations. The rocks are also something else with jaw-dropping 3D renditions that look beautiful. Not only that but the display is running in overscan!! Yep, it looks so HOT and everything is in overscan which means lots of extra pixels to blast.

Equally impressive; is the audio with beautiful examples of thumping stereo tunes, accompanied by BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! DMA sound effects. This is one shooter that's gonna blow your socks off. If I can offer one piece of advice: crank up the volume!! Yes, I guarantee you will love everything Stardust delivers so turn it up high. No, even higher! :-)

This is one of the best-looking/sounding Atari STe games ever released. Let's have another screenshot...

Look out! Move quick and keep on firing - are your reactions good enough?

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a spectacular showcase of what the Atari STe is capable of when in the hands of people with talent and commitment. These guys didn't simply rehash an old idea or produce a weak Amiga port. No, they unleashed a product that feels fresh and exciting. The effort that everyone put into the gameplay, visuals, and audio is far beyond praiseworthy.

Stardust is a joyride of rock-blasting thrills and a perfect shoot 'em-up. One of the best games I have played.

Download for floppy or hard drive.

uIP-tool

Easy-peasy transfers

As you may have read in my previous article, I've bought the NetUSBee. This is a gorgeous slab of hardware available from Lotharek. It has an ethernet socket to potentially connect to the outside world easily.

It's possible to connect your ST to a Mac/PC thanks to Mariusz Buras who has developed a program called uIP Tool. This will transform your Atari ST into a file server without any configuration. Just load it up and it will automatically assign itself an IP - which you will use in Google Chrome on your Mac/PC. It's no different to accessing any website. Now you can access the Atari ST and begin transferring files.

NetUSBee with uIP-tool makes transferring files to/from your Atari ST a cinch...

In fact, you don't need to use a web browser at all. Load up uIP-Tool and then copy a file over to your Atari ST using the command line. It's geeky but it works very well so is lots of fun! Here is the example command to copy 'myfile.zip' over to the D-Drive on my Atari ST...

curl -0T myfile.zip 192.168.2.2/d/myfile.zip

uIP-Tool makes the process of getting files onto your Atari ST very easy. It's simple to use, with a great interface and gets the job done. Yep, NetUSBee is a fantastic piece of kit and uIP-Tool marries up very well.

This is excellent software!

Help for those using WiFi
If your router is in a different room to your Atari ST then you might think uIP-tool isn't compatible with your setup unless you have a mega-long ethernet cable? Not so. My router is located downstairs so I bought myself a very short ethernet cable to physically connect the Mac to my Atari STe.

To provide uIP-Tool with a working IP address - just enable the Mac's Internet Sharing. Sorry, I don't own Windows or Linux, but I expect a similar function exists? Just follow this:

 1) load up System Preference (via the Apple menu)
 2) click on Internet Sharing (view me)
 3) choose WiFi in the dropdown menu & tick the ethernet box (view me)
 4) lastly, tick the box left of "Internet Sharing" to activate this service.
 5) now quit System Preferences.
 6) load up uIP-Tool on the Atari ST and note the IP it displays for you.
 7) enter that IP into Google Chrome so you can now access your Atari ST. Job done!

Mouse Trap

Not the board game!

Billed as "old in style but brilliant in design" is Micro-Value's 1987 platformer, Mouse Trap (based on the original Acorn Electron game). I love platformers but not the Mario/Sonic kind but 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 Mouse Trap a go!

We are Marvin The Mouse who desperately wants to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend that 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. Yep, that'll work. Hmm, women...

Anyhow, this is a cruel and unforgiving platformer: make one mistake and it's often impossible to go back and try again - which usually means a life lost as you replay. Each screen needs every item collected before you can progress to the next. Finishing each 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 best 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. However, I initially found them a little fiddly and quite perplexing. For example, if you're facing left and then tap "right" (to turn around) Marvin will not only do this BUT he also walks a couple of steps in that direction. I'm used to Manic Miner, so this frustrating mechanic took me some time to master. And I did.

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

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

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 different screens - all as difficult as they are quirky and you will always be drawn back for that one-more-go! The only negative aspect is the lacking a save-game feature. That absolutely baffles me because there are so many levels to plunder (ie, you are forced to replay).

Having said that, I have enjoyed Mouse Trap because it's a blimmin' excellent platformer. (Nearly) top marks from me!!

Download for hard disk or floppy.

Can you beat my current Hi-Score without cheating? No, I didn't think so!! :p

Floppyshop

Disks through the post?

For those of us old enough to remember Floppyshop, you will be pleased to hear that Chris Swinson has brought back 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 those 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 Mag / Educational / Fonts / Games / Programming / Midi

Music / Product Demos / Sound / Utils / Word Processing

Anyhow, 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 to get 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 another example of awesome box art from my own collection with US Gold's fantastic voyage into the human body. It's actually a familiar 3D shooter set within a unique environment and The Assembly Line always developed great games but with Vaxine they even made some use of the enhanced hardware lurking inside Atari STe: glorious [STE] technicolour visuals along with DMA samples, which are a substantial improvement over the ST.

I've always enjoyed playing this game because it feels like a weird dream. Very different and a great adventure.

Floppy disks can be found using Old Games Finder and 8BitChip has a version for your hard drive!

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. Typical... 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, 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 whacky 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 and, if you appreciate isometric games, you'll be at home - left and right rotates, 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 journey. 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 spoilt the atmosphere and been something I would have muted. Highway Encounter is all about careful planning and strategy so it has to be 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 shoot 'em up. 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 game and honoured us with a polished conversion. Highway Encounter will always be a Crash Smash and the Atari ST has gained an exquisite remake. I Love it!!

Download floppy / hard drive (ultrasatan)

AtariMania has an awesome map!

History of Vortex Software