[{"TitleName":"Night Shift","Publisher":"U.S. Gold Ltd","Author":"Christopher Gibbs, J.A. Steele, John Mullins, Jonathan P. Dean, Nick Cooke, A. J. Redmer, Fred Gill, Uncle Art","YearOfRelease":"1991","ZxDbId":"0003424","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 87, Apr 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-03-21","Editor":"Richard Eddy","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Richard Eddy\r\nSub Editor: Warren Lapworth\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nArt Editor: Mark Kendrick\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction and Circulation Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Judith Bamford\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Christine Moore\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting Apple Macintosh Computers using Quark Express and Bitstream Fonts.\r\n\r\nSystems Manager: Ian Chubb\r\n\r\nColour origination Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted].\r\n\r\nDistributor COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nYearly subscription rates: UK £17.20 Europe £24.00, Air Mail overseas £37. US/Canada subscriptions and back issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly subscription rates US$47.00, Canada CAN$57.00 Back Issues US$5.20, Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \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 drop us a line). No person who is related, no matter how remotely, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo 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. Unsolicited written or photo material on 35mm transparencies 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 according to the current printed word rate. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1991 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover design and illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"US Gold\r\n£10.99\r\n\r\nThe Beast might sound as if it belongs to some sword and sorcery game, but it's the huge machine that produces all the toy dolls from Lucasfilm Games, like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. These toys are so popular their production has to run overnight, and it's as either Fred or Fiona Fixit that you must complete an order within the allotted time, or it's the royal order of the boot for you, matey! And the boss is so tight-fisted that you're the only person overseeing the production, so it's lucky for you that the Beast is automated.\r\n\r\nThe game starts with you being given the order form for the current level. At first it's fairly easy, as only a couple of different character dolls need to be completed. The first task is to power up the huge machine, achieved by jumping on a bicycle and peddling like mad!\r\n\r\nYou then have to run and jump up the Beast to fix the inevitable faults that crop up, which include lighting and adjusting the Bunsen burner, kicking a plug, tightening screws, adjusting conveyor belts, mixing paints and plenty more besides.\r\n\r\nTo help you there's a tool box (situated in the middle of the status panel); collectable items appear every so often and when picked up are shown in this display. Things like matches, spanners, balloons and umbrellas help you to keep your job.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the night (level), the timer (a candle) burns right down and the results of your efforts are totted up. If you've completed the required amount of toys you receive a hefty bonus, but rejects are deducted from your pay.\r\n\r\nAs you go on, more characters have to be made, Lemmings and Larry the Lawyer run around hassling you and more and more goes wrong with the Beast... Argggh!! (I think I'm going to sit in a corner and cry!)\r\n\r\nNight Shift is easily one of the most frustrating games I've ever played. Even the first few levels are difficult to keep up with, but they're simple compared to later ones, when you need several zillion pairs of eyes to keep track of what's going on.\r\n\r\nGraphically, Night Shift's very good, although there's a bit of colour clash - but that's not a problem because you're too busy running around like a mad thing to take much notice.\r\n\r\nIt makes a very refreshing change to see an original game and Night Shift gets a big thumbs up from me (US Gold will be receiving my bill for psychiatric treatment).\r\n\r\nMARK 97%","ReviewerComments":["Night Shift is totally and totally brilliant. After playing endless shoot/beat/puzzle-'em-ups, this is like a breath of fresh air (ahhhh!). The cute cartoon style graphics of the Lucasfilm characters are excellent and the factory machinery is detailed and as well-coloured as can be expected. The complexity of the Night Shift factory may have you slightly flummoxed on your first few goes: you can spend ages just looking for one tiny loose screw or go mad when your dolls come out the wrong colour! But it's all part of the fun. It's incredibly rewarding when you get things right, and getting them wrong can be a great laugh, eg, a woman's head on a bloke's body! The best advice I can give you is get out your pennies, go down to your local software emporium and get a copy before they're all sold out!\r\nNick Roberts\r\n94%"],"OverallSummary":"Action! Puzzles! Addiction! What's it got? The bloomin' lot!","Page":"39","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"97","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"94","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Get Night Shift's Beast started with a quick jump on the bike!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"92%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"94%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"95%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"94%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"96%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 65, May 1991","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1991-04-11","Editor":"Andy Ide","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Andy Ide\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nGames Editor: James Leach\r\nStaff Writer: Linda Barker\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Jon North, Rich Pelley, John Pillar, Adam Waring, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Jane Richardson\r\nPublishing Assistant: Michele Harris\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Manager: 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: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1991. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"US Gold\r\n£10.99 cass only\r\nReviewer: Jonathan Davies\r\n\r\nHave you ever been in the position where you really haven't a clue what's going on? (Not even the faintest inkling.) Like when you wake up halfway through an episode of Twin Peaks. Or you're in the middle of making a packet-mix cake and you realise you've thrown away the instructions. If not then your first game of Night Shift will come as quite a revelation. It's just like that, only worse. Hundreds of times worse.\r\n\r\nRight from the outset it's been designed to be confusing. It soon becomes apparent from reading the first few pages of the instructions that you're in charge of a large machine (called the BEAST) into one end of which are put raw materials and out of the other emerge dolls of various shapes and colours. At the beginning of each shift you're given a production quota to be a achieved - any dolls past this mean extra pay.\r\n\r\nWH R 'S THE '' GON ?\r\n\r\nEasy enough? Ahem. Although the inner workings of the machine have been clarified since the game came out on the 16-bits they're still pretty tricky to get your head round. Suffice to say that it's split into various components which each perform part of the manufacturing process. To make things harder, whoever wrote the manual has decided to miss out all the 'e's and even leave out pages. Amusing or irritating? I'll leave it to you to decide. (But it annoyed the hell out of me, I'll tell you that for nowt.) There is some compensation. To start off with most of the machine is automated, leaving you to deal with the 'simpler' bits and pieces. All the same, your first few games are likely to consist mainly of head-scratching, chin-rubbing and quite a lot of swearing.\r\n\r\nOnce you're past that first initial hurdle (which isn't helped by some very unclear graphics in places), and dolls start rolling off the production line to the accompaniment of a range of clunking and chuffing noises, things get a lot more interesting. There's lots of dashing about to be done, switching conveyor belts backwards and forwards, pressing buttons, adjusting valves, collecting stuff and generally keeping an eye on things. And that means testing your platform gaming skills to their limit over the 3 or 4 vertically-scrolling screens that contain the machine. Things gradually tougher and tougher as more and more is left under your control (so it's probably just as well there's a password to each level). Night Shift positively oozes playability, and secretes quality for that matter.\r\n\r\nSo crap it's not. A deluge of corkingly original ideas and slick execution throughout make it as near as dammit an essential purchase. In fact, if it wasn't for a faint question mark over its addictiveness Night Shift would be a Megagame for sure. But it's not. Missed it by a pinch as they say. (Sorry.)","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Seemingly impenetrable factory game that's actually jolly good indeed.","Page":"66,67","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jonathan Davies","Score":"89","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"1. Get on your bike and do the business. 2. Make sure the switches are working in harmony. 3. Plugs - kick them to make sure they're firmly in their sockets. 4. A spanner - pick it up for extra points (and it might come in handy later). 5. This is the head mould for a toy. 6. And this is where it goes."},{"Text":"Fred hops onto his 'bicyclette' to create enough pedal power to start up the furnace. (Waggle enough and those 2 bulbs above your head begin to flicker on and off.)"},{"Text":"No, it's not toothpaste! These are you tubes of paint. Be sure to keep the paint vats clean or the paint will be ruined. (Oh no!)"},{"Text":"Pick your partners! (Not that it makes a blind bit of difference to how you play the game of course.)"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"GET FRUITY!\r\nJust for you, here's a couple of level codes...\r\n\r\nLEVEL 2\r\nCherry Banana Banana Lemon\r\n\r\nLEVEL 3\r\nBanana Cherry Pineapple Blue Thing\r\n\r\nLEVEL 4\r\nPineapple Lemon Pineapple Pineapple"},{"Text":"LEMMINGS\r\nFor some reason, from Level onwards, lemmings appear and start giving you hassle. There are 2 sorts - male and female...\r\n\r\nCLIFF\r\nThrows switches, unplugs things and causes no end of trouble.\r\n\r\nJODEE\r\nKeeps hugging you a bit like a leech (only furrier).\r\n\r\nThey're best combatted by kicking them, trapping them or hoovering them up."},{"Text":"PICKY-UPPY THINGS\r\nAnd what they do!\r\n\r\nSPANNER\r\nTightens nuts.\r\n\r\nMATCH\r\nLights things.\r\n\r\nBALLOON\r\nFor going up.\r\n\r\nUMBRELLA\r\nFor going down.\r\n\r\nTRAP\r\nFor catching lemmings.\r\n\r\nHOOVER\r\nFor sucking them up. (I say! Ed)\r\n\r\n$\r\nYour score.\r\n\r\nCANDLE\r\nTime counter."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"35%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"83%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"89%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 90, Jul 1991","Price":"£2.99","ReleaseDate":"1991-06-20","Editor":"Richard Eddy","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Richard Eddy\r\nSub Editor: Warren Lapworth\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nArt Editor: Mark Kendrick\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction and Circulation Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Judith Bamford\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Christine Moore\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting Apple Macintosh Computers using Quark Express and Bitstream Fonts.\r\n\r\nSystems Manager: Ian Chubb\r\n\r\nColour origination Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted].\r\n\r\nDistributor COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nYearly subscription rates: UK £17.20 Europe £24.00, Air Mail overseas £37. US/Canada subscriptions and back issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly subscription rates US$47.00, Canada CAN$57.00 Back Issues US$5.20, Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \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 drop us a line). No person who is related, no matter how remotely, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo 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. Unsolicited written or photo material on 35mm transparencies 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 according to the current printed word rate. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1991 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover design and illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"NIGHT SHIFT\r\nUS Gold\r\n£10.99\r\n\r\nNight Shift employs you as a factory hand in the Lucasfilm(™) toys factory. As either Fred or Fiona Fixit, you must produce a set amount of character toys within the time limit or be fired.\r\n\r\nThe Beast is a machine that builds the toys, although it often breaks down. But you and your handy tool box come to the rescue, so (hopefully) production is kept at the optimum.\r\n\r\nGameplay is like a chaotic puzzle game, combined with platforming action(strange, I know). The first few levels are simple to complete but as you go on more and more goes wrong with the Beast - it's enough to send you slightly mad (bibble, bibble). It's great fun to run up and down the Beast fixing all the faults that crop up but it's frustrating when a million things go wrong, usually all at once. It received a 96% rating (one of the highest marks in recent months) and deserved it, too. A 'must-buy'.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"34","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"96","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"96%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 110, Apr 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-03-18","Editor":"Garth Sumpter","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Garth 'Desert Rat' Sumpter\r\nDesign Editor: Andrea 'Frantz Klammer' Walker\r\nDesign: Evette 'Kiwi' Nicholls\r\nStaff Writers: Steve '60's' Keen\r\nSU Crew: Chris 'Hateful' Jenkins, John Cook, Pete Gerrard, Phillip 'Mein Gott' Fisch, Ian 'Indie' Watson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jim 'Trivia' Owens\r\nAd Production: Jo 'Titters' Gleissner\r\nMarketing Department: Sarah 'Blondie' Ewing, Sarah 'Helpful' Hillard\r\nPublisher: Graham 'Slasher' Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Huggy' Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1991 EMAP IMAGES\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION: BBC FRONTLINE\r\nSU SUBSCRIPTIONS: [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by Garthtype Laser hooked up to Richardson PR407 Iron Lung. Colour work by Proprint, B&W filming by PRS.\r\n\r\nNo part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system or I'll make you wash your face in my sick (or sink).\r\n\r\nAndrea's going on holday next week and it's been unbearable. She's been strutting around in the office, dressed in her ski suit and making Whooosh! noises as she jumps down the stairs. I wouldn't mind so much, but she's only going off to Clacton with her mum and her strange cousin Claude who wears Coke bottle glasses and has a respiratory problem - he's still breathing!"},"MainText":"Label: US Gold\r\nCode: John Mullins\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £10.99 Tape\r\nDisk: N/A\r\nReviewer: Garth Sumpter\r\n\r\nGood job opportunities are not so easy to come by these days - unless you happen to land a job with Industrial Might and Logic.\r\n\r\nIn US Gold's latest offering you are an employee with a mission. The factory makes dolls by heating resin, and using conveyor belts to get the heads and bodies to the bonding unit. The output of the factory is totally automated and it's your task to make things run smoothly and increase output. If you do, you'll be increasing your own input of large houses, fast cars and all the other trappings of success. (Except ulcers, playing gold and being extremely boring and talking about yourself a lot!)\r\n\r\nIndustrial Might and Logic, have equal opportunities; you decide to be either male or female at the start - and opportunity denied the rest of us without the recourse to expensive and painful surgery.\r\n\r\nAs Fred or Fiona Fixit, you must rectify the lack of productivit, at the automated factory by leaping around the massive machinery and making sure that the Beast runs like clockwork.\r\n\r\nTo do this you have your trusty toolbox containing the seven tools at your disposal - your hands for pulling switches and turning valves; spanners for tightening bolts that come undone: matches which you need to light the Bunsen burner that heats the resin; an umbrella which you can use to get from the top of the Beast-like machine to the bottom quickly and a balloon to get you to the top.\r\n\r\nThe last two items seem unlikely things to find in a toolbox; a Venus Fly Trap and a vacuum cleaner. Use them to get rid of the ruddy annoying lemmings that turn up to trouble you.\r\n\r\nIt's a very complicated game; you must make sure that each production process is fully working in order to produce your dolls. But, it's highly entertaining. The graphics are good and colour has been used selectively to good effect. And with 30 levels of the machine to uncover, should keep you working at it for hours - even into your own Nightshift.","ReviewerComments":["Oh, aren't they just so cute? I've never been especially fond of rodents and Nightshift's switches, buttons and levers is a bit complicated for me. But there's a lot there and the little bit I've seen - I like.\r\nAndrea Walker","Hey, I like this. I especially like the use of the cuddly lemmings. The game is disasterously complicated however, needing you to spend some time with the manual before playing.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"You'll just hampster buy this. An involved game, that's addictive, and humourous once you've taken the trouble to get into it. Mice one!","Page":"10,11","Denied":false,"Award":"Sinclair User Silver","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Garth Sumpter","Score":"88","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Andrea Walker","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"And your duties for this evening are to produce five white coloured dolls. Easy."},{"Text":"Here we are at the top of the beast where there's a spanner to pick up."},{"Text":"Here's hard working Fred Fixit with his executive bicycle. - He's got the power!"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"BUGGER OFF LEMMINGS\r\n\r\nThe lemmings are a pain in the ankle for you. Jodee lemming, will attach herself to your legs (down Shep!) and hampster your progress. Her friend Cliff Lemming, who only appears on later levels, just runs around reversing conveyor belts, turning switches and generally really doing things that aren't mice. Get rid of both of them by using either the vacuum cleaner or the Venus Fly Trap and if Cliff's on the scene, get rid of hi double quick!"},{"Text":"LEMMING FAX\r\n\r\nPeruvian lemmings can live a long time but usually don't because they tend to throw themselves off cliffs in large numbers.\r\n\r\nNo-one is quite sure why, but it has been suggested by a Dr Anthony Appleton that the sea reminds them of their mothers and it is an uncontrollable urge to be reunited with them that drives them to commit suicide in such large numbers.\r\n\r\nIt has also been suggested that Dr Appleton is nothing more than a cheap con-artist and has bee getting fat for years doing lecture tours of Britain expounding his theory to bast numbers of suicidal lemming keepers."},{"Text":"TIPS\r\n\r\nOn the first level you must get on the bike and pedal to make up some power for the generator. The more power you put in, the faster the two lights flash.\r\n\r\nMake sure that all the jacobs ladders are moving the same direction. (i.e. clockwise or anticlockwise.) then the heads and bodies should all arrive at the binding machine at the right time.\r\n\r\nGo to the top of the 'Beast' and light the bunsen burner to heat up the resin.\r\n\r\nOn level one, the bolt at the top of the machine is loose. (It bobbles around). Tighten it up with a spanner.\r\n\r\nNow go left and kick the plug into the socket by pushing left/right and down on the joystick and the production process will begin.\r\n\r\nAfter every three or four levels, new parts of the machine will uncover themselves and after two levels you must also paint the dolls. The colour is shown on your jobsheet and where necessary (e.g. Green) you must mix it into the Vat using the switches on the Red, Yellow and Blue point tubes.\r\n\r\nIf an unwanted colour is in the Vat, use the toilet chain to flush it out.\r\n\r\nThe hourglass gives you extra time and the $ gives you overtime cash.\r\n\r\nDon't use the umbrella or the balloon on early levels - you REALLY need them later on."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"82%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"88%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]