This is another Pac-Man clone for the CPC; eat all the dots while avoiding the ghosts... The maze is large and the level of difficulty can be adjusted to make the game easy or hard. Sadly, the maze layout never changes between levels, so boredom will soon kick in. The Mode 1 visuals are adequate, with smooth sprites and a few chirpy sound effects.
Super Pipeline II
(Amsoft/Taskset, 1985)
This is a rather surreal game where tools are running amok and causing pipes to leak, and you have to fix them by getting your two trusty helpers to do it. On each level there is a tank, and a certain number of barrels have to be filled with water, and if the tank runs out, your score will start to decrease. The helpers can also be used as shields, and if they die, you can collect another one. The graphics are brilliant and the sheer fun of the game is complemented by the catchy music; once you listen to it, you won’t forget it easily!
Watch YouTube videos of this game by: Amstrad CPC World, ChinnyVision.
A very early game by the now legendary Oliver Twins, the aim of this game is to search the huge castle of the Sheriff of Nottingham and find all the hearts scattered around, and then to free Maid Marian and kill the Sheriff. Of course, out to stop you are the Sheriff’s men, armed with bows and swords, but these can be picked off with your trusty arrows. The graphics are quite impressive considering when it was released, and very detailed – Robin fires his bow very realistically – and the sound is great. This is the first game I ever played which had real speech (“Help me Robin!”) and this impressed me a lot back in the day. Overall, a good novel twist on a fairly well used idea, which is a fair bit easier than others of its kind, and as a result of this, it is a lot more fun.
See also: Robin Hood: Legend Quest.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by: Axelino, ChinnyVision, The Oliver Twins.
Sam Short is out to capture the notorious Boris – a slippery character indeed. Hiding somewhere within the fortress, you roam from room to room collecting parts of a cage – the only thing that will contain him. Nasty creatures pace around which deplete your energy, unless you can find a syringe. Finding this object turns you into Super Sam and makes you invulnerable for a short time. Be careful not to fall down the manholes, and look out for booby-trapped rooms! The graphics are very basic with some flicker and colour clash. A cheerful tune is available, although it can be turned off to allow the game to be played with sound effects only.
See also: Short’s Fuse.
Super Scramble Simulator
(Gremlin Graphics, 1989)
Take on the challenge of motorbike scrambling as you negotiate fifteen gruelling courses. The obstacles waiting for you include streams, logs, loose stones, oil barrels, and even Volkswagen Beetles that you must ride your bike over! You must complete each course within the required time, and you’ll be penalised for any mistakes you make. If you fail, the game is over, and you must start again from the beginning and attempt to complete all the courses all over again. That is what really ruins this game. Detailed graphics and two great tunes can’t make up for this.
Super Seymour Saves the Planet
(Code Masters, 1992)
The Earth has been contaminated with toxic waste, and Seymour has to clear up the mess. Each level takes place on a single screen and you must collect the tokens scattered about the screen, as well as jumping on the heads of mutants to kill them. The graphics are average and the backgrounds (which vary only on the 128K version) aren’t great, either. The sound is below average, and to be honest, the concept of the game has really dated – it won’t hold your interest for very long.
See also: Sergeant Seymour Robot Cop, Seymour Goes to Hollywood, Seymour Stuntman, Wild West Seymour.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by: Novabug.
Super Ski
(Microïds, 1987)
Known as Eddie Edwards Super Ski in the UK after the hopeless but lovable ski jumping hero of the 1988 Winter Olympics, you can take part in four different events – two types of slalom, the descent, and the jump. In the slalom events, you have to steer between the flagpoles; miss them and you will be penalised. In the descent, you just head for the finish at full speed, although you still need to pass through some gates to avoid being penalised. You can also practise the events, and in the slaloms and descent, there are three pistes to choose from in each event (provided you’re playing the disc version; there is only one piste in each event in the cassette version). The game is a thrill to play thanks to the screen being updated really fast, while still having some remarkably beautiful graphics, with the Alps looming in the horizon – it’s excellent!
Super Skweek
(Loriciel, 1991)
Skweek is back and ready to paint everything pink! As in the previous game, there are 99 levels and the same set of monsters to confront. However, there are several new power-ups and even a shop where you can buy them. The money can be collected by shooting monsters. In addition, most levels have more than one floor, so you’ll have to use the lifts. The original Skweek is in my opinion one of the best CPC games of all time, so it’s a shame to see that the sequel is much worse, and lacking in the main thing that made Skweek such fun – speed. It is much slower, and it absolutely crawls when there are several monsters on the screen. The graphics aren’t as good and there’s very little sound, and overall, the game is disappointing.
See also: Skweek, Tiny Skweeks.
Super Space Invaders
(Domark, 1991)
This is a poor conversion of the coin-op game which attempted to revive the classic Space Invaders and bring it in line with the 1990s. There are twelve levels, each with a different background, and with three waves of aliens to fight. Shooting the aliens that fly along the top of the screen now gives you to chance to collect a temporary power-up. There is also a two-player option if you want to play with a friend. What makes it poor is that the backgrounds are very blocky and often garish, and it becomes difficult to see the aliens you’re trying to kill, and the missiles that they fire. The movement of the aliens is also slow and jerky. The music is really good, though.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by: ChinnyVision.
Super Sprint
(Electric Dreams, 1987)
This is a racing game viewed from overhead in which you compete against three other cars (or two in the two player mode) and try to win on all eight tracks; if you don’t win, the game is over. You also have to avoid tornadoes (!) and oil slicks on the track, which will cause you to lose control of your car. You can also collect spanners, and if you collect three of them, you can make improvements to your car. While the graphics are average, the only sound effects are engine noises, and the gameplay is very limited.
See also: Championship Sprint.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by: Retro Danuart.