All or Nothing

Your Spectrum

Dave Nicholls 3.5/5 HIT

Roger Willis 4/5 HIT

Ross Holman 1/5 MISS

JOYSTICK JURY All the latest software from around the houses! Passing judgement this month are Dave Nicholls, Ross Holman and Roger Willis. Our regular crew of software screw balls are in fine form this month. Draining the dregs of Christmas spirit are Dave Nicholls, the hairy hacker; JSW champion Ross Holman; and our own two-wheeled terror, Roger Willis. Just in case you find our scoring system too confusing, here's what it's all about. The score out of five at the end of each person's review is based on their own experience of the game. But that's pretty subjective... so, they also use the HIT and MISS system to indicate its potential as a commercial success. ALL OR NOTHING Abbex £6.95 Dave: This is something of an oddity in that it doesn't really fit into any one particular category of game. It's basically an arcade game, but there's also some strategic and adventure aspects. Visually it resembles Ant Attack, in that the enemy camp you've parachuted into is shown in isometric perspective which can be viewed from different sides - but there's far more to it than that! Your mission is to rescue the secret files hidden in the camp's warehouses but first, you must find the office safe containing a gun and the key to one of the warehouses. Each warehouse contains the key to the next one along with some other useful items like bullets and explosives. All the time you're playing, the camp's being patrolled by guards who shoot at you, and dogs which just get in the way. Once you've found some money it's possible to bribe the guards to leave you alone for a while, but you can always tempt them to move away with a few carefully placed explosions. All in all, this is quite a good game. I've a few reservations as to its lasting appeal, but I would recommend it.

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 8/10

Sound 7/10

Originality 6/10

Lasting Interest 5/10

Overall 6/10

Martyn Smith

Peter Connor

Peter Walker

Steve Spittle 6/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K CONTROL: Keys, Joystick FROM: Abbex Your job in All Or Nothing is to recover secret files from the enemy base situated at a very secret location. Unfortunately, the base is also populated by vicious guards and their unfriendly tracker dogs. You aren't unarmed though - you have some explosive charges which can be placed at strategic points around the camp. These charges draw the guards away from you and allow you to complete various tasks. Firstly, you must retrieve your watch, which was lost when you parachuted into the base. Next you must crack the safe in the main office. This can be very nerve-racking, as you have to input the correct four-figure code within 30 seconds; if you don't succeed, the alarm sounds and you are killed. But presuming you do manage to open the safe you then move on to examine the warehouses in the base to find the files you are looking for. Graphics are drawn in a solid 3D colour perspective, giving a sort of side-on view of everything. The enemy base scrolls by as you move around, and perhaps this could have been a little smoother. The camp is not very large, but the ability to enter buildings in the base gives the game extra depth. The movement of the guards and dogs is fairly unintelligent they seem to either run or shoot past you. There are some nice little tunes and good sound effects accompanying your mission. I especially liked the alarm sound if you fail to open the safe (...something I heard all too often). It's possible the humour and undoubted novelty of the game could wear off. If you take All Or Nothing as a good challenge, you'll be satisfied; if you're looking for a game to return to again and again, look elsewhere.

Crash

Use of Computer 67%

Graphics 76%

Playability 71%

Getting Started 79%

Addictive Qualities 66%

Value For Money 70%

Overall 72%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Abbex Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 / £6.95 Language: Machine code Author: Paul W. Reynolds All or Nothing is the first game from Abbex since Krakatoa, which was a CRASH smash in the Spring. To describe all the playing instructions for this game would take an age as it is somewhat complicated. However, the basic objective is to parachute into an armed camp and more or less destroy it, and in the process find some secret files. Although All or Nothing is basically an arcade game which uses isometric perspective graphics rather similar to those in Ant Attack, there are also some elements of strategy and adventure. On screen, the playing area shows a part of the enemy camp with its high wire fences around the perimeter. Directing 'you' causes the screen to scroll to follow the action. As in Ant Attack there are four camera views for when you get hidden behind a building, but this function is automatically activated if you do disappear from view. Inside the perimeter there are several buildings, some of which are warehouses, some are offices. The camp is patrolled by lots of guards and guard dogs. The guards are armed and shoot to kill. Below the playing area is the score line, time and six graphics depicting objects which may be collected or used. Movement around the camp is by means of a left and right rotation with a forward movement, which leaves fire and back on a joystick free for select and use (an object). Of the objects, the transmitter may be used to request more time to complete the mission; your watch (which you lost just before landing on your parachute) must be found, and using it will indicate the amount of time left; boxes of ammo allow you to shoot at the guards with your gun; explosives have a time delay fuse and can be useful for creating diversions; money may be used to bribe the guards; gas cannisters may be used for knocking guards out. Disabled guards may be searched and may be found to have useful objects on them, like ID cards, which will give you a time of immunity. But most things you will need can be found within the warehouses. Before you can search any of the warehouses you must first discover the office and break the code on the safe (within 30 seconds). This will result in giving you a key to a specific warehouse which you must discover. In this first warehouse you will find the key to another, and so on. Also inside there are various of the useful objects. You can only collect objects that you do not possess or are low on. At any time (after entering the main office) you may leave the site via the Matter Transmitter. The overall object is to collect the secret industrial files and make good your escape. COMMENTS Control keys: user definable - a graphic of the Spectrum shows you the keys you may not select Joystick: almost any via UDK Keyboard play: responsive, although control takes some getting used to Use of colour: average Graphics: neat 3D although rather jerky scrolling Sound: average Skill levels: 1 Lives: 1 with percentage of damage Screens: continuous scrolling Special features: Currah Microspeech compatible

3D graphics not unlike those in Ant Attack characterise the new Abbex game ALL OR NOTHING.

The patrolling guards are closing in - time to bribe, shoot or run...

Big K

Graphics 2/3

Playability 3/3

Addictiveness 2/3

Overall 1/3

Fin Fahey 1/3

SPY VS SPY VS KEYBOARD MAKER: FORMAT: cassette PRICE: £x.95 Everyone's hitting the graphic adventure bandwagon these days. A.O.N. goes for the espionage theme. You are attempting to get gold of the secret files from a heavily guarded enemy camp. Various useful objects are strewn around, and a graphic inventory show you what you've got. The problem is the guards. Although they seem to possess roughly the same level of intelligence as their dogs, there are plenty of them, and they carry guns. They can however be bribed, gassed, or shot. I wasn't too successful at any of these options and spent most of my time running up and down frantically. 3D Graphics, say Abbex. Well I'm not so sure I'd call them that. Since all motion is in one plane, it looks pretty two-dimensional to me. You can run behind the sheds though, so perhaps it's a bit 3D. Control is through the cursor keys or joystick, and you get prompted for special options like picking things up. There's also compatibility with the Currah speech unit, but I can't comment on that 'cos ours don't work!

Personal Computer News

Overall 7/10

Sandra Grandison 7/10

PRICE: £6.95 PUBLISHER: Abbex Electronics [redacted] All or Nothing looks promising from the cassette cover, but playing it - well, that's another story. You're an enemy spy whose mission is to obtain the plans of a secret matter transporter, held somewhere on your competitor's industrial site. As you approach the landing patch on the site by parachute, your watch loosens and falls to the ground. Your first task is to find the watch before you can continue your mission. To control your SAS-type character you can use the keyboard, define your own keys or use a joystick. The instructions are pretty lengthy and you'll need about 1Mb of brainpower to remember what key does what and how to play the game. You've got to digest a number of screens of text before you can get stuck in - a demo game gives a few tips. Playing the game proved to be a killer. On starting, out of the sky drops the hero hanging from a parachute. It's the next bit that gets difficult. Controlling him to go in the direction I wanted to took a lot of practice. To the patter of running feet off he goes to find the key that gives access to the secret documents. It took several attempts to find the key before my man was either shot, bitten by snarling dogs or caught. Quite often he was running aimlessly avoiding his pursuers. The idea of this game is pretty good and the 3D graphics are an added bonus. You can also use a Currah Speech add-on, although the sound is poor. I found this strategy/adventure game a bit hard to play and it wasn't long before I got bored.