Screenshot of Angle Ball

Angle Ball

(Mastertronic, 1987)

Here’s an original twist – a hexagonal pool table! You can play against a friend or the computer at any one of over twenty different table layouts. There are only eight balls on the table instead of the normal fifteen, and if you fail to pot a ball three times, you lose the frame. There’s not that much else to say about it, but one nice feature is that you can design your own table layouts and save and load them for later use. The title music is also awful, but that doesn’t matter too much.

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Screenshot of Ánima

Ánima

(SugarFree, 2020)

Ánima the ghost has woken up in a strange and unfamiliar place, and you have to help her escape. There are four levels, each containing several rooms, and you must shoot all the monsters in each room to progress to the next one. You can gain experience points and earn multiplier bonuses by defeating monsters, and you can also gain health points if you manage to defeat all the monsters in a room without taking any damage. There are also power-ups to be collected that enhance your abilities. This is a straightforward arcade game that was an entrant in the 2020 #CPCRetroDev Game Creation Contest and finished in third place. The graphics and sound are both OK, and the inclusion of a tutorial to ease you into the game is a nice touch.

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Screenshot of Animated Strip Poker

Animated Strip Poker

(KnightSoft, 1985)

Reviewed by John Beckett

Hmmm... ‘animated’ could be stretching the truth a little! Basically, what we have here is a very simple strip poker game, easier than others I’ve played on the CPC (not that I’ve played them all, you understand! Ahem...) where a – very horny – Ace of Spades with a lightbulb for a head presides over a bout of the aforementioned parlour game between you and the lovely Mindy. The basic game is simple enough, and fairly addictive (for the obvious reasons!) but sadly, there’s only one girl, and it doesn’t take long to get through her measly three items of clothing. The sound and graphics are very poor too, and the whole thing is less than titillating. For a far better CPC strip poker experience, check out Teenage Queen.

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Screenshot of Ant Attack

Ant Attack

(40Crisis, 2014)

Reviewed by Missas

Who would have expected this? Ant Attack finally arrives on the CPC 31 years after its original Spectrum release! This version is 100% emulated, meaning that the CPC emulates the Spectrum version. For the story, this is a very interesting isometric arcade adventure game where you have to save your friend and avoid getting killed by giant ants. The graphics and the sound are Spectrum all the way. The gameplay is really interesting with a very strong grab factor. Unfortunately it is a small game. If it had missions it would be much better. Overall, it’s a blast from the past, but it needs some improvements to refresh it.

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Screenshot of Antares

Antares

(Dro Soft, 1987)

Reviewed by Robert Small

Juliet Software – a name that is not normally a sign of quality. Unfortunately Antares is a good example of why their games tend to be best avoided. There are plus points – just about. The background graphics recall Uridium. It allows you to alter your altitude and game speed. The problem is that judging your altitude when viewed in 2D from above isn’t handled well and causes many a frustrating death. It also scrolls from right to left. Some won’t mind, but there’s a good reason why most shoot-’em-ups do it the other way around. The graphics are poor, and the scrolling, ship design and lack of colour offer a low quality experience, along with bargain basement sound. Play something like P47 Thunderbolt instead.

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Screenshot of APB

APB

(Domark, 1989)

Officer Bob has to get into his police car and catch litterbugs, drunks and speeders, as well as arresting criminals. Each day, you’re given a quota of offenders you have to catch, and every other day, there’s a criminal for you to look out for. You can also buy improvements to your car and collect doughnuts to give you extra time, and there are bags of money lying around, too – although they may be booby-trapped! The graphics are all right, and the sound effects are reasonable enough, but it’s a brilliant game; chasing cars is great fun! Unfortunately, there are a few annoying bugs.

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Screenshot of The Apprentice

The Apprentice

(Mastertronic, 1986)

Reviewed by Alain Schroetter

In this very, very dull Sorcery-style adventure, you play the role of a wizard who must collect items and give them to other wizards in order to get a certain amount of silver rings. You fly so slowly across the screens that you could think you are crawling. The places you visit are inhabited by sundry creatures stupidly pacing up and down, and which come back when you have killed them anyway. If you happen to enter a room at the place where a monster is generated, you will lose all your lives at once. The graphics are not too bad, but that does not mean they are good either. The sole positive point is that you never really get annoyed by all the flaws in the game, because its slowness and its lulling tune soon make you sleep, and when you wake up, your time has run out and the game is over!

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Screenshot of Aqua

Aqua

(CEZ Games Studio, 2007)

Reviewed by Missas

The story of this game is original; a bubble begins its quest from the bottom of the ocean, and you need to guide it through the dangers of deep water to the liberty of the surface! The controls are rather simple and easy to learn. You should try not to touch the surrounding rocks and sea creatures because the bubble will lose energy. The graphics are cute and colourful and happy tunes that remind us of old songs play during the game, although you can also turn them off. The grab factor is high. The quest of the bubble and the adventures you can experience through it can make you want to try again and again to succeed in reaching the surface. Overall, this is a pleasant game based on an original idea and is well executed by CEZ Games Studio.

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Screenshot of Aquad

Aquad

(Norsoft, 1985)

Reviewed by Pug

A pleasing and easy to get into maze game, similar to Pac-Man, with an underwater setting. Before playing, you can set the number of nasties and also the speed of play. Simply collect the dots (big ones double your score) while avoiding the sea life that is searching for its meal. There are swinging doors that alter the maze layout as you move around, adding some variety. Simple but colourful graphics and cheerful effects and tunes complete a fun (if dated-looking) little game.

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Screenshot of Aquanaute

Aquanaute

(FIL, 1988)

Reviewed by Pug

A colourful-looking game in which you dive into the depths of the ocean in search of adventure. Starting in your boat, you collect your air canister before jumping into the sea. A new screen loads which displays a bland-looking ocean with lethal fishing hooks that trap you and drain your energy. Reaching the bottom of this screen leads to a series of screens in which you dodge the sea life – one touch leads to game over. Reaching the sea bed leads to more variety in terms of visuals, which adds a little more interest. Sadly, you accidentally hit a fish and have to start all over again. A frustrating game that soon becomes boring.

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