The Games Machine Issue 1

This Issue...

• Light Wars
  The laser tag craze is about to sweep Europe, so we put the available systems to the test
• Home Arcades
  Dedicated consoles are set to make a comeback. Or are they?
• The Silver Screen
  The computer: film star and director
• Feature Preview
  Morpheus - a new game from Andrew Braybrook
• Software Sexism
  Mel Croucher polls the industry
• TV Gaming
  Anglia TV's new adventure game examined
• Future Cinema?
  A whole new entertainment medium is just around the corner
• Compact but Capable
  CD Rom could open up whole new worlds . . .
• The Music Masters
  Ben Daglish and Rob Hubbard speak out
• On the Racks
  Hewson launch a new budget label
  

Regulars:

• Technofun
  A look at what's new
• News
  A look at plans being laid at software houses across the country
• Previews
  What The Edge have been up to
• Fantasy Games
  Solo gamebooks scrutinised
• Version Update
  Older games arrive on new formats . . .
• Reviews
  A close look at new releases
• Matters Musical
  Micro music-making
• More Seriously . . .
  Atari and Commodore slug it out . . .
  Software for little money
• Endpiece
  Trivia Quiz and a peek into next issue
  

Win!
Prizes worth thousands of pounds on offer

• Win a Nintendo
  Mattel offer a Deluxe Set and software, we throw in ten T-Shirts
• Win a Sega
  Mastertronic provide a Master System and software, we keep throwing in T-Shirts
• Win the Infocom Range
  Someone's in line for every Infocom game released. Ten copies of Nord and Bert for runners-up
• Win The Chessmaster 2000
  Ten copies of The Chessmaster 2000 offered by Electronic Arts
• Win with Micronet
  Two modems, two Micronet subscriptions and lots of free time on Shades
• Win an Arcade Machine
  Ocean offer an Athena machine in a camera case and 50 8-bit coin-op conversions for runners-up
  

Uncategorized:

• Light Games
  Electronic tag is fast becoming big business - in America there are special indoor arenas to play team games. Players shoot light at one another, registering hits on light-sensitive receivers worn by their opponents. The craze is coming to Britain - while no-one has firm plans to set up a light tag centre on these shores, eight laser tag systems are available in the shops. We evaluate them.
• A New Way of Reviewing Games
  VERSION UPDATE keeps you in touch with the movement of games across formats, and then it's into the REVIEWS. We look at as many versions of a new game as we can, offering information not speculation. Separate ratings are awarded for each version of a game we get to play - none of this "review the Amstrad version before anything else is ready and pronounce the game a hit" rubbish! We tell you what we think of what we've seen . . .
• Going Solo
  Role-playing on your own is tricky - unless you get a gamebook
• The Console Boom
  Two new dedicated consoles have arrived in time for Christmas, and two older machines have acquired some new injection-moulded clothing. We examine the history of console game-playing, evaluate the new machines and look into the future . . .
  

Reviews:
Lead Reviews:

• Bubble Bobble
  Taito's cult classic arcade game has been competently converted to the Commodore 64 and Spectrum by Software Creations and released by Firebird Gold. A selection of screenshots from the Atari ST version compliment the additional beginners tips.
• California Games
  The fifth release in Epyx's Games series features six exciting new events from America's Golden State. Available from US Gold for the Commodore 64 in late September, with Choice Software conversions for the Spectrum, Amstrad and MSX to follow in October.
• Renegade
  Imagine prove their worth with commendable conversions of Taito's coin-up beat 'em up for the Spectrum and Amstrad, Commodore 64 owners haven't got long to wait . . .
  

Reviews Summary:
Commodore 64/128:

• πr2
• Accolade's Comics
• ACE 2
• Bubble Bobble
• California Games
• Centurions
• The Chessmaster 2000
• Enlightenment (Druid II)
• Last Mission
• Mega Apocalypse
• Red LED
  

Spectrum 48/128:

• Flunky
• Hybrid
• Last Mission
• MASK
• Renegade
• Tai-Pan
  

Amstrad:

• Hybrid
• MASK
• Renegade
• Solomon's Key
  

Atari ST:

• The Chessmaster 2000
• Tai-Pan
  

Amiga:

• The Chessmaster 2000
  

PC:

• The Chessmaster 2000
  

MSX2:

• L'Affaire
  

[All alternate spellings have been left intact. The lack of periods at the ends of sentences has also been left intact as it happens with too much frequency for it to be accidental.]

 

[Also credited is Gary Penn as Co-editor.]