[{"TitleName":"Gallipoli","Publisher":"CCS","Author":"Audrey Bishop, Owen Bishop, Norman Wilkinson","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0001943","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 35, Dec 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-11-20","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nPublishing Executive/Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, Rosetta McLeod, John Minson, Bill Scolding\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nIllustrators: Ian Craig, Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Seb Clare, Tim Croton, Gordon Druce, Mark Kendrick, Tony Lorton, Michael Parkinson, Cameron Pound, Jonathan Rignall, Matthew Uffindell\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1986 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey\r\n\r\nCRASH ABC FIGURE:\r\n101,483 Total\r\n97,992 UK and EIRE"},"MainText":"GALLIPOLI\r\n\r\nProducer: CCS\r\nRetail Price: £8.95\r\nAuthor: A & O Bishop\r\n\r\nRarely has the idea of a game based on WWI been attractive. That war, perhaps more than any other, was so full of mindless incompetence on the parts of those in command at the time that the stalemates so frequently encountered, crippled the chances of any strategic simulation. Now, CCS have decided to change that with Gallipoli. An interesting idea for a game too.\r\n\r\nThe idea of the campaign was simple and well meant. If the allies could send the Turks out of the Dardenelles, not only would a new supply line to Russia be opened (the sea routes were iced over for much of the year) but Germany would have the painful and tiring distraction of a second front, paving the way for the break up of the costly stalemate in the trenches of France.\r\n\r\nIt went wrong.\r\n\r\nIt seems that more than anything else, bad communication was the factor that most helped put paid to the allied plans, as it had done so often before in the war. Advantages were not seized upon. Barrages ended too early and allowed Turkish gunners to re-man their posts in time to mow down thousands of British, ANZAC and Gurkha troops who were being sent over the top. It just became a microcosm of the war on the western front before fizzling out altogether.\r\n\r\nSo to the game, which comes in a double cassette box, has glossy instructions including screen map and historical notes - and, of course, a cassette. This carries the main 48K game on one side and an expanded version of the game for 128k owners. Let's get one thing straight. Wargaming has always suffered on the Spectrum because of a lack of disk drives, However, as 128k machines largely make up for this loss, it's great to see CCS taking advantage of the chance to improve the scale of their games as often as they can. Nice one.\r\n\r\nThe expanded version of the game allows tunneling to be used as an option. An interesting idea that works fairly well. The game works in a traditional format and there are no surprises in store for experienced gamers. Novice players will find the step by step commands slow and a little complex at first, but should easily get into play with patience. I a complaint has to be made, the unit symbols are both obscure and a little poor. Still, a minor quibble only.\r\n\r\nVictory conditions are difficult to achieve but their complexity and intricacy accurately reflect the missed opportunities of both sides. The game can (theoretically) cope with three players, ANZAC, British and Turkish - though a single player option if provided for control of the allies.\r\n\r\nThe game plays surprisingly well, considering the subject matter and represents a real challenge (I haven't beaten it yet). The joystick option (Kempston, Interface 2) was most welcome and the presentation coherent. There were no observable bugs but the play was a little slow.\r\n\r\nI like the fact CCS is diverging from the norm with their games. They deserve encouragement and success. There is a long way to go in the quality of British strategy software but CCS are approaching fresh ideas with an exciting perspective. This happened to be very much the enthusiast's game, but it is a very good example of such. The company is making more generally appealing material as well. I won't recommend this out of hand but I see no obvious flaws in terms of technical competence.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"126","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Sean Masterson","Score":"87","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"The whole of the area covered by the game and the start position of the units. The precarious position of the ANZACS can clearly be seen."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"74%","Text":"Crammed but has everything you need."},{"Header":"Rules","Score":"80%","Text":"In depth if perhaps a little unfriendly."},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"78%","Text":"Not really that easy to get into but a lot goes on."},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"74%","Text":"Poor unit symbols let the game down somewhat."},{"Header":"Authenticity","Score":"87%","Text":"Very good."},{"Header":"Opponent","Score":"89%","Text":"It Bites!"},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"88%","Text":"The going rate for a good fight."},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"87%","Text":"Limited appeal maybe, but admirably implemented."}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 13, Jan 1987","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1986-12-11","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":130,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Caroline Clayton\r\nDeputy Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nStaff Writer: Phil South\r\nContributors: Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Steve Marsden, Tommy Nash, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nPublishing Manager: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1987 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":"CCS\n£8.95\nReviewer: Gwyn Hughes\n\nYou read about it in history... You saw the film... Now play the computer game! All the excitement of First World War combat as you command troops around the mountains and beaches of the Dardanelles.\n\nOne to three players try to avoid the defeat that befell the real British and Anzac generals. This is a battle for territory (much like American football!), so you need to watch your position carefully. Try to fight from a higher vantage point and just dig the way so you can build trenches. But beware of the tunnelling squads who burrow within inches of your dug-out with a charge of explosives then... CRASH!\n\nNo, I don't mean, CRASH... explosion. I mean, CRASH... programming disaster, as you're dumped back to (unprotected) Basic. Never in the field of military simulations has so little been offered to so many. It's entirely accurate though. The campaign was fought in Turkey - this game is a turkey. A grenade goes off; the program bombs. The campaign is a disaster... by now you probably get the point!\n\nResting from this all-out attack on impotence for a moment, I can only regret the grave waste of the young innocents, those who'll buy this program. They may never buy another wargame, believing this to be representative, and it isn't. In fact, it's a long time since we've seen such a primitive addition to the genre.\n\nSound the last post also for the great ideas in the game's design, such as its large, scrolling battle field and cursor control. There's even an optional test of reactions in the 128K version, which uses your skill as a sharpshooter to calculate combat modifiers. But all of this goes to waste because the program itself doesn't work. CCS deserves a kick in the Dardanelles for putting out such shoddy product!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"55","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Gwyn Hughes","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"2/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"2/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"2/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"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: CCS\r\nAuthor: In-house\r\nPrice: £9.95\r\nJoystick: various\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Gary Rook\r\n\r\nGallipoli is the latest in a long line of wargames to be released by CCS.\r\n\r\nDuring the First World War, Turkey was allied with Germany and Austro-Hungary. The British made an amphibious landing in the Dardanelles in an attempt to force the passage to the Black Sea and so link up with the Russians.\r\n\r\nThe campaign, which has gone down in history as Gallipoli. was an unmitigated disaster. The British and ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corps - forces became bogged down in a static trench warfare which was as bad as that on the Western Front, in Flanders.\r\n\r\nOn to the game. There are options for one, two or three players. If only one plays, he or she commands the British and ANZAC forces, and the computer plays the Turks. With two players, then you split up the allied forces into two commands and play against the computer-controlled Turks. In the three-player version, people play all three commanders.\r\n\r\nOnce you've made your choice, the map comes up.\r\n\r\nHere's the big disappointment: it's not one of the best maps I've ever seen. In fact, it's positively garish. Beaches are yellow, open ground is green, low hills are an odd pattern, hills - the pattern shimmers all the time, and is very difficult to look at. I tried adjusting my set, but to no avail.\r\n\r\nAlthough not drawn on the screen, the map is divided into rectangles. To move, you position the cursor above the unit you wish to give orders to, press Fire, move the cursor to where you want the unit to go, and press Fire again. You have to do this every turn for every unit.\r\n\r\nYou don't have to order a unit to move. You can tell it to dig in, or interrogate it to find out how many men it has. what its morale is, whether it's entrenched or not and so on. This information is flashed up beneath the map window.\r\n\r\nOnce the movement phase is ended, the Turks move. You don't actually see them doing so - you just get a text screen saying so.\r\n\r\nNext you get to attack. The map returns, and you can order any of your units which are adjacent to enemy units to attack. Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell when units are adjacent - it turns out that they can be adjacent even though a unit-wide space separates them.\r\n\r\nUnits are 2,000 strong at the start of the game. As they are involved in combat, they take losses off that strength. Typical losses inflicted seemed to vary between 40 and 110 depending on the strength of the attacked and terrain considerations, but it still looks like a long drawn-out slog.\r\n\r\nThe problem with the game lies in the conception. The actual campaign was bloody and hard fought.\r\n\r\nReduced to a computer game, it becomes boring. All you are doing is repeating the same actions for 23 turns for thirty or so units.\r\n\r\nI'm afraid that I very quickly lost interest.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Worthy but dull, just like the campaign it's an attempt at a quick kill which gets bogged down.","Page":"68","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Gary Rook","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"3/5","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: CCS\r\nPRICE: £9.95\r\n\r\nThe Gallipoli campaign was something fine in theory which failed in practice. The same is true of this game, although I'm glad someone has looked at the First World War, which has a lot of variety in it.\r\n\r\nBy early 1915 there was deadlock on the Western Front, so a British amphibious landing was made on the Gallipoli peninusula, which guarded the capital of Germany ally Turkey.\r\n\r\nThe idea was to force the Turks out of the war and open up a supply route through to Britain's ally Russia.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately the Turks were far better fighters than anyone had expected, and ground conditions at Gallipoli were every bit as bad as anywhere on the Western Front.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, whereas the real campaign taxed the abilities of even the best commanders the game has been made quite simply too easy for the British to win.\r\n\r\nThis is traceable to a king-sized historical blunder in the briefing booklet, \"there was little artillery and this did not play a decisive part in the fighting\". Exactly the opposite is true.\r\n\r\nThe Turks and Allies fought so hard over the incredibly rough and difficult terrain of the heights because it was these that provided artillery observation. With this condition gone, all the Allies have to do is come down off the plateau and outflank the Turks through the far easier plains to the south of ANZAC Cove.\r\n\r\nYes, you've got the idea. You put all your forces together into one massive pile, break through a Turkish unit, come down into the plains and steam roller round into the rear and capture their supply dump, which is the basic victory condition.\r\n\r\nAlthough CCS don't often put out bad wargames I'm afraid this is a rare exception.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"37","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Realism","Score":"2/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 33, Jan 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1986-12-18","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Manager: John McGarry\r\nDesign: Argus Design\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Chase Web, [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Andy Selwood\r\n\r\nDistributed by: Argus Press Sales and Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing Monthly is published on the fourth Friday of each month. Subscription rates can be obtained from ZX Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication, including all articles, designs plans, drawings and other intellectual property rights herein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the company.\r\n\r\nArgus Specialist Publications Limited. ©1987"},"MainText":"GALLIPOLI\r\n\r\nThe Gallipoli campaign was typical of the disastrous WW1 conflicts in which both sides suffered terrible casualties largely due to idiotic Generals.\r\n\r\nWould it be different with you in charge? Galiipoli can be played by one two or three players each controlling the British, ANZAC (British, Australian and Gurkha forces) and Turkish armies with the computer ready to play the game if you haven't enough players.\r\n\r\nThe object of the game seems relatively simple in that the Allies with a total of 60,000 troops must advance to take the Turks main ammunition dump before reinforcements arrive to support the 22,000 Turkish troops.\r\n\r\nThe gameplay follows accepted wargame standards with a cursor being moved around the forces issuing commands. It is the choice of orders that make this game unique.\r\n\r\nAs well as the usual move and fire orders Gallipoli troops can dig trenches forming the almost impassable lines typical of WW1.\r\n\r\nIn the expanded 128K version (included as part of the game) players can dig tunnels between trenches and set bombs off under the enemy forces to try to break the deadlock.\r\n\r\nThe expanded version also extends the combat sequence from the standard comparison of opposing armies strengths and terrain cover by the inclusion of a sub game.\r\n\r\nYou can play a single soldier looking out onto a battlefield that contains 10 hidden enemy soldiers. These fire at you in turn revealing their position giving you a few seconds to shoot at them. After twenty shots the computer evaluates your performance which determines the result of all battles in that turn.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately this spoils the game reducing a challenging simulation into a fairground shooting gallery. Luckily it's only an option that can be ignored.\r\n\r\nCONCLUSION\r\n\r\nNapoleon at War is my pick of the three games. It's relative simplicity will appeal to beginners who can take control from their computer Commanders as they feel ready then there's a further two levels to challenge the best.\r\n\r\nGallipoli is a more complex game and reflects the painfully slow progress of WW1 campaigns (as compared to the free flowing which favourite wargaming periods). The number of troops involved and the tactics required to gain any ground at all saves this one for the experts. The sub game actually spoils the game but can be avoided.\r\n\r\nFinally Swords of Bane just didn't work. A good idea was there but it was smothered in lack of depth, variety and clumsy control system that had you ordering troops on a fraction of the battlefield without being able to see the rest.\r\n\r\nGallipoli and Napoleon at War cost £8.95. Swords of Bane £7.95.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"54,55","Denied":false,"Award":"Globert","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Hetherington","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":"Good"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Gallipoli."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Good","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]