Godzilla and the Martians

Crash

Overall 35%

Producer: Temptation, 16K £5.95 Author: Neil Street Despite the title this is a Kong game - the only one in 16K for the Spectrum, but sadly it shows. The animation is very poor and limited, the characters are small and the movement is jerky and ill-defined. There is a falling oxygen level for a time limit, but it appears to reach zero and stay there without ending the game. Control keys are badly placed with 1/zero for jump left/right, 5/8 walk left/right and 7 for up. Another irritation is that there is only one life and one skill level. Joystick: none. CRASH rating: 35%

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Crash

Overall 35%

Producer: Temptation, 16K £5.95 Author: Neil Street Despite the title this is a Kong game - the only one in 16K for the Spectrum, but sadly it shows. The animation is very poor and limited, the characters are small and the movement is jerky and ill-defined. There is a falling oxygen level for a time limit, but it appears to reach zero and stay there without ending the game. Control keys are badly placed with 1/zero for jump left/right, 5/8 walk left/right and 7 for up. Another irritation is that there is only one life and one skill level. Joystick: none. CRASH rating: 35%

Crash

Use of Computer (CP) 12%

Use of Computer (MU) 0%

Graphics (CP) 20%

Graphics (MU) 0%

Playability (CP) 10%

Playability (MU) 0%

Addictive Qualities (CP) 20%

Addictive Qualities (MU) 0%

Value for Money (CP) 15%

Value for Money (MU) 0%

Chris Passey

Matthew Uffindell

This one has the most original title and also the classiest packaging, but it is also the worst of the bunch, primarily because its written in BASIC, which immediately limits the program's capabilities (it's also the only 16K version). The idea is to run along and jump over the martians (resembling invading barrels) which move from side to side. There are also ladders to climb on your way to the top and holes to jump. (Godzilla, meanwhile, is protecting your girl - not 'holding' her). Only one screen and only one life. The graphics are jerky, and jumping is a hit-and-miss affair. On the whole, very unaddictive. CP This version barely resembles the original at all except in the ladders, platforms and rescuing 'the girl of your dreams'. Jump control is very bad, unresponsive - just over and down - terrible. The graphics are limited and the keys poorly positioned. Sound and colour are also poor (all in BASIC), no joystick options and generally well below todays standards. MU

Personal Computer News

Lasting Appeal 1/5

Playability 1/5

Use Of Machine 1/5

Overall Value 1/5

Roger Howarth 1/5

NAME: Godzilla and the Martians SYSTEM: 16K Spectrum PRICE: £5.95 PUBLISHER: Temptation Software, [redacted] FORMAT: Cassette LANGUAGE: Basic OTHER VERSIONS: None OUTLETS: Mail order/retail GODZILLA KONG The Martians have been causing trouble for us Earthlings for years now. Here they are again, this time threatening to destroy the molecular structure of Earth's atmosphere. For some reason they have a Fay Wray stand-in trapped at the top of a building site and Temptation Software obviously believes King Kong has had his day so in a stroke of brilliant originality it has substituted Godzilla. OBJECTIVES The originality ends here, it's the same old story of rescuing the damsel in distress. You have to get to the top of the building avoiding the Martians and their death traps. One difference between this and the standard 'Kong' is that you only have a limited time to effect the rescue. The oxygen level is shown at the top of the screen as a horizontal bar and if it runs out it's curtains for you, the lady and the rest of the civilised world as we know it. IN PLAY Beneath the extremely attractive and luxurious packaging lies a bundle of surprises, most of them unpleasant. The building site is a typical snakes and ladders operation with you moving from side to side and ascending the convenient ladders, jumping Martians and death traps en route. Once at the top, you rescue the damsel as though by magic. However, her death wish reasserts itself and before you know it she's back at the top and you must risk life, limb and terminal boredom once more. Godzilla is obviously resting on his laurels in this one as the old star of the silverscreen lends little more than the weight of his name to the proceedings. The graphics are slow and jerky which is hardly surprising as the entire program is written in Basic. Sensible use of the cursor keys is made pointless by the poor animation which halts twice a second to accept a key press. This also results in your having little accurate control over your character. The only good point, and it's purely incidental, is that because the whole thing is in Basic you can examine the listing and perhaps learn something from the exercise. VERDICT It would be pointless to list all the program's faults, almost as boring as playing the game. The days are long passed when arcade games were acceptable in Basic and you can find better in many magazine listings. You'd probably get more fun from editing this than from playing it.

Crash

Producer: Temptation, 16K £5.95 Author: Neil Street It's really a Kong game except Godzilla's at the top protecting your girlfriend and the evil Martians are rolling back and forth on the platforms in between. Whilst this maybe the only 16K Kong type game, it suffers sadly from that fact, with poor, unanimated graphics and a generally mean look. Also there is no joystick option and the control keys are very difficult to cope with. All in all a bit of a mess.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 7/10

ALIEN PATROL PREVENTS AN EASY RESCUE Anyone who has played Donkey Kong will find Godzilla and the Martians for the 16K Spectrum familiar. The gorilla at the summit of a series of ladders has been changed into a dinosaur which is protecting the girl of your dreams from the evil intent of invading Martians; your object is to get to the top and rescue her before your oxygen supplies run out. You will have to be very proficient on a keyboard to achieve that aim. As the groups of Martians patrol each level, you have to jump over them one by one and when you manage to reach the next level, you will find a series of man traps which it is all too easy to fall through. Inexpert players will find the game finishes very quickly and a major disadvantage is that you do not get extra lives but must start each game from the beginning. More explanation about the scoring system would also have been an improvement. Nevertheless, Godzilla and the Martians will probably appeal to experienced arcade games players who enjoy a challenge to their dexterity. It is available from Temptation Software, [redacted] and costs £5.95.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online