[{"TitleName":"Invasion of the Body Snatchas!","Publisher":"Crystal Computing","Author":"Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel, Dave De Leuw","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0002538","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 1, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nDesigner: Oliver Frey\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Rod Bellamy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Edwards\r\nProduction Designer: Michael Arienti\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nMono printing, typesetting & finishing by Feb Edge Litho Ltd. [redacted]\r\nColour printing by Allan-Denver Web Offset Ltd. [redacted].\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post included)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post included).\r\nSingle copy: 75p\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to CRASH please send articles or ideas for projects to the above address. Articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope\r\n\r\nCover Illustration:Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Crystal Computing\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRecommended Retail Price: £6.50\r\nLanguage: machine code\r\n\r\nA word of warning first! Crystal have been clever, the program has a special loader and instead of the usual interference lines in the border area while the game is loading it remains clear. You might be tempted to think that something has gone wrong and restart, but leave the tape running and all will be well. As the loading - continues, the game screen details are slowly built up to reveal the traditional appearance of a defender game.\r\n\r\nOnce loading is complete you are asked whether or not you have a Fuller box connected. If you have then spectacular sound effects are produced. Unfortunately, if you are not possessed of an amazing Fuller box, then the program is quite silent.\r\n\r\nThe game itself is a pretty classic copy of Defender.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nKeyboard positions: 4 directional keys are in line which is not the best arrangement. Z/X left/right, N/M up/down, A to G fire laser, H to ENTER, smart bombs (2).\r\nJoystick options: AGF, Protek, Kempston, Fuller\r\nKeyboard play: very responsive\r\nUse of colour: very little\r\nGraphics: very good\r\nSound: none unless used with Fuller box\r\nSkill levels: 1\r\nLives: 3","ReviewerComments":["This is one of the best copies of the original I have seen, and includes Landers, Bombers, Mutants, Swarmers and pods, your craft has a laser and smart bombs and flies forward and in reverse. At the top there is a long range scan - a very good one, you really can use it for lining up a laser blast. The graphics are very smooth but not colourful - another feature which is true to the original. Pity about the sound, it makes it very dull to play.\r\nUnknown","It's all very well offering \"spectacular sound effects\" through the Fuller box, but I wonder how many people have them? The excellent graphics include some of the best cosmic explosions I've yet seen, but all in full stereo silence. Even the muted buzzing of my Spectrum is preferable to this! That apart, we have here a classic copy of an arcade favourite. The scrolling landscape is the usual zig zag line with small humanoids dotted about waiting to be grabbed by the green aliens. It all moves very fast and, if you like the type, is very addictive.\r\nUnknown","It could have been like Star Wars with a Fuller box on board. If this is the way games are going for the Spectrum I'd better get CRASH to provide me with one! It seems a bit mean not to have given the disadvantaged un-Fullerised player a bit of murky sound to be going on with. It's a pity because this is otherwise a good and playable game. The detail is nice, especially Crystal's familiar Hall of Fame where 16 previous players with names like Muad'Dib, Czar Murdicog and the Headless and Greatheart Silver are already listed. Another drawback is the awkward control keys.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A good copy, playable and addictive.","Page":"90,91","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"A green grabber fires at 'you' in Crystal's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHAS!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"67%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"60%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"69.5%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 2, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-23","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nDesigner: Oliver Frey\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Rod Bellamy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Edwards\r\nProduction Designer: Michael Arienti\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nMono printing, typesetting & finishing by Feb Edge Litho Ltd. [redacted]\r\nColour printing by Allan-Denver Web Offset Ltd. [redacted].\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post included)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post included).\r\nSingle copy: 75p\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to CRASH please send articles or ideas for projects to the above address. Articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope\r\n\r\nCover Illustration:Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Crystal, 48K\r\n£6.50 (1)\r\n\r\nA word of warning - this game (indeed all new Crystal programs) has a special loader which makes you think it isn't loading properly. It is a classic copy of the famous arcade original and features Landers, Bombers, Mutants, Swarmer and Pods. There is an excellent radar screen, one you can really use for lining up shots, and spectacular explosion graphics. Sadly unless you own a Fuller Box, the game is totally silent. As usual with 'Defender' games, there is not much colour, but the graphics are fast end smooth. All in all probably the best version for the Spectrum yet. Rather awkward control keys Z/X left/right and N/M up/down, A to G fire laser, H to ENTER smart bombs. Joystick: AGF, Protek, Kempston, Fuller. CRASH rating, playable and addictive, overall 70% M/C","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"49","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 3, Apr 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-03-16","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":128,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nEditorial [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studio, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Plymouth Web Offset Ltd, [redacted].\r\nDistribution by Comag, [redacted]\r\nAdditional setting and process work by The Tortoise Shell Press, [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: Crystal, 48K\r\n£6.50 (1)\r\n\r\nA word of warning - this game (indeed all new Crystal programs) has a special loader which makes you think it isn't loading properly. It is a classic copy of the famous arcade original and features Landers, Bombers, Mutants, Swarmer and Pods. There is an excellent radar screen, one you can really use for lining up shots, and spectacular explosion graphics. Sadly unless you own a Fuller Box, the game is totally silent. As usual with 'Defender' games, there is not much colour, but the graphics are fast end smooth. All in all probably the best version for the Spectrum yet. Rather awkward control keys Z/X left/right and N/M up/down, A to G fire laser, H to ENTER smart bombs. Joystick: AGF, Protek, Kempston, Fuller. CRASH rating, playable and addictive, overall 70% M/C","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"65","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 21, Dec 1983","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-11-17","Editor":"Nigel Clark","TotalPages":204,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Nigel Clark\r\nDeputy Editor: Nicole Segre\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nManaging Production Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nSoftware Editor: John Gilbert\r\nProgram Reviewer: Rebecca Ferguson\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Brian King\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nSales Executive: Annette Burrows\r\nProduction Assistant: Dezi Epaminondou\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to any of the Sinclair User group of publications please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User and Programs\r\nECC Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms 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 will pay £10 for each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1983\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]\r\n\r\nCover Photograph: Peter Dawney"},"MainText":"EFFECTIVE DISPLAY\r\n\r\nArcade games on the 48K Spectrum are still all the rage but it is difficult to find one to better the original. That is the case with Invasion of the Body Snatchas from Crystal Computing.\r\n\r\nThe name of the game may be different but the concept is still that of Defender. You must pilot your spaceship left and right over the alien landscape, shooting-down aliens, avoiding mutants if possible, and rescue refugees from certain death.\r\n\r\nSex equality has finally reached the Spectrum as the refugees are women as opposed to the men of the original. That is not the kind of equality most people have in mind, though, as the women are dropped from staggering heights.\r\n\r\nThe screen display is effective and, if you were to put the computer under the table, you would not know the game was running on such a small machine.\r\n\r\nThis time Crystal has added sound and it is very effective. You can, however, access the buzzing and zapping noises only through a Fuller sound box. That is not a deficiency in the program as, with the type of sound being created, you would not be able to gain a true appreciation through the tiny Spectrum speaker.\r\n\r\nIf you are sufficiently clever and quick-witted you will gain entry into the Hall of Fame. The high-score table is sure to gain notoriety as the program will trap certain names and phrases typed into it and output messages from Crystal Computing. It was distracting trying to find the names which put up the messages, though it was nearly as enthralling as playing the game.\r\n\r\nInvasion of the Body Snatchas is an essential buy for all arcade fans. It can be obtained from Crystal Computing, [redacted].","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"52","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 10, Dec 1983","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1983-11-25","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":196,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ZX Computing\r\nVol. One\r\nNumber Ten\r\nDec/Jan 1984\r\n\r\nEditor: Roger Munford\r\nAdvertising Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nManaging Editor: Ron Harris\r\nManaging Director: T J Connell\r\n\r\nOrigination and design by MM Design & Print, [redacted]\r\nPublished by Argus Specialist Publications Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing is published bi-monthly on the fourth Friday of the month. Distributed by: Argus Press Sales & Distribution Ltd. [redacted]. Printed by: Henry Garnett Ltd., Rotherham.\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication including all articles, designs, plans, drawings and programs and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein 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 Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1983"},"MainText":"MEMORY REQUIRED: 48K\r\n\r\nContrary to expectation, there have been very few implementations of the popular arcade game 'Defender' for the Spectrum. This has had little to do with the actual marketability of the game, as can be seen from the quality of sales made on those available. This lack of competition has been to the disadvantage of the games player.\r\n\r\nTill now, with the introduction of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers, from Crystal. 'I.O.B.S.', which is a full implementation of the arcade game, includes a full radar, Hall of Fame, etc. Obviously few points can be awarded for originality, but on the other hand it is the quality of the implementation which puts it so far above the rest. The explosions, especially those of yourself are graphically fantastic - see the original. Movement of yourself, the enemy and the bodies is not just smooth, but very smooth and fast, very fast.\r\n\r\nAs more and more aliens materialize on the screen the whole game gets frantic indeed. All the normal functions are available - forward, reverse, fire and smart bombs. Firing is not auto repetitive which makes the game more difficult still. Scoring is on-screen, with bonuses added for the number of bodies left after each wave of attackers. If, of course, you manage to score one of the top scores you can enter your name (or message) on the Hall of Fame.\r\n\r\nSound on the Spectrum could hardly do justice to such an impressive program, so Crystal have opted to support the Fuller Music Box only. This is rather awkward for those who do not own one, but another sacrifice which would have to be made when using the Spectrum's own sound is that of speed. The Spectrum does not allow you to send a sound to the noise circuitry and let it get on with the production whilst you get on with the rest of the program - the Fuller Box does, hence allowing the game to run faster. Not surprisingly the sound effects produced are very good, a credit to both Crystal and Fuller.\r\n\r\nAs often is the case, life is made a great deal easier with the use of a joystick, and this game is no exception. Fast and precise actions are the name of the game, a very enjoyable and addictive game. Highly recommended.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"30","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Walsh","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Documentation","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Quality","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4.5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Programming Achievement","Score":"4.5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"4.5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"4.5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]