Taken from http://commodore-16.110mb.com with permission

Mastertronic for me were a god send when it came to gaming as a youngster. Not only did they make great games for the C16 they were at a price that most kids could afford on there pocket money. Mastertronic made many of the classic C16 games around and all were original games instead of relying on Coin Op Conversions. They did make a few dodgy ones but from what I remember most were of good quality that gave full price games a run for there money. Below is my top five games from Mastertronic.

 

Kik Start

My number one game has to be Kik Start an idea taken from a kids TV programme. It was a simple idea just guide you motor bike over a number of obstacles till you rich the end of the level then move onto the next with more obstacles only more difficult than the previous level. The graphic’s in the game were colourful an detailed with everything looking like what it was supposed to be. The sound was quite good with the bike’s pitch getting higher as it got faster and it had the theme tune from the TV programme playing away before you started to play. This game could have easily sold as a full price game. The game play was good with the difficulty level set just right. Although the flying spikes on later levels seemed to appear just as you were making a jump which was a pain as you just couldn’t avoid them and the lighting from the clouds used to do the same kind of thing as well. All in all a great game that equalled it’s C64 Version for game play.

Big Mac

Big Mac has to be my number Two game. It was one of the first single screen platform games I bought and was totally hooked on it from the first time I played it. The aim of the game was simple get from one side of the screen to the other without running out of air whilst avoiding obstickcal. The graphic’s were good in this game being both colourful and detailed with your character Mac having quite a strange walk although his actions were very smooth. Sound was also quite good with a neat little ditty playing on the title page and in game sounds being mainly when Mac jumped or collided with something. Game play was good with the difficulty level set at just the right level. The one downside I could find is that in later levels if your timing wasn’t spot on you had little chance of completing the level because you would either run out of air or collide with something then having to start over again and probably in my case make the same mistake again. All in all a cracking little platformer by Mr Tony Kelly.

Mr Puniverse

Mr Puniverse is my number Three. This game was the follow up to Big Mac only bigger and better. This time instead of being a single screen platform game this one was a flip screen platformer. The aim was pretty much the same as Big Mac except this time you had to collect vitamin pills to keep Mr Puniverses energy up to keep him alive and well. There was more of a puzzle solving feel to this game as well, you had to work routes out on how to collect all of the vitamin pills as sometimes you would end up at a dead end looking for a pill and have to back track and start your hunt again, also some of the levels you entered would drain your energy so speed was a must to avoid certain death. The graphic’s were much the same as Big Mac Colourful and detailed and Mr Puniverse also had the same funny walk. Sound again was quite good with a nice little ditty playing on the title screen and then the normal jumping and colliding sounds but where more than adequate. Game play was better in this game as you had to think about what you were doing so this prolonged interest in the game. The only downside again was that if your timing was out whilst avoiding things being fired at you, you would end up getting hit or running out of energy.

Finger’s Malone

At number four its Finger’s Malone a great single screen platform game as was becoming the normal on the C16. The aim was simple, go around the level’s making sure the chain link under you turned from black to white and collecting key’s as you go so you can open the safe and the exit to the next level. If only it was that simple, the baddie’s on this game moved at great speed and seemed to know exactly where you were going next so there was no time for hanging around. Then there were the elevators and travelators that some how managed to favour the bad guy’s more than you which would result in you colliding with one of them unfair or what. This was the toughest game to appear on the C16. The graphic’s were very colourful and detailed and everything moved at a fast smooth pace even the characters had expressions on there face’s which was a nice little touch. Sound was quite good with the normal blips and crash noises as well as a weird noise you made as you travel round the screen. Game play was good although the difficulty level was quite high from the first level but it made you keep coming back for more each time you lost all you lives I don’t think I ever finished it myself  but still like to play it today. The only bad thing was the difficultness from the first level. Mastertronic were fast becoming the fave software house for the C16

Video Meanie’s

My number five has to be Video Meanie’s. This game is a flip screen shoot ‘em up with a hint of puzzle solving on the side. The aim was simple enough move around the levels avoiding or shooting flying objects in each level collecting different coloured keys for access to different areas and you also had to touch what looks like a juke box on each level to shut it down before you go in search of the next key and juke box, there is also electric fields you must go through to get to the next level which switch on and off at a great pace.. Sound’s simple except after you shoot a baddie 10 second’s later he reappears as menacing as before, you also have to shoot your way through walls along the way to progress and as with all games the bad guy’s seem to follow you through the gap’s made in the wall’s and by touching a wall you also end up dead so a steady hand is called for. The graphic’s are colourful and detailed and the whole game moves along smoothly and at great pace. Sound is good with a nice ditty playing on the title screen whilst in game sounds are good when you fire you gun your presented with nice loud explosion all in all very good. Game play is good with the difficulty level being set quite high from the start. On the down side it is quite hard to shoot the baddie’s as they move at one hell of a pace so it tends to be more luck than judgment when you shoot one and they do return very quickly.

Mastetronic Catalogue

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