Sabre Wulf

JUNGLE ATAC

Memory: 48K
Price: £9.95
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor, Sinclair

Haing thrilled gamers with the dusty attics and caverns of Atic-Atac, Ultimate has transported you to steaming jungles in its latest Arcade-Adventure, Sabre Wulf. The concept is similar to the earlier Atic-Atac. You must seek four parts of a hidden amulet to escape from the jungle maze; on the way you must battle a dzIing variety of foes, some weak and others seemingly invincible. There are numerous treasures to inflate your score, some of which may prove of use in the game.

The game is played over an enormous maze of jungle paths and clearings. Of the monsters, against which your only weapon is a sabre, we particularly liked the hippos, which charge down the corridors and must usually be dodged rather than skewered.

A major feature of Sabre Wulf are the various coloured orchids which, when eaten, have strange temporary effects on your abilities.

The disorientation orchid, which reverses all joystick controls, is particularly infuriating.

While the graphics are not entirely flicker-free, with the usual problems when figures pass over each other, they are up to the high Ultimate standards and the action is fast.

The main criticism of the game is price. Ultimate claims that is because of an increase in development time but the price still seems high. If the game is anything like as successful as previous releases, and it should be, we fail to see how Ultimate could avoid making a big profit even at the old figure of £5.50.

A successor to Atic Atac rather than a direct sequel, Sabre Wulf is a gigantic maze game set in a strange jungle full of riotous life, most of it hostile. You must collect four parts of an amulet to escape, while fending off abundant attacks from a wide range of beasts. Magic orchids bloom suddenly in your path, and a host of objects can be found which may aid you on the way.

The graphics are extremely rich and varied, although not as well disciplined as earlier Ultimate games. The playing area is enormous and it is a maze game of great distinction.

Position 31/50

SOFTWARE SCENE

While some software houses are taking the Spectrum to its limits and beyond others doggedly continue to churn out ever more diabolical pieces of programmed junk. John Gilbert present a personal pick of the bunch, and Chris Bourne take an irreverent look at the dwindling ZX-81 software scene. Their talents are combinedd in listing the Top Ten Turkeys of 1984. Let the reader be warned.

SPECTRUM SOFTWARE

A cynic may argue that development within the software market in 1984 was non-existent. The same type of game appeared as those which took the lead in 1983, the most popular being of the arcade variety. The programs were written in the same style and to please the same type of customers.

That is only a superficial view, however, and if you look at the games market as a whole, dividing it up into sectors such as strategy, arcade and adventure, you will see that substantial and sophisticated changes have taken place. Despite what some pundits have said you will find that the world of computer games is still buzzing with life.

£9.95
Ultimate

Another cult game to appear on the shelves was Sabre Wulf. Produced by Ultimate it closely followed the format of the company's last best seller, Atic Atac.

The concept is similar to the earlier game. You must seek four parts of a hidden amulet to escape from the jungle maze; on the way you must battle a dazzling variety of foes, some weak and others seemingly invincible. There are numerous treasures to inflate your score, some of which may prove of use in the game.

The game is played over an enormous maze of jungle paths and clearings.

One major feature is the various coloured orchids which, when eaten, have strange temporary effects on your abilities.

The disorientation orchid, which reverses all joystick controls, is particularly infuriating.

While the graphics are not entirely flicker-free, with the usual problems when figures pass over each other, they are up the high Ultimate standards and the action is fast.