Similar to R-Type, here you control a baby dragon that has to rescue its mother. On the way you encounter weird metallic creatures such as mechanical tigers, cyborg bulls and armoured cobras who act as half- or end-of-level bosses. Power-ups can be picked up by shooting special pills that are littered around the scenery. Thankfully, unlike other similar games, when you die you don’t lose them, even after a new continue. Your dragon also has a unique feature; your tail is impervious – only its head is vulnerable. This proves very useful when you’re surrounded by enemies and their fire, as you can respectively destroy them and block with it. Nice looking, but a rather slow scrolling affair that is made difficult by the rather small screen area.
Stainless Steel
(Mikro-Gen, 1986)
The evil Dr Vardos has devised a plan to take over the whole world, and the only person who can stop him is Ricky Steel and his Class A101 flying car, Nightwind. However, Ricky has left his car on the other side of town, so in the first level, you’re on foot, shooting Dr Vardos’ androids and helicopters. Once you find your car, you fly across a desert, again shooting everything that moves, and then fly over a river, trying to bomb submarines. The graphics are monochrome – although I’m not saying they’re bad – but the sound effects are OK, and there is a nice tune that only plays at the start of the game. However, even on the easiest of the four difficulty levels, most players will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to progress beyond the second level.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
ChinnyVision.
Stairway to Hell
(Software Invasion, 1986)
Venture through 15 screens of platforming action, taking you through mines, ice caverns, jungles and deserts, before reaching hell itself. Each screen is filled to the brim with perilous obstacles to avoid and gaps to jump. With only five lives, you’re going to need them all, and indeed, you could do with more, because the game is unbelievably tough, as well as being slow and jerky. Each screen overwhelms you with obstacles, and if you make a mistake (which is all too often), you’re sent right back to the start of the screen. The graphics are OK, albeit garish at times, and the sound effects are simple, but the rest of the game stinks.
Remember Scramble? That game where you pilot a spaceship through caverns collecting fuel and dropping bombs, etc.? Well, this is an early attempt at bringing the game to the CPC. For the year it was released, this is not a bad attempt. Sure, the scrolling is a little jerky and you can’t actually drop bombs, but it’s fun and makes good use of the CPC’s colour palette. It’s presented well and you can choose which stage you wish to start at. A pleasant but primitive tune plays on the title screen, with in-game effects doing their job. A hidden gem from the early days of the CPC.
Star Bowls is a really good little action game featuring platforming, exploration, item collection and shoot-’em-up action. The game features well drawn backgrounds and satisfying explosions when you destroy enemies. I particularly liked the ability to change direction in mid-air while firing as this helps improve the gameplay. To help you traverse the environment you have a a jet pack and you can use hooks to ascend and descend to different locations. The game does have some poor music at the start but the in-game effects are good enough.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
jgonza.
Star Commando
(Amsoft/Terminal, 1984)
Aliens have invaded several galaxies and you must stop them. Each galaxy has sixteen sectors, all of which must be cleared before you can go to the next galaxy. In each sector, you must simply blast waves of aliens until the ‘danger level’ reaches zero. If the going gets too tough, you can warp out of danger by holding down the fire button for several seconds. Your ship’s power can be restored by visiting the mother ship, but you can only do this once per galaxy. This shoot-’em-up was released early in the CPC’s life, so the graphics and sound effects are quite basic, although the scrolling is rather fast. The gameplay is very straightforward, and while it will eventually become repetitive, it’s actually not a bad game if you’re looking for a quick blast.
Star Control offers something to both fans of arcade games and those looking for deeper strategy and I think that’s a really good thing. It’s like having two games in one. You’re not stuck with one type of game, so you can fulfil your starship captain fantasies as you see fit. Going toe-to-toe with the enemy is a bit like Asteroids. It’s all about circling each other and finding the best way to strike. There is a nice variety of craft for you or a friend to choose from. The strategy element offers a change of pace and adds a bit of depth. The graphics are functional but I don’t think this game needs anything fancy as it plays so well.
Star Driver
(Radical Software, 1994)
After the asteroid mines were abandoned, the runways and roads were used as racing tracks instead, in the Asteroid Championships. The rules are simple; stay on the road and complete an orbit of the track in under 60 seconds in order to qualify for the next round. If you are successful (and extremely good), you have the option to try a ‘double orbit’ in under 100 seconds to get a massive bonus, but if you fail, you’re knocked out of the Championship. Graphically, the game is very impressive and the scrolling is very fast, but controlling your car is quite awkward, and the game is very unforgiving with regard to the time limit and the width of the track.
Earth sights a large fleet approaching from the depths of space. The Biodroid Empire is planning a mass invasion upon Earth. The heavily shielded fleet’s only weakness is their shield generator. This is where you come in, piloting your Astrohunter spacecraft. In this top-down shoot-’em-up, you must fly past the alien cruisers, taking out towers, guns and ships. The last part of the game involves running on foot to take out the shield generator. This game boasts some truly amazing graphics, and for once, is not a Spectrum port. A pleasant tune plays on the menu screen with good in-game sound effects.
Star Firebirds
(Insight, 1986)
You have travelled far across the galaxy to annihilate a race of hostile aliens called the Firebirds. Your mission is simple – shoot them all! This is an unoriginal Galaxian clone with two or three additional features. The Firebirds appear on the screen in waves, and if you don’t shoot them all quickly, another wave will appear. If things get too much, you can switch on your shield, warp to the top of the screen, and destroy a few aliens at the same time. As well as aliens, there are bombs that fall very slowly and which release a line of shrapnel when shot, and an Emperor Bird that homes in on you and requires several hits to destroy. It’s all been done before, and in addition, there is almost no difference between one level and the next.