WorldMags.net The Acorn Archimedes was the machine that replaced the BBC Micro in schools across the UK. While known for being a more serious machine, it could also play games – Kieren Hawken discovers some of its more obscure titles
STAR FIGHTER 3000 ■ DEVELOPER: FEDNET SOFTWARE ■ YEAR: 1994
» [Archimedes] Star Fighter 3000 has a really slick intro sequence.
» FIREBALL II ■ DEVELOPER: CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL ■ YEAR: 1990
■ Every single system out there has a clone of Breakout or Arkanoid, and the Archimedes is not alone. The classic bat and ball gameplay of Atari’s 1976 arcade game was later improved greatly by Taito with the addition of power-ups and different brick formations. Fireball II follows the exact same formula as the Arkanoid titles and allows you to play with a mouse giving far more sensitive controls. One nice feature of this title over the Taito game, though, is the ability to combine power-ups, for example you can have both lasers and a big bat at the same time! This remains to be a great arcade game for the Acorn Archimedes. 38 | RETRO GAMER
■ Star Fighter 3000 first came to prominence when it was released for the 3DO in 1996 (which also used an ARM RISC chip). It received rave reviews all round and was soon converted over to the PC, Saturn and PlayStation the year after. However, not many people know that it was originally a game for Acorn’s 32-bit home computer and one of the most impressive games on the system. A mission-based open-world space shooter, the worlds around you are a stunning mix of flat-shaded and texture-mapped polygons. The object of each level usually revolves around
» BLOWPIPE ■ DEVELOPER: ECLIPSE ■ YEAR: 1995
■ Eclipse is best known for the Iron Soldier games on the Jaguar and PlayStation or the Wings Of Death games on the Amiga and ST, but not many people are aware that it also published Archimedes games. Like the Wings Of Death games, this is another title that shows its shoot-’em-up pedigree. A horizontally-scrolling affair, Blowpipe is reminiscent of Konami’s Nemesis and Salamander. The cavernous levels, long screen and enemies all owe a lot to the classic arcade games. Blowpipe uses an energy bar rather than just a ‘one hit and you’re dead’ system though, which is fortunate given how many enemies there are on-screen.
WorldMags.net
destroying a set of ground-based targets. Each of these missions starts with a map screen that plots out the level in front of you. Each world is huge compared to similar games and there are an incredible 108 of them! Being a 3D game, one of the key features of Star Fighter 3000 is the ability to change the camera angles and the viewpoint from thirdperson to cockpit. Looking around your ship becomes a key part of the game when you are being chased by enemies or looking for targets. Your ship is equipped with standard guns and missiles but your weapons
» MR DOO ■ DEVELOPER: STEPHEN KETT ■ YEAR: 1991
■ We are sure you have already guessed by the title but this is a pretty much straight-up clone of Universal’s fantastic 1982 arcade game Mr Do!. Instead of a clown though, you now control a wizard, but the core gameplay is exactly the same – to clear each level of the cherries and not get caught by the enemies. The only real additions to the game are the power-ups that can be collected. These help you turn the tables on the enemy and complete levels quicker. Mr Doo has lovely colourful graphics, great digitised sound and addictive gameplay that will keep this game right at the front of your disk box.