Producer: Imagine
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Ian Morrison and Robin Muir

After the spate of American Football simulations, comes the other great American sport - baseball. This program is also interesting in view of the fact that it is the first from Imagine as now managed by Ocean. As the inlay states, baseball is similar to European 'Rounders' - up to a point. Each team either fields or bats - a half 'innings' lasts as long as the batting (or striking) team keep three men in. The ball is thrown by the Pitcher at the Striker and it must remain within the triangle extending from the 'home base' where the striker waits. A striker is 'out' if he misses three successive strikes, is caught by a fielder, or run out. The pitch is marked with four bases at the corners of a square, and after a successful strike, the object is to make the striker run from home base to the next, or as many as possible before the fielders return the ball to a base or the pitcher. A striker can be run out if the ball is returned to a base and held by a fielder with his foot on that base, or if the runner is 'tagged' by a fielder holding the ball between bases.

So much for the game idea.

World Series Baseball allows two players to compete against each other simultaneously using either the keyboard or suitable twin joystick interfaces, or one player versus the computer. The screen display shows the squared off pitch surrounded by the grandstands on all sides. Centred at the rear between two grandstands is a large display screen on which comes up most of the information relating to the game. This is also used, however, to display a large, side-on, close up of the pitcher throwing the ball, its travel, and eventually the striker hitting it. This gives the player(s) an opportunity to watch both the long view action and the close up for fine tuning. Control of both pitching and striking is achieved through the keys or joystick, and fielding control is handed automatically over to the fielder nearest where the ball will land. On the long view, the ball's shadow acts as a guide to catching shots.

COMMENTS

Control keys: both players may define their own keys (as long as no key is shared)
Joystick: almost any via UDK
Keyboard play: responsive
Use of colour: generally excellent, team colours may be altered
Graphics: the small 'on field' stick characters work well, but the larger 'closeup' graphics are excellent
Sound: good tune and spot effects
Skill levels: depends on the players!

The graphics of this action simulation are excellent, every bit as good as Ocean's Match Day, and the screen layout really gives the atmosphere of a big game. There is tremendous attention to detail, right down to the between match prancing cheer leaders which can be seen in ranks on the field, while the close up screen shows them in animated detail. Skill is required in both pitching and striking, to judge the position of the ball and the strength and angle of the shot. Controlling your fielders is something to leave out for the first few plays until you get the hang of how the game goes, and then, just when you thought you had it all pat, another strategic area of play is opened up to you. I like the fact that this is one of those rare games that can be played by two people simultaneously. The real joy of this game is the elegant way in which the top screen and main playing area interact with each other. I think Baseball is going to prove immensely popular.

Baseball is a good simulation of the real game. The split screen graphics work well. Playing the game is a little difficult at first and early attempts at strategic fielding ended in sheer chaos. Rounders, oops sorry, Baseball is well done, but I don't really need to see ads for local stores between games. Mind you, this could reduce the price a little - there's food for thought. The addictive qualities tend to build up slowly; give it a quick play and you could walk away. Play it for longer and you're hooked. It's nice to see the name of Imagine representing good games again.

I think the biggest question over the relaunching of Imagine is why do it at all? I'm sure a lot of people will be very wary of buying an Imagine game until they've had a good look at it. As to the game itself it is the best thing that has ever been released by Imagine. The graphics are good and there are no really serious attribute problems. If I had to liken this game to another sports simulation I would say that it's baseball's equivalent of football's excellent Match Day. Playability is high and the game is certainly addictive when you consider that you can play it against either friends or the computer. Sound is used surprisingly well for the Spectrum and colour is also used well because you can define the colour of your teams. Getting started on this game is relatively simple and none of the procedures for playing the game are awfully complex. This is a very good sports simulation and thankfully it lives up to the image that Imagine tried to portray for their games before they went bust. Overall an excellent game especially if you like sports simulations.

Dave: Imagine is alive and well and living on its former glory.

World Series Baseball is another sport simulation, just as the sport is just a Yankie simulation of rounders! You have to pit your team and your wits against another player or the computer. To help you the screen shows a commentators eye view of the field with a large 'video screen' at the back displaying close ups of the Pitcher and the Batter during the game, and of the Cheerleaders between innings! (whoopeeI Ed.) The teams alternate between batting and fielding and as far as I could tell, all of the standard rules of baseball are observed.

When batting you have control over one player at a time while the rest of your team looks after itself and runs about a bit to create the illusion of something happening. When fielding you control the player that the computer decides is in the best position to retrieve the ball (just like Match Day). You've also got some control over the flow of the game by changing the angle the ball is pitched at and the timing - of the batter.

Still the reasonable graphics, and the slight strategic clement, didn't take the game close to a home run for me. 2/5 MISS

Roger: Smart sporting scenery almost makes up for lack of content, but it looks better than it plays. 3/5 HIT

Ross: The big video screen at the back's a real stunner. But as I never got a man passed second base, I'm gonna need some more practice before the Detroit Daredevils come a knocking. 3/5 HIT

Publisher: Imagine (1984)
Price: £6.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Cursor

Not many people play baseball outside the States, but to judge from the fervour accorded the game there, it must be exciting. Imagine, newly resurrected under the paternal eye of Ocean's David Ward, has brought out a simulation as its first release with the new regime.

The name imagine gives rise to all sorts of suspicions, but we were gratified to see that World Series Baseball is not at all bad. You can play the computer or a friend, and the screen shows a representation of the baseball diamond with crowds and a giant screen for advertising and scores.

With loving attention to baseball hype, the game opens with the American national anthem and cheerleaders. Then the stick-like figures of the teams come onto the pitch. Control is simple enough. If you are batting you can use the joystick to adjust the strength and lift of your swing, and to hit the ball.

The pitching team may set a close or open field, and then adjust the speed and direction of the pitched ball while in flight. Control is then passed to the fielder nearest the ball, and the race is on to see if the ball can be brought to a base before the batsman reaches it.

The scoreboard adds to the realism by showing genuine advertisements and humorous announcements in between innings, although the wait could become irritating if you have read them all before. Nevertheless, the game is fun and apparently realistic. Welcome back, Imagine. Keep up the good work.

PRICE: £6.95
GAME TYPE: Simulation

The cheer leaders parade across the ground, the last advertisement scrolls across the giant video screen and the players run onto the pitch to start another thrilling game of World Series Baseball.

Imagine, the headline making company of yesteryear are back, or at least, their logo is back, with a vengeance. World Series Baseball looks good, plays well and is very challenging.

The program manages to produce a simulation of baseball by showing the pitch on screen, and highlighting essential sections on a screen at the back of the pitch. Batting and bowling are highlighted, while fielding and base stealing are all done on the pitch.

It is not necessary to know anything about baseball to play the game, but some knowledge, either of baseball or of rounders, comes in very useful. Of course, baseball sounds smarter than rounders, but the games are very similar.

All the difficulties of the real game are there: failing to hit the ball three times in a row, running for a base and finding a fielder has beaten you to it, missing a catch, throwing a ball in a wildly inaccurate way... you name it, it is in there.

World Series Baseball is produced by Imagine (1984), 6 Central Street, Manchester M2.

£6.96?
Imagine

Imagine do for Baseball what Psion did for tennis!

If you like sporting action simulations or even if you haven't up to now, this is a must as it provides all the best in computer graphic sports actions. Baseball is very similar to Rounders which most of us have played at some time. This game allows you to play either the computer or an opponent, using the keyboard or a Sinclair type twin joystick interface.

There are not many two player interactive games around and this is strange considering that the game that started the video game craze was just that - remember Pong? Just about every option you can think of has been included - number of innings per game, difficulty level, select playing keys, names and team colours. Each team takes a turn to bat and field. The normal rules apply, three strikes, run out or touched gets a player out, getting round the bases, either in one go or in stages scores a run.

The screen display is nothing short of brilliant! The top third shows the crowd with a huge display type billboard which at various times shows close ups of the pitcher, batsman or even cheerleaders, as well as the scores and advertisements for various companies. The bottom two thirds show a 3D bird's-eye view of the whole field. When playing, each player controls various actions and men in turn and a real degree of skill can be acquired with practice.

Imagine is dead, long live Imagine!

ARCADE

Clare Edgeley blasts her way through a wealth of challenging software.

Get fit quick just about sums up the last 12 months. 1985 has seen enough sports games to put you off doing anything more strenuous than lifting a pint glass, at least for the next year.

Since the 1984 Olympics, we have competed in every imaginable sport: played footie with Bobby Charlton, run rings round Daley Thompson and been KO'd by big Frank... There is hardly an action sport left which has not been turned into a money spinner, with a Sportsman's name attached. What is wrong with Tessa Sanderson's Javelin anyway?

Daley Thompson's Decathlon was first to the tape back in November '84 and notched up a gold for Ocean when it jumped to number one in the charts for a few weeks. You have to compete in all ten events of the decathlon, taking part in the high jump, long jump and pole vault as well as track events. The 400m is the most gruelling and to keep up speed you must pump the joystick back and forth, which may result in a touch of cramp. The graphics are colourful and the game does give a taste of the real thing.

Melbourne House also attempted a compilation of events with Sports Hero, although it was nowhere near as successful as Daley Thompson. Sports Hero has you competing in four events - 100m sprint, long jump, 110m hurdles and the pole vault, over three difficulty levels. To gain speed you must pummel the run button and press the jump button before takeoff. Aching fingers seem to be the norm in that type of game and in many cases you will end up with a sick keyboard as well. There is no sound and the graphics are not fantastic, although the scrolling background is interesting. A few more events should have been possible.

More recently, Brian Jacks' Superstar Challenge from Martech reached the top ten, although it came a poor second to Imagine's Hypersports. Both contain a weird hotch-potch of events - some interesting, others boring. Brian Jacks gives you a pretty raw deal. For £7.95 you can immerse yourself in such exciting events as squat thrusts and arm dips. Those may be thrilling to watch on TV but on computer they are about as much fun as a wet blanket.

Hypersports is a different ball game altogether. Licensed from the arcade game of the same name, the computer version is very like the original, although some events lack imagination. When swimming - or floundering, if you forget to breathe - instead of tearing down to the end of the pool, the end moves towards you. Clay pigeon shooting is certainly one of the better events, in which you must shoot the skeets through automatically moving sights. The vault is tricky and rather than vaulting as far as possible from the horse, you are likely to end up on your head beside it. The graphics are generally thought to be more professional than Daley Thompson's Decathlon, though whether the game is better is a moot point.

Jonah Barrington's Squash from New Generation is an interesting concept which seems to have fallen flat. Knock a miniscule black ball round the 3D court and try to beat Jonah at his own game. Jonah is one of Britain's leading squash players. Much was made of the fact that a taped recording of Jonah's voice calls out the scores. Unfortunately, all you get is an unintelligible gabble and it is easier to read them on the score board anyway.

We awarded imagine's World Series Baseball three stars in the June issue, which just goes to show that our forecasts are not always spot on. In June, July and August it remained at number three in the charts, only dropping to eleventh place in September.

The game opens with a traditional rendering of the tAmerican National Anthem. Then play starts, with one team pitching and the other batting. You can play with a friend or against the computer, adjusting the speed and direction of the ball when pitching and the strength and lift of your swing when batting. Loving attention has been paid to detail with a large scoreboard displaying genuine adverts between innings.

Last, but not least, boxing - the sport for ugly mugs. Cauliflower ears and battered brains are only half the fun - just think what you can do to your opponent. A few months ago three games were released simultaneously on the back of Punch Out!!, a highly successful arcade game.

Elite's Frank Bruno's Boxing knocks Rocco and Knockout for six, and is easily the most playable and realistic, offering more possible moves and a greater number of competitors than either of the other games. It is also the only boxing game featuring a sporting personality - Bruno helped in an advisory capacity during production which explains the close attention to detail.

Gremlin Graphic's Rocco squares up well in the ring, though you will find it is not as easy to dodge your opponent as it is in Frank Bruno, and there are only three competitors. The scoring system is simple and the graphics are the clearest of the three games. It is worth playing and annihilates Alligata's Knockout in the ring.

Knockout is appalling and lacks any addictive qualities. It is the only game which uses colour - the others being mono - although that could have been sacrificed for extra playability. Other than left and right punches to the body and head, there is no facility for ducking and dodging, but at least you can amble away if the going gets too rough. You tend to spend a great deal of time seeing stars after being KO'd. At least it lives up to its name.

The legendary success of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy lives on. Platform and ladders games are still the rage and dozens of versions have landed in the Sinclair User offices over the last 12 months. Two years ago Manic Miner was a sure recipe for success, and because it was ahead of its time a lot of money was made. Programming techniques are now more sophisticated and with games like Alien 8 and Spy vs Spy around, who needs a Manic Miner spin-off?

However, they are here to stay and some at least are worth the money you pay for them. One of the more successful games is Strangeloop, released late in '84, which has gone a long way to repairing the damage done to Virgin by Sheepwalk - one of its earliest and most awful games.

A half-crazy computer is the source of all your troubles in Strangeloop and, playing the part of a metagalactic repairman, you must shut it down. There are over 240 rooms filled with lethal swarf which attacks and damages your space suit. A jetbike waits somewhere and will make your task easier but you have to locate and refuel it first. Objects picked up will help with various tasks and friendly robots will patch your torn suit. The graphics are colourful and simple. and there is even a facility for saving your position on tape, to be resumed later when you have recharged your batteries.

Jet Set Willy II is the biggest rip-off of them all as Software Projects has done little other than add about 70 extra screens to the original. Essentially it is the same as Jet Set Willy which was launched back in 1984. The plot is similar; clear up the house before going to bed and avoid the hundreds of lethal thingummies found in each room. Despite being little more than a re-release, Jet Set Willy II is currently doing very well in the charts.

Despite the lack of original thought, if you are still hooked on the challenge of platform and ladders, try The Edge's Brian Bloodaxe. A loopy game if ever there was one. Brian, a viking soldier has been trapped in a block of ice for centuries, and as it thaws, he leaps out shivering, but ready to conquer the British. Flapping 100 seats, deadly ducks and mad Scotsmen are a few of the dangers that lurk on each level. Objects to collect and chasms to be leapt add to his daunting task. Brian Bloodaxe is at least as good as Jet Set Willy, with much visual humour and bright, clear graphics.

Hewson, which has made a name for itself in recent months with arcade adventures such as Dragontorc and simulations like Heathrow ATC, must have had a brain storm late last year with Technician Ted, which is totally unlike the semi-serious games released since. Guide Ted around a silicon chip factory while looking for a plate of the real things. Pick up knives, forks and other necessary implements and avoid several nasty traps. Easy to play and reasonably addictive, Technician Ted is not one of Hewson's best games but has done quite well in the platform and ladders stakes.

Artic's Mutant Monty is more sophisticated than Technician Ted and includes some extremely tricky screens requiring split second timing - if you are slightly out, a lemon or some other incongruous object will squash you flat, and then where will the beautiful maiden be? it is a constant source of amusement that so much work goes into preparing intricate story lines bearing absolutely no resemblance to the game you are playing.

On the whole rip-offs are uniformly mediocre in standard and not the sort of game you would buy for lasting playability. Real fanatics will find Activision's Toy Bizarre and Micromega's Jasper a doddle, and probably have more fun playing blindfold with their hands tied behind their backs. Both games are average and employ run-of-the-mill graphics. In Toy Bizarre, the player leaps round the levels of a toy factory popping balloons while being chased by a gang of irate toys.

Meanwhile, in Jasper much the same thing is going on, only this time you are a furry rat collecting money bags and treasure chests while avoiding furry cats, rabbits and other hairy animals. Platform games are usually fast moving and it is generally easier to keep up with the pace using a joystick. Unless you have very strong fingers, Jasper is doomed as your only option is to use the Spectrum's sticky keyboard.

Arcade adventures have come into their own in recent months, some remaining for weeks at a time in the top ten. With the advent of games like Gyron, fewer people are willing to put up with games like Jet Pac - classics two years ago but now gathering dust in cupboards across the country.

Superior graphics is the name of the game and the Spectrum is being stretched to its limits in a constant effort to improve software. Some games combine excellent graphics with originality, though equally large numbers have been launched on the back of the successful few. Ultimate's Knight Lore, Underwurlde and Alien 8 are three successful examples and Nightshade is expected to do as well.

Underwurlde is rather like a vertical Atic Atac featuring the Sabre-man who must escape a series of chambers while avoiding hosts of nasties. The pace is fast, the screens colourful - a devious game.

Knight Lore and Alien 8 could, at first glance, be mistaken for the same game. Featuring superb 3D grahpics, Knight Lore's hero must search a maze of rooms and find the ingredients of a spell to lift a curse placed upon him. Each room presents a challenge and one wrong move spells instant death. The scenario in Alien 8 is different from its predecessor and the quality of graphics is even higher.

Wizard's Lair from Bubble Bus is an Atic Atac lookalike with shades of Sabre Wulf and is an excellent game, even if you have seen the same sort of thing before. Bubble Bus has made some attempt to change the scenario which covers three levels, accessed via a magic wardrobe lift.

The programmers of Firebird's Cylu were influenced by Alien 8. Cylu is in the Silver range and at £2.50 represents very good value - it is almost as frustrating as the original but the graphics are a little patchy. Ultimate should be proud that so many companies want to copy their games, though it's a crying shame that those same software houses cannot put their combined programming expertise to good use, and produce something original of their own.

Games featuring film scenarios and famous names are often the subject of massive advertising campaigns, and Domark's A View to a Kill was no exception. Played in three parts you must guide the intrepid 007 through the streets of Paris, San Francisco and into Silicon Valley to stop the evil Max Zorin from tipping chip valley into the drink. The game received mixed reviews but, at the time of writing, it had just made it into the top ten - probably due to the James Bond name. It is an exciting game but lacks much visual detail.

The Rocky Horror Show from CRL is already sliding down the charts and does not live up to its namesakes, the film and play. Rescue Janet or Brad from the Medusa machine by finding 15 component parts of the de-Medusa machine. It sounds riveting. Your task seems enormous as you can carry only one part of the machine at a time and if you expect to meet normal sane characters in the castle, forget it. More could have been made of the graphics and the action is slow in places, but it is worth playing if only to meet Magenta who will strip you of your clothes. Wow!

Beyond's Spy vs Spy is unique and features simultaneous play between two players on a split screen. Take part in the zany humour of MAD magazine's two famous characters, the black spy and the white spy, each trying to stop the other finding secret documents in a foreign embassy. Set whacky traps as you ransack each room before escaping to the airport. It is fun, highly addictive and very amusing. Buying the licence to films, books and names is an expensive business, and at last one company has made the most of it with an excellent game.

It is interesting to note that when one unusual game is launched others of a similar nature swiftly follow. Perhaps all programmers follow the same thought waves. Last summer we had an unusual trio of games, reviewed in May, June and August issues. Two are based on the human body - not the most obvious subject for a game.

Quicksilva's Fantastic Voyage is a thrilling game based on the sixties film of the same name, in which Raquel Welch is injected into the body of a brain damaged scientist. Unfortunately, your mini-sub breaks up and you have only one hour to locate all the missing parts. Searching is a novel experience as you rush from atrium to stomach to lung and heart in a never ending circle. Finding your way to the brain is difficult as it is not signposted and the turning is easy to miss. Dine on red blood cells to keep up your energy and clear any infections which frequently break out - normally in the most inaccessible parts of the scientist's anatomy. A great way to learn about your bits, and where they are situated.

Icon's Frankenstien 2000 bears little resemblance to Fantastic Voyage, though it is played in a monster's body. Whoever heard of monsters smoking fags? This one obviously did and that is probably why it's dead. On reaching the lungs, battle with cigarette packets, avoid hopping frogs in the trachea, and fire at any oxygen molecules it is your misfortune to encounter. The graphics are uninspired and the game is simple.

Genesis' Bodyworks was reviewed in June and it is difficult to know what to make of it. It is hardly an arcade game - more of an illustrated, educational tour of the workings of a human body, describing the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems.

Space Invaders was one of the first great games on the Spectrum and software houses have never tired of the theme. Space games crop up in all categories; simulations, adventures and arcade adventures. Activision has even brought out Ballblazer, a sports game played in space. Way out!

Moon Cresta from Incentive is a traditional game in which you shoot everything in sight, and then dock with another space ship before taking off to do exactly the same on the next level. With complex games like Starion around one would think that games of this calibre would flop. But no, there must be some people around whose brains are in their trigger fingers. Surprisingly, Moon Cresta is creeping up the charts. Long live the aliens.

Melbourne House's Starion takes space travel seriously and combines a number of features, including the traditional shoot 'em up, word puzzles and anagrams. Kill off enemy space ships and collect the letters they drop, then unscramble those to form a word. Fly down to earth and answer a puzzle to change the course of Earth's history. There are 243 events to rewrite - and that amounts to a lot of flying time. Starion is well up in the top ten.

System 3 has come up with the goods against all opposition with the dreadful Death Star Interceptor, which has proved surprisingly popular. If you are really into boring games, this is right up your alley. Played in three sections, first take off into outer space, next avoid assorted aliens and then, as in Star Wars, plant a bomb in the exhaust port of an enemy death star. It is all thrilling stuff.

Quicksilva's Glass is amazing to look at. Psychedelic colours make you want to blink in this repetitive but addictive game. There are hundreds of screens to blast through, and whole sections are spent dodging columns as you hurtle through a 3D spacescape. The rest of the time is spent shooting radar antennae off unsuspecting space ships. The graphics make up for any limitations in the game and demonstrates that a traditional shoot 'em up need not be boring.

This final section consists of a number of games which cannot be categorised. A strange mixture falls into this area - many are shoot 'em ups in some form or another, others require an element of cunning and strategy.

Gyron from Firebird, a Sinclair User classic, is a unique game in which you must travel through a complex maze, dodging massive rolling balls and keeping a watchful eye on the guardian towers to be round at each junction. Those shoot at you, but approaching from another angle may change the direction of their fire. As there are two mazes to get through, it should take months. Gyron is likely to deter arcade nuts, but for those with staying power, it is an attractive proposition. It did make a brief appearance in the top ten at the time of writing, but has since fallen away.

US Gold's Spy Hunter, based on the arcade game of the same name, is a faithful replica of the original. It all takes place on the road as you drive your souped-up sports car through a variety of traps laid down by the baddies. Equip your motor with a variety of weapons, obtainable from a weapons van which you drive into Italian Job style. Rockets, smoke screens and oil slicks are all strongly reminiscent of 007.

Elite's Airwolf is a game that we found so hard as to be almost impossible, and which everyone else seemed to find a cinch - and told us so in no uncertain terms! Try if you can, to fly your chopper down a long, narrow tunnel to rescue five scientists stuck at the end. Blast your way through walls, which rematerialise as fast as you can destroy them - a well nigh impossible task for those whose trigger fingers and joysticks have suffered from the likes of Daley Thomson's Decathlon. Airwolf has done better than we predicted. You can't win them all.

Ghostbusters, the mega box office hit last Christmas was a prime candidate for a computer game and Activision was first to the ghost. Featuring all the best parts of the film, it was an instant success and Activision did well to launch it simultaneously with the movie. Drive around the city coaxing ghouls into your ghost trap but listen out for a Marshmallow Alert. That giant sticky marshmallow man is quite capable of flattening whole streets unless halted. Greenbacks play an important part in the game as you have to buy your equipment to get started, and earn enough prize money for the number of ghosts caught, in order to take part in a final showdown with Zuul.

Finally Tapper from US Gold - another Sinclair User classic. Tapper is a simple but refreshing game centered round an all-American soda bar. You play a harassed barman, who must serve his customers with drinks. Easy at first as you slide them down the bar but wait until they have gulped down the fizzy stuff. Running backwards and forwards between four bars, make sure the customers have got a drink, and catch the empties as they come skidding back. There are three difficulty levels, each one faster and more hectic than the last. Tapper is moving up the charts and we are sure that it will go far towards refreshing the parts other games cannot reach.

The fierce competition over the last 12 months has chased many companies into liquidation. There have, however, been successes, particularly with a number of small software houses bringing new blood into the market. That can only be seen as a healthy sign.

The lack of QL games software is the only disappointment. Where is it? Other than a few basic programs such as Reversi, which cut its eye teeth on the ZX-81 years ago, there has been a dearth of games for this flagging micro. If games of the quality of Knight Lore can be produced for the Spectrum, why not for the QL?