Personal Computer Games (April 1984)

Source: Personal Computer Games – Issue Number 5 – April 1984

Personal Computer Games is a computer gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. in the 1980s. It covered the various personal computers available there including the Commodore 64, BBC/BBC-B, Spectrum, Amstrad, and others. The April 1984 issue includes:

Features

Adventure Competition – Submit the correct answers based on the clues and you could win one of 101 prizes for the Commodore 64, BBC, Electron, Dragon, Oric, Lynx, Spectrum, or Nascom.

Which Stick – Reviews of various joysticks available at the time including the Starfighter, Tac 2, Competition Pro, QuickShot, Le Stick, Dragon Data, Slik Stik, Joy Sensor, The Boss, Command Control, Arcade Professional, Triga Command, Atari Joystick, TrickStick, and more.

Scramble Unscrambled – A detailed look at Scramble clones and other Scramble-like games including Rocket Raid (BBC), Airstrike 2 (Atari 400/800), Scram-20 (VIC-20), Whirlybird Run (Dragon 32), Penetrator (Spectrum), Skramble (VIC-20), Skramble (Commodore 64), Scramble (ZX81), Skramble (Dragon 32), Super Skramble! (Commodore 64), Scramble (Spectrum), and Rocket Raider (Spectrum).

Driving Force – An interview with Andy Walker, managing director and chief programmer of Tasket Ltd.

100 New Games – Ratings of 100 different games on a variety of systems including the Commodore 64, VIC-20, Spectrum, BBC, Dragon, Oric, Atari, Lynx, Electron, and others.

Games to Buy – A list of available games for all systems including price, system requirements, publisher, and a brief description.

Laxy Programming – Jeff Minter on game design. The basic thrust of this article is how you should spend as much time as possible on design in order to minimize programming time.

Program Listings – Type in games including a version of Frogger for the Spectrum, Solitaire for the Dragon, Mad Bath for the VIC-20, and Robotank for the Commodore 64.

Regulars

Buzz – 48K Lynx to be phased of of the U.K. market (96K and 128K versions remain available); new Marvel Comics adventure games from Adventure International (these are the adventure games Scott Adams wrote); Atarisoft releases ports of Atari games for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 (Defender, Donkey Kong, and more); Paintbox released for the Commodore 64; Spectrum emulator for the Spectrum QL; and more.

Byte-Back – Letters from readers about Lunar Jetman, games for the VIC-20, Ultima Zone, adventure game coverage, Manic Miner, the Aquarius computer, and more.

Screen Test – Tons of game reviews including Galaxy, Stellar Dodger, Genesis, Gridtrap 64, Jumpin’ Jack, Cybermen, Bonka, Xerons, Manic Miner, Vultures, Wildfire, Quasar, Haunted House, Siren City, Hunter, China Miner, Cosmic Convoy, Neptune’s Daughter, Dancing Feats, Supa Catcha Troopa, Mega Hawk, Aztec Challenge, and Forbidden Forest for the Commodore 64; Cosmonaut!, Star Defence, Hell Gate, Outback, and Chariot Race for the VIC-20; Banana Man, Cybertron Mission, Zarm, The Pen and the Dark, Challenger, Adventureland, Birdie Barrage, Lemming Syndrome, Zombies Revenge, Light Cycle, Martian Attack, and Horserace for the BBC/BBC B; Dallas, Abyss, and Airline for the Electron; Poo-Yan, Loki, Starship, Vanquisher, Paragram, Two-Gun Turtle, and Galaxy 5 for the Oric; Pi-Eyed, Mutant Ant Attack, Gobstopper, Cybo Run, Alchemist, Killer Knight, Hawks, 2003, Kosmik Pirate, Monkey Bizness, 3D Seidab Attack, Bear Bovver, Rommel’s Revenge, Brag, Doomsday Castle, Mrs Mopp, Oligopoly, Here Comes The Sun, Bowls, Denis Through The Drinking Glass, Pi-Balled, Cavern Fighter, Dinky Digger, and Loony Zoo for the Spectrum; Captain Sticky’s Gold, Batty Builder, Hyperblast!, and Bombastic for the Atari 400/800; Protector, Alert And The Monsters, Cyclops, Avenger, Galactic Raiders, Pinball, Lazer Zone, Hooked, Air Traffic Control, Space Fighter, and Kriegspiel for the Dragon 32; Colossal Adventure, Backgammon, Gobble-De-Spook, and Pit of Ignorance for the Lynx, and probably a few others I missed.

Book Test – Book reviews for Writing Strategy Games On Your Atari – Techniques For Intelligent Games by john White, 101 Tips for the Vic 20 and CBM 64, The Spectrum Game Writers’ Pack by P K McBride, and The Complete Sinclair Database.