GIANTS

Atari ST gaming titans?

Giants was released in 1989 by US Gold and is "a mammoth compilation of world beaters" according to the box. Inside a sturdy plastic case are lots of floppies for four big names - which only goes to prove how cool the 1980s were:

+ Out Run - I cannot believe this is by the same guy that gave us Enduro Racer!
+ Gauntlet II - an Atari ST classic developed by Golden Axe legend Richard Costello.
+ 1943 - developed by Probe... No, wait! Come back, this one is a good 'un!!
+ Street Fighter - Tiertex gave us Strider so I'm hopeful for another gem. Ahem.

Now then, one of these is an arcade beauty on the Atari ST but what about the other games? Let's see...

- OUTRUN -

So let's begin with Out Run. Oh, dear... Yup, I'm not sure what to say about this because we have all moaned about it for many years. Personally, I thought the perspective didn't work on the home computer versions. I know we're in a Ferrari but there ain't enough pixels for such a low position. However, it's that framerate that hurts the most. This is supposed to be a fast-paced rush through the sunny streets but it feels more like a jerky slideshow.

Ignoring the dreadful framerate, the visuals aren't too bad and look bright, colourful and sunny. Of course, the music is fantastic and that's thanks to Jason Brooke. However, it's that framerate that destroys everything this could have been. I wasn't expecting an arcade-perfect conversion but whoever programmed this should be shot.

Stay clear of this game. There are so many other - far better - racers available for the Atari ST.

Thankfully, there is light at the end of this horendous tunnel, thanks to Manic Miner legend Peter Jørgensen who is in the process of upgrading Out Run for the Atari STe. It uses the Blitter for better framerates along with new sprites, music and more. As a work-in-progress, is already a million times better than the official game - which is a car-wreck. Watch this space...

The road ahead is blocked by four trucks. Yes, four trucks. And I'm almost outta time too!!

- GAUNTLET II -

Unlike the other two Gauntlet games, this one is oddly missing from our archives so Giants has nicely plugged that gap. Come on, what a fantastic game this is, and also something every Atari ST player knows and loves dearly. Whether you are playing solo or with (many!) friends, this is a brilliant conversion of the arcade game.

From the moment its cabinet appears - with that foot-tappingly cool music - we are in love. Chose a character from four heroes: be it a brute like Thor, the cunning Valkyrie, a powerful wizard or a wise Elf. Each has its style and all will find it tough to clear the crowded dungeons of evil monsters, ghosts and other demons.

Use your weapon, kill everything and leave nothing alive. This includes those generators popping out all kinds of monsters from the depths of hell. Look for potions to help against the tougher beasts - like death or a massive hoard. But there is also treasure and food along the way to keep yourself wealthy and healthy.

What a brilliant and exciting game this is. One of the greatest Atari ST arcade games you will ever play!

One of the best Atari ST arcade conversions there is. Right? Of course, I'm right!!

- 1943 -

1943 follows on from (wait for it) 1942 and is another vertically-scrolling shooter. However, this conversion is initially extremely tough, so I was saddened by how much I hated it. The gameplay feels too fast so I spent ages ramming into the enemy - and their bullets. It's almost like I had a kamikaze gift for getting myself destroyed.

I also miss the real estate of a portrait display but that's hardly the ST's fault. Nor is reaching over for the spacebar to use a bomb during those difficult moments. However, stick with it and don't be put off because this is actually a faithful and frantic conversion with tons of enemies to kill and power-ups to collect. Also, I must say that I absolutely love the energy bar which I thought was superb - and certainly helped prolong my games!

Graphically, we've not been given a perfect clone but it's no ugly beast. The sprites are nice zooming around your screen but the backgrounds are pretty lame. However, that is compensated by parallax scrolling - using fluffy clouds gliding down the screen like melting butter. The music was YM-composed by Jason Brooke and is just brilliant.

Boot this one up for a good hour of frantic joystick-breaking action! An excellent shoot 'em up.

Oh no, the enemy is attacking from multiple directions? Argh, I'm bound to die pretty soon!!

- STREET FIGHTER -

Anybody that knows me, knows that I'm no expert in this genre. In fact, I know very little until recently dipped my toes in the water a few years back with Double Dragon 3. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it and found the whole experience rather mind-blowing. What had I been missing all these years? I know, I know...

Anyhow, things aren't (ahem) quite as impressive here with Street Fighter. The gameplay is slow, very slow and the controls simply don't feel right. To me, it's like I'm blindly bashing the button in the desperate hope to punch or kick at the right moment. Also, the opponents never truly feel like they have much AI but, when they do attack, they're possessed by Chuck Norris!! The balance is off so I dare anyone to beat your first opponent - without cheating!

Graphically, it looks nice with neat backdrops and huge sprites (more on that another time!). However, the game moves dog-slow and the sprites have bad animation. I'm not sure why everything is so eye-burstingly jerky because there's actually very little going on. I'm not going to mention the music other than to say how much it grates. Ugh!!

Everything about this conversion feels like a wind-up. Have I been given a beta by accident? Surely this is a joke? Imagine paying the RRP for this lol. Play something else and don't waste your time booting this one up!

Looks quite nice I think. Though fighting in slo-mo is made even worse by a ridiculous difficulty.

- THE CRYPTO'PINION -

It's obvious Gauntlet II was always going to be the star of this collection - and it is. But I'm shocked at how much I enjoyed playing 1943 which is a seriously crazy shooter. Okay, I initially hated it, but after many agonising attempts, I finally got the hang of it. I still need a cheat for infinite lives but I loved every second of it.

Sadly, that leaves two stinkers. OutRun is a terrible racer with a headache-inducing framerate that makes our Atari ST run slower than an Amstrad CPC. So I'm (more than) relieved we have Peter's Atari STe upgrade in the pipeline. Street Fighter is something else. I'm not sure what to say other than shockingly poor programming.

Overall, I would have been pleased with this compilation back in the day. It's obvious that I would have spent most of my time playing Gauntlet II whilst occasionally booting up 1943 for a quickie - and probably not lasting very long. However, the other floppies would have been reformatted and used for the latest Automation disks!!

GIANTS can be downloaded from AtariMania

Atari Super Pack (the results)

Snippets from each game and even some Zynaps skills on show. Watch that and be jealous!!

Atari's Super Pack giveaway!

Well, I finally got around to finishing what took a lot longer than I originally thought. Yep, I completed the task of reliving Christmas 1988 by playing Atari's Super Pack - it all started with this article (click & read) :p

To be honest, I probably played the games a lot more this time around. Back in the 80s, I would have spent the most time on Buggy Boy, Beyond The Ice Palace and Xenon? I doubt I would have had the patience for Marble Madness nor the desire to spend hours on Quadralien. And even at 17 years old, I didn't have the reactions to cope with Return To Genesis.

Here is a list of all the games. BTW, each game is searchable if you look to the right > >

 The Atari Super Pack Games 

1. Arkanoid II - Pure old skool gaming and it is brilliant.
2. Beyond The Ice Palace - Blondes really do have more fun!
3. Black Lamp - Faster turning would have made this perfect.
4. Buggy Boy - Come on, who doesn't LOVE this arcade racer?
5. Chopper X - Turn down the volume... and it's still rubbish!
6. Eddie Edwards Super Ski - It's fun wearing milk-bottle lenses!
7. Ikari Warriors - A classic arcade conversion.
8. Marble Madness - Not my cuppa tea and a buggy lame port.
9. Quadralien - A great game to dig your heels into this!!
10. Ranarama - Gauntlet, for those who enjoy using their brain?
11. Return To Genesis - Swoosh, I'm dead! Whoosh, I'm dead!
12. Road Wars - There's always one...
13. Seconds Out - Then again, make that two!
14. Starquake - What a belting ZX Spectrum conversion.
15. Summer Olympiad - Good fun but needed a few more events.
16. Test Drive - Yeah, it's time for a road trip in my new Corvette.
17. Thrust - Come on, this is a beauty. Love it!!
18. Thundercats - A bit wooden and far too difficult. Whhhhhhy??
19. Wizball - A corker, if you master its massive learning curve!
20. Xenon - It's all about level one for me. A great game.
21. Zynaps - Thanks to Hewson we ended on a massive high!

So, which game won my heart?

Wow, that is a tough question alright especially when you look at the massive list above. But, IF I'm in the mood for something of a platformer then it's no contest: Beyond The Ice Palace wins hands down. A shooter? Zynaps! Arcade? Ikari Warriors, easy! Thrust and Buggy Boy are up there as is the amazing Rana Rama.

However, the Super Pack is diverse in content and quality. Although the list changes daily, I feel the need to push myself for a decision!! Cue "Whole Lotta Love" because my Top Of The Pops desert island floppy disks would probably be...

The CryptO'pinion?

Well, this has been enormous fun over the last few months and it certainly proves that Atari went that extra mile in the 80s. What a giveaway it was - 21 incredible games AND an Organiser too (Woo, fun times). Anyhow, my Super Pack mission is now over with so let's see what else is lurking within the Atari ST archives throughout 2020...

I hope you guys have enjoyed this run through the Super Pack? Let me know in the comments below :)

Quadralien

Oh no, I've gotta use my brain?

Quadralien is an action-enhanced puzzler released by Logotron and, once again, we find ourselves on board a spaceship that's about to go into a nasty radioactive meltdown. This time it's thanks to a pesky race of Quadraliens who must be stopped before everything goes boom. Next time, I think I'll just stay at home.

I must admit that Quadralien wasn't something I was looking forward to playing. I remember being completely bemused by this puzzler back in 1988 so I was dreading booting it up again - and then having to write something interesting!! So, cautiously, I inserted the floppy disk into my Atari ST and braced for an embarrassing moment of gaming torture. I only hoped my nightmares didn't return to haunt me... At my age, I need all the sleep I can get!!

Anyhow, let's begin this feature with a couple of nifty screenshots that will probably make no sense...

Click the red square for detailed information on each of the six droids.

There's lots of information and choices to make. Choose wisely!

Let's get to work...

Each level is viewed and played from above - Gauntlet-style you might say. We are in control of two droids that need to clean up the Quadralien's mess. Actually, there are a total of six droids but only two are usable at once. Each has its own individual characteristics to take into account: magnetic structure, the ability to carry waste, battery, weaponry...

Initially, I found that unnecessary because I felt blind - in terms of planning ahead for an unknown level. Hmm, it didn't seem to work very well... However, I later found a fantastic series of videos by sushicalmagi who nicely explained each droid along with the basics of the gameplay. It's worth watching, especially if you have no instructions manual like me!

Okay, here are two more screenshots. Apologies to all those expecting Gauntlet...

So much radioactive stuff to zap or pick up... use those "I" terminals to see the services it offers.

The screens may look confusing and cluttered but they really aren't.

Confused? You will be!

Six chambers make up a level and their objective differs: in the first room we are tasked to clean the radioactive materials to lower the temperature but the later levels involve puzzles to tax the old brain cells. Quadralien uses a passcode system to lock the harder levels which I thought was a neat idea for the long run.

Okay, my first game was quite a mind-blowing affair because there's so much clutter on-screen, which bewilders me!! My advice is to take it slow and experiment with your droid: familiarise yourself with the room, find water, play with magnetised objects, zap/collect toxic waste - and use the console. Actually, these are excellent and stuffed full of detailed stats, and full toxic decontamination, and can also recharge your battery to full power.

There is a lot to this game, which is great value for money but also a time-eater. Screenshot time...

The console is your friend who can help out in several different ways...

...like a good scrub! Or decontamination as they call it.

By Jove, I think he's got it

After a couple of games in, things began to fall into place and I was enjoying myself. Getting around is easy using the joystick and it's a lot of fun zapping the nasty stuff with your laser. Also, the spacebar is used to collect toxic waste and hitting F4 activates a nifty Geiger counter on all lucky droids. F5 flips between your two chosen droids and F3 allows you to pan your location without moving, which is more useful than you might first assume...

Also, there are some rather odd magnetic mechanics which can be useful, annoying or humorous and that depends on your choice of droid so learn your environment before blindly running around. However, there are other objects to be wary of like magnetic tracks, forcefields and those impetuous Quadraliens!

Okay, you're starting to show interest? Rightly so, this game is something else...

It's good to know your environment and Quadralien is bursting with much to learn.

This ain't no 5-minute game. Study hard. Play clever!

Aesthetics

Graphically, for a puzzler, this is amazing and I liked its crisp, clean design using bold colours. It's quite futuristic in some ways and reminded me how I thought a 16-bit game would look - back when I was a ZX Spectrum guy. Okay, I'd have liked scrolling but the flick-screen works nicely and I'm thankful push-scrolling wasn't used!

The sound effects are great but it's that funky Dave Whittaker music that wins it hands down. Listen...

Yes, please do pause this most excellent reading. Listen, enjoy and then continue to scroll :-)

The CryptO'pinion?

We are now at that point where I write why I loved or hated a game. However, I'm doing something different because of Quadralien's enormous learning curve which I initially failed to master many moons ago. Sometimes we're quick to judge and I feel I fell into that trap because of Quadralien's massive learning curve.

Anyhow, I recently took a week off work with the family to eat, drink and walk the fells of northern England. I returned fresh, raring to go, and booted up my ST to give this puzzler another shot and, you know what? I actually enjoyed it for the first time in over 30 years. In fact, my older brain seemed to cope a lot better too!

Quadralien may offer the usual end-of-world scenario but it also feels very different and with some interesting mechanics. Sure, there's a huge learning curve, but I suggest trying your best to master that otherwise you'll do what I almost did and miss out on nothing less than a class Atari ST game. Dismiss this cracking puzzler at your peril.

AtariMania has the floppy download and 8BitChip obviously has the hard disk version.

Ironman Challenge III

Running The Gauntlet!

A couple of years ago, I asked Mike (of The New Retro Show) to play some Atari ST games. An alternative selection that I knew would push this bloke to his limits - it was especially fun watching him endure Fire And Brimstone!!

Two years is long enough, so I challenged him to a third "Ironman" video which he agreed to! So I picked games from the PD/Shareware scene, four platformers and three conversions of arcade classics: Clod Hopper, Crapman, Frogger, Hector vs The Mutant Vampire Tomatoes From Hell, Hoog, Space Monsters and Winglord.

I would like to thank Mike for this fun challenge, which I have really enjoyed. Oh, and this video is actually an early screening just for Atari ST gamers and it will not be made public until this Wednesday!! One more thing... Mike, I've got some cool (and cruel) ideas for a fourth challenge if you're interested? Go on, I dare ya!

  
Three belters: Winglord (Atari STe), Crapman and one of the latest games released for the ST, Frogger!

 
Hoog is one mightily impressive jaw-dropping platformer and Clod Hopper feels so authentically 8Bit.

 
Hector... must be one of the best titles ever and who doesn't love a fantastic conversion of Panic?

Into The Eagle's Nest

'Allo 'Allo!

Into The Eagles Nest is an overhead Gauntlet-like shooter set within the enemy's castle, heavily occupied by thousands of Nazi soldiers. Our orders are simple: infiltrate the castle, rescue three allied soldiers and then detonate the hidden explosives. Leaving without blowing the place to kingdom come would just be rude!!

As soon as the game begins, the battle is on! And it's against an onslaught of soldiers who eagerly patrol the castle's dingy corridors. Sneaking into the enemy's lair was the easy part, now we've gotta bust out of our safe room with guns blazing and rescue our fellow Allied soldiers before General Von Klinkerhoffen orders their execution.

Look for keys, health and ammo because you never know what's gonna happen next!

Search, Shoot, Kill

As you explore, look for anything that may assist in completing your mission: health packs help repair hits you've endured and an ammo stash will replenish your Nazi killing abilities. Elevator keys need no explanation - but don't be too quick to use these because you should fully explore the current level a lot more than you might realise! Don't forget to disable the messages telling what item has been collected... so annoying!!

Collect keys and use them wisely to unlock parts of the map otherwise out of limits. But some doors were bought from Ikea and need only a little gun love to bust open!! Some soldiers have had too much beer and fallen flat-out cold drunk so an easy target - but unnecessary if low on ammo. Remember to watch the status panel because you can withstand 50 hits, which sounds a lot but even Rambo would die without stealth and a tactical approach.

Shoot the barrels and make your way to a secret area with items to collect.

Aesthetics

I've always enjoyed overhead shooters but I oddly didn't care for this at first - the push-scrolling technique isn't ideal for this type of game. So my first impressions weren't good if I'm honest. However, it does grow on you and I've gotta say that I love the general 8-Bit feel with the superbly drawn sprites and a point of view which truly is "overhead".

The title screen music is flunky but pretty good all at the same time. I'm more of a chip guy but I still liked it. In-Game sound effects are all samples and really nice too but I miss a background chippy tune if I'm honest.

Sneak by and pinch their food [oddly on the floor]. Hang on, they're asleep? BAM BAM BAM!!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is an easy one to rate because it's a freaking brilliant shooter. A classic and the Atari ST got a fantastic conversion. I think most of us have played this incredible game so I'm positive everyone has happy memories and should play it again.

As fun as it is challenging. A totally engrossing adventure for the most persevering player. Enjoy it!!

Grab this cracker on floppy or hard drive.

Switchblade

Looks like Ricky D. has a new bandana?

Switchblade was released in 1989 by Gremlin Graphics and programmed by Simon Phipps. Yes, he of the Atari ST classic Rick Dangerous. Okay, we are a little dude called Hiro who wears a bandana and must explore the UnderCity to locate sixteen broken fragments of the Fireblade to reap revenge on today's evil entity - Havoc! This beast has been on a savage rampage, after being dormant for 10,000 years. So it's time for us to save the day... once again!

Okay, I'm always worried when a big name makes something that is along similar lines to what they're famous for. After all, this is another platformer so, will we get another carbon copy of Rick Dangerous or will it be different?

Hmm, I worry too much so let's begin with a couple of cool screenshots...

Wow, that is in-your-face aggression alright!

Hmm, looks easy enough. Just gotta drop down a couple of levels. Hang on, what's that?

Get ready for a great adventure

We begin on the surface before taking the leap (fall) into the orientally inspired UnderCity. This labyrinth is made up of lots of individual rooms and exploring each is fascinating and enjoyable. Tread with caution because you never know what baddies might materialise from out of thin air. Your route is completely "free-roaming", which I love.

Look out for dodgy blocks that might crack with a single kick: these can unveil health and weapon power-ups or may even lead you on into hidden rooms of even more goodies. Boss characters appear regularly, the first is easy to kill whereas later ones can be quite frustrating and beaten only with patience and lots of well-timed jumping. The only negative is the immense size of the map which isn't - visually - diverse so I often needed to backtrack after getting a little lost.

The controls are superb with all the usual movements like running, jumping and climbing ladders but there are also three kinds of attack. Tapping firing allows you to punch like a weak Arnold Schwarzenegger but you should also notice a white combat meter along the bottom right? This helps perform two kicks: holding the fire button for a mere second (so the meter isn't at full strength) will perform a high kick Jean Claude Van Damme would be proud of. Finally, holding it down indefinitely performs a powerful Chuck Norris sweeping kick. Which is superb!!

Wake up, there's something creeping up on you mister!


Tighten that bandana, Rambo. Now, go and kick his monster ass!

NESthetics!

Visually, I doubt Hiro will blow your socks off but it's clean and well-designed with a great 8-bit Nintendo style I thought. Underneath its unassuming graphics is a rather functional design with great details and the characters are excellent with nice details that I loved. Also, the game self-maps in a similar fashion to Ranarama or even Rogue.

Switchblade has killer audio with brilliant chiptune bleeps from none other than Ben Daglish. Or you could decide to hear sampled sound effects? I love both and couldn't decide which I preferred in the end (a good predicament to be in?)

Yes, there's a Ricky D. vibe plus a dollop of Saboteur and NES thrown in for good measure.

The level guardians are either daft or just plain awkward to hit - I wish they would keep still!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Switchblade is awesome. It's got a great adventure element that blends well with the action. Plus the lack of a linear structure is perfect for an explorer like me who is eager to see what's around the next corner. Thus it actually keeps you enthralled throughout. This is one of the few games I've completed and I will definitely come back to it again (and again).

As with Rick Dangerous, this is most certainly one of the best platformers available for the Atari ST.

Fancy picking up the gauntlet to help Hiro find the scattered fragments?

It will involve deep exploration, fighting lots of silly monsters and several freaky boss dudes?

Grab the floppy or hard disk installable games right away and enjoy this incredible game.

Tip: you might find these maps useful to properly enjoy this beautiful platformer.

Capy

Crappy... Capy... Uh, what?

Capy is a spin on the Sokoban theme and was released in 1998 for the Atari Falcon by YesCREW. We are a shiny ball that desires refuge within an exit tile that is usually located on the other side of the screen. Initial levels are easy and break you in nicely but it soon gets very tough, so careful thought is required to execute the correct route.

Interestingly, there is also the option to create your own "worlds" using an Editor but read the docs before jumping in at the deep end. This is an interesting addition and I hope somebody picks up the gauntlet and has a bash.

Take a look at these screenshot animations to get a feel of what to expect...

Sokoban in space

The goal of any level is to guide your little black ball into a black hole exit. That may sound simple but it's not... Well, it is based on Sokoban so what did you expect an easy ride? Anyhow, there are often obstacles in your way, routes that need to be followed correctly, and even the risk of falling into the gaping deep space that stands between you and your exit. So, take a moment to think about how you're going to get to your target as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Each screen uses different tiles in a variety of alternative ways: for example, push tiles can be moved almost anywhere and can allow access to other places by fixing holes. Be careful not to push them into a useless part of the map in error, and also don't get yourself trapped! Look out for cracked tiles that disintegrate after one use, thus altering your potential route through. Sliders are fun and can transport you across the void very easily and Movable tiles have an arrow pointing in a one-way direction with which to travel. Don't forget to collect the goodies for extra points.

Wow, this game is a tough nut to crack with each screen requiring much logical thought and planning. In fact, my first stumbling block was on Level 6 which my old brain really did struggle to compute! This was mainly due to the time restriction (which isn't necessary) so spoils what should be a difficult puzzler played slowly. I asked Swe [Janez] if this could be removed and it wasn't long before it was removed as Capy got its first upgrade in 20 years. Which is fantastic!!

Okay, let's check out another animated screenshot from one of my games...

The CryptO'pinion?

I've had a blast playing Capy but sadly, there just aren't enough levels for me. Thankfully, there is an editor so perhaps I should pick up that gauntlet and take a stab at creating some of my own levels? Also, the timer was a problem for me that has (thankfully) been removed so I can now enjoy Capy to its full potential without rushing. Why rush a puzzler?

Capy is an odd spin on the Sokoban genre but it works. I'm sure its cunning levels will have you all stumped for decades! This is no boring or predictable conversion that's been done a million times already. Capy is fresh and very addictive using a beautiful presentation. The levels are fascinatingly cruel to solve and I love it - and I'm not a Sokoban fan O_o

You will love this fantastic puzzler and I hope it gets converted to run on STs in high resolution, soon!

Capy has humble requirements: a stock Falcon with a VGA display @ 640x480 / 16 colours.

My download contains the original along with the newly updated "Crypt" version - greetings to Janez!! :)

One day I'll get to see this screen for myself. One day...

Enhanced Games

New game updates!

Everyone knows that Peter Putnik has adapted hundreds of games for hard disk installation. These often include extras like bug fixes, TOS compatibility, 4MB patching, and so on. However, some are also super-charged with cool coding that utilises the Blitter coprocessor and other hidden chips lurking inside the Atari STe.

I thought it would be nice to offer a brief round-up of these enhanced games as a compilation here on AtariCrypt. Oids and Uridium are particularly impressive as both updates improve tremendously upon their original counterparts. I also enjoyed playing my own music during a game of Xenon 2 (read the docs and convert music from your library). There's something here for everyone and I hope you find this useful. Let me know what you think!

Let's play...

Okay, let's take a look at some of these enhanced games that you can download and play right now...

 + Xenon II - updated for the Atari STe and features DMA streamed music. Turn up the volume!
 + Cannon Fodder - enhance this lame port with your chosen DMA streamed music.
 + Prince Of Persia - allow the DMA hardware lurking inside the Atari STe to replay the game's sounds.

  

Did you enjoy that? Well, here are three enhanced FTL games that are nicely improved...

 + Dungeon Master - far cleaner samples are heard thanks to the DMA hardware within the Atari STe.
 + Chaos Strikes Back - Again, the DMA hardware allows cleaner sample playback for this awesome sequel.
 + Oids - the potential for double framerates deliver a smoother experience when rescuing the stickmen.

  

Right, let's take a peek at three more which aren't exactly favoured well by the average ST gamer...

 + Jinks - this jerky game is weird but at least it now uses the smoother STe scrolling [original disks still required]
 + Menace - I cannot thank Peter enough for replacing that horrendous yellow ship with a white one!
 + Uridium - Blitter-boost that sluggish ship and add DMA-streamed background music while you're at it!

  

Now let's take a little run-around with these three you might never have expected to boot up...

 + Giana Sisters - this Zamuel_a enhanced game now also comes with optional DMA streamed music!!
 + Hard 'n' Heavy - gone is that embarrassing flip-screen gameplay, all thanks to cool Blitter programming.
 + Road Runner - Improved and also Blitterized for faster scrolling - but it's still a rubbish game (sorry!)

  

Okay, let's end in style! Here are two ST classics and (wait for it) a PC classic too! Ooh, nice...

 + Goldrunner - Some might not like this, but I love hitting the F3 key to disable that fuzzy speech!
 + Gauntlet - this sluggish hack 'n slash arcade game gets big improvements but still needs extra CPU grunt.
 + Wolfenstein 3D - Ray's jaw-dropping FPS now has bugs removed with decent save game support.