[{"TitleName":"Starion","Publisher":"Melbourne House","Author":"David M. Webb, Ian McCausland","YearOfRelease":"1985","ZxDbId":"0004870","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 16, May 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-04-25","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nAssistant Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nSoftware Editor: Jeremy Spencer\r\nAdventure Reviewer: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Reviewer: Angus Ryall\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey, Robin Candy, Ben Stone\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\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\nHot Line [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\nCirculation Manager: Tom Hamilton\r\nAll circulation enquiries should ring [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £10.50 (UK Mainland post free), Europe: 12 issues £17.50 post free. 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\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Melbourne House\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: David Webb\r\n\r\nMelbourne House have become established as one of the more innovative of software houses. Starion, their latest game introduces concepts and ideas that are both new and complex.\r\n\r\nThe story takes place in the year 2010 and you play the role of Starion, fresh from the space academy. You have been trusted with the one and only timeship, your mission, to rectify the devastation wrought in the space-time continuum by evil aliens. The aliens have wrought this evil by removing items of historical significance from important events. Consider this; suppose that some time in the future an alien comes back into the past and abducts Starion, then he won't be around to undo the evil work of the aliens and the universe will indeed be a rotten place in which to live. The letters that go to make up Starion's name could form an alien cargo as they are transported away from their correct time zone - if you can collect those letters and re-arrange them to form the correct word, Starion, you will be allowed access to the next stage of the game.\r\n\r\nSo the first part of the task is to patrol the outer regions of space intercepting and destroying the alien ships. As you attack and destroy each enemy ship it will re-assemble and form a letter, this must be collected and stowed aboard your ship. Later, when you have collected the required number of letters, you will be asked to unscramble them, rearranging them to make a well known word that fits some period in time. So far so good. Now you must locate the entrance to a time warp and fly into it, whereupon a time grid will be displayed. Each grid has nine time zones and you must decide which of the time zones contains the historical event that your cargo will fit (were it V-I-C-T-O-R-Y you might think of Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar - get the picture)?\r\n\r\nWhen you land you will be told the problem, if the cargo you recovered solves it then you will be rewarded with fresh oxygen and fuel to enable you to fly off and solve the next zone. However, should your cargo not fit the current problem then you will need to attack the other enemy ships found within that zone, this will enable you to gain enough energy to escape and find the correct zone.\r\n\r\nTo give you some idea of the task ahead here's the nature of the space-time continuum. In all there are 3 time blocks, within each block there are 9 time grids, each time grid has 9 time zones and space has 3 dimensions. Big isn't it? in fact altogether Starion has 243 time zones to be solved. After correcting history in the 9 zones of a grid you will gain access to the next one by solving the anagram made from the first letter of each of the zone words. Access to the next block requires the first letter of each of the grid words to be solved. To reach 'event zero' and the ultimate rank of 'creator' the player must form the pass-word from the first and last letters of each of the three grid words.\r\n\r\nIf this begins to sound like an educational program, don't panic. The screen display shows instantly that this is a 3D space arcade game. The machine provided for Starion makes the space shuttle look like a hot air balloon. The cockpit view uses wire frame 3D to describe the enemy ships and letters. Below, the instrument panel indicates details on speed, hull temperature, enemy location, pitch, role, yaw, fuel and oxygen levels. The bi-planar scanners show the location of other objects, horizontally and vertically, be they ships, mines, missiles or just debris. Above the scanners the year of the current time zone is shown, vital when trying to solve the time zone problems. The hull temperature is also vital because the outside temperature will increase with speed and excessive lazer fire. The hull can also be destroyed by direct hits from enemy weapons or collision with space rubbish. The general debris cannot be destroyed so you will be forced to steer around it.\r\n\r\nPoints are awarded in accordance with the speed with which the player completes each stage of the game, as well as for the destruction of enemy targets. The player will be promoted depending on the number of zones, grids and blocks that have been solved. Finally, despite the loneliness of outer space, Starion is a two-player game.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: all definable, 4 directions and fire, plus accelerate and deccelerate\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Sinclair 2, Cursor type\r\nKeyboard play: very responsive but complicated without a joystick\r\nUse of colour: simple in space, but excellent generally\r\nGraphics: excellent wire frame, very fast and extremely smooth, good instruments\r\nSound: continuous, not over exciting, toggles on/off\r\nSkill levels: 1\r\nLives: 5\r\nScreens: scrolling action set in infinity!\r\nSpecial features: 1 or 2-player games","ReviewerComments":["Somebody is bound to say it so I want to be the first. Starion is Melbourne's answer to Elite. A CBM expert was seen openly weeping when he saw the quality of the graphics compared to the CBM Elite, and with very good reason. Words cannot adequately describe the immense realism that the graphics manage to portray - to say that they are astonishing, astounding, phenomenal and... well startling, doesn't even begin to say it. The task set by the game, collecting letters by shooting the enemy ships, may seem a little uninteresting but when you have played the game for a while you quickly realise just how clever the idea is. Not only does the game test an arcade gamer's skills to the limit but the word and historical puzzles force the grey matter into overdrive. I am very impressed. Congratulations to David Webb and Melbourne House, this one is special.\r\r\nUnknown","Starion - this must be a new concept in 3D graphics. Everything is drawn with extreme precision very quickly and very smoothly. I'm surprised by how complex shapes can be spun, rotated and whizzed towards you - I must say, the effect is amazing. You may have thought that Darkstar was fast - yes it was, but all the shapes were simple ones. This one isn't quite that fast, but you couldn't play Darkstar on the fastest speed anyway. You can mindlessly blast your way through space and collect various letters to nake up an anagram. These anagrams aren't too long, but they still take a considerable time to work out, all of them being obvious - once you know what they are! One thing that confused me was the X, Y, Z axes scanner, I just couldn't figure out how best to use it but I'm sure it will come eventually. This is a fun-packed, all-action, thinking game where the player requires a little more skill than just fast responses to progress throughout the game.\r\r\nUnknown","My initial reaction to this superb game is that it's a little like Code Name Mat - at least in scope, and certainly in ship handling. The bi-planar scanners work very similarly, and take a little getting used to. The speed and movement of the 3D wire frame objects is marvellous. I also like the front end, where controls are defined while a white bar loops throuqh the options - perhaps a trifle fast however. Beware the effect of entering the space-time continuum because the effect looks as though the program is crashing - rather spectacular! Starion has a lot of playability, and due to its size, I think its addictive qualities are likely to be high. Absolutely worth the money.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: An excellent game which combines arcade skills with nifty thinking and which could, well be played by two on the same side as well as against each other.","Page":"18,19","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"92%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"95%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"93%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"92%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"94%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 15, Jun 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-05-16","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":74,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Hazel Bennington\r\nDeputy Editor: Peter Shaw\r\nProduction Editor: Louise Cook\r\nArt Assistant: Martin Dixon\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Dave Nicholls, Roger Willis, Ross Holman, Mike Leaman, Chris Somerville, B Herival, M Rapps, M Rai, Malcolm Paknadel, Adam Leonard, Chris Wood, Craig Rawstron, Penny Page, Peter Green\r\nAdvertisement Manager: David Baskerville\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Jill Harris\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nArt Director: Jimmy Egerton\r\nManaging Editor: Roger Munford\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":"SPACE ACE\r\nWelcome to the YS Space Academy. Here you'll receive full in-flight training from Space Commander, Ross Holman. Master the techniques of time travelling in Starion, the stunning new 3D space game from Melbourne House. Time waits for no man, so go for it now!\r\n\r\nLong, long ago on another computer, space was opened up for exploration. Now Starion leads the way into time travel on the Spectrum. It's a fast 3D game that takes you into the 4th dimension - time.\r\n\r\nYou play the part of Starion, the pilot of the SS Stardate, the first spaceship capable of time travel. Your mission is to rectify the discontinuities in the spacetime continuum that've been caused by a bunch of anarchist aliens running amok. They've been taking objects of historical significance from their true time periods and placing them in another time zone. You must set about undoing the damage caused by these renegade time bandits.\r\n\r\nTime in Starion is split into 243 separate zones arranged in groups of nine. Nine zones from a time grid, nine grids a time block and there are three of those! To complete the game you've got to trek round all of the zones patching up the holes in history. Ranged against you are the aliens in a fleet of different sized and shaped spaceships. They're lugging around with them the stolen objects that should form our heritage, but being a brainy bunch they've split each object into the different letters that spell it. Each ship then carries one letter. To sort out the shambles, you've got to blast the aliens, retrieve the letters, reform the word and then take it back to its rightful date in history. And with 243 different objects to be collected, this is not the work of an afternoon.\r\n\r\nStarions a very fast, very playable shoot 'em up. The wire frame graphics are easily the smoothest and most realistic I've ever seen on the Spectrum. But it has to be said that it won't be everyone's galactic gargle. Solving the anagrams to form the objects slows the flow of the game down and if you're not into puzzles and word-games you'll soon get cheesed off with those bits. And, yes, it does look a bit too close to Elite for it to be a coincidence. Still, the arcade sections seem to me to be a lot faster on Starion even if it hasn't got quite the same in-depth game content. And after all, Elite's not out on the Spectrum yet so you could always get a bit of training in, while you wait.\r\n\r\nFor all that it's a very playable arcade game - you'll soon find that reading the scanners, accelerating and decelerating and judging hull temperature is second nature to you. If you're a budding time traveller or space cadet, go for it!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"36,37,39","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ross Holman","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"When you begin your mission this is the first screen to greet you. Choose Time Grid 1 as we've solved it for you below. Your status increases the more time zones you solve - starting as a Novice, one time zone will elevate you to a Chronotourist, three in a row and you're a Trizoner and when you've completed the whole grid, step forward a new Gridmaster!"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"A Close Shave\r\n\r\nThe enemy ships carry an unlimited arsenal and they're not afraid to use it. Each of the different types of ship fires a different shape missile, but they all have the same effect. If one hits you smack on. your temperature rises and you're more vulnerable to hull loss. That's why it's best to travel at slower speeds - that way your hull can absorb the rapid heat rise of a direct hit.\r\n\r\nIf you let the enemy get in close you may find yourself in big trouble. If you collide it's goodbye cruel world!\r\n\r\nIf a missile's coming straight for you, shoot it down. But the general rule is, take evasive action and don't go out of your way to look for them."},{"Text":"Go For Cargo\r\n\r\nKeep an eye open for the enemy because you're at your most vulnerable when travelling at top speed and in a straight line towards a letter. Close in on the cargo, get it slap bang in the middle of your screen and fly for it. There's no need to slow down or stop as it'll be picked up automatically.\r\n\r\nAs soon as you've shot down one of the enemy it'll drop its cargo in the shape of a letter. Go straight for it rather than hanging around waiting for the next alien wave to arrive.\r\n\r\nAs soon as you've shot a ship, flip right over and you'll see the fragments form into the shape of a letter - a nice touch. Now hit the throttle and go for it - this is the only time you really ought to be travelling at full whack, 'cos if you're too slow the letter starts to back off."},{"Text":"Let Battle Commence!\r\n\r\nBlast him!\r\nEach of the enemy spaceships has it's own distinct characteristics.The smaller dart-like ones are often the trickiest lo lake out as they're faster and more manoeuvrable. Generally, the more cumbersome the spaceship, the easier it is to blast.\r\n\r\nThe enemy ships don't zoom in at you but zig-zag their way across the sky, so it's usually easier to keep your distance and blast them when they're just in range.\r\n\r\nUse your lasers little and often. Firing rapidly is a great temptation but it's a sure fire way of overheating and losing hulls. Only when the spaceship is dead centre on the screen will your laser have any effect on it."},{"Text":"Safe Landing\r\nYou'll come across three different planetary formations - one has a single moon, another has two moons in orbit around it and the third consists of two identical octohedrons rotating round each other. All rather strange as the planet is supposed to be Earth. Still, it can be quite exhilerating getting as close as possible to a planet to watch it rotating above you.\r\n\r\nRemember that you're never free of the aliens so keep an eye on your scanner. The enemy always appears as a plus sign, missiles as dots and everything else as a minus sign.\r\n\r\nThe technique required for docking on a planet is much the same as for picking up the letters. Fly straight at it and you'll make a safe landing automatically."},{"Text":"TIME - THE FINAL FRONTIER?\r\n\r\nThis is the view from your spaceship but once you've become a proficient star pilot you'll hardly need to look out of the cockpit window. All the information for your survival in the dog-fights is displayed on the console at the bottom of the screen. Try flying 'blind' to improve your scanner reading skills - there's immense satisfaction in shooting down an enemy before you've seen him.\r\n\r\nHere's a view of the SS Stardate, the ship that'll shape the course of history if you complete the mission. This is about the most complex graphic in the game, so it's a shame that you don't get to have a go at shooting it down!\r\n\r\nWatch out for your score - you'll need to clock up a pretty high score before you qualify for a complete re-fit of your ship. If only we knew just how high!\r\n\r\nThere are two schools of thought in the YS Space Academy about the crosshair sights. Some reckon they're essential to line up on the enemy while others say they block the view. Luckily, you can choose for yourself as they can be turned on and off at the press of a key.\r\n\r\nJust in case you lose track of time, the year you're in is displayed on your console.\r\n\r\nYaw is just the fancy term for left and right. Of course, there's not really an up and down or left and right in space but you've got to keep some bearings.\r\n\r\nThe spaceship is fuelled by hydrox and although it drops more quickly the faster you travel, you won't have to stop off at any Intergalactic filling stations - 'cos there aren't any.\r\n\r\nThe oxygen level's likely to cause you most trouble. It goes down at an alarming rate and when it reaches rock bottom that's goodbye to another hull Land on a planet and you can breathe again!\r\n\r\nYour ship rolls for just a second or so as you yaw to the left or right. Go on try it - it's the closest you'll come to space sickness!\r\n\r\nYou start off with live protective hulls around your ship but unless you're very careful they'll peel off pretty quickly. And it's no joke being naked in space.\r\n\r\nIf you're using a joystick, pull back for positive pitch (up) and push forward for negative (down).\r\n\r\nIf you use the two scanners correctly, you'll be able to pin-point your position exactly. The one on the left shows the horizontal plane flying up the screen. The other covers the vertical plane, so if there's an enemy on the same level he'll appear on the right of the scanner. Don't panic, with a little bit of practice, you'll soon have it sussed.\r\n\r\nYour on-board computer will constantly keep you up-to-date on what you should be doing. If it's telling you to pick up a letter, pick it up 'cos until you do, you won't get another one no matter how many aliens you blast.\r\n\r\nKeep a careful eye on your hull temperature gauge. The faster you go and the more laser fire you use. the hotter things are gonna get. And if you're already burning up when an alien missile makes a direct hit, that could mean another hull blasted into oblivion. Asa general guide you'll find that you're at half the max temp when travelling at top speed\r\n\r\nThis is the cargo hold where you'll store the letters from the alien spaceships as you collect them. They'll always come up in the same order so there's no chance of the word forming as you go zapping.\r\n\r\nYour spaceship's acceleration is an incredible 0-top speed in just over a second. But you're at your most vulnerable when travelling flat out, so go sparing on the old throttle. The only time you'll have to really give it some welly's when you're picking up the cargo from an alien ship."},{"Text":"Time Grid One - No Problem!\r\n\r\nSo that you can concentrate on developing your flying and shooting skills, we've solved a complete time grid for you. This means that you won't have to waste precious oxygen battling for time gates after you've chosen the wrong time period. It doesn't matter where you start, just so long as you follow the course we've laid out for you.\r\n\r\n1. BATTLE WITH THE ENEMY\r\nAfter you've chosen which time period to start off in, you'll launch into the first phase of the game. As you destroy an enemy ship it'll reform into the shape of a letter that you must collect. When you have all the letters for your chosen time period, you'll be asked to re-arrange them into a word. Sometimes that's a doddle (CEE becomes EEC, for example) but others'll have you racking your brains for hours!\r\n\r\n2. GO FOR TIME WARP\r\nAs soon as you've solved the puzzle of what cargo you're carrying, you'll have to make your way to the time gate. Just fly for the centre but keep an eye open for alien ships - you haven't thrown them off yet. As soon as you pass through, you'll have to make your choice of which of the other eight lime zones to go for.\r\n\r\n3. FLY TO PLANET NOW\r\nOnce you've chosen the new time period, fly straight to the planet. There you'll discover whether the cargo you're carrying is compatible with the puzzle that's been set. If it is, you're OK and it's off to solve another sector of the time grid. If it's not, you're given two choices. Either you can have another crack at re arranging the letters you're carrying or you can battle on to the next time gate...\r\n\r\n4. BATTLE WITH THE ENEMY\r\nIt you're carrying an incompatible cargo, you'll have to make it to another time zone - and that means fighting off the alien hordes. Just get out there and wreak havoc! There are no more letters to collect so just zap and blast your way through them until the time gate appears on your scanner. In the early stages of the game, you'll have to destroy seven of the alien ships before you can move on.\r\n\r\n5. GO FOR TIME WARP\r\nWhen you've solved the problems of all nine time zones, you must make a fresh word out of the initial letter of the words you've found. Only then can you pass on to the next time zone. The solution to the time grid opposite is REDBREAST -try it! Once the new word is accepted by the computer you must battle your way to the Inter-grid time gate.\r\n\r\n6. DEAD BEAT\r\nIf you die in Starion, this is the last thing you'll see - your coffin as it floats off into the timeless void. Get used to it, as you'll be seeing quite a bit of it in the early stages of your training period."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 39, Jun 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-05-18","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":132,"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: Rob Cameron\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kathy McLennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Jim McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Maria Keighley\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\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\n91,901 Jun-Dec 1984"},"MainText":"Publisher: Melbourne House\r\nPrice: £7.95\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Sinclair\r\n\r\nBattling with aliens in space to gain a jumble of alphabetical letters is an odd but original theme. Melbourne House has come up trumps with Starion where your powers at sorting out anagrams will be called to the fore.\r\n\r\nStarion constitutes a series of word puzzles and anagrams and is a fine mixture of arcade style graphics combined with strategy and superb 3D effects. A good general knowledge of history and spelling is essential.\r\n\r\nThe idea is to re-write 243 events in earth's history over the last few hundred years. Killing off enemy space craft causes them to drop letters which when collected form a word - though you have to unscramble it first to make sense. That word will change one event in history but it is up to you to choose the correct era.\r\n\r\nThe game is divided into time grids and time zones grouped in blocks of nine. In each zone, the letters have to be collected and a word formed to enable you to fly through the time warp - very tricky as its centre never remains still. Once through you reach the time grid, which allows you to choose the year to which your wordy cargo belongs and to head straight for Earth. If the word fits, you will then have to repeat the process in the remaining eight zones.\r\n\r\nAfter re-writing history in all nine zones battle recommences taking you to a further eight time grids in the next block.\r\n\r\nThe screen shows the view outside the cockpit with your laser guns' cross hairs firmly centred in the middle. Aliens and flying debris hurtle towards you at great speeds giving the impression of flying forwards. It is no mean feat to hit the aliens due to their speed and erratic movement. Debris should be dodged to avoid damage to the craft.\r\n\r\nAt the bottom of the screen is the instrument panel displaying speed, the letters collected and two radar scanners which scan both horizontal and vertical fields.\r\n\r\nWhen picking up the letters, lock them into the centre of the cross-hairs and fly forwards. One gripe is the length of time it takes for the letter to travel towards you, although it can be appreciated that the letter has to be redrawn continuously at it gets larger.\r\n\r\nStarion can be viewed either as a light educational adventure in time or purely as an arcade game. Whatever view, it's well worth buying if only for the pleasure of turning history upside down.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"22","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Clare Edgeley","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 44, Jun 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-05-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nStaff Writer: Seamus St. John\r\nDesigner: Brian Cookman\r\nProduction Editor: Mary Morton\r\nAdventure Writer: Keith Campbell\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nReader Services: Marcus Jeffery\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\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. By using the special Postal Subscription Service, copies of COMPUTER AND 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 AND VIDEO GAMES (Subscription Department), [redacted]. All orders should include the appropriate remittance made payable to COMPUTER AND 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.\r\n\r\nPrinted by Severn Valley Press. Typeset by In-Step Ltd.\r\n\r\nCover: John Higgins"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: Melbourne House\r\nPRICE: £7.95\r\n\r\nCalling all Spectrum owners! Don't wait about waiting for Elite to appear for your micro - rush out now and grab a copy of Starion from Melbourne House!\r\n\r\nThe company which has made its name with mega-adventures like The Hobbit and Sherlock takes a bold step forward in arcade-style game technology with a innovative and addictive game.\r\n\r\nThe scenario goes like this. The year is 2010 - but there's no sign of a star-child anywhere! You are Starion, fresh out of the space academy and rated as one of the top new pilots. Your mission is to fly the first ever Timeship, the S.S. Stardate and to boldly go back in time to correct the devastation created by - you guessed it - an evil race of aliens.\r\n\r\nThe game is big - 243 screens of space-time filled with exciting wire graphic ships and other dangers.\r\n\r\nTo save the universe from collapse, Starion has to engage and destroy enemy ships in each the time-zones. But it doesn't stop there. Each ship is carrying a cargo which materialises in space as a giant letter of the earth alphabet.\r\n\r\nYou must collect all the letters from each time zone until your on-board computer asks you to unscramble them to identify the original cargo dislodged in time by the enemy.\r\n\r\nOnce you've done this, you must find a time warp and fly into it. Then the time grid is displayed. Now you have to decide in which of the eight neighbouring time zones your unscrambled cargo belongs.\r\n\r\nYou then jump to the selected time zone, land on the planet you find and then see if your cargo can solve the particular problem being experienced on the planet.\r\n\r\nGet it right and your fuel and oxygen supplies will be replenished and it's off into battle again. Get it wrong and you have to destroy enough enemy ships, mines and missiles to create a new time warp in order to make good your escape.\r\n\r\nOnce you have corrected history in all nine zones of the first time grid, you'll be asked to take the first letters of each particular bit of cargo you've used to save planets in this bit of time - and work out a password to get into the next time grid... Sounds a bit complicated - but once you get into the game you'll be hooked.\r\n\r\nYou get a ranking as you progress through the game. The ultimate award is Creator - as at the very end of the game and by the odd logic of time travel you've ended up at the beginning of time and, well, you're all there is!\r\n\r\nProgrammer David Webb, a 19-year old student, spent nine months working on Starion - and if there's any justice in the world he will be rewarded with a number one hit!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"18","Denied":false,"Award":"Game of the Month","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"10/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"10/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 6, Jun 1985","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1985-05-16","Editor":"Toby Wolpe","TotalPages":140,"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\nSenior Sales Executive: Julian Bidlake\r\nAdvertisement Executives: Nigel Borrell, 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. £12.50 for 12 issues.\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n\r\nABC 131,769 June-December 1984."},"MainText":"Spectrum 48K\r\nMelbourne House\r\nShoot-em-up\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nThis game should have been subtitled \"Crossword Solvers From Outer Space - They Came, They Saw, They Filled in Five Down!\" The baddies invented time travel before you did, and have done their best to mess up space/time using anagrams (gasp) But don't let this faintly absurd plot you off, beneath all this lies a superb space shoot-em-up.\r\n\r\nIn a bid to forestall the conversion of Elite to the Spectrum, Melbourne House have come out of their well-worn adventure rut and shown us what vector graphics on the Spectrum are all about. What the aliens lack in tactical gumption, they make up for in firepower. Hurtling towards enemy snips laser blazing, dodging the missiles whistling past your ship, and then pulverising them into oblivion. When you blow a ship away, it drops a letter, which you have to pick up by driving into it.\r\n\r\nWhen you've destroyed all the ships in that you zone, you get a break from the frantic action when you try to unscramble the letters to form a word getting a clue from one of the time zones in the block. You then have to fly through a time gate, which looks suspiciously like an Elite spacestation, to the correct time zone. Do this 243 times (only) and you earn the ultimate accolade of becoming the Creator. It would take some game to make me do anything 243 times, but this just might be the one.\r\n\r\nThe various objects, ships, planets, missiles and letters ail spin round, move toward, away and around your ship. The controls are comprehensive and responsive, the display moves very rapidly and smoothly. You haw an instrument panel which shows the relationship to you of the various objects in the zone as well as speed, fuel, and \"lives\" left.\r\n\r\nAlthough it might not have the depth that Elite promises, the graphics are going to be difficult to top. So if you really can't wait for vector graphics, or you like anagrams and crosswords then you could do far worse for the modest price.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"39","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Lee Paddon","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Starion."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 20, Aug 1985","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-07-25","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Cliff Joseph\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nSoftware Assistant: John Gerard Donovan\r\nSales Executive: Alice Robertson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Chris Northam\r\nCopy Controller: Sue Couchman\r\nPublishing Director: Peter Welham\r\nChief Executive: T J Connell\r\n\r\nOrigination and design by MM Design & Print, [redacted]\r\nPublished by Argus Specialist Publications Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing is published bi-monthly on the fourth Friday of the month. Distributed by: Argus Press Sales & Distribution Ltd. [redacted]. Printed by: Garnett Print, Rotherham and London.\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication including all articles, designs, plans, drawings and programs and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the Law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1985"},"MainText":"Melbourne House\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nStarion just missed the last issue by the skin of its teeth but as it was so good we thought we'd include it in this issue, even if it is now a couple of months old.\r\n\r\nIn the year 2010 you are sent back in time to correct the disturbances caused by a race of time traveling aliens. There are 243 time zones to visit and in each one you have to battle with an enemy fleet.\r\n\r\nOn destroying an alien ship a letter of the alphabet is released and you have to collect it. When you have collected nine letters you have an anagram to solve in order to answer a historical question from another time zone. Once you've worked through all 243 zones you arrive at Event Zero and earn the title of 'Creator'.\r\n\r\nMelbourne House have obviously decided to produce a program to compete with Elite on the BBC and in many ways they have done just that. The graphics are perspective vector type but the movement is truly superb, it takes a lot to make an impression on us battle hardened reviewers but we were impressed!\r\n\r\nFlying and fighting is a skill in its own right, the techniques are nearly as complicated as in full flight simulation programs - often I spent time locating and chasing an enemy only to see him zoom past as I failed to slow down and match speeds in time.\r\n\r\nTwo scanners are provided to assist you and sound is up to the Spectrum's usual standard. A Classic!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"76","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue Annual 1986,  1986","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1985-12-01","Editor":"John Gilbert","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\nEditor: John Gilbert\r\nConsultant Editor: Bill Scolding\r\nStaff Writers: 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 Annual is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Photograph: Spitting Image Productions Ltd.\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. ©Copyright 1985 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458"},"MainText":"ARCADE\r\n\r\nClare Edgeley blasts her way through a wealth of challenging software.\r\n\r\nGet fit quick just about sums up the last 12 months. 1985 has seen enough sports games to put you off doing anything more strenuous than lifting a pint glass, at least for the next year.\r\n\r\nSince the 1984 Olympics, we have competed in every imaginable sport: played footie with Bobby Charlton, run rings round Daley Thompson and been KO'd by big Frank... There is hardly an action sport left which has not been turned into a money spinner, with a Sportsman's name attached. What is wrong with Tessa Sanderson's Javelin anyway?\r\n\r\nDaley Thompson's Decathlon was first to the tape back in November '84 and notched up a gold for Ocean when it jumped to number one in the charts for a few weeks. You have to compete in all ten events of the decathlon, taking part in the high jump, long jump and pole vault as well as track events. The 400m is the most gruelling and to keep up speed you must pump the joystick back and forth, which may result in a touch of cramp. The graphics are colourful and the game does give a taste of the real thing.\r\n\r\nMelbourne House also attempted a compilation of events with Sports Hero, although it was nowhere near as successful as Daley Thompson. Sports Hero has you competing in four events - 100m sprint, long jump, 110m hurdles and the pole vault, over three difficulty levels. To gain speed you must pummel the run button and press the jump button before takeoff. Aching fingers seem to be the norm in that type of game and in many cases you will end up with a sick keyboard as well. There is no sound and the graphics are not fantastic, although the scrolling background is interesting. A few more events should have been possible.\r\n\r\nMore recently, Brian Jacks' Superstar Challenge from Martech reached the top ten, although it came a poor second to Imagine's Hypersports. Both contain a weird hotch-potch of events - some interesting, others boring. Brian Jacks gives you a pretty raw deal. For £7.95 you can immerse yourself in such exciting events as squat thrusts and arm dips. Those may be thrilling to watch on TV but on computer they are about as much fun as a wet blanket.\r\n\r\nHypersports is a different ball game altogether. Licensed from the arcade game of the same name, the computer version is very like the original, although some events lack imagination. When swimming - or floundering, if you forget to breathe - instead of tearing down to the end of the pool, the end moves towards you. Clay pigeon shooting is certainly one of the better events, in which you must shoot the skeets through automatically moving sights. The vault is tricky and rather than vaulting as far as possible from the horse, you are likely to end up on your head beside it. The graphics are generally thought to be more professional than Daley Thompson's Decathlon, though whether the game is better is a moot point.\r\n\r\nJonah Barrington's Squash from New Generation is an interesting concept which seems to have fallen flat. Knock a miniscule black ball round the 3D court and try to beat Jonah at his own game. Jonah is one of Britain's leading squash players. Much was made of the fact that a taped recording of Jonah's voice calls out the scores. Unfortunately, all you get is an unintelligible gabble and it is easier to read them on the score board anyway.\r\n\r\nWe awarded imagine's World Series Baseball three stars in the June issue, which just goes to show that our forecasts are not always spot on. In June, July and August it remained at number three in the charts, only dropping to eleventh place in September.\r\n\r\nThe game opens with a traditional rendering of the tAmerican National Anthem. Then play starts, with one team pitching and the other batting. You can play with a friend or against the computer, adjusting the speed and direction of the ball when pitching and the strength and lift of your swing when batting. Loving attention has been paid to detail with a large scoreboard displaying genuine adverts between innings.\r\n\r\nLast, but not least, boxing - the sport for ugly mugs. Cauliflower ears and battered brains are only half the fun - just think what you can do to your opponent. A few months ago three games were released simultaneously on the back of Punch Out!!, a highly successful arcade game.\r\n\r\nElite's Frank Bruno's Boxing knocks Rocco and Knockout for six, and is easily the most playable and realistic, offering more possible moves and a greater number of competitors than either of the other games. It is also the only boxing game featuring a sporting personality - Bruno helped in an advisory capacity during production which explains the close attention to detail.\r\n\r\nGremlin Graphic's Rocco squares up well in the ring, though you will find it is not as easy to dodge your opponent as it is in Frank Bruno, and there are only three competitors. The scoring system is simple and the graphics are the clearest of the three games. It is worth playing and annihilates Alligata's Knockout in the ring.\r\n\r\nKnockout is appalling and lacks any addictive qualities. It is the only game which uses colour - the others being mono - although that could have been sacrificed for extra playability. Other than left and right punches to the body and head, there is no facility for ducking and dodging, but at least you can amble away if the going gets too rough. You tend to spend a great deal of time seeing stars after being KO'd. At least it lives up to its name.\r\n\r\nThe legendary success of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy lives on. Platform and ladders games are still the rage and dozens of versions have landed in the Sinclair User offices over the last 12 months. Two years ago Manic Miner was a sure recipe for success, and because it was ahead of its time a lot of money was made. Programming techniques are now more sophisticated and with games like Alien 8 and Spy vs Spy around, who needs a Manic Miner spin-off?\r\n\r\nHowever, they are here to stay and some at least are worth the money you pay for them. One of the more successful games is Strangeloop, released late in '84, which has gone a long way to repairing the damage done to Virgin by Sheepwalk - one of its earliest and most awful games.\r\n\r\nA half-crazy computer is the source of all your troubles in Strangeloop and, playing the part of a metagalactic repairman, you must shut it down. There are over 240 rooms filled with lethal swarf which attacks and damages your space suit. A jetbike waits somewhere and will make your task easier but you have to locate and refuel it first. Objects picked up will help with various tasks and friendly robots will patch your torn suit. The graphics are colourful and simple. and there is even a facility for saving your position on tape, to be resumed later when you have recharged your batteries.\r\n\r\nJet Set Willy II is the biggest rip-off of them all as Software Projects has done little other than add about 70 extra screens to the original. Essentially it is the same as Jet Set Willy which was launched back in 1984. The plot is similar; clear up the house before going to bed and avoid the hundreds of lethal thingummies found in each room. Despite being little more than a re-release, Jet Set Willy II is currently doing very well in the charts.\r\n\r\nDespite the lack of original thought, if you are still hooked on the challenge of platform and ladders, try The Edge's Brian Bloodaxe. A loopy game if ever there was one. Brian, a viking soldier has been trapped in a block of ice for centuries, and as it thaws, he leaps out shivering, but ready to conquer the British. Flapping 100 seats, deadly ducks and mad Scotsmen are a few of the dangers that lurk on each level. Objects to collect and chasms to be leapt add to his daunting task. Brian Bloodaxe is at least as good as Jet Set Willy, with much visual humour and bright, clear graphics.\r\n\r\nHewson, which has made a name for itself in recent months with arcade adventures such as Dragontorc and simulations like Heathrow ATC, must have had a brain storm late last year with Technician Ted, which is totally unlike the semi-serious games released since. Guide Ted around a silicon chip factory while looking for a plate of the real things. Pick up knives, forks and other necessary implements and avoid several nasty traps. Easy to play and reasonably addictive, Technician Ted is not one of Hewson's best games but has done quite well in the platform and ladders stakes.\r\n\r\nArtic's Mutant Monty is more sophisticated than Technician Ted and includes some extremely tricky screens requiring split second timing - if you are slightly out, a lemon or some other incongruous object will squash you flat, and then where will the beautiful maiden be? it is a constant source of amusement that so much work goes into preparing intricate story lines bearing absolutely no resemblance to the game you are playing.\r\n\r\nOn the whole rip-offs are uniformly mediocre in standard and not the sort of game you would buy for lasting playability. Real fanatics will find Activision's Toy Bizarre and Micromega's Jasper a doddle, and probably have more fun playing blindfold with their hands tied behind their backs. Both games are average and employ run-of-the-mill graphics. In Toy Bizarre, the player leaps round the levels of a toy factory popping balloons while being chased by a gang of irate toys.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, in Jasper much the same thing is going on, only this time you are a furry rat collecting money bags and treasure chests while avoiding furry cats, rabbits and other hairy animals. Platform games are usually fast moving and it is generally easier to keep up with the pace using a joystick. Unless you have very strong fingers, Jasper is doomed as your only option is to use the Spectrum's sticky keyboard.\r\n\r\nArcade adventures have come into their own in recent months, some remaining for weeks at a time in the top ten. With the advent of games like Gyron, fewer people are willing to put up with games like Jet Pac - classics two years ago but now gathering dust in cupboards across the country.\r\n\r\nSuperior graphics is the name of the game and the Spectrum is being stretched to its limits in a constant effort to improve software. Some games combine excellent graphics with originality, though equally large numbers have been launched on the back of the successful few. Ultimate's Knight Lore, Underwurlde and Alien 8 are three successful examples and Nightshade is expected to do as well.\r\n\r\nUnderwurlde is rather like a vertical Atic Atac featuring the Sabre-man who must escape a series of chambers while avoiding hosts of nasties. The pace is fast, the screens colourful - a devious game.\r\n\r\nKnight Lore and Alien 8 could, at first glance, be mistaken for the same game. Featuring superb 3D grahpics, Knight Lore's hero must search a maze of rooms and find the ingredients of a spell to lift a curse placed upon him. Each room presents a challenge and one wrong move spells instant death. The scenario in Alien 8 is different from its predecessor and the quality of graphics is even higher.\r\n\r\nWizard's Lair from Bubble Bus is an Atic Atac lookalike with shades of Sabre Wulf and is an excellent game, even if you have seen the same sort of thing before. Bubble Bus has made some attempt to change the scenario which covers three levels, accessed via a magic wardrobe lift.\r\n\r\nThe programmers of Firebird's Cylu were influenced by Alien 8. Cylu is in the Silver range and at £2.50 represents very good value - it is almost as frustrating as the original but the graphics are a little patchy. Ultimate should be proud that so many companies want to copy their games, though it's a crying shame that those same software houses cannot put their combined programming expertise to good use, and produce something original of their own.\r\n\r\nGames featuring film scenarios and famous names are often the subject of massive advertising campaigns, and Domark's A View to a Kill was no exception. Played in three parts you must guide the intrepid 007 through the streets of Paris, San Francisco and into Silicon Valley to stop the evil Max Zorin from tipping chip valley into the drink. The game received mixed reviews but, at the time of writing, it had just made it into the top ten - probably due to the James Bond name. It is an exciting game but lacks much visual detail.\r\n\r\nThe Rocky Horror Show from CRL is already sliding down the charts and does not live up to its namesakes, the film and play. Rescue Janet or Brad from the Medusa machine by finding 15 component parts of the de-Medusa machine. It sounds riveting. Your task seems enormous as you can carry only one part of the machine at a time and if you expect to meet normal sane characters in the castle, forget it. More could have been made of the graphics and the action is slow in places, but it is worth playing if only to meet Magenta who will strip you of your clothes. Wow!\r\n\r\nBeyond's Spy vs Spy is unique and features simultaneous play between two players on a split screen. Take part in the zany humour of MAD magazine's two famous characters, the black spy and the white spy, each trying to stop the other finding secret documents in a foreign embassy. Set whacky traps as you ransack each room before escaping to the airport. It is fun, highly addictive and very amusing. Buying the licence to films, books and names is an expensive business, and at last one company has made the most of it with an excellent game.\r\n\r\nIt is interesting to note that when one unusual game is launched others of a similar nature swiftly follow. Perhaps all programmers follow the same thought waves. Last summer we had an unusual trio of games, reviewed in May, June and August issues. Two are based on the human body - not the most obvious subject for a game.\r\n\r\nQuicksilva's Fantastic Voyage is a thrilling game based on the sixties film of the same name, in which Raquel Welch is injected into the body of a brain damaged scientist. Unfortunately, your mini-sub breaks up and you have only one hour to locate all the missing parts. Searching is a novel experience as you rush from atrium to stomach to lung and heart in a never ending circle. Finding your way to the brain is difficult as it is not signposted and the turning is easy to miss. Dine on red blood cells to keep up your energy and clear any infections which frequently break out - normally in the most inaccessible parts of the scientist's anatomy. A great way to learn about your bits, and where they are situated.\r\n\r\nIcon's Frankenstien 2000 bears little resemblance to Fantastic Voyage, though it is played in a monster's body. Whoever heard of monsters smoking fags? This one obviously did and that is probably why it's dead. On reaching the lungs, battle with cigarette packets, avoid hopping frogs in the trachea, and fire at any oxygen molecules it is your misfortune to encounter. The graphics are uninspired and the game is simple.\r\n\r\nGenesis' Bodyworks was reviewed in June and it is difficult to know what to make of it. It is hardly an arcade game - more of an illustrated, educational tour of the workings of a human body, describing the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems.\r\n\r\nSpace Invaders was one of the first great games on the Spectrum and software houses have never tired of the theme. Space games crop up in all categories; simulations, adventures and arcade adventures. Activision has even brought out Ballblazer, a sports game played in space. Way out!\r\n\r\nMoon Cresta from Incentive is a traditional game in which you shoot everything in sight, and then dock with another space ship before taking off to do exactly the same on the next level. With complex games like Starion around one would think that games of this calibre would flop. But no, there must be some people around whose brains are in their trigger fingers. Surprisingly, Moon Cresta is creeping up the charts. Long live the aliens.\r\n\r\nMelbourne House's Starion takes space travel seriously and combines a number of features, including the traditional shoot 'em up, word puzzles and anagrams. Kill off enemy space ships and collect the letters they drop, then unscramble those to form a word. Fly down to earth and answer a puzzle to change the course of Earth's history. There are 243 events to rewrite - and that amounts to a lot of flying time. Starion is well up in the top ten.\r\n\r\nSystem 3 has come up with the goods against all opposition with the dreadful Death Star Interceptor, which has proved surprisingly popular. If you are really into boring games, this is right up your alley. Played in three sections, first take off into outer space, next avoid assorted aliens and then, as in Star Wars, plant a bomb in the exhaust port of an enemy death star. It is all thrilling stuff.\r\n\r\nQuicksilva's Glass is amazing to look at. Psychedelic colours make you want to blink in this repetitive but addictive game. There are hundreds of screens to blast through, and whole sections are spent dodging columns as you hurtle through a 3D spacescape. The rest of the time is spent shooting radar antennae off unsuspecting space ships. The graphics make up for any limitations in the game and demonstrates that a traditional shoot 'em up need not be boring.\r\n\r\nThis final section consists of a number of games which cannot be categorised. A strange mixture falls into this area - many are shoot 'em ups in some form or another, others require an element of cunning and strategy.\r\n\r\nGyron from Firebird, a Sinclair User classic, is a unique game in which you must travel through a complex maze, dodging massive rolling balls and keeping a watchful eye on the guardian towers to be round at each junction. Those shoot at you, but approaching from another angle may change the direction of their fire. As there are two mazes to get through, it should take months. Gyron is likely to deter arcade nuts, but for those with staying power, it is an attractive proposition. It did make a brief appearance in the top ten at the time of writing, but has since fallen away.\r\n\r\nUS Gold's Spy Hunter, based on the arcade game of the same name, is a faithful replica of the original. It all takes place on the road as you drive your souped-up sports car through a variety of traps laid down by the baddies. Equip your motor with a variety of weapons, obtainable from a weapons van which you drive into Italian Job style. Rockets, smoke screens and oil slicks are all strongly reminiscent of 007.\r\n\r\nElite's Airwolf is a game that we found so hard as to be almost impossible, and which everyone else seemed to find a cinch - and told us so in no uncertain terms! Try if you can, to fly your chopper down a long, narrow tunnel to rescue five scientists stuck at the end. Blast your way through walls, which rematerialise as fast as you can destroy them - a well nigh impossible task for those whose trigger fingers and joysticks have suffered from the likes of Daley Thomson's Decathlon. Airwolf has done better than we predicted. You can't win them all.\r\n\r\nGhostbusters, the mega box office hit last Christmas was a prime candidate for a computer game and Activision was first to the ghost. Featuring all the best parts of the film, it was an instant success and Activision did well to launch it simultaneously with the movie. Drive around the city coaxing ghouls into your ghost trap but listen out for a Marshmallow Alert. That giant sticky marshmallow man is quite capable of flattening whole streets unless halted. Greenbacks play an important part in the game as you have to buy your equipment to get started, and earn enough prize money for the number of ghosts caught, in order to take part in a final showdown with Zuul.\r\n\r\nFinally Tapper from US Gold - another Sinclair User classic. Tapper is a simple but refreshing game centered round an all-American soda bar. You play a harassed barman, who must serve his customers with drinks. Easy at first as you slide them down the bar but wait until they have gulped down the fizzy stuff. Running backwards and forwards between four bars, make sure the customers have got a drink, and catch the empties as they come skidding back. There are three difficulty levels, each one faster and more hectic than the last. Tapper is moving up the charts and we are sure that it will go far towards refreshing the parts other games cannot reach.\r\n\r\nThe fierce competition over the last 12 months has chased many companies into liquidation. There have, however, been successes, particularly with a number of small software houses bringing new blood into the market. That can only be seen as a healthy sign.\r\n\r\nThe lack of QL games software is the only disappointment. Where is it? Other than a few basic programs such as Reversi, which cut its eye teeth on the ZX-81 years ago, there has been a dearth of games for this flagging micro. If games of the quality of Knight Lore can be produced for the Spectrum, why not for the QL?","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"47,48,49,50,51","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Clare Edgeley","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 109, May 1985","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1985-05-04","Editor":"Peter Worlock","TotalPages":46,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Peter Worlock\r\nDeputy Editor: David Guest\r\nProduction Editor: Lauraine Turner\r\nEditor's Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPeripherals Editor: Kenn Garroch\r\nHardware Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nArt Editor: Dave Alexander\r\nPublisher: Tony Harris\r\nPublishing Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Sarah Barron\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Laura Cade\r\nSales Executives: Phil Benson, Mike Blackman, Jacqui Edmiston, Andrew Flint, Sarah Musgrave, Tony O'Reilly\r\nProduction: Richard Gaffrey\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Andrea Laurence\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"PRICE: £7.95\r\nPUBLISHER: Melbourne House [redacted]\r\n\r\nWhile you're waiting for someone to covert Elite, you could get in some practice, playing Starion.\r\n\r\nStarion features the best wire frame graphics and perspective transformations since Elite - they have to be seen to be believed. It lacks Elite's detail, but it's fast, difficult and varied.\r\n\r\nThe aim is to correct faults in time zones: sort them all out and you become 'Creator' - I suppose it's a cut above merely 'Elite'. Aliens have disrupted various years in Earth's history by shifting key events to other time zones.\r\n\r\nYou choose a sector from a 3x3 grid. Then you're shown another grid. The sectors in these have 'AD' or 'BC' at the top with a year below. Select one of these and it's time to 'Battle with Enemy', so your computer prompts.\r\n\r\nThe upper part of the screen is the view forward into deep space. Below is a colourful instrument panel. Gauges and meters show your velocity, yaw, hydrox, oxygen, and hulls remaining. But of most interest are the twin 'biplanar scanners' whose circular screens map your immediate vicinity. On the left the axes are X-Z, the right radar shows Y-Z. This is dreadfully confusing at first but you soon adapt. To get an enemy dead ahead you must get it above you on the left radar, and due east on the right. Then it's in view and you can fly by direct sight.\r\n\r\nApart from the radar you probably won't have time even to glance at the rest of the instruments. Flying SS Stardate by reflex, you bank and turn, accelerate, stop short, spin and rake fighters with twin lasers. All against a sickeningly spinning, star-riddled backdrop.\r\n\r\nNaturally the aliens resent your attacks and retaliate by firing at you. They're not as mobile asEliteships,andtheSS Stardate is very manoeuverable, so they're quite easy to handle. But I suspect their aim improves as you progress further in the game.\r\n\r\nIt's the enemy fighters and their rockets that make games like this so compulsive. Fighters come in a variety of 3D white frameworks. Some resemble paper darts, others are pretty complex, and they're all hostile. It's quite a shock when what resembles an elongated brick whistles past your left ear and vanishes into the middle distance. And once you've got a fighter dead centre, it's almost a pity to blast it.\r\n\r\nBut you have to, because immediately after it explodes, its various parts reassemble to form a letter which you must collect as cargo. The letters in each time zone form an anagram of the displaced time-event in another zone. So, once, you've gathered all the letters, your on-board computer asks you to identify the cargo. Most of the anagrams are quite easy, but matching them to the zone dates is harder.\r\n\r\nOnce you've got a zone's word it's back to the master space map. Select the zone showing the year which corresponds to the word you hold, and you're in deep space, searching for Earth. On arrival your computer assesses if you have the correct cargo for the year, if so you're off again, blasting enemies and collecting letters.\r\n\r\nThe rules are more complex still - the initial letters of the words from a set of zones form an anagram whose solution is the password to the next set of zones. There are nine sets of zones in a 'time-block', and their initial letters provide the password to the next block. All in all there are 243 bottom-level zones to correct, but it'll take you months to do that.\r\n\r\nStarion has nearly everything you could wish for in computer game: speed, variation and superb graphics. My only reservations are that the sound's very limited and the plot and rules are too contrived. It's very good, and if more thought had gone into the game design it would be an instant success.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"34","Denied":false,"Award":"Personal Computer News Star Game","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Bryan Skinner","Score":"10","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"10/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]