[{"TitleName":"Tantalus","Publisher":"Quicksilva Ltd","Author":"Paul Hargreaves","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0005139","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 29, Jun 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-05-29","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishing Executive: Roger Kean\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nStaff Writers: Hannah Smith, Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: John Minson, Jon Bates, Rosetta McLeod\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nProduction: Gordon Druce, Tony Lorton\r\nProcess Camera: Matthew Uffindell\r\nPhotographer: Cameron Pound\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nInformation and Bookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted];\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH 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.\r\n\r\n©1986 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nJULY-DEC 1985\r\nTotal: 93,356\r\nUK: 89,441"},"MainText":"Producer: Quicksilva\r\nRetail Price: £8.95\r\nAuthor: Paul Hargreaves\r\n\r\nThe interstellar war is over and the enemy Jaglan Group has finally been wiped-out ... bar one member, who has taken refuge on the planet Tantalus. The Centuri Alliance is eager to dispose of this deviant, so a special task force is sent to Tantalus to eradicate him.\r\n\r\nYears ago, human combat was abandoned in favour of wars between specially created mutant soldiers. Mutants were developed for domestic and menial jobs, but a certain type of mutoid has been genetically engineered as the ideal fighting being. With sharp reactions and inbred cunning, they are ideally suited to tackle the Tantalus Problem.\r\n\r\nFour mutoid Spikes under your command are on the planet Tantalus and it's up to you to negotiate a way around the booby-trapped defences and assassinate the Jaglan criminal. Four against one? Couldn't be easier. Ho, ho. Tantalus is a veritable rabbit warren of underground caverns and hidden passageways, over a thousand locations in all. The Jaglan deviant hasn't wasted his time.\r\n\r\nAll those years in self-imposed exile have been spent setting up defences. Forty eight different sorts of alien form a grand welcoming party for you. Forty-eight types of alien with sixteen different flight patterns, each one a different challenge. Although the mutant spikes are near perfect fighters, they are by no means invulnerable. Apart from the nasties floating around Tantalus, the deviant has rigged-up some pretty devious devices to ensnare intruders: lasers fire across gaps; lasers shoot down from the ceiling; roof spikes impale passers-by; bubbling vats of acid have to be avoided and sinister looking grabbers winch down from the ceiling and do nasty things. There are dissolving walls, seemingly innocent doors that suddenly destroy you and apparently inanimate objects that are really rather deadly.\r\n\r\nBefore you can even think about eliminating the Jaglan deviant, thirty two deadly doors must be found and opened with the right key.\r\n\r\nThe mutants don't look much like the ultimate fighting creation - more like strange cuddly toys with no hands or feet and mohican hairstyles. They start off with jetpacks and can zoom around the fortress. Going through an airlock removes the jetpack, and the range of movement thereafter is limited to left, right, up, down and jump. In jet pack mode Spikes can make themselves invisible for a few moments - very handy when in an awkward spot.\r\n\r\nSpikes are provided with an elaborate weapon system. They have six weapons, each of which fires in a unique pattern and can only be used for a limited period of time before being allowed to recharge. Panels on screen monitor progress, showing how many doorlocks have been opened, the condition of each of the six weapons and the number of lives remaining.\r\n\r\nThis is the first game in a trilogy from the author of Glass - more to follow in due course...\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Q thrust/jump, A change weapon, O left, P right, M fire\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Interface 2\r\nKeyboard play: fine\r\nUse of colour: lots of it-perhaps a little garish\r\nGraphics: densely packed, lots of variety\r\nSound: raspy spot effects\r\nSkill levels: one\r\nScreens: 1024","ReviewerComments":["Tantalus didn't appeal to me at all, mainly because I've seen so many games like this before. Arcade/adventures aren't new and to make any impression on me, such a game has to have something different or original about it. This game hasn't. The graphics are nice and colourful, but not particularly well animated. The only bit I liked was the six types of weapon available-apart from that I got bored rather quickly, I'm afraid.\r\r\nUnknown","As shoot em up games go, Tantalus is excellent. It is both addictive and very playable. The use of colour is terrific - the whole screen is covered in it, but I couldn't spot any colour clash. This game had many nice touches, like the different weapons. As you blast your way though the hundreds of sprites, the graphics and backdrops are well detailed and stand out. Eliminating the enemy is a massive task to embark on: overall, no disappointment in the game, which is very playable.\r\r\nUnknown","Though not a mega-fantastic game, I enjoyed playing Tantalus for a while. Colour is very nicely used and the game, while being very difficult, is good fun. I like it more than I did Quicksilva's last release, to say the least. The playing area is absolutely massive, and I found I could wander about for ages without having to recross my route. The concept of mutant punkoids is great, and I want one too!! Tantalus is big, colourful, fun and very difficult: I like it!\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A large colourful and playable game.","Page":"127","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Having just passed through an airlock on the bottom of the screen, the Spike has lost the Jet Pack and is about to pass through a laser curtain."},{"Text":"Spike in his Jet Pack zooms along directly above a ramped stairway, doing battle with a gang of aliens."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"77%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"76%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"76%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 7, Jul 1986","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1986-06-12","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Martin Dixon\r\nDeputy Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nDesigner: Caroline Clayton\r\nStaff Writer: Phil South\r\nTechnical Consultant: Peter Shaw\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Luke C, Iolo Davidson, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, Zareh Johannes, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Neil Dyson\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Advertisement Director: Chris Talbot\r\nPublishing Manager: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1986 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Quicksilva\n£8.95\nReviewer: Luke C\n\nWhat do you get if you cross Quicksilva's Games Designer with the Beatles' cartoon film 'Yellow Submarine'? Something that looks very like its new release, Tantalus.\n\nThere's a long and complicated story involving all sorts of Sci-fi nonsense - how come all insert card writers want to be Douglas Adams? But, basically, its an old plot tarted up - you play the part of a Spike Punkoid... a spikey-haired mutoid, would you believe... who has to search around a 1000-odd screens to assassinate the last deviant human being in the universe. Of course, it's not that easy - apart from anything else, the chap you're after is holed up in the middle of the 16-by-16 maze, safe behind a series of 32 doors. Each of these doors has to be opened with a well-aimed laser blast... but first you'll have to decide which of six different types of laser you're going to use!\n\nYou'll also have to deal with 48 different kinds of alien baddies, each with 16 different flight patterns. They're all sorts of funny shapes, and they come at you from all directions, but they don't shoot at you... they just get in your way.\n\nLooking through the list of hassles the game throws in your path - such as the materialising walls, the acid baths, the lightning flashes and so on - none are really what you might call deadly. Yes, if you hang around in the path of a wall that suddenly decides to materialise, you're in trouble. But if you're careful, it's no real problem staying alive for a respectable time... certainly enough to convince yourself that you actually have a chance of breaking down a few of the doors and having a go at the assassination attempt.\n\nThe screens do look very much alike - how else do you get over 1000 screens into 48K? - but they're all fun, and extremely colourful.\n\nAfter a few hours play, I didn't get anywhere near to assassinating the deviant. In fact, I spent most of the time floating around the tunnels trying to work out where I was. The movement of little Spike and his spaceship is nice and smooth, especially the little 'bounce' when he jumps from a height.\n\nYou'll probably get accused of being a hippy if you get caught playing this game too much. But you're recommended to check it out, ma-a-a-an' It's freaky!!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"36","Denied":false,"Award":"Your Sinclair Megagame","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Luke C","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"As you zoom through the 'Rainbow' airlock, your spaceship suddenly ejects its passenger... and you're controlling Spike, the lovable Punkoid."},{"Text":"Controlling the Punkoid/spaceship is real easy - just a matter of left, right and jump. Choosing which laser to use is the most difficult decision!"},{"Text":"This here's a measure of your energy. Keep it out of the red area and you'll be okay. There's no way to up your energy, so it's down to you taking some care negotiating all the baddies."},{"Text":"This is the ol' scoreboard - points are gained for shooting the alien hordes and opening doors within the maze."},{"Text":"You get four lives in the game. Doesn't sound like many but, if your're careful and don't just blunder through each of the traps, you'll find you can stay alive long enough to explore most everywhere."},{"Text":"You have a choice of six lasers - from a 'bouncing football' blast to one with random firepower. There's also the option to disappear from your enemies for a few seconds."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 53, Aug 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writers: Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nAdventure Writers: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nHardware Correspondent: John Lambert\r\nContributors: Jerry Muir, Gary Rook, Tony Kendle, Richard Price, Mike Wright, Brian Cooper\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Rory Doyle\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Lee Sullivan\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. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: Quicksilva\r\nAuthor: Paul Hargreaves\r\nPrice: £8.95\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nReviewer: Jerry Muir\r\n\r\nPunks seem in vogue at Quicksilva. After the pogoing photographics of Hocus Focus come the interstellar safety pin through the proboscis brigade - the mutoid Spike punkoids! it's enough to make Johnny Rotten.\r\n\r\nI never was one for in-depth research so excuse me if I skim through the facts from The Universe - A History in One Volume, included on the inlay card. It seems that after 490 years of galactic combat (3027 minus 2537 does not make 590 - mathematical note to Quicksilva) it was time for a little novelty to break the monotony of warfare. So the mutants were developed.\r\n\r\nAfter war was over the world had to find a use for the remaining warriors and the last four were sent to the planet Tantalus. Which is where you come in, in command of the assassination group battling through the planet's caverns and passageways.\r\n\r\nTantalus, the program, is big - very big, with a 1000 screen labyrinth to explore. This is divided into 32 sections with hidden doors and door locks which are none too easy to locate. And, of course, the screens feature a whole host of hostile life.\r\n\r\nLuckily your Punkoids are provided with no fewer than six weapon systems. There are two types of sideways fire, killing one alien at a time or any that get caught by a burst. There's vertical fire and there are bouncing bombs which have a path like a psychotic ping-pong ball.\r\n\r\nFinally, for those tight spots, there's random eight-directional fire and even a brief spell of invisibility (though the brilliant design of the cassette inlay means the details of how this operates are lost because of a hole, punched in the card).\r\n\r\nTantalus is from the same author as last year's release, Glass which was much praised for its graphics. Once again Paul Hargreaves has come up with a landscape painted from the can labelled psychedelic.\r\n\r\nBut just as Glass was criticised for being little more than a good looking shoot 'em up, Tantalus is little more than a pretty maze game with some blasting thrown in.\r\n\r\nI haven't actually got much to say against the game... but then again there's not much to say in its favour.\r\n\r\nSure, its big and will take ages to complete, but my overall reaction is so-what.\r\n\r\nAt a budget price I might have felt it was something special but at nearly £9 it is quite unexceptional.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Too many screens, all very much the same. If you're still awake after the first few hundred i'll be surprised.","Page":"41","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jerry Muir","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"2/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 67, Oct 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nStaff Writer: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Andy Moss, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 84,699 July-Dec 1986"},"MainText":"Label: Bug Byte\r\nPrice: £1.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Tony Dillon\r\n\r\nPunks rool OK, and we all know what punks hate the most don't we (no not Maxie Bygraves), yes that's right. They hate deviants and they've just found out that there's one left. So off goes Spike the Mutoid who's mission it is to travel through the anti-matter curtain and kill the deviant. He takes with him six weapons. (Oh no, not Nemesis again.) As I was saying, he takes with him six weapons: normal left/right bullets, left/right lasers, up/down bullets, bouncing bombs, random direction bullets and invisibility shields. Cor grandad, thassalot innit! Still, it's all necessary because the playing area is huge and there is an infinite number of nasties, so it should keep yer busy for while.\r\n\r\nThis is an excellent game on budget.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Good in its time, now it's even better as a re-release. Quite a smart blast and well worth digging out.","Page":"29","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Dillon","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 57, Jul 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-06-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nDesign: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Paul Coppins, Steve Donoghue, Jim Douglas\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAssistant Ad Manager: Garry William\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\nCover: Steve Brown, Ian Watson\r\n\r\n...and the Bug Hunters!\r\n© Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: Quicksilva\r\nPRICE: £8.95\r\n\r\nPaul Hargreaves, the teenage graphic genius who brought you Glass - the extremely pretty shoot 'em up - is back with Tantalus a 1024 screen epic starring Spike the Punkoid.\r\n\r\nSpike, as all those who have studied the History of the Universe will know, is a genetically mutated creature produced by Punkoid Development Corporation.\r\n\r\nFamed for their fighting prowess the Punkoids are sent on the most important mission of their, inhuman, lives - to assassinate the last deviant human being on this side of the anti-matter curtain.\r\n\r\nA team of four Spike Punkoids have been sent to the planet Tantalus to kill the deviant but it isn't an easy task.\r\n\r\nThe planet is riddled with caverns and hidden passages, known as the Fortress. The deviant had used his time well in protecting the planet from invasion.\r\n\r\nThere are 32 doors on the planet and the activator locks were well disguised and hidden.\r\n\r\nThe Spike Punkoids, the best fighting mutoids ever developed, soon decided that they would need all the defences of their ship, their amazing instinctive cunning and their six defensive weapons systems.\r\n\r\nYour ultimate goal is the assassination of the deviant but in order to achieve this aim you will first need to open all 32 deadly doors by firing at and hitting the lock activators dead centre. Each time an activator is opened, a door, somewhere in the Fortress, will be removed.\r\n\r\nThere are 48 different types of alien defenders with 16 different light patterns, randomly distributed around the Fortress.\r\n\r\nSpike begins the game inside the Protonthrust craft - but if you find an airlock you can exit the craft and Spike is revealed in all his Punkoid glory.\r\n\r\nThere's no doubt that Tantalus is a very pretty game - but like Glass once you've enjoyed the graphics for a bit you begin to realise that there's not much to the actual game. A vast playing area is no substitute for addictive game play. Ultimately - like Glass - the game gets a bit boring. Great graphics, nice hero - but nothing that makes you want to come back for just one more go.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"39","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 28, Aug 1986","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-24","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Managers: Peter Chandler and John McGarry\r\nDesign: Argus Design\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Alabaster Passmore and Sons Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Lynn Collis\r\n\r\nDistributed by: Argus Press Sales and Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing Monthly is published on the fourth Friday of each month. Subscription rates can be obtained from ZX Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication, including all articles, designs plans, drawings and other intellectual property rights herein 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 the company.\r\n\r\nArgus Specialist Publications Limited. ©1986"},"MainText":"Argus Press Software\r\n£8.95\r\n\r\nI have a dislike for the use of the word 'movie' to hype up an arcade game to a level which it doesn't merit. The sleeve notes for Tantalus makes such an elevated claim but it's no amazing new concept, in fact it's a fairly ordinary 2D maze adventure.\r\n\r\nThe mutants are on the rampage and there is only one enemy humanoid left. He is entrenched on the planet Tantalus with 32 booby trapped doors between himself and the attacking Spike Punkoids. Four of these mutants have been given the task of attacking and overrunning the humanoids hideaway.\r\n\r\nHidden inside the labyrinthine stronghold are the switches which operate the doors to the inner sanctum. These lock activators are guarded by the usual range of flying, pulsating and descending nasties.\r\n\r\nThe Punkoids can choose from six weapons. Five have distinctive firing patterns and the sixth makes the Punkoid vessel (the Protonthrust 3000) disappear for a few moments.\r\n\r\nThe graphics deserve special mention. They are extremely colourful and well designed. The variety and detail in each screen makes this game more of a feast for the eyes than fodder for the brain. Apart from looks it is a very average maze game.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"21","Denied":false,"Award":"Globert","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Good","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 8, Aug 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-17","Editor":"Gary Evans","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Gary Evans\r\nSoftware Editor: Lee Paddon, Francis Jago\r\nStaff Writer: Anthony Thompson\r\nSub Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nProduction Editor: Jim McClure\r\nProduction Assistant: Nick Fry\r\nEditorial Secretary: Sheila Baker\r\nDesigner: Chris Winch\r\nEditorial: [redacted]\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: David Lake\r\nAdvertisement Executives: Ian Faux, Jeremy Kite\r\nClassified: Paul Monaf\r\nAdvertising: [redacted]\r\nPublisher: Paul Coster\r\nFinancial Director: Brendan McGrath\r\nManaging Director: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nCover Barnabys Picture Library\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\nISS 0263 0885\r\n\r\n©1986 Focus Investments Ltd\r\nPrinted by The Riverside Press Ltd, England.\r\nTypeset by Time Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nMember of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.\r\n\r\nReasonable care is taken to avoid errors in this magazine but no liability is accepted for any errors which may occur. No material in this publication may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publishers. The publishers will not accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, listings, data tapes or discs.\r\n\r\nWe will assume permission to publish all unsolicited material unless otherwise stated. We cannot be held responsible for the safe return of any material submitted for publication. Please keep a copy of all your work and do not send us original artwork.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately we are unable to answer lengthy enquiries by telephone. Any written query requiring a personal answer MUST be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope; please allow up to 28 days for a reply.\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: UK £15 for 12 issues. Overseas (surface mail) £25 - airmail rates on request. Please make a cheque/postal orders payable to Focus Investments (allow 5 weeks from order receipt of first subscription copy). Send orders to Your Computer Subscriptions, [redacted].\r\n\r\nBack issues of the magazine from January onwards are available for £1.50 (UK), £3 (Overseas) from the Back Issues Department, [redacted].\r\n\r\nDistributed by Business Press International, [redacted]."},"MainText":"Quicksilva\r\nArcade Adventure\r\n£8.95\r\n\r\nThe Centuri Alliance has beaten the Jaglan group and they are banished from the universe. All except one. The last remnant of a once-great race must be assassinated. Ours not to reason why. Four spike punkoids have been sent to the fortress stronghold, which they must penetrate. Why it could not be done with much less fuss and a rather large thermonuclear device is not clear - probably trouble with the local environmentalists.\r\n\r\nPenetrating the fortress involves locating 32 door-locks and de-activating them. That in turn opens previously-closed parts of the maze. So a map is a top priority and finding which locks operate which doors. The difficulty is the maze is 16 x 16 screens, each riddled with tunnels. As if all that were not sufficient many of the caverns are inhabited by varieties of nasties which attempt to nut you. There are also many passive obstacles which open and close; timing and patience is the key there.\r\n\r\nTo combat all that you have six weapon systems, so if you become fed up with the maze you can amuse yourself blasting wave after wave of remorseless aliens. At various points Spike must leave the ship and explore on foot, hopping and skipping.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are pleasant, the game play fast and addictive. Not a game to set the world on fire but it represents good value for the arcade adventure fan.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"43","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Lee Paddon","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"2/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"3/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]