[{"TitleName":"Macadam Bumper","Publisher":"ERE Informatique","Author":"Peter Austin, Remi Herbulot","YearOfRelease":"1985","ZxDbId":"0002957","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 21, Oct 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-09-26","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishing Executive: Roger Kean\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nProduction Assistants: Gordon Druce, Matthew Uffindell\r\nSoftware Editor: Jeremy Spencer\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nSub Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Chris Passey, Robin Candy, Ben Stone, John Minson, Mark Hamer, Gary Liddon, Julian Rignall, Gary Penn\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\n©1985 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £14.50 post included (UK Mainland); Europe: 12 issues £21.50 post included. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing.\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. The opinions and views of correspondents are their own and not necessarily in accord with those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nMICRONET:\r\nYou can talk to CRASH via Micronet. Our MBX is 105845851\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: PSS\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nLanguage: French Machine code\r\nAuthor: R Herbulot\r\n\r\nMacadam Bumper comes back to back with the Amstrad version, which is an increasing trend nowadays, but the striking thing about this game is that it was written by a French software house. PSS are clearly waking up to this fact and not being a company to wait for the tunnel, they grabbed the UK rights. However, Macadam Bumper is more than just a pinball simulation....\r\n\r\nImmediately after loading the game you are presented with a menu screen containing six options. If you've got itchy flipper fingers, you can get straight to playing pinball on the built-in table. Alternatively you can modify a table layout, design a new one, save a design to tape or load a previously created table into the program. If the mood takes you, you can redefine the playing keys before you start playing.\r\n\r\nIn PLAY mode, the table itself occupies just under two thirds of the screen; the rest is taken up with a rather saucy scoreboard the design of which rather inspires the alternative title of 'Madam Bumper' (well, it is French software, after all). To begin play you must insert some money, or rather press the appropriate key a few times. The next pre-game task is to input the number of players any number up to four can join in a game.\r\n\r\nNow you are set to begin. The ball is fired by holding down the left and right flipper keys together - the longer you hold them down the greater the force applied to the ball. Once the ball is out into the table it's pretty well at the mercy of the bouncers, springs, bumpers and of course you, and your flippers. There is a 'jolt table' facility in the game, which is rare on pinball simulations and allows very realistic play. The simulation is accurate: jolt the table too much and the 'TILT' light comes on and you lose the game.\r\n\r\nAll the bonus features are on the standard table, you know the sort of thing, knock down the whole series of targets and you get a bonus million points or get a ball zipping between two bumpers and you can sit back and watch your score increase by a factor of ten. But when you grow tired of the standard table you are only a key press away from designing one of your own.\r\n\r\nFrom the main menu you can enter the DESIGN mode where you can either modify the table layout currently stored in the program or design a table from scratch. In the design mode, the screen displays the table you are working on with a panel of parts in place of the saucy picture. All told there are some seventeen different components including slopes, flippers, bumpers, targets, rollovers and guiding channels. A selection of point values can be allocated to components which affect the score during play.\r\n\r\nEach component and score value is labelled with a letter next to an arrow. The arrow points to the spot on the component which is placed over the cursor used to select where parts are to be placed on the table. To place a component, all that you need to do is to move the cursor to the required position and press its identifying letter.\r\n\r\nA draw option allows you to change the shape of any part of the table. Y, G, H and B drive a cursor which draws a line in your specified colour in its wake. Pressing caps shift and symbol shift provides a brush which can paint any object that you choose to move it over, except for the bed of the table which must be of one uniform colour.\r\n\r\nOnce you have settled on a layout you can move onto the page which allows you to alter the characteristics of the table. For example you can change slope and tilt sensitivity, elasticity and the speed of the bumpers. From this page you can also alter the sound output and the rules governing the allocation of bonus points, extra balls and games.\r\n\r\nWhen you have finished designing your masterpiece you can save it to tape and start on the next one, and you can always load a previous design back in and try to improve it. When you come up with the perfect pinball layout you might be tempted to send a copy off to PSS to try and win the pinball table they are giving away as part of the inlay promotion.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: playing keys are definable\r\nJoystick: not applicable to the game\r\nKeyboard play: very good\r\nUse of colour: choose your own\r\nGraphics: very good\r\nSound: average\r\nSkill levels: depends on your design ability\r\nScreens: one playing, two for design","ReviewerComments":["Unlike some members of the CRASH review team I was not able to misspend my youth bent double over a pinball machine. That's one of the reasons why I had difficulty understanding the Elton John song from the film Tommy. I certainly made up for lost time playing Macadam Bumper! The game plays very well indeed but the ball does become a bit flickery when you after some of the table specifications and speed things up a bit. Designing your own table is quite good fun, but practice is needed to avoid producing unplayable tables. This is a very good implementation of pinball, and the powerful design facility adds greatly to its lastability - especially if you are gifted with a warped imagination.\r\r\nUnknown","It is very hard to represent Pinball accurately on a home computer. Previous versions have suffered from being slow and unrealistic, but PSS have to put together a reasonable representation of the game. The graphics, though not mind blowingly brilliant, are adequate and serve their purpose well. The option to define your own tables makes it a good package and allows plenty of scope for tough games. Not being a pinball addict I found that Macadam Bumper was instantly playable and quite addictive. Overall, it's a good game and certainly one of the better pinball spin offs.\r\r\nUnknown","Pinball wizards will love Macadam Bumper. Playing the basic table provided within the game should provide hours of fun itself, but once you get tired of pounding flippers, it's time to experiment. It's up to you how many skill levels the game has - design yourself harder pinball tables as and when you need them. All in all, a good package, well executed, which you will probably go back to again and again. The instructions, however, are rather poor.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Overall this is an excellent package.","Page":"48","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"87%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 57, Sep 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-08-09","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Joe Davies, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Duncan MacDonald, Jon North, Rich Pelley, Jackie Ryan, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertising Executive: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Richardson\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Director: 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: SM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"MACADAM BUMPER\r\nPlayers\r\n£2.99\r\nReviewer: Rich Pelley\r\n\r\nIf dodgy pinball sims are your bag, then Macadam Bumper could be just your ticket, cos spookily enough, pinball's exactly what this little trolly's about. Of course, it's all been done before (and with knobs on) but as a pinball sim it serves its purpose, so I suppose we can't complain. This one sneakily pretends to be like the real thing, making you press a key to 'insert a coin' to start and allowing you to cheat by jolting either side of the imaginary table so the ball'll go all wobbly! It's also got this kooky little editor jobby which allows you to design your own layout and things - perfect for whiling away those long, cold, winter nights. Hmmm, but what to say next, eh? Well the game itself isn't that thrilling (ie it's a bit crap to be honest), but designing your own courses and whatnot does liven things up a bit, so if this sort of thing appeals to you, get out your coppers and get buying!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rich Pelley","Score":"66","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Hmm. Whoever designed this one must be a few points short of an extra ball."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"66%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 20, Nov 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-10-17","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":74,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Phoebe Evans\r\nDeputy Editor: Peter Shaw\r\nProduction Editor: Louise Cook\r\nDesigner: Martin Dixon\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Ross Holman, Tony Samuels, Penny Page, Alan Trevartha, Dave Bishop, Teresa Maughan, Keith Symonds, Iolo Davidson, Steve Cooke, Chris Wood, Rick Robson, Dougie Bern, Max Phillips, Phil South, Dave Nicholls\r\nAdvertisement Manager: David Baskerville\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Chris Talbot\r\nManaging Editor: Roger Munford\r\nArt Director: Jimmy Egerton\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\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 Spectrum ©1985 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."},"MainText":"MACADAM BUMPER\r\nPSS\r\n£9.95\r\n\r\nRick: WEll, flip me, what a bumper treat for pinball and programming wizards. This is the pinball game in excelsis!\r\n\r\nBut not only that, this game has the facility to let you design your own pin ball table. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with the programmed one. And if you come up with a beaut then PSS will build it and give it to you. If you don't win their competition it'll still provide you with endless permutations of bumpers, bells and ripples.\r\n\r\nRight from the loading screen this game captures all the thrills of those nights manically flexing your flipper fingers. But there's no seven foot lurch behind you ready to top yer if yer beat his score.\r\n\r\nLike all the best games its simplicity itself. Six flippers are controlled by two keys. For a little ambience, press C to put your money in. (No bent 10ps allowed). Punch up the number of players you want then release the ball at the pace you like to pin those posts or pot that special. As a simulation its uncanny. The flippers have the deftness and delicacy of the best of the real thing. You can jolt - but gently, or else, of course you tilt. You can catch and hold the ball for precision shooting - or flip as frantically as your reflexes allow.\r\n\r\nYou don't have to be a Tommy to enjoy this - nor, indeed, to have played pinball before. But I bet you'll be deaf, dumb and blind to any other Arcades once you're hooked on this!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"51","Denied":false,"Award":"Rick's Rave Of The Month","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rick Robson","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"These posts count for bonus points after each ball - get as many as possible before going down the tube.\r\n\r\nYes the game even includes tilt! You can nudge that ball over just a little, but go too far and... Ooops!\r\n\r\nMacadam features all those nice bits you get on the 'real' machines including extra balls, bonus points and something mysteriously tagged 'special'.\r\n\r\nThis is the screen that will allow you to design your own Pinball game. If your efforts are judged the best by PSS the you could win a real full-sized machine for your bedroom!\r\n\r\nThe ball's shot out from here and you've total control over the speed it flies out at. It's all done in the press of a button!\r\n\r\nThis game's got more flippers than a school of dolphins. You see, Macadam will let you have as many flippers as you care to cram into the screen.\r\n\r\nIf you get bored with this layout then you can re-design your own. One of the program's most powerful features, that!\r\n\r\nYou position the bumpers and the like, that you want on the play area by simply pressing their letter label. YThe arrow on the object marks the point from which they'll be drawn."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 44, Nov 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-10-17","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\nEditor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne, Clare Edgeley\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nPublisher: Neil Wood\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nAdvertising Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Shahid Nizam\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kathy McLennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Jim McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\n\r\nMAGAZINE SERVICES\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\n\r\nTELEPHONE\r\nAll departments [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nSuperman Illustration: Superman is a trademark of DC Comic Inc.\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. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Peterboro' Web, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1985 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\n102,023 Jan-Jun 1985"},"MainText":"Publisher: PSS\r\nPrice: £7.95\r\nMemory: 48K\r\n\r\nFlick the flippers, flip the floats and tilt onto the triangles as PSS tries to do for computers what Bally and Sega did for pinball machines.\r\n\r\nNot only can you play a sample game with three pairs of flippers but you can construct your own table using all the traditional components.\r\n\r\nThere are two construction modes. The first will alter the existing table and the second will allow you to start from scratch.\r\n\r\nWhen you enter the design phase, the left side of the screen displays each type of component together with a letter of the alphabet. To position a piece on the board just move the cursor to the desired location and press the appropriate letter.\r\n\r\nOnce you have finished your table, you can save it to tape. Alternatively, you can put a coin in the slot, for five balls, set the number of players and press both flipper controls to set the ball in motion.\r\n\r\nAs a pinball wizard in my youth the PSS game had much to prove to me. I was not, however, disappointed and quickly notched up a score of 59,660 - not to be sniffed at. The only thing missing is the dull thud and clack as the steel ball is bounced between wood, plastic and metal.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"34","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"John Gilbert","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 22, Dec 1985","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-11-28","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Cliff Joseph\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nSoftware Assistant: John Gerard Donovan\r\nSales Executive: Alice Robertson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Chris Northam\r\nCopy Controller: Sue Couchman\r\nPublishing Director: Peter Welham\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 Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1985"},"MainText":"PSS\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nIt is hard to simulate the old pin table, bumpers, buzzers, bleepers, nudges and all the paraphernalia of the arcade on a home computer. I love pinball tables and have awaited a good computer version for some time.\r\n\r\nThis one is as close as I think it is possible to get, all the usual features are implemented and you can almost feel the balls bouncing around, giving them just that gentle nudge at the right time. Not only is the standard program very playable but there is also the option to design your own pinball table layout and play it. This is a simple matter although to get the best results a little planning is required at first. The screen is split into two, vertically, and the playing area is on the left while a typical pinball picture is on the right. This also shows scores and players turns etc. In design mode this picture is replaced by the graphic components of the table and they are selected and placed on the playing area as required.\r\n\r\nOnce designed and completed you can save your work to tape, you can even send it to PSS as an entry to their competition and win your very own real pinball machine. Not bad. As a pinball program it is very playable, and with the option of making your own designs the life of this program is extended greatly. Get bored, design a new game.\r\n\r\nI must admit I enjoyed the fact that I didn't keep losing a game when an overenthusiastic nudge would usually produce a 'tilt' message, this feature does not seem to have been included. However I keep getting the annoying feeling that I've cheated in some way...","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"63","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]