Fred

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 6/10

Memory: 48K Price: £6.95 Joystick: Kempston In Fred, from Quicksilva, which runs in 48K you are invited to guide the intrepid hero round such a dank and deadly charnel house. Fred journeys along the passageways by way of the keyboard or a Kempston joystick and ascends shafts by ropes provided conveniently. The main aims are to collect as much loot as possible and also to find your way from the tomb. That is not a simple task, as the guardians are constantly on the prowl; some, like the ghosts, can pass through walls or teleport down the shafts. The cartoon-style graphics are attractive and colourful, the passageways scrolling as Fred moves across or climbs the ropes. Motion is smooth and you can define keys to suit your taste. It is a game which takes ingenuity and care to get through and is novel in concept. If you shoot at anything which moves you will not survive for long without more ammunition. Fred will not appeal to those seeking fast, furious, violent action but it is well-designed and fun to play, though it may not be addictive in the usual sense. Watch for flying mummies.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

Personal Computer News

Bob Chappell

FRANTIC HAZARDS Bob Chappell rolls out his trusty Spectrum to test five new games cassettes. The Snowman; Fred £6.95 each, Quicksilva [redacted], mail order/retail. FRED Here we have another good title from Quicksilva with one of the funniest and most unlikely-looking game heroes I've seen this side of the Muppet Show. Fred is a Clousseau-like, hobnail-booted explorer in search of treasure around a labyrinth of tunnels. Also tramping around the caves are rats, ghosts, mummies, vampires, chameleons and skeletons. None are in the least bit frightening, but you could be tickled to death by their humourously drawn appearance. The rather cuddly rats are purple balls of fluff, while the ghosts are white sheets with noses Cyrano De Bergerac would have given a year's supply of hankies to have met. The caves' many levels are linked by ropes - Fred will automatically leap on and off them. As Fred moves (up, down, left or right), the six different screens scroll (although none too smoothly) in the appropriate directions revealing more of the labyrinth, and meaner monsters. The game plays slowly and is not terribly exciting, but the graphics are a hoot - The Goon Show on a home computer.

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 8/10

Sound 7/10

Originality 5/10

Lasting Interest 7/10

Overall 7/10

Chris Anderson 7/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Optional SUPPLIER: Quicksilva PRICE: £6.95 You'd hardly expect the explorer of an ancient maze of tombs to be called Fred, but make no mistake, this chaps a hero. Surrounded by ghosts, rats, acid drips, mummies and chameleons, he has to fight his way out of the maze and pick up treasure at the same time. Makes Raiders of the Lost Ark look like a family picnic. He may not forgive me for saying so, but the nicest thing about Fred is the way he moves. He spends a great deal of his time climbing up and down ropes, and this he accomplishes in great style. His leaps too are very athletic, done with arms and legs outstretched. He needs to do this to avoid the rats, who otherwise, like all the other nasties, will deplete his power reserves. Ghosts and mummies, on the other hand, must be shot or fled from, acid drips must be dodged with careful timing and chameleons avoided by taking care which way he faces while climbing ropes. As you control Fred's movements you can see only a small part of the total maze and unless you find a map must simply guess at the right path to take. Even if you don't find the exit, you may come across treasure which will prolong your life, and grant you points if you can escape with it. The maze is different every time you play and if you do escape you get a new one with more nasties. One nice feature is that a single key is used for Up and Jump. This greatly aids control. All in all, Fred is a delightful game and a delightful chap. Well worth a trip to the tombs to meet him.

Your Spectrum

John Hall 8/10

Mark Knight 8/10

Tony Samuels 9/10

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. FRED Quicksilva £6.95 You are Fred, a fearless archaeologist, and must work your way round the pyramid in search of ancient treasure. It's not quite that simple as there are ghosts, vampires and acid drops which all try to hinder your progress.

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

FEARLESS ENOUGH TO FOLLOW FRED? The ghost of Tutenkahm is ready to avenge anyone who dares to enter the tombs of the ancient Pharaohs. One man - Fred the archaeologist - is preparing to set foot into a pyramid that hasn't seen a living soul for 2,000 years. Are you courageous enough to join him? During your travels through the labyrinth of passages, hall rats, vampires and the obligatory mummies, acid rain, caused by old and decomposing Egyptian mixtures falling from the ceilings, will have to be avoided or Fred could end up as a nasty fizzing sludge. To protect himself while he searches for the dead Pharaoh's treasure, Fred carries a revolver and six bullets - further ammunition can be found along the route. Fred starts each expedition with 15 units of energy and every time he is hit by a monster he loses energy. Two extra units are gained each time the magic elixir of Nefertiti is drunk or the exit is reached. Fred runs on a 48K Spectrum and is available from Quicksilva and costs £6.95.

Your Computer

Overall 4/5

48K Spectrum £6.95 Quicksilva From the people who brought you Bugaboo or Booga-Boo, depending on which computer you play it on, comes another feast of Disneyesque graphics. The screen display present you with a vertical maze of glowing blue stone walls, around which the intrepid Fred wends his weary way in search of the treasures of the Pharaohs. Yes, I know we have done the Pharaohs at the bottom of your garden joke. Fred shins up and down ropes, avoiding contact with rates, acid drops, ghost which can go through walls, chameleons, mummies and vampires. He has a gun and six bullets. There are six screens, increasing in difficulty, followed by the option to return to the first screen, or redefine the maze and number of monsters.

Crash

Use of Computer 85%

Graphics 90%

Playability 87%

Getting Started 88%

Addictive Qualities 70%

Value For Money 80%

Overall 83%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Quicksilva Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £6.95 Language: Machine code Author: Charlie, Paco & Fernando of Indescomp These are the authors who brought you the colourful Bugaboo (The Flea). Red is an intrepid explorer who goes about collecting valuable treasure from tombs, in this case the Pyramid of Tootiecarmoon. The insides of the Pyramid take the form of a very large maze, several of them in fact. This isn't a maze in plan, but a vertical cross section, so Fred is forever going up, down or left and right. He goes vertically by way of the numerous ropes hanging from the ceiling far above. The playing area only shows a small fraction of the whole maze and scrolls along with Fred in the centre. Naturally this venture is fraught with problems in the shape of rats, which must be jumped at the right moment, acid drops (from the decomposing mixtures of the Egyptian magicians), ghosts which go through walls but change direction when shot, mummies that fall down the vertical shafts and can teleport when they land or get hit by a bullet, vampires which can be shot (silver bullets no doubt) and of course the ubiquitous skeletons which chase relentlessly and can only be stopped with a shot. All these horrors not surprisingly drained Fred of power. Only by drinking the magic elixir of Nefertit or reaching an exit can Fred's power be regained. Fred is armed with a gun and six shots, and may be aided by finding a map to the tomb. Bonus points are awarded for picking up the various treasures. There are six screens of increasing difficulty, but there is also an option to redefine the maze and numbers of monsters. COMMENTS Control keys: Q/W = left/right, E/R = down/up, T to fire, or user-definable Joystick: Kempston, but most others via user-definable Keyboard play: fairly responsive, positioning of Fred must be accurate Colours: good, muted colours Graphics: very good Sound: average Skill levels: progressive difficulty Lives: percentage of damage Screens: Continuously scrolling through six tombs

"Going up - 2nd floor, ghostly lingerie, 3rd floor, vampire attire, top floor, mummies' rest room."