Cassette 2

ZX Computing

Graham Charlton

ORWIN STRIKES AGAIN Graham Charlton spends an afternoon with Michael Orwin's Cassette Two and finds that although the graphics for all the programs are good, the games themselves are a mixed bag. Cassette Two contains 10 games in BASIC, dubbed on each side of the cassette in a different order. My first impression of Cassette Two was one of slight disappointment after reading highly enthusiastic reviews of Cassette One. However, after going through the programs for a second time, and taking a closer look at them, I feel there is much to be said for Cassette Two. There is a good selection of games, and the clear graphics show what can be done when you have 16K to play with. All programs need more than 1K. The games on the cassette are by P.Canter and C.Panayi, except for Laser Bases and Rectangles by Mr Orwin himself, and P.Rushton's Roulette. I found no trouble loading the programs, which all start automatically. The instructions are included in the programs for all but two of them, and rules for these are supplied in an accompanying leaflet. I'll go through the games one by one. OTHELLO: The programming in this case is unwise (as in most of the other games on the cassette) with the rules at the beginning of the listing, rather than the end, thus slowing down every GOTO and GOSUB access. You get four options at the beginning of the game: "Do I play my best?", "Fast or slow?", "White or black?" and "Do you want to go first?". The square chosen by the ZX81 is flashed off and on a few times before it makes its move, to show clearly where it is playing. The program points out how many pieces the ZX81 is capturing. There are polite comments on attempted illegal moves and a comment on the game when it is finished. The program display is great, but the program does not play particularly well. There are much stronger (and more expensive) Othello programs on the market. AWARI: This is a game of strategy, again with a clear, full-screen display. The ZX81 plays quite well, but there is no option on the level of play, and the whole game is over fairly quickly. This program is fairly easy to beat. It provides a good game if you don't think too hard. LASER BASES: You and the ZX81 each have 10 laser bases. The object - needless to say - is to destroy your opponent's bases. On each turn you have the option to fire, shield or do nothing at all. You are supposed to make your decisions at the same time as the ZX81, when it displays its decision and then asks for yours. After this it displays what has happened to each base and the new positions. I found it hard to resist the temptation of cheating by changing my decisions after seeing what the ZX81 had done. Perhaps the game could be written so that this cheating was not possible. WORD MASTERMIND: This is a nice variation on the numerical Mastermind games. It has a vocabulary of over 100 words which can be changed fairly easily. The vocabulary is not in the visible program, but you won't find it very hard to get the ZX81 to reveal what words it is holding. This is a very good program, and it really got me thinking. RECTANGLES: Horrors! The instructions for this game come on a separate sheet. They read like a script for the Monty Python Show. I haven't a clue how to play the game, despite repeated attempts, and I can't work it out from running the program. Perhaps an example in the rules would have helped a little. In its favour, this program has a full-screen display, and a little machine code is included to speed it up. CRASH: You use the cursor keys to steer your chequered worm to try and trap a black worm, controlled by the zany ZX18, to ensure that it cannot move without hitting you or itself. It is trying to do the same thing to you. Very addictive, although a touch on the slow side. However, if it was any faster, I'm sure I'd lose every time. ROULETTE: This is a great way to try out your betting system before going to Monte Carlo. There are 10 different ways of betting, and the system to enter your bets is easy to understand. Although the game seems to simulate the rules of 'proper' roulette properly, I found that a system I invented enabled me to amass a vast fortune. I'm tempted now to try the system in real life. When the 'wheel' is spun in this program, I think it would be good for the squares on the board to flash or something, rather than just overprint a series of random numbers below the board. PONTOON: Ho hum, you might think. But you'd be wrong. This program - which features an excellent display of the cards - shows just how much can be done using good graphics when you have 16K to play with. PENNY SHOOT: In this program, you make a robot shoot at pennies which are raining down from the sky. The introduction to the program was a nice touch, more fascinating than the game itself. A little figure appears to read the instructions as they appear, then turns and shoots a sample penny. This program is not particularly challenging. GUN COMMAND: This is another moving action game where you try to intercept missiles traversing the screen. It's OK, but like PENNY SHOOT could be a bit more challenging. Overall, for the £5 this program costs, it represents good value for money, with the good programs outweighing the weaker ones. However, I feel that a few of the lower standard games were added more to make up the numbers than be really good additions to the package. The programs all show how well the somewhat limited graphics of the ZX81 can be made to perform, although they also indicate that there is a temptation to 'dress up' fairly shallow programs in fancy clothes to disguise them. Despite all these comments, it represents a good selection of games. You're sure to find one or two favourites which you'll play over and over again. Cassette Two is £5 from Michael Orwin.

Sinclair User

TEN GAMES ON ONE CASSETTE A cassette with 10 games to run on the ZX-81 with 16K RAM offers a wide choice. Recorded on both sides, the cassette, offers all 10 games twice but in a different order, depending on the side of the cassette used. The games include board and card games such as Othello and Pontoon and combat games such as Laser Bases. It also offers Rectangle, where the object is to form rectangles with a bigger total area than those formed by the computer. The skill in this game is to form rectangles which are fairly big without having them blocked and at the same time to use your points to block the rectangles the computer tries to make. The user and the computer take turns to choose a point, neither knowing which points the other has chosen until one calls 'show'. The games, assembled on the Cassette Two which costs £5, are available from the Michael Orwin ZX-81 Software Catalogue, [redacted]. Orwin is putting together Cassette Three, which includes a game called Princess of Kraal, wherein the princess has to be rescued from a dungeon six levels deep and where you, the rescuer, having chosen the level of difficulty, time period of the game and type of maze, find your way to the correct room via perils including rockfalls, monsters and floods. There are some bonuses on the way but the princess is undoubtedly difficult to find.

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

A BUMPER PACKAGE OF 10 A bumper package of games to jolt your brain into action comes in the shape of this tape for the ZX81. There are 10 games; Othello, Awari, Laser Bases, Word Mastermind, Rectangles, Crash, Roulette, Pontoon, Penny Shoot and Gun Command. Each of the games on the tape is explained in the accompanying leaflet plus loading instructions. You'll need a 16K machine to run the games tape which is simply called Cassette Two. It's the second cartridge in this range produced by Michael Orwin of Willesden, London, and sells for £5. Copies can be obtained from him by mail order.