The Adventures Of Robin Hood

Fancy a dollop of English folklore?

Okay, I haven't posted any box art from my own collection in a while. So, I figured a guy in tights, lurking in the woods, was the perfect way to end this bleak streak? Hang on, that didn't sound too good! Anyhow, The Adventures Of Robin Hood was released in 1991 by Millennium Software and is an RPG similar in appearance to certain 3D isometric God games.

The box is absolutely awesome and in good condition with all contents too. It's quite something to think this has been kept for 30 years and feels (almost) as good as it did back in the day. Anyhow, what I like is that it boasts this statement "the most original real-time adventure ever produced". Errol Flynn would approve or is that a load of nonsense?

Wanna see the back of the box and what's inside? Scroll down...

Sadly, the back of the box is ruined by screenshots from an Ameoba. Otherwise, I like it! ;p

Here's the disk to change your life. But whose idea was it to stamp green onto a blue disk?

Who remembers the TV show Robin of Sherwood?

Right then, it begins with a cool intro depicting life in Nottingham Castle. However, it's not long before the nasty Sheriff appears and kicks Robin Hood out onto the street where he suffers cold shoulders and verbal abuse. These peasants continue to go about their day (that aspect intrigues me) and there are many interesting folk.

The Sheriff is ruthless! The people need a hero who is willing to wear tights, find a band of Merry Men, and camp out in the woods. All perfectly normal, honest. Joking aside, I loved watching the intro so am eager to finally take up the challenge of this rather spiffy RPG - which has been sitting on my shelf for too many years!! :/

I only hope the user interface is intuitive with elegance to its design because games of this ilk can suffer from cumbersome controls or an over-complicated interface. The last thing we need is something fiddly which hampers the experience so I'm hoping for less Galdregon's Domain and more Shadowlands if I'm being honest.

The manual is great and very concise with helpful information. A good read indeed.

Ohhh this is interesting. It folds out like a poster but contains bucketloads of tips and extra help!

The CryptO'pinion? No, not yet!

Yes, I'm really looking forward to exploring Nottinghamshire to see what fun adventures await within the legendary Sherwood Forest. The graphics look so tiny but it works well with lavish colours and beautiful details to the surroundings. Just look at the buildings! Love 'em so I'm eager to see what else there is.

I think this is going to be an enjoyable romp of quirky sorts, which you don't find in many games? Have you guys played this? I would love to know what you think in the comments below. Until then, I'm going to make time to kill forest baddies, capture the castle, and defeat the Sheriff before King Richard returns home for tea.

Watch this space for a review later in the year but, until then, enjoy these screenshots... :-)

Once upon a time, in God's country, there was a lovely and peaceful place called Loxley.

The folk here had it good with dancing, beer and music. Life doesn't get any better than this!

Hang on, a new Sheriff has arrived and he's not a particularly nice guy...

Robin gets kicked out of his spanky castle and the townsfolk ain't exactly supportive!

Yep, bumping into anyone proves to be an eye-opener. Billy no mates!

Fascinatingly, the medieval world continues to spin... Life carries on!

What? Wait a minute! What is that?? A dragon?? RUN!!!!

Right, come on Robin it's time to put on those big boy pants and sort out this evil dude!!

Marble Madness

It's all balls!

Of all the games in this wonderful Super Pack collection, it is (ironically) Atari's own Marble Madness which I was looking forward to the least. I've never played the arcade original but I did have a number of clones back in my Sinclair ZX Spectrum days - and I hated every one of them!! So, we're off to a good start lol.

This ST conversion was programmed by Will Harvey, which shocked me somewhat. After all, this is the guy who gave us the excellent Zany Golf and The Immortal so my expectations were always going to be high.

To be honest, I find the whole Marble Madness concept pointless and very frustrating. I've simply no patience to spend any amount of time on something that was obviously designed to torture people like me. However, I must keep an open mind and attack this game just as I would any other... Maybe I've been wrong all these years?

The first level looks good but is a cheap imitation with missing decals

Level two introduces us to the enemy - a black ball that loves to play chase... Weird!

So what's it about?

The aim of Marble Madness is to navigate a ball through six wacky isometric mazes that feature lots of tricks like moving platforms, vents and even "monsters" that zap you for valuable time loss. Yes, there's a timer so, the quicker you complete each screen, the more time you accumulate for the next. This idea is pretty cool and forces you to master each level the best you can. Or you could play coop head-to-head which I thought worked well.

The controls are awkward, so it's now you will probably miss that trackerball? Sure, I've no trackball myself but I found the ST's mouse to be nothing less than useless as I wildly zipped about in every direction except the one I wanted. The joystick proved to be the better choice for the diagonal movements and holding down fire delivers a burst of speed. This is good to climb slopes or avoid baddies - just try not to fall over the edge!

Sadly, the controls aren't without their quirks and sometimes it felt like my blue ball had a mind of its own: many times I'd move one way only to see it go another! Plus there are bugs, lots of bugs: for example, level two features an invisible wall that your ball can ignore and drop down into oblivion. Level three crashed on me twice!

Okay, I've dodged two wibbly things... but... Oh no, there's another black ball about to chase!!

Those green blobs are slow and easy to beat. Hang on, what's that vent used for...?

Aesthetics

Graphically, I expected better from the ST. Just look at its title screen if you don't believe me - what were they thinking? The game itself resembles the arcade levels but feels rushed with missing decals, bland colours and weak shadows. It's pretty rubbish when compared to other isometric games I've enjoyed on my Atari ST.

The audio is quite poor, the sound effects barely resemble the original and the music is irritating at best.

Level four has some of the most infuriating moments...

The kind that have you screaming at the poor ST!!!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Okay, I know that I've never loved Marble Madness - but - I have kept an open mind. Honestly, I've tried my best but time has not healed my wounds and it failed to deliver the slightest hint of enjoyment. Also, the ST appears to have received an incredibly lame conversion that feels rushed and riddled with silly bugs. The STs first-ever lame port?

Marble Madness is the weakest game in the Super Pack (so far) and yes, it's even worse than Chopper X so I don't think I'll be booting it up again anytime soon. Sorry guys, but I absolutely hated this game with a passion!!

Those wishing to endure torture can download the floppies or a hard disk version. Good luck...

The Last Trooper

I'll be Danny Welinski

Last year, I spent several fantastic weeks enjoying Where Time Stood Still but was later left deflated because I also wanted to play The Great Escape, which is a truly outstanding affair. Alas, the Atari ST game was never meant to be, but wipe away those snowflake tears because there might be light at the end of this 16-Bit tunnel? Well, I hope so!

Here we have Mastertronic's very own The Last Trooper which appears to be more than a tad inspired by the previously mentioned Ocean classic! However, the historic storyline and adventure elements are completely gone in favour of four levels of brutal arcade-style killing so go and grab your big boy pants because this is going to be tough!

Wanna see some screenshots of this isometric Commando shooter? Yeah, of course you do...

Escape the POW Camp in true A-Team style using whatever you can find...

Now it's time to attack your foes but watch out for those GEM-Green mines!

Good but tough!

We're a muscle-bound Schwarzenegger trapped inside an isometric POW camp. Oddly, we already have a machine gun so must find a way to escape before attacking the enemy and destroying their base. The enemy will come after you constantly but they're not the most intelligent and can run around like headless chickens - a little annoying. Other soldiers will hide in trenches or operate gun turrets and you should also look out for other tricky traps, like camouflaged mines.

The controls are simple and very responsive but I initially found it frustrating learning how to line up a shot to kill the frantic headless chickens - it's like they don't care about you being there!! Hmm, anyhow, your crusade won't last very long unless you eat the food that's been carelessly left lying about. Don't forget to top-up your weapon with fresh ammo.

There are other items that you will need to source that will help you out later in the mission. These are essential items that might not be obvious at first: ropes are always handy to have, for example. And there's oddly a huge supply of wire cutters left inside the POW camp. Hmm, that's two interesting pointers that you should remember.

Well, enough reading! Let's check out some more screenshots...

Things got a little tiresome by the third level which was more of the same but a lot harder!

But the fourth level is explosive and much better. Although it's a shame about the poor ending...

The CryptO'pinion?

I've quite enjoyed playing The Last Trooper - but only after activating a trainer for infinite lives. Without that, I failed to beat the second level due to the ridiculous difficulty that is primarily thanks to the headless chickens running about. They blindly shoot everything with extreme efficiency so I wonder if anyone actually bothered to beta-test before its release?

Overall, an above-average shooter that's quite flawed with high difficulty but it's still a bundle of fun for an hour or two. However, if I'm being brutally honest, then I'll stick with Fernandez Must Die and Elite's Commando.

Download the floppy or hard disk versions.

Shadowlands

Stay Awhile and Listen

Shadowlands is an RPG released in 1992 by Domark that was developed by Barry Costas who created another personal favourite of mine Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters. I've wanted this game for years, and I finally have it proudly displayed on my ST shelf!! Will it live up to my expectations after all these years?

The story is based on an ancient legend of a warrior prince who was slaughtered on the battlefield. Somehow, our dead dude has magically awoken to find himself alive and kicking with the nifty ability to mind-control. So he went out and selected four loyal subjects to venture back into the Shadowlands and wreak his vengeance!

I don't know about you, but I'm excited already and need to see some screenshots!! Onwards we go...

Earlier messages may appear rather obvious but reading them can be rewarding later on...

Don't be so quick to begin your adventure - take the time to look around this open area!

The graveyard proves a little clumsy for our warriors to navigate but the dungeons are fine.

It's that time... Dungeon Crawl time!

As with any RPG, everything is in real-time with lots of puzzles to solve and beasts to kill. We begin with the option to use the default characters or manually generate their attributes, which I suggest you do. The first level begins outside in a woodland graveyard with some useful pickings before taking the plunge down into the depths.

Our adventure really begins once you're inside the creepy dungeons but the first thing that hits you is the lighting - it's absolutely incredible using a technique called Photoscape. This adds a gradual gradient to the level of light around any character carrying a lit torch for a disturbing experience. The audio isn't too shabby featuring lots of sampled sound effects throughout, however, I wish that fantastic title music was present during the gameplay.

Perhaps I'm picky? I think a chiptune might ruin the atmosphere? Let's crack on and see a few puzzles...

I love how subtle many hints are! They nicely use silly wording to give you a hint.

Sometimes it's far too subtle but at least it tries to help you and I love that!

Now it's time to spend a quid... All brilliant puzzles, which help make this game so interesting!

Bring friends... and a torch!

Playing Shadowlands is an instant, and fascinating, experience. In fact, I couldn't wait to leave the graveyard to venture into the depths to see what nasties lurked. As you can see, we're in charge of four characters and each can lead and be controlled independently using their avatars along the bottom of your screen.

It's not always necessary to remain as a group. Sometimes, it's best to go alone when scouting in search of items. However, idle warriors should still be vigilant for critters that like to nibble!

Your four loyal subjects will need replenishment so don't forget to eat, drink and rest whenever possible but be wise and use your stock sparingly. Flasks can always be topped up from fountains but there's nothing stopping you from having a sip or two while there. Torches are most helpful as it's so dingy plundering through the grim levels but, once again, use these sparingly and extinguish any idle ones in your inventory to make them last longer.

Look out, something hideous is creeping up on you!!!

The warrior is now a bag of bones... Perhaps he should have read the notice below?

Well, come on, it does say in plain English what not to do. He asked for it! lol

Run, think, shoot, live!

It's now that you begin to realise how awesome the user interface actually is when controlling your A-Team. The inventory screen can be accessed at any time with a single right-click and is a cinch to use and with extra functions like swapping items or grouping the adventurers into structured squads rather than a clumsy mob.

Each level has a superb design that is interesting but without losing your bearings. It's a good idea to read everything you come upon because not every puzzle is obvious; it might be a masked trap that conjures something nasty. Always beware!! Also, look out for switches, wall slots, or even rickety floor panels. Other puzzles are a fun play on words such as "weight and see" (a great way to get rid of any useless items).

Weapons vary and can be just about anything you're able to carry and there are many impressive items just waiting to clobber your foe. Look around right at the start for something very helpful... However, it's always good practice not to feel like you need to fight everyone all of the time - sometimes it's best to simply walk away.

Okay, I've got the key to the teleporter. Where is that?

Here it is. Okay, you first! No way!! (this is how my mind would work if I was there!)

The Magician finds three suspicious holes - will he choose the correct one or will he perish?

The CryptO'pinion?

Shadowlands has a few niggles and I failed to get the save game function to work no matter what I tried. But that's not much of a problem today when using the snapshot feature of your emulator or the hard drive version. Also, guiding our loyal subjects can sometimes be awkward as they struggled to walk around the graveyard or through an open doorway. Yes, they're a sandwich short of a picnic and often need a gentle push to help them out.

I've featured a variety of RPGs over the years and I genuinely thought nothing would live up to Dungeon Master or Ultima yet here we are addicted to another one! Okay, it's a different isometric take on that same RPG format and there are a couple of quirks but Shadowlands offers a compelling adventure. A wonderful experience you should not miss.

This is truly one of the most rewarding games I've ever played. Therefore one of the best Atari ST games.

Install to hard drive using the snapshot-save feature!!
Are you stuck? AtariMania has access to game tips.

H.A.T.E Hostile All Terrain Encounter

8/16Bit Legends

Vortex Software released amazing games for the ZX Spectrum and they were one of my favourite companies. I still remember the day I saw Android and I played Revolution to death, which is odd as I now hate (no pun) games like that. However, their legacy ended with H.A.T.E which was their final effort, a scrolling shooter similar in style to Zaxxon.

The year is 2320 and aliens are invading our once-peaceful galaxy. What can we do? Fight back of course! So it's our quest to defend everyone from the alien invasion so head out to Stripworld. Erm, that's where pilots go to train. Ahem.

I know you will think this is a Zaxxon rip-off but it's not as the gameplay is very different...

This game is tough but what's even harder is trying to capture screenshots when playing!


Hey, I'm a tank. Let's go and blow stuff up!

A boring Zaxxon clone?

Our all-terrain encounter takes us through numerous isometric levels using a variety of crafts, from planes to tanks and even a hovercraft. As the landscape scrolls by, our ultimate mission is to destroy the nuclear generators - hit 'em where it hurts! This reveals plasma cells and collecting these not only determines how many lives we are given on the next level but also acts as a shield to protect us from harm during the current game, which I personally think is genius!

Unlike Zaxxon, which I found soon got predictable and very samey, HATE is constantly varied and interesting. The enemies appear in various guises, from ground-based machinery that spews out deadly mines, missiles, tanks and aircraft. There's a lot going on, so you will need to use evasive manoeuvres, especially when piloting a plane, as the enemy will often attack in waves. At the end of the level, a mothership whisks us off for more action with different graphics.

Controls are initially a little confusing but I soon got the hang of it after a couple of games. The craft can move left or right with the fire button used for the main weapon. But there are differences to learn depending on the craft being used: land-based tanks can move forwards and backwards whereas planes cannot - they increase or decrease their altitude. Also, pushing up whilst firing will activate a secondary weapon such as lasers and bombs.

Righto, it's that time when we take a gander at some more sexy ST screenshots. So, here you go...

Hitting the water in my hovercraft just adds massively to the enjoyment.


I'm back inside my ship and there are bouncy spikey balls. Let's destroy 'em!!

Aesthetics

The graphics remind me of Highway Encounter but with more variety and the attention to detail for buildings and structures is superb. I gotta say that I love the shadows especially when carrying the plasma cells. The only negative is that some levels use a bland colour palette which spoils things somewhat - these levels look as sexy as a bruised banana!

Timid music plays during gameplay to provide a nice background that complements the zip-zappy sound effects. The title music is a gem and most certainly one of the best chiptunes ever, thanks to Ben Daglish.

Yes, it looks and sounds very, very nice so let's celebrate with the last couple of screenshots...

This is a screenshot with... more action going on. Yep.


Gotta say that I love the graphics. Great attention to detail throughout.

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a good conversion of Costa's brilliant 8-Bit classic but it's not perfect and a couple of issues frustrated me. This began the second level as my beefy tank exploded because I accidentally touched a nearby building!! Also, after losing a life, it can feel like forever and a day waiting to continue the game. I know, I'm being a bit petty and scraping the barrel.

Hostile All Terrain Encounter has its problems but I've enjoyed myself. This is a fun shooter with challenging and addictive gameplay. I've spent several hours playing H.A.T.E and I have L.O.V.E.D every second of it. A fantastic shooter!!

Fancy a little extra hate in your ST life?

Grab the download for floppy disk or hard drive.

Bombuzal

Dazzling dots!

It's time for some more amazing #PixelArt with ImageWorks' 1988 hit Bombuzal. I remember seeing this in the magazines of the day, I couldn't believe the cartoon-like quality of the main character within a colourful isometric world. He is an odd potato-shaped dude who performs a funny expression as the bombs are exploding - it's almost like he doesn't trust himself!! There are some big names associated with this game but is it any good?

Well, this is quite a simple puzzler that requires us to detonate a collection of red bombs. Each screen contains a number of squares we can use to help calculate our best route but watch out for traps: crumbling tiles that can be walked on only once before they disappear forever, so don't get yourself stranded!

Other tiles might be too slippery to walk on whilst some can transport you to another location. Slotted tiles allow us to move selected bombs to a different location, usually to avoid being caught up in an explosive chain reaction. I like Bombuzal, it's a fun game to tax the old brain cells and it's got fantastic pixel art too!

Floppies can be found via Old Games Finder with HDD versions by 8BitChip & Klaz.

Wow, this must be one of the brightest and happiest games on the Atari ST.


This is interesting and being able to flip POVs is neat. But I prefer it in 3D myself...


I love its pixel art. Isometric styles always look cool but this one also uses the palette perfectly.


Oh no, watch out for crumble tiles and (so many) other hazards. This 3D world is dangerous!

Wreckers

It's time once again to save... the ship!

Wreckers is an isometric adventure onboard the interestingly named space station, Beacon 04523N, located in the loneliest part of deep space. With a crew of three, held in cryogenic stasis, automated robots look after the day-to-day care and maintenance of the station. However, the computer has decided to wake you when it detected the threat of Plasmodians, a lifeform that wants nothing more than to frantically consume the ship and everything in it.

In some respects, I'm reminded of the brilliant Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters but there is far more to this game than simply running around shooting green blobs of plasma, albeit great fun! From the very start, you discover that the alien attack is happening and, once they make physical contact with the outer hull, it's only a matter of time before they begin creating havoc with the computer's systems.

The station has its own style of defence capabilities in the form of a hoover which can suck up the aliens in space - before they can get on board. Also, the droids can be controlled to help, and another option is to suit up and head outside to play Jetman with a can of bug spray. Yep, Beacon 04523N is hardly Babylon 5 but at least all these options are available. Oh, do remember to use the Zippway Shuttles and elevators to travel the Beacon but don't dawdle because the main computer has decided one hour is enough to eradicate the threat before self-destruct is activated!!

Control is handled via keyboard and joystick but it's the latter which might disappoint some because I actually found myself holding that in a sideways-on manner, which was a little weird! Also, the user interface might take a little time to get to grips with, I found it quite unusual and sometimes a little awkward in the heat of the moment.

  
I love the title screen's gorgeous pastel palette before these three dodgy characters pop up!

Graphically, I love the 80s feel of Wreckers and, whilst it doesn't look like it came out of 1991, it has a certain retro charm which I really like. Scrolling is adequate but I sure love the station's attention to detail, along with the colourful sprites. The title music is just awesome and the box loves to gloat about who made it, Warren Cann of Ultravox!

Wreckers will certainly keep you on your toes as it requires an urgent attitude with the ability to juggle tasks and think ahead whilst suffering a constant onslaught of baddies. Running around zapping aliens is one aspect of the game but, because there is so much going on, it's sometimes extremely hard just to keep up with the panic. Now, don't get me wrong, Wreckers is a very good game but one which requires a lot of time and commitment. Brace yourself!

* Floppy disks can be found via Old Games Finder with a hard disk version by 8BitChip.

* Hall Of Light has a superb map of the space station which sure comes in handy!!