BC's Quest for Tires

ZX Computing

Graphics 4/5

Addictiveness 5/5

Overall 5/5

Software Projects £7.95 Direct from comic strip to screen comes Thor of BC. Frantically pedalling his unicycle he faces a formidable task, first he must jump rocks and holes, then duck and jump until he reaches the river. To cross the river he has to leap on the backs of turtles and then hitch a lift on the Dooky Bird. Once he has achieved this he is beset by falling volcanic debris as well as obstacles on the ground until he reaches the cave where Fat Broad and stalactites wait to hinder his final objective of rescuing Cute Chick. Actions are fairly simple: speed up, slow down, move forward or back, jump and duck. Keyboard use is well thought out, WQMK plus ENTER and the usual joystick options are included. Using a joystick does make life easier with this game. Graphically this is well designed, the characters are carefully drawn, excellently animated and the backgrounds are attractive. Inevitably there is a little colour clashing due to the limitations of the attribute file and the range of colours used, though personally I did not find this off putting. For what amounts to a fairly unsophisticated game I found that I had spent an unusually long time 'testing' it and I have gone back to it a few times since. Every time I misjudge an action I kick myself and try again because I KNOW I can do better - is this the definition of addiction?

Sinclair User

Overall 4/5

John Gilbert 4/5

Publisher: Software Projects Price: £7.95 Memory: 48K Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Protek Poor Cute Chick is under threat of extinction from a giant dinosaur and you must save her. Taking your favourite stone wheel you bounce across the prehistoric landscape jumping rocks and holes and ducking under trees. The next task is to cross the river via turtleback. You will need the Dooky Bird for your next test - the lava pit. Cling on to its tail and you'll sail across. The trail continues with more stones and holes. If you crash into obstacles the stone wheel will flip from under you and bash your brains out in true comic book style. When you eventually arrive at the cave where Cute is held prisoner your joystick hand will be at dropping point. Although the title has little relevance to the game - other than the fact that it is the name of one of the US BC cartoons - and the graphics are nothing to write home about, BC has me hooked. I find his on-screen antics very addictive.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Graphics 7/10

Sound 6/10

Value 6/10

Playability 6/10

MACHINE: Spectrum/CBM 64 SUPPLIER: Software Projects PRICE: £7.95 (Spec), £9.95 (CBM 64) Software Projects attempt to breath new life into this now ageing game based on Johnny Hart's cartoon series. It's basically a "reaction testing" game with some nice cartoon graphics. You have to help Thor rescue his girlfriend Cute Chick from the jaws of a hungry dinosaur. You have to be pretty quick on the joystick or keyboard to steer Thor successfully through all the obstacles he encounters - and the game does get irritating addictive.

Your Sinclair

Graphics 9/10

Playability 8/10

Value For Money 9/10

Addictiveness 8/10

Overall 8/10

Steve Malone 8/10

ROLLING STONE AGE If you're on the look out for a simple, unsophisticated slice of arcade action, BC's Quest For Tires may be the game for you. Steve Malone gathers very little moss in his review of Software Project's new Neandertale! FAX BOX Game: BC's Quest for Tires Publisher: Software Projects Price: £7.95 Joystick: Kempston, Protek, Interface II Keys: Forward/Back - W/Q; Jump/Duck - K/M; Speed Up/Slow Down - W+Enter/Q+Enter. Reviewer: Steve Malone Next time you get a puncture, don't blow your top. Just think what it must've been like One Million Years BD - Before Dunlop. You'll get some idea from playing BC's Quest For Tires, the prehistoric program from Software Projects. So, prepare for a distinctly bumpy ride. The first thing that'll strike you about the game is that the graphics have a distinctly cartoonish feel about them. Hardly surprising really as our stone-age hero is the hero of Johnny Hart's BC newspaper comic strip. Here our hero sets out on his rolling stone to rescue his loved one, jumping and ducking according to the hazards that are thrown at him. All in all this is a good, competently programmed arcade game. And it'll have you throwing the joystick around the room with frustration as Thor the hero falls flat on his face for the umpteenth time. Where the game falls down is in the fact that there's just not enough of it. Two days of frantic joystick-juggling or keyboard bashing (and it's addictive enough to keep you at it that long!) will allow most of you to get to the end. And once you've cracked it, it's back to the beginning again – only this time it's just that bit faster. The only trouble is that once you've been at the finish, it doesn't have quite the same air of mystery about it - and then it's on to racking up the points. Having said all that, this is pure and unadulterated (no added colour, no preservatives) arcade action - and it's still got plenty of natural fizz!

In the first stage of the game, you must jump the divots and casually-strewn rocks. It's not too tricky at the minimum speed but the objects have a habit of bunching together so prepare for some tight manoeuvres. There's always one sod around just waiting to trip you up! Buck or grouse (groan)! Pull the joystick back smartish if you want to get under the head-high branches without a nasty case of concussion. Into the forest now where you'll have to leap over fallen logs - only this time you're travelling at four time the speed. The next section is similar to Frogger. You'll need split-second timing to cross the pond on the backs of the sinking and resurfacing turtles. An added danger as you roll up the hill are the boulders rolling back down. To gain a bit of extra distance, jump up and jerk the joystick in the direction you want to go. Looks just like the mother-in-law. Waiting on the other side of the water is a cavewoman weilding a Jurassic basball bat. If your timing's out, you can knock another life on the head. Running up that hill now, and you'll come across more rocks and divots waiting to bring you back to earth with a bump. To traverse the pond, get underneath the air/sea rescue bird that's been shadowing you since you reached the plateau. As soon as you see the water, jump up and he'll carry you across to safety. As soon as you hit the bottom of the hill, start accelerating so that you hit the edge of the water at 80 mph.. and then jump for your life! Back on dry land and you've not only got to negotiate the rocks and divots bit also keep out of the way of the boulders raining down from the sky. Short sharp bursts of speed are the only way you'll make it through to the other side. More water and more bobbing turtles. And if you've learned the pattern of the previous turtles, forget it... it's a whole new story here. Just to spur you on, a speech bubbl pops up now and again to remind you that your cute cavewife is still in danger. At the far side of the pond is a dinky dinosaur on the look out for dinner. He'll pop his head out just long enough to knock you off the turtles and into the drink. Timing is all-important. Straight into the cave now with not even a moment to get your eyes accustomed to the dark. So, make sure that you duck the stalactites and jump the stalagmites - or is it the other way round? You've made it - and though the course of true love wasn't exactly smooth you've saved your sweetheart. So, after a quick-on-screen kiss'n'cuddle, it's back to the beginning again when the pace hots up even more.

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years

Crash

Use of Computer 66%

Graphics 51%

Playability 55%

Getting Started 64%

Addictive Qualities 45%

Value For Money 44%

Overall 46%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Software Projects Retail Price: £7.95 Language: Machine code Author: Michael Davies BC's Quest for Tyres is set way back during the stoneage and puts you in a sexist 'rescue the girl from the baddy' situation. You play Thor, a caveman type whose girl 'Cute Chick' is being held captive by the Hungry Dinosaur. You've got to get on your stone monocycle (must be flipping painful) and trundle your way across the hazardous Neanderthal landscape to get her back. The game is similar to Hunchback, but constantly scrolls rather than flicks from screen to screen. When you start, the game is pretty simple there are a few potholes and boulders on the road which have to be jumped. Soon you get to the forest and low hanging branches have to be ducked under and sticks on the ground have to be jumped over. Needless to say if you happen to hit any obstacle you come tumbling off the granite unicycle, hit the dust and see a few stars. Crashes also cost a life, and you start off with four. After the first forest you have to cross a river by jumping across the backs of four swimming turtles, using them as stepping stones. Being of a lazy disposition, the turtles are constantly submerging. Getting your timing right is critical, otherwise you could find yourself pretty much in deep water and end up with one life less. Just in case you find bouncing across the turtles too easy, Fat Broad sits on the other side of the river and waves her club about. If her club is down when you reach the bank then you'll fall back into the water. "Jump sucker" she keeps urging you in a speech bubble. After that little escapade comes a steep uphill climb. Rocks bouncing down the slope and potholes make the going pretty tough, and it gets tougher on the way down, with low flying boulders from a volcano adding injuries to insult. As you trundle along a bird flies down this is yer actual friendly Dooky Bird, who's prepared to carry you across the gaping lava pit if you can jump into its talons at the right moment. Another hill, this time with a crevasse at the bottom, and another river crossing to make with the Hungry Dinosaur standing guard instead of Fat Broad, then it's into the dinosaur's cave. Jump and duck under the stalactites to complete this last run, then you get to your babes, Cute Chick, and live happily ever after... For at least ten seconds, anyway, whereupon the silly girl is stupid enough to let herself be captured by the Hungry Dinosaur, and the whole problem starts over again. Points are awarded for jumping over or ducking each obstacle, and double, treble and quadruple points can be earned by pelting along at high speeds. Thor's unicycle must be motorised it can do up to 80 mph, with the speed shown on a digital speedometer at the bottom of the screen. You can accelerate if you want to 90 for points, or slow down a bit on the trickier sections if you wish. Fortunately, in Neanderthal days, fuel wasn't a problem... COMMENTS Control keys: W forwards, Q pull back, K jump, M duck, ENTER and W speed up, ENTER and Q slow down Joystick: Kempston, Interface 2, Protek Keyboard play: responsive Use of colour: lots of attribute problems, not attractive Graphics: clever scrolling driving big, but flat graphics Sound: not a lot, continuous rasping Skill levels: gets harder as you progress Screens: scrolling

Trundle, trundle, trundle goes Thor on his motorised transport in BC's QUEST FOR TIRES, the latest offering from Software Projects. Pity there's no Cute Chicks in CRASH Towers - they're dragons to a woman in Mail Order.