Moon Patrol

Luna road-tripping

The moon is under attack from a legion of aliens, and it's our job to stop them! We've managed to find a cute Space 1999 buggy, which appears to mostly drive itself. It even follows handy checkpoints so you don't get lost. So dust off your spacesuit in anticipation of the Atari ST version of this arcade classic.

With your foot always on the gas, you can control the level of acceleration as you travel, trying to avoid potholes and any obstacles. Moving the joystick left/right changes that acceleration, and pushing up allows you to leap over the potholes. However, that requires precise timing, because the wheels aren't great with potholes. So the slightest missed jump causes the buggy to violently explode like something from a cartoon!!

It sounds silly, and it is, but isn't that what makes older games intriguing? Let's crack on...

Don't let the graphics put you off from playing what is nothing less than a beast!!

Simple mechanics yet still tough!

There are two difficulty modes, beginners and champions. If you're new to Moon Patrol and wanna break yourself in gently, then choose beginners. This gradually introduces the game's twisted mechanics and alien monsters at a steady rate. Use this mode to learn joystick controls and the feel of the game. It's cool.

The latter difficulty is better and certainly offers a far more interesting game with many extra features, obstacles, and enemies, etc. Here, the landscape is terribly hostile and made worse by even more invading aliens who frequently appear from all corners of your screen. It's manic, but don't run away, there are weapons!!

Banging on that fire button will simultaneously shoot two weapons: one at the top (firing upwards), and a front-mounted rocket launcher for the approaching enemies. So keep one eye on the road ahead and another on those pesky aliens. It's a lot harder than you might think, so keep on firing and hope for the best!

It's screenshot time, but why not use a different monitor? Check this out...

Hang on, there are mountains in the background with snow. Hmm, very odd... ;-)

Aesthetics

Look, if all you care about are spanky sexy graphics, then walk away. Moon Patrol looks dated, and that's exactly what you would expect from an 80s game. The game's style and decor is authentic, with silky smooth scrolling supporting a three-layer parallax effect, plus the buggy's animation is superb as it rumbles over the bumpy terrain. Don't forget, Moon Patrol also works in ST High (640x400) and looks gorgeous.

A funky chiptune bops away in the background, which is, oddly, very much excellent. I was expecting something so old to grate and something that I'd switch off, but it's foot-tappingly excellent. In fact, I love it. This is accompanied by vintage bleeps for the sound effects that perfectly suit this classic game.

I love it when a game transports me back in time rather than trying to improve upon it (ie, ruin it)...

The checkpoint idea is great for a number of reasons, plus it's fun to break a record.

The CryptO'pinion?

Moon Patrol is an excellent conversion and a groovy step back in time to 1982. It's instantaneous fun, and I love how its troublesome landscape combines the pothole hopping whilst frantically trying to shoot down the aliens. It's tough but addictive, so keep your eyes on the road otherwise - KABOOM! Instant moon junk!!

A faithful conversion of a classic with rock-solid playability. Trust me, this is #retrogaming gold!!

Atari Legend has access to all the floppy disks

8BitChip has a version for hard drive installation!

Strategy Wiki lists the many versions of Moon Patrol

Here is their walkthrough, which I thought was pretty funny.

Atari 1040 STf

When eBay proves fruitful

I've bought an Atari ST and SM125 on eBay. However, both are in terrible condition! Very dirty with many battle scars and what looks like scorch marks near the power unit area. I took the chance and won the bid for a shocking 99 pence. Yep, less than one pound and that included the monitor as well :-)

Once home, I began the cleaning - it took a long time!! This old computer must have suffered fire damage at some point, judging by the scorch marks inside. It seems to have suffered more damage with several stickers from different repair companies. I hoovered around the floppy drive because of a soot-like sludge that looked like black tar. Plus, a thick bunch of spider webs covered the cables. Quite the toxic state!

After all that work, I'm happy to have this marvellous ST running! Plus, the SM125 is a fantastic monitor. To think of its previous condition with the keyboard grime, burn marks, and all that weird, thick sludge is gross. For once, eBay has produced a bargain, and I'm glad to have rescued this beautiful old computer.

SysInfo reports it to be a 1040 STF with TOS 1.00 and 1MB RAM ...and all for 99 pence. Woop Woop!

Filthy on the outside but worse inside with a thick sludge and cobwebs!!

The old ST scrubbed up beautifully :-)

A Prehistoric Tale

The Lost Boys!!

If there were ever giants in the Atari ST demoscene, these fellas were it. In 1990, they ventured into the gaming world with A Prehistoric Tale, published by Thalion. So, how does it play, and can a demo group create a good game? We all remember Enchanted Land. Talent doesn’t always translate to great gameplay.

Fans of Chuckie Egg or Panic will feel at home as we’re transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed and a constant threat of being eaten alive looms. But amidst this danger, we encounter sexy cavewomen who resemble Raquel Welch. Our mission is to collect dinosaur eggs to prevent the extinction of all mammals.

Transport these eggs to the teleport for safekeeping, but be warned, there’s a time limit (ugh, I hate time limits!!), and you can only carry three eggs at a time unless you use an egg basket. To complicate matters further, the teleport changes location after each use, and numerous spiders and other prehistoric creatures constantly appear. Oh, don’t forget to watch out for the swarms of Pterodactyls!

The graphics are reminiscent of the 8-bit era, boasting a lovely 16-bit quality. It feels just like we're playing a demo by The Lost Boys! The audio is equally impressive, thanks to Jochen Hippel. His gorgeous chiptune beats will have you tapping your foot along. To say the audio is fantastic would be an understatement.

A Prehistoric Tale is straightforward, but beneath its humble exterior lies a surprisingly challenging game that keeps you on your toes. Even the most skilled player will find it difficult, but with practice, you’ll love it.

See, the demoscene can make excellent games, and this is nothing less than just that!!

• Downloads are available for floppy, and 8BitChip has an HDD version.
• The Lost Boys archive is stored on Demozoo.

Is that a teleporter, or has he simply eaten all his Ready Brek!

The pixel art animation when dropping off a ledge is hilarious!!

Storm 94

Alien Breed?

Storm 94 is a shooter developed in STOS by Marcus Platt / Fugitive Freelancers in 1994 for the Atari STe. It's based on the alien theme with a style reminiscent of Alien Blast and Alien Thing and released by LAPD.

Like other similarly inspired games, we explore a spaceship whilst suffering an onslaught from the ravenous alien baddies. These are (of course!) relentless, so shoot first and never bother asking silly questions! Ammo, health and security keys are littered throughout the levels but if you find yourself needing extra, they can be purchased from the computer terminals. Our job is to find key cards to operate the airlock, allowing us to escape.

My only quibble is the time limit which is way too short!! If you notice the screen turning red, you're near death!! This game doesn't need a timer whatsoever and ...umm... spoils itself somewhat. I hope somebody like PP gets a hold of this game and adapts/removes its timer. Then I should be able to see more of the game.

I liked Storm '94, its action and strategic elements are superb. Sadly, I wasn't able to get far because of its timer. A great shooter that could easily have been 10x better without a timer. We need this hacked!

ATARI STM (...continued)

I thought it was time I followed up on my previous article concerning my Atari STM. I have opened it up for a good clean and it powered on perfectly. Sys Info reports: 1mb Ram / TOS 1.2 / GEM 0.13 / AES 1.20 and I have successfully connected up my external floppy disk drive to play games. Yes, I'm a happy bunny :)

This is such a cool-looking computer and super-compatible for games. I now need to buy myself a pair of midi cables for Midi Maze against my 6-year-old daughter. Yes, I sense so many easy victories ahead!!

NES

Nintendo on an Atari website?

Nesulator is a collection of programs by Ed Cleveland that emulate five Nintendo games: Donkey Kong Jr, Castlevania, Dig Dug, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda. Each program is the same emulator but dedicated to that particular game. This package was released at STNICCC 2000, but sadly never completed. However, as is, the potential is outstanding - with Dig Dug performing the best I thought (relatively speaking!)

Thankfully, we can still enjoy these games to a degree - remembering that they are unfinished!! However, you will need an upgraded Atari ST or a Falcon because each game demands lots of horsepower to run at an acceptable speed. A fantastic piece of software, but I sure wish Ed had finished his work.

I wish I could go back in time to tell myself NOT to sell my TT or Falcon...

- Screenshots and the download at Demozoo -

Midi Maze

FPS - long before Doom!

Midi Maze is a multiplayer first-person shooter that hit the shelves in 1987, thanks to the talents of Xanth FX. This really is an early taste of multiplayer first-person gaming, similar to a typical deathmatch. It takes place inside a labyrinth of weird smilies who roam looking for blood. So ignore their happy faces because they're anything but nice - and need killing!! You could say, the last sphere "standing" wins?

The controls are rather straightforward and very easy to master. You can use either the joystick or the mouse, but I personally think the joystick works the best (and I never expected to say that, as I figured the mouse would be best). Those without MIDI cables can play in Solo mode, which allows up to 15 computer-controlled bots with three levels of AI. Those with MIDI cables and other Atari STs can invite friends over with the potential to link 2-16 computers. Think about that, it is quite staggering for an '80s deathmatch. This was 1987, folks!!

The graphics are good, but nothing like Wolfenstein, Substation, and others. The walls are "paper-thin" and also without any texture or ambient lighting - but remember just how old this game is. Frame rates are fast and exceptionally smooth, and I was impressed to see the baddies have a shadow, thus adding to the 3D perspective. Sound effects aren't going to win any awards, but they do their job.

There is nothing I enjoy more than a good first-person shooter, and Midi Maze certainly packs a punch! Single-player is welcome and works well, but Midi Maze comes into its own when linked with other Atari computers. Midi Maze is one of the best games I have featured and is easily a true Atari ST gaming legend!!

• Check out this Midi Maze fanzine (It's in German, but Google Translate will help!
• Here is a PDF document of the original game manual
• Atarimania has all three games listed in their Atari ST database.
• Floppy disk images are available from Old Games Finder.