Martin Smith @Sheldor
Reviews
Zool (Amiga)
Perhaps the most over-hyped Amiga game ever; mediocre at best
The Good
Visually things look reasonably good, and the game is fairly long, as well as featuring some surprising new ideas, although many are overused (such as the piano).
The Bad
The level designs are extremely generic and repetitive, with a succession of clichéd settings and originality-free enemies. Control is sluggish and cumbersome, especially when attempts at scaling the walls. Zool himself just doesn't inspire any emotions, as he's a lifeless creature with none of the dynamism of Sonic, the individuality of Toejam & Earl, or the sheer cutesiness of Bubsy. The various tunes are all rather bland, and nowhere near what the Amiga was capable of. There was no support for multi-button joypads, which would've made the control much easier, especially for anyone familiar with console titles.
The Bottom Line
Looking back, I think the hugely enthusiastic reception this game got was for all the wrong reasons. The Amiga lacked a console-style 'mascot' and wasn't well-stocked for great platform games - would this alien ninja be the perfect one? After all, the game looked consolesque and was big. The reality is very different, as the game is lacking any kind of sparkle. People appeared to review the game based on what they wanted it to be, not what it was. It's a shame that Lionheart and Tearaway Thomas were released by smaller companies, as they would've been a much better demonstration of what the Amiga could do. The second Zool game, which was never released for the consoles, was actually far better.
By Martin Smith on December 5, 2024
R-Type (Amiga)
A worthy conversion of a great game, later outclassed by similar titles
The Good
The theme music is among the most catchy ever, and the Amiga's sound hardware was ideal to recreate it. You could happy sit there listening to it without even playing the game.
I recommend playing it though. The level designs are intricate, with some great attack patterns and a variety of enemies to surprise you, all recreated in minute detail from the arcade. The look and feel is spot on.
This was a hugely innovative game, spawning a number of similar titles.
The Bad
Unfortunately, games like Project X and Disposable Hero contained better power-up systems, more balanced difficulty levels, and far prettier graphics, especially backgrounds.
The game style seems rather passé now, in an age where we're used to viewing action from the human perspective, and having control mechanisms to suit.
The Bottom Line
A sideways scrolling shoot 'em up featuring a variety of weapons, all manner of bad guys, and lots of fast thrilling action.
By Martin Smith on September 17, 2024
Tower Toppler (Atari ST)
Dismal instructions and some random elements try but fail to scupper a classic
The Good
The concept is delightfully original - it's very much a platform game with a difference, and the level arrangements mean that progress involves advance planning and timing, rather like Lemmings or Bombuzal. The time limits are well-judged, giving you a chance to recover from mistakes and plan your move.
The 3D routines used give the game a fresher feel
The Bad
The instructions this version comes with are thoroughly hopeless, completely failing to explain the use of moving ledges (and thus, the entire system of progress up the towers) and really needed visual representations of each of the game's features alongside the explanations. For my first few goes I got absolutely nowhere, and only got into it through much persistence.
The Bottom Line
The kind of game which was common in the 80s but unusual today - a simple idea (climbing to the top of a succession of towers before triggering a destruction sequence - the towers involve a complex of lifts, stairways and gaps, as well as various moving hazards that can or can't be shot) executed brilliantly.
Incidentally, the PC remake is pretty ugly, other than the bonus levels (the rendered graphics are samey and have no character) - you'd be better off to find this version and play it via an emulator.
By Martin Smith on November 11, 2023
Blockbuster (Amiga)
An advance on Arkanoid, but perhaps not a big enough one
The Good
The method of handling power-ups is clever, having more in common with shoot 'em ups than bat and ball games. Essentially, the tokens thrown down don't represent any specific power-up, but go towards buying one of the nine available add-ons, including multiple balls, a longer bat and side-mounted guns, which have been ordered based on their (approximate general) usefulness - a quick press of the right mouse button activates the currently highlighted one, and they can also be turned into a points bonus after a level.
The basic mechanics of Arkanoid, including the monsters (a key feature for adding variety and surprise to the game), are implemented professionally. The game benefits from smooth control, accurate collision detection and realistic deflection angles. The sound effects are particularly classy.
The Bad
The game has all the standard Breakout-type problems - the fact that the game design is quite monotonous, the reliance on some levels on one precise shot to get above the main grid and score a succession of hits while you have nothing to do but wait, and the frustrating moments at the end of a level where you need to hit one precise angle, but can't do it with your current shot as you need to set the angle up painstakingly.
The packaging rather optimistically claims that the level editor makes for unlimited fun; you'll be questioning this logic fairly quickly, as it's hard to design levels that add anything to the original game, and the interface is quite unfriendly at first.
The Bottom Line
The success of the Arkanoid coin-op, the rarity of the official Amiga conversion (although Imagine came up with a sequel, Revenge of Doh), and the simplicity of the gameplay coupled with the potential for flashy graphical effects, made the genre popular in the early 16-bit years. This version has enough features and inventions to set it above the crowd as the best on offer.
However, public domain and shareware Arkanoid clones became popular in later years. The best known are the Megaball series - fast and furious with great power-ups and great use of the Amiga chipset. However, Paul Van der Valk's Poing series takes the basic idea a step further, eliminating most of the aforementioned problems, and it seems like a shame that he never got (or sought) money for his work. Check those out.
By Martin Smith on November 13, 2022
Premier Manager 2 (DOS)
The best football management game of its day
The Good
The range of options is unsurpassed. The variety of formations and playing styles gives you a chance to emulate almost any successful style, and adjust it based on the talent on offer to you.
The presentation is impressive, with some nice menu designs and logical groupings. The telephone is superb, and the range of things than can be done (3 levels of insurance, hiring and firing staff, specifying what types of players scouts look for, choosing the type of youth players) is unprecedented.
Ground improvements, sponsorship deals and ticket pricing add depth and variety to the game.
I like the transfer system, especially the opportunity to save money by signing out-of-contract players you don't need, then sell them (or someone of similar standard) on for a sizable profit.
The match presentation is thrilling, and the 6 different speeds help.
The Bad
Being Halifax Town FC fans, the programmers made their team unrealistically good, far superior to the other Conference sides, making first-season promotion unlikely (though achievable) if you play as someone else.
A few of the random elements, such as players under 30 retiring unannounced to run a country pub, are infuriating and unrealistic - lose your goalkeeper that way after the transfer deadline, as once happened to me, and the season's ruined.
Negotiating new contracts at the start of each season can be a chore.
The Bottom Line
A comprehensive icon-based football management game. You start off managing a team in the Conference, the fifth level of UK football, and aim to reach the Premier League and ultimately the European competitions. You can do this by developing your team as time goes on, or showing your skills and getting hired for jobs at other clubs.
Almost every decision affecting the club is down to you. Signing and selling players, selecting the team and tactics, in-match substitutions, training, co-ordinating scouting, ground development, arranging sponsorship deals and negotiating new job offers are just some of the tasks at hand.
By Martin Smith on July 29, 2022
Theme Hospital (DOS)
Bullfrog getting everything right
The Good
Everything about the game avoids being dry and long-winded, leaving the serious approach to Civilization and the like, and ensuring that the general appeal of the hospital idea isn't wasted. The graphics are bright and cartoony, and the sound effects enlivened by some comic speech ("Will patients please try not to be sick in the corridors?" is a good example).
The largely-fictional illnesses are a good idea, enlivened by a few amusing diagnosis sheets and some entertaining animations of the specialised ones being cured. The combination of ward and operating theatre, plus the multiple uses for psychiatry and pharmacy, put a premium on hospital planning.
The importance of money within the game, and the occasional compromising of patient safety in response for money (such as epidemic cover-ups and refusing to treat risky patients if you have a 100% cure rate for the year (and need the £10,000 bonus this offers)) present a neat satire on commercial medicine.
Several new features are added as you play through the levels, including training staff, which is a minor feature on level 4 but a HUGE deal on level 5, as the local doctors are all trainees. Levels which are prone to earthquakes and epidemics add some variety as well.
The Bad
There is a slight unfinished feel to the game, evident in a few oversights, bugs and 'features'. It appears possible for other hospitals to buy the land that is available to you, but (having got as far as level 8) this doesn't seem to happen. The UK box has a sticker crudely obscuring details of a multi-player mode which was dropped at the last minute. Some training-related messages appear garbled. Objects occasionally get stuck, which makes it harder to adjust your hospital's design to accommodate a new room. Considering that it was released in April, with the first Dungeon Keeper mere weeks later, there was no excuse not to resolve these issues.
The epidemics don't work as well as they should. If a patient leaves the hospital, the Health Authority are immediately notified. Fine, but this also often happens when a patient moves from one building within the hospital to another.
A few things such as setting the temperature of the radiators are the kind of Micro-Management that should be avoided in games like this.
The Bottom Line
Superficially a sequel to Theme Park (hence the nonsensical title), Theme Hospital sets you as manager of a small-town hospital. You must hire staff, place rooms and other objects, and ensure that people are treated well enough to keep your reputation high and get your bank balance high. Succeed on the first level and you will be offered increasingly tough assignments, each with different success targets.
The game hooks you in quickly, and as long as you can cope with the occasional spells where everything is running smoothly but you have to wait to build up enough cures or money, there are enough changes on each level to keep the interest going. It's funny, original, unique, and worth checking out today.
By Martin Smith on March 9, 2020
Sensible Soccer: European Champions (Amiga)
The Greatest Amiga Game Of Them All
The Good
The control is precise, slick and responsive, and brilliantly designed. The level of skill involved is enormous. There may be few ultra-flashy manouvres available, but this greatly increases the emphasis on skill and the satisfaction of scoring. Learning accurate close control and finding the shooting range is well worth it.
The overhead view represents the action effectively,and has the added bonus of displaying a wide range of the pitch without requiring a scanner.
The computer teams offer a wide range of skill levels, and play in a realistic way. The AI is impressive to the point that there are no moves which work every time, and teams score in a variety of different ways. Multiple formations are available, working like real life, and the star players add variety to each match.
There are a wide range of tournaments and competitions, with great scope to set up your own. 2 or 3 points for a win, 1 or 2 legs with Away Goals, replays, extra time, penalty shoot-outs, and the wonderful touch of being able to play with seasonal weather (the likely weather conditions changing as a long tournament progresses) It makes Kick Off 2's basic leagues look rather sad.
There's a much-needed touch of humour in the names of the custom teams and players - particular favourites include Speling Mistaiks and Old Dear's Menu (in which every player name is a piece of food, preceded by the word 'nice').
The sampled crowd chants enhance the sound effects greatly, and add a flavour of atmosphere to the occasion.
The Bad
It's a shame there are no 'skill levels' per se; instead, the national teams are stronger than the club teams, who are both stronger than the custom teams, as this limits the number of tournaments you can realistically challenge for. At first, you want to play as a national side but will end up losing to San Marino; later, the custom teams could add variety, but you'll be beating them all 10-0.
The different pitches don't have much difference on the play, the referee doesn't hand out enough yellow cards, and penalties are saved a little too frequently.
The Bottom Line
A detailed recreation of football, not easy to learn but yielding hidden depth and a natural addictive nature, especially with 2 players.
By Martin Smith on August 10, 2016
Lotus: The Ultimate Challenge (Amiga)
Less fun in practice than in theory
The Good
It's packed with features - a course editor, 13 types of terrain including new ones such as Roadworks and Rally, 3 different types of cars, a 2-player mode, 3 skill levels, some A-B races as well as some lap-based ones, the option of playing against other cars or the clock, and it's built on the basis of two classic racing games.
The Bad
It's very sluggish to drive, with some unresponsive handling at times. The Genesis/Mega Drive version is a lot faster, and probably a better one to check out, but all the other faults listed below are still present and incorrect.
The RECS course design system is too limited, only allowing for randomized designs rather than actually being able to edit a track to create any real excitement. Jaguar has a far better editor.
The level designs are awful, clearly just randomly constructed with little consideration for where the bends were, and often lacking any variety. In Lotus 2 each individual course had a subtle difficulty curve as new hazards and tougher corners were added as you passed each checkpoint -t hat feature is sadly missing here. The new scenery sets are dull as well, with the Rally one not affecting the handling the way it should, the Mountains being inexcusably slow, and the Future basically just gimmicky.
Arcade lap-based races don't work because you learn the tracks too quickly and it becomes boring (usually you end up gaining more on more time on each lap), and Championship A-B races aren't ideal, because you lose the buzz of having to battle back-markers as well as the leaders. Sadly, you have to do both in either mode. Now can you understand why the first 2 Lotus games paired one racing style with one circuit style?
The loss of Lotus 2's 4-player mode is hugely disappointing, especially as Championship mode would've been suited to it. Like the first two, the initial release is not compatible with faster processors - a disaster as the A1200 was launched soon after.
The Bottom Line
A jack-of-all-trades game. It's clear that they wanted to do another game in this money-spinning series, but were struggling for ways to improve it. Compared to other racers available at the time (Crazy Cars 3, Micro Machines, Formula 1 Grand Prix et al) it's a poor effort.
By Martin Smith on July 9, 2015
Pete Sampras Tennis 97 (Windows)
A tennis game worthy of the great man
The Good
The presentation is extremely slick, with stylish menus, a wide range of options (male and female players, singles and doubles, 3 or 5 sets, specialised short-match multi-player tournaments, 3 game speeds as well as detail settings, definable keys as well as good controller setup options) , and some wryly amusing FMV sequences. Representing fictitious tennis coverage, the presenters are great parodies of typical tennis types, and the amateurism visible in the host's slurred, hazy delivery and technical errors are good light entertainment.
The controls are responsive and smooth, and the players nicely animated. As you play the game you really get a feel for which shots to play and when. Serving is well-designed, with faster or wider (and thus more effective) serves proving more hazardous to get into the play area
There's a great difficulty curve, as each of the 8 computer opponents seems to have a new trick up their sleeves, and playing on the different court types as you go keeps the variety up. Customising the players adds extra depth, allows all manner of play styles to be effective, and the results are very apparent in play.
There are a great range of camera settings, and generally effective graphics. Sound is a definite plus point, which umpire speech from around the world alongside good spot effects and crowd reaction.
The Bad
Some of the line-calls are questionable, although you could argue that this adds to the realism. It's a shame you can't play friendlies on true grass immediately without beating the first 4 opponents. Visually it lacks real sparkle, even on the highest settings.
You could say that tennis isn't the most exciting sport, although it can be recreated very well, and this won't be the game to change your mind if you hate the sport.
The Bottom Line
The best of Codemasters' sport games of the time, possibly the best tennis game ever seen at the time, and still great fun today. Full of options, packed with details and imagination, a great difficulty curve and AI system, and a fabulous 2-player game.
By Martin Smith on December 24, 2014