[{"TitleName":"Titan","Publisher":"Titus","Author":"Alain Fernandes, Eric Caen, Grabuge","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0005294","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 67, Aug 1989","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1989-07-27","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nEditorial Assistants: Viv Vickress, Caroline Blake\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nContributors: Nick Roberts, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Robin Hogg\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION DEPARTMENT\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Robert (the Rev) Hamilton, Jenny Reddard\r\n\r\nDESIGN\r\nRoger Kean, Mark Kendrick, Melvin Fisher\r\n\r\nSystems Operator: Ian Chubb\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executives: Lee Watkins, Wynne Morgan\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nSubscriptions\r\n[redacted].\r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers using Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator '88, output at MBI [redacted] with systems support from Digital Reprographics [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop the Viv Vickress a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Colour photographic material should be 35mm transparencies wherever possible. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1989 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Titus\r\n£8.99\r\n\r\nYes, it's a whole new concept in computer gaming! Breakout, oops sorry no it's not that at all. Well perhaps just a tad then. The boring little bat at the bottom of the screen has been replaced with a square. There's eight-way scrolling and little icons that do various naughty things to the sqaure (sounds fun so far!).\r\n\r\nSurprisingly, you have to knock a metal ball around the map and hope that it knocks away all the breakable blocks in the landscape. If it does you've completed that level. That may seem a bit easy, but the nasties come in on later levels.\r\n\r\nThen are many nasty icons including teleporters which transport you from one side of the landscape to the other, contact blocks which build themselves into walls when you pass them and the nasty death icons which kill. The speed the ball rebounds around the play area gets quicker the longer it's allowed to bounce, till you turn into a mad person trying to catch it (doesn't take much for some people - Skip).\r\n\r\nI wouldn't exactly say that this is an original concept. It's more like loads of other games piled into one. The graphics are not that impressive either and the colour schemes get very garish. There's some playability to be had here, though, and you can have fun trying to catch the ball as is goes spinning off in the opposite direction. If you're after a game that twists the breakout theme then Titan is for you.\r\n\r\nNICK","ReviewerComments":["Here's a novel twist on one of our dear old friends, and a playable one too! With heaps of colour splashed around on the large scrolling maps, and not a bit of clash in sight, it makes the whole - and occasionally tricky - game all that much more fun. A few reservations about the lastability: Titan's control method and gameplay cannot really be mastered, remaining heavily a hit-and-miss situation a lot of the time.\r\nRichard Eddy"],"OverallSummary":"Fun to play, but lasting appeal may fade.","Page":"40,41","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Richard Eddy","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"56%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"63%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"72%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"69%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 45, Sep 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-08-16","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Catherine Higgs\r\nDeputy Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nAssistant Vat Scraper: Duncan MacDonald\r\nDesigner: Catherine Peters\r\nEditorial Assistant: David Wilson\r\nTechnical Consultant: David McCandless\r\nContributors: Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, Phil South, Wag\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Stephen Bloy\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nAdvertisement Production: Claire Baker\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nCirculation Manager: June Smith\r\nPublisher: Teresa Maughan\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinted By: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1989 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Titus\r\n£8.99 cass\r\nReviewer: Matt Bielby\r\n\r\nHey, Jackie, what's this Titan thing remind you of? Hmm, thought so. David, Dunc, what do you two reckon? You think it's a bit of a Breakout clone too, eh? Hmm. Titan is reminiscent of the bat, ball and bricks classic alright, but it's more of a variation on the theme than a straight copy, and a very speedy, smooth and playable one at that!\r\n\r\nSo, how's it all work then? Well, erm, you do control a little square bat, and you do have to bounce a (rather large) ball around and, yes, you do have to knock out blocks until you've wiped the screen clean. Hmm. So far, so Breakoutish, I have to admit. So what's the difference? Well, for a start, the size of the screens, or to be more accurate, 'play areas'. They're big (big! big!), often about four screens big in fact, and in later levels up to about eight screens or more.\r\n\r\nThis doesn't create too many problems though, 'cos the game scrolls very quickly in all four directions as it follows your bat about. It doesn't follow the ball though, so this can bounce off into some far corner of the play area and have to be tracked down. This can be good (your ball may be taking out a few blocks as it bounces) or it may mean you suddenly find yourself dead for no apparent reason. Why? Well, to complicate things in the same way that those falling icons did in Arkanoid, Titus has introduced 'Death' characters to the game. These kill you whenever they're touched by either the bat or the ball. Often they are trapped behind groupings of bricks so, once you start to knock the wall out, it is very difficult to keep your free bouncing ball away from them. Another complication comes from the blocks that your ball can't harm and which need to be knocked out by the bat itself. It's also a big game for another reason. Did I tell you how many play areas there are? 80. 80!! Are you getting a fair amount of game for your money or what? (Clue - yes you are.)\r\n\r\nBut it's not all roses. For a start, though the game is one of the smoothest strollers I've seen, the graphics are more 'competent' than stunning. It's really ever so simple and blocky. For instance. none of the bricks are individually defined (unlike in Arkanoid, say) so you are knocking out chunks of a whole rather than individual tiles. The bat, while fast and smooth moving, is rather small and often moves in large jumps, steadfastly refusing to hit the ball at the correct angle to go in the direction you want.\r\n\r\nYou can imagine the thinking that went on behind Titan. Titus has taken a look at Arkanoid or whatever and thought \"How can we make it a bit different? I know, why not do each level over a number of screens?\" Well, fine, it is a bit different and at the same time retains a great deal of the immense playability of those other bat and ball games. I'm far happier to see this variation than another straight clone, for instance. But, and it's a fairly large 'but', the simple one screen design of Breakout is still superior. In this version it's simply frustrating having the game finish for whatever reason (your ball hits Death or something) and have the action take place totally off-screen. Not only that, but there are simply too many bricks to destroy on too many levels, and, without the laser add-ons that helped speed up Arkanoid, it takes an age to clear some of the screens, even with skill playing. Still, it's quite a neat little game and easy to recommend. In fact, so easy I think I'll recommend it. Simple to play but difficult to master, so why not go and buy it?","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Take a bit of Breakout, a pinch of Arkanoid and a touch of the Batty's, add some fairly original twists and serve. A very playable little concoction.","Page":"16,17","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Matt Bielby","Score":"75","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"\"Ru-bber ball, that's all I am to you (bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy), like a ru-bber ball, you'll come bouncing back to me-e-e...\" (Who got David Wilson to write my captions? Ed)"},{"Text":"A This is you, the bat. Chirpy little fellow, aren't you?"},{"Text":"B This is your ball. (Watch where he runs off to, the scamp!)"},{"Text":"C This is Death. Avoid him at all costs, and keep the pesky ball away from him too."},{"Text":"D These are the bricks to be knocked out."},{"Text":"E That's it really."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"75%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 90, Sep 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-08-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Meet the Summer TV Special \"Team\"\r\n\r\nJIM \"Live from the Palladium\" DOUGLAS (Editor)\r\nA strange anomaly of a person. Jim is both achingly unfunny, and yet strangely compelling. What will his Editing hi-jinks lead to this month? Maybe an excellent joke about a red indian ordering a drink or perhaps a swinging dance routine with the internationally revered Jim Douglas Connection. Either way, you'd be mad to miss him. So tune in, drop out, nod off.\r\n\r\nALISON \"Play Your Cards Right\" SKEAT (Production Editor)\r\nA dolly dealer if ever we saw one! Now, if Alison plays her cards right this month she could go through to the exciting final where she'll be given the chance to win amazing prizes like... these! A Trip to the Typesetters//An Afternoon Ordering Couriers/A Deadline Advancement or Tonight's Star Prize... Extra Mono Pages in the Inner Section! Be sure and tune in to see all these prizes and more flash before Alison's eyes in our special section. Nightmare of the Month!\r\n\r\nTIM \"3-2-1\" NOONAN (Art Editor)\r\nA confusing hour's viewing at the best of times. Showmaster Tim has the entire office bemused and astounded with his complex clues and double-twists. \"I'll be in at about 10 o'clock\" for example, obviously indicates to the uneducated viewer that Tim will be in at around 10 in the morning. Wrong! Dusty Bin for you! It actually means \"I'm going back to bed and I'll see what the weather is like when I get up.\" See if you can tell what Tim's talking about\r\n\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nDirty Tricks: Jon Riglar\r\nHow The Hell: Andrew Hewson\r\nI've Got This Problem: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Katherine 'Hello, I must be going' Lee\r\nDeputy Ad Manager: Jerry Hall\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Martha 'A higgedly hoggedly' Moloughney\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean 'Leg-biscuits' Barrett\r\nMarketing Assistant: Sarah 'Wall-planner' Ewing\r\nPublisher: Terry 'Strike-beater' Pratt\r\n\r\nOur Address: [redacted]\r\nOur Phone Number: [redacted]\r\nOur Fax No: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Dynamite Dux from Activision\r\nCover Artist: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nTypeset by Professional Reprographics Services [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Frontline.\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n24 Hour Order Line: [redacted]\r\nBack Issues: Back Issues Department (SU), [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1989 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nAll information is correct at time of going to press.\r\n\r\nWhile we apologise for any typographical errors or inaccuracies, we're only flaming human, so don't get pedantic, okay?\r\n\r\nNo part of this magazine may be reproduced or transcribed, in whole or in part, by any means, conventional, electronic or downright bizarre without written consent of the publishers, EMAP Business and Computer Publications. So Neeeeeerrrr!"},"MainText":"Label: Titus\r\nAuthor: In-house\r\nPrice: £9.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Tony Dillon\r\n\r\nTitan is fast, colourful and destructive. It features mega-fast smooth scrolling, more colours than a Spectrum actually has and dozens of levels.\r\n\r\nAnd now the bad points. It's boring, repetitive and far too easy. But before I really start to slag it off, I'd better tell you about it, otherwise I won't get paid.\r\n\r\nYou are a block. You, the block, are situated in a maze. The early mazes are simple, like a box, and the later mazes are more complex. Also dotted about the maze are other blocks. To complete a level you have to destroy all these other blocks. To destroy all these other blocks, we introduce the twist in the tail, a ball. So, the basic game idea is to bounce a ball off a block into some other blocks to destroy them. Sounds original enough.\r\n\r\nBut no, that's not the whole story. There's even more to it than that. The maze actually covers loads of screens, and you can scroll all over the place at really high speeds. Cor, sounds brilliant!\r\n\r\nPop! What was that? Oh, that was my little dream bubble bursting and me falling back to reality. Titan is dull, pure and simple. Graphics? It hasn't got any. All it uses are coloured blocks, character block scrolling and a garish selection of colours. Indeed, the speed of the scrolling coupled with the colours is remarkably headache inducing.\r\n\r\nI mentioned earlier that it's really easy. Now, the thought of a ball ricocheting at high speed while you struggle to hit it with your bat might not seem too easy, but when you think that out of every five screens, there's normally only one you can die on, that changes the perspective of things. The only things that can kill you are blocks marked with a skull, and they are very few and far between, let me tell you.\r\n\r\nI don't like Titan, as you might have guessed by now. It's very dull, very repetitive and very Titus. As usual, avoid it at all costs. In fact, don't even read this review. Quick, rip out the page and burn it. Now, come on hurry up! Aaaaargh!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Another flop from Titus. Fast colourful, strong and very, very long.","Page":"32","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Dillon","Score":"37","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"HINTS AND TIPS\r\n\r\n1. Take your time! You don't have time limit, and in a lot of places it takes some precision positioning to overcome certain puzzles, so take it easy.\r\n\r\n2. At the start of each level rather than take out as many bricks as possible, look around the entire maze taking in the position of things like teleporters and skulls.\r\n\r\n3. Don't let the ball hit the skulls! Important point number one. Important point number two: don't hit the skulls yourself. Both result in death, and we don't want that, do we?"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"39%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"41%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"47%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"31%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"37%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]