Tag Archives: Retro Gaming

Cookie, ZX Spectrum

Another of Ultimate‘s early ZX Spectrum classics, Cookie – from 1983 – is a simple arcade-style action game where you are a little chef sprite shooting bags of flour at ingredients to knock them into a mixing bowl.

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The Sentinel, Amiga

Geoff Crammond‘s The Sentinel (aka The Sentry in North America) is a strange chess-like game where you have to sneak up on an overseeing watcher, who is perched high on a platform, overlooking the play area, and absorb him before he does the same to you.

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Toobin’, Arcade

Some old arcade games are instantly recognisable. Toobin’ – by Atari Games – is one of them.

It’s the only video game I can think of that utilises ‘kids floating down a river on a rubber tube’ style gameplay mechanics.

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Cannon Fodder, Amiga

Sensible Software‘s brilliant Cannon Fodder is possibly their finest hour.

From the hilarious intro song, to the compelling action of the main game – Cannon Fodder is about as much fun as computerised war, with little titchy men and a mouse could possibly be.

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Chuckie Egg, ZX Spectrum

Released by A&F Software in 1983, Nigel Alderton‘s brilliant platform game, Chuckie Egg, lit up Spectrums around the world, with its cute graphics and precise, challenging gameplay. In fact: Chuckie Egg is so sweet and characterful that it still has the power to enchant gamers today.

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Paradroid ’90, Amiga

Mmmm. Paradroid ’90 is one of those “classic” games that should have been great, but unfortunately was a big, fat missed opportunity.

Its parent – the Commodore 64 classic Paradroid, by Andrew Braybrook – is a perfect example of simple-but-amazingly-compelling gameplay.

This remake pretty much loses everything that made the original great, in spite of original author Braybrook‘s involvement.

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Head Over Heels, PC

Which leads me up to this 2003 remake of Head Over Heels, by Retrospec.

A re-imagining of Ritman and Drummond‘s classic game, with updated visuals and sound. Does it cut the mustard? Does it live up to the greatness of the original?

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Head Over Heels, Atari ST

The Atari ST and Amiga versions of Head Over Heels are pretty much indistinguishable, other than slight colour palette differences.

Both – I would say – are among the greatest video games of all time.

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