Zzap


Box Twenty

Publisher: Prism
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Zzap #91

Box Twenty

Wow - 20 games on one page! No words to waste here, so let's scrub the intro and get going...

Kick Off

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The pack kicks off with this mildly playable horizontally scrolling footy sim. Comprehensive options can't hide its slow speed and lack of tactical depth (run at the goalie and shoot) but it's okay for a quick kickabout.

Head Coach

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This wildly inaccurate American Football management sim features matchstick players, no substitutions, three offensive play choices, two downs (not four), and a single time bar instead of four quarters! Get serious.

Challenge Golf

Hmmm, not bad. It's not the most interactive golf sim around - you can choose your club, shot direction and power at your leisure, with no danger of slicing the ball or hitting it harder than you intended. However, it's a real treat for haters of games relying on reflexes.

Football Manager

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What can you say about Football Manager that hasn't already been said? Crude by today's standards, but still fairly absorbing.

5th Gear

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An overhead view driving shoot-'em-up that plays like a cross between Super Sprint and Tranz Am. The tight positioning of obstacles makes building up speed impossible, spoiling what could've been a reasonable game.

Days Of Thunder

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One of the most boring racers ever. Blocky graphics, hideous sprites and ridiculously long races make this one to avoid - file under "never load again".

Rally Simulator

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Your car drives like a drunken curling stone, the directional arrows make the hideously complex road even more confusing, and at the start of each race your opponents race off the grid leaving you standing - you'll never catch them after!

Mountain Bike Racer

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A mildly playable side-view outing. Thankfully, there's no waggling involved, but it's till nothing to write home about.

Snooker & Pool

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These are the most primitive balze-bashers I've ever seen. The table dwarfs the balls, making them look like marbles, and the slightest touch sends them rolling for miles!

Colossus 4 Chess

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Despite the lousy user interface, this one's pretty good. It plays a mean game, but you'll have to puzzle out its idiosyncrasies yourself - the instructions are in microdot!

Video Card Arcade

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The instructions give no idea as to what controls are used, and when I tried desperately prodding the keys in the hope something would happen the game crashed - twice! Needless to say, I didn't bother reloading.

Turbo 64

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Another dodgy racer that drives like James Dean. Why play this garbage when the excellent Continental Circus is on this month's covertape?

Glider Pilot

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Could've been a goodie, but what you do with the joysticks has little effect on what happens on the screen - so why bother?

Ice Hockey

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Dreadful graphics, goals the size of postage stamps, computer-controlled dudes that rush round like headless chickens... need I go on? [No - Ed]

Turbo Boat Simulator

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A horizontal blaster with virtually nothing to blast - yes, it really is that bad!

Alternative World Games

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Not bad - not bad at all. I'm not a great fan of multi-event wagglers, but it's nice to see a bit of originality in the genre. You'll be ploughing your way through events such as boot throwing, pillow fighting and sack racing, all presented with a great sense of humour. Not as playable as today's outings, but worth a go.

Rock And Wrestle

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WWF this isn't! Full instructions on screen screams the manual - there aren't, and I was left to puzzle out what the joystick movements actually do, which doesn't seem to be a lot.

Stunt Bike Simulator

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One of the collection's better games, but that isn't saying a lot. Could've been good fun if it weren't so damned unforgiving.

Conclusion

So there we have it - there's nothing really outstanding here, and an awful lot of crud. You get loads of games for your dosh, but so what? I'd rather splash out on five decent budget games or two full-pricers than a boxful of fillers, but the choice is, as ever, yours.