HALLS OF THINGS COULD BE A DANGER TO HEALTH

Halls Of Things for the 48K Spectrum is a game which could change the Spectrum games scene overnight.

The program is technically excellent and dangerously addictive, although you can forget about high scores until you become adept.

You play a little man who must rush up and down the stairs to different levels of a maze in which several magic rings can be found. The problem is that some little space invader-type creatures are out to get you with their fireballs and lightning. You can fight them with your fireballs, lightning and sword. You can also heal the wounds which have been inflicted on you by using magic, of which you have a limited amount.

The screen display makes it even more impressive. It looks as if the game is running on an Apple 2E or UK-101, both computers more expensive than the Spectrum. The game is bound to be a hit apart from one criticism. Halls of Things has no sound. The fights between Things and the hero could be made even more dramatic with the addition of lightning zaps or explosions.

Cosmic Guerrilla is an arcade game which is also produced by Crystal Computing for the Spectrum.

You have three spaceships to save and, depending on how far you proceed in the game, the aliens mutate from ordinary space invaders to cosmic pigs. The sound and graphics combine to make the game good fun and easy to play. Halls of Things costs £6.50 and Cosmic Guerrilla £5.95. Both cassettes can be obtained from Crystal Computing, 2 Ashton Way, East Herrington, Sunderland, SR3 3RX.

THE PLOT THICKENS

The frantic zap of arcade software has given way to calmer play and strategic thinking. John Gilbert investigates.

TIME GATE
Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95

CODENAME MAT
Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95

STONKERS
Memory: 48K
Price: £3.95

HALLS OF THE THINGS
Memory: 48K
Price: £7.50

MAZIACS
Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95

The 'Zap-Em' type of arcade game, although still around, has undergone a transformation which started in earnest in the middle of last year. Games manufacturers with an eagle eye on the industry saw that the time would arrive when arcade games, such as Space Invaders and Centipede, would fade in popularity and that something had to be added to make them more appealing.

The one aspect which games such as those already had was strategy. In games such as Space Invaders, strategy is needed to evade the aliens and at the same time fire at them. A good game will infer a strategy to the player and a good player is one who can assimilate that method of play quickly.

Software houses decided that the most obvious way to increase interest in the arcade style of game was to emphasise the strategy aspect. That is done either by putting strategy games in an arcade format or by slowing the action to accommodate structured thought instead of quick-fire intuition. The move worked well and games like Time Gate, Stonkers and Codename Mat prove it.

Time Gate reached the market shortly after the Spectrum arrived in great quantities and it is one of the first games for the machine produced by Quicksilva. The game centres on a conflict between the peoples of the free universe and the incredibly evil and ancient race of Squarm.

At the launch Quicksilva promoted it as the ultimate sci-fi space adventure and, with its 3D representation of space through the window of a fighter and the depth of story deadline, it was at that time.

The strategy of the game is centred on finding the aliens using the instrument panel of your spaceship and then destroying them. It was given added depth by spreading the Squarm through space and time so that the player has to lock-on to a particular sector in space and spacewarp there.

In some ways Quicksilva produced a game which crosses Space Invaders with the mainframe computer game Star Trek. It was that aspect initially which drew customers who wanted something different and who were ever-willing to part with their money.

Unfortunately, Time Gate is an example of how the software scene can change overnight. A few months after its release the game attracted much criticism and the Squarm have made many players squirm.

At the release, about a year ago, Time Gate was described as incredible but since then players and critics alike found that it had limitations, not least of which was the plot. The storyline is too much like a revamped version of Star Trek. Time Gate is still available from Quicksilva and costs £6.95.

Codename Mat, for the 48K Spectrum, is a new release from Micromega which could be described as an advanced version of Time Gate or an extremely good interpretation of the Atari Star Raiders. The strategy element in the arcade game is obvious, as you have to plot your way through the solar system, passing through star gates to spacewarp into another system.

The solar system is broken into sectors which have a planet or satellite as bases. The planets are taken from our solar system and include Mars, Jupiter and Earth. Each of those planets is under attack from the Myons and it is your job, as a teenager with the knowledge of the universe, to stop them.

There are two levels of play depending whether you want to use a lone ship or whether you want to be the commander of a task force. The latter is the most difficult as you can engage in several conflicts at the same time by using subspace radio, which seems to have an immediate effect on the sector you have selected.

If all your ships in one sector are destroyed, the planet could be destroyed and you have lost part of the game. If you see the situation where you could lose ships in another sector you will need to use your cunning and skill to build a battle strategy.

The arcade part of the game occupies about 50 percent of playing time and involves shooting through space and chasing the enemy fighters and motherships. It can only be described as classic arcade action combined with moments of strategic thinking to scan computer banks for information about the movement of hostile craft and about which planetary system are in danger.

Codename Mat could almost be described as state-of-the-art in software and it is close to a simulation in space-game terms. One of the most notable aspects is that the routine to generate the 3D graphics is only 200 bytes long. The compactness of the graphics routines means that the author has been able to concentrate on developing the depth and storyline of the game and that is obvious from the start.

Unfortunately, although the game is more advanced than Time Gate, the storyline is weak, as it seems to be a collection of unoriginal ideas. Luckily those ideas fuse together well and the plot stands on its own. Codename Mat can be obtained from Micromega and costs £6.95.

Manufacturers and authors have not limited arcade strategy games to the depths of space. They have also done the opposite of giving arcade games touch of strategy and given strategy games on arcade feel.

Stonkers, for the 48K Spectrum from Imagine, is a prime example of that type of game. The player is given command of land-based forces, including tanks and infantry, which are grouped in the top right-hand corner of the screen. The enemy is based across the river on the other side of the screen and to reach a suitable combat position one or other side has to cross the bridge.

When you start to play, a map of the whole theater of war is displayed. You can issue commands to active units on the map by positioning a cursor over the map position you require.

One of two actions will occur. If you are on the big map you will zoom in to a detailed display of the location specified. If you are already zoomed in you can position the cursor over a fighting unit and by moving the cursor to the position you want it to take up, it will start to move towards that locality.

The use of a cursor to plot strategy is inventive and imagine has put much effort into the game. It should take weeks for a player to work out a plan of strategy to defeat the foe, mainly because of the immense landscape on which play takes place.

The game is a cross between the usual type of battle strategy game such as Apocalypse from Red Shift and the arcade game Battlezone. Imagine has succeeded in producing a game which combines arcade quality graphics and strategic action. Stonkers can be obtained from imagine for £3.95.

Maze games, such as Pac-man, have not escaped the eye of software houses keen to think of new plots. The munch-munch of the Pac-Man has been replaced by ponderings, such as 'Where is the treasure?' of the hero or heroine. That type of game is well-illustrated with such programs as Ant Attack, from Quicksilva, Maziacs from dk'Tronics and the irrepressible Halls of the Things from Crystal Computing, which still seems to be out-selling everything on the market.

Halls of the Things, in which the player has to collect a certain number of rings of power in a maze before being destroyed by the monsters, started a craze for the so called all-graphics adventures in which cartoon-style arcade graphics were combined with adventure plots. Most of those games take place in dungeons and feature magic and sword play. Several companies have followed the excellent crystal game, although unlike the state of play with arcade games nobody has copied original Crystal ideas as the area is so rich in concept material. Halls of the Things can be obtained from Crystal Computing and costs £7.50.

Maziacs, for the 48K Spectrum, is from dk'Tronics and is another example of the genre. It has a different graphics style from Halls of the Things which some would say is bolder and better and is more in line with the graphics which Ultimate Play the Game produces.

The plot involves finding a treasure chest in a maze which you must drag back home without being killed by the Maziacs, which can get into terrible sword fights with your player-character. To find the way to the treasure you have to make contact with the prisoners who are strung along the corridors of the maze. The fight sequences are incredibly detailed. You will again need to develop a strategy over a period of time to win. Maziacs can be obtained from dk'Tronics and costs £6.95.

To succeed, arcade-strategy games must produce an effect for the player like that produced by an ordinary zap'em game. It is the way the addiction is created which makes the difference. In an ordinary arcade game the effect is created through a need to destroy aliens and make a high score. Arcade-strategy games are different, as they rely on the user's mind. It is the strategy as well as the graphics which keeps the player returning for more.

The combination of arcade techniques and strategic thinking has made the arcade-strategy game very popular. The insurgence of that type of program means that the customer has two types of game in one and the reality of the plot, through the realism of the arcade graphics, takes the games industry one step forward. The main criticism for a long time is liable to be that the plots on which the games hang are not original enough. We are, however, just beginning to see a change in arcade style, where bang and zap are replaced by plot and thought.

PRICE: £6.50
MEMORY REQUIRED: 48K

How better to continue this issue's reviews than to be able to examine the first arcade style adventure game for the Spectrum. Sounds incredible? Well, it undoubtedly is. Imagine a game with ultra smooth, hi-res graphics, fast action, tactics and an addictive quality rarely surpassed - you have the Halls of the Things. This new game has successfully combined a fantasy world scenario with the finest quality, arcade style action.

You, the adventurer, are trapped at the entrance to an eight storey tower. By climbing the stairs on the outside you may gain entrance to the different floors, but to escape you must find the magical key which operates the drawbridge and your only chances of freedom. Unfortunately the key is hidden in the lowest dungeon, entrance to which can only be obtained if you have the seven spectral rings. These rings can be found scattered around the tower. To hinder your progress are the Things who are intelligent and highly destructive. You have a range of weapons including arrows, a sword, fireballs, etc. To stay alive and to heal after injury it is necessary to drink the bottles of elixir scattered throughout the tower.

For me this is the game of '83 so far, its only competitor being the Hobbit of '82. If this is the standard of imagination and innovation that we are to see in the future from Crystal Computing then the other software houses have a fight on their hands. Although it requires more thought than the arcade game, produced by such companies as Ultimate, it can be played by anyone who is prepared to spend five minutes getting used to it before hours and hours of sheer pleasure.

I shall first set the scene:

"I am standing at the bottom of eight flights of stairs leading up and up around the tower. I can see the dungeon, in which the key lies, but without the seven rings I cannot enter. I must endeavour to find the rings, though I am safe out here - eternity is a long time to wait in the cold. So here goes, up two flights of stairs, in one go. Help! There is a 'Thing' waiting for me just inside the entrance, a quick flash of lightning and he is left smouldering - close shave at that. In further and through the first door. A half full bottle of elixir on the floor. I could do with a little extra sustenance after that frightening encounter. Now on with the quest in hand. Through the next door, and there stands two more 'Things'. A quick couple of lightning bolts and a rapid exit should do the job. Hang on, that is a fireball he is using, it must be, it is following me! I can play at that game. I was lucky this time, one of their own lightning bolts rebounded and hit them. They like smouldering in amongst a pile of treasure. Might as well have the treasure whilst I am here, suppose it could come in handy. I must be getting pretty low on magic by now, I'll have a quick low at my status... I was right, and I'm wounded - must have taken more of a beating in the last conflict that I thought. The best thing to do is heal myself with some of my remaining magic and rely on arrows and my sword until I can find enough elixir to replenish my supplies. This maze seems to go on and on, is there an end to it, the rings must be somewhere."

An extract from 'An Addict's Guide to Things', by Arthur and C. Clark.

From the above extract you should have gained a small insight into the very intense excitement the 'Halls' involves. The idea of the game is based on the traditional 'Dungeons and Dragons Adventure' scenario. Your aim being to make your way through the multi-level maze collecting the seven rings and killing monsters as you go. Once the seven rings are found you may leave the maze, travel down the staircase to the lowest level, the dungeon. When inside you must frantically try and find your way to the key before the enormous number of 'Things' manage to get to you. Getting to the end of 'Halls' is far from an easy business. It is likely to take you weeks and weeks before even getting near.

Each level, except for the dungeon, is an enormous maze, with hundreds of rooms and corridors. Many of the rooms are enclosed by doors which may be opened or closed by either yourself or a 'Thing'. An assortment of objects may be found in a room. If you are lucky, a bottle of elixir will be lying full or partially full, on the floor. Unfortunately, the 'Things' also have an affinity for it. Elixir will boost your magic level and allow you to fire more lightning bolts and fireballs as well as healing yourself. Treasure may also be found, this may be collected and so add to your score. But beware! 'Things' may disguise themselves as treasure and suddenly attack you. The only way to check is to try and fire a lightning bolt. If a 'Thing' is in the vicinity then the lightning bolt will go for it, if not no action will be taken as lightning can only be fired if something is in the general area.

The one aspect which may put people off 'Halls' on the first encounter, is the large range of controls available. It will probably take about 10 to 15 minutes before they will become second nature. Really, the game is very simple to play.

'Halls' lacks sound because of the immense amount of time which the computer would have to spend processing it, so slowing the game down to an unacceptable level. It is also difficult to control by joystick, unless you have one of the universal adaptors.

As far as I am concerned, and I have seen quite a large amount of software over the last year, this is the most exciting and innovative computer game I have seen for the Spectrum. No other game runs with such speed, smoothness of action and graphical quality. Crystal Computing have shown just how far it is possible to push the Spectrum, making some of the claims for more expensive micros, such as the 'Beeb' and Dragon, look really rather silly. The question on the tip of my tongue is whether Crystal will be No. 1 next year? It looks possible!

A ridiculous title for one of the first and fastest arcade adventures and one which has lead the way to many similar games, none of which have equalled its technical excellence.

You move through a multi-level maze, attacking monsters with arrows and lightning bolts. The things can gang up and quickly fry you to death. To escape from the maze you must pick up keys, gathering strength from milk found in bottles along the way. A unique loading routine makes the program almost pirate-proof as both border and game are loaded without the need for a Basic loader program.

Position 11/50

Halls of the Things has an impressive cassette inlay illustration but it does not live up to its claim to be "The first fully animated adventure" for the Sinclair Spectrum.

It is just not an adventure! Where 'Valhalla' is truly an animated graphical adventure, Halls of the Things is an arcade maze game, and the adventure enthusiast (who usually has little interest in arcade games), will be disappointed.

You control a figure of a little man, and drive him around a maze using four keys representing Left, Right, Up and Down. The maze has seven levels, and is randomly generated each time you play.

You can open and close doors with "O" and "C", and "keep" or "drop" objects by coming alongside and typing "K" or "D". Various spells can be invoked with their initials - Fireball, Lightning and Heal. Arrows can be shot with an "A", in the direction of the Spectrum's arrow keys.

The maze "pages" quickly if you drive your man over the screen boundary, and is scattered with objects. Some of them (although looking very much like half-empty milk bottles) actually contain elixir.

The 'Things' dart around the maze in the form of purple triangles, and can zap you extremely quickly - especially if your fingers are unused to fumbling around on little squares of rubber.

Once zapped it is sudden death. You are out of the game, but can restart after a short delay, while the maze resets.

Quite an effective arcade-style maze game, but I wonder - do the people who bill such games as "Adventures" really know what they're talking about, or are they just trying to muscle in on both ends of the market?

Halls of the Things
From Crystal for 48K Spectrum at £7.50