[{"TitleName":"Spherical","Publisher":"Rainbow Arts","Author":"Daren White, Jason Green, Celal Kandemiroglu","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0004746","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 71, Dec 1989","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1989-11-16","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":76,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nSoftware Co-ordinator: Mark Caswell\r\nStaff Writers: Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nEditorial Assistants: Viv Vickress\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION DEPARTMENT\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard\r\n\r\nDesign: Mark Kendrick, Melvin Fisher\r\nSystems Operator: Ian Chubb\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executives: Lee Watkins\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nSubscriptions\r\n[redacted].\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 Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - 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 [redacted] 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":"Rainbow Arts/Probe\r\n£8.99 cass, £12.99 disk\r\n\r\nYou'd think this aged white whiskered hero past adventuring, but the Merlin lookalike wizard is up to his pointed hat in trouble, having got himself stuck in 100 meanie-filled rooms with no hope of escape... or has he?\r\n\r\nYes he has, if only he can find his familiar (magical speak for general dogsbody), a little spherical chappie trapped somewhere in the room. The wiz must leap and bound around the room collecting magical bonus items in order to be able to perform his favourite party pieces. Being a magical chap he can create stone blocks to aid his perambulations. And by collecting bonus objects he can destroy the nasty denizens, teleport himself and do other pretty amazing things.\r\n\r\nHe must not forget to rescue the sphere if he wants to find his way to the next room where he has to go through the whole thing again. The concept is a simple one, and as is very often the case, the simpler the idea the better the game. It's easy to collect the bonuses and rescue the sphere, at least on the first couple of levels. But the denizens become more and more bloodthirsty, making it increasingly difficult to reach your pal. Spherical is a great romp through lots of dank rooms filled with nasty creatures: buy it now.\r\n\r\nMARK 89%","ReviewerComments":["Spherical is simply an excellent game. It has everything that you could want and more. The graphics are small, but detailed with the occasional appearance of big monsters that fill half the screen! just avoiding the nasties and collecting the treasure would make an excellent arcade game, but there are the added puzzles to give an extra boost of addictiveness. You have to guide a ball on the screen to the 'IN' icon. This isn't as easy as it sounds because once it drops there's no getting it up again (choor!). Quick reflexes and an I.Q. of 2,000,000 are needed to succeed for just a couple of rounds (that counts out Corky Caswell!). Luckily, for the pure genius who gets really far (or the cheat - like me!), there are code words for certain levels which take out the frustration of starting right from the beginning again. Spherical is fabulous, well worth a smash!\r\nNick Roberts\r\n91%"],"OverallSummary":"Spherical is a great platform game well worth the paltry asking price.","Page":"67","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"89","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"91","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"84%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"90%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 48, Dec 1989","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1989-11-16","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Catherine Peters\r\nDeputy Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nStaff Writer: David Wilson\r\nDesigner: Martin Sharrocks\r\nTechnical Consultant: Jonathan Davies\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Duncan MacDonald, Rich Pelley, Phil South\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Lynda Elliott\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Caroline Day\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Chris Skinner\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nAdvertisement Production: Claire Baker\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nNewstrade Circulation Manager: Stephen Ward\r\nSubscription Manager: June Smith\r\nPublisher: Teresa Maughan\r\nGroup Publishing Director: Richard Howell\r\nGroup Creative Director: Tony Spalding\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Point Five [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinted By: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1989 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":"Rainbow Arts\r\n£8.99 cass/£12.99 disk\r\nReviewer: David Wilson\r\n\r\nAre you fatigued by fatuous fighting games? Shattered by all those mindless shoot-'em-ups? Ooh no, missus! Well, don't get hispherical! (Groan! Ed) 'Cos here, for a refreshing change, is one of those games that places its emphasis more on the ol' grey matter between your ears than the red button on the end of your joystick. Yep, it's Spherical!\r\n\r\nIt's big, it's colourful, it's got lots of little wobbly bits, it's from German software house Rainbow Arts and it's been programmed by Probe Software, the guys behind Firebird's Mr Heli. It's also similar to Repton Mania, which Marcus rated a hot 88° in our June issue, but, whereas that game boasted its cutsie croc in casual wear, Spherical leans more towards the Gauntlet-type scenario and characters.\r\n\r\nBasically, you play this sort of wizard chap. You and a friend have ventured into this castle when suddenly. FULATCH!, your chum gets turned into a sphere! Blimey! A hasty exit is recommended, but things aren't quite that simple 'cos you have to clear the way for your rotund amigo to roll clear of the traps and pitfalls between you and the exit!\r\n\r\nYour wizardly powers enable you to add or subtract bricks and you can also collect various icons, including good and bad potions, gems and even a Strider-type droid thing that circles your sprite and kills the monsters! There are 80 (!) levels in all, each comprising a single screen of increasing complexity, not to mention a secret extra ten levels which you can access via a codeword received from other icons! if you choose the two player game, then you won't recognise it, 'cos guess what!? There are only 80 completely new levels in that mode too! And, true to form, these are cunningly designed so that they can only be completed by both players co-operating! (I knew all those mornings spent watching Sesame Street would come in handy one day!) Sometimes you have to get the sphere to the exit, other times you have to kill a monster. These can be huge, and explode quite nicely when bashed over the bonce several times by the aforementioned droid!\r\n\r\nBut what you're really going to need here is quick thinking! At the start of a level you have 20 seconds before the sphere starts rolling. The first thing you must do is to ensure that the sphere is safe. If you're at the bottom of the screen, and the ball is poised over a trap at the top, then some bloomin' nifty block-building is required el pronto! (Fortunately, there's an option for you to practice this!) As the levels progress, there are bigger monsters and more complicated problems to pit your wits against. You'll get skull-shaped doors that need to be removed by collecting the appropriate coloured key icon, and all manner of energy-zapping creatures to impede your passage. (Oo-er! Ed) You've got a long way to go and absolutely yonks of puzzling gameplay ahead of you. And with the very different two player interactive option it's like two games for the price of one, er, too, so you'll get your money's worth and no mistake!\r\n\r\nAnd that, in a nutshell, is that! A wizard game about wizards, balls, monster squashing (or blocking) and problem solving. If your mind is getting jealous of all the exercise your trigger finger is getting, then check out Spherical!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A colourful and challenging game requiring as much mental agility as joystick skill. It's original and it's wizard! (And so are you, funnily enough!)","Page":"104,105","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"David Wilson","Score":"88","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"One of the better examples, graphically. I'll just despatch this dragon by braining it with my circling droid."},{"Text":"This is murder! Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning, blue background with blue sprite, optician's delight."},{"Text":"Yep, it's another 'hard to see' screen. Grab the unrolled scroll 'cos you'll get a level-access password."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"ICONOGRAPHY\r\nHere are some of the icons you'll come across, and what they do for you!\r\n\r\nSMART POTION\r\nThis, in the modern vernacular, is what we'd call a smart bomb, so, er, basically it performs the same function. Collect it by moving over the icon. Use it by pressing 'nine' on the keyboard.\r\n\r\nEXTRA ENERGY\r\nYou'll have to guess what this one does 'cos I'm keeping mum!\r\n\r\nSPARKLER\r\nThis baby gives you the Strider-type droid. It circles you and wipes out any baddies it touches. But remember, all good things must come to an end! (There's a time limit!)\r\n\r\nPOISON\r\nTouch this at your peril! It'll take away your brick-building ability.\r\n\r\nFREEZE POTION\r\nThis freezes most of the moving nasties, but be careful not to freeze any baddies which block your route!\r\n\r\nANTI GRAV\r\nSometimes you'll have a level where the exit is above the sphere! But don't despair, 'cos by operating this icon, you'll reverse the gravity - and invert the screen! Some anti gravs need to be used more than once to get the sphere up one side of an obstacle and then down the other!\r\n\r\nLAMP\r\nThis icon will give your character immunity from all those energy zapping thingies!\r\n\r\nPARCHMENT\r\nThis gives you longer and slower jumps.\r\n\r\nFA CUP\r\nWell, it looks a bit like it! Anyway, this transports you to a warp level! These are well tricky, but complete one and you'll be moved on several levels as a reward!\r\n\r\nDOOR AND KEY\r\nGet key icon and the doors of the same colour will disappear.\r\n\r\nWAND\r\nHurrah! No probs if you get one of these on your screen, 'cos it'll get you straight on to the next level!\r\n\r\nHOURGLASS\r\nYou know I said that the sphere starts rolling after 20 seconds? Well get this icon and it won't! It'll take a bit longer!"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"88%","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":"Spherical\r\nRainbow Arts\r\nReviewer: Rich Pelley\r\n\r\nHow would you feel if your best friend had just been turned into a ball? Precisely. And the last thing you would want is for him to roll down a pit or something, isn't it? So the best thing to do would be to walk about in front of him and build him a pathway by removing and placing blocks to, him to roll along, yes? Okay, so everything looks rather like Solomon's Key to begin with, but begin playing and you'll soon realise that it's a completely different kettle of pickled herrings altogether.\r\n\r\nFor starters, there's loads of icons and things which you can collect en route to help. And there's a natty two-player mode, which gives you a completely different set of screens which can only be completed if the two players cooperate with each other. Sheeks!\r\n\r\nAnd as if all that wasn't reason enough to sellotape Spherical to your tape deck and leave it there, the game also features some particularly tasty graphics, packed with colour and jumbo-sized nasties to dispatch with a stream of carefully-aimed projectiles.\r\n\r\nAnother good 'un, proving that puzzles are where it's at.\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":"75","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"And this one's fairly similar (in look anyway). Only trouble is the graphics can be a bit dark and hard to see at times. (Pretty though, isn't it?)"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Fiendishness","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lack Of Sleep Factor","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Pull Your Hair Out Factor","Score":"21%","Text":""},{"Header":"Variation","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"75%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 93, Dec 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-11-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"JIM \"Scaredy Cat\" DOUGLAS (Editor)\r\nWith Ghostbuster fever in the office most of the SU team are making ghostly woo wooing noises and filling our mouths with blood capsules. Spazzy Jim, however, is turning into a human jelly (and you all thought he was really hard didn't you?) This is him just before he hid under the desk shouting, \"stop it you lot, you know I don't like the dark\"\r\n\r\nALISON \"Heads Up!\" SKEAT (Production Editor)\r\nEntering in Ghostbustee fever like a good 'un, Al actually agreed to have her head sawn off (she'll do anything for a laugh, that one - Jim) for our photographer. We are at the mo putting her back together with Pritt stick and staples - is there a paramedic in the house?\r\n\r\nTIM \"Creeping Terror\" NOONAN (Art Editor)\r\nAfter 15 pints of shandy at his local The Kosh and Headbutt, and 32 pints of curry from his fave \"restaurant\" Tim finds he has a bad case of biryana botty and terrifies the rest of the SU team with his impression of a Haloween pumpkin head\r\n\r\nGARTH \"Nosferatu\" Sumpter (Staff Writer)\r\nA right ruddy spooky weirdo this one. Garthy runs around EMAP towers, fangs at the ready, biting the office cat and wiping the blood on the roller towel in the loo (geross - all SU readers). That's on any normal day at work, but since Ghostbuster fever he's gone completely off his nut and killed everyone... (but not really)\r\n\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nHow The Hell: Andrew Hewson\r\nI've Got This Problem: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: James Owens\r\nSenior Sales: Martha 'Tell me now' Moloughney\r\nAd Production: Emma 'Cor Blimey!' Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean 'Beezer Geezer' Barrett\r\nMarketing Assistant: Sarah Ewing\r\nPublisher: Terry 'Digestable' Pratt\r\n\r\nOur Address: [redacted]\r\nOur Phone Number: [redacted]\r\nOur Fax No: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Ghostbusters II from Activision\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nTypeset on Laser Imager at EMAP Towers. So Nerr!\r\nDistributed by EMAP Frontline.\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n24 Hour Order Line: [redacted]\r\nBack Issues: Back Issues Department (SU), [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1989 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nAll information is correct at time of going to press. And if you don't believe us Big Al Skeat will come round your house and crush your gerbil between her knees. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transcribed, without written consent from the publishers, EMAP Business and Computer Publications. So we'll have no ore said about it."},"MainText":"Label: Rainbow Arts\r\nAuthor: Probe\r\nPrice: £8.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Jim Douglas\r\n\r\nSpherical is like a cross between Manic Miner and Mousetrap. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It involves a wizard (or two) pegging around a huge number of screens, constructing more and more clever ways to steer the path of a rolling ball into a strategically placed box at the bottom of the screen.\r\n\r\nLet me explain. Each screen features a counter. The second the screen appears, the counter will, er, begin to count down. When it reaches zero, a big ball somewhere in the top region of the screen will be released from its starting position and will fall or roll - depending on its surroundings - down the screen. It's essential to use this lead time effectively. While the easy, early screens will allow you to dither around a bit, and the ball will roll easily no matter what you do, the later levels will put a sneaky trap right in front of the ball and it you're not quick enough to get it, you're stuffed.\r\n\r\nAffecting the descent of the ball is far from complicated, but it can be bloody difficult. Each wizard has at his disposal an infinite number of building blocks. He can put them anywhere except immediately below him. The trick is to set the blocks in a pattern so as to allow the ball either a complete run into the target box or set up a series of containment areas and gradually channel the ball the right way.\r\n\r\nThis all sounds a bit heavy going and dull, doesn't it? Well, it's not as bad as all that. It certainly has the appeal of puzzley things. Mind you, it's the sort of appeal that can fade pretty sharpish.\r\n\r\nSpherical looks pretty poor for the first twenty screens or so, comprising pretty tiny sprites and not an abundance of swooshy animation. While there is colour all around, nothing seems especially well drawn.\r\n\r\nLater on, however, the graphics seem to have come from another dimension entirely. There are huge dragons and beasts and statues and structures; all beautifully drawn and tricky to negotiate.\r\n\r\nRemember the Mirrorsoft game, Tetris? Well, it's got exactly the same grab factor as that.\r\n\r\nThere are clusters of jewels hanging in the air. Each awards you bonus points.\r\n\r\nMovement around the screen involves bouncing off blocks (whether already in position or laid by yourself).\r\n\r\nAnd that's your lot. The further you get. the more outrageously tricky the screen layouts become and the tougher it is to stop the ball from becoming thoroughly trapped in a crevice. If you're desperately keen on action-puzzle solving, then this is one for you. If you're after anything else, forget it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"\"Action\" Puzzling. Flawed but interesting.","Page":"97","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jim Douglas","Score":"64","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"\"Welcome to my parlour' Ooer this could be a sticky situation."},{"Text":"Balls, balls, balls but what can you do with em eh? These superb backdrops are typical of the later stages."},{"Text":"Whoops? You'll not get around this beastie easily 'cos it immense, no doubt like his fuel bills."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"66%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"60%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"64%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]