capable of displaying, and I have heard 6 channel and more sounds on the SID,

mixed down to 3 obviously, so what's next?



The good thing about the Commodore 128 and even the VIC-20 is that those

machines still have some secrets to be discovered and it's a lot easier to

still find them than with the C64 because the machine has a lot more people

trying (sometimes successfully) to pry the last secrets from it.





Q. Do you feel there is a challenge to constantly obtain more from the machine?



I think that is what retro-coding is all about: Show that your old machine

still has some tricks up its sleeve. Having this "WOW - I can't believe this

is running on a [insert your favourite old computer here]"-effect is

priceless.





Q. Do you have any other comments you would like to add?



Don't underestimate the Commodores besides the all-mighty C64. And if you're

just a user and don't know why something won't work, don't be shy to ask about

it in the forums or contact the author directly. Most of us love the feedback,

I know I do!





********************

COMMODORE FREE REVIEW

BIT-FOX

********************



You are a painter locked in a scientific world of squares, your job should you

wish to accept it is assigned and ready for you to take. Paint all the

squares you decide to accept the job and don't even flinch when you are given

a time limit to paint all the squares in each level. After all you think a job

is a job, and how can you turn down work, especially in a recession.



LOAD EM UP

Loading the game gives a very basic title screen where we can adjust the

volume, start the game or check the highscores. Checking the scores gives a

feel for the game; as they slowly flick up the screen, this game is written in

BASIC isn't it!



Well yes it is.



Moving the cursor or joystick left or right turns the sound up or down.



ON YOUR MARKS GET SET

Starting the game by pressing the joystick up or the up cursor key takes us to

what will be a familiar level style territory.



We have a number of squares that need colouring, as you start to colour these,

by moving over them , as you move over a square its automatically coloured in.

Then and at a random time frame; more squares will appear, these are random in

number and random in location but form some sort of pattern as they only

appear in straight lines of X amount of squares. The idea of the game is

simple; to paint all the squares before the timer runs out. If the timer runs

out you will be given an amount of points but of course not as much as if they

were all coloured in.



GOOD IDEA

To be fair the idea is great!

Although I seem to remember something similar; but can recall its name. I know

there are various painter style games where you draw out an area of the screen

and then its coloured in KWIX is one that springs to mind although this is a

totally different game.



The games main problem; is the facts the whole thing is written in BASIC,

although its seems quick at the start (apart from the highscore display) the

game soon slows as you are moving and its drawing blocks, also sometimes the

joystick and keyboard don't seem to be recognised and you are lurching and

hitting keys wanting them to have an effect. Again down to Basic being so

slow.



Its best to,

start to move and you continue to travel in that direction, then press up or

down before you need to; something like 2 squares in advance, of course if you

need to go up at the next square you could have a problem.



Sound is some blips on the title screen, acting as a music composition and in

game sounds are again blips, to be fair the game doesn't need much. This could

be a good game but it needs a rewrite possibly in Machine code. Graphics are

fine for what the game is. Although I would have loved to have seen something

like a creature appearing and randomly turning 1 square beck so it would need

painting again.; Or a square randomly turning back from its painted state.



GRAPHICS 1/10

SOUND 1/10

GAMEPLAY 5/10

LASTABILITY 3/10



OVERALL 4/10



Excellent idea,

Although a speed boost is needed, with the joystick and cursor keys sometimes

not being recognised but that's mainly is the fault of BASIC being so slow.




--- CrashWrite 2.0
* Origin: --:)-- Dragon's Lair BBS --(:-- (39:901/281)