Jonathan Cauldwell has released his first full game created with the forthcoming Shoot-'Em-Up Designer (SEUD). It incorporates a title screen made with his Intro Maker utility too, showing off the potential of the combined packages to create professional-quality entertainment software.

The game is called Damage, and doesn't give you any excuses not to obliterate the swarming invading alien nasties. The scrolling within is as smooth as you like, and the game is worth half an hour of your time in itself.

The important thing that Damage demonstrates is, with the right imagination, commercial-like productions can be created, and SEUD will allow the game to scroll (or indeed, push-scroll) in any of four directions. Therefore, something such as Commando could be as possible as R-Type, and anyone willing to devote the time and effort can now make their own games without the need to learn Z80 machine language, or even anything of the internal workings of the Speccy. It's also the most sophisticated games maker I've seen, easily better that the popular Shoot-'Em-up Construction Kit in many ways.

The Intro Maker will also work with games created with Jonathan's Platform Game Designer (PGD), and I fully expect SEUD and the Intro Maker utility to be Cronosoft's next big releases.

Over at Jonathan's home page he's talked about what he plans next, though being more suggestive than definite, as there's mention of a follow-up to PGD as well as the possibility of an Arcade Game Designer too. No news on any games as yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if he has something pending release. You'll be the first to know, of course, but it's still worth pointing your web browser at www.cronosoft.co.uk in case of any updates there. While speaking of Speccy games, Bob Smith's splATTR is pending completion, and promises to break some new ground on the old 8-bit.

From the demo, things are looking interesting, and is something of a change of direction from Bob's previous releases. Again, a real-media release of this will be through Cronosoft, but to grab the demo, head over to www.bobs-stuff.co.uk.

Owners of MSX compatible home computers will no doubt be delighted to learn that the game Caos Begins is available to buy on cartridge. This game was the winner of the MSXdev '07 competition, and has built up a fan-base in the MSX community since.

The game pits the legendary Paladins against evil Demons, with the Gods using mankind as pawns in their war games, and the mighty Zeus governing all with wisdom and justice. But with Ares, God Of War, secretly plotting to take Zeus' power, violence and chaos spread to bring a dark age.

You play a hero loyal to Zeus, starting your quest to defend your own fortress as it's overrun by Areses' minnions.

The MSX Cartridge Shop, over at www.msxcartridgeshop.com, is offering this game, including a full sixteen-page colour manual at a not unreasonable 18 excluding postage costs. Orders can be placed online through the aforementioned website, with the announcement that other real-media games will follow, as well as utility cartridges and the likes. More details of other products will follow shortly.