[{"TitleName":"Ghost Town","Publisher":"Virgin Games Ltd","Author":"John Pickford","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0006352","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 4, Jun 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-05-17","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":90,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nContributing Editor: Bruce Sawford\r\nDeputy Editor: Tina Boylan\r\nEditorial Assistant: Pete Shaw\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: Ian Beardsmore, Ron Smith, Stephen Adams, Damir Skrgatic, Simon Goodwin, Toni Baker, Peter Jackson, Paul Walton, Andrew Pennell, Max Philips\r\nArt Editors: Jimmy Egerton, Hazel Bennington\r\nArt Assistant: Steve Broadhurst\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Jeff Raggett\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Shane Campbell\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Jason Wood\r\nTypesetting Manager: Derek Cohen\r\nTypesetters: Beverley Douglas, Maggie Kayley, Velma Miller\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\nDistribution Manager: Colin James\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1984 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a monthly publication.\r\n\r\nCover photography by Ian McKinnell"},"MainText":"GHOST TOWN\r\nVirgin Games\r\n£5.95\r\n\r\nA Wild West text-based adventure game set in a deserted American town after the California Gold Rush. You get line maps of streets and buildings, and the whole thing is written in Basic - there's no machine code in them thar hills, pardner!","ReviewerComments":["Ghost Town has an acceptable response time to entries, but there's no variation - so once you've solved it. well, that's it. There's only minimal use of sound.\r\nIeuan Davis\r\n5/10","The game is set in a fairly small town, so it doesn't take you long to find out what's going on there. The blue and cyan colours are nice - even contrasting well on a monochrome TV.\r\nGerralt Jones\r\n6/10","A fairly standard adventure game, but with a reasonably large vocabulary.\r\nBrian Pedlar\r\n5/10"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"52","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ieuan Davis","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Gerralt Jones","Score":"6","ScoreSuffix":"/10"},{"Name":"Brian Pedlar","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 2, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-23","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nDesigner: Oliver Frey\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Rod Bellamy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Edwards\r\nProduction Designer: Michael Arienti\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nMono printing, typesetting & finishing by Feb Edge Litho Ltd. [redacted]\r\nColour printing by Allan-Denver Web Offset Ltd. [redacted].\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post included)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post included).\r\nSingle copy: 75p\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to CRASH please send articles or ideas for projects to the above address. Articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope\r\n\r\nCover Illustration:Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Virgin Games, 48K\r\n£5.95\r\nAuthor: John Pickford\r\n\r\nGhost Town is a pretty accurate copy of Phipps Associates' 'Greedy Gulch', but it's nowhere near as much fun. There's the same old empty town with a sequential map showing the locations of the various establishments where useful items and information may be found to help you locate the gold mine in the desert. Once in the desert there don't seem to be any graphics worth speaking of. At least the text is nicely written and the response times are very good. But if I had to choose it would be Greedy Gulch. Overall CRASH rating 43%, BASIC.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"66","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"43%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 4, May 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-19","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":128,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nEditorial [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studio, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Plymouth Web Offset Ltd, [redacted].\r\nDistribution by Comag, [redacted]\r\nAdditional setting and process work by The Tortoise Shell Press, [redacted].\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH MICRO unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Virgin Games, 48K\r\n£5.95\r\nAuthor: John Pickford\r\n\r\nGhost Town is a pretty accurate copy of Phipps Associates' 'Greedy Gulch', but it's nowhere near as much fun. There's the same old empty town with a sequential map showing the locations of the various establishments where useful items and information may be found to help you locate the gold mine in the desert. Once in the desert there don't seem to be any graphics worth speaking of. At least the text is nicely written and the response times are very good. But if I had to choose it would be Greedy Gulch. Overall CRASH rating 43%, BASIC.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"43%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 29, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Acting Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nAssistant Editor: Eugene Lacey\r\nEditorial Assistant: Clare Edgeley\r\nReader Services: Robert Schifreen\r\nArt Editor: Linda Freeman\r\nDesigner: Lynda Skerry\r\nSub Editor: Mary Morton\r\nStaff Writer: Seamus St. John\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAdvertising Executives: Bernard Dugdale, Sean Brennan\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Louise Flockhart\r\nPublisher: Tom Moloney\r\nAssistant Publisher: Rita Lewis\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. By using the special Postal Subscription Service, copies of COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES can be mailed direct from our offices each month to any address throughout the world. All subscription applications should be sent for processing to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES (Subscription Department), [redacted]. All orders should include the appropriate remittance made payable to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES. Annual subscription rates (12 issues): UK and Eire: £14. Additional service information including individual overseas airmail rates available upon request. Circulation Department: EMAP National Publications. Published and distributed by EMAP National Publications Ltd. Printed by Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd.\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Ross Collins\r\nNext Issue: March 16th"},"MainText":"DEFINITELY NOT SCOTT!\r\n\r\nEDITOR - believe it or not, spelling is as found!\r\n\r\nIn the hotel lobby:\r\n\r\nThe walls are elaboratley decorated.\r\n\r\nExamine walls - You can't.\r\n\r\nIn the hotel room!\r\n\r\nThere is a bed in one corner with a dirty matress and a single pillow.\r\n\r\nLie down - you can't.\r\n\r\nSleep - you can't.\r\n\r\nExamine pillow - You can't.\r\n\r\nLift pillow - OK.\r\n\r\nShould you now LOOK you will see a small key.\r\n\r\nIn the stable:\r\n\r\nA saddle hangs on the wall:\r\n\r\nExamine saddle - You can't.\r\n\r\nGet saddle - it isn't here.\r\n\r\nIn the Assay Office:\r\n\r\nThere is an upturned filing cabinet.\r\n\r\nOpen cabinet - There isn't one!\r\n\r\nYou've heard Scott Adams games will soon be available for the Spectrum, haven't you? Well this isn't one of them. Described as a graphical adventure, all outdoor locations are displayed on part of a map - pretty redundant stuff since all the necessary descriptions and exits are provided in the text anyway.\r\n\r\nGhost Town is written by a teeny bopper with no dictionary, John Pickford. How Virgin Games have the nerve to give such trivia the name of a great, I cannot understand. Perhaps they don't even know there is already a Ghost Town? They should stick to producing records, and leave Adventures to those with some knowledge. Or could it be they are hoping to confuse Spectrum owners?\r\n\r\nGhost Town from Virgin Games for 48k Spectrum, a rip-off even at £5.95.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"152","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Keith Campbell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer Games Issue 3, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","Editor":"Chris Anderson","TotalPages":176,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Editor: Roderick George\r\nArt Editor: Ian Findlay\r\nTechnical Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nStaff Writers: Steve Cooke, Peter Connor\r\nEditorial Assistant: Samantha Hemens\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nCartoons: Kipper Williams\r\nProgram Control Guardians: Jeff Riddle\r\nIllustrations: Mark Watkinson, Andy Bylo, Tony Hannaford\r\nPhotography: Ian McKinnel, Chris Bell, Tony Sleep\r\nGroup Editor: Cyndy Miles\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Sue Clements\r\nAdvertising Manager: Herbert Wright\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Jan Martin\r\nSales Executives: Joey Davies, Marion O'Neill, Louise Hedges\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]. Typesetting by Spectrum Typesetting, [redacted] Origination by Fourmost Colour [redacted]. Printed and bound by Chase Web Offset [redacted]. © VNU Business Publications 1984."},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum 48K\r\nJOYSTICK: No\r\nCATEGORY: Adventure\r\nSUPPLIER: Virgin Games\r\nPRICE: £5.95\r\n\r\nSet in an American town that was abandoned after the Californian gold rush, Ghost Town is an adventure in which your task is to find a deserted gold mine, and return to town with the contents.\r\n\r\nBut, before you set off, you will need various items of equipment that are scattered about the town. Commands are entered in one of three formats: two-word sentences (OPEN DOOR, GET GUN, and so on), single words (QUIT, INVENTORY) or letters (N, S).\r\n\r\nIf the cassette inlay had not included a screen picture, I would probably not have known that this was a graphic adventure.\r\n\r\nThere's a short machine code routine that enables drawings to be done in the background colour and displayed instantly on completion. This didn't seem to work too well in my review copy, and most of the locations were represented by a blank screen.\r\n\r\nIt's a mainly Basic program and although some simple protection devices are used it's quite easy to break into it to see how it works - despite the warning in the listing that 'CHEATING DOESN'T HELP'.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"49","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Steve Mann","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"3/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"2/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Ease Of Use","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Originality","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Lasting Interest","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Micro Adventurer Issue 3, Jan 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-12-15","Editor":"Graham Cunningham","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graham Cunningham\r\nAssistant Editor: Carmel Anderson\r\nSoftware Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nMaster Adventurers: Tony Bridge, Mike Grace\r\nEditorial Secretary: Cleo Cherry\r\nAdvertisement Manager: David Lake\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Langston\r\nAdministration: Theresa Lacy\r\nManaging Editor: Brendon Gore\r\nPublishing Director: Jenny Ireland\r\nTelephone number (all departments): [redacted]\r\nUK Address: [redacted]\r\nUS Address: [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: UK £10.00 for 12 issues, overseas surface (excluding US and Canada) £16 for 12 issues, US and Canada air-lifted US$33.95 for 12 issues.\r\n\r\nMicro Adventurer is published monthly by Sunshine Books, Scot Press Ltd. Typesetting by In-Step Ltd, [redacted]. Printed by Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd, [redacted]. Distributed by SM Distribution, [redacted].\r\n\r\nISSN 0265-4156\r\n\r\nRegistered at the Post Office as a newspaper.\r\n\r\n© Sunshine Books 1984"},"MainText":"THIS TOWN IS COMING LIKE A...\r\n\r\nMICRO: Spectrum 48K\r\nPRICE: £5.95\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nSUPPLIER: Virgin Games, [redacted]\r\n\r\nGhost Town is a you'd imagine from the title an adventure set in a deserted burg somewhere in the old west.\r\n\r\nWhen the game begins you find yourself, without the benefit of a single instruction to tell you why you're there or what you're looking for, in the main street. The only thing to do is explore, and luckily there is an on-screen display showing the street plan of the immediate area. You set off eagerly into the saloon or the hotel.\r\n\r\nAt this point disillusionment sets in. Most of the buildings have no graphical illustrations and many consist of only one room. All of them are strikingly barren and it soon becomes apparent that most of the things described are only there to set the scene, since you can't look at them more closely, examine them, or affect them in any way.\r\n\r\nThe words \"You can't\" become all too familiar, since they are the response to all but the most obvious commands.\r\n\r\nThe problems to overcome are similarly straightforward, so once the requisite mundane objects have been collected it's a short trek across the desert to the gold mine, which inevitably turns out to be your goal.\r\n\r\nBy far the best things about Ghost Town are the Graphics. The street plan is useful and clear, the pictures of rooms (all two of them) are very attractively drawn, and the maze which forms the major obstacle to finding gold is convincingly depicted.\r\n\r\nThe program defines its own character set which is clearly designed and an improvement on Spectrum's. But the plot and descriptions are so ordinary and the choice of actions so limited that Ghost Town would probably be boring for the experienced adventurer and frustrating for the novice. Overall, not a bad game, but certainly nothing special.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"28","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"DD","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 11, Feb 1984","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-26","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ZX Computing\r\nVol. One\r\nNumber Eleven\r\nFeb/Mar 1984\r\n\r\nEditor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Fiona Eldridge\r\nSpecial Publications Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nAdvertising Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Beverley McNeill\r\nCopy Controller: Ann McDermott\r\nManaging Editor: Ron Harris\r\nChief Executive: T J Connell\r\n\r\nOrigination and design by MM Design & Print, [redacted]\r\nPublished by Argus Specialist Publications Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing is published bi-monthly on the fourth Friday of the month. Distributed by: Argus Press Sales & Distribution Ltd. [redacted]. Printed by: Henry Garnett Ltd., Rotherham.\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication including all articles, designs, plans, drawings and programs and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the Law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1984"},"MainText":"Ghost Town is set in a deserted American town, abandoned after the California Gold Rush. It is not as easy to play as most other adventure games, but is quite a challenge for anyone who likes long adventure games.\r\n\r\nYour aim is to find old Jake Clampett's gold mine and return to the Town Square with the gold. But beware the sweltering heat of the desert, and steer clear of the Sheriff's Office if possible, for if you carelessly wander into one of the cells the door will slam shut and you will be trapped. The only major fault of the game is that it has limited graphics, so consequently it will only appeal to the more serious games player.\r\n\r\nGhost Town is not as much fun or as exciting as most other adventure games, but it is reasonably good value for money.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"135","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Walsh","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]