[{"TitleName":"Stack Up","Publisher":"Zeppelin Games Ltd","Author":"David Sanders","YearOfRelease":"1991","ZxDbId":"0004803","Reviews":[{"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":"Zeppelin Games\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nTake Tetris and Connect 4, add a few road signs and a couple of planets, shake well and what have you got? Stack Up! This is one addictive game. Ever since I started playing I haven't been able to put the joystick down - it's that good!\r\n\r\nThe aim of the game is to guide the falling groups of blocks so that they form horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines of three or more of the same colour. Once a stack has been made the blocks disintegrate giving points and moving the blocks above down. You're not restricted to the order the blocks fall in, pressing swap allows the colours to change position so they can be placed just where you want them.\r\n\r\nMaking stacks of four or more is helped by the display at the bottom of the screen. This shows the blocks that are coming up next so you can take them into account when positioning the current one.\r\n\r\nEach frame has a number of stacks to be completed before you can go on to the next. A normal line of three counts as one stack but lines of four count as two, five as three and so on.\r\n\r\nHigher levels hold more perils to make the game tougher frames are started with blocks already placed in them, blocks appear randomly, only diagonals count as a stack and the left and right controls become reversed, causing total mayhem!\r\n\r\nTo add a little variety in the graphics you can choose what each block is represented by from a list including road signs, planets and even Greek symbols! Stack Up is a simple and highly playable. Get a copy now and go blocking mad (and I'm taking this copy home with me)!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"43","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"80","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"It looks like that falling green sign would help matters but where ever it's put it won't clear any blocks (no three in a row, y'see)."},{"Text":"'You blew it!', indeed. Oh, just one more go..."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"80%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 68, Aug 1991","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1991-07-08","Editor":"Andy Ide","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Andy Ide\r\nMore Pregnant Art Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nNew Art Editor: Andy Ounsted\r\nGames Editor: James Leach\r\nStaff Writer: Linda Barker\r\nAdvertising Manager: Simon Moss\r\nDeputy Advertising Manager: Philip Davenport\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nPublisher: Jane Richardson\r\nPromotions Manager: Michele Harris\r\nPublishing Assistant: Tamara Ward\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair, Future Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nDistribution: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Paul Kidby\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\nABC July-Dec 1990 60,368\r\n\r\nYS comes to you from the same thrusting company that publishes Commodore Format, ST Format, New Computer Express, Amstrad Action, Classic CD, PC Plus, 8000 Plus, Sega Power, Amiga Format/Power/Shopper, PC Answers & Needlecraft."},"MainText":"Zeppelin\r\n£3.99 cass\r\nReviewer: James Leach\r\n\r\nTsk. Those Russians, eh? No sooner do they become all friendly and glasnosty, than they drop Tetris on us. And Tetris, as we all know, is the biggest cause of late nights, headaches and damaged joysticks ever. Worse still, it now seems as if the world, his wife, his two daughters and their pet Labrador 'Ludo' are all writing games with that 'addictive puzzle arcade-type element'. And oh what a coincidence! Here comes one now!\r\n\r\nIt's called Stack Up, and it works a weeny bit like this. Coloured squares fall from the top of the screen, three in a line. You can't twist the round, like Tetris, but you can alter the order of the colours. They build up at the bottom, and the idea is to try and match up the colours falling with those below, to produce lines of three or more (which can be diagonal, horizontal or vertical). If you do this, the lines disappear; if you don't, the screen will fill up and you'll be staring complete failure right in the face. So, nothing too different from the Big T so far, just a few nifty little twists.\r\n\r\nBLOCKHEAD!\r\n\r\nThe game is divided into levels, so even if you're not doing well you can often just hang in there until you get to the next level (where you can start afresh). The later levels have lots of fiendish features, like blank blocks which can't be removed, forcing you to make your coloured lines around them. As you get further up the levels, you start to get random coloured blocks appearing (usually where you least want them). Oh, and in case you're thinking that it all sounds rather easy-peasy, the game itself gets faster and faster as well. (Of course.)\r\n\r\nRight. That's enough technical, difficult-to-explain stuff. If you really want to know how it all works, go out and buy it. All you need to know is that Stack Up is amazingly good fun to play. Were not talking earth-shaking originality here by any means. Zeppelin have obviously taken a long hard look at Tetris, and quite unashamedly decided to produce a game in exactly the same mould. But where it comes up trumps is in the way they've retained the same addictive quality, but managed to put a facelift on it with the new features. The difficulty level for example is set just about right (pretty important for games like this), and the graphics, while extremely straightforward, are really bright and crisp, and blaze off the screen in nice primary colours. It really is the biz.\r\n\r\nHmm. And there isn't a lot else to say about it. Except that if you're even the slightest bit interested in having a go at a puzzle game, then smash that stupid blue piggy-bank you got on your eighth birthday (and that you're rather ashamed of), collect all the half-pennies which you've been putting in ti (even though they're no longer legally accepted) and rush down to your local software emporium to get a copy of Stack Up immediately. If the man hasn't got one, insist that he telephones the distributor to get one sent as soon as possible. (But don't forget to say please.)","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A Tetris rip-off, but a colourful, addictive and extremely entertaining one. (And dirt cheap too.)","Page":"54,55","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Leach","Score":"86","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Keep an eye out for those blank diagonal blocks - they're just there to cause you maximum hassle."},{"Text":"Not doing too well here, actually. Er, let's hope we're near the end of a level!"},{"Text":"Those shapes on the coloured blocks are pretty, aren't they? (They're probably for people with black and white tellies, we'll wager!)"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"88%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"84%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"72%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"86%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 91, Aug 1991","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1991-07-18","Editor":"Richard Eddy","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL OFFICE\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\nDesign Assistant: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nDesign Consultant: Robin (Goodbye) Candy\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris, Jenni Reddard\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Judith Bamford\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Justine Pritchard\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nEditorial Director: Oliver Frey\r\nManaging Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards [redacted]\r\n\r\nYearly subscription rates: UK mainland £22, Eire and Europe £28. Outside Europe (Airmail) £42. 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\nTypesetting Newsfield, using Apple Macintosh II computers, running Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator 3.0 with System support from Digital Paint Reprographics [redacted]. Colour origination Scan Studios [redacted]. Printing BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted]. Distribution COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\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\n©CRASH Ltd 1991.\r\nThis month's cover, Terminator 2 ©1991 & TM Orion Pictures ©Carolco. Cover design by Oliver Frey. Powertape inlay design by Richard Eddy."},"MainText":"AND, THE BEST OF THE BUDGET\r\n\r\nSTACK UP\r\nZeppelin Games\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nTake Tetris and Connect 4 and you've got a vague idea what Stack Up's like. Simply guide the falling groups of falling blocks so they form horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines of three or more of the same colour. To add variety you can change the style of the graphics to suit yourself. Simple, highly playable and wildly addictive. Go buy.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"56","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"80%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 114, Aug 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-07-15","Editor":"Garth Sumpter","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Garth 'Cuban Heels' Sumpter\r\nDesign Editor: Andrea 'Overtime' Walker\r\nDesign: Yvette 'Vegetable rights & peace' Nicholls\r\nStaff Writers: Steve 'Sub burn' Keen, Matt 'Yo babe!' Regan\r\nSU Crew: Alan 'Back to my place' Dykes, Graham 'Diamond' Mason\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jerry 'Sun tan' Hall\r\nAd Production: Jo 'Trainee' Gleissner\r\nMarketing Dept: Marc 'Goodtimes' Swallow, Sarah '0898' Ewing, Sarah 'I've got a secret' Hillard\r\nPublisher: Graham 'No expense spared' Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Organised' 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.\r\nColour work by Proprint.\r\n\r\nReproduction of any part of this magazine without the written consent of Garth, Andrew, Steve, Matt, Allan and Mr Ben will result in something really utterly nasty happening, I can jolly well tell you. Either that or Garth will file down your teeth with an electric cattle prod whilst Matt sings acoustic Des O'Connor numbers and tickles your particulars with a herring. If you want to reproduce our mag after all this then you're a very sick, sick person indeed and should seek medical attention immediately, that's what we do. Oh, just as we were going to press, Yvette, our design assistant, got very poorly and had to go to hospital. We'd all like to wish here a speedy recovery. If you want to send her a line or something to keep her amused while she gets better then cheer her up and write to her in her sick bed. Whoever sends the letter that cheers her up the most will receive £50s worth of games. Till then... byeee!"},"MainText":"Label: Zeppelin\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £2.99 Tape, N/A Disk\r\nReviewer: Alan Dykes\r\n\r\nRiddle me this... What is easy to comprehend but difficult to figure out? What is completely boring but yet excitingly addictive? The answer is of course a strategy game and Stack Up, the pick of Zeppelin's latest mixed bag of budget releases is a reasonably absorbing example.\r\n\r\nIt's a funny thing about puzzle/strategy games, the descriptions given in the manual or on the box sound unbelievably brilliant, whereas the overall idea of the game sounds repetitive and naff, the reality usually ends up somewhere in between. If you really do want to get to the root of a game the general rule is to remove buzz words (words used to make things sound more exciting) from the manufacturer's description. Stack Up is described as the \"Ultimate Arcade Teaser.... In superbly addictive quantities\". Spot the buzz words.\r\n\r\nThis \"Arcade Teaser\" (that's more like it eh?) is reminiscent of other colour block building games such as Klax and follows the general rule of simplicity. The aim is to position a variety of randomly mixed coloured cubes, which are being dropped in horizontal groups of three, into diagonal, vertical or horizontal lines of the same colour blocks. Each level has blocks descending at ever increasing speeds, with playing screens after level two having an initial random scattering of blocks before play even begins. Many other obstacles also appear on later levels. Scores can be multiplied by setting up chain reactions and there are bonuses for having lots of lovely empty space at the end of each level. Stack Up is not easy!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Stack up needs quick thinking and quick reactions. It's not too difficult but can become addictive for a short period of time. P.S... It's not for the colour-blind.","Page":"38","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"76","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"76%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 93, Oct 1991","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1991-09-15","Editor":"Richard Eddy","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"THIS IS CRASH, THEY ARE:\r\n\r\nEditor: Richard Eddy\r\nAssistant Editor: Luck Hickman\r\nSoftware Co-ordinator: Nick Roberts\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Lloyd Mangram\r\nPublisher: Oliver Frey\r\nArt Editor: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant Designer: Paul 'Charlie-Farlie' Chubb\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager (Computer Leisure): Cathy Cosic\r\nSales Executive: George Keenan\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris\r\nManaging Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nCirculation Director: Nigel Ireland\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards (Yearly subscription rates: UK mainland £26, Eire and Europe £32. Outside Europe (Airmail) £46 (But see this special offer!). US/Canada subscriptions and back issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly subscription rates US $47.00, Canada $57.00.\r\n\r\nTypesetting Newsfield, using Apple Macintosh II computers, running Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator 3.0, with system support from Maccent [redacted]. Colour origination Scan Studios [redacted]. Printing BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted]. Distribution 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 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 at the normal address). 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 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\nNewsfield Ltd, CRASH [redacted]\r\nISSN 0954-8661\r\n©CRASH Ltd 1991. This month's cover: G-Loc. Cover design by Oliver Frey. Powertape inlay design by Richard Eddy."},"MainText":"AND, THE BEST OF THE BUDGET\r\n\r\nSTACK UP\r\nZeppelin Games\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nTake Tetris and Connect 4 and you've got a vague idea what Stack Up's like. Simply guide the falling groups of blocks so they form horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines of three or more of the same colour. To add variety you can change the style of graphics to suit yourself from four different types. Simple, high-playable and wildly addictive. Go buy.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"65","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"80%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]