Quadrax

Break SpaceBreak Space Ace

Al

Dave Sloane

Mpk

QUADRAX Ultrasoft Free Al's Review Quadrax sounds like a Hewson Consultants title of old, a cross between Quazatron and Zynaps perhaps. But no, it was first released by crack Slovakian outfit Ultrasoft in the rather late year of 1994. Their games always seemed to look great, like the extraordinary Twilight, but I've not heard of this one, it was re-cracked, or something, just this year so it's high time we Brits checked it out. The exciting looking loading screen bodes well, even if it took a few goes for me to figure out it was a building. Best read the inlay while I'm waiting for it to load then, and get the kettle on. I'm not really doing that, I use an emulator, but it gives this review a nice, cosy nostalgic feel, don't you think? Play some Human League in the background for that authentic '80s feel. Then remember the game came out in '94 and abandon that whole notion. At length a plot was found, and it goes like this. The enigmatic Temple of the Sun can be found in the Sahara desert, "they say", and in its pointiest bit lives the Goddess of the Sun. You fancy your chances with her, so you and your stick man mate decide to go and ascend the temple, trying not to fall on your 'ass end' in the process. And it's a good thing you realised this was a two man job (ahem) as on your way you come across switches, lifts, big rocks and all manner of Aztec gubbinry (did you know they invented teleporters?) that requires you to make full use of teamwork. Or else your dream won't work, you see. The good news is that even the friendless can play this game, as you alone can control both your skinny dudes independently and alternately. That's a relief. I'd imagine. For the friendless, that is. Not me... Let's face it, us old codgers really appreciate a good puzzle game in ways that these youngsters today would never understand. These whippersnappers with their Row Blocks and their Tik Taks. We're quite content to sit, sometimes for hours on end, in front of a screen, desperately stretching our grey matter to bursting point (an unpleasant thought, hope it doesn't go that far). If you're on board with that slightly ageist generalisation, you will love Quadrax. There have been many great puzzle games on the Speccy in recent times, though sometimes some end up being too easy perhaps. The complexity of levels in this game increases nicely, and some screens require a serious amount of trial and error before they can be cracked, which will in turn drive you Arkanoid, sorry Batty, before elevating you to unknown heights of ecstacy when you succeed at last. Well, you'll be fairly pleased anyway, let's not get too carried away. This re-crack (ouch) has added some highly decent menu music and an English translation, as well as spraying, I mean fixing the bugs which may have crept into the original. This is great and a good way to introduce a potentially overlooked old game to a new audience. If I'm picky, which I am, it would have been awesomer still to have that lovely AY music going on throughout the actual gameplay too. If possibly a little distracting, it's a bit eerily quiet as it is, all you can hear is the blood rushing through your ears. Looks wise it's very swish too. Most of the graphics belong to the "simple but effective" school of design, but the animation of your stick men is the real star of the show. They move smoothly and are kinda cute in a way, though where they find the strength in their slender frames to push those huge stones around I'll never know. Must spend a lot of time at the Stickman Gym. So all in all in all, I declare Quadrax to be a darn cool unearthed gem in the world of Spectral puzzlement. Let's hope more kind folk "crack open" more of these old unheralded offerings from foreign shores, as there's many a funky AY tune that can be played on an old fiddle, as my old gaffer used to say. Silly old fool.

Getting to this point was the highlight of my month

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