Crystal Castles
(US Gold, 1986)
Bentley the bear is exploring a castle and must collect all the gems from each room in the castle. Among some of the bizarre monsters to be encountered are marbles which home in on Bentley, tree spirits which Bentley can temporarily disable by jumping over them, centipedes which eat gems slowly, and witches. Both the graphics and sound effects are absolutely terrible, and Bentley seems to have his legs stuck together! This was originally released as a limited edition game, but it sold so poorly that it was re-released a few years later – and it’s not surprising to see why when you see how it plays. It’s a distinctly average game, although it’s not really bad.
Crystal Kingdom Dizzy
(Code Masters, 1992)
The treasures of the Yolkfolk have been stolen from the Temple of Zeffar, and Dizzy has to retrieve them to avoid a curse falling on the kingdom – and so begins Dizzy’s final adventure on the CPC. This game is quite different from Dizzy’s other adventures. It’s divided into four parts, and there are passwords so that you don’t have to replay parts that you have already completed, which is a very welcome addition. What is most noticeable, however, is that the graphics are in the high-colour, low-resolution Mode 0 instead of the normal four-colour Mode 1 that has been used in all of Dizzy’s other adventures on the CPC, and I actually like the new graphics. On the other hand, most of the puzzles are easy to solve, and the conversation with other characters is often banal.
See also: Bubble Dizzy, Dizzy, Dizzy Down the Rapids, Dizzy Panic, Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Fantasy World Dizzy, Fast Food, Kwik Snax, Magicland Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy, Treasure Island Dizzy.
Crystals
(DMV-Software, 1992)
A very bizarre game with a nonsensical background story about earning money to escape a dying, polluted world. There are eight levels, each containing crystals that bounce slowly around the screen, and switches that control the behaviour of magnetic fields positioned around the edges. There are also coloured rectangles that change the colour of a crystal if it passes over them. If two similar crystals touch each other, power can be transferred between them, and to complete a level and earn money, one crystal must have a sufficient amount of power for it to be transformed into a diamond. However, you must also ensure that ‘weak’ crystals don’t collide with each other, which will drain their power further. Confused? I was as well, and it took a while for me to understand the gameplay mechanics, but once you get the hang of what you are meant to be doing, you should find this game rather rewarding.
Cubit
(Amsoft, 1984)
Noughts and crosses is brought into three dimensions as you play either a friend or the computer to be the first to line up four tiles in a row. Of course, as well as stopping your opponent making lines on one level, you’ve also got to keep an eye on them making lines that cross all four levels, if you see what I mean. However, this is easier said than done when you’re playing the computer – maybe the human brain just isn’t capable of visualising the lines in 3D. It’s probably better to play with a friend, although the controls are awkward; you have to press fire quickly twice to place a tile, and it often doesn’t work.
El Cuervo de la Tormenta
(Josep Coletas Caubet/MiguelSky, 2026)
Knowledge of Spanish is required in order to play this game properly.
One of Dr Van Halen’s colleagues, Professor Brinkerhoff, returned from a voyage and began to suffer from a strange and unknown illness, and the professor’s daughter Anika has requested Dr Van Halen’s assistance – so he travels to the professor’s house in Amsterdam, where a thief steals one of his books, and he learns that the professor was wearing a bracelet that was sold to an antique dealer. This is the second in a series of five text adventures featuring Dr Van Halen. Like the previous game, Misterio en la Catedral, it begins with you having to retrieve your briefcase and other possessions before you can leave your own house, although this time the process isn’t as long-winded. Once in Amsterdam, you’re free to travel by carriage to various locations around the city. It’s just as atmospheric as the first adventure and the intrigue behind the missing bracelet makes you want to keep exploring further.
See also: Misterio en la Catedral.
A long time ago, in a very distant world, there lived a princess named Zelda. She ruled the kingdom of Hyrule and had perverted its inhabitants into lust and vice – but one fine day, the gods decided to punish her for forcing the elves to breed with the girls from the village next door. Zelda was exiled to the other side of the ocean, isolated, and above all, without any spare panties! This is a no-nonsense game; in fact it is an amazing effort that harnesses the power of the Plus range. The graphics are magnificent, with detailed sprites, a high frame rate, fantastic colours and a huge variety of enemies. The sound is nothing less than fantastic. An atmospheric tune plays throughout the action, while there are a variety of effects. The gameplay is fantastic. This role-playing game certainly delivers awesome quality and it’s easily one of the best Plus games ever to have been released.
El Culto
(Tartessos Games, 2023)
You have travelled to a village in the mountains whose inhabitants are living under a constant blanket of fear, and your goal is to uncover the source of this terror. You will need to explore the village, enter some of the houses and talk to the inhabitants to learn new information and gain access to some locations. You also have a gun that you can use to shoot enemies, including strange purple zombie-like creatures that respawn constantly on each screen. You also need to watch the clock, although collecting scrolls will give you extra time. This is a simple game, but I don’t really like it. The graphics are colourful but nothing special, and while the tune in the background adds to the atmosphere of mystery, it plays very quietly. However, the game feels rather dull and lacking in variety, and having to shoot zombies over and over again is an annoyance.
Curro Jiménez
(Zigurat, 1989)
In 19th century Spain, the French army is occupying large parts of the country. Now they have amassed enough firepower to destroy the entire country – but one warrior, Curro Jiménez, has the courage to confront and defeat the French single-handedly! You must travel on foot, on horseback, and even on a hot air balloon, through towns and across countryside to reach the French army camp. You are armed with a gun to shoot the French invaders, and along the way, you need to collect treasure chests to obtain dynamite; some chests may give you an extra life instead. The graphics and animation in this game are stunning, and unlike many Spanish games, it’s relatively easy to make progress, although jumping over the barriers when you’re riding a horse can be frustrating.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
jgonza.
The Curse of Rabenstein
(Puddle Soft, 2020)
While travelling on a long journey to Strasbourg, your coachman loses his way in the Black Forest and stops to check his maps. He asks you to go to a village nearby to find a place to stay for the night. The village has an inn and a stable, but after you take the horses to the stable to rest and then return to the clearing where the coachman stopped, he has disappeared – and so your story begins in the cursed village of Rabenstein. This text adventure is full of atmosphere and mystery, with astonishingly beautifully drawn pictures accompanying each location, in the style of Level 9’s later releases. However, it’s not particularly large, and experienced players should have no problems completing it fairly quickly, but while it’s not much of a challenge, it is nonetheless quite enjoyable to play while it lasts.
The Curse of Sherwood
(Mastertronic, 1987)
A portal of evil has fallen on Sherwood, and it’s up to Friar Tuck to go to the castle and destroy the portal. The game involves lots of exploring and killing various creatures and humans, while working out which weapon to use. There are also some objects to collect, but you’ll have to find out what they’re used for. Despite the game using the CPC’s four-colour, medium-resolution Mode 1, the graphics are extremely blocky, and the sound effects are equally awful – yet for some reason, it’s still not all that bad a game; it’s just that getting through the swamp is extremely difficult.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Amstrad CPC World.