[{"TitleName":"Hawk Storm","Publisher":"Players Software","Author":"Andrew Severn, Jabba Severn, Paul Griffiths, Sonic Graffiti, Tim White","YearOfRelease":"1991","ZxDbId":"0002256","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 85, Feb 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-01-24","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nArt Editor: Mark Kendrick\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction and Circulation Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard, Lisa McCourt\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Judith Bamford\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kevin Gallagher\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting Apple Macintosh Computers using Quark Express and Bitstream Fonts.\r\n\r\nSystems Manager: Ian Chubb\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nYearly subscription rates: UK £17.20 Europe £24.00, Air Mail overseas £37. US/Canada subscriptions and back issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly subscription rates US$47.00, Canada CAN$57.00 Back Issues US$5.20, Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available; If something untoward happens we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop us a line). No person who is related, no matter how remotely, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material on 35mm transparencies is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Copy published in CRASH will be edited as seen fit and payment will be calculated according to the current printed word rate. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1989 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Players Software\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nNo, this game is not a variation on the 'raining cats and dogs' theme, the Hawk Storm is in fact you! You're a brave warrior of the planet Edos and the only hope your people have of survival.\r\n\r\nThe planet Edos has only one source of life energy: giant capacitoid crystals that store energy by day and regenerate it during the icy cold nights. The evil Neviks have stolen all but two of these crystals making it impossible to sustain normal life on the planet. All the people but you have gone into a Life Suspension Program - you must succeed in your mission to retrieve the crystals or your whole world will be destroyed!\r\n\r\nHawk Storm looks good with its highly coloured graphics and animated backdrops but don't be fooled by appearances. The game plays like a wet sock. Your character attempts to move across the screen but is stopped by invisible blocks. This makes the game exceedingly annoying. When you realise you can't move normally in the game you adjust the way you play and start to actually get somewhere. Running about carelessly is impossible: you have to save every drop of energy you've got and plan each move before you try to move on. Hawk Storm is really about trial and error. You do something, find out it kills you, and try a different move next time round.\r\n\r\nHawk Storm needs perseverance it you're to get anywhere. You may find the movement annoying but don't give up, there is a game in here somewhere.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"56","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"54","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"54%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 64, Apr 1991","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1991-03-07","Editor":"Andy Ide","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Andy Ide\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nGames Editor: James Leach\r\nStaff Writer: Linda Barker\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Jon North, Rich Pelley, John Pillar, Matt Williams, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Jane Richardson\r\nPublishing Assistant: Michele Harris\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Manager: Ian Seager\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1991. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"HAWK STORM\r\nPlayers\r\n£2.99\r\nReviewer: Rich Pelley\r\n\r\n\"Hawk Storm - last warrior hope of the planet Edos. Many moons ago, the evil Neviks stole the Capacitoid Crystals that were all that stood between the Edosians and destruction. All the Edosians have gone into suspended animation apart from Hawk Storm who must retrieve the 32 missing crystals to save his people.\"\r\n\r\nSounds familiar? Probably because it's the plot to this game. It's a scrolling runaround- the-landscape-and-collect-the-various objects game, but it's one of the most beautifully crafted collect-and-shoot- 'em-ups I've seen in a long while, which is a jolly good thing for a new-release budget. It's colourful, it's fast, and it's challenging without being too difficult. You must avoid various Nevik soldiers, firepits, slimeballs (what these look like is anybody's guess), spikes and gun turrets (shaped like death-spitting llama skulls) or simply blast the bytes out of them - if you have a gun. Your first priority is to get one and your second is to make sure it's decent (there are 3 different death-dealing pistols). Not only that, but you can also collect 3 different special weapons - shields, mines and stryders (a bit like swishing a sword your own length again back and forth) - to make life for the enemy a real misery, not to mention extremely unlikely. Once you'vbe built up a decent armoury of death, then you can go crystal hunting - and good luck! There are also such things as lifts, enenmy pods, electric barriers and teleports to deal with, so you'll have your work cut out.\r\n\r\nOn the minus side, the scrolling is very jerky, and the program won't allow you to jump on the lifts. Still, it's a small price to pay for something as refreshing, complex and enjoyable as this.\r\n\r\nIf anyone sees a slimeball. let me know, won't you? (Eh? Ed)","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"81","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rich Pelley","Score":"79","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Eurgh! What's this gooey-white mess in front of me? Er, probably the baddy I just killed! (Better not get my Reeboks dirty, eh, readers?)"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"79%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 108, Feb 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-01-18","Editor":"Garth Sumpter","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Garth Sumpter\r\nDesign Editor: Andrea 'Hotlips' Walker\r\nDesign: Margaret Goldrick\r\nStaff Writer: Jason Nalk\r\nSU Crew: Chris 'Hateful' Jenkins, John Cook, Pete Gerrard, Gary Liddon\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jim Owens\r\nAd Production: Jo 'Titters' Gleissner\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean Barrett\r\nMarketing Assistants: Sarah Ewing, Sarah Hillard\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1990 EMAP IMAGES\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION; FRONTLINE\r\n\r\nTypesetting by Garthtype\r\nTypos by A.C.C. Ident\r\nColour work by Proprint. B&W filming by PRS.\r\n\r\nNo port of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. Sinclair User would like to express its deepest regrets at the recent death of Mike Johnston, who was the Consultant Editor on the initial launch of Sinclair User. He was first secretory of the Guild of Software Houses and was always a driving force within the industry. He will be remembered for his tireless work running ZX microfairs which he himself initiated and his loss will be felt by everyone that had contact with him."},"MainText":"Label: Players\r\nPrice: £2.99 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nIt's a pity when a decent looking game is spoiled by some careless programming; in the case of Hawk Storm, a nice-looking, colourful, challenging arcade adventure is relegated firmly to the remainder bin by some crappy sprite masking and collision detection.\r\n\r\nThe plot's the usual guff; intrepid warrior Hawk Storm searches the planet of the Neviks for the 32 stolen energy crystals which will regenerate the planet Edos. On the way he has to find guns and ammunition, zap Nevik warriors, blast his way through force shields, avoid disintegrating platforms, leap over pits of fire, and use teleports to jump to other parts of the planet.\r\n\r\nThough the backgrounds are colourful, the animation is jerky and control poor; it's hard to get your hero to leap diagonally, and he quite often ends up suspended in mid-air half on and half off an object due to poor sprite masking.\r\n\r\nGood fun in parts, but not an exciting enough game for it to be worth overlooking the sloppy programming.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Could have been a goodie, but so many corners have been cut that the finished product is lacking something (probably the corners).","Page":"57","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"55","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"55%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]