[{"TitleName":"Iwo Jima","Publisher":"PSS","Author":"John Bethell","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0002561","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 30, Jul 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-06-26","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishing Executive: Roger Kean\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nStaff Writers: Hannah Smith, Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: John Minson, Jon Bates, Rosetta McLeod\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nProduction: Gordon Druce, Tony Lorton\r\nProcess Camera: Matthew Uffindell\r\nPhotographer: Cameron Pound\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\nInformation and Bookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted];\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"},"MainText":"IWO JIMA\r\n\r\nProducer: PSS\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nAuthor: John Bethell\r\n\r\nThis reconstruction of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II's South Pacific campaign is the latest in the Strategic Wargames series vas began with Falklands 82. It uses a system similar to that of its predecessor with full map display at all times, five levels of difficulty, phased order sequences and a game design that follows the PSS philosophy of 'playable' games - games that do not take more than a couple of sessions to complete.\r\n\r\nAs he did with Falklands, the author has willingly sacrificed some authenticity for the sake of playability. There is logic to this move. A detailed simulation of the conflict would definitely have strained the limits of a Microdrive based game, let alone one on cassette. The game still tries to cover the battle in reasonable depth, however.\r\n\r\nThe package is simple, consisting of a small cassette case and a booklet of instructions. Loading takes no more than a couple of minutes and once the program is in memory, the first of the aesthetic improvements to Bethell's game system becomes obvious. Everything is menu driven: the player only ever needs to use three keys. In a wargame, there's no reason why this cannot always be the case, as the increase in the speed of interaction between player and computer allows straightforward implementation of a strategy.\r\n\r\nAll the game functions, from setting the difficulty level to choosing a unit to order and the orders themselves (Move, Attack, Land, Pass) are simply selected from information windows and confirmed. All relevant information on the unit currently selected is also displayed in an information window using an abstract points system. Units have an aggression factor, defence factor, movement factor and a range factor, all of which affect combat ability.\r\n\r\nThe player (as there is no two player option) must always take the side of the American forces, with the objective of eliminating all the enemy units between turns 32 and 36 (depending on the difficulty level set). The enemy may fortify positions, make suicide attacks if a unit is about to be wiped out and launch air attacks against the carrier force bringing reinforcements and artillery support to your units. As long as the offshore fleet is well defended, weather permitting, you may launch air strikes against the enemy.\r\n\r\nInitially, the player must establish a beach head with the first of his units (reinforcements arrive throughout the game) and there are six beaches which may act as landing sites. Many of them are penned in by minefields and so a careful choice must be made as to which units land where. There is no restriction on the number of beaches that may be used, so long as units are not stacked in the same area.\r\n\r\nThat really sums up the game. Getting into Iwo Jima is an extremely simple process, no doubt because it was designed with beginners in mind. And this brings up the question of why PSS include arcade sequences on their more 'serious' games and yet exclude them from these introductory efforts. Not that I am advocating their use at all - but it does seem rather strange. There is some animation in the game, however. Air strikes by either side are rather crudely depicted by a simple aircraft silhouette that passes over the target area.\r\n\r\nThere are faults with the system. Air strikes can only be called either after an attack by ground forces or by a unit that deliberately tries to attack whilst out of range. This really could have been made neater. The limited intelligence used in the game seems to be affected only by proximity and not by terrain. Because the designer has decided to make the whole island visible during play, the display size of the units is very small indeed and when several units are in close proximity, this can lead to confusion.\r\n\r\nI can see this game appealing to those who feel daunted by some other companies' more complex offerings and would still like to venture into the area of wargaming. I must stress that its appeal for the more experienced player is likely to be very limited. Because of the way the author has changed historical details in the name of playability, anybody looking for an accurate means of simulating the battle is likely to be very disappointed with this game.\r\n\r\nFor all that, the final result is playable and PSS are not demanding that you break the bank to obtain a copy. Someone just looking for a way to pass a couple of hours at the keyboard without wanting to risk a migraine may get something from Iwo Jima. For anyone else, steer clear. It probably won't be worth it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"55,56","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Sean Masterson","Score":"60","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Though small, the map in IWO JIMA is a definite improvement to the one in FALKLANDS. The black boxes are the option and information windows."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"72%","Text":"Well laid out instructions but the map looks slightly crowded."},{"Header":"Rules","Score":"67%","Text":"Great for the beginner but apart from the historical notes (which could have been longer but are still welcome) there is little for the more demanding player."},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"68%","Text":"Easy to get into and good; fast interaction makes the game a doddle to play."},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"57%","Text":"A crisp map of Iwo Jima is let down by poor unit markers and terrain features."},{"Header":"Authenticity","Score":"48%","Text":"Too much has been left out for playability's sake for this to be considered authentic, but perhaps beginners can overlook this."},{"Header":"Opponent","Score":"41%","Text":"Doesn't put up much of a fight."},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"59%","Text":"Cheap, but experienced players would master the game before long."},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"60%","Text":"When I first saw this game on the Commodore, I didn't like it at all. However, its good points have grown on me. This percentage has been given with the beginner in mind."}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 8, Aug 1986","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-10","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Martin Dixon\r\nDeputy Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nDesigner: Caroline Clayton\r\nImperial Staff Writer: Phil South\r\nTechnical Consultant: Peter Shaw\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Luke C, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith, Chris Wood\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Advertisement Director: Chris Talbot\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 ©1986 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":"PSS\n£7.95\nReviewer: Gwyn Hughes\n\nGung-ho heroics or a futile waste of life? in the abstract sense Iwo Jima, like all battles in all wars, was really the latter, but in the context of World War Two it was a major strategic move to secure victory in the Pacific.\n\nAnybody who saw the Falkland's game will recognise the style. You have a set time, depending on level, to clear the island. Giving commands is eminently simple - it's all done with three keys - 1 and 3 scroll the options while 2 selects. There's no need to take units in the order they're presented, though this can become rather tortuous as you have to reject earlier units.\n\nLimited information is important; you won't discover that field gun until you're right on top of it. It's a slow, methodical sweep across mainly mountain and scrub terrain with delays as you encounter heavily fortified positions.\n\nWhile the small scale map means that everything is on screen all of the time, it also keeps everything fairly simple. As with its predecessor this could be a good introduction to the genre for any prospective arm-chair general though it's unlikely to provide established tacticians with a major challenge.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"33","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Gwyn Hughes","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 54, Sep 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-08-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writers: Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nAdventure Writers: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nHardware Correspondent: John Lambert\r\nContributors: Gary Rook, Richard Price, Mike Wright\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: Lee Sullivan\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\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: PSS\r\nPrice: £7.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Gary Rook\r\n\r\nIf you've ever wondered what it's like to leap out of a landing craft, charge up a sandy beach and hack your way through thick jungle, never knowing when you've going to blunder into some violent enemy yelling 'Banzai!', then PSS's latest wargame, Iwo Jima, probably isn't for you.\r\n\r\nOn the other hand, if you're looking for a decent strategy game which is going to test your military capabilities, then it probably won't be your cup of tea either.\r\n\r\nIt's not that Iwo Jima is a bad game as such - the implementation is really pretty good - it's just that there's nothing very inspiring about it. Just like the original battle, in which the US marine corp suffered hideous casualties invading the Pacific island heavily fortified by the Japanese, it's sheer unrelenting slog.\r\n\r\nThe playing area is about 60 characters by 25, and shows the island and surrounding waters. Water is blue (surprise!), scrubland is yellow, mountains are green and airfields are purple; also marked on the map are villages, quarries and minefields.\r\n\r\nAt the beginning of the game, you choose one of five levels: easy, moderate, hard, difficult or masochistic.\r\n\r\nIn the first turn you have to land ten units, each of which can be put ashore on any one of five invasion beaches. Your troops - the marines - are white squares with black symbols indicating type. To begin with, you have eight infantry units and two of tanks, but later you also get some artillery.\r\n\r\nTo order your troops, you either use a joystick or the 1, 2 and 3 keys. Left/right and 1 or 3 cycle through the various orders you can give your units, and fire or 2 actually commits you to doing something. Orders are Attack, Move or Pass (and at certain times, Land.) if you Move, the computer asks you in which direction, until the unit has used its movement allowance or you choose to have it stop. Tanks move further than infantry and artillery, and terrain is taken into account.\r\n\r\nOnce you've landed, some - but not all - of the Japanese forces will be revealed, either because your troops can see them or because the computer has decided to attack with them. Japanese land forces are shown in pink, and are either infantry, artillery, tanks or strongpoints. Some of them are very tough indeed.\r\n\r\nAll units on the board have an attack factor, a defence factor, a movement factor and a range as well as a unit identification. When a unit suffers damage, its attack factor is reduced: when it reaches zero, it ceases to exist.\r\n\r\nIf you order one of your units to attack, the computer will pick a Japanese unit in range and start flashing it in inverse video, at the same time asking if this is the unit you want to attack. Be careful as it's quite happy to ask you if you want to attack a unit and then, when you say yes, tell you it's out of range - which means that your unit loses its turn.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, the Japanese have bombers which attack your ships; although they are eventually shot down, they can damage your battleships and make them less effective. Similarly, there is a Japanese submarine which pops up and sinks your gunships. What's more, if it's stormy and the seas are rough, you can't land troops or use your gunships.\r\n\r\nSo far I've beaten the computer on the easy level, but got slaughtered on Level 3. To be quite honest, though, I wasn't really that fussed. I don't think I'll be taking my holidays on Iwo Jima.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A competent, if old fashioned, piece of programming, but the game just fails to excite.","Page":"47","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 61, Nov 1986","Price":"£98","ReleaseDate":"1986-10-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nDesign: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Paul Coppins, Steve Donoghue\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: Gary Ward\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum/CBM 64\r\nSUPPLIER: PSS\r\nPRICE: £7.95\r\n\r\nAt Iwo Jima in World War Two there was only one kind of Japanese casualty - the dead. Of the 22,000 defending the island against American invasion only 216 finally surrendered. In this PPS game the player, taking the Americans, must land and wipe out all opposition.\r\n\r\nDesigner John Bethell has employed the same game mechanism as for his Falklands 82. It is a slow, plodding system, and works better at representing the grim advance of the US Marines across the island than the British manoeuvres in the Falklands.\r\n\r\nBut it hardly makes for a challenging or exciting game.\r\n\r\nThe key to winning is controlling indirect fire from aircraft and ships off shore. But to accomplish this the computer offers the player as a target, for each of his own units, every one of the twenty or so Japanese units on the island in turn. For a game lasting 30 turns set aside a whole afternoon - there is no save mechanism.\r\n\r\nTo compensate for this awkward playing mechanism the designer has had to ignore historical realism to speed the game up a little.\r\n\r\nThe American force is cut to about a third of its true size, the Japanese defence randomised, and an improbable Japanese submarine added to the game.\r\n\r\nThe result is not much like Iwo Jima, but the slow grind to destroy all enemy units gives a fair idea of what Marine tactics in the Pacific had to be.\r\n\r\nIwo Jima is released as part of the Strategic Wargames Series (an odd title, the game has little to do with strategy) the idea of which is to provide beginners with an easily played wargame at a low cost.\r\n\r\nFair enough, but there's no reason why beginners should be taught bad habits which they will only have to un-learn later.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"42","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Dr Stephen Badsy","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Realism","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"6/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 28, Aug 1986","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-24","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Managers: Peter Chandler and John McGarry\r\nDesign: Argus Design\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Alabaster Passmore and Sons Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Lynn Collis\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. ©1986"},"MainText":"PSS\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nEvery regiment or fighting unit takes inordinate pride in battles in which they have distinguished themselves. In the case of the US Marines, one of their finest hours was undoubtedly when they captured the island of Iwo Jima. It was an extremely bloody battle with some 24,000 American casualties over the 36 days of battle. Because of their reluctance to surrender, only 216 Japanese troops survived from an original garrison of 22,000. In this beginner's level wargame from the author of Falklands 82, you play the part of the American forces as you attempt to eliminate every single Japanese unit within a certain number of game turns (this varies according to the skill level selected).\r\n\r\nThe game starts with all your forces offshore and you must land them at one of five beaches. As you land or move the position of any Japanese forces that are within range are revealed. Not all your units land at turn one Reinforcements are available from turn three providing the seas are calm. Control of your forces is done entirely through three keys, Keys 1 and 3 scroll through your options whilst key 2 selects a specific action. The three basic commands are land, move and attack.\r\n\r\nEach unit is assigned four different values. These are an aggression factor which reflects firepower, morale and the reputation of the unit and a defence factor which indicates how well the unit can look after itself and is also dependent on the current terrain - it is easier to defend a mountain than open land. Movement determines how far a unit can travel in a particular turn, again terrain dependent whilst range indicates how far away an enemy force can be before you can attack it. When attacking an enemy unit, you can also summon up supporting naval gunfire in certain situations and it is advisable to concentrate this initially on the Japanese coastal batteries.\r\n\r\nIwo Jima is an excellent introduction to the noble art of wargaming. It is very simple to play and provides a reasonable challenge. Experienced wargamers will no doubt prefer something a bit meatier though.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"43","Denied":false,"Award":"Globert","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Good","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]