Description
Issue 59
| Item | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | Terry Ekins Steven Ekins | |
| Editorial | Spectrum Discs, Interrupts, Basic Bugs | |
| Letters | Fred Improvements, Scrabble, Sam C | |
| Gem-X | Andrew Chandler | Puzzle-Ish Game By Andrew Chandler |
| Space Demo | David Laundon | M/C Space Demo With St:Tng Sample |
| Sprite Utility | Marc Broster | M/C Routines For Building Sprite Data |
| Sports Game | Search: “James Curry” | Two Player, Future Footy Game |
| 'The' Interview | Colin Anderton | Matt Round Reveals All (Fnar!) |
| E-Tunes | Roger Hartley Jack Bailey | Music Written On E-Tracker |
| Modules | Martin Fitzpatrick | Converted Amiga Modules |
| Immortal Combat | Ben Yates | Simple 2-Player Beat-Em-Up |
| Rachel 13&14 | Andrew Hodgkinson | Continuing Tales... |
| Miall Help | Andrew Chandler | Help For Miall |
| Upward Scroll | Martin Fitzpatrick | How To Write An Upward Scrolly |
| Universe | Darren Martin | Simulate Planetary Behaviour! |
Magazine
CA Editorial
My exams are over, I've nothing to do and summer is here. What
a life.
Anyway, enough about me. How are you all? It feels like years
since I last did any work on FRED. You must have been bored
stupid having to wait a whole 5 weeks for issue 59. Four weeks
is a hard enough struggle as it is. Well, you'll be pleased to
know that I'm literally bubbling with energy and I'm ready to
jibber on for hours. Make yourself comfy.
Being my usual egotistical (Christ, I've used a word with 5
syllables) self, I'll begin with what has happened to me in the
last 5 weeks. After I run out of things to say, I'll probably
make up a few lies, rant on about something that has nothing to
do with anything and then go on to the news. Think you can
handle all that? Of course you can.
By the way, incase anyone REALLY thick reads FRED, try pressing
the right cursor - you'll find there's more than 1 page!
CA I Love Myself (but not as much as others do)
Why have I stopped using capital letter in my titles? It's
because it takes up too much effort typing it all in in capital
letters.
Anyway, June has been a rather hectic month for me. After doing
very little revision during exam leave, I had a last minute
Rimmer-like realisation that there was no way I could cram
enough revision into the few remaining days to get me through to
the next weekend. Consequently, I accidently let my physics
notes blow out the window so couldn't revise it (I don't need
physics to get to university, by the way). I then had just the
right amount of days and hours before exams to do adequate
revision.
The exams went alright - a couple of nasty ones chucked in, but
that was expected. I think I've done enough to get to either
Nottingham or Warwick, but I'm not going to mention it until I
get my results, just in case I haven't - I couldn't stand
hundreds of people writing in just so they can laugh at me.
CA Following my exams...
On the morning of June 26th, I had my last exam. On the night,
I begun night-shift at Advanced (ahem) Marketing Systems (AMS)
packing strawberries, just to earn some proper money (I do hope
Colin Macdonald isn't feeling guilty). It's not that bad there,
the night goes really quickly and a lot of people who go are
university students who I knew from the year before. And the
supervisor gives me lots of really easy jobs.
On Thursday and Friday (29th and 30th) I had the nights off
because lots of us A-level students who did maths were having a
balti and the 30th was my birthday and celebrations were called
for. After the maths balti (and the pub), we went down by the
river and waited for my birthday. An hour later I was 18, and
to celebrate I hugged everyone and then leapt in the river. It
was a perfectly rational decision and had nothing to do with
certain mind affecting liquids. I had to walk 6 miles home in
my wet shorts and T-shirt as well - good job it was warm.
The next night, I had a planned celebration, with a barbeque at
CA Sweet Eighteen...
my house. For no reason whatsoever, we had a game of rugby in
the garden half way through the night, and all ended up bleeding
everywhere (I've got a few spikey bushes in my garden - and the
ground is rock solid). I smashed my jaw into someones head and
the next day I could hardly eat, which was a bummer because I'd
got so much food for my birthday. It still hurts and I've got a
massive scratch going from my mouth to my ear from where I ran
into a bush AND my knee is cut to shreds. Ah, what fun.
So that's the story up until now, the 2nd of July. It's 1:50 in
the morning. You see, after I decided to take Thursday and
Friday off, I then found out that there won't be any work until
Monday. Still, it's a good job really because I've done no work
to FRED and I've only got a few days left. It just means that
I'm still working night-shift, just doing FRED rather than
packing red fruit.
And now the lie. I also found six thousand pound on the way
home and spent it all on some magic beans. They didn't grow.
CA Happy Birthday to You (Nearly)
A last reminder to all FRED readers that the next issue, issue
60, will be FREDs 5th birthday. I know the actual birthday was
two months ago, but I'm a mathematician, and I'll only accept
that 5 times 12 is 60, not 57 or 58 (or 11). Anyway, can I ask
all those programmers out there to make a really special effort
to write something for issue 60. We need some really special
contributions that people will remember, as well as the usual
splattering of your wonderful games and utilities. The deadline
for contributions is July 31st (which is a little later than
usual, but we're giving you a bit longer to make your program
that little bit better). And as a big thankyou, every item that
we would normally give a £5 voucher will receive a £10 voucher
instead. What more can we say, except GET A MOVE ON!!!
Remember also that the 'Incredibly Rubbish Game Competition'
will be decided for issue 60. We've got a couple of hilariously
bad games already, and we need more. Those people who were
worried that it'll make the issue tacky, don't despair - it will
only be replacing either Bits n Bobs or MODs, not slot D.
CA News
Want to meet the SAM programmers and other SAM owners? Don't
have the time to do that at the shows? Feel like a bit of fun?
Well, FRED and Crashed are organising a SAM owners day out at
Alton Towers. Alton Towers, for those who don't know, is a
large amusement/attractions park with loads of roller coasters,
some excellent water rides, a big Kiddies Kingdom (I'll be going
there!), a Ghost House, Pirate Ship and the slightly calmer Tea
Cup ride and Swan Ride, as well as dozens and dozens of other
rides and acres of beautiful gardens. It's a day out for all
the family, not to mention lots of mad computer owners.
The date will be August 27th, which is a Sunday. National
Express coaches do some very cheap journeys to Alton Towers on a
Sunday and there are parking spaces for thousands of cars.
Although it is strictly for SAM owners, please bring your family
and friends. I am trying to arrange some discount tickets, but
don't count on it - you know what people can be like.
CA Where Wonders Never Cease?
The day will obviously be spent having a great deal of fun,
although I'm sure the computer will be talked about a lot in
those long queues. We will try to stick together (no matter how
difficult it will be) and already a number of SAM personalities
have said they'll be coming. There will be two meeting times
and places that will be arranged, but I'll give full details in
the next issue. However, the date (August 27th 1995) is fixed,
so book your time off work (if you work on a Sunday) and arrange
some transport. Remember, it's easiest to drive there (Alton
Towers is between Derby and Stoke-on-Trent) but National Express
coaches provide a number of services from everywhere so give
them a ring to book a place.
If anyone has any intelligent suggestions, or has thought of
something that Alan Clarkson (from Crashed) or I may have
missed, please leave a message with Colin Macdonald and I'll get
in touch.
Full details next month. Get planning!
CA News
Graham Burtenshaw (SAMPaint author) will soon begin work on a
SAMPaint upgrade disc which will include dozens of new features
that will work alongside your current SAMPaint disc.
Unfortunately, Graham has made SAMPaint so perfect that he needs
some more ideas! This is also the reason that this disc has
taken so long to come out. If there is anything that you would
like to see implemented as an add-on, give Colin a ring at the
usual number.
Thanks to everyone who has ordered SAM C so far - it has now
become one of the biggest selling FRED titles. That isn't to
say that the other people shouldn't buy it. We're also on the
look out for any games or utilities that anyone has written in C
or ported from another computer. Apart from two wonderful
menus, we haven't seen much yet. There are a few games being
worked on, but we want more. And all you mums and dads out there
- remember it's the summer and you'll have your kids under your
feet for 8 weeks. So why not buy them SAM C? Make them learn a
new programming language, that'll get them out of your way!
CA News
Retros, the Thrust type game by Matt Round, has been delayed due
to difficulty getting some of the levels right - it really is
going to be that accurate! Couple this with his other
commitments (see "the" interview), and you can understand why it
has been delayed. However, if all goes well, the game should be
ready for release in about a month.
Colin tells me that not many people are content with the mystery
of ordering a Spectrum games disc and seeing what is on it when
they get it. Miserable lot.
DISC 1 - THOSE PESKY KIDS
Jack The Nipper 1 Bobby Bearing Bumpy
Jack The Nipper 2 Bak 2 Skool Cosmos
Skool Daze Olli & Lisa Megabucks
Little Puff In Dragon Land Clumsy Colin Paperboy
Gregory Loses His Clock Space Harrier
CA News
DISC 2 - SAVING THE WORLD... AGAIN
Rygar Starquake Universal Hero Driller
Guardian 2 Starglider Nuclear Countdown Hysteria
Silkworm Rex Switchblade Darkstar
DISC 3 - JUST DOING MY JOB
Soul of a Robot Mailstrom Ikari Warriors
Sweevos World Deactivators Peter Pack Rat
Strike Force Cobra Turbo Esprit Spooked
3D Grand Prix Rolling Thunder City Slicker
Hydrofool North Star
DISC 4 - SUPERHEROS (MAINLY CALLED DAN)
Batman 3d Soldier One Strontium Dog Rogue Trooper
Head Over Heels Bombjack Bomber Bob Transformers
Dan Dare 1,2 & 3 Bombjack 2 Dynamite Dan 1 & 2
CA News
So there you go. Now stop being so selfish and buy all four
discs.
And finally, that useless boy Macdonald made a huuuuuuuuuge
mistake in his section last month when he reviewed the SAMdac.
The address to send cash to (or Eurocheques for 70 Guilders) is
not Stefan's address, but is in fact:
[redacted]
Some people, eh? Tell you what, I'll give Colin one more chance
to get his act together.
Go on Colin...
CM He's Back!
Yes, my exams are finally over! I don't have to worry about
getting up early in the mornings to study, or stay at University
until late at night! Those were my degree exams, so providing
I've passed them, I now have a normal degree in Computing!! The
results don't come out in time for this issue, but I'll keep you
informed!
Of course, the most important aspect of this is that I can now
return to answering the FRED phone! I know this was a bit of an
inconvenience for some of you, and thanks for putting up with
it, but normal service can now resume!
I have until October to enjoy my free time - sunbathing, working
on FRED, studying for next year (cough) and I might even find
the time to catch up on a bit of socialising! [COUGH, COUGH,
SPLUTTER, COUGH, SPLUTTER, CHOKE!!!!!!! - CA]
CM Been away.... again
You wouldn't have thought that I could have done much seeing as
my exams finished only the other week would you?
However, late in June, Adrian Parker got married to his fiancee
of three years, Catherine. I've known Adrian for about four and
a half years - firstly because when he ran Blue Alpha
Electronics I was always pestering for exclusives, news and
review copies - although the news was always forthcoming, the
nearest I got to a review copy was two pounds off a sound
sampler! Later, I had the pleasure of working with Adrian at
SAMCo during which time I learnt a lot from him about hardware,
and just possibly he learnt a bit about software from me! We
also spent many an hour brainstorming hundreds of ideas for new
SAM / Computing devices - the only one to appear was the
ill-fated Kaleidoscope. And then when I wasn't beating him at
Othello, we actually managed to get quite a bit of work done!
CM The happy couple
As "exclusively" reported in FRED three years ago (FRED23?)
Adrian proposed to Catherine at a Karaoke night in a Swansea pub
- in front of all the SAMCo team, as well as several hundred
drunken revellers!
Since then, Adrian and Catherine have been very happy together,
and they finally tied the knot just a few weeks ago. Not being
one to miss out on free drink, I travelled the 500-odd miles for
the occasion. And yes, I did wear my kilt. In Wales. And I had
to walk along a high street on a Saturday morning with it on.
But I wasn't embarressed, no really, I wasn't!
Bearing in mind that I've known Adrian for less than five years,
when we were sitting down for the meal in the afternoon, one of
Adrian's old school friends leaned across the table and said
"God Colin, you've changed a lot in seven years" , slightly
dumbstruck I told him that I would barely have been a teenager
seven years ago - let alone one travelling to Wales! We
eventually worked out that the sole occasion I had met this
CM
guy was at a raft race less than two years ago! And I thought I
was the one going mad?!
Wearing a kilt at such an occasion attracts quite a lot of
attention - mainly by the way of "Are you a true Scotsman?" and
"So, you're from Scotland then?". Neither of which warranted an
answer. However, there was one guy that I started speaking to
after a kilt-related remark (well, he refused to let me go until
he'd bought me a drink - who was I to refuse?). He was telling
me that the next time I was in Wales I should look him up and
he'd show me some of the sights - which was an attractive offer
anyway, but after X drinks, it seemed positively brilliant.
Anyway, there was a huge rush for me to get the train the next
morning - it was the last train that I could get that would get
me back in time for one of my exams! So I woke up the next
morning, and immediately panicked - assumming I'd slept in and
would need to rush for the train. But after I'd woken up
properly it turned out I had three hours until my train.
CM
Excellent, I thought. I'd have a nice long lie in, get a proper
breakfast, have a wander along Swansea beach and get back to the
train station in ample time.
Ten minutes later there's a knock on the door - it's none other
than Geoff who'd been offering to show me the sights of Wales.
"Seeing as you've come all the way from Scotland, I couldn't let
you get a taxi to the train station" he says (looking remarkably
less hungover than I was). "That's great Geoff", I replied, "but
my train isn't for another three hours".
"Oh". This puzzled him as much as his arrival had puzzled me.
"No problem though, I'll show you a bit of Wales now!". So off
we went, on a high-speed tour of the sights of South Wales -
beaches, piers, cliffs, magnificent views of Swansea and vast
stretches of beautiful countryside - and then, before we knew,
my train was in 15 minutes. "No problem Colin" - as we travelled
across Wales in half the time it was supposed to take, until we
arive back in the centre of Swansea with five minutes to go.
CM
Just as I was thinking that the five minutes would give us ample
time to get parked and get on the train, Geoff pipes up "I'll
just show you one more thing" as we tear up the hill Swansea has
expanded up. We reach half way up (three minutes to go) where
you can see over the whole of Swansea as well as a magnificent
view of the surrounding bays and towns. With two minutes to go,
we head station-ward, once we arrive at the station (with about
30 seconds left) there's nowhere to park, but being in a massive
landrover, it gets bumped up a kerb and left sitting with all
four wheels on the pavement! Just in time for me to thank Geoff
for the excellant, but slightly worrying, morning and jump on
the train SECONDS before it left!
My lack of breakfast soon caught up with me (well, it was an
eleven hour train journey!) and I found myself spending a
fortune to BR's profit. So when we pulled into Edinburgh and
the inspector announced a twenty minute delay, I jumped off the
train, down the high street, found a Burger King, and ran back
to catch the train for Dundee!
CM
I got back in about midnight on the Sunday night, and with a
degree exam the next day, most people would have spent the vast
majority of the time studying. Not me. I spent 12 hours sleeping
before getting an hour's revision in and going in to the exam.
Still, I'm quietly confident that I'll pass.
At least, I'm confident that I'll be quiet if I don't pass.
Anyway, that was the tale of Adrian and Catherine's happy day,
so I hope you'll all wish them every happiness, and that I'll
get invited to any anniversary do's they have - as long as they
don't put them the day before my first degree exam!
As mentioned in last month's newsletter, although there is still
a waiting list for Disc Drives, SAMBuses and Mice, we do have
other hardware in stock - 1 Megs, 256Ks, Printer Interfaces,
Power Supplies and Keyboards. If you're interested in any of
these, give me a ring to check I've still got them.
CA Lemmings Codes - The Final Chapter...
Sorry about that really cruel thing I did last month. Has
anyone had any luck in completing ON!ML? If not, then here are
the last three codes for Havoc. I'm not going to print the
completion screen password ever, so you'll have to at least
complete the last level by yourselves.
Level Name Code
18 Lemmings in a situation OBAIGJML
19 Looks a Big Nippy Out There RHQXIJJC
20 LOoK BeFoRe YoU LeAp! QHZWIJPI
And there you have it. You can now play every level to the
superb Oh No! More Lemmings. Value for money or what?
On the next page is an article on solving problems with
E-tracker, Mousedriver and BASIC. I don't know who did it, but
it is VERY useful, especially the last bit about SAM BASIC.
?? Tiresome Interruptions
Some of you have found difficulty in installing and running the
interrupt driven player from the E-tracker disc with the new
mousedriver (though the same applies to the old mousedriver).
There are two solutions, depending if you have MasterBASIC
loaded or not:
SAMDOS: Run the interrupt poker routine
Enter this poke: DPOKE &5BC8,16384+130
Load Mousedriver
It moves the end of the system heap, protecting the player so
its not overwritten. The player HAS to go in first otherwise it
crashes. I've tried relocating the player, but it doesn't like
it anywhere else.
MASTERBASIC:
Run the interrupt poker routine
Enter LET j=RESERVED(130)
?? E-Tracker Cracker!
Load Mousedriver
This does the same as above, but in a neater way.
Another point is that the interrupt E-tracker player corrupts
large BASIC files if you have the tune running while trying to
SAVE or LOAD. You must turn the tune off to make sure you don't
corrupt your file. But the moral is KEEP BACKUPS! I found to
my horror that my backup was quite a few versions behind.
One trick with E-tracker is if you wish to pause the interrupt
tune to say, play another, then resume it do this:
Once the tune is playing enter:
DPOKE 23408,73 to stop it.
DPOKE 23408,16436 to restart it.
(The above poke is to a vector which is called 50 times a
second. It normally calls address 73 in the ROM but in the
technical manual it just says reserved. Anyone know what it
?? BASIC Solutions
does?)
When you load the new mousedriver, place a short pause, say
PAUSE 5 after loading it, or it may default to keys
automatically even if the mouse is connected, if you have POKEs
after the LOAD.
Lastly, has anyone else had problems with SAM Basic [Has anyone
NOT had problems! - CA] with the version 3.0 ROM fitted. SAM
occasionally starts to behave strange. For example, the line:
PRINT AT 1,5;a$ would give me the error 'NONSENSE IN BASIC' when
run, but when entered from the keyboard it worked OK. The
solution, if you have this problem, is to make sure there is
only ONE command per line. DO NOT separate commands with a
colon. If this still persists, enter some rem statements at the
start of the program to push the BASIC away from a page
boundary.
CA Disc Contents
This months selection should keep you all contented (puke),
because once again we've got a wide selection of things so you
must like something (as well as my editorial, of course).
The slot D tenner goes to Andrew Chandler this month with a
really nice looking puzzle/strategy game called 'Gem-X'. The
idea of the game is to match the colour of the tiles on the left
side of the screen with those on the right. This is done by
selcting a gem. This will then increase it's colour up the
scale by two and the surrounding ones will go up by one colour.
Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, the first few levels are, but
they soon get harder. Thankfully, there is a password option,
as well as proper instructions AND a level designer! Mouse or
cursors can be used, and it is presented beautifully. Thanks
Andrew.
In slot E is something that FRED has been missing for a long
time - a demo with sampled speech. The demo is in two parts.
The first part is a Star Trek style starfield which you can
CA Disc Contents
drive around using the controls given to you at the start. By
pressing space, you will hear Captain Picard saying a rather
famous speech in the Star Trek community. Everything is written
in machine code and it looks and sounds terrific. David Laundon
is the brains behind it all, so a big thanks goes to him.
Slot F brings us a utility from Marc 'same Birthday and age as
Colin Anderton, and lives in his birthplace - spooky' Broster.
After having to ignore this utility for months because I
couldn't understand it and I just didn't have the time, I
finally got round to ringing him, and now I think I've got it
sorted. It's a useful utility for machine code programmers
because there are two ways in which you can play with sprites -
as a whole or individually. Doingt it individually is much
quicker, and this is a program which creates the mask and
details and code necessary for this procedure. Unfortunately,
it'7s completely useless for us non machine coders, but is
apparently very clever, and extremely useful for machine coders
all around the country. So, thanks on behalf of them, Marc.
CA Disc Contents
James Curry appears to be doing his best to get a game on every
issue of FRED for a year with a nice little two player sports
game. The aim of the game is to smash the little ball thing
into the other players goal, a sort of futuristic footy game I
suppose. Anyway, invite a friend over (or grab your sister) and
bet hundreds of pounds on every game.
The menu (please note how I remembered this time, and I haven't
just tagged a two line 'Cheers' on the end!) has been written by
those busy brothers down at Jupiter Software. You may have
noticed that it has been written in SAM C and looks lovely. If
you want the source code for it, see their letter in the letters
section. I may talk them into doing a C article for next month
actually.
E-tunes are once again from Mr Hartley and Mr Bailey. They're
very good, too. And there are eight.
In slot K we have a beat-em-up. Possibly the first on the SAM,
CA Disc Contents
but who knows. It's written in BASIC, but is really well
presented and quite fun to play (despite the occasional key
collision). If you play on your SAM all on your own, just
pretend the other person is Colin Macdonald. I did that and
I've never had so much fun on a beat-em-up (I played it for 45
hours until I collapsed). Ben Yates is the genius behind this.
Rachel makes its penultimate appearance on FRED as the story
hots up to an unbeatable climax. I really must read one of them
some time.
I've got millions of adverts from everyone since I said they
were free. So, God knows which will get on.
Bits n Bobs next. Well, firstly there's a help thing for MIALL,
the artificial intelligence program on issue 56. It explains
how it works and what you can do. Andrew Chandler, another of
those hard workers (I love you all) is responsible for this.
CA Disc Contents
Martin Fitzpatrick has written a simple upward scroller program,
after being influenced by the Debut demo. Have a look and you
too will be able to write BASIC upwards scrollies.
And finally, there's universe by Darren Martin - an update to
the one years ago by Andrew Collier. Thanks Darren.
And I'll dig out some screens and some mods.
Well, don't misbehave while I'm gone. I'll be back to check up
on you in four weeks in issue 60. Please write something for
it, even if it's only an entry to the 'Incredibly Rubbish Game
Competition'. And I want lots of letters of congratulations and
general nonsense (as well as a couple of normal ones).
See you then. I'll leave you now in the capable hands of FRED's
very own film critic, Darren Martin.
CA Thank you
Manager : COLIN 'Made his editor PAY for SAM C' MACDONALD
Dogsbody : COLIN 'Specialist strawberry packer!' ANDERTON
And thank you to the very hard workers, namely:
ANDREW CHANDLER & JACK BAILEY A. HODGEKINSON & MATT ROUND
STEVE EKINS & ROGER HARTLEY JAMES HORSFALL & JAMES CURRY
TERRY EKINS & STEVEN PICK DIGGORY GRAY & DEREK MORGAN
MARC BROSTER & BEN YATES
DAVID LAUNDON & MARTIN FITZPATRICK
FRED is available from:- [redacted]
Next Month: The best in software
Regular PD section
BIG Anonimity section
Double Colin's interview
CA PD Section...
As of next month, I hope to have a regular PD slot after the
thanks. If you have a PD library and would like us to review
your stuff, get in touch with Colin and he'll pass your phone
number on to me. We'll provide the discs and postage, you just
provide the software.
Similarly, if anyone reading this has just bought some PD
software and would like to review it, please do. Rather than a
full review, I'm just after an explanation of what it is and a
few lines saying what you think of it ("I like it because...",
"it's a dreadful waste of money...","It's good but...",etc.). I
should then be able to fit them into a nice little section.
In the mean-time, SAM PD have made a catalogue disc, which has a
couple of demos on as well as the complete listing of software.
It will cost you a pound, but is well worth it. Their address
is in the adverts section.
DM Film Reviews
Reviewed this month are Don Juan de Marco,Demon Knight,Kiss of
Death,Bad Boys and Tank Girl....
-Don Juan de Marco (15)
Starring: Johnny Depp,Faye Dunaway and Marlon Brando
We start in modern day America where a pyschiatrist(Brando) is
called to help talk down a suicidal Johnny Depp,claiming to be
the legendary Don Juan de Marco,the worlds greatest lover.Not to
be swayed by this claim,Brando talks Depp down and admits him to
a mental institute.Although near retirement,Brando persuades his
boss to allow him to take on Depp's case.He is given ten days to
cure Depp of this dellusion,when he must either be admitted or
set free.
The film then sets into a nice gentle pattern of talks between
Brando and Depp(complete with outfit,tan and beard).Don Juan
goes on to explain the history of his mother and father in his
isolated village in Mexico,the duelling and disgraced death of
his father led him to wear his black eye mask,his departure from
Mexico into the hands of a sultans harem,etc.
Through these talks with Don Juan,Brando begins to realise that
if Depp believes he is Don Juan in his exoticly romantic worlds,
then so be it.And with an insight into Don Juan's heart,Brando's
own romantic spark becomes rekindled.This contagious effect of
Don Juan isnt just limited to Brando,soon the women and some of
the most unlikely males become wrapped up.
The film is paced gently,not in-yer-face stuff.The photography
of Don Juan's past exploits is shot with an wonderful exotic
feel.Bryan Adams soundtrack is little heard,thank god,and you
come out feeling good.Definately a movie to go and see with your
partner(thats as politically correct as I get)and not too taxing
on the brain.
A romance of lovely,gentle...nice proportions.
-Tales from the Crypt:Demon Knight (18)
Starring:Billy Zane,William Sadler,Jada Pinkett and Brenda Bakke
The American horror TV series finally reaches the movies with a
gory,frightening and often hilarious tale.After the introduction
from the Crypt Keeper(a demonic wise-cracking fiend,for those
who havent seen him on Sky One),we are plunged into the action
(or hack-tion,as the Crypt Keeper would have it).
It begins with a car chase in which Zane is chasing Sadler on a
dark country road.After a close escape Sadler befriends a tramp
and ends up at a boarding house/whore house.Accommanying the
police,Zane arrives to retrive an ancient relic stolen by Sadler
It soon turns out that Zane is the one to be feared after
summoning up hideous demons to get Sadler.
What forms is a battle between good and evil in their extremist
of cases(Jesus Christ and a devilish minion,no less).The demons
only need one more of seven keys to unleash darkness upon the
world.It is this last key that Sadler holds,one that has been
passed down from the time of Christ.
Using the power of the key Sadler must defend the residents and
prevent the key from falling into the Collecters hands(Zane).
This turns out to be no easy task as the body count rises and
demonic pocessions begin to reduce the cast.Perhaps the deadlist
threat is Zanes charisma,which adds imensely to the enjoyment of
the film.
This is a very typical horror movie at its best.The tongue in
cheek humour easliy outweighs the unoriginal plot and the low
budget they seem to have to have contended with.Billy Zanes'
performance is funny,but always with a fearsome edge(a little
like his character in Dead Calm).Dont forget this is an eighteen
certificate and the gore and sudden frights certainly live up to
it.Although,if your anything like me,the gore is one of the
funny elements.Especially when (if your going to watch this then
skip ahead) Zane turns to punch a sheriff in the face and his
fist burts straight through and becomes stuck on his arm!
This is must if you are missing this kind of horror,or are sick
to death of movies like Don Juan above.
(There was also a trailer for Die Hard with a Vengence.Wow! That
is gonna be one hell of a movie)
-Kiss of Death (18)
Starring: Nicholas Cage,David Caruso and Samuel L. Jackson
This is a film that suprised me because I didnt think Hollywood
produced pictures this dire anymore.We have a wonderful cast,
although Cage seems way out of place as the nasty bad guy.David
Caruso,the carrot-top from NYPD Blue,manages reasonably well on
the silver screen.He plays our hero:an out of luck,lifes-a-bitch
family man.While helping out a desperate friend to transport
cars,there is a police raid in which we meet the Man himself,
Samuel L. Jackson.After a tragic shooting incident,Caruso finds
himself in jail.Soon tragedy after tragedy strikes his family
and he decides to help the police break up the gangs and car
stealing racket.
Aided by Jackson he goes undercover into a gang whose main heavy
is Cage.What follows is a series of cover-ups,loyalties and
violence.
Looking at the plot of this movie makes it sound intresting,but
quite frankly its crap with a capital S! From the very beginning
I got a feeling in my bowels that I'd wasted £5.It reminded me
of the sort of film that ITV show at 2 am when you crawl in from
the pub.Its full of cliches and cringe-worthy lines.Everyone
seems to be trying too hard at their part,and they all play it
tough when theres not always the need.Mixed in with all this is
the main driving force of the plot,Caruso's child.Sentimental,
yes;bearable,no.
The only saviour of this film is Samuel L. Jackson,who is
excellent in whatever he does.His good-guy but scorned cop is a
nice role,and Jackson can pull off any old lines with ease.
Take my advice:keep away from this film like you would with
someone who has Ebola Zaire.
(Anyone who has seen this movie,maybe you could shed a little
light on the mystery of why the title "Kiss of Death"? Its got
me foxed.)
(Another super trailer fo Batman Returns.What a summer of movies
its going to be!)
-Bad Boys (18)
Starring: Will"Fresh Prince"Smith,Martin Lawrence,Lisa Boyle
Detectives Burnett and Lowrey are our stars,played by Lawrence
and Smith who must retrieve a million dollar haul of herione.The
drugs were snatched from under the polices noses by the crooks,
and now the police department faces closure if the embarrasment
cannot be prevented.Following the crooks is a trail of murder,
and the cops only hope is a witness to one of the shootings.The
problem being that she will only talk to the temporarily absent
Lowrey.Desperate for the witness Burnett,Lowreys partner,
pretends to be the cool,rich womanising Lowrey.It soon happens
that Burnett must keep up this charade throughout the case!
This is a good movie with plenty of laughs,the situation
swapping of Burnett into Lowreys home and lifestyle,and vice
versa,with Lowrey moving in to look after Burnetts wife and kids
is hilarious.The source of the films main humour is the
bickering between Burnett and Lowrey and it puts you in mind of
Lethal Weapons Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.The "brother" thing
is resemblant of White Men Cant Jump with some smashin' one
liners.
Being an action movie,its got the guns,car chases,explosions and
violence,that no film maker would be without.But an action
movie is a tried and tested formula and theres not much new that
can be done.Therefore there are some beautiful cliches that Kiss
of Death would be proud of.
If you can shrug off that feeling of deja vu then this film is
very good,with some very funny moments that will give you
abdominal pains.
-Tank Girl (15)
Starring: Lori Petty,Ice T,Malcolm McDowell,Iggy Pop
This is the first main comic book to movie film of the year,
following closely behind are Judge Dredd and Batman.Although
this is probably the worst it deserves alot more respect for its
British creators,Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin.(no relative)
It is set in the year 2033,where a comet has devastated the
enviroment and made water the rarest and most sought after
resource.Water and Power are the company who ruthlessly own most
of the water.Malcolm McDowell is the man in charge.He owns 95%
of the desert and he wants that other 5%.Unluckly for him it
happens to be where our heroine lives,Rebecca Buck(Petty).Shes
a cigarette smoking,beer drinking,gun shooting,bad dressed,foul
mouthed,sexy anti-heroine.
When Water and Power come to take the land she is captured and
most of her loved ones are killed.She is tortured by McDowell
and put to work in the mines.Here she meets the techical super
brain xxxxx (Im sorry but I cant remember her name).Together
they escape with a plane and a tank and stumble upon the
genetically altered half man,half kangaroo rebels.Now they have
an attack force with which to strike revenge upon Water and
Power.
This film is a riot,very off beat and different from anything
thats come before.The live action is intermixed with anmimated
shots of the manga comic.The soundtrack is fairly good with L7
and Bjork supplying some of the sounds for the faster parts.If
you happen to be in a good cinema then you'll motice some good
surround sound effects.Some parts are very funny and the half
man,half kangaroos are excellent.But all the limelight must go
to Lori Petty for here portrayal of Tank Girl,although toned
down from the comic,she is very convincing,playing her wild and
a little mad.
Sadly,though,the film is lacking in areas and tends to drag on
in places.Even for a manga origin it is a little odd in places
and you may find yourself smirking AT it,not laughing WITH it.
Your enjoyment of the film will me improved if you go in not
quite serious with yourself(I find a couple of pints help).
Letters & Reviews
Letter From James Horsfall
Dear Sirs, [ooh - CA]
I am writing to ask if you or anyone else to your knowledge
may be considering a SAM version of Scrabble?
I have the Spectrum Psion version [me too - CA] but the 48K
capacity for vocabulary is extremely limited and not very up to
date.
Scrabble is increasingly popular, I think, and Chambers, whose
dictionary is used in tournaments, now publish a full list of
allowable words - OSW (Official Scrabble Words). You already
have SpellMaster at your disposal.
I enclose an anagram solver for 7-letter words, and have one for
8 letter words which I would willingly give you if you were to
start a new vocabulary and be prepared to write/convert the
game. I would gladly supply more.
James Horsfall
CA Reply to James Horsfall
Did anyone get the hint about a scrabble game there? If anyone
is writing one, and would like an anagram solver, get in touch.
If anyone is considering writing a scrabble game, but thinks
that BASIC would not be sufficient and machine code is
unlearnable, just remember that a certain new widely used
language recently released by FRED would be the ideal language
to use - it's fast at everything (especially maths), it's easy
to program and a bargain at just £19.99. And it's called SAM C
incase no-one caught on.
CA Letter From Diggory Gray & FRED Improvements
This is a bit confusing now. I'll include Diggory's ideas, and
then interrupt him to stick in any other ideas that people had,
then comment on them. My bits are in square brackets, Diggory
has said the rest.
Letter From Diggory Gray
Hello Colin & Colin,
I'm writing to tell you my change of address, and while I'm
writing, I've remembered that you wanted some comments on the
contents of FRED, etc.
The items on FRED are great! [Generally agreed with, although
lots of people are getting a bit sick of standard shoot-em-ups,
a point which programmers may want to bear in mind. The other
little moan was that the number of text articles has increased.
Come on, FRED is primarily a magazine! We will try to keep them
more SAM related, but it makes an alternative read. Rachel
finishes soon, anyway. - CA]
Letter From Diggory Gray & FRED Improvements
I think the A-N menu is alright, but I think some different
types of menus might be a good idea. [I get the feeling that
I'd be strung up if I changed the A-N style! The problem
programmers have is that they can't think of new ideas for menus
or games or demos or anything. They seem to have the ability
but no ideas. Therefore, if anyone has any ideas for a game,
menu or demo, send it in and I'll pass it on to a very grateful
programmer. You'll no doubt get a big mention when he (or she?)
gets it written. - CA]
The editorial is O.K., but couldn't you include an E-tune/MOD
player into the text reader? This would make this part of the
disc more... er... "asounding".
[Having music playing with the editorial was surprisingly
popular. A new reader was being called for as well. There are
currently two text viewers being written, but they do seem to be
taking a while, I know. Writing a good viewer takes a long
time, but they are being worked on. One I know will be a
Letter From Diggory Gray & FRED Improvements
hyper-text viewer, but this could take a while (unless the
writer has a sudden burst of inspiration). The other is going
to include dozens of extra features over the current one and
boasts excellent compression. This should come first, I only
hope it comes soon. If by some ironic disaster (but a wonderful
disaster to have to cope with) I get them both at the same time,
or within a couple of months of each other, I'll either
alternate, or use one for the editorial and the other for
letters and other text articles.
Having music playing with the text sections would be great, but
I can't afford to lose the E-tunes section completely. It's
important to have lots of regular slots so that there is no need
to ask for another program each month. This can only result in
lower programming standards as I moan at people to finish their
stuff quickly. The idea, however, has been suggested to both
programmers and it is really up to them to decide. - CA]
The big money issue - I think the tokens for buying FRED stuff
Letter From Diggory Gray & FRED Improvements
when you send in programs is a good idea, as when you sent me
£10 for 'Rain', I just went to the show and bought 5 back issues
of FRED with it. Also, I'm not too bothered about getting vast
amounts of money to program things & send them in to FRED.
[Programmers in general seemed to be concerned about the loss of
contribution payment, but everyone who has so far written is
happy with the £5 and £10 vouchers that are sent out as payment.
I think most people program for the pleasure of it. - CA]
[The other issue that a number of people mentioned was that they
wanted a new Bits and Bobs front end. So do I! Come on
some-body, get writing one. I could use the menus that people
send that I can't use because I get so many of them. What do
you think? - CA]
That's about it. FRED is great [Unanimous decision! - CA]
Diggory Gray
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
Dear Lots Of People,
Yes, after a little spell away from the
keyboard, I'm back by popular demand (Of my dog, who realised
this was the only time I wouldn't kick him (aaaaawww, that was a
bit cruel)).
Howards Way is now back on TV, it was bad enough when it was
first around and even then people laughed at the clothes they
wore and the bad acting.
Well whats happened since the last little bit of writing was
here?
Quazar, now thats a good word, in the proper dosage and under
prescription of course (KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN). At last
it's finally arrived... 60 blooooody quid, I beggar your pardon
I must be going a tiny bit deaf.
I suppose it's not actually that bad, PC cards are a lot more
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
(but then so are the computers). I forked out £49.99 for a
SamBus just so the printer lead would reach - but I'm just daft.
What I think is needed for the Quazar to take off is Software.
It's okay saying more softwares on the way - but are people
ever going to believe that?
If demo's on FRED started using Quazar sound FX then people will
probably buy one, though thats not a certainty. Sound on the PC
needed a SoundCard, the only other option was the Beepy speaker.
But the Sam can still produce good sound as it is.
Well there you go (Uncle Bulgaria).
Also on the way are Hard Drives... I think it will need a cool
name to be worth buying. Something like 'Little Buggar' or
'Disk Masher' or something that will get people of all ages down
to the shops to buy one.
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
Now what is there to talk about...
Well usually when I get to this stage I tell a joke. Right a
little story to explain how this one came about....
In our school we have a teacher called Mr Stones (who looks like
every member of ABBA rolled into one). Anyway he wants us to
join the 'Drama Club' - He doesn't seem to realise that me and
my mates have no acting skills, but he says we do, and thats
only because of our 'Hitler' plays last year, which I'm sure he
didn't undersand (if he had we would have probably got expelled)
So, Mr Stones came up to us in the corridor one break and
said...
"So I take it you boys have joined the drama club then?"
"No"
"Why Not?"
"We dont want to"
"Why Not?"
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
"Okay, we'll think about it, just leave us alone"
So then he started to walk off, and walk back. He came up to me
and said...
"You've got a sense of humour haven't you?"
"Depends"
"Here's a joke"
"Hooray"
"How do you make a Penguin jump higher?"
"I dont know, How do you make a Penguin jump higher?"
"Give him rubber legs"
"Ha Ha hahahaha"
"Haa haaaha aa (Hysterics)"
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
He then walked away, while me and my mates looked confused.
Well there you go. I'm off now (well theres a funny smell
anyway (ha ha ha)).
Now I'm off to find my rubber legs.
Oh and Colin Anderpants, hows the Queen, her dog told me you and
her were good friends and went out every night.
CA Reply to Martin Fitz-cat-sick
WHAT DID YOU CALL ME???? COLIN ANDERPANTS??? YOU DIE, BOY.
Sixty quid does seem a bit steep when you're only improving the
sound quality of the SAM. However, the increase is incredible
and eventually software will be written for Quazar. The only
problem is that programmers won't buy it until programs are
CA Reply to Martin Fitzpatrick
written for it, which they won't write because they don't have
it, so they won't write it, and, aaarrrrggghhhh - a looping
double thingumy. Having said that though, Colin Piggot is doing
a good job of talking people into sticking Quazar support in
games, and plenty should follow. I guess you'll have to wait
and see...
Those hard drive names were very catchy, I must admit. What if
it was called 'The Swazzer', though? I'd buy two if it was
called that.
The Queen's fine, thanks. She sends her love. You'll never
guess what she bought me for my Birthday. Hong Kong. Straight
up, seriously, guv. Come round and visit one day.
Letter From Derek Morgan
Dear Colin and Colin
Many thanks for issue 57, an excellent issue.
I'm not one for doing reviews, but I would like to mention the
SAMdac that you reported on last month.
The SAMdac, being the ready made version of the EDDAC that was
in FRED 41 as a build it yourself sound board.
I was really impressed by the quality of the sound from the
SAMdac. This little sound interface plugs into a printer
interface and puts the sound back into the computer, so the
sound comes out of your TV or monitor. You can connect the
SAMdac to external Speakers if you have them.
MODs played through the SAMdac are simply incredible. I found
them to be equal to the PC and Amiga Mods, which they are.
Letter From Derek Morgan
As the Mods are played though the SAMdac with the screen on. I
hope that we will soon see programs and games with SAMdac sounds
on them.
Just incase some of your readers skip though what's new on the
Sam Public Domain scene, I would like to inform them that
Revelation software have made the SAM COUPE ARCADE DEVELOPMENT
SYSTEM (SCADS) Public Domain.
Derek Morgan
CA Reply To Derek Morgan
Cheers, Derek. You had to get your little plug in at the end
didn't you? I bet that was the whole reason you wrote. The
comments on SAMdac were just there so I'd stick the letter in.
And now I've drawn even more attention to your plug. Darn.
Letter From Marc Broster
hi,
i thought it might be cool to type all this text in lower case,
but this just makes it real hard to read (snigger).
[Lots of info on the Sprite Util was here, but I've stuck that
with the program in slot F, just for your convenience - CA]
to be honest, i've really lost interest in coding, i really
enjoy finding soloutions to problems and writing algorthims to
implement them (what i will probaly be doing for the rest of my
life) but i don't enjoy searching through source code to spot
stupid mistakes. actually, i don't think, well i know, that i am
any good at coding, i am the kind of person that makes loads of
mistakes (i actually got sacked from a job in marks and spencer
for this!) and that's not what you need when you want to write
code quickly. if you've got several months to write a routine
however, no problem.
Letter From Marc Broster
following on from that, i was pleased to read that fred is
publising a c complier (who's responsible for coding it?) which
i am really looking forward to using. as colin said, c is more
of a step up from assembly then a full high level language, but
is definitely a great improvement, as it allows you to
concentrate on programming rather than coding. i'am also pleased
to see that it's being realsed for £20.
however, i don't think it will result in demos or games that
really push sam to the limits, as you lose a lot of control
over the processor, neither do i think it will have the same
effect as gamesmaster, which resulted in lots of resonable
games, as it isn't all that easy to use. i could be wrong.
[We'll PROVE that you're wrong. Give us time. - CA]
marc broster
CA Reply To Marc Broster
You're right, lower case is annoying and hard to read. Don't do
it in future.
Sorry to hear that you're sick of coding. Some of the stuff
you've done is really great. Have a little rest, I'm sure
you'll one day suddenly be hit with the enthusiasm to write
something amazing.
We're pleased you're looking forward to using SAM C, but why are
you so negative about it's capabilities? The whole point is
that it will constantly be expanded and there will be a massive
flurry of PC programs and new SAM programs coming over the next
few years. They have the potential of being very good - better
and faster than gamesmaster has produced. I guess you'll have
to believe us until people begin writing things.
Letter From Jupiter Software
Dear Mr Colin, After your hint for a review copy of AMALTHEA
(the game that sold out at the last show!) and all the nice
things you said about MEGABLAST (rated at 80%+ by other
magazines!) how could we refuse.
The menu was written in SAM C, If anyone wants a copy of the
source code (also available in ascii for non C owners), send us
a blank FORMATTED disk and an SAE and we will send it to you as
well as a load of free games & demos.
Our address is in the scrolly, but for slow writers, here it is
again.
JUPITER SOFTWARE
[redacted]
Also is there any demand for an advanced SCADs manual? Now that
Letter From Jupiter Software
SCADs is PD, we may finish our manual. If more than a couple of
people would like one, write in and let us know.
Thats all from me, now its Mr Colins turn I think!
PS Hello to everyone We met at the sam shows.
CA Reply to Jupiter Software
I wish I knew whether I was speaking to Terry or Steve. There's
two brothers in Jupiter Software you see and they insist on
making you guess which one is writing.
You're not going to make me feel guilty about giving Megablast a
low mark, not matter how hard you try.
OK, I'M SORRY. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. It's not my fault
it's a load of rubbish. No, only joking. Seriously though,
CA Reply to Jupiter Software
remember my reviews are simply my opinions. That's why I'd like
more people to review things. Besides, I liked Booty.
Personally, I think SCADs is an amazing program. The language
is relatively easy to learn and the editor is the best I've
ever seen for a Games creating package. The manual it has with
it is absolutely brilliant in my opinion. Before I read it, I
knew very little about games creating, and it filled me in
completely.
Rather than a more advanced manual, I want to see a SCADs
compiler. I know it's a large project, but it really is a
necessity. SCADs runs far too slow, but a compiler would shoot
it way above Gamesmaster (which with-out the speed, it falls
behind). Someone please write a compiler.
In the mean-time, I'm always after any handy articles on
programming either SCADs or Gamesmaster or SAM C. By the way,
great menu Jupiter.
CA Review of Safari Sam
METROPOLIS SOFTWARE : £5.50 : MARTIN FITZPATRICK
Sam (unfortunately not the robot - I don't think) is going on
holiday. Whilst taking a number of short-cuts to the airport,
he ends up three hours late. Luckily (ahem), the plane hasn't
left yet due to engine trouble. Sam boards the (very dodgey)
plane and after a couple of attempts, it is skyborne. Living up
to its reputation, the plane conks out and begins to fall out of
the sky.
By a lucky coincidence (which is necessary else it wouldn't be
much of a game!) Sam survives the fall with only a bang on the
head. A gun materialises in front of him as Sam finds himself
in the jungle. He picks up the gun and begins his journey home.
Safari Sam is a platformer (hooray). It's a relatively small
game with only three levels and has been written in SCADs by
Martin Fitzpatrick. Sam must collect the key on each level then
reach the exit, killing nasty hunters that get in the way and
CA Safari Sam
doing his best not to kill the little animals. The controls are
the usual for a simple platformer - left, right, jump and fire.
To review the game properly, let's go back to the start. Safari
Sam comes on one disc. Upon booting there's a simple, but very
very nice introduction. The menu is excellent with plenty of
options including difficulty, toggle FX, change keys (which can
also be done in the game), story and instrcutions. The menu is
simple to use, with a reasonable e-tracker tune (by Rik Moore)
playing, the instructions are clear enough, the story is long
but humorous enough to stop you getting bored and the grammar is
nearly perfect.
After you've decided on what options to select, you can start
the game. A different little picture greets you at the start
and finish of each level, all adding to the professional feel of
the program.
Then the game starts. The sprites are average sized (about 8 by
CA Safari Sam
12 I think), the graphics are nothing amazing, but adequate and
easily recognisable (and all done by Martin). The enemies are
very nice in that they fire back a lot (as they would if it were
realistic) and don't just walk around like lemons waiting to be
shot. Your life is in terms of energy, so one shot won't kill
you.
The idea is to jump about, shoot all the men in your way
(without wasting all your ammo) and reach the end of the level.
It is a really simple game, and there isn't much to it apart
from that. You die when your energy runs out or when you fall
off the bottom of the screen (very annoying). It's definitely
not a game which will stun you with it's new ideas, but it does
have a strange addictive quality to it. You have only one life,
so if you die on level 3, you go back to the start of level 1.
When you complete the game, you start again on a higher
difficulty.
It is nice to have another platformer released, even if it is a
CA Safari Sam
SCADs game. It's also nice to see that F9 software are
releasing plenty of decent budget games, although I hope they
don't release too many that aren't up to the required standard.
Overall, it is pretty obvious that Safari Sam is a pretty
standard average game. Martin has done a very good job of
turning what could have beena pile of rubbish into something
that is nice to look at and enjoyable to play. I doubt its
lastng qualities after you have completed it, and I also doubt
it'll take long before you do get through the game (remember, it
only has 3 levels). However, if you like the odd platformer or
are looking for a little budget game, have a look at it.
Playability : 61%
Lastability : 43%
Graphics : 55%
Sound : 50%
Overall : 57%
CA Review Of Amalthea
JUPITER SOFTWARE : £9.99 : STEVEN & TERRY EKINS
Flying through the solar system is a busy job. So busy in fact,
that it's just so easy to over-look that tiny detail of
maintenance. Hence, if a leaking fuel valve occurs, don't be
surprised. Just follow the procedure and make an emergency
landing and re-fuel.
This problem faces you, the elegant hero of the game. The
nearest fuel station is several billion miles away (a few hours
journey in a space ship). You have no choice but to make your
way to the automated mining station called...
AMALTHEA
Amalthea is stocked with the resources you need, although ships
has been banned from using the station and no reason was given.
Well, boarding the station reveals just why. Hundreds of blood
thirsty aliens, that walk in very straight lines backwards and
CA Amalthea
forwards, await you. You have no option other than to bring
along your gun and risk your life to save the ship.
The object of the game is to complete the seven zones of alien
mayhem while collecting the power crystals necessary to allow
take off. As well as the power crystals, scattered around are
keys, ammo, first aid and credits (which are required to buy
extra weapons and ammo). Aliens scout the area - these can be
killed by repeated shooting, although ammo is limited, so it may
be a better idea to avoid them where possible. Collect the
power crystals (although don't shoot them or they'll blow up)
and locate the exit to go onto the next level.
The game is programmed by Terry and Steven Ekins, aka Jupiter
Software. It comes on 3 discs (cripes) and has a manual. The
manual is unfortunately a couple of photocopied sheets folded
into a booklet, but it's a nice touch and does make it feel
slightly more professional. Amalthea boasts the fact that it is
the first commercial game to support Quazar Surround Sound. The
CA Amalthea
introduction is simply a couple of screens, followed by a
machine coded menu with music by Roger Hartley.
The game has two different types of zones - overhead and side
on. You begin in an overhead zone, so that's where I'll start.
The controls are simple enough. It's just an 8 directional,
move in the direction you press thing and you shoot straight
forward. The graphics are wierd because some are really
excellent (an alien with a swinging tail is great), but some are
far too plain and some are too small (namely the objects).
Aliens follow simple paths in the first level but these get more
devious as you progress. There is a time limit, and you can
only find this out by using a computer, which is a bit annoying.
At the computers, you can buy better weapons, ammo, first aid
and look at your time. They've got the time limits perfect, but
I would definitely have preferred an on screen display of it.
If you have ever used SCADs, you should be able to tell that the
game has been written using it by playing the first level. I'm
CA Amalthea
not sure how you can tell - they've done a good job of hiding
the fact, and the game is really smooth, but there's just
something that says 'SCADs'.
The second type of zone is my favourite. It's side on, but you
still have to do the same thing - collect the pods, shoot the
aliens. The difference is that now it's more of a platformer.
The grpahics are pretty big, which is good, and are by Steven
Pick so you know they're really good. I'd have preferred a
flying creature to the grey spaceship thing that comes for you,
but that's just me being picky. Apart from that, the gameplay
on this level is really excellent. On all the zones, the levels
have been planned out beautifully, so that there's a large
enough map which takes a few goes to get used to. The
difficulty rating is absolutely perfect and a lot of time and
effort seems to have gone into working out maps, times and all
these sorts of little things.
When you die you go back to the start of the zone and try again
CA Amalthea
until you run out of lives or patience.
I had someone watching me when I played this, and they thought
it looked really boring. The overhead views could do with more
action (or larger graphics) but the game plays really well.
Apparently, it's like Alien Breed on the Amiga, but I've never
played it, so don't take my word for it. The Quazar Surround
Sound? Well, I don't have Quazar, so I can't comment on it
fully, but a few people heard it at the show and said it was
very clear and didn't interrupt the game-play.
The major gripe unfortunately is the price. Charging £10 for a
SCADs game sounds too much, and in my opinion is. After all,
it's just a simple game that's been written on SCADs and made
big and smooth. However, it is the best SCADs game on the SAM
and all the small details, like the map and difficulty curve,
are just right. I read a review where someone called it a
shoot-em-up, but I can't help feeling that it's too tactical to
be called a plain shoot-em-up. If you're feeling rich, then buy
CA Amalthea
it. It's a good game, just slightly over-priced.
Playability : 79%
Lastability : 69% *****************
Graphics : 84% * *
Sound (Without Quazar) : 59% * AWARD : *
(With Quazar) : 90% * BRONZE FREDAL *
* *
Overall : 77% *****************
CA Review of Joystick Power
ZEDDSOFT : £3.00 : WAYNE COLES
Joystick Power is one of Zeddsoft's first games, written by new
machine code talent, Wayne Coles. Music is by Lee Willis and
graphics are by Nicholas Bay.
CA Joystick Power
So, it's got a nice looking menu allowing you to change the time
limit, or play either the waggling game or the button pressing
game. Sounds a bit dull doesn't it? Well, it is, that's why.
The first "game" is where you are confronted with a large
joystick sprite, and you have to waggle the stick left and right
(or you can use keys 6 and 7). As you waggle your joystick, the
rather obscene looking sprite waggles left and right
accordingly. It doesn't miss anything because it runs very
quickly. However, when ten seconds is up, that's it. If you
get the highest score (5 points for a waggle) you get to put
your name on the temporary high score table.
The other "game" is pretty similar. It has a big picture of a
joystick fire button, and you have to press fire (or 0)
repeatedly as quickly as possible for ten seconds. Again, a
high score puts you on the high score table.
And that's it. Apparently, it's supposed to be lots of fun if
CA Joystick Power
you invite your mates round to play all night to get the best
score. You'd have to have pretty sad mates, though.
Fair enough, the music is good, the menu is nice and it's fast.
But the game is a waste of time. It's a great shame because
Wayne Coles has loads of programming talent (his sprite program
looks great and it'll be reviewed next month). Wayne, write
something good like one of the games you showed me you were
starting at the show. All Joystick Power can do is knacker your
joystick in.
One magazine gave it 68% - above average for a game. Why????
Playability : 12%
Lastability : 10%
Graphics : 46%
Sound : 60%
Overall : 16%
CA Addresses
SAFARI SAM : F9 Software
[redacted]
JOYSTICK POWER : Zedd Soft,
[redacted]
AMALTHEA : Phoenix Orders
[redacted]
Rachel (ctd.)
Deep in space, a Thing drifted.
It was bigger than a Peribeetle, but then most things are.
It was bigger than a house, as a mountain is bigger than an
atom.
It was bigger than an asteroid, as a star is bigger than a
planet.
It was bigger than Peri Beta, as something bigger than Peri
Beta is bigger than Peri Beta.
And it was bigger than Peri Alpha, which is what seemed to
cause the trouble.
Because at this size, the Thing looked like a planet.
It hadn't to start with. Originally it looked like some sort of
cute ovoid puffball. That is, if any living creature that
staggeringly large can be called a puffball. But years of
circling round planets, watching what was going on, spinning
through the galaxies, leaping from place to place, an
intergalactic tourist to crown them all, had left it battered
and mottled. When it finally decided to settle down around Peri
Alpha, its slight but significant gravitational pull had
attracted many objects towards it, and their impacts on its
thousand foot thick skin had left it cratered and streaked with
dust and dirt like the object of its orbit, Peri Alpha. After a
few thousand years, it drifted peacefully and decided to take a
quick forty millennia.
When it woke up, it decided that it needed a bath, since the
several hundred miles of space dust that had collected on it in
this time was starting to get just a little bit heavy. What it
didn't know was, some of the later layers of dust had been
pulled from the surface of Peri Alpha by the now greater
gravitational attraction of the Thing, which had also wrenched
Peri Beta out of its normal orbit and sent it spinning
chaotically between and around the two larger masses causing
tidal and atmospheric havoc on Alpha.
(It is a well recognised fact that no matter, within limits,
what the disaster, on a well established planet more than one
species will survive and many new ones will spring up, having
adapted to the new conditions on that planet, within a few
thousand years. No-one had ever wondered why only Peribeetles
survived on Alpha; because no-one had ever ventured into the
Strange, New Universe in which it existed to see what was
happening thanks to the Thing.)
Finally, the inevitable happened. Seeing a large sea in which it
thought it could wash at least some of the grime off, the Thing
moved down towards Alpha. Beta crashed into the side of it and
broke into two pieces; one span wildly into space, whilst the
other ploughed deep into Alpha, throwing gases and rock out onto
the Thing, which was wondering what had just hit it. Alpha
shattered into four pieces. Three, and what was left of Peri
Beta, scattered outwards, to eventually fragment further and
fall into orbit around the system's sun to create an asteroid
belt; the fourth, moving slowly, fell into natural orbit around
the Thing, a cold, lifeless lump of rock.
Centuries passed, and the Thing watched what had formed on its
surface with interest. The gases separated from the liquids,
which separated from the rock. Sometimes the Thing would shake,
to settle things out, helping the process...
Soon, no-one would know that the Thing wasn't Peri Alpha, and
the fragment of Alpha wasn't Peri Beta.
What of the Peribeetles? Able to survive the assault of toxicity
which only a few of the other species of Alpha had survived,
they viewed the destruction of Alpha as "Bripp," or, "a typical
example of what can happen if you exist in a Strange, New
Universe, where nothing is as it seems, where anything can
happen, where Physics doesn't apply;" rather than the ordinary
Universe, where just "Physics doesn't apply." They got blown
onto the Thing, where only a handful survived the creation of
seas and rain, hills and valleys; but there they stayed,
surviving against all odds.
The Thing viewed them as pets.
So when, out of the blue, (or black as might be the case; or
pink, green, or a variety of styles and colours to suit your
personal taste - Creators are very obliging when it comes to
Strange, New Universes - ,) a ship arrives, and the Thing's pets
run merrily into it, only to be squashed by a sheep, the Thing
was a little upset.
----
The Cowseeker pointed itself towards Peri Beta (or what was, to
all intents and purposes, Peri Beta,) filled with hopeful crew
looking for cows. Thirty three were yet to be found, but they
didn't care.. They all shared Harold's point of view, for a
change; that to find them shouldn't take long, since there's
only infinity to search. As long as the Bovine Detect-O-Matic
was giving them clues, infinity can be quite a small place.
Inside, Harold was plugged into the navigation console, and the
Bovine Detect-O-Matic. Diggy wandered over.
"What're you doing?" he asked.
"Thinking."
"About what?"
"Peribeetles."
Diggy paused to glance at Freeda who was still trying to
scrape them off her fleece. He turned back to Harold, about to
ask why, when he noticed a dent in his corner.
"What's that dent?"
Harold became pensive.
"You should know! You dropped me!"
"Ah.."
"Now shut up! I'm thinking!"
"Um, er, sorry, er..." replied Diggy, and went somewhere else.
"What a pointless dialogue," commented the Spacerat.
"Merdyl, have you mpmffmfpfpfmf?" asked Diggy.
"Pardon?" answered Merdyl.
Diggy removed the portable camping stove from his mouth, and
wondered why he suddenly couldn't see Merdyl.
"Look up," called Merdyl, from the ceiling.
"Why are you a gibbon?" asked Diggy, becoming a small green
fern.
"I think it's because we aren't on the planet any more,"
answered the Dark, Shadowy Figure. "All those weird effects we
noticed before are starting again." To prove a point, he
metamorphosised into a matching set of curtains and duvet cover.
"Oh great," answered Harold, "that means the navigation
console is going to turn into..."
The navigation console adopted the shape of a fruit salad.
"This is too weird for me," said Freeda, who was changing
colour according to a range of attractive shades of white for
the ideal lakeside home. "And it's getting cramped in here."
"That's only because Arbi's just come onto the Bridge,"
answered the Dark, Shadowy Figure.
"That shouldn't fill up the Bridge though," commented Rachel.
"Not normally, no, but she's changed shape to an estate of
well established four bedroomed family houses in a delightful
rural setting," came the reply.
"Right..." muttered Rachel, slightly confused.
"Hey! We're nearly there!" said Arbi, looking at the
viewscreen, which, as before, had stayed as a viewscreen.
"Thank goodness," said Diggy who was tired of being a fern.
Two minutes later, they landed.
----
The Spacerat blinked, its eyelids moving though two seconds.
"Wonder when they'll realise they're not on Beta?" it thought.
----
And all the while, deep in space, forgotten but not gone, the
Thing watched them with a malevolent eye and thoughts of
revenge...
----
-+* To Be Continued! *+-
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Hipposoft Presents: |
| |
| An Epic Tale of For Fredatives |
| an Accident, A "Rachel" /Fred Magasine |
| Man And His Cows Hipposoft 1992 |
| |
| Or, "The Forgotten Enemy" |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
LAST TIME... Peri Beta is a fragment of Peri Alpha, and Peri
Alpha is a large, annoyed Thing which wants revenge over the
death of its pets, the Peribeetles. Harold plugged into various
electrical devices to have a quiet think, and the Cowseeker was
headed for what everyone thought was Peri Beta. Had they had any
idea that Alpha was in fact one large Thing, they wouldn't have
stuck around... But they didn't, and the Thing watched as the
Strange New Universe took effect, and the Cowseeker flew on...
Rachel lay languidly on the hillside. The sun beamed down, birds
sang, crickets cricketed, and flies flew past. The clear smell
of heather drifted lazily on the breeze, and the fields below
shimmered with the movement of countless multicoloured flowers
swaying this way and that.
"You wouldn't know this was just a fragment, would you?"
commented Arbi, who was standing nearby.
"No. Never have guessed," replied Rachel. "That's if Harold is
right."
"Makes you wonder what we were on when we thought we'd landed
on Alpha..."
"Suppose so." Rachel yawned and stood up to eat some grass.
"Any ideas?"
Rachel shot the earth-brown cow an annoyed glance, wishing
that Arbi would learn to relax now and then. "Probably Beta or
something. After all, the relative difference in size between
Alpha and Beta, or Beta and a fragment, is probably the same,"
she replied.
From nearby came a plop as a fish jumped from a stream to
catch a fly that had been hovering overhead. The fly moved to
one side, and there was a splash as the fish belly-flopped back
into the water having missed.
"Possible..." But Arbi didn't sound convinced.
"Well what else could it be?" said Rachel, rattily. "Just
relax and enjoy the grass!"
Arbi sighed and sat down.
"OK. I don't know anyway. But who built all this?"
They gazed around the huge underground Countryside Complex
that the Cowseeker had found upon approach to landing.
"Must have been the people of Alpha when they found out their
planet was in danger."
"Even if all of them worked together though, this place is
still huge! And the details are perfect! I mean, - ..."
Arbi paused as a loud buzzing noise started. The fish-avoiding
fly suddenly zipped past, hotly pursued by a dragonfly, two
small birds and a paragliding lemming.
"... - almost perfect. And a little weird. And. Ahem. Mmm."
----
"How strange," thought the Spacerat.
----
There was a loud splash as the fish and a group of close friends
had a second unsuccessful attempt to eat the fly. This was
followed by a quiet squeak as the lemming crashed into a small
bush, and a loud bang from inside the Cowseeker.
----
"Hello," said a small, black, brown and white cute fluffy
creature that had arrived from a nearby field. "I'm Acti-cat."
"Acti-what?" asked Arbi.
"Look," said the small, black, brown and white cute fluffy
creature, and ran around the hill a few times before calling
"Bye" and disappearing into a field.
----
"Looked more like the burnt side of an oven glove to me,"
thought the Spacerat.
----
Diggy removed the smoking Bovine Detect-O-Matic from the central
computer and picked the monitor up off the floor, plugging it
back in to see what the computer had to say. Merdyl waited for
him to read it out.
"It says, ~Ouch!~."
"What else?"
"~Suspected Planetary History: Large creature swung Alpha into
Beta. Beta destroyed. Currently accepted Beta is in fact a
fragment of Alpha...~"
"But we knew that!"
"~...and currently accepted Alpha is in fact a large Thing.
Warning: Thing hostile following Peribeetle destruction.~"
"What does it mean, ~hostile~..?" asked Merdyl nervously.
"Er - Hang on, there's more. ~N.B. Peribeetles originated in
sector Delta Omega of Peri Alpha. This and surrounding sectors
contained experimental research project into underground
ecosystems. Suspected that currently accepted Beta includes this
project.~"
"So that's where this all came from!"
"That's a bit boring though," said Freeda, who had just
arrived. "This part's much better: ~Thing approaching Alpha
project with hostile intent~."
"Er," said Diggy, again.
Rachel and Arbi suddenly appeared from nowhere.
"How did you do that?" asked the Dark, Shadowy Figure, who'd
just done the same.
"Er," said Diggy.
"~Hostile intent~?" asked Merdyl.
Diggy gibbered.
----
It knew what it had to do, and it was going to do it. As it
moved towards the fragment of Alpha, the atmosphere, oceans and
mountains that had taken so many years to accumulate were thrown
off. The Thing shook itself clear of everything, and moved in
for the kill...
----
"Uuuuhhhh..." said Diggy, having found a word other than "Er"
and having stopped gibbering. The others looked at him.
"UUUUHhhhhhh..." said Diggy again. The others looked at the
Viewscreen his shaking finger was pointing to.
"UUUHHHHAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!" shouted Diggy. The viewscreen
no longer showed a picture of Alpha from a remote camera they'd
released before leaving, but a rapidly approaching, impossibly
huge, angry and reasonably dirty puffball.
----
The Spacerat tried not to laugh, unsuccessfully. "Ho ho ho,"
it said.
----
Merdyl, though still wondering how the various members of the
crew which had been outside suddenly weren't, decided it might
be a good idea to leave as soon as possible, and started the
launch sequence, bypassing the "have a nice day" flag since they
were in a hurry.
"Don't worry, it'll never get here," said Harold, who had been
silent for some time and knew things they didn't. "You're
forgetting..."
----
The gravitational pull of the approaching Thing threw the
fragment out or orbit. Inside the project area, the sun
flickered on and off as power started to fail. The generators
and caverns, which had survived the first time, weren't going to
survive a second...
----
"...that those weird effects we'd noticed only stopped..."
----
A deafening alarm began to ring as a huge crack spread across
the ground and underneath the Cowseeker, which fell sideways
into it. Blocks of stone began to break away from the sky and
crash to the ground. One just missed the closing main hatch of
the Cowseeker, where a small furry creature could just be seen
darting inside...
----
"...in an atmosphere. If that Thing hasn't got one now..."
----
This time a block struck the side of the Cowseeker full on,
swinging it around and sending it smashing into the rapidly
disintegrating hillside. The gravity pads glowed a fierce red as
the ship struggled to gain altitude and get out off the project
area...
----
"...then any second now..."
"Ta ta ta da, daa daaa! Acti-cat!" said Acti-cat, running onto
the Bridge.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to call you Ovenglove from now on,"
said Rachel, who, not knowing the Spacerat thought the same, had
decided Acti-cat looked like a burnt oven glove.
----
The huge project generators exploded in a blinding flash of
light, throwing the Cowseeker through the crumbling sky of the
project like a cannon firing a cannon ball. As the ship span
uncontrolled into space, the fragment split apart; at that very
moment, just before it struck, the Thing changed into a mayfly,
and flew straight into the midst of a group of hungry fish which
were wondering where their stream had gone.
They got their fly THAT time.
-+*To Be Continued!*+-