Hunchback, Commodore 64

Well.Come. Back.

The Bells! The Bells!

Frankly, dear friends, I am unsure as to why the only discernible audio in the Commodore 64 version of Ocean’s “Hunchback” is the traditional 100+ year old ditty “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic”. Answers on a pike to: ouch, that’s my arse.

Hunchback then, at first glance, could almost (colour clash n00bs) be mistaken for a Spectrum game, however, the game itself is a joy to play and as simple as a flat cheese sandwich. You play Hunchback or Quasimodo from the literary pen of Victor Hugo, looking to emancipate your love, Esmerelda from the top of Notre Dame. Simple.

Well – not so, as you have to scale the merlons and run a gauntlet of agility, timing and youthfulness, all of which I fail in. Reminiscent of our friend from Pitfall, the game mechanics are straightforward, easy to pick up and a pleasure to enact. However – a walk in the park, it is not.

One of the most fun aspects of the game, as a whole, is that despite the clear and present simplicity of the entire premise, you remain steadfastly rubbish at it. Rather than frustrate you, this elicits continual glee from your stupid little headbox. It is genuinely fun to play, even, on the screens that have barely any adversaries, or obstacles at all. A feat of hook-ability, if I ever saw one.

For me personally, the nostalgia factor with Hunchback is so strong, I may well be verging on the Mega Bias, however, I will stick to my came to conclusion wot I did come to which is that Hunchback (with the benefit of Instaload) is a cracking game to fire up and have a 20 minutes blast at.

If you can get much further than level 8 – you’re doing very, very well.

It is clearly nothing complicated, but its worth its weight in bells.

Commodore User Issue 9: 4/5
YouTube: LogrusUK
Download: Hunchback

Rick Dangerous, Commodore 64

Well. Come. Back.

Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes..?

Ladies and gentlemen, I am as certain as Richard Burton’s curtains that all of you have heard of Rick Dangerous and almost all of you probably have fond memories playing the game on an 8-bit, or a 16-bit computer system back in the late 80s. It really was, frankly, a lovely little game, but baste me in a bucket of ham – it is frustrating!

Playing this again, to refresh myself with the game mechanics, I was struck by just how well the game overall has stood the test of time. It looks great, it sounds brilliant and importantly – it plays exceptionally on the C64. Indeed, being a Core Designs game, as you expect, it is packaged up and produced really, really tightly. The cinematic intros are a lovely touch, with a few bars of well put together classic tune-age; there is humour and nods to Indy all over the place; the death animations are hilarious and importantly – it doesn’t generally progress from being happily frustrating to bloody annoying – it remains fun to play, to remember the trap patterns and routes and to try and get past Egypt, for the love of Geoff!

Turbo Outrun, Commodore 64

Well. Come. Back.

Can you hear it? Can you already hear that SID tune..?

“One,” chick-chook-ka-chuck bu-dubbah-chack!

“Two,” chick-chook-ka-chuck bu-dubbah-chack!

“Three,” chick-chook-ka-chuck bu-dubbah-chack!

“Hit it! Ou- ou- OUTRUN!” -screeeeeech!-

Maniacs of Noise / Jeroen Tel take a bloody bow.

Spy Hunter, Commodore 64

Well. Come. Back.

The C64 version of Spy Hunter kept me coming back for more for years and years. A lot of this was due to a) the theme tune (Peter Gunn Theme), b) the short load time and c) that I would have to play it at least until I got to the desert section, or at best until I got the missile launcher and shot a helicopter. What was imperative though, was docking with the lorry and/or driving down the embankment and morphing into a boat. Genius.

It was fast, it was buggy, it was slick, it was cu-chuck, cu-chuck, cu-chuck, it was basic – it was 1985 and the games being made near and around it that were anyway near as good, were few and far between. But most of all, the feeling when you managed to dock with the articulated lorry was, well, it made you feel like a shadowy flank into a dangerous world of a man that doesn't exist…

As I type this, I can still hear the noise the Switchblade made as it deployed its tyre scythes and the inertia involved in bumping those camper vans off the road. No points for cyclists...

Most C64 owners had Spy Hunter and to be honest, if and when they played the arcade original, they were mightily disappointed. It just didn’t ‘feel’ right – the car was too big, the colours too varied and the graphics too good – it also reminded you of Rush ‘n’ Crash (which was quite an interesting arcade game in itself…). But it wasn’t our Spy Hunter. It wasn’t us trying to sneak off onto the grass verge to cheese your way up the side of the screen, hoping not to explode. It just wasn’t Spy Hunter.

If you’ve never played the Commodore 64 version of Spy Hunter, you are really missing out, as frankly – it is just simple, addictive, bloody good fun.

Bridge Out Ahead.

Zzap64 Issue 1: 87%
YouTube: LogrusUK
Download: Spy Hunter

Working the Night/Shift - A New 'CypherPunk' Adventure for AGA Amiga

Boston, 2039.  Amid concerns over personal privacy and economic freedom, a young 'Cyberpunk' finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that will shake the very foundations of global society. 

I've just finished playing through the whole of Night/Shift (not to be confused with Lucasfilm's Night Shift!), a free Hi-Res HAM8 graphic adventure game from Eclectic Imaginations released in June of this year. It's been quite the experience, one that was relatively short (two hours) and ultimately enjoyable, but recommending this game comes with a caveat that I'll discuss shortly.