Spectrum Computing

A bunch of adverts from White Dwarf:

1. Apocalypse and all three expansions, Nebula, Rebelstar Raiders, First Empire. Ad in White Dwarf 51 (March 1984) p46: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 5/mode/1up
2. Micro Adventurer magazine. Ad in White Dwarf 52 (April 1984) p50: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 9/mode/1up
3. Micro Adventurer magazine. Ad in White Dwarf 53 (May 1984) p49: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 8/mode/1up
4. Micro Adventurer magazine. Ad in White Dwarf 54 (June 1984) p8: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 7/mode/1up
5. The Secret River, The Wizard's Citadel. Ad in White Dwarf 59 (November 1984) p5: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 4/mode/1up
6. Eureka! Ad in White Dwarf 59 (November 1984) p21: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 0/mode/1up
7. Tower of Despair, D-Day, Battlecars. Ad in White Dwarf 59 (November 1984) p55: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 4/mode/1up
9. Micro Adventurer magazine. Ad in White Dwarf 60 (December 1984) p10: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 9/mode/1up
10. Doomdark's Revenge. Ad in White Dwarf 60 (December 1984) p16: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 5/mode/1up
11. Tower of Despair, D-Day, Battlecars. Ad in White Dwarf 60 (December 1984) p55: https://archive.org/stream/WhiteDwarf05 ... 4/mode/1up

Thanks [mention]Rorthron[/mention]

I will need to speak with [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention] on this one as we will need to add White Dwarf as a new magazine, so I don't know if that will add complexity.

I'm also working with Einar on getting Personal Computer News sorted.if anyone has high-quality JPEG scans of some of the issues that weren't in the WoS archive that would be useful. There are copies on archive.org and RetroPDFs, but I will need to look at the quality

Aye, can I just add to Peter's comment that things are in flux at the moment. I've only just now started to look at the new ZX-Ed system, and it's really not clear (to me, yet) how I'm going to fit certain corrections in, or just report them on.

We'll try and make the next update as complete as possible, but the "as possible" bit might have to be emphasised

Microfair Madness
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6682

The links to snapshots are incorrect.

The file linked to part 2 of the game, is actually part 3 of the game.

The snapshot to part 2 isn't actually provided on the page.

Here are the correct snapshots...

Microfair Madness 128K (Part 1) : http://8bitag.com/games/snapshots/MICRO1.Z80
Microfair Madness 128K (Part 2) : http://8bitag.com/games/snapshots/SMOK.Z80
Microfair Madness 128K (Part 3) : http://8bitag.com/games/snapshots/MICRO2.Z80

Polearn
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=10059

is listed as being Quilled.

It is a 128K game, so can't be Quilled.

An analysis of the database shows it was produced with the Professional Adventure Writer. (The mentions in Crash support this)

The copyright date on the loading screen is 1989
PJ sent code to ES 28-06-2020

Life of Crime
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15519

was produced using the Professional Adventure Writer (not the Quill as currently listed)

Daemon
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=10759

As the description says, Daemon is an early version of The Haunting *but* it was not produced with the Quill. It was produced with the Professional Adventure Writer.

A Beginners Guide to Adventures
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... id=2000049

was published in 1990 (not 1991)

The entry of Sorcery (Virgin Games) shows a strange (at least for me) loading screen:



Instead of the classic

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/pub/sin ... orcery.scr

The first one seems from a re-release or fan-made version.

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:24 am The first one seems from a re-release or fan-made version.

That one's from the "improved" Now Games compilation version.

The Lost Dragon
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6611

Under authors/contributors... the person "TAM" is credited...
http://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.ph ... l_id=14209

TAM is actually Tom Frost, who is already credited as the author...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=14656

So the entry/reference for TAM needs to be removed and can be deleted from ZXDB.

[mention]richl[/mention] posted this in the 'Wanted:Inlays' thread...



According to the game entry, the authors were Brian Howarth and John Blacow but the inlay says Howarth and Mike Woodruff instead.

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 6:57 pm According to the game entry, the authors were Brian Howarth and John Blacow but the inlay says Howarth and Mike Woodruff instead.

The in-game credits, list the author as Brian Howarth with artwork by John Blacow, so the ZXDB entry is correct.

So just adding Mike Woodruff maybe?

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:04 pm So just adding Mike Woodruff maybe?

Perhaps, although in other games Mike (Michael) Woodroffe got a writing credit in the actual game, when he was involved... Perhaps they did the inlay first, before the game. I mean... they spelt his name wrong, for starters!

If a credit *is* felt appropriate, then the spelling needs to be corrected.
http://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.ph ... el_id=9884

The Cholo PDF instructions are actually for the BBC Micro.

The programming credits for Gyron (the "compilstion") are missing. They should be:

Ricardo Pinto, Dominic Prior, Philip Machan, Mark Whigton (all Torus)

https://archive.org/stream/sinclair-use ... 7/mode/1up

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:24 am The entry of Sorcery (Virgin Games) shows a strange (at least for me) loading screen:



Instead of the classic

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/pub/sin ... orcery.scr

The first one seems from a re-release or fan-made version.

Fixed. It will show the original loading screen first, after the next ZXDB update.

The game...

Loony Bin
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=16874

is not an "arcade adventure"...

it's a "text adventure" made with The Quill.

(Tim Gilberts has just discovered it in the "Gilsoft archive" )

(The adverts also refer to it being an adventure)

Also, from Tim Gilbert's collection...

The Semi-Detached at the End of the Street
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15138

was initially published in 1984 by Simple Soft (UK, presumably)

on the B-Side of...

[New entry!] The Rubber Maze

Which was presumably also a text adventure written with the Quill.

See https://twitter.com/timbucus/status/1086737896982355968

Fairlight II seems to display the alternate loading screen instead of the retail one:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1715

druellan wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:13 pm Fairlight II seems to display the alternate loading screen instead of the retail one:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1715

Done. It will be fixed in the next update.

Astro Blaster is listed twice on the database.
One is the official version: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.php?cat=96&id=294
The other https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... id=4000116 is a pirated version from Argentina. This version is exactly the same as the Timex version (I want to discuss that later) but with the loading screen replaced.

Not sure if this is correct or not. Being a pirated version, is not a re-release, so not sure if worth adding the TZX to the official entry and delete the other one; but on the other hand, not sure if worth to have it listed on its own entry. What do you think?

Things that don't exist

Beach Volley (485) - reviewed and advertised but never released by Ocean (10508) (the files at WoS are a from a cracked Spanish version, and the box front shown is the same for all formats). Original publisher should be Erbe (4437).

Inspector Gadget (2489) - reviewed and advertised but never released by Melbourne House (9522) (the scrapping was reported here: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 63&page=20). Original publisher should be Erbe (4437).

Vampire's Empire (5540) - reviewed and advertised but never released by Gremlin (5561). Original publisher should be DroSoft (4025).

None of these titles had a Hit Squad (14438) re-release:
Firefly (1772)
Passing Shot (3629)
Legend of Kage (2848)
Superbowl (5058)

None of these titles had a Ricochet (12321) re-release:
Confuzion (1048)
The Covenant (1098)
Gobbleman (2074)
Helichopper (2280)
Throne of Fire (5243)

Maze Mania (3092) was not re-released on the Rack It (11956) label (the snapshot is of a Rack-It version, so it was presumably planned)

ACE (56) and ACE 2 (59) were not re-released individually by Encore, only as a compilation.