The Micro User
1st May 1987
Published in The Micro User 5.03
The latest release in the US Gold Master Game series is entitled Unbelievable Ultimate and consists of four of Ultimate's all-time greats.
The first offering is Jetpac, a tale of spaceship construction on a hostile planet. Not being a wealthy spaceman, you cannot afford a ready-made ship so you order a kit from the Acme Interstellar Transport Company. This is obviously a bit of a cowboy outfit as each section of ship is delivered by being dropped from orbit. The game follows your exploits as you don your jetpac and begin constructing the ship - in the middle of a meteor storm.
The title tune is excellent, the graphics large and colourful and the game is great fun to play.
Next in chronological order we have Sabre Wulf. Following a fall of unknown distance you find yourself trapped in a mystical jungle. A message etched deep in the rock reveals that your only chance of escape is to locate the four quarters of a sacred amulet.
With your trusty sabre in hand you scour every inch of the maze-like jungle in search of the amulet. As you might expect, the jungle is teeming with wildlife - and most of it regards you as dinner. The best tactic when playing this game is to hold down the the fire key. This causes Sabre Man to rush through the undergrowth slashing at everything that moves - it may not be subtle but it is effective.
Sabre Man escaped from the jungle but only after he had suffered the curse of the wulf. Each day, as the light fades, he undergoes the dramatic transformation from man to wulf. Somewhere deep within castle Knight Lore is the old wizard and only he can lift the curse. The game follows your journey through the deviously constructed castle rooms.
Knight Lore was the first game to employ Ultimate's famous, and much copied, 3D animation technique.
The final game is set in the village of Nightshade. Once a peaceful hamlet, it was struck by a mysterious plague which transformed its inhabitants into hideous creatures. Armed only with a pocket full of anti-bodies you venture into Nightshade in search of the evil Overlord who was responsible for the plague.
Nightshade is more zap-and-blast than Knight Lore and as such is a little easier to play.
This compilation reflects the high quality of all of Ultimate's games - well worth the money.
