3D Monster Maze

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 9/10

GOLDEN OLDIES For the benefit of new ZX-81 owners we look retrospectively at some chart-toppers of the past. 3D Monster Maze Memory: 16K Price: £4.95 Cassette One Memory: 1K Price: £3.80 Cassette Four Memory: 16K Price: £6 Defenda Memory: 16K Price: £3.95 It is unfortunate but true that the ZX-81 seems to have slipped from the minds of software authors who look at it with embarrassment and wish it would go away. If anyone were to suggest that more software should be written for the black-and-white, low-resolution machine the instigators would be regarded as mad and informed quietly that the ZX-81 is no longer commercially viable. That is to forget, however, that there are still thousands of users who want to be satisfied in terms of software and that their ranks are increasing every day. It is for those people who still hold the ZX-81 in esteem that we look back at products which are still on the market and about which new owners may not know. The most prolific software house for the ZX-81 which is still manufacturing for the market is New Generation. It has great pride in its products because it produced the first 3D game, 3D Monster Maze. The game puts you into a three-dimensional maze, using conventional ZX-81 graphics speeded with machine code. The effect is incredible and the program could be for a black-and-white Spectrum. It gives the effect of high-resolution graphics. You are not alone in the maze, as you will find when you discover the footsteps which are plodding slowly towards you. If you are lucky you will lose the owner of those big feet, or he will lose you. If you are not so fortunate you will see Tyrannosaurus Rex moving towards you along the corridor. At that point it might be a good idea to run or you will be eaten. Contrary to popular belief there is a way out of the labyrinth and when you find it you will be shown a pretty graphics display along with a 'you got out of this one' message. The game can be made more difficult but the initial playing level is sufficient for beginners. The only criticism of 3D Monster Maze is the long wait, in FAST mode, while the maze is set up. That is a time of seemingly unending boredom but it is soon forgotten when play begins. 3D Monster Maze is essential for all owners of the 16K ZX-81. Another famous name in the ZX-81 market is Orwin Software. Michael Orwin, the compiler of a number of games tapes, appears to take a less active role in the company now but his ZX-81 software is still selling well. There are five cassettes in all but only the first takes the 1K ZX-81 into account. It includes 11 programs, seven of which are in machine code. The good thing about the software is that the same games are recorded on both sides but not in the same order. That means you can always reach a particular program quickly, so long as both sides will load. The games include several old arcade favourites, such as Invaders, Planet Lander and Maze of Death. They are all fast in action although, even with the ZX-81 keyboard, they are easy to play. The other programs on the cassette are also very inventive and include I Ching, a Chinese prediction program, Codebreak, which is self-explanatory, and an unusual program, Bouncing Letters. Cassette One costs £3.80 and is worth every penny. The rest of the ZX-81 cassettes from Orwin are for the 16K machine. One of the best is Cassette Four which contains eight games. All of them should be familiar as either arcade or traditional games but each is well-thought-out and the graphics are good for a ZX-81. Gunfight is the best game on Cassette Four so far as graphics are concerned. It pits you against a gunfighter you must kill in a shoot-out. The other obstacles in the duel to the death are two cacti and a wagon which moves continually up and down the screen. The computer is fast on the draw and you will need precision timing to survive. ZX Scramble is another good arcade game in the package. It includes three stages in which you have to fight your way through the passages of alien subterranean caverns. You gain points for destroying the aliens which fly at you and also for bombing the aliens which are on the floor of the cavern. You must, however, beware of the ceiling which will dip to meet you as you travel from left to right on the screen. Because of the speed at which your spacecraft travels you are likely to be destroyed more by low-flying ceilings than by aliens. Other games on the cassette include a 3D version of Noughts and Crosses, two invader-type programs, a version of Conway's Game of Life and Snakebite, in which you have to avoid a poisonous reptile which wants to cut short your life. Cassette Four again provides value for money and costs £6. Another company which was to the fore of the ZX-81 software boom was Quicksilva. It produced a remarkably good version of Defender which is still around, called Defenda. Unlike space invader games, your craft moves across a landscape from left to right on the screen, destroying all in its path or being destroyed by the aliens which drop bombs or crash kamikaze-style into your battleship. Adjustments can be made to the program if your television set cannot keep pace with such a fast game and you will usually have to make some kind of adjustment to get rid of a screen display which might bend or flash. The game is fast, furious and almost impossible to play. It should cater for all arcade addicts who still hanker for new versions of original arcade games. Defenda from Quicksilva costs £3.95.

ZX Computing

John Hall

READERS REVIEWS More of your thoughts on the commercial software packages you buy. This feature provides you space to air your views on any software, be it for the ZX80, ZX81 or Spectrum. If you've had a good or bad experience with any of the commercial software packages available for your micro, why not write in and tell us? Your reviews should contain your critical thoughts about the software and the relevant details concerning the availability of the package, its price, etc. You should aim to produce something like 250 to 500 words per package, depending, of course, on how enthusiastic you are about the software. Any reviews published in this section of the magazine will be rewarded with the price of the tape you review. So, if you buy a cassette and send in a review which gets published, you'll get your software for free! 3D MONSTER MAZE New Generation Software John Hall After a four minute loading time, the program auto-ran and the message 'Anyone there?' flashed onto the screen. After while, it said 'Well, press something then'. I pressed a key and a man appeared on the left of the screen and 'Roll up, roll up, see the amazing Tyrannosaures Rex..,' scrolled up on the screen, along with instructions, if you require them. Next the message 'the mists of time passed over' comes up. and after another 30 seconds, the maze appears on the screen...in 3D! "Simple" I thought, until I saw the message 'Footsteps approaching' and I spotted a T Rex marching towards me. It was not long before I was posthumously awarded 35 points. And there I was back in the maze. I was very surprised by the graphics - they are excellent! All the walls facing you are shown as grey, whereas the wall at an angle to you are coloured black providing an extremely good 3D simulation. And the T Rex! Every step further towards you reveals more detail of the monster until only its teeth can be seen as you are being 'eaten alive'. As you travel down corridors, you see more passages to your left and right, any of which you can choose to go down. The graphics of the maze alone are great, without the added bonus of the T Rex and the exit. Ah. Did I mention the exit? Yes, somewhere in the maze is an exit, but the maze is very complex and the exit is extremely difficult to find. And the exit is sited in a different place each time you play the game so it's no use trying to remember a formerly successful route. When the exit is found, it is easily recognisable by the rings of random characters moving outwards from the centre. Quite spectacular really! If you are told to 'RUN' at any time during the program, then it is advisable to do so as it is possible to outrun the T Rex. You can alter the speed of the game easily, but be warned, it gets very difficult to play the game at the higher speeds. When you see the words 'Rex lies in wait' printed up on the screen, you must be very cautious. This means that the T Rex could literally be 'just round the corner'. This is definitely not a game for those of a nervous disposition. But for anyone else, it is an entertaining (and highly recommended) machine code game, which at £4.95, is good value for money and 'the game to top all the others'.

ZX Computing

Phil Garratt

DOWN IN THE DEPTHS Phil Garratt takes the plunge with J K Greye's "3-D Monster Maze" If I had to choose just one program to impress an audience with the capabilities of the ZX81, then J K Greye's "3-D Monster Maze" would be the one without a doubt. Written mainly in machine code, this 9.5K game includes graphics which had me checking that the program was really being run on a ZX81, rather than one of the micros that measure their price, as well as their memory, in Ks. The impressive features of this program start even before the game itself begins. A cleverly-drawn clown announces the instructions which scroll up the right-hand side of the screen. The clown even doffs his hat (although I must admit that at first I thought his head had fallen off, even these graphics have some limitations). Any program which can liven up the presentation of the instructions has to have a lot going for it. The ZX81 goes into FAST mode to set up the maze, and when it is complete, you are given an excellent 3-D representation. All walls are shaded and passages to the left and right can be seen clearly quite a way ahead. Keys 5, 7 and 8 are used to turn left, go forward and turn right, and the response is instantaneous. There is a real sense of motion through the maze if you keep your finger on 'forward'. Having played a couple of very slow 3-D mazes written in BASIC, this program would have been streets ahead... if it wasn't for Rex. Rex is the unfriendly neighbourhood dinosaur who inhabits the maze. You only score points when he is chasing you... or when you find the exit... so this is no game for the faint-hearted. You are told if he is getting close, although if you're lucky (?) you'll see him lumbering towards you, getting bigger and bigger, the jaws opening wider and wider. Even after playing the game many times, the sight of him still makes me jump. Truly the stuff of nightmares. The graphics are incredible and I found I had to copy the screen to a printer to prove to myself that these amazing pictures were made up from the standard Sinclair character set. So the graphics are great, but how good is it as a game? I'm pleased to be able to say that it is very good indeed. There is on-screen scoring as you move around, plus bonus points if you find the exit, which involves yet more graphics effects. The exit is a moving kaleidoscope of letters and symbols which grows as you approach it. But beware of being hypnotised by it, as Rex is always close by to wake you up. If you find the exit, a new maze is created and your score is carried forward. If you do happen to end up in Tyranno's tummy, you get the opportunity to start again with the same maze, so you can build up your chances of escape. With such a professional standard of presentation maintained throughout the program, it deserves to do very well indeed. I certainly haven't seen anything like it before, but I hope it is just the start of 'realistic' graphics games for the ZX81. "3-D Monster Maze" is £5.95.

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

AMAZING JOURNEY THROUGH PREHISTORY Wandering around the fairground sideshows, I heard a busker enticing the crowd to roll-up and see the prehistoric monster. I paid up and entered the tent, only to be enveloped in a grey mist which transported me back into the era of that mightiest of beasts, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Exploring tentatively, I stopped at an intersection and looked around me. Then came the sound of approaching footsteps. I ran, turning this way and that but there, looming above me, was the dreaded monster. The huge jaws opened to reveal his great teeth. I could just make out something inside, I started to read: "You have been posthumously awarded 130 points and sentenced to roam the maze forever. If you wish to appeal, press 'stop' else press 'cont'." I pressed cont... I might get out this time. 3D Monster Maze, is the best game I have seen for the Sinclair ZX81. The grey and black walls of the maze provide the 3D effect and the graphics make Tyrannosaurus Rex look suitably frightening as it paces toward you. The maze corridors are constantly changing as you press the 5, 7 or 8 keys to walk forward or turn the corners. There is a way out of the maze but I have only managed to find it twice. If you do manage to exit then your score is increased accordingly. It would be nice to have a high score facility included in the program, though. The play can be speeded up or slowed down if you alter the listing slightly. Instructions on how to do this are included in the notes supplied with the cassette. I have found myself wandering around the maze with the monster lying in wait, somewhere and not wanting to come out. It does give you a chance to find the exit, but it does take away some of the fun. This did not happen very often though. This program then can be highly recommended and is available for a 16K ZX81 from J. K. Greye Software on its games tape 4 and costs £5.95.