Microdeal

Air Traffic Control

Air Traffic Control

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Air Traffic Control (aka Air Traffic Control Simulator) is a video game released by Microdeal; not to be confused with the 1984 game Heathrow Air Traffic Control by Hewson.

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

Airball

Atari ST - 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

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

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"

Alcatraz II

Alcatraz II

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

Alcatraz II is a stealth game where you need to escape the Alcatraz II prison by passing through several of the prison's wings undetected. The game contains several single-screen rooms as well as a minotaur's lair. Each level has a maze-like structure with passages blocked off by force fields. The fields open up when a guard passes. The player's character needs to remain undetected, but also needs to use the opportunity to quickly move past the force fields while they are open. A level is won by reaching the exit on the other side of the room. The game keeps track of the score, saves the high score and shows the number of wings that have been completed.

Alcatraz II

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1981

Alcatraz II is a stealth game where you need to escape the Alcatraz II prison by passing through several of the prison's wings undetected. The game contains several single-screen rooms as well as a minotaur's lair. Each level has a maze-like structure with passages blocked off by force fields. The fields open up when a guard passes. The player's character needs to remain undetected, but also needs to use the opportunity to quickly move past the force fields while they are open. A level is won by reaching the exit on the other side of the room. The game keeps track of the score, saves the high score and shows the number of wings that have been completed.

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.

Android Attack

Android Attack

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

Android Attack is a 32K update of the Berzerk variant Robot Battle for 16K Tandy Colour systems. The extra memory is used to add in another feature of the original arcade game, speech, which is featured in its Microdeal title, Talking Android Attack. Like in Berzerk, you are a lone humanoid in a large complex with lots of maze-like rooms. Your objective is to survive, and earn points by exterminating all the hostile robots that inhabit the complex. Shooting a robot (before it shoots you) turns it into a heap of deadly scrap, which will reanimate after a short while, though not into the android it once was, but into a ghost. The ghosts can pass through walls and try to fulfill the mission of their former life. This is a slight deviation from the original Berzerk, where the ghost was a separate character named "Evil Otto". Another difference is that in this version, you can jump and duck to avoid robot bullets. Another peril in the game is the walls, which are electrified. By sacrificing an energy unit, of which you need at least three, you can open up a hole in the wall to pass through. On each screen there is also a crown, which can be picked up for 100 points. Killing an android gives 50 points, and killing its ghost gives you another 100. By eliminating all enemies and picking up the crown and exiting the room, you are granted a bonus sum calculated from the remaining time (when it reaches zero, you are killed). For every 10000 points, you earn another energy unit. If you leave the room without having killed the enemies, the computer will say in wobbly 6-bit speech, "Coward!".

Aquanaut 471

Aquanaut 471

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Major Istar: Under the Doomed Sea is a text adventure set in the future where in the beginning of the 21st century the human-driven destruction of Earth's surface has driven mankind to build underwater cities. The player assumes the role of Major Camerion J. Istar (Aquanaut 471 in the UK version) a member of the Oceanic Federation tasked with keeping the peace in the underwater world. The game starts aboard a submarine headed towards the scientific research station Trident Dome. While en route you receive a distress call from service droid Huey-14, but it is cut off before it can explain the problem. Your goal is to solve the mystery regarding the SOS transmission and save the research facility. In addition to the normal graphical text adventure you will also face three arcade style event sequences requiring a joystick. The game screen is divided in two parts, with the top showing the environment in colour and the name of the location, and the bottom half the text description. Single stroke keys can be used to move around (N, S, E, W, U, and D) and there are more than 100 hundred locations. The command parser is a standard verb noun type. You can also save your current location to diskette/cassette for restart later. Next to the adventure parts there are three arcade games that need to be completed. Failure for these does not end the game, but transports Aquanaut 471 back to an earlier location to travel back and give it another try. The mini-games involve docking the submarine on to a platform while avoiding objects, and two security games where a platform needs to be reached while avoiding robot guards. The security games are largely identical in design, but in the second one the robots move quicker and have a different movement pattern.

Arena 3000

Arena 3000

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

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).

Arena 3000

Arena 3000

Atari 800 - Released - 1984

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).

Arena 3000

Arena 3000

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

Fight for your life (and high score) 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).

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).

Athletyx

Athletyx

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1985

Athletyx is a 1 - 2 player arcade game for the Dragon 32/64. Players complete in the events 100 m dash, long jump, high jump, javelin, 200 meter sprint, and 400 meter hurtle. Control is via the joystick, and the player accelerates by rapidly moving the stick back and forth. The player must qualify for each event by beating a minimal score in order to be awarded points. The player is allowed 1 false start in race events, and 3 attempts on the other events.

Backgammon

Backgammon

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

This computer translation of the board game is restricted to solitary play against the computer, Red being the player and Blue the opponent. It is however possible to let the machine handle a player's turn if so desired, which means it will effectively play against itself if this is done continuously. Games are played singly, there's no match score and doubling cube.

Beam Rider

Beam Rider

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

In this completely original and incredibly fast game you play the Beamrider. Your mission is to rid the world of those formidable blocks of nuclear waste,by sucking them up with your beamer - an incredible piece of human engineering. Avoid the drop out chasers, grab the energiser but above all , get rid of them there blocks!!!

Buzzard Bait

Buzzard Bait

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

After a successful Pitfall clone (Trapfall), Tom Mix published a Joust clone for the CoCo and Dragon. Just as in the original Joust, you are a knight, riding an ostrich in a dungeon tournament(!). The goal is to force the ostrich to fly onto the platform and to land on your opponents. The opponent ostriches turn into eggs when landed upon, for you to collect. When all opponents are eliminated, you go on to the next level. If you wait too long, a dangerous pterodactyl will enter the screen to chase you down. Buzzard Bait is mostly feature-complete compared to its role model, including lava trolls. To cope with the limited colour repertoire of the Motorola 6847 chip, you can choose between three colour schemes for the game, ranging from the system green and "buff" to a pure black and white mode.

Cards

Cards

Atari ST - Released - 1986

Cards is a collection of five card games: - Blackjack - Cribbage - Klondike - Poker Squares - Solitaire

Cash Man

Cash Man

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1985

Cashman is a computer game by Bill Dunlevy (co-creator of Time Bandit) and Doug Frayer for the TRS-80 Color Computer and Dragon 32 (Also released on the Sanyo MBC-550), published by Computer Shack in July 1983. The game contains a mixture of elements from other platform games, most notably Jumpman. The player can control either a Sailor or a Sheikh, running up and down stairs and avoiding bats, cats, bombs, and other creatures in order to collect dollar signs. It was one of the most popular third party games for the system

Caverns of Doom

Caverns of Doom

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1985

In the year 6502 BC, Jesmon Hys from the city of Nodlon discovered the ancient Tombs of Ledromica in the rich pastures of Tatseclus. Over the years of exploring the Tombs, Jesmon has discovered apart from treasures, that somewhere deep in the Tombs is a Temple dedicated to the worship of Rah. Too old to search for the Temple, Jesmon has written down his findings for the person who discovers them to continue his search for the Temple. You play the role of Cuthbert who has discovered the writings of Jesmon and has decided to enter the Tombs to find treasure as well as the Temple. The game is a flick-screen maze game where you must search the various screens collecting treasure and bonuses while avoiding the monsters. You are armed and one shot is only needed to remove the monsters who appear after a few seconds after you enter a screen. Touching a monster loses you a life and you can only fire sideways. There are also doors that need opening with keys but you can only carry one key at a time.

Chambers

Chambers

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Chambers is a 1-player arcade game for the Dragon 32/64. The player controls a small character who moves about in a variety of chambers, and can fire in 8 directions. In each chamber, a number of monsters appears, and if the player destroys them all, they gain warp access to nearby chambers. A map showing how chambers align and the player's position is shown in the top right corner. After all monsters are destroyed, new dangers flood the screen, and the player must quickly leave. The goal is to reach the chamber highlighter red on the map. The player starts with 9 lives, and it's game over when all are lost.

Chambers

Chambers

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

The player controls a small character who moves about in a variety of chambers, and can fire in 8 directions. In each chamber, a number of monsters appears, and if the player destroys them all, they gain warp access to nearby chambers. A map showing how chambers align and the player's position is shown in the top right corner. After all monsters are destroyed, new dangers flood the screen, and the player must quickly leave. The goal is to reach the chamber highlighter red on the map. The player starts with 9 lives, and it's game over when all are lost.

Color Planet Invasion

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

Planet Invasion is a straight-forward Defender clone. As in the original, you patrol a horizontally scrolling landscape infested with Praetorian invaders which you must shoot down with your ship. The aliens are out to grab the Caloxin crystals scattered on the surface. If a Grabber alien gets away with it, it turns into a nastier Killer. A third kind is the Chaser, which flies quickly after you if you wait for too long. Others are the Miners, which drop mines, and Beamers, which split into three Berserkers. For a game for the Tandy Coco and Dragon 32, Planet Invasion scrolls very quickly, though the speed comes at a cost – the landscape itself is only made up of a dotted line. Apart from that, Invasion is fairly feature-complete, having both a radar overview of the level, hyperspace and a smart bomb.

Crash

Crash

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Crash is a 1-player arcade game for the Dragon 32/64 The player controls Mario, as they try to navigate through 4 distinct arcade sequences. In the first sequence, Mario must climb across ropes and ascend ladders, while avoiding spiders and bouncing enemies. In the second stage, the player can move laterally, jump over gaps in platforms, and climb down ladders. The goal is to reach the ladder that moves off the bottom of the screen. In the third screen, the player tries to jump off a cliff and parachute into the awaiting boat. Finally, in the fourth stage the player tries to climb up a series of ladders to reach the airplane at the top. The player starts each game with 5 lives.

Crazy Painter

Crazy Painter

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Your job is to paint the screen using your paintbrush and a few buckets of paint. Once your brush runs dry you will have to open a new bucket of paint and keep going. To make your job worse, various characters appear walking across your freshly painted surface leaving ugly footprints in their path. You have to cover those with more paint. Some of these characters can be killed by painting them, others will kill you.

Cuthbert and the Golden Chalice

Cuthbert and the Golden Chalice

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1986

Legend tells of a fabled GOLDEN CHALICE that can bring wealth and long life to whoever it belongs being placed at the end of a deep cave. Having heard of these tales Cuthbert sets off to try and collect the chalice, but will he succeed where many others have failed? The cave is filled with deep pits that will mean instant death should he fall in. Other hazards include poisonous snakes, swarms of fast moving bees and giant deadly spiders. Will you be able to take on the challenge and guide Cuthbert to the GOLDEN CHALICE?

Cuthbert Enters the Tombs of Doom

Cuthbert Enters the Tombs of Doom

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

In the year 6502 BC, Jesmon Hys from the city of Nodlon discovered the ancient Tombs of Ledromica in the rich pastures of Tatseclus. Over the years of exploring the Tombs, Jesmon has discovered apart from treasures, that somewhere deep in the Tombs is a Temple dedicated to the worship of Rah. Too old to search for the Temple, Jesmon has written down his findings for the person who discovers them to continue his search for the Temple. You play the role of Cuthbert who has discovered the writings of Jesmon and has decided to enter the Tombs to find treasure as well as the Temple. The game is a flick-screen maze game where you must search the various screens collecting treasure and bonuses while avoiding the monsters. You are armed and one shot is only needed to remove the monsters who appear after a few seconds after you enter a screen. Touching a monster loses you a life and you can only fire sideways. There are also doors that need opening with keys but you can only carry one key at a time.

Cuthbert Enters the Tombs of Doom

Cuthbert Enters the Tombs of Doom

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1984

In the year 6502 BC, Jesmon Hys from the city of Nodlon discovered the ancient Tombs of Ledromica in the rich pastures of Tatseclus. Over the years of exploring the Tombs, Jesmon has discovered apart from treasures, that somewhere deep in the Tombs is a Temple dedicated to the worship of Rah. Too old to search for the Temple, Jesmon has written down his findings for the person who discovers them to continue his search for the Temple. You play the role of Cuthbert who has discovered the writings of Jesmon and has decided to enter the Tombs to find treasure as well as the Temple. The game is a flick-screen maze game where you must search the various screens collecting treasure and bonuses while avoiding the monsters. You are armed and one shot is only needed to remove the monsters who appear after a few seconds after you enter a screen. Touching a monster loses you a life and you can only fire sideways. There are also doors that need opening with keys but you can only carry one key at a time.

Cuthbert Goes Digging

Cuthbert Goes Digging

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1982

Cuthbert, Microdeal's mascot, is trapped inside a mine, filled with crawly creeps. He must climb the ladders out of the mine and reach the surface before the oxygen level reaches zero. Each floor in the mine is filled with creeps, and Cuthbert's only weapon is his mining pick-axe. Using the axe, he can pick holes in the floor that the creeps fall into. Trapped in the holes, they are defenceless against Cuthbert's axe. Once Cuthbert has reached the surface, he goes on to the next level. As you may have figured out, Cuthbert Goes Digging is essentially based upon Space Panic.

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 Goes Walkabout

Cuthbert Goes Walkabout

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

In this installment of the Cuthbert Saga, Cuthbert goes for a stroll on a grid. As he walks along all four sides of a cell in a grid, it changes color, and when all cells have been coloured, it is on to the next grid. This would have been too easy, were it not for the nasties that also walk along the grid. Cuthbert's only weapons are his wits and his ability to jump over the nasties. Just try not to jump out of the screen! The inspiration for this game is the old arcade game, Amidar, and it can be seen as a primitive version of Oh Mummy.

Cuthbert Goes Walkabout

Cuthbert Goes Walkabout

Atari 800 - Released - 1984

In this installment of the Cuthbert Saga, Cuthbert goes for a stroll on a grid. As he walks along all four sides of a cell in a grid, it changes color, and when all cells have been coloured, it is on to the next grid. This would have been too easy, were it not for the nasties that also walk along the grid. Cuthbert's only weapons are his wits and his ability to jump over the nasties. Just try not to jump out of the screen! The inspiration for this game is the old arcade game, Amidar, and it can be seen as a primitive version of Oh Mummy.

Cuthbert in Space

Cuthbert in Space

Commodore 64 - 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 Space

Cuthbert in Space

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1985

Cuthbert in Space ============ You must collect the fuel pods & return them individually to the mothership at the bottom of the screen. Shoot any enemies you encounter on the way. Once all the pods are collected you can go on a looting mission for extra points. After the looting mission you depart for another planet but sometimes your ship malfunctions and you must go for vital spares before the bomb detonates. There are 10 levels to complete, After level 10, level 1 repeats.

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

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1985

Bearing only a superficial likeness to the Dragon 32 version, Cuthbert in the Cooler for the Commodore 16 has none of the prison camp theme, instead being a totally independent development that Microdeal saw as sufficiently similar to put the same label on. Gone are the barracks and the prison guards, and instead you run around picking up apples, keys and other items, while laying bombs in labyrinths guarded by skulls, mummies and fires, resulting in a game that is a bit of Oh Mummy and a bit of Mr. Do, while being so simplified that it doesn't equal either.

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 Jungle

Cuthbert in the Jungle

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

Trapfall, or as it is known on the Commodore 64 / Dragon 32, Cuthbert in the Jungle, is a direct clone of Activision's classic Pitfall. In a red, blue, yellow and green jungle, your hero (Cuthbert) must run through the landscape, avoiding falling into lakes (some of which appear out of nothing, only to disappear again), being crushed by rolling logs, being bit by snakes, scorpions or other dangerous creatures of the jungle. In the lakes live crocodiles, which can be used as stepping stones as long as their jaws are closed. In order to cross lakes, lianas may also be used, Tarzan-style. For some reason, there is a big cellar beneath the jungle into which Cuthbert may fall. It may be used as a way to avoid the dangers on the surface, but it is also inhabited by nasties, and you may run into a cul-de-sac. To spice things up, you only have 20 minutes to reach the end.

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

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Another winner from Kenneth Kalish (Author of Phantom Slayer, Escape and Invader's Revenge). Danger Ranger must collect ten keys from the Chamber of Pasha, whilst warding off the Floating Urns, Radioactive Bats and Roving Eyes. Then he must face the Acid Chamber to collect all the Treasure Chests, avoiding not only the drops of acid, but shooting the four demons which guard the chamber. Five Levels of Play. Sound Effects. High speed arcade action game. Full colour graphics. Machine code. Joystick Required.

Danger Ranger

Danger Ranger

Atari 800 - 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.

Danger Ranger

Danger Ranger

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

A Donkey Kong inspired platform game that changes things up by giving you a gun. Collect all the items on each level to progress to the next, while avoiding and shooting enemies.

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.

Demolition Derby

Demolition Derby

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Demolition Derby is a 1 - 2 player arcade game for the TRS-80 CoCo. The player controls a small vehicle from a top-down perspective, that can move in all directions. The goal is to push competing cars into the walls on the side of the racetrack. The player can use gas guzzling turbos to smash other vehicles harder. Each vehicle bumped into the wall increases a meter on the right side of the screen, allowing the player to move onto a more difficult track. If the player hits the side or stationary obstacles, they are destroyed. Levels must be completed before fuel runs out, and players starts with 3 cars.

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.

Devil Assault

Devil Assault

Dragon 32/64 - 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.

Donkey King

Donkey King

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Donkey King is an unofficial remake of the coin-op game Donkey Kong. When Microdeal found itself facing accusations of infringing on the original Donkey Kong series (see the Dragon User magazine of June 1983 for more details), the name was changed to The King. The game can be played at normal or slow speed. It is also possible to play in practice mode. In this mode you will start the game with 12 lives, but you will not be able to enter your name in the high score table.

Downland

Downland

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

In Downland, the object is to locate keys which unlock doors as you navigate underground caverns by climbing ropes and jumping or swinging across chasms. Difficulty is increased by falling acid, runaway boulders and a time limit which upon expiration means death by a flying bat.

Dragon Invaders

Dragon Invaders

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Dragon Invaders is a Space Invaders clone for the Dragon 32/64 computer. It was published by Microdeal in 1983.

Dungeon Raid

Dungeon Raid

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1984

Dungeon Raid is a 1-player arcade game for multiple systems. The player tries to navigate a small character through a series of quickly scrolling dungeon chambers. The character can move laterally, speed up or slow down scrolling, and can fire vertically downwards. If the player touches a wall or monster, they lose a life. All monsters explode laterally when hit, and if the player touches this explosion, they also lose a life. Each room is timed, and if the player moves to slowly through a room, they lose a life. At the end of each room is a door, which must be shot to enter. If the player loses a life, they restart at the most recent door they passed. At the end of each dungeon level is a ghost which must be destroyed. There are 3 levels of difficulty. The player starts with 3 men, and an extra life is granted every 10,000 points.

Dungeon Raid

Dungeon Raid

Dragon 32/64 - Released

Dungeon Raid is a 1-player arcade game for multiple systems. The player tries to navigate a small character through a series of quickly scrolling dungeon chambers. The character can move laterally, speed up or slow down scrolling, and can fire vertically downwards. If the player touches a wall or monster, they lose a life. All monsters explode laterally when hit, and if the player touches this explosion, they also lose a life. Each room is timed, and if the player moves to slowly through a room, they lose a life. At the end of each room is a door, which must be shot to enter. If the player loses a life, they restart at the most recent door they passed. At the end of each dungeon level is a ghost which must be destroyed. There are 3 levels of difficulty. The player starts with 3 men, and an extra life is granted every 10,000 points.

ESCAPE

ESCAPE

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

Escape is a 1-player adventure game for multiple systems. You are stranded in a rather strange building. The elevator will take you to the first floor to escape, but first you need the correct "key". The player moves about a series of hallways from a 1st person perspective. There are numerous rooms, each of which contain a clue or a puzzle to help solve the password to use the elevator. In many of the rooms, the player can type in answers to questions. If the player ascertains the correct password to ride the elevator, they can escape to safety, otherwise they plummet to their death.

Flipper

Flipper

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

A Reversi style board game where 2 players can play against each another, or a single player can play against the computer.

Fright Night

Fright Night

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Fright Night is based on the 1985 Columbia Pictures movie of the same name. You play vampire Jerry Dandridge in this arcade-style action game. You prowl the rooms of the mansion searching for victims. You have to dodge the Crucifixes thrown at you and sink your teeth into anything that looks tasty. Once you've drained the blood of all your victims, you can proceed to the next level. Keep an eye out for the unhealthy as they will drain your lifeforce; too much bad blood and you're a dead vampire. You can run back to your coffin if you're low on health to regenerate, as well, you must be back in your coffin before the sun comes up, or you're a toasty vampire.

Frogger

Frogger

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1983

Your task in this arcade game is to guide a frog across a treacherous road and river, and to safety at the top of the screen. Both these sections are fraught with a variety of hazards, each of which will kill the frog and cost you a life if contact is made. The road is full of cars and trucks, at variable speeds. The river water itself is fatal, as are the snakes which hover within on later levels. Frogger must use the arrangement of logs, turtles (which are only there for a short time) and alligators (but stay away from their faces), and then jump into one of the open home-cells, ideally one containing a fly for extra points. Once all holes have been filled, you move onto the next, harder, level.

Frogger

Frogger

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Programmed by Jim Nunke, Frogger is an adaptation of the popular coin operated arcade game by SEGA. Safely manoeuvre the frog to its home whitin the time given. Cross the highway without getting run over and cross the river without falling in. Avoid traffic, snakes, crocodiles and diving turtles.

Fury

Fury

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

Fury is a variant of the arcade game Time Pilot, and was programmed by Timothy Purves. The player is the sole defender of a small South American country that is being overtaken by communists and has to shoot down as many enemies as possible before the CIA steps in. Like in the arcade game the player is in control of a plane that can move and shoot in multiple directions. Among the enemy forces there are airplanes, helicopters and hot balloons that can be shot down and parachutes that have to be rammed. As the game goes on it gets harder with the addition of magnetic air mines. These will chase the player who has to dodge them. The first one appears after scoring 5,000 points but the amount increases at higher point values. After scoring 30,000 points the player's air cannons heat up making it necessary to fire slower.

Galagon

Galagon

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1984

This is a remake of Galaga and was programmed by Brett Keeton. You control your spacecraft at the bottom of the screen. The objective of the game is to shoot as many aliens without having your own ship destroyed by alien fire or crashing into swooping aliens. The aliens attack in waves and most of them will stay in formation at the top of the screen while some swoop down to drop bombs or crash into you. Every so often, you will be presented with a special challenging stage where aliens just move across the screen in fixed patterns, and you can shoot as many as you manage for an extra bonus. To get this right, you'll have to memorize the patterns and stay one step ahead of the moving aliens. It is possible to have your ship captured by the really large aliens when they engage their tractor beams. Shoot an alien holding a captured ship, and you will have a double ship capable of firing two shots at a time.

Galax Attax

Galax Attax

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1982

Galax Attax is a clone of Namco's Galaxian, which was one of the first shoot'em'ups to deviate from the original Space Invaders fare in favor of things such as aliens with individual behavior and movement. Your goal: Shoot down all the aliens as they fly in formation. If they break free from their formation and fly at you, they are worth twice as many points, while also being more dangerous. On the Tandy computer, the game uses NTSC artifacting for colour on a black space backdrop, whereas the Dragon version has been reprogrammed with a white backdrop, which makes the orange bullets harder to see, resulting in an overall more difficult game. The Tandy version was later reprogrammed with new sprites which looked more like the insect-themed ones from the original Galaxian instead of the more abstract ones of the first version.

Glaxxons

Glaxxons

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Glaxxons is basically a Galaga clone, with some notable differences. First of all, your ship can not move only at the bottom of the screen, but also to a certain degree in the vertical direction. Furthermore, you can only fire one shot at a time. If you press the fire button repeatedly, the last shot fired disappears. On the other hand, the enemies' shots are target seeking. Also, your ship isn't destroyed on contact with enemies or bullets. Instead, you have a power bar that decreases for each hit.

Goldrunner II

Goldrunner II

Atari ST - Released - 1988

Goldrunner II is set 50 years after the events of its predecessor. Since then humanity has started to use robot pilots for defense, but space pirates have managed to capture them. The hero, the grandchild of the original Goldrunner, now has to save or at least destroy the robots before they can be used against their creators. To do so he flies through 16 vertically scrolling levels, called platforms, to shoot down the transporters carrying the robots. Then he collects the robots (the capacity is up to five at a time) flies to the teleporter station, unloads and repeats until all robots in the level are captured or destroyed. Well, it is not that easy: every destroyed transporter causes recovery ships - basically enemy fighters and mines - to show up, which need to be destroyed first. The game also features dust clouds which block the ship's shots and smart bombs which destroy all enemies on the screen when used.

Golf (Microdeal)

Golf (Microdeal)

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

A simple overhead view of a golf course for one to four players. Features include water hazards, sand traps and a built in handicapping device of the game throwing in the odd sliced shot.

Grabber (MicroDeal)

Grabber (MicroDeal)

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

Grabber is a top view single screen maze game where the player moves a creature around the screen collecting treasure in the shape of bones over various levels. The screen has two mazes and the player may switch between either maze with the press of the fire button. The player then has to grab a piece of treasure and take it to the centre of one of the mazes. There are eight pieces of treasure, four for each maze to grab and place. As the player moves and grabs, there are various creatures that also appear and move around the maze. These have to be avoided or the player lose one of four lives. Yellow bones can be collected and these allow the player to kill the creatures, however an indestructible creature will appear occasionally and may only be avoided. The creatures the player can kill will also grab the treasure themselves from the centre and place it elsewhere in the mazes. Two players can play and each player takes it in turns to play when the other player loses a life.

Hopper

Hopper

Mattel Aquarius - Released - 1984

Get Hopper safely home across the busy 4-lane motorway avoiding the lorries and cars and cross the river without falling in by jumping on the logs and diving turtles but beware the crocodiles. Full colour and sound. No joysticks required.

Insanity Fight

Insanity Fight

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1987

This shoot 'em up scrolls vertically at constant speed. As well as waves of aliens, there are lots of mounted structures to be shot before they can shoot you. One regular enemy is a large spaceship, similar to the goose in SWIV. You have five lives initially (with extras on offer for every 15,000 points), and the screen displays how many enemies you've killed thus far. It also displays the high score and (unusually) a bar indicating how high up the high score table you've reached.

Intergalactic Force

Intergalactic Force

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

You are in charge of a starship and your mission is to fly through the corridor and drop bombs down the air shafts to destroy the alien invaders in their spaceship below. But first you must fly through the force of Thi fighters and shoot them before they attack you with their deadly accurate laser bombs. Use your bombs carefully, you have a limited number. Intergalactic Force was programmed by Charles J Roslund for Anteco Software.

International Soccer

International Soccer

Atari ST - Released - 1988

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.

Jug

Jug

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

You are an interactive humanoid composed of Titanium fleximetal and other organic material, first built in 3642 AD - nicknamed 'JUG' because of your barrel chested profile which can transform into many different shapes and reform instantaneously. The task is simple - This is your 14th Tour of Duty and within the living core of the Planet Spiraeus, is a deadly virus causing its brain to malfunction and all the inner sanctums to die as the life force is diminished. This planet is divided into four zones, each of which has four sectors. Trap doors in the floor and holes in the roof will enable you to move up or down a level. You MUST find and destroy the deadly 'tumor' within the deepest parts of the planet, before it becomes an empty shell drifting in the depths of Space and Time. WARNING! - The planet's immune system will see the Jug as a hostile and alien body so you will be attacked by the defense system of the very planet that you are trying to save! Vital equipment will be transported into the planet along your proposed trajectory to help you in your quest, and fuel pods will be available throughout the game. But take heed, the problems will really start when you have reached the source of the disaster... With bi-directional scrolling, parallax scrolling and the most stunning graphics possible on the ST, you must surely agree that JUG is a game that no one should be without.

Jug

Jug

Atari ST - Released - 1988

You are an interactive humanoid composed of Titanium fleximetal and other organic material, first built in 3642 AD - nicknamed 'JUG' because of your barrel chested profile which can transform into many different shapes and reform instantaneously. The task is simple - This is your 14th Tour of Duty and within the living core of the Planet Spiraeus, is a deadly virus causing its brain to malfunction and all the inner sanctums to die as the life force is diminished. This planet is divided into four zones, each of which has four sectors. Trap doors in the floor and holes in the roof will enable you to move up or down a level. You MUST find and destroy the deadly 'tumor' within the deepest parts of the planet, before it becomes an empty shell drifting in the depths of Space and Time. WARNING! - The planet's immune system will see the Jug as a hostile and alien body so you will be attacked by the defense system of the very planet that you are trying to save! Vital equipment will be transported into the planet along your proposed trajectory to help you in your quest, and fuel pods will be available throughout the game. But take heed, the problems will really start when you have reached the source of the disaster... With bi-directional scrolling, parallax scrolling and the most stunning graphics possible on the ST, you must surely agree that JUG is a game that no one should be without.

Jupiter Probe

Jupiter Probe

Atari ST - Released - September 1, 1987

Jupiter Probe is a vertically scrolling shooter in which the player has the task to fly over Jupiter to collect photographic data. Unfortunately, there are many alien spaceships which try to prevent this. Being hit by an enemy ship or projectile is deadly. Besides the standard shot, the player can activate ultrasonics to get rid of all enemies on the screen or shields which grant invulnerability. Of course, those useful items are limited and can be replenished by defeating a whole enemy formation. They can't be activated separately; the shields are always used up first.

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

Atari ST - Released - 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.

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.

Madness & the Minotaur

Madness & the Minotaur

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1981

A bold adventurer descends into the enormous labyrinth of the Cretan King Minos at Knossos, hoping to part seven mythical monsters (including the terrifying, titular, Minotaur) from sixteen treasures and escape with his life, helped only by a handful of arcane spells acquired while navigating dead ends and the enigmatic ramblings of an inspired Oracle wandering the maze. It's not entirely fair to blame the period hardware limitations for this game's poorly-aged VERB NOUN text parser, as Infocom first launched home versions of Zork I a year earlier, but at the time its grammar was still industry-standard par for the course. What made this title stand out is also what kept its adherents on their toes (... for decades) -- inconstant internal rules and conditions that changed every time the game was played. Much like the colour of potions in Nethack shuffling their associations with spell effects between games, this game not only jumbles the relation between spell names and their effects, but also the conditions that must be met in order to learn them! Similarly unpredictable are the locations and vulnerabilities of monsters and treasures. Add to that a huge (four floors of 64 rooms each) maze full of one-way passages, bogus "dummy" treasures, realtime monster movement, unreliable and abstruse room connections and you end up with a devious dungeon indeed. The game was released in the UK by Microdeal, and was also ported to the Dragon 32/64 in 1982.

Major Motion

Major Motion

Atari ST - Released - 1986

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.

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.

Meganoid Construction Kit

Meganoid Construction Kit

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

A limited edition release of MEGANOID CONSTRUCTION KIT included GIGANOID as a bonus game. Despite various references to MEGANOID on the titlescreen and the packaging, this is a construction kit for GIGANOID.

Morocco Grand Prix

Morocco Grand Prix

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Are you a James Hunt in the making? 100 miles of tyre screechin', clutch burnin', wheel spinnin', gas guzzlin' track lie ahead as you battle your wits against the rest of the field in the Morocco Grand Prix.

Mr. Dig

Mr. Dig

Atari 800 - 1984

Mr Dig is based on the arcade game Mr. Do! where you have to collect all the cherries over various single screen levels to move to the next level. As you move through the tunnels or dig through the dirt there are various nasties chasing you, but they can only move through tunnels and can't dig. To stop them you can either throw a bouncing ball where only one can be thrown at a time, or remove the dirt below an apple and make it fall on top of them. If you are touched by a nasty then you lose one of five lives and when all are gone it's game over. Before you play you can select a skill level from 1 to 9.

Mudpies

Mudpies

Atari ST - Released - 1985

Mudpies is best described as a single screen, overhead, arcade shooter played for high scores. Similar in style to Robotron the player takes control of Arnold, a young boy who has disrupted a circus by throwing pies at the clowns. The clowns however are not happy and soon they begin throwing things back. By controlling Arnold, the player must navigate around the play area avoiding angry clowns and hitting them with pies to collect points. Clowns will attack by throwing juggling clubs and if hit by a clown or club will be sent to the First Aid tend and loose a life. Three trips to First Aid and it's game over (extra visits awarded for each 10,000 points scored). Arnold also has a food meter to keep an eye on which must be replenished to keep him moving. Picking up burgers, fries and shakes are just what he needs but overfeeding is just as bad as under feeding however and if the meter gets too low or high he will slow to half speed. The game has support for two players with play alternating between each life lost.

Pengon

Pengon

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Just as the name implies, Pengon is a clone of Sega/Coreland's old arcade game, Pengo. You play Willy the penguin, who is trapped in a maze filled with dangerous mutant sea lions. Willy's only defense is to push the blocks of ice that the screen is made up of, so that the blocks hit the sea lions and crush them against the walls. Of note is the difference between the versions; the original program was made in America for the Tandy Colour, then ported to Dragon 32 and published by Microdeal, who liked the name enough to put it on Pengo clones for the Commodore and Atari which graphically have little in common with the CoCo game.

Pengon

Pengon

Atari 800 - Released - 1984

Just as the name implies, Pengon is a clone of Sega/Coreland's old arcade game, Pengo. You play Willy the penguin, who is trapped in a maze filled with dangerous mutant sea lions. Willy's only defense is to push the blocks of ice that the screen is made up of, so that the blocks hit the sea lions and crush them against the walls. Of note is the difference between the versions; the original program was made in America for the Tandy Colour, then ported to Dragon 32 and published by Microdeal, who liked the name enough to put it on Pengo clones for the Commodore and Atari which graphically have little in common with the CoCo game.

Perfect Match

Perfect Match

Atari ST - Released - 1987

Perfect Match is an educational game that mixes the gameplay of a concentration/memory game with the questions of a trivia game. The player is presented with a set of cards with each having a sentence on the hidden side. The task is to flip two cards to reveal their statements. When doing so the player will be asked if they match and if they do and the player answers yes the cards will be removed from the table and points will be earned. Answering wrong will lead to a loss of points. The game can be played by up to four players at a time and the player with the highest score when all cards have been removed wins the game. There are ten different question sets to play with as well as one with mixed questions. In addition to those there is an editor that allows the player to create new question sets for use in the game.

Phantom Slayer

Phantom Slayer

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

Enter the deadly catacombs and destroy the phantoms. One touch by a phantom is fatal so use your laser pistol. Full screen. Three dimensional graphics. Every maze is different. Includes training mode.

Pinball

Pinball

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Simulated pinball machine in full color graphics.

Planet Invasion

Planet Invasion

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Planet Invasion is a straight-forward Defender clone. As in the original, you patrol a horizontally scrolling landscape infested with Praetorian invaders which you must shoot down with your ship. The aliens are out to grab the Caloxin crystals scattered on the surface. If a Grabber alien gets away with it, it turns into a nastier Killer. A third kind is the Chaser, which flies quickly after you if you wait for too long. Others are the Miners, which drop mines, and Beamers, which split into three Berserkers. For a game for the Tandy Coco and Dragon 32, Planet Invasion scrolls very quickly, though the speed comes at a cost – the landscape itself is only made up of a dotted line. Apart from that, Invasion is fairly feature-complete, having both a radar overview of the level, hyperspace and a smart bomb.

Racer Ball

Racer Ball

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Racer Ball is a maze-chase game inspired by the Namco arcade classic Pac-Man. You control your Racer Ball through the corridors of the moon base, avoiding the Laseroids. Pick up the solar cells for points, and you'll advance to the next level when all solar cells have been collected. Additional items will appear in the maze, which can be collected for extra points. There are four energizers that can be collected and that will enable Racer Ball to chase down and destroy the Laseroids for a short amount of time.

Rommel 3D

Rommel 3D

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1986

Rommel 3-D is a Battlezone variant. The player controls a tank from a first-person perspective and can move freely around a flat environment where various geometric objects act as obstacles. The aim of the game is to score points by shooting the tanks that appear on the battlefield one at a time. There are two different tanks: dumb ones which are worth 1,000 points and smart ones which are worth 1,500 points. Additionally there are planes which attempt to crash into the player that are worth 1,300 points. The smart tanks move quicker and have the same level of manoeuvrability as the player. To aid the player in finding the enemies a radar shows their positions. The player starts with three lives and one is lost when getting hit by an enemy. A new tank is awarded for each 10,000 points earned up till 100,000 points and thereafter every 20,000 points.

Scarfman

Scarfman

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

This is a maze game heavily inspired by Pac Man but not quite delivering on the ambition... You run around a maze eating yellow dots while avoiding the red ghosts. Eat a power pellet and the ghosts turn blue for a while. During this period the ghosts can be chased down and eaten for additional points.

Shark Treasure

Shark Treasure

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1982

Shark Treasure is a single screen action game where the player controls a diver who has to collect as many gold bars as possible. The gold is located on the sea floor and the player has to swim down and pick up the treasure before returning to the boat at the surface. This is made more complicated by the presence of huge sharks that swim back and forth across the screen and who will quickly eat any divers that get in their way. Thus they have to be avoided and to help the player is equipped with a limited supply of flash grenades which scare the sharks and cause them to turn around and swim in the opposite direction. Only a total amount of three grenades and gold bars can be carried at a time and the player therefore has to make several dives to get all the gold. The game starts with two sharks in the water but there is one more added each time the sea floor is cleared of treasure. Th game was originally released in 1982, it was once again released by Microdeal in 1985.

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.

Slaygon

Slaygon

Atari ST - Released - 1988

In Slaygon the player takes control of an advanced robot and has to infiltrate the facility of Cybordynamics, a corporation that is developing a toxic virus that potentially can kill all humans. The task ahead is to locate the main computer and disable it so that the cooling system of the facility's reactor will fail. To do so five override codes have to be found and entered into the computer. As the cooling system fails the facility will ultimately explode, but before that the player has to steal a top secret data disk and flee from the building. The game is played from a first-person perspective similar to a dungeon crawler and is completely controlled though a mouse based interface. While exploring the facility, various objects have to be collected, such as key cards to get through locked doors. There are also traps such as force fields, ionizer beams and proton mines that require the right items to get past without harm. The player also has to watch out for the robots that guard the facility. The player also have access to devices that can be turned on, but they will cost energy which is the robot's health and when all out of energy the game is over. These are a cloaking device that makes the robot invisible, battle sensors that show enemies' laser and shield strength, a shield generator that protects from damage, a laser amplifier that attacks robot guards, a long range scanner that plots out a large area on the map and a plotter that maps areas as the player moves around. Interesting fact: The game's developers actually asked Kenneth "Slaygon" Mutka's permission to use this name for the title of this game. Mutka, at the time was a C64 demoscener, who did, and still does, go under this handle. If the name sounds familiar, Mutka is the owner of the C64 Remix online radio station, SlayRadio.

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