AMTIXCPC BACK
Issue 1 of Amtix was released back in November 1985. Paul Davies looks back at its contents.
team deliver again and give Amstrad owners the mag they deserved? Let’s have a look and find out!
Well, having Roger Kean and Oliver Frey in charge of an Amstrad mag would only ever lead to being a good thing. Just from looking at the cover art, you know it’s got Oli’s name all over it — the CPC464 blasting off into the sky, leaving billowing smoke behind it (and two onlookers who are most likely way too close to those blasting flames) gave the magazine the launch it needed. Definitely with a look that would grab your attention on the newsagents’ shelf. If that wasn’t enough, then surely the brief list of games featured to the left of the machine will be enough to draw you in. On the Run, Highway Encounter and Dragontorc should do the trick in enticing you to open its pages. And also…maps! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten lost in Everyone’s a Wally
and Pyjamarama,
so these would be something to feast your eyes upon — the Dun Darach map is welcomed too. A pull-out poster, a subscription offer involving free games and six competitions? In the first issue? Count me in!
Opening the cover and Geoff Capes greets you, well the advertisement for his game does anyway, in which he
looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders… though it turns out it’s just a truck. Wimp.
On to the contents, and we can see what’s lined up this month, in the maiden issue. Five top games for the month of November, including the previously mentioned Highway
Encounter but also the space-based shooter Starion. Speaking of the latter, one of the many competitions this month involves 50 copies being up for grabs, so you’d better get your entries in if you want a copy. The last three games to make up the top five games of the month are — Dragontorc, Sorcery Plus and Red Moon. A nice list of games there to get reading about in the relevant reviews and maybe one or two that you may fancy in your collection.
As with CRASH before it, Amtix! will also have a complete software guide
— this is where a comprehensive list of all games released for the Amstrad will be collated, with more and more games added each month; this feature is not only extensive, but will also serve as a great reference point for its readers. Along with articles on light pens and tape to disk utilities, there are also previews of the soon to be released games of Doctor Who and Scooby Who…sorry
Doo. Who? Scooby? No, the other one. Doctor Doo? Let’s try again. Doctor Who and ScoobyDoo. That’s better. Let’s move on before
I confuse myself even more. Wanna see what’s in the editorial this month? Let’s doo it.
First off, it’s the king of computer magazines himself, Sir Roger Kean (he’s not actually a Sir yet, but we can wait), giving us a little introduction and a nice warm welcome, as we set off on a new Amstrad adventure together. With Roger the captain, he’s assembled a right old crew, some of which may have a few familiar names — the one sticking out the most would be Sir Oli Frey (again, still waiting). In charge of art direction and no doubt will be treating Amtix! readers to some fantastic covers over the next few years, Oli is the perfect man for this job. Also among this list are Technical Editor — Franco Frey, Co-Editor Jeremy Spencer and a host of games reviewers including, Sean Masterson and Gary Liddon who have worked for White Dwarf magazine and Domark respectively — so we’re in esteemed company indeed. The editorial also informs us that Amtix! will be in keeping with tradition with the likes of Crash and ZZAP! 64 by having its own mail order service for games. Result! Along with a breakdown of how each game will be reviewed and rated, we also discover that, again in keeping with Crash and ZZAP! 64 before it, the best games will
get a special seal of approval. Crash has its Crash Smash, ZZAP! 64 has its Sizzler and now Amtix! has the Amtix! Accolade.
News time, and with The PCW event taking place last month, we learn that fresh off the heels of releasing their huge hit The Way of the Exploding Fist,
Melbourne House have announced their next game Fighting Warrior
— which was on show at said event. Though it’s also written that the game available at the event happened to be an easy demonstration version of the game so if you managed to finish that one-off, well you’ll be in for a surprise when you take a copy home. The same software house also announced that they were working on their sequel to The Hobbit — that would be The Lord of the Rings then. With The Hobbit going down well with fans, I’m sure the next instalment would be warmly received too. If you ever fancied creating your own game for the Amstrad but are a little light in the knowledge department when it comes to BASIC and machine code, then Argus Press Software may well have the solution for you! Arcade Creator will allow you to design arcade games by just using commands — sounds simple but also maybe too good to be true. Well, if you’re of the gambling persuasion then £14.95 is all you’ll need to be willing to part with to see if it’s true.
We now hit the first of the game reviews, and we’ve only gone and got some games that’ve gone to achieve the coveted Amtix! Accolade, haven’t we? The first few are the cover names in the form of
Alien Highway and
Dragontorc along with Starion — all achieving the Amtix! Accolade. Alien Highway was a big hit on the Spectrum and it seems the conversion for the Amstrad has hit the spot too. Some more games with names you may find familiar are Boulderdash, Football Manager and
Technician Ted. Whilst Rockford’s and Ted’s antics get pretty large thumbs up, poor old Kevin Tom’s simulation does not get the love it was afforded on other formats. The review here states that the game is ‘very dated’ and a doubt of there being much ‘lasting interest’. Time to up your game, Mr Tom! Aside from the multiple Roland
games found in the review section — neither Roland Ahoy!
or Roland in Space
seems to impress the reviewers that much. With Finders Keepers
by David Jones, a triumph across other formats, it looks as though Mastertronic have struck gold again as this too has been given the Amtix! Accolade. Ah ha — the Starion competition! What do we have to do to
be in with a chance of winning one of the 50 copies up for grabs? Well, there is nothing as boring as filling in a postcard with your name and address on it (or sending a self-addressed envelope) — no, it’s much more exciting than that. For your chance to win one you have to...do your best dot-to-dot drawings. Yes, seriously. With a screenshot of three of the game’s wireframe ships as a reference, you need to complete the dot-to-dot drawings to the left of the pictures. Simple? Maybe not, but fun? Oh yes. Get your pens out and get cracking.
Now we hit the maps that were mentioned on the front page, starting with Dun Darach which is brilliantly hand-drawn by Mr
Oli Frey. Definitely one to photocopy and pop up on your wall. Wally Week and his friends are next up with the games Pyjamarama and Everyone’s a Wally getting the map treatment though this time, a collection of the room screenshots have been collated and positioned accordingly to help you navigate each of the game’s worlds.
Light pens! If that made you stand up and take notice, or make one of those interested ‘Hmm’ noises, then this next feature would be right up your alley, as Franco Frey puts a total of four of the latest and greatest light pens to the test on page 72. There’s a lot of information here with each pen subject to a very thorough investigation. Want to know which is the best for your needs? You’re going to have to turn to page 72 and find out.
Games come again to the forefront later on in this issue, though now we’re focussed on adventure games and a couple of strategy games also. Gremlins, Red Moon and Robin of Sherwood feature in the adventure games section with Arnheim
and Vagan Attack
popping up in the strategy area. Going by the games for the latter two (54% and 13% respectively), maybe the best strategy for you would be going off and buying something else. Another thing that caught my eye was the book review section. Both adventure based books this month with Melbourne House’s Writing Adventure Games
on the Amstrad and Exploring Adventures
by Peter Gerrard. The former’s title being quite self explanatory but Peter Gerrard’s book looks at the ins and outs of adventure games, help with developing stories for your own adventure and even a few short listings for you to type in yourself. Interesting stuff.
Ithink that just about covers the first Amtix! edition (well, yes there was more but I’m on a strict word limit here) and likewise with Crash and ZZAP! 64, it’s off to a flyer. Plenty to keep you gripped, plenty to read and plenty of games reviews to keep you in the know of what games you need in your collection. Amstrad owners have now finally got a magazine as great as what those lucky Spectrum and Commodore 64 owners have. It’s one big happy family. Hooray!