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Philip Joy looks at a superior program
IN A RECENT article a game of Nim was mentioned from John Williamson of West Lothian. I said that the game was unbeatable and that I was not sure whether it was being sold. It still remains unbeaten but Williamson has written to say that he sells the program for £3.95. The cassette also has a game called Close the box, a kind of computer dice-rolling game.
Both games were very good and would amuse children. The price includes postage and packing and it can be obtained from Dunrobin Software, Linlithgow, West Lothian.
Now for a review of two programs sent by N Sugden from Surrey. The first is another copy of Nim, with a Space Invaders-type game on the back. The Cosmo Attack does not present much of a challenge and on its own would not justify selling the program tape. The Nim is a variable-pile version and has not been beaten with seven rows as yet.
The game has all the standard features and would sell the cassette. It would probably amuse a child for a short time. The price is £2.95 and includes postage and packing. All the instructions are printed by the ZX printer. The cassette is available from N Sugden, Surrey.
| 'The variable pile version has yet to be beaten with seven rows' |
Now for a game and some comments on Artic ZXchessII. I have included some of the comments from this letter previously but not the game. The sender is Mr Mitchell of Leicester. The game on the right shows the player resigning on the 28th move:
Mitchell comments on ZXchessII: "I do not always agree with the recommended move, such as the 25th move of the player. Any long-term traps waiting to be uncovered are just ignored and that probably has something to do with the endgame being less than positive.
"In fact, the only significant advantage of this game is that it has a save option." I would be grateful if anyone could send details of how they think the ZXchessII plays compared to other versions of chess for the ZX-81, or any details of the chess game on the ZX-81.
Next month I shall be reviewing another version of Nim and a Flight Simulator written in Basic, written so that the novice can see how it works and make changes to the program. From first appearance the Nim is a well-displayed version and the Flight Simulator is as near to life as a Basic version could be.
Mike Farley from Berkshire has sent some guidelines for what he thinks an adventure game should be like. He gives seven points:
The game must have locations and the player must be able to move both forwards and backwards between locations.
The scenario should be fixed and not randomly-generated.
Each location must have a description, either pictorial or textual - not just a point on a map.
The game is not played in real-time - it is not a reaction test like Space Invaders.
There must be objects to be collected and used in reasonably logical manner, bearing in mind magic is always possible. It must also be possible to list the items being carried.
The use of random numbers should be kept to a minimum.
A wide vocabulary must be used. That is a major condition, as conversation with the computer is an essential part of the game. Do readers agree?
Please send comments or programs to Philip Joy, Romford, Essex. If you want anything returned, please enclose an sae.