[{"TitleName":"It's Only Rock 'n' Roll + The Tomb of Dracula","Publisher":"K-Tel Productions","Author":"Felix Software","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0011432","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 3, Apr 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-03-16","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":128,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nEditorial [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studio, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Plymouth Web Offset Ltd, [redacted].\r\nDistribution by Comag, [redacted]\r\nAdditional setting and process work by The Tortoise Shell Press, [redacted].\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH MICRO unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: K-Tel\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £6.95\r\nLanguage: BASIC\r\n\r\nThis manages to sound a little like the sort of dreary double bill playing at your local on a wet Sunday afternoon. Actually it's an adventure game and a strategy game. It's only Rock 'N' Roll follows the option menu strategy formula, the idea being to make it to the top of the music recording business. You have several main options like doing a tour, doing a concert, hiring a manager, making a record, buying a status symbol or writing a song for your group. The program's method of writing songs would have done David Bowie proud, with the cut-it-up-and-stick-it-down method that results in such gems as:\r\n\r\nWhy does she like puking\r\nShall I wipe your nose\r\nSo give me some\r\nDa wop bop do\r\n\r\nKissing is like a dirty joke\r\nDon't you phone her up\r\nDon't do that, it's rude\r\nSing it baby\r\n\r\nShe never did like dribbling\r\nShall I tickle it\r\nSo lay down and be nice\r\nCome on feel that beat\r\n\r\nWith songs like that you could be getting a contract from Virgin any day! (They'll probably put the hit single out on K-Tel later). Other elements of the game include your energy and happiness status, popularity and fan clubs. Since you start off with very little in the way of loot, concerts are restricted to busking and tours are way beyond your reach. It's also impossible to make a record unless you have a record contract - and getting one is not simple. Drugs probes and various other scandals can affect your popularity, and, as this is a real simulation, the more scandals you are caught up in, the more popular you become.\r\n\r\nTomb of Dracula is another matter altogether, a sort of graphics and text adventure where you enter the tomb - a series of character block-sized rooms, some empty, some with treasure and some with ghouls in them. Depending on what number of silver stakes you are carrying (you start with 7) you will either beat or be defeated by whatever ghoul you meet. Skill plays no part.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nUse of colour poor\r\nGraphics: poor\r\nSound: reasonable tunes, but otherwise poor\r\nSkill levels: 1","ReviewerComments":["It's only Rock 'n' Roll manages to be fun at first, but the program (which takes ages to load) turns out to have a complete Insufficiency of options to make it very interesting or very realistic. Thus it bores within minutes, or as soon as you realise that you are more in the hands of luck than skill. The Tomb of Dracula is frankly pathetic. The graphics representations are drawn in mosaics of character blocks and wouldn't frighten a two-year old. And there is little thrill in meeting 'A Zombie' which requires 15 silver stakes for its defeat. You are carrying 18. Oh good. Bye bye Zombie, what next? It's about as skilful and thrilling as being sick on the floor.\r\r\nUnknown","Tomb of Dracula is very boring - it's written in BASIC, the graphics are poor and I didn't like it. Rock 'n' Roll is better, but I am amazed that K-Tel would spend so much on TV ads and packaging for such programs. They should have spent more money on the games. There are better programs to be typed out of magazines.\r\r\nUnknown","Now and again you get to see the show you are putting on in Rock 'n' Roll - a drummer drumming, playing synths etc., which is quite good but I don't think it's worth buying it for that. It certainly isn't worth buying it for the Tomb of Dracula.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Generally poor in quality and imagination and not a recommended buy.","Page":"30","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"And our next object is a - ZOMBIE, a ZOMBIE..."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"44%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"38%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"40%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"37%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"35%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"41%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 2, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-16","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nContributing Editor: Bruce Sawford\r\nTechnical Editor: Ron Smith\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSub Editor: Nik Lumsden\r\nContributors: Toni Baker, Simon Goodwin, Mike Lord, Ian Beardsmore, Max Philips, Guy Kewney, Henry Budgett, Gary Marshall, Dilwyn Jones, Phil Manchester\r\nArt Editor: Jimmy Egerton\r\nArt Assistants: Steve Broadhurst, Mike Wilkes\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Jeff Raggett\r\nAdvertisement Managers: Shane Campbell, Gill Harris\r\nProduction Editor: Derek Cohen\r\nTypesetters: Anne Ashby, Maggie Kayley, Velma Miller\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\nDistribution Manager: Colin James\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1984 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a bi-monthly publication and the third issue will be available during the second week of April 1984."},"MainText":"IT'S ONLY ROCK N' ROLL/TOMB OF DRACULA\r\nK-Tel\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nThe first of this pair is a strategy game where you take charge of a rock'n'roll band and try to take them to the top of the heap. Tomb of Dracula is a graphics adventure set in a 3D maze.","ReviewerComments":["Both games on this tape are quite acceptable, but they're not as good as they could be. It's Only Rock'n 'Roll is by far the best.\r\nCorrie Brown","It's Only Rock 'n 'Roll is a text-based strategy game. I like the excerpts of the concert or the tour, but it's a shame about the music (I don't think they're going to make it to the top twenty!). Tomb ofDracula is an unexciting game, with too many obstacles.\r\r\r\nStewart McPherson","Both programs use colour quite well in places but completely neglect this aspect in others.\r\r\r\nPeter Shaw"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"57","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Corrie Brown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Stewart McPherson","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Peter Shaw","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 22, Jan 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-12-15","Editor":"Nigel Clark","TotalPages":172,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Nigel Clark\r\nDeputy Editor: Nicole Segre\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nManaging Production Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nSoftware Editor: John Gilbert\r\nProgram Reviewer: Rebecca Ferguson\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Brian King\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nSales Executive: Annette Burrows\r\nProduction Assistant: Dezi Epaminondou\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to any of the Sinclair User group of publications please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User and Programs\r\nECC Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe will pay £10 for the copyright of each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1984\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nPrinted and typeset by Cradley Print PLC, [redacted]\r\n\r\nDistributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Photograph: Peter Dawney"},"MainText":"DOUBLE-SIDED RELEASES PROVIDE VARIED CHOICE\r\n\r\nA newly-released batch of double-sided tapes from K-Tel includes It's Only Rock and Roll, with Tomb of Dracula on side two.\r\n\r\nIt's Only Rock and Roll is a strategy game in which the object is to become a pop superstar by earning £1 million and collecting three status symbols.\r\n\r\nAmong the options are choosing a name for the group, planning tours, hiring managers and selecting songs. Time, money and energy are your resources and you lose the game if you run out of any of them.\r\n\r\nThe odds are stacked heavily against you and neither the songs which the computer offers for your approval, nor the occasional news flashes which are intended to enliven the game - \"Government taxes pop groups\" or \"Tony Blackburn likes Sinclair Swingers\", for example provide much of an incentive to continue playing.\r\n\r\nA few graphics and more amusing responses might have improved this potentially appealing idea considerably.\r\n\r\nTomb of Dracula is a simple graphics adventure in which you attempt to find your way through a tomb haunted by ghouls and zombies and reach a staircase leading to Dracula's treasure. On your way, you must collect silver stakes with which to defend yourself and be careful to avoid the slime pit. You may find yourself repeatedly entering empty vaults and neither the story line nor the graphics is original enough to compensate.\r\n\r\nCastle Coldltz, on another double tape, is a slightly more sophisticated adventure, in spite of the fact that it has no graphics.\r\n\r\nThe location is the notorious prison fortress, from which you are trying to escape while collecting as much Nazi loot as you can to take with you.\r\n\r\nThe scene changes quickly - from bath-house to trophy room to mortuary among others - and there is an interesting variety of treasures and messages to spur you. Full instructions are given at the start and if you make a map as you proceed, your quest should not prove too difficult.\r\n\r\nThe second side of the Castle Colditz tape offers Battle of the Toothpaste Tubes. It is a shoot-out game featuring a tube of toothpaste from which you fire at the evil brush brigade and the serried ranks of mini-tubes below.\r\n\r\nYou must beware of the chattering teeth but can protect yourself with your fluoride shield. If you hit the handle of a brush instead of the bristles, your toothpaste will rebound.\r\n\r\nApart from the novel scenario there is nothing particularly original about a simple arcade game which should only please anyone who is addicted to pressing the fire button.\r\n\r\nIt's Only Rock and Roll and Castle Colditz are available from K-Tel International, [redacted]. The cost is £6.95 per double-sided tape.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 29, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Acting Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nAssistant Editor: Eugene Lacey\r\nEditorial Assistant: Clare Edgeley\r\nReader Services: Robert Schifreen\r\nArt Editor: Linda Freeman\r\nDesigner: Lynda Skerry\r\nSub Editor: Mary Morton\r\nStaff Writer: Seamus St. John\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAdvertising Executives: Bernard Dugdale, Sean Brennan\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Louise Flockhart\r\nPublisher: Tom Moloney\r\nAssistant Publisher: Rita Lewis\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. By using the special Postal Subscription Service, copies of COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES can be mailed direct from our offices each month to any address throughout the world. All subscription applications should be sent for processing to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES (Subscription Department), [redacted]. All orders should include the appropriate remittance made payable to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES. Annual subscription rates (12 issues): UK and Eire: £14. Additional service information including individual overseas airmail rates available upon request. Circulation Department: EMAP National Publications. Published and distributed by EMAP National Publications Ltd. Printed by Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd.\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Ross Collins\r\nNext Issue: March 16th"},"MainText":"IT'S ONLY ROCK N' ROLL, BUT...\r\n\r\nK-Tel are well known as the people who bring you those giant compilation LPs full of greatest hits. Now they've moved into the world of computer software with a range of \"Doublesider\" tapes for the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nOne of the first features games called it's Only Rock n' Roll and Tomb of Dracula - both Adventure style games with some graphics thrown in.\r\n\r\nIn it's Only Rock n' Roll, you set out to become a rock superstar and the road to stardom is a tough one. You have to write songs - with the help of your Spectrum - raise enough money to go on tour or play concerts, make records, hire and fire managers, just like real life. It's like a computerised game of Monopoly set in the pop world.\r\n\r\nThe second half of this \"Doublesider\" is Tomb of Dracula, a standard maze-style Adventure with some amusing graphics thrown in. I found myself getting killed off too quickly, but I think that's more my fault than the way the game is put together!\r\n\r\nThe documentation for this game is much better and enhances the playability.\r\n\r\nAll in all, this innovation from K-Tel is pretty good value for money. Two enjoyable games for £6.95 available now from Spectrum games stockists.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"45","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 2, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.8","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","Editor":"Toby Wolpe","TotalPages":244,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Toby Wolpe\r\nAssistant Editor: Meirion Jones\r\nStaff Writer: Simon Beesley\r\nProduction Editor: Ian Vallely\r\nSub-Editor: Paul Bond\r\nEditorial Secretary: Lynn Dawson\r\nEditorial: [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: U.K. £10.50 for 12 issues.\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Shobhan Gajjar\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Nicholas Ratnieks\r\nAdvertisement Executives: Nigel Borrell, Julian Bidlake, Kay Filbin\r\nNorthern Office: Ron Southall\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Jeanette Mackrell\r\nClassified: Claire Notley\r\nPublishing Director: Chris Hipwell\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\n©Business Press International Ltd 1984\r\n\r\nPrinted in Great Britain for the proprietors of Business Press International Ltd, [redacted].\r\nISSN 0263-0885\r\nPrinted by Riverside Press Ltd, [redacted], and typeset by Instep Ltd, [redacted]"},"MainText":"48K Spectrum\r\nAdventure\r\nK-Tel\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nThe flip-side of the record company's first bid to break into micro software. A text adventure in which you collect silver stakes to arm yourself against the vampire. They can be traded for glimpses of a map leading to gold. The flipside is called \"It's Only Rock 'n' Roll But I like it.\" It is only written in Basic, and I did not like it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"59","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"2/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 59, Apr 1984","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-28","Editor":"Cyndy Miles","TotalPages":58,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Cyndy Miles\r\nDeputy Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nManaging Editor: Peter Worlock\r\nSub-Editors: Harriet Arnold, Leah Batham\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writer: Ralph Bancroft\r\nHardware Editor: Ian Scales\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPrograms Editor: Ken Garroch\r\nPeripherals Editor: Piers Letcher\r\nListings Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditor's Assistant: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Robinson\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Floyd Sayers\r\nLayout Artist: Nigel Wingrove\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nPublishing Secretary: Jenny Dunne\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Bettina Williams\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Sarah Barron\r\nSales Executives: Christian McCarthy, John Bryan, Laura Cade, Paul Evans\r\nProduction: Nikki Payne\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"NAME: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll/Tomb of Dracula\r\nSYSTEM: 48K Spectrum\r\nPRICE: £6.95\r\nPUBLISHER: K-Tel, [redacted]\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nLANGUAGE: Basic\r\nOTHER VERSIONS: Commodore 64\r\nOUTLETS: Retail\r\n\r\nThe 'A' side of this tape is a simulation in which you play the part of a rock group - yes, all on your own - and must earn £1m and collect three status symbols to show you've made it to the top. 'B' side is a 'Hunt the Wumpus' type of game in which you must plot your path through the grid making up Dracula's Tomb, with simple graphics of the zombies and ghouls you might meet on the way.\r\n\r\nThe 'A' side is thankfully better, and the first thing you must do is provide a name for your rock formation. I settled on the obvious, The Spectrums, chose from the three skill levels and then viewed the initial Status Report. This shows your managerial status, royalty rate if you have a recording contract, cash in the bank and time elapsed.\r\n\r\nThe main menu shows the type of options you will be dealing with: write a song, tour, concert, consult your manager, buy a status symbol, make a record or rest. The first major problem, after you've got yourself a manager and a recording contract, is to gain enough popularity so that the recording company will finance you. You start off busking to earn a little money, and can then proceed to pub gigs and club performances.\r\n\r\nK-Tel made their name from re-packaging record hits, but they won't repeat that success in the micro market by putting out mediocre software like this.\r\n\r\nMicropaedia Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nDesign: Paul Clarkson\r\nContributors: Jim Ballard, Bob Chappell, Bill Davies, Mike Gerrard and Simon Williams\r\n\r\nNEXT WEEK\r\n\r\nWe begin a five-part series of detailed graphics techniques for the BBC Micro, the Acorn Electron, the Oric Atmos, the Oric-1, the Atari series of home computers, the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair Spectrum.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"26","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Geof Wheelwight","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Jim Ballard","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Bob Chappell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Bill Davies","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mike Gerrard","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Simon Williams","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"2/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Use Of Machine","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"3/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]