[{"TitleName":"Solomon's Key","Publisher":"U.S. Gold Ltd","Author":"JPW, Raffaele Cecco, Paul Canny","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0004643","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 45, Oct 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-24","Editor":"Barnaby Page","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Richard Eddy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson, Ben Stone\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nTechnical Writers: Simon N Goodwin, Jon Bates\r\nAdventure Column: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM Column: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy Column: Philippa Irving\r\nEducation Column: Rosetta McLeod\r\nLondon Correspondent: John Minson\r\nContributors: Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Paul Evans, Dominic Handy, Nick Roberts, Mark Rothwell, Paul Sumner\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nDesign: Tony Lorton, Markie Kendrick, Wayne Allen\r\nProcess and Planning: Matthew Uffindell, Jonathan Rignall, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Andrew Smales\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\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow\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 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: US Gold\r\nRetail Price: £8.99\r\nAuthor: Probe Software\r\n\r\nDeep in King Solomon's mines lies a vast fortune, there for the taking - for anyone foolhardy or greedy enough to enter the subterranean world.\r\n\r\nTo reach the unimaginable wealth in this conversion of a coin-op original, you must make it alive through a series of rooms inhabited by menacing creatures like fat-tummied parrots, Michael Jackson llamas, jellyfish and fireball-firing heads. Not even the hardiest of souls can withstand their withering touch, and you have only six fragile lives ... but the unpleasant creatures can be disposed of with the fireballs you find in this underworld.\r\n\r\nEach room contains coloured blocks arranged in patterns across the screen; these can be used as stepping stones to a key that unlocks an exit door. Finding a successful route isn't easy, but large open spaces in rooms may be crossed by laying further blocks to create a staircase. Take care, however - the inhabitants of the dark mines can destroy the block you're standing on, sending you tumbling down.\r\n\r\nYou too can destroy as well as construct, evaporating blue blocks that obstruct a horizontal pathway.\r\n\r\nIn each underground room, objects - handbells, angels, acorn crowns - can be collected to accumulate points. A time bonus can be added to this total - but if you overstay your welcome and can't reach the treasure before the deadline, then time really has waited for no man and money no longer concerns your corpse.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: small and not very colourful\r\nSound: reasonable spot FX and decent opening tune\r\nOptions: definable keys","ReviewerComments":["Solomon's Key has quite a lot of playability, and though the first screen is very easy the second is much more difficult and needs thought. With its small characters and bright graphics Solomon's Key looks like a budget game and probably should have been one - still, it's fun.\r\nMike Dunn\r\n69%","Despite its simplistic plot and gameplay, Solomon's Key has turned out very well indeed. The graphics are good, though they do get a bit cluttered when there's a lot going on. And though I doubt I'll be playing it in a few months, the game as a whole is appealing and fairly addictive.\r\nBen Stone\r\n83%","King Solomon must have been a pretty wealthy bloke judging by all the treasure dotted around here! Anybody remember Mastertronic's Rockman? Well, Solomon's Key is very similar but a bit better presented. The graphics are well-defined, the animation is good and there's plenty of playability. The idea of dodging nasties and collecting keys may not seem too exciting but I assure you you'll be addicted in a second.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n83%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A simple but enjoyable arcade puzzle game.","Page":"133","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"69","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"83","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"83","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Looking out for Michael Jackson in this latest H Rider Haggard licence (shurely shome mishtake? - Ed Dir)."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"81%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"82%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"78%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 23, Nov 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-10-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Peter George\r\nProduction Editor: Lucy Broadbent\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nSoftware Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nDeputy Art Editor: Darrell King\r\nEditorial Assistant: Angela Eager\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Chris Donald, Mike Gerrard, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tony Lee, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Mischa Welsh, Tony Worrall\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":"US Gold\n£8.99\nReviewer: Phil South\n\nAbsolutely brilliant. That's the phrase that hopped, skipped and jumped into my brain after playing this game for a couple of hours at a stretch. Solomon's Key is a conversion, by Probe Software, of the fab and popular arcade coin-op machine by Tecno, a very addictive arcade strategy game. To be perfectly frank, coin pickers, it's as corking a rendition of an arcade as you'll find anywhere. And is it addictive? Well, I've had to stop writing this review at least twice for 'just one more go', so you can take it as read that it's more addictive than peanuts or digestive bikkies! (Yum!)\n\nAlthough a sort of platform type, it's actually more strategic, as during play you can place the platforms and break them up as you go along. Choosing where you put the platforms, to allow you a leg up or let a baddie drop, is crucial and though this might sound like Slow City, it's actually a very fast process once you get the hang of it. You can pick up and drop platforms on either side, one up or one down any way you like. Except for the gold bricks, which are indestructible (tsk!), all of the bricks can be crunched or dropped anywhere on the screen.\n\nYour objective is to get the tiny gold key, found in a hard to reach spot on the screen, and then go to the exit on that screen, whereupon you're whooshed off to the next level. (Yipe!) Now this seems easy when you explain it like that, but in actual fact it's very hard indeed. You'll need a lot of goes to learn the technique for each room, and it can get quite infuriating. But the amazing thing is you never lose your temper or get bored with doing it. No matter how close you were to the exit before the time ran out, you still press the start button for one more crack at it! Aaaagghhh!\n\nThe graphics are brilliantly done, if a little anaemic in colour, but really well animated. The gameplay is, I s'pose, similar to something like Boulder Dash/Rockford's Riot, where you're hopping around the screen collecting treasures and keys before heading for the exit. The main difference here is that if you walk off the end of a brick you'll fall, but at least you can fall all the way down the screen and not die.\n\nOh dear! I can see that for the next couple of weeks I'll be sneaking off for quick rounds of Solomon's Key and I confidently predict that you will, too. If any game we've reviewed recently deserves to be a smash hit, this one does. Buy it!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"The most addictive game of the year, and one of the very few coin-op conversions which is every bit as good as the original.","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Your Sinclair Megagame","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil South","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Here's our hero, tromping through the dungeons in search of gems and baubles. He can create bricks to jump on, or zap them if they're in his way."},{"Text":"Here's the key to your escape, hidden among all these bricks. You have to get this before you collect all the gems and baubles."},{"Text":"Here's your bonus timer, which ticks off the seconds it takes you to finish the screen. If you can collect the key and treasure in the room before it reaches zero, then the timer numbers are added to your score."},{"Text":"This attractive little trinket is one that you learn not to grab. If you pick it up, it rings and an angel of doom will chase you around the room."},{"Text":"This character wanders back and forth across the top of the page. Wait until he's gone by, jump onto his level, drop a brick and hop on it into the exit."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","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":"Solomons' Key\r\nUS Gold\r\nReviewer: Rich Pelley\r\n\r\nAn extremely popular game back in '87 - and it still looks good today. At first glance it looks uncannily like your standard arcade adventure, but play it a bit and you may (just) be able to squeeze a bit of a puzzle out of it. Hopefully anyway, 'cos we are meant to be in The Complete Guide To Puzzle Games. (This is one of those wobbly, borderline, six-hours-of-argument-in-the-YS-office sort of games I was going on about at the beginning, I'm afraid.)\r\n\r\nRight. The idea is to collect the key on each screen to allow you to get onto the next one. You do this by moving this little chap with a strange hat on around the screen he can create blocks in certain places, and also disintegrate the ones he doesn't want. Graphics are cute city, and yet again it's another one of those 'just one more go' type games. A good 'un.\r\n\r\nAND FINALLY...\r\n\r\nThere we have it! As I predicted (and Matt and Jonathan got totally wrong) it took me absolutely blooming ages. And most of that time was spent arguing about what a puzzle game actually is and what qualifies and what doesn't (which is one reason why we don't have a giant list of all the ones ever made - we just couldn't agree what they were!).\r\n\r\nNext month - Flight Sims. (Something everyone can agree on.) Hurrah!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"66","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rich Pelley","Score":"85","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Like a funny cross between a puzzle game and your standard cutsie arcade thing (Bubble Bobble or what-have-you). Solomon's Key is (I reckon) one of the best things US Gold's ever done. Hurrah!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Fiendishness","Score":"84%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lack Of Sleep Factor","Score":"77%","Text":""},{"Header":"Pull Your Hair Out Factor","Score":"16%","Text":""},{"Header":"Variation","Score":"88%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"85%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 67, Oct 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":116,"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\nSubscription Enquiries [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\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 84,699 July-Dec 1986"},"MainText":"Label: US Gold\r\nAuthor: Probe\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\nThis year's Boulderdash methinks. Solomon's Key has similar appeal. The art of it is as much thought as speedy response (although you need plenty of both).\r\n\r\nAnd the game is both mind numbingly simple and very addictive.\r\n\r\nWhere Boulderdash had boulders Solomon's Key has blocks. Blocks that may be destroyed by a well aimed head-butt or created out of nothing.\r\n\r\nThe game idea: from the bottom of the screen your little man has to climb up using blocks as stepping stones - building as he goes - to reach an exit at the top of the screen The whole thing is under the clock - the quicker you do it the more points you get and - also - on the way there are bonus items to be collected for even more points and a key to be found to open the exit to the next level.\r\n\r\nTo begin with the problem is time - just choosing sensible routes, learning the art of manipulating the blocks and getting the key within the time limit. After two or three goes you get the hang of it and the first screen becomes comparatively simple. On later levels though, things get more difficult. Assorted creatures start to wander around the blocks - you either have to dodge them or destroy them by collapsing a block from under them at a key moment.\r\n\r\nThere are firebomb bonuses to help which mean you can wipe out on-coming aliens when the going get really tough and other peculiar objects scattered around each screen which bump up your score by mysterious amounts.\r\n\r\nAs you progress it gets very, very difficult indeed.\r\n\r\nIt took me ages to figure out how to do the second screen - you hardly have time to think before what appears to be a fire-breathing fox and disembodied head hurtle down the screen at you.\r\n\r\nThe programming is excellent. True there isn't really anything very difficult involved - nice attribute grid-shaped objects and not too many moving objects - but nevertheless the end result is really colourful, smooth and fast.\r\n\r\nThe only significant criticism I can make is that, like adventure games, once you've found the solution to a level that's it.\r\n\r\nAfter trial and error I cracked Level 1 so that I could always achieve a time bonus of more than 7000 - and the level soon became merely an irritating obstacle on the way to Level 2 which I hadn't yet cracked.\r\n\r\nA 'choose your start level' option would have been much appreciated. A small point, though.\r\n\r\nGenerally the game is wonderful, it may be simple but could well be a seriously big hit.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Simple idea but a superb game in Boulderdash style. Good conversion from Probe, too. A hit methinks.","Page":"23","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Graham Taylor","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) Issue 2, Nov 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-10-01","Editor":"Peter Connor, Steve Cooke","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Advanced Computer Entertainment\r\nFuture Publishing [redacted]\r\nTelephone [redacted], Fax [redacted], Telecom Gold 84:TXT152, Prestel/Micronet [redacted]\r\n\r\nCo-editors: Peter Connor, Steve Cooke\r\nReviews Editor: Andy Wilton\r\nStaff Writers: Dave Packer, Andy Smith\r\nArt Editor: Trevor Gilham\r\nPublisher: Chris Anderson\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS & SPECIAL OFFERS\r\nCarrie-Anne Porter [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOLOUR ORIGINATION\r\nWessex Reproduction [redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION\r\nSM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nPRINTING\r\nChase Web Offset [redacted]\r\n\r\nCopyright - FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD 1987 - No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without our permission."},"MainText":"US Gold, £8.99cs\r\n\r\nAn enjoyable arcade strategy game that was great fun on the Amstrad. The Spectrum version is just as playable, and every bit as addictive. Not quite as colourful as the Amstrad version but still an entertaining game.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Ace Rating","Score":"755/1000","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]