Steg the Slug
(Code Masters, 1992)
It’s a tough life looking after your family. Steg is a slug, and his little slugs, the T’yungunz, are hungry and want their favourite food – grubs. On each of the ten levels, Steg must blow bubbles to trap the grubs which are to be found crawling around. The bubbles float upwards, and hopefully they will find their way to the T’yungunz at the top of the level. On the first two or three levels, this isn’t a problem, but on later levels, you’ll need to intervene by blowing more bubbles or gently blowing on to them to make them move. The concept behind this game is quite original and is fairly similar to Lemmings. However, the game crawls sluggishly (pun intended), and as a result, each level takes ages to complete and things become boring. If this wasn’t a Spectrum port, it could have been a lot better. The music is good, though.
A decent snooker game for one or two players. There’s no computer opponent, so playing on your own means you clear the table and then your score is taken into consideration. Fouls generate a score of their own which is subtracted from the number of successful pots, so once you finish the game, you may be surprised by your score. You use a cursor to aim your cue and then select power and spin. Once you pot a red, you are asked to select a colour. The visuals are adequate and the sound comprises of a few basic effects. It’s just a shame that you can’t play against the computer.
See also: Pool.
Steve McQueen Westphaser
(Loriciel, 1992)
Despite using his name, the legendary actor doesn’t make an appearance within the game. In fact, it’s a re-release of a game that was originally bundled with Loriciel’s Westphaser lightgun. Six criminals are roaming the Wild West, and there’s a reward for shooting them. Three of the shoot-outs take place in a saloon, while the other three take place in a town square. The shoot-outs can be rather chaotic and you’ll need to have a good aim as well as quick reflexes. What’s bizarre, though, is that in the saloons, the innocent people who you mustn’t shoot (which includes a very young child) carry on their normal business while there’s a gunfight going on! However, it’s great fun, and the game captures the Wild West atmosphere marvellously, with graphics and sound effects which have to be seen and heard to be believed.
From Palace Software, the creators of some of the CPC’s best games (the awesome Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior being a great example) comes a change of pace. Stifflip and Co. is reminiscent of an interactive comic book. It’s an icon-driven adventure game featuring four playable characters, set in a world of jolly japes and “what ho, chaps!” There are a good number of commands to issue through the icon control method and some tough puzzles. Graphically it’s got the atmosphere of the time period down to a T. Stifflip and Co. is a well drawn game with nice little details, let down a touch by a lack of colour (but is that a deliberate choice to create a newspaper comic strip effect?). Music is included, and it’s good as well. Not Palace Software’s best work but still interesting.
Stockmarket
(Amsoft, 1985)
Play the risky world of the stock market as you (and up to five other players if you want) buy and sell shares in four mining companies who mine lead, zinc, tin and gold respectively. Shares will go up and down and other events will occur as you attempt to make a million pounds; companies are taken over or go bankrupt, bonus payments are made to shareholders, and bonus shares can be handed out. However, the taxman will soon be after you, and when you buy a lot of shares, they will grab money from your bank account! There are four difficulty levels to try out, and having only four companies means that things are kept simple. It’s a nice enough simulation for wannabe stockbrokers, but the real thing isn’t for me!
Stomp
(DK’Tronics, 1985)
Run around a grid of tiles, dodging monsters, collecting flags and defusing sticks of dynamite before they blow up. However, there are two main problems. The first is that once you step on a tile, it disappears, so you must think carefully as to where you walk – although it is possible to recreate tiles temporarily so you can reach areas that have become inaccessible. The second problem is pairs of boots that move around the screen quite fast and which will squash you if you cross their path. The game, which is based on the coin-op arcade game Check Man, is quite frustrating at first. However, once you learn some techniques, such as the ability to move off one side of the grid and reappear on the opposite side, you’ll find it’s not that bad, although there is a large element of luck involved, and some of the stages have really garish colour schemes.
Stop Ball
(Dro Soft, 1988)
One of those games which has a very simple concept which proves to be enjoyable – in the short term, at least. It’s a bat and ball game with two different styles of gameplay which alternate on each screen. Firstly, you must manoeuvre your bat so that a ball remains in the air at all times. If it lands on the ground, a counter will decrease, and when it reaches zero, the game ends. On the following screen, you must touch several tiles while avoiding all the balls; touch any of the balls and the game ends instantly. Subsequent screens add more blocks and eventually, more balls, to make things harder. It gets repetitive after a while – and why does the game have to have such awful Spectrum-like graphics?
Storm
(Mastertronic, 1986)
Princess Corinne has been kidnapped by Una Cum, who is searching for a box called The Fear which will cause chaos should he obtain it. You must explore the dungeons in Una Cum’s lair and collect three snake brooches to unlock the door where Corinne is trapped, but there are lots of monsters waiting for you in every room! You take the role of Agravain, with another player (if there is one) taking control of Storm if necessary. The graphics are colourful but not very good, and there are well written descriptions of each room which scroll near the top of the screen. The sound effects are useless, though! A lot of exploring and mapping is required, and this game will keep you occupied.
See also: The Fear: Storm II.
Storm Warrior
(Encore, 1989)
The evil Witch Queen has summoned a huge thunderstorm which is set to last for a hundred years and wreak havoc upon the kingdom. But as usual, only one person can stop her – the Prince of the Kingdom, who you control in this platform game. You must travel through the land and enter the Witch Queen’s castle, and stop the Witch Queen from carrying out her plans. Throughout your travels, you encounter warriors with swords, and you have to fight them. For some reason, the number of hits it takes for you to kill them with your sword is entirely random! The graphics are beautiful, although the hardware techniques used may cause a few problems, and all the warriors look just like you; there are no other types of enemy other than a few gargoyles.
Stormbringer
(Mastertronic, 1987)
After returning from the 25th century in Knight Tyme, Magic Knight returns to the quiet village of Cornhamp-on-Marsh, which has been taken over by the Off-White Knight, who is in fact the evil personality of Magic Knight. To free the village from his clutches, Magic Knight has to merge with him. This is the final game starring Magic Knight and it’s much like the others, but with more characters, more rooms, and more features. The graphics are reasonable, but I think it’s a little trickier than the other games – and if you’re wondering where the music is, try wearing the personal stereo!
See also: Finders Keepers, Knight Tyme, Spellbound.