[{"TitleName":"Night Hunter","Publisher":"Ubi Soft Ltd","Author":"Ali Ibrahim Rachid","YearOfRelease":"1990","ZxDbId":"0003421","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 79, Aug 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-07-19","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nStaff Writer: Mark Caswell\r\nEditorial Assistant: Viv Vickress\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nContributors: Nick (Pie Scan!) Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nProduction Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nArt Director: Mark (Sparkie!) Kendrick\r\nReprographics: Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Rob (the Rev) Hamilton, Jenny Reddard\r\nDesign: David Western, Melvin Fisher\r\nSystems Manager: Ian (\"E\") Chubb\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAdvertisement Production Assistants: Jackie Morris, Joanne Lewis\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nUK Subscriptions and Back Issues enquiries Robert Edwards [redacted]. Yearly Subscription Rates UK £15.40 Europe £22 Air Mail Overseas £35.\r\nUS/Canada subscriptions and Back Issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly Subscriptions Rates US$47 Canada CAN$57 Back Issues US$5.20 Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers using Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator '88, output at MBI [redacted] with systems support from Digital Reprographics [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistribution by 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 (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) 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 drop the Viv Vickress a line at the main address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield 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, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Colour photographic material should be 35mm transparencies wherever possible. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1989 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Ubi Soft\r\n£9.99/£14.99\r\n\r\nA vampire, as we all know, is an undead creature that preys on the living. Until recently mankind has been saved by several holy medallions and the tireless work of Professor Van Helsing - but now the most feared vampire of all, Count Dracula, is after the medallions. And here's the twist: in most games you play the hero, but not so here. You are Dracula, and you also have the ability to change into a bat or a werewolf. It's as Dracula you can do the most damage though - suck the blood of Van Helsing's minions as they chase you round your castle (slurp)!\r\n\r\nThroughout the different levels of the game you must collect eight objects including a scroll, a bottle, a cross and five keys in order to escape. Van Helsing's minions chase and try to kill you using a crucifix or stake, unless you're a wolfie when they fire silver bullets. With every hit your energy bar goes down, but catching a human and biting him in the neck is very nourishing. When you've found all the necessary objects you come face to face with Van Helsing as a final end of level foe - and he's difficult to kill. Seeing as how Dracula never wins in the horror movies, it's about time you changed all that!\r\n\r\nAs a fan of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing Hammer horror films I've always wondered what it's like to play the bad guy. Well, Night Hunter from Ubisoft is the perfect chance! Wander around spooky castles and bite the necks of beautiful maidens! Night Hunter is great fun to play, but only after dark. \r\n\r\nMARK 90%","ReviewerComments":["Woooo! Creepy stuff this! It's full of vampires, werewolves and witches. A bit like walking around Ludlow at midnight! I really like Night Hunter. Though the graphics are all yellow monochrome, it's a ruddy good game and incredibly addictive! Starting off as a vampire with a quest to collect all the keys and scrolls from each level, you have the option to change into either a werewolf or bat to help you through the game. Start in the castle and progress through towns, other buildings, graveyards etc: each location is highly detailed, and the people chasing you are varied enough to keep you on your toes. Especially the blokes with stakes ready to plunge through your heart (ouch!). Night Hunter is simply a must for all fans of addiction. Miss this and you won't sleep easy in your bed. Come to think of it, play this and you still won't be sleeping easy!!\r\nNick Roberts\r\n93%"],"OverallSummary":"Do the Transylvania Twist with this - good enough to sink your teeth into.","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"90","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"93","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"92%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"91%","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":"Ubi Soft\r\n£9.99 cass/£14.99 disk\r\nReviewer: Kati Hamza\r\n\r\nIt makes some people go green, it makes some people's eyes light up. Some individuals have been known to faint at the sight of it, while others regard it as a bit of a delicacy. Its sticky and warm, goes all crusty when its dry and there are about ten pints of the stuff sloshing around inside you right now. What am I talking about? It's blood, of course! (Thank goodness for that. Ed)\r\n\r\nAnd by spine-chilling coincidence, blood (or sang as they say in France) just happens to be what this latest offering from the-land-where-even-the-dogs-wear-berets-and-strings-of-onions-round-their-necks is all about.\r\n\r\nAs ghoulish Count Dracula you've only got two aims in life. One - to become Master Of The World. Two - to obtain an endless supply of blood. After years of research in your huge vampire's library you've finally worked out how to achieve number one - just collect three parchments from the 20 different castle-like levels of the game (that's 60 altogether) using the five keys you find in each. (Quite why doing all this enables you to become Master Of The World isn't quite clear.) Anyway, after that you're free to retire, sit back, relax and indulge in your favourite hobby (laughing melodramatically and shouting \"I am Master Of The World\", I suppose).\r\n\r\nObjective number two comes in along the way. All this wandering through doorways, up staircases and along creepy galleries soon takes its toll and you start to feel a mite peckish. So what do you do? You stretch out your arm, grab the nearest body, and get your pearly-whites into that juicy looking jugular, of course! Yum yum.\r\n\r\nBut (but! But!) for some reason the castle inhabitants aren't what you might call chuffed about this. Some even go so far as to display their dissent by hitting you (blokes) or warding you off with their crosses (women in mini-skirts). Every now and then a wicked witch on a broomstick flies by and gives you a nasty tap on the head too. Yikes! (Dodge the old bag.)\r\n\r\nHowever, Dracula's no sucker. Over the years he's learned how to transform himself into a vampire bat or werewolf if need be - and he's not afraid to do it! The wolf, a kind of hairy mutant bloodhound, packs a feisty punch but the bat is even handier - one flap of the wings and you can avoid any dangerous holes or pitfalls lurking on the ground.\r\n\r\nSo how does the game add up? is it just a ropey old collect-'em-up spiced with a bit of spooky stuff, or is it something a bit more? Well, it depends on how generous you're feeling really. Being in a good sort of a mood, I'd say that collecting keys and throttling people isn't what you'd call a brand, spankingly new idea, but reasonable animation, natty graphics and a decidedly weird atmosphere can invest it with a certain dash of je ne sais quoi (another thing they say in France).\r\n\r\nActually, there's one more thing they do well in France (besides being a bit weird that is) and that's cookery. So here's the recipe for Night Hunter. Take one rather ordinary collect-'em-up, add a cuddly-looking werewolf and a sneaky Dracula, toss in a bunch of slightly craply animated victims, throw in the tongue of a ten-day-old newt and there you have it - a reasonably amusing (but by no means brilliant) vampire caper. Now, has anyone got any garlic?","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A not-all-that-original arcade game given a new(ish) lease of life by a pointy pair of false teeth.","Page":"25","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Kati Hamza","Score":"74","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, piercing your throat and making you wheeze (ahem)."},{"Text":"It takes a few seconds to drain somebody's blood so in tricky situations (ie under multiple attack) it's better to go into werewolf mode and punch the living daylights out of 'em. Biff."},{"Text":"The Count stops for a midnight snack, in suitably scary Count-like pose. By far the best part about this is the sound - a bit like somebody with a big mouth crunching raw celery. Yeuch."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"81%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"74%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 102, Aug 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-07-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"PRIME PERPS\r\n\r\nEditor: Jim Douglas\r\nDeputy Editor: Garth Sumpter\r\nDesigner: Osmond Browne\r\nAdvertisement Manager: James Owens\r\nSales Executive: Alan Dykes\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean Barrett\r\nMarketing Executive: Sarah Ewing\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry Pratt\r\nContributors: Chris Jenkins, John Cook, Steve Harmon, Pete Gerrard and last but BY NO MEANS least, Gary Redrup. Nice jeans, Gaz!\r\n\r\n©1990 EMAP Images, [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by J'n'G Type\r\nColour work by Pro Print.\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher Web Ltd, Peterborough.\r\nDistributed by BBC Frontline."},"MainText":"Label: Ubisoft\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nFancy going out for a bit tonight? You will once you've got your fangs into Night Hunter, the game for groovy ghoulies.\r\n\r\nIn this French horror fantasy epic, Drac's back and you're the blood-sucking beastie yourself. Everyone else is out for the Count - witches , spiders, mummies, all sorts of ghoulies. Your task is to keep your bloodcount up long enough to take over the local village. Fortunately Dracula Towers boasts an endless supply of wandering virgins (in start contrast to EMAP Towers), and once you spot one all you have to do is grab 'em, put the bit on 'em and leave a tidy pile of bones on the ancestral carpet. The animation in these sequences is great.\r\n\r\nDrac can climb stairs and duck under attacks from broomstick-mounted witches. To add to the bloody fun, you can also transform yourself into two other forms with a twist of the joystick. As a towering werewolf you can take on the mummies and other more powerful monsters, battering them with the old one-two of your hairy fists until the collapse. As a bat, you can flutter through the air avoiding the deadly swamps and pitfalls, and make your way into otherwise inaccessible parts of the castle. Three counters at the bottom of the screen indicate how long you can remain in each form before you need a recharge of the red cells.\r\n\r\nThere are, as you would expect, keys to be found in order to open some of the doors some of these are hidden in such a way that you need to be in the correct form to find them. There are also parchments which give you clues to the location of other treasures.\r\n\r\nAnimation is good throughout, though the flipping between screens is a bit slow. The background graphics are great too - monochrome but finely detailed, showing the towers, staircases, dungeons and battlements of the castle. Flickering torches, suits of armour, manacles, cobwebs and decorated doorways add to the spooky atmosphere, and little touches like scuttling mice complete the eerie ambience.\r\n\r\nIt's a case of fangs for the memory and all the other awful puns you can think of, but I'd stake my life Night Hunter is going to be a hit.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Drac's back and that's a fact! Fun and frolics with lots of atmosphere.","Page":"58,59","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"89","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"89%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]