Enigma Variations
£11.99 cass/£14.99 disk

Hurrah! At last we've got the YS SAM up and running (it took cannibalised parts from two Coupe's to do it!) which means we've been able to take a (belated) look at Enigma's Defenders Of The Earth, the first, and so far only, arcade game to take full advantage of the machine's rather stunning graphical capabilities.

(To be honest this is hardly a 'first look' - we've had our copy of SAM Defenders lying around the office for ages waiting for a functioning Coupe - but it's worth a gander nonetheless. After all, most of us have never properly seen what the Coupe is really capable of as a games machine).

So what's it like? Well, looks-wise, as you'd expect, it's excellent. The graphics are considerably more subtle and less blocky than the best that the Amstrad CPC (the most colourful of the 8-bits) is capable of, though (hand on heart) it isn't really up to current 16-bit standards. It's not as far off as all that though (try imagining a budget ST game) and who knows what could be done (or should that read could have been done?) with the Coupe in time. It's also fast - a lot faster than other versions of the game I've played, which doesn't help matters for a devout Mr Crap like myself. All versions of Defenders were tricky, but this one is ludicrously hard, with many of the opponents almost impossible to dodge, and the speed with which the SAM whizzes everything around the screen is a major reason why. (If you want to know more about the actual gameplay - a rather simplistic shoot-'em-up based on a Saturday morning TV show - check out the Speccy version review in YS 54.)

And so, to sum up. There're just two points to make really. For a start, well done, Enigma, for both supporting the Coupe and coming up with such a visually stunning demonstration of what it can achieve. I still think the actual game itself is a pretty average one really, but I'm going to bung the SAM version much higher marks than the Speccy one got simply because a) there's nothing to compare it with and b) you bothered getting off your butts and doing it. If you want a copy and can't find it in the shops, send a cheque for £11.99 cass £14.99 disk to Enigma Variations, 12 Northpark Road, Harrogate HG1 5PD. (And look out for other SAM things from them - apparently a pack of SAM-specific puzzle games is available now too.)

The other point is a pretty obvious one, but I m going to say it anyway. It's a real shame what's happened to the Coupe, but until I saw this game I hadn't quite realised how much of a shame. Let's just hope something can be salvaged, eh?

Swing your pants! it's a Sam Coupe game review!

Enigma Variations
£11.99/£14.99

Crash reviewed Defenders Of The Earth on the Spectrum last month, and now the SAM Coupe version rears its not-so-ugly head. The Defenders' kids have been kidnapped by Ming the Merciless and held h a dungeon. It's up to Flash Gordon, with more than a little help from his friends to rescue them. Not that his pals are there in person all the time, but when a door needs to be kicked down, or a computer tackled they can be called. Flash is armed with a pistol, but as there are plenty of Ming's minions about all the firepower he can muster is needed.

The first two things that struck me on the SAM version were the speed of the main character - he runs along so fast it would probably take the likes of Sebastian Coe to stop him - and the fact that he actually looks like Flash, unlike in some other versions! Sound is good with a neat rendition of the TV cartoon title tune, and the graphics are very impressive indeed: a vibrant, colourful palette is used to great effect. Defenders Of The Earth just goes to show what the SAM Coupe can deliver! More games, please!

MARK [80%]

Mega! The very, very first SAM Coupe game reviewed in CRASH! And it's a whopper. Defenders Of The Earth was a good game on the Spectrum (76% last issue) but converted to the SAM it's even better!! The playability has not been affected much: although the game is still really good fun, it might have just got a little faster.Of course the main difference is in the graphics and sound. The in-game music is brilliant, but the sound FX leave a lot to be desired. Graphics style is very similar to the Amstrad CPC. Though very impressive, I'm sure Defenders Of The Earth does not use the SAM to its fullest. That's always been the tradition with games for a new computer, but as the amount of software being produced increases there are bound to be bigger, better games made. Still, this marks a great start to SAM software.
NICK [78%]

LABEL: Enigma Variations
MEMORY: 256K

You are Flash! I don't mean that you wear lots of gold bracelets and drive around in a convertible Porsche with your blond hair flying behind you. Certainly not!

No, you are Flash Gordon the space hero, (not Gay Gordon, the infamous Scottish dance) and you must defeat Ming the tired old clich. Running through various screens at an alarming rate, you must reach and defeat Ming, by shooting your way past the various nasties you meet. You can also call down various Defenders to help you over come various obstacles, (doors, barriers etc).

Enigma's first REAL SAM game. Defenders set the standard by which SAM games should be judged. Converted to the SAM, Defenders now has good colour graphics, the addition of super sound and moves smoothly at a blistering speed. In the software starved world of the SAM, Defenders had a chequered history, with it firstly only being available mail order (through this infamous organ no less!), but today is still worth buying.

SAM's first real game and an excellent conversion.