CLAYPIGEONS
Ever had one of those days when you've felt like taking a gun and blasting everything in sight? Well now you can, but there's no violence involved with you play Anthony Martin's CLAYPIGEONS.
Fifty clays will fly across the screen while you use the keyboard to get them in your gunsights.
When you think you've got it right, fire away. But beware - the Electron will comment on how good you are and it's not always very flattering.
Still, practice makes perfect and you'll get a lot of practice as you keep on trying to get all fifty of those clays.
| Variables | |
| hs%(6) | Six highest scores |
| name$(6) | Six highest scores |
| score% | Game score |
| clay% | Number of clays so far |
| sx%, osx% | Present and last x coordinate of gunsight |
| sy%, osy% | Present and last y coordinate of gunsight |
| x%, ox% | Present and last x coordinate of clay |
| y%, oy% | Present and last y coordinate of clay |
| start% | Random y coordinates of clay at start |
| end% | Random y coordinates of clay at end |
| inc% | Gradual change in y coordinate of clay |
| shoot% | 1 if fired, 0 if not fired |
| hit% | Indicates to random message system whether hit or not |
| com$(14) | 14 comments used by random message system |
| message% | Random number, if 3 no message |
| mess% | Indicates to random message system the standard of performance achieved so far |
| messno% | Number of message selected |
ESCAPE FROM PLANET SCARGOV
By Ian Brown
A noisy and colourful affair, this game is guaranteed to give you a headache if you play it long enough.
You have to control a long-suffering, innocent little chap safely across a long string of minefields - 31 in all - to reach a spacecraft waiting to carry him away from the evil planet Scargov.
He must negotiate each minefield by avoiding the flashing mines and the aliens, who, although not out to get him, will not take kindly to being bumped into.
But beware! There is also a time limit. He has only a short period before the whole minefield explodes taking him with it - whether in the "safe" area or not.
On each successive minefield the mines become more numerous and flash more quickly. And occasionally another alient may join its friends.
If the game proves too easy for you there is plenty of scope for making it harder. More aliens and mines can be added or the time limit shortened, all without difficulty by changing the relevant variables.
| Variables | |
| score | Score |
| nextaim | Next score to be reached to earn an extra life: 10,000, 20,000 etc. |
| screen | Current minefield - 1 to 31 |
| lives | Number of lives left |
| safecol% | Colour of safe area |
| fieldcol% | Colour of minefield area |
| x%, y% | X and y coordinates of man's current position on screen |
| alien | Number of aliens |
| bx%, by% | Temporary storage of mine positions |
| key, keym | Keyboard GETs |
| rnd% | Random number used for generating aliens' movements |
| time% | Time left until minefield explodes |
| Arrays |
|
| ax%(a%), ay%(a%) | X and y coordinates of alien number a% on screen |
| Flags |
|
| lose | Life lost |
| win | Field crossed successfully |
| dead | All lives spent |
| escape | Field 31 crossed, game completed |
| Procedures | ||
| 250 | init | Initialisation routines. Sets up envelopes, VDU 23s, dimensions, initial variables and flags |
| 430 | screen | Sets up screen display, colours, flash rate, positions of aliens, mines, etc |
| 810 | man | Controls man from keyboard input (N.B. GCOL 4,0 is used throughout to avoid complications due to overplotting etc). |
| 940 | alien | Moves aliens randomly. (The positions of all five aliens are worked out regardless of the number actually on screen to slow the game down in the earlier screens). |
| 1070 | update | Checks for fatal moves, running out of time, completing a screen |
| 1180 | win | On completing a screen. New screen chosen, score given, new life if appropriate |
| 1310 | lose | On losing a life |
| 1420 | escape | On completing screen 31 and so finishing the game |
| 1590 | dead | Another game? |
| 1690 | start | Offers the option of instructions |
| 1780 | instructions | Game blurb and list of keys |
| 2030 | error | Called if an error occurs |
SNAKES
SNAKES, by Andrew Logan, is a simple but compulsive game that will have you glued to your keyboard.
The idea is that you are in control of a rapidly moving "snake". Every now and then a number appears on the screen and, if you're quick enough, the snake eats the number and adds those points to your score.
The trouble is that you also get that number of segments added to your snake, making it harder to control, as it mustn't run into the sides or into itself.
All the controls are shown in the program, and the rest is up to you. How long can your snake survive?
| 180 | PROCinst | Displays the instructions and rules of the game |
| 270 | PROCinit | Sets up arrays, initialises variables and chooses the initial position and direction of the snake. It also draws the boundary |
| 380 | PROCmove | Prints a link at the head of the snake |
| 520 | PROCtail | Puts a space over the last link in the chain and searches for the new "tail" |
| 550 | PROCrnd | Selects a random number between 1 and 9 and puts it on the screen. TIME is set to zero |
| 600 | PROCnumcheck | Checks whether the head of the snake has passed over the number |
| 630 | PROCerase | Prints a space over a number if it is not eaten |
| 740 | PROCcheck | Checks whether the snake is executing any illegal moves |
| 780 | PROCholdup | Has you circling and avoiding yourself as you wait for the next number |
| 800 | PROCdead | Tells you that you are dead and asks whether you want another game |
SPACE BATTLE
Tired of using your Electron for educational purposes? Sick of utilities and fed up with programming? Why not give yourself a break and go back to the roots of microcomputing?
Zap a few aliens with Roland Waddilove's all action arcade epic, SPACE BATTLE.
You take control of one of the missile batteries. Your task is to repel the aliens who hover, dive and, if you're not quick enough, land with disastrous results. Far from easy, but it is great fun.
THE GREAT CHEESE RACE
By Rog Frost
THE GREAT CHEESE RACE is a two player game written for the Electron by Rog Frost.
Each player controls a mouse, using the keyboard to guide the beastie to the yellow cheeses scattered around the screen. Of course, as soon as your mouse, gets to a cheese it eats it.
You get a point for each cheese your creature eats - sometimes you get two, if you're lucky.
The first mouse to score six is the winner. And there are no cats to spoil your fun!
Game Controls
| Direction | Red Mouse | White Mouse |
| Left | X | < |
| Right | C | > |
| Up | A | * |
| Down | Z | ? |
| Line(s) | Description |
| 60 | Switches off the flashing cursor |
| 90-100 | Gives starting positions for the two mice |
| 110 | Sets score for both mice to zero |
| 120-130 | Defines characters for mice |
| 140 | Defines the character for cheese |
| 150 | Prints text character at graphics cursor |
| 160 | Chooses graphics colour yellow |
| 170-190 | Print cheeses at random positions, but on a grid to ensure neat eating! |
| 220-240 | Draws a black square over the mice |
| 250-320 | Movement commands for the mice. Use the INKEY table on page 159 of the User Guide if you want to change the keys |
| 330-340 | Draws mice in new positions |
| 350-360 | Checks to see whether either mouse is having a nibble. If it is, the cheese is removed, the score is updated and a beep produced |
| 370 | Four different conditions for ending the game |
| 380 | Empties the keyboard buffer |
| 400 | Gives blue striped effect |
| 520 | Clears blue stripes |
