The main excuse, of course, for bringing about a Firebird-themed month for this February was to continue the line started by the Mastertronic Exclusives special last May. Just as a quick reminder, the idea is to list games that were released by the publisher of choice, exclusively for certain platforms, whether or not they were actually unique in anyway, without listing any of the games already featured in the Unique Games series. As such, this list will not be a definitive one, but rather a look at the best of what Telecomsoft's labels Firebird and Silverbird had to offer exclusively for each represented platform. To my knowledge, the third label, Rainbird, never released any exclusive games, although they did do some odd publishing.
Telecomsoft's game publishing history was, while prolific and extremely memorable for us 80's gamers, unfortunately short, since they only existed from 1984 to 1989, before getting bought by MicroProse, who still continued to publish games under Telecomsoft's three labels until 1990. The majority of Telecomsoft's games were released for the two major home computers, Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum, but they did have a good number of games on other platforms as well, even exclusive ones. However, the two major 16-bit computers, the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga, shared all their games that did not get made for the 8-bits.
ACORN BBC MICRO + ELECTRON
Due to Telecomsoft's location, their main focus for game releases were the British-originated platforms, one of them being the two 8-bit Acorn computers, before they were found largely unprofitable. Still, a few considerable Acorn-exclusive classics were released during 1984 and 1985.
1. Acid Drops (Firebird, 1984) - BBC
From way too many shoot'em-ups released by Firebird for the Acorn computers, my favourite might be Acid Drops. The reason is, there's more to it than what's instantly apparent. For about 90% of the game's playtime, it is a single-screen shoot'em-up, but between each level, you fly through a horizontally scrolling tube with similar small gaps you need to get through as you see in the recent Flappy Bird style games.
The actual shooting part of the game is thankfully quirky, as well, since while the real focus is still on the aliens invading your personal space, and you can only shoot them one relatively slow bullet at a time, there's a lurking danger hovering above you. At the top of the screen, there's a pool of acid, slowly corroding the pool and eventually making holes in it, which makes the acid - lethal to you - fall in drops. You can also shoot holes into the bottom of the pool, so you need to be really careful when shooting at the aliens. As an additional quirk, the acid drops don't hurt the aliens, but rather mutate them into something more dangerous upon collision. It's a simplistic-looking game, but with a good enough twist to make it well worth checking out.
2. The Hacker (Firebird, 1984) - BBC/Electron
There's always one or two exclusive Manic Miner clones for these sorts of machines, and Firebird released two of them for the BBC Micro. The other one, Fat Man Sam, I considered a bit too impossible to play, so the one worth mentioning left is The Hacker, also released for the Electron. The Electron version only differs from the BBC Micro version by being a bit slower, and having naturally worse sound effects.
3. Bird Strike (Firebird, 1984) - BBC
The second Acorn-exclusive shoot'em-up from Firebird is one of those shooters that take place in a single area, so it only has one background image in it. You control a small land-to-air defense device, which has to shoot down a bunch of old-school fighter planes that come down from above the clouds. The funny thing is, the real purpose of this setup is, that the planes are sending off carrier pigeons, which are carring musical notes. To get a bonus score for the level, you need to kill enough pigeons and fill up the notation line above the skyline before finishing off the fighter planes.
4. Star Drifter (Firebird, 1985) - BBC/Electron
Here's an obligatory maze-adventure, which were so popular on the Acorn computers in the 80's, and it was released for both BBC Micro and Electron. For that reason alone, I was tempted to overlook this one, but I'm glad I took a chance with it, because Star Drifter is one of the best Sabre Wulf variants I have ever played.
5. Gold Digger (Firebird, 1984) - BBC
If you're into coffee break fun games, but think that they're often too long, Gold Digger (or GolDigger) might be your thing. It's a single screen Dig Dug and Boulderdash variant of sorts that wastes three lives faster than a single Tetris block spends time falling down on its own speed. Well, maybe not that quick, but it's pretty hyperspeed, anyway.
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SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM
The other, more profitable British-originated platform was more internationally successful, which can be seen in the timeline of releases from both Firebird and Silverbird. The quality of these exclusive Spectrum games was relatively high, considering they were all more or less budget titles.
1. Byte Bitten (Firebird, 1984)
It has often been said, that Byte Bitten is one of the first games to feature mini-games. Technically, this is not exactly accurate, since Byte Bitten is just two games in turns: an arcade maze-adventure and a Defender-styled helicopter shooter called Sea King, which you can actually practice without bothering with the maze part of the game.
2. Vectron (Insight Software/Firebird, 1985)
I had to make one exception to a so far unwritten rule here, that none of the listed games should be a re-release. The original release by Insight Software is lost from the archives, you see, so there is some debate, whether Insight actually ever got to release Vectron, or if the only release came from Firebird. Whatever the case regarding that, Vectron is one of the hidden Spectrum gems designed by Mike Follin, with more excellent music from his brother Tim. The game was apparently supposed to be released for the C64 and Amstrad as well, but neither of them seem to have ever existed.
3. Octan (Silverbird, 1988)
From a bunch of Spectrum-exclusive shoot'em-ups released under both Firebird and Silverbird labels, I chose Octan as the representative. Or "Ostai", if the semi-cyrillic typography is something to be considered. Whenever I start up one of these mostly generic shooters, my first reaction is usually a groan, but for some reason, Octan managed to intrigue me with its presentation.
4. Halloween: Olli & Lissa 2 (Silverbird, 1990)
The Olli & Lissa trilogy is one of the strangest trilogies on the 8-bit computers for two reasons. The titular characters' names sound almost Finnish (Olli, often short for Olavi, and Liisa, are very traditional names here), and the second part was only ever released on the Spectrum, although oddly, it was the last of the trilogy to be released. Otherwise, it's fairly traditional arcade-adventuring.
Whereas Olli & Lissa parts 1 and 3 were clear platform-adventuring, Halloween makes you control a fairy on a broom, so you're floating around like the witch in Cauldron, instead of jumping. In fact, you're not even controlling either Olli or Lissa, but the protagonist in this game is called Arabella - it just takes place in the same place as the other two games. It's a bit tricky, but it's similar enough to games like Dizzy, Cauldron and Sorcery to make you feel close to home.
5. 3D Stock Car Championship (Firebird, 1988)
Oddly, here's a racing game exclusive for the ZX Spectrum, and it's not even a proper 3D game, despite its name. What 3D Stock Car Championship is, is a max four-player single-screen isometric racing game with some nice multiple angle toy car modelling, sliding physics on higher speeds and adjustable computer opponent levels.
6. Gyron (Firebird, 1985)
Looking back at the first half of the 1980's and how 3D games evolved, it's not all that easy to say, what could they have possibly made to make the 3D games of that time made to be more appealing to some unassuming gamer trying to find new and interesting games based on screenshots and reviews. The way Torus, the team behind Gyron, approached the issue of appeal, was to offer a prize of a Porsche 924 or £12,500 in cash for the first person to solve the game's second part - Necropolis. The original game additionally featured a practice game, Atrium, in addition to the aforementioned Necropolis.
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COMMODORE 64
Perhaps the most profitable platform for Telecomsoft's products was the American originated Commodore 64, which not only had some of the best arcade conversions of the bunch, but also the biggest amount of exclusive releases, most of them quite high in quality, too. However, because most of the best ones have already been featured in the Unique Games series, this list will show off some of the lesser known gems.
1. Train Robbers (Firebird, 1987)
Probably my absolute favourite wild west themed game on the C64 takes you chasing after a high speed steam locomotive, which you must then climb aboard and reach the other end while dodging tunnels and jump over gaps. Once at the other end, you enter the train car, which contains a treasure you need to collect, and a couple of angry black dogs whose gnawing teeth you need to avoid. Easier said than done, of course, but a lot of the game is also a matter of chance, so it never gets old!
2. Slimey's Mine (Silverbird, 1988)
This game had somehow completely escaped my notice until I started working on this entry, but what a marvellous little arcade mash-up Slimey's Mine is! The main hub of the game makes you jump on a bunch of platforms from a top-down view, some of which diminish upon every leap you take from them (similarly to a certain frog game I can't get the name of in my head at the moment). The area you jump around in is somewhere in space, and you need to look out for traps and empty spots. Some of the platforms are solid, but have a rectangular hole in them, which you can go through to enter one of the game's numerous mines.
The mines themselves are played in the style of Berzerk, but here, you need to pick up gems and other items dropped by killed aliens to be able to make progress. Some of the rooms are blocked by unpassable land mass, for which you need an explosive device to clear the way. Apart from a lacklustre soundtrack, Slimey's Mine is one of the best Silverbird releases I have ever played - if not the best.
3. Ozzy versus the Universe, Part I: Demons of Topaz (Firebird, 1984)
The oldest game for the C64 list has nothing to do with a certain singer from Black Sabbath, although who would blame you, if you thought so. Demons of Topaz is a side-scrolling platformer by Andrew E. Bailey, who was later responsible for the C64 port of Microcosm, which I wrote a comparison of some years ago. The full title should also be disregarded, since there was never a Part II of this game.
4. Bushido: the Way of the Warrior (Firebird, 1989)
One of the most unfortunately overlooked games in Firebird's catalogue is Bushido, developed by none other than Steve Turner of Graftgold. Personally, I think the game was released a bit too late in the C64's life to make much of an impact, but then it's not exactly the most playable game, either. I admit, it took me a few attempts to understand what Bushido was about, and the tilted 3D-styled view of the play area, which reminds me of those mid-80's Ultimate Play The Game titles with Sir Arthur Pendragon for the C64, didn't help much giving a first impression.
5. Combat Crazy: Warbringer (Silverbird, 1988)
Another game from the Silverbird catalogue is strangely listed as Combat Crazy, although the only title you see in the game is Warbringer. It's basically a side-viewed omni-directionally scrolling platform shooter with a seemingly endless map that doesn't have too much of visual variety. But that all can be taken as both pros and cons.
6. Super Rider (Firebird, 1985)
Since I started the C64 section with a game with a horse, I'll end the section with another: Super Rider, an equestrian game with some of the oddest visuals I have ever seen on the C64. The loading screen already looks like it was attempted to be made look like a simulated watercolour painting, and most of the game's terrain elements are somehow triangular.
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COMMODORE 16 (and PLUS/4)
It seems as if Firebird's niche focus shifted from the Acorn computers to the Commodore 16 (and Plus/4) after 1985 for the next two years. Unfortunately, most of the exclusive games were more misses than hits. But then, C16 games are a bit cheap by necessity, so you will have to take them as they come.
1. Into the Deep / Space Mission (1986)
One of the better C16-exclusives is a primordial cave-flyer turned into Choplifter, somehow. What I mean by primordial cave-flyer is, that the gameplay is basically copied from games like Zeppelin, Where's My Bones? and Fort Apocalypse, but is more basic in execution. The Choplifter part is the mission of rescuing all the floating human heads from the caves, and eventually bringing them to the base.
2. Netrun 2000 (1986)
Here's a game that desperately tries to be something akin to the creations of Jeff Minter, but fails at recreating the hyperactive feel of his games. It's a sideways two-way Centipede/Gridrunner variant, which in itself wouldn't be a bad idea, but unlike in Minter's creations, the shooting is a bit too stiff and clunky instead of hyper and fluid, as it ought to be in these sorts of games.
3. Shark Attack (1986)
Another simple shooter here, and this one also had an alternative cover title, with the "Attack" dropped from its full in-game title. Shark Attack really focuses on the shark part of the title, because that's all you need to - and even can - shoot at. In a rather funny way, the game has been turned into a timed shooting gallery style game, because you need to hit the cross-target on the shark's side precisely to kill it and move on to the next level, before you run out of air.
4. Torpedo Alley (1986)
Here's probably the most simplistic submarine battle game that I have ever played, which might or might not be considered a good thing. At least, you don't have to learn 20 different keys to get anything happening, like you do in simulators.
5. Runner (1986)
The last one for the C16 list is a ladder-based platformer, in which the protagonist is equipped with a jetpack. The idea in Runner is simple: collect three keys from the top of each level to move on to the next level, and watch out for small ball-shaped enemies while at it. Some of the enemies can climb ladders, and others can only fall down.
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OTHER 8-BITS
For most of the other 8-bits, where Telecomsoft had any publications, the focus was mostly on conversions, if any. Only for the 8-bit Atari computers and Amstrad CPC, they managed to spit out a couple of exclusive titles.
1. The Extirpator! (Firebird/Silverbird, 1988) - Atari 400/800
The first odd thing about The Extirpator! is certainly the odd title, but to my mildly OCD mind, the more pressing matter is, that the game insists at all times, that it is released by Firebird, while the game's cover says Silverbird. I suppose the decision to go with the new label either came too late for the developers to make any changes to the original texts before manufacturing, or something got mixed up in the manufacturing process at Telecomsoft headquarters. Who knows.
2. Matta Blatta (Firebird/Silverbird, 1988) - Atari 400/800
Yeah, it seems like the only game developers who felt like creating something exclusive for the Atari had the same thing in mind - more shoot'em-ups! Matta Blatta - which I think is supposed to be Master Blaster - is similarly side-scrolling shooter as the previous game, but this one is based around the idea of stupidly long attack waves of a single type of enemy. Well, there's always something odd about these. And again, Firebird and Silverbird are both mentioned similarly to the other game.
3. Bio Spheres (Silverbird, 1987) - Amstrad CPC
For the Amstrad CPC, the game devs and producers were much more single-minded about which publisher they would be using for these exclusive games. Bio Spheres was released by Silverbird, and is considered one of the better Silverbird games for the CPC. It's also something other than a shoot'em-up, which is already a plus in my book, no matter how good they might be at this point.
4. Thunder Zone (Firebird, 1987) - Amstrad CPC
And here's another shoot'em-up, this time in first-person perspective. Although Thunder Zone looks simple enough to just blast everything, it's not quite as simple as that... unfortunately. But I have a feeling this game might be more of a misunderstood hidden gem, thanks to its strange control method.
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ATARI ST & COMMODORE AMIGA
Because Telecomsoft was already doing the final rounds in 1989, before MicroProse bought the company, the 16-bits didn't really have much of a chance getting much of backlog from the company's three labels. Since both Atari ST and Commodore Amiga did have some games that didn't make it to the 8-bits, but didn't have any really exclusive titles for either machine, these four games represent both machines. It might be worth to mention, that all these games were ST-originals, though.
1. Whirligig / Spacecutter (Firebird/Rainbird, 1988)
Let's start this on the wrong foot. Here's a semi-complex space game, which has some shooting in it, although it's not its main purpose. You control a space ship by using your mouse, even though controlling the ship isn't exactly analog. The main point of the game is to somehow drag objects through stargates, and then warp through one yourself, but even by reading the game manual, I haven't been able to perform any dragging. You do need to shoot at things, though, so that's something you can relate to, even if the only weapon you have is homing missiles, which can backfire if there's nothing to home on to other than your own ship.
2. Return to Genesis (Firebird, 1988)
If Whirligig/Spacecutter didn't wet your shooter glands, maybe Return to Genesis will. There is some reason to be excited about this game, too, since it's made in the same style as the C64 classic, Uridium, but the point is to collect stranded scientists from the deck of the large spaceship, while avoiding getting hit by enemy vessels or their projectiles.
3. Quartz (Firebird, 1988 ST / 1989 Amiga)
There's always time for yet another shoot'em-up, when it's interesting enough to mention. Quartz is, perhaps a bit surprisingly considering its relative obscurity, a shoot'em-up game with probably the most variety that I have ever seen in a shooter game before, as well as one the most interesting power-up systems I have ever come across in shoot'em-ups.
4. Fire and Brimstone (Firebird/MicroProse, 1990)
To grab the chance to end this article on both a low and a high note, we have what is reportedly the last game to be released under the Firebird label before MicroProse retired it. Fire and Brimstone is something like a Ghosts 'n' Goblins -type affair with a Norse mythology theme to it, except it's made in a flip-screen style and there are more puzzle elements than in GnG. All aspects of what should make the game worth at least checking out, such as the people behind it - Tim Coupe, Chris Sorrell and David Whittaker - are a bit let down by the harsh difficulty level.
I somehow managed to get to the end of level 1, only to be informed that I need to have collected all the parts of a key to get through the door to the next level, and then thrown back to the beginning, now facing the problem of not being able to get past the fourth screen with an impossible jump which requires the usage of a blue bottle to make platforms appear over the trap. Oh well. All I can say is, Fire and Brimstone offers a good deal of challenge to those of you who thought Rick Dangerous was too easy.
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As I said in the beginning, that's not all that's actually available as exclusive Telecomsoft games, but basically the most mention-worthy of that lot, perhaps. The ones that got left out were released for ZX Spectrum and C64, and I think there was also one for C16. But, for at least most of the above, I can give you my recommendations.
Telecomsoft's catalogue of classics is vast, to be sure: you have Action Fighter, Booty, Bubble Bobble, Druid, Elite, Revs, Rick Dangerous, Samurai Warrior, the Sentinel, Thrust and Zolyx, just to name some from the top of my head; and these classics overshadow the underdogs quite severely, so I hope this list of exclusives raised your interest towards the cult classics and less limelighted ones.
Thanks for reading - see you next month with something quite different!
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