Gobbleman

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

UNDER THE ZX-SCOPE Reviewer Nick Pearce takes a close look at a number of ZX81 programs, including Artic's Toolkit, a word processor program from Tasman software and Richard Shepherd's 'Super Space Mission'. GOBBLEMAN, NATMIR RAIDERS - ARTIC COMPUTING In Gobbleman, Artic's version of Pac-man, you are doomed to roam (spelt rkam, the second spelling error in the cassettes reviewed for this issue - so much for computers in education...) through the haunted maze eating food dots until you are eaten by a ghost. Again, if you eat a magic star you can take your revenge on the ghosts for a short while. I did not think this game was up to Artic's usual very high standard. Movement is slow and jerky, and the speed at which you can move through the maze is not variable. I like the keyboard scanning arrangement Artic have used any of the top keya move you upwards in the maze, the bottom row move you down, and the centre two rows are split left and right. Much easier than using specific keys for movement on the touch sensitive keyboard of the Sinclair. RADIERS The other Artic cassette, and the last game in this issue's ZX81 software review is Namtir Raiders (author J. Ritman - get it?), a superb invaders type program. In this one you do not hide behind bases or shields on the ground, but can get up amongst the descending armies of invaders to shoot them down. There are four invader fleets, ships of the first fleet are worth 100 points each, whilst ships of the fourth are worth 1000 points. You can select one of three speeds and have four bases to start (lives) with an extra base to be won if you reach the fourth fleet. A keyboard scanning arrangement similar to that employed in Gobbleman is used, so you do not have to hunt for specific keys. TACTICS You need fast reflexes to blast at the invaders and at the same time evade their bomb attacks. Tactics are important for a high score - if you destroy the first fleet you move on to the next and so on up to the fourth, but if one or two of a fleet escape, that same fleet regenerates again... and again... and again... It is easier to knock out ships of the first and second fleets, the third I found practically impossible; and as you wipe out more ships the remainder get faster and faster. A first rate invaders type program. If you like the arcade game, stop pouring silver into those machines, plug in your ZX81 and get blasting away at the Namtir Raiders. Gobbleman and Namtir Raiders cost £3.95 each, and are obtainable from Artic Computing Ltd., [redacted].