Space Panic videogame, taken from Lo Varese ZX Spectrum

[Neil Parsons]

A snapshot file with the name 'Panic.sna' was found inside Lo ZX Spectrum In Italia website. In fact, I haven't seen any reference to this platform arcade at SC archive by their screenshots (see below), unless its similarity with Mikro-Gen's videogame in some elements of in-game screen, like score and oxygen bar status. However, I'm not sure if the content of this SNA file can be related with Kevin Bezant game, or if this 'Space Panic' belongs to another software house.

I believed it's from Crystal Computing or Design Design by the font type used inside the game, but I don't really know...





What do you think?

[R-Tape]

I believed it's from Crystal Computing or Design Design by the font type used inside the game, but I don't really know...

What do you think?

It looks exactly like a rudimentary crack of Mikrogen's Panic to me, and if so it should not be added to the DB. Using fonts from other well known companies reinforces that idea IMO.

Can you make the file available to look more closely?

[Neil Parsons]

Yes, of course.

DOWNLOAD

[R-Tape]

Yep it's definitely using the Mikrogen version. Same graphics, same death skull, same play, easy to see how the intro has been tinkered with. It's nice that define keys has been added, but IMO that's not enough to cross the line dividing crack from MOD.

I haven't compared every byte but the main game loop has the same code (though at different memory address):

Code: Select all

11  DEC BC
120 LD A, B
177 OR C
32  251 JR NZ, 31436
201 RET
33  100 0   LD HL, 100
17  44  1   LD DE, 300
205 181 3   CALL 949
1   172 13  LD BC, 3500
24  236 JR 31436
6   125 LD B, 125
33  10  0   LD HL, 10
197 PUSH BC
62  248 LD A, 248
211 254 OUT (254), A