Screenshot of Kaiser

Kaiser

(Ariolasoft, 1986)

Between one and nine players can compete against each other in this strategy game, in an attempt to become Emperor of 18th century Germany. Starting with 10,000 acres of land, each player takes it in turn to manage their supply of corn so that the inhabitants of his or her land can be fed. Markets and mills can also be built to generate extra revenue, and you can also build a palace and a cathedral. As you progress, your rank increases until you are eventually crowned Emperor. As a one-player game, it’s OK, but if you can find one or more players to compete with, you can also recruit an army and wage war against your opponents to obtain land and money. The game is rather slow, but I found it to be an interesting economic simulation. However, it only works on a CPC464, which is very surprising for a game that was released in 1986.

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Screenshot of Kamyzol

Kamyzol

(Futur Antérieur, 2014)

Reviewed by Missas

Kamyzol is a puzzle game where you have to move a red brick outside the screen to progress to the next level. Sounds easy? Well, it isn’t! The game is in Mode 1 with four colours. In my opinion it could easily have been a Mode 0 game with much better presentation. The sound is limited to only in-game music which is really nice and matches the game style. The gameplay is challenging and interesting; there are vertically and horizontally aligned bricks which can only be moved in the same direction in which they are aligned. You have to be able to calculate your moves in advance, because moving a brick to an inappropriate place could make things more difficult for you. Overall, a nice and attention-grabbing puzzle game which suffers from poor graphics.

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Screenshot of Kane

Kane

(Mastertronic, 1986)

Some Wild West action for you here. You’re a cowboy and have to perform four tasks. The first task sees you shooting birds (awww!) with your bow and arrow – this determines how many lives you’ll get. Next, you get on your horse to the town of Kane, before entering the town and clearing it of all the enemy cowboys. Finally, you’re running alongside a train on your horse and have to reach the front carriage whilst jumping over the obstacles. You can practice any of these tasks as well. The graphics are a bit below average, as are the sound effects, and whilst it’s enjoyable at first, there are only so many times you’ll play it before losing interest.

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Screenshot of Karateka

Karateka

(Brøderbund, 1990)

Up at the top of a mountain in Japan, the evil lord Akuma has captured the beautiful princess Mariko. You, as a karate fighter, make your way to Akuma’s temple and battle his soldiers one at a time, taking them on in one-to-one karate. Each time you kill a soldier, you run forwards and get that bit closer to Mariko, before finally reaching her dungeon cell and confronting Akuma himself. The first few fighters are fairly easy to kill, but once you’re inside the temple, it becomes harder. This is a conversion of a game that was released years before the CPC version, and one might regard it as a forerunner to the excellent Prince of Persia – certainly, the graphics and presentation are very similar indeed. Overall, though, there is little variety in the gameplay.

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Screenshot of Karatian

Karatian

(Wizcat, 1995)

Reviewed by CPC4eva

Karatian is a beat-’em-up that combines elements of three CPC games – IK+, Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, and Beyond the Ice Palace. It features Beyond the Ice Palace’s loading screen, music and scrolling introduction, two different backdrops from Barbarian and gameplay and sprites from IK+. It’s weird, but oh so wonderful. Impressive graphical changes and instant grab factor will have you playing for a long while. The sound consists of spot effects when you land blows on your opponent, and at the end of each round, the losing characters disappear in a spectacular explosion! Instead of having three players, Karatian has added a fourth player and limited moves, making it a harder game than IK+. If timed right, you can also get your character to emit a humorous scream within a speech bubble.

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Screenshot of Karls Treasure Hunt

Karls Treasure Hunt

(Software Projects, 1984)

Reviewed by John Beckett

Karl – after his last outing in Karls Cavern (which was only released for the BBC Micro) – has fallen on hard times. So imagine his delight when he wins a competition for a stay in Wonga Mansion. “So what?” you say. Well, scattered around this mansion’s 40 rooms are 40 keys. If Karl can collect all of the keys and then locate the exit, he can unlock the treasure chest and become rich beyond his wildest dreams! Just as Karls Cavern was a blatant rip-off of Manic Miner, this game is a blatant copy of that game’s sequel, Jet Set Willy. The graphics and sound are as basic as you would expect from such an old game, and it is also very difficult, but I still quite liked it. I found it quite fun and addictive, and the maze-like layout of the 40 rooms is ingenious.

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Screenshot of Karnov

Karnov

(Activision, 1988)

Reviewed by Chris Lennard

In the realm of Wonderland, strongman Karnov is on a quest to retrieve the legendary treasure of Babylon from the dragon Ryu. However, lying between our hero and his prize is a land filled with monsters in all shapes and sizes; ghouls, ghosts, demons, gargoyles, golems, skeletal warriors, dinosaurs and more. Thankfully, Karnov is a tough nut, and is capable of breathing fire. A plethora of bonuses that upgrade our bald-headed muscleman are also available as he makes he way across the landscape battling the unpleasant locals hellbent on his destruction. Sound and music are probably the best aspect, as the visuals are somewhat of a poor Spectrum quality and the sprites scroll awkwardly.

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Screenshot of Kat Trap

Kat Trap

(Streetwise, 1987)

Reviewed by John Beckett

Selected from over 4,000 entries as the winner of CRASH! magazine’s competition to design a game (what must the rest have been like?), Kat Trap has you in the role of a Multi-Terrain Exploration Droid (M.T.ED – get it?) who has been sent by the exiled people of Earth to win their planet back from the evil Kat-men who have taken it over. From your landing area, you must walk continually to the right, through ruined landscapes, blasting away enemies (different weapons destroy different enemies, so you must be quick-fingered at times) until you reach the Kat-men’s Power Core, shut it down and then make the long journey home. The graphics are OK, the sound is minimal, and although initially it’s not too difficult, obstacles such as the bouncing rocks are just plain irritating. M.T.ED’s pathetic ‘jump’ won’t help you either!

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Screenshot of Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager

Kenny Dalglish was the manager of Liverpool Football Club from 1985 to 1991 and he led the club to considerable success during this time, so does the use of his name make this football management game better than most others? Well, unlike a lot of other games in this genre, there are lots of colourful screens and icons instead of reams of text, although it takes a few seconds for each screen to be drawn, which can become tiresome. You can choose your team’s formation before each match, but there are no options to train your players and their skill seems to remain constant throughout the game. There are also no match highlights to watch. The graphics really make this game look appealing, but if you’re the type of person who wants a management simulation with a lot of depth and detail, this one isn’t for you.

See also: Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match.

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Screenshot of Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match

Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match

(Impressions, 1990)

Kenny Dalglish endorses another football game, but this one is terrible, mainly because it looks like a nightmarish Spectrum port. You can play against the computer or a human opponent in a single match, red against blue, which can last for 10 to 40 minutes – and that’s all you can do in this game. There are no tournaments or leagues to play in at all. The graphics are utterly appalling, except for the monochrome digitised pictures of Kenny. He appears on the screen just before each half with a ‘quick word’, offering such gems as “We want a good result” and “I want GOALS”. Thanks for that! When you compare this with Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager, it’s a real shame that this turned out to be such a poor game.

See also: Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager.

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