1991 Empire Software
Platforms: Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum
Empire wasn’t a label one would normally associate with the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum, with just a handful of titles (Pipe Mania, Dr Doom’s Revenge, Gazza’s Super Soccer, Gazza 2) and a compilation (Soccer Stars) under it’s belt.
Following the success of their Captain America and Spiderman crossover game Dr Doom’s Revenge, Empire picked up the licence to produce a stand alone game featuring Spiderman.
The Amazing Spiderman was the result and the game was released on the Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST and featured you as the web crawler as you went though a movie studio to rescue Mary-Jane Parker from Mysterio. The game was very well received, but sadly (to me) it never came out on the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum.
But, Amstrad Computer User reviewed the game in their March 1991 issue, with the game gracing the front cover. It was very well received by them and got their Gold Award and the CPC screenshots looked good too.
However, people started querying this review as they were under the impression there was only a preview version ready. Amstrad Action contacted Empire to query this and they printed in AA66, in the March 1991 issue that Empire replied to them “That’s because there is!” which shows that ACU reviewed a preview copy (not the first time, nor the last time they would do this *ahem* Mega Twins). As for the Spectrum version, it was mentioned but never shown in the magazine, despite advertisements proclaiming Amstrad and Spectrum versions/
So it leads the question – is this preview copy in existence anywhere? It’s mentioned that the released versions were coded by Oxford Digital Enterprises Ltd, but did they do the Amstrad and Spectrum versions? Were these versions outsourced to a different developer? Is it possible the full game could exist out there somewhere?
FRANK: “I’ve spoken to artist Stephen Bedser, who did the Commodore 64 graphics. He doesn’t 100% confirm, but says that its more than likely he also did the CPC graphics, but no recollection at all regarding the ZX Spectrum edition. Unfortunately he didn’t know who was doing the coding. We have a few more leads, so will check those too and report back.”
Gallery
ACU were awful for this sort of thing. In this case it looks like there may have been a preview or mocked up screens available that look like they were hastily taken at the publishers offices (look how they aren’t even lined up properly with the monitor).
You mention Mega Twins but, for example, they tried to get an exclusive of Flimbo’s Quest by reviewing the ST version complete with ST screenshots and in the same issue review Last Ninja 3 with the only screenshots being of the C64 version intro! Both reviews read like they were written by the games publisher.
Before issue 50 this didn’t happen but the original editor left and the magazine was sold into the Robert Maxwell empire and was staffed by people who might as well have been writing a magazine that tested how hard vacuum cleaners sucked.
That said they held on to their freelancers so the technical articles were still good. But ACU for games after issue 50? It’s all made up lies written by people who just didn’t care.
It’s funny how a lot of the magazines back then tried to get away with it – I think a few C64 mags did something similar over the years. With this game – I think the screens were taken from a running game (the scores have some variance etc), but just that they reviewed from likely a demonstration they were given (which might explain the odd photos of the screens). Zzap apparently did this with Operation Thunderbolt back in the day.
Amstrad Action also showed a different looking screenshot, with the sprite in a different position – which also suggests it was taken from something that was playable.
Just a shame there seems to be nothing of the ZX Spectrum version at the moment. Hope we can learn soon who was behind the CPC edition, which may then lead to the ZX version too.