[{"TitleName":"Abu Simbel Profanation","Publisher":"Dinamic Software","Author":"Alfonso Azpiri, Florentino Pertejo, Santiago Morga B., Snatcho, Victor Ruiz Tejedor","YearOfRelease":"1985","ZxDbId":"0000048","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 19, Aug 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-07-25","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishing Executive: Roger Kean\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nSoftware Editor: Jeremy Spencer\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Reviewer: Angus Ryall\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey, Robin Candy, Ben Stone, John Minson, Mark Hamer\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nProduction Manager: Sally Newman\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\n©1985 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £14.50 post included (UK Mainland); Europe: 12 issues £21.50 post included. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing.\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. The opinions and views of correspondents are their own and not necessarily in accord with those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nMICRONET:\r\nYou can talk to CRASH via Micronet. Our MBX is 105845851\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Gremlin Graphics\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £6.95\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: Victor Ruiz\r\n\r\nThis is the second of the two Spanish games from Dinamic Soft to be released by Gremlin this month (the other being the boxing simulation, Rocco). It is, in its simplest form, a platform game cum arcade adventure. So why Profanation? Well, it's not that it might be blasphemous to buy or even play there's nothing remotely immoral about it. Neither has it got anything to do with the fact that a few profanities will escape your lips during play. No, the profanity is the Pharoah's curse that has been inflicted upon our poor hero and intrepid explorer, Johnny Jones (Pause for breath) Gasp! Shock! Horror!\r\n\r\nYep, the highly inquisitive Johnny's gorn and got himself trapped in the Temple of Abu Simbel, erected over 3,000 years ago by Ramses II himself, no less. This temple wasn't the only thing left behind by the Pharoah (cue Vince Price voiceover). No, there was also the threat that an evil spell would be set upon anyone brave or foolhardy enough to enter the Pharoah's tomb! All the temple's secrets remained hidden from the curious eyes of humanity for over 30 centuries. That was, until JJ decided to take a look. Now he's been turned into a hideously deformed... well, thing is the best description I can think of (I don't think he looks so bad, in fact he's quite cute - he looks rather like an armless purple spud on legs, with a large nose and for some strange reason he's always smiling obviously nose something we don't!).\r\n\r\nSo now JJ's in a mess, or rather a tomb. (Cue tense muzak...). Can JJ free himself from the spell and find his way to the mortuary chamber and discover its secrets...? Well he can if he can get out of the first location!\r\n\r\nThe Temple itself consists of 45 chambers, each containing its own platform arrangement and particular group of nasties. Most of the nasties move in regular, predictable patterns while others are stationary problems such as spikes that shouldn't be fallen on. Other cosmetic things adorn the locations such as spider webs and skeletons. The screen flips to the next location on moving from chamber to chamber rather than scrolling.\r\n\r\nLarge slabs of stone are present in some locations, blocking further progress and they can only be moved by 'collecting' the correct 'keys' (touching small blocks with heiroglyphs on them). There are also a number of traps throughout the temple's 45 locations that are only noticable once you've fallen into one! You soon learn what's what. Deeper into the temple there's a large coloured diamond (I won't say what that's used for), deadly pools, stalactites that fall and crumble, snakes, mummies, a row of stepping stones over a river of pirhanas and some damn-near-impossible-to negotiate Van der Graff generator thingies amongst a multitude of other objects.\r\n\r\nControl is simple left/right movement with two heights of jump (depending on how far you need to safely leap) - a normal jump or an extra high one. You initially start with ten lives believe me, you need 'em and one is lost each time you hit something nasty, such as a deadly water drip, a spinning monolith or even some spikes for example (usually found in traps).\r\n\r\nThe instructions are deliberately sparse, giving only a brief scenario, the keys used and how to load the game (always useful). This is to allow you to find out things for yourself... well there are arcade adventure overtones, after all.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: O/P left/right, Q-T/A-G high/low jump Joystick: Kempston\r\nKeyboard play: good\r\nUse of colour: excellent\r\nGraphics: very good\r\nSound: good\r\nSkill levels: 1\r\nLives: 10\r\nScreens: 45","ReviewerComments":["This is one hell of a difficult game to play, but one I didn't find too off putting because of it. The graphics are very good, the main character being humorously and well animated. I particularly like the way he looks innocently around if left standing doing nothing for a while. Other characters and objects are very well defined/animated and colour clash is very rare (even when it does occur it's rarely offensive). The title screen music wasn't bad, nor were the. sound effects. Although Profanation doesn't offer anything outstandingly original in terms of gameplay, it does offer a tough challenge for it's price\r\r\nUnknown","Ten lives, that's surely a generous helping... or is it? Well, if perhaps another zero was added, then it would feel about right. This is a pretty evil game, it s got lots of nasties in store to kill off the unwary adventurer. The graphics are great, they really give an authentic, spooky atmosphere. To compliment this, you are portrayed as a zany-looking creature. Abu Simbel is simply a brill game that is as hard as it is good. Its difficulties will frustrate you, while its charms will addict you. Not for the casual player: pro's only!\r\r\nUnknown","Those of you who despise platform games will probably find yourself loathing this one as it is incredibly difficult and proves too frustrating to be worth playing for any great length of time. There's not a great deal new about it, with the usual monotonous left/right/jump stuff that is found in your average platform game. The graphics are the most appealing aspect of the whole game with some excellent sprites and a great use of colour all round. The sound wasn't too hot and the title screen music drove me up the wall. Still, any platform freaks who still enjoy this sort of thing will probably love it, but the rest of you shouldn't expect too much.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A good but very difficult game, nothing outstanding though.","Page":"106","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"The first screen from PROFANATION. Inside Pharoh's pad, the quest begins."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"62%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"86%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"78%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 19, Oct 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-09-19","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":66,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Phoebe Evans\r\nDeputy Editor: Peter Shaw\r\nProduction Editor: Louise Cook\r\nDesigner: Martin Dixon\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Ross Holman, Tony Samuels, Ian Beardsmore, Chris Wood, Rick Robson, Dougie Bern, Chris Somerville, Max Phillips, Phil South, Stuart Jamieson, Christopher Hardy, Peter Freebrey, Dave Nicholls\r\nAdvertisement Manager: David Baskerville\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Chris Talbot\r\nManaging Editor: Roger Munford\r\nArt Director: Jimmy Egerton\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\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 Spectrum ©1985 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"ABU SIMBEL PROFONATION\r\nGremlin Graphics\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nRoss: If you're looking for exotic moments of Eastern promise, then get back to your Turkish Delight. Abu Simbel Profanation may be set in Egypt, but it's about as full of oriental mystique as a Chinese take-away. The graphic backdrops make decent scenery but unfortunately, there's nothing too theatrical about the action.\r\n\r\nForget the idea of majestic looking Egyptian Pharaohs, the man whose strings you have to pull is more of a blob on legs. His movements are jerky rather than heroic, and he escapes the collision detection pretty successfully at times.\r\n\r\nTiming your jumps in the first screen is enough to try the patience of a mummy. Also, immortality in this game is a little mundane. When you lose one of your many lives, you reappear at the point where you entered the room. This is no joke as often you've spent a while trying to defeat one obstacle, only to be killed by another further into the room.\r\n\r\nIt's all pretty mediocre stuff, and I doubt Cleopatra would be charmed if she played it.","ReviewerComments":["You can tell why Gremlin calls this Profanation I'd be swearing if I was permanently stuck in this Egyptian hokum.\r\nRick Robson\r\n4/10","Everything seemed against me, including the jerky graphics. I liked the idea of the game... but the reality never quite came up to the expectations.\r\nDougie Bern\r\n3/10"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"45","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ross Holman","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Rick Robson","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Dougie Bern","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 42, Sep 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-08-18","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\nEditor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne, Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Craig Kennedy\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nPublisher: Neil Wood\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nAdvertising Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Shahid Nizam\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kathy McLennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Jim McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\n\r\nMAGAZINE SERVICES\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\n\r\nTELEPHONE\r\nAll departments [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Stuart Hughes, used by permission of Softek International.\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Peterboro' Web, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1985 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\n102,023 Jan-Jun 1985"},"MainText":"Publisher Gremlin\r\nPrice: £7.95\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nJoystick: Kempston\r\n\r\nMeet Johnny Jones, no relation whatsoever to Indiana. It is clearly coincidence that Johnny also spends his time leaping through the death traps of a forbidden Egyptian temple.\r\n\r\nSpanish software house Dinamic has licensed its successful game to Gremlin so we too can thrill to purple blob Johnny's attempts to reach the mortuary and free himself from the curse of Ramses iI.\r\n\r\nWe are not told whether he's a purple blob because of the curse or because he was born that way, but who cares? Profanation is a viciously difficult jump-and-dodge game, programmed in vivid graphics which lift it above the usual run of Manic Miner bandwagon passengers.\r\n\r\nYou will have to be pixel-perfect to surmount some problems. The acidic drops which abound in the cavern complex can usually be jumped if you judge the timing correctly.\r\n\r\nIf you still can't get past them try getting Johnny right on the edge of the platforms, just out of range of the splash, before you jump.\r\n\r\nLater you will discover some really filthy tricks - there are sections of ceiling, two on screen three, where jumping enables you to spider-walk on the roof. Gremlin gives absolutely nothing away in the packaging, and you are in for a real lulu of a brainbuster if you seriously intend to get through all 45 screens.\r\n\r\nWhile there is nothing particularly original about Profanation, it is one of the best we have seen.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"18","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Bourne","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 48, Oct 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-09-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nStaff Writer: Seamus St. John\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nProduction Editor: Mary Morton\r\nDesign/Editorial Consultants: Steve Bush, Vici MacDonald\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Paul Coppins, Simon Marsh, Jim Douglas\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nReader Services: Marcus Jeffery\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Bernard Dugdale\r\nAdvertising Executive: Sean Brennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Melanie Paulo\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\n\r\n...and the Bug Hunters!\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE\r\nBy using the special Postal Subscription Service, copies of COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES can be mailed direct from our offices each month to any address throughout the world. All subscription applications should be sent for processing to COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES (Subscription Department), [redacted]. All orders should include the appropriate remittance made payable to COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES. Annual subscription rates (12 issues): UK and Eire: £15. Additional service information, including individual overseas airmail rates available upon request. Circulation Department: EMAP National Publications. Published and distributed by EMAP National Publications Ltd. Printed by Severn Valley Press. Typeset by In-Step Ltd."},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: Gremlin Graphics\r\nPRICE: £7.95\r\n\r\nThe spirit of Indiana Jones is alive and well and living inside the lost Temple of Abu Simbel created for the Spectrum by those innovative Spanish programmers at Dinamic and brought to you lucky people by Gremlin.\r\n\r\nYes, it's another platform arcade, collect-all-the-treasures game but with extra added style, fun and addictiveness.\r\n\r\nYou play the part of Johnny Jones, Indiana's third cousin twice removed, I suppose - who is a general all-purpose superstar and explorer. Poor old Johnny has fallen victim to the curse of Pharoah Ramses II who built the Temple of Abu Simbel over 3000 years ago.\r\n\r\nOur hero must free himself from the spell - which appears to have turned him into a Gribbly-like character - a round purple body and big feet! To do this, he has to explore the many levels of the mysterious temple and discover the mortuary chamber - where a secret is hidden.\r\n\r\nYou have to guide Johnny through the labyrinth of chambers packed with traps and puzzles. Beware of the deadly spike filled pits and dead ends could end up staying in the temple until you rot!\r\n\r\nProfanation is best played with a joystick - but there are keyboard options of course.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are interesting and well produced, the hero is a cute little character and the sound effects are good - a nice impression of dripping water is featured on some screens.\r\n\r\nThe puzzles are quite tricky - but not impossible to solve. This makes the game easy to get into. You'll soon be hooked and want to solve the harder riddles later in the game.\r\n\r\nOverall an extremely well presented and entertaining game.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"27","Denied":false,"Award":"Blitz Game","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 9, Sep 1985","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1985-08-15","Editor":"Toby Wolpe","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Toby Wolpe\r\nAssistant Editor: Meirion Jones\r\nProduction Editor: Ian Vallely\r\nSoftware Editor: Simon Beesley\r\nCommercial Software Editor: Paul Bond\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lee Paddon\r\nEditorial Secretary: Lynn Dawson\r\nEditorial: [redacted]\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Nick Ratnieks\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Ken Walford\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Julian Bidlake\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Kay Filbin\r\nNorthern Office: Geoff Parker\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Maxine Gill\r\nClassified: Susan Platts\r\nPublisher: Gavin Howe\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Shobhan Gajjar\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\n©Business Press International Ltd 1985\r\n\r\nPrinted in Great Britain for the proprietors of Business Press International Ltd, [redacted].\r\nISSN 0263-0885\r\nPrinted by Riverside Press Ltd, [redacted], and typeset by Instep Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: U.K. £14 for 12 issues.\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n\r\nABC 131,769 June-December 1984."},"MainText":"Spectrum\r\nGremlin Graphics\r\nArcade Adventure\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nProfanation is certainly the name of the game here, since the idea of easing you into the game gently is not the idea. So you will be tempted to use all sorts of naughty words as you signally fail to get your little purple blob to jump past the acid drip on the first screen.\r\n\r\nReminiscent graphically of Bugaboo and Fred, both products of those immortal Spaniards Paco and Paco, and with names like Victor Ruiz, Florentine Petrejo, Santiago, Morga B and Snatcho on the credits list, we leave you to draw your own conclusions, i.e. they have nothing to do with Paco e Paco except being Spanish. You have to discover the secret of Abu Simbel, the ancient Egyptian temple and free Johnny Jones from the spell.\r\n\r\nSince this is just about the most fiendishly difficult platform-style game that you are ever going to meet, or want to meet, you will be doing an awful lot of tooth-gritting. You have to learn that you don't need to stand vertically on top of objects. Wait, calculate and think before you act, hints the program at the beginning - it also hints that \"The diamond will show you the way\".\r\n\r\nThis means that on one of the screens there is a diamond. You should note the colour of the gem as at another point in the game you will encounter a screen with five coloured squares on it. You must touch the square that is the same colour as the diamond if you want to progress further. Otherwise things get very profane indeed.\r\n\r\nGraphics ate pleasantly executed - as you yourself are from time to time - and the purple blob which is Johnny Jones has a whimsical way of looking around and grinning while waiting for the next move. Could be a distant relative of Roland Rat. All in all, one of tho best tombs I've ever had to work in.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"29","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Bond","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Profanation - the diamond will show you the way."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"3/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]