This article was taken from Cleveland Freenet.¢-----------------------------------¢¢Reprinted from Current Notes, Vol. 12, No. 1, January/February 1992¢-----------------------------------¢Article name: (More) Tetris, Anyone?.¢Author's name: Steve Hoffee¢Cleveland Freenet Atari SIG¢Telnet: freenet-in-b.cwru.edu (129.22.8.38)¢By Phone: (216) 368-3888¢Type "go atari" at any menu.¢-----------------------------------¢¢¢(More) Tetris, Anyone?¢----------------------¢¢by Steve Hoffee¢¢Okay, for you fanatics who didn't get enough 8-bit Tetris in the July CN, we'll have to go at it one last time. Since this Russian-born game hit American shores a few years ago, it has become a craze everywhere. It seems everybody has jumped on the bandwagon, from (pardon my language) Nintendo, Apple, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy, to our superior 8-bit Ataris (no prejudice here!).¢¢Of course, the object of Tetris is to manipulate differently shaped objects to form a solid line at the bottom of the playing area, thus clearing that line from the screen. After a certain number of lines are completed and cleared, you can move on to the next level of play. There are many versions of Tetris available, but this review deals with just two of them: Fortress and Atartris. I used a 130XE and a 1050 drive, but these programs should work fine with any ATARI 48K computer and disk drive.¢¢Fortress Ver. 2.0¢¢Written by one Zark Wizard, Fortress, upon loading, presents you with a very good title screen almost assuring you of more good graphics to come. By pressing START you go to the Options Menu which gives you the choise of: 1) Play, 2) Choose Music, or 3) Game Options.¢¢This screen also shows promise of more good graphics to come. The options are easy to understand and change. The Choose Music option allows you to choose one of three song titles that will be played during the game. You also have the Music Off option, which I preferred due to the monotony of the music.¢¢There are six game options available:¢¢ o Controller Type (joystick or keyboard).¢ o Starting Level (1-9), with 9 being warp speed.¢ o Block Height (0-9). This puts blocks on the bottom of the screen from 0 to 9 lines. When this function is activated it leaves gaps in the lines which can't be filled, therefore it isn't recommended unless you enjoy punishment.¢ o Next Object (hint area ON or OFF)¢ o Clear Hi-Scores¢ o Sound Effects (ON or OFF). Sound is automatically off when music is selected.¢¢The playing screen consists of a Playing Field (on the left half) and a Hint, Score, Lines Completed, Level and all available objects screen on the right. The graphics on this screen were a little disappointing, compared to the first two screens. I use a TV, rather than a monitor, which tended to make some of the smaller lettering bleed together. At the bottom of the playing area you have the options to PAUSE, QUIT or LINES. The latter puts white vertical lines on the field for easier alignment of the objects. Although this option does come in handy, it is somewhat distracting. It would have been better having the lines light grey so they wouldn't stand out so much.¢¢As for playability, Fortress is fun and very challenging at the higher levels (if you get there). The objects that appear on the field are displayed, and kept account of, to the right of the playing area. The numbers next to the seven objects show how many times that object has been ysed. You also get a 200 point bonus every time you clear a line. Overall, I enjoyed this game and its features. The author obviously devoted considerable effort packing every feature he could into this game. The program is shareware and is certainly worthy of a contribution to the author. It's also worthy of a place in your library if you're a Tetris fan. I'd give this game a B- as an overall grade.¢¢Atartris Ver. 1.01¢¢Programmed by Steve Budrys, this game can in no way be compared to Fortress. While it lacks Fortress's flashy title screen and options menu, it makes up the deficiency in versatility, playability and ease of use.¢¢Atartris's Options Menu is completely joystick-driven and is so simple a child can easily make all of his/her choices (provided he can read). I tested this with four sixth-graders (thanks Stefanee, Nicole, Meghan and Sarah!), and they got several levels further into the game than I had expected. They especially enjoyed the fact that they could play each other (in two-player mode), with the first one completing nine lines getting the bonus before they moved on to the next level.¢¢This game, at level A, starts out slow and then progressively speeds up at the completion of each level. There are 26 levels, making this a game for all ages. When a level is completed, the entire playing area is cleared before you start the next level--a most rewarding feature. The Options Menu contains a number of features to customize the game to your own personal taste. Also included are instructions on how to use a different font and configuration setup which will load upon booting (however, I found the menu to be so simple and quick that these weren't really necessary).¢¢The Options Menu consists of:¢¢ > Play The Game Already¢ > 1 or 2 players¢ > Singles are OK (not OK)¢ > All Pieces Rotate (most, some, few, or none)¢ > Alignment Guide (OFF or ON)¢ > Start at Level A-Z¢ > Preview one piece (none, 4, 3 or 2)¢ > Pieces Rotate Clockwise (Counter-Clockwise)¢ > View Hi-Scores¢ > About "Atartris" (a brief note and acknowledgements to friends, along with ways to get in touch with the author).¢¢The game options menu alone offers a lot more than most Tetris clones. Being public domain, the price is irresistible and a "must have" for any gamer. I was going to give this game an overall grade of B+ until a friend of mine sent me Atartris II over the modem last night (thanks, Craig)! The new features now include:¢¢ o Permanent Hi-Score file¢ o Two-Player Cooperation Mode (where you work together rather than complete)¢ o Lines-To-Go Display¢ o Lines-Completed-Display¢ o High Score (Includes Lines and Levels)¢ o Structure Height Bonus¢ o Bonus For Clearing Board¢ o Second Player Join-In Feature (a second player can join in at the beginning of any level)¢ o Scoring Multiplier¢¢With all these additional features, I'd have to give Atartris II an A. (If it had flashy graphics I'd rate it A+). I've asked a number of people which Tetris clone they liked best, and without exception, the answer was Atartris (now it's Atartris II). Until next time, keep your eyes on the monitor and your hands on the joystick (sung to the melody of "Roadhouse Blues" by The Doors)!¢¢*** Fortress and Atartris are available together as PD87 from my library. Check the PD catalogue for details. ***¢¢
