[{"TitleName":"Z","Publisher":"Rino Software","Author":"Steve Evans","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0005838","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 44, Sep 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-08-27","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nAssistant Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Richard Eddy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson, Ben Stone\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Sally Newman\r\nTechnical Editor: Simon N Goodwin\r\nAdventure: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy: Philippa Irving\r\nLondon: John Minson\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Franco Frey, Dominic Handy, Nick Roberts, Mark Rothwell, Paul Sumner\r\nEducational Software: Rosetta McLeod\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nLayout: Tony Lorton, Mark Kendrick\r\nProcess and Planning: Matthew Uffindell, Jonathan Rignall, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\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\nColour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]\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"},"MainText":"Producer: Rino\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nAuthor: Steve Evans\r\n\r\nIn the evening sky on a very clear night you may just see a small and unassuming planet glowing in the far recesses of the deepest galaxy.\r\n\r\nSo advanced is this planet that its defence system is completely controlled by a powerful computer. Things have run smoothly for aeons, but lately the computer software has started to throw up a few bugs - most seriously, it's losing its ability to distinguish between enemy and friendly craft.\r\n\r\nThe malfunction is causing havoc on this peace-loving planet. Now someone (OK, YOU) must destroy this computer before it's too late. Your mission codename is Z.\r\n\r\nThe computer lies within the fourth dimension - a place only talked about, because no-one has ever got there. To reach this strange world you must travel through a hostile wraparound scrolling play area.\r\n\r\nYou take with you three ships; their energy supplies are damaged by contact with enemy craft, but slowly, constantly, automatically replenished.\r\n\r\nWithin each zone is a central transporter unit which will take you to the next level. But first you have to capture an energy capsule, which can be used as a bomb to break open the transporter.\r\n\r\nEach level is protected by different forces. On Level One, a squadron of 20 fighters assisted by natural meteorites attempts to stop you. The countryside battle zone of Level Two presents a deadly collection of evasive Flying Saucims (sic) emitting directional missiles. And on the lunar landscape of Level Three you're confronted by great big Mother Ships throwing out a collection of homing missiles.\r\n\r\nOn completing the third level you gain an extra ship to help in your final battle in the Nightflight zone, where you need five direct hits to finish off the enemy.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: monochromatic, with colour on status panel\r\nSound: poor\r\nOptions: definable keys","ReviewerComments":["Z is yet another over-simple monochromatic scrolling game. The sound is mumbly and unimaginative and there's no addictivity. Steer well clear of this one.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n40%","Monochrome shoot-'em-ups seem to be quite popular now, so ten out of ten to Rino for style - but minus several million for good thinking. Z is unattractive and unaddictive, and I wouldn't buy it.\r\nMike Dunn\r\n52%","Z is pathetically simple. All it boils down to is a graphically neat, sonically awful scrolling shoot-'em-up, of which there are many. Still, it's quite playable for a while...\r\nMark Rothwell\r\n41%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Poor conversion from the Commodore original.","Page":"24","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"40","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"52","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mark Rothwell","Score":"41","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Your ship flying over yet another alien terrain in Z."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"56%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"50%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"41%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"40%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"44%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 22, Oct 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-09-10","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Peter George\r\nActing Production Editor: John Leach\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nSoftware Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nEditorial Assistant: Angela Eager\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Chris Donald, Mike Gerrard, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tony Lee, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Mischa Welsh, Tony Worrall\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\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":"Rino\n£7.95\nReviewer: Tony Lee\n\nFrom what I can gather, this is a conversion of a well known and loved game for the Commodore 64. It's been programmed by Rino, Alligata's cheapie arm (geddit?), and it's basically a shoot-anything-that-moves game, though without the eight-volume novel that usually accompanies this sort of product, explaining in great and unnecessary detail why.\n\nZ is set in a mysterious world where death is round every corner (Hounslow?). Actually it reminds me of an arcade from a while back called Time Pilot, though that was better. Your aim is to destroy ten standard aliens (what's substandard?), and when that's done, an energy unit appears. Blow this away and it turns into a bomb. When you've done this several times, you can mount an attack against the transporter. You'll know what this looks like as during the game there's no way you can avoid bumping into it! (Everything else you glide effortlessly over.) With a few bombs, though, you can gain revenge for all those dents in your front fender and blow it to smithereens. When there's a suitable gap you can fly through to the next level, which is set over a lovely country landscape (dum de dum de dum de dum...). It's basically the same as level one, though this time you have pesky flying saucers firing missiles at you. Once you get through ̶ okay, if you get through to the next level - you'll find yourself on a lunar screen, and yet again the gameplay's the same... except that this time there are mother ships around zapping out homing missiles! Aaargh!\n\nThe fourth and last level is different, though. Called Nightflight (for reasons that become obvious when you try it), it has no transporter, but go about your business as usual and when you've picked up five bombs, the alien control ship appears. It takes five direct hits to dispose of this little lovely, and if you fail, well, prepare to be canned and fed to Fido.\n\nThe monochromatic graphics aren't bad, although sometimes it can be hard to make anything much out (like baddies, missiles, walls...). But the scrolling, speed and control are worthy of any game twice the price, or more. I especially like the way the ship explodes whenever you make a dramatic cock-up (like hitting a baddie, missile, wall...).\n\nSo, all in all, a cracking little shooter at a fair price. I'd've liked a faster stream of bullets, and I was a bit miffed by the way the craft flew diagonally up to the left but not to the right. Still, Z scores mainly on the price. It's one cheapie game that certainly won't put you to sleep!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A great little budget shoot 'em up. Check it, buy it, play it, love it!","Page":"41","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Lee","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]