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CLAYPIGEONS

CLAYPIGEONS Ever had one of those days when you've felt like taking a gun and blasting everything in sight? Well now you can, but there's no violence involved with you play Anthony Martin's CLAYPIGEONS.

Fifty clays will fly across the screen while you use the keyboard to get them in your gunsights.

When you think you've got it right, fire away. But beware - the Electron will comment on how good you are and it's not always very flattering.

Still, practice makes perfect and you'll get a lot of practice as you keep on trying to get all fifty of those clays.

Variables
hs%(6) Six highest scores
name$(6) Six highest scores
score% Game score
clay% Number of clays so far
sx%, osx% Present and last x coordinate of gunsight
sy%, osy% Present and last y coordinate of gunsight
x%, ox% Present and last x coordinate of clay
y%, oy% Present and last y coordinate of clay
start% Random y coordinates of clay at start
end% Random y coordinates of clay at end
inc% Gradual change in y coordinate of clay
shoot% 1 if fired, 0 if not fired
hit% Indicates to random message system whether hit or not
com$(14) 14 comments used by random message system
message% Random number, if 3 no message
mess% Indicates to random message system the standard of performance achieved so far
messno% Number of message selected

ESCAPE FROM PLANET SCARGOV

By Ian Brown

ESCAPE FROM PLANET SCARGOV A noisy and colourful affair, this game is guaranteed to give you a headache if you play it long enough.

You have to control a long-suffering, innocent little chap safely across a long string of minefields - 31 in all - to reach a spacecraft waiting to carry him away from the evil planet Scargov.

He must negotiate each minefield by avoiding the flashing mines and the aliens, who, although not out to get him, will not take kindly to being bumped into.

But beware! There is also a time limit. He has only a short period before the whole minefield explodes taking him with it - whether in the "safe" area or not.

On each successive minefield the mines become more numerous and flash more quickly. And occasionally another alient may join its friends.

If the game proves too easy for you there is plenty of scope for making it harder. More aliens and mines can be added or the time limit shortened, all without difficulty by changing the relevant variables.

Variables
score Score
nextaim Next score to be reached to earn an extra life: 10,000, 20,000 etc.
screen Current minefield - 1 to 31
lives Number of lives left
safecol% Colour of safe area
fieldcol% Colour of minefield area
x%, y% X and y coordinates of man's current position on screen
alien Number of aliens
bx%, by% Temporary storage of mine positions
key, keym Keyboard GETs
rnd% Random number used for generating aliens' movements
time% Time left until minefield explodes
 
Arrays
ax%(a%), ay%(a%) X and y coordinates of alien number a% on screen
 
Flags
lose Life lost
win Field crossed successfully
dead All lives spent
escape Field 31 crossed, game completed
Procedures
250 init Initialisation routines. Sets up envelopes, VDU 23s, dimensions, initial variables and flags
430 screen Sets up screen display, colours, flash rate, positions of aliens, mines, etc
810 man Controls man from keyboard input (N.B. GCOL 4,0 is used throughout to avoid complications due to overplotting etc).
940 alien Moves aliens randomly. (The positions of all five aliens are worked out regardless of the number actually on screen to slow the game down in the earlier screens).
1070 update Checks for fatal moves, running out of time, completing a screen
1180 win On completing a screen. New screen chosen, score given, new life if appropriate
1310 lose On losing a life
1420 escape On completing screen 31 and so finishing the game
1590 dead Another game?
1690 start Offers the option of instructions
1780 instructions Game blurb and list of keys
2030 error Called if an error occurs

SNAKES

SNAKES, by Andrew Logan, is a simple but compulsive game that will have you glued to your keyboard.

SNAKES The idea is that you are in control of a rapidly moving "snake". Every now and then a number appears on the screen and, if you're quick enough, the snake eats the number and adds those points to your score.

The trouble is that you also get that number of segments added to your snake, making it harder to control, as it mustn't run into the sides or into itself.

All the controls are shown in the program, and the rest is up to you. How long can your snake survive?

180 PROCinst Displays the instructions and rules of the game
270 PROCinit Sets up arrays, initialises variables and chooses the initial position and direction of the snake. It also draws the boundary
380 PROCmove Prints a link at the head of the snake
520 PROCtail Puts a space over the last link in the chain and searches for the new "tail"
550 PROCrnd Selects a random number between 1 and 9 and puts it on the screen. TIME is set to zero
600 PROCnumcheck Checks whether the head of the snake has passed over the number
630 PROCerase Prints a space over a number if it is not eaten
740 PROCcheck Checks whether the snake is executing any illegal moves
780 PROCholdup Has you circling and avoiding yourself as you wait for the next number
800 PROCdead Tells you that you are dead and asks whether you want another game

SPACE BATTLE

SPACE BATTLE Tired of using your Electron for educational purposes? Sick of utilities and fed up with programming? Why not give yourself a break and go back to the roots of microcomputing?

Zap a few aliens with Roland Waddilove's all action arcade epic, SPACE BATTLE.

You take control of one of the missile batteries. Your task is to repel the aliens who hover, dive and, if you're not quick enough, land with disastrous results. Far from easy, but it is great fun.

THE GREAT CHEESE RACE

By Rog Frost

THE GREAT CHEESE RACE THE GREAT CHEESE RACE is a two player game written for the Electron by Rog Frost.

Each player controls a mouse, using the keyboard to guide the beastie to the yellow cheeses scattered around the screen. Of course, as soon as your mouse, gets to a cheese it eats it.

You get a point for each cheese your creature eats - sometimes you get two, if you're lucky.

The first mouse to score six is the winner. And there are no cats to spoil your fun!

Game Controls

Direction Red Mouse White Mouse
Left X <
Right C >
Up A *
Down Z ?
Line(s) Description
60 Switches off the flashing cursor
90-100 Gives starting positions for the two mice
110 Sets score for both mice to zero
120-130 Defines characters for mice
140 Defines the character for cheese
150 Prints text character at graphics cursor
160 Chooses graphics colour yellow
170-190 Print cheeses at random positions, but on a grid to ensure neat eating!
220-240 Draws a black square over the mice
250-320 Movement commands for the mice. Use the INKEY table on page 159 of the User Guide if you want to change the keys
330-340 Draws mice in new positions
350-360 Checks to see whether either mouse is having a nibble. If it is, the cheese is removed, the score is updated and a beep produced
370 Four different conditions for ending the game
380 Empties the keyboard buffer
400 Gives blue striped effect
520 Clears blue stripes

Cover Art Language(s): English
Compatibility: Acorn Electron
Release: Magazine available via High Street/Mail Order
Original Release Date: 1st Jan 1985
Links: Everygamegoing,

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