Elevator Action
(Quicksilva, 1987)
Otto has been sent to capture secret documents from several buildings, but he has to keep an eye out for all the security guards who are looking out for him! You’ve got a gun to shoot them, although they can shoot you too. The graphics aren’t too good and some of the colours of the walls are horrible, but the theme tune is wonderful and it’s not one you’ll forget easily! Unfortunately, it’s just too difficult, and it’s annoying when security guards seem to pop up from nowhere and shoot you before you can turn around.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by: Amstrad CPC World, ChinnyVision, Xyphoe.
Elf is a text adventure that features very detailed and well drawn Mode 1 screens coupled with an interesting plot. This game is based on an arcade version that was released by Ocean back in 1991. The game greatly resembles the atmosphere of Lord of the Rings. The graphics are very detailed but there is no sound. The plot is attractive and attention-grabbing; text adventure lovers will certainly play it until they complete it. Overall, a worthy and good quality addition to the great library of text adventure games for the CPC.
Elidon
(Orpheus, 1985)
Lurking within a forest are the seven secret potions that will water the flowers of Finvara, but the forest is full of monsters and other hazards. It’s certainly not a safe place for a fairy like you to venture into – but you’ll have to find those potions, otherwise the fairies won’t be able to make a crown for their queen. The forest consists of 256 screens, so there is a lot of exploring to be done. Contact with monsters, and even much of the scenery, drains your energy and sends you falling to the ground, although energy can be restored by collecting fairy dust. The graphics are mediocre and the music is irritating, and wandering around the forest with very little to do quickly becomes very dull indeed.
A classic shoot-’em-up which was written by a relative unknown, only to be taken up by a large software house and go on to become a major hit. Pilot your ship through the scrolling environment that gives the impression of 3D perspective, like Space Harrier. Shoot the waves of aliens, avoid the obstacles and pick up any power-ups as you follow the path left, right, down and up whilst passing in and out of various tunnels. The sprites are impressive and the music is brilliant, however the environment is rather basic. This is a good attempt by Hewson to convert what is ultimately a 16-bit game – but they didn’t quite pull it off.
Landmark game from programming legend David Braben. Far in the future, pilot your trusty Cobra MkIII around the galaxy in a bid to gain the immortal rank of Elite. Along the way, you encounter fellow voyagers, traders, pirates and the mysterious but dreaded Thargoid aliens. It was revolutionary upon its release, as it allows complete freedom within a 3D environment to explore a myriad of planets, each with their own unique characteristics. Special missions are also available, so that you can ultimately discover the location of the Thargoids’ hidden homeworld. What it lacks in visual and audio impact, it more than makes up for in sheer playability and originality. This is one of only a handful of games that can claim to have created their own genre.
Elven Warrior
(Players, 1989)
You are an elf who has discovered magic, and you have to fill cauldrons with four bottles containing magic potions. This is a platform game in which you search for the bottles in villages and dungeons. You need keys to unlock the doors which take you to other areas of the game, and there is a variety of weapons you can use to shoot enemies. However, it’s slow and rather dull, and the Spectrum-like graphics don’t help matters. The elf cannot jump diagonally, which is irritating, as are the numerous opportunities for dying simply by walking off the wrong edge of a platform. The music on the menu is awful as well.
The Elves of Maroland
(Dwalin, 2023)
One night, the wizard Ogion summoned an evil Shadow that severely wounded him. Before he expired, he implored you, his apprentice Ged, to seek the Elven Wizards, who have the knowledge to defeat the Shadow before it destroys the entire archipelago of Maroland. This is a text adventure in two parts. If you’re playing the disc version, each location is accompanied by a picture, all of which have been generated using artificial intelligence, but the conversion to the CPC makes them look rather messy due to too much dithering. You will need to converse with characters, although initially it isn’t clear what you should say to them. Once you overcome this problem (recall the advice Ogion gave you about names), it becomes more interesting, although most of the puzzles are rather easy and the number of locations you can explore at any time is small, so the game feels a bit linear.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by: XeNoMoRPH (Spanish version).
Emerald Isle
(Level 9, 1985)
While piloting a plane over the Caribbean, you are forced to fly into the Bermuda Triangle. Your plane crashes into the sea, but fortunately you ejected in time. Unfortunately, you have landed on the Emerald Isle, and the only way you can leave the island is to find treasure and therefore promote yourself to King or Queen – but the first thing you’ll need to do is release yourself from your parachute. This game has approximately 200 locations, and every one of them is accompanied by a picture. However, most of them are poor, although they can be switched off to speed the game up a little. Even though this is another ‘treasure hunt’ adventure, it’s quite amazing just how much has been squeezed into the CPC’s memory.
This game licensed the name of the best Spanish football player of all time. As a result, it was the best selling 8-bit game in Spain ever. Emilio Butragueño ¡Fútbol! is quite an enjoyable game, although it lacks most of the features usually found in other football games. You can’t play any competitions or manage your team at all; it’s always the same two teams playing a single match. Nevertheless, it features a great two-player mode, and so people used to arrange competitions anyway. It may have aged badly, but I used to have a very good time playing this game.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by: jgonza, Retro Danuart.
Here we have a very nice little tennis game. It features a unique control system which sets it apart from other tennis games. Shots are selected via a series of icons and are aimed using a crosshair. There are a good variety of shots and the rallies become engaging. Real players and venues also feature. It’s an OK looking game – not the best looking tennis game on the CPC but competent. Line calls feature the odd bit of sampled speech. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it plays a good game of tennis.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by: jgonza (Open Australia), jgonza (Open USA), jgonza (Roland Garros), jgonza (Wimbledon), Xyphoe.