A Trick of the Tale

Your Sinclair

Graphics 2/10

Playability 4/10

Value For Money 1/10

Addictiveness 1/10

Overall 2/10

Max Phillips 2/10

Central Solutions 99p Reviewer: Max Phillips I never liked the Genesis album. And I didn't like the game. Central specialises in budget games but you can take the budget bit too far. For a start, it's a Manic Miner - collect the musical notes, avoid the sprites, jump the platforms. Still one of the best games anyone ever designed. But this particular example has a poxy 15 screens, flickery sprites, attribute problems and very little content. In emergencies, when there's nothing else to say about a game, you can usually describe the contents of each of the screens. Umm, my attempts at mapping consist solely of On Route To Volcano... leads to... ZX Basic. Ooops. Central can do better than this. And so can you.

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years

Crash

Use of Computer 30%

Graphics 33%

Playability 28%

Getting Started 39%

Addictive Qualities 25%

Value For Money 48%

Overall 29%

Unknown

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Producer: Central Solutions Retail Price: £0.99 Author: G.A. Holmes This arcade game follows the explorations of a fearless little chappy towards a mysterious volcano. He must use his skill and judgement to navigate his way around the screens, picking up the coloured music notes as he goes. Each different screen must be cleared of notes before he can progress to the next one. The caped hero stomps around the bottom of the screens, leaping into the air when necessary. In order to collect some objects, he must leap from platform to platform - not that straightforward as some of the levels move to and fro. Accurate timing is essential if our hero is not to tumble to his death. One of his nine lives is lost each time the hero encounters a blazing cross or stumbles over a tombstone. He has unlimited energy, but must avoid the nasties to stay alive. COMMENTS Control keys: P start/pause, SPACE jump, Q left, W right Joystick: no Keyboard play: not bad, considering it's the only option you've got Use of colour: quite a bit of colour clash Graphics: less than reasonable Sound: the occasional bleep Skill levels: one Screens: fifteen

Watch out for that blazing cross because it'll do you a mischief. If you fall on those tomb stones you'll know all about it too!

Sinclair User

Overall 2/5

Jerry Muir 2/5

Label: Central Solutions Author: Greg Holmes Price: £0.99 Memory: 48K Reviewer: Jerry Muir 1. This is a a) budget game; b) normal price; c) vastly overpriced: [c] 2. It is a) wholly original; b) slightly similar to something else; c) yet another Manic Miner clone: [c] 3. It has a) lots of screens; b) lots and lots of screens; c) lots and lots and lots of screens; d) only 15 screens: [d] 4. Which will a) test you beyond endurance; b) take months to complete; c) be a blessed relief: [c] 5. There are a) lots of controls; b) no controls; c) three controls: [c] 6. Which will make it ideal for a) people with lots of fingers; b) people who are into pretentiously conceptual games - Hi. Mel; c) people whose keyboards no longer work very well: [c] 7. My reaction was a) amazement; b) apathy; c) Zzzzz! [c] 8. Don't delay - buy a) a copy; b) two copies; c) a copy of Manic Miner: [c]