Psion Games Arcade


Introduction
This is a collection of five games of varying types. The style of the package is very similar to the approach Psion have taken with Presentation Maker, in that the applications are supplied on DOS format floppy discs (two in this case) in SIS file format, and with a slim manual. Each game can be installed on its own, so if there's one or two you don't like you can remove them easily. Just one warning about that, though: uninstalling via the Control Panel (which is the sensible method) will remove all the files needed by that application, including an OPX file that the remaining ones (and quite probably some of your other third-party applications) will need.
I've tried all the games on the Geofox One as well as on the Series 5, and they all work well. The absence of the pen input is much less of a problem than you might think, as there are keystroke alternatives for all the games, and many of them work at least as well that way. Indeed I find that both Stigma and TacTile actually play better without the pen. The only untoward happening with these on the Geofox One is that Golf sometimes leaves two system clocks on the screen, one in the right place for the S5, and one where the Geofox One would put it. Given that the Geofox didn't exist when these games were written, that's a pretty good testimony for the ability of EPOC32 to cope with the two incarnations it has. All the games work in "S5" mode, in that the bottom portion of the screen is not used, but that doesn't matter once you get playing.

Tactile
This is the most unusual of the five games, and not one I've come across before. It is a strategy game, and takes up 170 kb of disc space, including a 49 kb Help file. The aim is to flatten out the tiles displayed to make the playing area smooth and tidy. In later levels you have to put balls into baskets or arrange the tiles to face in specific directions. The sounds effects are limited to unimpressive little chirps and bleeps when you make a move, but that doesn't bother me as I usually play games with the sound off so that people think I'm working. Initially, the levels are fairly simple to complete once you get the hang of what you're supposed to do, but they do get harder, and you can move to any level you want without having to enter a password.


An Early Level

As you progress, you encounter sloping tiles that rotate and have to move balls around to complete the levels. The Help file is brief, but well illustrated and is worth reading carefully if you want to get to grips with the game.


A More Complicated Level

It grew on me over the review period, and I think it could well be the overlooked member of the package that you suddenly get to grips with several months after you've installed it. When that does happen, there's a level designer with basic instructions so you can create extra puzzles if you want to.

Stigma
This is a conversion of a Series 3a/c game of the same name. Initially it was Shareware, then it was included in a games pack on SSD. I registered it when it was still Shareware, and played it for a while then. In this version it needs some 350 kb of space for the installation and comes with configurable sound effects. The idea is to guide a ball through a series of mazes, collecting tokens as you go. It's a more sophisticated electronic version of those maze puzzles where you tilt them to achieve the same result. Naturally, tilting the S5 doesn't achieve much, and so you use the keyboard or pen, although that requires a lot of dragging of the pen around the screen, and gets very difficult to control. Using the keyboard works well enough, and is my preferred option.


One Level of Stigma

However, I must admit that it's my least favourite of the games in this compilation, partly because I knew it so well (and got fed-up of it) in its original S3a/c form. There are some new levels and, as far as I remember, the passwords to access those levels have changed.

Bomz5
Not to be confused with Bombs (the Minesweeper game that comes in ROM with EPOC32 machines), this is another conversion from a Series 3a/c game that was issued on an SSD. It was always one of the games that I returned to time and again, leaving it when I got stuck on a level, and returning a few weeks later with fresh determination. This version is exactly like the original in that respect. It takes up around 115 kb in total, and involves guiding a little character around around a landscape of tiles, collecting orbs and keys, to get to the exit (and the next level).


A Bomz5 Screen

To make life difficult, some of the tiles are so fragile that they can only be touched once, some must be crossed in a particular direction, and some levels involve you avoiding rapidly homing diamond-shaped enemies, avoiding or detonating bombs, and a few other tricks too. Some of the 100 levels involve strategic thinking, while others demand speed, dexterity and luck! It has the right blend of frustration and relief to keep you coming back for another go, and has enough variation to be worth playing the earlier levels again without being boring.

Golf
If I say that the last two games are written by Steve Litchfield, then that should suffice to let you know the sort of quality to expect. Golf is another conversion, this time of the Shareware Fairway from the S3a/c range. As with Bomz5, it looks and feels so much like the older version that it took hardly any time to get used to.


The Overhead View

All the familiar views of the game are included, including the overhead one so that you can see the territory ahead of you, and the perspective view from behind the player. Around 300 kb of disc space gives you all the gameplay and atmosphere of the original, with enhanced sound effects, good use of the pen or keyboard, and the chance to practise or play in a tournament.


Putting

If you haven't played the original version, it's very easy to get the hang of. You use the power bar at the bottom of the screen to select how hard to hit the ball by tapping twice in the "SWING" square at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. A third tap there selects the amount of hook or slice (when not putting) or the magnitude and direction of the spin on the ball (when putting). Club selection is normally automatic, but can be done manually if you really want to.


Just to Show How Good I Can Be!

There are the normal hazards of rough, trees and bunkers, and just about everything in the game will be familiar to players of golf on other computer platforms. This is an ideal way to while away a few idle hours in airport departure lounges, on train journeys, etc., and a very good reason to buy the package - it's a splendid implementation.

Team Psion
An even better reason to buy the package is Steve's other game, and like TacTile, it's totally new as far as EPOC32 is concerned. Team Psion is a Formula One management game. It isn't a driving simulator, but it lets you run a team in a season of racing (or until you run out of money, which is more likely!). Including the numerous sound samples, it takes around 600 kb of space to install, which makes it far and away the largest game in the package. You are sponsored by Psion, and have to manage your finances, keep your sponsors happy (by wining and dining them), encourage your drivers, and win races. Simple, really!


Circuit Information - Pick the Tyre Strategy

Your two drivers are called Ian Clark and Pedro Noreno, although you can rename them if you want to. All the other teams have names and drivers that are subtly changed from the ones we're used to from real life. For each circuit you need to set up the cars in a practise session, and then in qualifying, establish a grid position, and then race.


Perhaps I Should Increase the Rear Wing, or Reduce the Tyre Pressure...

The Help file has some very carefully-worded advice in it, and I'd recommend reading that several times throughout the first few seasons. Setting the car up is very tricky, but once you've dealt with one circuit, those settings are used as a default for the next time you race there. Some circuits need a lot of grip (high wing settings, low tyre pressures), while others are fast ones where you need to reduce the wing settings to keep up with everyone else. Don't get too carried away with the technical aspects that you forget to keep your drivers and sponsors happy. I've found Psion to be very fickle, removing their funding very easily if they aren't happy with the team's progress, or with the quality of the hospitality you give them.


Keep Your Drivers Happy

When it gets to the actual race, you can tell your drivers to push the car hard, drive conservatively, etc. If you read the Help file, you'll see that Ian Clark doesn't like being told how to drive, whilst Pedro Noreno is rather more of a risk-taker, and will flog his car if you tell him to. That treatment will wear the tyres out very quickly and overheat the engine. If you continue, something will fail and the car will drop out of the race. An added complication is the weather, and just as in the real thing, correctly judging when to come in for wet weather tyres can give you a huge advantage over the rest of the field.


Win the Race

The action takes place on the track in the distance, and you watch from a position deep in your team garage. Apart from the pit wall opposite, all you see is the odd car flashing past, or coming into the pits. There are plenty of appropriate sound effects (which can be turned off or reduced in volume), and it definitely has the right "just one more race" quality. You won't get very far to start with, either running out of money, or making your sponsors so unhappy that they refuse to hand over any more cash.


How it Normally Ends!

It's frustrating, enjoyable, difficult, and great fun. Definitely the star of the pack for me!

Games Arcade costs £29·95 inc. VAT, which seems like pretty good value for money.


Connectivity - Support - Education - Programming - Acorn Reviews - EPOC32 Reviews - Acorn Links - Psion S5 Links - Home


Any comments? Please let me know.
The pages on this site are all © John Woodthorpe, and are my personal opinions. All trademarks are acknowledged.