CRL Group

2D Game Maker

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

2D Game Maker is a game making engine/construction kit for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum developed by Jonathan Small and Sean Timarco Baggaley and published by CRL Group PLC in 1988.

3D Desert Patrol

3D Desert Patrol

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

The object of 3D Desert Patrol is to reach the safety of a road some distance ahead (depending on difficulty level). The player is behind the controls of a tank and can drive forward, steer left and right and fire. Mine fields must be successfully navigated with the aid of a sensor and enemy tanks can be avoided or destroyed. There are five levels of difficulty. You are looking out of your tank at the desert ahead. There are four distinct, strategic types of area and these are shown by the mine- field indicator. When this indicator is RED a minefield is directly ahead, when flashing RED you are in a minefield. MAGENTA means you are running parallel with the mines and CYAN away. When the indicator is GREEN you are clear of the minefield hazard but open to attack from enemy tanks. Near a minefield you are not open to attack as enemy tanks keep clear of these dangerous areas. KEYS 5,7,8 direct you in the direction of the cursor arrows, 0 fires a shell. You are given 50 shells at the start of the game. If an enemy tank approaches too close it will fire and destroy you. You may either shoot a tank or avoid it by turning away until it is out of your line of vision and your camouflage makes you invisible. You must reach safety by reaching the road. Your distance indicator and your compass will help you find the right direction to travel. Your primitive equipment will only register a change in distance if you are headed 20 degrees of the correct heading or 90 degrees of the opposite direction.

3D Game Maker

3D Game Maker

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

A construction kit for developing isometric games. It was developed by Iaine Hayward and originally published by CRL Group in 1987. Several games have been made with this engine, including several modern homebrew games Such as: Abu Sinver Propagation (2018) Angel (1988) Dr Who: Surrender Time (2018)

Academy

Academy

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Pete Cooke's follow-up to the previous space shooter-explorer takes things away from the Tau Ceti setting. Players take the role of a student at an academy for advanced piloting. There they need to solve 20 simulated missions on a wide range of planets. The self-contained missions mean that the game uses the Tau Ceti structure and theme, without the causality of previous decisions having an effect on later choices. This reduces the complexity of management. Although players can customize the ships, including giving them names of your choice, the game comes with supplied ones include a variety that should suit many different circumstances. Whichever vehicle is chosen, players will control it from a 1st person perspective and a series of controls. All ships skim over the surface of the planet and feature weapons. Most missions will involve destroying rogue robots enemies. Players will have to dock with buildings to refuel or move on to a different planet.

Academy

Academy

Atari ST - Released - 1987

Pete Cooke's follow-up to the previous space shooter-explorer takes things away from the Tau Ceti setting. Players take the role of a student at an academy for advanced piloting. There they need to solve 20 simulated missions on a wide range of planets. The self-contained missions mean that the game uses the Tau Ceti structure and theme, without the causality of previous decisions having an effect on later choices. This reduces the complexity of management. Although players can customize the ships, including giving them names of your choice, the game comes with supplied ones include a variety that should suit many different circumstances. Whichever vehicle is chosen, players will control it from a 1st person perspective and a series of controls. All ships skim over the surface of the planet and feature weapons. Most missions will involve destroying rogue robots enemies. Players will have to dock with buildings to refuel or move on to a different planet.

Academy: Tau Ceti II

Academy: Tau Ceti II

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Pete Cooke's follow-up to the previous space shooter-explorer takes things away from the Tau Ceti setting. Players take the role of a student at an academy for advanced piloting. There they need to solve 20 simulated missions on a wide range of planets. The self-contained missions mean that the game uses the Tau Ceti structure and theme, without the causality of previous decisions having an effect on later choices. This reduces the complexity of management. Although players can customize the ships, including giving them names of your choice, the game comes with supplied ones include a variety that should suit many different circumstances. Whichever vehicle is chosen, players will control it from a 1st person perspective and a series of controls. All ships skim over the surface of the planet and feature weapons. Most missions will involve destroying rogue robots enemies. Players will have to dock with buildings to refuel or move on to a different planet.

Academy: Tau Ceti II

Academy: Tau Ceti II

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Pete Cooke's follow-up to the previous space shooter-explorer takes things away from the Tau Ceti setting. Players take the role of a student at an academy for advanced piloting. There they need to solve 20 simulated missions on a wide range of planets. The self-contained missions mean that the game uses the Tau Ceti structure and theme, without the causality of previous decisions having an effect on later choices. This reduces the complexity of management. Although players can customize the ships, including giving them names of your choice, the game comes with supplied ones include a variety that should suit many different circumstances. Whichever vehicle is chosen, players will control it from a 1st person perspective and a series of controls. All ships skim over the surface of the planet and feature weapons. Most missions will involve destroying rogue robots enemies. Players will have to dock with buildings to refuel or move on to a different planet.

Ahhh!!! Laser Malfunction!

Ahhh!!! Laser Malfunction!

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Ahhh!!! is an Action game, developed and published by CRL, which was released in Europe in 1984. Aliens have invaded the galaxy, and you must clear six sectors, each of which contains three waves of aliens. You have lasers at your disposal, and a cloaking device can be used, acting as a shield – but it uses fuel. After you’ve destroyed three waves, you have to dock with a spaceship to refuel.

Ball Breaker

Ball Breaker

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Ball Breaker is Breakout variant. The player controls a paddle which is fixed on the right side of the screen and is only able to move vertically. With this paddle, a ball is both bounced into the playfield and prevented from falling out of the screen. The goal is to vaporize all blocks on the playfield by hitting them with the ball. A limited amount of missiles can be used to destroy blocks or aliens directly. The latter appear on higher levels and should not be touched with the paddle. The speciality of this variant is the use of an isometric perspective. While the ball and paddle itself do not leave the lower plane, the blocks are stacked up. The higher blocks fall down when the blocks below them are gone.

Ball Breaker

Ball Breaker

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Ball Breaker is Breakout variant. The player controls a paddle which is fixed on the right side of the screen and is only able to move vertically. With this paddle, a ball is both bounced into the playfield and prevented from falling out of the screen. The goal is to vaporize all blocks on the playfield by hitting them with the ball. A limited amount of missiles can be used to destroy blocks or aliens directly. The latter appear on higher levels and should not be touched with the paddle. The speciality of this variant is the use of an isometric perspective. While the ball and paddle itself do not leave the lower plane, the blocks are stacked up. The higher blocks fall down when the blocks below them are gone.

Ball Breaker 2

Ball Breaker 2

Amstrad CPC - Released - December 16, 1988

Ball Breaker 2 (also called Ball Breaker II) is a Breakout variant. This means the player controls a paddle, fixed on the right side of the screen and only able to move vertically, which is used to bounce a ball into the playfield or keeping it from falling out of the screen, respectively. On said playfield there are a number of blocks which vaporize when hit by the ball. The goal is to clear out all blocks. The speciality of this variant is the use of an isometric perspective. While the ball and paddle itself do not leave the lower plane, the blocks are stacked up. The higher blocks fall down when the blocks below then are gone. The only significant difference to the predecessor are 30 new levels.

Ballbreaker 2

Ballbreaker 2

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

Ball Breaker II is a Breakout variant. This means the player controls a paddle, fixed on the right side of the screen and only able to move vertically, which is used to bounce a ball into the playfield or keeping it from falling out of the screen, respectively. On said playfield there are a number of blocks which vaporize when hit by the ball. The goal is to clear out all blocks. The speciality of this variant is the use of an isometric perspective. While the ball and paddle itself do not leave the lower plane, the blocks are stacked up. The higher blocks fall down when the blocks below then are gone. The only significant difference to the predecessor are 30 new levels.

Berks

Berks

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1985

Your mission is to clear 32 single screens by destroying a set amount of Berks to move to the next one. As you move around the screen blasting Berks in your Terror Tank you must avoid Drones which cannot be destroyed but can be stunned. Firing your weapon though loses you energy shown by a gauge on the bottom of the screen and if you lose your energy, or touch a Berk or Drone then you lose one of five lives. There are five skill levels to choose from and these are Duffer, Novice, Normal, Expert or Master.

Berks 3: They're Angry!

Berks 3: They're Angry!

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1985

The reason the Berks became angry and attacked before being destroyed was because someone infiltrated their city and stole their treasure, the source of their powers. You take control of the person responsible as you move around the flick-screen maze in your Terror Tank collecting keys to get deeper into the city. Your first task is to collect 21 keys to enter the Inner Sanctum, then collect four keys to enter the Heart of the Inner Sanctum, before you have to collect ten keys to enter the Sacred Treasure Chamber. The keys are protected by protective blocks and these need blasting to remove them. As you explore the city you will encounter Berks and Drones, the Berks can be destroyed with your laser but the Drones can only be stunned. If you touch a Berk, Drone or a protective block then you lose one of five lives. There are five skill levels to choose from and they are Duffer, Novice, Normal, Expert and Master.

Black Shadow

Black Shadow

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1987

You are the pilot of a spaceship who has just been deployed above a deserted asteroid named "Black Shadow", which is presumed to be the former habitation of hostile aliens. You have made it past the defensive shields, but the other ships in your squadron were not so lucky. And now one of the structures, on what was supposed to be an abandoned world, has begun to open... Black Shadow is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up. You control a spaceship, which can move around in the bottom half of the screen. Alien ships attempt to run into you, and ground-based structures pose as navigational hazards, and can also shoot at you. Your ship fires both normal bullets that are effective against the ships, and bombs which detonate on the ground some fixed distance ahead of your ship. The aim of the game is to fly to a base at the end of the level, destroy it, and then repeat for the remaining levels. You start the game with three lives. Each ship can withstand three hits from enemies before being destroyed, after which you must start the level over again. There are both one and two player modes. In two player mode, if one of the player's ship is destroyed, both return to the start of the level.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Based on the movie of the same name. You have been assigned by the police force to track down and eliminate any replidroids that have landed on Earth. There are six types of replidroids, labeled Replidroid 1 through 6. The higher the number, the more intelligent it is. The majority of the game is viewed from inside your skimmer, and inside of your skimmer are three displays that you need to pay attention to. The main display displays a radar view of your area, allowing you to navigate the streets in search of replidroids (which are represented by octagons with crosses inside them). To the right of this is a smaller display which shows the whole city and your position in relation to the replidroid's. Below this is a text readout giving information on the number and type of replidroids within the vicinity. In the main display, your position is represented by a yellow cursor which you can use to navigate the streets with. If you find a replidroid, you can hover over it and press the fire button. Doing so will put you in pursue mode where you automatically land. After you get out, you must hunt down said replidroid in a busy street. There is a scanner in which you can use to keep track of where it is. The replidroid is represented as a green square. The further you progress, the closer you are to them. If the replidroid gets out of range, your skimmer automatically picks you up, and you have to hunt down replidroids elsewhere. Once you catch up with it, you must match your position with theirs and shoot at them in order to get the bounty displayed in the status bar. Your scanner also shows oncoming traffic that must be avoided. What it does not show, however, is people which you must dodge. If you crash into people, the game ends.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Based on the movie of the same name. You have been assigned by the police force to track down and eliminate any replidroids that have landed on Earth. There are six types of replidroids, labeled Replidroid 1 through 6. The higher the number, the more intelligent it is. The majority of the game is viewed from inside your skimmer, and inside of your skimmer are three displays that you need to pay attention to. The main display displays a radar view of your area, allowing you to navigate the streets in search of replidroids (which are represented by octagons with crosses inside them). To the right of this is a smaller display which shows the whole city and your position in relation to the replidroid's. Below this is a text readout giving information on the number and type of replidroids within the vicinity. In the main display, your position is represented by a yellow cursor which you can use to navigate the streets with. If you find a replidroid, you can hover over it and press the fire button. Doing so will put you in pursue mode where you automatically land. After you get out, you must hunt down said replidroid in a busy street. There is a scanner in which you can use to keep track of where it is. The replidroid is represented as a green square. The further you progress, the closer you are to them. If the replidroid gets out of range, your skimmer automatically picks you up, and you have to hunt down replidroids elsewhere. Once you catch up with it, you must match your position with theirs and shoot at them in order to get the bounty displayed in the status bar. Your scanner also shows oncoming traffic that must be avoided. What it does not show, however, is people which you must dodge. If you crash into people, the game ends

Book of the Dead

Book of the Dead

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Life in the Other World was blissful for you, Kteth, a falcon headed Egyptian Godling, and your brothers and other Gods until your Father, Set decided to murder the great God Osiris to take his place. Osiris' son Horus though rose up and defeated your Father and threw him out of the Other World, while his relatives including you are banished to become mortal and live amongst men. As you are innocent in all this some Gods have decided to help you and so tell you about a nearly forgotten manuscript called the Book of the Dead. It describes how a mortal soul can travel after dieing, to the Other World, and is written in tomes, appears on tomb walls and is in the minds of some priests and beings. Horus has heard about the book and so has put a curse on yourself which gives you a crippling disease which will kill you long before you find all the text and undergo the rites of purification to get your soul back to being a Godling. As well as the book you have to find Gods who will help you by giving you a cure. Book of the Dead is a graphic text adventure where the screen has text describing your location while a picture shows you what you can see. You type in commands with the keyboard to interact with your surroundings and other people or Gods.

Bugsy

Bugsy

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

You are Bugsy, a giant rabbit whose ambition it is to be Public Enemy No.1 in the city of Chicago in place of Al Capone. Starting with nothing, you have to work your way up the pecking order by any means necessary including theft, extortion, murder, bribery and other illegal means. The game is a graphic text adventure where you read text describing your location while a picture shows what you are looking at. You type in commands with the keyboard to interact with each location. If you interact with someone you have various options like insult, bribe and protect.

Bugsy

Bugsy

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

You are Bugsy, a giant rabbit whose ambition it is to be Public Enemy No.1 in the city of Chicago in place of Al Capone. Starting with nothing, you have to work your way up the pecking order by any means necessary including theft, extortion, murder, bribery and other illegal means. The game is a graphic text adventure where you read text describing your location while a picture shows what you are looking at. You type in commands with the keyboard to interact with each location. If you interact with someone you have various options like insult, bribe and protect.

Caveman

Caveman

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

Enter the prehistoric world and discover its difficulties that our ancestors had to find their food. The idea of ​​the game is to choose one's way in the middle of infested plains monsters, and through traitorous mountain ranges, for reach the pterodactyl cave. Once reached, you must fly precious eggs of this monster and return to the cave by the way by the mountains and the plains trying not to make you eat by a beast hungry on the way. You can only wear an egg at a time, so six brave expeditions will be needed for all the eggs have been stolen successfully.

Counter Force

Counter Force

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

Side-scrolling space setting shooter, sublime!

Cyberknights

Cyberknights

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

The player takes the part of a Cyberknight robot (either computer or custom-designed) in a mission to seek out and destroy ten computer controlled opponents. In two player mode, two Cyberknights battle against one another in a fight to the death. Although other robots are present, they form a significantly weaker challenge. The flick-screen battle arena consists of a series of futuristic tunnels connected by gravity-neutralising lift shafts which allow temporary freedom of vertical movement. In two player mode the screen is split to display the position of both Cyberknights simultaneously.

Death or Glory

Death or Glory

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

New Stratford is under attack from a huge fleet of alien craft, and it is your job to shoot them down and save your planet. You fly around a top-view arrangement, flying into enemy craft in the hope of destroying them. You must use the fire button to destroy the mothership bases which appear in each section. Controls work on a rotational basis, and you have limited fuel.

Death or Glory

Death or Glory

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

New Stratford is under attack from a huge fleet of alien craft, and it is your job to shoot them down and save your planet. You fly around a top-view arrangement, flying into enemy craft in the hope of destroying them. You must use the fire button to destroy the mothership bases which appear in each section. Controls work on a rotational basis, and you have limited fuel.

Death or Glory

Death or Glory

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1988

New Stratford is under attack from a huge fleet of alien craft, and it is your job to shoot them down and save your planet. You fly around a top-view arrangement, flying into enemy craft in the hope of destroying them. You must use the fire button to destroy the mothership bases which appear in each section. Controls work on a rotational basis, and you have limited fuel.

Doctor What!

Doctor What!

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

In this Game you play the role of 4 different Time Lords each named Dr What, Dr Where, Dr When and Dr Why. The different doctors are in separate time zones but can help each other out by altering history to aid a doctor in the future. The gameplay involves you jumping over platforms and picking up items which are used to solve various puzzles throughout the game. The game is based on the B.B.C science fiction show Doctor Who but names have been slightly altered as it isn't licensed.

Dracula

Dracula

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

An English lawyer travels to Carpathia to meet Count Dracula regarding a routine property transaction, but soon learns that his client has sinister ulterior intentions. The game is a standard text adventure with static graphics in some locations. It is divided into three parts: "First Night" - The young solicitor arrives in Count Dracula's country, staying at the Golden Krone Hotel; strange events are observed "The Arrival" - After an eventful journey, he arrives at Dracula's castle, and soon learns the real nature of his host's intentions; he realizes that he must escape if he is to survive... "The Hunt" - A psychiatrist at an insane asylum in England receives a strange letter from a friend on business overseas, warning of "boxes of earth" and the "undead"; meanwhile a patient at the asylum grows increasingly disturbed..

Dracula

Dracula

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Dracula is a text adventure based on Bram Stoker's novel of the same name. The player takes the role of Jonathan Harker, a lawyer who visits a certain Count Dracula in his castle. The game is divided into three separate text adventures which can be played independently, but build up on each other. The First Night is about Harker's travels to the castle and The Arrival deals with his time in the castle. During The Hunt, the last third of the story, the protagonist changes to Dr. Seward, the manager of the insane asylum in Whitby, Yorkshire. The game itself is mostly concerned with story telling and atmosphere; it is relatively light on puzzle solving. The parser only understands verb + noun combinations.

Endurance

Endurance

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Endurance uses the same basic game system as CRL's Formula One, but turns its attention to motorcycle racing. As the title suggests, the six races featured are all lengthy, and include two 24-hour races for your two bikes (each with 2 riders assigned to it) to complete. Before each race you must set the bike up, trading off speed, fuel consumption and safety for the engine, and speed, safety and tyre wear for the chassis; you must also choose one of the 3 tire compounds. Options are selected using a menu-based system, mostly by clicking on words. Races are depicted via a side-view of the bikes scrolling past the pit straight, with constant updates as to the race leader and any bike problems. You can instruct your riders as to how aggressively to race, and must call your bikes in for pitstops to refuel, change tyres and swap riders. As in the previous game these are controlled in real-time by moving the mechanic around.

Endurance

Endurance

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - February 15, 1985

Endurance uses the same basic game system as CRL's Formula One, but turns its attention to motorcycle racing. As the title suggests, the six races featured are all lengthy, and include two 24-hour races for your two bikes (each with 2 riders assigned to it) to complete. Before each race you must set the bike up, trading off speed, fuel consumption and safety for the engine, and speed, safety and tyre wear for the chassis; you must also choose one of the 3 tire compounds. Options are selected using a menu-based system, mostly by clicking on words. Races are depicted via a side-view of the bikes scrolling past the pit straight, with constant updates as to the race leader and any bike problems. You can instruct your riders as to how aggressively to race, and must call your bikes in for pitstops to refuel, change tyres and swap riders. As in the previous game these are controlled in real-time by moving the mechanic around.

Formula One

Formula One

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - May 13, 1983

Formula One is a Formula One racing management videogame published in 1985 by CRL Group PLC, developed by G.B. Munday and B.P. Wheelhouse for the ZX Spectrum, and converted to Amstrad CPC by Richard Taylor. Once the game is properly underway, you must buy engine and chassis upgrades, and can improve the quality of your pitcrew - all of which eats into your budget. Your cars must be raceworthy to be able to race. After qualifying you must choose your tyres for each car - rain can be a factor, and the game informs you of the expected conditions before the race. The races are depicted via a timing board which displays the top 6 in the order, images of the cars flashing by (with a distinction made as cars come into the pits), and messages detailing crashes, spins and technical problems. Your drivers can be called in for pitstops, which involves moving a man around to undo each tyre in sequence, which is hardly realistic but does add some arcade skill and variation. The game was re-released by Alternative Software under the name Formula Grand Prix (the name was only used on the boxart however, as all in-game screens still kept the original title)

Formula One

Formula One

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Formula One is a Formula One racing management videogame published in 1985 by CRL Group PLC, developed by G.B. Munday and B.P. Wheelhouse for the ZX Spectrum, and converted to Amstrad CPC by Richard Taylor. Once the game is properly underway, you must buy engine and chassis upgrades, and can improve the quality of your pitcrew - all of which eats into your budget. Your cars must be raceworthy to be able to race. After qualifying you must choose your tyres for each car - rain can be a factor, and the game informs you of the expected conditions before the race. The races are depicted via a timing board which displays the top 6 in the order, images of the cars flashing by (with a distinction made as cars come into the pits), and messages detailing crashes, spins and technical problems. Your drivers can be called in for pitstops, which involves moving a man around to undo each tyre in sequence, which is hardly realistic but does add some arcade skill and variation.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

I am Doctor Victor Frankenstein. I believed... Oh foolish man! I believed I could equal the wonders of God. For I, in my researches had discovered the secret of life! For two wearisome years I experimented with my secrets of life force. Long hours spent in the laboratory tolling over bloddy tissue. Re-animating dead animal muscle: Notes, experiments, more notes, adjustments to my apparatus. My experiments became an obsession! I forgot about food, my body became wasted. My eyes stared wildly from sunken sockets. Friends had deserted me, considering me eccentric, I did not care! For I was destined to stand among the gods! Their equal, a creator... A giver of life itself!

Galactic Patrol

Galactic Patrol

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

You are the commander of a spacecraft and your mission is to seek and destroy as many Klingons as you can in the deepest reaches of space. They must be destroyed to stop them from destroying Starbases in the area. Your craft is armed with limited amounts of phasers and torpedoes as well as a shield to protect yourself from attack. To move about, your ship has eight warp speeds but constant use of warp eight can damage your ship. Your craft will also tell you the direction and distance to the nearest Starbase and you also have a scanner to tell you if any Klingons are nearby. Before the game you can choose the speed (1-9), difficulty (1-9) and the length of game (1-9). The game is a 1st person shooter with the screen split into two, the top half is your view into space while the bottom half is your instrument panel. As you search you will encounter Kilingons and you must try to destroy them before they hit you and increase your damage. You are able to outrun them if you go into warp eight. Moving through space, arming your weapons and having your shields on drains your energy though. Emergency repairs can be carried out while travelling. Once you reach a Starbase you can refuel, re-arm and repair any damage but be careful that you didn't let any Klingons follow you as they will destroy the base.

Glug Glug

Glug Glug

Enterprise - Released - 1984

As a deep sea diver, you sense an opportunity to gain untold wealth from the large number of treasures which have drifted to the bottom of the ocean. You do this by attaching yourself to your diving station and moving down the infested waters, grabbing an item of treasure and moving it back up to the station. Various fish are around, including crabs, piranhas and squids, all of which move in their own ways, and can be shot with your gun. Worst of all are the sharks which can cut through your cord - make sure they do not swim above you close to the line. The cord can go through other fish safely and unimpeded, but contact with the fishes themselves costs you a life. You have 32 screens to plunder.

Handicap Golf (CRL)

Handicap Golf (CRL)

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

A very BASIC (as in written in BASIC language) golf game seen from above, Handicap Golf works by letting you enter the angle you want to hit your ball, using the digits of the clock, and the force of your strike on a scale between 0 and 250. An additional variable affecting the outcome is the wind, which is displayed when you input your numbers. Each hole covers one screen and features woods, bunkers and dams. Being written in BASIC, Handicap Golf uses slowly drawn text characters for graphics.

Handy Andy

Handy Andy

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

In the darkness of the General Store around midnight something stirs. Andy the Caretaker works busily. The toys begin to play; the bottles begin to sing. But the Dolls have decided they want more, they want to show the world what they can do. The Dolls begin to march out of the store. Fearing for his beloved Sore, Andy tries again and again to stop them whilst trying to avoid the night-time frolics of the other goods.

I Alien

I Alien

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

After a nuclear war, humanity's livestock has been extinct and the survivors travel the galaxy in search for new sources of protein. Players take control of an alien that has been captured by one of the human ships. Seen from a side-view perspective, the alien must find it's way through the ship, going through color-coded transporters, jumping over and dodging obstacles and blasting numerous enemies. Sometimes, defeated enemies drop items that increase firepower, replenish health or reverse the controls. Fellow prisoners can be rescued to gain extra lives. The main goal however, is to find a bomb that has been planted on the ship before the timer reaches zero. Once this is achieved, the alien can exit the ship and try to make its way to the inside of his home planet where an escape pod is hidden.

Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

This game was made just short of the 100th anniversary of England's most notorious serial killer, who gruesomely murdered at least five women in 1888. After accidentally killing someone, you become a suspect. You must prove that you are innocent, without the police hauling you in as they search for a scapegoat. Jack the Ripper is interactive fiction with occasional graphics, based closely on real events of the Ripper. The parser accepts full sentences, and instructions can be qualified with adverbs such as 'slowly' and 'quietly'. The game is split into three parts, including digitised graphics (of the author's sisters) representing Ripper victims.

Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

This game was made just short of the 100th anniversary of England's most notorious serial killer, who gruesomely murdered at least five women in 1888. After accidentally killing someone, you become a suspect. You must prove that you are innocent, without the police hauling you in as they search for a scapegoat. Jack the Ripper is interactive fiction with occasional graphics, based closely on real events of the Ripper. The parser accepts full sentences, and instructions can be qualified with adverbs such as 'slowly' and 'quietly'. The game is played in real time and time will pass even when the player is not making a move. The game is split into three parts, including digitised graphics (of the author's sisters) representing Ripper victims. The game was created with the Professional Adventure Writing System by Gilsoft.

Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

This game was made just short of the 100th anniversary of England's most notorious serial killer, who gruesomely murdered at least five women in 1888. After accidentally killing someone, you become a suspect. You must prove that you are innocent, without the police hauling you in as they search for a scapegoat. Jack the Ripper is interactive fiction with occasional graphics, based closely on real events of the Ripper. The parser accepts full sentences, and instructions can be qualified with adverbs such as 'slowly' and 'quietly'. The game is split into three parts, including digitised graphics (of the author's sisters) representing Ripper victims.

Jackpot

Jackpot

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1982

Jackpot is a fruit machine game that simulates the game-play of a fruit machine of the 1980's. It is fully featured for machines of that era with such features as hold, nudges, gamble nudges, gamble winnings and a feature box. The nudge and hold features of the simulation are explained in four detailed animated help screens at the start of the game. You start with an initial stake of 200 and each go costs 10p. Winnings, should there be any, can be collected or gambled. The game has fruit symbols, in colour and sound effects. Five symbols are shown per reel which is a great help when using the nudge feature (which allows nudges up as well as down). There is a 'nudge feature box and the number of nudges awarded, up to sixteen, depends upon which symbols in this box are lit. Once the game has loaded you press one button to put a coin into the machine, only one coin can be loaded at a time, and the simulation will tell you if you the hold feature is available. Once this has been dealt with another key is used to start the simulation. The reels spin and when they stop you may, or more likely, may not have won. Occasionally nudges are available and action keys are used to nudge the reels up or down to try and get a winning line. That's all there is to the game. Repeat the above until all the money has gone. There is no auto nudge, there is no 'cash climb' feature, nothing else because back when this simulation was developed such features were rare.

Journey

Journey

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

11 of the world's most valuable treasures are hidden in underground caverns. Some are easily found, others require a lot of skill to recover. Beware the giant lizards, vampire bats and trolls. You can dodge some things, and shoot others. There are hundreds of tunnels to explore and a whole host of wonders to discover.

Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

You are in charge of an articulated lorry working for a small firm. You have been given the job of collecting various amounts of Timber, Coal, Oil and Fruit & Veg from wholesalers in the town. Press Fire and Fire again and you will see a map of the town on your right (home base is shown H and your position is shown with a small flashing square). Above the map is another group of icons ...

Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

A top-down truck driving simulator released by CRL group in 1985. You are in charge of an articulated lorry working for a small firm. You have been given the job of collecting various amounts of Timber, Coal, Oil and Fruit & Veg from wholesalers in the town. Press Fire and Fire again and you will see a map of the town on your right (home base is shown H and your position is shown with a small flashing square). Above the map is another group of icons ..

Lancaster

Lancaster

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1989

When it entered the war in 1942, the Lancaster bomber had an almost immediate effect. A devastating 14,000 pound payload, three gun turrets and eight .303 caliber machine guns. CRL's computer adaptation of a Lancaster bomber isn't quite dramatic as some of its real life encounters, but it certainly puts you where the action is, in the tail gunner's seat. Contained in the rear of the plane, just under the tail, is the turret. Armed with four guns it's the job of the gunner to cover the rear end of the plane from enemy attacks. The major attack wave consists of single engines Messerschmidt BF109, single engine fighters and Junker JU 88's with two engines and radar. On top of that flak is constantly thrown up from the ground below making life a lot rougher for the crew. If you and your plane have survived the Luftwaffe's best attempts to bring you down, it's your chance to drop a few bombs on German emplacements. Unfortunately the realism drift into fantasy and fun with fancy targeting cross hairs and a zoom feature through the bomb door's view. The way back is also fraught with the risk of attack from nearby airbases. The easiest way to avoid attacks is to fly around all the major cities; but unfortunately, you also have to keep your eye on the fuel gauge, so sometimes this proves a little tricky. Lancaster is a very well presented and executed game. The only real complaint I have is its overall lack of variety; maybe different aircraft positions during flight could have made a slight improvement. A worthy game for all shoot 'em up and simulation freaks.

Last Mohican

Last Mohican

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Grebo was sitting at home in his bedsit listening to some really loud noise from his stereo. All of a sudden this bloke appears before him and gave him such a fright that he fell off his chair. "What the..." exclaimed Grebo. "I am Cyrus", this bloke said really quietly. Grebo didn't hear him so he turned the stereo off. "What?" "I am Cyrus", this bloke repeated, "We from the planet Rom and need your help". "Oh yeah?" said Grebo. "You are the last mohican, all the other have grown their sides long again. You are the only one who can help up".

Loads of Midnight

Loads of Midnight

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Loads of Midnight is a text adventure with graphics that is a parody of Lords of Midnight, with the same art style. It tells the story of the struggle between the good Ludo, the son of Ludwig, who has the crown of power, and the evil Gloompork, who seeks to use the crown's power to control minds to take over the computer software industry.

Lunar Rescue

Lunar Rescue

Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Lunar Rescue is a variant of Taito's arcade game of the same name. The aim of the game is to rescue stranded astronauts from the surface of the moon. A mothership moves back and forth at the top of the screen, and from it the player drops spacecraft that he has to safely land on the moon's three landing platforms. The game is similar to Lunar Lander but here the player has to navigate through an asteroid belt. The player can steer left and right and use the thrust to decrease the speed. Once the player has landed successfully, an astronaut will enter the craft and the player can take off again. Unlike the original arcade game this version doesn't feature any aliens, so the player has to make his way through the asteroid field a second time. There are six astronauts that need to be rescued but the craft only can only take one at a time so the player has to do six trips to bring them all back home. The more astronauts are rescued the more dense the asteroid belt will become.

Major Blink: Berks 2

Major Blink: Berks 2

Commodore Plus 4 - Released - 1985

After all the Berks were destroyed in Berks, the creator Major Blink has decided to become a painter to make a living. You control Major Blink over various single screens full of different size blocks and paint them. To paint a block you have to paint all the sides which will complete the whole block but there are Teddies moving around the screen removing your work. Also moving around are Drones, sent by your previous employers who weren't happy at your failure but you do have a double laser to help. The Teddies can be destroyed but the Drones can only be stunned and if you touch the Teddies or Drones then you lose one of five lives. If you stand at the top of the screen in the red zone, no more Teddies will appear and once all the blocks are painted then you move to the next screen. There are five skill levels to choose from and they are Duffer, Novice, Normal, Expert and Master.

Mandroid

Mandroid

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

Chris Auker has stolen the Mandroid files and fled to Cove 4 in an effort to contact criminal mastermind, Max. A Mandroid agent is sent down on the planet to gather information concerning Auker's whereabouts and find the files. The agent can navigate the planet on foot, but to help him accomplish his task faster, he can use a remote vehicle. It can withstand most enemy fire, but it gets destroyed if it makes contact with any of the industrial waste rivers bordering the landscape. Energy is also used up, so the agent needs to stock up using depots scattered around the landscape. While navigating the landscape, the agent encounters many types of cyborgs along the way, both on the streets and inside buildings. The agent may decide whether to communicate with most of these cyborgs, or eliminate them with his weapons. Some of the cyborgs drop weapons when shot, and the agent may swap his default weapon for their better weapons. Most of them contain map information essential in accomplishing the mission, and the only way to get this is by threatening them. Money is necessary for success, and can be obtained by gambling or accessing credit dispensers found in the city.

Murder off Miami

Murder off Miami

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Based on the book by Dennis Wheatley, Murder off Miami is a three part graphic text adventure where you play the role of Detective Officer Kettering who has to investigate the death of a British financier, who it seems committed suicide on a cruise ship off the coast of Miami. Clues must be found and people talked to as you try to uncover the answers to this mysterious death. Text describes each location with the occasional graphic showing what you see in a location and the keyboard is used to type in commands to control your hero and interact with each location.

Murder off Miami

Murder off Miami

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Based on the book by Dennis Wheatley, Murder off Miami is a three part graphic text adventure where you play the role of Detective Officer Kettering who has to investigate the death of a British financier, who it seems committed suicide on a cruise ship off the coast off Miami. Clues must be found and people talked to as you try to uncover the answers to this mysterious death. Text describes each location with the occasional graphic showing what you see in a location and the keyboard is used to type in commands to control your hero and interact with each location.

Murder off Miami

Murder off Miami

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

Based on the book by Dennis Wheatley, Murder off Miami is a three part graphic text adventure where you play the role of Detective Officer Kettering who has to investigate the death of a British financier, who it seems committed suicide on a cruise ship off the coast off Miami. Clues must be found and people talked to as you try to uncover the answers to this mysterious death. Text describes each location with the occasional graphic showing what you see in a location and the keyboard is used to type in commands to control your hero and interact with each location.

NATO Assault Course

NATO Assault Course

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

In NATO Assault Course, one or two players compete in an obstacle course as one of four characters - the Hitman, the Ninja, the Flame, and Tommo. To do this, they must accomplish certain tasks including jumping over brick walls, crawling through pipes, jumping over fire pits, crawl across a tightrope, and using their weapon to fire at targets. The winner is the first one over the finish line. The game includes a course designer that allows players to design their own courses, then compete in them.

NATO Assault Course

NATO Assault Course

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

In NATO Assault Course, one or two players compete in an obstacle course as one of four characters - the Hitman, the Ninja, the Flame, and Tommo. To do this, they must accomplish certain tasks including jumping over brick walls, crawling through pipes, jumping over fire pits, crawl across a tightrope, and using their weapon to fire at targets. The winner is the first one over the finish line. The game includes a course designer that allows players to design their own courses, then compete in them.

Ninja Hamster

Ninja Hamster

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

After a long journey over the seas, Ninja Hamster has come home to find his village being terrorised by a gang lead by Sinister Rat and The Lizard of Death. In this beat-em-up you must fight six members of the gang as well as the two leaders, one by one to save your village. The game is viewed from the side with the whole level shown on the screen. With a joystick or keyboard you use the fire button and a direction of the joystick/keyboard to pull off various kicks to hurt your opponent. Each fighter has a energy bar and an apple and when either is hit then their bar decreases but the bar will keep increasing when not hit. Once the bar is empty then the losing fighter is knocked down and part of his apple is removed. The winner of the fight is the fighter who removes the whole of his opponents apple. If you win then you move on to the next fighter. There is a two player option where the two players fight each other but both have two apples.

Ninja Hamster

Ninja Hamster

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - September 1, 1987

After a long journey over the seas, Ninja Hamster has come home to find his village being terrorised by a gang lead by Sinister Rat and The Lizard of Death. In this beat-em-up you must fight six members of the gang as well as the two leaders, one by one to save your village. The game is viewed from the side with the whole level shown on the screen. With a joystick or keyboard you use the fire button and a direction of the joystick/keyboard to pull off various kicks to hurt your opponent. Each fighter has a energy bar and an apple and when either is hit then their bar decreases but the bar will keep increasing when not hit. Once the bar is empty then the losing fighter is knocked down and part of his apple is removed. The winner of the fight is the fighter who removes the whole of his opponents apple. If you win then you move on to the next fighter. There is a two player option where the two players fight each other but both have two apples.

Ninja Hamster

Ninja Hamster

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

After a long journey over the seas, Ninja Hamster has come home to find his village being terrorised by a gang lead by Sinister Rat and The Lizard of Death. In this beat-em-up you must fight six members of the gang as well as the two leaders, one by one to save your village. The game is viewed from the side with the whole level shown on the screen. With a joystick or keyboard you use the fire button and a direction of the joystick/keyboard to pull off various kicks to hurt your opponent. Each fighter has a energy bar and an apple and when either is hit then their bar decreases but the bar will keep increasing when not hit. Once the bar is empty then the losing fighter is knocked down and part of his apple is removed. The winner of the fight is the fighter who removes the whole of his opponents apple. If you win then you move on to the next fighter. There is a two player option where the two players fight each other but both have two apples.

Oink!

Oink!

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Oink! is based on the British comic magazine of the same name. The chief editor, Uncle Pigg, has a problem: He is missing many pages for the next issue and the editorial deadline is near. The player needs to play three mini games and, depending on the performance, more or less pages are filled. Said comic pages can be read after finishing the mini games. Pete's Pimble is based on Breakout: the player controls a paddle to prevent a bouncing ball to leave the playfield from the side the paddle is installed. The playfield is full of blocks which are destroyed when the ball touches them - the goal is to get all of those. Enemies can be destroyed by shooting a laser cannon. In Rubbishman the player controls a super hero of the same name. He flies through obstacle courses and the player needs to steer the flying height to avoid said obstacles. He can also shoot the blocks to destroy them in time. This section has 12 levels. Tom Thug, another superhero, has to be guided through a top-down maze to the exit. To do so he has to find and pick up special blocks which either reward advantages like extra lives or keys which are needed to proceed further. Enemies can either be stunned or destroyed with his gun.

Oink!

Oink!

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

Oink! is based on the British comic magazine of the same name. The chief editor, Uncle Pigg, has a problem: He is missing many pages for the next issue and the editorial deadline is near. The player needs to play three mini games and, depending on the performance, more or less pages are filled. Said comic pages can be read after finishing the mini games. Pete's Pimble is based on Breakout: the player controls a paddle to prevent a bouncing ball to leave the playfield from the side the paddle is installed. The playfield is full of blocks which are destroyed when the ball touches them - the goal is to get all of those. Enemies can be destroyed by shooting a laser cannon. In Rubbishman the player controls a super hero of the same name. He flies through obstacle courses and the player needs to steer the flying height to avoid said obstacles. He can also shoot the blocks to destroy them in time. This section has 12 levels. Tom Thug, another superhero, has to be guided through a top-down maze to the exit. To do so he has to find and pick up special blocks which either reward advantages like extra lives or keys which are needed to proceed further. Enemies can either be stunned or destroyed with his gun.

Oink!

Oink!

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Oink! is based on the British comic magazine of the same name. The chief editor, Uncle Pigg, has a problem: He is missing many pages for the next issue and the editorial deadline is near. The player needs to play three mini games and, depending on the performance, more or less pages are filled. Said comic pages can be read after finishing the mini games. Pete's Pimble is based on Breakout: the player controls a paddle to prevent a bouncing ball to leave the playfield from the side the paddle is installed. The playfield is full of blocks which are destroyed when the ball touches them - the goal is to get all of those. Enemies can be destroyed by shooting a laser cannon. In Rubbishman the player controls a super hero of the same name. He flies through obstacle courses and the player needs to steer the flying height to avoid said obstacles. He can also shoot the blocks to destroy them in time. This section has 12 levels. Tom Thug, another superhero, has to be guided through a top-down maze to the exit. To do so he has to find and pick up special blocks which either reward advantages like extra lives or keys which are needed to proceed further. Enemies can either be stunned or destroyed with his gun.

Omega Run

Omega Run

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

Fanatics have captured the building in which the destructive Doomsday device is stored, and have set it to explode. This gives you 25 minutes to reach the building and destroy it. Viewed from the cockpit of your vehicle, Omega Run is a 3D shoot 'em up cum flight simulator. Your cockpit dials include a timer, altimeter, damage report and a long-range scanner. Enemy mounted laser beams and anti-aircraft fire must be dodged, while re-fuelling is required mid-game The game can be customised in may ways to fine tune the exact difficulty.

Outcast

Outcast

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - October 1, 1987

Exorcism should be good driving out evil. Or so the old benign Wizard was taught as a sprog. But he had just been exorcised by the forces of evil. Cast out from his village, stripped of his powers and spells and transformed into a hideously ugly parody of a human, he wandered the wastelands. Slowly his powers began to return. He must return to his protectorate and recover his spells and reap his revenge on the evil that ruled where was once Kind Lord and Master. On the outskirts a page of his great book of spells blew into his weak grasp. "Hakumba". He cried and in a twinkling lifted into the air. Soon his powers might be restored and his wards rescued from the forces of the night... Create spells by combining items you find in the environment and use them to locate and destroy the Skull of Doom.

Pandemonia

Pandemonia

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

Pandemonia is rife; the planet Earth has been overcome by Alien beings who control their domination from the top of the worlds largest skyscraper. Your task - destroy their H.Q.!!

Plasmatron

Plasmatron

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

Command has sent you to explore what you thought was a deserted empire colony. Unfortunately, they questioned your loyalty and had sent you to Loughton 2, a heavily defended alien world instead. In this shooter, pilot your Plasmatron fighter using the keyboard or Joystick. By dodging and maneuvering to avoid any damage, destroy the oncoming barrage of missiles and enemy fighters. The more you destroy, the better chance of getting the high score with your name displayed next to it. On those long missions, by hitting the 'F' key, you can freeze the game temporarily.

Professional Soccer

Professional Soccer

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1989

Professional Soccer: the real football simulator! Compete against intelligent computer managers across 48 possible levels, picking your team and formations and making transfers at the crucial times to find that fine balance between glory and failure. Another football manager simulation that proved to be so popular in the late-80s in the UK, in the days before Championship Manager took over the genre.

Robin of Sherlock

Robin of Sherlock

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Robin of Sherlock is a 1986 adventure video game developed by Delta 4 and published by Silversoft. It parodied the earlier games The Hobbit and Sherlock. It was written using The Quill. The game mixes the universes of Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes with a number of characters from other media, including Smurfs, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and others. It also involves Professor Moriarty masquerading as Herne the Hunter.

Room Ten

Room Ten

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

On the low-gravity worlds of the Galcorp, there is not much to do, so the corporation invents a new sport, played in low-gravity rooms. In essence it's a 3D Pong game, with the aim being to hit a ball towards the other player in such a way that he will be unable to return it. When the ball hits the back wall their opponent scores 5 points, with the first player to reach 35 being declared the winner. The screen is split into two, showing the view of each player, with the bat in the middle to start with. The game speed can be altered from adagio (slow) to vivace (fast), and the skill of the computer player can be altered, as can the screen colour. A 2-player option is included.

Room Ten

Room Ten

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

On the low-gravity worlds of the Galcorp, there is not much to do, so the corporation invents a new sport, played in low-gravity rooms. In essence it's a 3D Pong game, with the aim being to hit a ball towards the other player in such a way that he will be unable to return it. When the ball hits the back wall their opponent scores 5 points, with the first player to reach 35 being declared the winner. The screen is split into two, showing the view of each player, with the bat in the middle to start with. The game speed can be altered from adagio (slow) to vivace (fast), and the skill of the computer player can be altered, as can the screen colour. A 2-player option is included.

Samurai

Samurai

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Samurai is a turn based strategy/war game where you control an army of samurai and ninja attacking Japanese imperial forces in a temple. On starting the main game, the screen shows a top-down view of part of the area around a temple which is surrounded by a moat, and has stairs and bridges. Play consists of a number of turns, each consisting of a movement phase followed by a combat phase. The player alternates turns with the computer until one side has completely destroyed the other's units.

Search for the Titanic

Search for the Titanic

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

Search for the Titanic is an oceanographic simulation. You begin as an inexperienced oceanographer. You must build your reputation by exploring other lost vessels and earning the resources for a Titanic search. You plan, obtain funding, a ship, personnel, and equipment. Then chart a course and battle elements and dive for wrecks. Includes over 75 wrecks to explore, more than 100 navigational maps and charts and 47 ports of call. Find the Titanic and you will see real photos. Use simulated Sonar and underwater cameras.

Smugglers Cove

Smugglers Cove

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Smugglers Cove is a graphics adventure for the Amstrad. Graphics adventure in the old sense, ie, a text adventure with graphic illustrations for each scene. The graphics are fairly plain, not in the Interceptor league and take a while to draw. Nevertheless, they have a certain character and add something to the important part which is the actual text element. The title implies that this is something to do with pirates and salty seadogs and (his impression is reinforced by the irritating 'OK me dear' and 'och aye me hearties' style of computer response. The plot was quickly engrossing. though, with a lot of possibilities in the opening sections which I always find is the key to getting into an adventure. The first object is a rusty torch and you find yourself in a maze of dark tunnels. Fortunately the instructions to get the torch going are relatively simple. A good, well-designed game, one of the better games from CRL.

Solar Star

Solar Star

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

In Solar Star (called Sun Star in European countries) the player takes control of a special space ship constructed to collect energy from 16 solar grids in space. In each level, the player flies around the grids from a first-person perspective (along with a top-down radar at the bottom of the screen) with the goal to collect ten energy crystals. They are gained by shooting one of four disruptors divided over the level which causes them to teleport somewhere else and leave the desired energy behind. However, the energy crystal has to be collected fast before it disappears. The space ship has a limited amount of energy which is reduced by shooting or crashing into obstacles. The only way to refill them is to fly through a hyper warp, but this has the disadvantage of destroying one of the collected crystals. This can only be done a limited amount of times per level. Released in Commodore Format 1991/02 (Issue #05).

Sophistry

Sophistry

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

Sophistry is a puzzle game in which the goal is to fully explore the game area consisting of 21 levels, each consisting of about 20 screens called "boards". At the start of the game, only five of the levels are open. The remaining ones have to be unlocked through keys, 64 of which are scattered all over the area. The keys can either be collected or can be bought by spending amassed points. Each of the boards, shown in isometric perspective, must be solved individually. Each screen is made up of tiles or blocks which all have different functions, triggered by moving the player's pod onto them. Many of the tiles score points, the amount depending on the type of tile. Certain tile combinations result in special bonus points. A special tile is the Target block. Once touched, it will move to another place on the board, usually score a high number of points and may have other special effects depending on the level. Other tiles include exits to other boards on the same level as well as exits to other levels, teleporters (which move the player to a specific place somewhere else in the game), question mark blocks which trigger a random effect, joker blocks (which do nothing, but are also safe from most possible changes to level geometry) and the 64 key blocks. Besides moving around, the player's orb can also release "Uppers" by pressing the fire button. Uppers are gained by trading in bonus points and when released increase the points value of all score tiles on the board by one. Each level has a set of certain attributes: if the Decrement Status is set, the point value of a score block will be lowered by one once the player's pod leaves it. Once a block with a value of zero is left, it will disappear. Even more dangerous is the Tracking Status. When set, every block except jokers, exits and targets can only be jumped off once, then disappears. Releasing Uppers can make decremented blocks reappear, and reaching the target block will usually reset the entire board. Another attribute is the type of exit lock. The exits to other boards on the same level can either be unlocked from the start, be unlocked after reaching a certain score or after spending a certain amount of time on the board. These three attributes are combined with ten different board types for additional challenge: there may be a time limit for leaving, a score threshold or limit that must be met before touching the target block, blocks that disappear forever or move in a certain direction once jumped off, and more. And if the dangerous environment isn't enough, some levels will also release seekers that hunt down the pod and destroy it upon contact. A menu appears upon leaving a board or losing a life, in which points can be traded for lives, keys or uppers and a map of the current level can be studied. An in-game manual detailing tile and board types is also available.

Sun Star

Sun Star

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

In Sun Star the player takes control of a special space ship constructed to collect energy from 16 solar grids in space. In each level, the player flies around the grids from a first-person perspective (along with a top-down radar at the bottom of the screen) with the goal to collect ten energy crystals. They are gained by shooting one of four disruptors divided over the level which causes them to teleport somewhere else and leave the desired energy behind. However, the energy crystal has to be collected fast before it disappears. The space ship has a limited amount of energy which is reduced by shooting or crashing into obstacles. The only way to refill them is to fly through a hyper warp, but this has the disadvantage of destroying one of the collected crystals. This can only be done a limited amount of times per level.

Sun Star

Sun Star

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

In Sun Star the player takes control of a special space ship constructed to collect energy from 16 solar grids in space. In each level, the player flies around the grids from a first-person perspective (along with a top-down radar at the bottom of the screen) with the goal to collect ten energy crystals. They are gained by shooting one of four disruptors divided over the level which causes them to teleport somewhere else and leave the desired energy behind. However, the energy crystal has to be collected fast before it disappears. The space ship has a limited amount of energy which is reduced by shooting or crashing into obstacles. The only way to refill them is to fly through a hyper warp, but this has the disadvantage of destroying one of the collected crystals. This can only be done a limited amount of times per level.

Tau Ceti

Tau Ceti

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer.

Tau Ceti

Tau Ceti

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer.

Tau Ceti: The Lost Star Colony

Tau Ceti: The Lost Star Colony

Commodore 64 - Released - August 1, 1986

Humanity has spread out and colonised nearby star systems but a plague in 2150 led to the colonies being abandoned and left to their automated robotic maintenance systems. While several of these colonies have been successfully re-inhabited, the colony on the planet Tau Ceti III (orbiting the star Tau Ceti) has been uncontactable since a meteor smashed into the planet. A mission sent to Tau Ceti III in 2164 landed on the planet but broadcast a mayday message followed by silence. Experts decided that the planet's robots were running amok as a result of the meteorite impact. The only chance, it was decided, of successfully stopping the defence systems without destroying the cities already there is to send a single pilot in an armoured Gal-Corp skimmer to the planet's surface with the task of shutting-down the central reactor in Tau Ceti III's capital, Centralis.

Tau Ceti: The Lost Star Colony

Tau Ceti: The Lost Star Colony

MS-DOS - Released - 1987

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer.

Tau Ceti: The Special Edition

Tau Ceti: The Special Edition

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer. There's no real change to the gameplay of the Special Edition but the presentation and detail within the game has been considerably extended.

Tau Ceti: The Special Edition

Tau Ceti: The Special Edition

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer. This enhanced version was released for the 128K Spectrum in 1987 and features extra graphics and a larger amount of accessible library data about the game world.

Terrahawks

Terrahawks

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

Like perennial license favourite Thunderbirds, Terrahawks was written by Gerry Anderson, featured puppets, and was set in space. It is this latter element that the licensed game is built around, as you aim to pass Terrahawk Pilot Training. To succeed, you must be able to deal with a black hole, which will take amazing thought and reaction speed. Having been sucked in you must fly through the vortex, reaching it by shooting out the monoliths which block your path. You must be careful not to collide with these more than 5 times, as that is all your shield can withstand. Also, avoid running out of fuel by flying as low among the monoliths as you can - the higher line is safer but consumes fuel much faster. There are 9 stratums of increasing difficulty to survive.

Test Match

Test Match

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Test Match Cricket is one of the better cricket simulations, and another conversion from a venerable Spectrum original. On one side of the tape you can play a full test match with a maximum of 450 overs. On the other side is a one day cricket match, in which you can decide the number of overs you wish to play but only one innings per team can be played.

Test Match

Test Match

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

This cricket management game can be played in two different ways, featuring one-day matches on side B, and the full length test matches (featuring two innings each, played over five six-hour days) on side A. A program detailing the instructions and game system (including some precise explanations of the mathematics used by the game to calculate the results of each bowl) loads before the main game. By default the game features England and Australia, although you can manually type in different team names. Before each over the bowling team must choose their bowler, while the batting team chooses its two opening players, and which play should come in after each dismissal. Both batsmen and bowlers are number in descending order of ability. The action is viewed from above, and when a shot is played the batting team must decide whether to run or not - after each run the positions are updated and the decision made again.

The Boggit: Bored Too

The Boggit: Bored Too

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - December 9, 1986

The Boggit: Bored Too is a text adventure game by Delta 4 released in 1986 for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game is a parody of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit and of the earlier game based upon it also called The Hobbit. It is the prequel to Bored of the Rings. This interactive fiction with graphics game features reluctant adventurer Bimbo Faggins and devious magician Grandalf attempting to gain treasure, ultimately by appearing on a TV game show.

The Boggit: Bored Too

The Boggit: Bored Too

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

The Boggit: Bored Too is a text adventure game by Delta 4 released in 1986 for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game is a parody of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit and of the earlier game based upon it also called The Hobbit. It is the prequel to Bored of the Rings. This interactive fiction with graphics game features reluctant adventurer Bimbo Faggins and devious magician Grandalf attempting to gain treasure, ultimately by appearing on a TV game show.

The Great Detective

The Great Detective

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released

The Great Detective is a murder mystery themed text adventure with simple graphics for the ZX Spectrum. The game was developed by Philip Rolfe and published by CRL Group in 1984.

The Magic Roundabout

The Magic Roundabout

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

The Magic Roundabout is an action game which was released by CRL Group PLC on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in 1984; it is based upon the French television series La Manege Enchante, by Serge Danot (1931-1990), which initially aired on its own country's television network in its own language, during 1963, but it was later appropriated by the English actor Eric Thompson (1929-1982) in 1965 for BBC television in the United Kingdom (and it begat a movie, Dougal and the Blue Cat, in 1970). Help the frantic Dougal build his sugar house before it's time for bed, whilst avoiding all the other "Magic Roundabout" characters who can steal his sugar.

The Rocky Horror Show

The Rocky Horror Show

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Play as either Brad or Janet to rescue the other, in this computer adaptation of the hit Broadway Musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Search the castle for pieces of the Medusa machine to free your partner from stone and escape the castle before it blasts off. Each one must be taken to the De-Medusa machine, only carrying one at a time. You must collect keys and disable force fields along the way. Other characters in the game will hinder your progress by stealing and hiding your clothes or other objects you may be carrying. Watch out for Riff-Raff or he'll shoot you with his laser gun. And if Eddie thaws out and escapes from the freezer, he'll run you over with his motorcycle.

The Rocky Horror Show

The Rocky Horror Show

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Play as either Brad or Janet to rescue the other, in this computer adaptation of the hit Broadway Musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Search the castle for pieces of the Medusa machine to free your partner from stone and escape the castle before it blasts off. Each one must be taken to the De-Medusa machine, only carrying one at a time. You must collect keys and disable force fields along the way. Other characters in the game will hinder your progress by stealing and hiding your clothes or other objects you may be carrying. Watch out for Riff-Raff or he'll shoot you with his laser gun. And if Eddie thaws out and escapes from the freezer, he'll run you over with his motorcycle.

The Rocky Horror Show

The Rocky Horror Show

Commodore 128 - Released - 1985

The Rocky Horror Show is a video game, based on the musical of the same name, where you get to control either Brad or Janet in your quest to explore the strange interior over at the Frankenstein place. It's a bit of a mind flip but if you are careful you'll do the time warp, again! Play as either Brad or Janet to rescue the other, in this computer adaptation of the hit Broadway Musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Search the castle for pieces of the Medusa machine to free your partner from stone and escape the castle before it blasts off. Each one must be taken to the De-Medusa machine, only carrying one at a time. You must collect keys and disable force fields along the way. Other characters in the game will hinder your progress by stealing and hiding your clothes or other objects you may be carrying. Watch out for Riff-Raff or he'll shoot you with his laser gun. And if Eddie thaws out and escapes from the freezer, he'll run you over with his motorcycle.

The Very Big Cave Adventure

The Very Big Cave Adventure

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Essentially a graphical version of Colossal Cave, The Very Big Cave Adventure has the player navigating around a forest, collecting treasures and dealing with strange creatures. It involves reading a description of each scene, then typing in one- or two-word commands to perform an action, with some of them providing some humor to the player. Directions can be abbreviated as N, E, S, W.

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1984

This is a game adaptation of the musical version of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. It's set in London after the Martians have taken control of Earth and the player takes on the role of a journalist who searches for the girl he loves, travelling through the home counties and the streets of the city. The objective is to discover six locations during the six playing days.The locations must be visited in the right order and on the right day, for the player to be able to reach the Martian encampment on the seventh day and thereby complete the game. The locations that need to be visited are featured in the correct order in the musical version of The War of the Worlds. Jeff Wayne's Video Game Version of The War of the Worlds is an adventure game with graphics. The game is side scrolling and each location consist of a street that the player follows until reaching an end or a crossroad that allows him to move to another location. Interaction with the world is done by entering the following text commands: get, quit, eat, drink, invent, time and status. Movement is done with cursor keys. Occasionally the player will come across Martian fighting machines that he has to run away from as quickly as possible to avoid being killed. Other ways to die include starving and freezing to death. Therefore it's necessary to collect loaves of bread and bottles of wine and find shelter in houses when night falls.

They Call Me Trooper

They Call Me Trooper

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

The year is 2108. The annual conference to discuss planetary peace is to take place on the planet Therop. The Theropi, intent on their secret plans to dominate the entire galactic system, have betrayed the members and placed each of them through their irreversible brain-drain machine, thus turning highly trained combatants into deadly exterminators. You, Major R.A. Trooper, Squad Captain for earth members, have managed to escape the brain-drain. It is your task to escape from the planet Therop and warn the galactic defence commission. The other luckless members, all intensively trained in unarmed combat, have been programmed to track you down and destroy you. There is only one priority in your mind above sentiment or compassion. Escape from planet Therop ALIVE!

Thundercross

Thundercross

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

You are the Captain of the good ship Thundercross but problems are arising with the thrusters and power. No matter how much you use them, the ship seems to be pulled by a strange force. You realise in the area is a huge ship pulling you towards it. To add more problems, the ship has sent out various smaller crafts to destroy you. The only course of action is to confront the giant ship and blow it up. You must avoid and kill the smaller crafts attacking you before flying over the surface of the ship and destroy as much of it as you can. After a run over the surface you must face the smaller crafts again before flying over the surface of a different part of the ship. The crafts fire missiles at you and on the ship itself there are various defenses that fire as well. One touch by a craft, part of the ship or any bullet means your shield gauge decrease. Once it's empty it is game over. Thundercross is a horizontal scrolling shoot-em-up viewed from above with the screen scrolling constantly. You move your ship with the joystick but it won't fire while you move. To fire you have to hold down the fire button and move the joystick. The ship won't move when the fire button is held.

Time Fighter

Time Fighter

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

There are seven time zones that are troubled by hostile opponents. These time zones are prehistoric, Middle Ages, Wild West, Prohibition Era, World War II, 1980's New York and the space age. You are a trans-temporal mercenary sent into these time zones to sort things out. You must defeat the hostiles as well as the creatures. The game is a side-ways scrolling platform game. You can control your character with the joystick to run left or right, jump, duck, punch and kick, and use whatever weapon you are holding. You begin with three lives which are lost when your energy is depleted. Your information panel shows you your energy, lives, score, high score and what weapon you are holding.

Trigger Happy

Trigger Happy

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

You are Flight Commander McCoy and after saving the ship Thundercross you have been given a new mission from Space Control 25 to destroy 32 giant spacecraft high in the Stratosphere. In your Advanced Flight Capsule (AFC) you must fly alongside each ship and blast and destroy as much of the outside of the ship. This will include anything sticking out like blocks, shields and more importantly it's defenses especially as these will fire back at you. You do have a gun yourself, but you can only fire if you move the ship, and you can't move the ship while firing. You only have one attempt to destroy all 32 as you have one life, but you do have a shield which decreases if you hit an object or a bullet. Die past ship one, and you receive a password to start from that ship again. Trigger Happy is a horizontal shoot-em-up viewed from the side, with the screen scrolling left to right constantly. As you are flying alongside the ships, then everything is behind you, so you shoot anything sticking out. A joystick is used to control your AFC.

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