If there’s anything good to be said about this game, it’s that it wasn’t programmed by Opera Soft themselves; it was coded by a freelance group. The graphics are average, and so are the scrolling and the movements of your character. Nevertheless, Mithos is so unbelievably difficult right from the start, that nothing else matters about it. Games like this one made quite clear the crisis that Spanish companies were about to undergo at that time.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
jgonza.
You were dropped on the moon against your will (don’t ask me how) and your only chance to return home is to reach the rocket going back to Earth before it takes off. Driving a kind of buggy (which fortunately was shipped with two gun turrets), you must find the key that opens the rocket launchpad and clear your way through strange bouncing and exploding aliens. The game is divided into five parts, which are much alike. The difficulty is well balanced and increases smoothly. You’ll soon figure out that the real point of the game is trying not to run out of fuel. So, you’ll have to keep shooting fuel barrels (!), while jumping over holes and avoiding hostile fire. The realisation is rather good, with colourful graphics and very good scrolling. It’s a pity that the game, though rather difficult, should be so short.
You are the Mobileman, tasked with a mission to clear the catacombs of monsters, acid containers and barriers that block your way. You pilot a levi-pod that can move in four directions. Your weapon shoots a certain coloured blast that will only take out monsters of the same colour, so flowers of different colours need to be found to remove other creatures found dwelling in deeper levels. Acid cans act as barriers that can be shot by finding gaps in the walls of the maze. Strangely, the occupants of this underground world love barbecues, and sitting upon one restores your energy! This is an easy game to get into with a balanced difficulty level. It features lovely graphics and a very pleasant tune.
Mokowe
(Lankhor, 1990)
Knowledge of French is required in order to play this game properly.
Elephants are being hunted and killed for their tusks, and you have ventured to Kenya, travelling through jungles and villages, to arrest two ivory dealers, bring them to justice and do your bit to stop these magnificent beasts from being slaughtered. The game starts in a hotel where three rather eccentric characters are staying. Timing is essential here, as the characters come and go depending on the time, and there are some areas which can only be accessed at certain times; the best way to find out when is to experiment. The graphics, music and sound effects are all excellent and atmospheric and have a real African feel. The story and concept of the game is a welcome change from the fantasy and science fiction settings of most adventures.
Molecule Man
(Mastertronic, 1986)
Molecule Man is trapped in a maze consisting of 256 screens – and what’s more, the maze is contaminated with radioactive material! Escaping from the maze using the teleporter is a good idea, then, but it can only be used once the 16 circuits have been found. While wandering the maze, you will find coins that can be used to buy bombs (which allow you to blow holes in walls and access other parts of the maze) and anti-rad pills (which top up your energy). You will need to buy pills fairly regularly, though. The maze is viewed from an isometric perspective, and while the scenery is detailed, everything is drawn in monochrome. This isn’t the sort of game that appeals to me that much, but it also contains a level editor that allows you to design your own mazes – a nice bonus.
Momie Blues is a relatively early 3D maze game, and yet despite this, the graphics are very smooth. There are traps to be avoided and corridor-filling nightmares to be defeated as you explore the maze. I quite liked the in-game sound effects, including the sound you make when you are moving around. There’s not a lot to it but it’s head and shoulders in front of Sultan’s Maze, for example. It goes to show how far Amstrad CPC graphics had advanced in just a couple of years. It’s also a nice change of pace from Coktel Vision’s many other CPC releases.
Monopoly
(Leisure Genius, 1985)
Arguably the world’s best known board game is poorly recreated on the CPC. Up to six players, human or computer, can play as they buy properties and then houses and hotels, and hopefully collect rent when other players land on their properties. There’s also the frustration when you roll the dice and realise that you’re going to land on the ‘go to jail’ square. Unfortunately, the game moves extremely slowly. Messages take ages to appear on the screen, and there are unnecessarily long delays between events. It ruins the thrill of the game entirely. Stick with the real board game; it’s much more fun that way.
Monte Carlo Casino
(Code Masters, 1989)
This little number is really five games in one; roulette, black jack, poker, craps and the fruit machine all feature, although the fruit machine is rather lacking in extras. You start with $10,000 and have to break the bank by getting a cool one million dollars – and it’s not easy. You can choose any of the five games, and if you’re not having much success at them, you can leave them at any time. The graphics are average, but there are some nice tunes – and at least you can’t lose any money! Then again, you can’t win any, either...
Monty on the Run is the first Monty Mole game out of three for the CPC, and the story goes that our hero has escaped from jail and is making a bid for freedom, with his aim being to get to France. Strangely, this involves Monty somersaulting around a load of platforms avoiding strange enemies like teapots and giant hands. The graphics are detailed and pretty nice, the sound is good, but the game is way too hard! For example, at the start of the game you select five out of twenty or so items to take with you. Some are vital, some are deadly, some are useless, but choose the wrong ones and you soon find yourself stuck. Add to this the annoying totally random crushers, the teleporters which take you anywhere you don’t want to be, and the split-second timing needed for every jump, and you get one of the hardest games ever made – which is a shame because apart from that, it’s really good.
See also: Auf Wiedersehen Monty, Impossamole.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
(Virgin Games, 1990)
And now for something completely different... D. P. Gumby’s brain has split into four pieces which have all wandered off. As Mr Gumby, you must collect all the pieces on each of the four levels of the game. During the game, you will encounter all sorts of Monty Python-related silliness and wackiness. It’s a platform game-cum-shoot-’em-up, but it’s great fun! You also need to shoot pieces of cheese which will reveal food to boost your energy, and tins of spam which are required if you want to collect those pieces of Mr Gumby’s brain (you need 16 in each level). The graphics are spectacularly wonderful, although there isn’t much in the way of sound effects, and even if you’re not a fan of Monty Python, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable, and crazy, game to play.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Axelino,
GameHammer Classic Gaming.