Mikro-Gen Ltd

Equinox

Equinox

Enterprise - 1986

Equinox is a computer game developed and published by Mikro-Gen for a range of home computers including the Enterprise.

Everyone's a Wally

Everyone's a Wally

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Everyone's a Wally was the first arcade adventure game to feature multiple playable characters - a revolutionary feature at the time. Players began in control of Wally (a builder and handyman), but could switch to Wilma (his wife), and their friends Tom (a punk mechanic), Dick (a plumber) and Harry (a hippie electrician) - these last three names drawn from the placeholder phrase Tom, Dick and Harry. Herbert (their baby son) also appeared in the game as a mobile hazard NPC. The player cannot freely change character; the player begins in control of Wally and, in order to switch to another character, must first locate them. Characters not being controlled by the player wander randomly around the map controlled by extremely simple AI - another feature that, at the time, had never been seen before. Lives and health (called "endurance") were tracked independently for each character, but the game ended if any character died. The aim of the game is to complete a day's worth of work for each character; each character has a job to do stereotypical of their skill - for instance, Wally has to build a wall, Wilma has to take back three books to the library, etc. Completing the job awards the character with a letter, which spells out a password to open a safe holding everyone's wages. (The eventual password is "BREAK" - knowing this does not spoil the game since most of the letters can be seen before jobs are complete; the game requires them to be actually collected before allowing the safe to open.)

Frost Byte

Frost Byte

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

In Frost Byte you control Hickey the Kreezer, an elastic curve which moves sideways, jumps and shoots. You must navigate your way through planet Cosmica, and rescue your brethren, within the limited 'Twang' energy you have. Cosmica is full of hideous monsters, many of which can be shot. Your character builds momentum as it moves, so some hazards are easier to clear from a running start. You can only jump vertically, although you have control as the character falls. Ammunition is limited, and must be collected throughout your quest. Three sweets which enhance your character can be collected - the red one increases your speed, blue increases the height of your leap, and green means you can safely fall further. There are additional objects to pick up and use as well.

Frost Byte

Frost Byte

Enterprise - 1986

Frost Byte is a game published by Mikro-Gen and released on the Enterprise and Spectrum in 1986. It's a platform type game with maze/puzzle elements.

Herbert's Dummy Run

Herbert's Dummy Run

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

Herbert's Dummy Run is the 4th game out of five in the Wally Week series (Automania, Pyjamarama, Everyone's a Wally and Three Weeks in Paradise) and sees baby Herbert lost in a department store trying to find his parents Wally and Wilma in the Lost and Found before the end of the day. As in previous games Herbert's Dummy Run is an arcade adventure where you must pick up objects and place them in the right locations. You are only able to carry two objects at a time and some objects are needed to be found to help complete the various arcade sequences. Nasties need to be avoided as well and if touched part of your tear gauge is filled. If your tear gauge is filled then one of three lives are lost. Lose all three lives or run out of time then it is game over. Il Meglio di Jackon Soft, Jackson Soft Oro #5

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Ricky Steel is a feared renegade with a mechanical arm to fire bullets, and his Class A101 armoured yet amphibious Nightwind car is Stainless. He lives in a Mad Max-inspired world, but Dr. Vardos has sent a horde of androids to destroy it. Take control of Steel and stop this, in this Spy Hunter-style vertically scrolling road-based shooter. The game is split into four sections. You begin on foot, and must travel up the screen to reach the Nightwind. Helicopters and other foes must be shot or avoided, and their bullets avoided. You then enter your vehicle and drive up the screen, dealing with similar hazards. The controls involve pushing forward to accelerate and pushing down to reverse. Level 2 involves taking to the water, attacking submarines using bombs. The final showdown involves hunting down and killing Vardos, despite the attentions of animal-shaped asteroids and other hazards. The scanner along the bottom of the screen is crucial to spotting foes as they approach. You have a limited shield, turned on and off by pressing space, and limited fuel which is recharged by collecting fuel circles which float by.

The Witch's Cauldron

The Witch's Cauldron

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

The Witch's Cauldron is a text adventure with graphics where the protagonist is turned into a slimy toad by the witch Hazel, apparently inspired by the classic fairy tale The Frog King. Imprisoned on the witch's island, the player needs to get the main character back to his original form by collecting ingredients and mixing them into the cauldron, with complementary adventure game puzzles. During the game, the player will transform into various creatures, such as a bat, a cat or an ape, while trying to regain the human form. The screen has been divided horizontally in a graphic representation of the scene (top) and a lower part for the text description and commands. The scenes are not shown from a first-person perspective. Instead, the player is able to see its form in a third-person view from the side, showing the current location in relation to the objects. There are about 100 rooms to explore and some puzzles require a specific form. If a shape change happens to quickly, it becomes possible to miss out on items.

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