Durell Software

Chain Reaction

Chain Reaction

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

The Anti-Nuclear Party are up to their old tricks again. They have decided to infiltrate a nuclear power station and programmed the robots to empty the containment vault and attack all scientists inside it. To make matters worse, the entire facility will self-destruct in fifty minutes. As one of the scientists that survived the onslaught, the player must prevent this from happening by collecting eighteen fuel canisters scattered around all seven floors of the facility and disposing of them in the pit that lies at the center of the first floor, but only one canister can be carried at a time. If the player comes into contact with any of the robots, their radiation level increases. Once the player becomes totally contaminated, they will die. There are decontamination showers around the facility, and entering them reduces their radiation level. Players are also equipped with a jet-pack that can be used to fly over dangerous areas.
Combat Lynx

Combat Lynx

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

A semi-realistic helicopter battle game, viewed from behind. Allied bases must be protected from air and land attacks, and soldiers transported between them. The Combat Lynx is equipped with various weapons, including mines and heat-seeking missiles. A map enables the player to keep track of enemy forces. Includes various difficulty levels.
Combat Lynx

Combat Lynx

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

A semi-realistic helicopter battle game, viewed from behind. Allied bases must be protected from air and land attacks, and soldiers transported between them. The Combat Lynx is equipped with various weapons, including mines and heat-seeking missiles. A map enables the player to keep track of enemy forces. Includes various difficulty levels.
Combat Lynx

Combat Lynx

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

A semi-realistic helicopter battle game, viewed from behind. Allied bases must be protected from air and land attacks, and soldiers transported between them. The Combat Lynx is equipped with various weapons, including mines and heat-seeking missiles. A map enables the player to keep track of enemy forces. Includes various difficulty levels.
Critical Mass

Critical Mass

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Mankind has spread throughout the solar system into vast colonies, which are under alien threat. The bad guys have anti-matter machines capable of destroying the planets' power source. You must destroy these before they can reach Critical Mass. Your journey involves travelling primarily to the east, in a hovering craft. It is rotated with left and right movements, and accelerated with forward motion. Laser and shield strength are limited and monitored on screen. Use them wisely, as hostile aliens and mines line the route. Get shot down and you re-emerge with a jet pack, now directed to the bay which can give you a new craft. The force-field gates near the power planets are guarded by turrets which must be shot down. The mission then boils down the insides of the plant, which must be destroyed before its tractor beam has sucked you into the core.
Dam Buster

Dam Buster

Camputers Lynx - Released - 1983

Dam Buster (also released as Dam Busters) is a side view single screen game where you are a pilot from the 617 Squadron in World War II, where your mission is to destroy various dams using a bouncing bomb. Your plane is flying at the top of the screen moving from left to right and reappears back on the left of the screen when it reaches the right side. One of the dams is on the bottom of the screen with the water on the left and you have to fly low and at the right speed to drop the bomb so it will bounce towards the dam and settle at the base of the dam before exploding. Below the water is a green bar which is the drop zone and the bomb can only be released over this. A flak gun on the top of the dam and the right of the dam fire diagonally upwards and you must avoid the flak and not hit the dam either or you lose one of three lives.
Death Pit

Death Pit

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Despite the dramatic artwork and name, Death Pit doesn't have much of a plot to speak of - explore the mines gathering as much gold as possible and the precious gem buried deep in the mine complex just behind the last of the dragons. As well as the aforementioned dragons, you need to deal with spiders, bats and all manner of unknown creature not to mention the usual perils you expect to find in mine shafts like flooding and rough terrain.
Death Pit

Death Pit

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Unreleased - 1985

Death Pit was advertised in various magazines, and was advertised by Durell for all machines, including the Commodore 64. The game involved battling through a labyrinth of mines and corridors, containing Bats, mutant life forms, flooded corridors and rocky paths to dig through.
Deep Strike

Deep Strike

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Deep Strike is set in World War 2, and you form part of a squadron attempting a dangerous mission of destroying a Nazi fuel depot. Your fighter plane is armed with guns; a team of bombers are out there with you, with one always in front. Initially you will face a few planes flying towards you. red planes shoot at you, and later there are black 'suicide planes' which aim to take you down Kamikaze style, and 'Blue Max' planes which are extra-tough. After the first minute or so another challenge is added, in the shape of hills to fly around or over. After this, you reach the bombing zone, in which you guide the bombers behind you and instruct them which sites to bomb. The game is viewed from the cockpit, with displays telling you of how much damage you and the bomber have taken, and whether you are steering in the right direction. A map is build in. The controls can be set in two ways, for 'up' on the joystick either equaling 'move upwards' or 'dive' (as on a real plane).
Deep Strike

Deep Strike

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Deep Strike is set in World War 2, and you form part of a squadron attempting a dangerous mission of destroying a Nazi fuel depot. Your fighter plane is armed with guns; a team of bombers are out there with you, with one always in front. Initially you will face a few planes flying towards you. red planes shoot at you, and later there are black 'suicide planes' which aim to take you down Kamikaze style, and 'Blue Max' planes which are extra-tough. After the first minute or so another challenge is added, in the shape of hills to fly around or over. After this, you reach the bombing zone, in which you guide the bombers behind you and instruct them which sites to bomb. The game is viewed from the cockpit, with displays telling you of how much damage you and the bomber have taken, and whether you are steering in the right direction. A map is build in. The controls can be set in two ways, for 'up' on the joystick either equaling 'move upwards' or 'dive' (as on a real plane).
Durell Big 4

Durell Big 4

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

Compilation of 4 games from Durrell Software, the games included are: • Combat Lynx • Critical Mass • Saboteur • Turbo Esprit
Fat Worm Blows a Sparky

Fat Worm Blows a Sparky

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Fat Worm is locked inside a Spectrum's architecture, and is looking for a disk drive, in order to produce a clone of himself, which he presumably will Write Once and Read Many. He moves around the arrangement of chips, processors and boards, with the aim of finding his way through. On the way he will encounter bugs (of the insectoid type) which must be shot at, by 'blowing a sparkie' - releasing a bolt of electrical energy. Mines and impact shots can both be fired. Contact with these bugs causes them to jump on you, gradually slowing your movement and sappoing your energy. You must collect spindles in order to get rid of them.
Harrier Attack!

Harrier Attack!

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

The player controls a Sea Harrier fighter, looking sideways onto a right-to-left scrolling seascape and landscape. The aim of the game is to take off from a carrier, attack ships and land targets, avoid the odd missile and enemy fighter, then land back on the carrier again. Although the game was a work of fiction, it was inspired by the 1982 Falklands War, in which the Sea Harrier had played a major role. One interesting little quirk to the game was that, it was possible to bomb your own ship as you took off from it. If you did this, when you returned it would no longer be there (having sunk, presumably) and being unable to land on it your plane would just continue flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed. Durell managed to get the executable size down to just under 9 kilobytes, which allowed for a fast loading time from cassette. The game sold over 250,000 copies in total.
Harrier Attack!

Harrier Attack!

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

The player controls a Sea Harrier fighter, looking sideways onto a right-to-left scrolling seascape and landscape. The aim of the game is to take off from a carrier, attack ships and land targets, avoid the odd missile and enemy fighter, then land back on the carrier again. Although the game was a work of fiction, it was inspired by the 1982 Falklands War, in which the Sea Harrier had played a major role. One interesting little quirk to the game was that, it was possible to bomb your own ship as you took off from it. If you did this, when you returned it would no longer be there (having sunk, presumably) and being unable to land on it your plane would just continue flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed. Durell managed to get the executable size down to just under 9 kilobytes, which allowed for a fast loading time from cassette. The game sold over 250,000 copies in total.
Harrier Attack!

Harrier Attack!

Oric Atmos - Released - 1983

The player controls a Sea Harrier fighter, looking sideways onto a right-to-left scrolling seascape and landscape. The aim of the game is to take off from a carrier, attack ships and land targets, avoid the odd missile and enemy fighter, then land back on the carrier again. Although the game was a work of fiction, it was inspired by the 1982 Falklands War, in which the Sea Harrier had played a major role. One interesting little quirk to the game was that, it was possible to bomb your own ship as you took off from it. If you did this, when you returned it would no longer be there (having sunk, presumably) and being unable to land on it your plane would just continue flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed. Durell managed to get the executable size down to just under 9 kilobytes, which allowed for a fast loading time from cassette. The game sold over 250,000 copies in total.
Jungle Trouble

Jungle Trouble

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

Jungle Trouble is a platform game restricted to a single scenario that takes place in a jungle environment. To conquer the game the player has to get home. But to achieve that he has to travel from the lower right corner to the upper left corner of the screen overcoming several obstacles that will be put on his way. By their level of difficulty these obstacles may be compared to independent levels composed inside a single scenario. The number of lives the player has is represented at the lower right corner and at the left corner, the existent great apes which will torment him during great part of the game. Firstly, the player will have to cross a series of platforms without getting in the water either loosing his axe or being attacked by a member of the order Crocodilia. This axe can be acquired at the start when the player leans himself against the right wall of the screen. Only after being successful transporting the axe from one end to the other of the series of platforms, the player will have to manage its use while he knocks the trees down or defends himself against the great ape's attack. Because at the first opportunity they will try to steal it from him and the axe will become permanently more damaged by its use. When this happens the player has to be very cautions because he's now helpless without any kind of weapon do defend himself or attack, and he'll become an easy prey for the apes. Therefore, the process of acquiring an axe has to be repeated. As for the last two obstacles, the player has to firmly pick a liana and safely jump to the other side of a pool of fire. Immediately after, he has to take a big leap by jumping between the extremes of the opening platform which will continually do so until it becomes too wide for any kind of jump. When he succeeds he may calmly touch the upper left wall and finally reach home safe and sound.
Roland Goes Square Bashing

Roland Goes Square Bashing

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

A logic puzzle game in the popular Roland game series. In this game Roland looks a little more square and squashed than usual but he has a very square job to accomplish, as the goal of the game is to visit each square in the game area just a single time as they start to dissolve as soon as you step on them. So you have a short period of time to determine the path that will get you to every square and then you have to do it with a quickness or go falling into space. It isn't exactly Ethel the Aardvark goes Quantity Surveying but it ramps up to a pretty good challenge.
Saboteur

Saboteur

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1986

Saboteur combines platform, beat 'em up and stealth elements, setting you as a lone samurai trying to infiltrate an enemy complex. You are capable of all manner of ninja-style moves including kicks and punches, as well as using weaponry. You must travel through an underground complex linked mainly by platforms and ladders, before triggering a bomb and escaping the complex. Your energy recharges if you stay still, so finding areas free of guards (kill these for money) and dogs (avoid them; killing them gains you nothing) is useful, especially as you only have one life. There's plenty of object manipulation involved, although only one item can ever be carried at a time.
Saboteur II

Saboteur II

Commodore 64 - Released - February 28, 1987

The ninja hero of the original Saboteur game has been killed, and his sister Nina is out to avenge this injustice. She has an array of kung-fu moves on offer, and must put them to use through 700 screens of action. The game design is very similar to the original, right down to the unusual background graphical style. The sections of the game are on multiple levels, separated mainly by ladders, and with lots of weapons and ammunition to pick up along the way. To beat the game you'll have to collect tapes and collect a 14-part computer code.
Saboteur II

Saboteur II

MS-DOS - Released - 1987

The ninja hero of the original Saboteur game has been killed, and his sister Nina is out to avenge this injustice. She has an array of kung-fu moves on offer, and must put them to use through 700 screens of action. The game design is very similar to the original, right down to the unusual background graphical style. The sections of the game are on multiple levels, separated mainly by ladders, and with lots of weapons and ammunition to pick up along the way. To beat the game you'll have to collect tapes and collect a 14-part computer code.
Saboteur!

Saboteur!

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Saboteur combines platform, beat 'em up and stealth elements, setting you as a lone samurai trying to infiltrate an enemy complex. You are capable of all manner of ninja-style moves including kicks and punches, as well as using weaponry. You must travel through an underground complex linked mainly by platforms and ladders, before triggering a bomb and escaping the complex. Your energy recharges if you stay still, so finding areas free of guards (kill these for money) and dogs (avoid them; killing them gains you nothing) is useful, especially as you only have one life. There's plenty of object manipulation involved, although only one item can ever be carried at a time.
Saboteur!

Saboteur!

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Saboteur combines platform, beat 'em up and stealth elements, setting you as a lone samurai trying to infiltrate an enemy complex. You are capable of all manner of ninja-style moves including kicks and punches, as well as using weaponry. You must travel through an underground complex linked mainly by platforms and ladders, before triggering a bomb and escaping the complex. Your energy recharges if you stay still, so finding areas free of guards (kill these for money) and dogs (avoid them; killing them gains you nothing) is useful, especially as you only have one life. There's plenty of object manipulation involved, although only one item can ever be carried at a time.
Scuba Dive

Scuba Dive

Oric Atmos - Released - 1984

Take on the role of a fearless pearl diver, as you plunge into the unknown ocean depths! You'll be swimming with sharks, squid, jellyfish and all manner of strange and deadly creatures. When you find a clam, wait for its shell to open, then swoop down and grab your prize! Descend further, to find larger clams with bigger pearls. And if you go deeper still, you may find cave systems with ancient treasures to be taken. That is, if your oxygen holds out and you can get past the waving tentacles of the octopuses which guard these forbidden places! Once you've taken as much as you can find, you'll have to make it back to the surface. Climb aboard your boat, offload your booty, then strap on a fresh oxygen tank and take to the waters once more.
Scuba Dive

Scuba Dive

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

The aim of the game was simple yet unique. Starting with three divers (lives) on a motor boat you were to drop into the deep blue and gather underwater riches such as pearls and treasure. Nothing like this had been released on the ZX Spectrum before, a game based around wet suit shenanigans was totally original. Controlling your sprite was a little tricky at first, but once you got the hang of it you would be moving through the underwater caverns with the grace of Shelly Winters. Well nearly. You could rotate your character clockwise or anti-clockwise then 'swim' in the direction you were facing. Acceleration to full speed took a couple of seconds (realistic) as did slowing down to a halt (again, realistic). It was up to you to collect pearls from oyster shells (which would open and shut, timing to swoop in and nab the pearl was key), and to locate lost treasure (but only in the deepest parts of the underwater cavern). There were hazards to avoid in the water such as sharks, jellyfish, eels and giant octupus. Colliding with any of these would take away one of your lives and lose all three and it was game over.
Sigma 7

Sigma 7

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

The space station Sigma 7 has a problem: all robots have gone havoc. Now the player has to set things right by using the central controls inside the station - but of course it is not that easy. He first have to solve three levels with different gameplay mechanics: The first is a diagonally scrolling shooter which plays very basic: don't getting hit by the mines which come in formations of three. It is best to shoot them, however, because surviving mines may come back from the side, which is deadly. After reaching the station, the game becomes a Pac-Man variant. In a maze-like field the player needs to pick up glowing balls on the floor without being touched by the enemies. But there are two important differences: the player controls a tank, i.e. he can shoot the foes, and he doesn't have to pick up all balls. If he got enough, he can simply use the exit. However, a few balls can't be picked up and the pattern needs to be remembered, During the last mini game the player gets presented with a panel of buttons. He bounces a ball on those buttons to recreate the pattern from before. He needs to look after a force field which follows the ball's movements - touching it results in losing a life. The buttons also flash in different colours and the bouncing only gets registered when the right colour is active. After finishing this level the game loops with faster enemies.
Sigma 7

Sigma 7

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

The space station Sigma 7 has a problem: all robots have gone havoc. Now the player has to set things right by using the central controls inside the station - but of course it is not that easy. He first have to solve three levels with different gameplay mechanics: The first is a diagonally scrolling shooter which plays very basic: don't getting hit by the mines which come in formations of three. It is best to shoot them, however, because surviving mines may come back from the side, which is deadly. After reaching the station, the game becomes a Pac-Man variant. In a maze-like field the player needs to pick up glowing balls on the floor without being touched by the enemies. But there are two important differences: the player controls a tank, i.e. he can shoot the foes, and he doesn't have to pick up all balls. If he got enough, he can simply use the exit. However, a few balls can't be picked up and the pattern needs to be remembered, During the last mini game the player gets presented with a panel of buttons. He bounces a ball on those buttons to recreate the pattern from before. He needs to look after a force field which follows the ball's movements - touching it results in losing a life. The buttons also flash in different colours and the bouncing only gets registered when the right colour is active. After finishing this level the game loops with faster enemies.
Sigma 7

Sigma 7

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

The space station Sigma 7 has a problem: all robots have gone havoc. Now the player has to set things right by using the central controls inside the station - but of course it is not that easy. He first have to solve three levels with different gameplay mechanics: The first is a diagonally scrolling shooter which plays very basic: don't getting hit by the mines which come in formations of three. It is best to shoot them, however, because surviving mines may come back from the side, which is deadly. After reaching the station, the game becomes a Pac-Man variant. In a maze-like field the player needs to pick up glowing balls on the floor without being touched by the enemies. But there are two important differences: the player controls a tank, i.e. he can shoot the foes, and he doesn't have to pick up all balls. If he got enough, he can simply use the exit. However, a few balls can't be picked up and the pattern needs to be remembered, During the last mini game the player gets presented with a panel of buttons. He bounces a ball on those buttons to recreate the pattern from before. He needs to look after a force field which follows the ball's movements - touching it results in losing a life. The buttons also flash in different colours and the bouncing only gets registered when the right colour is active. After finishing this level the game loops with faster enemies.
Space Hawks

Space Hawks

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Space Hawks is a galactic shoot'em up in the style of Galaxian. As in Galaxian, the player's space ship can only move along the horizontal axis. When an alien is killed, the player must avoid the debris of the alien. At advanced levels the player must also be careful with space mines that move around the game screen. Eight waves of aliens must be destroyed to complete the adventure. Before starting the game, the user can select the difficulty (among 8 levels), and the number of players (1 or 2).
Spitfire

Spitfire

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1989

You are a Spitfire pilot and you have been tasked to fly your plane across the English Channel and destroy any flying bombs on the ground and any enemy planes in the area. You also have to defend your base in England by shooting any flying bombs flying in the air towards your base. All this has to be done before your fuel runs out and you crash. You have six Spitfires to use but you can lose some if they are destroyed at your base. The game is a horizontal scrolling shoot-em-up with the screen scrolling left to right or right to left if you turn your plane. The game also scrolls upwards and downwards if you climb or lower your plane. You plane can take 10 hits before crashing or you fly downwards too fast and you hit the ground.
Spitfire

Spitfire

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

You are a Spitfire pilot and you have been tasked to fly your plane across the English Channel and destroy any flying bombs on the ground and any enemy planes in the area. You also have to defend your base in England by shooting any flying bombs flying in the air towards your base. All this has to be done before your fuel runs out and you crash. You have six Spitfires to use but you can lose some if they are destroyed at your base. The game is a horizontal scrolling shoot-em-up with the screen scrolling left to right or right to left if you turn your plane. The game also scrolls upwards and downwards if you climb or lower your plane. You plane can take 10 hits before crashing or you fly downwards too fast and you hit the ground.
Thanatos

Thanatos

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

In the game the player must guide the dragon through the land flying towards the right, and fight its way through a multitude of enemies, both humans and fantasy creatures: sea snakes, giant spiders, a hostile two-headed dragon. They can be burned with the dragon's fiery breath, or they can be grabbed with the dragon's claws and dropped onto other enemies. Boulders can also be picked up and dropped on enemies. To win the game, the dragon's mission is to pick up an enchantress for a ride, then safely deliver her to find a book of spells, and finally take her to a magic cauldron so she may cast her spell. The enchantress brings extra challenge to the task, as she must be kept safe from harm. If Thanatos turns around too fast while flying, she may fall off and must be picked up again. If the sorceress is slain or Thanatos dies, the game will end. The dragon makes its way through a few strongholds, whose gates must be burned through (apparently the castle walls are too tall to fly over). If the dragon runs out of fire breath, it must backtrack to find a virgin strapped to a pole, land nearby, and walk closer to eat the virgin. This will restore the dragon's breath. However, be wary as a knight is waiting in ambush and attacks the dragon while it's landed and vulnerable. The dragon's health is indicated by a beating heart in the bottom of the screen. As the dragon takes hits from enemies the heart starts beating faster and faster, and near death it starts flashing blue. The dragon must withdraw to safety to rest and recover.
Turbo Esprit

Turbo Esprit

Amstrad CPC - Released - May 8, 1986

You are a special agent trying to prevent a gang of drug smugglers from completing drug deliveries using your high tech Lotus Esprit car. You can either track down and destroy the cars or ram them until they no longer function. Travel around four cities and find the evil drug lords. HQ helps by keeping you up do date on an armoured car targeted by the baddies on your map. Stop them before they transfer the drugs and flee to a new city, but be careful they are wily and may be using duplicate courier cars.
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