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MINESHAFT

 

 

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

 

Game Type          : Arcade Platform Game

Authors            : Julian Todd and Nick Wilson

Standalone Release(s)   : 1984: MINESHAFT, Durell, £6.95

                    1990: MINESHAFT, Alternative, £1.99

Compilation Release(s) : 1987: 10 COMPUTER HITS 3, Beau Jolly, £9.95

Stated compatibility    : Electron Side A, BBC Side B

Actual compatibility    : As stated

Supplier            : DURELL, Castle Lodge, Castle Green, Taunton, SOMERSET TA1

                    4AB. Tel: 0823 54489

Disc compatibility     : ADFS 1D00, CDFS 1D00, DFS 1D00

 

 

Instructions

Your aim is to collect all the lumps of coal in the twenty rooms of the Mineshaft. You have to be quick, daring and sometimes near suicidal to accomplish your task, and beware - you only have a limited air supply! The game should be compatible with all joysticks.

 

To collect the lumps of coal you will have to move and jump around the screen. Sometimes you must jump whilst also moving sideways. Watch out for the disintegrating sludge which disappears as you walk over it. (Hint: It disintegrates more slowly if you bounce along it!) Watch out for the obstacles that may kill you!

 

After completing each screen you may move to the next through the door, or if you get stuck you can press <ESCAPE> to make your exit. It's up to you to work out how to collect all the lumps of coal - sorry!

 

Points

Disintegrating sludge - 1 point per step

Lumps of Coal          - 100 points per heap

Bonus points           - 1 point per unit of air left after each screen

 

The Screens

   1  The Derelict Place                 11  Chamber of Horrors

   2  Crumbs - Conveyors                 12  The Resting Place

   3  The Ice Box                        13  Impossible Jump?

   4  The Hotel                          14  Impossible Screen?

   5  Stinking Hotel                     15  The Water Works

   6  Complex Cavern                     16  The Pink Grotto

   7  Mutant Matches                     17  The Junkhouse

   8  Elevator Shaft                     18  The Furnace

   9  Ghosties' Revenge                  19  The Junkhouse Mk II

  10  The Minefield                      20  La Fin

 

Game Controls

Z - Left,   X - Right,   SHIFT - Jump (NB. You can jump while moving)

Q - Quiet,   S - Sound,   <ESCAPE> - Move To Next Screen

Press <SPACE> or FIRE BUTTON to start the game.

 

 

Instructions' Source   : MINESHAFT (Durell) Inner Inlay

 

Review (Electron User)

We've all heard about a manic character who has been very popular on other micros and many people have wondered whether such a game was available for the Electron. The search is now over because Durell have come up with MINESHAFT.


Your job is to collect the coal that has been left scattered about in each of twenty different rooms and then make your way to the next room. The controls are simple - just left, right and jump - which makes the game easy to learn.


Like all good games though, it's a tough one to master. There are many problems to overcome. These range from water drops to furnaces and from mutant matches to mine trucks. To make matters worse, you're running out of air and some of the jumps you have to perform are, to say the least, near suicidal.


As you learn the game you'll probably need the three lives you are given for each level but with practice some screens become possible without losing any of them. Having said that, "The Impossible Screen" still beats me but my son, aged eight, says it's easy. All the rooms have interesting names such as "The Pink Grotto" or "Ghosties' Revenge".


Should you manage to complete all twenty screens, you start again but due to your state of exhaustion you use your air more quickly. Technically the game is excellent, with smooth flicker-free graphics which make good use of Mode 5 colour but are also quite clear in monochrome.


A very pleasant rendition of Greensleeves is available as an option but there is no other sound. A particular plus with MINESHAFT is that by pressing <ESCAPE> you move on to the next screen with a full set of lives again.


Just occasionally though, the program is seized by a little devil who covers the screen with blobs. Pressing ESCAPE seems to sort out this problem however.


In short, MINESHAFT is a quality game which is simple in concept but absolutely addictive. Strongly recommended.

Rog Frost, ELECTRON USER 3. 2