[{"TitleName":"Jumbly","Publisher":"DK'Tronics Ltd","Author":"Don Priestley","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0002654","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 3, May 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-09","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":122,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nManaging Editor: Bruce Sawford\r\nDeputy Editor: Tina Boylan\r\nEditorial Assistant: Pete Shaw\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nSub Editor: Nik Lumsden\r\nContributors: Phil Manchester, Ian Beardsmore, Ron Smith, Mike Mepham, Sandy Dewhurst, Colin Young, Andrew Wright, Richard Archdeacon, Stephen Adams, Damir Skrgatic, Dilwyn Jones, Simon Goodwin, Toni Baker, SQ Factor\r\nArt Editor: Jimmy Egerton\r\nArt Assistant: Steve Broadhurst\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Jeff Raggett\r\nAdvertisement Managers: Shane Campbell, Gill Harris, Jason Wood\r\nProduction Editor: Derek Cohen\r\nTypesetters: Beverley Douglas, Maggie Kayley, Velma Miller\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\nDistribution Manager: Colin James\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1984 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a monthly publication.\r\n\r\nCover photography by Ian McKinnell"},"MainText":"JUMBLY\r\nDK'Tronics\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nThis is one of those slide puzzles, the kind that used to be found in Christmas stockings and crackers every year. You start with a picture grid, and all the squares jumbled up; your job is to put them back in order.","ReviewerComments":["Having instructed the program to move one of the squares, it shifts to the new position very quickly. Sometimes the response to the player's commands is so good, the wrong section moves.\r\nJohn Hall\r\n7/10","The pictures generated are of a particularly high standard and use colour to the best advantage. But needless to say, they are generally static and. therefore, this is less of a plus.\r\nTony Samuels\r\n6/10","The pictures generated are superb, and the speed of the program is very fast, giving a good response time — apart from when it's jumbling the letters which takes about 15 seconds.\r\nMark Knight\r\n8/10"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"70","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"John Hall","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Tony Samuels","Score":"6","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Mark Knight","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 4, May 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-19","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: DK. Tronics, 48K\r\n£5.95\r\n\r\nAnother jigsaw puzzle game, but with more pictures than Artic's game offers. The object again is to recreate the original picture from the pieces. The graphics are very good, with plenty of detail and smooth animation. The sound is also excellent, with one or two different tunes for each puzzle. Good instructions. Overall CRASH rating 64%. May be used with Kempston joystick. Machine code.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"64","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"64%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer Games Issue 4, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-16","Editor":"Chris Anderson","TotalPages":184,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Editor: Roderick George\r\nArt Editor: Ian Findlay\r\nTechnical Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nStaff Writers: Steve Cooke, Peter Connor\r\nEditorial Assistant: Samantha Hemens\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nCartoons: Kipper Williams\r\nProgram Control Guardians: Jeff Riddle\r\nGame-of-the-month poster: Mark Watkinson\r\nScreenshots: Chris Bell\r\nCover Photography: Ko Kon Chung\r\nGroup Editor: Cyndy Miles\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Sue Clements\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Herbert Wright\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Jan Martin\r\nAdvertisement Production: Simon Carter\r\nSales Executives: Joey Davies, Marion O'Neill, Louise Hedges\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]. Typesetting by Spectrum Typesetting, [redacted] Origination by Fourmost Colour [redacted]. Printed and bound by Chase Web Offset [redacted]. © VNU Business Publications 1984."},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum 48K\r\nJOYSTICK: Optional\r\nCATEGORY: Puzzle\r\nSUPPLIER: DK'Tronics\r\nPRICE: £6.95\r\n\r\nRemember those flat plastic puzzles in which you had to slide squares around until they were in the right order? Now you can do the same thing on a computer.\r\n\r\nJumbly is a very nice version of the puzzle with the added twist that some of the 10 pictures you have to unscramble are continually scrolling. This means that in their jumbled-up state it's extremely difficult to work out which piece goes where.\r\n\r\nAnother addition is that you have a target number of moves to solve the puzzle in (initially 150). If you make the target you're supplied with a code which allows you to move on to the next picture.\r\n\r\nIf you don't make it, you gnash your teeth and try again. I fear that quite a few buyers of Jumbly will do a good deal of teeth-gnashing. For if you hold down a key a fraction of a second too long, you will end up sliding two squares instead of one. You only have to do this a few times to blow any chance of reaching your target\r\n\r\nFortunately you do have the option of peeking at the unscrambled picture you're aiming for. And of stopping the scrolling - although this stops you getting the code when you solve the puzzle.\r\n\r\nAnyone who does manage to get through all 10 puzzles will win the right to design a picture for Jumbly II.\r\n\r\nBut although Jumbly is novel, colourful and slick, at heart it remains a simple puzzle which is made frustrating in a rather artificial way. A bit like asking someone to count to 10 while holding his head submerged in a bucket of glue.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"94,95","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Anderson","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Ease Of Use","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Originality","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Lasting Interest","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 12, Apr 1984","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-03-29","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":156,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Fiona Eldridge\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nAdvertising Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Beverley McNeill\r\nCopy Controller: Ann McDermott\r\nManaging Editor: Ron Harris\r\nChief Executive: 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: Garnett Print, Rotherham and London.\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 1984"},"MainText":"Jumbly is based on the old fashioned slider puzzle game in which a sequence of numbers, letters or a picture must be rearranged correctly. In this rather advanced, computerised version, a number of specially designed pictures are divided into twenty blocks. The computer jumbles the picture by removing a block and sliding the remaining nineteen about in a random manner. The odd block is then replaced once the puzzle has been completed. You then must rearrange the blocks into the correct order using keyboard or joystick.\r\n\r\nA target number of moves for each picture is provided; if this target is exceeded, the picture will have to be attempted again. If on the other hand the target is either met or beaten, then the option of going on to the next puzzle is provided. Titles are given to each puzzle, the next one only being given on the completion of the present one. Fortunately, the first three titles are given beforehand, so giving you a headstart.\r\n\r\nSome pictures jumble with wrap-around, ie a block can jump off the end of the puzzle board and reappear on the other side so adding another dimension to the game. Another added extra is the cleverly written tune which plays with each puzzle (and can of course be turned off). If and when you complete all the puzzles, there is an opportunity to win £150 by designing your own picture.\r\n\r\nVerdict: The pictures are stunning, the graphics are excellent and the sound is fantastic. An old idea has been put to work very neatly and efficiently, whilst also expanding upon it. The game is surprisingly addictive and often frustrating. The graphics are smooth and a pleasure to watch and the game is a delight from a player's point of view as well as the programmer's.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"101","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Walsh","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Originality","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Use Of Machine","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"80%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 59, Apr 1984","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-28","Editor":"Cyndy Miles","TotalPages":58,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Cyndy Miles\r\nDeputy Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nManaging Editor: Peter Worlock\r\nSub-Editors: Harriet Arnold, Leah Batham\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writer: Ralph Bancroft\r\nHardware Editor: Ian Scales\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPrograms Editor: Ken Garroch\r\nPeripherals Editor: Piers Letcher\r\nListings Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditor's Assistant: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Robinson\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Floyd Sayers\r\nLayout Artist: Nigel Wingrove\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nPublishing Secretary: Jenny Dunne\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Bettina Williams\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Sarah Barron\r\nSales Executives: Christian McCarthy, John Bryan, Laura Cade, Paul Evans\r\nProduction: Nikki Payne\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"NAME: Jumbly\r\nSYSTEM: 48K Spectrum\r\nPRICE: £6.95\r\nPUBLISHER: DK'Tronics, [redacted]\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nLANGUAGE: Machine code\r\nOTHER VERSIONS: None\r\nOUTLETS: Spectrum retailers\r\n\r\nRemember being frustrated by those flat, plastic puzzles where you had to unscramble a muddle by sliding lettered or numbered tiles around a tray? DK'Tronics has brought this type of puzzle kicking and screaming into the electronic age.\r\n\r\nThe object is to slide the jumbled tiles around and reassemble the original picture in a set of moves. There are at least 12 different puzzles to solve but you are only told the titles of the first three.\r\n\r\nYou select your puzzle by entering its title (Letters, Jumbly or Nursery). The chosen picture is displayed, one of the 20 tiles is removed and placed outside the tray and the rest are randomly jumbled. Your target to beat (around 100 moves for the simpler puzzles) and actual number of moves is shown.\r\n\r\nManipulating the puzzle is easy - each picture has one vacant square so by using joystick (or keyboard) you move a tile up, down, left or right into the empty slot. There is a wide variety of musical accompaniments and you can switch back to the puzzle solution.\r\n\r\nIf all this sounds fairly ordinary, wait until you see the puzzles themselves - they are alive. The Nursery puzzle includes a winking, leg-swinging dolly, twin cannons blazing away at each other, a twitching monkey, a drum-beating rabbit, a spinning top, a marching guardsman and a bouncing jack-in-the-box.\r\n\r\nSome of the harder puzzles are not only animated, they also scroll. In wraparound fashion, off the edges of the tray. You can freeze the picture - that helps a bit - and if you're desperate, remove the scrolling.\r\n\r\nAn old mechanical puzzle brought sparklingly up to date. The random shuffling and mobile pictures present a tough challenge yet the game manages to remain hugely enjoyable.\r\n\r\nMicropaedia Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nDesign: Paul Clarkson\r\nContributors: Jim Ballard, Bob Chappell, Bill Davies, Mike Gerrard and Simon Williams\r\n\r\nNEXT WEEK\r\n\r\nWe begin a five-part series of detailed graphics techniques for the BBC Micro, the Acorn Electron, the Oric Atmos, the Oric-1, the Atari series of home computers, the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair Spectrum.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"27","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Geof Wheelwight","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Jim Ballard","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Bob Chappell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Bill Davies","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mike Gerrard","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Simon Williams","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Use Of Machine","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]