Little bugs in the database 5

[druellan]

Should we merge both entries? We shouldn't have separate entries for tape, disk, and cartridge distributions of the same program. Unless this cartridge version is very much different from the tape... Could anyone please take a look?

AFAIK they are pretty much identical, and Timex used to publish both versions in a multipurpose packaging that can be used to hold a tape or a cartridge.

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[Einar Saukas]

OK, I will merge these entries. Thank you!!!

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[Einar Saukas]

The title Dirty Bristow Issue Two: Beast is currently marked as "covertape" that contains game Dirty Bristow - The Game.

Is this information correct?

A covertape is a program tape that came within a magazine. If that's correct, then what's the magazine exactly?

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[Stefan]

The title Dirty Bristow Issue Two: Beast is currently marked as "covertape" that contains game Dirty Bristow - The Game.

Is this information correct?

A covertape is a program tape that came within a magazine. If that's correct, then what's the magazine exactly?

With the mag Dirty Bristow obviously https://web.archive.org/web/20111104192 ... .uk/beast/

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[8BitAG]

The title Dirty Bristow Issue Two: Beast is currently marked as "covertape" that contains game Dirty Bristow - The Game.

Is this information correct?

A covertape is a program tape that came within a magazine. If that's correct, then what's the magazine exactly?

The information is confusing, I think.

Dirty Bristow is the magazine. The covertape was on issue 2. I guess it's therefore correct to say it's the Dirty Bristow Isssue 2 covertape, that just happens to include only one game; I guess the other contents aren't Spectrum related.

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[Einar Saukas]

Thanks!

[druellan]

Project Stealth Fighter - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=3900

Based on the credits inside the game:

Jim Synoski - Code, Game Design
Arnold Hendrick - Game Design
Paul Hutchinson - Code
Max Remington III - In-game Graphics

ZXDB mentions Sid Meier, but I don't see him as part of the development team.

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[druellan]

AcroJet - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/6 ... m/Acro_Jet

I think one of the authors is completely made-up
WOS/ZXDB:

F. William (UK)
J.R. Denman (UK)
Imre Kovats (Hungary)
Laszlo Szenttornyai (Hungary)

But based on the manual:

DESIGN & PROGRAMMING:
William F. Denman, Jr.
with Edward N. Hill, Jr

So, F. William and JR Denman are in fact the same person. Adding also the credits inside the game, the correct credits should be:

William F. Denman, Jr. - Design
Edward N. Hill, Jr. - Design (not mentioned in-game at all, probably the coder of the original version)
Imre Kovats, Jr - Code
Laszlo Szenttornyai - Code, In-Game Graphics, Sound
Michael Haire - Inlay (probably not the cover artist)

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[Rorthron]

Michael Haire - Inlay

I am not sure this is correct, though it perhaps depends on what you mean by "inlay": viewtopic.php?p=111532#p111532

[druellan]

I am not sure this is correct, though it perhaps depends on what you mean by "inlay": viewtopic.php?p=111532#p111532

I was talking about the art on the Microprose release, since he is mentioned on the manual, but looking again, Haire was the lead artist on the original C64 version, and his title at Microprose was "Art Director", so, yeah, he might not be the author of the cover art.

[Ivanzx]

The author of the game Senku, published in Microhobby, is not from Spain, but Uruguay:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... trum/Senku

[Vampyre]

Mastertronic's Devil's Crown is listed at £8.99. Seems excessive for a budget title

Should be £1.99.

[8BitAG]

Mastertronic's Devil's Crown is listed at £8.99. Seems excessive for a budget title

Should be £1.99.

Presumably that price came from this advertisement, that's linked to on the page. Devil's Crown by Probe Software
https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/pag ... 01&page=12

[Vampyre]

Presumably that price came from this advertisement, that's linked to on the page. Devil's Crown by Probe Software
https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/pag ... 01&page=12

Good god! There was a Russ Abbot videogame?

[8BitAG]

Good god! There was a Russ Abbot videogame?

Presumably, like the Russ Abbot game, that other Devil's Crown also never came out for the Spectrum. (I'm guessing it's a different Devil's Crown, anyway, that needs it's own entry. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/9 ... ildon_Bond

[StooB]

Presumably, like the Russ Abbot game, that other Devil's Crown also never came out for the Spectrum. (I'm guessing it's a different Devil's Crown, anyway, that needs it's own entry. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/9 ... ildon_Bond

They're the same game. It didn't get a full price release on the Spectrum according to Fergus McGovern in The Story of US Gold:

So, we made another one and the same thing happened. We soon realised that we were very good at making games and had only achieved moderate success with our third effort called the Devil’s Crown for the Amstrad CPC.
It was only after a chance meeting with a legend in the games industry, Mr Frank Herman, the owner of a hugely successful budget publisher, that Probe made its first conversion. Frank encouraged us to convert Devil’s Crown from the Amstrad CPC 464 to the Spectrum 48K but this time, Mastertronic would publish the title and not my fledgling company. This was a great relationship; we would design, program, and build the complete game with in-game art, music and sound effects and Mastertronic, for their part, would fund and publish our game.

[Alessandro]

Professional Snooker Simulator

https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/ent ... _Simulator

is a re-release of Tournament Snooker

https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/ent ... nt_Snooker

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[PeterJ]

This game has a machine type of ZX81 which can't be right.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... omin%C3%B3

[8BitAG]

This game has a machine type of ZX81 which can't be right.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... omin%C3%B3

Similarly,
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... alha_Naval

[PeterJ]

Another one too. It's marked as ZX81, but has a colour screen:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... /Desenho_I

I'm not familiar with the Timex models, but does there need to a new machine type of Timex 1000?

[4thRock]

Another one too. It's marked as ZX81, but has a colour screen:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... /Desenho_I

I'm not familiar with the Timex models, but does there need to a new machine type of Timex 1000?

Peter, the inlay and instructions for "Desenho I" (translates to Drawing 1) clearly state T/S 1000 with 2K of RAM. So the screenshot seems to be incorrect (and it shows garbage).

[PeterJ]

Thanks @4thRock,

Was the T/S 1000 different enough to the ZX81 to require a different machine type to the ZX81?

[PeterJ]

Seems to be another similar one here @4thRock:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... a_da_Morte

[Vampyre]

This one may have been discussed before and it's one I've been meaning to mention for ages but keep forgetting. Gyron's Genre as Compilation. I know there was Atrium and Necropolis (basically beginner and advanced levels) but I don't really class that as a Compilation - it's not as if they're two distinct games.

Quite what genre Gyron is, is another matter though. Mazey-shoot'em-uppy-arcade adventurey?

[4thRock]

Seems to be another similar one here @4thRock:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... a_da_Morte

The TS1000 was supposed to be very close to the ZX81 (100 or 99.9% compatible).
But in these cases instructions clearly indicate TS 1000 & TS 1500, so we might add those machine types for consistency.
After all, these are official software releases by the hardware manufacturer. I'd say it's best to stick to the references than guess about compatibility.