CONVERSION CAPERS
BEACH-HEAD WENT TO WAR ON MANY SYSTEMS, BUT WHICH WAS BEST?
AMSTRAD CPC
The graphical fidelity in this version is rather impressive and the extra detail to the enemy aircraft is particularly pleasing to the eye. The hidden passage is a considerably tougher route on Amstrad’s computer thanks to the player’s large ship and some incredibly fast torpedoes, and while it all feels a little cramped compared to the Commodore 64 original, there’s plenty of war-mongering fun to be had here despite some choppy scrolling in the tank level. Considering the quality of many Amstrad conversions, this is very decent indeed.
APPLE II
Beach-head on the Apple computer is a curious affair, lacking some of the original’s gritty feel yet including a few extra flourishes that can’t fail to endear. First of all, the game includes some fantastic explosions, with coloured pixels flying all over the screen whenever an enemy is destroyed. And the final tank section has your tank equipped with an unlikely rapid fire, the shots rebounding off rocks and taking out the many enemies. Tough, even on easy mode, this is a slightly different way to experience war, Beach-head style.
ATARI 8-BIT
Coded alongside the Commodore 64 game at Access Software, the Atari 8-bit computer impressively keeps much of the action the same, such as the lovely flashing screen that appears every time the player loses one of their precious ships. It’s a fair bit trickier to play on this version too, with the tank section including some desperately narrow gaps to breach that can make it quite tricky. Even with this tougher difficulty level it is still a fantastic game and huge fun, so it comes highly recommended for owners of the system.
BBC MICRO/ELECTRON
This version of the hit game was coded by Peter Johnson. The recon map feels a little more genuine here, and it is presented as a more traditional topdown view. There are some rather nice embellishments in the main game too. The bombs and missiles hit home with an extremely satisfying crunch and the BBC Micro conjures up a lovely twinkling seascape with the mines in the hidden passage realistically bobbing up and down. A very nice conversion and as you’d expect the Electron version isn’t quite as impressive, but it’s still fun.
COMMODORE 16/PLUS 4
Developed by Anirog Software, this is probably the weakest version of Beachhead, sadly cut down considerably in order to squeeze into the Commodore 16. As the recon screen is now completely absent, all of the tactical nous of the game disappears with it, which is rather disappointing. Unfortunately this means that there’s very little of the classic game to actually play. Despite an admittedly fair amount of routine shooting fun for fans, albeit little else. It’s understandable considering the restrictions of the hardware, but still a shame.
MSX
Development duties for the MSX conversion of Beach-head were farmed out to Orpheus by Access and the developer produced a surprisingly decent conversion of the hit game. The chief graphical difference is on the tank stage which has many more colourful enemies and a strict side-on view. Otherwise, Orpheus created a great arcade action game for MSX owners that comes highly recommended to owners of the machine. Interestingly, the hidden passage is renamed the secret passage in this version. It otherwise plays the same.
ZX SPECTRUM
David J Anderson’s distinctive style is established here with a comprehensive menu and the ability for the player to enter their name before play starts. While easy mode is a little too, well, easy, attempting the hard level is a serious challenge, with the torpedoes of the hidden passage speeding across the narrow channel at an alarming rate. The only real criticism we have of this version is that it’s sadly almost completely silent save for the odd effect. That does little to quell the excellent gameplay mechanics, though and you’ll have a lot of fun with it.