DIATOM RAVINE

The player assumes the role of the hero, Frognum, whose task it is to reclaim his kingdom from the Tyrant beast. The game style is principally a platformer which finds the player running and jumping through various screens (numbering around a hundred and extending in all four directions). During this the player will encounter bats, balls or giant rats which general follow fixed paths but may also swarm and chase t...

The player assumes the role of the hero, Frognum, whose task it is to reclaim his kingdom from the Tyrant beast. The game style is principally a platformer which finds the player running and jumping through various screens (numbering around a hundred and extending in all four directions). During this the player will encounter bats, balls or giant rats which general follow fixed paths but may also swarm and chase the player. There are two primary weapons at your disposal to eliminate these enemies; you may punch and claw them, or you may incinerate them with your fire breath. Fire breathing is limited but may be replenished once in a while by collecting items. Also in the C64 version it is imperative to clear the each screen completely of enemies or they will tend to respawn upon leaving and re-entering the screen. Your main task is to find four special abilities and then face the final battle.

Exile is a single-player action-adventure video game originally published for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro in 1988 by Superior Software and later ported to the Commodore 64, Amiga, CD32 and Atari ST, all published by Audiogenic. Exile's game physics engine qualifies it to be the first game to have a complete Newtonian motion model. At the time of its release it was considered to push the boundaries of what was...

Exile is a single-player action-adventure video game originally published for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro in 1988 by Superior Software and later ported to the Commodore 64, Amiga, CD32 and Atari ST, all published by Audiogenic. Exile's game physics engine qualifies it to be the first game to have a complete Newtonian motion model. At the time of its release it was considered to push the boundaries of what was possible on home computers, particularly on the 8-bit platforms. It remains probably the most complex game available for the BBC Micro. The game was designed and programmed by Peter Irvin (author of Starship Command, a space shoot-em-up with an innovative control system) and Jeremy Smith (author of Thrust, a game based on cave exploration with a simpler physics model).

Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back is a computer game developed and published by British developer Palace Software (Palace) as a sequel to their 1985 title Cauldron. The two-dimensional (2D) platform game was released in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Players control a bouncing pumpkin that is on a quest of vengeance against the "Witch Queen". The roles of the two were re...

Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back is a computer game developed and published by British developer Palace Software (Palace) as a sequel to their 1985 title Cauldron. The two-dimensional (2D) platform game was released in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Players control a bouncing pumpkin that is on a quest of vengeance against the "Witch Queen". The roles of the two were reversed from the first game, in which the witch defeated a monster pumpkin.

Following the success of Cauldron, Palace employee Steve Brown began work on a sequel. To provide fans of the original title with a new experience, a very different gameplay was implemented for the sequel, although several minor features retained connections to the first. Inspired by the bouncing pumpkin character in Cauldron, Brown designed the game around the character's movement. The bouncing mechanic proved problematic for the programmers who were unable to perfect its implementation. Technical limitations also prevented them from implementing certain animations, such as turning pages of a book.

Cauldron II was first released on the Commodore 64. It was released in the following years on other systems and as re-releases. The game received praise, mainly for its audio-visuals, in video game magazines. Difficulty in handling the bouncing pumpkin's movement was a common complaint, although reviewers felt the overall package was of good value.

Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns is the sequel to Pitfall and was released for a variety of systems during the mid-1980s including the SG-1000 in 1985. It was also ported to Sega System 1 arcade hardware by Sega. Gameplay is similar to the original game, but the levels are more maze-like.

Sega's version of Pitfall II was tweaked significantly from its western counterparts released for the Atari 2600, ColecoVision etc...

Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns is the sequel to Pitfall and was released for a variety of systems during the mid-1980s including the SG-1000 in 1985. It was also ported to Sega System 1 arcade hardware by Sega. Gameplay is similar to the original game, but the levels are more maze-like.

Sega's version of Pitfall II was tweaked significantly from its western counterparts released for the Atari 2600, ColecoVision etc. The gameplay is largely the same, but there are many additions. These include a Lives system, mine-carts, balloons, and a final Demon boss. The increased specifications of System 1 hardware means the arcade version is much more detailed and allows the player to see more of the maze at one time. The SG-1000 version is directly inspired by the arcade game, and though cannot match the same level of graphical quality, it is arguably the nicest looking home port of the game.

As Tal, your job is to single-handedly clear out the aliens who have invaded a desolate and destroyed post-nuclear earth. To have any chance of this, he must locate a sacred suit of armor. Not only will this protect him from radiation, and allow him to withstand some enemy contact, it also heals him, and enables him to float.

This means that the game has two distinct styles, with your character limited to jumping...

As Tal, your job is to single-handedly clear out the aliens who have invaded a desolate and destroyed post-nuclear earth. To have any chance of this, he must locate a sacred suit of armor. Not only will this protect him from radiation, and allow him to withstand some enemy contact, it also heals him, and enables him to float.

This means that the game has two distinct styles, with your character limited to jumping, and with only rocks (located around the screens) to throw. Once he finds the suit he can fly around the ledges, shoot the inbuilt Pulsar beam, and survive within the volcanic hideout the aliens have based themselves. You will need to recharge the suit at times, and also take it off to pass through tight caverns.