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~* Game Reviews *~

There are literally thousands of games for the Spectrum. Some good, some bad. I review some of them here, selected on the basis of how strongly I feel about them. You won't find any games to download here though. For that, head to the World of Spectrum archive , and download to your hearts content!

Each review lists the name of the game, it's publisher, the rating I give it on a scale of 1 to 10, followed by a short review of the game itself and a screenshot from the game.

~* Reviews *~

Game: Arnhem Publisher: C.S.S. (1985) Author(s): R.T. Smith Rating: 9/10	If you are a fan of strategy war games then this one is worth a try. I must admit that before this game I was never really into strategy war games and it took me a good 1 hour of experimentation and steadfastness before I finally latched onto the concept and gameplay. And that's the only grouse I have against Arnhem - if you don't have much idea about strategy game like this, then you may have some hours of frusteration ahead before you finally get the hang of it. But once you are into it, Arnhem is a joy to play. The pacing and difficulty is excellent. The game puts you in charge of "Operation Market Garden", wherein you are charged with leading the Allied counter-attack against Nazi forces. In fact, the game even allows you to play the Nazi's if you wish so it's actually allows you to play the game from two different perspectives! To make things a just a wee bit easier the game is divided into four parts with things quickly becoming grander in scale as you progress to fourth level (the game doesn't impose any particular starting level though). The battles are tense, the rewards very satisfying and the computer is a good opponent initially, and it will take all your ingenuity and martialling of resources to get the better of it. Strategy wargaming at its finest!
Game: Batman Publisher: Ocean (1986) Author(s): Jon Ritman & Bernie Drummond Rating: 10/10	One of the first isometric games after Knightlore that really captured everyone's imagination was this superb game from the fertile minds of Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond. The game is played from a 45 degree 3D perspective, and while the game is entirely in monochrome, you will be too busy staring dumfounded at the cool graphics and trying to figure out your way through another of Joker's fiendish traps to notice the lack of colour or pretty sound effects. As for the game, well you play the friendly caped crusader Batman, whose friend and co-crusader Robin has been kidnapped by the villainous Joker. So off you go to rescue him, but first you must find your Batboots, Batbag, Batpack, and Batbelt and then search for the seven pieces of Batcraft that are scattered in the catacombs below Gotham City. Watch out for Joker's henchmen, and traps! Look out for Batpills that will boost your abilities, and lastly keep a cool head, for there will be times when your head will be positively bursting from the effort of dodging, jumping and running with pixel perfection. But hey, who said being a crusader was easy, eh?
Game: The Biz Publisher: Virgin Games (1984) Author(s): Chris Sievey Rating: 7/10	Ex-rocker Chris Sievey wrote this game, and a pretty good game it is too. In 'The Biz', your goal is to take your band to the top of the charts and make it one of the greatest bands ever. It's a management game, so there aren't any fancy graphics, but the various twists and turns as you try to juggle your way to the top will hold your attention nevertheless. You start the game by giving your band a name and selecting the type of music that they will play (Rock, Pop, Metal, etc). Having done that, you are well and truly in the music business now. You can begin your band's career by playing at various gigs, which will allow you to earn some much needed cash. You will have to rehearse often to improve the song quality and band 'tightness', initially. The next goal is to create a hit 'single', which will catapult you to professional status and hopefully attract a record company to support you. Hiring a manager could improve your chances to get airtime and recognition, as well as get better payment for playing at gigs. However, things aren't always smooth and if you aren't careful you could be down in the dumps very soon and find yourself taking drugs and contemplating suicide. Very accurate simulation of the music industry then! ;)
Game: Deflektor Publisher: Vortex Software (1987) Author(s): Costa Panayi Rating: 9/10	Yet another addictive and brilliantly executed game from the fertile mind of Costa Panayi. The game is a real brain teaser, but like all good puzzlers, has a simple game mechanic. The aim of the game is to guide a beam of laser from one point to another through a playfield with obstacles. You do this by rotating a grid of mirrors so that the beam bounces off from one mirror to the next and eventually onto the target. This may sound simple, but as soon as you begin playing it you will realise that it's only an illusion and it takes a fair amount of creativity and reflexes (ah..I forgot to tell you - there is a time limit on each level) to work out the path of the beam just so that it bounces off correctly from the mirrors. The graphics are clear and colourful but it's the addictive "one more go" factor that makes it such a joy to play. You'll be hooked from level one, tell you! Go ahead and try it!
Game: Exolon Publisher: Hewson (1987) Author(s): Raffaele Cecco Rating: 8/10	This is probably the game that brought Raffaele Cecco into the spotlight of programming geniuses. At least it was his first big hit with Hewson who were on a roll then producing some great games for the Spectrum. Exolon has excellent graphics with crisp, clean and big sprites in full colour that were to become a hallmark of Cecco's games. The game is a split-screen affair, with you having to overcome obstacles in your path, whilst shooting and dodging aliens. You have a single-shot gun and a backpack grenade launcher, which can be used to blow up some of the bigger stuff in your way. On some levels you will find an upgrade unit that will equip you with a double-shot gun and a cool looking space suit. The levels don't get any easier because of that, however!
Game: Formula One Publisher: CRL Group (1983) Author(s): Rating: 7/10	This game gives you a glimpse of the complexity of the Formula 1 scene by putting you firmly in the harness of Formula 1 team manager. Your decisions will have direct bearing on how well your drivers, the cars and your team as a unit perform on the F1 circuit as everyone goes hell for leather for the ultimate F1 glory of winning both the F1 race championship and the constructors championship. You start off by selecting the driver(s), and the sponsors for your team. Keep an close eye on the bank balance thereafter as you must make crucial decisions on whether to spend money on improving/buying new engine, car chassis or pit crew. What you do here will direct the course of your teams fortunes on the race track. For example, a poor pit crew will result in slow pit stops that will eat up crucial seconds and may cause you to lose your lap position on the grid. Another critical factor are the tyres you choose for the race. If you choose the wrong sets of tyres without taking into account the weather and track conditions, be prepared to have a poor race, or crashed cars or, worse, an injured driver. To sum up, Formula One is a great game and one that will leave you sweaty palmed as you watch your cars whiz past on the circuit to the finish line. What more can you ask from a management game!
Game: Jet Pac Publisher: Ultimate (1985) Author(s): Stamper bros. Rating: 8/10	Probably the first game I ever played on my Speccy, was this addictive game from Ultimate. Like the other early Ultimate games, this one was characterised by simple graphics and non-existent sound but great gameplay. The aim of the game is simple: collect and assemble the 3 parts of your space craft, fill it up with fuel, collect any other treasures if you can, then board the space craft to go to the next level, where you repeat the process and so on and so forth. While you are doing all this collection business, you will have to dodge and shoot various aliens that keep appearing on the screen. Some of them just wander across aimlessly, while some clever ones will actually follow you around and it will take all your skills to dodge them while frantically trying to collect items. It's a 16K game, but it's a testimony to Ultimate's skill with game design, that Jetpac will still manage to catch your fancy just the same. A classic!
Game: Panama Joe Publisher: Sinclair Research (1984) Author(s): Rating: 7/10	This little known platform game is a personal favourite of mine. Although it isn't as sophisticated as Manic Miner or Monty Mole, it still has a certain charm of its own, in my opinion. The goal of the game is to reach Montezuma's treasure chamber, making your way through the trap laden pyramid as you play the role of the none-too-famous explorer, the unfortunately named Panama Joe! There are pits of fires to be jumped over, snakes, skulls and other ghoulies to be dodged, keys to be collected and ladders to be climbed. Like Manic Miner, pixel perfect timing is a requirement of the highest order. Also, don't be afraid to retrace your steps and try another way if all else fails. As for the graphics, they are competent enough, though the sound leaves much to be desired. All in all, a pretty enjoyable platform game for all platform purists!
Game: Renegade Publisher: Imagine (1987) Author(s): Rating: 8/10	One of my favourite beat-em-ups, Renegade has you punching, kicking, dodging and generally surviving, as you fight your way through some of the meanest streets ever seen a Speccy. There is a story somewhere about you saving your girlfriend from the clutches of some evil dude, but that's besides the point. The point is that the game keeps you on your toes with a variety of challenging and entertaining baddies who will stop at nothing to er...stop you! So prepare to face the Hells Angels bikers who will try to run you over with their bikes. Kiiiyaaaa! That's right, jump and kick them in their face even as the bike rolls harmlessly under you. Ha ha! On of my favourite baddies is Bad Martha, whose preferred tactic is to bulldoze her way across the screen. If you happen to be in her path when she does that, be prepared to be steamrolled into the gritty street. Still others will use knives and guns in their efforts to get an upperhand. You can occasionally pick up a weapon left behind by your opponents and use it against them, although it requires a certain finesse to pick them up in the first place. To be sure, Renegade has great graphics and great gameplay to keep you hooked for hours! Street fighting has never been so good! Bring it on!
Game: The Tribe Publisher: Fontana (1984) Author(s): S. Robert Speel Rating: 7/10	This is actually a type-in program from the book 'New adventure systems for the Spectrum', published by Fontana in 1984. The premise of the game is an interesting one. You play the role of an elected chieftain of a tribe. Your goal is to stay in power for 25 years. This is easier said than done, however, since the various factions of the tribe try to curry your favour and it takes a fair amount of skill and strategy to keep them all happy. Displease any of the larger groups for too long and you may find yourself out of favour and facing certain election defeat. However, an opinion poll could help you decide just how to approach the yearly election. There is also a living standards graph that shows just how the tribe has been developing over the years, and you may want to give it some attention. As a last resort, you could try and bribe the faction leaders to swing some votes your way, but this a risky proposition at best. This game is guaranteed to keep you hooked for hours, and is one of the better type-in programs I have seen. Worth a look!
Game: Warrior Mage Publisher: Fontana (1984) Author(s): S. Robert Speel Rating: 8/10	This is yet another great type-in program from Robert Speel.It's a role playing adventure game written in BASIC, but the neat part about it is that it features high resolution drawings of the monsters you will meet in the game (take a look at the screenshot)! Great stuff. Coming to the game itself, you play the role of a warrior primarily, but you can also cast some spells (hence the name of the game). Your goal is to collect a certain amount of treasure and kill monsters (depending on the difficulty) by exploring a set of caverns that is split into two levels - the lower caverns and the upper caverns. Many interesting monsters inhabit the caverns and it will take a combination of common sense, weapons, spells and luck to overcome some of them. A highly entertaining game and one worth downloading from the archives. NOTE: The game in the WoS archive is an incomplete version and as such features only the lower caverns (playable). If anyone has the full version of this game please do submit it to the Type-Ins section of WoS so that I may add it to the archives.
Game: Zynaps Publisher: Hewson (1987) Author(s): Dominic Robinson Rating: 10/10	Zynaps, coded by ace programmer Dominic Robinson, is one of the best space shoot-em-up you'll get to see on the Spectrum. It has excellent graphics with very intelligent use of colour to reduce attribute clash and a super smooth side scroll that will put many a C64 (eek!) game to shame. It also features some neat sound effects and a nice title sound track that should send your pulse racing. The game itself is a familiar variation of a space shoot-em-up with power-ups, aliens and gobs of shooting and dodging. Collecting power-ups is essential to get anywhere in the game. The power-ups include speed boost, extra firepower, missiles, bouncing bombs, and guided missiles. There are 16 difficult levels to overcome and by the end of it you will have convinced yourself that you haven't had such nerve wracking fun in ages (well since the 80's anyway).