[{"TitleName":"Subsunk","Publisher":"Firebird Software Ltd","Author":"Colin Liddle, Peter Torrance","YearOfRelease":"1985","ZxDbId":"0007055","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 18, Jul 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-06-27","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nAssistant Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nSoftware Editor: Jeremy Spencer\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Reviewer: Angus Ryall\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey, Robin Candy, Ben Stone, John Minson\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\n©1985 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCirculation Manager: Tom Hamilton\r\nAll circulation enquiries should ring [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £14.50 post included (UK Mainland); Europe: 12 issues £21.50 post included. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing.\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 Magazine 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. The opinions and views of correspondents are their own and not necessarily in accord with those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nMICRONET:\r\nYou can talk to CRASH via Micronet. Our MBX is 105845851\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"SUBSUNK\r\n\r\nProducer: Firebird\r\nRetail Price: £2.50\r\nLanguage: Quill\r\nAuthor: Peter Torrance & Colin Liddle\r\n\r\nSub Sunk is one of two cheap offerings from British Telecom's Firebird label reviewed this month. This is probably the better of the two as it concerns itself with just the one immensely engaging activity that of escaping from a sub sunk to the bottom of the sea by a surprise enemy attack.\r\n\r\nYou are Ed Lines a reporter from the Seafarers Gazette on board the Sea Lion assigned to write an in-depth insight into life aboard a modern working sub. An alarm bell rings and before the sub can submerge the crew are overrun by the enemy who fail to find our intrepid reporter hiding under a bunk in the wardroom. Your prime objective now is to get to the telex room to send the message that will bring a rescue party. The message is: sub-sunk.\r\n\r\nUp and running, the program has an attractive appearance on a b/w TV, but bright white glares too strongly on a colour set. Since this review is on the whole favourable let's just say I played the remainder on a b/w set after the glare of the coloured instructions, and in monochrome, all looked well. For an inexpensive Quilled game the graphics are presentable and sometimes rather good (as in the sickbay and the cold store). What's more, in places like the control room, with its sonar display (and bleeps), and in the reactor compartment, the control panels show some life like the flashing control desks which lined every spare inch aboard the sub in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (\"Captain, a huge octopus has grabbed the ship', 'don't just stand there, melt 10 lbs of oil and serve with a little garlic').\r\n\r\nI must say, for the asking price I thought this game wasn't at all bad. The logic required to solve one or two of the problems was thin in some places and suspect in others but anyone who has played many adventures can soon get that self-congratulatory glow of satisfaction within a reasonably short space of time as problem after problem bites the dust. The balance between getting somewhere and solving problems is about right and on your travels you will find much to keep you interested and entertained. As you might guess the DDDeep FFFreeze CCCCompartment is rather cccold, so much so you are quickly returned back to the Cold Store before you freeze to a block. Most of the rest is freely accessible right from the off and almost all you care to examine, pull or otherwise fiddle about with causes something to happen, or gives an opportunity for the program to show off some new witticism. In the torpedo handling area PULL LEVER and 'whoosh! A huge column of air leaves the tube'. In the Control Room EXAM SONAR to find 'You're on the sea-bed matey!'. In the Navigation Area you can examine the map but the torn bits left reveal little that's intelligible. I can't remember a single location where something new wasn't discovered with only the most cursory poking around.\r\n\r\nSub Sunk is a much fairer attempt to bring adventuring to the cost-conscious consumer than, say, the offerings from Scorpio reviewed earlier this year. The graphics are by no means minimal in many locations they add to the atmosphere and make play more enjoyable. Almost everything can be examined and every lever pulled maintaining a high level of involvement throughout. Getting out of this submarine is a challenge and you could do a lot worse than devoting some of your Summer hols pocket money towards having a go.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nDifficulty: moderate\r\nGraphics: on some locations, relatively simple\r\nPresentation: poor, black text on white background and graphics scroll off with text\r\nInput facility: verb/noun\r\nResponse: instantaneous\r\nSpecial features: some sound effects","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Quite good.","Page":"102,103","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Derek Brewster","Score":"7.5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Atmosphere","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Vocabulary","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Logic","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Quality","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"7.5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 41, Aug 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-07-18","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\nEditor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne, Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Craig Kennedy\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nPublisher: Neil Wood\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nAdvertising Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kathy McLennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Jim McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\n\r\nMAGAZINE SERVICES\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\n\r\nTELEPHONE\r\nAll departments [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Photograph: Sheila Rock for Roland Rat Enterprises Ltd.\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Peterboro' Web, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1985 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\n91,901 Jun-Dec 1984"},"MainText":"Publisher: Firebird\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nPrice: £2.50\r\n\r\nThis month's final offerings are both produced by Firebird and written with the Quill. The first is Subsunk.\r\n\r\nYou are Ed Lines ace reporter for the trade rag Seafaring Gazette. Your assignment, to seek out the truth of life in a nuclear submarine, has run into deep trouble. A foreign power has attacked the sub, captured the crew and scuttled the vessel.\r\n\r\nYour only way to safety will be to rig up some sort of aerial and send a distress message to Headquarters.\r\n\r\nThere are fast, bright graphics for many of the sub's numerous compartments, the occasional sound effect, and a friendly interpreter which gives information about even useless items. Add a few wry jokes and you have an enjoyable adventure.\r\n\r\nYou have to devise a way not only to sort out the radio link but also to send up the aerial on a float. One slip and you will depressurise.\r\n\r\nI was initially put off on reading the cassette notes and thought I was in for another dose of rather dreary escaping. Not so, as the sub is interesting enough to take your mind off the lack of other creatures. Well designed and thoroughly enjoyable escapism.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"93,94","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Richard Price","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 20, Aug 1985","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-07-25","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Cliff Joseph\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nSoftware Assistant: John Gerard Donovan\r\nSales Executive: Alice Robertson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Chris Northam\r\nCopy Controller: Sue Couchman\r\nPublishing Director: Peter Welham\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: Garnett Print, Rotherham and London.\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 Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1985"},"MainText":"SUBSUNK is a graphic adventure in the standard format which presents many brain teasing puzzles, although not outstanding it is well written and is comparable to programs being sold at twice the price. Worth adding to your collection if adventuring is your forte.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 21, Oct 1985","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-09-26","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Cliff Joseph\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nSoftware Assistant: John Gerard Donovan\r\nSales Executive: Alice Robertson\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Chris Northam\r\nCopy Controller: Sue Couchman\r\nPublishing Director: Peter Welham\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: Garnett Print, Rotherham and London.\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 Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1985"},"MainText":"Firebird\r\n£2.50\r\n\r\nThe software arm of British Telecom has now moved into adventures with the inclusion of both Subsunk and The Helm in their range of budget software. Budget software does not always mean bad software and Subsunk proves this point being a very competent graphic adventure.\r\n\r\nYou play the part of a reporter from 'The Seafarers Gazette' with the highly unlikely name of Ed Lines. You are on board the Sea Lion, a submarine, researching an article about life onboard a modern working sub. Life, though, is not being kind to Ed Lines, as the sub is attacked by an enemy fleet while he is carrying out his research. The sub is overrun by the enemy, but Ed escapes capture by hiding under a bunk. The enemy leave and sink the sub with Ed on board.\r\n\r\nAt the start of the game, you are trapped in the sub on the sea bed. Your objective is to find your way to the sub's telex room and send a message to bring a rescue party. The message you must send is 'subsunk'.\r\n\r\nThis is not as easy a task as you may suppose, as it's rather a large sub for you to find your way around, and several problems must be solved before you can send the message.\r\n\r\nThis is a Quilled text adventure with graphics. The graphics are fairly simple, though the majority are not static pictures. Many feature flashing consoles and even a sonar. There are also occasional sound effects which accompany the pictures. The text descriptions of locations are fairly simple as well, being just the name of the room, the exits and anything of interest. Unlike Mordon's Quest, which had no graphics, this game lacks atmosphere. Everything is very stark and sterile.\r\n\r\nIt is, though, a very enjoyable game, mainly because of its sense of humour. As with Imperial Software's Clueso, which I reviewed last issue, Subsunk rises above its status as a standard Quilled adventure because it is quite funny in places. For example, if you were to examine the sonar, the computer replies with 'You're on the sea bed, matey!' There is also the result of pressing a button marked 'Galley'. You smell a burning noise, and upon visiting the galley you are attacked by a burnt slice of toast which escapes from the exploding toaster!\r\n\r\nThere are incidents at almost all locations, and messing around with levers, buttons and switches will always produce a response of some kind, the majority of them in a humourous vein.\r\n\r\nThe game is adequately presented and laid out, though much more cannot be expected of a quilled game. The graphics are of a simple nature, and scroll off the screen as you type your responses. The game supports a limited vocabulary of around 150 words, but that is large enough for the scope of the game.\r\n\r\nAs an attempt to supply budget price adventures, Subsunk succeeds admirably, as there are worse games on the market for double the price. Firebird are continuing in the adventure market with The Helm at the same price. If you want a cheap, but challenging, adventure then Subsunk is for you.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"71","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Brian Robb","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]