1984

Micro Adventurer

AT

BIG BROTHER MICRO: Spectrum 48K, BBC B PRICE: £5.50, £6.50 FORMAT: Cassette SUPPLIER: Incentive Software Ltd., [redacted] Ever thought you could do better than politicians you've seen? Now's your chance. You, with no effort on your part, suddenly become the Prime Minister of the UK. Then you have to keep the job. Supplied to help you do this is 'The Pocket Guide to Running Britain', a 14 page cassette-sized leaflet, containing all manner of useful info. There is very little in this game that is randomly determined. Each simulation starts with the actual 1984 figures, and the books balance, so all you have to do is keep them balanced. Easy enough. Wrong. Apart from taxes, benefits and so on you have to cope with wage rises, interest rates, grants, banking and just about everything else. As well as being the PM, you have to do the jobs of the rest of the government. Playing 1984 is very easy, succeeding is not. You can't make too much of a mess straight away, because most of the inputs have limits, and you will be told when you exceed these. Each year the major indicators, such as inflation, unemployment and exchange rate are shown, and graphs can be displayed illustrating their ups and downs over your term of office. The program also shows how balanced the economy is. This is often first indication of a dangerous instability. When the wage rise section comes round you only get one try at each employment sector. I think adding a chance of negotiation would be a good idea. A most effective feature is the occasional meeting of Parliament where you are asked to make rulings on various issues. The longer you stay in office, the harder it is to survive. This is due to the fact that minor imbalances can have quite widespread effects. I also find it harder to satisfy the unions over wage rises. 1984 is probably a very realistic simulation, and is a fascinating insight into the economy. The program is neatly packaged, and very well presented. On the BBC version, with the exception of the title page, the program uses mode 7, with the only graphics being in the form of graphs. The sound effects are fairly simple, but become tiring after a while. There are many ways to be evicted from No. 10, from full-scale revolution to inept ministers. To stay in office, a lot of concentration and thought will be necessary. Can you win the general elections and make it to the 21st century? 1984 is very compulsive. The first few times had me chucked out within a few years, or losing the election badly, but now I've nearly got to 1999. If you like strategy simulations, then this is a must.

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

WANTED - RACING DRIVER, PILOT, PRIME MINISTER... Simulation programs are fun and educational . Among a selection of excellent games , many of them best-sellers , we find one leads the field . Spend your time playing Manic Miner or The Hobbit and, although you may gain remarkable proficiency on the Spectrum keyboard, the chances are that you will not feel any better-equipped for any real-life experiences of wandering beneath the streets of Surbiton, or controlling the movements of a recalcitrant dwarf. Spend your time playing simulation games and not only will you enjoy some of the best games on the market but also you will benefit from the educational qualities of simulation games. Whether your dream has always been to bring the government to its knees, form a successful rock band, become a millionaire or simply to get away from the city and take up sport in the countryside, there is a simulation game designed to help you achieve your dream in the comfort of your home. Simulation games put you into the place of another person, a jet pilot for example, provide some background information and instructions, and then allow you to make all the decisions. UNRIVALLED SUCCESS In the field of simulation games nothing has arrived in the Sinclair Programs office to rival The Forest - Phipps Associates, 48K Spectrum . It is a simulation of that sport seemingly least likely ever to be played on a microcomputer, orienteering. Orienteering is essentially a cross-country race across difficult terrain, to which has been added the extra dimension of navigational problems. Contestants are supplied with a map, on which is marked a number of points, each of which must be visited in order. Points are often separated by lakes or dense forest, so the quickest route is not necessarily a straight line but can be found only by a skilled map reader. An added complication is that the map, and the area, do not include roads, footpaths or streams, and so map and compass must be used throughout. Graham Relf, author of The Forest has, amazingly, made it possible to orienteer with a Spectrum and, more incredibly still, has fitted 11,200 sq. km. of map into the program. When the game is loaded, the scene is the start of the course, on the edge of the town and the forest. Objective number one lies around 100 metres to the north-east and is marked by a flag on arrival. The map shows that a direct route would not be too difficult; most of it is downhill and the forest through which a straight path would run is not too dense. It is difficult, however, to run even 100 metres through trees white trying to follow a compass bearing, so the booklet accompanying the program suggests that beginners first aim for the nearby lake and then for the small flag in the middle of the forest. The screen shows the view six metres in front of the player. It may be lake, tall trees, small trees, a town, or a selection of other types of terrain. Ten terrain symbols are shown on the screen at any time. Turning to right and left can be done by means of left and right cursor keys. Turning to face the way you have come is achieved by pressing the downward cursor key, and movement forward by pressing the upward cursor key. Each step you take is roughly one metre long although, as in real life, your steps will vary in length and you will move with much more difficulty uphill through thick trees than when running downhill across grass. A sight set in front of you shows where the ground directly ahead of you would be if the ground were completely level. That gives a clear indication as to whether you are running uphill or downhill. Running on a compass bearing is not possible with a computer. It is possible to estimate on which bearing you should walk, and for how far, but most players will find that a ruler and protractor make life easier. The forest is an extremely good educational aid for anyone wishing to reach or learn map reading, compass hearings, or simply the use of ruler and protractor. The map is very accurate and there is an immense sense of achievement to be gained from finding a flag after navigating through a kilometer of forest. The program also gives a clear idea of how contour lines marked on a map relate to hills and valleys. Experienced players will find that by following the curve of a hill as they run along, they can follow contour lines on the map, which can be very helpful when crossing large areas of forest. BEST-SELLING PROGRAMS Better-known simulation games are the flight simulation programs Flight Simulation - 48K Spectrum and 16K ZX-81, Sinclair Research - and Fighter Pilot - 48K Spectrum, Digital Integration - both best-selling programs. Flight Simulation allows the player to take off, fly and land an aeroplane. The aircraft controls are complex and so the long instructions should be read in full before any attempt at flying is made. Despite that, first flights tend to be unmitigated disasters. Experience quickly makes the controls and instrument panels sufficiently comprehensible to make taking-off and flying possible. The most difficult aspect of Flight Simulation is landing. There are 13 control keys to remember with which the aircraft can be controlled and even experienced simulator pilots tend to find that number is around 12 controls too many when trying to reduce height and speed at the appropriate rate, while keeping on course and keeping the aircraft level. Fighter Pilot gives the player a bigger range of options than Flight Simulation. The player can choose between being a trainee, squadron instructor or ace pilot. Flight, take-off and landing can be practiced with or without the effect of cross-winds and turbulence. As can be deduced from the program title, other options include not more complicated routes or aerial manoeuvres but the opportunity to kill as many other pilots like yourself as you wish. While both Fighter Pilot and Flight Simulation are excellent simulation programs, the wider range of options open to the player in Fighter Pilot provide a more lasting challenge. Chequered Flag - Sinclair Research, 48K Spectrum - is also a well-known example of a simulation game. The screen display is of the driver's view from a racing car. Before the game begins the driver can choose between three cars and a variety of the most famous racing circuits in the world. As in a real car, there are a variety of controls from which to choose, although in a real car drivers are not expected to steer, accelerate, brake and change gear all with their hands. Moving at high speed is hair-raising enough, without the added difficulty of having to search for the brake quickly among a group of very similar Spectrum keys. NOT A NOVEL EXPERIENCE As a simulation the game is not as successful as flight simulation programs, partly because the large number of its imitators make the idea of driving a car on your Spectrum seem stale. Driving a car or being driven in a car is not a novel experience for Spectrum owners and so differences from real life are much more apparent than when trying to fly an aeroplane. 1984 - Incentive Software, 48K Spectrum - gives the player control of the Government of Britain from 1984 onwards. All decisions on Government spending and allocation of resources are made by the player. Radical changes in spending will not be accepted by the computer and budgetary changes which leave certain departments short of money will be queried by the computer before they are accepted. MANAGEMENT GAME 1984 states that it is "a game of Government management" and so computer owners wishing to become involved in other aspects of British political activity, or to overthrow the Government and set up a different political system, will not find it suited to their needs. The cassette insert includes a complex diagram, demonstrating how different sections of the economy are linked and what effects budgetary changes in any area will have. Students of economics or government may find it a helpful game to play, although it is necessarily simplistic in some areas. It is a complex and well-thought-out simulation game. People using it for educational purposes, though, will find that the help of an experienced teacher would be necessary to indicate the problems which necessarily will arise when the player attempts to run the country on a microcomputer. Rather more frivolous is Millionaire - Incentive, 48K Spectrum. The game involves running a software company and the aim is to make a million pounds. It is fast-moving, easily comprehensible but necessarily repetitive with clear graphics on-screen. Decisions must be made as to which kind of software should be written, how much should be produced, how it should be advertised, and how it should be marketed. As profits increase, the size of your house, shown at the beginning of each round, will increase from being a small terrace to a large mansion. Production of cassettes cannot exceed a certain level each month, so once you have made all the correct decisions and are selling out of stock each month there is no chance of becoming an overnight success. Another problem with the game is the irritating over-use of a luck element throughout, so that making the same decisions two games running will produce very different results. Over-use of chance is always a flaw in a simulation game and in Millionaire it gives rise to the suspicion that success would be obtained as quickly by throwing dice to make decisions. BUSKING IN THE SUBWAY Along the same lines as Millionaire is it's Only Rock 'n' Roll - Virgin, 48K Spectrum. The aim is to make it as a rock star, "making it" being defined in this case as earning a million pounds and acquiring three status symbols. From busking in the subway it is possible to rise. to tours of Japan and the U.S., number one hit records and sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium. All that takes time, however, and Virgin judges rock stars to be over the hill within five years of the start of the game, or fewer if you choose a more difficult level. It is necessary, therefore, tO take a few risks to achieve high popularity levels as quickly as possible. It is disappointing that once you have made it in the set time there is no winning display - you continue the game until you are over the hill and then finish. VERY SIMILAR SIEGES A similar lack of any appropriate ending is apparent in Jerico 2 - Elephant Software, 48K Spectrum. The game can be considered with Fort Apache - Contrast Software, 16K Spectrum - as, except in theme, the two games are remarkably similar in all respects. In both the player leads a siege, in one case on an Apache fort, in the other on the city of Jerico. Battles must be fought, weapons and equipment built and supplies fetched. Not the most accurate of simulations and not the most involving, either. Success can be obtained on Jerico 2 within half an hour, though Fort Apache is slightly more difficult. Despite the similarities of the games, Fort Apache is better than Jerico 2, as it makes full use of the ZX-81 facilities.

Your Spectrum

John Hall 8/10

Mark Knight 7/10

Tony Samuels 7/10

Your Spectrum is continuing to scour the country's computer clubs to get the undiluted thoughts, feelings and impressions of dedicated games enthusiasts - thus providing our readers with unbiased evaluations. Any club wishing to offer their reviewing services should contact Ron Smith, Spectrum Soft, [redacted]. This month we visited the Heald Green Computer Club (which meets fortnightly at the Public Hall, [redacted], on Wednesdays from 7.30 to 10.30pm). Three of the club's leading members each played the games we gave them for review and in some cases found them so well-conceived and written, went completely over the top with the superlatives. In others, the games were deemed to be re-hashes of old ideas and evaluated accordingly. The club was formed four months ago, and has already managed to attract over 40 enthusiasts. All members are being brought up to the same standard of proficiency by the more experienced members who are running formal courses in both Basic and machine code. Membership is offered at a very reasonable rate, and all enquiries should be referred to Tony Samuels on [redacted] (after 6pm). Tony, incidentally, is currently working on a new program for the Spectrum (called Ugh - see Rumbles in this issue) which will be available from Softek in the near future. 1984 Incentive Software £5.50 A game of government management that asks the player to use his or her judgement on the complex inter-related issues that govern the performance of the national economy. As the British Prime Minister, all you have to do is stay in power until 1999!

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

Personal Computer News

Lasting Appeal 5/5

Playability 4/5

Use Of Machine 4/5

Overall Value 4/5

Bob Chappell 4/5

NAME: 1984 SYSTEM: 48K Spectrum PRICE: £5.50 PUBLISHER: Incentive Software, [redacted] FORMAT: Cassette LANGUAGE: Machine code OTHER VERSIONS: None OUTLETS: Mail order/retail GOINTO POLITICS This year being the pudding for proof of George Orwell's predictions, you really shouldn't be surprised to find a game called 1984. But forget about Big Brother watching you - in this one, you effectively get to be Big Brother. OBJECTIVES The game puts you in the hottest of hot seats - in charge of Great Britain's economy. As Prime Minister, you must control the web of factors that govern the economy. You've always said you could do better than the lot in office and now's your chance to prove it. Just ride out three terms in office - simple, eh? IN PLAY The game is basically a series of lists of information on the state of the economy. Most of your decisions are made by answering yes/no questions and selecting items from menus. You always start with the 1982/83 figures. Each round represents one year in office, the completion of which is sounded by the chimes of Westminster. Each year the balance sheet is presented together with the status of eight major indicators, such as inflation, unemployment and the trade balance. The year-by-year progress of these may be called up as histograms - better not to look, they appear so much worse as rocketing or shrinking bars. Oh, the Power! You can mangle the minimum lending rate, bash the banks, interfere with industry, desiccate departmental budgets, fork out the foreign aid and generally go bananas with the Budget. Wage rounds are a little tricky - the three main sectors (civil service, public and private areas) all come pleading for hefty rises. Make a derisory offer and they end up getting all they wanted in the first place. Five large coloured rectangles are displayed, each representing a major economic sector viz Government, industry, Population, Banks, and the Rest of the World. It is your job to keep all these equally balanced, since instability heralds disaster. A random factor is added in the shape of sudden and urgent Cabinet meetings. Finding that you need to pump funds into British Rail or that the pound has to be devalued can knock your clever calculations cockeyed. VERDICT An absorbing economic game that offers all the fun and megalomanic pleasure of running the country with none of the inevitable consequences. Would you make a better PM?

Crash

Overall 76%

Producer: Incentive, 48K £5.50 (2) Author: R Carter The time is now. Can you do better than Maggie and ride out three terms as Prime Minster and survive two General Elections? This highly complex strategy game runs along conventional lines of offering a menu of options and problems to be solved. You will have to balacen the books over such matters as VAT, Income Tax, Govt Loans and Contracts, Corporation Tax, Grants to Industry, Public sector spending, Govt wages, Pensions, Unemployment Benefit, Child Allowances, Foreign Aid and interest on borrowing. The personalities involved bring you into constant conflict over things like wage demands. The game is accompanied by a booklet called 'A Pocket Guide To Running Britain'. The text is clearly laid out and responds fast to inputs. This is no toy government game, but a fully blown program that should tax anyone's brain. Overall CRASH rating 76%, machine code.

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Big K

Overall 3/3

Richard Burton 3/3

NORMAN TEBBIT WRITES... MAKER: Incentive Software MACHINE: Spectrum 48K FORMAT: cassette PRICE: £5.50 Personally, I find politics and economics pretty boring. All that stuff about minimum lending rates, wage rounds and economic forecasts. Dreary stuff , man. That was until I discovered 1984 from Incentive Software. This strategy game changed my life by putting me in charge of the Government and the economic survival of the country. It was then that I tasted... POWER! Ha, ha! I love it! Soak the rich! Sponge the poor! Drive up inflation! Send wages through the roof! It's great. You can do all this and more with 1984 or be really boring and try to keep the budget balanced and get through three general elections unscathed. Based on the actual 1982/83 figures for the British economy (3 million unemployed and all) this is a clear, concise, well-presented game. Performance graphs and good prompts on all sections make it an extremely easy game to get into for the novice. It's surprisingly enjoyable. And then there's all that lovely POWER..!

Crash

Use of Computer 75%

Graphics 68%

Playability 85%

Getting Started 79%

Addictive Qualities 63%

Value For Money 85%

Overall 76%

Unknown

Producer: Incentive Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.50 Language: Machine code Author: RMH Carter When George Orwell finished his famous novel about the future in 1948 it seemed logical to reverse the last two figures and call it 1984. Since then the date has had a semi-magical connotation. Well, now it is 1984, and to mark the occasion, Incentive (who brought you Splat) have released this governmental strategy game - a game of economic survival. The object is to prove that you can do better than our existing politicians. You, of course, are to be Prime Minister. Can you ride out three terms In power and survive two General Elections? At the start you inherit certain figures under the headings Sources of Revenue in millions of pounds, and Details of Spending, also in millions. These include (Revenue) Corporation tax, Value Added Tax, Income tax, Customs & Excise, and Loans: (Spending) Government contracts, Grants to Industry, Public Sector spending, Govt. Department wages, Pensions, Unemployment, Benefit, Child Allowance, Foreign Aid, and interest on borrowing. This screen is followed by Major Indicators, a chart of 8 items which chart your progress, and which can be called up at any time to see how you are doing. This is followed by details on the Minimum Lending Rate, set at a given figure, but which you must adjust to suit you requirements. There is a bar code chart which indicates how well the economy is balanced between Government, Industry, Population, Banks and the World. If any one of these sectors gets dangerously out of balance, you may be forced to resign - a flagging industry, for instance, may be given a boost by an increase in the Grant to Industry. The game also incorporates the major nightmare of any modern government, the wages claims. You have to deal with those in the Public and Private sectors as well as Civil Servants. You must decide on the level of Government Investment in banks, balance the effects of raising money through Industrial levies, keep an eye on the funding of your own government departments, sort out the budget for each year, organise the levels of foreign aid, subsidise industry through grants, and finally, attend Cabinet Meetings on a wide variety of problems. The game is accompanied by a detailed 13 page leaflet called A Pocket Guide To Running Britain, which explains the various functions of the game and the economy generally. COMMENTS Colour and graphics: all very clear, with well used colour Sound: useful entry beeps and the sound of Big Ben chiming Skill levels: 1 - and that's enough!

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 7/10

Memory: 48K Price: £5.50 The year 1984 has, for some time, been associated with dictatorial regimes and the tight fist of fascism. You can change that state of affairs in a government strategy game, 1984, for the 48K Spectrum. It will first produce a bar chart of the state of the nation, which contains the figures for such national economic indicators as government spending, money put into industry and agriculture, and the economic situation for individuals. To keep your books in order you will need to juggle with budgets for the various taxes, as well as those for allowances such as old age pensions and child allowances. You will be rated at the end of each year depending on how well you have done your sums and whether you have a gigantic surplus or deficit for the year. Also included with the package is a free' pocket guide to running Britain. It is useful if you do not understand what is happening in some parts of the game. It also shows that running a country is not as easy as it would seem. 1984 is an excellent game for the strategist who likes a challenge. It can be obtained from Incentive Software, [redacted].

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online