[{"TitleName":"Death Chess 5000","Publisher":"Artic Computing Ltd","Author":"Anthony Adam","YearOfRelease":"1984","ZxDbId":"0001289","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 7, Aug 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-07-26","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nGeneral office [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\n\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nGeneral correspondence to: [redacted]\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Limited.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nPhotosetting by SIOS [redacted]\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [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: Artic Computing\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £6.95\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: Anthony Adam\r\n\r\nArtic have made claims in the past to being the producers of the best computer chess games for the Spectrum - it's obviously a matter for argument! Death Chess 5000 is a novel departure from the chess format and certainly no ordinary chess game as it incorporates arcade sequences within the framework of normal chess. For a start off the chess board, although traditional, has quite different looking pieces.\r\n\r\nPawns are represented by tanks, kings and queens resemble lethal looking missile combinations, bishops look like high powered science fiction wind surfers, only knights and rooks are instantly recognisable. In all respects the strategy and rules of chess apply. But what makes Death Chess 5000 really different is that when you challenge the computer's pieces or vice versa the screen cuts to an arcade sequence. Winner of the arcade game retains status quo on the board. So, if you move to take a computer operated piece, before you can you must fight it out. The computer may win, in which case you will loose your challenge piece instead. There are six different games. Pawn takes pawn: you must drive your tank forward to save the city whilst avoiding the bombs raining down from an over-flying helicopter. Bishop takes bishop: escape from the vaults of the enemy avoiding the ghosts. Knight takes knight: hit the enemy horsemen before they reach your edge of the screen. Rook takes rook: scale a tower avoiding the falling barrels of oil. Queen takes queen: navigate the star trench and hit the enemy flagship. Piece takes different piece: shoot through the galactic barrier to hit the opposing ship.\r\n\r\nAdditionally it is possible to select a normal game of chess without the arcade sequences. On either game there are seven levels of play from 0 to 6. The easiest level replies in 2 seconds, level 4 in five minutes and levels 5 and 6 play a strong game and take a long time. Input is with the traditional chess notation. In the straightforward chess mode Death Chess will recommend a move if desired. Castling is allowed with the King's move entered, and capturing en passant by pawns. Games may be saved or sent to hard copy if you have a printer.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: chess - alphanumeric input, Q-T/A-G up/down, O/P left/right and bottom row to fire\r\nJoystick: ZX 2\r\nKeyboard play: responsive\r\nUse of colour: generall quite good\r\nGraphics: well detailed and recognisable, generally very large\r\nSound: not much\r\nSkill levels: 7\r\nOriginality: chess isn't exactly original, but this version is very different","ReviewerComments":["Chess is a natural for the computer and I have enjoyed many games, many versions, so I was very dubious when I loaded Death Chess 5000. My suspicions deepened when I saw the pieces. Chess boards on computers naturally tend to be small and novel piece design can be confusing. On top of that, would a game of chess interrupted by arcade sequences be a travesty? Well the answer is no. I haven't had as much fun in a long while in fact. On the chess side, Death Chess is a perfectly good game and a few minutes play gets one used to the odd looking pieces. All the arcade sequences are well done. In fact plunging into the trench is a better looking game than Rabbit's Death Star. I can highly recommend this version of chess to anyone who not only likes a serious chess game but is also looking for a new angle on the game.\r\r\nUnknown","After seeing the screen load I felt that this could not be an ordinary chess game. I was right. The arcade bits are pretty good, as good as you could expect from a multi-game package such as this. The combat idea is refreshingly different from traditional chess; so that if your strategy is not up to scratch you can make up for it with arcade skill. Problem is that the reverse is also true of course. Overall, a nice change from chess, but l don't think it will get to world tournament level!\r\r\nUnknown","As soon as you start playing you can see why the traditional chess pieces have been redesigned. The chess graphics are well defined and easy to see with a definite shape. Board colour combinations are very good (green and white pieces on blue and black). The graphics in the game sequences are large, detailed and smooth. The trench sequence has an effective use of shadow under your ship. Most of the game ideas are good, some good enough to be games on their own. Artic couldn't do much to improve this game, except perhaps by really having knights jousting and tanks firing missiles for real on the playing board.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: For both serious and non-serious chess players, very good value and generally recommended.","Page":"38,39","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Rescue the city and save your piece, just one of the many arcade treats."},{"Text":"Unusual pieces in Death Chess."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"72%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"67%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"64%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"69%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 30, Sep 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-08-16","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nProduction Assistant: James McClure\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nAssistant Publisher: Neil Wood\r\nPublisher: Gerry Murray\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles:\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. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £10 for the copyright of each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\nAll subscription enquiries to\r\nMagazine Services,\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\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]"},"MainText":"Ky x B, kerBOOMM!!\r\n\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nPrice: £6.95\r\nJoystick: Kempston\r\n\r\nWhen is chess not quite chess? When it is the Artic Death Chess 5000. Purists will shudder to hear that Artic has produced a chess-playing program in which the result of piece taking piece is decided by an arcade action sequence and not by the immutable laws of the game.\r\n\r\nThe program consists of two main options. The first is to play a normal chess game with the standard rules. Both castling and en passant moves are acceptable. There are seven levels of play.\r\n\r\nPieces are moved by entering the usual number/letter grid references. Invalid moves will not be permitted and if you are confused the computer will suggest a move.\r\n\r\nChoose the death chess option and you are in for a shock. In that mode any attempt to take a piece, by either side, shifts the action to an arcade-style battlefield. There are six settings depending on what pieces are involved. Those are over quickly and swift reactions are needed to win.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"36","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Richard Price","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer Games Issue 10, Sep 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-08-16","Editor":"Chris Anderson","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Chris Anderson\r\nDeputy Editor: Steve Cooke\r\nProduction Editor: Roderick George\r\nArt Editor: Ian Findlay\r\nStaff Writers: Peter Connor, Bob Wade\r\nEditorial Assistant: Samantha Hemens\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nCartoons: Kipper Williams\r\nScreenshots: Chris Bell\r\nGame-of-the-month poster: Jeff Riddle\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nGroup Publisher: John Cade\r\nPublisher: James Scoular\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Jenny Dunne\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Satchell\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Jan Martin\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Susie Cooper\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\nAdvertisement Production: Simon Carter\r\nSales Executives: Ian Cross, Marion O'Neill\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]. Typesetting by Spectrum Typesetting, [redacted] Origination by Fourmost Colour [redacted]. Printed and bound by Chase Web Offset [redacted]. © VNU Business Publications 1984."},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum 48K\r\nCONTROL: Keys, Sinc\r\nFROM: Artic, £6.95\r\n\r\nArtic make no mean claims for this game: 'It is', they modestly say, 'the latest and greatest and most exciting chess game ever developed.' It may possibly be the latest, but the other two adjectives certainly do not apply.\r\n\r\nIn effect, you get two games. Option 1 gives you straightforward computer chess: six levels and a reasonable game.\r\n\r\nWhat gives you a hint about the nature of Option 2 is the pieces: pawns are tanks and knights look particularly ferocious. The gimmick is that every time one side or another proposes to take a piece an arcade sequence ensues, with the loser also losing his piece.\r\n\r\nPawn x pawn produces a scene in which the computer's helicopter tries to bomb your tank before you can reach a city. The graphics are pretty, but the gameplay is minimal. Piece x different piece results in a dire version of Galaxians.\r\n\r\nI'm afraid I can't see Karpov and Kasparov taking it up.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"60","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Peter Connor","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"3/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Strength of Play","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]