[{"TitleName":"Parabola","Publisher":"Firebird Software Ltd","Author":"Jeffery Bond","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0003610","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 41, Jun 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-05-28","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nAssistant Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Richard Eddy, Ian Phillipson\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Philippa Irving\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Tony Lorton, Mark Kendrick, Tim Croton, Seb Clare\r\nProcess and Planning: Matthew Uffindell, Jonathan Rignall, Nick Orchard\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\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.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Firebird\r\nRetail Price: £1.99\r\nAuthor: J Bond\r\n\r\nBouncing Bruce, the well-known droid on a spring, is caught in a multi-sectored cosmic energy grid - and he wants to escape from every level.\r\n\r\nSurrounded by the black oblivion of space, each sector is composed of blocks, set at different heights and forming a grid. Bruce can move up to three blocks at a time, in straight lines (he can't move diagonally, though). Controlling Bruce, you can decide the height of each bounce and move him up to higher levels of the grid.\r\n\r\nSome grid squares contain rotating energy discs: when he lands on one Bruce collects the disc and scores points. And when he's picked up all the discs in each sector, bouncing boy can move on to the next.\r\n\r\nBut Bruce is hindered by danger blocks - squares with circular election devices force him upward so he crashes, moving guards can shatter his delicate frame, and direction blocks propel him in the wrong direction. To avoid these threats - and save his eight lives - Bruce must bounce up and over them.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl Keys: definable\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Interface 2\r\nUse of colour, very clever, touches well employed\r\nGraphics: reasonable sprites, good 3D effect\r\nSound: above average\r\nSkill levels: one","ReviewerComments":["I'm impressed. Parabola, though simple, is an addictive little game; my only moan is that the screens themselves. Quite a change soon start repeating from the normal run of isometric games, Parabola is presented attractively, with some good graphics; unfortunately, Firebird's Instructions are typically over-concise. Once understood, though, Parabola is well worth getting stuck into, especially at this.\r\r\nMike Dunn","Not very original, this - there's a host of games following the same sort of gameplan, and none of them are very appealing. The only real difference between Parabola and the many other Q'Bert games around a few years ego is that here you only have to bounce on some, not all, of the squares - which makes it very easy to play, and pretty tedious too. For the price this is fairly well-presented both graphically and sonically, but it lacks playability and addictiveness.\r\r\nBen Stone","The presentation of Parabola is superb, breaking a few Spectrum boundaries - six different colours in one character square!! But it's a pity there's nothing new within the game; it's all boring old mono-chromatic play areas. Though the control method seems strange at first, persistence brings high rewards. The graphics are very detailed and the perspective is believable. And though the basic idea of Parabola is old, it's a most enjoyable product, certainty worth two pounds.\r\nPaul Sumner"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Well presented budget game on an old theme of moderate addictiveness.","Page":"15","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"57%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"66%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"63%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 19, Jul 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-06-11","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nSenior Art Editor: Peter George\r\nAssistant Editor: Phil South\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nStaff Writer: Marcus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nEditorial Assistant: Angela Eager\r\nContributors: Peter Berlin, Chris Donald, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tony Lee, John O'Molly, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\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 Sinclair ©1987 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Firebird\n£1.99\nReviewer: Gwyn Hughes\n\nThe hero of this game, Bouncing Bruce, may look more like Bert - Q Bert, that is - from the screen shots, but don't be misled, because there are bits of Thing On A Spring and other goodies packed away in this program.\n\nIgnore the nonsense about service droids stranded on cosmic energy grids and get down to business, which is clearing a series of interlinked screens of energy discs, avoiding guards and trying not to stray onto the deadly ejection discs unless you want to fly like a bird and float like a lead balloon.\n\nEach screen consists of a 3D pathway, littered with perils to dodge and discs to collect before you can use the way out. This leads to a map, from which you choose the next area to clear as you head for the main exit, located somewhere in the south.\n\nThe secret of clearing single screens is patience. Pressing fire increases your bounce, which helps you jump some hazards, but don't rush on immediately and spring too far or you'll be out of the frying pan, only to singe your parabolics in the fire.\n\nThe real test comes in tracing a path through the main map. You're never sure what lies in store as you stray into a new square. There's some repetition, especially at the more difficult levels, where the map becomes bigger, but you'll also find some nasty surprises, particularly towards the end. If you lose a life, you're allowed to choose a new path, which may be the best course of action.\n\nParabola isn't the most difficult game you'll ever play, nor is it the most original, but as a variation on an old theme it should certainly put a bit of spring in your joystick!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"28,29","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Gwyn Hughes","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 64, Jul 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-06-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nStaff Writer: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Andy Moss, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Warner Bros\r\n\r\nTypeset by PRS Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: Firebird\r\nPrice: £1.99\r\nJoystick: various\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Tamara Howard\r\n\r\nThe cosmic energy grid is a mean place. It's sort of square shaped, with lots of little squares inside, and getting across it is a difficult business, especially if you're a service droid with a defective bounce.\r\n\r\nParabola is a game with a lot of square things, some round things, and a thing that bounces up and down a lot. It's a really exciting game, as you can imagine. The action takes place on individual squares of the energy grid. Which are sub-divided into squares. Old Brucie has to bounce across this square, picking up some things and avoiding other things, thus reaching the exit and, you've guessed it the next square.\r\n\r\nAnyway, all these squares aside, there are, as I said, some found buts as well, some of which are good, and some of which are bad. The good ones are the whirly things, which are energy discs, and Bruce has to collect all the discs on a square before he can leave. But watch out for the non-whirly ejector pads.\r\n\r\nI'm terribly impressed by Parabola. Springy androids are all very well, and this is a springy android with at least some measure of cuteness about him. He bounces up and down nicely, his spring appears to bend in an authentic sort of way. He even makes twangs when he hits the ground.\r\n\r\nUnless my copy of Parabola is strange and I'm totally misjudging it. Parabola is not really up to scratch. It's too hard to move about the grid, and the rewards are not worth the effort. OK, so the screen flashes lots of pretty colours at you when you get through a square, and you get some bonus points and there's lots of twangy sounds like lots of little Bruce's all jumping up and down in glee, but so what? Sorry Firebird, but this one's a dodo.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Boring bouncy thing and lots of squares. Not worth springing out of bed to go and buy it. (Joke, get it?)","Page":"46","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tamara Howard","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"3/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]