[{"TitleName":"Five Star Games","Publisher":"Beau-Jolly Ltd","Author":"","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0011262","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 59, Feb 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-01-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Andy Moss, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Jacqui Pope\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Stuart Hughes\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by PRS Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1987 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: Beau-Jolly\r\nPrice: £9.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Andy Moss\r\n\r\nJust when you thought it was safe to go out and buy the full price mega-game that you saved up for, look what happens - Beau Jolly goes and releases the sort of compilation tape that is impossibly difficult to resist. Isn't that typical? Now you don't know what to do.\r\n\r\nI know what I'd do though, for me. Five Star Games is a smashing release with five games that I always thought were some of the best quality software hits of last year.\r\n\r\nIncluded in this revered collection are two of your very own SU Classics namely Three Weeks in Paradise from Mikro-gen and Back to Skool that zany sequel to Skooldaze from Microsphere.\r\n\r\nIf you then add to these the masterful Zoids, the classy Spindizzy and the highly acclaimed Equinox, you have a compilation that is great value in anybody's eyes.\r\n\r\nBack to Skool I enjoyed tremendously. In fact I hold the world record for amassing 10,000 lines in the game. The storyline is all about trying to return your doctored school report back into the Heads' safe without him noticing.\r\n\r\nSpindizzy, although being a Marble Madness clone, is the best example of how to copy a good idea. It is very playable, and has enough differences to Marble Madness to really stand alone in its own right.\r\n\r\nThree Weeks in Paradise is a 'Wally' game. This time he's in the jungle looking for his loved ones. Wilma and Herbert, who've been captured by natives. The large graphics are a pleasure to watch and the game itself is pure entertainment.\r\n\r\nZoids caused quite a stir when it was first released and seasoned hacks lined up to pay tribute to the game. Not only are you joined to a Blue Spiderzoid in the battle with the enemy, the red zoids, but also with your own mind as your own Droid's defense systems may effect your decisions if it feels threatened. A hell of a lot is packed into 48K of this game.\r\n\r\nFinally, there's Equinox, a maze-like graphic adventure-cum-platform game, which is simple to learn and yet fiendishly difficult to solve. It's all about collecting radioactive cannisters from numerous levels before they blow up.\r\n\r\nForget that mega-game. Go and buy Five Star Games - you won't regret it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A terrific value-for-money compilation packed with hits. Five great games for the price of one.","Page":"63","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Andy Moss","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 64, Feb 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-01-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesly Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nDesign: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Steve Donoghue, Matthew Woodley\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Katherine Lee\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\nCover: Mark Bromley (Who also did last months Space Harrier spectacular!)\r\n\r\n© Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: Beau Jolly\r\nPRICE: £9.95\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spectrum\r\n\r\nFive Stars? Dead right. The Spectrum version is more a less a galaxy of goodies all shining brightly. Quite simple a great buy. If you know somebody getting the first Spectrum, then this would be the ideal gift for them.\r\n\r\nBecause so many of the games are repeated on the various formats I've just concentrated on my personal favourites.\r\n\r\nBut first the full list: Zoids (Martech), Equinox (MikroGen), Back to Skool (Microsphere), Spindizzy (Electric Dreams) and Three Weeks in Paradise (Mikro-Gen).\r\n\r\nZoids is a nice little game but really doesn't match up to the standard of the Commodore version. It could almost be a different game. Spindizzy is marvellous arcade fun. Addictive, frustrating but always hugely enjoyable. Three Weeks in Paradise is classic arcade adventure. Large, colourful and very smooth 'animation.\r\n\r\nNow for my favourites.\r\n\r\nEquinox: You begin the game with three lives. Any contact with an alien will reduce your energy. Prolonged contact with an alien will result in the loss of one of these lives.\r\n\r\nEach level contains a canister, disposal chutes and Level Pass. You will have to collect the level pass in order to access the next level. As you search each level for these items, your time will elapse.\r\n\r\nThe unusual combination of arcade adventure and shoot 'em up had me hooked right from the start.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are not bad and the animation of the characters is pretty good.\r\n\r\nBack to School: you are not limited to the interior of your school in your efforts to return a forged school report to the headmaster's study.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"26","Denied":false,"Award":"C+VG Hit","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Lesly Walker","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"10/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]