Microdeal

Airball

Airball

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1987

You have been turned into a ball of air with a slow leak by an evil wizard. You must find the Spellbook and the ingredients for the spell. Without these, you will never turn back into a human again. These items have to be collected in the maze which consists of 150 isometric rooms. These can be explored freely but sometimes you need to have special objects to proceed, e.g. a candle in dark rooms. The dangers consist mostly of sharp objects which can cause your ball to burst. Additionally you are on a timer because your balloon loses air constantly. But it can be refilled by using pumps which can be found in the maze - but you have to leave them in time or you explode because of overpressure.

Airball

Airball

Apple IIGS - Released - 1989

This is one of the earliest isometric action games that is reminiscent of Marble Madness in look and feel, but with much more complex controls and gameplay. You've been turned into a ball (!) by an evil wizard, and must find the spellbook spell ingredients to turn back to human before the air runs out. Lots of traps and monsters give a strong RPG flavor to this essentially maze-navigating and trap-avoiding action game. Airball for Apple IIgs saw an extremely limited run with fewer than 150 sales for the platform.

Airball

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1987

You have been turned into a ball of air with a slow leak by an evil wizard. You must find the Spellbook and the ingredients for the spell. Without these, you will never turn back into a human again. These items have to be collected in the maze which consists of 150 isometric rooms. These can be explored freely but sometimes you need to have special objects to proceed, e.g. a candle in dark rooms. The dangers consist mostly of sharp objects which can cause your ball to burst. Additionally, you are on a timer because your balloon loses air constantly. But it can be refilled by using pumps which can be found in the maze - but you have to leave them in time or you explode because of overpressure.

Airball

Airball

Atari XEGS - Released - January 1, 1988

You have been turned into a ball of air with a slow leak by an evil wizard. You must find the Spellbook and the ingredients for the spell. Without these, you will never turn back into a human again. These items have to be collected in the maze which consists of 150 isometric rooms. These can be explored freely but sometimes you need to have special objects to proceed, e.g. a candle in dark rooms. The dangers consist mostly of sharp objects which can cause your ball to burst. Additionally you are on a timer because your balloon loses air constantly. But it can be refilled by using pumps which can be found in the maze - but you have to leave them in time or you explode because of overpressure.

Airball

Airball

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1989

You have been turned into a ball of air with a slow leak by an evil wizard. You must find the Spellbook and the ingredients for the spell. Without these, you will never turn back into a human again. These items have to be collected in the maze which consists of 150 isometric rooms. These can be explored freely but sometimes you need to have special objects to proceed, e.g. a candle in dark rooms. The dangers consist mostly of sharp objects which can cause your ball to burst. Additionally you are on a timer because your balloon loses air constantly. But it can be refilled by using pumps which can be found in the maze - but you have to leave them in time or you explode because of overpressure.

Airball

Airball

MS-DOS - 1987

"Now you're really in trouble" said the Evil Wizard. "I'm turning you into a ball of air and sending you into my mansion, with over 250 rooms, to search for the Spellbook that may give you the clues on how to transform yourself into a human again. It's not as easy as it sounds, for you, as the ball of air, have a slow leak, and you'll need to jump on an air pump in some rooms to remain inflated. Take heed, for if you pump up too much you will burst! If you are lucky enough to find the book in these rooms, you'll next have to pick up the objects I've left, such as: crosses, tins of beans, a Buddha, a dragon statue, a pumpkin, a flask, and even crates that you'll need to get over treacherous obstacles! This is your one chance for survival", he cackles. "Sounds easy" you laughingly boast to the Evil Wizard. "Oh! Does it now?" He sneers. "Well, I'm also putting spikes in these rooms that will take your breath away, as well as killer pads on the floor. You have no chance for success...Hee! Hee! Hee"

Amiga International Soccer

Amiga International Soccer

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Amiga Soccer (alias International Soccer) is a soccer game in which two teams play against each other. The match itself can be varied with many settings, e.g. difficulty level, weather, half-time length or time of day, but there are no additional playing modes like a league to be found. However, the basic tactical approach can be set before starting the match. When not in ball possession, the active athlete can be switched by pressing a button and the opponent can be tackled. The strength of a kick depends on how long the fire button is pressed.

Arena 3000

Arena 3000

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Arena 3000 is a top-down action shooter published by Microdeal in which you battle against waves of robots. You start with 3 lives and earn an extra one for every 20,000 points amassed. You can play in either single player or two player split-screen mode. Control is via the keyboard.

Arena 3000

Arena 3000

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

Fight for your life (and highscore) against endless waves of killer robots cornering you on the futuristic Galactic Arena of the year 3000. When you clear the level, the next wave gets faster and tougher, luckily you get 3 lives and extra one every 20 000 points. This top-down shooter offers optional dual joystick control (movement/shooting).

Cuthbert Goes Digging

Cuthbert Goes Digging

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Cuthbert Goes Digging is a 1983 computer game for the Dragon 32 home computer. Written by Steve Bak at Microdeal, the game features the hero Cuthbert, who also appears in Cuthbert Goes Walkabout and Cuthbert in the Mines. In the game, the player guides Cuthbert through levels of girders, avoiding 'moronians' fatal to the touch. The gameplay is basically that of Space Panic: Cuthbert kills moronians by digging holes and causing them to fall down. On later levels, different coloured moronians are harder to kill and must be knocked through two platforms. Cuthbert also battles a time limit on each level, represented by an amount of oxygen remaining. Cuthbert's ability to dig holes can also be used to quickly drop to a lower platform without the use of a ladder. The game is an example of the trap-em-up genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien, Lode Runner, and Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World.

Cuthbert Goes Walkabout

Cuthbert Goes Walkabout

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Cuthbert is on the Lunar Landing Pad, waiting for the Federal Chief's State Visit. He must turn the lights on by walking across the switches, located at the corners of the squares, before the invading Moronians get him. Watch him do his Victory Dance before he tackles the next "Pad" and another, larger, set of Moronian Invaders. Can you get your name in the Hall of Fame?

Cuthbert in Space

Cuthbert in Space

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

The Federal Chief has decided that Cuthbert is to go on a mission of plunder against the Moronians Solar System. Cuthbert lands his spacecraft on each planet but then has to refuel by stealing pods from the Moronian fuel dumps whilst avoiding the Solar Meteoroid Barrage. After filling up he goues and plunders as much loot as possible before take-off. All could go well but when he gets a malfunction he must send a pilotless shuttle to obtain spares and take off before the Moronians' bomb detonates.

Cuthbert in Space

Cuthbert in Space

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1984

Cuthbert, the versatile game protagonist, has this time gone into space. On a series of Joust-like levels, he must clear two stages on each level. The first stage is the fuel stage, where he must fly in his small shuttle from platform to platform and pick up fuel pellets. He can only carry one pellet at a time and must therefore return each of them to the mother ship that is parked on the bottom of the screen. Danger comes in the form of round objects that pass horizontally across the screen at various speeds. It cannot be predicted at what height they will enter the screen, but they can be shot down. The second stage is the loot stage, where Cuthbert must pick up the objects that come falling from the top of the screen, all the while avoiding the same objects as in the previous stage. Once Cuthbert has returned to the mother ship, they travel to the next level. During the space passage, you can encounter troubles, which is handled through a text-only interface. He may have to leave the ship to pick up spare parts, and then return them within a set time limit, or bombs will go off. This is a matter of simply adjusting a set of text coordinates, but the time limit makes the adjustment an urgent matter.

Cuthbert in the Cooler

Cuthbert in the Cooler

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Cuthbert is in a fix again - playing with his time transporter. Trying to outwit the Moronians he's transported himself back to World War II and been locked up in a German Prisoner of War Camp. Can he escape the drunken guards, get the keys to the gate and make his way across the rivers, marshes & minefields to freedom?

Cuthbert in the Jungle

Cuthbert in the Jungle

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Poor Cuthbert is in trouble again. He failed to overcome the Moronians(see "Cuthbert_Goes_Walkabout" and "Cuthbert_Goes_Digging"), so he has been sent to the jungle, where his troubles are many. He must fight his way through the jungle collecting treasures, jumping pits and swinging across alligators whilst being aware of the killer scorpion in the basement.

Cuthbert in the Mines

Cuthbert in the Mines

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

The Moronians finally captured our hapless hero Cuthbert and put him to work in the mine, (together with several of his friends), which is guarded by a fierce demon. The only means of escape is a small hole in the ground. You must guide Cuthbert to safety by running along and jumping the rails, avoiding the trucks. If a truck hits him he will end up being fried in the fire below. Also, the demon guard doesn't like his prisoners escaping so he is constantly on guard and the fireballs that he spits out must be avoided at all costs.

Danger Ranger

Danger Ranger

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Danger Ranger is an early, fixed-screen platform game. It is set on two screens. On the first screen, consisting of five platform floors, you must jump between the platforms with your Ranger, picking up all the keys. To make things more complicated, some floors are inhabited by dangerous birds or bats, which you can shoot with your gun. Furthermore, the left and right boundaries of the screen are patrolled by floating objects which shoot beams whenever you are on the same level as they. They can also be shot down, but regenerate soon afterwards. Since your Ranger cannot jump high enough to reach platforms above his head, your only way to collect missed keys is to take the lift at the bottom of the screen. On the second screen, your Ranger walks along platforms to pick up treasure chests. Deadly masks are placed around the screen, and must be shot down in order to progress. Meanwhile, a deadly rain falls both from above and below, hindering your steps. Once both screens are completed, you go on to the next level where the enemies are more numerous. The game can be played in the usual green, buff and black/white colour schemes on the Dragon, whereas the Tandy version plays in NTSC artifact colours; orange and blue.

Devil Assault

Devil Assault

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

A classic space shooter by Ken Kalish released by Microdeal. Fast paced action, intense sound and some original twists to an old theme characterize this game. The game consists of four different levels. When all levels are completed, it starts at the first level again. Level 1 is the Bombing Wave with space birds flying back and forth trying to bomb your ship at the bottom of the screen. Level 2 is a second Bombing Wave, somewhat more difficult than the first since the birds are located closer to your ship. Level 3 is the Robot Assault. Now the action becomes more challenging. Robots descend from the top of the screen moving in a zig-zag pattern that somehow homes in on your location and at the same time they drop bombs. Level 4 is the Sproing wave. Spring-mounted aliens descend and then bounce back up when they hit the bottom of the screen, resulting in a chaos of aliens flying in all directions and often ending up with them crushing your ship.

Katerpillar Attack

Katerpillar Attack

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

This is a remake of the arcade classic Centipede. The objective of the game is to score points by shooting katerpillars, mushrooms and spiders. You control your ship at the bottom of the screen and you can move sideways and a bit up and down. The katerpillar starts at the top of the screen and moves sideways. If the katerpillar hits an obstacle, it moves down and changes direction. If the katerpillar is hit, one of its segments is turned into a muchroom and the katerpillar is split in two pieces moving in opposite directions. Spiders will drop from the top of the screen and bounce across the bottom of the screen to make the game even harder. This game requires an analogue joystick, and your ship's position is directly determined by the joystick position.

Lands of Havoc

Lands of Havoc

Atari ST - Released - 1985

The Dark Lords have defeated the sorcerer High Vanish and hold the power over the land of Haven. Before he left, High Vanish left magic hidden around the land and now you Sador the reptile man must find various items to defeat The Dark Lords. Haven is split into nine areas which include forest, desert and village. Once a item has been found, a cryptic clue is given on what and where to find the next item. The Dark Lord's aren't going to let you just look around so have sent many and varied monsters to stop you. You can fire and destroy these monsters but if they touch you then your energy bar gets smaller.

Leatherneck

Leatherneck

Commodore Amiga - Released - August 1, 1988

A squad of four tough-guy soldiers have to take out some foes in a jungle. As the game starts, four soldiers are depicted, with any who are not present to play killed immediately.

Major Motion

Major Motion

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

In Major Motion, The Draconian League have taken over the roads and made them dangerous for ordinary road users. You are in control of a car, driving up a vertically scrolling road with occasional forks in it, making the game similar to Spy Hunter. The car is mounted with guns, and so are many enemy cars, but cars can be rammed off the road as well as shot. Watch out for other enemy vehicles such as helicopters though; be sure to avoid their bullets. You can drive into the back of open lorries to gain upgraded weapons. Weapons are activated via keyboard presses, which makes the game more difficult than it would otherwise be. Sound and music sampled from suitably action-packed films aims to add to the atmosphere.

Skramble

Skramble

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Released by Microdeal as Skramble, this is a pretty accurate remake of the arcade game Scramble. You fly your craft across a horizontally scrolling landscape, and the objective of the game is to stay alive while scoring points by destroying enemy missiles, fuel depots, mystery bases, and so on. Your craft is equipped with a gun and bombs. Destroy enemy fuel depots to get more fuel for your craft before you run out and crash. The landscape scrolls at a constant speed. It is possible to temporary speed up or slow down your jet, but you have to stay within the screen. There are five stages in this game and completing all stages brings you back to the start of the game. The Mountains: You fly over mountains bombing and shooting enemy objects located on the ground. Watch out for missiles that are fired at your craft. The UFO cave: You fly through a cave filled with UFOs. Shoot or avoid the UFOs and bomb the objects on the ground. Luckily, no missiles will be fired in this level. The Fireballs: You continue through the cave, but now you have to dodge indestructible fireballs. Remember to drop those bombs on ground objects. The City: Similar to the mountains except that the landscape is different. Enemy objects are often well protected inside silos. The Maze: Fly your ship through a maze of narrow passages all the way to the enemy base.

Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Your plan is as follows. Launch successfully into orbit. Fetch a malfunctioning satellite by first parking next to it and then retrieving the device with your remote control arm. After the satellite is safely stored, close the bay doors, fire retros and begin re-entry. Fly into a final-approach window and perform a mock landing-flare. Then start your final approach to the runway resulting in a safe landing, debrief your mission afterwards to find your successful phases of flight, and your mission score compared to the high score.

Talespin

Talespin

Atari ST - Released - 1989

Talespin is an adventure game creation system made by Mark Heaton and his family (wife and their five children), which allows you to create interactive graphic- and text-oriented adventure games, demos, books, tutorials, or whatever application you can think of. It offers graphics, 100 development commands, mouse control, no copy protection, hard drive support, and Telltale, a run-only module that allows users without Talespin to see your work. Talespin also includes two sample adventure games: The Grail made by 19-year-old Rudyard Heaton and The Wolf made by another artist

Tanglewood

Tanglewood

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Ha! Here's something you didn't know: you've got an uncle called Arthur. He's not from East Enders and he doesn't have a mate called Terry but he does own the mining rights to T'ngl-y-wd. Spit in my eye, eh? Isn't the world a small place guv'nor? Well, yeah, it is a small place and that is why T'ngl-y-wd isn't on it – actually. It's a 'small undistinguished planet in a remote galaxy'. Arthur didn't worry about it much until he found out that it contained some pretty valuable stones, then he shot his mouth off over a couple of pints of beer and was elbowed out by the mining company. Yup, those nice men at the mining centre have hidden Arthur's documents and re-established the planet's operational base. There's a court case in ten days and Arthur (sounds a bit like my uncle, Ripperbile) needs to find those papers or he's out on his ear. This is definitely an arcade-style adventure weighted towards the arcade. You might find the puzzles pretty devious, but it's all a question of having the right thing at the right time. If you like your adventures grilled and ready to eat you probably won't find Tanglewood instantly appealing. You could spend ages exploring this deep and mysterious world – there must be some juicy titbits somewhere – but it takes so long to get anywhere that you might decide to throw your disk over the nearest bridge and cut your toenails instead. But watch out – you might start enjoying yourself!

Turbo Trax (Microdeal)

Turbo Trax (Microdeal)

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1989

Have any of you out there had a run in with your folks because your Scalextric or TCR cars flew off the track and hit the cat or smashed an ornament? You have? Well this is just the thing for you! Turbo Trax is a slot racing system incorporating all the features of a standard layout – including crossovers, chicanes and even a pit stop – without the hassle of causing severe damage to anything else. Good, eh? Once the options have been set, moving to the OK icon exits the menu and moves to the track. The race is seen as a plan view on a split or single screen – depending on the selections made. The cars (or car if you're playing a time trial) sit on the grid with their engines running, until the green light appears and they're off! You steer by pointing the joystick in the direction of the track (except on curves) and get a burst of speed by pressing the fire button. Zooming too fast into crossovers or chicanes will turn you over and cause damage, as will riding fast over rough track. However, repairs and refueling can be carried out by stopping in the red and white zone of the pits. Unfortunately, a crash involving both cars on a crossover causes the race to be abandoned.

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