bargain.bin: Trashman (ZX Spectrum)

Developed by Malcom Evans and published by New Generation Software in 1984, Trashman is one of those great games that helped define the ZX Spectrum. And yes, I'm pretty aware of the fact that it got pretty good Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 conversions too; it's still a quintessentially Speccy game. One of those games that emphasized the working class character of the machine to be precise.

In Trashman, you see, you get to actually play as a trashman. You know, as one of those vastly under-appreciated and underpaid workers that make sure (on a daily basis) we don't die from the plague.  As a normal, everyday, working person, which is more than refreshing in our age of brown space marine types and scantily clad violent ladies. And you even get to ironically play as a garbage collector servicing certain pretty posh suburbs. Talk about class consciousness...

The game has you collecting and emptying garbage bins over seven multi-screen levels; each themed after a street and each progressively more difficult to beat than the previous one. All you have to do is grab the bin or beans from every house and empty it. Sounds easy, eh? Well, it isn't, as you'll have to avoid everything from speeding cars to deadly dogs and operate under a strict time limit. It's brilliant, taxing fun, that has impressively aged to perfection and is really cheap to physically own.

As for Trashman's graphics, well, they are definitely above the Spectrum average, especially when considering how early in the computer's life the game appeared. They are isometric, colourful, sharp and pretty evocative of that suburban feel. The sound, uhm, well, it's definitely audible, it is.

Where to get it:
Trashman (ZXS): eBay.co.uk, eBay.com, Preservation Team Shop
Download: World of Spectrum
Remakes: Trashman Anniversary
Play online: right here

More info on Trashman:

• Wikipedia
• World of Spectrum
• Eurogamer
• MobyGames
• World of Stuart
• Your Sinclair

More bargain.bin retro reviews:
Sensible Soccer
TI Invaders
Target; Renegade
King's Quest I

bargain.bin retro review: TI Invaders (TI 99/4A)

TI Invaders for the Texas Instrument TI 99/4A home computer was the first game I actually owned and played at home, and I absolutely loved it. It did after all look and play so much better than Space Invaders on my cousins' Atari 2600 and was actually better than the eponymous game glimpsed in arcades. Or at lest, well, so I fiercely believed.

I also remember being rather good at it too, but that was probably the result of spending more hours playing TI Invaders than anyone else in my then-limited social circle. This beautiful cartridge, you see, was constantly replacing boring math and alphabet games, just like nature intended it to:

The game itself, a bold Space Invaders clone, felt totally unique and incredibly high-tech. Little did I know back then that the cheap yet powerful TI 99/4A my father had bought off a colleague was an early 16-bit machine. All I cared for was its one-button joystick, the impressive looking keyboard and its infuriating lack of a pause function, the inclusion of which would make mandatory sleep-breaks a mere temporary stop to my high score beating attempts.

Nowadays, in our era where everything comes with pause buttons and save options and despite the fact that I always keep the old Texas Instruments micro close, I rarely plug the thing in. Connecting it to a modern TV can be quite a problem, you see, but, as I recently re-discovered, a problem worth solving. TI Invaders remains a fantastic game. Possibly the best retro iteration of Space Invaders ever. I mean, really, look at these graphics. How many 1981 game could be this wondrous?

The game is slightly faster than your average invaders shooting offering, sports a lovely death animation, has a unique scoring system and way more variety than even the arcade it perfectly apes itself. Every three or so levels a new kind of invading alien appears -all of them sporting unique appearances and abilities- two difficulty levels allow you to start off with a less brutal game, an impressive variety of smart little touches enhances the overall experience and then there's the bonus stage that really spices things up. Obviously, constantly improving ones high-score remains as addictive and enjoyable as ever...

Where to get it:
TI Invaders (TI 99/4A): eBay.com, eBay.co.uk
Via emulation: Win994a

More info on TI Invaders:

• Wikipedia
• MobyGames
• VideogameHouse
• Retroist
• TI Invaders manual

More bargain.bin Retro Reviews:
King's Quest I
Target; Renegade
Berzerk
Sensible Soccer

bargain.bin retro review: Rex (ZX Spectrum)

In Rex, a very Metroid-esque platform-shooter sort of a game, players assumed the role of, unsurpisingly, Rex, a heavily armored anthropomorphic rhino with a certain passion for ecology, and set off to rid his home-planet from a huge polluting factory-tower-fortress thing. Actually, make that a huge, cavernous, impressively non-linear factory-tower-fortress thing and you'll have managed a way more accurate description. Now, in order to survive said treacherous fortress thing players had to be more than skillful, as this was another traditionally difficult 8-bit game.

To be fair though, Rex did provide with quite a few power-ups, occasionally a shield and some almost fairly placed respawn points, that actually did help. What's more, as the game was divided into two huge parts, there was a brilliant code-based save system in place to help gamers avoid playing through the first bit all over again. Impressively, said code system even managed to pass on information regarding Rex's health & ammo status.

As for the graphics, well, they were nice, colourful and detailed, and quite wisely designed to avoid as much colour-clash as possible. Sounds, on the other hand, were kept to a minimum with only a few effects. Obviously and due to them 48k memory restrictions no music was featured. The gameplay, what truly mattered and obviously still matters, was brilliant and immensely addictive. Otherwise, I guess, I wouldn't be battling my way through Rex all over again...

Rex, said rather brilliant ZX Spectrum arcade platformer/shooter, was released back in 1988 by Martech Games to generally rave reviews. After all, massive exploration-heavy action games, especially those that used both sides of a tape, weren't all that common for the humble Sinclair 8-bit. Happily, as the game was arguably the last great Spectrum release, it's rather common and generally cheap to grab.

Where to get it:
Rex (ZX Spectrum): eBay.co.uk, eBay.com
Free download: World of Spectrum

More info on Rex:

• Gnome's Lair
• Wikipedia
• MobyGames
• A Game Forever Voyaging

More bargain.bin Retro Reviews:
King's Quest I
Target; Renegade
Berzerk
Sensible Soccer

bargain.bin retro review: King's Quest (All formats)

When King's Quest was originally released for the unsuccessful IBM PC Jr. in 1984 it was groundbreaking. Its amazing graphics, interactive 3D environment and fairy-tale/fantasy plot had never been seen before. In fact, it was such a ground-breaking game, that despite being released for a doomed platform, it went on and became a smash hit, while being ported to everything that could load a game and defining a new genre; the modern graphical adventure game.

Designer and Sierra co-founder Roberta Williams had created in the original King's Quest a flawed but unique masterpiece, that managed to awe gamers throughout the 80s. Players, assuming the role of valiant Sir Graham, had to help the benevolent yet tragedy-stricken King of Daventry reclaim the three magical treasures that would help save the kingdom and suggest a proper heir. Hence the game's subtitle Quest for the Crown, which trivia lovers will be thrilled to know only attached itself to the game after 1987 and its Amiga release.

The game itself used the now classic, familiar and always limited Sierra parser, whereas King Graham could be moved around the screen with the help of the cursor keys. The puzzles were mostly tough, though admittedly solvable with the help of the more widely know fairy-tales, helping create a most whimsical atmosphere, despite the countless deathtraps awaiting for Graham. Then again, the animated 16-colour graphics, the dozens of screens, a passable -then impressive soundtrack- and the novelty of the whole thing made sure any limitations were overlooked.

King's Quest I spawned seven, mostly brilliant, sequels and went on to become one of the defining pillars of adventure gaming. As for its number of ports, well, that was also quite impressive, as KQI appeared -as far as I know- on the PC Jr, Tandy 1000, DOS PCs, Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, Sega Master System, Mac and Apple IIgs. Then it got itself an official Sierra remake using the SCI engine and finally a brilliant, fan-made VGA re-imagining by AGD Interactive. Quite impressive, eh? Well, not so in CGA:

Where to get it:
King's Quest (all formats): eBay.com, eBay.co.uk, eBay.de, Steam
Remake: AGDI's amazing effort

More info on King's Quest:

• MobyGames
• Wikipedia
• Gog.com
• Adventure Classic Gaming
• Adventure Gamers
• Sierra Chest
• YouTube

More bargain.bin retro reviews:
Target Renegade (8-bits)
Berzerk (Atari 2600/VCS)
Sensible Soccer (Amiga)

bargain.bin retro review: Target; Renegade (8-bits)

People keep on talking about Streets of Rage 2, as if it actually were the best retro side-scrolling beat-'em-up you could ever play in the comfort of your home. How very odd! We all know that Target; Renegade on the ZX Spectrum was better, don't we? And affordable too. And released back in 1988 by Imagine, all those years after Ocean had already gotten said publishing label for itself. Oh, and it also was a truly rare instance of a sequel to an arcade that didn't get an arcade sequel, meaning of course that it was the sequel to an 8-bit arcade conversion; the aptly named Renegade.

Now, assuming not everyone has (had) a Spectrum or a capacity for vivid memories, let me briefly remind everyone what Target; Renegade was all about. You, the player, entered the 80s shoes of ridiculously-named Renegade in a mission to avenge your brother's death. This of course would turn out to be a particularly violent mission, as the game would take you for a brutal fight through the gritty locales of Scumville in search of Mr. Big, a gang-lord and a murderer, whom you would then have to beat to death; preferably with a snooker cue. Not Dostoevsky exactly, I know, but these games can't be judged by their plot, can they?

So, why care about Target; Renegade then? Easy. The game features some great, impressively varied graphics, a lovely selection of baddies that cover everything from ladies of the night and shooters to Beastie Boys fans, excellent controls, excellent pace and five -yes, excellently- characterful stages to battle through. Oh, and, yes, it plays brilliantly (and in a most excellent manner) and is as addictive as, well, a particularly addictive thing. In a nutshell, it's an absolute classic and it hasn't aged a day!

Only problem is it's a multiload, but -in our age of the emulator and the mp3 player- that shouldn't really bother anyone...

Other, by definition inferior (though some might argue with that), versions of Target; Renegade have appeared on the CPC, the Commodore 64 and even Nintendo's very own NES. Oh, and if you have a 128k Speccy prepare yourselves for some fantastic music too.

Where to get it:
Target; Renegade (all formats): eBay.com, eBay.uk
Free Download (Spectrum version): World of Spectrum
Remakes: Target; 2006, Target Renegade Remake

More info on Target; Renegade:

• MobyGames
• World of Spectrum
• Lemon 64
• CPC Zone
• Wikipedia

More bargain.bin Retro Reviews:
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bargain.bin retro review: Berzerk (Atari 2600/VCS)

I really can't be absolutely sure about this, but I do think Berzerk on the Atari 2600 was the first video game I ever played. No matter how hard I try, you see, I just can't remember anything remotely video game-y before it. Thankfully, it was -still is actually- a great action game and I wasn't scarred for life.

Berzerk, a 1980 arcade game that was eventually ported to the Atari 2600, the Vectrex and the ill-fated Atari 5200, also happened to be one of the first multi-directional shooters. A proper run-and-gun game, really, complete with stylized colourful graphics that have aged remarkably well, an intriguing bleep and blop soundtrack, a few computerized voices and excellent gameplay. Rumour has it, the Berzerk arcade even inspired Eugene Jarvis to create Robotron: 2084.
The Atari 2600 version of the game, the only one I've properly played and the one I know I can heartily recommend, is surprisingly on par with its arcade predecessor. Besides the shoddy AI and suicidal robots, that is. Oh, yes, and the fact that Evil Otto (the smiley face we oddly used to call mpampoulas; go figure) isn't especially indestructible. Still, the graphics are some of the best the console has to offer, the animation -for lack of a better word- is impressively expressive, the sounds lack the voice of the arcade but help create a convincing atmosphere and the gameplay is as addictive and rewarding as ever. What's more, a Berzerk cartridge will rarely set you back more than a few euro, pounds, dollars or whatever you use to pay for your games.

As for the way the game plays, well, it couldn't be simpler. All the player has to do is use the one-button joystick to shoot some robots (all of them actually), avoid being shot at, avoid touching the deadly electrified walls and exit each slightly maze-like room. Being fast at it can come in handy too, as, after a set period of time, the aforementioned Otto appears and he's a tough to avoid, very lethal, bouncing smiley face. Nasty!
Where to get it:
Berzerk (Atari 2600/VCS): eBay.com, eBay.co.uk, Amazon.com
Berzerk (Vectrex): eBay.com, eBay.co.uk
Remakes & ROMs: Berzerk 3D, BerzerkerBotz, ROM, online remake

More info on Berzerk:

• Wikipedia page
• MobyGames entry
• Atari Age entry
• A Dot Eaters History

More bargain.bin retro reviews:
Sensible Soccer (Commodore Amiga)
Target; Renegade (8-bits)

bargain.bin retro review: Sensible Soccer (Amiga)

Bargain.bin is another new column here @ Retro Treasures, cunningly developed to complement the recent addition of eBay Rampage and guarantee you hours of retro gaming pleasure. Oh, yes, and it will mostly be about reviewing and helping you track & grab classic yet affordable retro games.

Admittedly 1992 doesn't feel like ages ago, but try telling this to a 16 year old gamer used to calling football soccer and believing that FIFA is the best thing since sliced bread got sliced... Bah! Anyway, 1992 was, among other things, the year when Sensible Software, already acclaimed developers of Parallax, Wizball and Mega Lo Mania, released the best footie game ever: Sensible Soccer. Or to be precise: Sensi.


Sensi was rather obviously an Amiga 500 football game, that eventually went on and ported itself to every conceivable format (even the Atari Jaguar and the Xbox Live Arcade got a taste) and then spawned ten or so sequels, with the latest one being the surprisingly decent Sensible Soccer 2006. Truth is though, that as Sensi begot Sensi the line reached it's apex in Sensible World of Soccer; SWOS. It had everything the original had, better graphics, a management side and tons more. Was it a better game? Yes. Is the original Sensi still the best footie ever created? Yes. How come? Well, figure it out yourselves mates (hint: innovation).

Now, to the game per se and specifically to its Amiga version which was (still is really) by far the best one available. Sensi, not unlike Kick Off and Kick Off 2 before it, is a zoomed out top-down 2D football game complete with tiny stylized player sprites, who might not be able to control the ball or dribble that well, but definitely do run like hell and are incredibly responsive to the joystick's command. The game features quite a few 1992 national and club teams with proper names, a selection of different terrains that actually make a difference, rudimentary tactics, a surreal league, ueber stylish graphics, great sound, customizable players and in general anything you can imagine a 16-bit footie game could ever manage and more. Mind you though, them features were by no means the game's true strength, they were just the icing on the cake.

FIFA 08, you see, has got all of the above, amazing 3D graphics and tons more, but still plays like shit. Sensible Soccer on the other hand really managed to capture the spirit of the beautiful game and more impressively the pace. The thing feels proper, mostly since the developers tried to emulate the way the game is played and not the way it's presented on TV, and, what's more, all you'll need to enjoy is a one button joystick and mastery of the brilliant after touch mechanic. Oh, and the supported two-player game makes Wii Sports seem boring.

So, care for a verdict then? Good. Sensible Soccer is an absolute classic and as it also turned out to be a huge commercial success, you won't have trouble finding yourselves a cheap boxed copy. Believe me, it's football as the gods intended it to be.


Where to get it (tehe):
Sensible Soccer Amiga: eBay.co.uk, eBay.com
Sensible Soccer in general: eBay.co.uk, eBay.com
Sensible Soccer 2006: Codemasters, Play-Asia

More Sensi web-bits:

• Wikipedia page
• MobyGames entry
• Stay Sensible
• The Escapist on Sensible Soccer
• SensiSoccer.com
• Sensible Soccer @ ClassicAmiga
• SWOS Online Database

More bargain.bin retro reviews:
Berzerk (Atari 2600/VCS)
Target; Renegade (8-bits)