Producer: Gremlin Graphics
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Dinamic and Armid

In the last issue of CRASH we reviewed a boxing game from Alligata called Knockout. Well in this issue we have two more, Rocco (originally released under the title Rocky), which owes its origins to a team of Spanish programmers, and Elite's Frank Bruno's Boxing. There must be something of a trend under way.

The graphical presentation of the fighters is very important in this type of game. In Rocco you view the action from a point behind your fighter who appears to be a good deal shorter than your opponent. Both figures are solid and shaded. As a fighter, you have four basic moves available: a left and right head punch, and a left and right block. Every time you land a punch on your opponent you can see his head reel with the blow and his energy bar diminish a touch. A fighter is knocked out when his energy bar reaches zilch. The winner of a round is the first boxer to drop his opponent thrice. Each time one of the fighters is knocked out he will get up again (unless it was his third fall) and continue the fight with a re-charged energy bar the other fighter continues with his energy at the level it was when he laid the other guy out. In effect, this means that a boxer who has just been knocked out has the advantage over his opponent. Once you've won your first round you'll have had a taste of what is to follow, but to achieve ultimate victory you must defeat all four fighters. Each one is harder to beat than the one before.

At the start of each new fight you are presented with a picture and the weight of your opponent displayed in a box under his energy bar. The graphical figure in the ring does not change in appearance from fight to fight. When you lose against any one of the fighters then the game is over. No score is given, so if you find you have a score to settle, you must start from the beginning.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 1-5/6-0 left/right punch, Q-T/I-P left/right block
Joystick: Kempston
Keyboard play: better than joystick
Use of colour: very little
Graphics: solid, detailed and pleasing
Sound: a sort of squidgy sound for punches and a good bell sound
Skill levels: four
Lives: three
Screens: N/A

Rocco is the second boxing game I have seen this month. Looking at this one in isolation I think the graphics are very appealing. However, I think it lacks playability not only because the opposing character never changes, but also, on account of the limited number of moves available, it all became so repetitive. On it's own an original game but compared with Frank Bruno I don't think there is as much of a game here.

At first sight l must say the graphics in this game won me over. They are very good indeed. The figures are large, detailed, and move well. But the game itself I am not so keen on. The actual game it is far too limiting. It's a shame that despite the other four contenders being gradually better they each take on the appearance of a black-eyed Spaniard! The movements available in a fight are just too limited, especially when you took at other fighting games, Way of the Exploding Fist on the CBM for example, and realise just how involved you can become. One more point: I don't recommend the use of a joystick with this game, it's just too tempting to sit there and wiggle it about.

Yet another boxing game. We seem to be inundated with them here at CRASH at the moment, and I don't think any of them are particularly good. The novelty of them wears off after a few goes and you are left with nice graphics and a pretty boring game. Anyway, back to reviewing Rocco. At first sight this boxing game seems to be reasonably good. It has fair graphics and even a bit of sound every time you get belted, but after a few goes it turns into a 'slugging match' with no other option. All you can do is hit the bloke in front of you in the face with either your left or right fist. When you have beaten your first opponent, you are presented with a different picture at the bottom of the screen but the actual character you're fighting doesn't change at all, which I think is a bit of a cop out.

Roger: Technically, this is almost the same game as Knockout, but what a difference - because this one knocks you out with smart visuals. If anything the action is as simple, the choice being between right and left attack and defence, but there any similarity ends. Here the graphics are three dimensional and participatory - you can almost feel the punches.

The screen is filled by the ugly features of your opponent and successful application of knuckle sandwich leads to satisfying damage and signs of pain. If, however, you fail to block too many of his blows, then eventually your fighter - represented by the back of a head - sinks off the bottom of the screen, going down for the count.

Rocco has to batter his way through four opponents - Cimbel Lin. Ted Matare, Jansen Sino and Fighter Bull - to win the World Championship of 48K fisticuffs. The only sad thing is that he does it playing purely by the rules when we all know that boxing matches are won by the quick illicit head-butt stuck in while the ref's not looking. Shame. 4/5 HIT

Ross: Goggle at the graphics, settle back and take in the sound - then wonder why you're bothering. This is still boring. 3/5 MISS

Rick: Left. jab. punch, right. If you thought Southpaw was a house in Dallas, this ain't for you. 3/5 HIT

Publisher: Gremlin
Price: £7.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston

From Gremlin comes your second sparring partner, Rocco. Your boxer has his back to the screen and his opponent facing outwards. Blood, sweat or teeth fly - you can't be sure which - every time a punch goes home.

In the first fight, Cimbel-Lin must be knocked out three times before you can move onto Ted Mature. The first bout is easy, but Ted poses a few problems. Next, bludgeon your way past Jansen Sino to take on Fighting Bull - a Mr T lookalike with fists like sledgehammers.

More care has been taken over the graphics in Rocco than in its rivals. They are clearly defined and even the faces are expressive. However, the perspective makes your player look like a dwarf compared with the massive bulk of the contender. That gives you a clearer view, but it docs appear to be an unbalanced fight.

It is almost impossible to defend yourself properly using the joystick and not much easier with the keyboard. You can neither dodge from side to side nor duck.

Rocco is not wildly addictive and once you have mastered the controls, it soon loses its initial impact. Very much an also-ran.

MACHINE: Spectrum/CBM 64
SUPPLIER: Dinamic
PRICE: Yet to be announced

Thud! Crunch! Ooooooffff! The sound effects in this boxing game from Dinamic, the Spanish software firm behind the Saimazoom trilogy of arcade adventures, are quite authentic! And make you reel back in pain as a fist crashes into your jaw. Ouch!

The screen set-up is similar to Elite's Bruno with a little picture of your opponent and a graphic representing you at the bottom of the screen, plus an "energy" bar graph display for both boxers.

Both boxers are drawn cartoon style - no wire frame figures in this version. But you can't move about quite so much as in the Bruno game - it's much more an all out slugging battle.

The animation is great - but unfortunately your opponent in the ring doesn't get a facelift for each new round. Only the graphic face at the bottom changes and the skill of your opponent alters.

Each opponent gets tougher to KO - you have to knock each one down three times in a timed round to progress to the next.

Rockyno real relation to the films of the same name - is a boxing game for street fighters. No fancy footwork here - just well time punches!

The game is joystick or keyboard controlled and both will get a bashing as you play. Overall Rocky doesn't offer quite as much variety, but if you're not into fighting strategy and enjoy a good punch up - then Rocky is the boxer for you.

Spectrum
Gremlin Graphics
Boxing Simulation
£7.95

"I could have been a contender!" you may feel tempted to echo Marlon Brando's words in On the Waterfront as you stumble bloodied but unbowed away from the keyboard.

Net exactly good clean fun, Rocco consists of punching four different boxers in your struggle to become champion of the world. The graphics are excellent, even if it is a little disturbing to see this sort of thing portrayed in such gruesome detail. However, this game is certainly a feather in Gremlin Graphics' cap.

The game, originally produced by Dinamic Software, has fallen foul of Sylvester Stallone insofar as it was originally named Rocky - but you don't argue with copyright or Rambo, it would seem.

To beat your opponent you must knock him down three times So much simpler than the comparable Frank Bruno game and much more satisfyingly brutal for those used to having large amounts of sand kicked in their faces.

ARCADE

Clare Edgeley blasts her way through a wealth of challenging software.

Get fit quick just about sums up the last 12 months. 1985 has seen enough sports games to put you off doing anything more strenuous than lifting a pint glass, at least for the next year.

Since the 1984 Olympics, we have competed in every imaginable sport: played footie with Bobby Charlton, run rings round Daley Thompson and been KO'd by big Frank... There is hardly an action sport left which has not been turned into a money spinner, with a Sportsman's name attached. What is wrong with Tessa Sanderson's Javelin anyway?

Daley Thompson's Decathlon was first to the tape back in November '84 and notched up a gold for Ocean when it jumped to number one in the charts for a few weeks. You have to compete in all ten events of the decathlon, taking part in the high jump, long jump and pole vault as well as track events. The 400m is the most gruelling and to keep up speed you must pump the joystick back and forth, which may result in a touch of cramp. The graphics are colourful and the game does give a taste of the real thing.

Melbourne House also attempted a compilation of events with Sports Hero, although it was nowhere near as successful as Daley Thompson. Sports Hero has you competing in four events - 100m sprint, long jump, 110m hurdles and the pole vault, over three difficulty levels. To gain speed you must pummel the run button and press the jump button before takeoff. Aching fingers seem to be the norm in that type of game and in many cases you will end up with a sick keyboard as well. There is no sound and the graphics are not fantastic, although the scrolling background is interesting. A few more events should have been possible.

More recently, Brian Jacks' Superstar Challenge from Martech reached the top ten, although it came a poor second to Imagine's Hypersports. Both contain a weird hotch-potch of events - some interesting, others boring. Brian Jacks gives you a pretty raw deal. For £7.95 you can immerse yourself in such exciting events as squat thrusts and arm dips. Those may be thrilling to watch on TV but on computer they are about as much fun as a wet blanket.

Hypersports is a different ball game altogether. Licensed from the arcade game of the same name, the computer version is very like the original, although some events lack imagination. When swimming - or floundering, if you forget to breathe - instead of tearing down to the end of the pool, the end moves towards you. Clay pigeon shooting is certainly one of the better events, in which you must shoot the skeets through automatically moving sights. The vault is tricky and rather than vaulting as far as possible from the horse, you are likely to end up on your head beside it. The graphics are generally thought to be more professional than Daley Thompson's Decathlon, though whether the game is better is a moot point.

Jonah Barrington's Squash from New Generation is an interesting concept which seems to have fallen flat. Knock a miniscule black ball round the 3D court and try to beat Jonah at his own game. Jonah is one of Britain's leading squash players. Much was made of the fact that a taped recording of Jonah's voice calls out the scores. Unfortunately, all you get is an unintelligible gabble and it is easier to read them on the score board anyway.

We awarded imagine's World Series Baseball three stars in the June issue, which just goes to show that our forecasts are not always spot on. In June, July and August it remained at number three in the charts, only dropping to eleventh place in September.

The game opens with a traditional rendering of the tAmerican National Anthem. Then play starts, with one team pitching and the other batting. You can play with a friend or against the computer, adjusting the speed and direction of the ball when pitching and the strength and lift of your swing when batting. Loving attention has been paid to detail with a large scoreboard displaying genuine adverts between innings.

Last, but not least, boxing - the sport for ugly mugs. Cauliflower ears and battered brains are only half the fun - just think what you can do to your opponent. A few months ago three games were released simultaneously on the back of Punch Out!!, a highly successful arcade game.

Elite's Frank Bruno's Boxing knocks Rocco and Knockout for six, and is easily the most playable and realistic, offering more possible moves and a greater number of competitors than either of the other games. It is also the only boxing game featuring a sporting personality - Bruno helped in an advisory capacity during production which explains the close attention to detail.

Gremlin Graphic's Rocco squares up well in the ring, though you will find it is not as easy to dodge your opponent as it is in Frank Bruno, and there are only three competitors. The scoring system is simple and the graphics are the clearest of the three games. It is worth playing and annihilates Alligata's Knockout in the ring.

Knockout is appalling and lacks any addictive qualities. It is the only game which uses colour - the others being mono - although that could have been sacrificed for extra playability. Other than left and right punches to the body and head, there is no facility for ducking and dodging, but at least you can amble away if the going gets too rough. You tend to spend a great deal of time seeing stars after being KO'd. At least it lives up to its name.

The legendary success of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy lives on. Platform and ladders games are still the rage and dozens of versions have landed in the Sinclair User offices over the last 12 months. Two years ago Manic Miner was a sure recipe for success, and because it was ahead of its time a lot of money was made. Programming techniques are now more sophisticated and with games like Alien 8 and Spy vs Spy around, who needs a Manic Miner spin-off?

However, they are here to stay and some at least are worth the money you pay for them. One of the more successful games is Strangeloop, released late in '84, which has gone a long way to repairing the damage done to Virgin by Sheepwalk - one of its earliest and most awful games.

A half-crazy computer is the source of all your troubles in Strangeloop and, playing the part of a metagalactic repairman, you must shut it down. There are over 240 rooms filled with lethal swarf which attacks and damages your space suit. A jetbike waits somewhere and will make your task easier but you have to locate and refuel it first. Objects picked up will help with various tasks and friendly robots will patch your torn suit. The graphics are colourful and simple. and there is even a facility for saving your position on tape, to be resumed later when you have recharged your batteries.

Jet Set Willy II is the biggest rip-off of them all as Software Projects has done little other than add about 70 extra screens to the original. Essentially it is the same as Jet Set Willy which was launched back in 1984. The plot is similar; clear up the house before going to bed and avoid the hundreds of lethal thingummies found in each room. Despite being little more than a re-release, Jet Set Willy II is currently doing very well in the charts.

Despite the lack of original thought, if you are still hooked on the challenge of platform and ladders, try The Edge's Brian Bloodaxe. A loopy game if ever there was one. Brian, a viking soldier has been trapped in a block of ice for centuries, and as it thaws, he leaps out shivering, but ready to conquer the British. Flapping 100 seats, deadly ducks and mad Scotsmen are a few of the dangers that lurk on each level. Objects to collect and chasms to be leapt add to his daunting task. Brian Bloodaxe is at least as good as Jet Set Willy, with much visual humour and bright, clear graphics.

Hewson, which has made a name for itself in recent months with arcade adventures such as Dragontorc and simulations like Heathrow ATC, must have had a brain storm late last year with Technician Ted, which is totally unlike the semi-serious games released since. Guide Ted around a silicon chip factory while looking for a plate of the real things. Pick up knives, forks and other necessary implements and avoid several nasty traps. Easy to play and reasonably addictive, Technician Ted is not one of Hewson's best games but has done quite well in the platform and ladders stakes.

Artic's Mutant Monty is more sophisticated than Technician Ted and includes some extremely tricky screens requiring split second timing - if you are slightly out, a lemon or some other incongruous object will squash you flat, and then where will the beautiful maiden be? it is a constant source of amusement that so much work goes into preparing intricate story lines bearing absolutely no resemblance to the game you are playing.

On the whole rip-offs are uniformly mediocre in standard and not the sort of game you would buy for lasting playability. Real fanatics will find Activision's Toy Bizarre and Micromega's Jasper a doddle, and probably have more fun playing blindfold with their hands tied behind their backs. Both games are average and employ run-of-the-mill graphics. In Toy Bizarre, the player leaps round the levels of a toy factory popping balloons while being chased by a gang of irate toys.

Meanwhile, in Jasper much the same thing is going on, only this time you are a furry rat collecting money bags and treasure chests while avoiding furry cats, rabbits and other hairy animals. Platform games are usually fast moving and it is generally easier to keep up with the pace using a joystick. Unless you have very strong fingers, Jasper is doomed as your only option is to use the Spectrum's sticky keyboard.

Arcade adventures have come into their own in recent months, some remaining for weeks at a time in the top ten. With the advent of games like Gyron, fewer people are willing to put up with games like Jet Pac - classics two years ago but now gathering dust in cupboards across the country.

Superior graphics is the name of the game and the Spectrum is being stretched to its limits in a constant effort to improve software. Some games combine excellent graphics with originality, though equally large numbers have been launched on the back of the successful few. Ultimate's Knight Lore, Underwurlde and Alien 8 are three successful examples and Nightshade is expected to do as well.

Underwurlde is rather like a vertical Atic Atac featuring the Sabre-man who must escape a series of chambers while avoiding hosts of nasties. The pace is fast, the screens colourful - a devious game.

Knight Lore and Alien 8 could, at first glance, be mistaken for the same game. Featuring superb 3D grahpics, Knight Lore's hero must search a maze of rooms and find the ingredients of a spell to lift a curse placed upon him. Each room presents a challenge and one wrong move spells instant death. The scenario in Alien 8 is different from its predecessor and the quality of graphics is even higher.

Wizard's Lair from Bubble Bus is an Atic Atac lookalike with shades of Sabre Wulf and is an excellent game, even if you have seen the same sort of thing before. Bubble Bus has made some attempt to change the scenario which covers three levels, accessed via a magic wardrobe lift.

The programmers of Firebird's Cylu were influenced by Alien 8. Cylu is in the Silver range and at £2.50 represents very good value - it is almost as frustrating as the original but the graphics are a little patchy. Ultimate should be proud that so many companies want to copy their games, though it's a crying shame that those same software houses cannot put their combined programming expertise to good use, and produce something original of their own.

Games featuring film scenarios and famous names are often the subject of massive advertising campaigns, and Domark's A View to a Kill was no exception. Played in three parts you must guide the intrepid 007 through the streets of Paris, San Francisco and into Silicon Valley to stop the evil Max Zorin from tipping chip valley into the drink. The game received mixed reviews but, at the time of writing, it had just made it into the top ten - probably due to the James Bond name. It is an exciting game but lacks much visual detail.

The Rocky Horror Show from CRL is already sliding down the charts and does not live up to its namesakes, the film and play. Rescue Janet or Brad from the Medusa machine by finding 15 component parts of the de-Medusa machine. It sounds riveting. Your task seems enormous as you can carry only one part of the machine at a time and if you expect to meet normal sane characters in the castle, forget it. More could have been made of the graphics and the action is slow in places, but it is worth playing if only to meet Magenta who will strip you of your clothes. Wow!

Beyond's Spy vs Spy is unique and features simultaneous play between two players on a split screen. Take part in the zany humour of MAD magazine's two famous characters, the black spy and the white spy, each trying to stop the other finding secret documents in a foreign embassy. Set whacky traps as you ransack each room before escaping to the airport. It is fun, highly addictive and very amusing. Buying the licence to films, books and names is an expensive business, and at last one company has made the most of it with an excellent game.

It is interesting to note that when one unusual game is launched others of a similar nature swiftly follow. Perhaps all programmers follow the same thought waves. Last summer we had an unusual trio of games, reviewed in May, June and August issues. Two are based on the human body - not the most obvious subject for a game.

Quicksilva's Fantastic Voyage is a thrilling game based on the sixties film of the same name, in which Raquel Welch is injected into the body of a brain damaged scientist. Unfortunately, your mini-sub breaks up and you have only one hour to locate all the missing parts. Searching is a novel experience as you rush from atrium to stomach to lung and heart in a never ending circle. Finding your way to the brain is difficult as it is not signposted and the turning is easy to miss. Dine on red blood cells to keep up your energy and clear any infections which frequently break out - normally in the most inaccessible parts of the scientist's anatomy. A great way to learn about your bits, and where they are situated.

Icon's Frankenstien 2000 bears little resemblance to Fantastic Voyage, though it is played in a monster's body. Whoever heard of monsters smoking fags? This one obviously did and that is probably why it's dead. On reaching the lungs, battle with cigarette packets, avoid hopping frogs in the trachea, and fire at any oxygen molecules it is your misfortune to encounter. The graphics are uninspired and the game is simple.

Genesis' Bodyworks was reviewed in June and it is difficult to know what to make of it. It is hardly an arcade game - more of an illustrated, educational tour of the workings of a human body, describing the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems.

Space Invaders was one of the first great games on the Spectrum and software houses have never tired of the theme. Space games crop up in all categories; simulations, adventures and arcade adventures. Activision has even brought out Ballblazer, a sports game played in space. Way out!

Moon Cresta from Incentive is a traditional game in which you shoot everything in sight, and then dock with another space ship before taking off to do exactly the same on the next level. With complex games like Starion around one would think that games of this calibre would flop. But no, there must be some people around whose brains are in their trigger fingers. Surprisingly, Moon Cresta is creeping up the charts. Long live the aliens.

Melbourne House's Starion takes space travel seriously and combines a number of features, including the traditional shoot 'em up, word puzzles and anagrams. Kill off enemy space ships and collect the letters they drop, then unscramble those to form a word. Fly down to earth and answer a puzzle to change the course of Earth's history. There are 243 events to rewrite - and that amounts to a lot of flying time. Starion is well up in the top ten.

System 3 has come up with the goods against all opposition with the dreadful Death Star Interceptor, which has proved surprisingly popular. If you are really into boring games, this is right up your alley. Played in three sections, first take off into outer space, next avoid assorted aliens and then, as in Star Wars, plant a bomb in the exhaust port of an enemy death star. It is all thrilling stuff.

Quicksilva's Glass is amazing to look at. Psychedelic colours make you want to blink in this repetitive but addictive game. There are hundreds of screens to blast through, and whole sections are spent dodging columns as you hurtle through a 3D spacescape. The rest of the time is spent shooting radar antennae off unsuspecting space ships. The graphics make up for any limitations in the game and demonstrates that a traditional shoot 'em up need not be boring.

This final section consists of a number of games which cannot be categorised. A strange mixture falls into this area - many are shoot 'em ups in some form or another, others require an element of cunning and strategy.

Gyron from Firebird, a Sinclair User classic, is a unique game in which you must travel through a complex maze, dodging massive rolling balls and keeping a watchful eye on the guardian towers to be round at each junction. Those shoot at you, but approaching from another angle may change the direction of their fire. As there are two mazes to get through, it should take months. Gyron is likely to deter arcade nuts, but for those with staying power, it is an attractive proposition. It did make a brief appearance in the top ten at the time of writing, but has since fallen away.

US Gold's Spy Hunter, based on the arcade game of the same name, is a faithful replica of the original. It all takes place on the road as you drive your souped-up sports car through a variety of traps laid down by the baddies. Equip your motor with a variety of weapons, obtainable from a weapons van which you drive into Italian Job style. Rockets, smoke screens and oil slicks are all strongly reminiscent of 007.

Elite's Airwolf is a game that we found so hard as to be almost impossible, and which everyone else seemed to find a cinch - and told us so in no uncertain terms! Try if you can, to fly your chopper down a long, narrow tunnel to rescue five scientists stuck at the end. Blast your way through walls, which rematerialise as fast as you can destroy them - a well nigh impossible task for those whose trigger fingers and joysticks have suffered from the likes of Daley Thomson's Decathlon. Airwolf has done better than we predicted. You can't win them all.

Ghostbusters, the mega box office hit last Christmas was a prime candidate for a computer game and Activision was first to the ghost. Featuring all the best parts of the film, it was an instant success and Activision did well to launch it simultaneously with the movie. Drive around the city coaxing ghouls into your ghost trap but listen out for a Marshmallow Alert. That giant sticky marshmallow man is quite capable of flattening whole streets unless halted. Greenbacks play an important part in the game as you have to buy your equipment to get started, and earn enough prize money for the number of ghosts caught, in order to take part in a final showdown with Zuul.

Finally Tapper from US Gold - another Sinclair User classic. Tapper is a simple but refreshing game centered round an all-American soda bar. You play a harassed barman, who must serve his customers with drinks. Easy at first as you slide them down the bar but wait until they have gulped down the fizzy stuff. Running backwards and forwards between four bars, make sure the customers have got a drink, and catch the empties as they come skidding back. There are three difficulty levels, each one faster and more hectic than the last. Tapper is moving up the charts and we are sure that it will go far towards refreshing the parts other games cannot reach.

The fierce competition over the last 12 months has chased many companies into liquidation. There have, however, been successes, particularly with a number of small software houses bringing new blood into the market. That can only be seen as a healthy sign.

The lack of QL games software is the only disappointment. Where is it? Other than a few basic programs such as Reversi, which cut its eye teeth on the ZX-81 years ago, there has been a dearth of games for this flagging micro. If games of the quality of Knight Lore can be produced for the Spectrum, why not for the QL?