House of the Living Dead

Big K

Overall 2/3

Steve Keaton 2/3

SLEEP IN WOLF'S CLOTHING MAKER: Phipps Associates MACHINE: Spectrum 48K FORMAT: cassette PRICE: £5.95 Say it in a theatrical whisper: House of the Living Dead! Isn't it wonderful! It's the sort of title that conjures up all manner of gross George (Dawn of the Dead) Romero-type imagery. Unfortunately those expecting buckets of arcade blood in the gruesome manner of Forbidden Forest or Orc Attack are in for a disappointment. This is a fun but innocuous (U certificate) maze game in which power pills and ghosts have been replaced by bats and skeletons. You must collect a segmented holy cross from each corner of the maze and return to the crypt at the centre of the screen. This is simple enough at first as you've only a single bat to contend with, but clear enough screens and you're confronted by hordes of rattling skeletons and dismembered hands (EEK). The animation is effective and the soundtrack, namely a jovial rendition of the death march, nothing if not appropriate. It's quite a change of pace from Phipps' renowned adventures and an entertaining alternative to the dread Pac-Man.

Your Spectrum

John Hall 7/10

Mark Knight 8/10

Tony Samuels 8/10

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. HOUSE OF THE LIVING DEAD Phipps Associates £5.95 Another maze game where each maze represents (at a guess) a floor in a haunted hotel. The aim is to tear around picking up the four sections of a key, and assembling them while avoiding the evil spirits. This done, the player can move on to a harder level with more sprites.

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 5/10

Sound 7/10

Originality 4/10

Lasting Interest 4/10

Overall 5/10

Leslie Allan 5/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Kempston, Optional SUPPLIER: Phipps Associates PRICE: £5.95 The House of the Living Dead is cut off from the outside world by swamp and woods, but the game turns out to be just another maze chase. The object is to collect four parts of a cross, each at a corner of a storey of the house. Take each part in turn to the centre of the floor, avoiding evil creatures such as bats, skeletons and moving hands. As soon as the cross is assembled. Its divine power destroys the nasties and you graduate to the next floor. On the first floor, there's just one nasty, on the second two, etc. House of the Living Dead has clear graphics and eerie sound effects. The idea, however, could have been developed further for example, a variety of floorplans instead done. The scoring system works strangely as well, more points being given the longer you stay on the floor. A decreasing time bonus would have encouraged speed and increased the challenge.

Crash

Overall 59%

Producer: Phipps Associates, 48K £5.95 (2) This verges on being a 'Pac Man' variant, but not quite. The idea is that you are spending the night in a strange house full of unpleasant monsters. Fortunately you are wise to the lore and know that if you can get the four sections of a cross from the four corners of the floor to the central room you will destroy the power of the monsters. Each screen is the same maze with a square in the middle and four 'L' shaped pieces which you must collect one at a time and take to the centre. When the cross is formed the monsters die and you progress to the next, more difficult level with more nasties. The game offers reasonable graphics and is simple to play. Not very addictive, not even very serious but it may appeal to younger players and is certainly fun between alien-zapping. Poor keys (Cursors). Joystick: Kempston, average. CRASH overal rating 59% M/C.

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Crash

Use of Computer 56%

Graphics 66%

Playability 70%

Getting Started 60%

Addictive Qualities 47%

Value For Money 54%

Overall 59%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Phipps Associates Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code With another title sounding like an adventure game, Phipps offer The House of the Living Dead. This is a simple maze arcade game, a post-Pac Man variant. It seems your travel agent has booked you into a rather odd kind of hostelry, where you wake up in the night with a bat flitting above your head. This noisome happening alerts you to the fact that your other room mates are all ghouls and monsters and creeping severed hands. Not a pleasant sight! Fortunately, having seen many cheap Dracula movies, you are aware that if only you can collect the four pieces of the cross from the room's corners and bring them all to the centre, the life force which will emanate from it will kill the nasties off and let you progress to the next level where there will be even more horrors awaiting you. Serves you right for opting to take a cheap holiday package. COMMENTS Control keys: cursors Joystick: Kempston Keyboard play: average Colour: reasonable Graphics: good Sound: average Skill levels: gets harder Lives: 4

Wet, clammy bat wings - House of the Living Dead.