[{"TitleName":"Yes, Prime Minister","Publisher":"Mosaic Publishing Ltd","Author":"David Pringle, John Wood, Richard Horrocks, Richard Yapp, David John Rowe","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0005819","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 46, Nov 1987","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1987-10-29","Editor":"Barnaby Page","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Richard Eddy, Dominic Handy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Frances Mable\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, Dominic Handy, Nick Roberts, Ben Stone, Paul Sumner\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nDesign: Markie Kendrick, 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\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 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©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey\r\n\r\n3-D Artwork by Markie Kendrick"},"MainText":"Producer: Mosaic\r\nRetail Price: £14.95\r\nAuthor: ODE\r\n\r\nAfter an undistinguished but eventful political career, Sir James Hacker is inexplicably elevated to the position of Prime Minister. With the competent (if not always straightforward) aid of senior civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby and the straightforward (if not always competent) aid of Secretary Bernard Woolley, Hacker must make the most difficult decisions of his career.\r\n\r\nAnd in Yes, Prime Minister - a licence from the eponymous TV show - you take the role of Hacker, ensconced in an office full of icons: a telephone (calls report crises in the outside world), an internal intercom, a teletype, an ideas box, memos and a diary.\r\n\r\nHacker can leave his office to make visits to such places as the Foreign Office, the Cabinet Room, of his minions' offices - though they're not always in. (Those Whitehall lunches do drag on...) His diary gives a list of meetings, and a desk clock indicates how near an appointment is.\r\n\r\nDuring the in-depth conversations, frank exchanges of views and wide-ranging discussions that he has with Appleby, Woolley, and other political colleagues such as the Foreign Secretary, Hacker is presented with sets of choices in a text-only format.\r\n\r\nEach choice represents a different viewpoint and each has a difference consequence. The choices Hacker makes, 'advised' of course by his aides, affect his popularity in the opinion polls. To check that the voters still love him, this blundersome political supreme can open his office safe and discover his previous day's rating in the polls and his present popularity - one these numbers depends Hacker's future.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: excellent digitised faces, otherwise reasonable\r\nSound: limited","ReviewerComments":["When it comes to 'choice' games Mosaic Publishing has the industry sewn up, what with The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and The Archers and now Yes Prime Minister. They're all the same - funny the first time, but the losing attraction. Running the country is all very well but none of the decisions you make in Yes Prime Minister have any bearing on the game, and I never felt in contact with my public - the action is limited to the confines of the very drab Prime Ministerial office. And after playing all the way through I didn't feel any compulsion to run the country again - especially not for almost £15.\r\nPaul Sumner\r\n55%","Yes Prime Minister doesn't the interest for long - after just four games I'd seen all the text, and though the rather thin humour works first time round things are very tedious thereafter. I did enjoy the odd parts of the 'TV series which my overworked schedule allowed me to see, and I find the computer version disappointing. The screen display is bright and functional, but still looks a little unattractive. I'd recommend Yes Prime Minister only to fans, and then purely as a collector's item.\r\nMike Dunn\r\n49%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: There's an interesting idea and some entertaining text here, but not much variety or real interaction.","Page":"137","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"55","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"49","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Sir James Hackers office in Yes Prime Minister - apologies for the awful wallpaper."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"77%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"44%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"56%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 24, Dec 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-11-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":124,"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, ZZKJ, 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\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing 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 ©1987 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":"Mosaic\r\n£14.95\r\nReviewer: Marcus Berkmann\r\n\r\nAh, Sir Humphrey. Come in, come in. Do sit down.\r\n\r\n\"Thank you, Prime Minister.\"\r\n\r\nWell, what can I do for you?\r\n\r\n\"Well, it has come to my attention that those personages who may be described, if not by me, certainly by those people who could by no means be described as being, well, me, as the writers of a notable and highly lucrative series of entertaining half-hour humorous playlets on the televisual apparatus, have been branching out from these humble, if not actually modest beginnings and perpetrating further outrages and satirical comments on the workings of government and, specifically, the civil service, by means of books, T-shirts, radio programmes and now, it seems, some form of information technology which I believe is commonly known as the 'Speccy'...\"\r\n\r\nYou mean there's a computer game version of Yes PM? Yes I know.\r\n\r\n\"You know, Prime Minister? How did you find out?\" Well, I'm in it, Humpry, as are you. Take a look...\r\n\r\nYes, Yes Prime Minister (as opposed to No No Nanette) is but the latest 'licence' to be bought up by a software company and slapped onto your Spectrum. The company behind this wheeze is Mosaic, known in the past mainly for a few low-key adventures. But YPM is a very different kettle of memos, what with its plush red packaging, its digitised pics of the characters and the hefty price tag (15 nicker, I ask you!). So wossit like?\r\n\r\nIn a move that'll gladden the hearts of Mrs T and all the other YPM fans, the Speccy game is immensely faithful to the spirit of the show. It's mainly reminiscent of US Gold's Killed Until Dead, with that splendid game's desk-and-phone scenarios and colourful graphics. Moving your cursor around, you identify what's going on (meetings with bigwigs and so on) and react accordingly. You get phonecalls from your advisors and attend meetings with them, in which you take decisions that are the basis of your success or failure in the game. Your long conversations with people are very funny and based, I'd guess, on dialogue used in the shows. There's the occasional hint around if you can find it, and if you can get into the safe, you'll find the latest poll results, which measure how you're doing. You score brownie points for showing judgement and knowledge, which by some curious process bump up your poll rating. Similarly, the polls decline if you keep making boo-boos.\r\n\r\nThe game's a multi-loader and takes place over five days, during which you have to avoid the big E. There's a random element in each game, but after a few plays you'll find the same events recurring - I suppose it's called 'experience'. There's a lot to it, and even though it sometimes seems a little slow, I found you can speed up the game by clicking the cursor over the clock, which'll take you to the next moment something's due to happen. It's a problem solvers' game essentially, which means it's all right by me. There are a few ways of winning, I'm told, but loads of ways of losing, many of which I've already found!\r\n\r\nSo if you're a fan of the wittiest and best written gag show on TV, you'll want to snap this up swift-ho. It's only just this side of Adventureland, so it may not appeal to hardened zappers, but I look forward to many a warm winter evening trying to crack the Whitehall code and survive my week in office. As Jim Hacker himself once said, \"You've just got to grit your teeth and bite the bullet...\"","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Addictive and faithful translation of Dr B's favourite sitcom to the Speccy. Now who's going to do Black Adder...?","Page":"73","Denied":false,"Award":"Your Sinclair Megagame","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Marcus Berkmann","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 59, Nov 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-10-11","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Duncan MacDonald, Jon North, Rich Pelley, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertising Executive: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Richardson\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Director: Ian Seager\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: SM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"YES PRIME MINISTER\r\nMastertronic Plus\r\n£2.99\r\nReviewer: Rich Pelley\r\n\r\nAs well you may have guessed, Yes Prime Minister (the game) is based on the popular TV comedy show. I say \"popular\" because, well, it was, wasn't it? The PM's favourite telly prog apparently. But what does she know? I thought it was crap (but that was probably because I never understood the jokes).\r\n\r\nBut what about the game? Well, you're the Prime Minister trying to please the British Public so that everybody likes you and wants to vote you back into office. So, no, you can I double the Poll Tax in Wales (even though they deserve it - ho ho, just joshing). To succeed you have to make the correct choices at the right time to various random problems, with clues lying around the place to help you on your way. Come to think of it, the thing's really more of an adventure than a 'proper' game with lots of text to read and people to interact with (so what it's doing here rather than in Uncle Mike's grotto I don't know). The main difference is that you manage all this by moving a cursor around, and clicking on things, such as the phone, or a letter when you want to do something. Everything is operated by choices (\"Do you want to do this, or that?\", that sort of thing) and all the problems for you to sort out are random. It's a bit hard to explain it in full but it's very playable and well presented, so if this sort of thing sounds like your bag then go get purchasing.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"55","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rich Pelley","Score":"75","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Yes, Prime Minister. No, Prime Minister. Oh, bog off, Prime Minister. (Hey, isn't that a photo of Edwina Curry on the desk? I think we should be told.)"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"75%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 60, Dec 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-11-01","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nStaff Writer: Linda Barker\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Duncan MacDonald, Jon North, Julia O'Shea, Rich Pelley, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Richardson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"YES PRIME MINISTER\r\nMosaic\r\n\r\nThe 'hilarious' Downing Street-based sitcom would seem to be virtually impossible to convert to the Spectrum, and indeed Mosaic (who?) had to come up with a completely original structure for the game. Thankfully they avoided a predictable 'walk around Whitehall collecting things and beating people up' game and plumped instead for a semi-adventure game where you've got solve prime-ministerial problems over a period of five days to get your poll ratings up to a decent level.\r\n\r\nThe game revolves around your desk, where you receive memos and phone calls informing you of what's going on. The most important events are meetings with your colleagues where you have lengthy conversations interspersed with multiple-choice bits. Pick the right thing to say and your standing improves, with a corresponding increase in your poll rating. It actually works very well as a game, and somehow manages to pack in all the atmosphere and humour of the programme while still being fun to play. Its a bit text-based though, and certainly wont appeal to everyone.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"60","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jonathan Davies","Score":"89","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"April 1st, eh? (Does this mean the last 11 years of Conservative rule have been a practical joke? Erm...)"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AS NEAR AS DAMMIT EVERY FILM AND TELLY GAME EVER\r\n\r\n3-2-1 - Microcomputer\r\nAirwolf - Elite\r\nAlien - Mindgames\r\nAliens - Electric Dreams\r\nAliens - US Electric Dreams\r\nAttack Of The Killer Tomatoes - Global\r\nA View To A Kill - Domark\r\nBack To The Future Part II - image Works\r\nBasil The Great Mouse Detective - Gremlin\r\nBatman - Ocean\r\nBatman The Caped Crusader - Ocean\r\nBatman The Movie - Ocean\r\nBattle Of The Planets - Mikro-Gen\r\nBenny Hill's Madcap Chase - Dk'Tronics\r\nBiggies - Mirrorsoft\r\nBig Trouble in Little China - Electric Dreams\r\nBlade Runner - CRL\r\nBlockbusters TV - Games\r\nBlue Max - US Gold\r\nBob's Full House - TV Games\r\nBruce Lee - US Gold\r\nBuck Rogers - US Gold\r\nCobra - Ocean\r\nCount Duckula - Alternative\r\nDanger Mouse in Double Trouble - Sparklers\r\nDanger Mouse in Making Whoopee - Sparklers\r\nDeath Wish III - Gremlin\r\nDukes Of Hazard, The - Elite\r\nEastenders - Tynesoft\r\nEmpire Strikes Back, The - Domark\r\nFlash Gordon - MAD\r\nFlintstones - Grandslam\r\nGhostbusters - Activision\r\nGhostbusters II - Activision\r\nGilbert - Escape From Drill - Again Again\r\nGive My Regards To Broad Street - Argus Press Software\r\nGoonies, The - US Gold\r\nHighlander - Ocean\r\nHong Kong Phooey - Hi-Tec\r\nHoward The Duck - Activision\r\nIndiana Jones And The Last Crusade - US Gold\r\nIndiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom - US Gold\r\nInspector Gadget - Melbourne House\r\nKnightmare - Activision\r\nKnight Rider - Ocean\r\nKrypton Factor - TV Games\r\nLicence To Kill - Domark\r\nLive And Let Die - Domark\r\nLiving Daylights, The - Domark\r\nMax Headroom - Quicksilva\r\nMasters Of The Universe - Gremlin\r\nMiami Vice - Ocean\r\nMickey Mouse - Gremlin\r\nMike Read's Computer Pop Quiz - Elite\r\nMinder - Dk'Tronics\r\nMonty Python's Flying Circus - Virgin\r\nMoonwalker - US Gold\r\nMunsters, The - Again Again\r\nNeverEnding Story, The - Ocean\r\nNightbreed, The - Ocean\r\nOrm And Cheep - The Birthday Party - Macmillan\r\nPink Panther - Gremlin\r\nPlatoon - Ocean\r\nPopeye - DkTronics\r\nPostman Pat - Alternative\r\nPostman Pat II - Alternative\r\nPredator - Activision\r\nRambo - Ocean\r\nRambo III - Ocean\r\nReal Ghostbusters, The - Activision\r\nRed Heat - Ocean\r\nReturn Of The Jedi - Domark\r\nRoad Runner - US Gold\r\nRobocop - Ocean\r\nRoland's Rat Race - Ocean\r\nScooby Doo - Elite\r\nShort Circuit - Ocean\r\nSooty And Sweep - Alternative\r\nSpitting image - Domark\r\nSporting Triangles - CDS\r\nSpy Who Loved Me, The - Domark\r\nStar Wars - Domark\r\nStreet Hawk - Ocean\r\nTarzan - Martech\r\nTerrahawks - CRL\r\nThunderbirds - Firebird\r\nThunderbirds - Grandslam\r\nThundercats - Elite\r\nTop Gun - Ocean\r\nTotal Recall - Ocean\r\nUntouchables, The - Ocean\r\nYabba Dabba Doo - Quicksilva\r\nYes Prime Minister - Mosaic\r\nYogi Bear - Piranha\r\nYogi's Great Escape - Hi-Tec\r\nYoung Ones, The - Orpheus\r\nZorro - US Gold"},{"Text":"DIFFERENT SORTS OF FILM AND TELLY GAMES\r\n\r\nFILM GAMES\r\n\r\nThese form the largest category by far. Just about every major film has a game to go with it, and as there are lots of films that means lots of games. What they're actually like tends to vary though. In some cases they're just ordinary beat-'em-ups or shoot-'em-ups with a very tenuous link with the film {generally just the name). Cobra and Highlander both went for this approach. Or they might be much the same sort of thing, but divided up into levels which are meant to refer to scenes from the film. Since most films are just beat-'em-ups and shoot-'em-ups anyway this tends to work pretty well, as with Robocop and Total Recall. Last of all are the games which are split up into completely different levels, like the early Bond efforts. There might be driving bits, walking bits and puzzle-solving bits, and they're usually pretty faithful to segments in the film. They do tend to pay a heavy price in terms of quality though (so be careful).\r\n\r\n(Er, the obligatory warehouse level in Beverly Hills Cop.)\r\n\r\nCARTOON GAMES\r\n\r\nMoving into television territory here, and these are generally the most popular telly games, especially on budget labels (witness Hong Kong Phooey, Count Duckula, all that sort of thing). The licences are probably pretty cheap to acquire, especially if the cartoon hasn't been on for about 20 years, and they're a doddle to convert to the computer. Cartoony graphics are about the easiest to pull off successfully on the Speccy, so they always look good. What you get under the surface though tends to be a very ordinary beat-'em-up or arcade adventure.\r\n\r\n(Hong Kong Phooey, faster than the human eye! (Sort of.))\r\n\r\nQUIZ GAMES\r\n\r\nAnother popular category, this, as television game shows are just begging to be computerised. They're mainly just a case of answering silly questions and filling in spaces on a scoreboard (or something), both things the Speccy is ideally suited to. There's usually the odd digitised piccy of your 'host' thrown in for luck, and lots of irritating tunes from the telly programme. Whether they're any good or not is very much a matter of opinion. The programming's usually well up to scratch, and they're always faithful replicas of the telly versions. But, as TV game shows are utter dross, the games tend to be too. Check out Sporting Triangles and Bob's Full House (if you must).\r\n\r\n(Sporting Triangles - er, a bit of a boring game really.)\r\n\r\nOTHER TELLY GAMES\r\n\r\nThere are all sorts of things left over, of course. There are the Gerry Anderson puppet programmes, which have formed the basis of the odd decent game. There are crusty old series like Flash Gordon. There are modern(ish) American programmes like Knight Rider and Miami Vice which haven't proved too successful on the Spectrum. There are 'cult' programmes like The Munsters and Monty Python. There are kiddies' shows like Postman Pat. All sorts of things really.\r\n\r\n(And here's Sooty And Sweep.(No, it isn't.) Yes. It is. (Etc.))"},{"Text":"SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A FILM AND TELLY GAME?\r\n\r\nHere's a list of essential ingredients to incorporate...\r\n\r\n- A bloke walking around shooting things.\r\n- Er...\r\n- That's it."},{"Text":"THE FIRST-EVER FILM AND TELLY GAME\r\n\r\n(Purses lips and inhales very slowly.) That's a tricky one. It ought to be pretty easy to pin down Film and Telly Game Number One, as they haven't been around for too long compared to other sorts of game. Well, I reckon (but don't quote me on this) it was Terrahawks from CRL, the game of the puppet programme. The thing is, though, I'm sure there was a Blue Thunder game floating around quite a long time before, but I can't find any references to it anywhere. So we'll stick with Terrahawks, eh? And, as was usually the case with these 'first-ever' games, it was pretty useless. There weren't actually any puppets in it for a start, just a whole bunch of 3D wire-frame building things which you had to explore (in a spaceship) in the hope of finding a vortex through which to exit. The 'Joystick Jury' (forerunners of today's Jugglers) weren't too impressed and gave it 2/5. Still, the pioneering spirit was there, and the game was a few months ahead of the first-ever film game - Activision's Ghostbusters. That was pretty hopeless as well, but did extraordinarily well."},{"Text":"TOP FIVE CINEMA ADS\r\n\r\n1) The Butterkist one (ra-ra-ra).\r\n2) The Kia Ora one.\r\n3) The really crap one for the local tile centre.\r\n4) The Sunshine Coaches one.\r\n5) The insurance one with the crummy jingle."},{"Text":"TOP TEN ANNOYING THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO IN CINEMAS\r\n\r\n1. Singing along to the Kia Ora advert (and doing the 'I'll be your dog' bit).\r\n\r\n2. Sitting on the seat in front of you, making it fold down and squash your feet.\r\n\r\n3. Snogging.\r\n\r\n4. Eating sweets with noisy wrappers.\r\n\r\n5. Giggling all the way through.\r\n\r\n6. Asking you to stop giggling.\r\n\r\n7. Passing you sweets every five seconds.\r\n\r\n8. Telling you what happens next.\r\n\r\n9. Trying to suck up the last drop of drink with a straw.\r\n\r\n10. Getting up and leaving at the split-picosecond the film finishes, having spent the last five minutes putting on their coat and stuffing all their litter under the seat."},{"Text":"WHAT'S A FILM AND TELLY GAME THEN? HMM?\r\n\r\nThat's easy. It's a game for which the software house producing it has had to hand over a vast wad of money to a film or television company so they can call their game The Sound Of Music or Newsnight or whatever. Distinguishing features are, as you may have gathered, the name of a famous film or telly programme splashed across the box and a bloke who walks round shooting things. Apart from that, though, just about anything can happen in them. They might be shoot-'em-ups or collect-'em-ups. They might scroll or they might 'flip'. They might multiload or they might not. (They usually do though.)\r\n\r\nSo they're not very hard to spot at all then, which makes writing this guide a whole lot easier."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lights","Score":"64%","Text":""},{"Header":"Camera","Score":"93%","Text":""},{"Header":"Action","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Cut","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"89%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 69, Dec 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-11-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":148,"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\nDesigner: Andrea Walker\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Chris Jenkins, Tony Dillon, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nSales Executive: Steve Prescott\r\nClassified Sales/Production: Alison Morton\r\nPublisher's Secretary: Debbie Pearson\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: Angus Fieldhouse\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: Mosaic\r\nAuthor: Ode\r\nPrice: £14.95\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Jason Roseaman\r\n\r\nIt's not easy being Prime Minister. 9 am and a memo comes onto my desk reminding me of a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary. 9.10 and a Telex is received about a Road Safety campaign. Naturally I miss it because of a meeting with Bernard. 10.30 and another phone call from Bernard comes in reminding me of a meeting with the Home Secretary but alas I have forgotten what it is about. Things do not look good...\r\n\r\nYes Prime Minister is an icon/menu game where, in a mad frenzy of activity, interrupted only by hours of boredom you have to move from memo box to intercom, intercom to telephone and telephone to meeting. The game has been programmed by Ode now famed for its Trivial Pursuit for Domarks. Menus and scrolling messages abound a game which is the first I can think of to be totally set in an office. Your objective - to survive a week in Government. A clock ticks away the hours and each moment is fraught with pratfalls.\r\n\r\nYou play Jim Hacker star of the television program said to be MT's favourite. Helping and hindering are Bernard and Sir Humphrey.\r\n\r\nAs you might expect Yes Prime Minister, the game, is full of jokes and one liners. Most of the conversations you have with other people are played for laughs and there are 8 few very good jokes but its mostly more smirk than belly laugh.\r\n\r\nThe game continues with you playing in one day sections over a five day week (I've never understood how 5 days can equal a week). Each day you are presented with an assortment of random problems. These will be in the form of political characters with whom you can have lengthy question and answer sessions. Your response is all multiple choice a la Adrian Mole (is Mosaic obsessed with exam formats?). I found no good way of finding the right replies so just guessed.\r\n\r\nMany of the multiple choice questions are just based on general knowledge. Knowing things like how many watts a Gigawatt equals could possibly help. This seemed kind of irrelevant however..\r\n\r\nThe multiple choice format does raise doubt about the variety in the game. The fault with the Adrian Mole games was just this system of interaction and I thought for a moment that Yes Prime Minister could be the same. Oddly enough though, the system actually works quite well possibly because this offering was programmed by a different team.\r\n\r\nGraphically there is not much to Yes Prime Minister. The office of the PM is quite impressive, similar to the lounge in Trivial Pursuit. But the digitised graphics of Bernard, Jim and Sir Humphrey leave a lot to be desired. In fact Humphrey seems to have gained a huge moustache in his transformation from the TV.\r\n\r\nThe only problem I can see with this game is its long-term appeal. The game used a random problem generator to ensure it is a bit different each time you play but I realised that many of the same situations kept appearing. It certainly entertains for a while - weeks certainly - months. I don't know.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A successful and expensive attempt at an impossible idea - well programmed but doubt about long term appeal.","Page":"70","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jason Roseaman","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 111, Feb 1991","Price":"£13","ReleaseDate":"1991-01-18","Editor":"Julian Rignall","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Julian Rignall\r\nAssociate Editor: Paul Glancey\r\nAll-New Art Editor: Jon Billington\r\nStaff Writers: Richard \"Groove\" Leadbetter, Robert Swan\r\nAdvertising Manager: Nigel Taylor\r\nDep Ad Manager: Martha Moloughney\r\nSales Exec: Alan Dykes\r\nProduction Assistant: Emma Sadler\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries: C+VG Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted By: Kingfisher Web, [redacted]\r\nColour By: Proprint, [redacted]\r\nTypeset By: Reynaldo's of Bond Street\r\nDistributed By: EMAP Frontline\r\n\r\n©C+VG 1991\r\nISSN No: 0261-3697"},"MainText":"Mastertronic Plus\r\nSpectrum/C64/Amstrad £2.99\r\n\r\nA week is a long time in politics, and this - the licence from the hilarious and more often than not accurate TV series - puts you in the shoes of the Rt Hon Jim Hacker, a politician not noted for his intellectual capabilities. Your task is simply to survive in power for five days - no easy task by any stretch of the imagination! You have your two faithful (!) civil servants to aid you, the cunning and ingenious Sir Humphrey Appleby, and the tactful Bernard Wooley, both of whom will do their utmost to aid you (and themselves) along the way.\r\n\r\nMyriad events (some trivial, some of world-shaking consequence) crop up during the week, all of which have to be acted upon in due course either from your office, or from the House of Commons itself. If you're successful, Parliament will carry on, and the good name of J Hacker PM will remain unsullied. Failure will result in scandal, and an unwanted appearance on the front page of The Sun.\r\n\r\nAnyway, all three versions play much the same, apart from minor graphics differences, and present excellent value for only three quid. If you loved the TV series, you'll enjoy this, so grab it at the first chance.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Not great graphically or sonically, but bundles of fun nonetheless, and a pretty good license. Take a peek if you fancy being PM.","Page":"58","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AMSTRAD SCORES\r\n\r\nOverall: 86%\r\n\r\nIf you think you could do a better job than Mrs T (ooh, bit of politics), and you enjoyed the show, then grab this and have a bash!"},{"Text":"C64 SCORES\r\n\r\nOverall: 86%\r\n\r\nAgain, not the greatest thing since sliced poll tax in the audio-visual stakes, but entertaining enough to warrant a good look."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"86%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) Issue 3, Dec 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-11-05","Editor":"Peter Connor, Steve Cooke","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Advanced Computer Entertainment\r\nFuture Publishing [redacted]\r\nTelephone [redacted], Fax [redacted], Telecom Gold 84:TXT152, Prestel/Micronet [redacted]\r\n\r\nCo-editors: Peter Connor, Steve Cooke\r\nReviews Editor: Andy Wilton\r\nStaff Writer: Andy Smith\r\nArt Editor: Trevor Gilham\r\nPublisher: Chris Anderson\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS & SPECIAL OFFERS\r\nCarrie-Anne Porter [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 1987 - No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without our permission."},"MainText":"MOSAIC give you the keys to Number 10\r\n\r\nThose of you aged over 50 or so will probably remember the days of Eton collars, the war, Clement Attlee, and the day when Mosaic first announced that they would be launching this game. OK, so the Pilg exaggerates a teensy bit. but let's face it. this game has been a very long time in the making. Now it's waiting on the shelves for you. clamouring for your vote and your money...does it deserve either? No. unfortunately it doesn't. In fact, this game, based on the humourous TV show of the same name, goes down in the Prig's book as one of the biggest missed opportunities of the year Lefs see what went wrong...\r\n\r\nFirst, the game uses the same basic principle of the Adrian Mole games from Level 9/Mosaic. This means that rather than move about from location to location the program tells you a story, so to speak, and pauses at opportune moments for you to select from a number of possible alternatives. Depending on your choice, the plot then proceeds in various different directions and new situations develop The storyline of Yes. Prime Minister takes place in five parts, each part being a day in a working week of Britain's Number One. The display shows you the interior of your office, complete with two phones, two drawers, an ideas box', a telex machine, a clock, an intercom, and a blotter.\r\n\r\nGameplay is as follows. You have a symbol (it varies from machine to machine, but is basically a pointer of some kind) which you can move about the screen using the cursor keys or a joystick. As you move it, new areas of your office scroll into view (on the Commodore and Amstrad versions, the screen flips on the Spectrum). By 'clicking' on an object, you select it and may. occasionally. be able to interact with it...\r\n\r\nFor example, you start the game on Monday and scroll the screen to show your clock, which says 9.00am. The minutes tick by pretty rapidly, so you should find out what your appointments are for the day.\r\n\r\nThis is done by clicking on the left hand drawer of your desk, which causes a diary for the day in question to be displayed. The most youH have in a day is three appointments - sometimes there will be none Your appointments schedule does not change from game to game, though what happens in between meetings does.\r\n\r\nWhile you're doing this, you may have heard a plaintive beeping. Scroll the screen around your desk and you will notice the phone flashing Click on it. and the screen changes to text mode, with the caller's message displayed There's nothing for you to do except read what he has to say. then read what you say in response, and occasionally select one of several speech options at cntical moments.\r\n\r\nWhether it's the intercom beeping, or the other phone, the procedure is identical To liven things up a bit, a memo will occasionally appear on your desk, which you can read by clicking on it. and which will probably contain some droll message from Bernard Woolley. your private secretary. You can also read incoming messages on the teletype (usually giving notice of some foreign disaster) and some rather uninteresting political platitudes that spring from the 'ideas boxAs the clock flicks through the day. you will find yourself attending meetings in nearby offices. To get to these you click on your door and then choose the appropriate destination from the list presented. You never actually 999 another location, but simply read on-screen an account of what happens there. That account, as with almost all 'events' within the game, will be composed almost entirely of dialogue between yourself, Bernard, and Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Cabinet Secretary.\r\n\r\nPOLITICAL AIMS\r\n\r\nYour objective in the game is to stay in power and boost your rating in the polls, which you can check by clicking on the Union Jack in your office, to reveal a safe behind it. Clicking on the safe gives you an up-to-date poll report - you start the game with 50% and must obviously attempt to improve on that figure as the days roll by The manner in which you achieve that objective lies in the way you select the vanous options dunng the games. For example, suppose you have a meeting at 9.30am with Sir Humphrey. Providing you aren't busy answering the \"phone or reading a memo at the time indicated, you will be able to click on the door, select Sir Humphrey's office, and enter into dialogue with the nit-picking old busy-body.\r\n\r\nSir Humphrey, for example, may wish to discuss with you your plans for setting up a Ministry for Women. 'Do you not think. Prime Minister', he might say, 'that this will offend: (a) your loyal male supporters (b) your loyal female supporters'. The program then waits for you to click on one of these choices, which is somewhat strange since it's Sir Humphrey speaking and not you Even more strange, if you make him say something inappropriate (such as (b) above), he will start getting crotchetty! You then reply to him. and have a similar opportunity to direct the flow of your own side of the conversation among the somewhat limited alternatives.\r\n\r\nDespite the slight illogicality of being able to direct all sides of an argument, this actually adds a little to the gameplay and makes things more interesting. In fact, the text of the dialogues is really very witty in parts and every bit as good as the TV series.\r\n\r\nSo what went wrong? The biggest problem lies in the repetitive nature of the game-play. There is a basic storyline which does not alter from game to game, and on top of this various 'random scenarios' will occur. Each meeting you attend can lead you, depending on which options you choose, into different sequences.\r\n\r\nThe trouble arises when you have played the game about five times (and it doesn't take long to finish, either). Despite the fact that new scenanos occasionally crop up, the variety steadily grows stale, and the bulk of the game becomes depressingly familiar. What you end up with is an initially enjoyable game, that turns out to be a disappointment.\r\n\r\nMosaic reckon you'll want to return to it in much the same way as you would return to a book you've already read. The Pilg is not convinced, and I suspect that this sort of game needs a massive text-database, a 20meg hard disc, and more intelligence to succeed.\r\n\r\nReviewer: The Pilgrim\r\n\r\nRELEASE BOX\r\nC64/128, £14.95cs, £19.95dk\r\nSpec, £14.95cs\r\nIBM PC, £24.95dk\r\nAms, £14.95cs, £19.95dk","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"MCS games need 20M bytes and 16-bits to win votes","Page":"94,95","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"The Pilgrim","Score":"595","ScoreSuffix":"/1000"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Blotter... complete with a short memo from dearest Bernard."},{"Text":"Scroll this-a-way for the suggestions box and the poll ratings."},{"Text":"Scroll this-a-way to find the teletype and the intercom, but while you're over there remember that time is still ticking by on the clock."},{"Text":"Somehow the time always manages to slip past your next appointment while you're looking at another part of the screen."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"System","Score":"4/7","Text":"Easy to use with novel graphics interface, but still very limited."},{"Header":"Characters","Score":"5/7","Text":"Excellent text maintains essence of TV personalities"},{"Header":"Challenge","Score":"2/7","Text":"Enjoyable trial and error, but not much else"},{"Header":"Landscape","Score":"1/7","Text":"Repetitive scenario limits scope of the game"},{"Header":"Verdict","Score":"595/1000","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 12, Dec 1987","Price":"£1.2","ReleaseDate":"1987-11-19","Editor":"Simon Craven","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Simon Craven\r\nAssistant Editors: Amon Cohen, Jim McClure\r\nSub Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nProduction Manager: Nick Fry\r\nCopy Controller: Serena Hadley, James Pyle\r\nArt Editor: Neil Tookey\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Ian Faux\r\nEditorial Secretary: Sheila Baker\r\nExecutive Editor: Francis Jago\r\nManaging Editor: Brendon Gore\r\nMerchandising Executive: Ann Arnold\r\nPublisher: Trish Phillips\r\nGroup Publisher: Paul Coster BSc\r\nFinancial Director: Brendan McGrath\r\nChief Executive: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\nISSN 0263 0885\r\n\r\n©1987 Focus Magazines Limited\r\nPrinted by Cradley Print, England.\r\nTypeset by Time Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Quadrant Publishing Services, [redacted]\r\n\r\nReasonable care is taken to avoid errors in this magazine but no liability 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) £30 - airmail rates on request. Please make cheques/postal orders payable to Focus Magazines (allow 5 weeks from receipt of order to delivery of first subscription copy). Send orders to Your Computer Subscriptions, [redacted].\r\n\r\nBack issues of the magazine from January 1986 are available for £2.00 (UK), £2.75 (Overseas) from the Back Issues Department, [redacted]."},"MainText":"(A) £14.95 (B) £19.95 (C) £24.95\r\n(A) Spectrum, BBC, CBM64 and Amstrad CPC tape\r\n(B) BBC, CBM64 and Amstrad CPC disk\r\n(C) Amstrad PCW and PC Compatibles\r\nPublisher: Mosaic\r\n\r\nAt last yon have your chance to see how you can measure up to the Prime Minister when it comes to running the country. Your task is made slightly easier in this game as you don't have to compare yourself with Supermaggie, just everyone's favourite PM, Jim Hacker. Can you maintain the popularity with which you start the game in the face of adversities like drunken Ministers and adversaries like Sir Humphrey Appleby?\r\n\r\nIt takes more than a simple word like 'strategy' or 'adventure' to define a game like this - it's more of an icon-driven multi-choice comedy strategy game, quite definitely aimed at the Christmas present market with lots of appeal to families and those who don't care what category a game is so long as it's fun.\r\n\r\nAnd Yes, Prime Minister is certainly fun. The storylines in it are all original but so faithful to the Whitehall spirit that you feel they could have been lifted from the TV series. The TV scriptwriters gave the words their blessing, so that says something for authenticity.\r\n\r\nYou take the role of Jim Hacker and the aim is simply to get your popularity up as high as possible in the opinion polls over the course of five days (five separate game sections). You are credited with 50% to begin with which is not bad for any politician. The aim doesn't really matter, though, as there are as many laughs to be had when your popularity's plunging and about to go down the drain.\r\n\r\nThe screen presents a view of your Downing Street office, and you move a pointer to access various options. If the phone rings, move the pointer to it to answer it and the resulting conversation comes up on screen. You can open the drawers on your desk, examine telex messages (Hackergrams!), use the intercom, open the safe and put the pointer over the door to leave the office, when you'll be presented with a menu of possible destinations. These don't come up on screen, just the conversations that take place there, though there are some nicely digitised graphics of the TV actors at the top of the screen.\r\n\r\nIn the style of Adrian Mole you have to choose between the options presented at various stages. When a Minister is arrested for drunken driving just as you're about to launch a road safety campaign, would you come clean to the press, promote the constable who arrested him or maybe have a quiet word with the Chief Constable about the Honours List and the likelihood or his name being on it? Or to put it in the words of Sir Humphrey, is a cover-up desirable but not possible, possible but not desirable, or both possible and desirable?\r\n\r\nWhen you return to your office you may discover that you need to deal with a Hackergram, or a note that's been popped on your desk - or even a phone call from your mother. Quite a few jokes have been put in for computer buffs, like Hacker being hacked or wondering why a computer's been named after the Kray twins. The conflicts between personal and public interests, and between the Cabinet and the Civil Service, are extremely well done. The tone of the TV series has been well-captured, giving not only laughs but an insight into the workings of government. Nor for nothing has the game been play tested by various civil servants and other political figures who also advise on the accuracy of the TV show.\r\n\r\nThe only worry has to be on the question of price. The game is undoubtedly fun while it lasts, but in 30 minutes you can be through all five days and even though you will want to play the game several times and it's different each time you play, the story choices are ultimately finite - how often could you watch the same TV episode without getting restless? Nicely packaged, well-written and a lot of effort has gone into it, but maybe it's a fiver too much in terms of value-for-money when compared with other more complex games that are around. Still a Yes to Yes, Prime Minister, but just for this Christmas it might he better to receive than to give!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"84","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Gerrard","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Amstrad and Spectrum views of Yes, Prime Minister."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 73, Nov 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-10-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"C+VG TEAM\r\n\r\nEditor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesly Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nArt Editor: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Steve Donoghue, Matthew Woodley\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Clive Pembridge\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nSenior Advertisement Executive: Katherine Lee\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\nCover: Lee Sullivan\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 106,571"},"MainText":"YES, PRIME MINISTER\r\n\r\nSUPPLIER: Mosaic Publishing/Oxford Digital Enterprises\r\nMACHINE: Spectrum (£14.95)/BBC B (Cass £14.95, Disk £19.95)/CBM 64/128 (Cass £14.95, Disk £19.95)/Amstrad (Cass £14.95, Disk £19.95)\r\nREVIEWER: Keith\r\n\r\nNow and again, it is refreshing to sit back and play through a game at a reasonable pace, without having to rack one brains at every step.\r\n\r\nYes, Prime Minister is just such a game, and although there are no puzzles, there are some very tricky decisions to make, and plenty to think about during play.\r\n\r\nFor a period of live days you become Jim Hacker, the country's best loved Prime Minster who never was. The game is based very closely on the very popular BBC comedy series - so closely, in fact, that the result is quite astonishing, and very entertaining.\r\n\r\nYou operate from your office, which is represented graphically, viewed from your side of the desk. The objects around the room are icons, and selecting them using a hand-shaped cursor, moved smoothly around by either joystick or control keys, allow desk drawers to be opened, phones to be answered, and other functions activated.\r\n\r\nPlay is in real time, and your clock is a constant reminder of your appointments for the day, which are found written in your diary - you can bet Sir Humphrey will not be pleased if you miss one!\r\n\r\nAs PM life is never dull, for during the odd few moments when you are not attending a meeting you're kept on the go the whole time.\r\n\r\nBernard keeps plonking urgent messages on your desk, and if you're not dealing with one of these, there are two phones and intercom to keep you busy, as well as telex messages to receive.\r\n\r\nBehind the Union Jack on the wall is hidden a safe, in which the latest opinion poll ratings are kept. The object is to increase these from the initial 50%.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I managed never to register an increase - a slippery slide into unpopularity verging on hate was the hallmark of my premiership - so I'll probably win the next election.\r\n\r\nThe real play comes during the meetings, which take place in dialogue form, throughout which you have to make decisions.\r\n\r\nHow would you deal with such thorny issues as the need for a new nuclear power station? What are you to do to avoid becoming a laughing stock when your daughter manages to get her car wheel-clamped outside number 10? And how about reducing teachers' pay if their pupils' exam results don't come up to scratch?\r\n\r\nThe situations throughout the game are generated on a random basis. Not all topics come up in every game, and is unlikely that you will get the same combinations twice.\r\n\r\nAt the end of each day, data for the next day must be loaded into the program before proceeding.\r\n\r\nIf you haven't had experience in making prime ministerial decisions, don't worry. Bernard and Sir Humphrey are always on hand to point you in the right direction - usually the one in which they want you to go!\r\n\r\nThe cross talk between the two of them, and their interaction with you, is extremely well implemented, and conveys the mood of the TV series and the facets of the characters in it more closely than any other game I have seen.\r\n\r\nThe only difference here is that you are in the hot seat, and feel that you have actually token on the characteristics of Jim Hacker!\r\n\r\nThe dialogue is impeccably written, and as might be expected, Sir Humphrey often comes out with sentences a whole screenful long, superficially profound, but absolutely meaningless in reality!\r\n\r\nAll in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and untaxing game, that is every bit as fun as watching the TV programme. Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorn, and Derek Fowlds positively jump out of the screen.\r\n\r\nText: 10/10\r\nAtmosphere: 10/10\r\nPersonal: 9/10\r\nValue: 7/10","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"104,105","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Keith Campbell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]