Home Computing Weekly


Concentration
By Lion
Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Home Computing Weekly #117

The publishers of this tape are keen you should know that the lack of flashy packaging and hype are all part of their plan to keep cost down. As a result all you get is a plain library case, and a typewritten label, rather like the early days of ZX81 software. The game, however, is a different matter. I suspect it's written in BASIC, but it goes to show just what can be done with care.

Designed to increase your powers of concentration and recall, it features a pack of cards placed face down. By momentarily revealing the values of two cards at your request, it's possible to build up a picture of where they are. You then score points by matching pairs, either solo, or against two levels of computer play, together with friends. As you might expect, the Spectrum remembers what's where but it's quite possible to beat it. At the end of the game, you have the option to leave the cards in the same layout, or opt for a new one. Simple idea, but fun to play, and, yes, there is an improvement in your performance as the game progresses.

The computer is slow in making its choices, and graphics are adequate without being arcade standard. It would appear, however, that in order to protect the program, the error stack pointer has been poked to a new value, thus an inadvertent press of the cursor keys, for example, results in the program crashing. Enjoyable.

D.M.

Other Spectrum 48K Game Reviews By D.M.


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