Sunday, June 30, 2019

Game Covers - Amaurote (Commodore 64)

All alone in a city infested with killer insects - not a particularly enviable position to be in, but you have been selected to sort out the 2500 hi-res screens of the capital city of Paradise.

So get on with it...

JOYSTICK OR KEYBOARD
DESIGN BY JOHN PICKFORD OF BINARY DESIGN

Amaurote - The Cover

Amaurote - The Inlay

Amaurote - The Tape


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Game Covers - Kromazone (Commodore 64)

Pilot a MantaRay class space fighter, through the testing challenges of the "Kromazone".  Only the best pilots can master this fearsome test.  Will you be the "Kromazone Hot Shot"? 

Featuring:  Fast moving action
Stunning three dimensional graphics
Excellent interactive animation

One or two player
Joystick only.

Kromazone - The Cover

Kromazone - The Inlay

Kromazone - The Tape

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Game Covers - Back To Reality (Commodore 64)

Not so much an arcade adventure, more a way of destroying your social life.  Set inside an alien artifact this test of your powers of logic and deduction requires you to become immortal, switch universes and solve the most fiendish problems ever to keep you up nights!

It is challenging and addictive.  Start it at your peril.  Stopping might not be so easy

JOYSTICK OR KEYBOARD
WRITTEN BY STEVE ELWARD

Back To Reality - The Cover

Back to Reality - The Inlay

Back To Reality - The Tape


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Game Covers - Con-Quest (Commodore 64)

A fully animated, 3-D icon driven, graphic adventure.  Save Oscar's soul from the torment of walking through the eternal fires of Hell.

Con-Quest - The Cover

Con-Quest - The (rather blank) Inlay

Con-Quest - The Tape


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Game Covers - Zub (Commodore 64)

Take agent Zub through the perils of ten nasty worlds to retrieve the eyeball of Zub for his King, Zub.  If Zub fails Zub one will lose the war to Zub ten and his Commander, Zub will probably Zub him.

Confused?  You won't be once you've played this amazing all action game.  It's got more alien types than you'll probably ever see.  100 frames for animation, parallax like you wouldn't believe, and most of all - playability.

Zub - The Cover

Zub - The Inlay

Zub - The Tape


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Sunday, June 23, 2019

Game Covers - Kikstart 2 (Commodore 64)

Now this was a blinder of a game, and a real bargain for £2.99.  I would've been happy to pay full price for this.  24 courses of motorcross/trials fun, based on the BBC television series Kick Start, but what made this stand out from the previous Kikstart game (besides the better graphics) was the inclusion of a powerful, and very easy to use course editor.  I spent countless hours designing my own fiendish tracks and saving them to tape.

An amazing game, made by the same team that would like go on to make the Lotus series on the Commodore Amiga.

Ride your bike over the 24 all action courses in this new improved version of Kikstart.  Devise your own mindbendingly tortuous test with the course designer or make things really easy - the choice is yours!

JOYSTICK OR KEYBOARD
PROGRAM FROM MR CHIP SOFTWARE

Kikstart 2 - The Cover

Kikstart 2 - The Inlay

Kikstart 2 - The Tape


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Game Covers - Space Hunter (Commodore 64)

A fun romp in space, featuring two styles of game play (3D space flight simulator, and 2D maze/map exploration).  Well worth the £1.99 which I paid for this back in the day.

"The world is starving and the only food available is in space.  You must search through 15 star systems to feed the world.  This complex 3-D simulation takes you from rookie pilot to the hero of the world...  If you're good enough!"

Space Hunter - The Cover

Space Hunter - The Inlay

Space Hunter - The Tape


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Game Covers - S.O.S. (Commodore 64)

Despite getting not-so-great reviews in the computer magazines of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun little isometric 3D adventure, although it is highly recommended to turn the sound off as it has one of the most annoying songs in a computer game playing throughout.

"One way to lose a good droid is to send it out to do something it isn't programmed for.  Biomech 1 (Sydney to his friends) is marooned in a very weird place all because his creator, the eccentric Foley, has a terrible memory.  If Sydney can't get back intact, Foley's boss will remove his kneecaps (Foleys not Sydneys that is).  Tell Syd how to get home in this 3D arcade adventure and save the taxpayer one billion dollars in the bargain!  3D ARCADE ADVENTURE FROM GEOFF FOLEY.

Wow, what an exciting back story!  Try it...  The game isn't bad at all, and was a bargain back in the day.

Interesting bit of useless information - The game was originally called "The Game With No Name"

S.O.S - The Cover

S.O.S. - The Inlay

S.O.S. - The Tape


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Game Covers - Strike (Commodore 64)

"Superbly playable, addictive and challenging.  This game will have you hooked in minutes and playing for hours trying to achieve that elusive STRIKE".

More like...

"Completely unplayable, dull and impossible.  This will have you bored in minutes and throwing your controller at the screen within hours before switching off the computer because you cant be arsed to achieve the elusive and near impossible STRIKE"

What could have been a fantastic game, ended up being rather 'meh' with awful controls.  The graphics look great, but the king of Commodore 64 bowling simulators has to stay with the amazing '10th Frame'.  

Oh well, what did I expect for £2.99

Strike - The Cover

Strike - The Inlay

Strike - The Tape


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Game Covers - Zzzz (Commodore 64)

Not one of my favourite Mastertronic cheapos.  Zzzz was released way back in 1985 and was a text based adventure game but had a unique icon system included.  

You are trapped in your dream and to escape from this graphic, text and icon driven adventure you must find and cross the border or wander lost in the land of 'Zzzz' forever.

Yes...  being lost in the land of 'Zzzz The Computer Game' is indeed a fate worse than death!

Zzzz - The cover! 

Zzzz - The Inlay 

Zzzz - The Tape

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Saturday, June 22, 2019

Game Covers - Agent X II The Mad Prof's Back (Commodore 64)

The second encounter between super sleuth Agent X and his old adversary the Mad Professor.  There's no peace.  Even though you foiled the Mad Prof's attempts to kidnap the President, you failed to defeat him totally, and he is back with a vengeance.  No more small fry for him, this time it's total world domination, and beyond!  Only you can foil the Mad Professor!

A thrilling fight against his minions followed by a climactic confrontation for the future fate of freedom.  Long awaited sequel to the classic Agent X

A fun three stage game, featuring an amazing soundtrack, especially on level 1 by Tim Follin

 Main Cover

Inlay (Featuring handwritten codes for the levels!)

The Tape!


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