[{"TitleName":"The Story So Far Vol 2","Publisher":"Elite Systems Ltd","Author":"","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0012133","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 44, Aug 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-07-17","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Catherine Higgs\r\nDeputy Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Duncan MacDonald\r\nDesigner: Catherine Peters\r\nEditorial Assistant: David Wilson\r\nTechnical Consultant: David McCandless\r\nContributors: Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, Peter Shaw,Phil South\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Stephen Bloy\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nAdvertisement Production: Claire Baker\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nCirculation Manager: June Smith\r\nAssociate Publisher: Teresa Maughan\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinted By: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1989 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Elite\r\n£12.99 cass\r\nReviewer: Matt Bielby\r\n\r\nHmm. Another compilation? What's on this one then? Oh, Space Harrier eh? That got a Megagame first time round if I remember right (and I do cos I'm Ed). Blimey, so did Overlander. And two of the others scored eight out of ten. So, skipping quickly past Live And Let Die (the clunker of the set, but still not too bad), let's catch up on The Story So Far Volume 2.\r\n\r\nHOPPING MAD\r\nA simple but addictive little thing this. It's a self- confessed cutie, in which you control a set of four bouncing balls travelling across a horizontally scrolling Wonderboyesque landscape. Your balls bounce one at a time in a wave pattern (oo-err) and your job is to lead them safely through the landscape particularly avoiding hazards like hedgehogs, cactii, bumble bees, eagles, sharp rocks and venus fly traps. Blimey! You eat apples for energy and pop any balloons you come across - get ten of the blighters and you're sproinged up to the next level. It's one of those games that, despite only workmanlike graphics, is as addictive a anything - dead easy to get into and almost impossible to pyut down. You can slow down the forward movement of your inflatable chums, but you can't stop it, so when you've more than one hazard coming at you at once, you're in big trouble, matey. Yep, a birrova corker all right.\r\n'89 Rating: 81°\r\n\r\nSPACE HARRIER\r\nThis is a very fast and frantic little number and a brave attempt at a tricky conversion. You know the one - you play a little flying man with a big gun (great grand-daddy to the 'two cool dudes' in Forgotten Worlds), zooming along a chequerboard rolling road (except it's not a road) and blasting everything in your path. Your obstacles take the form of flying dragons, giant stone heads and fire-spitting flowers amongst other 'supernatural phenomena'. Like Afterburner, you can't really see what's going on, and it doesn't take too much skill 'cos it's totally uncontrollable. Hmm. Still, for all that, it was a totally brilliant bit of programming when it first came out and is still worth having. But with hindsight I wouldn't megagame it.\r\n'89 Rating: 77°\r\n\r\nOVERLANDER\r\nBest of '88's road racing games. Your job is to smuggle stuff across country in your souped-up motor. Mad Max style gangs on cars and bikes and even grenade dropping mega-trucks get in your way though. Before you set off you must buy some petrol and some of the cheaper weapon add-ons (turbo charger, flame thrower and stuff), though you can add more later on. There's not much more to say. It's your basic rolling road game. It's not that hard (you can't steer off the road and shooting the other cars is pretty straightforward) but it shows how a simple, unoriginal idea can work if well though out and competently programmed.\r\n'89 Rating: 80°\r\n\r\nBEYOND THE ICE PALACE\r\nThis is yer standard platforms and ladders jobbie, but it is big (Big! Big!), which is the first thing in its favour. It's also got four way scrolling, big colourful sprites and lots of icky baddies like giant moths, ogres and even a swirly dragon who looks like he's escaped from Space Harrier. Weapons-wise you get a choice of a couple of different swords or a spiky ball thing before you start, but can pick up others along the way. Best of these is the 'Spirit of the Wood', a flying face jobby that can be used as a smart bomb. There's lots to it, the only problem being the difficulty level, which is pitched rather hard. Even with ten lives, progress is slow and I kept continually starting again only to get killed a few seconds later. Where's that 'Spirit of the Wood' when I need it? Oh, I've used them all up. Drat. So, to sum up. Beyond The Ice Palace - it's pretty tricky, but it's pretty good.\r\n'89 Rating: 85°\r\n\r\nLIVE AND LET DIE\r\nLast and least, this one may be interesting for its origins (Elite did the programming but Domark donated its James Bond licence and marketing skills), but it really is a very, very ordinary game. Loosely based on the old 007 film, drug baron Dr Kanaga is trying to take over me world and you are sent to stop him. Apparently the best way to do that is to drive up and down four rivers in different parts of the world, shooting everything that moves. Hmm. There are nice touches - like the speedboat hitting a log and jumping out of the water - but the collision detection is a bit iffy, rocks and mines are very hard to tell apart and it gets very samey after a while. The addition of a James Bond licence can't disguise the fact that it's yet another Road Blasters clone, and hardly a good one at that.\r\n'89 Rating: 58°\r\n\r\nAnd there we have it. Not too bad at all, though Live And Let Die lets the side down a bit Don't know why the Speccy version is called The Story So Far Volume 2 though 'cos a) there was never a first volume on 8 bit machines and b) Elite is pulling out of the Speccy market (sniff). So it's more like The Story Full Stop. What a shame.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A good compilation and great value. Elite may not have done much for the Speccy lately, but this final bow spells a sad day for Spec-chums.","Page":"76","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Matt Bielby","Score":"79","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"81%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"74%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"79%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[{"Header":"Hopping Mad","Score":"81%","Text":"Hopping Mad"},{"Header":"Space Harrier","Score":"77%","Text":"Space Harrier"},{"Header":"Overlander","Score":"80%","Text":"Overlander"},{"Header":"Beyond the Ice Palace","Score":"85%","Text":"Beyond the Ice Palace"},{"Header":"Live and Let Die","Score":"58%","Text":"Live and Let Die"}]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 95, Feb 1990","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1990-01-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"AaaChhhoo!\r\n\r\nJIM \"Black Death\" DOUGLAS (Editor)\r\nGood grief, he's looking pretty manky this month, eh readers? Poor Jimbly has been struck by the dreaded Flu epidemic. He's almost overdosed on Chloraseptic and is feeling very sorry for himself, and would like someone to give him a cuddle, please. Eurgh yuk, go away drippy bogey snout.\r\n\r\nALISON \"Super Fit\" SKEAT (Production Editor)\r\nBig Al's looking well smug with herself as she's the only one who's managed to avoid the lurgie. That's because she's been holed up in her Michael Jackson-style oxygen tent munching on garlic pills and Halibo-range tablets. But naughty Oz has set about her bubble with his designer scalpel and all the germies are getting in, tee hee. Somebody pass All the Junior Disprin please.\r\n\r\nGARTH \"Firestone\" Sumpter (Staff Writer)\r\nAfter a major bout of Christmas jollies, poor Garthy is certainly a wee bit worse for wear. Jim made him attend every software house chrimbo doo because the rest of us were too \"ill\" to go, but it looks like he had a few too many beakers of Um Bongo. Quick lads abandon the loo, here he comes.\r\n\r\nOSMOND \"wibbly limbs\" BROWNE (Designer)\r\nPoor little Ossie. Wicked Uncle Jim has been working him so hard, that he's developed a rather severe case of Designer's elbow. He's been scribbling away so hard that both of his elbows have turned to gungey runny stuff and his arms have gone all loppy. What a shame, looks like he's headed for the Municipal home for crumblie old clapped out Designers.\r\n\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nI've Got This Problem: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: James Owens\r\nSenior Sales: Martha Moloughney\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean Barrett\r\nMarketing Assistant: Sarah Ewing\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nOur Address: [redacted]\r\nOur Phone Number: [redacted]\r\nOur Fax No: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Copyright Sinclair User 1990\r\n\r\nNo part of this magazine may be reproduced/transcribed, stored in a data retrieval system etc, without permission of the publishers, EMAP B+CP. Special thanks this issue: Kevin at Nene, John Cook, Jaz Rignall and of course, old Santa himself for forcing us to produce this issue in two weeks flat. Hope you get terminal frostbite, fatso."},"MainText":"STORY SO FAR II\r\nElite\r\n£12.99\r\n\r\nCONTENTS:\r\n\r\nSPACE HARRIER: Good in its heyday, but now looking a bit ropey.\r\n\r\nLIVE AND LET DIE: Pretty naff Bond game - rather like Roadblasters on water.\r\n\r\nHOPPING MAD: Bounce your way to boredom in this tepid original title.\r\n\r\nBEYOND THE ICE PALACE: Enjoyable Ghosts Goblins game, but not as good as the real thing.\r\n\r\nOVERLANDER: Dodgy Roadblasters-style game that lacks addiction.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A group of average games which don't offer much in way of thrills and excitement when compared with other packages.","Page":"75","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"59%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 97, Dec 1989","Price":"£1.2","ReleaseDate":"1989-11-16","Editor":"Julian Rignall","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"CONTACTS AND CREDITS\r\n\r\nEditor: Julian Rignall\r\nArt Editor: Andrea Walker\r\nStaff Writers: Paul Glancey, Paul Rand\r\nArt Assistant: Osmond Browne\r\nAdvertising Manager: Nigel Taylor\r\nDep Ad Manager: Joanna Cooke\r\nSales Executive: Tina Zanelli\r\nProduction Assistant: Glenys Powell\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\nThis Month's Cover: Ghostsbusters II from Activision\r\nCover Artist: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries to: EMAP Frontline, [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted By: Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nColour By: Proprint, [redacted]\r\nTypeset By: Jaz and Mr T at EMAP\r\nDistributed By: EMAP Frontline\r\n\r\n©C+VG 1989\r\nISSN No: 0261-3697"},"MainText":"STORY SO FAR II\r\nCONTENTS: Space Harrier, Live and Let Die, Hopping Mad, Beyond the Ice Palace, Overlander\r\nSpectrum/Amstrad/C64 £12.99\r\n\r\nNone of the titles on this compilation are particularly brilliant, and some of them are getting on a bit. There are better compilations available at the same price that offer newer and far more exciting games.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"92","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Julian Rignall","Score":"62","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AMSTRAD SCORES\r\n\r\nOverall: 62%\r\n\r\nNothing wildly exciting on offer - many of the better games have already been on other compilations. Check out other compilations before shelling out your dosh on this."},{"Text":"C64 SCORES\r\n\r\nOverall: 62%\r\n\r\nA weak package which suffers the same criticisms as the other two versions. The games might offer a couple of hours entertainment, but you won't come back to them afterwards."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"62%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]