Anti

Published on Game On 03/90

Today's game plays like Missile Command as if it were coded by someone who never saw the 1980 Atari classic, but instead had somebody else describe it to him in a confusing manner. Welcome to Anti:

Here's the intro picture which isn't used in the game but gets shown ahead of the instructions in the Game On diskmag itself. Even if you haven't seen the game yet, you can probably guess that your task involves piloting a green aircraft and defending the area from incoming missiles. The way to ward off enemy projectiles is rather odd and involves placing green balls that float in mid-air. More on that when we start the game.

Dinorace

Published on Game On 03/90

Today's game perfectly fits into the category Short & Sweet, but with the emphasis clearly on short. Like, 20 seconds short. It's Dinorace, also known as Dinorace 64 or The Great Dinorace 64:

The unassuming intro screen not only sends digital greetings to various people and entities, it also displays a German scroll text that relates the background story to the player. Here's a summary:

In the distant future, dinosaurs have become de-extinct. Mankind is so awestruck by this contemporary miracle that it forces the Cretaceous creatures to compete in fights and foot races. Anyone who owns an Intercomputer TV3 can join these live spectacles from the comfort of their home and get remote command over one of the "participating" dinosaurs. The latest and most popular event is a race taking place on a battle asteroid (?) with its weather permanently set to rainstorms. The frequent thundering and flashing makes sure that all dinosaurs are completely scared out of their little minds while running, which is always a hoot to watch.

Admittedly, the original text isn't quite as sarcastic, but it's very clear that the author is going for an intentionally ridiculous premise. The jolly tune that's playing during this intro further manages to underline the game's flippant tone.

Shift

Published on Magic Disk 64 02/90

Shift is a puzzle game in the vein of Sokoban with lots of additional elements that mix up the age-old formula of pushing boxes around. I remember being quite enamored with this title, though at the time I had not been familiar with Sokoban or any of its numerous clones. Let's see how well it holds up today:

You PROULY should have proofread this screen before calling it done...

Shift starts with this rather plain title screen which uses nothing but the C64's standard character set (commonly known as PETSCII, Commodore's version of the ASCII standard). There is nothing special going on here, except for the fact that the company logo is about seven times bigger than the game's actual name. Talk about getting your priorities straight.

What the title screen lacks in graphical fidelity, it makes up with its energetic music that achieves the remarkable feat of using a polka beat without sounding overly cheesy.

Gordian Tomb

Published on Golden Disk 64 09/90

Gordian Tomb is a flick-screen action adventure game inspired by Utopia Software's Montezuma's Revenge (1984). You are an explorer/archaeologist who is looking for a legendary treasure chamber inside a massive pyramid.

The titular Gordian Tomb probably refers to the burial ground that was found in the ruins of Gordium, the capital city of ancient Phrygia (located in today's Turkey). The tomb is a so-called tumulus, a large mound made out of earth and stone that's built on top of a grave. From outside it looks very much like a pyramid, though it is round in shape, like a cone. It is also known as the Tomb of Midas, even though the person buried in there is assumed to be Midas' father, Gordias, who founded Gordium. Midas is best known for the myth connected to him that anything he touched turned into gold.

Game On 02/90

Cover
In a post-apocalyptic world, Manbat will rule over the ashes of civilization. He probably won't be able to enjoy his reign for long, unless he's developed a special diet consisting of rubble, molten steel, and fire.
Despite his savage looks, he was decent enough to put on a loincloth. It looks like it's made up of leaves, though, which aren't that well-known for being fire resistant.

The image is obviously trying to depict the fourth game mentioned on the cover, which is simply named Bat. The thing is, Bat is nothing else but a Pong clone, and a particularly boring one at that. It is so crazily misrepresented that I get the impression the artist didn't know anything about the game except for the name. Either that, or it's just really hard to paint an interesting picture for a game that consists of nothing else than a ball and two paddles.

Tower of Terror

Published on Golden Disk 64 09/90

Tower of Terror is a platform game in which you play a valiant knight on a quest to free a maiden of noble descent from the clutches of a villainous wizard. The fair lady has been carried off to the top of the eponymous spire of suffering, which you must now ascend in order to rescue her. Succeed, and her hand in marriage will be yours because that's totally how love works.

The game opens with this glorious intro pic which just screams to be looked at in detail:

Crystal Fever

Published on Golden Disk 64 09/90

Crystal Fever is a Boulder Dash clone that also takes cues from Kingsoft's Emerald Mine series of games. It has quite a few shortcomings, but I'd still count it as one of the more successful Boulder Dash variants on the C64.

Let's go explore some caves and get rich quick!

Or die trying!

I was never quite sure if the guy's expression in the title screen was meant to show elation or fear. I mean, sure, being chased by green suckerbats is no time for celebration, but if you squint your eyes a little, the miner's mouth starts to look like a smile. What if the titular crystal fever overrides rational thought? What if it alters the afflicted's mind and makes the collection of crystals seem to be their only pursuit in life? Besides, a sane person probably wouldn't run with a stick of dynamite in their pocket, especially not with one they found just lying around in a cave.