| Whistler's Brother | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Broderbund |
| Designer(s) | Louis Ewens |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
Whistler's Brother is a platform game designed by Louis Ewens and published in 1984 by Broderbund for the Atari 8-bit computers [1] and Commodore 64.
In Whistler's Brother, the player controls not only his character, but also his thoughtless brother. By pressing the fire button, the player character whistles so that his brother (who is not taking his eyes off the map) knows which direction to follow him. Proper timing is important, as failing to whistle will cause the player's brother to go the wrong way and possibly die. The player is tasked with retracing the path of his brother's last expedition and recovering the lost manuscript, artifacts and tools he left behind. [2]
The game consists of 13 chapters, with the first chapter beginning on a pier where the player must board a ship sailing to South America. In each subsequent chapter, the player will find tools or artifacts that, when collected, give a special power: a spinning that will make the player's character immune to all dangers in his path. [2]
Whistler's Brother received fairly positive reviews. Zzap!64 reviewer concluded that "Overall this is an excellent game". [3] Commodore Power/Play , Tom Benford praised the longevity of the game: "Each chapter has its own intricacies, idiosyncrasies, dangers and strategies, so Whistler's Brother will sustain your interest for a long, long time. It's not a game you're going to master in an hour – or ten, for that matter." [4] Antic 's Jack Powell praised the graphics and animation, but complained about the annoying sound and less than adequate documentation. [5]
The Great Giana Sisters is a platform game developed by the West German company Time Warp and published by Rainbow Arts in 1987 for various home computers such as the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST. Players control Giana, or her sister Maria in the multiplayer mode, to explore a magical world inside their dreams. The two seek out a giant diamond to awaken from their dream. They traverse side-scrolling stages while avoiding hazards such as monsters and other enemies with the aid of power-ups grant them various abilities such as firing projectiles and making enemies fall asleep.
Boulder Dash is a 2D maze-puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who collects treasures while evading hazards.
Paradroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It is a shoot 'em up with puzzle elements and was critically praised at release. The objective is to clear a fleet of spaceships of hostile robots by destroying them or taking them over via a mini-game. It was later remade as Paradroid 90 for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs. In 2004 the Commodore 64 version was re-released as a built-in game on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe.
Underwurlde is a 1984 action-adventure platform video game in the Sabreman series by Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The player controls the adventurer Sabreman as he jumps between platforms in a castle and its caverns to find an escape past the exit guardians. Underwurlde features about 600 flip screen areas. Unlike other games of its time, Sabreman is not injured when touched by enemies and is instead knocked backwards. Underwurlde is the second game in the series, between Sabre Wulf and Knight Lore, and released shortly before the latter for the ZX Spectrum in late 1984. Another developer, Firebird, ported the game to the Commodore 64 the next year.
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The Staff of Karnath is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game for the Commodore 64 originally in 1984 and in the United States in 1985. The game is the first instalment of the Pendragon series and is the first to feature the aristocrat adventurer Sir Arthur Pendragon. In the game, Sir Pendragon is tasked with searching a castle for the ancient Staff of Karnath, which he must destroy prior to midnight, before it wipes out the human race.
Time Bandit is a maze shoot 'em up written for the TRS-80 Model I by Bill Dunlevy and Harry Lafnear and published by MichTron in 1983. It was ported to the TRS-80 Color Computer and Dragon 32, but enjoyed its greatest popularity several years later as an early release for the Atari ST. It was also released for the pseudo-PC-compatible Sanyo MBC-55x with 8-color display. Amiga and MS-DOS versions were ported by Timothy Purves.
N.Y.C. The Big Apple is an action game written by Russ Segal for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1984. Segal previously wrote Picnic Paranoia for Synapse. New York City was ported to the Commodore 64 by Greg Nelson.
Spy's Demise is an action game written by Alan Zeldin for the Apple II and published by Penguin Software in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, and Vector-06c. The game contains a puzzle which at the time of release could be solved for a Spy's Demise T-shirt. According to Antic magazine in June 1984, only four people had solved it. The game was followed by a 1983 sequel, The Spy Strikes Back.
Entombed is an action-adventure video game published by Ultimate Play the Game for the Commodore 64 in 1985. It is the second instalment of the Pendragon series and is a sequel to The Staff of Karnath. The game features series protagonist and aristocrat adventurer, Sir Arthur Pendragon, as he attempts to escape an ancient Egyptian tomb before all oxygen runs out. As with its predecessor, Entombed is presented in an isometric format.
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Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back is a 1985 video game for the Commodore 64, a sequel to Beach Head, developed and published by Access Software. It was designed by Bruce Carver and his brother, Roger, and was released for the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Questprobe featuring The Hulk is a 1984 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Adventure International in collaboration with Marvel Comics. It is the first entry in Questprobe, an intended series of graphic adventure games that only released three installments before the developer's bankruptcy. The game's narrative follows the Marvel superhero Hulk and his human alter-ego Bruce Banner, who must explore the mysterious lair of the Chief Examiner. The graphics and story outline were created by Marvel artists and writers. Critical reception was generally positive, with much of the praise going to the visuals. Reactions to the gameplay were mixed, especially upon the game's budget re-release, by which time it was considered dated.
Leader Board is a series of golf simulation video games that was developed by Bruce Carver and Roger Carver, and published by Access Software.
Chopper Hunt is a side-view shoot 'em up written by Tom Hudson and published by Imagic in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. It was one of the last games from Imagic before the company went out of business. Chopper Hunt is an enhanced version of the Atari 8-bit game Buried Bucks released by ANALOG Software in 1982. In both games, the player files a helicopter that uses bombs to unearth buried items. Contemporaneous reviews were mixed.
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Crusade in Europe is a computer wargame published by MicroProse in 1985 for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. It was designed by Sid Meier and Ed Bever.
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Pastfinder is a vertically scrolling shooter designed by David Lubar and published by in 1984 by Activision for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and MSX.
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