The Games of 1985 and 1986

by Jeff Hurlburt


     Despite less than spectacular Apple II sales, 1985 and 1986 were very good years for Apple II gaming. Overall, quality continued to improve as reflected in graphics techniques, broader use of sound peripherals, and freedom from bugs. Several vendors chose to emphasize 'production value' with sturdier, more attractive packaging, and better written more colorful game manuals.

     There was, also, a trend toward greater variety in the kinds of games produced. Simulations, at last, 'arrived', word and knowledge-oriented games proliferated, and wargamers were foxhole-deep in new products.

     Educational games, long the "dogs" of computer software, included some very entertaining releases. Finally, the arcade/adventure dichotomy became more blurred than ever, with several long-play, adventure-like arcades and more animated, arcade-like adventures.

     Still, the 'traditional' labels are helpful in quickly conveying a lot of information about a game. Probably, you do not need to be told that Ballblazer is an "arcade"-- a game emphasizing rapid action which places a premium upon player reflexes and eye-hand coordination and in which the outcome is usually reflected via a score. "Ballblazer" sounds like an arcade game title.

     On the other hand, when you see that Impossible Mission is an arcade game, you know, first, that it is not an adventure. Also, you can guess that good timing and making jumps, etc. with an action figure are important elements of play.

     Adventures tend to present complex objectives, incorporate comprehensive character development, and favor reasoning over reflexes. Because these games are usually fairly involved, descriptions would be impossibly verbose without a few special terms; and some of these take a bit of explaining.

     The quality of a game's "parser", for instance, relates to how well the program seems to understand your inputs. In text and picture-text adventures good parsing makes it easy to try out ideas. Poor parsing requires you to figure out how the program wants you to tell it what to do-- i.e. you must 'play the parser' as well as the adventure.

     As you would expect, a "maze adventure" locates play in some sort of labyrinth. What may not be obvious is that the maze need not actually look like a maze. In The Bard's Tale the streets of Skara Brae amount to a maze and should be mapped as carefully as the game's 3-D view "dungeons".  Ultima IV, Shadowkeep, Alternate Reality, and several other major adventures incorporate mazes.

     In a "map adventure", moving your character or party on a map showing forests, mountains, etc. is an important part of the game. Since there are many towns, castles, etc. to explore, these games tend to feature more quests and longer play than most other adventures.   


Ratings

     The reviews, of course, were written for and published in Computist more than a decade ago. In one or two cases my opinion has changed enough to merit modifying a review; but, for the most part, they have been reproduced 'as is' from old Screenwriter II files. 

     Back in the mid-80's, it was popular to supply numeric evaluations of important game features (such as Graphics).  So, each game is rated in five areas and "overall" on a ten-point scale. Putting this scale in perspective:  10 is "Superior", 7 is "Good", 5 is "Fair" and 3 is "Poor".

    "Graphics" (GRFX) is the first area rated. It concerns quality of artwork, clarity, impact, smoothness, speed, and realism.

     Good "Support Materials" (S.M.) include clear, thorough directions for play. In some cases attractiveness, tutorial value, or effectiveness in creating 'atmosphere' may be important.

    "Playability" (PLAY) relates to how much extraneous activity is required to play the game. Good parsing, rapid "save" and "restore" functions, efficient menus, smooth controls, and readily available "Help" screens are features which enhance playability.

    "Difficulty" (DIFF) is self-explanatory for single-player games. For others it relates to how difficult it is to achieve a decent level of play.

     High "Interest" (INTR) games are good at attracting and holding player attention. Typically, these are the adventures you can't wait to continue and the arcades you play, and replay, for hours at a time.

     The "Overall" (GAME) rating amounts to a summary of player reaction(s) during tryouts. For educationally-oriented games, a second rating (/ED) of educational value is included.

