| Gladiator | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Domark Limited [1] |
| Designer(s) | |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting [1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gladiator is a fighting video game published by Domark Limited for the 48K ZX Spectrums in 1985. Ports for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and 128K ZX Spectrums were released in 1986.
The Roman legion has pillaged the player character's hometown, sold them into slavery, and consigned them to a gladiator school. The player has to gather money as a gladiator to attain their freedom. [5]
The game is a one-on-one fighting game. The player has to select two primary weapons from a selection of 45. The second weapon may be replaced with a shield if desired. Additionally, a dagger serves as a third weapon, which can only be utilized when the primary weapons have been thrown or lost during the match. The player can execute a total of 25 different types of strikes using their chosen weapons. [6]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Amstrad Action | 35% (Amstrad) [7] |
| Amtix | 10% (Amstrad) [5] |
| Crash | 77% (Spectrum) [1] |
| Computer and Video Games | 34/40 (Spectrum) [6] |
Computer and Video Games gave a positive review and noted the controls as complex due to the number of moves the player can make. [6] Crash didn't like the controls and said the game is nowhere near the quality of The Way of the Exploding Fist . [1] Amtix called the game "totally unplayable and mindnumbingly dull". [5] Amstrad Action said the game is too similar to other combat games and noted the game's very high difficulty. [7] Computer Gamer liked the variety of weapons but said there are too many moves to learn. [8]
The Multiface was a hardware peripheral released by Romantic Robot for several 1980s home computers. The primary function of the device was to dump the computer's memory to external storage. Pressing a red button on the Multiface activated it. As most games of the era did not have a save game feature, the Multiface allowed players to save their position by saving a loadable snapshot of the game. Home computer software of the early 1980s was typically loaded into RAM in one go, with copy protection measures concentrating the loading phase or just after it. The snapshot feature could be used after copy protection routines had been executed, to create a backup that was effectively unprotected against unauthorised distribution. Later models of the Multiface mitigated this by requiring the device to be present when re-loading the dumps into memory, making the dumps useless to people without a Multiface. Software producers also reacted to the threat by using routines that would prevent execution of the product if it detected that a Multiface was present and by loading the software in multiple parts, thus requiring the presence of the original, copy-protected media.
Alien 8 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game. It was released for the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC and MSX in 1985. The game is a spiritual successor to the best-selling Knight Lore, which was lauded by critics for its isometric graphics. In the game, the player takes control of a robot, Alien 8, whose job is to ensure that all of the cryogenically frozen passengers on board a starship remain viable during the ship's voyage.
Newsfield Publications Ltd was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Tornado Low Level is a multidirectional flight game developed by Costa Panayi and published in 1984 by the company he co-founded, Vortex Software. The game was first released for the ZX Spectrum, and later ported to the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64.
Crystal Computing, later renamed Design Design, was a British video game developer founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and Ian Stamp while students at the University of Manchester. Graham Stafford, Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel and Martin Horsley, joined the company as it expanded. The company's first software release was a compilation of games for the Sinclair ZX81, though it was with the ZX Spectrum that Crystal found its greatest success. A deal with the machine's manufacturer Sinclair to distribute Crystal's Zeus Assembler gave the company sufficient funds for a major marketing campaign for their next product, Halls of the Things, an arcade adventure game that became their most successful title.
Deactivators is a 1986 puzzle video game designed by David Bishop and Chris Palmer, developed by Tigress Marketing and System Software, and published by Ariolasoft's action game imprint Reaktor. The player controls bomb disposal robots known as deactivators and must use them to deactivate bombs planted by terrorists in five research complexes. The concept for the game came from a brainstorming session between Bishop and Palmer; its design and development took five to six months to complete. It was released for the Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms in October 1986.
Zub is a 1986 platform video game designed by Ste and John Pickford, developed by Binary Design, and published by Mastertronic for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The game has the player control Zub, who has to travel to different planets to retrieve the Green Eyeball of Zub. A parody of the game Light Force, called Lightfarce, was added in as an easter egg. The music on all computers was composed by David Whittaker.
Rambo is a 1985 video game based on the film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). The game was designed by David Collier and Tony Pomfret with the ZX Spectrum version converted by Platinum Productions.
Batman is a 1986 isometric action-adventure game by Ocean Software for the Amstrad PCW, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX, and the first Batman game developed. The game received favourable reviews. An unrelated Batman game was released two years later, titled Batman: The Caped Crusader.
Sweevo's World is an isometric 3D arcade adventure game released by Gargoyle Games in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. An enhanced version for the Spectrum 128K was also released, titled Sweevo's Whirled. The game was followed by a sequel, Hydrofool.
Light Force is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter designed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter, developed by their company Gargoyle Games, and published under their Faster Than Light imprint. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platforms.
Zoids: The Battle Begins is a 1986 video game designed by Chris Fayers, developed by the Electric Pencil Company, and published by Martech. and released in Europe for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX and Commodore 64 computers. Based on the Zoids toy series, the player controls a human who was fused with one of the robots and has to reclaim parts of a larger mech.
Thanatos is an action game developed and published by Durell Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC.
OCP Art Studio or Art Studio was a popular bitmap graphics editor for home computers released in 1985, created by Oxford Computer Publishing and written by James Hutchby.
Ace is a combat flight simulator video game published for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Plus/4 in 1985 by Cascade Games. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Amiga, and ZX Spectrum.
Friday the 13th: The Computer Game is the first game adaptation based on the films of the same name. It was released in 1986 by Domark for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game was released on floppy diskette and cassette tape. The player's goal is to find and kill Jason, while making sure their friends or they themselves are not killed by Jason.
Colossus Bridge 4 is a video game published by CDS Micro Systems, in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, in 1987 for the Commodore 64, and in 1988 for the BBC Micro. The game was packaged with a book, Begin Bridge by Geoff Fox.
Ashkeron! is an interactive fiction video game developed by Dorset-based Texgate Computers and published by Mirrorsoft for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum in 1985.
Sai Combat is a 1986 fighting video game published by Mirrorsoft for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC.
Strike Force Harrier is a 1986 combat flight simulation video game designed by Rod Hyde and published by Mirrorsoft for the 8-bit home computers. 16-bit ports were released later.
Authors: Mike Green, Mike Moscoff
GLADIATOR can win you your Freedom! - DOMARK - Available for Spectrum 48k at £8.95 from your local stockist or direct from us at [...]
GLADIATOR DOMARK - Available now on: SPECTRUM 48/128K, CBM 64, AMSTRAD CPC
Graphics: 9, Sound: 7, Value: 9, Playability: 9