[{"TitleName":"Virus","Publisher":"Firebird Software Ltd","Author":"Steven A. Dunn","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0005587","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 55, Aug 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-07-28","Editor":"Dominic Handy","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Dominic Handy\r\nAssistant Editor: Katharina Hamza\r\nProduction Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Philip King, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nEditorial Assistants: Frances Mable, Glenys Powell\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Raffaele Cecco, Paul Evans, Simon N Goodwin, Ian Philipson, Philippa Irving, Brendon Kavanagh, Paul Sumner, Stuart Wynne\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant Art Director: Wayne Allen\r\nProduction Team: Ian Chubb, Melvin Fisher, Robert Millichamp, Yvonne Priest, Matthew Uffindell\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executives: Andrew Smales, Sarah Chapman\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [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 Frances Mable 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\nTotal: 96,590\r\nUK/EIRE: 90,822\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1988\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Firebird\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nAuthor: Steven Dunn from a concept by David Braben\r\n\r\nThe country has been invaded by waves of hostile alien spaceships. Instead of attacking military installations, they are intent on polluting the landscape with a red virus. This kills off all plant and animal life, including humans.\r\n\r\nDetermined to counter this devastating threat, a brave pilot is strapping himself into the cockpit of his state of the art Hoverplane. This futuristic flying machine is equipped with the latest technology - long-range scanner, laser cannon and a limited supply of smart bombs. The latter can be used to destroy any aliens on the screen.\r\n\r\nThe action is shown in 3-D with wire-frame vector graphics depicting the Hoverplane and enemy ships. The contours of the tree-filled landscape are shown by a pattern of undulating squares depicting the earth's surface. The long-range scanner, in the top left corner of the screen, shows the positions of the enemy ships in relation to the Hoverplane. Gauges above the main playing area show the amount of fuel remaining and the plane's altitude. Extra fuel can be obtained by landing at home base.\r\n\r\nThe Hoverplane is controlled by thrusting the engines and rotating the craft. At high altitudes, the fuel supply is automatically cut and the plane lowers rapidly towards the ground. You move, helicopter-style, by dipping the plane's nose and thrusting.\r\n\r\nDuring play, a map of the land can be displayed showing polluted areas in red. All enemy ships in the attack wave must be destroyed before the whole map turns red. Each wave contains many different aliens, including the dreaded seeders (flying saucers which hover and sometimes land, spraying the deadly virus). Also polluting the area are the high flying bombers. The objective of alien ships (chevron-shaped fighters and kamikaze pests) is to destroy the Hoverplane. Collision with any spaceship results in the immediate destruction of the Hoverplane.\r\n\r\nIf an alien attack wave is defeated, the player gains a bonus score determined by how much of the landscape is still free of the virus. An extra Hoverplane and smart bomb are awarded every 5000 points.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: the wire-frame 3-D landscape suggest movement very convincingly. Pity about the colour clash\r\nSound: none\r\nOptions: definable keys","ReviewerComments":["My first impression of Virus was that it's extremely hard. Initially I found my Hoverplane to be most uncontrollable but, after some semblance of order was established, I managed to execute some neat aerobatical stunts. I still didn't shoot very many enemy craft though. Considering this game first appeared on the machines with a bigger byte, Firebird have done a very commendable job converting it to the Spectrum. The landscape rolls along up hill and down dale very smoothly: the only slightly annoying glitches are the colour clash between the Hoverplane and the landscape, and the appearance of the enemy craft on the map as they pass. Overall, a fast and furious blast-'em-up. After the initial control difficulties have been ironed out, it's great fun to play.\r\nMark Caswell\r\n75%","Virus is graphically excellent, the 3-D effect works well and the scrolling is smooth. The screen is a green monochrome colour with the exception of the border but as the ship is white, it does tend to clash with anything else it approaches. At first the Hoverplane is terribly difficult to control. The thrust control method is very similar to the ageing thrust games, like 1985 - The Day After and the more recent Thrust II, but with the added confusion of 3-D. The landscape moves up and down very convincingly making the game look like a wild waltzer ride! The main let down is the sound - not one beep to be heard all through the game. As we all know, an atmospheric sound effect makes a game, but with Virus you just have to use your imagination! Even so, Virus is great for all those fans of thrust and 3-D - a perfect combination.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n78%","Yet another wire-frame shoot-'em-up hits the streets. But, the addition of a smooth moving, tree-filled landscape makes Virus rather unusual. Another innovation is the strange control method which has the Hoverplane flying like a helicopter - it can only thrust upwards and therefore has to dip its nose to achieve forward movement. This is confusing at first and difficult to master and has you crashing continually into the ground. It's easier if you just use the keyboard, though. The movement of the landscape as you skim over the tree tops is surprisingly smooth and quite fast Unfortunately the attractive 3-D display is accompanied by silence - there's not even the tiniest bleep. As a result there's very little atmosphere and flying around shooting aliens soon gets repetitive. There is little if any strategy involved in Virus but even so, it's a well-presented, playable shoot-'em-up.\r\nPhil King\r\n79%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A playable conversion of a 16-bit game. Just slightly too hard to keep you really hooked.","Page":"14,15","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"75","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"78","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Phil King","Score":"79","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Archimedes + Zarch = Spectrum + Virus."},{"Text":"Slow, but sure."},{"Text":"Will the virus be stopped, before it get YOU!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"76%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"83%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"77%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"71%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"77%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 33, Sep 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-08-11","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nDeputy Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nArt Editor: Darrell King\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nProduction Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nDesigner: Catherine Higgs\r\nContributors: Guy Bennington, Marcus Berkmann, Owen & Audrey Bishop, Richard Blaine, Jonathan Davies, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Mike Gerrard, Graeme Kidd, David McCandless, Duncan McDonald, Nat Pryce, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Ben Stone\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Stansfield\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nArt Director: Hazel Bennington\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\nPublishing Director: Roger Munford\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\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1988 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":"What's this? Not a naughty little program that crashes your computer, no. It's the game no one thought would ever appear on the Spectrum, and it took the might of Firebird to do it. Phil South takes a look and gets the sniffles.\r\n\r\nFAX BOX\r\nGame: Virus\r\nPublisher: Firebird\r\nPrice: £7.95 cass/£12.99 disk\r\nReviewer: Phil South\r\n\r\nLast year, everyone at PCW was heavily impressed by a game on the Archimedes computer, a game called Zarch. This convincing tour de force was masterminded by the creator of Elite, a guy called David Braben, and at that time no plans existed to port the game down to even the high end 16 bit machines like the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga. But now Firebird has produced 8-bit versions... including one for the 128-48K Spectrum!!!\r\n\r\nAny attempt to bring such a game to the Spectrum could only result in a desperately shoehorned. graphically-inferior pie of old doodahs, couldn't it? Well, actually it's not a billionth as bad as anybody here anticipated, with all the original gameplay surprisingly intact.\r\n\r\nYou are in control of a terrific little spaceship, a bit like the one in the old asteroids game only this time instead of being in cheap black and white and 2D, this little devil is in wondrous colouramic 3D. You are charged with a task of ridding the planet of the aliens which are spraying the planet with a deadly virus. There are many different types o' aliens, and you have to zap them all in order to clear a level. Your score is a percentage of how much of the planet is left uninfected.\r\n\r\nAs you jet away from your start-up position, you notice immediately that beneath you is a brilliant 3D wire frame representation of the planet, scrolling neatly under you. As you move, the square scrolls, revealing hillier sections with trees whipping by, and your scanner in the top left of the screen shows that some aliens are pursuing you. You've got to blast the little beggars, you see, but that's only if you've got enough fingers left after controlling the ship to press the fire button on the keyboard. Yes, the controls are a trifle tricky, but if you've got a joystick interface (all are supported) then it makes it a little easier. Shooting with a keyboard button and flying the ship with the joystick can be a little bit like rubbing your head and patting your belly simultaneously though.\r\n\r\nThis is a very entertaining game, and even if you can't really get into the gameplay of shooting down the aliens, just flying around the landscape learning to fly your hoverplane against the planet's gravity is a fun game in itself. And finally, an interesting fact. It's been said by Telecomsoft that it never intended to program the game on the Spectrum but the programmer of the Spectrum version, Steve Dunn, just sent it in. Steve was so impressed by the demos of Zarch on the Archimedes at PCW that he set to programming in machine code. Blimey! Next Firebird'll say that it was written in binary on the back of an airmail envelope with a stub of pencil and a slide rule! Hah! Only kidding, choplets And, if that's Steve's first effort of machine coding on the Speccy, all I can say is his Basic programs must have been brilliant! Take it from a dude who knows... Virus on the Spectrum IS the state of the art.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A brilliantly programmed conversion of a 16 bit smash hit. A fast and fascinating 3D blast a mundo. Buy it!","Page":"70,71","Denied":false,"Award":"Your Sinclair Megagame","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil South","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"GOING TO SEED\r\nThe seeder is spotted behind a tree and now it's simply a matter of divebombing from a great height or using one of the ship's two remaining bombs."},{"Text":"PEST CONTROL\r\nHigh above the treetops the pests and fighters home into the kill and... there goes the neighbourhood!"},{"Text":"Seeders are squat, spinning tops which spread the virus whilst on the ground, and then fly up to a new location, where they spread the virus again. They can be shot in the air, but it's tricky. Shooting them on the ground is easier, but the score you get is much less. Try to get a pair of them and blast them with a smart bomb."},{"Text":"The best bit about this version of the game is its amazing scrolling landscape, which undulates beautifully underneath your ship as it skims the surface of the planet. Your shadow us not only \"pretty\", it also serves a useful purpose in letting you gauge your height above the surface. Watch out for other shadows, too!"},{"Text":"Unlike almost any other game in the history of the world, every bullet you wang off at the gribblies whacks a point off your score! Oh no! So you've got to choose your targets quite wisely, and make sure you hit what you aim at."},{"Text":"You may think after playing for a while that the trees are just there for decoration. No such luck! Just try skimming the terrain at a high speed, and you'll soon clip one and spray your ship all over the landscape."},{"Text":"Your ship is a small, wedge shaped hoverplane, whose only form of propulsion is a small vent on the underside. This means that in order to move along the landscape, you have to point the nose of the ship down and thrust forward, but pull the nose up to thrust up so you don't fall to the ground."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"Know Your Enemy\r\n\r\nHere's a listing from the Hoverplane's scanner, showing you what all the nasty alien craft will look like on your radar screen, and giving you essential tactical information on each one.\r\n\r\nSeeder\r\nThis flying saucer flies around and lands to spread the virus.\r\nScores 100 (in the air) or 50 (on the ground)\r\n\r\nMutant\r\nSimilar to the Hoverplane with less thrust. They'll buzz you and smash into you if they catch you.\r\nScores 500\r\n\r\nPest\r\nPests are small, fast ships, whose sole mission is to smash into your ship and destroy it\r\nScores 400\r\n\r\nFighter\r\nA chevron shaped ship which flies in a similar manner to the Mutant and the Hoverplane. Must be hit twice to destroy it, even if you use a smart bomb!\r\nScores 800\r\n\r\nBomber\r\nFlies straight and level and at high speed, spreading the virus at a higher rate than even the evil Seeders.\r\nScores 800\r\n\r\nMystery Spaceship\r\nYou will only recognise the strange alien vehicle when it actually attacks you, as it wil not fit any of the descriptions you have for other ships.\r\nScores Mystery Amounts"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 77, Aug 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-07-18","Editor":"Graham Taylor","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graham 'El Presidente' Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim 'Paccino' Douglas\r\nProduction Editor: Tamara 'Don't you point that thing at me' Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth 'Get rhythms' Jones\r\nDesigner: Andrea Walker\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nTechnical: Andrew Hewson, Rupert Goodwins\r\nContributors: Tony 'Metalllll' Dillon, Chris 'I'll have that one' Jenkins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Katherine Lee\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Margaret 'Oh come on' Caddick-Adams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Alison Morton\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nPublisher's Assistant: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\nMarketing: Clive 'I'm on that one' Pembridge\r\n\r\nPhone: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Jim McMorrow\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1988 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: Telecomsoft\r\nAuthor: Steven Dunn\r\nPrice: £8.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Jim Douglas\r\n\r\nAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! 3-D GONE MAD! My brain can't cope! Virus may well be the best game this month, but it's so difficult to play it makes my head hurt.\r\n\r\nAnyone who has stuck together the pages of Commodore magazines with dribble upon seeing screenshots of the Amiga version should be damned impressed by this. As well as being a fantastic conversion of the game, it does things never before seen on the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nVirus began about eight months ago on the Archimedes machine. It used to be called Zarch and it was packed so full of fab 3-D graphics that no-one even dared a Speccy conversion.\r\n\r\nWell now it's here and it's truly brilliant. The game shows your craft, in the middle of the screen and the world moves in true three-dimensional perspective around it. It's like having a helicopter following you around, beaming what it sees on to the TV. As a result, you've got a ship that can literally fly in EVERY direction, and you've got a much more precise view. In games where you view things through the cockpit it's impossible to tell how close you are to objects. Here you can actually see it.\r\n\r\nThe controls take ages to get used to. You can rotate on a vertical axis and pitch forwards through 180° from ahead and upright to backwards and upside down (like half a loop-the-loop on-the-spot). You propel yourself with a thrust stream that comes out of the underside of your craft. So in order to get anywhere, you've got to pitch yourself forward and thrust. Fine. Did I mention the gravity and inertia that pull you down and prevent you from stopping? No? Well, they make things just a tiny bit more difficult. So until you've crashed into the ground 200 times, there really isn't any point in trying to get to grips with the game as such. Eventually though, you'll get the hang of flying in straight lines and you'll decide that it's time to kill something.\r\n\r\nThere are plenty of possible targets. The storyline (mercifully brief) is that aliens are invading and spreading their horrible redness all over the place like so much chicken-pox. You've got to put a stop to it.\r\n\r\nA map can be called on to the screen so you can see just how far the infection has spread. There's a radar scanner in the top left hand corner of the picture so you can track the bad guys, as well as keeping an eye of your home base in case you need to re-fuel.\r\n\r\nThere's a fair number of bad guys in the game. It gets progressively more difficult, starting off with one alien craft spreading the Virus. Once you've dealt with him, you go to level two with more aliens, the level three and so on until the whole world is full to the brim with the little beggars.\r\n\r\nThe speed that the author has managed to achieve is very impressive. The ground scrolls beneath you and rises and falls. It's a bit like Digital Integration's ATF, but much more advanced.\r\n\r\nAlthough it's always remarkably unproductive, you can spend a few highly interesting moments just zooming around at ridiculous speeds and then crashing into hills.\r\n\r\nVirus is by no means a verbatim copy of the Archimedes game, or of the ST on for that matter. It is easily the best combination of 3-D graphics innovation and straightforward, high-tension combat. The strategy element isn't enough to bog you down, but it's vital that you pay attention to the map if you're going to get anywhere in the long run.\r\n\r\nThere's no question. It's definitely well worth buying.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Amazing conversion of an amazing game. Incredible.","Page":"26,27","Denied":false,"Award":"Sinclair User Classic","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jim Douglas","Score":"95","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"HINTS AND TIPS\r\n\r\nStay on top! The aliens will always try and climb above you, so don't let them!\r\n\r\nBullets are affected by gravity...\r\n\r\nThe Pest ship can be taken out easily. As it always heads straight for you, try anticipating its path and flying directly at it. When it is nearly on the screen (estimate this with the big scanner) thrust up to slightly above its altitude, and fire away. You should hit it.\r\n\r\nIf you get as far as attack wave 5, it's a bit silly to face all the aliens at once. Try to draw one or two away from the pack and picking it, or them, off.\r\n\r\nWait for the seeders to land before you shoot them."},{"Text":"THE ALIENS\r\n\r\nSEEDER: This guy spreads the virus. Points - 100 while flying, 50 on ground.\r\n\r\nMUTATED DRONE: Alien fihgter. Points - 500.\r\n\r\nBOMBER: Even worse than a seeder! They don't land but spread the virus at a faster rate. Point - 800.\r\n\r\nPEST: Speaks for itself. Points - 400.\r\n\r\nOTHERS: Wait and see!"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":" N/A","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"95%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"95%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) Issue 13, Oct 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-09-01","Editor":"Steve Cooke","TotalPages":156,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Future Publishing [redacted]\r\nTelephone [redacted], Fax [redacted], Telecom Gold 84:TXT152\r\n\r\nEditor: Steve Cooke\r\nReviews Editor: Bob Wade\r\nFeatures Editor: Andy Wilton\r\nProduction Editor: Rod Lawton\r\nStaff Writer: Andy Smith\r\nConsultant Editors: Mark Jenkins (Music and Midi), Brian Larkin (Graphics)\r\nArt Editor: Trevor Gilham\r\nAdditional Design: Angela Neale\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jonathan Beales\r\nAdvertising Sales Executive: Jennie Evans\r\nPublisher: Chris Anderson\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\nWessex Reproduction [redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION\r\nSM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nPRINTING\r\nChase Web Offset [redacted]\r\n\r\nCopyright - FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD 1988 - No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without our permission."},"MainText":"Firebird, £7.95cs, £12.95dk\r\nAtari ST version reviewed Issue 11 - ACE Rating 981\r\n\r\nConverting a game that was developed on the Acorn Archimedes sounds like an impossibility, but that's what they've tried to do. All the features are here: hoverplane, seeders, mutants, fighters, pests, trees, rolling landscape. However, the hard part is getting the control of the hoverplane right, to make it as responsive as in its Archie and ST versions.\r\n\r\nSadly they haven't quite managed to pull it off. It's a valiant effort and Spectrum owners should still take a look at it because there's nothing else quite like it for them.\r\n\r\nThe ship control is much more awkward without a twin-button mouse, so getting familiar with them will take longer. Anybody who's played Virus on the ST is bound to be disappointed, but this stretches a Spectrum about as far as it can go in this direction. A nice try but no cigar.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"94","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Ace Rating","Score":"631/1000","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"The Games Machine Issue 12, Nov 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-10-20","Editor":"Jon Rose","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Jon Rose\r\nAssistant Editor: Nik Wild\r\nFeatures Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Robin Hogg, Warren Lapworth, Robin Candy\r\nEditorial Assistant: Vivien Vickress, Caroline Blake\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Mel Croucher, Robin Evans, John Woods, Stuart Wynne, Jon Rose\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant: Wayne Allen\r\nProduction Team: Matthew Uffindell, Ian Chubb, Yvonne Priest, Melvin Fisher, Robert Millichamp, Robert Hamilton, Tim Morris\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executives: Andrew Smales, Sarah Chapman\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\r\nMAIL ORDER\r\nCarol Kinsey\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS\r\nDenise 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] - a member of the BPCC Group. Distribution effected 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 THE GAMES MACHINE. 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 Erica Gwilliam a line at the PO Box 10 address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into THE GAMES MACHINE - including written and photographic material, hardware or software - unless it's accompanied by a suitably stamped, addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photographic material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©TGM Magazines Ltd, 1988\r\nA Newsfield Publication ISSN 0954-8092\r\n\r\nCover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £7.95\r\nAmiga £19.95\r\n\r\nA LOT LESS BOVVER\r\n\r\nMassively overrated in some quarters this graphically impressive shoot'em-up made its apparently overwhelming, 32-bit debut on the Archimedes as Zarch. Over eight months later the ST version showed 16-bits could match it pretty much perfectly, a feat now repeated by the Amiga game.\r\n\r\nAs for 8-bits, the Spectrum bravely ventures into the arena as well.\r\n\r\nBasic gameplay is, in fact, identical on all machines: take-off in your hoverpad and blast everything in sight. The hoverplane is protected by an indestructible shield which costs fuel to recharge; run out of fuel and the shield goes on holiday. Land back at base and fuel rises to maximum. Smart bombs are earned only at certain point levels however, while firing the laser cannon costs a point per laser bolt.\r\n\r\nFinding enemies to blast is done via a long-range scanner which distinguishes between Seeders (these spread the Virus), Mutants (hoverplane-like enemy), Bombers (like Seeders but more effective), Pests (missile-like enemies) and Fighters (like Mutant but better armed). The quicker virus spreaders are killed, the smaller the area infected by them and the higher the end-of-level bonus.\r\n\r\nWhat makes Virus special is its wraparound 3-D landscape, and awkward control system. The former is displayed in areas often too small for comfort in combat, while the latter can be mastered with practise.\r\n\r\nOn the Amiga, Archimedes/ST-style graphics are retained and provide much of the pleasure in playing the game although gameplay remains limited and, once control is mastered, repetitive.\r\n\r\nSonic improvements are significant, with explosions and gunfire so much better - there are even some new effects such as water splashing under the thrusters.\r\n\r\nOn the Spectrum sound has been completely banished, along with solid colours and water, but the 3-D landscape still moves surprisingly fast - if jerkily - and is nice to watch. As for gameplay, there's no mouse control but keys were easier on the others versions anyway so the control challenge remains much as before. Without the dazzling graphics, however, the gameplay's weakness is even more obvious and it's unlikely you'll come back to it too often after completing a few, very tough levels.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"38","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Hovering over the tiled landscape blasting enemy ships, the only real difference between this and the ST version are the enhanced sound effects."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AMIGA\r\n\r\nOverall: 83%"},{"Text":"ARCHIMEDES: TGM002, Overall: 81%\r\nATARI ST: TGM009, Overall: 83%"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"75%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]