The Devil Rides In

Your Spectrum

Dilwyn Jones 8/10

Gerralt Jones 7/10

Ieuan Davis 7/10

Your Spectrum is continuing to scour the country's computer clubs to get the undiluted thoughts, feelings and impressions of dedicated games enthusiasts - in order to provide our readers with unbiased evaluations. Any club wishing to offer its reviewing services should contact Ron Smith, Spectrum Soft, [redacted]. We sent this month's batch to the Bangor Computer Club of North Wales, where their expert reviewers got to work; their plaudits and barbs can be seen over the following pages. First, let's have a look at the club and what it offers its members. The Bangor Computer Club was formed 18 months ago by noted author, Dilwyn Jones. He wanted to meet the needs of local home computer users, and holds meetings in member's homes on a spur-of-the-moment basis. There are currently 25 to 30 members whose ages range from 13 to 30 and, although there's no longer a fixed membership fee, those attending are expected to splash out towards the cost of the evening. Its members have the chance to try out each other's software and exchange ideas. Members can always call upon their colleagues to help solve problems. Anyone in the area who's thinking of joining the club should contact Dilwyn on [redacted], outside office hours. THE LINE-UP This month's reviewers are Ieuan Davis (25), Gerralt Jones (22) and Brian Pedlar (31); all three are long-standing members of the club and avid games enthusiasts to boot. They represent the 'Old Gold' strata of Speccy users, so we won't be expecting starry-eyed reactions to our selection of new games. THE DEVIL RIDES IN Carnell Software £5.95 You are a wizard in your magic circle and you have to use your magic talisman to do battle with the armies of Hell who throw spells at you. Neither you nor the attackers are allowed to touch the magic circle, even if continuous fighting has partly erased it.

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

Crash

Use of Computer 58%

Graphics 69%

Playability 45%

Getting Started 58%

Addictive Qualities 42%

Value For Money 48%

Overall 53%

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Producer: Carnell Software Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code Author: David Abrahams You are a wizard in battle with the legions of hell. Your defence consists of a magic circle, which you cannot leave, and a talisman to destroy the hellish army. In the first screen your magic circle is surrounded by several ghosts which float lazily around, firing on the occasional green fire ball at you. Your 'talisman' acts like a laser to destroy the ghosts. The fireballs weaken your strength if they hit you, three being fatal. Running into the edge of your magic circle does the same thing. In the second screen, the scale has been reduced, and small spiders have built a web around your circle to protect the big spiders firing at you from being harmed by your rays. The object is burn away the web so you can fire through again. The third screen has little devils scurrying around the circle, not very dangerous until hit by the rays from your talisman. In screens 4 and 5 the Angel of Death himself appears, and screen 5 brings forth the winged demons and skeletons which steal bits from your circle. The demons require two direct hits before being destroyed. Between games a 12 hour clock face appears and counts down the final few seconds before the game commences. COMMENTS Control keys: cursor keys with 9 for diagonal rotation and 0 to fire, or a rather daft arrangement of A/L left/right and X/M up/down with SPACE to fire Joystick: AGF and Protek Keyboard play: responsive but slow action Use of colour: fair Graphics: very smooth but slow Sound: poor Skill: levels: 4 Lives: 3 Screens: 6

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 7/10

Memory: 16K Price: £5.95 Joystick: Protek, AGF with Interface II Step right into a nightmare - with The Devil Rides in for the 16K Spectrum. You must stand alone in your magic circle and brandish your talisman against the various hosts of evil which are ready to destroy you. Screen one of the game features ghosts and from there you will encounter spiders, little devils, winged demons, skeletons and the Angel of Death. Not only have you to deal with those horrors which cannot get into your protective circle but you also have to dodge the astral lights which can. Contact with the lights or with the boundary of the circle will destroy one of your three lives. The game is obviously based on the Dennis Wheatley classic The Devil Rides Our and is complete with Angel of Death. It is an original twist to the Space Invaders type of program. The graphics are good but slow and various pieces of demon and astral light are frequently left on the screen, producing an untidy effect. If you like games which are different from the usual adventure or zap 'em formats you will like this one from Carnell Software.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online