Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
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Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Inspired by Morkin's 16/48 magazine thread and PeterJ's suggestion, I'm opening this thread to review post by post the games included in Microhobby Cassette, the special summer issue released in july 1985 containing #5 and #6, the only issue I bought back in that hot and long summer.

This magazine was the electronic, brother publication of Microhobby, the most important Spectrum mag in Spain. It developed only 13 issues, each one containing a leaflet with the instructions of every program and a tape.

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The list of games can be checked in its SC entry:

Issue #5: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=13558
Issue #6: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=13559

So let's start with the first game: Oleoducto.
Last edited by Juan F. Ramirez on Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:22 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Oleoducto (Oil Pipeline) by M. Gascón.

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You're a worker in charge of the maintenance of an oil pipeline. You must repair all the ten (flashing) leaks before the time ('tiempo') reach 150. Beware of the scorpions, as they may kill you and you only have one life. However, you can use the hammers to kill them. Use the bridges to cross the pipelines. The keys are OPQA.

A really cute BASIC program for a start :)
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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S.O.S. by Paco Martín.

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This is an excellent game, written in BASIC and machine code. Maybe the best of the issue. In the best 'Game & Watch' style, you must control the bridges, closing them so that the people can cross them, on the contrary they will fall and drown. OPQA are the keys.

At first, there are 20 people. Only the ones that could crossed all the bridges go to the next level. As the level increases, the speed of the people increases too so the upper levels are bloody insane!

Just try and tell.

Teclado = keyboard
salvados = safe
ahogados = drowned
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Plotter by Jesús López

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One of the few utilities included in this issue. A drawing program that let some effects and save (SAVE SCREEN$ format) into tape. The basic controls are

V left
B right
Q up
A down

If you used to be an user of The Artist of Melbourne Draw, MOVE ON, NOTHING TO SEE HERE!
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Bandera (aka Banderomovil) by L. Casaus.

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Drive a car and collect flags (banderas). When you get 10, go to next level. Collect fuel (gasolina) tanks to avoid being run out. The column to the right shows the fuel level. Avoid bombs (bombas).

OPQA are the keys.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Oleoducto (Oil Pipeline) by M. Gascón.
Not a terrible little BASIC game, though it doesn't offer much in the way of a challenge or varied gameplay!

I think it looks great. I think one of the few downsides of AGD is that we don't see games like this anymore (and we can't blame AGD for that).

It would be nice to get these cassettes on the site here, they are available here for now.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Saltux

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A game I have fond memories. Move the character (O,P and Q jump) through 5 screens, collecting all the objects and then reaching the exit to the next screen.

Due to the clumsy movement (don't forget it's a BASIC program!!!) it can be frustrating sometimes. You've been warned!

You lose a life if you touch the magenta stuff. The problem is with the next life you must collect all the objects again.

I remember using the GO TO command to reach next levels (lines 300, 400, 500 and 600) :mrgreen:

Vidas = lives
Puntos = points
You must press P to start.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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K'Laber by J. Cantelar

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Find the hidden 8 keys ('llaves') in a maze made of 9x9 screens in a limited time ('tiempo') each key (48 secs). If time reaches 0, you lose a life. The screen shows where the key is.

After some games it's a bit boring. I should have include enemies, for example.

OPQA are the keys.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Invasión amarilla (yellow invasion)

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The terrible yellow robots from the yellow planet have invaded your planet. This is the plot of this surrealist game in which you must kill every baddie to save your planet. BASIC weirdness at its best.

You start in the indicated screen, when some enemies land. So you must fire them (O,P, Q, A and SPACE, M fire). At some point the program takes control of your character and enter the flashing door to continue this epic fight in the subterranean tunnels, where the aliens (or were they robots?) are even more dangerous.

Kill is the only thing you must do. When I played it for this review, an alien crossed a wall of bricks and the message '5 Out of Screen 700:2' appeared. Even in the most epic battles this can happen.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Tramas by A.G. Tolosa.

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This program is based on a cool game I used to play at school, on a squared paper. In turns, each player drew a line on a square side. When anyone drew the last line of the square (the fourth), marked the square with a 'X'. At the end, the player who marked the most squares won. We called this game 'cuadros' o 'tramas'. I'm sure someone here played it as well.

So this is the computer version of the game. Only 2 players option.

5 - LEFT
6 - UP
7 - DOWN
8 - RIGHT
P - DRAW

At first, the program ask for the players' names that are showed in a cool 3D effect. Then the game starts.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Astro by Manuel Orcera

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Weird game in which you control an astronaut along some screens. First one, a labyrinth. If you touch the walls, you're dead, what is highly likely due to the difficult control of character. Frustrating.

Then, a new screen in which you must avoid and shoot stars. Strange level, as you're supposed to lose a life if collide with any stars, but sometimes you collide and nothing happens. I think I'm missing something.

Then, two new screens similar to the latter ones. If, after those four screens, you don't get a minimum of 27.500 points, you can't go to the next screens (it seems there are six in total). The problem is there's no points counter on the screen.

If you get that amount of points (of make use of the GO TO command :mrgreen: ) you go to the next screen, in which you must avoid and shoot a sort of space objects. This time with points and oxygen counter (whenever you collide with an object, your oxygen counter decreases). Probably the best level.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

Post by PeterJ »

I'm loving this series of posts [mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention]
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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[mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention]

I found this on YouTube:

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnR7n7rMU_g[/media]
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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I knew that video! A very old tv advert of the magazine version, not this electronic mag.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 10:35 pm Oleoducto (Oil Pipeline) by M. Gascón.

Image

You're a worker in charge of the maintenance of an oil pipeline. You must repair all the ten (flashing) leaks before the time ('tiempo') reach 150. Beware of the scorpions, as they may kill you and you only have one life. However, you can use the hammers to kill them. Use the bridges to cross the pipelines. The keys are OPQA.

A really cute BASIC program for a start :)
Looks a bit like the mini-game at the start of each Eureka! adventure.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Hockey by R. Tejado.

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The last game of issue 5 is a simple classic hockey/pong game converted to the Spectrum. Five levels of difficulty (1=fastest ball, 5=slowest) in only two-players mode. The keys are:

Player 1 - Q up, W down
Player 2 - P up, O down
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Parchís by José Fabián Cámara

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A ludo game to be played on the Spectrum. Choose number of players (2 to 4). Then, you'll be asked any player's name. Spectrum will control any player with no name. Why downloaded any sophisticated android ludo game when you have this simple & cute BASIC game? :)

You know the rules, so play!
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Granja (Farm)

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One of the funniest games of the issue. You're a farmer and been locked yourself in your farm. The problem is the pigs inside have risen up against you. Your only way to escape is pushing the two keys into the locks while fighting against the pigs by pushing (also) tomatoes against them. Beware of the yellow acorns, pigs shouldn't reach them (they're a true delicatessen for them).

The game that George Orwell would have written if he had learnt BASIC, definitely.

Vidas = Lives
Puntos = Points
Pantalla = Screen
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Were all the games on the MicroHobby tapes written in BASIC?
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Morkin wrote: Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:06 pm Were all the games on the MicroHobby tapes written in BASIC?
Almost all of them, but not all. For example, the second reviewed game, S.O.S. was written in M/C.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Minitext

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The second program of #6 is an utility ('We bought it to help with your homework / and the household accounts'). A word processor. Who needs MS Office or others if we want Minitext? Write, read, edit, save (on a cassette, obviously) and print is all you need in your daily needs.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Puzzcar by Octavio Campos

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A cool game based on another game I don't remember it's name, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Reach all the oil stations without leaving the road. Beware of the fuel level.

O,P,Q,A the controls. V speeds up the car.

Really addictive.
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Araneus by J. M Carrasco

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A very interesting memory game. Try to catch 10 flies by giving the coordinates (line, column). First, the program will give you in a short time where they all are. Input the coordinates and if you hit too close of any of them, it will scare and fly to an unknown position.

If you are too late to catch them all, they will reproduce. In later levels, the time the flies are shown is shorter and shorter.

CAPTURAS = catches
INTENTOS = attempts
MOSCA ESPANTADA = scared fly
APROX FILA/COL = This message is shown to warn you next attempt try to hit closer to column/line
ULTIMAS TIRADAS = last attempts
PULSA FILA COLUMNA = press line column
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

Post by Morkin »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:40 pm Invasión amarilla (yellow invasion)

Image

When I played it for this review, an alien crossed a wall of bricks and the message '5 Out of Screen 700:2' appeared. Even in the most epic battles this can happen.
:lol:
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Re: Microhobby Cassette #5 #6 (July 1985)

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Pengo by Manuel González

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A clone in BASIC of the classic arcade. You're a cute penguin (ignore the UDG you see, it's a penguin!) and the evil sno-bees try to kill you. You must line up the three yellow diamonds and kill the sno-bees by pushing the ice blocks against them. Once line up the diamonds and kill the sno-bees you reach next level.

First, the program shows a short tutorial. When the message 'LO HAS ENTENDIDO TODO?' (have you understood it all?) appears, you must press 'S' to start.

The keys are 5,6,7,8.

Nice intro music.
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