[{"TitleName":"Valhalla","Publisher":"Legend [UK]","Author":"Andrew Owen, Charles Goodwin, Graham Asher, Richard Edwards, James Learmont, Jan Ostler","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0007152","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 1, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","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: Legend\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRecommended Retail Price: £14.95\r\nLanguage: machine code\r\n\r\nBefore you can start playing Valhalla it's worth ploughing through the readable instruction booklet, not only to find out what you can do, when and where, but also to meet some of the more important characters who partake of your adventure.\r\n\r\nThe book tells you that you can have great fun simply watching Valhalla, and issuing commands to the characters. This turns out to be true in part. Life in the Nordic haven carries on much like Coronation Street with the inhabitants quarreling, fighting each other, offering food and generally behaving as if they were in the Rover's Return. But in the end this palls and you feel itchy to get into the action. There are six quests to find special objects; ofnir (a key), drapnir (a ring), skornir (a shield), skalir (a sword), Felstrong (an axe) and frimnir (a helmet).\r\n\r\nFinding these magical objects is not simple, and some, if discovered, must be deposited safely as you can't carry all of them together. Added to that, if you die, which happens easily enough, you are sent to Hell (not to 'would you like another game') which turns out to be a location or two away from the more ordinary delights of Asgaard of whatever. Unfortunately if you go to Hell most of the things you've collected are removed from you and distributed randomly around the various locations, so you have to start all over.\r\n\r\nWhen this is seen in the context of coping with large numbers of beings who are either well or badly disposed towards you, you begin to realise the complexity of even surviving in Valhalla, let alone finding the hidden objects. Getting on with our fellow Valhallans is surprisingly realistic. Unlike The Hobbit you can't type in 'Say hello to Elrond,' and expect a happy response but you can offer food or wine (which abounds - all over the floor), you can offer to sell or buy objects since you have money, swords, axes, shields etc. These are merely ordinary ones, not those you are questing for. And you can start fights only too easily.\r\n\r\nAll this activity is clearly visible in the remarkable graphics. Well drawn and highly detailed backgrounds form the scene in which the animated characters move around. If you type in, 'drink the wine', you will see 'yourself' raise the flagon to 'your' lips. At times it can be like Piccadilly Circus on a weekend as characters arrive and exit by the bus load.\r\n\r\nMoving from location to location is simply a question of entering the compass point direction and a WHERE command will always supply the visible exits if you have forgotten them. Moving around within a location is done by the use of 'l' and 'r'. In some locations there are celestial undergrounds. If you have managed to pick up a ring (ordinary type) you can use these ringways to get to another location. Although if you're drawing a map of Valhalla, this can be less than useful, since you don't know where you are when you get there.\r\n\r\nGENERAL\r\n\r\nValhalla comes complete with very good instructions. Loading time is four minutes. Keyboard response is fast, and a useful function is that you can type in commands at any time. If an action of some sort is taking place the computer waits and then processes your command when ready.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nKeyboard play: excellent\r\nUse of colour: subtle and complex, excellent\r\nGraphics: excellent\r\nSound: average","ReviewerComments":["Compared to any other adventure game I've seen, the graphics of Valhalla are fabulous. It seems incredible that they have managed to pack so much detail into 48K. The scenery has a real sense of depth.\r\nUnknown","Considering how much detail there already is in the backgrounds, I'm astonished that the animation of the characters is as detailed as it is. I think my favourite is the Raven, who flaps his way in and lands occasionally. My basic disappointment with Valhalla stems from its coldness. Despite all the things \"you\" can do, the life of the place seems to go on without you. Apart from dying of starvation I found I could stand still for ages and no one bothered with me. There's a touch of a travelogue about it all - just walking about seeing things and eating loads of food. I think it might have had a better impact if there was more danger immediately.\r\nUnknown","A lot of program, no doubt about it, but much less excitement than I thought there would be. Still, if you like adventure games, this one is going to keep you occupied for hours and hours.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: An excellent program all round, which has gone further with graphics than any adventure game yet, but with reservations about the ultimate appeal of the quest, and an expensive game to buy.","Page":"41","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Stunning graphics in Asgard."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"94%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"95%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"90%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"95%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"60%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"55%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"81.5%","Text":""}],"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: Legend, 48K\r\n£14.95 (1)\r\n\r\nValhalla is much too lengthy and complicated to go into in a brief review. It boasts the best animated graphics in an adventure yet, numerous locations, lots and lots of inter-reactive characters who carry on with or without you, and kill each other off all over the place. Interrupt-operated text input allows you to type in commands while other actions are taking place and the program accepts quite complicated sentences. There are six separate but linked quests, although much fun may be had just living life as it comes in Valhalla. Accompanied by an excellent book which tells you all you need to know in no-nonsense language. Expensive but worth it, although there were mixed feelings about the ultimate value of the game's central objectives. Overall CRASH rating 82% M/C.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"65","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"82%","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: Legend, 48K\r\n£14.95 (1)\r\n\r\nValhalla is much too lengthy and complicated to go into in a brief review. It boasts the best animated graphics in an adventure yet, numerous locations, lots and lots of inter-reactive characters who carry on with or without you, and kill each other off all over the place. Interrupt-operated text input allows you to type in commands while other actions are taking place and the program accepts quite complicated sentences. There are six separate but linked quests, although much fun may be had just living life as it comes in Valhalla. Accompanied by an excellent book which tells you all you need to know in no-nonsense language. Expensive but worth it, although there were mixed feelings about the ultimate value of the game's central objectives. Overall CRASH rating 82% M/C.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"72","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"82%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 23, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":152,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: Nicole Segre\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nManaging Production Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nSoftware Editor: John Gilbert\r\nProgram Reviewer: Rebecca Ferguson\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Brian King\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nSales Executive: Annette Burrows\r\nProduction Assistant: Dezi Epaminondou\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nManaging Editor: Nigel Clark\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to any of the Sinclair User group of publications please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User and Programs\r\nECC Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms 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 will pay £10 for the copyright of each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1984\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nPrinted and typeset by Cradley Print PLC, [redacted]\r\n\r\nDistributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, [redacted]"},"MainText":"NEW PATHS EXPLORED IN NORSE ADVENTURE\r\n\r\nQuentin Heath's latest round-up.\r\n\r\nThere is a change in direction for adventure games. The path taken so far by authors has been through text-only displays, which left a great deal to the imagination, through graphics adventures which looked like board games and then on to animated games.\r\n\r\nThe progression was by necessity rather than design. The first adventures were produced on large mainframe computers. The original Adventure, written by Crowther and Woods, occupied most of the memory capacity of one of those giant machines and included more than 200 locations. A micro version of the game is available from CP Software, Syrtis Software and Abersoft.\r\n\r\nThe reason it was text-only is that 10 years ago computers communicated mostly using teletypewriters or line printers. There was no room for graphics on those relatively primitive machines.\r\n\r\nThe arrival of the microcomputer and its reliance on fairly inexpensive television sets or visual display units gave adventure authors the opportunity for which they had been waiting. Few people, however, accepted the challenge of adding graphics to adventures.\r\n\r\nThere was a gap of at least two years before authors began to use the full potential of the machines. Until then users of micros had to tolerate text-only creations, such as the Artic adventures for the ZX-81 and the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nThe next step was into software which generated still pictures of some of the locations which could be visited during the game. That type included The Hobbit from Melbourne House, the Mysterious Adventures from Digital Fantasia and the illustrated games, such as Magic Mountain and Greedy Gulch from Phipps Associates.\r\n\r\nA progression of the technique followed a few months later with the bunch of the Carnell Software Black Crystal for the ZX-81 and Spectrum. It is like a board game as it uses several maps of the terrain on which the player moves. In the proper circumstances the player can move into a castle on one of the maps and on to another map showing the castle interior.\r\n\r\nNot content with that limited form of moving graphics adventure, some companies decided to go a step further and produce something which was a cross between the Hungry Horace cartoons and the original adventure game concept. The two companies to the fore of this move are Legend and Doric Computer Services.\r\n\r\nDoric has produced Oracle's Cave, the Spectrum version of a ZX-81 game which bears some resemblance to the Wumpus-hunt type of adventures which were, at one time, all the rage in the ZX-81 market. It involves your player-character who has decided to explore a cave system in which an evil oracle stands guard over some treasure.\r\n\r\nThe exceptional aspects of the game include a set time limit of five game-days and the sprite animated graphics which depict your character and the monsters. As you move through the cave system the scenery scrolls up, down or sideways, depending on where you are going.\r\n\r\nValhalla from Legend, which is proving as popular as The Hobbit for many people, also uses animation. It is, however, closer to the original adventure goal of completing certain logical tests or solving some puzzles. Unlike Oracle's Cave, Valhalla also allows you to use English sentence structures to give commands to the characters.\r\n\r\nEvery scene in the adventure is shown graphically and when you ask a character to perform an action that character will move on the screen.\r\n\r\nIn many respects the game is more technically-advanced than The Hobbit, although much of the code is written in Basic. The graphics are drawn more quickly than those of The Hobbit and the characters taking part seem to have more independence.\r\n\r\nThrough a kind of time-sharing system between the gamer and the program it is possible for a player to be entering a command and for the computer to be moving one of the characters across the screen.\r\n\r\nThe author has used a novel command entry system. If part of the command is not in the command recognition database, or is unintelligible, the computer will mark it in red and not accept the command. It may, however, allow it to be entered and then make no reply to the player or forget about the last command.\r\n\r\nThe plot of Valhalla, in essence, is like that of Oracle's Cave. There are several quests you have to complete before you can go to the Norse warrior's Hell and live out the rest of your death.\r\n\r\nYou have to get a series of sacred objects, including a key, a helmet and an axe which will give you certain powers. To do so you have the help and the hindrance of the characters of Norse mythology including Thor, Odin and Loki. During the quest you have to eat and drink to stay alive.\r\n\r\nThe authors have not been content just to make your characters pick up food or drink on the screen. You can watch them put the bottle or meat to their mouths, mimicking the act of drinking or eating.\r\n\r\nNext month I will be looking at Circus, an adventure from Digital Fantasia, and launching into the first part of the Penguin Korth Trilogy, Escape From Arkaron.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"135","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Quentin Heath","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"HINTS AND TIPS\r\n\r\nIt is unwise to travel ring roads when you are a novice. You could get lost.\r\n\r\nIt may seem as if there are two sides to every coin. Only one side will help you win and evil is in its way.\r\n\r\nTo gain the first objective, you will need to gain a friendship."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 53, Aug 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writers: Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nAdventure Writers: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nHardware Correspondent: John Lambert\r\nContributors: Jerry Muir, Gary Rook, Tony Kendle, Richard Price, Mike Wright, Brian Cooper\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Rory Doyle\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Lee Sullivan\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. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\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 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"VALHALLA\r\n\r\nOne of the most controversial games ever released. For a time it looked like the start of something big for Legend, who developed it. Loved by some, hated by others, Valhalla was the first conscious attempt at a computer movie with animated figures representing different characters in a mythological saga of magical powers and bloody deeds.\r\n\r\nYou can communicate with each character in a form of conventional English syntax, telling them to pick up objects or give them to other characters, or go in a certain direction, or even start a fight.\r\n\r\nThe response you get to your instructions may partly depend on your previous actions and the personality involved.\r\n\r\nThough the backgrounds have a certain sort of stylish coldness about them the foreground characters look rather simple being quite small and simply animated.\r\n\r\nNevertheless, I would say playing Valhalla is a unique sort of experience. You do get a feeling a little as though you are 'playing a movie', which after all was the intention.\r\n\r\nOthers, however, would declare the whole thing utterly tedious.\r\n\r\nAt £2.99 you can at last afford to form your own opinions - the original cost being £14.95 so whatever else it has to be a bargain.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"53","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Graham Taylor","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 28, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":172,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Terry Pratt\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\nProduction Assistant: Mary Morton\r\nStaff Writer: Seamus St. John\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAdvertising Executive: Bernard Dugdale\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: David Rowe\r\nNext Issue: February 16th"},"MainText":"KEEPING MARY AMUSED!\r\n\r\nAnd now for something completely different! A graphics adventure where the action is played out before your very eyes!\r\n\r\nValhalla loads in a Spectrum under a striking title page and offers you six quests. These are to find special hidden objects: Ofnir (key), Drapnir (ring), Skornir (shield), Skalir (sword), Felstrong (axe) and Grimnir (helmet). These obnirs can only be discovronged in the above ordir.\r\n\r\nThe gameworld has a cast of dozens, and at any location you may expect to meet and perhaps cross swords with a range of gods and goddesses (including Mary), giants, dwarfs, wolves and dragons, of varying temperaments and abilities.\r\n\r\nIn search of the foreign objects, you move around issuing the usual Adventure commands, but may also play a 'wild card' by jumping on to a ringway if one is present. This is a magical method of transportation rather than a continuous urban dual carriageway, and to travel one you must be carrying, of course, a ring!\r\n\r\nWhere Valhalla is different from other graphical Adventures is in its display format - the screen is split into three bands.\r\n\r\nOn arrival at a location, the top half displays an excellent hi-res picture, drawn very quickly. I got the impression that these graphics were composed of modules, re-arranged to give many combinations of picture from the same blocks.\r\n\r\nNext, the lower 25% shows the text replies, whilst the final band rather too slowly draws the characters and objects present. The centre band therefore appears to form a continuous picture with the top band, like a stage.\r\n\r\nIn some ways, this game is like Hobbit, for all the characters have a mind of their own, and appear, disappear, drop things and attack you and each other according to their whims. But unlike Hobbit, they actually move. Their little legs walk, they jump about whilst fighting, and lift their wine to their heads when they drink. As this happens, so a text commentary is written below. If you want to pick up an object, then your figure will walk across the screen and get it.\r\n\r\nOf course, all this slows down the rate of play, but if you like watching it all happen, then you'll put up with that.\r\n\r\nValhalla has a range of special commands. WHO will list the characters in the text area, with an arrow pointing upwards to each image. WHAT will do the same for objects, HOW will tell you your current strength and so on. Should you type in anything untoward, you will be told Mary is not amused. A little fellow will walk on-stage, and in a very determined way approach you to remonstrate. This will cause your figure to blush severely!\r\n\r\nValhalla is written in Basic with some machine code routines. A look at the listing won't reveal much in the way of clues. And despite protection against looking at the listing, it is easy because, despite all the ballyhoo preceding its arrival, and a seven-strong production team, Valhalla has at least one bug, which will cause the program to stop and you to reload. But will YOU discover the words that crash the game?\r\n\r\nValhalla is from Legend, overpriced and overrated at £14.95.\r\n\r\nReviewer: Keith Campbell","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"56","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: Animated Adventure\r\nSUPPLIER: Legend\r\nPRICE: £14.95\r\n\r\nValhalla is perhaps the most ambitious games program yet released for the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nOnce upon a time we had ordinary text adventures. Then programmers began including graphics to illustrate the various locations. Next, they began improving the traditional two-word mode of communication.\r\n\r\nThe Hobbit took things a stage further with the introduction of characters which adopted a slightly different role each time the game was played.\r\n\r\nValhalla has all these features, but also shows the various characters on the screen doing the things described in the text.\r\n\r\nIf you enter the command GET HELMET, you will see the little stick character (which is you) walk across to the helmet.\r\n\r\nSimilarly, fights between different characters are shown, albeit in somewhat repetitive form.\r\n\r\nAlthough this is extremely impressive, it has meant a sharp reduction in the number of different actions a character can perform.\r\n\r\nThere's little more than moving, getting and dropping objects, eating and drinking, opening chests or cupboards, and attacking.\r\n\r\nThere isn't any climbing, listening, running, shouting, or tapping.\r\n\r\nThis doesn't mean to say Valhalla is simple. It's extremely complex, mainly because there are 36 different characters involved, each with a different personality.\r\n\r\nThe world is that of the Nordic legends, and your task is to locate six special objects - a key, a ring, a shield, a sword, an axe, and a helmet.\r\n\r\nThere are a number of different locations, each of them shown in colour. Unfortunately, many of the pictures look similar, and I preferred the beautiful line drawings featured in The Hobbit.\r\n\r\nI think The Hobbit also scores over Valhalla in the former's handling of language. Certainly Valhalla will accept some reasonably complex sentences such as: SELL HELMET TO MISTRA FOR 20 CROWNS or THROW LIGHTNINGS AT KLEPTO. But The Hobbit was even more impressive in this respect.\r\n\r\nHowever, Valhalla gives more of the impression that it's being played in real time. If you don't do anything, other characters will - right before your eyes. So you can't afford to wait around for too long.\r\n\r\nOne word of warning. Valhalla is a difficult, daunting game - perhaps more so than other adventures. But if you're an experienced adventurer (and if you can afford the money) Valhalla will offer you many hours of novel and intriguing challenge.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"42,43","Denied":false,"Award":"PCG Hit","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Anderson","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"0/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Ease Of Use","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Originality","Score":"10/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Lasting Interest","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Micro Adventurer Issue 2, Dec 1983","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-11-17","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 1983"},"MainText":"LEGEND LIVES UP TO ITS NAME\r\n\r\nMICRO: Spectrum 48K\r\nPRICE: £14.95\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nSUPPLIER: Legend, [redacted]\r\n\r\nAbout this time last year The Hobbit arrived and single handedly set the standard for adventure games to come, with its sophisticated mixture of advanced language analysis and beautifully detailed graphics. Now we have Valhalla.\r\n\r\nValhalla is undoubtedly a technical advance over its distinguished predecessor. Its characters exhibit far more independent life - who you choose as friends and who you help really does matter, in fact you won't even solve the first of Valhalla's six quests unless you have made one particular friend who I will leave you to guess.\r\n\r\nWhether you regard Valhalla as superior to The Hobbit as a game will depend rather on your expectations. Valhalla is, in many important respects, quite different. There is no question in Valhalla of spending hours trying to rephrase the same command until the computer understands it, as there is with both Hobbit and the classic text adventures. A syntax editor would not allow you to enter anything the computer didn't have in its vocabulary which is listed for you in the manual.\r\n\r\nValhalla's problems are solved only by living in its world, making friends and enemies with the other 30 significant characters and learning from mistakes - maybe you will find Ofnir, the first quest object, but if Klepto is around... well that isn't his name by accident!\r\n\r\nI finally managed to find the first object, Ofnir, after a) cheating (Legend, the game's makers gave me some clues) and b) spending around two hours trying to persuade one of the characters to do something - Valhalla is compulsive.\r\n\r\nThe most immediately remarkable aspect of Valhalla I have left until last: the graphics are animated. Every command you give, that isn't refused, has visual results. If you tell your character to drink he will pick up a wine jug and drink.\r\n\r\nI recommend Valhalla without reservation. It makes some other programs look Neanderthal. The only point I would make is that you should not expect the equivalent of a standard text adventure with moving graphics. Valhalla is not like anything that has gone before.\r\n\r\nOne last thing, Valhalla has the funniest swear routine I've ever seen.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"21","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Graham Taylor","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Big K Issue 7, Oct 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-09-20","Editor":"Tony Tyler","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tony Tyler\r\nAssisted By: Richard Burton\r\nArt Editor: Ian Stead\r\nFeatures: Nicky Xikluna\r\nContributors: Andy Green; Kim Aldis (Features); Steve Keaton; Richard Cook; Richard Taylor; Bernard Turner; David Rimmer; John Conquest; Nigel Farrier, Paul Walton; Tony Benyon; Trevor Spall\r\nPublisher: Barry Leverett\r\nPublishing Director: John Purdie\r\nGroup Advertising Controller: Luis Bartlett\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Robin Johnson [redacted]\r\n\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nTelephone: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished approximately on the 20th of each month by IPC Magazines Ltd. [redacted]. Monotone and colour origination by G.M. Litho Ltd [redacted]. Printed in England by Chase Web Offset, Cornwall. Sole Agents: Australia and New Zealand, Gordon& Gotch (A/sia) Ltd.; South Africa, Central News Agency Ltd. BIG K is sold subject to the following conditions, namely that it shall not, without the written consent of the Publishers first given, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover, and that it shall not be lent, resold or hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated constitute or any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever. IPC MAGAZINES 1984."},"MainText":"VALHALLA\r\nLegend\r\n\r\nThis highly hyped, over-rated, over-priced turkey is clearly a classic example of the Emperor's new clothes. Despite being hugely uninteresting and AGONISINGLY SLOW to play it's managed to gross over 2 million pounds! It's enough to make you weep.\r\n\r\nWe're told it's a 'computer movie'. That characters do pretty much what they like. What we're not told is that the graphics are so poor these figures are nigh on unrecognisable. They just shuffle back and forth across the screen like minuscule roaches. The guests are equally naff, being both pointless and boring What on earth (or in Asgard) is the attraction? Game of the year? Pshaw! If you ask me it should be placed in a chest and left in Hell.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"82,83","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Steve Keaton","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 35, Nov 1983","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1983-11-04","Editor":"Cyndy Miles","TotalPages":90,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"CHARACTER SET\r\n\r\nEditorial\r\nEditor: Cyndy Miles\r\nDeputy Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nManaging Editor: Peter Worlock\r\nSub-Editors: Harriet Arnold, Leah Batham\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writers: Ralph Bancroft, Sandra Grandison\r\nHardware Editor: Ian Scales\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nPrograms Editor: Ken Garroch\r\nListings Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditor's Assistant: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Robinson\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Floyd Sayers\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Sue Clements\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Pat Dolan\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Nic Jones\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Mark Satchell\r\nSales Executives: Christian McCarthy, Marie-Therese Bolger, Julia Dale, Dik Veenman, Alison Hare, Deborah Quinn\r\nProduction Manager: Eva Haggis\r\nMicroshop Production: Nikki Payne\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Jenny Dunne\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper\r\n\r\nCover photo: Howard Kingsnorth.\r\nStyling by Lindy Pettitt.\r\nDesk: Cabochon Furniture\r\nLamp, clock tray, pen holder vase: Astrohome Ltd."},"MainText":"NAME: Valhalla\r\nSYSTEM: Spectrum 48K\r\nPRICE: £14.95\r\nPUBLISHER: Legend\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nLANGUAGE: Machine code\r\nOTHER VERSIONS: None\r\nOUTLETS: Some retail, mail order from Legend, [redacted].\r\n\r\nVIKING VOYAGE\r\nIf you've always fancied yourself as a flaxen haired nordic demigod, but you've found Burton's doesn't stock your size in winged helmets, help is at hand. Valhalla is half epic, half cartoon strip, and its Norse setting is ideal for those with the fjords in their bloodstream.\r\n\r\nThe graphics screen features a sort of strip cartoon, where the characters actually act out the 'screenplay' seen in the text window below. So, if Thor attacks Loki, you'll see Thor stride across the screen towards Loki, and start beating him about the head with an axe. You'll find you tend to sit back and watch this happen, and the other characters are perfectly capable of carrying on without you, but should you feel inclined to actually do something, there are six quests you can be getting on with.\r\n\r\nOBJECTIVES\r\n\r\nYou have to wend your way through Asgard, Midgard and Hell to pick up a key, a ring, a shield, a sword, an axe and a helmet. In order to do this you'll probably have to pick up a key, a ring, a sword, etc... but you must understand that the quests' objects are actually special versions of the above artefacts.\r\n\r\nThe quests must be performed in order, and are increasingly difficult. They should easily fill in the odd spots of tedium you run into in those long arctic nights.\r\n\r\nIN PLAY\r\n\r\nYou start off with 200 crowns and your brains. If you want to keep the latter inside your skull it's advisable to get yourself arms and armour fairly sharp-ish. You can buy these from various other characters, but you can also find them lying around.\r\n\r\nYou'll also need food and drink, which is there in abundance to start with, but disappears fairly rapidly as you and the rest of the cast munch through it. You can sometimes induce characters to give you things, particularly if the character in question - Thor, for example - suffers from total eclipse of the brain.\r\n\r\nThor in fact found himself on the receiving end of one of my earlier wheezes. First induce Thor to give you the axe, then use the axe to kill an unarmed Thor. I regarded it as a lesson in life for the lad...\r\n\r\nAs far as the condition of your soul is concerned, you start off about half way between good and evil. Your goodness rating changes depending on whether you attack the good characters or the bad characters.\r\n\r\nWorking on the assumption that being good would probably mean not being sneaky, I decided to join the blackguards, it might also have had something to do with an encounter I had with arch goodie Odin, who first extracted 50 crowns out of me for a ring he apparently didn't have, then took a ring from one of his henchgoddesses in order to complete the transaction.\r\n\r\nThinking dark thoughts about gods, landlords and pawnbrokers, and feeling practically ruined, I hobbled off in search of a bargain basement sword. Fortunately, shield and helmet were to be found just lying around.\r\n\r\nRings were also to he found in abundance, and I got this recurring vision of Odin sitting behind a large leather-topped desk smoking a fat cigar. However, the 50 crown wonder did serve its purpose well enough.\r\n\r\nRings - except for Drapnir, which is one of the quest objects and about as useful as a lead hula hoop - give you access to Ringways, which act as teleport/bypasses. So in addition to the usual NORTH, SOUTH type commands you can use 'JUMP', which takes you Club Class to the relevant location.\r\n\r\nAfter a bit of hopping around like this, I was well and truly lost. I asked for help, and was told the ringway nearest me led to... El Vinos? Surely not the El Vinos? Could I get a sandwich there? Would they let my editor buy a drink at the bar? Naturally I had to investigate.\r\n\r\nWhen I finally got out, I'd drunk all the wine and eaten all the food I'd had with me when I arrived, and had had my wallet lightened considerably by one Alvin, billed in the manual as a dwarf, but clearly some kind of profiteer.\r\n\r\nI won't tell you about my other attempts at the game, about my attempt to lock away all the food and wine in the universe and sell it to the other characters for huge sums, or about my attempt to sell an axe to a wolf.\r\n\r\nNor will I tell you how you finally solve the quest - matter of fact, I'd be grateful if you'd tell me. What I will tell you is that Valhalla is well worth the rather substantial cost.\r\n\r\nVERDICT\r\n\r\nI have very little that even approaches a complaint about Valhalla. The graphics are good and varied, and although the responses can be slow, this is because the machine is processing the moves for a number of characters, not just you.\r\n\r\nEven this minor problem is dealt with by the way the program allows you to stack instructions. For example, you can type in get food, eat food, go north in quick succession, then see your character do all these, it's a good idea to do this, as it lets you get the drop on other characters.\r\n\r\nAnother departure from the traditional format is the way the manual is actually designed to help you win. You get a detailed guide to the characters, a couple of clues, and a list of common words and their accepted syntax.\r\n\r\nThis means you'll get into it straight away, so it's less frustrating than most games, although no less difficult.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"48","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"John Lettice","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Use Of Machine","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]