[{"TitleName":"Cerius","Publisher":"Atlantis Software Ltd","Author":"Adrian R. Shaw, David A. Shaw, Graham D. Shaw, Rafael Estrada","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0000873","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 53, Jun 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-05-26","Editor":"Steve Jarratt","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Steven Jarratt\r\nSoftware Editor: Dominic Handy\r\nStaff Writers: Katharina Hamza, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram, Mark Caswell\r\nTechnical Writers: Jon Bates, Simon N Goodwin\r\nEditorial Assistant: Frances Mable\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nContributors: Julian Rignall Paul Evans, Roger Kean, Raffaele Cecco, Rosetta McLeod, Brendon Kavanagh, Paul Sumner, Robin Candy\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant Art Director: Wayne Allen\r\nDesign & Layout: 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\nPublishing Controller: David Western\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executive: Andrew Smales\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\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\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop Frances Mable a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\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: Atlantis\r\nRetail Price: £1.99\r\nAuthor: Graham, David and Adrian Shaw\r\n\r\nThe evil leader Rogorf is causing havoc on the planet Cerius. In a dastardly attempt to get the necessary iron are to make his army of Phibiatrons even more powerful, he has enslaved the planet's peaceful people and has forced them into the mines. Not surprisingly, you are the planet's only hope.\r\n\r\nYou enter your armoured Avenger V4 and set off on your journey through Rogort's complex. The series of flickscreen platforms and walkways is divided into different sections each of which is guarded by a particularly fierce Phibiatron. These guards must be defeated to gain a letter of the scrambled code which gives access to the next level. Meanwhile other Phibiatrons fly in from the left, firing missiles. Each direct hit or collision reduces power points. Once power reaches zero the game is lost.\r\n\r\nThe player's tank is equipped with an initial armoury of 40 missiles and one bomb. Entering ammunition pods boosts weapon supplies while other pods increase the tank's equipment or provide extra energy.\r\n\r\nAt the end of each level, which must be completed within a given time limit, the screen prompts you to enter the appropriate code. Unscramble the letters you have collected, type them in and you're well on your way to Rogorf's lair.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: very colourful with intricate detail on all characters and scenery\r\nSound: above average title tune and spot effects","ReviewerComments":["If I ever imagined an Exolon-looking budget game then this would be it. Just like Exolon, Cerius is very attractive (although contains less variation) and smartly presented. Initially the game is quite puzzling, but after a few games, with a bit of planning, you can easily complete the first few levels. It's sad to see such a small play area but the scrolling is smooth and the graphics colourful. After a rest, Atlantis have come back to the market with a great little game.\r\nPaul Sumner\r\n70%","Apart from the fact that the playing area only takes up about a quarter of the screen, Genus is enjoyable and competently presented. The graphics are colourful, the Phibiatrons are carefully drawn and the gameplay is complicated enough to keep you playing for more than a couple of hours. In the end, though, it probably won't be much longer than that. Very much like a watered down version of Exolon, Cerius doesn't present that high a challenge and your Initial enthusiasm is more likely to be wooed away by one of the faster, more demanding games on your shelf. Still - it's fun while it lasts and, for £1.99, definitely worth a try.\r\nKati Hamza\r\n68%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A smart Exolon clone at a cheap price.","Page":"95","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"70","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Kati Hamza","Score":"68","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"74%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 32, Aug 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-07-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Darrell King\r\nDeputy Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nProduction Editors: Jackie Ryan, Sophie Moorcock\r\nDesigner: Catherine Higgs\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Owen & Audrey Bishop, Ciaran Brennan, Jonathan Davies, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, Graeme Kidd, David McCandless, Duncan McDonald, John Minson, Nat Pryce, Peter Shaw, Ben Stone\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":"CERIUS\r\nAtlantis Software\r\n£1.99\r\nReviewer: Nat Pryce\r\n\r\nI'll bet you're expecting me to fill this review with Cerius/serious jokes, but I won't, Ceriously (whoops!). Instead I'll tell you about the plot (rustle of cassette inlay)... oh, there isn't one. That puts a stop to any witty first paragraph, I suppose. (Get on with it. Ed)\r\n\r\nIt seems that you must drive your Avenger V4 tank through loads of screens of Exolonesque landscape, blowing things up, shooting things down and generally revelling in all out wanton destruction. Most of the familiar features from Exolon are here - teleporters, flying aliens, missile launchers and add-on armour. There are a few new bits - you must collect codes to complete each level and solve four-letter anagrams (brain blending. I'm sure!). And you can go back to screens you've already completed, something you do quite a lot, as useful items can only be reached by quite torturous routes.\r\n\r\nThe main downer in Cerius is the size of the playing area. Someone got into the record books by writing the Lord's prayer three hundred times on a postage stamp or something, and it looks like Cerius has got a good chance of beating that record. I'm sure that there's some good technical reason for programming it this way but it does detract from the playability a little.\r\n\r\nApart from the size of the screen, the graphics are neat and the sprites move smoothly with only the lightest attribute clash. The keys are responsive and all the sound and other effects are first class. What's really lacking is any long term addictiveness. You see, Cerius suffers from the same problems as its big brother Exolon; sure, the game is hard to beat, but the action soon becomes repetitive and boring - the screens all require similar strategies to complete and the alien attack styles never change.\r\n\r\nAt a penny under two quid, Cerius is worth considering, but only if you like, or haven't already got, Exolon.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"37","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nat Pryce","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 76, Jul 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-06-18","Editor":"Graham Taylor","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graham 'El Presidente' Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nProduction Editor: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nDesigner: Andrea Walker\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nTechnical: Andrew Hewson, Rupert Goodwins\r\nContributors: Tony 'I'm a headbanger' Dillon, Chris 'Leave off my jelly babies' Jenkins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Katherine Lee\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Margaret 'I'll spell that for you' Caddick-Adams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Alison Morton\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nPublisher's Assistant: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\nMarketing: Clive 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: Bryan 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: Atlantis\r\nAuthor: David Adrian and Graham Shaw\r\nPrice: £1.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nErk alors! Donner und Blitzen! Hoots mon! Imagine my surprise to see that a game as good as Cerius was a) only £1.99, and b) from Atlantis, who are, how can I put it, not normally noted for the thrillingness of their games.\r\n\r\nCerius owes a good deal to the recent spate of horizontally-trudging-man-in-a-spacesuit games, like Exolon, Yeti and Northstar. It manages to cram in decent background graphics, sophisticated gameplay and reasonable sound, and still leave enough change out of £2 for a penny chew.\r\n\r\nThe game takes place on a series of multi-level screens which are split up by impassable obstacles. You find your way through this maze using the available transporters, which will always move you to another, specific, location.\r\n\r\nAs you move around you have to deal with enemy ships, either blasting them with your tank gun or by using one of your precious smart bombs. Energy and ammunition can be replenished by finding specially-marked podules.\r\n\r\nOn each level your aim is to find and eliminate four robot carriers, each of which yields a code letter. At the end of the level you are prompted to rearrange the letters to form a word, and this lets you on to the next level.\r\n\r\nLevel two is even better than level one, I thought, with finely-designed backgrounds which are so well thought out that there isn't a hint of colour clash - full-price games programmers please note.\r\n\r\nAt certain stages you'll find yourself unable to proceed any further, because the platforms are laid out in such a way that you can't shoot one of the code carriers. To solve the problem you have to find an ARMOUR podule, and grab hold of a sort of extension thingy which sits on your shoulders, and enables you to pop off the offending robots. It also doubles your firepower.\r\n\r\nSo who are these chappies who have created such a spiffy game? And when are we going to get some more from them? Personally I can't wait; Cerius is one of the best budget titles I've seen, and if it were completely original it would deserve a great big floppy kiss.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Excellent quality budget game - buy at once!","Page":"75","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"81","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"HINTS\r\n\r\nLearn to use the transporters efficiently, both to find your way through the maze and to avoid approaching missiles.\r\n\r\nIf you get stuck, make a map and find the ARMOUR pod which allows you to destroy the guardians.\r\n\r\nDon't waste smart bombs early on in the level; you should be able to get to the end without using them, and you may well need one later."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"85%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"88%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"81%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]