• Tag Archives Spectrum

  • Personal Computer Games (October 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Personal Computer Games – Issue Number 11 – October 1984

    Personal Computer Games is a magazine dedicated to computer games that was published in the U.K. in the 1980s. This is another magazine we didn’t really have an equivalent to in the U.S., at least in the 8-bit era. It covered computer games for multiple systems, including the Commodore 64, Spectrum, BBC/Electron, VIC-20, MSX and others. It also included type-in games. The October 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • Commodore 64 – A review of Jeff Minter’s latest game, Ancipital; Jeff Minter gives game play tips on one of his first games, Revenge; and a type-in soccer game from Tony Crowther.
    • Spectrum – Reviews of Frank N Stein, SOS, Dartz, Mad Hatter, On the Oche, Ahhh!!!, Froot Loop, and Gremlins; a type-in game from the creator of Football Manager; and game play tips for tons of games including maps for Lords of Midnight.
    • BBC/Electron – Reviews of Drogna, Wallaby, and Mineshaft plus hints for Frak! from its programmer.
    • VIC-20/Oric – Reviews of Bricks, Starbase, Psycho Shopper, Max, Maze Gold, Squish, Minitron and Luv Bug for the VIC-20 and of Spooky Mansion for the Oric.
    • Games Competition – Win cash by submitting an idea for a game based on the theme of saving energy.
    • Football Manager – A competition to win a copy of Football Manager for the Commodore 64, BBC, Electron, Oric, Dragon, or ZX81.
    • Coin-Op Action – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Mach 3, Hyper Sports, TX-1, and Bomb Jack.
    • Autumn Mega-Games – A look at the contenders for the best game to be released leading up to the Christmas season. Some games previewed include Backpacker’s Guide to the Universe, The Great Space Race, Sherlock, Quo Vadis, Ancipital, Elite, Kokotoni Wilf, Combat Lynx, Doomdark’s Revenge, Cliff Hanger, Travel with Trashman, Underwurlde, Trollie Wallie, Poster Paster, and Seaside Special.
    • MSX Exclusive – A first look at some of the games for the new MSX computer. Games previewed include Circus Charlie, Super Cobra, Monkey Academy, Antarctic Adventure, Hyper Olympics, and others.

    Regulars

    • Notice Board – Random stuff including graphics tips for the C64, news bits, comics and more.
    • Buzz – The latest news including counterfeit cassette software, new game releases including Astrochase, Flip & Flop, Terrahawks, American Football, Battlecars, D-Day, SAS Commander, Paranoid Pete, K-Fighter, Strike Force, and lots more.
    • Byte Back – Letters from readers about liquid damage to a Spectrum, Formula 1, World Cup by Arctic, Spectrum vs. the Atari vCS, and much more.
    • Adventure World – A look at several adventure games including Eye of Bain (Spectrum), Gisburne’s Castle (BBC), Robyn Hode (Spectrum), Crusoe (Spectrum), Return of the Ring (Dragon), and Ruby Runabout (Spectrum).
    • Challenge Chamber – Two contestants face-off in Forbidden Forest for the Commodore 64.
    • The Final Conflict – The ongoing progress of a nationwide war game.

    …and more!


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  • ACE (October 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: ACE – Issue Number 12 – October 1988

    ACE, short for Advanced Computer Entertainment, is a computer gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. though it also had some non-gaming content. In its later days it covered only 16-bit systems but earlier on it covered a wider variety of computers. The October 1988 issue was the one year anniversary issue and includes:

    Specials

    • Games Milestones – A look at some of the games that changed gaming. Some of the titles covered include Renegade, Knight Orc, Out Run, Oids, Xenon, Captain Blood, Defender of the Crown, Dungeon Master, Carrier Command, Interceptor, Leatherneck, Universal Military Simulator, Beyond Zork, Shadowgate, Tetris, Rampage, and more.
    • Pixel Profits – Part two of a series. This month the focus is on graphics and visual games design.
    • Power to the Player – Are 16-bit computers already obsolete? A look at the 32-bit Acorn Archimedes.
    • It’s Showtime – A look at the latest PC Show including a map plus a look back at the highlights of past shows going back to 1978.
    • 100 Top Games – A look at the 100 top games of the year. They weren’t brave enough to actually rank them so they are just listed in alphabetical order.

    Interface

    • News – Commodore’s sales numbers skyrocket based on the success of the Amiga; Federation of Free Traders coming soon from Gremlin for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC (DOS); Predator and Megablaster joysticks coming from Konix; Suncom announces Analog Plus joystick; Total Eclipse announced for the Atari ST and Amiga; other upcoming titles include Battle Chess (Amiga, DOS), Extensor (Amiga, Atari ST), Jordan vs. Bird: One On One (Commodore 64, DOS), Daley Thompson’s Olympic Challenge (Amstrad, C64, Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST), and The Mars Saga (Commodore 64); and much more.
    • Previews – A briea look at upcoming games, including B.A.T. (Ubi Soft), Neuromancer (Electronic Arts), Veteran (Software Horizons), Soldier of Fortune (Firebird), Luxor (Software Horizons), Final Command (Ubi Soft), The Black Orchid (Mundane Software), Fusion (Electronic Arts), and Powerdrome (Electronic Arts).
    • Letters – Letters from readers with topics including the Commodore/Spectrum war, Multiface on the Atari ST, game addiction, Atari ST price changes, Amiga price drop, a Sega PC, and more.

    Sight…

    • Weather Report – Techniques for taking a landscape photo and altering it to reflect different weather conditions.
    • Graphics Accounts – PAL versions of Electronic Arts productivity software to be unprotected; PAL version of Deluxe Video 1.2 now available; latest version of Express Paint adds HAM mode and more; DigiView 3 from NewTec now available; and more.

    And Sound

    • The Food of Love – A report on the British Music Fair and the hardware and software shown there.
    • In Concert – Terry Riley guests with Electric Symphony orchestra. Plus, bands that use the Atari ST.

    Gameplay

    • Screen Test – Reviews of Starglider 2 (Amiga, Atari ST), Fernandez Must Die (Commodore 64), Overlander (Atari ST), Eliminator (Atari ST), Empire (Amiga, Atari ST), Summer Olympiad (Atari ST, Commodore 64), Netherworld (Commodore 64), The Empire Strikes Back (Atari ST), Star Goose (Atari ST), Star Ray (Amiga), The Games: Winter Edition (Commodore 64), Barbarian II (Commodore 64), Super Hang-On (Atari ST), Zynaps (Atari ST), and more.
    • Arcade Revolution – East Midlands Leisure develops the INTEC Video System. It’s basically an arcade machine that uses a standard Atari 1040ST internally. One interesting note is that they say they chose the Atari ST because it was believed that it was more reliable than the Amiga in harsh conditions.
    • Tricks ‘n’ Tactics – A code snippet to give you infinite lives in Oids, a playing guide for Football, a complete list of codes for Better Dead Than Alien, tons of tips for Pandora, some tips for Virus, how to get invincibility in Leatherneck, a map for Dark Side, and more.
    • Adventures – A review and detailed look at Ultima 5 for the PC, the latest in this classic RPG series, including game play tips plus reviews of Mortville Manor (Amiga, Atari ST) and Jekyll and Hyde (Spectrum, Atari ST, Commodore 64, CPC).
    • Play by Mail – A look at the latest play by mail games including Troll’s Bottom and Dark Blades.

    …and more!


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  • Big K (February 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Big K – Issue Number 11 – February 1985

    Big K is a gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. in the 1980s that was aimed at younger players. It covered primarily computer games but later added console coverage as well. The February 1985 issue includes:

    Games Programs

    • Shafter for Spectrum
    • Octonium Moon for BBC
    • Fruitbusters for VIC-20
    • Galactic Minefield for CBM64

    Software Reviews

    • Pick of the Month
    • Review Pages
    • Up Front: Mama Llama Exclusive
    • Goatbusters: The Compleat Jeff Minter!
      • The Interview
      • Origin of the Species
      • The Llamasoft Playlist

    Features

    • Games Reviewers Play

    Regulars

    • On-Line News
    • The Ferret
    • Arcade Alley
    • Dorkslayer: Adventuring with Keaton
    • Classic Games of Our Time
    • Charts
    • Zip Code
    • Letterbase
    • Big K Inlay Cards

    Competition

    • Win an Amstrad from Software Projects
    • Win a trip to Hampstead

    …and more!


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