ACU Issue 05 (Apr 1985)
The fifth issue of Amstrad Computer User, published by Amsoft.
Contents
Contents
| Page Number | Title | Description |
| Page 5 | News | A full report on the recent L.E.T. trade show |
| Page 10 | Letters | Your input to our output |
| Page 17 | Book Reviews | Best buys from the bookshop |
| Page 20 | Screen Squashing | More than 20 columns in Mode 0. Impossible? No, read on |
| Page 26 | Printer Reviews | Sort out which type suits you |
| Page 29 | The Joy of Sticks | Sally Tyler looks at joysticks |
| Page 34 | Software Reviews | Which should you buy, we offer our PROGnosis |
| Page 43 | Competition: The Ins and Outs of the Amstrad | Thirty Copies of the new Melbourne House book to be won |
| Page 46 | Intro to Music | Tune up your computer and get ready to play |
| Page 50 | Missile Attack | Type this in and save the world |
| Page 59 | The Monster's Final Hour | Tried and tested adventure program |
| Page 68 | Forth | Part II of our tutorial in this fun language |
| Page 76 | Machine Code Programming | P.K. McBride takes a beginners look at machine code |
| Page 84 | Writing Adventures | Build a world of your very own |
Games reviewed
Blagger
Codename MAT
Codename MAT is a program guaranteed to have you hunched over your Amstrad keyboard for hours on end. A welcome conversion from the Spectrum by Micromega, it depicts space warfare on an epic scale, as you battle to save Earth from the deadly Myon invasion fleet.
The scenario itself is slightly daft. In a plan known as MAT - Mission Alien Termination - the combined tactical skills of all the planetary leaders in the solar system have been implanted in the mind of a teenager, who has been sent out into space in a prototype craft to challenge the aliens. It's probably best to forget this, and remember that it is you against everything else that moves, then get on with the game. And what a game! The Myons start at Pluto and head through nine sectors on their way to Earth. Using your tracking computer and scanners, you have to locate the fast-moving enemy and annihilate the fleet before your planet is destroyed. Combat is depicted in superb three-dimensional graphics with excellent sound effects, and what makes the game extra special is the intelligence shown by the aliens, who adopt different strategies in their attacks upon your ship.
If you get low on energy you will have to dock with a planet to refuel. This can be a tricky manoeuvre, but don't worry if 'Collision alert' flashes up. You will just have to blast the planet out of the way and try again somewhere else you can't be squeamish about these things when the future of the world is at stake!
Strategy plays an important part in the game. If you choose, you can control the two planetary defence fleets in each sector from your ship, and you also have to decide the reight moment to admit defeat in a sector and retreat to the next.
Codename MAT takes hours to play, so a Save option would have been useful, and I was also disappointed at the uininspiring end to the game when, after a titanic struggle, the Myons were finally defeated. But these are minor criticisms of what is otherwise an excellent game which you will come back to again and again.
| Author: | Amsoft/Micromega |
| Format: | Cassette |
| Price: | £8.95 |
| Graphics: | **** |
| Playability: | **** |
| Addictiveness: | **** |
| Overall: | **** |
Crazy Golf
Cubit
Laserwarp
Mutant Monty
Sorcery
Splat!
Star Commando
Sultan's Maze
Xanagrams
Type ins
All of the following programmes can be found on this Disk Image (with thanks to Ervin)
Disc Merge
File(s) associated with this article:
- DSCMERGE.BAS
See page 82 (below) for more details.
Machine Code Action
Other file(s) associated with this article:
- MCDEMO.ASM
- SPRITE1.BAS
See page 73 (below)for more details.
RUN"MCDEMO1"
RUN"MCDEMO2"
Missile Attack
RUN"MISSILE"
The Monster's Final Hour
RUN"MONSTERS"
The Musical Amstrad (Part 2)
RUN"MUSIC1"
RUN"MUSIC2"
RUN"MUSIC3"
Screen Squashing
Other file(s) associated with this article:
- SCRLIST2.BAS
- SCRLIST3.BAS
- SCRCODE1.BIN
- SCRCODE2.BIN
See page 20 (below) for more details.
RUN"SCRLIST4"
Writing Adventures (Part 1)
RUN"ADVENT1"
Scans
- Amstrad Computer User, Issue 05, April 1985
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