[{"TitleName":"Zolyx","Publisher":"Firebird Software Ltd","Author":"Pete Cooke","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0005862","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 51, Apr 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-03-31","Editor":"Steve Jarratt","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Steven Jarratt\r\nSubeditor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Katharina Hamza, Mark Caswell, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nEditorial Assistant: Frances Mable\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nTechnical Writers: Simon N Goodwin, Jon Bates\r\nStrategy Writer: Philippa Irving\r\nContributors: Matthew Stibbe, Paul Evans, Roger Kean, Paul Sumner, Paul Glancey, Julian Rignall\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublishing Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Markie Kendrick\r\nDesign & Layout: Wayne Allen, Yvonne Priest, Melvyn Fisher\r\nPre-Print Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics/Film Planning: Matthew Uffindell, Nick Orchard, Ian Chubb, Robert Millichamp\r\n\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executive: Andrew Smales\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting 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\nNo 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: £1.99\r\nAuthor: Peter Cooke\r\n\r\nThe objective of Zolyx is to fill in an empty screen by enclosing areas with straight lines, which then automatically fill with colour. Lines are drawn by a cursor which is directed around the screen, and constantly moving balls are avoided since contact with the cursor, or any part of an incomplete line, signals the loss of a life.\r\n\r\nContinuous line length is limited by a glowing ball which chases the cursor after a set time. Again, a life is lost should the ball and cursor touch.\r\n\r\nAt least 75% of the area must be filled in within the time limit to allow progress to the next level. For every percentage above 75 bonus points are awarded. Each level successfully completed sees an extra ball is added to the screen.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Cursor. Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: serve their purpose\r\nSound: simpler than simple\r\nOptions: definable keys","ReviewerComments":["This game is just so unattractive and unaddictive that is isn't even worth £1.99! The graphics... well, are a couple of blobs and dots worth mentioning? Colour is restricted to just one per screen, occasionally being garish and limited to unsatisfactory dot shading. The idea is too simple; attempting to fill in 75% of a screen with shading isn't my idea of fun. Perhaps if there were a few more enemies it might have perked up a bit, but otherwise it just looks like a failed first attempt at programming on a ZX81!\r\nNick Roberts","Zolyx is very similar to an Atari game I owned about five years ago called Oix. The idea is simple enough, so what do Firebird think they are doing? They have taken a simple, but pleasantly frustrating game idea, and turned it into this totally unplayable pile of you know what. Graphically Zolyx is totally dire, although gameplay - if possible - is even worse. Firebird have messed the game up something rotten. Whatever you do, DON'T buy this.\r\nMark Caswell","When Zolyx was first released on the Commodore it was met by almost universal acclaim. Surprisingly, this conversion is an unmitigated disaster. No satisfaction is to be gained from transforming the screen; the blocks have different textures, are divided by thick black lines and combine to form an ugly patchwork of motley patterns and hues. The killer ball, introduced specifically for the Spectrum, makes long sweeping strokes across the screen impossible, and effectively cripples play. Definitely not recommended.\r\nKati Hamza"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Zolyx started off as a simple and effective game on the Commodore 64, the programmer has tried to make it what it isn't, complex.","Page":"23","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Kati Hamza","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"A major disappointment on the Spectrum."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"30%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"18%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"13%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"10%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"14%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 30, Jun 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-05-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Darrell King\r\nDeputy Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nProduction Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nDesigner: Catherine Higgs\r\nContributors: Guy Bennington, Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, David McCandless, Duncan McDonald, John Minson, David Powell, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Tony Worrall\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":"ZOLYX\r\nFirebird\r\n£1.99\r\nReviewer: Tony Worrall\r\n\r\nWhat does Pete Cooke do in between coding classics such as Academy and Micronaught One? Well, for one thing he releases programs like Zolyx. As would be expected, Zolyx is perfectly presented and programmed. It even comes with a freebie 'cell generator' program contained in the game itself. But what is the game actually like?\r\n\r\nWell, it's something of a let down. Zolyx is basically a simple Qix clone, simple with a Capital 'S'. The object of the game is to fill at least 75 percent of the screen by creating sectioned off areas. You do this by moving your character along the edge of the screen, connecting the side walls of the play area as you go. Simple eh? Avoiding killer balls along the way. It's mildly addictive for a while, but oh, so boring to look at, so I would say playability is sadly limited. Still, not a disgrace for the dosh.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"66","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tony Worrall","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"2/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 74, May 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-04-18","Editor":"Graham Taylor","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"aEditor: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nStaff Writer: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nDesigner: Andrea Walker\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nZapchat: Jon 'Mr Blagger' Riglar\r\nTechnical: Andrew Hewson, Rupert Goodwins\r\nContributors: Tony 'a fiver if my name goes first in the list' Dillon, Chris 'Can't you trust me for the dosh?' Jenkins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Katherine Lee\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Alison Morton\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nPublisher's Assistant: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\nMarketing: Clive 'If anybody asks I'm at lunch' Pembridge\r\n\r\nPhone: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: [redacted]\r\nBack Issues: [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Brian Talbot\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"},"MainText":"Label: Firebird\r\nAuthor: Pete Cooke\r\nPrice: £1.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Christina Erskine\r\n\r\nZolyx is a new version of an ancient game whose name I forget. On the screen is a rectangular grid. You control a ball, with which you must traverse the grid making shapes and filling up as much of the screen as possible. You'll be hampered by an increasing number of smaller balls which bounce inside the rectangle and kill you and your connecting lines if they hit an incomplete crossing; and a larger blob which chases you round the perimeter. In addition, if you try to make your connecting lines too long, a third ball comes up behind you to zap you. Claim over 75 per cent of the screen as 'yours' by boxing it in and you go to the next level exactly the same, but with an extra small ball boinging inside the grid.\r\n\r\nIt's dead simple to get the hang of, not easy to become consistently good at, and is presented with utterly basic screen displays and a few buzzy sound effects. The astonishing thing is it's astoundingly addictive strange... but true.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Nothing spectacular in the graphics or sound department, but good gameplay. An old, old favourite.","Page":"75","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Christina Erskine","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]