A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Page 1: Kaiser - Kentucky Racing Page 2: Kettle - Kinetik |
Page 3: Klax - Kobayashi Naru Page 4: Kong's Revenge - Kwik Snax |
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Kaiser
(Ariolasoft, 1986) Between one and nine players can compete against each other in this strategy game, in an attempt to become Emperor of 18th century Germany. Starting with 10,000 acres of land, each player takes it in turn to manage their supply of corn so that the inhabitants of his or her land can be fed. Markets and mills can also be built to generate extra revenue, and you can also build a palace and a cathedral. As you progress, your rank increases until you are eventually crowned Emperor. As a one-player game, it's OK, but if you can find one or more players to compete with, you can also recruit an army and wage war against your opponents to obtain land and money. The game is rather slow, but I found it to be an interesting economic simulation. However, it only works on a CPC464, which is very surprising for a game that was released in 1986. 7 |
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Kane
(Mastertronic, 1986) Some Wild West action for you here. You're a cowboy and have to perform four tasks. The first task sees you shooting birds (awww!) with your bow and arrow – this determines how many lives you'll get. Next, you get on your horse to the town of Kane, before entering the town and clearing it of all the enemy cowboys. Finally, you're running alongside a train on your horse and have to reach the front carriage whilst jumping over the obstacles. You can practice any of these tasks as well. The graphics are a bit below average, as are the sound effects, and whilst it's enjoyable at first, there are only so many times you'll play it before losing interest. 6 |
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Karateka
(Microïds/Brøderbund, 1990) Up at the top of a mountain in Japan, the evil lord Akuma has captured the beautiful princess Mariko. You, as a karate fighter, make your way to Akuma's temple and battle his soldiers one at a time, taking them on in one-to-one karate. Each time you kill a soldier, you run forwards and get that bit closer to Mariko, before finally reaching her dungeon cell and confronting Akuma himself. The first few fighters are fairly easy to kill, but once you're inside the temple, it becomes harder. This is a conversion of a game that was released years before the CPC version, and one might regard it as a forerunner to the excellent Prince of Persia – certainly, the graphics and presentation are very similar indeed. Overall, though, there is little variety in the gameplay. 7 |
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Karatian is a beat-'em-up that combines elements of three CPC games – IK+, Barbarian and Beyond the Ice Palace. It features Beyond the Ice Palace's loading screen, music and scrolling introduction, two different backdrops from Barbarian and gameplay and sprites from IK+. It's weird, but oh so wonderful. Impressive graphical changes and instant grab factor will have you playing for a long while. The sound consists of spot effects when you land blows on your opponent, and at the end of each round, the losing characters disappear in a spectacular explosion! Instead of having three players, Karatian has added a fourth player and limited moves, making it a harder game than IK+. If timed right, you can also get your character to emit a humorous scream within a speech bubble. 8 |
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Karl – after his last outing in Karl's Cavern (which was only released for the BBC Micro) – has fallen on hard times. So imagine his delight when he wins a competition for a stay in Wonga Mansion. "So what?" you say. Well, scattered around this mansion's 40 rooms are 40 keys. If Karl can collect all of the keys and then locate the exit, he can unlock the treasure chest and become rich beyond his wildest dreams! Just as Karl's Cavern was a blatant rip-off of Manic Miner, this game is a blatant copy of that game's sequel, Jet Set Willy. The graphics and sound are as basic as you would expect from such an old game, and it is also very difficult, but I still quite liked it. I found it quite fun and addictive, and the maze-like layout of the 40 rooms is ingenious. 6 |
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In the realm of Wonderland, strongman Karnov is on a quest to retrieve the legendary treasure of Babylon from the dragon Ryu. However, lying between our hero and his prize is a land filled with monsters in all shapes and sizes; ghouls, ghosts, demons, gargoyles, golems, skeletal warriors, dinosaurs and more. Thankfully, Karnov is a tough nut, and is capable of breathing fire. A plethora of bonuses that upgrade our bald-headed muscleman are also available as he makes he way across the landscape battling the unpleasant locals hellbent on his destruction. Sound and music are probably the best aspect, as the visuals are somewhat of a poor Spectrum quality and the sprites scroll awkwardly. 2 |
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Selected from over 4,000 entries as the winner of CRASH! magazine's competition to design a game (what must the rest have been like?), Kat Trap has you in the role of a Multi-Terrain Exploration Droid (M.T.ED – get it?) who has been sent by the exiled people of Earth to win their planet back from the evil Kat-men who have taken it over. From your landing area, you must walk continually to the right, through ruined landscapes, blasting away enemies (different weapons destroy different enemies, so you must be quick-fingered at times) until you reach the Kat-men's Power Core, shut it down and then make the long journey home. The graphics are OK, the sound is minimal, and although initially it's not too difficult, obstacles such as the bouncing rocks are just plain irritating. M.T.ED's pathetic 'jump' won't help you either! 5 |
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Kenny Dalglish Soccer Match
(Impressions, 1990) Kenny Dalglish endorses another football game, but this one is terrible, mainly because it looks like a nightmarish Spectrum port – although it might not actually be one, which is even more shocking. You can play against the computer or a human opponent in a single match, red against blue, which can last for 10 to 40 minutes – and that's all you can do in this game. There are no tournaments or leagues to play in at all. As I've said, the graphics are absolutely terrible, except for the monochrome digitised pictures of Kenny. He appears on the screen just before each half with a 'quick word', offering such gems as "We want a good result" and "I want GOALS". Thanks for that! When you compare this with Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager, it's a real shame that this turned out to be such a poor game. 3 |
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Kentilla
(Mastertronic, 1986) The evil Grako has obtained the Moonstone of Algarth and is going to use it to become the ruler of Caraland. It's up to you to travel to the Black Tower and slay him using the sword, Kentilla, which someone called Oregon gives you at the start of your adventure. This is a text adventure game with some rudimentary pictures accompanying a few of the locations. It's mostly written in BASIC, and it certainly shows. There are many characters in the game – some friendly, some unfriendly – and you can interact with them, or attack them. However, the descriptions of the locations are very terse, and as a result, the whole adventure lacks atmosphere. 4 |
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Kentucky Racing
(Alternative, 1990) This is a curious game consisting of a mixture of one of those funfair games where you aim a ball at holes on the surface of a tilted box, and horse racing. There are nine horse races, each with three horses, one of which is yours, although there is a two-player option as well. In each race, you have to throw the ball towards one of the many holes, and if the ball does fall into a hole, your horse moves a bit further towards the finishing post. Some races have hurdles, however, and only some of the holes allow your horse to jump over them. It's not quite as bizarre as it sounds, but it is really boring. The graphics are garish and not very well drawn, and there doesn't seem to be any skill involved – just luck. 2 |
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