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

 

Gremlin Graphics for me was the best publishers for the C16. They were one of the only large software house’s that took the C16 as serious and pushed it to its limits and produced some of the best games ever made for the platform. Below are my top five C16 games from Gremlin Graphics

Monty On The Run

 When I first opened Monty On The Run on Christmas morning I couldn’t wait to play this brilliant game that C64 and Spectrum owners had had to themselves for so long. On loading the graphics were the best I had seen on the C16 being both detailed and colourful with sprites moving smoothly. Although some of the levels were slightly different to the other versions out there but that was a small price to pay for the chance to have this classic on the C16. The game play was great and was no pushover with all the secrets there was to find. Sadly though the sound side if things weren’t good with the odd blip when you collected an item or got killed. Also the great theme tune had been lost as had the loading screen seen on other versions. Having said that is was still a great game to play and is still a joy to play today.

Auf Wiedersehen Monty

 My number two has to be the excellent follow up to my number one. Auf Weidersehen Monty was the perfect follow up to Monty On The Run. Once again the graphics were of the same quality if not better than the first game colourful and detailed and again characters moved smoothly around the play area. Some levels were again slightly different from other versions but it took nothing away from the game its self. Game play was pretty much the same as Monty while being slightly more difficult than in his first outing, which prolonged the playtime of this game. The sound on this version was much better you had the normal blip sounds when collecting objects or when colliding with an enemy, but there is a sound track that plays throughout on this game. It can get a little ear grating at times so its a good idea to have the volume turned down on your TV when playing.

Trailblazer

 This is a game that proved just what the C16 could do. The idea of the game was simply to guide a ball over a colourful tiled road avoiding hazards and holes in the road as you go in the hope of reaching the finish line in the quickest time possible. The thing that made this game great was that it was in a 3D perspective were you appear to be going into the screen, a 3D game on the Humble C16? The graphics were colourful and detailed again with the scrolling road moving very smoothly and at speed as well. Sound was good with in game effects and a small intro tune that did the job they were meant to do. The other good thing is that is that Trailblazer was written for the C16 then it was ported to other versions. A C16 game ported to other versions!!  It was a moment for all C16 owners to be proud of. Gremlin strikes again.   

Xargon’s Revenge

 Xargons Revenge is my number four. This game was a strange little side scrolling shooter. The aim was to clear each level of its enemies without colliding with them before moving on to do much of the same on the next level. The graphics were of the normal colourful and detailed graphics that you came to expect of Gremlin games. The sound was not great but served its purpose with shooting and collision effects.  This was a tough addictive little shooter to play if a little annoying at times. On the down side to this game was when you collided with an enemy instead of continuing with the enemies you had left to kill you were sent back to having a full set to destroy once again which was a pain when you got down to the last few enemies only to find you had to do all the hard work over again.   

Way Of  The tiger

 My number five is Way Of The Tiger. This was the only karate game that I liked on the C16. It reminds me of Way The Exploding Fist in some ways. The aim of the game is to walk from left to right or right to left beating the living day lights out of your opponents. Simple but fun to play. The graphics were quite good if not a little chunky but colourful and detailed so you could make out what was what. Sound was kept to the normal blips and crashes when you hit an opponent but adequate for the game. You also had quite a few different moves  which was a joy as it can get quite boring just wondering around with only a punch to dispose of you enemy’s so this made a refreshing change. The sprites moved about smoothly even when perform a flying kick. The difficulty level was set just right so you could finish the game which always helps. All in all it was the best karate game to appear on the C16.

Gremlin Catalogue

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