Classic Replay

A good sense of speed in a driving game is one of the most vital ingredients, but is there such a thing as too fast? Not many driving games on the Amstrad CPC move at a fair old lick, but Twin Turbo from Codemasters threw out the rule book, breaking the Z80 speed barrier for Amstrad racers. This game is frantic, nerve-shredding almost, where driving dangerously seems to be the norm. Twin Turbo takes the traditional arcade concept where you race to the finish line over five stages. The car resembles a Ferrari, similar to the F40 seen in Turbo Outrun, only faster! The sense of speed is highly convincing, giving you the feeling that you are up against it, with other cars reacting to your movement. Every race feels dangerous, the pace is fast and weaving through traffic, negotiating corners and desperately trying to see over the brow of a hill requires massive concentration and good reflexes. Unfortunately, accidents will happen, in fact, lots of crashes will happen, this is ...

Processor: ARM SOC  Memory: 16MB SD RAM Storage: 64MB Flash Storage Website: http://retro-computers.co.uk/vega/ What's it all about: It was originally produced by Retro Computers as part of a crowdfunded idea to produce a ZX Spectrum clone, that could connect directly to any TV set. Many people have likened it to the DTV64. The difference being that the Vega includes 1000 games and a hardware specific interface, built into the circuit board that allows for future software upgrades. Chris Smith developed the Vega, a former Speccy developer, for his sins.  The good bits: It runs nearly every game I've thrown at it, TAP files included. It's an all-in-one solution that plugs nicely into your telly, using composite or SCART (additional SCART connector needed). The build quality isn't as bad as what others have made out, it looks and feels alright to me. The menu system looks basic in design, but it actually works really well, and there's really cool music play...

The RAF had an insane idea, instead of taking off horizontally (creatively speaking that is) why not take off vertically? Early testing involved eight Kestrel aircraft, (the prototype and forerunner of the Harrier Jump Jet) testing involved taking off from unprepared fields and woodlands. The results proved the concept worked, and in the late 1960’s, the RAF placed the Harrier into active service. Although the RAF have long since taken the Harrier out of service, today; the US marine corps continue to use its services and will continue to do so well into 2030! This was one of the first side-scrolling games for the CPC, it was released a year earlier on the Speccy and received favourable reviews. I suppose most people today will think that Harrier Attack belongs and should stay in the scrap yard, but back in eighty-four, not only was it my favourite aircraft, it fast became my favourite game and only aviation medicine. There's no flying skills needed, the manual rests in you...

In the hot seat this month is 8-bit legend Jim Bagley. He's the main man and sole programmer responsible for many classic games on the Speccy and CPC. He was behind the fantastic Batman: The Caped Crusader, Cabel, Midnight Resistance and the massively addictive adventure, Hudson Hawk! But all these were nothing compared to what Jim considers his greatest achievement... Read on!   I played Batman the Caped Crusader to death? Glad it was good enough to keep you playing, I enjoyed making it. and Hudson Hawk was a great game, Yeah, shame the movie was a flop, I really loved the game also, it was fun to make as well! Amstrad Action awarded it a MasterGame! You must of been really proud? Yeah, I was, especially considering the slating the movie got, it was like we were off to a bad start I guess the only way was up lol. I loved Midnight Resistance, although a tad slow, played like a dream back in the day? Thanks :D yeah it was a bit slow on CPC unfortunately, but it was p...

CPC Legend - Jas Austin Interview: If the thought of attribute clash or MODE 0 warms your cockles, you'll love this interview with CPC and all-round ZX Speccy legend Jas Austin. To help jog the memory, Jas coded the wonderful Amstrad and Speccy versions of a lot of classic games, including Altered Beast on the Speccy, Nemesis the Warlock, War, Slaine and the futuristic bullet hell shooter, REX (CRASH awarded 82%)! He also programmed Alien 3 and the excellent R-Type on the GameBoy. So Mr Anderson, how on gods green earth was Rex even possible on the humble Speccy? HaHa! Mr Anderson indeed... Damn rumbled. Our previous game for Martech hadn't done particularly well commercially. So for Rex, we decided to re-invent ourselves with fake names and a new company 'The Light' We even invented a back story... That we were all ex IBM employees and wrote the game in a matter of weeks. Of course, all a complete pack of lies. Yes, Rex did have a lot going on... I've a...

In Satan, you really do get to take on the main man, I mean the demon himself. Apparently, (don't quote me on this) there's lots of wizards that need your help, the devil has captured them and is set to use them against our world, in a most distasteful manner. There're two parts to this fabulous game, with the usual Dinamic password system. The first level see's you traversing a large cavern; you must search and collect three scrolls to pr ogress. These scrolls reveal a fabulous secret power, the ability to transfer from Barbarian to Wizard. The second level is more of the same stuff, only this time you're out to rescue the wizards and defend the land from the evil forces of Satan. You swing from one area to the next, clinging for dear life, climbing from one pillar to the next, whilst unleashing unlimited firepower... Against the clock. There're all sorts of pickups, coins, power-ups and more importantly, clocks that give you that much needed extra tim...

Turrican 2 is massive, one of the biggest games I've ever experienced on any computer or console. You traverse ledge after ledge, with most jumps consisting of leaps of faith.  The programming team responsible Enigma House, boasted in (AA71) "Turrican 2 contains a jaw-dropping 1500 screens! Think of it this way - if you laid out 1500 monitors on their backs on the floor, it would cover an area 9240 meters square." Each level took up nearly 60k of code, with a total of five levels, this had to include sound effects and music, I'll let you do the maths! The amazing thing was, this game fitted on a single disk. The basic idea is to explore everywhere and anything, killing all sorts of nasties and giants, collect extra lives, power-up's and extended time, and basically just try to survive in order to reach the next stage. There's an excellent feel for the game, the main protagonist looks and struts along like a proper space trooper, and effortlessly g...

Super smooth sideways scrolling and great graphics are nothing new to the CPC these days. CPC bunnies expect the graphics and scrolling to be good as a matter of course, so a game needs to have a little bit more going on underneath than just flashy graphics. Fortunately, Invasion of the Zombie Monsters does the CPC justice in all areas. It has a great look and feels excellent, with hauntingly tinny music and fantastic presentation. At first glance, it'll remind you of the arcade classic 'Ghouls and Ghosts', but not the dafty version by USGOLD. I'm talking arcade quality. Essentially it's a run and gun shooter. Evil forces have inherited the earth, and our hero, the chosen one 'Ned Friks', is the only guy around to save mankind. You'll need to man up, though, as there are all sorts of undead out to get you. There are classic zombies, zombie werewolves, zombie reptiles, zombie plants, zombie souls and a zombie grave-keeper to keep things real. ...

Thrust is an easy game to describe, it's like Asteroids mixed with a splash of Moon-lander. You can tell from the word go that the guts of those classics have been well and truly assimilated, whilst retaining their addictive qualities. Visually, Thrust is less than interesting, I remember it having a half decent loading screen, but that was your lot. If you were willing to forego a little colour and didn't mind a bit of light thinking, Thrust was a real treat. Graphically it's very simple, you guide a spaceship where Gravity can work for or against. At first, it starts out easy, but on later stages, you've got to actively and precisely use the ship's thrust in order to prevent crashing into the scenery. I can't remember why you have to do all this, but the story mentioned something about the resistance planning a massive attack on the Intergalactic Empire, ring any bells? Anyway, your mission was to fly in, grab the Klystron pod and escape in two pieces. Be...

On patrol... Amstrad, Speccy, Arcade and C64 Robocop the movie is stunning, the prime directives still resonate in my head even today. I recall from one scene good old Murphy getting blown to smithereens and in another ED-209 powering up with the immortal words - 'Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply'. The game is every bit as enjoyable as the movie and in some ways just as memorable. I'd already experienced Operation Wolf, Chase HQ, Gryzor and Combat School, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to receive. Delta city had never looked so good, it was littered with dark alleyways, ruined building and crime infested streets. Scenes from the movie were cleverly replicated, including the hostage and drug factory encounter. You could never walk more than a few feet without all hell breaking lose. You start out all guns blazing... ultra violence a plenty. The weapons were as devastating as seen in the movie. In between the horizontal scroll...

It's amazing what I've recovered from my failed H.D.D. Here we have an old Kevin Toms interview from a few years ago, maybe 2009 at a guess, can't believe I nearly chucked it. Hope you all enjoy... lots more to come.   Q: How do you feel about Football Manager all these years on? I am proud of what I created and that it gave so much to a lot of people. Q: When did you realise you wanted to become a programmer? At school and I don't think I really knew what a programmer was, when I decided that. Q: Have you ever thought: 'Wow, I did a great job'? It's not normally what I think. Other people have said I should be more aware of it. Q: How has life changed for you since the 80's? My life is quite ordinary now, apart from the occasional recognition. Q: What are the ten greatest games you've ever played? It's the simplest games that have always drawn me in. I don't like to have to work hard to learn to play. So classics l...

A while back I interviewed Bill Harbison, one of the chaps responsible for the likes of ChaseHQ and Batman... two of my favourite 8-bit games. I thought I'd lost the interview due to a system failure. Here it is, recovered from my now dead hard drive . So, how did you get into the games industry? I had owned a ZX Spectrum for quite some time back in 1988 and, as well as playing games, I was interested in creating art simply for the delight of seeing my work on a television screen. I progressed to taking pictures from arcade games and mocking up a screen of what that game might look like on the Spectrum. After comparing my screens to actual Spectrum conversions I thought that mine were as good or maybe a little better than the ones I'd seen, so with that in mind I targeted a few software companies with my work. After about a year of trying and almost ready to give up, I was offered a position at Ocean Software Ltd in Manchester. What are your fondest memories of...

P47 - Freedom Fighter Arcade: Jaleco 1988 Home Conversions: Firebird 1989 In the midst of Spitfires, Messerschmitt's and Hurricane's, there was one world war 2 fighter, nicknamed the 'jug' (short for 'Juggernaut') that packed an almighty punch. The Jug entered the war in 1943, piloted by the 78th and 56th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, with a kill ratio of 8 to 1... changing history forever. WOT? NO SPACE SHIPS? When playing these types of SHMUPS as a kid, I had no idea of the historical significance of it all. Back in the day, it was just a really good shoot-'em-up, that moved at pace and looked really good. Although highly inaccurate  the game follows the real life struggles of the American fighter, as it prowled above the skies of Northern France, Egypt and North Africa. How does it play P47 is a horizontal scrolling shoot-'em-up (No need to fill out any forms), with bags of pace, outstanding graphics and rigorous gung-ho game-pla...

The legendary mystic Sword of Omens has been stolen by the demonic, mummified sorcerer Mumm-Ra. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the true source of the ThunderCats' power. It’s up to you to go get it back, before Mumm-Ra and his mutants raise all hell on Third Earth. Along with M.A.S.K, Transformers, Centurions and Starfleet, Thundercats stands heroic as one of my favourite childhood cartoons of the 80's. The Thundercats logo has been burnt firmly into my cerebral cortex forever. Along with the 'Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose' opening theme... Thundercats, hooooo! Before all you budding hero’s set out from the Cat’s Lair, know this! Mumm-Ra’s stronghold of evil is heavily fortified, and then some.  Thundercats comprises of fourteen levels, each is a straight line dash, from beginning to end. The priority is to cover the distance within sixty seconds, shooting and chopping your way to the next level.   Each level is in...

The number of great looking games on the CPC might  be few and far between, but can anyone remember a beauty from Gremlin called “Switchblade”? There are in my opinion few games that can hold a candle to Switchblade in the looks and playability department. (Bloody long time we waited to). On something of a crusade to prove just how good Switchblade is, I’ll go as far to say that in a straight fight, Switchblade blows away shed loads of competition; Gryzor and Resistance included. Switchblade is a classy-looking 2D platformer, its visuals are undeniably endearing, but for me it’s the feeling you get from playing. You play a young superhero known as ‘Hiro’, the last protector of the Blade Knights. The trouble is ‘Hiro’ has lost his sword; the ‘Fireblade’. It got  smashed whilst out jogging in the Underc...

Once again,  it’s up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to come to the rescue! Once again Shredder’s after world domination and has kidnapped April and your sensei Splinter (a giant rat) in order to hold them, until completing his plan. April and Splinter are being hidden deep within the bowels of the Technodrome, which just happens to be heavily fortified and primed full of traps. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  is an action packed game based on the late eighties/early nineties movie and cartoon series of the same name. You play as the Pizza eating Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, and have the ability to swap between turtles at the beginning of each battle.  Gameplay takes place from a side scrolling perspective, with most of the action taking place on foot. In addition to each turtl...

Imagine a game with countless doors. Opening one, you find yourself outside of  a well known food chain. Behind another is a music store or ammunition shop, and yet another is filled with evil-red eyed Zombies offering to kill you with a single bite. You’ve heard of Disney Land, well this is Zombie Land, a monstrous shop till you drop of pain. Zombi is loosely based on ‘Dawn of the Dead.’ You control the actions of four survivors – Alex, Sylvie, Yan and Patrick. Your helicopter has run low on fuel, and in an emergency you have to land on the rooftop of a nearby shopping mall. Your mission is to get more fuel and fly the hell outta there. Just like in the film you must navigate your way through a vast shopping mall whilst trying to avoid flesh eating Zombies and contact with other surviving humans hell bent on stealing your ride. Zombi is an adventure game which incorporates animated point and click graphics, as opposed to an arcade ...