Super Programs 3

ZX Computing

Darren-John Norbury

FORMIDABLE SOFTWARE ZX Computing has a number of 'staff reviewers', but we welcome reviews from readers. This review comes from Darren-John Norbury of Andover who looks at a ZX81 cassette from ICL, and the Psion/Sinclair Fantasy Games' tape. ICL'S CASSETTE G3 As it is plain to see from their advertisements in the computer magazines, the Sinclair software range is a formidable collection. All of the Sinclair tapes are made either by ICL or Psion. I intend here to look at one tape from each company. Firstly, a look at ICL's cassette G3. Entitled 'Super Programs' the tape contains six programs, five games plus a currency conversion routine, all the programs being for 1K machines. 'Train Race' sets up three trains on the left hand side of the screen. The idea is to guess which train will get to the other side of the screen first (no prizes I'm afraid), the trains' fuel being randomly generated numbers! The second program on the tape at least demands some skill on the part of the player. The computer asks you to choose a top value, 500 for instance, and then it selects a number between 0 and your chosen value. The player must then try and guess this number in as few attempts as possible. After each guess the computer says either too high or too low which means that, coupled with some lucky guesses, the task is not as impossible as it may sound. SECRET MESSAGE 'Secret Message' asks one user to input a message. The message is then played back when required, but upon return, is re-written in huge graphic letters which are scanned with only one or two letters on the screen at any one time. It is a very slow process so it is advised not to try the message: "Have gone round to see mother - your dinner is in the oven". MIND THAT METEOR This is, in my opinion, the best program on the tape. A meteor field is set up, in the slow manner instead of that of the slick machine code, and the player must guide his spacecraft from the left to the right of the field, which takes up only the top half of the screen, supposedly to conserve memory space. CHARACTER DOODLE Another of those, to my mind, annoying little sketchpad programs for which I don't think I can see much utility. A bit of fun for the children I suppose. CURRENCY CONVERSION That takes care of the five games. The last program is a currency conversion routine. I suppose it could be called a business program. I must admit that when I first ran this program I couldn't make a lot of sense out of it. This problem was mainly due to a lack of proper explanation in the accompanying cassette documentation and a similar clarity, or lack of it, in the prompts within the program. It may well drive some budding currency converters to a pencil, paper and a calculator. Admittedly ICL's Super Program range were some of the first cassettes of ZX81 software to appear. CONCLUSION I think that this range has been left behind by some of the newer software manufacturers who are coming up with ways to put more exciting and complicated games and routines on 1K machines. Maybe ICL are working on it as I write or maybe it is felt throughout the software industry that the 1K program market is diminishing with so many users moving up to 16K after a short period with just the 1K internal RAM. PSION'S FANTAY GAMES If cover illustrations sold computer cassettes then Psion's 'Fantasy Games' tape would probably be the country's best seller, in fact it may be for all I know. The cassette has two games, one on each side, the major game being 'Sorcerer's island' on side B. Side A contains a shorter game called 'Perilous Swamp' which is intended as a warm-up to the other longer game. In 'Perilous Swamp' a board is set up representing the swamp area. The board is laid out in squares like a chess board. Represented in the swamp land are the player and the Princess who has to be rescued by the player from the clutches of an evil wizard and removed from the island. The player moves one square at a time, vertically, horizontally or diagonally, but cannot go through the black squares which are marsh, only on the fairly dry white squares. At the beginning of the game the player is allotted a certain amount of life points. Every move towards the Princess involves a meeting with some sort of ghastly being who is guarding some valuable treasure. Each creature has a strength rating compatible with the player's life and so you must try to defeat the creature by numbers and so gain treasure points by depriving the monstrosities of their valuables. Of course, once all the life points have been used up... finito! No treasure, no Princess, no life end of game! Incidentally, you may think I am having trouble trying to say what I mean here. The games are so involved that it is very difficult to describe them. In the cassette flap literature it says: "Detailed instructions are not included since the player must discover the rules by playing the game". In the first game 'fight' is only one option for the adventurer when meeting a nasty. He may also bribe the creator or simply run. But now a warning. You are liable to get very self-confident after getting the Princess away from the island along with an amassed amount of well-fought-for wealth two or three times. Go on then, clever clogs; turn over and try the other game. SORCERORS ISLAND This works on the same principle as 'Perilous Swamp'. It's just that the second game is on a much grander scale. Okay, I'll let out a little secret. Much as I have tried I find escaping from the island an impossible task. This game is a challenge though. It's not the sort of game you tend to give up because it's boring or it can't be done. It can be done, I know it can - I think. My personal opinion of 'Fantasy Games' is that it's in a class of its own from a point of addiction and absorption. The games are not over quickly and, although there is a great element of luck involved, it is quite possible to spend an evening thinking one's way off of 'Sorcerer's island'. ICL Super Programs Cassette G3 is priced at £4.95 while Psion's Fantasy Games costs £4.75. Now, it IS possible to get off of this island... I'm sure it is... Isn't it?