Spectrum Memories Part 3

Spectrum Memories Part 2

Hewson Consultants: 8-bit Publisher Extraordinaire

The big names in Software Publishers in the mid-eighties will be familiar to any Spectrum fan: Ocean. Elite. Ultimate. US Gold. Firebird. But there was one name that was renowned for it's remarkably consistent quality of games, most of them achieving the magical double of critical acclaim and commercial success. As a result, they are one of the companies that I recall with the most fondness.

Hewson Consultants was started by Andew Hewson back in 1982, yet it wasn't until 1985 that I got a Spectrum and it was at this point that they really upped the ante in terms of quality of product. An excellent recent Retro Gamer article by Richard Hewison told us all we needed to know about the company itself, so I'll just concentrate on the games of theirs I played between 1986 and 1989 in an effort to show you what a superb publisher they were.

Quazatron
Often compared to Paradroid, the Spectrum game offered superior graphics, albeit in monochrome and with jerky scrolling. I admit I never really got too far in Quazatron but still found it great fun, whizzing around and grappling with other robots. That was the key to the game - the grappling mini game was exciting and tense, which was vital considering how often you needed to do it.

Uridium
I got this classic shoot 'em up for Christmas 1986, and the first thing I recall was that it came in a small single cassette box rather than the then common (and somewhat needless) double cassette box. It was also the Commodore 64 game THEY said couldn't be converted onto the Spectrum, and once more THEY were proved wrong! Predictably monochrome - full colour would have been a disaster - the graphics were nonetheless much sharper than the C64 equivalent and, vitally, moved just as smoothly. A brilliant - if rock hard - shooter.

Exolon
Hewson pulled off a clever move then they snaffled ace programmer Raffaele Cecco from Mikro-Gen. His two games for them had been Equinox and Cop-out, which were average efforts, livened by some smart and colourful graphics. Andrew Hewson obviously saw some potential, and Cecco's first game for his company was the Crash Smashed trot "n" gunner, Exolon. In retrospect, it's a simplistic game, but at the time the stunning graphics (with no colour clash!) and frantic shooting action endeared it to many - including me.

Cybernoid
In 1987, Hewson released this flick screen shooter, another Cecco classic. Each screen represented a significant challenge, whether it be the notoriously pixel-perfect lifts or a whole raft of enemy spacecraft. The player had to collect a certain amount of booty from the pirates before he could proceed to the next level which added an interesting dynamic and the addition of some interesting power-ups gave Cybernoid above-average gameplay to go with it's colourful, well-defined graphics.

Zynaps
OK, it was a fairly obvious Gradius/Nemesis rip-off; and alright, the collision detection may have been a little harsh at times - but there's no doubting Zynaps is a beautiful and classy shoot 'em up. I wasted hours on this game, although time has not been kind to it: there's an obvious lack of variety to its levels as you proceed.

Marauder
Another year, another Crash smash! 1988 saw Hewson move to this ground-based game, and back to the monochrome action they last used with Uridium. Viewed from top-down, the player must negotiate the planet of Mergatron searching for some stolen jewels. Despite the planet being dead however, it's automatic defenses are far from inactive and try to halt the player at every turn. Fortunately, shooting the coloured beacons scattered around the planet can divulge some useful power ups - or unhelpfully reverse the controls of the car! Marauder was another slick shooter and also boasted some superb sound on the 128k Spectrum.

Gunrunner
A rare critical blip for Hewson (it only scored 55% in Crash), Gunrunner - as the name suggests - was a horizontally-scrolling run and gunner from Christian Urquhart. After obtaining it on the cheap, I remember quite enjoying it despite it's average score and getting several hours play. It's not up to the standard of some of Hewson's other titles for sure, and perhaps was harshly judged as a result.

Some of those that passed me by (but that doesn't mean they're not great!)

Cybernoid 2 - never got into it as much as the original for some reason I can't recall...
City Slicker - another rare critical flop for Hewson - a bog-standard platformer that has it's fans.
Nebulus - this rotating tower game never appealed to me but was well reviewed at the time.
Ranarama - I think I'd already had my fill of Gauntlet clones by the time I played this.
Firelord - I did play Steve Crow's Firelord a fair amount - but I got frustrated wandering around getting lost and gave up. Maze games were never my bag, but it's an undoubtable classic.

Spectrum Memories Part 1

Click here

It's WAR! Jdanddiet's Favourite WW2 Movies

I've always liked World War 2 movies. I don't know why in particular. Here's the ten I can watch over and over again...

10.The Eagle has Landed
I appreciate this story of a secret Nazi plot to assassinate Winston Churchill has its weakpoints - Michael Caine pretending to be a German pretending to be a Pole for one - but since watching it as a kid it has always been enjoyed by me with every subsequent viewing. There are
plenty of memorable moments: Larry Hagman's arrogant yank general bleeding from his helmet; the "Polish" soldier getting caught up on the mill when he saves a kid and the assault on the church when things finally all go belly up. It's pure hokum for sure, but I like it. So there.

Authenticity: 2 - let's be honest, not very. Or is it? Who says a German paratrooper masquerading as a Pole wouldn't end up with a cockney accent?
War is HELL! factor: 3 - not much blood and no limbs flying around.
Entertainment: 8 - fun from start to finish.

9.Enemy at the Gates
Onto a somewhat classier and more authentic flick and this Russia-set movie which boasted a good cast in Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris and, um, Bob Hoskins. The war-torn city of Stalingrad is the backdrop, but the real battle here is between uber-Sniper Ed Harris and his
Russian opposite Jude Law. It doesn't pull it's punches with unbelievable cruelty present on both sides and the cinematography is top notch. Only a clumsy love triangle sub-plot between Law, Fiennes and Rachel Weisz detracts.

Authenticity: 7 - Stalingrad is grimly presented although it's unlikely the two snipers met as they do at the film's conclusion.
War is HELL! Factor: 9 - Women and children are all drawn into one of the nastiest battles of WW2 and the Russians think nothing of shooting their own men who dare to retreat.
Entertainment: 7 - it gets bogged down a bit with the love triangle plot but has some fantastically tense moments.

8.Das Boot
Originally an 8-hour TV Series, the producers took the decision to slim it down to a 2 hour movie, and it worked pretty well. One of the best submarine movies ever, Das Boot stars the brilliant Juergen Prochnow as the jaded captain forced to play hide and seek with allied destroyers. Many of the usual sub-movie staples are here, but as a telling of the story from a different viewpoint and a comment on the utter pointlessness of war, it's rarely been bettered.

Authenticity: 8 - you feel like you are in the sub.
War is HELL! Factor: 9 - and Hell is living in a cramped sardine tin for months at a time.
Entertainment: 8 - occasionally flags, but not as much as the mini-series did.

7.Escape to Victory
I am powerless to resist whenever it's on - Escape to Victory is possibly the most unrealistic war film ever, but (for me anyway) eclipses that other Boxing Day favourite, The Great Escape. From Sly Stallone saving penalties to Pele's "acting" and John Wark's 'tash, Escape to Victory is sheer fun from start to finish. And you never know - it MAY have actually happened!

Authenticity: 1 - you 'avin a tin bath aren't you?!
War is HELL! Factor - 2 - looks quite fun, actually.
Entertainment: 10 - Football + WW2 = win!

6.Battle of the Bulge
No, not a film about the on-set of middle age, but a battle in Belgium that, if not deciding the outcome of the war, certainly hastened it's conclusion. Robert Shaw is the expert tank Commander sent to exploit a weakness in the allied line whilst Henry Fonda plays the
intelligence officer whom no-one believes when he's convinced a German counter-offensive is imminent. A sprawling mess with a large cast of the type that Hollywood used to specialise in, Bulge loses out in authenticity but has some great moments such as the final assault on the fuel dump and any scene with Telly Savalas' insouciant tank captain. A young Charles Bronson has a cameo and Ty Hardin is superb as a slippery 5th Columnist.

Authenticity: 5 - it's winter in Northern Europe. So why does the final battle take place in what looks like a desert?
War is HELL! Factor: 6 - captured POW's are callously murdered but no blood and guts.
Entertainment: 10 - good old-fashioned Sunday afternoon fun.

5.A Bridge Too Far
Like Battle of the Bulge, A Bridge too Far is set as the Third Reich is in retreat, this time the paratrooper assault on Holland. It also boasts an impressive cast and a laudable breadth of story which can be confusing when watching for the first time. It's unusual, however, in that the Allies don't win this battle, making it an even more strange choice for a movie, as important as the conflict was. So, too many actors, too long and too confusing. I like it!

Authenticity: 7 - there's no glossing over the frustration and helplessness some of the Allies must have felt.
War is Hell! Factor - 5 - Still Sunday afternoon stuff.
Entertainment - 8 - Watching all the luvvies compete is entertaining enough.

4.Where Eagles Dare
I reckon it was around the fourth of fifth viewing that I finally understood Where Eagles Dare. This tale of high adventure amongst the Austrian Alps has some brilliant set-pieces, yet it is the twisty-turny plot that it tends to be remembered for. Who can forget the fight atop the cable cars? Or Clint Eastwood trying to quietly kill the German radio operator? Based on Alastair McClean's equally unlikely novel, Where Eagles Dare is pure fun but about as realistic as Harry Potter.

Authenticity: 3 - um, no. I'm pretty sure you can't chuck grenades back amongst many other things. It's a boy's own adventure film ultimately, with a WW2 background.
War is HELL! Factor: 6 - well it's certainly confusing.
Entertainment: 9 - The thriller elements keep you on your toes as does the action.

3.Cross of Iron
Grim, intense and powerful, Cross of Iron is a Sam Peckinpah film of the highest quality. Following a German Unit as they battle to prolong the war, it stars grizzled James Coburn as Steiner, the tough commander who frequently clashes with his medal-obsessed superior. The book upon which it is based (by Willi Heinrich) is far superior, but the movie is still a classic, with plenty of trademark Peckinpah flashes of genius.

Authenticity: 7
War is HELL! Factor: 8 - yup, and your own side can be just as deadly!
Entertainment: 8 - lots of action and stylish slow motion.

2.Saving Private Ryan
One of the few on this list that I've actually watched at the cinema, I knew about Ryan's opening scene - yet nothing can prepare you for it. Some images will linger forever: the men in the boat being machine gunned before they even step out; the bullets through the water; the blood being washed up onto the shore and the radio soldier with his face blown off. The rest of the film is inevitably slower-paced and less intense, but in a way that's almost a relief having experienced the horror of Omaha beach.

Authenticity: 6 - Despite being supposedly based on truth, it's sheen of authenticity has several glaring omissions - most noticably, the other allies! There is also an infamous POV faux-pas at the beginning.
War is HELL! Factor: 10 - That beach landing....
Entertainment: 9 - One brilliant set piece to another.

1.Downfall
The third film on this list from the German point of view, Downfall was a movie I knew little about and so approached with considerable caution. I needn't have worried. A powerhouse performance from Bruno Ganz as the leader of the 3rd Reich perfectly encapsulates the descent into madness that Adolf Hitler succumbed to. There's not many laughs, but the script is lean and sharp and focuses on a part of the war with no heroes and no winners. Unmissable.

Authenticity: 9
War is HELL! Factor: 10 - especially for the losers.
Entertainment: 9 - surprisingly gripping considering the lack of action.

It's not the disappointment; it's the hope that kills me - Part 1

The Avengers (1998)

Me and a mate went to see this in its week of release - ever since the news had surfaced that a movie of the famous TV show was in production, I had been keenly looking forward to it. I can't say the show was a particular favourite of mine, but the news that Ralph Fiennes (hot off a run including Schindler's List, Quiz Show and The English Patient) was due to star as John Steed alongside the slinky Uma Thurman as Emma Peel gave all Avengers fans a feeling this was going to be a superb update of the classic TV programme.

What happened next was a textbook example of how to ruin a film in the cutting room. Who knows what really happened; maybe the script was poisoned from the start; maybe the editing destroyed it. In any case, The Avengers movie, directed by the unknown Jeremiah Chechik, was an unmitigated disaster.

Clocking in at under 90 minutes, the film was an incoherent mess, lurching from one failed set piece to another. Who can forget the embarassing teddy bear sequence? Or the cringeworth "love" scenes between Fiennes and Thurman, a relationship so cold you could cut it into blocks and put it in a gin and tonic? Moreover, history tells of disastrous test screenings and an original cut of 115 minutes before the film was pared down to it's bare-bones hour and a half.

What's worse, is the way the opening sequence of The Avengers teased you - a brilliant 4 minute stroll by Fiennes through an assault course completely mis-sets the tone for what transpires. Sean Connery, aided by Eddie Izzard and Shaun Ryder (both of whom had their roles brutally cut) is also criminally wasted in what must go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in cinematic history. The figures on IMDB are particularly damning: an estimated budget of 60 million dollars compared to a gross of under 25 million dollars, figures that killed off Chechik's nascent movie directing career.

Maybe one day, Hollywood will come calling again to Steed and Peel. We shall all approach with considerably more caution if and when this happens.

Spectrum Compilations: Tarnished - US Gold's Gold Collection III

The Gold series was publisher US Gold's branch into the compilation market and had been very successful for them. The original collection, like this one, featured an oversized clamshell plastic box with each game's title gleaming upon a gold ingot. It boasted solid arcade conversions such as Spy Hunter, Buck Rogers and Tapper alongside seminal classic Beach Head and the fun Blue Max. By the time they got to the Gold Collection III, however, things were starting to look a bit shaky...

Leviathan
Originally released by English Software, Leviathan was a Zaxxon-inspired shooter that lacked any of that ancient games' playability, style or even graphical prowess. Featuring strange "stippled"-like sprites that basically made the game look unfinished and rendered your spaceship invisible at regular intervals, Leviathan was a total mess and one of the worst games released on the Spectrum in its prime.
Hit/Miss: MISS

Express Raider
The arcade original wasn't great, but at least had a modicum of playability. The poor Speccy unfortunately couldn't hack it - unresponsive controls and unimpressive graphics meant this was an average conversion of an average arcade game.
Hit/Miss: MISS


Psi-5 Trading Company
This odd strategy space adventure certainly didn't want for ambition, but got slated in the press of its lack of actual excitement or even anything to actually do. Elite had done the trading thing so much better in combination with shooting action and Psi-5 just felt like an extremely hollow experience in comparison. Nice graphics - shame about the game.
Hit/Miss: MISS


Crystal Castles
I'm a big fan of the arcade game, and US Gold did a reasonable job of converting Bentley Bear onto the Spectrum. It suffers from the same control problems as its parent, yet at least Crystal Castles has some playability and staying power to it compared to some of the other miserable efforts on this compilation.
Hit/Miss: HIT

Breakthru
Oh dear, it just gets worse! Renowned as one of the poorest arcade conversions on the Spectrum, Breakthru is a side scrolling shooter where you take control of an armoured car. The graphics were neat enough, but the game was hamstrung by appalling collision detection and was also ridiculously easy - I got a fair way into the game by simply jumping my way from one end of a level to another!
Hit/Miss: MISS

Martianoids
There will be no fond farewell for The Gold Collection III I'm afraid; although it may have been Ultimate it was in name only as Martianoids was a disappointing release from the famous publisher, another 3D isometric game that didn't really add anything to the classic Knightlore from three years earlier. And in fact Martianoids borrowed heavily from another of Ultimate's filmation games, Alien 8 yet despite being deeply flawed and unplayable, the Spectrum magazines at the time still couldn't quite bring themselves to give Ultimate a bad review.

Hits: 1
Misses: 5

Spectrum Compilations: Terrific Taito - Taito's Coin-op Hits

Rarely can a compilation of Taito's Coin-op Hits size (8 games) have contained such a solid line up. I bought this compilation as soon as it came out from Imagine, and even at £14.99 it represented superb value for money. I only had one of the games already (Bubble Bobble) and all of them - even those not so critically acclaimed - were at the very least eminently playable.
Rastan
A scrolling action-adventure, Rastan was a Barbarian-esque warrior scrapping his way through various fantastical landscapes. The animation was great (including Rastan's sweeping sword) and the game was huge fun - if a little on the tough side.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Legend of Kage
I loved this platform fighter and could never understand why it got such a mediocre review in Crash Magazine. It worked very smoothly with your ninja leaping between platforms and offing the bad guys with panache. An underrated game.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Bubble Bobble
One of the famous (or infamous, if you prefer) "dolly mixture" games that included Rainbow Islands and The New Zealand Story, the story of the two cute dragons Bub and Bob enrapt me back then and I still enjoy having a go every now and then. The simplicity of the arcade original meant the Spectrum version was more or less the same barring a few sound and graphic tweaks and was a deserved Crash Smash.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Flying Shark
The amount of days/weeks/months lost to Flying Shark! This is undoubtably my favourite shooter on the Spectrum - fast paced, well balanced and frantic. Flying Shark is one of the finest Spectrum shoot 'em ups and should not be missed.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Arkanoid
When Crash Magazine awarded this arcade conversion a paltry 59%, tongues wagged. Sinclair User and Your Sinclair bestowed greater scores to Imagine's effort and for once they were the more accurate. The concept by Taito was original - basically breakout with a few whistles and bells - and highly addictive - a trait repeated on the Spectrum conversion.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Arkanoid 2 Revenge of Doh
Crash didn't make the same mistake twice and awarded Arkanoid's sequel an impressive 80%. Many people prefer Revenge of Doh, but I always found it to be "more of the same", and after the raft of clones (Batty, Krakout, etc) that had inevitably followed the original, the idea was starting to wear thin. Nevertheless, Revenge of Doh is a quality, polished game.
Hit/Miss: HIT

Slap Fight
The second shoot 'em up on this compilation is it's weakest point but given the quality of the others, that isn't necessarily a criticsm. Slap Fight infamously suffered from the "invisible bullet" syndrome, yet it was a competent enough blaster to keep you occupied.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Renegade
And last, but very not least, comes one of the finest BEU's on the Spectrum, Renegade. Arguably superior to the arcade original thanks to the re-jigged controls, Renegade took some time to get into, but once you did, it was huge fun. The crunching sound effects and sharp sprites helped with the gameplay to make Renegade an instant classic.
Hit/Miss: HIT

HITS: 8
MISSES: 0!

Spectrum Compilations: Quality not Quantity - 4 Crash Smashes

Quality not Quantity - Gremlin Graphics' Four Crash Smashes

Gremlin Graphics entered the compilation market with this gathering of excellent titles from their fellow publishers. With only four games spread over a brace of cassettes, it wasn't the most bountiful of compilations, but each game was boasted as having achieved the magic 90%+ score in the Spectrum magazine Crash. No duffers here: pure quality!

Night Gunner
Digital Integration's excellent shooter had two stages. There was a side on screen as you took control of a gunner taking out enemy fighters and flak balloons; and secondly the bombing mission itself. It was slick and playable, if a little short on long term staying power.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Dun Darach
I always struggled to get into Gargoyle's superb arcade adventures such as this and it's prequel, Tir Na Nog. There was no doubting the quality though as they were massively involving and considerably ahead of their time in terms of depth. I was just more into shooters!
Hit/Miss: HIT
Spy Hunter
US Gold's conversion of the classic arcade game was my favourite from this compilation. Admittedly a slim premise (and lack of a proper ending) hampered it somewhat, it was brilliant run racing through the narrow streets dodging spike-wheeled enemies and laying oil-slicks behind you.
Hit/Miss: HIT
Alien 8
By now, Ultimate's filmation was starting to become tiresome as they tried the inevitable sci-fi twist. I enjoyed discovering new rooms but never got anywhere, finding the jumping puzzles tedious and boring. Like many others, I much preferred Ultimate's earlier, 2D games.
Hit/Miss: MISS
3 HITS/1 MISS