Corridors of Genon

Sinclair User

A 3D arcade maze game with a novel twist: the maze is circular. You must get through a series of doors some of which can only be opened by the correct number code. Once past the doors you enter the main computer room to deactivate the machine which will destroy the complex. The only other little problem is Bogul. This quaint-sounding creature will drain the psi energy from any player that it encounters. Bogul will clone itself and you will have many of them to avoid on the return journey. The game combines the best elements of strategy and arcade action. Position 21/50

Crash

Overall 72%

Producer: New Generation, 48K 5.95 (1) A 3D Maze game which demands 'Master Code' skills and numeric sequence recognition from the player. Deceptive in that it seems very ordinary at first but rapidly becomes unstoppable. Basically you must thread your way through the concentric ciruclar maze to find the central control room for the evil computer of Genon and destroy it. Doors cut the corridors into segments and connect between adjacent corridors. These are opened and shut by the computer and you can open them by punching in the correct code (each set of doors has its own numeric sequence). With your ESP at high level the screen displays the next doors code, but there's a nasty monster called Bogul chasing you. Each time he bogulises you, your ESP goes down and more doors have blanks which you must work out before the door opens or shuts for you. The ingenious touch lies in the excellent sound track of Bogul's thudding footsteps as he chases up behind you - turn around and you'll see him. Neat, solid graphics and unusually playable. Cursor keys for movement in conjunction with 9 keys (used with an overlay) for code breaking. Joystick: Kempston, AGF or Protek. Overall CRASH rating 72%, excellent value for money if you enjoy a bit of figuring. M/C.

Read it at Crash - The Online Edition

Crash

Overall 72%

Producer: New Generation, 48K 5.95 (1) A 3D Maze game which demands 'Master Code' skills and numeric sequence recognition from the player. Deceptive in that it seems very ordinary at first but rapidly becomes unstoppable. Basically you must thread your way through the concentric ciruclar maze to find the central control room for the evil computer of Genon and destroy it. Doors cut the corridors into segments and connect between adjacent corridors. These are opened and shut by the computer and you can open them by punching in the correct code (each set of doors has its own numeric sequence). With your ESP at high level the screen displays the next doors code, but there's a nasty monster called Bogul chasing you. Each time he bogulises you, your ESP goes down and more doors have blanks which you must work out before the door opens or shuts for you. The ingenious touch lies in the excellent sound track of Bogul's thudding footsteps as he chases up behind you - turn around and you'll see him. Neat, solid graphics and unusually playable. Cursor keys for movement in conjunction with 9 keys (used with an overlay) for code breaking. Joystick: Kempston, AGF or Protek. Overall CRASH rating 72%, excellent value for money if you enjoy a bit of figuring. M/C.

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 9/10

Sound 6/10

Ease Of Use 5/10

Originality 7/10

Lasting Interest 3/10

Overall 5/10

Kevin Jacobs 5/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K JOYSTICK: Optional CATEGORY: Strategy SUPPLIER: New Generation Software PRICE: £5.95 The object of the game is to penetrate a 3D-corridor circular maze, break the code of the Genon computer - also known as the Brain - and escape from the maze with your life. You are presented with a 3D view of the maze, with doors to your left and right, and a perspective view of the circular corridor ahead. Progress through the maze is hindered by two things. First, the Brain opens and closes doors to slow you down, and second, a 'bogul' roams the maze looking for you. A bogul is a Pacman-like creature with a big nose who is there to protect the Brain. Your only aid is your ESP, which allows you to find the door codes. But your ESP power fades as you approach the core, and each time you are caught and bogulized. If you manage to reach corridor 31, you are confronted with the Genon computer and must break the code as practised. Time is critical, and while you are frantically tapping out numbers, the bogul is cloning itself to make your escape harder. On your breaking the code, the computer is destroyed, but not before it revitalizes your ESP by giving you the knowledge of the universe. The 3D graphics are up to New Generation's usual, high standard and the sound is also very well used. But I would say that the game lacks the sort of variation which has made games like Arcadia and Manic Miner such big hits.

Crash

Use of Computer 80%

Graphics 70%

Playability 68%

Getting Started 68%

Addictive Qualities 70%

Value For Money 75%

Overall 72%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: New Generation Memory Required: 48K Recommended Retail Price: £5.95 Language: machine code This is a rather clever form of maze game in which you hear your chaser more than you see him or it. The hero of the piece is yourself, of course, and your adversary is a madly cloning Bogul. You find yourself in the corridors of Genon, a complex of concentric circles with the evil computer of Genon at its centre. Each circular corridor has many doors which open or shut by sliding down from the roof, and the corridors themselves are linked at intervals by similar sliding doors. The object of the game is to thread your way through the complex, find the computer and then break a secret code which will destroy it. Each of the doors is given a three figure code which, if punched in, will either open or shut the door. As you start some of the doors are open and some shut. Your adversary, Bogul, is strong in ESP and can close the doors ahead of you and open them behind in an effort to catch up with you. He also clones himself as time goes by. The screen display is in 3D, showing the corridors radiating away from you, a clear green floor, white ceiling and alternating red and yellow corridors gives a very solid impression of a real building. New Generation provide a numeric overlay for the keyboard which is used in the game for code breaking. Above the display and to either side it says 'Next Door Code 217' or, as your ESP level drops, more likely, 'Next Door Code ???'. When Bogul catches up with you the screen flashes and some of your ESP level fades. When it's right out, you've had it. COMMENTS Keyboard positions: Cursor keys for movement and 9 keys used in conjunction with an overlay provided. Joystick option: Kempston, AGF or Protek Keyboard play: reasonable Use of colour very good Graphics: effective 3D Sound: excellent Skill levels: 3 Lives: depends on falling ESP rate

A solid 3D effect in the Corridors of Genon. Look over you shoulder and what's that. You're about to be Bogulised again.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 9/10

CORRIDORS OF 3-D POWER The circular corridors of the computer installation based on Genon hide a dark and deadly secret. They are inhabited by a creature called Bogul. The creature and its cloned counterparts will try their best to stop you reaching the main computer, cracking the secret code and returning to the outside world before the base explodes. Corridors of Genon, for the 48K Spectrum, is in a long line of 3D games from Malcolm Evans and New Generation. It is set in the usual maze but the unusual thing is that the corridors are circular. That effect works well and is added to by the sliding doors which lower from the ceiling to block your way. Depending on the level at which you are playing you will be given either the pass number of the door to make it open or you will not. The most difficult part of the maze is the centre, at corridor 30, where doors are closing all the time, pass codes are hidden, and you can hear Bogul's footsteps getting nearer. When finally you beat corridor 30 you will be introduced to the computer. In that room you have to guess the destruct sequence code of the computer. That is such an important part of the process that when the program is first loaded, and before a new game begins, you will be asked if you want decoding practice. Once you have cleared the code the computer will tell you that all is well but that Bogul has multiplied and there are then several of the trumpet-nosed creatures wandering the maze. Before the game ends you must pass all of them and get out of the maze. Corridors of Genon is an excellent 3D game from a master of 3D techniques. We cannot recommend it too highly. It costs £5.95 and can be obtained from New Generation, [redacted].

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

Personal Computer News

Lasting Appeal 3/5

Playability 3/5

Use Of Machine 4/5

Overall Value 3/5

Bob Chappell 3/5

NAME: Corridors of Genon SYSTEM: 48K Spectrum PRICE: £5.95 PUBLISHER: New Generation Software, [redacted] FORMAT: Cassette LANGUAGE: Machine code OTHER VERSIONS: None OUTLETS: Mail order and Spectrum Dealers SCI-FI MAZE Maze games, particularly the three dimensional variety, are becoming quite thick on the ground and authors are having to introduce new elements to tickle the customer's jaded palate. Here's one that has some novel features - circular corridors, sliding doors and code breaking. OBJECTIVES Genon is destroying the galactic system. One hope remains-to penetrate the inner sanctum of Genon's computer centre, destroy it, then get out again. A nasty creature called Bogul patrols the corridors and will try to stop you. Doors in front and to either side must be opened for access to the inner layers - they can only be unlocked by a unique code. You are in a race against time and the enemy. IN PLAY Supplied with the game is a neat, gold-numbered overlay which transforms the left-hand side of the Spectrum keyboard into an easily distinguishable numeric keypad. The game starts by giving you an opportunity to practice your skills at code breaking. The screen displays a console surrounded by flashing lights. Rather like the old Mastermind game, you need to find a three-digit code - the console displays a histogram telling you if a number is correct and in the right sequence. When the histogram shows a pile of six black squares, you've cracked the code. You then plunge into the corridors, a series of curving red and yellow tunnels. Blue squares ahead or to the side are closed doors which must be opened by typing in the appropriate code. To help you, the top of the screen shows the positions of three adjacent doors, the codes of which are displayed or left as question marks. Entering the correct code causes the door to slide up with a hiss, allowing you entrance. The steady sound of plodding footsteps alerts you to the nearby presence of Bogul, a round bodied, long-limbed creature. Meeting it head-on is harmful to your health. If you bolt through a door with Bogul close behind, it's advisable to shut it again (with the code) to hinder the creature's progress. Meanwhile, the central computer is opening and closing doors by itself and there is always a chance that the door before you may open by itself and bring you face to face with you-know-who. VERDICT An unusual game but the combination of maze-running and code-breaking may prove a bit too complicated for some tastes.