Halls of the Things/Crystal Computing
Manic Miner/Bug Byte
Jet Set Willy/Bug Byte
Lunar Jetman/Ultimate Play The Game
These four programs for the ZX Spectrum have several things in common. First of all, they are all of truly “ARCADE” quality with excellent graphics and sound. Secondly, they have all occupied the #1 spot on the European charts in 1983 or 1984. Lastly, they will all run on the 2068 with few or no changes.
Halls of the Things
In “Halls of the Things” you are in a seven story house with treasure and rings of power to collect. You need to collect those rings in order to gain access to the basement where the main treasure lies, but beware! There are monsters. They have fireballs, lightning and arrows just as you do; and their aim is deadly. By using EDIT (caps shift/1), you can check your status on wounds, elixir left, arrows left and monsters killed. You can increase you elixir by picking up the bottles which are scattered throughout the house and then using the H key to heal some of your wounds. Don’t let your elixir level get down to zero though because it not only allows you to repair yourself, it is also the magical basis for your fireballs and lightning.
“Halls” is essentially a maze/adventure game on 7 levels that stretches the Spectrum (and now the 2068) to its limits. It makes no use of sound, but you wouldn’t have the time to listen to it anyway. The graphics are fast and very smooth. The only drawback with this game is the number of keys one must learn in order to control the action. The arrow keys are used to assign the direction for the arrows (A). Then you have Z/X-left and right, N,M-up and down (K)eep, (D)rop, (O)pen, (C)lose, (L)ightning, (F)ireball,(H)eal and W/Space to alter the contrast if needed. The monsters become more vicious and numerous the closer to the basement, so start on the top and work your way down. (I’ve had this one for over a year. I still play it and haven’t gotten into the basement.)
All in all, this is the best maze game I’ve seen for a home micro. It is entirely in machine code and requires no changes to run on the Timex 2068.
Manic Miner
“Manic Miner” is one of those classic games that spawn an industry of clones. Upon loading (see below), the opening screen shows Miner Willys’ house on the lake with the sun setting (rising) in the background. Below, there appears a keyboard with the keys being appropriately pressed for the opening tune, and below that are the instructions for the game. I have found that the cursor keys work and prefer them to the ones given in the introduction. Don’t touch the keyboard yet. In a bit the game will give you a tour through all 20 caverns culminating in the final barrier which is just below Willys’ house. The graphics are incredible and give you an idea of what lies ahead. Poison bushes, spiders, crazy mining robots and other creatures of some long forgotten civilization are out to stop you from gathering all the flashing items and progressing to the next cavern to solve new puzzles. When you jump onto a conveyor belt, there is no turning back. Timing must be just right and the disappearing floors make matters even more complicated. With 5 for left, 8 for right and 7 for jump, this can be fairly quickly adapted to so that you can concentrate on getting past the first cavern and on into the next.
Manic Miner is a stunning example of the sort of arcade game that can be used on the TS 2068, and you’ll find yourself humming or whistling “Hall of the Mountain King” well into the wee hours.
Loading
Step 1: TYPE MERGE “”. When the report OK 0/0 appears, stop the tape.
Step 2: Hit ENTER to get the Basic listing. Look for the CLEAR XXXXX statment. This is what must be altered. The Spectrum BASIC program area starts at a lower address than does the 2068, so Spectrum programs often CLEAR down to around 24000. We need to change the 4 to a 7 or 8. EDIT the CLEAR statement to make that change. (If the line won’t EDIT, then look at the line number. If it is zero, then type POKE 26711,1. This will alter the line number and allow you to make the changes.) When you’re done hit RUN or CONTINUE and start the tape again.
Step 3: Sit back, relax and enjoy.
Jet Set Willy
“Jet Set Willy” comes to us a year later and is the natural sequel to Manic Miner. After finally gathering all of the treasure of the ancients, Miner Willy has moved to a huge mansion complete with swimming pool, yacht and a maid, Maria. Willys new quest is to pick up all the glasses and bottles lying around from the party the night before or the maid won’t let him get to bed (although zapping him if he trys might seem a little extreme). There are between 40 and 60 locations, and unlike Manic Miner, you can go exploring without picking up all the articles before leaving a room. The graphics and movement are as good as in Manic Miner, and this time Willy is accompanied through the house and yard by the tune, “If I were a Rich Man.” The cursor keys provide left and right movement with zero for the jump key. Mathew Smith, the author of MM and JSW, has spent some time and energy creating the characters for this program, and it shows. From rotating razor blades, dancing swiss army knives and pirouetting rabbits to the swinging ropes and 3-D battlements, the attention to detail is nothing short of astonishing. As a set, JSW and MM should be on the top of anyones wish list. Loading is the same as for Manic Miner.
Lunar Jetman
The final game, “Lunar Jetman,” is also the most recently released. According to the cassette insert, the Jetman’s rocket is disintegrating, but he manages to crashland on an uncharted world of aliens who are intent upon Earths distruction. Your job is to help him knock out the alien missile bases scattered around the planet while dodging and shooting the aliens. At your disposal are the lunar rover which you enter and leave using caps shift, the bomb (to drop on the missile base) or the cannon (shooting aliens and building score). The rover can’t jump craters, so you have to use the bridge sections in the vehicle to fill them in. You can pick up and drop objects with the Z key. When the timer gets to zero the enemy base will launch its missile so you have to leave the rover, fly forward to intercept using JETMANS rocketpack, get behind the missile and apply JETMANs “laser phaser” to the tail of the missile. The screen will inform you of the launch of the missile and the number of hits that will be required to knock it down. You’ll find a pair of teleportation booths that allow you to jump between them. Later, certain of the aliens will pick up the teleporters and move them around, apparently at random. Options for control include the Kempston interface (works on the 2068 if you remove the Kempston case), the keyboard and once again, the cursor keys which I now find myself accustomed to. You will find the graphics and movement just as good and the game just as addictive as the others in this review.
These programs and others are available in the U.S. through:
Phoenix Enterprises
1780 N. Dupont Hwy. #17
Dover, Delaware 19901
302-734-0179