[{"TitleName":"Xanthius","Publisher":"Players Software","Author":"Martin Severn, Peter Austin, Andy Severn","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0005773","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 48, Jan 1988","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1987-12-10","Editor":"Barnaby Page","TotalPages":196,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Dominic Handy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson\r\nSubeditor: David Peters\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Frances Mable, Glenys Powell\r\nTechnical Writers: Simon N Goodwin, Jon Bates\r\nAdventure Writer: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM Writer: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy Writer: Philippa Irving\r\nEducation Writer: Rosetta McLeod\r\nContributors: Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Paul Evans, Dave Hawkes, Nick Roberts, Ben Stone, Paul Sumner, Bym Welthy\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director/Illustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nAssistant Art Director: Markie Kendrick\r\nDesign: Wayne Allen\r\nProcess and Planning: Jonathan Rignall (Supervisor), Matthew Uffindell, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Andrew Smales\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\nPlease address correspondence to the appropriate person!\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\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 - 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©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Players\r\nRetail Price: £1.99\r\nAuthor: Andy and Martin Severn\r\n\r\nOnce upon a time on the planet Xanthius, many atmosphere-processing (AP) plants were constructed by a crew of mechanoid navvies. But at eight of these plants the generators have developed faults, and in Xanthius you are sent to carry out essential repairs.\r\n\r\nEnsconced in a spindly biped Protopod, you start working your way through the multiflooted world where antigravity beams and automatic platform lifts connect levels.\r\n\r\nFroth creepers and snuffling crustaceans occupy the pathways; some of this assorted crawling maggotry adds to the Protopod's energy, but some diminishes it.\r\n\r\nAnd as the jerry-built generators fail, corrosive gases are formed that slowly decay the Protopod - with lethal consequences. Your Protopod's state of health is shown at the top of the screen.\r\n\r\nTo repair a generator, inject energy and wait for the protective outer weather shield to part. Then move the Protopod onto the generator's uncovered centre, where a read-out can be obtained.\r\n\r\nOnce faults have been diagnosed, replacement parts can be called up from the spares division (and with labour costs that'll easily be 60 quid, guv). So stop leaning on your shovel, and get on with it.\r\n\r\nGraphics programmer Martin Severn, much praised by the CRASH reviewers, has also done Antractuos and Joe Blade (loading screen), and is working on Riding The Rapids (see this month's previews).\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: large and colourful platforms with detailed characters\r\nSound: spot effects","ReviewerComments":["The graphics in Xanthius just can't be faulted -they're smooth, colourful and well-detailed, making the game a delight to look at. The Protopod is a great graphic, very like Arachnus 4 from Amaurote. But there's no variety - meeting the same old meanies, over and over again, gets very boring.\r\nPaul Sumner\r\n66%","Gosh, what pretty graphics! What a nice idea for a game! And great animation! Bit unoriginal, though. Mmmmm... the presentation isn't bad, nice scrolly message. Hang on, where's the game? Oh, there it is, not much to it, though, all you do is jump around and fix the thingies - it's a bit boring. And aren't those graphics a bit glitchy every now and then, too? Look - that ship's rather like the one in Amaurote. Doesn't move very realistically, though... what else is in this month?\r\nBen Stone\r\n45%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Great graphics but not much playability.","Page":"171","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"66","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"45","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Xanthius: the gasman cometh."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"74%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"55%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"48%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"60%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 25, Jan 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-12-10","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":126,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Peter George\r\nDeputy Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nProduction Editor: Lucy Broadbent\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nDeputy Art Editor: Darrell King\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Jonathan Davies, Chris Donald, Mike Gerrard, Gwyn Hughes, Joe King, Tony Lee, John Minson, David Powell, Nat Pryce, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Mischa Welsh, Tony Worrall\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Stansfield\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\nPublishing Director: Roger Munford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\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":"XANTHIUS\r\nPlayers\r\n£1.99\r\nReviewer: Tony Worrall\r\n\r\nFlip-screened multi-platform arcade adventure in which you (ass a maintenance droid) must repair several processing units within a set time limit. The well animated graphics are a treat for the eye, while the game itself is more than a mite playable. Bright, colourful, well designed and ever such good value.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"46","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Worrall","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]