[{"TitleName":"Gunstar","Publisher":"Firebird Software Ltd","Author":"Peter Gough","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0002186","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 37, Feb 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-01-22","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nPublishing Executive/Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nSub Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Lee Paddon, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Philippa Irving\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nAssistant Art Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrators: Ian Craig, Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Seb Clare, Tim Croton, Mark Kendrick, Tony Lorton, Nick Orchard, 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©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Ian Craig\r\n\r\n101,483 Total\r\n92,992 UK and EIRE"},"MainText":"Producer: Firebird\r\nRetail Price: £1.99\r\nAuthor: Software Creations\r\n\r\nMother Earth has been invaded. A strange breed of sophisticated beings from a distant planet overwhelmed the World's primitive Star Wars defence system and enslaved the human race. The aliens seem to have settled in for a long visit and life looks bleak and futile for mankind. The only hope for humanity lies in one final plan.\r\n\r\nHidden away inside a nearby moon a research team has been concentrating on creating a totally new type of fighter craft. Just in the nick of time their experiments come to fruition in the form of the Pulse Fighters. With an expert team of pilots know as the Gunstar Fleet manning these small but powerful craft, the enslaved population can stage an attempt to reclaim Earth. Time for you to step in...\r\n\r\nThere are five levels to the game. The mission begins with direct combat as you meet waves of aliens on the vertically scrolling playscreen. After the alien fighters have been dealt with, fly through an asteroid belt, dodging the rocks until the alien command ship is encountered. To destroy the command ship, its gun emplacements have to be knocked out and then it's on to do battle with an alien robot that is defended with... gun emplacements. Finally, the mission comes to an end when you dock with the Earth Mothership and refuel the fighter ready to take on another wave of alien pilots and their fighters.\r\n\r\nThree Pulse Fighter pilots are in the Gunstar Fleet and at the start of a mission the name of the Space Ace you control flashes on the screen, together with a few personal details including his experience, hobbies and the sort of Pulse Fighter he's flying. When a pilot dies you move on to the next Fleet member.\r\n\r\nThe score amassed by dealing death to aliens is displayed at the top right hand corner of the screen in the status panel along with your fuel status and engine temperature. An icon is highlighted to indicate which pilot is currently in the cockpit.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Player One: Q Accelerate, A Stop, S Rotate Left, D Rotate Right, X Fire. Player Two: I Accelerate, K Stop, L Rotate Left, ENTER Rotate Right, SYMBOL Fire.\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2\r\nUse of colour: monochrome action area\r\nGraphics: a little basic perhaps\r\nSound: minimal\r\nSkill levels: three\r\nScreens: 32","ReviewerComments":["Well this makes a change, I haven't seen a nice budget shoot 'em up for months. It really is good fun gratuitously blasting enemy fighters and dodging waves of meteors, but as it isn't difficult to become competent at it doesn't take too long to complete and then it gets very, very boring. Graphically Gunstar is pretty: the characters move about smoothly at speed and there are a lot of nice touches both during the game and on the title screen. Although there are no tunes, the sound effects are fairly good. This will probably keep you quiet for for a couple of days and I'd say that it is well worth two quid.\r\nBen Stone","Mmmm, strange little game, this one. For £1.99 FIREBIRD seem to have come up with the almost typical little budget game. Gunstar comes with great presentation, with lots of nice little spot effects and featuring good use of colour. The actual content is very minimal, but I still find it very addictive and fun to play. Maybe it is a bit like Moon Cresta, but what there is of the game is very well designed and simply structured. If you want a fun game for £1.99 then you can't go far wrong with Gunstar. Simple but effective.\r\nPaul Sumner","What a pleasant surprise: a really playable game. The humour is good enough to keep you playing for a while and then the game itself ought to keep you going. It reeks of budget labels but for £1.99 it does represent very good value for money. The high score table looks very DESIGN DESIGNesque although it lacks the original, amusing responses of Dark Star. The pilot details, although good, tend to be frustrating after half an hour or so and the pauses get a little aggravating. However it's very definitely the sort of game you just keep playing again and again.\r\nMike Dunn"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A neat but undemanding budget shoot 'em up.","Page":"124,125","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"74%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"63%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"62%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 15, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Caroline Clayton\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nAssistant Editor: Phil South\r\nStaff Writer: Markus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nContributors: Luke C, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tommy Nash, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: 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":"Firebird\n£1.99\nReviewer: Rick Robson\n\nTune up those trigger fingers, folks, 'cos here comes some frantic arcade action from Firebird that'll lead to adrenalin overdoses nationwide! Fast and furious aliens flying at you at a rats of knots are what you're up against, though the plot's all too familiar. Earth has been colonised by unknown aliens (again!) From your secret moonbase, you and your comrades, Pulse fighters of the Gunstar fleet, must liberate the planet.\n\nYou have to battle through five screens to do it, though. First, zap the aliens while avoiding their fire - easy peasy, this, 'cos they fire dead slow and you've got high speed lateral, fore and aft movement. Then you've got to avoid the asteroids before spiking the guns of the alien command ship. That only leaves you the ALLOY robot's turrets to tackle before the menacing manoeuvre of docking with the mothership.\n\nOn screen you'll find your three lives and your running points total - this turns into a cowering astronaut each time you bets the dust. You also see your temperature and fuel levels. It's no use trying to hide in a quiet corner of the screen - your fuel level'll drop to nothing and you'll be a goner.\n\nWhat Gunstar lacks in subtlety, it more than makes up for in high speed action and good graphics, that're wittily presented. It's a great way to earn your cosmic wings and reach for the stars at an unastronomical price!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"68","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rick Robson","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]