News

Andrew Braybrook revealed his new game, "Uridium". It promised "super-fast scrolling and authentically addictive action" and would certainly end up delivering.

Infocom slashed the prices on several of their games for a Christmas promotion. "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" would drop to £24.95, while others would be between £14 and £22.

Two schoolboys raised £80 for famine relief in Ethiopia by playing games for 24 hours. The games included "Castle Quest", "Alien 8" and "Revs", all on their BBC which apparently "did get a bit hot."

Gremlin announced "The Way of the Tiger", the first in a series of games based on the martial arts fighting fantasy books.

The first screen shot of Probe's "Basildon Bond" game appeared.

After stirring up controversy at the PCW show by hiring three scantily clad dancers which were ejected, System 3 was about to release the game behind the fuss: "Twister: The Mother of Harlots". Interestingly, doubt was expressed about whether the much talked about "International Karate" would actually be released after many delays (amusingly enough, the Spectrum version was reviewed in this issue).

Features

• The second and final part of the "Chimera" diary saw Shahid Ahmad complete his port of the game to the Amstrad in the 7 days he had promised. "How should you approach debugging? Simple. You turn the machine off after getting a fresh listing (I hope you have a printer!), then go and get a beer or a coffee, and look at the listing very, very carefully for half an hour. You'll nearly always find the culprit. What if you can't? Give up programming and take up tennis or aerobics!!" As an aside, Shahid is still in the games industry and doing some great work.

Notable Previews

• "Max Headroom" Quicksilva - "Says Andy: 'We would like the original scriptwriters to write some jokes, we'll digitise and put it on the cassette - although it's difficult to get something that's produced on a machine that's worth millions on one that's worth a hundred pounds.'"
• "Buckaroo Banzai" Adventure International - "So will we be seeing Buckaroo Banzai, the adventure, in the UK? As things stand that is entirely in the hands of the film distributors."

Notable Reviews

• "Sweevo's World" Gargoyle Games - Spectrum/Amstrad 9/10 Game of the Month "Sweevo's World is a truly different and atmospheric game. And it has built in humour... Could we be witnessing the birth of a cult character here?" (there was one sequel before Gargoyle disappeared into the mists of time)
• "International Karate" System 3 - Spectrum 9/10 Blitz Game "Altogether the package is a winner with its international backgrounds and terrific speech. If you already have Fist this may not be on your list. However, I've got both and play them equally."
• "Commando" Elite - C64 10/10 Blitz Game " Altogether a maddening, totally addictive arcade copy which definitely makes Rambo look like Mr Puniverse. No doubt about it!"
• "Tomahawk" Digital Integration - Spectrum 9/10 Blitz Game "Tomahawk is an extremely well put together piece of software. Impressively presented and documented. And, on top of all that, it's got real atmosphere - something that's hard to get into a game."
• "Thunderbirds" Firebird - C64/Spectrum 9/10 "If you like a challenge and have a few hours to spare, then grab a copy now. Very addictive, long lasting and fun."
• "Wild West" Ariolasoft - C64 9/10 "Wild west is graphically excellent."
• "Gladiator" Domark - Spectrum 9/10 "The controls are pretty complex - they have to be as there are so many moves you can make while fighting. It'll take you some time to work out all the combinations, so be prepared to practice."
• "Harrier Strike Force" Mirrorsoft - BBC 10/10 "A classy, polished and highly addictive simulation, this is a game to keep."
• "Three Weeks in Paradise" Mikro-Gen - Spectrum 9/10 "The graphics are the closest to the fabled 'cartoon quality' yet to be seen on the good old Spectrum."
• "Scalextric" Leisure Genius - C64 9/10 "One for race addicts who like building their own tracks. Better than Racing Destruction Set but not quite Pitstop II which, in our humble opinion, still holds Pole Position."
• "Roller Coaster" Elite - Spectrum/C64/Amstrad 9/10 "Ride the Roller Coaster just once and you won't want to get off for a long, long time."
• "Citadel" Superior Software - BBC/Electron 10/10 "Citadel is fun to play, and allows extensive exploration without having to complete a sticky problem to reach the next screen."
• "Ace" Cascade Games - C64 9/10 "Digital Integration's Fighter Pilot has been widely acknowledged as the best of the bunch but that accolade must now go to Ace."
• "Z" Chris Butler/Rhino - C64 9/10 "Z comes from Chris Butler, the programmer who brought you Hypercircuit which became something of a cult game. Z should do just the same."
• "Think!" Ariolasoft - Spectrum 10/10 Blitz Game "Think! is instantly playable, briliiantly simple and lastingly addictive. We think it's a winner."
• "Winnie the Pooh" Sierra - C64 10/10 "Altogether, a game to be highly recommended for younger children not yet into full-blown adventure games."
• "Worm in Paradise" Level 9 - Spectrum/C64/Amstrad 9/10 "Here is science-fiction-based political saga which you can just sit back and enjoy, or, if you prefer, involve yourself at a more challenging level in an attempt to reach the seat of power and save the world."

Charts

All Formats

1. "Commando" Elite - Spectrum/C64/Amstrad
2. "Elite" Firebird - Spectrum/C64/Amstrad/BBC
3. "They Sold a Million" Hit Squad - Spectrum/C64/Amstrad

Amstrad

1. "They Sold A Million" Hit Squad
2. "Grand Prix 3D" Software 1
3. "Formula 1 Simulator" Mastertronic

Spectrum

1. "Elite" Firebird
2. "Commando" Elite
3. "Back to Skool" Microsphere

C64

1. "Winter Games" US Gold
2. "Commando" Elite
3. "Rambo" Ocean