Producer: US Gold
Retail Price: £8.99
Author: The US Gold Team

There's no sign, as yet, of the Spectrum version of the classic Leader Board from the American software house ACCESS (the people behind games such as Raid Over Moscow and Beach Head). However the latest ACCESS offering to be convened for the Spectrum has a similar style to the aforementioned golfing simulation. Tenth Frame is a ten-pin bowling game that includes all the features found in the alleys.

Before play can begin an options screen is presented, firstly offering the choice between league or open bowling. If the former is chosen you then have to input the name of the playing teams, number of players on each team (up to four) and the number of games to play (from one to three). The latter option delivers a screen asking the user to input the number of players (from one to eight) their names, the ability level (either kids, amateur or professional) and the number of games to play. When this information has been input the bowling can begin.

The screen displays a natural 3D view of the bowling alley from a position above and behind the bowler. The bowler appears at the end of the alley and is moved left and right by use of keys. Pushing the 'forward'key activates a marker which appears hallway down the alley. Left and right moves it in those directions and using the marker you can aim where the ball is going to go (it crosses the marker as it travels down the alley). When everything is primed the bowler can be made to bowl the ball by pressing the fire button.

A 'speed and hook' gauge at the bottom of the screen is used to control the strength and curve of each players bowl. As the 'fire' button is depressed the speed indicator increases towards the speed zone. When it reaches this the 'fire'button has to be released (otherwise an error will be incurred) and upon release the hook gauge comes into action, the indicator sliding downwards towards the hook zone. When it reaches this the fire button should be pressed, again the timing is critical - too much hook either side of the hook zone could mean the ball missing the pins altogether.

Each player has two attempts at each set of ten pins, a score is given and the next player bowls. The game continues in this fashion, the score sheet being shown after every player has had their turn. The score is kept automatically, and incorporates all the different types of score, including spares, strikes and extras.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q up, A down, O left, P right, CAPS fire
Use of colour: unremarkable
Graphics: basic but functional
Sound: the occasional spot effect
Skill levels: three
Screens: one main playing screen and a score screen

I am disappointed with Tenth Frame, it should have been so good. It loses out in gameplay because it simply isn't real enough - the pins behave in a totally unauthentic manner, so you have to learn the 'physics' of the game before you can begin to succeed. Having said that, if you discover the correct method, it is possible to obtain a maximum score without too much practice. If you're a bowling freak this may appeal to you - if not, I wouldn't waste your readies.
BEN

Tenth Frame hasn't quite survived the transfer from the Commodore to the mighty Spectrum. Lost in the process is the sound and the atmosphere and a lot of the playability. The graphics areas good as can be expected - but a bit too 'wire-framey' to look very realistic. The game has all the basic features of bowling -unfortunately none of them are very well implemented or expanded upon. I'm sorry to say that Tenth Frame didn't really bowl me over (we're sorry that you said it as well Paul - Ed).
PAUL

Ten pin bowling isn't a game I would recommend for conversion to computer, especially not to the Spectrum. In fairness though, us now have made a determined effort. Unfortunately, their efforts may well prove to have been in vain - the result isn't very good. The graphics are fairly average, with some nice animation on the bowler, but the game's biggest downfall is the annoying pause after every go. Overall, I think that Tenth Frame should be given careful consideration before purchase even by a dedicated fan of the sport.
MIKE

OLDIES UNLIMITED

This month see the inimitable PHIL KING scouring through the CRASH back issues for that crucial information on all the rereleases between now and mid-November. Take it away Phil...

Tenth Frame
Producer: Kixx
Price: £2.99
Original Rating: 55%

Originally programmed for the Commodore 64 by American software house Access (Leaderboard, Raid Over Moscow), Tenth Frame was converted to the Spectrum by US Gold in March 1987. As the name suggests Tenth Frame simulates the sport of ten-pin bowling.

Two types of bowling can be selected: team bowling involves competition between teams of up to four players, while open bowling allows single players of different abilities to compete with each other on an equal basis, by using the skill level option.

The bowling alley is shown in vanishing point 3-D perspective, with ten pins at the back. The bowler appears at the front and can be manoeuvred left and right. Once the bowler is correctly placed then a marker must be positioned halfway down the alley. This is used to aim the ball. Then it's time to set the power and straightness of the shot, using a Leaderboard-style speed and hook gauge. Each player is allowed two attempts at the ten pins, with the aim of knocking down as many as possible for a high score.

Ten-pin bowling sounds an unlikely sport to be represented by computer, and unfortunately Tenth Frame proves it to be unsuitable - the game just fails to impress. For fans only, even at £2.99. Just far too easy!

US Gold
£8.99

A-ha! (Take On Me, eh? Ed). I was nearly fooled by this one. But I soon sussed that 10th Frame is neither a snooker game or a tomato growing simulation. In fact it's a worthy if not wow ten pin bowling lookalike.

You're given the option of Open or League bowling. The latter allows up to five teams of four players to play three games, all of which are statistically presented with an exact replica of a bowling scoresheet. Most people, though, will go for the Open Bowling allowing five games between up to eight individuals.

The screen splits between your score card and a representation of several alleys, though you can only use the middle one. You have lateral control of your bowler to give you some sort of aim. Most importantly you must learn how much pace and swerve (or hook) to put on the ball.

This is the real skill behind the game and you'll need a rapid touch on the fire button as the two guides to optimum hook and pace (one ascending, one descending) slide swiftly across the screen. You'll have to get to grips with this aiming caper if you're to get a strike or pick up on the spares. The diagrams of the various shots to practise so that you can cope with splits (when your pins are a long way apart) are very useful.

There are three levels of difficulty starting at kiddies, though this one's a waste of time as most people including the 'kiddies' will quickly graduate to the professional level.

10th Frame requires a lot of skill and is a pretty good simulation, though I found it frustrating waiting for the pins to be reset after each game. It's a shame really that the packaging looks so dull and dated 'cos there's a really good game in there trying to get out!

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Skinto deluxe? Then rifle thought this month's cheapies with Marcus berkmann - you might find a bargain!

Kixx
£1.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

Bowling games have never been that well served on the Spectrum - I can remember loads that appeared over the past two years, but none that really made an impression. This Access attempt was programmed by the same bods wot wrote Leader Board, and in many ways it's the same game - press the joystick, let go and press it again. There's even the same little visual display in the corner showing you how you did. Trouble is, golf has courses, while bowling just has skittles. With the courses in Leader Board, there was massive variety, and indeed, we all went so far as to buy extra datasets and even extra games with more and harder courses to cope with. But in 10th Frame there are just skittles, skittles and more skittles, with only a few skittles to relieve the monotony.

The challenge, for all the fine programming, is all but non-existent, and the game is pretty dull. We gave it seven first time round (being generous, I think), but if you're interested in bowling, I'd say you were better off trying the real thing.

Label: US Gold
Price: £9.95
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K
Reviewer: John Gilbert

According to US Gold's Tenth Frame rating system, I could be an amateur or professional, but I can't get the right swing on those shiny, black bowls to knock all the pine over in either one or two strikes.

The basic play is easy enough, but factors such as speed of ball and direction determine the standard of your game. If you try kiddie level - easy as pie - the speed at which the bowl travels down the alley is automatically set for the best advantage and the bowl will always travel in a straight line towards the pins.

You can aim the ball in any straight line down the alley. Push forward on the joystick and a cursor appears about a centimetre away from your little bowler. Move it across the alley until it's at the point where you want to line up the shot and pull back on the stick to move the man around. Hit Fire and the bowler tosses the ball through the invisible cursor point and, hopefully, at the pins. Each bowler gets two opportunities to knock over - strike - all ten pins - on each visit to the alley, and ten visits to the alley. The sub-totals for each visit are added up to a grand total of pins down - if you do exceptionally well you may get an extra frame of play, just like those spacey coin-ops give you a bonus go.

Amateur and Expert levels put the pressure on. Both levels bend the bowl to the left of the alley as you throw it. You've got to compensate for this spinning drift by moving your player and the line-of-sight cursor to the right. It'll take some doing but, like any true simulation, once you start to get the knack your new found confidence will slowly show up on the scoreboard.

You don't have to play League bowls - in groups - you can play with a number of individuals - Open Bowls - or by yourself. There's no player-versus-computer option, which is a great misfortune, but I s'pose you can play amongst yourselves one after another in various personas.

If you can live with yourself, and the odd friend who may stumble into your computer area and deigns to move a character around the screen go for it. If. however, you can wait until Indoor Sports, from Advance, is released you can choose between the two packages. From what I've seen, the latter'll take a lot of beating in terms of price and quality, but 10th Frame ain't exactly naff.

U.S. Gold
£9.95

When it comes to sports simulations, authenticity can be a drawback. This ten pin bowling game replicates the tedious features of the game while failing to exploit the excitement of the actual game. Tedious realistic features include a painfully long wait while the machine at the end of the lane sweeps away knocked over pins. Authenticity could certainly have been sacrificed to avoid the pauses especially as even during the action this game is still in the slow lane.

Controls are keyboard only and there is no computer opponent so you've either got to be content on improving your own score over the three difficulty levels or strong-arm some friends into joining in (up to eight players).

The skill factor comes in during the aiming and throwing of the ball, direction is selected with a cursor and speed and accuracy by testing your reactions on a moving bar diagram at the bottom left of the screen. This indicator also determines the amount of "hook" you put on the ball. A bad error of judgment means that the ball will generally spin into the gutter about a third of the way down the alley.

Mastering the refinements of the game takes some time but once you've accomplished that it becomes very much like top level darts, it's more of a surprise when you miss than when you hit the target. Even when you get a strike it's very low key - no flashing lights or whistles.

The animation, such as it is, is good and the graphics are fair and although it will suit those who are ten pin bowling fanatics the impulse buyer may find it repetitious and overpriced.