Zzap! (February 1986)

Source: Zzap! – Issue Number 10 – February 1986

The Commodore 64 was quite popular in the U.S. I had one, my neighbor had one, and another neighbor a little further down the street had a Commodore 128. However, despite its popularity, especially for gaming, there was never a magazine dedicated specifically to gaming on the Commodore 64 despite there being several Commodore 64 magazines available. Things were different in the U.K. though. There were at least a couple of Commodore 64 gaming magazines over the years with Zzap! being the most prominent. The February 1986 issue of Zzap! includes:

Hot Games for February

Fight Night – This now classic boxing game gets a good review here for the C64.

Bounder – An interesting game in which you control a tennis ball bouncing around on platforms up in the air.

The Eidolon – An excellent adventure game from Lucasfilm and Activision.

Desus Ex Machina – One of the more unique “games” I’ve ever seen and a little difficult to describe. It’s like a concept album in game format.

February Specials

A Chat with Tony Crowther – An interview with Tony Crowther who developed games for a variety of home computers.

Martin Galway – An interview with Martin Galway who was known for writing music for games on the Commodore 64. While he was involved in many, it is Spelunker I always remember.

The Art Gallery – An exhibition of artwork created on the Commodore 64.

Lucasfilm Interview – The first of a two-part series featuring interviews with Lucasfilm personel. This month there is an interview with David Fox (project leader for Rescue on Fractalus), Charlie Kellner (project leader for The Eidolon) and Noah Falstein (project leader fro Koronis Rift).

Zzap Sections

Editorial – A guide to reviews and awards as well as a bit about the varying quality of Commodore software.

Zzap Rrap – Letters from readers about Little Computer People, upcoming releases, cartridge software, game compilations, Rescue on Fractalus, and much more.

News Flash – News and new products including the new Commodore 128, Zzap! on Compunet, a new game compilation (Now Games 2), Deathwake from Quicksilva, and more.

Zzap Tips – Tips for various games including Racing Destruction Set, Robin of the Wood, Rambo, Dynamite Dan, Blackwyche, rocket Roger, Staff of Karnath, Ghostbusters, Elidon, Crazy Comets, Psi Warriors, Nodes of Yesod, and more.

Chronicles of The White Wizard – A look at some of the latest adventure games including Wishbringer (Infocom), Masquerade (US Gold), Fellowship of the Ring (Melbourne House), Causes of Chaos (CRL), and Worm in Paradise (Level 9).

Shadow Spiel – The latest news and rumors in the gaming business. Some things included here include previews and info of upcoming games including Mercenary, Yabba Dabba Doo!, Transformers, One Man and His Droid, Arc of Yesod, and more.