Superkid in Space
(Atlantis, 1991)
Aliens are threatening Earth, and it’s up to Superkid to save everyone. Superkid must travel to five of the alien planets and find four nuclear detonators so that he can blow the planet into oblivion. There are a variety of aliens which behave differently and which will sap your energy if you touch them or the bullets they fire. Fortunately Superkid has a gun and lots of grenades at his disposal, and lots of ladders which magically extend up to the nearest platform. The game retains the look and feel of its predecessor, with colourful graphics and cute (maybe too cute) music. It’s also a better and more enjoyable game to play thanks to the smaller levels.
See also: Skatin’ USA, Superkid.
Darkseid, a powerful supervillain, has invented the deadly Omega Beam and aims to use it on the population of Metropolis. As people walk around, Darkseid tries to lure them into his underground mines, while Superman tries to prevent this. This maze-like game is a tricky one where you affect barriers along the streets to guide the citizens to safety. Power gems are also required to allow Superman access to these other screens where even more people wander around. The graphics are nothing special but move smoothly, with only a few sound effects added too.
See also: Superman: The Man of Steel.
Darkseid is back, and this time, he’s brought a friend – Lex Luthor. Together they are planning the destruction of all mankind! To make matters worse, Lois Lane is being held hostage by the same mad duo. The first stage places you in a slow and sluggish 3D shoot-’em-up, followed by a vertical scroller where you defend a Space Shuttle (which is better). The next stage sees you inside the satellite that is controlled by Lex. Throughout the game, Superman can make use of his various powers, but they all have limits. Pleasing and colourful graphics make this one an eye-catcher – but where’s the famous soundtrack?
See also: Superman: The Game.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Xyphoe.
Supernudge 2000
(Mastertronic, 1989)
While you can’t win or lose any money on computer-based fruit machine games, they should at least be able to capture most of the excitement of gambling your shiny coins away. This game does not do that. The three reels scroll at a snail’s pace so that you have to wait ages before they come to a stop, and on top of that, there aren’t many bonus features on the fruit machine to make things a bit more exciting. Having said that, it seems to be easier to win money in comparison with other fruit machine games, but it’s not worth the effort or the wait.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
ChinnyVision.
Supersports
(Gremlin Graphics, 1988)
Five very mixed events make up the Super Sports Olympic Challenge – target shooting, daredevil diving into a small pool of water, tile smashing karate-style, and swimming through a lake filled with hazards such as jellyfish and even mines! Up to four players can play, and you can also practice any of the events. Gilbert the commentator is also on hand throughout the events to offer encouragement or criticism of your efforts. The graphics are colourful and very nicely drawn, and each event also has a short piece of music which plays before the start of the event. Overall, it’s an enjoyable game to play, especially if you can find someone else to compete against.
SuperTed
(Alternative Software, 1990)
SuperTed’s friend Spot has been kidnapped by Texas Pete. Spot is bundled into Pete’s car, and Pete drives off with him in the back. The bear with the red suit and super strength must chase the car and avoid the many hazards left by Pete. At the end of the first level, he faces Skeleton, and then he flies into outer space where there are more hazards, as well as Texas Pete himself. There are quite a lot of hazards to avoid, even on the easy level, and children (who are the intended audience for this game) will find it too difficult. The graphics are nice and colourful, but the sound effects are poor, and there are only two levels – and I don’t mean the difficulty levels.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Novabug.
Surprise Surprise
(Central Solutions, 1986)
You have been invited to a party within a large house, but first of all, you must search the house and find five letters which make up a code. The house has one hundred rooms, and there are dangers lurking in most of them. This is an absolutely terrible game – that much is obvious from the moment you load it. From the loading screen consisting of random lines and flashing colours, to the extremely crude graphics, to the highly irritating random beeps which play throughout the game, to the snail-like movement of your character, this game has ‘awful’ written all over it. Even then, I might have felt generous enough to give it at least one mark out of ten, but alas, no – you only have one life! And did I mention that it only works properly on a CPC464 and not on the other models?
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Xyphoe.
You play Angus, an unfortunate soul who has become trapped in a haunted mansion! Using your gun and porcupine bombs, you need to traverse each of the seven levels looking for an increasing number of bombs to collect while avoiding or shooting the enemy spirits. Signposts can guide you to the nearest bomb in your vicinity, and life elixirs and additional bullets can be found to replenish your health and ammunition. An adrenaline-pumping tune plays during the game, which adds to the atmosphere. This is actually a really enjoyable early release on the CPC, let down somewhat by basic graphics and slowdown when there are multiple enemies on the screen.
Survivor
(Topo Soft/US Gold, 1987)
On board a spaceship, you are the sole remaining example of a creature that has evolved over one million years. Your aim is to ensure the survival of your race by placing ten pods in the incubators that can be found around the spaceship. Of course, there are other inhabitants and machines on board who will drain your energy, although it can be replenished when you place a pod, or by chasing and eating one of the tiny engineers that wander around – which is both gruesome and hilarious to watch! The graphics are very colourful indeed, and while the game can occasionally be awkward – jumping correctly from platform to platform is often frustrating – there is a wide enough variety of locations to keep fans of exploration games interested for some time.
Survivors
(Atlantis, 1988)
Nuclear war has taken place, but the occupants of seven bunkers are trapped inside them, and three droids have been sent to rescue them. This game is quite similar to Boulder Dash, but the difference is that each droid performs different functions – the blue one can dig the earth, the yellow one can rescue the inhabitants, and the red one can push boulders. You must use each droid carefully or you’ll be stuck! Despite the simple graphics, this is a great game if you have the ability to think laterally, but the levels are too big for most people to complete.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Amstrad CPC World.