Snapper - Acorn Electron Review

It's Pac-Man but not as we know it

Game: Snapper
Format: Acorn Electron
Developer/Publisher: Acornsoft
Year Released: 1983
Also released on: BBC Micro

Now available on: Nothing

The eighties was the golden age of arcade games. It was also the golden age of clones of those arcade games. These clones usually appeared on home micro computers when developers and publishers weren’t able/couldn’t be bothered to obtain the rights to do an official version. Snapper was the first cloned game that I ever played. A “conversion” of Pac-Man for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, Snapper was as spot on as you get. As I was the lucky owner of an Acorn Electron, it was the version for that that I played. Over and over and over again. I’ve still got it somewhere. I also think it was the first game I played on that computer, after ploughing through what seemed liked thousands of programs on the Introductory Cassette. I was blown away by the little introduction on that, by how the letters spelling out Acorn Electron flew onto the screen and then an acorn appeared. Still impresses me now.

Before I played Snapper, I don’t think I’d ever played Pac-Man. Of course I knew of Pac-Man. I received my Electron for Christmas 1985, so Pac-Man was already out of nappies and just starting school. He was the first big video game personality, so kids like me would have had an awareness of him. So in a roundabout way (I know that’s a proper phase – it appeared in my recently uploaded YouTube video of Wheel of Fortune), Snapper served as my introduction to Pac-Man. Apologies for the shameless plugging of my YouTube channel there. But it’s well worth a visit.

Loading screen! Get yer loading screens here!

While waiting for Snapper to load, you aren’t treated to anything extra special. Just the typical Acornsoft loading screen. The game was rereleased by Superior Software at some point, so that version might have a different loading screen. It’s also won’t be anything special though. Sometimes this is a good thing. I owned a number of games where it seemed like the first half an hour of waiting for it to load was for it to display a loading screen. Yes, Commando, you were one. And Superior Soccer. Wow, that was a shit football game. Loved it at the time though.

Once Snapper has loaded, you are presented with a basic but functional intro screen, giving you a guide to the keys to press to make your little Pac-Man clone explore the clone of the famous Pac-Man maze. Also displayed are the keys to pause and reset the game, as well as turning the sound on and off. And the key to start the game. Unless you like staring and static screens, I’d advise you to press the key to start the game. This is either the space bar or, if you’re lucky enough to own a joystick, the fire button on it. I had an Acorn Electron joystick. It was probably the worst joystick ever invented.

That reminds me. I need to get another house key cut.

Fun-filled dot-collecting frolics

After the screen has loaded and has been populated with dots, power pills, ghosts and Snapper himself, a short intro melody plays. Not the Pac-Man melody, but you can figure out where they got the inspiration from for it. And then it’s on with the game. According to fokelore, in a very early release of this game, Snapper looked identical to Pac-Man, and the ghosts looked identical to the Pinky, Perky, Inky, Blinky, Bonnie, Clyde and Bluey, or whatever their names were in Pac-Man. It appears that this infringement of their IP wasn’t appreciated by Namco, so the characters’ likenesses had to be changed. Wonder why they didn’t seem to mind that the rest of the game was so obviously ripped off from their arcade original? Hmmm, anyway, so the Snapper that everyone with an Acorn computer came to know and love featured a Pac-Man lookalikey with legs and a hat. The ghosts grew legs and arms. If folklore is true, an original copyright infringing Snapper is probably worth a fortune now. Probably.

Snapper on the BBC before Namco noticed one or two likenesses with one of their games. 

As a copy of Pac-Man, the idea of Snapper is simple and is known by millions around the planet. Just in case you’re not one of those millions, in this game you have to guide your character around a maze, collect dots and avoid ghost people. If you come into contact with one, you lose a life. But you can collect power pills (bigger dots) and chase after the ghost people who will now have all turned dark blue, highlighting their vulnerability. Catch one, and their eyes float black to the base in the centre of the game to be stripped of whatever voodoo it is that makes them blue and vulnerable. They return to their original colour and become fatal to the touch again. Collecting one ghost gives you 200 points, a second gives you 400, a third gives you 800 and a fourth gives you a whopping 1600 points. Of course, while the ghosts are running scared, you can use this time to collect as many dots as you can instead of chasing ghosts. The choice, as they say, is yours. That’s about it. Every now and again, a fruit appears towards the centre of the screen. Collect it for bonus points, or ignore if you don’t feel hungry.

Snapper has a choice of ghosts or cherries to gobble. Looks like he's going to go for the cherries. I don't blame him.

The beauty of Pac-Man, and this very faithful clone, is that everybody has their favourite way of playing it. Do you clear each quarter one at a time, collecting the power pill as you reach the end of the quarter and go to the next one? Or do you clear as much of the screen as you can and leave the power pills for last? Or do you just go gung-ho and go for whatever dots you can see? Or keep away from the ghosts as much as you can and take your time around the level? Or lure the ghosts towards you, grab a power pill and then scarper? It may be that you tactics change each time you play, or the further you get into the game.

Woo-hoo!

Yes, it’s a simple game, basically a virtual version of tig, or tag, or kiss chase – although without the kissing. It gets tougher as you go on. The ghosts, who leave you alone for much of the earlier levels, become more aggressive and home in on you, and the length of time they are vulnerable after collecting a power pill gets shorter and shorter.

Of all the home conversions and clones of Pac-Man that I’ve played, Snapper is perhaps the closest to the original. It gets the feel of the arcade game just right, even with the change in character design. Snapper moves responsively around the levels, which are splendidly reproduced with their blue walls and not-so-secret tunnel all present and correct. The ghosts may have different pre-defined routes in Snapper than their Pac-Man equivalents, but the way they all have individual characteristics remains the same.

We're at the top! 

There isn’t a lot to say about the sound. Apart from the short pre-game melody, the only noises you get are from collecting dots, fruit and power pills, and a siren when you’ve collected the latter while the ghosts are vulnerable. The siren rises in pitch as the power pill gets closer to losing its magical and mythical powers.

Whether you will like Snapper will be down to whether you like Pac-Man. It’s a fantastic clone of the game, adding nothing new to it. Some changes had to be made just to keep Namco off Acornsoft’s backs, limited just to character design and sound. The only things missing from the Pac-Man arcade game are the intermissions between levels. But other than that, this is just Pac-Man in a different outfit. And mighty fine it is too.

RATINGS

Presentation – 50%
Acornsoft’s earlier games were known for the lack of anything resembling a bell or a whistle. The loading screen features Acornsoft’s logo and the title of the game, and the title screen is white text on a black background with a list of keys. It’s hard to fault it though as it does the job.

Graphics – 78%

The graphics really do bring the arcade game to your portable TV. The maze is blue, the ghosts are all different colours, Pac-Man, sorry, Snapper is yellow. And it’s fairly clear to work out what the fruits are too. Most of the time.

Sound – 75%
Like Pac-Man in the arcade, there is no music in this game apart from a short pre-game melody, but there are suitable sound effects that play throughout the game.

Playability – 76%
Instantly playable, with tight responsive controls. The game runs at a good speed and really does feel like an arcade game.

Overall – 76%

As close as you’re going to get to Pac-Man at home on a retro machine without having your own arcade cabinet in your bedroom. A really good clone of a classic arcade game. Of course, if you don’t like Pac-Man, you won’t like this. 

YOUTUBE VIDEO
Here's Acorn Electron Snapper in action

Review: Diamond Mine II - Acorn Electron

Diamond Mine II's loading screen

Game: Diamond Mine II
Format reviewed: Acorn Electron
Developed by: Blue Ribbon
Year of original release: 1985
Also available on: BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16, Commodore Plus/4, MSX
Available now on: Nothing

Mining and diamonds seem to be a common theme in computer games of old. Games like Boulder Dash for example and, er, um, Manic Miner. Not too sure we saw Miner Willy doing any actual mining in it though. I suppose you could count Jet Set Willy too as it featured the same character. Oh well, maybe mines and diamonds aren't that common a theme. Perhaps the black backgrounds that were a feature of many 1980s computer games made me think they were all set in mines, and I suppose diamonds were fairly easy to draw so they also seemed to pop up quite a bit in old games.

When this screen is moving, the box of colours changes and
moved inwards from the outer edge. Psychedelic!

Anyway, a game that was a fusion of the less-common-than-I-thought themes of mining and diamonds was Diamond Mine, a game released in 1984 for the Acorn Electron by MRM and again the following year by Blue Ribbon. Oh wait! There was also Mineshaft, also released on the Acorn Electron. Another mining game! We're not looking at that today though. We're also not looking at Diamond Mine either as it is pretty much impossible to play. Instead, we're heading straight for its far superior sequel, Diamond Mine II which Blue Ribbon also released on the Acorn Electron in 1985, as well as a few other machines which I may come onto later if I remember.

As its title suggests, the idea of Diamond Mine II is to mine diamonds. And like many games in the 1980s, the mines takes the form of maze-like levels. You simply have to clear the diamonds from the paths in the mazes. You do this by guiding a pipe through the level. If you touch your own pipe or attempt to go backwards on yourself, you lose a life. You can however retract your pipe, a necessity to get through the game. The pipe retracts for however long you hold down the relevant key, which is Return in the Electron version.

I was mining in a mine one day. In the very merry month of May

Making life tougher are nasties which take the form of mutant eyes. These eyes move horizontally through each level and are also able to travel through walls. You can suck them up your pipe but if they come into contact with any other part of it, it's another life lost. Sucking them up is only temporary as a few seconds later they're back! If this happens when you're clearing a completely different part of the level, you need to retract and suck them up again. Part of the beauty of the game is seeing how much you can clear before retracting, whether to be daring or over-cautious? As moving your pipe through the levels and retracting it uses energy, you need to be careful that you don't retract too often or waste too much time making a decision, so playing too safe isn't always a good idea. So you need to keep an eye on your energy levels as well as the wandering eyes. I once went out with somebody with a wandering eye. Had to end it though as I thought she was seeing somebody else.

Remaining energy becomes points at the end of each level.

There are diamonds on this level. They just happened to be
blue when I took the screenshot.

Controls for the game are simple. You just have up, down, left and right and the aforementioned retract key. At first, movement feels a bit sluggish but as you get into the game, the speed is just right. Clearing objects from mazes is a concept lifted straight from Pac-Man, but there are enough extra elements to make this a different kind of game. Levels quickly get tough and really do test your skills. It's sometimes frustrating to lose a life by accidentally going back into your own pipe, but this often happens when you're under pressure. Like a lot of 80s games, you need to combine skill with strategy and this game balances the two well.

Eye eye.

Graphics do a good job too. Levels are colourful and clear. Your pipe makes a chomping noise as it collects diamonds and there are suitable sound effects for deaths, bonus points and the like. The only music is a little tune which plays when you start a new game. Fortunately it doesn't play throughout as it would quickly get annoying. Like the graphics, the sounds suit the game. In fact, everything about this game just feels right. Although the game isn't up there with the all-time greats, and doesn't feel as frantic and as fluid as other arcade style games, Diamond Mine II is a good game if you're feeling like a quick challenge. It's also quite addictive too and leaves you knowing that you could easily do better if you just have one more go.

RATINGS
Presentation: 65%
Nothing too exciting but they do the job. The Blue Ribbon corporate loading screen is followed by the game's name, writer and copyright info on background of changing colours.
Graphics: 83%
The game is colourful and it's clear to see what's going on. The diamonds are just dots of changing colours, while the game's only sprites, somebody bouncing at the top of the screen and the mutant eyes, are well-drawn.
Sound: 70%
Suitable sound effects with a short melody when you start the game.
Playability: 82%
Easy to pick up, hard to put down. Fun to play without being overly frustrating.
Overall: 81%
A great little Acorn Electron arcade style game, something to return to again and again.

Mining for Diamonds elsewhere

Diamond Mine II wasn't an Electron exclusive. Oh no, not at all. It also made appearances on some other home computers too, although for some reason didn't make it to the Spectrum or C64.

Level one Amstrad CPC-style

The BBC Micro version is almost identical to the Electron version, save for better sound and a different loading screen. It plays a bit smoother too. The game is also fairly similar on the Amstrad CPC, although features a different opening theme tune. Movement on this version is fluid like the BBC version although the eyes seem to regenerate quicker meaning there is more retracting of your pipe needed, so doesn't feel as fun.

While over on the Commodore 16, we have this.

The game was also released for the Commodore 16 and Commodore Plus/4. The Commodore 16 version, although it features the same concept of gathering diamonds with a retractable pipe, uses a different level layout and isn't quite as enjoyable to play. There are a larger number of enemy eyes which, like on the CPC, cause you to have to retract more often. This just makes the game feel frustrating. On the Plus/4, the level structure of the Acorn machines and the Amstrad are the same. However, although the pipe flows smoothly, you need to be in exactly the right place above or below a vertical path to be able to move you pipe along it. This again breaks up the flow of the game. An MSX version was released too, but I haven't taken a look at that one.

Wishy washy colours on the Commodore Plus/4

The BBC Micro version is the best of the bunch with the trusty Electron version a close second.

Cloning Diamonds

Diamond Mine II wasn't an original game. Instead it was based on a little known arcade game called Anteater from Tago Electronics whose only other release appears to be a game called Calipso. I have to say I have never heard of either. Instead of piping your way through a maze to collect diamonds, Anteater features an aardvark with an extendable snout which sniffs its way around similar mazes, collecting ants and worms. It is quite infuriating to play and it's little wonder that it isn't a well known game now. An unreleased port was apparently created for the Atari 2600, while the only other versions for other devices are clones. Aardvark was a very close remake, released for some of the Atari and Commodore machines of the early 80s, while Oil's Well from Sierra On-line and Diamond Mine II were clearly influenced by the gameplay of the Anteater arcade game.

Diamond Mine II video

Want to see Diamond Mine II on the Acorn Electron in action? Of course you do. Head on over to our YouTube channel to see it! Or view it here in super-tiny vision.

Classic Game Review: Magic Mushrooms (Acorn Electron)

Magic Mushrooms - Acorn Electron
Also Available on: BBC Micro

The title of this game always makes me think of The Bangles

If you were ever the lucky owner of an Acorn Electron, chances are you were also an owner of several Acornsoft games. Acornsoft, Acorn's official software arm, were masters of the art of cloning, publishing many amazing but legally dubious "remakes" of various top games of the time. Amongst them were Snapper (based on Pac-Man), Arcadians (based on Galaxian), Killer Gorilla (Donkey Kong), Meteors (Asteroids) and Planetoid (Defender). When Acornsoft weren't profiting from other peoples' ideas, they also came up with some of their own. Their greatest moment is undoubtedly Elite, which they published for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron in 1984. Twenty years later, readers of Retro Gamer magazine voted it the best retro game of all time. Acornsoft were also behind one of my favourite games of my childhood, the little known Magic Mushrooms, and I thought it would be nice to revisit this game to remind myself of how great it was, or find out that it wasn't great at all and should have been left as a childhood memory.

The standard Acornsoft index screen in all its glory

Level one. Hmmmm, not a lot else to say about it.

Magic Mushrooms is a platform game in its purest form. You guide Murphy, a beer-bellied man with a large nose, who appears to be on a mission to rid platforms of the various hallucinogenic fungi that populate them. Once he's got them all, he must make his way to the level's exit platform before time runs out. Making life difficult for him is the fact that the platforms that he must traverse come in a variety of, er, platforms. In addition to the standard green brick platforms that appeared on several similar games of the era which don't do anything exciting, there are also wobbly platforms which make Murphy less stable on his feet, conveyor belts which have the effect that walking on conveyor belts would do, ice platforms which make Murphy slide in one direction until he reaches the end of it, and what I presume is glass, which disintegrates under his feet. There is no up or down button to use, only left, right and jump, but Murphy is able to use escalators to climb to higher platforms on each level, or bounce on trampolines to jump up to them. To get down, Murphy can either choose to drop down to a lower platform or, if the drop is too big, he can make use of a slide or land on a trampoline. As well as death by dropping from a not-so-great height, Murphy also loses lives by coming into contact with mutant tomatoes that wander around some of the levels, or by running out of time.

I've never understood why this level is called Fairground fun. Doesn't look much like a fairground to me.

Magic Mushrooms pretty much has all of the ingredients that make a proper retro platform game, and it seems to get the mix of them just about right. The game starts off challenging, and quickly gets impossibly difficult. I still don't think level 5 can be completed. Although the level layout is identical each time you play the game, the quantity and location of the mushrooms varies and this can drastically affect the difficulty of the level and the way you choose to play it. The game has a tight time limit, so you aren't able to dawdle too much while you plan your strategy and decide on the route that you are going to take to get around the level. In addition to approaching each level with some sort of strategy, your arcade skills come under the test too as you need to react quickly to situations and time your pixel perfect jumps to perfection. I would have liked another word for "perfection" there but none of the ones the online thesaurus suggested seemed right. Oh well.

There's only one route to take to complete this level.

Graphics in this game are good. They are big and bold and colourful, and it is clear what each item on the level is. There is next to no flickering as the sprites move, and it all feels very polished. The sounds all fit the game well. There's no music (which is good, as music on the Acorn Electron sounded terrible), but the sound effects are all fitting to what is happening and again, like the graphics, are polished and professional.

An extra feature is the game's level editor, and it is one of the best ones I've ever used. You can choose to edit any of the games built-in levels, which also makes the level editor a handy level select screen. You can also create your own levels from scratch, and thanks to the variety of different platforms and items available to use and the different gameplaying techniques that the game allows, you can quickly come up with some surprisingly entertaining self-made masterpieces. If only I could find my tape of levels I created years ago!

A masterpiece of my own making, in the making.

Playing my level. Turns out that it's impossible to complete.

Magic Mushrooms is instantly playable, challenging but fair. Some of the levels are frustrating, but the good far outweighs the bad, and Murphy's trippy trip to get collect all of the mushrooms he can muster is just as enjoyable now as I remember it.

8/10

EXTRA -  Magic Mushrooms on the BBC!
Magic Mushrooms was also released on the BBC Micro. Although I never played it on this system originally, I gave it a go while replaying the Electron version. Graphically, it is identical although sprite movement is smoother and the screen has a "bounce" effect when Murphy plunges to his death from a height. The game is even more difficult due to the faster movement of the enemies. As you'd expect, the sounds take advantage of the BBC's better sound chip, resulting in a more pleasant experience for the ears. Despite its increased difficulty, playability is pretty much the same on both systems.

MORE IMAGES FROM MAGIC MUSHROOMS (Acorn Electron)

An absolute bitch of a level. I'm convinced it can't be completed.

I don't think this level can be completed either.

This one can though, although it's not easy. Usually you always begin in the same place, but on this level, you start in any of a number of starting places.