In the second of my "Game Show" articles [Number one appeared in EUG #17 - Gus], I've got two games for you, Alphabet Chaser and Block Blitz.

The version of Alphabet Chaser present on this EUG was written by me although I copied the idea from the game Letter Chaser by Neal-Cavalier Smith and stole a few sound effects from the EUG #18 Sound Directory. Block Blitz, on the other hand, is an unmodified original Electron game originally published in Elbug and now reprublished in EUG with their permission.

In this game you have been landed with the task of trying to regain all the letters of the alphabet, which have been stolen by some evil Prince Black, in a vain attempt to stop anyone in the world being able to read or write.

There are two speed levels, speed one is the slowest. The game is spread over ten levels which gradually get faster and faster.

You have been imprisoned by the evil Dr X in a series of caverns, which are now being filled with blocks aimed for you. Fortunately, there is a lifeline - if you can stand on the blocks at the level of the sides of the cavern, you can escape. Once you have escaped from one though, you get placed in an even deeper one until you can escape from all of them. Be warned: You can only climb up or down one block at a time.

Move left and right using the cursor keys - you will climb any blocks in the way, provided you don't have to step up or down more than one block at a time.

Originally written by D. J. Pilling and published in Elbug 1.4.

As a bonus 'game', I have included a program a typewriter simulation called Typing [in the $ directory - Gus]. Just try typing *TYPING at the prompt and see what happens when you catalogue your disk or something!

Has anyone out there got any machine code method of accessing the BASIC RND() function? I haven't been able to find one and it would be of great use in pure machine code games. If the function doesn't exist, does anyone have a machine code routine that will generate random numbers for a seed? If you have either, please send it to me at the address below.

Ross Little, EUG #19