Zogging Hell!!!

How else could I start a Spectrum game review section other than by reviewing one of my all time favourites - Lords of Chaos. I actually got this game before the Spectrum! As you might expect it's missing some of the features of the 16bit versions, but most if not all of the game has been crammed into the tiny Spectrum. And very good it is too. The main bonus for Lords of Chaos fans is that the scenarios, although similar in objective, are played on different maps, meaning that if you were never entirely fufilled by the criminal lack (well I would have never been happy with only six!) of scenarios in the 16bit version (or vice versa) then if you get hold of the speccy version there is more to play! I'm not sure whether this is the same for the Commodore 64 and Amstrad versions (I imagine that the Amstrad version is pretty much the same as the Speccy, though I'm not sure about the 64 version).

So what has been chopped out then. Well the control system has been altered slightly to take account of only one button on a joystick control. Whereas on the 16bit version you can click anywhere and the creature your moving will move towards it taking the shortest route until it runs out of action points, on the Speccy you have to click on one of the 'squares' adjacent to the creature. In effect you can only move one square at a time. This is a bit irritating at first, particularly if your used to the 16bit version and moving your creatures about the map to find things becomes trickier. Clicking anywhere else brings up the action menu, which bears more ressemblence to the Laser Squad one than the icons on the 16bit version. However you quickly get used to all this, though slightly more dissorientating is the enemy players turn. While on the 16bit version you get to see the enemy when they move into one of your creatures line of sight during his turn, on the Speccy there's no such luxury. You sometimes start a new turn and find some of your creatures have, er, vanished, evidently butchered by some unseen enemy.

The environments your wizard gets to play in are somewhat simplified over 16bit versions. There are no cupboards to open, and items to use or pick up seem thinner on the ground. The maps also seem smaller, which is a good job as your creatures seem to run out of stamina (and hence can't move very far) very quickly. Finally the number of turns given to complete a map seems a lot tighter than on the 16bit versions, which places the emphasis more on escaping than on seeing how many goodies you can grab before an eventual move to the exit.
Importantly though the gameplay is there, and I found this version almost as addictive as the ST version, it really is a classic... The best game over all it's format incarnations ever?

Zogging Hell Rating: 10/10

Cheats

Infinite Carry Bug. This allows you to carry more than your weight limit. Very useful for large stashes of gold. Basically carry up to your weight limit exactly making sure one of the items your carrying is an empty flask. Fill the flask with a potion. This takes its weight from 2 to 3, carrying you over your weight limit. You should now be able carry as much as you want...

Also of interest..

Lords of Chaos (ST version)
Laser Squad (ST version)