[{"TitleName":"Black Beard","Publisher":"Topo Soft","Author":"ACE, Alfonso Azpiri, Carlos Arias, Gominolas, Jose Manuel Lazo","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0000555","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 61, Feb 1989","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1989-01-26","Editor":"Dominic Handy","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Dominic Handy\r\nAssistant Editor: Stuart Wynne\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Philip King, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Raffaele Cecco, Ian Cull, Ian Doggett, Paul Evans, Ian Lacey, Barnaby Page, Ian Phillipson\r\nEditorial Assistants: Caroline Blake, Vivienne Vickress\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nSenior Designer: Wayne Allen\r\nDesigners: Melvin Fisher, Yvonne Priest\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nProduction Team: Ian Chubb, Robert Hamilton, Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Director: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nSales Executives: Sarah Chapman, Andrew Smales\r\nAssistants: Jackie Morris, Lee Watkins [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group. Distribution 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 Sticky Solutions Department 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. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1989\r\n\r\nISSN 0954-8661\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Never trust a man with a red bard, or so the saying goes. But unfortunately for the eponymous star of the latest Kixx game, Blackbeard (their first original game release), that's just what he did when he started a heavy night's boozing with his old mate Captain Redbeard. Old Reddy had the cheek to slip a slimey hand into Blackbeard's pocket and snatch a much-sought after map, detailing the whereabouts of charcoal whisker's treasure.\r\n\r\nFilled with rage, and a fair amount of rum no doubt, our fat friend sets after Redbeard - who in the meantime has taken charge of HMS Victory. Travelling Gauntlet-style around the ship of four levels (deck, cabins and two storage levels) Blackbeard must pick up all the ammo he can find. Guns are the most sought after, as it is only with these that you can blow open each of the many chests containing potions, guiding lights and extra lives. Potions allow short-lived invincibility whereas torches can be used to fire the cannons which will destroy the passage through which the marauding pirates attack. Pick up all the extra energy bottles you can find, but beware of Redbeards special brew for the can send you reeling about the screen in a very incapable fashion.\r\n\r\nOnly when all of Reddy's accomplices have been shot or knifed to the great keg in the sky will you be able to open the final chest containing the mythical map.\r\n\r\nOf all the Gauntlet games around at the moment - including the original - Blackbeard is probably the most enjoyable to initially play. The graphics, although not terribly varied, are colourful and detailed, creating a simple sort of addiction that coaxes the player to explore and uncover the accurately-drawn HMS Victory. As with most budget games, Blackbeard's addiction isn't particularly long-lasting but - unlike most cheap offerings - it does create a fun atmosphere that will last at least a few weeks. Great fun at only three quid.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"66,67","Denied":false,"Award":"House Hit","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"81%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 83, Feb 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-01-18","Editor":"Graham Taylor","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graham 'phew' Taylor\r\nDeputy Editor: Jim 'shiny shoes' Douglas\r\nProduction Editor: Alison 'get lunky' Skeat\r\nArt Editor: Tim 'diced carrots' Noonan\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nTechnical: Andrew Hewson, Rupert Goodwins\r\nContributors: Tony 'ratty' Dillon, Chris 'snivel' Jenkins\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Martha 'eejit' Moloughney\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nPublisher's Assistant: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry 'serene' Pratt\r\nMarketing: Clive 'it's alright I'm here now' Pembridge\r\n\r\nPhone: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Jerry 'fluffy bunny' Parks\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1989 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n24 Hour Order Line: [redacted]\r\nBack Issues: Back Issues Department (SU), [redacted]"},"MainText":"Label: KIXX\r\nAuthor: Toposoft\r\nPrice: £2.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nHAAR-HAAARRRR! Shiver timbers! Splice the mainbrace! Hoh-hoh, Wayne lad! And other predictable comments suitable for reviewing a pirate game - only with a Spanish accent! Because Black Beard is by Topsoft, that's why, and quite right too, because lots of 16th century pirates were Spanish.\r\n\r\nAnywayup, this is a remarkably pretty game which bears not a little resemblance to Dandy and other Gauntlet clones of yore. The gameplay's a tiny bit repetitious, but then, so is a life on the ocean wave, so at least you can't say it isn't realistic.\r\n\r\nYou play the jolly savage cut-throat Captain Blackbeard, was SOOOOOOO annoyed to find that Captain Redbeard has stolen a valuable treasure map, that he's sworn to kill his entire crew, get the map back and probably eat his salt-biscuits.\r\n\r\nThe game takes place on Redbeard's ship, the Victory. The scenes are shown from the top and are admirably detailed, featuring cannon, hatchways, ship's boats, caskets, cannonballs, bulkheads and the like. The design's great, and the use of colour excellent. The screen scrolls smoothly as you move around, to reveal new sections such as the cabins, storage holds and gunnels (those are the gungy bits at the bottom of the ship). If you're interested, the layout of the screen is based on the design of the real HMS Victory, so there's a bit of free education for you.\r\n\r\nAround the decks prowl pirates, armed to the underwear. You must kill the lot of them to achieve your goal; to do this you must pick up guns and knives which are scattered around the decks. Guns come with thirty bullets each, while knives stay sharp for ever; the problem is that you need a gun to open treasure chests which contain life restoring potions and lanterns. The lanterns also help fire the cannon, which will slow down the pirates' attacks, though I haven't yet managed to work out how this is done.\r\n\r\nAlso found scattered around are bottles of RUM! Haa-haaarrrr! Trouble is, while of you a power of good, others are spiked, and make you reel around uncontrollably for a few moments. In these it's pretty likely that you'll collide with a flying knife, bullet, or pirate, thus losing a life.\r\n\r\nAnother good way of losing a life is to plummet through the canvases cover the stow holds. While this is a quick way to get to the lower decks, the recommended method is to find a ladder, stand over it and press fire. That way you don't break your neck.\r\n\r\nWhile the game area is fairly large, it's not big enough to require making a map, so you probably won't spend months of your life playing Black Beard. You will, though, enjoy the time you spend with it; nice graphics, decent music and FX, and an original setting make this an excellent example of the budget game. Buy it or walk the plank.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Frisky fun with pesky pirates by the Spanish scallywags.","Page":"16","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"81","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"60%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"81%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) Issue 18, Mar 1989","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1989-02-02","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Future Publishing [redacted]\r\nTelephone [redacted], Fax [redacted], Telecom Gold 84:TXT152, Prestel/Micronet: 0458 74011\r\n\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nReviews Editor: Bob Wade\r\nStaff Writers: Steve Jarratt, Andy Smith\r\nProduction Editor: Damien Noonan\r\nConsultant Editor: Brian Larkman (Graphics)\r\nAdventure Editor: Steve Cooke\r\nContributors: Simon N Goodwin\r\nArt Editor: Trevor Gilham\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Angela Neale\r\nProduction: Diane Tavener, Claire Woodland, Vivien Dean, Naomi Steer, Louise Cockroft\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jonathan Beales\r\nAdvertising Sales Executive: David Lilley\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\n\r\nCover by Simon Bisley\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS\r\nAvon Direct Mail [redacted]\r\n\r\nSPECIAL OFFERS\r\n(Christine Stacey) [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOLOUR ORIGINATION\r\nSwift Graphics Ltd [redacted]\r\nD P Graphics [redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION\r\nSM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nPRINTING\r\nChase Web Offset [redacted]\r\n\r\n© FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD 1989\r\n\r\nNo part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without our permission."},"MainText":"Spectrum, Amstrad: £2.99\r\n\r\nThis is Kixx's first original product, and has been programmed by Spanish software house Toposoft (authors of the US Gold Pepsi Challenge game, Mad Mix).\r\n\r\nAs suggested by the title, the game follows the efforts of one Blackbeard the Pirate to hunt down his buried treasure map which has been stolen by his arch enemy, Redbeard. The map is secreted inside a chest somewhere on board Redbeard's ship, HMS Victory, and it is Blackbeard's mission in life to get it back.\r\n\r\nViewed from above, the pirate is guided around the deck, cabins and two storage levels of Redbeard's vessel (and, incidentally, the deckplan is an authentic representation of the original Victory, Nelson's flagship), with the separate levels being connected by stairways.\r\n\r\nRedbeard's crew are at large, and Blackbeard defends himself by collecting knives and guns with which to fight back against his attackers. Blackbeard is revitalised by picking up bottles of rum from around the ship, but over-imbibing results in a drunken and difficult to control pirate swaggering about the deck.\r\n\r\nEntertaining - if a little slow - this explore 'n' shoot-em-up offers nothing new, but is nicely uncomplicated and has enough appeal to warrant further examination. Also of interest to mappers with a nautical bent. Yo ho ho.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"81,82","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"(Above) Spectrum - Blackbeard."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Ace Rating","Score":"670/1000","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]