The Snowman

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

This month we focus on the exploits of hero Willy after his mining experience and on some of the best and worst new Spectrum games. The Snowman - 48K Spectrum, £5.95 - is not a new concept in computer games. It is, though, a brilliant example of a fusion of the best elements from some games already on the market, with several new ideas. The result is an attractive, gentle game which will appeal to all kinds of computer owner. The central character must be moved round an ice structure, made up of several levels linked by ladders. On the first level the aim is to build a snowman by collecting snow from the ice structure and carrying it to the appropriate site. The main difficulty is to move the wandering flames, which will melt any snow which is being carried. If you fall from the ice structure or run out of energy you simply drift down to bed at the bottom of the screen. An easy way of amassing points is to remain on the first level and not collect snow but instead collect the food and gifts which appear at intervals. The food supplies energy, the gifts supply points, and the only way of losing is to fall off the ice structure . More daring players will prefer to complete their snowman as soon as possible to move to the next level. There are four levels with the same layout and they are then repeated with a different layout. The second level involves collecting the snowman's features, the third his clothes, and the fourth ice cubes to prevent him melting. Those levels are made more difficult by the sleep monsters which send you to sleep on contact and which can be defeated only by collecting alarm clocks. Quicksilva, [redacted].

Personal Computer News

Bob Chappell

FRANTIC HAZARDS Bob Chappell rolls out his trusty Spectrum to test five new games cassettes. The Snowman; Fred £6.95 each, Quicksilva [redacted], mail order/retail. THE SNOWMAN Based on the delightful story by the artist and author Raymond Briggs, this arcade game from Quicksilva gets you building a large snowman. Although there are plenty of hazards to thwart your innocent pursuit, the worst that can befall you is a gentle fall into comfortable bed. In keeping with the seasonal motif of the game, there's nothing more violent than a quick trip to the land of nod. The basic game screen is not unfamiliar. A running animated character gathers various objects lying about on multi-level platforms connected by ladders. In this case, the platforms are covered in snow, the ladders are ice chutes and you guide the Gingerbread Man-type figure through four stages of the game. First, you must collect clumps of snow, dropping them one by one at the appointed place so that they build into a snowman. Animated gas flames toddle around the screen - they won't hurt you but will melt any snow you are carrying. A flame can be immobilised by collecting and carrying an ice lolly. An indicator shows your energy source dwindling - grabbing a roast turkey or Christmas pudding replenishes it. Bonus points if you also find time to collect Christmas crackers, presents stockings or trees. Stages two and three have you equipping your snowman with clothes, glasses, and nose and a smile while sleep monsters try to knock you into bed but an alarm clock keeps them at bay. Preserving your completed snowman with ice cubes is the last stage, then it's on to a different layout and through the cycle again. Snowman's quite challenging action is smooth - although moving from a chute to a platform can be tricky since your man's feet must be exactly level with the platform otherwise he won't co-operate. The graphically charming snowman is faithful to Briggs' original drawing.

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 6/10

Sound 5/10

Originality 7/10

Lasting Interest 7/10

Overall 6/10

Chris Anderson 6/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Optional SUPPLIER: Quicksilva PRICE: £6.95 I've always found that eating lots of Christmas pudding puts me to sleep, but in this game you eat it to stay awake. The game is based loosely on the book of the same title by Raymond Briggs. Your aim is to build a snowman and to do this you have to move round a maze of inter-connected platforms collecting objects while avoiding dozing off. There are four different stages. In stage one you must collect six piles of snow and carry them back to the snowman site. This part is pretty easy. You won't fall asleep unless you stupidly walk off the end of a platform or run out of energy. And you can avoid the latter by collecting Christmas puddings and dinners which materialize from time to time. At the same time you're being chased by four 'gas-timers' who will melt any snow you happen to be carrying. But this doesn't matter too much since another pile instantly appears. Once your snowman is at full size, stage two starts - much more difficult. The gas flames have been replaced by sleep monsters who put you into the land of dreams at a touch. The idea in this stage is to collect the snowman's scarf, hat, nose, eyes, buttons and smile, followed in stage three by various items of clothing, and in stage four by six ice-cubes to stop him melting. Complete all four stages and you have to start again with a different maze to get used to. You have a good choice of control keys, but it's still very hard to move around the screen as fast as you need to. Never mind. If you buy it now, you'll have all summer to practice.

Crash

Use of Computer 68%

Graphics 89%

Playability 83%

Getting Started 80%

Addictive Qualities 70%

Value For Money 78%

Overall 78%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Quicksilva Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £6.95 Language: Machine code Author: David Shea The Snowman is based on episodes from Raymond Briggs' book of the same name - a very gentle comic strip story which uses absolutely no words, and conveys the story entirely in its pictures. The game comprises four stages, each with its own screen layout. It falls into the category of a platform game. In stage one you must collect six pieces of snow and drop them in the correct place, which results in the snowman being gradually built. There are gas flames darting about which will melt the snow if you touch one after picking it up and replace it elsewhere on the screen. Collecting an ice lolly earns a bonus and at the same time enables you to freeze a flame while the bonus is being counted up. Other objects award points - Christmas crackers, presents, stockings and a tree. Stage two has you trying to collect the snowman's scarf, hat, nose, buttons, eyes and smile, but there are sleep monsters trying to put you to sleep - an alarm clock will freeze one temporarily. Stage three, and it's the snowman's tie, glasses, trousers, torch, skateboard and balloons, and again the sleep, monsters are on the rampage. In stage four you must collect six ice cubes to stop the snowman from melting, but the gas flames are back again. In all four stages your energy is depleted and must be replaced by eating food which appears randomly for a few moments. That gets you going, but the next part of the game has a different screen layout. COMMENTS Control keys: second row = up, third row = down, alternate keys on bottom = left and right Joystick: Kempston, AGF, Protek, cursor clip on Keyboard play: better than joystick, responsive, but finicky control because of pixel movement Use of colour: very good Graphics: very good, pixel moving Sound: useful rather than exciting Skill levels: 1 Lives: 3 Screens: 4

There's no business like snow business...

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Getting Started 9/10

Graphics 9/10

Value 9/10

Playability 8/10

A GAME TO MELT YOUR HEART You've seen the cartoon on Channel Four. You've read the book. Now play the game! The Snowman, a book without words by Raymond Briggs and a beautifully animated film, has been turned into an arcade-style game for the Spectrum. There are also plans to computerise Raymond's other books - including children's favourite Fungus the Bogeyman and the extremely depressing picture version of the aftermath of nuclear war called When the Wind Blows. Getting back to happier things, The Snowman is set at Christmas time. You are the young hero and have first to build the snowman. To do this, you must travel round a Manic Miner-type of screen collecting little heaps of snow. You then drop them over a certain spot where they will pile up and gradually take the shape of the snowman. Once the snowman is completed, your next task is to collect his clothes like tie, trousers and braces. The third level will ask you to equip him with balloons and a skateboard. Travelling around the screen with you are some flickering flames, just like that character from the gas adverts. Running into one will do you no harm at all, but if you happen to be carrying some snow then it will melt and you'll have to find some more. You can get round this problem by finding an iced lolly which will freeze the flame and gain you extra points. You'll also need to find regular supplies of food, as your energy level ticks away at the bottom just like Manic Miner. As the game is set at Christmas there are plentiful supplies of turkey and pud. I liked this game a lot. The graphics are great - and the title screen's got a wonderful picture of the snowman to look at while the game loads. It's very playable, although I often found control quite difficult. The character has to be perfectly central in the columns before he can move. If, like me, you're one of those who can't stop singing "We're walking in the air...", the theme tune from the film, all day then you'll love this. The Snowman is produced by Quicksilva and runs on a 48k Spectrum. It costs £6.95.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 8/10

SNOWMAN ALL SET TO MELT THE ICE Memory: 48K Price: £6.95 Joystick: Kempston, Cursor The Snowman, for the 48K Spectrum, is a game based on the best selling book of the same name by Raymond Briggs. It is based loosely on some of the action in the book but it centres on the building of the snowman. It should appeal to young children because of its non-violent nature. To build the snowman you have to collect snow and avoid the flames which will chase you so that you can turn it back into water. In some ways the game is like Jet-Pac, from Ultimate, as there is a drop site on the left of the screen which you must reach to mould the snowman's body and dress him. There are four stages to each round. The first is to collect the snow, the second to put on the features, the third to dress the snowman and the fourth to collect ice cubes to prevent him melting. Once all of those phases have been completed you will move to round two and a different screen Layout. There are two ways of winning points. You could forget about building the snowman at the first stage and collect objects such as crackers, stockings and Christmas trees. That will boost your score considerably, so long as you do not fall from the ice structure. If you do, or your energy level is depleted too much, you will fall back into bed. The alternative is to build the snowman but risk the wrath of the sleep monsters, which can only be combatted using the special alarm clocks. The game is attractive and is a change from the violence of Space invaders and the like. The Snowman, from Quicksilva, combines the best of many games already on the market.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

Your Computer

Overall 3/5

Spectrum 48K £6.95 Quicksilva There's no people like snow people, and the Snowman, based on the book by Fungus the Bogeyman creator Raymond Briggs, is already nosed abroad as unique among computer games for its non-violence. At last a game that parents can buy for Junior secure in the knowledge that they will not awake next morning to find their lovable offspring transformed into a blood-crazed twitching freak. Instead of dying in the Snowman, you go to sleep. The screen display is a frosty blue, ladders and levels display. You have to collect six pieces of snow in order to build the snowman. Watch out for roving gas flames - these melt the snow you are carrying, and it reappears elsewhere on the screen. This game will appeal to perverse people who insist on celebrating Christmas in the middle of the summer, since you gain extra points for collecting various Christmas crackers, presents, stockings and trees. If you collect an ice lolly you can ward off the gas flames. Your energy is replenished by eating a turkey or Christmas pudding. Ir. stages two and three you have to kit out :he snowman with scarf, hat. In stages two and three you have to kit out the snowman with scarf, hat, nose etc while avoiding the Sleep Monsters. These can be neutralised with an alarm clock. In the final stage you try to collect ice cubes to stop your snowman from melting. The gas flames make their comeback here. Attractive graphics, well thought-out idea, perhaps a little too much dexterity required to position your man at the bottom of ladders.

Sinclair Programs

June Mortimer

WELL-WORN THEMES RE-APPEAR The trend in software production appears to be to take stock, build on successful ideas and await new developments. New games tend to be new variations on well-worn themes rather than startlingly original concepts. The number of games based on the premise that all computer owners love shooting as many things as possible is decreasing and giving way to games which need thought and strategy as well as fast reactions. Unfortunately for ZX-81 owners, although their computer has remained consistently among the top five bestselling computers, new software for the ZX-81 is almost non-existent and W H Smith is not intending to accept any new ZX-81 software for sale in its shops. Due to the shortage of new software, no ZX-81 programs have been received for review this month. THE SNOWMAN The Snowman - Quicksilva, 48K Spectrum - is based loosely on the book of the same name by Raymond Briggs. The aim is to collect snow and build a snowman. The wandering flames must be avoided, as they melt your snow and turn it to water. Falling off the ice structure of pathways and ladders will result in the player being sent back to bed, as will running out of energy. On the higher levels, sleep monsters must also be avoided or confronted with alarm clocks. The Snowman combines the best of many games already on the market and should become a best-seller. The latest sequel to Pimania, Pi-Eyed and other Automata productions is Pi-Balled - 48K Spectrum. Once again the Pi-man is the hero of the game, this time accompanied by two bouncing balls and Sid the Snake. It is a fairly straightforward arcade game. The mystical pyramid of Pi must be changed in colour by jumping from square to square. Sid the Snake must be avoided, as must the bouncing balls, which can also change the colour of the pyramid but not necessarily in a way which is helpful. Pi-balled has lively graphics; the bouncing balls and spinning discs are particularly convincing and the degree of difficulty is well-judged to suit beginners and experienced players. Shades of Manic Miner are apparent in Loony Zoo - Phipps Associates, 48K Spectrum. The storyline is that, while surveying another planet, you have been captured by its vastly superior inhabitants and placed in one of their zoos, together with various other alien specimens. It is possible to escape by jumping from ledge to ledge to reach the door pressure-pad at the top of the screen. Needless to say, you escape only into other cages from which it is more difficult to escape. Despite its simple graphics and slow pace, Loony Zoo is a difficult and addictive game. Killer Knight - Phipps Associates, 48K Spectrum - thinly disguises a Kong-type game with medieval trappings. The player must climb from platform to platform, using ladders and avoiding rolling objects. Beginners will find it difficult to progress very far, while experienced players will soon realise that a high score can be obtained simply by running back and forth along the bottom level. MONKEY BIZNESS In a very similar vein is Monkey Bizness - Artic, 48K Spectrum. The monkey mentioned in the title is King Kong and the object is to rush up the scaffolding, dodging or destroying the barrels which Kong rolls at you, to rescue the woman at the top of the scaffolding. Monkey Bizness is an amusing and colourful game, although many Spectrum owners will find they already possess similar games. Like Donkey Kong, Pac-man is a game which spawned a multitude of imitations. Dinky Digger - Postern, 48K Spectrum - has a distinctly Pac-man-like air to it. The object is to clear the screen of cherries and grab the cake in the middle, while avoiding the monsters which are trying to eat you. One monster is followed quickly by another and the game is so difficult that it should be attempted only by the experienced or very nimble-fingered user. 3D Star Wars - Addon Electronics, 48K Spectrum - is one of the less worthwhile pieces of software on the market. The graphics are lifeless and confusing, the three-dimensional effect is jumbled, and the number of keys to be used complicates the game still further. THE GUARDIAN The Guardian - PSS, 48K Spectrum - is the first version of the arcade game The Tempest to appear for the Spectrum. The site is a spaceship on the edge of a vortex to another universe. Aliens appear through the doorway and must be destroyed by the use of laser bolt gun or star smasher weapons. The game has had to be simplified for micro-computer use but it is easy and fun to play. CCS has begun its Games for Girls series with three games for the 48K Spectrum. Hicksted, a simulation of a show jumping event; Diamond Quest, which is a straightforward adventure; and Jungle Maze, in which prizes are won with a Mastermind-style guessing game which is fun, although unoriginal. Apart from a tenuous link with show jumping in one game and a heroine rather than a hero in another, it is difficult to see in what way CCS has changed its strategy to aim it at females rather than males. Computers are bound to affect everyone's future in some way, so encouraging more people to use and understand them is a worthwhile project. To attempt to increase a software company's market vastly by selling to women is unlikely to succeed unless the software market is changed substantially.