Sonic Boom
(Activision, 1990)
Fly the highly sophisticated and well armed fighter jet, the Sonic Boom, engaging it in six different conflicts across the continents of the world. Nothing original in the plot, then; it’s another vertically scrolling shoot-’em-up. However, it’s quite good, mainly because of the beautiful graphics and the fact that the difficulty level is such that you can complete most of the six levels without too many problems – although it’s perhaps a little too easy. There aren’t many power-ups to collect – extra firepower is more or less all you can get – but the variety of end-of-level combats you face is interesting.
Sonic GX
(Condense, 2025)
One of video gaming’s most famous characters, Sonic the Hedgehog, has come to the GX4000. Whizz your way around four zones, each with two acts (stages), collecting rings and avoiding or destroying the Badnik robots. After the first act in each zone, there’s a 3D bonus stage where you run along a path collecting more rings in an attempt to gain an extra life, and at the end of the second act, you must confront the evil Dr Robotnik in his flying machine. The layouts of the zones are different, but the graphics, scrolling and music are all so amazing and so close to the original Sega Master System and Game Gear versions that you’ll struggle to believe that such things are possible on the GX4000! It may be rather easy to complete, but with many secrets to be discovered, there are plenty of incentives to make you want to play it again and again. The word ‘masterpiece’ doesn’t do this game justice.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Saberman,
XeNoMoRPH,
Xyphoe.
Sootland
(Zafiro, 1989)
What sort of a name is Sootland? I don’t know, but it’s one of those target shooting games where you have to aim your crosshairs at the bad guys before they shoot you. This one is an American western-style shooting match, and there are three levels, each with four screens. All you do is scroll between them and find the cowboy popping his head through the scenery – they only appear one at a time, and when you’ve shot him, you have to find the next one, which means more scrolling. This goes on and on, but you just don’t know how many of the bad guys you’re supposed to kill. The graphics and sound are both pitiful, and it’s such an unbelievably awful game.
Sooty and Sweep
(Alternative Software, 1989)
All of Sweep’s bones have gone missing, so it’s the task of Sooty and/or Sweep to search Matthew Corbett’s house and collect the bones. You can play on your own or with a friend as either Sooty or Sweep, and there are also two difficulty levels, which control how much time you’ve got and how many bones there are to collect. Unfortunately, you can only collect one bone at a time and give it to Soo before you can get another one. You’ll also need to watch out for the insects flying about the house! The game is clearly one for very young players, as everyone else will find it far too easy – and why are the graphics in monochrome?
Sorcerer
(Infocom, 1986)
After defeating the warlock Krill in Enchanter, you now have your own room in the Circle of Enchanters, but Belboz, the leader of the Circle, has gone missing, and of course, you must find him, or the Circle of Enchanters is in big trouble. The game again consists of exploring the Guild Hall and then exploring the land, gathering scrolls and using them to cast spells. However, this time, you don’t have to worry about finding food and drink, and several potions can also be found in the game. The difficulty level is greater than in Enchanter, with a glass maze, and another puzzle involving time travel in which you meet an older version of yourself! I think this is the best of the three games in Infocom’s Enchanter series.
See also: Enchanter, Spellbreaker.
Sorcerers
(PlayOnRetro, 2020)
The sorcerer Einar has passed away, and his son Sven wants to ensure that the knowledge contained in Einar’s library isn’t lost forever, so he decides to explore the castle and unlock the spells that his father has cast on the doors. On each level you must prepare a potion by collecting coins and purchasing ingredients. You have to take care to obtain exactly the ingredients you need and get them in the correct order, or you’ll have to throw your potion away and start again. This game finished in second place in the 2020 #CPCRetroDev Game Creation Contest, and it’s pretty good, with colourful, cartoon-like graphics and jaunty music. Having to throw your entire potion away if you’ve already collected several ingredients and then make a mistake is annoying, but it’s still a very good game overall.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Amstrad CPC World,
Saberman,
XeNoMoRPH.
Find and free the captured wizards! The evil Necromancer has locked them away and only certain items will free them. This game helped establish the CPC as a rival to other machines. Its graphics were quite simply amazing – a never before seen split screen incorporating Mode 0 and Mode 1! The Mode 0 graphics made good use of the colour palette and everyone drooled over them. Ultra-smooth sprites moved along with no flicker and this made the game an enjoyable challenge. A heralding tune plays upon loading with sparse in-game sound effects, but this doesn’t matter. It’s a hard game to beat but definitely worth a try. An icon in the CPC’s history.
See also: Sorcery+.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Axelino,
GameHammer Classic Gaming.
This game is the sequel to one of the most famous games on the CPC – Sorcery, widely used by Amstrad to promote the CPC because the graphics were very nice at the time the game was released. The first part is more or less the same as in Sorcery, but it is a bit easier. The real plus of the game is in the second part, in which you have to find four golden hearts to defeat the evil necromancer. The game provides good graphics and fast animation and it is really addictive. It is not too large, so you won’t get lost easily, and the difficulty is well balanced. Just a little hint; in the second part, drop the ‘roland’ statuette into the water (in the ‘bridge’ room) to get the fourth golden heart.
See also: Sorcery.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Axelino.
Soul of a Robot
(Mastertronic, 1986)
A computer is still running the planet Nonterraqueous, and a robot with the mind of a man is sent out with a bomb so that the computer can be destroyed. The computer lies within a large maze filled with platforms, and you have to jump to reach them. However, some platforms are higher than others and you’ll need to adjust the jumping power of the robot. The thing is, the robot is a bit slow, and with the many monsters about, you’ll probably hit one of them and come tumbling back to the floor and maybe lose a life. Before long, frustration sets in after you realise that getting anywhere is too tricky.
See also: Into Oblivion, Nonterraqueous.
The angry-looking Minotaur on the Souls of Darkon cover and loading screen put me in mind of a Greek myth, but this text adventure in fact has a science fiction setting. You and your robot companion Komputa are on a quest to destroy the evil Darkon on planet Megron. Initially I was quite impressed with the atmosphere created by the writing and stylish typeface. The layout and graphics are unfussy, and solving puzzles relies on a combination of what you read and what you can see in the pictures. As your quest progresses, however, the game begins to show its limitations. The puzzles themselves are uninspired and the world of Megron is actually a bit dull. After a few hours with it I didn’t have much desire to go further. Souls of Darkon is nicely presented but the setting and puzzles sadly did not live up to my initial expectations.