Falcon

It's very satisfying to finally complete a favourite collection of something we loved. I have just managed to complete the Falcon trio. Sure, there are the limited and classic releases that bundle the lot together, but I've never been much impressed with many compilations - I always wanted the original, individual, games. Well, now I finally have 'em all! :)

Falcon is a brilliant flight sim with awesome graphics and many interesting locations to fail its many missions! So here is my special 3x cover feature for our Box Art section. Why not take your own F-16 for a spin today?

AtariMania features every Falcon release within their ST database :
     ~ Falcon
     ~ Mission Disk 1 Operation: Counterstrike
     ~ Mission Disk 2 Operation: Firefight
 - 8BitChip has done it again and adapted a Falcon bundle for hard drive installation.
 - Old Game Finder has the floppies for those poor souls without the original disks or a hard drive! :p

Harris Went Skiing

Horace?

Let's rewind the clock to 1982 for a skiing adventure with an 8-bit hero, Horace. Developed in STOS by a couple of brothers calling themselves OllySoft and released a decade after the ZX Spectrum original. However, for his Atari ST appearance, he didn't want to upset Psion and changed his name to Harris to avoid confusion!

Anyone old enough to remember the original will feel at home with Harris who is once again looking to enjoy a skiing trip. However, it's not started off well... Harris finds himself in a pickle as he didn't bring along any skis so must hire replacements from the resort - who built their shop on the wrong side of a busy highway.

The Frogger part is way too easy in comparison to what I remember! Simply waiting for a large gap in the traffic allows Harris to run all the way across the road! The skiing part is great with many obstacles to avoid. Once the skiing is finished, somebody robs your skis so you head back to the hire shop to repeat everything.

OllySoft has done a great job with Harris Went Skiing and "Horace" brought back lots of warm and fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. The Atari ST game is simple and very silly so is highly recommended if you're bored.

Grab the download of Atari Legend and game like it's 1982!!

There are more OllySoft games but looking at these makes me think that the boys had serious issues! Or a belting sense of humour? I'll go with the latter so let's take a quick look...

Who Maimed Roger Rabbit

Imagine Operation Wolf but set in President Trump's backyard which is overrun by weak rabbits! Aka lefties. So grab a gun and let's fix this problem once and for all. Gameplay is as you might imagine; successful hit turns the rabbits into a bloody mess of gore. I'm sure animal lovers will appreciate this game!

Overall, it's a humble take on the famous title but quite enjoyable, if repetitive.

SubHunt

A pointless two-player game without much enjoyment. Playing solo is even worse and I didn't like this game whatsoever. However, it does feature a fantastic hidden easter egg and that's worth the download!!

 

Ayatollah Invaders

An endless supply of ayatollah chaps running down your screen - straight into the path of your tank. It's actually mind-numbingly repetitive but, I gotta admit, darn good fun. Very enjoyable for a couple of games but boring afterwards. It's worth booting up once just to witness the superb somersault deaths.

Motorway Death

Perhaps we can lower the bar even further? Hmm, how about a game of hit and run? Yep, you heard me right!! And, on this road, people appear glued down so drive into them and watch their bodies turn into blood splatters. It's a sick Carmegeddon and so funny... well... for a few minutes!

Head Over Heels

Heading back to my Your Sinclair days

I stumbled upon Head Over Heels by pure chance today. It's been donkey's years since I played this on my old ZX Spectrum and seeing it again is a heartwarming reminder of my 8-bit days. Ocean released this tough isometric adventure in 1989 for the ST but I don't recall ever booting it up. Perhaps an 8-bit game wasn't appealing to me back then?

Head Over Heels is more complex than it first appears - solve puzzles using two characters who have their own skill sets. It's superb to see this game again and anyone who loved the "filmation" genre will surely be in heaven. The graphics are Spec-tacular with superb details and more colour than my old rubber Speccy could ever have dreamt of.

Head Over Heels is a huge and intriguing adventure offering many sleepless nights! Highly recommended.

AtariMania features this in their ST database including an interesting tidbit! Download Head Over Heels from 8BitChip as this supports a trainer and hard drive installation. Also, here is an interesting website for the ZX Spectrum version with maps, videos, and more which prove helpful.

Nebulus

Pogo the frog? Oh boy, this is gonna suck

Nebulus was released in 1988 by one of my favourite gaming companies ever, Hewson. It features an armed frog with big eyes called Pogo. But he isn't too happy with the thought of eight large sea-based towers and decides they need climbing and blowing up! Essentially, this is a platformer with some interesting pseudo-3D mechanics that provide a pretty unique visual style within an ingenious design. This is class programming as you will soon discover...

All towers are cylindrical with several platforms dotted all around the outside and nifty tunnels which offer a great way to quickly access the opposite side - if the current route appears a dead end. The world certainly revolves around little Pogo because he remains at the centre of the screen with horizontal movements causing the screen to scroll in a "three-dimensional" circular motion. Thus turning the tower around into view, it's quite brilliant.

Sounds rather insane, right? But let's ignore that initial opinion to check out this colourful screenshot...

Talk about going the extra mile and NOT sticking to 16 colours! Absolutely superb.

Frogs love water, right?

Getting through any of the towers will never be easy thanks to a barrage of unusual nasties to either shoot or avoid - and one that flies by to conveniently get in your way. Access to the top will involve careful strategy because your route is broken thus forcing you to use opposite sides of the tower depending on where you are. Always consider the option of using these tunnels to quickly nip through, they might come in handy to avoid those flying obstacles!!

Nebulus may sound easy but, it's actually very challenging and a brisk time limit allows little room for error. Bumping into an enemy will drop you down to the previous ledge, which is fantastic because that doesn't necessarily mean a frustrating loss of life, nor will it impede your momentum as you pick yourself up to try that part of the tower all over again. However, if there isn't a ledge to land on, you might fall even further down thus requiring lots of hefty backtracking.

Falling further still (and into the water) is strangely fatal for this froggy - the only frog ever to have existed who can't handle the deep waters. Yup, that means we lose a life! Also interesting is a bonus game featured between the levels - this has Pogo travelling to his next tower via a nice horizontal scrolling level. It's a shooter with lots of Psygnosis-busting smooth parallax scrolling! It should have been longer because I really enjoyed it a bunch (best viewed on a real ST).

Right then, you guessed it! Yep, it's time for another cool screenshot...

Another day and another tower to climb. Ahh, this one looks too easy, right?

16-Bit Sex Appeal!!

Throughout our adventure, the visuals are utterly tremendous. Nebulus is programmed by legend, John M Phillips, who treats us to a lovely display of great artwork and ultra-smooth framerates. Not only that but he spared no idle cycles, bursting the limits with a ton of extra shades for the backdrops. The end result is a game that puts others to shame. Isn't it incredible what the Atari ST cranks out - when programmed by somebody with talent and commitment?

The audio is equally impressive with gorgeous effects that are zesty and sharp totally suiting the gameplay styles. Also, a beautifully unique chiptune that I could leave running all day... it's captivating. Totally enchanting audio.

This is how all 16-bit games should look and sound. And that was all in 1988 too. Wow!!

Okay, ignore my jerky capture because this part scrolls so smoothly. And is great fun!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Nebulus can feel daunting thanks to its hefty learning curve which is steeper than you might expect. With lots of practice, I guarantee hours of addictive gaming because Nebulus is a real firecracker. I love how it integrates both arcade action and strategic thinking using a fascinating visual style. I think in many respects this game was ahead of its time.

Yes, it's pretty tough at first, but you will soon get the hang of this rather unique and wonderful shoot 'em up. In fact, I would personally rate it as an Atari ST classic - not only because of how it looks and sounds but the addictive gameplay. Enjoy this beautiful piece of JMP magic which is nothing less than an icon of the 16-bit era.

Floppies are available on Stonish

and 8BitChip has a hard drive version!

Donkey Island

Monkey Island?

All the way back in 1997, Ed Cleveland (aka Eddie Cat) spent many moons working on a comedy adventure called Donkey Island. However, the latter end of the 90s were bitterly cold days with most of us having sold up and moved onto the world of Mac/PC. Sadly, it appears he got little feedback from us all and thus, decided to call it a day. I'm gutted!!

Well, that's my take on what I read. Whatever happened, it's a shame because his talent and dedication were on the way to creating something rather special. Yep, it's disappointing but at least he released this final/beta version work. This was very kind of him and, as is, it's more-than-worth downloading and playing.

Donkey Island is a graphical adventure that is quite different from what I was first expecting. Think of something vaguely similar in style and content to Lure Of The Temptress or a Sierra On-Line game and you get the idea. But with a comical twist: we are Fred, a geek who loves playing games on his Atari ST. So he's a smashing lad and life is obviously TOS-taSTic!

However, that changed when he found out that Donkey Island, a game he has been eagerly awaiting, had been cancelled. Fred is crushed and cannot accept the news so he powers off the little green desktop computer and begins exploring his hometown to find out why it was cancelled. (Sigh, a feeling not new to ST gamers in the 90s!)

That's depressing, isn't it? Well, let's check out a screenshot to cheer us all up...

The cartoon design works really well and some drawings are superb!

He looks familiar O_o

Fred is controlled using the cursor keys which is very simple and effective. The keypad is used to interact with your surroundings and characters - who are incredibly entertaining and interesting, to say the least. It's now that I feel even sadder that this game wasn't finished because the style and sense of humour gone into making Donkey Island is quite beautiful. Although incomplete, there is a large town to explore with some cute surprises to discover.

In its current form, this is pretty much a broken adventure game but one we can still fully play. Getting around Fred's town is a cinch and we have all the abilities to investigate this horrifying gaming incident. Roam, explore, and never forget to chat with the locals. They're nothing like you are expecting and their humour is often superb!

Although unfinished, full exploration is possible and many characters are available to knock up a conversation with. Some rooms are complete whilst others are in an unfinished state. Yet, they are still available for us to rummage through, which is brilliant. I'm so happy this "beta" was released yet, at the same time, I am gutted. What a game this almost was!

Yep, we will never know what may have been. Here is one of the unfinished locations...

Sadly, some areas of the game will never be finished but at least they're left in for us to play.

Aesthetics

Each location is depicted using a cartoon style similar to a comic book which Fred walks through in a rather crude but functional fashion. The artwork isn't exactly brilliant but the amateurish quality works wonders and the characters are superb. I love the way we communicate with others and our surroundings which is quite unique in style.

The sound effects are good but what I really love is the technique used for speech - it reminds me of Charlie Brown's teacher. Come on, tell me you can't hear that too? Well, I think it's superb :)

So, visually and sonically superb so here is another screenshot. My daughter says he looks like me...

Exploration is always the key to success and there are lots of (hidden) locations.

The CryptO'pinion?

Donkey Island had incredible potential and I imagine it would have ended up being a hugely fascinating adventure. It still is of course, albeit unfinished. I've enjoyed playing what is potentially a killer product that offers a different approach to the genre whilst being thoroughly entertaining with a wonderful sense of humour, strange locations and the silliest characters.

Trust me, this is a hidden gem and something truly brilliant. I wholeheartedly recommend you play this!!

DOWNLOAD

Motor Massacre

Mad Max with choppy graphics?

Motor Massacre was released by Gremlin Graphics and feels like a wicked blend of a number of my favourite games. The action takes place in a grim post-apocalyptic future where each city is suffering from the devastation of war and resembles a Mad Max movie! All food stores were destroyed in the holocaust so people were starving until Doctor A. Noid came up with a substitute called "SLU" to help the waning populous. This all sounds great, right?

Why are these masterminds almost always qualified doctors? Anyhow, it was all a trick because SLU tastes like poo and turns people into zombies! So it's up to you to rescue the city from its psychotic drivers, explore buildings, and then battle in a demolition derby event to ultimately find the doctor and end this misery. See, it's basically Mad Max in game form :)

Pandy's Pork Palace sounds a lot better than it actually is!

It's Carmageddon out there!

Yes, this is more than one single game: the cities are explored from the comfort of an ATV - top/down similar to Chicago 90 but when inside buildings, it changes to something like Time Bandit or Gauntlet.

Driving around the city is tremendous fun because you are completely free to roam the streets and that also means blasting at anyone who might get in your way. All other drivers are out for blood and want you dead by any means and their road rage antics are vicious - so defend yourself using the cannon fitted to your vehicle.

Use this to blast the suckers into oblivion but also watch out for hazards such as oil spills and explosives carelessly left lying in the road. Do note the gun turrets which line many streets and are annoyingly highly accurate.

It's demolition derby time when we can shove other cars into dark oblivion.

Explore and have fun!

An interesting "mechanic" is how your vehicle's appearance alters the more damage it endures, so I'm grateful the holocaust didn't destroy the repair shops which also offer a wide range of other services like fuel, weapons, and ammo. The mechanic working here scares me, but I like his T-shirt! There are some more places and these offer a good opportunity to collect goods like weapons and health, so look out for their location using the road markings (Pandy's Pork Palace is available right from the start and contains a handy ATV upgrade).

You soon discover that these various places are thriving with ghouls and other creatures lurking in the shadows. Nowhere is safe, but you're armed with a pistol so shoot first and ask questions later! Keep searching these areas and you should find an arena pass to the demolition derby. This event is pure Carmageddon and nothing beats pushing your opponents into a chasm! Success here, grants you access to the next city.

The mechanic is freaky. It's almost on a Chucky level here... (shudder)

Aesthetics?

Visually, this is a basic affair with crudely-drawn graphics and jerky scrolling to boot. However, I must admit being mightily impressed with the animation of the running men which reminded me of Impossible Mission.

Sadly, the sound effects are probably worse than the visuals. Truly terrible.

However, we need him because the roads in the future are just terrible.

The CryptO'pinion?

Motor Massacre has been a nice surprise. Sure, it's about as glam as a dog turd but I enjoyed the mix of arcade-style action with levels of adventure lurking below the surface. Also, being able to enter buildings adds that extra dynamic which I loved - and there's always something stupid waiting for you! So don't take it seriously and have fun.

I have enjoyed zipping around the city looking for my next victim. It's crude but fantastic and really enjoyable!!

Mel Gibson wannabes can download the floppies
Tear up the roads like Mad Max!

Outrun New Year Demo

Goodbye in STyle

I'm going to end 2016 with a brand new release by a good friend of mine - Bionic Nerd - aka Peter Jørgensen. It is the Outrun New Year Music Demo which has just been released so I've recorded a little sample from each track as a teaser for you all. Clickety click to grab this cool music disk right now and enjoy it. :-) Here is a little background by Peter:

"Hi all, I made this little new year music demo because I always loved the music from outrun and I always felt that we Atari ST guys were cheated on. Firstly, there was a track missing. Secondly, it kept shifting between the two other tune every time one would die. Lastly, I do not think that David Whittaker did his best. The music files are YMT format running at 300hz and the reason the program file is so big. In the new year I will make a new sound format, still as fast, but be taking less space but you will need a 2mb Atari to run this. Thanks to everyone for listening and I hope you like this? Thanks, Peter."

SantaFly

It's got to that time of year when I post something Christmassy! Here we have SantaFly by the awesome Reservoir Gods and regular readers will remember its sister game. Yes, SantaFly is every bit as frustratingly addictive but with a peculiar Christmassy theme. It's great fun and I advise you clickety click and download it.

Thank you to everyone who visited AtariCrypt throughout the year and I wish you all a Merry Christmas †

Luke 2:11
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Jetpac

Not the Speccy again?

I love it when you find something new - at least new to me. After decades of using an Atari ST, I stumbled upon something I'd never heard of - an emulator called Artemis. It's a Z80/ZX Spectrum emulator by Jörg Tochtenhagen and Ralf Hemsing and features numerous options for the technically minded - and seems to perform very well indeed.

Feel free to tinker with the configuration but the overall performance -as is- is more than acceptable on the stock ST. That's actually a relief because Artemis doesn't work properly on faster computers plus there is no support for colour, meaning your game is in black and white. Even more peculiar is that we only have one game - Jetpac

The game comes in a format I've not heard of before --> .PRO

Can anyone help to find out more information or perhaps more games in .PRO format?

Playing Jetpac is never a bad thing and even though it's not as good as the real machine (or indeed the Speccy emulator) it is great to find something new. So, Artemis comes with no documentation, lacks colour support, and doesn't work properly with computers other than the stock 8MHz Atari ST/e. I loved finding this from deep inside the ST archives!

Download: Floppyshop disk "UTL-3025"

Unheart

Unheart is something that I've been meaning to feature for far too long. It's actually pretty new and was only released in 2014 at Silly Venture by Masters of Electric City. It's based on the original PC game, Heartlight which happily mixes Sokoban with a dollop of Boulder Dash to produce a riveting and refreshing brain-teasing challenge.

In fact, Boulder Dash fans should look elsewhere because this is actually a Sokoban game and a brilliant take on that idea too. We are a dwarf who enjoys digging his way through caves looking for love hearts. Watch out for falling rocks that might block your path or worse, a head-crushing blow. You might even come upon a bomb as you crawl through the soft soil but be careful, because these will detonate when impacting something hard, like a wall or rock. Heck, there are even balloons that will float upwards potentially pushing whatever gets in their way...

Don't worry if you get stuck, hit ESC will humorously explode our dwarf so we can restart. Also, a level-skip function is used to bypass those brain-destroying levels with the option of coming back later (yeah right). The difficulty remains a constant throughout - high - with cunning map designs causing the most intense problems!

The graphics are simple yet superbly detailed using a gorgeous C64-like palette. The status bar is displayed using overscan, which is always going to be a great thing for obvious reasons. The chip music is on another level. It is breathtaking and perfectly suits the gameplay - I just wish there was more.

Unheart is so much fun and pushes you to think differently than you would imagine. Its difficulty remains a constant throughout - high - with cunning map designs causing the most intense problems to overcome. Thankfully, with unlimited retries - and the ability to skip troublesome levels - you aren't distracted and will keep on coming back for more. Unheart is challenging, distinctively brilliant and one of the beST puzzlers on the Atari ST.

- SCREENSHOTS & DOWNLOAD -

Some levels look so simple yet they are not. Perhaps well-placed explosions will help here?


I spent ages on this level and yet it is so easy to complete!! Sometimes physics helps a bunch.

Another level that appears so simple - and is - but that didn't stop me from pulling out my hair!!

I can imagine Boulder Dash fans loving the first level, but not so much the others!

Grab the download from Demozoo and Silly Venture!

Anduril

Wilf is back

Anduril is a high-resolution 1986 PD game by Markus Dheus that features us as a flying hero. Like the ZX Spectrum game, Kokotoni Wilf, this is a flick-screen platformer with many cunning rooms to explore. Unfortunately, unlike Kokotoni Wilf, our hero cannot walk or even touch the landscape scenery. If he does, it results in an instant loss of life. Thankfully, he can fly like a flappy bird using simple controls: use the SHIFT key to fly with H + J turning left/right.

I imagine Anduril is beginning to sound rather easy? You couldn't be more wrong as anyone who loves a challenge will certainly get it. The first couple of screens are easy but it isn't too long before the game's true sadistic nature is exposed. Most of the map is made up of tight spaces with which to guide our hero. If that wasn't tough enough, once gravity is factored in, Anduril becomes a distressing adventure for all but the patient gamer.

The graphics are crisp and detailed but I sometimes noticed odd collision detection, which often worked in my favour so I shouldn't complain. Sadly, sounds are almost void with only a low-volume spot effect for an item pickup.

Very difficult, so not a game for everyone but I found it very enjoyable.

Download Anduril from AtariMania and this program will help those without a high-res monitor.

Pung

Pung is an old Atari STe game which has been released after years of lurking in software purgatory. It's obviously based upon the 1972 classic and currently stands at v0.30 which means it suffers a few bugs that might lead to those infamous bombs across your screen. Just reset and keep on playing! I'm glad this got a release as we have enjoyed playing it over the weekend - it's different with a few neat ideas and I recommend you take a look. Let me know what you think...

* Demozoo website has a download with all the credits and more.

* I nabbed the MOD music file off Demozoo and made a recording. Love it!

Potsworth & Co

Another platformer? Yawn, let's check it out...

Potsworth & Co is a cutesy platformer developed by Ben Walshaw for Hi-Tec Software (1992) and is based on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon (which I'd never heard of). I've just learnt that Potsworth is a dog who happens to have a group of kiddy mates - The Midnight Patrol. The story is that someone stole a sleep potion and broke it up throughout five worlds. It's up to the kids to return it to a Grand Dozer (whatever that is).

As different members of the Midnight Patrol (depending on the level, each has different mechanics for powers and abilities). For example, in the first, we are a stroppy girl who begins underground in a place Rick Dangerous would love. It appears this heroine only has to open her mouth to kill most of her foes.

Sounds weird? You betcha! But I think you're gonna love it. Read on...

Each level is different and uses the other characters, who come with their own skills.

Developers who care!

Potsworth & Co offers a style similar to Doodlebug or Magic Boy but, don't let the comical visuals trick you, this game is not easy and very challenging. Each world features many hazards and, of course, a wide range of baddies who aimlessly walk back and forth doing their best to make life troublesome. There are also puzzles but these won't have you stumped, it's more like moving a block onto a switch panel (or a teddy bear!).

This isn't an easy-to-pick-up-and-play platformer, if I'm honest. I think it has a testing learning curve thanks to a difficulty level famous throughout the 8 and 16-bit era. Personally, I think a lot more lives should have been given by default and there are some parts of the later levels that are quite irritating. But all this is solved by having more lives or (cough) a trainer which means you're then able to enjoy this game fully.

The joystick controls are superbly responsive so exploring is a breeze without any sluggishness. When you move onto a new level, the game changes your character which is unusual. I especially liked the third world where we play as a dog in a candy land - this is bursting with cool mechanics and is brilliant fun to explore.

Let's see a screenshot of that stroppy-looking girl level I mentioned...

No lame port here but there are... walking guns in a Ricky Dangerous world!

Model looks!

The visuals are stunning and it certainly proves what a developer can do when they care about their product. This looks the business alright and feels quite console-y with fantastic environments, awesome sprites, and bundles of colour throughout each and every level. The scrolling is both fast and fluent which means we're being treated, rather than enduring a jerky lame Amiga port. Amazing, just amazing.

Sadly, the audio is the mirror opposite of those lovely pixels and appears to be an afterthought. There are only a few spot sound effects and, even worse, no background chiptune which would have been perfect. Oh, and don't even ask about a title theme. That is absolutely terrible and should be skipped - quickly!!

Why is that? So much effort was spent on the visuals and gameplay yet little on the audio...

Another new level and another different character to master.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is superb and provides a fantastic venture through several interesting worlds. Each is a vibrant and charming experience and, not only that but, a testament to the power of the Atari ST when in the hands of a talented programmer. Prepare thyself for a game that is as challenging as it is beautiful.

This is one of the best platformers there is. I've loved every second with The Midnight Patrol. If I can pass on a piece of advice, it would be this: Don't be a knob and download this game right now. There ya go.

Downloads for floppy disk & hard drive.

MonoPack

The most exciting screenshot ever!

MonoPack was released by Shrimp of NewCore and allows the Atari ST (w/ colour display) to run in the high-resolution mode without the need for the correct monitor. Yes, there are already programs that do this but I think this is better because it saves itself onto the boot sector of a floppy disk. This means a fast way to activate. Plus it supports the Blitter coprocessor for faster rendering. Yup, this is an excellent utility!

Clickety-Click to download MonoPack and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Super Space Invaders

It's Space Invaders!!

How could anyone ever contemplate the idea of improving Space Invaders? How about supersizing it with lots of cool ideas!! This is exactly what Domark did with the imaginatively titled Super Space Invaders, an authentic take on the original idea with an array of next-gen invaders to quench our two-dimensional alien-zapping thirst.

> From the start, we're treated to a superb intro you should watch. I can't stress that enough!

When a game begins, a stage needs to be selected and these are presented in groups, similar to Blasteroids and offer a different path. As a new attack wave begins, it's quite slow to start off with and gradually speeds up with each kill. These new invaders will attack using a wide variety of tactics - some will bloat after being shot, thus requiring extra effort. Don't expect the same attack formations, this time they use various styles with some breaking away - Galaxian style!

Hey, let's take a peep at a screenshot of a guy struggling in his daily job. Some have it tough...

The intro is legendary. I absolutely loved it and it's definitely something you don't skip!!

Can't knock the classic formula

An easily targeted mothership frequently passes by and, if destroyed, drops a power-up in true Arkanoid fashion. These power-ups make the game. They sure enhance the entire experience and I love the laser which slices through the alien hoard like a hot knife through butter. I must admit, to taking a liking to that rapid-fire power-up!

If Space Invaders ever had a flaw then it's gotta be repetition. Super Space Invaders attempts to break that by introducing bonus rounds, different stages, and boss levels. One bonus is the flying saucers screen which shows them hovering in the rural countryside. They're trying to abduct cattle, of all things. The groovy end-of-level bosses are in urgent need of a good hiding!! I am especially impressed by the boss after level three which (I thought) was beautifully animated.

Here is a screenshot from one of my games. Looks a bit awkward but playing it is miles better...

Some aliens balloon when hit which is funny but also means more shooting!!

Aesthetics

Throughout, the graphics are generally excellent with nicely detailed invaders and I especially liked the huge insects. Framerates are great but the game will appear sluggish without collecting power-ups. So, come back and properly play using the power-ups!! Finally, the End-Of-Level bosses are a fantastic example of cool pixel art.

Musically, very interesting and I was immediately reminded of Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters. The effects are good but I was disappointed not to hear the famous cannon sounds from the arcade. A huge loss!

Okay, let's see a cutscene and this one has helpless cows wanting a quiet life...

Oh no, now those pesky aliens are after cattle. I need burgers so shoot them down now!

The CryptO'pinion?

I think purists will turn up their noses in disgust at this abomination and enjoy picking at what they consider faults. However, it's a terrific game in its own right and the power-ups are key to getting the most from this shooter. They really are as they transform what would otherwise be a predictable clone into a freakishly entertaining experience.

It's still Space Invaders but with many extras that bastardise the original game. It starts off slow but soon becomes a blast. Thus, I feel this is a very addictive and entertaining take on the original idea. Great fun and highly recommended!

Can you protect humanity from Space Invaders?
Help is stored ready on hard disk or floppy.

a real wallpaper!

Look at what came in the post today from Chris Swinson (aka Exxos). Designed by Darren Doyle for the release of AtariCrypt Magazine and today it's in print and on my bedroom wall like I'm 15 again! There are some ace ST folk in our community - thank you so much, Chris. I'm wondering how long the wife will allow this to remain...

Regardless, I LOVE IT!!! :-)

Collaboration One

   

A new demo group is on the scene!

The Atari ST/e demoscene has entertained us with some incredible productions over the decades. Predictably, these are often by the talented people that made our jaws drop from the late 80s onwards. Well, today we have something different and by a brand new group called STatariART who have released their first slideshow!

It's called Collaboration One and features tons of pixel art created by many people from all walks. Along with the images, there is chip music and a lamer's scroll to read. Let's hope this is the start of something great!

Not tempted? Check out our theme tune by Cornervizion. It's awesome...

Zool

Whoosh, it's Zool!!

Zool was released in 1993 by one of the most acclaimed gaming companies, Gremlin Graphics. Late in the ST's life, yet they went that extra mile to support both models of Atari ST computer. Respect. At first, it appears to be a Sonic clone and does indeed have many similarities but, Sonic it ain't. That fact disappointed many, back in the day (like me). I guess we wanted our Sonic? Well, I figured enough time had passed? Should I give this zippy insect another second chance?

Our little protagonist is a rather odd critter. He's a badly-disguised ninja ant (well, I think it is!) who is from the "Nth Dimension". He can run, climb, leap and even perform a silly airborne pirouette. Sounds very Sonic'ish!! Anyhow, his mission is to travel six worlds and prove himself worthy of earning the black belt accolade he so richly desires. Each world is split into three segments of progressive difficulty and is littered with traps and countless baddies to contend with.

Sonically cool this game! Ugh, sorry... Anyhow, let's see the first screenshot of this ninja roadster...

The first level is excellent and has a little iddy biddy Sonic vibe to it...

Run and leap like crazy!

There are several levels, the first is "Sweet World" which could be a child's favourite dream: an entire planet made of candy. But these are killer sweets: like wobbly jelly and a cute rapidly-firing dolly mixture! The second is musically themed and features angry instruments like bongo drums and even some nice ones that play helpful musical notes.

Sadly, that is as far as I've managed to get. Very disappointing but, that's me and my skilful gaming reactions. Well, I'm extremely grateful for a handy cheat mode that I found. This allows me to play on the later levels - and the Meccano style in Tool World is excellent. Just carry on reading for more information about that handy cheat!

Zool is a simple game at heart, it's all about collecting the items and, in Sweet World, that is candy. Look at the bottom/left of your screen which displays how many are required with an arrow pointing you in the right direction to find more. Thankfully, losing a life isn't a game buster as there are checkpoints from which to continue your adventure.

That is no easy task because all levels have a cruel layout that is littered with traps - hidden traps! Plus there is a huge number of baddies, of course. However, this isn't only a game that requires lightning-fast reactions but you must replay, replay, replay. Learning the levels is the only way to boost your progression otherwise you're hit by something unexpected. Zool's replay value is massive by default because of this. Whether that's right or wrong, I'm not so sure.

It's screenshot time and this one was (sorry) taken with my phone when using real hardware...

Watch where you're walking! So many dangerous places in this world of weird.

Input & Output

The joystick controls are absolutely superb - intuitive and very responsive - which they had to be. Plus there is an option to use inertia, which I leave disabled. Keep banging on that fire button for rapid firepower and if you tap it again (during a jump) then a pirouette manoeuvre is actioned to kill even more of the colourful nasties in this crazy world.

Power-ups are also frequently available to ease your hectic adventure like Two Zool - your very own doppelganger. Like all ninjas, Zool has an energy shield that can be replenished during play but it can survive only three hits before you're as dead as a dodo. I would have like more to balance it against the number of nasties.

Visually, Zool rocks and I'm sure they've used every colour they could for a weirdly gaudy display! The sprites are stunning and I love the purple dolly mixture. I'm shocked that a game like this is playable on the ST and movements are good considering it has no hardware scrolling, etc. It's miles better than other similar games like Doodlebug.

Of course, it's best when running on the Atari STe. Gremlin have made good use of the hardware with 50fps scrolling. It's a thrill to play and crushes the experience you had when using the standard ST. Not only that but there are more colours too. Weirdly, there is a slowdown in some places which is a shame and doesn't make sense.

The audio is superb with sound effects and optional chiptunes. It would have been nice to hear DMA effects, especially noticeable in World Two - with its oddly silent musical instruments. A missed opportunity, I thought.

Right, who fancies a lollipop? No? Oh, don't look at this next screenshot then...

Right, hands up who wants a lollipop now? What... Just me? Darn it!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Zool is a great platformer and tons of speedy fun. But it's far from perfect mostly thanks to frustrating mechanics that can ultimately spoil what would have been a cracking game. For example, don't expect to whizz great distances like that spiky hedgehog because Zool's levels are designed to contradict his spritely Ninja abilities. There are far too many deadly objects, many off-screen, and the enemies are constantly respawning which is annoying. Arghh, less is more!!

However, ignoring the negatives, I admit to enjoying Zool. It's fast, crazy and it is stuffed with an insane personality. This is a great platformer - especially when played using the Atari STe. Now, gimme some Chupa Chups!!

8BitChip has the download for those with a hard drive/Ultrasatan.

For those stuck with floppy disks, then Atarilegend will ease your pain!

AtariMania features Zool in their ST database plus the manual & code wheel.

To cheat type in PANDA on the menu and you will see a flicker. During a game press:

          -> Spacebar 1 - will make you invincible.

          -> Spacebar 2 - to skip forward onto the next stage.

          -> Spacebar 3 - to skip forward onto the next world.

Wolfenstein 3D

I had an hour to spare before the boss was due home from work, so I fancied a game of Wolfenstein 3D. Sadly, it didn't go as well as I'd hoped!! But, I must admit, it makes a funny video recording. Well, it made me laugh! ;^)

Here ends my silliness......