1st August 1985
A look at some cut price software for the Spectrum
Budget Software
A look at some cut price software for the Spectrum
Firebird
Firebird, the BT company who made such an impact with their first collection of software have added to their range with the introduction of seven new programs in their Silver, £2.50, series.
Fahrenheit 3000 was originally a full-priced program from the Softstone company and is a platform style game. Though nothing special it is a fair effort, and good value for money if you are a fan of this type of game.
Don't Panic is a variation of the Jet Pac/Astronut game where you have to load a spaceship with items found on various levels of the playing screen. I found this one quite addictive and very playable.
Helichopper is a bomb and dodge game which again is very enjoyable and good value, though as with all these games, the quality reflects the price to a certain extent.
Short's Fuse is a simple but maddeningly addictive game in which you have to chase around the screen to reach bombs before they explode.
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.
The Helm is another adventure but this time text only. This program found a place in my heart for the lovely tongue in cheek approach which it adopts. Humour is a matter of preference but I found myself playing over and over again to discover what other comments the programmer had included. Nice one Simon Jay, highly recommended!
From the sublime to the ridiculous, Don't Buy This is a collection of some of the worst games sent to Firebird. Definitely not recommended unless you want to see how *not* to write a program! All in all, apart from the last one, the Firebird range provides good value and a wide selection - I wish I'd bought shares in BT.
Creative Sparks
Quackshot is the first release that we have received from the new £2.50 "Sparklers" range.
This is quite a respectable maze, chase and shoot-'em-up game which kept me busy for some time. It is just as good as the earlier releases which went full-priced. You are chased through a maze-like factory by berserk ducks, and there are also similarities to Tutenkamen, the old arcade game.
I liked it and say welcome to the market to Sparklers and hope we see more.
Mastertronic
The grand old masters of budget software are still active and still keeping prices to £1.99. We've seen two new programs from them, both aimed at the younger user, but this should not deter more mature gamesters from looking at them.
Hotch Potch is a sliding block puzzle type game which has nice bright and colourful pictures. Perhaps this is the least interesting of the two and is aptly-aimed at youngsters. Shape and position is helped as an educational aid. Not bad, but not very exciting.
Type Rope is a simple game where a picture is drawn of the cute character who is tired up with ropes. The ends of their ropes are attached to pegs marked with a letter or number, by pressing the connecting letters/numbers the rope is released and you have to free the character before time runs out.
This is a simple game based on the "trace the path" puzzles found in many children's comics. With the time element and the well judged difficulty levels, this game can be enjoyed by all ages. I liked it.
