Contributions > Descriptions by Jack Lightbeard (2685)
Jack Lightbeard has contributed 22 descriptions to the database.
This limited edition includes:* Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory
- Battle of Britain documentary DVD
US and Canadian releases also include:* Wings of Power: B17 Flying Fortress (add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004)
Plan A, to bomb the rogue central computer has failed. The next step is Plan B...
You control a war drone teleported inside the computer complex and must find and destroy all the computer parts and then escape, while constantly fighting off the security robots. Extra rockets can be picked up and oil cans and spanners will replenish your energy, but be careful not to shoot these before picking them up. Some parts of the scenery can be shot to allow passage, to destroy computer parts or gain access to items, although it may not be immediately obvious which sections can be destroyed. Ten keys need to be found to open the front door in addition to other keys which can be used to gain access to the other areas.
The graphics in Plan B are black and white.
You must ride your moon cycle across the surface of a choice of three moons, avoiding boulders, bouncing monsters, oncoming barrels and bombs dropped by overhead space ships. You are equipped with a moon gun, which fires simultaneously vertically and horizontally. Boulders can be shot to make jumping over them easier but firing into the ground creates craters, as do bombs dropped from above, these craters must be jumped over or a life is lost and the more difficult the moon the more rugged the landscape, so you'll have to be careful when firing.
The object of 3D Desert Patrol is to reach the safety of a road some distance ahead (depending on difficulty level).
The player is behind the controls of a tank and can drive forward, steer left and right and fire. Mine fields must be successfully navigated with the aid of a sensor and enemy tanks can be avoided or destroyed. There are five levels of difficulty.
Osprey! is an educational game based at Loch Garten in Scotland and developed in conjunction with the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). The object of the game is to allocate wardens to help the ospreys successfully nest, rear young and survive the hazards that threaten them.
The player is appointed as leader of the RSPB project, 'Save the Ospreys!'. The game can be started from any year between 1965 and 1979 and ends in 1981 or when all ospreys have been lost, the earlier the start year the harder the game. The number of wardens available each season varies, so some seasons there may be a shortage while at other times tasks may be easier. Weather also has an effect on the results.
The wardens can be allocated to three areas;
Looking after the main site, which involves preventing the public from disturbing the birds.
Preventing egg stealing.
Making people aware of ospreys, which has a wider effect on survival.
The game is based on the efforts taken by the RSPB at the site in Scotland after it was discovered that ospreys had returned to Scotland to breed, after many years of only being seen as a rare visitor. The manual provides a detailed look at ospreys and their history in Scotland. Also included is a table showing the number of pairs breeding from 1954 to 1981 and how many were successful, this can be compared with the game results.
The physics-based gameplay of the original Thrust is back and the controls of your craft are basically the same - swivel left and right, and thrust. While the essence of the game remains very similar there are some differences second time round.
The Federal Resistance has captured an artificial planet of great strategic importance in the war against the Galactic Empire. However, the purification of the planet's atmosphere is not yet complete.
You must search the planet for 16 orbs, the majority of which lie below the surface, these are required for the construction of an atmospheric processor. This will involve descending into the maze-like tunnels of the planet, avoiding (or destroying) a variety of androids in your path and returning to the surface with the orbs in tow.
Only one orb can be picked up at a time and they must be put in place at a designated site on the surface. Once an orb is picked up a timer begins counting down; if it's not in place in time the entire planet is destroyed! If your craft (or an orb that has been picked up) collides with the walls or the androids that patrol the passageways then it is instantly destroyed, a shield (life) is lost and play is resumed from a nearby location. Weapon pickups destroy all enemies on the screen of a specific type but can only be used for a limited time.
Instead of the individual levels in the original game, there is only one game world in Thrust II and the orbs are scattered about in different places; they are also of varying masses and affect the handling of your craft differently.
This is a computer conversion of the popular board game. You can play against the computer with a choice of nine skill levels or against a friend with the computer acting as umpire.
There's a few extra features, including an action replay enabling the player to cycle backwards or forwards through each move, resuming play from any point and the option of setting up custom starting positions.
This is detective Nick Bounty's second adventure, and a sequel to A Case of the Crabs!. A traditional Point 'n' Click adventure with inventory based puzzles and plenty of humor, the whole game is in a black and white (and shades of grey) film noir style. Cutscenes help tell the story as you progress.
You are entrusted with retrieving a ceramic goat for a mysterious dame whose uncle has recently passed away. Like all of Pinhead Games' adventure games The Goat in the Grey Fedora was created with a Flash based engine and is entirely free, and can be downloaded or played in a web browser online from the developers site.
An official licensed game of the European Championships held in England in 1996. All 16 teams are available to choose from and the following Game Types: European Championship, Friendly Game, Practice Penalties and Practice Match (only the opposition's goalkeeper is on the pitch).
A couple of options of note are variable/adjustable wind and a choice of referees each with two difficulty levels of 'vision' and 'discipline' (the latter is available for friendly games only). Long time BBC sport commentator Barry Davies provides the commentary. The game is based on Gremlin Interactive's Actua Soccer engine.
This compilation includes:
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Game of the Year (updated base game)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault (first expansion pack)
The Game of the Year Edition of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War features:
- the base game patched to version 1.40
- multiplayer maps exclusive to this edition
- unit preview booklet for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault (select retail versions only)
Sacred: Gold is a compilation of:
- Sacred Plus
- Sacred: Underworld
- Original soundtrack
Gyron Arena was created for the final play offs of the Gyron competition, and released at a budget price, gameplay is identical. The cassette inlay introduction gives some good background info on the game;
"On a cold grey morning in the middle of London thirty people gathered in a very ordinary office block. These people, in the age range 14 to 60, had one thing in common. They had completed one of the most difficult computer games ever devised; GYRON NECROPOLIS, and were brought together to compete in the grand final play off. Their task? Complete the GYRON ARENA game in the shortest possible time. The prize? A brand new Porsche 924 motor car or £12,500 cash. Further competitions were held in Spain and Denmark simultaneously with London to give foreign finalists the chance to claim the prize. The winner came from the Spanish heat, who finished the game in a blistering 18 minutes! Here is your opportunity to play the ARENA game used in the final ... Bet you can't beat 18 minutes!"
Gyron is made up of two mazes, there's the Atrium, an easier and more linear maze which acts as an introduction to the game and the Necropolis, which is much more difficult. The object of Necropolis is to find the "Place of Wisdom" hidden somewhere deep within the maze. You control a craft called the "Hedroid".
Vector graphics allow for fast forward acceleration or slower more precise movements. Collisions with the maze walls can cause damage to the Hedroid, collisions at greater speed cause greater damage, too much damage and it's back to square one
Towers are positioned on top of the maze walls, they can only shoot in the direction they are facing, but get in their line of fire and it'll be almost instant death. Shooting the towers from behind can have a variety of effects, and you'll need to do this to get through the game - the tower can turn, disappear(possibly re-appear elsewhere) and change the orientation of other towers - this can result in new routes becoming available or perhaps ending up suddenly in the line of fire. Very large and dangerous spheres move in fixed patterns around the maze, you'll have to time your passage past them carefully as contact results in instant death. The scanner indicates the maze paths/walls, position and orientation of towers and the movement of the spheres - shooting towers can have an effect in areas of the maze not covered by the local range of the scanner
A couple of tactics to avoid the towers line of sight involve using the spheres as cover, and hugging the wall of the trench at the base of the towers. Both the Atrium and Necropolis mazes have twelve zones - indicated by the colour of the spinning icosahedron.
World Tour Soccer 2002 continues the World Tour Soccer (This is Football) series. Features include a full season mode with promotion, relegation and qualification for European tournaments, as well as 320 Club and International teams. The game is endorsed by FIFPro, the International Federation of Professional Footballers.
The game has four levels of difficulty, matches can range from four to twenty minutes and can be played during the day or at night in a variety of weather conditions. The player can play one or two player exhibition matches or compete in either national seasons or international competitions. However the player cannot compete in all national seasons, only the English, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, German, Scottish, Belgian and Portuguese are available. The international competitions are the World Cup, Euro Cup, South America Cup, America Cup, Africa Cup, and Asia Oceania Cup; plus there are six Special Competitions for superteams, timewarp teams, custom and school teams.
The national teams available are:* European: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, N. Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales, and Yugoslavia.
- South American: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
- Americas: Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and United States.
- African: Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia.
- Asian: Australia, China, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, U.A.E.
National leagues include the Belgian League, Dutch League, English League, English Division 1, French Divisions 1 & 2, German League, Italian League, Portuguese League, Scottish League, Spanish League. In addition there is a Super Team which is the best players in Europe, Timewarp Teams ranging from 50's Madrid through to 90's São Paulo, Euro Clubs 1 containing teams from Athens to Istanbul F, Euro Clubs 2 containing teams Kiev to Zurich, World Club Cup teams and School Teams.
The player can edit any team, or create their own team based on any existing team.
This is a port of the arcade original with some extra modes available. Up to 4 players (using Sega's four-player adapter) can choose again from Thor the Warrior, Thyra the Valkyrie, Merlin the Wizard and Questor the Elf, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Alongside the standard Arcade mode, there are the Quest, Battle and Record modes.
Quest mode: The goal is to defeat the four towers and solve the mystery of the ancient castle. There is a main hub area where it's possible to choose which tower to take on next, buy weapons from merchants with collected gold, and increase stats by spending experience points.
Battle mode: Players can fight each other to the death. Maps can include teleporters, monsters, items, and other things, as well as exits that exclude anyone who take them from the current round.
Record mode: This is very much like the Arcade mode, with some variations such as a password continue, and a scoring system where players can't die but lose points for every 500 health lost instead.
A surreal and very original game by Geoff Crammond.
The game plays out on a 3D landscape with hills and valleys made up of several levels. At the highest vantage point stands The Sentinel, a statue-like being with an energy draining stare, you begin at the lowest. "Energy" plays an important role, there's a constant amount in the game world and each object is worth a certain number of units - including you.
The object of each level is to absorb The Sentinel and Hyperspace to the next from his vantage point.
The Sentinel scans further round the landscape every few seconds - if you're caught in his gaze, or rather the square you are standing on can be seen, you'll have about 5 seconds to teleport to another location (or hit a key to teleport to a random location - which will never be higher, and may be lower than your current level) before the Sentinel begins absorbing your energy, when it reaches zero you will be destroyed. To travel a "robot hull" must be created on a visible square then teleported to, making sure you absorb your old hull to avoid losing energy. Boulders and trees can also be created, trees to block The Sentinels view and boulders can be stacked to gain higher ground.
There are a few other elements to the game - on later levels there will be other Sentries positioned around the landscape. If only part of you can be seen i.e. not the square you are standing on, a nearby tree can be changed into a "Meanie" which will ultimately force you to teleport. There are 9999 levels in the game but the next level number is based on the current level + how much energy you have remaining.
Sentinel Returns is a remake very true to the original.
Garrett, discovered on the streets as a beggar, is taken in and trained by the secretive organization known as the Keepers. However, Garrett's plans for his training is different than that of his masters and so Garrett soon parts company. Surfacing as a master thief, Garrett must enter forbidden places and appropriate the treasures of the rich and the powerful. Of course this line of work is offensive to many people including the rich nobles, the town guard and the religious order of the Hammerites. If Garrett can keep his head while he relieves these forces of their valuable trinkets, he should be able to do quite well....
Thief: The Dark Project is a first person game focused on stealth. It is set in a metropolis called "the City", a medieval fantasy world with some elements from the industrial revolution era of technology. Garrett's main skills are in using the shadows to avoid being seen (the level of visibility indicated by a "light gem") and to avoid being heard (different surfaces make different noises). Guards can be alerted by either, and remaining hidden is ever important. Entering combat against armed opponents is not recommended, though some enemies (notably the various undead) can be taken on directly or avoided. It is also possible to silently sneak on guards, incapacitate them with the blackjack, steal their keys, and move their bodies.
At Garrett's disposal is a wide range of equipment, including lockpicks, a blackjack, a sword, flash bombs, holy water, explosive mines, and a bow which fires normal arrows in addition to water, fire, moss, rope, and noisemaker arrows. Each type of arrows has a unique purpose: water extinguishes torches, moss covers the ground to soften the sounds of footsteps, ropes can be used to climb in certain spots or cross chasms, etc.
The levels in the game are fairly open, and most of the time there are several paths and ways to accomplish the objective. Certain objects can be interacted with, moved from place to place, or destroyed. The game has three difficulty levels distinguished by the amount of goals needed to fulfill. Lower difficulty levels may allow the player to skip some of the harder areas due to the lack of a mission objective leading there. On higher difficulties, additional requirements (such as completely non-lethal way of finishing a stage) may be added. Loot gained from Garrett's thieving can be used to purchase additional equipment for the mission ahead.
The premise behind this game is that of a western, but set in the future, and in space. There is a plot but the gameplay focuses on fast 'n' furious arcade action. You are a Star Ranger and it's your duty to protect the human frontier from alien attack.
You and your wingman must hyperspace between points to protect bases and civilian ships, while managing these conflicts you must also make a pitstop if your ship becomes to damaged, energy too low or to load up with missiles
This is a CD-ROM compilation of five Bitmap Brothers games and one expansion:
This is a platform game starring Looney Tunes famous Road Runner(who you control) and nemesis Wile E. Coyote. Road Runner can jump, eat birdseed to replenish life and run, of course! Holding the D-pad down speeds him up. The clock is ticking and if you run out of time a try is lost, collecting stars adds time to the clock.
There are various items/powerups and bonus areas. 3 difficulty settings, choice to play with or without music and/or sound effects and an option to play the game music while not in game.
One evening, Taz's father is telling an intriguing tale. Somewhere on Tazmania is a Lost Valley, and in that valley nests a huge seabird, so huge that one of it's eggs could feed a family for a year! Just think of the omelette one of those could make!
Thus Taz becomes fascinated and leaves in search of one of those eggs before his Dad has even finished the story...
Taz can Jump, perform a Spinning Jump and a Spin Attack. Munch roast chickens to replenish life. Gain extra points by moving quickly through the levels - there are six stages and each stage has two rounds.
There are a few other items and pickups such as:
- Spring: boings Taz up to high ledges.
- Blocks: destructible.
- 1-UP: extra life.
- Star: invulnerability. Unless you run into a bomb.
- Bomb: does what it says on the tin.