CONVERSION CAPERS: THE ORIGINAL TURRICAN

THE MANY GUISES OF THE METAL WARRIOR

COMMODORE 64

The original version developed by Manfred Trenz, awarded 97% by

Zzap!64. It pushes the C64 to its limits, with around 1,300 screens and multidirectional scrolling, but a lack of spare memory means it doesn’t have any music during levels.

AMIGA

The Amiga port was developed in tandem with the C64 version, although coder Holger Schmidt took advantage of the Amiga’s extra oomph to deliver smoother scrolling and better graphics.

It also features Chris Huelsbeck’s excellent soundtrack throughout.

ATARI ST

If the Amiga version of Turrican can be considered the definitive one, then the Atari ST port runs a close second. Thomas Engel did a superb job of imitating the Amiga game, although it’s let down by the Atari’s weaker sound capabilities, resulting in somewhat bleepier tunes.

ZX SPECTRUM

Probe Software was given the job of porting

Turrican to the Spectrum, with Von Dazzlin (aka Daren White) on coding duties. Mr Dazzlin did a good job of keeping the main gameplay elements and level layouts intact, but it pales in comparison to the C64 original.

AMSTRAD CPC

Another effort by Von Dazzlin, and again one which falls short of the

C64 version. Nevertheless, it still remains one of the Amstrad CPC’S more impressive games:

Amstrad Action magazine gave it a ‘Master Game’ award, showering it with a 90% score.

CDTV

The 1991 CDTV release of Turrican was exactly the same as the Amiga version. It didn’t even add CD audio – a lost opportunity to beef up Chris Huelsbeck’s tunes. Nonetheless it’s a great conversion, and the failure of the CDTV makes this port exceedingly rare.

GAME BOY

Accolade was in charge of the console releases of Turrican, and it handed over porting duties to

The Code Monkeys. The Game Boy version just about works, and it’s an achievement that most of

Turrican’s huge levels are in there, but it’s hard to play on a tiny screen.

MEGA DRIVE

The Mega Drive game is similar to the Amiga version, although the soundtrack has become somewhat mangled in translation. The

Code Monkeys added a much‑needed jump button, but left it so ‘up’ also triggers jumps, leading to many an accidental leap.

TURBOGRAFX-16

Only released on North American shores, the Turbografx‑16 version of

Turrican was something of a disappointment. The third world is missing in action and Chris Huelsbeck’s soundtrack has been gutted to leave only one track per world rather than per level.