Producer: Martech
Retail Price: £8.95
Author: Jaz Austin and Dave Dew

Lady Jane Greystoke - she of "Me Tarzan - You Jane" fame - is in mortal danger in the jungle. She has been captured by Usanga, the chief of the Wamabo (thank you ma'amo). The chief has had seven gemstones stolen from the tribal shrine, and being a sensible cha, he realizes that the only person who stands any chance of recovering these gems for him is Tarzan.

This isn't as easy as it seems though, the chief and Tarzan aren't exactly the best of pals, so the chief kidnaps Jane and threatens to feed her to the ravenous Panther if Tarzan doesn't come up with the gems - and pronto.

Tarzan has just three days to find the seven gems stones for The Eyes of the Rainbow as the primitive chief calls them), if he has not found them after this time Jane will be slaughtered.

Tarzan's journey will take him from the leafy jungle - where he will confront vicious panthers, lethal quicksand and unpleasant natives - to the Dark Caves and and Temple of the Sun where even more danger lurks.

Each time he encounters one of these dangers some of his energy decreases. Tarzan's energy is shown at the bottom of the screen as a tree creeper. The action takes place over three days. During each day the sun slowly sinks and the screen colour changes from vivid yellow through to more dusky shades, until it's night and it turns to shadowy blue. However, if Tarzan loses energy by falling into quicksand or being leapt upon by a panther, then time passes more quickly. When the sun has set three times the game is over and Jane is fed to the ravenous hordes. Eugh.

Although Tarzan is Lord of the Jungle, he still needs various objects to help him. These are shown on the screen as black boxes, and Tarzan doesn't know what's in them until he picks them up, their contents are then shown at the bottom of the screen. These can be used to help Tarzan look for the games which are also shown as black boxes.

The playing area is viewed from behind trees and shrubs. Tarzan can run left and right from screen to screen, but he can also move upwards and downwards to other screens by finding a clearing in the jungle vegetation. These clearings are not often easy to see and may take some searching for. Tarzan is an agile fellow and can somersault over some obstacles and run through the undergrowth. He can also take on some of the vicious animals, but he only has his bare hands, so sometimes it's better to just try and avoid them. Some of the larger dangers, such as wide stretches of quicksand, mus be swung over using tree creepers.

COMMENTS

Control keys: definable
Joystick:
Keyboard play: pretty neat
Use of colour: monochromatic
Graphics: detailed and effective
Sound: some spot effects when played on the Spectrum Plus 2
Skill levels: one
Screens: 300

I like the way that Tarzan is presented - the side view is an excellent idea and gives the game a whole new perspective. The sound is practically non-existent, bar a few spot effects, which don't enhance the game at all - this didn't help the atmosphere of the game very much and I didn't feel that it involved the player very much at all. Tarzan is very slightly based on the film, but basically very like Tir Na Nog - and not too exciting at all. MARTECH have come up with a good game, but I'm afraid I've seen it all before.

On the whole it isn't a bad game, trudging around the seemingly endless jungle (probably in circles) gets a little tiresome after more than half an hour, but if you manage to get some interesting objects you can become absorbed in the game. My only real moan is that the screens take a while to generate, which can really spoil the flow of the game. The graphics are very good, the backgrounds are exceedingly pretty and the characters are well defined. On the whole this isn't really much of a variation on arcade adventures so I wouldn't buy it unless I was an aardvark freak.

Gosh, thought I as I loaded up this one, what pretty graphics. Well, I didn't actually think that, but it sounds good. The graphics aren't actually all that good, because the effective border around the screen not only serves as an excuse not to use the whole display area but also masks some rather poor quality sprites. I think this game isn't very playable; this is probably because all the game has to it is wandering through the same ol' screens again and again. No. I don't like it.

Martech
£8.95

Arr-i-yae-i-ya... i-yae-ii-ya! I just got my finger stuck in the typewriter! Now, what's set and yellow and swings from tree to tree? Tarzipan.

Or to put it another way, what's small, round and green and hangs from vines? Tarzan of the Grapes. Or another one.. who's just made his computer debut, swinging from tree to tree? Aww - you guessed!

A lot of effort has gone unto making Tarzan true to its source. Somebody's burrod deep into Edgar Rice Burroughs for a suitable plot. It all concerns the safety of Jane, 'she who he had won by the might of his steel thews'. What? I'd have thought a pair of rubber-soled thews would have been more thuited to the jungle.

It continues in this high adventure style. Tarzan 'had spoken with Manu the monkey' ("Hi, Manu, how ya doin'?") who told Tarzan that, as in so many computer games before, he would have to search for seven scattered gemstones if he was to free his beloved from Usanga and the Wamabo tribe.

Pausing only say that he'd play poker with Tarzan, but not his pet chimp, who was a Cheetah, Manu let the King of the Jungle go.

'Tarzan knew he must travel without stint.' He also knew he must travel without ticket, which meant a lot of walking, 'in the heat of Kudu the sun, and by the light of Goro the moon' and let's not forget Norman, the streetlamp.

He had to cross 'swampy morasses' where the only sound was the cry of "Give us more of that swampy ass." 'From his mighty chest arose the savage tormented cry of the bull ape...' 'Which is where we came in, with my cry of bullsh... (Snip.Ed).

Enough. It's time for me to don my pith helmet ("Hi, my name's Don and I'm a pith helmet,") and stop taking the pith. Tarzan is actually very accurate in its creation of atmosphere. It all takes place in a beautifully drawn jungle, which has a dramatic layered effect with its silhouette of foreground branches.

Of course the jungle is a dangerous place as pouncing panthers, slithering snakes and nasty natives haunt its highways. Encounters can be all the more treacherous because that decorative scrub can obscure our steel thewed hero, so you've no idea where he is or what he's doing!

Still, when you get him out in the open, our Tarzie is an athletic sort of a bloke. He can run, roll, jump and crouch. He knows how to deliver a high punch and is also master of the jungle-fighting favourite, the low punch. But even if a belt below the belt seems, well, below the belt, Tarzan can get away with it because he's immortal.

That's right, kids. Don't try to imitate this creeper crawler because Tarzan can't die. However, if his vine shrinks (the one used to indicate his strength, dummy!) then Kudu falls, Goro rises and another day begins. As Tarzan only has three days to return Jane to safety, if he suffers too many defeats he'll have to start all over again.

Its mighty pretty and imaginative but, despite hundreds of locations, how long you want to play will depend on how much you like arcade adventures. You'll need a map and an awful lot of patience if you're to cast some light on Darkest Africa.

How will you use the objects that you find? A rope over a pit shouldn't keep you hanging around for too long, but why pick up a chimp unless you need a couple of 'ape knees. It's all classic stuff, but I was disappointed that, in the jungle, objects are only shown as black boxes.

There's also a delay between screens, and though this isn't too obtrusive when you're just walking around, it's rather annoying (especially if you're using an object) to suffer a sudden blackout while the scene is re-drawn.

Add to this a bug that occurs if you're killed during a forward roll, which appears to make you hover a foot above the jungle path, and you begin to get the idea that maybe there was a rush to get Tarzan out of the trees in time for Christmas.

Not quite King of the Jungle, perhaps, but certainly Lord of the Forest. Tarzan should keep you swinging for hours!

BARGAIN BASEMENT

A bit short of the readies? Low on the folding stuff? Totally borassic? Then pop down the Bargain Basement with Marcus Berkmann, and see what goes "Cheep!" (Eh? Ed).

React
£2.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

In a month full of reasonable new games, it was just a matter of time before a cheesy old rerelease popped its head over the barricades. Tarzan, which Martech first release some three years ago, is as cheesy as any - a distinct whiff of Camembert, I'd say, with a definite tinge of Lymeswold. So don't be fooled by the packaging, which neatly avoids the issue by printing '© React Software 1989' and not mentioning Martech at all. The game dates from a brief but, at the time, interminable era when the size of the map that one could draw from the game was deemed far more interesting than the game itself. Tarzan has some great sleeve notes ("And now, yet again, needs drove him to shrug off the thin veneer of civilization and brave the perils of the forest. Lady Jane Greystoke, she who he had won by the might of his steel thews, was in danger" etc etc etc) but the actual game is dull - just old Tarz running through the jungle trying not to get lost or killed. There's a bit of fighting in here but otherwise not much to keep the pecker up - not even Lady Jane Greystoke. As Tarzan himself would say, "UUUURRRRRR-ER-ER-ER-URRRRRR!"

Label: Martech
Author: Jason Austin
Price: £8.95
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Graham Taylor

The licence to Tarzan always seemed an obvious one for some software house to grab.

Rope swinging techniques have been perfected since the days of Hunchback and so it would have been an easy option to do a Pitfall-in-a-loincloth where a large flickery (although predominantly green) sprite would be required to swing on ropes, jump holes, dodge arrows and bounce over crocodiles, the idea being to rescue Jane (poor girl kidnapped by natives and facing one of those mysterious fates that are worse than death.

Martech's Tarzan features: spears to dodge, ropes to be swung on, holes to jump and a Jane who needs to be rescued. But it isn't what I expected at all.

Far from being a dressed-up Pitfall, Tarzan is stunning looking game with some of the most beautifully designed backgrounds I've ever seen.

The most immediately striking feature is the way each location is framed in the foreground by a black outline of trees and twisted vines. You seem to be looking 'through' the undergrowth peering through a gap in the dense trees to a clearing where the action takes place.

Tarzan himself is a largish sprite and aside from running and jumping, can be persuaded to punch people - Exploding Fist-style - with high or low blows and somersault in mid-air.

There is no unnecessary complexity in the 'dealing with your adversaries' part of this game. Tarzan just punches them and/or runs away. The animation both of punching and of running away is full of character and is smoothly realised. Tarzan's mighty leaps (though looking a little like he's jumping over a skipping rope) are similarly effective.

It isn't all greenery: no matter how impressive, all that foliage would get pretty tiresome after a while and Tarzan has for reasons to be explained in a minute, to search a series of caves - all craggy detail and rocky fissures - which contain some rather cute looking spiders last seen in the immortal Horace and the Spiders arcade game. They are less friendly than they look however and Tarzan has to deal with them.

There is also this forbidden temple that occupies the later section of the game and in which Jane is held captive. This is another impressive location and looks just like forbidden temples look in the original Tarzan movies. Lots of rough-hewn rocks, native artifacts and flaming torches. The detail, as ever is excellent.

It is only after an hour or so of wandering around the jungle quite happily that you start to wonder about the plot.

Sure, there have been spears to dodge (although actually being hit by a spear is not deadly. Tarzan is not allowed to die under the conditions of the contract and simply looses energy - loose enough and he sort of goes to sleep and wakes up again at the beginning) and he gets a few ropes to swing on as well as some natives to thump. But gradually this 'what am I supposed to be doing?' feeling grows.

To release Jane Tarzan must collect seven gems scattered around the jungle. These are exchanged for Jane's freedom.

Collecting seven gems - however hard I looked at it - is basically not a terribly original concept.

Actually, getting the gems involves some thought, it must be said. And this is where the 'useful objects' part of the game comes in. Any game which isn't a reaction test usually depends on 'useful objects' for its gameplay. Scattered around the jungle are, among other things, ropes, torches and the odd monkey. I think its not being overly blabbermouthed to reveal that torches light up dark places and ropes are for swinging on. What seems apparent is that this 'using objects' part of the game was introduced at a late stage - the objects are designated by a box that Tarzan stumbles across in the jungle. When you go to the Select Object screen the entire current location blacks out disturbingly for a couple of seconds whilst the location is redrawn. It hardly matches the elegance of the graphics. There is no 'animated' use of the objects either, just having and selecting the Use Torch will suddenly result in a previously dark location becoming lit. Again, whilst it works, it's an inept element in an otherwise classy-looking game.

Better is the monkey which romps around entertainingly and has a specific function in the game in the spirit of the original. No clues though.

Having spent many hours wandering around the Tarzan jungle beating up a few natives, and swinging on a few ropes I was struck by a number of things.

Tarzan is stunning to look at and superbly animated.

The gameplay is utterly simple however, more the kind of thing you'd expect in a bog-standard budget game.

There may be 250 screens but your actions are restricted to a little punching here and there, some swinging and some falling in marshes. The challenge is really only finding your way around the maze and finding the objects.

I think you'll find the game entertaining if you really enjoy map-making but, beautiful as it is, I really don't think there is much of a point.

Try to get a look at the game. Certainly you'll be impressed but it could be that you won't want to keep playing it.

Just like the original movies really, the plot isn't up to much.

MACHINE: Spectrum/CBM 64/Amstrad/MSX/BBC B/Electron
SUPPLIER: Martech
PRICE: £8.95 (Spectrum), £9.95 (Amstrad/CBM 64/MAX/BBC B/Electron)
VERSION TESTED: Spectrum

Tarzan, the mighty muscled aristocrat raised by the apes in the jungle, has been around for seemingly an eternity. The first story from the pen of creator Edgar Rice Burroughs was published in 1911. Books and films have abounded. The subject is ripe for a computer game and Martech has been the one to capture the licence.

The resulting game is a huge arcade adventure with stunning graphics of the best I've seen for the Spectrum - and super smooth animation.

The plot is simple. Jane, Tarzan's soul-mate has been captured by Usanga, chief of the Wamabo. Her fate may not be a pleasant one - being devoured by a panther and having her bones picked over by a vulture.

It appears the Wamabo have been upset by the theft of seven gemstones - known as the "eyes of the rainbow" - from their tribal temple. Unless Tarzan can recover their gems within three days, Jane will be the main course on the jungle menu.

Game play time is measured by the changing colour of the screen, representing day turning into night and back again. The speed at which the days pass - remember Tarzan only has three - depends on how well the Lord of the Jungle does. For instance if he gets hit by a spear, falls into quicksand or mauled by a rampaging big cat, the day passes quickly.

Scattered throughout the jungle are various objects which Tarzan can use. These include ropes, torches, shields and, of course, the gemstones. These are represented on the screen by little black boxes - some of which are remarkably hard to see.

It's only by picking these up that you get to its contents at the bottom of the screen.

Within a few screens of moving around the jungle you'll easily become lost. A map, a map, my jungle kingdom for a map, I cried.

Moving around Tarzan will come across various animals. Some will be friendly and helpful, others will view the Lord of the Apes as a mobile snack bar and try to take a bite our of him. I always found the nasty ones.

There are also natives walking around, again some are friendly while others aren't.

Tarzan can run, jump, duck, jump, somersault, and, along with all the other jungle characters, is nicely animated.

Summing up, Tarzan is probably one of the best looking Spectrum games of recent months and, although it's a little weak on plot, it is addictive enough to keep you playing.

Various
Martech
Arcade Adventure
£8.95

Ah, ahahaha, ahahaha. You hear the familiar cry of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, and then, in the distance, the rhythmical beat of the bongos. That is how the latest game from Martech starts and, in some respects, the time spent loading is the best.

Starting with a sampled cry, the loading then jumps, on the Commodore 64 version, to the latest and greatest Rob Hubbard soundtrack. With a full rendition of the well-known and loved tune, and some amazing-sounding drums and bongos, Hubbard has really excelled himself with the music on this game. He really must like Martech.

Once the game has loaded, the first thing to strike me was the similarity between the graphics and animation in Tarzan and the graphics in that other recent arcade adventure, Antiriad. In fact, the definition of the main character sprite is very close, right down to the wavy hair and hunky body.

Although the storyline is meant to be based on the adventures of Tarzan, it is a fairly standard arcade adventure, although in this instance Tarzan is out to save his wife who has been kidnapped by the evil Usanga, Chief of the Wamabo.

To complete the task you must collect the seven gemstones the chief wants and then he will release Jane.

Overall, Tarzan is not really up to the usual standard of Martech, which is surprising as it is its biggest licensing deal yet, but we all know it is quality, not quantity, which counts.