[{"TitleName":"Laser Snaker","Publisher":"Poppy Soft","Author":"Stephen J. Crow","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0002812","Reviews":[{"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: Kempston\r\nCATEGORY: Arcade\r\nSUPPLIER: Poppysoft\r\nPRICE: £5.95\r\n\r\nYou're the snake in Laser Snaker and your mission is to penetrate egg plantations. The eggs are multicoloured and spread randomly about a succession of screens, here called sheets.\r\n\r\nYou start as just the snake's head and by swallowing eggs you grow a section at a time.\r\n\r\nIn the long run, it's better to zap the eggs with your laser than eat them, because it's always possible to bump into your own tail when it gets long enough, resulting in the loss of one of three lives.\r\n\r\nThe same goes for bumping into anything else - the walls, blocks which throb on and off called chrystoids, and creatures called Aggranoids and Viproids.\r\n\r\nAggronoids look like green balls of fluff with eyes, and bounce around mischievously evading your fire. A Viproid is a blue snake which, like you, eats eggs and twists and turns.\r\n\r\nThe object is to graduate to sheet 15, where a secret symbol is to be revealed. This involves clearing the eggs completely off some sheets, and reaching things called power stones embedded in mazes on other screens.\r\n\r\nThis is no mean feat, even at the lowest of 10 speed levels and five difficulty levels. Because they know it's hard, Poppysoft are offering a cash prize to whoever cracks it before April.\r\n\r\nI foresee much agonizing wrist-strain with this one as people wrestle with their Kempstons far into the night.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"82,83","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Wensley Dale","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Ease Of Use","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Originality","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Lasting Interest","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 1, Jan 1984","Price":"£0.8","ReleaseDate":"1983-12-15","Editor":"Toby Wolpe","TotalPages":276,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Toby Wolpe\r\nAssistant Editor: Meirion Jones\r\nStaff Writer: Simon Beesley\r\nProduction Editor: Ian Vallely\r\nSub-Editor: Paul Bond\r\nEditorial Secretary: Lynn Dawson\r\nEditorial: [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: U.K. £10.50 for 12 issues.\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Shobhan Gajjar\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Nicholas Ratnieks\r\nAdvertisement Executives: Nigel Borrell, Julian Bidlake\r\nNorthern Office: Ron Southall\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Jeanette Mackrell\r\nClassified: Claire Notley\r\nPublishing Director: Chris Hipwell\r\n\r\n©Business Press International Ltd 1984\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in Great Britain for the proprietors of Business Press International Ltd, [redacted].\r\nISSN 0263-0885\r\nPrinted by Riverside Press Ltd, [redacted], and typeset by Instep Ltd, [redacted]"},"MainText":"48K Spectrum\r\nShoot-'em-up\r\nPoppy Soft\r\n£5.95\r\n\r\nBasically a centipede style game. There is a chance to win £100 once you penetrate the myriad mazes of propagation and discover the secret symbol. You have to be able to answer two questions.\r\n\r\nWhat kind of snake are you and what was the thing you saw? You steer using the cursor keys or a joystick and fire using the zero key. The laser defends you against vicious green Aggronoids and the poisonous blue Viproid, which tries to steal the eggs. There are also death chrystoids lying around. Excellent use of colour and tough at all levels.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"65","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"3/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 11, Feb 1984","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-26","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ZX Computing\r\nVol. One\r\nNumber Eleven\r\nFeb/Mar 1984\r\n\r\nEditor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Fiona Eldridge\r\nSpecial Publications 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: 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 1984"},"MainText":"Laser Snaker is written for the 48K Spectrum, and is based around the theme of the traditional snake game in which the snake must eat the eggs. Fortunately, 'Laser Snaker' has a few added extras. The scenario goes as follows:\r\n\r\nThe laser snake must penetrate the hidden depths of the egg plantation and discover the secret symbol which is your key to success and fortune. Fortune? Yes, there is a £100 prize to be won, not quite a fortune but very nice for just playing games. Lurking in the plantation are Aggronoids, vicious green monsters. There is also the snake's arch enemy the Blue Viproid, who also spends his time eating the eggs, and will cause you to be destroyed if you hit him. Your snake has a laser, this is definitely a mutation of the technological age, as I am sure that when I was taught about snakes they still used venom! Anyway, this laser is capable of slicing up a Viproid or destroying an Aggronoid. If a Viproid is hit straight between the eyes he will return to an egg, which can be gobbled up. Death chrystoids appear and must either be shot or avoided. Many mazes must be penetrated before heading for the power crystal. This rejuvenates the snake, and puts you to a higher status level.\r\n\r\nThough the idea of the game is not particularly original, this is, for the most part made up for by the colourful graphics, lightning speed and versatility of play. As a beginner a training level may be selected to give yourself a decent chance. Speed may be increased up to a near impossible level. Difficulty can also be selected independently of the speed. A problem is caused by the rather thoughtless selection of the cursor keys for controlling the snake - they are far from logically placed for movements. Obviously the use of the correct joystick would solve this problem.\r\n\r\nApart from this flaw the game is colourful, exciting and a pleasure to play, even if it is not the most innovative piece of software on sale today.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"134","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Walsh","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]