An arkanoid-styled game. Fast, smooth and staggeringly difficult, with lots of power-ups and other features. 150 levels plus bonus screens.
Best played with using the Mouse Interface.
Cover art by Darren Blackburn, incorporating a logo by David Ledbury
Your Sinclair review (Recovered) courtesy of The YS Rock ‘n’ Roll Years YS76
Batz 'n' Balls (SAM) Revelation £9.99 Apr 1992
If wall-smashing's your aim, then this is your game.
If you've checked out the cover demo, you'll already know what a nifty little number Batz 'n' Balls is. Basically, David Gommeren has done for Arkanoid what he previously did for Tetris - jazzed it up and given it a new lease of life. The game contains 150 levels, bonus screens, power-up icons and a multitude of tricks and tweaks. Graphics are bold and smooth, although there's really not that much you can do with screens full of bricks, and the soundtrack is one of those subtle bass numbers that bypass the ears and slide straight into the brain. Gameplay is tough, perhaps too tough, but jolly rewarding as you fight on to discover just what the game has in store for you next. Thank heavens for the password system, which allows you to jump straight to every fifth screen.
Apart from your own lack of bat-jiggling talent, the main obstacles between you and success are the aliens that zip constantly round the screen. They're harmless - you can zap them with a touch of the bat - but if the ball hits them then it rebounds off at a random angle. This results in the kind of exclamations that shatter both light bulbs and illusions. If you think these little fellows are bad, wait 'til you meet the end-of-section baddies. These are absolutely massive-aliens that fly around shooting as you attempt to zap them with a well-aimed ball. This is the best bit of the game, it's just like a mini Space Invaders. Coo, eh?
Whizzy and whizzo, this mindlessly playable game takes Breakout about as far as it can go. For maximum effect, invest in a mouse. It'll translate your panicked movements perfectly, and adds to the fun no end. Make no mistake, Batz isn't going to convert new fans to the genre but current ones will lap it up.
Life Expectancy: 88
Instant Appeal: 72
Graphics: 69
Addictiveness: 84
Overall: 77°
Crash Issue 98 review, courtesy of spectrumcomputing.co.uk
The password for Level 1 is ABOLISH
The password for Level 2 is ABROACH
The password for Level 3 is ACRONYM
The password for Level 4 is ACOLYTE
The password for Level 5 is AFFABLE
The password for Level 6 is ALIMONY
The password for Level 7 is BAGGAGE
The password for Level 8 is BANSHEE
The password for Level 9 is BEATING
The password for Level 10 is BEGRIME
The password for Level 11 is BOULDER
The password for Level 12 is BRITAIN
The password for Level 13 is CAESURA
The password for Level 14 is CADENCE
The password for Level 15 is CAPTAIN
The password for Level 16 is CEREOUS
The password for Level 17 is CHARIOT
The password for Level 18 is CRIMSON
The password for Level 19 is DECAGON
The password for Level 20 is DECEASE
The password for Level 21 is DISAVOW
The password for Level 22 is DISEASE
The password for Level 23 is DISGUST
The password for Level 24 is DOWAGER
The password for Level 25 is ECLOGUE
The password for Level 26 is ELDERLY
The password for Level 27 is ELEMENT
The password for Level 28 is EMERALD
The password for Level 29 is ENDEMIC
The password for Level 30 is ENTHRAL
The password for Level 31 is FAIENCE
The password for Level 32 is FANATIC
The password for Level 33 is FARRAGO
The password for Level 34 is FEATHER
The password for Level 35 is FINAGLE
The password for Level 36 is FRAUGHT
The password for Level 37 is GALLEON
The password for Level 38 is GARBAGE
The password for Level 39 is GENUINE
The password for Level 40 is GHASTLY
The password for Level 41 is GLIMMER
The password for Level 42 is GONDOLA
The password for Level 43 is HAGGISH
The password for Level 44 is HAMSTER
The password for Level 45 is HEINOUS
The password for Level 46 is HEROINE
The password for Level 47 is HEXAGON
The password for Level 48 is HIRSUTE
The password for Level 49 is ICELAND
The password for Level 50 is ILLEGAL
The password for Level 51 is ILLICIT
The password for Level 52 is IMBECIL
The password for Level 53 is IMPULSE
The password for Level 54 is INCUBUS
The password for Level 55 is JACINTH
The password for Level 56 is JACKASS
The password for Level 57 is JANUARY
The password for Level 58 is JOCULAR
The password for Level 59 is JOURNAL
The password for Level 60 is JUSTIFY
The password for Level 61 is KENTISH
The password for Level 62 is KESTREL
The password for Level 63 is KEYNOTE
The password for Level 64 is KIBBUTZ
The password for Level 65 is KINETIC
The password for Level 66 is KNUCKLE
The password for Level 67 is LACQUER
The password for Level 68 is LAMBAST
The password for Level 69 is LAYETTE
The password for Level 70 is LICENSE
The password for Level 71 is LIMINAL
The password for Level 72 is LUCENCY
The password for Level 73 is MANSION
The password for Level 74 is MASSAGE
The password for Level 75 is MAWSEED
The password for Level 76 is MISERLY
The password for Level 77 is MORPHIA
The password for Level 78 is MURRAIN
The password for Level 79 is NOSTRIL
The password for Level 80 is NOXIOUS
The password for Level 81 is NUMERAL
The password for Level 82 is NUCLEUS
The password for Level 83 is NUPTIAL
The password for Level 84 is NOSTRUM
The password for Level 85 is OCARINA
The password for Level 86 is OFFSIDE
The password for Level 87 is ONEROUS
The password for Level 88 is OSMOSIS
The password for Level 89 is OUTWALK
The password for Level 90 is OXONIAN
The password for Level 91 is PADLOCK
The password for Level 92 is PARABLE
The password for Level 93 is PESSARY
The password for Level 94 is PETTING
The password for Level 95 is PREVIEW
The password for Level 96 is PYJAMAS
The password for Level 97 is QUALIFY
The password for Level 98 is QUARREL
The password for Level 99 is QUERIST
The password for Level 100 is QUIBBLE
The password for Level 101 is QUIDDLE
The password for Level 102 is QUONDAM
The password for Level 103 is RAUCOUS
The password for Level 104 is REGULAR
The password for Level 105 is REUNION
The password for Level 106 is RIPPING
The password for Level 107 is ROMANCE
The password for Level 108 is RUBICON
The password for Level 109 is SCRAPPY
The password for Level 110 is SHEBANG
The password for Level 111 is SQUALOR
The password for Level 112 is STEALTH
The password for Level 113 is SUBFUSC
The password for Level 114 is SYRINGA
The password for Level 115 is TENANCY
The password for Level 116 is THIMBLE
The password for Level 117 is TONSURE
The password for Level 118 is TREMOLO
The password for Level 119 is TRIBUNE
The password for Level 120 is TYPICAL
The password for Level 121 is UNIFORM
The password for Level 122 is UNSLING
The password for Level 123 is UNSWORN
The password for Level 124 is UNTRIED
The password for Level 125 is UPRAISE
The password for Level 126 is UTENSIL
The password for Level 127 is VAMPIRE
The password for Level 128 is VARMINT
The password for Level 129 is VENISON
The password for Level 130 is VERMEIL
The password for Level 131 is VERTIGE
The password for Level 132 is VIBRATE
The password for Level 133 is WARFARE
The password for Level 134 is WARTIME
The password for Level 135 is WARSHIP
The password for Level 136 is WARRIOR
The password for Level 137 is WARRANT
The password for Level 138 is WHATNOT
The password for Level 139 is YARDARM
The password for Level 140 is YIDDISH
The password for Level 141 is YOGHURT
The password for Level 142 is YOUNKER
The password for Level 143 is YULELOG
The password for Level 144 is YIELDER
The password for Level 145 is ZEALAND
The password for Level 146 is ZOOLOGY
The password for Level 147 is ZIONISM
The password for Level 148 is ZEALOUS
The password for Level 149 is ZAMBIAN
The password for Level 150 is ZYMOTIC