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3-D BOMB ALLEY
3-D TANK ZONE
ANSWER BACK SENIOR QUIZ
ARENA 3000
BLUE DRAGON
BUMBLE BEE
CLASSIC ADVENTURE
ELECTRONIC COLOURING BOOK
CONSTELLATION
GALAXY WARS
GHOULS
JET BOOT JACK
JUNGLE JIVE
LISP
NIGHTMARE MAZE
ONE LAST GAME
OSPREY!
PENGI
PINBALL ARCADE
SCIENCE 1
STARMON MACHINE CODE MONITOR
STRANDED
SURVIVOR
SWAG
WARP 1
WHAT'S THE TIME?
Product : 3-D BOMB ALLEY
Supplier : Software Invasion
Available on 3.5" Disk, Tape
Reviewed by Eileen Young in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
IS it because war is so much fun that we turn it into games? Or is it because we play so many war games that we go so eagerly to war?
These were some of the more serious thoughts sparked off by playing Software Invasion's game 3D BOMB ALLEY. Mind you, there isn't too much time to think when you're actually playing the game!
The scenario is obviously based on San Carlos Bay in the Falklands. Your fleet is at anchor in a narrow sea inlet and you are under attack from enemy planes. These appear in the far distance but rapidly grow larger as they near.
To defend yourself you have to throw up a barrage of anti-aircraft fire. The trouble is that, although you can miss the planes, if they get through they don't miss you.
You get an extra ship for each ten planes downed and the game ends when you've lost your last ship.
It's a simple game with nice graphics and adequate instructions. The way the planes appear in the distance and then grow larger is a good technique but it's annoying when they slow down and even appear to stop when under fire. You can almost feel the micro thinking.
At first I though that that would mean a slow game, but I soon learn- ed differently as the planes came in at me five at a time.
The main difficulty comes from the increasing number of enemy planes. If you like action where quick reactions are at a premium then this is the one for you.
Eileen Young
Product : 3-D TANK ZONE
Supplier : Dynabyte
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Tony Sinclair in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
IT'S not easy being the commander of a missile silo.
First there are the aircraft attacking you, then there are the tanks. And you're stuck in a hole in the ground with only anti-tank missiles and an anti-aircraft gun to ward off this unprovoked aggression. All the time your energy is getting lower and the shields weaker.
No, it's not easy...
Still, if you think you could do any better, have a go at 3-D Tank Zone.
Your Electron's screen becomes a view from the silo as you scan for the enemy. As you guide the sights of your AA gun to attack the jets and helicopters on the horizon, you have to watch the radar for tanks.
When you see one you have to turn the turret and loose off a missile, quick. At first the action seems a little slow but as the tanks get nearer and your energy drops it's all too fast.
The graphics are simple but effective. The tanks appear in 3D wire form and the missiles fly in an annoyingly realistic manner. I say annoying because of the way they miss.
The instructions are thorough and the key controls are well laid out. It's an interesting game, very different from anything else I've ever seen on the Electron. While not the fastest program around, it should suit those looking for a change from the usual arcade remakes.
Tony Sinclair
Product : ANSWER BACK SENIOR QUIZ
Supplier: Kosmos Software
Available on 3.5" ADFS Disk, Tape
Reviewed by Ken Smith in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
THIS marvellous little package is more than a quiz, more than a game and much more than so many of the educational programs on the market.
High praise you say, but consider what you get for your money. A choice of fifteen quiz topics, each containing fifty questions, three different ways of answering - multiple choice, true or false and fill in the missing letters.
Then there's a facility to pass if you're really stuck, a summary of your performance and the chance to re-run the ones you passed or got wrong.
All this under the eyes of the micro timekeeper. Add to that good graphics in the form of craters, planets, space- ships and your friendly robot with his laser gun. Mix in a little sound and you have part two - a game, triggered by correctly answering a question.
A tone sounds, an alien spaceship appears from behind your planet, you hit the robot's laser fire button and try to shoot it down. It's really compelling stuff. But wait...there's more to come. Being the mastermind that you are, it won't take you long to come to grips with the correct answers to most of the 750 questions available. Therefore you can create your own. Even this can be done using the program's create, save and verify facility. Now you have a package made for the kids to do their homework with.
You set the questions, and they get to shoot down all the nasties from outer space. Peace will reign in your household. Watch out, Magnus Magnusson. Your job's in jeopardy.
Ken Smith
Product: ARENA 3000
Supplier: Microdeal
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Keith Young in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
IMAGINE that you're suddenly transported forward in time to the year 3000 AD. You find yourself the star of the chief entertainment of the time - the arena - where humanoids battle with mutants.
Your only defence is a death ray and you need it. If you're touched just once by a mutant, you die. And some of the monsters take several blasts before they decide to die and leave you in short-lived peace!
A nightmare? No, just a brief description of ARENA 3000. You, of course, play the part of the humanid, starting with three lives but soon losing them.
Each mutant you kill adds to your points score and the cassette inlay tells you that you gain an extra life for every 20,000 points you score. I wouldn't know as by then I've been swamped by mutants such as The Dreaded Oh Nos or the Jovial Jovian Jumpers. If they're jovial, I don't get the joke.
And of course, every time you clear a wave of mutants, along comes another of a different type.
It's not easy but it is fun. With either keyboard or joystick con- trol, sound on/off and pause facilities and a a Hall of Fame, the game is well up to standard.
The graphics are very good and the use of sound reasonable. A good version of an arcade classic.
Keith Young
Product : BLUE DRAGON
Supplier: MP Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Merlin in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
EITHER these adventures from MP Software are getting harder or I'm los- ing my touch.
Your task is to find the location of the Sun God's treasure and de- feat the ferocious blue dragon which guards it.
At the start you find yourself on a beach. To your left is a bird perched upon a high rock. It's not impressed with your efforts to catch it.
To your right is an evil-smelling rubbish dump that, surprisingly, is not to be avoided. Behind you is an empty gulley. Is this how I got here, you think?
Wrong! Ahead of you is a narrow track up the cliffs to a forbidding cas- tle high above.
You should be able to solve most of the mysteries surrounding you and, provided you have found that elusive knight (hint), you should be able to collect all the goodies and wipe the sneer off that bird's face. On doing so you find that the bird is in reality a beautiful princess who has been transformed by an evil wizard. (Surely after all these ad- ventures there can't be that many evil wizards left?)
Anyway, noble soul that you are, you volunteer to follow the bird to a land far away and then your quest begins in earnest. After a couple of hours you reach the same point as me. (I'm the one in the corner with the beard and pointed hat.)
Can you uncover the secret of the "triangular slot in the wall by an almost invisible door"? If so, please write to me c/o Electron User and let me know, because I couldn't!
To be fair (excuses, excuses), I had just reveived MP's two latest adventures and was eager to try them out.
Anyway, back to BLUE DRAGON. I'm always impressed by any game that I don't manage to finish. This is no exception.
I daresay there is an object somewhere that will open the door and one day I am determined to go back and find it.
Overall, definitely superior to earlier MP adventures and of about average difficulty.
Merlin
Product: BUMBLE BEE
Supplier: Micro Power
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
MICRO Power have gained an enviable reputation for producing quality software for the Electron. BUMBLE BEE is yet another addition to the range.
The game has its origins in Pac man and will appeal to arcadians who love being chased round a maze by assorted bugs and beasties.
However it requires a lot more thought than the original when play- ing.
You are the bumble bee in the title, scurrying round a maze of swing- ing turnstiles collecting pollen grains. Spiders emerge and chase you making the task more difficult.
When you have collected all the pollen you buzz over to the Out sign and move on to the next screen. At 4,000 points you gain an extra life to add to the three provided at the start.
The interesting part of the game is the turnstiles. You can swing them but the spiders can't. So you can block off the spiders in a diff- erent section, or swing a turnstile into their path if they are about to pounce on you.
Entering your name into the high score table is almost as hard as the game. The letters of the alphabet are printed in a grid and you have to fly over the correct letters to spell your name - and it's not easy as you buzz about the screen at top speed.
After an hour the high score table was full of names like RLANDI, RON AND and ROFLANG!
The only grumblers are the length of the loader - 7k is just too long so I didn't bother with it and just *ran the main program. And if you want to use joysticks you need a switch type joystick interface - it ig- nores the Plus 1.
BUMBLE BEE is a well written addictive arcade game with colourful, smooth graphics and good sound. It's well worth buying, so start saving
your pennies now. Roland Waddilove
Product : CLASSIC ADVENTURE
Supplier: Melbourne House
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Merlin in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
IT wouldn't really matter how good or bad this program is - as it is the only Electron version of the original Colossal Cave adventure, I'd have to recommend it.
So it comes as a bonus to find that this adaptation is superb. I haven't played the original Crowther and Woods version so I can't say how close to the original this is. However, it seems to have all the problems I have read about so it must be a full - or nearly full - adap- tation of the original.
In it you play the part of a typical greedy adventurer. You come hot- footing it, flushed with success from your last adventure. You've heard of the fabulous treasure to be found in the area and are eager to get your share.
Armed with the objects you find above-ground you race off to the grating that gives access to the labyrinth of caves below. You soon come across your first major obstacle - a large venomous snake. Its teeth soon puncture your ego as well as your skin. It is at this point that you realise that things aren't going to be quite as easy as you thought.
Careful exploration of the earlier locations soon reveals the solu- tion - though the final answer is for the birds.
You'll also find the first magic word. This returns you to the build- ing but remember to turn off your lamp - it won't last forever.
You progress slowly, solving a maze and other puzzles and finally en- ter the main body of the adventure. Eventually you will solve the game but it is more likely to take weeks rather than days. Well, what else can I add? Very few adventures ever reach the standards set by this one.
It is deservedly called Classic. Somehow it is exciting to visit all these locations I have heard so much about before.
In a way it is like a legend coming to life. All I can say is it's a superb game and one that no true adventurer should be without. Magic!
Merlin
Product: ELECTRONIC COLOURING BOOK
Supplier : Addison-Wesley Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Phil Tayler in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
MANY years ago, when playing with jigsaws was more fun than VDU codes, I used to love painting by numbers.
There were two main problems, however. The first was that I was too impatient to wait for the colours to dry so that they ran together.
The other drawback was that each picture could only be painted once, so I couldn't experiment with colours as much as I liked.
I would have loved a system which allowed me to dabble, change col- ours as I wanted and where every new day meant a fresh lot of clean pic- tures.
Well, rather late for me, but still good fun comes this tape which is compatible with both the Electron and BBC Micro.
Although only priced at `9.95 - a modest enough figure nowadays - it contains no fewer than 18 pictures waiting for your artistic talents.
The first four each have a file which allows the correct colours to be loaded onto the picture by first loading the picture file itself followed by the colour file.
The remaining fourteen pictures do not have this facility, but this gives full rein to your imagination. By the way, how many colours would you expect your Electron to sup- port? Wrong! There is a palette of 35 available, including greys, pinks and so on and an area is easily filled using machine code.
A cursor is moved around the screen, and on moving into the palette can select the painting colour. By then moving the colour to an area, it can easily be filled with the P (paint) key.
Similarly, it may be recoloured by D (delete), selecting another pal- ette colour and then painting once more.
The speed of the fill is quite impressive as is the speed of the cur- sor. The picture as drawn is not final, as a mode may be selected in which it is possible to add lines exactly as required.
Thus the picture of the clown might be improved by the addition of some balloons which can be added easily.
Indeed, it is quite possible and fun to go immediately into drawing mode without loading a picture, and thus create a picture from scratch which can then be coloured using the palette. The finished result can be saved to cassette.
An amusing but not over-useful feature is the facility to randomly alter the colours on a displayed picture, or to cycle through the basic colours in order.
The cassette box claims this program will interest those from six to 96. Well, my three and five year olds would like to be added to that list as they both think it's smashing fun.
I don't think they realise there is quite a large educational content to the program, with much evidence of planning, hand-eye coordination and discussion leading to the final polished result.
Whether it would be of real practical use in schools on cassette is doubtful. There are so many parts of the program that it cries out to be put on disc for easier access of a particular picture, or for rapid sav- ing of little Johnny's masterpiece.
Apart from that reservation, I am most impressed.
Phil Tayler
Product : CONSTELLATION
Supplier: Superior Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Ken Smith in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
THIS well written program enables the user to view the stars from any point on the Earth's surface on any date and at any time - all without leaving the comfort of your armchair. Your monitor can now show a vast array of more than 450 stars in 50 major constellations.
For your part, move the telescope-display up, down, right or left as well as zooming in or out, all via the keyboard. The well constructed program allows you to view the heavens in two different ways - as you might observe by looking up into the night sky by the varying magnitude of the stars and secondly, the display can be changed to show each constellation by a code of letters.
For example, a group of letter Gs indicate the position of the con- stellation Gemini.
Using this letter code, all fifty constellations are listed, the accompanying notes giving additional information to the user.
All in all a very good educational package which is simple to use. Amateur astronomers might also like to consider this one if they're for- tunate enough to own an Electron.
Ken Smith
Product : GALAXY WARS
Supplier : Bug Byte
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Keith Young in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
ANOTHER GAME from the Space Invaders' camp with a few differences and a couple of surprises.
You are the little destroying machine at the bottom of your screen, moving left and right with FUNC and Q keys, firing with the DELETE key. F freezes the game.
The first screen of alien bombers are in an easy to pick off format- ion lined across the screen. That is, easy if you get your rhythm right.
However, watch out for the space pods which land on your level and can blow you to smithereens if you run into them. But there's no time for complacency - as soon as you've fought them off, the H wing fighters appear on the screen. These are both hard to dodge and at times seemingly impossible to blow up. And, after all this, you have to dock with your mothership to refuel.
All in all, it's an exciting game for the arcade addict with reason- able graphics and good sound effects.
Keith Young
Product: GHOULS
Supplier: Micro Power
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Alan Sergeant in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
HIDDEN away in the creepy mansion at the top of the hill are a number of power jewels. Many have been to search for them but no one has lived to tell the tale.
Have you the courage to succeed where others have failed? This is the challenge issued by GHOULS.
You control the star of the show, a little man with the appearance of a pac-man on two legs. His ever munching mouth continously snaps up tit- bits for bonus points as you attempt to reach the various levels in your search for treasure.
You start off in the first of four screens - Spectre's Lair. Here to hinder you in your quest you will find the mansion's frowning ghost who's out to get you.
Let him catch you and you'll die and that frown will change to an enormous cheeky grin. This chap follows you through every screen, and at times his appearance is positively painful.
You have a time limit in which to get to the box of jewels at the top of the screen in order to access the next landing. Titbits and the occasional stray jewel munched en route count for bonus points.
The jewel has the additional perk in that it makes the ghost dis- appear for a short while. However, there are other hazards to make life unpleasant.
In order to make progress you must balance on a moving platform and leap to and from it to higher levels.
There is also a set of poison-soaked spikes in your way and contact with any one will prove fatal. Should you succeed on the first screen you will progress to the more difficult Horrid Hall.
As well as all the other nasties you also have to avoid contracting floorboards.
Succeed on screen 2 and Spider's Parlour awaits you. The spider is something to behold but not touch. The fortunate thing is that he stays in one spot bouncing up and down waiting patiently for a tasty morsel - usually me!
The infuriating aspect of the game, as with most multi-level ones, is that as soon as you "die" you start back at the beginning of the screen no matter how far you have progressed.
I must confess it is because of this beast that I haven't seen screen 4, the Death Tower.
Even so I've seen enough to consider it excellent value. It is extremely addictive as there is always that incentive to "crack it this time".
The graphics are well presented and the eerie sounds make the game comes to life. We've come to expect high standard games from Micro Power and GHOULS is one of their best!
Alan Sergeant
Product : JET BOOT JACK
Supplier: Micro Power
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Phil Tayler in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
A COUPLE of months ago I played this game's BBC version on the big brother machine and found it fascinating. It is one of those annoyingly addictive games that Micro Power have the knack of producing.
I was delighted on receiving the Electron version to find that it is identical - no scaled down sound or fewer features, but the full imple- mentation with no perceptible change, not even in speed.
Perhaps I should add that I find the game a little too fast, as I prefer to achieve some degree of success straight away, and my young son also enjoys trying the games out. But we both found the initial action too speedy.
I have tried the BBC version on the Electron and found I was able to accumulate a decent score and develop a strategy.
There are five screens, which may be accessed separately from the menu. If screen one is chosen, and you are a better player than I, the other screens are encountered in order.
On each the basic format is the same, with a spaceship on the left needing to be refuelled with fuel which is on the right. Shades of JET PAC, perhaps, which I enjoyed greatly in my misspent youth on the Sp*c- tr*m.
The man is moved across the screen by careful use of the left/right controls, and the hover motor.
There are safe platforms to rest on briefly, but nearly everything else is quite lethal to Jack. Each screen has different problems, with elements of other games appearing, such as the vertically moving mon- sters which have the same effects as the lifts in CORPORATE CLIMBER.
The graphics are good, the smoothness of the movement superb. Sound is fair, and can be turned off if required. The key response is quick, precise and accurate.
I just wish my reactions were!
Phil Tayler
Product : JUNGLE JIVE
Supplier : Virgin Games
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Keith Young in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
IN a time when the big game hunter is thankfully a thing of the past,
JUNGLE JIVE lets you release you aggressive instincts without spilling blood.
It brings all the excitement of a jungle safari onto your TV screen. You control a little man who waddles up and down the centre of the screen. The idea is that you blast away at the animals who are closing in on you to your left and right. You get points for each one you hit although I pretend they're just tranquillising darts.
As you're getting yourself a life ban from the RSPCA, avoid the slithering snake who dashes about at random trying to avenge all those departed elephants, crocodiles, lions and birds.
Whatever you do, don't shoot the cute little baboons which line your path. They protect you and you'd better protect them or else you're finished.
And don't try to shoot the blue hippo. Bullets bounce off him. You start off with the usual three lives, gaining bonus lives as your point score mounts. You lose them as you bump into things and things bump into you.
It's a nice action game that promises fun for all the family - once you've settled the arguments over who's going next.
Keith Young
Product : LISP
Supplier : Acornsoft
Available on ROM Cartridge, Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
LISP - The language that strikes like lightning.
LISP, developed around 1960 by John McCarthy and others at the Mass- achusetts Institute of Technology in America, is one of the oldest com- puter languages still in use.
His main objective was to produce a powerful language for defining and transforming functions. Lisp was designed to manipulate abstract symbols called atoms and combinations of symbols called lists. It is a LISt Proceesing language.
Perhaps the most publicised use of Lisp has been in the field of artificial intelligence research. The expressive power of the language was recognised by workers who were wrestling with the difficult symbolic manipulation problems involved.
Programs have been written that hold conversions, write stories for children and summarise text.
Most mainframe computers support Lisp and now a few micros as well. There is no generally accepted standard, so as a result there are many dialects around. However, adapting Lisp to run on another machine is usually straightforward, making the language fairly portable.
Acornsoft's variant is available on cassette or ROM cartridge. The cassette version is the one considered here. The ROM cartridge will have all the facilities offered by the cassette version, plus a few extra, and a lot more memory.
The cassette and manual are sold separately, which seems a little strange. Unless you are already an expert Lisp programmer - and not many people are - then neither is much use without the other. Price of the package is about `23.
Large scale implementations may contain hundreds or even thousands of built-in functions. Consequentially a small micro such as the Electron cannot hope to provide all of them, so only the bare essentials are built into Acornsoft's Lisp.
However this should be sufficient. Fortunately, many of the standard utilities can be written in Lisp itself and appendix B in the manual lists a few of these.
Since many of the functions not provided would only be used occasion- ally and may have specialised uses, these can be typed in as and when needed for each application. Acornsoft Lisp has a few extra functions not normally found in other systems. These are to allow the use of the Electron's excellent graphics and sound capabilities.
One of the most powerful is the most VDU command which provides an easy interface with the Electron's machine operating system.
Lisp takes about four minutes to load. It has 5.5k of machine code interpreter and 3k of initialised Lisp workspace containing utilities and constants. These can be deleted, if not required, to gain extra mem- ory.
When loading is complete the user is asked to select a mode - either
3, 4, 5 or 6. Once one has been selected it is not possible to change to
another using MODE n, so if you want to use graphics or the 80 column
mode 3, you must start up in the correct mode.
There are two main questions to be asked of Lisp:
* What can you do with it?
* How easy is it to use?
Chapter 23 of the manual answers the first question - eleven appli- cations are listed demonstrating its use. The programs are not complete, but do provide the building blocks for constructing much larger Lisp applications, and the user is encouraged to develop them further.
The examples include: Sorting a list into alphabetical order, arbit- rary precision arithmetic (how to cope with very large numbers), a Lisp pretty-printer (used to display large pieces of Lisp structure, spread- ing its output over many lines and using indentation to make it more legible), an animal guessing game (you think of an animal and the Elec- tron has to try and guess it), a route finding program (also on the cassette), graphic displays (how to create pictures) and mazes and dun- geons (an adventure game).
The answer to the second question is entirely subjective and every- one will have their own opinion. I have to disagree with the manual which states, "It provides a complete introduction to Lisp and assumes no previous knowledge of the language", and that "Lisp is very easy to learn..."
Lisp seems very strange and confusing at first, operating on lists and atoms, recursion being very common. Unlike Basic, you need to know and understand a large proportion of Lisp before you can even think of writing your first simple program, and this is the main stumbling block.
Lisp operates on the "lightning principle" - the concepts strike you suddenly when you are almost ready to give up. Once you have been struck, everything falls into place. Strength, stamina and perseverance are required.
Acornsoft's Lisp is an excellent package for anyone interested in programming and computer languages. It will teach pattern recognition, and recursion will become second nature.
A word of warning though. It is not for the absolute beginner. Be prepared for a struggle, and remember the "lightning principle". One last note: If you are unsure whether to invest in Lisp, try to get hold of The Little LISPer by Daniel P. Friedman (I borrowed it from the local library).
This is not a manual on how to use Lisp on the BBC or Electron, but it explains the structure, principles and concepts involved in a very simple and amusing manner.
You do not need Lisp or even a computer to understand and appreciate it. I think you will find Lisp fascinating.
Roland Waddilove
Product: NIGHTMARE MAZE
Supplier : MRM Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
NIGHTMARE MAZE, written by Mike Williams, is a descendant of Pac Man, which was popular ages ago in the arcades. Although it is easy to see the origins, the game is completely different to play.
Instead of running around the maze in between the walls, you actually run on top of them. They are drawn in perspective, as if you were look- ing down at an angle.
There are four screens, each with a different maze and monsters. The first is inhabited by springy things, the second by bouncing balls, the third by deadly frogs, followed by hungry hoppers. I can't confirm the last two as I always got bounced on the second screen.
The object of the game is to collect a number of keys which appear around the maze. On acquiring the last you can unlock the door which leads to the next screen.
The inhabitants of the maze don't chase you, they move in fixed patt- erns. The routes taken are sufficiently complex as to make it very diff- icult to remember more than the first few.
Help is at hand in the form of a cup of black coffee. Drinking this awakens you from your nightmare and the nasties disappear. You soon start to dream again so you must rush round collecting the keys as fast as possible before they reappear.
The graphics are excellent and the animation very smooth with good sound to accompany the springy/bouncy hoppers.
Having said that though, I honestly didn't enjoy playing this game, the reason being that it is just too frustrating, Maybe I'm just too old!
Not one in three weeks have I made the high score table, not even the bottom position.
The man is difficult to control when the monsters disappear, often running straight past the path you wish to turn and run along, and when you are caught, all the keys you have so painstakingly collected are lost and you must start again.
This game is for advanced arcadians only, providing an exciting new challenge to their skill. Us ordinary mortals haven't a chance, it really is a nightmare!
Roland Waddilove
Product : ONE LAST GAME
Supplier : Clemoes Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
THIS is probably best descibed as a cross between Scramble and Galaxi- ans. The ground below you scrolls smoothly from right to left, while the aliens line up on the right hand side. They peel off, in ones at first, then in groups later on, and blast your ship on the left.
You can move your ship up and down, dodging aliens and missiles as they swarm in from the right, and blast them with your laser, more points being scored if they are on the move rather than in the main formation.
There are 20 different screens with increasing difficulty - on the later ones the aliens can only be destroyed when they leave the main formation for their attack. There is the option to start on any screen.
There are a couple of unusual features. The game can be speeded up or slowed down with the joystick (plugged into the Plus 1), so you can whizz through the first few easy screen then slow down when it gets tough.
The second extra is the way it plays a tune to the accompaniment of a drum.
The tune is played in the normal way, but as the Electron can only use one channel at once, how can it also play the drums?
Have you noticed the click of the cassette relay when loading or sav- ing programs? The author has very cleverly utilised this as a makeshift drum. By rapidly switching it off and on a drum solo is played. In- genious. I hate to think what it's doing to the relay though.
I loved this game right from the start and have played it for hours.
If you, like me, like the sort of games where you just blast every- thing in sight, then you will love this one.
Roland Waddilove
Product : OSPREY!
Supplier: Bourne Educational Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Nigel Peters in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
I WAS lucky enough to be able to spend two weeks in Scotland this summer and the highlight of the trip was my visit to see the nesting Ospreys at Loch Garten.
So when OSPREY! arrived in the office, I grabbed it with enthusiasm.
Produced in conjunction with the RSPB, and with an excellent 32 page colour booklet to complement the program, it's a fascinating simulation of the problems faced by the osprey as a Scottish breeding bird.
You take the part of the manager of a nature reserve where ospreys are nesting. The booklet has given you an outline of the history of the osprey and you have to pick which year you want the simulation to start.
The earlier the year, the harder the game is. Your aim is to make sure that the brids successfully breed and rear their chicks. To do this, you have to decide what your limited number of wardens is going to do during the vital spring and summer seasons.
Some are needed to chase away the egg stealers, while others have to manage the site and keep disturbance to a minimum. Also wardens have to be spared to make people aware of the ospreys and to encourage the pub- lic support.
And, just like real life, when you've made your choices and allocated your resources you have to sit back and watch what happens.
The graphics are beautiful, painting a picture of the reserve and the nest site. You can watch the ospreys as they swoop down to fish and take them to the nest.
Sadly, if you haven't allocated enough wardens to guard duty, you can also watch the egg theives at work. Even the visitors can be a nuisance, their cards disturbing the birds if you haven't picked the right number of site wardens.
And to make it worse, factors totally out of your control such as the weather affect the final result. Your success or failure at one reserve is taken as representative of the whole of Scotland and after the spring season you're shown how the osprey population has fared under your protection. You continue until you reach the year 1981 or you've run out of os- preys - a horrible thought. You can then compare your efforts with the magnificient results the RSPB achieved in reality which are shown in the booklet.
It's a smashing program. The instructions, both in the booklet and on the screen are excellent. The graphics and animation are more than ade- quate and the whole package has the quality that we've come to expect from Bourne.
Even the fact that it's educational - the well-illustrated booklet has a history of the Osprey and a things-to-do section - doesn't spoil the fun.
So if you haven't been to Loch Garten yet, you can console yourself playing Osprey! until you get the chance.
Nigel Peters
Product : PENGI
Supplier: Visions
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
PENGI-type games have become quite popular lately with two or three software houses having their own versions on the market.
The game is derived from Pac Man, but Visions' PENGI is far superior to any Pac Man program.
You are in control of a cute little penguin who is trapped in a maze made up of large ice blocks inhabited by snow bees. The object of the game is to line up three special white ice diamond blocks without being caught by the snow bees. Fortunately, these can be killed by squashing them with an ice block which slides along if you push it.
The graphics are excellent as is the sound, and I found it to be difficult enough just avoiding the snow bees, never mind lining up the ice diamond blocks.
There is a high score table of famous penguins, on screen scoring, redefinable keys and a practice mode in which you can't be killed. If you're into arcade games, you will love this one.
Roland Waddilove
Product: PINBALL ARCADE
Supplier: Kansas City Systems
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Roland Waddilove in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
A COMPUTER version of a pinball machine might sound a little boring, but PINBALL ARCADE from Kansas is quite enjoyable, and makes a welcome change from blasting nasties out in space or being chased round a maze.
The interesting part is designing your own pinball machine from the five pages of bumpers, wires, slings and targets provided.
When you are satisfied with the board it can be saved on tape, to be loaded and used again.
Quite a number of options are available - you can even alter the tilt of the bounce of the ball.
When playing, the only keys are Z and / for the left and right flip- pers and the space bar to compress the spring.
There are a couple of annoying faults however. Firstly, it will not run with the Plus 1 attached, and I am not going through all the bother of unplugging everything and unscrewing the Plus 1 every time I want to use the program.(*)
The reason is simple - part of the code placed in page &D is being overwritten by the operating system, causing a whopping great crash when it is called by the program. The second fault is the fantastic amount of flicker when the ball moves. Hasn't the author ever heard of *FX 19? The addition of this command would make a world of difference. If Kansas cure these bugs and brighten up the loader a bit then it will be better value.
Roland Waddilove
[* It is probably unfair to cite the lack of compatibility with the Plus 1 as a disadvantage of the game, especially when many titles Electron User reviews are also incompatible but pass without it being mentioned!]
Product : SCIENCE 1
Supplier : Shards
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Rog Frost in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 3
THIS package consists of four separate programs on balances, meter read- ing, thermometer reading and lenses. The meter program is on twice, in Mode 1 and in Mode 0. The Mode 0 version added nothing - I preferred the extra colours of Mode 1.
The introductory program has a noisy title plus an index. I expected the index to give single letter entry to load a program, but the options are to see the index or leave the program.
Leaving the program gives you a blank screen and it is necessary to CHAIN whichever program you wnat.
The trouble is, you've now forgotten their names and the sheet of information has different titles for them.
The balancing program collects your name, then gives a menu of op- tions. You have to decide whether to be nice or nasty - there is no ex- planation as to what this means at this stage!
The program gives practice in working out how to balance see-saws.
The explanation is rather sketchy, but if you do get the answer correct a little diver hurls himself into a cup of liquid or, if you chose nas- ty, he goes splat on the floor.
If you get the answer wrong, large arrows indicate which way the see- saw tips, and then the diver splats if you are nice or splashes if you are nasty.
The meter reading program provides practice on reading the two most common school meter scales. It is well constructed, making good use of large text, and with an option to magnify the relevent part of the scale. The program is rather fussy, four key presses are required before an answer is put in.
The thermometer program is very similar to the meter program. It pro- vides practice in reading 0-100 degrees C, 0-150 degrees Fahrenheit and clinical degrees C thermometers. Light provides a lesson in ray optics at concave/convex lenses/ mirrors and is, again, well constructed using good text and attractive, simple graphics. The whole program is rather slow, particularly the six- teen questions.
Overall these are well-produced programs with the meter and thermom- eter sections the pick of the bunch.
The major disadvantage of this educational package is total non-com- patibility with the BBC Micro. If these programs are run on a Beeb, they have a nasty little trick - they clear the micros memory.
Many schools have BBCs and Electrons. I would choose a program that would run on both machines to use in my school.
Rog Frost
Product: STARMON MACHINE CODE MONITOR
Supplier : Slogger Software
Firmware
Reviewed by Rog Frost in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
IF you've always thought that a monitor was an alternative to the family TV, you may think that a machine code monitor would be a fast version.
In fact, STARMON is a piece of software stored on a micro chip.
This type of software is sometimes called firmware and to be able to use it, you will need a sideways ROM card to plug into the expansion port at the back of your Electron.
A machine code monitor program like STARMON enables you to look at the contents of the micros memory, both the 32k of RAM and the other 32k of ROM.
The program is very easily loaded. Just type *ST and it's there - in- stantly.
Once loaded, you may well wonder what to do with it. Well, the clever part of STARMON is that it uses the memory normally occupied by Basic, so running STARMON will not interfere with the program in memory. It is easily possible to study any program - even those unlistable ones. Of course, you do not get a Basic listing. It is the contents of memory you see, but STARMON will do its best for you.
The contents of memory can be displayed in decimal, hexadecimal, bin- ary or even octal. In addition, if STARMON thinks it detects an Ascii character it will print that. It can also disassemble code - that is, it produces a listing in assembly language.
This all sound very fearsome, but if you are a beginner to this kind of thing, don't be put off because you can quickly learn some skills. For example it is very easy to alter the contents of memory without spoiling the program. I have personalised halls of fame so that they load with my name.
For the advanced user, STARMON is a very full program. With it you can search memory for bytes or strings, or move chunks of code around from one area of memory to another.
You can block fill memory, write directly to memory locations or alter the 6502 registers. There are also facilities to single step through programs, which can greatly help with debugging, or allow you to learn what machine code instructions do. It is also possible to dump STARMON screens to a printer for future reference.
STARMON somes with a well written 42 page booklet, which makes the program easy to use. This whole package would be very useful to anybody keen to program, or even just dabble in machine code. It is a thoroughly professional piece of firmware.
Rog Frost
Product: STRANDED
Supplier: Superior Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Merlin in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
THIS is the smallest adventure that I have ever seen and, despite the fact that it has graphics, one that I truly didn't expect to like.
However I was wrong. Although I don't think it would pose problems to the experienced adventurer it is nevertheless an enjoyable romp.
You have been stranded on an alien planet and your task is to find a means of leaving it and returning home.
It won't take you long to find a spaceship but unfortunately it's guarded by an unfriendly robot.
A careful search of the planet, along with a spot of hang-gliding, should provide you with the means of getting past the robot and, hope- fully, into the spaceship.
After activating the engines you should search your craft. The arti- cles you find, along with judicious use of Dr. Who's Tardis (!), should be enough for you to find your way home.
The graphics are quickly drawn and are the clearest I have seen in an adventure.
As with all graphical adventures the trade-off between the program size and quality of graphics is something you need to judge for your- self.
Do you choose a complex adventure with limited graphics or an easy adventure with well drawn graphics? This program falls into the latter category. I liked it.
Merlin
Product: SURVIVOR
Supplier: MP Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Merlin in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
THE year is 1910 and you're on a cruise of the tropics when there is an accident and the ship sinks. The result is that you find yourself swim- ming in a shark-infested sea.
Can you survive and find your way back to civilisation, or alternat- ively find happiness on a tropical island?
There are very few actual puzzles to solve in this adventure. Almost everything is accomplished by choosing between two alternatives - HIDE or STAND, EAT or STARVE, ACCEPT or REFUSE.
The results of these choices can be hilarious. For instance, on en- tering a village you have to bribe the tribal chief. If you have what he wants, he then offers you his daughter's hand in marriage. If you accept, you are given your own hut. You are then given a fur- ther choice - STAY or ESCAPE. If you STAY, the game ends and presumably you live happily ever after. If you REFUSE, the chief gets anry and swops you with another village for a pig. Here you are offered some food and again, you have a choice - EAT or REFUSE. If you REFUSE, you become lunch for the tribe. If you EAT, you are imprisoned in a hut and have to steal the witch-doctor's clothes to escape.
You'll also meet Robinson Crusoe who asks you to stay and be his friend. If you accept...end of game again. There is also a secret civi- lisation in the depths of the island. If you find them, guess what? Yes, end of game yet again.
I'm not sure I'd call this an adventure as such and I'm sure I didn't manage to find all the endings - how do you get past the rhino?
Overall, a departure from the usual MP style of adventure but there are so many alternatives in the course of the game for you to choose from that I'm sure, like me, you'll spend your time discovering the re- sults of all of them. It's an unusual and highly entertaining adventure.
Merlin
Product : SWAG
Supplier: Program Power
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Rog Frost in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
SWAG is a rarity in arcade style games - it is a genuine two player game with the option of the second player being the micro.
The aim is to acquire jewellery to the value of `250,000 by moving your man to randomly placed jewels and returning with them to your house.
If that sounds easy, then don't forget that your opponent is after the same treasure as you and is quite prepared to shoot you to get it.
You may also hae insurance company robots on your trail. Any colli- sion with them means a quick, empty-handed return home. Of course you have the same advantages as your opponent. There is a different type of robot after him. Robots can be converted from one kind to another by shooting them or by travelling to a special symbol which occurs on the screen from time to time.
Attempting to keep order in this lawless area are the police. There are three police cars which score points for your opponent if you go near them. If you shoot one, it relentlessly follows you until you drink a can of beer and shoot it again. You can use that to your advantage by stop- ping the car near your opponent's home.
With all this shooting you will probably run out of ammunition, but they sell it at the bank, provided you've got gold.
Regrettably, in translating this program from a BBC Micro version, one or two things have been forgotten, The instructions give a most un- suitable group of keys to player two, but fear not, the actual keys are O (up), L (down), + (left), * (right) and Return (fire).
More seriously, you do not seem to be able to redefine the keys as you might wish.
The game is provided with many options: Sound on or off or a start for either player.
I personally worry about the glorification of theft and violence. Is this what we really want for our teenagers? The trouble is that like so many of these games, it is addictive.
Rog Frost
Product: WARP 1
Supplier: Icon Software
Available on 3.5 Haven Disk, Tape
Reviewed by Norman Keynes in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 5
THE cassette insert describes Warp 1 as "a strategical space adventure", which is handy as I can't think of any other way of describing it. It's like no other game I've played, a cross between Battleships, Space Invaders, an adventure and Lunar Lander. You're commander of a Federation Starship, your mission to seek out a fellow captain who is lost in space. As you work your way through the six quadrants and 48 sectors of deep space, the Klingons attack.
When you engage your phasers, the Klingons appear on the starship's viewing screen. As you fight them off inevitably you incur damage and use precious energy, necessitating a risky docking maneouvre with the nearest starbase.
If it sounds complicated that's because it is. Despite three full pages of excellent instructions in the cassette inlay, it took three games before I understood WARP 1 fully. Having said that, the controls are easy to use and the screen layout is excellent - once you get used to the amount of information coming at you.
It's very easy to forget that you're running low on energy, and dock- ing can be tricky. So if you are tired of space action but don't want a game that's too hard on yur brain, then you have to look at WARP 1. It's different.
Norman Keynes
Product: WHAT'S THE TIME?
Supplier : Collins Software
Available on Tape
Reviewed by Phil Tayler in Electron User Vol. 2 No. 4
THIS is one of a series of early-learning tapes previously available for the Spectrum, but which have now been brought to the Electron.
The packaging verges on the ridiculous, being about 11in x 9in - to contain one cassette. There is actually a work book included as well which presumably is meant to excuse the size but some manufacturers are really going to extremes.
Four programs actually comprise the package, dealing with hours, half-hours, quarters and minutes. Together they cover an extensive age range and also quite a wide band of ability. The trouble I found with most of them was that the unDRAWing and DRAWing of the clock hands seemed to be rather a slow and laborious pro- cess. Hours introduces a little figure called Microman who works through his day to illustrate the passing of hours. There follows a fairly stan- dard kind of test on hours, with appropriate responses from the com- puter.
Half-hours extends this idea, and follows a similar format which again means rather tedious drawing. Quarters starts in the same vein, but then asks the child to move the hands of the clock using the H and M keys.
Although this was much more meaningful to the youngsters I tried this on, even they showed signs of frustration at the slow rate of action.
Minutes was altogether better, attempting to explain the difference between the numbers on the clock face and those curious expressions we use with minutes to or minutes past an hour.
The final part of Minutes asks the child to enter the time, by press- ing the hours followed by the minutes.
If only the screen display could be made a little speedier on occa- sions, this would be a good piece of software for the parent to use at home.
Phil Tayler