Game
Joystick Power
Submitted by Dan Dooré on Sat, 2006-04-22 17:40. GameJoystick waggler
Review by Steven Pick from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Yipe! Weird warning! What you are about to see is a review of, erm, not your average SAM title. Wayne Coles of Innocent Productions invites you to sample what he probably calls a “new age” SAM title. No puzzles to it. No sub-plots. Just plain man power (Grrrrrr!). Remember all those athletic games on the Speccy (someone write a SAM Athletics Simulator!!) where in some events, joystick waggling was the name of the game in order to get anywhere? Well, relive those moments once again with Joystick Power. First off, Wayne looks as though he’s now joined the ranks of the Illusion demo group, and the presentation of Joystick Power is quite nice in the graphics department. You start off with a normal demo-type screen with scrolly, starfield, you know the sort of stuff. Lee ‘Bubel’ Willis struts his musical stuff with some excellent tunes, and fitting for the events.
By the way, the events in question involve “Joystick Power” and “Button Power” relating to your joystick (or keys) or your fire button (or key 0). When you play, there are no athletic events to play - just a (large) graphic of either a joystick or a fire button. You then have a certain amount of time (which can be changed by the option Time Warp) to waggle the joystick furiously or tap on the fire button incredibly fast (you can’t hold down the button). Very arthritis-forming.
That’s it. Told you it was strange. Though the strange thing is that it is rather addictive. The possibilities of getting your mates over to waggle their joysticks (Ahem) are unbounded and I can just picture the great contests you could be having with each other. One problem. Price. It is a little bit steep for a posh looking-demo which would just about look out of place of a normal Public Domain library. And yet, the fun you have with mates around is brilliant - group contests can be set up, which unfortunately this game doesn’t have - it would of been nice to see a “joystick olympics” without the fancy graphics. But a high score is enough for me.
Amalthea
Submitted by Quazar on Sat, 2006-04-22 16:35. Game
1995
From the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Top-down and side-on gauntlet-ish game, played in an alien infested base.
Review by Steven Pick from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Hooray!! Scream from the highest mountain, and relish in a NON-PUZZLE (in massive capital letters) game from the non-puzzley lads at Jupiter Software. Now you have the chance to power-up on weaponry, shoot the living daylights out of assorted alien foe and basically enjoy yourself!
Amalthea is a seven (SEVEN!) multi-load game involving two different game styles - a top-down style game, which has a certain “Alien Breed” about it, and a much-polished (erm, thanks to my graphics, ahem) side-on viewed section, but cleverly involving the same elements of the top-down game, but in a different layout. The game kicks in with a Alien Breed-style “mission printout” telling you about each of the seven zones. In all cases, you have to collect power crystals dotted around each of the zones and then find the exit (a skull and crossbones before you’ve collected all the power crystals) to escape. Along the way, you can collect a multitude of various odds and ends including multi-coloured (and multi-valued) credits which can be used at a computer terminal in each zone to buy weapon power-ups, first aid, etc.
First aid icons can be found to increase your health, while ammo is for.. go on, guess. Various sections of the complex can be accessed with the help of keys, key icons of which can be found around the game zone, and generously allow you to open five doors. Alternatively, you can always blast a door open with your weapon (no sexual innuendo intended, you dirty minded person). Weaponry, by the way, can be upgraded to include more powerful shots, and even two guns for the price of one - at a price of more ammunition needed!
Delta Charge
Submitted by Dan Dooré on Wed, 2006-04-12 09:23. Game
Thalamus
1990
Delta Charge known as ‘Delta’ on other platforms was the first Sam Coupé “Compatible” title to be released in which the instructions memorably said “Load the Spectrum Emulator and follow instructions”
A scrolling shoot ‘em up not overly dissimilar to Parallax and Sphera.
From MobyGames
This horizontally scrolling shoot ‘em up with 32 levels is something of a predecessor to Armalyte. It’s set in the Delta region of space, in which the Hsiffan Khanate species have a powerful presence, using their technology to steal and analyze Terran ships.
The 32 levels each feature different static hazards, as well as the actual Hsiffan forces, which come at you in programmed attack patterns. Your default ship isn’t strong enough to survive half of these, so in time-honored tradition power-ups are available via a credit system. The more credits you have, the more blue tokens (offering weapons) are offered - if you don’t have many, fatal-to-touch grey tokens are unleashed.
Legend Of Eshan
Submitted by solaris104 on Sun, 2006-04-09 23:11. Game
Revelation Software (Software Direction by FRED Publishing)
1994
A complex roleplaying simulation, along the lines of Lords Of Midnight.
The story starts at a time of unrest with Barquin the Witchking massing a great army of Orcs in the north. Barquin’s evil influence is most powerful in his own realm but it extends beyond the plains of Krette and of Anga. If he can sieze control of the Palace of Avorell in the far south his control will be complete and the freedom of Avinell will be doomed forever.
Eshan has received word from Barton the Marshal that Avorell the Noble as been taken captive while on a hunting trip on ther plains of Anga. Without the wise council of Avorell the armies of the south squabble amongst themselves knowing this is the signal that the invasion of Barquin’s legions of evil is about to begin.
Eshan and Barton must unite and mobilise the warriors in the defence of freedom, to repel the attck and deny Barquin the supremacy that would come with the fall of the Palace of Avorell.
Days of Sorcery
Submitted by Dan Dooré on Sun, 2006-04-09 22:59. Game1992
A text and graphic adventure exclusively for the SAM
A review was written for Your Sinclair but never published.
The Witching Hour
Submitted by solaris104 on Sun, 2006-04-09 22:58. Game
1993
An arcade/adventure in the Dizzy mould written in GamesMaster.
Review by Steven Pick from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Yipe! Talk about a scary cover for a computer game - a Gothic affair covered with women in beards and mad images! Though, the game is not a patch on the Gothicness of the cover. The Witching Hour, as it is, is the period of time which you, Gretta the good witch or Beardy the wizard (non-sexism on the Coupe!!) have got, to destroy the Demon Master, who has captured all the villagers of a small sea-side town, bar a few remaining survivors. The non-Gothicness shows in the game, straight after a nice looking introduction, we are in the thick of arcade action… Well, a Dizzy type of game, but a game which oozes a certain amount of atmosphere.
Yep - you know that sort of game by now! Pick up objects, take them to places and use them. The game has some added dimension about it, though. For a start, you can enter doors of buildings and look inside them for objects. The game also gives you some helpful (or non-helpful depending on your game-playing) tips when you examine objects. You can only pick up two objects at a time, and there are certain hazards to overcome, including some rather large ghosts, a hazardous (and well animated) river, and much more. The game itself has been written using the Gamesmaster utility by John Vincent, and it is quite a triumph to write a complex game like The Witching Hour (in programming terms) on Gamesmaster.
Though this leads to two minor niggles. One is that there is a s hort pause while you pick up objects, use objects, etc. where the screen turns black, but this is bearable. The other is that it is a bit awkward to control your character, especially when he/she is jumping. You have quite a wide berth when you jump, and sometimes you know that you are dead just as you leave the ground, knowing your flight path will lead to a ghost. Though it is something I am getting used to very quickly, a bit like when Spectrum owners got used to Dizzy, so I am reserving this niggle on the marking.
Vegetable Vacation
Submitted by Simon Owen on Sun, 2006-04-09 22:54. Game
1992
Review by Graham Goring from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Oh dear. This game came out at almost the same time as the SAM, and it shows. The sound is screechy, the controls slightly sluggish and some situations in the game are almost impossible to get out of.
It all revolves round you (and Tomato with wings and a ball orbitting your body - it get’s odder) flying round a castle, trying to get objects to use in some other place. Now the thing that cripples the game, is it’s gimmick.
You can only control your character when he is touching a wall, as soon as you become detached you can only sit back and home that he gets to another wall before he hits some nasty. If it weren’t for that, this could be a decent ‘explore and map’ game. But the fact that you have to have leaps of faith all the time (which mostly end up in you dying horribly) means that exploration of a previously unseen area will normally end up in a little ‘Game Over’ message being displayed on the screen.
Luckily, to slightly combat this, you do have an ample supply of lives at the start, but I feel that less lives and an energy bar would have been better.
This game is a missed opportunity. With a little fore-thought and planning I would have loved it. Shame.
| Area | Score | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics | 78% | Clear, odd, and quite easy on the eye. |
| Addictivity | 67% | Too frustrating to keep you glued. |
| Instant Appeal | 66% | The blaring music, and slightly sluggish controls don’t exactly make you too happy with your first go on this game. |
| Sound | 60% | Erk. This game was made before Sound Machine or E-Tracker, consequentially it sounds like 4 dozen hamsters being slowly grated. |
| Overall | 62% | So close, yet so far. Bum. |
Triltex - The Later Levels
Submitted by solaris104 on Sun, 2006-04-09 22:53. Game1992
An expansion pack to the original Triltex, which was available in the Impatience compilation. Here’s another 25 levels to keep your addicted and frustrated all over again!
Boot up your original Impatience disc and load in Triltex. Once loaded insert the Later Levels disc and go to the password system (“CODE”) and enter the following code:
White Line
Black X
White Triangle
Black Star
White Star
Quizball
Submitted by solaris104 on Thu, 2006-03-16 22:02. Game
A general knowledge game, based on the theme (and scoring system) of snooker.
Review by Steven Pick from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Isn’t Dennis Taylor a bit of a prat? What, with his crap glasses and his rubbish waistcoat, he’s also doing adverts for Vision Express!! Sorry, Dennis… Well, I had to do an intro on Snooker! But now, SAMCo has done a rather good conversion of the Radio 1 oldie “Give us a Break”. The game is obviously based around snooker, and gives you the chance to have 2 players, battling against each other. First of all, you get the chance to try and pot a red, followed by a coloured ball.
Inbetween this, we are given a nice animation of the SAM robot, coming up to the table, and preparing to pot. Then, you are given the chance to answer a question, based on nature, geography, history, sport, or even the SAM! Then you have to answer the question, by tapping keys A,B,C or D. Some questions are pretty easy, but the other questions are rock hard! You are played against the clock, represented by a cue, knocking away at the balls in a column. This gets faster, varying by the colour of the ball(Yellow to Black!). This really puts the pressure on, with you wildly pressing any key! The music on the game is rather grand, and the graphics are of a high quality too. This could be because the people behind it are Masters of Magic!
Overall, this game is great for the family, or for anyone who wants to learn some facts! Already I know the number of bones in the human body (206), and the guy who ran the 4 minute mile!
Impatience
Submitted by Dan Dooré on Wed, 2006-03-08 01:43. Game
1991
Impatience is not your average puzzle pack - Impatience is a nightmare! In Triltex use skill, judgement and memory to do battle against the ever ticking clock - match the bombs and you may blow up an important tile, don’t and you may never know what was underneath…
The Viking Game is the ideal way to battle it out against a friend - can you capture your opponent’s king before he escapes? Or will he get you first?
Both of these great new games have been designed specifically to use MODE 4 graphics, 6 channel music and of course, and SAM mouse interface (although both games work just as well with keys or joystick). So, if your mouse and brain cells need a good workout you know where to get it.
Your Sinclair review, courtesy of The YS Rock ‘n’ Roll Years.
Crash review, courtesy of worldofspectrum.org
Review by Steven Pick from the Sam Coupé Scrapbook
Hooray! At long last, the SamDisk office recieves a huge pack! Yes, we have in our midst the first ever release from FRED… Colin Macdonald’s new software house, Fred Publishing! On this pack, is a feast of code for all puzzle addicts and arcade junkies alike! There are 2 games - Triltex, and Viking. Both can be played by mouse or keys, which is a very good thing for SAMCo as more software should be mouse compatible.
Viking Game
This game was played by Vikings you know! (So it sez on the inlay package!). Seriously though, the game is set so two players can play! And with two players, things can get very hairy indeed, as you capture your other players pieces! The plot is that the black pieces are around the outside of the board, while in the centre is a cluster of white pieces surrounding a king! To capture a piece, 2 pieces should sandwich the opposing piece while it takes 4 to capture the king (Because he’s a mean bloke!). The king has to go to one of the corner pieces to win! Music-wise, there is a good ditty which plays at the start. Also the layout is good, with more than functional graphics. An excellent 2 player game!
