The Prize
(Amsoft, 1985)
Within the Chamber of Midas lies an ancient secret – but what exactly is it? In order to find out, you must fly through several mazes. Each maze contains four code pods which you must collect in the correct order. When you’ve got all four, you must then fly to the base to take you to the next maze. Of course, there are aliens in each room which you must shoot – but your supply of laser bolts is limited, although it can be replenished. This is a monotonous exploration game with very poor graphics and sound. There’s just not enough excitement in the game to make you want to collect the code pods.
Atlantis throws its hat into the ring when it comes to golf games on the Amstrad CPC. This one is played from a top-down perspective and it isn’t pretty. The graphics are very basic Mode 1. There are a couple of courses to play on (Sunningdale in England and Pebble Beach in California), a fair smattering of options, and gameplay that is a bit frustrating at first due to the way the ball is struck. Similarly to Nick Faldo Plays the Open, a little golfer is depicted on the screen, but due to the poor graphics it just doesn’t look anywhere near as good as that game. Indeed Pro Golf Simulator from Code Masters offers a better-looking round of top-down golf than this.
Pro Golf Simulator
(Code Masters, 1990)
Play a round of golf on an 18-hole course, ranging from easy 3-par holes to much trickier 5-par holes surrounded by water and sand bunkers. You can practice any of the holes, and you can also perfect your putting skills. Taking shots is easy enough; select a suitable club and the direction to hit the ball, and judge the strength of your shot and whether you want the ball to veer to the left (hook) or right (slice), taking into account the wind direction. The course is viewed from a top-down perspective, which is annoying when your ball lands underneath a bush or a tree. The graphics are good, as is the music (yes, music in a golf game!), and while it’s not the most realistic golf simulation for the CPC, it’s still pretty good. It even comes with an editor to let you design your own courses.
One or two players can take part in this challenging mountain bike racer. Never mind having to avoid the boulders and pitfalls on the courses, your first real obstacle will be getting to grips with a clunky set of controls. Once you work out how to move through the gears you’ll start to make some progress, but it’s still a long, uphill battle to get to grips with the game, as there’s no way to control the trajectory of your bike when you make leaps from ramps; you will crash and crash often! The graphics are blocky and undefined but clear enough for you to see what you’re doing. One gripe, though, is the flick-screen scrolling that makes careering into the occasional unseen object at the edge of a screen both unavoidable and frustrating. The game has a decent title tune and overall, it’s a fun distraction that rewards perseverance.
Pro Power Boat Simulator
(Code Masters, 1989)
Race a catamaran or a speedboat along five levels of action, dodging other speedboats, watching out for mines, and trying not to crash into the scenery! Your boat uses a lot of fuel, so you’ll need to collect extra fuel regularly. You can also collect mines which you can use to blow up other boats, although it’s not necessary to do this at all in order to complete the course; it merely allows you to obtain a few extra points. The first course is very easy indeed and is a simple introduction to the game, but it becomes a bit harder from the second level onwards. There’s also a ‘night level’ in which you can only see part of the course at any one time. The graphics are very good indeed, although there’s no music. Overall, though, this is a great little game.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Xyphoe.
Pro Skateboard Simulator
(Code Masters, 1989)
Skate your way around lots of courses, trying to reach the finishing line before your time runs out. There are two types of game here; the first sees you collecting flags and is viewed from an isometric perspective, while the second is a slalom course in which you move left and right to steer yourself between the flagpoles. In either case, if you run out of time or don’t pass through enough flagpoles, you lose a life. It sounds OK, but the game is mediocre. The graphics are nothing special and lack colour, and there is no music and very few sound effects, so you effectively play the game in silence. It’s a bit difficult as well.
Pro Tennis Simulator
(Code Masters, 1989)
This is a fairly simple tennis game which is quite tricky to get the hang of. There are relatively few options – the only changes you can make being the ability of your computer opponent, and the length of the match. Your opponent’s ability determines the surface that the game is to be played on – clay for novice opponents, grass for medium opponents, and concrete for expert opponents. The action is fast, but the controls are a little awkward, particularly if you’re using the keyboard, and even the novice opponent is too difficult to beat – or maybe I haven’t had enough practice. The graphics and sound are both of a high standard, but I didn’t find playing against the computer to be much fun.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Novabug.
Pro Tennis Tour
(Ubi Soft, 1990)
Of all the tennis games that have been released for the CPC, this one (known as Great Courts in France) has to be one of the smoothest and fastest. You start as the bottom-ranked player from a list of 17, and only by playing in tournaments such as the Australian, French and US Open, and of course Wimbledon, can you improve your ranking and become the number one player. The action is very fast indeed, so I reckon it’s one of the most realistic tennis simulations on the CPC as well! However, the game is very playable; all you need to do to return the ball is to position yourself appropriately and press the fire button, and serving is no problem either. The graphics are very good, and they’re even better in the cartridge version, which looks and feels almost like a different game.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Novabug (cartridge version),
Xyphoe (cartridge version).
Prodigy
(Electric Dreams, 1986)
The Machine Sorcerer Wardlock has created an organic lifeform in his Mechlab laboratories – but Solo the Syntheman doesn’t want to be experimented on for the rest of his life (and who can blame him?), and he wants to escape from the Mechlabs with baby Nejo, who will need to be fed with milk and have his nappy cleaned occasionally, like all babies. The Mechlabs are divided into four zones and are also filled with Wardlock’s previous experimental creations. Contact with these sends Solo all the way back to the start of the maze. This is no fun whatsoever, and to make matters worse, none of the monsters can be killed. The isometric graphics are reasonable, but I suggest you turn the volume down; the music (if you can call it that) is probably the worst you will ever hear on the CPC!
Profanation
(Chip, 1987)
You’re a treasure hunter, exploring the Egyptian pyramids with no regard for the sanctity of the place (the name of the game means ‘desecration’ in English) and grabbing whatever treasures you can find. Naturally, there are lots of monsters which will kill you if you touch them; mummies, beetles, blobs of slime, and bats which home in on you very quickly. Fortunately, you are armed with a gun to shoot the monsters, but after you’ve shot a monster, another one will appear. In essence, it’s a Gauntlet clone with some very detailed graphics, but it’s too easy and you’ll soon get a sense of déjà vu when the levels soon start to repeat themselves.