hem by Googling MIDITAR, download the
free software, then start planning that ground breaking concept album you always wanted to do. Or just twiddle with it if you're lazy like me.

NEXT TIME

If the guys will have me back, I can sort through the freebies for some of
the best, most convincing rock and orchestral romplers you can use with
these workhorses. Or just some lovely Commie-related ones, with synth
software for the original machines.

I can also be found at

www.youtube.com/user/OnlyGoodCommieplus at
www.leftiness.org/Record.htm

with all my favourite micro software.



*************************************
REVIEW: SHACK FOR THE PLUS/4
By Commodore Free
*************************************

Gaia has created a version of the C64 chess game Shak for the Commodore
Plus / 4. As the player you can alter the difficulty from level 1 to 9.
Also implemented is a Load / Save option and an Undo function. The game is
for both PAL and NTSC machines but needs 64 Kbytes.

plus4world.powweb.com/software/Shack

To play you enter the coordinates of the piece you want to move

So let's say we wanted to move our Pawn located at A1 and we wanted to move
it to A3

We enter A1A3 and press enter, the computer then splits this into A1-A3 and moves the piece as the player you always start with White, to change this
you press F5 to switch sides.

As chess can take some time to explain I will just sum up with something
along the lines of it's a challenging game for the intellectual.

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

* F1 Undo
* F2 Autoplay
* F3 Save state
* F5 Restart, switch sides
* F6 Load state
* F8 Change colour scheme
* > Increase difficulty
* < Decrease difficulty

As a conversion from the Commodore 64 version the game plays exactly the
same. It has the same strange options to change screens to a point where
the colours are unreadable, but as this existed in the original and this is
a true conversion, does that make this a negative or a positive?

The game plays really well and although I don't consider myself an
accomplished chess player, I wouldn't say I was useless either. The
computer plays a challenging match, but can often take some time to come to
a conclusion and thus make a move, also there doesn't seem to be an option where the computer thinks that you are in stalemate, i.e. at a point where
no one can win and will just continue moving pieces around.

SCORES

Graphics: 6/10
well-drawn
Sounds: 0/10
ermm
Gameplay: 7/10
Overall: 6/10
a nice conversion for the Plus/4

Original Commodore 64 version
gb64.com/game.php?id=1422

Learn to play chess:
www.chess.com/learn-how-to-play-chess

Rules of chess:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_chess



*************************************
REVIEW: ROLL (C64 - FINAL VERSION)
By Commodore Free
*************************************

Download: csdb.dk/getinternalfile.php/129184/roll.d64

ROLL (FINAL VERSION)

Released by: Iceout

The idea of the game is to roll the ball to the goal while avoiding holes
and collecting bonuses in 17 challenging levels. If you hit the flags you
get bonus points, but hitting or rolling into a hole loses a life and you
start the level over again. Its like Tilt that came installed on some
Android phones. You may also remember old wooden Labyrinth type of game
with a rotary knob control. Sadly this version seems to have the physics
all wrong.

To "TILT" the table you push left right up or down on the joystick, and the ball moves. Also, holding the fire button makes the ball move slower, supposedly to aid you. On the left side of the score panel is an indicator with dots showing the current direction the ball is rolling.

To add to the "excitement" you have a bonus. The bonus starts at 99 and
slowly counts down to 1. It is added to your score when reaching the goal,
so the quicker you get the ball to the goal the more points you score.

Sadly, because of the physics and basic graphics the game is almost
unplayable.

I don't like hammering into a game like this but it just doesn't work well enough to warrant better scores. It could do with a lot more development,
and would be amazing if it actually resembled the wooden game with the
screen changing to show the tilt direction in a sort of 3d style. Sadly it
is what it is!

SCORES

Graphics: 2/10
Sounds: 2/10
I am sure I heard something
Game play: 1/10
the physics are just not right
Overall: 2/10
not one that will set the world on fire



*************************************
REVIEW: THE VICE SQUAD (C64)
By Commodore Free
*************************************

Psytronik Software & RGCD

CREDITS:

Coding: Achim Volkers
Artwork / GFX: Trevor Storey
Concept / Design: Trevor Storey
Music / SFX: Linus
Packaging / Testing: Jason Kenz
Testing: James Monkman
Additional Testing: David Simmons
Tape Mastering: Richard Bayliss
Tape Loader Source: Martin Piper
Psytronik logo: Steve STE'86 Day

THE STORY:

El Guato, a Mexican drug baron, is expanding his empire to your city. He
is ruthless and dangerous and must be stopped at all costs. You are
Captain James Hutch, and you've never dealt with a villain this powerful before, but that won't stop you from bringing his empire to it's knees!

The Vice Squad is split into 9 separate sub-missions. You will be given a briefing at the start of each mission and must carry out the instructions
in order to complete the level. If the level contains a boss encounter
(i.e. gun, truck, or tank) you must negotiate the level for a certain
amount of time before the boss battle begins (the music will change and the boss will appear).

Certain enemies will drop a power-up when they are destroyed. Once
collected they will increase the weapons on your vehicle. The power-ups
are as follows:-

* Oil Slicks
* Reverse Fire
* Side Beams
* Forward Missiles
* Reverse Missiles

Levels:

* LEVEL 1 - Take out 15 black unmarked vehicles.

* LEVEL 2 - Destroy El Guato's gun truck.

* LEVEL 3 - Take out 20 black unmarked vehicles.

* LEVEL 4 - Destroy El Guato's super-gun truck.

* LEVEL 5 - Take out El Guato's Tank!

* LEVEL 6 - Take out two Limos carrying gang members.

* LEVEL 7 - Destroy the drug-carrying helicopter.

* LEVEL 8 - Take out the super-tank before it destroys the financial district!

* LEVEL 9 - El Guato has stolen a STEALTH BOMBER - save the city!!

THE VICE SQUAD is an Achim Volkers / Trevor Storey production. © 2013. Published on disk / tape & digital download by www.psytronik.net Published
on 64KB C64 cartridge by www.rgcd.co.uk All Rights Reserved.

While the loading screen points to something exciting, for this reviewer,
the excitement factor soon faded, but as the music starts to kick in you
get a feeling of the Miami vice duo - who were they? - Crockett and Tubbs?
Oh, I shudder to think about this program.

Pressing the fire button takes you to the high scores table and the
excitement really starts to pump you up. It's clear that Miami Vice has
had an influence on the game, as the characters show very much like Tubbs
and Crocket, with the screens' music sounding like some sort of acid disco
rave - it's warbling and dancing all over your mind. Truly this is an excellent SID music rendition, and it reminds me of something like Thomas
Dolby - must be the squealing lead sound. Of course I could be alone in my deduction of this. However, playing the music on some Hi-Fi speakers and friends thought it was a commercial release and asked what it was called
(so they could buy/ download the music!)

The music is almost too mesmerising, and you have to force yourself to go
on and push past the hypnotic sounds... and into the game.

From then on, for this reviewer at least, things go
downhill................

Well, for me it was something like when I played Ghostbusters for the first time - its endless driving along roads and seemingly getting nowhere.

Things just seem way too monotonous, The graphics look average, the music
seems to have dropped down in coolness by some steps, and we are left with something more a

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