REVIEWS COURTESY OF ZXSR

One Man and His Droid
by Clive Brooker, James Wilson, John Smyth
Mastertronic Ltd
1985
Crash Issue 23, Dec 1985   page(s) 164

Producer: Mastertronic
Retail Price: £1.99
Language: Machine code
Author: Clive Brooker

You've been sent off to the planet Anromadus to round up members of a species of alien animal named ramboids and teleport them to market. Despite the name, ramboids are not Sylvester Stallone look-a-likes, but are the Anromadian equivalent of male sheep hence the name ramboids. Technologically things have moved on quite a bit since the days when a shepherd's only friend was his dog. The modern shepherd has traded in Shep and got himself a droid, a multi functioning device specially designed for the job. Capable of four different modes of operation the droid is used to guide the ramboids into the teleport chamber.

When you start the game you are given the option of inputting a password in order to resume a game you were playing earlier, otherwise you start at the beginning. There are passwords for each of the twenty different ramboid-filled caverns, and as you progress through each cavern, the computer releases the corresponding password to you.

At the start of a game the screen is split up into seven different windows. Largest and centrally placed is the main window which looks into a cavern, displaying a view of your droid placed centrally amongst the scenery. Your first task is to guide the droid to the start position. When you arrive at the start the computer takes over and places the droid in the first cavern.

Once into the first cavern, the other six windows activate. A narrow, vertical window to the left of the main screen randomly shuffles eight different ramboids within itself to set the collection sequence, which is the order in which you have to get the ramboids into the teleport. A window on the right of the main screen charts your progress, indicating the ramboids you've penned so far with those herded into the correct place in the sequence flashing.

The four remaining windows, arranged horizontally below the main viewing window display the four modes in which the droid can be operated. The mode the droid is currently in is highlighted by a white bar above the relevant icon. The most useful mode of transport is jet mode: using the jet it's possible to zoom about in the normal, left, right, up and down directions. The droid stays central while the bricks and earth of the cavern whizz by in the main window display. Burrow is the second mode: the droid can move left and right along ledges and will burrow into the floor while fire is held down, popping up again leaving the floor intact when it's released. The third utility mode allows the droid to alter the cavern by digging tunnels. If the droid walks into a wall while it is in this mode, a large portion of the barrier is eaten away and the floor and ceiling of the newly formed alcove is supported with purple girders. To switch between the different modes, press fire; holding fire down reveals a map displaying the positions of all the ramboids left to be collected.

Ramboids are dim. They move very predictably, and will always reverse their direction of movement if their way is blocked. Once you know this, and watch the set patterns of movement herding them is relatively simple but they are delicate creatures which only live for about twenty minutes. You are working against the clock all the time. Should you fail to get at least four ramboids in the teleport in the right order within the time, it's back to the first screen.

COMMENTS

Control keys: A to ENTER down, Q to P up, 1 to 5 fire
Joystick: Kempston or Interface 2
Keyboard play: a little awkward, but responsive enough
Use of colour: very neat
Graphics: thoughtfully done, attractive
Sound: spot effects and constant clicking, which can annoy
Skill levels: progressive
Screens: 20 cavern systems


The game idea for this one actually contains elements of originality! An quality rarely found even in full priced mega releases. The game idea is rather neat, and is fun to play showing little derivation from any other known piece of software. Graphically One Man and his Droid is also very good-the scrolling in the main window is impressive. The droid itself is a little ill-defined, I felt, but overall the standard is quite high, especially for Mastertronic. I must admit to being favourably impressed to this release: it provided far more than £1.99's worth of entertainment for the time I played. The only slightly marring feature was the fact you can't restart once you've started a twenty minute ramboid rounding up session.


Have you ever fancied yourself as an intergalactic sheep farmer? Well, if you have you're bound to find this game pretty useful. Essentially, it's a maze game but with a few good, new ideas added. The game takes a bit of getting used to, and careful reading of the instructions is vital but once you'reup and running it's definitely fun and a bit of a brain teaser. Maze-lovers shouldn't miss this game - and at £2.00 it's difficult for anyone to go wrong.


This is a game with very nicely drawn and animated graphics and quite a few neat little touches. It's a sort of arcade/strategy game which can be quite absorbing. For the price, considering the level of finish, it's a good deal. Well worth a second look, unlike quite a few games on the market at three or four times the price.

Use of Computer78%
Graphics77%
Playability73%
Getting Started69%
Addictive Qualities71%
Value for Money85%
Overall76%
Summary: General Rating: A neat product, especially at the price.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Your Sinclair Issue 1, Jan 1986   page(s) 38

Mastertronic
£1.99

Fancy a job as an intergalactic shepherd? - this is your game. Just round up the Ramboids and drive them into a teleport. But you've only got twenty minutes to complete this tricky task. As you probably know, Rambos, sorry! Ramboids - are particularly stupid animals and you'll need megapersuasion to make them behave. Old hands at Mastertronic games will know that the plot often bears little resemblance to the surreal puzzle that sits on your TV screen, but, heck, they're great fun.

For starters your droid has to struggle through a horde of advancing Ramboids. It's a bit like driving the wrong way down a rush hour one-way street! Any flush of success from scrapping your way to the teleport chamber is soon dissipated by the mediocrity of making the crittur behave. Only for those with a quiet temperament.


REVIEW BY: Steve Malone

Graphics4/10
Playability5/10
Value For Money8/10
Addictiveness8/10
Overall6/10
Transcript by Chris Bourne

Sinclair User Issue 46, Jan 1986   page(s) 122

Publisher: Mastertronic
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair

It is good to know that in centuries to come the age-old skills of the shepherd with his faithful hound will still be of service to mankind. Mastertronic seems to think so, anyway, and One Man and his Droid is the result.

You have to capture ramboids, 4 a male form of alien sheep' - ho, ho - and herd them into a teleport device with your droid. Why is not so clear. Never mind. The game falls into two parts, and it's really a maze game with plenty of strategic elements.

The first part involves making your way through hundreds of these metallic beasts to find an exit at the top of the screen. Mastertronic might as well have left that part out, since it's a bit of a chore and nothing like as much fun as the main game.

The second part shows a network of tunnels, in which roam eight different types of ramboid. A display shows the order in which they must be herded into the teleport - you must get four in the right order to progress to the next level.

The droid can fly, dig a hole to let ramboids pass over it, or just slay on the ground. There's a time limit which is generous but rapidly deteriorates for later levels if you don't move fast early on.

The graphics are much better than your average Mastertronic game, chunky and vaguely reminiscent of Boulder Dash. Indeed, the whole production is good, and represents excellent value for money at the budget price range.

Herding the ramboids is more a matter of organising their natural movement than just pushing and shoving - you'll have to work out the rules by which they move and then provide judicious obstacles to guide them into the teleport. At later levels that becomes more difficult, as lumps of masonry buzz about the corridors and get in the way.

Each level has a password, and once you've discovered it you can start play at that stage, which is a boon when each game takes at least 20 minutes to play - the initial time limit.

Mastertronic has dumped some pretty revolting stuff on the public in the past. One Man and His Droid is challenging, fun, and cleanly presented - budget software seems to be growing up.


REVIEW BY: Chris Bourne

Overall4/5
Transcript by Chris Bourne

ZX Computing Issue 23, Feb 1986   page(s) 42

Mastertronic
£1.99

This is yet another program from Mastertronic which proves that cheap does not always equal nasty.

There have been one or two sheepdog type programs before but in general they were pretty dire. This game has got it right and provides all the irritation and frustration of dealing with the mindless wool machines that I remember from my days on the farm. Actually, the game does not have a rural setting but, as the title implies, is set in the future on the planet Andromadous.

The task is very much in the sheepdog vein as your droid has to round up the six Ramboids in twenty caverns within a time limit and take them in correct order to be transported back to Earth.

Each cavern consists of a maze of tunnels which your droid can fly around, dig himself down to allow Ramboids to pass over him or tunnel through walls. Each operating mode is selected by pressing the fire button and, by holding the fire button down, you will be shown the location of each remaining Ramboid.

Before you can actually begin to round up the flock you have to get from the bottom of the screen to the top past hundreds of 'wild' Ramboids who obstruct your path, this seemingly simple task can be annoyingly frustrating. A nice touch is that at the start of each game you can enter a password which will allow you to begin on the screen you last achieved access to.

An action packed mind boggler at a great price.


Graphics4/5
Addictiveness5/5
Overall4/5
Transcript by Chris Bourne

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