Return of the Jedi
(Domark, 1989)
Reviewed by Chris Lennard

Breaking away from the first two vector-based games, this is an isometric scroller. The first level involves guiding Princess Leia through the forests of Endor on a speederbike avoiding the Stormtroopers and the omnipresent trees. The next stage involves guiding the Millennium Falcon through the incomplete Death Star, avoiding the dangerous protrusions in order to take out the central reactor and then escaping in reverse as it blows up. Stage three involves more of the first but with even more trees and Stormtroopers. Finally, you take control of an AT-ST, avoiding the Ewoks' logs and boulders in order to reach the shield generator. Nicely presented, but a disappointingly repetitive and difficult game that lacks the fun of the prequels.

See also: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars, Star Wars Droids.

More information on CPCSOFTS

6

Kim Kimberley is back in an even more obtuse and difficult text adventure! Despite your heroics in saving Snowball 9, you've been cast as a saboteur and forced to flee for your life to the planet Eden. You must find your way through the treacherous jungle into the Robot City before the robots destroy the orbiting Snowball 9 and kill the colonists in the process – who are trying to kill you! This was the first Level 9 game to feature graphics, but they are extremely basic and detract from the location descriptions. Return to Eden cranks up the difficulty level from the very beginning and it makes for an unsatisfactory experience as you find yourself battling with some of the more obscure leaps of logic. The atmosphere of the first game, although not completely lost, is not what it was, and despite some good set-pieces, Return to Eden does not compare well with its predecessor.

See also: Snowball, The Worm in Paradise.

More information on CPCSOFTS

5

Return to Oz
(US Gold, 1986)

Follow the adventures of Dorothy as she leaves her home in Kansas and finds herself in the magical world of Oz again, encountering such bizarre creatures as the Wheelers, the evil Princess Mombi, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Nome King. This is one of those icon-driven adventures where you can only select a limited number of commands – in this case, only eight. It's mainly aimed at children, and everyone else will find it far too easy; for example, if you select the 'use' command, the program will only let you select objects which you can use in the room you're in. The graphics are mediocre as well and there are no sound effects at all.

More information on CPCSOFTS

4

Now here is a highly bizarre and original game – map out a 3D landscape which you can't see! Before attempting each landscape, you're given a view of it and have about five seconds to memorise it. Then you must control a gyroscope and manoeuvre it over all of the hidden squares, while avoiding the enemies and sticking to the very strict time limit. If you manage this, you then have to move the gyroscope to a flashing square to go to the next landscape. It's difficult, and it helps if you have a photographic memory, but my goodness, the urge to have another go is there in bucketfuls.

More information on CPCSOFTS

8

Take one of Clive Sinclair's unloved C5 machines out for a drive around the suburban roads, avoiding all the cars, motorcycles and other monsters (it's dangerous out there in the suburbs!). The game is a flick-screen affair, and if you crash your C5, you are taken back one screen. The problem is that often you'll be moved to a position where it's impossible to avoid hitting something, so you're moved back even further. The roads are too narrow, and even on the easy mode, it's too difficult; some of the gaps you have to squeeze through are far too small. The graphics and sound effects are appalling, and although the name of the game is amusing, there's nothing else to laugh about.

More information on CPCSOFTS

3

Revolution
(US Gold, 1986)

This is an ingenious puzzle game in which you control a bouncing ball. There are eight levels, each containing four puzzles which are selected at random each time you play. Each of the 32 puzzles contains two red blocks, and to solve the puzzle, you must first hit one of the blocks with the ball to turn it white, then do the same to the other block quickly, otherwise the first block will turn red again. If you succeed, both blocks disappear. Controlling the ball is initially difficult, but it's essential that you master it. The concept of the game is simple, but the puzzles are cleverly designed, and once you master the controls, solving each puzzle brings a real feeling of satisfaction.

More information on CPCSOFTS

8

Dirty Dick and his rotten bunch of cowboys have invaded the town of Smallsville, and since the Sheriff and his Deputy have been thrown out by Dirty Dick, the townsfolk have asked you to help clean the town. Each room is laid out in an isometric manner and contains a certain number of gunslingers to shoot. Of course, they're also looking for you, and you only have five units of energy before you die. However, collecting enough reward money for shooting gunslingers allows you to collect more energy. The graphics are OK, but there's very little sound, and while it's possible for two players to play, the game is still a bit dull.

More information on CPCSOFTS

5

This time you won't have to kill a single alien. In this game, you are the alien slaughtering poor humans. Rex, a 'rhino sapiens' specimen, is bent on plundering the Zenith tower, where humans keep countless treasures. This is a platform game with some arcade elements. That is, you have weapons to use against most enemies, but your best defence is knowing where and when you should jump to. The graphics are cute, although very small. There is no music, just a few sound effects. Regarding difficulty, Rex is quite hard at first, but becomes a bit easier after some practice.

More information on CPCSOFTS

6

Our intrepid explorer Rick has crash-landed his 'plane in an Amazonian rainforest and has to escape the nasty Goolu tribe. This won't be easy, and right from the word 'go', there are various nasty traps lying to catch you out – as well as those Goolus. From there, Rick moves on to an Egyptian pyramid where he must recover the stolen jewel of Ankhel, and then it's on to a castle to rescue some prisoners, before blowing up the missile silo where the enemy is based – it's all in a day's work. The excellent cartoon graphics are what makes this game appealing, and although there are traps at every turn, it's not frustrating – it has that 'one more go' factor.

See also: Rick Dangerous 128+, Rick Dangerous II.

More information on CPCSOFTS

9

Rick Dangerous, the original CPC game released by Firebird in 1989, was a much loved and very fun as well as frustratingly addictive game. Amstrad Action awarded it a Rave with an overall score of 83%. So as a tribute to the original, 20 years later Fano, BDCIron and MacDeath got together and produced a stunning remake for 6128 Plus machines. There is a cool new loading screen, and the addition of an options menu to configure the game is great. Other extras included in this remake include the famous digitised "Whhhaaa!" sample at 15KHz, full levels from the 16-bit versions, cool cutscenes with graphics from the Amiga version, music from the Atari ST version, redrawn tiles and sprites, and additional artwork. A fantastic job and still as fun and frustratingly addictive as the original.

See also: Rick Dangerous, Rick Dangerous II.

More information on CPCSOFTS

10