Spellfire The Sorcerer

We are a wizard, again!

Spellfire is a scrolling platformer developed by Dave Semmens for Code Masters and released in 1992. It is set in a time long ago: a time of myth and legend when knights patrolled the woodlands and magicians were the cool guys. We're a wizard called Willy (stop it!!) and our beef is with an emperor who is holding captive (wait for it) Fifi The Fairy. She's trapped in his tower so our valiant quest is to rescue her.

Fifi can only be rescued from the dark fortress by collecting ten magic eyes scattered across the levels. It's the usual quest through lands filled with monsters and demonic guardians. Will you help Wizard Willy?

Come on, I know you will so let's check out the first screenshot from the game...

The graphics are great but sometimes it feels cluttered with umm too much going on?

It all sounds incredibly original, right?

He begins his journey in a forest that leads to the castle where she is imprisoned. This is a great start which introduces us nicely to the gameplay mechanics: our hero can walk, leap, climb trees, shoot fire bolts and even mash up magic spells using a rather large cauldron. Health status is displayed at the top of the screen and will decrease if you happen to touch enemies or a dangerous object. Gold coins can be collected (after a kill) and these are used as currency inside a cauldron that can mix magical power-ups, ammo, or health.

Collecting the magic eyes allows us to battle the first guarding boss - a wasp-like critter who isn't exactly intelligent and therefore an easy kill. This grants us access to the castle via the creepy dungeons but the guardian is a bit of a bonehead (you will see why). This castle takes us deeper into our quest but continues with the same theme, with lots more tricks and traps to fool you. I really am enjoying this journey!

This ain't no rushed port, the quest is massive so let's celebrate with another screenshot...

The first boss is a giant wasp who is a bit dumb and quite easy to kill. I like bosses like that!

Aesthetics

Spellfire has stunning visuals and I love the contrast between lush nature and medieval environments. Sadly, it can feel "busy" and I dreamt of a background without so much clutter. However, the game is colourful using a gradient sky. I liked the erupting volcanos and awesome skeletons when raised from the dead. Everything you see is complemented by smooth scrolling that never lags and keeps up with the pace.

The audio is impressive and can be set to chip music or effects. Whatever you decide, you will love it.

Isn't it great when something looks & sounds as good as it plays! Screenshot time...

Watch out for tricks that will catch you out which makes for great replay value.

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Spellfire The Sorcerer, it reminded me of a cross between Stormlord and Chronicles of Omega. It's easy to get into, so instantly entertaining with good levels, excellent monsters and power-ups that work nicely. However, I did feel that the screens were a little too (visually) cluttered albeit very, very pretty.

I'm grateful this isn't a lazy Amiga port and plays every bit as good as it looks. Code Masters released what I can only describe as a hidden gem. Challenging but stick with it and you have a fantastic platformer!

Grab the HDD version @ 8BitChip or disks @ Stonish.

Kult

Let's play something a little different!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... No, wait, wrong game!! Okay, let me start again, many moons ago a good friend of mine [Greetings Tom!] surprised me with a gift sent all the way from the land of the Vikings. Inside was a beautifully preserved -sealed- copy of Kult, something I had never played before in my life. He was adamant that this was a true 16-bit classic and I even remember it receiving good reviews. Heck, Atari ST User magazine rated it a perfect ten!

You are Raven, a psionic mutant, who saw a bunch of other mutants destroy a village and now wants to fight back! That's the gist of this story for what is a most confusing adventure. It's got a tough learning curve and there are many cunning puzzles. This is a game like no other I have ever played but it's that learning curve that you need to master, especially the user interface. The graphics are creepy-cool and all sound effects are samples - I love the speech effects.

I fear this game has more to it than you first realise? You're probably wondering how my first game went...

I've been getting to grips with this game today but the hard drive version fails to work for me (I think it's my SD Card) so I went for the floppy version, linked below, by Zuul and this worked perfectly. Well, after a couple of hours, I am blown away by this incredible and captivating game. The user interface might first appear confusing and quite laboured but in fact, it's actually anything but because navigation is a breeze. I also love how the rooms are titled, which certainly helps me a bunch!

I'm currently getting to grips with the locations and examining everything I see in the rooms. Objects are often tripped-out and plain silly - I've just polished the eyeballs on a fountain to get it working, why I'm not exactly sure yet but I've done it. I have also chatted to some strange looking fellas, so I followed them and used the attack function. Won this battle but then his friends ate the corpse!

I laughably love using the brain to select various instructions, such as inspect, attack, and talk. What a strange yet oddly obvious way to make decisions!! I've also learned not to trust people, I walked into a dark room and somebody told me to follow them. Stupid that I am, I did just that and promptly fell through a trap into a water-filled pit. Here, I was eaten alive by some kind of monster! Great...

This game is different to anything I've played. I love how its storyline is deep and involving but never overwelming. I feel that I've only just scratched the surface of what will be a unique experience!

Grab this game while it's hot!

8BitChip has created a version to be installed on your hard disk which is just brilliant.

Various floppy disks feature Kult and I recommend Zuul #195 via Stonish.

Wasabim has recorded a brilliant youtube video.

Atari ST User scored Kult 10/10 - wow!! [AtariMania]

Guardian Angel

Dimamic get Dynamic!

Freddy Hardest is our Guardian Angel for Dinamic's scrolling beat 'em up in the Big Apple, which actually ain't too dissimilar to After The War. Manhattan always seems to be the perfect setting for a grim future with crime and gangs. I don't know why but it's got that Deathwish vibe and setting nailed so perfectly.

I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic and I think it's because I played their Army Moves via disk (instead of tape) back in my Spectrum +3 days (a short-lived machine as it died after a few weeks... sigh).

They've released some good Atari ST games and you can find them by searching at the top of this web page. Anyhow, we begin our Death Wish at the docks and are instantly assaulted by waves of 80s-styled thugs! Some have brought their toys, like baseball bats and knives. Where's Charles Bronson when you need him?

The docks are a great place to go looking for trouble as you can see...

Ahh, nuts! That guy is big and I hear sneaky footsteps behind me!

Yee Aw that sucka!

As a beat 'em up, we get around crime-infested streets using left/right. The fire button performs a punch, which you'll find is good against the weaker Sailors. Pulling down allows us to stomp on rats but offers little benefit against tougher dudes. Pushing up will unleash the fury of your infamous high kick which is your only powerful move. Energy levels will automatically replenish IF you get a chance to stand still for a moment.

Guardian Angel doesn't take itself seriously and has you laughing at the silly antics you see on-screen. I love how the baddies turn into zapped skeletons for a split second when dying - it's like a Tom And Jerry cartoon. Watch out for "Death Star", a forklift trucker called Ricky Chang who is the world's worst driver. However, my favourite is being kicked out of your cute yellow boots when suffering a final death blow. Hilarious stuff.

That's this game to a tea, it's stupid but so entertaining. The kind you play after a bad day at work...

What? You think ganging up is going to scare me away - not on your nelly!!

Aesthetics

The gameplay window is small with much of the screen being -mostly- pointless decor. However, I do like the backgrounds, even if they're too colourful for a bleak city scene! Sprites are large and well-detailed with basic animation but there are some cool scenes - Ricky Chang will always make me laugh. Fantastic!!

Forget the terrible theme tune. Thankfully, all in-game effects are made from good and meaty samples with the chainsaw guy being superb. In fact, I really love the excellent variety of sampled sound effects.

This game has sound and vision that will rock your 16-bit world and I love it all...

Now, this is a proper title screen with outstanding artwork.

The CryptO'pinion?

Guardian Angel sure has good qualities; a bucket load of humour matched by responsive controls, superb sprites, and sound effects. Sadly, it's typically Dinamic with incredibly tough gameplay and having only one decent attack move is insane! However, I have enjoyed it with a trainer enabled - but that's a bad thing, right?

I think you guys need to play this beat 'em up regardless of the trainer. Hilariously fantastic and fun!!

Stonish has Medway Boys #85 Floppy Disk.

Fuzion #185

Fuzion #185 is a cool intro that gave us the game Ork, by Psygnosis. I love this intro because it presents itself particularly well with lots of colour and an adaptation of one of the most memorable chiptunes ever created. It also makes use of the Atari STe hardware for even better results, but happily works on either machine just fine.

Credits

Dump - Music

Orion - Code

https://demozoo.org/productions/84067/

Monitor Switch Box

Okay, it's not exactly a modern option compared to what's available but I love my old monitor switch box. If there's one thing I dislike about the ST (no, it's not the joystick ports) but it's swapping the cables when going from colour to mono. So, this little device works wonders for me but perhaps it's time I looked to upgrade?

However, next on my wish list is a graphics card for my Mega STe. Can anyone help me with that??

Kid GP

It's time for Munsie magic!

This is the third Dave Munsie game to be featured on AtariCrypt but it's one I'd never previously heard of. The idea is to frantically run around each screen avoiding the baddies and collecting all of the diamonds. Originally aimed at the younger audience but I have found it incredibly fun so there's hope for all of us... Or I'm just simple?

Collecting diamonds may sound easy but there are a variety of whacky creatures zipping about the screens. Each one loves getting in your way whilst others are looking to give a good chase. However, bump into one and a life is lost!! So it's a good job we can use a hammer to smack these blighters and send 'em packing. Yeah!

The game rewards your vicious hammer attacks with lots of bonus fruits - before respawning them once again. Magic mushroom power-ups are available for a range of cool effects that may boost or alter your visibility. A bonus timer is counting down and, if you manage to finish with time remaining, then you can build up points by grabbing lots of extra goodies? What this lacks in (ahem) originality is more than made up for in brilliant gameplay!

Come on, I think we need to see a colourful screenshot with cute critters with beady eyes...

Okay, it might look ...umm... rather familiar but the gameplay is rock-solid awesomeness!!

Bubble... Rainbow... What?

Graphically, this is one sexy-looking game with bold colours and the cutest sprites. Those big-eyed blue faces will always make me smile - especially after I've clubbed them! This is exactly how an arcade game should look. Sure, it (ahem) might look familiar for any number of reasons but who cares about originality when it looks this gorgeous?

Interestingly, you can flip between 50/60Hz and also three game speeds, at any time.

The audio is slightly less impressive because there are no background chiptunes. I think that would have been really nice, so is sadly missed by me. Thankfully, the sound effects are fantastic and very zesty for a game of this ilk.

Screenshot time and how about one with some fruit? No? Well, here you go anyhow...

Wow!! Look at all that gorgeous colour and beautiful fruit. Yum Yum get it all eaten up!

The CryptO'pinion?

Kid GP is exhilarating!! Manically running around, collecting lots of diamonds and fruits, whilst avoiding the silly-looking nasties is surprisingly brilliant. The controls are perfect; always responsive and I loved the ability to have two different jumping options - because the hammer only works horizontally. Which is the only (meh) gripe I have.

Dave Munsie may have originally intended this game for kids (my 7yr appreciates that) but there is no denying the positive effect that it has on this big kid. Yes, I loved Kid GP a bunch. What a fantastic and addictive game!!

Stop whatever you're doing!!

Download this wonderful game right now.

EasyAraMiNT

Putting old hardware to good use

Aranym is a piece of software by Petr Stehlik to create a virtual Atari computer capable of running GEM software at lightning speeds. However, most find Aranym rather awkward to set up from scratch so a fella called Philippe Noble has developed something called EasyAraMint. This is a "ready-to-go" installation using EasyMint 1.18 which provides an incredible multitasking environment using the power of the host, be that a Mac or PC.

As you can see in my "expertly recorded" video, I'm using an old Mac Mini that was donated to me (thanks Mum!). My video shows me using unix 'scp', viewing images/PDF, listen to tunes, and playing Doom before ending with web browsing. Yes, this is as geeky as it gets. Love it!! :-)

EasyAraMint can be installed in minutes. It also comes pre-installed with many Atari programs. Philippe has done an outstanding job with this ready-to-go multitasking OS. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Aranym and EasyAraMiNT can be downloaded and tinkered with so let me know what you create!

I accessed another Mac via FTP and chatted online with a friend. What a geek I am!!



The command line might not look much fun so I jazzed up this screenshot with PixArt...

Not all websites display perfectly but what do you expect for free? Good enough, I say :o)



After browsing the web, why not read a PDF document and listen to some background tunes too!

Jug

When in the hands of talent...

Jug is a scrolling shooter by one of my favourite companies, Microdeal. It's set in the distant future and we are tasked to save Spiraeus, a living planet. That's suffering from a nasty tumour that urgently needs to be eliminated. However, an autoimmune system thinks you're a threat so unleashes its defences intent on your demise!!

Yeah, I know. This sounds really silly but stick with me because Jug was programmed by Paul Hunter (Armour-Geddon) and is no lazy Amiga port. In fact, quite the opposite and certainly pushes our old STFM to the limit.

Playing Jug is a strange and frantic affair, as it combines elements from games like Blood Money, Droid, and Return To Genesis. Sometimes combinations like this fail and sometimes they work! Check out this screenshot...

Some eye candy is pretty ghastly whereas others are great examples of beautiful pixel art.

One smooth shooter

Our ship moves left or right but also has the ability to fly. However, this is affected by gravity, similar to Alien World, and also requires fuel top-ups. The controls work well but movements are a little slow thus making it difficult to avoid the nasties without losing precious energy. The action is relentless with lots of baddies constantly zipping across your screen in various attack waves; it's a frantic hell and never seems to stop. You wanted excitement, you've got it!!

However, they aren't the brightest bulbs and appear to move/shoot blindly with little AI thus it's almost like they aren't even aware of our presence. Weaponry is an upgradeable mixed bag: however, the plasma gun is mounted far too low to be fully effective. How did that happen? Anyhow, replacing that with a laser cannon is lots of fun!!

Playing Jug is never dull and always fun because the action is near-constant and challenging. It will take practice to beat because of the map layout, which I found confusing. The enemies increase gameplay to a crazy pace and this makes the whole journey exciting and a thrill. Or at least try to - this is a tough game that will eat away your spare hours.

Look out for teleporters... And when death comes it's pretty demoscene'y. Which I love!

Aesthetics

The best thing about Jug isn't its humorous name (based on the ship's barrel-chested assets!!) but its visuals, which have been gorgeously designed by Martin Kenwright. It boasts ultra-smooth parallax scrolling using a cool metallic palette - so you should use a real Atari ST to fully appreciate the graphics breezing across your screen.

Theme music is a masterpiece, by Paul Shields. So leave the main menu be, to enjoy the incredible chiptune! In comparison, the sound effects are totally overshadowed, but they do their job good enough compared to the quality music.

Arghh, not again? Is it me? Am I actually this bad at games? How could this be? O_o

The CryptO'pinion?

Jug has all the ingredients to be a brilliant shoot 'em up but incorporates some weird mechanics that hogged my desire to continue. I would instead recommend any of the above-mentioned games along with Uridium, Cybernoid, or Sideways!! The gameplay difficulty is far too overwhelming and the map layout is quite confusing too.

Technically superb but I'm also on the fence because it's left me with mixed feelings. Plus the need to use a trainer, which is wrong. Or am I wrong?? What do you guys think about this game? Well, let me know in the comments below...

If you have a hard drive or Ultrasatan then grab this download which is so cool.

Floppy disk addicts can find Jug on the Stonish website.

Finally, and untested by me, here is how to get infinite energy and extra lives:
 Press and hold down the ESC key on the title screen and then use the mouse to click on the right-hand edge of the screen. This should help the game be a little more achievable, you'll need it!!

ZombieCrypt

I've made a horror slideshow!

A few months ago I came up with the notion of a slideshow based on a zombie/horror theme. I love George A. Romero and movies like Evil Dead and Resident Evil. Not to mention Milla Jovovich!!

I used Imagecopy 4 to convert several JPGs from various movies but that's where my artistic skills ended! So I asked a few friends if they'd like to donate some gruesome pics of their own. My thanks to the boys listed below for their images and Peter Jørgensen for his awesome slideshow. This program removes the lower border for a cool scroller, plays fantastic YMT music and can be launched from a floppy or hard drive.

I've enjoyed working on this project and I hope all of you ST nutters download it. Let me know :)

- The Credits -

Production ideas and childishly drawn images are by Meeeee!! :D

Artistic skills: Stuart Johns / Peter Jørgensen / Karim Mezaouri / Aurélien Vaillant

Also, credit to the "unknown" for the images I nabbed off the web!

Slideshow programmed by Peter Jørgensen.

Addams Family theme tune by Vic Wizzy (converted Peter)

- Sample Slideshow Pics -

Hoog

Prepare thyself!

The Atari ST is a computer with a huge public domain library, be it games, programs, utilities, etc. In fact, our archive proves how popular the ST was for both users and creative folk with the talent to code and create art or music. This is what I love about the Atari ST and something I've yet to "feel" from a modern computer.

Believe it or not, Hoog is a shareware platformer released in 1994 by MP Lord - yes he of Droid fame. It's incredible to look at and feels similar to Creatures but with more of a puzzle theme. Some elements reminded me of Sleepwalker and Lemmings but whether or not that's a good thing I'll leave you to decide.

Okay, I think that's enough reading for the moment! How about some sexy screenshots to whet your appetite...

Using the balloons, we can float upwards to access places otherwise impossible to reach.

A bundle of stars and a cheeky grin make this platformer something extra special!

Aww little baby Hoogs!

The objective is simple - rescue baby Hoogs that are trapped inside cages! Sounds so cruel? Yes, it is and they're trapped, innocently waiting for us to free them. However, these little kiddies are darn stupid and, when released, will blindly wander off through their dangerous new world - and die!! They can get trapped, drown, or fry in burning flames. There's a lot of strategic thought needed when guiding these little babies home.

Hoog himself can walk, jump, and chuck bombs at his foes. However, he's only a short, stubby fella so cannot do much without the help of his environment, like helium-filled balloons that offer a chance to reach inaccessible areas. There are various other mechanics to aid; look for springs to bounce high into the air, switches that unlock hidden ledges, and special gateways that transport Hoog long distances in the blink of an eye.

This is a game that is easy to pick up and play. The controls are responsive, without lag or finicky irritations. You're not thrown in at the deep end and gradually taught how to get the best from your environment to save the babies. I was impressed with how each level becomes steadily and progressively harder. I personally get that warm, fuzzy feeling playing this game because a lot of thought went into its creation!

Fancy some more colourful screenshots? I know, I know, of course, you do so here ya' go...

There's that cute, happy face again! How can you not love the graphics :)

Things are hotting up now! Not only the difficulty but those flames will easily cook a baby hoog!

Amateur homebrew aesthetics?

Visually, this must be one of the most impressive "Public Domain" games I have ever seen. The entire artwork is astounding and way beyond anything else that I can think of from the ST's homebrew scene. Each level features landscapes of stunning beauty, and I truly do mean stunning. Miles has made lovely use of colour because everything is so bright and cheerful. It's unbelievable and I recommend sunglasses before you play!

But that's not all, the sprites are stunning and even have a Bitmap feel. Animations are lovely with neat attention to detail - like when Hoog smiles during a jump. He even wiggles his bum in flight. Finally, I cannot end without mentioning the smooth parallax scrolling. This is a commercial game, right? What, no you say?!!

The audio is a treat proving chiptunes will last forever compared to most tracker tunes. Sadly, there's only one in-game tune so it gets tiresome after a while. Don't get me wrong, it's a good tune your YM2149 is knocking out but I'd have liked a selection. However, I love what we have and I cannot get it out of my head lol.

Hoog screenshots are great but we have to end sometime. So here are the final two screenshots...

Use the ledges but hang on a minute, I see two cute critters below that appear asleep?

When everything is peachy and fire can't harm him. I'm too cute to burn........... honest!!! <evil grin>

The CryptO'pinion?

Hoog is something rather special but it isn't easy. It will take practice to figure out the most efficient way to solve the puzzle of rescuing babies. Well, unless you enjoy watching cute critters drown or burn? Perhaps you do? Or is it just me lol? Anyhow, whatever your sadistic preference, this is an utterly superb platformer. It will keep you occupied for many hours with its humorously challenging, addictive gameplay.

Once again, Miles Lord has released a wonderful game that humiliates many commercial companies who rushed through sloppy Amiga ports. This proves what the Atari ST is capable of in the hands of talent; it's a magnificent example of great coding. Hoog is a mind-blowing platformer and one of my favourite ST games!!

- DOWNLOAD HOOG -

Starburst

Graphics never make the game

Starburst is a shareware game by Chris Skellern that grants us a gratifying opportunity to blow stuff up. In fact, we can blow up everything! This space-shoot 'em up is based on an old Sinclair QL game which is pretty cool when you think about it. The objective is to find six power bases and decimate them before attempting the ultimate goal of killing the super brain.

Oooooh, that sounds amazing, right? Pilot your spaceship through lots of rocky caverns, destroying everything that you come across. And, when I say everything, I really do mean everything so have yourself some fun!! Directional firing is available using the keypad, which I've demonstrated here in this simple animated GIF.

No screenshots? Okay, aesthetically, this game isn't going to blow your mind with its boring 8-Bit visuals. However, that's the era I grew up in so I don't need fancy graphics to enjoy myself. In fact, Starburst reminds me of Harrier Attack - remember that one? The chip music is superb with in-game sampled sound effects that aren't all that bad if I'm honest.

Starburst is dead simple and explosive fun so stop thinking and destroy everything. Yes, everything!!

Atari ST games

        

A one-floppy compilation

How many Atari ST games can you fit onto a single floppy disk? No, it's not a silly joke because Peter Putnik has already provided us with the answer: a whopping twenty-three Atari ST games!! These are all heavily compressed on one bog-standard double-density floppy disk. That is a hefty reduction so be prepared to wait for the decompression!

There are many classics - Arkanoid, Robotron, The Sentinel, Asteroids, Virus, Tempest, Head Over Heels, Pengy, Jet Set Willy, Crystal Castles, Major Motion, Xevious, Sentinel, Moon Patrol, Joust, and lots more!! (use the search top/right)

What, you don't believe me? Then you should clickety-click right now and grab the download for yourself.

Magicland Dizzy

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning...

Being a bit of an odd bod, I've never taken much time to play any of the Dizzy games so figured I should choose one from this hugely popular series and see where it takes me. I've decided on Magicland Dizzy, probably because I was reminded of Stormbringer from my Spectrum 128 days. Amusingly, I've gone and picked one which wasn't designed by the Oliver Twins but by Neal Vincent and programmed by Derek Leigh-Gilchrist of Captain Dynamo fame.

Magicland has been infected by an evil wizard. Yes, another evil wizard but he's not banked on Dizzy who plans on saving the day. Dizzy must explore Magicland and rescue six of his friends being held captive. To do this he must solve many puzzles, trade items and talk to the natives. Basically, what you'd expect following the same format.

Wanna see a scary screenshot? Well, it's not that scary but there is a hungry ghost...

Okay, the first demoed puzzle is easy. This scary dude is hungry so, feed him something nice!

Oi! egg head O_o

The graphics are beautiful with cartoon artwork by Leigh Christian (Magic Boy) which includes lots of neat animations and effects. Just look at that mean-looking troll in the animation above - it's better than watching Nick Jr. Thankfully, the audio hasn't been forgotten with stunning chip music to enjoy throughout. It's YM-tastic and I loved it!!

I love mapping ST games but I didn't make this one which you can check out right here...

I found this map on a Russian Dizzy website. Click twice - it's pretty BIG!!

So far so good?

Well, having only played for a short while today, I can honestly say I'm shocked at just how superb this is. The controls are spot-on perfect and (thankfully) I'm getting the distinct impression that my old brain won't be frustrated by any stupid puzzles. From what I've seen, each character will need something, so it's a case of finding out what and where that might be located. Simple, but always interesting without the irritation that this lazy adventurer initially expected!

Fantastic gaming and something I highly recommend. Have a blessed Easter everyone †

- DOWNLOADS -

Hard Disk or Floppy Disk.

Narco Police

Drugs... Guns... Violence!

I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic. I think it might be because they were one of those companies releasing games during my twilight ZX Spectrum years just before playing their Atari ST games. Along with games like Army Moves, they went on to make some belters, one of which is their 1991 hit shooter Narco Police.

In the future... or rather... back in 2003 most of us were apparently heavily dependent on hardcore drugs and this addiction made the dealers rich and powerful. Actually, I'm now getting a whiff of the recent scamdemic! Anyhow, the various nations of the world all got together to form an elite anti-drug unit: The A-Team. No, I meant NARCO POLICE who have been trained to rid this filth from existence. Yeah!!

Three Narco units are deployed to infiltrate the drug lord's hive located on a remote island, off Columbia. It won't be easy because they have invested in extra security, including marines and combat soldiers. You start with the 'option' of choosing your team's equipment and weaponry. Also, a map of the island allows you to view the landscape and choose the best entrance into its network of underground tunnels. Dare you enter?

Of course, you do so let's take a look at some earlier screenshots...

Don't forget to visit the armoury before heading out into no-mans land!

There's little to plan but at least we get to tunnel in like killer worm cops!

Walk... Shoot... Kill

In the tunnels, we encounter henchmen, security systems, and heavy artillery! As we venture deeper, the enemy will surprise us by jumping out from hidden sidewalls or falling down from the ceiling to ambush. Use the joystick to direct gunfire at their location and reign an onslaught of gun violence! Controls can take a little getting used to with movement feeling inelegant - but you will get used to dodging grenades in no time.

Other defences cannot be destroyed easily and require a tactical approach. (It's now that you realise your team needed the correct equipment). A terminal is available to enter basic control commands, such as 'C' (which stands for 'chopper') to display information about your teams. The 'K' command restores vitality. The 'M1' command is rather entertaining in sticky situations. A command list can be displayed using 'DIR'.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a simple shooter; hold fire and blindly kill everything? Far from it and you will need to practice to make any kind of progress. After a few games, I found the controls great which helped me make headway deeper into the game. Very rewarding but reading the manual is essential O_o

Is this too demanding for a 16-bit computer to handle? Think again...

Come on, tell me you're not impressed by this floppy disk-based computer from 1985!!!

Aesthetics, long before Doom!

Visually, this is gorgeous with captivating locations with huge enemy sprites using great animation. Our soldier is stunning as we patrol the corridors - even with our suspect limp. It's not all perfect as some soldiers almost look like cardboard cutouts waiting to be shot. Other soldiers roll across your screen in slo-mo!

I've always had a passion for 3D shooters (especially the first-person variety) and, even though this is third-person, it's one I have enjoyed since the 90s. Narco Police actually uses a pseudo-3D engine that pushes our 8MHz CPU by using clipped graphics that increase as you walk, giving the illusion of movement. I remember drooling over my ST's keyboard the first time I got to see this in action!

The audio is fantastic with a stomping theme tune for an 80s retro-styled title screen. All in-game sound effects are made from impressive samples, however, it's odd walking without hearing the sound of my footsteps? Maybe I'm being picky and perhaps our hero is just too stealthy for his own good!!

This game looks and sounds brilliant so, erm, here are a couple more screenshots...

Hands up who would love a job as a Narco Policeman? No, me neither! lol

The perspective used in this game is so impressive but that doesn't stop me from dying!

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a Christmas Cracker stuffed full of mayhem to get the blood flowing - all over the walls usually! Who doesn't enjoy killing henchmen and repetitive tunnel exploration? Sadly, Dinamic made yet another ludicrously tough game. Perhaps too tough? Maybe the Spanish are ultra-hardcore gamers but I need a trainer!

Having said that, I'm always drawn back into the tunnels, time & time again because Narco Police is a seriously addictive shooter. Sure, it's always predictable but, in a good way. Even though it's insanely tough, I cannot help but recommend it to those who love guns, loud explosions and plenty of killing.

A fistful of fun and I love it. This is an excellent shooter!!

Narco Police floppies & hard drive.

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

Ghouls? Ghosts? I'm outta here....!!!

Today I thought that I would entertain myself with a few games of Ghouls 'n Ghosts, a classic platformer and a fantastic Atari ST conversion by Software Creations for US Gold. However, I only ended up laughing out loud whilst I suffered numerous deaths in utter frustration! For those that have been living on another planet, this is the sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins, another game which I'm not particularly great at. Sigh... when will I ever learn?

This is a beautifully crafted conversion faithful to the original with rock-solid gameplay that will take many moons to master. The visuals are lovely with nice scrolling and superb sprites - who doesn't love it when Arthur bumps into a baddie and somehow loses his clothes? It sure doesn't make any sense but it has our 7-year-old laughing her cotton socks off which is a win in my book. In fact, all sprites are beautifully drawn with gorgeous details - just look at the buzzards as a wonderful example. Musically, Ghouls 'N Ghosts features captivating tunes and some of the most memorable I've ever heard. Just listen to the first level's music. Wow, it doesn't get better than this!!

Ghouls N Ghosts is such a tough game and also an arcade classic. The Atari ST received a fantastic conversion which looks great, sounds incredible and offers you the chance to enjoy the most frustrating action. Dare you accept this challenge? Of course, you do and those brave players can grab either the floppies or a hard disk version.

Check out these screenshots while you decide how brave you really are... Good luck!!