Worse Things Happen at Sea

Producer: Silversoft
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Mindseye

It's hard to believe, looking at this latest Silversoft game, that worse things could possibly happen at sea, but perhaps the author was referring to R & R's Titanic when he thought up the title, or perhaps he was thinking about White Star's Titanic - that wasn't a game!

Here you are called upon to safely take a cargo ship from port to port. A diagram at the top of the screen shows the ports and your ship with a navigable distance that would take a few moments freestyle to complete for the poorest of swimmers. Judging the difficulties you are about to face from this innocent little diagrammatic representation would be foolish in the extreme!

You play the part of a robot (it's an automated ship this one), and one can only suppose that the authorities allow the ship to leave port with its seaworthiness certificate signed because it only carries a crew of one, and a robot to boot. Boots, however, are of little use - throat length waders would be more appropriate, because this ship starts sinking the second it leaves port!

The ship consists of 11 areas, six on the top deck and five below. Each area is sealed off from the next by hatches, and hatches in the floor of the top deck access to lifts to take you down below. The top right-hand area contains a materialisation machine, from which your robot starts life, and next to it, a recharge chamber for restoring the robot's power which is drained by work. The other rooms contain nefarious bits of equipment, but it is the pipe and pumping handles that are important. A patch is also supplied in each area, but only six pump handles for the 11 pumps.

The sad state of the ship can be immediately seen on the lower deck where numerous leaks are letting the sea gush in. The rising level of water is shown by the normally white background turning black. The robot has several tasks which include opening and shutting hatches (green or red lights show above the hatch on either side, indicating whether it is open or closed), picking up patches and placing them over leaks and then pumping out the water in the particular room. Of course, you can only carry one thing at a time. Hatches should be left closed as this slows down the rate of flooding between sections, and indeed, it isn't possible to pump out a section if all the doors are open, as the water flows in too fast for the pump to cope.

The screen display is very busy. About two-thirds is taken up with the depiction of a room. Moving through a hatch results in the display scrolling across to be replaced by the next room entered. Above this is the score and hi-score (shown in £), a diagram of the 11 rooms with the one you are in flashing (also the effect of rising water), a yellow square which indicates what object you are carrying, a bar code showing robot energy, a course indicator (the robot has to keep the boat on course as well!) and gauges for temperature, water level and cargo value. As the water rises, so the cargo value sinks.

Docking successfully at port results in your cargo remaining being evaluated for points. Lives are lost by running out of power, although to help a rapid return to the recharge chamber you can hyperspace, but this might take more energy than is left. Also, the robot short circuits if he's operating under water, and this drains power faster. Should the ship sink, you at least have the satisfaction of watching the event on the screen at the very top.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q/W left/right, E/R up/down, T = door/take X = pump/power. There are five other combinations offered including cursors and Sinclair
Joystick: Kempston, Cursor types, ZX 2
Keyboard play: excellent responses
Use of colour: very good
Graphics: very good, plenty of detail and nice touches
Sound: great tunes, very good throughout
Skill levels: progressive difficulty
Lives: 3
Screens: 11
Originality: very high based on concept and playability

This is a super-original game from Silversoft. The graphics and detail are very good and the game is very playable and addictive. I really enjoyed it and I'm sure this game will be a huge success. It's probably one of the most original games of 84 so far. There are many features in the game to make it varied enough to give it lasting appeal - excellent!

I am amazed that such a simple idea - using a trusty robot to plug holes in a leaky old ship and keep it afloat - should prove to be so much fun to play. The side view of the ship is extremely pleasing graphically and well detailed and coloured. I found that after completing a few successful crossings that worse things began to happen at sea. For instance the ship kept going off course, the engine overheated due to lack of oil, and more holes appeared in different places. Several great tunes are played, and the sound during the game is good. Silversoft have produced an incredibly addictive, playable and attractive game.

There are some games you come across that, based on a simple idea, are nevertheless completely compelling - this is one. Worse Things Happen at Sea is a nightmare of activity. At first it all seems fruitless, as though you can never keep the ship afloat, but as you get better it seems easier. Unfortunately, the game has been programmed to grow with you! Oiling engines and steering wheels are added to the already Herculean tasks of pumping and patching. The graphics are really very good, crisp drawing and good colouring. A massive choice of keys is offered and the keyboard is very responsive too. All in all an excellent, original game. Great instructions on screen too.

The title's quite right, they do. The ship's sprung a leak and the sailor-robot needs to stop it - at the same time keeping the vessel on course, pumping out the water and oiling the engine. Remember to keep the hatches closed, or you'll perish sooner rather than later.

Alex: The ship is drawn very well, with clear and entertaining graphics. Judging by the number of screens that appear as you travel round, the size of the ship must be enormous. It's certainly quite a headache trying to stop the flood, but it gets a bit easier with practice. Overall, a program that'll keep you glued to the screen for ages.

Alan G: Not only is the idea behind the game very original, there's lots of things to do to keep you interested as well as busy. The graphics are highly detailed and the sailor-robot moves very smoothly. Most of the time it feels like you're fighting a losing battle, with the water flooding in.

Alan H:The superb graphics are unaffected by the excitingly high speed of the game - which is just about right - and the colourful display is also enjoyable, while still being reasonably realistic. But it's the idea which makes this program something special; there's really nothing like it available anywhere else. There's just one disturbing 'fault' (if that's what it is) which allows the boat to successfully make its first crossing without the player actually doing anything. Messing around in boats is great fun.

Use of Computer: 88%
Graphics: 89%
Playability: 92%
Getting Started: 86%
Addictive Qualities: 94%
Value for Money: 95%
Originality: 93%
Overall: 91%

WTHAS was Silversoft's first real big hit and since then they haven't looked back. WTHAS has been popular in the Hotline and it's still popular with all of the Crash reviewers. The idea of the game couldn't really be simpler, just keep the ship afloat until you arrive at your destination. On the later levels of the game you must regularly oil the engine to stop it from blowing, while still repairing your ship and keeping it on course so you get to your destination quicker. So as you can see it gets quite hectic in there. At the top of the screen is a scanner to indicate your distance from the shore plus scanners for how much robot power you've got left (you have to go back to the start chamber to get it back), how much water there is in the ship plus other details which are important to the running of the ship.

WTHAS has stayed in the Hotline charts for a very long time. That must say something about how good the game is and I really enjoyed playing WTHAS it's just so addictive and playable. Perhaps after a couple of hours solid playing I might become bored with it but I don't really see that happening to me. The graphics on WTHAS are really good and the game still rates a Crash Smash by today's standards which just goes to show that WTHAS is a classic game. If you haven't yet got WTHAS then get it now, it's too good to be missed.
BS

WTHAS is still one of the best games available today. Everything about the game is terrific; it's fun, it's addictive and it's fantastic value for money. When I first saw some pictures of the game I thought it was going to be a bore five hours continuous playing proved me wrong. WTHAS is a manic game which is hard to categorise, there isn't anything like it available. When you see programs like this you soon realise why the Spectrum is the best games machine on the market.
RC

(Ben) I wouldn't quarrel with the ratings at all. It's as good now as it was then.

(Rob) The ratings still stand today and WTHAS isn't the least bit dated.

BEFORE THE FLOOD

Memory: 48K
Price: £5.95

In the latest hit from Silversoft, Worse Things Happen at Sea, you are a ship's android, with sole responsibility for the safety of the ship as it ferries its cargo between two ports. Unfortunately the vessel is not merely leaky, it is a positive sieve. There are two decks and you must travel backwards and forwards patching up the boles and pumping out water.

The screen shows a crisp picture of the compartment you are in, and gives information concerning the status of your engines, whether you are off course, and an overall plan of the ship.

As the game progresses the hull springs leaks, with cartoon-hke fountains bursting out of the floor. Those can be capped with a limited supply of plates, and there are also pumps which you can oper ate to remove water. You will find yourself rushing madly around the ship trying to stem the encroaching seawater; be careful opening doors between compartments as you may simply spread the water around.

The main criticism is the lack of provision for joy- sticks, although you can choose from a set of six key configurations, which should work with most joysticks as long as you know which keys your joystick uses.

Worse Things Happen at Sea is exciting to play, difficult to beat, and unusual in concept. Despite the joystick quibble, worse things have happened in computer games, too.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48k
SUPPLIER: Silversoft
PRICE: £5.95

The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is that your C Droid should run out of power before he manages to pump out the flooded engine room.

C Droids are the merchant seamen of the future and you have just five of them to help you get your ship safely into port in Silversoft's latest offering for the Spectrum - Worse Things Happen At Sea.

The clanking sailors have to rush all over the vessel in an attempt to plug the leaks, pump out the flooded compartments and keep darting back to take the wheel if the ship goes off course.

If you do get blown off course, you have to take the wheel and centre the dial on the control board.

The bottom two thirds of the screen shows the room that the C Droid is currently working in or walking through. The top third shows all the various controls and the horizon with your ship on the surface.

An indicator shows you how much C Droid power you have left, the course dial, time taken, water level, the number of rooms flooded or pumped dry and also shows you which particular tool the C Droid is currently using.

There are four different tools that your Droid will need to use in the game: the ship's wheel, the pump, the oilcan, and the plugs.

Worse Things is a complex game to play but not difficult to learn and boy is it addictive.

In addition to all this, each C Droid has to nip into the recharging chamber every so often to boost its power batteries.

Worse Things will have you tearing your hair out as you race around trying to plug the leaks to keep your vessel afloat.

Your first trip is the easiest as you do not have to worry about the wheel. If you succeed, you will be given a cost sheet showing how much of the cargo has been damaged by water and the cost of repairing the C Droids.

Your next trip is much tougher as the leaks spring faster and your ship can also get blown off course.

This really is a splendid game. The mechanics of the game have been extremely well thought out to provide a progressively more difficult challenge that will be fun to play time and time again. Deserves to get number one. But why are all the boxes of cargo marked QL!

MAKER: Silversoft
MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
FORMAT: cassette
PRICE: £5.95

Neatly drawn nautical nonsense in which you must try and stem a thousand leaks on board on ailing ocean liner in order to guide it into port. The ship consists of about a dozen compartments, all of which begin to fountain like mad as you trundle frantically about on your rounds. Once sealed, these segments can be pumped dry in order to keep the tub afloat. Unfortunately sealing plates are in rather short supply and the little sea-droid who does all the work has a tendency to rust up and croak when exposed to salt water. Sailors will have a constant battle against the rising tide on their hands. Personally I believe it Canute be done (you're fired - Ed.) Visually it's the most impressive thing yet put by Silversoft and the challenge quota is considerably high.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
CONTROL: Key, Curs, Sinc, AGF
FROM: Silversoft, £5.95

I used to have terrifying dreams about being on board a ship which was gradually springing leaks, and I had to tear around trying to fix them. This game is my nightmare come true.

The terror begins when you, a service robot, materialize in the bridge of the ship. This is one of the ship's 11 compartments only one of which can be displayed on screen at once. You glance at your instruments. and see that - aagh! - water is pouring into the ships hold!

So off you run, pausing only to grab a scaling patch, and fumble your way through the ships compartments until you reach the leak. Drop the patch onto the leak. Phew! But already the water level's high, causing you to lose power - better get out fast!

You leave, but then... oh no! You forgot to close the door, The water's pouring through into this room. Quick! Seal the door and get to the pump. But where's the pump handle? You left one in another room. No time to get it, because your power's running out. Help! Must get back to the bridge to recharge.

Just in time! And now if you're lucky you can dart back to one of the water-filled rooms and pump it clear. If not, the Ship's in danger of going down. But... panic! Another leak has sprung! And waters entering the bridge! if it gets at all deep the recharger will no longer work. That's - it You're out of power. The ship sinks with thousands of pounds of cargo on board.

Worse Things Happen At Sea is a brilliantly original, panic game. It's so playable you can start enjoying it from the word go, yet as it goes on, you have more and more to worry about enough to turn even a skillful player into a gibbering wreck.

After learning to cope with leaks and pump handles on your first turn, you must then on your second turn take time to keep steering the ship on its proper course. And on your third, worse things still happen including the engine overheating.

The screen is very cleverly designed: the bottom half shows the compartment you're in complete with leaks, pump, and rising water level. The upper half has a number of indicators including the robot's remaining power, ship's direction, distance to harbour, and, most important, the water level in each compartment.

The robot runs around in a rather comic jerky style, accompanied by frenetic sound and some attractive tunes. It's particularly enjoyable watching him pump out a compartment.

Doors are quite difficult to close - you often accidentally walk through them instead, which can be fatal. But you can avoid opening and closing them. by a power-consuming mode of travel called 'supa-step'.

Many of Silversoft's previous efforts have simply been copies of arcade games. This one is in a different class. It's horrifyingly good.