Amstrad CPC (1986)

Amstrad CPC (1986)

Amstrad CPC (1986)

Born as Crafton & Xunk in its homeland, this French isometric 3D game built heavily on the success of its 1985 forebearers, Knightlore and Alien8.

This is one of those rare Amstrad games that knocked me away for six the first time it appeared on my screen, delivering glossy textures and an enriched colour palette. Compared to many of the monochromatic Amstrad titles at the time, it seemed that the developers had somehow snuck in and crammed an Amiga motherboard into my CPC.

And on to the mission. Well, it seems that our friendly android, Dexter, is on the hunt around various rooms to seek out an array of scientists who each hold one digit of a secret code combination. But it's not, like, just the code to a locker with an old pair of socks and a half eaten cheese roll in it, oh no! It seems that all of galactic life will be able to continue once Dexter is able to attain and copy the full code for the meritorious scientists in his camp. With eighties computer games, the key is to embrace the wildly implausible plots - they're all part of the fun!

Joining Dexter on his exploits is his trusty podocephalus (a head attached to a foot), called Scooter. To get Scooter's help, Dexter can whistle for his attention. However, I personally find Scooter more of a hinderance than a help. He has a habit of getting in the way at the most inopportune moments, such as when you really need to get ahead of a scientist to stop him raising the alarm. Plus, the high-pitched noise he makes when you're stuck in a corner with him would make Mariah Carey blush.

As you navigate the rooms you can prevent your enemies from reducing your health by pushing certain obstacles in their way that they cannot clear, or by locating items that will destroy them. The robots' demise is beautifully rendered as they disintegrate into a puddle or a cloud of smoke. You have to recall that when the game was released, this animation on its own looked quite phenomenal.

There are colour-coded doors that Dexter needs to find the equivalent key card to open so that he can progress further along, and this might involve having to search for them from afar. However, as you can only carry one item at a time then this means you'll need to plan ahead a little to ensure a safe and painless journey.

A sense of humour is always on display and this is no more apparent than when you have to bounce up and down on the hospital beds to reach up high to pick up an object. But don't get too carried away as the bed is liable to become forever broken! This is so humourously animated with an equally amusing sound effect to boot.

Get Dexter is a total gem from the bygone days of home computing, and is also a classically impressive Amstrad CPC release.