23rd March 2006
Yet more news from the ZX Spectrum scene, as well as the usual retro stuff, rounded up by James Bray
Phantomas Saga: Infinity
There's a new game released for a 48K Speccy or better (if 128K is detected, title and in-game music is played) in a TZX emulator file format called Phantomas Saga: Infinity. It's a traditional 2D platform game hailing from Spain, in which the rather inconspicuous character must collect the keys strewn around each screen to unlock the vaults whilst avoiding the roaming robots and other mechanical fiends for untold riches... or something. This game is a very well-done platformer for the machine, easily equal to or better than the commercial greats of the 80s, accompanied by superb title and in-game music with the cunning of the changing locations for each key and vault as you start each new game.
Created by CEZ Team, this game has currently impressed all of those who downloaded it with an average online score of 9.24 out of 10 at the time of writing from 54 votes, so if you want some new old-school gaming action, head over to cezgs.computeremuzone.com/eng/card.php?id=10 to get your legal freebie.
Gates To Hell
Also available from the site for the Amstrad CPC is the interesting-looking Gates To Hell, telling a story of a new operating system called Windows to Hell (Win2H for short) being developed in a top secret laboratory. Intelligence suggests that the release of this OS will enslave every computer-using Homo-sapien on the face of the planet. Again, this release is a platform game. Our hero must stop the release of Win2H before it's too late. Can you help him? Navigate to the link mentioned above and find the download section under the 'games' drop-down menu, where you may also stumble across an MSX release or two.
Castle Of Madness
Recently released for the Commodore 64 is a rather interesting RPG, Castle Of Madness, in which the peaceful and well-protected domain known as Thaarland has been infiltrated by the evil Warlock Morthaz. As the last of the brave and fearless Thaarlains, the task in hand is to enter the Castle, now stronghold of the tyrant Morthaz, and defeat him once and for all, bringing the land under the rule of the indigenous population again. This game, like the others announced this week, is a free download that will work with all good emulators, so go get it from www.cache64.com where you will also find a helpful forum to guide you through the game. There's possibly a real-media release for this one, so we're keeping a close eye on developments for you.
Colour Invaders
Not to miss out on homebrew action, the Atari Age website have announced Rainbow Invaders, a Space Invaders clone that finally brings the game into glorious colour... well, for the 2600 at least. I don't think that there's much point in explaining what this game is all about, but imagine the world's first killer app with more invaders and colours, and include the same hypnotic gameplay that captured the imagination (and money) of a generation. For more information, head over to www.atariage.com.
Retro Website Of The Week: www.oldcomputers.com
This week's site has been the world's online computer museum since 1995, being constantly updated during its eleven-year reign with information dating back to the early 1950s and up to 1999. The site currently has details of no less than 934 computers, 84 game consoles and 98 pong machines all sorted by name, company and year of launch making things easy to digest. Accurate and well-written information is also the order of play here, which is why the site has proven so popular with all types of computer enthusiasts.
A well-deserved accolade then for this site to appear in this fine piece of printed matter.
