SINCLAIR PROGRAMS, October 1983
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ATOMIC OVERLOAD
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A NEW ATOMIC power generator being tested has suddenly gone critical and
started to Overload. The only way to stop it exploding is to catch the
radioactive isotopes in a lead container. If you touch the highly-radioactive
lining of the reactor your lead container will melt and one of your three
lives will be lost. You gain 1,000 points for each isotope you catch but lose
10 for each square of the lining the isotope melts. The game was written for
the 16K and 48K Spectrum by Daniel Negus of Rednal, Birmingham.


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BRICK-A-BRACK
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YOU ARE a bricklayer who has just completed a wall. A bird flies over,
dropping rocks which chip away bricks. Repair the wall by climbing to the top
of the ladder on the right of the screen to get some bricks and place them in
the appropriate place. M Green of Maidstone, Kent, who wrote Brick-a-Brack
for the 16K Spectrum, says that a score of more than 1,000 is excellent.


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DEPTH CHARGE for Sinclair Spectrum
by Neil Seward
from Sinclair Programs, October 1983

You are a submarine-destroying ship armed with 50 depth charges. Your
equipment continually throws shock waves towards the sea bed. When a
submarine is within range the shock waves will bounce back more
quickly than usual.

Judge from the shock waves how deep to set the depth charges. You
will have two strikes at each submarine. If you miss they will fire
back and damage your ship.

Depth Charge was written for the 16K Spectrum by Neil Seward of Yate,
Bristol.


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GANGSTERS
from Sinclair Programs October 1983

You are involved in a desperate shoot-out with the Gangsters in a car
park. Faces appear in the darkness and you must shoot them with key "0".
P J Irwin, of Bembridge, Isle of Wight, who wrote the game for the
16K Spectrum, says that anything more than 70 is a good score.


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GUIDED MISSILE
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Y0U BEGIN the game in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. As soon as
the game begins a guided missile will begin to shoot towards you from the top
left-hand corner. It has the advantage of being able to move diagonally while
you have the advantage that it does not chase you in the most efficient way
possible. Although you can survive for a long time on slow speeds, it is very
difficult to reach a high score on the fastest speed. Guided Missile was
written for the 16K Spectrum by D.N.Heathfield of Southampton, Hampshire.


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HARD LINES
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OUR CHALLENGE earlier in the year to write a Noughts and Crosses program in
which the computer took part resulted in several programs being sent to us,
the best of which was printed last month. Stuart Humphreys, Pip Wright and
Ian Humphreys of Newtown, Powys took the basic formula of the game and
changed it round to produce the game Hard Lines for the 48K Spectrum. Here
the idea is to avoid either you or the computer forming a line. If no line is
completed you win the game; if not, the computer wins.


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PARACHUTE DROP
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AS THE aircraft flies across the screen, jump by pressing 0. Pressing 9 opens
your parachute, allowing you to steer with keys 5 and 8. Your aim is to land
on the randomly placed landing pad each time and the later you open your
parachute the more points you gain. After you have dropped 10 times, if your
score is more than 120 and you still have five lives remaining the game will
continue with the aircraft flying slightly lower. Parachute Drop was written
for the Spectrum by Andrew Burton of Worksop, Nottinghamshire.


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PLONS
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PLONS is a Space Invader-type game written for the 16K Spectrum by Umer Nalla
of Bolton, Lancashire. Thirty Plons start at the top of the screen and move
downwards rapidly. Move left with Q, right with W and fire with P. If you
succeed in clearing one screen, a new screen will appear on which the Plons
move even more quickly.


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REBOUND for Sinclair Spectrum
by Phil Willcox
from Sinclair Programs, October 1983

Shoot the missiles as they try to escape the planet's atmosphere on
the right of the screen. If five escape into hyperspace they will
destroy your home planet and the game will end. Your cosmic cannon is
situated on the left of the screen. It moves left with "5", right with
"8", and fires with "B". Its shots travel upwards, hit the top of the
play area and ricochet down on the right. Skill is needed to aim them
correctly.

Rebound was written for the 16K Spectrum by P.J. Willcox of Ely,
Cardiff and is this month's program of the month. Willcox works in a
local hospital and bought his Spectrum primarily for his children to
use. He found the games which could be played on it captivating and
began to write his own.

In the future he would like to write a program which would provide
complete horoscopes. After that his plans are more optimistic. He
would like to learn machine code and write a program which would make
his fortune.


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SNAKE
from Sinclair Programs October 1983

Various numbers appear on the screen. Running over a number will add it
to your score. Your brightly-coloured snake is controlled with the
usual cursor keys. Do not run over your tail or hit the edges of the
playing area.

As the game progresses your snake becomes longer, making your path more
circuitous.

Snake was written for the 16K Spectrum by John Williamson of Moreton
Morrell, Warwickshire.


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WIMBLEDON
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YOU FACE Mr Spec Trum on the centre court at Wimbledon and the first player
with 10 points will be declared Grand Champion. Move up with q, down with a,
right with p and left with o. Serving is automatic. After w has been pressed
all future hits will bounce upwards and after s has been pressed they will
bounce downward. A game for the 16K or 48K Spectrum by M Birch of
Kidderminster, Worcestershire.


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