[{"TitleName":"Moontorc","Publisher":"Atlantis Software Ltd","Author":"Graham D. Shaw","YearOfRelease":"1991","ZxDbId":"0003280","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 96, Feb 1992","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1992-01-16","Editor":"Lucy Hickman","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Coming to you live from CRASH Towers are:\r\n\r\nEditor: Lucy 'Hot Lips' Hickman\r\nDeputy Editor: Nick 'Get Yer Kit Off' Roberts\r\nStaff Writer: Mark 'Gas Mark 6' Caswell\r\nProduction Editor: Warren 'Technicolour Neck' Lapworth\r\nAdventures: Ian 'Gerald Kaufman' Osborne\r\nArt & Design: Charlie 'De-cherried' Chubb, Mark 'Newt' Kendrick\r\nSystems Manager: Ian 'Modest Bast' Chubb\r\nScreenshots: Michael 'Anorexic' Parkinson\r\nPublisher: Roger 'Milton' Kean\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Sheila 'Omni-present' Jarvis\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: George 'Cassanova' Keenan\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jo '0898' Lewis\r\nProduction: Jackie 'Memo' Morris\r\nReprographics: Rob 'I've got a brand new shower' Millichamp\r\nManaging Director: Jonathan 'Liquid Lunch' Rignall\r\nCirculation Manager: David 'Birdie-dick' Wren\r\nAccounts: Sheila 'Morticia' Adams\r\nSubscriptions: David 'Bradford and Bingley' Bingle(y)\r\n\r\nTypesetting Europress Impact, using Apple Macintosh II computers, running Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator 3.0. Printing BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd. Distribution COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available; If something untoward happens we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case write to us at the address below). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either EUROPRESS IMPACT or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, hardware or software - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Copy published in CRASH will be edited as seen fit and payment will be calculated by the printed word rate. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nEuropress Impact Ltd, CRASH [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis month's cover: Never Ending Story II. Cover design by Oliver Frey. Powertape inlay by Mark Kendrick."},"MainText":"Atlantis\r\n£3.99 cass\r\n\r\nIn days of old when knights were bold, there lived a hero who wasn't afraid of anything (even the Ed's scathing tongue). Good job, too, 'cause his job's to rescue the lair Princess Lalena from the clutches of the evil Dark Lord (courtesy Crap Names Inc).\r\n\r\nFour levels filled with very unfriendly minions stand between our boy and the object of his search. In each level find three parts of a Moontorc (a piece of Celtic jewellery worn round the neck) to present to the Tollman, giving access to the next section.\r\n\r\nAs your character leaps from screen to screen, he's attacked without mercy (she's at home with flu). Lucky for him he carries a few weapons about his person, including magic spells, axes, shields and a sword. All weapons bar the sword are limited; icons stretched across the status panel inform the player which objects they hold.\r\n\r\nExtra items can be bought from shops (provided you have enough dosh); chests full of gold can be found to till the coffers.\r\n\r\nVery often the character's progress is blocked by different coloured doors. But fear not because colour-coded keys can be purchased to unlock the obstructions (put that axe down, Lucy). Good luck, brave hero, Princess Lalena awaits.\r\n\r\nI must admit I approached Moontorc with a sense of dread. From the screenshots on the packaging, it looks like a Stormlord rip-off.\r\n\r\nHappily, Moontorc is a rather spiffy game, especially the small but colourful, nicely detailed backgrounds. Although short in stature, the hero's a mean-looking dude, and needs to be with the task that lies ahead. Moontorc is well worth the measly price tag.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"64","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"85","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Hello Mr Wizard. Let me in for a quick half!"},{"Text":"Look at the size of that mushroom, you could make soup for the multitude with that!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"88%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"84%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"85%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 74, Feb 1992","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1992-01-02","Editor":"Andy Hutchinson","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"BACK TO OUR ROOTS\r\n\r\nWe're not talking about the roots in the land, we're talking 'bout the roots in the man!\r\n\r\nEditor: Andy (Manchester) Hutchinson\r\nNew Art Editor: Andy (Bristol) Ounsted\r\nGames Editor: James (Hamelin) Leach\r\nStaff Writer: Linda (Hackney) Barker\r\nArt Assistant: Maryanne (Portsmouth) Booth\r\nAdvertising Manager: Cheryl (Tunbridge Wells) Beesley\r\nProduction Coordinator: Lisa (Bath) Read\r\nPublisher: Jane (Chelmsford) Richardson\r\nPublishing Assistant: Michele (Amersham) Harris\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg (New Forest) Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue (Guildford) Hartley\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair (London), Future (Somerton) Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nDistribution: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Max (Wokingham) Ellis\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\nABC Jan-June 1991 65,444\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair canters briskly into the paddock with a whinny and a neigh from the same stable as these fillies: Commodore Format (Bath), Amstrad Action (Somerton), Amiga Format (Bath), PCW Plus (Somerton), Sega Power (Bath), Amiga Power (Bath), Amiga Shopper (Bath), Classic CD (Bath), Needlecraft (Bath), Mountain Biking UK (Faversham), PC Format (Bath), Public Domain (Bath) and ST Format (Bath).\r\n\r\nBut what we really want to know is... who invented liquid soap, and why?"},"MainText":"Atlantis\r\n£3.99 cass\r\nReviewer: Linda Barker\r\n\r\nI like to think that the Moontorc in question is a necklace made of moonbeams that have been wrung from the moon like soapy water from a dishcloth. (Why? Ed) Well, cos it's sort of grittily poetic. Unfortunately, the Moontorc in question is simply an amulet of magical and mysterious properties. Actually, I suppose it could be made out of galactic particles, it doesn't say that it isn't.\r\n\r\nMoontorc the game rather than the thing, is a flip-screen shoot and collect-'em-up. There are four levels to roam through and they're of the weirdly colourful sort. You're a little chap and you've got to rescue the truly wondrous Princess Lalena from the blistered hands of the truly smelly Dark Lord. Cos you're such a nice sort of guy you're obviously not used to being nasty. So you're going to need a bit of help.\r\n\r\nThe idea is to collect gold and keys and parts of the Moontorc so you can progress and say hi to your babe. Along the way there are plenty of shops to pop into and do the odd bit of purchasing. You won't actually be able to get very far into the game without paying a visit to one of these shops as they sell everything you're likely to need along the way. There are spells to blast the baddies away with, weapons to do something pretty similar and keys to open doors that let you into other parts of the game. Oh, and you can pick up parts of the Moontorc. Once you've managed to survive long enough to collect a complete Moontorc you can go onto the next level.\r\n\r\nMUSHROOM MAN\r\n\r\nThe graphics are very Dizzy-like; there are multi-coloured mushrooms to jump around on, plenty of little platforms and nicely detailed shops. Best of all, when you kill someone loads of little hearts replace the dead blokie. I thought it was all dead sweet, but sweetness doth not an excellent game make, as my Uncle Johnny who used to be a pop star once said.\r\n\r\nThe plot's fine and the graphics are beaut - so why isn't it the best game in the universe? Well, your little chap isn't very well animated and he's not very good at moving. Just when you think you're about to land in a stream of molten acid, you step off a mushroom into mid-air. Then, when it's patently obvious that the space between you and the ledge is small enough for a mole to jump, you land in the acid stream and... poom!\r\n\r\nIf you hate flip-screeners then this is obviously not the game for you. It's easy to see why they're so hated. Jumping off a platform and finding yourself face-to-face with a two-headed greed monster from hell isn't perhaps the best way to enjoy a game. Still, it's a nice enough gamette and one that should keep you occupied in that annoying space between the end of Neighbours and dinner time.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Uppy, downy, acrossy, abouty game that's a tad lacking!","Page":"16","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Linda Barker","Score":"70","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"\"Wish they would let me in, so I could find out what's behind the green door.\" I'll have to get the green key first though."},{"Text":"Here I am at ye olde shoppe. Two pints of milk, ten spells, a piece of Moontorc and a quarter of your finest lemon sherberts."},{"Text":"Pretty, isn't it? The four levels are shown on the right and all the characters on the left. What about the Princess Lalena, eh? Phwoarr!"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"BLIM!\r\n\r\nThe moon is, in fact, a natural satellite. Unlike most satellites it is not made of metal, it actually has a major iron deficiency. That's why it hasn't got any of those funny aluminium spiky things sticking out of it."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 120, Feb 1992","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1992-01-18","Editor":"Garth Sumpter","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Commander Coloninabadway\r\nDesign: Captain Ooneneeky Cheeky\r\nSoftware Editor: Star Commander Angus Headrush\r\nAdditional Design: Earthling Jane Davies\r\nSU Crew: Garth 'Space Cowboy' Sumpter, John 'B'tardy' Cook, Alan Dykes, Pete 'Astro' Gerrard, Phillip 'Black Hole' Fisch\r\nAd Manager: Jerry 'Astonomical' Hall\r\nAd Production: Jo 'Goodbye Girl' Gleissner\r\nMarketing Man.: Mark 'Hard to..' Swallow\r\nMarketing Women: Sarah Ewing, Sarah Hillard\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1992 EMAP IMAGES\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nColour by Proprint\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher Web\r\n\r\nNo part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent of the publishers. So there. Incidentally, I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas. I, Fnot the Irreverent, have got what I wanted - I'm rid of the pesky SU Crew and have got my hands on their magazine - in a short while now, my plans for Earth domination will be complete - and the SU Crew are stuck are the other side of the galaxy. No-one can save the Earth now!"},"MainText":"Label: Atlantis\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £3.99 Tape\r\nReviewer: Big Al Dykes\r\n\r\nConan the Barbarian step aside, it's Moontorc the Midget's chance for for some glory.\r\n\r\nSwing, swipe and swat those enemies in a hostile landscape filled with untold riches and incredible weaponry. In Moontorc you play a special kind of hero who, like most heroes, ends up having to rescue a beautiful princess from the clutches of an evil lord. Never mind though it's not as bad as it sounds, you do come equipped with a haversack to store goodies, a sack for all the yummy gold that's scattered around the landscape and replenishable supplies of axes, spells and shield power to protect your little sprite in those moments of big danger.\r\n\r\nThe object of the game is to collect gold allowing you to purchase weapons, keys and most importantly pieces of the Moontorc, the most valuable item the the whole game. Three pieces of Moontorc must be used to get past each end of level tollman.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are detailed and colourful though the main sprite is quite small. Action is fast and although there's some rather dodgy sprite detection and loose movement when selecting weapons, the game is very playable and addictive. The sound is basic during the game but there's a version of 'Scarborough Fair' as the title music that'll keep the oldies (like Garth) happy.\r\n\r\nMoontorc is a playable formula game with some fun fighting action and lots of places to explore, so fight off all that Christmas pudding indigestion with some Moontorc action.","ReviewerComments":["An encouragingly good game from Atlantis to start off the new year with. Colourful graphics, with a whole host of selectable weapons make this game a great bash 'em up.\r\nGarth Sumpter"],"OverallSummary":"Big game, big fun. There's no shortage of action, exploring a mystical world in search of the kidnapped princess Lalena. Sprite control can be a little annoying at times but this is certainly an enjoyable game.","Page":"20","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"82","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Garth Sumpter","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Hello Mr Wiz. We thought that we'd all drop in for a cup of tea to and rest a bit. Don't get too familiar!\""},{"Text":"Moontorc the midget consults his A to Z of magic."},{"Text":"With no concern for his own safety, Moontorc leapt up."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"81%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"82%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]