Screenshot of Fantastic Voyage

Fantastic Voyage

(Amsoft, 1984)

Take yourself on a journey through the human body. You have been miniaturised and injected into the body of a scientist and have to collect pieces of a submarine which you assemble in the brain. However, you also have to fight off infections and kill all the bacteria before the scientist’s temperature becomes critically high. The graphics are a bit basic and very dark colours are used, although you can try the green screen option if you have problems. Despite this (and the horrifically awful tune on the menu screen), it’s an enjoyable game to play.

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Screenshot of Fantasy World Dizzy

Fantasy World Dizzy

(Code Masters, 1989)

This is the third of Dizzy’s adventures and I reckon it is the best. Daisy has been kidnapped and is being held in a tower in the clouds, and he also has to collect thirty coins to show his love for her. This is the first adventure to feature Dizzy’s friends, the Yolkfolk, and you’ll need their help. There are also some mysterious creatures to watch out for, such as hawks, dragons, crocodiles and the armorog! Dizzy sure has a tough life... The graphics are better and more detailed than the previous two Dizzy adventures and the music is quite jolly as well, and at least you have more than one life this time!

See also: Bubble Dizzy, Crystal Kingdom Dizzy, Dizzy, Dizzy Down the Rapids, Dizzy Panic, Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Fast Food, Kwik Snax, Magicland Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy, Treasure Island Dizzy.

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Screenshot of Fantôme City

Fantôme City

(Coktel Vision, 1986)

Reviewed by Robert Small

A game set in the haunted Wild West sounds reasonable enough, but when it’s been put together as haphazardly as this, goodwill is hard to find. Let’s start with the music. A familiar piece has been chosen and it’s all right the first couple of times, but it wears you down after a while. Sticking with the audio, and the sound effects when firing your gun aren’t the best. That’s the objective in Fantôme City. Scan your pistol across the scene and dispatch the bad guys. It’s a shooting gallery but unfortunately it’s hard to be accurate, which is a major problem. Add to this some rather crude graphics with garish colours and it’s not good. Some small plus points – your gun looks quite cool, the little cowboy that takes a hit each time you lose a life is a good touch, and the odd bit of destructible scenery.

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Screenshot of Fast Food

Fast Food

(Code Masters, 1989)

Dizzy stars in a Pac-Man-style game, where he must eat all the items of food in each maze while avoiding the ghosts – Bonzo, Wiza, Pipa and Fido – each of which has their own personality. Fortunately, there are many power-ups to collect, and bottles of ketchup, mustard and relish will also help Dizzy out. There is a total of thirty levels to go through. It’s a nice game with colourful graphics and some rather neat music, although you get an extra life every three levels, which makes things a little too easy. Still, the cartoons you get to see every three levels are fun to watch!

See also: Bubble Dizzy, Crystal Kingdom Dizzy, Dizzy, Dizzy Down the Rapids, Dizzy Panic, Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Fantasy World Dizzy, Kwik Snax, Magicland Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy, Treasure Island Dizzy.

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Screenshot of The Fear: Storm II

The Fear: Storm II

(Mastertronic, 1987)

Una Cum has now captured The Fear, a small but very powerful wooden casket. It is locked inside a stone circle, and to release it, you must touch the stones in the right order. Having done that, you must then take The Fear to the monastery for good to triumph over evil. You can take control of either Silver (Agravain’s daughter), or her husband Frost. The graphics are OK, but there are few sound effects. As for the game itself, it’s pretty average and not as good as its predecessor. Your character moves too fast, you can often find yourself getting lost in the scenery, and worst of all, you can only fire horizontally.

See also: Storm.

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Screenshot of Federation

Federation

(CRL, 1988)

Reviewed by Robert Small

A rather good little sci-fi text adventure with added graphics that are rather small but nicely done in Mode 1. Atmosphere is essential in this genre and Federation gets it spot on with locations, set pieces and what you come across during the course of your adventure. The plot regarding the pursuit of a stolen ship is a nice one and the game will keep track of how many turns you have taken throughout the game. There are better modern alternatives to this on the CPC with much better graphics, but this is still nicely done.

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Screenshot of Fer et Flamme

Fer et Flamme

(Ubi Soft, 1986)

Reviewed by Robert Small

  • Knowledge of French is required in order to play this game properly.

This game’s name translates to “Iron and Flame” in English. It’s from Ubi Soft, and once again, they show how to get the best out of the humble CPC. It’s a sprawling fantasy role-playing game with many locations to explore and characters to meet. Assemble a party of five, and at first the game begins from a top-down perspective. Enter a settlement and it becomes more like an adventure game, and it is here where the graphics start to stand out and the variety of locations become apparent. Interaction with the game comes from the use of icons. This is a big, challenging undertaking, and learning the intricacies of combat and making sure your characters are rested and fed will take time and patience, but when you consider this was made in 1986, it’s hard not to come away impressed. To top it off, it even has decent music as well.

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Screenshot of Fernandez Must Die

Fernandez Must Die

(Image Works, 1988)

An evil dictator known simply as Fernandez has taken over the South American country of the Democratic Republic of El Diablo, and its exiled leaders have called on you to free the country. You must take on Fernandez’s army single-handedly and blow up eight bases. The playing area is enormous, and you have to shoot (or avoid) soldiers, tanks and mines, among other things. You also have some explosive shells which allow you to enter prisons, which you’ll need to do throughout the game, because the prisons link to other areas. The graphics aren’t bad, but the music quickly becomes irritating – but it can be switched off. I don’t like this game; all the shooting and exploration becomes repetitive, and even with a built-in map, the bases are quite hard to find.

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Screenshot of Feud

Feud

(Bulldog, 1987)

Reviewed by Chris Lennard

This is another fine example of how original some CPC games were. You take the role of Learic the wizard and are pitted against your brother Leanoric in a sorcery battle to the death. You have to make your way across the medieval kingdom of Little Dullford collecting ingredients to make a wide range of spells. You then mix these spells in your cauldron and use them against your opponent. The graphics here are very quaint and the main theme tune is an absolute classic.

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Screenshot of Fiendish Freddy’s Big Top o’ Fun

Your Big Top circus has taken out a loan of $10,000, but the bank wants it paid back in full tonight! You must raise the money to ensure that the show will go on, but Fiendish Freddy is determined to stop you. The show consists of six circus events – high diving, juggling, the trapeze, knife throwing, tightrope walking, and the human cannonball. As with nearly all such games, some events are easily mastered, while others (mainly the tightrope walking and human cannonball) are much more tricky, and as a result, are not much fun to play. Despite this, the game overall is still very enjoyable, thanks to the astonishingly colourful graphics and superb animation. There are many humorous touches throughout all of the events, as well as several jolly circus-themed tunes. This is a brilliant game that is full of laughs, especially if you’re playing with one or more friends.

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