Developer: Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd.

Auf Wiedersehen Monty (1987)

by Christopher
written by Christopher 5 minutes read

Summary

Auf Wiedersehen Monty: A Fond Farewell to the 80s

Auf Wiedersehen Monty is a 1987 platformer developed and published by Gremlin Graphics for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC. It is the fourth installment in the Monty Mole series, and the first to be released on home computers.

The game follows Monty Mole, a lovable rogue who is still on the run from the law. This time, Monty’s travels take him across Europe, from the sunny beaches of Spain to the snowy peaks of the Alps.

Gameplay

Auf Wiedersehen Monty is a side-scrolling platformer in which the player controls Monty Mole. Monty can run, jump, and climb ladders. He can also use a variety of weapons to defeat his enemies, including tomatoes, eggs, and bombs.

The game is divided into a series of levels, each with its own unique theme and challenges. Monty must navigate through each level, collecting items and defeating enemies, in order to reach the exit.

Levels

The game features a total of 25 levels, each set in a different European country. The levels are varied and imaginative, and they offer a good mix of challenge and fun.

Some of the highlights include:

  • Spain: Monty runs through a sunny Spanish village, dodging tomatoes and eggs thrown by angry villagers.
  • France: Monty climbs the Eiffel Tower, avoiding falling bricks and pigeons.
  • Germany: Monty drives a car through a crowded Autobahn, dodging traffic and collecting sausages.
  • Switzerland: Monty skis down a mountain, avoiding obstacles and collecting cheese.
  • England: Monty attends a football match at Wembley Stadium, dodging hooligans and collecting footballs.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Auf Wiedersehen Monty are colorful and detailed. The characters are well-animated, and the backgrounds are varied and interesting.

The sound is also very good. The music is catchy and upbeat, and the sound effects are realistic and well-timed.

Difficulty

Auf Wiedersehen Monty is a challenging game, but it is also fair. The levels are well-designed, and the difficulty curve is gradual. Players who are patient and persistent will be able to complete the game without too much frustration.

Legacy

Auf Wiedersehen Monty was a critical and commercial success. It was praised for its charming graphics, addictive gameplay, and catchy music. The game was also a pioneer in the use of parallax scrolling, which created a more immersive and realistic gaming experience.

Auf Wiedersehen Monty is still fondly remembered by many gamers today. It is considered to be one of the best platformers of the 80s, and it is still enjoyed by retro gaming enthusiasts.

Conclusion

Auf Wiedersehen Monty is a classic platformer that offers a fun and challenging experience. The game’s charming graphics, addictive gameplay, and catchy music make it a must-play for fans of the genre.

Review Score

8/10

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Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine (1988)

by Christopher
written by Christopher 6 minutes read

Summary

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine (1988)

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a shoot ’em up game developed and published in 1988 by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, and Amiga. It was programmed by Raffaele Cecco. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Atari ST versions featured a main theme by Dave Rogers, while the Commodore C64 version (later released on the Wii’s Virtual Console service) featured a completely different theme by Jeroen Tel.

The game is set in the year 2042, and the player controls a cybernetically enhanced soldier known as the Cybernoid. The Cybernoid is tasked with defending Earth from an alien invasion. The game is played from a top-down perspective, and the player must use the Cybernoid’s various weapons to defeat the aliens.

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine was a critical and commercial success, and is considered to be one of the best shoot ’em ups of its era. The game was praised for its fast-paced action, colorful graphics, and catchy music. It was also one of the first games to feature a cybernetically enhanced protagonist.

Gameplay

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a vertically scrolling shoot ’em up. The player controls the Cybernoid, a cybernetically enhanced soldier, and must use its various weapons to defeat the aliens. The game features a variety of different enemies, including ground troops, flying drones, and巨大なボス。

The Cybernoid has a variety of weapons at its disposal, including a machine gun, a laser cannon, and a homing missile launcher. The player can also collect power-ups to upgrade the Cybernoid’s weapons and abilities.

The game is divided into six levels, each with its own unique boss. The levels are set in a variety of different locations, including a city, a forest, and a space station.

Development

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine was developed by Raffaele Cecco, who was inspired by the arcade game Commando. Cecco wanted to create a shoot ’em up that was more challenging and strategic than the typical arcade game.

Cecco spent two years developing Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine. He used a variety of techniques to create the game’s unique look and feel, including 3D modeling and raster graphics.

The game was originally released for the ZX Spectrum in 1988. It was then ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, and Amiga. The NES version was released in 1989 and was published by Acclaim Entertainment.

Reception

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine was a critical and commercial success. The game was praised for its fast-paced action, colorful graphics, and catchy music. It was also one of the first games to feature a cybernetically enhanced protagonist.

The game was awarded a 95% score by Zzap!64 magazine, and was voted the best shoot ’em up of 1988 by the readers of Your Sinclair magazine.

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine has been ported to a variety of different platforms over the years, including the Wii’s Virtual Console service. The game remains popular today, and is considered to be one of the best shoot ’em ups of all time.

Legacy

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is considered to be one of the most influential shoot ’em ups of all time. The game’s fast-paced action, colorful graphics, and catchy music have inspired many other games in the genre.

The game has also been featured in a number of books and articles about video game history. In 2010, Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

Conclusion

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a classic shoot ’em up that still holds up today. With its fast-paced action, colorful graphics, and catchy music, it’s a must-play for fans of the genre.

Review Score

9/10

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Utopia: The Creation of a Nation (1991)

by Christopher
written by Christopher 7 minutes read

Summary

Utopia: The Creation of a Nation (1991)

Utopia: The Creation of a Nation is a strategy game released in 1991 by Gremlin Graphics and Impressions Games. It is set in the distant future, where the player takes on the role of Colony Administrator for a new settlement on a far-flung planet. The goal of the game is to provide the highest Quality of Life (QOL) rating for the colonists, while also defending them from a hostile alien race.

Utopia takes the Sim City gameplay concept and adds a military element to it. The player must ensure that there is enough life support, power, housing, employment, police, and entertainment to keep the citizens of their colony happy. They must also research new technologies, build up their military, and defend their colony from alien attacks.

The game is played on a hexagonal grid map. The player can build a variety of structures on the map, including residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and military buildings. The player can also terraform the map, by changing the terrain and adding or removing obstacles.

The colonists in Utopia are represented by a variety of statistics, including health, happiness, and education. The player must keep these statistics high in order to maintain a high QOL rating. The QOL rating is a measure of how happy and prosperous the colonists are. A high QOL rating will attract new colonists to the settlement, and will also make it more difficult for the aliens to attack.

The aliens in Utopia are a hostile race that will attack the player’s colony if they get too close. The player must build up their military and defend their colony from alien attacks. The player can build a variety of military units, including tanks, spaceships, and robots. The player can also research new weapons and technologies to help them defeat the aliens.

Utopia is a challenging and rewarding strategy game that combines Sim City-style gameplay with a military element. It is a must-play for fans of both genres.

Gameplay

Utopia is played on a hexagonal grid map. The player can build a variety of structures on the map, including residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and military buildings. The player can also terraform the map, by changing the terrain and adding or removing obstacles.

The colonists in Utopia are represented by a variety of statistics, including health, happiness, and education. The player must keep these statistics high in order to maintain a high QOL rating. The QOL rating is a measure of how happy and prosperous the colonists are. A high QOL rating will attract new colonists to the settlement, and will also make it more difficult for the aliens to attack.

The aliens in Utopia are a hostile race that will attack the player’s colony if they get too close. The player must build up their military and defend their colony from alien attacks. The player can build a variety of military units, including tanks, spaceships, and robots. The player can also research new weapons and technologies to help them defeat the aliens.

Development

Utopia was developed by Gremlin Graphics and Impressions Games. The game was designed by Tony Goodman and Mike Singleton. Utopia was released in 1991 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS.

Reception

Utopia was a critical and commercial success. The game was praised for its innovative gameplay, its challenging difficulty, and its beautiful graphics. Utopia was also a commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies worldwide.

Legacy

Utopia is considered to be one of the greatest strategy games ever made. The game has been praised for its innovative gameplay, its challenging difficulty, and its beautiful graphics. Utopia has also been credited with inspiring a number of other strategy games, including Civilization and Sim City 2000.

Tips for Playing Utopia

Here are a few tips for playing Utopia:

  • Start by building a small colony with a few basic structures.
  • Focus on increasing your QOL rating by building housing, hospitals, and schools.
  • Research new technologies to improve your colony’s productivity and defenses.
  • Build up your military to defend your colony from alien attacks.
  • Be patient and don’t give up! Utopia is a challenging game, but it is also very rewarding.

Conclusion

Utopia: The Creation of a Nation is a classic strategy game that is still enjoyed by many people today. The game’s innovative gameplay, challenging difficulty, and beautiful graphics make it a must-play for fans of the genre.

Review Score

8.5/10

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Avenger (1986)

by Christopher
written by Christopher 6 minutes read

Summary

Avenger (1986): A Nostalgic Journey into the Realm of Martial Arts and Revenge

Released in 1986, Avenger is a side-scrolling action game developed by Dinamic Software and released for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Atari ST. It is the sequel to the 1985 game The Way of the Tiger, and continues the story of Yaemon, the Grand Master of Flame, who has killed the player’s foster-father Naijish and stolen the Scrolls of Kettsuin.

The player takes control of one of three characters: Gordo, a barbarian; Kyoko, a ninja; or Lolo, a samurai. Each character has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and the player must choose the one that best suits their play style.

The game is viewed from above and superficially resembles Gauntlet. The player starts outside the Quench Heart Keep, and must initially find enough keys in the grounds and connected buildings to penetrate it, and then kill each of the 3 guards. Once the guards are defeated, the player can enter the keep and confront Yaemon.

Avenger is a challenging game, but it is also very rewarding. The combat is fast-paced and exciting, and the player must use all of their skills to defeat their enemies. The game also features a number of puzzles that must be solved in order to progress.

Gameplay

Avenger is a side-scrolling action game in which the player controls one of three characters: Gordo, a barbarian; Kyoko, a ninja; or Lolo, a samurai. Each character has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and the player must choose the one that best suits their play style.

The game is viewed from above and superficially resembles Gauntlet. The player starts outside the Quench Heart Keep, and must initially find enough keys in the grounds and connected buildings to penetrate it, and then kill each of the 3 guards. Once the guards are defeated, the player can enter the keep and confront Yaemon.

The combat in Avenger is fast-paced and exciting. The player can use a variety of attacks, including punches, kicks, and weapons. The player must also use their environment to their advantage, such as by using objects to block attacks or by jumping over obstacles.

In addition to combat, the player must also solve a number of puzzles in order to progress. These puzzles are typically based on logic or observation, and they can be quite challenging.

Characters

There are three playable characters in Avenger:

  • Gordo is a barbarian who is strong and powerful, but slow and笨拙. He is best suited for close-quarters combat.
  • Kyoko is a ninja who is fast and agile, but weak and fragile. She is best suited for stealth and ranged combat.
  • Lolo is a samurai who is well-balanced in all areas. He is best suited for all-around combat.

Development

Avenger was developed by Dinamic Software, a Spanish video game company. The game was released in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Atari ST.

The game was designed by Víctor Ruiz and Pablo Ruiz, and the graphics were created by Carlos Díaz. The music was composed by José Luís Serrano.

Reception

Avenger was a critical and commercial success. It was praised for its fast-paced combat, challenging puzzles, and detailed graphics. The game was also a commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide.

Legacy

Avenger is considered to be one of the best action games of its era. It has been praised for its innovative gameplay, challenging puzzles, and detailed graphics. The game has also been cited as an influence on later action games, such as The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

Conclusion

Avenger is a classic action game that is still enjoyed by gamers today. The game’s fast-paced combat, challenging puzzles, and detailed graphics make it a timeless classic. If you are a fan of action games, then you owe it to yourself to check out Avenger.

Review Score

7/10

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