Peter Putnik

Here is an interview that I am extremely excited to publish because Peter Putnik is a name paramount with Atari ST gaming mainly because of his hard disk adaptations. This means no more running games from an unreliable floppy disk!

I have been using his warez for a long time and ST gaming wouldn't be nearly as much fun without his efforts. The adaptations offer us the ability to install games onto our "hard drives" instead of the sluggish and failing floppies.

The experience is therefore far superior and usually comes with a trainer to help bad players (like me). Each game often comes with support for faster Atari computers which is incredible when booting up something like Frontier on my Mega STe. What's even more interesting is his 'Gamex' a method of snapshotting your progress instantaneously - kinda like an old Multiface!

I was surprised to hear about his past with not only the Atari ST but also ZX Spectrum. Two great computers form my own computing history. I hope you enjoy this interview with the man responsible for hundreds of adaptations and several outstanding Atari STe enhanced upgrades. I don't think there is anybody so active on the Atari ST scene. My sincere gratitude to Peter for taking the time out for a good chat.

- The PP Interview -

 

What is your Atari hiSTory?

My history started in 1987 when I decided to upgrade from a ZX Spectrum to something much stronger and the Atari ST was my first thought. However, the Amiga had just arrived in the shops so I was in dilemma, but not for long, the Atari ST had far better quality of software and the prices were almost equal. Also, the Atari seemed a better platform for some serious activity. I soon upgraded the RAM to 1MB and also added another floppy driver and made an EPROM programmer (a must for anyone dealing with hardware mods).

I already had some experience with ASM programming with the Z80 so I soon started on the Atari ST. 68000 ASM is really nice to work with, especially with a good assembler like Devpac. I wrote utilities for my own needs with help from Atari Profibuch book and created a floppy copier combined with a RAMdisk. Most learnings was via books and magazines, unlike today with easy software availability. Pirates were pretty much active in these days, even during 1988's PCW Show in London. :-) In Eastern Europe, they were the only source for computer software, I must say. I also wrote some articles for Yugoslav computer magazines during these early years.

 

What setup are you using these days?

Currently, I have one Mega ST, one STe and a Mega STe. The truth is, I don't use them much because they are very old and fragile and I've needed to repair them a few times, except the Mega STe which is indeed best built. The extra speed is welcome, even for games, although Mega STe was never intended for gaming. I bought this some 9 years ago, and I've since replaced the hard drive. Now used mostly with UltraSatan - much easier data exchange, less noise...

I mostly use the Atari computers to test and to play but my main tool for adaptations is using Steem Debugger and, without this, development would be much slower and harder. This emulator, equipped with a complete overview of emulated computer status, may see all hardware at any moment and following the program flow (even with history). Steem is a very good emulator, and luckily, a couple years ago they released sources so I was able to do some modifications for my needs. On the real hardware, there are limited possibilities of tracing, especially with some software working in very low RAM. Older computers have too low a resolution with a small screen area but there are some things I can not do with my PC: GAL and EPROM programming - where I still use Atari and old programs.

 

History of your famous game adaptations?

Adapting games started during my Spectrum years actually. However, there was not much to adapt but POKE was popular to exploit the code which decreases a player's life count and the like. I also made a snapshot saving program which was in fact very-very simple and only needed to save the RAM and CPU registers to then restore from where we wanted to play. I did it with faster routines, so loading only took some 2 minutes instead 5. :-) Next step was when I added a floppy interface to the Spectrum and then I wanted to transfer all good games onto floppies. So, basically same thing as the Atari ST with game adapting, except that this was way easier because Spectrum software was singleparted in 99% cases and that means no further loading was required after starting the game. I transferred hundreds of games onto floppies very quickly - one disk could store over 20 games, using compression. Next step was adding hard disk like with Atari ST and I designed my own IDE adapter...

In case of Atari ST games, it was more time consuming, some 60% do not directly access the hardware but instead TOS functions for floppy access. This means it was sometimes simple but other problems might arise, like TOS version incompatibilities, RAM usage, etc. Again, it was easiest with singleparted games, so my first hard disk adaptations were with such games that didn't have any disk access after loading - like Stunt Car Racer and Sentinel. Afterwards, I made adaptations using a RAMdisk for faster loading before the later adaptations, like Formula 1 GP.

 

Incredible results achieved but why did you begin this?

I started all this because I wanted to get rid of unreliable and slow floppies. The real leap was probably the arrival of Flash cards, so we can now have small, silent, fast, cheap storage. I started to deal with them right at beginning - first one was 8MB Smart Media card in 2004. :-) I certainly did not plan, or expect, that it would reach a count of over 1000 adapted games!

 

What are your favourite games?

I first played Flight Simulator II which I bought together with Atari ST. Then I was playing Dungeon Master, Carrier Command, Millennium 2.2, Formula One Grand Prix and not forgetting Potsworth & Co.

 

What other stuff have you created?

My first serious software was MC Tracer, a debugger, for the ZX Spectrum. It could run any software, step by step, and there was a circular buffer feature to store the last 100 executed instructions. What's interesting is that I made almost the same relocating system (it must working at any RAM area) as what is used in TOS executables :-) Also worth a mention is my Spectrum modded ROM - for floppy and hard disk (all available at zx48.8bitchip.info).

For the Atari ST, I first made some floppy utilities and then a hard disk driver, which is still under development. I did some Windows utilities for accessing and transferring data with Atari ST formatted floppies and also hard disks. Soon after the Internet became accessible in our area, I started a website for my Spectrum and Atari ST projects. The site moved couple times during years, I hope that current place will stand for a long time.

Any current hardware projects?

I have many plans but things are moving slowly, especially with hardware. Mostly I would like to finish old projects, like the cartridge port IDE adapter and ACSI port CF adapter. No specific STE projects currently, but the cartridge adapter works better on STE and movies look much better. :-)

 

What's your favourite hardware creation?

My personal favourite ... hmm it could be the IDE hard disk adapter for Sinclair Spectrum because that was good exercise with GAL programming. For the Atari ST it would be the cartridge IDE adapter.

 

As a programmer, who inspires you?

I don't think that I was particularly inspired by a particular programmer but there are certain names I associate with high quality. Games by Costa Panayi, Andy Pennell for Devpac ASM and Geoff Crammond for his good simulations.

What about the Atari ST/e future?

My concern is that real Ataris will not last much long. More and more people will use emulators or clones like Mist. Still, adaptations can make playing a lot easier on both. I think doing STe-improved versions of games seems the right choice now. However, this can be very time consuming, I started Uridium couple years ago and simply disassembling it properly took a couple days. I then had to put it on ice because of a lack of time but, luckily, I was finally able to finish this recently.

Other problems are a lack of sources for better sound effects and corrupt or missing original disks. We need flawless images to work with for so many games, like Son Shu Shi, Jinks and others. Thankfully, we recently got Giana Sisters, the internet is a great thing and we need to work together. :-)

 

Links...

 - I often use Peter's 8BitChip adapted games and all are listed right here!

 - There is an 8BitChip Forum you can join and a YouTube Channel with many adapted games.

 - Have you seen Peter's Atari STe versions of Xenon 2, Cannon Fodder, Dungeon Master, etc??

PP's Enhanced Games

New game updates!

Everyone knows Peter Putnik has adapted hundreds of games for hard disk installation. These include extras, like bug fixes, TOS compatibility, 4MB patching, Mega STe/Falcon support, etc. However, some are also super-charged with cool coding that utilises the Blitter coprocessor and DMA for audio that will blow your mind.

Are you interested being better on your Atari STe? You should be!

So I thought it would be nice to have a brief round-up of the enhanced games as a compilation here on AtariCrypt. Oids and Uridium are particularly impressive because both improve tremendously on their original counterparts. I also enjoyed playing my own music during a game of Xenon 2 (you can convert your own music).

There is 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.

  

Sleepwalker

Nightwalker

Imagine me in 1993, a dedicated Atari STe fanatic, but my beloved computer wasn’t valued nearly enough by the commercial gaming world, and its enhanced hardware remained largely ignored. So when Ocean promised an STe-powered platformer, I was ecstatic, imagining a vibrant world of exploration and adventure with extra colours, smooth scrolling, and sampled sounds. Then I got my hands on a cracked copy (99.9% sure it was Flame of Finland), and I was gutted. I wanted a platformer to be a platformer – run, jump, explore, pick up bonuses, and so on. No, it's more like Lemmings, and I hated that with a vengeance (sorry, not sorry).

For Sleepwalker, we take on the role of Ralph, a desperate dog whose owner, Lee, suffers from sleepwalking and might wander into all kinds of hazards. We must guide him safely through a gauntlet of different levels. Not only do we need to keep him alive, but we cannot let him wake up, or the shock kills him (good, I say!).

As Ralph, we rush to clear away any obstacles, some easy, some dangerous (this part weirdly reminded me of Highway Encounter). As you do this, you're opening up a pathway for the idiot kid, but you may still need to give him a (ahem) gentle kick in the right direction. I guess it’s a mix of puzzle-solving, wrapped in a slapstick package - with the ever-present tension that one wrong move could see Lee tumble into disaster.

As you can see, Sleepwalker does indeed share a bit of its DNA with Lemmings. However, I guess it’s more of a distant cousin you don't like, and, even though we're not digging holes or erecting ladders, you still manipulate the environment to steer Lee away from hazards. The challenge comes from being quick on the joystick and remembering the level map, all whilst thinking ahead to react and redirect Lee.

Sleepwalker is technically stunning, demonstrating the Atari STe with amazing graphics, sounds, and brisk hardware scrolling. Sadly, that means nothing when the game is doggy-do-do. Plus, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it's a cheap Lemmings in disguise. Only this time, we're stressing over a child. Something I do in life, and not what I desire from a game. Playing Sleepwalker is like being on unpaid babysitting duty!

It may have been for Comic Relief, but the only relief I got was switching off my STe and going to bed.

• Experience my version of 1993 with the same disks - Flame of Finland (download at Atari Legend).
• The best way to play Sleepwalker is using a hard drive, thanks to Peter Putnik.
• Sleepwalker is now listed in the Atari STe enhanced games list!
• Silly tidbit time... I decided to play Sleepwalker after a poll that I posted on X. While it didn’t quite go as planned (ahem), I would like to thank everyone who voted. Follow me on X.

So, we begin, and straight away, the first level is huge and easy to get lost in.

The next level looks really nice, with a bit of a Pitfall feel to it.

Irritating game!! This stupid kid is really annoying me...

...so, I left him and went exploring!

Lost the will to carry on here. So I let him die, for a laugh. Why not!

Once again, I left him to go exploring. I like to wander, me.

The daft look on my face as I realised games were supposed to be fun!

And after all that stress and hassle, the stupid kid is still asleep!!

(check out his big toes lol)

Gauntlet

Dandy!

Gauntlet is an arcade masterpiece with a design that is simple yet genius. It's a combination of a dungeon crawler with an extreme kill-em-all, and this results in an unstoppable solo/multiplayer experience. Yep, 1-4 people can hack & slash through tons of hellish underground levels! Absolutely gaming heaven.

We can play as one of four groovy characters: a Warrior, Elf, Wizard, and Valkyrie. Each has its own characteristics for strength and battling the nasties. I'm always the Warrior because he's bound to be the Samson of the group, and thankfully, there is no Delilah. Each character needs to be fed, so don't do anything daft like shooting food, as that affects your health lol. Come on, you know how to play this classic!

Let's slap a pause on the reading for an animated GIF of Gauntlet...

A timeless arcade classic. Simple as that, really.

Four heroes against millions of monsters?

The monsters are some of the most varied I have seen, which adds so much to the dungeon feel. We have ghosts, demons, grunts, lobbers (I hate those!), and more. They have their own evil attributes and are born from something called a Generator - so destroy those first to cease the onslaught of hatred against you.

The object is simple - kill the monsters and escape. We're trapped in a 100-level creepy dungeon, and everything lurking here wants to eat you. So it's up to you (and any potential co-op players) to kill everything and find the exit in order to escape the hellish catacombs. Keys are littered everywhere to access restricted areas, and you shall also note the booty which is conveniently left for you, and collect it for extra points.

Finally, Death is here. Yep, literally Death himself, and he is almost impossible to kill, so try to avoid him if possible. This brings me nicely to the magical potions you can discover scattered about most levels. By collecting these, your chance of survival is greatly improved and will certainly help during an encounter with Death. Hint: do not assume he is a single individual making a single appearance, so be wise with your potions.

Before we get to the aesthetics, let's see a beautiful image from the game...

Whether demons or ghosts are attacking - this game is always freakishly GREAT fun!!!

Aesthetics?

Graphically, this has authentically crafted levels that look excellent. The monster sprites are just as good and must count as one of the best-looking arcade conversions for the Atari ST. However, there's a price to pay for all that glam, and it comes at the cost of framerate. This will drop when there are dozens of monsters on-screen at once. Of course, faster computers like my 16MHz Mega STe (and emulators) have no such issues.

I love the audio, from the moment we hear the Da-Da-Da-Daaa begin playing. I'm hooked. This is superb and of good quality, which is enhanced further with in-game sampled effects. Oh, I absolutely love Gauntlet!!

Right then, one final screenshot, otherwise I'll only spoil you...

Argh, they're attacking from all corners of the dungeon!! Heeeeeelp!!

The CryptO'pinion?

There are two conclusions to draw here. If you're using an upgraded ST or have something fancy like a Mega STe, TT, etc/etc then you're gonna love this beautiful game. However, there is slowdown (on the original Atari ST), and it will get sluggish when the screen is overcrowded. Thankfully, I've just heard that Peter has updated Gauntlet to support the Blitter, which is great news for the Atari STe (that also includes the Mega ST)

Whether you play solo or not, this is an awesome shooter. Gauntlet is one of the best arcade games, and the Atari ST has another winning conversion under its belt. It's pure retro gaming gold, and I love it!!

Stop whatever you're doing and download this wonderful game from Klaz' Hideaway (both hard drive & floppy versions). Klaz has implemented support for faster Atari computers and my own Mega STe (16MHz) delivered a far better framerate! This transforms the game completely - it's now mind-bogglingly ACE!!

Update: Peter Putnik has made a version that supports the Blitter chip.
Download it from his website.

lotharek

Thank you Lotharek

Shortly before Christmas, the hard drive inside my Mega STE died. Thankfully, I had just backed it up the previous day (how lucky am I) but this did give me a big kick up the backside to invest in something better. After all, it was the original 47MB SCSI from 1991 so it was only a matter of time before it went BOOM!! ;-)

Lotharek is selling the Ultrasatan on their web store and I bought one. It's quite something to go from a noisy 47MB drive to a fast and silent SD card offering much more space. I must say, Lotharek are quick, as this arrived on Christmas Eve so I'm spending the holidays playing! The possibilities appear limitless because I am no longer struggling with meagre storage. Lotharek's UltraSatan is a brilliant piece of Jookie kit. Buy this!!

Why not use your UltraSatan to game or enjoy a few demos...

One of the most famous 16-bit shoot 'em ups ever - Xenon II Megablast. This will always be a firm favourite of mine so it was exciting to hear Peter Putnik had doctored it back in January with his magic. The game now streams 25Khz music directly using the Ultrasatan (sorry STFM guys - this feature requires the audio co-processor hardware of the Atari STe). What a jaw-dropping upgrade!! Such an unbelievably huge size for an ST game and worth it. I certainly hope Peter converts more games in the future!

Drone, an Atari STe demo which I would personally rank as a masterpiece. Stunning audio, artwork and presentation.... all far beyond excellent. It was released back in 2012 by the legendary Dead Hackers and is a whopping 11+MB. It was released for Sommarhack to pay special tribute to the Ultrasatan. This is one of the best demos I've ever experienced.

Giana Sisters

Turn your ST into a Nintendo!

The Great Giana Sisters was released in 1987 by Rainbow Arts and is a platformer with (umm) more than a hint of Italian plumbing. Anyhow, the commercial ST game played well but suffered flip-screen scrolling that soon became tiresome on the old eyes. Ultimately, it was a lame port and spoiled what should have been an excellent release.

Don't give me the old excuse that the ST cannot scroll. It can scroll: Viking Child, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Enchanted Land, Stario, Alien World, Zone Warrior, Onslaught and many, more!! Yes, it bugs me when I see people's daft comments claiming that the ST cannot scroll. Blame the programmer - not the computer! /rant

It looks like I wasn't the only person to hate our conversion because Samuel (aka Zamuel_a of Pac-Mania fame) decided to convert it to the Atari STe. He makes use of the hardware scrolling so the entire screen scrolls rather than flipping - and it's smooth, 50fps smooth. To say that this update is jaw-dropping is an understatement and it most certainly beats the pathetic commercial game. Now, just imagine if the industry would have supported the Atari STe properly...

Anyhow, the game itself is the same but it now scrolls and that fact transforms the experience. Samuel has put the Atari STe to great use which proves the power of this wonderful computer. Finally, we can play Giana Sisters as it was meant to be enjoyed! Waste no more time and download this wonderful new version (improved by Peter Putnik)

Watch the video and check out these screenshots before deciding whether or not you should download...

It looks basic but it also looks console-cool too. I like it, very NES... to me.

Happily walking along and then something falls on your head! Let's collect the gems.

I really hate that horrendous big bug so let's jump over the sucker and run!

Atari Mega STe

Mega Hertz

I asked Peter Putnik, from over on 8BitChip, if there was a program that allowed the Mega STe to flip between 8 and 16MHz - but without having XControl preloaded. He basically said yes, no reason why not. And a couple days later he had created it!! What a great Atari community we have - my sincere gratitude to Peter.

The download link is available via the AtariAge forums.

Dungeon Master

Crawling with audio clarity

Peter Putnik has just updated Dungeon Master to use the Atari STe's DMA Audio hardware. This is huge news for fellow adventurers! Playback is much clearer and this won't impact the computer's performance. Peter informs me that Chaos Strikes Back is next in line for the STe treatment - and I cannot wait!!

Download the new upgrade from 8BitChip.

Chaos Strikes Back

Yet more audio clarity

Following on from yesterday's wonderful news of the Atari STe enhanced update of Dungeon Master, Peter Putnik has improved the audio for Chaos Strikes Back. Once again, this news is making me jump up and down with joy!!! So why not make your Atari STe happy and download this DMA audio upgrade now? Enjoy!! :-)

Cannon Fodder [Atari STe update]

Ugh, another lame Amiga port...

Cannon Fodder should have been far better for the Atari ST. Alas, it was a rushed, lame-ass port. However, cry no more tears for Peter Putnik has upgraded the game to support audio playback of 25KHz digital music - yes, during gameplay. This is making use of the DMA audio hardware lurking inside the Atari STe, and (because it's a coprocessor) there is no CPU usage. Thus, zero impact on the game's performance whatsoever.

Storage requirements are too much for a floppy! So an Ultrasatan or other hard drive device is needed to store the music - this can be anything - instructions are included on how to use convert something from your library. It's dead easy to do using Audacity. Click on my teaser video, above...

What an incredible upgrade! It's something else to experience the game with real music blasting out from your speakers. However, I'm gutted that our lame-ass Cannon Fodder is a pile of rubbish with flick-screen scrolling. Sensible Software should be ashamed of themselves for releasing such a terrible port.

I hope Peter uses this technology again for other Atari ST games. The possibilities are endless!!

Jinks

This looks sucky!

Jinks appears as a horizontally scrolling 'Breakout' but is technically one of the worst Atari ST games. A shameful port by Rainbow Arts with incredibly jerky scrolling that is enough to make your eyes bleed after only a few minutes of horrendous play. Honestly, it's that bad and I pity whoever spent their cash on this!

Thankfully, Peter Putnik has begun work on a version making use of the Blitter for far better results (see in the video above). Sadly, all current copies of Jinks contain bad data so Peter is looking for somebody to supply an image of the original floppies. Then he can repair this piece of hiSTory for this enhanced version.

Please get in touch if you can help.

• This new Blitter-powered version is downloadable from Atarimania (Atari STe / TT / Falcon)
• If you want to torture your eyeballs then the original game can be found via Old Games Finder.
• Trusteft has a humorous recording of the original jerky game...

3D con kit

I've always been interested in 3D from my early computing years as a kid with a ZX Spectrum and games like Ant Attack, Deathchase and then the mind-boggling Knight Lore/Alien 8. Those games just blew my mind, so when I came across 3D Construction Kit for the Atari ST - I was delighted.

After a little googling, I found a fantastic web resource by Stuart Wilson which I'm hoping will prove to be useful and help me get the best from this program. They also run a FaceBook community page (link below).

3D Construction Kit is an old but excellent application for making your own virtual worlds. This video is the actual VHS recording that was released back in the day which is fascinating and explains many aspects of the program nicely. There are lots of projects already created on the Atari ST and many are excellent :-)

At my request, Peter Putnik has graciously adapted 3D Construction Kit so it can now be installed and ran from hard disk - so download this instead of the floppies! Plus those faster computers can make use of their power and my own 16Mhz Mega STe runs beautifully! :-)

Stu-Wilson’s website for 3D Construction Kit [and their dedicated FaceBook page]

Gauntlet III - The Final Quest

Oh, dear...

Sorry, I meant to say, here we have Gauntlet 3 developed by Software Creations for US Gold. Yet another sequel to the incredible arcade original we love. Only this time somebody thought that the winning formula of speed and action wasn't enough. So, it was decided a modernized version with an isometric viewpoint was needed instead.

Please note that I did try to keep an open mind throughout. Rather than being a grumpy old man wondering why his favourite game had been so drastically changed. It's not all bad surely? Of course not, but why change a winning formula? Nevermind... Anyhow, let's crack on with the review...

Gone is the top-down view in favour of a funky isometric 3D perspective, which isn't actually too bad if I'm honest. It looks different but in a good way. I liked how we begin the opening levels in a spooky forest, this looks the part. All the familiar Gauntlet elements are lurking in the woods: ghosts, generators, treasure and food. The idea remains much the same as we hack and slash through to a medieval church, and this is just the first level. Level wise, this is a big game.

Let's view a cheap & tacky screenshot that I took with my phone off my Atari ST...

The ruins of an old church deep in the woods. That tree looks scary so let's get inside quick!

Let's kill monsters!

Before you begin, we go through the Gauntlet motion of deciding who to be. This time there are a lot more to choose from - Warrior, Wizard, Rockman, Lizard Man, Elf and more. One or two players can team up (definitely better with two) but the basic gameplay mechanics remain pretty much the same. We're still throwing axes, arrows, magic and more directly into the faces of ghosts, goblins and other hideous creatures that emerge from their generators.

The levels are big and split over a number of small sections, which you can re/visit at any time. Monsters are constantly popping up so blast the generators quickly! Now follow the same rules you always have - collecting treasure and noshing on food to stay alive. Shooting a potion will clear the screen of baddies or they can be collected to use later. Escaping to the next realm can only be done once humble tasks are completed - keys to collect and that sort of thing.

Essentially, they wanted this to be Gauntlet but with an isometric point of view. Sadly, it isn't really possible if I'm honest. What made the original such an instant and timeless classic was the ability to begin immediately blasting monsters (either solo or with others). The action was fast and furious but this isn't the case with Gauntlet 3. Not even close.

I've progressed into the weirdly designed church for this next screenshot...

Inside the church are many ghosts and awkward objects to try and walk around...

Fighting in slo-mo?

The gameplay is a lot slower, so gone is that instant enjoyment of mass killing we love. The thrill has been replaced with a more sedate exploration that happens to have some killing. That's how it feels to me because the frenzied feel has gone. That's made worse thanks to the level design and terrible control mechanics. Even walking is a problem.

The opening levels are littered with objects that need to be walked around. That might not sound much of a big deal, but it is. I was sick & tired of getting stuck on the scenery. This also applies to your weapons which are often blocked so can't hit their target. Heck, even the ghosts suffered from this problem!

Even worse are the controls which are so sluggish and even make walking tiresome. Plus the rate with which you attack the monsters is far too slow. That means we can't destroy any generator unless you choose to walk through lots of ghosts to get a closer shot - and thus lose energy. A faster rate of firing would have fixed that instantly.

Surely, it's not all bad? Well, no, but let's view one final screenshot before my judgment...

Looks like we've just walked straight into an ambush. Shoot the generators, if you can!

The CryptO'pinion?

Gauntlet 3 was programmed by Bill Barna of Software Creations and I wonder if his job was to rush through a quick and nasty Amiga port? It certainly feels like it. This is very disappointing when you consider this is the same company that proudly gave us classics like Bubble Bobble, Ghouls & Ghosts and Bionic Commando! What went wrong?

Forgetting that it's supposed to be the third in the series, it's actually an enjoyable game in its own right. I enjoyed exploring the different lands and going through the motions of kill, kill, kill. It's pretty good ignoring the problematic controls. However, it fails big time as a "Gauntlet" game and can only redeem itself in co-op with a friend.

Downloads for floppy disk and hard drive.

A GLIMMER OF HOPE?

Update: I have contacted Peter Putnik (8BitChip) to ask about a hard drive version that supports faster Atari computers. Once again he worked his magic and I've been enjoying Gauntlet 3 on my 16MHz Atari STe and yes, I said the word with enjoy in it!!

Sure, it isn't perfect but, if you have a faster computer, then this update will help to eliminate some of the problems, especially with the unresponsive controls. And that's big news!!