Yippee! I’m back and I’m bad! And have I got some scrummy SAM news for you? (Yes.) CRASH is the mag for SAM coverage, so put on your kinky boots and walk this way...

CHRISTMAS CAPERS!

SAM Co plan to take the Christmas market by storm with a brand new package to squeeze the best out of the machine and give it a flashy new paint job! (Wow!) Ol’ Sammy’s getting a 512K memory and a disk drive as standard — and possibly a new black case with grey keys!

A whole stack of software goodies will be bundled with the package, including an Exploration and Discovery disk to introduce the beginner to the wide world of SAM computing. This new Coupé will be a bargain at just £199.99.

POCKET MONEY PURCHASES

Disks worth a butchers this month include two from Images SAM Software. The first is a two game pack, Give A Dog A Bone and Roboblob. Check out the graphic quality of the screenshots on this page — wow!

The second disk includes The Chamber of Horrors, Lemmings, Baa! and Viz. The horror demo is X-rated so it’s not one for the faint hearted. The digitized animation is of a man with an exploding head and another having his arm chopped off! (Oh lovely! — Ed). The Viz demo features all your favourite cartoon characters, while Lemmings demonstrates what the SAM game could look like. Baa! is something you’ve just got to see: a trampolining sheep!

The disks are available from IMAGES — SAM SOFTWARE for £2 each! Make cheques payable to J Roberts and tape coins to a piece of card.

AMIGA GRAPHICS ON YOUR SAM!

Bring the Amiga’s great graphics to your SAM with an Amiga IFF to SAM converter, the latest utility to come from Integrated Logic. Get access to an Amiga and you can draw with their superior art packages then simply convert them to load on SAM. The only problem with using this method is the Amiga’s screen is bigger so you’ll have to select which part of the picture you want to convert.

My only moan about the system is the speed and layout of the software on the SAM side. A new disk loading system has been written and takes forever to load up the convertor. The IFF Convertor is an essential purchase for any SAM graphic artist.

Santa’s software bundle!

Prince Of Persia

Revelation/Domark
£14.99

Put on your heroic head and help the young adventurer on his quest to save the princess (yet another girl’s blouse — Ed) from the clutches of the evil Jaffar. Lots of jumping over large gaps, falling onto spikes and getting sliced in two by mega blades! That’s if you’re not careful where you’re stepping.

Hexagonia

Revelation
£9.99

Lots of atomic mayhem in this hair-tearing puzzle game, spread over 70 action packed levels! See the review in this issue for the full story.

Impatience

FREDSoft
£9.99

FREDSoft’s first release includes two addictive puzzle games in one pack. In Tritex you have to pair up the symbols to clear each level and you even get mouse control! Viking, for two players, is based on an ancient board game.

Manic Miner

Revelation
£9.99

This classic Spectrum game of yesteryear has made it onto SAM — only this version is even better! Skim through 60 levels of upgraded and coloured graphics and boogie on down to the new toe tapping music!

Splat!

Revelation
£9.99

Another classic Spectrum game, this time the Incentive hit, Splat! You’re Zippy, a character that can only be described as a ‘thing’, who has to escape from a really weird land. You’ve no control over the way the landscape scrolls, but you have to guide Zippy away from the walls and death! On the way out you can eat grass, plums and avoid traps like spikes and water. There are 21 levels to play, some of which are totally new!

Batz’n Balls

Revelation
£9.99

A mega tile game with the balls zipping across the screen, losing momentum the higher they get and forming an arch. Every level is packed with colourful MODE 4 graphics and the power up icons that can be collected will have you losing your mind with such effects as extra balls, expanding bats and slow motion play!

The Sound Machine

Revelation
£14.99

Any budding pop stars out there? Then The Sound Machine is just for you. You control SAM’s voice box and can enter notes and songs using the simple menus, edit and improve them using keyboard, joystick or mouse. Eat your heart out, Kylie!

F-16 Combat Pilot

Revelation/Digital Integration
£16.99

In this corking flight sim, due out for Chrimbles, you can zoom round the landscapes with shaded 3D or wire frame graphics and attempt the daring missions waiting for you. Most of the graphics have been ported directly from the Atari ST so it’s gotta be good.

If you have any stuff for the SAM Page, send it to: SAM Page, CRASH, Europress Impact.