PART 10 - A-Z OF SPECTRUM GAMES REVIEWS - Part 1
This list details (almost) every game reviewed by the main Spectrum magazines and its rating.
KEY: CR=Crash, YS=Your Sinclair, SU=Sinclair User, IS=Issue Number. If you would like to know exact dates of reviews:
- CRASH No.1 = January 1984
- YOUR SPECTRUM No.1 = Dec/Jan 1984
- YOUR SINCLAIR No.1 = January 1986
- SINCLAIR USER No.1 = March 1982
NAME COMPANY YS IS SU IS
==========================================
A DAY IN THE LIFE Micromega 59 15 4 O
A FISTFUL OF BLOOD Zodiac == == 8 25
ABC Artic NR 2 == ==
AARGH! Virgin MT 29 68 48 44
ABU SIMBEL
PROFANATION Gremlin == == 4 S
ACADEMY CRL 92 36 9 12
ACCELERATOR Centre City 66 13 == ==
ACE Cascade 81 32 8 10
ACE II Cascade == == 5 26
ACE 2088 Cascade 56 64 == ==
ACE OF ACES US Gold 62 38 7 17
ACHETON Topologika 87 53 7 43
ACROJET US Gold 83 37 7 16
ACTION BIKER MastertronicS2 19 3 S
ACTION COUNTDOWN Kixx == == 30 49
ACTION FIGHTER Firebird 82 71 62 47
ACTION FORCE Virgin GamesЗ5 46 6 25
ACTION FORCE 2 Virgin Games90 52 9 30
ACTION REFLEX Mirrorsoft 88 31 8 8
AD ASTRA Gargoyle 80 4 NR F
ADDAMS FAMILY Ocean == == 86 78
ADDER ATTACK Mogul 64 4 == ==
ADIDAS CHA FOOTBALLOcean 83 79 85 57
ADIDAS CHA
TIE-BREAK Ocean 73 83 79 59
ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE Temptation 54 1 == ==
ADVANCED LAWNMOWER
SIMULATOR Gardensoft == == 9 28
ADVANCED PINBALL
SIMULATOR Codemasters == == 7 37
ADVENTURE Adventure
International 84 36 == ==
ADVENTURELAND Adventure
International 70 14 == ==
ADVENTURES Carnell
ST BERNARD Software 58 4 7 D
AFFAIRE VERA CRUZ Infrogrammes85 34 == ==
AFGHAN ATTACK Southern
Software *6 15 == ==
AFRICA GARDENS Gilsoft 84 4 == ==
AFTER THE WAR Dinamic == == 71 48
AFTERBURNER Activision 86 54 7 39
AFTERSHOCK Interceptor 89 34 7 12
AGATHAS FOLLY Zenobi == == 8 51
AGENT ORANGE A'n'F 59 38 7 27
AGENT X Mastertronic85 37 7 27
AGENT X 2 Mastertronic== == 6 25
AHHHH! CRL 61 9 == ==
AIR DEFENCE CCS NR 16 == ==
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL Mikrogen == == 2 K
AIRBASE INVADER CP Software 68 6 == ==
AIRBOURNE RANGER Microsphere 82 60 7 37
AIRLINE Cases
Software Simulators NR 40 == ==
AIRLINER Protek == == NR A
AIRWOLF Elite 90 13 6 M
ALADDINS CAVE Artic == == 5 2
ALCATRAZ HARRY MastertronicЧЗ 9 6 H
ALCHEMIST Imagine 85 2 9 C
ALIEN Argus Press NR 15 8 M
ALIEN 8 Ultimate 95 15 9 N
ALIEN EVOLUTION Gremlin
Graphics 75 42 8 19
ALIEN HIGHWAY Vortex 88 29 9 7
ALIEN STORM US Gold == == 75 70
ALIEN SWARM/ARENA K-Tel 57 3 == ==
ALIEN SWOOP Space Age == == NR B
ALIEN SYNDROME Ace 90 57 8 35
ALIENS Electric
Dreams 84 37 9 14
ALIENS(US VERSION) Electric
Dreams 45 47 9 25
ALL AMERICAN
BASKETBALL Zeppelin == == 20 86
ALL OR NOTHING Abbex 72 11 6 K
ALPHABETH A'n'F NR 16 == ==
ALTERED BEAST Activision 67 71 80 47
ALTERNATIVE WORLD
GAMES Gremlin 85 55 3 33
AMAUROTE Mad 92 40 9 19
AMC Dinamic 82 77 75 55
AMERICAN 3D POOL Zeppelin == == 79 77
AMERICAN FOOTBALL Argus Press 71 13 == ==
AMERICAN TAG TEAM Zeppelin == == 86 82
AMERICAN TURBO KING Mastertron.61 76 60 53
ANARCHY Rack-It == == 8 26
ANCIENT BATTLES CCS == == 9 39
ANDROID 2 Vortex 90 2 == ==
ANDY CAPP Mirrorsoft 73 49 8 27
ANIMATED STRIP
POKER Knightsoft 66 15 == ==
ANIMATOR 1 Softcat == == NR 8
ANNALS OF ROME PSS 85 38 2 14
ANTAGONISTS, THE Addison
Wesley *6 19 == ==
ANT ATTACK Quicksilva == == NR A
ANTICS Bug Byte 90 6 NR G
ANTTERRO C Solutions == == 4 27
ANTILLIS MISSION Compass == == 8 79
APB Tengen 93 68 75 46
APOCALYPSE InfrogrammesNR 43 6 23
APOLLO 11 Darkstar 70 5 NR F
APPLE JAM DK'Tronics 47 2 NR B
APRIL 7TH Zenobi == == 7 80
AQUASQUAD Atlantis == == 4 39
ARC OF YESOD Thor 89 26 9 5
ARCADE FLIGHT
SIMULATOR Codemasters 64 66 76 47
ARCADE FRUIT
MACHINE Zeppelin 59 75 55 53
ARCADE TRIVIA QUIZ Zeppelin 80 75 76 53
ARCHERS, THE Mosaic 90 37 5 14
ARCHON Ariolasoft 83 18 6 P
ARCTIC FOX Electronic
Arts 41 55 5 32
ARTURA Gremlin 38 54 == ==
ARCTURUS Visions 57 3 4 E
ARENA Bug Byte 67 46 6 3
ARENDARVON CASTLE Addision
Wesley *8 18 == ==
ARKANOID Imagine 59 39 9 17
ARKANOID 2 Imagine 80 51 9 28
ARMAGEDDON Silversoft 68 1 == ==
ARMAGEDDON MAN, THE Martech 65 44 8 22
ARMY MOVES Ocean 54 41 8 19
ARNHEM CCS NR 17 8 P
ARNOLD THE
ADVENTURER 2 Zenobi == == 7 38
ART STUDIO Rainbird == == NR 2
ARTIST II, THE Softek
International NR 36 9 14
ARTIST, THE SofTechnics NR 17 == ==
ARTURA Gremlin == == 6 36
ASHES Pulsonic 49 5 == ==
ASHKERON Mirrorsoft *8 18 == ==
ASTERIX & CAULDRON Melbourne
House 61 34 5 12
ASTONISHING
VAMPIRES Piranha == == 7 20
ASTROBALL Revelation == == 90 78
ASTROCADE DDS == == 7 7
ASTROCLONE Hewson
Consultants 88 22 6 U
ASTRONOMER CP Software 9 == ==
ASTRONUT Software
Projects 81 12 H
ASTROTUTOR Astrocalc NR 38 == ==
ATHENA Ocean 75 45 9 22
ATHLETE Buffer Micro 51 8 == ==
ATIC ATAC Ultimate 92 1 == ==
ATF Digital
Integration 89 50 8 28
ATLANTIC CHALLENGER Virgin 48 32 == ==
ATLANTIS M&L Software*6 8 == ==
ATLAS ASSIGNMENT Virgin Games*6 6 7 E
ATOM ANT Hi-Tec 78 82 70 84
ATRAM Websters == 12 == ==
ATV SIMULATOR Codemasters 66 46 8 24
ATTACK OF THE
EMPIRE Chibur == == 2 N
ATTACK OF KILLER
TOMATOES Global 89 28 8 6
AUF WIEDERSEHEN
MONTY Gremlin 85 40 9 18
AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET Tynesoft 54 7 == ==
AUSTERLITZ Lothlorien 93 24 7 4
AUSTERLITZ 1805 CCS 76 67 82 45
AUSTRALIAN RULES FB Again Again== == 69 49
AUTO CHEF Cases
Computer Simul == 44 == ==
AUTOMANIA Mikrogen 88 7 8 H
AVALANCHE Kixx == == 86 58
AVENGER Gremlin
Graphics 85 36 == ==
AXE OF KOLT FSF 9 58
AZTEC ASSAULT Zenobi == == 9 84So ends Part 1 of the complete A-Z of Spectrum Games Reviews. You may have noticed the lack of SU review scores - this is due to the fact that I own very few Sinclair Users. If anyone can fill in any of the gaps or spot any mistakes, let me know at the usual address.
NOTES:
- Before July 1989, YS marked scores out of 10.
==means game was not reviewed.NRmeans game was Not Rated.- A
*before a score means it was marked out of ten (except for YS scores as explained). - The letters in the YS issues column stand for issues of Your Spectrum which came out 1984-1985. There were 21 issues in all, starting in Dec/Jan 1984 and ending in Dec 1985. The January 1986 issue was Your Sinclair No.1. (The first three issues of Your Spectrum were Bi-monthly)
Part 2 (B) continues next issue...
THE BEST OF YOUR SINCLAIR - Part 1
Over the 7 years that Your Sinclair run, they produced some of the best magazines you could buy. Famous for their wit and "crapness", they weren't ashamed - they even produced T-shirts proclaiming "Your Sinclair - its crap, in a funky skillo
sort of way!" This article looks at some
of the best of the worst of that great
mag!
We'll begin with the infamous April Fool
joke of 1988. Invented by the legendary
reviewer, Duncan McDonald, this game was
megagamed and spawned more clones than
Dizzy! What can it be but:
ADVANCED LAWNMOWER SIMULATION
Gardensoft / £4.95
Duncan: "The most advanced domestic chore simulation yet to hit the home micro" claims the advertising blurb. "Awe inspiringly realistic with a near infinite number of randomly generated rural and suburban lawn scenarios". Hollow advertising rhetoric? So much insincere profit chasing hype?...Not on your grass box, matey; this game is ACE!
You, a humble YTS junior gardener, start
of with a very small tool box, one can of
petrol and a standard issue Campari "Lawn
master" motor mower. Your first randomly
generated garden is guaranteed to be
camber-free and generally straightforward
in design, so do a fast but neat job and
you will be awarded points (in the guise
of sandwiches) by the incredibly grateful
home owner. In the age old tradition of
"Points make prizes", you'll be able to
start upgrading your equipment: more tools
for your tool-box: extra spacers for the
flymo (if indeed you have one); more cans
of petrol or oil and, in general, more to
power your grassware.
You'll need all the extras and add-ons you
can lay your little green fingers on, if
you want to climb the gardening hierarchy.
The gardens get increasingly bigger, have
increasing cambers, hidden "traps" such as
stones and old wire coat hangers, and
grassy banks sloping into ornate but
potentially ruinous duck-ponds. Probably
most dangerous of all, on higher levels,
are the rose gardens; you won't make head
gardener after you've accidentally
totalled three square feet of Lady
Talbot-Smythes prized pink perpetuals!
Gardensoft is a brand new publishing house that looks set to carve quite a niche for itself in the simulations market. It's press releases promises several follow-up games, to be blanket released within the next month or two, such as the spring cleaning game in which you have to rifle through the cupboard under the stairs before you can even start the game proper; a washing up simulator (which incorporates a drying up simulator); and best of all, a launderette game in which you have to clean ten large bags of assorted colours and materials. Sounds easy? Well, not really because most of the clothes have missing labels. All these games sound absolutely ber-illiant, but we'll have to wait and see. As for now? Well, we do have the advanced lawn-mowing simulation and that IS brilliant.
YS CLAPOMETER
Classic simulation game from an exciting
new name in Speccy software. Guaranteed
number one!
- GRAPHICS: 9
- PLAYABILITY: 9
- VALUE FOR MONEY: 9
- ADDIVTIVENESS: 9
TOTAL 9 YOUR SINCLAIR MEGAGAME
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==========================================MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTION DETAILS
This magazine exists in two forms:
EMULATE1.ZIP— Plain text-only edition of magazineEMULSNA1.ZIP— Complete package including snapshots, PD utils and pictures.
Both versions can be downloaded from most FTP sites, and the text only version can also be ordered directly from me. If you would like a sub to the text version, send an E-MAIL message with "Subscription" as the subject.
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